Chapter 634 Full of Variables
The traces left by some kind of controlled, super-powerful energy source—this statement reveals a great deal of information.
Yu Sheng blurted out instinctively, "You mean, the thing they've developed is similar to Luo's 'rift generator' from back then..."
“The technical approaches are almost identical, and they have clearly entered a more mature and controllable stage,” Baili Qing nodded. “The sample we are referring to is the spacetime rift that appeared in the Secret Service building when Black Rock Station went out of control—in principle, the two are not much different, so I think… Luo will be very interested in the data we collected on site.”
“Send me the packaged documents later, and I’ll let her take a look,” Yu Sheng said immediately. “She’s been talking about rats stealing her things all day long; she’s almost obsessed.”
Bai Liqing nodded, and then continued, "In addition, we also found similar traces in the 'Dark Alley' - after the space expanded and contracted, there were invisible psionic marks left in the Dark Alley. Although the scale was different, the key waveform was consistent with the data collected in the underground parking lot."
Yu Sheng: "Send it to Luo too, so she can take a look."
“That’s one aspect,” Baili Qing nodded slightly and continued, “After all, we had already guessed that the Hermitage had stolen some key technologies from Luo’s Vanguard Laboratory, so it’s not surprising that they were able to open the rift. The key point now is that, if the technical department’s judgment is correct, this kind of spacetime rift based on the ‘boundary bridge’ principle… requires more than just ‘control technology’.”
Yu Sheng sensed something from Baili Qing's tone, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart: "You mean... 'angel catalyst'?"
“The key to a controllable super-powerful energy source lies in two parts: ‘controllable’ and ‘energy source’,” Baili Qing said slowly. “They stole the control technology from Luo, but they themselves… have an energy source.”
Yu Sheng opened his mouth, and a piece of information he had received long ago immediately came to mind—
The Secret Order of Saints possesses the remains of a dead angel, named "The Shadowless Skeleton," which slumbers in a mysterious ruin known as the "Adar Crater"...
“They do have one, but isn’t that Dark Angel already dead?” Yu Sheng frowned. “One of the cultists we caught before said that the catalyst collected from that thing had too low an activity level to be usable…”
As he spoke, his tone became hesitant, because he realized that the world is never short of variables, especially when it comes to dark angels and cultists—too many things are uncertain.
Not only did he think of it, but even the little puppets who had come to join the fun seemed to have thought of it too. Eileen, who was sitting cross-legged at the dining table helping Huli pass plates, suddenly looked up and blurted out, "They wouldn't have messed things up for that thing, would they? Cultists are the best at messing things up..."
“I find it hard to imagine that they could ‘resurrect’ a dead Dark Angel,” Baili Qing shook her head. “But if the Dark Angel known as the ‘Shadowless Skeleton’ wasn’t actually dead… then things are a different story. After all, this whole thing has been suspicious from the start. A Dark Angel who was found dead? That’s just too far-fetched.”
She paused, then continued cautiously, "The Astral Spectrum incident has increased our understanding of the Dark Angels. Now we are more inclined to believe that the angelic remains in the possession of the Hermitage were actually in a long-term dormant state, similar to the 'latent transformation' stage of the Astral Spectrum. And now..."
“That thing might be regaining its activity,” Yu Sheng’s expression quickly became interesting, “and the Secret Order’s choice to do this was to gleefully attach a tube to it to use as an energy source for the rift generator.”
Bai Liqing said expressionlessly, "That's why we say some technologies cannot be given to extremist organizations—they are truly fearless."
Eileen looked up at Yu Sheng, then at Baili Qing, and after pondering for a moment, blurted out, "So, does that mean we don't have to do anything, and they'll just mess things up and wipe out their entire families?"
As soon as the little thing said this unreliable thing, even Hu Li, who was busy gnawing on a chicken leg, looked up: "What are you thinking? The Dark Angel won't stay in one place after it comes back to life. Back then, the Star-Evolving Body could jump from Shuji to Thousand Peaks Spirit Mountain."
"That seems true," Eileen scratched her head. "Hey, silly fox, all you know is how to eat, right?"
A tiny chicken bone struck the little doll precisely on the forehead.
Yu Sheng's thoughts were even more interesting, because he suddenly realized that another clue had come together—when his nephew was "lost" in the old city, he had overheard a conversation among the Secret Order members, in which one of the cultists mentioned that the "door" was not stable enough and needed a more powerful catalyst...
He immediately voiced what he had in mind, and Baili Qing nodded slightly upon hearing this: "That's right. Based on the current intelligence, the Hermitage probably still can't completely control the 'Shadowless Skeleton.' Perhaps it's because the technology they stole is flawed, or perhaps it's because the nature of that angel's remains is special. In any case, they still need a more powerful angel catalyst to stabilize a device called the 'Door'—which is probably why they recently ventured into the border region."
