In the staff cafeteria of the Simulator Dome.

Chen Ming was eating breakfast and thinking about what had just happened, and he was chatting with Bai Quan who was typing something on the terminal next to him.

The simulated battle has ended. Once he has dealt with the remaining matters in the simulation, it will be time to get down to business.

There are still a lot of things that need to be done with the research institute and the mechanical clan.

However, just when he was thinking about whether Lou Wei would do something disgusting in the industrial colony, he was a little distracted.

Bai Quan suddenly stopped moving his hands on the terminal, raised his head and asked Chen Ming: "What do you think?"

"What idea?"

"It's the data you get in the simulation or something."

Chen Ming looked at Bai Quan with some surprise, and said without hiding anything, "They are all very good, and they are all things I need right now. It's a pity that I only remembered a part of them, and I won't have the chance to get the rest."

"In fact, there is still a chance. You can start the next simulation that requires deep consciousness diving in a month."

"oh?"

Bai Quan's meaning became clearer. It seemed that he knew very well what Chen Ming needed most right now.

Then Chen Ming would definitely not refuse Bai Quan’s kindness.

There was one question Chen Ming had to clarify: "So the limit on deep consciousness entry is only one month?"

Cheng Xinghai had only mentioned this point before, and did not explain more about the other details of deep consciousness infiltration, so Chen Ming felt it was better to ask now.

However, Bai Quan didn't have much to say. He thought about Chen Ming's question and said, "Basically, this is the limit. If there are other limits... it's that some drugs or equipment that may speed up a person's thinking speed should not be used before entering deep consciousness."

"Forehead……"

Chen Ming immediately thought of the things he often used that he got from Yu Hui. Yu Hui also got various devices that amplify mental power and psychic energy from another civilization. These things seemed to be within the restrictions that Bai Quan mentioned.

Moreover, Chen Ming also has a passive hive mind network that accelerates thinking.

Other devices can be stopped before participating in a simulated battle, but the hive mind network cannot be disconnected.

Chen Ming quickly asked again: "What are the consequences of using these things?"

"It is said that it increases the possibility of addiction and makes people more likely to indulge in accelerated thinking, which is a bit similar to smoking and Internet addiction."

"But the consequences will be more serious. Long-term deep consciousness will cause the brain to not be able to rest for a long time, which will cause serious problems. So if you can't control this feeling, it will not be a problem that can be solved by a one-month restriction. In serious cases, you will have to undergo forced withdrawal again."

"But those who do this only say that suspicion will increase the probability, not that it is 100% certain, but generally speaking, it is better not to use it if you can."

“Oh, I see.”

That’s not bad. Chen Ming thinks that his willpower is still very strong.

As long as the psychological problems do not cause irreversible physiological effects like various stimulants, Chen Ming can overcome them on his own.

If it's just similar to smoking or internet addiction, then it's not a big problem.

Besides, he had already finished a simulation and nothing happened, so there shouldn't be any problem.

If it really doesn't work, he should be more careful the next time he simulates, and disconnect the prosthesis directly if he encounters any unexpected situation.

And if there are no special circumstances in the next simulation, then it can be basically confirmed that there will be no problem even with the extra thinking speed.

Chen Ming felt a little relieved, and suddenly realized that Bai Quan seemed to have said something special: "I know a lot about the devices that you just mentioned that speed up thinking, but drugs that speed up thinking?"

“Drugs are much more common than devices.”

Bai Quan said this and took out a small bottle of medicine from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"Like this, the drug I mentioned that speeds up thinking."

"In the past, there was a psychic pharmacist who proposed the concept of mind-accelerating drugs based on the mind-accelerating equipment that the Empire obtained from that civilization."

"He followed his idea and started his research from military stimulants, which were the closest to his idea. He then developed scientific stimulants for various researchers. Then, these stimulants were further developed into stimulants that could be used in some civilian positions."

Chen Ming picked up the small transparent bottle, looked at the white pills inside and asked curiously, "What are its side effects?"

“Eat more every day.”

Chen Ming glanced at the breakfast in front of Bai Quan. Judging from the quantity, it was indeed much more than his.

But now we are comparing it to his prosthesis. The amount of food consumed by his real body at each meal is even more than what Baiquan eats now.

