Of course, plans are plans, ideas are ideas, and you can't tell He Gu everything.

So when faced with He Gu's question about his plans, Chen Ming's answer was quite implicit: "Now I still have to wait. Won't we have to go to war soon? I have a lot of ideas that I want to realize during the war."

"You mean you're more free these days, right?"

"Well... I still have to do what I need to do, such as my research tasks, and training my psychic powers and mental strength.

He Gu felt a little strange.

According to common sense, no matter whether it is an independent research institute or a research institute affiliated with a certain powerful organization, the research tasks assigned often have very loose research deadlines, especially for Chen Ming's research institute.

After all, Chen Ming is a very special person. In addition, some of the tasks assigned to Chen Ming have even been handled by the Psychic Research Institute of their headquarters. He is even more aware that there is no time limit for Chen Ming at all.

Sometimes it is even normal to deliberately delay the progress of research and defraud some funds.

Chen Ming's main job is a psychic, not a research institute, so research matters should not have much impact on Chen Ming.

For psychics, training their mental strength and psychic effects is something they have to do on a daily basis.

Even for psychics who have undergone systematic training, daily meditation does not take up much time. Some psychics can go through the daily meditation process while sleeping.

For a psychic like Chen Ming who came from a society, training should just be about exhausting his mental energy, not to mention the time it takes.

So He Gu thought about it and translated Chen Ming's words into that he was indeed very idle and could only exercise his mental strength or something.

He continued to speak according to Chen Ming's idle words: "Have you heard that the Empire is recruiting people recently?"

He Gu said that he was recruiting people, but Chen Ming immediately thought of the content of the conversation between the psychic of the association and Hu Yi that he heard from An Wuping yesterday.

"I've heard of that. Looking for psychics to fight in wars, right?"

"Yes, this is actually a signal. The Empire should take action regarding psykers soon."

He Gu looked like he was going to tell Chen Ming some gossip, and Chen Ming cooperated and asked, "What action?"

As a result, He Gu spread his hands as if he didn't know either, and said, "At present, we only know that there will be action, but we are not sure what kind of action it will be, but it's not a bad thing after all."

"But I heard that the Empire's action this time requires the participation of more psykers. The more the better."

"The more we contribute, the better it will be for us psychics as a whole."

Seeing Chen Ming frowned, He Gu said with understanding: "It sounds strange, but if the information I have is correct, it is indeed the case."

"So do you want me to participate as well? I have had this idea in the first place, and I have been cooperating with the research of the Mechanical Clan."

"Or do you want me to go to the front line?"

Previously, Chen Ming had heard from the Psychic Society that the Empire was going to form a special team around the recruited Psychics, so he asked this question.

However, He Gu immediately denied it, "That's not the case. There are always psychics who can play a greater role in the rear than in the front. The contribution made by psychics in the war of the mechanical race is not just on the front line."

"I just wanted to tell you this news. After all, this is news that will benefit all psychics."

"There is no need to worry about your contribution being shared with others. The contributions made by all psychics can bring absolute benefits to themselves."

Chen Ming stared at He Gu for a while and felt that He Gu must know a lot about what he said about the actions that the Empire would take against psychics in the future.

But he just kept it to himself, as if he was not comfortable saying it out loud.

Anyway, they were just chatting casually, so Chen Ming didn't ask any more questions.

"Okay, then at least I know it, and I will do what I should do."

Chen Ming responded without saying much.

However, He Gu brought up a new topic again: "Do you have time to come with me to the headquarters?"

"Headquarters? What are you going to do?"

"Go meet Bai Quan." He Gu said something that surprised Chen Ming: "Bai Quan probably won't be able to come back here in the short term. You should be able to sense that, right?"

"I know."

Chen Ming nodded and said, "He returned to the headquarters because of the assassination of the Black Mist Psychic in Zuo Jing. Logically, he should have been back when the incident in Caimo Star Region started."

"But he didn't, so something must have delayed him."

"There's no sign of the Fourteenth Legion intervening on Cai Mo's side, so I guess the Mechanical Clan's affairs are the only thing that can delay him."

"It just so happens that the headquarters is about to accept the Empire's order to take over the Beniu Star Region, right? This matter in the Beniu Star Region seems to be related to Cai Mo, but in fact it is related to the mechanical race. It should be the matter of the mechanical race."

He Gu was somewhat surprised that Chen Ming was able to obtain a lot of information that he had just learned not long ago while staying in the headquarters, and that Chen Ming could also accurately guess the truth based on the information obtained.

