The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The Stargazer glided through fourteen standard hours in its deathly silence. Outside the porthole, the starry sky of the γ-7 region gradually revealed a completely different face from the "Shattered Star Remains." The star density was moderate, and several pale ribbons of nebulae could be seen in the distance. The overall energy background was active and "young," full of the vibrant, life-giving feeling unique to carbon-based star systems. However, beneath this starry sky, the omnipresent, rigid, and cold lingering echo of the "Order Field" was like an unignorable noise in the background, constantly reminding Luo Wei and his companions of the perilous experience they had just endured.

Lilith's "Deep Condensation Agent" was remarkably effective and extremely potent. Verna, Lilith, Lina, and Annie remained asleep, their vital signs weak and stable, like exquisite ice sculptures. Lowe, Barton, and Anderson took turns on guard duty, maintaining the starship's most basic functions amidst extreme exhaustion and mental strain.

After leaving the Silent Archives' influence and restarting the minimum survival and stealth systems, the starship's energy reserves have slowly recovered from 9% to 11%—thanks to the temporary "phase-shifting coating" with weak energy absorption capabilities added to the starship's hull, and the relatively abundant stellar radiation in the γ-7 region. But this is still far from sufficient. It's not enough to repair hull damage, recharge the warp drives and weapon systems, or even support a slightly longer journey.

"At our current course and speed, we are heading towards the inner ring of the γ-7 star system marked on the star map." Elder Anderson's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot. He had just finished a round of duty and was sipping a highly concentrated nutrient solution. "We expect to enter an area marked as the 'Asteroid Sparse Belt' in seventy-six hours. The star map notes indicate that there are several abandoned, low-level mineral mining outposts there. Perhaps we can find some usable scattered resources, or... at least we can hide there temporarily and wait for others to awaken."

Lowe nodded, his gaze falling on the faint dot representing the starship itself on the main screen, then sweeping across the marked area on the star map. Resources were the foundation of survival, but any action near the ruins of a known civilization (even an abandoned one) carried risk. "Maintain maximum stealth, activate all passive sensors, scan the area ahead. Pay special attention to any unnatural energy signals or spacecraft activity."

"Understood." Barton took over the watch. He was equally exhausted, but the sharpness in his eyes hadn't diminished. The loss of the base, the near-death experience, and the omnipresent shadow of the Silent Court had acted like a heavy whetstone, sharpening his fighting spirit and desire to become stronger. During breaks in his watch, he didn't rest. Instead, he sat cross-legged in a corner, silently circulating the "Star Rock Body Forging Technique," guiding the still-thin stardust energy filtered within the ship to temper his body bit by bit, repairing the hidden injuries left from the battle with the "Hound," and consolidating his Star Warrior (peak critical) realm. He could feel that threshold becoming clearer and clearer; he only needed one more opportunity to perhaps truly step into the realm of a first-ring powerhouse.

Luo Wei himself didn't rest either. He sat cross-legged beside the control chair, his mind immersed in the connection with the Star Key, slowly recovering the star power and mental energy consumed in building the protective barrier and resisting the erosion of the order field, while continuing to digest the vast knowledge within the "Silver Flame." "The Initial Explanation of Star Laws" was like opening a completely new door for him. The principles behind many star arts he had previously performed based on instinct and scattered inheritance, the construction of energy circuits, and the deep logic of resonating with the rules of the stars became clear. He repeatedly simulated and optimized "Stardust Tracing" and "Star Vortex Resonance" in his mind, and combined with his new understanding, began to conceive a more aggressive prototype of a second-ring star art—a technique that combined the "traction" and "explosion" characteristics of stars, capable of creating small-scale energy collapse and disturbance at mid-range. This took time, but every bit of understanding made his foundation of power more solid, and the realm of a second-ring Star Speaker became increasingly stable and transparent under the feedback of knowledge.

Time passed in silence and agonizing anticipation. When the journey entered its fifty-eighth hour, with approximately eighteen hours remaining to reach the target asteroid belt, Barton, responsible for monitoring the passive sensors, suddenly issued a low, menacing warning: "Something's up! A faint, aperiodic energy pulse signal has been detected thirty degrees to the right ahead, at a distance of about 0.3 light-minutes! It's very chaotic, like… the aftershocks of an explosion? Or a malfunction?"

