71: Chapter 71 The Whispers of the Dead

Andrei Petrov's body was urgently transported to the biological isolation laboratory on the lowest level of the spiritual pivot base.

Commander Lin Shen watched the busy team inside through the observation window.

The deceased's facial expression was frozen in a strange sense of calm, forming an eerie contrast with the extreme pain indicated by the physiological monitors.

His eyes were not fully closed, and in the depths of his dilated pupils, it seemed as if some kind of light still lingered.

"The immediate cause of death was a sudden, global neurotransmitter storm." Chief forensic scientist Dr. Xu Jing handed over the preliminary report, her voice tinged with confusion, "All receptors overloaded simultaneously, which is equivalent to the brain being instantly 'burned out' by a torrent of information. But what's strange is..."

"Speak."

"His memory-related regions, such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, showed extraordinary activity before death, with activity levels over a hundred times higher than in a normal state of thought." Xu Jing pointed to the glaring red areas on the brain scan image, "This doesn't look like 'receiving' information; it looks more like... 'reading' something that was already stored deep in his brain but is usually inaccessible."

Commander Lin Shen took the tablet, his fingers swiping across the anomalous data: "Like a triggered memory switch?"

"It's more complex than that." Academician Chen Qiming's voice came from behind. The Old Professor had already left the connection pod, his face somewhat pale, but his eyes were bright, "Commander Lin Shen, I experienced the entire process. While in the consciousness connection state, I could vaguely 'perceive' the overall fluctuations of the global volunteer network. Thirty seconds before subject 7341 showed abnormalities, a... 'resonance focus' appeared in the network."

"A resonance focus?"

"It's like a stone being thrown into a calm lake." Academician Chen Qiming pulled up the data on his personal terminal, "At that moment, the consciousness harmonics of all volunteers underwent a weak synchronous modulation centered on subject 7341. Although the amplitude was small, it was statistically significant. Then, that focus suddenly became abnormally 'bright' and began to output information in reverse—not an outward output, but an inward one, pouring back into subject 7341 himself. Immediately afterward, his data crashed."

Commander Lin Shen looked at Andrei's body in the observation room. This ordinary paleoclimatologist, at the final moment of his life, had become the focus of a global network of ten thousand consciousnesses, receiving a torrent of information from an unknown source.

"Nuwa, have you finished parsing the complete data stream from subject 7341's connection pod?"

"Deep extraction and pattern analysis are complete." Nuwa's voice echoed in the laboratory, "The anomalous data stream contains three layers: the first layer is the accelerated playback of the volunteers' own memory fragments, mainly consisting of prehistoric climate scenes; the second layer is exogenous consciousness harmonics, with characteristics matching the remnants left by Dr. Sarah Chen, serving a kind of 'guiding' or 'translating' function; the third layer, and the most core one, is an encrypted, high-density information packet whose encoding method is highly similar to the ancient protocols in the lunar south pole cavity and the Gardener sowers legacy database."

"What about the content?"

"It is being deciphered. However, some grammatical rules of the key protocols are missing. The Gardener Representative stated that they can provide assistance, but they require us to share all data obtained from the 7341 incident."

Commander Lin Shen nodded: "Arrange a meeting. One hour from now, in the Third Briefing Room."

He took one last look at Andrei and turned to leave. In the corridor, Minister Li Weimin was waiting for him, his face ashen.

"The Council is very uneasy, Comrade Lin Shen." The Minister got straight to the point, "A fatal accident during the first large-scale experiment will create significant public pressure. The voices opposing the Spark Project were already quite loud, and now..."

"Now it is even more necessary to push forward." Commander Lin Shen did not stop walking, "Minister, the death of subject 7341 was not an accident; it was a 'contact'. Something has actively made contact with us through our consciousness network."

"What kind of thing? The price was a human life!"

"In the face of the Reapers civilization countdown, the price may be far more than that." Commander Lin Shen stopped and looked directly into the Minister's eyes, "We have discovered the direct link between the lunar device and the consciousness network, found evidence that the consciousness fragments of Sarah Chen are still active, and received a clear message: 'The sower Cradle has awakened'. Each piece of information is invaluable. Andrei Petrov is a martyr, and his death opened the first crack in the door for us."

Minister Li Weimin was silent for a long time, then sighed: "What do you need?"

"Highest level of investigative authority, blocking all external interference. And..." Commander Lin Shen lowered his voice, "I need to know if Andrei Petrov was truly just an 'ordinary paleoclimatologist'. His background check might not have been thorough enough."

One hour later, in the Third Briefing Room.

The two Gardener Representatives appeared at the other end of the long table in the form of holographic projections. Their light clusters were more solid than before, and there was a clear sense of urgency in their fluctuations.

