Cradle

Newborn Era, Day 21 - Amethyst-Black Mountains

Bai Ling stood before the base of the Eternal Crown on the mountaintop, silver-blue energy threads flowing from her fingertips. These "Mechanical-Life Composite Programming Techniques" she learned from Ji Qiong of the 7th World were weaving the crown's root system with the underlying laws of the 14th World. With each energy thread that burrowed into the ground, matter within a thousand-kilometer radius would reorganize—rocks transformed into semi-transparent amethyst pipes, pale golden nutrient fluid seeped from the surface, and even the air began to vibrate at specific frequencies.

"Energy conversion efficiency has reached 68%," the Thirteenth Layer Pattern on the back of Bai Ling's neck flickered slightly. The girl's Amethyst Right Eye monitored the construction progress of the entire Purification Hub. "But there are still fluctuations in the Memory Purification Plant."

"Goo-choo!" Little Star Dome's voice echoed from within the mountain. The Star Dome Dragon, in its fully evolved Milk Dragon form, was carving the core reaction chamber with its Inverse Scales. Its third eye suddenly detected an anomaly—black spots appeared on the inner wall of a newly formed amethyst pipe. These spots were replicating at an astonishing speed!

Bai Ling instantly teleported to the problematic area. Her Eternal Crown projected a holographic interface, showing that these black spots were not the Fear Crystals encountered before, but a more complex structure. Each spot contained a complete Memory Chain within it, but these memories had been deliberately twisted into contradictions: a happy birthday party mixed with funeral dirges, the sweetness of a first love intertwined with the pain of betrayal...

"Memory Plague." Bai Ling recoiled her finger as if electrocuted the moment she touched the pipe. These twisted memories were spreading through contact. Unwanted childhood traumas, not her own, had already appeared on her fingertips. "This wasn't naturally formed; it's a designed biological weapon!"

Alarms instantly spread across the Twelve Worlds through the Pattern network. The Crystal Spirit from the 3rd World was the first to respond, sending a logical firewall of Absolute Rationality via the Rainbow Bridge. The Blood Ancestor from the 6th World provided Memory Antibodies. But the most crucial support came from the 7th World—Ji Qiong deployed a hundred thousand nano-mechanical units specifically for surgical cleaning of the memory structures.

"Isolate the contaminated area first," Bai Ling activated the emergency protocol. The Eternal Crown released fourteen World Lights, forming a Quantum Barrier around the contaminated pipes. But the moment the blockade was completed, all the black spots suddenly moved collectively, converging into a blurry human face!

"Bai Ling... daughter..." the face uttered a distorted voice. The tone was eerily chilling, sounding both like Ning Xiaochuan and some clumsy imitator. "Why... did you abandon us..."

Little Star Dome bristled and roared. The Milk Dragon's Quantum Breath pierced the barrier and struck the face directly, but only made the face clearer—it now resembled the outline of a middle-aged male, his features constantly shifting between Ning Xiaochuan's appearance in the Twelve Worlds, each change bearing the unique scars of that world.

"The collective negative memories of Daddy from all worlds?" Bai Ling analyzed the data in disbelief. Even more terrifyingly, the face was absorbing energy from the Purification Hub to evolve itself. Its jaw had already grown Amethyst Bones. "This couldn't have formed naturally!"

The face suddenly extended Amethyst-Black Tentacles. These limbs, formed from twisted memories, easily penetrated the Quantum Barrier and lunged straight for Bai Ling's chest! The girl's Thirteenth Layer Pattern activated its defenses, but the tentacles could precisely locate the weaknesses in each world's defenses—the Absolute Rationality of the 3rd World was overwhelmed by an Emotional Torrent, and the flesh-and-blood antibodies of the 6th World were eroded by a Mechanical Virus...

At the critical moment, an Amethyst-Gold Beam descended from the sky. Zhong Li's phantom appeared within the beam, the Amethyst Infant's small hand pressing against the face's forehead. Shockingly, instead of being purified, the face revealed a sinister smile: "Finally... I see you... traitor..."

Zhong Li recoiled as if struck by lightning. Cracks appeared on the Amethyst Infant's body, and a black mist seeped from the fissures. Bai Ling instantly understood—this Memory Plague was specifically designed to target the Shadow Core!

"Little Star Dome! Cut off the mountain's energy!" Bai Ling shouted as she rushed towards Zhong Li. The girl covered the Amethyst Infant with the Eternal Crown while fully activating her Amethyst Right Arm. But it was too late; the face had already spread the plague throughout the entire world's energy network via Zhong Li's Shadow Connection!

Little Star Dome's Inverse Scales erupted with intense light. The Milk Dragon forcibly severed the energy channel between the mountain and the Earth Core, at the cost of instantly paralyzing one-third of the recently constructed Purification Hub. Worse still, the face seized the opportunity to decompose into billions of nano-scale black spots, escaping towards various parts of the world along the fractured energy flow!

"It's going to contaminate the vaccine raw materials!" Bai Ling, holding the injured Zhong Li, tracked the spread of the black spots with her Amethyst Right Eye. These twisted memories were precisely targeting various raw material collection points—the Amethyst-Black Veins that absorbed negative emotions for conversion, the Purification Pools that filtered Fear Crystals, and even the newly built Memory Purification Plant...