Lowe and Anderson immediately perked up and gathered in front of the main screen. The signal was very weak, appearing and disappearing in the background radiation, but it was definitely there, and it was continuous, albeit intermittent.

"Zoom in on that area and perform a spectral analysis," Rowe commanded.

On the screen, a sparse band of grayish-brown asteroids and icy bodies of varying sizes gradually came into focus. Between several relatively large rocky formations, distorted metallic reflections were faintly visible—the remains of abandoned outposts marked on the star map. And the chaotic energy pulses seemed to originate near the largest of these remains.

"Energy signature analysis...includes multiple frequencies, including conventional plasma leakage, chemical combustion residue, and...a very strange, high-frequency psionic oscillation aftershock?" Elder Anderson frowned. "This doesn't seem like simple equipment aging or natural damage. It's more like a recent...battle? Or some kind of accident?"

A battle? On the edge of this star system, marked as "underdeveloped" and far from the main shipping lanes? A chill ran down Luo Wei's spine. Could it be that the pursuers from the Stasis Court had already searched this far? No, if it were them, the traces of battle wouldn't be so "chaotic"; it would more likely be a one-sided, cold, orderly erasure.

"How long until Lina wakes up?" Rowe asked.

"According to the drug's metabolism cycle, there are about ten hours left." Lilith's voice suddenly came from behind, weak but clear. She and Annie, supporting each other, walked out of the passage leading to the living area, their faces pale and their steps unsteady, but they had clearly emerged from their deep sleep. "We were awakened by the preset biological clock... How are we?"

Lowe quickly relayed the situation. Lilith, forcing herself to stay alert, began checking the ship's medical and pharmaceutical reserves, while Annie obediently went to prepare some liquid food.

"I need Lina's intuition to assess the situation," Rowe said, looking at the signal source on the screen. "But we can't wait any longer. Barton, Elder Anderson, prepare for battle, but don't fire unless absolutely necessary. Lilith, Annie, you stay on the bridge, monitor the systems and prepare support. I'll pilot the 'Shadow' closer for reconnaissance."

"That's too dangerous! You haven't fully recovered yet!" Lilith immediately objected.

"Precisely because we haven't recovered, we need to proactively identify the threat. If it's the Court of Stasis, we must immediately turn and escape. If it's something else... perhaps there's a chance." Lowe's tone was resolute. "'Shadow' has the best concealment; I'll act alone, making me a smaller target. Barton, you guys keep your distance in the starship, ready to provide support or evacuate at any time."

The arrangements were finalized, and no one objected. Ten minutes later, Rowe piloted the "Shadow" reconnaissance boat, which had undergone simple repairs and had its energy replenished to 45%, and glided out of the "Stargazer's" hangar like a ghost, silently heading towards the abandoned outpost that emitted ominous pulses.

The closer they got, the more horrifying the scene became. The so-called "outpost" was actually dozens of metal compartments and platforms of varying sizes and styles, haphazardly connected by steel frames and pipes, attached to the surface of an asteroid about five kilometers in diameter. At this moment, more than a third of this patchwork complex had been reduced to charred ruins, many compartments torn apart, and exposed pipes floating in the vacuum like twisted intestines. The wreckage of several small, crudely designed vessels, resembling engineering ships or armed mining vessels, lay scattered around the complex, one of which was still slowly leaking gas and electrical sparks, one of the sources of those chaotic energy pulses.

No intact, still-functioning spacecraft were seen, nor were there any obvious signs of life.

Lovi parked "Shadow" in the shadow of a huge rock far from the ruins, activated full-band silent reception, and combined his own spiritual sense (though not as sharp as Lina's) with the perception of the Star Key, carefully spreading towards the ruins.

Death, silence, the coldness of metal, and... lingering, chaotic, violent, and fearful spiritual imprints! A fierce conflict did indeed occur here not long ago, and it seems that there were more than one side involved, with highly mixed energy attributes.

He manipulated a miniature probe on the outside of the "Shadow" and aimed it at the largest ruin. The magnified image made his pupils shrink slightly.

The metal walls and floor of the ruins were covered with various signs of attack: melting craters from high-temperature plasma burning, dents and cracks from kinetic weapon impacts, and some... eerie holes and grooves with irregular edges, as if corroded by strong acid or some kind of biological corrosive liquid. On several relatively intact metal plates, Rowe saw blurry graffiti and markings—a rough pattern made up of gears, wrenches, and planets, seemingly the mark of a mining or engineering consortium; while on another charred wall, there was a violently scratched-off pattern resembling a menacing monster.

