325: The Skywatchers and "Memory Disorder"

The starry sky after the Sea of Illusory Shadows dissipated was so clean it was somewhat disorienting.

There were no mirrors, no phantoms, only deep darkness and distant starlight—and that cyan starship floating silently ten thousand miles away.

Its entire body was covered in fine scales, glowing with a cold, hard metallic luster under the starlight, and the Sky Patrol emblem on the bow was clearly visible: seven stars surrounding an eye.

In the bridge of hope, the atmosphere was delicate.

Aila Xinghen stared at the reconnaissance ship, complex light flickering in her indigo eyes.

It was a ship from her home civilization, but at this moment, she didn't know if the visitors were friends or foes.

'The ship model is a 'Green-Eye-7' high-speed reconnaissance ship, with a standard three-person crew,' Aila quickly analyzed the data.

'There are no signs of weapon preheating, shields are at minimum power... it doesn't look like they intend to attack us.'

'It could also be a trap,' Old K's mechanical eye flashed with red light.

'Pretend to be weak, then attack once we let our guard down. I've seen this tactic many times in my sixty years in the star sea.'

Wen Youyi rubbed his temples.

The twenty-four-hour 'Absolute Memory' state of the memory essence had passed, and now the side effects were beginning to appear—his memory was like a chaotic stew; one moment he was thinking about the trial of the seven guardians just now, and the next he jumped to the embarrassing incident of wetting his bed at age three and getting beaten by his mom, with all sorts of messy images mixed in between.

'Boss, you don't look so good,' Zhao Iron Pillar noticed Wen Youyi's abnormality.

'Side effects of the memory essence,' Wen Youyi smiled bitterly.

'Senior Sister Mu said there would be memory confusion for twelve hours, and now I... I can't tell which memories are real and which are fake.'

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly turned and asked Senior Brother Zhang: 'By the way, I finished the 'Formation' basics book you lent me yesterday; when should I return it to you?'

Senior Brother Zhang was stunned: 'I... I never lent you any 'Formation' basics book. That's a book I read fifteen years ago; I don't even know where I lost it.'

Wen Youyi frowned: 'That's not right, I remember clearly, yesterday afternoon next to the ecological dome, you said...'

'Yesterday afternoon we were at the edge of the Sea of Illusory Shadows, and you were on the bridge the whole time,' Aila reminded softly.

'That is a false memory caused by memory confusion.'

Wen Youyi clutched his head, feeling like his brain was about to explode.

Memory confusion was more uncomfortable than he had imagined; you clearly knew some memories were fake, but they felt as real as personal experiences.

Just then, the communications station received a signal from the Sky Patrol reconnaissance ship.

The other party used the official Sky Patrol communication protocol, and the language was standard high-level Sky Patrol language.

As Deputy Captain, Aila could naturally understand it.

She pressed the answer button, and a gentle but dignified male voice sounded on the bridge:

[This is the Sky Patrol civilization's 3rd Reconnaissance Fleet, 'Green-Eye-7'. Unidentified ship ahead, please state your identity and intentions.]

Aila took a deep breath and responded in her native language: 'This is former Green Scale Deputy Captain Aila Xinghen, now belonging to the 'Spark' civilization's hope. We have no intention of being enemies with the Sky Patrol; I repeat, we have no intention of being enemies with the Sky Patrol.'

The other end of the communication was silent for a few seconds, then that male voice sounded again, this time with obvious surprise:

[Aila? Is it really you? We thought the entire crew of Green Scale had sacrificed themselves! I am Commander Luochen Guanzhe, a classmate of your brother Jialuo, remember?]

Aila's eyes widened instantly: 'Uncle Luo Chen? You... why are you here?'

[It's a long story.] Luo Chen's voice became grave, [Can we board the ship to talk? Some things... are better said in person.]

Although Wen Youyi's memory was confused, his basic judgment remained.

He looked at Aila: 'Is he trustworthy?'

