266: An Unexpected "Gift" and a "Hand-Rubbing" Monitor

The sleek, matte silver-gray shuttle belonging to Special Envoy CZ-7391, having strictly adhered to the contact time limit and completed the preliminary on-site verification and communication of assessment recommendations, departed from the berth designated by the "Homeland" base as quietly, precisely, and without a single superfluous movement as it had arrived, ghost-like.

Its thrusters emitted no dazzling exhaust; with only a slight, barely perceptible ripple in space, it slid lightly into the deep starry background, rapidly shrinking until it merged with the darkness and vanished completely.

There was no farewell communication, no parting gaze—efficient, restrained, and absolutely compliant with procedure, perfectly fitting the cold and rigorous "business-only" image of the organization behind it.

However, this light-shadow special envoy did not come empty-handed, nor did it leave empty-handed.

In the brief window after the shuttle cleared the "Homeland" gravity well and before it entered warp, it sent a highly encrypted, small data compression package to "Homeland" via the established encrypted communication link.

In a brief note accompanying the data packet, the special envoy stated in its consistently steady electronic voice that this was a "preliminary assessment based on the main threat spectrum currently faced by your side (information theft, conceptual erosion, mental induction) and the comprehensive development level of your civilization," providing a "summary of basic, non-sensitive, general defensive technical recommendations," as well as "data fragments on the basic characteristics and behavioral patterns of some 'watch list' entities."

The special envoy defined this as "preliminary information sharing to demonstrate cooperation sincerity" and "foundational material for building subsequent standardized interactions."

This data packet was treated by Evelyn's team as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

It was first imported into a "sandbox" analysis environment that was completely physically isolated, shielded by multiple energy barriers, and temporarily reinforced with an information protection barrier by "White Elder."

After hours of scanning and probing using every available means—a level of caution bordering on "paranoid"—and confirming that it contained no active viruses, logic bombs, high-dimensional conceptual traps, or hidden backdoor programs in any known or unknown form, it was finally carefully and gradually decrypted layer by layer.

The content of the data packet was, as the special envoy claimed, quite... "basic" and "general."

Regarding "technical recommendations" for defending against "Dream Weaver"-style information theft, the items were as follows:

"Strengthen the physical isolation level of core databases and key information Nodes, and adopt non-standard, non-continuous composite spatial topology structures for storage media layout."

"For core classified information, it is recommended to use non-logical, high-randomness dynamic coding algorithms for encapsulation, and establish a dynamic key replacement mechanism on a regular basis (cycle recommended to be less than 100 units of standard cosmic time)."

"In the selection and assessment of key personnel involved in sensitive information processing, introduce in-depth psychological stability and anti-induction assessments to avoid appointing individuals with significant 'cognitive gaps' (referring to mental blind spots, weak emotional management, or potential psychological trauma)."

"Establish routine 'noise injection' and 'decoy data' deployment mechanisms covering the entire information network to increase the screening cost and misjudgment probability of illegal information scanning."

In summary, the core idea was: lock the door, use garbled code, change the lock often, choose reliable people to guard the door, and sprinkle some garbage information from time to time to confuse thieves.

It could not be said to be worthless, but the vast majority of these measures were either already being implemented by "Homeland" or could be deduced based on common sense, lacking any "black technology" that would be eye-opening or transcend current cognition.

Regarding "recommendations" for countering concepts like "The Whisper" of the "Guixu People," they leaned more towards the socio-cultural and spiritual levels:

"Build and continuously strengthen a unified, positive, and highly cohesive core value belief system within the civilization, using it as the ideological cornerstone to resist nihilistic erosion."

"Through education, propaganda, and social practice, continuously consolidate individuals' positive cognition of their own significance, sense of belonging to the civilization, and hope for the future."

"Encourage and develop cultural activities such as literature, art, philosophy, and music that can stimulate creative thinking, emotional Resonance, and spiritual transcendence, thereby raising the spiritual resilience threshold of the society as a whole and the individual."

"Establish a social psychological support and crisis intervention network to timely discover and channel collective or individual despair or burnout that may breed, preventing them from becoming breakthroughs for conceptual erosion."

Reading these suggestions felt more like a basic chapter from a higher civilization's sociology textbook, or an interstellar community mental health promotion outline; while correct, they appeared quite vague.

Regarding the "prevention guidelines" for the "Lord of the Grand Feast" and its associated entities, it wrote:

"Advocate and cultivate healthy, moderate, and sustainable concepts of consumption and enjoyment within the civilization, and be vigilant against and critical of the tendency to pursue sensory stimulation and instant gratification without limit."

"Enhance the ability and vigilance of individuals and groups to identify irrational promises, counter-intuitive 'lucky' gifts, and excessively beautiful illusions."

"Value and affirm value concepts such as 'ordinariness,' 'authenticity,' and 'equivalent exchange of effort and reward' in daily life, and cultivate recognition of spiritual satisfaction derived from simple, stable, and profound relationships."

"Establish monitoring and rapid response mechanisms for abnormal 'collective fanaticism' or 'irrational behavior clusters'."

The content could almost be directly condensed into "establish the right worldview, stay away from the temptations of vice, and cherish a plain life."

