273: The torment of bystanders and the out-of-control flames

The ranger slipped into the edge of the L-5589 star system's gravitational field in a state of near-absolute silence.

The dark grey composite material of the hull, newly coated to absorb and distort multi-band detection waves, blended perfectly into the background starlight and deep void, occasionally revealing a subtle, dark luster only from certain angles.

The composite stealth field, into which Evelyn had poured her heart and soul, was operating at full power.

It didn't simply reflect or block signals; instead, it cleverly guided the surrounding cosmic radiation and faint gravitational ripples, weaving a dynamic 'information camouflage' around the hull that was almost indistinguishable from the natural background.

Unless scanned at close range with high intensity by an equivalent or more advanced detection system, it would appear as nothing more than an ordinary, slightly irregular asteroid fragment, attracting no attention.

Inside the bridge, the lights were dimmed to the lowest dark red, illuminating only the essential instruments and consoles.

Excellence and Evelyn stood before the main screen, gazing intently at the target as it gradually came into focus.

The planet known as 'Hephaestus'—the cradle and grave of the iron and fire civilization—rotated slowly in the center of the screen.

It was not a vibrant blue or green, but a depressing, dark orange-red, like a rusted block of iron.

Huge, scar-like cracks crisscrossed the planet, stretching from the North Pole to the equator; deep within some of these cracks, an ominous dark red glow faintly leaked out—that was the mantle magma still in violent activity.

In the thick, turbid atmosphere, clouds of dust and chemical pollutants churned slowly, occasionally illuminated by violent lightning chains that lit up the desolate, shattered land below.

And in the orbit around this dying planet, the scene was even more shocking.

A large number of artificial objects surrounded it like a swarm of bees, including considerable space stations and functional satellites, but more numerous were the cold, grotesque remains of war.

Fragments of warships, torn hull sections, twisted armor plates, and even half of a massive turret rolled and collided slowly under the constraints of gravity, forming a dangerous metal graveyard.

In the gaps of this graveyard, several small fleets belonging to clearly different factions stood in a standoff at a great distance.

Their warship designs were rugged and practical, angular, heavily armored, and bristling with turrets, exuding a pure industrial aesthetic born for destruction.

Occasionally, during the silent standoff, a few blinding flashes of light would erupt—tentative artillery fire or skirmishes between small maneuvering units—fleeting, yet adding cruel footnotes to this deathly silent orbit.

'Orbital conflict has become normalized,' Evelyn pulled up the comprehensive sensor data and analyzed it quickly.

'Judging from the density of the wreckage and the degree of weathering, a large-scale space war has been going on for at least half a year. Currently, the fighting is concentrated in three main areas: the synchronous orbital resource points above the equator, the airspace near the space elevator 'Sky Ladder' that connects the important continents of the northern and southern hemispheres, and the mining bases in the outer asteroid belt. The intensity of the fighting... fluctuates greatly; sometimes it's just friction at the destroyer level, and sometimes there are exchanges of battleship main guns. But so far, no signs of planet-destroying weapons or large-scale energy purification weapons have been detected.'

She switched the screen to show a distribution map of the factions based on signal characteristics, livery markings, and communication network analysis.

Three color blocks were intertwined and permeated, interlocking like dog's teeth.

'There are three main warring parties confirmed,' Evelyn pointed to the screen.

'The radical faction, which occupies the 'Furnace Rift' and surrounding major industrial areas, with the emblem of the 'Burning Furnace' (a black anvil surrounded by flames); the moderate conservative faction, which controls the densely populated areas of the equatorial plains, the 'Sky Ladder' hub, and some orbital facilities, with the emblem of the 'Gears and Anvil' (crossed exquisite golden gears and a grey anvil); and the warlord faction, which was originally an independent military group and is now allied with the 'Burning Furnace,' with the emblem of the 'Gears and Broken Sword' (a broken sword piercing a rough gear). In addition, there are at least seven smaller independent armed forces or local separatist forces surviving in the cracks.'

'Three big guys, plus a bunch of fence-sitters...' Excellence looked at the complex situation map, his gaze lingering particularly on the 'Furnace Rift' area controlled by the 'Burning Furnace,' which constantly radiated strong industrial heat signals and abnormal energy fluctuations.

'The data says their tech tree is skewed; I'd say it's skewed to the middle of nowhere. The warships are built like mobile Fortress units, the firepower looks scary, but this mobility... they'd get kited to death, right? And this energy reaction—crude, unstable, and severely wasteful.'

'A typical case of resource curse and distorted development prioritizing military,' Evelyn nodded, her tone carrying a hint of academic coldness.

'Their material smelting, heavy industry manufacturing, and basic energy output technologies might have reached a considerable level, sufficient to support the construction and operation of space warships. But in areas like precision control systems, efficient energy conversion and shield technology, advanced information processing, and cyber warfare, they are clearly lagging behind. This can be seen from the complexity of their communication encryption, the energy dissipation patterns during warship maneuvering, and the lack of effective regional energy shields. However, as you said, being able to maintain a space fleet of this scale during such high-intensity infighting, their heavy industrial base and resource-grabbing capabilities cannot be underestimated.'

