Star Ocean: Starting from the Abandoned Mining Space Station

Chapter 72 Speculation and Return

After Chen Ming took out the whispering stone covered with twisted patterns.

Gamma B, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said: "Is this the ectoplasm stone?"

"you recognize?"

"Yes, I once saw this kind of thing when searching for some information. It has a fatal impact on Yuhui's individuals."

Chen Ming did not delve into what exactly Gamma B was searching on their platform to find anything related to the ectoplasm stone.

Because there is obviously something more worthy of his attention in what Gamma B said.

"fatal?"

"Yes, I have previously found a record confirmed by Alpha-level Afterglow. An Afterglow individual died while studying the ectoplasm stone."

Ectoplasm stones actually affect AI?

Chen Ming glanced at the stone in his hand in disbelief and asked, "What is the specific situation?"

Gamma B explained: "That record contains the results of reading the internal data of the core of the dead Afterglow individual."

"It was finally determined that when an afterglow individual encounters the influence of the ectoplasm stone, some redundant data that cannot be understood will appear in the logic circuit."

"These redundant data can only be gradually erased through the self-operation of the logic loop."

"Once the ectoplasm stone is exposed for too long, the accumulated redundant data will block the logic circuit, and the part of Yuhui's individual consciousness will completely stop running, which is death."

Chen Ming was silent for a while, thinking about what Gamma B said.

According to his understanding, the meaning of gamma B is probably similar to the effect of ectoplasm stone on afterglow, which is like putting 0 into a binary program that only has 1 and 3, and there are more than one.

When all the running lines of the program are stuck by 3, the program will crash and cannot be rescued.

"So do you know what this thing does?"

Gamma B answered quite decisively: "I don't know."

"But I know its value is very high. The Alpha-level Afterglow who posted this record is collecting these ectoplasm stones."

"A Sunset I know found a similar piece during an expedition and traded it to the Alpha-class Sunset."

"He said that the Alpha-class Afterglow, who specializes in spacecraft design and modification technology, used his own quota to modify one of his trophies, a human Torrent-class frigate."

Heavy Rain class, Chen Ming was impressed by this kind of ship.

Because it is the only spacecraft that carries fighter jets on the frigate.

And the fighter plane it carries is not driven by humans, but a drone equipped with built-in artificial intelligence.

Tachyon Technology, the company that designed it, stated that the level of AI used by the ship was definitely under the empire's explicit upper limit on the intensity of artificial intelligence.

However, many combat videos of the Heavy Rain class show that the Terminator fighter it carries has powerful combat intuition and flexibility that far exceeds normal strength.

So to be honest, Chen Ming was not surprised that such a spaceship became Yu Hui's collection.

And after being modified by an Alpha-class Afterglow AI that was rumored to be capable of controlling a galaxy, but used its ability to control galaxies in the design and modification of spacecraft, the value of this Burst-class ship is absolutely immeasurable.

So the meaning of gamma B is also very clear.

An ectoplasm stone is equivalent to a galaxy-level professional and technical expert helping to modify the spacecraft and paying for materials in advance.

It's basically equivalent to giving away a super powerful spaceship for free if you give it a framework.

It would be impossible for Chen Ming not to be moved at this time.

If he wanted to, he could transfer the ectoplasm stone through two AIs and get such an opportunity.

But Chen Ming doesn't want to give away this ectoplasm stone just yet. He also wants to see what potential the ectoplasm stone has.

And at this time, Chen Ming suddenly thought of the extra disassembly function on his panel.

This disassembly function allows you to see the material proportion of the disassembled items before the actual disassembly operation.

So it seems that Chen Ming can use it to see what the essence of this spiritual stone is.

Chen Ming smoothly opened the panel of the [Ecstasy Stone (Whisper)] in his hand and saw the interface where operations can be performed.

The option of disassembly does exist above.

The material that can be obtained by dismantling it is something called spiritual energy, totaling sixteen grams.

Chen Ming wrote down this name, which seemed even more outrageous than the ectoplasm stone, and decided to keep the ectoplasm stone for now.

After all, this ectoplasm stone is something related to psionic energy anyway, and it is very likely that there will be an opportunity for Chen Ming to contact a real psyker in the future.

As for exploring the function of the ectoplasm stone, the gamma AI probably won't be able to help him for the time being.

Chen Ming felt a little regretful in his heart.

Originally, he had hoped to rely on Yuhui's data sharing platform to obtain some valuable information, but the result could only be said to be less than ideal.

So much so that he now even feels that his luck has started to get worse after getting better.

Because Chen Ming actually thought of another way to use the Afterglow database before.

For example, relying on gamma A, the technology disclosed on that platform.

