Pain.
It was a pain that could not be described in words.
Zhou Xing felt his nerves being pulled out one by one, placed on the flame and roasted, and then stuffed back into his body. Cycle and repeat, never-ending.
[Warning: 120% overload ... nerve load]
[Warning: Abnormal temperature of brain-computer interface...]
[Warning: It is recommended to terminate the procedure immediately...
The red warning box that popped out of the retina was already connected, like a blood-colored waterfall.
But Zhou Xing ignored it.
All his will was focused on the guidance of the black torrent in his body.
"Don't resist it." Shen Cangsheng's voice echoed in his mind, "Let it flow, let it reshape, let it ... Become your flesh and blood. "
Zhou Xingzhao did it.
He loosened control of his body and let the black stream of data run rampant through his neural network.
Amazing things happened.
Those originally fragile neurons began to undergo qualitative changes under the wash of black data streams. Their structure becomes denser, and the speed at which signals are transmitted becomes faster, even ... It began to emit a faint black glow.
It's like ... In evolution.
"Very good, that's it." Shen Cangsheng instructed, "Now, concentrate and feel the neurons in your cerebral cortex." "
Zhou Xing sank his consciousness deep into his brain.
There, he saw a vast starry sky—a neural network of tens of billions of neurons, each like a star, connected by synapses and shimmering faintly.
"See those connections?" Shen Cangsheng asked.
"I saw it."
"The neural network of normal people is tree-like. Information is passed from root to top, layer by layer, slow and inefficient. "
"But microthreading requires your neural network... It becomes a net. "
"Every node can be directly connected to any other node. Information can be transmitted throughout the network in an instant, with no delays or bottlenecks. "
It's like ... "Zhou Xing thought", from a single-core CPU to a multi-core parallel processing? "
"It's more advanced than that." Shen Cangsheng smiled, "This is a leap from serial to parallel, and an ascension from one dimension to two dimensions." "
"Now, channel the virus and reinvent your neural network. Let it grow from tree ... It becomes a net. "
Zhou Xing took a deep breath and began to try.
He turned his consciousness into an invisible hand, directing the black stream of data towards the synapses between the neurons.
The first attempt, failed.
The black data flow was so violent that it directly broke a synapse, bringing heart-wrenching pain.
Zhou Xing snorted, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead like rain.
"Steady." Shen Cangsheng reminded, "Don't be impatient." This is not something that can be done overnight. "
"But I don't have much time." Zhou Xing gritted his teeth, "Xiaoyu can't wait that long." "
"Then ... Come even crazier. "
Shen Cangsheng's voice had a hint of madness: "Boy, do you know why this virus is called 'rabid dog'? "
"Why?"
"Because it needs to be ... Wildness. "
"Don't try to control it, don't try to guide it. Let go of your constraints and let your instincts take control of it. "
"Like a mad dog, to bite, to devour, to ... Evolution! "
Zhou Xing was stunned for a moment.
Then, he understood.
He stopped channeling.
Instead of trying to control the black torrent with reason, he ... Let it wreak havoc while using your own will to ... Adapt to it.
It's like surfing in a storm.
You can't control the waves, but you can learn ... Harness it.
Boom!!
The black data stream seemed to feel his change, becoming more violent and ... excited.
It is like a beast that has been unleashed, rampage through the neural network that travels around, tearing apart old connections and establishing new pathways.
The pain is doubled.
But at the same time, Zhou Xing also felt a ... Freedom like never before.
His consciousness is expanding.
His perception is extending.
He felt that he was no longer an independent individual, but ... Integrate with the entire neural network.
Every neuron is his eye, and every synapse is his tentacle.
He can see, hear, and feel... Everything.
"That's it!" Shen Cangsheng shouted excitedly, "Hold on!" Don't stop! "
Time passed minute by minute.
Zhou Xing's body trembled violently, and the black lines under his skin flowed like a living creature. One of his eyes remained scarlet, and the other returned to normal, but fine black lines began to appear in those normal eyes.
That's ... Signs of neural remodeling.
[Neural Restructuring Progress: 10%...]
[Neural Restructuring Progress: 25% ...]
[Neural Restructuring Progress: 40% ...]
The warning box on the retina gradually turns into a progress bar, showing the progress of the refactoring.
But Zhou Xing no longer noticed this.
All his mind was immersed in the neural network that was transforming.
He saw it.
He saw that the original tree-like nerve structures were collapsing little by little, and then ... Rewoven into a huge web.
Each node is connected to dozens of nodes around it, and the transmission of information is no longer one-way, but ... Multidirectional, parallel, instantaneous.
This is ... Microthreading?
[Neural Restructuring Progress: 60%...]
