The air in the central hall of the Reality Alliance was still filled with shards of glass, reflecting the cold light streaming in from the windows.
The key in Lin Yi's palm suddenly trembled slightly, as if the strings of some ancient musical instrument had been plucked.
He lowered his eyes and stared at the key handle that was flowing with the original light of the universe. The tiny character "Lin" was faintly visible in the golden light—the characters that had appeared when they merged were now glowing slightly with his heartbeat.
"Resonance frequency 0.72 Hz." Chu Yao's voice came from behind the holographic screen. Dust clung to her hair, and her fingers flew across the virtual keyboard three times faster than usual. "Energy fluctuations are spreading towards the four major ruins. A faint response wave has been detected!"
Lin Yi's eyelashes trembled slightly.
He could feel the heat from the key flowing down the veins in his palm into his arm, as if something alive was crawling in his blood vessels.
Su Qing's illusory figure stood beside him, her translucent fingertips lightly resting on the key, her hair fluttering gently in some unseen breeze: "The key is now in place, but the real test has only just begun." Her voice was like a silver bell immersed in the morning mist, and as the last syllable faded, Lin Yi's Adam's apple bobbed—this was the first time he had heard her speak completely since the key was fused with her.
"Boss!" Long Wu's voice cracked slightly.
The man, who was nearly two meters tall, was currently leaning on the edge of the control panel, staring at the 3D map that Chu Yao had brought up. "That red area in the east is the Sunset Ruins?"
Is the blue dot in the southwest corner a remnant of the lunar maria?
"The locations of all four keys are marked?" His knuckles cracked as he gripped the "Time Legion" badge on his combat uniform shoulder insignia, making it deform. "Can we send someone to steal it right now?"
I'm leading the first squad—
"Don't rush." The dark figure suddenly pressed his hand against the back of Long Wu's neck.
This highly civilized law enforcement officer, always wrapped in a black trench coat, removed his hood, revealing a bead of sweat on his pale forehead. "Night Owl won't let us get the rest of the keys so easily."
His movements in the alternate dimension were faster than we imagined. He pointed out the window, where the once clear sky was now filled with swirling, dark purple clouds. "Do you see the movement of those clouds?"
It is an energy perturbation of the void rift matrix.
The alarm suddenly went off.
Chu Yao's holographic screen suddenly flashed a blood-red warning, and the data stream looked like a disrupted galaxy: "Communication network is being interfered with!"
The extradimensional signal covered 73% of the frequency band, and the residual signal... was mixed with the mental pollution of the lingering resentment of the old gods! Her pupils contracted slightly—as an AI data entity, this was her highest level of simulated human emotion. "The connection stability of the Key Resonance System is decreasing; it is expected to completely collapse in three minutes."
Lin Yi's thumb unconsciously rubbed the character "Lin" on the key handle.
He could hear a faint cracking sound coming from inside the key, like ancient pottery cracking in high temperatures.
Su Qing's illusory image began to fade, and the point where her fingertips touched the key emitted a faint blue light, as if she was trying her best to maintain some kind of balance.
"Use a consciousness anchor," the shadowy figure suddenly spoke.
His voice was like an icicle piercing boiling water, cold and unyielding: "The essence of the lingering resentment of the old gods is an obsession with 'predetermined fate,' and they need specific 'memories' as anchors for their attacks."
Conversely, we can use the emotions and memories of living people as a defensive anchor—allowing the resonance system to flow not only with energy, but also with our will.
Long Wu suddenly loosened his grip on the epaulettes.
He stared at Lin Yi, his Adam's apple bobbing twice: "Boss, what do you need me to do?" His combat boots scraped against the broken glass. "Is it to share memories?"
My head is full of nonsense about fighting alien beasts, okay?
"Everyone, place your hands on the resonance device." Lin Yi's voice was soft, yet it was like nails hammering into a steel plate.
He turned and walked toward the circular platform in the center of the hall, where seven grooves were embedded—intended for the seven keys.
