62: The first surge of dark currents and the leap of stardust

With the decision made, the pace on the Zero-Seven platform suddenly accelerated. The final modification work entered its sprint phase; Wu Yong and Xiao Li worked almost non-stop, shuttling between the ark's engine room and armor layers, conducting the final system joint debugging and stress tests.

Lin Mo, on the other hand, devoted most of his time to the final calibration of the “Order Projector” and the calculation of the route based on the incomplete coordinates of the Dawn.

Ling Shuang was responsible for organizing and preparing the materials needed for the exploration mission. She meticulously sorted and stored the platform's inventory of spare energy, repair materials, and several new order alloy samples developed by Lin Mo. At the same time, she also used the remaining time to further familiarize herself with her transformed Stellar Silver Psionic Energy, attempting to solidify several newly comprehended defensive and purifying runes onto several resonance gold plates, to be used as portable equipment that could be activated at any time.

The seventy-two-hour preparation period vanished in a flash.

The brand-new Ark of Order hung silently outside the platform. Its silver-gray hull gleamed with a cold luster under the radiant glow of the logic anchor, and the newly installed “Order Projector” bow device was tightly closed, like the head of a dragon poised to strike. The entire vessel exuded a calm yet powerful aura, completely different from before.

“All systems self-check passed!”

“Energy core output stable, reaching 120% of design standard!”

“order alloy armor fusion 100%, rule resistance field generation stable!”

“Order Projector fully charged, standby!”

“Navigation system has loaded preset route, ready for jump at any time!”

Wu Yong and Xiao Li's reports echoed consecutively in the communication channel, filled with barely suppressed excitement and tension.

Lin Mo stood before the pilot's seat, clad in a simple combat suit also woven from order alloy fibers, which made his figure appear even more upright. He took one last look at the “Serenity Totem” radiating warm light on the platform and the life support pod area where Su Xi was located. A flicker of subtle tenderness crossed his eyes, immediately replaced by absolute calm.

“Board. Execute departure procedure.”

The hatch closed, and the engine's low growl gradually transformed into a steady, powerful hum. The ark slowly turned its bow, detaching from the light curtain protection of the Zero-Seven platform, and once again plunged into the cosmic space where the rule colors were still vibrant, but no longer filled with the oppressive despair.

“Activate secondary thrusters, exit the logic anchor's near-field gravity well,” Lin Mo ordered.

The ark's tail spewed out streams of faint blue light, beginning to accelerate.

“editor, initiate deep environmental scan, mark all rule anomalies and potential threats along the route.”

“Information Perception fully open, prioritize monitoring residual fluctuations of the tide of delusion and unknown energy signals.”

The light of the jade slip flowed steadily in his sea of consciousness, deeply connected to the shipboard sensor system, continuously feeding back real-time data from the vast starfield ahead. The star map unfolded on the main screen, a green dashed line representing the predetermined route, winding through several areas marked yellow (medium risk).

The initial journey was relatively smooth. They glided along the edge of the logic anchor's order force field, enjoying this hard-won area of relative safety. Occasionally, they detected some small, unconscious rule fragments or inert Corruptor remnants, which were silently repelled or purified by the ark's surface rule resistance field.

“Speed increased to standard cruising velocity. Estimated arrival at the edge of the first rule chaotic zone in three hours,” Wu Yong reported.

Lin Mo nodded, his gaze, however, never leaving the scan data. He noticed that in a seemingly empty void to the side of the route, the editor had captured some extremely subtle, unnatural traces of spatial wrinkles, as if something had passed through at an extremely high speed and in a manner beyond conventional physics, leaving behind a “wake.”

“Mark this area, heighten vigilance. This mode of movement... doesn't resemble known Corruptors,” Lin Mo said gravely.

Ling Shuang also sensed the anomaly; her psionic energy was more sensitive to life and malice. “There's a... cold, hollow feeling lingering. It's very similar to the aura of the shadow of devouring from before, but also somewhat different, more... concealed and dispersed.”

“Shadow Kin?” Xiao Li instinctively uttered the name mentioned in the distress signal.

“Possibly,” Lin Mo did not deny it. “Maintain observation, but do not provoke them. Our primary mission is to reach the K-77 Nebula.”

The ark continued its voyage, gradually approaching the first rule chaotic zone. From a distance, it looked like a slowly rotating nebula composed of countless shattered mirrors, with light twisting and refracting within it, emitting a hazy and dangerous glow.

“Entering chaotic zone outpost. Detecting gravity anomalies, spacetime curvature fluctuations, localized physical constant deviations...” The editor issued standard warning alerts.

“Activate rule stabilization shield, prioritize ensuring stability of navigation system and engine compartment,” Lin Mo skillfully ordered. The rule resistance field on the ark's surface glowed faintly, becoming more solid, weakening the chaotic rule influences from outside to the minimum.

The vessel shuddered slightly, entering that bizarre area.

The scene outside the viewport became eerie. Stars were stretched into long streaks of light, and occasionally huge, illogical geometric shapes flashed past. Faint static crackled in the communication channel, as if countless voices from different time flows were overlaid. The hull occasionally experienced slight vibrations, as if touched by an invisible hand.

But the modified ark exhibited excellent performance. The order alloy armor effectively resisted the structural stress caused by rule distortion, and the stable shield ensured the normal operation of core systems. Wu Yong and Xiao Li meticulously monitored various parameters, making timely fine-tuning. Ling Shuang, meanwhile, released a gentle Stellar Silver Psionic Energy, like a lubricant, further calming the subtle mental pressure generated in the cabin by rule disturbances.

Lin Mo, relying on his powerful information perception and the editor's computing power, acted like the most experienced navigator, precisely seeking out the relatively safe “gap” in the chaotic rule currents, guiding the ark through the optimal path.

