The First Battle of the "Meta" Realm: The Mark of "Mirror Lake"
The moment the order was issued, the massive war machine of the "Meta" Realm awakened with a silent efficiency. The highest-priority commands in the Demon Network refreshed in an instant, and the low hum of energy nodes powering up replaced the drums of war and surging demonic aura, heralding the start of a quiet battle.
Inside the Sky-Patrolling Pavilion, the cold intent of slaughter blazed in Glak's soul fire. The coordinates of the "Abandoned Observation Zone" were highlighted on the huge star map, with the preliminary energy model and speculative data of the "Purifier Type VII" from the "Mirror Lake" system displayed alongside. Three orders followed in quick succession: the 1st and 3rd Void Vessel Fleets were to immediately deploy force fields and jammers; the 2nd Fleet, led by the commander, would serve as the main assault force; and all units were to activate anti-detection coatings. Void vessels with a dull sheen shot out like arrows released from a bow, silently merging into the Sea of Nothingness.
Lin Mo did not join the fleet. His figure faded slowly from the top floor of the Administrative Center, and the next moment, he appeared directly at a hidden node of the "Returning Ruins Route". Here, a deep-sensing array of the "Mirror Lake" system—built by combining ancient wreckage technology with the threads of "Order"—was operating at full power.
He sat cross-legged at the core of the array, his spiritual consciousness fully connecting with "Mirror Lake". At this moment, his "vision" was no longer limited to the material plane; instead, it extended in reverse, following the rule-covered waves from the distant region captured by "Mirror Lake". Like a hunter lurking in the shadows, he observed the upcoming "cleanup" calmly.
...
The Abandoned Observation Zone.
This place might have once been a world, but now only fragmented star cores, solidified magma seas, and floating spatial debris remained. A small exploration team of the Star Spirit Survivors—creatures emitting faint psionic light, resembling jellyfish—was conducting routine resource collection on a relatively stable debris belt. Unaware of them, the countdown to destruction had already hit zero.
The void was torn apart silently.
Three spindle-shaped warships, pure white all over with flawlessly smooth lines and no seams or markings on their surfaces, appeared at the edge of the observation zone like phantoms. They were roughly the same size as the Meta Realm's Void Vessels, but the energy fluctuations they emitted were more restrained and icy.
Purifier Type VII.
They gave no warning, no test. The moment they appeared, dazzling white light lit up at their bows. A wave of rules, carrying the meaning of absolute "Order" yet containing destructive power, began to condense and lock onto the Star Spirit exploration team below!
The Star Spirits let out terrified psionic screams. The psionic shields they raised melted away rapidly under the white light, like snow under the sun!
Just as the white light was about to burst forth—
An abrupt change occurred!
The void around the Purifier warships rippled violently, like water disturbed by a thrown stone! An invisible "Silent Force Field" with the unique gray glow of the Meta Realm unfolded instantly, forcibly interfering with the Purifiers' energy locking! At the same time, several twisted rule-disturbing waves coiled around the Purifiers' hulls like venomous snakes, causing their smooth lines to freeze for a moment!
"Unknown interference detected! Rule-level attack!" A cold alarm blared inside the Purifiers.
"Analyzing interference source... No matching records in database... Threat level elevated..."
Before they could respond effectively—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several thick main cannon beams, filled with violent primal energy and a hint of chaotic properties, suddenly slammed into the shield of one Purifier from the side! It was the 2nd Fleet led by Glak!
The Purifier's pure white shield flickered violently, demonstrating astonishing defensive power, but it still dimmed under the premeditated surprise attack! At the same time, more small assault craft jumped out of the void, swarming towards the other two Purifiers like a hive of bees, firing "Dissociation Rays" designed specifically to destroy energy structures!
The battle escalated into a fever pitch in an instant!
In the deep-sensing array of "Mirror Lake", Lin Mo sat with his eyes closed, his mind focused entirely on the three Purifiers.
"The energy core is located slightly behind the center of the hull, with a highly integrated structure and prioritized defense."
"The rule weapon requires a short charge time to fire, and the shield strength drops by 15% during charging."
