BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1329: Sealing the underwater lab (2)

Clearly, Erik could not fix the computers or the equipment, as it would need too much fine work, and even if he somehow did, the data was probably lost. Only that room had been spared by time and water.

<I know that. Just tell me what to do.>

"The system's going to walk me through restoring the power," Erik said to the others. "The reactor with the brain crystal is still working, but we need to reconnect it to the rest of the lab."

[Start by creating conductive plant matter to serve as wiring. Route it from the reactor chamber to the main distribution hub located three levels below your current position.]

Erik called upon his Verdant Architect brain crystal power once more, creating small plants. The vines snaked through the walls and floors. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Following the paths the system showed, Erik also connected them to the electrical system. Whenever he completed one section, he turned the plants into the materials the biological supercomputer showed, albeit Erik didn't even know what they were.

The verdant architect worked in a peculiar way.

It allowed him to change the molecules of plants, but only if he knew how the target materials were structured.

This was relatively easy with the most common materials, but the more specific ones needed the system's help, as it was in this case.

Erik had to use his Hydra's heads once more to do this task. The others observed him. "Better to let him focus," Mira said.

He went through the laboratory, connecting sections, bypassing damaged components, and creating new pathways for the electric power.

[Now transform the plant in this section into proper conductive material. I will tell you what you have to do.]

Erik did as instructed. He changed the plants into copper and other metals, completing the circuit between the reactor and the laboratory's systems.

Everything hummed to life; some light flickered from red to green. A low vibration ran through the laboratory. Light panels flickered, then steadied, bathing the facility in artificial brightness for the first time in centuries.

"It worked," Martha said, looking around at the now-illuminated laboratory.

The restoration revealed the true scale of the facility. What looked like shadowy ruins now revealed a complex research center with multiple levels and sections.

Erik exhaled. "The main systems are back online. We have power, oxygen, and access."

Of course, only the basics worked. The computers were still out, meaning the system would need to access the room directly.

Erik moved toward the sealed room. With the electrical systems restored throughout the facility, the biological supercomputer could now interface with the door's locking mechanism.

<Can you open it?> Erik asked.

[Yes. I need a physical connection to bypass the security protocols, since there is no kind of software I can use here.]

<It's all mechanical?>

[No, but since the software is offline, the only way is to give a manual input to the door to open it.]

Erik called on Verdant Architect once more. Thin vines came from some seeds in his hands, connected to him and the biological supercomputer through mana. They crept toward the control panel beside the door, which was now working.

The tendrils slipped into the small gaps around the panel, forming a connection that the biological supercomputer used as an interface.

The panel flickered to life, its display cycling through arrays of symbols and numbers as the system worked through the ancient security protocols.

"Is it working?" Amber asked.

Erik nodded. "The system is bypassing the security measures."

A series of mechanical clicks sounded from within the door as ancient locking mechanisms disengaged. The heavy door shuddered, then slid open with a hiss of pressurized air. Clean, dry air rushed out, carrying the smell of metal and dust.

"After all this time, the seal held perfectly."

"Silverline Corporation's technology. They were beyond anything we thought people back then were."

The group entered the room. Unlike the rest of the facility, this place was untouched by water or time.

The only thing that was there was the dust covering every surface, but that was it. The lighting was subdued but functional.

At the center stood the reactor, a cylindrical structure of gleaming metal and glass. Inside the transparent section, a brain crystal released continuous streams of mana.

The effect wasn't clearly visible—though the group could feel the energy flowing from the brain crystal into the surroundings, they could only see distortions, similar to heat waves but distinctly different.

Mickey approached the reactor. "How is this even possible? This technology shouldn't have existed in that era."

Gwen studied the setup. "It must function similarly to a brain crystal weapon," she said. "It draws energy from the brain crystal, using mana to power whatever is connected to it. In this case, the room. It looks like they didn't want to lose the data here."

"But that's cutting-edge research now," Mickey said. "We only recently figured out how to use brain crystals as energy sources thanks to Etrium. The implications of the ancient humans having this technology centuries ago..."

"It's terrifying," Martha nodded. "If they already achieved this level, what else did they get we don't know about?"

Allan touched the surface of a nearby console, brushing away a layer of dust with his fingers. His eyes were fixed on the ancient technology, but he said nothing, lost in thought.

Erik moved past the reactor toward a bank of computers at the far end of the room. The workstations stood in a semicircle. Their screens were dark but intact.

A thick layer of gray dust, at least a few centimeters deep, blanketed the keyboards and control panels.

The dust was evenly distributed across all surfaces. Despite the room's advanced water-sealing technology, air particles had infiltrated and accumulated over the past several hundred years.

"These might still work," Erik looked at the main terminal.

He pressed what turned out to be a power button. The screen remained dark for a moment before flickering to life. The display lit up, showing the Silverline Corporation logo.

"It works," Amber said. "After all this time, it actually works."

Erik turned to his companions. "I need to focus now."

The others made room for him.