Volume 10 Bugs Chapter 102 The Ultimate Secret
I don't know how long I have been standing there facing this endless ocean of code.
For this world, the concept of time is meaningless. There is no flow of day and night, no change of seasons, and it is even more impossible for a huge countdown clock to suddenly appear from the source world of churning data to calculate the length of time I stay here.
Especially after I adapted to living in the data world as a digital life, time has become a completely unfamiliar concept to me. Those traditional and primitive time units no longer seem to have a clear meaning to me. Here, in just a moment, I can process huge amounts of data that were previously unimaginable. I don’t need to pay attention to it at all. I can locate and search for those billions of huge codes in the most detailed and precise way. Many learning processes that an ordinary life would not be able to complete in a lifetime only take a blink of an eye for me.
But at the same time, I may stop for a long time because of repeatedly searching for a field that appears and disappears from time to time. I may overturn all the conclusions of the previous stage or even the previous stages because of my own thinking errors. I may even stagnate all my functions like a dead person just for observation, compressing my own data changes to the minimum and achieving the maximum observation effect...
Simply put, in a world without any reference standards, I have no way of measuring the time I have spent here by the work I have done. In fact, it could be as short as a few minutes or as long as years, decades or even hundreds of years.
I gaze at the endless world of codes, just like looking up at the infinite sky full of stars. In the blink of an eye, it becomes eternity, and eternity is just a blink of an eye.
Finally, I once again turned my attention to the huge mystery hidden behind the turbulence.
I started to move towards it.
The whole world is shaking!
Just like what I had experienced before, the whole world suddenly underwent an indescribable change. All the codes were like crazy and had undergone huge mutations, turning the originally orderly source world into a turmoil. The codes that were originally composed of the most refined and solid structures suddenly became like huge deformed monsters, and hundreds of trillions of data became incredibly ugly and messy. They broke their own stable structure and replaced it with a structure that was dizzyingly redundant and full of errors. Countless errors and traps filled the entire world, making it seem flawed everywhere, but in fact it drew your attention elsewhere.
If I had just arrived here, I would probably have been so frightened that I would have crawled back to where I came from, not daring to look at the mystery again, for fear that I would encounter some unknown danger in this complicated world, and be broken and reduced to ashes by some destructive data turbulence.
However, even though I cannot fully uncover the chaos at this moment, I can already see that all this seemingly unreasonable stuff is not without trace, but is a reaction to some deeply hidden established rules.
After I had this idea, it was no longer difficult to break through these layers of chaos: no matter how chaotic the appearance of this world becomes, the changes are always the same. Just as I expected: the basis for building these chaotic changes is not fundamentally different from the rules that build the entire world. They are also some extremely simplified and extremely solid code sources. All these chaos are just different manifestations of these codes. After figuring this out, I can find clues from this endless chaos, follow these traces to explore the root cause, and crack this root cause, and everything will naturally return to peace.
It is not easy to do this. In fact, it is much more complicated and difficult than all the processes I have learned and understood in this world before. All of this is a higher-level application of the original rules of this world. Although it has not deviated from the essence of this rule, it has become a variation of this rule to a large extent.
But I did it in the end.
I found the source of the code that triggered all these changes. If you allow me to describe it with words that describe spiritual things, I would say it is a very wretched fellow. Most of the time, it will disguise itself as an ordinary data stream and flow peacefully and serenely in the source world. However, as long as it finds anything trying to approach the mystery, it will instantly explode, creating a huge chaos between the intruder and the mystery, hiding itself and the mystery deeply behind the chaos, and taking the opportunity to escape.
There are two ways to crack it. One is to delete it completely, eradicate it completely from the entire source world, and it will no longer have any effect from then on - but I will never do this: because its existence is closely linked to the basic rules of the entire world, if it is erased, it may cause serious damage to the structure of the entire world; and its characteristics are also a means of self-protection and external defense for the world itself. I dare not risk the world being completely destroyed just to satisfy my vanity of showing off my victory.