However, judging from Chen Ming's previous performance, it is not too surprising that he can do these things.

He Gu coughed lightly and said, "You guessed right. It was indeed the war between the mechanical tribes that delayed Bai Quan's trip."

"You should also know that our Fourteenth Legion has served as a scout and pioneer in the war against the Mechanical Race since we established a branch here."

"Baiquan is the actual controller of the branch and also a lieutenant general who fought on the battlefield. He has many tasks to do."

"So he probably won't be able to come back before the war officially enters the initial combat stage."

"But he has a lot to talk to you about in person."

"Is that so?" Chen Ming asked uncertainly, "Is there no one at our headquarters who is worried about my psychic powers?"

"Of course, but there will be fewer people to worry about when I'm around you. Once there are fewer people, I can ignore them."

"Hmm... let me think about it."

Chen Ming didn't rush to respond.

Because he couldn't tell whether it was Bai Quan who asked He Gu to come and say this, or whether He Gu said these words himself.

Chen Ming and Bai Quan have always been in contact, just not as frequently as before. But at least during their last conversation, Bai Quan never asked him to go to the headquarters.

Of course, Chen Ming didn't mean that He Gu was lying, and Bai Quan might not be able to explain everything clearly over the phone.

It’s just that Chen Ming needs to think about it.

While thinking about it, he also asked He Gu a question related to what he had just mentioned.

That is, does He Gu have any new information about the war against the mechanical race?

Although Baiquan still sent him daily reports every day after going to the headquarters.

But it is impossible for the contents of the report to explain everything clearly. There will always be some things that Chen Ming himself cannot see.

Moreover, after Bai Quan left temporarily, Chen Ming had no suitable reason to get involved in matters related to the war with the mechanical clan.

He had only a few months' experience in the military and had only learned a few months' worth of military knowledge.

No one would tell him any military news.

Even the current branch agent Jing Xian would not be idle enough to inform Chen Ming of military news.

So Chen Ming urgently needs some information related to these aspects.

Although He Gu was also a researcher stationed in the rear, He Gu had always shown a very friendly attitude from before, so Chen Ming felt that he could at least know something about the situation on the front line from He Gu.

He Gu decided to tell Chen Ming the news he wanted to know without much thought.

Although his main purpose of coming here this time was actually just to trade with Chen Ming, he was the only one qualified to deliver two Spiritual Awakening Nerves worth 10,000 contribution points.

And his secondary purpose was just to help Baiquan pass on a message.

The items have been delivered, the transaction has been completed, and the message has been delivered, so he can actually leave.

But he didn't leave, and even revealed some information while chatting with Chen Ming.

This is partly because the Empire's future actions towards psychics will indeed depend on how psychics perform in the Machine War.

Chen Ming, the best psychic in the Fourteenth Legion in mechanical research and who holds the identities of both a psychic and a researcher, will definitely be an important target for the Empire to use to judge the performance of psychics.

He knows a lot, but this "a lot" is also limited and cannot be revealed casually.

That's why he acted a little secretive.

Another reason why he chatted with Chen Ming about those things was to get closer to Chen Ming.

Therefore, the question raised by Chen Ming now was not a big deal in his opinion.

He did know some news about this from other people.

He organized his words a little and said, "Our army has already cooperated with the nearby war zone and completed the preliminary investigation of the information around the Mechanical Race star field and determined the defensive forces deployed by the Mechanical Race on the border."

"After we have almost finished investigating the outer areas, we will enter the second phase of reconnaissance. We will try to infiltrate the star field of the mechanical race and obtain more detailed intelligence."

"Let's start from the rear of the mechanical tribe. Their defenses are relatively weak."

"I remember that it was you who provided this information?"

"right."

Chen Ming had gone there in order to plunder the mechanical units so that his own mechanical hive mind network could reach the level where it could produce new consciousness on its own, so he happened to know a lot and told Bai Quan the news.

In fact, he already knew all the news that He Gu just mentioned.

He needed updated intelligence.

He Gu seemed to have sensed Chen Ming's thoughts and continued, "While we were infiltrating the interior of the Mechanical Clan Star Domain, we were not stopping in other places either."

"The reconnaissance force is still continuing to expand its reconnaissance of the surrounding star regions to ensure the combat environment at that time."

"The war is not limited to the star field. The surrounding areas of the star field are also of great importance."

