The standoff in the void turned into a grueling war of attrition. The gray-white polyhedron, like a patient hunter, hovered at a deadly distance of thirty kilometers, silently radiating an ominous glow and chilling fluctuations of consciousness. It no longer attempted to approach, but the invisible pressure relentlessly assaulted the nerves of the Nightingale and Kane like a tidal wave.
Kane maintained his aiming posture, his bionic muscles, taut for an extended period, began to ache. The frigid vacuum slowly seeped through his protective suit, the low hum of the energy core continuously powering the prototype being the only background noise in the deathly silence.
Lia worked at full capacity on the bridge, sensors scanning the polyhedron's energy structure at minimum power consumption and maximum sensitivity. This was an extremely delicate and dangerous task, like probing a beast's teeth with a thin thread in the dark; the slightest mistake could trigger an overreaction.
"The energy field structure is extremely complex and dynamically changing," Leah's voice came through the communicator, hoarse with focus. "The core region contains an abnormally high-density energy source, similar to the previous 'Pandora's Stone,' but its form is more… dispersed, like multiple fragments forcibly bound together. Its peripheral energy flow exhibits regular turbulence and… **intermittent, weak decay points**."
Worth points? Kane's spirits lifted. "Location? Regularity?"
"The location of the decay points is not fixed, changing with the energy flow, but each occurrence lasts 0.3 to 0.5 seconds, with an interval of approximately 15 to 20 seconds. The decay amplitude is small, but for such a high-energy field, this instability might be… **a manifestation of its internal energy not yet being fully integrated and stable**," Leah analyzed.
Internal instability! This is crucial information! This aggregate is not flawless; it was likely hastily formed under the impact of the CME, and its different energy fragments are not yet fully synchronized.
"If I could precisely strike the moment one of the decay points appears…" a thought flashed through Kane's mind. At the most vulnerable moment in the energy field, even without fully entering effective range, the resonant wave could exert a stronger disruptive or even destructive effect!
However, this requires extremely precise timing. The decay point appears only briefly and its location is unpredictable; from detection to launch, there must be a near-zero delay in reaction.
"Leah, can you predict the **approximate area** and **time** of the decay point?" Kane asked. Completely accurate prediction is impossible, but even narrowing down the range and providing a warning a fraction of a second in advance would be a huge advantage.
"I'm trying to build a model… there are slight patterns in the energy flow… but there are too many variables, and the prediction accuracy… is probably less than 30%." Leah's answer was not optimistic.
30%… a gambler's chance. But compared to the pure despair before, this was already a glimmer of light in the darkness.
"Keep trying. Transmit the prediction data to my tactical eyepiece in real time," Kane ordered. He had to be prepared to launch at any moment, even if the chances were slim.
Time ticked by. The standoff had lasted for over an hour. The polyhedron remained motionless, as if it had truly become a strange rock in the universe. But Kane could sense that the consciousness scan had become more detailed and in-depth, seemingly constantly assessing the threat level of the Nightingale.