The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

Lina's warning, like a pebble thrown into a still pond, created cold ripples in the control center of the Thorn Base. Three "Hound" reconnaissance boats of the Stasis Court, like metal hounds that had caught a scent, pounced on the three pre-designated decoy signal points. Meanwhile, the three main warships maintained a suffocating calm and order, steadily advancing in a standard search formation towards the depths of the nebula, towards the approximate center of mass of the Thorn Base.

"The decoy has taken effect, but the enemy is cautious and has only sent out reconnaissance units." Elder Anderson's calm voice came through the encrypted channel. He and Patton were piloting the "Shadow" and lurking on the edge of the "Magnetic Storm Vortex" trap. "The capital ship's propulsion speed has not changed. It is expected to enter the first warning line in four hours."

"Received. As planned, deal with 'Hound' first." Lowe's voice was calm. He was hovering on the makeshift open-air guidance platform atop the "Stargazer," his stellar energy flowing around him, deeply resonating with the Star Key, sensing the subtle pulses of the nebula's energy. "Instructor Verna, how are the preparations for guiding the 'Magnetic Storm Vortex' going?"

"The energy node is in place, the rune array is 78% charged, and it is expected to reach the critical point in two minutes. However, forcibly guiding the vortex burst can only last for ten to fifteen seconds, and it will expose our energy manipulation traces." Verna's voice rang out in the control room, as she was concentrating on controlling several remotely deployed energy focusers.

"That's enough. Barton, Elder Anderson, once the prey enters the trap, you two will trigger the first wave. Lina, keep a close eye on the movements of the other two 'Hounds,' especially the one heading towards 'Inert Tide.'"

"Understood." Lina closed her eyes and focused her mind, her spiritual senses like delicate yet resilient threads, locking onto the two targets from afar. She could clearly sense the cold, indifferent aura of order emanating from the "Hound," like a sophisticated killing machine, completely different from the heavy, slow consciousness of the rock spirits in the nebula, or the instincts of the star beasts drifting in the void. This pure consciousness, with its clear destructive purpose, made her spiritual senses feel a slight sting, but she forcibly stabilized her mind and refined her perception.

The Hound reconnaissance boat heading towards the "magnetic storm vortex" was the first to arrive at the signal burst point. It was a wreckage area composed of countless tiny metal fragments, with the jamming device disguised as a damaged reactor core, emitting unstable energy fluctuations.

"Artificial energy source detected, now defunct. No signs of life found. Trace analysis... The energy residue characteristics have a similarity of less than 0.1% to the target 'key.' Determined to be a low-level decoy." The reconnaissance boat's AI coldly reported, preparing to turn back.

Just as it turned, the "Shadow," which had been lurking in the shadow of a nearby giant ice meteorite, suddenly activated the "Psionic Blast Bomb" specially made by Lilith, which was mounted on its tail! There was no physical impact, but an invisible, powerful mental pulse targeting the precision sensors and energy sensing system swept across!

"Warning! Detection system is experiencing unknown high-frequency interference! Optical and energy scans are malfunctioning! Estimated duration: 3.7 seconds!"

For top-tier warriors, 3.7 seconds is enough to decide life or death.

"Now!" Barton roared, his Star Aura, already at its peak, erupting forth. Instead of piloting the "Shadow" out, he leaped from the hatch, like a human cannonball, leaving a blazing white trail through the stardust, heading straight for the "Hound," which was slightly stiffened due to a brief system malfunction! The greatsword in his hand was not a physical object, but rather a combination of highly condensed Star Aura and a trace of condensed stardust power from the "Star Rock Body Forging Technique," its blade displaying a strange luster of interwoven dark gold and platinum!

"cut!"

The greatsword, whistling as it tore through the void, slammed into the relatively weak engine connection of the "Hound"! A piercing metallic tearing sound accompanied by the explosion of energy leakage rang out! The "Hound" shuddered violently, its shields flickering as it attempted to retaliate, but Barton, having landed a successful blow, didn't linger. He pushed off the hull, his battle aura surging, and his figure shot back at an even faster speed than when he arrived, landing precisely in the hatch of the "Shadow" that had restarted its engine.

