Chapter 308: Self-Destruct Protocol Initiated

Researcher 9527 stood in the Shiyanshi's monitoring room, watching the chaotic scene before him, a crazy smile slowly curling at the corner of his mouth. His gaze revealed a resolute and pathological pleasure, as if the disaster unfolding was exactly the vision he had longed for. In this chaotic situation, he did not hesitate to press the button that initiates the Self-Destruct Protocol of the Shiyanshi.

In an instant, the entire Shiyanshi erupted with blaring sirens, the sharp sound echoing in every corner like the death knell of the grim reaper. Along with the sirens, glaring red warning lights flickered on the walls, bathing the whole space as if it were a furnace of hell. And the chilling black blood contamination, as if receiving a command, began spreading at a staggering speed to multiple sand tables. Wherever it reached, the world within the sand table seemed devoured by darkness, the once vibrant scene instantly turning dead and silent.

Lín Jìn stood at the heart of the storm, feeling an unprecedented crisis. The black blood contamination surged like a raging tide, the Insect Race's frenzied assault showed no sign of abating, and the cascade of chain reactions triggered by the activation of the Self-Destruct Protocol further left him barely able to breathe. Yet he knew he could not retreat, because the lives of everyone were bound to his own.

"We can't let everyone die here!" Lín Jìn gritted his teeth, his mind racing for a countermeasure. Yet the situation had deteriorated to the extreme, and ordinary methods could clearly no longer turn the tide. At this hair‑trigger moment, he was forced to make a decision so arduous it was almost despairing—devour the First Generation Primordial Chaos Body to complete the Ultimate Vessel transformation. He fully understood what that meant; devouring the First Generation Primordial Chaos Body would entail immense pain and its success was fraught with uncertainty, but it was the only solution he could think of.

Lín Jìn inhaled deeply, gathered all his spirit, and slowly extended his hands toward the remnants of the Primordial Chaos Body. The moment his hand touched the Primordial Chaos Body, a massive, raging force surged into his body like a torrent trying to breach his defenses. Lín Jìn felt his meridians as if scorched by fire, every inch of skin burning with searing pain, yet he clenched his teeth and did not utter a single cry.

At the same time, Ling Yue, upon perceiving the extreme danger of the situation, felt pain and struggle in her heart as well. She knew that without decisive action, everyone would be doomed. After a brief and painful deliberation, she made a decision that would cost her own body—freeze the Time Line.

Ling Yue closed her eyes, a layer of crystal‑clear light emanating from her, this light containing all her power and resolve. As the light grew stronger, time around her seemed to slow; the Insect Race's attack motions, the spread of the black blood, the explosions triggered by the Self‑Destruct Protocol—all appeared as if a slow‑motion button had been pressed. Yet Ling Yue knew that this Time Line‑freezing ability consumed enormous energy and could be sustained only for a very limited span; once the time ran out, all the crises would surge back with even greater ferocity.

"Lín Jìn, you must succeed…" Ling Yue silently prayed in her heart, her consciousness gradually fading, her body beginning to turn transparent—manifestation of the price she paid with her own body.

During the brief moment of the Time Line's freeze, Lín Jìn was locked in a life‑or‑death battle with the power of the Primordial Chaos Body. His body, battered by the overwhelming force, was riddled with wounds, his clothes stained red with blood, yet his gaze remained steadfast. He continuously guided the power within, attempting to fuse the Primordial Chaos Body's power with his own to complete the Ultimate Vessel transformation.

However, the process was fraught with hardships. The power of the Primordial Chaos Body repelled Lín Jìn's body intensely, constantly trying to break through his control. Lín Jìn felt as if he were steering a raging beast; a single misstep would have him devoured by it.

"I cannot fail; for everyone, I must succeed!" Lín Jìn roared in his mind, and with stubborn will he gradually suppressed the Primordial Chaos Body's power, striving to complete the transformation.

Time drifted slowly, the light of Ling Yue's Time Line freeze began to dim, her body growing ever more transparent, about to vanish. Meanwhile, Lín Jìn's Ultimate Vessel transformation reached its critical moment; could he finish the transformation before the Time Line returned to normal and save everyone from the inferno? Everything seemed to teeter on the brink of disaster, everyone's fate hanging at this hair‑trigger moment…