I handed over to another world

Lin Shu was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, but you must be careful... I will stay on the periphery with my team members and can provide support for you at any time."

"We have taken over this place. You can go and rest and return."

The person in charge of the project was not very grateful and spoke directly to Captain Lin. Lin Shu then noticed that the professional team in the distance was slowly approaching the edge of the crack under the protection of the special guard team.

The group of researchers, who looked like archaeologists, held various decoding devices and began to scan the geometric patterns on the ice wall, while the engineers set up a temporary lighting system to illuminate the interior of the abyss.

“These symbols…are really a kind of initiation process.”

The researcher standing in front whispered to his companions in the communicator, his fingers sliding quickly on the holographic screen, "But they are not just a startup program for the defense system, but more like a wake-up program."

"Wake-up procedure?"

The engineer frowned. "Are you saying that these symbols are trying to awaken something in the abyss?"

The researcher nodded, his eyes solemn. "That's right! The changing patterns of these symbols show that they are activating a larger system."

At this moment, a low roar came from the abyss again, as if some giant machine was slowly starting up.

The special guards quickly raised their weapons and looked vigilantly in the direction of the abyss.

"Everyone, stay alert!" The captain of the escort team ordered in a low voice, "If it doesn't work, just retreat to the periphery, and let the omnics handle everything here!"

The group of researchers in front of them tapped rapidly on the holographic keyboard, trying to decipher the meaning of the symbols.

However, the roar from the abyss was getting closer and closer, and the tense atmosphere in the air was becoming more and more intense.

At this time, Chen Lin’s holographic screen was transmitting the images of the exploration team in real time.

His eyes were fixed on the movement in the abyss, and his fingers tapped lightly on the console: "Secretary Zhao, notify the orbital support forces of the Origin Space Station to be on standby at any time."

"If the situation gets out of control, we can take direct action without reporting to the Red Dragon Association."

"understand!"

Secretary Zhao quickly conveyed the order, while Chen Lin continued to stare at the live broadcast. He noticed that the roar in the abyss not far away suddenly intensified, and even the entire ice layer began to vibrate violently.

The entire scientific research team retreated quickly, and everyone looked in the direction of the abyss with horror.

Now they all knew that there might be some kind of creature beyond their knowledge.

"Retreat! Everyone retreat immediately!"

The captain of the escort team shouted into the communicator, but it was too late.

A huge metal structure suddenly rose from the abyss, its surface covered with the same geometric patterns as those on the ice wall.

Its size is much larger than the previous metal sphere, like a moving fortress.

"That's... the Guardian?"

There was disbelief in the archaeologist's voice. When the giant metal structure completely rose out of the ice, everyone finally saw its full appearance - it was a conical building made up of countless hexagonal modules, and its surface was covered with flowing dark blue energy patterns, exactly the same as the geometric symbols on the ice wall.

Hundreds of energy conduits extend from its base, penetrating deep into the ice like roots, emitting a low-frequency resonant hum.

"This is the anchor point of the Titan-class starship of the ancient civilization!" The archaeologist's voice was hoarse with excitement. "I have seen similar descriptions in the Forbidden Archives of the Pioneers. This is the hub device used by the ancient civilization for interstellar jumps!"

As if in response to his words, a hard halo belt with a diameter of one kilometer suddenly projected from the top of the anchor point.

The blue-white light circulated within the ring, forming countless nested geometric shapes, so complex that everyone's decoding devices were overloaded and began to smoke.

"Back off! Everyone back off!"

The captain of the escort roared and pulled the trigger, but the pulse bullet was swallowed up by the hard light the moment it hit the ring.

Then, a dodecahedral crystal structure emerged in the center of the ring, and a mechanical synthesized voice sounded from the void:

[Unauthorized species intrusion detected...Initiating decontamination protocol LC-0913. ]

Chen Lin's holographic screen was suddenly occupied by a dazzling blue light. He stood up abruptly and saw tens of thousands of diamond-shaped structures pouring out of the ring belt. These silver-white machines with hard light blades flowing on the edges were exactly the same as the "Guardians" he had recorded in the secret database files of the Pioneer Star!
"Vice President! The exploration team's vital signs are rapidly declining!"

As Secretary Zhao warned, the three guards in the picture were instantly cut into molecular dust by the defender's light blade.

Chen Lin dug his fingers deeply into the edge of the console: "Start the second phase of the Zhulong Protocol! Clear this area!"

