bioinnovel Chapter 406 0.4 seconds!
Chapter 406 0.4 seconds!
Zhang Yan arrived at the spherical space at 9:14 AM.
The Vermilion Bird's energy link completed its final calibration on the ground 1,200 meters above its head. The low-frequency hum of the three-ring power furnace was transmitted to the interior of the space through the link, and the runes on the inner wall glowed slightly.
Standing at the entrance of the passage, Guan Xing held the low-frequency communication device of Guantian Pavilion in his hand, his expression even colder than usual.
"I scanned the space before coming up, and there was no abnormal energy residue," she said.
Zhang Yan nodded and walked to the center of the spherical space. The black sphere hovered in the center, and the liquid metal surface flowed slowly, much more smoothly than before—after the first fracture was repaired, the overall condition of the door had significantly improved.
His gaze fell on the lower right of the sphere.
The second fracture.
The crack extended from the sphere's surface like a dried-up riverbed, the runes on either side dim and lifeless. The system displays a damage rating of: Moderate. The repair plan has been confirmed—it requires the Heart of the Celestial Craftsman to work in conjunction with the Vermilion Bird Power Furnace for continuous high-power rune synchronization.
Zhang Yan brought up the system panel.
Real-time status of the gate network.
First gate: 68%.
The second gate: 43%.
The third gate—
He stared at the numbers.
38.1%.
Six hours ago, when he checked before going to bed, the reading was 38.7%.
The system automatically retrieved the change log. 2:00 AM: 38.5%. 4:00 AM: 38.3%. 6:00 AM: 38.1%.
Three drops. Each drop was 0.2%. Two hours apart.
It's gnawing on the third door.
It's not a test. It's a continuous drain.
Zhang Yan took a deep breath and pressed the message button. It wouldn't change anything. All he could do was fix the second problem as quickly as possible and improve the overall network's fundamental strength.
"Nie Qingcheng." He pressed the communication button.
The sound from the ground came down, clear and steady. "Here."
"Is the data link working properly?"
"Normal. Your heart rate is 72, your temperature is 36.4, and the synchronization rate baseline of the Heavenly Craftsman's Heart is 14%." She paused for a moment. "I also saw the data from the third door."
"Um."
"Fix this first. Focus."
Zhang Yan turned off the communication and looked up at the energy link interface at the top. The Vermilion Bird's power output had stabilized at 90% of its rated power, and preheating was complete.
He sent the locksmith a encrypted message: "Ready. Start at 10:00 sharp."
The reply came quickly: "Ready."
Zhang Yan walked directly in front of the second fracture. The Heart of Heavenly Craftsmanship felt a slight warmth in his chest, as if sensing the imminent large-scale energy movement.
Nine fifty-eight.
He gave Baihu and Xingtian's standby positions one last check. The two mechs were crouched on either side of the inner wall of the spherical space, their self-test lights constantly green. Xuanxie was waiting at the entrance of the passage.
9:59.
Guan Xing retreated to the depths of the passage. Zhang Yan stood alone in front of the sphere.
10 o'clock sharp.
"start up."
The locksmith's voice came through an encrypted channel—halfway around the world, 1,800 meters below the Siberian permafrost. "Locking protocol activated. Connecting in cooperative mode."
Golden light burst forth from the Heart of Heavenly Craftsmanship.
The light wasn't pointing in the direction of the locksmith—the collaborative mode door access network's underlying protocol doesn't require a physical connection. But the light on the surface of the Heavenly Craftsman's Heart did indeed brighten by an order of magnitude.
System refresh: Co-op mode activated. Energy injection efficiency ×2.4. Rune synchronization accuracy ×1.8.
The Vermilion Bird Power Furnace's power was boosted to 100%. Energy was channeled into the Heart of Heavenly Craftsmanship via the power chain, and then transformed into runic energy which was injected into the fracture.
Repair progress: 1%. 3%. 5%.
It's very fast. Much faster than when we repaired the first fracture last time.
8%. 10%. 12%.
System alarm.
red.
Zhang Yantong's eyes narrowed.
"Unauthorized energy transfer detected within the gate network. Signal source: Third gate node. Direction of movement: First gate (current position). Estimated arrival time: Incalculable - signal accelerating."
Here it comes.
This is not standing by as a bystander. This is not a test.
It sensed the repair behavior and came straight at him.
Zhang Yan's mind raced in a fraction of a second. Continue repair—what if it reaches a certain point? Stop repair—12% wasted, fracture and rebound.
Will not work.
The third option.
"Locksmith." Zhang Yan pressed the communication button. "Switch. Switch the locking protocol from freeze push to network isolation mode."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the call.
"Network isolation?" The locksmith's voice was a little hoarse. "I can do that. But the efficiency of lock and key coordination in isolation mode—"
"I know. It's been reduced to 1.4 times."
"The repair time will be extended to nearly forty minutes."
"Switch. Now."
The locksmith didn't hesitate any longer. "Switching in progress—isolation activated."
The brightness of the golden light visibly decreased. System refresh: Synergy efficiency reduced to ×1.4. Rune synchronization accuracy reduced to ×1.2.
Suzaku must make up the difference.
Zhang Yan directly pushed the power furnace to 110% of its capacity, entering the overload range.
The repair progress continues. 14%. 15%. The speed has slowed significantly.
But the red alert in the system has changed.
"Network isolation is in effect. Unauthorized signal movement path has been cut off. The signal is stuck in the relay channel between the second gate node and the first gate node."
Zhang Yan let out a breath.
It's blocked.
Nie Qingcheng's voice came through the communicator: "I saw it. The signal stopped. Stop increasing the pressure once the heart rate drops to 89."
Zhang Yan didn't reply. He knew she was looking at his underlying physical data.
17%. 19%. 21%.
Slowly. But it's moving. Thirty-eight minutes should be enough.
What he needs is not speed, but completion.
23%. 25%.
Time ticked by. Only the low-frequency vibrations of the Heavenly Craftsman's Heart and the hum of the Vermilion Bird Power Furnace remained within the spherical space. The dim runes at the fracture point gradually regained their brightness, like a scene being repaired frame by frame.
27%. 29%.
In the corner of the system panel, the red signal that was blocked by the partition remained motionless.
Zhang Yan began to adjust his breathing rhythm. Thirty-eight minutes of high-power output was a continuous drain on his body, and he needed to keep his heart rate within a reasonable range.
30%.
The locksmith's encrypted channel suddenly became active.
The voice was urgent. This was the first time Zhang Yan had heard such a hurried tone from the old man.
"It broke through."
Zhang Yan tensed up completely.
"The network barrier has been bypassed. The signal is moving again. Direction—the first door."
"how long."
The locksmith's voice carried something Zhang Yan didn't want to hear.
"Three minutes. It only took it three minutes to find a way around the partition."
The system refreshed the data synchronously. The red signal changed from a stationary state to high-speed movement.
ETA: Four minutes.
Zhang Yan stared at that number.
From 47 minutes, to 0.4 seconds, to breaking through the barrier in 3 minutes.
It's learning. It's learning every single time.
It will arrive here in four minutes.
Repair progress: 31%.