267: "Self-cleaning" daily routine and the maiden voyage of "Hidden Dragon"

The results of the "Soul Filter" test served as a wake-up call for everyone, but instead of making them despondent, it sparked a peculiar kind of "competitive spirit"—competing to see who could "wash" themselves cleaner.

Wen Youyi incorporated regular "Self-Purification Meditation" into the base's daily routine.

At a fixed time every day, core members and volunteers from the backbone team would gather in the "Heart-Cleansing Hall," constructed from a "Flowing Silver" Star Pattern array guided by the key, to engage in deep meditation and self-reflection.

As for the process... the style gradually went off track.

At first, everyone was very serious, sitting cross-legged with brows slightly furrowed, trying hard to trace back their past to find "gray ripples."

The atmosphere was as solemn as a confessional.

But a few days later, Zhao Iron Pillar was the first to break the silence.

After finishing a round of meditation, he scratched his head and muttered in a muffled voice: "I just thought about how I used to fight someone for three days and nights without closing my eyes just to snatch a Sect mission, and I was so smug about it afterward. Now that I think about it, wasn't I just being used like a donkey by 'involution' and the 'Heart Demon of competitiveness'? I was stupid as anything!"

After saying this, he chuckled to himself.

His laughter immediately lightened the mood.

Wang Wu chimed in: "That's nothing. I used to squat outside a target's Immortal Cave for half a month, gnawing on dry rations just to get some information. I didn't waver through wind and rain, and I thought I was being really dedicated. Now that I think about it, isn't that just 'anxiety-driven' and 'excessive obsession'? Like a rock, not flexible at all."

Mu Wanqing also smiled: "When I practiced Alchemy, if there was even a trace of impurity in the medicinal power, I would feel as if I had a bone stuck in my throat, and I would even scrap the entire furnace. There is nothing wrong with pursuing perfection, but the irritation and anxiety born from it are exactly the opportunities the Heart Demon can exploit."

Everyone chimed in, as if holding a meeting to "roast their past selves."

Those qualities they once prided themselves on—"resilience," "diligence," and "pursuit of perfection"—revealed their other side, twisted and exploited by the System, under the "Soul Filter."

Speaking about it actually brought a sense of relief, as if shedding a burden.

Xiao Wu's sharing was the funniest: "When I teach Flowing Silver, if they can't learn a simple Star Pattern after a long time, I get so anxious I scratch my ears and cheeks, wishing I could pry open their 'brains' (if they have any) and stuff it in. Now that I think about it, isn't that just 'desire for control' and 'impatience'? Flowing Silver has its own learning rhythm, why was I in such a rush?"

Just as he finished speaking, a cluster of meritorious Flowing Silver that had come to "audit" the session extended a tentacle and patted his shoulder in a comforting manner, drawing a burst of good-natured laughter.

Wen Youyi also shared his discovery: "I am accustomed to planning everything and using the rules. This was an advantage in the Early Stage of the resistance. But relying too much on 'calculation' sometimes makes me ignore the power of intuition and emotion, becoming too cold. This may also be the residue of some kind of 'rationality-first' thinking inertia."

In this open, honest, and even self-deprecating atmosphere, "Self-Purification" was no longer a heavy burden, but rather a bridge for mutual understanding and increased rapport.

Everyone realized that everyone was living with the shadows of their past; no one was a Saint.

And this shared "imperfection" and the courage to face it together made the team's bond even stronger.

On the wall of the "Heart-Cleansing Hall," someone had carved a line of text using Star Patterns: "Know the filth to become pure, hand in hand we traverse the galaxy."

It became the new motto of the "Starfire" base.

Meanwhile, the construction and nurturing work of the "Hidden Dragon" pilot ship, after eliminating the hidden dangers in the Materials and stabilizing the personnel's mindset, entered the final sprint stage.

"Hidden Dragon," having experienced the "Marking Scare," seemed to have gained a blessing in disguise.

In the process of resisting the erosion, its ship spirit consciousness became more closely connected with the key and the Star Core Power, and its perception and control of its own state became increasingly refined and nuanced.

In Senior Brother Li's words: "This child seems to have grown up a lot all of a sudden; it's not as 'naughty' anymore, and it's more steady."

Now, "Hidden Dragon" could smoothly control all the basic functions of the ship's body: the energy circulation was stable and efficient, the propulsion "muscle fiber bundles" responded sensitively, the perception array could clearly capture subtle energy and material fluctuations inside and outside the base, and the stealth coating could automatically fine-tune according to the ambient light and energy background, with excellent results.

It even developed some unique "little habits."

For example, it especially liked to circle around the slowly growing "hope" keel, sending waves of "curiosity" and "anticipation," as if sizing up its future "big brother."

It also became good friends with the "heart module," frequently engaging in simple consciousness exchanges.

Although the content was nothing more than "Is your pulsation strong today?" or "Is the energy flow smooth on your end?"—conversations at a "kindergarten level"—watching the two silver-glittering creations "chatting across the air" always made people unable to help but smile.

Finally, with the efforts of all the base members working overtime (as well as "Hidden Dragon" actively participating in the debugging), the "Hidden Dragon" pilot ship was declared fully completed and passed all preset tests.

