329: Memory Core

In the colossal underground cavern, ripples on the surface of the life milk sphere began to propagate as if by magic, following some profound mathematical law.

These ripples were no longer chaotic fluctuations, but formed complex interference patterns, as if countless invisible hands were meticulously weaving a web of consciousness.

Erwin stood on the observation platform, his gaze fixed on this wondrous scene, his breathing involuntarily quickening.

A soft glow flowed across the sphere's surface, and the consciousnesses of hundreds of Trisolarans intertwined and merged within it, though no one knew what the outcome would be.

Although from the outside the sphere still maintained a uniform milky-white appearance, Erwin instinctively sensed the unimaginable power contained within it.

"All system readings are normal," the monitor reported, "energy fluctuations are within the expected range, temperature distribution is uniform, and there are no anomalies."

As the ripples transmitted across the sphere's surface, the color of the innermost life milk changed.

It was no longer milky white like milk, but a blend of deep black and mysterious dark blue. However, this change only occurred at a tiny spot at the sphere's core.

No one knew, and there was no way to know.

Nevertheless, Erwin's intuition told him that things were not that simple. He slowly walked towards the observation window, gently pressing his hands against the reinforced glass, as if wanting to feel the power contained within the sphere more closely.

For some reason, he always felt that this giant mass of milk in front of him was attracting him, luring him.

"Prepare the consciousness connection equipment," Erwin suddenly turned around.

While direct consciousness sharing was possible, with the help of instruments, the connection would be stronger.

The chief scientist appeared somewhat surprised: "Elder, according to the monitoring data, the system is operating completely normally, you do not need to take such a risk personally."

"Precisely because it is operating too normally," Erwin's gaze remained fixed on the sphere, "how could the fusion process of hundreds of consciousnesses be so calm? I want to personally experience its mysteries."

The technical staff quickly prepared the connection chair, and Erwin calmly sat down.

As the connection helmet slowly descended, his last glance remained on the slowly rotating life milk sphere, his eyes gleaming with a light mixed with curiosity and desire.

"Begin connection," Erwin gave the command, closing his eyes, preparing to embrace the experience of consciousness fusion.

The moment the connection was established, Erwin felt an unprecedented power surge into his consciousness.

This experience far exceeded his initial expectations. It was not an equal merging of consciousnesses, but a sense of control, like an emperor looking down on his subjects.

Inside the life milk, Erwin's consciousness seemed to transform into an omnipotent deity.

He could clearly perceive the thoughts of every volunteer, like reading an open book. What shocked him even more was that he found he could freely modify the contents of the book, and the other party would be completely unaware.

"This, is this the power of absolute control...?" Erwin murmured deep within his consciousness.

He attempted to interfere with the thoughts of a randomly selected volunteer. With just a thought, that Trisolaran volunteer, who was in a deep slumber, made a smiling gesture in an unconscious state.

One of his limbs twitched.

Erwin smiled faintly. This time, he chose to control three volunteers simultaneously, making them twitch their limbs one after another while in slumber. The external technical team could not understand this phenomenon at all, only attributing it to "side effects of consciousness merging after leaving the body."

Like a snake's head that can still bite after being severed, it was merely residual bioelectricity.

But Erwin knew in his heart that this was not a side effect at all, but his newly acquired ability. In this state, he felt he could control the fate of the entire Trisolaran Civilization.

A dangerous thought began to sprout in his mind.

Why should it be an equal fusion of consciousnesses? Why couldn't it be an absolute rule where he alone reigned supreme?

In this new world, I am everything!

"With a sharp weapon in hand, the urge to kill arises."

Although Erwin had never heard this human proverb, his thoughts were quietly shifting in this direction at this moment.

In the final moments before exiting the connection, Erwin made a crucial decision.

He used his control over this mass of life milk to create an encrypted area deep within the consciousness space, sealing all of his true ambitions and plans within it. Then, he implanted a strong psychological suggestion in himself.

"This is the future of the Trisolaran Civilization, and the plan must be pushed forward with all efforts."

This psychological suggestion, like a seed of thought, deeply rooted itself in his subconscious. When he exited the connection, this suggestion had already begun to influence his judgment and decisions.

"Elder? How do you feel?" the chief scientist asked with concern.

Erwin blinked, and after a brief moment of confusion, his eyes became exceptionally firm: "The experiment was very successful. Immediately convey my order: fully expand the experiment scale, recruit more volunteers!"

At the same time, through the unique brainwave communication ability of the Trisolarans, he directly transmitted this order into the consciousness of every Trisolaran present.

Under the lingering influence, the mental command, imbued with a sense of "control," was more persuasive than any language, and the laboratory staff unconsciously began to carry out the order.

But Erwin's next actions surprised everyone.

He stood up and, in his capacity as Chief of the Elder Council, announced: "When I connected, I learned their current name: Memory Core."

"From now on, no Trisolaran shall connect to the Memory Core without my permission. The only way to understand the internal situation of the Memory Core is to become a volunteer."

This prohibition clearly violated the Trisolaran Civilization's tradition of emphasizing consciousness sharing. Several senior scientists exchanged glances, wanting to raise objections, but under Erwin's sharp gaze, they ultimately chose silence.

"I know you have questions," Erwin's voice echoed in everyone's minds, "but this is a necessary measure for the evolution of the Trisolaran Civilization."

"The Memory Core is the key to our complete evolution and must be strictly controlled."

He walked towards the observation window, looking down at the slowly rotating Memory Core below, the sealed ambition in his heart quietly growing.

Although the superficial reasons were grand, deep down he had a premonition that he knew the true purpose of this prohibition.

In the next few hours, the atmosphere in the laboratory underwent a subtle change.

Erwin began to connect to the Memory Core frequently and alone. After each connection, his demeanor would become more authoritative, and his decisions more autocratic.

Although the other Trisolarans were somewhat uneasy, no one noticed anything unusual when Erwin, after exiting the connection, returned to a state of thought sharing.

However, no one noticed that deep within the Memory Core, that dark blue-black core was slowly expanding.

After the day's experiment concluded, Erwin remained alone on the observation platform.

He gazed at the Memory Core below, the sealed ambition in his heart restless like a trapped beast. Although the psychological suggestion was still at work, he began to vaguely realize that he was heading down a path of no return.

"For the future of the Trisolaran Civilization..." He softly repeated the suggestion, as if trying to convince himself.

Erwin turned and left the observation platform, his steps firm and powerful. Under his command, recruitment stations in various underground cities and several newly built surface towns began to extensively recruit volunteers, and a grand experiment that would change the fate of the civilization was about to begin.

And deep within the Memory Core, that dark blue-black core seemed to have a life of its own, quietly waiting for something.