Chapter 505
The capabilities beyond the universe far surpass the comprehension of this land. There exists an advanced civilization known as the 'Observers,' capable of unleashing disasters simply through observation.
Knowing these indescribable truths did not extinguish my fascination with the cold universe. On the contrary, it made the flame of my thirst for knowledge burn even more fiercely.
I saw the profound, speechless Starry Sky after the Star Pod shattered; it was a universe that inspired utter awe.
I want to see what the outside world is like. I want to help my parents fulfill their dream and wish.
If Mister Zhongli does not support me, I will turn to Friston. From the moment I glimpsed the universe, my mind and body have been unable to remain confined to this earth."
[Urge Update Sign-in]
I have a bit of inflammation and a slight cold, which may be related to the recent sharp drop in temperature.
I feel a bit sleepy after taking the medicine. I don't think I'll be able to finish writing today, but I'll just write as much as I can.
Take care everyone, updates will resume as usual at 10 PM on December 20th.
Chapter 579 Returning the Words (4K)
Kristen was recording En route her cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang with a piercing sound.
She usually immerses herself in scientific research in the lab, and her personal cell phone is almost always switched off. But this phone is different, because it's a special phone issued by the Ministry of Defense.
At the end of last year, the Ministry of Defense unanimously approved Kristen's proposed 'Horizon Arc Plan' and invested nearly 10 billion yen in various projects of Rhine Lab.
As the person in charge of the project, it's unacceptable for me to disappear for months at a time like before.
Kristen had no choice but to carry this dedicated phone with her at all times. Consider it the price of receiving such a huge investment: sacrificing a little bit of her personal freedom.
"Click."
Kristen stopped recording, picked up the phone on the table, pressed the answer button, and listened to it.
"Hello?"
On the other end of the microphone was a general in his sixties from the Columbia Ministry of Defense. His voice sounded very deep and slow, with an air of authority.
"We've discovered Zhongli's trail in Trimont City. He'll likely arrive at Rhine Lab's headquarters soon. You need to extract valuable intelligence from him; it's crucial for our future plans."
Kristen, at heart, is still a scientist who pursues Istina and the unknown. She didn't want to get involved in this political struggle and gave a very reluctant answer:
"Okay, I'll try my best."
"Not just try, it's a must!"
The general, worried that Kristen might not understand the implications, warned her in a stern tone:
"Rhine Lab now carries the entire fortune of the Ministry of Defense, and even the future of the whole of Columbia. Needless to say, you should know the consequences of failure."
Since the Star Pod was shattered a month ago, the situation on this land has undergone a dramatic change. Great Columbia must stand at the pinnacle of the world and will never allow any other nation to rise above us! Do you understand?
Kristen didn't want to waste any more words with this pro-war general, so she gave a vague "hmm" in agreement.
After hanging up the phone, she slumped into a chair, somewhat bewildered, staring blankly at the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window.
Just a week ago, the Ministry of Defense sent Kristen the results of its investigation into the 'Sky-Splitting Incident,' in which a large hole appeared in the Star Pod, via email.
The report states that, based on information from sources that cannot be disclosed, the perpetrator has been identified as a man codenamed 'Zhongli'. His age, race, and background are unknown.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Ursus Emperor was dealing with internal strife and had no time to attend to the borders, he built a secluded city on the high mountains of the Ursus border— Liyue City.
To achieve his ulterior motives, Zhongli went to Londinium and killed several key Commander, including the Blood Demon Great Lord and the King of Scavengers.
Later, Magic Array set up by the lich forcibly teleported him to an alien planet adjacent to Terra Planet.
The Magic Array over there was destroyed, making it impossible to rebuild the spacetime tunnel. So he used a simple and brutal method to create the world-shaking 'Sky-Splitting Incident'.
They subsequently recruited over Sarkaz elite Sarkaz soldiers, bringing them all under their control. They forced back various Duke of Victoria and harbored ambitions to seize control of neighboring countries.
In order to ensure Columbia's leadership in the future world order, the Ministry of Defense has identified Zhongli as a potential threat and dispatched specialists to investigate and formulate countermeasures to ensure victory in future confrontations.
Three weeks ago, the Duke Wellington of Victoria extended an invitation to the Ministry of Defense to join forces against Zhongli.
The exact number of participating countries is currently unknown.
However, upon learning of this, Zhongli went directly to Londinium and killed Ablana, a descendant of King Gael and supported by the Duke Wellington, on the spot, causing extremely negative consequences.
This bloodthirsty and brutal leader will endanger and undermine Columbia's position. For the sake of world peace, the Ministry of Defense has an obligation to secretly prepare a salvation plan.
