290: Whispers of the Void

The scale of the universe is a vastness that mortals can hardly truly comprehend. In the hum of the warp drive, light-years are folded and unfolded; stars become fireflies streaking past the portholes, only to return to stasis. For the crew of the ranger, the concept of time has long since become subtle and distorted.

The ship's internal day-night simulation system operates on a regular schedule, providing a basic temporal reference—soft morning light spills into the living quarters at 6:00 AM sharp, transitions to warm-toned twilight illumination at 6:00 PM, and after 11:00 PM, only a faint blue guiding light remains in the corridors. But this artificial rhythm is, in the end, no match for the unchanging, dark void outside, dotted with sparse starlight. And there is that long, monotonous voyage, accompanied only by the low hum of engines and the drone of systems, grinding away one's Perception of time's length day after day.

The ranger is like a lonely silver ghost, following a calculated route toward that cosmic "void" known as the Karrun Void. That region is marked on the star map as a massive blank space nearly 300 million light-years in diameter, where galaxy density is less than one-tenth that of normal space—a truly desolate land. It is also the region where the echo cessation phenomenon occurs most frequently, according to the records of the Harmonic Alliance.

Evelyn—the artificial intelligence core of the ship—maintains the highest state of operational efficiency. Her Perception extends to every sensor and every conduit on the ship. She optimizes the route, fine-tuning engine output with millisecond precision, avoiding the occasional sparse interstellar dust clouds and weak gravitational anomalies. These avoidance maneuvers are mostly too subtle for the crew to notice; only the occasional flight path correction prompts flashing on the bridge serve as proof of her constant guardianship.

Stardust, meanwhile, has plunged into the ocean of the Harmonic Alliance's data. Her personal terminal projects layers of holographic interfaces, flowing with psionic theoretical formulas, high-dimensional geometric models, and various hypotheses regarding the echo cessation phenomenon. Data streams are reflected in her gray eyes, and her fingertips tap rapidly on the holographic keyboard, constructing new predictive models.

"If we view the silence force field of the stone of silence as a kind of 'erasure' on the information level," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the quiet reading room, "then the echo cessation might be the natural occurrence of this erasure effect on a macroscopic scale..."

She is attempting to build a more precise model to predict the spatial effects that the stone of silence might trigger, as well as how to protect one's own consciousness from silence in the echo cessation region. This work is fraught with difficulties, as the relevant data itself is full of contradictions and incompleteness—the Harmonic Alliance's research into this phenomenon is far from thorough.

Excellence spends most of his time in the meditation room. It is a small, soundproofed room with walls covered in energy-absorbing materials; the only light source is a soft white sphere of light in the center of the ceiling. He sits cross-legged on a mat in the center of the room, eyes closed, breathing deeply and rhythmically.

He is "struggling" against those stubborn fragments of information in his mind.

Ever since coming into contact with the stone of silence, those fragments have followed him like a shadow. At first, they were just blurry images that flashed occasionally, but now they are becoming increasingly clear, and their frequency is increasing. The power of Order, like the most patient craftsman, is combing through, polishing, and analyzing those chaotic images and thoughts bit by bit. Progress is slow, like water wearing away stone, but it is not without rewards.

Some originally blurry images have become clear.

He "sees" that the cold, slowly rotating, massive structure composed of countless Stones of silence does not seem to be a unified whole, but rather composed of many different yet similar blocks, connected to each other by energy veins, like an incredibly huge, complex, and... damaged ancient machine. At the junctions of some blocks, one can see huge, seemingly violently torn cracks, from which indescribable, heart-palpitating darkness and chaos surge—a breath somewhat similar to the Heart-Devouring Demon, but more primitive, purer, as if chaos itself were breathing.

He "feels" that the lonely "figure" composed of silence, standing before the gate, seems to have been doing the same thing throughout endless years: repairing those cracks. Using its own power, or some method, it draws power from the surrounding silence, filling the damage bit by bit. But this repair is despairingly slow, like filling the gaps in the sea with sand. Moreover, the cracks seem to be growing more numerous and larger, and the "figure" is becoming increasingly... dim and exhausted, like a lone lamp that has run out of oil.

He also "hears" some repetitive, monotonous, and grand "sounds" that seem to be the operation of some "mechanism"—not real sounds, but a kind of regular fluctuation on the information level, branded directly into his consciousness:

"...Boundary stable... Sequence maintained..."

"...Erosion resistance... Energy shunting..."

"...Warning... Block Gamma-7 deactivated... Synchronization rate dropped to 41%..."

"...Final protocol... Not triggered... the watchers... status... pending confirmation..."

