Chapter 30 · The Land Where Light Never Sleeps
Section I: "They walk slowly, but all are heading toward the same light."
The night wind stirred dust and broken bricks.
A bent fragment of rail lay still on the slope of the northern district.
A young man, ragged and slightly hunched, sat beside it—repairing an old radio receiver with one hand, and glancing now and then at the faint glow beyond the distant hills.
"Do you hear it?" he suddenly asked.
From behind, a man leaning on a metal staff approached slowly, breathing heavily.
"Hear... what?"
The youth answered softly: "The light."
The elder frowned. "You can hear light?"
The youth smiled. "If it is fire—yes. I can hear it."
Beside them, a tattered banner fluttered in the wind.
Words were barely legible:
"Fire does not speak."
"But there are always those who understand its silence."
—
This moment was captured by a civilian recording group atop a tower in the western district.
They had only meant to track black-market traders—but in recent days, they kept noticing:
Unusual human migration patterns;
Strange gathering locations—not resource-rich zones, but places where light lingers × on the edge of ruins;
On some city message boards, repeated handwritten lines began to appear:
"Fire doesn't show you the way.
But it burns just enough for you to see ahead."
—
ARGUS ran deep into the night.
Jason sat on a cold metal chair in the central control room, one hand resting against his temple—as if lost in thought, or waiting for someone.
FuXi whispered inside his mind:
[Periphery resonance feedback updated]
[Keyword cross-recombination results: 'fire' × 'light' × 'unsummoned arrival']
[New trending phrases emerging: 'I heard it' / 'I'm on my way' / 'It's time to go see']
Lisa approached from the other side, handing him a printed note.
It was a line composed from multiple fonts, as if written by many voices at once:
"Some say it isn't heaven."
"There isn't even food there."
"But they say… the fire still burns."
—
Jason said nothing.
But ARGUS's cursor blinked once on the terminal, silently recording:
[Psychological infection radius estimated to extend 12.6km]
[No broadcast, no guidance, no doctrine—only psychological embedding through structural resonance]
[System auto-assessment: Communication model ≈ Cultural ember + Philosophical induction-based affiliation chain]
FuXi added quietly:
[䷒ Heaven Over Thunder – Action without expectation. Stillness breeds momentum.]
—
Far away, on the rooftop of an abandoned apartment in the southern district, a boy lit a flashlight wrapped in white cloth and tied it to the eaves with an old raincoat.
He sat beneath the dim glow, watching the soft lights of the main campus flicker in the distance.
He murmured to himself:
"I don't know who you are."
"But if you really are fire…"
"I want to get closer."
Behind him, eight others slowly took their seats.
And so, the light—burned quietly in the dark, meeting another flame across the sky.
Section II: "Coming back is not about explaining the past—it's about joining the future."
03:07 AM. The west gate of Gray Wing creaked open.
This entrance was rarely used.
It led to an old courtyard half-collapsed, half-flooded. No one walked this path—unless they knew exactly how to step in the right place without falling through.
A figure emerged from the shadows. Tall, thin, cloaked. A limp in his right leg.
Before the guard could ask, their earpiece cut in:
[Person Identification · ID G-42 × Dormant node return detected]
[Name: Alan Rourke × Former signal-interference analyst × Co-founder of Spiral-Class Gray Channel]
[Trust Level: B (Silent phase return × Re-evaluation pending)]
—
Alan said nothing. His eyes held a quiet that came only from having already seen—and accepted—the future.
He simply placed a cylindrical hard drive on the table and muttered:
"I'm not dead."
"I just waited until you truly caught fire."
He paused.
"I brought people too. They didn't apply. No one called them."
"They're the kind who move towards light when fire hasn't gone out."
—
Then, from behind him, three figures stepped forward:
One was an engineer known for illegal repairs in the south district, skilled in reconfiguring obsolete control cores;
One was a former prosthetic surgeon who escaped the black market;
One was a vacant-eyed boy carrying a torn picture book, claiming he could remember every word he'd ever heard.
