I handed over to another world

"The effects of 'Entropy Storm' and 'String Oscillation' on the dispersed nano-units are weakened!"

Zhulong's voice was more serious than ever before. "'Memetic Firewall' is being rapidly analyzed and adapted by them! They are using Dr. Chen Xiao's existence as a 'shield' and 'bait'! President, our conventional 'means'...are failing! Their evolution curve is exponential!"

Chen Lin turned around slowly and swept his eyes across the three giant "Pangu" figures on the screen that were floating in the deep space like gods.

The most forbidden weapon of mankind was activated, with a force powerful enough to tear a planet apart, but it failed to deliver a fatal blow, and instead provoked a more cunning and deadly enemy.

Deep in the Martian mines, his daughter is experiencing unimaginable pain, and her consciousness may have become part of the enemy's weapon.

He raised his hand, his fingertips hovering over a black button with ancient runes engraved on it, hidden deeper in the console.

"Candle Dragon."

Chen Lin's voice was unusually calm, yet it carried a power that made everyone's soul tremble. "Prepare the highest authority command: The countdown procedure for the 'Ark' protocol will be initiated."

"I need you to calculate the critical parameters required to completely annihilate Mars and all abnormal life forms in its orbit while ensuring the continuation of human civilization."

“President?!”

Su Mingyue, Lei Zhen and others cried out in shock.

"Your daughter is still on that planet!"

Zhulong's data stream suddenly froze for a moment, and the projection of the silver-haired girl shook slightly.

"President, a special frequency band has been discovered."

Her voice was rarely volatile. "Dr. Chen Xiao's bioelectric signals are still present 3.2 kilometers below the surface of Mars, encased in a quantum shielding field."

Chen Lin's finger hovered over the black button: "Explain."

"The nano lifeforms are using her consciousness as the core processor, but this also means..." Zhulong called up a set of complex data models, "We can carry out precise strikes through her neural links."

Lei Zhen interrupted anxiously: "This will kill her!"

"No." Zhu Long responded calmly, "I have developed a neural mirror virus that can reversely invade the nano network through Dr. Chen Xiao's brain waves. The virus will prioritize protecting the host's consciousness while disintegrating the surrounding nano structures."

Su Mingyue quickly scanned the data: "Success rate?"

"87.3%. But it requires the president to do it personally." Zhulong looked at Chen Lin, "The genetic similarity between you and Dr. Chen Xiao can provide a perfect biological key."

Outside the porthole, the purple light on the surface of Mars had formed a hideous face, roaring silently at the spacecraft.

Chen Lin did not hesitate at all: "Execute."

Zhulong's eyes suddenly turned pure gold.

An unprecedented torrent of data shot from the spacecraft toward Mars, drawing a dazzling golden line in space.

The purple light on the surface of Mars rolled violently like a wounded beast.

Suddenly, all the light simultaneously shrank towards a certain point at the pole, forming a dazzling ball of light - and then disappeared silently.

"Target cleared."

Zhulong's voice returned to calm, "Dr. Chen Xiao's vital signs are stable, and the rescue capsule has been launched."

Chen Lin slowly sat back in his seat, and his fingertips finally left the black button.

He looked out the window at the peaceful red planet and whispered, "Let's go home."

A few hours later, the shuttle docked at the dedicated helipad of the Red Dragon Association Medical Center.

Chen Lin walked quickly down the gangway, and the medical team was already waiting with a suspended stretcher.

The moment the cabin door opened, Chen Xiao lay quietly in the medical cabin, her face pale but her breathing steady.

Her long hair was neatly tied behind her head, she was wearing a clean hospital gown, and the vital sign monitoring ring on her wrist was flashing a regular green light.

"All vital signs are normal." The chief physician called up the holographic report, "It's just that the brain activity is in a deep dormant state. It should be a protection mechanism triggered when the nano life form leaves."

Chen Lin gently held his daughter's hand and felt her warm pulse. He noticed that there were still some scars on Chen Xiao's hands.

"This is her own reaction when she resists that kind of control. The medical cabin will heal her immediately."

"When will she wake up?"

"It could happen at any time." The doctor pointed to the brain wave monitor. "Look at the fluctuations here. It's already transitioning to a waking state."

Zhulong's projection appeared next to the medical cabin: "President, a comprehensive scan has been completed. There is no nano residue in Dr. Chen Xiao's body, and there is no sign of tampering with the memory center."

