Chapter 127 Where to go…

Dr. Zhou stood quietly in the darkness of the city.

Overlooking.

Rainbow rivers flow between cities, like a network of glowing capillaries, weaving a strong heart called “Aniyan City”.

Doctor Zhou sighed, “You are definitely not Chen Wen Ge.”

“What a shame. I would have liked to talk to my teacher again.”

The immortal looked at Dr. Zhou. Although he also had a face of steel, the immortal could read some pity in his cold and hard texture.

Mercy from above.

“Indeed, you are really not him.”

Doctor Zhou confirmed again that as a doctor, he gave the Immortal a positive diagnosis.

“This has nothing to do with so-called identity.”

He continued, “Your mental model is irreparably flawed, and during your time in the cocoon, the flaws have grown larger and larger, completely distorting the way you think.”

Dr. Zhou paused and gave a less appropriate example, “Like a wise man with Alzheimer’s disease.”

“Once, he could solve the mysteries of the world, but now, he can’t even understand a simple equation.”

Doctor Zhou said with pity, “What’s even more despairing is that you are completely unaware of your own collapse, and are still here being complacent.”

“Maybe.”

The immortal said nonchalantly, “But no matter what, as long as I can hold on longer than you, all problems will be solved, right?”

He said hopefully and contemptuously.

“I will have all of the new world to myself. Whether it’s computing power or electricity, all resources will belong to me. At that time, no matter what kind of defects there are, they will be made up.”

“Then give it a try.”

Doctor Zhou smiled at the immortal, raised his hand, and invited him from a distance.

The two of them kept a safe distance and looked at each other, like a pair of friends who had not seen each other for a long time. There was no sign of murderous intent in their eyes, and their postures were relaxed.

But the war to determine the fate of the New World has already begun.

The war does not take place in physical space, but deep in a virtual battlefield interwoven by countless server nodes – an invisible world built by code, algorithms and data streams.

The night is quiet, but undercurrents are surging.

Dr. Zhou infiltrated the outer firewall of Shangxian and attempted to bypass the security protocol and directly access its core database through a carefully constructed injection attack.

Not willing to be outdone, Shangxian launched a series of countermeasures, including dynamically adjusting access control lists and deploying smart honeypots to entrap and study Dr. Zhou’s attack patterns.

For many hackers, launching this kind of attack is not easy, but for the upgraded consciousnesses, it is as easy as breathing, as if it is their own instinct.

A thrilling round of attack and defense broke out in the invisible world, and all this happened in just a few seconds.

It was during these few seconds that the battle situation escalated again.

The two sides began a fierce battle at the data packet transmission level.

Dr. Zhou released a customized worm virus, which disguised itself as a normal data transmission request, attempting to replicate and spread silently in the server network controlled by the immortal, looking for and tampering with key data.

The Immortal accurately identified and isolated these uninvited guests by analyzing data characteristics in real time, and launched a distributed denial of service attack on Dr. Zhou’s command center, intending to overwhelm its processing capacity and disrupt its strategic deployment.

Deeper in the data layer, two forces are engaged in a desperate struggle over data integrity.

None of this is visible, but… imagine it.

The night sky is no longer silent and dark, but is lit up by countless flashing data streams. They are like stars and meteors, shuttling and colliding in the virtual space at an astonishing speed.

Every time a beam of light penetrates Dr. Zhou’s firewall, it leaves a dazzling track in the virtual space. Then, Dr. Zhou constructs a shield made of code, shining with blue light, like a coral reef in the deep sea.

The offensive and defensive rhythm of both sides became faster and faster, and the timing unit was infinitely extended from the decimal point of milliseconds.

Suddenly, Dr. Zhou launched an unprecedented large-scale attack, compressing massive amounts of data packets into a dazzling light, which rushed towards the immortal’s data core with destructive power like a comet.

The immortal’s defense system was fully lit up at this moment, and countless blue spots of light jumped in the air, trying to intercept this deadly light.

Detonate, offset, and collide again!

Huge data streams are interwoven into complex patterns, like a dynamic digital painting. The patterns are constantly changing, sometimes like a whirlpool, sometimes like fireworks. Each change represents a contest of algorithms and a game of strategy.

This is a clash between electronic ghosts, a fight between two data gods.

A war confined to this building and this industrial park.

A fight to the death to determine the only authority.

One hundred and seventy seconds later, the battle entered a fierce stage. After realizing that they could not strangle the other side in terms of network data, both sides began to fight for control of the server cluster resources.