'Commander Luochen Guanzhe is a close friend of my brother and one of the representatives of the 'Resistance Faction' within the Sky Patrol civilization,' Aila said in a low voice.

'He once publicly opposed the civilization council's policy of avoidance, advocating for all civilizations threatened by the Star Devourers to unite and resist. If it's him... he should be trustworthy.'

Wen Youyi nodded: 'Then let them come over. But only three people, and they must disarm. Iron Pillar, you take a team and stand by at the docking bay, just in case.'

'Understood!'

Half an hour later, at the No. 3 docking bay of hope.

The Sky Patrol reconnaissance ship released a small transport craft, which slowly entered the docking bay.

The hatch closed, the air pressure balanced, and three figures walked out of the craft.

The leader was a middle-aged Sky Patrol male who looked to be in his forties—though his actual age might be several hundred years old.

He had the same pale cyan skin as Aila, with slightly longer small horns on the sides of his forehead, and he was wearing a dark blue Sky Patrol officer uniform, with shoulder boards indicating his rank of Colonel.

His eyes were a deep indigo blue, revealing wisdom and the passage of time.

Behind him followed a young man and woman, both wearing standard scout uniforms, their expressions vigilant but not hostile.

Commander Luochen Guanzhe saw Aila at a glance, excitement flashing in his eyes, but he quickly restrained it.

His gaze swept over Wen Youyi, Zhao Iron Pillar, and the others, finally stopping on Wen Youyi—clearly judging him to be the leader here.

'I am Commander Luochen Guanzhe, commander of the 3rd Reconnaissance Fleet of the Sky Patrol civilization,' he introduced himself in the common language, 'Thank you for allowing us to board.'

'Wen Youyi, representative of the 'Spark' civilization, captain of hope,' Wen Youyi stepped forward, although his memory was still in confusion, he could still maintain basic etiquette, 'Welcome to hope. Please come to the conference room for a detailed discussion.'

The group went to the main conference room.

As soon as Luo Chen sat down, he asked Aila impatiently: 'What exactly happened to Green Scale? The last signal we received was that you encountered the Star Devourers' main fleet near the Forgotten Corridor, and then lost contact. The Civilization Council has listed Green Scale as a missing ship, and Jialuo he...'

'Brother sacrificed himself,' Aila said calmly, but there was a trace of imperceptible trembling in her voice, 'Green Scale was destroyed, only I and the chief scientist Solin survived. Solin is still in the hibernation pod and has not fully awakened.'

Luo Chen closed his eyes and took a deep breath: 'I'm sorry. Jialuo was my close friend and one of the best captains of the Sky Patrol. His sacrifice... is a huge loss.'

He opened his eyes and looked at Wen Youyi: 'So, you saved Aila?'

'It was mutual aid,' Wen Youyi said truthfully, 'We were also fleeing, encountered the wreckage of Green Scale, and saved Aila and Solin. Later, Aila joined us and helped us a lot.'

Luo Chen nodded, his gaze falling on Wen Youyi's chest—where the master key, which had already fused with three fragments, was hanging: 'It seems you have already collected three fragments. Faster than we expected.'

Wen Youyi's heart moved: 'You are also collecting fragments?'

'Not exactly,' Luo Chen shook his head, 'The Sky Patrol civilization only possesses one fragment, stored in the highest treasury of the mother planet. But we have been monitoring the locations of other fragments. We have records of your activities in the Forgotten Corridor and the Sea of Illusory Shadows.'

Aila frowned: 'Since you are monitoring, why not stop the Star Devourers?'

'Because of the cowardice of the Civilization Council,' the young female scout behind Luo Chen suddenly spoke, her tone resentful, 'Those old guys say 'we shouldn't provoke the Star Devourers,' 'the Sky Patrol should maintain a neutral Observer position,' it's all bullshit!'

'Lia,' Luo Chen gently stopped her, but there was not much reproach in his tone, 'She is my daughter, she has a straightforward temper.'

The female scout named Lia curled her lips and said nothing more.