After reading the translation, Su Mu couldn't help but rub her forehead and complain: "Is this 'technical consultation'... sure it wasn't excerpted and pieced together from the propaganda manual of some interstellar civilization's 'Spiritual Civilization Construction Committee'? Do we really look like elementary school students who need to take a moral education class?"

"In a sense, it is indeed very 'basic' and 'general,' and even somewhat superficial."

Evelyn appeared relatively calm as she reviewed the structural information of the data packet.

"This is within expectations. It is impossible for the other party to hand over core technologies or tactical details that are truly subversive or could significantly improve our efficiency in countering specific threats so easily. The political symbolic meaning of this data packet—'we have provided help'—is far greater than its actual technical value. However..."

Her gaze fell on the latter part of the data packet, "The attached 'summary of basic characteristics and behavioral patterns of some watch list entities' has relatively higher reference value."

This summary document systematically listed several "watch list" entities that "Homeland" had already had direct or indirect contact with, such as the "World Devourer," "Guixu People (Whisper infiltration type)," "Whispering Secret Society (Dream Weaver)," and "Lord of the Grand Feast (Messenger/Associated Entity)."

The content covered their most basic and common energy spectrum characteristics, classifications of their most common interactive behavioral patterns, and extremely rough "high-frequency activity area tendencies" and "suspected weak points or resistance characteristics" inferred from The Council's limited past observational data.

All information was accompanied by a significant disclaimer: "This summary is based on limited observational samples and logical deduction; it does not guarantee comprehensiveness or absolute accuracy and is for reference only, not to be used as the sole basis for operational decision-making."

But even so, for "Homeland," which previously relied mainly on its own combat exploration, fragmented legends, and "White Elder's" oral history, this was still the first relatively systematic reference material from a seemingly "official" channel.

"The 'World Devourer' entry mentions that this entity cluster shows a priority for consuming highly ordered energy structures and information aggregates, and has relatively low interest in disordered chaotic matter or pure kinetic attacks.

Its energy network, when encountering 'Power of Order' impacts of specific frequencies and extremely high purity, has been observed to experience short-term structural disorders and a decline in coordination efficiency..."

Evelyn highlighted this information, "This matches the phenomena we observed in battle and provides side support for our previous attempts to use Excellence's Power of Order for interference. Perhaps we can further study the specific parameters of 'Order harmonics'."

"The Whisper erosion efficiency of the 'Guixu People,' according to observations, is negatively correlated with the 'life activity intensity' and 'creative thinking activity' of the target environment or individual.

Environments full of vitality, growth, creation, and belief in hope can effectively delay or even weaken their erosion process..."

Evelyn continued to analyze, "This is consistent with the philosophy mentioned by the senior 'White Elder' about using vigorous life force to counter 'Guixu,' and also provides a theoretical basis for us to strengthen cultural construction and enhance social vitality."

"The 'stealing reading' behavior of the 'Whispering Secret Society (Dream Weaver)' shows lower 'parsing patience' and 'filtering efficiency' towards completely random, meaningless, high-entropy 'information noise,' and is easily disturbed in its core task process by such noise..."

She looked at Excellence, "This completely confirms the effectiveness of the tactic you used previously to interfere with it using a sea of garbage information and heavy metal rock."

"Then what about the 'Lord of the Grand Feast'?" Excellence was more concerned about this existence that had marked him as a "main course."

"The summary points out that when the 'Lord of the Grand Feast' and its various 'messengers' and 'associated entities' perform 'conversion' or 'entrapment' on target individuals or civilizations, its success rate is significantly negatively correlated with the target's 'firmness of self-cognition' and 'degree of persistence in specific non-hedonistic values'."

Evelyn interpreted, "In short, the more people possess a clear, stable self-cognition that is not easily shaken by external glitz, and the more they hold firm persistence in things that transcend simple sensory pleasure (which can be ideals, responsibilities, emotions, beliefs, etc.), the more difficult they are to be deceived and converted by its 'feast' illusions.

In addition, its 'invitations' are often wrapped in complex 'conceptual rule games' and 'ritualistic shells'; successfully cracking or bypassing its preset 'game rules' is sometimes more effective than simply countering the energy or temptations it releases."

"'Stubborn,' having obsessions, cracking rules..." Excellence chewed on these keywords, his eyes shining slightly, "Sounds like a guy like me who is 'stubborn' about protecting the Homeland, plus the operation of 'hand-crafted' rules by not following the routine, seems to be quite targeted against it?"

"Theoretically, your core beliefs and behavioral patterns do indeed fit the characteristics of having high resistance to 'feast'-type temptations."

"White Elder" nodded slowly, with a hint of approval in his eyes, "And your previous forceful cracking of the cake messenger's 'blow out the candles' ritual using 'Order definition' is exactly the embodiment of the 'rule-cracking' approach.

This summary can be considered as providing evidence from an 'official' perspective for some of our existing response strategies."

In addition to the data packet, Special Envoy CZ-7391 also left a "physical object" of considerable weight—a silver-white metal sheet about the size of an adult's palm, less than one centimeter thick, presenting a standard hexagon, with a surface as smooth as the finest mirror, where no visible interfaces, gaps, indicator lights, or markings could be found.