[Neural Restructuring Progress: 75%...]
[Neural Restructuring Progress: 90%...]
Just when the progress was about to reach 100%, an accident happened.
The black data flow suddenly lost control.
It is no longer content with reshaping neural networks, but is starting to ... Devour it.
It was like a beast that had been hungry for too long, and finally saw the food, so it pounced on it frantically.
"Not good!" Shen Cangsheng's voice became urgent, "The rabid dog has bitten back!" Boy, wake up! "
But Zhou Xing couldn't hear it anymore.
His consciousness was being submerged little by little by the black torrent.
He felt like he was sinking, sinking, sinking... Plunge into an endless black abyss.
There, a pair of huge, scarlet eyes were staring at him coldly.
That's ... The body of a rabid dog?
"Surrender... Or ... Dead ..." a hoarse voice sounded in his head.
It was pure wildness, it was primal hunger, it was ... The desire to destroy everything.
Zhou Xing smiled.
He raised his head in the endless abyss.
"Surrender?" His voice was very soft, but with an indescribable firmness, "You... Did I do something wrong? "
"I walk around and never surrender."
"Or, you come with me and tear this world apart."
"Either ..."
"We died here together."
He suddenly stretched out his hand and grabbed it towards the scarlet eyes.
It is not a physical grasp, but a collision of wills, a clash of souls.
Boom!!
The two consciousnesses slammed together in the void, and an indescribable spiritual storm erupted.
Zhou Xing felt that his consciousness was shattering little by little, but he did not flinch.
He used all his will to entangle the black existence.
"You ..." There was a hint of surprise in the hoarse voice, "Are you crazy? This way you will die! "
"Then let's die together." Zhou Xing sneered, "But I bet... You are more afraid of death than me. "
"After all, you have been sleeping for twenty years, and you finally waited for a host."
"If I die now, how long will you wait? Forty years? Sixty years? Or ... Forever? "
Silence.
A long silence.
Then, those scarlet eyes blinked slowly.
"Funny..." The hoarse voice became low, "You... and others... It's different..."
"Deal."
"We ... together To tear the world apart. "
Boom!!
An even more powerful force gushed out from those eyes, instantly filling Zhou Xing's entire consciousness.
But this time, instead of devouring, it was ... Integration.
The mad dog recognized him.
[Neural Restructuring Progress: 100% ...]
[Congratulations to the host, breaking through to the first-order microthread realm!] ]
[Ability obtained: Microthread Overclocking (Beginner)]
[Ability Gained: Neural Perception (range 10 meters)]
[Acquisition ability: Data affinity (beginner)]
Zhou Xing opened his eyes suddenly.
At that moment, everything in the entire ventilation duct was clearly reflected in his perception.
The trajectory of every dust, the direction of flow of each airflow, and even ... The beating of electrons in the cables in the walls.
They are all clearly recognizable.
He raised his hand and clenched his fist gently.
Ten fingers, at this moment make ten different subtle movements.
The thumb is drawing a circle, the index finger is tapping, the middle finger is bent, and the ring finger is extended...
Each finger seems to have its own independent consciousness and can perform different operations at the same time.
This is ... Microthreading?
"It worked." Shen Cangsheng's voice was a little tired, but more relieved, "Boy, you did it." "
"From now on, you are no longer an ordinary person."
"Are you... Evolutionary. "
Zhou Xing stood up and moved his body.
His every movement was extremely smooth and precise, like a finely tuned machine.
"How does it feel?" Shen Cangsheng asked.
"Very strong." Zhou Xing said, "But it's not enough." "
He looked at the exit of the ventilation duct, where it was the direction to the ground.
"Zhao Mingxuan ..." He whispered the name, a hint of cold light flashed in his eyes, "You owe me, it's time to pay it back." "
"Wait." Shen Cangsheng reminded, "Although you have broken through now, it is still only the initial stage of the microthread realm. It's more than enough to deal with ordinary people, but it's still not enough to face real L2 masters. "
"I know." Zhou Xing said, "So, I plan to start with ... Get back what is mine and start. "
"What is it?"
"Test pay." Zhou Xing sneered, "I passed the SCC test, but I didn't get the quota." That test supervisor is Zhao Mingxuan's lackey. "
"I'm going to let him ... Spit out everything you eat. "
Shen Cangsheng was silent for a few seconds, and then smiled.
"Okay."
"Let me see, you who have been recognized by rabies... To what extent. "
At the end of the ventilation duct, a glimmer of light came in.
It was the dawn of dawn.
Zhou Xing took a deep breath and walked towards the light.
His back stretched very long in the dark, like a sharp sword that had just been unsheathed.
The edge is fully revealed.
(Chapter 6 End)