43: Chapter 43 Forty-Eight Hours

On the main screen of the Dragon Kingdom Aerospace Command Center, the countdown digits began to tick down from 48:00:00.

"ares-7 heavy rocket, the latest launch vehicle for the Imperial Alliance 'Artemis' project." General Zhao stood in front of the console, with over a dozen grim-faced technical officers behind him. "It has a low orbit payload capacity of 92 tons and a trans-lunar injection payload capacity of 38 tons. This launch will carry the 'Zeus Station' core module and four astronauts to execute the first long-term lunar residence mission."

The screen switched to the rocket's structural diagram, finally freezing on the detection equipment module at the bottom of the lander.

"The problem is here." Lin Shen zoomed in on the image. "They have added three high-power active detection radars, with an operating frequency band covering 200 MHz to 5 GHz. If these radars perform a full-power scan towards the void—"

"The energy input will reach more than ten thousand times what we used when communicating with the relic." Li Weimin interjected, his tablet displaying the calculation results. "It's like using a fire hose to water a needle that is currently balancing."

Silence filled the command center. Everyone knew what that meant.

"What can we do?" General Liu's voice came through the communicator; he was still at the Strategic Committee headquarters. "Public warning? Technical interference? Or establish some kind of... insurance agreement with the relic in advance?"

Lin Shen walked to the central console and brought up the projection of the technology tree system—of course, to others, it just looked like a normal work interface. Under the [Primary Spacetime Theory] branch, a technology node named "Spacetime Anchor Stabilization Field" was slowly blinking. Unlock progress: 12%.

"I need to go to the Deep Space Technology orbit assembly plant." Lin Shen said. "The modification of the 'Kuafu' probe must be completed within 36 hours. Nuwa, pull up the current progress."

A calm female voice came from the console speakers: "'Kuafu' main structure modification is 78% complete, the newly added spacetime curvature monitoring array is in place. But the core problem remains unsolved: we lack a sufficiently sensitive quantum entanglement particle source to transmit curvature data in real-time. With existing technology, data transmission will have a delay of at least 3.2 seconds."

3.2 seconds is almost negligible at the speed of light. But in the monitoring of spacetime structure changes, this could mean missing the critical starting point of the change.

"What about using 'jiuzhang-2' to generate it?" Chen Xuan asked. She had just arrived from Xichang, bloodshot eyes from staying up all night.

"Quantum computers can generate entangled particle pairs, but cannot stably maintain them for more than ten minutes." Nuwa replied, "And the generation rate is insufficient to support continuous monitoring."

Lin Shen stared at that node in the technology tree system. In the technical description of "Spacetime Anchor Stabilization Field," there was a line of small text: "Basic requirement: Master the preparation and maintenance technology of large-scale quantum entanglement arrays." And further down the knowledge tree, a branch named "Topological Quantum Memory" was emitting a faint light.

One of the prerequisites for this branch was "Achieve a coherence time of over one hour for topological quantum bits under a strong magnetic field."

Hefei, Steady High Magnetic Field Facility. The beam time was originally scheduled for next week.

"Academician Li," Lin Shen turned around, "Can the experiment in Hefei be brought forward? Can we start today?"

Li Weimin was stunned for a moment and quickly checked his schedule: "Theoretically... yes. But the sample preparation for 'jiuzhang-3' still needs the final 24 hours of annealing. If taken out early, the coherence might not reach the optimal level—"

"We don't have time for the optimal state." Lin Shen interrupted him. "Tell the Hefei side that I need a temporary experimental module, and I need to use the backup sample of 'jiuzhang-2' for pre-experiments right now. Nuwa, you are responsible for real-time simulation; we need to find the optimal parameter interval for topological quantum bits under a strong magnetic field within six hours."

"Understood." Nuwa's voice paused for half a second. "Connected to the Hefei facility control system, applying for emergency experimental authorization. Approval is expected in twenty minutes."

General Liu said on the other end of the communicator: "Lin Shen, are you sure you want to push three lines at the same time? 'Kuafu' modification, quantum experiments, and still continuing to talk to the lunar relic?"

"We have no choice." Lin Shen began to pack up his portable terminal. "The three lines will eventually converge. If the Topological Quantum Memory is successful, we will not only be able to monitor spacetime curvature in real-time, but also establish a quantum channel to communicate with the relic—much faster and much safer than the current electromagnetic wave method."

