172: Chapter 171 Reverse Tentacles and the God-like Battleship

System Status Snapshot (Approximately 1 hour subjective time after selecting 'Contact and Transformation')

Estimated arrival of 'Dream-Devouring Shadow' tentacles: approximately 69 hours (however, monitoring shows lead 'sensing filaments' have already infiltrated this sector, targeting the Pruning Faction frigate 'Scar').

divine remains core fusion progress (with the frigate): 15%. Irregular chaotic energy patterns have appeared on the hull structure; large patches of the original silver-white coating have peeled away, revealing the dark gold, slowly pulsating 'organic-mechanical' hybrid material beneath.

Pruning Faction frigate main system status: Logic deadlock and forced reboot cycle; weapons systems offline; power core output erratic but has not exploded.

Human 'Contact and Transformation' plan preparations: Based on 'imprint delivery' experience, a 'Empathy Frequency Modulation Probe' is being designed to attempt non-standard information exchange with the 'Shadow' tentacles.

Crystal guidance information update: 'sower' legacy record fragments mention: '..."Shadow" is not a physical entity, but a collection of "conceptual tendencies"... it can be briefly interfered with by "extreme contradictions" or "unclassifiable states of existence"...'

The choice has been made—'Contact and Transformation.' It is a near-suicidal path, but it is also the only path that aligns with their 'non-standard' nature. Rather than waiting in fear to be devoured, it is better to take a proactive 'bite' of that darkness, even if the price is being ground to dust.

The core of the plan is to utilize the 'differentiated imprint' logic they just validated on the Pruning Faction warship, but with targeted reinforcement and mutation. Based on the vague information provided by the crystal, β-2 and Lin Shen speculate that the essence of the Dream-Devouring Shadow might be a cosmic phenomenon extremely sensitive to 'information structures' or 'states of existence,' feeding on 'highly ordered or highly complex conscious activity.' Its 'devouring' might be closer to an instinctive tendency and assimilation toward 'informational deliciousness.'

Thus, the key to opposing it might not be stronger energy or sturdier shields, but a state of existence that is 'foul-tasting,' 'incomprehensible,' or even so 'contradictory' that it causes 'discomfort' to the entity.

The 'Empathy Frequency Modulation Probe' is designed based on this concept. It is not a weapon, but an 'information packet transmitter.' The plan is to direct a composite signal containing the following elements toward the first arriving 'Shadow' tentacles:

The intertwining of extreme agony and extreme tranquility (derived from the final gift of the divine remains).

The alternation of absolutely rational logical deduction and completely irrational emotional outbursts (derived from the human consciousness network).

A completely self-contradictory 'philosophical problem' that cannot form a closed loop (e.g., 'Does an existence that constantly denies its own existence, exist?').

A faint fluctuation generated by the crystal, mimicking an 'unfinished concept' from the sower's legacy.

Objective: To 'feed' the tentacles this mass of extremely chaotic, contradictory, yet internally consistent (in its own way) 'informational noise' and observe the reaction. Will it be rejection? Confusion? Brief 'indigestion'? Or... will it be attracted and produce some predictable change in 'behavioral patterns'?

The risks are self-evident: it might provoke the entity, accelerate the arrival of its main body, or trigger unpredictable dimensional disasters.

But just as they were in the middle of intense preparations for the 'probe,' the greatest variable—the divine remains core fusing with the Pruning Faction frigate—underwent an unexpected change.

The fusion was not smooth sailing. The faint, dormant consciousness of the divine remains core clashed violently with the cold, rigid, yet structurally rigorous systems of the Pruning Faction warship. The ship's low-level protocols attempted to 'format' or 'quarantine' this foreign chaotic consciousness, while the divine remains core instinctively released residual fluctuations of 'pain' and 'existence,' eroding and warping the ship's system architecture.

This silent war raged inside the warship, causing its external form to constantly shift: one moment the hull would bulge with irregular dark-gold 'tumors,' the next it would return to a partially silver-white, orderly state. Energy readings fluctuated wildly, like a giant beast in its death throes.

However, at a certain moment, when the 'pain' fluctuations of the divine remains core and the 'order' energy of the ship's formatting attempts reached a brief equilibrium at a specific frequency, an unprecedented, bizarre hybrid consciousness flashed through the warship's core like a spark!

This consciousness was neither pure divine remains nor the ship's AI, but a weird composite containing chaotic pain, orderly coldness, and a 'differentiated' longing originating from the golden light cluster (the seed)!

It existed for only a fraction of a second (subjective time), but it sent an extremely chaotic yet vaguely directed thought to the nearest sources of consciousness—β-2 and Zhou Zhe:

"...Hurts... but... no... different... have 'shell'... have 'shape'... can... move?... don't want... to be 'eaten'... help... me... 'control'... 'shell'..."

"It... it wants to control that warship!" Zhou Zhe translated in shock. "It realized it has a physical, powered 'shell,' and it wants to use this shell to... protect itself? Even... help?"

