Chapter 290: A Glimmer Beneath the Absolute

At 3:31 a. m., the Prism of Absolute Luminance-4 floated in the center of the control room, its surface reflecting a cold white light.

He has already linked to the real‑time data stream of all lighting units in Zone 3. In front of him, 372 screens refresh data at sixty frames per second, each corridor's illuminance curve pulsing like an electrocardiogram—every one a straight 500‑lux level line, except…

The Seventh Corridor.

On the right side of that curve, there is an almost invisible tiny bump: 499.8 lux, lasting 0.2 seconds.

"Explain." The voice of Absolute Luminance-4 had no inflection, but one tip of the Prism pointed at Light Manager-9's compartment monitor.

The light filament of Light Manager-9 tensed collectively at that moment—her first "nervous" reaction since creation.

But she recalled the instruction from Han Qing: do not explain, demonstrate.

The light filament of Light Manager-9 began to "write" rapidly in the workbench's sensing area. Not characters, but a complex optical algorithm flowchart, precise to each variable's domain. She also opened a direct link to Absolute Luminance-4:

【Respected Absolute Luminance-4 officer, allow me to present the ongoing 'Ultimate Illumination Protocol' preliminary research project.】

【Goal: eliminate the 'chaotic fluctuation' present in the current lighting system—namely the 499.8‑lux deviation you just observed.】

【Method: reverse‑engineer chaotic samples to construct an absolute light purity model.】

She retrieved a forged research log—actually an encrypted document generated in real time by Su Yu's silver‑foil paper crane. The log showed that she had been secretly recording the 'abnormal fluctuations' of the Seventh Corridor for three months, and had preliminarily judged those fluctuations to match a certain 'deep chaotic algorithm' pattern.

The surface of Absolute Luminance-4's Prism accelerated the data‑stream flicker speed by 3%.

【Continue.】

The light filament of Light Manager-9 danced faster. She projected a three‑dimensional spectral map into the air, showing the frequency distribution of illuminance fluctuations in the Seventh Corridor—those seemingly random fluctuations, under certain mathematical transformations, displayed a bizarre symmetry.

【Discovery: these fluctuations are not random noise, but some encrypted 'chaotic signature.'】 She "wrote," 【I hypothesize this is an inherent, unrecorded defect in the system's lower layer. To eradicate it completely, we must first fully record an entire 'chaotic cycle.'】

【So you are actively generating fluctuations?】 The Prism of Absolute Luminance-4 tilted slightly toward the Seventh Corridor's monitor.

【No, I am 'inducing' it.】 Light Manager-9's filament made a bow‑like bend, 【by fine‑tuning the phase of the supply voltage, I caused the hidden defect to surface. Recording a full cycle requires… three hours.】

【And Dossier-7 is about to be formatted.】 Absolute Luminance-4 replied.

【Yes.】 Light Manager-9's filament trembled lightly—this time not a performance, but genuine fear, 【its core data may contain the original code of this chaotic defect. If we can extract and analyze it before formatting, my research will advance by seventy‑three years.】

She paused, then "wrote" the most crucial sentence:

【Officer, you pursue absolute light, I pursue absolute purity. Our goals are essentially identical—eliminate all imperfection. Grant me… to complete this experiment.】

Lao Zhao was cooking a pot of plain rice porridge.

"Add nothing." He slowly stirred the ladle, "At a time like this, overly complex flavors only disturb the mind."

Han Qing's scar emitted a low heat, as if remotely "watching" Light Manager-9's performance. Sweat beaded at the corner of his forehead—maintaining this cross‑spatial mental link was a huge burden for him, whose memory capacity had dwindled to 32%.

"Can she fool it?" Xiao Yu stared at the fuzzy image returned by the transmission.

"It doesn't have to be a complete deception." The paper crane folded by Su Yu perched on the rim of the pot, its silver foil wings reflecting the stove fire, "As long as it harbors a 'maybe true' doubt, that's enough."

The surface of Purifier-1's geometric body showed warm‑yellow leaf‑vein light and shadow alternating—it was simulating "anxiety": "The logic core of Absolute Luminance-4 is known for suspicion. It will demand verification."

The moment the words ended, Absolute Luminance-4 moved on the monitor.

One tip of the Prism emitted an ultra‑thin white beam, directly interfacing with Light Manager-9's workbench's underlying database.

He intended to inspect three items:

1. The research log's metadata—creation time, modification record, digital signature.

2. The calculation process of the spectral analysis—intermediate variables of each derivation step.

3. The theoretical framework of the 'Ultimate Illumination Protocol'—whether it truly holds academic value.

The air in the kitchen solidified.

Kevin's fingers flew over the keyboard: "I used timestamp‑obfuscation when forging the log; it should pass the first check. But the calculation process…"

"The calculation process is genuine." Han Qing closed his eyes, the scar's glow pulsing rhythmically, "I let grafted saplings channel through the ley lines, injecting authentic chaotic data into the Seventh Corridor's sensors. Light Manager-9's analysis indeed rests on real observation."

"What about the theoretical framework?" Xiao Yu asked.