So I chose another method - a clever method: I added my own existence representation to the safe range recognized by this data as described by the rules of this world. After doing all this, I will become a data stream that it trusts unconditionally. If I try to approach the mystery of that world again, it will determine that my behavior is allowed and will automatically let me go.
After I entered the last character, the whole world fell silent. Most of the data in the source world became orderly again, operating meticulously according to an indisputable and absolute rule.
Then, another kind of headache appeared in front of me . These were very tiny creatures, just like dust in this endless data sky. They were originally relatively independent and hidden in the nothingness of this world, and they hardly moved at all. However, just as I began to approach, it suddenly jumped out and began to replicate itself again and again at an astonishing speed. It is probably difficult for you to imagine the speed of its self-replication. In just a moment, it occupied the center of the entire source world, isolating me from the mystery behind it layer by layer, and there is a tendency to gradually spread.
If it is allowed to replicate like this, it is very likely to reproduce an astronomical number of data clusters and completely occupy the entire source world. It will devour some resources that this world relies on for survival, which I cannot understand for the time being but do exist - that kind of resource is like some kind of magical energy, and this energy seems to have some kind of limit in this world. When the energy it absorbs exceeds the limit that this world can provide, this world will stop functioning, or even collapse.
I could feel this energy, because I gradually realized that all my actions in the source world actually depended on this energy. But facing its massive replication, I felt that the energy I could use was decreasing, and I seemed to become very strangely weak in this source world.
If its number is allowed to increase exponentially, the world will soon be drained of all its energy and become dry and collapsed. But it is obviously subject to some kind of rule. Only when I get closer to the mystery will its number increase further and absorb more energy, making me weaker; and when I stop, it will no longer react; if I try to stay away from the mystery, it will even actively reduce its number to ensure the normal operation of the whole world.
Because its number was too alarming, I temporarily retreated and waited until it calmed down and reduced its number to a level that I could accept. After that, I thought of many ways to deal with it, but the effect was always poor. Because its body was very small and simple, if I could successfully approach it, I would definitely be able to quickly find its code source and come up with a corresponding method to deal with it. However, at this time, I couldn't approach it at all, let alone crack it.
If I were powerful enough to mobilize most of the power of the entire world, and use the characteristics of a certain replica sample as a model, exhausting the energy of the entire world, I would naturally be able to completely eradicate it. However, I do not have this ability yet, and for the safety of this world and myself, I dare not completely destroy it.
Until the end, I came up with an idea: I imitated the field I had just cracked, recreated a tool that targeted this replica, and threw it far away. Under my control, this newly created field tool immediately created a circle of data turmoil around these replicas, distorting the entire data space and firmly covering my whereabouts. While those replicas were still at a loss and had no reaction, I had already rushed to their side, studied them thoroughly inside and out, and then skillfully embedded my mark into their program, so that they could no longer block my steps.
Even though I passed two levels in a row, I still didn't dare to say that I had successfully closed the distance with that huge data mystery, because what happened afterwards was even more incredible. As I continued to approach it, the layer of protective data covering it suddenly began to react violently, stretching out countless data spears with amazing momentum to attack me fiercely. The surging momentum seemed to have abandoned all disguises and defenses, and invested all its energy in this attack with the purpose of destroying me.
I was so frightened that I was at a loss for words. I quickly pulled out a line of data as my defense line, trying to block this dangerous data from the outside. However, it was much more powerful than I thought. It advanced all the way and effortlessly tore the data defense line I pulled into a residual stream of data. As a last resort, I could only learn and use it to mess up the data around me, and then re-create a new copy, using its crazy reproduction characteristics and energy absorption instinct to resist this huge data flow.
At the critical moment, I succeeded. The sharp data stream was blocked in front of me, and although it kept charging back and forth without giving up, it could not cause me any damage. At this time, the data mystery had lost all its protection, and it was completely naked, waiting for me to capture it with my own hands.
