Chapter 70: The Frozen Key, Whispers of the Ruins

Inside the core control room, time seemed completely frozen by that ethereal blue ice. The air was filled with a bone‑chilling cold, not a physical low temperature but a sense of "stasis" deep within the rule layer, even thoughts seemed about to solidify. The floating "Data Ruins Mayfly" was encased in transparent amber, still maintaining its swimming posture, its pure white halo appearing especially eerie against the blue ice.

Everyone's gaze focused on the scarlet text on the console screen and the old researcher frozen at the moment of decision.

"Final Purification Protocol… Absolute Zero Sealing…" Su Yu's voice trembled slightly; her True Knowledge Vision could clearly "see" the "Termination" and "Stasis" rules embedded in the blue ice, whose level even surpassed Bingfeng Valley's energy network. "He sealed this place temporarily at the cost of himself and the entire core area."

"Data Ruins Mayfly Mother…" Hui Jin's Pure Fire flickered under the extreme cold rule suppression, "Even the offspring are this hard to handle; if the mother were unsealed…" He did not continue, but the heavy atmosphere said it all.

Chen Mo's gaze fixed stubbornly on the few words after "Unseal Conditions"—the Primordial Core Key.

He instinctively placed his hand on his chest. The Primordial Core had already merged with him; he was the walking "Primordial Origin" carrier. Was this a coincidence, or a fate beyond sight? The Qingrang Ecological Station's distress signal ultimately pointed to him?

"Cannot unseal!" a Pure Fire Cultist shouted urgently, "It's too dangerous! We should leave immediately and seal this place permanently!"

"Leave?" Chen Mo shook his head slowly, his gaze sweeping over the ice‑encased ecological sample chambers that once represented humanity's flame of civilization. "If we leave, the secrets here will be buried forever. The Data Ruins Mayfly threat remains, the shadow of the Ark still approaches. We need knowledge, we need power, we need to understand the nature of the Data Ruins."

He looked at the frozen elder on the console: "He triggered the final protocol not to perish together, but to… preserve the flame, waiting for someone who can truly solve the problem to arrive."

Su Yu stepped to the console, carefully observing the screen and the elder who had pressed the button: "The logs mention that the Definition Firewall failed. They must have conducted in‑depth research on the Data Ruins and this Mayfly; this data may be stored in the console or in some storage device not completely destroyed. We need that information."

Li Siwen's remotely supplied universal Decoder remained inserted in the slot, its indicator light flickering weakly, seemingly still attempting to crack the deep permissions of this ice‑sealed system.

"But, the 'Primordial Core Key'…" Hui Jin's brows knit, "If any error occurs during the unsealing process, we could become the sinners who unleash disaster."

Chen Mo paused in silence, walked to the console, and slowly placed his palm on the cold control panel. He did not immediately try to input energy or permissions; instead, he closed his eyes, sank his consciousness into the rule layer, and cautiously touched the all‑encompassing blue ice.

Cold! Deathly silence! Absolute "Nothing"!

His consciousness seemed to slam into a wall built from "Negation of Existence" itself, instantly delivering a needle‑sharp agony. This "Absolute Zero Sealing" is not merely a physical freeze but a rule‑level "Definition"—in this area, all things fall silent, time stalls, information is locked.

Forceful breakthrough would only trigger a violent backlash of the rules, possibly causing the entire sealed space to collapse.

He needs to find a "backdoor" to this "Definition", or rather, a key that "Resonates" with it.

Primordial Core Key… The essence of the Primordial Core is "Definition" and "Creation", the cornerstone of order. This absolute zero sealing is the extreme "order" turned opposite, the order of "Termination". Though they appear opposed, they are two sides of the same rule.

Chen Mo ceased trying to fight that cold "Termination" rule and instead attempted to guide the Primordial Core's power within his body, simulating a similar yet more "gentle" "order" fluctuation, like a water droplet slowly merging into the frozen sea of rules.

It was an extremely delicate and dangerous process, like walking a tightrope over a ten‑thousand‑foot abyss. His spiritual power was consumed at an unprecedented rate, his complexion turning pale quickly, his body trembling slightly.

Su Yu watched him tensely, fists clenched, ready to intervene at any moment. Hui Jin also dispersed the cultists, the Pure Fire circulating around him, on guard for any possible mishap.

Time passed second by second, and inside the control room only Chen Mo's heavy breathing and the occasional faint "crack" of the ice crystals could be heard.

Suddenly, the panel beneath Chen Mo's palm on the console faintly lit a barely perceptible pale gold pattern! The pattern intertwined with the ethereal blue ice, as if ice and fire performed a brief duet.

