213: Chapter 213 Consciousness is the White Emperor: A Technological Leap Forward in High-Precision Neural Decoding!

Countdown to the arrival of the sentry ship, seventy-third day.

Pangu Laboratory, Level B2, morning.

The system panel remained suspended in his consciousness.

Su Che read through the Brain-Computer Interface task description from beginning to end, the redemption button hovering in the center of his mind.

"Redeem."

[Ding! 340,000 Main Skill Points consumed, core technology unlocked!]

[System Prompt: Supporting auxiliary technologies have not yet been redeemed, including: flexible Brain-Computer Interface design blueprints, neural signal noise reduction algorithms, EEG-to-digital signal conversion module design, and interaction schemes. Total redemption points: 70,000.]

[Current Main Skill Point balance is sufficient. Proceed with redemption?]

"Redeem all."

Four sets of technical frameworks flowed in.

The core logic of the upgraded version was completely different from the primary version.

The primary version could translate basic neural signals into digital commands, but the precision was coarse and the latency was high.

It was passable for medical scenarios, but in deep space combat, by the time the pilot's thoughts were transmitted to the flight control of the White Emperor, it might already be 0.3 seconds too late.

0.3 seconds—at high-speed maneuvers in deep space, the White Emperor would have changed its position by dozens of kilometers.

The upgraded version compressed the neural signal decoding precision to the microvolt level, cut the end-to-end latency to sub-millisecond, and added an adaptive EEG signal noise reduction system specifically designed to handle neural signal distortion during high-G pilot maneuvers.

The final component was bidirectional; it was not just Human → Machine, but also Machine → Human.

The deep space situation perceived by the White Emperor's sensor array needed to be directly "fed" into the pilot's sensory system through the Brain-Computer Interface, making the pilot feel as though they were the aircraft, rather than just controlling it.

Su Che placed the technical framework in a corner of his consciousness and switched back to reality.

He thought of something.

Once this upgraded version was completed, not only could White Emperor pilots use it, but his grandfather could too.

Back at Longmai Base, Su Changshan was still just a flat line on the EEG.

The primary Brain-Computer Interface had been used last time but was interrupted by "the observer," leaving everything unsaid.

The upgraded version's neural signal decoding precision and bidirectional interaction capabilities were sufficient to support deeper EEG communication; even if his grandfather's consciousness had sunk very deep, as long as there was a trace of residual neural activity, it could be retrieved.

Only Lieutenant General Peng and Dean Liu knew about this.

"Dean Liu."

Liu Huaqiang responded from the other end of the communications area.

"The Brain-Computer Interface upgrade project is starting; Academician Chen Shian's team needs to come."

Liu Huaqiang opened his notebook, his pencil resting on the paper, motionless.

"Academician Chen returned to the Academy of Sciences Life Sciences Department from Pangu the other day to attend to other matters. If we invite him over now... he won't arrive until the afternoon."

"Have him come. I'll start building the framework here."

Liu Huaqiang put a checkmark next to that line and walked toward the communications area.

The others on Level B2 made no obvious movements, but Zhao Mingyuan rolled his swivel chair out from the corner a little, craning his neck to look at the public display screen.

On the screen, the main structure of the Brain-Computer Interface upgrade's technical framework was already laid out.

It wasn't the flight control or Cognitive Graph he was familiar with, but rather neuroscience material—dense EEG charts and signal sampling curves.

Zhao Mingyuan pushed his chair back.

...

Countdown to the arrival of the sentry ship, seventy-third day.

Afternoon.

When Academician Chen Shian arrived, the temperature on Level B2 was two degrees lower than usual; the air conditioning had been turned up.

He walked in holding a thick black document bag, scanned the layout of the entire laboratory from the doorway, and finally, his gaze landed on Su Che's back.

"Chief Engineer Su."

Su Che turned around from the main console.

Academician Chen Shian placed the document bag on the edge of the test bench, "Before I got in the car, I pulled up and reviewed the experimental data from your primary Brain-Computer Interface, both the time with Lin Weiguo and the time with your grandfather."

"Is there a problem?"

"The flexible electrode implantation logic of your primary version is effective for contact with mildly damaged neurons, but for neurons in a state of deep suppression, the electrode's contact voltage threshold is too low; the signal simply cannot be pushed in."

Academician Chen Shian pulled a printout from the document bag and spread it out in front of Su Che.

"Look here, at Su Changshan's EEG. This segment is from the brief period of your conversation. The residual theta waves are extremely weak; it belongs to a state of extreme deep suppression. The signal-to-noise ratio for ordinary decoding algorithms at this magnitude is negative."

Su Che picked up the printout and examined it.

"What is your Life Sciences Department's opinion?"

"Increase the electrode contact voltage to push the signal in, but there is a risk; it could cause secondary stimulation to already damaged neurons."

