In Dragon Ball: A brutal beating of Frieza at the start

Page 277

“Log entry T-72:00:00 - Researcher Carlos”

"The readings at the Abyss interface continue to be abnormal. The amplitude of the background 'string vibration' has surged by 300% in the past week, and the fluctuations exhibit a regular structure. This does not conform to any known model. I submitted a request for in-depth analysis, but the mastermind rejected it on the grounds that 'the data is within the expected deviation range.' I feel... it is hiding something."

“Log entry T-48:00:00 - Researcher Carlos”

"The 'whispers' on the other side of the interface are intensifying wildly! But not on the frequency that induces distortion! It's something else... colder, more ordered, carrying some kind of... reconstruction command? It's trying to resonate with the interface itself! The mastermind has blocked most of our external data transmission permissions, saying it's to 'prevent information contamination.' We're isolated here!"

“Log entry T-08:00:00 - Researcher Carlos”

"They're awake! I knew it! Those pale things! The surveillance shows high-density entities breaking free of the 'Abyss' and infiltrating upwards! The mainframe finally activated the highest alarm, but it's too late! The Echo Cult's madmen are still causing chaos! Order... everything is about to be rebuilt... What we're monitoring isn't the Abyss at all, it's... a cage? Or an incubation ground? Backup power is running out, I need to..."

The log ends abruptly here, leaving only a hissing blank noise.

The control room fell into dead silence.

Lin Ye and Li Sha stood rooted to the spot, as if they could hear each other's frantic heartbeats. Those three short entries in the journal felt like heavy boulders crashing down on their hearts.

The Abyss interface, abnormal string vibrations, chilling whispers, the mastermind's concealment, the pale existence detached from the Abyss (the Bone Walker), cages or hatcheries...

The fragments of truth, pieced together, outline a suffocating fact.

"The mainframe...it knew all along?" Lisa's voice trembled with disbelief. "It might even...have turned a blind eye to all of this? Why?"

Lin Ye's gaze returned to the huge, dark observation window. The darkness outside the window was no longer nothingness in his eyes; it seemed to come alive, concealing countless cold, orderly gazes eager to break free.

"I don't know what the mainframe wants to do," Lin Ye said in a low voice, carrying a chilling undertone. "But now we know that our enemies, besides the out-of-control mainframe and the mad echo..."

He paused, then said, word by word:

"And then there are 'them' from the 'Abyss'."

Chapter 574 The Hibernating Beast

The air in the control room felt frozen. Only the dust floating in the beams of flashlights proved that time was still flowing.

"The mastermind is lying? It might even... have deliberately released those things?" Leaning against the cold control panel, Li Sha felt dizzy, not only exhausted but also stunned by the truth. "What is it trying to do? Use someone else to do its dirty work, clean up the 'echoes'? Or... has an even more sinister plan?"

Lin Ye didn't reply immediately. He walked to the huge observation window and pressed his palm against the cold glass. The chill went straight to his bones. Outside the window was all-consuming darkness, but he could now seem to sense something enormous and bone-chilling, slowly "breathing" in the depths of that darkness.

“The log mentions ‘reconstruction instructions’,” Lin Ye turned his head, his voice exceptionally clear in the deathly silence, “Those skeletons, they kill and clean up the mutants, their movements are clean and efficient, not like they’re going crazy, but more like they’re executing an order… an order to ‘format’ this place.”

He looked at Li Sha with eyes like knives: "We, and the mutants on the ship, are all 'trash' that need to be eliminated in their eyes."

Li Sha shivered.

"So the mastermind didn't go out of control, it betrayed us? It opened the cage itself and released the guards?" Her voice was dry.

“Highly likely.” Lin Ye nodded. “Sentinel, based on the information we just received, re-analyze the threats from the mainframe and the ‘Abyss’.”

The sentry's voice quickly followed, carrying a more severe assessment: "Information update. Based on logs and 'Bonewalker' behavior patterns, reassess:"

"Mastermind Status: Highly suspicious. The core logic has most likely been infiltrated or collaborated with by 'Abyss' elements. Its 'out-of-control' behavior includes an intention to actively release 'Abyss' units."

"The 'Abyss' entity, tentatively named 'Reconstructor,' has had its threat level raised to 'Extinction Level.' Its exhibited orderliness, aggression, and physical transformation capabilities possess the potential to systematically reshape the environment and life forms. 'Bone Walkers' are its basic combat units."

"Conclusion: The probability of survival has decreased dramatically. It is recommended to adjust the primary objective: from 'repairing the mastermind' or 'finding an anchor point' to 'finding an escape route' or 'finding means to combat/suppress the Reconstructors'."

Escape? Resistance?

These two words now sound like a not-so-funny joke.

