211: Chapter 211 The Second Race! Data from 40 Kilometers

Day sixty-four, 6:52 AM.

Cockpit.

Lu Chen scanned the last line of yesterday's notes in the logbook.

Degradation window assessment, contact Dawn Legion, wait for Forge's reply.

Forge hadn't replied yesterday afternoon.

Zhou Yuan's 4:00 AM report mentioned the communication was sent, but there was no movement from that end.

It was definitely received; the Dawn Legion's first-tier communication equipment had more than enough signal penetration for the entire Rustwind Wasteland.

No reply meant they were still bickering in the council.

Forge's current situation wasn't hard to guess—he had to deal with the Conservatives of Evening Bell on one side and fight tooth and nail for the Joint Strike Plan in the council on the other. Privately promising to provide real-time intelligence to Polaris was a unilateral commitment that bypassed the council, so he didn't dare nod his head lightly.

Lu Chen flipped to a new page in the logbook.

Day sixty-four.

He picked up his pen and listed today's tasks one by one.

7:00 AM, second high-speed shock absorption test; same route, turnaround two kilometers south.

Check the data after the test and decide whether to switch to full-speed combat readiness.

Compost cycle deployment across all lines today, Lin Wan to supervise.

ZM08 begins labor pains today; Liao Dacheng and Sun Ke on night watch.

Second batch of strawberries ripens today or tomorrow; distribution plan to be finalized today.

Third batch of the Relocation Team, at least eight hundred people.

The tip of the pen hovered over the paper.

He added another line at the bottom.

Wait for Forge's reply.

6:57 AM, the communicator vibrated.

"City Lord, I'm in the Greenhouse."

Lin Wan's voice came through, mixed with the sound of nutrient solution circulating in the Hydroponic Racks in the background.

"The seventh set of Hydroponic Racks was injected with Compost Liquid yesterday; I checked at 5:30 this morning. The roots are normal, with no signs of stress. The growth rate of the new roots is about eight percent faster than the group using chemical nutrient solution."

She paused for half a second, her tone lifting slightly.

"Better than expected."

"Noted." Lu Chen filled this data into the book. "Full deployment today. Inject all the remaining ninety-nine sets today."

"Song Ya and I can handle it in one morning."

"Good." Lu Chen set down the pen and looked at the bottom right corner of the panel.

Five signal logs.

The fifth, a pale red timestamp: 05:49:07, from yesterday.

From early morning until now, the radar had scanned forty-two times, and all were clear.

"City Lord," Lin Wan continued her report, "the milk is on the console. Sixty liters today—the first day of full production."

"Understood."

"Also, the Strawberry," she changed the subject, "I checked the Cold Storage Area yesterday; the second batch has started to change color. This afternoon at the earliest, tomorrow morning at the latest."

Lu Chen picked up his thermos and swallowed a mouthful of hot water.

"Distribution plan." He got straight to the point. "Give me the numbers this afternoon: how many have ripened and how many people they can cover."

"I'd estimate thirty to forty berries."

"Let's say thirty. Cut each in half, and they can be distributed to sixty people." Lu Chen calculated. "Priority goes to the third batch of the Relocation Team arriving today; the rest go to the Engineering Team and the Livestock Farm."

There was no immediate response from the communicator.

"City Lord, you mentioned before that for the residents, knowing there are strawberries on the ship is more useful than the strawberries themselves."

"I remember."

"Then for this batch, let's just send them to the Public Living Area," Lin Wan said plainly. "Cut them all up and place them on the tables, one small piece per table. It doesn't matter who comes; as long as they can see it and have a taste, that's enough."

Lu Chen didn't respond immediately.

He stared at the panel, running the idea through his mind.

Cut them up and place them on tables—not distributing to individuals, but to the space.

People going to the living area to collect flour would see them first thing, smell them, have a taste, and know that these things really exist on this ship.

Knowing was enough.

"Fine," Lu Chen decided. "Once they're ripe this afternoon, go ahead and do it. No need to ask me."

"Okay."

The communicator hung up.

Lu Chen set down the thermos, his gaze falling on the control console in front of the pilot's seat.

6:59 AM.