In the following days, the ranger became an absolutely silent observer, cruising in the gravitational shadow zones far from the main shipping lanes and battle areas, and even occasionally using the geomagnetic disturbances and atmospheric turbulence of the planet Hephaestus itself to hide its tracks.

The passive sensor array carried on the ship, improved by Evelyn's team, was fully activated, like the most sensitive cosmic ear and sky eye, greedily capturing every bit of information emitted by this star system: from public broadcast signals, encrypted military communications, and data floods from the civilian network, to energy emissions on the planet's surface, subtle changes in atmospheric composition, and even the weak disturbances in the collective consciousness field caused by large-scale population movements (this is an extremely vague and difficult-to-interpret signal, used more to judge violent fluctuations in social sentiment).

They were listening to the 'voice' of the 'iron and fire' civilization.

It was a noisy symphony filled with smoke, anger, fear, propaganda, and desperate wails.

Through deciphering and analyzing massive amounts of information, the cruel panorama of the civil war gradually became clear.

The roots were intertwined: historical grievances, severe inequality in resource distribution, distorted social structures, intensifying class antagonism... But the turning point of everything pointed to about twenty standard years ago, at the bottom of the deepest and most active 'Furnace Rift' near the equator of the planet Hephaestus, where an unknown ancient civilization relic was discovered.

At first, this discovery was hailed as a 'god-given opportunity' and a 'key to civilizational leap.'

The three major factions temporarily set aside their disputes and jointly established the 'Relic Joint Development Committee.'

However, the honeymoon period was extremely short.

As the excavation of the relic deepened, technological artifacts, energy systems, and obscure data that exceeded the understanding limits of the 'iron and fire' civilization at the time were constantly unearthed.

Divergences arose and intensified rapidly.

The 'Gears and Anvil' faction, composed mainly of scientists and engineers, advocated for prudent research, establishing strict ethical and safety standards, prioritizing the cracking of technologies that would help people's livelihoods, energy, and basic science development.

They opposed any adventurism and militarized application, believing that abusing unknown power was slow suicide for a civilization.

The 'Burning Furnace' faction, composed of radical politicians, military adventurers, and some scientists seduced by the power of the relic, held the complete opposite view.

They were shocked (or rather, tempted) by the technology displayed in the relic that seemed to easily grant individuals or collectives immense power.

They preached 'might is right' and 'backwardness leads to being beaten,' advocating for concentrating all resources at any cost to fully crack and militarize the relic technology, thereby gaining an overwhelming advantage, quickly unifying the planet, and then conquering the stars and seas.

They considered the caution of the moderates to be 'cowardice' and 'missing the opportunity.'

The originally neutral military hardliners, 'Gears and Broken Sword,' after witnessing the 'prospect of power' displayed by the relic and the radical blueprint of the 'Burning Furnace,' quickly turned to the latter, forming a military alliance with 'power' and 'unification' as common goals.

The contradictions were irreconcilable, and trust completely collapsed.

A year ago, negotiations regarding the ownership and control of a core energy device in the relic broke down, directly triggering an all-out civil war.

The 'Burning Furnace' and 'Gears and Broken Sword' alliance, relying on the partial technological advantages gained from the relic in the early stages (mainly material strengthening and miniaturization of energy weapons) and more aggressive mobilization capabilities, quickly seized the 'Furnace Rift' and surrounding industrial areas, and gradually compressed the forces of 'Gears and Anvil.'

'And the 'forbidden technology' they are now obsessed with...' Evelyn projected a document that had been multi-decoded and image-reconstructed onto the main screen, her expression unprecedentedly grave, '...is based on a 'sample' extracted from the deepest part of the relic, from an isolation chamber sealed by a special force field.'

In the center of the screen was a continuously rotating 3D model.

It was a dark red substance that was difficult to describe accurately in words, somewhere between crystal, metal, and organic tissue.

Next to the model, waterfall-like data streams and design fragments flickered, mixed with a large number of highlighted dangerous terms: 'Non-Euclidean energy topological structure,' 'local entropy reduction phenomenon observation,' 'strong information attachment and meme infection characteristics,' 'subspace Resonance frequency,' 'preliminary calculation of active matter phagocytosis/conversion rate'...

'According to the highest-level research log fragments we intercepted from the 'Burning Furnace,' and the feature comparison provided by the sentry-7391b Node,' Evelyn's voice dropped, 'this 'sample' has a probability of over 68% of being an 'energy-matter complex' in an unstable 'semi-digested' or 'symbiotic' state, remaining after some 'World Devourer' sub-infection entity devoured and transformed an unknown civilization artifact or high-energy substance. It retains the 'greedy devouring,' 'structural disintegration,' and 'information pollution' characteristics unique to 'World Devourer' energy, and because it combined with unknown matter, it produced some unpredictable mutations.'

She zoomed in on a part of the blueprint, which depicted a terrifying concept of embedding this dark red substance as a core into specially modified giant humanoid mechs or biological bodies.

