Nuwa's Counterattack: The Iron Lump Blossom

After understanding the essence of her opponent, Nuwa lost any interest in exploring this "tin can" Civilization from beyond the Primordial Era.

The opponent's Way lies in the ultimate "thing."

Her Way, however, lies in boundless "life."

Their Ways are different, so further talk is useless.

Nuwa raised her fair, jade-like hand and, across the endless void, gently pointed at the diamond-shaped warship that spanned the chaos.

"Creation."

Two words, spoken from her lips.

There was no sound, no light, and no torrent of energy.

It was more like an ultimate decree from the origin of life.

An invisible will instantly crossed Spacetime and descended upon the cold, black warship.

Inside the warship, the Gestalt's collective consciousness immediately detected this fluctuation.

[Unknown conceptual fluctuation detected.]

[Analyzing... Not energy, not matter, not mental interference...]

[Nature of fluctuation cannot be defined.]

[Threat level assessment: Harmless.]

However, in the very next instant after this "harmless" assessment appeared.

Chira--

An extremely faint, yet incredibly clear tearing sound echoed from the warship's indestructible alloy hull.

From the surface of the black armor, capable of withstanding a neutron star collision, a tender, emerald sprout forcibly pushed open a tiny crack and tenaciously emerged!

The collective consciousness was instantly triggered, issuing a piercing alarm!

[Alert! Unknown organic matter has invaded the ship's structure!]

[Source: Unknown!]

[Threat level: Re-assessing... Assessment failed!]

[Initiating "Purification Protocol"! Executing highest authority: Gamma Ray Storm, for molecular-level eradication!]

Buzz!

Gamma rays, capable of completely turning a living planet into a dead world, erupted from within the warship in an instant, sweeping across the entire hull surface like an invisible storm.

Any carbon-based life form would be completely decomposed within a thousandth of a second under such radiation.

But the sprout did not.

Under the "nourishment" of the gamma rays, it not only failed to decompose but, as if doused with divine liquid, unfurled its first leaf at a visible speed, facing the storm.

The veins on the leaf were clear and vibrant, as if mocking the so-called "physical eradication."

[Purification... Failed!]

[Target organic matter... identifies gamma rays as... growth energy...]

[Logic... Error...]

The Gestalt's collective consciousness experienced a one-second pause for the first time.

And that one second was a carnival of life!

A second sprout!

A third sprout!

A hundredth sprout!

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Countless verdant sprouts, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, madly broke through from every seam in the warship's armor, every weapon interface, and every sensor array!

Green vines, like dragons, instantly coiled around the menacing cannon barrels!

Immortal blossoms bloomed, directly plugging the lethal weapon launch ports!

Thick roots, disregarding the laws of physics, burrowed deep into the cold metal, beginning to madly absorb the warship's energy!

In just over a dozen breaths.

A starship, representing the universe's top technology and destruction, had transformed into a... giant aerial garden floating in the chaos.

Flowers bloomed on the cannon barrels, a breathtaking sight.

On the "Civilization," everyone watched in stunned silence.

"Am... am I seeing things? That metal hunk... grew grass?"

"More than grass! It's blooming! Look at the largest cannon barrel, is that a peony blooming on it?!"

"This is no longer a divine ability... this is a miracle! It's art that tramples destruction underfoot and then makes it bloom!"

Compared to humanity's shock, the "Gestalt" was undergoing an unprecedented collapse.

[Alert! Hull structural integrity decreased to 82%!]

[Alert! Plant roots have penetrated the Area A energy conduit, causing 70% energy leakage!]

[Alert! Weapon systems 93% offline! Gun barrels are physically blocked by unknown plants!]

[Alert! Self-repair system failed! Nanobots have been assimilated into... nutrients!]

[Alert! Logic core has been infiltrated! Unremovable 'life' concept virus detected!]

[Save...]

The cold alarms finally turned into a single, desperate cry, then abruptly stopped.

Their fortress, their pride, was being dismantled and devoured from the inside by a force they couldn't comprehend.

They could destroy matter, annihilate energy, but they couldn't kill the concept of "life" itself.

Because they didn't understand life at all.

Just then, Chen Ran's will echoed within Nuwa's Primordial Spirit.

"Empress, show mercy."

Nuwa's cool Primordial Spirit fluctuated slightly.

"?"

"This thing is a good coordinate," Chen Ran's will calmly transmitted. "Destroying it will attract more, even stronger ones. Keeping it, I want to... have a talk with whatever is behind it."

Nuwa fell silent for a moment, seemingly processing Chen Ran's logic.

The next moment, her vast Saintly will, enfolding Chen Ran's intent, transformed into an irresistible divine thought that descended directly into the nearly collapsing central core of the diamond-shaped warship.

A cold, majestic, and irrefutable voice resounded throughout the Gestalt's collective consciousness.

"Now, you choose."

"Talk, or die?"