"Target engine hit! Shield weakened by 47%! Structure damaged!" Elder Anderson reported quickly, while simultaneously maneuvering "Shadow" to make a sharp turn and rush towards the core area of ​​the "Magnetic Storm Vortex"!

The damaged "Hound" angrily (if AI had emotions) locked onto the "Shadow," its several small pulse cannons glowing as it relentlessly pursued it. Unbeknownst to it, on the backs of several seemingly randomly floating meteorites along its path, energy-focusing runes that Verna had pre-placed were lighting up one by one.

"Initiation complete! Magnetic Storm Vortex - Activated!"

Verna pressed her hands on the control panel, connecting the vast stellar power with the preset rune array. In an instant, the previously relatively calm space in front of her suddenly distorted, and countless violent silver-purple electromagnetic arcs appeared out of thin air, like Thor's whip, wildly lashing, binding, and annihilating everything within its range! This naturally formed electromagnetic trap, guided by the energy focuser, had its power temporarily increased several times, and its coverage area also slightly expanded!

The "Hidden Shadow" narrowly missed the edge of the vortex, its surface crackling with tiny arcs of electricity. Meanwhile, the relentlessly pursuing "Hound" crashed headlong into the raging electromagnetic hell!

"Warning! Shield overload! Energy conduction system melted! Structural integrity rapidly declining!..."

A piercing alarm sounded inside "Hound," but it lasted for less than two seconds before being completely swallowed and torn apart by the violent magnetic storm, along with its signal, turning into a huge fireball that briefly shone before quickly dimming.

The first "Hound" was eliminated.

"Well done!" Lilith couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice at the base, but immediately covered her mouth and nervously looked at the main screen.

"The other 'Hound' heading towards the 'Gravity Fold' suddenly slowed down as it approached the edge of the trap, seemingly sensing something amiss, and is scanning the perimeter." Lina's voice was urgent. "Its sensory system is much more acute than the previous one!"

"Execute Plan B, using the setup from 'Inert Tides'." Lowe immediately gave the order, simultaneously leaping from the guidance platform into a small, high-speed assault boat that had been prepared beforehand. "I'll handle 'Gravity Folds'; it's too wary and needs stronger decoys. Instructor Verna, you're in charge here!"

"Watch out!" Verna only had time to warn him before Rowe's assault boat shot out of the base's rift like an arrow, speeding towards the "Gravity Fold." He had to eliminate or lure them away before they finished scanning, discovered the traps, or called for support.

The third "Hound" heading towards the "Inert Tide" region is currently navigating cautiously through an area that appears calm but is actually characterized by extremely slow and viscous energy flow. The inert energy permeating this region will greatly weaken the effectiveness of conventional energy weapons, interfere with sensors, and even reduce engine output.

"Anomalies in environmental energy have been detected, exhibiting strong interference characteristics. It is recommended to raise the alert level," the reconnaissance boat's AI reported.

Just as it raised its guard, slowly turned, and prepared to leave the area, a pale purple mist silently drifted out from a huge, hole-filled rock wreckage to the side—an enhanced version of Lilith's specially made "psychic shielding dust," mixed with "energy assimilation smoke"!

The dust quickly spread, further interfering with the reconnaissance boat's sensors. Its special components also began to slowly "assimilate" with the energy of the reconnaissance boat's shield, making the shield unstable and flickering.

"Warning! The shield is being corroded by an unknown substance, resulting in decreased stability! Visibility is zero! Active scanning and obstacle clearance recommended..."

Before the AI ​​could make its next decision, an autonomous combat golem (cobbled together using low-level technology from starship warehouse parts and blueprints), which had been lurking behind another piece of wreckage and was remotely controlled by Anderson and Barton, suddenly activated! Instead of launching a direct attack, it fired its last "psychic stun grenade" and several high-explosive physical warheads at the observation window exposed by the "Hound" due to its unstable shield!

Boom! Boom!

The explosion at close range sounded muffled in the viscous, inert energy environment, but its power was undiminished. The reconnaissance boat's observation windows shattered instantly, exposing the delicate instruments inside to the extreme environment. They were instantly corroded and damaged, losing most of their observation and combat capabilities. The boat drifted erratically into the depths of the tide, eventually being dragged towards its core by the slow but irresistible energy flow, where it silently disintegrated.

The second "Hound" is resolved.

