Chapter 148: The True Nature of the Black Crystal

Inside the command ship, everyone held their breath.

On the massive holographic screen, the eerie object assembled from black crystals hovered silently at the edge of the Kuiper Belt,

golden tracings flowed slowly across its surface like the veins of some living creature.

"Run a full-spectrum scan immediately! I need to know what this thing is!"

Fleet Commander Zhang Xianzhong's voice echoed in the command room, his tone laced with unprecedented tension.

Qin Hao beside him stared at the screen. Though his perception had been vastly heightened by the superhuman gene, facing this object he felt an indescribable unease.

"Reporting, Commander!"

A technical officer's voice grave: "Scan results abnormal! This object's material… cannot be analyzed!"

Our detectors show its energy fluctuations are weak to nearly zero, yet simultaneously there exists some energy field we cannot comprehend!

Zhang Xianzhong furrowed his brows: "What does that mean?"

"It's… as if it doesn't belong to our physical world at all!"

The technical officer wiped sweat from his forehead: "All known physical laws fail before it!"

The command room fell into dead silence.

Qin Hao closed his eyes, pushing his perception to the limit. Through layers of space, his consciousness reached that black crystal.

Instantly, an extremely complex mental buzz entered his mind.

It wasn't sound, but a pure stream of information, filled with ancient, cold, and an ineffable "rigidity".

Like some kind of programmed thought pattern.

"Commander!"

The communications officer suddenly shouted, "We've received an order from Blue Star Command! The leader demands we immediately send the first exploratory contact signal!"

Zhang Xianzhong nodded: "Prepare the standard contact protocol, using mathematical language and physical constants…"

Before his words faded, the golden tracings on the black crystal's surface on the screen flared bright!

"Alarm! Alarm! High-energy reaction detected!"

But it did not fire, nor make any attacking move.

Instead, an invisible ripple spread from the crystal's center, sweeping the entire Solar System at superluminal speed.

"Reporting, Commander! The Quantum Intellect Assist System… completely down!"

"Automatic navigation failed!"

"Drone squadron lost contact!"

"Mars base's automated equipment fell into chaos!"

……

One piece of bad news after another came in.

Humanity's proud technological network, before this invisible ripple, was as fragile as paper.

Qin Hao snapped his eyes open: "Everyone, immediately sever the neural link with the intellect! This is mental contamination!"

But it was already too late.

An immeasurably vast stream of information surged into every human brain like a tsunami—not language, not images, but a pure data flood.

The full manufacturing process of antimatter energy, the theoretical basis of space-folding technology, the ultimate plan for perfect genetic evolution…

Innumerable technological blueprints beyond human current cognition were poured directly into the depths of each person's consciousness.

This is a "grand gift package" enough to drive any civilization mad.

"Good heavens! These technologies… are incredibly advanced." A scientist trembled, his eyes flashing with fervent light,

"These technologies could let our civilization leap centuries ahead!"

"Antimatter engines! We could build warships capable of a thousand times light speed!"

"Genetic evolution technology! We could let every person possess godlike abilities!"

……

Aboard the Chasing the Sun, things began to grow chaotic.

Large numbers of scientists enhanced by NZT-48 showed eyes blazing with unprecedented fervor.

They saw a shortcut to civilization's leap and strongly demanded immediate analysis of this "heaven-sent gift."

"Commander! We must immediately organize a research team! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"The risk is controllable! As long as we study carefully, we will surely master these technologies!"

But in Qin Hao's mind, the superhuman gene's danger warning was frantically flashing.

An unprecedented sense of fear welled up in his chest.

He instantly realized this was not a gift, but a civilization trap wrapped in honey!

These technologies are a "Trojan virus"!

Once humanity accepts and begins researching, the entire civilization's tech tree will be completely locked, thought patterns assimilated, ultimately reduced to a vassal or even fodder for the other side.

"No!"

Qin Hao shouted loudly, "Everyone, calm down! This is not a gift!"

But the frenzied scientists would hear none of the warnings.

Their eyes held only those tempting technological blueprints.

Just then, Luo Rui Xiang's urgent voice came through the communicator: "Xiao Qin, have you discovered something?"

Upon hearing, Qin Hao immediately voiced his thoughts.

"It's not here to destroy us, but to corral us! This knowledge is the first feed tossed to us!"

Those words struck like a bolt from the blue, making everyone far at Blue Star headquarters break out in a cold sweat.

"What does that mean?" someone pressed.

"Think about it, if you were to raise a flock of sheep, what would you do?"

Qin Hao's voice was very calm, but each word weighed a thousand jin, "You would give them the best fodder, the most comfortable environment, let them grow quickly and become fat. Then, at the right time, harvest the fruits."

"And its approach and mental consciousness pollution will turn everyone into a highly intelligent puppet that obeys words and follows plans, similar to the existence of a thought steel stamp."

Upon hearing Qin Hao's analysis, the main base fell into a deathly silence.

Just then, Zhang Xianzhong's voice came from beside, filled with obvious terror:

"Look! That black crystal…… it's transforming!"

Everyone immediately looked at the big screen.

Only to see that black crystal begin to slowly unfold, countless crystal pieces stretching outward like petals, revealing its inner true form.

That was not a mechanical core, not an energy device, but a biological tissue over a kilometer in diameter, slowly pulsating, like a living brain!

Countless nerve fibers like tentacles extended from this huge brain, connecting to the surrounding crystal structure.

And on the surface of the brain, countless eye-like organs slowly rotated, as if observing something.

"What… what kind of monster is this?!"

Cheng Haitang gasped in shock.

At the same time, a clear, icy, emotionless thought crossed the void and directly echoed in Qin Hao's mind:

"Abnormal individual, your existence is quite interesting!"

And the others did not hear this voice.

They all widened their eyes, looking at the slowly pulsating giant biological brain on the screen.

Countless nerve fibers writhed like tentacles, the eye-like organs densely covering its surface slowly rotating, sending a wave of fear through everyone.