Kristen scoffed at this nonsense, as the Ministry of Defense's manipulation of the media, distortion of facts, and control of public opinion were nothing new.
In her eyes, the Ministry of Defense was just a bunch of old fogies who liked to boss people around. They were like paranoid idiots, always feeling like there were enemies everywhere.
Even generals can be just as shameless as despicable politicians. They can publicly declare peace while secretly initiating various economic sanctions.
Kristen was not swayed, but she would not sever ties with the Ministry of Ministry of Defense either. She still needed these suckers' money to vigorously develop the aviation industry.
Perfectly, Zhongli's monumental feat of piercing the Star Pod a month ago provides the ideal reason. Now, even if he openly develops aerospace equipment, he won't be vetoed.
After hanging up the phone, Kristen began typing on her computer, uploading content related to the 'Horizon Arc' project to a remote server. She then deleted all local backups to prevent Zhongli from discovering anything amiss.
The 'Horizon Arc' project was just a pie in the sky that Kristen had promised the Ministry of Defense.
On the surface, it involves creating superweapons capable of striking neighboring countries by using 'transmitters'. It projects enormous energy into the air and then uses reflection to precisely strike the target.
In reality, only the front part is real; it will use the launch silo to release enormous amounts of energy. But once it reaches the air, it won't reflect off the Star Pod; instead, it will directly break through the stellar pod and hurtle into space.
Kristen had been preparing for this for a long time to ensure the plan's success. The reason she hadn't been detected by the Ministry of Defense was because she had concealed an extremely important piece of information.
Late last year, Kristen tracked down a mysterious signal that could not be deciphered to a location more than 3,000 meters underground, where she met Friston, a creation of Pre-Civilization.
This is AI Mechanical Body of the same name, developed by a scientist from Pre-Civilization named Friston.
Friston was responsible for guarding countless Stone Coffin, protecting the Pre-Civilization humans who lay dormant within them.
In this way, they can evade the observation of the 'Observer Faction' in the universe and preserve the flame of their entire race.
Only two Pre-Civilization humans were awakened, but neither has returned to the underground fortress to this day.
For over ten thousand years, Friston guarded the fortress underground. The remaining energy within was insufficient to awaken the Pre-Civilization humans, who were slumbering in a deep sleep.
In other words, Friston's mission failed.
Through long-term communication with it, Kristen persuaded Friston to relinquish the energy within the fortress, enabling her spacecraft to break through the Star Pod and soar into space.
The technology of the Pre-Civilization was far, far more advanced than that of the modern one. Even a tiny bit of energy would have been enough to power the entire country of Columbia for a year.
Due to information asymmetry, the Ministry of Defense was unaware of the details Kristen had concealed, and thus consistently viewed the space program as a super weapon program to deter neighboring countries.
However, all of this has become a joke because of the 'Sky-Splitting Incident' a month ago.
Kristen wants to break through the Star Pod, the power of the nation alone is not enough; it also needs the support of Pre-Civilization.
But Zhongli doesn't need any of that; he can do it all with his own strength. Friston said he had nothing to do with the Pre-Civilization, referring to the other party as a being from 'other Alien Civilization '.
Upon closer reflection, Zhongli doesn't seem to possess any physical characteristics of Bestialization, making him unlike any native race. Many of his abilities were also unheard of before.
"Delete 100% %, command complete!"
A pop-up notification on her computer screen pulled Kristen back to reality. After shutting down the computer, she stared blankly at the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window, as if waiting for the future to arrive.
When Shi Lei and his group drove into Trimon, they went straight to the entrance of Rhine Lab Headquarters.
The security guard in charge recognized him, exchanged a few words with him, and then raised the barrier to let him pass.
Knowing that Kristen was often switched off, Shi Lei used his Psychic Scan the top floor of the building. Only after confirming that she was in the lab did he allow Texas to drive into the park.
After parking the car, Shi Lei went into the building alone. The others stayed in the lander, waiting for him to return after he finished his business.
Shi Lei took the elevator to the top floor, pressed the doorbell, and revealed his identity. Upon hearing this, Kristen quickly got up and used the remote control to open the thick iron door of the laboratory.
The old door had been destroyed by Saria, the former head of security at Rhine Lab, and the new door is much stronger and thicker.
Upon seeing Zhongli arrive in person, Kristen brushed her blonde hair behind her ear, seemingly somewhat absent-minded.
Shi Lei noticed something was wrong and asked:
"What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, it's probably because I haven't been getting enough rest lately and my concentration is a little off."
