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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Yuan's words left Hal, Thomas, and the others momentarily silent. After a long pause, Bison sighed and said, "Wooden Child, it's rare for you to be in such a good mood to play this kind of game. I know that the good news must be that we have successfully escaped the control zone of the Thorned Insect Clan, while the bad news is that the energy we have cannot support our return to Mechanical City."
"That's right, it's that simple. But for us, this dilemma is no easier than breaking out from RZ Planet," Lin Yuan replied quietly. He was not exaggerating; traveling through space was no joke.
Perhaps when looking at the dazzling starry sky from the surface of a planet, one might find it romantic. However, in reality, space was nothing less than a vast, boundless graveyard.
Not to mention the incredibly complex interstellar routes or the elusive Interstellar Pirates, as well as those solitary beings with complicated backgrounds; merely the long and lonely journey could drive a person to despair.
Traveling from the stellar system where RZ Planet was located to Mechanical City, there were a total of three hundred seventy-eight different interstellar routes—simple, complex, difficult, quick, pleasant, unforgettable, thrilling—all varying in nature, essentially giving off the feeling that all roads lead to Rome.
But if one thought they could reach Mechanical City just by relying on their feet and a long life like on Earth, it was nothing short of a fantasy.
The main reason was simply how far away it was. Even the fastest route required a distance of seven light-years. One must ask: how long would it take without being able to reach the speed of light?
Moreover, this wasn't even a trivial issue. The crux of the matter lay in the fact that things weren't calculated this way. In this vast universe, not just any trajectory drawn could qualify as an interstellar route!
Only those routes recognized by Mechanical City had been developed over hundreds of thousands of years.
Indeed, "developed" sounds unbelievable, but that's the truth. Space may seem ethereal and empty, but it is anything but straightforward. Massive dust clouds, meteor Hexagonal Arrays, and various unpredictable Black Hole Force Fields and Dark Matter could inexplicably cause a spaceship to lose its way, slow down, or even go missing.
For this reason, the pioneers of Mechanical City paid an exorbitant price and utilized advanced technology to embark on a grand development of Interstellar Highways throughout the Galactic System that lasted for hundreds of thousands of years.
If an Earthling were to hear this, they would likely think it was a foolish idea—just as Lin Yuan had initially understood.
However, how could the pioneers of Mechanical City engage in mundane activities?
In reality, the Interstellar Highway they established is indeed a tangible entity, albeit lacking the conventional roadbed.
Within this invisible Interstellar Highway, its length is not even worth mentioning; its width and height are quite astonishing. Specifically, it spans one light-year in both directions. Within this expanse, all factors that could affect speed and safety—such as Cosmic Dust, Meteor Clusters, Black Hole Force Fields, and Cosmic Rays—have been meticulously cleared away, creating a true vacuum.
This is just one aspect.
Additionally, Mechanical City has set up massive isolation zones at the edges of this vacuum state of the Interstellar Highway. Every ten light-years, there is a bi-directional guidepost that can be freely used by any citizen of Mechanical City to determine their exact location.
In summary, it is exceptionally advanced.
On this miraculous Interstellar Highway, the minimum speed limit is zero times the speed of light, with no upper limit whatsoever.
This regulation serves as a stringent qualification certificate for all spacecraft and other outer space transportation tools from Mechanical City. The Pterosaur H-Strike Fighter is renowned precisely because it is the first Battle Machine produced by Mechanical City capable of Interstellar Travel under such strict standards. Other Battle Machines may soar through space but can only operate within the near space of their star systems and cannot venture more than one light-year away from their mothership.
According to official measurements, when the Pterosaur H- enters this Interstellar Highway, its maximum speed can even reach up to 100 times the speed of light.
Of course, this does not mean that the power engine of the Pterosaur H- is exceptionally powerful; in fact, the theoretical maximum output of this Battle Machine's power engine is only about half the speed of light. The additional acceleration comes entirely from the Interstellar Highway itself, and this principle remains a top secret within Mechanical City.
The current issue lies with Lin Yuan and his crew's Pterosaur H-Strike Fighter, which has very little energy stored and cannot reach the theoretical half-light speed. Without achieving this speed, they will not be allowed entry into the unobstructed Interstellar Highway. Even if they find a route, they will absolutely not be able to enter. It’s akin to an Earthling possessing the best computer and display but lacking internet signal; no matter how desperately they try, they cannot download anything.
