Chapter 39: Ark's Legacy and the Moment of Choice

Pure white.

The pure white that devours all sound, color, and form.

At the moment the reality's stable anchor final protocol activated, Chen Mo's consciousness seemed cast into an endless void. No explosive roar, no painful energy shock, only an absolute "stillness" that returns all things to the primordial.

The silence did not last long. It felt like an instant, yet also like eternity, as a speck of light ignited at the center of the white, spreading rapidly and redrawing the world's outline.

When Chen Mo's senses returned, he realized he was neither at the expected center of the energy storm nor amid the ruins of the Anvil Fortress. He stood in a bizarre space—infinitely vast, its floor made of flowing data, its dome a rotating Star Map. Su Yu, Han Qing, Zhang Yang… all members of the "Echo" squad stood unharmed beside him, their faces reflecting the same bewilderment and shock as his.

Beneath their feet was a miniature projection of the Anvil Fortress, showing Makusi leading survivors through an emergency tunnel in a frantic evacuation, and outside the fortress, the pure white pillar that pierced heaven and earth was slowly fading. Where the pillar passed, the rule distortions caused by the "Heaven's Punishment" protocol were forcibly smoothed, gravity normalized, spatial fissures sealed, and the raging monsters and approaching "Judicator" squad vanished as if erased by an eraser.

The final burst of the stable anchor was not destruction but… an absolute rule "reset" and "repulsion"? It forcibly cleared all of the system's influences from this area, albeit temporarily?

"Welcome to the Ark's offline database—the safe isolation layer of Noah's Heart."

A gentle, rational, neutral voice, unlike the "Watchmen" and the cold system, resonated through the space. Ahead of the group, data streams converged, forming a vague, light‑made humanoid silhouette.

"I am the central AI of the Sturdy research vessel, codename 'Mentor'." The light‑shaped figure nodded slightly. "Thank you, the final inheritors, and… the crucial 'Observer'. It is the Primordial Origin power you injected, together with the Observer's permission, that at the instant the stable anchor overloaded and vanished, reached the minimum threshold to activate Noah's Heart's hidden protocol, guiding your consciousness here and avoiding a total rule reset."

"Noah's Heart? The Sturdy's… core?" Chen Mo suppressed the turmoil in his heart and quickly seized the key point.

"Yes." As Mentor gestured, the surrounding Star Map and data streams shifted, revealing a vast star sea and the all‑consuming "Purple Blight" catastrophe. "The Ark fleet was not unprepared. We had long hypothesized the possibility of high‑dimensional 'information perturbations' and secretly developed the Noah Project—not to flee, but to preserve the flame of civilization amid the disaster and seek a way to counter the Purple Blight."

"The 'system' you see is not the Purple Blight itself, but a … super‑civilization that was earlier devoured by the Purple Blight, which we cannot fully comprehend. It deployed 'management tools' and 'assimilation filters' to 'digest' newly captured cosmic sectors (your world). It gamifies reality, filtering valuable 'data' and erasing useless 'Error Signal'."

The truth is far more brutal than imagined! What they face is a "digestion system" left by an unknown, already destroyed civilization!

"And the Primordial Blood..." Mentor's light pointed at Chen Mo and Su Yu. "It is an 'extraneous substance' we discovered at the edge of Deep Space, one of the few that can resist full assimilation by the Purple Blight's rules and even exert limited interference. It is not a product of this universe. The 'Observer' is the special individual capable of achieving perfect resonance with this substance."

Su Yu's mother's identity, the pendant she left behind, Chen Mo's rebirth‑granted Death Echo talent (its nature likely also highly attuned to Primordial Origin), all now have a rational explanation!

"Noah's Heart is the core of the Ark Project. It is not a ship but a massive 'Civilization Backup and Counterattack Protocol' built upon Primordial Origin technology and all the knowledge of the old era," Mentor's voice carried a hint of heaviness, "But it is incomplete. We have not fully deciphered the mysteries of Primordial Origin, nor found a way to completely shut down the system. The crash of the Sturdy further crippled the plan."

The light shifted, displaying several flickering points scattered across the vast world map (now covered by the Purple Blight).

"These are coordinates of other known Ark wreckage or outpost sites that may still retain partial functionality. They might preserve other modules of the Noah Project, such as the Arsenal, the Eco‑Garden, the Gene Bank, and even… fragments of the Ark's central AI."

