Cradle

Day 21 of the Newborn Era · Amethyst-Black Mountain Range

Bai Ling stood before the Eternal Crown's pedestal atop the mountain peak, silver-blue threads of energy flowing from her fingertips. The "mechanical-life composite programming technique" she had learned from Ji Qiong of the Seventh World was weaving the crown's roots together with the underlying laws of the 14th World. Each thread of energy that burrowed into the ground triggered material reconstruction within a thousand-meter radius—rocks turned into translucent amethyst conduits, pale golden nutrient fluid seeped from the surface, and even the air began vibrating at a specific frequency.

"Energy conversion efficiency has risen to 68%." The Fifteenth Layer Pattern on Bai Ling's neck flickered faintly. Her Amethyst Right Eye monitored the construction progress of the entire Purification Hub. "But there are still fluctuations in the Memory Purification Zone."

"Goo chu!" Little Star Dome's voice came from inside the mountain. The Star Dome Dragon in Milk Dragon's Complete Form was carving the core reactor chamber with its Inverse Scales when its Third Eye suddenly detected an anomaly—a section of newly formed amethyst conduit had developed black spots along its inner walls, and they were replicating at an alarming rate!

Bai Ling instantly teleported to the affected area. Her Eternal Crown projected a holographic interface, revealing that these black spots were not the Fear Crystals they had encountered before, but a far more complex structure—every spot contained a complete Memory Chain, yet those memories had been deliberately warped into contradictions: a joyful birthday party mixed with funeral dirges, the sweetness of first love laced with the pain of betrayal...

"Memory Plague." Bai Ling's fingers had barely touched the conduit when she recoiled as though shocked. The distorted memories were spreading through contact, and childhood trauma that did not belong to her had already surfaced at her fingertips. "This wasn't naturally formed. It's a designed Biological Weapon!"

The alarm spread through the Pattern Network to all Twelve Worlds in an instant. The Crystal Spirit of the 3rd World was the first to respond, sending over a logical Firewall of Absolute Rationality through a rainbow bridge. The blood ancestor of the 6th World provided Memory Antibodies. But the most critical support came from the Seventh World—Ji Qiong broke down one hundred thousand Nano-mechanical Units, designed specifically to perform surgical cleanup on memory structures.

"Isolate the contaminated area first." Bai Ling activated the emergency protocol. The Eternal Crown released fourteen beams of World Light, forming a Quantum Barrier around the contaminated conduit. But the moment the lockdown was complete, all the black spots suddenly moved as one and gathered into a blurry human face!

"Bai Ling... daughter..." The human face made a distorted sound. Its voice was so uncanny it sent chills down the spine, sounding both like Ning Xiaochuan and some clumsy imitator. "Why... did you abandon us..."

Little Star Dome's fur bristled as it roared. Milk Dragon's Quantum Breath pierced the barrier and struck the human face, yet only made it clearer—now it had the outline of a middle-aged man, but its features kept shifting among the images of Ning Xiaochuan from the Twelve Worlds, each transformation marked by the wounds unique to that world.

"A Negative Memory Collective of Daddy from every world?" Bai Ling analyzed the data in disbelief. Even more terrifying, the face was absorbing energy from the Purification Hub to evolve itself. Amethyst Bone had already grown from its jaw. "It couldn't have formed naturally!"

The human face suddenly extended Amethyst-Black Tentacles. Those limbs made of distorted memories easily pierced the Quantum Barrier and stabbed straight toward Bai Ling's chest! The Fifteenth Layer Pattern mounted an instinctive defense, but the tentacles somehow found the precise weak point in every world's defenses—Absolute Rationality from the 3rd World was overwhelmed by an Emotional Torrent, while the flesh-and-blood antibodies from the 6th World were corroded by a Mechanical Virus...

At the critical moment, an Amethyst-Gold Beam descended from the sky. Zhongli's phantom appeared within the light, and the Amethyst Infant pressed its tiny hand against the human face's forehead. To everyone's shock, the face was not purified. Instead, it revealed a sinister smile. "At last... I've met you... traitor..."

Zhongli staggered back as if struck by lightning. Cracks appeared across the Amethyst Infant's body, and black mist seeped from them. Bai Ling understood at once—this Memory Plague had been designed specifically to target the Shadow Core!

"Little Star Dome! Cut off the mountain's energy!" Bai Ling shouted as she lunged toward Zhongli. She covered the Amethyst Infant with the Eternal Crown while activating her Amethyst Right Arm with all her strength. But it was too late. Through Zhongli's Shadow Connection, the human face had already spread the plague across the entire world's Energy Net!

Little Star Dome's Inverse Scales erupted with brilliant light. Milk Dragon forcibly severed the Energy Channel between the mountain range and the planet's core, at the cost of instantly paralyzing one-third of the newly completed Purification Hub. Worse still, the human face used the opportunity to split into hundreds of millions of nano-scale black spots and escape along the severed energy flow toward every corner of the world!

