271: Guiding the task and the unexpected "guest"

"Special Potential Observer Guidance Procedure (Introductory)." The name sounded legitimate, carrying the formality of an official training program and seemingly heralding a path toward standardized growth at a higher level.

However, when the specific "procedural details" were transmitted one by one through the sentry-7391b Node in an unquestionable manner, Excellence truly and profoundly realized what "standardized care from the cosmic neighborhood committee" meant—it was essentially extremely strict control.

The "guidance" style of Clear Mirror was completely different from the passive response mode of the previous Node AI, which only provided comments and popular science based on "anomalous phenomena."

Her approach was more systematic, more structured, and also more... cold and ruthless, like the most precise surgical plan that allowed no deviation.

The first thing that hit him was a "Knowledge Architecture Tree" and "Capability Development Roadmap (Draft)" so detailed it made his scalp tingle.

This file was encrypted and transmitted directly to Excellence's personal terminal.

Its content was so vast and its structure so complex that Excellence, who prided himself on his learning ability, felt a wave of strong dizziness after just glancing at the table of contents.

The file unfolded in a multi-dimensional hierarchical structure.

At the very top were several grand categories: "Foundations of High-Dimensional Source Concepts," "Power Usage and Rule Analysis," "High-Dimensional Threat Identification and Response System," "Supplementary Pan-Dimensional Physical Rules," "Cosmic Civilization Common Knowledge and Diplomatic Foundations," and "The Council Regulations and Jurisdiction Management Overview."

Each major category, when opened, contained densely packed, multi-layered nested subcategories and detailed items, resembling a knowledge giant tree with infinite branches.

Under "Foundations of High-Dimensional Source Concepts," it included "Different Philosophical Interpretations and Spectral Manifestations of Order," "'Entropy': From Thermodynamic Concept to Cosmic Source Trend," "Research on Attributes and Carriers of 'Information' as the Cornerstone of Existence," "Formation, Solidification, Propagation, and Contamination of 'Concepts'," "Preliminary Exploration of High-Dimensional Perspectives on 'Time', 'Space', and 'Causality'..."

Each entry was marked with labels like "Core Compulsory," "Extended Elective," "Recommended Related Reading," "Warning: High Abstraction, Easily Causes Cognitive Dissonance," "Danger! This concept involves Source Rules, low-dimensional minds proceed with caution!", etc.

Some entries were even grayed out, marked "Insufficient Permission" or "Requires Contribution Points to Unlock."

"Power Usage and Rule Analysis" was more practice-oriented, ranging from the most basic "108 Basic Models of Fine Energy Control" to "Conduction and Attenuation Laws of Power of Order in Different Media," followed by "How to Safely Perceive and Analyze Unknown Rule Fields," "Preliminary Exploration of the Boundaries and Costs of 'Definition' Authority," and "'Concept Creation': From Entry to Giving Up (Introductory Safety Guide)"... It was similarly filled with various warnings and restriction notes.

"This... is this trying to stuff me into the 'college entrance exam review materials' of a high-dimensional civilization, making me relearn everything starting from the Big Bang?" Excellence swiped through the almost endless virtual page, feeling his brain capacity challenged like never before.

"I'm just an ordinary young man who wants to protect his Homeland! Do I really need to learn something like 'Conjectures on the High-Dimensional Topological Structure of Time'?"

"This architecture tree is a 'Personalized Standardized Development Suggestion' initially generated by the Sub-bureau Potential Assessment Department's algorithms based on your 'High-Activity' and 'High-Uncertainty' traits, as well as the potential fragments you have already displayed in previous non-standardized explorations, and then reviewed and adjusted by Investigator Clear Mirror."

The Node AI sentry-7391b relayed Clear Mirror's explanation—or rather, Order—meticulously.

"Its core objectives are: First, to establish a correct, stable, and systematic cognitive foundation for you, and to correct and replace the many erroneous, one-sided, or high-risk cognitive models formed during your previous self-exploration. Second, to guide your overly active and directionless 'desire for exploration' and 'high-activity' into a safe, controllable track that aligns with the interests of civilization development and maximizes your personal potential. Please strictly follow the suggested learning sequence and priority. You are required to complete designated basic reading, cognitive modeling exercises, and logical deduction assignments every week, and you must pass the weekly 'Phased Understanding Test'."

"Phased Test?! Every week?!" Excellence's voice rose an octave, his face full of resistance.

"I finally graduated from school... no, I finally survived the apocalypse, I didn't come here to attend a cosmic correspondence university! And I have to take a test every week?"

"Systematic knowledge intake and consolidation are the cornerstones of any form of power growth and effective application. Periodic testing is a necessary quantitative means to verify knowledge absorption, discover cognitive biases, and evaluate the depth of understanding and changes in thinking patterns."

The blue light of the Node flickered steadily, its tone leaving no room for negotiation.

"According to your initial assessment data and learning curve prediction model, the first 'Basic Cognition and Safety Standards Weekly Test' will be conducted in 72 standard hours. The test scope covers the content marked as 'Core Compulsory' in the first and second levels of the 'Knowledge Architecture Tree'. Please plan your time reasonably and be prepared."

In addition to this daunting study task, another highlight was the "Practical Guidance Mission."

In the assessment report, Clear Mirror clearly pointed out that Excellence's abilities needed to be exercised, verified, and standardized in a "controlled, goal-oriented, and practically meaningful practical environment," and must never again be allowed to conduct "purposeless, high-risk, and easily unpredictable self-exploration."

Therefore, every week (or depending on the complexity of the task), he would receive a "Guidance Mission" personally drafted or reviewed by Clear Mirror through the Node.

The first mission arrived on time, the day after Excellence finished his first weekly test review (while wailing incessantly).

"Guidance Mission No.: 001."

"Mission Name: Low-Threat Information Contamination Field Purification Practice."

"Mission Category: Basic Rules Application / Environmental Maintenance."

"Issuer: Seventh Sub-bureau Investigator 'Clear Mirror' (Supervisor), 'sentry-7391b' Node (Assistant)."

