314: Chapter 315 Whispers of the Ruins, Undercurrents of Fury

A cold, viscous silence, like the final gasp of some dying creature, enveloped this patch of void. The shattered husk of the wanderer drifted soundlessly into the depths of darkness, like the abandoned corpse of a cosmic whale. Its energy flames had been extinguished, leaving only a faint, dissipating field of weak radiation, akin to the dying warmth of embers, hinting that some not-yet-fully "dead" systems or informational structures might still linger within. That purplish-black, pustule-like energy of chaotic corruption crept sluggishly and dimly across its hull, seeming to lose vitality along with the decline of its host.

In the distance, the void concealing the coordinate point had returned to a dead stillness, as if the heart-stopping spectacle moments before had never occurred. The wave source's micro-assault unit had also vanished without a trace, like ink dissolving into darkness. Only the nerves stretched to near-breaking point aboard the ranger, and the cold readings on the screens, recorded everything that had just transpired.

Excellence's gaze, like the most precise probe, swept back and forth between the wanderer's wreckage, the hidden coordinate point, and the potential lurking zone of the wave source's assault unit. Every second of waiting increased the risk of valuable information within the wanderer's wreckage being annihilated, and also chipped away at the patience of the lurking hunter.

"S-001, based on the wanderer's energy annihilation curve prediction, how long can the physical integrity of its core data storage area be expected to last?" Excellence's voice was pressed extremely low, as if afraid of disturbing something in the darkness. He unconsciously rubbed the armrest of the command chair, his fingertips registering the faint coolness of the wood grain—a habitual gesture when he was tense.

"Based on the energy decay rate and the chaotic corruption erosion model, the physical structure of its core data storage area—if not completely destroyed in the explosion—is projected to reach the irreversible collapse threshold within fifteen to twenty-two standard minutes. After that, even if data remnants exist, they will become unreadable due to the complete disintegration of the underlying physical medium." S-001's voice was steady as ever, yet it made the already frozen air on the bridge feel several degrees colder.

Less than half an hour.

"The wave source assault unit's estimated monitoring range and reaction threshold?" Excellence continued, a barely perceptible rasp in his voice.

"Analysis based on the energy signature, concealment level, and attack pattern displayed during its assault on the wanderer indicates its passive monitoring range likely covers a spherical region centered on the wanderer wreckage, with a radius of approximately 0.03 standard light-years. It is extremely sensitive to energy disturbances within this area; any energy activity exceeding three standard deviations above the 'natural background noise' may trigger its alert or attack. Its capability for direct detection on higher-dimensional informational levels is unknown, but basic defensive mechanisms are presumed to exist." S-001's report was like a cold scalpel, precisely dissecting the dangerous truth.

A radius of 0.03 light-years, less than three trillion kilometers. This range precisely enveloped the wanderer wreckage and a small surrounding area. Approaching the wanderer for physical contact or high-energy scanning without alerting it was nearly impossible.

"What about our designed 'space debris collision simulation disturber'?" Excellence looked at Evelyn, his voice carrying a gambler's desperation.

Evelyn called up a complex energy field simulation diagram, her fingertips lightly tapping the console as if playing a silent melody. "The device is ready. Principle: Release a set of meticulously calculated, extremely low-power, composite energy ripples whose frequency spectrum closely mimics the 'microscopic quantum fluctuation annihilation afterglow' naturally existing within the silence substrate. During propagation, these ripples will undergo extremely weak, naturally probabilistic 'interference' and 'scattering' with the irregular structures on the wanderer wreckage's surface, generating a series of seemingly random secondary informational disturbances. These can be received and parsed by a passive Quantum Entanglement information capture net we have pre-positioned along their path."

She paused, her gaze firm. "Simply put, we don't directly probe the wanderer. Instead, we create an extremely faint, 'natural' energy 'breeze' that blows past the wanderer wreckage. The almost imperceptible 'changes' produced by the interaction of this 'breeze' with the wreckage will be captured by our pre-deployed 'net,' which is also disguised as natural background. By analyzing these 'changes,' we can indirectly deduce certain physical and energy characteristics of the wreckage's surface and shallow structure. With luck, we might even capture fragments of the final, disordered data stream leaking from its not-yet-fully-collapsed interior."

"Like using the lightest feather to brush the skin of a dying person, sensing the subtle changes in their pulse and body temperature through the feather's tremors?" Stardust summarized, a flicker of admiration in her eyes as data streams cascaded like waterfalls within her gray irises. "A very ingenious idea. But the key is, that 'breeze' must be so natural that even the wave source's top-tier detectors cannot distinguish it from background noise. And our 'net' must be concealed enough to arouse no suspicion."

