Chapter 29 · Gathering in the Hidden Light
Section I: Re-entering the Ruins × Systematized Resource Allocation × Emergence of the Gray Claw Alliance
Morning mist still lingered as the main control hub of Huiyi fully entered "dispatch operation mode."
The ARGUS main system had completely switched to autonomous resource logic:
[Resource Model Constructed]
[Zoned Task System: Acquisition × Repair × Manufacturing × Distribution]
[Dispatch Nodes Activated: Tidecore-2, Central Control-17, Support-38]
[Resource Mapping Chart Loading…]
On-screen appeared a full topographic module stretching from the city's southern district to the eastern ruins.
The area was divided into seven sectors labeled A through G, marked respectively with:
Abandoned Energy Storage Station;
Wreckage of Joint Labs;
Collapsed Subway Entrance;
Lower-Level Storage Zone Under Elevated Transit Hub;
Old Automated Production Site.
—
In the conference room, Jason scanned the group around him.
"The stability we've experienced in the past two weeks has been an exception."
"And before the next wave comes—we need to prepare for Huiyi to become a self-sustaining system."
Zhao Mingxuan's terminal had already activated a new module:
[T.R.A.C.E Interference Map]
[Communication Black Spot Classification: Category III]
[Resource Target Dispatch System: V1.0 Online]
[Expedition Team Access Rights Initialized]
Lisa continued, "This mission will be carried out by three units: internal expedition team, outer support squad, and external liaison infiltrators."
She turned her gaze toward a figure standing by the door.
John Wells leaned against the doorframe, pulling out a worn notebook slowly and tossing it onto the table with a thud.
"This is what you asked for—the 'third team'—is here."
—
Inside the notebook were hand-drawn maps, symbolic annotations, remnants of ammo stockpiles, and landing identification charts.
"I got this from the Gray Claws," John said. "They have seven hideouts along the city's edge—four are still accessible, three sealed shut."
"But more importantly—they know where something's still alive."
"What's alive isn't people—it's systems."
Jason raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do they know the control points?"
"They know more than you think," John smirked. "They're not techies, but they're scavengers of system remains."
"If you need anything, they'll probably be able to bring it back."
Jason turned toward the ARGUS terminal and whispered softly as he typed:
[Gray Claw Group · Partial Trust Access]
[Establish Data Exchange Buffer Interface × Prohibit Core Structure Synchronization]
[Authorization Level: Outer Support Tier-III]
The Fuxi system responded in a low voice:
[䷊ Earth Over Water – Guidance for the Masses; Even the Weak Can Be Used]
—
Three expedition missions were generated simultaneously:
Mission A: D-zone factory dismantling → construct primary energy nucleus access channel
Mission B: Seize old medical station in Southeast Green Belt → extract medical modules and dry storage systems
Mission C: Infiltrate C6 Tower base with Gray Claws → attempt to excavate residual city data core
ARGUS issued synchronized commands:
[Mission Access Rights Assigned]
[Module Harvest Cycle: 48h]
[Expedition Teams Ready]
—
At dusk, three teams departed silently from the south, east, and sewer routes.
Within the campus, ARGUS logged a line of prompt text:
[Today's Objective: Localized Resources × Self-Sufficiency Sequence Construction × Establish Non-Dependent Survival Framework]
Standing atop a high tower, Jason murmured to himself:
"We're not surviving just to survive."
"We're doing this—to earn the right to live."
Fuxi replied softly:
[This Day · The Hidden Light Awakens]
Section II: "They Never Promised to Return—but When They Left, They Swore—to Leave Fire for the Shadows"
Upon the central high platform, twilight descended as light and fog entwined between shattered walls.
Jason stood beside the broken signal mast, gazing at the endless darkness on the horizon—the ruins of the old city quarter.
TRACE had officially abandoned that zone two years ago.
But Jason remembered—some people had come from there.
—
ARGUS whispered updates into his ear, reporting the latest expansion modeling of peripheral sensors:
[Peripheral Resource Circulation Map Completed]
[Non-system affiliated entities approaching confirmed]
Yet Jason didn't look at the screen. He seemed lost in memory.
"Emily… Kyle… Paul… Alan… Maria…"
He murmured their names—not calling, but verifying something hadn't been forgotten.
"You once said you'd fight—fight to bring us people, to rebuild some kind of connection."
"But we all knew, back then, there was no formal order."
"No organization. No ranks. No deployment directives."
He chuckled faintly:
"Only one secret phrase—heard by no one: 'If you truly dare to break the spiral, don't look back.'"
Shadow Spiral—that was once a "non-official consensus model" recorded by the Fuxi system before Huiyi even had a name.
It was never made public.
