area51novel Page 140
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Because they are different from you. Lin Ye slowly approached, Shanks' blue light flowing around him. They were not devoured by the system, but voluntarily sacrificed themselves to protect the last hope.
When the first fragment flew from Blackbeard's hand, he finally showed a look of fear. Lin Ye caught the fragment, a tremor of newfound power emanating from his fingertips: Now, it's time to show you just how much power the thing you considered trash could unleash.
The crystals at the boundary of chaos began to hum, and all the debris simultaneously raised their arms. Lin Ye crossed two fragments into a cross, and golden energy swept across the entire area like a tsunami.
Chapter 323: The Paradox of Spacetime
The collapse of the crystal cluster sent up a shower of rubble, sharp fragments grazing past Lin Ye's ears and leaving fleeting streaks of light on the dark purple sky at the edge of chaos. He pressed the four merged fragments tightly against his chest; they were as hot as a flame, and the golden patterns flowing on their surface were creeping up his wrist through his fingers.
"Three minutes left!" Alice's holographic projection flickered violently amidst the turbulence. On the three-dimensional map composed of blue data streams, the green dots representing the "safe zone" were extinguishing at a visible speed. "The spacetime structure at the chaotic boundary can no longer hold. If we can't find a stable channel soon, we'll all be torn apart!"
Lin Ye suddenly stopped, the obsidian platform beneath his feet creaking under the weight. The fragment in his palm suddenly buzzed, its frequency resonating with the half-buried stone tablet in the center of the platform. He crouched down and wiped the dust off the tablet, the distorted runes causing his pupils to contract sharply—they had the exact same curvature as the cosmic star map engraved on the floor of the main hall of the royal palace.
“Something’s not right here.” He ran his fingertip along the groove of the rune, feeling its cold, hard texture. It was definitely not naturally formed rock. “There shouldn’t be anything like this at the boundary of chaos. This is an altar built by humans.”
Before the words were even finished, the stone tablet suddenly lit up with a blinding red light. The surrounding floating rubble seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, and with a whoosh, it reassembled into a rotating dark golden portal. Within the data stream wrapped around the portal's hinges, one could vaguely see silhouettes of countless universes being born and dying.
"Gluck cluck..."
The laughter coming from behind the door sent a chill down Lin Ye's spine. It was clearly the Zeno's signature childlike voice, but it was wrapped in an icy edge that didn't match his age, like shattered glass in the dead of winter.
He clutched the shards in his arms, his knuckles turning white: "Who's inside?"
The portal slowly rotated and expanded, revealing a figure wearing a miniature version of the king's robe. The child looked no more than seven or eight years old, with a pink fleshy bump on his head just like the Omni-King's, but his eyes held no innocence, only unfathomable indifference.
“Finally, someone has made it this far.” The boy tilted his head and looked him up and down, his toe unconsciously kicking a piece of metal fragment that appeared out of thin air. “I thought it would be Shanks, or that Blackbeard Teach.”
Lin Ye suddenly stood up straight, the fragment in his arms suddenly becoming hot: "You are not the Omni-King."
"Sort of, and not really." The boy suddenly laughed, the curve of his mouth far exceeding the limits of normal humans, and blue data streams flowing in his pupils, just like Alice's projection. "The first Omni-King's consciousness backup, the gatekeeper nailed to the edge of chaos—you can call me that."
He raised his hand and waved it towards the inside of the door, and the previously blurry scene instantly became clear. Twelve crystal pillars, each requiring one person to encircle, surrounded the central high seat. The light flowing across the pillars was exactly the same as the fragment in Lin Ye's arms. Four of the pillars already had similar fragments embedded in them, only their colors were much dimmer.
"The final step of the Genesis Project is to gather the energy of the twelve 'Chosen Ones'." The gatekeeper walked through the void toward the control panel. As the hem of his robe swept across the ground, the rubble automatically moved aside by three feet. "It's a pity. I searched all the universes and only found these four pieces in your hands. Even with the ones I have here, we're still short half."
Suddenly, the image of Roger's dying moments flashed through Lin Ye's mind—the smiling man being shackled, his eyes clearly reflecting the same shock he felt now. "The so-called 'creation' is simply formatting and rewriting the entire universe?"
"Brilliant." The gatekeeper suddenly clapped his hands, and the twelve crystal pillars lit up simultaneously, projecting countless floating cosmic images. Some were undergoing stellar explosions, some were at the height of their civilizations, and others had shrunk into dim star cores. "Once the system has accumulated enough energy, these junk will be compressed into the purest data stream, and then reassembled—the perfect kind."