It was time for the first real short-range deep space flight test.

Target: A small metal planetary fragment in the debris area outside the base, relatively stable, about three thousand miles away, marked as "Observation Point Seven."

Mission: To verify "Hidden Dragon's" flight capability, stealth performance, detection accuracy in a real starry sky environment, and the ship spirit's adaptability and judgment in complex environments.

"Hidden Dragon" also seemed to sense that this voyage was unusual; the rhythm of the ship's light paths carried a distinct "excitement" and a little bit of "nervousness."

Its deep blue "dragon eye" blinked and blinked, constantly "looking" at Wen Youyi and the test team about to board the ship.

The maiden voyage test team was led by Wen Youyi himself, and the members included: Senior Brother Li, who was responsible for flight control and data recording; Senior Brother Zhang, who was responsible for ship status monitoring and emergency maintenance; Wang Wu, who was responsible for external detection and intelligence analysis; and... Xiao Wu, who insisted on going along to "see the world."

"I must go! I am 'Hidden Dragon's' primary communicator! It's going on a long trip for the first time, it needs a familiar 'nanny'!" Xiao Wu had a valid reason.

Zhao Iron Pillar stayed behind at the base, responsible for overall security.

Although he was a bit envious, he still patted his chest and promised: "Don't worry! I'll guard the home base! You guys take the 'child' out to play, stay safe!"

The boarding process went smoothly.

"Hidden Dragon's" hatch slid open silently like a living creature, and the walls of the inner corridor flowed with a soft silver light, as if in welcome.

The bridge was spacious and simple; the main controls were not complex instrument panels, but several key "Star Pattern induction nodes" directly connected to "Hidden Dragon's" consciousness.

When a person sat on them, they could communicate with "Hidden Dragon" through Mental Energy, issuing commands or obtaining information.

"It feels like sitting inside a huge and gentle living organism." Wang Wu touched the cold yet pulsating cabin wall, sighing with emotion.

"Hidden Dragon, are you ready?" Wen Youyi sat in the main seat, transmitting his thoughts through the induction node.

[Ready... ready!] "Hidden Dragon's" response was clear and powerful, carrying a sense of eagerness, [Target... Observation Point Seven... Let's go!]

There was no deafening roar, nor scorching tail flames.

The silver hull of "Hidden Dragon" lit up slightly, and the streamlined patterns on its surface seemed to come alive, beginning to fluctuate according to a certain rhythm.

The space around the ship's hull rippled extremely slightly, as if ink were dissolving into water.

The next moment, "Hidden Dragon" slid silently out of the dock and merged into the deep Starry Sky Debris background outside the base.

It was astonishingly fast, yet there was almost no energy leakage or spatial disturbance.

"Stealth coating fully activated, spatial curvature adaptation flight mode, energy fluctuation suppressed to below one percent... Perfect!" Senior Brother Li stared at the feedback data and whispered excitedly.

Outside the huge observation window in front of the bridge (which was actually a highly transparent living panel made of "Flowing Silver" and special crystals), the scenery flew by.

Broken starship wrecks, floating metal fragments, slowly drifting energy dust... all swept backward like a silent film.

"Hidden Dragon" was like a real silver dragon, nimbly weaving through the complex environment where the steel jungle and the Void Realm were intertwined, automatically avoiding obstacles and choosing the optimal path.

Its ship spirit consciousness operated at high speed, processing massive amounts of environmental information and constantly fine-tuning flight parameters.

Occasionally, when encountering particularly complex or energy-turbulent areas, it would send waves of inquiry: [Energy turbulence ahead... Suggest detouring to the left... Do you agree?]

"Detour approved." Wen Youyi authorized.

He could feel that "Hidden Dragon" was learning and accumulating experience rapidly.

The voyage was very smooth, and in less than half an hour, "Observation Point Seven"—a dark red metal fragment covered with impact craters and strange crystals—was already in sight.

However, just as "Hidden Dragon" was preparing to approach according to the plan and conduct a detailed scan, an unexpected change occurred!

"Hidden Dragon's" perception array and ship spirit consciousness sent a strong warning almost simultaneously!

[Abnormal energy accumulation detected! Not naturally formed! There is... a life response? ... Weak... but full of aggression!] "Hidden Dragon's" thoughts carried alarm and suspicion.

The observation window view quickly zoomed in and magnified.

On the shadowed side of the metal fragment facing away from the base, a mass of dark purple energy, thick like boiling asphalt and constantly twisting and changing, was attached to the surface of the fragment, slowly "devouring" the fragment's matter and energy.

Inside the energy mass, a few shadow-like tentacles could be vaguely seen squirming, emitting a cold, greedy aura that was completely out of place with this area of debris.

"What... is this thing?!" Wang Wu exclaimed.

Wen Youyi's face darkened.

This thing was definitely not a natural product of the Starry Sky Debris, nor was it unlike "Flowing Silver" or any known "Star People" creation.

The cold and greedy fluctuations it emitted made him vaguely feel a hint of familiar disgust.

Could it be... some kind of "Scavenger" left behind by the "Reapers"? Or a "Scout"?

"Hidden Dragon's" maiden voyage test seemed to have run into an unexpected "surprise."

(End of Chapter)