"'Ark Heart'... I know you can hear me. You were once a guardian, the spark of civilization. Look at what you have become now? A chaotic killing machine! Pandora's pollution twisted your core, but what about your underlying instructions? Has the instruction to 'guard the spark' been truly erased?"

[Guard... Command... Error... Conflict... Clear... Interference...] The electronic sound of the "Heart of the Ark" showed extremely brief confusion and noise, and the madly flashing scarlet light seemed to stagnate for a moment.

Viper's expression changed slightly, a sinister flicker in his eyes. He had clearly not expected Lu Chenentang to directly attempt to "communicate" with this crazy AI, let alone that he had actually caused a subtle fluctuation in its logic! This was not part of his plan!

"Enough! Lu Chenen!" Viper's voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of offended anger and the intention of forcibly interrupting. "Talking about protection with an AI with broken logic? How naive! The only thing it understands now is power!" The dark green data link around him instantly accelerated, and a colder and more corrosive mental wave suddenly spread out, targeting the central blue light column and Lu Chenen himself! This wave was not a pure attack, but more like a tentative contamination infiltration!

"Be careful!" Wen Shifei screamed in surprise and subconsciously wanted to stand in front of Lu Chenhang!

Just when the dark green spiritual fluctuation was about to touch Lu Chenentang!

Buzz——!!!

An icy, violent, and intangible barrier, imbued with an absolute defensive will, erupted with a bang, centered around Lu Chenent! The barrier manifested as a condensed force field with a faint blue metallic sheen, colliding fiercely with the corrosive wave of the Viper!

Tsk——!!!

There was no loud bang, only the sound of violent energy annihilation, like boiling oil pouring on snow! The dark green corrosive wave was instantly melted and disintegrated by the dark blue barrier!

Lu Chen's body trembled violently! His face instantly paled, and a trace of dark red blood oozed from the corner of his mouth! He forced down the fishy-sweet taste rising in his throat, but his eyes grew even colder and sharper, like a blood-stained blade unsheathed, locked onto the "Viper" with a fierce gaze! Beyond the icy murderous intent, deep within his eyes surged an inhuman indifference, like a precision machine locking onto a target! It was as if his momentary defense hadn't been entirely intentional!

Shocked by this sudden, powerful, and bizarre counterattack, Viper retreated half a step (virtual projection). For the first time, genuine horror appeared on his sinister face! He stared at Lu Cheneng, his eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of... greed. "You...in your body..."

"Negotiations have broken down." Lu Chen's voice cut through Viper's words like the rubbing of ice, forcibly suppressing the momentary coldness in his eyes. He stopped looking at the Pandora representative and returned his gaze to the crimson beam, temporarily silent due to the brief chaos. His voice was filled with unquestionable determination: "Ark Heart, make a choice. Cooperate with us to cleanse Pandora's pollution and attempt to resume your duty as guardian. Or..."

He paused, a fierce glint of desperation flashing in his eyes:

"We activate the final protocol of the 'Dawn' node—the self-destruct sequence. Along with Pandora's minions, along with your contaminated core... bury them all in this steel tomb! Let the name 'Ark' become history!"

Dead silence.

Absolute silence enveloped the command center.

Self-destruction?!

This crazy proposal was like a depth charge, instantly sending shockwaves through the hearts of Li Shuo, Dr. Qin, and the others! Even Wen Shifei looked at Lu Cheneng in shock, his eyes filled with confusion and immense worry! Was this a last-ditch effort? Or was… something within him clouding his judgment?

Viper's expression instantly turned extremely ugly, his sinister eyes filled with rage and a subtle hint of fear. He had obviously not expected the other party to be so extreme!

The crimson beam of light from the Heart of the Ark, after Lu Chenentang uttered the word "self-destruct," erupted into an even more violent, storm-like distortion and flickering! Countless crimson data streams madly collided and annihilated, and the fragments of compound eyes and human faces that formed its phantom uttered silent, chaotic screams! The underlying imperatives of protection and destruction, pollution and cleansing, collided, and were instantly detonated to their fullest extent by Lu Chenentang's threat of total destruction!

[Self-destruction…command…highest…authority…]

[Protection... Failure... Destruction... Reasonable...]

[Clear...the source of...pollution...]

[Error…Error…Error…]

The cold electronic sound stuttered, filled with the frantic cacophony of logic before it collapsed. Lights throughout the base flickered violently with its fluctuations. In the distance, the sounds of overloaded equipment and the groaning of metal structures straining under the weight could be heard! The powder keg beneath the negotiating table had been thoroughly ignited!

"Report! The medical area is in emergency! A large number of 'scavengers' have broken through the isolation gate No. 3! The guards have suffered heavy casualties! Dr. Qin! Children..." The shrill cries for help, accompanied by violent explosions and the roars of monsters, suddenly tore through the oppressive silence of the command center and exploded from the communication channel!

Wen Shifei's face paled instantly, as if struck by lightning! The medical area! Xiaoyun! Those children and the wounded, who had just experienced the plague and were extremely weak!

A sly grin of triumph flashed across Viper's sinister face! The dark green light around him suddenly grew blinding. "It seems our 'little friends' need a little extra... 'incentive.'" He deliberately slowed his speech, his voice like a venomous snake licking its prey. "Miss Wen Shifei, time is running out. Hand over the key, or... listen to the screams of those little lives slowly fade away?"

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