80: The aftermath of the war and the awakening of emotions

The intense offensive and defensive battle, which lasted for nearly an hour and could be called the fiercest clash between elite special operations forces and technological weapons of this century, far exceeded any external imagination in terms of intensity and technological sophistication. It ultimately came to a temporary halt with the forced retreat of the elite assault troops of the Prophet Foundation.

When the last 'Phantom' assault craft, bearing The Foundation emblem and covered in charred bullet holes and energy burn marks, dragged an unstable exhaust trail and disappeared in a sorry state at the extreme range of the base's long-range anti-aircraft missiles, the area inside and outside the 'Zhulong' base was in shambles. The air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder, ozone, and the strange odor of leaking special coolant.

The base's outermost defensive fortifications were damaged in many places. The camouflaging vegetation and surface structures were overturned, revealing the reinforced alloy armor underneath, which was covered in deep laser-ablated pits and dents from electromagnetic projectile impacts.

Some of the automatic sentry turrets were completely destroyed, turned into twisted scrap metal; others were still stubbornly rotating on their damaged bases, emitting a creaking friction sound. The pungent smell of overloaded and burnt energy barrier generators wafted from the ventilation ducts.

At the entrance of the underground infiltration tunnel, the battle was at its most brutal. Charred craters, congealed blood, fragments of broken exoskeleton armor, and wreckage of energy weapons were scattered everywhere, silently telling the cruelty of the battle that had just taken place.

Fortunately, thanks to the unconscious contribution of Excellence at the critical moment, which was like divine inspiration, the base's core R&D area, command hub, and the shelter where personnel were gathered were all preserved, keeping casualties and damage to key facilities within an acceptable range.

But everyone knew that this was only a brutal tactical victory. The location of the base, the configuration of some defensive systems, and certain technological features displayed had undoubtedly been completely exposed to the vision of the Prophet Foundation.

The confrontation that had long been conducted in the shadows was, from this moment on, forced into the open, and future conflicts would inevitably be more direct and intense.

Several hours after the battle, the atmosphere inside the base remained tense. Damage control teams in protective suits were nervously extinguishing remaining fires, repairing critical lines, and cleaning up traces of the battlefield. Medical personnel were busy shuttling, sending the wounded into the reinforced medical rooms. Technicians were working at full capacity to repair damaged servers and network Nodes, restoring communications and monitoring.

In the central command hall located in the deepest part of the base, which had been additionally reinforced, a post-war summary meeting was being held in an atmosphere so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Attendees included Wang Jianguo, heads of various combat departments, the chief scientist, the medical director, and Evelyn Li, who was still shaken but had been required to attend.

On the huge circular main screen, real-time recording footage of the battle and various loss assessment data still remained; the cold numbers and shocking images silently stated the crisis they had just experienced.

Wang Jianguo stood up first, his gaze sweeping over the faces of every colleague present, who looked tired but had firm eyes. His voice was steady and powerful, carrying unquestionable authority: "First, on behalf of the organization, I express the highest respect and most sincere gratitude to all the commanders, technical personnel, and logistics support staff who participated in this defensive battle!"

"Especially the comrades of the Fortress security forces; you withstood the enemy's frontal assault under extreme disadvantage, paying with blood and sacrifice. Colleagues in the technical department, you turned the tide in the network battlefield and energy crisis, ensuring the core systems did not collapse. Without your heroic fighting and selfless dedication, we would not be able to sit here today. Your merits will be remembered."

After the brief commendation and tribute, the atmosphere of the meeting did not ease much. Everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to one side of the main screen—where a preliminary organized and annotated, dazzlingly complex calculation draft was being displayed in real-time. That was precisely the 'divine inspiration' masterpiece that Excellence, in an unconscious state, had frantically outputted on an electronic sketchpad in the shelter room, turning the tide.

The base's chief scientist, a gray-haired and highly respected academician, took a deep breath and pushed up his glasses with slightly trembling hands. His voice sounded somewhat hoarse from excitement and disbelief: "After our preliminary and extremely rushed analysis... the series of algorithms, equations, and solutions provided by Comrade Excellence... their sophistication, forward-looking nature, and... the insight they contain... which transcends the era, have completely... totally exceeded any technological cognitive system we currently have, or even any publicly available globally!"

He pointed to several complex structures highlighted on the screen: "Please look here... this non-linear feedback control model used for dynamically stabilizing the Golden Bell Shield energy barrier actually cleverly utilizes the resonant characteristics of the enemy's attack energy itself, converting it into a stable energy supplement for the barrier! This is simply an... artistic application of the laws of energy conservation and transformation!"

