Chapter 65 Symbiotic Fission

The moonlight and tea aroma of the ancient teahouse had not yet fully faded from their consciousness before Xu Yan’s team found themselves in the absolute core area of the Jinjiang Special Operations Team’s underground laboratory.

Unlike the serene antiquity of the teahouse, this space was filled with the unique humming of high-intensity energy fields, the subtle hissing of coolant circulation, and the slight coolness of strictly filtered air.

The massive annular energy generator system, known as the "Cocoon Chamber," was located in the center of the laboratory. The complexity of the newly added guide grooves on its shell far exceeded anything seen before, and the faintly flowing deep blue light hinted at the nearly feral energy contained within.

The surrounding walls were occupied by seamless holographic projection screens, which were currently cascading with dazzling streams of real-time data like waterfalls.

Right at the very center of all the screens, a highly condensed double-helix light band model was slowly rotating. This was the visual representation of the "conscious resonance frequency" forged by Xu Yan and Qiyu when they coordinated and stabilized the Star Gate, blending Ramu technology with the wisdom of Earth’s meridians.

However, at this moment, the stable rotation of this double-helix light band, which represented symbiotic harmony, was being disrupted by several extremely subtle yet unusually stubborn crimson abnormal harmonics.

Like viral DNA strands, they twisted and entangled themselves around the light band, sometimes attempting to tear it apart and other times eerily trying to merge with it, causing the overall frequency to fluctuate unstably.

"The abnormal fluctuation of the symbiotic frequency has lasted for 37 minutes, and the amplitude is on an upward trend."

Wu Mingjie stared at the screen, his single hand swiftly adjusting the monitoring parameters as he spoke in a grave tone. "Preliminary reverse-engineering analysis shows that the source of the abnormal harmonics is not external interference, but... originates from the underlying structure of Xu Yan’s own bio-information waves and the unstable interface of his consciousness connection with Qiyu."

"Damn it, everything was fine just a moment ago. Why are these bizarre things happening right after we came back from the teahouse?" Duan Peng scratched his hair irritably, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Xu Yan and Qiyu’s hovering projection.

Xu Yan closed his eyes and concentrated, attempting to smooth out the indescribable, subtle yet unsettling tearing sensation deep within his consciousness.

The clarity brought by the repair of the stardust tea cake still lingered, but a deeper level of incongruity was emerging, as if two tightly meshed gears had suddenly shifted slightly out of alignment.

At that moment, Qiyu’s projection fluctuated, and its flat, electronically synthesized voice rang out, proposing a groundbreaking concept:

"The existing symbiotic model has reached a bottleneck. The abnormal harmonics indicate that forcibly maintaining a single integrated state will instead amplify the rejection reaction caused by differences at the consciousness foundation. It is recommended to try the 'consciousness fission' theory."

The main holographic screen switched accordingly, displaying an extremely bold and even crazy model: the two light clusters representing the consciousness of Xu Yan and Qiyu were no longer tightly integrated, but temporarily separated, each maintaining an independent operating state. However, they were connected by countless extremely subtle, high-frequency vibrating energy threads, forming a massive, dynamically adjusting resonance network.

"This is not a complete separation, but rather the construction of a non-contact resonance field at a higher dimension through temporary consciousness fission," Qiyu explained calmly. "Like a tug-of-war, when you are at a stalemate, letting go briefly and then exerting force with a more coordinated rhythm yields better results than holding on stubbornly. This move can avoid the current rejection reaction, and may allow us to catch a glimpse of the deeper mysteries of consciousness integration during resonance, and even... touch the technical threshold of 'consciousness projection' recorded in the precursor civilization."

"‘Consciousness fission’?" Jing Zhimin, who had just rushed into the laboratory, changed expression upon hearing this. "This is too risky! The stability of spiritual consciousness is the foundation of symbiosis. Forced fission could lead to irreversible damage!"

"Risk probability calculations exist." Qiyu did not deny it. "However, maintaining the status quo carries a 68.4% probability of system collapse caused by intensified rejection reactions. Trying the 'fission-resonance' protocol yields an estimated success rate of 31.6%. Based on ROI and current task urgency, execution is recommended."

The previously silent technical officer Wu Mingjie suddenly raised his head, his expression unusually stern. "I object! General, Xu Yan, bio-information waves are not machine code, and the consequences of forced fission far exceed model calculations! Once the core consciousness fragments destabilize and annihilate during the fission process, or become contaminated by abnormal harmonics, at best it will impair personality, and at worst... it could trigger a cascading disorder of bio-information waves, completely destroying the cognitive structure! This might even affect Qiyu as the other party in the symbiosis!"

The atmosphere inside the laboratory instantly plummeted to freezing point.

On one side was Qiyu’s high-risk breakthrough proposal based on cold calculations, and on the other was Wu Mingjie’s stern warning rooted in the foundation of biotechnology.

Xu Yan took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the room: the worry in Jing Zhimin’s eyes, the determination on Wu Mingjie’s face, Duan Peng’s irritability, Ouyang Nan’s furrowed brow... and deep within his consciousness, Qiyu’s emotionless yet resolute analysis.

He knew he had to make a choice. The Star Gate Project could not stall; the truth about his parents, the threat of Redeem, and the future of the alliance all hinged upon it. But the safety of his comrades and his own survival were equally weighty.

