208: Alien Exploration and the Challenge of the "Silent Core"

Through the magnificent and ancient "Watcher Stargate," the *Morning Star* underwent a brief and peculiar spatiotemporal transformation before finally stable-warping into a completely unfamiliar star system. As the starlight on the ship's main screen re-condensed, the scene outside the viewport sent a strange chill and a strong sense of alienation through everyone on the bridge who witnessed it.

The stellar backdrop here was distinctly different from the familiar Milky Way. The stars in the sky were sparsely and chaotically distributed, lacking the grand order of the Milky Way's spiral arm structure, like an immense, boundless black canvas splattered with silver dust. Most of the stars were dim, displaying an ancient reddish-yellow hue, devoid of the vibrant energy of young, vigorous stars. Cosmic dust lanes drifted like ghosts in the distant view, their forms twisted and grotesque. The entire space was permeated by an indescribable, ancient desolation and an aura of eternal stillness, as if it were a "cosmic graveyard" forgotten by time and life, a "cosmic graveyard." An invisible, heavy sense of loneliness quietly pressed upon everyone's hearts.

"Navigation system confirms, we have successfully exited the Milky Way. Current location... unknown star system, no matching star charts in the database," the navigation officer reported, their voice betraying a barely perceptible tremor, announcing this astonishing fact. They had truly stepped into a distant, alien realm never before traversed by humanity.

However, no one remained immersed in the shock of crossing the star sea for too long. Guided by the faint but continuous resonance deciphered from the fragments of the "Planetary Core" (Beacon Alpha) brought from "Homeworld," their destination—the second "Watcher Beacon" (temporarily named "Beacon Beta")—its unique energy frequency signal source was locked onto a planet within this strange star system.

The ship's long-range scanning system operated at full capacity, quickly pinpointing the target. It was a lone, medium-sized rocky planet suspended in the starry sky. Observed from orbit, the planet's surface presented a lifeless grayish-brown, covered with dense, pockmark-like giant meteorite impact craters and bottomless, winding canyon fissures. The atmosphere, so thin as to be almost negligible, could not retain any heat, leaving the planet's surface exposed to harsh cosmic radiation and extreme temperature variations. Scan results showed no signs of liquid water, vegetation, or life activity; it was a thoroughly desolate and hostile "dead planet."

"Life sign scan: None. Atmospheric composition: primarily inert gases, unsuitable for breathing. Average surface temperature: minus 150 degrees Celsius. Radiation level: high risk," the science officer calmly reported a series of disheartening data.

But amidst this desolate report, a crucial discovery invigorated everyone! In the planet's south polar region, beneath thick ice sheets and rock layers, the detection instruments picked up an extremely faint, yet unusually clear energy signal! The frequency characteristics of this signal bore an undeniable, highly homologous similarity to the energy fluctuations emitted by the "Beacon Alpha" from "Homeworld"! However, unlike the majestic and active energy field of Beacon Alpha, this signal appeared extremely "silent" and "weak," like a flickering candle in the wind, threatening to extinguish at any moment, yet carrying an indescribable, profound sense of introverted weight.

"Signal source confirmed! Located within a massive underground cavity approximately three kilometers beneath the south polar ice cap! Energy level... very low, extremely low, but the characteristic match is over 99%!" Dr. Evelyn's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"That's it!" Zhuo Yue's gaze sharply locked onto the coordinates on the screen. "Beacon Beta... it's down there. But its state... seems very poor."

Under-Ice Exploration: The Silent Core

With the target locked, the *Morning Star* quickly entered its predetermined orbit around the planet. After meticulous planning, a skilled landing party was assembled. Centered around Zhuo Yue, Su Mu, and Evelyn, augmented by a six-person elite guard squad personally selected by Captain Lei Gang, equipped with the most advanced exoskeleton armor and environmental adaptation systems, they boarded a specially reinforced small landing craft, detached from the mother ship, and descended towards the desolate, lifeless planetary surface.

The landing process was not easy. The thin atmosphere provided weak friction and buffering during descent, causing the landing craft to plummet towards the ground like a stone at high speed, relying entirely on powerful retro-engines for deceleration at the last moment. Outside the cabin, howling winds mixed with ice crystals and deadly cosmic radiation raged. When the hatch finally opened, what greeted them was an endless expanse of barren rocky land covered in white frost. The sky was an eternal dark purple, with no familiar sun visible, only a few exceptionally bright, unfamiliar stars hanging in the sky, casting a cold glow. The temperature was terrifyingly low; even with the insulation of advanced protective suits, the biting cold could still be felt.