Lin Ye's gaze was fixed on the image at the very edge. In that reconstructed universe, all life forms maintained the same smile, even their walking pace was perfectly synchronized, like puppets programmed with a set program. The fragment in his arms suddenly vibrated violently, so hot it almost burned through his clothes.
“This isn’t perfection; it’s turning a living creature into a specimen.” His voice trembled without him even realizing it.
"Say what you will." The gatekeeper suddenly pressed a protrusion on the side of the control panel, and the crystal pillar at the very edge immediately emitted a piercing hum. "Hand over the fragments now, and you can become the administrator of the new universe, the kind that governs ten star systems. Or..." He suddenly raised his hand, and a floating rock next to him was instantly crushed into dust by an invisible force. "Just scatter it here with all that trash."
The platform suddenly trembled violently. Lin Ye staggered and grabbed the stone tablet, only to find that the obsidian beneath his feet was cracking. More debris poured out from the depths of the cracks, among which were familiar fragments of pirate ships—a corner of the figurehead of Shanks' Red Voss.
"I choose the third path." Lin Ye suddenly threw the fragments into the air, and the four golden rays above his palm automatically combined into a complete fan shape, resonating with the crystal pillar on the control panel. "Let all universes choose their own way of life."
For the first time, the gatekeeper's expression changed, and data streams flashed wildly in his pupils: "Impossible! System laws..."
A piercing alarm suddenly tore through the boundary of chaos, and the screen in the center of the control panel was instantly covered by a blinding red light. The icon representing the One Piece universe was flashing wildly, and a golden torrent of Haki broke through the dimensional barrier, coiling around Lin Ye's body like a living dragon.
"Did you hear that?" Lin Ye suddenly laughed, letting the domineering aura climb up his arm and onto the fragments. "Even without your broken system, living things can still unleash power that breaks the rules!"
He recognized that power; Shanks had used it to subdue everyone during the Marineford War. Now, that domineering will was mixed with a familiar smell of alcohol, as if that always-smiling man was patting him on the shoulder.
"Close the passage! Close it now..." The gatekeeper lunged at the control panel, frantically pressing buttons on the panel, but the buttons seemed rusty and wouldn't budge no matter how he pressed them.
It's too late.
Suddenly, the rifts at the boundary of chaos lit up simultaneously, and energy beams from different universes rained down like a meteor shower. Goku's Kamehameha, trailing a deep blue tail, grazed past Lin Ye's ear, Vegeta's Ultimate Flash, crackling with golden arcs of electricity, slammed into the crystal pillars, and most absurdly, Luffy's rubber arm actually pierced through the dimensional barrier, coiling around the two crystal pillars like a giant golden python.
“You’ll never understand these things.” Lin Ye leaped to the center of the control panel and slammed the merged fragments into the shortest crystal pillar. “The system can control the flow of energy, but it can’t control people’s hearts.”
Twelve beams of light shot into the sky simultaneously, weaving into a vast net of light on the edge of the chaotic expanse. The gatekeeper's figure gradually became transparent in the intense light, and strands of hair composed of data streams dissipated in the wind.
"You'll regret this!" His voice suddenly turned old and hoarse, like countless voices roaring at the same time. "Without the system's constraints, these universes will eventually shatter on their own!"
Lin Ye gazed at the newly stabilized boundary crack, where the twelve fragments were slowly rotating above the control panel, gradually piecing together to form a complete sphere. "They chose to break," he thought, recalling Shanks' words in the tavern—the flushed man laughing and slamming his fist on the table, "I'd rather die drunk on a barrel than live forever in a cage!"
The sphere suddenly burst forth with a soft white light. The suspended rubble, spaceship wreckage, and even the rocks that had just been crushed into powder turned into starlight the moment they came into contact with the light, dissipating into the void like dandelions scattered by the wind.
Alice's projection finally stabilized, and the blue data stream stopped flickering: "A spacetime channel has been detected. Coordinates locked to the seventh universe, which is your original world."
Lin Ye glanced at the control panel one last time; the cosmic images on the screen were undergoing strange changes. Some were repairing galactic cracks on their own, some were erupting into new wars, and others had simply deviated from their original orbits, drifting towards unknown star systems.
"Let's go." He leaped into the passage, and the sphere made of fragments suddenly transformed into a stream of light that entered his wrist, leaving twelve golden ring marks on his skin.
This is not the end. The real trouble will only begin when the shackles of the system are broken.
