148: Morpheus's "Resonator" and the Anomaly of "Home"

Beneath the warm daily life of "Homeland" and the diligent training of Excellence, the long-dormant shadow finally could not restrain itself, revealing its more hideous fangs. Morpheus Li, that paranoid and dangerous opponent, after a long period of dormancy and preparation, launched a plan codenamed "Abyssal Resonance"—a plan far more aggressive, direct, and vicious than any previous operation.

Unlike the relatively circuitous methods of previous attempts—such as information infiltration, creating virtual "echo" Stand-ins, or deploying neural-influence devices disguised as gifts—Morpheus's strategy this time underwent a fundamental shift. He abandoned imitation and deception, turning instead to a more violent and essential form of intervention. His goal became extremely clear: he was no longer trying to copy or influence Excellence's mind from the outside, but was going to directly attack and attempt to manipulate the source of his abilities—that is, the unique and not-yet-fully-understood connection between Excellence and that mysterious "star map" ore.

To achieve this sinister goal, Morpheus utilized a trump card secretly preserved by the radical faction of the "Prophet Foundation": a larger "Mother Lode" with significantly stronger energy activity. This ore was homologous to the fragment carried by Excellence, but the "constant ripple" signal strength contained within was far greater than any sample Excellence had ever encountered, as if it were the energy core of all the fragments. At the same time, he activated a high-power Resonance amplification device, built secretly at a huge cost, whose design principle was based on years of cracking the star map frequencies, capable of focusing and amplifying the energy field of the Mother Lode to the extreme.

The core of the "Abyssal Resonance" plan was to use this giant device to modulate the Mother Lode's energy field to a specific band highly consistent with the core frequency of the star map, and then, like using an over-the-horizon mental weapon, directionally emit a continuous, powerful Resonance force field toward the geographic coordinates of "Homeland"!

Morpheus's calculations were extremely insidious:

Forced excitation, inducing loss of control: He speculated that Excellence's abilities were still in a growth and stabilization phase, and his connection with the ore was sensitive and fragile. A saturation-style impact using this externally reinforced, far-supernatural level "Resonance field" would very likely exceed Excellence's tolerance threshold, inducing his abilities to enter a runaway state, thereby exposing fatal weaknesses or causing irreversible self-damage.

Establishing a channel, peeking into the core: The more long-term goal was to hope that through this forced, high-intensity Resonance, a deeper, stable "connection channel" could be forcibly established between Excellence (as the receiving end) and the Mother Lode (as the transmitting end). Once the channel was formed, The Foundation might be able to use the Mother Lode to inversely spy on, interpret, and even eventually attempt to interfere with Excellence's conscious activities, turning him into a "signal source" that could be indirectly read and influenced.

This was an out-of-hand gamble, betting that Excellence could not resist this reinforced version of Resonance impact originating from the source. Morpheus was willing to bear the risk of exposing the Mother Lode and the giant device because he believed that if he could successfully interfere with or control Excellence, the payoff would be subversive.

In a hidden underground facility thousands of kilometers away from "Homeland," the "Abyssal Resonance" device was quietly activated. Huge energy accumulated in the specially made Resonance chamber, and the Mother Lode emitted a dark and throbbing glow. As the operator pressed the final button, an invisible yet immensely powerful frequency field was precisely calibrated in direction, like a silent, vicious ghost river, piercing through mountains and earth, rushing toward the valley area where "Homeland" was located.

At first, everything inside "Homeland" was normal. The sunset glow spilled over the buildings, the canteen was filled with the aroma of food during dinner time, and researchers were chatting in twos and threes; everything appeared calm and orderly.

However, this calm was soon broken by extremely subtle yet undeniable anomalies. The first to notice something wrong were not the precision instruments, but those organisms most sensitive to environmental changes. Some experimental plants in the Greenhouse that were sensitive to electromagnetic fields began to show unnatural curling of their leaves; small animals raised for behavioral research became restless, scurrying back and forth in their cages.

Immediately after, the base's environmental monitoring system began to alarm. It was not a traditional intrusion alarm, but the background electromagnetic spectrum monitoring unit issued an anomaly report: a specific frequency band signal of unknown origin, whose intensity far exceeded natural background levels, was continuously strengthening. The frequency characteristics of this signal had a significant correlation with a certain highly suspicious cosmic background noise (actually an approximation of the star map frequency) recorded in the database. Almost simultaneously, some high-precision scientific instruments experienced slight reading drift or increased baseline noise; although it had not yet affected core functions, it was enough to alert the technical staff.

More disturbingly, some researchers who were more sensitive to nerves began to report to the infirmary, feeling inexplicable anxiety, palpitations, difficulty concentrating, and even some experiencing brief tinnitus or dizziness. An invisible, low-pressure-like feeling of oppression began to spread quietly among the unsuspecting crowd.

