Chapter 73: Abandoning Darkness for Light, the Firewall Takes Form

The so‑called "deserter" was placed in an isolated tent at the edge of the camp, guarded by fully armed troops. He looked in terrible condition, his once‑white Ark uniform torn to shreds, stained with grime and dried blood, his left arm twisted unnaturally, a deep burn scar down to the bone on his face, and his breathing was weak. Most striking was the metal collar around his neck that constantly flashed red light, emitting a faint but shrill "beep‑beep" sound.

Chen Mo, Su Yu and Li Siwen (carrying his detection equipment) entered the tent. Hui Jin stayed outside, and the power of Pure Fire subtly locked onto the tent as a precaution.

"Who are you?" Chen Mo asked bluntly, his voice calm yet carrying an invisible pressure.

The man strained to lift his head, revealing a young yet painfully scarred face, his eyes clouded but with a faint glimmer of clarity deep within. "I… I'm Kaiwen, designation Delta‑734… I am… I am a technician of the Ark's third Purification Squad…"

His voice was hoarse and dry, and after a few words he had to gasp violently.

"Purification Squad?" Li Siwen scanned Kaiwen and the collar on his neck with his instrument, while probing further.

"It's… the team that carries out the 'Cleanup Protocol'… eliminating low‑entropy perturbation bodies… and… heavily polluted zones…" Kaiwen's voice trembled slightly, "But we… what we eliminate… is often… just ordinary survivor settlements… like… like yours…"

He coughed violently, spitting out saliva tinged with black blood. "I… I can't take it any more… those Data Plague… those energy nets… and the Data Ruins Resonator… that's not purification… it's pushing the whole world into the abyss!"

"Data Ruins Resonator?" Chen Mo caught the key term, exchanged a glance with Su Yu, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. The Green Soil Database had mentioned that the Ark might be harnessing the power of Data Ruins!

"It's… a device… that can simulate a small‑scale Data Ruins environment… attracting… even catalyzing things like Data Ruins Mayfly…" Kaiwen's face showed terror, "The Seventh Squad… is about fifty li north in the Silent Valley… they set up one… they intend… to use it to 'clean' an area… to test its effect…"

Silent Valley! That's one of the known water‑gathering sites for several nearby small survivor groups!

"You're insane!" Li Siwen couldn't help but shout, "That will kill everyone!"

Kaiwen closed his eyes bitterly: "I tried… to report the anomaly… but they said I was… 'logic contamination'… and wanted to perform a 'memory format' on me… I stole a reconnaissance shuttle to escape… but this…" He pointed to the collar, "…has a locator and… a self‑destruct device… I can't…"

At that moment, Li Siwen's scanner emitted a sharp alarm! "Captain! The energy reaction of the thing on his neck is spiking! Unstable! It may explode!"

Kaiwen's complexion turned deathly pale in an instant, his eyes filled with despair.

"Can it be removed?" Chen Mo asked urgently.

"The structure is too complex! Forced removal would trigger an instant blast! The energy intensity could level half the camp!" Li Siwen's forehead sweated.

Time was tight! The "beep‑beep" sound grew increasingly rapid!

Chen Mo's gaze hardened, without hesitation he stepped forward, his hands hovering on either side of Kaiwen's collar! He didn't try to dissect the intricate mechanism, but instead directly employed rule‑level power!

"Definition: Target object—energy reaction, zeroed! Information transmission, terminated!"

This wasn't mediation, but a more domineering, "Forceful Definition" based on the essence of the Primordial Core! He aimed to fundamentally Negate the possibility of that explosive device detonating!

An invisible force enveloped Kaiwen and his collar. The rapid "beep‑beep" sound was choked off, halting abruptly! The red light flashing on the collar instantly extinguished, turning it into a dead, silent piece of scrap metal.

Success! Yet Chen Mo let out a muted hum, his complexion paling further. This kind of direct "Definition" against a complex construct consumed far more than previous rule‑mediations.

Kaiwen, incredulous, touched his intact neck, tears mixed with blood staining his face as he whispered, "Th‑Thank… thank you…"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Chen Mo steadied his breath, his gaze sharp, "Your intel value needs verification. Moreover, how can we trust you aren't a ploy?"

Kaiwen struggled to sit upright, his eyes firming: "I can lead you to the Silent Valley! I know their deployment maps, I know the Resonator's weak points and shutdown code! I only ask… only ask to survive, to do something right…"

Chen Mo stared at him for a moment, then said to Li Siwen, "Engineer Li, inspect the rest of his gear, confirm there are no other trackers or dangerous devices. Su Yu, sense his emotions and mental state."

Li Siwen and Su Yu moved forward immediately. After a thorough check, Li Siwen shook his head: "Aside from that failed collar, there's nothing else. His injuries are real, quite severe." Su Yu whispered softly: "Fear, regret, despair… and a faint thread of hope, not a façade."

Chen Mo nodded. Risk and opportunity coexisted. If Kaiwen's intel is genuine, it could save countless lives and give them deeper insight into the Ark's new weapon.

"Your life is temporarily spared," Chen Mo told Kaiwen, "but you must prove your worth through action. Engineer Li, tend his wounds and give him food. In an hour, we set out for the Silent Valley."

