Chapter 798: Zhu Yue's Remembrance

Command Tower research room.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood before the sand table, his eyes sharp.

Zhang Cheng was reporting the latest discovery: '……The traces of the light curtain's patterns converging at Point Seven have been confirmed, but monitoring data from other areas show that the attenuation speed has not increased as expected.'

Liu Ji stroked his beard and pondered: 'This defies common sense. If the sustaining force is being drawn away, the weak points should become even more fragile.'

'Unless,' Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said, 'the force being drawn away does not come from other areas.'

Everyone looked at him.

Zhu Yuanzhang's fingers lightly tapped the edge of the sand table, a habit when he fell into deep thought.

'When I was young, I once received some……strange knowledge from an eccentric person.' He said slowly; this was his usual explanation for the source of his special knowledge, something his old comrades Xu Da, Liu Ji, and others had long grown accustomed to, never questioning further.

'One of these theories is called "redundant reserve."'

Zhang Cheng and Gong Sun Sheng showed doubtful expressions.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued: 'For example, when building a dam, the dam body itself is sturdy. But a wise person would also reserve a backup reservoir behind it. Normally unused, if the dam develops a crack, they would draw water from the reservoir to pour into the crack as a temporary patch, buying time for repairs.'

He pointed at the light curtain model: 'The wall's "sustaining force" might also have a similar "reserve". Normally inactive, it is only drawn upon when key parts are damaged. Thus, it would not weaken other areas.'

Zhang Cheng's eyes flashed with insight: 'Lord Zhu, do you mean that behind the light curtain……there is a source of "backup power"?'

'Perhaps.' Zhu Yuanzhang said, 'but this is ultimately a stopgap measure. The reserve will eventually be exhausted. Once exhausted……'

He gazed at the sand table, at the continually rising purple-black nether energy projection within Qing territory.

'The wall will still collapse.'

The research room fell into silence.

Liu Ji suddenly said: 'My lord, your mention of "redundant reserve" just now reminded me of another matter.'

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him.

'In the early battles between our Ming and the Qing, we once captured several low-ranking shamans.' Liu Ji recalled, 'During interrogation, they mentioned a term—the "Origin Sea".'

'They said, nether energy is not limitless; it all comes from the "Origin Sea". Shamans pray and make offerings solely to draw power from it. But the tides of the Origin Sea are fixed; overdrawing leads to a "depletion period".'

Gong Sun Sheng immediately followed up: 'Did they ever say where the Origin Sea is located? What form does it take?'

Liu Ji shook his head: 'The prisoners knew little, only saying it is the "eternal source controlled by the lord of the Iron Crow Army". Later we investigated extensively and guessed it might be some……other-dimensional space that gathers vast spiritual or life energy.'

Zhang Cheng quickly noted this information.

Zhu Yuanzhang's brows furrowed even deeper.

Other-dimensional space.

Eternal source.

These concepts caused certain dust‑sealed fragments of memory belonging to "Zhu Yue" in his mind to begin trembling slightly.

Not concrete images.

But rather a……resonance of thought patterns.

If we regard the "Origin Sea" as a huge "energy server".

Regard the shamans' prayers and offerings as "commands requesting resource allocation".

Regard the "depletion period" as "the server overheating, cooling down, or exhausting its resource quota"……

This analogy even stunned him.

Too……too similar.

Like the thought patterns of the information age in his memory.

"Lord Zhu?" Zhang Cheng noticed his absent‑mindedness.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved a hand, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart: 'Continue. If the Origin Sea truly exists and is the source of nether energy, then could the light curtain's sustaining force also have a similar source?'

'Or rather,' he paused, then voiced a more startling conjecture, 'could these two in fact be the very same source?'

The research room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The same source?

Is the Origin Sea that nourishes nether energy, and the source power that sustains the light curtain, the same thing?

"How……how could this be possible?" Gong Sun Sheng instinctively objected, 'Nether energy corrupts all things, while righteous energy can purify nether energy—they are clearly mutually antagonistic!'

"Water and fire also counteract each other," Zhu Yuanzhang said, "yet both originate from heaven and earth. If there were a supreme being who could command fire as well as control water?"

He gazed at the sand table, at the opposing blue‑white and purple‑black.

"What if this light curtain was originally set up by that very 'Lord of the Iron Crow Army'?"

As soon as he spoke, even Xu Da's expression changed.

"Your Majesty," Xu Da whispered, "this hypothesis is too horrifying. If the light curtain was erected by the enemy, why has it blocked the eastward advance of nether energy for a hundred years? And why would they erect such a barrier?"

Zhu Yuanzhang fell silent for a moment.

"Perhaps, it is not to protect the east."

His voice sank low.

"But rather… to imprison the east."

"To imprison us within this 'quarantine zone'."

