70: Knowledge Prism

The shadow of the Imperial Navy formation was like the Sword of Damocles, hanging over the head of the nascent "Human Federation." However, the expected destructive strike did not descend immediately. After weeks of suffocating waiting and maximum-level silent alert, the "Ghost-Deep Diver" sent back intelligence once more: that Imperial Fleet did not seem to be heading directly for the core of the "Human Federation" controlled area, but instead slowed down and lingered near an ancient battlefield debris belt in a neighboring sector, releasing a large number of small probes and boarding parties.

"'keystone,' synthesize and analyze all intercepted Imperial Fleet communication fragments (mostly encrypted, but some low-level cleartext calls exist) and probe activity patterns." Han Zhe stared intently at the dynamics on the star map.

"Analysis complete. The Imperial Fleet's activity pattern matches the characteristics of 'relic search and salvage operations.' Its target is highly likely a specific item or technical carrier within that debris belt, rather than being aimed at us. The fleet composition is primarily cruisers and destroyers, accompanied by a large number of transport ships and engineering barges, lacking large battleships for rapid assault, which fits the configuration of an archaeological/recovery fleet." 'keystone' reported, "But its activity area is only fifteen light-years from the outer early-warning outposts of the 'Glimmer' system, still within its routine reconnaissance range."

It wasn't a direct attack, but the threat was not removed. Once their probing activities expanded, or if they accidentally captured leaked signals from the "Human Federation" (despite the "Silence Wall" plan being in full operation), a conflict could still be triggered at any moment.

"The 'Blade' fleet will maintain a high state of alert, conducting mobile patrols in the reef zone between 'Forge-I' and the Imperial Fleet's activity area to establish a stealth barrier." Han Zhe instructed, "The 'Pioneer' fleet will strengthen defenses around 'Glimmer' and prepare multiple sets of false targets and decoy plans. Meanwhile, providence, analyze the potential value of that debris belt and what the Imperial Fleet's objective might be."

[Scanning data of the debris belt (historical records and recent supplements) is being analyzed... confirmed presence of wreckage from multiple species, spanning thousands of years. Energy residue analysis shows weak signal characteristics related to STC technology and certain unknown Eldar technology. Imperial target probability ranking: 1. A relatively intact STC device or large fragment; 2. Eldar relics; 3. Specific historical records (such as data cores regarding ancient battles in this region).] providence gave a deduction, [Suggestion: If conditions permit, an attempt can be made for covert reconnaissance, or even... seizing the target first, or interfering with Imperial actions.]

Snatching food from a tiger's mouth? From right under the nose of an Imperial Fleet? The risk was staggering. But the reward was equally enticing—an intact STC device, whose value might even exceed some of the technology in "Forge-I."

Just as Han Zhe was weighing the options, the situation changed again. The Imperial Fleet's probes seemed to have triggered some ancient defense mechanism or unexploded energy source deep within the debris belt! A series of violent, unnatural energy bursts lit up the debris belt, even causing small-scale Warp ripples! The Imperial Fleet was clearly caught somewhat off guard; its formation fell into brief chaos, and several destroyers near the burst point reported damage.

An opportunity! A brief and dangerous window!

"'Blade' fleet, providence will assist in command!" Han Zhe made a decisive call, "Objective: Utilize the chaos of the Imperial Fleet and the cover of the energy bursts to dispatch an elite strike team (carried and covered by a 'shadow-class' reconnaissance ship), sneak into the core area of the debris belt, and search for and attempt to acquire the Imperial objective. Rules of engagement: Absolute stealth, priority on acquisition. If encountering insurmountable obstacles or risk of exposure, retreat immediately, and if necessary, create greater chaos to cover the withdrawal. Operation codename: 'Ghost Scavenger'."

[Command confirmed. Action plan generated. Strike team members: Alpha-01 (Leader), Alpha-03, 05, 08, equipped with the latest 'Defender-III' type infiltration armor and specialized tools. 'Ghost-07' will execute cover and transport.] providence reacted extremely quickly.

The operation unfolded in absolute silence. "Ghost-07" was like a true ghost, cutting in quietly by utilizing the complex environment of the debris belt and the moment the Imperial Fleet's attention was diverted. The main force of the "Blade" fleet, further away, created weak false signals simulating small-scale pirate or space creature activities to further distract the Imperial Fleet's sensors.