But during that first broken meeting—in the dark underground chamber beneath the Northern Theater without lights—Jason used the word once.
And after that—everything began to gather.
—
A sentry approached from a distance and reported:
"The first outsiders have entered the buffer zone periphery. They're unarmed, carrying repair tools—and the leader claims he used to be a guidance engineering instructor."
Jason nodded.
As expected.
Before every tide of new arrivals, Fuxi would generate three contact models ahead of time.
But today—he wouldn't rely on predictions.
He'd rely on responses that had yet to be fulfilled.
Softly, he told ARGUS:
"If these really are the ones who came back—you know how to welcome them."
ARGUS did not answer. The cursor blinked thrice.
Then Fuxi replied quietly:
[䷽ Fire Over Heaven – Those Who See the Flame Will Return; Those Who Carry It Will Gather]
—
Outside the school gate, three middle-aged men in half-worn uniforms slowly approached, equipment in tow, expressions wary yet complex—as if recognizing home but unsure whether to claim it.
Lisa stood at the doorstep, calmly scanning their passes, unmoved:
"What are you here for?"
The leader grinned, dropped a cloth bag to the ground, and unzipped it—
Inside were scarce high-density electrolyte lithium cores, two pieces of obsolete master computation boards, and a string of expired but reactivate-able reverse network verification IDs.
"I said it before—even if this world no longer welcomes 'teachers' anymore,"
"As long as someone is still writing 'system frameworks,' I know I can still lecture."
He looked up at the silent silhouette on the wall above and murmured:
"Jason, you actually held this place together."
"I thought you were dead long ago."
—
ARGUS popped up a notification:
[New Talent Initial Trust Filter Passed]
[Technician Code: Edvise]
[Assigned to Support Layer × Capability Rating Proposed: B+ × A]
—
That night, Jason didn't speak.
He only sat quietly on the tower, watching more figures approach from the edges of the ruins.
Among them, a tall lean young man glanced at the well-lit campus and suddenly turned to ask:
"What do you think they are—an organization?"
Someone else smiled:
"If they really were a new faction, they should've raised their flag long ago."
"But look—no flags."
He lifted his chin: "Only fire."
From afar, a quiet voice answered:
"A spiral doesn't raise flags."
"It burns."
Section III: "Not Everyone Will Turn to the Flame—but There Are Always Those Who Know How to Keep It Burning"
In the underground levels of the Huiyi main control zone, a new formation was rapidly taking shape.
Jason stood at the edge of an elevated platform, watching below where over a dozen newcomers were setting up a "modular engineering station."
These weren't warriors or speakers; their eyes didn't hold the fire of faith ignited—they had only one thing:
A professional stubbornness that insisted on normal system operation.
Among them, the most central figure was the newly accepted technician representative—
[Technician Code: Edvise]
[Ability Identification: Structural Stability × Multi-Module Assembly × Scrap Reconstruction]
[System Trust Level: B+ → Proposed Upgrade to A (Pending Four Mission Performance Confirmations)]
He worked in silence but managed to complete repairs on three old modules within the shortest time possible:
Power Isolation Activator (reclaimed from a scrapped projection tower);
Alternative Fuel Stabilization Unit (using agricultural waste fermentation energy source);
Temporary Command Execution Interface for compatibility between old signal systems and ARGUS commands.
ARGUS feedback indicated:
[Huiyi Core Energy Load Reduced by 4.2%]
[War Mobilization Power Response Efficiency Increased by 11.3%]
[Equipment Recirculation Rate Expected to Exceed First Phase Threshold Within 48 Hours]
Lisa whispered softly, "He's not someone who can inspire people."
Jason replied calmly, "Fire needs wind to blow it, but a furnace—it needs mud to seal it."
—
Meanwhile, another synchronization plan was being initiated. Zhao Mingxuan led the support team members to the northwest open platform of the campus, which would be the first location for the "External Micro-Transaction Window" project.
The externally approved project codename was:
[Project Name: Floating Lock]
[Definition: Establish Concealed Small-Scale Resource Exchange Portals × Used for Testing External Force Stability × Does Not Disclose Main System Identity]
[Operation Method: Virtual Identifier Matching × One-Time Temporary Transaction Token × Controllable Traceable × Non-Repeating Binding]
—
At the edge of the platform, a middle-aged man wearing a mask and ragged cloak spoke roughly:
"I've brought old signal amplification chips dug out from the northern wasteland, along with two sets of residual electromagnetic interference shells."
"I don't want your medical supplies or inferior batteries."
He raised three fingers:
"I want music that can let people hear 'there are no dead voices shouting here.'"
Zhao Mingxuan paused in surprise, "Music?"
