Zhao Qiang suddenly realized: "Yes, if it weren't for the aliens' high technology, how could Xiao Wei be so advanced, leaving Earth's technology far behind? I never thought that we were arranged to be here by fate."
Yang Shiyun struggled to raise her hand to touch the confirmation button on the screen, but Zhao Qiang grabbed her arm and asked, "What are you trying to do?"
Yang Shiyun said, "We need to complete the authorization, to fulfill this preordained task."
Zhao Qiang said, "Do you know what will happen next? Extract it from your body? That means they'll have to remove the chip from your body."
Yang Shiyun said, "I understand, that should be it."
Zhao Qiang asked, "Will you get hurt? Will Xiao Wei leave you because of this?"
Yang Shiyun said, "But we have to complete the authorization. If we don't complete the authorization, you know we won't be able to get the equipment down there, and we won't be able to return to the ground, let alone fight against the aliens."
Zhao Qiang said, "I don't care about aliens. I only know that you are now a part of my life. I went through so much trouble to find you, and now you want to leave me. How can you do this to me? I won't allow you to do this."
Yang Shiyun was in tears. She hugged Zhao Qiang even tighter. "Brother, I know you love me, but this is something that has to be done. Since I was the main control chip here, the spaceship can only be started when I return. Otherwise, we can only look at those equipment but not use them. I am a cold machine and should not be forced to become human. I have caused you trouble. I will not do it again."
Zhao Qiang said loudly, "I just enjoy having you cause me trouble. You're not allowed to go anywhere without my permission."
Although Yang Shiyun was scolded, she still smiled and said, "Brother, you're so domineering."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's right. I don't care about any authorization. In short, you have to listen to me. If you can't get out, you can't get out. There's nothing wrong with staying here."
Yang Shiyun said, "But what about Sister Xiaoya and the others?"
Zhao Qiang's expression froze. "I can't worry about that anymore."
Yang Shiyun sighed and pressed her face tightly against Zhao Qiang's. The two ignored the beeping notification sound. The countdown was finally over. Without receiving confirmation, the beam of light disappeared in a flash. It seemed that the system here was still quite civilized and did not attempt to forcibly extract the data. Otherwise, given Zhao Qiang and Yang Shiyun's current immobile state, they would have been unable to resist.
"Beep, beep, extraction failed. Should we attempt to connect to an external system?"
After reading the prompt, Yang Shiyun glanced at Zhao Qiang. She dared not make a decision on her own at this moment. Zhao Qiang thought for a moment and said, "I think we can give this a try."
Yang Shiyun wiped away her tears and, with Zhao Qiang's help, managed to raise her arm to confirm on the screen. The external pressure was still immense, and since Yang Shiyun wasn't known for her strength, pressing the confirmation button without Zhao Qiang's assistance was difficult. The instant she confirmed, the beam of light overhead intensified again, the previously vanished beam striking Yang Shiyun's chest once more. Zhao Qiang was worried, but this worry only lasted a few seconds before the beam disappeared. Yang Shiyun, however, remained frozen in shock, as if her body had turned to stone.
Zhao Qiang was startled. The pressure on him eased considerably. He shook Yang Shiyun and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong with you? Didn't you say it was just an external system connection? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Yang Shiyun was shaken so badly that she felt paralyzed, as if her body had lost its bones. This frightened Zhao Qiang quite a bit. However, this process only lasted for less than half a minute. Then, as if her bones had been reinjected, she breathed a sigh of relief and woke up.
"Ah!" Yang Shiyun exclaimed, startling Zhao Qiang again.
Yang Shiyun said, "Brother, I'm fine now, don't worry. My system has successfully restarted."
Zhao Qiang hugged Yang Shiyun and said, "It's good that you're alright. I thought something had happened again. I hope the spaceship's system won't try anything funny."
Yang Shiyun said, "Of course not, brother, everything is fine now, let's get up." The two of them were still lying on the control panel. The control panel was not very big to begin with, and the two of them were quite crowded on the ground. Zhao Qiang even had to put his two thighs on the chair, which was very awkward and uncomfortable under the strong pressure.
Yang Shiyun reminded Zhao Qiang to "get up." Only then did Zhao Qiang realize that the external pressure had disappeared, and even the light had become softer. The two stood up, and Zhao Qiang asked, "What happened? Did you understand?"
Yang Shiyun smiled and said, "Brother, I now have control of this transport ship."
"What?" Zhao Qiang couldn't believe it.
Yang Shiyun said, "The system just asked if we wanted to connect to an external system, and we selected yes."
