283: Cracks, Tracing the Origins, and Unexpected Help

The "ranger" cruised slowly like a silver fish merging into deep black seawater, within the thin interstellar medium at the edge of the "echo Vortex," in a state of near-absolute silence.

All unnecessary energy radiation on the ship's hull had been reduced to zero, while the optical camouflage and background radiation camouflage layers operated at full power, making it a faint shadow that barely existed on the canvas of the void.

Inside the bridge, the lights were dimmed to the lowest setting, leaving only the faint blue and light green halos from the instrument screens to illuminate several tense faces.

On the main screen, the massive, malicious creation known as the "eye of suffering" still hung high above the orbit of "Resonance Star," like a festering, scarlet sore embedded in the night sky, staring down at the planet.

The dark torrent it continuously released, composed of pure negative mental impurities, silently yet violently washed against the azure halo rising from the planet's surface below—that was the mental barrier forcibly condensed by the "echo" civilization using the collective will and survival instinct of their entire race.

The light of the barrier flickered and fluctuated violently, like a candle flame in a hurricane.

Every dimming and trembling of the light meant that countless "echo" individuals were enduring mental pressure beyond their limits, their consciousness struggling on the verge of collapse.

Stardust stood before her analysis terminal, her posture still upright, but the waterfall of cascading data reflected in her gray eyes revealed that the situation was far from optimistic.

Her voice steadily broadcasted the cold readings, each number striking the hearts of everyone on the bridge:

"The average strength of the target civilization's collective mental barrier continues to decline; the current value has dropped to 67.3% of its initial peak, and the fluctuation amplitude has increased by 45% compared to an hour ago. The energy dissipation curve indicates that the barrier structure is accelerating its fatigue."

"In the key monitoring area, 'Resonance City'—the location of the 'echo' council and the primary administrative hub—medical and emergency networks have detected an exponential increase in cases of fainting and brain death caused by mental overload. In the past three hours, the cumulative reports have exceeded one hundred thousand. The city's 'Deep Sea echo' network basic Resonance frequency is showing signs of disorder."

"The global 'noise' pollution concentration is still climbing. According to the emotional spectrum model analysis, indices for negative emotions such as panic, groundless suspicion, and mass aggressive impulses have risen by an average of 18% over the past standard hour. Four peripheral island settlement areas have reported multiple small-scale violent conflicts induced by 'nightmare Resonance'; local Order maintenance forces have intervened, but with limited effect."

She paused slightly and pulled up a continuously calculating mathematical model, its three-dimensional curve outlining a heart-wrenching downward trajectory.

"Based on a deduction using existing parameters: assuming the external pollution source—the 'eye of suffering'—maintains its current attack intensity, the 'echo' civilization's mental barrier is expected to fall below the critical threshold for maintaining basic consciousness links and collective rationality in 14.8 standard hours. If the external attack intensifies, or if its internal key pollution Nodes undergo a chain collapse, the time for the barrier's total failure will be significantly advanced."

14.8 hours. The survival of a civilization had been compressed into a string of jumping numbers on the screen, a countdown that was constantly shortening.

Excellence's knuckles pressed silently against his chin, his gaze deep and focused.

His previous precise and risky interference was like throwing a small stone before a flood about to burst its banks; although it splashed some water and briefly disrupted the rhythm of the flood peak, it did not change the direction of the surging river.

The truly fatal lesions—those pollution sores deeply embedded in the flesh and marrow of the "Resonance Network," as well as the "eye of suffering" hanging high outside, eyeing them like a tiger—still existed and were continuing to worsen.

"Su Mu, Old White," he turned his gaze toward the document analysis platform, "have you found any usable clues in their historical fragments?"

He staked his hope on this. When countering erosion on a mental level, understanding its roots and "medical history" is often more critical than blindly wielding power.

Su Mu rubbed her eyes, which were sore and red from staring at the screen for a long time. On the floating light screen in front of her, dozens of windows were layered, displaying digital images of ancient scrolls excavated from the depths of the "echo" civilization's network, transcriptions of oral epics, and summaries of modern scholars' research on mysterious events.

"I found some... but they are too vague, and many accounts contradict each other." Her voice was weary, but she spoke quickly, "In their mythological lineage, there are indeed records of the 'Deep Sea Whisper,' 'Temptation of Star Dimming,' and 'Heart Plague.'"

"The descriptions are similar to the 'noise' we see and that 'eye'—invisible sounds bringing madness, the sky cracking open to cast shadows, and the race on the verge of destruction amidst mutual slaughter."

