Inside the crucible medical pod, golden light slowly receded, returning into Mark's body like a tide.
He lay quietly on the life support platform, the aura of weakness and near-death completely gone, replaced by an introverted, stable, and powerful life force field, like a nascent star.
His golden eyes slowly closed, as if he had fallen into a deep, restorative sleep.
Trigg swore he had never seen such a scene!
What was this?
A miracle?
He stood before the observation window, his massive fists clenched, knuckles white from the effort.
His eyes churned with shock, disbelief, and a hint of deeply touched apprehension.
Viltrum's top medical equipment had failed, yet this young man, on the brink of death, had gained new life in a way Trigg couldn't comprehend?!
That golden light... that power that instantly purified and annihilated the contamination... that calm gaze containing infinite possibilities...
"What exactly is this..." Trigg's voice was low and hoarse, carrying an unprecedented gravity.
Eve covered her mouth, tears silently streaming, but this time, it was the wild joy of surviving a catastrophe.
She sensed the peace and determination Mark was transmitting, and Rudy also trembled with excitement, his arms hitting the observation room wall, momentarily incoherent.
However.
The piercing alarm of the base's monitoring system was like a splash of ice water, instantly freezing this brief joy.
"Warning! Biological repair tank target, Allen, abnormal inert energy reaction index skyrocketing, latent Old Day contamination rapidly proliferating! Life support system efficiency dropping to 35%! Contamination is eroding the nervous system!"
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the massive biological repair tank where Allen was.
The sight before them was heart-stopping!
The originally emerald-green transparent life support fluid was rapidly being stained by a viscous, ominous dark purple, like ink dripping into clear water.
On Allen's massive body, deep within the charred wounds painstakingly repaired by nanobots, countless dense, dark purple patterns, like living blood vessels, were wildly growing and spreading.
They were like malicious vines, coiling around his thick arms, clinging to the muscles of his neck, and even beginning to invade his head!
Allen's originally faint but stable vital sign curve fluctuated wildly on the screen, and the waveforms representing neural activity became chaotic and sharp, as if countless mad thoughts were screaming in his mind!
"No! Allen!" Rudy's eyes were bloodshot, and he was about to rush towards the medical pod entrance.
"Don't go!"
Trigg roared, his armored arm abruptly blocking Rudy, staring intently at the repair tank.
"Those contaminated energies are activating! Contact will lead to erosion!"
"What do we do?! Trigg!"
"Your base! Think of something fast!"
Eve's voice changed pitch in her urgency, her recently settled heart instantly leaping back into her throat.
Just at this critical moment!
As if sensing the painful cry of a loved one in despair, on the life support platform, the sleeping Mark's brow slightly furrowed.
The golden energy within him, which had just settled and flowed like liquid sunlight, seemed to be attracted by the wildly erupting Old Day contamination within Allen, creating a subtle resonance.
Without any earth-shattering explosion, an extremely gentle yet incomparably pure golden halo, like ripples on water, silently spread out with Mark's body as its center.
This halo was warm, serene, carrying a soothing warmth, instantly enveloping the entire medical pod, and naturally, also enveloping the repair tank where Allen was.
A miracle happened!
The wildly spreading dark purple contamination patterns, like living poisonous vines, at the moment they were touched by this golden halo, were like snow exposed to the midday sun!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
Faint but dense sounds, like burning grease, emanated from Allen's body surface.
Those hideous dark purple patterns twisted violently, struggled, and emitted wisps of black smoke carrying the mixed scent of sulfur and deep-sea sludge.
They rapidly dissolved, faded, and disintegrated in the pure golden halo!
As if an invisible eraser was wiping them away from Allen's body, bit by bit!
The contaminated dark purple life support fluid in the repair tank also seemed to be purified, its color rapidly fading and clarifying.
The viscous sensation disappeared, and it regained its vitality!
"Contamination index rapidly decreasing! Proliferation stopped! Erosion reversed! Nervous system interference gone!"
The base monitoring system's alarm tone suddenly shifted, from a piercing crisis to an unbelievable report.
"Target Allen's active contamination neutralized and cleared! Life support system efficiency recovering! Vital signs stabilizing!"
