The aftershocks of the explosion had not yet subsided. Gravel fell from the laboratory's dome, and exposed wires sparked with dazzling electric arcs, casting flickering light on Liam's blood-stained side face. He struggled to stand against the cold wall, his chest heaving violently, and the blood at the corner of his mouth continued to spread—not only did the 17% brain activation bring a surge of power, but also unbearable neural backlash. The blue light at his temples flickered like a candle in the wind, and the hum inside his skull had turned into a sharp stabbing pain. Every heartbeat tugged at his nerves, bringing a tearing agony.
[Warning! Neural symbiosis stability continues to decline, currently 68%! Minor damage detected in the cerebral cortex, neural pathways are disordered, and muscle fiber tears are worsening! It is recommended to immediately reduce activation to 16%, otherwise irreversible neural damage will occur!] The AI's warning sounded more urgent than ever, even mixed with a hint of electronic noise—apparently, the Connection Core had also developed minor malfunctions under high-load operation.
Clenching his teeth, Liam forced down the dizziness and stabbing pain in his mind, his gaze firmly locked on the silver bio-mecha in front of him. The mecha had been knocked back three steps by the previous energy collision, and the purple energy core in its chest fluctuated faintly, with several fine cracks appearing on the silver scales on its surface, but it remained intact overall—the 25-unit energy intensity was indeed more than he could easily shake at his current state.
"Zila——" The mecha's head turned slowly, and the red thermal detector locked onto Liam again, its cold, mechanical electronic voice echoing: "Target vital signs are weak, neural symbiosis stability is abnormal. Initiate secondary attack to completely eliminate the target." As soon as the voice fell, both arms of the mecha raised simultaneously, and the energy cannons converged into a dazzling purple light—this light was more intense than the previous one, and the energy fluctuation was even more violent, clearly preparing to launch a fatal blow.
Liam's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously dodged to the side, but the numbness caused by the neural backlash suddenly swept over his entire body. His legs went weak, and his movements slowed down by half a beat. "Chi——" A purple energy beam brushed past his shoulder, hitting the wall behind him. A violent explosion instantly blew a huge hole in the wall, and gravel flew, slamming into his back hard. Liam couldn't help but groan, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The severe pain in his back and the stabbing pain in his skull intertwined, making his vision go black and almost fainting. At that moment, Elena's urgent voice suddenly sounded in his mind, trembling with tears but extremely firm: "Liam! Hold on! I have evacuated to a safe area, but I detected a fatal weakness in the mecha's energy core—it relies on a circular interface on the chest for energy conduction. As long as we destroy that interface, the energy core will instantly overload and self-destruct! I will send you the precise coordinates of the interface now!"
Along with Elena's voice, a set of precise coordinate data was instantly transmitted to Liam's mind, clearly marking the small circular interface below the energy core on the mecha's chest—a design flaw that Marcus had overlooked in his eagerness to mass-produce bio-mechas, and a fatal loophole that Ethan had specifically noted when researching similar technologies.
[Detection of precise coordinate data, target weakness has been synchronized and marked. The mecha is currently converging energy, with 15 seconds remaining to complete attack preparation. It is recommended to use energy interference to delay time, and launch a surprise attack to destroy the energy conduction interface.] The AI's voice sounded timely, and the disordered electronic noise gradually subsided, apparently having temporarily stabilized the operation of the Connection Core.
Liam took a deep breath, summoning all his strength to prop up his body. His fingers trembled slightly, but he still firmly gathered the blue energy in his body. The energy perception ability brought by the 17% activation allowed him to clearly "see" the operation trajectory of the mecha's energy core, and "hear" the faint sound of energy flowing at the conduction interface—it was an extremely regular fluctuation, like a human pulse, with the convergence and release of energy with each fluctuation.
"Now!" Liam roared in a low voice, a flash of determination in his eyes, and gave an order in his mind: [Initiate full-power electronic interference, aim at the mecha's energy conduction interface, release high-frequency energy pulses to delay its attack preparation time!]
[Command received, full-power electronic interference initiated! High-frequency energy pulses being released!]
Almost at the same time, the blue light at Liam's temples suddenly surged, and a high-frequency blue energy pulse shot out from his fingertips, accurately hitting the energy conduction interface on the mecha's chest. "Zila——" A harsh current sound rang out, and the mecha's movements suddenly stiffened. The purple light on the energy cannons began to flicker, and the converged energy was instantly disrupted, forcing the imminent attack to be interrupted.
