Chapter 41: Data Awakening, Apocalypse Countdown

The ruins of Iron Anvil Fortress stretched long shadows in the sunset, the broken walls and crumbling remains like the bones of a giant beast, silently recounting the previous carnage. On the open ground, Chen Mo and his companions successively awoke from deep unconsciousness, severe headaches and the exhaustion after their souls were torn leaving them barely able to stand.

"We… are still alive?" Zhang Yang rubbed his temples, his voice hoarse, his face full of disbelief. The experience in the system core data abyss was like the most terrifying nightmare, the cold sensation of his consciousness being dissolved still lingered.

"Alive, but we've also attracted bigger trouble." Chen Mo inhaled deeply, forcing himself to stay calm. In his sea of consciousness, that golden coordinate fragment glittered like a star, accompanied by the shattered yet world‑shaking data he retrieved from the system library—"Primordial Origin's Will," "System's Tentacles," "Cosmic Petri Dish"… each concept could overturn everyone's understanding.

Su Yu's complexion remained pale, she leaned against a half‑collapsed wall, her eyes unusually bright: "That 'Logical Judge'… it collapsed because of our humanity. Chen Mo, your judgment is correct. The system is not omniscient; its logical foundation cannot perfectly accommodate irrational 'Error Signal.'"

"Error…" Han Qing chewed the word, a flash of pain and insight in his eyes, "Our hatred, love, memories—these are redundant, inefficient 'Error Data' to it, yet they become our sharpest weapons." He recalled his wife and daughter's faces; that deep sorrow and anger were now not merely pain, but a power.

Li Siwen adjusted his non‑existent glasses (a habitual motion), trying to dispel inner fear with rational analysis: "Based on the information we retrieved, the system is likely a tool used by a higher‑level entity for observation or 'harvesting.' And 'Primordial Blood' is a 'variable' generated during the tool's operation that it cannot fully control itself."

"Variable… so we, the ones bearing 'Primordial Blood,' are the bugs the system wants to purge?" Wang Hu said in a gruff, guttural tone, clenching his fist, "Whatever it is, if it wants to kill us, I'll fight it to the end!"

Chen Mo nodded, his gaze sweeping over the still‑shaken but increasingly resolute teammates: "Exactly. But we can't stay passive. This time the system suffered a loss at our hands; the next purge protocol will be harsher and more precise. We must strike proactively and, before we're fully locked on, find the source!"

He spread his hand; though his palm held nothing, everyone could feel the presence of the coordinate in his mind. "This is our next target, a location pulsing with strong 'Primordial Origin' fluctuations. It could be the origin of 'Primordial Origin,' or perhaps… another 'Ark'-like refuge, or even a 'hole' in the system itself."

At that moment, as if to confirm Chen Mo's warning, a system alert—cold, with a barely perceptible note of "caution"—simultaneously rang in everyone's mind:

【Global Announcement: Abnormal data disturbance detected; underlying logical protocol under unknown interference. The system will commence mandatory global update and deep scan. Update countdown: 71:59:59…】

【Update Content Preview:】

1. Rule Reinforcement: All instances, mission zones, and safe‑zone rules will become more absolute; penalties for violations will increase sharply.

2. Permission Tightening: Player‑granted permissions will be partially reclaimed; system oversight will increase by 300%.

3. Threat Redefinition: "Anomalous Entities" and "Potential Threats" will be redefined and added to the immediate purge list.

4. Environmental Dynamic Adjustment: Monster spawn frequency and strength, as well as environmental disaster rates, will be dynamically increased based on regional threat assessments.

【All players must log out to a safe zone within 72 hours and wait for the update to finish. Repeat, all players…】

The announcement sounded three times before slowly fading, but the cold pressure lingered, enveloping each person's mind like a tangible weight.

"Seventy‑two hours…" Zhao Lei's voice trembled, "It's about to shut the door and hunt us down, a full‑scale purge!"

"Deep scan…" Liu Qian's face turned deathly pale, "We just escaped its core; data traces surely remain on us, and if we're scanned…"

The consequences are unimaginable. They will become the system's top "anomaly" to be purged first after the update!

"We must, within these seventy‑two hours, stay as far from densely populated areas as possible and rush to this coordinate!" Chen Mo decided instantly, "During the system update, space may be unstable, but that could also be its weakest monitoring window! It's our only chance!"

There was no time to hesitate, nor to rest. The Echo Squad sprang into action. Iron Anvil Fortress lay ruined; they gathered usable supplies from the wreckage—mostly food, water, basic medical kits—as weapons and gear had been severely damaged in earlier battles and data erosion.

Chen Mo checked his own condition. The battle with the "Logical Judge" and the forced seizure of the data fragment had nearly drained his spiritual power; the 【Primordial Certificate】 also appeared dim and needed time to recover. Yet faintly, he felt his perception of data streams had sharpened, as if after undergoing the system's internal baptism he now held a vague "familiarity" with the underlying code that composes this "game world."

Su Yu's condition was similar—her spiritual power heavily depleted—but the "Observer" permission seemed more stable; she could even faintly detect the weak data ripples lingering in the air from the system announcement.