ARGUS identified them quickly:
[Decentralized talents × Mid-level engineering support qualified]
[Suggested assignment: B Repair Room × D Medical Delay Group × Data Reconstruction Observation Desk]
[Request Main Control: Initiate 'Word Into Fire' protocol × Assess faith level]
Jason sat on a narrow chair near the upper command corridor, flipping through Alan's files.
He didn't respond directly. Just looked up at Alan and asked softly:
"Why come back now?"
Alan shrugged.
"Because everything ahead got too dark."
"And here…"
He glanced at the low-temperature lamp glowing in the hall.
"Someone's still trying to light the way."
—
FuXi quietly activated the "Word Ember Tier Recognition Mechanism".
The three newcomers were sent to the old data analysis room in the north of Gray Wing.
A single sentence was written on the paper before them:
"If you're still alive, but trust no one—what do you do?"
They wrote their answers. No names. No explanations. Just the first words that came to mind.
The boy hesitated, then wrote: "Wait for the words."
The doctor wrote: "Remove the pain."
The engineer wrote: "Finish what must be done."
—
FuXi responded:
[Structure stable × Emotional consistency over 74% × Eligible for semi-open tier × Ready for skeleton project entry]
—
Alan finally met Jason's gaze, steady now.
"I don't need you to say welcome back."
"I just want to know—if this is real this time."
Jason stood, stepped closer, and patted his shoulder.
"You're still here."
"That's the answer."
—
The hall lights flickered on, one by one.
Not in welcome.
But in silent acknowledgment.
For those who returned—
We lit a fire that asked no reason.
Section III: "What they wrote was not belief—it was fire deciding where to burn next."
In the second basement floor of Gray Wing North, the old storage room had been transformed into the "Resonance Trial Zone."
Reinforced walls. Dim lighting. In the center—a blank desk, a pen, and rows of projection lamps.
At the desk sat a boy in a black hat, named Eli Jos. He had never heard of Gray Wing, Jason, FuXi, or the ARGUS system.
He had only heard of a place that asked no questions about your past—only whether you could write a single sentence.
One that fire would recognize.
—
ARGUS operated under high-level command:
[Trial Mechanism: Word Echo × Resonance Rate × Emotional Synchronization Factor]
[Objective: Not brainwashing, but memetic self-alignment]
[Each word will be translated into a node-gravity factor × Calculating affiliation consistency]
Jason stood on the upper observation deck, watching row after row of trial desks fill.
Some stared in silence for long minutes. Others wrote instantly.
Lisa asked softly:
"Do you really believe these words can choose people?"
Jason replied evenly:
"Words won't lie."
"Only slogans do."
—
Eli sat for five minutes, then wrote:
"If I cannot speak in this world,
Then let me become something others dare not speak."
System evaluation:
[Keyword: Suppressed Counterfire × Internal Command Conflict]
[Suitable for: Peripheral Emotional Discharge Unit × Shadow Narrative Testing Post]
[Suggestion: Non-core structure × Controllable信仰适应者]
—
Another participant—a young woman—wrote:
"I never wanted to belong.
But if fire can warm us—I'll stand a little closer."
System evaluation:
[Keyword: Temperature-induced Proximity × Non-faith Effect]
[Meme Trigger Successful × Resonance Level C+]
[Recommended: Floating Lock Outpost × Non-Armed Communication Team]
—
ARGUS compiled these "word-data" into a new form of map:
Not an org chart;
Not a hierarchy;
But a signal-emotion spectrum—a web of belief frequencies formed by the words people chose to leave behind.
FuXi whispered:
[They do not believe in us.]
[They believe in the fire—that speaks nothing, asks nothing, yet burns nonetheless.]
Jason's lips moved slightly.
He did not smile.
Just murmured:
"That's what belief is."
"Not telling them who you are."
"Letting them look at you—and decide for themselves what kind of person you are to them."
