The Imperial Marshal’s Darling at the Tip of His Heart - Chapter 23

The silence within the stone chamber did not last long.

Once the heart-pounding hum and tremors outside subsided, they were replaced by a much deeper stillness. Only the occasional suppressed groans of the wounded, the faint hum of operating equipment, and the heavy breathing of the team remained audible.

Ling Yao stood by the broken archway like a frozen statue. His gaze beneath the visor sharply scanned the corridor outside, which was still shrouded in thick fog and gloom, alert for any possible movement. The cold, sharp aura he exuded was at odds with these dead, ancient ruins, yet it strangely formed a reassuring barrier.

Yun Shu, wrapped in the emergency thermal blanket, leaned against the cold stone wall and tried to absorb what little warmth he could. The effects of the cardiac stimulant and stabilizer were fading fast. A deeper exhaustion and coldness surged toward him like a tide. He closed his eyes, attempting to adjust his breathing and conserve his strength, but his brain refused to stop working.

The deep purple etchings, the violent yet rhythmic energy eruptions, and the fragmented information flow they contained; all these clues swirled and collided in his mind.

“Not a simple disaster. A twisted life form. A cage. A seal. An attempt at communication.”

These words flashed repeatedly.

Combining this with the information he had stolen previously, the Tartarus anomaly and the ancient archives regarding etchings, a blurred yet startling hypothesis began to take shape. Was it possible that the Turbid Core was not a simple natural disaster or source of pollution, but a massive entity that was bound, perhaps even once existing in another form? And were these etchings scattered across Wuyin Star an ancient system attempting to record, control, or communicate with it?

The thought was so horrifying that it nearly overturned all current knowledge regarding the Great Pollution. If this were true, then what was the Crystal-Erosion Disease? Was it merely a side effect of energy leakage, or a terrifying manifestation of a much deeper connection?

He needed more evidence. He needed access to the core records of the etchings.

Just then, a soldier responsible for environmental detection reported in a low voice: “Marshal, I have detected a stable, weak energy source signal! The source is deep within this stone chamber! It is not aggressive. It feels more like residual energy from some kind of equipment.”

Every gaze in the room instantly shifted toward the interior of the stone chamber, toward the area shrouded in darkness and collapsed debris.

Ling Yao turned immediately. He lowered the muzzle of his energy rifle and swept the beam of his tactical flashlight toward the depths. “Scan it carefully. Everyone else, maintain alert.”

The soldier operated a portable scanner, and a point of light moved through the darkness. “The signal is weak but very stable. Structural echoes show there is space behind the wall. The wall thickness is abnormal. There may be a hidden structure.”

Ling Yao looked toward Yun Shu: “Can you perceive anything else?”

Yun Shu forced himself to focus his remaining perception, extending it toward the direction indicated by the scanner. After a moment, he nodded slightly, his voice weak: “There is a very, very faint energy cycle. It is ancient, but it seems to still be functioning. There is no malice. It feels more like a dormant guardian.”

This judgment was vital.

Ling Yao no longer hesitated: “Clear the entrance. Be careful.”

Two soldiers stepped forward. Using energy cutters, they carefully cleared away the collapsed rubble and crystalline growths. Soon, a heavy metal door that was almost integrated with the wall was revealed. It was made of an exceptionally strong material and was covered in deep purple etchings.

In the center of the door was a strange indentation shaped like a multi-faceted crystal. It was surrounded by layers of etched circuits that were currently emitting an extremely faint, flickering light that seemed to mimic breathing.

“There is no obvious switch or control panel,” the soldier reported.

“The energy shares the same source as the external etchings, but it is much purer,” another soldier added.

Ling Yao walked forward, carefully observing the crystal indentation and the surrounding circuits. He looked back at Yun Shu: “What do you think this is?”

Yun Shu stared at the complex patterns, his mind rapidly comparing them to the fragmented records in the ancient Xilan texts and his own energy perception. “It looks like an energy key interface, or perhaps an identity verification device. It requires a specific energy frequency or token to activate.”

He recalled the fragments regarding seals and communication from the information flow he had perceived earlier. “Perhaps it is not meant to be opened by force. It requires resonance.”

Ling Yao was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he took a small, sealed transparent container from the emergency tool slot of his protective suit. Inside the container was a small piece of substance that shifted with faint colors, appearing as both liquid and energy. This was an unknown energy sample obtained during a previous exploration of another ruin related to the Turbid Core; its purpose had remained a mystery.

He brought it close to the indentation. There was no reaction.

Ling Yao frowned.

Yun Shu, however, seemed to catch an extremely subtle change: “Wait. Its energy frequency is too new, too restless. Try to lower its activity. Use a low-frequency energy field to soothe it.”