"What do you think?" Lin Yuan asked calmly. This time, he felt utterly helpless; it was beyond his ability to resolve this problem.
"I can't think of a way out, but I've heard of those Interstellar Pirates. They possess a remarkable technology called 'Wall Jumping.' It's through this technique that they can infiltrate interstellar routes and rob passing ships. If we could also 'jump walls,' then even if the Pterosaur H- lost power, we could still reach light speed using the inertia from the Interstellar Highway," Hal said at that moment.
"Get real, Hal. What are those Interstellar Pirates? We are just the lowest tier in Mechanical City, while those Pirates can stand up to the Regular Army of Mechanical City. How can we compare to them? These days, if you want to be an Interstellar Pirate, you first need to elevate yourself to level D5 or above. Even then, you'd only be a lowly henchman. Honestly, I really admire the higher-ups in Mechanical City. In such a vast empire, the bottom-tier scum have no chance of rebellion. Even wanting to be a pirate is beyond their qualifications. It's nothing like our Earth, where rebellion is the cheapest thing around," Thomas grumbled.
"Alright, this isn't your hometown, Thomas. The key is to think about how to solve the problem. Wooden Child, I suggest that from now on, we need to conserve energy because if we can't access the interstellar routes, what awaits us might just be drifting corpses in space. As for me, Hal, and you, Wooden Child, it's not a big deal; we can enter standby sleep mode. But Thomas and Fat Three will definitely starve," Bison said seriously at that moment.
"I don't want to go hungry," Fat Three weakly expressed his presence. In the past, he was indifferent to everything—fighting when there was combat and sleeping soundly when there wasn't. He would wake up to eat and then go back to sleep without caring about human rights or wages. What a good comrade he was! But now that it concerned his own belly, he finally began participating in the meeting.
"Okay, Claire, report on all the energy we currently have," Lin Yuan nodded.
"Yes, sir. Currently, the energy pool of the Main Energy Engine of the Pterosaur H-Strike Fighter is at 178, which is far below the safety line. The auxiliary Energy Engine's energy pool is at 0, while the reserve Energy Engine's energy pool is at 091. Our current speed is one-twentieth of light speed with an hourly consumption of 00 Standard Energy. We estimate that we can sustain this for 7 hours. Additionally, according to our surrounding star map assessment, there are six planets closest to us—all companions of the RZ star system. However, based on previous reconnaissance from g-715 Sub-base, three of these planets have no value due to extremely unstable surface environments. The other two planets are similar to RZ planets but are currently occupied by the Thorned Insect Clan."
"As for the last planet, code-named RE-5, we lack complete data on its surface and core. Based on what we know so far, RE-5 has a unique orbital trajectory—it's the largest elliptical orbit in the entire star system with a maximum diameter of 4 units and a direct distance of 45 units. Its volume is fifteen times that of RZ Planet and its weight ten times that of RZ Planet. It is surrounded by a massive suspected ionized cloud; therefore, no Radar detection can observe its conditions. One more strange thing: according to public information I've gathered, g-715 Sub-base has seemingly never dispatched any exploratory teams to RE-5. Moreover, that massive Migratory Insectoid Clan showed no interest in RE-5 either. Thus, I can reasonably conclude that if RE-5 isn't hiding some enormous secret, then it must be extremely dangerous."
"Everyone has heard it; the situation is dire and requires mental preparation. I have decided that from now on, Thomas and Fat Three will enter sleep mode; Bison will also enter moderate sleep mode to reduce energy consumption; Hal and I will enter low sleep mode for normal vigilance and patrol duties. As for Pterosaur H-, immediately shut down all Energy Engines to minimize unnecessary energy consumption. At least until we come up with a solution, the remaining energy in both main and auxiliary Energy Engines may be our lifeline. Thomas and Fat Three, don't worry; I'll immediately create Life Pods for both of you. I won't boast too much; keeping you alive for another two thousand years should be no problem. As for Hal and Bison—well, as Mechanical Warriors, this energy should be enough for us to sleep until time itself runs out," Lin Yuan calmly stated.
"Why does it feel so sad? I hope we'll be robbed by beautiful and lovely Interstellar Pirates! Haha!" Thomas chuckled wryly but felt helpless nonetheless.
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