His finger moved to another cluster of symbols that looked like a heavenly book: "And this! This set of countermeasures coding against The Foundation's special spectrum electromagnetic attacks... its core logic is not simple shielding or confrontation, but the construction of a... a 'dynamic semantic labyrinth' based on quantum information theory, causing the opponent's attack program to fall into a logical paradox and self-destruct! We have only seen vague shadows of this kind of thinking in the most cutting-edge theoretical physics hypotheses!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his face flushing red: "The most shocking part is this! Regarding how to guide and tame the violent anomalous energy field of the 'magpie bridge' prototype, and convert it into a non-lethal directional interference weapon targeting specific biological nervous systems... the cross-application of biological field theory, macroscopic quantum effects, and neuro-electrophysiology involved here... this is simply... it has created a brand new academic field! It is miraculous! It cannot be fully explained by existing scientific frameworks! This is not calculation at all; it is more like... a 'revelation' from the future!"

The command hall was silent, with only the old scientist's excited voice echoing. Everyone was deeply shocked by these analysis results that surpassed understanding, their eyes focusing once again on the calculation draft on the screen that seemed to contain endless treasures, their eyes filled with awe, fanaticism, and a trace of indescribable... fear.

However, this excitement was soon diluted by the heavy reality. The head of the medical department, a stern-looking female expert, took over the conversation, her voice low and full of worry: "However, we must face an extremely severe reality. Comrade Excellence himself, after completing this incredible 'output', immediately fell into a state of extremely deep coma. Our latest brain scans show that his brainwave activity is extremely weak, the frequency has dropped to a level close to that of a hibernating animal, and some higher cognitive functional areas have even shown a state of temporary 'silence'. This is by no means normal physiological sleep; it is more like a... complete, near-collapse self-protective shock after the brain has been running at overload."

She called up Excellence's real-time physiological monitoring data, and the almost flat EEG curve made everyone's heart tighten. "Forcibly accessing those deep... massive amounts of forbidden knowledge that have clearly not yet been integrated with his current fragile consciousness has caused immeasurable huge burden and damage to his brain. It is like using a thin wire to forcibly carry the energy of a thunderstorm. Can he wake up? When can he wake up? After waking up, how much of his cognitive functions, memory, and personality... will remain? Will it leave permanent, serious sequelae? All of this... is a huge unknown. The road to his recovery will be extremely long and difficult."

The fanatical atmosphere that had just risen in the command center was instantly extinguished by this bucket of cold water, becoming heavy and oppressive once again.

Wang Jianguo was silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously and rhythmically tapping on the table, making a light 'tut-tut' sound, as if weighing an incredibly heavy choice. After a long while, he raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a hawk, sweeping across the room. His voice was not loud, but it carried unquestionable decisiveness: "Concentrate all the base's resources, use all possible means, contact the best neuroscientists and rehabilitation medical experts in the country, and establish the top medical team! Spare no cost to make him recover! Comrade Excellence is not just one person now; he is our... and even the country's most important, irreplaceable strategic asset for meeting future challenges, breaking technological monopolies, and guarding national security! His value concerns the fate of the nation!"

He paused, his tone becoming even more serious: "At the same time, establish the 'Morning Star' special research group with the highest confidentiality level, and I will personally serve as the team leader. Draw the top experts from all fields to fully research, crack, verify, and practice this... incomparably precious 'treasure trove of knowledge' left by Comrade Excellence. But it must be absolutely confidential! The security level is raised to 'Pangu' level! All research results, without the highest authorization, are strictly prohibited from any form of leakage or dissemination! We want to draw strength from it, but we must avoid repeating the mistakes of The Foundation; we must never let it become a new 'pandora box'."

His gaze turned to the side, landing on Evelyn Li, who was pale and still had a fixed bandage on her arm. Her eyes were complex, filled with the trance of having survived a disaster, shame for her father's actions, and deep concern for Excellence's current situation.

"Miss Evelyn," Wang Jianguo's tone softened a little, but it still carried a sense of scrutiny, "This time, the base was able to survive, and the early warning and key intelligence you provided played a crucial role. You made the right choice and also showed great courage. On behalf of the organization, I officially welcome you to join us. From today on, you will be under our strictest protection. At the same time, we also hope that you can use your knowledge and your experience within The Foundation to participate in some of the research of the 'Zhulong' project, especially in the analysis and countermeasure work against The Foundation's technological system. I hope you can truly use your wisdom and abilities for the cause of justice and light, and make up for the mistakes committed by your father and The Foundation."

