Chapter 156 Finals (10)

As the surroundings became completely clear, the energy wind from the concentrator weakened and eventually ceased. This strong wind seemed to exist solely to disperse the black tide energy near the base entrance, like blowing away the thick dust accumulated on the surface of an old storage container.

As the energy wind died down, the interfering energy around the starship also vanished. The cockpit lights flickered and reactivated. The control screen and star map popped up, along with a system connection dialog box.

"Human identity verified. The 3311th generation base intelligent defense system is now accessible."

Hao Ru and An Qiang: "..."

The two exchanged glances. After a moment, Hao Ru said, "I agree to access."

"drop--"

The words on the large light screen hanging in front of the starship disappeared, and the light screen went out completely.

Hao Ru was startled, almost thinking she'd just said "system shutdown" instead of "connection." But then she saw the starship's connection screen was still lit.

The palm-sized screen suddenly bulged and stretched forward, transforming into the shape of an ancient cubic robot. The square-headed robot hovered in mid-air, its simple facial features, composed of pixels, flashing on the screen in front of its head.

"Hello, welcome to Xiaofang." The mechanical sound of a tablet echoed through the monitor, echoing in the cockpit. "A reminder: an energy explosion is imminent at the center of the Kuroshio. Xiaofang recommends returning immediately."

"I have a question for you, Xiaofang." Hao Ru synchronized the latest star map with the defense system and asked, "How far is the impact range of the energy explosion at the center of the black tide? What's the area beyond this line?"

Her finger pointed at the Second Legion's temporary space station beyond the star line. The coordinates of the station then floated up.

The small robot head suspended in the void shook its head: "No. This place will not be affected by the energy explosion in the core area of ​​the Black Tide."

"The core region's energy has a potential to affect the tenth, ninth, and even seventh stars. The star regions beyond the seventh star are confirmed to be safe."

Hao Ru was a little puzzled. "What's the point of an energy burst in such a small area?"

"...What about here?" She muttered to herself as she stretched out her hand and pointed, typing out the coordinates of the free travel area, the border line of the central star field, and several planets in the border of the central star field.

The robots all shook their heads and confirmed, "These locations will not be affected."

Still a little worried, Hao Ru pointed to locations in the southeastern and southwestern star fields close to the Black Tide Star Sea, and received the same reply that these locations were very safe.

Because there were too many questions about the location, the robot showed a simple expression of annoyance on its face.

"I repeat, the star region beyond the seventh star is confirmed to be safe." It slightly increased the volume. "Humans, please refrain from asking repetitive questions."

"Is it credible?" An Qiang looked at the little robot, still a little skeptical. "Also, why is the probability of the tenth planet being affected 50%? Isn't this about the same as flipping a coin?"

“…”

The pixelated features on the robot's screen changed from annoyance to anger, with his eyebrows raised at a sixty-degree angle.

"Humans, please trust Xiao Fang's calculations!" Its voice grew louder, though still very flat. "The energy fluctuation data Xiao Fang obtained comes from thousands of large radars deployed at the base. Xiao Fang's creator is the chief scientist of the North Star Domain Computer Science Institute."

"Xiao Fang observed the explosion of Kuroshio's core energy twenty years ago."

"According to calculations by the team of scientists at the base, the Kuroshio core energy explosion is part of the Kuroshio's growth cycle. It occurs periodically, and its impact generally does not extend beyond the Kuroshio's perimeter. Its significance to the Kuroshio remains to be determined."

"After the last core energy burst, the outer defenses of the Tenth Star Base were damaged. The base was subsequently attacked by a large-scale black tide creature."

"Xiao Fang was locked into the bottommost layer of protection. He used his remaining energy to perform over three thousand self-calculation iterations and continuously observed the Kuroshio energy using radar. The algorithm he developed is now very reliable."

"Also, the 50% probability is a conclusion drawn by taking into account the influence of other uncertain factors, not a random result from flipping a coin!"

At the mention of the base being attacked, Hao Ru and An Qiang fell silent. An Qiang scratched his head, not bothering to correct Xiao Fang's misunderstanding of his words about flipping a coin and a fifty percent probability.