The mecha let out a sharp electronic alarm, and the red thermal detector became frantic, scanning the surrounding environment continuously—apparently, its system operation had been interfered with by the high-frequency energy pulses. Taking advantage of this gap, Liam clenched his teeth, enduring the severe pain all over his body, and rushed towards the mecha like an agile cheetah. The energy dagger in his hand was tightly gripped, and the tip glowed with a dazzling blue light—the result of him gathering all the energy of the 17% activation degree, and the strongest attack he could currently release.
Getting closer and closer to the mecha, Liam could clearly see the fine cracks at the energy conduction interface, the damage caused by the high-frequency energy pulses just now. He jumped up, dodging the mecha's swinging arm, adjusted his posture in the air, and the energy dagger in his hand, with a sound of breaking through the air, stabbed fiercely at that circular interface—this blow gathered all his strength and carried all his hopes.
"Crack——" A clear cracking sound rang out, and the energy dagger accurately stabbed into the mecha's energy conduction interface. Blue energy instantly poured in, spreading wildly along the mecha's energy pathways. The mecha let out a violent tremor, and the purple energy core in its chest began to flicker frantically. The energy fluctuation became extremely violent—apparently, it had already shown signs of overload.
[Warning! Mecha energy core overloaded, self-destruction imminent! Countdown: 10 seconds! 9 seconds! 8 seconds!] The AI's warning sounded urgently, "Please evacuate the explosion area immediately, otherwise you will be affected by the self-destruction shockwave!"
Liam's heart tightened, and he let go of the energy dagger without hesitation, turning around and rushing towards the laboratory door. The stabbing pain of the neural backlash became more and more intense, his vision began to blur, his legs felt as heavy as lead, and every step he took was like stepping on the tip of a knife. The wound on his back tore with severe pain, blood soaked his white lab coat, dripping on the cold ground, leaving a long trail of blood.
"7 seconds! 6 seconds!" The mecha's tremor became more and more violent, and the light of the purple energy core had become extremely dazzling. The entire laboratory was shaking with it, and gravel fell wildly from the dome, as if it would collapse completely in the next second. Marcus lay on the ground, his eyes filled with fear and despair. He wanted to escape, but his neural pathways were blocked by electronic interference, and he could only watch the mecha's energy core become brighter and brighter, watching death approach step by step.
"5 seconds! 4 seconds!" Liam was getting closer and closer to the laboratory door, but dizziness suddenly swept over his entire body. His vision went black, and he fell forward uncontrollably. He stretched out his hand, trying to grab the wall in front of him, but only grabbed a handful of cold air. The stabbing pain in his skull had reached its peak, and the hum of the Connection Core was almost tearing his consciousness apart. His brain activation began to drop uncontrollably—16.8%, 16.5%, 16.2%...
[Warning! Host consciousness is beginning to blur, neural symbiosis stability has dropped to 60%! Please wake up immediately! Otherwise, you will fall into a permanent coma!] The AI's warning echoed in his mind, and at the same time, a gentle warmth spread from the Connection Core, trying to repair the disordered neural pathways and awaken his consciousness.
"I can't fall... I can't fall..." Liam roared in his heart. He thought of his sister, of Ethan's unfulfilled dreams, of Elena's trust and expectations—he couldn't die here. He still had to complete the 100% brain awakening, find a way to return to his own universe, and protect the people who cared about him and whom he cared about.
He summoned his last bit of strength, propped up his body, and stumbled towards the laboratory door. Just as he rushed out of the door, a earth-shattering loud noise came from behind——"Boom!"
A violent explosion instantly swept the entire abandoned laboratory, and the purple energy shockwave, like a tsunami, spread around. Liam was thrown forward by the shockwave, fell heavily to the ground, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness completely. In the last second before he fainted, he felt the hum of the Connection Core gradually calm down, and the AI's prompt sounded in his mind, with a hint of relief: [Mecha self-destruction successful, target Marcus Thorn confirmed dead. Host vital signs are stable, neural symbiosis stability has risen to 72%, brain activation is stable at 16.8%. Unlocked new ability: Neural Self-Healing (Primary).]
I don't know how long it took, but Liam slowly opened his eyes. The dazzling white light made him squint his eyes subconsciously. The tip of his nose was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant, and the sound of the instrument's "beeping" operation came from his ears—this was the medical laboratory of the Advanced Neurotechnology Division of the Pentagon, a place familiar to him and Elena.
