Chapter 27: Special Material Research Base

At full acceleration, the Hope reached a speed of 400 kilometers per second, consuming a full fifth of its conventional fuel reserves. Nevertheless, Xiao Yu was immensely relieved to have escaped.

The onboard systems of the Hope began capturing the Phantoms clinging to its hull. Simultaneously, Xiao Yu’s curiosity was piqued.

“Why did these Phantoms actively attack me? And why are these Phantoms so much stronger than the ordinary ones?”

Several questions swirled in Xiao Yu’s mind.

Suddenly, something unusual caught his attention.

Xiao Yu had divided the Phantoms captured during this period into over twenty groups, each stored in a special high-radiation-resistant container. The strange phenomenon occurred in the container holding the mutated Phantoms captured later.

This container housed not only a dozen or so mutated Phantoms but also several hundred ordinary Phantoms captured earlier.

Through observational instruments, Xiao Yu clearly saw the mutated Phantoms displaying extraordinary aggression. They savagely bit into the ordinary Phantoms, devouring them one by one. At the same time, their own radiation levels steadily increased.

“This is… this is…” Xiao Yu was filled with uncertainty and alarm.

Within a short time, the dozen or so mutated Phantoms consumed all the hundreds of ordinary Phantoms. Then, the remaining mutated Phantoms turned on each other.

The fierce battle lasted for an hour. When it ended, only one Phantom remained in the container. Its strength had increased to a staggering 250 times that of an ordinary Phantom.

Xiao Yu, intrigued, instructed the Hope to open a small vent in the container. The Phantom instantly darted toward the opening like lightning. Luckily, the system was quicker, sealing the vent just before it could escape.

“It has developed rudimentary intelligence beyond mere instinct!” Xiao Yu was shocked. “No wonder I was attacked. That strongest Phantom must have achieved some level of intelligence, which led it to actively target me!”

“Devouring and evolving… I see! But it seems only certain Phantoms have this capability. The initial group I captured fused into a single entity but never exhibited any signs of intelligence,” Xiao Yu pondered. “This complicates things. Jupiter is vast, and who knows how many intelligent Phantoms have evolved? Capturing them won’t be easy in the future.”

“But at least the Hope escaped this time. I’ll deal with future challenges as they come,” Xiao Yu muttered, setting aside his thoughts on the matter for the moment.

Half a month later, the Hope returned to Titan safely. The ship resumed its busy schedule of collecting fusion fuel, transporting interstellar materials, repairing damaged satellites, and other tasks. It wasn’t until six months later that it had any downtime.

Meanwhile, everything on Titan was progressing smoothly. In addition to the existing 93 bases, Xiao Yu established a new high-energy physics research institute to focus on theoretical physics.

The importance of theoretical physics was undeniable. Humanity’s progress owed much to the foundational theories established a century ago—relativity and quantum theory. Even Xiao Yu’s current achievements relied heavily on these theories. Without advancing theoretical physics, Xiao Yu would soon face a dead end.

For the next stage of research, Xiao Yu chose to focus on “space.” Quantum theory described the microscopic realm, relativity explained the macroscopic world while uniting matter and energy, and it seemed likely that the next major development in physics would center on “space.”

Theoretical research is a meticulous endeavor, and Xiao Yu had no illusions about producing quick results.

In addition to the High-Energy Physics Institute, Xiao Yu built another base dedicated to researching special materials. Although he had been studying Black Bug carcasses and Phantoms for some time, the constraints of computational power had previously limited large-scale research. Now, with the construction of the Dawn nearing completion, Xiao Yu finally had the resources to expand this line of inquiry.

The other 93 bases continued to operate efficiently, constantly producing vast quantities of materials for Xiao Yu’s projects. The “Town-Class” Dawn was in its final stages of construction, and Xiao Yu had already begun designing blueprints for an even larger “County-Class” ship.

However, Xiao Yu’s stockpile of titanium and zirconium was nearly depleted. Until new supplies arrived from Earth’s meteoroid belt, constructing another spacecraft would not be feasible.

