Auxiliary Equipment?

The sky was gray and murky.

It was as though a terrifying beast lurked beyond the atmosphere.

Cheng Qi glanced at the sky, then turned his attention back to the ground beneath him.

The ground was trembling faintly.

Tiny grains of gravel seemed to dance, spreading inch by inch to either side.

The Earth Dragon King's engine grew quieter and quieter. It had already burrowed nearly twenty meters underground.

Cheng Qi held the control panel, watching the data feedback.

He had thought the Earth Dragon King was approaching the actual ground, but beyond a thin layer of soil lay another thick layer of metal waste.

They had to reach the required drilling depth to ensure complete protection against the gray storm.

Based on Cheng Qi's requirements, the estimated drilling time was about forty minutes.

The gray storm would arrive in three hours and fifty minutes, leaving plenty of time.

While he waited, Cheng Qi looked at the other scraps Bear had left behind.

"Electromagnetic system auxiliary modules?"

Cheng Qi picked one up. He recognized this kind of module. It looked like an oversized chip, about the size of a cigarette pack, with numerous broken wire ends exposed along the bottom.

No wonder it had ended up in a scrapyard. It was practically useless.

Simply put, this module had originally been designed to support various precision electronic devices, rather like an expansion unit.

Connecting it to another electronic device could increase that device's processing speed or streamline some of its operating procedures.

Unfortunately...

Its compatibility was far too limited. Combined with its use of a physical hardwired connection, that made it unsuitable for ninety-nine percent of the devices on the market.

Cheng Qi glanced at the ground. Monkey and the others had collected four of these chips from somewhere.

[Begin synthesis]

[Break down into raw materials]

Cheng Qi was curious about what these nearly useless things could possibly produce.

[Marz Electronic Assistant] ×2!

Cheng Qi examined the first-stage product. It was still a pitch-black chip.

He had heard of the scientist Marz, though the man had been dead for a long time. He hadn't expected him to have improved such a useless product.

[The original design objective remains the optimization of a range of electronically controlled products. Wireless electromagnetic field access replaces the outdated physical connection method, but the drawback remains particularly pronounced: extremely low compatibility.]

Cheng Qi tilted his head. The Standard Template Construct emitted a blue scanning beam. "Continue synthesis!"

[Ink-Blue Marz Edition Superconducting Electronic Assistant]!

The new equipment's name left Cheng Qi momentarily puzzled. "Who's Ink-Blue Marz? A descendant of Dr. Marz?"

[He is the Marz of the Ink-Blue Star System. The universe is vast. A million light-years away, there also exist a twin solar system, a twin Earth, and a twin Marz. Identical geographical environments produce identical chains of cause and effect. You may understand these as parallel universes within the same dimension.]

"That's a thing too?!"

Cheng Qi was astonished. "So technology that Marz couldn't develop was developed by a parallel Marz?!"

He looked at the new electronic assistant's description.

[On the distant twin Earth, electronic assistant technology achieved a breakthrough. The addition of superconducting metal and the introduction of a base-four algorithm made this device genuinely useful.]

[Its external form can change dynamically, allowing it to adhere to other electronic devices. Superconducting metal enables unrestricted signal interaction, while the base-four algorithm allows full integration with the target system.]

[Note: This technology originates from a level 1.9 technological civilization.]

"Holy crap."

Holding the pitch-black chip, Cheng Qi felt a touch of awe.

This little Standard Template Construct really was powerful.

If this universe couldn't develop a technology, a parallel universe could fill the gap?!

Cheng Qi couldn't help wondering.

Did the Standard Template Construct even have an upper limit?

Just then, a gust laden with metal dust swept over him, forcing him to squint.

The atmospheric pressure felt unbearably oppressive and heavy, making it difficult to breathe.

This was a warning sign of the gray storm.

With the storm approaching, the entire land seemed to groan.

Cheng Qi glanced at the Earth Dragon King's data feedback, then froze. "What's going on?! Why has the drilling time changed to seven hours?"

Only after examining the data closely did Cheng Qi learn that the Earth Dragon King had encountered a massive deposit of metal waste thirty-six meters down. Years of compression had made the metal there extremely dense.

Preliminary scans put the waste layer at a full 170 meters thick, drastically increasing the drilling time!

"Seven hours?"

"Doesn't that mean we're screwed?"

Suddenly, Cheng Qi's gaze happened to fall on the First-Generation Muon Catalyst at his waist.

His eyes shifted as inspiration flashed through his mind. He promptly took out the Ink-Blue Marz Edition Superconducting Electronic Assistant again.

He decided to give it a try.

Cheng Qi slowly brought the two devices together.

The black chip, which looked like plastic, began to bend slightly the instant they touched. In the end, it fitted perfectly against the body of the First-Generation Muon Catalyst, as though the sword hilt had acquired a layer of black leather.

A small red interface was projected into the air.

[Muon fission reaction device. Remaining energy: 70%.]

[Optimizing performance. A new usage protocol can be established.]

[Original protocol-Instantaneously release muon fission energy, causing linear scorching over approximately seven kilometers and producing immense destructive force.]

[Optimized protocol-Control the release of muon energy to project a slender energy beam and accumulate energy at its tip. Once the beam penetrates to a designated location, induce ultrahigh temperatures, causing spherical scorching with a diameter of 5,000 square meters.]

"This..."

Cheng Qi's eyes widened further and further.

A completely new application took shape in his mind.

"If it works the way I'm imagining, wouldn't this optimized muon catalyst be perfect for excavating a bunker?"

"Earth Dragon King, return to base."

Cheng Qi abruptly turned. With the gray storm closing in, he had no choice but to try!

Five minutes later.

Holding the optimized muon reactor, Cheng Qi stood in front of the borehole left by the Earth Dragon King.

The hole slanted downward, its bottom lost from sight.

Cheng Qi swallowed and set the muon catalytic reactor's power to thirty percent.

After a moment's hesitation, he pushed it up to fifty percent.

Through the superconducting electronic assistant, he selected the second energy-release protocol.

Then he extended both arms, and the Extreme Warrior Armor deployed support arms as well.

With everything ready, Cheng Qi activated the First-Generation Muon Catalyst!

Hum-!

An almost imperceptible vibration passed through the air. Silently, the First-Generation Muon Catalyst released a blue beam as fine as a strand of hair. Without causing the slightest disturbance, it plunged straight into the dark borehole.

Like a tiny glimmer of light, it vanished in an instant, leaving the world quiet.

Cheng Qi tilted his head. "???"

Boom!

Boom!

The next second.

A massive plume of white steam erupted from the borehole, carrying a terrifying wave of heat!

In an instant, the Extreme Warrior Armor's emergency protocol activated, moving Cheng Qi's body into a leap to one side. At the same time, a memory metal faceplate flipped out to shield his face.

The scorching blast shot skyward, grazing past Cheng Qi's cheek.

The Extreme Warrior Armor's faceplate hissed, giving off faint wisps of white smoke.

Cheng Qi was unharmed. After gently moving his neck, he walked to the enormous opening and peered inside.

Now...

The borehole's walls formed a perfect circle and had become much smoother after being scorched by the beam.

Inside, it remained a passage slanting downward into deep darkness, with no bottom in sight.

Cheng Qi's eyes widened slightly.

Had it produced the result I was hoping for?