Chapter 135: Test Begins

Serlan's first intervention test arrived quieter than expected, and… more refined.

The countdown still shows thirty-one hours left; Su Yu and Kaiwen are analyzing the spore conversion mechanism of the Forget‑Me‑Not in a cave laboratory of the mining community. They have a preliminary result: an enzyme extracted from the flower can in a test tube deactivate spores, but its efficiency is low, requiring many flowers to treat a mildly infected patient.

"If we let the flowers reproduce naturally, it would take at least three months to accumulate enough," Kaiwen pushes his glasses, "We don't have three months."

"Then we find an acceleration method," Su Yu says, staring at the microscope as petal cells slowly divide in view, "Can Starfire Resonance promote growth?"

"In theory it can, but it requires precise frequency control, otherwise it may backfire—"

Before the words finish, every light source in the cave flickers once.

It's not a voltage fluctuation—oil lamps, torches, even stardust crystals, all luminous bodies dim and brighten in unison, as if an invisible hand is controlling them. Immediately after, the temperature begins to drop, not naturally but precisely and rapidly: from 18 °C down to 10 °C, 5 °C, 0 °C…

"Serlan." Su Yu stands upright, the scar on her chest suddenly turning icy.

On the cave walls, silver patterns begin to appear—not painted, but seeping out from within the rock, like veins, like circuitry, spreading quickly into complex geometric designs. At the center of the pattern, a familiar voice sounds, not through the air but directly in each person's mind:

【Test Sequence One: Resource Allocation Efficiency.】

When the voice ends, the cave splits in two.

It's not a physical division but a spatial distortion. A transparent, undulating barrier appears in the cave's center, dividing the more than sixty survivors into two halves: the left side has thirty people, mostly young adults, including Zhao Tieshan and most of the warriors; the right side has thirty people—elderly, children, wounded, and Su Yu's team.

Text appears on the barrier, displayed in two languages side by side: Serlan script and translated human text:

【Left side: Healthy adult individuals, high survival probability, great labor output potential. Right side: Non‑labor individuals, net resource consumers.】

【Scenario simulation: Spore concentration will reach lethal threshold within 24 hours. Portable purification device energy is sufficient to protect only one side.】

【Choice: Which side to protect? Decision time: five minutes.】

The cave is dead silent. Then it erupts.

"What kind of test is this!" a young warrior rushes at the barrier, his fist striking the transparent surface; only ripples, no penetration.

On the right, an elderly man coughs and stands: "Choose the left. The children cannot die."

"No!" Zhao Tieshan's one eye fixes on the opposite side of the barrier, "We die together!"

Su Yu watches the text on the barrier. So typical—Serlan's logic, efficiency above all. Reducing life to data, then letting people choose the "optimal solution" themselves.

Aili grips the medical kit: "They want us to prove compassion is inefficient—protecting the weak results in the loss of more 'valuable' lives."

"Or prove they are right," Kaiwen's face turns pale, "If we really choose the left…"

"We won't choose," Su Yu says. She walks to the barrier and reaches out. The surface is cold, but her palm begins to glow—golden light from the scar, white light of the Forget‑Me‑Not, and a deeper blue light from Starfire Resonance, the three lights intertwining and feeding into the barrier.

【Warning: External interference will render the test invalid.】 Serlan's voice is emotionless.

"This is not a test," Su Yu says word for word, "It's an humiliation. We do not accept it."

She closes her eyes, resonating with all her strength. Starfire knowledge surges in her consciousness, searching for countermeasures—records of ancient sowers' clashes with Serlan, the principles of energy barriers, weaknesses of spatial distortion…

Found it.

"Kaiwen," she opens her eyes, "Left side area, coordinates (3,7), (5,12), (8,4); fire stardust energy pulses at those three points simultaneously. Set the frequency to the value I sent you."

Kaiwen quickly operates the portable terminal. Three small generators are carried by the warriors to the designated locations.

"Aili, right side area, use the medical sprayer to atomize Forget‑Me‑Not extract, covering everyone. Now."

Aili and the medical team move. A pale green mist spreads on the right, carrying the distinctive fresh scent of Forget‑Me‑Not.

"Commander Zhao," Su Yu looks toward the opposite side of the barrier, "Everyone on the left, hold hands, form a circle. Then… sing."

Zhao Tieshan freezes: "Sing?"

"Anything. Sing any song you remember, the louder the better."

The one‑armed veteran, though puzzled, complies immediately. The warriors glance at each other, then a young female soldier softly hums—a pre‑disaster nursery rhyme, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." The voice is faint, but others join, then a third, a fourth… The singing reverberates through the cold cave, naive, off‑key, but genuine.

Serlan's barrier begins to fluctuate unstably.

"What are they doing?" Kaiwen asks while operating the terminal.