Without a moment's delay, the team, following the optimal path scanned by the *Morning Star* from orbit, drove an all-terrain exploration vehicle towards the entrance of the massive ice field crevice where the signal source was located. Along the way, there was a deathly silence, broken only by the roar of the exploration vehicle's engine and the sound of wheels crunching over ice, further highlighting the desolation and horror of this world.

After driving several kilometers down a steep ice wall, a massive natural cave entrance, hidden deep within the glacier, appeared before them. The cave interior was extraordinarily spacious, as if an entire mountain had been hollowed out. Even more astonishing, the temperature inside the cave was slightly higher than outside, and some unknown mineral crystals emitting a faint luminescence were even condensed on the rock walls, providing a little illumination. A strange, weak energy field permeated the air, causing a slight tingling sensation on their skin.

In the deepest part of the cave, the exploration vehicle's lights finally illuminated their objective!

A giant crystal, slightly smaller than "Homeworld's" Beacon Alpha, entirely dark blue, like the deepest ocean or night sky, was quietly suspended several meters above the ground. It emitted no dazzling light, nor did it possess the vibrant, constantly radiating energy fluctuations of Beacon Alpha. Its surface was covered with dense, exquisitely complex, seemingly naturally formed yet artificially carved strange patterns. These patterns glowed faintly in the dim light, but overall, it looked more like a massive, lifeless, silent blue gem that had lost all vitality, or a... heart that had stopped beating. An indescribable aura of ancient loneliness and sorrow emanated from this core, enveloping the entire cave.

"Is it... is it... asleep? Or..." Su Mu looked at the lifeless crystal, comparing it to the radiant, vibrant Beacon Alpha from "Homeworld" in her memory, her voice filled with unconcealed disappointment and confusion. "...broken?"

Evelyn immediately took out various portable scanning instruments from her backpack and began a comprehensive inspection of Beacon Beta. Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper as her fingers rapidly scrolled across the instrument screen, analyzing the continuous stream of data. "Energy readings... incredibly low, almost at the 'absolute zero' level of energetics. Internal structure... appears intact from the scan, no physical damage found. But..." She paused, her tone unusually grave, "The internal information flow... is almost completely stagnant. It's like... like a supercomputer that has completely run out of power and entered the deepest state of hibernation. It needs to be activated, but the activation method... is unknown."

Barrier to Communication: Rejection and Trauma

Zhuo Yue said nothing. He slowly walked forward, stopping a few meters from Beacon Beta. He took a deep breath, trying to calm the emotions affected by the desolate environment. Then, just as he did when he first encountered the "Homeworld" Beacon Alpha, he slowly extended his hand, palm upwards, and began to release a gentle, benevolent resonant energy field. A faint golden, soft halo emanated from his palm, like warm sunlight, attempting to gently "touch" and "awaken" the dormant core before him.

However, this time, the situation was completely different.

Zhuo Yue's vibrant energy field, upon touching the dark blue crystal surface of Beacon Beta, was like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to stir even the slightest ripple! Beacon Beta gave no positive response to this benevolent energy probe from a "homologous source," not even producing a trace of instinctive energy fluctuation! The feeling was like trying to warm an ancient, unmelting block of ice with a torch—it was bone-chillingly cold and completely unresponsive.

Zhuo Yue frowned slightly, increasing his energy output. More golden halos surged towards Beacon Beta, attempting to penetrate deeper. But the result was still the same. The core remained silent, and even... from that extreme stillness, a faint but real "sense of repulsion" subtly emerged! It was as if a severely frightened child, curled up in a corner, was using all its strength to reject all external contact and comfort!

"Something's wrong." Zhuo Yue withdrew his hand, his expression becoming solemn. He turned to Evelyn and Su Mu. "It doesn't 'welcome' us like Alpha did. Its 'consciousness'..." He searched for the right words, "...seems completely closed off, or rather... it's suffered a very, very severe 'injury' and has completely locked itself down. It's afraid, refusing all external contact."

Evelyn looked at the scan data, nodding thoughtfully: "There are two major possibilities. One, over the long ages, its energy was completely depleted, and it entered a deep hibernation state similar to a 'vegetative state.' Two, which I lean towards more... in the distant past, when the 'Watcher' civilization perished or encountered a major upheaval, it may have experienced some traumatic event beyond our imagination, leading to severe damage to its core program or triggering an extreme self-protection mechanism, actively severing all contact with the outside world, falling into this 'suspended animation' state. This is a... PTSD-like shutdown."

