Chapter 58: The Neon Grave and the Data-Smugglers
The propulsion from the flagship's explosion had sent Zhou Fan and Ling Er drifting through the [Interstellar Void]—a place where the density of matter was so low that even the concept of "existence" felt stretched. Without the protective atmosphere of Sector 7, the stars weren't twinkling points of light; they were sharp, unfiltered radiation sources that burned like needles.
Zhou Fan's tactical suit was in [Safe Mode]. Red warnings flickered in his vision: Oxygen: 4%... Stability: 19%... Neural Connection: Intermittent. He held Ling Er tightly; her "Random Seed" was the only thing keeping them from being detected by the [Long-Range Scanners] of the Galactic Fleet.
"Detecting... localized mass... coordinate match: [Station 404 - The Neon Grave]," his suit's AI droned.
Ahead of them, drifting in the shadow of a dead gas giant, was a structure that looked like a jagged tooth of rusted metal and glowing neon tubes. It was a [De-commissioned Data-Hub], now converted into a lawless trading post for those who existed outside the Galactic Mainframe's records.
"We have to land there," Zhou Fan whispered, his breath frosting inside his helmet. "It's the only place where 'Unprotected Space' meets the 'Underground Network'."
Landing at Station 404
As they approached the docking bay, they weren't greeted by soldiers, but by [Scavenger Drones]—small, multi-limbed machines that looked like metallic insects. They swarmed around them, scanning for valuable data or rare materials.
"Identification: Unknown. Status: Rogue Data," one drone chattered in a high-pitched, binary-heavy dialect.
Zhou Fan didn't use force. He opened the Missing Ledger and allowed a tiny pulse of the "Source Code" to leak out. The drones immediately froze, their sensors overloaded by the high-purity data. They backed away, forming a path into the station's interior.
The inside of The Neon Grave was a sensory assault. The air smelled of ozone, burnt silicon, and cheap synthetic stimulants. The streets—narrow corridors made of repurposed server racks—were crowded with a bizarre mix of lifeforms: [Cyborg-Cultivators] with hydraulic limbs, [Digital Ghosts] flickering in and out of holographic projectors, and [Data-Smugglers] wearing cloaks that obscured their bio-signatures.
"Zhou Fan... where are we?" Ling Er asked, waking up with a start. Her eyes were wide as she watched a massive, six-armed creature trading a glowing canister of "Condensed Memories" for a handful of silver chips.
"This is the [Buffer Zone]," Zhou Fan explained, his hand on his light-blade. "The Mainframe can't see us here, but neither can the law. In this place, you are only worth the data you carry."
The Information Broker: Old Man Cache
They made their way to a tavern called "The Overclocked Heart," a place where the music was literally a stream of high-frequency noise that vibrated through the floor. At the back sat a being who looked like a pile of ancient wires and glowing tubes, with a single, massive optical lens for a face.
This was Old Man Cache, a legendary broker who had survived three "System Resets."
"A Lead Developer and a Random Seed," Cache hissed, his cooling fans whirring loudly. "You two are the most expensive 'Files' in the galaxy right now. The Auditor's fleet is scouring the sector for you. Why bring that heat to my station?"
"I need a path to the [Galactic Hub]," Zhou Fan said, slamming a small data-shard onto the table. It contained a fragment of the Auditor's flagship code—a trophy from the explosion. "And I need a way to upgrade my suit. I'm leaking reality, and I can't reach the Hub if I dissolve into static."
Cache picked up the shard, his optical lens zooming in and out. "This is High-Tier encryption... you actually took down a Cerebrum-Class vessel? Bold. Very bold."
The old broker leaned in, his voice dropping to a low hum. "The Hub isn't just a place, Developer. It's a [Hyper-Process]. You don't 'walk' into it. You have to be 'Compiled' into it. And to do that, you need a [Kernel Access Key]."
"Where do I find one?"
"There's a [Data-Heist] happening in three cycles," Cache said, his fans spinning faster with excitement. "A transport ship carrying the 'Registry of Souls' is passing through the nearby nebula. If you can hijack their [Encryption Module], you'll have your key. But be warned... that ship is guarded by the [Silencers]—specialized units that don't delete you. They 'Compress' you until you're nothing but a single bit of information."
The Preparation: Forging the Void-Blade
Zhou Fan spent the next few cycles in the station's "Hardware-Forges." Using the scrap metal from the Auditor's ship and the raw data from the Ledger, he began to rebuild his weapon.
He didn't just sharpen a blade; he [Programmed] it. He infused the edge of the light-blade with a [Logic-Eating Virus].
"In the Hub, physical armor won't matter," Zhou Fan muttered as the blade hummed with a dark, violet energy. "I need a weapon that can cut through the 'Security Permissions' of the universe itself."
Ling Er watched him, her own powers evolving. She found that she could manipulate the neon lights of the station, bending the photons to create [Illusory Sub-Routines]. She was no longer just a "Seed"; she was becoming the System's Ghost.
As they prepared for the heist, a shadow moved in the corner of the tavern. A woman dressed in a suit of "Stealth-Code" approached them. She had no face, only a holographic display that showed a constant stream of scrolling text.
"You're going after the Registry of Souls?" she asked. "I'm a [De-compiler]. I know the ship's internal architecture. You provide the muscle, I provide the 'Backdoor.' Together, we might actually survive the Silencers."
Zhou Fan looked at her, his violet eyes calculating. "What's your price?"
"I want a copy of the Missing Ledger," she said. "I want to see the code of a world that actually broke its chains."
Zhou Fan smiled—a cold, sharp expression. "Deal. But if you betray us, I'll 'Format' your consciousness before you can hit the exit."
The team was set. The target: a fortress-ship in the middle of a nebula. The goal: a key to the heart of the galaxy.