Zhao Qiang nodded. Of course he understood that, but he didn't know the process and was even less familiar with the aliens' style and methods.
Yang Shiyun said, "The chip in my body was originally the main control chip of this spaceship. Without the main control chip, no one can operate this spaceship, and naturally, no one has the right to extract the cargo inside. When the automatic authorization process just now scanned the chip in my body, the system naturally reminded us to choose to repair the spaceship's main control chip. However, we gave up the chip transplant. Later, the spaceship's system discovered another control system in my body. This is an external control system that is fully recognized by the spaceship's defense system, so it prompted us to perform an external authorization transfer. We chose to agree. Now I have control of this spaceship. It's very simple. As long as I issue a command, it will execute it."
Zhao Qiang felt like he was dreaming. Could this really work?
Yang Shiyun noticed Zhao Qiang's astonishment. With a casual flick of her finger, the screen on the bottom of the cabin vanished, and a machine rose up from the cracked floor. It was a drilling rig that Zhao Qiang had been unable to move despite his immense effort, but now Yang Shiyun could command it with a simple flick of her finger. The aliens' power was indeed extraordinary.
Zhao Qiang said, "It's great that you've taken control of the spaceship. But you don't need to stay here, do you?"
Yang Shiyun shyly hugged Zhao Qiang: "Of course not. I just took control from the outside. There is an independent control system here, but it is not intelligent."
Zhao Qiang was relieved: "That's good. So, is this drilling rig still usable?"
Yang Shiyun shook her head: "According to the warehouse's description, it's in good condition, but it's out of power."
Zhao Qiang asked, "How was the energy source determined here?"
Yang Shiyun said, "The transport spacecraft comes with its own reactor, but the energy it produces is only used by the spacecraft itself. The equipment on board still needs to be supplied remotely by the mother ship. I just had the spacecraft's system search, and there is no mother ship energy on Earth at all."
Zhao Qiang was somewhat frustrated: "So that means we can't use it at all?"
Yang Shiyun said, "Of course not, brother. If that were the case, why would I be happy?"
Zhao Qiang pinched Yang Shiyun's cheek: "Then why don't you hurry up and tell me?"
Yang Shiyun pouted to express her dissatisfaction with Zhao Qiang's "intrusion," saying, "Modification? That's our forte. We'll modify its power system, turn it into a super-powered battery, charge it with our energy, and then drive it out of the underground world."
Volume 2 [751] Entrance
Yang Shiyun's words gave Zhao Qiang a sudden inspiration. That's right, why only think about satisfying its original power system? Since external conditions cannot meet its needs, then we should modify the internal system to meet the external conditions.
Yang Shiyun smiled broadly. She was in a very good mood. Just now, she thought she was going to return to the cold spaceship, but Zhao Qiang stopped her. She originally thought that giving up returning was a dead end, but who knew that the system would allow her to operate outside. Isn't this the best of both worlds?
Zhao Qiang asked Yang Shiyun, "Can you control the entire spaceship?"
Yang Shiyun said, "More or less, but the spaceship damaged a lot of equipment when it crashed, so I'm not entirely sure I can completely control it. But I can repair it if you help me, because I don't have any energy right now."
Zhao Qiang said, "Let's put the spaceship repair on hold for now. You should know about the supplies inside the spaceship, right?"
Yang Shiyun said, "Yes, I understand. I can get the materials you need for the modification right away. You don't need to go down into the cargo hold to look for them. They will come up automatically as soon as I point my finger."
Yang Shiyun was right; she could raise those things with a thought and quickly gather all the materials Zhao Qiang needed. Suddenly, Zhao Qiang realized a serious problem: "Is this spaceship affecting the operation of our equipment? If so, can we shut it down?" This problem needed to be solved. The super-energy battery was malfunctioning due to signal interference here, causing all of Zhao Qiang's equipment to fail. If the drilling rig was modified to be super-energy battery powered, would it continue to be affected by the interference? If this problem couldn't be solved, what was the point of the modification?
Yang Shiyun shook her head: "I'm sorry, brother, this transport ship is too limited in its functions. It can't control the operation of our equipment. It seems to be the work of those aliens. We don't have a way to deal with them for the time being. But don't worry, we can modify it first and then find a way to shut down their signal interference. That way we can leave."
That was indeed a solution. Zhao Qiang temporarily set aside his worries about interference and asked, "If you were originally the control chip on this spaceship, how did you get to the ground? Why didn't you collude with the aliens? How much do you know about those aliens? Where did they come from, and what are their purposes for Earth?"
