47: Chapter 47 Telescope Detection Array, Power On

The engineering elevator went all the way down, and the three of them gradually felt a sense of oppression welling up in their hearts.

The deeper the elevator went, the dimmer the lights became, and every now and then, bright white sparks from electric welding would pop out from the side.

Although several huge ventilators were working, the pungent smell still made the three of them frown.

Fortunately, there were a large number of engineering personnel on every floor, otherwise Chu Ge would have felt like he was in a grave-robbing movie on TV, especially with the scent of soil occasionally wafting into his nostrils.

After a long while, the elevator stopped with a "clatter." The three of them stepped out to find a dozen or so people coming and going in the data hall, recording something.

Surrounding the walls was a ring of LCD screens, most of which were densely packed with programming languages.

Above a row of display screens, every meter or two, there was a huge integrated screen, and on the largest one, a row of numbers was counting down.

Time until system startup: 00:20:03

Above several screens, there was a row of rotating alarm lights, but they were all currently in a yellow standby state.

Chu Ge was looking at the alarm indicator lights, lost in thought.

"Those are the danger warning lights."

A gentle voice rang out from behind. The three of them turned around to see Wang Yun standing behind Chu Ge in her military uniform. Although she wore no makeup, the military attire only served to highlight her heroic bearing.

"The system automatically calculates based on the number of incoming missiles or shells. Blue represents a base of 10; all 10 lights on means about 100. Red represents a base of 100; all lights on means about 1,000."

"For fewer than 1,000, we can operate manually, choosing which Prism Tower to activate for interception."

"What about over 1,000?"

Chu Ge asked curiously.

"When all the red lights are on, the system determines that we have entered the full defense phase. The system enters automatic mode, the telescope project detectors go to full capacity, and it coordinates the Prism Towers for echelon interception. No manual intervention is allowed until the danger has passed."

"Hmm, that's quite intuitive and pretty exciting. When the red lights come on, everyone just sits there staring blankly—just thinking about it is exciting."

"It's not that relaxed. When the red lights come on and the system enters automatic mode, the data link here connects directly to the military's systems. The system will mark the coordinates of the incoming missiles, and we will strike back!"

Wang Yun pouted haughtily and then stood at attention facing Chu Ge.

"Colonel Chu, Wang Yun's introduction is complete. Welcome. The telescope project will conduct its first startup test run in 10 minutes!"

"Welcome, Colonel Chu!"

The staff in the data center stood up and shouted in unison.

"Hello everyone, there's no need to be so polite. Just carry on with what you were doing."

"Yes!"

Everyone sat down one after another and continued recording data. Chu Ge took his two little followers and began to patrol the floor.

Behind them, Zheng Jun slowly leaned toward Yan Tianhao.

"Brother Yan, I just realized that Academician Chu actually holds a military rank—Colonel. That's at the level of a brigade commander or division commander. My god, he's only 22 years old, an Academician and a Colonel. I admire Academician Chu more and more."

"Me too. Let's hold off on discussing Academician Chu for a second—is this bunker a radar center?"

"It looks like one, but this scale must be a national-level anti-missile center. I've seen in the news that China has been testing anti-missile technology, but I didn't expect the base to be built already."

"Yeah. Now I understand why the camp outside was planned that way. They are all centered around this bunker. In other words, the training camp is a cover, and the guard unit is the real purpose."

"That makes sense."

Zheng Jun nodded.

"Then what is the Prism Tower that the pretty female officer mentioned just now? Why do I remember that thing being in Red Alert?"

"Some kind of interception system, I guess. Missiles? Pfft, the Prism Towers in Red Alert are trash. I'd go straight for nukes or Yuri."

Zheng Jun became interested.

Chu Ge listened to the two of them whispering behind him and shook his head. These two guys might just be here to provide comic relief.

But then again, they were about the same age, so they had plenty of topics to discuss, like the Red Alert game they were talking about now. In the past, he would have loved to exchange gaming tips and have a match. But now, if he brought that up, would they think he was crazy?

This act was getting hard to maintain.

Chu Ge looked at the time on the big screen; there were still three minutes left.

"You two remember this: whatever you've seen or heard here today, don't say a word about it when you go back. Do you hear me? The security clearance here is top secret. You know the consequences."

"Yes!"

The two of them became serious. The first thing one had to learn when joining the Research Institute was confidentiality; they knew that.

"Alright, it's about to start up soon. You two should watch and learn more, and don't be messing around with Red Alert..."

Lest I want to play a round too, Chu Ge almost added.

"Colonel Chu, the countdown has started. Please follow me."

"Yeah!"

Chu Ge followed Wang Yun to a main console. The so-called startup was actually just the beginning of a program, and Chu Ge's task was simply to press the Enter key when the time came.

It looked simple, but he was the only one qualified to press that Enter key.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1"

As the people in the hall counted down in unison, Chu Ge pressed the Enter key.

The large data screens on the wall all switched to data maps with a series of "bang, bang, bang" sounds. There were maps of China's surroundings, the European direction, and the American direction. The only thing that didn't change were the alarm lights on the wall, which were still yellow and rotating slowly.

Chu Ge glanced at these data screens.

"Those responsible for monitoring the high-energy accelerator, report the operating status."

"Reporting to Academician Chu, the data is all normal."

In the distance, a researcher raised a book. Chu Ge hurried over, staring at the changes in the data on the screen.

"Hmm, your position is very important. If there are any abnormalities, follow the procedures."

"Yes!"

Chu Ge returned to Wang Yun's side and continued to look at the big screen on the wall.

"On land, all military actions and troop movements within 5,000 kilometers of the border will be monitored by the system. At sea, all vessels, including submarines, within 300 kilometers of territorial waters will be monitored by the system. In the air, all aircraft within 5,000 kilometers of the border will be monitored by the system."

Wang Yun looked at the screen and further explained the refined operational mechanisms to Chu Ge.

"We only record military activities that have nothing to do with China, but we won't pay excessive attention to them. For example, although the system can detect short-range missiles, it will quickly filter them out. The focus will be concentrated on the periphery extending 8,000 kilometers from China's borders and intercontinental missiles."

"Hmm, yes, whether they fight or not has little to do with us."

Chu Ge nodded affirmatively.

"By the way, how is the construction of the Prism Tower Base coming along?"

Chu Ge remembered that the damn "eyes" were done, but the Prism Towers, which acted as the defense execution part, weren't functional yet.

"In about a month, all 12 Prism Towers will be completed."

"Oh, that's fine. Not too late."

As the two were talking, a sharp "woo-woo-woo" alarm suddenly sounded. Chu Ge looked at the warning light on the wall that was flashing with blue light.

"Damn it, they wouldn't give me face like this, would they? Giving me work right from the start?"