"Seeker, identify it," Ming Xin said quietly.
"Scanning..." Seeker's Light Mist enveloped it. "Individual identity: unable to precisely identify. Vital signs: almost completely stagnant. It is in a state of deep suspended animation or consciousness preservation.
Chest crystal: complex energy signature, containing highly refined Shadow Plane Energy Samples, potent consciousness stabilizers,
as well as... a large amount of encrypted and compressed core experimental data from the Prism project and personal memory backups!"
"Assessment: this person was likely a core researcher in the Prism project. When the disaster occurred, he may have activated some kind of emergency consciousness preservation and data protection procedure.
He forcibly sealed his own consciousness and critical data within this specially made 'consciousness/data storage crystal,' hoping to be rescued in the future.
However, the procedure was clearly disrupted or affected by his injuries and failed to fully succeed, leaving his consciousness in a chaotic, twisted state of slumber.
It also formed an abnormal symbiotic relationship with the crystal, the residual Shadow Energy, and the surrounding environment."
"This crystal... may contain memories about the truth of the accident that are more direct and personal than those in the Sealed Repository!" Ming Xin's gaze sharpened.
However, even as Seeker scanned it, the crystal seemed to sense the outside investigation, and its flashing suddenly accelerated!
The body lying there also had its eyelids... twitch ever so slightly!
Then, the chaotic fluctuations abruptly became clear and urgent, carrying a strong sense of vigilance and rejection:
"Out... siders... scanning... stop..."
"The data... is... mine..."
"Leave... or... join me... in... silence..."
With that thought, the seemingly dormant dark-blue Corrupting Energy in the surroundings suddenly began converging toward the life-support pod!
From the cracks on the pod's surface, thicker, darker streams of blue energy began to seep out, slowly writhing like awakening tentacles!
"Warning!