"But regarding the records on how to end the disaster..."

She quickly switched between several highlighted text segments, extracting the translated core content: "These parts mention that it was the 'Heart of Purest Resonance' that quelled the pollution at the cost of its own annihilation; this part says it was a 'Nameless Star-Sea Traveler' who brought the 'Stone of silence,' severing the connection between The Whisper and reality; others are vague, only saying 'the deep sea returned to tranquility, yet the rift remained forever.'"

"The trickiest part is that these legends are from an extremely distant era, lacking any concrete, actionable technical details or geographical descriptions. They are more like symbolic expressions of a civilization's traumatic memories distorted over long ages, making it hard to directly translate them into an action plan."

"Nameless Star-Sea Traveler? Stone of silence?" Excellence caught these two keywords, lost in thought. This sounded like some form of external force intervention, or some kind of technical creation or natural wonder with special functions.

The phantom of "White Elder" watched intently from the side, his long beard moving without wind, as he slowly said: "Although legends cannot be fully believed, they are often wrapped around the wreckage of historical truth."

"'Heart of Purest Resonance' might refer to the most primitive and core resonant Node at the birth of the 'Resonance Network,' or perhaps an individual with an unprecedentedly clear mental essence."

"'Stone of silence,' as the name implies, seems to be a substance capable of isolating or absorbing specific information or mental fluctuations."

"As for the 'Nameless Traveler'... it is hard to distinguish truth from fiction. However, the four words 'the rift remained forever' are worth deep reflection—they may mean that the ancient pollution was not eradicated, only sealed or suppressed, and the 'echo' civilization's mental structure was thus left with some kind of 'hidden wound' that is difficult to heal, which has been re-detonated in this day and age."

"In other words, what we are facing might be a recurring 'civilization-level mental chronic disease,' or an ancient wound that never truly healed but only fell into a slumber?" Excellence's brow furrowed even tighter. If this were true, the situation would be far more complex and difficult than a simple "external invasion."

"The probability is not low." Stardust took over the analysis, pulling up another set of mathematical models built on real-time monitoring data. "Based on a comprehensive analysis of the existing 'noise' sample spectrum, pollution intensity geographical distribution, and propagation rate, the pollution diffusion simulation I built shows that the pollution is not spreading homogeneously, but rather presents a clear 'core radiation' and 'hierarchical infection' pattern."

"The primary and most intense pollution source has a 94.7% probability of being located deep within the crust of 'Resonance City,' which is that Node we previously locked onto through emotional observation, where the spectral response was the darkest."

"All other secondary pollution areas have significant energy-level correlations and propagation delays with it, fitting a basic model where a 'main pollution source' continuously 'sows' and reinforces pollution outward through efficient paths in the 'Resonance Network.'"

"So, the target for the decapitation strike is clear—that main pollution source deep underground." Excellence summarized, but his tone was not light. "But it is hidden in the most core, inevitably most heavily guarded restricted area of the 'echo' civilization."

"Furthermore, it is highly likely to be directly intertwined with the original architecture of the 'Resonance Network,' and even with that 'everlasting rift' from the legends. We cannot sneak in and deal with it without alerting the entire civilization. Moreover..." His gaze swept toward the "eye of suffering" burning silently on the main screen, "This giant thing outside, its target is also very likely that same thing, or closely related to it."

The "eye of suffering" seemed to have temporarily slowed the pace of pouring out its torrent of pollution, instead maintaining a continuous, high-pressure "stare" and mental oppression. Its invisible, malicious tentacles of Perception repeatedly scanned the surface of "Resonance Star," lingering especially over the "Resonance City" area, as if patiently evaluating the ripeness of the "fruit" inside, waiting for the best time to "harvest."

"It is waiting." Evelyn's spirit body flickered with the calm light of analysis as she suddenly spoke up, "It is waiting for the internal pollution concentration to reach a certain critical threshold, waiting for the 'echo' civilization's own mental defenses to be completely hollowed out from within."

"At that time, with internal and external pressure working together, the mental barrier will collapse like rotten wood. Its behavioral pattern is closer to... a farmer waiting for crops to ripen, rather than a warrior storming a city. The pollution is the fertilizer and pathogen it uses to ripen the 'crops,' and its ultimate goal is to harvest the collective consciousness essence of the entire civilization."

"Harvest... consciousness essence..." Su Mu couldn't help but shiver, her voice tightening slightly, "This reminds me of some legends in the corners of the database about 'Soul Eaters' and 'Psionic reapers' in remote star regions."

