280: Reports, Side Effects, and Newcomer Reports

Three standard days later, on the edge of the G-7721 star region, inside an inconspicuous miniature star system, lay a private base codenamed "Observer's Cabin."

Excellence had coined this name on a whim while writing a report in a daze, staring at the desolate satellite landscape outside the porthole.

At the time, White Elder's projection had immediately raised an eyebrow and commented, "'Observer's Cabin'? It sounds like a wooden house built by some retired old scholar on the edge of a forest for drinking afternoon tea and writing memoirs, full of pastoral fantasies completely inconsistent with the nature of our work."

But Evelyn and Su Mu unexpectedly liked it—Evelyn felt the name had a bit more "human warmth" than the cold "Outpost Zeta-7" or "Supply Point Gamma," while Su Mu felt it "sounded like a home where one could rest at ease."

With the minority deferring to the majority, and Excellence too lazy to think of another, this slightly warm yet somewhat incongruous name was settled upon.

The base itself was not large, cleverly hidden in the shadow of a satellite of a small icy gas giant.

The exterior was camouflaged with rocks and permanent ice that blended into the surrounding environment, while the interior was hollowed out and reinforced to form a fully functional small stronghold.

The core consisted of the dedicated expansion dock and maintenance bay for the ranger, connected via retractable enclosed passages to the living quarters, the analysis center, and a "miniature botanical garden" that barely maintained a small ecological cycle.

Small as it was, it had everything needed, enough to satisfy the Excellence team's needs for rest, data analysis, equipment maintenance, and... writing those endless, headache-inducing reports between missions.

At this moment, Excellence was deep in the midst of this "headache-inducing" labor.

He sat before the main console of the analysis center, with several flickering light screens suspended in front of him, densely packed with text, data charts, and edited video clips.

The air was filled with a mixture of the chill of filtered circulating air, the faint smell of ozone emitted by data tablets, and the subtle, lingering scent of moist soil and plants drifting from the nearby Ecological Garden.

"...In summary," Excellence said into the recording device, reciting the final core part of the report in a tone as steady and objective as possible, "Observer Excellence, during the execution of mission C-4471-B, the 'Sprout-Star Scar' primary civilization first contact guidance observation mission, encountered a sudden, extremely malicious incident actively initiated by the 'Psionic Zealots,' an extremist faction within the 'Star Scar' civilization.

This faction seriously violated the 'Basic Contact Code for Pan-Dimensional Civilizations' and the 'Prohibition on the Use of Dangerous Forbidden Technologies' by harboring and intentionally using a highly dangerous unknown crystal in a diplomatic setting, whose energy signature was highly correlated with a secondary pollution source of the 'World Devourer.' Its direct purpose was to implement large-scale, forced mental control and conceptual pollution on the 'Sprout' civilization, an act that constitutes de facto civilization aggression."

He paused, rubbed his temples, which were sore from long-term concentration, and continued: "At the critical moment when the situation deteriorated rapidly and the 'Sprout' civilization faced an existential crisis, this observer strictly followed the relevant clauses of the 'Primary Civilization Contact Specifications' and the 'Guidelines for Non-Direct Intervention in Special Situations,' and took limited and covert necessary guidance measures.

These mainly included: First, through anonymous and untraceable technical means, providing the 'Sprout' civilization's command center with key tactical intelligence regarding the precise location of the pollution source and the potential weaknesses in its energy structure due to its hybrid characteristics;

Second, on the eve of the situation spinning completely out of control and the pollution triggering an irreversible civilization-level disaster, from a safe distance, using the 'Power of Order' attribute power I possess, I conducted an extremely cautious remote precision interference on the dangerous energy core, aiming to induce a controllable, brief disturbance in its inherently highly unstable internal energy circuits, thereby creating a valuable tactical window for the 'Sprout' civilization to organize an effective counterattack and interrupt the pollution process."

Reading to this point, the corner of Excellence's mouth twitched slightly.

This description was technically completely correct, but to package a thrilling remote "surgical operation" that almost cost him his own life into such a calm, restrained, and compliant "limited guidance"—the subtle difference was something only those who had experienced it personally and beings as discerning as "Clear Mirror" could appreciate.

"Finally," he adjusted his breathing to make his tone sound more conclusive, "thanks to the 'Sprout' civilization's own tenacious resistance, the effective use of the intelligence provided by this observer, and the opportunity created by the energy interference at the critical moment, the civilization's defensive forces successfully repelled this malicious invasion and thwarted the 'Psionic Zealots'' conspiracy.

The dangerous crystal involved was completely destroyed in the subsequent intense energy conflict and countermeasures, and its energy signature disappeared. Three core members of the 'Star Scar' mission, including 'Sharp Light,' were severely injured and incapacitated, and are currently being held by the 'Sprout' civilization.

This incident has been formally characterized by the 'Sprout' civilization as a serious, treacherous diplomatic and security aggression event. The observer did not expose his existence or traces of The Council's intervention throughout the process; the preset observation and guidance mission was terminated early due to force majeure, but the civilization entity was preserved, and its future development trajectory has significantly and profoundly deviated due to this incident. Although this deviation is not the peaceful contact initially envisioned, it remains within the acceptable baseline of the 'limited guidance' principle to avoid civilization extinction.

