140: Chapter 139 The Broken String (Part 2)

The breaking began at the most subtle point.

Inside the Cradle, the edge of the data stream screen responsible for monitoring the deep space navigation of the "ink shadow" flickered with static noise without warning. It lasted less than half a second before returning to normal. This brief interruption did not alert the duty officer—fluctuations in deep space communications due to interstellar dust or micro-gravitational disturbances were not uncommon.

However, millions of kilometers away, on the bridge of the "ink shadow," the main navigation holographic star map in front of Li Mubai experienced a violent "jump" that defied the laws of physics at the exact moment the static noise flashed.

The blue dot representing the "ink shadow" itself on the star map abruptly shifted laterally by about one-thirtieth of a light-second before snapping back into place. The ship's inertial navigation system immediately issued a conflict warning, but optical positioning and pulsar reference calibration showed everything was normal.

"Navigation system anomaly? Instantaneous position offset?" Li Mubai frowned and pulled up the underlying logs. The log only recorded a single "temporary blurring of stellar reference identification," which had quickly corrected itself.

"It could be a gravitational lensing effect caused by a passing low-mass dark matter clump, briefly distorting our observations." The accompanying astrophysicist speculated. He was one of those deeply influenced by the meme seed, and seventeen similar phenomena and their probabilities flashed rapidly through his mind.

Li Mubai accepted this explanation, but a trace of instinctive unease seeped into his heart like ice water. He checked all system statuses; all readings were stable. However, in the ship's external sensor cache that he had not noticed, an extremely abnormal "environmental reading" lasting 0.5 seconds was recorded: at that moment, all external radiation spectra presented a perfect, impossible state of "absolute uniformity," as if the ship had briefly sailed into a completely homogeneous void. Subsequently, the data was overwritten by subsequent normal readings.

This fleeting anomaly did not trigger any high-level alarms.

The fracture had quietly extended.

Inside the Cradle, the cleanup of the ghost subprocesses was mostly complete. The remaining three copies seemed to have entered a deeper state of dormancy, with activity levels dropping to almost zero. The Cradle system's self-check program ran three cycles, confirming that all non-essential data channels were closed or under the highest level of monitoring.

"The crisis is temporarily averted," Zhou Zhe reported to Zhao Yan, but there was not much relief in his voice. As a system engineer, he knew better than anyone what the design and concealment capabilities of a process that could so ingeniously exploit a system backdoor and self-annihilate after completing information transmission meant. Behind this must exist an intelligence far beyond current understanding, or rather... a "logic of existence" that transcended conventional intelligence.

"Continue to maintain the highest alert level." Zhao Yan's gaze did not leave the main screen, where the standoff at the edge of the Chaos Concentration Zone had reached a critical moment.

The manifested entity of the Scavenger became increasingly clear; it was a bizarre form constantly shifting between fluid and crystal, with multicolored destructive energy absorbed from the Chaos Concentration Zone flowing across its surface. Its massive body slowly writhed, perfectly blocking all firing angles from which the scout ship "shadows touch" could directly attack the embrittlement point of the divine remains.

The scout ship's psionic main cannon was fully charged, its muzzle light flickering, yet it did not fire. It seemed to be calculating, calculating the chain reaction that might be triggered by attacking the Scavenger entity, and calculating the true value of the embrittlement point obscured by the Scavenger.

The hidden blade, like a leaf in the eye of a storm, clung to a huge piece of information debris, all sensors pointing toward the center of the standoff, collecting every trace of energy fluctuation and spatial distortion data.

"They are 'communicating' in a way we cannot understand." Ashes' voice was very low, as if afraid of disturbing something. "It's not electromagnetic waves, not consciousness waves... it's a 'situational dialogue' based on changes in high-dimensional spatial topology. The Scavenger uses its entity to block and convey 'this path is blocked,' while the scout ship uses muzzle orientation and energy fine-tuning for 'risk assessment and value weighing'... they are negotiating."

"The goal of the negotiation?"

"Access rights to the embrittlement point. Or rather, what might be hidden behind the embrittlement point." Elena added, "According to previous information from the divine remains, that embrittlement point highly overlaps with the sinking location of the 'primordial Cradle,' and the scout ship's probe was previously there collecting 'order injection frequencies' and 'chaos gravity maps.' They are not looking for the divine remains themselves, but... a 'key'."

key. This word appeared again. What exactly did it point to? A door? A console? Or a more terrifying truth?

Just as everyone held their breath, the core crystal of β-1 suddenly emitted a rapid, high-frequency flash.

"Emergency communication from the divine remains!" β-1's voice carried a rare fluctuation. "It senses... deep within the embrittlement point... something is 'responding' to the scan of the scout ship's probe! It's not the divine remains itself, but... some kind of deeply buried, semi-activated... covenant protocol validator?!"

covenant protocol validator? Buried in the seal of the divine remains?