"They feed on the collective mental fields of highly intelligent civilizations, especially favoring races that possess close mental links, because the 'nutrition' is more concentrated, and the 'flavor'... is said to be even more 'delicious'."

"Delicious..." Excellence chewed on the word, and a cold chill crept up his spine. If there really was such a void Predator behind the "eye of suffering" that fed on civilization consciousness, then what the "echo" faced was not a simple war or disaster, but the ultimate doom of being targeted by a Predator and becoming "food."

"Directly confronting the 'eye of suffering' is beyond our current capabilities, and sneaking in to deal with the main pollution source faces the dual dilemma of high exposure risk and insufficient time." Stardust sorted through the options with her characteristic logic, which excluded emotional interference. "Therefore, feasible paths might include: first, finding a way to significantly improve the 'echo' civilization's own mental resistance in a short time; second, locating and obtaining a specific 'tool' that can effectively sever or neutralize the pollution link; third, introducing a 'third-party variable' sufficient to change the current balance of power and break the deadlock."

"Improving the resistance of the entire civilization in a short time is impractical. 'Tool'..." Excellence looked at Su Mu and "White Elder" again. "Regarding the 'Stone of silence,' even just a slightly more concrete clue? For example, its possible form, a special energy signature, or the location where it last appeared in legends?"

Su Mu and "White Elder" looked at each other, both seeing helplessness in the other's eyes. Su Mu shook her head: "The records are really too few, and they are all wrapped in the cloak of mythology."

"Some say it is a 'pitch-black stone that absorbs all sounds,' others describe it as a 'cold core that never resonates,' and still others say it is a 'stranger that fell from the depths of the star abyss.' There are no coordinates, no exact descriptions, and we cannot even determine whether it is a physical entity that truly exists, or a cultural symbol representing the concept of 'isolation' or 'purification.'"

The light of hope seemed to dim a little more. A mixture of helplessness and anxiety surged in Excellence's heart. He stared at the blue planet struggling on the screen, the constantly spreading gray-red mist symbolizing despair, that giant eye hanging high and greedy... had they really reached the end of their rope?

Just at this moment, Evelyn's alarm sounded with a new, urgent rhythm!

"Alert! Detected a second hyperspace warp fluctuation! Location... behind and to our side, distance approximately 0.3 light-years! Energy characteristic analysis... cannot match any known database! There is approximately 7.3% spectral similarity to the fluctuation when the 'eye of suffering' opened the rift, but the overall presentation is highly ordered and structured!"

"Another one?!" Su Mu exclaimed, her heart shrinking violently.

Excellence's heart also sank instantly. One "eye of suffering" was already a catastrophe; another unknown existence? Is it a foe? A friend? Or another Predator?

"Fluctuation peak is rising sharply! An entity is about to complete the jump! It's not a rift... it's a spaceship! Hyperspace exit stabilization complete!" Evelyn's voice carried a rare, almost stunned pause.

The screen in the corner of the main display switched. Against the starry background to the side and rear, space rippled like silk smoothed by an invisible hand, spreading out in regular, shimmering ripples.

Immediately after, a spaceship—no, it was more like a meticulously carved interstellar work of art—"emerged" from the void.

It was not large, even slightly smaller than the "ranger." Its appearance completely subverted common fluid dynamics or functionalist designs, resembling a multifaceted, dark purple crystal with an extremely complex, angular structure that yet contained a strange harmony!

The surface of the hull was not smooth metal or composite material, but was covered with shallow and deep geometric etched patterns that seemed to follow some profound mathematical law. These patterns did not reflect light under the starlight; instead, they absorbed the surrounding light, only flowing with wisps of eerie, seemingly living, silver-white glow at certain specific edge turns.

It had no visible thruster arrays or weapon platforms, just floating silently in the void, like a silent and profound observer who had suddenly descended to the edge of a chessboard.

"Target spaceship energy readings... extremely high! But extremely restrained, all radiation is constrained within the complex structures on the ship's surface! Preliminary assessment of technological level... exceeds conventional analysis frameworks! Detected a powerful, highly structured, and ordered psionic fluctuation field!" Evelyn's report was filled with high alert, "The other party is scanning us! Scanning method... non-intrusive, but with extremely high precision! No malicious attack intent or mental oppression detected!"

