The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

Lowe's order was like the last piece of ice thrown into a boiling pot of oil, instantly igniting the near-frozen despair on the bridge and transforming it into a near-mad, desperate gamble. "Guide the 'Inquisitor's' attack to the source of the 'Gray Rock' psionic storm"—this plan was audacious, insane, and its success rate was practically zero. But as Lowe said, they had no choice; this was the only possible, almost self-destructive counterattack in this desperate situation, a chance to tear a crack in the defense.

"Energy to attitude adjuster and port engine! Starboard shield generator in overload preparation mode! Calculate optimal launch angle and timing!" Instructor Verna practically roared the repeated commands, her hands moving like a blur on the control panel. Her consciousness, deeply connected to the main control system, was performing massive calculations at an unparalleled speed. She had to precisely calculate the angle and speed at which the "Stargazer" needed to adjust its attitude, as well as the timing of the simulated shield collapse, during that brief, millisecond-level "absolute lock" window before the "Inquisitor's" main cannon completed its final charge and lock, just before launch. This was to ensure that the trajectory of the "Disintegration Ray" would continue forward after the "Stargazer" dodged, striking precisely the depths of the "Gray Rock" behind the shadow of that massive planetary debris, where chaotic psionic pulses were constantly erupting! Any tiny error would mean the "Stargazer" would be directly hit and reduced to cosmic dust.

"Energy ready! Attitude engines are ready for extreme overload at any time!" Elder Anderson's voice was frighteningly calm. His thin but determined hands gripped the control stick tightly, his mind highly focused, waiting for the moment that would determine life or death. He would maneuver the "Stargazer" into a near-right-angle high-speed lateral shift and roll that defied conventional physics and the ship's limits.

"Starboard shield generator, overload critical point locked, launch program loaded!" On the other side of the main control panel, Lilith completed the remote overload command setting for the starboard shield generator and preset the program to forcibly detonate it from the ship's structure after a specific command was issued, in order to simulate the realistic effect of the shield completely collapsing and the generator being destroyed after being hit by a "grazing" shot.

"Barton, Lina, fasten your harnesses and prepare for a violent impact!" Lowe roared, fastening his own seatbelt to its tightest setting. At the same time, he channeled all his remaining star power into the structural reinforcement runes of the "Stargazer," attempting to add a tiny bit of resilience to the battered starship during extreme maneuvers. His mid-stage second-ring Star Speaker level was pushed to its limit under extreme pressure; the wounds to his soul sent shivers of pain through him, but this also made his mental perception exceptionally sharp on the edge of life and death. He stared intently at the main screen, at the increasingly bright, deathly silver ridge on the bow of the "Inquisitor" in the background.

"Deep Space Rhythm...so chaotic..." Inside the medical pod, Lina, pale-faced and firmly strapped to the medical bed, entered a strange state under the dual impact of the psionic storm and the threat of death. She no longer tried to "listen" or "warn," but completely relinquished control of the "Deep Space Rhythm Listening Technique," allowing her intuition to passively absorb, like a sponge, the extremely chaotic and destructive "multi-part harmony" of the surrounding environment—composed of the "Gray Rock's" uncontrolled psionic energy, the "Inquisitor's" cold order, and the turbulent currents of the star sea. The feeling was painful and terrifying, as if her soul was being torn apart, but in this strange, near-collapse "resonance," her "intuition" for the surrounding energy flow captured some extremely vague "trends" and "nodes" that transcended conventional perception. She couldn't express it clearly, but could only desperately transmit a thought mixed with a strong sense of crisis and a faint "possibility" to Rowe.

"Three seconds later... its lock will reach its peak... there is a slight stagnation in the energy flow... in the lower left..." Lina's thoughts were intermittent, yet like the only firefly in the darkness.

Without hesitation, Lowe incorporated Lina's "intuition" into his judgment. His eyes were fixed on the energy readings at the bow of the "Judicator," silently counting. At the very moment Lina warned of the "slight delay" appeared, coinciding with the silver ridges reaching their brightest point, he roared with all his might:

"Now! Anderson—move!!!"

"receive!"

