novelsite Chapter 47 Hibernation
Chapter 47 Hibernation
The world behind the bronze door was quite different from any of the possibilities Qin Yuan had imagined.
There were no glittering palaces, no mountains of treasures, and no menacing demons.
Before them lay an extremely empty cave, the air dry and cold, carrying a strong metallic smell, and a low hum similar to that of a large server room in operation, only this sound was deeper and more resonant, as if it came from the deepest part of the cave beneath their feet.
He was standing on a dark alloy floor covered with intricate patterns that were dizzying to look at. These patterns were not decorative; a faint, milky-white light flowed slowly within them, like blood flowing in a vein.
The light mainly came from the ceiling and the surrounding walls, which were not made of the rock outside the door, but rather of a semi-transparent crystal. The faint halo of light emanated from the depths of these crystals, illuminating the vast space.
But at the very center of this space lies the truly awe-inspiring place.
It's hard to describe this thing; it resembles a giant tree formed from intertwined metals, crystals, and some kind of dark red fleshy tissue. The trunk rises in a jagged, sprawling manner from the bottom of the cave, and its diameter is probably over ten meters.
Extending upwards, reaching the cave ceiling and merging with it. Countless branches of varying thickness spread in all directions; some were tubular structures shimmering with metallic luster, others were translucent crystalline conduits, and still others were slightly pulsating, dark red fleshy tentacles.
Some of them are connected to the surrounding crystal walls, while others hang down and sink into the ground. Some tentacles are connected to strangely shaped structures that resemble control panels.
The most striking feature is the middle section of the tree, where the biological tissues and metal are most densely integrated, vaguely forming a sphere that slowly expands and contracts like a heart.
The surface of the heart was covered with energy lines as thick as blood vessels, and through the translucent shell, one could see the swirling light and shadow inside. A deep, rhythmic beating sound emanated from it, each beat causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly.
Those who haven't seen it with their own eyes probably wouldn't imagine that this isn't an ancient emperor's tomb at all, but a bio-computer that combines biological and mechanical features.
Qin Yuan stood there, feeling as if he had accidentally entered the body of some giant alien creature. The system detected an alarmingly high energy level permeating the surroundings, frantically displaying various warnings and identification messages at the edge of his field of vision.
[Target confirmed: The "Planetary Environment Modification and Life Optimization System"—Ultimate—of Interstellar Tomato Corporation. Severe damage and missing modules detected; system logic is disordered; energy leakage; currently operating inefficiently and chaotically.]
[Judgment: Out of control.]
"This is the 'ultimate'?" Qin Yuan muttered to himself, "A broken... alien machine?"
To be precise, what the host is facing is the ultimate core of "biological regulation and computation," which in its complete form should include three core modules. In addition to the mainframe in front of him, the bronze tree in the Qinling Mountains is the core of "backup energy and conversion," and the core of "life blueprint database" is still missing.
Currently, only the mainframe remains, operating autonomously with its remaining energy and chaotic logic, attempting to complete its pre-set "environmental modification and life optimization" instructions, but it has gone out of control due to a missing database.
The system's explanation, combined with the scene before him, made Qin Yuan instantly understand. The so-called immortal and bizarre creatures were probably all the result of this out-of-control biological computer haphazardly modifying this land according to a fragmented "life blueprint."
"How do I turn it off?" Qin Yuan hadn't forgotten that his main task was to shut down this computer.
[Sorry, host. Due to a missing module, the host core logic is locked. Based on the current situation, shutting down the program requires the coordinated operation of three main modules. Currently, the database is missing, and the shutdown command cannot be executed.]
Qin Yuan frowned: "Database? Where is it?"
Based on the remaining logs and energy flow of the mainframe, the core of this module should be a crystal storing life templates and a transformation matrix. Approximately 3,200 Earth years ago, during a brief period of chaos caused by an energy overload of the mainframe, this core was taken away by a local indigenous leader who mistakenly entered this area. The visitor's name was "Queen Mother of the West."
The Queen Mother of the West! Tamutuo! The Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West!
Qin Yuan's thoughts instantly clicked. No wonder the Queen Mother of the West was able to conduct so many bizarre biological experiments in Tamutuo, even creating human-snake symbiosis and unfinished immortal beings. It turned out she had taken away the most crucial life blueprint database from this alien technology! She was using the power of that module's core for her own research!
"So, to shut this thing down, we have to go to the Western Queen Mother's Kingdom and retrieve that database core?" Qin Yuan felt a bit of a headache; this task was interconnected.
Qin Yuan stared at the enormous bio-computer before him, pulsating and radiating a chaotic energy field. It was like a grotesquely growing, festering tree, continuously influencing this land.
Although its incompleteness limits many of its functions, even these energy leaks and chaotic automation programs alone have caused countless problems.
"Isn't there any way to stop it temporarily? Even just put it into sleep mode?" Qin Yuan was unwilling to give up, since he had already come all this way.
[A temporary forced hibernation scheme can be implemented, but due to its incomplete ultimate nature, its self-defense and operational priority logic has flaws. The host can utilize special bio-energy within its bloodline to simulate an emergency signal and send a protective hibernation request to the mainframe.]
Qin Yuan's eyes lit up: "How long can it last?"
[A precise estimate is impossible, as it depends on the strength of the bloodline energy. Preliminary calculations suggest that successful suppression will halt most of its active functions, leaving it only for basic life maintenance. However, energy leakage and some activated automated defenses may still exist at low levels. The suppression effect will decay over time, requiring periodic maintenance.]
"So that's it!" Qin Yuan instantly understood the real reason why the Zhang family had guarded this place for generations!
Their so-called "guarding the ultimate" is likely just them using their special bloodline to periodically perform this suppression operation, preventing the out-of-control alien technology from going completely berserk.
A complex mix of emotions welled up in Qin Yuan's heart. He looked at his beating heart, then looked down at his slightly warm tattoo, which seemed to be showing as it was responding to the surrounding energy field.
"Let's begin then. Let it sleep for a while. We'll figure out a way to deal with the core module of the Queen Mother of the West's Kingdom later." Qin Yuan made up his mind. Even if he couldn't solve the problem once and for all, he could at least keep this thing quiet for a while.
[Please drip your blood onto the host's heart.]
[Warning: This process will consume a large amount of blood and may temporarily cause circulatory instability. Please remain conscious.]
Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan walked to the enormous heart, cut his left palm with a knife, and blood dripped down.
For the first time, Qin Yuan was surprised to find that the corrosive properties in his blood seemed to have lost their effect. Not only did they fail to corrode the biological computer as he had expected, but they were instead absorbed by the large heart composed of metal and flesh.
For the first ten seconds or so, there was no response; the machine continued to move at its own rhythm.
But as Qin Yuan donated more and more blood, changes began to occur.
First, the dark red, fleshy branches began to sway more slowly. Then, the contractions of the enormous heart in the center lengthened noticeably, and the churning light and shadow within gradually dimmed. The milky-white light flowing on the surrounding walls and floor flickered erratically, as if the power was insufficient.
The pervasive, low rumbling sound throughout the space was gradually weakening and becoming intermittent.
Cold sweat beaded on Qin Yuan's forehead, his body trembled slightly, his eyes shifted between his pupils and his beast-like vertical pupils, and his fingernails grew sharper and longer uncontrollably, but he gritted his teeth and persevered, constantly urging his blood to flow.
[Hibernation progress: 47%...63%...78%...The host's active logic response is weakening, and the secondary system is entering standby mode...]