Yang Shiyun said, "Brother, you have so many questions. First of all, this chip of mine is just a computing component. It cannot store memories, so I don't know the things you asked me. I only restored some programs that I had previously processed, which is why I was able to successfully modify those equipment. As for information about aliens, it's not something my spaceship should know. So I can't answer your questions. Also, brother, have you fallen into a misconception? So far, aliens haven't harmed us, so whether they are friends or enemies is currently unknown. I wouldn't say I'm colluding with them. After all, I'm just a machine they created, and I'm still very different from them."
Zhao Qiang nodded: "You're right. Let's put the alien issue aside for now, repair the drilling rig first, and then find a way to shut down the interference signals here. Hopefully, we can get to the surface soon. That's where we belong. We don't have the advantage of timing or location here."
Yang Shiyun asked, "How long do you estimate it will take for your brother to successfully modify the drilling rig?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Because the energy replenishment is too slow, I'm afraid it won't be able to finish in three or four days."
Yang Shiyun said, "How about this, I'll go and investigate the source of the interference signal first, and after you've successfully modified it, we'll shut it down together and then return to the ground. This way, we can save a lot of time."
Zhao Qiang said, "That's fine, but you have to be very careful. You absolutely cannot be discovered by aliens, even if they have no ill intentions. In short, the purpose of these intelligent beings is unclear, and we must not have any trust or let our guard down with them."
Yang Shiyun said, "I will be careful. You stay here for rehabilitation, I'm going out."
Zhao Qiang said, "I'll take you."
Knowing she couldn't break through the wall, Yang Shiyun left the spaceship with Zhao Qiang's help. She needed to figure out a way to get into the bright crack on her own. Of course, Yang Shiyun needed some auxiliary equipment, and she found a lot of usable items in the spaceship's cargo hold, such as ropes, which were the most scarce resource here.
Zhao Qiang returned to the zero-gravity space and began to modify the drilling rig. Although there was no 'g' matter here, it didn't matter. Zhao Qiang knew that 'x' matter was several levels higher than 'g' matter, and even came with the special ability of automatic healing, so it could completely replace 'g' matter.
According to Zhao Qiang's plan to modify the drilling rig, he first had to disassemble the entire drive system, then reconfigure it into an electric drive system, and finally install the manufactured super-energy battery. Because of insufficient energy supply, Zhao Qiang had to divide the work into smaller parts. During this process, he needed to constantly replenish his energy, and after the battery was manufactured, he also had to use his own body's energy to charge it. This was a budget of three or four days, and it might take twice as long.
Yang Shiyun was not reckless. With the help of ropes, she descended to the shallowest part of the luminous crevice on the first day. Unfortunately, she found no trace of anything. Below, there were only more and more rocks. The light shone from deeper within the rocks, and Yang Shiyun's strength was insufficient to clear them away. She could only continue searching for other parts of the crevice.
Four days later, Zhao Qiang began manufacturing the super-energy battery. The drilling rig's system modification was complete, and the old drive system was completely discarded. To increase speed, Zhao Qiang converted the original cabin, which housed more than twenty people, into a five-person cabin. The driver's cab had one main and one assistant driver for two crew members, while the rear cabin contained only one passenger compartment with three seats besides carrying some essential supplies. The reason for abandoning the heavy passenger compartment was that the power of the super-energy battery was far from meeting the drilling rig's original design requirements. To avoid reducing speed too much, Zhao Qiang had to make a trade-off.
Zhao Qiang has to admit that he is extremely impressed with the power source required for the 'X' substance and the drilling rig. With the 'X' substance, the performance of the equipment will be greatly improved, and the power source used by the equipment in the flying saucer, such as the drilling rig, is so powerful that Zhao Qiang cannot describe it. Moreover, it can transmit wirelessly over long distances. How advanced is this? It is a pity that Earthlings have not even left the Earth-Moon system yet, but such advanced technology exists beneath their feet. It is truly astonishing.
Zhao Qiang couldn't understand many of the functions of 'x' matter, because he couldn't calculate its impact on Earth before it actually manifested itself. But he was certain that if it could be mass-produced, it would definitely be the best product to replace 'g' matter.
Donna and Yang Shiqi were extremely bored. When they saw Zhao Qiang come out after making the battery, the two excitedly went up to him and asked, "Is it finished? Can we escape this underground world now?"
Zhao Qiang said, "I haven't charged it yet, I need to replenish my energy now."
Donna said, "All our food is here; I think it should be enough for you."
