I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 368: Chapter 365: Elastic Potential Energy

Mo Ling’s idea was simple.

If something was broken, couldn’t be controlled, and couldn’t be repaired, then the best solution was to simply dismantle it.

This had always been his way of doing things.

However, he also felt his idea was a bit naive.

”Can it... be taken apart?” he asked the machine.

The machine listened to Mo Ling’s words, a bit lost in thought.

”It’s actually possible.”

It began to explain the structure of Paradise Island to Mo Ling.

”You can think of Paradise Island as an incredibly dense, layered pastry...”

As he was falling, Mo Ling had seen the layers of white domes.

It looked incredibly deep, and the thickness of each dome varied. But in reality, the domes had zero thickness.

”When Si Yang built Paradise Island, she used a compression construction technique. She distributed facilities with different functions across separate domes, then compressed them over and over until they became a single ’thin film’ covering the original island.”

”This ’thin film’ contains all those layers of domes. From the outside, people can only see a single, thin layer. You have to enter the core to see Paradise Island’s true form.”

”That’s why I said before that this is the real Paradise Island.”

As it spoke, the machine used its built-in equipment to project the structure of a multi-layered pastry.

”If we release this film, we can dismantle Paradise Island completely.”

Mo Ling looked at the projection, confused. ”If we release the film, won’t Paradise Island instantly expand? Like a spring.”

The machine shook its head. ”A spring bounces back because its material is strong enough to withstand the released energy. If it can’t handle that kind of energy, it will...”

As it spoke, the projection in front of the machine compressed into a thin layer, then rapidly expanded.

The film, compressed to its limit, was instantly destroyed by the immense potential energy, shattering into countless specks of dust.

”It would be destroyed?” Mo Ling asked in surprise, looking at the projection.

”Yes, destroyed.” The machine nodded. ”And it won’t affect anything that was originally on Paradise Island. The force released from the film is so powerful it will instantly pulverize all the domes, leaving not a single trace...”

Listening to the machine’s words, Mo Ling found it hard to believe. This kind of ”dismantling” seemed a bit too thorough.

”Then what do we have to do to release this film? It can’t be a simple matter, right?”

”We just have to untie the rope...”

Another projection appeared in front of the machine, this time of a spring.

A rope appeared, cinching the spring into a state of maximum compression.

Then, as the rope was untied, the spring instantly shot out.

”The ’thin film’ of Paradise Island is also held by a rope, keeping the entire island in a compressed state,” the machine explained.

As he listened, an image of a giant chain connecting the countless domes flashed through Mo Ling’s mind...

”Where is that rope?” he asked impatiently.

”Follow me.” The machine beckoned to Mo Ling and headed toward the other side of the Feather Sea.

Before long, it stopped and said to Mo Ling, ”That rope is right in front of you.”

Mo Ling looked around but didn’t see any rope.

”Where is it?”

The area was empty, holding nothing but a boundless sea of feathers. There was no sign of the ”rope” the machine had mentioned.

”Look closely. It’s right in front of you. If you can’t see it clearly, you can try to feel for it with your hand, but be careful. It’s very sharp...” the machine said to Mo Ling.

’In front of me...’

Mo Ling carefully stretched out his hand and felt forward.

Finally, he found the ”rope.”

But the ”rope’s” appearance was not what Mo Ling had expected.

Rather than calling it a ”rope,” it was more like a ”fishing line.”

It was just like a common, transparent nylon line. If you weren’t looking carefully, you would never have noticed such a thin thread in the pure white Feather Sea.

The line was stretched taut. It ran down into the depths hidden by the feathers and stretched up beyond sight, as if passing through the dome to some invisible zenith.

Just as Mo Ling’s hand was about to touch it, the thought that this line was holding the entirety of Paradise Island made his hand freeze in mid-air.

”Don’t be afraid. This line is extremely strong.”

The machine came over, produced a sharp blade from its mechanical arm, and swung it forcefully at the thin line.

However, the line didn’t snap as expected. Instead, a chip was knocked out of the machine’s blade.

The machine made a shrugging gesture and retracted the blade.

”It’s that tough?” Mo Ling asked in amazement.

”Of course. This line has to withstand the rebound force of all of Paradise Island. If it were too fragile, it would have snapped long ago.”

”Step aside for a moment. I’ll show you.”

The machine had Mo Ling step back, then produced scissors, a chainsaw, and even a gun from its mechanical arm...

One by one, these tools were used against the line, but none of them left so much as a scratch.

”A line this important is left out in the open precisely because no one has to worry about it being damaged,” the machine explained.

Mo Ling cautiously stepped forward and gently placed his hand on the thin line.

It felt smooth, just like a common nylon fishing line. The only difference was the unyielding hardness he felt when he pressed down on it. Otherwise, it seemed completely unremarkable.

”What exactly is this?” Mo Ling asked curiously, feeling the thin line.

”Dragon Sinew,” the machine explained. ”It’s a type of material, I suppose. A material whose properties cannot be altered.”

”It’s the sinew of a creature from the 3rd Floor of the Abyss. This creature looks like the dragons from human records, but it has no intelligence. It’s just a beast.”

”The creature itself has no special abilities, but it possesses this one sinew inside its body that grows longer with age. When the creature is killed and the Dragon Sinew is extracted, the sinew will permanently maintain the exact state it was in at the moment of harvesting. It can never be altered.”

”Many races hunt this creature, which has led to them being almost extinct on the 3rd Floor of the Abyss. Dragon Sinew has also become an extremely precious material.”

”This Dragon Sinew can’t be cut, and it’s impervious to environmental effects. It’s so incredibly tough that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the hardest material in existence. What’s more, if you place separate strands of Dragon Sinew together, they will fuse into a single, longer strand.”

The machine gazed at the sky-piercing thread and said flatly:

”There are tens of thousands of them here.”

Hearing the machine’s explanation, Mo Ling sighed with a heavy heart.

’So it’s not just the feathers on the ground. Even this thread was stripped from the body of a living creature.’

’Paradise Island... just how many lives are buried here?’