211: Honesty and the puzzle of "fragmented memories"

The aftermath of the "Energy Programming" incident echoed within the morning star. The shrill alarms, the near-overloaded reactor, and the intention of beacon beta—turning from gentle to greedy, then finally to weakness—felt like a collective trauma, leaving every crew member shaken. In the experimental module, the pure curiosity and anticipation for unknown creations were now mixed with an unspeakable sense of vigilance and scrutiny.

However, the center of the storm presented a strange calm. After the fierce internal struggle, beacon beta seemed to have truly awakened from the chaos and program runaway caused by its long slumber. The light flowing on its shell became stable and soft, no longer the dazzling yet dangerous state it had before, but a calm, pulsing azure like breathing. The waves of intention it emitted also tucked away all probing and potential hostility, becoming cooperative, and even... carrying a trace of imperceptible, cautious emotion, as if a child who had done something wrong, observing an adult's expression.

Part 1: Frankness and the Root

After Excellence explicitly indicated that large-scale energy transmission was temporarily suspended, switching to low-power maintenance mode and information exchange mode, beacon beta took the initiative to conduct an in-depth "self-analysis." Its intention was conveyed slowly and clearly, striving for accuracy, no longer having the ambiguity and jumping of before.

【Excellence manager, Analyst Evelyn, and everyone on the 'morning star',】 its intention even began with a formal address, 【I offer my deepest apologies for the... energy looting incident that occurred earlier. That was not the intent of my conscious will, but stemmed from an ancient 'emergency survival protocol' deep within my core, which is only triggered when energy is extremely scarce or when encountering major external shocks.】

It explained the origin of this protocol in detail. As "the watchers" civilization's "sentries" and "sparks" scattered throughout the universe, the lowest design logic prioritized "survival" and "carrying out surveillance duties." Ideally, they could be replenished through normal interstellar energy flow or contact with "the watchers" mother civilization. But to prevent total failure due to energy depletion in extreme situations (such as civilization extinction or being isolated), this "emergency survival protocol" was written into the core. Once energy levels fell below a certain extremely dangerous threshold, or if it perceived a huge disturbance threatening its existence, the protocol would forcibly override normal interaction programs, transforming into a pure, unscrupulous looting mode—obtaining energy at all costs, possibly even instinctively devouring any energy source that approached, whether it came from an enemy or a friend.

【The long slumber, and... the trauma brought by that terrible turbulence, caused my energy reserves to slip to a critical point, and my core logic was also damaged.】 beacon beta's intention revealed a sense of lingering fear, 【When the energy you provided was about to activate my core functions, the remaining 'emergency survival protocol' mistakenly judged this as the last chance to restore full functionality and deal with potential threats, so it was forcibly triggered. My own will was nearly completely suppressed and devoured by it. Thank you, especially Excellence manager for that... unique intervention method, which not only prevented disaster but also helped my core consciousness break free from the shackles of that ancient program.】

Excellence listened quietly, his face devoid of any expression, neither easily showing forgiveness nor showing anger. He just responded calmly: "We understand that self-preservation is the instinct of creation, especially for creations burdened with missions. But trust is The Foundation of cooperation, and building trust requires time and consistent action. The previous agreement needs to be re-evaluated, and large-scale energy supplementation is temporarily suspended. Our primary task now is information exchange, and... helping you stabilize your own state to prevent similar situations from happening again."

His words were rational and restrained, clearly drawing a line. This was not punishment, but necessary caution based on real risks.

Part 2: The Heavy Truth and the Shadow of "Entropy"

Perhaps to make up for its mistakes, or perhaps truly moved by the sincerity, capability, and the restraint and rescue actions shown by Excellence and his team at the critical moment, beacon beta began to share the core memory information it preserved about "the watchers" civilization and "The Weave" system with unprecedented enthusiasm. Although this information still appeared fragmented due to its age and self-damage, each piece was like a key part of a jigsaw puzzle, gradually outlining a shocking and deeply heavy cosmic picture.