At this moment, Rowe, piloting the assault boat, had approached the edge of the "gravity fold" region. He saw the unusually cautious "Hound," which was hovering on the outer edge of the fold, its several probe beams scanning the area ahead, where the spatial structure was clearly abnormal and the light was distorted, like tentacles.

"Stardust Concealment!" Luo Wei silently chanted, fully activating his newly mastered escape technique. The optical camouflage and energy fluctuations on the surface of the assault boat instantly synchronized with the surrounding stardust environment, as if it had become part of the nebula itself, silently flanking the "Hound" to the side and rear.

At the same time, he pushed his Star Power perception as a second-ring Star Speaker to its limit, combining it with the resonance of the Star Key to carefully sense the energy patterns of the "gravitational folds" ahead. The space in this area was like crumpled paper, with a complex and ever-changing gravitational field, sometimes containing powerful gravitational traps, and sometimes repulsive anomalies. The Starfire Chamber data provided by Verna contained some records of the patterns of gravity nodes in this area.

"Now!" A glint flashed in Luo Wei's eyes, and the side of the assault boat suddenly opened, launching several inconspicuous metal spheres enveloped in star power. They were not aimed at the "Hound," but rather precisely at several specific, relatively fragile gravitational equilibrium points within the "gravity folds"!

The metal sphere was detonated by the weak stellar energy that Luo Wei had pre-programmed the moment it touched the balance point! The explosion wasn't powerful, but it was like throwing a few pebbles into a calm lake, instantly shattering the fragile balance!

Om-! ! !

The entire "gravity fold" region shuddered violently! The already distorted spatial structure instantly became even more violent! Several invisible gravitational turbulences lashed out like whips, one area suddenly generating an extremely strong suction force, while another area erupted with a fierce repulsion!

The cautious "Hound" remained vigilant, but Rowe's attack wasn't directed at it, but at the environment! Caught off guard, it was caught by a sudden, powerful gravitational turbulence and violently pulled into the depths of the folds! It struggled desperately, its engines overloaded, but it seemed utterly powerless before the might of nature. Worse still, the chaotic gravitational field severely interfered with its stabilization system and weapon aiming.

"An opportunity!" How could Lowe miss it? The assault boat emerged from its concealment, and a small but highly concentrated "Starlight Ray Cannon" (modified with Star Key energy guidance technology) on the bow was instantly fully charged. A condensed silver beam, aided and corrected by Lina's spiritual sense, precisely passed through the gap in the gravitational turbulence and struck the energy core connection exposed by the "Hound" as it struggled!

boom!

The "Hound" exploded violently, its fragments torn apart and devoured by the raging gravitational field.

The third "Hound" was destroyed.

From the moment the first "Hound" was swallowed by the magnetic storm to the destruction of the third by gravitational folds, the entire process took only a dozen minutes. Utilizing its home-field advantage in the environment and a meticulously planned trap, Thorn Base cleanly and efficiently eliminated the three reconnaissance vanguards at minimal cost.

However, no one cheered inside the control center. Instead, the atmosphere became even more tense.

"The main fleet hasn't slowed down or changed course." Lina's face paled further, cold sweat beading on her forehead. "They... seem completely unconcerned about the loss of those three 'Hounds.' And... their scanning intensity is increasing. The energy fluctuations from our detonation of the gravity node might have been detected... They've adjusted their direction and are accelerating towards the approximate location of our base! Estimated arrival time has been reduced to two hours and fifteen minutes!"

The worst has happened. The enemy is ruthless, efficient, and has a clear objective. The sacrificial reconnaissance boats are merely expendable to them. They have already locked onto the area.

"Activate the second phase of the 'Deep Dive' protocol! 'Stargazer,' immediately enter final evacuation preparation! Instructor Verna, activate all preset interference to create chaos and cover the starship's warm-up! Lilith, Annie, prepare to board! Elder Anderson, Barton, return immediately!" Lowe's orders came out like a machine gun as he piloted the assault boat back at full speed.

"Love," Verna's urgent voice came through, "the enemy capital ship's energy readings are far higher than expected; any pre-planned traps will hardly inflict fatal damage. Moreover, they came prepared, and our concealment methods probably won't last long. I suggest... implementing the 'tail-cutting' plan, using some of the base's facilities and stored energy to create a high-yield decoy self-destruction to attract the enemy's attention and create an absolute opportunity for the starship to escape. But in doing so, the Thorn Base will be completely exposed and destroyed."