"Recipient: Special Potential Observer 'Excellence' (No.: HJ-AT-0047)."

"Brief Mission Background: On the edge of the Seventh Sub-bureau's jurisdiction, within the stable star region numbered K-3317, there exists a historically left-over 'Low-Intensity Information Contamination Residual Field.' This contamination field was formed about 12,000 standard years ago, a product of a failed large-scale cross-dimensional Resonance experiment by an extinct sub-civilization (Archive Name: 'Resonators'). The contamination field intensity is extremely low (Rating: F-), posing no direct threat to physical matter or the minds of higher intelligent life forms, but its continuously emitted weak but broad-spectrum chaotic information flow constitutes continuous interference to conventional interstellar communications, low-level detectors, and void plankton (such as nebula jellyfish, phase mayflies, etc.) that survive by relying on basic information sensing, affecting the basic ecological balance and navigation safety of the area."

"Mission Core Objective: Proceed to the designated coordinates in the K-3317 star region and use the 'Information Anchoring,' 'Structural Perception,' 'Concept Combing,' and 'Energy Micro-manipulation' basic knowledge you have learned to perform harmless mitigation treatment on this 'Information Contamination Residual Field'."

"Quantitative Indicators: Reduce the average information interference intensity of the contamination field (based on standard entropy increment ΔS) by more than 30%."

"Mission Duration: 72 standard hours from receipt."

"Resource Support: 1. Detailed star map of the K-3317 star region (including safe shipping lanes, gravity well distribution, and markings of known spatial anomalies). 2. Precise coordinates, range estimation, and historical energy spectrum analysis report of the target contamination field. 3. During mission execution, you may apply to the 'sentry-7391b' Node for no more than three non-combat technical consultations (each consultation will deduct 10-50 task preparatory contribution points depending on the complexity of the question)."

"Mission Evaluation and Reward/Punishment Mechanism: Successfully reduce interference intensity by 30% to 50%: Gain 100 basic contribution points. Successfully reduce interference intensity by 50% to 80%: Gain 200 contribution points. Successfully reduce interference intensity by more than 80% or achieve complete purification (ΔS approaches background value): Gain 500 contribution points. Mission Failure (reduction intensity less than 30% or timeout): No direct material punishment, but one 'Guidance Mission Substandard' record will be logged, affecting subsequent access rights to high-value missions and the Observer's monthly assessment coefficient. Use of Contribution Points: Can be used within the Seventh Sub-bureau internal exchange system (introductory permission) to redeem non-classified information subscription time, apply for consultations in specific technical directions (requires additional review), redeem access rights to some general knowledge modules, or redeem limited-supply non-strategic materials (list opens with permission)."

The entire mission description was rigorous in format, precise in wording, and clear in logic.

Reading it didn't feel like an adventure mission; it felt more like a technical service contract issued by a multinational technology company to an outsourcing team, or a tender document for an environmental governance project from a government department.

"Information purification... sounds like a 'cleaning up space junk' notice issued by the Cosmic Sanitation Bureau?" Su Mu looked at the mission briefing, her expression somewhat subtle.

"And it's volunteer labor, no money, only 'points'."

"Points are 'Contribution Points'," Evelyn corrected, more focused on practical value.

"If we can exchange these points for truly useful technical information, even if it's just directional hints, it's far better than us fumbling around on our own. Moreover, this mission is designed to be very 'safe'—the contamination intensity is at the lowest level, no hostile creatures or natural dangers are mentioned, it's purely technical practice. It's very suitable as a first 'Guidance Mission' to test learning results and standardized operational procedures."

White Elder stroked his beard and pondered, his gaze falling on the "extinct sub-civilization 'Resonators'" and "cross-dimensional Resonance experiment" in the mission background: "Ancient civilization relics... although only information contamination remains, one might still glimpse the mystery of their techniques back then. By taking this opportunity of purification, one might be able to perceive a thing or two, which may not be without benefit to my 'Homeland'. Besides, this mission requires the application of newly learned 'Rule Techniques', which is perfect for verifying whether the methods taught by The Council are truly effective in practice."

Excellence's mindset adjusted quickly, and he was even a bit eager to try: "A cleaner is a cleaner, the universe is so big, someone has to maintain the environment, right? It's better than rote memorization of those heavenly book-like theoretical materials every day! Besides, these 'Contribution Points' sound like gold coins in a game. I wonder what good things can be exchanged in the 'store'... Maybe there's a weakness analysis report on 'Xuan'? Or blueprints that can enhance the 'heart-clearing pendant'?"

He accepted the mission with great interest.

After the rest following the series of incidents at the "Homeland" base and the technical upgrades led by Evelyn, the main ship "Homeland" and several medium-sized frigates and exploration ships had all returned to good condition, and some systems had even been enhanced.

Finally, after discussion, it was decided that Excellence, Su Mu (who insisted on accompanying him to supervise), White Elder (who wanted to study the ancient civilization information residue up close), Evelyn (who was responsible for technical monitoring and support throughout the process), and a capable ten-person exploration and security team would take the medium-sized multi-functional exploration ship "ranger" to the mission location.

Wang Jianguo stayed at the base to maintain direct contact with the "sentry-7391b" Node, just in case.

The preparation work was efficient and thorough.

Evelyn planned the optimal route based on the star map and the contamination field report; White Elder added several layers of reinforcement and stability arrays at key positions on the "ranger," especially for protection against information interference; Excellence seized the last moments to repeatedly review several basic ideas and energy models regarding "Information Purification" from Clear Mirror's materials.

Su Mu was responsible for checking supplies and coordinating personnel, and silently checked Excellence's backup spacesuit and emergency equipment three times.

A few days later, the "ranger" slid silently out of the "Homeland" base's dock, its engines spitting out soft blue flames as it sailed into the deep sea of stars.

With the precise star map provided by The Council, the voyage became unusually smooth.

