Chapter 265: Rampage

The entire flesh-and-blood computer began to twitch and vibrate violently, the flesh membrane on its surface tearing away in large patches, revealing the tangled circuits and blood vessels underneath. The energy tentacles went completely out of control, dancing wildly in the air, with some even lashing out at the core itself.

Seeing the situation was completely out of control and beyond saving, Xiao Chengzhou flashed a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes, retreated abruptly, and pressed a hidden button on his wrist without hesitation: "Retreat! Activate Plan B!"

The remaining cyborgs moved quickly, retreating toward the passage they came from without any hesitation, leaving behind a floor full of wounded and broken parts. Xiao Chengzhou took one last look at the collapsing flesh-and-blood core, his expression complex behind his lenses.

"Professor Zhou, it seems your era is over."

Having said that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness of the passage without looking back.

Lin Yu wanted to pursue, but the flesh-and-blood computer was about to explode, the entire underground space shaking violently, stones falling from the ceiling one after another.

"Go! This place is going to collapse!" he roared, his white hair coiling and dragging Xuanyuan Qing, who was hanging on the surface of the core, down.

Xu Xiaochuan was still gripping the third node, the resonance between the receiver and the core reaching its peak. In this resonance, he suddenly "saw" the scene inside the core—countless emotional memories collected, like souls imprisoned in a digital cage, struggling painfully.

And in the very center, there was a special existence, a female silhouette bound by layers of data chains. That should be Zhou Lin, Zhou Weihong's wife or daughter, "preserved" in the core in a twisted way.

"Let go," Xu Xiaochuan whispered to the female silhouette inside the core, "it's time to end."

The female silhouette inside the core seemed to hear his voice, and the data chains began to break one by one. Zhou Weihong's digital image let out a painful howl.

"Lin! No! I did all this for you!"

The female silhouette finally broke free of all the chains, turning into a beam of pure light that pierced through the surface of the biological computer core. The light formed a smiling silhouette in the air, then dissipated completely.

The vibration of the biological computer core became even more violent, the system beginning to collapse. "Core unstable, self-destruct program activated, countdown 60 seconds."

"Xiaochuan! Get down!" Lin Yu shouted, his voice laced with rare anxiety.

Xu Xiaochuan let go of the node and slid down from the surface of the core. Lin Yu's white hair wrapped around him in time, pulling him to a safe zone. The three of them didn't hesitate, running wildly toward the passage they came from.

Behind them, the collapse of the biological computer core became increasingly severe, the energy tentacles lashing out of control at the surrounding walls and equipment, triggering chain explosions. Zhou Weihong's digital image struggled in the cockpit, his voice intermittent.

"I just... wanted her to live... why... no one understands..."

The three of them rushed into the passage, a deafening explosion coming from behind. The air wave surged out from the passage entrance, pushing them forward as they sprinted. The entire passage began to collapse, gravel and dust falling from overhead.

"Fast! Faster!" Lin Yu was at the back, using his white hair to form a barrier, blocking the gravel from behind.

Finally, they saw the faint light shining through the ventilation duct. Xuanyuan Qing climbed out of the ventilation duct first, then Xu Xiaochuan, and finally Lin Yu. The three of them had just climbed out when the entire factory building shook violently, the ground beginning to collapse.

They ran for their lives, the factory building behind them collapsing with a roar, raising a sky full of dust. It wasn't until they reached a safe distance that the three of them stopped, panting heavily.

The rain was still falling, washing away the dust and bloodstains on their clothes. In the distance, the factory building had turned into a ruin, thick smoke rising.

"Is it over?" Xuanyuan Qing asked weakly, barely able to stand.

Lin Yu shook his head, his white hair dim and lusterless from overexertion. "Xiao Chengzhou ran away, and he took his cyborgs with him. This is just the beginning."

Xu Xiaochuan's receiver finally calmed down, the blue light disappearing, leaving only faint patterns on his skin. He looked at the ruins, remembering the female silhouette imprisoned in the core.

"At least, we stopped Zhou Weihong's plan."

Lin Yu's tactical boots moved in the mud, his eyes scanning the surroundings sharply. "We have to leave here immediately. Xiao Chengzhou won't let it go; he must have a backup plan."

Xu Xiaochuan suddenly remembered something and pulled a data chip from his tattered school uniform pocket—he had snatched it from the third node while climbing the core.

"Maybe there are some clues in here."

Lin Yu took the chip and checked it carefully. "This is part of the core's memory data. If we can decode it, maybe we can find Xiao Chengzhou's next step."

Xuanyuan Qing suddenly pointed to the distant sky. "Look!"

In the sky, in the direction of Beijing, a blinding blue light shot into the sky, forming a huge, eye-shaped beam of light, illuminating half the sky.

"What is that?" Xu Xiaochuan's eyes widened.

Lin Yu's expression became exceptionally grave. "Xiao Chengzhou's Plan B has been activated."

Lin Yu's figure was so fast only a blur remained, his tactical boots rubbing against the ground with a harsh sound, his white hair standing straight up.

Void energy compressed frantically in his palm, condensing into a blinding point of light, then shot out, heading straight for Xiao Chengzhou!

Xiao Chengzhou reacted extremely quickly, dodging to the side, his metal right arm deforming instantly to block in front of him.

The point of energy exploded beside him, the shockwave making the thick pipes around them buzz, dust falling down with a rustle.

"Stop them!" Xiao Chengzhou's voice was exceptionally clear in the chaos.

Lin Yu retreated a step under the cover of the explosion, his energy expanding without reservation, forming an invisible force field.

The force field swept over, and Zhou Weihong's wildly dancing energy tentacles seemed to be interfered with by something, their movements clearly lagging, with some even turning direction and lashing out wildly at the walls beside them.

"Biological core unstable, energy fluctuations abnormal," the emotionless female system voice came from overhead.

Xuanyuan Qing crouched behind a broken pipe, half-closing her eyes, her entire spirit immersed in the stray energy flow around her.

Cold metal, manic data, and those emotional fragments forcibly stripped and twisted... she tried hard to capture a trace of a different frequency from them.

The warm aroma of caramel mixed with chestnut meat deep in her memory seemed to permeate her nasal cavity again.

The cyborgs responsible for protecting the nodes suddenly became sluggish, the electronic blue light in their eye sockets flickering, with two of them even mechanically raising their muzzles and aiming at their companions, the system commands clearly falling into chaos.

"Now!" Xuanyuan Qing opened her eyes abruptly and shouted to Xu Xiaochuan.

Xu Xiaochuan lunged out from behind a pile of metal scrap, the hem of his tattered school uniform fluttering in the airflow.

He was clutching something in his hand—the multi-functional detector he had snatched from Zhou Weihong's lab last time. This thing had absorbed a lot of messy energy and matter along the way, its surface glowing with an indescribable oily luster. ===== CHAPTER 266 =====