Chapter 277: Desperate Counterattack and the Mechanism of Misjudgment

Lín Jìn stared anxiously at Lin Yuan's quantum brain, which quivered violently under the impact of an energy column, each second seeming stretched infinitely. The light on the brain's surface flickered wildly, and the chaotic energy in the main umbilical cord raged like an uncontrolled flood. Suddenly, a deep, booming crash—like a roar from the depths of space—sent fine cracks spiderwebbing across the brain's surface. Then, accompanied by a dazzling flash, the quantum brain exploded with a thunderous blast, shattering into countless glittering fragments that drifted through the eerie space.

The main umbilical cord lost the quantum brain, its core hub, and instantly halted energy transmission. The conduits linking the Observer Larva also ruptured, emitting a sharp hiss as thick energy fluid gushed out like a breached dam, forming a cloud of eerie glowing mist in the void. The explosion thrust Lín Jìn backward; he strained to steady himself, gripping the Abyss Return Ruler, eyes vigilant for any new danger.

But before Lín Jìn could catch his breath, the surrounding space shook violently again. The Observer nursery pod seemed to detect the interruption of nutrient supply and activated a series of emergency protocols. Red warning lights flickered through the area, and sharp alarms rang repeatedly. Lín Jìn realized his actions had drawn the Observer's attention, and time grew ever tighter.

At that moment, Lín Jìn was suddenly seized by an intense hunger—not a normal bodily need, but a yearning that seemed to come from the depths of his soul. His gaze unintentionally fell on the reverse‑entropy mother's milk that Ling Yue had secreted earlier. Even amid the chaos, the milk emitted a soft, mysterious blue glow, as if an invisible force were beckoning him.

Lín Jìn hesitated briefly, but in this life‑or‑death moment he had little time to think. An instinctive urge drove him to reach out, scoop up some reverse‑entropy mother's milk, and suck it into his mouth. When the milk touched his lips, a strange, overwhelming force surged into his body. The force acted like a scorching blade, tearing through his meridians, igniting a raging fire wherever it passed.

Lín Jìn closed his eyes in pain, muscles taut, sweat pouring down like rain. He could feel a bizarre, intense transformation taking place in his body. Especially his teeth, as if a powerful force were reshaping them. A wave of excruciating pain radiated from his mouth; he clenched his jaw so hard his lips nearly split.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the throbbing pain finally subsided. Lín Jìn slowly opened his eyes and was astonished to see his teeth had transformed into dimensional cutters. Each tooth glimmered with a cold metallic sheen, the tips capable of slicing through space, exuding a fierce aura.

At this point, the outer membrane of the Observer nursery pod, after the chaos, began reconsolidating energy, attempting to repair damage and reinforce its defenses. Lín Jìn knew this was his last chance to breach the pod and thwart the Observer's plot. Without hesitation he charged at the outer membrane, opened his mouth, and unleashed his altered teeth in attack.

As Lín Jìn's teeth met the pod's outer membrane, a harsh scraping sound rang out, like metal striking glass. The dimensional cutters sliced through the membrane as easily as a hot knife through butter. Lín Jìn tore at it with all his might; the membrane gradually split open into a large gash. From the breach surged a powerful energy storm, trying to blow Lín Jìn away. He clung tenaciously to the membrane's edge, his will unyielding, and kept widening the opening.

Finally, through Lín Jìn's relentless effort, the outer membrane was torn open into a hole large enough for him to enter. Yet just as he prepared to step inside, an accident occurred. Residual milk components on the cutters were swept by the surging energy storm into the Observer system inside the pod.

The Observer system inside the pod is exceedingly complex and precise; it assesses the current state by analyzing various biological signals and material components. When the milk components entered, the system instantly fell into chaos. Because the milk contained a unique Energy Characteristic and certain gene markers linked to the Observer Larva, the system misjudged it as "Larva feeding."

This misjudgment triggered a cascade of unexpected responses from the Observer system. The defensive mechanisms that had been poised to attack Lín Jìn halted instantly, switching to a suite of programs related to Larva growth. The pod's lights shifted from red alarm to a soft blue, and the energy shields that protected the Larva began to dissipate, replaced by a flood of nutrient mist that filled the interior to meet the growth needs after "Larva feeding."