Evelyn stood up, frowning slightly due to the pain in her arm. She bowed deeply to Wang Jianguo and everyone present. When she raised her head, her eyes were filled with tears. Her voice was choked with emotion, yet exceptionally clear and firm: "Thank you, Director Wang. Thank you all for being willing to trust me. I... I feel immense shame and pain for what my father and The Foundation have done. I will do everything in my power, using everything I know, to help you all stop their crazy plan... This is the only thing I can do... to seek redemption."

She knew that from this moment on, she had severed all ties with her past, stepping onto a path filled with danger that she had to walk, a path of no return.

After the meeting, Wang Jianguo kept Xiao Zhang and the heads of several core departments behind.

"Morpheus Li has suffered heavy losses this time and has lost all face. Given his personality, he will never let this rest." Wang Jianguo's gaze was icy, as if it could freeze the air. "Next, he might take even crazier, more extreme retaliatory actions, or he might go into hiding for a while to lick his wounds, look for our new weaknesses, and wait for a more fatal blow. We must make full preparations. The base's security alert level will be maintained at the highest level long-term, all external communication channels will be strictly vetted, and anti-infiltration work must be further strengthened."

He tapped his finger on the "Morning Star" project logo on the screen: "At the same time, based on the technology provided by Excellence, the 'magpie bridge' quantum communication project and related energy field control and biological effect research must accelerate their R&D and practical application speed! This is our only hope for future resistance, or even counteracting that 'pandora' technology of The Foundation, and it is the key to us achieving an asymmetric advantage!"

"Additionally," he added, his gaze becoming deep, "strengthen the protection of Su Mu and Evelyn, as well as... necessary observation. There seems to be some special connection or Resonance between Su Mu and Excellence that we don't yet understand, which is capable of stimulating his latent abilities; this requires in-depth research. And Evelyn... she is of great value, and her knowledge and intelligence are crucial to us, but she comes from the opposing camp after all, so she needs time to be tempered and to prove her loyalty and reliability. We must give trust, but also maintain necessary vigilance."

On the other side, outside the highest-level medical isolation room, Su Mu and Evelyn stood separated by thick bulletproof glass, silently watching Excellence lying on the hospital bed, unconscious. His face was pale as paper, and he was connected to various complex life-support and monitoring instruments. The curves and numbers pulsing on the screens were weak yet steady, yet they made him feel incredibly fragile.

Both of them were silent, their moods heavy and complex; the air was permeated with sadness and worry.

Su Mu suddenly spoke softly, her voice hoarse, as if she were speaking to Evelyn beside her, yet more like she was muttering to herself, pouring out the emotions in her heart: "Before... when we were in school... I always thought he was a strange, headache-inducing genius... his head was always filled with things I couldn't understand... he was always causing trouble... his experiments were a mess... he needed someone to watch him every moment, for fear that something would happen to him... I felt so tired taking care of him..."

She paused, her eyes slightly reddening, her voice carrying a trace of a sob: "But now... looking at him lying here... motionless... I... I really hope he can get better immediately... even if it's like before... continuing to tinker with those unreliable 'hand-crafted' gadgets... even if he makes the ward a mess again... even if he continues to say those incomprehensible, messy, weird things to me... as long as he can wake up..."

Evelyn lowered her head, tears sliding silently down her cheeks and dripping onto the cold floor, her voice filled with guilt: "... I'm sorry... Su Mu... I'm really sorry... all of this... is because of my father... because of The Foundation's greed and madness... that dragged him... that dragged everyone into such a disaster..."

"It's not entirely your fault, nor is it entirely your father's fault." Su Mu shook her head, her gaze still not leaving Excellence on the other side of the glass, her eyes holding a complex emotion, "Perhaps... this is his fate... from the moment he touched those things he shouldn't have touched... perhaps it was destined. It's just... the price... is really too heavy... too heavy..."

The subtle sense of competition and estrangement between the two, stemming from Excellence, seemed at this moment to be diluted by their shared worry, sadness, and a sense of helplessness, replaced by a fragile yet real connection of mutual sympathy. They were both drawn into this huge, dangerous vortex because of this seemingly ordinary yet absolutely extraordinary young man, and because of his current slumber, they stood before the same heavy window.