The first thing Chen Ming thought of before was to build a colony of his own like the Afterglow Colony he saw.

Just think about the throughput of goods in the Afterglow Colony before, and you will know that this is definitely the most profitable method compared to any other means.

Just the cargo throughput of the Afterglow Colony Spaceport in the period he had seen before was enough to buy several destroyers.

But Chen Ming immediately gave up this idea.

The construction of a colony that could maintain self-sufficiency and even make money required both human and financial resources.

When the price of a basic civilian ship often fluctuates around 500 million, the investment required to make money through the colony is definitely enough to empty Chen Ming's family wealth several times.

So Chen Ming just thought about it.

Then he thought of another idea that was more suitable for him to obtain benefits from the Yuhui Platform.

Yuhui’s spacecraft modification and repair technology.

This is a professional matter, but there are also some troubles involved.

Because the design ideas of the Afterglow ships have a different relationship with humans, unless Chen Ming only controls the Afterglow ships in the future, he must study it himself and convert the design ideas of the Afterglow ships to human ships.

The most outstanding feature of Yuhui's ship design is the energy weapons and energy system. Researching these two aspects will definitely cost a lot of money and time.

As for other ideas that would allow Chen Ming to quickly benefit from the platform, Chen Ming also thought of a few, but none of them were very feasible.

Such as the jump engine and the blink engine.

Both must be installed on at least cruise-level ships, relying on engine resonance to drive other ships to jump or flash.

At least that's what Chen Ming understands.

So the end result was that Yu Hui had the ectoplasm stone that he didn't understand, but he couldn't use it.

As for the unmanned ship design that Yu Hui was relatively familiar with and good at, he was temporarily unable to use it or had no suitable place to use it.

Chen Ming couldn't help but have a headache.

Several ideas failed to be realized due to various reasons, so he could only continue according to the original plan for the time being.

But when Chen Ming thought about his plan, not only did his head hurt, but also a little haze emerged in his heart.

The reason naturally lies in the military outpost in the RM-2 star system where Ruimu is located.

Although Chen Ming determined his own policy a long time ago.

Break away from your identity as an employee of Sinda Company, disconnect as much as possible from Sinda and the military, and start a new life.

But things about the military and the mining space station came together like this, and Chen Ming couldn't pretend he didn't see it.

If he sees it, he can't help but think about it.

Chen Ming had never heard of a military outpost being set up in the galaxy where the mining space station was located 30 years ago, until he went into hibernation for the last time.

With so many spaceships coming in and out of the mining space station, it is impossible for no news to leak out.

Therefore, this outpost was definitely built after an insect infestation broke out in the space station and all personnel were wiped out.

Chen Ming wouldn't believe it if there wasn't some logical relationship.

So after thinking about what he knew about the whole thing, an irresponsible guess appeared in his mind.

When Sindar Company first chose to purchase the mineral mining rights of the galaxy, it focused on the high-density and high-content mineral asteroids in the star ring of Ramu.

If you do this in compliance with the law, there will be no problem.

And the company should really not know that there are empty fish in the ring of the gas giant planet next to it.

After all, the mining rights of this galaxy are sold by the government, and it is impossible for the government to take advantage of others for no reason.

It is definitely the official who did not discover the existence of Kongyu.

However, with the establishment of the mining space station, more and more people have come here.

Then one day, someone discovered traces of Kongyu's existence.

So the military closest to the mining space station chose to strike first, dispose of the space station, and pass the blame to the bugs.

Then they blocked the galaxy on the pretext that dangerous creatures appeared in the galaxy, forcing Sindar Company to suffer a loss.

However, the real situation should not be as simple as Chen Ming guessed. There must be more complex logical relationships and more complicated exchanges of interests.

Therefore, Chen Ming also felt that the pirate space station with Xinda's background was actually the product of the exchange of interests between Xinda Company and the military.

After all, it seems outrageous to see a complete city built on a pirate space station.

And if you think about it for a moment, you will know that after the mining space station is no longer used as a relatively neutral spacecraft transfer point.

For those who run in the edge star field, there must be other alternatives, and the pirate space station is just right.

If this is true as Chen Ming guessed, it would have started with the military initiating a conflict and ended with the two sides sitting at the negotiating table and peacefully exchanging benefits.

Then the direction of things may be good for Chen Ming, or it may not be good.

Because in this case, neither Sindar nor the military will pursue the matter of the space station too much.

Before Chen Ming's identity was discovered, no one would take the initiative to investigate this matter. His situation was very safe.

However, if both parties knew of Chen Ming's existence, in order to prevent the matter from being exposed, both parties might crush themselves to death.

Of course, they might not care at all. After all, how big a splash can Chen Ming make on his own.