Almost the instant Lowe finished speaking, Elder Anderson yanked the control lever! The remaining port engine and all attitude adjusters of the "Stargazer" suddenly erupted with a deafening roar far exceeding its design limits! The entire starship was as if it had been slammed down from the side by an invisible giant hammer, its hull emitting a tooth-grinding metallic groan, and in a bizarre, almost right-angled, violently rotating manner, it madly tumbled and rolled to the lower left, towards the edge of the shadow of that huge planetary debris!

At the very instant the "Stargazer" initiated its extreme maneuver, the bow of the "Judge" hunter ship behind it, with its accumulated, pure, and icy silver-white light finally transformed into a torrent of light, condensed to the extreme and seemingly capable of slicing through space itself, and silently burst forth! "Disintegration Ray of Order!"

This ray was not an energy beam, but rather a manifestation of a kind of "negation" and "erasure" power at the level of rules. Wherever it passed, even the chaotic spatial background and radiation dust of the "turbulent star sea" seemed to be briefly "smoothed" and "purified," leaving behind a short-lived, exceptionally "clean" trajectory.

The ray was originally aimed precisely at the core of the "Stargazer". However, at the last moment, due to the "Stargazer's" unconventional extreme maneuvering, and also due to the "Inquisitor's" own locking system's imperceptible error caused by the chaotic psionic pulse of "Gray Rock" and the slight "lag" detected by Lina at the moment of absolute lock-on, the ray grazed the edge of the "Stargazer's" violently tumbling, just overloaded starboard shield generator, and passed by!

boom!!!!

The starboard shield generator, launched into the air, grazed the terrifying power of the "Disintegration Ray" and, like a snowflake thrown into a steel furnace, instantly vaporized and annihilated without even exploding, dissipating into the most basic energy particles! The simulated shield collapse light and energy turbulence were incredibly realistic!

After "missing" its main target, the deadly silver-white ray did not dissipate its terrifying kinetic energy and law-destructive power. It continued along its original trajectory, pouring into the distance with unstoppable force—behind the shadow of that massive planetary debris, deep within the ruins of the "Gray Rock" outpost, which was constantly spewing chaotic psionic pulses!

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Immediately afterwards—

Buzz!

A deafening roar, so muffled it seemed as if the entire universe was groaning, that could not be described by any known physical phenomenon, erupted suddenly from the depths of the "limestone" wreckage. It did not come through the air, but acted directly on the spatial structure, on all energy fields, and on the depths of the soul of every living being!

That "Order Disintegration Ray," like the sharpest scalpel, precisely "cut" into the core and most unstable energy node of the out-of-control, chaotic psionic storm "vortex" deep within the "limestone"! The ultimate, icy power of "order" collided and annihilated with the out-of-control, destructive, and polluting chaotic psionic energy originating from the high-risk experiments at the "Cradle" in the most direct, violent, and unpredictable way!

In an instant, centered on the "Gray Rock" remnant, an indescribable, swirling, and twisting destructive energy storm—a mixture of silver-white, dark purple, pale gold, and countless other strange and indescribable colors—suddenly expanded and exploded like a punctured abscess! The storm instantly engulfed the "Gray Rock" remnant itself, and swept up shattered celestial bodies, dust clouds, and even space itself within a radius of tens of thousands of kilometers, tearing, annihilating, and recombining them frantically! The raging psionic turbulence, shattered spatial fragments, strange substances instantly "evaporated" and "condensed," and countless echoes of broken rules formed the most terrifying and chaotic energy hell in the history of this star field!

Although the "Stargazer" had already tumbled off its original trajectory, it was still violently struck by the edge shockwave of the terrifying explosion! The already near-disintegrating ship was thrown out like a leaf in a storm, tumbling and crashing into a relatively sparse dust cloud further away! Alarms blared throughout the ship, multiple pipelines burst, sparks flew everywhere, the gravity simulation system completely failed, and everyone was slammed against the bulkheads by the enormous overload and impact. If they hadn't been secured beforehand, they would probably have suffered broken bones and fractures instantly.

"Shield... completely lost! Structural integrity... 55%! Engine... port engine shut down, starboard engine thrust remaining 18%! Energy reserves... 7%! Multiple internal systems paralyzed!" Amidst the violent turbulence and dizziness, Verna, with her unwavering will, forced herself to read the intermittent data transmitted back by the almost paralyzed system, her voice hoarse.

