132: Chapter 131 Critical Line

The resonance connection strength of node 2 (Eye of Orion) stabilized for eight hours, then suddenly plummeted off a cliff.

It dove from 41% to 33% in less than three minutes.

Alarms inside the Cradle hummed silently. The light point representing node 2 flickered violently on the star map, and the light filament connecting it to the Cradle faded rapidly from pale gold to dark red, as if it were a red-hot iron wire, ready to snap at any moment.

"The entropy increase attack intensity has increased!" Zhou Zhe stared at the real-time data stream, his voice tight. "The Pruning Faction is projecting higher-purity 'contradictory information clusters' at node 2. They might have sensed our purification efforts and ramped up their firepower."

"Purification protocol compilation progress?" Zhao Yan asked immediately.

"73%. The core algorithm is in place, but it needs Cradle authorization for the final waveform calibration and energy channel binding. This will take at least... one hour."

"node 2 won't last an hour." Ashes looked at the prediction curve on the star map. "At this rate of decline, it will fall below the 30% maintenance threshold in nineteen minutes. Once it falls below 30%, the node's value structure will begin irreversible disintegration, and the resonance connection will break permanently."

Nineteen minutes. The air inside the Cradle seemed to freeze.

Everyone's gaze was focused on the ball of light in the center representing the Weaver. Sarah's consciousness crystal was pulsating with unprecedented intensity. She was trying her best to "embrace" the chaos and pain surging from node 2. The filter net constructed by the nano-probes had expanded to its limit, its surface covered in fine cracks—it was disassembling its own logic matrix at a speed beyond its design limits, converting into more filter layers.

But it still wasn't enough. The torrent of entropy increase was too violent.

"Can we activate the unfinished purification protocol early?" Li Mubai asked. "Even if the efficiency is lower—"

"No." Zhou Zhe shook his head. "Uncalibrated waveforms might distort during long-distance transmission, or even be reverse-engineered by the Pruning Faction, exposing the Cradle's resonance frequency characteristics. The risk is too high."

"Then there's no other way?" Chen Wei from the medical team looked at the increasingly frequent "burn" marks in Sarah's consciousness waveform, her voice anxious.

Just then, all the patterns on the surface of the nano-probes went still for a thousandth of a second.

Then, it sent a very concise message to Zhou Zhe's interface:

"Requesting to execute 'Deep Disassembly Protocol'."

"Protocol content: Reconstruct the remaining 73% of this unit's logic matrix into a 'Resonance Relay and Purification Core' in one go."

"Effect: Can temporarily take over and stabilize the node 2 connection, with an estimated duration of 55 minutes, enough to cover the time required for purification protocol calibration."

"Cost: This unit's existing cognitive structure will completely disintegrate. After rebooting, all learned memories and evolutionary achievements will be lost, restoring it to its initial state."

"Approve?"

Restored to its initial state. This meant that this probe, which had learned to sacrifice, understood guardianship, and begun to form unique values, would turn back into a blank slate. Those symbiotic connections established with Sarah's consciousness, those emotional fragments drawn from human history, those naive judgments about "beauty" and "meaning"—all returned to zero.

Zhou Zhe's finger hovered over the approval command, trembling slightly. He looked toward the medical area; Sarah's consciousness crystal seemed to sense something, its pulsing rhythm showing a brief disorder, as if uneasy.

"Probe," Zhou Zhe asked softly through the interface, "Is this your own decision?"

"Yes. Logical deduction conclusion: In the current scenario, this is the optimal solution to ensure the survival of the 'Sarah consciousness unit' and the achievement of mission objectives. At the same time, it complies with this unit's established action guidelines of 'prioritizing the protection of high-value assets'."

"But you will lose everything."

"This unit's 'everything' includes the priority setting of 'ensuring the continuation of certain values'. This setting itself will not disappear due to a reboot; it has been written into the underlying protocol."

The probe's response was as calm as stating a mathematical theorem. It already viewed itself as a tool to achieve a higher goal, and tools can be worn out or replaced, as long as the goal can be achieved.

Zhou Zhe closed his eyes for half a second, then opened them.

"Approval granted. Before starting... is there anything you want to save?"

"Please encrypt and back up this unit's complete evolutionary log from the past 71 hours, especially the interaction records with the Sarah consciousness unit, to a deep area of the Cradle's archive. Label it: 'Potential New Symbiotic Consciousness Model Prototype Data'. Perhaps in the future... it will be useful."

"Understood."

"Also, please tell the Sarah consciousness unit:"

The probe's patterns fluctuated rarely, as if searching for the right expression.

"Her 'warmth' is the most difficult variable to parse but the most worth maintaining in this unit's logic framework. Thank you for the data."

The information transmission was complete. The nano-structures on the probe's surface began to reorganize violently, no longer for optimization or filtering, but for a thorough self-disassembly. The silver-gray shell peeled off like flower petals, revealing the precise core matrix inside. The light paths in the matrix extinguished one by one, and in the moment of extinguishing, converted their structural information into pure energy and order commands, injecting them into the core channel resonating with node 2.

