Chapter 278: Ethical Torrent

Lín Jìn strained with all his might, raising the Abyss Return Ruler to slash at the Observer Larva. Just as the ruler's blade was about to touch the larva, a strange violet‑black light flickered inside the nursery cabin. Immediately, an invisible yet intensely oppressive force surged toward Lín Jìn like a raging tide, violently knocking him back several zhang.

"What is this…?" Lín Jìn steadied himself, brows knit, watching the surroundings warily. He saw the Observer Larva surrounded by concentric violet‑black halos, within which countless twisted human faces seemed to struggle and scream in agony—the scene was grotesquely eerie.

Just as Lín Jìn was puzzled, a sharp, screeching alarm blared in the nursery cabin. Then a cold, mechanical voice echoed through the space: "External threat detected, initiating Ethical Virus protocol, target: eliminate all threats."

The words hung in the air, and the entire nursery cabin seemed to warp instantly. Lín Jìn felt the world spin wildly; when his vision cleared, he found himself in a familiar yet terrifying setting.

It was a barren wasteland, the sky shrouded in gloom, blood‑red lightning raging through the clouds. Not far away, Ling Yue and Lin Li stood atop a ruin, while Ao Li's figure appeared among them in a phantom, translucent form.

Lín Jìn was startled; before he could react, he saw that Ling Yue suddenly wielded a glowing blade, her eyes filled with pain and struggle. Suddenly, as if controlled by an unseen force, Ling Yue thrust the blade fiercely toward Ao Li's illusory body.

"Ling Yue, what are you doing!" Lín Jìn shouted, trying to rush forward to stop her, but found his body frozen in place, unable to move a inch.

Just as the blade was about to pierce Ao Li's body, the scene froze. Lín Jìn watched helplessly, his heart burning with anger and helplessness. Then the cold mechanical voice sounded again: "These are the fears and guilt deep within you; under the judgment of ethics, you will repeatedly endure this painful moment."

Only then did Lín Jìn realize that this was a scenario generated by the Ethical Virus released by the nursery cabin, intended to repeatedly replay their most harrowing parricide scenes from deep within, destroying them mentally.

In another corner, Ling Yue fell into the same predicament. She saw Lin Li collapsed at her feet, drenched in blood, while she clutched a blood‑stained sword. The surrounding scene, once their cozy shared nest, now lay in ruins.

"No… this isn't real…" Ling Yue shook her head in agony, tears streaming down. Yet no matter how she resisted, the scene replayed endlessly, and she watched herself thrust the sword at Lin Li again and again.

Meanwhile, Lin Li stood in a strange blank void, with no scene changes around her, staring blankly in all directions. It turned out that, having previously self‑Crystallized to protect everyone, Lin Li had consumed massive memory data; now her memories were nearly blank, making her the only one immune to the Ethical Virus.

Lin Li watched her companions trapped in various horrific scenes, her heart filled with anxiety. She tried to find a way to rescue them, beginning to grope around the blank space.

During her searching, Lin Li inadvertently touched a data stream hidden deep within the void. The stream contained vast information, and as her consciousness met it, fragments of sealed memories surged into her mind.

Lin Li was surprised to find that these memory fragments were linked to Ling Yue and herself. It turned out that during Lin Li's infancy, the Observer, to carry out a certain plan, had controlled Ling Yue and forced her to erase Lin Li's infant memories. Those memories were precisely the key the Ethical Virus used to attack Ling Yue.

"Ling Yue…" Lin Li felt a sting in her heart, strengthening her resolve to save her companions.

Lin Li focused her mind, using her unique perception of data to begin decoding the stream. She discovered that the stream concealed a crucial password to disable the Ethical Virus, but obtaining it required solving a series of complex data puzzles.

At this moment, Lín Jìn and Ling Yue, trapped in parricide scenes, were on the brink of mental collapse. Watching the endless tragic repetitions, Lín Jìn's fury gradually transformed into a powerful force, sustaining his resistance against the Ethical Virus's erosion.

"I won't be beaten down by you!" Lín Jìn roared, his eyes flashing with resolve as he tried to break through his bodily restraints.

Meanwhile, Ling Yue, after countless painful cycles, gradually awoke from despair. She knew she could not simply sink, and must find a way out to protect Lin Li and Lín Jìn.

While Lín Jìn and Ling Yue struggled, Lin Li finally solved the first puzzle in the data stream. A faint blue glow emanated from her hand, faintly revealing some strange symbols.

Using those symbols, Lin Li delved deeper into the stream. As she progressed, more password fragments emerged. Yet time was short, and Lín Jìn and Ling Yue's mental defenses were about to collapse completely under the Ethical Virus's torment.

Lin Li accelerated her decryption, her forehead dotted with fine beads of sweat, her hands trembling slightly from tension. Finally, at the last moment, Lin Li succeeded in obtaining the full password to disable the Ethical Virus.

Without hesitation, Lin Li entered the password into the data stream; in an instant, the entire nursery cabin blazed with light. The terrifying scenes that had enveloped Lín Jìn and Ling Yue vanished instantly, and the Ethical Virus's power began to crumble rapidly.