"Theoretical models indicate a success probability of approximately 37%, with a 12% probability of the wave source unit detecting anomalies but being unable to pinpoint the source, and a 3% probability of direct identification triggering an attack." S-001 delivered the cold numbers, each percentage hanging over everyone like a suspended blade.

Less than a forty percent chance of success, yet a fifteen percent chance of being discovered. This was undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble.

"But this is the only method we've conceived that allows contact with the wanderer's final information without directly exposing ourselves," came Mute's mental transmission, carrying a nearly tragic resolve. "Moreover, we need to know why the wanderer fled here, what its connection to that coordinate point truly is. This may relate to our ability to understand the wave source's purpose, even... find clues for self-preservation or counterattack."

Excellence remained silent, his gaze sweeping over the three key areas on the screen once more. Time ticked away, second by second. The floating wreckage was like a treasure chest of secrets counting down, and also like a potential bomb waiting to detonate.

"Senior White Elder," he finally addressed the ancient wooden carving, his voice carrying an unprecedented gravity. "Are you confident that, if necessary, you can interfere with the potential higher-dimensional detection of that wave source unit, or buy us that critical 0.1-second reaction time?"

White Elder's mental transmission was warm and firm, like an ancient tree rooted in the earth. "This old one can, at the moment you activate the device, cast a layer of 'flower in the mirror, moon on the water' illusionary barrier within this void. On the higher-dimensional Perception level, it will temporarily reflect your 'breeze' and 'net' as a chance 'echo' of the natural energy eddies there. However, this barrier's duration is extremely brief, and if the opponent possesses a more advanced Delusion Break insight, there remains a risk of exposure. A 0.1-second warning might be achievable."

With White Elder's assurance, the success probability might increase slightly. But the risk still remained.

Excellence closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Within his consciousness, the sharp edge of Order flowed quietly, merging with the conviction of Responsibility. He seemed to feel the rapidly dissipating remnants of the wanderer's final consciousness within the wreckage—a mix of pain, fear, confusion, and... a faint yet persistent sense of unwillingness. He recalled the similarly resolute self-destruction before the messenger wreckage, and the wanderer's hesitant confusion in the void.

"Execute," he opened his eyes, his voice decisive as a blade cleaving chaos.

"Command confirmed. 'Breeze' generator preheating. 'Information capture net' deployment sequence initiated. Countdown: ten, nine..." Evelyn's voice was steady, but on the console, the indicator lights for fine energy flow control lit up in a dangerous shade of dark red.

"Senior White Elder, prepare," Excellence said gravely.

On the wooden carving, the flowing green aura paused slightly, then became more restrained and profound, as if gathering strength like an ancient tree in the calm before a storm.

"Three, two, one... activate."

There was no light, no sound.

But on the extremely sensitive energy field simulation diagram constructed by S-001, one could see that within a preset, irregularly shaped patch of void between the ranger and the wanderer wreckage, the underlying quantum fluctuations of space seemed to have been "plucked" ever so gently and rhythmically by an invisible hand. A burst of energy "ripples," so weak that even the most precise conventional detectors would ignore them, with an extremely complex frequency spectrum, spread out at near-instantaneous speed, gently brushing past the cold, shattered, pollution-scarred hull of the wanderer.

Wherever the "ripples" passed, they interacted countless times, randomly and weakly, with the wanderer's irregular surface metal, exposed energy conduits, residual chaotic corruption energy, and the micro-energy Nodes within that had not yet completely ceased functioning, teetering on the edge of collapse. Each interaction was like dropping a nanoscale grain of sand onto still water, stirring up almost invisible, unique "secondary ripples" containing local physical and energy information about the interaction point.

Simultaneously, further out along the "ripples'" propagation path, an invisible "net" composed of countless atom-sized entities in a special quantum entangled state, disguised as naturally occurring "virtual particle pairs" within the silence background radiation, quietly unfurled. It faithfully recorded the subtle characteristics of every "secondary ripple" that passed through its "Nodes."

The entire process occurred on a picosecond (trillionth of a second) timescale. The total energy disturbance generated was even less than one billionth of that from the tiniest natural energy turbulence in the silence void.

The "breeze" passed. The "net" quietly contracted, transmitting the captured, massive, seemingly completely random "noise" data back to the ranger's data core instantly via the superluminal action of Quantum Entanglement.

