Chapter 416: A Disappointing Betrayal

The Yang Zhiyuan on the screen was no longer the Keji Jutou people were familiar with. His skin was covered in purple-black energy veins, riddled with cracks like shattered porcelain, with energy seeping out from the fissures. Yet, surprisingly, his eyes still maintained a human clarity, not yet replaced by the purple-black of the Void.

"Lin... Xuan," Yang Zhiyuan's voice was intermittent, filled with pain, "there is not... much time left... I must... tell you... the truth..."

Lin Xuan took a step forward: "What truth?"

"From the beginning... I have been... playing a... dangerous... double game," Yang Zhiyuan said with difficulty, pausing from time to time due to pain, "Five years ago... my quantum experiment... accidentally discovered... the existence of the Xukong Weidu... I began researching... methods to counter it... but soon... was discovered by Yage... and controlled..."

Yang Zhiyuan stopped, seemingly resisting some invisible pressure. When he spoke again, his voice was even weaker: "In order to... preserve... my core consciousness... I secretly... developed a 'Void Feedback Suppressor'... and implanted it into my own... brain... to leave myself... a sliver of... clarity..."

Lin Xuan and Xu Feng exchanged a shocked look. If what Yang Zhiyuan said was true, then the entire incident would take a new turn.

"The 'Star Brain' project... was originally intended to... counter the Void... but was... twisted in its design by Yage... I could not... openly resist... and could only... act in secret..." Yang Zhiyuan continued, "I deliberately... dispersed the real... 'Void Core'... and stored them... in five locations in the city... corresponding to the Five Elements directions..."

Yang Zhiyuan suddenly began to cough violently, black-purple liquid spilling from his mouth. He endured the pain and continued: "Only by... gathering and purifying... all the cores... can we destroy... the energy foundation of the 'Global Synchronization Project'..."

Five coordinates appeared on the screen, corresponding to five different locations within the city. Yang Zhiyuan's consciousness seemed to be blurring, the Void energy accelerating its consumption of his will, yet he still stubbornly persisted.

"There is... one more thing... in the 'Star Brain' design... I left behind... an Emergency Shutdown Protocol... the code is... Wood-72-Fire-18-Earth-45-Metal-36-Water-94... using this... can force... a disconnection of the global 'Star Brain' network..."

Yang Zhiyuan's image began to grow even blurrier, and his voice grew weaker: "Lin Xuan... I beg you... complete my unfinished... mission... save... this world..."

Suddenly, the communication feed shook violently, and intense energy fluctuations appeared in the environment behind Yang Zhiyuan. A familiar voice came from afar: "Traitor... your end... is already sealed..."

"Yage!" Yang Zhiyuan's expression turned to terror, "He found out... quick... the core location... is at..."

The communication was suddenly cut off in a blinding purple light, and the screen returned to darkness.

The operations room fell into a brief silence, everyone digesting the astonishing information they had just received.

"I believe what he said is true," Xu Feng was the first to break the silence, "The coordinate data conforms to the basic principles of Five Elements orientation; this is not randomly generated. Moreover, the structure of the Emergency Shutdown Protocol matches the design logic of the 'Star Brain' system."

Lin Xuan made a swift decision: "Immediately organize five search teams, each led by a Five Elements Practitioner, to head to the five coordinate locations to find the 'Void Core'. At the same time, Xu Feng, you begin preparing to activate the Shutdown Protocol."

"Time is too tight," Xiao Yuan said worriedly, "According to the current growth rate of the Void energy, we have at most six hours."

"Then every second counts," Lin Xuan said firmly, "I will personally lead the team to the Wood Element coordinate. Xiao Yuan, you are responsible for coordinating the other four teams."

The teams were quickly assembled, equipped with specialized energy detectors and protective gear. Before departing, Lin Xuan once again confirmed the operational status of the Urban Great Array to ensure the Array could run stably while he was away.

The team led by Lin Xuan soon arrived at the Wood Element coordinate—an abandoned factory in the eastern suburbs of the city. The factory was shrouded in a faint layer of purple mist, clearly already affected by the Void energy.

"Proceed with caution," Lin Xuan whispered to remind his team members, "The Void energy may have already produced variants here."

The team cautiously entered the main factory building. The interior space was much larger than it appeared from the outside; the central area was a huge circular platform, surrounded by strange mechanical devices and energy conduits. At the center of the platform, a specialized container with a high level of protection was emitting a faint purple light.

"Found it!" Lin Xuan quickly stepped forward to check the container's security system. It was an extremely precise device that required a specific unlocking procedure to open.

Just as Lin Xuan prepared to start the unlocking procedure, the temperature inside the factory dropped sharply, and a suffocating pressure swept over them. The purple mist quickly condensed, forming a dozen humanoid Void shadows, surrounding Lin Xuan and his group.

"It seems Yage did indeed detect Yang Zhiyuan's betrayal," Lin Xuan quickly assessed the situation, "Everyone, prepare for battle, protect the core container at all costs!"

Meanwhile, the other four teams also arrived at their target locations, similarly encountering attacks from Void energy condensates. A battle to decide the fate of humanity broke out simultaneously at five locations.

Xu Feng remained at the headquarters, working at full capacity to crack the Emergency Shutdown Protocol provided by Yang Zhiyuan. This was an extremely complex task, requiring the bypassing of multiple security defenses set up by Star Technology while avoiding traps that Yage might have left behind.

"It will take about forty more minutes," Xu Feng said to Xiao Yuan on the other end of the communicator, "But I am not sure if Yage will notice before the protocol is fully activated."

Xiao Yuan's voice was filled with worry: "As fast as possible, I am afraid Lin Xuan and the others cannot hold on for too long. Every team has reported strong concentrations of Void energy; the situation is more dangerous than expected."

Xu Feng accelerated his work, his fingers dancing on the keyboard. The code on the screen flowed like a waterfall, and layer after layer of security protocols were cracked one by one.

"I will strive to finish within thirty minutes," Xu Feng said firmly, "Tell Lin Xuan and the others, hold on!"

The Star Technology headquarters building was completely covered by a purple-black energy field, like a giant Void lighthouse, projecting eerie signals across the globe. On the top platform, Yang Zhiyuan's body floated in the air, limbs splayed, with Void energy coursing through him like lightning.

Yage's Void form hovered beside Yang Zhiyuan, his voice like metal grinding: "What a disappointing betrayal. You could have been a pioneer of the new world, yet you chose futile resistance."

Yang Zhiyuan's consciousness was extremely weak, but he was still stubbornly resisting the erosion of the Void energy: "You... will not... succeed... humanity... will not... yield..."

"Foolish," Yage sneered, "On the scale of the universe, your civilization is but a fleeting spark. The Void is eternal. Now, it is time to end this farce."