'They want to create bio-mechanical hybrid juggernauts, or direct energy absorption/release turrets. The blueprints are incomplete, the logic is chaotic, and they are full of whimsical and forced-together traces, but the principle... is extremely dangerous. Once this core is activated and attempts to combine with a host or vehicle, its energy will uncontrollably erode and transform everything around it, attempting to convert everything into an existence similar to itself, driven by its 'hunger' instinct. If they are not careful, the researchers will be the first to be 'digested,' the experimental facilities will become sources of pollution, and if it spreads out of control...'

She didn't finish, but everyone understood what that meant—it would be a clumsy yet terrifying replication of the 'World Devourer' disaster on a planetary scale.

'What a bunch of reckless grave robbers...' Excellence looked at the dark red material model, feeling a chill in his heart.

These guys were basically dancing while holding a stellar bomb about to detonate, and complaining that the sparks weren't brilliant enough.

'Captain, abnormal energy fluctuations detected!' The crew member responsible for monitoring suddenly reported, their voice tense.

'Source: Planet Hephaestus, core area of the 'Furnace Rift'! Intensity... is rising rapidly! The waveform characteristics match the 'energy core activation test' described in the 'forbidden technology' by over 75%!'

Almost simultaneously, on the main screen, the energy reading curve representing the 'Furnace Rift' area soared upward, forming a sharp peak!

Immediately after, the hull of the ranger vibrated slightly, and some sensitive sensor screens were instantly covered with noise—that was the short-term interference caused by the intense energy burst.

Almost in the next second after the interference appeared, from the edge of the 'Gears and Anvil' faction's control zone, near the several outposts and monitoring network Nodes of the rift, the last communication fragments filled with horror and chaos came through:

'Energy readings off the charts! Cannot identify!'

'Shields overloaded! Structure is melting!'

'What is that thing?! It's moving! Ah—'

The communication ended abruptly, and the signal sources went out one by one, disappearing from the situation map.

'The test subject is out of control.' Evelyn quickly retrieved the residual energy spectrum and fragmented visual information (from passive records of distant orbital satellites) of the incident area, her face pale.

'The energy reaction decayed sharply after a brief burst, but it left behind high-concentration pollution characteristics... They must have suffered heavy losses. The test subject... seems to have been 'handled' by them using some kind of heavy weapon. But the energy core... the signal didn't disappear completely; it just... 'went silent,' as if it was 'lying dormant'.'

This catastrophic experimental accident did not, as ordinary people expected, pour a bucket of sober cold water on the high-level officials of the 'Burning Furnace.'

On the contrary, from the subsequently intercepted internal communications with higher encryption levels, the radical faction leading the research characterized it as a 'necessary cost' and 'valuable experience,' claiming that they 'have touched the threshold of the power of gods,' and 'the blood of the victims paved the way to strength.'

Not only did they not stop the research, but they issued even more radical instructions: accelerate the analysis of accident data, optimize control protocols, and prepare for a second, larger-scale, and 'better controlled' practical test, with the goal of producing at least three juggernauts prototypes that can be put into the battlefield in the short term, hoping to make a final decision in the upcoming all-out attack on the 'Sky Ladder' base, the lifeline of 'Gears and Anvil.'

'Completely crazy.' Su Mu, far away at the 'Homeland' base, was shaking with anger when she saw this intelligence through a secure channel, her voice choked with sobs.

'What do they take human life for? What do they take the future of the entire planet for? In Order to achieve so-called 'victory,' they even dare to enslave the power of the devil?!'

The sigh of 'White Elder' came through the communication, carrying deep compassion and helplessness:

'Greed blinds the mind, and lust for power corrupts. When the desire for power overwhelms the awe of the unknown, and the obsession with victory drowns out compassion for fellow beings, civilization has embarked on the slope of self-destruction. This situation is so pathetic, and so lamentable.'

As "Observers" bound by the rules, Excellence, Evelyn, and everyone on the ranger could only watch all of this happen, recording every single detail.

They could not send any warnings—that would expose their existence, violate regulations, and would likely be ignored as enemy interference or even trigger a counter-trace;

Even less could they take any destructive or preventive actions—that would be direct interference, with grave consequences.

This helpless spectating was an agony that sank deep into their marrow.

Especially when high-precision sensors captured the civilians and prisoners of war with hollow, numb eyes being transported by secret vehicles into underground research facilities deep within the "Burning Furnace" rift;

When passive acoustic sensors picked up the background noise of despair in the underground shelters of the Gears and Anvil controlled zone, interwoven with the crying of children, the prayers of women, and the desperate murmurs of the elderly;

When they saw, in orbit, those young soldiers belonging to different factions within cold steel warships, waiting for the next sortie Order for a war they perhaps didn't understand, their hearts filled with what might have been hot-blooded fervor, fear, or numbness...

Excellence felt more than once a scorching current surging in his chest, his knuckles white from clenching his fists, and behind him in the void, faint, silvery phantoms of Order feathers flickered due to the involuntary fluctuation of his power.

The heart-clearing pendant on his chest continuously emitted a warning heat, as if searing his reason time and again, reminding him to stay calm and adhere to the cold and absolute stance of an "Observer."

