The compass needle, as if pulled by an invisible force, pointed rigidly toward the depths of the laboratory, which was blocked by pipes and metal debris, trembling slightly. That area was one that even when the Workshop evacuated, they seemed not to have time to thoroughly deal with, or perhaps... dared not approach easily.
The dead silence permeating the air now seemed to take on a viscous, suffocating sense of pressure. Lu Pan could feel a faint, yet extremely weak aura seeping from the gaps in the blocked area—an aura that made his Soul Body instinctively tremble. It was a pure, inherent hunger and desire to devour all orderly Existence.
"Zero Seven Nine"... that rogue Law weapon, was very likely inside! Even after the passage of long years, it might have fallen into dormancy, but that inherent threat had not completely vanished.
Go, or not go?
Lu Pan hesitated for only an instant. The secrets of the Workshop, the Northern Ghost Emperor's conspiracy, and even the truth behind the attack on the Well of Reincarnation might be found here with more direct answers. He could not retreat.
He put away the compass, holding the Bronze Mirror Fragment, the Judge's Brush ready for action, and carefully began clearing the blocked entrance. Most of these pipes and metals had become brittle; he moved gently, trying to avoid making too much noise.
After some effort, he finally cleared a narrow gap large enough for one person to pass through. Beyond the gap was a deeper, downward-sloping damaged passage. The passage walls were covered with massive marks resembling tears from a giant beast's claws, along with a smooth and bizarre melting phenomenon, as if corroded by Strong Acid.
That unsettling devouring aura became slightly clearer here.
Lu Pan took a deep breath and squeezed sideways into the passage. The passage was not long; its end opened into a relatively smaller, hemispherical sealed space. This seemed to have originally been the "Core Control Room" or "High-Risk Sample Containment Chamber."
However, the scene in this room was even more shocking than the laboratory outside.
In the center of the room was the wreckage of a high-strength crystal coffin-like Vessel that had been completely torn apart and melted. Countless severed energy conduits, as thick as a child's arm, were connected to the base of the Vessel. The broken ends of the conduits showed irregular marks, as if gnawed upon by something.
And next to that shattered Vessel, on the floor, lay an... indescribable "thing."
It was about the height of a person, possessing no fixed form, resembling a mass of dark silver viscous fluid that was slowly writhing and changing. On the fluid's surface, bizarre light paths resembling the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern would occasionally appear, or structures similar to the Workshop's Gear Mark would briefly condense, but most of the time, it was just a mass of pure Chaos, exuding cold metallic luster and a desire to devour.
It seemed to be in an extremely low-Activity state of "Dormancy," but even in dormancy, it radiated an invisible Force Field that caused the space around it to slightly distort, dimming the light. On the floor, centered on it, the metal flooring within a radius of several zhang showed a gray, decayed state, as if it had been "digested," losing all structure and Energy.
This was "Zero Seven Nine"? That rogue creation that devoured and assimilated Energy?
Lu Pan held his breath, daring not to make the slightest sound. He could feel that although this thing was dormant, its essence was extremely dangerous; if awakened, the consequences would be unimaginable.
His gaze quickly swept the room. In a corner of the room, a control console half-embedded in the wall, though damaged, seemed to retain a faint spiritual glimmer. On the console screen, some fragmented warning texts were scrolling repeatedly:
【Warning: Unit Zero Seven Nine Activity continuously decreasing... Energy absorption insufficient... Entering deep Dormancy... 】
【Warning: Unknown Higher Dimension information contamination detected... 'Primordial Code' fragments continuously dissipating... 】
【Warning: Containment protocol failed... Final purification procedure missing... 】
Below the control console was an emergency ejected metal drawer with a physical lock. The drawer was labeled: 【Top Secret: Harmony Plan Core Data Backup （Remains ）】.
Core data backup!
Lu Pan's heart stirred. If he could obtain this, perhaps he could completely uncover the Workshop's plan, and even find a way to deal with this rogue creation and the Workshop itself!
However, the drawer's location was only ten paces away from the dormant "Zero Seven Nine"! Any slight noise might awaken it!
The risk was huge! But it was worth a gamble!
Lu Pan calculated the distance and route. He had to be absolutely silent and fast!
He checked his own state again, condensing his Soul Power to the extreme, almost stopping his heartbeat （ and Soul Core fluctuation ）. He moved like a weightless shadow, sticking close to the wall, slowly, inch by inch, toward the control console.
In the air, there was only the extremely faint "gurgling" sound, like mud bubbling, made by the dark silver fluid's unconscious writhing. This sound, at this moment, seemed incredibly clear and terrifying.
Five zhang... three zhang... one zhang...
The distance was slowly and arduously closing.
Finally, he reached the control console. The metal drawer was tightly shut, requiring a password or authorization to open. The physical lock was damaged, but there seemed to be a residual Energy Field protecting it.
Lu Pan tried touching the drawer with the Bronze Mirror Fragment; it was ineffective. He then tried channeling a trace of the Moon-Erosion Demonic Pattern's aura; the Energy Field fluctuated slightly but did not open.
Time passed second by second; every second felt like dancing on the tip of a knife. The writhing of the dark silver fluid seemed slightly more frequent than before?
He couldn't wait any longer!
A look of determination flashed in Lu Pan's eyes. The Judge's Brush condensed a point of extremely compressed, destructive Soul Light, aiming for the Energy Node of the drawer lock, ready to strike forcefully! This was the riskiest method, certain to cause an energy fluctuation!
Just as the tip of his brush was about to make contact—
"Beep... beep... beep..."
The metal compass from the Workshop in his embrace suddenly vibrated slightly on its own for some unknown reason, emitting a rhythmic, clock-like faint sound!
This sudden noise was no less than a thunderclap in the dead silence of the room!
Damn it!
Lu Pan's scalp instantly went numb, and he spun around fiercely!
In the center of the room, the dark silver fluid that had been slowly writhing suddenly froze! Immediately, its surface began to churn violently as if boiling! Countless shapeless "eyes" and "mouthparts" made of silver fluid instantly generated and annihilated on the surface. A violent, hungry, chaotic consciousness swept through the entire room like a storm!
"Zero Seven Nine" had awakened!
It "looked" in Lu Pan's direction, its countless illusory eyes filled with the most primal Greed for Soul Power, that form of "orderly Energy"!
"Roar—!"
A silent roar, transmitted not through the air but directly resonating at the Soul level, filled with devouring desire, exploded forth!
The dark silver fluid instantly expanded and stretched, transforming into a massive, living metal tide, carrying the aura of Annihilation, surging toward Lu Pan like a deluge! Wherever it passed, even Space let out a groan of unbearable distortion!
Life or death in a flash, no time to spare!