Chapter 81
Preparations for the first full-network consciousness resonance test proceeded amidst a highly confidential and tense atmosphere. The entire Taoyuan Jinghai base was like a precision instrument wound up, every component operating at high speed.
Amidst this bustle, some subtle changes are taking place.
Susie and Lao Lin, the old partners, practically lived in the lab where they were renovating the "Consciousness Resonance Amplifier." They argued fiercely over the design of an energy diversion valve.
"We must use Star Marrow Alloy! Only its resonance frequency can match the ancient core!" Susie slammed the table, her hands still stained with engine oil.
"Bullshit! The inertness of the star marrow alloy is too strong, which will slow down the response speed! Using the flowing crystal, although it is a bit brittle, I can handle the structure!" Lao Lin stiffened his neck and refused to give in.
The young engineers around them fell silent. Finally, Xinglan floated in and silently pulled up a set of data, projecting it between the two of them.
"Sister Susie's theory of resonant frequency is correct, but Uncle Lin's concerns about response speed also exist." Xinglan's voice was calm. "I did some simulations, and if we etch the flowing crystal diversion pattern on the astral alloy base, perhaps we can achieve both."
Susie and Lao Lin stared at the data for a moment, then hummed in agreement. They then dove into their work, no longer having time to argue. This kind of collaboration based on professionalism and trust was the very foundation the alliance so desperately needed.
Elsewhere, Han Zhong's fleet was conducting its final defensive drills. Standing on the bridge of the Anvil, he watched the simulated enemy attack route on the screen, his brow furrowed.
"The third defense array reacted 0.3 seconds too late!" He growled into the communication channel. "Ayuan! You need to increase your ecological shield generation rate by another 5%! Don't tell me you can't do it. Put in the same energy you put into growing those flowers and plants!"
A Yuan, the person in charge of the life support system, was floating beneath the dome of the ecological zone, carefully adjusting the bio-interface of the shield generator. Hearing Han Zhong's roar, she sighed helplessly, "General Han, the ecological shield is not military armor. It needs to synchronize with the planet's biological rhythm..."
"I don't care what it's synchronized with!" Han Zhong interrupted her, "After the test begins, even if an alien mosquito wants to get close to Your Highness, your shield must stop it!"
Ah Yuan shook her head, but didn't argue anymore, only devoting herself more fully to her work. She knew that behind Han Zhong's rudeness lay a heavy responsibility. She quietly complained to Dr. Keith, who was assisting her, "These soldiers only have steel and explosions on their minds."
As Case recorded the data from the bio-interface, he smiled gently, "But they are protecting these very flowers and plants that you cherish."
On the lowest level of the base, Luo Yan's special forces team was conducting infiltration and counter-infiltration training. Ye Lan moved like a ghost through the simulated network of pipes, silently dispatching one "enemy sentry" after another. Her movements were clean and precise, with an almost artistic precision.
After the training, she took off her helmet, revealing her pretty but stern face.
A young team member couldn't help but ask her:
"Sister Lan, why are you always able to predict the enemy's position?"
Ye Lan wiped the short blade without looking up:
"Because they're afraid. Fear makes them follow a pattern."
Her voice was very soft, but it silenced the team members around her:
“Remember, in the darkness, calmness is swifter than a knife.”
These seemingly small interactions, like scattered sparks, quietly convey professionalism, responsibility and belief within the alliance.
On the eve of the test, Wen Ling came to the Jinghai Coast alone.
The mirror-like surface of the ocean reflected the starry sky, as well as his own frail figure. He could sense the immense power of the planet beneath his feet, and the ancient core that slumbered within the depths. With a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
Footsteps sounded behind him, steady and familiar.
"I knew you were here." Miao Weizhen walked over to him and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. He didn't ask Wen Ling what he was worried about, but just accompanied him silently.
"Weizhen," Wen Ling said softly, looking at the mirror sea, "If...if I can't resonate with the core tomorrow..."
"No ifs." Miao Weizhen interrupted him, his tone firm, "You can. Because you are Wen Ling."
This sentence was so simple, yet it was filled with complete trust. Wen Ling turned her head to look at him. Under the starlight, Miao Weizhen's profile was cold and hard, but his eyes were unusually firm.
"Remember at Huangquan Rust Port?" Miao Weizhen suddenly said, "You said to me, 'One day, I will find a path that doesn't come at the cost of sacrifice and destruction, even if it's just for you.'"
He rarely mentioned the past, but at this moment he took the initiative to bring it up, "From then on, I knew that you were different from everyone else I had ever met."
Wen Ling was slightly stunned.
“You saw the darkness, but you were not assimilated; you were in a desperate situation, but you never gave up hope.”
Miao Weizhen turned his head and looked deeply into his eyes:
"So, tomorrow you will definitely succeed. Not because you are the chosen one, but because you are you."
These words were more powerful than any encouragement. Wen Ling's anxiety gradually subsided, replaced by a calm determination.
He stretched out his hand and interlocked his fingers with Miao Weizhen.
"Let's go back." Wen Ling said, "Tomorrow, there are still many things to do."
The two turned and left the shore. Their figures gradually became blurred in the mirror sea, while the stars in the sky became brighter and brighter.
Dawn breaks through the night, and Taoyuan Jinghai welcomes an unusual day.
The energy network was like an awakened dragon, emitting a low and powerful hum, and light blue light streams rushed through the criss-crossing pipes, converging towards the underwater pyramid.
Inside the control room, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt like water could be squeezed out of it. Xinglan hovered in front of the console, his silver hair moving silently, shimmering in sync with the countless data streams. Susie and Lao Lin stood on either side, staring intently at their respective control panels, checking every node of the "Consciousness Resonance Amplifier" one last time.