But Chen Ming couldn't bet on this possibility, so it was the best choice for him to avoid being discovered.

And if the truth is different from what Chen Ming guessed, the matter was not resolved peacefully in the end, but Xinda suffered a loss in this matter.That means the military will never want this matter to be overturned.

And Xinda will try her best to find opportunities to regain her position.

Chen Ming felt that the loss of a mining space station should be worth keeping in mind for a while.

And his existence happens to be the key to this.

So no matter what, if the military knows Chen Ming's identity, there is a high probability that they will not let him go. Xinda needs to look at the situation.

Fortunately, the military outpost has been demolished. In order to obtain Sky Steel again, the outpost will definitely need to be rebuilt. They should not have too much energy to pursue other things in the short term.

So Chen Ming still has time to do some things he should do.

Chen Ming temporarily relaxed his mind and stopped thinking about too many things.

It's almost time, it's time to go back to the space station.

Chen Ming transferred the control authority of the Iron Mine to the Lumen level.

And he himself controlled the Iron Ore with his own hands, taking the Lumen class with him and once again entering the deep and purple hyperspace channel.

It once took Chen Ming more than a month to get from the Dark Cemetery to the Pirate Space Station, but now it only takes more than ten seconds to pass through the hyperspace channel.

No. 30 hours after Chen Ming left the space station.

At around 15 a.m. Earth time, Chen Ming finally returned to the space station and entered Space Arm [-].

This is the last remaining dock of the space station.

When Chen Ming approached the space station, he first turned off the Lumen engine and relied on the traction equipment to bring Lumen back to the repair shop.

Then the Iron Ore was driven out and parked in the dock.

When stepping off the spacecraft, Chen Ming noticed that the dock was a little livelier than before. It should be that the mercenaries who had gone to support the military and then ran away midway were back.

Moreover, Chen Ming also noticed that some people in the dock seemed to be observing him and his Iron Ore.

It should be what Lao Wu said before. The story that he drove a civilian ship and blew up four merchant ships spread. I don't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Chen Ming couldn't stop other people's gaze, so he chose to ignore it.

Went straight to the maintenance shop.

In the maintenance shop, Chen Ming met the factory director.

He had obviously seen Chen Ming's spaceship and the Lumen class just now, so he was not surprised by Chen Ming's appearance.

However, after saying hello to Chen Ming, he looked at Chen Ming as if he was looking at something rare.

Chen Ming felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him, so he took the initiative and said, "Director, is there any work that you need someone to do?"

"Yes, yes, but you and Captain Qi just got back from the boat. Do you need to rest for two days?"

Chen Ming felt that the factory director's attitude towards him seemed to have changed, a good change.

Although the reason for this change was unclear, he felt that it shouldn't be a bad thing.

And Chen Ming had already rested before, so he insisted: "No, just start working directly. I didn't even take a day off, so it's best to go back to work."

"That's fine."

The factory director waved to the depths of the maintenance plant and shouted: "Old Wu, bring me the people here."

Old Wu appeared in front of Chen Ming in a flash, looked Chen Ming up and down, and said, "Okay."

He took Chen Ming deep into the maintenance shop.

After leaving the factory director's sight, Old Wu said as if he had just seen Chen Ming: "Hey, Xiao Mu, you're back. What have you been doing these two days?"

Chen Ming looked at Old Wu who was smiling and pretending to be stupid, and said seriously: "I went to fool around with Yu Hui, and they invited me to participate in military operations against the military."

"Do you still like to tell bad jokes?"

Chen Ming shrugged and pointed to the maintenance area.

"You have all seen that Yuhui's ship failed to keep up with Yuhui's large force, but we found the opportunity to catch up and bring it back."

Old Wu stared at the Lumen class for a few times and said, "It's really good. If your spaceship, plus the previous one, were sold, it would be worth at least 5000 million. It's only been a few days since I came to the space station. "

Chen Ming heard what Lao Wu meant and said, "I'm not in a hurry to leave. Even if I make money, I still have things to do."

"And if you envy me, you can follow me to find Yuhui. As long as you can bring back one, you can earn so much."

When Old Wu received Chen Ming's reply, he said with a playful smile: "Forget it, I can't do anything fatal with my old bones."

"Ah, by the way, the factory director asked me to ask you, do you have any plans to use the Afterglow AI core in your hand?"

When Chen Ming heard Lao Wu's question, he immediately wanted to deny the existence of the AI ​​core he had on hand.

But as he spoke, he suddenly hesitated.

Because many forces and even officials are acquiring the core of Yuhui AI, this is a fact known to everyone who has contact with this work.

So it’s not too much to shop around with an AI core in hand.

Chen Ming just subconsciously took precautions and wanted to hide it.

