3: Energy bottlenecks and clever use of space

The appearance of the first American Soldier was like a shot of adrenaline for Sun Zheng. Watching Soldier A001 tirelessly patrol outside, his metal boots making a rustling sound against the lunar dust, this lonely base on the far side of the moon finally felt a bit more like "home."

However, Sun Zheng's mind remained clear. In the Red Alert system, where tanks and aircraft were the norm, a single infantryman was just the starting price. He needed more power to support a larger operation.

The control interface displayed: [Power: 100/200]. Thanks to that hardworking little Ore Miner, his funds had slowly climbed to [Funds: $1350].

"The power is almost full again, perfect." Without a second thought, Sun Zheng directly clicked to build a second Allied Power Plant. $1000 was instantly deducted, and the familiar laser beams lit up nearby, beginning to print the new Power Plant.

[Construction: Allied Power Plant. Time remaining: 10 minutes.]

Taking advantage of the construction gap, Sun Zheng's mind became active again. He couldn't help but ponder the newly activated "homeworld space." This thing was too important; he had to figure out its quirks as soon as possible.

With a thought, he entered that gray, hazy space again. A hundred cubic meters—not too big, yet not too small—it was roughly the size of a slightly large room. He walked back and forth inside, tried jumping a few times, and even threw a few punches. It felt no different from being on Earth; gravity was normal, and breathing was smooth.

"Can carry non-living things..." Sun Zheng pondered this sentence, and a bold idea popped into his head. "What about living things? I can come in myself, so does that count as an exception? What if I bring things from outside in? For example... moon rocks?"

No sooner said than done. He immediately exited the space and returned to the Command Center. His eyes scanned around and fixed on a small screw in the corner of the console—it had popped off when the Construction Yard deployed earlier.

He focused his mind, locked onto the screw, and silently thought: "Collect!"

A wonderful sensation came over him, as if invisible hands had gently picked up the screw. At the same time, he felt that something had been added to the homeworld space. Looking inside again, sure enough, the screw was floating steadily right in the center of the space.

"It worked!" Sun Zheng was overjoyed. This was essentially getting a portable warehouse for free!

What about the other way around? He took the screw out of the space and put it back on the console. No problem.

Next was the more critical test. He walked to the hatch of the Command Center. This door hadn't been opened since he woke up; outside were the deadly vacuum and extreme environments. He took a deep breath and ordered: "Open the inner airlock."

Psh—with a light sound, the heavy metal door slid open, revealing the small airtight transition chamber behind it.

Sun Zheng didn't go out. Standing at the inner door, he concentrated, trying to use his mind to lock onto a fist-sized, jagged piece of basalt on the lunar surface outside the door.

"Collect!"

With a flick of his mind, he felt his mental power extend like a tentacle, gently wrapping around the rock. The next second, the dull gray rock on the lunar surface outside vanished into thin air, and almost simultaneously, appeared inside the homeworld space!

"Telekinesis!" Sun Zheng's eyes lit up. This function was too practical! It meant he didn't have to go outside; he could sit in the Command Center and directly obtain samples from outside. In the future, he might even... conveniently swipe the enemy's things?

Suppressing his excitement, he tried to transfer the moon rock from the space onto the floor of the Command Center.

Success!

Next, he took a small bag of compressed biscuits that came with the system in the Command Center, put it into the space, and then took it out. No problem there either.

"It seems that as long as it's a non-living thing I can lock onto with my mind, I can store and retrieve it at will within a certain range. I just don't know how large that range is?" Sun Zheng walked to the innermost part of the Command Center and tried to collect the fire extinguisher in the transition chamber by the door.

He failed. It seemed he couldn't lock on if the distance exceeded ten meters.

"The range is limited, but it's enough." Sun Zheng wasn't discouraged; this already exceeded his expectations.

Just as he was thinking, the notification sound for the completion of the Allied Power Plant rang. He returned to the screen and saw the second Power Plant standing steadily there. The base's power limit jumped to [Power: 200/200].

He had 350 funds left, still a long way from building an Air Command Post.

Sun Zheng's gaze fell on the moon rock in the homeworld space. A thought irrepressibly surfaced: lunar soil and moon rocks were hot commodities on Earth! If... he could bring them back... This thought made his heart skip a beat. But he immediately reminded himself to stay calm. How would he get back? How would he explain it once he was back? The risks were too great. Before he had enough power to protect himself, he absolutely could not let the secret slip.

The most urgent task now was still to increase the base's strength.

He looked at the building list. The Air Command Post (to reveal the map and unlock the air force) and the War Factory (to produce tanks) were both next on his list, but both required more power and supporting buildings.

"It seems I need to build a few more Power Plants and ore refineries to get the economy up first." Sun Zheng calculated in his mind. Mass-producing infrastructure was always the golden rule in the early stages of Red Alert.

But just as he was prepared to wait patiently for money, a new yellow prompt box suddenly popped up on the console, different from the usual system messages:

[Warning: An abnormally weak energy signal has been detected 15 kilometers northwest of the base. The source of the signal is unknown. It is recommended to dispatch units for reconnaissance.]

On the map panel, at the edge of the fog of war in the corresponding direction, a small yellow question mark was flashing incessantly.

An abnormal energy signal?

Sun Zheng's heart skipped a beat. On the far side of the moon, besides him, was there something else? Was it a natural phenomenon? Or... an "extraterrestrial visitor" like him? It could even be... a secret hidden by the moon itself?

He immediately switched the screen to Soldier A001's perspective. A001 was still dutifully patrolling, completely unaware of the distant signal.

Right now, he only had one soldier and one Ore Miner; he had no long-range reconnaissance capability at all. Sending this lone infantryman over was too risky.

Should he stay low and develop, or take a risk and investigate?

Sun Zheng stared at the flashing question mark, his gaze becoming sharp. The unknown often meant danger, but it could also hide opportunities. What if it was a rare mineral vein? Or... a "treasure chest" dropped by another system?

He glanced at the funding figures and then at the little Ore Miner working hard outside.

"It seems the speed of troop production needs to be put on the agenda." Sun Zheng whispered to himself, a new plan already forming in his mind. "First, add a second Ore Refinery to speed up the income. Then, train a few more American Soldiers. At least gather enough for a reconnaissance squad..."

"As for that signal... once I have a squad of troops, I'll go meet you."