socalfunplaces Chapter 578 Help from γ4 (Part 2)
Chapter 578 Help from γ4 (Part 2)
“…Yeah. Oh.”
The last word he hadn't finished before leaving the room was finally uttered when Han Zu realized he had been transported to another place. He looked around and found himself on the surface of a bare planet, devoid of atmosphere, with a direct view of the universe. He was able to speak because he was now beneath a special transparent dome. Beyond the dome at the top, the surrounding area was made of modular metal panels of some kind, constructed using contractor technology. These panels were connected by a special magnetic field, and Han Zu could sense a powerful force from them.
At the same time, Han Zu also sensed a powerful, abnormal radiation in this area. He was somewhat familiar with this phenomenon. This special radiation was leaked from the energy cores of some contractor buildings, which required enormous amounts of energy to operate. This leakage was intentional, and a certain amount of energy leakage could reduce the burden on the energy cores and also achieve a certain degree of heat dissipation. Although this radiation was extremely dangerous, and even a small amount of contact could be fatal to conventional organisms, it was not a problem for him. His powerful energy conversion ability could actually use this dangerous radiation as fuel to replenish his strength. As for the contractors, their bodies were originally metal vehicles for their consciousness, so they would naturally be affected.
"You came."
"Oh, it's you."
As Han Zu looked here and there, γ4 quietly appeared beside him. His body seemed to have been upgraded or modified. Although the general shape remained the same, it was obviously larger. Contractors did not modify their bodies very often, but Han Zu had seen this happen several times, so he was not surprised.
"My contractor equipment malfunctioned, but I figured you already knew that."
"The original adaptive components are no longer suitable for your current physical condition and need to be upgraded. This will probably take a few days. We can use this time to get a detailed understanding of your current physical data."
"Were those detection instruments also disturbed? But I didn't... Wait, why are you talking like that?"
"What's wrong with me? Was there anything inadvertently offensive in what I just said?"
"That's not what I meant. What I meant was, why are you speaking so emotionally?"
"I installed the emotion module."
"Oh. But didn't you say before that that thing was a waste of energy? Why did you install it again?"
"The emotion module does consume a significant amount of the body's energy, but that doesn't mean I don't like having emotions. In fact, with the exception of some people, most contractors appreciate the changes in emotions. Even though synchronizing these things with our current mechanical bodies requires a lot of energy, with changes in emotions, we can regain our perception, at least to a certain extent. While extreme rationality can greatly improve our work or combat efficiency, in many cases, having emotional cognition can often provide us with more ideas and allow us to try new things. Otherwise, if everything is based on calculated success rates, we may not do many things."
"Okay, back to my previous topic. Wasn't I just in that... uh... lab? Was it inspected? Why was data testing still being conducted? Were those things also affected by the container and the contents?"
"That's not the case, but your energy was severely insufficient at the time, and many tests were unable to produce accurate conclusions. Even now, after my scan, your energy has only recovered halfway. So we need to replenish your energy before we can proceed with the test."
"what?!"
γ4's statement puzzled Han Zu. While he certainly didn't feel the surge of energy, he could clearly sense that the energy in his body had surpassed the total energy level of two months ago by nearly a hundred times. Yet, γ4 claimed that he only had half the energy left. Even more puzzling was the fact that he had just used the energy pipeline to recharge himself for a while, and that energy was considerable.
"It seems you're still unclear about the specific changes you've experienced. Well, that's another reason to retest. But first, you need to replenish your energy."
γ4 stretched out his hands and operated something in the air. Soon, the ground in front of the two of them opened up, revealing a deep passage. One kilometer below, Han Zu saw part of a huge energy core.
"You can charge this directly. Just stand on its shell and use your ability to convert energy. It should be done quickly."
"But wasn't I just receiving energy transfer? Why didn't you let me complete this step directly in that laboratory?"
"The laboratory also requires a certain amount of electricity to support various research and the normal operation of various instruments. The energy your body can currently store and consume exceeds the energy specifications of the laboratory. This is also due to our miscalculation. After all, your body is indeed very special, so I decided to interrupt the experiment and transport you here first. We are currently located in a remote galaxy, on the satellite of an industrial planet within our sphere of influence. This area is the test site on this satellite used to test the various data of our heavy machine. To meet the various needs of the heavy machine, this satellite has dozens of such energy cores, and the one you see now is one of them."
Han Zu nodded. To ensure he didn't damage the energy core below, he controlled the energy output and carefully used his flight ability to steadily descend, landing gently on the outer shell of the massive energy core. γ4 followed, and Han Zu noticed that he also seemed to be using some kind of flying technique. Compared to his own, γ4's flight was much quieter, even though his current body was much stronger. The energy conversion ability didn't require much attention from Han Zu, so he could chat with γ4 while replenishing his energy.
"You upgraded your machine again?"
"Yes, it's specially upgraded for you. This model is also a test model, and we haven't tested it out yet. This is a good opportunity to test the limits of this machine while testing you."
"So you'll fight me later?"
"Ah."