Is it a conflict between local factions? Or a raid on a mining station by raiders?

Just then, a faint yet exceptionally clear resonance suddenly emanated from the Star Key! Its direction wasn't from the ruins before them, but rather pointed deeper into the asteroid belt, in another direction!

Lowe immediately turned the probe around. Tens of thousands of kilometers away, in the shadow of another, smaller asteroid, a faint, regular light seemed to flicker, occurring every ten seconds or so, very steadily. The color of that light… was a deep, dark purple, as if it could absorb all the surrounding light!

This light… he had never seen it before, but the resonance of the Star Key clearly pointed to it! It was not the silvery light of the stagnant court, nor the filthy darkness of the abyss, nor the pure starlight of the stargazer, but a completely new energy with a strange “activity” and “corrosiveness”!

Almost at the same moment Luo Wei discovered the dark purple light, his spiritual senses suddenly caught a cold, greedy "gaze" filled with inorganic malice sweeping from the direction of the dark purple light! It was extremely fast, like a predator spotting its prey!

"We've been discovered!" Lowe's heart tightened. Without hesitation, he immediately cut off his external spiritual senses, pushed the "Shadow of the Underworld" stealth power to its maximum, and simultaneously steered the reconnaissance boat deeper into the shadows of the rock formation.

The cold "gaze" swept back and forth across the ruins and the spot where the "shadow" had just stood several times, seemingly puzzled, and slowly withdrew without finding a clear target. But Luo Wei could sense that the frequency of the dark purple light flickering seemed to have increased slightly.

"Star Core, record the characteristics and coordinates of the energy fluctuations just now! Analyze them immediately!" Luo Wei commanded in his mind.

[Command confirmed. Energy characteristics recorded. Analysis in progress... Energy attribute unknown, no matching record found in database. High-intensity inert energy conversion activity and weak... silicon-based life energy reaction detected in energy fluctuations. Warning: This energy has a highly corrosive and assimilative tendency.]

Silicon-based life form psionic reaction? Luo Wei suddenly recalled Lina's description of "rock spirits," but the energy of rock spirits was heavy, slow, and resonated with the stardust of the earth, definitely not this aggressive and corrosive dark purple! Moreover, this place was extremely far from the "shattered star remains."

Is it some kind of silicon-based life native to the γ-7 star system? Or... some unknown cosmic disaster similar to the Stasis Court or the Abyss?

He dared not linger, adjusted the reconnaissance boat's power output to a level that would not cause significant energy disturbance, and slowly withdrew from the shadows, preparing to return to the "Stargazer".

However, just as the "Shadow" was about to completely leave this asteroid belt region, Rowe caught a glimpse of something moving in a very well-hidden recess on another floating boulder in the distance through the side window.

He immediately aimed the optical probe there and zoomed in to its maximum.

In the image, a small, thin humanoid figure in tattered protective gear is curled up in the depression! Judging from the build, it appears to be a boy or a woman. They are tightly clutching something, their body trembling slightly, seemingly still alive! Not far above them, on a protruding rock, a fist-sized, writhing, semi-liquid object with a dark purple glow flowing across its surface is clearly attached! Several viscous tentacles extend from this object, slowly and tentatively reaching towards the figure below!

It's a survivor! They're being attacked by that eerie dark purple thing!

Luo Wei's heart skipped a beat. To save him, or not to save him?

Rescue means potentially exposing oneself and clashing with that unknown, eerie entity that resonates with the Star Key—a huge risk.

To not save... to watch a surviving life be devoured by that malevolent unknown creature right before one's eyes?

Xingyue felt a clear throbbing in his arms again. This time, it wasn't a warning, but more like an urging and confirmation.

Luo Wei's eyes narrowed, and he made a decision instantly.

"Barton! Elder Anderson! Survivors have been discovered and are under attack by an unknown silicon-based life form! I need backup! Coordinates sent! Prepare for interception!"

