Chapter 64
When Miao Weizhen's consciousness sliced into the sea of light like a sharp blade, the expected violent data turbulence did not immediately hit him. Instead, he fell into a viscous, almost stagnant sea of silence.
This wasn't the usual purgatory of screams and agony depicted in "Luofeng's Echoes," but rather a fragmented, paused graveyard of memories. Countless fragments of memory, like shattered mirrors, hung in the void, reflecting fragments of Xinglan's past—the slight furrow of her brow as she calculated at her desk, the instantaneous lightening of her eyes at the success of her experiment, and... the clear smile of dependence and pride she wore when she turned back to look at him.
These beautiful fragments are intertwined with more gray and distorted scenes - the cold faces of federal officials, the glaring red light of the alarm in the experimental cabin, the tearing pain when the energy overloads, and the boundless, imprisoned loneliness and fear.
"Xinglan..."
Miao Weizhen's consciousness issued a silent call, trying to locate the only real core among these fragments.
His intrusion was like dropping a stone into stagnant water, sending ripples flying. The still fragments began to tremble slightly, and the darkened parts suddenly came to life like startled venomous snakes, twisting and tangling towards him!
That is the system's own defense mechanism, and it is also the embodiment of pain and fear in Xinglan's consciousness.
Miao Weizhen wielded the blade of consciousness, precisely severing the attacking tentacles of darkness. He couldn't retreat, nor could he be consumed by these negative emotions. His goal was the faint yet unextinguished light within him, the light that belonged to Xinglan's true self.
At the same time, Wen Ling, who was staying at the "anchor" area of the connecting passage, clearly "felt" the intensely fluctuating mental pressure coming from Miao Weizhen. That pressure was a mixture of sharp pain, deep sorrow, and a determination to move forward at all costs.
Wen Ling immediately tightened his consciousness, like a stable anchor sinking deep into the foundation of his mind. He adjusted his consciousness to the most peaceful and stable frequency, and through the "heart anchor" connection, he continuously sent warm and firm support to Miao Weizhen. He did not try to interfere with Miao Weizhen's actions, but simply existed silently, telling him -
You are not alone, I am here, your way home is with me.
His existence, like an invisible barrier, helped Miao Weizhen resist some of the direct impact from negative emotions, and also allowed Miao Weizhen to always feel a harbor he could rely on when fighting against his inner demons.
Miao Weizhen felt the stabilizing force of his "anchor," his tense mind relaxing for a moment, allowing him to focus more intently on penetrating the layers of obstacles. He avoided the fragments of desperate screams, tracing the deepest bond between siblings in his memory—perhaps the childhood promise of gazing at the stars together, or the excitement of jointly designing the first blueprints for the "Star Shuttle"—probing deeper and deeper.
The deeper he went, the denser the debris became, and the more horrific the scene became. He even "saw" the moment Xing Lan's consciousness was forcibly torn from his body. It was the excruciating pain of having his soul crushed inch by inch. Miao Weizhen's consciousness trembled violently, nearly collapsing from the excruciating pain he felt himself suffer.
"Hold on," Wen Ling's voice resounded directly through the "heart anchor" to the core of his consciousness, with unquestionable power, "She's in there, hold her, Weizhen."
At this moment, a vast, dark curtain of despair blocked their path. From behind this curtain came faint, intermittent sobs. These were the core fragments of Xinglan's consciousness, guarded by the deepest fear.
Miao Weizhen knew that forcibly breaking through this layer of defense might cause secondary damage to Xinglan. He stopped and put away the edge of the Blade of Consciousness.
He did something that surprised Anthony who was monitoring him from the outside - he gave up all his defenses and allowed his consciousness to open up completely, turning those emotions that were buried deep in his heart and had never been expressed to anyone into the purest spiritual fluctuations, gently flowing towards the dark curtain.
There was endless regret and self-blame after his sister left, the silent gaze at her old photo in countless late nights, the determination to fall into darkness in order to find her, and also... after meeting Wen Ling, the faint desire for a bright future that quietly revived.