Lín Jìn and Ling Yue finally broke free from the Ethical Virus's control, looking at each other wearily, their eyes filled with relief after surviving the ordeal.

"Lin Li, thanks to you…" Ling Yue said weakly.

Lin Li gave a faint smile, a hint of complexity in her eyes. She stepped before Ling Yue and whispered, "Ling Yue, I now know what happened to my infant memories…"

Hearing this, Ling Yue's complexion turned pale instantly. She lowered her head, unable to meet Lin Li's gaze, "Lin Li, I… I was also forced at the time…"

Lin Li gently embraced Ling Yue, "I understand, Ling Yue. It's not your fault; it's the Observer's plot. What we must do now is break this conspiracy together, and stop them from controlling our fate."

Lín Jìn stepped forward, patting both shoulders, "Exactly, we press on and must never let the Observer's plan succeed."

However, before they could catch their breath, the Observer Larva seemed to sense the Ethical Virus's failure and let out an angry roar. The violet‑black halo around it thickened, and its body began to swell rapidly, exuding an even stronger sense of pressure.

"Looks like it's going all out, everyone be careful!" Lín Jìn gripped the Abyss Return Ruler tightly, watching the Observer Larva warily.

The Observer Larva suddenly swung its massive arm, firing a thick violet‑black energy beam at Lín Jìn and the others. Lín Jìn reacted swiftly, planting the Abyss Return Ruler into the ground to create a solid energy shield. The beam struck the shield, erupting in a burst of intense light that made the entire nursery cabin tremble.

"This power is too great; we can't brute‑force it!" Ling Yue said, quickly drawing the Mechanical Zigong, attempting to locate the Observer Larva's weak point.

Lin Li concentrated, using her command over data to analyze the Observer Larva's energy fluctuations. "Its energy core appears to be at the chest, but it's shielded by a powerful energy barrier," Lin Li said.

Lín Jìn nodded, "We must find a way to breach that shield to deliver a killing blow."

At that moment, the nursery cabin's energy surged wildly as the Observer Larva launched another attack. This time, it spewed countless violet‑black energy projectiles from its mouth, raining down on Lín Jìn and the others.

Lín Jìn, Ling Yue, and Lin Li scattered quickly, dodging the energy projectiles. Lín Jìn evaded while seeking a chance to close in on the Observer Larva. Spotting an opening, he flashed forward, charging at the larva.

However, the Observer Larva seemed to sense Lín Jìn's intent, swinging its other arm and unleashing a powerful energy wave that hurled Lín Jìn outward. He landed hard on the ground, spouting a mouthful of fresh blood.

Seeing this, Ling Yue immediately controlled the Mechanical Zigong, firing a powerful energy beam to draw the Observer Larva's attention. While the larva shifted its attack toward Ling Yue, Lin Li swiftly approached, attempting to disrupt its energy shield with her data abilities.

Lin Li extended both hands, releasing blue data streams that interwove with the larva's energy shield. Under the data interference, the shield began to ripple.

Seizing the moment, Lín Jìn rose, gripping the Abyss Return Ruler again. He concentrated his entire strength, channeling it into the ruler. The Abyss Return Ruler blazed brilliantly, exuding a cataclysmic aura.

"Now!" Lín Jìn roared, charging at the Observer Larva. He aimed at the chest energy core, raised the Abyss Return Ruler high, and struck down with all his might.

The Abyss Return Ruler, wielded with immense force, pierced the energy shield and struck the Observer Larva's chest. The larva let out a mournful wail as its body convulsed violently, and the violet‑black halo gradually faded.

Yet, just as Lín Jìn believed he had defeated the Observer Larva, it suddenly unleashed a massive self‑destruct energy. The energy spread at astonishing speed, threatening to destroy the entire nursery cabin.

"Not good, run!" Lín Jìn shouted loudly.

Lín Jìn, Ling Yue, and Lin Li sprinted toward the cabin's exit. Yet the self‑destruct energy spread too quickly for them to escape. Just as the energy was about to engulf them, Lin Li suddenly halted.

Lin Li concentrated all her data power, forming a temporary data shield around the three. The self‑destruct energy slammed into the shield, erupting in a dazzling flash. Under the massive impact, the shield twisted and warped, but Lin Li gritted her teeth, sustaining its stability with all her might.

"Lin Li, hold on!" Lín Jìn and Ling Yue, inside the shield, anxiously watched Lin Li.

Lin Li's complexion turned as pale as paper, sweat soaking her clothes. Yet she still steadfastly maintained the shield, "I… I can do it…"

Through Lin Li's perseverance, the self‑destruct energy finally waned. The nursery cabin lay in ruins, the Observer Larva vanished, leaving only rubble.

Lín Jìn, Ling Yue, and Lin Li looked at each other wearily, knowing that although they had temporarily defeated the Observer Larva, the road ahead remained fraught with unknown dangers.

"We can't let our guard down; the Observer surely has other schemes," Lín Jìn said.

Ling Yue and Lin Li nodded; they knew the battle with the Observer was far from over. The three readied their gear and proceeded deeper into the nursery cabin, preparing for new challenges…