Seizing the rare chance, Lín Jìn rushed through the torn membrane without hesitation and entered the interior of the Observer nursery pod. The moment he stepped inside, the sight stunned him. The pod's interior resembled a massive, futuristic bio‑cultivation dish. At its center, a huge semi‑transparent tank held the Observer Larva suspended in a pale green liquid. The Larva was colossal, its body sheathed in metallic‑shimmering scales; its limbs curled around its torso, its head slightly lifted, and its tightly shut eyes seemed to be gathering an unknown power.

Surrounding the tank, a maze of complex instruments and pipelines crisscrossed, flashing lights of various colors and emitting a faint hum. These devices continuously monitored and adjusted the Larva's growth environment. Lín Jìn knew that once this Observer Larva matured, it would unleash catastrophic devastation. He had to find a way to destroy it before the Observer system corrected its misjudgment.

Lín Jìn approached the tank cautiously, his eyes scanning the surroundings for hidden threats. Just as he was about to reach the tank, the pod's internal broadcast system crackled. A cold, mechanical voice echoed through the space: "An abnormal organism has entered the pod; the system's misjudgment has been corrected. Activating highest‑level defense mechanisms."

As soon as the words finished, countless small apertures opened in the pod's walls, and rows of cold‑glowing energy cannons protruded. The cannons locked onto Lín Jìn's position, firing powerful energy beams like raindrops toward him. Lín Jìn dodged to the side, brandishing the Abyss Return Ruler to deflect some of the beams. The ruler flared with dazzling light, forming a temporary shield, but the impact of the beams remained overwhelming, forcing Lín Jìn to stagger backward.

During the fierce onslaught, Lín Jìn noticed a pattern and gaps in the energy cannons' fire. He focused his mind, studying their firing rhythm. In a lull, he seized the moment, dashing like lightning toward the cannons' control hub. He raised the Abyss Return Ruler high, unleashing a powerful Sword Qi that slashed the hub. With a thunderous crack, the control hub was destroyed, and several cannons instantly lost power, ceasing fire.

However, the Observer nursery pod's defenses went far beyond that. With the control hub destroyed, a massive energy shield suddenly rose around the tank, sealing the Observer Larva inside. Lín Jìn approached the shield, trying to strike it with the Abyss Return Ruler and his dimensional cutters, but the shield was unusually sturdy; each blow left only a shallow mark.

Lín Jìn knew that to destroy the Observer Larva he first had to breach this energy shield. He began scrutinizing the shield's energy structure, seeking a weakness. After some study, he discovered the shield's power came from a massive energy core at the bottom of the tank. Destroying that core would shatter the shield.

But reaching the energy core was no easy task. At this point, the remaining energy cannons in the pod readjusted their strategy, launching an even denser barrage at Lín Jìn. He struggled to dodge the hail of fire, his body riddled with wounds, blood staining his clothes.

Just as Lín Jìn was in dire straits, he recalled clues about Observer technology he had uncovered earlier in the pod. Based on those hints, he surmised he could fashion a simple energy disruptor from scattered instrument parts to temporarily scramble the shield's power supply.

Lín Jìn dodged the incoming energy beams while swiftly gathering the needed components. During the collection he narrowly avoided being hit many times, but his stubborn will and agile movements turned each close call into a narrow escape.

Finally, Lín Jìn managed to collect enough parts and quickly assembled an energy disruptor. He activated it, aiming at the shield's energy core. The disruptor emitted a powerful electromagnetic pulse that shot toward the core.

Under the EMP's interference, the energy core began to fluctuate, and the shield's power grew unstable. Lín Jìn seized the moment, again striking the shield with the Abyss Return Ruler and his dimensional cutters. This time, cracks spidered across the shield, which finally shattered with a thunderous crash.

With the shield shattered, Lín Jìn could finally confront the Observer Larva directly. He inhaled deeply, gripped the Abyss Return Ruler, and prepared a lethal strike. Yet just as he moved, the Larva seemed to sense danger, slowly opening its eyes, which glowed with an eerie red. A massive psychic force erupted from the Larva, bearing down on Lín Jìn.

Lín Jìn felt his head as if being torn apart by the psychic onslaught, a splitting headache. He clenched his teeth, resisting with sheer will. He knew he could not falter now; any retreat would render all his prior efforts futile.

In the clash against the Observer Larva's psychic power, Lín Jìn gathered his entire strength into the Abyss Return Ruler. The ruler blazed brilliantly, radiating a devastating aura capable of destroying everything. Lín Jìn let out a roar, poured all his might into a slash toward the Observer Larva…