Chapter 97 Proving to Machines that They Are Human

Ning Shuyin stepped forward and nodded to Su Zhe: "I'm ready, we can start anytime."

Su-cheol nodded to her.

He stood side by side with Ning Shuyin and explained to her the principle of the mechanism and lock.

The young man's voice was gentle, unlike any other man she had ever met in this world.

Like an older brother.

My palms felt cold.

Su-cheol handed her a mechanical lock-locking pliers.

"Now!"

He channeled a pure burst of supernatural power into the air.

At the same time, Ning Shuyin's perception emerged from between her eyebrows, displaying speed and precision with ease.

The illusory image of the lock in the air was activated by Su Zhe's supernatural ability.

Within 0.1 seconds, Ning Shuyin aimed with her eyes.

Reach out.

It involved a slight element of prediction.

The mechanical clamp engages with the moving lock.

Those present could not see the exquisitely detailed picture of the mechanism in operation.

They only saw Su Zhe and Ning Shuyin, their movements almost synchronized.

No sound was made.

There is no spatial disturbance.

But the explorer's stone statue, with its cold, hard exterior, disappeared as if it had faded.

A body of flesh and blood fell to the ground.

"I...I...I'm saved."

The man was almost incoherent, with tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Thank you... thank you all... sob sob..."

Loran took out a diagnostic device from his personal combat pouch and scanned the rescued person.

[Identity confirmed: Li Qing, student of the Alliance Academy of Sciences.]

"He had no bone or organ damage, just severe dehydration and malnutrition."

Lorraine completed the diagnosis smoothly.

A crowd had already gathered around.

As Lisa passed by Ning Shuyin, she glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and gave a faint hum: "Not bad."

This can be considered an affirmation from a peer.

The rescued person was able to speak intermittently only after eating half an energy bar. Their speech was noticeably slurred.

“I’ve been trapped here for three years. Adventurers from the Alliance have come and gone many times. Every scan has revealed that the result is… a non-living entity.”

"I'm a student at the Academy of Sciences. My student life... as you probably know, was always full of proofs..."

"I never expected it to be so difficult to prove myself."

Upon hearing this, Loran made a mocking expression typical of scientists.

"Making a person try again and again to prove to a machine that they are human. Humph! The owner of this ruin has a truly twisted sense of humor."

The feel, appearance, and sound are all fake.

Only that one tear was real.

But in this technology-driven era, people have become accustomed to relying on machines for judgment.

Even whether something is a real living being requires the approval of a computer program.

This advanced civilization is truly... genius-level in its malice when it plays tricks on its captured prey.

"Li Qing, is there a way through this hall to the inside?" Su Zhe asked.

Upon hearing this question, Li Qing, who had just recovered from his shock, looked as if he had just escaped a disaster.

“There is a way… my captain and the others went in.” Li Qing pointed towards the ceiling. “We studied it for a long time. The star map on the dome, every now and then, a shooting star would streak across it. Its landing point would illuminate a certain statue… that’s the passage.”

"That's how our team got in..."

His voice lowered.

"Then why are you trapped here?" You Lingyu asked flippantly.

Li Qing's shoulders trembled violently.

“I… walked at the very back.” Painful memories surfaced in his eyes.

At that moment, the expressions on everyone's faces changed.

Li Qing's words were clear enough.

This road is very likely to be a road with "time restrictions" or "number of people restrictions".

Those who fall behind may become the next statue.

But to move forward, there is no better option.

"All members, remain in place and rest, awaiting the shooting star," Dean Sanger issued the order.

Everyone began to rest on the spot.

Sangge and Suzhe surrounded Li Qing, still trying to find out the details of the mechanism.

Luo Lan and Ning Shuyin sat facing each other on the ground.

Bathed in the starlight overhead, Loran's silver hair shimmered, making his cold, handsome face appear even more strikingly beautiful.

Ning Shuyin had never dared to look him in the eye before.

But he spent three days at his house.

This man doesn't seem as scary as before.

She was just beginning to get used to looking at him face-to-face.

"Are you scared?" he asked her.

Ning Shuyin's gaze swept over the survivors in the distance, then she shook her head and nodded.

It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid.

Even the system knows nothing about this ruin and cannot provide maps or navigation.

What Li Qing had just experienced made her even more fearful.

I can't move, I can't shout.

The rescue team arrived, but they passed by.

What a desperate experience that must have been.

“I’m afraid this passage isn’t so simple,” she analyzed with some concern. “In a maze that takes pleasure in tormenting people, the most conspicuous signposts usually don’t point to anything good.”

