Chapter 178: The Truth Behind the Video

Shen Yan had only taken a few steps when the puppet horde in the distance suddenly stirred. Beams of blue light grew piercingly bright, and countless mental pulses shot over like sharp arrows. “Fall back!” Ye Zhao shouted. The five of them quickly retreated into the dilapidated house. As soon as Shen Yan entered, he crouched against the wall, his fingers rapidly tapping on his phone screen.

Ye Zhao stood by the door, unmoving, her sword tip touching the ground, her eyes fixed on the group of puppets flickering with blue light outside the window. They didn’t charge in, nor did they disperse; they simply surrounded the place like a group of machines awaiting a command.

“The virus is still running,” Shen Yan gritted his teeth. “That ‘Ye Shi’er’ just now was fake. Even the voice was synthesized.”

Yu Xiaotang leaned in. Only the last bite of her candied hawthorn remained. She crunched it off, stuffed the bamboo skewer into her Cosmic Bag, and asked, “Then why didn’t you just delete it?”

“If we delete it, we’ll lose everything,” Shen Yan replied without looking up. “The real clue is hidden in the underlying layers of the video. We have to peel it back layer by layer; we can’t force it.”

Pei Yue took out a pale green pill from her Medicine Pouch and handed it over. “Clarity Incense Pill. It can help stabilize your Mental Power.”

Shen Yan took it, swallowed it, and nodded. “Thanks. If I read this thing too fast, my brain might explode.”

Luo Li leaned against the corner of the wall, her tail gently swaying, her ears twitching slightly. “The magnetic field outside is off. I can sense the ‘data’ you mentioned—it feels like thorns in the wind.”

“Then help me block the interference,” Shen Yan looked up at her. “I’m going to use Demon Power Frequency as a Buffer Layer in a moment. If you feel uncomfortable, just tell me to stop.”

Luo Li snorted. “Stop nagging. Let’s begin.”

Shen Yan took a deep breath. A faint green light glowed at the tip of his finger—the sign of his Source Code Spiritual Root initiating. The phone’s Interface transformed into a Terminal window with black background and green text, lines of Code automatically scrolling.

【Loading low-frequency scan mode…】

【Isolating virus program…】

While operating, he explained in a low voice, “That children’s rhyme wasn’t sung randomly. It’s a Key and also a positioning signal. The real coordinates are encrypted within the audio waveform. Ordinary people can’t detect it, but the System can recognize it.”

Suddenly, Yu Xiaotang’s eyes lit up. “I have an idea!”

She pulled out a piece of Talisman Paper, quickly drew several patterns on it, and stuck it onto the recorder’s screen. “This is my improved ‘Revelation Array.’ It can visualize hidden data.”

The Talisman Paper grew slightly warm. The Image on the screen began to distort, revealing faint, barely perceptible ripples.

“Success!” Yu Xiaotang clapped her hands. “Look at those tremors—do they have a pattern?”

Shen Yan stared at the screen, quickly taking screenshots for analysis. A new Notice popped up in the Code window:

【Nested signal detected】

【Format: Binary longitude-latitude encoding】

【Decoding…】

The progress bar slowly advanced. Outside the house, the puppets suddenly turned in unison, all staring toward the center of the town.

“They’re moving again,” Ye Zhao reminded in a low voice.

“Ignore them,” Shen Yan focused intently. “Give me thirty more seconds.”

Pei Yue tightened her grip on a silver needle, standing behind him, ready to respond to any sudden situation. Ye Zhao condensed her Sword Qi into a thin blade suspended above her head, prepared to strike instantly if anything unusual occurred. Luo Li closed her eyes, her Demon Power slowly spreading to form an invisible barrier, suppressing the fluctuations of the external magnetic field.

Finally, the Terminal displayed the result:

【Decoding complete】

【Target coordinates: Hidden valley to the northeast】

【Location type: Underground level three of the old laboratory】

【Additional Information: High-intensity Spiritual Energy shielding field detected】

“Found it.” Shen Yan let out a sigh of relief and imported the coordinates into the navigation program.

Yu Xiaotang immediately jumped up. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go now!”

Pei Yue, however, frowned. “Wait. Could these coordinates be a trap? They’re deliberately letting us see them, luring us in?”

“Possible,” Shen Yan nodded. “But I checked the signal trajectory. This string of data jumped from three different nodes before finally landing in this valley. If it were fake, there’d be no need for such a roundabout route.”

“And,” he paused, “the ‘Ye Shi’er’ in that video clip just now had an issue with his speech rhythm. The real Ye Shi’er pauses for half a second before speaking; this person didn’t. It means it’s a later fabricated consciousness projection.”

Ye Zhao spoke up. “So you’re saying the other side wants us to think this is a setup, but it’s actually real?”

“Right,” Shen Yan looked at her. “They’re not afraid of us knowing the location; they’re afraid we won’t dare to go.”

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Luo Li opened her eyes. “Anyway, I’m following wherever you go. But if you die on the way, I’m not carrying you.”

“Don’t worry,” Shen Yan smiled. “I’m not so useless as to drag down my teammates.”

