236: Chapter 236 Single-minded

Chu Ge stared at the blue Energy Ball before him, motionless for a long time; the Star Soul's words had truly dealt a blow to him.

He had originally thought himself to be quite the big shot, but he was instantly slapped in the face by the other party, becoming a "scum with a combat power of five" in its words.

Chu Ge turned around, walked out of the shield mechanically, and stared blankly at the crowd outside.

"General Chu? General Chu?"

Captain Gong called out to him from his side, but Chu Ge showed no reaction. Just as he was about to raise his voice, Chu Ge spoke.

"Stop shouting. I'm not stupid. I'm just thinking about something. You all should go back to doing what you were doing."

"Oh."

Captain Gong breathed a sigh of relief, immediately saluted, and went to arrange the tasks.

Elder Huang looked at the strange-acting Chu Ge, pulled him aside, and specifically turned off the team communication before speaking.

"Academician Chu, are you alright? What's going on?"

"I'm fine. This Energy Ball left me a message. We can research the other wreckage of this spaceship however we like, except for it. Also, it holds no hostility toward us."

Chu Ge only said this much; he didn't say anything else, as he couldn't explain it.

Elder Huang nodded, then cast his gaze toward the Energy Ball. He wanted to ask a few more questions, but seeing Chu Ge's furrowed brow, he gave up.

After finishing his conversation with Elder Huang, Chu Ge suddenly felt that the content of his talk with that Star Soul today would also have to remain confidential.

For the time being, he couldn't mention it to anyone, except for System Big Brother, but System Big Brother was currently offline.

Chu Ge planned to sort out his thoughts properly after returning tonight.

For now, he still had his own tasks.

Having made up his mind, Chu Ge shook off his lethargy and looked at Captain Gong beside him.

"Captain Gong, how much of the drone data has been completed?"

"Reporting to General Chu, the exploration will be completed today. We can establish a spatial model of this place after returning to the aerospace carrier."

Seeing that Chu Ge had returned to his usual self, Captain Gong replied loudly.

"Good. You focus on this matter today, and while you're at it, take care of Elder Huang and the others."

"Yes!"

After arranging tasks for Captain Gong, Chu Ge walked over to Elder Huang and saw them cautiously extracting a pitch-black object.

"Elder Huang, what is this?"

"I'm not sure. This thing is very jarring; it feels like it doesn't quite match the surrounding structure or materials. We need to take it back for further testing."

Elder Huang said in a low voice. After speaking, he specifically glanced at Chu Ge and saw that Chu Ge was watching the object with full concentration.

Elder Huang's serious expression softened significantly.

"You mean, this thing doesn't belong to this spaceship?"

Chu Ge instantly thought of the interstellar war mentioned by the Star Soul, and further surmised that this was very likely a remnant from the "enemy's" weapon system.

"Mm, that's possible."

After saying this, Elder Huang instructed Yan Tianhao and the others to pay attention to collecting the structural components of the surrounding hull and some similar fragments.

Chu Ge stopped talking and watched as Elder Huang, Yan Tianhao, and the others carefully placed that fragment into a special lead box.

In fact, today's main work was similar to what Elder Huang's group was doing: collecting more structural materials regarding the starship.

Some large systems couldn't be accessed at all right now, and Chu Ge didn't know what kind of damage they had sustained.

Or whether they still had any value for utilization.

Large items like the Warp Engine required special equipment to be studied.

Relying on their hundred or so people to do it by hand was impossible.

The engineers' task was to examine which nodes required the use of large machinery such as overhead cranes, bridge cranes, or robotic arms.

Then, they would design the installation location, type of equipment, and so on, using the three-dimensional stereograms of the surroundings.

These tasks were handled by specialized personnel; Chu Ge didn't need to cover every detail. He was only responsible for controlling the general direction.

Things like building a research base on-site, determining research directions based on the system structure of the wreckage on the scene, and even making backups to store technical data for the next generation of starships.

The SSS-level weapon system of the Military-Industrial System had never been opened, and Chu Ge didn't know when it would be unlocked.

According to his previous communication with System Big Brother, he knew that things like these large warships couldn't be achieved overnight.

Technological progress couldn't rely on fantasy; it required a solid foundation, just like the foundation of a building.

It's just that this foundation might encompass many aspects: technology, resources, knowledge, material assets, manpower, financial resources, and so on.

Thinking of this, Chu Ge swept away the lethargy he had felt after being belittled by that ball.

"Why should I lower myself to its level? That old timer has lived for at least a hundred million years; it has the capital to be like that."

"How long have I even been alive?"

As for the "enemy" mentioned by the Star Soul, Chu Ge didn't care at all. Caring was useless; according to what it said, if he went out now, he would just be delivering his head.

So, I'll just farm under the tower. If I'm unlucky enough to be found by them, then I suppose I'll have no choice but to make a desperate last stand.

As for the outcome, it was no longer important.

Chu Ge felt that they wouldn't be that unlucky. Give him some time, wait for him to finish upgrading with the Military-Industrial System, and then everyone could be happy together.

By their measure of time, this was probably just the span of a toilet break.

Chu Ge comforted himself...

"Academician Chu."

Yan Tianhao's sudden words gave Chu Ge, who was wandering far beyond the nine heavens, a start.

"Tianhao, what is it?"

"Are you alright?"

"Hmm?"

"I saw you smiling one moment and looking worried the next. Is there an alien in that halo?"

When Yan Tianhao said this, he specifically switched channels and shook his head from side to side, fearing that someone else would discover his whisper with Chu Ge.

"Yeah, there are two aliens. Their big, bulging eyes are bigger than their faces, their three fingers are like clubs, their mouths stretch to their necks, and they're green all over. It's super terrifying..."

Chu Ge walked away after speaking, leaving Yan Tianhao shivering on the spot.

Captain Gong followed behind Chu Ge, not leaving his side for a step.

"Captain Gong, let's go, continue running!"

"..."

This time, Chu Ge didn't rush forward frantically.

He and Captain Gong were "strolling" side by side.

"Captain Gong, do you think there are aliens?"

"I used to think it was all nonsense, but now I believe it."

Captain Gong said, pointing to the towering spaceship wreckage beside them.

"What if aliens want to colonize us?"

"Colonize us? It's more like we'd colonize them."

Captain Gong said with a haughty air.

"I'm speaking hypothetically."

"Resist to the death. At worst, we die. Otherwise, what are we soldiers kept for?"

Captain Gong's awe-inspiring words struck a chord in Chu Ge's heart. That's right, with our most beloved people, what is there to fear? At worst, we die; if we don't die, we continue to resist.

Chu Ge didn't speak again; he focused on running toward the rear of the spaceship.

The Warp Engine was currently the most worthwhile system visible here to study. Chu Ge was practically drooling over it.

Judging by the current propulsion system of the "Kunpeng," it might be enough for use within the Solar System.

If moved to the Milky Way, it would be just like current human technology in the Solar System—completely insufficient.

And there's an even more important point: the Warp Engine is standard equipment for a starship. Speed is one aspect.

Another point is that, in critical moments, using it might allow for evading the enemy's damage.