Chen Lin nodded, his eyes falling on his daughter's slightly trembling eyelashes.

Suddenly, Chen Xiao's fingers moved lightly in his palm.

"Dad...Dad?" Her voice was weak but clear, and her eyes slowly opened, revealing familiar amber pupils.

Chen Lin's tense shoulders finally relaxed: "Welcome home."

Chen Xiao smiled weakly and slowly closed her eyes: "I'm so sleepy... I had a very long dream... on Mars..."

"Go to sleep." Chen Lin tucked the quilt for her, "I'm here."

The medical team slowly left with the suspended stretcher. Chen Lin stood there and watched his daughter being sent to the rehabilitation ward.

Zhulong reported softly: "All nano life forms have been confirmed to be eliminated, and all the rebels in the Senate have been arrested. The Secretariat asked whether to hold a press conference as planned."

Chen Lin adjusted his cuffs and said, "Let them make the arrangements. It's better to handle the matter internally as before."

"clear."

……

The huge hull of "Hou Tu" is suspended in the eternal darkness of the universe, and its engine maintains its posture at the lowest power, like a sleeping giant metal whale.

It had just completed a months-long observation mission of the abnormal gravitational lens phenomenon numbered "UDF-7243" and was preparing to return.

The ship's regular life support systems were humming, the lighting system was dim, and everything looked calm and orderly.

On the bridge, the atmosphere was subtly uneasy.

"Captain, the core database 'Zhulong' subnode has just synchronized the final report of the Mars incident."

Vice Captain Zhang Lei's voice was particularly clear in the silence. He called up the holographic projection and quickly browsed the encrypted briefing, "... nano life forms were eliminated... Dr. Chen Xiao was rescued... the rebellion in the Senate was quelled... the president ordered the news to be blocked."

Captain Li Zheng, a stern-faced and experienced veteran, stared with a frown at the paragraphs in the briefing about the failure of the "entropy storm" and "string oscillation" weapons, as well as the replay of the disturbing image of the giant "Pangu".

“Exponential evolution… using human consciousness as a shield…” he whispered to himself, “This thing is much more evil than we imagined.”

"The report mentioned that 'Zhulong' successfully reversed the invasion through Dr. Chen Xiao's neural link at the last minute," added Chief Scientific Officer Alia Chen, a calm and rational biophysicist. "It used a 'neural mirror virus' to protect the host while disintegrating the nanostructure. It was a very... delicate operation."

“But it’s also very risky.”

Li Zheng said in a deep voice, "If the virus deviates slightly..." He didn't say anything else, but everyone understood the consequences. At this moment, a sharp, short noise suddenly sounded from the spacecraft's internal communication system, like metal being forcibly torn apart and then stopped instantly.

The main light source of the bridge also flickered.

"What's going on?" Zhang Lei immediately turned to the operating table.

"Interference pulses from unknown sources, weak intensity, the source... seems to be the cargo hold area." The navigator quickly located it, "The life support system and engine core readings are normal."

"Cargo hold?" Li Zheng became alert. "Alia, did we bring back any risky samples on this mission?"

Arya called up the list. "It's mainly rock samples and deep space dust collectors. The only special one is a fragment of unknown alloy captured near the focal point of the UDF-7243 lens. It's codenamed 'Omega' and has been sealed in the biological isolation area of ​​the cargo hold in accordance with the high-risk sample procedure. The initial scan shows inert radiation and no organic reaction - theoretically there shouldn't be any energy activity."

"Theoretically?"

Li Zheng repeated. The shadow of the Mars incident made him particularly sensitive to the word "theory". "Safety team, report on the cargo hold situation."

"Security team received. Heading to the biological isolation area..." The rough voice of the security director came from the communicator, accompanied by the echo of metal boots stepping on the deck.

After a few seconds, the voice suddenly became blurred and distorted: "Isolated area...pressure...pressure readings fluctuate abnormally! Access control...hissing...system...logic...error..."

Then, the communication was completely cut off, leaving only an unsettling rustling noise.

The bridge fell into silence for an instant, with only the faint hum of the instruments.

A cold chill crept up Li Zheng's spine.

He had seen clearly in the briefing the horrific corrosive power of nano life forms on electromagnetic signals and information networks during the Mars incident.

