Ji Xun and Zhu Er quickly climbed up the steps, a strange broken phenomenon following their heels. In the process of running towards the only victory trophy, Ji Xun never looked back once. He didn't need the extra movement, but he didn't miss Jules' quick glance back, the muscles on the side of her cheek stretching back - she was nervous and surprised. Her reaction should not be laughed at; she had demonstrated well-trained self-control in the face of such a sudden and incomprehensible change.
Where they had just escaped, heaven and earth had disappeared. What surrounded them was a sea of fire, or a sea of air, or maybe a pool of venom. Objectively speaking, they didn't know what the twisted space filled with corpses and decay was. There was no word they knew for it. It is also inaccurate to use color to describe it: from the vague impression of recall, witnesses may say it is yellow-green, blue-gray or black-green, but if you really look at it objectively, it is not difficult to find that it is completely is a false conclusion, an unconscious association evoked by something corrupt. It can be red, blue or white at certain moments or angles, and any color that requires a more complex color mixing system to detect. Color is simply a perception of frequency.
If it were some kind of light source, it would be changing dramatically. One of his threads considered this when he stepped onto the last level - this was just a joke, there is too much evidence to show that the probability of it being a pure light source is very low, and it can be ignored at this stage. In addition, it can be basically concluded that it is lethal, so we might as well call it a "death zone" - it is expected that this name cannot be used as a definition.
He and Jules reached the top almost at the same moment. On the top of this altar, which looks like it is pieced together from broken pieces of machinery, the structure is simple and clear. They seemed to be back in the front hall of House No. 3050: in the center of the metal floor, a golden bell hung from the dead soul wheel in the void. Ji Xun slowed down and allowed Zhuer to take the lead in running towards the golden bell to check its structure and status.
The "Dead Zone" stopped spreading outside the platform. Ji Xun noticed that it was blocked by some invisible barrier glowing with rainbow light. The first attacker managed to buy them more time. However, he estimated that it would make Jing Huang more passive, if all the defense and protection mechanisms were placed on the core of the slicer. This protection cannot be expected to be long-term or indefinite.
Jules let out a short cry, a sound bordering on joy. Ji Xun walked over and asked with interest, "How is it?"
"It's different from what I thought," Juul said. "I thought the core control panel would remain, just like the equipment I installed."
"Apparently it was replaced with a new form as well."
"Yes. But that's okay. I can still give simple commands, and at this distance, I should be able to stop it. As long as it still has a conceptual control structure."
Time has become urgent. But Jules seemed in no hurry. She took a step back and observed the "death zone" surrounding them. She had every reason not to immediately rescue their protector, while Ji Xun was just waiting.
"Your jammer has some extra features," she said.
"I think," Ji Xun replied, "your furry friend should have warned you about how one of his eyes was closed."
"How do you explain him? A wizard who says spells?"
"I would say it's an extension of a certain system."
"This is contrary to your previous description, Mr. Ji Xun." Zhuer said, "You told me that he was a shielder, but in fact, from your statement and his reaction, I believe that he is connected with another Infinity Machine connection. You never mentioned that."
"We can say that all jammers are related to the existence of a certain wish machine. Jules, I think you explained the principle of the two jammers. If you think about it carefully, you will find that if one does not exist in advance We can’t make the first jammer if it’s a wishing machine.”
The light of the flowing rainbow trembled violently. Looking from Ji Xun's position, Zhuer's eyes also seemed to be flowing with turquoise whirlpools. He suspected that this might also be the last thing Toba saw as an animal.
"We should be honest with each other," Jules said, "but I see you are trying to hide something."
Ji Xun blinked.
"I'm definitely not a candid person," he said.
"That might put a big damper on our plans."
"I don't think so, Jules. At least, I won't stop your plan now. Whether you plan to turn off the slicer, or restart it according to your ideas. I led you here precisely to make up for my last visit. One mistake. And, may I remind you, we don't have much time left."
Their eyes met for a moment. From those pink eyes, Ji Xun saw the threat that they both knew well: now that they have reached the core, only one wish-maker is enough. Since he was not the one who installed the extra components on the slicer, it was an obvious question whose instructions would be prioritized.
"We still need each other, Mr. Ji Xun." Zhu Er finally said. She emphasized it with the assurance of a victor to his captives: "If we are to enter this era, your full knowledge of contemporary knowledge is valuable."
Ji Xun lowered his head without saying a word.
Jules stopped paying attention to his reaction. She reached out to the golden bell and grasped it like a pearl. The ritual gesture remained for some time, and she closed her eyes.
The ugly colors shrank towards them. The invisible barrier became more distinct. Those vague colors began to show feather-like patterns by chance. Ji Xun raised his head and smiled at them. After three breaths, Jules opened his eyes.
She let out a short yelp of surprise, which could also be said to be annoyance. Then she stared closely at Jin Ling.
"Close the core," she said.
The golden bell hangs quietly.
"Close the energy control room," she added.
No response.
She tried quickly. Various instructions. Various passwords. Identify themselves. Those invisible efforts were not ignored by Ji Xun. All non-natural language information sent through electromagnetic waves, including images and machine language instructions, all keys requiring system reset, he waited calmly until Jules began to gasp for breath - whether there was air pressure in this space was also worth it Controversial, however, given that the computing center was originally built in a place where life was allowed to survive, it is certainly allowed here as well.
Ji Xun waited patiently for her to curse and get angry, and then regain her senses within a few seconds. Her violent outbursts of emotion reminded him of Toba's romantic temperament at certain moments, but the self-control of mother and son was completely different. In a blink of an eye, Jules regained his composure and grasped the key points of the problem. Her chest heaved and she suddenly turned her head to look at Ji Xun.
"I think you can give me an explanation," she said.
Ji Xun asked softly: "What is it about?"
"The slicer didn't stop."
"It seems that is indeed the case." Ji Xun said, "Perhaps it thinks this command does not have enough priority?"
"It took it in! And gave me feedback!"
"Yes," Ji Xun repeated, "the slicer gave you feedback."
"We don't have time for pretense."
"I'm just explaining it, Jules. I mentioned it to you when we talked in Lunla's front room. Do you remember the details? You asked me why I said that last thing about you. If you are interested in the work, I already told you the answer at that time - it was not your work. Yes, Jules, I think you may feel that I am denying your achievements. In fact, when I first came here , I believe the story you told, I cross-checked it from the memories of many of you, and - I learned its structure from Bei's memory, so when I entered here, I thought I was ready Fully prepared to deal with a first-level wishing machine with a known principle. If you think that I have never found this place, or do not know how to define a shutdown command, you are wrong. I have been here once. I took In essence, my actions were exactly the same as yours now. At that time, I realized that maybe we all got a basic fact wrong. Jules, go back to the day when your story started, when everything sang. We You all believed that what was launched that day was the Slicer, the infinite computational structure created by you."
"...There is no doubt about it."
"Your algorithm is wrong, Zhuer." Ji Xun said bluntly, "This is not your problem. In your era, the entire universe has been completely stable, leaving you with no experience or description of how to deal with infinite problems. Ability. You have not even blackboxed the core - infinity is allowed to appear, but observation is not allowed. An infinity device with observability cannot be established under your physical rules. This means that the slicer should It will never start."
"Then what is this?" Jules asked loudly. She spread her arms around the entire altar. Ji Xun smiled at her again, as if he had pulled off a successful prank. In fact, he did turn on the environment video, in order to share it with his dedicated temporary butler later. Everyone should have the right to be a theater spectator at least once.
"Based on the last torture I suffered," he said, adjusting the fineness of the recording, "I think this is a level three wishing machine."