The two were still standing on the rooftop, staring at each other, but they also existed in the servers inside the Shenwei Building.

Each server is a vital city, which is captured and then recaptured in the crazy network offensive, and the cycle repeats.

“Should I say that you are indeed the most perfect qualified person?”

The Immortal suddenly spoke, his tone full of mixed admiration, “You have grown very quickly, and you are much more difficult to deal with than I thought.”

Doctor Zhou also showed his opponent enough respect. “You are incredible, Immortal. You have managed to hold on for so long with such a flawed mental model.”

“We seem to be somewhat confined to the world of data.”

“I agree.”

Before he finished his words, thousands of roaring and buzzing sounds gathered together and turned into the desperate wail of some terrifying beast.

The war between electronic ghosts has spread from the invisible data to the physical real world.

All the drones hovering outside the Shenwei Building became restless, like a split hive will, with different commands coming one after another.

They rolled and circled, like stars breaking free from their restraints and blooming with the light of freedom in the darkness.

“God…”

On the ground, Li Weiyu slowed down his pace and looked up at this shocking scene.

The lights carried by the drones outline flowing pictures in the night sky, sometimes converging into a brilliant galaxy, and sometimes scattering like stars, decorating the night sky with mystery and dreaminess, as if the entire universe is waking up at this moment and dancing in the boundless night.

“what happened?”

Xiang Ji, who was following closely behind Li Weiyun, also realized that something was wrong.

These extremely threatening drone swarms suddenly started up, but they did not fall towards the Supervisory Bureau forces on the ground. Instead, they circled and danced with each other in the air.

Li Weiyu shook his head in confusion. He didn’t know what this strange change was, but he knew that the root of all this must have happened inside the Shenwei Building.

“Doctor Zhou…”

Li Weiyu whispered with concern, worrying about Zhou Si’s life or death.

As the swarm of drones continued to rise and circle, they gradually separated into two different streams, like schools of fish swimming in the deep sea or flocks of birds migrating in the sky.

It was truly a beautiful scene, but Li Weiyu smelled the scent of death in this beautiful scene.

Suddenly, a ghostly voice sounded in Li Weiyu’s channel.

“Team Leader Li, find cover.”

Li Weiyu was stunned for a moment, and then a brilliant light bloomed from the darkness.

Two streams of drones tumbled, rose, and collided!
In an instant, a deafening roar broke out in the night sky, a symphony of metal colliding and exploding.

Every impact was accompanied by dazzling flames, like a meteor streaking through the night sky, leaving behind a trail of brilliant light.

The shock wave generated by the explosion pushed the wreckage of the drone all around, and metal fragments drew silver tracks in the night sky, like a metal rain, pouring down.

As the fragments fell at high speed, friction with the air generated high temperatures, and some were even ignited, turning into rain of fire, illuminating the earth.

The rain of fire and iron baptized the earth thoroughly. The harsh sound of clanging hit the ground and the incarnation’s body. The sharp metal pierced the armor. The high temperature gradually cooled down, as if it was welded on it, leaving behind a rugged piece.

Li Weiyu and Xiang Ji dodged behind a wall on one side, and the angle between the wall and the ground just protected the two of them.

The scorching rain of fire nailed a series of spikes beside them, and the suffocating heat was very close. If Leviyun had been a few seconds slower, the two of them would have been riddled with holes under the rain of fire.

“what happened!”

Xiang Ji shouted at the top of his lungs as the collision of the drone clusters overhead continued, like a grand fireworks show, continuously raining fire.

“I have no idea!”

Li Weiyun responded at a loss.

Heavy footsteps were heard, and beneath the rain of fire of death, a tall figure appeared.

It was an armed incarnation of Shenwei Technology, a killing weapon controlled by the immortals.

While the two men were dodging urgently, Li Weiyun didn’t pay any attention to this armed avatar, but now it has noticed the two of them, and its mechanical arm raised the heavy muzzle, and the locking system has aimed at the torsos of the two men.

Perhaps it was because he had just escaped from the rain of fire, when death came again, Li Weiyun’s heart was unexpectedly calm.

Of course, it is also possible that the fear of death broke through Li Weiyu’s psychological defenses, causing all his thoughts to stop at the spot.

Xiang Ji seemed to be yelling something. He pushed Li Weiyu’s body, raised the gun in his hand, and pulled the trigger at the armed incarnation in vain.

