Chapter 238

Ice-cold water rose past her knees, yet it paled beside the bone-chilling dread of the sight before her. Ai Li… no, something that had taken over Ai Li's body, stood at the boundary of shadow and waterlight, its pale face twisted into a strange, greedy smile, hollow eyes locked unblinkingly on the fragment of "tears" clutched in Xiang Lingna's hand.

Those eyes, once sharp as an eagle's and occasionally revealing clumsy care for her, now held only manipulated emptiness and cold purpose. The doctor's claws had finally reached her, in the cruelest way possible.

"... light... give me..." the thing wearing Ai Li's form rasped, taking one step forward—stiff, yet radiating undeniable threat. The energy dagger in its hand hummed low, its glow reflecting the dual-hued water, strange and ominous.

Xiang Lingna's heart clenched as if gripped by a cold hand, pain stealing her breath. It was Sister Ai Li—and yet, it was no longer her. Anger, sorrow, and a flicker of uncontrollable fear twisted wildly within her.

"Leave her body!" Xiang Lingna's voice cracked with rage and tremor; she gripped the tiny fragment tightly, pressing it to her chest, her other hand instinctively reaching for her waist—only to find empty uniform and a still-paralyzed right leg. She had no weapon, and her strength had not returned.

"Hehe..." the thing wearing Ai Li's form let out a chilling giggle, stepping forward again, half its body submerged in the pool. Its hollow eyes shifted slightly, as if assessing Xiang Lingna's condition. "... order... retrieve the 'key'... retrieve the 'Primordial Light'... resistance... meaningless..."

Key? Did it mean her? Primordial Light? The tear fragment? Did the doctor know this thing existed? Had he even named it? Xiang Lingna's blood ran cold. Had the doctor's goal never been merely to capture her—but to find and seize this purifying power?

She could not let the doctor succeed.

Xiang Lingna gritted her teeth, mind racing. Direct confrontation was hopeless—even with Ai Li's condition, her combat instincts and physical prowess far outstripped what Xiang Lingna could muster now. She needed strategy—or... to awaken Ai Li.

She slowly retreated, trying to create distance, while continuing to channel the twin pool's energy into the fragment. The fragment's glow steadied slightly, bolstered by her resolve and the pool's power.

"Sister Ai Li! It's me! Xiang Lingna!" she cried, voice thick with tears. "Wake up! Don't let him control you!"

The thing wearing Ai Li's form paused—for the briefest instant. A flicker of struggle passed through its hollow eyes, like a pebble dropped into a deep pool, sending a ripple—then swallowed again by deeper cold. Its mouth twisted further, a trickle of saliva dripping down.

"... noise... eliminate..." it murmured, then surged forward like an arrow loosed, wading through the pool toward Xiang Lingna! The energy dagger stabbed straight for her left hand holding the fragment!

So fast!

Xiang Lingna's pupils contracted; she fell instinctively backward and sideways, barely avoiding the blade—but icy water flooded her mouth and nose!

The thing wearing Ai Li's form didn't pause after the missed strike. It reversed the dagger in a horizontal slash—deadly, relentless, aiming to kill! No mercy shown!

Xiang Lingna rolled and dodged desperately through the pool, barely evading lethal blows thanks to the water's resistance and the faint stiffness in the attacker's movements—but her arm and thigh were slashed open, blood instantly staining the surrounding water.

This won't last! She'll be killed soon!

"Sister Ai Li! Do you remember Hope Outpost? Do you remember the potatoes we planted together?!" Xiang Lingna screamed while dodging, trying to reach the buried memories. "Do you remember teaching me to use the dagger? You said you'd watch me grow up!"

The thing wearing Ai Li's form hesitated again—barely, but unmistakably. Its grip on the dagger trembled. In those hollow eyes, the struggle returned, even a flash of painful confusion.

"... shut... up..." it hissed through clenched teeth, its attack slowing involuntarily.

It worked! Though faint, Sister Ai Li's consciousness was still fighting!

Xiang Lingna saw hope. She stopped merely dodging—she began to guide. She noticed the thing wearing Ai Li's form showed subtle aversion and discomfort toward the twin pool's energy, especially the cool, purifying energy of the sky-blue water.

She deliberately drew the battle toward the sky-blue side of the pool.

As expected, when the thing wearing Ai Li's form stepped into the sky-blue waters, its movements grew slightly stiffer, its precision faltered.

At the same time, Xiang Lingna focused her spirit on the Thorn Mark on her left arm. This mark, born of Ai Li's teaching and protection, carried a deep bond with her. She strained to activate its power, channeling the faint silver glow—mixed with desperate worry, longing, and urgent calls—like invisible tendrils reaching toward the thing wearing Ai Li's form.

"Sister Ai Li! Come back!"

Perhaps it was the pool's purification, perhaps the Thorn Mark's resonance, perhaps Xiang Lingna's blood-curdling cries finally pierced through layers of control...

