171: Chapter 170 Imprint Delivery and the Approaching Shadow

System Status Snapshot (Post-Warning of 'Dream-Devouring Shadow' Path)

Remaining Subjective Time (Until Shadow's Arrival): Approximately 71 hours (This time perception is based on the distorted flow of the 'Trial Ground'; external cosmic time is unknown).

'Activated Stasis Bubble' Status: Stable; internal time flow is approximately 1/1000 of the external rate, but energy maintenance consumption continues.

Pruning Faction Frigate (Target): 3.2 kilometers from the bubble's edge (stasis scale); in a completely 'frozen' state.

divine remains Residual Chaotic Energy: Volume is less than one-billionth of the original; activity is extremely low, but it exhibits weak resonance with the bubble and the crystals.

Mutated Crystal Information: Continuing to parse vague records regarding the 'Dream-Devouring Shadow' from the sower's legacy. Keywords: 'Tasting,' 'Transformation,' 'Shadow Proliferation.'

The warning from the crystal was like a bucket of ice water, dousing the faint flame of hope that had just risen from the success of the 'Sanctuary Bubble.' Seventy-two hours sounded like a long time, but within the extremely elongated subjective time, every passing second was accompanied by deepening anxiety. Not only did they have to prove themselves, but in the process of doing so, they might also prematurely draw in the most terrifying terminator.

'Is the plan changing?' Chu Yunshen's voice rang out through the consciousness link, struggling to maintain composure. 'Proactively contacting the Pruning Faction is already high-risk, and now it might even accelerate the arrival of the "Shadow."'

Zhao Yan stared at the frigate outside the bubble, which looked like a silver sculpture, his eyes bloodshot. 'Change? How can we change it? Huddle here and wait for death? The path of the "Shadow" is already pointed here; whether we act or not, it will come! That "Trial" wants us to prove "constructive influence"—on whom? Besides these three "things" in front of us, who else is there? Are we expected to have a constructive influence on that "stasis" or the "Shadow"? The only possibility is this enemy ship!'

He paused, his voice hoarse but resolute. 'If we can prove that our concept of "connection," even just a sliver of it, can produce even a tiny non-destructive "perturbation" or "imprint" on the Pruning Faction system—which represents absolute "assimilative order"—then it shows our "differentiation" isn't just a hedgehog capable of self-defense, but... a possibility that could "infect" or even "soften" absolute order! This might be the "expansion potential" the "Trial" wants to see! It's also the only common approach we might find to deal with all threats!'

Lin Shen took a deep breath and interjected, 'Furthermore, the crystal's information mentioned "positioning and gathering momentum before tasting." The "Dream-Devouring Shadow" might have already "smelled" our intense activity here. If it truly feeds on "vivid complexity," then the more we remain still, the more we fear, and the more we do nothing, the more we might instead resemble a "cold dish" that has lost its flavor and is waiting to be enjoyed. Acting proactively to demonstrate the "activity" and "unpredictability" of our pattern might... to some extent interfere with its "positioning" or "tasting" process.'

'Using madness to fight madness, using proactive attraction to create uncertainty?' Zhou Zhe gave a bitter smile. 'That logic is very "us."'

'Analysis of comprehensive risks and potential benefits,' β-2's voice carried the distinct clarity and calm Sarah possessed in desperate situations. 'The expected risk value for executing the "Consciousness Imprint Delivery" plan is still as high as 82%, but the risk value for abandoning action and waiting for the "Shadow" to arrive is assessed at 99.7%. The probability of destruction from passive waiting is far higher than from a proactive attempt. Furthermore, the plan itself aligns with our consistent "non-standard" behavior pattern; although the success rate is low, once successful, its evidentiary power is extremely strong. Recommendation: Execute the plan, but an insurance measure must be added.'

'What insurance?'