These fragments seem to confirm the previous speculation: the stone of silence might be part of that massive structure, and that structure might be the gate or the "seal" itself. That lonely "figure" is the watchers. The entire system is slowly failing, and the erosion is intensifying. What is the "final protocol"? Some kind of last-resort defense mechanism? A self-destruct program? Or a signal to summon reinforcements? And what does "the watchers status pending confirmation" mean? Is that "figure" still "there"? Or has it neared dissipation, and the system is just still asking according to established procedure?

Excellence tries to piece together more details about the Silent Corridor from these fragmented pieces of information, but its specific location and how to enter remain as blurry as if separated by a thick fog. It is just that the "tendency" on the existential level is becoming clearer during the voyage. Although the direction still cannot be described with three-dimensional coordinates, he can feel that they are approaching "somewhere." And as they approach, the stone of silence placed in the containment canister in the corner of the lounge occasionally emits an extremely faint "pulse" that only he can vaguely perceive through the power of Order—as if a sleeping heart is slowly reviving after a long hibernation.

The White Elder's condition is recovering well. His existence, composed of ancient wood and psionic energy, seems to adapt well to this kind of interstellar voyage. His wooden carving is placed on a specially made stand in the lounge, surrounded by a weak life energy field maintenance device. He does not participate much in specific affairs, spending most of his time meditating or "observing" the vast, mysterious, and occasionally magnificent or eerie universe outside the window through the sensors of the ranger.

Sometimes, he communicates with Excellence. This communication is not through sound, but a kind of gentle mental Resonance, taking place directly on the level of consciousness.

At this moment, they are looking through the massive curved porthole of the lounge at a magnificent nebula stretching for several light-years. The nebula is like a blue rose blooming in the universe, with a cluster of hot young stars at its center, their light dyeing the surrounding gas and dust in dreamlike colors. And at the edge of the nebula, dark dust belts twine like lace, and further away lies the endless, dark void.

"Kid, the universe is vast, and there is nothing it does not contain." The White Elder's mental fluctuation carries a leisurely tone, spreading slowly like the growth rings of an ancient tree. "Yet all things have their birth and death, and they have their own laws. This 'law', be it called Heavenly Dao, or rules, or... Order. Your power of Order is not a tree without roots, nor a source without water. Its root may share the same origin as this underlying 'law' of the universe."

Excellence withdraws his gaze from the nebula and turns to the silent wooden carving. "Are you saying my power... is related to the fundamental laws of the universe?"

"Exactly." The White Elder's thoughts reveal approval. "The stone of silence, the watchers, and even what lies beyond the gate that you have seen, likely also fall within the scope of this 'law', whether as its guardians, its loopholes, or its... opposite."

"Opposite?" Excellence is lost in thought. He recalls the twisted, chaotic, and all-consuming power of the Heart-Devouring Demon.

"The chaotic erosion of the Heart-Devouring Demon is the manifestation of its 'opposite'. Yet, where there is positive, there must be negative; Yin and Yang are born together. Order and chaos may perhaps also be two sides of the same coin, interdependent and mutually transforming." The White Elder speaks slowly, each thought carrying the weight of accumulated time. "That 'gate' may perhaps be the key Node of this 'law'. Guard it, and the 'law' persists, and all things are orderly; open it, and... it is hard to predict. Chaos may pour in, Order may collapse, or perhaps... a new balance may be reached, but that balance may not be a state that living beings can endure."

"So, the stone of silence wants us to go to the Silent Corridor—could it be to 'repair' that gate, or... reinforce the power of the watchers?" Excellence asks.

"Perhaps. But it is also possible that beyond that 'gate' lies the key to resolving the Heart-Devouring Demon, or even the opportunity to end this 'erosion'." The White Elder says, "Everything is possible. But we are currently like blind men feeling out a path, and we can only proceed with caution, step by step. Remember, do not be deceived by the 'hope' of that stone, nor be intimidated by the 'terror' of the unknown. Hold fast to your original intent, distinguish right from wrong, and that is the righteous path."

Excellence nods, keeping these words in his heart. He looks out the porthole, where the light of the nebula stretches into long light-streaks as the ship travels at high speed. "Hold fast to original intent..." he repeats softly.

"Your 'Order' stems from your instinctive pursuit of 'correctness', 'reasonableness', and 'balance'." The White Elder's thoughts become even gentler, like an elder's instruction. "Do not forget this original intent. External power can be borrowed, but must not be relied upon. Especially... that stone."

Excellence understands that he is referring to the stone of silence. That stone is both a clue and a danger; both a tool and potentially a trap.

The voyage enters its third week. They have completed two long-distance jumps and are passing through a relatively "prosperous" star region. There are several young star systems here, possessing primitive ecological planets that have not yet developed intelligent life, as well as a few faint, abandoned hyperspace trail remnants that might have been left by ancient civilizations.