This is indeed an inevitable situation caused by accelerated thinking leading to increased energy consumption of the human body.

Chen Ming nodded slightly, but Bai Quan did not continue speaking.

"That's it? That's all?"

"Yes, that's all. The one I use is probably the latest clerical stimulant developed."

"Compared to military drugs, the stimulants used in scientific research and civilian work are inherently milder in nature."

"Plus, since the drug acts on the nerves and brain, it cannot be very potent, so the side effects are certainly small."

"With current medical technology, one pill can solve all the side effects, so this drug will have no side effects."

Stimulants used in scientific research can accelerate thinking, which is closely related to the brain and consciousness.

Chen Ming immediately thought of the future development prospects of this drug.

He put down the small medicine bottle, pushed it in front of Baiquan, tapped the bottle cap and asked, "If that's the case, then how effective is this thing for psychics? What are the side effects?"

Baiquan opened the lid of the medicine, took out a pill and said, "Let's put it this way, this medicine works well for ordinary people like us, but for you psychics, the effect is still a little light."

"So now a hot research direction in psychic drugs is drugs that increase thinking speed."

"Didn't I tell you before that you should ask the doctor to give you a list of medicines? I'll get it for you tomorrow. You can look at it yourself and roughly understand the difference between psychic medicines and ordinary people's medicines in terms of thinking."

"OK."

After getting Chen Ming's response, Bai Quan directly stuffed the medicine he had just taken out into his mouth and continued to deal with the breakfast in front of him. It seemed that he had no intention of continuing speaking for the time being.

Chen Ming took the initiative to bring up the topic and asked, "What will happen to Lou Wei in the future?"

"There is a supervisory department within the 14th Corps. I have just submitted evidence to them. I estimate that Lou has been controlled by the supervisor."

"But he can still contact other people and ask the people behind him to help pull him out, so that he won't be dragged down to the bottom. He will definitely be seen again."

"Once he has completed the punishment process and the site for the colony has been chosen, we can prepare for the subsequent verification."

"Are you okay with the colony?"

Chen Ming showed a relieved expression and said, "How could I have a problem with something like this that is purely beneficial to me?"

"That's good."

Seeing this, Bai Quan didn't ask any more questions and talked about another matter.

"The subsequent compensation plan for the research results you lost in the simulation will have to wait. We need to find professionals to define your losses."

"I guess you should provide some preliminary information about your research to those people. They will sign a confidentiality agreement and will not disclose your research results."

"But since the simulation data is gone now, you have to prepare it again."

Chen Ming immediately agreed: "There is definitely no problem in re-preparing the data, but what if Lou Wei delays for a while and says that these are all new data?"

Baiquan didn't answer, but suddenly asked another question: "Did Xinghai tell you something?"

Chen Ming thought about what Cheng Xinghai had just said to him and responded, "Yes, she said that some of my data might be recoverable."

"It is this recoverable part that can help you prove that you have done these studies. As long as you have done them, Lou Wei must compensate according to the value of the research and the time of delay."

"The only problem now is that the recovery time may be uncertain."

Chen Ming immediately grasped the crux of the matter and asked, "What if the data cannot be restored? I can't just say whatever I say, right?"

"Of course not."

Bai Quan also immediately denied Chen Ming's idea and said, "But just like what you said just now, if the time to recover the data exceeds the time to redo the experiment and come up with results, or even if you have time to come up with new results, then there is no point in recovering the data."

"So, if the data cannot be repaired in a short period of time, then generally speaking, the research institute that lost the data will be given a deadline to restart the research according to the original time. According to the progress in the simulation, you will be given 24 days."

"In the past 24 days, whatever new research results you come up with can all be counted towards the lost data as part of the compensation."

"After all, time is also very valuable."

"For example, let's take antimatter technology."

"If the Xinda Company's research on antimatter technology was delayed for 24 days because someone inside made a mistake, and then during these 24 days, other companies and forces developed antimatter technology and obtained the expertise in this technology."

"What do you think will happen inside Xinda Company?"

Chen Ming said without even thinking: "Someone might even lose their head."

"That's what I mean. That's why we need to find a professional to estimate the exact amount of compensation, so that people won't lose their heads, and people who lose time won't suffer heavy losses."

