Chapter 221: Amber Gaze

At dawn, the three observers arrived on time.

They had no physical form, but were three clusters of ever‑changing geometric light mist, each containing a tiny "recording crystal core." The cores were colored: Curiosity‑7 (amber), Curiosity‑13 (pale blue), Curiosity‑22 (silvery gray). They hovered just outside the purification tower's threshold—in fact, beside the paper crane bearing the words "Observer's Notice."

Curiosity‑7's light mist gently brushed the crane's wing, and its crystal core flickered:

"We have read the terms. Observation will now commence for eight hours. Who is the owner of the wound?"

Han Qing stepped forward and unfastened the top two buttons of his jacket. The scar garden was fully revealed in the morning light: eighty‑seven translucent blossoms clustered around a white flower, and beside the flower floated the silvery seed.

The observation began.

There were no instrument noises, only the light mist drifting at an extremely slow pace, as if performing a holographic scan of the wound. The crystal cores continuously recorded:

【Scar tissue composition: 37% biological tissue, 28% Emotional Frequency solidified mass, 22% plant‑network symbiotic fibers, 13% unknown energy residue】

【Each flower's breathing cycle: average 3.7 seconds, not perfectly synchronized with the holder's heart rate (deviation ±0.4 seconds)】

【The white flower's "anger conversion rate": the charred petal residue area converts most efficiently, reaching 73%】

"They are quantifying me," Han Qing whispered to Su Yu. He had to deliberately control his breathing so as not to affect the data—this reminded him of a medical exam years ago, lying on cold instruments while the doctor said, "Relax, don't move."

But this time was different. Curiosity‑13's light mist suddenly halted its scan and turned toward Han Qing's face (if the mist had a direction):

"Detected the subject's 'discomfort frequency.' Does this frequency belong to the wound's breathing?"

Han Qing was stunned. He had never considered that "embarrassment" could be recorded.

"Yes," Xiao Yu answered for him, "because being stared at itself generates a new sensation. It's like… when wind brushes the wound, the healing speed changes."

Curiosity‑7's crystal core flickered:

"Then we should record the 'wound under observation.' That would be more complete data."

They adjusted the scanning method: no longer a cold, full‑coverage sweep, but a feather‑light touch, collecting intermittently by zones.

When the first four hours ended, Curiosity‑22 made an unexpected move.

Its silvery‑gray light mist slowly unfurled, condensing in the air into a semi‑transparent "mirror." The mirror did not reflect Han Qing's image but displayed the entire growth trajectory of the scar garden from the first blossom to the present—like an accelerated life documentary.

More crucially, a line of small text appeared at the mirror's edge:

"Based on current data simulation, the seven‑day growth forecast: the white flower will bear a second fruit, type 'stable anchor connection.'"

Han Qing stared at the line: "You can predict?"

Curiosity‑22's crystal core responded calmly:

"The wound's breathing follows mathematical laws. Pain frequency, healing slope, conversion threshold—all are calculable. But…"

The light mist hesitated briefly (if mist could hesitate):

"We cannot compute why you are willing to display this process. That portion of energy consumption yields negative return."

During lunch break, the observers strictly halted recording and retreated beyond the threshold. Yet their crystal cores still flickered faintly—Qiao said that was "Data Pre‑processing."

Lao Zhao, as usual, set up a tea station, this time adding three more spots and placing three cups of clear water (since he didn't know whether the mist drank tea).

Curiosity‑7's light mist drifted to the tea cup, its crystal core aligning with the water's surface:

"Water‑molecule vibration frequency: 99.3% coordinated with Earth's environment. But the tea's temperature change curve is more interesting— from boiling to drinkable, it resembles a miniature anger‑cooling experiment."

Aili couldn't help asking, "You record everything; isn't it tiring?"

The three crystal cores flickered simultaneously:

"We are a civilization designed to be observers. The concept of 'tired' requires an emotional system, which we lack."

"But during Data Overload we enter 'Organizing Mode'—similar to your zoning out."

The geometric flower in the one‑eyed woman's eye socket turned toward them: "What do you see when you organize the data?"

Curiosity‑13's pale‑blue light mist rippled gently:

"We see patterns. For example, Han Qing's chest scar garden and the Forgers' civilization cooling fissures share 31.7% structural similarity. This proves that pain in the universe has a universal configuration."

"We also see: your 'inefficient behaviors' (such as making tea, folding paper, exchanging smiles) form brief 'blank strips' in the data flow. Those blank strips… are beautiful. Like aurora falling into a glass bottle."