According to the plan, they will make a short stop here to replenish fresh water and collect some rare minerals to repair the subtle damage to the ship's hull left over from the previous battle with the eye of suffering, which the ship cannot repair automatically.

The target is a moon covered in ice. It orbits a massive gas giant, which, under the light of a distant star, presents beautiful yellowish-brown stripes and swirling storms. The moon itself is desolate and dead, with surface temperatures below minus 150 degrees, but beneath the ice layer, there may be pure water resources and some associated rare metal minerals.

The ranger approaches slowly, like a silver bird nearing a frozen lake. The ship's main engines are shut down, relying only on attitude thrusters to fine-tune its orbit and angle.

"Initiate surface scanning. Deploy exploration drones. The ship will hover in low orbit; shields at base power, weapon systems on standby." Evelyn directs methodically, her voice sounding calmly through the bridge's speakers. Although this star region looks peaceful, the universe is never short of surprises—meteorites, hidden gravity traps, interstellar radiation storms, or... something worse.

The exploration drones file out from the hatch in the ship's belly, six in total, each like an intricate metal insect, flashing navigation lights. They descend lightly, passing through the thin satellite atmosphere consisting mainly of nitrogen and methane, and land toward the frozen surface. When the landing gear touches the ice, it kicks up tiny ice crystals.

Everything seems to be going smoothly. Data transmitted back by the drones shows that the water quality under the ice is pure and contains trace amounts of rare metal elements such as palladium and rhodium. Excellence and Stardust are in the lounge, watching the drone operation footage on the main screen. The ice field, under the moon's dim starlight, presents a desolate and pure beauty; the cracks on the ice surface extend like the wrinkles of the earth toward the dark horizon in the distance.

"Sample collection progress 82%. Recovery expected to begin in three minutes." Evelyn reports.

Stardust stands before the screen with her arms crossed, her brow slightly furrowed. "This region... is too quiet."

"Ice moons are usually like this." Excellence says, but he does not leave the screen either. A certain instinctive alertness tingles at the back of his neck.

"It's not the environment that's quiet." Stardust shakes her head, the cold light of the screen reflecting in her gray eyes, "It's the data. Background radiation readings, micro-gravity fluctuations, spatial curvature... everything is too 'standard', so standard it's like a textbook example. But in the natural universe, there are very few such perfect 'standard' regions."

Excellence's heart stirs. Stardust's sensitivity to data far exceeds that of ordinary people; her intuition is often based on facts.

Just as he is about to speak to have Evelyn strengthen the scanning—

"Warning!"

Evelyn's alarm sounds suddenly, not through the speakers, but exploding directly in all the crew's neural interfaces and throughout the ship simultaneously! The peace is torn apart in an instant!

"Abnormal spatial fluctuation detected! Bearing, D-7 region, distance 3,000 kilometers! Fluctuation characteristics... matching database... matching failed! Energy readings rising sharply! An object is exiting hyperspace!"

On the main screen, the previously calm starry background in the D-7 area, marked by Evelyn with a red circle, rippled violently, as if the space were water stirred by invisible giant hands!

This was not the orderly spatial folding of a standard starship jump, but a more distorted, more unstable fluctuation with a sense of tearing!

Dark purple arcs of energy, carrying an ominous aura, leaped and spread along the edges of the torn space, like a wound oozing blood!

"Is it the pursuers of the 'Heart-Devouring Demon'?!" Excellence sprang from his seat instantly. His energy pistol had already automatically ejected from the thigh holster and was now in his hand, his knuckles white from the force of his grip.

Stardust also immediately entered combat mode. Her special rifle appeared in her hands instantly, and the energy conduits on the weapon lit up with a faint blue glow, while golden data streams began to flow rapidly through her eyes as she started to analyze the battlefield information.

"No..." Evelyn's voice remained calm, but her speech was extremely fast. "The energy signature has significant differences from the 'eye of suffering', but... the spectral homology is as high as 87%! It belongs to different expressions of the same power spectrum! Target form... is generating... quantity... one! Size... massive! Estimated length exceeds eight hundred meters!"

The range of the spatial tear grew larger and larger, as if the cosmic curtain had been forcibly ripped open to reveal a hideous wound. Finally, a twisted, indescribable behemoth "squeezed" out from the void!

It was not the relatively "regular" giant eye form like the 'eye of suffering', but rather a nauseating aggregate, constantly writhing and deforming, composed of dark purple semi-energy and semi-matter!