"Also, we need to confirm Yuhui's status to avoid Yuhui taking advantage of us when we are at war with the Mechanical Clan."

When He Gu said this about Yu Hui, Chen Ming interrupted and said, "Yu Hui has indeed been silent for a long time, but I don't think they can make any noise."

Chen Ming would not say much about the afterglow and his own spiritual powers.

After all, he is the only one who knows the current situation of Yuhui in the Yuhui Star Domain. The Yuhui Star Domain is also his other known trump card besides the Zerg.

But he can just give a hint and ensure that nothing will go wrong.

"That's good."

After getting Chen Ming's reply, He Gu didn't mind saying more.

Moreover, Chen Ming's response also made him realize that Chen Ming was a smart person, and a smart person who was willing to continue to communicate with him in depth.

"According to our recent investigations, we found that the mechanical race has undergone significant changes compared to before."

"Although the mechanical race was indeed powerful in the past, it was able to block the empire's external expansion."

"But in fact, when the Mechanoids are blocking the road, the Empire can continue to fight if it wants to."

"There are various complicated reasons why the Empire didn't do this, which I won't go into detail."

"In short, compared to the past, the combat effectiveness of the mechanical race has increased significantly."

"It's not like they haven't developed at all over the years. They have been making progress."

"for example?"

"For example, the changes in their capital ship's main weapons."

As He Gu spoke, he took out a special terminal from his body, and he and Chen Mingxian returned to the coffee table in the reception room and placed the terminal flat on the coffee table.

Then the projection of a Mechanical Clan battleship, which was also the Mechanical Clan mothership, was projected out.

Chen Ming immediately moved closer to take a look and found that this three-dimensional projection had extremely high accuracy. Even if he had to stick his face close to it, he could still see many details on the battleship clearly.

He Gu patted Chen Ming on the shoulder and motioned Chen Ming to step back a little. At the same time, he waved his hand on the projection and aimed the front of the battleship at the two of them.

"The Mechanical Clan's battleships often have different appearances. This battleship with two main-class weapons is a relatively common model."

"By the way, do you know what the main weapons of the Mechanical Clan are like?"

If Chen Ming knew this, it would save him the trouble of explaining.

"Know."

Chen Ming gave a decisive answer: "The main weapon of the mechanical race is the spine cannon, a modular main weapon, which is divided into three modules: the spine base, the spine amplifier and the spine cannon head."

He fixed his eyes on the main gun in front of the mothership projection and asked, "Have the mechanical tribe come up with a new type of gun head?"

Chen Ming asked this question because his knowledge of the mechanical mothership and main weapons came from simulations.

In the simulation, he had seen five types of ridged cannon bows.

Laser, Bind Laser, Plasma, Deconstructor, and Soul Killer.

The first three are easy to understand, they are the types of weapons.

Although Chen Ming had never seen the disassembler, he had obtained the data before.

This weapon is also an energy weapon, and is an energy beam weapon, similar to the Tachyon Lance.

However, it does not fire a torrent of particles, but a type of weapon that can weaken and destroy the molecular bonds that make up the microscopic structure of the target. It is not very effective against shields, but its ability to break armor and hulls is terrifying.

The Soul Killer is a psychic weapon used by the Mechanical Clan's mothership to attack the headquarters in Chen Ming's simulation under the guidance of Chen Ming's opponent in the previous simulation.

An existence that can directly destroy the spirit and will of all living things on the entire planet.

He Gu deliberately turned the image of the mothership to the front, most likely to illustrate the situation of the main weapons.

And He Gu did indeed nod and reached out to adjust it again.

I saw that the bows of two of the ridge-crest cannons on the projection had changed. The bow of one of the ridge-crest cannons changed from the original bow that directly fired lasers to a bow similar to that of an electromagnetic weapon.

"This looks like a kinetic weapon. Doesn't the Spine Peak weapon rely on the Spine Peak Amplifier to amplify the weapon's energy? How can there be a kinetic weapon?"

He Gu had no way to explain it, so he could only say, "This is the new change I was talking about. The mechanical race should be trying to use energy to transform into electromagnetic force, and finally transform it into the acceleration of live bullets to create weapons."

"It can't be said to be unreasonable, but this is indeed a rather special type of weapon."

"As far as I know, among the main weapons, only the mechanical family's weapons are considered to be real ammunition. All other main weapons are energy weapons. I wonder how they will perform on the battlefield."

It seems that the Empire has only investigated some superficial changes in the mechanical race and has not yet conducted in-depth research.