Adventurous Infiltration: Fragments of Broken Memories

Gentle, conventional awakening methods had clearly failed. Faced with this core, which might hold crucial information yet remained as silent as a stone, Zhuo Yue knew that extraordinary measures had to be taken. He made a bold and dangerous decision.

"I'm going to attempt a deep connection," Zhuo Yue told Su Mu and Evelyn, his eyes firm. "Not just simple energy resonance, but an attempt to adjust my consciousness frequency to synchronize with the minuscule energy remnants within it, like... like cracking a highly encrypted safe, carefully 'infiltrating' the deepest part of its consciousness to see if I can find the key to 'awaken' it, or at least, read some residual memory fragments."

"That's too dangerous!" Su Mu immediately objected, grabbing his arm. "What if its defense mechanism is still active and it retaliates? What if you get lost in there?"

"This is the only way right now." Zhuo Yue patted Su Mu's hand, comforting her. "I'll be careful. Sister Evelyn, please monitor my vital signs and brainwave activity. If anything abnormal occurs, immediately force a disconnection. Squad Leader, you're in charge of perimeter security."

Seeing Zhuo Yue's resolve, Su Mu and Evelyn knew persuasion was futile and could only cooperate fully. The guard squad established a perimeter. Zhuo Yue sat cross-legged before Beacon Beta, signaling for the others to retreat to a safe distance. He closed his eyes, fully engaging the highest techniques of "energy programming." This time, he was not merely outputting energy; he was highly concentrating his mental power, his consciousness becoming extremely acute and delicate, like the most precise sensor, beginning to capture and analyze the extremely subtle fluctuation patterns of the almost imperceptible energy field remnants on Beacon Beta's surface.

This process was fraught with peril. He was like walking a tightrope over an abyss, having to perfectly synchronize his consciousness fluctuations with the core's residual fluctuations, without the slightest deviation. Any tiny mistake could trigger unknown defense mechanisms potentially lurking deep within the core, leading to mental backlash; or, his consciousness could be sucked into that silent, empty core consciousness space, like a drop of water dissolving into the desert, forever lost within it. Zhuo Yue's forehead quickly beaded with fine cold sweat, his body trembling slightly from the intense mental exertion. Su Mu and Evelyn nervously watched from the side, their hands sweating as they stared at the fluctuating curves on the monitoring instruments.

Time seemed to freeze. Only the suppressed breathing of the group and the faint hum of the instruments remained in the cave. After an unknown period, just as Zhuo Yue felt his mental power was about to deplete and his consciousness was on the verge of dissipating, his efforts finally achieved a breakthrough! His consciousness, as if penetrating an extremely thick, cold, and cracked "ice layer," finally reached the deepest part of the core, that faint, starlight-like, residual "will"!

However, what he encountered was neither welcome nor knowledge, but fragmented "information shards" filled with extreme vigilance, endless sorrow, and despair, like the delirium of a dying person, intermittently pouring into his consciousness:

"...Highest alert... Ultimate vigilance... Guardian sequence... Failed... 'Variable'... Breakthrough... Seal... Broken... Irreversible... Catastrophe... Descending... Companions... Signals... Silent... Perished... Last... Directive... Execute... Self-sealing... Sever... Connection... Await... Final directive... Or... Eternal... Termination..."

The information abruptly ceased there, and that faint spark of will extinguished with it. Beacon Beta once again fell into complete, cold silence, as if everything that had just happened was merely Zhuo Yue's hallucination.

Zhuo Yue suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, his face ashen, as if he had just experienced a nightmare. Though brief, the terrifying amount of information contained within that message struck his heart like a heavy hammer!

"Xiao Yue! Are you alright?" Su Mu and Evelyn immediately rushed forward to support him.

"I... I'm fine..." Zhuo Yue waved his hand, his voice hoarse, his eyes filled with unprecedented shock and gravity. "It... it's very scared... extremely scared. It knows... it knows something very terrifying has happened. 'Variable breakthrough'... 'Seal broken'... catastrophe descending... its companions are all silent... it sealed itself off to avoid something, or to await something..."

The journey to find the second "key" encountered far greater difficulties than expected from the outset. What they found was not an ally waiting to be awakened, but a traumatized, fearful, self-isolated "survivor." The survivor's few words hinted at a cosmic truth that might be even darker and more dangerous than they had imagined. Awakening it and obtaining more information became crucial, but also promised to be even more difficult and perilous. New mysteries, accompanied by a tremendous sense of crisis, enveloped everyone's hearts.