He flexed his fingers and felt that his entire body was still sore. A dull, throbbing pain radiated from the wound in his back, but the stabbing ache inside his skull had eased considerably. The hum from the core connection had grown gentle and steady, rhythmic like breathing. He raised a hand to press against his temple—the bandages had already been changed, and within them the blue light still flickered faintly, carrying a subtle, comforting warmth.
"You're finally awake!" A familiar voice sounded beside him. Elena walked over with a glass of warm water, her eyes filled with joy and worry, and her eye sockets were slightly red—apparently, she hadn't slept all night. "You've been in a coma for a full twelve hours. I thought... I thought you would never wake up again.
"Elena held the warm water to his mouth, carefully feeding him to drink, her voice trembling with a hint of sobbing: "The shockwave of the mecha's self-destruction was too strong. You were thrown out, suffered a very serious injury on your back, and your nerves also had minor irreversible damage—but fortunately, the Connection Core activated the primary neural self-healing ability, and with the neural repair potion I prepared, your body is slowly recovering.
"Liam drank a few sips of warm water, and the dryness in his throat eased a lot. He looked at Elena, his eyes filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Elena. If it weren't for you, I would have died in that trap yesterday. Marcus... is he really dead?"
Elena nodded, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes: "Yes, confirmed dead.The abandoned laboratory was completely destroyed, and we found his body in the ruins, along with some incomplete bio-mecha research data. However... there's one thing that I find very strange."
"What is it?" Liam's heart tightened, and he asked subconsciously.
"That advanced bio-mecha," Elena frowned, her tone filled with confusion, "its energy core technology is far more advanced than the current level of Marcus's company, even more advanced than the technology of our 'Apex Project.' Moreover, I detected an unfamiliar energy fluctuation in the ruins, which does not belong to any of Marcus's research, nor does it belong to the Connection Core—I suspect that there are other people supporting Marcus behind the scenes, and that mecha may not have been developed by himself."
Liam's face suddenly became serious. He thought of the extremely advanced design of the mecha before he fainted, and of the energy intensity that exceeded expectations—although Marcus was ambitious and cruel, with his technical strength, he could never develop such a powerful bio-mecha. Elena's suspicion was definitely not groundless.
[Detection of host consciousness awakening, initiating unfamiliar energy fluctuation analysis program. Analysis result: The unfamiliar energy fluctuation has an 87% similarity to the energy characteristics of unknown interstellar civilizations, suspected to be an alien biotechnology product. It is speculated that Marcus has colluded with unknown alien forces, with the purpose of seizing the Connection Core and using neural symbiosis technology to achieve the earth infiltration of alien forces.] The AI's voice sounded in his mind, and at the same time, a set of unfamiliar energy fluctuation data was clearly presented in his mind.
Alien forces?
A huge wave of shock surged in Liam's heart. He originally thought that his enemies were only ambitious people like Marcus, only power holders like Director Hale, but he never expected that things would involve alien forces—the secret of the Connection Core and the potential of neural symbiosis technology had actually attracted the attention of alien civilizations.
"There's another thing," Elena's voice pulled Liam back to his senses. She took out a small black chip from her pocket and handed it to him. "I found this in the ruins. It's not Marcus's, nor is it from our laboratory. There is encrypted data in the chip. I tried to crack it for a long time but failed. I only cracked one word——'Reaper.'"
Liam took the black chip. The moment his fingertips touched the chip, the Connection Core suddenly let out a slight hum, the blue light flickered, and an unfamiliar energy fluctuation came from the chip, resonating faintly with the energy fluctuation of the Connection Core. [Detection of unknown encrypted chip, energy fluctuation consistent with alien biotechnology products. Attempting to crack encrypted data, estimated cracking time: 72 hours.]"
Reaper..." Liam whispered this word, a strong sense of unease rising in his heart. This word carried a cold killing intent, a sense of plunder—the purpose of the alien forces was probably not only to seize the Connection Core, not only to use neural symbiosis technology, but also to "reap" Earth's civilization and "reap" human potential.
At that moment, the laboratory door was pushed open, and Director Hale walked in, followed by two bodyguards. His face had no expression, and his gaze fell on Liam, with a hint of scrutiny and an imperceptible satisfaction."