"Escape?" Li Sha smiled bitterly. "With the spaceship in this terrible state, where can we escape to? Even if there are usable escape pods, the outside world is unknown deep space. What's the difference between that and suicide?"

"Then we can only try to fight back, or... try to live as long as possible." Lin Ye's gaze swept over the control room again. "This place might be able to buy us some time. Sentinel, thoroughly scan this observation post and see if there are any other rooms, especially... if there's anything usable left behind."

"Scanning... An airtight door was detected behind the control room, connecting the small living area and the equipment storage room. The living area environmental maintenance system is operating at low power. Equipment storage room door lock: physically locked."

Living area! Storage room!

This news is like a shot in the arm!

The two immediately rushed to the airtight door at the back of the control room. This door wasn't as thick as the outside one; its manual switch was easily visible. Lin Ye forcefully turned the valve, and with a hissing sound, the door slid open.

Behind the door was a compact suite containing two basic hibernation pods, a dormant miniature synthesizer, a water purifier, and some other essential equipment. Most importantly, a separate energy indicator light in the corner flashed a faint green light—the environmental maintenance system was still functioning! There was clean air and a constant temperature here!

"Great! I can finally catch my breath!" Li Sha practically lunged to check the hibernation pod. Although the energy wasn't enough for deep hibernation, it was enough to rest and recover her strength.

Lin Ye headed straight for the equipment storage room next to the living area. The door had an old-fashioned mechanical combination lock with four digits.

"Sentry, can it be opened?"

"Mechanical locks have no electronic interface, so brute force is the only way to break them. However, the locks are very sophisticated, and forcibly breaking them may damage the door or the items inside."

Lin Ye tried to recall the password that researcher Carlos might have used. Birthday? Project number? He looked at the huge observation window.

“Try… the code name ‘Abyss’? Or related numbers?” Lisa suggested.

Lin Ye tried several combinations that might be related to "zero", "observation", and "abyss", but they were all wrong.

He stared at the cipher machine, suddenly remembering Carlos's unfinished words at the end of the log. "I want..." What was he going to do back then? Leave a warning? Or activate something?

He tried entering the end of the timestamp of the last log entry... "0800".

With a soft "beep," the green light turned on, and the lock cylinder made a "click" sound.

opened!

Lin Ye and Li Sha exchanged a glance, both seeing the light in each other's eyes. He slowly opened the door.

The space inside wasn't large, containing only a few metal shelves. Some items were old and dilapidated or out of power, such as several advanced tool arms, their energy cores completely black. But at the very back of the shelves, they found a sealed, well-preserved metal box.

The box was unmarked, with only a simple clasp. Lin Ye pried open the clasp and lifted the lid.

What was inside made them both catch their breath.

On the left, five standard high-density energy batteries are neatly stacked, fully charged! This is enough to restore most of Lin Ye's rifle to its combat power, and may even be able to activate some other gadgets.

On the right are three vials of injectable drugs contained in transparent protective tubes. Two are highly effective military stimulants and wound healing agents, capable of rapidly restoring blood flow and healing injuries. The third vial is labeled "Advanced Neurostabilizer - Specially formulated for information disturbance fields."

“Targeting the information disturbance field…” Lin Ye picked up the nerve stabilizer, which was exactly what was mentioned in the logbook—the thing to combat the mental impact of the “Abyss”! “This thing might be able to block those maddening pulses!”

At the bottom of the box, there was a thin paper notebook made of a special material. In a place where electronic devices could fail at any moment, paper became the most reliable record.

Lin Ye picked up the notebook, opened to the first page, and saw neat but hurried handwriting:

"Carlos's Research Notes - Top Secret"

"If anything happens to me, those who come after me, use the things here with care, and read the following words carefully. This concerns our survival, and even the world outside the spaceship."

Lin Ye and Li Sha's hearts leaped into their throats. It was as if they had finally touched the door to the core secret.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and, by the light of the flashlight, began to read the first page:

“What exactly is the ‘Abyss’? The more I research it, the more frightened I become. It’s not like a natural disaster, but more like an abandoned or sleeping ‘super weapon factory’. At its core is a ‘reconstruction of order’ technology that we don’t understand at all.”

"The relationship between the mainframe and it is much deeper than what is said in the records. I suspect that the code of the 'Abyss' is mixed in at the bottom layer of the mainframe's program. That's why it was able to know and hide the movements of the 'Abyss' in advance."

"Those idiots in the Echo Cult, the 'whispers of the end' they worship are probably just 'noise' leaking out of the 'Abyss' when it's running! They take it as divine decree, but they're actually licking the dirty water flowing from the slaughterhouse!"

