I lent my brother 500 yuan, and he offered his wife as collateral.

……

Before the life pod was activated, Shen Banxia performed three circuit checks.

"The independent maintenance end is normal. The Zero Source Emblem is only responsible for life monitoring and is not connected to the ancestral land main control."

Zhou Ye also confirmed remotely:

"Public resources have been restored to a stable state. Opening the hatch will not trigger the Phoenix Inheritance, nor will it restore the replacement procedure."

Su Qingxue then submitted a guardianship order.

[Confirmation of sole guardian.]

[The life support pod has been switched to medical activation mode.]

The latches on both sides of the cabin popped open one by one.

The life-sustaining fluid inside began to decrease, and a support frame slowly rose up, on which lay a woman.

The members of the collateral relatives unconsciously squeezed forward two steps.

They had lived in their ancestral land for many years and had heard some old rumors.

Some say that the first generation of the Su family, Fengyi, is sleeping inside the main control unit; others say that an ancestor who did not die is sealed inside; still others believe that once the life pod is opened, the true master of the Su family will appear.

The woman on the support frame does not fit either of these accounts.

She looked to be around thirty years old, with very long hair. Her skin, which had never seen sunlight, was very pale.

The limbs bear old marks from fixation and sampling, and the chest is connected to the maternal authentication interface.

What left everyone speechless was her face.

She bears a striking resemblance to Lin Wanrong in her youth.

Lin Wanrong stood still, her hand pressing down on her sleeve, not approaching.

Su Qingxue glanced at her mother first, then turned back to look at the support frame.

She knew why the people around her were staring at her.

Those people wanted to know if she would see this woman as another mother.

But this shouldn't be determined by appearance at all.

"Check the patient's vital signs first."

Shen Banxia walked to the bracket and connected the zero source pattern to the medical terminal.

"Her life rhythm has stabilized a bit. The long-term sealing has caused muscle atrophy, and her consciousness is intermittent. It's still uncertain whether she can speak."

Qin Feng activated his Divine Eye.

A set of information came into his view.

[Objective: To artificially cultivate independent life forms.]

[Biological origin: Early medical samples from Lin Wanrong.]

[Continuous life record: 20 years and 4 months.]

[Implanted Structure: Maternal Authentication Interface, Main Control Backlash Transfer Terminal, Old Print Synchronization Echo Terminal.]

[Purpose: To mitigate the loss of life, identity risks, and backlash from the controller caused by the misuse of privileges.]

[Warning: This entity possesses independent life rhythms and is not an appendage of Lin Wanrong.]

Qin Feng stared at the words "artificial cultivation" for a few seconds.

He had already guessed that the people in the life pod had a relationship with Lin Wanrong.

But after truly understanding its purpose, he still couldn't suppress his anger.

The first observation seat did not directly bear the risk of controlling the ancestral land, but was instead split into three parts.

The historical identity section stores Lin Wanrong's memories and is responsible for verifying her maternal identity.

The woman before me bears the responsibility for life, and endures the wear and tear and backlash on behalf of those in positions of authority.

Su Zhennan's former family seal was responsible for bridging permissions, allowing anonymous controllers to enter the Su family's ancestral land.

The three things together could fool the old system, but none of them truly belonged to the controller.

"Brother Feng, what did you find out?" Su Qingxue asked.

Qin Feng did not hide anything and submitted the part of the Divine Eye that could be turned into public evidence to the medical side.

"Her body originated from biological samples left behind by Aunt Lin. Someone used those samples to cultivate independent life and implanted a maternal authentication interface."

Lin Wanrong's throat moved slightly.

When was the sample taken?

"Twenty years ago, the exact time still needs to be checked."

Lin Wanrong slowly recalled:

"I received treatment at the old medical clinic for a long time. Back then, I had to have my blood drawn every few days, and sometimes after taking medication, I would sleep for an entire day."

He Shoushan, who was locked up to the side, closed his eyes after hearing these words.

Qin Feng noticed it, but didn't ask him immediately.

The most important thing now is to safely transfer the main body of life out of the cabin.

Interrogation can be postponed, but the person cannot have any more problems.

An elder from a collateral branch of the clan said in a low voice:

"Since she came from Madam Lin's body, does that mean she is Madam Lin's...?"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Another person added:

"Could it be a counterfeit?"

Lin Wanrong turned her head.

"Don't call her that."

The elder quickly explained:

"I didn't mean to insult Mrs. Lin, I just wanted to confirm her identity."

"She is not me."

Lin Wanrong paused, then said:

"She's not a fake either. She lived for twenty years, suffered for twenty years. What you call me is not important. Don't use my name to oppress her again."

Su Qingxue opened the temporary medical registration page.

The name field is currently empty. The system requires you to enter the title of the person being addressed.

"She is currently unable to speak, and there is no name that can be verified."

Su Qingxue said:

"First, register her with a unique medical number. Once she regains consciousness, she can decide what to call herself."

Someone asked in a low voice:

"Then is she considered a member of the Su family?"

"She was a patient first."

"But where did her body come from...?"

"The source of her origin cannot determine who she belongs to."

Su Qingxue did not raise her voice, but the members of the collateral branches remained silent.

Qin Feng glanced at her and felt a little relieved.

From the Guifeng Corridor to here, Su Qingxue has been refusing to let anyone arrange an identity for her.

Now it was this woman's turn, and she didn't claim the other party as her own just because they had a biological connection.

This is what independent guardianship should truly be about.

The medical number was generated quickly.

[Temporary Number: YL-001]

[Subject Status: Independent Patient]

[Scope of monitoring: emergency medical care, protection of vital signs, and non-invasive examinations.]