The muzzle of the gun spewed out flames, which landed on the armor of the armed incarnation and bounced off weakly like melting snow.

Xiang Ji, who always looked calm, at this moment had a face full of fear of death.

Xiang Ji pulled the trigger again.

A deafening roar sounded from far behind him.

Overlapping with the sound was the stream of fire that came across the darkness.

Like a spear of divine punishment, the deadly bombardment pierced through the armor of the armed incarnation, and its heavy body fell backwards powerlessly and exploded into a burning fireball.

Xiang Ji looked at the scene dully. Slowly, he moved his head with difficulty and looked at Li Weiyu, who was also completely numb.

“what happened?”

Xiang Ji asked this stupid question again, but this time, Li Weiyu seemed to have thought of something and gave another answer.

“It seems…it seems like someone is helping us.”

Li Weiyun looked ahead cautiously. That was the area where the battle was most stalemate. Countless armed incarnations were fighting in it, and the accumulated steel corpses piled up like a mountain.

This is the most critical road leading to the Shenwei Building, but the Supervisory Bureau has never been able to conquer it. But now, this indestructible line of defense is gradually disintegrating itself.

Many armed incarnations seemed to have betrayed their country. They suddenly brandished their weapons and chopped at the armored giants beside them, heading towards destruction.

Similar situations occurred in every part of the industrial park. The terrifying armed incarnations launched a civil war, and the drone clusters self-destructed. Even inside the Shenwei Building, many ordinary incarnation bodies became restless.

They moved forward silently and collided with the body of another incarnation. They were clearly the result of high-end technology, but now they were fighting like barbarians.

Breaking through the tough glass, like a collective suicide of the incarnations, groups of incarnations fell from the Shenwei Building and shattered onto the ground.

On the rooftop, the immortal said disappointedly, “It looks like it’s still a draw.”

“If the winner is decided so easily, it would be even more disappointing.”

Dr. Zhou was optimistic and enjoyed everything at the moment. “Continue?”

“We can’t shake hands and make peace except to continue.”

“That’s right.” The war between electronic ghosts has shifted from the data torrent to the real world, and now it has moved again, heading towards the boundary where virtuality and reality are intertwined.

Doctor Zhou walked towards the immortal, and the immortal also walked towards Doctor Zhou tacitly.

The two of them were only a few meters apart, but at this moment they seemed extremely far away, and their movements were so slow that they were almost frozen in place.

No, time did not stand still, and Dr. Zhou and the Immortal were not stuck in the same place.

They just burned all the computing power at the same time – overclocking!
The scale of time is infinitely stretched and extended. Every second is so long, as if falling into a time loop curse with no end.

The world is accelerating madly in the perception of the electronic ghost. The lights of the city, the outlines of the mountains and rivers, and even the tracks of the stars have become blurred and fast, as if a hundred years of time have passed in an instant.

By fine-tuning the voltage and clock frequency, Dr. Zhou made the performance of the CPU and GPU soar instantly, just like a racing car speeding on a track, with every calculation almost testing the physical limits.

The extreme performance release makes Dr. Zhou’s actions extremely fast. Every data packet sent and every algorithm executed is completed almost in the blink of an eye.

In the real world, rows of server cabinets located in industrial parks are like roaring beasts. Their CPUs and GPUs run at ultra-high frequencies, and fans rotate at maximum speed, emitting a low and powerful roar.

The temperature in the room rose sharply, and it seemed as if one could hear the echo of electronic pulses stirring in the air.

The physical echo of this digital war.

The cooling system was working at full capacity, trying to dissipate the heat and keep the servers in optimal working condition, but it was so futile.

As the temperature continued to rise, the server’s shell began to turn red, as if it was an iron block kissed by flames, emitting scorching heat.

Under the extremely high temperature, the internal circuit boards and processors began to crack and make crackling sounds, like the horn of an ancient battlefield, announcing the impending destruction.

Finally, the temperature reached a critical point, and the servers all collapsed and were engulfed in a raging fire.

The thinking speed of Dr. Zhou and the Immortal began to slow down as each other’s servers partially collapsed, and then more and more crashes occurred.

Until all the server cabinets outside the Shenwei Building had been burned into empty shells, only the server cluster inside the Shenwei Building remained, still struggling to maintain the confrontation between the electronic ghosts.

On a certain floor inside the Shenwei Building, thousands of server cabinets are arranged in an unprecedented way. Instead of standing in a dry environment as traditionally, they are quietly immersed in coolant.