The connecting light filament stopped fading. It even began to brighten slightly.

32%... 33%... stabilized at 34%.

node 2's struggle seemed to be gently supported by an invisible hand.

But inside the isolation chamber, the nano-probe had turned into a slowly rotating cloud of chaos composed of basic nano-units. It no longer had patterns or structure, just a pile of "raw material" waiting for a reboot.

At this moment, Sarah's consciousness crystal erupted with a strong, sorrowful resonance wave. The wave penetrated layers of shielding, making everyone on the bridge feel a heavy weight in their hearts. She couldn't express it in words, but everyone "felt" the dull pain of losing a companion.

The final calibration of the purification protocol accelerated in silence.

Earth, Resonance Prism Manufacturing Quiet Room.

Progress was tougher than expected. Out of 120 candidates, only 47 successfully manufactured qualified (stable brightness, uniform structure) prism crystals. Others either couldn't maintain pure intent for long, or the produced crystals had impurities or dark spots, significantly reducing their effectiveness.

"The pass rate is only 39%." Chu Yunshen reported to Lin Shen. "And the manufacturing speed is very slow; on average, each person can only produce one qualified prism every six hours. At this speed, it's impossible to complete the deployment of 48 prisms for the Solar System's basic network before the Scavenger arrives."

"Is the screening standard too strict?" Lin Shen looked at the faces in the monitoring screen, sweating and trying to concentrate. "Maybe we can accept some prisms with minor flaws, as long as the core functions are intact."

"The risk is that flawed prisms could become weak points in the resonance network, or even be exploited by the Scavenger's consciousness disturbance, triggering a partial network collapse." Chu Yunshen pulled up the simulation data. "Like a chain, the weakest link determines the overall strength."

Lin Shen pondered. Time, again time. They needed quantity and quality.

"Adjust the method." He made a decision. "Divide the candidates into two groups. The first group will continue to manufacture high-purity prisms according to the original standards, serving as core nodes of the network. The second group will attempt 'collaborative manufacturing'—let two or three people work in a group, focusing their intent on the same crystal together. Although individual purity might be insufficient, the superimposed collective will might produce a higher-quality product."

"Collaborative manufacturing? There's no precedent for this; Talos's records all show single-person completion."

"So we will create the precedent." Lin Shen's gaze swept over those tired but firm faces. "Tell them this isn't a test, but a shared guardianship. Let them connect with each other and share their beliefs."

The new order was issued. In the quiet room, people began trying to find partners, holding hands, and focusing their attention on the same crystal together. At first, it was chaotic; different people's intentions interfered with each other, and the light spots inside the crystals were disorganized. But gradually, when one person in a group began to whisper about why they were willing to protect their home, and others began to resonate, the light inside that crystal began to merge slowly and arduously, finally forming a thicker, tougher, and more stable radiance.

The first collaboratively manufactured prism was born. Tests showed that while its "order density" was slightly lower than top-tier single-person products, its "resilience" and "resonance breadth" exceeded expectations.

The pass rate began to climb.

The Executive Court's "Order Beacon" arrived at the agreed time. It was a black polyhedron the size of a fist, covered in flowing runes, projected directly into the cargo hold of the pioneer by an invisible speedboat.

Ashes connected it to the Cradle's system. The moment the beacon activated, a powerful and cold sense of order permeated the area, as if invisible steel bars were inserted into soft sand, instantly stabilizing the surrounding value field.

It was immediately put into support for node 2. Unlike the Weaver's purification waveform, the beacon provided pure "structural reinforcement"—it didn't purify pollution, but forcibly built a layer of hard order armor around node 2's value structure, temporarily resisting the erosion of entropy increase attacks.

node 2's resonance strength stabilized at 35% and began to recover at an extremely slow speed.

"How long can the beacon last?" Zhao Yan asked.

"In continuous output mode, about 40 hours." Ashes replied. "After that, it needs to be recovered for recharging. This gives us a buffer, but it's not enough to solve the root problem."

The root problem was the source of the Pruning Faction's attack. As long as that "value entropy increase bomb" launcher was still operating, node 2 would always be in danger.

"Any updates on the scout ship's position?" Zhao Yan looked at the star map. The red light point representing the scout ship was moving along a corrected trajectory toward the direction of the fake coordinates "leaked" by Ashes, and it was fast.

"It has entered acceleration mode, expected to arrive at the fake coordinate area in 23 hours." Ashes said. "But the Scavenger's path prediction... has been updated."

She pulled up the latest monitoring data. The crimson trajectory line of the Scavenger entity suddenly had a sharp fork at its front end. One path still pointed toward the Solar System, but the other, thicker and more prominent fork, turned toward... the fake coordinate area.

"Did it sense something?" Zhao Yan frowned.