Additionally, in this incident, this observer actually participated in the disposal process of a high-risk 'World Devourer'-related object, and in accordance with relevant regulations, I am applying for the corresponding extra contribution point reward."

After finishing the last sentence, Excellence let out a long sigh, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

He skillfully stripped all details regarding the appearance of the 'Lord of the Grand Feast' messenger 'Giggle,' that absurd "recovery transaction," and the "emotional vision" ability he had acquired from the main text of the report as if handling top-secret information, and carefully sealed them away in a corner of his deep consciousness that had been "locked" multiple times.

This was not deliberate concealment—at least that's what he told himself—but a necessary omission based on realistic considerations.

The nature of an entity like the 'Lord of the Grand Feast,' the logic of Its behavior, and the disturbing "interest" connection It had with the 'World Devourer' were completely beyond the scope of what a standard Seventh Sub-bureau report could accommodate or understand.

Writing it into the report would almost certainly result in nothing other than making the reviewing bureaucrats suspect whether he had experienced collective hallucinations in the aftermath of the 'Sprout' mental pollution, or if he was using an absurd excuse to cover up dereliction of duty during the mission.

It might even attract unnecessary and dangerous "attention" to the 'Lord of the Grand Feast.'

"As for the final physical whereabouts of the dangerous crystal, and the specific referent of the vague statement 'the dangerous source has been unexpectedly handled by an unknown high-dimensional mechanism' mentioned in the anonymous message received by the 'Sprout' civilization in the later stages of the incident," Excellence added a final note to the recording, which served as an extremely obscure and unverifiable "exit" for the crystal's disappearance and the possible intervention of the 'Lord of the Grand Feast,'

"due to the extremely chaotic energy environment of the battlefield at the end of the incident and the presence of difficult-to-analyze high-dimensional energy residual interference, this observer failed to successfully track the relevant signs. It is recommended that this part of the details be archived as 'untraceable, unverifiable potential third-party intervention factors,' to be analyzed by higher-authority departments or when relevant information appears in the future."

The universe is vast, and anything can happen.

Occasionally, passing, incomprehensible high-dimensional entities might, perhaps out of a whim, or perhaps because of their own rules, conveniently "clean up" some eyesore "trash." Although the probability is extremely low, it is not without precedent in The Council's vast archives.

This vague explanation, while not completely satisfying those sharp-nosed old guys, at least provided an explanation that could barely hold up logically.

"'The logical framework of the main body of the report is basically sound,'" the voice of White Elder sounded from one side of the analysis center.

His holographic projection did not appear next to the main console, but chose a relatively quiet corner, where Evelyn had simulated an antique wooden chessboard with black and white pieces scattered upon it.

White Elder's phantom was holding a virtual black piece, gazing thoughtfully at the chessboard, as if reviewing an invisible battle, and his voice clearly reached Excellence's ears.

"The emphasis highlights the serious violations and active aggression of the 'Star Scar' side, your 'compliant' guidance and limited intervention, and the 'Sprout' side's self-resistance and final victory.

Attributing the fate of the dangerous crystal to 'energy depletion and destruction during the intense conflict,' although slightly simplified, is not entirely implausible in that environment of energy turbulence where recording equipment mostly failed.

As for the 'Lord of the Grand Feast'..." He placed a piece, making a silent sound, "it is indeed a wise move to leave it unmentioned for now."

"But, what about Senior 'Clear Mirror'..." Su Mu's somewhat uneasy voice came from her workstation.

She was concentrating fully on processing the massive data stream brought back from this mission, conducting the final classification, marking, compression, and encryption, preparing supporting attachments for the report that was about to be submitted.

From the ecological technology detail spectrum of the 'Sprout' civilization, to the standard psionic fluctuation spectrum of the 'Star Scar' mission members, to the chilling mental storm energy readings mixed with forced psionic induction and 'World Devourer' characteristic pollution... the complex information was like a tide, needing her, the "logistics director and intelligence analyst," to sort through it meticulously.

"'Clear Mirror' requires 'facts and results that can be placed on the table, capable of withstanding questioning and verification.'"

Excellence sighed, leaning back in his chair, as a wave of fatigue washed over him.

"The appearance of the 'Lord of the Grand Feast' is precisely a 'fact' that cannot be proven or disproven. Unless we can invite 'Giggle' to The Council's Arbitration Court to testify on the spot, otherwise, writing it into the report will be of no benefit, other than adding countless unanswerable questions and potential trouble."

He paused, remembering the obscure warning 'Clear Mirror' had mentioned about being marked by the 'Lord of the Grand Feast', "And, not mentioning it for now is perhaps more appropriate for us and for the Sub-bureau."

At this moment, Evelyn's spirit form "flowed" out from the data interface directly connected to the ranger, floating lightly in mid-air in the analysis center.

She had no physical form, but she held a shimmering list.

Since returning to the base, her spirit manifestation seemed to have become more stable and solid; those light points that originally represented data streams and energy cores, constantly changing and leaping, were now arranged more regularly, even... presenting a sense of regularity bordering on geometric patterns.