"The probability is extremely high," β-2 analyzed quickly. "The divine remains core has fused with the 'seed' traits, possessing a certain degree of learning and adaptability. It likely perceived the threat of the 'Shadow' and instinctively viewed this enemy ship—which is in disarray because of it—as a potential 'weapon' or 'barrier.' But its consciousness is too faint and chaotic to navigate such a complex system independently. It needs external guidance, a 'guide' it can understand and trust."

"You want me to... 'fly' that ship?" Zhou Zhe pointed at the bizarre warship outside that was constantly deforming and leaking energy, his scalp tingling.

"Not piloting in the traditional sense. It's 'collaborative modulation' at the consciousness connection level. Your consciousness has the deepest resonance with the divine remains core, and you have an engineering background, allowing you to understand the basic framework of warship systems. You need to enter a highly dangerous state: connect part of your consciousness with the divine remains core to jointly 'soothe' and 'guide' the ship's systems, attempting to establish an unstable, temporary 'control loop.' This may subject you to the dual impact of the divine remains' residual pain and the warship's system turbulence." β-2's warning was very grave.

"I'll do it!" Zhou Zhe said without hesitation. "Having one more 'thing' that can move, even if it's a half-finished product, is better than having just this bubble! What do I need to do?"

A plan was rapidly formulated. Zhou Zhe would use an enhanced Silent Veil connection to delve his consciousness into the 'struggling' frigate. β-2 and Lin Shen would provide real-time data support and logical assistance, attempting to guide the ship's chaotic energy flows into usable thrusters and basic sensors. The goal was not fine operation, but obtaining basic mobility and perception. Meanwhile, everyone else continued preparations for the 'Empathy probe' launch.

The process was extremely painful and eerie. Zhou Zhe's consciousness felt as if it were being torn in two: one half immersed in the cold, diffuse pain and chaos of the divine remains, while the other half struggled to interpret the cold, fragmented data stream of the ship's systems, which was filled with error codes. He felt like he was driving a junk car with a failing steering wheel and a knocking engine, yet an exceptionally sturdy body.

However, amidst the extreme chaos, a peculiar synchronization began to emerge. When he stopped trying to 'control' it by force and instead, as if collaborating with the divine remains on a creation, began to 'feel' the energy flow of the ship's systems and 'gently nudge' them with his own conscious fluctuations (blending technical understanding with emotional resonance), the ship's reactions began to show a faint coordination!

The originally disordered flames from the left thruster nozzles began to become slightly more directional.

Among the jumbled energy readings, the signals representing the forward sensor array began to stabilize in part.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

The warship's constantly deforming hull gradually stabilized into a strange yet steady form, interwoven with dark gold and silver-white, filled with irregular protrusions and energy patterns—it no longer resembled a creation of the Pruning Faction, nor a pure chaotic aggregate, but rather some kind of... deformed mechanical beast forcibly welded together by pain and order.

"Did... did it work?" Zhou Zhe's voice was incredibly weak over the connection, but he could feel that this "divine remains warship" was responding to his vague intentions to "advance" and "turn," albeit with sluggish, clumsy movements, like a metal infant that had just learned to walk.

"Initial synergy established. Control level is approximately 12%, but it possesses basic maneuvering and sensory functions." β-2 confirmed, "Most of the warship's original weapon systems are disabled or unresponsive, but we have detected that its energy core output is extremely unstable and highly coupled with the divine remains' pain energy... it might be usable as an unconventional 'interference source'."

Just then, Li Lin's scream exploded in the mental network: "Tentacles! The 'Shadow's' tentacles! They've appeared!"

Everyone looked at the monitoring screen. In the void about a few dozen kilometers (in stasis scale) away from the "activated stasis bubble" and the "divine remains warship," a patch of space, like clear water into which ink had been dripped, silently "stained" open into absolute darkness.

It was not a darkness lacking light, but a realm of nothingness that made the soul tremble, formed as if even the very concept of space itself had been partially "sucked away."

From the center of that "stain," several slender, translucent, dark purple "ribbons" with constantly writhing and changing edges, like the tentacles of a deep-sea monster, slowly extended and "floated" straight toward the divine remains warship with its "golden Scars"!

Their movement appeared slow, but in the extremely elongated sense of time, this "slowness" instead brought an even more terrifying sense of oppression. Wherever they passed, the "vibrancy" of space noticeably declined, as if colors and details were being quietly erased.

"probe ready! Target—the foremost tentacle!" Zhao Yan commanded, suppressing his palpitations.

β-2 controlled the Cradle Node's final launch array, transforming the "Empathy Frequency Modulation Probe," which condensed the essence of human and divine remains traits, into an extremely faint, iridescent, tiny beam of light, and fired it at that tentacle!

The instant the beam hit the tentacle, there was no explosion, no flash. On the surface of the tentacle, like a pebble thrown into a calm pool of water, ripples slowly spread out—constantly changing color and with extremely irregular shapes!

Wherever the ripples passed, inside the tentacle's dark purple, translucent "body," countless tiny, indescribable lights and shadows seemed to be rapidly born, dying, twisting, and recombining. Its forward speed slowed noticeably, and it even "retracted" slightly, as if it had been "burned" or "choked" by something.