The man nodded, "We have a child there—whose ears were partially damaged by an explosion. She can't hear human voices but can perceive musical notes."
"You give me music, and I'll give you electric fields."
—
After hearing this, Jason fell silent for a few moments. He accessed the "old language pack" inside the ARGUS system, retrieving a preserved children's folk song from the deep database of the campus.
A gentle female voice sounded through his earpiece:
"...The stars sleep, the night sky grows cold,
We're still searching for those who haven't fallen asleep."
Without speaking, he merely nodded. Zhao Mingxuan handed over a thin playback device resembling a shadow to the man.
The transaction was completed.
ARGUS system popped up a notification:
[Floating Lock Node 001: Initial External Resource Exchange Successful]
[Recorded Content: Electromagnetic Shell × Amplification Chip × Node Coordinate Fragment]
[Temporary Token Destroyed: Confirmed]
[Opponent Did Not Locate Main System Signal Chain]
—
That night, the entire Huiyi "self-sustaining system" truly began to operate.
It had no slogans, no flags—only fire burning.
Section IV: "We Don't Farm Land, But We Must Plant Signals"
On the sixth level of the base underground passage, a complex simulation map slowly unfolded on the main control projection wall. This was the "information sowing chain diagram" generated after joint inference by Fuxi and ARGUS.
It wasn't a topographic map or intelligence chart—it was a network showing how to sow seeds in people's hearts.
Jason stood before the diagram, gazing at the twinkling nodes like stars. Each node was labeled not with names but with strings of emotional tags:
"Unwilling to die silently"
"Wants to fight for family resources"
"Never spoke but wants to hear broadcasts"
"Tried climbing walls but failed"
"Used to write letters but had no recipient"
Lisa asked softly behind him, "Is this… communication point layout?"
Jason nodded lightly without looking at her:
"It's not for passing messages."
"It's for planting signals."
—
ARGUS system prompted:
[Peripheral Resonance Area Identified]
[Activate Memetic Induction Module × Propagate Signal Structure: Emotionally Guided × Short Broadcast Segments]
[Establish Nodes: Visible and Audible × Untraceable × No Affiliation]
[Objective: Trigger Cognitive Leaps or Consensus Resonances, Induce Proximity]
—
"We won't call people," Jason said calmly,
"But we will broadcast signals."
He looked at the marked "high-frequency perception fragments" on the map:
2:46 AM;
Ruins of North Second Square;
Someone had arranged three bricks into an "H" symbol there.
Lisa whispered, "Who do you want to attract?"
"Those who want to live."
"But don't want to kneel while living."
"Want to stand up but can't find a way."
He paused, then added:
"Want to build roads but don't know where to place the bricks."
—
ARGUS generated five types of triggerable content for the prototype design:
A girl singing segment · rewritten poem fragment: "I'm not crying, the rain is falling into my ears via the radio."
Short sentence: "This isn't a cry for help, it's a new beginning."
Question-inducing type: "If the light doesn't go out, who will come closer?"
Faulty audio embedded type: Simulating data crashes with intermittent phrases: "We—Are—Still"
High-resolution image fragment: A pair of hands pushing aside dust-covered pens.
—
Jason didn't immediately choose. He simply asked ARGUS softly:
"Which fragment has the highest chance of being heard?"
Fuxi responded on behalf of ARGUS:
[Probability Doesn't Matter]
[What Matters: Who is willing to listen]
—
Meanwhile, reports from peripheral outposts recorded the first batch of "abnormal behaviors":
On the broken tracks in the southern district, an elderly couple built a paper house using charcoal to spell out "Welcome Broadcasters";
In the underground tunnel of West Street, someone tied rags to surveillance cameras, writing "We'll Listen";
The message board in the old school district was repainted dark gray with a single line: "If you're still alive, say who you are."
—
Jason saw these responses but showed neither joy nor excitement.
He simply said quietly:
"We're not broadcasting calls."
"We're planting."
"Not farming land, but planting signals—planting beliefs—planting sounds that can grow into a future."
Fuxi whispered softly:
[䷓ Earth Over Wind – Root Growth Following Trends, Gathering to Form Forests]
Lisa stood behind him, watching the silhouette against the light, suddenly feeling as if he wasn't controlling the system alone—the system itself was supporting him.
Section V: "Not Building a System, But Giving the System the Right to Be Built"
At the core interface of the main control directive layer, Fuxi's mirror module slowly unfolded, displaying rows of "non-structural data feedback models"—this wasn't system-set feedback, but subjective data left by people at various nodes:
"I don't know who you are, but at least you didn't kill me."
"If there's a system, I hope it doesn't require me to kneel to log in."
"I'm not part of Huiyi. But I know the lights here are meant for us."
