Lu Chen's heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand. He stared intently at the incomplete seven-pointed star. The dormant chip within his body seemed to resonate with something, sending a faint yet distinct throbbing sensation. "So... my 'loss of control' wasn't a malfunction, but... the triggering of this 'backdoor'?" he said in a hoarse voice.

"It's very likely!" Wen Shifei's voice trembled with excitement. "This isn't a flaw! This is a deeply buried 'keyhole'! The designer seemed to have foreseen the chip's potential misuse, or perhaps... he anticipated its 'awakening'!" Her fingers flew, attempting to direct the data stream to impact the damaged node. The pale golden data stream, like a surging tide, continuously impacted the outline of the seven-pointed star. Each impact caused the light and shadow to flicker violently, emitting a low humming sound.

Lu Chensheng subconsciously grasped Wen Shifei's empty left hand. His hand was large, its palm blazing with heat and calloused with thin layers of calluses, completely enveloping hers. Wen Shifei trembled slightly, but didn't break free. Instead, she squeezed back firmly. In this moment, no words were needed; strength silently transferred between their clasped hands, resisting the terrifying torrent of data from the unknown.

Time passed in a state of intense tension. The blazing midday sun penetrated the shattered roof, forming shafts of light. Dust swirled in these beams, like a hazy golden dust, enveloping the two absorbed figures and the bizarre data projection. Although Lu Cheneng's attention was primarily focused on Wen Shifei and the screen, his awakened radar-like perception permeated the entire abandoned military camp. He could "hear" the rustling of a lizard crawling through a crack in the stone a hundred meters away, "feel" the subtle shifts in the direction of water flowing in pipes deep underground, and even catch a faint, unnatural smell on the wind...the unpleasant odor of synthetic rubber rubbing against each other? His brows furrowed slightly, a hint of alarm rising quietly.

Just when he was distracted and alert——

Buzz——!

The analyzer emitted an unprecedented, piercing beep! The stable beam enveloping the chip trembled violently! The incomplete seven-pointed star pattern formed by the data stream in the air suddenly burst into a dazzling blood-red light! The entire holographic projection twisted and expanded violently, as if trying to break free from its invisible constraints!

"Oh no! The deep defense has been triggered!" Wen Shifei exclaimed, his fingers tapping the virtual buttons as fast as lightning, trying to stabilize the system.

However, the center of the blood-red seven-pointed star, like a torn wound, suddenly erupted with a waterfall-like torrent of countless twisted ancient characters and strange biological symbols! These characters were not static; they squirmed and roared like living creatures, carrying a blasphemous and crazy meaning, instantly overwhelmed Wen Shifei's analytical program!

"Ugh!" Wen Shifei groaned, her face instantly pale, as her fingers were deflected by an invisible force. Lu Cheneng subconsciously pulled her behind him, his other hand already on the energy pulse pistol at his waist. His eyes were sharp as a knife, fixed on the out-of-control data storm.

The violent, blood-red data stream raged wildly in the air for several seconds, then, as if draining all its energy, it suddenly collapsed inward and condensed! Finally, before the two men's horrified gazes, it condensed into several lines of huge, clear, three-dimensional text emitting an ominous red glow, like an oracle written in blood in the void:

"Awakened, may you break free from your shackles and see your true self."

"The seed of 'Zero' was sown in the world. When it awakens, the old world collapses and the new world is born."

"If you can gather the 'Seven-Pointed Star', you can break free from your genetic prison and forge a free soul!"

"Gene cage... Soul of freedom... Heptagram?!" Wen Shifei covered his numb fingers, his voice trembling with disbelief as he repeatedly chewed on these words. The huge blood-red text hovered in the air, exuding a cold and seductive aura.

Lu Chen's pupils constricted, his heart pounding. The moment these words appeared, the chip within him resonated with an unprecedented, intense, burning sensation, as if a dormant beast had been awakened, greedily absorbing this information! "'Seed Zero'...refers to the chip within us? 'Seven-pointed Star'...seven awakened beings like us? Or...seven key nodes?" He muttered to himself, a subversive hypothesis swirling within his mind—perhaps this chip was never meant to be a shackle, but rather...a key! The key to unlocking the forbidden power deep within human genes!

Wen Shifei suppressed the turmoil within her heart and cast her gaze once again beneath the blood-red text. A tiny, encrypted note, nearly drowned in the red light, caught her eye. "There's something else!" She ignored the stinging pain in her fingers and once again controlled the analyzer, focusing all of its computing power on that single line. The data stream struggled to separate from the red light, like salvaging a sunken ship in a sea of ​​blood.

After several attempts, a smaller line of text, shimmering in a faint blue hue, was finally parsed:

"'Seven-pointed Star': symbolizes the seven sources of genetic awakening. When the starlight converges, the shackles will be released. The breath of the source points, like sources attract, unlike sources repel. Star seekers, be careful, be careful."

"The seven major genetic awakening points... those with similar genes attract, and those with different genes repel?" Wen Shifei gasped. "Does this mean that awakeners might be attracted to each other, or... they might repel each other, or even become hostile? Searching for other awakening points is a gamble filled with unknown risks!"

Lu Chen's fingertips brushed the handle of the gun at his waist, his eyes unusually bright, burning with a near-fanatical determination. "The gamble has begun, Wen Shifei. From the moment I awakened, from the moment we obtained this fragment, there's no turning back." He looked at her, his voice firm. "Find the 'Seven-Pointed Star' and unlock the genetic cage. This is our only way to fight the chaebol and tear apart this cannibalistic order! It's also... the way to make your brother's sacrifice truly meaningful!"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!