Mr. Si
The Night Owl hovered like a tiny speck of dust in the vast shadow cast by the ancient Si family warship, codenamed "Guixu." Inside the bridge, a dead silence reigned, broken only by the ragged breathing and the pounding of hearts. The scene before them was beyond comprehension—it was a product beyond the reach of modern technology. The ancient insignia, the natural ice crystal patterns, all spoke of a forgotten secret that predated the era of "Original Blood."
Shao Wei stood at the porthole, his back tense as a drawn bowstring. The coordinates indicated by Siqi's echo actually led here? What was the connection between this ship and Siqi? What was its connection to the Si family, and to the "Blood of the Origin"? Countless questions swirled in his mind, ultimately pointing to the man annihilated in the explosion.
"The scan results...can't be interpreted." Ahmet's voice was dry, and the screen in front of him was a chaotic mess of waveforms and question marks. "The hull material is unknown, and the energy response...is almost non-existent, but it looks like a dormant star. Is it...alive?"
"Alive?" Hong Jian scoffed and wiped the cold sweat from his face. "Have you read too many science fiction novels? This thing looks more like a coffin than a living thing!"
At this moment, the silent ancient ship moved without any warning.
It wasn't the roar of engines starting up, nor the hum of machinery. Its dark silver hull, streaked with ice crystals, slowly lit up with a soft, icy-blue light, as if infused with energy. Then, facing the Night Owl's hull, a massive entrance, its edges shimmering with light, silently slid open.
Without invitation or warning, it was like a sleeping giant quietly opening a door for the visitor who was destined to come.
An indescribable aura, a mixture of antiquity, coldness, and a hint of familiarity, emanated from the entrance.
"It... is letting us in?" Gu Zhixing's voice trembled.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Shao Wei.
Shao Wei's glands throbbed violently, not out of fear, but rather an almost instinctive pull. The aura emanating from the ancient ship resonated faintly with the power within him, purified by the "Threads of Life." And deeper down, the icy deep sea, connected to the reverberations of Siqi, was also rippled by the appearance of the ancient ship, creating unprecedented ripples.
He no longer hesitated.
"Red Falcon, stay behind. Ahmet, Gu Zhixing, follow me." He gave the order, his voice returning to his usual calmness, but upon closer listening, there was a subtle hint of tension.
He needed answers. About Si Qi, about the Si family, about the truth behind it all.
The small tender slid out from the belly of the Night Owl and headed towards the huge entrance emitting a faint blue light like a moth to a flame.
Entering the ancient ship, the scene was even more astounding. The passageway was so vast it felt less like the interior of a spaceship and more like the columns of some sacred temple. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all a single, dark silver material, flowing with an even more complex icy-blue light path, forming some incomprehensible, vast energy matrix. The air was crisp, with a chill like the polar snowfields, devoid of any stale smell. There were no buttons, no screens, no visible control interfaces; everything seemed driven by consciousness or some unknown principle.
They walked in the direction indicated by the light path, their footsteps echoing slightly in the empty space. Ahmet tried to detect it with an instrument, but the result was still garbled.
"The energy level...is incalculable. The level of technology here is at least...several epochs ahead of ours." Ahmet's voice was filled with awe and bewilderment.
At the end of the passage was an even grander door, engraved with stars and spiral patterns. As they approached, the door slid silently to the sides, revealing the scene behind.
It was a vast circular hall. Its dome was transparent. Outside lay the eternal darkness of the "Silent Cemetery," but some force field kept out the dangers of the outside world. In the center of the hall, there was no console or throne, only a complex, constantly rotating and shifting geometric object composed of pure ice-blue light, suspended in mid-air.
And right below the geometric shape of light, quietly placed was a...crystal coffin.
The coffin was crystal clear, emitting a faint chill. One could clearly see a person lying inside.
When Shao Wei's eyes fell on the face of the man in the coffin, his breathing suddenly stopped and his blood seemed to freeze in an instant!
The person lying there was none other than himself.
It’s exactly this time!
No, not exactly him.
The figure within the coffin, "Si Qi," appeared even younger, perhaps only seventeen or eighteen years old, his demeanor serene, as if deep in sleep. He wore a simple white robe, matching the style of the ancient ship. Most importantly, he bore no trace of the violent aura of "Original Blood" or the emanation of pheromones. Instead, he exuded a pure, cold silence, as profound as the ancient ship itself.