Both of their hearts were filled with one sentence.

They came too late.

"Let's return first." After a moment's silence, Hao Ru tried her best to suppress her emotions and spoke first, "Report the situation to Commander Musa and notify him to send a space shuttle exploration team."

"After notifying all the teams, we'll still have time to retrieve the data." An Qiang roughly calculated the time in his mind. "All starships carry the energy needed for two space shuttles. It will take about three hours to refill the energy tanks after returning."

"We'll charge for three hours, then set sail to notify Ship 0-2. Both starships will charge simultaneously to notify Ship 3-4, and finally Ship 5. We'll return here to transmit the data."

"Yes," Hao Ru said as she maneuvered the starship to regain altitude. She turned to the robot screen next to her and asked, "Does the 3,611GB of data include your algorithm?"

The robot screen in the cockpit flickered.

"Of course it does," it said proudly, "Xiao Fang's algorithm is also one of the important materials."

"It's detected that the starship's altitude is about to exceed the defense system and distance." The robot smiled. "Looking forward to meeting you next time. Have a pleasant journey."

The giant radars shrank as the starship rose in altitude.

In just a few minutes, new black tide energy had spread from deeper into the Black Tide Star Sea, climbing onto the surface of the radar and slowly obscuring the scene here.

The starship's space shuttle was charging and activating. An Qiang retracted his mental energy threads. A second before they were completely retracted, he sensed a vague, strange sensation.

It seemed as if some creature was peering at this place from the core of the Black Tide Star Sea, eerie and terrifying.

An Qiang shuddered.

The next second, the space shuttle device activated. The vast expanse of the Black Tide Star Sea was left behind, and the Second Legion's temporary space station, located in front of the star line, came into view.

"Beep—" The communication was restored immediately. Hao Ru pressed the communicator and said quickly, "Captain Musa, I have a special situation to report to you."

*

"Yes, because this is a special case, so we have no choice but to do so." In the space station at the end of the first stage of the Star Navigation Competition, a competition staff member was in the colorful lounge, soliciting their opinions.

"Calculations show it will take at least three months for the energy river to naturally extinguish... and this energy river stretches across the entire competition area, so it's not possible to circumvent it." A staff member wiped the sweat from his forehead and said helplessly, "But the finals can't last that long."

"The organizing committee is dispatching the fleet to open a new path through the burning energy river. This will temporarily extinguish the flames, allowing all subsequent teams to start over and cross the energy river through the path."

"However, the competition will add the three months required to completely extinguish the energy river to the arrival time of the trailing teams to ensure fairness."

His voice became increasingly quiet.

Because the colorful captain Mu Baixing in front was looking at him with a stern expression.

The man did not interrupt him, but his cold eyes revealed his disapproval.

The sense of oppression was so strong that the staff were nervous.

"The competition calculates the energy a starship can carry based on points," Ming Yu said. "If we calculate it that way, our arrival time is far ahead, so we should be able to carry a lot of energy."

"But carrying too many resources will increase the weight of the starship and increase energy consumption."

"Also, the energy required for the second stage of the race is limited, and not all the energy carried is efficient."

"Yes," the staff member nodded repeatedly and quickly explained, "Too much energy is harmful rather than beneficial, so we will use the colorful full energy load as the basic standard..."

"The Star Navigation Competition will absolutely guarantee fair competition and will not erase the advantages of the colorful ones."

Mingyu blinked.

"Haven't you calculated it carefully?" The young man took out an electronic pen and wrote down a series of calculation formulas on the light screen.

He quickly calculated the result and passed it to the staff opposite him, saying bluntly, "According to our optimal energy load, the energy carried by the warships in the rear is only in the single digits. So, these warships should be stranded within minutes of entering the maze, right?"

"There are now five teams that have crossed the Energy River, including us." Mingyu smiled. "If we follow your solution, then the final of the second stage will be fought among these five teams."

"This is no different than forcing those teams to withdraw from the competition at this time. Why waste time and energy on opening a channel in the Burning Energy River?"

Staff: “…”

The staff member was speechless for a moment and unable to answer, so he quickly conveyed Mingyu's words to the organizing committee.