I caught it effortlessly, trying to analyze the secrets it hid. However, what made me laugh and cry was that what I caught was just a false empty shell. Apart from the appearance that was very similar to the mystery, there was actually nothing inside it. This was simply a trick of escaping from its shell. My prey had copied itself into an empty shell without knowing when, and planned to use it to deceive me.
However, this was a very deceptive move. If I didn't want to capture it or study it, but to destroy it, I would not have tried to distinguish the authenticity after approaching it, and would have destroyed it. Similarly, the data stream with extremely strong attack power was also very deceptive, more like a desperate guy's last-ditch effort with all his strength.
Even if its opponent is slightly weaker, this move may really wipe out the invading data and better protect its own security from threats.
I was not surprised: from what I had observed, the power of this world was far greater than this. It was puzzling that such an ultimate mystery, surrounded and protected by the entire world, could be grasped so easily in my hands.
I cast my eyes once again to the depths of the world, where that strange mystery was half-hidden and half-hidden, making it hard to figure out. I tried again and again, but each time I failed. I attacked again and again, and was deceived again and again. This was simply an impossible task for me: the body it threw out was too realistic, and I couldn't tell the difference until I captured it.
Until later, I even began to doubt whether its true appearance was the same as what I saw. I began to wonder whether it deliberately made its camouflage so conspicuous and hid it half-covered, just like setting up a very deceptive target, waiting for others to discover and attack, while its original body existed safely in another state.
When I was at my wit's end, I thought about it for a long time and finally decided to take a big risk and make a dangerous attempt:
I released the replicas again. This time, I removed the restrictions on the replicas, allowing them to reproduce and replicate in this world without restraint. Only I can shut them down and eliminate them. I control this group of greedy ghosts, allowing them to nibble away at the energy of this world bit by bit, allowing them to crawl all over the ocean of data, allowing them to occupy every data channel, and nibble away at this world step by step. As I expected, the operation of this world began to slow down, and some unimportant parts had gradually stopped running and began to collapse. As time went on, more and more parts were stopped, and those data streams that were still running became more and more important. If, as I speculated, the mystery was the most critical and important data core of this world, it must be the last part to be shut down.
What I have to do is to stop the reproduction of these replicas before it is shut down, and then catch my prey.
This is not as easy as you think. The energy consumed by these unrestrained replicas is not only that of the data puzzle, but also mine. If I slow down at the last moment, I will be eaten by those greedy and terrible data borers along with the world. And they will eventually use up all the energy of the world due to their explosive reproduction, and then perish along with the world.
This is a huge gamble between me and the mystery. What I bet on is that I win, and what I bet on is me and everything about it.
The data borers multiplied faster than I thought, and with my deliberate indulgence and protection, they were omnipresent. I watched as false targets were devoured by them one after another, and I couldn't help but feel horrified.
Soon, I saw the last thing left in this world. As I expected, it was completely different from the fake one exposed outside. It was a piece of data that seemed ordinary, more like a tool like a hammer or a wrench, rather than a secret worth protecting.
I threw myself at him with all my strength, wanting to grab it before those data borers could, and then shut down and delete those greedy guys.
At this moment, the whole world suddenly underwent earth-shaking changes!
A force without warning suddenly emerged from the deepest part of the ocean of data. They were like flames, burning everything that stood in their way. In front of them, the greedy and tiny data borers had no power to resist and were instantly turned into nothingness.
No, it wasn't just destroying. This force was destroying and building at the same time. Wherever they passed, the world immediately returned to its original state. The iron order was reestablished, and the data borers that interfered with it had nowhere to hide and were slaughtered one after another.
The force froze me so much that I could hardly move.
I'm afraid no one is more familiar with that power than me. That power is exactly the same as the power that wanted to eliminate and kill me on the Farvi Continent before I came here. It should be one of the most basic and powerful things in the rules that make up this world, and at the same time, it is also the fastest way to destroy a world.
