Chapter 246: Genesis Protocol and Heart Su Xing

The cold, ancient synthetic voice seemed carved directly into the soul, every syllable carrying undeniable authority and a crushing weight capable of annihilating everything.

【Authorization Request: Initiate 'Ark·Genesis' Protocol... Connect 'Heart'... Awaken 'Core'...】 【Warning: Protocol initiation is irreversible... Carrier faces high risk of decomposition... Confirm?】

【Yes/No】

Consciousness, battered by extreme pain and surging energy like a dying candle in a gale, left Xiang Lingna barely able to think. Decomposition risk? What did that mean? Total death? Or reconstruction of form?

She had no time to weigh pros and cons. The Doctor's gaze, mixed with greed and fanaticism, felt tangible, ready to devour her completely in the next moment to complete his mad plan.

Rather than becoming the Sacrifice and vessel for the Doctor's new godhood, she would bet everything and embrace this unknown, deepest "Final Protocol" originating from the Ark itself!

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiang Lingna, using the last shred of her remaining consciousness, sent a resolute response to that cold prompt:

【Yes!】

It was as if a button concerning the fate of the universe had been pressed.

Time... froze.

No, not truly frozen. Rather, everything in her perception was infinitely stretched and slowed.

The 'Tear' fragment energy flooding her body ceased its fury, instead becoming a gentle stream, beginning to meticulously and rapidly sort and weave the conflicting forces within her—the purifying Bai Guang, the silver thorn-light, the scar's silver-gray, and even her own faint source energy—in a way she could not comprehend.

Her body seemed to become a complex energy furnace and circuit board; every cell was torn apart, analyzed, then reorganized in a more optimized, more harmonious way. The excruciating pain remained, yet strangely accompanied by a new, indescribable sense of relief.

Her consciousness was forcibly extracted, as if rising to an extremely high dimension, overlooking... no, perceiving the entire Ark!

She "saw" the colossal main energy core, the 'Heart', spinning slowly like a stellar vortex, within which slept unimaginable surging energy.

She "saw" the control circuits, the 'Core', spreading like a neural network to every corner of the Ark; most areas were dim, covered and blocked by the Doctor's pale energy.

She "saw" the silent ancient artifacts deep within the 'Legacy Corridor', containing unknown powers.

She even vaguely "saw" the 'Mother' stirring beneath the Seventh Ecological Garden, and deeper still, a pair of star-sized, crimson eyes that seemed to sense something and slowly opened...

And the core of all this perception was herself! She had become a temporary, connecting... hub!

【Protocol Confirmed... Xu Kequan Verified (Temporary)... Begin connecting 'Heart'...】

The cold synthetic voice sounded again, pulling her back to reality.

Outside, the Doctor's rapturous expression instantly froze, replaced by a flicker of doubt. He had obviously sensed a fundamental change in the surrounding energy field, one beyond his control!

"What have you done?!" The Doctor issued a question laced with shock and rage for the first time; that black eye fluctuated violently, as if the 'Void' he connected to also felt a threat and rejection!

He waited no longer; the hand wrapped in dual-colored energy lunged at Xiang Lingna again, attempting to forcibly interrupt the process!

However, just as his hand was about to touch Xiang Lingna—

Voom—!!!!!!!!!!!

A hum indescribable in words, seemingly from primordial antiquity, low yet capable of shaking stars, erupted violently from the deepest part of the Ark—from the position of the main energy core, the 'Heart'!

The entire Ark, every corner, every inch of metal, every energy flow, trembled at this very moment!

The Doctor's movement halted abruptly; for the first time, fear almost crossed his face! "No... Impossible! The 'Heart' has long fallen silent... I spent countless efforts just to utilize its surface... Who?! Who is awakening it?!"

The answer was even more surging energy fluctuations!

Centered on Xiang Lingna, a beam of pure, dazzling Bai Guang, complex beyond measure, shot violently into the sky (though indoors), instantly bursting through the room's dome, piercing through layers of decks, as if to penetrate the Ark directly and reach the universe!

Within the beam, countless ancient elf runes and Pioneer geometric patterns flowed, intertwined, and reorganized like living things!

【Connection Successful... Begin awakening 'Core'... Expel illegal permissions...】

The cold synthetic voice sounded like a verdict.

The Doctor let out a roar of anger and unwillingness; he felt his permissions over the Ark's control system being forcibly stripped and expelled by an irresistible, higher-level will originating from the Ark itself! Those system nodes suppressed and twisted by him were going offline one by one!

The dual-colored energy of dark red and black surrounding him also became extremely unstable, clashing violently, as if losing the support of its "roots" and turning back to consume him!

"No! This is my Ark! My achievement!" The Doctor frantically tried to stabilize his own energy, resisting the omnipresent expulsion force, while attacking Xiang Lingna in the beam even more viciously! "As long as I get you! As long as I get the 'Primordial Light'!"

But his attacks on the beam were like mud sinking into the sea, stirring only tiny ripples, unable to shake it in the slightest! At this moment, Xiang Lingna seemed supported and protected by the power of the entire Ark!

In the beam, Xiang Lingna felt her consciousness slowly merging with a vast, ancient, weary yet still resilient will. Was that... the will of the Ark? Or rather, the collective of guardian programs injected into the 'Heart' and 'Core' by Elder Elana and countless Pioneers?

