19: Silent contact and fragmented information

The smoke of battle had yet to disperse. Shattered metal and solidified energy fluid were spread across the lunar surface, telling of the recent carnage. The only thing still moving was the silver platform that had emerged from the Ancient Ruins-01.

It hovered silently above the wreckage of the Scrin "devourer" tank. The blue crystal on its top, like an eye, slowly scanned the entire battlefield, finally stopping in the direction of the Moon Base, locking onto the Command Center.

There was neither hostility nor goodwill. Only a cold, pure observation.

Sun Zheng felt an intangible pressure. This ancient construct was even more inscrutable than the previous Scrin units. He dared not move recklessly, ordering all units to remain on alert but strictly forbidding them from opening fire.

Time passed in the silent standoff, each second feeling exceptionally long.

Finally, the silver platform made a new move. It did not approach the base but slowly descended to the ground, stopping beside the Military Dog that had previously been touched by the light from the ruins. The Military Dog seemed somewhat agitated, yet with a strange sense of closeness, whimpering softly at the platform.

A gentle beam of light shot from the blue crystal atop the platform, enveloping the Military Dog. The dog quieted down, the metallic glint in its eyes flickering faintly.

A few seconds later, the beam retracted. The silver platform rose again, turning toward the Command Center. This time, that cold, non-human voice echoed once more in Sun Zheng's mind, but much clearer than before near the ruins, as if the link had been strengthened:

[Detected holder of "glimmer keystone" (fragment).]

[Detected traces of low-level mechanical civilization (designation: Scrin) invasion.]

[Assessment: Current civilization level (referring to Sun Zheng's base) too low to independently handle threat.]

[Based on "Guardian Protocol" priority, initiating limited assistance program.]

[Data packet transmission... commencing...]

As soon as the words fell, Sun Zheng felt a massive, chaotic torrent of information flood his consciousness like a deluge! It wasn't language, but countless fragmented images, distorted symbols, intermittent energy frequencies, and incomprehensible fragments of physical laws!

"Ugh!" Sun Zheng clutched his head with a pained groan. This information torrent was too vast and chaotic, far exceeding his brain's processing capacity. It felt like his head was about to explode!

[Warning! Recipient's mental load capacity insufficient! Information transmission interrupted!]

[Critical data lost... error...]

The cold notification tone sounded again, and the impact of the information torrent suddenly stopped. Sun Zheng slumped in the command chair, drenched in sweat, his vision darkening. It took him a good while to recover.

Although most of the information was lost or incomprehensible, some fragmented, relatively intact pieces remained seared into his memory like brands:

Fragment One: In the endless dark starscape, there was a colossal silver ring structure of unimaginable size, rotating slowly like a galaxy. The ring's center emitted a white light of the same origin as the "glimmer keystone."

Fragment Two: Countless interstellar civilization fleets of various forms were besieging that silver ring, their battlefire illuminating the void. Among them were bio-mechanical fleets in the style of the Scrin, on a much larger scale than what he had just encountered.

Fragment Three: The ring disintegrated into countless fragments under the siege, the largest few trailing light tails as they fell toward various corners of the universe. The trajectory of one fragment... seemed to be toward the Solar System.

Fragment Four: A vague, immeasurably sorrowful and resolute thought: "...The Embers are scattered... protect... continue..."

These fragmented pieces of information made Sun Zheng's heart race.

What was that silver ring? The capital of an ancient civilization? Or a superweapon? It was besieged and destroyed by many civilizations? The ruins on the Moon and the keystone fragment in his hand were all pieces of that ring? Were the Scrin one of the besiegers from back then, coming to the Moon to completely eradicate these fragments?

"Guardian Protocol," "continuation of the Embers"... Could it be that this ancient civilization hoped those who obtained the fragments would inherit a mission, to protect something, or continue the civilization?

The amount of information was too vast, too astonishing! This was completely beyond the scope of what a Red Alert Commander should be facing!

Just as Sun Zheng's mind was in turmoil, the silver platform seemed to have completed its task. It rose once more and, without any farewell, flew directly back into the fissure of Ancient Ruins-01 and disappeared. The light on the surface of the ruins gradually dimmed, returning to its previous state of dead silence, as if nothing had ever happened.

Only the scene of devastation remained, a Military Dog with complex emotions in its eyes, and a Commander stunned by a colossal secret.

Sun Zheng looked at the now-calm ruins on the screen, then at the warm "glimmer keystone" fragment in his hand.

His original goal was just to build a base and survive, perhaps one day return to Earth. But now, it seemed he had been swept into a massive vortex spanning millions of years and involving multiple interstellar civilizations.

The threat from the Scrin was not over; they would likely return. And by a twist of fate, he seemed to have become the "ember" Guardian left behind by this ancient civilization?