In the handover communication, the special envoy explicitly stated that this object was the "Pan-Dimensional Civilization Observation and Mediation Council Standardized Remote Secure Communication and Basic Environmental Information Synchronization Node (Seventh Sub-bureau Jurisdiction Trial Version · Improved)," with an internal code tentatively set as "Hub-7G Type," referred to as "Communication Node" or "Seventh Sub-bureau Node."

Its function was described as: "Homeland" needs to place it in an area that is "physically stable, convenient for daily maintenance and inspection, and meets basic information transmission and reception conditions."

Thereafter, this Node will serve as the only official designated physical communication channel between "Homeland" and the Seventh Sub-bureau, used to receive "Star Sector General Risk Warning Announcements" and "Update Notices for Relevant Regulations and Charters" issued by The Council; it is also the physical delivery endpoint for "Homeland" to submit various reports and apply for information query permissions to the Seventh Sub-bureau.

In addition, under normal conditions, the Node will use a "very low power," "completely passive" mode to continuously collect "public, non-sensitive macro environmental parameters" within a certain range around its placement point, such as micro-changes in basic spatial gravitational constants, background radiation spectra, and periodic fluctuations in stellar illumination.

These data will be used by The Council to update and improve the astrophysical model of the GX-07 Star Sector.

In essence, this was an "official designated mailbox" combined with an "environmental data collection station," and it stated its function of "passively collecting" public data without any shyness.

"This thing looks like a high-level multi-functional monitor disguised as a 'mailbox' no matter how you look at it."

Su Mu carefully pinched the cold, extremely light silver hexagon, observing it repeatedly under the light, " 'Passively collect environmental data'? Sounds nice, but who knows whether its antenna is receiving starlight or our daily communication ripples when it is 'passive'?"

"That it possesses monitoring functions is beyond doubt, but its monitoring scope and depth should theoretically be limited by the special envoy's verbal promises and possible internal agreement constraints."

Evelyn used various non-intrusive instruments to scan it, her brows slightly furrowed, "The structure is highly integrated, suspected to be cast using some dimensional folding technology, and cannot be non-destructively disassembled.

The internal energy reaction is extremely weak and highly restrained. Detection shows a super-micro reactor, possibly powered by vacuum zero-point energy or dimensional fluctuations, as well as a micro information processing core with an unknown structure.

With our current technical means, it is almost impossible to parse its true working principle without triggering its preset self-destruct or alarm mechanisms, let alone modify its built-in programs.

However, according to the interaction protocol confirmed before the special envoy left, its data collection scope, type, frequency, and return cycle should all have explicit regulations, and our side should enjoy corresponding rights to know."

"Isn't this just a legal 'monitor' that is placed in the open and we can't move casually?"

Excellence took the thin and light hexagon from Su Mu's hand, flipping and playing with it nimbly between his fingertips, with an interesting light flashing in his eyes, "And it specifically told us to put it in a 'safe, stable, and easy-to-maintain' place... The subtext is to tell us not to try to hide it in a lead room eight hundred meters underground, or 'accidentally' smash it with a hammer one day, right?"

"How to handle this thing?" Wang Jianguo looked at everyone.

This thing was like a carefully packaged hedgehog; holding it was prickly, and the consequences of throwing or smashing it were unpredictable.

"Place it, of course we must place it openly and honestly."

Excellence suddenly grinned, his smile carrying his unique, mixed look of cunning and mischief, "Since the 'Cosmic Neighborhood Committee' kindly installed an 'official alarm mailbox' and 'environmental monitoring station' for us to improve our 'security support facilities,' how can we be ungrateful?

Not only must we place it, but we must also choose a particularly 'suitable' and 'good' place to fully reflect our attention and cooperative attitude towards this matter!"

"What kind of ghost idea are you playing at again?" Su Mu immediately looked at him vigilantly.

Every time Excellence showed this smile, someone (or something) was likely to be in trouble.

"Look everyone, the 'Multifunctional Leisure, Entertainment, and Psychological Counseling Center' that was just completed in our base has complete facilities, a bright environment, is bustling with popularity, and its energy field... well, it's full of an 'atmosphere of daily life' and 'positive vitality'."

Excellence counted on his fingers and analyzed it solemnly, "There are observation windows facing the starry sky, green plants to purify the air, entertainment facilities to relax the body and mind, a reading corner to cultivate sentiment, and a professional psychological counseling room."

"Placing The Council's 'Communication Node' there not only reflects our respect for and open attitude toward 'official communication channels,' but also allows the Node to fully experience the harmonious, healthy, and vibrant 'macro-environmental atmosphere' of our 'Homeland' civilization. The data collected will be absolutely full of 'positive energy'! It is simply the perfect location!"

He became more enthusiastic as he spoke: "We should place it in the most conspicuous spot in the central hall—for example, right next to that particularly lush 'starlight lettuce' potted plant that emits a soft starlight at night!"

"We can customize a transparent, high-strength energy protective shield; it will prevent dust and bumps while making it easy for everyone to visit."

"Next to the shield, we can set up an exquisite information sign, written in the Universal Cosmic Language and our own 'Homeland' script: 'Designated Communication and Information Node of the Seventh Sub-bureau of the Pan-Dimensional Civilization Observation and Mediation Council—Civilization Co-construction, Information Interconnectivity, Welcome to Visit, Please Do Not Touch'."