"Initiate Level 1 defense protocols. Wu Mingjie, you are responsible for monitoring all my physiological and neurological indicators. The moment they exceed the safety threshold, terminate immediately by force. Duan Peng, guard the energy core. Ouyang, external security is yours."

Xu Yan’s voice calmed down, carrying a desperate resoluteness. "Qiyu, let's begin."

With the order given, no one hesitated any longer.

A massive surge of energy poured into the Cocoon Chamber. Xu Yan sat in the core position, his body trembling slightly as fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead. Qiyu’s projection also became extremely unstable, flickering erratically.

On the holographic screen, it was clearly visible that the double-helix light band began to separate—laboriously and painfully!

The pale gold light cluster representing Xu Yan’s consciousness and the silver-gray light cluster representing Qiyu gradually pulled apart, and the entangled abnormal harmonics emitted a piercing screech, attempting to halt the process.

At the exact moment when the separation reached a critical threshold—

Hum!!!

An indescribable energy originating from a higher dimension was suddenly triggered!

The space within the laboratory emitted a groan of unbearable strain, and the light distorted wildly!

Immediately following this, a horrifying scene unfolded: countless overlapping, translucent phantoms suddenly appeared on the walls, floors, and even in the air of the laboratory!

Some presented city silhouettes under the crimson sky of Ramu, while others showed smoke-filled ancient battlefields of Earth, and there even appeared blurred, unrecognizable strange biological and architectural outlines!

Multiple spacetime overlapping phantoms!

The experiment accidentally triggered fragments of memories deep within his and Qiyu’s consciousness concerning Ramu, Earth, and even unknown realms, and more frighteningly, it seemed to have connected to an unknown dimensional rift filled with violent energy and chaotic information!

The precursor civilization’s "consciousness projection" technology had manifested in the most out-of-control manner possible!

"Maintain the barrier! Stabilize the energy output!" Jing Zhimin shouted sternly, personally operating the main console.

Outside the laboratory, piercing alarm sirens echoed throughout the entire base!

Worse still, this violent, incompletely shielded spacetime energy fluctuation acted like a giant boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly spreading outward!

The energy monitoring network in downtown Jinjiang captured the anomaly immediately.

Almost simultaneously, certain ulterior-motived media outlets and internet channels began frantic hype—

"Alien virus leaked?!" "Unknown biochemical accident at the Special Ops base!" "Doomsday alarm?!"—sensationalist headlines paired with blurry energy fluctuation charts and so-called "internal news" instantly triggered panic among the citizens! Countless communication requests jammed public channels, and small-scale unrest and onlookers even began to appear on the outer perimeter of the base!

Inside the laboratory, they were besieged both internally and externally!

Xu Yan was enduring the immense pain of consciousness fission. He had to maintain the resonance connection with Qiyu while resisting the impact of abnormal harmonics and spacetime overlapping phantoms, and blood had already seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Qiyu’s projection flickered violently, its data streams in complete chaos.

Wu Mingjie stared dead at the dangerous parameters on the screen that were about to go off the charts, his finger hovering over the emergency termination button, his face pale as paper.

Duan Peng roared as he desperately stabilized the surging energy core, his veins bulging.

At this critical juncture!

"Ouyang Nan! Third redundant energy channel on the left, 35% overload! Forcibly inject to offset the spacetime ripples!" Xu Yan’s voice was distorted by pain, yet he issued the command with exceptional clarity.

"Wu Mingjie! Administer neuro-stabilizer Type Beta, maximum dosage limit!" he roared again.

"But..." Wu Mingjie hesitated; that was a near-fatal dosage.

"Execute!" Xu Yan’s roar carried an unquestionable will.

Ouyang Nan did not hesitate at all, operating with precise movements.

Wu Mingjie gritted his teeth and pushed the medication into Xu Yan’s vein.

Simultaneously, deep within his consciousness, Xu Yan issued the final and most crucial command to Qiyu: "Qiyu! Abandon maintaining independent projection! Inject all your core computational power into the resonance network, trust my biological instincts, and follow my guidance... just like 'Zen and Tea are of One Flavor'!"

This was entrusting everything to a resonance based on trust that could not be measured by data!

Qiyu’s projection suddenly dissolved, and all the silver-gray energy streams rushed back like a hundred rivers into the sea. Instead of trying to maintain Ramu’s absolute rational structure, they completely merged into the resonance wave guided by Xu Yan, which bore the imprint of human emotion and instinct.

A miracle occurred.

The violent spacetime overlapping phantoms suddenly subsided as if losing their source, and the chaotic energy slowly returned to order under the new resonance frequency that blended rationality and sensibility.

The crisis inside the laboratory was temporarily averted.

Xu Yan collapsed backward from exhaustion and was caught by Duan Peng.

His face was as pale as paper, but his eyes glowed with astonishing brilliance.

Outside the capsule, public panic had not immediately subsided, but the base’s emergency public relations system had already been activated in an attempt to control the situation.

Ouyang Nan looked at the data slowly returning to stability, and then at the exhausted yet slightly smiling Xu Yan, her eyes filled with complex shock.

For the first time, she saw so clearly how that razor-thin path of balance between absolute rational calculation and reckless emotional choice was forged.

The path of symbiosis was never smooth.

Fission and fusion, risk and trust, were interwoven at this moment into the most difficult choice of all.

And the storm had only just begun to pass its earliest phase.