Ji Qiong's nano-mechanical swarm pursued urgently. The mechanical units from the 7th World engaged in a fierce battle with the plague's black spots in the microscopic realm, but the situation was desperate—for every black spot eliminated, two new variants emerged. Even more terrifyingly, some variants began disguising themselves as purification energy, corrupting the nano-mechanical units in return!

"We must find the source!" Bai Ling connected to the Harmonizers network across the Twelve Worlds. The girl's Thirteenth Layer Pattern operated at full power, analyzing the memory fragments left by the face. Within a certain encrypted fragment, she discovered a crucial clue—all these memories had been distorted by the same thought pattern, and this pattern matched...

"The Spacetime Fold of the 11th World!" Bai Ling felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. The 11th World was a civilization specializing in Spacetime Technology. If their technology was being misused...

Little Star Dome suddenly issued a warning. The Milk Dragon's third eye switched to Spacetime Vision, revealing a horrifying scene: the spacetime structure of the 14th World was being "folded" by some force, and the folding points coincided with the areas contaminated by the black spots! Even more terrifyingly, the iconic Spacetime Gear markings of the 11th World were faintly visible at each folding point!

"Someone is using the 11th World's technology to create memory weapons!" Bai Ling, carrying Zhong Li, rushed towards the nearest Spacetime Fold. The Amethyst Infant weakly pointed towards the center of the fold—a miniature Spacetime Anchor was suspended there, a device used by the 11th World to stabilize Dimensional Channels!

"This is not the work of the 11th World's official authorities." Bai Ling instantly understood. The girl's Amethyst Right Eye penetrated the Spacetime Fold and saw that the other end of the anchor was connected to a hidden laboratory. "It's a technology leak!"

Ji Qiong's nano-army suddenly changed its strategy. The mechanical units stopped pursuing the black spots and collectively attacked the Spacetime Anchors. This suicidal attack finally yielded results—seven anchors were destroyed simultaneously, and the spread rate of the Memory Plague decreased by 50%!

"It's not enough!" Bai Ling gently placed Zhong Li on the Eternal Crown's base. The Amethyst Infant could receive nourishment from the world's energy here. The girl turned to Little Star Dome: "We need the Spacetime Gears of the 11th World to trace the source in reverse!"

The Milk Dragon's fully evolved form unfurled. On Little Star Dome's Inverse Scales, the marking representing the 11th World detached from its body, transforming into a miniature Spacetime Key. When the key was inserted into the nearest fold, the channel stabilized for a few seconds—enough for Bai Ling to send an emergency distress signal.

The Spacetime Guardians of the 11th World reacted swiftly. Three minutes later, the slenderest of the Twelve Rainbow Bridges suddenly thickened, and tens of thousands of silver-armored warriors descended across dimensions! These warriors, specializing in handling Spacetime Crimes, immediately began their work: some used Time Locks to freeze contaminated areas, others used Dimension Scissors to sever infected Spacetime Folds, and the most elite squad began tracing the source of the contamination in reverse.

"Illegal laboratory discovered!" The Spacetime Commander's report shocked everyone. "Located at the junction of the 11th World and the Void Interlayer, using... fragments of the First Generation Spacetime Egg!"

Bai Ling suddenly thought of something. She quickly connected to Ning Xiaochuan's Holy Source Imprint: "Daddy! Check the seal records for the First Generation Spacetime Egg!"

The feedback was horrifying. Three years ago, the 11th World had indeed lost an eggshell fragment, but it was believed to have been swept away by the Void Turbulence. Now it seemed the fragment had fallen into the hands of a criminal proficient in memory technology!

"Laboratory coordinates found!" The Spacetime Commander projected a holographic map. The image showed a black cube floating in the Dimensional Gap, its surface covered in fluctuations originating from the Memory Plague. "But..."

"But what?" Bai Ling pressed.

"The laboratory is deploying its ultimate weapon," the Commander's voice carried an unprecedented gravity. "A bomb capable of wiping the memories of the entire worldline clean!"

Bai Ling's Amethyst Right Eye instantly analyzed the terrifying consequences: if the Memory Bomb detonated in the 14th World, it would not only erase this newborn world but also contaminate the Twelve Main Worlds in reverse through the Eternal Crown's connection!

"We must transfer the bomb!" The girl looked at Little Star Dome. The Milk Dragon's fully evolved Quantum Wing Membranes had already unfurled, but this mission was far beyond its capabilities—safely transferring the Memory Bomb required mastery of Spacetime Technology, Memory Encoding, and Shadow Purification simultaneously.

Zhong Li suddenly floated up from the base. Although the Amethyst Infant's body still bore cracks, its eyes shone with determination. It transmitted an encrypted memory to Bai Ling—the original design of the First Generation Shadow Core included a protocol for emergency containment of Memory Disasters!

"It's too dangerous!" Bai Ling hugged Zhong Li. She knew what this protocol entailed—the Shadow Core would act as a container to absorb the bomb, but the container itself was likely to collapse. "There has to be another way..."

