On the surface of the "cocoon," the data streams are like living tentacles, sometimes reaching into the void to capture the chaotic energy and fragments of information escaping from the abyss, and sometimes retracting inward to perform incomprehensible compilation and reorganization.
The energy fluctuations it emitted carried both the cold precision unique to the Zedu civilization and a kind of... indescribable chaos and thirst, as if from beyond the astral plane.
The source of that constantly repeating time marker is this huge "cocoon of information"!
"What...is this?"
Eileen murmured to herself, feeling an unprecedented shock. This was definitely not any magical creation or known creature she knew.
A strong thirst for knowledge shone in Roy's eyes as he rapidly operated the recording equipment on the secondary control panel:
"Unbelievable... a nascent self-evolving information life form? Or some kind of 'seed' based on Zedu technology, but which has undergone an unknown mutation? Is it absorbing the energy and... knowledge of the abyss?"
Allen's heart pounded. He maneuvered the submarine slowly closer, simultaneously maximizing all scanning and detection power.
[Deconstructing the Halo] (Although far inferior to Linde, he has inherited some analytical abilities) is operating at full capacity, attempting to analyze the structure of this "cocoon".
The feedback was complex and chaotic, filled with contradictory logic and undefined variables.
But deep within that torrent of information, Allen caught a faint “distress signal” that sent shivers down his spine!
No, it wasn't entirely a cry for help... it was more like a... desperate cry for connection, a yearning for wholeness! Like a consciousness lost in an endless ocean of data, frantically searching for a home!
"It...it seems to be conscious?" Allen's voice trembled with disbelief.
Just then, the countdown on the main screen reached zero.
Buzz—!!!
The suspended "cocoon of information" suddenly shuddered! The data flow on its surface instantly accelerated to a level that was difficult for the naked eye to perceive, and all the law runes simultaneously lit up with a dazzling light!
The entire underground dome began to shake violently, and rocks fell from the top!
"Warning! Ultra-high intensity energy convergence detected! Instability in space structure!" The submarine's alarm system emitted a piercing siren.
"Allen! Back off!"
Eileen exclaimed, she could already feel the suffocating power awakening within the "cocoon".
However, it was too late.
At the heart of the "cocoon of information," a crack appeared, as if an eye had opened.
No light shone out; instead, an indescribably vast "information storm," a mixture of the rationality of the Zedu civilization, the chaos of the abyss, and some kind of knowledge beyond this world, surged toward "Turner Modified" like a flood bursting its banks!
This storm was not a pure energy shock; it was more like a forced "connection" and "assimilation"! It wanted to devour the submarine, devour the three life forms inside, and break down everything about them—their bodies, energy, memories, and knowledge—into the most basic information units, absorbing them into that giant "cocoon"!
“Shield overload! Seventy percent... eighty percent... ninety percent…” Allen stared at the rapidly dropping shield energy reading on the screen, his face turning ashen.
He desperately maneuvered the submarine backward, but the information storm pursued him relentlessly as if it had a life of its own, and the eight mechanical legs emitted a piercing metallic twisting sound in the violent energy turbulence!
"Frozen Barrier!"
With a sharp cry, Eileen unleashed a surge of powerful ice magic, constructing a thick ice shield in front of the submarine in an attempt to block the information storm.
However, the information flow containing the power of laws penetrated the ice layer directly, as if the ice shield did not exist at all!
"It's no use! This isn't a simple elemental attack!"
Roy shouted as he tried to analyze the structure of the information storm to find its weaknesses, but the complexity of the information far exceeded his comprehension. "Its essence is the erosion of the rule level!"
The submarine's hull began to crack digitally, the internal lights were flashing wildly, and sparks were coming out of the control panel!
A sense of despair began to spread.
At the critical moment!
A cold, soul-freezing will, like an invisible barrier, suddenly descended upon this underground vault!
The surging storm of information crashed into this barrier of will, just as it had struck an ancient, unyielding iceberg, instantly halting and dissipating!
"It's my father!"
Allen, Eileen, and Loy exclaimed in unison.
Linde's figure had appeared in front of the submarine at some point.
He was still dressed in his simple black casual clothes, standing with his hands behind his back, not even looking at the huge "information cocoon," but calmly watching the dissipating information storm.
His very presence was like a stabilizing force, instantly calming the turbulent space.