Just before the afternoon observation began, Kaiwen noticed a fine, constantly shifting data stream on his lenses—Curiosity‑7 was "incidentally" scanning his visual information‑processing pattern.

"Stop," Kaiwen said, pushing his glasses for the third time, his fingers trembling slightly, "this is my… personal assist device."

Curiosity‑7 immediately ceased scanning, its crystal core flickering:

"Apologies. We overlooked that 'Tool Extension' may have privacy boundaries. Relevant data have been deleted."

To apologize, it did a small thing: using light mist, it "borrowed" a leaf from the nearest Listening Speech Flower (with the plant‑network's consent), then let the leaf float before Kaiwen.

On the leaf, a subtle color shift in the veins displayed a line of text:

"Your left‑lower lens corner bears a 0.3‑mm scratch, formed 97 days ago when you were organizing ancient Selan data and the box edge scraped it. That scratch causes you to blink subconsciously each time you look at the lower‑left data—blink frequency rises by 23%. This may be one reason you push your glasses."

Kaiwen stared at the leaf, silent for a long while.

Then he took off his glasses and brushed with his sleeve—not the lenses, but his eye corner.

"Thank you," he said, "I… I had forgotten how that scratch happened."

As the final half‑hour of observation neared its end, the silvery seed suddenly changed.

It shifted from static suspension to slow rotation, and the reflected image of the scar garden inside began to "grow"—the white flowers in the reflection bloomed a day earlier than in reality and unfurled an entirely new set of amber petals.

"Prediction accelerated?" Xiao Yu's wrist light imprint glowed hot.

But stranger still, as the seed rotated, the Memory Eater, still in temporal suspension, had its nine tender green tentacle tips suddenly all point this way!

Qiao's alarm sounded:

【Memory Eater is attempting to establish an 'indirect observation link'】

【It cannot breach the time‑slowdown field, but it can sense the data stream observed by the Tenth Civilization】

【Warning: If it successfully parses the scar garden's structural data, it may locate a weak point in the Emotional Network】

Curiosity‑22's light mist acted instantly. It unfolded that mirror, not toward the seed but toward the direction of the time‑slowdown field—

The mirror projected a false schematic of the scar garden, a meticulously altered version laden with misleading data.

"We are observing the wound," Curiosity‑22's crystal core flickered calmly, "but we also have a duty to protect the sample's integrity. This is Observation Ethics Clause 7."

After eight hours of observation, the observers prepared to leave.

But before dissipating, the Curiosity-13 light mist drifted gently to Han Qing's side and spoke in an extremely gentle tone:

"Today we recorded 1,147 instances of 'wound breathing.' The most stable one occurred at 3:17 p. m., when you looked at the paper crane Su Yu was folding."

"At that moment, all 87 flowers in the Scar Garden turned toward her, and the synchronization rate of their breathing cycles reached 98.6%. This is not a mathematical necessity; it is…"

The light mist paused, as if searching its lexical database:

"... this is 'preference'."

"We cannot quantify the strategic value of 'preference,' but it does increase the efficiency of wound breathing by 22.4%. This phenomenon has been recorded and flagged as a 'topic for further research.'"

Han Qing and Su Yu exchanged a glance. The wing of the paper crane in Su Yu's hand trembled slightly.

The Curiosity-7 light mist said its final words before dissipating:

"Tomorrow we will observe the 'interaction patterns between wounds and their companions.' Please be ready to answer one question: why would anyone spend time watching another's wound breathing?"

"In our database, this behavior is labeled 'non‑return time investment.' But we hypothesize… perhaps it is not."

After the observers dissipated, the silvery seed ceased rotating. Yet something new appeared inside it: a miniature, amber‑colored observation crystal core phantom, quietly hovering at the center of the Scar Garden's reflection.

"It is learning to observe," Xiao Yu said, "but not cold observation—observation that carries 'preference' data."

Old Zhao set down his teacup and looked at the empty space beyond the threshold: "They will come again tomorrow, with more questions."

In the distance, within a time‑dilation field, a second tender‑green light point on a tendril of the Memory Devourer split into four. Meanwhile, the High Council's Starship was adjusting its trajectory—they have decided to dispatch an 'Emotional Witness' to conduct an on‑site study of this unprecedented cross‑civilization observation experiment.

Su Yu folded a new paper crane and placed it where the observers had been seated.

On the crane's wing was written:

"The answer is not in the data; it is in the posture of tomorrow's tea‑making."