Many areas that "Homeland" had marked as "Unknown Risk" or "High Interference Zone" during its own detection had clear bypass routes or safe channel markings on the star map, saving a lot of time and the cost of avoiding risks.

After several days of sailing, the "ranger" arrived steadily at the edge of the K-3317 star region, near the target coordinates.

Looking out from the porthole, the starry sky in front was quiet and ordinary, with countless stars flickering with cold light in the distance, and only thin interstellar dust and occasionally passing small celestial fragments nearby.

To the naked eye, there was nothing unusual.

But the ship's sensors and the comprehensive situation panel in front of Evelyn clearly showed the anomaly ahead.

An invisible region, approximately the size of a small planetary system, showed persistent, low-amplitude chaotic fluctuations in its background information readings.

Communication tests on conventional frequency bands showed blurred and distorted signals, occasionally interspersed with indecipherable noise; on the scan maps of high-precision detectors, the energy background of that region seemed to be covered by a layer of constantly shifting, fine "snow"; some "Nebula Jellyfish" clusters—translucent, jellyfish-like creatures that glowed with a faint blue light and navigated by sensing cosmic background radiation or weak electromagnetic fields—would clearly exhibit confusion and unease when approaching the edge of that region, flailing their tentacles, moving in completely erratic trajectories, and some even spinning in place.

"Detection confirmed: The target 'Low-Intensity Information Pollution Residual Field' exists.

The average interference intensity ΔS is 15.3 times the background value, meeting the 'F-' rating.

It has no direct impact on the ship's shields, life support systems, or the crew's sanity.

It constitutes persistent interference for L3-level and below precision instruments, conventional communications, and low-level information-sensing lifeforms." Evelyn reported the data rapidly.

"Let's begin the mission." Excellence took a deep breath and walked towards the airlock.

Su Mu wanted to say something, but in the end, she just squeezed his hand firmly, her eyes full of exhortation.

"Be careful, don't push yourself."

White Elder patted his shoulder and handed him a small jade pendant engraved with a rune for stabilizing the mind.

Evelyn gave an OK sign, indicating that all monitoring and support systems were ready.

The airlock opened, and Excellence, wearing a lightweight spacesuit (internally integrated with life support, basic communication, and simple sensors), used micro-thrusters to slowly drift away from the ranger, floating alone in the cold void, facing the invisible chaos.

He closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and calmed his mind.

The spacesuit isolated him from the external physical environment, but his Perception, especially his Perception of the Power of Order and the information level, acted like extended tentacles, cautiously probing toward the "information pollution field" ahead.

Instantly, a peculiar "clamor" submerged him.

It was not sound, nor image, but a more primitive sense of chaos brought about by countless fragmented "information" directly impacting his Perception.

It was like turning on hundreds of noisy radios at the same time, all playing different content with terrible signals; it was also like being thrown into a crazy washing machine filled with fragments of various colors, shapes, symbols, or even pure "emotions" or "intentions."

Broken geometric shapes (some of which did not conform to Euclidean geometry at all) were rotating, overlapping, and annihilating in disorder; discordant, sharp, or low-pitched "sounds" (not air vibrations, but direct information expressions) repeatedly impacted him; character fragments from unrecognizable writing systems flickered on and off; scorching heat, icy cold, ecstasy, despair, numbness, anxiety... all kinds of contradictory and even baseless emotional fragments surged and mixed together; there were also more abstract things, such as the urgency of "wanting to link to something but finding no target," or the stifling feeling of "trying to express but always failing to convey the meaning"...

All of this mixed together to form an endless, self-circulating "Sea of Chaos" of information that lacked any practical meaning or logic.

"It's certainly chaotic enough..." Excellence frowned, enduring the discomfort that acted directly on his level of Perception.

He recalled the key points from his study materials: when facing information pollution, one must first "anchor the self," establish a clear "information firewall," and avoid being led astray by the chaotic information flow or having one's own cognitive structure polluted.

He immediately put this into practice.

The Power of Order circulated slowly within his body, no longer radiating outward, but condensing inward, constructing a stable, silver-white "cognitive anchor" at the core of his consciousness.

At the same time, following the techniques he had learned, he established a thin barrier of Order between his self-consciousness and the external chaotic information flow, which had "filtering" and "analysis" functions.

This barrier did not block all information, but it performed initial "deceleration" and "classification attempts," helping him maintain a sliver of clarity amidst the chaos.

After stabilizing his position, he began to try and analyze the essence of this pollution field in depth.

The materials mentioned that when dealing with such historical information pollution, the key often lies in identifying its "residual core concepts" or "incomplete information structures."

He no longer tried to understand every chaotic fragment—that was impossible—but instead spread out his Perception to capture the "tendencies" or "residual intentions" emitted by the chaos as a whole.

It was like being in a noisy market; instead of trying to hear every sentence clearly, one should feel whether the market as a whole was primarily "trading," "quarreling," or "celebrating."

Discarding the interference of details, Excellence's Perception gradually touched upon some relatively clear, recurring "imagery clusters" or "emotional undertones."

Deep within these endless chaotic fragments, imagery fragments with clear "directional" indicators—such as "link," "Resonance," "synchronization," "communication that transcends barriers," and "the desire to become one"... appeared with significantly higher frequency and intensity than other purely meaningless noise.

At the same time, the entire chaotic field was permeated with an intense sense of "frustration" and "incompleteness" caused by "missing goals" or "broken channels."

"I understand!" Excellence's mind suddenly cleared. "This is not some pure 'junk information field' at all! This is a 'field of obsession' left behind by a failed large-scale 'communication' or 'Resonance' experiment!

The civilization called the 'Resonators' wanted to conduct cross-dimensional or ultra-long-distance 'information synchronization' or 'consciousness linking' here, but the experiment went out of control or failed. The vast information energy and 'linking intention' they had prepared did not form a stable channel, but instead exploded and accumulated here, becoming a painful and chaotic 'information ghost' that constantly wanted to 'link' and 'Resonance,' but could never find a target and could never satisfy itself!"