"Behind me... 'The Judge'..." Lina asked weakly, her consciousness somewhat blurred as the impact seemed to have aggravated her soul injuries.

Despite the excruciating pain that felt like his entire body was falling apart and the buzzing in his soul, Luo Wei struggled to look at the main screen. Most of the screen had turned into static, with only a few external sensors still functioning, transmitting distorted and blurry images.

Behind them, at the edge of the recently erupted, massive mixed energy storm, the silver-gray "Judge" hunter-killer hovered silently. It seemed stunned by the far-from-expected, terrifying consequences of its attack (if AI had emotions), or perhaps assessing whether the target was truly destroyed and how to deal with the aftershocks of the out-of-control explosion. A steady glow of shields emanated from its hull, indicating that the impact of the explosion's edge hadn't significantly affected it. However, its posture clearly showed caution; it didn't immediately rush into the still raging, extremely dangerous energy storm to confirm its victory.

"It... is hesitating." Lowe gasped, a cold realization flashing in his eyes. "Its mission is to hunt down and eliminate 'variables.' But this out-of-control energy storm before us, with its level of danger and unpredictability, clearly exceeds its standard environmental assessment after 'target elimination.' It's calculating whether to risk entering to confirm, wait for the storm to subside, or... determine that the target has been highly likely destroyed in the explosion and can return or conduct peripheral surveillance."

"So now we..." Barton gritted his teeth and got up from the ground. One of his arms was bent unnaturally, obviously broken in the impact, but he was oblivious to it, his eyes fixed on the "Judge" on the screen.

"We...can't move." Lowe swallowed hard, swallowing the metallic taste rising in his throat, and whispered, "We're now 'cosmic dust.' Any energy fluctuation will be instantly detected. This dust cloud is our only cover. Instructor Verna, could you activate the final 'Deep Concealment' protocol? Shut down all non-life support systems, simulating a completely lifeless wreck?"

"Yes... but our energy is only enough to maintain this state for four to six standard hours at most. Moreover, the damage to the hull is ongoing, and without basic life support and structural stabilization, it may last even shorter." Verna's voice was full of exhaustion.

"Enough. Wait." Luo Wei closed his eyes, enduring the dual pain of body and soul, and forced himself into the deepest meditative state. On one hand, he used the "Source Seed Nourishment" method to nourish the Star Key in his arms, which was also dim and whose resonance was almost gone, with the last trace of gentle star power, stabilizing its fragile internal balance. On the other hand, he raised his own perception to the limit, like the most patient hunter, waiting quietly.

Like insects lurking on the edge of death, they disguised themselves as cold remains, silently enduring the torment of pain and energy depletion under the cover of dust clouds, waiting for the "Judge" to make a decision, waiting for the evolution of that terrifying energy storm, and also waiting for... that faint glimmer of hope that might exist in the embers after the destruction of "Gray Rock".

Time slipped away second by second in agony.

The "Judge" hunter hovered around the outer edge of the energy storm for about one standard hour. During this time, it launched several highly penetrating probe beacons into the depths of the storm, but as soon as the beacons entered the storm's range, the signals were quickly distorted and swallowed up, and the returned data was fragmented, making it impossible to confirm whether the "Stargazer" was completely destroyed. The scale and danger level of the storm clearly caused this highly intelligent killing machine to "hesitate." Ultimately, after another assessment, it seemed to have made the logical judgment that "the target is highly likely to be destroyed by an uncontrollable energy disaster; further investigation is not worth the risk and reward; peripheral surveillance and data recording are recommended."

The "Judge" adjusted its posture and deployed several silver-white, fist-sized, metallic jellyfish-like autonomous monitors at key points on the outer edge of the energy storm. Then, the ship slowly turned around, the engines lit up, and it headed at a slow speed back in the direction it had come from, which was roughly the location of the "Desolate Other Shore," before finally disappearing into the depths of the stardust.

It didn't leave; it simply retreated to a safer, more concealed location to continue its surveillance duties. But at least, the imminent, deadly, direct threat was temporarily averted.

"The 'Judge' has retreated beyond the surveillance range. The autonomous surveillance system has been deployed, but its scanning accuracy is limited. As long as we remain deeply concealed, we should not be detected in the short term," Verna confirmed in a low voice long after the 'Judge' signal disappeared.

