Chapter 59 Collapse Date

Planet BV-32. North of the 'Life Sphere' wilderness, ammonia frozen lake on the plateau.

It is still three thousand kilometers from here to the polar night line. After crossing the polar night line, it is the dark side of the planet, which is an even more lifeless dark desert.

At this moment, there are still one hundred and nine interstellar hours from the time when Su Xi "fell" from the wormhole to this planet.

For the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle that accidentally landed at a wrong time, it still has 25 star hours to escape the 'time paradox zone' and resume normal communication with the outside world.

Looking down from the sky, there is a giant ice sculpture on the mirror-like frozen lake that was smashed by foreign objects. Several black spots as small as ants are circling around a silver water droplet.

Looking from the close-up at the smooth ice surface, the five small black dots turned out to be six people wearing anti-freeze suits, performing emergency ice maintenance work.

But this is not a comfortable sub-zero temperature working scene.

Under the smooth ice surface of this ammonia frozen lake is a liquid ammonia mixture with an excessively high concentration. Therefore, it is not possible to directly use a hot melt gun to clean the frozen parts. Instead, it must rely on manual labor and precision work.

This is a delicate job that requires patience, and it is not something that can be done by someone with a bad temper.

No, bang!

A blue alpha with short spiked hair threw the frozen wrench to the ground. It hit the hard ice surface, leaving only a shallow pit. As ice chips flew and rubbed against it, a faint smoke rose up.

This unusual sight did not attract his attention. The irritable alpha raised his head and rushed towards his nearest teammate, an alpha named Old Modi, and shouted:

"Old Modi! You are very knowledgeable. Tell me! Isn't the auxiliary power system of the Sun Swallowing Shuttle known as the latest black technology? What about the smooth and barrier-free passage through wormholes? What about the most accurate positioning of time and space coordinates... But how come it can't even withstand such a low temperature after falling on the ice?"

"Look! How broken are the blades of this engine?"

"Get to work, stop talking nonsense!" Modi, who passed by, ignored him, threw him a new wrench, and squatted down to check the results of Rambo's work.

Although this guy has a low IQ and a bad temper, as a 'flame-type' psychic, in addition to excellent explosive power, he is surprisingly good at this kind of delicate melting work. It seems that those who can be accepted into this team are all specially selected top players.

Several thoughts flashed through Old Modi's mind, and he began to wonder about the origin of the omega that needed to be rescued in the second mission target.

But apart from that, the special agents in this team seem to have one thing in common.

What was it? A vague thought came to his mind, but before he could fully grasp it, he was interrupted by the shouting in the internal channel.

"Stop talking nonsense! Rambo, if you have the energy to waste on talking nonsense, why not come and help me push this 'little drop'."

The teammates on the other side shouted in the inside channel, immediately interrupting Rambo's angry muttering.

"Okay, here I come! I prefer to do things that don't require any brainpower!"

*

Inside the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle.

The conversation between Rambo and several others outside the cabin was clearly echoed in the expanded internal communication channel.

There was a heavy atmosphere between Chris and Mary who stayed in the inner cabin, and Gary who was awakened because of the emergency.

Their eyes were focused on the palm-sized alloy sheet inside the 'Matter Detector' that was currently conducting tests. In the test report on the screen, the lines of red 'warning' words were so glaring.

"Although Rambo's brain is not working well and he refuses to implant a silicon-based nanochip to expand his brain capacity, his question just now is a rare example of his intelligence."

Gary held the thermos cup in his hand and spoke slowly, his eyes fixed on Mary who was behind the console.

After hearing these suggestive words, Mary's back stiffened and her eyes became angry, but she opened her mouth but could not refute it. After all, she was responsible for the final quality inspection.

"If you want to talk about responsibility, hold me accountable first. After all, I am the person in charge of the entire 'Sun Swallowing Shuttle' project."

Chris's words broke the tense atmosphere between the two, and her next words dispelled the suspicion that had just arisen within the group.

"The most likely possibility is that the quality inspection report of the auxiliary engine's turbine blades was falsified," Chris said with a cold look in his eyes. "It has nothing to do with the engineering department. There is a problem with the material supplier."

Mary's fingers flew as she quickly called up all the units involved in the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle's transformation. Looking at the long list scrolling out on the screen, she said hesitantly, "From the final assembly unit of the military processing plant to the material supplier...even all the production and manufacturing units involved in this production chain are the First Fortress's own industries..."

"Even the raw ore is collected from His Highness Fitzgerald's own mines. There is absolutely no possibility of raw materials being replaced. So where does the problem come from?"

"You don't understand." Gary rubbed the thermos in his hand and interrupted her rudely. He understood immediately after Chris said that.

He spoke slowly, "A key material for synthesizing this turbine blade is also produced in the mineral system under the commander's name, but it is a direct mineral lineage passed down directly to the 'Heir to the Empire'. All information such as annual production, output, and usage must be reviewed and approved by the Senate."

Mary frowned and murmured, "That is the private property of the royal family. It has always been in the hands of the current Majesty. Is the Beta Duke really so respected?"

