"Need to open two doors."
"I don't quite understand." Nie Yun looked intently at Annie.
"Do you know why I could find this place?" Annie sat down on the metal floor. Nie Yun unconsciously sat beside her. Surprisingly, Annie didn't object, as if they were back to how things used to be.
"Probably because the method to open it was recorded in the inscription," Nie Yun speculated correctly.
"The most important reason I opened it so quickly is that I couldn't let you translate further." Annie habitually hugged her knees tighter. "Because what's recorded below in the inscription is humanity's doomsday."
"Doomsday?!" Nie Yun asked questioningly.
"Yes, just like recorded in the Bible, God unleashed a flood to eliminate all living creatures, only the animals on Noah's Ark survived." Annie hugged herself tighter. "They discovered humanity's flaws, felt that human evolution had gone down the wrong path. Humans became greedy, selfish, killing each other just to obtain what others possessed and they didn't. What frightened them most was that humans developed self-awareness, began wanting to break free from their control. The Atlanteans finally admitted their mistake, but by then, humans had already spread to every corner of the world. To exterminate all humans, the Atlanteans made a terrifying decision: to 'reset' the world to zero. Eliminate all life except Atlantis, then use their gene technology and the data in the Noah gene bank to replicate everything on Earth, re-selecting suitable creatures as servants. The Atlanteans possessed an absolute weapon, a large-scale destructive weapon capable of engulfing all matter. Their inscriptions called it the 'Seed'. Translated into our English, it's 'SEED' – Ion Cannon!"
"Impossible! Isn't our existence a powerful rebuttal?" Nie Yun couldn't believe it.
Annie shook her head: "You have no idea how lucky we are to be alive today."
Annie stood up and walked onto the control console, her steps exceptionally heavy.
"You know how to operate it?" The fact that she could control Noah's Ark was harder to accept than her words. If this were true, Nie Yun could only say Annie surpassed all humans, approaching the god-like wisdom of the Atlanteans.
"Not completely. In over a year, I've only been able to activate some simple programs. The important programs are all locked." Annie said as if it were natural. "Promise me, accept whatever you see next."
Nie Yun nodded affirmatively. Annie began focusing on the transparent control panel before her. Suddenly, the ground beneath Nie Yun's feet turned white. The control room, lit only by a field lamp, instantly brightened. After the white light faded, a cosmic scene appeared. Nie Yun recognized this place, because what appeared was Earth.
"This should be footage captured by an Atlantean satellite. I'll zoom in for you," Annie pressed a few buttons.
The camera zoomed in rapidly, focusing on a continent on Earth never seen before, roughly half the size of China. Strange tall buildings were constructed there, various floating vehicles zipped back and forth at high speed, like something out of a science fiction movie.
"Could this be the Atlantis Empire?" Nie Yun stood up, looking questioningly at Annie.
"Correct, this is their city. What's terrifying isn't their advanced technology, but the scene that follows." Annie also stared at the screen.
As if the sun were rising, a huge white light cluster from the city center rapidly expanded, devouring everything it touched. Until it enveloped the entire continent within its body, like a process of digestion, the people and buildings within the white light disappeared bit by bit, until the continent sank.
Nie Yun's mouth hung open, speechless.
"This is SEED, Atlantis's ultimate weapon." Annie turned off the recording.
"Them? Why would they use it on their own city?" Nie Yun was puzzled.
"Only God knows. Maybe it was an accident, maybe the ions went out of control. Anyway, they were wiped out by their own weapon. This place doesn't seem to be within Atlantis's territory, otherwise, it wouldn't exist." Annie stepped down from the control console.
Calming down after a moment.
"Alright, even if they possessed such a weapon, since they're already extinct, isn't the world safe now?"
"Because the 'Seed' is here." Annie looked helplessly at Nie Yun, but Nie Yun barely had the strength to stand. "The method to create the seed is right here. I dare not tell anyone, including my own team members. Their reaction would definitely be to turn it into a weapon. I'm so scared, such power in human hands, so I can only tell you. We have to destroy that thing."
"You... you mean you know where it is?" Nie Yun's voice trembled.
Annie nodded. Nie Yun almost collapsed onto the ground. "Why didn't you destroy it?"
"Because I can't enter the secret chamber alone. That's why I asked for your help," Annie revealed the truth.
