49: asteroid belt

The incandescent white plasma trail slowly dimmed and dissipated in the cold void. The 'Ark' — the name Han Zhe had formally bestowed upon his mobile steel Fortress — moved like a giant that had just learned to toddle, steadily yet somewhat clumsily distancing itself from the debris field that had birthed too much danger and mystery, propelled by a 0.05G acceleration. Through the massive observation window of the 'Navigation Control Center,' the once-familiar starscape, cluttered with warship wreckage, was being replaced by a more desolate, purer darkness. Only scattered distant stars remained, like indifferent eyes watching this solitary vessel.

However, the brief exhilaration of 'setting sail' and the relief of escaping danger were soon supplanted by another, more realistic and persistent pressure: resources.

The 'Taotie' protocol's efficiency plummeted after leaving the dense regions of the debris field. The SCVs strained every effort, yet could only extract meager resource points from the sparse interstellar dust and the occasional drifting ice crystal. The daily acquisition rate had plunged from a peak of tens of thousands of points to less than two thousand, and was still falling. Meanwhile, the 'Ark's' own consumption was a bottomless pit: maintaining the thrusters' 0.05G acceleration required a constant drain of metallic hydrogen slurry; life support systems, survival pods, clone cultivation, equipment maintenance... each steadily devoured resource points. Not to mention, within the 'Hive' center, forty lives of the delta batch were rapidly consuming specialized nutrient fluid, and Han Zhe had already begun planning the next batch of clones.

The resource pool's level was visibly dropping, rapidly falling below 200,000 points from the nearly 300,000 at 'launch,' with no sign of the downward trend slowing.

"If this continues, our resources will be exhausted long before we find a new foothold," Han Zhe stood before the main console in the Navigation Control Center, his brow furrowed, his gaze shifting between the resource monitoring interface and the star chart. "'keystone,' scan ahead along our course. Look for any celestial body that might contain resources: asteroid belts, comets, even metal-rich rogue planetary fragments. We can't survive on 'eating' space dust alone."

"Initiating active scan... Expanding scan radius to zero point five light-minutes..." 'keystone's' computational core operated at full capacity, mobilizing the improved scanning arrays mounted on the 'Ark's' bow and the forward nodes of the 'Truth Listener' network.

Three more days passed in silence and waiting. Resource points fell below 180,000.

"Target detected." 'keystone's' prompt finally sounded, carrying a hint of data-driven certainty. "Bearing: seventeen degrees to port of course, distance approximately zero point three light-minutes. Target: a sparse asteroid belt (or remnants of a large comet breakup), primary composition silicate rock, water ice, and trace metals. Average diameter ranges from several meters to several hundred meters. Three relatively metal-rich signals detected within, suspected to be asteroids containing iron-nickel cores."

An asteroid belt! Sparse, and the metal content might not be high, but compared to the emptiness of interstellar dust, this was a 'feast'!

"Adjust course, target the asteroid belt! Prioritize approaching those three metal-rich signal sources!" Han Zhe ordered immediately. Resources were the lifeline; they couldn't be missed.

The 'Ark's' massive frame, under the fine adjustments of its vector thrusters, slowly changed direction, heading toward that inconspicuous cluster of slightly denser points of light in the starry sky.

One day later, the 'Ark' arrived at the edge of the asteroid belt. Upon closer observation, it wasn't the imagined dense field of rubble, but more like a forgotten 'pebble' riverbed. Rocks and ice chunks of various sizes and shapes floated and rotated slowly under weak mutual gravitational or inertial forces. The three marked metal-rich points were three larger 'rocks' among them, with surfaces showing a dull metallic luster, approximately eighty, one hundred twenty, and two hundred meters in diameter respectively.

"Initiate resource assessment protocol. Dispatch 'Hound' reconnaissance platforms for close-proximity scanning. Analyze specific composition, structural stability, and mining value." Han Zhe proceeded with caution. Safety first when harvesting in an unfamiliar environment.

The retrofitted 'Hound-01' platform, equipped with more precise sensors and a sampling arm, slid out from a side hatch of the 'Ark.' Like an agile metal dragonfly, it flew toward the nearest eighty-meter-diameter asteroid. It performed multi-angle scans around the target and used its micro-drilling arm to obtain surface and shallow-layer samples.