One minute until pushing the throttle.

He ran through today's testing process in his mind again.

Yesterday's conclusion was: the central sixty sets of springs were changed to four coils, pushing the natural frequency to eighteen to twenty times per second. At forty kilometers per hour, the engine vibration frequency was thirteen to fifteen times per second, which theoretically avoided the resonance range.

The theoretical values were provided by Old Du.

Old Du had been doing mechanical precision calibration for thirty-two years; Lu Chen trusted these numbers.

But trust was one thing; the data from an actual run was what really mattered.

At 7:00 AM sharp, he reached out and lifted the protective cover of the engine start control panel.

He pushed the main engine power up from its idle of eight percent.

A low-frequency hum rose from deep within the chassis, and the entire vehicle began to wake up.

"Lin Wan, engine start."

"Old Du is here, stopwatch is ready, measuring rods are in place," Lin Wan replied, her voice joined by Old Du's muffled response.

"Push it, City Lord."

Lu Chen pushed the power to thirty percent.

Polaris sank forward as a whole, the main tread sets gripping the ice tightly, and the vehicle body slowly pressed southward.

"Five kilometers per hour."

"Seventh set of Hydroponic Racks, amplitude two to three millimeters. Roots are stable, no displacement." Lin Wan reported efficiently. "Old Du measured it; engine vibration frequency is 6.1 times per second, within the safety range."

Lu Chen exerted force with his wrist, continuing to press the lever forward.

Ten kilometers.

"Amplitude four to five millimeters, roots are swaying but not displaced." Lin Wan paused for half a second. "Old Du says 8.9 times per second, 0.2 times lower than yesterday. The coil change in the central sixty sets is working."

Lu Chen didn't speak.

Yesterday at ten kilometers it was 9.1 times; today it was 8.9, it had dropped.

Changing the central area to four coils pushed the natural frequency higher, changing the overall vibration conduction path and reducing the coupling efficiency. At the same speed, the amplitude of engine vibration transmitted to the Hydroponic Racks naturally decreased.

The logic held up.

"Continuing." He pressed the lever further forward.

Twenty kilometers.

Polaris's speed opened up on the ice field, the treads rolling over the frozen ground, the dull sound of cracking ice merging into one.

"Amplitude six to eight millimeters. Old Du says 11.3 times per second, still below the resonance range." Lin Wan's speaking speed quickened. "The central sixty sets are normal. The racks in the outer forty sets are shaking more than the center, twelve to fourteen millimeters."

"At what vibration frequency do the outer ones start to resonate?"

"Old Du says the outer forty sets haven't had their coils changed, so their natural frequency is still ten times per second. Now at 11.3 times, it's already passed through." Lin Wan's voice was tense. "He says the outer forty sets are in slight resonance. Fortunately, they're far from the edge of the vehicle, so the conduction attenuation is high, and the actual amplitude hasn't reached a destructive level."

"Status of the Hydroponic Rack roots."

"I'm watching the outer set; there are signs of root displacement. Three-set rack has two roots completely slipped out of the nutrient solution and are floating back."

Lu Chen locked the lever at the thirty-kilometer mark and didn't push it further.

"Can the losses be managed?"

"Running below thirty kilometers, each trip results in a yield loss of five to eight percent for the outer forty sets. Cumulatively..." Lin Wan calculated for a few seconds. "Calculating four hundred kilometers per evacuation. Running in segments, no more than fifty kilometers each, then stopping to nurse the seedlings—the loss can be kept under fifteen percent."

"Forty kilometers."

He pushed the lever to the limit.

Polaris's speed continued to climb.

Thirty-five kilometers.

Forty kilometers.

The vibration frequency of the entire vehicle body suddenly jumped a level. The low-frequency hum became a high-frequency tremor that seeped into the bones, and the metal walls of the Cockpit began to emit a faint resonance.

Lu Chen gripped the lever tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"Report."

A series of dense clattering sounds came from the communicator, sounding like Lin Wan was pressing something hard firmly against the Hydroponic Rack's crossbeam.