"Xinglan..."
His consciousness whispered, no longer a cold command or an urgent call, but with a tenderness and promise that was thicker than blood, "Brother is here. I'm sorry for making you wait so long... Come home with me, okay?"
The dark curtain rippled violently, and the sobbing behind it paused for a moment.
Then, under the joint "gaze" of Miao Weizhen and Wen Ling, who perceived all this through the "heart anchor", the solid darkness, like ice and snow melted by the sun, began to dissipate and retreat bit by bit.
Behind the curtain, a tiny, curled-up ball of consciousness emitting a soft white light slowly emerged. It looked so fragile, as if it would break at the slightest touch, yet it exuded a tenacious vitality.
Miao Weizhen's consciousness slowly approached, cautiously, as if treating the most precious and fragile item in the world.
He extended his invisible tentacles of consciousness and gently touched the ball of light.
In an instant, a warm, familiar feeling with a hint of grievance, but more of endless dependence and joy, flowed into his consciousness like a trickle of water.
"……elder brother?"
A faint but clear voice sounded directly from the depths of his consciousness.
Success!
Dr. Anthony stared intently at the rapidly changing data stream on the main control screen, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement: "The core consciousness fragment has responded! The resonance frequency is steadily increasing! Oh my God... the Minister... he actually did it..."
Susie also held her breath, watching the curve representing the stability of Xinglan's consciousness break through the safety threshold for the first time and continue to climb in a positive direction.
Wen Ling, sitting at the "anchor" control station, remained motionless, but a smile of relief curved his lips, unseen by anyone. He could "feel" that Miao Weizhen's heart, frozen for too long, was being reunited with its lost loved ones in that sea of consciousness, gradually being warmed and healed.
However, at this tender moment, something strange happened -
The shrill alarm sounded simultaneously in the connection room and the command center outside!
Luo Yan's cold and rapid voice came through the loudspeaker: "A high-intensity space jump signal has been detected! It's near the base! It's the Federation Fleet! They've found us!"
Almost at the same time, on the main control screen, a large number of unfamiliar and malicious data streams suddenly emerged in the area representing the external interface of the "Luofeng Canxiang" system. Like a black tide, they began to frantically attack the "anchor point" defense built by Wen Ling!
Anthony's face changed drastically. "Oh no! The Federation has reversely hacked into the system through a remote connection! They want to disrupt the connection, or even... steal Xinglan's consciousness data!"
Wen Ling suddenly opened his eyes. The alarms in the real world and the attacks on his consciousness made him understand instantly—
Qu Beichen's killer move is here!
Within his sea of consciousness, Miao Weizhen also felt the violent external impact and systemic shock. The fragile connection he had just established with Xinglan's fragile core consciousness began to become unstable.
The starlight ball trembled in fear.
Miao Weizhen's eyes instantly became extremely cold and sharp.
As he enveloped the core of Xinglan with a gentler mental force, he sent an extremely clear thought to the void—and also to Wen Ling, who was sensing all this through his "heart anchor":
"External threats are left to you."
"Leave it to me inside."
The piercing alarm blared like the Grim Reaper's scythe, scraping across every inch of the Iron Throne's metal deck. The command center was instantly engulfed in the crimson glow of battle. Wen Ling's consciousness was forcibly snapped back to reality from the "anchor point." He nearly collapsed from the intense dizziness, but he quickly grasped the edge of the console.
"Report the situation!" His voice was hoarse from having just lost consciousness, but extremely calm.
"Three Federation Arbiter-class assault ships have completed a short-distance jump and are now appearing in the base's outer defense zone! They're less than 0.5 AU away!" the technical officer's voice was tense. "They're releasing their landing pods!"
On the holographic star map, three ferocious red points of light pierced the base's vitals like poisonous stingers. Worse still, the area on the main control screen representing the "Luofeng Reverberation" system was being madly eroded by a surging black data stream.