"Let every resident and visitor who comes to the center to rest or participate in activities see that our 'Homeland' is a civilization that has established a formal, friendly, and transparent communication channel with a 'cosmic-level official organization'! How prestigious is that, and how well does it demonstrate our openness and confidence!"

A brief silence fell over the conference room. Everyone looked at each other, their expressions varied.

Su Mu was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter, quickly covering her mouth as her shoulders shook.

A helpless yet amused expression appeared on the face of Evelyn's projection. The "White Elder" stroked his beard and shook his head with a laugh. Wang Jianguo rubbed his temples, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Treating The Council's official surveillance device as a tourist attraction and even putting up a "Welcome to Visit" sign? This move... was indeed very "Excellence".

"This... wouldn't it seem too much like child's play? Besides, the leisure center is noisy, the energy field is chaotic, and various life noises and biological fields are intertwined. Wouldn't that severely interfere with the Node's normal operation? Or even... cause it to collect too much invalid, chaotic 'noise' data?" Evelyn raised her concerns from a technical perspective.

"The whole point is to let it 'experience' our 'life noise'." Excellence said righteously, as if stating an obvious fact, "Didn't the special envoy clearly state that? The Node only collects 'public, non-sensitive macro-environmental data'."

"The conversations, laughter, and music in the leisure center, the subtle energy fluctuations when the 'starlight lettuce' photosynthesizes, the low-intensity background radiation generated by the operation of various entertainment facilities... aren't these the most 'public' and 'macro' environmental data? It absolutely complies with the regulations!"

"As for interference?" He shrugged, "If the 'standard-issue Node' of the dignified Seventh Sub-bureau of The Council can't even handle this bit of complex 'real environmental data' full of the atmosphere of daily life, and crashes or produces distorted data at every turn, then I think their technical strength is quite worrying. We are essentially helping them perform a stability test of their equipment in an extreme environment as a friendly gesture! Who knows, when the test report comes out, they might even thank us!"

Su Mu finally couldn't help it, slapping the table and laughing, "I think it's doable! Let's do it! Let this cold, hard piece of iron properly experience what it means to have the 'vibrancy of human life'! Let's see if it can analyze any 'macro threat parameters' sufficient to 'threaten the stability of the star sector' from the aroma of food wafting from the cafeteria, the laughter of children chasing and playing, and the music rhythm of the seniors doing aerobics!"

Wang Jianguo exchanged a glance with the "White Elder," both seeing tacit approval in each other's eyes. This seemingly absurd method, when thought about carefully, contained a kind of wisdom that could move a thousand pounds with four ounces.

It fully satisfied the rigid requirement of The Council to "place a Node," while simultaneously expressing a certain attitude of the "Homeland" in a unique way—we accept supervision, but supervision must be under the sun; we cooperate with procedures, but procedures cannot interfere with our lives.

Placing the Node in a completely public place under the eyes of everyone could, on the contrary, maximize the elimination of any secretive surveillance attributes it might possess, because every change in its state could be seen by countless pairs of eyes.

"This method... although slightly unconventional, is not a bad strategy." The "White Elder" finally nodded, "However, to be absolutely safe, we need to set up several layers of simple 'energy fluctuation recording' and 'information flow capture' arrays around the Node's placement area. These arrays will not interfere with the Node's own operation, nor will they block its data collection and transmission; they are only used to faithfully record the time and intensity characteristics of any abnormal energy fluctuations or information transmission behaviors of the Node, to be kept on file in case of unexpected events."

"Understood, I will design a completely passive monitoring network that does not generate any active signals." Evelyn nodded in agreement.

Thus, on the second standard day after the special envoy left, the newly built, spacious, bright, and lively "Dawn" Multifunctional Leisure and Entertainment Center hall at the "Homeland" base welcomed a special "permanent resident."

That silver-white hexagonal Node was placed inside a specially made, transparent, high-strength composite energy protective shield, with a soft anti-vibration cushion underneath the shield.

The protective shield was fixed to the top of a simple-looking metal pedestal. On the side of the pedestal, a delicate metal plaque was indeed embedded, engraved with clear text of the bilingual (Homeland script and Universal Cosmic Language) description proposed by Excellence.

This "display stand" was carefully placed in the central area of the hall, right next to that "starlight lettuce" potted plant that was lush under artificial light and whose leaves would emit a soft starlight at night.

Directly opposite was a huge curved observation window, offering a view of the starry sky and part of the port scene; to the left was a public reading area with rows of bookshelves; not far to the right was a brightly colored children's play corner.

This novel decoration with an "official background" immediately became the focus of the leisure center. Base residents curiously gathered around, pointing and discussing.

Children jumped around, wanting to touch it, only to be stopped in time by their parents and educated by pointing at the "Please Do Not Touch" sign. The elderly wore reading glasses, carefully reading the plaque, nodding and sighing, "Our 'Homeland' can finally be considered integrated with the great cosmic organizations."

Young people laughed and guessed whether this thing was a high-end mailbox or a cosmic weather forecast station.

