156: Chapter 155 Non-Standard Reports and the Captain's Philosophy

System Status Snapshot (13th hour after the ruling)

divine remains Pain Index: 1.5% (Entered plateau phase, requires new stimulation)

Regional Chaos Activity: 0.7% (Stable)

validator Supplementary Clause Countdown: Synchronized with remaining assessment time, 35 hours and 22 minutes.

"Definition of Non-Standard Order" report writing status: Brainstorming paralyzed.

Pruning Faction information dust: Silent, but monitored recording and analyzing the entire process of humanity dealing with logical bombs.

meme seed influence spread: 28% of human subjects showed a natural affinity for "non-standard solutions" and increased creativity. Side effects include: increased production of dad jokes, increased sensitivity to wordplay in regulations, and some artists claiming to have received "cosmic-level inspiration."

"So, the validator wants a summary report on how we 'mess around'?" Zhou Zhe slumped in a lounge chair, dark circles under his eyes. "And I have to evaluate the potential and risks? This feels like asking me to write an academic paper on 'How to answer exam questions by dancing'."

Zhao Yan held a cup of extra-strong synthetic coffee, expressionless. "My 'breakfast priority' theory made the list too. β-2, you're responsible for this."

"Captain, it was your order that broke the logical deadlock. This unit only conducted objective recording and analysis." β-2's voice came from the speaker, energy mostly restored. "According to the latest data, this order has been included by the technology tree system as a typical case study of 'Hierarchy of Needs Coverage Method for Dealing with Paradox Attacks'. Potential assessment: High (applicable to any civilization with physiological needs and capricious commanders). Risk: Situations that might cause the commander to go hungry are judged by the system as the highest crisis."

Li Lin couldn't help but laugh, quickly covering her mouth. Chu Yunshen's holographic projection flickered in the center of the room, and he rubbed his temples. "Chief Engineer Lin, the style of your technology tree system in generating drafts is getting more and more... uninhibited. I read that 'Paradox Weapon Response Plan', and it includes methodologies like 'covering small contradictions with larger ones', 'pretending not to understand the question', and 'throwing a cat at the problem (literally or figuratively)'."

Lin Shen's voice was weary and helpless. "It's connecting deeper and deeper with the Covenant deep network, and it might have picked up the thinking patterns of certain... non-mainstream civilizations. However, we really have to take the report the validator wants seriously. This is not a joke; the 'Definition of Non-Standard Order' might be key to us passing the assessment, or even establishing a foothold in the Covenant system in the future."

"Why?" Zhou Zhe asked.

"Because when it comes to 'standard order', we definitely can't compare to those established, high-tier civilizations." Lin Shen's cursor slid across the shared screen, pulling up the data on the logical bombs. "The Pruning Faction uses 'standard' logical weapons—rigorous, self-consistent, and full of cold rationality. If we try to compete on this track, we'll just get crushed. But our 'non-standard'—using art, emotions, unreasonable priorities, or even 'wrong' colors to blend things—these things seem... effective. More importantly, they might touch upon some 'dimensions' that the Covenant Network itself lacks."

Chu Yunshen nodded. "Ashes mentioned a civilization in the Executive Court records that neutralized logical attacks with 'meaningless poetry'. This indicates that within the Galactic Civilization Council, 'non-standard' is not a defect, but possibly a scarce 'trait'. The validator is now asking us to systematically elaborate on this trait, which is both a test and... a probe. To see if we understand our own value and if we can control the risks involved."

"The risk is overdoing it." Zhao Yan finished his coffee, concise and to the point. "For example, next time the enemy attacks, I might decide that 'the biggest threat is the coffee tastes bad', order the whole ship to go find coffee beans, and then get blown up."

"This risk has been recorded." β-2 responded quickly. "Plan suggestion: Set safety boundaries for the commander's 'capricious orders', for example: 'Enable only when the logical system is completely paralyzed and there is no immediate physical threat'. Also, I have ordered a reserve of better-tasting coffee beans for you to lower the priority of triggering that order."

Zhao Yan: "...Thanks?"

"Alright, let's get serious." Lin Shen cleared the screen. "I have an idea for the report structure. Instead of writing a traditional paper, we'll 'demonstrate' it for it."