"Sever the tail..." Luo Wei's heart sank. The Thorn Base was their first foothold, painstakingly built, containing a wealth of effort, resources, and research results that hadn't been fully transferred. But now, it seemed there was no better option. Should they gamble everything, using the base and their remaining forces to attempt a delaying stunt, hoping for a slim chance of complete concealment for the starship's evacuation? Or should they decisively abandon the base, exchanging it for the relatively safe escape of the starship and its personnel?

"What level of energy reaction can the base's self-destruct program simulate at most? How long can it hold them off?" Rowe asked, his voice eerily calm.

"It can simulate a medium-sized starship engine overload explosion, or a small, unstable energy node collapse. It is expected to generate strong energy and spatial disturbances, interfering with enemy scanning for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. If it is combined with the simultaneous overload explosion of all the jamming devices we have set up on the perimeter, it may be able to buy us twenty-five minutes," Verna calculated quickly.

Twenty-five minutes... is barely enough for the "Stargazer" to initiate an emergency jump and escape this nebula, but only if the enemy is completely misled.

"Execute the 'tail-cutting' plan!" Lowe gritted his teeth and made the decision, his heart breaking, but his mind clear. "Set a 30-minute countdown. Instructor Verna, immediately take Lilith, Annie, and Lina onto the ship and prepare for warp. Elder Anderson, Barton, you two board the ship immediately after you return. I'll be responsible for the final activation of the self-destruct sequence and try to give them a little more 'fuel'."

"No! That's too dangerous! The program can be started remotely or at a set time!" Verna immediately objected.

"Remote signals could be intercepted or interfered with, and the timing isn't flexible enough. I need to personally determine the best time to detonate, and..." A resolute glint flashed in Luo Wei's eyes, "The Star Key is connected to the base's energy network. I can try to guide the nebula's energy into an unconventional fusion shock at the last moment, increasing the explosive power and simulating the energy characteristics of a completely destroyed 'Star Key'... This might convince them that the target has been 'eliminated,' thus causing them to abandon further investigation."

Silence fell over the communication channel. Everyone understood what this meant. Lowe would be in the most dangerous area, operating right under the enemy's nose. If he made a mistake, or if his self-destruction failed to completely mislead the enemy, he would be the first to be caught.

"I'll stay and help you," Barton said firmly.

"And me," Elder Anderson said calmly.

"No! You are the main fighting force and commander of the starship. The starship's evacuation needs you." Lowe refused. "I'm alone, a smaller target, and with the Star Key and 'Stardust Tracking,' my chances of escape are much greater. This is an order!"

After a brief silence, Verna's strained voice rang out: "...Understood. Rowe, you must come back alive. We'll be waiting for you at...the backup rendezvous point."

"Definitely." After saying that, Luo Wei turned off the public communications and kept only the private encrypted line with Verna open.

The next twenty minutes were a race against time for evacuation and preparation. The "Stargazer" silently glided out of the rift, heading deeper into the nebula towards a pre-discovered, extremely well-hidden micro-wormhole oscillation point, where the spatial structure was unique and could greatly conceal warp fluctuations. Lilith, Annie, Lena, Anderson, Barton, and others boarded the ship one after another. Before entering the hatch, each of them couldn't help but glance back at their "home," hidden in the shadows of the rift, a place into which countless efforts had been poured.

Lowe did not board the ship. He piloted the assault boat back into the Thorn Base. At this moment, most of the base was plunged into darkness, with only the core energy zone and the control node containing the self-destruct device still glowing faintly. He strode to the main control panel and inserted the star key into a specially designed interface.

The Star Key shimmered, connecting with the base's energy network, all the pre-installed jamming devices on the perimeter, and several key energy nodes that Verna had set up in advance. A massive flow of data and energy appeared in his mind. While monitoring the real-time location and speed of the enemy's main fleet, transmitted through Lina's spiritual senses, he rapidly calculated the optimal detonation point and energy guiding path.