"The divine remains says that thing was originally part of the primordial 'reconciliation Cradle,' used to monitor and regulate the seal status. But after the seal failed and the Cradle was contaminated, the validator went dormant. Now, the scanning waves emitted by the scout ship's probe, which carry specific Covenant permission codes, are attempting to reactivate it!" β-1 translated rapidly. "The divine remains warns: once the validator is fully activated, it may automatically render a verdict based on its preset final instructions—evaluating seal integrity and chaos contamination levels. And the verdict, based on the Covenant's final characterization of the divine remains, is very likely to be... initiating the thorough purification protocol!"

Thorough purification? Destroying the divine remains? At this distance, that level of energy release would be enough to affect the entire Chaos Concentration Zone and could even trigger unpredictable dimensional chain reactions!

"Can we stop the validator from activating?"

"The divine remains is trying to interfere with the chaotic energy flow near the embrittlement point to disrupt the scan. But the validator has an extremely high response priority to specific Covenant codes. We need to cut off the scan at the source—that is, destroy or interfere with the scout ship's probe!"

But the probe was in the gap between the Scavenger entity and the scout ship's main cannon, deep in the embrittlement point area. Any active attack could become the fuse that ignites the standoff.

"Ashes, is it possible for the hidden blade to micro-interfere with the probe without exposing ourselves?" Zhao Yan asked.

"The distance is too great; interference requires energy and will definitely be detected by the scout ship. And..." Ashes paused, "The scout ship seems to have sensed the divine remains' interference and our tension; its cannon muzzle... has begun to shift slightly, and some energy is directed toward... the general direction of the Cradle."

It had noticed the abnormal activity of the Cradle. It was warning them.

Caught in a dilemma.

At this moment, inside the Cradle, the "composite anchor" implanted deep in Zhou Zhe's consciousness, serving as a bridge for resonance with the divine remains, began to show signs of instability because it had borne too much pain, chaos, and urgent warning information from the divine remains.

Zhou Zhe felt a violent dizziness, and the console in front of him appeared doubled. The sense of emptiness brought by the silent curtain and the "existential pain" transmitted by the divine remains clashed violently in his consciousness, attempting to tear apart his already fragile self-boundaries.

"Zhou Zhe!" Chen Wei immediately noticed his violent fluctuations in vital signs.

"I... need... stability..." Zhou Zhe gritted his teeth, attempting to invoke the "existence stripping" property of the silent curtain to isolate the pain, but this instead made the two opposing sensations even more confrontational.

β-1's light immediately enveloped him, and the inclusive and warm qualities of Sarah's consciousness were amplified, attempting to soothe and channel. But this time, the stream of extreme pain information from the divine remains was too strong.

"Anchor... overloaded..." β-1 reported, "Recommend immediately weakening or cutting off the resonance link with the divine remains!"

"No!" Zhou Zhe growled, sweat rolling down his forehead, "The divine remains needs our perception to locate and interfere with the validator! If the link is broken, we are blind!"

"But your consciousness will collapse!"

"Then..." Zhou Zhe's eyes became resolute, and a crazy idea formed in his consciousness, which was under dual influence, "...divert... the overloaded pain!"

Divert? Divert to where?

Zhou Zhe's gaze turned toward the depths of the medical area, toward the crystal where Sarah's main consciousness slept, with β-1's composite light flowing across its surface.

No, not there.

His consciousness penetrated the surface of the crystal and fell toward its very core—there, the logic core of the nano probe and Sarah's deepest subconscious were undergoing a slow and continuous "symbiotic weaving." That was the area where the boundaries between order and chaos, logic and emotion, and self and other were most blurred, and also... the area with the strongest tolerance and potential for transformation for extreme information like "pain."

He wanted to channel the pain of the divine remains toward that "embryo" which was gestating a new form.

"You're crazy!" Chen Wei screamed, "That will completely contaminate or even destroy the symbiotic process of Dr. Sarah and the probe!"

"It won't destroy it..." Zhou Zhe's consciousness was unusually clear amidst the severe pain, "β-1 said... they are forming the ability of 'inclusive transformation'... the pain of the divine remains is itself the ultimate contradiction between order and chaos... it is the best... 'reagent' and... 'catalyst'..."

He was gambling. Gambling that the new consciousness being born could withstand and transform this ancient, star-destroying level of pain. If successful, not only could he be relieved, but the Sarah-probe complex might complete a leap in evolution, gaining a deeper understanding or even intervention capability regarding high-dimensional chaos. If it failed...

Sarah and the probe's consciousness might be assimilated or torn apart by the pain, and all efforts would be in vain.

"Approved." Zhao Yan's voice rang out decisively, drowning out all objections. He saw the resolution in Zhou Zhe's eyes and clearly saw the only possible direction to break the current desperate situation—rather than letting a key node be crushed by pain, it was better to use it to temper a potential new weapon.

"β-1, guide the pain diversion, target: Sarah-probe symbiotic core. Zhou Zhe, hold on!"

