Chapter 15: The Void Metal and the Star-Gate Activation
The victory against the first wave of the Mechanoid Syndicate had left Neo-Arcadia in a state of solemn triumph. While the citizens celebrated the survival of their world, Li Ming remained at the pinnacle of the Spire, staring at the debris of the enemy fleet still burning in the upper atmosphere. He knew that the "Hardware Corruption" script was only a temporary patch. The Prime Logic of Aethelgard would not make the same mistake twice; their next iteration would be immune to simple de-synchronization.
"We cannot defend a single point forever," Li Ming said to his gathered Legion. "A wall is only as strong as the space it occupies. We must move beyond the physical constraints of this sector."
[System Notification: Star-Gate Structural Integrity at 100%.]
[Core Status: Void Metal Stabilized.]
[Ready for "Omni-Directional" Linkage.]
Li Ming descended to the Star-Gate's central platform. The massive ring, constructed from deconstructed imperial treasures and refined Void Metal, hummed with a deep, subsonic frequency. The Void Metal was a unique substance—it didn't exist in the periodic table of the Old Dao; it was a "materialized silence" that Li Ming had scripted from the essence of the abyss.
"Li Xiao, General Zhao, step forward," Li Ming commanded.
The two leaders stood before the Architect. Li Ming placed his hands on their shoulders, and for a moment, a torrent of binary light passed between them. He was granting them "Sovereign Permissions"—the ability to maintain the planetary system in his absence.
"I am going into the Data-Stream Abyss," Li Ming declared. "I need to find the Primordial Terminal. If I can access the Universe's original source code, I can write a 'Full-Scale Format' that will end the Mechanoid threat once and for all."
"Master, the Abyss is a place of non-existence," Li Xiao whispered, her eyes filled with worry. "Many who enter never return, not because they die, but because they are simply 'unwritten'."
"Then I shall be the pen that writes my own way back," Li Ming replied, his gaze unshakable.
He turned toward the Star-Gate. "Legion! Initiate the Final Ignition!"
The twelve Coders took their positions at the tuning-fork towers. They began to channel the raw Stellar Essence harvested from the sun. The golden energy flowed through the silver circuits of the city, rising into the sky and into the Gate's ring. The rotating ring accelerated until it became a blur of silver and gold light.
In the center of the ring, the singularity—the black dot of null-space—suddenly expanded. It didn't create a portal to another planet; it created a tear in the fabric of reality itself. Through the tear, one could see a river of infinite white light, swirling with glowing symbols and mathematical constants. It was the "Data-Stream," the back-end of the universe.
[Warning: Extreme Spatial Instability.]
[Alert: Reality Distortion at 99%.]
"Maintaining the gate will require constant processing power," Li Ming said, looking back at his world one last time. "Xiao, use the planetary grid. Every citizen's core must contribute a fraction of their idle cycles to keep this bridge open. This is our collective path."
Li Ming gripped The Nullifier. The obsidian spear began to glow with a series of complex "Bypass Codes" he had written during his meditation. He stepped toward the roaring vortex of white light.
Suddenly, the sky turned a dark, rusted red. The Mechanoid Syndicate had launched a final, desperate attack—a long-range "Logic Virus" aimed at the Star-Gate's core.
"They are trying to corrupt the ignition!" Zhao roared, drawing his energy blade.
"Don't stop the sequence!" Li Ming commanded.
He didn't turn back. Instead, he threw The Nullifier into the air. The spear spun, creating a "Null-Logic Shield" that hovered over the Star-Gate. As the red virus-probes hit the shield, they were instantly deconstructed into harmless data.
"The Gate is open," Li Ming said, his voice sounding like a thousand echoes. "I go now to find the beginning, so that we may have a future."
With a final step, Li Ming entered the white light.
The sensation was beyond description. He wasn't walking; he was being "parsed." He could see his memories as lines of text, his body as a series of geometric equations. He was swimming in the raw data of the cosmos—the place where the laws of physics were still being calculated.
[Current Location: The Data-Stream Abyss.]
[Status: Individual Ego maintained through 'Architect's Will'.]
Back on Kang Qiang, the Star-Gate remained open, a pillar of white light connecting their world to the infinite beyond. Li Xiao and the Legion stood guard, knowing that their Master was now walking through the mind of the Universe itself.
The era of the "Sovereign Architect" had officially transitioned into the "Cosmic Genesis." The war was no longer about a planet; it was about
the very script of existence.
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End of Chapter 15.