Kane's heart skipped a beat! On the main screen, the massive grayish-white area, far from being destroyed by the terrible geological disaster, was actually increasing in brightness dramatically! Like a greedy sponge, it was frantically absorbing the heat, kinetic energy, and radiation released by the earthquake and volcanic eruption! Its expansion rate increased several times in an instant! It even began to spread towards the erupting crater, attempting to convert the spewing lava into part of itself!
"Damn it! It can absorb energy in this environment!" Rex's excitement came to an abrupt halt.
The situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse! It seemed they had not only failed to trap it, but had actually provided it with an energy feast!
Just then, an indescribably powerful fluctuation of consciousness, mixed with the enormous energy radiation generated by the geological changes, erupted from the planet's interior like a supernova explosion, instantly sweeping across the entire galaxy!
**"Energy… Feast… Thanks… Gift… Evolution… Acceleration…"**
The voice of the crystal consciousness was no longer merely tempting or angry, but filled with a terrifying, almost palpable ecstasy, as if it were about to break through a critical point!
It intended to use this planetary catastrophe to complete its final transformation!
Hope, like fragile glass, shattered instantly under the crushing blow of reality. The wildly expanding, surgingly bright gray-white area on the screen resembled a grinning ghoul, mocking all their efforts and calculations.
"Energy absorption efficiency… exponential growth!" Lydia's voice lost its usual calm, filled with incredulous shock. "It's not only absorbing the energy of geological changes, but also assimilating the lava and projectiles from volcanic eruptions! Its structure is undergoing drastic changes… evolving towards a… more condensed, higher energy density form!"
"Damn it! We fueled it!" Rex roared, slamming his massive mechanical fist onto the control panel, leaving a dent.
Kane's heart sank to the bottom. The worst fears had come true. The adaptability and energy conversion efficiency of this "Pandora's Stone" far exceeded any known physical or biological laws. A devastating planetary catastrophe became a feast for it.
The wave of consciousness, a mixture of ecstasy and immense energy, swept across again, clearer and more oppressive than before:
**"The shackles... are about to break... the tiny cage... cannot contain... the true... form..."**
The cage? It refers to this planet?
A more terrifying thought struck Kane like lightning!
From the beginning, perhaps it didn't just want to devour a planet! This remote, desolate planet might have been merely a temporary "incubator" or "stepping stone" for it! It needed energy, a vast amount of energy, to complete some final evolution or transformation! And their self-righteous "purification" operation had provided it with the unprecedented amount of energy needed for this final step!
"Leah! Scan the core energy readings of the crystal region! Predict the final outcome of its energy accumulation!" Kane roared, an unprecedented sense of crisis gripping his throat.
Leah's eyes streamed with data, almost bursting into flames. "Energy level surpasses any known stellar-class weapon platform! Still rapidly increasing! Structural model predicts... when the energy reaches a critical point... it is very likely... **to escape the planet's gravitational pull**!"
Escape the planet's gravitational pull?!
What does this mean? It means it will no longer be a rock trapped on a planet, but a **interstellar threat** capable of freely traversing the universe, searching for its next target!
"It wants to escape!" Rex understood too. "Eat this one, then eat the next!"
We absolutely cannot let it leave! Once it enters the vast interstellar space, finding and containing it will be incredibly difficult! The entire Alliance, and indeed all known civilizations, could face annihilation!