It had no fixed form, appearing as a heap of living, viscous nightmare material that constantly reorganized itself. At times it looked like a tangled, rolling mass of tentacles, each covered in suckers and barbs; at times it looked like a giant mouth filled with layers of sharp teeth that could expand infinitely, surging with corrosive purple-black saliva; and at other times it looked like a beating giant heart, its surface covered in thick blood vessels and tumor-like protrusions, with every "pulse" releasing distorted energy impulses!

Viscous, purple-black liquid, which seemed to possess an independent consciousness, flowed over its surface and dripped constantly, corroding subtle, short-lived spatial ripples in the void, like venom dripping onto water.

But the most unsettling thing was the mental screeching that acted directly on the consciousness level—a mental shock that was sharper, more chaotic, and filled with greed, hunger, and a twisted sense of excitement. Like invisible spikes, it instantly pierced the shields and hull of the "ranger" and plunged directly into everyone's minds!

"Ugh!" Excellence groaned, his brain throbbing with sharp pain as if countless fine needles were piercing his nerves simultaneously. Black spots flickered at the edge of his vision. He gritted his teeth, and the power of "Order" instinctively formed a defense on the surface of his consciousness, a silver shimmer flashing deep within his pupils.

Stardust's body also stiffened imperceptibly for a moment, but the data streams in her eyes accelerated frantically, forcibly parsing the pattern of this mental shock and establishing a filtering barrier. Fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead.

The wooden carving of the "White Elder" erupted with a soft green light. The light was not intense but exceptionally resilient, forming a thin mental barrier that enveloped Excellence and Stardust, insulating them from most of the mental pollution. The low hum of ancient wood echoed deep within their consciousness, soothing their restless minds.

"Target confirmed as a derivative of the 'Heart-Devouring Demon', provisional codename: 'Greedy Aggregate'. Threat level: High. Possesses high-intensity mental pollution, spatial corrosion, and physical consumption capabilities. Behavioral pattern analysis: Its energy expression exhibits extreme instability and adaptability. It is speculated to be a tracker or specialized hunting unit sent by the 'Heart-Devouring Demon' consciousness collective after the 'eye of suffering' was destroyed!" Evelyn's voice carried unprecedented gravity, and every word struck the tense air. "Its spatial exit point is too close to us! It has locked onto our ship's energy signature through unknown means!"

"Recall all drones! Disengage at full speed! Initiate the emergency jump procedure, set coordinates to a random safe area!" Excellence ordered decisively, his voice somewhat hoarse from the mental shock. To go head-to-head with such a monster, clearly born for hunting, while completely unprepared, was tantamount to suicide.

"Forced drone recall in progress! Emergency jump initiated, hyperspace engine preheating, requires thirty seconds to charge!" Evelyn executed the command immediately. At the rear of the ship, the ring structure of the jump engine began to light up with blue radiance as energy accumulated within it.

However, the monster known as the "Greedy Aggregate" clearly did not intend to give them time to escape!

On its constantly changing, writhing body, dozens of giant mouths of varying sizes, filled with spiral sharp teeth, suddenly opened simultaneously. In each mouth, a light sphere filled with destructive dark purple energy condensed! Inside the light spheres, black lightning darted, emitting a heart-stopping fluctuation. At the same time, countless purple-black energy tentacles, like a swarm of dancing poisonous snakes, shot out from all parts of its body, hurtling towards the "ranger"! The speed of the tentacles was astonishing, leaving trails of afterimages in the void!

"Shields at full power! Maximum evasive maneuvers! All weapon systems, free fire, intercept tentacles and energy projectiles!" Excellence stared fixedly at the tactical screen, where the red outline representing the enemy was approaching frantically, and the threat markers for the tentacles and energy projectiles covered almost half the screen.

The "ranger"'s engines let out a sharp roar, vector thrusters fully engaged, and the ship, like a violently whipped spinning top, performed a drastic evasive maneuver that almost defied physical intuition in the starry sky—a lateral roll combined with a rapid descent, followed immediately by an anti-clockwise spiral ascent. The hull groaned under the immense G-force, and even with the internal gravity stabilizers running at full capacity, Excellence and Stardust still felt a wave of nausea.

At the same time, the twin heavy particle cannons at the bow spat out blinding white light, while the broadside pulse laser array and close-in defense railguns wove a dense net of fire. Energy beams and ultra-high-speed metal projectiles intertwined into a barrage of destruction, shooting towards the incoming tentacles and those dark purple energy light spheres!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" The fire of explosions bloomed continuously in the cold void! Most of the energy light spheres were blown up in mid-air, exploding into spreading clouds of dark purple energy that corroded everything in their path. A few that slipped through the net still struck the "ranger"'s shields, bursting into large globs of viscous energy plasma. The alarm for the shield generator overload sounded, and the shield energy reading dropped rapidly, visible to the naked eye!