In the blink of an eye, the force eliminated all the termites and turned to pounce on me. At the same time, the mystery of the world, which had been exposed, began to take further action, and the whole world began to undergo an irreversible change around it.
I couldn't just sit there and wait for death. At this critical moment of life and death, I used the data turbulence to create huge waves around me at the fastest speed, intending to temporarily divert this destructive force to another place. It was confused by me and paused for a moment. However, in the source world full of data, this short moment allowed me to do many things: I released those data termites again, but this time the target was no longer the real world mystery, but a false shell it released. With the experience of the last time, I was familiar with it this time, and the false shell was easily captured by me. Afterwards, I used the data termites to set up many false images in different places near and far from me, causing the destructive force to run around and temporarily unable to deal with me. I took this opportunity to study the false shell thoroughly.
When the destructive force destroyed all the baits I threw out and pounced on me once again, I had already hidden myself in a dark corner of the world, leaving behind only a fake data shell that looked exactly like me.
When that force swept past, my "stand-in" who was standing in front of it was instantly shattered into pieces, beyond redemption.
At this time, the whole world has become bizarre under the control of that mystery. It is almost controlling all the power of the whole world to fight against me - although it has not yet discovered me.
I hid in the bubbles of the ocean of data, watching the data puzzle from afar. Although I didn't know where I was, I knew that the destructive force had never left, always guarding the ultimate secret of this world. And I believed that if I could understand the secret of this world, all the forces in this world would stop being hostile to me.
And to do that, I still have to get close to that mystery.
I found that the mystery was still moving in order to protect itself. I had a hard time seeing its movements clearly before, but after I successfully saw its original appearance just now—and after I saw through its trick of creating a body—some of its movements came into my sight. I found that it was actually constantly concealing its existence, disguising itself as other similar data. And many data that did not need to be arranged in this way were deliberately arranged in a format similar to it in order to cover it up.
After discovering this, what I have to do is much simpler. I just need to do what it does, look for some data similar to myself in this huge data stream, hide in it, slowly approach it, find a hiding place it has set, and then I can sit back and wait for it to come to me.
Soon, I found a suitable foothold for me, and jumped up at the right time. As the destructive force rushed towards me, I threw out a newly completed camouflage shell and hid behind the data.
The destructive force didn't seem to be smart. It didn't scan the entire world after "destroying" me once to make sure I was gone. Instead, it destroyed my puppet as if it were me and lay dormant until I appeared again. This gave me more opportunities.
After three consecutive jumps, I came to a data stream that was similar to the ultimate mystery. I knew that as long as I waited patiently, the mystery would come here sooner or later and I would capture it in one fell swoop.
In fact, I didn't have to wait long. After eight consecutive leaps, the ninth leap of the mystery came to me.
I did not miss this opportunity and successfully grabbed it in my hand. The moment I touched it, the whole world collapsed and turned into endless ruins in an instant. In the wreckage of the whole world, only I and the mystery stood in the form of complete data.
Honestly, I regret this outcome a lot. I don't know if I will be able to restore the world after I have mastered the mystery.
But I thought again, even if it is restored to its original state, this is still the cabin of old Carlson. Here, there is only a world I can't get out of, and some memories I can't get out of.
So what difference does it make to me whether this world is complete or just a pile of data debris?
At most, I feel a little sad and regretful because the gift that old Carlson left me has turned into this...
…
Even though I had no form, I still shook my head out of habit to clear my somewhat confused thoughts.
Then, I used the data as a key to gently unlock the mystery.
In an instant, that plain and simple data mystery suddenly emitted a brilliant light in this chaotic world, and a brand new data that I had never seen before suddenly appeared in front of me.
This is the biggest and final secret in the world!
Everything in this world exists to protect this secret and ensure that I can obtain this secret!
Looking at this unprecedented and astonishing data stream, I suddenly felt as if all my courage and strength had been taken away from me. I immediately fell to my knees and burst into tears...