The thing wearing Ai Li's form let out a sudden, agonized shriek—its attack halted completely! It clutched its head, body convulsing violently, its face flickering between cold emptiness and unbearable torment!

"... get... out... from my... mind... get out!" It spoke in broken, unmistakably its own voice—filled with pain and fury!

Opportunity!

Xiang Lingna's eyes lit up—she moved to advance.

Suddenly, the thing wearing Ai Li's form snapped its head up—its eyes again filled with emptiness, but deep within, a fiercer, wilder red light burned: a command!

"... command confirmed... highest priority... eliminate all resistance... capture target..." Its voice became utterly cold, smooth—no trace of Ai Li's emotion remained.

The doctor had lost patience—or sensed the risk of losing control—and activated a deeper, forced directive!

The thing wearing Ai Li's form's speed and power surged a full tier! It was no longer affected by the pool! The energy dagger, trailing afterimages, struck with sharper, deadlier angles!

Xiang Lingna's heart plunged to the abyss—the hope she'd glimpsed was cruelly snuffed out!

Pfft!

Despite all her effort to dodge, the sharp dagger slashed deep across her left arm—bone visible! Blood gushed out! The "tears" fragment nearly flew from her grasp!

Agony slammed into her—her vision went black—and she collapsed into the pool.

The thing wearing Ai Li's form showed no mercy. It stepped forward, dagger raised high—aimed straight at her heart. Those hollow eyes held only cold execution.

Is this the end...?

Xiang Lingna stared in despair at the falling dagger.

At this critical moment—

Shh!

A searing energy beam, like a precise surgical scalpel, shot from the shadows of the cave ceiling—unilluminated by the pool's glow. It did not strike Xiang Lingna, nor the thing wearing Ai Li's form—but struck precisely the dagger as it descended!

Paa!

The energy dagger was knocked aside, its energy instantly destabilized, crackling with sparks!

The thing wearing Ai Li's form froze—then snapped its head toward the source of the attack!

Xiang Lingna stared in shock.

On an unremarkable rock protrusion above, a figure slowly rose. He wore a filthy, pale uniform utterly out of place with the surroundings, gripping a specialized pulse pistol still smoking, his face... covered by a helmet cracked with fissures.

Was that the scavenger commander with green eyes, from outside the Hall of Echoes?!

He'd followed them here?! And... he'd just attacked the thing controlling Ai Li? What side was he on?!

"Designation 734, cease attack immediately. Target 'key' holds highest research value. Damage is prohibited." The commander's voice, filtered through the helmet, remained cold and mechanical—but carried a hint of... urgency?

The thing wearing Ai Li's form—or rather, the doctor's control—recognized the identity, emitting a screech mixed with electronic interference and rage: "... traitor... eliminate..."

It momentarily abandoned its attack on Xiang Lingna, whirling toward the cave entrance, legs coiling as if to leap and strike the commander!

"Now!" the commander barked sharply toward Xiang Lingna, "Use the light! Shine it on her!"

Though utterly confused, Xiang Lingna's survival instinct overrode all else. Ignoring the agony, she forced herself to raise the twin-hued "tears" fragment in her left hand—aiming it straight at the thing wearing Ai Li's form—and poured every last scrap of her newly restored energy into it!

The fragment blazed to life! Though still faint, its pure, purifying dual-hued glow erupted like a searchlight—engulfing the thing wearing Ai Li's form!

"Aaah—!!!"

'Sister Ai Li' let out a shriek that no human could possibly produce—utterly harrowing! Her whole body convulsed violently, and countless fine, bright-red lines like burned-out circuits surfaced across her skin! The bright-red lines were densest especially around her eyes and temples, as though something inside her skull were being forcibly seared!

She clutched her head and wailed; the energy dagger slipped from her hand and dropped into the pool, and her whole body curled up, rolling about in agony!

It's working! This purifying light is effective against the Doctor's control device!

Xiang Lingna was both startled and overjoyed, and kept the beam of light shining steadily.

The commander on the cave ceiling wasn't idle either; the pulse pistol in his hand kept firing single shots, striking the water around 'Sister Ai Li' with pinpoint accuracy and sending up splash after splash—seeming both to prevent her from struggling free and to force her to stay within the beam's range.

"Hold on! Don't stop the energy output!" The commander's voice carried tense urgency.

Xiang Lingna clenched her teeth, feeling the blood streaming from the wound on her left arm, her spirit and stamina draining rapidly, and the fragment's light beginning to flicker unsteadily.

Just at the instant she was about to give way—

The bright-red lines on 'Sister Ai Li's' body reached their peak, then flashed violently once and went completely dark!

Her whole body went rigid like a puppet with its strings cut, then slumped limply and fell, sinking into the pool's water, no longer moving.

The icy killing intent and frenzied commands that had shrouded the cavern vanished in an instant.

All that remained was the slow sound of the pool water flowing and Xiang Lingna's ragged, gasping breaths.

Did we… succeed?