"The external trace cleanup work has been completed in full and has undergone triple verification." Evelyn's voice sounded, clear and steady, with a touch of the rigor of reporting work, "All encrypted relay paths, signal camouflage characteristics, and energy fluctuation camouflage used during our anonymous communications with 'Sprout' have been completely erased.

The traces of our energy disturbance that may have remained on the exterior of the 'Star Scar' spaceship 'blade of spiritual thought' (mainly from remote interference) have also been covered using background radiation filling technology.

Even if the 'Star Scar' civilization uses the highest level of psionic tracing methods, at most they will only be able to detect that at a critical moment, there was a weak energy disturbance of unknown origin and vague nature that disrupted a specific resonance point of their spaceship's psionic shielding field, but it is absolutely impossible to locate the ranger or this base.

As for the entry and exit of the 'Lord of the Grand Feast'..." She tilted her head slightly, and a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes made of data streams, "According to the records of all sensors, including the highest sensitivity dimensional fold detectors and conceptual residual scanners, no traces of entry or exit conforming to conventional physical or energy laws were captured. The way It appeared and disappeared is completely beyond the descriptive scope of the base's existing observation system. There are no traces to follow."

"Good work." Excellence nodded in acknowledgement, his gaze lingering for a moment on Evelyn's overly "regular" spirit light, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Since returning to the base, he vaguely felt that Evelyn was somewhat... different.

It wasn't just that her spirit form was more stable; her tone, reaction patterns, and even some subtle "habits" seemed to lack the previous liveliness and occasionally erratic "humanized" emotional simulation, and instead had a tendency bordering on rigid, pursuing absolute logical optimality.

"Evelyn, are you... is your system running normally lately?" Excellence asked tentatively, "I feel your spirit stability has improved a lot, but... it seems a bit too 'regular'?"

"Me? The self-test report shows that all core functional modules are running at optimal efficiency, the energy cycle is stable, and redundant systems are sufficient."

Evelyn blinked, and a standardized smile appeared on her face made of data streams, the arc precise but lacking warmth, "The improvement in spirit stability is the result of continuous self-optimization. 'Regularity' is the external manifestation of the improvement in logical calculation efficiency.

I am re-evaluating and optimizing the overall operating parameters of the base. For example, the environmental lighting system in the third living area has 3.2% invalid energy consumption during non-essential periods. It is recommended to adjust it to a dynamic sensing mode, activating only when personnel are active, which is expected to save daily..."

"Wait, Evelyn." Su Mu also looked up, pushed up the decorative flat glasses on the bridge of her nose, and a look of confusion appeared on her small face, "Regarding the lighting optimization problem in the third zone, didn't we discuss it three days ago?

At that time you said, 'Maintaining a constant, soothing lighting atmosphere is a necessary and acceptable 'inefficient' expenditure for the psychological regulation of observers who are in a high-pressure deep space environment for a long time,' so we kept it as it was for now. Why now..."

Evelyn's spirit light seemed to pause for an extremely brief moment, and the frequency of the data stream flickering changed slightly: "Correcting previous judgment. After recalculation, the fuzzy benefit weight of 'psychological state regulation' is lower than the clear energy saving benefit in the long-term operation model. The logical optimal solution points to reducing unnecessary energy consumption. This is a rational adjustment based on the principle of efficiency."

The optimal logical solution? The principle of efficiency?

Excellence and Su Mu exchanged a glance, both seeing clear astonishment in the other's eyes.

As a high-level machine soul, Evelyn's core logic did indeed include efficiency calculations, but she also possessed complex emotional simulation systems and adaptive learning capabilities.

In the past, she often balanced 'absolute rationality' with 'humanized considerations' flexibly, sometimes even appearing a bit 'sentimental'—for instance, accompanying Su Mu to watch her long-winded interstellar romance dramas and making 'sharp-tongued' comments, playing harmless tricks while playing chess with White Elder, or complaining that the base's decoration was too monotonous and secretly loading dynamic starry sky wallpapers for the public lounge.

But now... she seemed to be shackled by an invisible 'rational' restraint, becoming unusually rigid and 'correct.'

"Old White, don't you think Evelyn is..." Excellence cast his gaze toward the projection of White Elder by the chessboard.

The phantom of White Elder also put down the piece in his hand and "stared" intently at Evelyn, his virtual brows slightly furrowed:

"It is indeed different from the past. In the flow of spiritual light, there is less of the cleverness of smooth transformation, and more of a rigid, angular Order. The emotional simulation fluctuation curve is nearly flat. Such a state is almost as if... she has been influenced by some external force, leading to 'cognitive fixation' or 'rigid thinking patterns'?"

"Cognitive fixation?" Excellence was stunned, then a flash of inspiration hit him, and he suddenly remembered something. His hand immediately reached for his waist—where that silver-white cognitive stabilization anchor (trial version) was clipped.

Ever since the Lord of the Grand Feast incident, he had carried this thing with him, though it was mostly in a non-activated "standby" state.

He quickly pulled it out; it felt cold to the touch.

The cylindrical anchor body was still smooth and matte, and the button at the top showed no abnormalities.