The four keys were now in place, and the remaining three slots glowed with a faint blue light. "Chu Yao, activate the memory sharing program."
Shadow, you're in charge of stabilizing the energy field.
Long Wu... bring up the memory of you blocking that hidden blade for me in the newbie village.
Su Qing's illusory figure suddenly smiled.
Her fingers threaded through Lin Yi's wrist, pressing the first palm print onto the resonance device: "I'll go first."
When Long Wu's palm touched the device, golden fragments of memory floated up in the hall.
That was the rain curtain of the beginner village. Twenty-year-old Lin Yi held up a rusty iron sword, with a third-tier mutated wolf pouncing from behind him.
Long Wu crashed in from the side, his back ripped open by wolf claws, leaving three bloody gashes, yet he still grinned: "Boss, you owe me a hotpot!"
Chu Yao's memories followed immediately.
A chain of 0s and 1s appeared on the holographic screen; it was the first line of code she was born with: "Protect host Lin Yi".
The data link twisted into her shape in mid-air and spoke in a human voice for the first time: "Nice to meet you."
The memories of the shadowy figures are the most obscure.
Dark purple starship wreckage floated in space, and a young law enforcer knelt amidst the ruins, holding half a stone tablet engraved with the word "Order" in his palm.
His voice, crackling with static, said, "I used to think rules could save everything... until I met you all."
Lin Yi closed his eyes.
He could feel these memories flowing like warm magma along the lines of the key, filling in the tiny cracks one by one.
Su Qing's illusory image became clear again. Her fingers were clasped with his, and warmth emanated from their virtual bodies, making it feel real.
"Resonance stability 97%." Chu Yao's voice was filled with rare excitement. "The response waves from the keys of the four great ruins have been strengthened!"
They are...resonating with our memories!
The key suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light.
This light wasn't scorching like the sun; instead, it carried a comforting warmth.
Golden light illuminated every corner of the hall, and rainbows were refracted from the broken glass, reflected on Long Wu's still bleeding knuckles, on the profile of the shadowy figure as he put his hood back on, and on the dust that had not yet settled on Chu Yao's eyelashes.
Su Qing's illusory figure slowly dissipated in the light, and her lips moved slightly before she left.
Lin Yi understood those two words—"Don't be afraid."
The dark purple clouds outside the window suddenly churned violently.
The owl's laughter pierced through the noise, even more shrill than before: "Lin Yi!"
My legion has crossed the Rift Matrix and will arrive in Earth orbit in three hours!
Prepare to face... the wrath of the Old Gods!
Long Wu abruptly ripped off the sleeve of his combat uniform and casually tied it to the bleeding wound.
He stared at the churning clouds outside the window, his eyes burning with fury: "Three hours?"
I can snatch the key to the Sunset Ruins back in two hours!
"No rush." Lin Yi gently inserted the key into the central groove.
The locations of the seven keys were finally determined by four coordinates, forming a dazzling star map on the holographic screen.
He looked up out the window; the outlines of the massive metal ship were already visible through the clouds, like a lurking steel behemoth. "Three hours...that's enough time for us to do a lot."
He turned to look at his team members.
Long Wu's wound was still bleeding, Chu Yao's hair was covered in dust, and the hem of the shadowy figure's trench coat was cut by broken glass—but their eyes were shining, reflecting the light of the key.
"Pass the word down." Lin Yi's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like the first muffled beat of a war drum. "The Reality Alliance high-level meeting will be held in half an hour."
An hour later, the entire Time Legion assembled. His fingers lightly tapped the character "林" (Lin) on the key handle. "Tell everyone...it's time to sharpen the sword."
Outside the window, the army of owls loomed in and out of sight behind the clouds.
Meanwhile, on the Alliance's communication network, the first message that had just been restored was scrolling: "Mythical Key Resonance Complete, Final Offensive Countdown—2 hours 58 minutes."
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