'While injecting the "imprint" into the residual energy of the divine remains, we will use certain characteristics of the crystal and the bubble to create an extremely weak "Reverse Resonance Beacon" pointing deeper into the Rift's "stasis,"' β-2 explained quickly. 'The principle: If the "imprint delivery" triggers a violent rejection or attack from the Pruning Faction's system, we will attempt to guide part of the attack's energy or information flow through a preset channel toward the "stasis" Rift. The goal is to use the properties of "stasis" to "freeze" or "delay" the attack, and perhaps even trigger local spatial structural instability, gaining us a time window for escape or readjustment in extreme circumstances. This act can also serve as lateral proof of our trait of "utilizing the environment."'

Turning offense into defense, diverting disaster elsewhere. This plan was intricately linked, every step walking on the edge of a precipice.

'Let's do it!' Zhao Yan made the final decision. 'Lin Shen, β-2, finalize the plan's details immediately! Zhou Zhe, prepare to guide the consciousness network; this time we need a more refined, more "essential" connection intent—no messy emotional conflicts, but the core: why we connect, why we insist on being "different." Director Chu, coordinate all remaining resources and prepare for any contingencies! Li Lin, keep a close eye on all monitoring data, especially the "Shadow's" path signals and any minute changes in the Pruning Faction fleet!'

Against the backdrop of extremely stretched subjective time, preparations proceeded with a nearly 'frozen' slowness, yet with absolute focus.

Lin Shen and β-2 designed the final 'imprint' structure: it was not an aggressive program, nor a simple emotional package, but a highly condensed 'statement of existence' composed of three parts:

Cognitive Core: A case study of the divine remains regarding 'suffering is not the end, it can be transformed into a power of protection' (data summary).

Behavioral Paradigm: A human network collaboration model regarding 'contradictory emotions and logic can synergistically create new paths' (abstract description).

Open Question: A simple logical question—'Beyond absolute efficiency and absolute control, does another possibility of order based on "understanding and symbiosis" exist? If it does, how is its value measured?'

These three parts were carried by the most resonant frequencies within the human consciousness network, encased in a shell provided by crystal energy that mimicked 'stasis' inertia but contained special fluctuations of a 'Chaotic Signature.' The goal was not forced indoctrination but rather like a special 'seed,' attempting to find a crack in the Pruning Faction's highly ordered information soil that might cause 'confusion,' 'curiosity,' or 'computational conflict.'

At the same time, that dangerous 'Reverse Resonance Beacon' was quietly deployed at the edge of the bubble, with an invisible energy 'fuse' connecting the bubble, the crystals, and the deep structural layers of the nearby 'stasis' Rift.

Zhou Zhe guided all the connectors to discard distracting thoughts and sink their consciousness into the deepest depths. It was no longer about homesickness, anger, or fear, but about questioning the most fundamental persistence in their hearts: What made them choose to support each other through repeated despairs? What made them willing to accept outliers like the divine remains? What made them firmly believe that their 'non-standard' way of living was worth defending? These deep, almost instinctive beliefs were extracted, resonated, and fused, turning into a pure and tenacious stream of will injected into the 'imprint.'

After what felt like 'days' in subjective time, everything was ready.

'Target locked.'

'Imprint carrier—divine remains residual energy unit guidance complete.'

'Launch channel calibrated.'

'Reverse beacon on standby.'

'Pressure source status... no signs of significantly accelerated recovery.'

'Shadow' path signal... continuing to strengthen; trajectory fine-tuned, pointing more precisely to this area.

The final piece of information made everyone's hearts sink, but it also strengthened their resolve.

'Launch.'

There was no light, no sound. Against the backdrop of nearly absolute stasis, that small cluster of carefully modulated residual energy from the divine remains—carrying the core concepts of human 'differentiation'—was like an insignificant speck of dust in the universe. At an extremely slow speed, it left the protection of the bubble and drifted toward the silver Pruning Faction frigate three kilometers away, which represented absolute order.