"But aren't you busy? I tried to contact you before, but you didn't respond."
"It was indeed very busy before, but now it has passed the busiest stage. The rest of the work can be handed over to other people, and I don't need to worry about it anymore."
"What were you busy with before?"
"Your previous contact with the Tigs has allowed us to reconnect with our own people. Since we intercepted several of their main battleships, more and more of them have learned the true circumstances of our split. After learning the truth, they have chosen to join our camp, providing us with a wealth of information and seeking our help, hoping that we can rescue some of their own people who have also been deceived. This inevitably leads to the outbreak of fighting. Although our technology is superior to theirs, we are outnumbered. Even with those who stand on our side, the difference is not significant. Furthermore, we do not want to fight each other and deploy our main battleships in a star war. Therefore, we need to conduct infiltration operations and find a way to bring the battlefield to our territory."
"So you're the one in charge of these things?"
"No, I'm just one of them... You could think of me as the leader of a special operations team. My mission is to contact or rescue high-value targets like scientists, or to assassinate important targets whose ideology is so entrenched that they can't be negotiated with."
"These missions place extremely high demands on the executors. Is that why you didn't install the emotion module before?"
"Yes, they do consume a lot of energy. By the way, when I conduct tests later, if my current state is unable to cope with a certain test, I will also appropriately shut down the emotional module."
"Okay, I'm done, now what?"
"Let's go back to the testing area upstairs. Once I close this place, we can begin the various tests. Do you want to test your basic physical data first, or start with the combat?"
"I can do either. It's up to you."
"Then let's take it step by step, starting with the battle."
"Is this the order you understand by taking things step by step?"
"is there a problem?"
"..No, just do as you say."
After replenishing their energy, Han Zu and γ4 returned to the training grounds. After closing the energy core's access, the entire battle lab began to transform. The transparent dome closed, and the same metal plates covered it. The metal plates quickly merged with the other walls of the room. As the lights in the room turned red, the battle lab was ready.
"Then let's get started."
"no problem."
Over the next few days, Han Zu and γ4 launched a comprehensive test. Their battles were so intense that the alarms in the battle lab frequently sounded, attracting the attention of numerous contractors and their allied Tigs. While they were curious, the interior of the battle lab was obscured from outside while it was operating, so they had no idea of the specifics. Even so, a large crowd gathered around the battle lab. However, as the test progressed, a severe alarm erupted, forcing the engineering contractors responsible for repairs and maintenance to remain outside, ready to perform repairs. The contractors, whose machines were enormous to accommodate the vast majority of workloads, were forced to leave.
Four days later.
"Well....."
Inside the battle lab, once imbued with a sense of technological sophistication and pristine cleanliness, it was now a shattered mess. Vast swathes of the walls, constructed from a special memory metal, had been shattered, and the protective field behind them had become a porous fishing net, several spots punctured by the clash between γ4 and Han Zu. Outside, the engineering contractors were repairing the damage. The protective field atop the battle lab had also been breached, and the transparent dome had largely shattered, exposing it to the vacuum of space. Three or four engineering contractors were also present, using the massive energy reactors aboard their massive machines to create a resistance field, sealing off the broken areas of the dome. Seeing the battle below had ended, they removed the resistance field and began repairing the damage caused by the clash between the two.
"You...can you still...can you do it?"
"The damage exceeds... 98%... Needs... to replace... the body... Zizz... Zizz..."
"Open...open...I have to..."
"Om~~"
Just below the center of the shattered transparent dome where the contractor of the engineering machine was repairing, Han Zu's severely damaged body and γ4, which had been broken into parts and scattered around, were talking with their last bit of strength. γ4's new machine was completely scrapped, and Han Zu had suffered the most serious injury in battle since he gained his abilities. He had almost no strength to speak, and the extreme lack of energy also made it impossible for him to repair the horrific wounds on his body and his broken limbs.
Before transmitting his consciousness away, γ4 helped Han Zu open the channel to the energy core below. Then γ4's body was completely shattered and turned into metal debris on the ground. Han Zu, with his limbs broken and half of his body crushed, was left with only half a head and part of his torso. He was unable to move normally and could only wriggle his remaining body and slowly move towards the location of the opened energy channel.
It was only a few meters away, but Han Zu climbed for more than five minutes before falling from the edge of the energy channel and hitting the outer shell of the giant energy core with a muffled sound.
Han Zu greedily absorbed the powerful energy emitted by the giant energy core, gradually recovering his condition. Soon, he used this energy to restore his body to a safe level, and then transferred all the energy to the energy conversion ability, quickly absorbing the tremendous energy in the giant energy core. Soon, Han Zu completed the repair and recharging of himself, and then he climbed up from the outer shell of the energy core, flew out of the energy channel, and returned to the wreckage of the combat laboratory.
After returning to the upper room, γ4, having replaced his new body, also returned to the combat lab. He also took the opportunity to get Han Zu some clothes. After changing into clothes, the two of them left the severely damaged combat lab while talking. They planned to find a suitable place to discuss the specific data they had calculated through the battle.