Xiang Lingna collapsed weakly into the pool water, the pain in her left arm almost unbearable, barely able to lift it. The fragment's light had also dimmed to its very limit.

She watched tensely as Sister Ai Li floated not far away. The Doctor's control… has it been lifted?

The commander on the cave ceiling confirmed the safety below, then nimbly climbed down, dropped into the pool water, strode quickly to Sister Ai Li's side, and crouched to examine her.

"How… how is she?" Xiang Lingna asked urgently, her voice weak.

The commander didn't answer immediately. He scanned Sister Ai Li's neck and temples with an instrument, then seemed to let out a slight breath of relief. "The control chip overloaded and burned out. Vital signs are stable; consciousness has fallen into a deep coma. She needs further treatment as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Xiang Lingna also let out a long breath; a tremendous exhaustion and dread surged over her like a tide, nearly drowning her.

But immediately after, an even greater question rose in her mind.

She looked at the commander who was putting away his instrument and asked warily, "Who… exactly are you? Why are you helping us?"

The commander's movements paused for a beat. He slowly stood up and turned toward Xiang Lingna. Then, he made a move Xiang Lingna hadn't expected—he raised a hand and removed that cracked helmet.

Beneath the helmet was a young, pale yet unmistakably handsome elven face! Long, pointed ears, emerald-green eyes—exactly the pair of eyes Xiang Lingna had glimpsed in that fleeting moment before! Only now, those eyes were filled with complex emotions—exhaustion, struggle, pain, and a trace of relief.

"…As you see, a traitor barely clinging to life." He spoke; his voice was no longer a cold electronic tone, but a slightly hoarse male voice carrying the distinctive cadence of the elven tongue. "You may call me… 'Crow.'"

"An elf? You're an elf from the Ark? You're still alive?" Xiang Lingna's eyes widened in shock.

"I used to be." A flash of deep pain crossed the elf who called himself Crow's face. "In that catastrophe, my clansmen and I… most of us died. The few who were captured… were… modified… by the Doctor." He tapped his own head. "Turned into what I am now, sweeping this tomb for him."

"Then why…"

"Why betray him?" Crow smiled bitterly. "Because I'd had enough. Because… I saw some things I shouldn't have seen, and remembered some memories I shouldn't have remembered." His gaze swept over the Twin Pools, swept over the fragment in Xiang Lingna's hand, and a deep reverence and sorrow showed in his eyes. "And also because… you found the last hope 'she' left behind. I couldn't watch it be defiled."

"She? You mean…"

"Elder Elaina. The one who finally initiated the 'Deep Root Protocol' and sent the seed into the Sanctuary." Crow's voice was full of reverence and remembrance. "She was my mentor. And it was she, at the very last moment, who at the cost of her life implanted an encrypted piece of information about the 'truth' and 'hope' into the underlying consciousness of us few core guardians… the Doctor's brainwashing couldn't completely erase it."

Truth? Hope? Xiang Lingna felt she had brushed against an even greater mystery.

"The Doctor… what exactly is he trying to do? Why does he need me and this?" Xiang Lingna raised the fragment in her hand.

Crow's expression became utterly Heavy and Solemn: "The Doctor's goal is far more insane than you imagine. He doesn't merely want to control the Ark's technology and energy. What he truly seeks is 'fusion' and 'transcendence.' He longs to analyze and master the power of the 'Hunger,' and even… to recreate and control the so-called 'Sorrow of the World Tree,' fusing it with Ark technology and the power of the many world fragments he has captured, to create an entirely new ultimate life form and energy source under his absolute dominion!"

Xiang Lingna's scalp went numb listening to this! The Doctor actually wanted to master that kind of destructive power?!

"You and this 'Primordial Light' are a crucial link in his plan. You are a rare 'vessel' and 'key' who can simultaneously bear and balance multiple extreme energies. And this purifying light, according to his research, is not only the bane of the 'Hunger'—its essence is closer to the World Tree's original source, an indispensable 'stabilizer' and 'catalyst' for completing his ultimate 'fusion.'" Crow's gaze fell on the fragment. "He must obtain it."

A vessel? A stabilizer? A chill ran through Xiang Lingna.

"We have to stop him!" Xiang Lingna said firmly.

"Yes, we must stop him." Crow nodded, but his expression grew even more grave. "But our current strength is far from enough. The Doctor has almost completely taken control of the Ark's upper structure; his army and modified units are vast in number. And moreover…" He looked at the unconscious Sister Ai Li. "We've saved her; the Doctor will soon notice the loss of control and will send stronger pursuers, or even… come in person."

He bent down and carefully lifted the unconscious Sister Ai Li from the water.

"We must leave here immediately and find a safe place to plan at length. I know a place—an emergency stronghold Elder Elaina secretly prepared back in the day; it may not have been discovered by the Doctor yet." Crow looked at Xiang Lingna. "Can you walk?"

Xiang Lingna struggled to her feet