58: The undercurrent of returning home, the prelude to the summit

The setting sun dyed the Deep Blue's scarred hull crimson, and the outline of the main island of the base was already clearly visible in the distance.

Lin Feng stood before the damaged porthole of the bridge, the sea breeze, laden with the smell of gunpowder and blood, poured in, ruffling the sweat-soaked hair on his forehead.

Behind him, damage control teams were busy repairing the bulkhead corroded by the 'Javelin,' medics moved among the wounded, and electronic warfare officers cursed at the flickering screens—the aftereffects of that battle were far more than just the visible scars.

"Commander, the base has sent a confirmation signal; the 'Siren' submersible has been destroyed, and the core research lab is safe and sound," the communications officer's voice carried a weary relief, "But they reported that... the purple mark outside the lab door briefly glowed during the most intense part of the battle."

Lin Feng's knuckles paused their tapping on the porthole.

Sure enough, the appearance of the Blood Ark was directly related to that mark.

He turned to the tactical screen, which displayed real-time monitoring of the waters around the base—no less than twenty ships from various factions were already anchored outside the buffer zone, and more ship silhouettes were faintly visible on the horizon.

His global declaration and the earth-shattering naval battle that had just occurred were like two giant rocks thrown into an already turbulent lake, and the ripples were spreading at an alarming rate.

"Slow toVigilance speed, maintain Level Three combat readiness throughout the ship," Lin Feng retracted his gaze, "Have Old Chen prepare a briefing; I need to know all breakthrough developments in the Deep Blue Heart research—especially parts that can be immediately converted into defensive weapons."

"Understood. Also..." The communications officer hesitated, "The Albatross of the Ark organization has sent an encrypted communication, requesting an immediate meeting with you after you dock.

He claims... to have critical intelligence regarding the Leviathan to share."

Lin Feng's lips curled into a cold smile.

The Ark's 'Siren' raid and hypersonic strike had almost killed them, and now they were adopting a cooperative stance?

Either they had changed their strategy after seeing the Blood Ark, or this was another trap.

But no matter what—

"Reply to him that I will meet him in the base conference room in one hour.

Warn him that if the Ark has any further hostile actions, the Deep Blue Heart blueprints will be forever closed to them."

As the Deep Blue slowly entered its home port, Lin Feng finally saw the full view of the harbor area: temporary shore defense gun emplacements were densely packed like steel thorns, newly deployed phase-shift shield generators glowed blue in the setting sun, and Marines in exoskeletons patrolled every vantage point.

And in the distant anchorage, several ships flying the Free City States' flag were undergoing strict inspection, and further away, a streamlined silver-gray vessel lay quietly—that was undoubtedly one of the Ark's 'gifts,' but it seemed exceptionally quiet at the moment.

"Commander!" Old Chen on the dock scurried to meet him, his eyes behind his reading glasses bloodshot but gleaming with excitement, "We reverse-analyzed the energy signature of the Blood Ark! We have a major discovery—" He lowered his voice, "Their shields and weapon systems share the same theoretical foundation as the Deep Blue Heart!"

Lin Feng's pupils contracted slightly.

This meant... the Deep Blue Heart might originate from the same civilization as the Leviathan?

Or worse, it was a clumsy human imitation of some ancient technology?

Before he could question further, a piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the base!

"Alarm! Spatial distortion detected! Coordinates C7 sector—Free City States' ship anchorage!"

Lin Feng sharply turned his head, only to see the air above the sea, about five hundred meters away, twisting and rotating as if stirred by an invisible hand!

A purple vortex, less than three meters in diameter, was forming, its scale far smaller than the channel summoned by the Blood Ark, but radiating the same chilling aura!

"It's an Observer! Marines, seal off Sector C7! Shield generators, preheat!" Lin Feng roared as he rushed towards the nearest military vehicle, Old Chen stumbling to keep up.

The base instantly erupted, the alarm mixed with the clang of metal and the sound of running footsteps.

When they arrived at Sector C7, the vortex had expanded to about five meters.

A dozen Marines, armed with specialized energy rifles, surrounded it, their muzzles flickering with the blue light characteristic of resonance warheads designed for energy lifeforms.

Further away, the sailors of the Free City States retreated in terror, some kneeling on the ground, muttering prayers.