"Of course, your future research results will be calculated according to the situation in the simulation. What cannot be done in the simulation will not be counted for you. Only those experiments that can be carried out in the simulation will be counted."

Chen Ming thought about Bai Quan's loss estimation plan for a while and said, "Even this is exaggerated. The basis of many research experiments is simulation. What you said now makes me a little unwilling to restore the data."

"Whether the data can be repaired depends mainly on luck. This method can only be used if the data cannot be repaired."

Chen Ming suddenly sensed Bai Quan's hidden meaning from this sentence, and said, "It mainly depends on luck. What do you want to look at this time?"

"I don't know either."

"The data still needs to be repaired, but you can't guarantee that it will be repaired quickly, so start your research first. Even if the data is repaired later, you don't have to spit out what you have taken in."

"At that time, we should find half of the people and Lou Wei should find half of the people to estimate your final losses and delayed time."

"The compensation for scientific research funds that Lou Wei mentioned earlier is just the basis. The bulk of the compensation will come from your research results."

"It's just that this compensation may not be too much for you."

Although Bai Quan said so, Chen Ming didn't feel that way.

After all, the liquid funds he currently has on hand are less than 20 billion. If he can get all the 1 billion that Lou Wei just promised, it will be equivalent to directly increasing the money on hand by 5%, which is a lot.

"No amount of money is too much, no amount of money is too little. Just make the best of it."

Chen Ming responded casually.

Anyway, although these things were his losses, he really didn't know how to get compensation.

After all, this is just Chen Ming's prosthesis, and many things have to follow the rules of the 14th Legion.

So he just needs to listen to these things now. Bai Quan will definitely arrange things while taking his interests into consideration as much as possible.

Bai Quan had no objection to this and said, "Okay, the synchrotron core I made earlier should arrive tomorrow. I'll give it to you along with the list from the doctor. Remember to contact me if you need anything in your research."

"After we've settled the compensation for research funding and research content, the only thing left should be the colonies. I may have to trouble you to go out there and make a trip then."

"Let's wait until they're done. I estimate it should be enough in a few days. If not, I'll go and urge them."

Bai Quan thought about it and realized that there was nothing urgent that he needed to explain to Chen Mingxian. He suddenly brought up something else: "Come to think of it, I feel like your mood swings seem a bit drastic today. You usually look quite calm."

Chen Ming explained: "It doesn't matter whether I am calm or violent. What's important is to make Lou Wei believe that although I look calm on the surface, I am already anxious in my heart."

"He doesn't know me, and doesn't know what I'm like normally. It's impossible that he only saw me for more than 20 days in the simulation? That's too abnormal."

"So without knowing my usual attitude, as long as I suddenly showed a little loophole when his mind went blank because of my questioning, he would definitely seize on this seemingly loophole."

"The result is what it is now. He fell for it. Of course, he also had a preconceived notion that I was cheating."

"I feel like he has some mental strength. He can lie without changing his expression, but he's a little bit troubled when it comes to areas he's not familiar with."

"When people panic and their brains twitch, that's bad."

Chen Ming's analysis of Lou Wei was so clear that Bai Quan was a little surprised and asked, "Have you studied psychology?"

"No, it's just some experience I learned from my boss."

"Wu An..."

Bai Quan recalled his understanding of Wu An and suddenly remembered that Wu An seemed to have graduated from a psychology major, and his psychic powers were also related to this aspect.

Then it is normal for Chen Ming, who was brought up by Wu An, to have some skills in this area.

Bai Quan didn't ask any more questions. After continuing to chat with Chen Ming for a while, he suddenly finished his breakfast and hurriedly left the cafeteria with the terminal.

Chen Ming also left the cafeteria shortly afterwards and boarded the shuttle docked at the edge of the dome.

He should be able to do something else this morning.

His racing thinking last night caused him to stay up all night with both his prosthesis and his real body, and he had trouble concentrating.

It just so happens that Baiquan also has to write a lot of reports on this matter, and he probably won't be able to spare the time, so he might as well skip classes in the morning and prepare for what to do next.

While thinking about what to do next, Chen Ming boarded the shuttle, took off, and headed for his dome.

Ten minutes later.

The general shape of the institute's dome appeared in front of Chen Ming in a cloud of volcanic ash.

And at this moment, Chen Ming, who was originally a little confused, suddenly became excited.

