Chapter 282: Might Be a Boy

The online meeting with Dragon Country established a new tone of cooperation, securing for the New Era a relatively stable and substantively capable external support. Qin Feng delegated all subsequent coordination tasks to Su Wenqian and returned to deep analysis and modeling of the Kunlun Star Core's data.

"Jing Yi."

This name, like an inescapable riddle, was the most central and elusive key among all information.

The Information Processing Center under the Science Council deployed its most powerful Quantum Computing Array, working day and night to mine and correlate data surrounding this name. They pulled every known dataset—from ancient mythologies and lost civilization ruins to modern public and classified personnel records, even fringe esoteric archives—seeking any trace linked to "Jing Yi."

Yet the results were disappointing.

Among all known records of human civilization, no individual, organization, or artifact of sufficient weight or uniqueness directly corresponded to this name, deemed by a vanished advanced civilization as the "Key of Hope."

It seemed a symbol appearing out of nowhere, unrelated to any known chapter of human history.

On this day, Qin Feng personally entered the core server room of the Information Processing Center. Massive cooling systems hummed low and steady; countless indicator lights flickered like stars, signaling torrents of data being processed at high speed.

The project lead, a middle-aged doctor with thinning hair and sunken eyes yet electrified with energy, stood tense before the main console, reporting the latest—and nearly hopeless—progress to Qin Feng.

"... Sir, we've completed the seventh full-spectrum scan and deep pattern matching, covering every accessible database, even some encrypted or deleted ancient archives obtained through irregular channels," the doctor said, voice weary and resentful. "But... no definitive matches. The name 'Jing Yi'... in human history, seems to... not exist."

Qin Feng stood before the massive data-stream display, watching endless rolling information that stubbornly failed to lock onto any target, his face expressionless.

This outcome did not surprise him.

If "Jing Yi" were so easily found, the vanished civilization would not have hidden it as its final hope.

"Expand the search scope," Qin Feng's voice rang calm through the server room. "Do not limit yourselves to the name itself. Consider associated terms, phonetic approximations, symbolic signs—even reverse-engineer what concept or function it might represent."

"Yes! We'll adjust the algorithm immediately!" the doctor replied, fingers flying across the console.

Massive computational resources were reallocated; search parameters were reset; analytical models grew more complex and abstract.

Time passed in silence, broken only by the hum of machines and the faint whisper of data streaming across screens.

Suddenly!

A set of previously steady data curves on the console spiked sharply—a minuscule but intensely sharp peak. Simultaneously, a side auxiliary screen flashed a notification from the Linguistics and Symbolics Cross-Analysis Module.

【Detected low-frequency correlation signal...】【Target root: 'Jing' (jing), in certain extinct ancient language systems, exhibits high association with concepts such as 'mirror,' 'vision,' 'observation.'】【Target root: 'Yi' (yi), across multiple philosophical systems, commonly signifies 'origin,' 'unique,' 'source.'】【Combined analysis: 'Jing Yi' may not be a personal name, but a code or title, potentially implying—'The Unique Observer,' 'Mirror of Origin,' 'Origin Vision.'】

The doctor's eyes lit up like he'd seized a lifeline: "Sir! We've found something! This name may not refer to a specific person, but to some... function or symbolic identity!"

Qin Feng's gaze settled on the analysis results; his eyes flickered slightly.

The Unique Observer? Mirror of Origin?

This aligned far better with the abstract, grand nature expected of a key left by an advanced civilization for its survival.

At that moment, the sub-module responsible for genetic and life information scanning also emitted a prompt. This module had previously yielded nothing while screening for unique bloodlines or genetic markers.

But this time, the message differed.

【... Based on existing data fragments and conceptual direction (observation, origin), performing life-form tendency inference...】【Inference model feedback: Probability that target 'Jing Yi' is a male lifeform... slightly higher than female.】【Note: This inference derived from residual information traits; reliability below 30%, for reference only.】

Male lifeform?

The doctor, glancing at this low-reliability note, looked awkwardly at Qin Feng: "Sir, this... model suggests 'Jing Yi' might be a boy. But the data support is too weak—it probably means nothing..."

Yet when Qin Feng heard the word "boy," a faint, almost imperceptible ripple passed through his deep eyes.

Boy...

In his mind, fragments of information flashed instantly—

Xia Wan's mysterious bloodline, resonating faintly with his own yet bound by invisible chains... that sudden, emotionally complex "Brother"... the playful, erratic record within the Kunlun Star Core belonging to Yun Ge... and now, this name "Jing Yi," implying "observation" and "origin."

These seemingly unrelated clues, at this moment, were linked by an invisible thread—by this faint, almost laughable inference: "might be a boy."

A vague, bold, even absurd hypothesis quietly surfaced in Qin Feng's mind.

Could it be...

That "Jing Yi" was not far away—but right before him?

Or perhaps, intimately connected to the girl who called him "Brother"?

The thought flashed and vanished; he revealed nothing.

He glanced at the screen's low-reliability inference, then gave the doctor a quiet order:

"Continue analysis. Focus on all civilization relics and anomalous phenomena linked to 'observation,' 'origin,' and 'key.'"

"Yes, Sir!"

Qin Feng turned and left the Information Processing Center.

His steps remained steady, but his eyes were deeper than when he arrived.

"Might be a boy"...

This seemingly useless piece of information might be the very...

First Building Block.