Several members of the Star Navigation Competition Organizing Committee looked at each other in bewilderment. Only Gao Siqi remained calm and twirled the electronic pen in his hand.

"Forget about it." A member of the organizing committee slapped his forehead. From Mu Baixing and Mingyu igniting the energy river to the colorful starship successfully completing the long-distance space shuttle, his mind was still dull, far less flexible than usual.

"What should we do then?" Another member just remembered this. "But this is the only fair solution..."

"Then we won't open a channel. We can just tell the teams the results and ask them to withdraw from the competition," Gao Siqi said. "The Star Navigation Competition has been held for ten years and has attracted many potential Star Navigators to participate."

"They come not only because of the generous rewards, but also because the competition system is fair and reasonable."

"Colorful has the ability to hold off the remaining teams for three months. That's three months. We can't let the length of time mean we can't diminish their inherent advantage."

Several other members of the organizing committee were a little hesitant.

"The first and second stages of the finals weren't meant to be a knockout round," the first person to speak said worriedly. "Five teams competing for the top three, though, that's not impossible..."

But the subsequent excitement and competitiveness of the game were a bit lacking.

You know, the Killer and Eggplant Flower are both blocked behind the star line!

"Well," Mingyu said from the other side, "We can accept other compensation."

You know the energy river you have ignited.

Before the staff arrived, he, Mu Boxing and Wucai Toumao had already discussed acceptable solutions.

"We can agree that the competition will calculate the filling ratio based on the energy standard that most starships can operate normally for a period of time. And our starships will only carry the optimal amount of energy required by the starship."

"But as compensation, if we make it into the top three, all the rewards will be doubled." The young man said seriously.

Staff: "What if you don't make it into the top three?"

Mingyu smiled.

"If we don't make it into the top three, just consider it a charity and don't take a penny."

He said it very casually.

“…”

The members of the Star Navigation Competition Organizing Committee looked at each other in confusion.

They said they don’t want it if there is no ranking, but... if they want to agree to this condition, they must prepare according to the colorful ranking.

Everyone present could hear the confidence in Mingyu's tone.

Without this confidence, Wucaibanlan would never have proposed such a condition!

The prize pool for the competition finals is already quite generous.

A large amount of bonuses, energy minerals, rare star navigation resources... Even if you only get third place, these rewards can support the daily development expenses of a medium-sized exploration team for at least five years.

The second place has enough resources to last for ten years, while the first place has enough resources for fifty years.

If it doubles again...

It's not about whether they are willing or not! It's about whether they can come up with so much money!

The rewards for the Star Navigation Competition were donated jointly by the governments of three human star regions. The organizing committee of the competition did not dare to agree directly and quickly submitted special applications to the top leaders of each star region.

Mingyu added sincerely, "You can pay in installments."

Everyone: “…”

Upon receiving the news, the Navigation Department, Military Department, and Finance Department of the Southeast and Southwest Star Regions immediately convened an emergency meeting.

Because the amount to be considered was not small, the highest officials of the two star regions were also alarmed.

The two star regions didn't spend much time discussing before giving the same answer: "Give money."

On the one hand, if I don’t pay, the strongest participating team in my own star field will end up like this, which makes me feel a little aggrieved.

On the other hand, since Wucai Bianlan made such a request, it either needed resources or money. This was the perfect time for them to sell their benefits!

This team is so capable that even if they don't plan to choose their own star field to settle down, they can't be allowed to have any ill feelings towards themselves.

Putting aside other things, even if they wanted the space travel technology, they'd have to negotiate with LUCE to buy it! What if LUCE got angry and refused to sell it to them?!

What's more, if Wucai Bianlan thought they were generous, would they really be willing to come to their southeast or southwest star regions?!

Central Star Region Director: "..."

If nothing else, he never had a completely colorful daydream.

Of course he agreed to the colorful file, but his face looked very haggard when he signed it.

Mu Baixing wants to rebuild the North Star Region, so of course he can't stay.

He is now afraid that Mingyu will be abducted!

What's more, this talented designer didn't seem to leave any good memories in the central star field. First it was Ming Zhilang's family, and then it was Wang Xi.

