287: Dust mites infiltrate and silently wait.

Qianlong's mission this time was much like an assassin scattering caltrops at the entrance of a behemoth's lair; it required absolute patience and precision.

It no longer approached the "Anvil" core, but instead circled the periphery of that death zone, like a ghost, weaving through the gaps in the "Swarm" patrol routes and the edges of energy flows.

The "dispenser" designed by Senior Brother Li was like an intricate interstellar watering can, capable of automatically adjusting the release angle and initial velocity of the "Dust Mites" based on the environment, allowing them to blend more naturally into the dust streams drifting toward the "Beehive."

Five batches of "Dust Mites" were deployed, each choosing different "energy wind directions" and debris crevices, increasing the diversity of the infiltration paths.

The first batch followed a weak energy flow carrying metal fragments blowing from the northwest of the "Anvil."

The second batch utilized the turbulence generated by a slowly rotating giant armor plate to fling the "Dust Mites" into the deeper shadows.

The third batch was the riskiest, approaching a debris canyon with fewer "Swarm" patrols, using the unstable heat currents surging from the canyon floor to "blow" the "Dust Mites" upward.

...

With every deployment, "Qianlong" maintained extreme silence and stealth, moving immediately after deployment and never staying in the same area for more than ten breaths.

Inside the bridge, the atmosphere was so heavy it could be wrung out; there was only the slight hum of instruments and the suppressed breathing of the crew.

Xiao Wu gripped the node connected to "Qianlong's" consciousness tightly, constantly conveying thoughts of comfort and encouragement, as if cheering on a partner dancing on the tip of a knife.

Wang Wu stared fixedly at the feedback from the "Thousand Eyes" network and "Qianlong's" own sensors, monitoring the movements of the surrounding "Swarm," ready to sound the alarm at any moment.

Fortunately, perhaps because the previous "logic bomb" incident had focused the "Swarm's" attention to the northeast, or perhaps because the camouflage and deployment method of the "Dust Mites" were sufficiently stealthy, the entire "sowing" process went without a hitch.

When the last "Dust Mite" disappeared into a dark crevice leading toward the "Beehive," "Qianlong" immediately turned around, evacuated the dangerous airspace at the fastest safe speed, and returned to the embrace of the "starlight gauze curtain."

Returning to the base, the group's suspended hearts finally eased a little, but a new, longer torment began—waiting.

Of the five hundred "Dust Mites," how many could successfully infiltrate near the "Beehive"? And how many would remain fully functional after crossing layers of debris and energy turbulence? How long could they lie in wait? When would they activate?

The wake-up signal transmitter was ready, just waiting for the best opportunity.

This timing required combining the activity cycle of the "Bee Queen," the defensive state of the "Swarm," and even a little bit of luck.

In the days of waiting, the atmosphere in the base became somewhat subtle.

On one hand, everyone was full of anticipation for the "Dust Mite Operation," as if they could already see the spectacular scene of electric sparks flashing and command paralyzed inside the "Beehive."

On the other hand, it was inevitable to be anxious, worrying about the plan failing, worrying about alerting the enemy and inviting more violent retaliation.

Zhao Iron Pillar took his combat team and checked and reinforced the base inside and out several times, even adjusting the patrol routes of the "little bean sprouts" to be denser, calling it "preventing trouble before it happens."

Mu Wanqing worked overtime to refine a large amount of healing and recovery Medicinal Pill, and even stocked up several warehouses of "nutritional agents" for "Flowing Silver," causing the "heart module" to send out puzzled fluctuations asking, "Are we going on a long trip?"

The technical team was not idle either, repeatedly optimizing the encryption and directional transmission scheme of the wake-up signal to ensure that the signal could penetrate the interference of the "Anvil," precisely cover the "Beehive" area, and at the same time not be easily intercepted or cracked by the "Swarm."

They also simulated various possible unexpected situations and formulated a dozen emergency plans.

Wen Youyi spent most of his time in the main control room, staring at the real-time data sent back by the "Thousand Eyes" network, observing the movements of the "Swarm," analyzing the subtle changes in the "Bee Queen's" instructions, trying to capture that fleeting opportunity for battle.

He discovered that the intensity of the "Bee Queen's" instructions seemed to have periodic fluctuations, with a relatively "low" period approximately every thirty-six hours (base time), where the instruction transmission frequency decreased and the content became more patterned.

This might be it performing some kind of "System self-check" or "energy rebalancing."

"Perhaps, the best time to activate the 'Dust Mites' is not when it is most active, but when it is relatively 'sluggish' and its reaction to external changes might be slower?" Wen Youyi pondered, "Moreover, it is best to choose the node right after one of its 'strong instruction surges' ends, when the System might be in a brief state of 'relaxation'."

He discussed this idea with everyone.

Senior Brother Li thought it made sense: "Just like a person who has just finished losing their temper, there will always be a bit of fatigue and distraction. Machines might also have similar gaps of 'state switching'."

Therefore, the timing of the operation was tentatively set for about two hours after the start of the next observed "Bee Queen" instruction low period.

In the last few days of waiting, time seemed to be stretched out.

Even the most lively "little bean sprouts" in the base seemed to feel the tension in the air; playing and fighting became less frequent, and they spent more time gathered next to "Qianlong" and the "heart module," quietly radiating fluctuations of "support."

Finally, the scheduled moment was about to arrive.

Inside the main control room, all core members were gathered.

The wake-up signal transmission array had been warmed up, and the key was floating on the side, emitting a stable silver radiance, which would provide energy and guidance for this ultra-long-range, high-precision signal transmission.

Wen Youyi stood in front of the main control console, his eyes sweeping over the nervous and expectant faces of everyone, finally landing on the dark red coordinate marked as "Beehive" on the light screen.

"Everyone, the 'Dust Mites' are in position. They are very small, very fragile, but at this moment, they carry our hope for a counterattack." Wen Youyi's voice was steady and powerful, "We don't know how many can successfully activate, nor do we know how much damage they can cause. But this is the first substantive attack we have actively launched against the shadows left by the 'Reapers'."

"We cannot predict the result, but we can choose courage and wisdom. Remember, regardless of success or failure, we have already proven that we are not just prey that can only run away passively. We can think, we can plan, we can fight."

He took a deep breath, his fingers hovering above the final start button.

"Now, let us wake up those sleeping 'dust,' and send a 'greeting' from the 'Spark' to that cold 'Beehive'."

"Three, two, one... Launch!"

Hum—!

An invisible, multi-encrypted and modulated wake-up signal, with the blessing of the key, was like a precise arrow of thought, crossing tens of thousands of miles of the Void Realm, ignoring the energy interference and debris blocking the way, shooting toward the depths of the "Anvil," to that silent and dangerous geometric megastructure.

The signal was sent, and next, it was waiting again.

But this wait was full of explosive suspense.

Everyone's heart flew with that signal into the depths of the steel ruins.

(End of this chapter)