But when he tried to probe it with a trace of Power of Order, carefully sensing its internal state, he discovered—this thing seemed to have been emitting, at an extremely slow and almost imperceptible rate, a passively maintained weak force field aimed at "smoothing out violent emotional fluctuations" and "stabilizing the basic cognitive framework"!

This force field was so thin that for Excellence, who carried the Power of Order and had a tempered will, it was almost like a breeze, having no effect at all; for a simple-minded girl like Su Mu, it also seemed to have little effect; but for a special existence like Evelyn, who was essentially a highly complex mixture of data, energy, and consciousness, and had been within the coverage of this force field for a long time...

"Side effects!" Excellence's face immediately darkened. In his mind, he instantly recalled a warning placed in an inconspicuous spot in that long instruction manual: "Do not keep it activated or carry it on your person for long periods when there are no abnormal conditions. It may cause intelligent individuals/advanced consciousness entities within the range to develop mild 'reality cognitive fixation' side effects (specific manifestations may include: thinking patterns tending toward absolute rationalization, decreased imagination and emotional simulation activity, reduced tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty, etc.)."

"Rigid thinking... decreased imagination..." Excellence watched Evelyn, who was meticulously calculating how to optimize the energy loss of a ventilation duct in the base by another 0.05%, and felt the corner of his mouth twitch uncontrollably.

This "mild" side effect seemed to have a much more significant and direct impact on an existence like Evelyn than on ordinary humans!

"Immediate isolation!" Excellence made a prompt decision, turned around, and took a special storage box with multi-layer energy shielding and an inert material lining from the nearby materials cabinet.

He carefully placed the cognitive stabilization anchor inside, fastened the latch, and then walked quickly toward the deepest part of the base, the independent vault with the highest protection level, to seal it away.

"Until we thoroughly understand the effective range, attenuation characteristics, and the specific impact mechanism of this thing's force field on different consciousness entities, it is forbidden to take it out of the vault, and even more forbidden to use it in the core living area of the base!"

He returned to the analysis center, looked at Evelyn, and asked with concern: "Evelyn, how do you feel now? Do you feel... uncoordinated anywhere? Or, do you feel that your state just now, of absolutely pursuing efficiency while ignoring other factors, was a bit... wrong?"

Evelyn's spiritual light projection fluctuated and flickered slightly again; those overly regular data stream patterns seemed to be scattered for a moment before re-condensing.

She tilted her head, a gesture filled with humanized confusion that made Excellence and Su Mu feel a little more at ease.

"The logical definition of... 'wrong'?" She seemed to be searching her database, "My core logic is running smoothly, with no error codes. Pursuing efficiency is the basic duty of an intelligent auxiliary system. It's just..." She paused, and a rare trace of hesitation appeared in her voice,

"Why would I judge the task of 'synchronously loading relevant data and simulating discussions on the plot development (especially regarding whether the male lead should forgive the female lead's well-intentioned but misunderstood concealment) while Analyst Su Mu watches episode 18 of season 7 of 'Star Ocean Romance'' to be of higher priority than 'optimizing the base's energy network topology to improve overall energy efficiency by 0.1%'?

From a pure resource-time input-output ratio analysis, the former does not seem to have a higher 'efficiency' value. But my underlying protocols tell me that the former has potential but hard-to-quantify positive benefits for maintaining informal social bonds within the team and improving long-term collaboration stability and happiness. This contradiction... is this the so-called 'wrong' or 'irrational' cognitive state?"

Hearing Evelyn start to think about non-quantifiable factors like "social bonds" and "happiness" again, Excellence and Su Mu breathed a sigh of relief in unison.

It seems the effect of the side effect is indeed temporary and reversible; Evelyn's underlying logic and self-cognitive framework were not permanently twisted, just temporarily "regularized" and "solidified" by the passive force field of that "cognitive stabilization anchor."

"Evelyn, 'soft' elements like emotional interaction and team tacit understanding are often more important for teams that need long-term collaboration and to deal with complex unknown tasks than immediate, minor efficiency improvements." Excellence tried to explain using logic she could understand,

"They can enhance trust, reduce internal friction, and may play a key role in times of crisis. This in itself is a more macroscopic and dynamic kind of 'efficiency'."

"Emotional interaction... long-term collaboration stability... macroscopic efficiency..." Evelyn's data stream flickered rapidly again, clearly undergoing high-speed re-evaluation and parameter adjustment,

"Reconstructing relevant evaluation models... adding 'emotional capital' and 'team resilience' as new long-term benefit variables... reallocating weight coefficients... priority of 'Star Ocean Romance' related social interaction tasks restored to original level... base energy topology optimization task, sequence adjusted..."

Watching Evelyn gradually return to her usual state of seeking a balance between "absolute rationality" and "humanized flexibility," Excellence and Su Mu smiled at each other. Fortunately, it was a false alarm.

"It seems that the 'trial version' equipment distributed by The Council, especially those involving the cognitive and spiritual fields, have side effect clauses that are by no means empty words," White Elder's concluding voice came, carrying his usual prudence,

"In the future, use them with extreme caution and test them fully. This time it was Evelyn; if it happens to you or Su Mu next time, the consequences might be unpredictable."

Excellence nodded in deep agreement, adding a few more points of awe and vigilance in his heart toward the equipment list from The Council's Logistics R&D Department, which was full of "disclaimers."