"Data reception complete. 'Breeze' generator self-destructed and annihilated, no residue. 'Information capture net' quantum state collapsed, traces naturally dissipated." Evelyn reported swiftly, her voice tinged with relief yet also a post-crisis tremor. She lightly wiped the fine sweat from her temple, her knuckles whitening slightly from gripping the console.

"wave source unit status?" Excellence asked immediately, his heart pounding like a drum.

"Monitoring... No significant alert or attack posture detected. Its concealment field is stable, energy signature unchanged. Preliminary assessment: not detected." S-001 delivered the somewhat reassuring result, but the air on the bridge remained taut.

"Senior White Elder?" Excellence looked at the wooden carving.

"The illusionary barrier has dispersed. The external malevolence remains unmoved." White Elder's mental transmission came, carrying a faint weariness; clearly, the "flower in the mirror, moon on the water" technique had taken its toll.

Step one had succeeded. They had conducted an "invisible" probe without alerting the lurking hunter.

"Commence data analysis immediately!" Excellence ordered, his voice edged with a near-feverish urgency. The real challenge began now. Extracting useful information about the wanderer from that massive, almost entirely noise-ridden data was like searching for a specific grain of colored sand in the Sahara Desert.

The ranger's data core hummed lowly like an overloaded engine. Stardust, Evelyn, and S-001—the three "brains"—operated at full capacity, collaborating in computation, beginning the highly efficient filtering, cleansing, comparison, and reconstruction of the terrifyingly vast, chaotic data stream saturated with natural and corruption noise.

Time passed slowly in the suffocating atmosphere of computation and waiting.

One minute. Five minutes. Ten minutes.

The energy readings from the wanderer wreckage dimmed further. That layer of purplish-black chaotic corruption also seemed to lose its final luster, becoming like dried scabs.

Just as Excellence felt the fifteen-minute safety window was about to expire, anxiety beginning to gnaw at him—

"Non-random signal fragment detected!" Stardust's voice suddenly rang out, carrying a suppressed excitement. Data streams cascaded like waterfalls in her gray eyes as her fingers moved swiftly through the air, projecting a set of initially processed, still chaotic but showing some semblance of pattern waveform graphs onto the main screen.

"Located at the intersection of data stream Theta-7 and Kappa-3 frequency bands, we captured an 'echo' lasting approximately 0.0003 seconds, exhibiting distinct logical structure and remnants of encrypted information! This echo's characteristics show an 8% weak correlation with the underlying informational entropy signature of the Silent Corridor's universal emergency log storage protocol (old version) recorded in the ranger's database! Preliminary judgment: it is a fragment from the final batch of disordered data streams leaked by the wanderer's core data storage area before physical collapse, not yet completely overwritten by chaotic corruption!"

Found it! Even if it was just a fragment, even if the correlation was only eight percent, it meant their plan had worked! They had captured a useful sound from the wanderer's death whisper!

[part:mistral-large]

"Attempt decryption! Match any known keys or protocols!" Excellence urged, his voice trembling with tension.

"Decrypting... Attempting with partial fragmented keys extracted from the 'Ghost Communication' signal... Match failed. Attempting with partial rule codes reverse-deduced from the energy characteristics of the wave source 'Order Definition Beam'... Partial match! Successfully stripped the first layer of basic logic encryption!" S-001 quickly reported the progress.

On the screen, the chaotic waveform began to shed layers of its "shell", gradually revealing an internal data structure that was more orderly but also more fragmented, filled with garbled code and logical voids.

"Information severely damaged, estimated completeness less than 0.01%," Evelyn analyzed in sync, "Attempting logic completion and semantic reconstruction... Progress is slow."

"Can any meaningful words, images, or concepts be extracted?" Excellence pressed, feeling his throat dry, as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing on his chest.

"Attempting... Extracted several repeated, fragmented concept code clusters," Stardust stared at the screen, speaking rapidly, her fingers quickly tapping in the air to mark key information, "Including: 'instruction-receive-cannot verify-confusion', 'coordinates-attraction-unknown-danger', 'contamination-erosion-pain-resistance', 'same type-signal-weak-help', 'hidden-location-identification-pass', 'attack-betrayal-Order-beam', 'last-hope-green light-refusal'..."

These fragmented concepts, like scattered puzzle pieces, rapidly combined and deduced in Excellence's mind.

"'instruction-receive-cannot verify-confusion'—it refers to receiving a forged 'Purge Protocol' instruction but being unable to verify its authenticity, feeling confused." He muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table, the rhythm becoming faster and faster.

