It no longer possessed the full consciousness of "Pei Du." It was more like a data ghost bearing complex imprints: the reverberations of the starry sky, the cold imprint of Xu Shuangyao, a shadow tainted by entropy, and the final resolve of the ignited fire. It hovered quietly, "feeling" the heavy beating of that heartbeat.
Dong...
Boom…Boom…
Each pulsation caused the mark within it to resonate faintly. Xu Shuangyao's icy mark seemed to awaken in the resonance, flickering ever so faintly as if in response. The shadow of entropy and silencing, like a poisonous insect afraid of light, lay dormant and retreated under the resonance.
Time has lost its scale here. Only heartbeat is the only ruler.
I don’t know how long it took.
Maybe a heartbeat.
Maybe ten thousand years.
Buzz...buzz...
An extremely weak scanning wave with a special frequency, like an invisible tentacle, gently brushed across the suspended information flow.
The source wasn't the Heart of Origin, but rather a relatively bright cluster of "light points" floating nearby, composed of countless cold geometric runes. This cluster of light points exuded a similar aura of logic to the previous scavenger machine, but with a more core and ancient aura.
Detecting…unknown…high-dimensional information states…
【Features…Analysis…】
[Energy imprint...matching...starry sky law...remaining...]
[Authorization Seal…match…"Frost"…highest correlation…]
[Entropy pollution…mark…weak…attached…]
[Threat Level…Reassess…Relevance…Priority…]
A cold fragment of logical thought was transmitted directly into Pei Du's information flow. It was a surviving, more advanced AI logic unit in the Ark's core! It discovered this special "stardust."
Immediately afterwards, a cold, precise, and tentative information flow, like a request to establish a link, slowly "touched" the core of Pei Du's incomplete information flow.
There was no malice. More like a cold acknowledgement and…communication.
Pei Du's information flow instinctively contracted. The reverberation of the starry sky shone faintly, a hint of vigilance. The cold mark of Xu Shuangyao flickered calmly, as if confirming the other party's "identity."
Link… established.
A vast, cold, and efficient flow of information flooded into Pei Du's perception. It was no longer images or emotions, but pure data:
Ark Core Status Report:
Energy Output: Maintains the [Watch Mode] threshold. 87.3% of energy is consumed to combat external entropy erosion. Remaining energy is insufficient to support [Spark Spread] or [Deep Space Navigation].
Structural Integrity: Core region (Heart of Origin) stable. External hull structural collapse rate 99.8%, with only the core compartment remaining intact, held together by force fields. Entropy contamination penetration rate: 0.01% in the core region (continuously resisting), 17.4% in the outer buffer zone (irreversible).
Internal Ecosystem: No organic life signs. Number of remaining intelligent units: 1429 (including logic units, low-level maintenance AI, dormant scavenger protocols, etc.). All are in a state of minimal energy consumption [dormant], relying on core radiation to maintain their existence imprint.
External Environment: Enveloped in a high-density entropic force field. Law-inert environment. No calculable escape path. Prediction: Core energy depletion time (current consumption rate): Approximately 1.7 standard cosmic epochs.
Special Entry: Externally Associated Informational State Detected [Tag: Pei Du]. Status: Remaining Informational State. Threat Level: Low (Potential Entropy Contamination). Associated Clearance: [Frost] - Highest Level. Recommendation: Incorporate into the core [Symbiotic Sustainment] sequence to monitor for entropy contamination.
The cold data paints a picture of despair. Though the flame has been rekindled, it's like a candle in the wind, trapped in this cosmic graveyard by the dark tide of entropy, burning alone until its energy is exhausted. The only hope of survival lies in this long, almost eternal... waiting and watching.
Pei Du himself is merely a piece of information left in this desperate landscape, marked, maintained, and monitored. A "symbiotic entity" that carries the risk of contamination.
Is this... the end?
A faint heartbeat in an eternal cage?
A chill deeper than the darkness of entropy permeated this fragmented stream of information. Xingqiong's pride paled in the face of the cold reality of digitization. Was Xu Shuangyao's sacrifice merely rewarded with this endless, dark watch?
The cold AI logic unit seemed to sense the fluctuations in the information flow (although these fluctuations were so weak that they were almost imperceptible). It sent the information flow again, and this time, it contained a piece of...dusty records.
It wasn't a data report. It was an extremely ancient video stream, carrying a strong emotional legacy.
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