Chapter 891: Start closing the net
Several people quickly left the messy wasteland, but Li Yang knew that their situation had become more dangerous.
A breakdown in rules would have a ripple effect throughout the system, with more enforcers hunting them down.
And the City of Eternal Night they are looking for may hide a truth more terrifying than imagined...
When leaving, Li Yang looked back at the twisted space.
In the maze of rules, the truth is often crueler than imagined.
And that city of eternal night may be the key to solving all these mysteries...
Li Yang squeezed the core fragment in his hand, and a vague pulse came from it.
The wreckage seems to retain some traces of consciousness.
"We need to find a safe place first."
Bai Zhi glanced around vigilantly,
"The liquidators won't let us go easily."
[Eternity] pondered for a moment:
"I know a place where the rules are a dead end."
"Among the remnants of the old world lies a ruin that time has forgotten."
"The rules there have long been rotten, and it has become the safest hiding place."
Several people walked quickly through the wasteland, and from time to time there was the sound of cleaners searching behind them.
These mechanical structures were more powerful than the previous hunters, and every step made the earth tremble.
Finally, in front of a ruined wall, [Eternity] stopped.
"arrive."
In front of you is a dilapidated ancient building complex, with blue-gray walls covered with traces of time.
But the strange thing is that time here seems to have stopped, and even the air is solid and extremely heavy.
"This was once a testing ground for the rules of time..."
[Eternal] explained,
"But it was abandoned after an accident. Apparently the minions of the rules can no longer touch this area."
Several people got into a relatively complete room.
[Observer] flapped his wings and slowly fell down with a solemn expression:
"Li Yang, show me that core fragment."
Li Yang handed over the fragment, and the [Observer] looked at it carefully for a while, and suddenly took a breath of air:
"Up here..."
Bai Zhi next to her asked with concern: "What's wrong?".
[Observer] raised his head and murmured:
"This fragment...it still retains the memory of the executioner during his lifetime."
"And according to these memories, the City of Evernight is not just the birthplace of rules."
"It's actually a huge [conceptual container]."
"Concept container?" Li Yang frowned.
"That's right." [Observer] nodded, opened his beak and shouted, "Quack!"
"That city collected and sealed countless banished concepts..."
"The system that has been solidified now is a tool used to maintain the stability of this container."
"If the container crashes, all sealed concepts will be released again."
"And that would be a catastrophic singularity event."
Bai Zhi thoughtfully:
"That's why they will keep the rules in place at all costs..."
"But the more serious problem is..." [Observer]'s voice had a hint of gloom,
"The city itself seems to be evolving based on these memories."
"It is absorbing the essence of those concepts and trying to construct some new form of existence."
"Wait..." Li Yang suddenly thought of something,
"Could it be said that when rule enforcers give up themselves, they are essentially moving towards that form?"
[Observer] nodded:
"Probably so. It's a gradual assimilation process."
At this moment, the fragments suddenly emitted a dazzling light.
A fragmented image unfolded in the air——
It was a huge city shrouded in eternal night.
Countless luminous data streams interweave over the city, forming a huge dome.
In the center of the city, a tower-like building was slowly rotating.
That seems to be the core of the conceptual container.
But the picture quickly became distorted.
You can vaguely see that something is gestating and growing in the tower...
The image was suddenly interrupted, and the fragments completely lost their activity.
The room suddenly fell into deathly silence.
【Eternal】Be the first to break the silence:
"If that's the case... the threat we face is far greater than imagined."
"Once that new form of existence is completely born, the entire world's rule system will be rewritten."
Bai Zhi frowned and thought:
"But I still don't understand why those exiled concepts should be sealed in the city?"
"Because the concept itself is the cornerstone of the operation of this world." Li Yang said slowly,
"Although those banished concepts have lost their dominance, they still contain huge energy."
"And the city is like a melting pot, purifying and reorganizing this energy..."
[Observer] took over:
"Yes, it is trying to create an existence beyond the existing rules."
"A...ultimate rule that governs all concepts."
At this moment, a deafening roar suddenly came from outside.
Looking through the broken windows, I could see several giant sweepers approaching the ruins.
Their bodies were several times larger than the hunters they had seen before, and there were strange lines flowing on the surface of their armor.
"Damn it, they found this place!" Bai Zhi whispered.
Li Yang showed a strange smile:
"Just right... I have a plan."
He took out the inactive core fragment from his arms:
"Since there is some kind of connection between these cleaners and the city..."
"Why don't we take this opportunity to track the location of the city in reverse?"
[Observer] immediately understood his idea:
"You mean, invade the data network of the cleaners?"
"Yes." Li Yang nodded, "but I need your cooperation."
...
The plan was quickly finalized.
Several people quietly dispersed to various parts of the ruins, preparing to implement a siege.
When the first cleaner stepped into the ruins, [Eternity] immediately activated its ability.
Time solidified in a local area, and the giant machine suddenly fell into a sluggish state.
The vines of Baizhi also wrapped around it in time, further restricting its movement.
And [Observer] turned into countless black spots and infiltrated the gaps in the cleaner's armor.
Li Yang seized the opportunity and pressed the core fragment on the cleaner's main control panel.
In an instant, a huge stream of data poured into his consciousness.
In this rushing river of information, he vaguely caught a coordinate...
But the next moment, the intense pain almost tore his brain apart.
The Cleaner's firewall was fighting back, trying to destroy the intruder.
At this time, the voice of [Observer] came:
"Its self-destruction program has started!"
Several people quickly evacuated, and there was a deafening explosion behind them.
When the smoke dissipated, the Cleaner had turned into a pile of sparking scrap metal.
But Li Yang's face showed a triumphant smile:
"I found it..."
"The city is in the deepest part of the old world."
"Under the eternal night..."
"Waiting for our visit."
Bai Zhi looked into the distance and asked softly:
"So, what should we do next?"
Li Yang's eyes became firm:
"Since the target has been found..."
"It's time to close the net."