"Information exchange uses a hybrid mode of quantum entanglement and rule resonance; 'Mirror Lake' jamming is effective, but it has multi-frequency redundant backups..."
"Combat AI logic... Prioritizes eliminating threat sources and ignores non-threatening targets..."
Countless pieces of valuable data poured into his consciousness, quickly recorded and analyzed by the "Mirror Lake" system. He was like dissecting a living specimen, calmly observing every reaction and analyzing its strengths and weaknesses.
On the battlefield, Glak commanded the fleet in fierce combat against the Purifiers. The Meta Realm's tactics were flexible and tricky, making full use of the opportunities created by the "Silent Force Field" and "Rule Jammer" to harass, split, and focus fire constantly. However, the Purifiers had extremely tenacious defenses and their attacks were precise and deadly. A Void Vessel that failed to dodge was grazed by the white light; half of its hull was instantly "erased" by the rule-level power, without even an explosion.
The battle deadlocked, with the Meta Realm fleet even slightly at a disadvantage.
At this moment, the Star Spirit exploration team—who had been under protection—seemed to recover from their initial panic. They gathered their psionic energy, forming a weak but sincere wave of thought filled with supplication and gratitude, trying to establish contact with the Meta Realm fleet.
This wave of thought was like a torch lit in the dark.
The Purifier that had been the focus of Glak's fleet—its shield already on the verge of collapsing—had its cold AI make an immediate judgment!
"High-priority contamination spread detected (referring to contact between Star Spirits and unknown forces). Emergency protocol activated: prioritize eliminating contamination sources!"
Completely ignoring the fierce attacks from Glak's fleet, it forced the white light at its bow to redirect, locking onto the Star Spirit team!
"Oh no!" Glak's heart tightened, but it was too late to intercept!
At this critical moment—
Lin Mo, who had been in an "observing" state, made a move.
He did not leave the "Mirror Lake" array; he merely raised his right hand and made a "stripping" gesture in the air towards that Purifier.
There were no energy beams, no spatial fluctuations.
But countless fine gray lines—completely out of place with the surrounding environment—suddenly appeared on the pure white, smooth surface of the Purifier. These lines were the "marks" that the "Mirror Lake" system had quietly infiltrated and imprinted on its rule structure during the previous battle!
At this moment, Lin Mo activated these marks from a distance!
Inside the Purifier, countless cold alarms turned red in an instant!
"Rule structure under unknown erosion! Integrity lost by 30%! Energy core overloaded! Shield system failed..."
The white light that had redirected towards the Star Spirit team went out abruptly. The entire hull stiffened instantly, as if its skeleton had been removed. The pure white glow on its surface faded rapidly, turning dull and gray!
How could Glak miss such an opportunity?
"Concentrate fire! Target its energy core!"
All firepower poured forth in an instant. Without its shield, the Purifier shattered like fragile glass under the violent attack, turning into a cloud of energy debris that expanded silently in the void!
The remaining two Purifiers seemed to receive the final data transmitted by their comrade, and their cold AI experienced a moment of logical confusion.
"Threat redefined... Target possesses rule-level erosion capabilities... Recommendation... Retreat... Data upload..."
Without hesitation, they abandoned the battle. Intense white light burst forth from their sterns, and they prepared to escape via some form of hyperspatial jump!
"Want to run?" Glak roared. "Stop them!"
However, the Purifiers' jump activation was surprisingly fast.
Just as the white light was about to engulf their hulls—
Lin Mo tapped the air again from a distance.
The frequency and mode of the Purifiers' information exchange, captured by the "Mirror Lake" system, were instantly analyzed, simulated, and... injected with a distorted garbage data packet containing false "Meta" Realm coordinates and a flood of useless information!
The two Purifiers vanished.
But the data they took with them was already contaminated.
Lin Mo slowly lowered his hand and opened his eyes.
There was no joy or sorrow in his eyes—only a deep calm.
The first active confrontation ended with one Purifier destroyed, two fleeing in panic, and their data successfully contaminated.
More importantly, the "Mirror Lake" system had succeeded.
It had not only seen the hunter but also successfully... left a mark on the hunter.
He looked towards the direction where the Purifiers had disappeared, knowing that this was only the beginning.
The real game was just starting.