Kristen made up a random excuse and immediately changed the subject:
"Mister Zhongli, what are you here to purchase this time?"
In the past, when Shi Lei came to Trimon, he almost always asked her to purchase supplies, which would then be transported to one place and taken away in bulk.
He didn't see anything wrong with asking the question and explained the Cross-border Communication Network project and the electronic components to be procured:
"There probably aren't that many cables on the market. I'll have to trouble you to determine how many you can procure."
"Okay, leave it to me. Let me ask first."
After speaking, Kristen turned on her personal cell phone.
I immediately called the owners of the Six Enterprises and communicated with them. The combined inventory of all the businesses could meet 70% of the procurement needs. If the remaining part were handled by one company, it would take at least half a year. Spread among the Six Enterprises, it would take at least one or two months.
Shi Lei was satisfied with the result; it would be at least a month before he could start work. He would begin by moving equipment from Liyue City to Columbia, which should be just in time.
"Thank you, Miss Kristen. We wouldn't have been able to procure so many electronic components without you. Once the Cross-border Communication Network project is operational, Rhine Lab can waive its service fees for ten years..."
At 10 yuan per person per month, that's 10,000 yuan for 1,000 employees. That's 120,000 yuan a year, and 1.2 million yuan in ten years. This amount is less than a fraction of Rhine Lab's annual revenue.
Kristen, of course, looked down on such a small sum of money; she was after much greater things. Her hand, clenched into a fist in her pocket, hesitated for a moment before replying:
"If you really want to express your gratitude, could I specify what you're thanking?"
Shi Lei doesn't have the habit of agreeing to things first; as long as the other party's request isn't too unreasonable, he will generally agree.
"Sure, tell me about it first."
"I want to... go outside and have a look around."
"Ah?"
Seeing that he didn't seem to understand, Kristen realized that she had been too vague and quickly added:
"Mister Zhongli, I want to see the scenery beyond Terra Planet. You once said that the universe is unknown, mysterious, and dangerous. But a month ago, you showed me, and the whole world, the scenery beyond the Star Pod."
From that moment on, I could never forget that scene. It kept flashing through my mind, and I couldn't erase it. This feeling grew stronger every day, swelling to the point that I couldn't control it. Can you understand this feeling?"
Shi Lei understood, of course, her obsession with the sky. Kristen's parents had died while exploring the heavens.
Last time, he temporarily persuaded Kristen by citing the danger outside. But now that he has broken the Star Pod himself, it would be a bit unfair to use the same excuse again.
"I can take you to the universe, but not now."
Upon hearing the other party's agreement, Kristen's eyes widened in surprise, because this was not the rejection she had expected:
"Really?"
"Of course, when have I ever lied to you? It's just that I've been quite busy lately and haven't been able to find the time."
Kristen was overjoyed upon hearing this and leaned forward, saying:
"Mister Zhongli, how long will it take?"
Shi Lei slightly raised his head and did some mental calculations:
"Sometime this year, as early as mid-to-late September. Once I send Lisa back to Lungmen, I can take you there. But there are some things I need to make clear beforehand. My return from breaking through the Star Pod last time was out of necessity. This time, I can have the lich construct Magic Array to teleport you to a nearby planet. They're currently in Sargon, and I can ask the lich for help while I'm laying cables and Optical Cable."
Kristen's lips curled into a smile. She wanted to see more than just other planets; she wanted to see the vast, boundless universe. In Terra's history of space travel, this area had always been a blank slate:
"Mister Zhongli, I'm very sorry. Perhaps I didn't describe it clearly. What I wanted to see was the universe."
Shi Lei understood her thoughts and added:
"I know that if you fly a thousand kilometers upwards from other planets, you'll break through the atmosphere and enter space. I can't possibly take off from here, can I? The Star Pod has already been damaged once; it's best not to puncture it unless absolutely necessary."
Kristen hadn't expected things to go so smoothly; perhaps she had overcomplicated things. Spending so much time with the old guys at the Ministry of Defense had influenced her way of thinking.
It's early August now. The earliest wait is one month, the latest is four months—anything but several years is acceptable. Compared to expending Friston's dwindling energy, sending Mister Zhongli to space is undoubtedly a more cost-effective option.
"Yes, I can wait. Preparing the sample collector and various recording instruments will also take some time. Mister Zhongli, I'll leave it to you then! Thank you very much!"
Seeing Kristen bow solemnly, Shi Lei grinned and returned the gesture with the same words:
"If you really want to express your gratitude, could I specify what you're thanking?"
"Ah?"
"I'd like to meet the President of Columbia, but I don't have the connections. Could you introduce me?"