Three hours later. Outside the Cradle Node, a temporarily constructed "Non-Standard Demonstration Platform".

It was called a platform, but it was actually a space cordoned off by a silent curtain, filled with various "unreasonable" things: several abstract sculptures molded by the Scavenger using chaos energy (one of which looked like an angry teapot); a synthetic food platter from the pioneer's kitchen, made according to the principle of "color matching over nutritional balance"; a video of a "skit" improvised by Li Lin and Zhou Zhe, using gestures and garbled code to counter logical paradoxes; and most importantly—a resonance interface connected in real-time to the edge of the divine remains' consciousness.

The core demonstration part of the report was hosted by β-2.

"validator, the following is the practical demonstration part of the 'Self-Assessment of Application Potential and Risks of "Definition of Non-Standard Order" in Cross-Civilization Conflicts'." β-2's voice was broadcast through an enhanced channel, ensuring it could penetrate the covenant protocol layer. "Demonstration topic: How to use 'non-standard' methods to solve a 'standard' problem—breaking through the divine remains' Pain Index plateau phase."

She first started the standard solution demonstration: mobilizing more powerful damping resonance protocol energy, attempting to forcibly "smooth out" the divine remains' pain texture. Monitoring data immediately showed the Pain Index remained unmoved, and chaos activity even rose slightly. The divine remains sent an impatient fluctuation—"Again? Useless!"

"Standard methods have limited effectiveness and may trigger resistance." β-2 explained calmly. "Now, enabling non-standard method A: Resonance Interference."

She didn't increase the energy, but instead adjusted the resonance frequency to an extremely irregular, almost random state, while simultaneously sending a series of logically unrelated imagery fragments to the divine remains' consciousness: an orange cat yawning on Earth, the moment a soap bubble bursts, a spinning windmill from childhood memories, and that touch of pale gold painted by the Scavenger. These fragments were carried by chaos energy, like scattered puzzle pieces thrown into the whirlpool of the divine remains' consciousness.

The divine remains was clearly "stunned". Its pain texture experienced a brief chaos, then began spontaneously trying to find patterns or meaning in these unrelated fragments. This process consumed its attention and slightly dispersed the concentration of pain emotions. The Pain Index dropped by 0.1%.

"Method A Principle: Utilize the target consciousness's instinct for 'pattern seeking' to interfere with its fixation on negative emotions using meaningless information. Potential: Effective for consciousness entities that rely on fixed thinking patterns. Risk: May anger the target, or cause the target's consciousness structure to become fatigued from excessive pattern seeking."

Immediately after, β-2 started Method B: Definition Coverage.

Through the connection, she sent an intensified concept to the divine remains: "Your current 'pain', under another observation framework, can be redefined as 'a high-intensity, tension-filled expression of existence'." At the same time, she highlighted and enlarged the dark red and torn black parts from the previous chaos painting that represented pain and mania, using artistic techniques, and attached the human appreciation and resonant emotions for "tragic beauty" and "power beauty" extracted from the Earth art library.

The divine remains' consciousness fluctuated violently again. This time, it wasn't anger or pain, but a kind of extreme confusion and... curiosity? It seemed it had never thought that the torment it endured could be "defined" as something else. The Pain Index dropped by another 0.05% amidst the confusion.

"Method B Principle: Change the target's perception and emotional feedback regarding its own state by redefining or giving it new meaning. Potential: May fundamentally change the nature of the conflict. Risk: The definition must be sufficiently persuasive or novel, otherwise it is ineffective; misuse may lead to ethical issues (e.g., defining aggression as 'sending warmth')."

Finally, β-2 started the finale, Method C: Invitation to Participate.

She did not try to "solve" the divine remains' pain, but instead sent a clear, structured "invitation" to the divine remains' core consciousness:

[Subject: Invitation to collaboratively create a 'Pain-Serenity' contrast symphonic ideation]

[Inviter: β-2 modulation unit, Scavenger creative unit, and human consciousness resonance network]

[Content: We have noticed that your pain possesses a unique 'texture' and 'intensity'. We have no intention of eliminating it (and currently cannot fully do so), but we propose using a portion of its 'melody' or 'color blocks' as material, mixing it with elements of 'serenity', 'hope', etc., that we provide, to jointly express a more complex, more complete 'state of existence'. Are you willing to participate in this experiment as one of the co-creators?]