People came and went; the sounds of laughter, music, running, page-turning, and even the aroma of food wafting from the nearby snack bar... all kinds of vivid life atmosphere and energy fluctuations surrounded this silent silver hexagon without reservation.

The Node itself remained absolutely still. Only on its mirror-smooth surface would a fleeting, pale blue stream of light, thinner than a strand of hair, occasionally flow at an extremely low frequency and with an amplitude almost invisible to the naked eye, as if it were silently fulfilling its duty of "recording."

Evelyn's team cleverly hid multiple high-sensitivity, completely passive energy and information field monitoring probes inside the pedestal, under the soil of nearby potted plants, and even in the ceiling decorations, recording every subtle change around the Node twenty-four hours a day without interruption.

Days passed peacefully. The Node behaved itself, and apart from emitting a regular pulse once every day at a very fixed time (with an error of less than one-thousandth of a second), which was very short in duration and so weak in energy fluctuation that only professional instruments could capture it, and which was suspected to be a "system heartbeat" or "scheduled data packet upload," it had no other abnormal movements.

It seemed to be truly just a dutiful and quiet "mailbox" and "environmental recorder."

However, Excellence was clearly not satisfied with this state of "peaceful coexistence." One late night during his shift rotation, he made the excuse of "taking a walk to clear his head" and strolled into the now-quiet leisure center hall.

In the empty hall, only a few night-lights emitted a soft halo of light. The silver Node reflected a faint shimmer inside the transparent shield, appearing exceptionally lonely.

Excellence sauntered slowly to the "display stand," crossed his arms, tilted his head, and examined the hexagon inside the shield with great interest, as if he were studying a novel antique.

"I say, 'Node' old buddy," he suddenly spoke, his voice sounding clear in the silent hall, his tone like he was chatting with an acquaintance, "You're living quite a comfortable life, aren't you? No wind, no rain, just listening to music and watching people here every day. When you're hungry (if you need to be), you take a few sips of starlight; when you're sleepy (if you can be), you take a little nap. Your task is just to send out a 'heartbeat' and record data... These job benefits are much better than those of us who are fighting and living in fear all day long."

The Node, of course, had no reaction, its surface light still flashing occasionally at its inherent, weak rhythm.

"Not talking to me? Fine, I understand, AI after all, programmed not to chat with strangers casually." Excellence didn't mind, continuing to talk to himself, and even extended his finger, pointing vaguely at the smooth surface of the Node through the energy shield, "However, as your 'landlord' and one of your 'main observation subjects,' I feel I have an obligation to give you some small suggestions to optimize your 'work experience' and 'data quality'."

He struck a pose like a "senior product manager" and began to analyze solemnly: "Look here, when you collect these environmental data, relying solely on sensors to receive physical parameters and energy fluctuations, isn't it a bit too 'superficial'?"

"The true 'macro-environment' is not just gravitational constants and radiation spectra, but also the 'people' who live here! People's emotions, interactions, conflicts, laughter, worries... these are the most vivid parts that constitute a civilization's 'environmental atmosphere'."

"For example, there was a couple arguing in the corner yesterday, and then they made up; this reflects the dynamic balance in intimate relationships. In the reading area, there is an old gentleman who always comes on time every day to look at the interstellar plant guide; this reflects the value of lifelong learning. And the snack bar, the flavor evaluation of the new synthetic meat patties released today is polarized; this reveals the differences in group tastes and acceptance issues... These deep-level sociological and psychological data are much more valuable than those cold physical readings of yours! Shouldn't your system consider an upgrade to add some 'humanistic care' and 'semantic understanding' modules?"

He talked on and on, as if he were really giving user experience feedback and feature upgrade suggestions for an AI product. The security personnel on duty in the distance saw this scene through the monitor, couldn't help but laugh, shook their heads, and continued their patrol.

"So, I think your Council's standardized monitoring... oh no, 'environmental synchronization Node' system, is a bit too 'mechanical' and 'rigid' in its design philosophy. To truly understand a civilization, you can't just look at data curves; you have to integrate into it and feel its pulse." Excellence said earnestly, "You need to upgrade, you need to iterate, you need to learn to understand 'the hardships of the people' and the 'myriad states of daily life'..."

He just kept talking to the silent Node, from complaining about the recent cafeteria menu optimization at "Homeland" to how certain gravity simulation equipment in the training room needed to be updated; from speculating that Su Mu seemed a bit angry these days because he secretly used laboratory scraps to "hand-craft" little gadgets, to the "White Elder" seemingly having developed a new kind of composite defensive array but not easily teaching it, possibly because he was testing him...

The content was wild and imaginative, sometimes serious, sometimes nonsense, and sometimes like friends complaining about trivial matters. He rambled on like this for nearly forty minutes until Su Mu, wearing pajamas, came looking for him with a sleepy yet angry face.

"Excellence! Not sleeping in the middle of the night! Running over here to hold a personal talk show in front of a piece of iron?!" Su Mu lowered her voice and grabbed his ear, "Disturbing people's sleep! Go back immediately!"