"Highly ordered psionic energy?" Excellence froze, the words "Star Scar" flashing through his mind instantly! That was the civilization also known for psionic technology, yet one that displayed a paranoid and dangerous side during the "Sprout-Star Scar" incident! Although the psionic field emitted by this crystal spaceship was far more condensed, restrained, and orderly than that displayed by the "Star Scar" delegation, there was a faint, extremely subtle sense of similarity in certain underlying resonant modes of those energy fluctuations. Was it another faction within the "Star Scar" civilization that had not been recorded? Or was it an unknown civilization that shared the same psionic technology origins as "Star Scar" but had embarked on a different path of development?

After completing its manifestation sequence, the crystal spaceship did not make any threatening maneuvers, simply maintaining a hover as if it were a patient visitor waiting for a response. A moment later, a directional information stream, encrypted multiple times but utilizing a first-contact protocol commonly used by interstellar civilizations in the galaxy, was precisely transmitted to the ranger's receiving array.

"Decoding complete. Using the extended version of the standard contact protocol vocabulary, no ambiguity." Evelyn displayed the information content on the main screen.

The phrasing of the message was concise and straightforward, exuding a sense of calm pragmatism:

"To the unknown observers: We are the rangers under the 'Silent Order'. We have detected high-intensity, chaotic, and malicious psionic pollution in this star system (Target ID: Heart-Devouring Demon subspecies, Threat Level: High). At the same time, we have detected your presence, as well as your previous attempts to interfere with the pollution source using ordered psionic techniques that are clearly not of this star system's technological origin. We have no intention of interfering with your established mission, but the spread of the 'Heart-Devouring Demon' pollution violates the fundamental principles of the 'Silent Order'. We now propose: establishing a temporary framework for intelligence sharing and operational coordination. You provide detailed spatial coordinates and topological data of the pollution Nodes within the target civilization, and we provide targeted purification technical support to work together to clear the source of pollution and expel or eliminate the projection of the 'Heart-Devouring Demon'. Do you accept this proposal?"

At the end of the message, a small data packet was attached. After decrypting it, it contained partial basic files on the 'Heart-Devouring Demon'—also known as the 'eye of suffering': This is a void-predatory existence that dwells in the deep psionic space (or 'Abyss of the Mind'), feeding on the highly developed collective consciousness energy of intelligent civilizations. They are adept at inducing, amplifying, and exploiting the negative emotions and psychological trauma of intelligent life to create pollution. Their observable form projected into the reality dimension is often called the 'eye of suffering' or 'Throat of Despair'. Purifying this pollution requires specific 'Order' Harmonic technology capable of neutralizing chaotic psionic attributes; to destroy its projection, one must locate and destroy its 'anchor point' in the reality dimension—usually the core Node that is most deeply polluted and has established the strongest link with the 'Heart-Devouring Demon' itself.

"'Silent Order'? 'Heart-Devouring Demon'?" Excellence quickly digested this information. This faction calling itself the 'Silent Order' sounded like an organization dedicated to dealing with such psionic pollution and maintaining some kind of 'psionic ecological balance'? Moreover, they had keenly captured the trace of ordered psionic energy he had leaked when using the 'Spear of Order' to interfere earlier, and had made a judgment based on that.

"Do they know we are 'observing'?" Su Mu lowered her voice, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"They may not necessarily know our official identities as observers for The Council," Stardust analyzed calmly, "but it is enough for them to judge that we do not belong to the 'echo' civilization, that we are conducting some purposeful activity in this star system, and that we possess the 'ordered psionic' technology they are interested in, which is effective against the pollution. Their proposal logic is clear: exchange our local intelligence advantage for their professional processing technology. From a purely tactical perspective, this is one of the best paths to break the current stalemate and increase the probability of mission success."

"Risk factor?" Excellence was not misled by the possibility of powerful reinforcements; his gaze was sharp. "Is this 'Silent Order' friend or foe? Is their proclaimed 'maintenance of Order' their true purpose, or a pretext? Do they also harbor designs on the 'Resonance Network' of the 'echo' civilization itself? What exactly is their connection to the 'Star Scar' civilization?"

"Insufficient intelligence at present; we cannot determine," the phantom of the 'White Elder' swayed slightly, his tone grave. "However, observing their spaceship's psionic field, it is orderly, restrained, and not eruptive, which is vastly different from the flamboyant, overflowing, and unstable psionic style of the 'Star Scar' delegation. Their communication phrasing is rigorous and restrained, showing intent for negotiation with no suspicion of coercion. We can attempt initial contact and intelligence exchange, but we must set clear boundaries and maintain maximum vigilance throughout. I suggest first requesting that they provide more background information about their organization itself and their past operations for assessment."