But for some reason, Chen Ming suddenly felt that he could take the initiative to give others some trust, so he changed his words: "Gamma AI is still useful for me for the time being, and I want to try to study it."

"Oh, then if you change your mind, go to the factory director."

Old Wu seemed to be just asking a question for the factory director, and stopped talking nonsense once he mentioned it.

He took Chen Ming to the deepest part of the maintenance plant, where the engineering ship was parked.

The two engineering ships stayed here quietly.

Old Wu took the initiative to step forward and start the daily ship maintenance, while Chen Ming stepped forward to lend a hand and asked: "What do you want me to do today? Is it the same as before?"

A look of relief suddenly flashed across Lao Wu's face for a moment, but it was immediately covered up by the grinning corners of his mouth and that smile: "You'll know soon."

The spacecraft's maintenance time passed quickly, and it was eight o'clock in the blink of an eye.

The official opening time of the repair shop.

Then, Chen Ming, who was alone next to the engineering ship, saw Old Wu who had just run out mysteriously and walked in with three people wearing work clothes that Chen Ming had never seen before.

It looks like the maintenance shop has hired new people.

But these three newcomers, Lao Wu, came to Chen Ming, pointed at them and said, "Xiao Mu, these three people are your subordinates. Please keep an eye on them."

Chen Ming nodded. Although Old Wu said that he wanted them to attack him, he actually knew what he meant.

Then Old Wu put his hand on Chen Ming's shoulder and said: "This person has told you before, Mu Shuikong, Brother Mu, you will follow him today."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ming heard Old Wu say to him in a very low voice: "Those private things can be revealed a little more. The smart ones will learn it, and the unsmart ones will be left alone. Otherwise, even if Lao Lu keeps it, It will inevitably lead to trouble."

Chen Ming also said calmly: "Don't worry."

"You can take [-]% or [-]% from the things they touch. Don't teach them in vain."

"understood."

"That's it, I'm on duty today, I'm leaving first."

After explaining what needed to be explained, Lao Wu disappeared all of a sudden. It was not known whether he would miss work alone in the maintenance shop.

Chen Ming's eyes moved away from the partition door of the maintenance shop where Old Wu disappeared, and shifted to the three newcomers.

The three of them stood there a little reservedly. They didn't look like they had any criminal record at all, but more like college students who had not yet graduated and were looking for an internship.

After the three people noticed Chen Ming's eyes, they each respectfully shouted to Chen Ming: "Brother Mu."

Chen Ming had never been treated like this before, and he was a little uncomfortable, but he quickly adapted.

After looking at the other ship where the director Bald and Tian Jiwen were preparing, Chen Ming stopped wasting time.

He waved to the three waiting newcomers and said, "Follow me."

Chen Ming had never done this kind of thing before, but he thought he could give it a try.

Because after he came back from the Afterglow Colony, he actually didn't care or looked down on the private gains while cleaning the battlefield.

If someone helps him, he can still have some free time.

After being free, Chen Ming had time to do what he had wanted to do before.

Such as acquiring weapons for refurbishment.

Chen Ming has been thinking about this matter since the day he entered the pirate space station.

It's just that I was busy every day after that, or had other things to do, so I never had time to do it.

Now if someone wants to save time for themselves, then this matter can almost be started.

Making money and everything else were secondary. After selling half of the Afterglow destroyer, although money was not too much, it was enough for Chen Ming.

He still wants to do this now, mainly to exercise his mental strength.

The benefits of increasing mental power are obvious.

It's not a bad thing to make some money while exercising your mental strength.

In addition, Chen Ming also needs to take the time to modify the Iron Mine Number during this period, so that the Iron Mine Number can completely disconnect from the past.

Then wait for a relatively free time and go to Yuhui's colony again.

If he doesn't try to do something to get Yuhui's AI core, Chen Ming always feels like there are ants crawling on him.

But things had to be done one by one, and he didn't have anything particularly urgent to do now.

Anyway, the military outposts were demolished by Afterglow, and their main focus now is definitely on rebuilding the outposts and reproducing Sky Steel.

Chen Ming didn't believe that they would allocate energy to do such a thing under such circumstances.

If the military really insisted on killing him without even caring about the priceless Sky Steel, then he would eat Xiaoshi on the spot.

Just when Chen Ming had such an idea in his mind.

Xiaoshi, who was playing in the running wheel made by Chen Ming himself on the Iron Mine, suddenly stopped his movements and looked around cautiously.

But it didn't find anything unusual.

Xiaoshi's little eyes were full of doubts, and he always felt as if he had felt this way before.

But it immediately put this doubt behind its mind and continued to play on its own.

(End of this chapter)