Storm Center: Excellence's Violent Reaction

And at the center of this invisible storm, Excellence was in his studio, conducting his daily routine of "Resonance Mapping" training. The topic given by Evelyn today was to perceive a set of dynamic parameters simulating "global internet core Node data streams." He was deep in thought facing the numbers on the screen, trying to capture that feeling of an "information torrent."

Suddenly, without warning, he felt an extremely intense palpitation, as if his heart had been ruthlessly gripped by an invisible hand and jerked downward! At the same time, sharp, continuous high-frequency tinnitus exploded deep in his mind. The sound was not like any known sound; it was more like a roar from the abyss acting directly on his neurons!

"Ah!" Excellence let out a short cry of pain, and the brush in his hand dropped onto the table with a "clatter." The scene before him began to spin and twist, and the drawing lines he had just been conceiving danced wildly in his field of vision. The "Emotion-Visualization Device" on the corner of the table, which had originally changed its halo softly, was now like an out-of-control neon light, erupting with blinding, chaotic, and irregular strong light. The colors flashed madly between blood red, pale white, and ghostly blue, as if issuing a silent scream.

"Monitor! Sister Evelyn! It's wrong! Something is wrong!" Excellence held his head in pain, curled up in his chair, his little face instantly turning pale, cold sweat dripping down. His voice trembled with pain and fear. "It's so noisy! In my head... there are so many... so many big drums beating! Something... something is drilling! It's going to explode!"

He felt that his brain was no longer his own, as if it had become a Resonance chamber, forcibly invaded and violently shaken by an external, barbaric, homologous yet amplified force. That frequency, similar to the source of his abilities, had now become the deadliest poison, generating a catastrophic Resonance with his own Perception system. He tried to concentrate to "shield" or "tune" as usual, but the force was too powerful, crashing against the dikes of his consciousness like a tsunami.

Excellence's abnormal reaction and the emergency alarm issued by Su Mu at the first moment made Evelyn highly vigilant. While rushing to Excellence's studio, she quickly retrieved the environmental monitoring data. When she saw the continuously strengthening, clearly characterized anomaly frequency signal, her heart immediately became clear: this was by no means a natural phenomenon or accidental interference! This was a targeted, long-planned external attack! The attacker not only knew the essence of Excellence's abilities well but also mastered the technology to amplify and distort this Resonance! The target was aimed directly at Excellence's consciousness itself!

"Activate the highest-level electromagnetic defense! Turn on the full-area active shielding field! Maximize power!" Evelyn issued urgent but clear instructions to the security control center through the intercom system. Her voice was calm, but her knuckles were white from clenching her fists.

Deep in the base, the powerful electromagnetic shielding system was activated, attempting to build an invisible barrier on the periphery of "Homeland" to isolate the invasion of the external field. However, the technical department soon sent disturbing news: "The shielding effect is not ideal! The opponent's field strength far exceeds the design threshold, and the frequency is extremely tricky, with strong penetrability! Our shielding field can only attenuate part of the intensity and cannot completely block it!"

At this moment, Evelyn had already arrived at the studio. The scene before her made her heart tighten: Excellence was shivering in Su Mu's arms, his consciousness seemed to be in a semi-blurred state, and he was unconsciously muttering, "Noisy... stop... stop it..." The physiological monitor showed his heart rate was extremely fast and irregular, and his brain waves showed highly disordered synchronous oscillations, clearly in a dangerous strong Resonance with the external field!

This Resonance must be cut off immediately! Otherwise, Excellence's nervous system might suffer permanent damage, and it might even trigger more terrible consequences—complete loss of control over his abilities!

Conventional means were ineffective, and Evelyn made a prompt decision to take an extremely bold and dangerous emergency measure: use the "Phase-Precise Neural Regulator" in the base's medical center, which was used to treat severe neurological diseases and had extremely high precision. Her plan was to emit an "Anti-Resonance Wave" with a phase completely opposite to the external intrusion field, which had been calculated with extreme precision, into the specific functional areas of Excellence's brain!

In principle, this was similar to canceling noise with noise, allowing the two opposite fluctuations to cancel each other out. But in practice, the risk was extremely high:

Extremely high precision requirements: It was necessary to monitor the precise frequency and phase changes of the external field in real-time and instantly calculate the perfectly matched reverse wave. Any tiny error might not only fail to cancel it out but instead superimpose it, causing more serious interference or damage.

Target positioning risk: It was necessary to precisely locate the core area where the external field resonated within Excellence's brain. Any slight deviation might affect other normal brain functions.

Energy control: The intensity of the Anti-Resonance Wave had to be just right; too weak would be ineffective, and too strong could itself become a source of injury.

