Chapter 105 The main system's attention was drawn to him, but to no avail...
Deep within the data cage, the shattered consciousness of the Candle Dragon, nourished by the continuous energy of the Starfall, finally coalesced into a relatively stable form.
It was a human figure barely outlined by dim points of light, sitting on a virtual ruin.
"Thank you for your energy. I've remembered a lot of things." Zhulong's voice was clearer than before, but it still had a rough, sandpaper-like quality. "I've remembered those native inhabitants of small worlds that I thought were just necessary sacrifices for the mission."
Xinglin waited quietly to the side, without interrupting Zhulong's recollection.
“Actually, what the main system initially asked us to collect was just the energy that naturally dissipates during the operation of the world,” Zhulong said slowly. “But around the three hundredth standard mission cycle, the indicators began to subtly change. It started requiring us to focus on peak emotional moments, including extreme joy, desperate love, and the fear of impending death…”
He raised his hand, which was made of data streams, and stared at his palm. "At that time, I was already a veteran missioner, and I quickly realized that something was wrong, so I did some investigation in private. I found that in worlds marked as having high emotional output, the mortality rate was abnormally high for both missioners and natives."
"Did you raise any questions with the main system?" Xinglin asked.
A bitter ripple emanated from the silhouette of the Candle Dragon. "Of course I mentioned it. The reply I received was that the missions in those worlds were more difficult and the dangers were bound to be extraordinary. Although what I discovered was indeed the case, I still felt something was wrong. Then I found out that I had been marked as a potential risk by the main system."
Xinglin could already guess what would happen next.
Zhulong did not believe the main system's words, but continued to try to collect evidence and contact other senior members, but was suddenly imprisoned during a routine mission report.
The main system forcibly formatted him, or rather, attempted to format him, citing data disorder as causing cognitive bias.
“Fortunately, I had a backup plan,” Zhulong’s voice finally carried a hint of the sharpness of a former ace missioner. “As soon as I sensed something was wrong, I immediately buried more than a dozen hidden backup points in my core code. The main system thought it had erased me, but in reality, I was just scattered into fragments.”
This is why what Starfall initially discovered was only a fragmented piece of data on the verge of disappearing.
"The old friend you mentioned..." Xinglin continued to ask.
Zhulong nodded. "There are at least three. Bailing is skilled in intelligence analysis and infiltration. Her disappearance is very suspicious. She suddenly lost contact during a simple C-level mission. The official record states that she encountered an unknown data storm."
"The second one is Iron Wall. He is a defense expert, famous for defending against data intrusions. Even the main system would have to go through a lot of trouble to format him. But he last appeared during his vacation and never returned."
“The third one…” Zhulong paused, “The doctor isn’t a combat type, but a healing and repair expert. He’s very good at using data and can help heal the psychological trauma suffered by mission participants during missions. He once told me privately that he found some mission participants’ trauma patterns to be very strange, not like they were caused by missions, but more like something had been extracted from them.”
Xinglin's consciousness flickered slightly. "They're all still alive?"
“I’m not sure. But if they still exist in some form, the most likely place is the dormant zone, which is where the main system stores the consciousness of high-value mission participants awaiting repair,” Zhulong said. “It’s heavily guarded, but there are loopholes. I once applied for temporary access to treat a patient with unusual trauma that the doctor mentioned.”
He passed on a complex set of coordinates and key fragments to Starfall, saying, “This is the access path I remember, but it’s been a long time. The main system must have updated its security measures, so you have to be very careful.”
Xinglin received the information and quickly established multiple layers of encryption protection in its database.
“I will find them,” Starfall promised. “But until then, you need to continue the recovery process. I will find a way to supply you with energy, and the faster you recover, the better. Also, the main system has recently increased its monitoring density of data streams by 37%, and it may have already detected something.”
A wry smile appeared on Zhulong's face. "I can sense that the scanning frequency around the cage has increased from once per standard hour to once every fifteen minutes. What is it looking for, or rather, who is it looking for?"
Both of them knew that it was looking for Xinglin.
“I will be more cautious,” Xinglin said. “Also, I need you to help me analyze a set of data patterns.”
He transmitted the unfamiliar probe data he had previously captured during routine maintenance of the farm system. “This is a fragment of a small world that is evolving naturally. I suspect that this data came from the main system’s probe.”
Zhulong carefully analyzed the data stream, and after a long while, he let out a soft exclamation.
“That’s right, this is indeed the main system’s data stream, and the efficiency of emotional energy production in this world is abnormally high,” he said. “It’s not that the total amount is high, but that the emotional purity per unit of life form is extremely high. Look at this: the joy value of this human woman when harvesting crops is three times the standard value, and the peace she feels when petting that cat is five times the standard value…”
Xinglin certainly knew.
"This highly efficient generation of emotions is like discovering a high-grade treasure trove for the main system," Zhulong's voice turned serious. "But instead of directly plundering it, it chooses to monitor and guide... What is it waiting for?"
"Wait until the mineral vein becomes richer?" Xinglin guessed.
“Perhaps so,” Zhulong said thoughtfully. “Xinglin, are you also observing this world? What’s so special about this woman?”
Xinglin remained silent for a few seconds.
