89: Prelude to Decline—A Purification Struggle with a Tiger
Inside the logic anchor, an unprecedented atmosphere, a mix of urgency, vigilance, and a hint of absurdity, permeated the air. They, the Star Speakers, whose purpose was to nurture life and harmony, were now establishing an extremely fragile, temporary data link with the tide of delusion, which they considered their ultimate threat. Dr. Einstein's core database seemed to have transformed into a suspicious joint command center newly set up by two hostile civilizations.
The rule key shared by the tide of delusion was verified as valid, but its structure was full of cold restrictions and surveillance backdoors. The Crystal Devourer Weakness Prediction Model was astonishingly precise, accurately marking the transient energy convergence nodes and logic recursion bottlenecks that inevitably appeared during the Crystal Devourer's rule structure'sDevour and transformation process—these were its most vulnerable moments. However, the model itself also seemed like a bait, luring them into deeper contact with the dangerous rule essence of the Crystal Devourer.
"There's no time to hesitate," Lin Mo said, looking at the silver spots on the star map that had spread to an alarming scale. Its edges had already begun to erode a nebula with several young stars and high rule activity. "Prepare for a joint purification test according to the first optimal strike coordinates marked by the model."
The target area was a Crystal Devourer vanguard node at the edge of the silver spots, which had just devoured a small Order Fortress and was in a temporary "digestion" and structural reorganization state.
The action plan was as follows: The tide of delusion would mobilize three remaining Order Fortresses in the vicinity to project a powerful order suppression field onto the target area, forcibly slowing its reorganization speed and amplifying the logic recursion bottlenecks caused by rapid engulfment. Simultaneously, Lin Mo would control the Ark of Order, using temporarily acquired network permissions, to guide a highly condensed purification beam, based on the Order Fortress's energy, to strike the fleeting weak point node marked by the model.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo and Dr. Einstein had prepared a temporary, extremely dangerous "eradication" tool—the Dirge of Withering. This was not star language, but a directional rule decomposition pulse compiled by forcibly merging the cold order power of the Order Fortress with a trace of rule information derived from the painful essence of the resonator, all within the Blueprint framework. Its function was to inject an informational toxin into the Crystal Devourer node at its weakest moment, accelerating its internal logical collapse and inducing its rule structure to "wither" into harmless background radiation.
"This is like treating cancer with potent poison," Ling Shuang said worriedly, looking at the compiled Dirge of Withering code, which emitted an ominous gray light. "If it goes out of control, or if the node information provided by the tide of delusion is incorrect..."
"This is the only method we have that might work." Lin Mo's voice was a little hoarse. He could feel the potential repulsive force against the rules of life contained within the wisp of Dirge in his hand. Using it made him instinctively uncomfortable. "Get ready, operation begins!"
In the distant starry sky, the three illuminated Order Fortresses vibrated simultaneously, and three invisible but powerful order fields, capable of distorting starlight, suddenly clamped down like shackles on the wriggling Crystal Devourer node! As the model predicted, the Crystal Devourer node, which was in a "digestion" state, instantly slowed its movements. Its constantly changing geometric structure showed obvious stuttering and internal energy vortices—the weakness was amplified!
"Now!" Wu Yong roared, controlling the Ark of Order. The temporarily modified projector at the bow of the ship, connected to the Order Fortress network, shot out a pure white beam, condensed as if solid, precisely striking the center of that energy vortex!
The Crystal Devourer node trembled violently, its structure becoming unstable under The Shock of the white light.
"Inject the Dirge of Withering!" Lin Mo commanded.
He himself operated the rule compilation unit, precisely injecting that gray pulse, imbued with the will to decompose, into the core of the node along the temporary channel opened by the pure white beam!
In an instant—
There was no explosion, no light.
The Crystal Devourer node seemed to have been paused; all its wriggling and changes ceased abruptly. Immediately after, its silver, aggressive luster rapidly dimmed and faded from the injection point outwards, as if all its color and vitality had been drained. Its rule structure no longer expanded outwards but began to collapse inwards. The bizarre form, originally a mix of order and chaos, decomposed into countless tiny, meaningless rule fragments, eventually dissipating into the cosmic background radiation like dust in the wind.
The target area returned to "normal." That space was no longer occupied by the Crystal Devourer, but it had also lost the previously devoured Order Fortress and some background rules, becoming more "empty" than its surroundings, like a newly healed but incredibly fragile scar.
The first joint strike was successful!
Inside the logic anchor, however, there was no cheering.
Everyone stared intently at the subsequent data on the "purified" area returned by the sensors.
"Target node confirmed annihilated," Dr. Einstein reported. "The Dirge of Withering's mode of action is as expected, but its decomposition process... released a small amount of high-entropy rule residue. These residues are polluting the surrounding rule background and may breed new, unknown minor anomalies."
The cost. There was a cost to using this power. They cleared a tumor, but the surrounding tissue was now subtly poisoned.
Even more unsettling was the feedback from the tide of delusion.
"[Tactical unit collaboration efficiency: 87.3%. Meets expectations.]"
"['Dirge of Withering' data recorded. Analysis: Non-specific structural damage risk to rule structure exists.]"
"[Next phase target coordinates updated. Execution window: In three standard hours.]"
Cold, efficient, devoid of any emotion. It affirmed the success of the cooperation but also unreservedly recorded and analyzed their "weapon," and immediately issued new instructions. It was indeed using them, like using a useful tool that required close monitoring for side effects.
"It learns very quickly..." Ling Shuang murmured, her psionic perception sensing the implied greed and analytical desire for the Dirge of Withering technology within the feedback message.
Lin Mo said nothing. He slowly sat back in the command chair, feeling the subtle erosion of his consciousness by the cold, decomposing will when he had just guided the Dirge of Withering. Using this power, which was contrary to the essence of star language, made him feel a soul-deep weariness and... defilement.
But they couldn't stop.
On the star map, the silver spots were still spreading. Although the speed had slightly slowed due to the clearing of edge nodes, its main body remained vast and dangerous.
"Prepare for the next strike according to the coordinates it provided." Lin Mo's voice carried a hint of imperceptible fatigue, but the instructions were still clear. "Doctor, continue to optimize the Dirge of Withering, try to reduce its entropic residue. Wu Yong, Xiao Li, check the ark system to ensure the stability of the next guided attack."
They plunged back into intense preparations. The cooperation with the devil had just begun, and every successful "purification" was like drinking poison to quench thirst. They were clearing an external plague, but their hearts might be getting infiltrated by another kind of coldness.
And in the distant starry sky, the massive silver spots seemed to have sensed the threat. The wriggling of its internal rules became more intense, even beginning to show a kind of... targeted evolution? Some nascent Crystal Devourer structures began to exhibit faint flashes similar to order barriers on their rule surfaces, as if attempting to adapt to and resist the pure white order purification beam.
In this war, both sides were learning and evolving.
The Star Speakers walked on an increasingly narrow tightrope: one end was the chaotic plague they had unleashed, devouring everything; the other end was the cold order they relied on for counterattack, which might erode themselves. And beneath their feet was the bottomless dark abyss, representing the ultimate destination of the universe.