Data transmitted:

[Target A-1 (Diameter 82 meters)]

· Surface: Silicate rock crust, mixed with water ice.

· Shallow layer (10-30 meters): Iron-nickel alloy content increased to approximately 15%, accompanied by trace amounts of cobalt and chromium.

· Structure: Relatively dense and stable, no intense internal activity.

· Estimated extractable metal resources (converted): Approximately 8,000-12,000 resource points.

· Mining recommendation: Requires surface stripping and deep-layer drilling/fragmentation.

"Eight to twelve thousand... all three combined might yield thirty thousand points. It's nowhere near as efficient as the debris field, but it's enough to alleviate the immediate crisis. More importantly, there's water ice here!" Han Zhe saw hope. Water was essential for life support and certain industrial processes, and could also be decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen for propellant or energy supplementation.

"Formulate a mining plan. Objective: Efficiently extract the metal cores and water ice from these three asteroids while ensuring the 'Ark' maintains a safe distance. SCV units, prepare for space operations." Han Zhe ordered. Despite its newfound mobility, the 'Ark' itself was not a dedicated mining vessel; it relied on external units.

"Mining plan generated: Adopt a four-step 'strip-drill-fragment-collect' process.

1. Strip the surface rock crust using cmc armor (equipped with heavy cutting tools) or SCVs.

2. Use large drilling modules mounted on SCVs to penetrate the metal-rich layer.

3. Place controlled fragmentation explosives (synthesizable by the refining core) within the drill holes to shatter the internal metal structure.

4. SCVs use reinforced magnetic collection nets to adsorb and transport the shattered metal fragments and water ice back to the 'Ark's' refining core.

Estimated single asteroid mining cycle: 5-7 standard days. Note: Debris and vibrations generated by operations may affect the 'Ark' and surrounding environmental stability."

"Plan approved. Alpha Squad, responsible for perimeter security and safety coordination in the operational area. Beta and Gamma Squads, rotate personnel to assist SCVs with peripheral tasks or serve as reserve teams. 'Hound' platforms continue monitoring the surrounding environment." Han Zhe detailed the tasks. This was the first large-scale external operation during the voyage; nothing could be left to chance.

Mining operations commenced rapidly.

Two SCVs ('pioneer-01' and '02') took the lead, flying toward Target A-1. Their magnetic claws swapped for high-power plasma cutting arms, they began carefully cutting and removing the asteroid's surface rock crust and ice layer, like peeling an egg. Debris drifted into space, initially captured by pre-deployed collection nets with weak gravitational fields to prevent the formation of a debris cloud.

Alpha-01 led four Beta squad members, clad in CMC-2A armor, establishing a security perimeter around the operational area. Their sensors vigilantly scanned the dark depths of space. Even though the 'Truth Listener' network detected no anomalies, in this unfamiliar region, one could never be too vigilant.

The stripping work continued for a day and a half, revealing the deeper-colored, harder metal ore layer beneath.

Next, the SCVs swapped to large rotary drill heads. The low, rumbling vibrations, transmitted through solid matter, couldn't propagate in the vacuum, but could be felt through the armor's sensors. The drill bit slowly penetrated deeper, the ejected rock dust collected immediately.

Drilling persisted for nearly two days, creating several holes up to fifty meters deep within the target asteroid.

The third step was most critical. The SCVs inserted specially crafted, precisely calculated fragmentation explosive rods deep into the drill holes. These weren't traditional chemical explosives, but a type of controllable micro energy collapse device synthesized by the refining core. They could generate intense directional shockwaves within an extremely confined area, shattering the metal structure into appropriately sized fragments without destroying the entire asteroid.

"All units, withdraw to a safe distance. Prepare for detonation." Han Zhe's command transmitted over an encrypted channel.

The SCVs and security armor quickly retreated several kilometers away.

The countdown ended.

No flash, no deafening blast. Only the target asteroid jolted violently! Enormous, web-like cracks suddenly appeared on its surface, and it expanded outward slightly! A massive amount of metal fragments and internal water-ice mixture were 'squeezed' out from the fissures, forming a slowly expanding 'cloud' of metal particles and ice crystals in the weightless environment, like an explosion in slow motion.