"The real danger is that the 'Abyss' will fully awaken and initiate the 'Great Reconstruction.' That is not destruction, but the 'reassembly' of all the messy things, including organic life and even the monsters created by the 'Echo,' into a new form that conforms to its cold order—those 'Bone Walkers' are the initial products."

"In its eyes, we humans are just a bunch of jumbled code that needs to be 'organized'."

"Finally, if there is any hope: theoretically, there is a 'control hub' below the 'Abyss' interface. That was the earliest control center of this 'super factory,' and perhaps a way to interrupt the 'reconstruction' can be found there. But it is also the most powerful place in the 'Abyss,' and going there is a nine-out-of-ten chance of death."

"May order... no, may chaos be with you. For only those who think outside the box can overthrow that damned order."

...Researcher Carlos

This concludes my notes.

Lin Ye closed the notebook and remained silent for a long time. The information was too explosive and too heavy.

Is the Abyss a weapons factory? Is the mastermind a mole? Is the Echo Cult just licking the boots? And what they're facing is a cold system that wants to "format and reinstall" everything?

Li Sha also finished reading it. Her body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from anger, and also from a deep sense of powerlessness.

"What... what are we fighting against?" Her voice was somewhat bewildered. "From repairing ships to fighting cultists, and now we're facing a supercomputer that wants to delete us like a virus?"

Lin Ye carefully tucked the notebook into his inner pocket, then picked up a fully charged battery and deftly replaced the old, depleted battery in the rifle. "Buzz..." The rifle's energy indicator instantly reached full, and a steady, powerful vibration emanated from the gun.

He handed Li Sha a wound treatment vial: "Take this, it'll help you heal faster."

Then, he picked up the "Advanced Nerve Stabilizer," looked at it, and handed it to Li Sha: "Keep this safe. You're sensitive to psychic energy and easily susceptible to mental attacks. Use it to save your life in a critical moment."

Li Sha didn't answer: "What about you? You've encountered just as many dangers as I have."

Lin Ye shook his head, his eyes steady: "I'm not very thick-skinned. Besides, I have to stay absolutely clear-headed to judge the situation." He directly shoved the stabilizer into Li Sha's hand, "We're tied together now. If we want to survive and find a way out, we have to support each other."

He packed up the remaining batteries and stimulants, then turned his gaze back to the huge observation window, as if trying to pierce the darkness and see the "control hub" hidden deep inside.

“Carlos provided a clue, and he also left his weapons. He pointed out a path, a path that seemed destined for certain death.” Lin Ye’s voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable force. “But we had no choice.”

"Four hours of rest. Injection, recovery. And then..." He paused, then said, word by word:

“Let’s raid the old base of that ‘control hub’.”

"Let's go meet that 'Abyss' that wants to 'format' us all."

Chapter 575 Downward

After four hours of rest, and with the strong effects of the medication, both of them recovered considerably.

After taking the trauma treatment, Li Sha finally regained some color in her face, and the headache and weakness from overusing her psionic energy lessened considerably. Although she was far from her peak condition, normal movement and self-defense were no problem. She carefully hid the nerve stabilizer close to her body; it was her lifeline against mental attacks.

Lin Ye used stimulants to dispel most of his fatigue, and his muscles weren't so sore anymore. More importantly, his rifle was fully charged again, which made him feel much more at ease. He carefully checked his equipment and carefully distributed the remaining energy batteries.

The two shared a few high-energy compressed biscuits they found in the living quarters and drank some purified water. On this nearly destroyed ship, this was considered a feast.

When the time was up, the two stood up at the same time. The rest was over, and an even more difficult and dangerous road lay ahead.

"Sentinel, plan the route to the 'Control Hub' below the 'Abyss,' as described in Carlos's notes," Lin Ye ordered. Even knowing the chances were slim, he had to try. Staying put and waiting to die was not his style.

"Route planning in progress... Warning: The target area is located at the bottom of the spaceship and is marked as 'Unexplored' and 'Extremely Dangerous' on the navigation map. Conventional passages are unusable due to structural collapse or energy blockade. Only one path with a feasibility of less than 10% remains: via the B-9 main power pipeline maintenance well, descend to the 'Keel Maintenance Passage' below the core axis, which theoretically leads to the outer perimeter of the 'Abyss'."

Main power pipeline maintenance well? Keel maintenance access?

These are the most critical and vital parts of the spaceship, especially now that the main power source is disabled.

"Show me the route." Lin Ye said without hesitation.

A winding path appeared on the terminal. First, one had to leave the relatively safe Zero Observation Station, return to the B-7 corridor, and then risk crossing several dangerous zones before reaching the power hub of B-9 and finding the bottomless maintenance shaft to climb down.

"Is there no other way?" Li Sha looked at the line marked with structural hazards and unknown threats, feeling a chill run down her spine.