"'coordinates-attraction-unknown-danger'—the coordinates (wave source) in the forged instruction attracted it, but it also instinctively felt unknown and dangerous."

"'contamination-erosion-pain-resistance'—upon approaching or reaching the coordinate area, it was contaminated and eroded by chaos, felt pain, and resisted."

"'same type-signal-weak-help'—in the midst of contamination and pain, it might have sensed a weak signal from other 'same type' (latent units) or sent out a distress signal itself."

"'hidden-location-identification-pass'—it identified this hidden coordinate point (the one before our eyes) and some identification mechanism (possibly a 'key' or specific protocol) allowed it to 'pass' the outer screening, seeing the internal structure."

"'attack-betrayal-Order-beam'—it was attacked, the attack coming from what it considered the 'Order' side (wave source) 'beam', which it viewed as 'betrayal'."

"'last-hope-green light-refusal'—in the final moment, it sent a distress signal (last hope) to the internal coordinate point, saw the 'green light' (response from inside the coordinate point), but was ultimately 'refused'."

A clear, tragedy-laden chain of clues gradually emerged.

"It, like us, received forged instructions, was attracted, then contaminated, and attacked," Stardust summarized, her voice low as if whispering, a complex emotion flashing in her gray eyes, "But it seemed to discover this hidden coordinate point earlier than us and tried to use it as a last refuge or rescue object. However, the 'owner' of the coordinate point (the one who sent the green light) chose to abandon it in the end because of its contamination and the pursuit it brought."

"That green light..." Excellence looked at the coordinate point void that had returned to darkness, his voice calm, "is both an identification signal and a refusal signal. The 'owner' of the coordinate point recognized the 'wanderer' as a fellow (or at least a unit within the system) but did not offer help. This is cold, but... perhaps also a necessary self-preservation."

Just then, S-001's voice sounded again, with a hint of new discovery, like a glimmer of light in the darkness: "In the decrypted fragments, a relatively coherent, suspected last self-recorded information packet residue with a higher encryption level from the 'wanderer' was found. Attempting to decrypt using the 'key' characteristic code extracted from the 'Messenger' wreckage signal..."

Using the 'Messenger's' 'key' characteristic code to decrypt the 'wanderer's' encryption? Excellence's mind stirred. Could there be some commonality in the 'keys' or permissions within their bodies?

"Decryption attempt... partial success! The outer protective layer of the information packet was stripped, obtaining a extremely short, incomplete text record!" S-001's voice held a rare tremor, as if shaken by this discovery.

On the screen, a sentence composed of distorted, fragmented ancient 'Silent Corridor' text appeared:

"...Verification failed... Instruction source... Permission conflict... Not the Arbitration Court... Disguise... Warning... Do not trust... Coordinates... Epsilon-3... Survivor... Caution... Scavenger... key... Resonance... Trap..."

The sentence abruptly ended, followed by large sections of garbled code and data voids.

But just these fragmented words were enough to cause a storm within the ranger!

"Verification failed... Instruction source... Permission conflict... Not the Arbitration Court... Disguise... Warning... Do not trust..."—This matched the ancient warning and their previous judgment completely! The forged instructions came from a disguiser not from the 'Arbitration Court' (Main System)!

"Coordinates... Epsilon-3... Survivor..."—Epsilon-3! That other 'Silent Corridor' unit that sent the delayed warning message! It was marked as a "survivor" by the 'wanderer'! This means Epsilon-3 is very likely still out there, and the 'wanderer' might have known of its existence, or even had (or tried to establish) contact!

"Caution... Scavenger..."—Scavenger! One of the vague codes that Mute's previous memory fragments mentioned, which he felt untrustworthy and cold! This is very likely a designation or code for the 'Traitor' forces, or the wave source's affiliated forces!

"key... Resonance... Trap..."—This directly points out the trap nature of the forged instructions and coordinates (wave source)! It is a trap set using the 'resonance' of the 'keys'!

"The 'wanderer'... it knows more than we do!" Mute's consciousness wave was filled with shock and a hint of excitement, "It has verified the instructions and knows they are disguised! It knows Epsilon-3 might be a survivor! It knows the term 'Scavenger'! It even clearly knows that it is a trap set using 'key resonance'! It... it is very likely a more awake, but unfortunately contaminated and pursued, 'latent unit'!"