All he could do was force himself to record more attentively and meticulously, and to analyze the decision-making logic, resource allocation, and technological progress of all parties more deeply and ruthlessly, especially every change in energy parameters and every fluctuation in test data of that forbidden technology, attempting to construct an irrefutable risk model in the mission report he was about to write, and... perhaps, find a glimmer of possibility to indirectly influence the situation without directly violating the rules.

The sentry-7391b Node provided several technical consultations as promised during the mission.

When Excellence, suppressing his turbulent emotions, asked about the stability, propagation patterns, and worst-case simulations of that "suspected World Devourer secondary infection derivative energy," the Node AI gave an answer precise to several decimal places, cold enough to be suffocating:

"Based on energy characteristic model deduction, this energy possesses the following high-risk characteristics: 1. Strong material/energy corrosiveness; standard alloy structures in unprotected contact have a half-life of approximately 3.7 standard minutes; 2. Information pollution and memetic infection tendencies; unprotected lower-level minds exposed to its radiation show an increasing probability of developing distorted cognitions such as 'worship,' 'desire to merge,' or 'self-dissolution' over time and with intensity; 3. Limited self-replication and proliferation capabilities; after consuming sufficient matter/energy, it can split into sub-units; 4. Potential for unpredictable Resonance effects with strong energy sources such as planetary-scale geothermal, gravitational fields, or large-scale fusion reactors."

"Scenario simulation (based on current data): If this energy leaks on a large scale on the surface of the planet 'Hephaestus' (defined as: pollution area exceeding 10% of the continental shelf), in the absence of effective external intervention and the civilization's own lack of corresponding purification capabilities, it is estimated that within 15-30 standard years, the pollution will spread to the global surface and shallow crust, with a 99.8% probability of native ecosystem collapse and a 94.2% probability of substantial civilization extinction. If this energy generates deep Resonance with the planet's core energy or a large-scale orbital energy weapon (such as the synchronous orbital defense main cannon of the 'Sky Ladder' base), inducing a 'world devourer' chain reaction, the probability of planetary structural collapse occurring within a short period (days to months) is assessed at 31.7% to 45.9% (depending on Resonance intensity and total energy)."

When Excellence, with a parched throat, asked how The Council typically handles such cases of "primitive civilizations playing with fire," the answer from sentry-7391b still followed that rigid set of logic:

"According to Chapters 7 and 8 of the 'Pan-Dimensional Civilization Observation and Mediation Council Basic Law' and related supplementary regulations, for major crises caused by internal decisions of registered primitive civilizations that may endanger their own survival, The Council upholds the principles of 'limited observation' and 'no active intervention.' Intervention assessment procedures are only initiated when one of the following conditions is met: A. The crisis is confirmed to pose a direct and major threat to other registered civilizations or important neutral regions within the star sector; B. The crisis involves the spread of high-dimensional forbidden forces (such as specific Great Old Ones, Outer God kin, rule-level pollution, etc.) that the civilization is completely unable to handle; C. The civilization actively applies for emergency assistance from The Council through legal channels (at a corresponding cost)."

"Intervention methods depend on the assessment results and may include: information-level deception and isolation (such as spreading false technology trees, interfering with their detection), physical-level blockade and isolation (such as setting up invisible force field barriers, guiding asteroid impacts to create isolation zones), and in extreme cases, to prevent the spread of pollution endangering the star sector, the 'Civilization-level Isolation Reset' plan may be initiated (Note: This plan requires approval from the Seventh Sub-bureau Director or higher and requires complex ethical and rule-based review)."

"Civilization reset..." Excellence chewed on this cold phrase, as if he could feel the terrifying weight contained within it—the erasure of all life and history of a world.

"Currently, the internal crisis of the 'iron and fire' civilization has not yet touched The Council's red line for mandatory intervention," sentry-7391b added, its tone devoid of ripples.

"However, as an on-site Observer, if your mission report can provide sufficient and credible data support for the following judgments: 1. The risk of forbidden technology losing control is extremely high and imminent; 2. The crisis has already had a detectable negative impact on the fundamental stability of the L-5589 star sector (such as gravitational constants, spatial curvature); 3. There is a clear path for pollution to spread to adjacent non-civilized star sectors. Then it can be used as an important basis to submit to the Seventh Sub-bureau Risk Assessment Committee to apply for the initiation of 'risk warning' and 'limited contact assessment' procedures. This is the core duty and value of an 'Observer'."

This meant that their unfinished report might truly become a lever to pry open The Council's massive bureaucratic machine, deciding whether "iron and fire" would be given a chance to pull back from the brink, or be completely abandoned and left to fall into the abyss.

Excellence felt unprecedented pressure—not just the pressure of earning contribution points, but the moral weight concerning the fate of billions of lives.

However, just as the observation mission reached its tenth day, and Excellence and Evelyn believed they had collected the basic data and began to organize the report framework, the battlefield situation escalated abruptly, pushing them from their relatively "safe" observation position to the edge of the storm.

The coalition of the "Burning Furnace" and the "Gears and Broken Sword," after careful planning, launched a full-scale offensive codenamed "Meltdown" against the lifeblood that "Gears and Anvil" relied on—the "Sky Ladder" super-large orbital elevator base located on the equatorial plains!