"What does it want?" Old Chen asked, panting, "A channel of this size isn't enough for a Leviathan to pass through..."

Lin Feng didn't answer; his gaze was fixed on the center of the vortex.

There, a blurry humanoid outline was gradually becoming clear—more solid and more 'humanoid' than the one they had encountered in the channel, even showing the outline of robe-like clothing.

When it completely 'squeezed' out of the vortex, everyone gasped:

This Observer had a nearly human upper body, but its skin was a sickly pale purple; its face had no features, only three deep, dark holes arranged in a triangle; and most unsettling, in its 'hand' it held a translucent cube, within which a miniature version of the Deep Blue Heart energy structure floated!

"Don't fire!" Lin Feng raised a hand to stop the tense Marines.

His intuition told him that this Observer was different from the previous attackers.

Sure enough, the energy lifeform did not attack; instead, it slowly raised its 'hand' and 'offered' the cube in Lin Feng's direction.

A cold mental wave directly resonated in everyone's minds:

[ERROR... CORRECTION... PROTOCOL... ACTIVATED...]

[Deep Blue Heart... SHOULD NOT... BE IN THIS... TIMELINE...]

[RECOVER... OR... DESTROY...]

As the last word fell, the cube suddenly projected a holographic image: an energy structure similar to, but a hundred times more complex than, the Deep Blue Heart, operating within some giant ring-shaped device; countless Leviathan ships pouring out of the dark deep space; finally, the image froze on an Earth covered in a purple, fungal-like substance.

"Is it... warning us?" Old Chen's voice trembled.

Lin Feng stepped forward, ignoring the Marines' dissuasion: "Who sent you? What exactly is the Deep Blue Heart?"

The Observer's 'face' turned towards him, ripples appearing in its three holes:

[Pioneer... ERROR... CIVILIZATION... POLLUTION...]

[YOUR... TIME... IS RUNNING OUT...]

[SUMMIT... TRAP...]

Suddenly, its form violently twisted, and the cube emitted a dazzling purple light!

The mental wave became intermittent:

[THEY... HAVE FOUND ME... I MUST... LEAVE...]

A purple energy beam, ten meters thick, descended without warning, precisely hitting the Observer!

In the blinding light, the energy lifeform disintegrated like shattered glass, and the cube evaporated with it!

The energy beam, its momentum undiminished, slammed into the sea, causing a small tsunami that tossed nearby ships haphazardly!

"Source of the energy beam?!" Lin Feng demanded sharply.

"High altitude... no, low Earth orbit! It's some kind of space-based weapon!" The monitor screamed, "Signal signature comparison... it's the Ark's 'Spear of Judgment' system!"

The Ark?! Lin Feng sharply turned his head to look at the silver-gray vessel, and indeed, caught a fleeting afterglow of energy from its bow.

Why would they kill this Observer attempting to convey information?

Was it to silence it, or...

"Commander!" The communications officer's voice exploded in his earpiece, "Ark Albatross emergency communication! He claims to have just eliminated a high-risk Leviathan reconnaissance unit and requests an immediate meeting with you to explain the situation!"

Lin Feng's gaze completely chilled.

Too many contradictions, too many lies.

This Observer was clearly not an enemy, and the Ark's reaction was suspiciously fast—they seemed to have anticipated this scene all along.

"Reply to the Albatross," he slowly removed his glove, revealing a smile utterly devoid of warmth, "I will meet him.

I'll bring my 'full sincerity.'"

He turned to Old Chen, his voice low enough for only the two of them to hear: "Immediately analyze all data left by the Observer just now, especially the energy signature of that cube.

At the same time..." He paused, "Prepare a 'special' duplicate of the Deep Blue Heart blueprints, ensuring that anyone attempting reverse engineering will receive... a surprise."

Old Chen was stunned for a moment, then nodded knowingly.

As Lin Feng strode towards the conference room, the base lights came on one by one, stretching his shadow long.

On the distant horizon, the lights of more ships converged like stars.

Twenty-four hours later, the Deep Blue Heart summit would officially begin, and the undercurrents were already raging.

Did the Ark want to play with fire?

Was the Observer's warning true or false?

What exactly was the Leviathan waiting for?

All answers, accompanied by iron and blood, would surface within the next twenty-four hours.