The Prototype's First Cry

"Watch out for the imitator's trap," Harmonic Leaptone warned. "Could this backup itself be a trap?"

"It's possible," Lin Ye admitted. "But Source of Myriad Colors' final thoughts were filled with sincerity born of despair. And they mentioned research into 'existence and definition,' which is crucial to our current defenses. It's worth the risk, but we must proceed with utmost caution."

He quickly made the arrangements. "Xuxi, design a Shadow Extraction Protocol. We won't operate directly within the real universe. Construct a completely sealed virtual environment isolated from the network, import those coordinate data, then use the frequency residue of Source of Myriad Colors we captured to simulate activation. Observe the response after activation before deciding whether to proceed further."

It was how one handled a high-risk viral sample.

"And the imitator threat..." Radiant Stilllight asked worriedly.

"Transmit Source of Myriad Colors' warning to all core nodes and key defensive civilizations at the highest security classification," Lin Ye said. "Strengthen identity verification and existential validation protocols within the network. Especially... remain on maximum alert toward any individual or civilization that suddenly appears after an Antimeme Event, behaves abnormally, or offers 'critical assistance.'"

He sensed a vaster, more sinister net tightening around them. The enemy would not merely delete them head-on; it might imitate them from behind, infiltrate them, and tempt them with the knowledge they craved.

"The forging of the Myriad Phenomena Epic: Prototype must be accelerated." Lin Ye looked toward the brilliant radiance gradually taking shape within the Concept Furnace. "We need a weapon that can not only resist 'deletion,' but also distinguish truth from falsehood and even contain contradictions. It must be complex enough, resilient enough, and... alive enough."

The struggle for survival had spread from clashes of ideals and power into the darkest realms of existential conflict