290: The engine of return to the void and acceleration

The faint yet clear call of Guixu transmitted by the key was like a star cast into the lake of his heart, stirring up ripples that lasted for a long time within Wen Youyi.

After the clamor of the celebration banquet faded, he stayed in the main control room late into the night, repeatedly sensing and confirming that connection spanning the endless sea of stars.

It was not an illusion.

The key was like a gently plucked string, resonating as never before with a homologous existence on the distant shore.

The call was filled with anticipation, a trace of imperceptible exhaustion, and even... an underlying sense of urgency.

It seemed that all was not well on the side of Guixu.

They were waiting for hope to return, but they might also be facing some kind of pressure or predicament.

This discovery made Wen Youyi, who had just relaxed somewhat due to the success of the Dust Mite Operation, tense up again.

Their time might be more limited than they had imagined.

Early the next morning, Wen Youyi immediately convened an emergency core meeting to share this discovery.

Is Guixu actively calling us? Senior Brother Li asked in surprise.

Didn't the last message just say 'wait' and update the coordinates? Why does it feel... a bit urgent this time?

Perhaps the situation over there has changed, Senior Brother Zhang said, pushing up his glasses.

Maybe the threat of the Reapers is not limited to this wreckage, but has also spread to the area where Guixu is located. Or perhaps the state of Guixu itself is unstable, and it urgently needs the injection of new hope to revitalize it.

Regardless, Wen Youyi tapped the table.

This means we can no longer develop at a measured pace. The construction of hope must be accelerated!

But resources, technology, and the threat of the Hive... Wang Wu looked troubled.

Problems must be solved one by one. Wen Youyi's gaze was firm.

First, the Hive. After the Dust Mite Operation, it must have entered a period of high alert and self-inspection. The possibility of an active attack in the short term is reduced, but monitoring of the perimeter will be strengthened. We can just take advantage of this window.

Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Zhang, your technical team must immediately begin analyzing all the data from the Dust Mite Operation, especially the emergency response patterns and energy node vulnerabilities of the Bee Queen. Before the Swarm recovers, we need to design more, more covert harassment and containment methods. We don't need to destroy it, just make it uncomfortable and unable to attend to other matters, buying us time.

Understood! We can design a batch of chronic harassment Dust Mites with a longer incubation period, milder but more persistent interference, like psoriasis that it can't shake off! Senior Brother Li immediately grasped the idea.

Wang Wu, Mo Chen, the Thousand Eyes network must maintain the highest level of monitoring, focusing on the repair progress of the Hive and the movement changes of the Swarm. At the same time, increase the density of spore reconnaissance in the peripheral security areas to find new, safe resource collection points. hope requires massive amounts of Materials, and relying on inventory and the previous few mining sites is not enough.

Understood! We will expand the search range, prioritizing the search for easy-to-mine, high-purity star pattern gold, Flowing Silver associated ore, and other rare Materials. Wang Wu nodded.

Zhao Iron Pillar, combat team and infrastructure team, from today, the focus of work will be transferred entirely to the hope dock. I want to see the keel construction speed increase by 50%! Once resources arrive, immediately put them into construction, work in three shifts, people rest but the work doesn't stop! Senior Sister Mu's logistics support must keep up!

Don't worry, Boss! Zhao Iron Pillar patted his chest.

Even if we don't eat or sleep, we will build this big treasure early!

Senior Sister Mu, Wen Youyi looked at Mu Wanqing.

Medicinal Pill, Flowing Silver nutrient solution, personnel recovery, and morale maintenance are all up to you. The next period will be a high-intensity construction phase; we cannot let everyone's health collapse.

Mu Wanqing nodded solemnly: Leave it to me.

Xiao Wu, Wen Youyi finally looked at this Flowing Silver communication expert.

The complete repair and adaptive adjustment of Dragon cannot stop. At the same time, try to establish deep connections with more Flowing Silver groups, especially those that show higher intelligence and cooperativeness. In the future, hope will need a vast and intelligent Flowing Silver neural network; we need more excellent crew members.

