Data deluge
As dawn broke, I pushed open the wooden door.
The two fluffy whirlwinds, Frostblade and Mist Shadow, couldn't wait to be swept away, tumbling and playing on the dew-covered meadow, their tender "howls" echoing across the mountaintop.
Little Jinbao held up a few plump berries at Ling Zhan's feet, showing them off as if to claim credit.
Ling Zhan picked one up and put it in his mouth. The sweet and sour juice burst on his tongue instantly, carrying the refreshing coolness of the mountains and fields.
She gently rubbed Jinbao's little head, and the little guy squinted comfortably, letting out a satisfied purr.
Little Black Bear also waddled over, its round body swaying, and rolled over skillfully at her feet, its dark eyes full of longing.
—I'm craving honey again.
Ling Zhan understood.
She easily climbed the rock face of the Stone Forest area. From deep within the crevices of the cliff, the familiar buzzing of wings could be heard clearly. Upon closer inspection, a huge beehive, almost half a person's height, was hanging prominently, with golden wild bees flitting about. The honeycomb shimmered with an alluring amber luster in the sunlight, and a rich, sweet fragrance filled the air.
She didn't act rashly. First, she gathered enough fresh mint leaves, crushed them with a stone, squeezed out the dark green juice, and carefully applied it to her exposed skin, neck, wrists, and coarse cloth outer garment. The cool and refreshing scent instantly enveloped her entire body.
Carefully observing the bee swarm's movements and the terrain, Ling Zhan stealthily approached again. The strong mint scent seemed to have an effect, making the wild bees hesitate to enter or leave. Seizing the opportunity, the black ironwood machete flashed out, precisely slicing off a piece of mature honeycomb from the bottom of the hive—the darkest in color and brimming with honey!
The palm-sized, heavy golden honeycomb was completely peeled off!
Ling Zhan moved swiftly, and the large, broad leaves he had prepared beforehand instantly wrapped around him!
The whole process took no more than three breaths!
"Buzz—!"
The disturbed swarm of bees surged out like a bursting golden torrent!
Ling Zhan had already retreated several meters.
The intense scent of mint formed an invisible barrier, and the angry swarm of bees hovered and buzzed around her, yet dared not land. Only after she left the stone forest did the golden "raging cloud" reluctantly return to its nest.
Back in front of the cabin, I spread out my broad leaves.
Under the direct sunlight, the honeycomb resembled frozen sunlight, its pure amber gold color and crystal-clear honey exuding an intoxicatingly rich and sweet aroma!
Frostblade and Storm Shadow were immediately attracted, circling around Ling Zhan's feet, their little noses twitching and drool dripping.
Little Jinbao was also so anxious that he scratched his ears and cheeks and squeaked.
Ling Zhan broke off a small piece of honeycomb and gently smeared the sticky honey onto the noses of the two wolf cubs.
The little creatures immediately stuck out their pink little tongues and greedily licked, making satisfied purrs incessantly, even licking the downy hairs on their noses until they were wet and glistening. Jinbao also received a small drop, which it licked with relish, its amber eyes narrowing into slits in happiness.
Ling Zhan also tried a little.
A refreshing sweetness instantly spreads in the mouth, the fragrance of wildflowers dances on the tongue, and a lingering coolness of mint remains. Even more wonderfully, a gentle and pure energy slides down the throat, instantly dispelling the slight fatigue from the morning's exploration.
The gift from the mountaintop is far superior to any sugar or icing on earth!
She carefully stored most of the honeycomb in a clean, dry stone jar and sealed it.
This is the most precious reserve, and the main force of the plowing on the mountaintop—Little Bear Black Ball—is its biggest beneficiary.
Sunlight bathed the mountaintop.
The wheat seedlings in the fields are lush and green, the hot springs flow with steam, and smoke is about to rise from the hearth.
Ling Zhan planned to roast the rabbit with honey and then boil some wild vegetables and roots. She went straight to the meat section and grabbed a plump, large rabbit...
Time spent atop the mountain seems to be sealed within a warm, lustrous amber, flowing with tranquility, abundance, and vitality.
The last drop of oil dripped onto the charcoal fire with a soft "sizzle," sending up a small plume of smoke carrying a fragrant aroma. Ling Zhangan removed the sizzling, perfectly grilled meat skewers, their irresistible aroma filling the air.