Luo Chen looked at Wen Youyi: 'As you can see, there is a divergence within the Sky Patrol. The 'Avoidance Faction' believes we should stay away from all conflicts and focus on preserving our own civilization; the 'Resistance Faction' believes the Star Devourers are the common enemy of all civilizations and must unite to resist. Currently... the Avoidance Faction has the upper hand.'

'So you are acting on your own?' Wen Youyi asked.

'Yes,' Luo Chen nodded, 'I lead the 3rd Reconnaissance Fleet to patrol the border, nominally to monitor the movements of the Star Devourers, but actually to look for opportunities. When we monitored your activities in the Sea of Illusory Shadows, I decided to come to see you.'

He paused, his expression becoming serious: 'I came to give you a warning and a suggestion.'

'Please speak.'

'The warning is: After the Star Devourer 'Star Crusher' suffered a big loss at your hands, it has applied to mobilize the direct fleet of the 'Star Devourer Royal Court.' That is a terrifying force composed of three 'World Eater-class' motherships and hundreds of frigates, specifically responsible for eliminating 'major threats.'

There was dead silence in the conference room.

World Eater-class mothership—the name alone was chilling.

'Where are they now?' Senior Brother Zhang asked.

'Still assembling in the Star Devourer Royal Court's Star Domain, but they will depart in at most fifteen days,' Luo Chen said, 'Once they lock onto your location, with your current strength, there is absolutely no possibility of survival.'

Wen Youyi felt his palms sweating, but forced himself to remain calm: 'And the suggestion?'

'The suggestion is: Abandon the plan to collect all the fragments and head directly to the 'Return to Ruins',' Luo Chen said, 'The Return to Ruins is the largest relic left by the Star People, and it has a complete defense System and an independent spatial structure. As long as you enter the Return to Ruins, the Star Devourer fleet won't be able to do anything to you—at least not for a short time.'

Aila immediately retorted: 'But if we don't collect all the fragments, we can't activate the 'Ultimate Choice' mechanism! We will never be able to truly resolve the Star Devourer threat!'

'Aila, be realistic,' Luo Chen sighed, 'You only have three fragments now, and there are four others scattered across the Universe. To collect four fragments in fifteen days? It's simply impossible. Just traveling to the location of the next fragment, the 'Heart of Lava,' requires at least a ten-day voyage, not to mention having to face the dangers there and the possible Star Devourer garrison.'

Wen Youyi was silent.

The memory confusion continued, and various images flashed through his mind: the trials of the seven guardians, the compatriots of the Ranch World, the scenes of the Star Devourers devouring civilizations, and also... that last sentence Xingyi said: 'May the starlight guide your path.'

In the confusion, a thought suddenly became clear.

'What if we... split into two groups?' he said slowly.

Everyone looked at him.

Wen Youyi stood up and walked to the star map: 'hope is too big and too conspicuous, it is indeed not suitable for continuing to collect fragments. But what about 'Deep Dragon'? It has high speed and good stealth. If it is piloted by a capable small team, it can definitely get the fourth or even fifth fragment before the Star Devourer main fleet arrives.'

Aila's eyes lit up: 'And then we meet at the Return to Ruins?'

'Yes,' Wen Youyi nodded, 'hope will head to the Return to Ruins at full speed to attract the attention of the Star Devourers. 'Deep Dragon' will act in secret to continue collecting fragments. Once we gain a foothold in the Return to Ruins, 'Deep Dragon' will return with the new fragments, and we will decide the next step together.'

Luo Chen thought for a moment: 'This plan... is feasible. But the 'Deep Dragon' team will face huge risks. Once discovered, it will be a dead end.'

'I'll go,' Zhao Iron Pillar immediately raised his hand.

'I'll go too,' Senior Brother Zhang pushed his glasses, 'I have experience in starship piloting and technical cracking.'

Wang Wu and Xiao Wu also expressed their willingness one after another.

But Wen Youyi shook his head: 'No, this mission... Aila and I will go.'

