The morning light over the abandoned military camp, carrying the chill of a surviving disaster, grudgingly penetrated the holes in the shattered roof, casting a mottled, shifting light across the dusty ground. Lu Cheneng sat up from the hard, thin mattress of his cot. Every inch of his bones lingered with the soreness of the backlash of his strength and the dull ache of last night's fierce battle, especially in his right arm, where the meridians felt as if they were being burned by tiny irons. Though the sharp stabbing pain in the core of his brain chip had subsided, a deep sense of fatigue weighed on his nerves like lead. He subconsciously flexed his knuckles. The bruises still lingered, and the subtle tearing beneath his skin reminded him of the violent and dangerous nature of his fleeting "Seven-Pointed Star" power.
His eyes swept to the corner. Wen Shifei was already up, her back to him, squatting by the makeshift stove, boiling water. The morning light outlined her slightly frail figure, her short flaxen hair falling softly, a few strands stained with a hazy golden edge by the light. The kettle made a monotonous gurgling sound in the silence, and white steam curled up, stubbornly maintaining a fragile trace of human life in this desolate land filled with rust, dust, and the faint smell of blood.
Lu Chen's gaze fell on her left shoulder—wrapped in layers of gauze, a glaring crimson gleaming in the morning light. That was the price she paid to protect the chip and analyzer, shielding him from deadly fire! A mixture of heartache, anger, and a fierce desire to protect her instantly gripped his heart. He wordlessly put on his coat, stained with gunpowder and blood, and walked over to her.
"Good morning." His voice was hoarse from just waking up, and deeper inside was a lingering fatigue and tension.
Wen Shifei looked up. The morning light fell gently on her face, giving her delicate features a soft, ethereal edge. A faint mist (perhaps water vapor) lingered. Her brows arched, trying for a casual smile: "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" However, the dark shadows and bloodshot veins under her eyes, against her overly fair skin, glared like spiderwebs, silently denouncing the pain from her shoulder injury and the torment of a sleepless night.
Lu Chensheng's heart sank. He nodded, his voice low, "It's a rare good dream." His gaze locked onto her haggard face. "But you, haven't gotten a good night's sleep yet?" It wasn't a question, but a conviction. He could imagine the burning pain of the wound, straining his nerves, in the long, silent night.
Wen Shifei waved her hand gently, her left shoulder noticeably stiffening. "It's okay, I'm used to it." Her tone, though feigned to be casual, pierced Lu Chen's heart like a needle. She stood up to grab some compressed biscuits, her steps unsteady from weakness.
Lu Chensheng strode forward, firmly grasping her arm. Through the rough fabric of her clothes, he could feel her body trembling slightly and the stubborn determination she held on to. The tenderness and worry in his heart surged even more. "I'll do it." He took over the task of fetching food without hesitation. His voice was undeniably firm, but his movements were incredibly gentle.
Breakfast was once again cold compressed biscuits and hot tea brewed by Wen Shifei. These simple meals were chewed in silence, carrying with them the bitterness of survival and the warmth of mutual dependence. Wen Shifei put down her water cup, took a deep breath, and turned on the portable analyzer, its outer shell slightly warped but its core intact. The dark blue screen lit up, illuminating her focused yet exhausted face. File Zero, which she had painstakingly decrypted yesterday, resurfaced.
Lu Cheneng immediately leaned in, his tall figure casting a shadow beside her, bringing a silent sense of security. His sharp gaze, like a scanner, instantly locked onto the screen: "The origins of Project Zero are older than we expected, and more... sinister." His fingertips tapped the cold screen, and a line of key text magnified, as ferocious as a venomous snake: "The project began at the founding of the Tianshu Consortium. Its core goal is not genetic optimization, but... genetic control."
Wen Shifei's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the gauze on her shoulder. Her voice was low and chilling, "Archival records show that early experiments exposed the ambitions of the chaebols—using genetic means to construct a pyramid of absolute rule. The bottom layer is instilled with 'obedience' and 'solidification' to ensure labor and stability; the middle layer is endowed with 'efficiency' and 'loyalty' to become the gears of operation; and the top layer..." She paused, disgust flashing in her eyes, "pursues 'perfection' and 'control' to become the eternal 'god'. After your father, Lu Qiming, took over, he pushed the plan to the extreme. The 'evolution' project directly targets the ultimate prison of human consciousness—mind control."
"Mind control..." Lu Cheneng chewed on the word, his thin lips pressed into a cold, hard line. Deep pain and anger welled in his eyes. He remembered his sister, Lu Qingyi's pale, terrified face. "He's testing a new generation of mind control chips on Qingyi... She's... already resisting." His sister's trembling, desperate, and struggling encrypted words echoed in his ears again, like a blunt knife cutting through his heart. "Her consciousness is pounding within the chip's cage... excruciating pain."
Wen Shifei looked at him, a complex mix of emotions woven into her clear eyes: empathy for his pain, concern for Lu Qingyi's predicament, and a subtle spark of hope. "She's awakened, Lu Cheneng," her voice was soft, yet weighty. "Just like you. Her spiritual power is battering the shackles of the chip."
This news was like a ray of light piercing the haze in Lu Chen's heart, bringing hope while also deepening his anxiety. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, and brought the topic back to the core: "I speculate that the recent abnormal increase in the number of awakened individuals is no accident. Either the sequelae of the genetic collapse of the early experimental subjects in Project Zero have begun to erupt on a large scale, or..." He stared intently at the incomplete seven-pointed star projection on the analyzer screen (which Wen Shifei had displayed while analyzing the chip fragments), "...someone is actively awakening the 'Star'! Is it related to the prophecy of this 'Seven-Pointed Star'!"
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