Having found the "root cause," the next step was "treatment."

Excellence's task was not to complete this ancient civilization's unfinished experiment (which was far beyond his capabilities and extremely dangerous), but to "soothe" or "channel" this broken "conceptual field" full of obsession.

He evaluated several plans: "information coverage" required too much energy and might trigger unknown reactions; "structural demolition" was high-risk and could cause information fragments to splash further and cause more pollution; the safest approach was "conceptual channeling" or "conceptual soothing," which meant creating a harmless, miniature release channel for this unachievable "desire to link," allowing its obsession to slowly "depressurize" until it calmed down.

Excellence chose the "diversion and channeling method."

He no longer used the Power of Order to oppose or disperse those chaotic messages, but instead began, with extreme precision, to construct tiny, self-consistent "closed information loops" inside the pollution field.

These "loops" were delicate and fragile in structure, with only a simple functional logic: they would actively "attract" nearby chaotic information fragments that carried strong "linking intentions" into the loops.

Once inside, the loop would simulate an extremely miniature, self-completing "link-Resonance-achievement" process.

For example, if two fragments with the intentions of "I want to link to A" and "I want to be linked by A" entered the loop, the loop would temporarily "define" them as the "A" the other was looking for, allowing them to complete a virtual, self-deceptive "successful link" within an extremely short time and on an extremely small scale, after which this miniature "link" would be declared complete, logically closed, and the energy would dissipate.

This "success" was false and meaningless, but for those information fragments obsessed with the intention of "linking," it was a form of "satisfaction."

Each completion of a miniature loop was equivalent to drawing away a little bit of the "tension" or "potential energy" brought by "incompleteness" from this chaotic field of obsession.

This work extremely tested his patience, precision, and ability to micro-manage the Power of Order.

Excellence was fully focused, like performing micro-carving on a deck amidst raging storms and giant waves.

He cautiously condensed strands of the Power of Order, weaving them into the pre-set loop structures, and then, like sowing seeds, gently "deployed" these "seeds of Order," which were smaller than dust, into various energy Nodes and fragment-rich areas of the chaotic information field.

At first, the effect was negligible.

The loops he deployed were like grains of sand thrown into the ocean, instantly submerged by the massive chaotic information flow, with almost no ripples visible.

But Excellence was neither impatient nor anxious; he knew this was a process where quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes.

He continued to condense, weave, and deploy.

His mental energy was consumed rapidly like water from an opened sluice, and fine beads of sweat soon seeped out on his forehead, forming a thin mist inside his spacesuit helmet.

One hour, two hours...

Gradually, changes began to appear.

Evelyn, who had been monitoring the energy readings of the pollution field, was the first to notice the abnormality: "The interference intensity curve... is starting to show small, regular, pulsating decays! Although the magnitude is small, the trend is downward! Excellence's method is effective!"

White Elder also, through his own keen Perception of energy flow, sensed that in that chaotic field, wisps of extremely weak, but definitely existing, "harmonics of Order" had begun to appear; these were the energy characteristics produced when the miniature loops deployed by Excellence took effect.

"Moistening things silently, guiding stagnation before it takes shape. Although this method is slow, it excels in being steady, implicitly aligning with the principles of guidance."

Su Mu stared intently at the figure floating under the starry sky on the external monitoring screen; although she could not see the expression under his helmet, she could feel his exhaustion and persistence at this moment from his slightly trembling shoulders and his faster breathing frequency.

She clasped her hands tightly together, silently cheering him on in her heart.

Excellence did not know how many "information loops" he had deployed, perhaps thousands, perhaps tens of thousands.

He only felt mental exhaustion surging in waves, and his fingers controlling the Power of Order began to feel a bit weak.

But he could clearly "feel" that the invisible "chaos" ahead was undergoing subtle changes.

The stickiness and oppressive feeling of that stubborn, self-circulating "field" were thinning bit by bit; those sharp, ear-piercing "information noises" seemed to have lowered by a volume level overall; even the Nebula Jellyfish that were originally dizzy and disoriented seemed to have quieted down a bit, and the rhythm of their tentacle movements was no longer so frantic.

"Just a little more... the core area..." Excellence gritted his teeth, concentrating all his remaining mental energy and the remaining Power of Order.

He "saw" that in the center of that chaotic field, there was a relatively stable, yet most intense "core of obsession," where the strongest and purest "desire to link" and "incomplete" resentment converged.

He needed to construct a larger, more stable, yet more intricate "ultimate loop" to "soothe" this core.

This was like installing the last and most important pressure relief valve on a boiler filled with high-pressure steam.

Excellence held his breath, his hands slowly and steadily tracing complex trajectories in the void.

The silver-white Power of Order was no longer seeping out in strands, but was like a guided stream, gathering and intertwining in front of him, gradually forming a complex, nested, three-dimensional rune array that emitted a soft, rational light—this was a "super channeling loop" he had temporarily conceived by combining the knowledge taught by Clear Mirror, the array principles of White Elder, and his own understanding of the concept of "link."

When this silver rune array, about half a meter in diameter, finally stabilized and formed, Excellence let out a low shout, used his last bit of strength, and pushed it toward the core of that chaotic field!

The rune array silently merged into the dense chaotic information flow without triggering any violent energy reactions.

But immediately after, with that core as the origin, the entire "residual information pollution field" seemed to have been pressed with a mute button, or as if a taut bowstring had suddenly relaxed.

All the chaotic flow of information fragments experienced a brief stagnation.

Then, a strange "sense of peace" rippled out like water waves.

Those sharp noises rapidly decayed, the chaotic images and symbols faded away as if erased by an eraser, and various extreme emotional fragments also seemed to be soothed, gradually calming down.

On the detectors, the ΔS value, representing the intensity of information interference, began to plummet! 85%... 87%... 89%...

Eventually, the value stabilized at a level only slightly higher than the natural cosmic background radiation, and the interference intensity dropped by an astonishing 90.1%!

The remaining weak fluctuations were now negligible and no longer posed any substantial impact on any navigation or communication.