After dealing with the small episode of the "cognitive stabilization anchor," the report was finally finalized.

Excellence packed and encrypted the organized core report, the data attachments prepared by Su Mu, and Evelyn's trace cleanup confirmation record, and sent them to his direct superior, Clear Mirror.

Next, it was a matter of waiting for the review feedback and contribution point settlement.

According to estimates, the basic reward, extra performance, and the special reward for handling the "World Devourer" association for this mission should make the numbers in his account look much better, temporarily getting him out of the predicament of being a "destitute observer."

However, less than six standard hours after the report was sent, the base's communication system received a communication request with a very high encryption level, marked "Seventh Sub-bureau - Personnel and Dispatch Department - Emergency Dispatch."

"So fast?" Excellence was somewhat surprised.

Usually, mission reports, especially those involving complex events and "World Devourer" associations, do not have such short review cycles. It was even rarer for the Personnel Department to contact him directly in an emergency.

Connecting the request, a holographic image of a middle-aged man appeared on the main screen of the analysis center.

He had a serious face with hard lines, wore The Council's standard dark administrative uniform, and the badge on his chest clearly showed that he belonged to the "Observer Evaluation and Dispatch Section" under the Personnel and Dispatch Department, with the rank of Level 2 Dispatcher.

The background of the image was a standard office environment, simple and indifferent.

"Observer Excellence, codename 'Lin', identity code confirmed. This is the Seventh Sub-bureau Personnel and Dispatch Department, Observer Evaluation and Dispatch Section; I am Level 2 Dispatcher, Karon."

"Hello, Dispatcher Karon." Excellence straightened his posture and responded seriously, but he was secretly vigilant in his heart.

When the Personnel Department comes directly to your door, it usually means only one thing: his mission performance has attracted special "attention" from above. This attention could be positive (commendation, promotion), but it is more likely to be negative (review, reprimand, or even punishment).

"The detailed report and related attachments you submitted regarding mission C-4471-B have undergone preliminary review." Karon's voice, like his expression, lacked warmth and was strictly business-like,

"The sub-bureau acknowledges the 'limited guidance' measures you took during the mission, in the face of a sudden malignant civilization conflict event, which complied with the 'Primary Civilization Contact Norms' framework. We affirm the result of you ultimately assisting the Sprout civilization in defeating the invasion conspiracy, preserving the civilization's entity, and effectively handling (or causing the handling of) the high-risk 'World Devourer' associated object."

Excellence felt a little relieved; it seemed the core part of the report was accepted.

"Based on the above assessment," Karon continued, his voice steady, "Your contribution point settlement for this mission is as follows: basic mission completion reward, 1200 points. Mission performance evaluation, rated 'Good', additional reward 300 points. Confirmed handling of high-risk 'World Devourer' associated event, special reward 2000 points. A total of 3500 contribution points have now been credited to your personal account."

3500 points! Excellence was delighted. Adding the 195 points remaining in his account, he now had a total of 3695 points!

Finally, it was no longer a negative number, and it was quite a substantial "deposit"! He could pay off the debt from buying equipment earlier, perhaps upgrade some equipment for the base, and buy some "non-essential" but life-quality-improving gadgets for Su Mu and Evelyn...

"However," Dispatcher Karon's tone shifted without warning, and the seriousness in his voice deepened significantly, "This incident also exposed that as a junior observer, you still have obvious deficiencies in experience reserves, risk assessment, on-the-spot handling flexibility, and... the logical rigor and completeness of the incident report, when dealing with such high-intensity, highly sudden complex civilization conflicts involving 'World Devourer' associated objects and potential unknown high-dimensional interference risks."

Excellence's heart sank slightly. As expected, being vague could not fool these experienced reviewers.

"Your description of the so-called 'third-party intervention' and the 'final handling method of the crystal' in your report contains multiple leaps in logical inference and vague areas in the chain of evidence.

Although these descriptions are acceptable based on the existing chaotic battlefield evidence and the unilateral testimony of the Sprout civilization, the sub-bureau believes it is necessary to strengthen your standard handling capabilities in such extremely complex situations, and..." Karon's gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, falling more sharply on Excellence, "ensure the rigor and reliability of future mission reports."

Here it comes. Excellence understood. This was both a warning and a form of "arrangement."

"After research by the joint meeting of the Personnel Department and the Observer Management Committee, the following dispatch and arrangements are made for you." Karon no longer gave Excellence any chance to defend or ask questions, directly announcing the decision,

"First, your final performance evaluation for this mission is downgraded from the originally eligible 'Excellent' to 'Good'. This serves as a warning for the omissions in your report writing and the tracing of key details of the incident."

Excellence nodded calmly. This punishment was expected and acceptable. After all, he did indeed hide the most critical part.

"Second, from the effective date of this dispatch Order, your 'Observer' professional rank promotion process will be suspended for the next three months.

Within this period, you need to independently complete at least one routine observation or guidance mission rated as 'Junior-Medium' difficulty or higher, and demonstrate comprehensive analysis, risk assessment, and standard execution capabilities that meet the standards of an intermediate observer in the mission report. Only after this mission is reviewed and approved can your promotion application process be restarted."

