She attempted to simulate an extremely complex physical phenomenon: a micro black hole.
Result: A violently distorted, light-devouring dark sphere appeared before them, but it only lasted for three seconds before a system alarm sounded: "An extremely unstable energy source has been detected, posing a risk of interfering with system stability. Forced termination." The black hole disappeared.
She tried to infuse herself with an extremely intense negative emotion: pure, destructive rage.
Result: Just as a spark of anger arose, a powerful, gentle, lukewarm force instantly enveloped her consciousness, forcibly extinguishing the flame and leaving only a weary emptiness. The system does not allow strong, genuine negative emotions to exist. They may interfere with the operation of "Heaven."
Each attempt brought her to failure or setback. Each failure made her more acutely aware of the boundaries and constraints of this virtual world. It was like a giant soap bubble, beautiful on the outside but incredibly fragile on the inside, ruthlessly eliminating any unstable element that exceeded its "perfect" design.
But Jiang Chan did not give up. Like a patient hunter, she repeatedly tried to find the slightest possible crack at the edge of the soap bubble.
That day, she arrived at a huge public space called "Universe Plaza". In the center of the plaza stood a giant tree made of flowing data light strips - the World Tree.
This is the public information hub of the entire cloud-based world. All system announcements and important event information will be projected through the light screen between the branches of this giant tree.
Countless "residents" gathered under the tree like pilgrims, looking up at the screen that played a loop of praises for the great deeds of the "other shore" and the perfect vision of heaven. They were devout and fervent.
Jiang Chan mingled in the crowd, her gaze fixed on the roots of the World Tree. Thick data roots sank deep into the crystal platform below, connecting to the underlying structure of the entire virtual world.
She could feel a massive flow of information constantly being inputted and output through these roots. She tried to activate her senses, just like she had done in the edge of the star system, to detect the subtle fluctuations in the data flow.
Buzz... Buzz...
A faint, buzzing vibration traveled from the platform beneath her feet. It was rhythmic, like a heavy heartbeat. But within this rhythm, Jiang Chan detected a subtle, discordant sound, like the hissing of a string about to snap.
She looked up at the enormous light screens nestled among the branches. The screens were playing a new "resident's" illusion of ultimate joy: running through an endless sea of flowers, embracing loved ones. With each scene change, the data beams flowing along the giant tree trunk would instantly accelerate and become even more dazzling.
In the instant of a large light screen switching, Jiang Chan keenly sensed the heavy heartbeat vibration at the root, and there was an extremely brief, almost imperceptible delay!
0.1 seconds, or even less.
Immediately afterwards, as if to compensate for the delay, the regular heartbeat suddenly intensified! Buzz—!
The moment the intense heartbeat began, a faint yet strangely familiar cold aura, mixed with the lingering echo of that nauseating, painful wail, suddenly emerged from a tiny gap in the interface connecting the World Tree's roots to the crystal platform, like a small fish that had slipped through the net!
Although it was immediately overwhelmed and covered by the massive influx of positive data, Jiang Chan's core consciousness felt as if it had been branded with a hot iron!
That's it! That painful data stream that only exists in backend spaces! Although it's diluted countless times, its essence hasn't changed!
Jiang Chan's heart pounded. Found it!
The World Tree! The information hub of this paradise! It needs to process massive streams of positive propaganda data to maintain the appearance of paradise. But at the same time, it must also be connected to the underlying core that supports the operation of this paradise—that enormous engine that squeezes fragments of consciousness!
The torrent of painful data must pass through here, continuously being supplied to various illusory zones as fuel! This enormous pipe connects the false prosperity of heaven to the real cruelty of hell!
Because the data flow is unimaginably massive and the switching between old and new data is frequent, extremely tiny gaps may remain at the instantaneous throughput limit! Like a bit of silt occasionally churned up from the bottom of a busy canal!
That interface gap was the vulnerability she needed! Her virus seed could be disguised as harmless fragments of positive information, flowing along the massive propaganda data stream and being absorbed by the World Tree!
Then, in the instant the system switches and a momentary gap is created, there is a tiny chance that her virus seed could flow backward through the gap and drill into the underlying pipes of that painful data stream!
Once inside, it can spread like the deadliest plague, along with those squeezed fragments of consciousness, to every corner of heaven! Infecting every sleeping fragment of soul that is serving as fuel!
The plan rapidly took shape in Jiang Chan's mind, every detail crystal clear. She needed time to prepare the virus package. She needed to compress and encrypt the soul-chilling agonizing cries from the backend space, along with her understanding of the truth—"Who are you? What are you enduring? Wake up!"—into tiny information bombs. She needed to pinpoint the exact location of the World Tree information injection point and wait for the peak of data traffic, the moment most likely to create a momentary vulnerability!
In the days that followed, Jiang Chan appeared at the foot of the World Tree every day, like a devout believer, gazing up at the light screen with a perfect smile on her face. But her entire mind was immersed in perceiving and analyzing the patterns of the data flow at the roots of the World Tree, repeatedly deducing and compiling her "truth virus" in her mind.
Finally, the opportunity has arrived. A grand, unprecedented celebration is being announced on the World Tree's light screen. All the "residents" of Heaven will be guided to gather here to receive the blessings of the "Other Shore." Data traffic will reach its peak!
Now!
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