[Understood!] Before Xiao Wu could answer, the intention of Dragon was transmitted first, with a hint of excitement, [I will help... find smart... partners.]

With the tasks assigned, the entire Spark Base began to operate with unprecedented efficiency and rhythm, like a precision clock with its springs tightened.

In the dock, it was brightly lit day and night.

Zhao Iron Pillar's roars, the clanging of metal, and the humming of energy furnaces intertwined, playing a symphony of construction full of power.

The huge keel grew and extended at a speed visible to the naked eye, and new ribs and armor plates were quickly forged and installed.

In the gaps between analyzing data, the technical team actually came up with Chronic Harassment Dust Mites Version 2.0.

This new Dust Mites had better camouflage, and after activation, it would not cause violent energy shocks, but would continuously release a kind of interfering energy noise, specifically targeting the Bee Queen's command reception and the internal communication of the Swarm, causing its command efficiency to continue to decline.

Batches of new Dust Mites were quietly scattered to the periphery of the Anvil area, like bone-eating maggots.

The Thousand Eyes network also constantly sent back good news.

In the further, relatively safe wreckage area, several rich ore points with good reserves were discovered.

Wang Wu and Mo Chen immediately organized an elite team, and under the secret protection of Dragon, began high-efficiency secret mining and transportation.

The atmosphere of the base, from the brief relaxation after the celebration, quickly turned into a wartime state with clear goals and high morale.

Everyone knew that the earlier hope was built, the earlier they could respond to the call of Guixu, the earlier they could embark on the true journey home, and the earlier they could get rid of the threat of the Hive that was like a thorn in their back.

Wen Youyi himself almost lived in the dock and the technical room.

He not only had to coordinate the overall situation but also personally participate in the design and debugging of the core System of hope.

The call from the key seemed to deepen his understanding of the Star People Legacy, and some inspirations regarding the optimization of the star core engine, the architectural framework of the Flowing Silver life network, and even the gestation of the consciousness of the starship burst forth from time to time, promoting the Breakthrough of technical Bottleneck.

However, just when everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, half a month later, the Thousand Eyes network sent some disturbing news.

The self-inspection and repair of the Hive seemed to be coming to an end.

Its external Swarm patrol mode had undergone significant changes—the number of patrol teams had decreased, but a new type of Scout Bee had appeared, which was smaller, extremely fast, and seemed to be specifically responsible for reconnaissance.

The range of activities of these Scout Bee was tentatively extending towards the direction of the starlight gauze curtain!

After repairing itself, the Bee Queen not only strengthened its defenses but also seemed to start searching outwards more actively, trying to find the source of the previous harassment!

It really didn't intend to let it go easily. Wen Youyi looked at the tiny golden lights sweeping through the wreckage on the monitoring screen, his brows furrowed.

Our harassment worked, but it also made it more vigilant, and it pointed the search spearhead in the direction where we might exist.

Should we... give it another hard one? Make it shrink back completely? Zhao Iron Pillar suggested.

No, Wen Youyi shook his head.

It's unwise to fight it head-on now. It's just suspicious and probing; it hasn't pinpointed our location yet. What we need is time, the time for hope to take shape.

He thought for a moment and ordered: Dragon, prepare to execute a decoy tactic. Carry a few high-simulation Spark Base energy characteristic beacons, go to the other direction of the Anvil area, away from the curtain, and withdraw immediately after activating the beacons at a safe distance. Give those Scout Bee a wrong search direction and distract them.

At the same time, Senior Sister Mu, increase the concealment and interference intensity of the starlight gauze curtain to the maximum. All external activities, including mining and transportation, will be transferred to the night (when the energy background is more chaotic), minimizing the possibility of being discovered.

We are going to play a game of hide-and-seek with this iron lump. Wen Youyi's eyes were sharp.

And the end of the game is the moment hope takes off.

The secret war in the sea of stars entered a more concealed and tense stalemate.

And the keel of hope, under the hard work of countless hands, was stubbornly growing towards the starry sky day by day.

(End of chapter)