Gary, who was more sensitive to politics, had a thought in his mind: "Could it be that the current emperor, who has always been ambiguous, is determined to support the current second in line of succession until he ascends to the throne?"

But it is too unreasonable to go against tradition and recommend a beta to sit in that position. His Majesty Anthony is not an alpha with equal rights awareness.

Gary fell into deep thought. For him, who has been carrying out double-agent missions for a long time, any political changes after the change of government will have a great impact on his retirement life.

Not only is it about personal life. But also... He touched his son's doodle on his chest.

"Haha!" Chris suddenly laughed at the uncertain expressions of the two. As the end of the 'successor assessment period' drew closer, the situation in Yindu became more and more tense since Nadel came to the First Fortress. She fully understood the pressure they were under.

Chris stood up, patted his old friend Gary on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry too much, guys!"

"Your Majesty, who is now about to age, also obtained the position of heir from the 'Zhou Tomb' five hundred years ago, but he only inherited the name 'Antonio'."

"Think about who we are following," Chris looked at the progress of the external maintenance work and walked to the control panel to readjust the engine's simulated curvature. "The strongest alpha in the Empire, the son of 'Gerald' who returned from the Tomb of the Universe, is strong in more than just mental strength."

"What's more, he brought this thing back from the Tomb of the Universe." After completing the debugging, Chris opened the observation window in the inner cabin leading to the 'nuclear crystal cabin', and a changing soft blue light sprinkled out.

It was an extremely beautiful and huge spiritual crystal, a complete and almost perfect 'Sun Devouring Beast Core'.

"This is an important key to the future."

"I've never doubted this," Gary put down the thermos in his hand and said seriously, "It's not because of power, the title of the strongest or anything else."

Mary saw the interaction between the two and seemed to be thinking about something.

"Allen, how long will it take to be repaired?" Chris turned around and looked at the technicians who were busy in the 'nuclear crystal cabin' and asked.

"It will be done soon, sir!" The young alpha with fluffy curly hair raised his head and grinned with red lips and white teeth.

"I have rewritten a software program and am now testing it with the main program. As long as the engine damage rate does not exceed 80%, there will be no problem in directly performing two 'space-time jumps' with the mission objectives!"

The young man's eyes behind the black-framed glasses sparkled with confidence, and Chris nodded and praised him a few times.

As he was speaking, the six special agents who were performing emergency maintenance work outside the shuttle returned to the inner cabin. Chris gathered everyone together, gave a brief explanation, and then summarized:

"We are now in a 'time paradox zone' and cannot directly interfere with the landing of the mission target, nor can we directly appear in the previously preset superimposed time zone."

"But outside of this restricted area, we still have a lot of work to do. Exploring the surrounding environment in advance is the first step. After all, the Vulture is on the run. In addition to meeting the mission target, we also need to consider how to capture it with the least harm."

"Now, I start assigning tasks."

*

After this brief meeting, the team members got busy with their respective duties.

At this point in time, there are still 106 interstellar hours from when Su Xi "fell" from the wormhole to this planet.

There are still 22 star hours left to restore normal quantum communication. The time is tight and the task is heavy, but they are accustomed to various tasks and quickly complete their respective duties.

They first spent half a day placing a small monitoring satellite outside the atmosphere of planet BV-32. The distance in space and time was just on the edge of the "time paradox".

In this way, after Su Xi "falls" on this planet, although I won't be able to appear in front of her immediately, there will be no problem in observing her from a distance.

Chris checked the quality of the monitoring satellite. The picture quality was so clear that even the tentacles of insects crawling on the ground were clearly visible.

The technically savvy curly alpha Allen quickly determined the best point in time and space for entry based on the results of ground surveys.

Then he picked up a small kite-like aircraft and flew it under the eternally dark sky. This special aircraft can measure the energy changes in time and space precisely like a meteorologist.

After the collected signals are returned to the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle's main brain, the program will guide them to integrate the two timelines at the most appropriate place.

Because of the 'engine failure' mentioned above, they landed abnormally, and if they were not careful, they would be annihilated and lost in the entire time and space due to the principle of 'time paradox'.

"Hey, Old Mo," Rambo, who was the most relaxed, came over and handed a cigarette to Old Modi who was resting nearby, and said with a bit of worry, "I heard that you have a lot of experience in executing missions in this kind of 'abnormal time and space'. You were also lost in the wrong time for ten years, and were finally found and brought back. That's why you, who are in the same class as Gary, look so old."

"I heard that after completing this kind of mission, there are always very troublesome sequelae?"

"Well, it's okay." Lao Mo held a cigar in his mouth but did not light it immediately. He said in a vague accent, "It's not too troublesome. Sometimes I will get 'time-space confusion', but it will be fine after a few mental counseling sessions."

"Tell me, if there is any problem again, can we go back to normal time and space? I don't want the kid to call someone else dad by the time I get home!" Rambo looked worried. If there was something wrong with the mission, it wouldn't be a big deal. Anyway, he didn't expect to have a normal retirement when doing this job.