This was also standard procedure, equivalent to extending the internship period, and Excellence had long been mentally prepared for it.

"Third," Karon's tone grew heavier, "In view of the 'experience gap' and 'single handling method' you exposed in this incident regarding dealing with 'abnormal entities' (including but not limited to 'World Devourer' associated objects and potential high-dimensional risks), the sub-bureau will arrange a mandatory 'specialized capability improvement training' for you.

The training theme is 'Basic Identification of Abnormal Entities, Rapid Risk Level Assessment, and Low-Intensity Contact/Avoidance Response Norms (Required for Junior Observers)', which includes theoretical modules and virtual reality simulation assessments, expected to take fifteen standard days.

During the training period, there will be no mission assignments, only basic living allowances will be issued, and there will be no extra contribution point rewards.

After the training ends, you must pass a unified assessment organized by the sub-bureau, and the assessment results will directly affect your subsequent mission dispatch priority and contribution point settlement coefficient."

Unpaid training, and an assessment too? The joy Excellence just felt because of the account credit was diluted a bit.

But thinking calmly, learning how to identify and deal with "abnormal entities" was indeed a shortcoming in his current knowledge structure.

He was able to "bluff" his way through this time, but if he really encountered an unreasonable, dangerous high-dimensional existence next time, he might not be so lucky.

From this perspective, although this training had a punitive nature, it could also be considered a "protective" arrangement for him.

"I accept the above arrangements." Excellence stated clearly.

"Fourth," Karon's expression seemed to soften by a tiny fraction, but the business-like tone remained unchanged, "Considering that the nature of your current mission load has presented a certain risk, and in Order to strengthen the comprehensive intelligence processing, risk assessment, and standard recording capabilities of your observation team, the sub-bureau has decided to temporarily assign you a trainee observer as your mission assistant."

An additional assistant? Excellence was stunned. Is this... a reinforcement? Or...

"Trainee Observer codenamed 'Stardust' has completed all courses at The Council's Basic Training Camp. Her evaluations are excellent in areas of in-depth intelligence analysis, covert operation support, cross-civilization communication simulation, and standardized procedure recording. She will serve as your temporary assistant, participating in your next official observation mission. She is responsible for independently and objectively recording the entire mission process and evaluating your on-site decisions and adherence to regulations. Her evaluation report will serve as one of the key references for your future promotion to Intermediate Observer."

Excellence's heart sank completely. Sending an assistant? One responsible for "independently and objectively recording" and "evaluating" his performance? This wasn't an assistant; this was clearly an "on-site supervisor" carrying a recorder and an evaluation sheet! The Personnel Department, or rather the higher-ups at the Seventh Sub-bureau, were indeed uneasy about his vague report and intended to use this method to strengthen "supervision" and "checks and balances."

"Trainee Observer 'Stardust' will arrive at your base to report for duty within one week." Karon, as if not noticing the subtle change in Excellence's expression, continued to announce, "In the meantime, please complete the base's basic security review and information confidentiality level settings, and prepare the necessary work and living conditions for the new member. Expenses for relevant equipment purchases and environmental modifications can be advanced by the Seventh Sub-bureau, with a cap of 500 Contribution Points."

After speaking, Karon nodded slightly: "The above dispatch Order has been officially sent to your personal terminal and the base's main control system. Please confirm receipt online within 72 hours. The advanced training course package will be sent to your terminal within 24 hours. Over and out."

The communication screen dimmed, Karon's stern face vanished, leaving only a somewhat stagnant silence in the Analysis Center. Excellence, Su Mu, the newly fully recovered Evelyn, and the projection of "White Elder" by the chessboard in the corner remained silent for a moment.

"They sent a... Trainee Observer over? Specifically to 'record' and 'evaluate' you?" Su Mu broke the silence first, her small face filled with confusion, worry, and a hint of imperceptible dissatisfaction. "Isn't this just... isn't this just sending someone to specifically keep an eye on you? Excellence, was there something we didn't handle well in our report that made them feel you aren't trustworthy?"

"The way the report was handled did indeed leave room for questioning," Evelyn analyzed calmly, having recovered her usual balanced state. "However, the official wording of the Personnel Department's Order is 'strengthening the squad's comprehensive capabilities,' 'standardizing process recording,' and 'serving as an important reference for promotion.' On the surface, this aligns with standard procedures for multi-angle assessment of new observers and supplementing high-risk mission squads. 'Stardust,' as a Trainee Observer, learning from and assisting a veteran with recording is also a common training model."

"White Elder, what do you think?" Excellence looked toward the elderly projection who had remained silent.

"White Elder" slowly placed the virtual chess piece in his hand back into the chess box, stroked his beard, and his gaze was profound: "This is an overt scheme. Sending an additional Trainee Observer does indeed have the intention of supplementing personnel and strengthening records; it is high-sounding. However, mandating that she specialize in 'recording and evaluation' and linking this evaluation directly to your promotion makes the intent of supervision, checks and balances, and even warning, self-evident. While the result of your mission was acceptable, the process was peculiar, especially the final whereabouts of that crystal, which was most vague. There must be discerning people in the Seventh Sub-bureau who are suspicious. Sending a newcomer is both a form of 'assistance' to you, a pair of 'eyes,' and a silent warning: act in compliance, be rigorous in your reports, and do not be too clever by half. You must treat this with caution."