"We have received the summary of the data from the 7341 incident that you shared." The light cluster on the left emitted fluctuations, with Nuwa translating synchronously, her voice carrying a kind of solemn emotion, "The situation is more serious than we expected, and also... earlier."

"Please explain the meaning of 'The sower Cradle has awakened'." Commander Lin Shen got straight to the point.

The light clusters of the two Gardener Representatives flickered violently at the same time, as if they were communicating rapidly. Finally, the representative on the right "spoke":

"This is not a metaphor. The 'Cradle' is one of the few physical relics left behind by the builders civilization. It is not a place, but a kind of... state. A sealed 'civilization prototype incubator'."

The air in the briefing room seemed to freeze.

"Continue."

"According to the fragmented records we inherited, 'Cradles' are scattered throughout the universe, usually choosing young planets that have the potential for life but have not yet given birth to intelligent civilization. It buries itself deep within the crust and enters a dormant state, waiting for one of two trigger conditions: first, the planet naturally evolves a primary intelligent civilization; second, it encounters a cosmic-level disaster sufficient to cause the extinction of the biosphere." The Gardener Representative's fluctuations became low, "After being triggered, the 'Cradle' will activate, releasing the 'civilization seed packets' sealed within it, accelerating the evolution of the planet's intelligent life and helping them gain the ability to cope with the crisis in a short period of time."

In Commander Lin Shen's mind, the clues quickly connected: the device in the lunar south pole cavity, the resonance with the consciousness network, the sowers legacy...

"The device on the moon is the 'Cradle'?"

"The probability is extremely high. Moreover, it has already been triggered." The color of the Gardener Representative's light cluster turned dark red, "The trigger condition is likely the second one—the approach of the Reapers civilization, which was judged by the 'Cradle' as an extinction-level threat. So it 'awakened' and began searching for the most 'malleable and resonant' intelligent consciousness within the local civilization, attempting to establish a connection, preparing to pass on the 'seeds'."

"So Andrei..." Academician Chen Qiming muttered.

"He was a medium. A chosen 'interface'." The Gardener Representative's tone carried a sense of near-regret, "His consciousness traits—deep empathy for historical space-time—resonated with a certain 'ancient memory prototype' sealed within the 'Cradle'. The 'Cradle' attempted to transmit information to the entire human network through him. But his individual consciousness was too fragile to withstand that scale of information flow, like a straw trying to carry a flood."

Commander Lin Shen clenched his fists: "Why now? The Reapers are still nearly fifty years away from arriving."

"Because the 'Cradle's' judgment logic is based on a more macro scale. From the moment it is triggered until it is fully activated and releases all the 'seeds', it may take decades or even a century. It is currently in the 'preheating' and 'searching for an adapter' stage. The 7341 incident was a... compatibility test." The Gardener Representative's light cluster turned toward Commander Lin Shen, "And it succeeded. Although the medium died, the information has been sent, and the connection has been established. A crack has been opened in the channel between the human consciousness network and the 'Cradle'."

The briefing room fell into a deathly silence. Everyone realized what this meant.

"What will that... crack bring?" Minister Li Weimin's voice was dry.

"Uncertain. It could be the leakage of more fragmented information, it could be the 'Cradle' attempting to find the next adapter, or it could be..." The Gardener Representative paused, "Attracting things that should not be attracted."

"For example?"

"The 'Gardener' civilization is not monolithic." The representative on the left took over, with obvious wariness in its fluctuations, "We belong to the 'Guardian Faction', advocating for following the builders' legacy, guiding rather than interfering with young civilizations. But there is also the 'Pruning Faction'; they believe the builders' legacy is too dangerous, and any accidentally activated 'Cradle' should be immediately 'silenced'—that is, physically destroyed, along with the potentially 'contaminated' local civilization."

A chill ran down Commander Lin Shen's spine.

"Do you think the 'Pruning Faction' will come to the Solar System?"

"They already know." The Gardener Representative's light cluster became unstable, "The signal from the 'Cradle' activation, although weak on a cosmic scale, is like a lighthouse in the dark for the 'Pruning Faction' that specializes in monitoring such events. Our internal network has detected that a 'Pruning Faction' rapid response fleet changed course fifteen standard cosmic time units ago, and the calculated destination... is the Solar System. The estimated arrival time is eight to ten years."

Eight to ten years. Forty years earlier than the Reapers.

A new enemy, destroyers in the name of "salvation," is already on the way.

"We need the 'seeds' in the 'Cradle'." Commander Lin Shen said decisively, "We need it to accelerate human evolution to deal with the Reapers, and now we must add the 'Pruning Faction' to that."

"The risk is extremely high." The Gardener "Guardian Faction" representative warned, "First, the 'Cradle's' information flow could destroy more individuals. Second, a deep connection with the 'Cradle' could cause the development path of human civilization to be overly influenced by the preset 'prototypes', losing its autonomy. Finally, after the 'Pruning Faction' fleet arrives, if they find that humanity has deeply bound itself to the 'Cradle', they may judge human civilization as a 'contaminated entity that needs pruning' as well."