The instant the passage closed, a line of scarlet text suddenly appeared on the console screen, shining for three seconds in the darkness before going out: "Thanks, Chooser. But remember, the seed of chaos has been planted. When the twelve universes meet again, the new game will begin."
In the distant seventh universe, Bulma's laboratory suddenly exploded with a blinding white light. The time machine, forgotten in a corner, had started up by itself. The coordinates on the screen were rapidly locking on, and the name written in red ink beside it gradually became clear—Lin Ye.
Yamcha walked in carrying coffee, just as the time machine's hatch suddenly popped open. Startled, she spilled the hot coffee all over the keyboard. "Hey! Wasn't this crappy machine supposed to be scrapped a long time ago?"
A familiar cough came from inside the hatch, and a figure covered in golden particles staggered out half a step, the ring mark on its wrist flashing under the light.
"Long time no see," Lin Ye tugged at his dusty collar, revealing a smile brighter than the sun. "Any iced cola?"
Chapter 324: Legacy Code
In the Capsule Corporation's laboratory, Lin Ye staggered out of the time-space portal, the Genesis fragment pulsating in his palm like a lively little beast. Bulma's scream nearly lifted the ceiling; the coffee cup in her hand crashed to the ground, and the brown liquid splashed onto the fragment, instantly releasing golden steam that condensed into fleeting runes in mid-air.
"Where have you been going crazy?" Bulma lunged at him and grabbed his collar. The lab alarm was still beeping incessantly, and the Dragon Ball radar on her wrist was burning red. The seven Dragon Balls were about to explode, you know? They'd all been in a frenzy of resonance since yesterday!
Lin Ye had no time to explain. His gaze swept across the messy lab bench, then suddenly fixed on a metal box in the corner. It was the wreckage storage box for Number 16, with half a chip peeking out from the crack, emitting a faint glow at the same frequency as the fragments. He broke free from Bulma's hand and rushed over. Just as he brought the fragment closer, the chip suddenly snapped up, hovering in mid-air, creating a standoff with the fragment.
These two are flirting. Yamcha, with a straw in his mouth, leaned over; the keyboard, still steaming from the spilled coffee, was already... Wasn't the 16th already...
Before the words were even finished, two golden beams suddenly intertwined into a net, and a stream of blue data cascaded down like a waterfall, solidifying into a semi-transparent holographic screen in the air. Alice's projection emerged from the fragments, her fingers flying across the code stream, her virtual hair trembling in the process.
"This is the system's underlying protocol!" she suddenly exclaimed, pointing her finger at the flashing red dot in the center of the screen. It was the original, unaltered version, much more complete than the one the gatekeeper had!
The code stream suddenly exploded, and a yellowish video popped up. In the video, Dr. Groh looked twenty years younger than he remembered, squatting in front of the No. 16 core component, debugging it. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead onto the metal casing, sizzling white smoke.
This backdoor program needs to be hidden well. He sneered at the camera, sparks flying as the screwdriver in his hand scraped across the circuit board. It could block remote control of the system; as long as enough chaotic energy was injected... the image suddenly shook violently, Dr. Gro's face was swallowed by static, leaving only a looping red warning: "Spacetime anomaly detected, protocol integrity 73%...61%... Collapsing..."
Lin Ye's fingertips pressed against the hot screen: Is Dr. Gro also a system host?
Not just him. Alice pulled up another piece of code, a dense list of names scrolling before her eyes, photos of past leaders of the Red Ribbon Army embedded in the data stream. From the day it was founded, the Red Ribbon had been fighting against the system; even the early Master Crane had left a backup plan. She suddenly paused, pulling up an encrypted file. They had stored fragments of all the rebels' consciousness in Chip 16. This wasn't a combat robot at all; it was a time bomb.
The lab's alarm suddenly changed tone, a shrill, high-frequency noise that pierced everyone's eardrums. Bulma's communicator snapped open, and Vegeta's roar nearly shattered the speaker: "Woman! Upgrade the protective shield to the highest level immediately! Some dark, monstrous thing is crashing into the atmosphere!"
Lin Ye lunged at the observation window, his pupils shrinking sharply. Above Earth's stratosphere, a dark purple energy cloud was expanding wildly, and within the churning black mist at its edges, the grinning face of Blackbeard could be seen. Behind him followed a group of bizarre shadows, like desperados captured from various universes.
This madman actually followed us through the passage. Lin Ye reached for the fragments in his arms; the temperature in his palm was almost boiling. He wanted chip number 16.