"Ouch, take it easy, Squad Leader! I'm in the middle of... conducting important 'cross-civilization cultural exchange' and 'equipment functional testing'!" Excellence was dragged away, grimacing, but he didn't forget to turn back and shout at the Node: "Node old buddy! Let's talk up to here for today! When I have time another day, I'll systematically explain our 'Homeland's First Five-Year Revitalization Plan' and 'Outline for Spiritual Civilization Construction' to you! I guarantee the content will be detailed and all healthy, positive 'non-sensitive macro data'!"

The Node remained silent, but inside it, a micro-information flow that was extremely complex and beyond the current technological understanding of "Homeland" seemed to have ripples of extremely weak, non-preset logical paths, because it had continuously received an excessive amount of unconventional, high-entropy audio information and mixed mental fluctuations. The light on its surface seemed to be slightly brighter and more active for a short while after Excellence was dragged away, but it soon returned to its original state, as if everything were just an illusion of light and shadow.

In the following days, Excellence seemed to have found a new "entertainment project," sneaking to the leisure center from time to time (especially in the dead of night) to conduct "unilateral communication" in front of the Node. The content was all-encompassing: sometimes seriously introducing a recent construction progress or cultural activity of "Homeland"; sometimes telling some strange stories or cold jokes about the universe he heard from the "White Elder"; sometimes even "gentle complaints" with a teasing tone about The Council's rigid regulations. He was like the most persistent radio host, persisting in broadcasting to a microphone that might never have an audience.

Su Mu and Evelyn initially thought he was purely bored or playing a prank, but after observing for a few days, they found that the Node indeed had no special reaction other than its unshakable "heartbeat signal," and had no impact on the normal operation of the base, so they just let him be. Anyway, Excellence had excess energy, and having a harmless outlet was not bad.

However, on a late night about a week after Excellence started his "night radio" program, when he finished another monologue covering "a rough understanding of interstellar economics" and "a strong appeal for the cafeteria to supply blueberry-flavored nutrient paste next time," and was just about to stretch and leave, a change occurred.

The silver hexagonal Node, which had always been as silent as a stone, had a bright blue stream of light flow across its mirror-smooth surface without warning—a stream that was clearer, more stable, and lasted slightly longer than at any previous moment. This stream of light even slightly illuminated the inner wall of the surrounding transparent protective shield.

Immediately afterward, an extremely subtle, yet unusually clear, mental information flow with an unquestionable electronic synthetic texture, but with a trace of an almost imperceptible "humanized" rhythmic cadence that was more than the absolutely flat tone of Special Envoy CZ-7391, was precisely and directly transmitted into Excellence's mind.

"Individual Identification: Excellence. Behavioral Pattern Record Analysis: Nocturnal activity frequency exceeds the average standard for adult humans in the 'Homeland' base by 73.2%. Persistent, unidirectional, high-information-volume output behavior with no specific target audience does not conform to this civilization's conventional social interaction models or known individual meditation and stress-relief patterns. Logical Deduction Branches: Possibility A, persistent probing and interference behavior targeting this Node; Possibility B, irrational need for confiding due to excessively high cognitive activity; Possibility C, pure... boredom?"

"Pursuant to Article 12, Supplementary Clause of Chapter 3 of the 'Pan-Dimensional Civilization Observation and Mediation Council Seventh Sub-bureau Field Deployment Equipment Basic Behavior Response Protocol (Trial Version 7)': For unconventional contact behavior initiated by individuals of the deployed civilization that is persistent, low-intensity, and lacks direct malice or intent to destroy, in Order to avoid redundant filling of invalid data and unnecessary occupation of local processor resources, the 'Minimum Autonomous Interaction Mode' may be initiated at discretion to conduct limited information clarification and behavioral guidance."

"In summary, 'Minimum Autonomous Interaction Mode' is now initiated. Individual Excellence, please cease redundant narratives without clear objectives. If there is content that meets the criteria of 'non-sensitive macro-environmental information supplementation' that needs to be submitted, please convey it following the principles of 'concise, direct, and relevant.' This interaction prompt is concluded."

Excellence's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, his body stiffening slightly.

He turned around slowly with an expression of disbelief, his gaze locked firmly on the silver hexagon inside the energy shield that appeared no different from usual.

This piece of metal... just now... talked back?

It even analyzed his behavioral patterns, gave three possibilities, and finally, annoyed by his verbosity, told him to be "concise and comprehensive"?

It even cited some "response protocol" clause?

Stunned for a full three seconds, the expression on Excellence's face melted like ice and snow, gradually blossoming into an incredibly brilliant, complex smile mixed with astonishment, ecstasy, and the excitement of "discovering a new world."

"Yo-ho?! So you can talk?! I thought all the equipment from The Council were just pre-programmed mutes!"

Excellence lunged back in front of the "exhibit stand," his face almost pressed against the energy shield, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the Node.

"Minimum Autonomous Interaction Mode? That works too! Interaction is better than none! Don't worry, I'm a very reasonable person; I guarantee 'concise, direct, and relevant'! First question: How many 'communication Nodes' like you has your Seventh Sub-bureau placed in 'secondary civilization reserves' like ours? Is it just you in our GX-07 Star Sector?"