"We have no choice." Commander Lin Shen stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "The Reapers are one knife, the 'Pruning Faction' is another. Sitting and waiting for death is death; taking a risk may offer a chance of survival. We need to obtain as much technology as possible from the 'Cradle' before the 'Pruning Faction' arrives, accelerate our civilization's leap, and become strong enough that they dare not act rashly."

He looked at the Gardener Representative: "We need the full technical support of your 'Guardian Faction' regarding how to safely establish a controlled connection with the 'Cradle' and how to parse the 'seed' information."

The two representatives' light clusters fluctuated slowly, and finally, they reached an agreement.

"We will provide all the 'Cradle' interaction protocols and security frameworks we know. But there is one thing, Commander Lin Shen," the representative's tone was extremely serious, "The 'Cradle' has its own internal logic for choosing adapters. Andrei Petrov was not randomly selected. In his consciousness, there was a trait that resonated with a certain 'ancient memory prototype' sealed in the 'Cradle'. To safely proceed with the next step of contact, we need to find more individuals with similar traits but higher consciousness strength. Or..."

"Or what?"

"Or, find a special consciousness that can contain, understand, and safely guide that kind of 'ancient memory prototype'." The Gardener Representative's light cluster turned toward Commander Lin Shen, "Based on our analysis of Dr. Sarah Chen's consciousness fragment behavior, and her indirect connection with the 'Cradle'... we suspect that she may have once been, or is currently becoming, such a 'special consciousness'."

Sarah. It was Sarah again.

"Does she still... exist? With you?" Commander Lin Shen asked the question everyone cared about.

The Gardener Representative's light cluster presented a complex vortex of colors.

"Her consciousness fragments are scattered in the depths of our network, in a non-active 'dormant' state. But in the 7341 incident, some fragments were attracted by the 'Cradle's' activation signal, briefly awakening and intervening in the connection process. This proves that there is a deep connection between her and the 'Cradle' that we do not yet understand." The representative paused, "We are trying to more actively collect and aggregate her fragments. But this takes time, and it also requires... an 'anchor' that can resonate strongly with her."

Commander Lin Shen knew what that anchor might be—Max Costa, Sarah's partner at "Zeus Station," the Imperial Commander who had been searching for her. But now was not the time to deal with personal emotions.

"Two lines in parallel." Commander Lin Shen made his decision, "First, based on the protocols provided by the Gardener, led by Nuwa, design a new 'controlled consciousness probe' plan, preparing for the next, more cautious contact attempt with the 'Cradle'. Second, fully assist the Gardener in attempting to aggregate Sarah Chen's consciousness fragments. She may be the key to our understanding and safe use of the 'Cradle'."

Orders were quickly issued. The atmosphere in the briefing room was tense yet orderly, and the shadow of death was transformed into a more urgent driving force for action.

Just as the meeting was about to end, Nuwa's emergency communication accessed Commander Lin Shen's private channel.

"Commander Lin Shen, the latest data has arrived from the lunar observation station." Her voice carried a trace of rare fluctuation, "The 'Kunlun' space station's continuous monitoring of the lunar south pole cavity shows that seven hours after the 7341 incident, the energy readings inside the cavity showed periodic pulses, and the pulse interval is regularly shortening. Moreover... the spectral characteristics of the pulses have a 72% similarity to the brainwave activity of Andrei Petrov in the last thirty seconds before his death."

Commander Lin Shen felt his scalp tingle.

"The 'Cradle'... is imitating the deceased's brainwaves?" Academician Chen Qiming also received the data and exclaimed.

"No." The Gardener Representative's light cluster flickered violently, and the translated voice carried shock, "It is not imitating. This is 'playback'. The 'Cradle' is repeatedly 'playing' the consciousness signal fragments it last received from 7341. This is usually... the behavior when it is attempting to 'understand' or 'parse' some information that it failed to fully receive."

"What information?" Minister Li Weimin pressed.

The Gardener Representative was silent for a few seconds.

"It could be what 7341 unconsciously 'fed back' to the 'Cradle' at the moment of death... regarding the current state of human civilization, fears, hopes, or... some deeply hidden consciousness secret that even he himself had not realized."

The "Cradle" had not only awakened.

It was also learning.

Through the final thoughts of a dead man, learning how to make the next contact with humanity, the civilization it prepared to "sow".

And the next contact must be initiated by humanity, and it must succeed.

Outside the window, the night sky over the Kunlun Mountains was filled with twinkling stars. One point of light came from that silver-gray planet 380,000 kilometers away, and beneath its south polar ice cap, that ancient creation was whispering the brainwaves of the dead.