Excellence nodded. This was indeed an opportunity—an opportunity that might turn around the desperate situation of the 'echo' civilization—but it could also be a dangerous move, inviting a wolf into the house and stepping into a more complex trap. Time was ticking away, and in the corner of the screen, the fourteen-hour countdown was still relentlessly counting down.

"Evelyn, reply using the same encryption protocol," Excellence pondered for a few seconds before making a decision. "First, agree in principle to establish a temporary intelligence sharing and coordination framework. Second, request that they provide more information about the nature of the 'Silent Order' organization, its core principles, and summaries of non-sensitive past operations handling similar pollution events. Third, request that they provide detailed theoretical explanations and technical parameter frameworks for the pollution purification technology ('Psionic Purification Array') and the projection anchor point strike plan ('Spear of Order: Delusion Break') they mentioned. Fourth, ask if there are any records related to or similar to the 'Stone of silence' in their database. Fifth, clarify the basic principles of this collaborative operation: the primary goal is to ensure the survival of the 'echo' civilization; the mode of operation must be kept as covert as possible, minimizing direct impact on the natural development of the 'echo' civilization. Sixth, directly ask if there is any known connection between them and the 'Star Scar' civilization."

The message was sent. The dark purple crystal spaceship fell into a brief silence, the silver light patterns on the surface of the hull flickering in a certain rhythm, as if conducting a high-speed internal deliberation. A few minutes later, a new, larger data response arrived.

This time, the 'Silent Order' demonstrated considerable sincerity and transparency: Regarding their organization: They claim to be a community of philosophy, formed by a union of multiple advanced civilizations that have realized the importance of 'Psionic Order' and voluntarily taken on some of the responsibilities for maintaining it (no specific member list was disclosed). Their core principle is to prevent the excessive spread of malignant, chaotic psionic phenomena (such as Heart-Devouring Demon pollution, psionic plagues, consciousness disintegration fields, etc.) to avoid endangering more intelligent civilizations still in development. They are not a military or political alliance in the strict sense, but rather a loose network where individual 'rangers' or groups act autonomously based on shared principles. They emphasize respecting the autonomy and diversity of civilization development, usually adopting covert, non-direct intervention methods to handle problems, only taking more active measures when there is a risk of large-scale spread of pollution.

Regarding purification and strike technology: They provided a simplified construction blueprint and energy field generation principle for a 'Psionic Purification Array'. This device is designed to generate a highly specialized 'Order' Harmonic Field that can, like an 'antibody', selectively react with the chaotic psionic structure of the 'Heart-Devouring Demon' pollution, neutralizing it and converting it into harmless background psionic radiation, while having minimal impact on unpolluted normal psionic structures (such as the 'Resonance Network'). However, to deploy this array, one must be as close to the core of the pollution source as possible to achieve the best results.

Regarding 'Spear of Order: Delusion Break': They explained that this is a high-precision psionic focusing and projection technology. Its core lies in projecting highly condensed 'Order' attribute psionic energy at specific resonant frequencies onto the most vulnerable resonant Nodes of the 'anchor point' structure reinforced by pollution, triggering a chain collapse of its internal energy circuits. They provided a portion of the theoretical parameters for energy focusing and frequency locking, but emphasized that actual application requires extremely precise target positioning and energy guidance.

Regarding the 'Stone of silence': They acknowledged that in the mythological systems of different civilizations, there are indeed records of similar concepts, usually referring to certain minerals or creations that can naturally isolate, absorb, or stabilize specific psionic fluctuations. Their cross-civilization database does not have precise records of the 'echo' civilization's 'Stone of silence,' but they speculate that if the legend has a basis in reality, the item is likely related to a special rare mineral on the 'Resonance Star' that has the property of stabilizing or purifying 'Resonance,' or is associated with remnants of a key geological or astronomical event from the early formation of the 'Resonance Network.' They suggest looking for clues in the civilization's oldest sacred sites, inherited sacred relics, or geological anomaly records.

Regarding 'Star Scar': The reply was unusually concise—'Aware of the existence of this civilization. There is a fundamental divergence in philosophy and practice. No formal contact, and no record of cooperation.'

Finally, they explicitly stated their acceptance of the operational principles proposed by Excellence and agreed to carry out necessary intelligence synchronization and timing coordination during the cooperation, while simultaneously reserving their own right to judge the situation and the freedom of independent action.

The information content was detailed, the logical chain was complete, and the provided technical solutions were highly targeted and professional; at least on paper, there were no obvious logical loopholes or malicious traps.