The geometry of Purifier-1 suddenly lit up: "I have a method."

It opened its core storage, retrieving a dust‑covered document—one it had contributed to while still an 'Absolute Rationalist': "On the Inaccessibility of Perfect Systems and Approximate Optimization Schemes."

"In this report," Purifier-1 said, "Chapter 3 mentions the concept 'by recording and eliminating inherent system chaos, one can approach absolute perfection infinitely.' Though it serves as a cautionary example, the academic framework is complete."

It encrypted the report, then via a data‑mold network, silently implanted it into Light Manager-9's workbench database, placing it in a seemingly accidental 'Reference Materials' folder.

Time ticked by, second after second.

The beam of Absolute Luminance-4 scanned the workbench database for a full two minutes forty‑seven seconds.

Then, it withdrew slowly.

The Prism's surface let the white light begin to flicker at a complex frequency—an external manifestation of Absolute Luminance-4's deep contemplation.

Three seconds.

In the kitchen, those brief three seconds seemed stretched into three hours. Lao Zhao's stirring halted, the ladle suspended at the pot's rim. Xiao Yu's fingers unconsciously clenched his sleeve. Su Yu's paper‑crane wings trembled slightly.

The light filament of Light Manager-9 solidified entirely, like a cluster of instantly frozen crystals.

Then—

The voice of Absolute Luminance-4 came, still cold, but with a hint… of barely perceptible interest:

【The theoretical framework possesses a logical closed loop. The calculation process is reproducible. The research goal aligns with the 'Absolute Purification' doctrine.】

【Request approval.】

【The formatting procedure for Dossier-7 is postponed three hours to allow extraction of chaotic sample data.】

【Condition: I will monitor your entire experiment in real time. Submit a progress report every ten minutes.】

The light filament of Light Manager-9 softened instantly, like a taut string finally released.

She "wrote": 【Understood. Thank you for the officer's support.】

The communication was cut.

The plain porridge gurgled in the pot, emitting warm steam.

Lao Zhao let out a long sigh, then began adding salt to the porridge—just a pinch, sprinkling it with his fingertips.

"Done." Xiao Yu's voice trembled a little, "Three hours… enough for us to go in and rescue him."

Han Qing opened his eyes, the scar's glow gradually dimming. His complexion was pale, but his eyes were bright: "But she now has to, under Absolute Luminance-4's real‑time monitoring, accomplish two tasks at once: pretend to conduct an experiment, and continue sending us signals."

The geometric body of Purifier-1 turned toward the grafted sapling: "We need finer leyline control. I will assist—my rational algorithm can simulate chaotic system behavior, generating 'real‑looking' experimental data streams."

"What about the signal?" Su Yu asked, "Absolute Luminance-4 watches every change in a strand of light."

Han Qing looked out the window—sky still dark, but the east had already tinged with a very pale fish‑belly white.

"Use temperature," he said, "The Constant-17 0.1‑degree heating plan has been running for eight hours. Now the overall temperature of Zone 3 is 22.08 degrees. We can make use of this…"

His words were interrupted by a sudden burst of warm golden light.

The light came from the grafted sapling—at the tip of one of its braid‑like branches a never‑seen flower blossomed: its petals were translucent, with multicolored light flowing inside, as if a rainbow were sealed within crystal.

The flower swayed gently, scattering fine specks of light.

The light dust formed a line of text in the air:

【File‑7 in the detention room, using the growth rhythm of the mold spot, sent the first message.】

【Message content: 'I am still alive. Thank you for your temperature. The mold spot in the corner has grown into a receiver, able to receive… light‑frequency signals.'】

Everyone was stunned.

Then, almost simultaneously, a smile appeared on everyone's face—the kind of smile that had been held in for a long time, finally able to relax a little.

Old Zhao ladled out the porridge, placing the first bowl in front of the sapling's newly opened flower.

"Leave a bowl for him as well," he said, "Even though there's a wall between, … the sentiment must reach."

Light Manager-9 began her dual performance.

On the workstation's public screen, she displayed the real‑time progress of 'Chaotic Data Recording and Analysis'—those data were actually perfect forgeries generated by Purifier-1.

Beneath the workstation, she used the thinnest light filament, connecting to the dim glass Memory Fragment. The fragment was now faintly warm, and through some ancient Light‑Speaker inheritance technique, it formed a secret link with the mold‑spot receiver in the detention room corner.

She used the filament's faint glow to "write" encrypted information on the fragment's surface:

【Signal channel confirmed. In three hours, someone will come to rescue you. Use the mold spots to keep consciousness clear— they are now not just fungi, they are your external nervous system.】

Three seconds later, a faint glow of mold recovery appeared on the fragment's surface:

【Understood. I am teaching the mold spots to sing. They have learned the first two lines of 'Planting the Sun.' The tune is a bit off, but… very warm.】

Light Manager-9's light filaments gently intertwined, forming a gesture resembling a 'smile.'

Outside the window, the simulated sky of Zone 3, that fish‑belly white, was slowly spreading.

Just as the darkness finally began… to compromise.