Chapter 792: Distorted Modern Era

The west side of the light curtain.

This land, once called the Great Ming, has now completely changed its appearance.

The sky is an eternal dark red.

That is not the evening glow, but a distorted light refracted by high‑concentration dark energy in the atmosphere.

The ground is covered with deep‑purple veins.

Like the blood vessels of a giant creature, they pulse beneath the surface, delivering nutrients to the central 'heart'.

That is the dark energy reaction core.

Once the Yingtian Prefecture, it is now called the Central Capital.

The city's outline remains, but it is utterly unrecognizable.

The city walls are wrapped in proliferating black biomass, their surface etched with pulsing dark‑green lines.

The city gates have become a massive maw, opening and closing intermittently, inhaling and exhaling the modified dark‑energy cavalry.

Inside the city there are no streets, only a tangled network of conduits and nests.

The residents—if they can still be called human—live in hive‑like structures.

Most retain a basic human shape, but their skin is gray‑purple and their pupils glow dark‑green.

Their bodies more or less bear altered organs: extra arms, keratinized exoskeletons, or writhing tentacles sprouting from their backs.

They work in silence.

Maintaining the conduits.

Breeding war beasts.

Assembling weapons.

There is no conversation, no entertainment, not even any noticeable emotional fluctuation.

A dark‑energy field blankets the city, suppressing all 'unnecessary' neural activity.

Efficiency above all.

Survival means obedience.

Where the imperial palace once stood is now the core control tower.

At the tower's summit, Huang Taiji stands before the observation platform.

His appearance is now utterly different from what it was a century ago.

Dark‑energy remodeling has left a vivid mark on his body.

His left side is sheathed in dark‑gold biological carapace, the product of countless dark‑energy infusions that have mutated his flesh.

His left arm is fully transmuted; the hand has vanished, replaced by three retractable, razor‑sharp bone blades.

His left face is laced with fine dark‑energy circuitry, his eye swapped for a multifaceted compound eye whose countless facets monitor data streams from every direction.

His right side still roughly retains a human shape, but its skin is also gray‑purple and its musculature is conspicuously overdeveloped.

His right pupil is dark‑green, and when he looks at someone there is no warmth.

"Data from Point Seven."

"His voice carries a metallic‑friction echo, the result of his altered vocal cords."

"Behind him, a technical officer kneels and presents a dossier."

"Your Majesty, the rate of attenuation at that point's light curtain continues to accelerate."

"At its thinnest, it is now only thirty percent of its original thickness."

"On the east side there are faint traces of energy disturbance, suggestive of probing reconnaissance."

Huang Taiji's compound eyes flicker.

A sheen of flowing dark energy sweeps across the facets.

"Chen Chao can no longer hold back."

"They want to come from there."

"Or do they want us to go over?"

The technical officer dares not answer.

At that moment, the side door opens.

A tall figure strides in.

Amin.

His degree of alteration is deeper.

Over seventy percent of his body has been remodeled, and three pairs of mechanical‑biological hybrid appendages sprout from his back.

Each appendage ends in a weapon interface.

When he walks, the metal joints emit a regular clicking sound.

"Elder brother."

"Amin's voice is low and hoarse."

"All legions are in position."

"As soon as the light‑curtain rift reaches critical threshold, we can launch a full‑scale attack at any moment."

Huang Taiji does not turn around.

"What does Father intend?"

"When Nurhaci is mentioned, Amin's appendages twitch involuntarily."

"Father Khan remains in a deep‑link state."

"The shaman says we still need three days to fully absorb the 'nutrients' from the last battle."

"Nutrient."

"It refers to the spiritual energy released by billions of sentient beings in despair at the fall of the Great Ming."

"That is the highest-quality fuel for yin energy."

"Hong Taiji's bone-blade fingers lightly tapped the control panel."

"Metal and biological carapace collided, producing a crisp sound."

"Three days……"

"Tell the shaman, speed up the progress."

"The light barrier won't wait for us."

"Amin hesitated a moment."

"Elder brother, there's something……"

"Speak."

"In the recent three yin-energy extractions, the 'foundation pillars' of three eastern provinces have shown signs of instability."

"The shaman said, the yin-energy network load is nearing its limit."

"If we launch another large-scale offensive, we might need……"

"What is needed?"

"We need to temporarily shut down the maintenance fields of some non-military zones."

"This means the residents of those zones will lose yin-energy supply."

"Hong Taiji finally turned around."

"His compound eyes fixed on Amin."

"So?"

"Amin's appendages tensed."

"Without supply, the populace of those areas will completely mutate and lose control within three days."

"They may become uncontrollable pollution beast hordes, retaliating against neighboring provinces."

"Then we'll clear them out in advance."

"Hong Taiji's tone was devoid of ripple."

"Send all the residents of the zones about to be shut down into the recycling furnace."

"Convert them into yin-energy reserves."

"This takes time——"

"Then seize the time."

"Hong Taiji interrupted him."

"Amin, you still don't get it?"

"This is not a war between nations."

"This is a struggle for living space."

"It is a selection of purification and elimination."

"He walked to the edge of the observation deck, overlooking the twisted city."