Inside the bridge, a suppressed, heavy breathing, a sign of relief after the ordeal, filled the air. Everyone looked as if they had just been pulled from the water, their bodies soaked in cold sweat and blood.

The crisis was temporarily averted, but their situation did not improve; in fact, it worsened. Their energy was nearly depleted, the ship was heavily damaged, and the crew was in extremely poor condition. Ahead, the terrifying mixed energy storm formed by the destruction of the "Gray Rock" was still slowly rotating and spreading, emanating a chilling and ominous aura.

"We can't stay here indefinitely," Elder Anderson said gravely, watching the dwindling energy reserves and the ship's integrity readings. "We must find an opportunity to replenish our energy and repair it. This storm... while dangerous, it's also a barrier. Perhaps at its edge, or in an area where its influence has weakened, we can find parts of the 'Gray Rock' wreckage that haven't been completely destroyed, or... something else."

"The limestone is a resource outpost." Lowe slowly opened his eyes, which were bloodshot but had regained their sharpness. "Although its main structure has been destroyed, such a violent energy burst may have ejected some deeply buried, high-value minerals or storage containers. Moreover, the collision between the 'Disintegration Ray' and the out-of-control psionic energy may have changed the energy environment and spatial structure of the local area, and may even... expose some things that were originally hidden." He recalled Lina's previous ramblings about "deep mines".

"Lina, how are you feeling now? Can you still sense anything special about that storm?" Rowe asked.

Under Lilith's emergency treatment, Lina's soul injuries temporarily stabilized, but she remained weak. She managed to concentrate, cautiously extending her spiritual senses towards the slowly rotating, strangely colored energy storm. This time, without the cold, orderly interference of the "Inquisitor" and the violent, indiscriminate information assault from the out-of-control core of the "Gray Rock," her perception was clearer.

"The storm's core... is still violently active and dangerous; we can't get close," Lina described. "But on the storm's periphery, the energy is gradually stratifying and settling... In some places, beneath the chaotic energy flow, there seems to be something more 'solid'... like... a massive rock or metal structure blasted out? In other places, the energy reaction is very 'inert' and 'heavy,' not like psionic energy, more like... high-density matter? Oh, and on the southeastern edge of the storm, near the largest shattered planetary remnant, the energy turbulence is relatively calm, and... I seem to sense a... very, very weak, regular... energy fluctuation? Like... some kind of low-power, automatically operating device? Or... a natural energy node?"

Fragments of "limestone" remains? High-density minerals? And low-power devices?

Verna immediately retrieved the remaining scan data of the "limestone" area before the storm and quickly analyzed it in conjunction with Lina's description. "The 'solid' structure and 'inert and heavy' energy reaction that Lina sensed are most likely concentrated ore from the deep veins of the outpost, ejected by the explosion, or storage structures that were not completely destroyed. As for the regular, weak energy fluctuations... there are two possibilities: one is that some relatively intact backup facilities buried deep underground at the outpost are still operating at minimum power; the other is that the explosion altered the local leyline energy field, forming temporary, unstable natural energy vortices or 'spiritual springs'."

Either way, they could be a lifeline for them right now—ore means potential energy and repair materials; "intact facilities" or "energy vortexes" mean potential, relatively safe temporary shelters and energy replenishment points.

"Target: the southeastern edge of the storm, the point of energy fluctuation that Lina sensed." Lowe made the decision. "Activate backup power, operate at minimum capacity, maintain deep stealth, and approach slowly. Instructor Verna, monitor the storm's changes and any potential surveillance cameras. Barton, Lilith, Annie, do your best to stabilize the wounded and equipment on board. We'll go check it out."

Like a half-sunken, dilapidated ship drifting on its last bit of buoyancy, the "Stargazer" silently extinguished all its lights under the cover of dust clouds. Relying only on its remaining attitude adjusters and inertia so weak as to barely cause any energy disturbance, it slowly drifted toward the edge of darkness, where danger and opportunity coexisted, still shrouded in the afterglow of the destructive energy storm.

Hope, like a candle in the wind, faint yet tenacious, points to the ashes of the ruins called "Gray Rock," which has just experienced destruction and rebirth.