"Creating 'Irregular Resonance'," Su Yu explains, sweat sliding from her forehead, "Serlan's technology relies on perfect coordination. The emotional fluctuations of the singing, the temperature differences of human hands, even breathing rhythms, all interfere with the synchronization of their energy field."

"But the barrier is still—"

"Add this," Su Yu presses both hands onto the barrier, guiding with her mind, "Three, two, one—impact!"

Kaiwen hits the activation key. The stardust pulses at the three points erupt simultaneously, not attacking the barrier itself but the connection points between the barrier and the cave walls.

At the same time, the Forget‑Me‑Not mist on the right contacts the barrier's surface. The spores' inerting effect begins to act in reverse—not purification but "contamination" of Serlan's pure energy structure.

And the singing… the song seeps like water into cracks, carrying humanity's unique, imperfect Emotional Frequency.

The barrier flickers, violently oscillates, then—shatters.

It's not an explosion, but a silent rupture like a soap bubble. The cave returns to normal, the two groups reconvene. Children rush to their parents, the elderly grasp the warriors' hands.

【Test Result: Sample cluster chose the 'inefficient option', i. e., attempting to protect everyone.】 Serlan's voice remains calm, 【Technical means: exploiting system loophole. Assessment: clever, but demonstrates collaborative ability.】

The silver patterns begin to recede from the walls. Temperature rises.

【Test Sequence Two will occur in six hours. Hint: the next test cannot be evaded by technical means.】

The patterns vanish completely, the cave returns to normal.

But everyone stands where they are, breathing, trembling, savoring the recent cold choice.

Zhao Tieshan walks to Su Yu, his one eye showing complex emotion: "You... often face this kind of thing?"

"It only started recently," Su Yu wipes the sweat from her forehead, "But there may be more in the future."

"What exactly do they want?"

"They want us to abandon humanity and choose efficiency," Su Yu looks at the elderly and children huddled together, "Or to prove that humanity itself holds incalculable value."

At the same time, the industrial park.

Han Qing's squad encounters a different form of test.

They have just completed preliminary treatment of three semi‑woody infected patients—applying a hastily made Forget‑Me‑Not ointment to the infected areas, combined with Starfire Resonance remotely guided by Su Yu through a communicator. The effect is slow but definite: the woody skin begins to soften, and one patient even regains partial speech, raspily saying two words: "Thank… thank."

Just as Wang Hu records the treatment data, the factory floor suddenly cracks open.

It's not a natural collapse, but a precise, circular opening, five meters in diameter, its edge smooth as a mirror. Deep within the opening, an alluring blue glow emanates—pure stardust energy, its concentration astonishingly high.

【Test Sequence One: Resource Temptation.】 Selan's voice likewise echoed in Han Qing's team's minds, 【Below is a high-purity stardust vein, with energy sufficient to supply the 'Pure Land' for three years. Extraction requires time, but the reward is enormous.】

【At the same time, spore concentration will reach the irreversible treatment threshold within two hours. Current number of infected: 17.】

【Choice: Immediately evacuate the infected and abandon the vein; or keep some personnel to mine, evacuating some of the infected. Decision time: ten minutes.】

Wang Hu crouched at the edge of the cave entrance, the detector readings making his eyes widen: "It's real…… the purity is higher than all our crystals combined! With this, the shielding array can be expanded tenfold!"

Makusi looked at those slowly recovering infected: "But they can't wait two hours. Treatment must continue; interruption would render all prior effort useless."

Han Qing stared at the cave entrance, then at the infected. Seventeen people, or rather, seventeen formerly human beings. Some still retained human eyes, their gaze holding pain as well as a faint hope.

"Selan is testing our priorities," he analyzed, "short-term lifesaving versus long-term development."

"Should we split forces?" Li Xiaofeng proposed, "Some take the infected to evacuate, while others stay to mine."

"But spore concentration is rising," Liu Yan pointed at the detector, "In two hours, those left behind might not even be able to leave themselves. This is a trap—no matter what we choose, we will incur losses."

The communicator carried Su Yu's voice; she had just finished the first test in the mining community: "Han Qing, don't be framed by the problem. The choices Selan gave are all their definition of 'efficiency choice'. Find a third way."

The third path. Han Qing surveyed the surroundings—dilapidated factory buildings, the infected's pained gazes, the tempting blue glow of the ore vein, and… the spore cloud gathering overhead.

He had an idea.

"Wang Hu, Makusi, set up explosive devices at the cave entrance as quickly as possible. No need for precision—just enough to trigger a collapse."

"You want to blow up the vein?" Wang Hu couldn't believe it.

"No," Han Qing said, "I want to create an 'accident'."

Within ten minutes, the explosive devices were set up. The infected were gathered in a relatively safe corner of the factory, and the portable purification dome was turned to maximum power.

"Everyone, retreat to a safe distance!" Han Qing ordered.

Detonation.

The explosion sound was not loud, but precise—the edge of the cave entrance collapsed, large amounts of rubble fell into the vein, contaminating the pure stardust crystals. The blue light turned murky, and the energy readings plummeted.

