Back at the workshop, Allen was filled with the words of his father and a newly emerging sense of mission.
Instead of immediately embarking on new research, he carefully disassembled the core components of the "Tunneler III" in preparation for a more thorough inspection and optimization.
My father was right. Creation requires patience and precision. Any tiny flaw could lead to unpredictable consequences in the future.
Just as he was using a high-precision energy probe to scan the extremely complex array of composite runes inside the core, the probe's feedback interface once again captured that fleeting abnormal signal.
This time, Allen saw it clearly.
That was neither noise from unstable energy nor ripples from external interference.
It is more like a... extremely weak, uniquely structured, and even somewhat "purposeful" encrypted information stream.
It was cleverly hidden in the gaps of normal energy flow, like a drop of water merging into a river. If he hadn't been paying extra attention because of his father's reminder, he would have had almost never noticed it.
"What's this?"
Allen's brows furrowed tightly, and a sharp glint flashed in his purple eyes.
The Truk family bloodline within him, the calmness and analytical ability that came from Lind, began to take effect at this moment.
He immediately mobilized all the analytical instruments in the workshop to capture, isolate, and deeply analyze this abnormal signal.
The process was extremely difficult. This information stream seemed to have some kind of adaptive defense mechanism. Whenever it was about to be locked, it would change its fluctuation frequency and even simulate background energy noise.
Allen realized that this was not just a structural problem, but involved the encryption and spoofing of the information itself.
He recalled the occasional words his father had mentioned about the Zedu civilization's information technology, as well as the knowledge he had learned from those difficult technical rudiments.
He tried to stop forcibly "capturing" it, and instead, like his father guided him to understand the energy of light pulses, he tried to "listen" to and "understand" the inherent pattern of this information.
He carefully approached the ever-changing signal with his mental energy, like the finest tendrils, no longer trying to resist its changes, but following its rhythm to find its underlying logic.
Time ticked by, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Allen's forehead. This kind of precise manipulation was extremely taxing on his mental energy.
Finally, after countless failures, he detected a pattern! The changes in this information flow were not completely random, but rather cyclical around several core "key nodes"!
He immediately input the characteristics of these key nodes into the analysis instrument and reverse-engineered them using an ancient stream encryption algorithm model from the Zedu civilization.
Buzz—
The instrument emitted a low beep, and the previously chaotic signal waveforms on the screen began to gradually become orderly and clear, like threads being combed!
He succeeded! He deciphered the first layer of disguise!
However, what appeared before him was not specific text or images, but a string of extremely concise coordinate codes that contained a vast amount of information, and a constantly repeating time marker that represented some kind of counting or countdown.
The coordinates pointed to a location that Allen quickly compared with the star map and data, and it was found to be located in the deepest part of the Howling Abyss, an area that even the latest exploration equipment at Starfire Base had not explored in detail!
The timing marker is decreasing at a steady rate and is estimated to reach zero in about seventy-three standard hours (about three days).
A chill crept up Allen's spine.
This is by no means naturally occurring information! It is a "beacon" set up by humans (or some intelligent being) with a clear purpose and time limit!
Who left this thing so quietly in the Starfire Base, which is closely watched by all forces, right under the noses of Father Linde and many supreme beings?
What is its purpose? Is it some kind of summoning? A trap? Or... a communication attempt?
Allen's first thought was to report it.
Tell your father, tell Astaire, that they have the power and means to deal with any potential threats.
But just as he was about to initiate emergency communications, his hand stopped.
He recalled his father's silence at the meeting, and how behind the seemingly endless arguments of the liaisons lay the probing and maneuvering of various forces under the new order.
The fact that the father used the Xinghuo Base as a liaison office meant that it had become a microcosm of the world, where any slight movement could be amplified, misinterpreted, or exploited.
The signal was so well concealed that it went undetected even by the base's standard monitoring systems.
While reporting this rashly might attract attention, it could also alert the perpetrators and even trigger unnecessary panic and overreaction.
What if this is just an ancient, harmless remnant of the Zedo civilization that has been accidentally activated? What if it's some hidden force attempting to make contact without revealing itself?
More importantly... that's what he discovered.
With his own knowledge, his skills, and his patience.
A strong urge to find out the truth independently surged within him.
He didn't want to live forever in his father's wings and shadow. He longed to prove his worth, not just as "the son of the Truk family," but as a researcher and explorer who could stand on his own.
He glanced at the disassembled "Tunneler Type III" machine on the workbench.
A bold plan quickly took shape in his mind.
He wanted to go to that coordinate point himself before the countdown reached zero!
Of course, he wouldn't act rashly.
He needed to prepare, he needed help, and he needed to evade the base's routine surveillance.
His first thought was of his sister, Eileen.
Eileen is very powerful and understands him perfectly; she is one of the people he trusts most.
But Eileen is impulsive, and if you tell her directly, she might immediately drag him to find her father.
He needs to try a different approach.
Then, he thought of his brother, Roy.
Roy is obsessed with theory, but is also curious about all sorts of strange phenomena and unknown areas, which may offer a different perspective.
Moreover, Roy has a relatively calm personality and should be able to understand his thoughts.
Allen took a deep breath and activated the isolation array inside the workshop to ensure that the following conversation would not be eavesdropped on in any way.
Then, he sent encrypted communication requests to Eileen and Loy respectively, containing only a simple sentence:
"Workshop, urgent matter, concerns the base's secrets, come quickly, do not make a sound."
The wait wasn't long.
Eileen practically burst in, still carrying a lingering trace of elemental aura:
"Allen! What's wrong? Did someone bully you?" She instinctively thought her younger brother was in trouble.
A little later, Roy also entered. He looked somewhat sleep-deprived, but his eyes remained clear and focused.
"Allen, what did you discover? What does 'base secret' mean?"
Without wasting words, Allen directly displayed the deciphered coordinates and countdown on the screen, and briefly told his brother and sister about his discovery and analysis process.
"...That's how it is. I think it's not advisable to alarm Father and the base's higher-ups before we figure out the origin and purpose of this thing."
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