"How can I help you?" Nie Yun made his decision, for humanity.
"Follow me." Annie took Nie Yun's hand again and ran onto the control console. A cold smile flickered imperceptibly at the corner of her mouth.
After stopping.
"Do as I do." She bit her right index finger and pressed it onto a button. "You press too."
Although Nie Yun didn't understand, he still pressed his bloody finger onto the same button.
The control console vibrated. Nie Yun panicked slightly, about to ask Annie what was wrong, when suddenly, the console rapidly descended into a tunnel.
"I don't know why either; entry requires both male and female blood to activate," Annie explained.
In just a blink of an eye, they arrived in a spacious room. It was as bright as the surface of the sun. The surroundings were empty, except for two wide-open doors welcoming them.
"If the inscription record is correct, this is the core of Noah, known as the 'Womb'." Annie scanned the characters on the side door.
"I have a bad feeling," Nie Yun said.
"Wait for me here." Annie walked towards the left door.
"What are you going to do?" Nie Yun grabbed her hand.
"It's okay, I'll be fine. Promise me you won't leave. After I come out, we'll go to the other door together," Annie smiled.
"If anything happens, call me." Nie Yun looked gently at Annie, as if saying, I will protect you.
Walking towards the door, Annie shed tears, unseen by Nie Yun. Annie silently said, "Sorry."
Because Annie had already decided the ending. This was a plan arranged long ago.
Passing through the membrane-like door, a gleam of light flashed. Annie disappeared into the door.
Nie Yun's heart grew uneasy. Actually, Nie Yun really wanted to face the danger together with Annie, but Nie Yun also knew he no longer had this qualification. He was the one who chose to leave. What he was doing now, in Annie's eyes, was merely fulfilling a promise made.
Time passed. Nie Yun's unease grew heavier, as did his curiosity about the door. "What exactly is inside?" This question constantly circled in his mind.
"Just a peek, Annie probably won't find out." Nie Yun stood before the other door, the scientist's curiosity churning within him.
His finger slowly touched the water-like door; ripples spread outwards. While Nie Yun was still hesitating, something terrifying happened. Suddenly, a transparent arm reached out and forcefully pulled Nie Yun through the door.
Unprepared, Nie Yun stumbled and fell onto the ground.
"Finally arrived, chooser," an aged voice spoke.
Nie Yun fearfully raised his head. Before him was a throne, upon which sat an imposing old man, gazing at Nie Yun.
"And that's all." Nie Yun stood up from the ground, observed 13's expression; as expected, no change.
"So that's how it was." 13 casually agreed.
"Aren't you curious where I got Adam's fertilized egg and SEED?" Nie Yun probed 13.
"It's alright." The probing failed.
"In terms of curiosity, you're still the same old 13." Nie Yun smiled and shook his head. "Actually, even I don't know how I obtained Adam's fertilized egg. When I regained my memory, I was already lying on the returning ship. Others said that night, the ground suddenly shook violently, the island began to sink, and everyone evacuated in panic. It was then that I returned to the camp myself. After boarding the ship, I fainted. Only the next day did I wake up, tightly clutching a strange test tube – inside was Adam. But my mind was completely blank about what I did in that room; I didn't even know who that old man was. Yet, I knew the test tube contained Atlantean genes, and there was a terrifying equation in my mind. My later speculation is:"
"That old man tampered with things, erased your memory, only preserving some information he thought you must know," 13 analyzed calmly.
"I thought so too. Plus some hypnotic suggestion. Because later, I was almost madly obsessed with only two thoughts: cultivating Adam, and manufacturing according to the equation. During the ten days on the ship, I completely locked myself in the warehouse, using the evacuated scientific instruments to produce the current SEED. Recalling that state, I can hardly believe it was me." Nie Yun stopped reminiscing and started searching again.
"Can you tell me what you're looking for?" 13 walked behind Nie Yun.
"This is it!" Nie Yun discovered a hidden compartment. Gently pressing it, the wall rose, revealing a set of black armor hanging on the wall. The distinct "13" mark on the shoulder proved this was the combat gear Guo Mingqing found from Nie Yun.
"What is this?" 13 touched the smooth surface, feeling it was different from Titan metal.
"Your new combat armor. I call it 'Night'!"
"'Night'?" 13 repeated.