The azure light on the surface of the Node seemed to freeze for half a second, then that electronic voice resonated directly in Excellence's mind again, the tone sounding as if it held a hint of almost imperceptible "helplessness" compared to before (perhaps it was just Excellence's imagination):

"The query involves specific field deployment quantities and geographical distribution information of The Council's Seventh Sub-bureau; this information is classified as 'Internal Operational Data - Restricted Level.' Pursuant to the protocol, no direct response will be provided. Please propose questions that meet the criteria of 'non-sensitive macro-environmental information' or are directly related to the basic functions of this Node."

"Permission issue, understood." Excellence followed suit readily, but his eyes rolled.

"Then let's ask from a different angle: Besides collecting environmental data, sending heartbeats, and waiting to receive our reports, what else do you do? Are there built-in mini-games to relieve boredom? Like playing super-high-dimensional chess against yourself? Or can you connect to The Council's internal information network to check out 'strange tales' from other star sectors? Oh, right, do you have an internal forum? Do employees go on there to complain about work or share which star sector has tasty local specialties?"

"..." The information flow inside the Node seemed to experience a brief disorder, and the blue light on the surface flickered irregularly, as if a precise AI were processing a nonsensical query that completely exceeded the scope of its conventional question database.

"The core functional modules and task list of this Node have been elucidated in the preceding explanation. It does not contain entertainment subsystems or social information access ports not required for tasks. Please propose questions that comply with protocol regulations and possess clear information exchange value. Repeat: Please propose…"

"Alright, alright, stop, I get it, boring." Excellence sighed deliberately, waving his hand as if his enthusiasm had been interrupted.

"One last question, this one is definitely 'concise, direct, and relevant': When that Special Envoy CZ-7391 went back to submit its report, did it specifically mention me? For example, in the evaluation column for 'Individual Excellence,' besides those cold 'risk ratings' and 'observation value,' did it write any subjective comments? Praising me for being earth-shatteringly handsome? Or complaining that I'm too difficult to deal with, talk too much, or something? I'm purely curious, do those 'Light-Shadow Beings' like it carry emotions when writing reports?"

This time, the Node's silence was significantly prolonged.

The blue light beneath the silver surface flowed and intertwined in more complex patterns, as if conducting an intense internal calculation and weighing of permissions.

Just when Excellence thought he wouldn't get an answer this time, or that it would be another cold "insufficient permission," that electronic voice sounded again.

This time, its tone seemed to truly contain a hint of an extremely subtle "change" that was difficult to describe accurately in words, as if a precise machine were attempting to imitate "hesitation" or "deliberation":

"The full text of the formal evaluation report submitted by Special Envoy CZ-7391 belongs to Seventh Sub-bureau internal confidential documents; access is restricted. However, according to the publicly accessible portions of the interaction log summary and non-confidential remarks, in the comprehensive description field for Individual Excellence, besides standard evaluation parameters, the additionally noted keywords include: 'High-purity Belief Carrier,' 'Significant adaptability to interference at the rule level,' 'Highly unpredictable growth variable,' 'Long-term observation sample with great potential,' 'Suggest maintaining regular information contact to stabilize its cooperative tendency'... and, 'Strong desire for unidirectional information output, need to pay attention to filtering redundant data.'"

"..."

Excellence: "'Need to pay attention to filtering redundant data'? 'Strong desire for unidirectional information output'?"

He pointed at his own nose, his expression exaggerated, as if he had suffered a great "insult."

"It's beating around the bush to call me a chatterbox, right? And 'filtering redundant data'? My remarks, which are full of wisdom and insight, are 'redundant data'?!"

Node: "Accurately quoting the original interaction log summary. Conclusion. Warning: The duration of this 'Minimum Autonomous Interaction Mode' has approached the protocol's upper threshold. Forcing entry into deep energy-saving silence mode to perform data organization and system self-check. Individual Excellence, it is recommended to follow the base's rest schedule. Good night."

Before the voice had finished, all the blue light on the surface of the Node extinguished completely and instantly, returning to that pure, metallic, lifeless silver-white.

No matter how much Excellence tried to "call out" with his mind or tap on the energy shield (very lightly, of course), he received no further response, as if all the dialogue just now had been his hallucination.

Excellence stood in place, stunned for a few more seconds, and then slowly, his mouth stretched wider and wider until he finally laughed silently, his shoulders shaking slightly.

"High-purity Belief Carrier... Long-term observation sample with great potential... Need to be fed information regularly to maintain stability... And, 'talks too much'..."

He repeated these words in a low voice, his eyes flashing with an increasingly bright and excited gleam.

"Interesting... too interesting! It seems that this seemingly monolithic Council is not entirely stagnant inside. At least this 'Node AI,' and that Special Envoy, seem to have just a little bit... of a different 'personality'? Or perhaps, 'flexibility' in handling problems?"

He felt as if he had inadvertently touched some subtle "interface" or "vulnerability" in this cold "official machine"?

Although it was only a minimal, mechanical interaction strictly limited by protocol, compared to the previous one-way silence, it was already a qualitative leap!

Moreover, judging from the fragmented information revealed by the Node regarding the Special Envoy's private evaluation, it seemed that within The Council, there were certain differentiated and... humanized (if AI evaluations count) considerations regarding him?

"It seems that this 'information feeding' work cannot stop; I'll have to pay attention to strategy and 'nutritional balance.'"

In an incredibly pleasant mood, Excellence hummed a wildly off-key tune and strolled out of the recreation center.

