209: Mental healing and post-traumatic stress disorder

The deep "post-traumatic stress closure" state presented by beacon beta completely exceeded the initial expectations of the morning star team, making the awakening work exceptionally tricky and complex.

This was no longer a simple matter of energy replenishment or technical activation, but rather an extremely delicate psychotherapy and emotional reconstruction project for a "patient" suffering from trauma and self-closure.

Any reckless or forced activation attempts—such as injecting high-intensity energy shocks or using brute force to crack its internal defense codes—would not only likely be ineffective but could very well trigger the extreme self-protection mechanisms preset in its deep consciousness, leading to core energy circuit overload, permanent erasure of the database, or even triggering a catastrophic self-destruct program, causing all efforts to be in vain and potentially endangering the safety of personnel on site.

Facing this severe challenge, after conducting many cautious probes and analyses, Excellence proposed a bold and innovative plan—"Mind Healing" therapy.

Its core idea was: abandon all mandatory means and instead adopt an extremely gentle, patient, and kind energy infiltration method.

Just like a top psychologist treating a child who has completely closed their heart due to extreme fear, it required continuous, stable, and secure companionship and communication to slowly melt the ice in its heart, repair its deep psychological trauma, re-establish trust in the outside world, and finally guide it to voluntarily and safely wake up from its self-protective hibernation.

"We cannot treat it as a machine," Excellence explained his concept to the team, his eyes full of empathy, "It has its own 'consciousness', memories, and emotions. It has experienced unimaginable terror and felt extreme loneliness and despair, which is why it chose the most thorough closure to protect itself. What we need to do is tell it that the danger may have passed, or that we can face it together, and that it is no longer alone. We need to use time and sincerity to win its trust."

Day-after-day "Mind Massage": Boredom and Hope Coexist.

This plan was undoubtedly the ultimate test of patience, skill, and empathy.

Excellence naturally became the main "physician" for this special "treatment."

From the day he decided to implement the "Mind Healing" plan, his life focus shifted entirely to that huge cave beneath the Antarctic ice sheet.

Every day, during strictly planned time slots, Excellence would sit alone (other team members were on alert and monitoring at a safe distance), quietly cross-legged in front of that huge, dull, and lifeless beacon beta.

He no longer tried to "invade" or "crack" it with his consciousness as he did initially, but instead adjusted his own energy field to emit a special fluctuation that was as warm as spring sunshine, as peaceful as the quiet deep sea, and as safe as a mother's embrace.

At the same time, through highly concentrated intent, he continuously and repeatedly transmitted some of the simplest, most basic, yet most core information to the core, whispering like murmuring to a child who had been frightened into mutism:

"Safe… It is safe here…"

"Friend… We are friends… We will not hurt you…"

"Wake up… Wake up slowly… We need you…"

"You are not alone… We are here…"

To outsiders, this process was extremely tedious.

There were no earth-shattering energy explosions, no dazzling technical demonstrations, only Excellence sitting still like an ancient monk in meditation, and that continuous, almost imperceptible energy radiation.

However, the mental exertion for Excellence was immense.

He needed to maintain a high level of focus at all times, precisely controlling every subtle change in energy to ensure it remained full of kindness and absolutely stable; any slight impatience or negative emotional fluctuation could lead to failure.

After each "treatment," Excellence would be pale, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, the mental exhaustion far exceeding physical fatigue.

During this long and arduous process, Su Mu became Excellence's solid backing and warm harbor.

She was not only strictly responsible for Excellence's daily life, ensuring he received sufficient nutrition and rest, but more importantly, she constantly monitored Excellence's psychological state.

When Excellence showed slight impatience due to slow progress, she would try her best to tell a joke or share interesting things from the base to help him relax his tense nerves; when Excellence returned exhausted, a hot nutrient solution specially prepared according to his physical condition was always waiting for him; she silently guarded by his side, conveying unconditional support and trust through her actions.

Her very presence was a warm beacon of light against this long and lonely treatment process.

Evelyn played the role of the calm "analyst" and "recorder."

She set up the most precise energy monitoring equipment in the cave, recording every bit of energy fluctuation of beacon beta around the clock, no matter how weak.