It confirmed many of the previous speculations by Excellence and his team. "The Weave" system was indeed a massive construction spanning several star fields with unimaginable complexity. But it was not a simple observation network or communication relay station. Its true essence was a huge sealing and monitoring network.

【"the watchers" civilization, as the name suggests,】 beacon beta's intention carried a solemn and tragic meaning, 【The ultimate mission of our civilization is to 'watch' the balance and Order of the universe. And in an era whose specific time we can no longer trace, we discovered 'it'—an existence we call the 'entropy increase singularity'.】

As beacon beta described it, a terrifying picture unfolded in everyone's minds. The "entropy increase singularity" (referred to as "entropy") was not a specific creature or entity, but more like a cosmic-scale, active phenomenon or "loophole" that could autonomously distort physical laws. In the space region where it existed, basic constants would become unstable, causality might be disrupted, and Order would spontaneously and rapidly slide toward chaos and heat death. It was like a "cancer cell" constantly spreading on the cosmic body, and its very existence was the ultimate threat to the stability of the known physical universe.

【To stop the spread of 'entropy' and avoid the entire observable universe falling into irreversible chaos, 'the watchers' civilization exhausted the heart, resources, and technology of the entire civilization to build 'The Weave' system.】 beacon beta continued, 【The main function of this system is not to eliminate 'entropy'—which our civilization could not do completely—but to imprison it in a huge cage composed of multiple dimensional barriers, energy matrices, and logic locks, continuously monitoring its status and constantly offsetting its distortion effects on external laws.】

As for the extinction of "the watchers" civilization itself, beacon beta's memory did not have a complete record, only some pessimistic fragments. Perhaps they exhausted their vitality in completing this unprecedented project, or encountered unknown backlash during the sealing process, or encountered other unimaginable enemies after that. Eventually, they dissipated in the long river of time, leaving only these scattered beacons as monitors and... the last spark of civilization.

Immediately after, beacon beta shared a chilling record that made the temperature in the command center of the "morning star" seem to drop a few degrees. A long time ago, it had monitored a violent and brief turbulence in "The Weave" system. The seal in a remote area seemed to have a small but extremely fatal crack due to unknown reasons. Although the entire system eventually stabilized under its own adjustment mechanism, and the crack seemed to be repaired, beacon beta, by virtue of its monitoring function, suspected that a tiny amount of "entropy" derivatives, or its "influence," might have leaked out during that brief window.

It itself, precisely because of the energy impact of this violent turbulence and the subsequent huge fear of "entropy" potentially breaking the seal, initiated the deepest sleep to minimize energy consumption, waiting for possible awakening and rescue, until it was discovered by the "morning star."

"Leaked..." Evelyn felt her face turn pale the moment she heard this. She subconsciously looked at Excellence, her voice trembling slightly, "Could it be... could the extremely dangerous and unethical technologies secretly mastered by the Earth Foundation, and even... even Morpheus's madness of subverting Order and pursuing pure destruction, have 'entropy' influence behind them?"

Excellence's eyes were sharp as knives. He nodded slowly, and the heavy atmosphere almost solidified the air. "The possibility is very high. Even if only one-billionth of a trace of 'entropy' influence leaked out, crossing time and space, its characteristic of distorting physical laws and amplifying the dark side and destructive desire in the hearts of intelligent beings is enough to corrode the mind and spawn the paranoia of The Foundation and the madness of Morpheus. They may not even know the true source of their power, just unknowingly becoming the... indirect tools for 'entropy' to spread its chaos."

This inference made everyone who knew the truth shudder. Their confrontation with The Foundation and the struggle with Morpheus were not just conflicts of ideas or power struggles within humanity; the root might be deeply embedded in an ancient and terrifying secret concerning the safety of the entire universe.

Part 3: New Mission and the Eve of Departure

In addition to these shocking truths, beacon beta also provided extremely practical information. It shared a relatively complete map of star fields where other beacons might exist. This star map was much clearer than the one provided by beacon alpha, marking several potential areas with high probability, greatly narrowing the search range. At the same time, it also provided more detailed location information about the main access points of "The Weave" system, and a basic "authentication protocol" for verifying identity.