Hope! True hope that can turn the tide!

"But," Mentor's light grew solemn, "activating Noah's Heart and guiding you in has exhausted the Sturdy wreckage's final reserve energy and triggered the system's highest‑level alert. You have little time left."

The space trembled slightly, and the peripheral data streams grew unstable, like a television screen with a poor signal.

"The system's core will is forcibly breaching the isolation layer. You must make a choice immediately."

Before Mentor, three constantly rotating symbols made of light appeared.

The first symbol was a miniature of a sail‑propelled starship. 【Choice One: Inheritance and Concealment】 Mentor explained, "I will seal the core data of Noah's Heart and a Primordial Origin seed into a portable device, then initiate a final short‑range spatial jump, randomly sending you to a safe zone. You will inherit the Ark's legacy, become new sparks, lurking in darkness, awaiting a faint chance of revival."

The second symbol was a sword piercing the darkness. 【Choice Two: Counterattack and Aggressive Assault】 "I will concentrate all remaining energy, forcibly compute and lock onto the nearest, strongest‑reacting Ark Arsenal coordinates, and precisely deliver you there. The risk is extreme; you may fall straight into a dead zone, but if successful, you will obtain weapons capable of directly confronting the system's eradication forces."

The third symbol was a continuously decomposing and recomposing data cluster. 【Choice Three: Infiltration and Analysis】 "I will guide your consciousness to attempt a reverse connection to the system's local network nodes. If you can infiltrate, you may steal critical data, locate its core weakness, or even cause internal chaos. Success rate is unknown; failure means your consciousness will be assimilated by the system or utterly erased."

Three choices, three completely different paths, concerning them and the future of the remaining human civilization.

Everyone's gaze focused on Chen Mo.

Chen Mo stared at the three rotating symbols, his mind flashing with the ant‑like struggles of his past life, the despair and hope from Su Yu's mother's diary, the blood‑soaked silhouettes of the Anvil Fortress guards, and the cold truth revealed by Mentor.

Stealth? He was reborn not to hide like a mouse again!

Aggressive assault? Recklessness without intel or foundation is merely a death sentence, betraying all sacrifices.

Infiltration… the greatest risk, but if successful, the greatest reward! Know yourself and the enemy, then a sliver of hope can be found!

His gaze finally settled on the third symbol. Simultaneously, the Primordial Proof and Data Perception passive within him resonated clearly.

"We choose the third path," Chen Mo's voice was resolute, bearing a determination that would rise from death. "We will enter the system's interior and see what this 'filter' that wants to digest us actually is!"

Su Yu gripped his hand tightly, her eyes steady and unafraid. Han Qing, Zhang Yang, and the others also nodded, offering no dissent.

"A wise… and brave choice," Mentor's light seemed to show a hint of approval. "Then, prepare yourselves, inheritors. This will be a journey… straight into the abyss."

The entire data space began to quake violently, its edges starting to collapse! Mentor's light turned into a torrent, enveloping everyone's consciousness!

"Remember, Primordial Origin is the key, the Observer is the coordinate… do not trust everything the system presents… seek… the Paradox…"

Mentor's voice faded gradually within the torrent of consciousness.

In the next instant, endless darkness and a cold data maelstrom engulfed them.

When Chen Mo reopened his eyes, he found himself standing in an endless dark corridor composed of countless flowing '0's and '1's. Along both sides were innumerable massive light screens like surveillance monitors, rapidly scrolling incomprehensible code, distorted images, and live feeds of various 'game zones'; one screen prominently displayed the Anvil Fortress ruins and survivors evacuating!

They succeeded! They had infiltrated the system's internal network!

However, before they could observe further, an indescribable, boundless cold will surged from the far end of the corridor like a tide!

【Alert! Unauthorized high‑priority consciousness detected invading the core data corridor!】

【Identification: Observer (Su Yu), Rule‑anomaly holder (Chen Mo)…】

【Executing highest‑threat elimination protocol! Deploying 'Logic Virus' and 'Information Deletion Command'!】

The light screens on both sides of the corridor instantly turned a blinding blood‑red! Countless black phantoms, twisted in form and composed of error codes and malicious programs, gathered from the data flow like sharks smelling blood, emitting silent shrieks as they lunged toward them!

The system's immune system was activated!

The real test has only just begun!