The "Sky Ladder" base was not just a giant structure connecting the surface to orbit.

Its foundation was deeply rooted above the planet's largest geothermal energy well cluster, acting as the supply heart for nearly forty percent of the energy for the equatorial plains and even the entire "Gears and Anvil" controlled zone.

Its top platform was the largest orbital shipyard and logistics distribution center, controlling both space superiority and the logistical lifeline.

Once "Sky Ladder" fell, "Gears and Anvil" would lose its space foothold, and the ground defense system would be paralyzed due to energy shortages; defeat would be almost a matter of time.

For this, the "Burning Furnace" bet almost its entire main fleet, surging toward the "Sky Ladder" airspace like a shroud covering the sky.

And even more chillingly, in the center of the fleet, several specially modified giant transport ships slowly opened their cargo bay doors, and from within, several huge, daunting steel behemoths "walked" out.

Those were the prototypes of the "bio-mechanical juggernauts," hastily assembled using "forbidden technology" and not yet fully tested!

They were generally over fifty meters tall, with hideous appearances, as if crudely fusing the terrifying features of an industrial furnace, a crusher, and some kind of arthropod.

Their dark and rough alloy shells were covered with thick pipeline interfaces and incompletely closed armor seams.

Most unsettling of all, across their bodies, especially at the joints, chest, and eye positions, slowly flowed viscous, dark red light that seemed to possess life; this light flickered like breathing, emitting a nauseating energy aura homologous to that dangerous "sample" in the "Burning Furnace" rift.

When these behemoths stepped out of the transport ships, their strides making even small warships tremble, and floated in the void, then slowly "walked" toward the towering body of the "Sky Ladder" base, the communication channels of the entire battlefield seemed to have been muted.

The dead silence lasted only for the briefest of moments.

The next second, the distorted roars of the "Gears and Anvil" defenders in terror, the fanatical and bloodthirsty war cries of the "Burning Furnace" soldiers, the shrill screams of overloaded warship engines, the humming of charging defensive turrets... all sounds erupted like a tsunami!

The battle instantly entered its most brutal attrition phase.

The "Sky Ladder" base and its escort fleet poured out their firepower to the limit; energy beams fell like a rainstorm, and solid shells like hail, weaving into a deadly metal storm that swept toward the approaching juggernauts and the enemy fleet.

However, the effect was despairing.

Energy attacks against the "juggernauts," upon contacting that layer of flowing dark red light on their bodies, were like water droplets falling into a hot frying pan; most were violently "evaporated," "deflected," or "absorbed," leaving only shallow burn marks on the armor.

The damage caused by solid ammunition was even more laughable; those heavy armor-piercing shells capable of tearing through warship armor gouged deep holes in the juggernauts' thick composite armor, but the dark red light would immediately surge toward the wounds like a living thing, wriggling to "consume" and "convert" the broken metal, and "repair" the wounds at a speed visible to the naked eye, even making the damaged armor appear more twisted and hideous.

And the juggernauts' counterattacks were simple, brutal, and chillingly efficient.

They swung their huge iron fists wrapped in dark red energy, smashing a small frigate into twisted scrap metal with a single blow; dark red energy beams as thick as a bowl, shot from their palms or chests, were like the javelins of death, easily piercing through multiple layers of composite armor and energy shields, leaving terrifying holes in warship or base structures where the edges were melted and the internal material was eerily "eroded and converted."

They seemed particularly "interested" in the geothermal energy pipelines connected to the "Sky Ladder" base, and their attacks were often intentionally or unintentionally directed there.

An even more terrifying phenomenon began to appear.

As the battle continued, the dark red light on the juggernauts' bodies became more and more active, and its brightness continued to increase.

The areas destroyed by their attacks, whether they were warship wreckage, broken base structures, or the remains of soldiers unfortunately caught in the crossfire, would all have a layer of sticky, slowly spreading dark red energy left on their surfaces.

These residual energies were like the greediest mold, constantly "gnawing" on any matter and scattered energy they touched, converting it into more, more active dark red energy—part of it replenishing the juggernauts' own consumption, and the other part, like a contaminated seed, quietly spreading and proliferating across the battlefield.

This was the most iconic characteristic of "World Devourer" energy—"consumption" and "conversion"!

Although the energy cores within these juggernauts were obviously just clumsy imitations or diluted products, and their efficiency could not compare to a true "World Devourer," the emergence of this characteristic itself had already sounded the doomsday alarm!

Inside the ranger, the air solidified as if it could drip water.

Everyone was staring intently at the hellish scene on the main screen, watching the soldiers of "Gears and Anvil" still fighting to the death despite being at an absolute disadvantage, watching warship after warship turn into burning wreckage and fall, watching the once-towering body of the "Sky Ladder" base riddled with holes and teetering under the fierce attack of the juggernauts, and watching those ominous dark red pollutions, like ink dropped into clear water, slowly and stubbornly spreading across the battlefield...

"This won't do!" Evelyn's voice was parched with tension, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the console.