"It's going to contaminate the vaccine materials!" Bai Ling held the injured Zhongli as her Amethyst Right Eye tracked the black spots' spreading paths. Those distorted memories were flying precisely toward every material collection site—the Amethyst-Black Veins that absorbed and converted negative emotions, the Purification Pools that filtered Fear Crystals, even the newly built Memory Purification Plant...

Ji Qiong's nano-mechanical swarm gave chase in an emergency response. Mechanical Units from the Seventh World engaged the plague spots in a brutal battle across the microscopic world, but the situation was hopeless—every time one Black Spot was destroyed, two new variants emerged. Worse, some variants began disguising themselves as purified energy and contaminating the nano machines in reverse!

"We have to find the source!" Bai Ling linked to the Harmonizers' network across the Twelve Worlds. Her Fifteenth Layer Pattern ran at full power as she analyzed the memory fragments left by the human face. Within one encrypted segment, she discovered a vital clue—these memories had all been distorted through the same thought pattern, and that pattern matched...

"Spacetime Folds in the 11th World!" Bai Ling felt as though she had plunged into ice. The 11th World was a civilization specializing in Spacetime Technology. If their technology had been abused...

Little Star Dome suddenly sounded an alarm. Milk Dragon's Third Eye switched to spacetime vision, revealing a horrifying sight: the Spacetime Structure of the 14th World was being "folded" by some force, and the folding points were precisely the regions contaminated by the black spots! Even more terrifying, every folding point faintly bore the iconic Spacetime Gear mark of the 11th World!

"Someone is using 11th World technology to manufacture memory weapons!" Bai Ling picked up Zhongli and rushed toward the nearest Space Folding point. The weakened Amethyst Infant pointed toward the center of the fold—there floated a miniature Spacetime Anchor, the very device used by the 11th World to stabilize Dimensional Channels!

"This wasn't done by the 11th World authorities." Bai Ling understood immediately. Her Amethyst Right Eye pierced the Spacetime Fold and saw that the other end of the anchor connected to a hidden laboratory. "The technology was leaked!"

Ji Qiong's nano army suddenly changed tactics. The Mechanical Units stopped hunting the black spots and instead swarmed the Spacetime Anchor Points. This suicidal assault finally had an effect—seven anchors were destroyed at once, and the Memory Plague's spread slowed by 50%!

"Not enough!" Bai Ling gently laid Zhongli on the Eternal Crown's pedestal. The Amethyst Infant could draw nourishment from the world's energy here. Then she turned to Little Star Dome. "We need the 11th World's Spacetime Gear to Reverse Track the source!"

Milk Dragon unfolded into its Complete Form. From Little Star Dome's Inverse Scales, the mark representing the 11th World detached from its body and transformed into a miniature spacetime key. When the key was inserted into the nearest folding point, the channel barely stabilized for a few seconds—long enough for Bai Ling to send an emergency distress signal.

The Spacetime Guardians of the 11th World responded swiftly. Three minutes later, the thinnest of the twelve rainbow bridges suddenly widened, and tens of thousands of silver-armored spacetime warriors descended across dimensions! These soldiers, specialists in handling Spacetime Crime, immediately began their work: some froze contaminated regions with time locks, some used Dimension Scissors to cut away infected Spacetime Folds, while the elite squads began reverse-tracking the Pollutant Source.

"An illegal laboratory has been found!" The Spacetime Commander's report stunned everyone. "It is located at the boundary between the 11th World and the Void Interlayer, and it is 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 sealing records of the First Generation Spacetime Egg!"

The returned information was chilling. Three years ago, the 11th World had indeed lost an Eggshell Fragment, but it had been believed to have been swept away by Void Turbulence. Now it appeared that the fragment had fallen into the hands of a criminal skilled in memory technology!

"We've found the laboratory's coordinates!" The Spacetime Commander projected a holographic map. It showed a Black Cube floating in the Dimensional Gap, its surface covered in fluctuations originating from the same source as the Memory Plague. "But..."

"But what?" Bai Ling pressed.

"The laboratory is releasing its ultimate weapon." The commander's voice carried unprecedented gravity. "A bomb capable of wiping the memories of an entire Worldline to zero!"

Bai Ling's Amethyst Right Eye instantly calculated the horrific consequences: if the Memory Bomb exploded in the 14th World, it would not only erase this Newborn World, but also reverse-contaminate the Twelve Main Worlds through the Eternal Crown's connections!

"We have to move the bomb!" The Maiden looked at Little Star Dome. Milk Dragon's Quantum Wing Membranes had already unfurled in its Complete Form, but this mission far exceeded its capabilities—safely relocating the Memory Bomb required mastery of Spacetime Technology, Memory Encoding, and Shadow Purification at the same time.

Zhongli suddenly floated up from the pedestal. Though cracks still covered the Amethyst Infant's body, resolute light shone in its eyes. It sent Bai Ling an encrypted memory—the original design of the First Generation Shadow Core contained a protocol for emergency containment of Memory Disasters!