What... is going on?!
A clone of Siqi? Or something else?
Shao Wei's mind went blank. He stumbled forward a few steps, nearly falling onto the crystal coffin. His icy blue eyes fixed on the familiar yet unfamiliar face within the coffin. His heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, the pain so intense that he could barely breathe.
Why...are you here?
"A high degree of compatibility between genetic sequences and spiritual imprints has been detected..."
An ethereal, neither male nor female voice, as if formed by the collision of countless tiny ice crystals, suddenly rang out in the hall. The source was the suspended geometric object of light.
"Welcome back, bearer of the Key, and... descendant of the Watcher."
Key? Watcher?
Shao Wei suddenly looked up and looked at the geometric shape of light: "Who are you? What is going on? Who... is he?" His voice was hoarse and trembling due to the extreme emotional impact.
The geometric body of light slowly rotated, casting a soft halo that enveloped the crystal coffin and Shao Wei.
"I am 'Guixu', the true origin of the Si family, and also the original ark of the 'Watchers,'" the ethereal voice explained. "Sleeping in the coffin is Siqi, but also not Siqi. He is a perfect replica of the Si family's original 'key,' carrying the Si family's pure bloodline and mission before it was contaminated by the 'Original Blood.'"
A replica of the original "Key"? Pure bloodline?
"Then...the one who died in the laboratory..." Shao Wei almost didn't dare to ask further.
"That's the 'vessel,'" Guixu's voice was devoid of any emotion. "Shao Qing used the 'Original Blood' and stolen gene fragments from the Si family to cultivate a 'vessel' to hold and experiment with the power of the 'key.' His very existence is a mistake, proof that the Si family bloodline has been tainted. His annihilation is inevitable, and also... a relief."
Container... Error... Relief...
These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting Shao Wei's heart hard!
What he thought was his marriage, what he thought was his partner, the object of his suffering and revenge...was actually just a manufactured "vessel"? A tool to carry the true power of the future?
What about everything they'd experienced? That indifference, that forbearance, that shared life and death, those unspoken emotions... what did it even matter?!
A... play within a play?!
A huge sense of absurdity and anger at being fooled surged in his chest like magma! But he gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. He still had more questions.
"What is the 'key'? What is the 'watcher'? Does Shao Qing know all this?"
"The 'Key' holds the authority to open 'Guixu' and connect to a higher-dimensional ocean of information. 'Watcher' is the Si family's original mission—to monitor and isolate the 'Original Blood' contamination from the X-7 meteorite, preventing its spread throughout the galaxy." The 'Guixu' halo flickered. "Shao Qing... he's merely the descendant of a traitor who stole the fur. He's obsessed with the false power of 'Original Blood' and has long since abandoned his duties as a 'Watcher'. He even attempted to use the 'Container' to erode the 'Key'."
It paused, and the halo turned towards Shao Wei, as if it was "looking" at him.
"And you, Shao Wei, Shao Wen, are a special product of the interference between you and the unknown high-level energy life form, the Thread of Life. Your existence is a variable, but also... a new possibility. Flowing within you is a purified power that is closer to the essence of the 'Key.'"
"So, why did you guide me here?" Shao Wei's voice was cold. He had vaguely guessed the answer.
"To fulfill the Watcher's mission and completely purify the Primordial Blood from its contamination," Guixu's voice carried an undeniable resolve. "You must merge with the Key and gain full access to Guixu. Then, activate the Purification Protocol to locate and destroy all sources and storage points of the Primordial Blood."
Fusion? With this... Siqi replica in the coffin?
Shao Wei looked at the peaceful face in the coffin, which was the same face as the person in his memory, and his stomach churned.
What is this? A replacement? Or... another form of devouring?
"What if I refuse?" he asked.
"Then, the contamination of the 'Original Blood' will continue to spread. IGEC's 'purification' is merely superficial; the true crisis lurks in the shadows. The 'Council of Elders'... they are the original beneficiaries and promoters of the 'Original Blood', and Shao Qing is merely one of their pawns. Without the power of 'Returning Ruins', you, and everything you hold dear, will ultimately be devoured."
