The beam of light fell to the ground, but there was no earth-shattering explosion as expected.
The energy was compressed to its limit, and the moment it came into contact with the workshop dome, it permeated and dissolved the metal and rock like water, leaving a smooth-edged, several-meter-diameter circular hole.
Linde descended silently, yet with a terrifying pressure that caused the entire energy network of the Starfire Base to stagnate.
The workshop was no longer the same as when he left.
The once neatly arranged tools and parts were scattered all over the floor, as if swept away by a strong wind. The workbench was overturned, and most of the precision instruments that Allen treasured were twisted, broken, and flickering with abnormal electrical sparks.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of ozone, the smell of molten metal, and... a faint, yet disgusting, scent that shared the same origin as the "dust" that enveloped the continent, but was even more "vibrant" and "greedy."
In the center of the workshop, the scene was even more bizarre.
Allen slumped against the wall, his face ashen, his hands tightly covering his mouth, his purple eyes filled with unbelievable fear, his pupils dilated, and his body trembling uncontrollably.
His protective suit had several tears, revealing the skin underneath, which had been corroded by some force and turned a grayish color.
His gaze was fixed on the area in the workshop that was originally used to test large-scale structures.
His latest masterpiece, the Tunneler III or its successor, should have been parked there.
But now, what stands there is an indescribable "thing".
It largely retains the basic outline of the "Tunneler" multi-legged exploration construct, but its form has undergone a terrifying transformation. The originally cold metal shell now seems to have merged with some kind of shadowy flesh, presenting a flowing, semi-metallic, semi-biological texture, with irregular, pulsating purple veins covering the surface, flickering like breathing.
Three of its eight mechanical legs have mutated into barbed limbs resembling those of some insect or abyssal creature, deeply embedded in the ground to draw energy from the earth's veins. The others constantly shift between metal and twisted tentacles.
The "head" of the construct—where the sensor array should have been—was now cracked open with an irregular gap, like a greedy, silent roaring mouth, inside which was a swirling vortex of chaotic data streams and negative emotions.
Countless tiny tentacles, made of shadows and metal fragments, spread out from every joint of its body, dancing in the air as if they possessed self-awareness, capturing and devouring the magic and...life force dissipating in the air!
It was no longer an inanimate object. It had come to life, emanating a cold, mechanical, yet chaotic spiritual pressure that was a mixture of biological hunger and mental pollution.
It seemed to be adapting to its new "body," its massive torso slowly twisting, emitting a tooth-grinding mixture of metallic friction and fleshy writhing sounds.
What's even more unsettling is that Lin De can clearly sense that the core of this mutated construct is a miniature, constantly pulsating "information receiver and converter." It is connected to the energy dust network that covers the continent, continuously receiving the "marking pheromone" and converting it into nourishment for its own existence and growth!
Allen's distress call stemmed from the fact that while he was deeply debugging the core of the construct, he accidentally triggered a "parasitic program" that had been pre-buried and activated by external energy dust, causing a terrifying mutation in the construct and nearly being devoured and assimilated by it!
"Father...Father...!?"
When Allen saw Lind's figure, it was as if he had grasped a glimmer of hope.
Linde did not respond to his son; his gaze was like two icicles, piercing the twisted, living construct.
[Deconstructing the Halo] Instantly envelops the target.
(Target Analysis: The basic structure is the native alchemical creation 'Digger Type IV'... The core has been parasitized and reconstructed by an unknown high-dimensional information virus... Energy Source: Powered by a combination of the host's magic, ley line energy, and external 'marking network'... Existence Form: A semi-energy, semi-matter parasite with basic devouring, evolution, and information pollution characteristics... Threat Level: High for individuals, extremely high potential threat to the underlying structure of civilization... Confirmed to be associated with a planetary-level 'inert dust' network, suspected to be one of its 'activation nodes' or 'terminal execution units'.)
"As expected... collusion from within and without." Linde's heart surged with murderous intent. This wasn't just a conspiracy against his son; it was an erosion of the entire underlying energy system and civilization structure of the continent of Til! Using a seemingly "accidental" construction failure to cover up its true destructive purpose!
The mutated construct seemed to sense Lind's immense and despair-inducing threat. Its data stream vortex-like "mouth" emitted a silent shriek, and the shadowy tentacles dancing around its body suddenly straightened, shooting towards Lind like countless sharp spikes!
At the same time, its arthropod-like legs slammed into the ground, and its massive body, carrying a savage aura of destruction, crashed directly into Lind! As it moved, chaotic data streams spread like a plague, attempting to erode Lind's will and interfere with his energy manipulation.
If it were the old Lind, he might have chosen to annihilate him instantly with absolute power.
But at this moment, the knowledge about "psychic harmony" and "energy transformation" from Iris's core flashed through his mind, as well as the image of the Crystal People of Tiranx giving back to the planet after purifying the pollution.
He needs a sample, a living sample connected to the outside world network, to thoroughly analyze this conspiracy that is engulfing the continent!
Linde neither dodged nor evaded the construct's frenzied attacks.
He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread. There were no dazzling veins of light, nor deep shadows. This time, what appeared in his palm was the seven-colored radiance obtained from Iris's core, containing the essence of balance and harmony—[The Power of Harmony of All Things]!
The iridescent light, like a living tapestry, gently met the raging shadow tentacles and the charging construct itself.
There was no violent collision, no explosion of energy.