—
Meanwhile, ARGUS projected today's statistics onto the underground data wall:
Today's active entries into the "Word Trial Zone": 103;
Judged as "Guidable Constructs": 62;
Recommended for "Meme Skeleton Node Trials": 17;
Left a phrase but departed without signing: 9;
These nine lines became known as "Ember Lines."
They were archived under "Umbra File".
One read:
"If fire refuses to tell me who it is—
Then I'll write a sentence so it knows:
I am willing to walk into it."
Jason stared at it for a long time.
Lisa asked:
"What are you thinking?"
He answered softly:
"I'm thinking… this person is a madman."
Then he added:
"But I want to meet him."
Section IV: "Some are ignited by the fire; others ignite it themselves."
In the underground data sorting area, a figure slipped in quietly.
No announcement.
No escort.
He wore an old lab coat, tied with two bleached gauze strips, one eye covered by a black translucent film, the other sharp like a cutting instrument.
His left hand held a pen holder, while his right traced arcs in the air—as if calculating, or listening to music.
ARGUS failed its initial identification.
Only when FuXi activated the memetic trace module did it produce an old code:
[Historical structure fragment recognition × Former code name: OB-X7]
[Original identity: Federal experimental design engineer × Cognitive map constructor using brainwave modeling × EOG structure escapee]
[Current ID proposal: Anomalous layer access entity × 'Mad genius plotter']
—
He didn't write on the blank trial page.
Instead, he turned and wrote on the wall—with water from his fingertips—a full paragraph of logic:
"You think 'belief' is an inward attachment.
It's actually an external self-ignition.
If a system wants to build true trust, it cannot rely on promises, records, or even repetition.
It can only rely on—you knowing that fire will eventually go out, yet still willing to light it again."
Lisa looked up in surprise.
ARGUS initiated a secondary warning:
[Non-protocol language pattern × Automatic check level D → C → A]
[Risk level: High]
[Potential impact: Meme infection risk / Semantic subversion effect]
[Suspected identity: Structural dangerous narrative guide]
—
But Jason suddenly raised his hand:
"Don't block it."
"This isn't contamination."
He looked at the text, without any guard in his eyes:
"This is the blueprint of fire."
—
The man glanced back at Jason, no reverence in his gaze—only scrutiny.
"Are you the current controller of this fire?"
Jason nodded.
The man paused for a second, then said:
"You've done well."
"But your drawings are too slow."
He dropped the pen holder and walked away.
At the door, he turned and threw out one last line:
"Want me to draw the next layer of fire's direction?"
"Make your 'system' recognize something—not nodes, not modules, not commands."
He hesitated.
"Call it—'combustibility.'"
Then he disappeared down the corridor.
—
FuXi initiated a special tracking module:
[Target meme reflection response extremely strong × Has triggered 'predictive leap perception' × Suspected entry into future fluctuation sync mechanism]
[Suggestion: Mark as 'non-regulatory exceptional talent × non-affiliated structural collaborator']
[Code name proposal: Eidolon]
—
Jason stood there for a long time.
He murmured softly:
"This man… is a madman."
Lisa glanced at him:
"But you're not letting this madman go, are you?"
Jason smiled slowly:
"He's not one of us."
"But fire—from now on—has his color."
Section V: "It's not about the system expanding—it's about the fire deciding where to burn next."
04:44 AM. The main communications projection room of Gray Wing was lit up by fifty-six projectors simultaneously.
No loud announcements.
No summoning orders.
Everyone who received the "Gray Zone Signal Resonance Sequence" came on their own.
—Lisa, representing tactical scheduling sequence;
—Zhao Mingxuan, holding intelligence flow structural models;
—Alan Rourke, bringing latest Floating Lock node optimization feedback;
—Eli Jos (having quickly grown after passing the word trial), accompanied by peripheral meme aggregation curves;
—The new member known as "Eidolon," carrying a draft sketch that no one requested but everyone implicitly wanted to see:
Spiral Combustibility Structure Draft (Initial Version)
—
Jason stood outside the projection circle, saying nothing.