The voice of Guixu remained calm, yet it described a chilling future.
The choice seemed to be before him once again.
In order to get revenge and end this nightmare that has lasted too long, he needs strength.
And the power is at hand.
The price is... merging with an "existence" that bears Siqi's face but is not himself, and completely bidding farewell to his past identity as a "container" partner.
Shao Wei slowly raised his hand and lightly stroked Siqi's sleeping face through the cold crystal coffin lid.
In his mind, the last time Si Qi looked back at him before the laboratory explosion flashed through his mind.
Does the calmness and determination in that look... also contain some kind of hint pointing to this place, which even Si Qi himself may not be clear about?
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cold air in the ancient ship.
When he opened his eyes again, all the confusion, pain, and struggle in them were replaced by an almost cruel determination.
"What should I do?"
He asked, his voice calm and composed, as if he was deciding what to eat tonight.
The geometric shape of light of 'Guixu' suddenly lit up, and countless ice-blue light bands stretched out like living things, wrapping around Shao Wei and the crystal coffin.
"Let go of your consciousness and accept the 'key'..."
The light engulfed Shao Wei's figure.
Ahmet and Gu Zhixing stood in the distance, watching the scene in horror, but unable to get any closer.
The fusion has begun.
Shao Wei felt his consciousness being pulled into a vortex of light. Countless unfamiliar memories, knowledge, and power flooded into his mind like a torrent! It was information related to the "key," to the ancient ship "Guixu," to the true origins of the Si family... a vast expanse of information!
At the same time, he also "saw" more.
I saw the disaster-bringing X-7 meteorite falling in the depths of the starry sea.
We saw how the ancestors of the Si family discovered and tried to control the "Original Blood".
Saw the creation and split of the Watchers organization.
I saw the betrayal and corruption of Shao Qing's lineage.
I saw...how mother Shao Wen, by chance, came into contact with the dying "Thread of Life" and received its blessing and inspiration as a "neutralizer."
All the fragments are connected at this moment.
And the moment his consciousness came into contact with the core of the replica of the "key" in the coffin—
He was shocked!
In the deepest part of the clone's consciousness, he felt a trace of... extremely weak, yet extremely familiar fluctuation!
That was not the consciousness of the replica itself, but... a residual mark from the outside!
This is the time!
It was Si Qi who, as the "container", before his annihilation, somehow managed to project and imprint a trace of his core spiritual imprint deep into the "key" replica that originated from the same origin as him!
The mark was very faint, almost disappearing. There was no memory or emotion in it, only a pure, unfinished... obsession with protection.
At the last moment, he did more than just push him away.
He was still instinctively trying to leave a way out for him... a "gift" that he himself might not even understand.
At this moment, Shao Wei's frozen heart was like being hit by a heavy hammer, and cracks spread!
It turns out... it's not meaningless.
It turned out that the marriage full of deception and pain, that existence as a "container", in the end, left him with more than just regret and destruction.
And there is this faint mark of protection that transcends life and death and reality.
The light gradually faded away.
Shao Wei stood where he was and slowly opened his eyes.
His appearance hadn't changed much, but the depths of his icy blue eyes seemed to hold the depth and antiquity of the entire galaxy. His aura had become more restrained, yet also more vast, blending perfectly with the ancient ship, Guixu.
He gained access to the "key" and knew all the truth.
He also felt the final, silent protection from Siqi.
He raised his hand, and the crystal coffin and the replica of the "key" inside turned into ice-blue starlight, merged into his body, and became a part of his power.
He turned around and looked at Ahmet and Gu Zhixing, who were still in shock, and also looked in the direction of the shuttle boat, as if he could see through the hull and see the remaining Kestrel.
There was no expression on his face.
But an unprecedented will, enough to make the galaxy tremble, has already taken shape.
"Let's go."
He spoke, his voice calm, yet with the power to reshape the rules.
"It's time to end this mistake that has lasted for ten thousand years."
The ancient ship "Guixu" trembled slightly, and the ice crystal patterns on the dark silver hull burst out with unprecedented bright light.
The sleeping giant beast awakens.
And the one who controls it is a soul of revenge that carries all the pain, truth and a faint desire to protect the past...
At this moment, the fate of the galaxy was completely reversed.
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