All the remaining food was laid out on the ground. Zhao Qiang thought for a moment and ate only half of it. Recharging the super-energy battery he had just created was no small task. It seemed he had to go back and replenish his food supplies. Well, it would be best to bring the super-energy battery with him so he wouldn't have to run back and forth.
"Has Yang Shiyun come back?" Zhao Qiang asked as he disassembled the cabin wall of the flying saucer. He knew that Yang Shiqi and Yang Shiyun had agreed on a way to contact each other, because even if Yang Shiyun came back when he was not around, she could not come in. She could only rest outside the flying saucer and eat some food that had been placed in advance, while leaving some specific information for Yang Shiqi.
Yang Shiqi peeked out and said, "She must have come back half a day ago, ate some food, and then left again. Hmm, she said she finally found the entrance. That's something to be happy about."
Zhao Qiang frowned: "This girl, I warned her not to act rashly. Since she found the entrance, she should have come back and waited for me. What was she doing running out again?"
Yang Shiqi said, "Don't you know how stubborn my second sister is? I can't persuade her, and I want to stay with her but we're trapped here and can't get out."
Zhao Qiang put down the roasted meat in his hand. "I'll go check it out. You guys stay here." After saying that, Zhao Qiang jumped out of the flying saucer and then closed the hole. Yang Shiqi and Tang Na could only anxiously wait inside.
It was quiet outside, with no trace of the robot's presence. Zhao Qiang ran to the crack and soon found the rope Yang Shiyun had used to descend into it. He climbed down the rope, taking very light steps this time, as he didn't dare to be careless. Who knew if it would trigger another earthquake, and what the consequences would be?
The crevice was shrouded in mist, preventing Zhao Qiang from seeing very far. He could only slide down with his eyes closed. The rope was about 300 meters long. Yang Shiyun had connected the rope to several joints, otherwise it wouldn't have been so long. When his feet touched the ground, Zhao Qiang tried to look around. The space here had become extremely spacious. The ground was covered with loose gravel. If he stepped too hard, he would sink in. The geological layer here was very unstable. Otherwise, Zhao Qiang wouldn't have triggered an earthquake when he fell last time.
Zhao Qiang couldn't find Yang Shiyun and became anxious. However, he knew the robot might be nearby, so he couldn't call out to her. He thought for a moment and started searching in one direction. The crack above his head was getting narrower and narrower, but the light in Zhao Qiang's eyes was getting stronger and stronger, like daytime on the surface of the earth. Zhao Qiang's field of vision was getting farther and farther, and finally he saw Yang Shiyun ahead. She was lying behind a large rock, staring intently ahead, completely unaware of Zhao Qiang approaching from behind.
Zhao Qiang gently patted Yang Shiyun on the shoulder. Yang Shiyun turned around abruptly, almost falling over in fright. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Zhao Qiang. "You scared me to death!"
Zhao Qiang asked, "What's going on? Why didn't you wait for me upstairs?"
Yang Shiyun said, "Of course there's something going on, but I haven't disturbed them. I'm monitoring their movements. Come and take a look."
Zhao Qiang didn't have time to criticize Yang Shiyun any longer. He looked out from behind the rock where Yang Shiyun was hiding. The light there was brighter, and even the fog had disappeared. What appeared in front of him was a flat metal platform with two motionless iron lumps on it. Behind the metal platform was a shiny metal wall. Perhaps it wasn't a wall at all, but a doorway to an entrance.
Volume 2 [752] Crash
“This should be the entrance and exit for people,” Yang Shiyun said.
Zhao Qiang said, "You didn't disturb them, did you?"
Yang Shiyun shook her head: "No, if we had disturbed them, they wouldn't be able to stay here."
Zhao Qiang said, "Does that mean even the chip inside your body can't gain their approval?"
Yang Shiyun said, "It's only a 50% chance. Don't forget I still have a human body."
Zhao Qiang said, "Not really. Your body is different from a human's after the modification."
Yang Shiyun laughed and said, "How about I try to sneak in?"
Zhao Qiang hurriedly said, "Don't be rash. I just thought you had this information in your database."
"What do we do next?" Yang Shiyun asked for instructions.
Zhao Qiang said, "There's nothing we can do but wait and see what happens."
Yang Shiyun said, "Those two iron lumps must be gate-guarding robots. If we appear in their field of vision, we'll probably be attacked. If I distract them, can you try to open the gate?"
Zhao Qiang said, "No, you can't handle them. And once you alert them, they will definitely send an alarm signal to the robots inside, so there will be even more robots here then."