The Nebula Jellyfish, having regained their "sobriety," happily waved their glowing tentacles a few times, formed an orderly formation, and swam lightly into the depths of the starry sky, as if thanking this temporary "cosmic cleaner."

"It's done!" Excellence let out a long, deep breath, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from his body, his vision even darkening slightly.

He barely managed to steady himself, feeling through his spacesuit that his clothes underneath were completely soaked with sweat.

Yet, a massive, unprecedented sense of achievement, mixed with extreme exhaustion, filled his body and mind.

This was the first time he had independently solved a practical problem that transcended conventional physical levels, relying entirely on new knowledge and techniques acquired through systematic learning!

"Interference intensity reduced by 90.1%! Exceeded the highest mission target!" Inside the ranger, Evelyn's excited voice rang out, filled with the joy of relief.

"Well done, kid! Great job!" Su Mu also couldn't help but cheer out loud, her hanging heart finally relaxing.

White Elder stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes full of approval: "Applying what one has learned and drawing inferences about other cases from one instance. This child's mindset, comprehension, and resilience are all top-notch. The Council's method of 'guidance,' while harsh, is quite effective."

Just as everyone was immersed in the joy and relaxation of the mission's success—Hum!!!

An unprecedented, violent burning and stinging sensation erupted without warning from the heart-clearing pendant on Excellence's chest!

The pain was so sharp, so intense, far exceeding any previous warning, as if a red-hot iron rod had been thrust directly into his chest!

"Argh!" Excellence was caught off guard and groaned in pain, his body trembling violently, nearly losing control of his micro-thrusters.

Almost at the same instant!

Inside the ranger's bridge, a shrill, highest-level alarm tore through the peace that had just been restored!

"Alarm! Alarm! Unparseable ultra-high energy level spatial curvature distortion detected! Absolute Order field reaction detected! Energy level far exceeds database record limits! Threat level: Unable to assess! Recommendation: Evacuate immediately! Evacuate immediately!!!"

The spaceship's shield generator emitted an overloaded shriek, and all screens flickered violently, as if they would shatter in the next second!

A massive, cold, and pure pressure that made one's soul freeze, like invisible billions of tons of seawater, squeezed in from all directions, instantly shrouding the entire star region!

The starry sky, which had just been purified and appeared clear and peaceful, seemed to have been plunged into absolute zero liquid nitrogen, instantly solidifying and freezing!

Even the light of distant stars seemed to become dim and twisted, daring not to contend with the presence that had descended!

The void just a few kilometers in front of the spaceship, like silk slowly torn apart by a pair of invisible giant hands, smoothly and silently receded to both sides. A figure stepped out from the torn void.

His white clothes were as pure as snow, unstained by dust. His silver hair fell like a galaxy, flowing with a cold luster.

His face was so perfect it transcended the limits of biology, every line seemingly having undergone the most rigorous mathematical calculation, presenting an inhuman, absolutely harmonious "beauty."

Only those eyes, deep as the Return to Ruins and calm as an ancient ice field, contained no emotion, merely looking over with indifference.

That gaze seemed to ignore physical distance, ignore the spaceship's alloy armor, and fell directly onto Excellence, who had just completed the purification and was hunched over due to the intense pain of the heart-clearing pendant.

It was "Xuan"! That white-clothed man who claimed to be an envoy of The Ring of Order! He had actually appeared again at this time and place!

Moreover, his might was far greater than the glimpse caught last time at the Homeland base!

"The fluctuations of 'Order'..." Xuan's voice, calm and waveless, ringing directly in the depths of everyone's consciousness, seemed to carry the grandeur and coldness of celestial bodies in motion.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the area that had just been purified, still retaining traces of Excellence's Power of Order and the new purification techniques, and finally locked back onto Excellence, "The speed of growth is unexpected. The way you use it... is mixed and impure."

His tone could not be discerned as praise or denial; it was more like stating an observed fact. But the faint "disapproval" contained in those words regarding the techniques Excellence used (obviously integrated with Council knowledge) was clearly distinguishable.

"However," Xuan's tone shifted abruptly. His calm gaze seemed to pierce through the porthole of the ranger, sweeping over Su Mu, White Elder, Evelyn, and the others, and finally, like the heaviest shackles, clamped down onto Excellence's soul once again, "Your seedling of 'Order' is growing in the wrong 'soil,' absorbing turbid 'nutrients.' Those opportunistic 'tricks' and 'norms' from low-dimensional existences are like poisonous vines strangling the seedling; they will only distort your essence and obscure your intuition of 'Pure Order'."

He slowly raised his right hand. There was no earth-shattering gathering of energy, no devastating explosion of momentum, just a simple lift, his five fingers slightly spread.

Yet, with this action, pure white light naturally flowed from his fingertips. The light itself was not dazzling, but it carried a despair-inducing "correctness" and "authority," as if it represented the only truth in the universe, and every existence that did not conform to its "standards" ought to be "corrected" and "purified" by it.

"It seems our brief contact last time failed to make you understand where the 'Great Way' lies. Your 'Order' needs a more profound, more thorough... clarification and reshaping. Strip away the impurities and return to the source."

The moment his voice fell, the pure white light did not shoot directly at Excellence, but transformed into billions of threads of light, thinner than a hair but containing terrifying powers of "definition" and "purification."

Like a white tide with self-awareness, they spread and covered the area Excellence had just purified, the ranger, and even Excellence himself, gently yet irresistibly!

He seemed to want to "purify" all traces of "non-pure Order" that Excellence had left here, to "purify" all factors on the spaceship that "might bring pollution," and perhaps even to perform a complete "formatting and reinstallation" of Excellence along with his "erroneous cognition"!

"Not good!" Excellence's pupils constricted, his heart nearly stopped beating!

Having just completed the purification mission, his mind and strength were exhausted. Faced with Xuan's "purification" method, which was more direct, more overbearing, and more unquestionable than last time, he couldn't even mobilize a sliver of the Power of Order to defend himself!