'Boss!' Zhao Iron Pillar was anxious, 'Your current memory...'

'Memory confusion for twelve hours, six hours have passed, and there are six hours left,' Wen Youyi said, 'And precisely because my memory is confused, I might not be affected by certain mental attacks—I discovered this just now in the Sea of Illusory Shadows; chaotic memories make it hard for illusions to find a stable 'anchor point'.'

He looked at Aila: 'Aila knows the most about Star People technology and the Star Devourers, she must go. And I... have the master key, only I can activate the fragments.'

Aila nodded heavily: 'I agree.'

Luo Chen watched them and suddenly smiled: 'Interesting. You remind me of Jialuo when he was young, also so... reckless.'

He stood up: 'Since you have decided, I will also provide some help. 'Green-Eye-7' can escort hope to the outskirts of the Return to Ruins, using our reconnaissance ship as cover to reduce the probability of being discovered. Also...'

He signaled Lia. Lia took a small data chip from her bag and placed it on the table.

'This is all the intelligence of the Sky Patrol civilization regarding the 'Heart of Lava' and the 'Silent Graveyard'—these two are the closest fragment locations. It is more detailed than the information you got from the star key, including safe paths, dangerous areas, and even several emergency hideouts.'

Wen Youyi took the chip: 'This is too precious. Why help us?'

Luo Chen looked at him deeply: 'Because Jialuo believed that resisting the Star Devourers is the common responsibility of all civilizations. I believe his judgment. And also because...'

He paused, his voice low: 'My daughter's mother died in a surprise attack by the Star Devourers. Both publicly and privately, I hope you succeed.'

The conference room was solemn.

Wen Youyi solemnly accepted the chip: 'Thank you. We will live up to the trust.'

Over the next six hours, hope and 'Green-Eye-7' completed short but efficient joint operational preparations.

Wen Youyi's memory confusion symptoms gradually eased, and although still somewhat confused, he could already distinguish between reality and false memories.

Mu Wanqing prepared a special calming tea for him to help stabilize his mind.

'Deep Dragon' underwent emergency modification, installing more advanced stealth Systems and scanning arrays dismantled from the Sky Patrol reconnaissance ship.

Aila and Luo Chen exchanged a large amount of technical data, raising the performance of 'Deep Dragon' by another level.

Old K volunteered to stay on hope: 'My old bones can't take the tossing. And I know a little about the Return to Ruins, maybe I can help.'

Wen Youyi agreed.

The moment of parting arrived.

In the cockpit of 'Deep Dragon', Wen Youyi and Aila sat side by side.

Zhao Iron Pillar and the others stood in the docking bay, their eyes red.

'Boss, you must come back alive!' Zhao Iron Pillar roared, 'Otherwise, I'll hunt you down to the end of the Universe to drag you back!'

Senior Brother Zhang pushed his glasses and handed Wen Youyi a data board: 'This contains emergency response procedures I wrote; if you encounter something you can't handle, open it and follow the prompts.'

Wang Wu gave Aila a small box: 'Inside are the special emergency Medicinal Pills made by Senior Sister Mu; take one when you are seriously injured, it can save your life.'

Xiao Wu hugged the hull of 'Deep Dragon' and muttered: 'Baby, you must protect the captain and Sister Aila...'

Wen Youyi looked at these companions, and a warm current surged in his heart.

'Don't worry, we will be back.'

The hatch closed.

'Deep Dragon' slid slowly out of hope, like a silver fish, swimming into the starry sky silently.

hope and 'Green-Eye-7' changed direction and headed toward the Star Domain where the Return to Ruins was located at full speed.

And 'Deep Dragon' sped toward the opposite direction—the scorching Star Domain marked as the 'Heart of Lava.'

The split action began.

And at the other end of the Universe, in the Star Devourer Royal Court's Star Domain, three 'World Eater-class' motherships, like moving continents, had just finished their final resupply.

They would set off in one standard Universe day.

The hunt was about to enter the final stage.

(End of this chapter)