A few days later, under the all-out treatment and care of the base's top medical team, who spared no cost, Excellence's vital signs gradually stabilized, and various physiological indicators slowly returned to the safe range, but he still showed no signs of waking up, as if he were sleeping in another distant world. His brainwave monitoring showed that his activity pattern presented a peculiar, slow, yet exceptionally orderly rhythm, as if in deep hibernation, he was undergoing some extremely complex self-repair and... subconscious level information integration and reconstruction? This pattern exceeded the records in existing medical data, leaving the experts both confused and holding a glimmer of hope.

Su Mu put aside almost everything else, spending long hours every day guarding the outer room of the medical isolation ward, accompanying Excellence through the glass. Sometimes she would bring some cute-packaged snacks he used to like to eat (although she knew he couldn't eat them at all), just placing them on the windowsill; sometimes she would find some of the latest tech magazines and preprint papers, reading them aloud to him, hoping those familiar terms could act like a key to awaken his sleeping consciousness; more often, she would just sit there quietly, separated by the glass, holding her own cold hands, as if that could transmit some strength and warmth to him, whispering words of encouragement that only she could hear.

Evelyn would also come regularly, bringing many of the latest cutting-edge research materials on nerve repair and consciousness disorder treatment that she had decrypted from The Foundation's internal database, carefully discussing and analyzing them with the medical team, trying to find more effective treatment plans. The way she looked at Excellence became increasingly complex, filled with deep guilt, an indescribable gratitude, and a trace of quietly growing concern that even she herself hadn't noticed.

One late night, everything was silent, with only the rhythmic ticking of medical instruments echoing softly in the corridor. After keeping watch for many consecutive days, Su Mu finally fell asleep unwittingly at the table in the observation room due to extreme exhaustion.

In a daze, she seemed to fall into a shallow and uneasy dream. Right on the edge of being half-asleep and half-awake, she seemed to feel... Excellence's hand—the one without the IV drip, resting outside the quilt—its fingers moved... ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly?

She gave a violent start, instantly waking up from her dream, her heart pounding wildly, almost leaping out of her chest! She immediately raised her head, nervously rushing to the glass, her eyes fixed intently on the ECG monitor screen inside the ward and Excellence's face, holding her breath, afraid of missing any tiny change.

However, several minutes passed... the curves and numbers on the monitor representing vital signs were still pulsing steadily, without any abnormality. Excellence was still lying quietly, eyes closed, breathing evenly, as if that moment just now was merely a hallucination caused by her excessive fatigue and anxiety.

A huge sense of loss and helplessness instantly gripped Su Mu. She sighed disappointedly, rubbed her sore eyes, and prepared to return to the chair to continue waiting for the dawn.

Just at the moment she turned around, a whisper, extremely weak and drifting like a wisp of silk in the wind, almost completely drowned out by the background noise of the medical instruments, seemed to pierce through the thick glass, drifting into her ears, extremely blurry and intermittent:

"... Class Monitor... code... has... bug... recursion... overflow... stack..."

The voice was weak to the extreme, the articulation blurry, yet it carried a strange, unique persistence and urgency that belonged to Excellence when he was focused on technical problems!

Su Mu's body instantly stiffened! Her whole person was like being struck by a weak electric current! She turned back abruptly, almost pressing her entire face against the cold glass, her heart pounding wildly, her ears pricked to the limit, holding her breath, capturing every possible sound with all her might.

"Excellence? Excellence! Are you awake? Can you hear me?" She lowered her voice, calling out urgently into the microphone.

But inside the ward, Excellence had fallen back into silence, as if that blurry mumble just now had exhausted all his strength, just an accidental, unconscious surge in the deep sea of his consciousness.

However, at this moment, Su Mu's tears uncontrollably and torrentially burst from her eyes! She tightly covered her mouth to keep from crying out, but her shoulders trembled violently due to excitement and relief. Crying and laughing, her emotions were complex and indescribable.

She looked through the glass at that pale face still in slumber, tears blurring her vision, her voice choked with sobs, yet filled with unprecedented hope and tenderness: "You idiot... even at a time like this... you're still thinking about code when you wake up... thinking about finding bugs... hurry up and get better... as long as you wake up... I... I'll help you debug... I'll help you find as many bugs as you need..."

Although Excellence had not truly awakened, this subtle, subconscious mumble, carrying his unique style and obsession, was like the first extremely faint ray of dawn peeking from below the horizon after a long polar night. Although faint, it truly signaled that beneath the ice, that precious "seed" had not perished; his powerful vitality and unfathomable consciousness were struggling tenaciously deep in the dark soil, seeking a path to break through the ground. The light of hope finally, in this near-desperate wait, quietly appeared.