The director got angry when he thought about what Wang Xi had done!

He was furious at one moment and worried at the next. Finally, he signed the decree with two quick strokes.

The aircraft carriers responsible for handling special situations in the Star Navigation Competition were dispatched and began to work hard to open a channel in the burning energy belt.

This matter is not simple.

When the channel was opened and the starships of each team reached the end of the first stage in a melee, more than ten hours had passed since the colorful arrival of the destination.

All the colorful people had eaten and drunk their fill, had a good sleep, and were even beginning to feel a little bored.

During the six hours when the route was opened, Rabbit commentator temporarily left the live broadcast station and took a nap in the aircraft on the side.

Although he continued to explain for more than four hours, his throat was hoarse, he was still in high spirits after seeing that all the ships had reached the end of the first stage.

"The first stage of the Star Navigation Competition finals has officially ended!" The plush rabbit cleared his throat and announced.

"After such a long competition, even I'm feeling a little tired, let alone our competitors!" Rabbit paused as he saw the colorful silver-white starships on the screen. "At least most of the competitors..."

Although he couldn't tell anything from the image of this steel behemoth... he knew that the colorful contestants must be full of energy and not tired at all!

"Therefore, the second stage of the Air Star Maze race won't be too long! There are actually quite a few traps and treasure chests in the maze that can help them avoid dead ends and reach the finish line." He spoke in a low voice, as if whispering. "Of course, this is just some insider information I got from the Star Navigation Competition Organizing Committee. Our participating teams are still unaware of it."

"Let's move the camera to the competition map—all teams have sailed to their randomly assigned maze entrances!"

"The second stage, the competition begins!"

The colorful starship has entered the entrance of the maze.

The entire maze is built in a sea of ​​stars with three gas stars as its core.

The vast sea of ​​stars within the competition area was largely obscured by rings surrounding several gas stars. Dust scattered within these rings, their colors dappled under the illumination of distant stars, made the view blurry and indistinct. Traveling through them, one's vision became blurred, and nothing could be clearly seen.

The Star Navigation Competition also placed a large number of jammers in this sea of ​​stars, so the visibility in the spiritual field of vision is also astonishingly low.

The starship's navigational path is marked by laser designators placed throughout the competition. If any part of the starship, or even artillery fire, touches the fluorescent green laser grid emitted by the designator, the starship will be considered to have exceeded the range of the standard instruments on both sides of the channel, and a foul will be called.

The offending team will stay where they are for two hours before setting off again.

Because of this rule, each team slowed down their sailing speed and moved forward by feeling their way across the river.

Five minutes later, the colorful creature carefully bypassed an energy vortex.

"The race's marked routes are incredibly complex." None of the observation instruments were particularly effective. Redhead struggled to decipher the data on the instrument screen, his eyes wide. "There seems to be another fork in the road ahead. But why are both entrances, and the end of our path, blocked by laser barriers?"

"Brother LU, do you think there is another way here? Is there something else I haven't seen?"

"There's no other way." Mingyu looked ahead. "You're right. The intersections are all blocked by laser barriers."

"Is it a dead end?" Redhead scratched his head. "We've already reached several forks in the road. Should we go back and try another route?"

Ming Yu shook his head. "There's a circular gap in the center of the laser barrier at the end of the road. There's something behind the gap."

Following Mingyu's direction, Hongmao looked hard at the detection screen: "It seems like there is something there, but I can't see it clearly..."

Mu Baixing: "It's a button."

The starship glided forward, and the laser barrier in front came into his susceptible range.

The man narrowed his eyes slightly and saw the target from the chaotic energy flow stirred by the energy jammer.

The gun barrels at the bottom of the starship were charging, but the outer gun barrels remained silent, with only a thin dark golden straight line lighting up in the center.

The shot wasn't powerful, but it was deft and accurate, piercing through the finger-sized ring in the laser grid and smashing the black button at the back.

puff.

The button shattered, triggering a mechanism at the back. A light screen popped up behind the laser barrier at the end of the road, with a line of clear, large characters in the center:

"Dice? Or monsters! :)"