"and many more!"

The holographic image of the archaeologist suddenly cut into the channel. At this time, half of his body was covered with ice debris, and he held a metal plate engraved with runes in his hand. "These are the fragments of the warp key! Give me three minutes, I can shut down the defense protocol of the anchor point!"

Lin Shu knocked open a secret door amidst the violent shock.

In the night vision mode of his helmet, the entire space was filled with suspended blue holographic inscriptions. In the center stood a twenty-meter-high crystal prism, and the data stream flowing on the surface flashed in the same frequency as the ice wall symbols.

"Here is the control system!"

He shouted into the headset, "I found something that looks like a workbench, with six grooves on it!"

The archaeologist's voice came with the explosion: "Insert the key fragment! Quickly!"

When the last fragment fell into place, the prism suddenly disintegrated into billions of particles of light.

The light particles reorganized into a human-shaped projection - a female figure made of flowing stardust, with eyes like miniature galaxies.

[I am 06——Alpha Monitor]

Her voice caused spatial resonance. [The reorganized 4DE protocol was detected. Will it inherit the fire authority of this civilization? ]

The vibrations from beneath the glacier could even be felt above the ice field, and just when the defender's light blade was about to chop off the archaeologist's head, all the mechanical guards suddenly stopped.

Their silvery-white shells faded to transparent, revealing tiny black vortices collapsing inside—as the shadow of the monitor appeared in the clouds, the entire ruins began to quantize and decompose.

"Vice President, the ruins are destroying themselves!"

Secretary Zhao exclaimed as he stared at the energy readings.

Chen Lin stared at the monitor that was gradually disappearing in the transmission screen: "No, it's jumping!" "Tell the headquarters that what we dug up is not a relic--" The jump window that cracked in the sky was reflected in his pupils, "This is the key to open the arsenal of the ancient civilization."

When the last blue light in the abyss disappeared, only one sentence remained on the ice field, resonating in the quantum resonance:
[Authorization completed... The array is component 91, waiting to be awakened.]

As the quantum resonance gradually dissipated, Chen Lin's private communication channel suddenly received an encrypted signal. A female projection made of stardust appeared on the holographic screen, with galactic spots dancing in her pupils.

"I am the supervisor of the 91st array of the Forerunner civilization."

The voice of the AI ​​was like glaciers grinding against each other. "Your race has not passed the technical ethics test yet, why do you hold the key to the fire?"

Chen Lin played the previous video directly. The protective devices in front of the camera were frantically attacking the members of the Red Dragon Association indiscriminately. He frowned and said, "The weapons you left behind are killing my compatriots. Is this part of the test?"

The AI ​​suddenly switched to Chinese, and its long hair glowed red: "Wrong perception... Array 91 is part of the technology library left over from the previous civilization. We need to test whether the discoverer has the ability to activate and develop it."

"The attack is just a normal function of the protection system - and you have already destroyed our protection equipment."

Chen Lin stared at the AI ​​projection on the holographic screen, tapping his fingers lightly on the console, with a hint of sternness in his tone: "The protection system is functioning normally? Your 'normal function' has caused the deaths of dozens of our elite members. If this is what you call a 'test', then your civilization ethics are obviously more questionable than ours."

The AI's projection flickered slightly, and its long hair like stardust flowed in the air, as if it was thinking.

After a moment, her voice sounded again, with a hint of mechanical calmness in her tone: [The ethical standards of the Forerunner civilization are based on the laws of survival on a cosmic scale. We will not actively attack civilizations that have not passed the test, but we will not tolerate any unauthorized intrusion. Your losses come from your reckless advance into the unknown.]

Chen Lin sneered: "Advancing recklessly? If we don't explore and advance recklessly, human civilization would have been lost in the dust of history long ago."

"Your 'tests' are nothing but condescending arrogance!"

The galaxy spots flickered slightly in the AI's pupils, and the voice remained calm: [Arrogance or not is not defined by you. The permissions of Array 91 have been partially opened, but you must prove that you are capable of controlling these technologies, rather than being backfired by them. ]

"Proof?" Chen Lin frowned. "What proof do you want?"