Chen Ming did not ask any further questions.

Continue looking at the other gun bow.

The changes to the other ridge gun bow are quite outrageous.

It has changed from its original very regular mechanized structure into a weapon that is obviously made of metal material but gives people a unique texture.

There is no barrel at the bow of the gun, only a few cracks like shark gills.

The strangeness of its appearance is comparable to that of the Soul Killer.

Chen Ming felt that the mechanical race had a characteristic when designing weapons.

That is, as long as the appearance is a standard mechanical structure, it is a normal type of weapon.

Once a special shape appears, such as the Soul Killer, which looks like the top of a worm with tentacles, and the shark gill shape that He Gu showed him now, they are all psychic weapons.

One ordinary Spinecrest cannon bow and one psychic Spinecrest cannon bow.

"Is this the change of the mechanical race?"

"And more."

He Gu debugged the terminal again and said, "Some new units have appeared in the mechanical race, such as this one."

The terminal projected a dog-like mechanical body.

The moment Chen Ming saw the mechanical body, he said, "There's something wrong with this thing."

He Gu asked in confusion: "I haven't said anything yet, why is it that something is wrong? How did you see that?"

"The design of the mechanical race, at least the design of the ground units, is all related to insects, without exception. The sudden appearance of a dog is definitely a problem."

“…”

"It's really no problem." He Gu said, "This special mechanical individual appeared on a planet that the mechanical race had just begun to colonize. It is not a mass-produced individual, but a special individual."

"It has psychic powers."

"Psychic power?"

"Yes." He Gu confirmed: "It is spiritual energy."

"It and some other similar beast-shaped mechanical species were recorded when they were clearing out the native species of that planet. Also recorded was the scene of them using psychic energy."

The terminal immediately began to project the entire video.

Looking at the special mechanical species on the screen moving extremely flexibly and constantly releasing spiritual energy, it seemed that they were not machines but a kind of living creatures.

Chen Ming couldn't help but say, "I don't think they were manufactured. Instead, they look like something transformed from psychic creatures."

“This is also the speculation of many scientists.”

He Gu ended the projection of the video and said, "These mechanical individuals are special combat units of the mechanical race and it is entirely possible that they will be used by the mechanical race to carry out some special operations."

"Their psychic powers will be a nightmare for all ordinary soldiers."

Chen Ming asked: "So this is why the Empire summoned psychics? To deal with these psychics of the mechanical race?"

"That's only part of the reason. The main reason is that the Empire really needs to deploy psykers and let them participate in large-scale wars."

"Hmm... Haven't psykers ever been involved in large-scale wars before?"

"Of course there are. However, in previous wars, victory was mainly achieved through the use of warships, artillery and various technologies. Only in extremely urgent situations would top psychics be dispatched to carry out the decapitation plan and destroy the machine race's mothership."

"The Empire's attitude has always been like this. Individual strength is often unreliable. In war, only collective strength is everything."

“Instead of betting on one person’s success rate, it is better to find a way to defeat the enemy from other places.”

"So generally speaking, psykers don't perform well in war."

"But now the Empire seems to have changed its mind, just as I just told you."

Chen Ming seemed to understand some of He Gu's meanings.

The Empire may want to use this not-so-small-scale war between the mechanical races to test the pros and cons of deploying psychics in war.

If psychics can demonstrate enough value in war, then the status of psychics as a whole may rise further.

"That's what this war will be like? A war of psykers?"

"Who knows, maybe in the end it will be no different than before."

He Gu simply said that he didn't know either.

"In short, the Mechanic now has new main force weapons and new special operations units. We must take them seriously."

"These two are just the easiest to spot. Other things that need attention include the optimization of various ship designs and the improvement of the mechanical race's combat capabilities.

"That's about all I know."

"So, have you thought about the question just now? Do you want to go to the headquarters with me?"

Chen Ming looked at He Gu, and after thinking for a while, he gave his answer: "You can go."

"But I have to go somewhere else first. It will probably take you some time to get back to the headquarters, right? Wait for me for a while, just one day."

"That's no problem. I'll pick you up then."

The two continued chatting for a while.

After the mood for chatting wore off, He Gu stood up and prepared to leave.

Chen Ming also stood up and prepared to see He Gu off.

But just before He Gu left, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Chen Ming, with a special look in his eyes, as if he was an experienced person.

Chen Ming felt something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong?"

"nothing."

He Gu shook his head and a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

(End of this chapter)