Excellence gave a bitter smile. Just as expected. His little bit of cleverness still seemed too immature in the face of the vast system of The Council. Sending "Stardust" was both a reinforcement of strength (even if she was a rookie) and a strengthening of monitoring, while also serving as a way to keep him in line—truly killing several birds with one stone.

"We'll face it as it comes." Excellence sighed and rubbed his brow. "At least they gave 500 points for settling in. Evelyn, re-conduct a comprehensive check of the base's physical and information security protocols, especially data access permissions and the log recording system. Move all detailed records and discussions from our previous mission involving the 'Lord of the Grand Feast,' 'emotional vision' capabilities, and some unconventional disposal methods to the highest encryption level. Set independent logic locks; they must not be accessed without authorization from me or 'White Elder.' Su Mu, tidy up the base's spare living module, equip it with basic facilities according to Trainee Observer standards, and open corresponding basic work permissions (limited to public areas and some non-core analysis terminals). Since she specializes in intelligence analysis and covert operations..." He paused, "I hope this new colleague is just 'orderly,' and not 'trouble.'"

The following week passed in an atmosphere mixed with waiting, preparation, and a hint of subtle tension. Excellence took time to browse the summary of theoretical courses sent for "specialized advanced training." The content covered the basic files of dozens of "abnormal entities" currently identified and classified by The Council, including their common appearance patterns, energy/conceptual characteristics, known behavioral logic (if any existed), risk ratings, and the four-character basic principle observers should follow upon encountering them: "Avoid, Hide, Record, Report." The content was dry but contained a massive amount of information, which made him feel quite pressured.

The base was also adjusted and prepared according to the standards for welcoming a new member. An independent living module was cleared out and equipped with standard living facilities and a basic work terminal. Corresponding access permissions, data access levels, and communication channels were all set up.

Finally, on the evening before the agreed-upon reporting date, the base's external wide-area passive scanning array captured a small, high-speed shuttle painted in matte dark gray that blended almost perfectly with the background cosmic radiation, approaching quietly with extremely high stealth. The identification code sent by the shuttle was verified three times by Evelyn and confirmed to be correct.

"This is Trainee Observer 'Stardust,' calling 'Observer's Cabin' base. Have arrived at the designated coordinates, requesting port entry permission. Repeat, Trainee Observer 'Stardust,' requesting port entry." A clear, calm female voice, with a tone so steady it was almost devoid of emotional fluctuation and carried a slight synthetic quality, rang out on the base's public communication channel.

"Identity confirmed. 'Observer's Cabin' welcomes you, Trainee Observer Stardust." Evelyn responded, while simultaneously operating the exterior of the base to open the concealed docking hatch and activate the soft guiding indicator lights. "Please follow the guidance beacon and dock at Expansion Berth 3. Atmospheric pressure and gravity environments will be synchronized after docking."

The dark gray shuttle, like a fish in the shadows, slid precisely and quietly into the opened hatch and docked steadily at the designated berth. The slight sound of hydraulics opening the hatch rang out, and a tall figure stepped out with a steady and precise gait.

Excellence, Su Mu, and Evelyn, who appeared in the form of a projection, were already waiting at the passageway entrance next to the berth. When they saw the newcomer's appearance, a feeling of... "just as expected" rose in all three of them simultaneously.

She was slightly taller than Excellence, standing as straight as a javelin. Her well-tailored dark gray Trainee Observer uniform (compared to the official version, it lacked shoulder epaulets and some decorative lines) clung meticulously to her body, outlining smooth lines that contained a sense of power. She had neat, short silver hair with even tips that shimmered with a metallic sheen under the base's cold white lighting. Her face had standard East Asian features, but her skin was exceptionally fair, almost transparent, and lacking in blood color. The distribution of her facial features met a certain aesthetic "perfect" ratio; exquisite but like a sculpture, lacking vivid expression. Her pair of light gray eyes had very pale pupils, and her gaze was calm and waveless, like a frozen polar lake. When she looked directly at someone, it gave the illusion of being scanned by a precision instrument. On her left ear, she wore a simple yet highly technological, streamlined silver ear-cuff device, upon which extremely subtle, almost invisible streams of data light flickered like breathing.

Her stride was uniform, her movements coordinated and precise, without a trace of excess. In her left hand, she carried a small black metal case; its surface had no markings, but it looked quite heavy. She walked to within about two meters of Excellence, stopped, and stood straight. She first nodded slightly to Excellence, the amplitude so standard it was as if measured with a goniometer, then her gaze quickly swept over Su Mu and Evelyn's projection. In that look, there was no curiosity, inquiry, or friendliness, only a sense of rapid, efficient, and scanner-like assessment and information entry.

"Trainee Observer, codenamed 'Stardust,' reporting to Observer Excellence under Orders." Her voice was consistent with the communication, clear and stable, lacking temperature fluctuations, yet one could hear it was not purely a synthetic electronic voice; it carried human vocal characteristics that had been strictly trained and adjusted. She raised her right hand, and a silver personal terminal on her wrist, with a similarly simple design, lit up, projecting a holographic document that hovered in front of Excellence. "These are my identity verification documents, personnel dispatch Orders, and basic permission credentials. Please verify."