"It's too dangerous!" Bai Ling embraced Zhongli. She knew what that protocol meant—the Shadow Core would absorb the bomb as a container, but the container itself would likely collapse. "There has to be another way..."

The Spacetime Commander suddenly interrupted. "The bomb has activated! Countdown: three minutes!"

Every Fifteenth Layer Pattern on Bai Ling's neck lit up. She made her decision. "Little Star Dome, prepare Inverse Scale teleportation! Zhongli, deploy the Shadow Core! I'll rewrite the bomb's code!"

The three formed a flawless combination. Zhongli floated into the sky, its amethyst body fully unfolding into the original form of the Shadow Core. Little Star Dome's Inverse Scales projected fifteen world marks, forming a precise Spatial Positioning Net. Bai Ling removed the Eternal Crown and split it into fourteen Programming Beams.

When the Memory Bomb burst from the laboratory, it was met by a three-layer trap: Zhongli's Shadow Core opened like a massive mouth, Little Star Dome's spatial net ensured it could not escape, and Bai Ling's Programming Beams cut into the bomb's core like surgical blades.

"Controller Signal detected!" Bai Ling discovered abnormal fluctuations within the bomb's Memory Layer. Her Amethyst Right Eye pierced the disguise and saw a blurry figure—the person wore the uniform of an 11th World Spacetime Technician, yet bore a Mechanical Cult Emblem from the Seventh World on his chest. Most bizarrely, his face kept changing, as if he had no fixed identity!

The bomb suddenly fought back violently. Its shell cracked open, releasing a Memory Plague ten thousand times stronger than before! More than half of Zhongli's Shadow Core was instantly stained black, and cracks appeared in Little Star Dome's spatial net. Bai Ling's Programming Beams were forcibly repelled, and black blood even began to seep from her Amethyst Right Eye!

"He knows us!" Bai Ling screamed through the Mental Link. This Controller was familiar with every one of their weaknesses. He had released Memory Viruses tailored specifically to counter the three of them—Abandonment Loneliness for Zhongli, Forgotten Fear for Little Star Dome, and for Bai Ling...

"Memories of Daddy Not Loving Me... across every Worldline..." The Maiden suddenly dropped to her knees. These carefully selected false memories struck the most vulnerable part of her heart like poisoned arrows. The Eternal Crown's Programming Beams began to destabilize, and the energies of the Fourteen Worlds turned on one another!

The Controller's figure appeared on the bomb's surface. This time, his face finally settled—it was a young man, his left eye an 11th World Spacetime Gear and his right eye a Seventh World mechanical camera. He smiled and spoke words that froze everyone's blood.

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

The bomb's shell fell away completely, exposing the Memory Singularity at its core. This horrifying existence began replicating exponentially, filling Zhongli's Shadow Core in the blink of an eye! The Amethyst Infant let out a silent scream of agony. No longer did purple light burst from the cracks in its body; now, it was contaminated black mist...

At that desperate moment, the sky suddenly split apart. A gigantic Mechanical Dragon Claw pierced the Dimensional Barrier and seized the Memory Bomb with perfect precision! Ji Qiong's true body crossed worlds for the first time, its body of interwoven metal and amethyst fully unfolding as the mechanical Thirteenth Layer Pattern on its chest rotated in reverse!

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

The earth-shaking explosion was contained inside Ji Qiong's body. Cracks instantly covered the Mechanical Dragon, and every fissure spewed distorted streams of memory. But Ji Qiong had prepared for this—its Nano Units had long since reassembled into a Memory Furnace, converting the viruses into harmless Basic Emotion Particles!

The Controller's phantom let out a scream unlike anything human. He attacked Ji Qiong frantically, but could not stop the Purification Process. At last, when the final wisp of black mist was converted, the phantom shot Bai Ling a venomous look. "This is only the first plague..."

As the phantom vanished, the crisis was temporarily resolved. But the price was severe—70% of Ji Qiong's body was permanently damaged, Zhongli fell into a dormant state, and the core area of the Vaccine Factory was completely ruined. Worse still, Bai Ling discovered at the last moment that, before disappearing, the Controller had fired some sort of seed into the 14th World's core...

"Memory Plague Generation 2." The Maiden knelt amid the ruins, her Amethyst Right Eye reflecting the horrifying sight deep within the planet's core—the seed was absorbing world energy as it grew and was expected to mature into an even deadlier weapon in seven days. "He had a backup plan prepared from the beginning."

Little Star Dome curled up wearily beside her feet. Milk Dragon's Inverse Scales had temporarily lost their glow, but the 15th Mark still flickered stubbornly. It scratched a crooked drawing into the ground with its claws: a question mark, and a smiling face.

Bai Ling gently stroked 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 Maiden looked at the sleeping Zhongli, the ruined factory, and the Amethyst-Black Veins in the distance that had begun to flow again. Then she pointed toward the phantom of the 15th New Moon rising overhead.

"Of course it is. Because every world... has the right to be reborn."