The hideous dark purple patterns on Allen's massive body completely vanished, leaving only some newly healed, slightly fragile green skin.
His tightly furrowed brow relaxed, the chaotic neural waveforms returned to a steady rhythm, and his breathing became deep and powerful.
Although still weak, the aura of near-death from contamination erosion was completely gone.
The pure golden halo, like a mother's comfort, not only dispelled the contamination but also seemed to accelerate his body's natural healing process.
"The Sun..."
Eve murmured to herself, her eyes filled with shock and awe.
She finally understood the essence of Mark's power.
This was not merely destructive energy, but the very essence of the Sun, containing ultimate life vitality and orderly purification!
It also happened to be the natural enemy of Old Day chaotic contamination!
Trigg stared intently at the gradually receding golden halo, his eyes shining brightly.
He saw it!
He saw the most direct and effective means to combat Old Day contamination!
The value of this power instantly soared to an incalculable height in his mind.
Mark Grayson.
He must be controlled! At all costs!
Trigg immediately demonstrated his ruthless efficiency as Regent.
"Everyone listen up!"
Trigg's voice was low, carrying an unquestionable command.
"Top-level directive: seal all data from the medical pod, especially Mark Grayson's energy fluctuations, physiological reactions, and the data on the purification process of Allen!"
"Except for myself, any access requests, including base system self-checks, are to be rejected and the relevant data modules self-destructed!"
"Understood!"
Inside the medical bay, the Viltrum soldiers shouted in unison.
"Directive confirmed, data sealed and encrypted, access locked: Trigg only."
The base system's cold electronic voice also responded quickly.
"Increase base defense level to war status, all weapon systems online, scan outer perimeter of the star system, be vigilant for any abnormal spatial fluctuations!"
"Especially... the whereabouts of Titan, send everyone with a flower on their chest to investigate for me!"
A hint of apprehension flashed in Trigg's eyes.
Mark's abilities might be like a giant magnet; once the news was exposed, it could attract unimaginable trouble.
"Directive executing."
"Also..."
Trigg's gaze swept over Eve and Rudy, who were in the lounge, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Keep an eye on that girl and the cripple; ensure they are absolutely safe and... quiet until Mark fully awakens."
An invisible aura silently enveloped the lounge, sharp yet solid, called protection, but in reality, house arrest.
"Hey, big guy, aren't we friends? What are you doing?!"
Rudy shouted but was pulled by Eve.
Both Eve and Rudy felt this special attention, and alarm bells went off in their hearts.
Trigg's ambition and covetousness for Mark's power were obvious.
They felt like they were in a tiger's den, only able to pray for Mark to wake up quickly.
Time passed in a tense atmosphere.
Days later, Allen first passed the critical period and awoke from deep life support.
Although his body was still weak and his strength far from recovered, the tough will belonging to Allen had returned to his eyes.
"Mark... he..."
Allen's hoarse voice carried concern; his last memory was of the terrifying sight of the Viltrum testing ground's destruction and Mark's conflicted gaze at him.
"He's fine, Allen!"
Eve quickly reassured him, rapidly recounting everything that had happened since he fell unconscious.
Allen listened quietly, his expression changing, his large fists slowly clenching, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
There was relief from surviving a catastrophe, shock at Mark's power, and a subtle, hard-to-detect guilt for his inability to protect his friend.
"Wait, you said... we're at Trigg's base?!"
His own disjointed thought process made Allen quickly react to the important information in Eve's words.
Who was Trigg?
Perhaps Mark, Eve, and others didn't know.
But he did.
As a genetically engineered creation cultivated by the Unopan people, as a Planetary Alliance Inspector, Trigg's reputation as Regent was a nightmarish existence.
He could even cure children's night terrors on some planets!
"What's wrong, Allen? Do you know him?"
Eve subconsciously asked, seeing Allen's stunned expression.
My goodness, not just know him!
Allen shook his head awkwardly, telling a lie for the first time in his life, as he was not good at it.
Are you kidding? If he dared to speak carelessly on Trigg's territory, Allen wouldn't have enough heads even if he had a hundred, especially since his good friend hadn't woken up yet.
Allen thought about it and decided to wait until Mark woke up before making any plans.
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