Yu Xiaotang raised an empty bamboo skewer. “So, shouldn’t we get going? I’m getting hungry.”

Pei Yue put away her medicine pouch. “Since we’ve decided to go, we need to prepare. A shielding field means spiritual energy might be cut off inside; your spells will be limited.”

“I know,” Shen Yan opened his phone’s background and pulled up a hidden log. “I backed up an emergency program a while ago called ‘Offline Mode v0.9’. Even without spiritual energy, it can hold for five minutes.”

“Five minutes?” Yu Xiaotang widened her eyes. “What’s that enough for?”

“Enough for me to hack into the main control console,” Shen Yan pushed up his glasses. “As long as I can connect once, I can inject code in reverse and paralyze the entire system.”

Ye Zhao glanced at him. “Your code, I’ll provide cover.”

The words were spoken flatly, but warmth surged in Shen Yan’s heart. He knew what this meant—she was willing to take a hit for him.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

Luo Li glanced at the two of them, her tail swishing. “Don’t act out a sentimental drama here. Those metal lumps outside won’t wait for us to finish being moved before they make their move.”

Pei Yue walked over to Shen Yan. “I’ll keep monitoring your vital signs. If there’s any problem, I’ll intervene immediately.”

Yu Xiaotang bounced in front of him, blinking. “Bro, I’ll draw you a life-preserving talisman, the kind you stick on your chest.”

Shen Yan laughed. “Alright, but don’t blow up my clothes.”

“This time, absolutely no explosions!” Yu Xiaotang patted her chest in assurance.

The five of them gathered together, the atmosphere completely different from before. Earlier it was tense and guarded; now it was clear and purposeful.

Shen Yan lowered his head to check his equipment: phone battery full, talisman supplies sufficient, protective outerwear intact. He looked up and scanned the four of them. “Ready?”

Ye Zhao nodded, her sword sheathed, her hand always resting on the hilt.

Pei Yue silently placed the last Clear Spirit Pill into Shen Yan’s pocket.

Luo Li’s cat ears pricked up, her tail hanging naturally, entering combat posture.

Yu Xiaotang took a bite of a newly produced candied hawthorn, saying indistinctly, “Let’s go!”

Shen Yan pressed the navigation confirmation button, murmuring softly, “Breakout route planned. Target—valley entrance.”

Just as he was about to step forward, his phone suddenly vibrated.

A new message popped up:

【Warning: External signal attempting to connect again】

【Source: Unknown】

【Content segment: Mom… save me…】

Shen Yan’s gaze sharpened.

That voice was identical to the tone his mother used when humming children’s rhymes when he was little.

He didn’t move, nor did he speak, just gripping his phone tighter.

The others sensed the anomaly and immediately grew alert.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Zhao asked.

Shen Yan stared at the screen, slowly shaking his head: “Someone is imitating her voice.”

“Still targeting us?” Yu Xiaotang nervously touched her Talisman Paper.

“Not targeting us.” Shen Yan’s voice lowered. “It’s targeting the ‘Source Code Spiritual Root’ itself. It recognizes that frequency, like… an instinctive reaction.”

Pei Yue frowned: “Could it be some kind of mental suggestion?”

“Possibly.” Shen Yan closed the notice window. “But I don’t believe it. My mom’s been gone for a long time, she couldn’t have lived this many years.”

Luo Li took a step closer: “Then why are you keeping the recording?”

“Keeping it.” Shen Yan tucked the phone into his jacket. “Just in case, one day, I discover I’m not alone.”

After saying this, he turned and walked towards the door.

Ye Zhao followed, the other three close behind.

Outside the dilapidated house, the puppet horde remained still, blue light reflecting on the ground like stagnant water.

Shen Yan kicked the door open, a cold wind rushing in.

He stood on the threshold, looking back at the four of them.

“The road ahead might be very difficult.”

No one spoke.

Ye Zhao drew her sword three inches from its sheath, a flash of blade light vanishing instantly.

A faint glow appeared on the silver needle at the tip of Pei Yue’s finger.

A flicker of purple-red flashed in Luo Li’s eyes.

Yu Xiaotang crunched down on her Candied Hawthorn with a crackling sound.

Shen Yan smiled.

“Then let’s dig out the truth together.”

He took the first step, his foot landing on gravel with a crisp crunch.

The wind blew from the northeast, carrying a metallic, rusty smell.

Navigation showed the valley was still two kilometers away.

The five had only walked ten meters when Shen Yan suddenly stopped.

He pulled out his phone, the screen lighting up.

That unread message was still there.

He opened the voice segment and listened to it three times in a row.

Then he noticed the final “save me” was 0.3 seconds slower in its trailing tone than a normal person’s.

Like… a stretched-out echo.

His finger slowly moved towards the input box.

Just as he was about to type an analysis, the ground ahead trembled slightly.

A pile of gravel rolled down from the roadside.

Shen Yan snapped his head up.

On the roof of a half-collapsed building in the distance stood a figure in a white lab coat.

Holding an old-fashioned tape recorder.

Pointed directly at them, playing.

(End of Chapter)