"Assessment?" Excellence swept his gaze over every member on the bridge.

"The provided information is technically self-consistent, and the solution they proposed addresses the key issues we have identified." Stardust gave her analysis conclusion first, "But it should be noted that the 'Spear of Order: Delusion Break' is highly similar to the name of your exclusive ability, and the principle description has partial overlap. We need to be vigilant about whether the other party is using this to conduct some form of probing, or intends to pry into the essence of your power."

"Their technical philosophy, especially the emphasis on and application of 'Order' attribute psionic energy, indeed shares a certain degree of common origin with the psionic path of 'Star Scar,' but the development orientation is completely different, emphasizing stability and control more." The 'White Elder' added, "The 'community of philosophy' and 'ranger' model they claim are not without precedent in the galaxy. However, the word 'Order' has a broad meaning, so we must be vigilant about whether they have a different interpretation."

"They... look like they really want to solve that 'Heart-Devouring Demon'," Su Mu said softly, with a hint of hope in her tone, "And they agreed to all our preconditions. I think... maybe we can give it a try? We don't have time to hesitate anymore."

Excellence's gaze fell back to the main screen. The light of the azure spiritual barrier was growing dimmer, and the gray-red pollution mist was constantly eroding the outline of the planet. The fourteen-hour countdown was ticking toward a shorter value.

He took a deep breath and made his decision.

"Reply: Agree in principle to the collaborative operation framework. We will provide the precise coordinate calculations of the main pollution source (anchor point), the social structure of the 'echo' civilization and the basic topological data of the 'Resonance Network', as well as the dynamic model of pollution spread that we have already mastered. In exchange, we require a complete, operationally safe deployment guide for the 'Psionic Purification Array', as well as the full set of core parameters for the energy focusing and frequency locking of the 'Spear of Order: Delusion Break'. During the collaboration, both sides will maintain independent command and operational systems, but will share key tactical intelligence and coordinate the timing of major operational Nodes. Target of the first collaborative operation: purify the main pollution source, destroy the 'eye of suffering' projection anchor point. Operation launch time..."

He glanced at the constantly ticking star calendar time in the center of the bridge, "Scheduled for four standard hours later. According to model predictions, by then the spiritual barrier of the 'echo' civilization will enter a relatively fragile 'trough' period due to continuous consumption, and the 'eye of suffering' may also have brief, imperceptible gaps in Perception due to maintaining high pressure for a long time, which might be the best time window for us to infiltrate and launch a surprise attack. Do you agree?"

The information turned into an encrypted data stream and shot toward that silent crystal spaceship. This time, the opponent's reply was swift and crisp, only one word, yet carrying the weight of a thousand pounds: "Agreed. Coordinate and plan exchange. Synchronized activation in four hours."

An agreement was reached in the invisible data waves. A temporary alliance with mysterious visitors, a joint precise surgery targeting a void Predator and the spiritual tumor of a civilization, had begun. Excellence had no way of knowing the background of the 'Silent Order' and could not predict where this cooperation would ultimately lead them. But he knew clearly that in the remaining countdown of the 'echo' civilization, this was the only path shimmering with possibility.

"Evelyn, open the level one encrypted data channel and exchange intelligence according to the agreement. Stardust, based on the purification array blueprint they provided, combined with the carrying capacity of the 'ranger' and the inferred underground structure map of 'Resonance City', formulate a detailed plan for infiltration, deployment, and evacuation, and assess all risk Nodes. Su Mu, Old White, continue to dig deep into all clues that might be related to the 'Stone of silence' or enhanced purification effects, even if they are the most absurd legends. We only have four standard hours."

Inside the 'ranger', the atmosphere instantly switched from a high-alert analytical state to a race-against-time combat readiness rhythm. And under the dark starry sky not far away, the dark purple polyhedral crystal spaceship began to have silver light trails flowing in new patterns on the complex geometric lines on its surface, its hull posture making imperceptible adjustments, like a top hunter beginning to silently calibrate his bow and arrow.

Two starships from vastly different civilizational backgrounds, harboring their own goals and secrets, had their flight paths briefly intersect because of a civilization on the verge of destruction. They were like two quietly moving chess pieces, landing on this desperate chessboard shrouded by the scarlet gaze of the 'eye of suffering.' In the center of the chessboard, that azure planet was still low-humming with the tragic cries and unyielding Resonance of a civilization.

The second hand of the countdown ticked, clearly audible.