An hour later, an elite squad was assembled: Chen Mo, Su Yu, Hui Jin, and five elite troops led by Zhang Yang. Kaiwen, after a simple bandage, sat in an armored assault vehicle, serving as guide.

"Captain, are we really taking him? What if it's a trap…" Zhang Yang still looked uneasy.

"Precisely because he might be a fraud, we must keep him under close watch," Chen Mo replied calmly, "Besides, we need his intel. Su Yu and Hui Jin will keep tabs on him the whole way."

The convoy left the camp, racing northeast toward the Silent Valley. Along the way, Kaiwen intermittently supplied more details: the Seventh Purification Squad numbered about thirty, equipped with two Guardian Mech heavy exosuits and several Cleaner Drone UAVs, and that Data Ruins Resonator was installed at the valley's central water source, powered by a small fusion reactor.

"After the Resonator activates, it emits a special wave that draws and energizes residual data in the surroundings, manifesting as aggressive Degraded Mayfly…" Kaiwen's voice trembled with fear, "They're not like those from the Green Soil… more like chaotic, malicious energy entities that devour all life and order…"

The situation was worse than anticipated.

As they neared the Silent Valley, the air began to carry a familiar sense of "void," yet unlike the pure emptiness of the Green Soil, this place bore a harsher, chaotic aura. At the valley's entrance stood rudimentary fortifications and patrolling white‑clad soldiers.

"We can't advance further; we'll be spotted," Chen Mo signaled the convoy to halt, hiding behind a weathered boulder field.

He looked at Hui Jin and Su Yu: "Hui Jin, Pathfinder, please take two troops to infiltrate from the flank, locate and destroy that fusion reactor, cutting power to the Resonator. Su Yu, you, I, and Zhang Yang will draw attention from the front. Kaiwen, come with us and point out the exact locations of the Resonator and the command post."

The plan set, the operation began.

Hui Jin vanished like a phantom among the rock shadows. Chen Mo, with the others, used the terrain for cover, slowly approaching the valley entrance.

"Left slope, two snipers," Kaiwen whispered low.

"Behind the entrance cover, a heavy machine gun, and next to it the command post; the squad leader should be there."

"In the valley's center, that glowing cylinder is the Resonator!"

Chen Mo followed the guidance and indeed, at the edge of the central pool, saw a roughly three‑meter‑tall metal apparatus emitting visible twisted ripples outward. Around it, numerous faint dark‑red glows pulsed with chaotic energy—that was the Degraded Mayfly!

"Move!"

At Chen Mo's command, Zhang Yang's heavy machine gun roared first, bullets pelting the entrance cover like rain! The sudden assault threw the white‑clad soldiers into chaos.

Chen Mo and Su Yu surged from the flank like arrows released! Chen Mo held nothing back, his hands sweeping as the power of rules surged forth!

"Definition: Forward area—gravity destabilized!"

The white‑clad soldiers who charged forward suddenly felt their bodies weigh down, their movements contorted, collapsing into a heap.

"Guidance: Energy weapon trajectory—deflected!"

A blue energy beam aimed at Su Yu was bent by the invisible force, striking a nearby rock and exploding into a spray of ice shards.

Su Yu's True Knowledge Vision locked onto the command post and the snipers, guiding Zhang Yang and the troops for precise strikes.

Combat erupted instantly! Gunfire, explosions, and the hum of energy weapons rang through the valley.

Simultaneously, a muffled blast echoed from deep within the valley! Hui Jin succeeded! The fusion reactor was destroyed!

The twisted ripples from the central Data Ruins Resonator abruptly ceased, its glow dimming quickly. The surrounding formed Degraded Mayfly emitted a sharp screech, becoming highly unstable and began indiscriminately attacking everything nearby, including the white‑clad soldiers!

The scene grew even more chaotic!

"Now! Shut down the Resonator!" Chen Mo shouted at Kaiwen.

Kaiwen scrambled, rolling toward the now‑idle device, quickly entering a string of codes on its control panel. The apparatus emitted one final low wail before falling completely silent.

Having lost their energy source and commands, those Degraded Mayfly were like headless…

The remaining white-clad soldiers, having lost command and power and then being attacked from both inside and outside, were quickly wiped out.

The battle ended. The valley was in utter disorder, with several corpses of white-clad soldiers and the wreckage of the 'Degenerated Mayflies' that had perished together floating beside the pool.

Kaiwen collapsed beside the silent Resonator, gasping heavily, his face mixed with lingering fear and a hint of relief.

Chen Mo walked over to his side, looking at this device that had almost caused a great disaster, his eyes icy.

"You have proven your worth." Chen Mo said to Kaiwen, "Welcome… to temporarily join Echo."

He raised his head, gazing toward the direction where the 'Ark' forces might exist. This time, they not only resolved a crisis, but also gained a window for deeper understanding of the enemy, and furthermore, preliminarily verified the power of 'Definition' in actual combat.

The firewall has initially taken shape, but the bricks needed to build it still require more battle and blood to be tempered. The war with the 'Ark' has entered a new stage.