Chapter 35

The Purification Society's defeated smoke and dust have not yet fully settled, but inside the Anvil Fortress a graver atmosphere than before has already spread. The joy of victory is brief and illusory; everyone knows this is merely a small skirmish before the storm. The system's wanted notice still hangs high, the main force of the Purification Society remains, and the vast, merciless will of the "system" itself may again cast its gaze at any time.

Chen Mo holds 【Primordial Origin Proof】, feeling the tremendous power transmitted from the axe shaft, connected to his own bloodline, yet he feels little joy. He stands on the reinforced city wall, gazing at the horizon where the wasteland meets the blood‑colored sky, his brow slightly furrowed. The increase in strength is real, but the level of the enemy they face has also risen to an unimaginable degree.

Walker and Makusi found him. The old mechanical godfather's gaze was more solemn than ever.

"Kid, don't let a victory go to your head." Walker's voice hoarse, "The Purification Society is merely the outermost claw of the 'system'. The real threat comes from above." He pointed at the sky, "You destroyed the outpost, released part of the truth, and even forged the 'Primordial Origin Proof', an artifact clearly bearing a 'rebellious' attribute. The 'system' will not let this go. According to ancient records and energy monitoring, it is likely mobilizing higher‑rank 'purge units', or…… activating some response protocol we have yet to know."

Makusi said via interface, his tone heavy: "The Anvil can hold off ordinary fodder, but if what comes is an 'Arbiter' or a higher‑level existence, or even if the system directly carries out large‑scale rule distortion, our little bit of resources won't hold."

Pressure weighed on everyone's hearts like a tangible substance.

Just then, Su Yu, her face pale and steps unsteady, found Chen Mo. She had just finished a deep meditation, trying to further organize the data left by her mother and adapt to her heightened perception.

"Chen Mo…… I…… I seem to have 'seen' something……" Her voice filled with fear and uncertainty, "It's not perception; it's more like…… a fragmented dream, or perhaps…… fragments of the future?"

Under the solemn gazes of everyone, Su Yu haltingly described the scene she had "seen":

Boundless, tide‑like metal constructs, uniform in shape, emitting the cold glow of the system, like a locust swarm devouring everything. The sky was no longer blood‑red but covered by a pure, despair‑inducing data stream. The energy shield of the Anvil Fortress shattered like foam under concentrated bombardment, walls collapsed, furnaces went out…… She also "saw" vague figures wearing gear utterly unlike the Purification Society's—more refined and uniform—with an emblem on their chests composed of gears, eyes, and lightning; they were extremely efficient, cold‑heartedly sweeping the battlefield……

"One of…… the leader…… is very strong, extremely strong…… he seems…… able to directly call upon the system's power…… he looked at me…… he discovered that I was 'seeing' him……" Su Yu said this, her body trembling involuntarily, as if feeling once again that cross‑time, icy scrutinizing gaze.

Premonition? Fragments of the future?

Chen Mo felt a chill in his heart. Su Yu's "Observer" ability, under pressure and data augmentation, seemed to have evolved a new branch? If what she saw is true, that would be a threat thousands of times more terrifying than the Purification Society—a purge legion directly under the system!

"Can you confirm the time? Or a specific location?" Chen Mo asked in a low voice.

Su Yu struggled to recall, finally shaking her head in dejection: "Very vague…… the time feels not far…… the location…… seems not just limited to the Anvil…… that data tide…… flooded many places……"

A wide‑scale purge! The system might be getting serious!

"We must quickly increase our strength and find more allies, or…… the 'system's' weakness." Chen Mo looked at Walker and Makusi, "Master Walker, regarding the 'system's' rule loopholes, or the limits of its power projection, do the ancient records mention anything more specific?"

Walker pondered for a moment, a glint of light flashing in his turbid eyes: "There is an unverified hypothesis…… the 'system's' power is not uniformly spread. It seems to rely on certain fixed, powerful 'energy nodes' or 'rule anchors' to maintain its large‑scale interference with reality. These nodes may be hidden deep within areas marked as 'forbidden zones' or where energy anomalies occur. If we could find and destroy these nodes, perhaps we could partially paralyze the 'system's' power, and even…… glimpse more of its secrets behind."