He could clearly feel that wherever those pure white threads of light passed, even the most basic spatial rules were being "rewritten" and "purified," becoming cold and rigid, rejecting all "anomalies"!

Su Mu's scream was choked in her throat; immense fear made her unable to make a sound.

White Elder's hair and beard stood on end, and he roared, desperately activating all the defensive arrays installed inside the spaceship. Layers of ancient halos lit up in an attempt to resist, but under the infection of that pure white light, the array halos were like thin ice meeting the scorching sun, rapidly melting and dimming!

Evelyn's hands became a blur on the console, attempting to initiate an emergency jump or overload the shields, but all the ship's systems were suppressed by Xuan's vast field of Order, their response speed slowed by a thousand-fold, as if stuck in the thickest glue.

The execution of every command was extremely difficult, and the shield energy output was suppressed to nearly zero!

Just at the critical moment when the pure white threads of light were about to touch the ranger's hull and drag Excellence and everyone on the spaceship into that cold abyss of "purification"—Hum! Clang!!!

A strange and resonant boom, as if countless precision gears were interlocking or a heavy metal codex was flipping its pages, suddenly erupted from inside the ranger's cabin!

The portable emergency repeater placed next to the bridge's backup communication hub—the one that maintained constant Quantum Entanglement with the sentry-7391b Node at the base—suddenly erupted with an unprecedented, dazzling Deep Blue radiance from the hexagonal Council emblem engraved on its surface, which usually went unnoticed!

The light, like a long-suppressed volcano, gushed out instantly. It didn't spread; it "unfolded"!

A solid, Deep Blue hemispherical force field, with countless fine data runes and phantoms of rule-chains flowing on its surface, suddenly expanded from the repeater as the center. In a thousandth of a second, it tightly enveloped the entire ranger and Excellence, who was not far outside the spaceship!

The pure white threads of light released by Xuan, representing "Absolute Order purification," were like the sharpest spears, stabbing fiercely at this suddenly risen Deep Blue "Shield of Rules"!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, no ripples of energy confrontation. There was only a more essential, teeth-gritting sound of "rule friction."

At the boundary where the pure white threads of light contacted the Deep Blue force field, space twisted and folded violently, sparking fine black-purple electric arcs—that was the brief damage caused to the underlying spacetime structure when different "rule systems" clashed and negated each other!

The forward momentum of the pure white threads of light was forcibly halted!

They aggressively eroded, attempting to "purify" this blue force field, but the Deep Blue force field displayed incredible "resilience" and "stability."

The runes flowing on its surface were like the most precise firewall, constantly analyzing, dismantling, and neutralizing the "mandatory purification" commands contained within the pure white light, defining them as "illegal interference," and performing reverse "adjudication" and "exclusion" based on its own "rule library"!

"Unauthorized, high-intensity, cross-civilization-level mandatory Order interference detected. Interference source: 'Xuan' (high-threat unidentified entity, temporary designation: UO-001, suspected former member of The Ring of Order). Nature of interference: Attempting to implement mandatory conceptual coverage and existential essence 'purification' on units belonging to a 'potential cooperative civilization' protected by the Seventh Sub-bureau and on an individual 'special potential observer'."

"This behavior has seriously violated: Article 12, Chapter 3 of the 'Pan-Dimensional Civilization Observation and Mediation Council Seventh Sub-bureau Jurisdiction Basic Law' (prohibiting unauthorized mandatory interference by high-dimensional civilizations against lower civilizations), Article 7, Chapter 5 (protecting the basic development rights and existential integrity of civilizations and individuals within the jurisdiction); Clause 4 of the 'Temporary Protection and Guidance Protocol for High Potential Observers'; and the third clause of the 'Non-Conflict Area Memorandum of Understanding (Temporary)' reached between The Council and 'The Ring of Order' (remnants) (requiring compliance with basic notification and consultation procedures in each other's activity areas)."

"Final warning! Terminate your illegal interference immediately and exit the star region under the jurisdiction of the Seventh Sub-bureau! Repeat, terminate immediately! Otherwise, this Node will, in accordance with authorization, activate the 'Jurisdiction Rule Countermeasure Protocol' to perform mandatory adjudication and expulsion of your actions! All consequences shall be borne by your side!"

The flat electronic voice of the sentry-7391b Node, transmitted through the repeater at this moment, seemed to have been injected with steel-like will and cold authority. Every syllable seemed to strike at the cornerstone of the rules, carrying the meaning of an unquestionable ultimatum!

It was no longer the silent analyst, but had transformed into the steadfast guardian and executor of the rule boundary!

The Deep Blue force field was stable and thick. Although its range was far smaller than the pure white Order field that Xuan used to shroud the star region, and its intensity seemed slightly inferior, the "rule permission hierarchy" and "logical completeness" it represented seemed to vaguely override Xuan's pure and overbearing "Order purification"!

It did not resist force with force, but rather governed "force" with "law," using a more complex, more systematic, and more widely (at least within its jurisdiction) recognized "rule system" to negate and resist Xuan's singular, "self-centered" Order criteria!

Xuan's movements showed a clear, observable hesitation for the first time.

He slowly, extremely slowly, turned his head. Those eyes, which seemed to contain the endless starry sky, for the first time truly carried a color that could be called "emotion," casting a glance at the repeater inside the ranger that was emitting a tenacious blue light.

That emotion was "displeasure," like ten thousand years of black ice, and a trace of... indifferent "absurdity" that arose when being offended by a lower-level existence using "rules and regulations" against one's own "Great Way."

"It's you lot again..." "Pan-Dimensional Observation Bureau"...

Xuan's voice remained steady, but the surrounding starry sky became even more solidified and dead silent due to the slight ripple in his emotions. Even the light of distant stars seemed to tremble in fear,

"We follow the source of 'Order' that has existed since the birth of the universe, cleansing chaos and reshaping clarity; it is in accordance with the supreme Great Way, executing the heaven-sent duty of the universe's 'self-purification.' This child carries the seed of 'Order' and should have returned to purity, leading a region to clarity. You use these acquired, complicated, and miscellaneous 'rules' and 'laws' as shackles, hindering and obstructing, binding his nature, and misleading his path; that is the true defiance of the Great Way, hindering the universe from returning to its proper 'Order'."