Those energy tentacles were extremely difficult to deal with! They were not purely physical entities but existed between energy and matter, possessing a certain degree of phase-shifting capability, allowing them to distort and penetrate part of the shield defenses to attack the hull directly! Although most were intercepted by the close-in defense guns and lasers, broken and shattered in the air, a few still slipped through, lashing out like whips against the outer shell on the left side of the ship!

"Bang! Sizzle—!" A mixed, deafening sound of metal tearing and energy corrosion arrived! The ship vibrated violently! A long gash was torn into the outer armor plate in the A-3 area on the left side, and the purple-black corrosive energy adhered to the wound, sizzling and constantly eroding inward. The sensor array in the B-7 area was completely destroyed, bursting into a shower of sparks.

"Shield energy remaining at 68%! The A-3 and B-7 areas on the left side of the hull are severely damaged, airtightness has decreased, and they have been automatically isolated! Fifteen seconds remaining for emergency jump charging!" Evelyn's voice remained steady, but her extremely fast speech rate exposed the urgency of the situation.

"Hold on!" Excellence's palms were soaked with cold sweat, and adrenaline surged through his veins. The attack intensity, speed, and eerie nature of this monster far exceeded the previous "Corrosion Caller", and it was even more difficult and lethal than the attack method of the "eye of suffering", which relied on its massive body and mental suppression! It seemed to have no fixed core, its attack points were extremely dispersed, and its recovery ability was perverted; the severed tentacles could almost instantly wriggle and regenerate from the stumps!

"Its attack pattern!" Stardust suddenly spoke, her voice cold and clear, like a scalpel slicing through the veil of chaos, "There is a regular change! Every 3.7 seconds, it performs a primary attack mode switch—tentacle entanglement, energy projectile barrage, spatial interference fluctuation, mental screech—there is an energy fluctuation interval of about 0.3 seconds during the switch! During this interval, its overall energy output drops by 17%, and its defensive force field experiences a brief disorder!"

In her gray eyes, data streams poured down like a waterfall. Clearly, in the extremely short time just now, she had captured and analyzed the monster's massive amount of attack data, finding that fleeting flaw amidst the chaos!

"Now!" Stardust's fingers swiped rapidly in the void, synchronizing the analysis results and tactical suggestions to the bridge master control and Excellence's neural interface. "Main cannon charging, aim at the intersection of its third and fourth major energy Nodes on the upper right, coordinates marked! That is the hub of energy circulation in its current form, and also a weak point! Secondary cannon fire to cover the dense tentacle regeneration area on its lower left, disrupting its recovery cycle! Evelyn, in three seconds, execute 'Alpha-7' emergency evasive maneuver, maneuver trajectory sent!"

"Received!" Evelyn did not hesitate at all and immediately operated according to Stardust's instructions. The artificial intelligence and the cyborg's thinking reached perfect synchronization in an instant.

"Main cannon charging! Secondary cannon locked! Alpha-7 maneuver, three, two, one, execute!"

The "ranger"'s engines suddenly fired in reverse, while the broadside thrusters exploded with maximum thrust. The ship performed a violent lateral roll combined with reverse propulsion, passing almost parallel to a thick, dark purple energy torrent that grazed past! The high-temperature plasma at the edge of the energy torrent licked the shields, stirring up blinding ripples.

At the same time, the bow main cannon finished charging, and a searing white light, too bright to look at directly, condensed at the muzzle!

"Fire!"

A blinding, thick energy beam with spiral patterns tore through the void and shot precisely at the energy Node intersection pointed out by Stardust! Where the beam passed, even space was slightly distorted.

The broadside secondary cannons also opened fire simultaneously. A dense barrage of pulse lasers and explosive shells, like a metal storm, covered the area at the roots of the tentacles on one side of the monster's body where they were rapidly writhing and regenerating, interrupting their regeneration process and triggering a chain reaction of energy collapse.

"Screech—!!!" The monster let out an unprecedented, sharp mental screech mixed with intense pain and fury, one that almost tore the soul apart! The main cannon's energy beam struck the seemingly inconspicuous Node hard, instantly triggering a catastrophic chain reaction!

A large area of the monster's body fluctuated, rolled, and boiled violently, as if viscous asphalt had been thrown onto a red-hot branding iron! Dark purple energy darted wildly within it, losing control, as energies of different natures clashed and annihilated each other, causing a series of small-scale explosions! Purple-black plasma and shattered energy tissues sprayed out from the wound! The regeneration speed of the tentacle roots covered by the secondary cannon fire suddenly plummeted, and the newly formed tissues became withered and deformed.