"Susie! Cut off the system's external connections! Save the core data at all costs!" Wen Ling ordered sternly, and at the same time connected to Han Zhong's channel, "General Han!"
"I see!" Han Zhong's roar nearly shattered the communicator. "You son of a bitch Federation bastard, you chose this moment! Your Highness, rest assured, I'll take care of the outer defense! Luo Yan!"
"In position." Luo Yan's voice was as cold as ever. Her "Scavenger" team, like ghosts, swiftly swooped down towards the estimated landing point of the landing capsule. "All non-combatants, immediately enter the shelter according to the predetermined plan! Ayuan, organize the evacuation!"
Inside the base, after a brief moment of panic, well-trained discipline was evident. Under the leadership of Ayuan, Lao Chen, and others, personnel were evacuated swiftly and orderly. Engineers, despite personal risks, rushed to key positions to ensure that the energy and life support systems were not damaged.
"Dr. Anthony!" Wen Ling looked at the pale-faced doctor. "How long can the system last?"
"The Minister and Miss Xinglan's consciousness are still inside! Forcibly severing them could cause them to become lost!" Anthony said, sweating profusely. "I'm trying to build a firewall, but the intrusion is incredibly aggressive, with a highly destructive algorithm!"
Wen Ling's eyes glared. Qu Beichen not only wanted to destroy the base, but also seize the opportunity to seize Xing Lan's consciousness, and perhaps even reversely attack Miao Weizhen's consciousness through the system.
"Doctor, you continue to try to stabilize the system, at least buy them time to evacuate!" Wen Ling made a decision. He couldn't lose Miao Weizhen, nor could he let Xinglan fall into the hands of the enemy again.
He turned to the global command channel, and his voice spread to every corner of the base:
"Attention all units, this is not a drill! We are under a Federation attack! Take your positions and hold your ground! The Iron Throne will never fall!"
Almost simultaneously with the external attack, Miao Weizhen's sea of consciousness underwent a violent distortion. What had once been a fragmented memory was now stained an ominous dark red. Viscous malice seeped from the void like pus, condensing into twisted, hideous tentacles bearing the Federation emblem, sweeping towards him and the Xinglan core consciousness he had just found.
The Federation invasion has arrived!
"elder brother!"
The fragile ball of light from Xinglan trembled with fear, and the connection that had just been established was in jeopardy.
"Don't be afraid."
Miao Weizhen's consciousness was eerily calm. He tightly protected the Starlight's light cluster behind the barrier formed by his own consciousness. Facing the surging torrent of malicious data, he no longer simply dodged and defended.
He transformed himself into the ultimate "Luofeng reverberation".
The methods he had used to interrogate and torture his enemies, the algorithms that knew how to create pain and amplify fear, were now being applied unreservedly and in reverse to these invading federal consciousnesses.
He is no longer an intruder, but the awakened and furious king of this realm of consciousness!
"roll."
A chilling wave of consciousness swept over him like a tempest at absolute zero. The moment the attacking tentacles of malevolence touched the barrier of his consciousness, they were not severed, but consumed and annihilated by the deeper fear and pain that stemmed from their very source. He precisely located the core nodes carrying the instructions within these intruding data streams, then "understood" and "fed back" them in the most brutal way.
For a moment, this space of consciousness seemed to transform into a purgatory directed against intruders, directed by Miao Weizhen. The Federation's malicious intent was distorted, reflected, and even cleverly directed by him to impact the unstable structure of the system itself, creating chaos and opportunities for Anthony to build a firewall from the outside.
This is the power he has mastered after walking in the darkness for many years. It is dangerous and violent, but at this moment it has become the only weapon to protect the last hope.
Wen Ling, in the command center, coordinated the overall defense while keeping a close eye on the status of the "Luofeng Resonance" system on the main control screen. He saw that the cursor representing Miao Weizhen's consciousness, besieged by black data streams, did not dim. Instead, it burst into a terrifying, destructive light. It was moving towards the system exit with difficulty, using offense instead of defense.