Before they could even share the food, a faint luster suddenly flowed from the glazed rock wall behind the wooden house.
Like a resilient and continuous heartbeat emanating from the depths of the earth, it clearly conveys "its" needs.
"good."
Ling Zhan's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear on the silent mountaintop.
She cut off the tenderest piece of roasted meat and carefully pressed it against the edge of the rock wall where it was most vitrified and hottest.
There was no response.
Only the rustling of the mountain breeze through the grass could be heard.
Just as she was about to withdraw her hand—
Buzz...
The surface of that vitrified rock wall lit up faintly for a fleeting moment!
It was no longer the fiery white of the past, but a soft, warm glow like mutton-fat jade. The light, like living tendrils, cautiously and tentatively extended from the interior of the rock wall, gently "touching" the edge of the caramelized meat.
Under Ling Zhan's calm and unwavering gaze, the part of the roasted meat that was touched instantly lost all its shape and color, as if it had been decomposed by an invisible supreme law, turning into a wisp of thin, almost ethereal smoke, which was silently "absorbed" into the rock wall by the soft light and disappeared completely.
It was so fast it felt like an illusion.
The light on the glassy rock wall vanished instantly, returning to silence.
But that faint heartbeat seemed... extremely faintly, to have stabilized a little?
Like a cracked riverbed, a drop of life-saving rain finally seeped in.
"..."
Ling Zhan stared at the gap that had vanished from the barbecue and remained silent for a full three breaths.
The icy energy core of Asura Star... devouring roasted meat?
This scene transcends the scope of any logical deduction of combat.
She placed the remaining roasted meat on a clean stone slab beneath the rock wall, then turned and walked back to the fire pit.
Jinbao immediately jumped onto her lap, staring longingly at the meat in the fire pit.
The wolf cubs wagged their tails and approached.
Ling Zhan tore off a few pieces of meat and gave them to the animals. He then picked up a roasted rabbit leg, took a bite, and savored the chewy fibers and the smoky aroma of the fat—
Boom!!!
An indescribable torrent of information, like a burst dam of a galaxy, surged into her consciousness without warning and with violent force!
It's neither sound nor image.
It was the most fundamental data flow, structural model, dynamic deduction, and energy spectrum! It instantly filled every crevice of her consciousness!
The leaping flames before my eyes were instantly deconstructed!
Morphology, temperature gradient, combustion efficiency, oxygen consumption rate, ash composition, thermal radiation spectrum...
The cold, icy data is cascading down like a waterfall!
The grilled meat being chewed in the mouth: the taste bud stimulation is amplified and analyzed infinitely! The degree of protein denaturation, fat breakdown products, muscle fiber breakage patterns, enzyme catalytic efficiency... complex biochemical formulas are branded into it!
The warm, fluffy feel of Jinbao's fur at your feet has disappeared, replaced by a precise hair density distribution map, a keratin layer structure model, a sebaceous gland secretion curve, and a dynamic simulation of heat loss based on body temperature and wind speed!
The swaying waves of grass in the distance are transformed into a vegetation distribution topology map accurate to the individual plant! Real-time soil moisture data stream! Photosynthetic efficiency model! Pest and disease risk probability! Sound spectrum analysis of the wind blowing through the grass tips!
The entire mountaintop beneath my feet unfolded in my mind like a massive, suffocating three-dimensional holographic model! Rock strata, mineral vein distribution, underground water network, subtle changes in the magnetic field, energy nodes... even the faint yet resilient core coordinates of "zero" deep within the rock walls beneath the foundation of the wooden house! Everything, big or small, was laid out like the underlying code of this world—cold and precise!
Further away, the misty mountains transform into continuous topographic contour lines, climate zone simulations, large-scale biological migration predictions, geological activity assessments... The amount of information is like cosmic dust, enough to instantly overwhelm the mortal brain!
This was the last and most brutal "exchange" before "Zero" absorbed that little bit of energy from the barbecue and fell into slumber again.
It is no longer able to provide substantial support.
However, it forcibly "imprinted" all the information about this mountain peak and even the surrounding mountains that it had scanned and analyzed into Ling Zhan's consciousness in the most primitive data form!
This is not learning, it's infusion!
It was as if she had stuffed the "ultimate instruction manual" for this world into her soul!
"Well!"
Ling Zhan grunted! The roasted rabbit leg slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.