"Safe?"

"If the relic can really manipulate spacetime, then it is very likely that it can also monitor all communications in the electromagnetic wave frequency band. But quantum entanglement..." Lin Shen paused, "At least in theory, the transmission of quantum entanglement is instantaneous and cannot be intercepted or monitored midway."

Chen Xuan gasped: "You mean, it might have been 'listening' to all our communications? Including our current conversation?"

"If its technology is advanced enough." Lin Shen looked at the main screen, the countdown showed 47:12:33, "Then it might already know that the Imperial Alliance is coming."

At the same time, Imperial Alliance Joint Aerospace Command Center.

"I still don't understand why the launch has to be moved up by fifty days." The speaker was the "Zeus Station" mission commander, Max Costa. This veteran astronaut had short, gray-white hair and a face like rock, "According to the original plan, we still have plenty of time for the final three simulation training sessions."

"Because the launch window has changed." The person answering him was Mission Control Director Katherine Weiss, a woman in her early fifties, her voice as calm as a scalpel, "Data from the lunar south pole water ice distribution survey indicates that the volatile content in the target area is undergoing abnormal changes. If we wait until three months later, the optimal sampling point might have already disappeared."

She pulled up a set of satellite images. Around the "Zeus Station" designated landing site, thermal infrared images showed that the surface temperature had risen by 0.8 degrees in the last 72 hours. Although the change was small, in the lunar south pole, which is minus 200 degrees all year round, this was already a significant anomaly.

"Geological activity?" Max frowned.

"Or something else." Katherine did not elaborate, "In any case, the Joint Command has decided to advance the launch. Your training time will be compressed, but the mission priority has been adjusted to: within 24 hours after landing, you must complete the radar penetration scan of coordinate point B-7."

She pointed to a spot on the map, 32 kilometers away from the designated landing site, which happened to be the same void that the Dragon Kingdom's "guanghan-1" probe was continuously monitoring.

"What if the scan results show anomalies?"

"Then execute contingency plan 'Prometheus'." Katherine pulled up another encrypted file, "You will be granted special authorization to use the deep drilling equipment carried by the lander to obtain samples. Remember, any discovery of non-natural structures must be immediately sealed and prioritized for return."

Max was silent for a few seconds. As a veteran who had been on four space missions, he could feel that this mission was unusual. The overly hasty schedule, the vague explanation of "abnormal changes," and that special contingency plan that sounded like a mythological code name.

"Katherine," he lowered his voice, "What exactly are we looking for in this mission?"

Katherine looked at him, her eyes complex. In the end, she only said one sentence: "It might be something that rewrites human history. Or it might be... the key to opening pandora's box."

Hefei, Steady High Magnetic Field Facility hall.

When Lin Shen arrived, the experimental module was ready. The huge toroidal magnet occupied half the space of a basketball court, and on the sample stage in the center, a fingernail-sized chip was waiting in the low temperature of liquid helium.

"Bismuth sulfide-niobium nitride heterojunction sample, number QT-7B." The young researcher in charge of the experiment reported to Lin Shen, "The coherence time has reached 45 minutes in the laboratory environment, but the performance under a strong magnetic field... we don't have data yet."

"Then let's start." Lin Shen put on his data glasses, and Nuwa's real-time calculation simulation interface appeared before his eyes, "Start from 0.5 Tesla, gradually increase. Record the quantum state decay curve each time."

The magnet began to hum; it was the sound of current passing through the superconducting coils. Outside the experimental module, Li Weimin and Chen Xuan watched through the monitor. Chen Xuan was still holding the tablet, which displayed the latest response from the lunar relic that had just been received in Xichang—the detailed analysis results of that asteroid belt coordinate set.

"Nuwa, input the coordinates into the Deep Space Technology exploration database and match with known celestial bodies." Chen Xuan said.

"Matching... anomaly found." Nuwa's voice came from the speaker, "This coordinate point is located in area 127 of the asteroid belt. Theoretically, there are three asteroids with a diameter of over 50 kilometers. But the survey observation of this area by the Dragon Kingdom's 'Tianyan' radio telescope last year showed that there is a mass 'void' there—gravitational lensing effects indicate that there should be celestial bodies in that area, but neither optical nor infrared bands can observe any objects."

"Invisible asteroids?" Li Weimin frowned.