The instruction sounded nearly metaphysical, but Ling Yao glanced at Yun Shu and actually pulled a small low-frequency energy field generator from his gear, aiming it at the container. Under the influence of the soft, low-frequency energy, the rate at which the substance shifted slowed down significantly, and its luster became soft and stable.

Ling Yao brought it toward the indentation again. This time, when the container touched the edge of the indentation, the etched circuits on the door suddenly lit up! The light was like blood rushing through veins, quickly spreading across the entire door. A suction force was generated at the center, drawing the container in until it fit perfectly.

A low, ancient mechanical sound echoed. The heavy door slid inward slowly, revealing a darker space behind it and releasing a gust of air that felt strangely pure.

Behind the door was a small room. Its four walls were covered in even denser and more complex etchings. In the center of the room was a raised platform, and floating above it was a complex geometric figure that rotated slowly. It emitted a stable, soft energy glow, serving as the source of the weak energy signal. The platform was also covered in incomprehensible symbols and star maps.

This place looked like a control core, or perhaps a records room.

“Clear,” the soldier who entered first reported after a quick scan.

Ling Yao led Yun Shu inside.

The energy field within the room gave Yun Shu a strange sense of comfort, as if the stinging pain of the Crystal-Erosion Disease in his body had lessened slightly. However, the mental pressure increased; the amount of information contained in these etchings far exceeded those outside.

His gaze was instantly drawn to the rotating geometric figure and the star map on the platform. Specifically, the way one area of the star map was annotated caught his eye.

“That is,” Yun Shu could not help but stagger forward, his voice trembling with disbelief, “the coordinates for Tartarus? And the predicted path of the Calante signal source? They are marked as point of origin overflow points?”

Ling Yao’s eyes became as sharp as blades. He stepped to the platform, staring intently at the star map. How could the Empire’s top-secret coordinates appear in this ancient ruin in such a form? This confirmed some of his previous suspicions, but it brought even more mysteries.

“Point of origin overflow points,” Ling Yao murmured the words, turning his gaze toward the rotating geometric figure. “What is this? A recording core?”

“It might be more than just a record,” Yun Shu fought through his excitement and weakness, carefully perceiving the energy fluctuations emitted by the geometric figure. “It is transmitting a very, very faint harmonic signal. It is trying to balance something, or rather, to soothe it.”

He attempted to hover his hand over the geometric figure. He closed his eyes and focused his perception on the information flow within. This time, the information was not as violent or fragmented; instead, it carried a sorrowful and weary continuity.

Constraint field weakening. Sector VII stability dropped below critical levels. Cradle energy overload. Overflow channels cannot be closed. Requesting Guardian protocol. Final command. No response. Error. Error. Error. Energy cycle irreversible conversion. Record. Star Tears falling. Matrix wailing. Shackles forming.

Fragments of information, appearing like system logs, flooded into Yun Shu’s mind, mixed with a large number of incomprehensible technical terms and traces of desperate emotion. The information pointed to a terrifying truth: this place was once part of a massive monitoring network intended to constrain or balance an entity called the Matrix or the Cradle, which was likely the Turbid Core. However, the system was failing, the energy was leaking irreversibly, and the so-called Guardians were either missing or unresponsive.

Shackles. Star Tears. These words made his heart race.

Just as he tried to capture more information, the rotation speed of the geometric figure increased slightly. A clear stream of information suddenly focused, pointing directly at Ling Yao; more accurately, it pointed at a deeply hidden device within Ling Yao’s protective suit that was emitting a specific energy signature.

Unauthorized high-priority node access request detected. Feature code: Imperial Supreme Military Commander Ling Yao. Request content: Re-application for real-time monitoring data of Tartarus Sector VII. Application status: Rejected again. Insufficient clearance level. Requires Emperor’s decree or Council Triple-Key. Warning: Abnormal data exchange traces detected at this node. Source: Encrypted private node. Recommendation: Thorough investigation.

Yun Shu snapped his eyes open, looking at Ling Yao in disbelief. Ling Yao had an Imperial top-priority node hidden within his body or equipment? And he had been repeatedly trying to apply for access to Tartarus only to be rejected? More importantly, this ancient ruin core could actually monitor and expose the secret data exchange he had conducted with a hidden private node just a few hours ago!

Ling Yao had clearly received a similar warning or feedback through his own equipment. His body tensed instantly, and he turned his head sharply to look at Yun Shu. The gaze behind the mask became incredibly cold, sharp, and even carried a hint of murderous intent in that moment.

The atmosphere within the control core suddenly dropped to freezing point.

Although the soldiers could not understand the whispers of the ancient system, they could all feel the sudden eruption of tension between the two leaders, a confrontation that felt almost physical. Yun Shu’s heart hammered against his ribs, nearly bursting from his chest. He knew Ling Yao’s secret, and Ling Yao realized that he knew about the secret, potentially illegal data exchange he had conducted!