"It's effective!" Excellence felt a boost in spirit and clenched his fists.

"Emergency jump charging complete! Hyperspace window is generating!" Evelyn reported, her voice carrying a hint of urgency.

"Jump immediately!" Excellence yelled.

The "ranger"'s main thrusters and jump engine erupted simultaneously with the most dazzling azure light. The hull shuddered slightly and began to accelerate towards the jump window ahead, which had just stabilized and was flickering with a deep blue glow!

However, at this life-or-death moment, the "Greedy Aggregate" seemed to be completely enraged and fell into a frenzy!

Its injured but still massive body suddenly shrank inward, compressing to half its original size. Its density increased sharply, emitting an extremely dangerous aura. Then, like a volcano suppressed to the limit, it suddenly expanded and erupted outward!

Countless purple-black tentacles, thicker, more solid, and with eerie energy runes appearing on their surfaces, shot out frantically from all over its body like the tentacles of a violent deep-sea monster. Instantly, they wove into a giant net that blocked out the sky, sealing off all spatial escape routes around the "ranger"! At the same time, a spatial confinement force field, powerful enough to be suffocating, erupted from it as the center!

This force field was invisible and intangible, yet more terrifying than physical shackles. It was not a simple gravitational field or energy restraint, but acted directly on the local spatial structure itself, making it "viscous" and "solidified," attempting to "lock" the ship firmly in place, just like an insect trapped in pine resin!

"Alarm! High-intensity spatial interference force field detected! The jump window is being interfered with, stability is dropping sharply! Forced jumping has a 73% probability of causing structural overload and disintegration of the ship!" Evelyn's warning sounded like a death knell.

Excellence's heart sank. He looked at the jump window on the screen, which was getting closer but starting to flicker unsteadily, and then looked at the fast-closing net of death tentacles outside. Cold sweat soaked his back.

What to do? What other means were there?

His gaze swept across the rest area—landing on that special container placed in the corner, which had been sitting there quietly all along, containing the "stone of silence"!

A crazy idea flashed through his mind.

He remembered the "White Elder"'s previous speculation, and the eerie property this stone had shown of absorbing and "silencing" all energy! He remembered how it made psionic energy dissipate, made sounds vanish, and even calmed emotions. Since it could "silence" these, what about this confinement force field acting on the spatial structure? Could it also be "silenced"?!

Gamble on it! There was no other choice!

"Stardust! Give me the canister!" Excellence roared, his voice hoarse with urgency. "Evelyn, release all external locking clamps on the canister! Open a tiny, directional gap on the ranger's port shield, just large enough for energy to pass through, aimed at the core of the monster's force field! But you must absolutely ensure the canister itself isn't sucked out!"

Stardust understood his intention instantly. Without a moment's hesitation, her figure flickered, crossing several meters like a ghost, grabbing the heavy black containment canister with one hand, and steadily tossing it toward Excellence with the other! The canister traced an arc in the low-gravity environment.

Excellence caught the canister firmly, the cold touch sending a jolt through his spirit. Evelyn immediately executed the Order; the mechanical arm released the locking clamps, and at the same time, the ranger's port shield fluctuated slightly in a specific area, opening a palm-sized temporary passage.

Excellence gripped the cold containment canister tightly with both hands, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and poured his own power of "Order" into the canister at maximum power, without reservation, like a sluice gate opening!

He wasn't trying to trigger the active effect of the "stone of silence"—that could lead to uncontrollable consequences. He was merely using his own energy as the strongest "stimulus" and "primer" to "activate" its inherent passive property of devouring and silencing all energy around it! Since it could "silence" psionic energy, sound waves, and emotions, could this spatial confinement force field also be regarded by it as "chaotic energy" that needed to be "silenced"?!

The power of "Order" surged into the containment canister like a silver tidal wave. The runes on the canister's surface glowed faintly, and a low, ancient "humming" came from within. The "stone of silence" inside seemed to "vibrate"—not with excitement, but more like a "reaction" of being forcibly "disturbed" and pulled out of deep slumber, carrying displeasure and indifference.

But immediately after, that absolute, all-devouring "silence" force field erupted outward from the containment canister!

This time, it did not diffuse aimlessly inside the ship but was guided by Excellence's mental power through the energy passage Evelyn had opened, releasing a directional, invisible "silence ripple" that swept everything away, surging toward the core area where the "Greedy Aggregate" was releasing its spatial confinement force field!

Silent and soundless.

No light, no explosion, no shockwave.

But the effect was immediate and chillingly eerie!