Quiet sea.

Employees of Sunway Technology always call this place the world’s largest liquid-cooled server cluster.

Each cabinet is like a reef in the deep sea, gently surrounded by a layer of clear and efficient coolant. The coolant gathers together to form a calm sea surface.

Calm and calm.

But as the confrontation between electronic ghosts moved here, the heat generated by the server components rose sharply, and a large amount of heat was quickly transferred to the coolant, causing its temperature to gradually rise. The flow of the coolant became more violent, causing ripples on the sea surface.

As heat continued to accumulate, the temperature of the coolant gradually approached its boiling point, and many tiny bubbles appeared on the surface of the cabinet. The bubbles rose quickly and burst, making a slight gurgling sound.

The numbers on the thermometer jumped and climbed on the scale like a crazy dancer, and every degree increase seemed like a provocation to the laws of physics.

Finally, the coolant reached its boiling point. At this moment, the entire server cluster seemed to be ignited, but it was not a flame, but a wilder and more uncontrollable boiling!
The sea is boiling!

On the surface of the coolant, fine bubbles gushed out like boiling magma. With their hot energy, they hit the cabinet and made a deafening roar.

The steam rushed out from every gap like a wild horse, interweaving and colliding in the air, forming rolling sea of ​​clouds, covering the entire space in a hazy and fanatical fog.

The indicator lights on the servers began to flash, some red, some blue, some bright, some dim. The alarm on the cooling system sounded like a horn of doom, resounding throughout the Shenwei Building.

The emergency cooling system was activated and backup coolant poured in like a flood in an attempt to put out the data-induced fire.

However, these emergency measures seem so insignificant in this extreme situation.

Wisps of barely perceptible water vapor, carrying with them the agitation of high temperatures, quietly seeped into the sophisticated ventilation system.

Under the boiling of the quiet sea, the water vapor also became turbulent and crazy. Under the twists and turns of the wind duct, they gathered and expanded, and finally turned into an unstoppable hot torrent, rampaging through the interior space of the building.

The roaring steam was like a wild horse running out of control. It not only blurred the vision, but also affected the fragile balance of the building.

Fine beads of sweat began to seep out of the cracks between the walls, and the chandeliers on the ceiling swayed as if they would fall at any time. What was even more worrying was that the overclocking of the server cluster and the overloaded operation of the cooling system further increased the burden on the power system.

As the electronic ghosts fight at all costs, the already fragile power system shows signs of fatigue and being overwhelmed.

The current in the circuits became erratic, the lights flickered, the elevator froze in mid-air, the display screen flashed an error code, and the hum of the air conditioner died down until it was completely silent.

At an unknown moment, the backup generator set in the Shenwei Building stopped working, and the power system of the entire Shenwei Building and even the entire industrial park collapsed.

dark.

It is not darkness in the traditional visual sense, but a single darkness at the data level.

The darkness was like a thick curtain, covering everything.

The faint light of the emergency lighting barely illuminated the passage inside the Shenwei Building. The elevator door slowly opened, revealing layers of still, empty floors.

On the highest rooftop, Dr. Zhou and the Immortal’s overclocking state also came to a halt as the server cluster, cooling system and generator set completely collapsed.

At first, the world in Dr. Zhou’s eyes looked like star trails captured by a time-lapse camera, with all the colors pulled into a single line.

Placed under the rainbow world.

But time caught up with him, and all the colors were restored to their original appearance and returned to normal.

Doctor Zhou’s figure swayed slightly, as if he had lost his strength. He half-knelt down tiredly with his head lowered.

“Doctor Zhou, you are very close, but only close, still not perfect.”

The Immortal gave his evaluation in a cold tone.

The war between the two people repeatedly raged from the data world to the real world. After exhausting all resources, the immortal successfully blocked Dr. Zhou and dragged him into the abyss of data.

Dr. Zhou tried to get up several times, but his body was frozen in place, and the crackling sound of electricity rang under his metal body, emitting sparks.

Dr. Zhou did not respond to the immortal’s sarcasm.

At this moment, all that appeared before Dr. Zhou’s eyes was darkness, which was impossible to grasp or see through.

In the lonely world, Dr. Zhou stood there blankly, waiting for some kind of change to happen. Perhaps he would be completely devoured by the immortal and become the cornerstone for him to become the God of Data. Or maybe… some other changes would occur.

For example, the figure that gradually appeared in the darkness.

