At the center of the light table, the area of ​​absolute darkness that had swallowed the Web Weaver's projection was like a silent, ominous wound. The eruption and instantaneous extinguishing of the pure white data storm, the inhuman scream of pain, and the Shadow's cold words, "The source of information pollution... has been purified," all carried a horror beyond comprehension.

Vincent K's icy blue eyes were calm, as if what had just been wiped away wasn't a Supreme Councillor, but merely a tiny speck of dust. His slender fingers, knuckles gleaming with the cool hue of jade, gently tapped the virtual tabletop, emitting a regular, hollow "tap...tap..." This subtle sound, in the dead silence, was like the lingering sound of a death knell, hammering at the hearts of the other Councillors.

"'Engineer,'" Vincent's voice broke the silence, still gentle, yet carrying the power to freeze souls. "Call upon the 'Ark' core engine to preheat 5% of its reserve energy and inject it into the structural barrier of Area C. Maintain maximum power until the collapse stops. Area B and all connected abandoned areas..." He paused slightly, his icy blue eyes sweeping across the violently flickering surveillance footage on the light table, displaying large areas of "signal loss" and "structural collapse," as if examining a pile of useless garbage. "...Abandon. Initiate the final 'Tombstone' protocol to record the entire collapse process and all energy and pollution data."

"Yes... Speaker." The engineer's projection hummed with a distinct electronic hum. His virtual fingers darted across the console before him, pulling up complex energy distribution charts and structural stress models. His face was filled with an almost numb concentration. Calling upon the Ark's preheating energy source was like drawing out the skeleton of a future lifeboat! But he didn't dare question it.

"Gorse." Vincent's gaze turned to the beautiful lady. "Project Noah, immediately activated. All core assets, gene banks, and key technical data streams are transferred to the Ark's preparation area, encryption level 'Deep Space'. All non-essential systems of the fortress are put into a minimum power consumption maintenance state. Outer defenses... are contracted to the core hive area."

Lady Plantagenet's projected face twisted slightly, expressing her heartache at being forced to give up her vast wealth and resources. However, she concealed it quickly and nodded slightly: "I understand, Speaker. The 'Ark' is our future, and everything... is for the Ark." Her voice trembled with an imperceptible tremor.

"Iron Wall." Vincent's gaze, like a concrete icicle, fell on the general with a hideous electronic scar on his face. "The losses of the Scavenger Force in Area B-7...will be made up by your direct Executioner team." He raised his chin slightly, his voice calm but with an undeniable sense of finality. "Coordinates sent. Target: Land Sinking Entropy. Priority: Highest. Requirement: Live capture. 72 hours is the deadline for the Ark's engines to complete warm-up and escape the collapsing fortress. It's also...your deadline."

General Tiebi's projection suddenly tensed, his shoulders, clad in black armor, as cold and hard as steel. The electronic scars on his face flickered red, like suppressed rage. The Executioner was his trump card, a true killing machine, used for the darkest, most unacceptable liquidation missions. Using it to capture a crippled rebel leader... it was a sheer waste of talent, a taunting disdain for his power. But he didn't dare question Vincent's decision, especially after witnessing the fate of the Webspinner.

"Target confirmed. Executioner team... depart immediately. Bring back the living Lu Chenent within 72 hours." Tiebi's voice was like two pieces of pig iron rubbing against each other, full of iron, blood, and murderous aura.

Finally, Vincent's gaze shifted to the edge of the table, where the figure, like a puppet with its soul ripped out, stood—Dr. Heisen. The mad scientist's face was devoid of its previous enthusiasm, replaced only by a distraught dejection. He stared fixedly at the darkness at the center of the table, as if still mourning for the "broken key."

"Dr. Heisen..." Vincent's voice showed no emotion.

Heisen shuddered violently, like a frightened rabbit, raised his head, and his bloodshot ice-blue eyes were filled with confusion and fear.

"Your 'Sample Zero'... the signal hasn't completely disappeared," Vincent said slowly, his gaze seemingly penetrating the thick rock formations of the fortress, landing deep within the collapsed pipe. "Initiate... the 'Spare Key' retrieval program. At the same time..." A faint hint of interest, as if discovering a new experimental subject, flashed across his icy blue eyes. "The high concentration of 'Buryhole Worm' protoplasm contamination released by the collapse of Area B, and the living tissue samples released with it... are extremely valuable raw research materials. Find a way... to recover them."

The despair in Dr. Heisen's eyes instantly ignited! Like a drowning man grasping at a last straw! He jerked upright, his face once again radiating that sickly, twisted, fanatical glow. "Yes! Speaker! I will immediately mobilize all available automated collection units and heavy-duty protective robots! Even if I have to dig three hundred meters underground, I'll dig those treasures out! And number zero... the spare key... I'll go sift through it right away..." He rambled incoherently, his hands frantically dancing on the virtual console, pulling up a dense web of data streams and blueprints.

At this moment, at the dark edge in the center of the light table where the "web weaver" disappeared, an extremely tiny surveillance image covered with snowflakes was suddenly automatically captured, enlarged, and highlighted by the system!

The footage came from a nearly forgotten, high-authority, hidden node at the edge of the landfill, at the bottom of the fortress. The image quality was extremely poor, shaking violently and filled with interference streaks, but it was still barely discernible:

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