The viscous spatial confinement force field that had acted like an invisible shackle, tightly binding the "ranger," instantly dissolved and disintegrated the moment it was swept by the "silence ripple," like ice under the sun! It wasn't canceled out or countered by stronger energy, but rather, the "information" or "rules" that constituted the phenomenon of "spatial confinement" itself were forcibly "erased" and "silenced" by a higher-level power! Even the spatial structure in that area returned to a normal "fluidity"!

Even the purple-black energy tentacles extending from the "Greedy Aggregate," where they were touched by the ripple, instantly lost all luster and vitality, becoming gray, transparent, and then vanishing into thin air like pencil marks erased by a high-grade eraser! The broken ends were incredibly smooth, with no energy dissipation, as if they had never existed!

The monster seemed... stunned.

In its constantly changing, greedy, and crazed chaotic consciousness, for the first time, a trace of obvious astonishment, confusion, and even... an instinctive wariness appeared. It clearly could not understand why its foolproof spatial power, containing the inherent corrosive characteristics of the "Heart-Devouring Demon," had been "eliminated" in such a completely incomprehensible and irresistible way? What power was that? That stone...

"Now! Jump at full power!" Excellence roared, simultaneously cutting off the energy infusion. He staggered as if drained, almost falling to his knees. Forcibly triggering the passive property of the "stone of silence" consumed even more mental energy and power of "Order" than he had imagined; his soul felt as if a piece had been hollowed out. Stardust quickly stepped forward to support him.

The "ranger" gave a fierce jerk, completely breaking free from the shackles of spatial confinement. The light from the rear jump engines surged to the limit, and like an arrow leaving the string, it instantly rushed into the restabilized jump window, disappearing into the shimmering, deep blue light.

"ROAR—!!!!"

Behind them, only the sharp screech of the "Greedy Aggregate," filled with endless rage, unwillingness, frustration, and a trace of... undisguised, even more intense and twisted greed and desire, echoed in the void for a long time, even piercing through the not-yet-closed spatial ripples and pursuing them for a short distance.

Its twisted body writhed violently, and the tentacles erased by the "silence" force field slowly regenerated, but the speed was noticeably slower, and the newly grown parts appeared pale and weak. It "watched" the direction where the "ranger" had vanished—a direction that was not merely a three-dimensional coordinate, but contained a certain profound "imprint" it could track—and on its constantly changing body, countless eyes (or similar sensory organs) opened simultaneously, flashing with an even eerier and more stubborn light.

Then, it slowly "merged" back into the not-yet-calmed spatial ripples like a melting wax figure and disappeared. But the mental imprint it left behind, like the scent of blood, still faintly lingered in this star sector.

"Jump complete. We have entered the preset random hyperspace lane. Contact temporarily broken. No signs of direct tracking detected." Evelyn's voice sounded, carrying a slight fluctuation of relief. The warning lights inside the ship extinguished one by one, leaving only soft conventional lighting.

"Hoo... hoo..." Excellence collapsed into his seat, panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his face pale. The energy output and mental pressure of that moment had almost squeezed him dry. A wave of empty, aching pain came from the depths of his soul. Stardust silently handed over a high-concentration energy supplement and a neural relaxant. Excellence took them, injecting both into the injection port on the side of his neck with trembling hands, only then feeling the dizzying weakness recede slightly and his cold limbs gradually warm up.

"That thing..." Excellence's voice was still hoarse, lingering fear evident, "is even more troublesome than the 'eye of suffering'... more... eerie." He recalled that ubiquitous mental pollution, its varied attack methods, and especially the final spatial confinement force field. If he hadn't had a flash of inspiration to use the stone to break it, they would already be cosmic dust.

"Its method of using energy shows extreme diversity and adaptability," Stardust analyzed, the data streams in her eyes gradually subsiding, but her brow remained tightly furrowed, "and it possesses near-infinite regenerative capacity and learning/evolution potential. Judging from its behavior patterns and energy characteristics, it is not a regional overlord or a brooding mother like the 'eye of suffering,' but a 'hound' specifically created or summoned by the 'Heart-Devouring Demon' collective consciousness—a specialized individual used to track and hunt specific high-value targets." Her gaze fell on the containment canister Excellence had placed on the table, its surface runes now dimmed. "And it... its reaction to the 'stone of silence'... is very special. It's not just hatred and hostility, but a stronger, almost instinctive... desire. It wants this stone. Very much."

"Furthermore, it can track us, appearing precisely when we stop." The "White Elder's" voice sounded slowly, with its usual calmness, but now tinged with a hint of gravity, "Even though we have moved far away from the 'Resonance Star' and performed multiple long-distance jumps, and have hidden our energy traces as much as possible. Its tracking method is likely not ordinary spatial scanning or energy tracking. It may be related to some essential 'mark' placed by the 'Heart-Devouring Demon' on its 'prey'—especially those who have come into contact with its core power or specific key items. Or..."