Countless fragmented information, memories, and knowledge flooded her mind, so vast and chaotic it almost drowned her.

She saw the glorious construction history of the Ark, the tragic aftermath of the disaster, the determination and sorrow of Elder Elana initiating the 'Deep Root Protocol', and how the Doctor took advantage of the situation, stole power, and conducted various mad experiments...

At the same time, she more clearly perceived the essence of the two forces within the Doctor: 'Hunger' originated from the 'Sorrow' of the polluted World Tree, while the 'Void' power was even more ancient, even more terrifying; it was a terrifying existence from outside the world, attempting to devour everything and return all things to absolute 'Nothingness'! The Doctor was merely playing with fire and burning himself!

【Core Su Xing 15%... Energy distribution optimized... Attempting to repair damaged areas...】

The cold synthetic voice reported progress.

The entire Ark seemed to slowly awaken from a long slumber. Lights suppressed by the Doctor brightened and stabilized patch by patch; paralyzed systems gradually recovered function; energy flow became orderly and efficient.

Even from afar came the surprised shouts of trapped personnel and the chaotic screams of the Doctor's troops!

Hope seemed to be descending.

However, Xiang Lingna felt a deep, irresistible weakness rapidly consuming her. Maintaining this connection, guiding the Ark's power, was devastating to her own reserves! Her body seemed to be turning into light particles from the inside out, dissipating within the beam!

【Warning: Carrier energy overload... Structural stability plummeting... Estimated time until complete decomposition: 3 minutes 42 seconds...】

The cost... this was the cost of initiating the protocol!

"Xiang Lingna!" Below, Ya struggled to lift his head, saw Xiang Lingna's figure in the beam gradually becoming transparent, as if about to vanish at any moment, and let out a painful cry.

Even the Doctor noticed Xiang Lingna's state; a twisted, ferocious, and mad smile reappeared on his distorted face: "Haha... Hahaha! Foolish! You think you can master the Ark's power with mere will? This is self-destruction! Once you decompose, the 'Primordial Light' and your core essence will still be mine!"

In the beam, Xiang Lingna's consciousness began to blur. The shadow of death was clearer than ever before.

Was it ending like this? Trading self-destruction for the Ark's brief awakening and the obstruction of the Doctor's plan?

Unwilling... She had not yet rescued Sister Ai Li, had not yet seen Brother Lin Mo, had not yet...

Just as her consciousness was about to be completely scattered, her body's decomposition exceeding the critical point—

An anomaly occurred again!

The white jade disk she had been clutching tightly, and the 'Tear' fragment pressed against her chest, suddenly produced a strange resonance!

The jade disk erupted with pure protective Bai Guang, not expanding outward, but converging inward, like a cocoon, forcibly stabilizing her collapsing body structure!

Meanwhile, the 'Tear' fragment emitted soft purifying and nourishing power, like the finest threads, beginning to frantically draw the overly surging Ark energy from the beam, converting it into life energy she could absorb, and injecting it back into her body!

The decomposition... has stopped!

Not only stopped, but under the combined effect of those two ancient forces from the "Legacy" and the "Origin," and under the frenzied infusion of the Ark's energy, her body began a true... destruction followed by rebirth, a remade new life!

【External stabilization module intervention detected... Energy conversion efficiency increased... Carrier structure remodeling in progress...】【Warning: Remodeling process unknown... Outcome unpredictable...】

The cold synthetic voice seemed to carry a hint of uncertainty as well.

Xiang Lingna felt as if she were soaking in a warm ocean, every cell cheering and leaping, pain replaced by ultimate comfort, weakness driven away by surging power. Her body radiated an ever more dazzling light, gradually even eclipsing the Ark's pillar of light!

The smile on the Doctor's face froze once again, turning into incredulous horror! "No! How could this be?! Those two things... they actually..."

Ya stared at the scene in shock, hope rekindling in his eyes.

The light gradually converged, slowly revealing Xiang Lingna's figure within.

She still hovered in the air, but her appearance had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Her skin was fair as if glowing faintly; the thorn mark on her left arm had transformed into more intricate and exquisite silver patterns, winding around her arm like living vines and extending to her shoulder and neck. The silver-gray scar on her right leg had become a strange dark-gold pattern like flowing lava, containing a certain balanced power.

Deep within her eyes, her left eye flickered with pure silver-white light, while her right eye had settled into a deep dark-gold hue.

And in her hand, the white jade disk and the "Tear" fragment had vanished, seemingly fully merged into her body. In their place, at her brow, a tiny, complex mark had appeared, containing both blue-white dual-colored halos and dark-gold patterns.

A powerful, harmonious, yet faintly inhuman-divine energy fluctuation emanated from her.

She slowly opened her eyes, her gaze calmly looking down at the horrified Doctor below.

【Carrier remodeling complete... New form stable... Preliminary compatibility with 'Heart' output power...】【Central awakening increased to 41%...】

Xiang Lingna slowly raised her hand, pointing at the Doctor.

Her voice was calm, yet carried the will and power of the entire Ark:

"Doctor... your permissions... have been revoked."