Han Qing, Zhang Yang and the others, after experiencing the clash of human data against the system's logic, each felt a subtle, indescribable shift in their abilities, seemingly more attuned to their own "Primordial Blood."

Night fell, and the group, using the darkness as cover, left the ruins of Iron Anvil Fortress, heading toward the distant coordinate in Chen Mo's mind, beginning a race‑against‑time escape and expedition.

Their first objective was to reach an abandoned military supply depot dozens of kilometers away, hoping to find usable transport or higher‑grade equipment.

Along the way, they could clearly sense the world's shift. Monsters grew more frenzied and aggressive, and new types appeared—creatures whose body parts displayed glitch‑like data‑stream light effects never seen before. Occasionally the sky was streaked by abnormal, aurora‑like data ribbons, the system's pre‑scan before the update.

"The system's 'antivirus routine' is already running," Li Siwen said gravely, looking at the sky.

After a battle with the new data‑infused monsters, Chen Mo gasped, watching the monster corpses on the ground fade away, still glittering with code particles, and a bold idea rose in his mind.

He recalled how, inside the system, he had used human data to strike at logic, how to perceive and guide data streams. He tried to blend a sliver of weak spiritual power with the "Rebellion" rule of the 【Primordial Certificate】, directing it toward the still‑lingering monster data remnants on the ground.

A miracle occurred.

The once‑disordered scattering of data light, under his mental guidance, slowly and awkwardly began to reassemble, eventually coalescing into a semi‑transparent crystal that flickered faintly—【Low‑grade Data Fragment】.

【Acquired Item: Low‑grade Data Fragment】

【Description: Data residue containing weak system permissions, can be decoded or used by specific methods. (Hint: Detects that the player possesses the special permission 【Data Perception】 (in progress), can attempt direct absorption, slightly raising data affinity, with a minuscule chance of obtaining fragmented information.)】

Everyone stared in shock at the crystal in Chen Mo's hand.

"You… how did you do it?" Zhang Yang's eyes widened.

Chen Mo himself was a bit surprised; feeling the faint chill from the crystal and the flickering glow in the 【Data Perception】 skill slot, he said gravely, "I think… I can, to some extent, influence or even 'compile' these stray data. Like what we did inside the system, but weaker and harder."

This was undeniably a startling discovery! It meant they might no longer be merely the system's "players," but were beginning to possess reverse‑parsing abilities, even exploiting the "system rules."

Su Yu mused, "Your 【Primordial Certificate】 and my 'Observer' permission, combined with our experiences inside the system, may have triggered some kind of… 'Data Awakening'?"

On the road ahead, Chen Mo consciously honed this newfound ability. He tried absorbing the 【Low‑grade Data Fragment】, feeling as if swallowing icy sand; after absorption, his perception of surrounding data flow sharpened slightly. He also experimented in combat, not with swords but with condensed data streams to disrupt monster actions—though the effect was modest and the cost huge, it was indeed feasible.

This gave them an extra trump card during their peril‑filled journey.

After a day and night of sleepless trekking and several battles, they finally reached the marked abandoned military supply depot before dawn.

The depot was hidden inside a mountain; its entrance was well camouflaged, but the heavy alloy doors had been violently broken, clearly visited by survivors or monsters before.

They entered cautiously, finding the interior a wreck; most valuables had been looted. Just as the group felt disappointment, Han Qing, in a collapsed warehouse corner, discovered a military‑grade land assault vehicle hidden beneath debris, still intact! More importantly, several sealed fuel drums and a modest cache of weapons and ammunition lay nearby.

"Great! With a vehicle we can reach the coordinate faster!" Wang Hu growled excitedly.

They immediately cleared obstacles and inspected the vehicle. Fortunately, the assault car seemed only buried by the warehouse collapse, with no major damage; after filling it with fuel, it surprisingly started successfully!

The engine's low rumble echoed through the cavern, bringing a rare hope in the apocalypse.

However, just as they prepared to drive away, Chen Mo suddenly looked up toward the supply depot's entrance, his complexion shifting abruptly.

"Something's coming! Lots! Fast! And… their data responses are chaotic, not like ordinary monsters!"

Through the broken gate, the faintly lit sky outside was being engulfed by a rapidly moving, locust‑swarm‑like shadow! It was a torrent of countless Data Glitch Monsters, its target clear—this depot, or rather, Chen Mo and his group inside it!

The system's hunt had already arrived before the update!

"Get in! Quick!" Chen Mo shouted, leaping onto the driver's seat first.

Su Yu didn't hesitate, sliding into the passenger seat; Han Qing, Zhang Yang and others swiftly hauled supplies into the rear compartment.

The assault car's engine roared, smashing through remaining obstacles like a wild horse unbridled, bursting out of the depot, confronting the all‑covering torrent of data monsters, and launching another life‑or‑death sprint escape!

Behind the car, swarming destructive shadows.

Ahead of the car lay the unknown coordinate and a faint hope.

The apocalypse countdown now had less than forty‑eight hours left.