The ancient wood's consciousness paused, becoming deeper: "Or it may be related to some unique 'fluctuation' or 'echo' that this stone itself emits in its passive state, which we cannot perceive but the 'Heart-Devouring Demon' can clearly capture."

The atmosphere grew heavy again, more piercing than the ice of an ice moon. The brief sense of relief from escaping danger vanished completely. Not only did they have the ultimate goal of the "Silent Corridor," filled with unknown mysteries, ahead of them, but they also had a persistent, eerily capable, highly resilient, and clearly covetous pursuer behind them who was determined to have the "stone of silence." This road to the gate of silence was suddenly filled with thorns and lurking vipers.

Excellence braced himself on the chair armrests, trying to sit up straight. Fatigue still clung to him, but the captain's responsibility forced him to focus. "Evelyn, fully inspect the ship's damage, activate all repair units, and prioritize repairing structural damage and the power system. Adjust all subsequent navigation plans, adding multiple random jump Nodes, circuitous paths, and decoy signal deployments to interfere with and delay any possible tracking as much as possible. At the same time, set all passive sensors to maximum sensitivity, especially for monitoring abnormal spatial fluctuations, the energy characteristic spectrum of the 'Heart-Devouring Demon,' and any form of mental pollution signals. Report any trace immediately."

"Command confirmed." Evelyn's voice was as steady as ever. "Damage assessment complete: Hull structural damage is 7%, external repair arm work is required for the left A-3 area; shield generator overloaded, requires cooling and recalibration; main engine is fine, jump engine has slight energy backflow, has been isolated for inspection. Full repairs are expected to take sixty-eight to seventy-two standard hours. New route is being planned, adding seven random jump points and three course pseudo-changes... Calculation complete, total travel time for the new route will be extended by approximately 22%."

Excellence nodded, his gaze again involuntarily drawn to the black containment canister. The canister stood quietly on the table, its surface a matte black, reflecting nothing, as if it could absorb all sight. The stone inside remained silent, as if the thrilling scene where they escaped thanks to it had nothing to do with it.

But Excellence could feel it, or rather, his remaining keen Perception of the power of "Order" told him: after he forcibly triggered it and released that directional "silence ripple," the slowly changing, faint starlight points at the core of the stone seemed... a tiny bit more active than before. The speed of their circulation had increased imperceptibly, and the rhythm of the light's brightness and dimness was slightly different.

Was it an illusion? A sensory error after intense exhaustion? Or did using it—even if only passively triggered—really accelerate some kind of "process"? Awaken something? Or... send some kind of "signal" to somewhere?

"It seems our time is even more pressing." Excellence murmured, his voice sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet lounge. He turned his head and looked out the porthole at the rapidly passing hyperspace light and shadows, stretched into countless colorful lines. Those lights and shadows twisted and changed, as if symbolizing the unknown and unpredictable future. "We must find the 'Silent Corridor' and figure out the truth behind all this before the 'Greedy Aggregate'—or whatever else the 'Heart-Devouring Demon' sends—catches up to us again and successfully blocks us. Figure out what this stone really is, what is behind that door, and what we... should do."

Stardust stood silently by his side, also looking out the window, her gray eyes as deep as an ancient well. "The data model needs adjustment. The erasure efficiency and range of the 'silence' force field's interference effect on space need to be re-evaluated. Also, we must find a way to shield or interfere with the 'tracking mark' that may exist on us."

The "White Elder's" wooden carving emitted a constant, soft green light, like a faint but firm campfire in the dark. "The road ahead is treacherous, with pursuers behind. But once the will is set, there is no need to hesitate. Make full preparations and be vigilant for every trace of anomaly. The laws of the universe may perhaps leave a glimmer of survival for those who persist."

The ship sped silently through the hyperspace channel, cutting through dimensions, rushing toward an unknown distance. But inside the cabin, a new, heavy shadow hung over everyone's heart. With the unknown gate of silence and the mystery of the ancient watchers ahead, and the greedy and eerie shadow of the hunter behind, their journey was destined to be anything but peaceful. And that stone, which remained silent, was still the center of all vortexes, the key to all mysteries, and possibly... the origin of all disasters.

It lay there quietly, waiting. Waiting to be taken to the place it wanted to go, or waiting for the arrival of some predetermined "final moment."

Excellence withdrew his gaze, took a deep breath, and began to check the recovery of his power of "Order." Regardless, they had to keep moving forward. Because stopping might mean an eternal end. And the answer might only be found at the end of the road, in that absolute silence.