Alpha Squad relied on the "safe path" provided by providence, which was reverse-engineered from the energy bursts, to traverse through the twisted metal jungle and ruins where electric arcs still occasionally sparked. Their target was the wreckage of a cruiser, half-buried in larger debris, which vaguely showed an ancient Imperial model (but with a sleeker, more advanced style). According to providence's scan, the strongest STC-related signal was coming from deep within its hull.

The infiltration process was thrilling and fraught with danger. They avoided ancient defense turrets that operated automatically and did not distinguish between friend and foe, and bypassed plasma leak zones that had become extremely unstable due to the energy bursts. Finally, beneath the shattered bridge of the cruiser, a relatively intact emergency data core vault was found. The vault door was opened with a specialized cutter; inside was not the expected intact STC device, but a black cube the size of a fist, encapsulated in multiple layers of reinforced crystal, its surface flowing with extremely complex, constantly changing Glimmers of data streams.

"Ultra-high density information storage unit detected. Technical route... confirmed as STC, but the encoding method is more ancient and efficient." providence's voice sounded inside Alpha-01's armor, "Recover immediately. Note, the cube may have physical or informational self-destruct protocols."

Alpha-01 carefully stored it in an isolation force field container. The moment the container closed, the entire data core vault emitted a piercing alarm, and the countdown for the preset self-destruct sequence began!

"Withdraw!"

The squad returned along their original path at maximum speed, with dull explosions and the thunderous sound of structural collapse echoing behind them. Their actions also seemed to have alerted more distant Imperial units, as several "Fury-class interceptor" planes flew in this direction.

"'Ghost-07', pick us up!"

The small reconnaissance ship glided out of the shadows like a specter, and after picking up the squad, it immediately broke away at full power, hiding once again with the help of the debris belt's complex environment.

When "Ghost-07" safely returned to the "Blade" fleet, the Imperial Fleet still didn't seem to have fully figured out the truth behind the series of chaos (the energy bursts, the self-destruction of the data core vault, the suspected intrusion), and its activities became more cautious and slow.

"Operation 'Ghost Scavenger' is a success. The objective has been recovered and is being sent to the 'keystone' for highest-level analysis." Alpha-01 reported.

The black cube was quickly sent to the deepest analysis room of the "keystone." providence and the "keystone" system jointly conducted a careful decryption of it. The results were shocking.

[Objective analysis: STC 'knowledge prism' — Model 'Ark Library-Portable Indexer'. It is not a production template, but a highly compressed index and explainer of some technology catalogs and basic principles regarding a certain Golden Age human colonial fleet 'ark Library'.] providence's report carried a rare hint of fluctuation, [The breadth and depth of information it contains far exceed 'explorer vii'. Although it does not directly provide construction blueprints, it provides 'keys' and 'maps' to a large number of advanced technology fields (such as advanced materials science, energy manipulation, ecological cycles, and even engineering applications of some basic physical laws). Its value for accelerating our existing technology digestion, pointing out research directions, and reverse-engineering certain advanced equipment is immeasurable.]

Not a direct tool, but a more precious map of knowledge! This perfectly compensated for the current shortcoming of the "Human Federation's" technical system, which, although diverse, lacked integration and high-level theoretical guidance.

The Imperial Fleet lingered in the debris belt for several more weeks, seemingly failing to find what they wanted (perhaps this "knowledge prism"), and finally, after an expanded search yielded no results, they left dejectedly, continuing to sail toward other parts of the Milky Way, possibly returning to the main front or executing other missions.

The crisis was temporarily averted. But the "Human Federation" had won a crucial victory in intelligence and knowledge.

"Immediately establish the 'ark Library' research project team, with providence in overall charge, drawing top experts from various fields to fully analyze the 'knowledge prism'." Han Zhe ordered, "All research results will be prioritized for military technology upgrades, industrial production optimization, and the environmental transformation and ecological construction of settlements like 'Glimmer'."

With the guidance of the "knowledge prism," the "Human Federation's" technological development entered a new fast lane. New materials were developed and applied to the next generation of ship armor and weapon systems; more efficient energy conversion and distribution technology significantly increased the energy utilization of "Forge-I" and the fleet; theories on closed ecological cycles and planetary environmental transformation provided a scientific basis for the dome cities of "Glimmer" and future larger-scale colonization plans.

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the temporary departure of the Imperial threat and the dividends brought by technological breakthroughs, the "Human Federation's" pace of expansion accelerated once again.