The invitation included a clear creative framework, a timeline, and the concept of a "co-author signature agreement"—even if only symbolic.

The entire space went quiet.

The divine remains' consciousness fell into a long silence. The Pain Index curve was steady, and chaos activity dropped slightly. It seemed to be seriously considering the proposal.

Dozens of seconds later, a faint but clear flow of consciousness came through, no longer chaotic roars or painful shrieks, but a response carrying tentativeness and a certain... reserve: "...For the material, you must choose my deepest piece of dark red. Also, for the signature... my name must be written first."

"Method C Principle: Transform an adversarial relationship into a collaborative one, giving the target subjectivity and respect, and transforming the 'problem' itself into a resource for co-creation. Potential: Highest, may achieve deep transformation and long-term stability. Risk: Time-consuming, requires a high foundation of mutual trust, and the target must possess a certain level of consciousness and willingness to communicate; failure may be seen as an insult and exacerbate hostility."

The demonstration concluded. The Pain Index cumulatively dropped by 0.18%. Although not much, it was a breakthrough during the plateau phase. More importantly, the divine remains' willingness to interact improved significantly.

Countdown remaining: 34 hours and 05 minutes.

validator report submission status: The practical demonstration part has been recorded and packaged with core data for transmission. The theoretical elaboration part (written by Lin Shen, incorporating technology tree analysis, human psychology, art theory, and a large number of "not guaranteed to be rigorous but guaranteed to be interesting" cases) is undergoing final polishing.

New Event/Status Record:

divine remains relationship progress: Status updated to "Conditional Collaborative Object". It has started actively providing some "pain texture" samples for creation experiments.

Scavenger behavior: After witnessing Method C, its behavior log has a new goal: "Learn advanced social interaction (Invitation-Collaboration mode)".

meme seed influence: Inspired by the "redefinition" method, some sociologists have begun to explore how to "redefine" certain long-term negative issues using more positive social narratives; preliminary effects are yet to be observed.

β-2 assessment: Hosting the demonstration consumed a lot of mental effort, but the emotional simulation protocol recorded a strong "sense of teaching satisfaction" and "excitement for cross-disciplinary innovation". Log fragment: "So, 'not playing by the rules' also requires a rigorous framework and deep empathy. This is not chaos; it is another, more complex kind of order."

Captain Zhao Yan's philosophical contribution: In the theoretical part of the report, using "breakfast priority" as an example, he expounded that "survival wisdom is often contained in seemingly irrational emergency preferences, which is an underlying decision-making algorithm that any precise logical system is hard-pressed to simulate." This exposition was solemnly included by Lin Shen and named "Zhao's Emergency Order Principle".

Ashes' communication reconnected, this time carrying a hint of imperceptible... interest? "The demonstration process has been recorded by the Executive Court observation network. The validator has not formally responded, but its scanning frequency of the divine remains area has increased by 15%. Also," he paused, "the Pruning Faction's information dust, upon recording the 'Invitation to Participate' segment, experienced a 0.3-second violent logical fluctuation, followed by entering deeper dormancy. Speculation: This method touched upon a cognitive blind spot or discomfort zone in the Pruning Faction's 'absolute control' philosophy."

Lin Shen leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief. "It seems our 'non-standard' is not only effective but may also... sting certain 'standard' guys a bit."

Chu Yunshen reminded: "Don't forget to add the most important point to the risk self-assessment section at the end of the report."

"What is it?"

"Risk: Over-reliance on or showing off 'non-standard' may cause us to neglect the construction of basic 'standard' capabilities, reducing us to a civilization that only knows cheap tricks. Balance is the key." Chu Yunshen said solemnly, "What we need to prove is not that 'non-standard' is better, but that we have the ability to freely switch between standard and non-standard, and creatively fuse them."

Lin Shen nodded, bolded this sentence, and pinned it to the end of the report.