Time nearly solidified during the wait. Every second of subjective experience was infinitely stretched, filled with fear of an unknown reaction and a faint, glimmering hope.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

The energy dust finally made contact with the frigate's smooth, cold, and seamless hull.

Under normal circumstances, it should have been instantly annihilated or deflected by the warship's automatic defense field.

But at this moment, under the extreme slow-motion effect of the "Trial Grounds," all of the warship's defense systems were also in a "frozen" or extremely low-speed operational state.

The energy dust, like a water droplet seeping into a sponge, "merged" into the warship's hull extremely slowly—not through physical penetration, but on an informational level, attempting to find any possible data interface or logical vulnerability within its surface sensor network or energy circuits.

Waiting. A long, suffocating wait.

Ten minutes (subjectively feeling like hours) passed, and the frigate showed no reaction.

Twenty minutes... Thirty minutes...

Just when everyone was almost certain the plan had failed and the dust had been silently swallowed by the warship's underlying protocols—

A dim blue indicator light on the frigate's hull, which had been blinking regularly to indicate the maintenance status of basic systems, abruptly changed its rhythm!

It shifted from a steady pulse to a brief, rapid "double blink" that returned to normal, only to immediately become chaotic again!

This change was so minute it could almost be ignored, but in an environment of absolute stillness and regularity, it was like a bolt of abnormal lightning in the dark night!

"There's a reaction!" Li Lin's voice trembled.

Immediately following, more obvious changes appeared.

Several small sensor arrays on the side of the frigate facing the bubble (originally in a low-power standby state) suddenly began an erratic, weak energy scan. The scanning frequency changed rapidly, as if some automatic diagnostic or exception handling protocol within the system had been accidentally triggered, and it was attempting to locate and parse the "intruding" information dust whose nature it could not identify.

"It's 'confused'," Lin Shen stared intently at the data stream. "Its system has identified an abnormal input but cannot classify, clear, or ignore it according to existing protocols. It's attempting to analyze... it's consuming computing power!"

But this "confusion" did not last long.

Only a few seconds (subjective time) later, the frigate's main weapon—the muzzle of a small "Order Assimilation Radiation Generator" that had been in a completely dormant state—began to rotate slowly and sluggishly, finally locking onto the direction of the "Activated Stasis Bubble"!

Deep inside the muzzle, a faint but palpable, heart-stopping silvery-white light began to gather!

"It's going to attack! The plan has triggered a repulsion!" Zhou Zhe exclaimed.

"Activate the reverse beacon! Maximum power! Divert the attack to the Rift!" Zhao Yan roared.

β-2 executed the command immediately.

The "fuse" preset at the edge of the bubble activated instantly. A weak but precise guiding beam shot toward the charging muzzle, while another, stronger resonance signal shot toward a specific point in the "Stasis" Rift!

Just at the moment the silvery-white light in the frigate's muzzle was about to reach the firing threshold—

A sudden change occurred!

The guiding beam shot at the muzzle did not completely deflect the attack, but at the moment of contact, it produced some kind of unpredictable resonance with the information left behind by the "Imprint" energy dust!

At the same time, the frigate's own logical conflict seemed to reach a critical point!

The silvery-white light gathered at the muzzle did not fire at the bubble, nor was it completely diverted to the Rift; instead, a small-scale, chaotic energy backflow and frequency distortion occurred inside the muzzle!

The light suddenly became dim and scattered, like the static on a TV with a bad signal, even interspersed with a few extremely faint "noises" similar to human consciousness frequencies!

Immediately after, the entire hull of the frigate, starting from the point where it had been invaded by the "Imprint," rippled with extremely unstable, multicolored data streams!

These ripples spread rapidly, and wherever they passed, the orderly patterns and indicator lights on the warship's hull became briefly distorted and chaotic, as if water had been splashed onto a precise circuit diagram.