"The most worrying thing is that if the return time falls into the negative value again, there will be a 'young and handsome me' and an old and ugly 'me' like you. In this case, what will my little O do to choose?"

After hearing such unreliable words, Lao Mo was too lazy to argue with Rambo, who was always stupid. He said, "You think too much. This situation will never happen. Go back and get a silicon-based nanochip implanted in your brain to improve your IQ. Otherwise, you won't even be able to do a job washing dishes after you are discharged."

"Tsk! My little O is the regional spokesperson for the 'School of Nature' and won't allow me to do this." Rambo said worriedly. His good wife was willing to let him be marked only because he was 'pure natural and additive-free' from head to toe. Implanting a chip is not important at all compared to happiness.

"Tell me, what is the most troublesome part of this mission?"

"The most troublesome thing is being trapped in a 'time corridor' with an abnormal dimension. Once I stayed in it for 182 months. Even with special drugs, it was difficult to maintain a clear mind... I almost went crazy at the end. If the commander hadn't pulled me out, I would have definitely finished that time."

Thinking of that incident, old Modi still feels a lingering fear.

Chris patted him on the shoulder, then said to Rambo: "The highest known record is the experience of 'multiple time and space chaos' that lasted for more than a thousand years. However, that level of disorder in time and space energy is impossible to encounter in the current mission, so there is no need to worry."

"Who is the missionary? How could he not go crazy after returning to the normal timeline?" Rambo was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out. "It's totally unimaginable!"

Chris didn't answer him.

Because the communication call they were waiting for has rang.

At this point in time, there are still 84 interstellar hours from when Su Xi "fell" from the wormhole to this planet. Exactly three and a half days.

*

First Fortress. After the Sun Swallowing Shuttle took off, three days passed by slowly.

After receiving Fitzgerald's request for a full-staff meeting, Albert quickly convened all relevant personnel, especially the research team led by Collot.

Then, after comparing the latest information provided by Fitzgerald with the latest genetic simulation sequence of the accidentally harvested insect nucleus material, everyone fell silent when looking at the latest verified results.

The depletion of cosmic energy is inevitable.

The apocalyptic large-scale collapse will happen within two or three generations of theirs.

In the quantum video, Fitzgerald's expression was cold, but his tone was firm: "Don't worry too much. I have seen countless possibilities in the 'Cosmic Tomb', and the exhaustion of cosmic energy is only the clearest one. Our hope lies in the mist of the 'Cosmic Tomb'."

Albert was suddenly stunned for a moment. As the heir of the Shulen family, he had heard some rumors among the upper class about this conclusion.

Therefore, he was not as out of control as the others at the meeting, but looking at his friend's overly cold expression in the video, the tone of arranging boring daily affairs, and bringing up an event related to the survival of the entire universe...

Albert suddenly remembered the strange changes in his friend who returned from the 'Zhou Tomb'. And after he was given the name 'Fitzgerald', his temperament became even colder and harder to approach.

Albert once thought that the changes were caused by his status and power, but now he suddenly had a new understanding.

"Chris's communication request will ring in five minutes," Fitzgerald said solemnly, "Regarding the action changes for her 'third mission objective', I have uploaded them to your personal terminal. Please convey them."

"Wait! How do you know the exact time of Chris's communication request?" Albert's face suddenly became serious. "Where are you sending the communication now? Could it be that--"

He glanced at the quantum clock. Chris's state was still in a stagnant 'blank' and disconnected, while the quantum clock reading representing Fitzgerald was jumping weirdly and chaotically, sometimes negative and sometimes positive... He was in a state of extreme time confusion, but he could still make calls normally. There was only one possibility!

"Yes," Fitzgerald confirmed his guess, "I am now at the edge of the event horizon of the Hera Black Hole, and I can initiate communication at the critical point of the space-time paradox."

"But a three-way communication across time and space will make my subsequent timeline even more unstable. I have two minutes left to transfer the file, and I will end this communication."

"No, I mean," Albert said almost incoherently, "but that's the nest of the 'Queen of the Insect Tribe'."

Sir Kolot, who had finally recovered from his emotions, came to his senses and said with a trembling voice, "Your Highness, our previously planned exploration of the outer reaches of the universe does not require going deep into the nest of the 'Queen of the Insect Tribe'. Your behavior is too risky!"

"I don't have enough 'time left' to explore all the monitoring points according to the previous version of the plan," the video of the communication began to twitch unsteadily. Fitzgerald quickly explained his next plan. Finally, he said, "I will go straight to the nest as the last mission execution point."

Then he gave a few words of encouragement to the panicked people on the conference screen and hung up the call.

As one of the few insiders, he knew that in the core of the Zerg Queen's lair, there was an unstable multi-dimensional passage. It was a passage opened by generations of migrating Zergs to transport Zerg soldiers. As long as he could pass through it alive, he could go to any time and space point he wanted to go to in the star field where the Zerg lived.

He covered his chest with his hands. The small piece of soul fragment that was taken out from the wormhole was burning and anxious, and it emitted a series of very clear warnings.

That was a more urgent reminder than the two previous ones.

She is in danger.