"Or..." Chen Xuan's voice trembled slightly, "Or there are no asteroids there at all. All there is, is a... spatial distortion. Just like the lunar void, only a thousand times larger."

Meanwhile, inside the experimental module, Lin Shen was staring at the data stream.

"Magnetic field strength 1.2 Tesla, quantum bit coherence time... 38 minutes. Less of a drop than expected."

"1.8 Tesla, coherence time 33 minutes. A stable plateau appeared in the decay curve."

"2.5 Tesla—wait." Lin Shen leaned closer to the monitor, "Nuwa, magnify the waveform from 72 to 78 seconds."

On the magnified waveform, the quantum state curve, which should have decayed smoothly, showed a faint... resonance peak at a certain frequency.

Just like a guitar string vibrating longer at a specific frequency.

"The magnetic field frequency is coupled with a certain eigenmode of the quantum bit." Lin Shen calculated rapidly, "If we adjust the frequency of the magnetic field so that it continuously matches this mode—"

"Theoretically, it can extend the coherence time." Nuwa replied, "Calculating optimal parameters... found. It is recommended to modulate the magnetic field to 2.512 Tesla and fine-tune it at a frequency of 0.003 Hz per second."

"Execute."

The humming of the magnet changed pitch, becoming lower and more stable. The chip on the sample stage flickered with a faint blue light in the microscope image—a visualization of the maintained quantum state.

Time passed second by second.

Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes. Forty-five minutes.

"Coherence time has reached 51 minutes and is still continuing." The researcher's voice carried incredible excitement, "Dr. Lin, we've had a breakthrough!"

Lin Shen didn't look at the time, however; he stared at the interface of the technology tree system. Under the [Topological Quantum Memory] branch, the progress bar jumped from 12% to 47%. And on the [Primary Spacetime Theory] node further up, the unlock progress also grew synchronously to 29%.

More importantly, a new connection appeared—a thin line of light extended from [Topological Quantum Memory], pointing to a brand new, unnamed technical field: [Quantum Spacetime Sensing Array].

"Nuwa, recalculate the design of the 'Kuafu' probe's quantum communication module using the new parameters." Lin Shen walked out of the experimental module and took off his data glasses, "We need to build the first prototype within 24 hours."

"Design calculation in progress... estimated to take 17 hours." Nuwa replied, "But Dr. Lin, Xichang reports that the lunar relic has just actively sent a new signal. The content this time... you need to see it yourself."

Chen Xuan handed over the tablet. On the screen was not a waveform, but a three-dimensional dynamic model: a standard Platonic icosahedron, but at each vertex, the space showed slight distortion. Below the model was a set of concise equations—describing the mathematical relationship between spacetime curvature and polyhedral geometry.

"It gave us a... structural design." Chen Xuan said softly, "It's like teaching us how to use specific geometric arrangements to stabilize local spacetime."

Lin Shen looked at the rotating model and suddenly understood something.

"This is not random teaching. It is testing our understanding." He pointed to a parameter in the equation, "Look here, this coefficient determines the degree of spacetime distortion. If we substitute this value into the dimensions of the lunar void—"

Nuwa completed the calculation instantly: "The result is: the spacetime curvature inside the void is exactly enough to form a self-stabilizing 'spacetime bubble'. External disturbance needs to reach a specific threshold to break the balance."

"Specific threshold..." Lin Shen looked up abruptly, "Has the Imperial Alliance's radar power reached the threshold?"

"Calculating... calculation complete." Nuwa's voice had a rare pause, "If all three radars are aimed at the center of the void at full power simultaneously, the energy input will reach the equilibrium threshold in the seventh minute. After that, the stability of the spacetime bubble will begin to decay, and the rate of decay... is unpredictable."

The control room was dead silent.

"In other words," Li Weimin said slowly, "Once the Imperial Alliance's lander starts scanning, it might... awaken the thing in the lunar void within seven minutes."

Lin Shen looked at the main screen. The countdown showed: 39:47:12.

There were less than 40 hours until the "ares-7" launch.

There might be less than 48 hours until the potential awakening event.

He picked up the communicator: "General Liu, we need to launch the first phase of the contingency plan. Codename... 'Nuwa Mends the Heavens'."

The other side of the communicator was silent for two seconds: "Are you sure you want to use that name now?"

"If the Nuwa in the legend mended the hole in the sky," Lin Shen said, "Then what we need to mend now might be the cracks in spacetime itself."