[Prohibited Activities: Identity substitution, forced memory writing, recycling of biological materials, and rebinding of the main controller.]

Lin Wanrong walked to the bracket and looked at it for a long time from half a meter away.

The woman on the support twitched her fingers slightly and uttered a few indistinct syllables.

Shen Banxia bent down.

"She's talking."

The surroundings immediately fell silent.

The woman struggled to utter a few words.

"Don't go into the old clinic..."

Su Qingxue immediately realized:

"Was the warning issued by her in the main control layer?"

Zhou Ye retrieved the previously received abnormal echoes and compared their voiceprints and rhythms.

"Her life rhythm was consistent. At that time, she did not have a stable ability to express herself and could only send short sentences outward through the master echo."

These words made several members of the collateral branches lower their heads.

They had previously suspected that the warnings were fabricated by Qin Feng's side.

No one expected that the person who actually warned Su Qingxue not to enter the old medical clinic alone was the victim who had been trapped in the control room for twenty years.

She didn't even have her own name, yet in the final minutes, she prevented another person from being crammed into the life pod.

Su Lie walked to He Shoushan's side.

Did you know she could think?

He Shoushan did not open his eyes.

"In her earlier years, she would occasionally be lucid."

"You spoke to her?"

"The maintenance manual does not allow it."

"What did she say?"

He Shoushan remained silent for a long time before finally managing to utter a sentence:

She asked me what year it was outside.

Su Lie's hand rested on the hilt of the knife, then slowly released it.

He knew he couldn't act now.

He Shoushan has been taken into custody, and a full investigation into his responsibility will follow.

But the thought that every time this woman woke up, all she could ask was what year it was outside made him unable to suppress the anger in his chest.

"What was your answer?"

I did not answer.

Wu Jie stood to the side, holding back for a long time, but finally blurted out:

"Are you guarding ancestral land or a living graveyard?"

He Shoushan remained silent.

Medical personnel entered the ancestral site via a safe passage and transferred YL-001 to a separate life support bed.

The entire process was witnessed by Su Qingxue, Lin Wanrong, and Shen Banxia.

After the main body of life was sent out of the life capsule, Qin Feng re-inspected the bottom of the capsule.

Below the bracket is a metering module that has been obscured by the life-sustaining fluid for a long time.

The module casing was not damaged, and the internal records were not cleared.

Qin Feng had Zhou Ye connect remotely.

"Create the image first, but do not execute any settlement commands."

"clear."

The data unfolds little by little.

Over the past twenty years, the medicinal herbs, array stones, spiritual energy, life-sustaining fluids, and public electricity consumed by the life support pods have all been recorded.

Each entry is precise down to the time period in which it is called.

However, the "Contract Parties" field remains empty.

The recipient is not listed.

The purpose of use is stated in just four words:

Safeguarding the ancestral land.

Wu Jie swallowed hard as he watched the total number increase.

"How much will this cost?"

Qian Shao provided an estimate from the perspective of Santa Fe's public resources:

"Based on current prices, without even considering interest, it already exceeds 27 billion. There are also a significant amount of restricted resources within that, so it can't be calculated solely in monetary terms."

Shen Banxia reached out and clicked on one of the messages.

"There are still the Shen family's array stones here. Our people are so poor outside that they risk their lives to repair the array, but they seem to be using them quite skillfully."

Qin Feng continued his investigation.

Although the resources have no recipient, a synchronization echo is generated every six hours.

All echoes are sent to the same receiver.

Su Zhennan's former family seal.

"Old seals are not just responsible for bridging."

Qin Feng said:

"It is still receiving operational data from the life pod."

Zhou Ye quickly added:

"The echo contains the percentage of life loss, the intensity of the backlash, and the stability value of permissions. The receiving end can know at any time how much longer this person can last."

Su Qingxue looked at He Shoushan.

"Who is looking at this data?"

He Shoushan opened his eyes, and the muscles on his face twitched twice.

"The old family seal is only open to the First Observer Seat."

"For twenty years, did the First Observer know she was still alive?"

"Know."

"I also know she'll feel pain, wake up, and ask what year it is outside?"

He Shoushan opened his mouth, but did not answer.

He used to convince himself with the maintenance manual.

The main control needs stability, the Su family needs its ancestral land, and the Tianji Pavilion needs to maintain order in the Central Region.

As long as the final result is correct, someone always has to make sacrifices in the process.

But now, I can't bring myself to say those words.

Qin Feng instructed Zhou Ye to seal all measurement records.

This account is not just about money.

It can prove that the First Observation Seat has used this life entity for twenty consecutive years, and it can also prove that the other party has always been in control of the operation of the ancestral land.

Those who claim to have anonymous access often say that they are merely observing and never directly controlling anything.

But as long as resources are flowing and data is being received, responsibility will not truly disappear.

Just as Qin Feng was about to check the bottom serial number of the old seal echo, He Shoushan suddenly laughed.

It started as a low murmur squeezed out of his throat, but then the laughter grew louder and louder.

Su Lie pressed down on his shoulder.

"What are you laughing at?"

He Shoushan raised his head and looked at the life pod that had just been opened.

"You think you've won just because you rescued her?"

Simultaneously, the sound of locks closing could be heard from all around the ancestral land.

The entrance, the Guifeng Corridor, and the outer gate of the old medical clinic were all covered by thick partition walls.

The lobby lighting was switched to red.

The public transportation lines were forcibly taken over.

[Leaked core data from the ancestral land has been detected.]

[The historical maintenance entity has been detected as out of control.]

[Supreme Defense Purge Procedure Initiated!]