"Detonation successful! Structural fragmentation level matches expectations!" 'keystone' reported.

The final step: collection. SCVs and some soldiers wearing engineering exoskeletons moved forward, deploying large magnetic/electrostatic collection nets. Like fishing, they 'ensnared' the drifting, valuable fragments one by one, then towed the heavy haul back to the 'Ark.'

The refining core, long starved, activated the 'Taotie' protocol at full power, devouring, decomposing, and transforming these raw ores and ice crystals.

[Acquiring crude iron-nickel alloy... Resource points +2100...]

[Acquiring water ice... Purifying... Water resource reserves increasing...]

[Acquiring rare metal cobalt... Resource points +350...]

Pleasant notification tones sounded in succession. The resource points ceased their decline and began a slow climb.

The first asteroid was mined out, taking six days. Total resource points acquired: approximately 9,500, plus a considerable water reserve.

Though the efficiency paled in comparison to the frenzy in the debris field, it offered stability and sustainability (this asteroid belt was sizable), and provided precious water resources.

"Continue. Target A-2." Han Zhe's mood eased slightly. With a stable resource source, even if less efficient, it meant the 'Ark' could sustain longer voyages to search for a true, resource-rich 'new homeland.'

Mining operations proceeded according to the rotational plan. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Squads took turns on duty, while the SCVs worked almost non-stop. The soldiers gradually grew accustomed to this 'miner' life in the silent void, accompanied by giant rocks and cold machinery. Beyond security, they participated in auxiliary tasks: deploying temporary lighting, assisting with securing collection nets, even operating small cutting equipment. This wasn't just resource gathering; it was also training for the soldiers' multi-tasking adaptability and engineering skills.

Within the 'Hive' center, cultivation of the delta batch progressed steadily, new lives thriving in the nutrient fluid. Han Zhe had already tasked 'keystone' with designing optimization plans for the next batch (codenamed: Epsilon) and was attempting to synthesize more efficient life-catalyzing media using some of the rare elements obtained from mining.

The 'Ark' hovered like a cautious interstellar jellyfish at the edge of this sparse asteroid belt, extending its 'tentacles' (SCVs and soldiers) to slowly but steadily draw the nutrients of survival from these cold stones.

The voyage's objective temporarily shifted from 'rapidly moving away' to 'moving while harvesting.' Han Zhe ordered 'keystone' to plot a course through the relatively resource-rich regions of this asteroid belt, acquiring as many resources as possible without significantly deviating from the overall direction.

Days passed in the tedious yet necessary mining operations. The resource pool's level painstakingly rose, breaking through 200,000 points and slowly climbing toward 250,000. Water reserves became ample, even allowing attempts at electrolysis to produce hydrogen and oxygen as strategic propellant reserves.

However, on the fourth day of mining the third (and largest, two-hundred-meter diameter) asteroid, just as drilling was completed and preparations for placing fragmentation explosives were underway—

"Alert! 'Hound-02' (deployed for flank security) detects anomalous gravitational fluctuations! Bearing: deep within the asteroid belt, distance approximately zero point one light-minute! Fluctuation pattern... non-natural! Large objects approaching at high speed!" 'keystone's' urgent warning shattered the operational calm.

Almost simultaneously, the voice of the Gamma Squad leader (Gamma-01), responsible for outer perimeter security, echoed over the channel: "Commander! Visual confirmation! Multiple high-speed moving objects at eleven o'clock! Massive volume! Extreme speed! On a direct collision course with our operational area!"

Han Zhe swiftly pulled up the real-time feeds from 'Hound-02' and the Gamma Squad armor.

In the dark backdrop of the asteroid belt, several enormous, menacingly contoured shadows were 'swimming' forward silently yet swiftly, like leviathans in the deep sea! They completely ignored the floating asteroids along their path, either smashing through them directly or maneuvering around them with incredible agility. Their target was clear—precisely the 'Ark' and the units conducting mining operations!

Those weren't natural celestial bodies! Those were... ships?!