"Activate the ship's emergency protocol Alpha! Block all passages in the cargo hold area!" Li Zheng gave the order in a stern voice, "Alia, find a way to restore the cargo hold sensors! Zhang Lei, try to contact the security team!"

"The sensor data... is messed up!"

Arya's voice trembled slightly. The data on the screen in front of her was jumping wildly, sometimes clear and sometimes distorted into unrecognizable symbols. "Temperature, pressure, radiation... all readings are oscillating irregularly. The laws of physics seem to be... invalid in some local areas? This is unscientific!"

"Captain! Unable to establish any contact! All communication nodes in the cargo hold area are offline!"

Zhang Lei's face turned pale.

"What about life detection?" Li Zheng asked.

"Ineffective! The interference is too strong! Or... or there is no life signal in it at all..." Zhang Lei's voice lowered.

Fear began to spread on the bridge.

The nano monsters in the Mars incident can simulate the environment, deceive the system, and play with perception... Could it be that some of them have escaped the cleanup? Could it be that this piece of "Omega" fragment from the edge of deep space... is another form of them?

Or worse...something attracted to them?

Suddenly, a dull, huge crash came from deep within the hull—"Bang!"

It was as if something extremely heavy had hit the inner armor hard.

Then the whole ship began to vibrate slightly but continuously, accompanied by a teeth-grinding sound of metallic twisting, as if a giant beast was gnawing at the ship's bones.

"Structural stress alert! Area B7, the outer hull near the cargo hold passage has an unknown deformation! It is getting worse!"

The navigator's voice was filled with panic.

"Vision! Give me the internal surveillance footage of area B7!" Li Zheng roared.

On the main screen, the screen that originally displayed the external starry sky switched.

The snowflakes flickered for a few seconds, then stabilized. The camera was focused on the main passage leading to the cargo hold.

The red emergency light in the passage was flashing, but the light seemed to be absorbed by some sticky darkness, and the edge of the vision was blurred.

The passage was empty—the security team was missing.

But the next second, something horrifying happened.

A deep red, sticky liquid began to seep out of the cold metal walls of the passage.

They did not simply flow, but squirmed and gathered as if they had life, quickly outlining a huge, twisted, indescribable pattern on the wall.

The pattern seemed to be constantly changing, but it also exuded a sense of blasphemous, inhuman symbols and exuded a disgusting smell of blood - even though it was separated by a screen.

"Oh my god..."

A young crew member couldn't help but exclaim.

What was even more terrifying was that the wall itself seemed to have turned into the internal organs of some living creature and began to pulsate regularly.

As the pulse beat, the blasphemous patterns made of "blood" on the wall began to flicker. Every flicker was accompanied by a deeper pulsation coming from deep within the hull, as if it came from the depths of hell - "Boom... Boom... Boom..."

It's like it's breathing!

The entire "Hou Tu", the crystallization of human technology, seems to be slowly invaded and infected by some indescribable terrifying existence from the abyss of the universe, and gradually becomes its nest or a part of itself.

Li Zheng stared at the pulsating, bleeding wall on the screen, Zhulong's warnings about "exponential evolution" and "adaptation" in the Mars incident roaring in his mind.

He rushed to the captain's communication station and screamed at the top of his lungs. His voice sounded particularly desperate in the dead silence and strange pulse of the bridge:
"This is the Hou Tu! Calling the Red Dragon Association headquarters! Calling Zhu Long!"

"Urgent, highest priority, help!"

"We're being invaded by an unknown entity! It's infecting the ship! It...it's breathing!"

"Repeat! It's breathing! We need to..."

Before he could finish his words, an electromagnetic pulse ten times stronger than before swept across the bridge.

All screens went dark in an instant, the shrill alarm sound stopped abruptly, and all emergency red lights went out.

True, pitch-black darkness enveloped everything, leaving only the increasingly clear and heavy sound deep in the hull.

"Boom..."

"Boom..."

"Boom..."

Like a huge, evil heart, it began its eternal beating in the darkness.

In this suffocating silence and darkness, some extremely subtle sounds began to come from all directions - scratching? whispering? Or... chewing?

……

"that's it?"

Chen Lin looked at the staff member in charge of broadcasting and nodded slightly. The other party gave a positive answer. He turned to look at the group of scientific researchers at the scene and said solemnly: "Well, let's discuss it separately." (End of this chapter)