Loran's eyebrows curved into a smile, revealing her agreement.

"The K99 ruins are known as the Gate of Death, a place where no one ever returns. His teammates went in, but they might not have been as lucky as him."

This only path may be a dead end leading to the abyss.

But even the alliance's strongest mechanics couldn't find any other way out. They had no other choice.

Ning Shuyin looked up at the vast starry sky above.

Suddenly, a breath of malice from ancient times drifted in.

The starry sky above, like a cold, one-eyed gaze, indifferently looked down upon them, these insignificant intruders.

A few minutes later.

"Look, a shooting star!" someone shouted.

A silver light streaked across the dark sky above.

Everyone stood up, held their breath, and watched the meteor's trajectory.

The meteor's light grew fainter and fainter.

It finally landed on the isolation shield of the "Endless Spirit" and disappeared without a trace.

The expressions on everyone's faces turned serious.

The statue had recently caused the researcher mental distress.

Now, it has become a passageway leading into the interior of the ruins.

The team members who were originally poised to go all became hesitant, their eyes turning to Sanger.

Sanger frowned, his body radiating energy as if he were performing calculations.

You Lingyu no longer hesitated.

He reached out and directly removed the energy shield that Su Zhe had set up, then shouted to his subordinates, "What are you waiting for? The last person to fall behind will turn into a statue. Hurry up and come in with me."

Before he finished speaking, You Lingyu had already sprinted towards the center of the distorted light and shadow of the endless spirits.

With a "whoosh".

His figure vanished instantly.

The You family's subordinates immediately followed their master and disappeared into the high-dimensional statue.

With this initial move, everyone else was essentially forced to push forward.

Everyone is afraid of being the last one.

"The space is converging!" Ning Shuyin exclaimed.

The originally spacious circular hall began to shrink rapidly from the moment You Lingyu leaped into the statue.

If we don't go in now, we might really die.

"Go quickly!" Loran grabbed her wrist.

The two of them leaped forward, rushing towards the center of the statue.

Almost at the same moment, Su Zhe, pulling the unsteady Li Qing along, also rushed in this direction.

The rate of spatial contraction is increasing exponentially.

The walls of the hall were rapidly approaching.

However, the instant Li Qing's body touched the center of the statue—

"Bang!"

Li Qing felt as if he had hit an invisible wall and was bounced back hard.

"How could this be?" Su Zhe exclaimed in surprise.

The shrinking space had squeezed them into the space behind them.

Su Zhe used all his strength, using his own body as support, and actually withstood the crushing spatial force coming from behind.

"Crack!"

The sound of bones breaking traveled clearly through the spatial passage to the other side.

"Su Zhe!" Ning Shuyin tried to pull him away.

"The door is closing, back up!" Just then, Loran pulled her back.

Ning Shuyin was pulled several meters away.

They have escaped the danger zone of the portal.

She was still in shock.

I looked toward that portal.

But after pulling her away, Loran shot back like an arrow.

The portal collapsed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At the last moment, Loran's gloved hand grabbed Su Zhe.

"Come in!"

Loran's voice unusually carried emotion.

He unleashed his full power, forcefully pulling Su Zhe from that annihilating world.

"Buzz!"

The moment Su-cheol's body was dragged in, the portal closed completely.

Li Qing was left on that side forever.

Su Zhe fell heavily to the ground, his face ashen, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his combat uniform.

The power of this space is truly astonishing.

Even an SSS-level powerhouse like Su Zhe lost his fighting ability instantly when confronted head-on.

Loran knelt down on one knee to check Su Zhe's injuries, his tone returning to its coldness: "He's fine, just a fractured radius caused by external force."

Ning Shuyin looked at Su Zhe's pale face and was about to reach out.

You Lingyu approached with a mocking smile.

"Ha," he glanced at the spot where the portal had disappeared, "almost got himself killed trying to save a useless, poor student. How utterly foolish."

Ning Shuyin quietly clenched her fist.

In a world dominated by the powerful, the idea of ​​viewing ordinary people as ants is widespread. She had already experienced the injustices of the interstellar world firsthand.

She was furious.

But in front of such a person, any rebuttal or argument is futile.

She suppressed her emotions, drew upon healing energy from within, and placed her hand on Su-che's forehead.

She didn't say anything, but her actions demonstrated her commitment to protecting others.

But before the energy could even seep out of his fingers, Dean Sanger let out a gasp of surprise.

"How come there's another Li Qing here?"