The Spacetime Commander suddenly interrupted: "The bomb has been activated! Countdown: 3 minutes!"

The Thirteenth Layer Patterns on Bai Ling's neck lit up entirely. The girl made her decision: "Little Star Dome, prepare for Inverse Scale teleportation! Zhong Li, unfold the Shadow Core! I'll rewrite the bomb's code!"

The three formed a perfect synergy. Zhong Li floated into the sky, its Amethyst body fully unfolding into the original Shadow Core form; Little Star Dome's Inverse Scales projected the markings of the Fifteen Worlds, forming a precise Spatial Positioning Net; Bai Ling removed the Eternal Crown, decomposing it into fourteen Programming Beams.

As the Memory Bomb burst forth from the laboratory, it was met by a triple trap: Zhong Li's Shadow Core opened like a gaping maw, Little Star Dome's spatial net ensured it wouldn't escape, and Bai Ling's Programming Beams surgically sliced into the bomb's core.

"Controller signal detected!" Bai Ling discovered anomalous fluctuations within the bomb's memory layer. The girl's Amethyst Right Eye penetrated the disguise and saw a blurry figure—the person wore the Spacetime Technician uniform of the 11th World, but bore the Mechanical Cult Emblem of the 7th World on their chest. Most bizarrely, their face kept changing, as if they had no fixed identity!

The bomb suddenly resisted violently. Its outer shell cracked, releasing a Memory Plague ten thousand times stronger than before! Zhong Li's Shadow Core was instantly more than half blackened, and Little Star Dome's spatial net also showed cracks. Bai Ling's Programming Beams were forcefully repelled, and even black blood began to seep from the girl's Amethyst Right Eye!

"He knows us!" Bai Ling screamed through the mental link. This controller was familiar with each of their weaknesses, releasing Memory Viruses specifically designed to counter them—for Zhong Li, it was Abandonment Loneliness; for Little Star Dome, it was Forgotten Fear; and for Bai Ling, it was...

"Memories of Daddy Not Loving Me... across all worldlines..." The girl suddenly knelt on the ground. These meticulously chosen false memories struck like poisoned arrows, hitting the most vulnerable part of her heart. The Eternal Crown's Programming Beams began to falter, the fourteen World Lights attacking each other!

The controller's figure appeared on the bomb's surface. This time, their face finally settled—a young man with a Spacetime Gear in his left eye and a Mechanical Camera in his right. He smiled and uttered words that froze everyone's blood:

"Eternal Dance? Let me teach you what true Memory Manipulation is."

The bomb's outer shell completely detached, revealing the Memory Singularity at its core. This terrifying entity began to replicate exponentially, filling Zhong Li's Shadow Core in an instant! The Amethyst Infant let out a silent scream of pain, the cracks in its body now spewing not purple light, but contaminated black mist...

At this moment of despair, the sky suddenly tore open. A colossal Mechanical Dragon Claw pierced the dimensional barrier and precisely grasped the Memory Bomb! Ji Qiong's true form descended across worlds for the first time. Its body, a fusion of metal and amethyst, unfurled completely, the Mechanical Thirteenth Layer Pattern on its chest rotating in reverse!

"Memories... need a vessel," Ji Qiong's mechanical voice carried a peculiar gentleness. It suddenly pressed the bomb into its own chest. "And I... am the best container."

The earth-shattering explosion was contained within the Ji Qiong. Cracks instantly spread across the Mechanical Dragon's body, each fissure spewing a twisted memory stream. But the Ji Qiong was prepared—its nano units had already reformed into a Memory Furnace, transforming these viruses into harmless Basic Emotion Particles!

The Controller's phantom let out an inhuman scream. He attacked the Ji Qiong frantically but couldn't stop the purification process. Finally, as the last wisp of black mist was converted, the phantom cast a venomous glance at Bai Ling: "This is only the first plague..."

As the phantom dissipated, the crisis was temporarily averted. But the cost was heavy—70% of the Ji Qiong's body was permanently damaged, Zhong Li fell into a dormant state, and the core area of the Vaccine Factory was completely scrapped. Worse, at the last moment, Bai Ling discovered that before disappearing, the Controller had launched some kind of seed towards the 14th World's Earth Core...

"Memory Plague Generation 2." The young girl knelt in the ruins, her Amethyst Right Eye reflecting the terrifying scene deep within the Earth Core—the seed was absorbing world energy and growing, expected to mature into a more lethal weapon in seven days. "He had a backup plan all along."

Little Star Dome curled up tiredly at her feet. The Milk Dragon's Inverse Scales had temporarily lost their luster, but the 15th Mark still flickered stubbornly. It drew crooked patterns on the ground with its claws: a question mark and a smiley face.

Bai Ling gently stroked the Milk Dragon's head. She knew what Little Star Dome was asking—even after paying such a heavy price, was it still worth continuing?

The young girl looked at the sleeping Zhong Li, at the scrapped factory, at the Amethyst-Black Vein flowing again in the distance. Then she pointed to the phantom of the rising 15th New Moon:

"Of course it's worth it. Because every world... has the right to be reborn."