203: Steel defense line and "silver" ecology

The success of the automated turrets and the unexpected enchantment of the "Flowing Silver" threw the entire base into a frenzy of infrastructure construction. The clanging sounds in the Industrial Zone were constant as Senior Brother Li led the technical team in working day and night. One by one, round-headed "Metal Mushrooms" were produced, and then Zhao Iron Pillar led his men to lug them to their designated positions for installation.

Wen Youyi wasn't idle either; he became the busiest "System debugger." Every time a turret was installed, he had to go there personally to activate its core runes with Star Core Power and enter the energy signatures of base members and "Flowing Silver" into the "White List." This process was extremely taxing, and after a few days, the dark circles under his eyes had deepened significantly, making him look just like a programmer from his past life who had been working overtime on a project.

"Boss, you're about to turn into a panda. Take a break, will you?" Zhao Iron Pillar said, unable to help himself as he looked at Wen Youyi's pale face.

"It's fine, just a few more left," Wen Youyi waved his hand, forcing himself to stay alert. "The sooner the defense line is completed, the sooner everyone can sleep soundly."

He walked up to the most recently installed turret, which was positioned on a high ground outside the base's main entrance, offering an excellent view. Just as he was preparing for the final debugging, a strange scene unfolded.

A few "Flowing Silver" wandering nearby seemed to sense the "birth" of a new companion and immediately wriggled over joyfully. Just like before, they quickly covered the turret's metal surface, forming a layer of Flowing Silver plating.

But this time, upon closer observation, Wen Youyi noticed more details. This layer of "Flowing Silver" plating wasn't static; it was flowing extremely slowly, as if it were breathing. Instead of consuming the turret's energy, they seemed to be spontaneously absorbing minute energy particles from the surrounding environment, like putting a "living coat" on the turret that could power itself.

What surprised him even more was that when another "Flowing Silver" wriggled over and stuffed a small, low-quality energy fragment it had found in the debris into the "charging port" at the bottom of the turret, the "Flowing Silver" plating covering the turret seemed to ripple slightly, creating a resonance with that energy fragment that significantly improved the efficiency of energy absorption and conversion.

"Are they... collaborating?" A thought flashed through Wen Youyi's mind. "The 'Flowing Silver' covering the turret handles daily micro-charging and 'armor' maintenance, while the 'Flowing Silver' responsible for carrying energy blocks provides periodic 'big meal' supplies? This... this has practically formed a symbiotic energy circulation System!"

This discovery boosted his spirits, dispelling much of his fatigue. If this were true, the durability and low maintenance cost of this defense System would far exceed his initial imagination!

Finally, the last turret was debugged. A full twenty "Metal Mushrooms" clad in Flowing Silver armor stood like loyal sentinels at various critical points of the "Bedrock Base." Their sensing ranges overlapped slightly, forming an interlaced fire network.

Wen Youyi stood at an observation point inside the base, looking at this "Iron Defense Line" that was beginning to take shape, a sense of accomplishment welling up within him. This was no longer relying on manual patrols and holding out; it was automated and intelligent defense in the truest sense!

"Come on, let's test the results!" Wen Youyi excitedly decided to conduct a full-System test.

He had Zhao Iron Pillar and Wang Wu simulate an enemy invasion from different directions. When Zhao Iron Pillar suppressed his Star Power and simulated an unfamiliar spiritual energy fluctuation approaching a passage, the three nearby turrets lit up with red lights almost simultaneously, their muzzles locking onto him in an instant!

Even though he knew it was a test, the pressure of being pointed at by death-ray-like lights simultaneously still made the rough man Zhao Iron Pillar's scalp tingle. He quickly raised his hands and shouted, "One of us! I'm one of us!"

The turret's sensing crystal flickered a few times, identifying his essence on the White List. The red light went out, and the muzzle lowered accordingly.

"Rapid response, accurate identification!" Wang Wu recorded the data, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Next, they tested items like maximum distance and multi-target response. This automated defense System performed with unexpected stability and reliability.

"Great! With this thing, we can sleep a bit more soundly at night!" a young base member said excitedly, resonating with everyone. Ever since they were stranded in the Starry Sky Debris, the sense of unease that they could be swallowed by unknown dangers at any moment had haunted everyone's mind. Now, that sense of security was finally built by solid steel and runes.

However, Wen Youyi's "tinkering" did not stop. With the defense problem initially solved, his gaze turned toward another core of the base—energy.

Although "Flowing Silver" could help charge the turrets, the operation of the base itself—especially the Industrial Zone's furnace, the ecological circulation System, and future developments—required a larger and more stable energy source. Relying solely on the piecemeal collection by "Flowing Silver" and the weak feedback from the "star chain" was far from enough.

He thought of the massive Power Core of the Ancient Starship and the various energy technologies mentioned in the "Crystal Core" database.

"Senior Brother Zhang, Ying," Wen Youyi found the two who were studying the optimization of the ecological circulation System. "For our next step, we need to find a way to solve the base's 'heart module' problem. Relying solely on 'Flowing Silver' scavenging and 'star chain' blood transfusions isn't a long-term solution."

Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his glasses, his expression grave. "Indeed. According to the database records, the energy level of a complete star core far exceeds the fragment we have in our hands. If we could find a relatively intact one... even just a larger fragment would be enough to support the base's development for a long time to come."

"A larger star core fragment..." Wen Youyi mused, his gaze looking out the observation window at the endless, deep, and debris-filled broken starry sky. "It seems it's time to organize a deeper and more adventurous expedition."

The technology explosion brought temporary safety and prosperity, but it also placed higher demands on energy. This path of survival and development amidst the ruins was destined to be full of unknowns and challenges.

Wen Youyi stroked the warm star core fragment in his arms, its light no longer as brilliant as before, and his gaze gradually became determined.

To protect this hard-won Homeworld and to light more "Sparks," they had to keep moving forward, searching for a new light of hope in that field of dead star debris.

(End of Chapter)