"In the end, it fled here not just to seek help..." Stardust analyzed, her eyes flickering, her fingers tracing in the air as if outlining a clearer picture, "It might have also wanted to convey this information to the 'owner' of this hidden coordinate point! It recognized this place, thinking it might be a stronghold of 'our own', so it tried to come in and report! Unfortunately..."

Unfortunately, it was contaminated, brought pursuers, and was ultimately refused at the door, taking the secrets it knew to its death.

A complex emotion surged in everyone's hearts. It was admiration, pity, and a hint of understanding for the cold decision of the hidden coordinate point's 'owner', as well as... a deeper wariness and chill toward the 'Traitor' forces disguised as 'Order', known as the 'Scavenger'.

"The 'wanderer' used its death to confirm many of our guesses and gave us a new clue—Epsilon-3." Excellence said slowly, his gaze sharp as a knife, as if trying to pierce the fog in the void, "And it hints that this hidden coordinate point might also be related to the 'survivors' or forces resisting the 'Scavenger'. That 'green light' might be some kind of identification or response."

"Should we try to contact this coordinate point?" Evelyn Li asked, her voice holding a hint of barely noticeable hesitation, "Since it might be related to the 'survivors'?"

"The risk is too great." Stardust shook her head, a flash of caution in her gray eyes, "The 'wanderer' was contaminated and brought pursuers, so it was refused. Although we are not contaminated, the wave source units are still monitoring nearby. If we are exposed, we might also be seen as 'trouble bringers' and refused, or even trigger its defense mechanisms. Moreover, we cannot determine whether the inside of the coordinate point is friend or foe. The 'green light' might just be a response from an automated identification system."

"Exactly. We now have a clearer clue—Epsilon-3." Excellence said solemnly, his fingers lightly tapping the control panel, the rhythm slow but firm, "The 'wanderer' marked it as a 'survivor' and seemed to think it was worth warning and contacting. Compared to this hidden coordinate point full of unknowns and dangers, Epsilon-3, which has sent warning messages before, might be a relatively 'safe' (relatively speaking) contact target. At least, it has initiated warning messages before."

"But where are Epsilon-3's coordinates? We only have the delayed message it sent, not its coordinates." Mute asked, a hint of barely noticeable anxiety in his consciousness wave.

Excellence looked at Stardust and S-001: "From the 'Ghost Communication' signal path, from the 'wanderer's' information, combined with all the data we have, can we attempt to reverse deduce Epsilon-3's possible position, or potential methods to establish contact with it? Since it could send warning messages, it might also have the ability to receive messages. Especially if we use the characteristic codes related to the 'key' or 'survivor' extracted from the 'Messenger' and 'wanderer's' information..."

"We can try." Stardust immediately understood Excellence's meaning, data streams flowing rapidly in her gray eyes, "But it will take time, and the success rate cannot be guaranteed. Epsilon-3 is in a 'silent latency' state, its reception mechanism might be extremely hidden or demanding."

"Then let's start trying. This is our clearest direction now." Excellence decided, his voice holding an unquestionable decisiveness, "At the same time, continue monitoring this coordinate point and the wave source units. If there is any movement, report immediately."

"Understood." Everyone responded, their voices holding a hint of post-disaster fatigue, but also new hope.

The ranger entered a state of high-speed computation and tense monitoring again. A new clue, possibly leading to the 'survivors' and more truths, emerged silently in the dying whisper of the 'wanderer'.

And outside the hull, the wreckage of the 'wanderer' finally exhausted its last bit of energy, its faint field radiation completely extinguished, like a burnt-out bonfire, leaving only a cold, dark, slowly drifting mix of metal and contaminants into the depths of the universe. It was once the 'Messenger', then the 'wanderer', and finally, it became a silent footnote on this 'silent' battlefield, using its broken shell and residual information to light a faint beacon for later observers, pointing to the labyrinth of truth.

The darkness remained, but the undercurrents in the darkness, because of the appearance of this beacon, revealed a more complex yet clearer pulse.

The 'Scavenger', wave source, Epsilon-3 survivor, the 'green light' owner of the hidden coordinate point, the intangible 'reaper'... various forces, like giant beasts hidden in the deep sea, watched each other, schemed against each other.

And the ranger and its crew were like a small fish swimming through the shadows of these giant beasts, carefully collecting information, piecing together the picture, seeking that slim chance that might lead to safety and truth.

The storm was still gathering, the game far from over. But at least, they were no longer completely blind intruders.

They had heard The Whisper of the wreckage, seen the surging undercurrents.

Next, they would follow the direction guided by that whisper, to explore the heart-wrenching truth hidden behind the endless 'silence'.