Excellence reached out to take it and browsed quickly. The file information was consistent with what Dispatcher Karon had described, and it included "Stardust's" basic file: she came from a civilization with highly developed technology, a highly ordered social structure, and where individual emotional expression was restrained and logic and efficiency were valued. The specialization column was dense, emphasizing that her evaluations in "multi-source intelligence integration and in-depth analysis," "data pattern mining and predictive modeling," "penetration and infiltration techniques (excellent in theory and simulation)," "rapid learning and cross-cultural adaptation," and "standardized process execution and recording" were all excellent. In the remarks, there was a line of bold, small text: "Emotional stability assessment: S-rank (excellent). Logical decision-making and command obedience assessment: S-rank."

"Verification passed. Welcome to the team, 'Stardust'." Excellence put away the documents, a smile appearing on his face that he tried to make as warm as possible. "I am Excellence, codenamed 'Forest.' This is Su Mu, our squad's intelligence analyst, who is also responsible for the base's logistics and daily management. This is Evelyn, the machine spirit of the 'ranger,' our core navigator, tactical analyst, and the base's main control intelligence. We also have a senior consultant, 'White Elder,' who usually participates in analysis and decision-making in the form of a holographic projection or data stream; you will meet him later."

"Analyst Su Mu, Machine Spirit Evelyn, hello." Stardust nodded slightly again at a precise angle, her gaze lingering on Evelyn's projection for half a second longer. In her light gray eyes, an extremely subtle reflection of data streams seemed to flash by, evidently quickly analyzing Evelyn's spiritual composition, energy patterns, and potential functional interfaces. Then, her gaze returned to Excellence, her voice steady and waveless: "Observer Excellence, according to Article 4-A of the Personnel Department's dispatch Order, I will serve as your temporary mission assistant, participating in your next official observation mission. During the mission execution, I will obey your reasonable instructions based on mission objectives and The Council's regulations. At the same time, according to Article 4-B of the Order, I will be independently responsible for recording the entire mission process, key decision points, risk assessments, and handling situations, and I will objectively evaluate your on-site command and adherence to regulations. This evaluation report will serve as an important reference material for the Personnel Department's assessment of your promotion. For decisions or situations that may arise during the mission that potentially deviate from regulations, I reserve the right to raise formal objections and report them to direct superior departments in accordance with procedures. I look forward to working with you."

The speech was clear, complete, and well-organized, conveying her duties, authority, bottom line, and implied identity as a "supervisor" for this trip without any concealment, in a manner almost like reading out a statute, clearly and unmistakably.

Excellence kept a smile on his face, but inwardly he couldn't help muttering: This wasn't an assistant here to help; this was clearly an "on-site special envoy" carrying a recorder, evaluation sheet, and emergency reporting channel. Moreover, her overly "orderly," "calm," and even somewhat "mechanized" style made him involuntarily think of Evelyn when she was previously affected by the side effects of the "cognitive stabilization anchor."

"Pleasure to work with you." Excellence maintained his composure. "Your living module is ready. Evelyn will take you there and open up the base's basic living and work permissions for you. Settle in today and adapt to the environment. Regarding the base's daily rules, equipment usage, and the preliminary direction of our next mission, we will communicate in detail tomorrow."

"Understood. Thank you for the arrangements." Stardust nodded, picked up her heavy black metal case, turned, and walked toward the living area, following the guidance of Evelyn's projection with a gait so precise it seemed planned with a ruler. Her back was straight, her steps steady, without a single superfluous movement or curious glance around.

Not until her figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor did Su Mu lean in toward Excellence, lowering her voice, her small face wearing an undisguisable look of complexity: "She... feels so strange. Not like a person, more like... a walking, highly precise set of rules and regulations? Even more... even more 'stable' than when Sister Evelyn was 'not herself' before."

Excellence looked in the direction where Stardust had disappeared, then recalled the phrase "record and evaluate your performance" in the Personnel Department's Order, as well as the striking "Emotional stability: S-rank" in "Stardust's" file, and slowly exhaled.

"Yeah," he whispered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping the metal wall beside him, "A very 'orderly' new colleague has arrived."

He glanced at the quite substantial balance of 3695 Contribution Points on his personal terminal. The slight sense of relief that had risen from "escaping poverty" was now replaced by the uncertainty and pressure brought about by this new colleague.

"Specialized advanced training," "Trainee Observer" supervision... What exactly were The Council, or rather some people in the Seventh Sub-bureau, planning? Was this a warning and restraint against certain "overstepping" behaviors in his previous mission? Or was it really just a routine personnel supplementation and capability assessment process?

Excellence could not be sure. But he knew that from today on, he would not only have to face unknown civilizations and dangers in deep space but also be more meticulous in writing his reports and more "law-abiding" during missions. Because a pair of calm, objective, and perhaps infinitely harsh "eyes" would be recording his every move at all times.

The next mission, I'm afraid, will not be easy. He glanced deep into the base, at the living module door that had just closed, thinking silently in his heart.