Upon hearing this, Yu Sheng became interested: "What about the baiting we discussed before..."
“The news has already been released,” Baili Qing’s lips curled up slightly, her pixel-perfect micro-expression not escaping Yu Sheng’s notice. “It will soon spread among the major powers. The core version is this—the impact of the boundary bridge’s collapse briefly breached the barrier at the border, and some debris escaped the Special Operations Bureau’s control. The Special Operations Bureau’s recovery team is currently working hard to recover those dangerous psionic substances, but some of them have already fallen into the hands of black market dealers…”
Yu Sheng leaned forward slightly: "Do you think they'll fall for it?"
“Definitely. Those cultists are like cockroaches in the dark. A little bait will make them rush forward one after another. What’s more, they are in dire need of powerful angelic catalysts right now,” Baili Qing’s voice was somewhat cheerful (or maybe the three cups of coffee taken with warm water were kicking in). “The border area is a special place. News travels everywhere here. The Secret Order may have already heard the news.”
“Luo should be able to help in this regard as well,” Yu Sheng said thoughtfully. “She is currently on the Gray Dwarf Star in the Dark Current Starfield, where all sorts of people come from. She also has various shady news channels, which are perfect for spreading this kind of information—and can also corroborate the news from the border region, increasing the credibility of the whole matter.”
He then had a serious discussion with Baili Qing about the process of digging the nest, and adjusted the details of the plan in light of the recent developments of the Chong Sheng Hermitage, in order to ensure that the entire plan would go smoothly as much as possible.
After this topic came to an end, Hu Li had eaten about 80% of her fill, and Yu Sheng finally found an opportunity to bring up another matter.
“There’s something else I need to say today,” he cleared his throat, glancing at the little doll beside him, “It’s related to Eileen… and also to the border region.”
Eileen happily ran to the center of the table, puffed out her chest, and looked up at Baili Qing: "I grew taller in my dream! So many long legs!"
Baili Qing: "...?"
“Who can understand this rambling nonsense—and that’s not what we came here to talk about today,” Yu Sheng reached out and picked up the little thing back, then looked up to explain to Baili Qing, “Actually, it’s like this, Eileen had a ‘dream,’ and I suspect… what she ‘dreamed’ might be related to the Goddess of Omens from back then and the memories of the original Eileen, and there was also a boundary in her dream…”
Yu Sheng described the scene the little doll saw in her dream, but he omitted the detail of "the dark tower falling into the wilderness of souls" at the end, and only said that Eileen saw the boundary bridge "penetrate" the border in her dream.
This time, the change in Baili Qing's expression was so obvious that even Hu Li could see it.
Yu Sheng knew at a glance that he had indeed come to the right person to inquire about the situation from this female bureau chief.
“I just want to know what the beginning of her dream was all about,” he said with a curious and serious expression. “Eileen said she was a ‘special individual’ created by the ancient Holy Spirit. Later, she carefully recalled the details of the dream, mentioning the Lost Home, the captain, and someone teaching her many things. I want to figure out… what all of this corresponds to.”
Baili Qing did not answer immediately, but stared at the little doll with a strange look for a long time. The female director, who usually lacked expression, gradually became... interesting.
This was the first time Yu Sheng had ever seen the other person's expression change like that.
After a long while, he heard Baili Qing mumble a few names: "Lady Fallen Star...Star Thrower..."
Yu Sheng blinked: "What does all this mean?"
“The names of the ancient Holy Spirits—there are many similar names, all given to them by intelligent races in the universe based on their own understanding, plus the ‘miracles’ left behind by the ancient Holy Spirits,” Baili Qing said slowly, her increasingly complicated gaze still fixed on a small doll standing arrogantly on the table. “I knew Eileen’s background was special, but I didn’t expect it to be this special, much less this…”
"What else didn't you expect?" Eileen's eyes sparkled. "Didn't expect me to be this awesome?"
Bai Liqing's lips twitched noticeably; the changes in her face today had used up all the expressions she had prepared for the entire year.
"In short, does that mean the progenitor of puppets personally shaped your body and essence?"
Eileen nodded vigorously: "Yes!"
"Has the Creator 'Captain' personally bestowed 'possibility' upon you again?"
Eileen beamed, "Mmm!!"
"The Fallen Star Lady will teach you how to fight?"
Eileen's face was practically tilted to the sky: "Mmm! Tapping someone's knee works really well!"
"The Star Thrower teaches you how to communicate with others..."
Eileen practically leaped for joy, smugly declaring, "Yeah, yeah!"
Baili Qing fell silent, shifted her body slightly across the table, and exchanged a glance with Yu Sheng across from her.
The two of them were exchanging only one thing in their eyes—
So the ancient holy spirits worked together and ended up with this?
(End of this chapter)
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