He understood what Miao Weizhen was doing——
He was using the method he was least willing to use to carve out a bloody path for them.
"General Han! I need you to take the initiative, attract enemy fire, and relieve the pressure on the connection room area!" Wen Ling ordered.
"That's exactly what I want!" Han Zhong roared, leading the upgraded fleet, like an angry bull, and directly crashing into the formation of the federal assault ships, without caring about his own damage.
"Luo Yan! Clear out all the federal soldiers who have landed, leaving no one behind!"
"Got it." Luo Yan's figure flickered in the shadows of the passage, and each appearance was accompanied by a short scream from the federal soldiers.
"Susie! Ye Lan! The energy core is overloaded. Prioritize protecting the connection room and command center barriers!"
"clear!"
The entire Iron Throne base erupted like an enraged hedgehog, unleashing astonishing fighting power. Every single person worked tirelessly at their posts, knowing it wasn't just a matter of survival, but also of buying crucial time for the silent battle unfolding in the connection room.
Wen Ling's gaze fell back on the flashing, struggling cursor on the main control screen.
Faster, Miao Weizhen! Faster!
He screamed silently in his heart.
Inside the connecting room, Dr. Anthony watched the thrilling attack and defense on the screen, and saw Miao Weizhen's consciousness's almost self-destructive counterattack intensity. His voice trembled: "Minister... He's burning himself..."
Wen Ling clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.
He knew. He had always known that man would never hesitate to sacrifice anything for the people he cared about.
Miao Weizhen protected the Xinglan light ball, weaving through the storm he had created, weaponized by pain, getting closer and closer to the exit. However, his consciousness was becoming noticeably thinner and more unstable. This intense confrontation was also taking a huge toll on him.
Just as they were about to touch the exit film—
An extremely concentrated dark red spear emitting Qu Beichen's spiritual imprint penetrated through layers of defense like a poisonous snake and pierced straight into the starry light group protected behind Miao Weizhen!
This was a fatal blow that had been planned for a long time!
Miao Weizhen almost didn't think about it, his consciousness instantly retracted, and he used his core to meet the spear head-on!
"Ugh!"
The intense tearing feeling that came from the source of his consciousness almost made him collapse instantly.
"Brother!!!" The ball of light from Xinglan let out a sharp wail.
Miao Weizhen's body trembled violently, a streak of bright red blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and the instrument monitoring his vital signs issued a shrill alarm!
"Minister!" Anthony exclaimed.
Wen Ling's heartbeat almost stopped.
At this critical moment, the blue topaz ring on the left thumb of Miao Weizhen in the connecting cabin suddenly burst out with an unprecedented, gentle yet firm blue halo, which instantly enveloped his whole body.
At the same time, within the space of consciousness, the dark red spear that was about to tear through Miao Weizhen's consciousness was gently blocked by a warm and tenacious force from the outside world, transmitted through the remaining connection of the "heart anchor" before it reached his core.
It’s Wen Ling!
Even when he was directing the overall situation, he still diverted a bit of his attention and made the most timely intervention through the ring that contained the promise between them and the remaining link!
It was this insignificant but perfectly timed block that won Miao Weizhen a fleeting opportunity!
He endured the severe pain of his consciousness being almost torn apart, and with the help of the external push, he used his last bit of strength to wrap the ball of light around Xinglan and suddenly rushed out of the exit of the consciousness space!
puff--
The connecting hatch opened, and Miao Weizhen suddenly opened his eyes and began to cough violently, blood staining his pale jaw. But in his hand, he tightly grasped the newly materialized special unit that stored Xinglan's core consciousness.
He succeeded.
"Weizhen!" Wen Ling's voice came from not far away, with unprecedented panic.
Miao Weizhen raised his eyes and looked at Wen Ling who was rushing towards him. He wanted to say something, but his eyes went dark and he completely lost consciousness.
Before he fell into darkness, the only thing he sensed was Wen Ling's tightly trembling embrace and the still fierce explosions outside the command room.
The battle is not over yet.
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