"It's not just that 'Sky Ladder' won't hold! These juggernauts are themselves a huge source of pollution! Once their energy cores overload, or are destroyed from within by a strong enough attack... it could trigger an explosion and pollution eruption thousands of times more terrifying than the rift experiment! By then, the entire equatorial plain, and even..."

She didn't continue, but everyone understood what that meant.

It could be a planetary-scale ecological disaster, a true "blooming" of the "World Devourer" power in this unfortunate world.

Excellence felt all the blood in his body rushing to his head, his temples throbbing, his tightly clenched fists trembling slightly from excessive force.

Deep within his soul, that instinctive resistance to "destruction," "chaos," and "annihilation" originating from the Order Origin was like a lit powder keg, crazily crashing against the dam of his reason.

The Power of Order within him surged and boiled uncontrollably, and his body even began to uncontrollably emit tiny silvery-white light particles; in the void behind him, a pair of faint, shimmering outlines of silver wings made of pure Order concepts were struggling to condense, only to constantly dissipate due to his forced suppression.

Cannot act! A cold voice in his mind screamed.

Regulations! Rules! Observer stance! Once he intervened, the mission would immediately fail, his observation qualifications might be revoked, and it could even bring unpredictable trouble to the "Homeland"!

Furthermore, the ranger's firepower, facing a battlefield of this scale and juggernauts, would be a drop in the bucket; exposing themselves would only make the situation worse!

But... could he really just watch?

Watching a civilization right before his eyes be torn apart, polluted, and dragged into an irredeemable abyss by the demons he had personally released?

Watching those lives, perhaps innocent, perhaps ignorant, but who should never have to suffer such an outcome, turn into ashes and twisted monsters in despair?

This feeling of helplessly watching a tragedy unfold was even more painful and agonizing than facing the purification light of "Xuan."

That was the most direct searing of his conscience.

Just as the internal struggle within Excellence reached its peak, at the moment he was about to break through his restraints—

"Alert! Highest priority communication incoming! Source: 'sentry-7391b' Node, Encryption Level: Top Secret - Emergency!"

Excellence used almost all his strength to force the power that was about to lose control back into his body, and with a hoarse throat, he growled: "Connect it!"

"Observer Excellence, this is 'sentry-7391b', establishing an emergency link with Seventh Sub-bureau investigator 'Clear Mirror'." The electronic voice of 'sentry-7391b' sounded, rarely losing its absolute stability, carrying a hint of "urgency" as if processing massive amounts of data. "Based on the real-time battlefield surveillance data transmitted by your side and confirmed by our remote monitoring Nodes, it is now determined that: In the L-5589 star sector, 'Hephaestus' planet, 'fused' battle zone, signs of large-scale diffusion of high-concentration, high-activity 'World Devourer' secondary derivative energy have appeared, and the diffusion speed and pollution intensity are trending exponentially upward."

"Authorized by investigator 'Clear Mirror', citing Article 7 of the supplementary rules of the 'Temporary Protection and Guidance Protocol for High-Potential Observers': 'When an Observer is performing a mission, if a high-dimensional pollution event suddenly occurs in the mission area that poses a direct, significant, and immediate threat to the Observer's own safety, and this pollution carries a clear risk of diffusion that may endanger the Observer's evacuation route or the safety of subsequent star sectors, the Observer is granted temporary authority to take all necessary and reasonable concealment measures, with ensuring their own safety as the primary objective. Under the premise of not violating the basic "non-intervention" principle, they may attempt to contain or isolate the pollution source to prevent the situation from further deteriorating.'"

Excellence's heart jumped violently. This was... permission? Permission to act under specific conditions?

"Please clarify, what is the specific definition of 'necessary and reasonable concealment measures' and 'contain or isolate'?" he asked, his speech rate extremely fast.

"Defined as follows: Without exposing the existence of the 'Homeland' civilization, without directly attacking any military units or important facilities of either side of the 'iron and fire' civilization, and without altering the current balance of power on the battlefield, you may use any means you deem effective to achieve any or all of the following goals: 1. Prevent or delay the diffusion of 'World Devourer' energy pollution toward the current area of the 'ranger' or its preset evacuation route; 2. Weaken, interfere with, or temporarily 'silence' the energy source currently diffusing pollution (i.e., the energy core of the juggernauts), reducing its pollution output efficiency; 3. Establish a temporary, low-intensity Order purification or information isolation barrier on the periphery of the contaminated area to buy time for possible subsequent official intervention (if needed)."

"Suggested action plan (non-mandatory): Utilizing the stealth characteristics of the 'ranger' and your Power of Order, you can set up small-scale 'Order purification force fields' or 'concept filter nets' on the edge of the battlefield or along the forward path of the pollution diffusion. Or, find the periodic weak points in the juggernauts' energy operation and conduct precise 'acupuncture-style' interference with minimal, highly condensed Power of Order, inducing internal energy circulation disorder to make them temporarily 'crash' or reduce their activity. It is absolutely forbidden to carry out any destructive attacks that might trigger a juggernaut explosion or lead to a large-scale eruption of pollution."