"The old human form is already a failed template."

"Emotion, memory, individual consciousness…… these are flaws."

"The true perfect form is efficient, unified, absolutely obedient."

"Father Khan is advancing toward that form."

"We are too."

"Amin remained silent for a long time."

"A faint tremor flickered in his greenish yin pupils."

"But it was soon suppressed."

"I understand."

"I'll go arrange it right away."

"He turned and left."

"The metallic appendages left deep gouges on the floor."

"Hong Taiji continued standing before the observation deck."

"His compound eyes gazed eastward."

"Gazing at the invisible wall."

"Chen Wen……"

"He whispered that name lowly."

"You think stealing a variable can change the ending?"

"You're just accelerating this process."

"When the light barrier completely disappears……"

"I will let you see what the true 'new order' is."

"Lower level of the control tower."

"Shaman's altar."

"The old shaman knelt before the massive yin-energy core."

"His body has already merged with the core's portion."

Countless pipes extended from the core, piercing his spine, chest cavity, and skull.

He was whispering.

Using an ancient language, he communicated with a will far away.

"Master..."

"The pillar load has reached critical..."

"Continuing expansion may cause network collapse..."

From the void, a response came.

That was the will of the Iron Crow Army's master.

Cold, mechanical, indisputable.

【Calculate Risk】

【Continue Execution】

【Collapsible parts can be discarded】

【Core procedure must be completed】

The old shaman's body trembled.

"But those living beings..."

【Data Unit】

【Reconfigurable】

【Execute】

Communication cut off.

The old shaman went limp in the pipes.

In his eyes, the last trace of human light faded out.

In its place was pure gloom-green.

He slowly rose to his feet.

He began sending orders to all shamans.

"Activate regional cleansing procedure."

"Target: the three eastern provinces."

"Time: forty-eight hours."

"Product: all converted into gloom energy reserves."

The order spread throughout the network.

In those provinces about to have their sustaining fields shut down.

The populace suddenly received a unified order.

"Go to the designated recycling points to undergo purification and remolding."

They silently set down their work.

Forming neat lines, they walked toward the smelting building at the city's center.

No one questioned.

No one resisted.

The gloom energy field suppressed their thinking ability.

【158> They just walked.

They were just walking.

One after another.

They entered the entrance emitting high heat and green light.

Deep within the smelter.

Flesh and blood were decomposed.

Spirits were extracted.

Converted into the purest gloom energy liquid.

Through the pipes, it was transported to the central capital.

Transported to the core.

To reserve energy for the next war.

Eastern side of the light curtain.

Northward Aspiration City.

Scout team selection completed.

Twenty elite soldiers of the Northward Aspiration Army.

Each had fought the Qing army for over ten years.

Xu Da spent three days explaining everything about the Qing army to them.

Tactical habits.

Weak point assessment.

Identification and avoidance of gloom energy weapons.

"Remember."

Xu Da finally said.

"You are not going to fight."

"You are going to observe, record, and then return alive."

Every piece of data could save more people.

The team members silently nodded.

Yue Fei could already get out of bed and walk.

He personally inspected everyone's equipment.

The energy armor is fully charged.

The communicator test is normal.

The concealment runes have been activated.

He looked toward the team leader.

A veteran with a scar on his face.

Zhao Si.

Present.

If we encounter an enemy we cannot resist.

Priority: destroy all data and equipment.

Then, dispose of the corpses as much as possible.

We cannot let the Qing obtain our technology samples.

Zhao Si grinned.

General, rest assured.

We've fought the Tatars for decades; we know the rules.

The departure time is set for dawn tomorrow.

The lowest point of the light curtain's periodic fluctuation.

Chen Wen arrived at the preparation room.

He handed Zhao Si a small piece of strange metal.

Wear it on your body.

If you encounter an incomprehensible distortion of the rules, crush it.

It will give you an area of 'normal rules' for three breaths.

Enough for you to withdraw a distance.

Zhao Si solemnly accepted it.

Thank you, my lord.

Chen Wen watched these warriors.

They are all veterans that Yue Fei brought out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Each has endured the most brutal combat.

Now, we must have them cross the light curtain again.

Enter that thoroughly distorted land.

Return safely.

He only said these four words.

Night deepened.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood on the terrace of the Clarifying Heart Pavilion.

He looked toward the west.

Although he couldn't see the light curtain, he could feel it.

The sky over there was even more oppressive.

Liu Ji walked up behind him.

Your Majesty, what are you looking at?

Looking at the enemy.

Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Also looking at ourselves.

The Chen dynasty's system is efficient but cold.

The Qing's system is twisted and cruel.

Our Ming... once tried to take another path.

He turned around.

Bo Wen, you say, if we had not lost back then...

Could we have found a third way?

Liu Ji remained silent for a long time.

I, your subject, do not know.

But I know there is still an opportunity now.

Here.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

Yes.

The spark still remains.

Then let it ignite.

Let it burn brighter.

The night wind blew over Northgazing City.

It brought a faint, distant wail from afar.

That was the light curtain moaning.

Or was it the lament of another world?

No one knows.

But everyone knows.

Change is coming.