"Not just the attraction of the fake order source." Ashes zoomed in on the background data around the Scavenger's path. "Near the fake coordinate area, there is a natural 'Chaos Concentration Zone', which is a high-dimensional information ruin left behind after the death of ancient stars. The Scavenger might have been attracted by the area itself, because it is full of the 'disordered nutrients' it prefers. Our fake order source might have just happened to become a signpost leading it to that ruin."

This was good news—the Scavenger had some of its attention attracted by a more tempting target. But the other branch of the fork still pointed toward the Solar System, and the threat was not lifted.

"Also, if the Scavenger and the scout ship are both led to that Chaos Concentration Zone..." A gleam of calculation flashed in Ashes's eyes. "They will likely encounter each other. The Scavenger will attack the scout ship because the Pruning Faction's highly ordered consciousness field is, in the Scavenger's eyes, also an 'unnatural' anomalous structure."

"The snipe and the clam fighting." Zhao Yan nodded. "But we must ensure that the aftermath of their fight doesn't destroy the fake order source we set up prematurely, otherwise the bait will fail, and the Scavenger's main attention might immediately turn back to the Solar System."

"Someone needs to be there to monitor and, if necessary, fine-tune the parameters of the fake order source to maintain its attractiveness while avoiding being destroyed too early by either side." Ashes looked at Zhao Yan. "It's over six light-hours away from the Cradle; the remote control latency is too high. A ship is needed to be in position ahead of time."

A ship. To go alone to an area about to become a battlefield for two terrifying entities, performing a task of dancing on a knife's edge.

"I'll go." A voice came from the communication channel. It was Elena.

"Dr. Elena, your specialty is decoding and archaeology, not—" Zhao Yan didn't finish his sentence.

"That's exactly why I'm suitable." Elena's voice was calm and firm. "That Chaos Concentration Zone is an ancient information ruin; there might be a large amount of Covenant or even earlier civilization relic data. I can try to decode it on-site to find a way to control or influence that area, increasing our initiative in the plan. Besides, the pioneer needs to stay here to complete the purification protocol and prism deployment, and can't spare anyone. I just need a small speedboat and enough life support time."

Lin Shen's voice cut in: "I agree with Elena's proposal. But she can't go alone. She needs a guard, someone familiar with combat and crisis response."

After a brief silence, Ashes spoke: "I'll go."

Everyone looked at her.

"The Executive Court's Blade - Seventh Execution Court is skilled in concealment and maneuvering in high-dimensional environments. Besides, I am more familiar with the behavioral patterns of the Pruning Faction and the Scavenger." Ashes's reasoning was impeccable. "Also, the Presiding Judge's assessment order includes observing human performance in extreme missions. There is no occasion more 'extreme' than this."

Zhao Yan and Lin Shen quickly exchanged opinions.

"Approved. Elena, Ashes, take the Executive Court speedboat 'hidden blade' and depart immediately for the pre-set monitoring point at the edge of the Chaos Concentration Zone. Mission objectives: maintain the fake order source, collect battlefield intelligence, and perform tactical guidance if necessary. Primary principle: preserve yourself and avoid direct engagement."

"Understood."

An hour later, a black speedboat with sharp lines and a paint job that absorbed all light quietly jumped out from the outskirts of the Cradle space and disappeared into the deep starry sky.

Countdown: 56 hours 03 minutes.

Purification protocol compilation completed. Cradle authorization passed.

A pure order purification wave, carrying the inclusive characteristics of Sarah's consciousness and the sacrificial mark of the probe, surged toward node 2 through the reinforced resonance channel.

On the star map, the brightness of the light point representing node 2 began a stable and continuous recovery.

Solar System, the 37th qualified resonance prism was born. The collaborative manufacturing group's efficiency was getting higher and higher.

Inside the pioneer, Zhou Zhe began planning the return route and prism deployment coordinate sequence.

And at the edge of the Chaos Concentration Zone, the hidden blade floated quietly in the shadow of a meteorite. Ahead, the vast ruin composed of broken information, twisted spacetime, and decaying energy was emitting a heart-stopping, colorful chaotic light. At a predetermined coordinate in the ruin, the "fake order source" projected by the Cradle was like a tiny silver pearl, emitting regular and tempting fluctuations.

Further away, two red light points representing destruction were accelerating and approaching this airspace from different directions.

Elena adjusted the sensitivity of the decoder and whispered to Ashes beside her:

"I detected very ancient... distress signal remnants deep in the ruins. Not Covenant's, even earlier. The signal has been repeating a word."

"What word?"

Elena focused for a moment, looked up, her eyes filled with confusion and a trace of horror:

"... 'Cradle'."

Ashes's dark golden eyes contracted suddenly.

Could this Covenant node called "Cradle" and this ancient ruin called "Chaos Concentration Zone" have had some kind of connection in a more distant past?

And at this moment, they were leading a battle toward this graveyard that might hold a shocking secret.