After several hours of cautious navigation, the ark passed through the first rule chaotic zone without incident, returning to a relatively stable starfield.

“Successfully traversed the first obstacle zone. Hull structure intact, energy consumption within estimated range,” Wu Yong breathed a sigh of relief, reporting the situation.

However, before they could even rest, the editor suddenly detected an urgent and sharp energy signal from their rear-side!

“Detecting multiple high-speed energy signals approaching! Extremely fast! Energy characteristics match... consistent with previously marked spatial wrinkle residual traces! Quantity: 12! Estimated contact time: 5 minutes!”

They're here!

Lin Mo's eyes narrowed. “All personnel, prepare for combat! Ling Shuang, prioritize ensuring the ship's psionic barrier! Wu Yong, weapon systems online, lock targets! Xiao Li, prepare for evasive maneuvers!”

The ark instantly entered combat readiness. Indicator lights on the weapon control panel lit up in sequence, and the side-mounted pulse autocannons and new “Information Disruption” emitters slowly extended. The psionic short staff in Ling Shuang's hand (now re-forged from resonance gold) glowed brightly, and a stellar silver psionic barrier, like rippling water, covered the entire hull.

Through the viewport and sensors, they saw the true form of their pursuers—

They were creatures roughly the size of small shuttles, constantly flickering between solid and phantom states. They had no fixed form, sometimes like twisted shadows, sometimes coalescing into geometric shapes with sharp angles. Their bodies were composed of a dark matter that seemed to absorb light, only emitting an ominous, faint green data stream at their edges during attacks or high-speed movement. They were silent, like ghosts in the universe, hurtling forward in a way that defied the laws of inertia, carrying a pure, abhorrent hatred for the existence of order.

It was the Shadow Kin! Derivatives of the shadow of devouring, the hounds of rules!

“Their target is us! Or rather, the strong aura of order on our ship!” Ling Shuang instantly judged their intention.

“Open fire! Stop them from getting close!” Lin Mo ordered.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!”

The pulse autocannons spewed out a barrage of blue plasma, tearing through the silent void, firing at the eerie Shadow Kin.

However, a chilling scene unfolded. Most of the plasma bolts passed directly through the flickering bodies of the Shadow Kin, as if hitting phantoms, only exploding into useless energy flames behind them. Only a few shots hit when the Shadow Kin were precisely in a semi-solid state, causing their bodies to fluctuate violently, dark matter splashing, emitting silent roars, but they quickly recovered.

Physical attacks were extremely ineffective!

“Switch to Information Disruption attack!” Lin Mo immediately changed tactics.

Invisible disruption waves spread out. This time, the effect was significant! The Shadow Kin's existence, which relied on specific paradoxical logic, immediately became unstable when hit by chaotic information, their movement speed visibly decreased, and their flickering frequency became more chaotic.

“Effective!” Wu Yong shouted excitedly.

But there were too many Shadow Kin, and they were extremely cunning, starting to disperse and attack from different directions. Several Shadow Kin coalesced into sharp drill-like forms, crashing fiercely into the ark's psionic barrier with the force of tearing space!

“Boom!”

The barrier rippled violently, the stellar silver light flickering. Ling Shuang grunted, feeling a huge impact force transmit through the barrier.

“We can't just passively defend!” Lin Mo's eyes were sharp; he saw an opportunity. The moment the Shadow Kin attacked and their bodies briefly solidified, their connection to conventional reality would become strongest, and also weakest!

“Xiao Li, hard to starboard, cut into the gaps in their attack!”

“Wu Yong, follow my command, concentrate fire on target number three!”

“Ling Shuang, prepare psionic confinement in the area I mark!”

The ark made a nimble sharp turn, narrowly avoiding the cross-impact of two Shadow Kin. Lin Mo's information perception locked onto a Shadow Kin that had just completed an attack, currently in a state where its old strength was exhausted and new strength had yet to emerge.

“Now!”

Wu Yong controlled all autocannons and disruption emitters, firing fiercely at that Shadow Kin!

Ling Shuang simultaneously swung her short staff, and a solidified stellar silver psionic chain appeared out of thin air, like a living thing, coiling around that Shadow Kin!

Under the triple assault of Information Disruption, physical firepower (though weak), and psionic confinement, that Shadow Kin let out a piercing shriek that directly affected consciousness. Its dark matter body could no longer maintain stability, and like a punctured bubble, it rapidly contracted, then completely collapsed and dissipated, leaving only a faint, uncomfortable trace of pollution.

Success! They found a way to deal with the Shadow Kin!

However, eliminating one Shadow Kin did not deter the remaining hunters; instead, it seemed to enrage them. The remaining eleven Shadow Kin became more frenzied, and their attacks became more insidious.

Under the dense siege, the ark, like a petrel in a storm, struggled to maneuver, relying on its excellent performance and the increasingly tacit cooperation among the team members. Fine scratches began to appear on the order alloy armor, and the light of the psionic barrier occasionally dimmed.

Lin Mo knew that they had to break free quickly, otherwise, once energy consumption became too high, or if they found a weak point in the barrier, the consequences would be unimaginable.

His gaze turned to the navigation screen, to the waypoint marking the edge of the next rule chaotic zone.

“Attention all! Change course, target: Second Rule Chaotic Zone! We'll lead them in!”

“editor, calculate the optimal entry angle, use the rule chaos of the chaotic zone to shake them off!”

The ark's engines overloaded, spewing dazzling blue light, accelerating fiercely. It no longer entangled with the Shadow Kin, but instead rushed headlong into that more dangerous, yet potentially game-changing—

Chaotic Starfield.