"Warning: This temporary authorization carries extremely high risk. First, 'World Devourer' energy is highly corrosive; if your Power of Order is improperly controlled or insufficient in intensity, it may be counter-polluted or devoured. Second, any action must ensure absolute concealment. Once any abnormality is discovered by either warring party, or if energy signatures traceable to 'Homeland' are left behind, this mission will be immediately judged as 'failed and non-compliant,' the 'Observer' qualification may be suspended or even cancelled, and it may trigger unpredictable diplomatic and security consequences. Third, this authorization is limited to ensuring the Observer's safety and controlling the diffusion of pollution, and must never be extended to substantive interference in the internal affairs of the 'iron and fire' civilization."

"Whether to exercise this temporary authorization is for you, as the on-site commander, to make a final judgment within 60 seconds based on the actual situation and bear the corresponding responsibility. Countdown starts: 59, 58..."

Cold countdown numbers pulsed on the screen, as if beating against everyone's heart.

The bridge was deathly silent, everyone's gaze focused on Excellence. Evelyn looked at him, her expression complex—containing both worry about the action, fear of the consequences of inaction, and a hint of helplessness at being bound by rules.

Excellence's gaze swept quickly across the main screen: the rampant juggernauts, the retreating defenders, the ever-expanding dark red pollution zone, and the increasingly precarious, massive body of the "Sky Ladder" base... Finally, his gaze fell on his slightly trembling yet still tightly clenched fist, feeling the Power of Order roaring within him, wanting to burst out, and the heat from the "heart-clearing pendant" on his chest that was almost burning his skin, mixed with a warning and some kind of urging.

60 seconds, 59 seconds, 58 seconds...

Time slipped away in silence, each second feeling stretched into a century.

"Do it!"

At the very last moment before the countdown hit zero, a resolute light burst into Excellence's eyes, and he squeezed the word out through gritted teeth. He would no longer hesitate, no longer struggle with the shackles of rules and the inner turmoil. At this moment, stopping that terrifying pollution from spreading further and preserving even a glimmer of possibility for this desperate battlefield was the greatest "Order"!

"Execute the temporary authorization plan!" His voice was hoarse but firm. "Target: On the southeast side of the battlefield, on the main path of pollution diffusion, construct a three-layer 'Order purification - information filtering' composite barrier to delay the spread of pollution to the maximum extent! At the same time, Evelyn, immediately calculate the energy circulation Nodes and weak phases of those three most active juggernauts! Find me an opportunity to 'knock them out' with minimal cost! Remember, absolute concealment! Better to give up than to be exposed!"

"Understood!" Evelyn's spirit lifted, her hands immediately turning into blurs on the console, mobilizing all computing resources to begin frantic calculations.

The engine power of the "ranger" was carefully raised to the critical point. The hull, like a ghost merging into the shadows, took advantage of the chaotic energy turbulence on the battlefield and the scattered wreckage of warships as cover, quietly maneuvering toward the predetermined barrier placement point. Excellence closed his eyes, concentrating fully on mobilizing the surging Power of Order within him, beginning to outline the complex and precise purification barrier structure on a mental level. A silvery-white light flowed slightly on his body, and the surrounding air seemed to become stagnant and orderly.

However, just as the "ranger" was about to reach the predetermined position and the Power of Order condensed at Excellence's fingertips was about to shoot out as a physical rune to construct the first layer of the barrier—

The anomaly arrived suddenly, in a way that was unexpected and absurd to everyone!

The "heart-clearing pendant" on Excellence's chest, which had been burning with warning fluctuations, changed without warning into a bone-chilling, marrow-deep, excruciating pain! It was as if an extremely cold icicle had pierced his heart! At the same time, an extremely faint, yet exceptionally clear, strange fluctuation carrying a sickly sweet sense of "pleasure," "feast," and "carnival" crept out like the slyest snake from the "invitation" mark of the "Lord of the Grand Feast" deep in his consciousness, instantly interfering with his precise, clockwork-like control of the Power of Order!

This interference was not strong, but it happened at the critical Node of power mobilization, causing the Power of Order that Excellence had gathered to experience a microscopic, imperceptible to ordinary people, stagnation and disorder.

And almost at that exact same millisecond!

On the edge of the brutal battlefield below, behind a small alloy ruin that had been swept by the aftermath of the juggernauts' dark red energy beams, the ground melted and was slowly being eroded, space rippled with a "pop," like a soap bubble pricked by a naughty child.

A door appeared out of thin air.

It was a pink light door that was extremely inconsistent with the battlefield atmosphere, crooked and distorted. The frame of the light door looked like melted cream and strawberry jam smeared at will, still comically wriggling and dripping with sweet light spots. Hanging on the door was a wobbly bell painted with an exaggerated smiling face.

"Jingle-clatter—Oops!"

Accompanied by a comical sound like pots and pans falling and a strange yelp, a figure tumbled out of the light door, crashing heavily onto the scorching, dark red energy-emitting molten ground.

It was a clown wearing a white chef's uniform covered in oil stains and ridiculous patches, and a tall chef's hat that was tilted so far it almost covered its eyes. Its face was painted with an extremely exaggerated, ear-to-ear oil-painted smile, and its eyes were two pink spirals spinning non-stop.