According to Article 3 of the 'Non-Conflict Memorandum of Understanding' and the spirit of The Council's Fundamental Law,

sentry-7391b's response was categorical and unyielding,

within the star regions registered with and protected by The Council, any civilization or individual, regardless of their philosophy, must have their right to choose their own development path and form of existence fundamentally respected.

Any form of mandatory interference, especially concept overwriting and 'purification' involving the essence of existence, must undergo strict review and receive the consent of the involved parties (or their legal representatives).

Your party has failed to fulfill any notification or consultation procedures; your actions constitute unilateral, aggressive interference.

Please cease immediately, otherwise, the initiation of counter-measures will be irreversible.

Xuan floated quietly in the center of the pure white light, the hem of his robes moving without wind, as if invisible power were flowing.

He looked at Excellence and the ship, firmly protected by that stubborn blue force field, then at the repeater that kept warning and deterring him with regulatory text, and remained silent for several breaths.

The pressure contained within that silence made everyone inside the blue force field feel suffocated.

Rules? Procedures? Consent?

Xuan's lips curled upward in an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible arc—not a smile, but more of an indifferent display of 'naivety' and 'ignorance'.

Why does the operation of the universe require such fragile and superfluous 'consensus'?

Only 'Order' itself is the ultimate standard for measuring and adjudicating all things.

This child's path has deviated; your so-called 'protection' merely prolongs the time he spends lost on the wrong path.

When he understands what true 'Order' is, he will naturally be grateful for our 'guidance' today.

His path should be explored and chosen by him, based on sufficient cognition.

One of The Council's duties is to ensure that his exploration process is not subjected to mandatory 'guidance' from the likes of you, without his consent.

sentry-7391b's electronic voice remained as cold as ever.

The 'Great Path of Order' you speak of is not the sole truth of the universe.

Diversity and the right to development are also fundamental values protected by The Council.

Diversity? Development?

Xuan slowly shook his head, a gesture carrying a compassionate 'bewilderment' as if looking down upon all living beings.

Disordered diversity and chaotic development will only lead to the end of entropy increase, returning to silent chaos.

Only the purity and unity of 'Order' can bring eternal tranquility and the certainty of existence.

This child will eventually understand. His resistance now is merely the result of being unenlightened.

His gaze pierced through the blue force field once more, landing on Excellence, who was pale and enduring the stinging pain of the 'heart-clearing pendant' and the shock to his mind.

The 'certainty' and 'paranoia' in that gaze were as thick as substance.

Today, I will mark this.

Xuan's voice returned to its initial calm and grandiosity, but the will contained within it was clearer.

For the sake of the 'Observation Bureau' and these trivial 'rules,' I will not forcibly 'correct' you for now.

But you must keep my words in mind.

Your 'Order' does not belong in this murky pond.

Do not let these shackles that seem like 'protection' but are actually 'imprisonment,' along with those opportunistic 'tricks,' blind you forever and make you forget your innate, loftier destination.

After speaking, Xuan took one last deep 'look' at Excellence, as if trying to carve a mark into the depths of his soul.

Subsequently, his figure began to slowly merge backward into the torn void, and the pure white light and vast pressure quickly receded and vanished like an ebbing tide.

The torn gap in space sealed silently, as if it had never existed.

The frozen starry sky resumed its flow, and the light of distant stars became stable once again.

The Deep Blue rule force field also slowly retracted its light, shrinking back into the repeater, leaving only the slightly warm hexagonal emblem on the surface.

Everything returned to calm, a deathly calm.

Only the frantic, drum-like heartbeat in Excellence's chest, the cold sweat rolling down his forehead, the burning pain like a brand remaining from the 'heart-clearing pendant' on his chest, and the rapid breathing and pale faces of everyone aboard the 'ranger' as they survived the ordeal, silently recounted the terrifying confrontation that had been brief yet profound enough to be etched onto their souls.

Hoo... hah... hah...

Excellence gasped for air, feeling a burning pain in his lungs, while the cold lining of his spacesuit clung to his sweat-soaked skin, sending shivers through him.

Just a moment ago, when Xuan's gaze locked onto him and the pure white light of purification spread toward him, he had truly felt what a threat of erasure at the 'existential level' meant!

That was not just death, but a deeper terror of being 'formatted' and 'corrected' into something else!

He... he is... far more terrifying than last time...

Su Mu's voice trembled with clear lingering fear; looking at the gasping figure outside through the porthole, she felt a heartache that almost brought her to tears.

And his contempt for The Council's rules... is fundamental.

Evelyn's face remained pale, but her analytical ability allowed her to quickly grasp the key point.

He does not recognize The Council's philosophy of 'pluralistic coexistence' and 'rule supremacy' at all.

He believes that only his 'pure Order' is the truth, and everything else is 'impurity' and 'error' that needs to be purified.

The so-called 'Memorandum of Understanding' is likely just a piece of annoying waste paper in his eyes; perhaps he just doesn't want to completely burn bridges for some reason we don't know?

It is caution, and also observation.

White Elder's voice carried deep exhaustion and gravity, as he had exhausted himself significantly by fully activating the formation to resist the pressure.

This 'Xuan' and The Council walk different paths.

However, the fact that The Council could conclude a 'Memorandum of Understanding' with him, and that he seems to truly have some reservations about it, indicates that The Council's 'rules,' or the power it represents, indeed have the capacity to check 'Xuan' and even the 'The Ring of Order' behind him.

If not for this 'rule force field' today, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

At this moment, the emergency repeater lit up with a soft blue light again, and the flat electronic voice of the 'sentry-7391b' Node came through:

Alert lifted.

High-threat unidentified entity 'Xuan' has left the monitoring range of this Node and departed the current star region.