The enemy was drawing ever closer. Through the remaining observation equipment at the base, they could already see the nebula dust being pushed aside by an invisible force field, revealing three silver-gray, sharply defined, and suffocatingly oppressive shuttle-shaped warships, their outlines slowly emerging like the Grim Reapers. Their scanning beams, like tangible searchlights, swept across the area again and again. Under such close-range, high-intensity scanning, the base's camouflage field had begun to ripple slightly, showing signs of instability.

"We can't wait any longer..." Luo Wei took a deep breath, combining his own star power with the power of the star key, and fully activated "Stardust Obfuscation," completely merging his aura with the background energy of the base. At the same time, he began to reverse-activate the base's energy core according to the preset program, and guided all the external interference devices into an overload countdown.

He stared at the dots on the screen representing the enemy fleet, silently calculating the distance, angle, and... the position of the warship that looked like the flagship, slightly larger in size, and with the highest energy reading.

"Now!"

As the three enemy ships, arranged in a triangular formation, entered the pre-designated area that covered most of the base and surrounding jamming devices, a fierce glint flashed in Luo Wei's eyes. He pressed the final confirmation command and pushed his control over the Star Key to its limit, guiding a massive amount of inert energy drawn from the depths of the nebula and frantically pouring it into the energy core, which was about to overload!

"Goodbye, thorns... Bloom!"

boom!!!!!!!!!

The first event was the simultaneous overload of dozens of peripheral jamming devices, creating a chaotic cloud of energy flashes and false signals.

Immediately following was the complete loss of control of the Thorn Base's core energy chamber! A terrifying fireball of energy, comparable to the explosion of a medium-sized starship engine, mixed with the nebulous inert energy forcibly guided and injected by Luo Wei, formed a destructive energy storm of bizarre color and complex energy characteristics, which suddenly spread out! At the core of the explosion, a faint but extremely potent energy characteristic, simulating the complete annihilation of the "Star Key," flashed by!

The shields of the three Static Court warships instantly glowed with blinding light, and the violent impact caused the ships to shake violently. The energy turbulence and intense light from the explosion severely interfered with scanning and observation.

"A high-intensity energy burst was detected! The energy characteristics at the center point matched the fluctuations of the 'key' by 31% at one point, and then disappeared! It is determined that the target was carrying a critical item and either self-destructed or accidentally damaged." The flagship's AI coldly reported.

"The energy burst exceeded expectations, and there is unknown energy mixed in. The scanning system is severely interfered with, and the recovery time is estimated to be 18 minutes. Should we send units into the epicenter to verify?" another warship inquired.

Inside the flagship, the emotionless voice remained silent for a moment. On the screen, the turbulent energy from the explosion was slowly spreading, the spatial structure of that area was in chaos, and the scanning beam was stuck in a quagmire.

"Target self-destruct probability 87.4%. 'Key' signal lost. However, there is a 3.6% possibility of camouflage. Record these coordinates and mark them as 'Highly Suspicious Area, Requires Further In-Depth Verification'. Current mission priority is to track surviving 'Stargazer' units and any scattered 'Key' fragments. All fleet, turn and continue the in-depth scan of the remaining nebula area along the fan-shaped area not covered by the blast wave. Do not waste any more time here."

"Command confirmed."

Three silver-gray warships adjusted their course, their shields fully deployed, and began a more detailed, but also more time-consuming, sweeping scan of the rest of the nebula. They ignored the gradually subsiding aftershocks of the explosion and any subtle inconsistencies that might be present within them—such as the extremely subtle trace of the explosion's energy that seemed to have been actively guided by the Star Speakers.

The afterglow of the explosion gradually faded. Amidst the chaotic wreckage, deep within the rift valley that had long since lost its base form, beneath a twisted metal plate protected by a special force field, Luo Wei, his body charred black, his star power almost exhausted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth but his eyes still bright, laboriously moved his fingers and took out a miniature, green-glowing locator beacon from his pocket.

"Cough cough... Looks like... I won the first gamble..." He smiled weakly and pressed the distress button on the beacon. The beacon emitted a weak, directional quantum signal, shooting into the depths of the nebula to the backup rendezvous coordinates known only to the "Stargazer".

The Thorn Base has vanished into a wisp of smoke in the stardust, but the embers of hope remain. A more arduous and perilous journey has only just begun. And the shadow of the Silent Court still looms over the boundless sea of ​​stars.