"Old Du says the engine vibration is now 13.8 times per second. The natural frequency of the central sixty sets is nineteen times—no resonance!" Lin Wan's voice was louder but her words were clear. "The amplitude of the central sixty sets is nine to eleven millimeters, even smaller than yesterday's thirty-kilometer data!"

"The outer forty sets."

"The outer ones..." Lin Wan paused for two seconds to listen to Old Du's report. "Old Du says the natural frequency of the outer ones is still ten; 13.8 is passing in and out, there's resonance. Amplitude is twenty-two to twenty-eight millimeters."

Lu Chen locked the speed firmly at forty kilometers.

Polaris tore across the Rustwind Wasteland along its set route, braving the ice as it sped southward.

"Root displacement status."

"Central sixty sets: from what I can see with the naked eye, there's slight displacement but they haven't completely left the liquid surface. Generally stable." Lin Wan took a breath. "Outer forty sets... I can't see everything from here, but on racks three and seven, more roots have slipped out than at thirty kilometers."

"Quantify it."

"Rack number three: twelve to fifteen percent of the roots have slipped out of the nutrient solution; the rest are still soaked in the liquid."

Lu Chen quickly converted these numbers into yield loss in his head.

Twelve to fifteen percent root displacement. According to basic botanical models, for short-term exposure, roots can recover their absorption function within five to ten minutes; over twenty minutes of exposure, stress damage begins; over forty minutes, it's irreversible.

Calculating the entire evacuation at four hundred kilometers, running at forty kilometers per hour would take ten hours.

Running in segments, stopping every fifty kilometers, and immediately switching to low speed to let the roots reset. Each segment would take at most an hour and a half, with stops of ten to twenty minutes. Over the entire journey, the cumulative loss for the outer forty sets would be between twenty and thirty percent.

Acceptable.

"Estimated yield loss for the central sixty sets," he asked next.

"At the current amplitude, the central sets held up; the loss is within five percent," Lin Wan calculated. "But this is just data from a single run. For long distances, Old Du says there will be a fatigue effect on the springs. Long-term high-frequency vibration will cause the shock absorption effect to decay."

"To what extent?"

"Old Du says he hasn't done this kind of fatigue testing, so he can't give a hard number. He estimates that after running one hundred and fifty to two hundred kilometers, the shock absorption effect will drop by ten to fifteen percent."

Lu Chen pulled the lever back, and Polaris began to slow down.

Thirty kilometers, twenty, ten.

The vehicle body stabilized again.

He brought the speed to zero, and Polaris braked to a halt on the ice field, a little over two kilometers from its original berth.

"Old Du, give it to me straight."

Old Du's voice, like coarse sandpaper, came through the communicator, calm and steady.

"City Lord, based on today's data, the plan to change the central sixty sets to four coils has no resonance at forty kilometers per hour. The shock absorption is effective, and the yield loss is manageable."

The old man paused.

"The outer forty sets are a landmine. There will be losses on a long trip, but not to the point of total failure. If we can change those remaining forty sets to four coils as well, this matter will be completely settled."

"What about materials?"

"Yesterday you said there were nine hundred and fifty to a thousand meters of steel bars left. Making the first sixty sets used nine hundred and sixty meters, so at most there's about forty meters left in the warehouse," Old Du calculated clearly. "Changing forty more sets needs another six hundred and forty meters. We're far short."

"Are there any more steel bars of this specification in The City-State?"

"City Lord," Lin Wan interjected, "I'll go ask Lin Xiao this morning. He has the records for the materials in the City-State Industrial Zone warehouse."

"Go ask." Lu Chen fully retracted the lever, and Polaris turned around on the spot, heading back to the berth. "If there are, bring another batch over this afternoon. Han Zhengqing will continue coiling tonight, we'll change the remaining forty sets tomorrow, and have the third test the day after."

"The day after tomorrow is day sixty-six," Lin Wan went through the dates in her head. "The Iron Hoof Legion will arrive on day seventy-one at the earliest, so there's a five-day buffer."

"Finalize the materials first."

Polaris slowly drove back, its speed kept under ten kilometers.

The vibration frequency in the Cockpit dropped back down until it was imperceptible.

Lu Chen leaned back in his seat, re-evaluating today's test data in his mind.

