Entropy Erosion Cycle: Absolute Zero

Chapter 4: The Resonance of Entropy

"Xiao Ya, do you remember what happened last night?" Lu Chang inquired softly once more, his tone tender and cautious, determined not to rekindle the terror that had gripped the little girl’s heart.

Xiao Ya nodded, her delicate face still marred by an inescapable trace of fright. "That wicked man… he wanted to catch you…" Her voice trembled like a fragile whisper.

"Yes, but you were so brave, protecting your Uncle," Lu Chang murmured as he gently caressed her hair, his eyes alight with both admiration and concern. "Tell me, Xiao Ya, do you feel any different in your body?"

Tilting her head, she paused to sense within herself before shaking her head. "No… I just feel a little tired."

A small sigh of relief escaped him, though Lu Chang remained uncertain about the toll her newfound power might exact upon her tender body. He fervently hoped it would not impede her growth.

"Xiao Ya, do you remember what you did? That is… making those things fly up…" he carefully guided her recollection.

Frowning in concentration, Xiao Ya struggled to recount the memory. "I… I just didn't want that wicked man to hurt you… and then… I felt a surge inside my heart, like an invisible force pushing everything away…" As she spoke, her small hand involuntarily clenched, as if grasping once more at that elusive power.

Lu Chang gazed upon her, his heart a maelstrom of conflicting emotions. He knew that this was the power of the "Entropic Mark"—an ability born from the resonance between one’s genes and the frequencies of cosmic dark matter. Yet he had never imagined that such formidable power could awaken in someone so young, and with such astonishing potency.

"Xiao Ya, I know you are remarkable, but this power is extraordinarily delicate. We must not use it carelessly, understand?" Lu Chang explained with gentle patience. "Each time you invoke it, there are consequences—just like last night…" He refrained from revealing that every use accelerated local entropy, fearing it would only instill further dread in her.

Xiao Ya nodded in a manner that conveyed both uncertainty and acceptance, though she did not fully grasp his meaning; she could, however, sense the earnestness and worry in his voice.

"Uncle, then what do we do now? Will that wicked man’s accomplices come after us?" she asked anxiously.

Lu Chang paused, fully aware that this was the gravest issue at hand. The Ouroboros Organization would not relent easily—they would intensify their search. They had to find a haven, a more secure and hidden refuge where they could at least momentarily elude their relentless pursuers.

"We must leave this place," Lu Chang declared. "It is no longer safe. We shall go to somewhere where they cannot find us."

"Where shall we go?" Xiao Ya asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Lu Chang, too, was unsure. His knowledge of this world was limited, and he could not say where true safety lay. But he knew they could not remain in the city, a territory dominated by Ouroboros. Perhaps they should seek refuge in a desolate, remote place—a land sparsely inhabited where they might vanish into obscurity.

"For now, we must depart," he resolved, scooping Xiao Ya into his arms as they stepped out of the abandoned factory.

They journeyed along a forsaken highway, flanked by endless wilderness and overgrown weeds. The sun had risen, its glaring light banishing the nocturnal chill, yet leaving the path ahead shrouded in mystery.

After a long trek, Lu Chang felt his strength waning. Xiao Ya, too, grew weary, her occasional yawns betraying her exhaustion.

Just as despair threatened to overtake them, a decrepit town emerged in the distance. The settlement, long abandoned, bore the scars of decay—buildings collapsed, with only forlorn ruins swaying in the wind.

"Xiao Ya, look—there appears to be a town. Let us go there; perhaps we can find shelter," Lu Chang said, pointing toward the distant sprawl.

Xiao Ya’s face brightened with hope. "Really? That's wonderful!"

They quickened their pace, venturing toward the forsaken town. Upon entering, they discovered a scene even more desolate than they had imagined. Streets choked with wild grasses, walls riddled with cracks, and an air heavy with the stench of decay.

With cautious steps, Lu Chang led Xiao Ya through the ruins in search of a structure that might still stand. At last, amidst the wreckage, they found a modest cabin that appeared relatively intact. Though its roof was scarred by time, it offered a refuge from the elements.

They tidied away the dust and debris with quiet determination before settling in. From his rucksack, Lu Chang withdrew the remaining compressed biscuits and water, sharing them with Xiao Ya.

After their brief meal, Lu Chang produced the enigmatic black device confiscated from the man in black. Once again, he scrutinized the instrument, yearning to unravel its secrets.

He pressed various buttons, watching as the display's cryptic symbols and numbers shifted relentlessly, yet none divulged any discernible meaning. In a moment of frustration, he even attempted to disassemble it, only to find its inner workings too intricate to yield easily.

Just as despondence threatened to consume him, his gaze fell upon a small slot at the device’s base—a port, perhaps, for data transfer.

An idea sparked within him as memories of his days as a courier resurfaced—encounters with all manner of electronic gadgets. Perhaps, he mused, he could connect a common data cable to that port and unlock the secrets within.

He scoured the cabin for a suitable cable and soon discovered an aged mobile phone data cord among discarded electronic detritus.

With utmost care, he inserted the cable into the device’s slot and connected the other end to his battered personal terminal. The terminal’s screen flickered to life, displaying a message indicating an attempt to establish a connection. Lu Chang waited with bated breath.

After several tense minutes, the terminal prompted: "Unknown device detected. Connect?"