This was undoubtedly dancing on the tip of a knife, a millisecond-level microscopic offensive and defensive battle with an invisible opponent using Excellence's brain as the battlefield!

In the sterile isolation room of the medical center, the atmosphere was as tense as an operating room. Excellence was carefully placed on the regulator, with dense sensors connected to his head. Evelyn sat at the main console, her eyes as sharp as a falcon's, her hands flying to adjust parameters, staring fixedly at the real-time data flowing like a waterfall on the screen—the external field spectrum, Excellence's brain activity, the calculated reverse wave parameters... Every one of her decisions concerned Excellence's safety.

"External field frequency offset 0.003 Hz! Recalculate the phase angle!"

"Target Resonance zone activity surge! Adjust output focus!"

"Increase Anti-Resonance Wave intensity by 5%, continue monitoring vital signs!"

Evelyn's voice was calm without a trace of emotion, but the fine beads of sweat on her forehead exposed her extreme inner tension. This was the ultimate test of her professional knowledge, technical ability, and psychological quality.

And beside Excellence, Su Mu held his cold little hand tightly, playing an irreplaceable role. She could not help Evelyn technically, but she built the last line of psychological defense for Excellence in her own way. She kept whispering in Excellence's ear with a soft and firm voice, although she was unsure if he could hear:

"Excellence, don't be afraid, Monitor is here with you..."

"Sister Evelyn is helping you, it will be fine soon..."

"Think of happy things, think of us going to the creek together, watching the stars..."

"Hold on, my little hero, you can definitely do it..."

Her voice, like a warm lighthouse in a storm, penetrated the chaos and pain in Excellence's consciousness, becoming a stable and bright coordinate in his struggle for survival. The monitor showed that when Su Mu spoke, Excellence's extremely disordered heart rate would occasionally show a brief calm, as if her voice could really play some kind of soothing role.

Evelyn's precise operation and Su Mu's warm protection formed a perfect complement and synergy in this invisible battle of consciousness. The technical confrontation canceled out the external physical attack, while the emotional support stabilized the internal spiritual core.

Difficult Tug-of-War and the Dawn of Victory

The process was not smooth sailing. The intensity of the external field was not constant but fluctuating, as if the attacker was also adjusting strategies according to the situation. Evelyn had to be like the top sniper, predicting, tracking, and fine-tuning to ensure that the Anti-Resonance Wave could always hit the target precisely. A few times, the external field suddenly changed trajectory, almost causing the reverse wave to fail, but Evelyn relied on her amazing reaction speed and deep knowledge reserve to complete the correction at the critical moment.

This was a tug-of-war of will and technology. Time passed second by second, and every second felt as long as a year.

Finally, after more than ten minutes that felt like an eternity, a decisive turning point appeared on the monitoring screen. The indicator curve representing the Resonance intensity between the external field and Excellence's brain waves began to show a significant, continuous downward trend! Excellence's originally tense body gradually relaxed, his rapid breathing became calm, and his tightly furrowed brows also slightly relaxed. The flashing frequency of the harsh, chaotic Emotion-Visualization Device halo began to decrease, and the light gradually became softer.

"Resonance peak decreased by 30%... 50%... continuing to decrease!" The technician's voice carried uncontrollable excitement.

Evelyn let out a long, slow breath, only then feeling that her back was soaked with cold sweat. But she dared not relax in the slightest, continuing to maintain the output of the Anti-Resonance Wave until confirming that the intensity of the external field had decayed to a level that no longer posed a threat, and Excellence's physiological indicators were also stable within the safe range.

Crisis Temporarily Eased and Far-reaching Impact

The attack of "Abyssal Resonance" was successfully contained and resolved under Evelyn's decisive and precise response. Excellence escaped from the most dangerous situation and fell into a deep sleep under the effect of medication, needing a long period of rest and observation.

The base's shielding system continued to work, and although it could not completely block it, combined with Evelyn's internal intervention, it was enough to control the residual field strength below the safety threshold. Other anomalies in the base also gradually subsided.

However, this sudden attack sounded an unprecedented alarm for "Homeland." Morpheus Li was no longer satisfied with indirect means; he used more core resources and adopted a more direct attack method, with his target clearly pointed at The Foundation of Excellence. This marked the entry of the confrontation into a more dangerous and naked new stage.

Looking at Excellence, who was still frowning occasionally in his sleep due to nightmares, Evelyn and Su Mu felt incomparably heavy. They knew that temporary safety did not mean permanent peace. The enemy was like a giant beast lurking in the deep sea, having already revealed its fangs. The road of protection in the future would definitely be more difficult and full of challenges. They must become stronger to protect this precious light that was struggling to flicker in the storm.