Because not far away there was a destroyer-class cargo ship flying in the air, flying towards his dome in a crooked manner, looking drunk.

Judging from the logo on the outside of the spaceship, this is a cargo spaceship that transports the mechanical individual materials that Chen Ming needs.

Chen Ming instantly thought of a possibility.

His eyes flashed, his face turned dark, and he immediately sent the video from the shuttle's recorder to Bai Quan.

At the same time, the shuttle's communication equipment was turned on, and a communication request was sent to the spaceship in front, which would hit the dome in less than half a minute.

However, just as he expected, there was no response to the communication.

Although this destroyer-class cargo ship has a streamlined operating system, there are generally only about ten people on board responsible for driving it.

But Chen Ming was very clear about how unlikely it was for ten people to get drunk together, so something must have happened on the boat.

Chen Ming took a deep breath, and metallic liquid overflowed from the void around him, surging and wrapping around Chen Ming, condensing into a locust power armor on his body.

At the same time, the shuttle was instantly overloaded, and its engine burst out at several times the speed and rushed towards the destroyer-class cargo ship.

Under Chen Ming's control, the shuttle deftly moved in an arc and directly hit the armor on the top of the cargo ship.

Chen Ming endured the impact and jumped out of the shuttle, landed on the top of the spaceship, reached out and touched the armor of the spaceship, and instantly took over the cargo spaceship.

After controlling the spacecraft to slow down and hover, the top armor of the spacecraft suddenly rippled like the surface of the water, and Chen Ming sank directly into it and landed in the cabin of the cargo ship.

The door of the cab was closed, and communication access requests were constantly sounding in front of the console.

And there was only one person sitting in front of the console.

His trembling hands instinctively gripped the joystick, but his entire face seemed to be immersed in something, as if he had just experienced something pleasurable.

That's why the spacecraft was flying crookedly just now.

Chen Ming had seen similar situations in several documents he had read before.

He walked forward with a frown and pulled open the driver's eyelids. He could see that the driver's pupils were slightly dilated and covered with dense bloodshot.

And the ends of the bloodshot veins in these eyeballs all have an unpleasant light pink color.

"Sure enough, he was smoking... No, he was injecting illegal drugs."

Chen Ming glanced at the ground next to him. There were four or five syringes with pink liquid remaining in them.

Chen Ming has seen this stuff more than once. It is a stimulant code-named DP-2 used within the military and is extremely addictive.

This driver was injected with this, which caused him to become this disgusting appearance.

And if Chen Ming did not take over, this destroyer-class cargo ship would definitely crash into the dome, causing huge losses.

Even if Chen Ming could react immediately and protect all the personnel, the loss of equipment would definitely not be small.

Although this appears to be an accident caused by the driver, a drug addict, suddenly falling ill and overdosing on stimulants while working.

But Chen Ming believed that this dose of stimulants was a premeditated suicide.

So this is another targeted plan.

Chen Ming sighed. He really didn't understand why someone had to disgust him.

He thought to himself that he didn't seem to have offended many people in total?

Only in Zuo Jing's case, he took the initiative to destroy Zuo Jing's plan, which led to his hatred.

But the rest were just people who took the initiative to provoke him.

Chen Ming sighed and turned his gaze to the driver again.

Then Chen Ming noticed that the driver's breathing was gradually becoming weaker, as if he had overdosed on stimulants and was about to die.

At this moment, Chen Ming suddenly thought of something else.

Did the driver take these stimulants actively or passively? Actively or passively?

If it was proactive, then there is nothing to say. He is just a assassin sent by someone unknown.

But if it's passive...

Then he can't die yet.

Chen Ming immediately dragged the driver down from his seat, laid him flat on the ground, and tore off the work clothes from his arms.

Several fresh pinholes appeared in front of the driver's right arm.

As Chen Ming continued to examine, he did not find any other signs of doping.

That said, it’s even possible that this was the driver’s first time using performance-enhancing drugs.

There is a high possibility that he was passively made like this.

Then it is even more necessary for Chen Ming to treat him.

But Chen Ming took a quick look at the warehouse and various cabins of the cargo ship, and there was nothing that could be used to urgently treat this situation.

He now has only one thing to treat the pilot.

Zerg technology.

(End of this chapter)