Chapter 65: The Collapse of the Code World

Shen Yan’s fingers twitched on the stretcher, as if trying to grasp something, but his entire body had sunk like a block of ice. Just as the Medicine Boy carried him into the side room of the meditation chamber, the back cover of the phone tucked close to his body snapped open with a pop. A drop of golden light seeped out, burning a tiny Rune into the stone floor before vanishing into smoke.

No one understood what it was, but Pei Yue did.

She practically shoved past the guarding Disciple to rush inside, her loose hair stained with blood, the demonic patterns on her left arm faintly darkening, and her knees trembling as she walked. Yet the moment her eyes swept over Shen Yan’s face, she threw herself beside the cold jade bed.

“Body temperature thirty-four point two, heart rate thirty-two,” she gritted her teeth. “One more degree down, and his Spiritual Root will self-destruct.”

Before her words faded, Shen Yan’s chest suddenly caved in, his breath cutting off for an instant. Immediately after, the phone in his pocket lit up violently—no longer with green characters, but an entire screen of blood red.

【Mental Power remaining: 1.7%】

【Neuron decay rate: 3,200 units per second】

【Source Code Spiritual Root stability: 23%→19%→15%……】

【Warning: Immediate shutdown recommended, otherwise Spiritual Energy backlash will be triggered】

Pei Yue’s pupils contracted. She knew what this meant—this body could no longer hold on, the Consciousness Sea was collapsing. Once the Spiritual Root exploded, the entire meditation chamber would be torn to shreds.

She had no time to hesitate.

Tearing off her outer robe and tossing it to the floor, she flipped onto another cold jade bed and reached out to grasp Shen Yan’s hand.

The moment their fingertips touched, the Dark Jade Cold Pulse within her body roared to life, an extremely cold Spiritual Flow surging out along her Meridians. Almost simultaneously, the screen of that battered phone flickered violently, the blood-red Interface refreshing with a new Notice:

【High-purity Yin Attribute Energy input Detected】

【Establishing temporary energy supply channel】

【Importing Energy from Pei Yue.exe… Progress 0.3%】

A Code Flow spread like spider silk from their clasped palms, shimmering with a faint blue light, winding around their wrists like some kind of living Data Lines.

“Hold on,” Pei Yue whispered, her voice as soft as a murmur. “Didn’t you hate Program crashes the most? Now, stabilize that loading bar for me.”

As she spoke, she urged her Cold Pulse to output at full speed. But how could this already severely injured and unhealed body withstand such consumption? A sweet taste rose in her throat, and a mouthful of blood choked at the corner of her lips, dripping down her chin onto the cold jade bed, instantly freezing into red ice.

But she didn’t let go.

Instead, she covered his hand with her other one, fingers tightly interlocked, as if trying to shove her entire being into that string of Code on the verge of extinguishing.

The phone Interface flickered slower and slower, like an old Device running low on battery.

【Energy import efficiency low】

【Suggest increasing contact area to improve transmission rate】

Pei Yue frowned, glanced at the System prompt, and sneered, “Still concerned about user experience, huh? Fine.”

She abruptly pulled open the collar of her inner garment, dragged Shen Yan’s hand over, and pressed it below her collarbone. The moment their skin made contact, the blue light suddenly blazed, and the Code Flow surged threefold.

【Transmission rate increased to 47%】

【Vital signs stabilizing】

【Warning countdown: 90 seconds】

Shen Yan’s face remained deathly pale, but his chest finally began to rise and fall, shallow yet steady. And deep within his Consciousness Sea, that flickering Source Code Spiritual Root also began slowly absorbing the Energy Flow from the outside, like a Server on the brink of breakdown finally connected to an emergency power supply.

Pei Yue gasped for breath, the cold sweat on her forehead freezing the moment it emerged. Staring at Shen Yan’s unconscious face, she suddenly let out a faint laugh. “Look at you, writing a Poison Removal program and insisting on using Spiritual Consciousness as the Compiler. Who taught you that? Can Python run on life force?”

No one answered.

Only the Code flowed silently, winding around their wrists in circles like some ancient Contract ritual.

She raised her free hand and gently wiped away the dried bloodstain at the corner of his mouth. Her movements were light, as if afraid of waking something—or perhaps of scaring something away.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know what you were planning?” she murmured. “Using my Bloodline as an anchor to Restart the program, burning yourself out just to pull me back… You knew I’d come, didn’t you?”

She paused, the Tip of her Finger trembling slightly.

“So… don’t even think about shaking me off.”

As her words fell, the phone Screen suddenly flickered, and a new Notice popped up:

【Emotional Variable injection Anomaly】

【Bidirectional Binding Request Detected】

【Confirm Co-Life Protocol? Y/N】

Pei Yue stared at the “Y,” unmoving.

Yet her thumb unconsciously brushed against the lines etched in Shen Yan’s palm.

Time seemed to freeze in that frigid, silent room. The air was cold enough to slice through lungs, but their clasped hands remained welded together, utterly still.

Footsteps sounded from outside—someone was approaching.

A sliver of warm light seeped through the door crack, falling across Pei Yue’s face. She didn’t turn, only tightening her grip on Shen Yan’s hand.

“Don’t disturb,” she said. “He’s loading.”

The person paused, then silently retreated.

Silence returned to the room.

The phone Screen refreshed once more:

【Co-Life Protocol automatically confirmed】

【Energy sharing mode activated】

【Remaining Mental Power: 8.2% (external Energy supply maintained)】

Pei Yue closed her eyes, her breathing growing long and labored. Her face paled further, her lips nearly transparent, yet the flow of cold spiritual energy she channeled outward did not weaken in the slightest.

She knew that if she stopped, this “human Terminal” would shut down completely.

And she absolutely refused to become the last witness to his System Crash.

An unknowable length of time passed before Shen Yan’s finger suddenly twitched.

Not a spasm—a response.

Pei Yue opened her eyes, meeting his still-unconscious face.

But just then, the final line of text on the phone slowly appeared, then quietly faded away:

【System Notice: Trust Cache has overwritten death Command】

Watching those words vanish, she suddenly felt the cold no longer hurt as much.

(End of Chapter)