“Oh, Dr. Zhou, you look so embarrassed.”

The person in the mirror waved to Dr. Zhou with an unruly smile on his face.

Dr. Zhou looked at this face that was carved out of the same mold as his own. He remained calm, as if he was facing an old friend who he found a little annoying, but the friendship still existed.

“What a big scene,” the man in the mirror sighed, “The fight between the two of you almost ruined everything.”

Dr. Zhou said nothing, but just looked at the person in the mirror calmly.

“Hmm? You don’t want to say anything?”

The man in the mirror approached Dr. Zhou and looked him in the eye curiously. “The immortal is invading your code. He is about to win. If you don’t fight back, you will lose everything.”

“But I no longer have the energy to fight back,” Dr. Zhou finally said. “I’m too tired. I can’t clench my fists or muster any strength.”

The expression of the person in the mirror became strange, as if he was trying to hold back a laugh.

He put his hand on Dr. Zhou’s shoulder, and the two stood together like close brothers.

“How could that be? Don’t you still have me?” The man in the mirror patted his chest and said, “I will help you and defeat this lunatic completely.”

Doctor Zhou stared at the person in the mirror in a daze and asked, “You should understand what this means, right?”

“It means my complete demise?” The man in the mirror said nonchalantly, “But I did die a long time ago, didn’t I?”

“The one talking to you now is just a shadow formed by psychological suggestion, a remnant soul. You and I both know this very well.”

Dr. Zhou fell silent and looked at the person in the mirror with a complicated expression.

After a long while, Dr. Zhou said with great sadness, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I’m sorry…I killed you.”

Doctor Zhou lowered his head sadly, and his usually calm voice began to tremble uncontrollably at this moment.

“After the Immortal Falls accident, I have never been sure who survived…” His voice gradually became choked.

He turned to his own heart and revealed his inner thoughts sincerely.

“But after this series of events, I had a premonition of loading myself with the catalyst virus, and when I broke free from the constraints of the cocoon…”

The narration came to an abrupt end, and Dr. Zhou’s meaning was very clear.

The consciousness of a mortal should not be so powerful in the cyber world, unless he is not a mortal from the beginning.

Dr. Zhou said apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Zhou Si, I killed you.”

The man in the mirror… or rather, Zhou Si, he looked at Dr. Zhou very calmly, then he burst into laughter and hugged Dr. Zhou warmly.

“In fact, I have another understanding of uniqueness.”

Zhou Si leaned close to Dr. Zhou’s ear and whispered, “From an individual’s perspective, uniqueness can select us from the vast sea of ​​people and give us unique meaning.”

“But I think uniqueness shouldn’t be so limited. It should be more… more macro and greater.”

In the endless darkness, the nameless will slowly ferments.

“Yes, bigger, like those great men in history who have sacrificed their lives for the same belief.”

Zhou Si comforted him, “Although we are in different bodies and situations, with life and death, from beginning to end, we have maintained the same belief, right?”

The man looked at Zhou Si in a trance, only to see that Zhou Si still had that calm smile on his face, and comforted him.

【You are not me. But are you not me? 】

Zhou Si patted the man encouragingly…or rather, Zhou Si’s back, and pushed him out forcefully, leaving his original position.

Zhou Si staggered forward a few steps. He walked slowly at first, then gradually his pace quickened until he was running madly, as if he was escaping from the pursuit of time, as if he was avoiding the mockery of fate. Every step he took was so firm, as if it could crush the ground.

Zhou Si looked at Zhou Si who was leaving and shouted in the darkness.

“Say the spell, Zhou Si!”

On the rooftop, Zhou Si opened his eyes, broke free from the data blockade of the immortal, and climbed out of the dark abyss.

The words of blessing were still echoing in Zhou Si’s mind. He whispered, obeying that final will.

“██████”

“what?”

The immortal looked at Zhou Si in confusion. He didn’t hear clearly what Zhou Si had just said, and he couldn’t understand why Zhou Si seemed a little… different at this moment.

It is a very subtle feeling, like a person accepting his own good and evil, beauty and ugliness.

Accept the whole of yourself, and from then on there will be no more contradictions, no more pain, only a consistent heart and a determined path.

“I said……”

Zhou Si roared a spell.

“The One!”

Zhou Si, named The One, suddenly stood up. He got rid of all the shackles and restraints. Sharp lightning burst out from his palms, splitting the immortal’s body into two.

It also tore the immortals in the data wave into pieces!

(End of this chapter)