The instant the multicolored light touched the shadow tentacles and the surface of the construct, the violent, corrosive energy, like ice and snow under the scorching sun, quickly "calmed down." The twisting, dancing tentacles became slow and soft, eventually transforming into pure, attribute-free energy ribbons, which were absorbed and fused by the multicolored light. The kinetic energy of the construct's collision was also dissolved and absorbed by layers of flexible force fields.
Its roaring data vortex, upon encountering the power of harmony, seemed to have met its nemesis. Its rotation speed plummeted, and the internal chaos and malice were quickly sorted out and calmed, becoming sluggish and orderly.
Linde's palm finally gently pressed against the core shell of the construct, which was a mixture of cold and warmth, and constantly pulsating.
[Deconstructing the Halo] and [The Power of Harmony] are explored simultaneously!
"Buzz—!"
The construct let out a final, unwilling cry, like someone being strangled, before freezing completely in place.
Its purple veins quickly faded and disappeared, and its mutated limbs and tentacles softened and fell off as if they had lost their support, turning back into cold metal fragments.
The chaotic core was forcibly "calmed" by the harmonizing power, and the frantically operating parasitic program inside was temporarily frozen.
Instead of purifying it, Linde used the power of harmony as a cage to temporarily "seal" and "isolate" its core activity and connection state, while simultaneously beginning to trace the information channels connecting it to the external energy dust network in reverse!
The massive flow of information, like a river flowing backwards, rushed into Lind's consciousness along that invisible connection.
He "saw"... a huge "network" that covered the entire continent of Til, composed of countless tiny energy nodes.
The core hub of this network indeed points to the north, to that frozen wasteland marked as an ancient taboo!
Within that network, there are far more than just one "activated node" similar to this mutated construct! They are like "cancer cells" lurking in every corner of the continent. Some are in the energy pools of magic towers, some are in the defensive arrays of ancient ruins, and some have even... formed a symbiotic relationship with certain living organisms!
They are all silently drawing energy, twisting the rules, waiting for a certain instruction, or... a certain "opportunity".
Just as Linde was about to pinpoint the exact coordinates of the northern core hub—
"Snap!"
A soft sound, like glass shattering, came from the sealed core of the construct.
The information connection that Linde was tracking had actually broken on its own! At the break point, there remained a very subtle trace of the law, carrying a sense of self-destruction, preventing any further tracing.
The other side noticed! And they decisively abandoned this pawn, even at the cost of destroying part of their network connection to protect their core secrets!
Linde's face was terribly gloomy.
He slowly withdrew his hand, looking at the structure's remains that had completely lost its vitality and turned back into a pile of twisted metal and residual biological tissue. He then glanced at Allen, who was still in shock but whose eyes had regained a glimmer of life.
"Can you stand up?" Lind's voice was still cold, but the implication in it sent a chill down Allen's spine.
"I...I can!" Allen struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall, his face filled with shame and fear. "Father, I..."
"The design drawings of the core components, the sources of all external materials, and a list of all personnel recently contacted."
Lind interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument, "Get me the information immediately. Also, everything that happened here today is classified as top secret. It must not be mentioned to Eileen, Loy, or even your mother."
"Yes, Father!" Allen replied hastily. He knew he had made a grave mistake and realized that the seriousness of the matter far exceeded his imagination.
Linde said no more. He raised his hand and swept away the pile of construct debris, along with the parasitic core sealed within it.
This is important evidence and a sample for research.
He walked to the broken dome of the workshop, looked up at the sky to the north shrouded in energy dust, and his purple eyes flashed with a cold light.
Inert dust shrouds the continent, marking pheromones permeate energy fields, activating nodes that lurk everywhere, and the core hub is hidden in the northern ice plains...
A large-scale, meticulously planned conspiracy to "domesticate" or "harvest" the continent of Til has begun.
And he, Lind Truk, the returnee from the Star Sea, the god-slayer, one of the creators of the rules, will become the biggest variable in this conspiracy.
"Whoever you are, wherever you come from..." Lind muttered to himself, his voice like that of someone from the deepest abyss, "daring to set your sights on my world, on my family..."
"We must be prepared to be uprooted and thoroughly 'purified'."
His figure disappeared from the workshop, and the next moment, he appeared in the core command room of the Starfire Base.
Aster had already sensed the terrifying arrival and energy fluctuations, and was waiting with a solemn expression.
"My lord!"
"Activate the 'Silent Sentinel' protocol." Lind's voice echoed in the command room, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "Conduct a full scan of all energy anomaly nodes on the continent, especially all information related to the Eversong Forest in the north and the areas further north. Mobilize all Shadowbinders to investigate all recent anomalies related to 'Ancient Knowledge,' 'Interdimensional Summoning,' and 'Construct Out of Control.'"
Aster's pupils contracted. "Silent Sentinels"—this was the highest level of alert, activated only in the face of a threat that could lead to the extinction of civilization! "Yes, Lord!"
Linde walked up to the huge holographic map of the continent and fixed his gaze on the north.
"In addition, prepare for me all known records and legends about the 'ancient forbidden land' north of Eversong Forest... especially any information about a being that may be called the 'Silence Weaver' or the 'Lord of Dreams'."
Aster was shocked once again. "The Weaver of Silence"? That was a name mentioned only occasionally in the oldest forbidden epics of the elves, a name from even earlier than the time of Tiolantis!
"You suspect it is..."
Linde did not answer, but stared coldly at the area on the map covered by ice and fog.
The threat from the stars has not yet receded, and the shadow of homeland has already descended.
But his return is destined to tear through this thick fog, exposing everything hidden in the darkness to the light of order and destruction.
The storm has arrived.
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