Chapter 98 Prisoners under the New Rules
Su Yan spent the first day after his identity was exposed in a state of extreme trance.
Huo Shen did not restrict his movements, and even reopened the door to the study to him. Chen Mo still followed him like a shadow, but the surveillance seemed to be mixed with something more complicated - like guarding a fragile and unique treasure, or guarding against a variable that could not be measured by common sense.
Huo Shen's words to him, "Everything you have, inside and out, will belong to me completely," were like an invisible shackle, more suffocating than any physical imprisonment. This wasn't possession; it was a declaration of sovereignty, a marking and control over the "unknown."
Su Yan no longer needed to pretend to be anyone. Sitting in the living room, looking out the window, he felt like a planet forcibly yanked from its orbit and flung into an unfamiliar galaxy. Losing its gravitational pull, he drifted aimlessly in the vacuum of space. His only source of gravity was the dangerous black hole named Huo Shen.
In the afternoon, Huo Shen returned. He looked no different than usual, still wearing a well-tailored suit and a stern expression. But when his eyes swept over Su Yan, that brief pause was no longer the scrutiny he'd used to looking through him. Instead, it became a direct, undisguised exploration of "Su Yan" himself.
He took off his coat and did not go to the study immediately. Instead, he sat down on the sofa opposite Su Yan.
"Regarding the Legacy_Verify interface," Huo Shen said straight to the point, his tone purely businesslike, as if the thrilling showdown last night had never happened. "I need your assistance in the analysis."
Su Yan was slightly startled and looked at him. Huo Shen's eyes were calm, as if he was stating an established fact.
"You discovered it and noticed the 'Melody Key,'" Huo Shen continued, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa. "You've also listened to Xiao's recording. Now, put aside those useless fears and distractions in your mind and tell me, what do you think is the core of this interface and the clues Xiao left behind?"
He no longer saw him as a stand-in, a canary to be coddled. He saw him as a tool, a unique analytical tool that could lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
This shift in positioning was cruel, but it also gave Su Yan a strange sense of reality amidst his despair. At least, he now had a clear sense of value and a direction to strive for.
Su Yan took a deep breath and forced himself to get into the state. He recalled the decrypted recording and the isolated interface in the code.
"Ah Xiao said in the recording that he'd tampered with the data. The real core is hidden in the 'Initial Sequence,' and needs to be activated with the 'Agreed Melody.'" Su Yan gathered his thoughts, speaking slowly but clearly. "The Legacy_Verify interface calls Melody_Key, which is likely the verification entry point for activating the 'Initial Sequence.' But it's isolated and commented out in the existing architecture, which means it's either untrusted, or...activating it requires meeting some extremely stringent, undocumented conditions, or it's a trap in itself."
Huo Shen listened quietly, his eyes focused.
"I'm more inclined to the latter." Su Yan raised his head and looked at Huo Shen. "Ah Xiao knew he was being targeted, so the backup plan he left behind couldn't just be a simple switch that's easy to find and exploit. That 'melody' might not just be a password. It might also be related to some... specific environment, or... a specific state that requires verification."
He boldly voiced his suspicions. Now that his disguise was broken, he no longer needed to hide his analysis and intuition.
Huo Shen's eyes darkened. "Specific state?" he repeated, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, as if he had thought of something.
"This is just my guess," Su Yan added, "based on the danger Xiao was in and the warning he left behind. He couldn't possibly leave the real core in a place where it could be easily obtained by the enemy."
Huo Shen was silent for a long time, and the rhythm of his fingers tapping on the armrest unconsciously quickened a little, revealing his inner thoughts.
"Your guess makes sense." Finally, he spoke, acknowledging Su Yan's value. "Ah Xiao is obsessed with binding abstract concepts with underlying logic. To him, 'melody' has never been just a note."
He stood up and walked to the wine cabinet, but did not pour the wine. He just stood there, his back looking a little solemn.
"Project Dawn must move forward." Huo Shen's voice was filled with unquestionable determination. "But the 'initial sequence' left behind by Xiao is like a bomb that may explode at any time. It may also be... the only antidote. I must know what is inside it."
He turned around and his gaze fell on Su Yan again. There was no longer the stormy emotions of last night in his eyes, only pure, cold calculation and determination.
"Starting tomorrow, you will officially join Dawn's core data analysis team. Your mission is to combine Xiao's recordings with the existing architecture to find a way to safely trigger Legacy_Verify, or in other words, to find the 'initial sequence.'"
This is an extremely dangerous task, like clearing mines in a minefield.
Su Yan looked at Huo Shen and knew that he had no room to refuse. Moreover, deep in his heart, the temptation of the mystery of his own existence and the desire to break free from the identity of a pure "prisoner" also drove him to accept.
"I need the highest level of authority, access to all residual data and logs related to the old Prometheus and Echo architectures." Su Yan put forward the conditions. Since he wanted to do things, he needed tools.
Huo Shen stared at him, his eyes sharp as a knife, as if he was weighing the risks of giving him such great authority.
"Okay." After a moment, he agreed, but added a condition: "Chen Mo will assist you throughout the entire process. All your operations, analysis processes, and conclusions must be carried out under his supervision, and reported to me immediately."
This is still surveillance and control, but it is also the beginning of cooperation.
"Okay." Su Yan nodded.
New rules are established at this moment.
He is a prisoner, but no longer an idle prisoner. He is a tool, but also a tool with partial initiative.
A twisted and strong bond has been established between him and Huo Shen, based on secrets, dangerous needs and cold exchange of values.
He knew that he was walking on a more dangerous road, but this time, he could clearly see the road under his feet and the faint light of hope at the end of the road that might illuminate himself and the mysteries of the past.
As for Huo Shen, he looked at Su Yan's eyes that had rekindled calmness and determination, and knew that this "accidental intrusion" of soul had completely stirred up his stagnant world.
He expected this "key" to unlock the past, and he also had a vague premonition that this key might eventually open a Pandora's box that even he himself had not anticipated.
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