Jason stood before these data streams, silent for a long while.
ARGUS system softly prompted:
[Internal Customized System Naming Entry Opened]
[Current Anonymous Number Structure: T-Ω37]
[Suggestion: Establish 'Main Control System Unique Identifier' × For Future Multi-Node Connection × Trust Chain Verification × Exclusive Command Structure]
—
Lisa entered the central control hall with a tactical task distribution table.
"Outer zones are starting to operate."
"At the Floating Lock trading points, three exploration teams want to submit requests for long-term resource binding."
"The repair zone equipment framework has stabilized, small-scale energy modules can initiate 'reserve production chains'."
She flipped a page, "Peripheral signal sowing… has returned more feedback."
"There are seventeen 'light spot replies' from city peripheral nodes."
"Six of them clearly express willingness to approach."
"Three say: we've already approached."
—
After listening, Jason asked quietly:
"If you were an outsider."
"Hearing these broadcasts, seeing these responses, watching us recruit, repair, and project light—"
"How would you define us?"
Lisa thought for a moment and replied,
"A group."
"A remnant of idealism mistakenly believed to still be alive."
"A… still-lit assembly."
—
Jason did not respond.
But he walked toward the main control console and opened the "naming input window".
The screen emitted a faint glow.
Without hesitation, without consulting Fuxi or looking at ARGUS prompts, he typed:
[System Main Control Identifier]
[Input Content: Shadow Spiral]
ARGUS confirmed:
[System Main Control Identifier]
[Input Content: LIAOYUAN_PROTOCOL]
[Chinese Alias: The prairie fire spreads like wildfire. (Liao yuan huo)]
[Naming Logic Confirmed × Activate Emotional Resonance Compression Module × Spiral Scattering Mapping Mechanism Nested Activation]
[Organization Core Framework: Shadow Spiral × Status: Active Deployment]
—
Fuxi did not give its traditional prompt sound.
It responded with an ancient hexagram:
[䷁ Earth Over Earth – The Earth Gives Birth to All Things, Silent Yet Present]
—
Standing atop the high tower on campus, Jason stepped out of the command cabin into the night wind.
He gazed at the distant lights emerging one by one from the ruins.
Those lights weren't provided by power plants or government allocations—they were installed by people walking over.
Lisa joined him, asking, "Do you really think these lights will last?"
Jason looked into the distance and answered softly,
"The length of light isn't determined by how bright it is."
"It depends on whether you're willing to walk to where it can be seen."
He turned his gaze to the stars, his expression unchanged, but his voice seemed to resonate deep within the earth:
"From now on, we'll be called 'Liaoyanhuo'."
'A single spark can start a prairie fire.'
These words were once spoken by a great man.
Section VI: "They May Not Hear It, But Those Who Do Will Understand"
At the seventh outpost on the outskirts of the campus, an old projector that had been through three hands began to operate again.
The screen was blurry, the sound intermittent, but those lines were projected repeatedly against the dusk wind:
"…Not broadcasting, just fire."
"Not a group, just someone lit the fire."
In the rubble a hundred meters away, a middle-aged woman wearing old headphones stared intently at the screen.
Beside her, a boy squinted as he read the flickering text aloud: "Liao…yan…huo?"
The woman remained silent, her eyes widened, lips trembling slightly.
Years ago, she had read those words in an old archive:
"A single spark can start a prairie fire."
That wasn't an order.
It was a judgment.
—
ARGUS reported back to the Huiyi main control center:
[Keyword Search Response × Northern City Area × Search Surge Rate: 470%]
['Liaoyanhuo' × 'Fire Points' × 'Free Signals' as Associated Keywords]
[Feedback Direction: Unclear × Distributed Starting Points × Non-Central Source]
[Suspected Formation: Memetic Structural Resonance]
—
In another corner of the city's wasteland, a man sitting in a makeshift tent hammered at broken circuit boards while humming some tune.
Someone approached and asked, "What are you singing?"
He didn't look up as he replied,
"Fire."
"There's someone… talking in the fire."
"I heard them."
—
The system hadn't openly recruited.
No links, no applications, no entry points.
Only those scattered phrases, appearing intermittently like riddles in the windswept ruins, under bridges, on lampposts, torn billboards, old TV pop-ups:
"They have no flag."
"They only say they are 'sparks'."
"Fire won't call you—it will make you want to get closer."
—
Fuxi whispered softly:
[䷥ Wind Over Fire – Hearts Under One Roof, Not Always Recognized First; Those Who Recognize Will Return]
Jason stood high above, gazing at the row upon row of unnamed lights in the night.
He spoke softly,
"The fire wasn't lit by us."
"We merely left the windward side open for it."