Bulma's fingers flew across the control panel, and the laboratory floor suddenly cracked open, as dozens of energy cannons rose from the ground, their muzzles pointing towards the sky and humming as they charged: Let him taste the power of Earth! She suddenly pulled up a 3D map, her face turning grim, but the protective shield of West City had just been maintained yesterday, and its power was only at 80% at the moment.
Lin Ye slammed the fragment onto the interface of the main control panel. Golden patterns spread wildly along the lines, and wherever they passed, the previously extinguished indicator lights lit up one after another: Not enough. He recalled the battle at the edge of chaos. Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit was like a bottomless pit. That guy's dual Devil Fruit abilities could absorb energy, and conventional attacks were just feeding him.
What to do? Yamcha pushed the last box of backup energy over. The moment the box hit the corner of the wall, chip number 16 suddenly buzzed and a virtual button popped up. The words "Self-destruct program" flashed brightly in red on the screen.
Alice's projection began to flicker violently, and snowflakes appeared mixed in with the blue data stream: this was Dr. Gro's last resort. Her voice carried electrical noise, capable of converting all energy related to the system into shockwaves, but Number 16's consciousness fragments would completely dissipate, without even a chance of reincarnation.
Suddenly, images from the Cell Games flashed through Lin Ye's mind. Android 16 shielded Gohan behind him, facing Cell's energy blast, and calmly said that life is precious. That robot, who always smiled gently, was worried about the birds' safety even in his dying moments.
Is there no other way? His knuckles turned white from the force.
Alice retrieved a hidden recording, and Dr. Gro's aged voice, tinged with rare weariness, emerged from the speaker: "When the system begins to devour the universe, only pure life consciousness can resist it... Number 16, my child, this is the meaning of your existence." The moment the recording ended, the chip suddenly projected a holographic image of Number 16, still with that gentle demeanor.
We've been ready for this for a long time. The image of Number 16 smiled at Lin Ye, and countless faces flashed through the code stream behind him: former members of the Red Ribbon Legion, disciples of Master Crane, and some strangers whose faces were indistinct. We've been waiting for this day for a long time.
Blackbeard's laughter suddenly pierced the clouds, and dark purple energy poured down like a flood, instantly covering West City's protective shield with spiderweb-like cracks. Bulma screamed and pressed the button, and dozens of energy cannons fired simultaneously. Golden beams of light crashed into the energy cloud, but disappeared without a trace, like mud sinking into the sea.
"Men!" Blackbeard's voice shook the windows. Behind him, Burgess had already raised his giant axe and snatched the chip. "I'll make you the elders of the new universe!"
Looking at Number 16's gentle smiling face on the screen, Lin Ye suddenly remembered what Shanks had said in the tavern. The one-armed man, raising his glass, laughed: "Trust, sometimes, is more deadly than a Devil Fruit, but in crucial moments, it can save your life."
He took a deep breath, his fingertip hovering over the red button: Number 16, thank you.
Protecting everyone is our mission. The image nodded to him, and the code stream behind him suddenly accelerated its rotation, telling Gohan that the birds were all alright.
The moment Lin Ye pressed the button, chip number 16 suddenly erupted with a sun-like light. A golden shockwave spread out from the laboratory, melting Blackbeard's dark purple energy like ice and snow wherever it passed. Burgess's giant axe turned to dust the instant it came into contact with the light, and his arm, along with it, was purified into specks of starlight.
"Impossible!" Blackbeard screamed, trying to absorb the energy using the Dark-Dark Fruit, but was forced back by the recoil. The scar on his chest split open, revealing the pulsating dark energy within. "How could my power..."
Because you don't understand. Lin Ye stood up against the shockwave, and the fragments of creation unfolded completely in his palm, transforming into twelve golden light bands. The system could devour energy, but it could not devour the will of life.
The image of Number 16 gradually became transparent in the light, yet maintained a smile. The unfamiliar faces behind him disappeared one by one, until only he remained, arms outstretched towards the sky: Goodbye, beautiful world.
At the peak of the shockwave, Blackbeard let out a bloodcurdling scream. The two Devil Fruits within him suddenly went out of control, the energy of darkness and tremor clashing wildly within him, ultimately tearing his body apart. A dark purple fragment flew out from the center of the explosion, clattering to Lin Ye's feet, still bearing traces of Blackbeard's presence.
As the light faded, the sky returned to its azure hue. Bulma collapsed to the ground, staring at the unharmed West City, and suddenly covered her face, bursting into tears. Yamcha patted her shoulder, only to find his own eyes burning with tears.