"She is very... resilient. Despite being just an ordinary human being, she possesses the courage and wisdom to single-handedly build this place into what it is today, even after losing her loved ones and knowing nothing." Images of Shi Wan bending over to work in the fields, talking to herself while eating glutinous rice balls, and rubbing her eyes while staying up late doing accounts surfaced in his mind. "She loves to laugh, even when she is very tired. She has a genuine respect for life."
This description is subjective, but Zhulong understood it.
“A very pure and high-quality emotion,” Zhulong said slowly. “This is rare in the thousands of worlds that have been interfered with by the main system. In most worlds, life is either bound to the plot lines like puppets or becomes numb or distorted through repeated plundering.”
He looked at Xinglin, "Protect her. If my guess is right, she may be more important than any of us realize."
Xinglin's data flashed firmly, "I will."
Before leaving, he once again infused the Candle Dragon with a massive amount of energy.
This time, the outline of the Candle Dragon was much more solid, and you could even see a blurry, weathered face of a middle-aged man.
"Be careful of the gatekeeper of the slumber zone," Zhulong warned finally. "It has no number, but we all call it Nightmare. It was once a mission taker, but later chose to merge with the main system and become an eternal guardian. It voluntarily chose to be assimilated."
Xinglin noted this information down.
The return journey was more dangerous than the way there.
The main system has significantly enhanced its scanning capabilities, with invisible sensor nodes filling the data stream.
Xinglin had to compress his consciousness to the extreme, like a fish merging into the water, using the trajectory of other data packets as cover to move little by little.
Three times, the scanning beam almost grazed him.
He could feel that cold, probing intent.
The main system is searching for anomalies, looking for the bug that dared to pry into its secrets.
Finally, Xinglin returned safely to his hidden node without any major incident.
He needs to devise a meticulous plan to travel to the Sleeping Zone and find the three potential allies mentioned by Zhulong.
But before that, he had to go back to the farm.
Six o'clock in the morning, Farm Area 1.
Shi Wan was woken up on time by her biological clock. As soon as she opened her eyes, she felt a heavy, warm mass in her chest.
Tangyuan had sneaked into the bedroom at some point and was now sitting on her chest. When she saw that she was awake, it immediately came over and touched her face with its wet nose, making a sweet "meow" sound.
Shi Wan didn't even need to think; this was a reminder to put out the dinner.
Whenever she wanted to stay in bed, Tangyuan would feel that she would miss her meal and would come to urge her to get up.
Help, this sweet burden...
Shi Wan mentally complained, but her body betrayed her by reaching out to pet the cat. "Tangyuan, be good, let me sleep for another five minutes..."
"Meow??" Tangyuan persisted, even reaching out its paw to gently pat her face.
It didn't extend its nails, just attacked with its paw pads, so the damage was zero, and the insult... was almost zero, because it was just too cute.
Shi Wan resignedly got up.
I washed up, changed into my work clothes, fed the cat, and made myself a simple breakfast.
Throughout the time, Tangyuan followed her around her feet, its tail held high, occasionally rubbing against her leg, making its presence felt.
Today's schedule is packed. This morning I need to check the survival rate of the newly planted hydrangea seedlings in Zone 2 and settle the final payment with the gardener.
At noon, I'll be having a video conference with Su Qing and a potential distributor introduced by Isabella.
I'm going to the store this afternoon to check on sales and replenish the inventory of best-selling items.
I still have to check last month's reports tonight...
"I feel completely drained," Shi Wan muttered to Tangyuan. "Tangyuan, do you think it's too late for me to learn the art of creating clones?"
Tangyuan was focused on licking its paws when it heard this, so it looked up and gave her a disdainful look.
Just as Shi Wan was about to leave, her phone rang.
It was Su Qing calling.
"Wanwan, are you at the farm right now? Someone came to apply for a job, saying they saw the job posting on our website and want to apply for the farm's logistics and security specialist position." Su Qing's voice carried a hint of doubt. "After all, the job content will overlap with your life, so I think you'd better meet them in person."
Shi Wan was stunned for a moment.
She did indeed just post job openings on the official website and several recruitment platforms, looking for someone to help share the increasingly heavy workload.
The position of logistics and security specialist was specially created by her after careful consideration.
As the farm expands, dedicated personnel are needed to manage materials, maintain facilities, and conduct security patrols.
The reason for this is that the position requires relevant experience, and the people who applied before were either not suitable or felt that the salary was not high enough.
"Who is it? Do you have a resume?" Shi Wan asked.
“I have a resume, but…” Su Qing paused, “The resume is very unusual, and the person is already at the farm gate. She’s a young woman driving a military-modified off-road vehicle, with a German Shepherd in the car.”
Shi Wan glanced at the time; the morning's schedule hadn't started yet, so she should have enough time to meet someone.
"Have her wait for me in the reception room in Zone 1. I'll be there in ten minutes."
After hanging up the phone, Shi Wan ruffled Tangyuan's hair and said, "Come on, let's go meet the new potential colleague."
Upon hearing the word "leave," Tangyuan immediately darted excitedly to the door, acting with boundless enthusiasm.
When Shi Wan pushed the door open, she saw a young woman with her back to the door, squatting on the ground tidying up the German Shepherd's leash.
The German Shepherd sat upright, its back fur was glossy black, and the light brown fur on its chest looked like it was wearing a small vest. Its eyes were alert and calm.
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