The engines of the "Shadow" reconnaissance boat suddenly ignited. Although it remained in stealth mode, its speed increased instantly, shooting off like an arrow in a slight arc towards the giant rock! At the same time, a small, low-power "radius repellent" generator under the bow began to charge—this was a device developed by Lilith to interfere with energy life and lower silicon-based organisms. Its effectiveness was unknown, but there was no other choice at this moment.

Seemingly sensing the approach of the "Shadow" and the energy fluctuations, the dark purple semi-liquid object suddenly stopped moving. All its tentacles turned towards the reconnaissance boat, and the dark purple light at its core flickered rapidly, emitting an even stronger sense of malice and... a hint of doubt.

The figure huddled below sensed something, and with difficulty raised her head. Through the tattered mask, Luo Wei saw a face stained with dirt, filled with fear and despair, but with the features of a young woman still faintly discernible. She looked at the rapidly approaching reconnaissance boat, and her eyes instantly blazed with an incredulous, desperate light.

"Hold on!" Luo Wei silently chanted. The reconnaissance boat came to an abrupt stop a few hundred meters away from the giant rock. The "repellent scattering beam" on the bow was activated, and a soft energy wave with high-frequency vibrations shot towards the dark purple object!

Sizzle—!

The dark purple object was struck by the energy wave, its surface rippled violently, and it emitted a silent hiss (which Lowe sensed through his spiritual senses). Its extended tentacles retracted as if electrocuted. It seemed very uncomfortable with this energy; its core light flickered erratically, and its wriggling speed slowed down.

It's now!

Lowe maneuvered the reconnaissance boat to extend its mechanical arm, precisely grabbing the huddled figure on the rock face. The mechanical arm gripped her shoulder and quickly retracted.

However, just as the figure was about to be pulled into the open hatch, the dark purple object seemed to be enraged, suddenly doubling in size, and a viscous energy beam radiating dark purple light lashed out like a whip at the reconnaissance boat's mechanical arm!

"Watch out!" Lowe maneuvered the reconnaissance boat to the side, simultaneously activating the anti-scattering interference again. The energy beam grazed the mechanical arm and struck the rock wall behind it, melting the hard rock like a candle, leaving a large, charred groove, with sizzling dark purple energy still remaining at the edges!

It's incredibly corrosive!

Luo Wei felt a chill run down his spine and dared not linger in the fight. The mechanical arm pulled the figure into the cabin, and the cabin door closed quickly.

"Survivor recovered! Evacuate immediately!"

The "Shadow" reconnaissance boat sped off with its engines at full power towards the "Stargazer." Behind it, the dark purple object seemed to hesitate for a moment, not giving chase, but simply remaining on the giant rock, its dark purple light flickering erratically, as if "watching" the fleeing reconnaissance boat, or perhaps... "communicating" with something.

Minutes later, the "Shadow" successfully docked with the "Stargazer," which was maintaining a safe distance. Rowe, carrying the young woman who was still trembling and in a semi-conscious state, rushed onto the bridge.

"Turn around immediately and get away from this area! Maximum stealth flight!" Rowe gave the order urgently as he handed the survivors over to Lilith and Annie, who rushed to meet him.

"How is she?" Elder Anderson asked in a deep voice, looking at the girl's limbs, which were vaguely visible beneath her tattered protective suit and did not seem to have purely human characteristics (her skin had a faint rock-like texture).

"Still alive, but very weak. She's been traumatized and may still be affected by that thing's energy." Lilith quickly examined her. "She needs to be in the medical pod immediately. Annie, help me."

Luo Wei nodded, turning his gaze to the main screen. He looked at the asteroid belt that was gradually being left behind, especially the direction in which the dark purple light last flickered, and his heart was filled with turmoil.

The survivors were rescued, but an even greater mystery has crashed into their world. What exactly is that dark purple energy that resonates with the Star Keys, is corrosive, and seems to possess characteristics of silicon-based life? What dangers lurk behind the "low-development" of the γ-7 star system?

Who is the girl they rescued? Where is she from? And what does she know?

The answer might lie in what happens after she wakes up. But Luo Wei has a strong premonition that the undercurrents beneath the surface of this seemingly calm star field they've entered are probably more turbulent and bizarre than anywhere else they've ever been before.

The "Stargazer" adjusted its course, accelerating towards the deeper and more unknown darkness of the starfield. Inside the bridge, the indicator light representing the medical bay flickered with a steady, faint light, like the first spark quietly lit amidst endless mysteries.