The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

Without waiting for a reply, the village chief grabbed the two of them and pulled them toward the lively bonfire party crowd.

Kyle and Roca were startled and quickly broke free. They saw men and women dancing around the campfire, their faces bearing an almost frenzied, extreme expression of happiness. Their dance was unrestrained, their laughter hearty, and the entire beach was immersed in a sea of ​​joy.

But... it was so much fun.

The joy was so intense that it felt...unreal.

Just then, Roca inadvertently noticed a detail.

In an inconspicuous corner by the campfire sat an elderly woman with gray hair. She wasn't participating in the revelry; she was simply drawing something in the sand with a stick. Her face didn't display the smiles of the others, but rather a…faint sadness.

Seemingly sensing Roca's gaze, the usually incredibly enthusiastic village chief showed a very subtle, fleeting change in expression for the first time.

“Oh, that’s Grandma Lina.” He immediately explained with a smile, “Her husband went out to sea a few days ago and encountered a storm…you know. Everyone was very worried about her, but…she’ll be fine soon. On Paradise Island, no sorrow can linger for long.”

He spoke in a relaxed tone, but Roca keenly sensed that the hand holding his had unconsciously tightened its grip.

It's as if it's...a warning.

Kyle and Roca exchanged a glance, both seeing a chill in each other's eyes.

They hastily took their leave, citing other matters on board, and returned to the reconnaissance boat with the large amount of food and fresh water "gifted" by the residents.

Shen Ge gave the order to open fire at will. If the village chief did not release the people, then they would be met with a barrage of fire from the guards.

……

Inside the command center of "Iron Heart".

Shen Ge was sharing the live feed from the reconnaissance boat with Kyle. He also saw the old woman in the corner and the village chief's fleeting micro-expression.

Hephaestus is analyzing the energy flow model of the island, and the entire island structure is being rapidly deconstructed and analyzed.

“My lord,” Hephaestus, looking at the analysis chart on the screen composed of countless data streams, said, his face pale, “I…I think I…understand.”

"Speak," Shen Ge said succinctly.

"This island..."

Hephaestus's voice trembled: "It...it is 'breathing.' Its energy system has a...tidal periodic rhythm. With each 'inhale,' the 'happiness' of all the island's inhabitants reaches a peak, and the island's own life energy also increases accordingly."

“And with each ‘exhale’,” he pointed to an energy curve on the screen that was rapidly decreasing, “a very small amount of energy representing ‘negative emotions’ is… ‘expelled.’ Just like… just like the carbon dioxide we exhale when we breathe.”

The curve he pointed to was powered by the same sad old woman who had been sitting in the corner earlier.

The truth is obvious.

This island is indeed a huge "mystery," and a high-level mystery that can evade Shen Ge's "mysterious eye."

But the "food" it depends on for survival is not sunlight, not water, not even ghost energy. It is... human positive emotions.

The island's inhabitants are not survivors at all; they are "energy livestock" domesticated by the island. The island, through some unknown means, has created a false "paradise" for them, allowing them to continuously generate "happiness" energy for the island to absorb.

Any negative emotions such as "unhappiness" are considered "waste" and "toxins" by this island and will be "disposed of" immediately.

"Thanksgiving celebration..."

Looking at the crowd still reveling in the scene, Shen Ge said, "I guess that's not a celebration. It's more like... a 'detox' ritual."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the lively bonfire party on the island reached its climax. Everyone held hands, forming a huge circle, and began to sing a hymn praising the "Mother of the Islands." Their expressions were incredibly devout and fervent.

But the old woman in the corner, with a sorrowful expression, suddenly stood up.

She wasn't forced by anyone; on her face, there was even a hint of... relief, a poignant smile.

She looked at her reveling tribespeople, then glanced one last time at the deep blue sea that had buried her husband, and then slowly, step by step, walked into the depths of the jungle, her figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.

No one tried to stop her.

No one was saddened by her passing.

On everyone's faces, there was still that ultimate, pure... happiness.

It was as if the old man was simply going for a... insignificant walk.

But Shen Ge and everyone in the command center knew that once she left, she would never... come back.

She is the "garbage" that this "paradise" is going to "excrete" out today...

The food and fresh water that Kyle and Roca brought back, after being tested by Hephaestus's sophisticated instruments, yielded a chilling conclusion—

Of all things, only the parasitic, eerie creature the size of a sesame seed contains trace amounts that can directly act on the central nervous system and continuously stimulate a sense of "pleasure."

Long-term consumption can cause the brain to develop a physiological dependence on "happiness".

This is not a gift at all, but rather... "bait".

"vomit--"

Roca felt nauseous at the thought that he had almost drunk that glass of fruit wine.

“In other words, if we had laughed just now, or stayed on the island for too long…” Kyle’s voice was trembling.

“You will slowly become one of them.” Shen Ge spoke for him, revealing the terrible ending: “Being stripped of all emotions except ‘happiness’, becoming the ‘batteries’ of this island, until you can no longer generate ‘happiness’, or… generate ‘sadness’ that you shouldn’t have.”

"At that time, you will be treated like 'scrap' and disposed of, just like that old man." This bizarre existence, which keeps people captive and devours their emotions, and regards "sadness" as a sin, is a thousand times more terrifying than those fanged, bloodthirsty monsters.

"Then... what do we do now?" Ellie asked. "Should we leave here immediately?"

"Leave? Why would I leave?" Shen Ge shook his head.

He slowly stood up, walked to the huge porthole, and looked at the island that still looked incredibly beautiful and peaceful in the sunlight.