She suddenly closed her eyes tightly, and the veins on her forehead bulged!
My body tensed up instantly, as if under an invisible pressure!
Consciousness trembled violently under the impact of this data tsunami, like a lone boat on a raging sea!
A cold, torrent of data washed over her, attempting to completely assimilate her thoughts into a ruthless analytical machine.
Jinbao was stunned, forgetting to chew the meat in his mouth, and stared in horror at Ling Zhan's painful and tense profile.
The wolf cubs also stopped eating and whimpered anxiously.
Just as consciousness was about to be completely overwhelmed by the flood of data and the self was about to disintegrate—
The spark of starlight dormant deep within the imprint of her life suddenly ignited!
A faint, pale golden flame silently and resolutely began to burn deep within her tightly closed eyes, at the very core of her consciousness!
It did not resist the surging torrent, but rather acted like a stabilizing force, firmly anchoring her core essence as "Ling Zhan"—her will, her emotions, and her part as a "human" rather than a cold creation!
The torrent of data continues to surge, cold, precise, and endless.
But under the protection of the Star Source Flame, Ling Zhan's consciousness was no longer a collapsing dam, but began a strange "immersive reading".
She could clearly see the particle composition of every inch of soil beneath her feet.
She "heard" the subtle rhythm of plants growing and sprouting.
She "senses" the winding path of the water flowing through the underground rock veins...
With an almost omniscient perspective, she understands and feels the land she has cultivated with her own hands!
Profound understanding leads to unprecedented connections.
The torrent of data finally subsided like the receding tide, leaving behind only vast and clear knowledge, imprinted on the firmament of consciousness like stars. The spark of stellar origin also gradually dimmed, returning to dormancy.
Ling Zhan remained seated with his eyes closed, but his body gradually relaxed.
A mountain breeze brushed against my hair, and the embers of the hearth emitted their last warmth.
Jinbao carefully climbed down from her lap and gently touched the back of her hand with his little paws.
It's cold.
Time seemed to stand still.
I don't know how much time passed, it felt like an entire era.
Ling Zhan's eyelashes trembled very slightly.
Then, she slowly, very slowly opened her eyes.
In that instant, Jinbao was so frightened that he jumped back, and all the fur on his body stood on end!
Those eyes... were still a deep black, but they seemed to have been washed by the purest mountain spring, and were astonishingly clear!
She saw it.
She truly "saw" it.
This vibrant grassland beneath our feet is no longer just a green expanse. It is an intricate ecological network woven from billions of tiny lives, a masterpiece of the earth's crust pulsating for millions of years, and a magnificent symphony composed by sunlight, rain, rocks, and life itself! The tenacious growth of every golden thread lotus, the lively leap of every wild rabbit, and the trace left by every mountain breeze all contain the profound truths of the universe's operation and deserve the deepest reverence and cherishment.
She is no longer a condescending conqueror or a shrewd exploiter.
She became a part of this land, understanding its powerful life rhythm and revering its boundless power!
"..."
Ling Zhan's lips moved slightly, but he ultimately made no sound.
She simply raised her hand slowly, not to take the food, but to reach for Jinbao, who was standing at her feet, his fur standing on end and looking bewildered.
A slight, almost imperceptible tremor ran through his fingertips.
It landed on Jinbao's soft, fluffy golden-brown head with an unprecedented, almost reverent tenderness and warmth.
Jinbao's body suddenly stiffened.
Then, the bristling hair slowly subsided.
It felt an unprecedented gentle warmth from the fingertips, carrying a comforting power.
Jinbao's bright black eyes were filled with surprise and dependence. He tentatively rubbed his head against Ling Zhan's fingers, letting out a soft sound:
"squeak……"
Ling Zhan felt the warm and real touch of the little life coming from his fingertips—
She pressed her palm to the ground, sensing the faint yet resilient pulse of "zero" deep within the earth's veins—
She sensed everything imprinted in her consciousness—the vast and subtle essence of this mountaintop.
In this tranquil moment when all things are connected.
Deep within her consciousness, in the vast model that imprinted the information of the entire mountain range, the coordinates of a remote and secluded mountain valley suddenly and extremely faintly flickered!
A striking red dot representing a life-threatening condition.
Like a candle flickering in the wind, it suddenly ignites amidst the cold mountains of data!
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