Lin Ye picked up the dark purple fragment at his feet. It was icy cold, a stark contrast to the warmth of the Creation Fragment. Alice's projection suddenly pointed to the screen, where new text slowly appeared in the previously blank code stream: "System Residual Fragment Activated, Coordinates Unknown..."
What is this? Bulma leaned closer, tears still streaming down her face.
Alice's expression turned serious: Blackbeard was just a decoy; the real fragments of the system were hidden elsewhere. She brought up a 3D map of the Milky Way, where countless red dots were flashing. The Chaos Seed the Gatekeeper spoke of was actually these scattered fragments of the system.
Lin Ye gripped the two completely different fragments tightly, the warmth in his palm and the coldness at his fingertips creating an eerie balance. He suddenly remembered the last sentence that appeared on the control panel: a new trial has begun.
Looks like I'll have to go to space. He put the fragment into his pocket, turned around and walked towards the time machine; he needed to find the remaining fragments.
Bulma suddenly called out to him, holding up a glowing Dragon Ball: the resonance of the seven Dragon Balls hadn't stopped, and they seemed to be guiding the way. The seven Dragon Balls floated in mid-air, forming the shape of the Big Dipper, with the brightest one pointing towards the edge of the Milky Way.
Yamcha suddenly pointed to the observation window, where a familiar spaceship had appeared on the horizon. The skull and crossbones flag on its bow was particularly dazzling in the sunlight; it was none other than Shanks' Red Voss.
It seems someone got there before us. Lin Ye smiled, the fragments of creation gently pulsating in his arms, as if responding to a distant call.
The spaceship's communication channel was suddenly connected, and Shanks' laughter, carrying the scent of the sea breeze, came through: "Hey kid, wanna hitch a ride? I've heard that the tavern at the end of the universe has the strongest rum."
Lin Ye leaped onto the time machine, glancing back at the faint glow remaining on Chip 16. The peace that the gentle robot had secured with its life must not be destroyed again.
Hold on tight! He pressed the start button, and the time machine burst through the roof, heading towards the Red Fox. We have a lot of debris to find.
The time machine's trail of flame drew a golden path across the sky. Unbeknownst to anyone, golden patterns were quietly creeping across the half-shaft of dark purple fragment, resembling the runes on the boundary stone of chaos. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Milky Way, on a forgotten, abandoned planet, a rock suddenly cracked open, revealing a flickering red light within.
Chapter 325: Code Resonance
The aftershocks of Blackbeard's dissipated energy hadn't subsided when a pale golden liquid suddenly seeped from the laboratory's alloy floor. Lin Ye bent down to touch it; the moment his fingertips touched the cool liquid, it seemed to come alive, climbing up and down his fingers, eventually outlining the Red Ribbon Army's skull emblem on the surface of the Genesis fragment. Alice's holographic projection suddenly flickered violently, its blue data stream interspersed with glaring red code: This is... Dr. Gro's encrypted log! I tried seventeen decryption algorithms and all failed.
"Let me try." Bulma snatched the control panel, her fingers flying across the virtual keyboard. "I'm all too familiar with that old man Gro's encryption methods," she thought. "My dad lost three algorithm models to him in a bet back then." Suddenly, she pressed Enter. Golden liquid exploded on the surface of the fragments, forming a waterfall of code. It worked!
The moment the log unfolded, the laboratory instruments collectively roared to life. The remnants of Chip 16 floated up from the ruins, forming a complex energy array with the fragments of creation. In the holographic projection, the young Dr. Gro was embedding a rhomboid crystal into the incubation chamber: "When the system detects that the chaotic energy concentration exceeds the threshold, this protocol will automatically activate..." His words were drowned out by a sharp alarm, and red warning lights flashed wildly in the background. Remember, 17 and 18 are not weapons, they are... The camera finally focused on the label on the incubation chamber: Subject 17.
Are Number 17 and Number 18 also weapons against the anti-system? Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply as the fragments suddenly projected another set of images: Number 17 was fighting fiercely with cell warriors in the desert, and the Red Ribbon Legion's insignia could be vaguely seen in the sandstorm stirred up by the punches; Number 18 was protecting Trunks in the Cell Games when the same pattern as the chip flashed on the mechanical arm.
"Impossible!" Vegeta's voice boomed from the communicator, accompanied by the roar of energy explosions in the background. "Dr. Gero created them to destroy the world! What the hell are you guys up to in West City? The energy barrier is only 37% intact!"