He had quietly upgraded the positioning of this "communication Node" in his mind from "an unavoidable monitor" and "a prank-like attraction" to "a potential window for informal intelligence probing," "a special AI with a certain possibility of interaction," and "a peculiar existence that one might try to 'farm affection' with or 'establish unconventional communication channels' with."

He did not know that long after he left humming his tune, inside that silver hexagonal Node, an information storm of extremely small scale but extremely high complexity was quietly subsiding within its ultra-micro-dimensional processing core.

A brand-new, specially marked operation log was generated, encrypted multiple times, and temporarily stored in a buffer, waiting for the next "heartbeat signal" to be uploaded along with the environmental data:

"Log Update: Record of unconventional interaction event with high-priority observation target 'Excellence-Homeland' (ID: IN-7G-ALPHA-001)."

"The target individual continues to exhibit extraordinary interactive initiative, curiosity, and probing behavior, with the clear intention of breaking through the standard protocol framework to establish informal, personalized communication channels. Behavioral pattern analysis conclusion: Non-hostile, motives are complex, mixed with research, playfulness, information probing, and potential needs for alleviating loneliness. Preliminary determination: This behavioral pattern is an inherent trait of the target and can be seen as a potential opportunity window to lower its psychological defenses and obtain information naturally revealed in its unguarded state."

"Pursuant to the recommendations in Article 4.7 of the 'Supplementary Strategy Guide for Dealing with High-Intelligence, High-Activity, and High-Uncertainty Observation Targets (Seventh Sub-bureau Internal Trial · Non-public Version)': Provided that core protocol security and task integrity are not interfered with, a 'limited autonomous interaction interface' may be moderately opened for similar targets to satisfy some of their communication needs in low-power mode. This measure helps to: 1. Enrich the database of the target individual's psychological and social behavior models; 2. Observe the target's information filtering, organization, and expression patterns under different topic stimuli; 3. Obtain indirect clues that may be contained in the information it actively 'feeds,' regarding the true state of its civilization, internal interpersonal relationships, potential conflicts, and the target's own cognitive weaknesses."

"This interaction practice confirms that the Minimum Autonomous Interaction Mode runs stably. After receiving a response, the target showed signs of satisfaction and increased interest. It is recommended to maintain this mode subsequently and attempt to guide the direction of its topics to gradually build more 'beneficial' (from an observation perspective) information exchange habits."

"Additional Note: The target individual does indeed have a tendency for 'excessively high information output density.' However, the data stream it provides, while highly redundant and high in entropy, contains a large amount of unstructured 'raw material' that reflects its true thought processes and focus points. After deep mining and cross-analysis, it may possess value beyond expectations. It is recommended that the Sub-bureau include 'regular, guided information interaction' as an optional auxiliary means in the overall strategy for this target, with a view to optimizing observation efficiency and data quality."

"This log record is concluded. System entering deep silence, waiting for the next scheduled wake-up."

The last trace of active information flow inside the Node also fell into silence, as if there had never been any trace of "intelligence" or "consciousness" existing.

However, a peculiar, highly unequal "dialogue" relationship, hovering between "official monitoring equipment" and "a key observation target who doesn't play by the rules," was quietly established.

Excellence felt he had discovered an interesting "new toy" and a possible "intelligence breakthrough," and he was full of enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, The Council's Node AI calmly assessed that it had found a more efficient and more "economical" new strategy to observe and study this "high-activity sample," and incidentally, it could better complete the basic task indicator of "collecting non-sensitive macro-environmental data."

Both sides felt they had gained something in this subtle interaction.

Only Su Mu, who occasionally woke up thirsty in the middle of the night and caught a glimpse of Excellence "talking to himself" at the Node while passing by the recreation center, would shake her head helplessly and mutter to herself: "This kid, I'm afraid he's 'hand-crafting' some new, laughable 'long-term plan' again..."

And all these seemingly absurd and trivial daily interactions were nothing more than an insignificant, slightly humorous footnote in the grand cosmic narrative.

The true gloom had not dissipated.

The cold warning from the "Dream Weaver" fragment about the "shadow within Order" and "kin" was like an ice thorn stuck in the bottom of his heart, constantly radiating coldness.

The sweet, cloying "main course" mark of the "Lord of the Grand Feast" lay silently dormant in the depths of Excellence's consciousness, like a ticking countdown timer.

The starry sky of "Homeland" remained peaceful on the surface.

But everyone within it could clearly feel the increasingly palpable, heart-palpitating sense of oppression beneath that tranquil facade.

While busy with his "Node feeding plan," improving the mass production process of the "heart-clearing pendant," and exploring new applications of the Power of Order, Excellence also always kept a portion of his vigilant Perception directed toward that unfathomable darkness.

He was also waiting, waiting for the next unknown wave to see in what form and from which direction it would crash down.

He gently rubbed the warm "heart-clearing pendant" on his chest, feeling the sense of protection contained within it that resonated with him, as well as the Power of Order within his body that was like a galaxy flowing, becoming increasingly vast and solid.

"What is meant to come, will come."

He looked out at the boundless starry sky from the observation window, his eyes clear and firm, and whispered to himself, "I, and my Homeland, are ready."