Without hesitation, he selected "Yes."

A progress bar materialized, and both he and Xiao Ya watched intently as the connection slowly advanced. Finally, the progress bar completed, unveiling a new, minimalist interface—comprising a search bar and a handful of options.

Lu Chang typed keywords into the search field—"Ouroboros," "Entropic Mark," "Anti-Entropy Counter"—and initiated the search.

Soon, search results emerged, though most were encrypted files or garbled text. He opened a few documents that resembled plain text, only to find them dense with obscure jargon and intricate codes.

Just when disappointment threatened to overtake him, he discovered a folder labeled "Profiles of the Gifted." His heart quickened as he eagerly opened it.

Inside were numerous subfolders, each marked with a numerical code. Lu Chang randomly selected the folder labeled "0001" and found within it several photographs and a text file.

The images portrayed a very young girl, her face marked by a mixture of bewilderment and fear. The accompanying document detailed her name, age, awakened ability, and the current reading of her Anti-Entropy Counter.

Lu Chang read the dossier with a growing heaviness. The girl's ability was "Flame Manipulation," and her counter, once set at one million, had plummeted to half a million. The document meticulously recorded every instance of her power’s use and the energy expended.

He proceeded to open several other folders, each containing eerily similar records—each detailing the abilities of various gifted individuals, their counters steadily declining.

"Uncle, what are you looking at?" Xiao Ya peered over curiously.

Lu Chang hesitated, uncertain whether to expose her to such stark realities. Yet he decided that she, too, must understand a fragment of the truth.

He turned the terminal’s screen toward her, pointing at one of the profiles. "Xiao Ya, see? These people, like you, possess extraordinary powers. But each time they use them, they deplete something called an 'Anti-Entropy Counter.' And when that counter reaches zero, they will…" Lu Chang paused, unable to find the words to explain the fate of becoming a "living battery."

Xiao Ya’s eyes widened in confusion. "Anti-Entropy Counter? What is that? And why does it drop?"

With a weary sigh, Lu Chang admitted, "I do not fully understand it myself, but the ones from the Ouroboros Organization say that our powers are akin to borrowing energy from other universes, and one day, we must repay that debt. The Anti-Entropy Counter may be how we keep track of that debt."

Xiao Ya nodded slowly, not fully comprehending his words but sensing the gravity of the matter.

Lu Chang continued poring over the files, desperate to uncover more about the Anti-Entropy Counter and the dark objectives of the Ouroboros Organization.

Before long, he came across a document titled "The Principle of the Anti-Entropy Counter." He opened it eagerly, absorbing its intricate details on profound physical theories—a daunting task that left him straining to understand every nuance.

The file revealed that the Anti-Entropy Counter was a microscopic device implanted within the minds of the gifted. It monitored the entropy generated by their abilities, converting it into a numerical value that represented the "debt" each individual owed the universe. When that number dwindled to zero, the individual would be reclaimed by the Ouroboros Organization and transformed into a specialized energy source for their clandestine schemes.

"Living battery…" The words sent a chill through Lu Chang’s soul. At last, he comprehended the terrible truth behind the Anti-Entropy Counter and the fate awaiting those whose numbers fell to naught.

His eyes met Xiao Ya’s once more, filled with a new, profound worry. She, too, possessed a power—and her body must bear the counter’s burden. He vowed silently that he would protect her, shielding her from the cruel clutches of the Ouroboros Organization.

Lu Chang continued sifting through the files, uncovering more about the Organization’s history. He learned that their origins stretched back to the early 21st century, hidden in the shadows until the phenomenon of "String Resonance" thrust them into the light. They professed to safeguard global stability and prevent the catastrophic misuse of power, yet in truth, they meticulously controlled every gifted individual as a resource.

He also discovered their relentless search for an ability known as the "Zero Entropic Mark." Legend held that this mark possessed the power to rewrite physical laws—a power that could only be awakened by utterly forgetting one’s own abilities.

"To completely forget one's power…" Lu Chang murmured to himself, unable to fathom what such a state might entail, or how one could ever achieve it.

In that moment, a sudden warning flashed across the terminal: "External device detected. Allow access?" Alarmed, Lu Chang swiftly dismissed the alert and disconnected the data cable. He realized that his actions might have alerted the Ouroboros Organization.

They had to leave this place—immediately. The abandoned town was no longer safe.

Rousing Xiao Ya, he hastily gathered their belongings and led her away from the cabin.

Once more, they embarked on the fugitive’s path, but now Lu Chang’s heart was weighed down by a profound sorrow. Not only must he protect himself and Xiao Ya, but he also faced the daunting challenge of resisting a powerful, enigmatic organization.

He did not know what the future held, yet one truth was certain: he could never give up. For Xiao Ya, for all those ensnared by the Ouroboros Organization, he would unearth the truth and shatter this relentless cycle of entropy.

They walked silently through the wasteland as the sunset cast their elongated shadows. Though the road ahead remained shrouded in uncertainty, Lu Chang’s gaze burned with a newfound resolve. Clasping Xiao Ya’s hand tightly, he vowed silently that no matter the cost, he would protect this innocent child until he found a glimmer of true hope. And perhaps, that enigmatic black device in his hand might one day serve as the beacon to break through the encroaching darkness.