“A creature that feeds on positive emotions…this means that it must possess…an extremely large amount of pure, uncontaminated ‘life energy’.”

His gaze swept over his "Ark No. 1," which, even after being fused with the heart of a seventh-tier Ghost King, still appeared somewhat "malnourished," and over his crew members, who, despite being under his protection, still bore the shadow of the apocalypse in their brows.

"A 'buffet restaurant' full of 'nutrients' but with almost zero defense is right in front of you."

Shen Ge turned around and looked at Alai, Hephaestus and the others: "And aren't you curious? For this island that only likes 'happiness', someone like me, a collection of 'negative emotions' containing an endless will to 'devour' and 'destroy', is quite something."

"Is it a... deadly poison that kills instantly, or an... exquisitely delicious appetizer that it has never tasted before?"

Clearly, Shen Ge wanted to use this island as an opportunity for the system to complete its eighth-order breakthrough.

His decision caused a tense atmosphere in the command center. To deliberately provoke that strange island? To Alai and the others, this was tantamount to sticking their heads into the monster's mouth.

Even though she believed in Shen Ge's strength, she couldn't help but worry.

But Hephaestus, the genius who had completely revered Shen Ge as the only truth, showed a morbid fanaticism in his eyes after a brief period of fear.

“That’s right! The sir is correct!” He waved his arms excitedly: “According to the law of conservation of energy, any single-function system must have a fatal flaw. This island only knows how to absorb ‘happiness,’ so its defense mechanism against ‘pain’ and ‘fear’ must be… infinitely close to zero!”

He looked at Shen Ge as if he were looking at a pioneer about to conduct a great scientific experiment.

Shen Ge ignored his enthusiasm and began to issue instructions methodically.

“Hephaestus, I need you to do two things.”

"First, temporarily sever the energy link between 'Ark One' and 'Iron Heart'. Activate the backup power source and retreat 'Iron Heart' to a safe distance. I must ensure that our only 'home' is not involved in this 'experiment'."

"Second, install the smallest spare 'subspace engine core' in our inventory onto the fastest unmanned reconnaissance vessel. I want you to set a one-way flight path for it to crash into the energy source at the center of the island."

Hephaestus was taken aback at first, but then immediately understood Shen Ge's intention, and a cruel smile appeared on his face: "Understood! A 'drill' that can pierce the shell of 'Heaven'! I'll get on it right away!"

The boy ran out excitedly.

Shen Ge then turned to Kyle and Roca: "Your mission is to lead all the 'Gear Guards' to seal off the entire island's coastline after I land on the island. Allow the people on the island to come out, but do not allow... anything to 'escape' from the island."

"Brother, you're going to... go to the island alone?" Kyle asked nervously.

“No.” Shen Ge shook his head, his gaze finally settling on Alai and Ellie. “I need a helper.”

He looked at Ellie, his second sister who had always been the most perceptive and resilient.

"Ellie, come with me."

Upon hearing this, Ellie's body jolted, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes, but more so a sense of being trusted and a strange excitement.

"I?"

“Yes.” Shen Ge looked at her. “I need your ‘eyes.’ A pair of ordinary eyes that haven’t been ‘contaminated’ by my power and perception. You need to help me observe the most authentic and primal reactions of those captive ‘humans’ after I release the ‘poison.’ This is crucial for me to judge the ‘collapse’ process of the entire island.”

This is a dangerous task, yet one that cannot be refused.

Looking into Shen Ge's calm yet profound gaze, Ellie bit her lip hard and finally nodded heavily.

"it is good!"

Half an hour later, a small assault boat emerged from the massive shadow of "Iron Heart" and charged at high speed once again toward "Paradise Island," which was still immersed in false joy.

Only Shen Ge and Ellie were on the boat.

As they approached the beach, Shen Ge gave them one last instruction: "Remember, suppress all your emotions—anger, fear, pity… none of them. You are now merely an 'observer' recording data. Understand?"

"Understood." Ellie took a deep breath, forcing her heart to become as cold and hard as the man beside her.

The assault boat stopped behind a group of reefs a hundred meters from the beach. Shen Ge did not immediately go ashore, but waited quietly.

He was waiting for his "drill" to crack open this hard "eggshell" for him.

five minutes later.

A barely perceptible streak of light, traveling at supersonic speeds, plunged from the sky like a small meteorite, leaving a long trail, and precisely into the densest primeval jungle in the center of "Paradise Island," the core of the island's energy source!
boom!
A deep, muffled wail, seemingly emanating from the depths of the earth, powerful enough to make the entire island tremble violently...
The small "subspace engine core" was set to the most unstable "space tear" mode by Hephaestus at the moment of impact.

What it releases is not simply energy, but a kind of... "chaos" that can briefly tear apart reality and distort the laws of nature.

This "chaos" is nothing short of the most deadly cancer virus for that island that is accustomed to "harmony" and "happiness"!
The entire island's massive life energy circulation system experienced a "lag" that lasted for several seconds after this attack.

At that very moment, the smiles on the faces of all the island's residents who were celebrating froze.

For the first time, the artificial "happiness" signal forcibly injected from the outside was interrupted. Everyone's brains went into a brief blank.

And this was the perfect opportunity that Shen Ge had been waiting for!
He stepped out from behind the rocks and calmly walked onto the pristine white sand. His appearance was like a virus being injected into a computer.

The island, sensing the "devouring" and "destruction" within Shen Ge's body, began to tremble violently, as if infected with a virus.

Sensing this fear, the village chief, who had been so enthusiastic just yesterday, began to tremble violently. His smile vanished completely, replaced by extreme pain! (End of Chapter)