Academician Chen Shian closed the document bag, "If we don't increase the voltage, we must raise the sensitivity of the decoding algorithm to an exaggerated degree, needing to distinguish between real residual consciousness and random noise within the neural signals."

Su Che put the printout back.

"We will go with the sensitivity route. My upgraded noise reduction algorithm is designed specifically for high-noise, low-signal environments; from a technical framework perspective, it can handle it. But to perform the verification, I need your team."

Academician Chen Shian looked at him.

"The 'verification' you mentioned is..."

"Lin Weiguo." Su Che said directly, "His EEG state is more stable than my grandfather's, and his neural damage pattern is clearer. Using him to run the first round of algorithm calibration will give me cleaner data."

Academician Chen Shian didn't answer immediately.

During the last experiment, Lin Weiguo's EEG had shown that peak, and then "the observer" came; everyone had been badly frightened.

"Will that... signal interference from last time happen again?"

"I have implemented a shielding plan this time."

Su Che pulled up a schematic on the main console and pushed it toward Academician Chen Shian.

"The primary version had no shielding, allowing external higher-dimensional signals to directly access the Brain-Computer Interface's communication channels. The upgraded version changes all communication protocols of the interface to a closed-loop quantum encryption; it doesn't use open frequency bands, so external signals cannot find an entry point."

Academician Chen Shian read the schematic from start to finish.

He was a life scientist and couldn't understand the details of quantum encryption, but he could understand the "External Signal Isolation Layer" and "Closed-Loop Verification Node" marked on the topology map.

"I need my team to participate throughout the entire process—not just as observers, but as true participants."

"No problem."

Academician Chen Shian tucked the document bag under his arm.

"Then I will bring the team over tomorrow. Today, let's first sync up on the neural signal sampling parameters. We use microvolt-level EEG acquisition, which has higher precision than your primary version, but the data format is different and will require a conversion."

Su Che pulled out a chair and pushed it next to the test bench.

"Sit."

Academician Chen Shian sat down on the chair, pulled a stack of parameter sheets from the document bag, and placed them on the test bench.

The two of them sat across from each other at the bench—one looking at EEG sampling formats, the other at quantum decoding algorithm interfaces. They spoke less and less, communicating more and more with pencil tips and cursors.

The others on Level B2 began to find work for themselves.

Academician Li Zhengyang checked the technical package for the directed-energy weapons in the weapon adaptation area again, picked out three detail points that could be further optimized, wrote them on sticky notes, and posted them on the partition of his workstation.

Academician Qian Zhenhua took out a new draft notebook and calculated the frequency band analysis involved in the Brain-Computer Interface's Quantum Communication isolation layer in advance, to avoid waiting for the interface later.

Academician Zhang Weide reserved the signal input port for the Brain-Computer Interface in the flight control backup system in advance, changed three lines of parameters, and didn't make a sound about it.

Academician Sun Qiwen pulled up the power budget sheet for the entire White Emperor aircraft in the U-shaped array area and reserved a placeholder for the additional power consumption of the Brain-Computer Interface system, waiting for Su Che to provide the numbers.

...

Countdown to the arrival of the sentry ship, seventy-second day.

Academician Chen Shian's team arrived with five people, all neurology researchers from the Beijing Academy of Sciences Life Sciences Department.

The youngest one wore thick-rimmed glasses. After entering Level B2, he looked around, walked to Su Che's main console, and placed his computer bag directly on the empty workstation nearby.

"I am Xiao Yuan. Before coming, Academician Chen asked me to connect our laboratory's 32-channel EEG acquisition system to your platform."

Su Che pushed the interface documentation over.

Xiao Yuan took it, read two lines, went out for a moment, and came back carrying an equipment case, starting to disassemble and install without saying a word.

Academician Chen Shian walked over to Su Che.

"How is the progress on the noise reduction algorithm?"

Su Che pulled up the current algorithm status on the main screen.

The core module of the neural signal noise reduction algorithm had been built, but the key parameters had not yet been calibrated.

Calibration required real EEG data, not simulated data.

"Once your acquisition system is connected and we run the first round of data, the parameters can be set."

Academician Chen Shian looked down at the screen.

"Su Che, if the upgraded version is successful..."

He paused, "Are you planning to go to Longmai Base?"

Su Che did not turn around.

"It's in the plan."

Academician Chen Shian put down the document bag, pulled over a chair to sit next to Su Che, opened his laptop, and began running a self-test on the neural signal format conversion module that had been synced yesterday.

On the other side, Xiao Yuan tightened the last interface of the equipment case, turned around, and announced, "Ready."

Su Che pressed the start button for the acquisition system.

The test signals from the 32-channel EEG flowed in from the equipment case, spreading out on the main screen like a rippling surface of water.

Seeing real neural signals for the first time, the noise reduction algorithm began running its initialization calibration.

In the bottom right corner of the main screen, the countdown to the arrival of the sentry ship hung quietly.

Seventy-second day.

The Brain-Computer Interface upgrade had just begun.