"To lock up those 'variables' here."

"And the west is its true 'testing ground'."

"There, it can freely enact its 'script', using nether energy to reshape everything, molding the order it desires."

This conjecture is even more shocking—and darker—than the previous one.

But it perfectly explains the significance of the light curtain's existence—not for protection, but for isolation and observation.

It also explains why the Qing (the Nether Energy Empire) could rise and expand so swiftly—because that is precisely part of the 'script'.

Zhang Cheng's hand trembled slightly.

He recalled Chen Wen's private words: "We are 'mistakes', we are 'variables'."

It turned out to be the isolated and imprisoned "mistake".

"This... this is just speculation." Gongsun Sheng forced himself to stay calm, "There is no concrete evidence."

"Concrete evidence will come soon." Zhu Yuanzhang looked out the window, toward the direction of the light screen.

"If my speculation is correct, then the master of the Iron Crow Army should now have noticed the anomaly at Point Seven, noticed that we are 'probing' its net."

"It will react."

"Either, increase efforts to patch the loopholes, strengthen the prison."

"Or..."

He withdrew his gaze, looking at the people inside the research lab.

"Or, it thinks this prison can no longer hold us."

"It will choose... to 'cleanse' ahead of time."

Xu Da clenched his fist.

Liu Ji took a deep breath.

Zhang Cheng and Gongsun Sheng's faces turned pale.

"We need to immediately report this speculation to the sovereign." Zhang Cheng said.

"I'll go too." Zhu Yuanzhang said.

The group left the research lab, heading for the top level of the command tower.

Along the way, Xu Da whispered to Zhu Yuanzhang: "My lord, how confident are you in what you just said?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's steps did not stop.

"No confidence. Just, based on current clues, deduced the most reasonable possibility."

"But Xu Da, do you remember when we first raised our troops?"

"Back then, who had confidence they could succeed?"

"Nothing more than taking a step, looking three steps ahead, thinking of the worst case, making the fullest preparations."

Xu Da nodded, saying no more.

Top-level command chamber.

Chen Wen stood alone before the light-screen map.

After hearing their speculation, he remained silent for a long time.

"The same source..."

"The prison..."

"The cleansing..."

He repeated these words.

Then he turned around, looking at Zhu Yuanzhang.

In his eyes was a complex emotion, as if he were reevaluating the person before him.

"Lord Zhu, where do these ideas of yours come from?"

Zhu Yuanzhang calmly replied: "Having spent half a lifetime in warfare, I've seen too many unbelievable things. In chaotic times, one must consider matters on multiple levels; only by thinking of the most unimaginable can one often reach the truth."

This answer was vague, yet flawless.

Chen Wen did not press further.

He merely nodded.

"Your speculation resonates faintly with certain 'threads' I have sensed."

"Behind the light screen, there indeed is a unified 'will' directing things."

"But its purpose, I still cannot see the full picture."

He walked to the map, his finger tracing Point Seven.

"However, there is one point you got right."

"It has already noticed that we are probing it."

On the map, the area around Point Seven, representing the dark-purple light of the yūnéng reaction, is deepening and spreading at an unprecedented speed.

"It is gathering strength."

"It is not repairing."

"It is preparing... to tear a larger opening from this point."

Chen Wen's voice was calm, but the content of his words was shocking.

"It may not be able to wait."

"Or perhaps it judges that now is the best moment—when we have just caught a glimpse of a sliver of truth, before we have time to digest and prepare."

He looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, then at Zhang Cheng, Liu Ji, and the others.

"Pass the word down."

"All research projects are to be shifted toward defense and actual combat."

"The Tiangong Institute is to produce weapons and armor at full capacity."

"The Northward Aspiration Army and the Forbidden Army are to enter the highest state of readiness."

"We..."

He paused.

"Prepare to welcome the prison master's first formal 'cleansing'."

The order was issued.

The operational rhythm of Northgazing City sped up again, but this time it carried an obvious killing aura.

Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the Clear Heart Pavilion.

He dismissed the attendants and stood alone on the balcony.

He gazed west.

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing half the sky red.

It also dyed red that invisible wall.

"Master of the Iron Crow Army..."

"Prison..."

"Script..."

He whispered these words.

In his mind, the memory fragments belonging to Zhu Yue surged more violently.

It was not concrete knowledge.

but rather an increasingly strong intuition—

This world feels off.

Very off.

And the answer might lie behind that wall.

It is also... inside his own body.

He raised his hand and looked at his palm.

These hands have held a hoe, gripped swords, and held the Imperial Seal.

But now he feels he should grasp something more essential.

For example...

the truth.

The night deepened.

Northgazing City blazed with lights, like a stubborn torch burning in the dark wilderness.

And on the other side of the light curtain.

The sea of You energy is brewing a storm.