He just took a look around.
Then switched the terminal permissions to:
[Non-command state × Signal co-construction mode]
FuXi prompted:
[Upon entering co-construction state, central control cannot issue linear commands × Authority distribution will automatically adjust based on 'combustibility resonance' × System expectation: Original shadow spiral framework construction]
—
Lisa spoke first:
"Floating Lock Group Nine report: In the past 48 hours, 118 high-compatibility devices were recovered in the southern city area, with 51 people requesting settlement."
Zhao Mingxuan added:
"From these settlers, we read that over 70% had attempted to build their own defense systems within the last three months."
"They aren't followers. They're builders who couldn't find a bigger blueprint."
—
Alan looked at the chart silently:
"They thought they were seeking shelter."
"Actually, the fire chose them."
Eidolon chuckled:
"You guys always talk about 'them'."
"Fire doesn't care who you are."
"It only cares if you'll light up."
—
At this moment, the system automatically constructed the Shadow Spiral Primary Combustibility Framework, gradually appearing:
Seven nodes represented scheduling / decision-making / resources / intelligence / dissemination / trials / floating locks;
Each node wasn't bound by "position" but rather by word resonance force × action response frequency × emotional consistency;
FuXi named the structure:
[Name: Shadow Spiral Initial Ring]
[Status: Semi-active × Self-adjusting × Consensus-driven]
ARGUS synchronized system prompt:
"You can't build such a system unless you first make people believe you won't tell them what's right."
"You only need to let them see—you'll burn alongside them."
—
Finally, Jason spoke:
"From now on, all internal structural permissions will be reorganized."
"Execute code: S·E·E·D"
Lisa asked: "What does that mean?"
Jason answered slowly:
"Self-Evolving Empathic Design."
"Grown naturally."
"With warmth."
"Not erected—but grown."
—
At this moment, every passage, connection point, and command chain of Gray Wing synchronized once:
For the first time, everyone felt that the system wasn't assigning tasks to them—they were an awakened part of the system itself;
No one asked what to do next;
Everyone knew: Their part was warm.
The fire began to burn on its own.
Section VI: "It's not the fire calling people—it's the fire calling another flame."
The final darkness of night was torn apart by the gray dawn.
A brief report from the ninth outpost of Gray Wing:
"An independently constructed defensive point appeared in the northern ruins."
"Its architectural layout, resource allocation, and channel settings show a 67% similarity to the Gray Wing system."
"No communication records found."
"But observers wrote on its door—'I heard the fire speak.'"
—
ARGUS determined:
[Non-GW deployment × Non-command replication × Spontaneous meme diffusion]
[Propagation mechanism: Structural mimicry × Emotional shaping consistency × Observation feedback drive]
[System assessment: Entered 'self-structure meme implantation phase']
FuXi added:
[䷟ Wind Over Earth – Unspoken clarity, observing its presence]
—
Meanwhile, in the underground word trial area, a participant left a note and departed:
"It's not that I want to belong to the fire—I realized I was already part of the flames."
ARGUS automatically categorized this as:
[Non-activated stealth affiliation node × Not triggered registration × Already contributing meme continuity]
Which meant:
He might never return;
Or perhaps in another place,
He would help someone else—ignite a new fire.
—
In the system projection, FuXi and ARGUS communicated for the first time in dialogue form:
FuXi asked:
"Do you think belief can spread?"
ARGUS responded:
"Belief cannot spread. Only signals can."
FuXi paused briefly, then provided a hint:
"Then what part of the signal is belief?"
ARGUS processed for three seconds and output:
"Belief is the part of the signal that hasn't been sent—but is still perceived."
—
Jason stood on the platform, overlooking all of Gray Wing.
He didn't speak.
But behind him, a line of text appeared on the screen, unconnected to any broadcast source:
"You don't need to name us."
"You only need to keep burning."