Chapter 31: Mother

The skull pressed against the console, that weary yet relieved call, made the whole cabin's time seem to freeze. Su Yu clutched her mouth tightly, tears slipping down silently, her body trembling slightly, almost unable to stand. Chen Mo instinctively reached out to steady her, but his eyes remained locked on the skull and the hovering blue light sphere.

"Mom……Mom?" Su Yu's voice trembled with incredulous sobbing.

The blue light sphere flickered once, and the female voice sounded again, carrying a programmed calm, yet deep‑seated emotion could still be heard: "Xiao Yu……this is my voice recording, left for you and the future "heir" in my final moments. When you hear this message, it means you have grown enough to reach the edge of the truth, and I……am likely already gone."

The voice paused, as if gathering strength.

"First, let me answer the question you most want to know—what is the "Ark"?"

The light sphere projected a new image—no longer a map or data, but a blurry historical record. In the picture, a huge silver‑white starship stretched across space like a mountain range, with the deep cosmos and distant Earth in the background.

"The "Ark" is not a myth; it is the collective name for the interstellar colonization fleet that humanity of the old era built with all its might. Our goal was to flee the mother star, which was withering from over‑development, and find a new home. But just as the fleet was about to set sail, disaster struck."

The image switched, showing Earth wrapped and devoured by a strange, ever‑spreading purple‑energy cloud.

"We call it the "Violet Corrosion." It is not a natural disaster; it is more like……an "information contamination" or "rule overlay" from high‑dimensional space. It warps physical laws, erodes life forms, and rewrites reality into a……"game field" we cannot comprehend."

"And the "System" you rely on……" the familiar attribute panel and skill icons appeared in the image, "it is not a savior; it is part of the "Violet Corrosion," or rather, a management interface generated by the "Violet Corrosion" to more efficiently "digest" and "screen" our civilization."

Although they had suspected it, hearing such a definite answer still sent a chill up Chen Mo's spine. Su Yu even forgot to cry, listening in shock.

"We failed. The Ark fleet could not escape; most were devoured and assimilated by the Violet Corrosion. The research vessel I was on, the Explorer, together with a few escort ships, activated our secretly developed, immature "Reality Stabilizer Anchor" technology at the last moment, trying to resist the Violet Corrosion—but instead it triggered a violent rule conflict, shattering space and causing us to crash here, on the planetary fragment where you now stand."

The image showed the origin of this death rift and its surrounding area—a "scar" left by a collision at the rule level.

"The core technology of the "Stabilizer Anchor" comes from research on the "Primordial Blood." It is a mysterious substance we discovered in deep space that can, to some extent, interfere with the rules of reality. As the chief researcher, I was the first—and most successful—adapter—the "Zero Observer."'

"My body and soul have become part of the "Stabilizer Anchor," forcibly bound to this crashed ship and this twisted land." Her voice carried a hint of bitterness: "I detached part of my genetic sequence and the "Observer" privilege through special means, sealed it in the pendant, and left it for you, Xiao Yu. I hoped you could escape my fate and live as an ordinary person……but it seems destiny has found you after all."

Su Yu was already crying, tears streaming down her face.

"The Purifiers……they were originally the fleet's "Human Purist Faction," believing the Violet Corrosion was a divine cleansing of imperfect humanity. They regarded anyone who had touched the Violet Corrosion's power as heretical—including us Observers—and also the life‑forms mutated by its energy……the "Aberrant Mutants."

"As for the "Ancient Malice" you have temporarily suppressed above……" the image switched back to that dark pit, "it is a monster born when the Violet Corrosion seeped into this "Stable Zone" and merged with our ship's AI and the desperate thoughts of some crew members. It is both prisoner and warden; the "System" uses it to monitor and block anyone from approaching the truth here. You broke part of the seal, buying time, but also fully roused it—and the "System" behind it."

The voice grew utterly solemn: "Listen, heirs. The "System" is not invincible. It runs on rules. The "Primordial Blood" is a variable left from the old era that it can comprehend but cannot fully control. And the "Observer" privilege, derived from adaptation to the Primordial Blood, can to some extent……deceive, bypass, or even partially rewrite the System's underlying commands."

"This outpost is an "Information Haven" I maintained with my last strength. It can briefly shield against the System's deep scans, but it won't last long. In the console lies my final gift—all research data on the Primordial Blood, how to use Observer abilities, and my conjectures about the System's operating logic and possible vulnerabilities. Also……the approximate locations of any remaining Ark wrecks or rebel forces."

The blue light sphere's glow flashed wildly, becoming extremely unstable.

"My time is up……my energy is about to run out……Xiao Yu, my child, do not let hatred consume you, nor abandon hope……live on, seek other sparks……the truth……is far beyond what you imagine……even more……"

The voice cut off abruptly; the blue light sphere flickered a few times like a candle in the wind and then went out completely. On the console, a data port popped out automatically, containing a storage device that emitted a soft white light, more refined than any crystal core before.

The cabin fell into dead silence, save for Su Yu's suppressed sobs.

Chen Mo slowly stepped forward, took out that final "gift," and clenched it tightly in his palm. The amount of information was enormous, almost reshaping his understanding of the apocalypse. What they faced was not a simple game system, but a terrifying phenomenon that devours civilizations; and they, insignificant as they were in this disaster, yet held a spark of hope.

He walked to Su Yu's side and gently put his arm around her shoulder.

Su Yu lifted her head, tears blurring her vision as she looked at him; her eyes were filled with sorrow and confusion, yet also a determination that had broken free from its cocoon.

"Chen Mo……we……" she choked out.

"We know who the enemy is." Chen Mo's voice was low and powerful as he looked at the storage device in his hand, then toward the endless darkness beyond the cabin, "and we also know we are not utterly powerless."

He helped Su Yu to her feet and turned toward the teammates whose faces were etched with shock and resolve.

"Digest this information, master this power." Chen Mo raised the storage device, his eyes blazing like burning stars, "Then let us turn that damned "System," and the Violet Corrosion behind it, upside down!"

Everyone of the "Echo" squad straightened their spines. Fear still lingered, but an unprecedented sense of mission, like a prairie‑fire of starfire, ignited in their eyes.

The truth is cruel, but knowing it in itself is a form of strength. Their battle, from this moment on, has truly begun.