This scene lasted for less than two seconds (subjective time) before the warship's system seemed to activate a deeper forced error-correction protocol. A powerful, cold energy of order surged from deep within the hull, forcibly "smoothing out" all the chaos, and the distorted light at the muzzle instantly extinguished.

The warship returned to absolute stillness, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

But everyone knew it was no illusion.

On this frigate of the Pruning Faction, which represented absolute order, their "Differentiation Imprint" had truly triggered logical conflicts, computing power consumption, and even temporary functional failure and attack distortion within the system!

Although it was eventually suppressed, the "impact" had indeed occurred, and it was not purely destructive—it had triggered system "confusion" and "self-adjustment."

Almost at the same moment, that grand and vast voice of the trial, carrying unprecedentedly clear approval, resounded through the consciousness space:

"'Differentiation Imprint' delivery verified. Target order system produced: logical conflict (moderate), computing power encroachment (low), temporary functional failure (low). Nature of impact: non-direct destruction, triggered internal self-consistency disturbance in the target system. Proof valid."

"'Constructive Impact Potential' second-layer value, confirmed. The candidate has demonstrated that its model possesses the ability to induce non-destructive cognitive disturbances in highly heterogeneous order environments; this is the cornerstone of 'Differentiation' expansion."

The voice paused slightly, and the images in countless "windows" unified again, focusing on the frigate that had just returned to "calm." On its hull surface, at the point where the "Imprint" had invaded, a tiny, irregular pale golden spot remained—visible to all observation methods—that was an "heterogeneous scar" left behind after the forced fusion of the divine remains "Chaos Signature," human "Empathy Anchor," and the Pruning Faction's order shell, which could not be immediately "assimilated" or cleared.

"The mark has been left. This is the 'Scar of Proof,' and also the 'Seed of Resonance' (extremely low probability). Now, preparing for the final layer value assessment."

Before everyone could recover from the brief relief of passing the second layer of proof, the tone of the voice suddenly became incomparably serious, even carrying a hint of... warning:

"Based on the ultimate clauses of the 'kindling protocol' and the current threat level, the final layer of proof will be directly linked to the response to the 'Dream-Devouring Shadow.' You have two paths to choose from:"

"Path One: 'Avoidance and Concealment.' Utilize the mastered 'Stasis Bubble' technology and 'Imprint' interference experience to attempt to reduce your own 'Differentiation' signal strength to the maximum extent, delay the arrival of the 'Shadow,' or seek to 'hide' within its perception. This path tests the survival wisdom and concealment potential of the 'Differentiation' model."

"Path Two: 'Contact and Transformation.' Proactively adjust the 'Differentiation' signal characteristics, attempt to establish some extremely limited, highly dangerous 'non-standard contact' with the 'Dream-Devouring Shadow,' with the goal not being defeat, but verifying whether it possesses 'intolerance' or 'difficulty digesting' specific types of 'Differentiation,' or even... attempting to exert an extremely weak 'impact' on it. This path tests the extreme environmental adaptability and potential countermeasure capabilities of the 'Differentiation' model."

"The choice will largely determine your ultimate fate, as well as the direction of the 'Trial's' judgment. Subjective time until the 'Shadow's' arrival: approximately 70 hours. Countdown to choice: based on your cognitive speed. Be cautious."

The voice vanished.

Two paths: one leaning towards absolute cautious survival, the other towards reckless, active probing.

Both were directly related to that most terrifying existence.

And the "golden scar" they had just left on the Pruning Faction warship, now under the focus of the "window," seemed to be facing the depths of the viscous darkness, emitting a faint yet stubborn, provocative light.

Zhao Yan looked around at everyone, a nearly ferocious smile slowly emerging on his weary face:

"Hide? And wait for it to slowly come knocking?"

"Or..."

He looked at the darkness outside the bubble, which was becoming increasingly viscous, the whispering voices seemingly a fraction clearer.

"Go up to it, and tell that guy..."

"That this 'dish' of ours might be a bit... too hard to chew?"