Chapter 1 The Scene Before Him

Hao Ren looked at the scene before him in astonishment.

Various crystalline structures and artificial materials resembling metal but possessing bizarre textures formed this place. Corridors and halls were filled with crystalline clusters that flowed with mysterious light and crystalline devices whose purpose was unknown. Dim but still functioning holographic images and embedded display screens were everywhere. Some ancient but precise devices still emitted a low humming sound. And in the center of the hall before him, he could even see a massive, mainframe-like crystal pillar. Floating around the pillar were a large number of holographic images displaying vast amounts of charts and data.

This was inside Asu Man.

It was clearly not just a simple crystal holy mountain.

Kala Xiu Si and the church warriors he brought did not understand the meaning of these corridors and halls. They simply believed that these mysterious structures inside the holy mountain were filled with a sacred aura. Lili's barbarian soldiers, on the other hand, didn't care what Asu Man was, but Hao Ren was different. From the moment he entered, he had been constantly using the translation system to decipher every holographic image and text marker he saw along the way, and he gradually guessed the truth about this place.

"This is the Star Chart Hall," An said as she walked ahead. She had already taken off her cloak and was now just a translucent, ethereal figure. Returning to the place of her birth after many years, she was still able to fulfill her duties as a caretaker. "We must first go to the Will Nexus to restart Asu Man's defense mechanism, otherwise, even if we can defeat the invaders, Locke Marton will enter the real world through the rift in Asu Man."

"Where are the invaders now?" Kala Xiu Si was most concerned about this.

An paused for a moment, seemingly checking some feedback data. "Deep within the Final Protocol Zone. They have breached the gates of the Protocol Zone, but the last thirteen layers of barriers left by Number One are still preventing them from reaching the Ark of the Covenant. We have one hour to complete the system restart and set out to meet the invaders. Rest assured, as long as the system restarts, I will have the authority to activate all of Asu Man's teleportation restrictions. At that time, I can directly send you to the Final Protocol Zone. And we must also restart the system first—Locke Marton is infiltrating from the other side of the seal, while the invaders within Asu Man are preparing to respond. Only by restarting the system can we fundamentally strengthen the barriers and restore stability to the space where Locke Marton is located."

"What exactly is Asu Man?" Hao Ren suddenly asked.

An hesitated for a moment. "It's difficult to explain to you. It's a means of transportation once used by the gods, but you cannot understand the scale of this..."

Hao Ren interrupted her directly. "It's a spaceship, right? A spaceship? Capable of interstellar travel on a light-year scale? With hyperspace jump capabilities?"

This time, An, who had always been calm and composed, finally lost her composure.

She showed some surprise, staring blankly at Hao Ren. "You... you have displayed knowledge beyond your supposed worldview..."

Hao Ren didn't say anything, but at this moment he already knew why An hadn't explained her identity to anyone along the way, nor had she mentioned anything about the connection between her and Asu Man. The truth was so simple: she didn't think Kala Xiu Si and the others could understand these things!

Starships, shipboard AI, database backups... these terms were completely fantastical to the modern Korolu people, belonging to "unknown words" that they couldn't even piece together even if they tried. If An wanted to reveal her true identity, she would first have to give Kala Xiu Si and the others a crash course on the basics of starships and artificial intelligence, and even then, they might not believe her, which would only increase the risk of her being suspected. Moreover, as a simulated logical intelligence akin to AI, she probably wasn't as good at lying and fabricating stories as humans were. So, after mechanically calculating the optimal solution, she simply chose to say nothing—anyway, the goal of "going to the Holy Land" had been achieved, and as an AI, she wouldn't take any unnecessary actions.

Obviously, even though An's AI was high, she hadn't reached the point where she could exceed her preset database and engage in super-logical imagination. That's why she never thought that Hao Ren would be an extraterrestrial visitor! She probably just blocked out the various anomalies Hao Ren displayed as bugs...

After a few seconds of silence, Hao Ren shrugged. "I told you, I'm confident in solving Asu Man's problems. An, whether you understand it or not, I can understand the concept of this 'spaceship,' and I have a wealth of starship operation and maintenance knowledge. Now tell me, is restarting its Will Nexus really the only solution?"

After confirming the truth about Asu Man, Hao Ren decided that he would lead the next operation. He believed that he was more professional than anyone else on the scene—at least he had a license, didn't he?

An's figure flickered rapidly, as if this conversation beyond the scope of her database had caused her processing power to spike to overload levels. But in the end, she still reacted and stood in front of Hao Ren. "Unexpected thread detected, resetting optimal solution... Hao Ren, you are now temporarily recognized as a technician capable of understanding advanced interstellar vehicles, and you are hereby informed of the situation of the Asu Man."

"The current ship is in a state of severe damage. The power furnace has been leaking for a long time and is on the verge of depletion. The Will Nexus has entered temporary hibernation mode due to insufficient power. Backup energy reserves are at 20.3%. The main system is intact, the backup system is intact, the main memory bank has been corrupted and isolated, and the backup memory bank is intact. The previous plan was to forcibly use the backup energy to activate the Will Nexus. This plan can temporarily restore Asu Man's functions for twenty-four hours, but it will completely destroy the main system and the operators within the Will Nexus. After that, this ship can only rely on the backup system for incomplete operation, and the prison security level will drop to a critical point. This is a last resort..."