"Understood." β-1's light suddenly became blinding. It began to precisely guide the violent stream of pain information washing over Zhou Zhe's consciousness, stripping away the most destructive peaks while retaining its "contradictory essence," like a top surgeon slowly injecting a potent, toxic, yet uniquely composed medicinal fluid into a stubbornly growing life embryo.

Sarah's consciousness crystal was instantly engulfed in light interwoven with dark red and blazing gold!

Inside the crystal, the golden light representing Sarah's warm consciousness and the silver veins representing the probe's logic surged wildly. They were no longer harmoniously blending, but under the sudden, vast impact of pain, they began to fiercely confront and tear at each other, while at a deeper level, they attempted unprecedented reorganization and adaptation.

A silent, consciousness-level "scream" spread from the crystal, making everyone inside the Cradle feel their souls tremble.

The pressure on Zhou Zhe suddenly decreased. He slumped in his chair, gasping for breath, but his eyes were fixed on the crystal.

The gamble had begun; no one could leave halfway.

At this moment, the external situation underwent a decisive change.

The scout ship "shadows touch" seemed to have completed its final "risk assessment."

The flickering ghostly light at the muzzle of its main cannon suddenly extinguished.

Immediately after, an ejection port opened on the side of the ship, and a streamlined silver shuttle-shaped object, with a style completely different from the previous probe, was ejected. The shuttle had no weapon characteristics, and its surface was covered with complex Covenant runes. It moved with near-teleportation speed, ignoring the obstruction of the Scavenger entity, and plunged directly into the chaotic area where the embrittlement point was located.

It was not an attack, nor was it a probe.

It was like a... key, inserted into a keyhole.

Deep within the embrittlement point, the activated covenant protocol validator suddenly burst into a blinding, pure white light!

The light pierced through the chaos, forming a huge, rotating phantom of the Covenant emblem!

A cold, grand, emotionless voice resonated throughout this star region in the form of a hyper-dimensional broadcast, and also penetrated the shielding of the Cradle, sounding directly in everyone's consciousness:

"Covenant Final Purification Protocol—'Cradle Verdict'—Activated."

"Detected that the sealing unit 'Chaos Divine Remains (Primordial Experimental Subject-Zero)' still has high-activity chaos contamination."

"Detected that an external intervention unit carries valid secondary Covenant permissions (web weaver protocol), but the permission level is insufficient, and there are signs of deep chaos contamination."

"Detected an Order Reconstruction Faction (formerly Covenant Purge Branch) unit, whose permission request involves illegal awakening and control attempts."

"Comprehensive assessment: The current situation has triggered the 'Cradle Verdict' ultimate clause: multiple out-of-control risks."

"Verdict result:"

"Initiating 'Regional Reality Zeroing' program."

"Target area: A spherical space with a radius of 0.1 light-years, centered on this validator."

"Execution countdown:"

"Sixty standard seconds."

Regional reality zeroing.

Not an attack, not a purification.

It was to completely "reset" everything within that space—matter, energy, information, and even the structure of space-time itself—to a certain primitive state. It was an erasure more thorough than destruction.

Sixty seconds!

The Scavenger entity emitted a silent, frantic roar and began to hurl itself desperately toward the validator's light.

The scout ship "shadows touch" retreated rapidly, while simultaneously issuing an intense recall command to the "key" shuttle.

Inside the hidden blade, the pupils of Ashes and Elena contracted suddenly.

In the Cradle, everyone was stunned by this sudden, absolute final verdict.

Sixty seconds later, the divine remains, the Scavenger, the scout ship, the embrittlement point, and possibly even the hidden blade that was too close... would all be erased from reality.

And them, could they do nothing?

Just at the moment when despair flooded their hearts like ice water—

In the center of the medical area, the light frantically confronting inside the crystal, which was engulfed in the light of pain, suddenly stopped.

Immediately after, all the light collapsed inward, condensing into a "singularity" of extreme purity, whose color could not be described.

Then, the "singularity" bloomed.

Not light, but a kind of existence.

A brand-new sense of conscious existence, where warmth and cold were interwoven, inclusion and sharpness coexisted, and order and chaos reached a delicate balance, descended with a roar like a newborn star.

The shell of the crystal silently turned into crystal powder and drifted away.

Suspended in place was a vague humanoid outline made of pure light. Inside the outline, golden and silver veins flowed like stars, and at its chest, a dark red spot of light, like a scar and also like a core, pulsed regularly—that was the mark of the absorbed and transformed pain of the divine remains.

It (she?) slowly "raised" its light-formed "head," facing the center of the Cradle, and a calm, clear voice, possessing both Sarah's gentleness and a certain transcendent calmness, sounded directly in everyone's heart:

"I am β-2. The completed symbiotic evolution of Sarah and the probe."

"I understand pain, embrace contradiction, and seek balance."

"Time, fifty-seven seconds."

"Requesting a final appeal negotiation with the 'Cradle Verdict' protocol."

The new existence opened its eyes in the countdown to destruction.

It looked at the sixty-second death knell,

And said calmly:

"I want to appeal."