"Energy transfer is stable, reaching the critical value of 95 percent." Dr. Anthony's voice came from the communicator with a hint of suppressed excitement.
Han Zhong's fleet had formed an ironclad defensive formation in Mirror Sea orbit. A Yuan's ecological shield, like a transparent giant bowl, hung upside down above the base, emitting a soft yet resilient light. Luo Yan's special forces were divided into smaller units, lurking in every shadowy corner of the base like the most vigilant hounds.
Wen Ling sat on the connecting seat and took a deep breath.
He was wearing a specially made joint suit, which made his figure look even thinner, but his back was straight. Miao Weizhen stood beside him, one hand gently resting on his shoulder, silently transmitting strength.
"Let's start." Wen Ling closed his eyes and said softly.
Xinglan nodded and pressed lightly on the console with both hands.
In an instant, Wen Ling's consciousness was pulled by an irresistible force and sank into a sea of light. This time, it was no longer the trickle of light during previous training, but a true "sea of all living things."
Billions of consciousnesses, like countless stars, each carrying its own warmth and radiance, surged toward him. Joy, anticipation, fear, confusion... countless emotions intertwined into a magnificent and complex symphony, impacting his perception.
Almost immediately, Miao Weizhen's consciousness wall rose firmly like the strongest dam. He blocked out all the overly sharp emotions and distracting thoughts that might interfere with resonance, leaving only the purest and most unified will of "protection" to pass on to Wen Ling.
Wen Ling steadied his mind, no longer passively enduring, but actively extending his consciousness, like a stone dropped into a lake, creating ripples in the sea of life. He followed the guidance of ancient knowledge, no longer trying to "control", but opening his heart to "feel" and "resonate".
His consciousness passed through the boiling sea surface and continued to dive, approaching the ancient core sleeping in the deepest part of the Mirror Sea.
He could feel its presence—
It is huge, ancient, and carries the majesty of creation, but it is also like a wounded beast, restlessly stirring within its seal.
"Come on..." Wen Ling called out in her mind, not as an order, but as an invitation, "Let's... face it together."
He showed his will without reservation——
Not for conquest, but for protection; not for power, but for survival. He transformed the hopes of hundreds of millions of people in the alliance, the beauty of the Peach Garden Mirror Sea, and the preciousness of every ordinary life into the most sincere emotions and conveyed them to that ancient core.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Inside the control room, everyone held their breath. On the monitoring screen, the light ball representing Wen Ling's core consciousness and the light ball representing the ancient core were slowly approaching, testing each other.
Suddenly, the light of the ancient core flickered violently, and a repulsive force suddenly surged out!
Wen Ling groaned and his face turned pale instantly.
That power was filled with post-traumatic vigilance and distrust, as if asking:
Why? Why should I trust you won't make the same mistake again?
Miao Weizhen's barrier took most of the impact. He clenched his teeth, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, but his body was as steady as a rock.
"Hold on." The voice of his consciousness sounded in Wen Ling's mind, short and powerful.
Wen Ling steadied his shaken consciousness and did not retreat. Instead, he conveyed his belief more firmly. He stopped talking and instead presented the fragments of his memories along the way.
The struggles and alliances of Huangquan Rust Port, the tempering and understanding of the Wasted Ghost Machine Star, the pain and choices of Luofeng Canxiang, and the unextinguished hope of countless people in desperate situations...
This is a dialogue of the soul and a test of will.
At this critical moment, something strange happened!
Outside the base, three energy nodes in different directions suddenly overloaded and exploded! A piercing alarm rang out through the sky!
"Enemy attack!" Han Zhong roared from the communication channel. "Twelve small high-speed assault ships have broken through the outer defenses! Our target is the main control room!"
Almost at the same time as the explosion occurred, in the main control room, a Saijian country energy expert who had always been taciturn had a strange light flash in his eyes. He suddenly took out an energy interference device from his arms and pounced on Wen Ling's link seat!
"For true order!" he roared.
It all happened so fast that people had no time to react.
But Miao Weizhen moved.
His movements were so fast that only a shadow remained.
The moment before the jamming device was activated, he had already stood in front of Wen Ling, accurately grasping the attacker's wrist with one hand, and with the other hand, his fingers like a knife, slashing fiercely on the side of the other's neck.
The attacker fell to the ground, and the jammer rolled to the ground, emitting a crackling arc of electricity.
The whole process takes no more than two seconds.
Miao Weizhen didn't even glance at the attacker. His eyes were always fixed on Wen Ling. After confirming that he was not disturbed, he swept the whole place coldly:
"Control the situation. Luo Yan, clean up the trash."
His voice was quiet, but it stirred the air in the control room, which had momentarily frozen, back into motion. The guards quickly took control of the situation, and Luo Yan's figure appeared like a ghost, dragging the unconscious attacker away.
The sounds of explosions and the clamor of battle outside seemed to be isolated in another world. Wen Ling's brows furrowed slightly, clearly sensing the chaos outside, but his resonance with the Ancient Core continued uninterrupted.
After experiencing the initial rejection, the ancient core seemed to sense something familiar from the memories and beliefs displayed by Wen Ling -
It is the cherishment of life and homeland, and the courage to remain unyielding in desperate situations, which has not changed over tens of millions of years.
The force of repulsion gradually weakened.
The tentative tentacles softened.
Finally, at a certain moment, Wen Ling's core of consciousness and the ancient light touched each other gently and carefully.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling light.
There was only a silent, vast, warm and majestic force, like a newborn tide, with Wen Ling and the ancient core as the center, spreading gently and firmly, across the mirror sea, across the starry sky, and across every consciousness connected in the network.
It worked.
The tide rises in the mirror sea, and all things resonate.
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