She tried to find regular reaction patterns that the core might have to external stimuli from the massive amount of data, providing a scientific basis for Excellence to adjust the "treatment plan."

Her work was equally tedious and required patience, but she enjoyed it because every tiny data fluctuation might contain clues for a breakthrough.

However, the initial progress was despairingly slow.

Day after day, week after week, beacon beta was like a stubborn stone frozen for billions of years, showing almost no visible reaction to the kind energy field and intent communication continuously released by Excellence.

It remained silent, cold, and kept its heart's gate tightly closed.

Occasionally, when Excellence's energy frequency happened to have a very weak Resonance with some sleeping, broken memory fragment inside during countless attempts, the monitoring instruments would capture a fleeting, barely perceptible weak light flashing on the core's surface, or it would emit a fleeting ripple of energy full of endless sadness or fear, but all this was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, causing a ripple and then quickly disappearing, and the core soon returned to its eternal deathly silence.

This feeling of sparks of hope appearing and then extinguishing was sometimes more frustrating than having no reaction at all.

The Turning Point: Misunderstanding and Clarification.

The turning point came during an apparently accidental attempt.

That day, while Excellence was continuously transmitting the intent of "protection," in order to make the intent more concrete, he subconsciously and extremely precisely simulated a trace of the unique energy signature frequency belonging to beacon alpha from the "Homeland," trying to soothe it with the aura of a "compatriot."

At that very moment, a change occurred!

The previously dead-silent beacon beta suddenly and violently brightened!

Although the light was short-lived, it was clearer and stronger than any previous time!

At the same time, a strong wave of emotion poured out like a broken dam. Although it was fleeting, it was clearly captured by Evelyn's instruments!

The fluctuation was mixed with a hint of unbelievable surprise and excitement, as if meeting an old friend in a foreign land, but immediately after, this surprise was submerged by a larger, more painful despair and grief, as if confirming the worst news!

A broken fragment of intent was also transmitted:

【α? …Is… It your aura? …Did you… Finally… Fall silent too? …Have we… All failed…?】

Subsequently, before Excellence could make any reaction, the light of beacon beta quickly dimmed, even more obscure than before, and the energy field it emitted became more closed and introverted, as if it had suffered a greater blow and had locked itself deeper!

This accidental contact, although short, was like lightning in the dark, illuminating a corner of the truth!

Excellence understood instantly!

With a heavy heart, he analyzed to Su Mu and Evelyn: "It sensed the energy characteristics of alpha, but it misinterpreted it! It thought that alpha, like itself, had fallen into 'silence' (hibernation or destruction) because of the disaster. This instead deepened its despair, making it think that all 'the watchers beacons' had fallen and that the 'watch' had completely failed. It wasn't closed because of loneliness, but because it thought all its companions had passed away and the mission had completely failed, falling into deeper despair!"

"We must tell it the truth!" Su Mu said urgently, "Tell it that alpha is still 'alive,' and that we are working together!"

Sublimation of Strategy: Conveying Hope Through Stories.

Having found the key to the problem, Excellence immediately adjusted the "treatment plan."

He no longer just transmitted simple, repetitive comforting information, but began to try more complex, narrative-based "mind communication."

He upgraded the "Mind Healing" to "Story Therapy."

He began to carefully "weave" segments of "information streams" full of imagery and emotional energy.

These "stories" used energy and intent as carriers, telling beacon beta how the "Homeland" discovered beacon alpha in a forgotten corner; telling how humans went from initial cautious contact with alpha to gradually establishing trust and connection; telling how the "Homeland" developed and grew step by step with the help of alpha; telling how they faced the threat of the "Prophet Foundation" together and successfully protected the Homeland; even telling how they made initial contact and dialogue with the mysterious "The Weave" system… He encoded these experiences into vivid "energy images" full of positive, struggling, and united spirits, and like playing a movie, slowly and patiently "played" them to the deep consciousness of beacon beta.

At first, these efforts seemed to sink into the sea again.

beacon beta remained silent, like a depressed patient who had completely lost interest in the world.

But Excellence was not discouraged; he believed that as long as the story was real enough and the emotion was sincere enough, it would definitely penetrate that thick layer of ice.

He persisted in telling stories, changing segments every day, showing the vitality of the "Homeland," the deep friendship between companions, and the hopeful exploration of the future from different angles.