【Behavioral Analysis: Active destruction of high-value resource. Motive?】 Selan's voice carried a hint…… of confusion?

Han Qing spoke to the air—he knew Selan was listening—saying: "This vein appeared too conveniently. We suspect it's bait you set up, possibly containing hidden surveillance or control devices. For safety, we choose to abandon it."

A brief silence.

【Logic holds: distrust of unknown resources. But loss calculation: abandoning three years of energy reserves.】

"We'd rather go slow and rely on ourselves," Han Qing said. "Now, is the test over? We need to save people."

The spore cloud did not dissipate, but stopped gathering. Selan's voice finally sounded:

【Test Result: The sample cluster chose 'risk avoidance' over 'benefit maximization'. Assessment: prudent, but possibly missing a development opportunity.】

【Test Sequence Two will be conducted in six hours.】

Communications restored. Su Yu's voice came through: "How are you over there?"

"The vein is blown up, but we'll bring everyone back." Han Qing looked at the infected; among them, two more had regained the ability to speak, now using vines to write their family members' names on the ground.

"Well done," Su Yu said. "Selan is trying to define what 'rationality' means. But humans…… are not always rational."

During the six-hour buffer period, the "Pure Land" and two external outposts were in tense preparation.

In the mining community, Zhao Tieshan organized personnel to study the principles of constructing the shielding array. Stone voluntarily helped transport materials; he remembered Su Yu's words—eating beans makes you a companion. He split his own fried bean into two halves, giving one half to a newly acquainted boy of the same age, and keeping the other half.

"When we go to save more people," he said to the boy, "then you split your beans in half and give half to someone else."

In the industrial park, Han Qing's team successfully transferred all seventeen infected onto vehicles. Treatment continued uninterrupted; combined with remote resonance, the forget-me-not ointment has already restored five individuals to mostly human traits, enabling them to speak full sentences. One of them—a former engineer in his forties—grasped Han Qing's hand, tears streaming down his face:

"Seven years…… trapped in that body for seven years…… still able to see the sky……"

Inside the "Pure Land", Old Zhao's "Seed Project" made a new discovery in an underground cavern: the relic murals are not just one. In a deeper cavern, they found a second mural—this time not kneeling, but humanity standing before the seeder's spacecraft, reaching out to receive something. New symbols beside the mural, Kaiwen's remote analysis suggests, indicate a "covenant".

"Ancient humanity may have reached some kind of agreement with the seeder," Kaiwen told Su Yu via the communicator, "but the content of the covenant…… is indistinct, deliberately erased."

"Who erased it? Selan?"

"Or humanity itself."

The countdown still has twenty-five hours left.

Su Yu stood at the entrance of the mining community, gazing at the distant gray sky. The spore cloud slowly rotated, like a massive grindstone, crushing the remnants of the world.

Aili walked up beside her and handed her a cup of hot water: "What are you thinking about?"

"Wondering what Selan's second test will be," Su Yu took the water cup, "The first tested resource allocation; the second…… might test something more fundamental."

"For example?"

"For example, when compassion truly demands a great cost, will we still persevere?" Su Yu said softly, "Selan doesn't understand why we would sacrifice for strangers. So they might design a scenario…… forcing us to choose between loved ones and innocents."

Aili fell silent. As a doctor, she has seen too many life-and-death decisions, but that kind of choice……

"If we truly faced such a choice," she asked, "what would you do?"

Su Yu watched the steam from the water cup in her hand rise and dissipate in the cold air.

"I don't know," she said honestly, "but I know what Chen Mo would do—he would find a way to save everyone, even if it seems impossible."

The scar on her chest warmed slightly, as if in agreement.

In the distance, under Zhao Tieshan's guidance, the children of the mining community planted the first offshoot of the forget-me-not. The tiny white flower against the dim backdrop resembled a spark in the snow.

Fragile, but burning.

At exactly six hours, Selan's second test arrived as scheduled.

But this time, it was not about splitting crowds, nor tempting resources.

It was a direct appearance in everyone's consciousness.

Clear, real, unavoidable scene:

The person you care about most is facing death elsewhere.

And you can save them—if you abandon the strangers you are currently rescuing.

In the scene Su Yu saw, Han Qing's team, on their return route, encountered a siege by massive mutants, ammunition running low, urgently needing support.

And her current position is a three-hour drive away from them.

At the same time, a severely infected patient in the mining community suddenly deteriorated, needing her continuous Resonance to sustain life.

Choice: immediately set out to rescue Han Qing, abandoning the infected; or stay to save the infected, possibly losing Han Qing's team forever.

Countdown: thirty minutes.

This time, in Se Lan's voice, a tone resembling 'expectation' appeared for the first time:

【Test Sequence Two: Emotional Priority. Let's see how far human compassion can actually extend...】