Dr. Cross, I'm glad you're awake." Director Hale walked to the hospital bed, his tone flat but with an undeniable sense of oppression. "Elena has reported to me what happened last night—you successfully eliminated Marcus Thorn, destroyed his bio-mecha, and brought back his research data. Well done, you didn't disappoint me."
Liam looked at Director Hale, sneering in his heart. He knew that Director Hale didn't care about his safety at all, didn't care about the secrets behind Marcus—he only cared about research results, only about power and interests. Marcus's death was not a loss for Director Hale; on the contrary, it eliminated a competitor and added a usable set of research data.
"Director," Liam spoke slowly, his voice still a little weak but firm, "Marcus's bio-mecha technology is more advanced than we expected. There may be other forces supporting him behind the scenes. Moreover, we found unfamiliar energy fluctuations and encrypted chips in the ruins, suspected to be alien biotechnology products—this matter is probably more complicated than we thought."
Director Hale's eyes changed slightly, flashing with surprise, but quickly returned to calm: "Alien biotechnology? Dr. Cross, are you too tired and having hallucinations? Marcus is just an ambitious man; he can't collude with any alien forces. As for the unfamiliar energy fluctuations and encrypted chips, they may just be technologies he stole from other places, so there's no need to make a fuss."
Obviously, Director Hale did not believe him, or rather, he was unwilling to believe—in his opinion, nothing could affect the progress of the "Apex Project", nothing could affect his acquisition of power and interests."
I'll give you three days to rest," Director Hale turned around, his tone cold, "Three days later, I want to see you back in the laboratory, continuing to advance the physical modification research and the optimization of the serum. Remember, you have less than three months left. I want to see the test data of brain activation breaking through 20% and the initial results of physical modification. If you can't do it, you know the consequences."
After speaking, Director Hale no longer looked at him, turned around with the two bodyguards, and left the laboratory, leaving Liam, Elena, and a room full of silence.
Liam clenched the black chip in his hand, the blue light at his temples flickered faintly, and his eyes were filled with firmness and determination. He knew that Director Hale's oppression, the alien forces behind Marcus, the cost of neural backlash, and the hope of returning to his own universe—all of these were weighing on him.
The 16.8% brain activation, the primary neural self-healing ability, the mysterious "Reaper" chip, and the hidden alien forces... This game was no longer his own battle, no longer a power struggle within humanity, but a life-or-death contest about the survival of human civilization.
He looked at Elena, his tone firm: "Elena, help me crack the encrypted data of this chip. In addition, three days later, we will return to the laboratory and accelerate the progress of physical modification and serum optimization—we not only need to break through the 20% brain activation, but also quickly improve the neural symbiosis stability and master more powerful forces."
"Because our enemy is no longer humanity itself."
Elena looked at his firm eyes, nodded vigorously, and the worry in her eyes was gradually replaced by determination: "Okay, I'll help you. No matter who the enemy is, no matter how dangerous it is, I will always be by your side, guarding our research and the future of humanity with you."
A faint smile appeared on Liam's lips. He knew that the road ahead would definitely be full of thorns and dangers—the cost of neural backlash, the threat of alien forces, Director Hale's oppression, and the distant road home—but he would not flinch or give up.
The hum of the Connection Core was still gentle, and the memory integration in his mind became more and more close. Liam's AI expertise and Ethan's neuroscientific talent were merging at an unprecedented speed. The 16.8% activation was not the end, but a new starting point.
He would break through his limits step by step, endure higher neural backlash, unlock stronger abilities, crack the secret of the "Reaper" chip, uncover the conspiracy of alien forces, and complete the 100% brain awakening—not only would he return to his own universe and save his sister, but also guard this unfamiliar universe and human civilization, becoming a miracle of neural symbiosis and a hope for human evolution.
What he didn't know was that while he was in a coma, in a secret laboratory of the Pentagon, a mysterious instrument was operating. The screen displayed Liam's brain activation data and the energy fluctuation of the Connection Core. Beside the instrument stood a figure in a black robe, wearing a mask, with an unrecognizable face.
"Liam Voss... Ethan Cross... Dual soul fusion, neural symbiosis..." The voice of the robed figure was hoarse and cold, with a hint of greed and expectation. "Very good, even better than we expected. The 'Reaper Project' can be launched in advance. The Connection Core will soon be ours, and human civilization will eventually be reaped by us."
A greater crisis was quietly brewing. And Liam was already prepared to meet the next life-or-death duel and embark on his own path of awakening.