Central sixty sets: Pass.

Outer forty sets: Losses expected, but acceptable. If materials are available, continue modifications.

Conclusion: Polaris is currently ready to switch to full-speed combat readiness. However, the optimal solution is to finish changing the outer forty sets before running.

He picked up the logbook and noted these points in the test conclusion column.

The communicator rang.

It wasn't Lin Wan; it was Zhou Yuan.

"City Lord."

"Speak."

"Forge has replied." Zhou Yuan's voice carried the exhaustion of finally landing after staying up all night. "Just now, at 7:17."

The pen in Lu Chen's hand stopped on the paper.

"What did he say?"

"He said," Zhou Yuan deliberately slowed down, emphasizing every word, "the degradation window really exists, and he can provide it."

The rustling of Zhou Yuan flipping through papers came through the communicator.

"His exact words were: 'My people have three Beacon Stations near the southern mouth of the Ice Rift Zone. Once the main scout vehicles of Iron Hoof cross the southern mouth, I can give you their real-time positions with an error margin of less than two kilometers. I've confirmed that they won't actively attack your position during the base construction phase. But your degradation makes a lot of noise, so I can't guarantee they won't come.'"

There was a moment of silence in the Cockpit.

Polaris's engine hum seeped through the walls, and the vents of the climate control system whirred.

"An error margin of less than two kilometers." Lu Chen rolled the number over his tongue.

"Yes."

"What's his guarantee that Iron Hoof won't attack during base construction?"

"He said he has the Communication Protocol Map of the Iron Hoof Legion. The standard procedure for the base construction phase is to set up a defensive line first and then expand outward; they absolutely won't take the initiative to attack fixed targets in the short term." Zhou Yuan paused. "His meaning is that as long as Polaris doesn't send out random signals, doesn't fire its guns, and doesn't attract attention, those five to eight hours of degradation will be basically safe."

Lu Chen set the pen down on the console.

"What are his conditions?"

"He said," Zhou Yuan's voice deepened, "he doesn't want anything."

Lu Chen's eyelid flickered.

"What does that mean?"

"The exact words were: 'Polaris has already given me two things. A signal, and time. Consider this my return gift.'"

Silence fell in the Cockpit again.

Lu Chen stared at that pale red fifth signal on the panel.

Forge was someone Zhou Yuan had previously concluded was clear-headed, had a bottom line, and could be dealt with.

Today's reply matched that.

No favors asked, just a return gift.

It meant he acknowledged owing Polaris a favor and was using this to pay it back—squaring the debt.

Only after squaring the debt could their relationship truly be one of mutual dealings on the table.

Once the favor was settled, the next step of cooperation could be discussed with a new set of chips.

Lu Chen worked through this logic clearly in his head.

"City Lord," Zhou Yuan began tentatively, "about Forge's reply..."

"I understand his meaning," Lu Chen cut him off. "Send him a transmission today. Just say Polaris received it and appreciates the gesture."

"Okay."

"Also," Lu Chen fully retracted the lever, and Polaris came to a steady stop in its original position, "tell him that once the degradation window is finalized, I want his Beacon Stations on twenty-four hours a day. Report the scout vehicles' positions every half hour."

"Understood."

"Zhou Yuan."

"Yes."

"Any word from Forge's side about the Joint Strike Plan?"

There was a three or four-second silence on the other end.

"Evening Bell still hasn't budged," Zhou Yuan replied. "Forge mentioned yesterday that he used the analysis of the fifth signal to forcefully sway two Swing Seats in the council. Now he holds five out of twelve votes. The Hawks are one vote short of a majority."

"One vote short."

"Yes, just one vote."

Lu Chen didn't ask further.

He opened the logbook and wrote down two lines.

Forge's real-time intelligence: Confirmed.

Joint strike: One vote short, Evening Bell hasn't budged.

The pen tip left the paper, and he closed the book, setting it on the left side of the console.

Polaris had come to a complete stop, the main engine power dropping back to the idle eight percent.

In the signal log column on the panel, the pale red record of the fifth signal remained pinned there.

Day seventy-one.

Seven days left.