"Acting without authorization is commendable in its courage, but utterly foolish."
Linde's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of his three children, carrying an unquestionable authority: "If I hadn't been watching over you, you would have vanished into nothingness."
The three lowered their heads in shame, and at the same time felt a wave of fear.
Linde then turned his attention to the enormous "cocoon of information".
His purple eyes held no surprise, only a deep understanding.
"As expected... it was a wisp of 'distraction' that 'it' leaked out, combined with the ruins of Zedu's abandoned server and the chaotic laws of the abyss, that gave birth to... an 'accident'."
He muttered to himself, as if confirming something.
"Father, what is this?" Allen couldn't help but ask.
Linde did not answer directly, but instead raised his hand.
The orderly light of the light veins and the void power of the shadow abyss intertwined in his palm, no longer colliding violently, but forming a more profound "definition" power that was closer to the origin of the world.
He gently grasped the "cocoon of information".
Without any earth-shattering explosion, the massive "cocoon" composed of information and laws began to rapidly collapse and disintegrate from the outside in, like a snowflake thrown into a raging fire!
Countless struggling data streams and runes tried to resist, but to no avail in the face of Lind's absolute authority of "definition".
They were forcibly stripped, purified, and restored into the purest, attribute-free information flow and fragments of laws.
In the end, the entire "cocoon of information" disappeared completely, leaving behind only a fist-sized ball of light that constantly changed its soft colors and emitted pure information fluctuations.
Linde reached out and beckoned, and the ball of light obediently flew into his hand, hovering quietly.
"An 'erroneous process' that shouldn't exist."
Linde looked at the ball of light in his hand and said calmly, "It instinctively sensed the aura on you that is the same as mine, and tried to devour you to gain 'authority' and 'integrity' in order to complete its own 'evolution'."
He glanced at his still-shaken children:
"Learn the lesson from this experience. The unknown often comes with risks that are too great to bear."
Having said that, he turned around, took a step, and his figure, along with the ball of light, vanished from the spot, leaving only his voice echoing in the dome:
"Go back. What's happening here is classified as top secret and must not be disclosed."
Inside the "Tunneler Modified" cabin, a deathly silence fell.
After a long while, Eileen finally let out a long sigh and slumped into her chair.
"That scared me to death... For a moment just now, I really thought we were going to turn into... data..."
Roy held his forehead, his face still showing shock:
"The power of the father... and that 'cocoon'... what does it mean by 'erroneous process'? And what does 'it' refer to?"
Allen stared intently at the spot where his father had disappeared, then looked at the control panel in his hands, which had been almost destroyed by the information storm, and clenched his fists tightly.
This experience made him realize more profoundly than any teaching that he was aware of how insignificant his own power was and how deep the secrets hidden in this world were.
At the same time, his father's absolute power to resolve crises with every gesture, and the seemingly casual yet authoritative power of "definition," ignited an even stronger flame in his heart.
He needs to become stronger, not only by mastering the skills of a craftsman, but also by understanding the essence of power and the rules of this world!
He looked towards the spot where the cocoon of information had once stood, and silently vowed in his heart:
"One day, I will solve all these mysteries on my own!"
"The Digger Mod" turned around and, carrying the three survivors and filled with questions and determination, slowly drove back the way it came.
The abyss remains dark, but a new light has been ignited in the eyes of the younger generation.
Meanwhile, Linde had already returned to his laboratory deep within the lord's manor.
He stared intently at the pure ball of information light in his hand, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
“Zedo’s server fragments… nourished by the chaos of the abyss… plus a trace of ‘noise’ from ‘outside the world’ attempting to infiltrate this realm… actually gave birth to this thing.”
With a light tap of his fingertip, a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of light separated from the sphere, carrying a remnant of "greed" and "assimilation."
"It seems that 'it's' infiltration into the continent of Til is more pervasive than anticipated. This 'signal' is both an accident and possibly a... warning."
Linde's gaze turned icy cold.
"The Spark Charter established order, but the threats from outside that order are only just beginning to emerge."
He waved his hand and sealed the ball of light and the wisp of residual will into different crystal containers.
"A new storm is gathering in the distant depths of space. And I and my territory need to be prepared for anything."
Outside the window, the lights of Blackrock Territory stubbornly shone in the night, as if proclaiming their existence and determination to this new era full of unknowns and dangers.
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