After a long wait, the Dawn was finally ready for its maiden flight.

Compared to the Hope, the Dawn was several times larger and significantly heavier. Equipped with Xiao Yu’s latest “Fusion Type-2” engine, it boasted even greater propulsion power.

With the launch command issued, pale blue flames erupted from the Dawn’s rear, creating a large plume of smoke as the ship slowly lifted off amidst a sci-fi-like haze.

The Dawn’s ascent was slower than the Hope’s. It took more than ten minutes to break through Titan’s atmosphere.

Once in space, Xiao Yu began testing its various performance metrics.

Under his control, the Dawn executed a series of high-difficulty maneuvers, such as abruptly halting after high-speed flight, rapid rotation, and firing laser cannons during flight. After several hours of rigorous testing, Xiao Yu gathered all the data he needed.

“Everything is as expected. Not bad. Maximum acceleration: 1.5 kilometers per second. Maximum overload resistance: 170 times Earth’s gravity. Maximum speed with standard fuel reserves: 1,500 kilometers per second. Excellent, excellent.”

Xiao Yu nodded in satisfaction as he reviewed the results.

Although the Dawn’s maneuverability couldn’t match the Hope’s, its endurance, firepower, durability, and maximum speed far surpassed it. The tradeoff in agility was inevitable—after all, the larger something is, the less nimble it becomes.

In Xiao Yu’s vision, a ship like the Dawn would serve as a flagship for small fleets in interstellar warfare, providing firepower suppression and covering allied advances. Close-quarters combat, however, would still be the domain of Village-Class ships like the Hope or even smaller vessels.

Proud of his creation, Xiao Yu piloted the Dawn through the Saturn system, exuding the confidence of someone ready to face any challenger.

Ahead, a 20-meter-diameter asteroid appeared in the Dawn’s path. Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up.

“Perfect for testing the Dawn’s weaponry and hull strength.”

He issued the attack command, and the Dawn’s onboard instruments instantly scanned the asteroid. In less than a millisecond, the systems calculated its speed, position, trajectory, center of mass, and density. Targeting systems locked on, the ship’s bottom bay doors opened, and a launch platform extended, revealing a spherical space missile armed with a high-yield strategic hydrogen bomb.

The asteroid, drifting unperturbed 30,000 kilometers away in Saturn’s orbit, was oblivious to the impending catastrophe brought about by Xiao Yu’s whim.

“Launch!” Xiao Yu commanded.

The missile’s launch arm released it, and a stream of fiery propulsion erupted from its rear. With a roar, the missile raced toward its target.

Unlike Earth’s cylindrical missiles with conical tips designed to minimize air resistance, Xiao Yu’s missile was spherical. With his current technology, air resistance was not a concern; instead, the design addressed the immense stress exerted on the missile’s body during extreme acceleration. A spherical shape distributed these forces evenly, preventing structural failure.

The missile’s speed reached 2,000 kilometers per second in mere seconds. Fifteen seconds after launch, it reached the asteroid.

Just before impact, the hydrogen bomb detonated. In a blinding flash of light and searing heat, the several-thousand-ton asteroid was instantly vaporized.

A fraction of a second later, intense radiation and heat waves washed over the Dawn. Yet the ship remained unmoved, its high-strength hull showing no signs of damage.

“Not bad,” Xiao Yu mused, beaming with pride.

Over the course of the day, Xiao Yu tested the Dawn’s laser cannons and high-speed machine guns on other asteroids. The surrounding space was littered with misfortune, as one asteroid after another, harmlessly orbiting Saturn, was obliterated—vaporized by powerful lasers or pulverized by barrages of bullets.

“Due to the Dawn’s size, the laser cannons’ power is currently limited. But once larger ‘County-Class’ ships are built, their firepower can be further enhanced. With so many weapons, I won’t need to fear any foolish aliens,” Xiao Yu thought with satisfaction.