Hao Ren raised an eyebrow. "So you do have other plans?"

"Try to restore Asu Man's energy supply," An's eyes (or rather, the two points of light on her face that represented her eyes) flickered, and a holographic projection of Asu Man immediately appeared in front of her. "But the repair plan requires extremely specialized skills. I don't think you have the ability to complete it..."

Hearing this, Hao Ren frowned. "You haven't even told me what it is, how do you know I can't fix it? What exactly is causing Asu Man to continue to decline? At least tell me, let me try."

This time, An finally didn't hide anything. After a brief thought, she said, "Asu Man's energy decay originates from the collision damage it suffered several months ago. A fragment containing powerful energy penetrated the ship's head shield and physical shield, and embedded itself in the energy circulation hub of the shield generator, thus interrupting the energy circulation of the ship's power core. If that fragment is removed, Asu Man will restore its energy supply, the Will Nexus can be restarted normally, and the ship's functions can be restored to eighty percent."

Hao Ren nodded as he listened, but as he nodded, he suddenly shuddered. "Wait a minute? Collision damage suffered several months ago?!"

"Although the holy mountain is solid, it is not indestructible," An said calmly. "The collision event several months ago was very strange. A powerful force directly pierced through the shield left by the goddess and interfered with the operation of several divinely granted miracles. It can be said that all the recent anomalies—including the current dire situation—are closely related to that collision. Of course, Locke Marton's increasingly strong tendency to break free is still the main reason."

As An spoke, her gaze slowly focused on Hao Ren. She seemed to have finally connected the events to Hao Ren through some vague logical judgment. "You—do you know something?"

The more Hao Ren listened, the more his liver trembled. At this point, his liver was almost in vibration mode, but he also knew what the immediate priority was.

"Listen, this is hard to explain—but I'm afraid I really do know about that fragment! I'm not sure about its form right now, but I guess it must have considerable energy, and it also carries the aura of a god, am I right?"

An stared at Hao Ren fixedly, the light on her body flickering rapidly as if out of control.

Kala Xiu Si looked at Hao Ren and Lili strangely, with a thoughtful expression, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

"Looks like you're admitting it," Hao Ren sighed. "I can handle this. An, the immediate priority is not to delve into the details, but to quickly repair the energy circulation hub."

"That's right," An nodded. "Resetting the plan, setting the repair of the energy circulation hub as the first goal. Then there is one more thing I must explain—I cannot guarantee your safety after entering the energy circulation hub."

Hearing this, Hao Ren was stunned. "Huh?"

"In the past ten thousand years, the energy circulation hub and its surrounding compartments have been restricted areas. Even the popes of past dynasties could not obtain access. This is because the Stone Tablet of Truth left by the goddess is placed at the ship's head."

"The Stone Tablet of Truth?!" As a high-ranking clergyman, Kala Xiu Si was immediately attracted by this term. He couldn't help but exclaim, "That's... the thing that records the words of God in legends?"

"That's right, it carries the thoughts of the gods, and it is itself an extraordinarily powerful artifact. Under the influence of this artifact for ten thousand years, the entire upper zone of Asu Man has been completely sanctified, and even the spatial environment has been permanently changed," An's body flickered. "Mortals cannot withstand overly strong divine grace, so the upper zone of Asu Man has always been a restricted area that no one is allowed to approach. I can point you to a safe route to the energy circulation hub, on which you will not be affected by the Stone Tablet of Truth, but once you enter the hub..."

As she said this, her gaze landed on Kala Xiu Si.

"Taking a high-level monk as an example, he can survive in the light of the stone tablet for nine minutes and twenty seconds. Therefore, the second plan must involve a sacrifice—he only has one chance to fix the problem, and he cannot return alive. Even if he leaves the range of divine power, he will die in a short time."

Many people gasped, but Kala Xiu Si stepped forward. "Sacrificing for my Lord is the highest honor..."

But Hao Ren stood up. "No sacrifice is needed. Just let me handle it alone."

"You handle it alone?" An's voice was a little doubtful.

"I'm not afraid of divine power erosion," Hao Ren waved his hand. "Don't all look so incredulous. I definitely wouldn't joke about my own life. When I say I'm fine, I'm fine. And theoretically, I should be the only one who can fix that thing, right? The reason you're saying all this is because this 'technician' that only appears once in ten thousand years like me has shown up, isn't it?"

No one could offer a better suggestion, and Lili, the "alpha wolf," also expressed unconditional trust in the landlord. So soon, everyone began to act according to Hao Ren's instructions.

Because only Hao Ren could go to the upper zone of Asu Man, and because someone needed to stay in the "Star Chart Hall" to confirm the status of the starship system startup, the others were left in the "Star Chart Hall" to await orders, while Hao Ren, guided by An, came to the top of Asu Man and finally learned the truth about why this crystal holy mountain had declined to this point.

Yes, his liver entered vibration mode again.