Energy nodes? Rule anchors?

Chen Mo immediately thought of the rolling energy mist deep in the Death Rift, the ancient sealed malice beneath the Rotten Forest, and even some extremely dangerous areas from his past life memories that produce special resources. Could these be the "nodes" Walker spoke of?

"We need more detailed intelligence." Chen Mo said decisively, "Information on all known energy‑anomaly areas, especially those the system has heavily marked or clearly rejected."

Makusi nodded: "The Anvil's information network will operate at full capacity. However, kid, I must remind you, those places are not tourist spots. Each is a deadly peril where nine out of ten die."

"We have no choice." Chen Mo's tone was calm, yet carried the resolve to break the cauldrons and sink the boats.

Over the next few days, the Anvil Fortress entered the highest alert state, while inside everything was running frantically. Walker led the technical team, day and night without cease, analyzing the data left by Su Yu's mother, trying to crack more secrets of the "Observer" ability and the system's operating logic, and using the residual energy of the Primordial Origin Forge to custom‑make or strengthen equipment for the other team members.

Chen Mo immersed himself in the process of adapting to the 【Primordial Origin Proof】 and boosting his own strength. He repeatedly practiced the activation and control of 【Primordial Origin Resonance】, discovering that this state not only greatly enhances combat power, but also lets him more clearly sense the flow of the system's rule force in the surrounding environment, as well as…… the faint traces of Primordial Origin power that are discordant with it.

Su Yu, under Walker's guidance, attempted to actively control that occasional flicker of "premonition" ability. The process was extremely painful; each attempt felt like tearing her own soul apart, and what she saw was mostly fragmented and full of despair. Yet she persisted, because she knew this might be their only chance to avert deadly danger in advance.

That evening, after a deep meditation, Su Yu suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils still retaining the undissipated bloody data‑stream light.

"Chen Mo! I…… I saw it again! A place…… very close! On the northwest edge of the Eternal Wasteland, near the 'Weeping Canyon'! There…… there is a very strong 'system' energy response, but around it…… are entwined many chaotic, painful thoughts…… like a…… 'cemetery'? No…… more like a…… 'processing plant'?"

Her words were confused, but the core message was clear——a place that might host a "system node" and appears linked to massive death or suffering.

"Processing plant?" Chen Mo seized on the term, his heart stirring. The system's "processing plant"? What does it process? Failed constructs? Useless data? Or…… beings like us, "bugs" and "rebels"?

Almost as Su Yu spoke the location, Chen Mo's hand‑held 【Primordial Origin Proof】 trembled slightly; the dark‑gold glow flowing along the axe blade pointed northwest, transmitting a strange sensation mixing repulsion and attraction.

"Get ready." Chen Mo stood, his eyes sharp as blades, "Let's go check out that 'processing plant'."

Whether that place is a trap or an opportunity, they must go. Passively waiting for the system's purge leads only to a dead end. Taking the initiative to strike out and seek the system's weakness is the only slim chance of survival.

As the "Echo" team prepared for the new operation, no one noticed that, in the shadow of an inconspicuous sand dune outside the Anvil Fortress's energy barrier, a tiny metallic construct, almost blended with the sand and gravel, had its sensor pointed toward the fortress, flickering with an extremely faint, barely perceptible red light.

Far above countless layers of rules, that cold, vast will once again cast a barely perceptible glance.

【Detected high‑value target 'Observer' exhibiting rule‑forewarning phenomenon…… marking its associated area……】

【Target 'Chen Mo' possesses high‑threat 'rule anomaly'…… movement analysis underway……】

【Locked potential threat area: Eternal Wasteland‑unnumbered anomaly point (temporarily designated: Discarded Processing Unit Z‑73)……】

【Mobilizing nearby low‑priority purge units…… changing orders: lie in wait, monitor, collect data…… awaiting further orders……】

An invisible net is silently tightening. And Chen Mo and Su Yu are actively walking toward one of its nodes.

The storm, beneath a calm façade, continues to brew.