Su Mu and Evelyn also joined in.

Su Mu would transform the warmth she felt in the "Homeland," her trust and care for Excellence, into softer emotional energy and integrate it into Excellence's energy field.

Evelyn would convey scientific rigor and the joy of exploration in a logically clear way.

The energy field formed by the three, fusing rational wisdom, emotional warmth, and tenacious will, became richer and more infectious.

Sincerity opens metal and stone.

After weeks of unremitting efforts, the stalemate was finally broken!

The seemingly impregnable closure of beacon beta began to show a tiny but certain sign of loosening!

It began to no longer completely reject Excellence's energy, but would occasionally and actively absorb a tiny bit, like thirsty land trying to absorb the first drop of sweet rain.

The frequency of the flashing light on its surface also became slightly more frequent and stable, no longer flashing and disappearing.

The most exciting time was when Excellence spoke of how all members of the "Homeland" worked together to successfully repel the fierce attack of the "Prophet Foundation" and protect their common Homeland, the monitoring instruments clearly captured a tiny, but clearly distinguishable, energy fluctuation similar to "relief" and "Resonance" from beacon beta!

It was as if a desperate person heard the bugle of someone fighting in the distance in the dark!

"It reacted! It reacted! It started listening! It understood!" Su Mu was the first to jump up excitedly, her voice trembling with excitement, and her eyes instantly moistened.

After such a long time of persistence and waiting, she finally saw the dawn of hope!

Evelyn looked at the stable jumping curve representing the improvement of core activity on the monitoring screen, and her usually calm face also showed a sincere and relieved smile: "Trust is being established. Just like melting a glacier frozen for thousands of years, the initial melting is always slow and subtle, but once it starts, the trend is irreversible. What we need is patience."

Melting Ice: The Establishment of Trust and the Promise of Awakening.

Finally, after Excellence finished telling a "story" about the children of the "Homeland" running happily in the newly built Ecological Garden, full of vitality, an exciting scene happened.

beacon beta did not return to silence as usual, but continued to emit a faint, but exceptionally stable and soft blue light.

The light was no longer full of fear and sadness, but full of a kind of peace and exploration as if gradually waking up from a long hibernation.

A clear, though still weak, intent wave, no longer full of vigilance and hostility, but with a hint of probing and curiosity, like a trickling stream, slowly and steadily entered Excellence's mind:

【Outsiders… The stories… You told… Are full of… The vitality of life… And… Unyielding… Light… Is this… True? That… Compatriot… Called alpha… Is it really… Still… Existing? Still… Shining?】

"Yes! Absolutely true!" Excellence suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and responded immediately with the most firm and sincere intent, "It not only exists but is doing very well! It is in the 'Homeland,' which is full of vitality and hope! It has been waiting, waiting to reunite with its lost compatriot, waiting for us to work together to complete the unfinished mission of 'the watchers'! We need your help! We need to uncover the truth together and face future challenges!"

beacon beta fell silent again, but the stable light indicated that it was "thinking" and digesting this huge information.

In the cave, everyone held their breath, waiting for the final "verdict."

Time seemed to become long again.

For a long time, perhaps only a few minutes, but it felt like centuries to everyone, the intent wave came again, with a tone of exhaustion after a long journey, but more of a sense of relief and a hint of new-found determination:

【I… Have slept… For too long… Too long… Time… Has almost erased my memory… Power… Has also faded… Like a candle in the wind… All I can remember… Are broken fragments… And boundless… Darkness…】 It paused, its light fluctuating slightly, 【But… I can feel… The warmth… And… Sincerity… In your energy… This cannot be fake… Perhaps… The long watch… Has finally… Ushered in… A turning point… I… Am willing… To try… To wake up… To see with my own eyes… The 'Homeland'… And… Hope… You spoke of…】

【But this requires… Time… My system… Is severely damaged… It needs energy… To gradually reboot… And also time… To organize… The broken memories… Please… Be patient… Wait for me…】

The ice in the mind finally began to melt under the continuous, kind, and warm energy infiltration!

The second key "key," after a long sleep and desperate closure, finally started the process of being awakened!

The light of hope finally shone into this forgotten star region for the first time.

Real cooperation was about to begin.