It seemed to have fallen hard, groaning "Ouch" twice while lying on the ground, then scrambled up in a panic to pick up a huge tray covered with a silver dome lid that had also fallen to the ground. The lid fell to the side, revealing what was inside the tray—

At that moment, everyone who saw this scene through the sensors of the "ranger" held their breath.

In the tray, an object shaped like a "tumor," about the size of an adult human head, with a strange interlacing of dark red and pink, and covered with pulsating light patterns like blood vessels, was throbbing slightly. It emitted a rich energy aura, homologous to the juggernauts on the battlefield but seemingly with some strange seasonings added, as well as a bizarre "fragrance" that inexplicably reminded one of freshly baked, overly syrupy sweet pastries.

That was clearly a "World Devourer" energy core! Only, it seemed to have been "processed" and "seasoned" by some incomprehensible force.

The clown scrambled to pick up the weird tray lid, "clanged" it back on, tightly covering the throbbing core. Then, it patted the non-existent dust off its body, looked up, and those spinning pink spiral eyes seemed to "just happen" to pierce through the vast distance and the stealth field of the "ranger," precisely locking onto the direction of Excellence on the bridge.

It spread that painted mouth, revealing a smile that was fawning to the point of being comical, yet carried a certain unspeakable excitement. Using a sharp, greasy, broken music box-like voice, it shouted toward the empty edge of the battlefield (yet as clear as if it were in everyone's ear):

"Surprise express delivery! Order No. 114514, the 'Burning Furnace War Zone Special — Freshly Caught world devourer Energy Core (Special Spicy Carnival Flavor)' you ordered has been personally, safely, and punctually delivered by 'Court of Revelry' five-star rated (self-proclaimed) intern messenger 'Giggle'!"

It bowed comically, a very exaggerated posture.

"The ingredients are guaranteed to be absolutely fresh (just 'borrowed' from that big guy over there three minutes ago), and the taste is exclusively secret-crafted by our Court's chief (also self-proclaimed) flavorist (added a tiny pinch of 'pleasure', 'surprise', and 'chaos' seasoning), guaranteed to add unparalleled... dramatic flavor to your 'feast'!"

It straightened up, rubbing its hands, its pink spiral eyes blinking.

"The meal has been delivered to the designated location (although the environment is a bit noisy). Please enjoy! Remember to give a five-star review! Giggle-Giggle—"

Amidst a burst of neurotic, skin-crawling weird laughter, the clown messenger "Giggle" didn't even look at the tray it had placed on the scorching ground, turned around, and with an extremely comical posture, dived back into the pink light door that was rapidly fading and dissipating.

The light door disappeared as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving only a faint, sickly sweet scent in the air, and the silver tray on the ground that was tightly covered yet emitted ominous fluctuations.

On the battlefield, the deafening explosions, the screeching of light beams, and the sound of twisting metal seemed to pause for an instant. Whether it was the soldiers of the "Burning Furnace" or the defenders of the "Gears and Anvil," or even the few rampaging juggernauts, they all seemed to be stunned by this absurd, extremely inappropriate "takeout" scene at this moment, experiencing a very brief, eerie silence.

Inside the "ranger," there was a deathly silence.

The Power of Order gathered at Excellence's fingertips dissipated silently due to the earlier interference and the extreme astonishment of the moment. He stared blankly at the silver tray on the main screen, which was specifically magnified and highlighted, sitting alone on the edge of the battlefield, and the comical human-shaped dent left on the molten ground beside the tray when the clown messenger fell.

Evelyn's mouth was open, unable to say a word for a long time. The other crew members looked at each other, their faces filled with the confusion and horror of "Who am I? Where am I? What did I just see?"

"Lord of the Grand Feast"... At this most critical moment, using such an unimaginable way... to send a "processed" "World Devourer" energy core? As "takeout"? And "Special Spicy Carnival Flavor"?

What is this? A show of force? Mockery? A cruel joke? Or... some kind of incomprehensible "goodwill" or "invitation"?

Excellence felt the bone-chilling pain of the "heart-clearing pendant" on his chest slowly recede, but the weak fluctuation from the "invitation" mark, carrying a hint of inexplicable "anticipation" within the sickly sweetness, made his heart go cold, even more uneasy than when facing the purification light of "Xuan".

On the battlefield, the brief silence was quickly broken. Several juggernauts seemed to have developed some instinctive "interest" or "doubt" about the energy core that had been delivered, which was homologous but somewhat different. Their scarlet "eyes" turned simultaneously toward the direction of the tray, and their attack movements showed obvious hesitation.

The atmosphere of the entire battlefield, due to this absurd episode, slid into a more eerie, more unpredictable abyss.

Excellence's carefully prepared "barrier placement" and "interference" actions, which had just been authorized, were completely disrupted by this sudden, completely beyond any contingency plan "takeout," and had to be temporarily shelved.

He stared at the damn tray on the screen, feeling his temples start to throb again.

The situation seemed to be rushing toward a direction even worse and more chaotic than the worst-case scenario.