The defensive force field dissipated, as if the last silent curtain had been withdrawn. Metal fragments lay scattered at the cave entrance beside the wreckage of the recently silenced "Sentinel-7."
Under the pale golden glow emanating from the "Seeker," they cast twisted, grotesque shadows.
The deep darkness within the cave seemed like congealed ink, swallowing the faint light that entered it.
It illuminated only the rough black crystal walls a few meters ahead. Everything deeper inside remained devoured by darkness.
Only a stale, icy smell of metal and dust, mixed with the faint scent of leaking energy, slowly drifted out.
"Seeker, conduct a full-spectrum scan. Prioritize energy signatures, structural stability, and potential biological or mechanical threats."
Ming Xin stood at the cave entrance and did not rush in.
The Mechanical Spider's final ravings had been alarming.
But the situation inside this lost Experimental Station was unknown. Its remaining automated systems, or something worse, could pose a fatal threat.
"Scanning..." The Seeker's Light Mist brightened slightly, releasing finer ripples of detection that extended like invisible feelers into the cave's darkness.
"Surface structure: primarily composed of reinforced alloy and Shadow Crystal composite materials. Severe damage detected, with multiple collapses.
Energy signature: extremely low overall. However, a weak but stable backup power signal has been detected approximately two hundred meters deeper inside the cave. Its characteristics match the decay pattern of a small fusion array from the Creators civilization.
Life signs: none. Mechanical activity: aside from the destroyed 'Sentinel-7' at the entrance, no other active unit signals detected.
Information residue: weak traces of encrypted data streams have been detected in multiple locations. Their source points toward the area containing the energy signal."
"The backup power is still operating... It seems part of the core database may truly have survived."
Ming Xin fell silent