"It's reacting! It's 'processing' those contradictory pieces of information!" Lin Shen stared intently at the extremely complex and chaotic energy spectrum changes transmitted back by the sensors.

But it didn't last long. After only a few seconds (subjective time), the ripples on the tentacle's surface subsided, its "body" color seemed to deepen a shade, and it writhed more "composedly." It seemed to have... adapted, or perhaps it had "digested" or "categorized" those contradictory pieces of information into some acceptable "flavor." Then, with a speed more determined than before, it continued to reach toward the divine remains warship!

"Damn it, it's not 'tasting bad' enough!" Zhao Yan gritted his teeth.

Just as the tip of the tentacle was about to touch the strange hull of the divine remains warship—

The divine remains warship, which Zhou Zhe had been struggling to keep basically stable, suddenly had its core's extremely unstable energy reaction explode out of control due to the incomprehensible "conceptual oppression" brought by the external "Shadow" tentacle!

It was not an attack, but an instinctive, violent eruption of energy mixed with pain, fear, anger, and the tenacious "desire to exist" brought by the "seed"! This energy was not orderly gunfire, but rather more like a highly concentrated stream of mixed chaotic information and energy, forced by the "pain combustion" protocol within the hull, then squeezed and ejected from all the cracks and energy patterns!

The dark golden torrent of energy, mixed with painful shrieks and chaotic data, like the warship's "blood" and "scream," instantly enveloped the reaching tentacle!

This time, the tentacle's reaction was completely different!

It was no longer sluggish or adapting; instead, it violently spasmed, contracted, and even experienced localized "dissolution"! It was as if this chaotic energy flow, purely driven by the "will to exist in pain" and devoid of any logic, was true "poison" or an "inedible foreign object" to it!

The tentacle quickly retracted from the surface of the divine remains warship; the parts that had been washed over by the energy flow became dim and transparent, as if their "nutrients" or "sense of existence" had been forcibly stripped away. It no longer reached firmly toward the warship, but instead twisted and circled unconsciously in the void, as if in "pain" or "confusion."

After this strike, the light on the divine remains warship's hull rapidly dimmed, and many energy patterns extinguished, as if it had exhausted its last bit of strength. Zhou Zhe also felt a wave of intense exhaustion and a sense of consciousness detachment, and the connection became precarious.

But that grand and vast voice of the trial rang out at this moment with unprecedented fervor:

"Emergency evolution verification! Target: 'Dream-Devouring Shadow' primary tentacle. Method: Non-logical 'will to exist' eruption based on a chaotic-order hybrid carrier. Result: Tentacle produced strong repulsion and minor damage, assimilation process interrupted."

"'Differentiation' mode, when dealing with 'conceptual predators,' demonstrates the potential for effective interference and repulsion using a 'strongly existent state that cannot be categorized'! This path aligns with the 'kindling protocol' ultimate vision for countering 'assimilating shadows'!"

The voice became urgent:

"Final tier value proof—'survival and counter-potential,' preliminarily confirmed! But warning: tentacle damage will trigger higher attention and stronger response from the 'Shadow's' main body! Estimated arrival time of the main body is significantly advanced! Candidates, utilize the 'hybrid carrier' (divine remains warship) you created and the verified interference methods, and prepare to welcome true 'contact'! The final stage of the 'trial'—whether 'differentiation' can maintain existence and leave a 'trace' under the gaze of the 'Shadow's' main body—begins now!"

Along with the voice, those few damaged tentacles suddenly retracted into that "stained" darkness, and immediately after, the entire "stained" area began to churn and expand violently! A grand sucking sound, far more viscous, low-pitched, and carrying clear "displeasure" and "appetite" than before, like the heartbeat of the universe, began to emanate from the depths of the darkness!

The "Shadow's" main body had been prematurely angered and accelerated into awakening!

And their only "achievement" was a strange warship on the verge of paralysis, a consciousness connector who had exhausted all his strength, and a "stasis bubble" about to run out of energy.

Zhao Yan looked at the churning darkness outside, then at the nearly collapsed Zhou Zhe beside him and the dimly lit divine remains warship, and spat fiercely:

"Damn it... poked a hornet's nest."

"However..." A fierce light flickered in his eyes as he looked at the strange warship.

"This hornet's nest seems to be made of iron."

"β-2, Lin Shen! Calculate for me whether that piece-of-junk ship can do that 'blood spray' thing again! Figure out how to make it spray more accurately and hurt more!"

"Everyone else, help Zhou Zhe to rest! Li Lin, keep your eyes locked on that darkness! Director Chu, initiate the final preparations for the 'kindling' contingency plan!"

"It wants to come 'eat,' right?"

"I'd like to see if its teeth are hard..."

He patted the console, as if patting that silent, deformed divine remains warship.

"...or if this 'piece of junk' of ours is more of a pain in the throat!"

Darkness, like a tide, surged forward.

And that clumsy metal beast, welded together from pain and order, slowly turned its prow, covered in Scars and energy patterns, in the void to aim at the core of the churning darkness.

Like a beast, covered in Scars, yet still baring its fangs at its natural predator.