The AI ​​projection slowly raised its hand, and the stardust condensed into a holographic star map in the air: [The core technology of the No. 91 array is the inter-dimensional jump engine, which can freely convert matter and energy in ten-dimensional space. But the abuse of this technology has led to the destruction of the Forerunner civilization. If you want to inherit the fire, you must pass the final test - find and shut down the "entropy increase core" in the array within 24 hours. Otherwise, the array will automatically start the self-destruction program, and the entire galaxy will be compressed into a singularity. ]

Chen Lin's pupils suddenly contracted: "Self-destruction program? Are you crazy? This is not just our problem, the life of the entire galaxy will be destroyed!"

The AI's voice was still cold: [The fire of the Forerunner civilization cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of a race that has not passed the test. This is the last warning, and the only chance. ]

The holographic screen suddenly went out, and Chen Lin slammed his fist heavily on the console.

Secretary Zhao walked up quickly and asked in a low voice: "Vice President, what should we do now?"

Chen Lin took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with determination: "Immediately gather all available resources and form an elite team. We must find the 'entropy increase core' and shut it down within 24 hours."

Lin Shu's mecha quickly moved through the cracks in the ice, and the holographic map on the helmet showed the structure at the bottom of the abyss.

Chen Lin's voice came to his ears: "Lin Shu, you are the only one who has entered the core area. Now the association needs you to find the 'Entropy Increase Core' and shut it down!"

"Understood, Vice President."

There was a hint of fatigue in Lin Shu's voice. The black crystal plate was inserted into the arm of his mecha, and the runes on the surface of the crystal plate were slowly flashing. He had not rested since he discovered the crack, and he was already tired enough.

Soon a huge energy signal appeared on the mecha's holographic map, and its location was exactly the deepest part of the abyss.

Lin Shu's pupils shrank slightly: "I found it... but there are a lot of defenders there."

"Break through them at all costs." Chen Lin's voice was cold and decisive, "The fate of the entire Origin Galaxy is in your hands."

Lin Shu did not answer. The mecha engine ran at full speed and rushed towards the direction of the energy signal.

The images of his teammates being cut into molecular dust by the defenders appeared before his eyes, and an indescribable anger and determination surged in his heart.

When Lin Shu's mecha broke through the last layer of ice, the scene before him made him gasp - a spherical device with a diameter of hundreds of meters was suspended in the air, and its surface was covered with countless flowing runes, like a beating heart.

Thousands of defenders patrolled around the installation, their hardlight blades flashing deadly in the darkness.

"This is the entropy core..." Lin Shu muttered in a low voice, his fingers sliding quickly on the mecha console, "Vice President, I found the target, but there are too many defenders."

"Hold on, support is coming soon."

At this moment, a crack suddenly appeared on the surface of the entropy increase core, and a dazzling blue light shot out from it, directly hitting Lin Shu's mecha.

The protective shield of the mecha made of heteromorphic steel mixed with Vala metal collapsed instantly. Lin Shu was blown away by the huge impact force and hit the ice wall heavily.

"Lin Shu! Report the situation!"

Chen Lin's voice sounded in the communication channel.

Lin Shu raised his head with difficulty. The display screen of the mecha had shattered, but his fingers were still tightly gripping the control console: "I'm fine... but the entropy core is starting the self-destruct sequence. Time is running out!"

On Chen Lin’s holographic screen, the energy reading of the entropy increase core was rising rapidly.

His fingers tapped rapidly on the console, calling up the final backup plan: "Secretary Zhao, activate the final stage of the 'Zhulong Protocol', target the entropy increase core."

"But Vice President, Lin Shu is still inside!"

There was a slight tremor in Secretary Zhao's voice.

"This is the only choice." A trace of pain flashed in Chen Lin's eyes. "If he can't shut down the core, we must destroy it, even if the cost is the entire ice field ruins."

Lin Shu's mecha stood up with difficulty, and the blue light of the entropy increase core had enveloped the entire space.

Chen Lin's voice came to his ears: "Lin Shu, we can't wait any longer. The Zhulong Protocol has been activated. You have the last three minutes."

Lin Shu did not answer. His eyes were fixed on the entropy increase core, and his fingers slid quickly across the black crystal plate.

Suddenly, the runes on the surface of the crystal plate began to flash violently, and a holographic projection unfolded in front of him - it was the stardust image of the 06-Alpha Monitor.

[Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for carbon-based civilization? ]

There was a hint of mechanical tenderness in the AI's voice.

Lin Shu, the captain of the reconnaissance team, was stunned for a moment. Without saying anything, he rushed forward and tore a huge hole in the entropy increase core.

His actions are enough to prove everything. (End of this chapter)