His attempt at mandatory interference against the observation target 'Excellence' and units belonging to the 'Homeland' civilization has been fully recorded, and relevant data and rule conflict logs have been encrypted and uploaded to the Seventh Sub-bureau headquarters and the investigator 'Clear Mirror'.

Observer 'Excellence', your initial guidance mission 'Low-Threat Information Contamination Field Purification Practice' is now complete.

Final purification effect assessment: interference intensity reduced by 90.1%, exceeding the highest target.

Mission evaluation: Excellent.

Reward contribution points: 500 points, credited to your temporary observer account.

The contribution point exchange catalog (Primary) has been sent with this communication; please check it.

Special Notice: Given that you have just encountered and successfully (under the protection of the rule framework) resisted a direct interference attempt from a high-threat entity, your personal risk assessment model will be dynamically updated.

At the same time, your experience of making contact with a member of 'The Ring of Order' during a mission for the first time and triggering The Council's protection mechanism has been listed as a significant event and will serve as a key basis for subsequent potential assessment and guidance plan adjustments.

Recommendation: The mission ship 'ranger' and all personnel must immediately return to the 'Homeland' base.

The base must raise its alert level to Level 2.

Further assessment and instructions from investigator 'Clear Mirror' will follow.

Additional reminder:

sentry-7391b paused; although it was still an electronic voice, Excellence seemed to catch a hint of an extremely faint, almost human-like... 'admonition' in that unchanging frequency?

Please strictly follow the 'Guidance Process Specifications' and the 'High-Risk Activity Reporting Regulations'.

Although the probability of 'Xuan's' appearance this time having a direct causal link to your purification activities is initially calculated to be less than 18.5%, we cannot completely rule out the possibility that he located and tracked you because he sensed a specific type of 'Order' rule application fluctuation, or 'signals' emitted by your personal 'high-activity' trait.

Your existence and activities are attracting 'attention' that exceeds your current processing capabilities.

A standardized and low-profile development path is currently the optimal choice.

The communication ended, the blue light of the repeater extinguished completely, and silence returned.

Excellence: '...'

Su Mu and the others: '...'

So, the fact that 'Xuan' arrived precisely like a homing missile this time might really be related to him using the Power of Order that incorporated The Council's techniques while purifying the information field earlier?

Or perhaps it was related to some kind of 'scent' emitted by his own 'high-activity' constitution?

What does that make him? A cosmic version of a humanoid trouble magnet? Able to lure out the ultimate boss for a 'home visit' just by doing an environmental protection mission?

However, this thrilling encounter also verified a fact in the most brutal way: the 'cosmic neighborhood committee' that is The Council—with its 'many rules, high fees, and cold attitude'—provides 'rule protection' that is real and effective, and at critical moments, it can truly withstand a terrifying existence of 'Xuan's' level!

Without that layer of Deep Blue rule force field, they would likely have become victims under 'Xuan's' 'Great Path of Order' or some kind of 'ordered matter' after being 'purified'.

It seems that our teacher 'Clear Mirror' and The Council behind her, although their rules and regulations are annoyingly numerous, requiring exams, reports, and 'contribution points' at every turn... are truly reliable in these life-or-death moments.

Excellence finally managed to steady his breathing and wiped away his cold sweat; though he still felt lingering fear, something deep within his eyes was settling and becoming more determined.

The reappearance of 'Xuan' not only brought a huge sense of crisis and oppression but also allowed Excellence to see more clearly what kind of complex chessboard he was in.

On one side is 'The Ring of Order', which considers 'purifying' him its duty and has a domineering and pure philosophy; on the other is The Council, with its strict rules, limited protection and knowledge, and attempts to 'guide and regulate' him.

And he himself, along with the 'Homeland' he wants to protect, is like a small sailboat in the eye of a storm, struggling to survive in the shadows and the gaps of the power struggle between two colossal entities.

Return to base first.

Wang Jianguo's calm yet clearly grave voice came through the base communication channel; he had obviously been synchronized with all the details. 'We'll discuss the details when you return. Maintain maximum vigilance on the way.'

The 'ranger' turned its bow, its engine power slowly increasing, dragging a slightly weary yet still firm tail flame as it headed toward the 'Homeland' base.

Inside the cabin, Excellence leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes; the lingering warmth of the 'heart-clearing pendant' on his chest had not yet fully dissipated, and his fingertips seemed to retain the slight tremor from constructing those 'information loops.'

Outside the window, the starry sky remained deep, as if the thrilling rule confrontation had never happened.

But his heart could never return to its previous 'ease.'

The road ahead is shrouded in fog, surrounded by powerful enemies, with conflicting philosophies.

But he knew he had no way back.

It seems I cannot escape this 'class.' And I must take it more seriously.

Excellence muttered to himself, his voice still carrying a hint of weary hoarseness, but when his eyes opened, what flickered within was unyielding spirit and an increasingly fervent thirst for knowledge and fighting will.

Whether it's 'Xuan' wanting to 'purify' me or The Council wanting to 'guide' me, it all boils down to the fact that I am not strong enough.

Strong enough to understand their rules, strong enough to break their shackles, strong enough... to decide the future of the 'Homeland' and myself.

The first 'guidance mission' came to an end amidst such an unexpected, high-dimensional 'surprise inspection.'

It brought rich 'contribution point' rewards, valuable combat experience, validation of the effectiveness of The Council's knowledge, and, more importantly, an lingering, massive shadow and countless riddles waiting to be solved.

The 'Homeland's' voyage had never been so clearly aware of the dangerous waters it was navigating as it was at this moment.

And for the young bearer of 'Order', his 'remedial' career and path of growth, amidst the gaps of storms and power struggles, had just unveiled its truly cruel yet magnificent prologue.

What new 'lesson plan' and 'evaluation' would that teacher 'Clear Mirror', who was calm to the point of ruthlessness, provide regarding this sudden incident?

How many such 'missions' and 'accidents' were waiting for them in the deep space of the future?