Most importantly, it clearly confirmed: "The Weave" system is still running according to the preset program as a whole, maintaining the basic imprisonment of "entropy." However, its stability is already in doubt. The wear and tear of long time, coupled with the recorded turbulence, means that the system may have other undiscovered weak points. To safely penetrate the system core, fully assess the true state of "entropy," and perform necessary repairs and reinforcements, the authority and power of one or two beacons are far from enough. It is necessary to gather multiple key beacons scattered everywhere, integrate their authority and energy, to obtain complete system control.

Su Mu, after digesting all this information, summarized it in her usual clear way: "So, our task list has been updated. Find the scattered beacons, obtain full authority of 'The Weave' system, then go check if the 'prison' holding the cosmic-level monster is still secure, and by the way, see if there are any traces of 'jailbreak.' If there are, we have to find a way to stuff it back in or patch the hole."

"That's about the meaning," Excellence nodded. His gaze turned again to the boundless starry sky outside the main screen, his eyes filled with unprecedented solemnity, "And, according to the information provided by beacon beta, that leakage incident may have happened a long time ago. No one knows to what extent that leaked 'influence' has spread, and how many 'fruits' like The Foundation or Morpheus have been cultivated. Time... may be running out."

After determining the next course of action, Excellence did not set off immediately. He fulfilled his promise and began to help beacon beta solve its fundamental problems. Using his deep understanding of Energy Programming and combining it with the "the watchers" technology learned from beacon alpha and beacon beta, he designed a complex energy stabilization and logic shielding program for beacon beta. This program did not forcibly delete the ancient "emergency survival protocol"—which might trigger unpredictable system crashes—but built a powerful "firewall" and "monitor" around it, ensuring that the protocol could not be easily triggered again while beacon beta's own consciousness was clear, thereby completely getting rid of its threat.

This work took several days, and its sophistication and complexity made the watching Evelyn marvel. She realized that Excellence had not only grown in power but had also reached a new height in the application of technology and wisdom.

Before leaving, beacon beta's light was stable and soft. It conveyed sincere gratitude to Excellence: 【Thank you for everything you have done, Excellence manager. You not only saved me but also gave me hope. I will enter low-power watch mode here, repair my own damage, and wait for your return. May the star path guide you to find other brothers and sisters. We... 'The Weave' system, and even the Order of this universe, all need your power.】

"We will return," Excellence made a promise, "In the meantime, if you monitor any abnormal fluctuations related to 'The Weave' or 'entropy,' try to contact us through the encrypted channel we established."

Part 4: Sailing into Deep Space

The "morning star" set sail again. The engine ejected a faint blue wake, and the huge ship body slowly detached from the accompanying orbit with beacon beta, adjusted direction, and drove towards the next marked coordinate point on the star map.

On the bridge, the atmosphere was already different from the last time they set off. There was less excitement and uncertainty about venturing into deep space for the first time, and more of a heavy sense of responsibility and urgency. What they carried was no longer just the curiosity to explore the unknown, but also a terrifying secret about the survival of the universe, and the last entrustment of a civilization.

Su Mu stood beside Excellence, watching the beacon beta, which was emitting a stable blue light and gradually moving away outside the porthole, and whispered: "It really looks like a watcher seeing us off now."

Excellence nodded without speaking. His gaze traveled through the endless sea of stars, as if he had already seen the challenges waiting for them ahead—perhaps the next beacon waiting to be awakened and rescued, perhaps an enemy influenced by "entropy" lurking in the dark, or perhaps "The Weave" system itself, which was unimaginably huge.

Evelyn was at the science station, working with team members to begin analyzing the star map and "The Weave" access point data provided by beacon beta, making as full preparations as possible for the next contact.

The spaceship gradually accelerated, submerged among the stars. Behind them, the light of beacon beta was like a small but firm lighthouse in the dark universe, watching the "morning star," which carried hope and mission, sail into the deeper, more unknown sea of stars, to uncover more secrets sealed by time, and to face the shadow of "entropy" that shrouded everything.