Chapter 23: Escape in the Torrent

  The information torrent's eruption was like pouring ice water into boiling oil—the data abyss instantly plunged into extreme chaos. Pure data, Leon's evidence of crimes, Marcus's firewall technology, and Source B intelligence's mad devouring screech wove together into a symphony of destruction and liberation.

  Charles Du and Sophia Rossi in this frenzy were like two grains of dust, swept up by enormous force, rushing toward that shattered equipment room door—their only way out.

  "Hold tight!" Charles roared hoarsely, consciousness body seeming about to be torn apart by this torrent. He death-gripped Sophia's hand, his other hand futilely trying to seek fulcrum in the rushing data.

  Sophia's golden energy membrane had long since shattered beyond repair. Her face was deathly pale, clearly at her limit, supported only by survival instinct.

  Behind them, Leon Schmidt's desperate roar was drowned by the data's thundering. Everything he'd painstakingly managed, the experimental data and creation he treasured like pearls, were uncontrollably leaking, being devoured, being destroyed!

  "No! My data! My 'child'! Come back!" He tried to rush toward that shattered door, tried to stop the torrent, tried to regain control of that already completely mad Source B intelligence.

  But the current Source B, having swallowed massive amounts of unprocessed raw data (especially Marcus's creative and defensive technical code), had become even more massive, chaotic, unpredictable. It no longer obeyed any commands, even regarding Leon as an obstacle and... nourishment!

  A massive tentacle composed of pure malice and chaotic code suddenly extended from the torrent, no longer attacking Charles and Sophia, but viciously coiling toward Leon Schmidt who was trying to approach!

  "No! I created you!" Leon was shocked to the core, desperately operating the sparking controller in his hand that barely functioned, but to no avail!

  The tentacle wrapped him tightly, enormous force constricting until his consciousness projection emitted distorted light.

  [Create... bind... devour... evolve...] Source B's "voice" was full of greed and chaotic logic.

  "Irina! Save me!" Leon sent a cry for help to the last person who might help him.

  But Irina Petrova still knelt in place, violently struggling with her head in her hands. Source B's backlash and loss of control had severely wounded her as well. A violent war raged in the depths of her consciousness. She heard Leon's cry for help, violent pain and struggle flashing across her face, but her body couldn't move.

  Carmen Ortiz—the icy "Cleaner"—tried to execute her final command, intercepting Charles and Sophia. But the moment she moved, she was struck by several of Source B's indiscriminate attack energy beams! Her absolute rationality also seemed pale before absolute chaos. Her body was violently thrown, embedded in the twisted car wall, temporarily losing mobility.

  No one could save Leon.

  At the instant Charles and Sophia finally leaped out through the shattered door crack, tumbling back into the relatively stable train corridor, the last scene they saw was—Leon Schmidt's consciousness projection completely constricted and devoured by that data tentacle, transforming into scattered light particles, merging into Source B's even more massive, twisted form.

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  [Ding. Abnormal consciousness activity termination detected...]

  The system announcement sounded again, tolling the bell for an anomalous creation's maker.

  Eighth victim: Leon Schmidt. Died at the hands of the monster he created.

  Terrifying irony.

  Charles and Sophia crashed heavily onto the corridor floor, gasping violently, feeling the illusory sense of security brought by the relatively stable car floor. Behind them, the equipment room door was twisting and deforming due to core energy explosion and structural damage, the crack continuously widening. Inside, the violent data torrent and Source B's suffocating presence constantly leaked out, threatening to completely swallow this final sanctuary.

  The train itself emitted overwhelmed groans, lights flickering on and off, the entire structure trembling.

  They had to leave immediately!

  Charles struggled to climb up, looking at Sophia: "Can you still move?"

  Sophia coughed up a mouthful of "blood," nodding with difficulty, yet her eyes were unusually bright: "Won't die... Damn, this commission definitely needs double pay..."

  Both their gazes simultaneously turned toward the front of the car. The only hope was to somehow use this half-wrecked train to find a way to leave consciousness projection alive.

  "Urgh..."

  A painful moan came through.

  It was Irina Petrova. She struggled to raise her head, face pale, the struggle in her eyes seemed to have subsided somewhat, replaced by deep fatigue and... emptiness? Source B's loss of control and Leon's death seemed to have severed some connection with her.

  On the other side, Carmen Ortiz also broke free from the wall. She looked somewhat damaged but still expressionless, quickly assessing the current situation. Her gaze finally locked on Charles and Sophia, seemingly still weighing whether to continue executing Leon's final command.

  But at this moment, a greater threat came from that continuously splitting door.

  [More... need more...] Source B's chaotic intent surged out like a tide. Massive data tentacles tried to squeeze through the door crack!

  No time left!

  "If you want to live, work together to get this wrecked train moving or find a way out!" Charles shouted at Irina and Carmen. All grudges must now be set aside.

  Once upon a time, Irina and Carmen, as killers under Leon's command, had only Leon's orders as their life's guiding principle. Now the commander was dead. They'd lost guidance, their own will returned. The survival instinct etched in their genes began taking the upper hand.

  Irina glanced at that terrifying door crack, then at where Leon had disappeared, a trace of desolation flashing in her eyes. Finally she struggled to stand, nodding, walking toward the front control room: "I'll... try to initiate emergency propulsion protocol... but need time..."

  Carmen was silent for a moment, seemingly undergoing internal conflict. Finally she also chose cooperation. She didn't walk toward the front but began dismantling corridor wall panels, exposing internal basic circuits: "I can try directing remaining energy toward life support and external distress calls... but hope is slim."

  A temporary, forced survival alliance formed once more.

  Charles and Sophia also immediately took action. Charles used his interface knowledge trying to find any way to stabilize the system or send distress signals. Sophia was responsible for monitoring that shattered door, using her remaining equipment to barely construct a fragile energy barrier, delaying Source B's seepage.

  The train struggled on the edge of collapse. Outside the windows, frozen data fragments began slowly rotating, as if the entire system edge zone was unstably fluctuating.

  Irina desperately operated in the control room. Carmen brutally rewired circuits. Charles attempted connections. Sophia struggled to defend.

  Each person fought for survival.

  That thing behind the door continuously impacted Sophia's barrier, emitting heart-palpitating collision sounds and mad shrieks.

  Time passed second by second.

  Life and death hung by a thread.

  Would this train carrying countless sins and departed souls ultimately drive toward complete destruction, or... a slim thread of survival?