On the screen, beneath the scarlet text, a new prompt appeared:

【Detection of Primordial Core Permission Fluctuation... Verifying...】

【Permission level meets minimum standards...】

【Warning: Unseal procedure will awaken the Data Ruins Mayfly Mother (dormant state), confirm whether to continue? 【Y/N】】

It succeeded! But it also brought the final choice.

Continue, and it may release uncontrollable horror.

Abandon, and we may miss the crucial knowledge and truth.

Chen Mo hesitated not at all. He took a deep breath and chose with his mind—

【Y】.

Buzz—!

The entire core control room shook violently! The all‑covering ethereal blue ice emitted a continuous shattering sound, like a spring river thawing! The bone‑chilling cold receded like a tide, and the frozen time began to flow again!

The ice crystals on the floating Data Ruins Mayfly offspring peeled off; they flickered aimlessly a few times, then, as if sensing something, like being summoned, they surged wildly toward a dark door behind the console that had been ice‑covered and was now slowly opening.

"Stand ready!" Hui Jin barked low, the Pure Fire aura flared, shielding everyone in the center.

Chen Mo withdrew his palm, staggered a step, and was supported by Su Yu. He was heavily drained, but his gaze remained sharp on the opened dark door.

Beyond the dark door was not another room, but a… vertical deep well! Its walls were mirror‑smooth, made of a black material neither metal nor jade, bottomless, filled only with endless darkness and a faint humming that seemed to come from the Nine Abyss below, chilling the soul.

And the countless Data Ruins Mayfly offspring, like moths flying into flame, plunged headlong into that darkness, vanishing without a trace.

At the same time, the console's main screen lit up, massive data streams cascading like waterfalls. A calm, slightly mechanical female voice sounded (not the earlier distress voice):

【Final Purification Protocol terminated. Qingrang VII Ecological Maintenance Station core database permissions opened.】

【Welcome, Primordial Core Key holder.】

【According to the highest permission directive, after protocol termination, the following encrypted data packets will be transmitted to you:】

【1. 'Data Ruins Mayfly' ecological and behavioral analysis report (Top Secret)】

【2. Data Ruins boundary detection records (Fragments)】

【3. 'Ark' and Data Ruins correlation speculation (High‑risk hypothesis)】

【4. 'Definition Firewall' infrastructure diagram (Incomplete)】

【Data transmission in progress...】

A massive influx of information surged into Chen Mo's consciousness; fortunately, the Primordial Core acted as a buffer, preventing him from being overwhelmed. He skimmed through these astonishing contents quickly:

· Data Ruins Mayfly: an "information cleaner" naturally born within the Data Ruins, lacking autonomous consciousness, instinctively inclined to assimilate ordered information into chaotic "information dust"; its mother is a partial embodiment of the Ruins' rules, extremely hard to destroy.

· Data Ruins boundary: not a fixed location, but an ever‑expanding "information graveyard" at dimensional folds, devouring all matter, energy, and rules that fall into it.

· Ark and the Ruins: indirect evidence suggests the "Ark" faction actively guides or even exploits the Data Ruins' power; its "Purification" doctrine bears a dangerous similarity to the Ruins' "assimilation" nature.

· Definition Firewall: a technology left by the Luo Ya civilization, intended to create an absolute defense based on "Existence Definition", resisting rule‑level erosion, but ultimately it failed to fully succeed.

These fragments piece together a chilling truth—the Ark's purpose may not be merely to "clean" the wasteland; they might be playing with fire, attempting to control the Data Ruins power that even they cannot fully comprehend!

At that moment, the humming from the deep well suddenly amplified! A massive, chaotic will full of endless "void" and "longing" rose, like an ancient feral beast awakening, slowly surfacing!

The Data Ruins Mayfly Mother has awakened!

"Data transmission complete. Warning: Mother awakened, threat level: Destruction. Immediate evacuation recommended," the console's female voice remained calm.

"Go!" Chen Mo decided instantly, forcibly suppressing the information storm in his mind and his body's weakness.

The others did not hesitate, turning and sprinting toward the familiar passage!

However, when they burst out of the core control room back into the previously chaotic passage, they found the gate had somehow re‑closed and was blocked by a thick, impenetrable, writhing darkness! That darkness was not material but a living "information barrier" formed by countless Data Ruins Mayfly.

They were subjected to the mother body Awakening, blocking everyone's retreat!

There were blockades ahead, and an awakened mother body behind.

Chen Mo watched the writhing dark barrier, and also felt the increasingly close terrifying aura from the deep well behind him; a hint of resolve flashed in his eyes.

He looked toward Hui Jin and Su Yu, and said in a low voice:

"It seems, just obtaining the key isn't enough."

"We have to personally meet this guest who came from the Return to the Ruins."

In the desperate situation, they who had just obtained precious knowledge had to face the most primal terror from the depths of the data abyss. The true test has only just begun.