Feng Long carefully continued to break down the outer frame alloy tube into particles. More than ten days later, more than two meters away from the small hole, Feng Long finally found a small device about the size of a fist. The flashing light on the device indicated that it was in operation.
"Sir, is this the detonation device?"
"Yes, humans are indeed cunning. Such a small thing, hidden inside these frames, with only a tiny hole for the signal to escape."
"Sir, I think you are more intelligent. First, you were able to detect the existence of this thing, and second, you knew it was hidden within these frames. Bi Cha admire you."
"The logic is actually quite simple, and frankly, it's worthless. With a little analysis, you can do it too. First, I've seen your previous combat footage. Some energy spheres were encapsulated and could travel in warp. We don't care how those detonated, but some weren't encapsulated. They could explode even far from human warships, so the detonation method must have been remote."
"There were no lasers at the time of detonation, so sound waves were impossible, and gravitational waves were also out of the question due to the extremely chaotic battlefield environment. That leaves only electromagnetic waves and particle beams. So I guessed that the equipment emitting electromagnetic waves and particle beams must have been hidden in these frames. Now it seems that it was electromagnetic waves."
"I see, sir. I've figured it out too. That's why humans hide detonators in these frames. If the enemy discovers them, they can detonate these energy orbs at any time, leaving none for the enemy and killing them as well. Secondly, even if they fail to detonate, like now, it's impossible for ordinary people to find their detonation devices. They're hidden too well."
"Yes, the Bi Cha has made great progress. And one more thing, look here: if we use brute force or X-ray scanning to find the detonator, a slight mishap could trigger it, and we'd be finished. But it seems humanity doesn't have any anti-scanning designs yet."
"Sir, what do we do now? This thing seems to have an anti-tamper design."
"Everything's fine now. Cut this section out and send it into the warship. Also, we can start scanning now. But just to be on the safe side, have someone restore the outer armor to create an electromagnetic shielding space. After the scan is complete, put the energy spheres back in as before. Once I've finished analyzing them, we can equip them on our own warships. This quantity is enough for us to use for a very, very long time."
"Your actions are truly meticulous; Ji Wa you. Humans have gone to great lengths to retaliate against us."
"You two stop flattering me. Remember, every part of a human body must be thoroughly examined, without any oversights. I have a feeling something's off, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Sir, perhaps you've been working too hard lately? Please get some rest."
"Perhaps. Remember, be meticulous; don't overlook any details, and find anything unusual."
"Don't worry, sir, we'll take care of it."
Moving them out and in, another giant energy sphere had to repeat the same process. Moving them out was faster than moving them in, so Feng Long had to mobilize another million people. Even so, it took more than 20 years to complete, after all, it was the result of thousands of years of human progress.
During this time, Ji Wa and Bi Cha found another detonator in the frame, cut it off, and sent it to the Feng Long Laboratory inside the civilization.
Feng Long quickly deciphered the working principle of the detonator, replicated it, and even transported the individual energy spheres to a location far from civilized territory for testing.
As Feng Long had predicted, the test results showed that it was electromagnetic waves of a special frequency. Only electromagnetic waves can survive in complex battlefield environments. Particle beams are much less effective, since electromagnetic waves have the widest coverage, which particle beams cannot achieve, and even if they could, it would be time-consuming and laborious.
Feng Long divided the energy ball into smaller individual pieces, and the detonation effect remained the same. In other words, the energy ball could be cut and sealed at will. If a bottle was placed in the middle of the energy ball and filled with energy, the bottle would become a small energy bomb. However, if it was not sealed, the energy ball would slowly diffuse. When the density was diluted to the point that it was invisible to the naked eye, using a detonator would have little effect.
Feng Long continued his in-depth analysis and discovered that this energy was very peaceful, but ordinary energy, even when forcibly gathered together, was extremely violent. Feng Long couldn't figure out how to calm down the violent energy; even in a vacuum environment close to absolute zero, the energy remained violent.
Feng Long has been in the laboratory for a full hundred years, and Hu Yu has also waited for a full hundred years. Now, Hu Yu has no idea where these energy spheres have gone. The only thing he can be sure of is that the energy spheres have not yet entered the territory of the Xuan Star Civilization, and there has been no record of large-scale entry and exit of warships from the Xuan Star Civilization in the past hundred years.
" Old Hu, why is there still no movement? It's been over a hundred years."
"Don't rush, good things come to those who wait. Keep waiting."
"Do you think the Xuan Star Civilization might hand over the energy ball to the Fish Horse Star Civilization? Wouldn't that mean we'd gained nothing?"
"If it were you, would you give it?"
"I'm not stupid, I definitely won't give it, but it's hard to say what would happen if Fish Horse Star took the initiative to ask for it. Under pressure, even if I don't give it all, I'll have to give half."
"I don't think the Xuan Star Civilization would ever let the Fish Horse Star Civilization know."
"That's true. People don't flaunt their wealth. If they get something like this, they'll definitely keep it for themselves."
"Therefore, the energy sphere must still be in the hands of the Xuan Star Civilization, but they are not completely at ease yet."
"This Xuan Star Civilization is being a little too cautious."
"If I give you a bomb, you'd dare to sleep with it? Wouldn't it take a long time to get used to it?"
"When will this finally happen? What if they just don't move the equipment to civilized territories? What if we just equip their fleet directly with it..."
"Wouldn't that be even better? Wiping out their entire fleet in one fell swoop would allow our Grim Slayer to advance unimpeded."
"Sigh, I'm just destined to be a hard worker. I've been idle for over a hundred years now, and I'm really not used to it."
"Alright, take a good rest when you have time. Once the energy sphere enters the territory of the Xuan Star Civilization, we'll be busy for the next few hundred years."
Ji Wa and Bi Cha, along with hundreds of scientists from the Xuan Star Civilization, have conducted detailed inspections of 10 planets that have been inhabited by humans. From large machines and equipment to small tables, chairs, and even litter, the inspection results were all normal. They even performed detailed dissections on some of the remaining artificial human bodies, analyzing them at the atomic level, but still found nothing. These were indeed human bases, home to more than 8 billion people, and the probability of humanity still existing was less than one in ten thousand.
Aside from machines and equipment, the human technology gained in this process didn't include much advanced theoretical technology, let alone a complete technology tree. This was within Feng Long's expectations; any civilization, when faced with a desperate situation, either preserves its technology tree intact or destroys it completely.
As a precaution, after the inspection was completed, the scientists of the Xuan Star Civilization left behind some valuable machinery and electronic products. The rest, along with the planet, were propelled by the fleet into a nearby star, and everything human was reduced to ashes.