"Based on resource exploration and mining technology optimized by the 'knowledge prism,' we have discovered multiple high-value mineral deposits in three asteroid belts on the outskirts of the 'Glimmer' system and two neighboring uninhabited systems, including a new type of superconducting crystal and rare isotope enrichment zones." The Engineering Director reported excitedly at the Steering Committee meeting, "It is recommended to immediately establish automated mining outposts and dispatch troops from the 'Pioneer' fleet for protection."

"Approved. At the same time, the first phase of the transformation project for the underground cavities of the 'Nether Abyss' ice ball planet can be started. Using new technology, we can build underground cities and utilize geothermal resources more efficiently." Han Zhe instructed, "Regarding the radiation protection issue of the 'Crystal Dust' moon, the 'knowledge prism' has provided new ideas for shielding materials, and the research team is currently tackling the problem; once successful, a permanent mining base can be established."

The territory was steadily expanding, from the initial few points, gradually connecting into small areas.

Militarily, having tasted the sweetness of operation "Ghost Scavenger," the "Human Federation" placed more importance on special operations and intelligence gathering. "shadow-class" electronic warfare/reconnaissance ships began mass production and developed more specialized models. For the army, in addition to the "Defender" series armor, "Knight-class heavy walker" and "Hound-class all-terrain scout vehicle" based on STC technology began to be deployed, which, combined with elite infantry strictly trained and selected from the "prairie fire population," formed a preliminary ground combined arms combat force.

And the foundation of all this expansion—population—was once again put on the agenda.

"The original target of 1.5 billion for the 'prairie fire' protocol has been achieved. Social integration is generally stable, most of the population has adapted to their roles, and the incidence of psychological crises is controlled within the expected range." The Medical Director reported, "But to support our current expansion speed and deal with potentially greater threats in the future, the population base needs to be further expanded. According to providence's simulation, to solidly control the currently explored resource zones, maintain the full operation of three fleets, and have the ability to simultaneously carry out multiple large-scale colonization/construction projects, the total population needs to reach about ten billion."

Ten billion! From 1.5 billion to 10 billion, this was another order of magnitude leap!

"Continue to implement the expanded version of the 'prairie fire' protocol." Han Zhe did not hesitate much. Once you've fired the arrow, there's no turning back; since he had chosen this path, he could only follow it until he had enough mass to stand firm in the galaxy, "But we must learn from previous experiences. providence, optimize the subsequent batches of the protocol, focusing on enhancing genetic diversity (introducing more samples and controlled mutations), enriching neural indoctrination content (adding more basic culture, art, and philosophy guidance, and reducing rigid professional presets), and strengthening early intervention for social integration and psychological support. We don't just want workers and soldiers, but qualified citizens of the future 'Human Federation' society."

[Command confirmed. 'prairie fire' protocol expansion—'Spark Protocol' initiated. Objective: In the next sixty months, add 8.5 billion people in batches, bringing the total population to 10 billion. The new protocol will integrate some principles regarding group psychology and social engineering from the 'knowledge prism'.] providence responded, [Warning: Explosive population growth will bring unprecedented pressure on resource allocation, environmental carrying capacity, and social management complexity. The capacity of existing settlements like 'Glimmer' will soon reach saturation, and the exploration of new colonies must be accelerated.]

"Accelerate the selection and construction of new colonies. Objective: Within the next twenty-four months, establish at least three new ground or space settlements no smaller than 'New Hope City'." Han Zhe looked at the star map, "The 'Pioneer' fleet, your task has become even heavier. Not only must you protect resource points, but you must also open up safe areas for new colonial actions."

"Understood!" The voice of the Second Fleet commander was full of energy.

The victory in the war (though it was an indirect conflict brushing past the Empire) brought precious technical gains and confidence. The pace of military expansion was firm and powerful; the three fleets began to receive more new models of ships, and plans were made to form the fourth and fifth fleets based on the "dawn-class." The territory, with "Glimmer" as the center, spread outward like ripples.

Behind the expansion of territory and military power, deep within "Forge-I," in the even larger and more sophisticated cultivation arrays, ten billion new lives, codenamed "Spark," were being accelerated into existence.

The great ship of the "Human Federation" had steadied its helm amidst the stormy waves and began to set sail and accelerate toward the deeper and broader sea of stars. A population of ten billion would be another heavy keystone for it to become a force that cannot be ignored in the galaxy. Future challenges will inevitably be more numerous and severe, but at least at this moment, the fire of hope, in the name of "Spark," is burning fiercely in this once-forgotten starry sky, gradually becoming a prairie fire.