Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 268: Particle Space

"Just the three of us?" asked both Zhang Bao'er and Old Du at the same time.

"Yes. We are more used to using morph-capable suits. The others can wait on the ship. The three of us will carry out the mission," I replied.

"Would it be better if I go with you?" Anxashe asked.

We had equipped ourselves with the morph-capable suits, and Anxashe's help would be a boon for our combat prowess. Thus, I nodded in agreement.

"After going through the duct, you'll reach the room. There, you'll see the door to the core room. After completing your task, try to create chaos. Also, open the door wide to attract the guards outside into the room. When you receive our signal from outside the door, retreat through the main door. Do not return to the duct," said Little Forest.

"Will the core room block signals?" I asked.

"No. We will be able to stay connected. Following my mission, your sole difficulty will be reaching the duct through the particle space. There, all signals will be severed. Our communication will resume after you enter the duct," said Little Forest.

"Particle space? What is that?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

"It's a space created to enable the main programs to operate at the speed of light. In that space, dark matter will be stripped, removing obstructions that prevent further acceleration and leaving still photons behind, allowing a faster movement of data. That working is also the core of all the artificial planets here," explained Little Forest. None of us understood a word he said.

"Stripping dark matter. Have you managed to quantify dark matter?" asked Old Du after a short silence.

"We're a star-level civilization. We can harness and exploit any matter in the universe," said Little Forest.

"What danger would there be in the particle space?" I asked.

"The particle space is a pure space. After dark matter is stripped, the main programs can run at the speed of light. But apart from photons, there is a different type of particle in there. That particle is intrinsic to space itself, and it can't be removed. Any physical object might cause some sort of reaction upon contact with these particles," said Little Forest.

"You're referring to some sort of micro-particle. On Blue, we refer to these particles as the Higgs particle. It is a type of micro-particle existing in the form of energy, different from the likes of atomic nuclei or electrons with proper forms," said Old Du.

"Yes. We might be referring to the same thing. Due to the existence of these particles, the mass of your body might be traded for speed, an unstoppable speed. Of course, you won't be able to feel any of that," said Little Forest. Once again, he confused all of us. The knowledge of a star-level civilization was not something we could easily comprehend.

"We won't be able to feel it? Can you explain more?" I asked.

"After being stripped of dark matter, the particle space no longer has the energy required to control collision between various particles. If you have no mass, you can easily find the vent after entering the space. But that's not the case. Inside, your mass will be converted into speed. In other words, the moment you enter, you will blend with the space and slow down the programs in there. The outer wall of the room would then react, moving at sublight speed. Naturally, that kind of speed is too excessive for you to actually notice it," explained Little Forest.

"I think I understand a little. After entering, our mass will transform into speed. The vent, connected to the wall, will also be moving at sublight speed. With our own eyes, we won't be able to locate and enter the duct," said Old Du.

"Exactly. You're right," said Little Forest.

"What's your plan, then? If we can't even locate the entrance to the duct, what's the point of talking so much here? Wouldn't that be a waste of time? said Zhang Bao'er, who was getting impatient again.

"Why so impatient? I haven't even finished my words," said Little Forest as he handed me a transparent glass bottle.

"What is this?" I asked after taking the bottle.

"This bottle contains dark matter. Open the bottle in the room. Speed will return to normal for one minute once you release the dark matter. During that period of time, you must find the duct and enter. That is your sole chance at actually leaving the room," said Little Forest.

The moment he heard that it was a bottle of dark matter, Zhang Bao'er snatched it from my hand to take a closer look at it.

"Why is the dark matter transparent? The bottle looks empty," remarked Zhang Bao'er.

"That's normal. The sky is blue. A polar bear is white. But at a close enough distance, the air and the bear's fur are actually colorless. The black of the dark matter is merely a trick of light," said Old Du.

"If we can't leave in one minute, we will be stuck in there forever. That is very risky," Old Du reminded me.

"Can we get a few more bottles of dark matter as insurance?" I asked.

"This is the only bottle I found after going through the storage room. Big Forest had not stocked up on them previously," said Little Forest helplessly.

"Would you be able to get more if you leave us?" I asked.

"There won't be any here. Dark matter is notoriously hard to extract. The room was stripped of dark matter a long time ago. The stripped dark matter is being stored in a warehouse. I had stolen a bottle in the past when I was involved in transporting supplies. An excessively large amount of energy is required to extract dark matter, so it has only been done once on this planet," said Big Forest. From his words, I realized that we would only have one chance.

"In that case, let's not waste time. Get ready and set off," I turned and said to Zhang Bao'er and Old Du.

"Canyue, we're only here to look for Temo and Dodo. Why can't we sneak and search around instead of taking such a big risk to enter the server room?" asked Zhang Bao'er, clearly hesitant to commit to the mission.

"If we do that, we will only end up captured. This base's core area is strictly guarded. The smart robots are able to stay in their posts without rest," said Little Forest.

"From what we know, sneaking through the duct is the only way. Maybe you guys should stay. I'll go alone," I suggested.

"No! We only have one bottle of dark matter. Without any help, you won't be able to find the three servers in time. Also, after you search one of the servers, the system will take note of it. Only by performing the three searches concurrently will there be a chance at success," said Little Forest.

"Very good. In that case, help will be necessary. Canyue, don't even dream about leaving us behind," said Zhang Bao'er, satisfied with Little Forest's answer.

"In that case, let's not waste time. We need to get going," I said to Big Forest upon seeing that everyone had decided.

Big Forest returned to the cockpit and flew the ship higher into the air. The control center was a massive building. We only came close to the top of the building after two hours of travel. There, we encountered a wall made of pieces of crystal joined together. On the crystals, electrical currents could be clearly seen flowing about in an intricate pattern. I could almost feel the circulation moving at light speed on the other side of the crystal wall within the particle space.

"We've arrived. We need to look for the crystal door where the dark matter was extracted from in the past," said Little Forest.

"There is something I don't understand. Why was the vent built inside the particle space? Won't the vented heat alter the balance of mass? Also, why would this outer ring be as hot as 1,000 degrees?" asked Zhang Bao'er. Clearly, he had been doing some deep thinking before speaking.

"The programs need heat to operate, and the heat is produced by the calculations performed. The venting won't affect the calculations. Heat and light are the main conditions for life, and that is also the case for a computing program. A machine with heat represents continued life," said Little Forest, further impressing us. It was surprising to learn that for a star-level civilization, a computer did not run off power alone. Heat and light were also part of the equation.

"In other words, this control center is not merely some computing program. Rather, it can be considered an intelligent life," said Old Du.

"Exactly. Perhaps it is a type of life that is beyond what we generally understand as life, but it is most certainly an existence with independent thought," said Little Forest.

"Basically, everything here is intelligent. In that case, wouldn't the control center be aware of us already?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

After a long pause, Little Forest said, "That can only happen if this was something built by an array-level civilization, I think."

"Little Forest, Little Forest, look at the black crystal plate to the front right of us. Is that what we're looking for?" asked Big Forest from the cockpit.

We gathered in front of the window and looked out. Not far ahead of us, a black crystal plate could be seen. Or to be precise, it looked like a burnt plate.

"This is probably the place. Big Forest, bring the ship closer," said Little Forest.

Hearing the request, Big Forest brought the ship closer to the black plate. As we neared, I saw that there was a burnt spot on the crystal wall, and in the middle of the spot was a plate that no longer looked like a crystal. Instead, it looked more like a black iron plate.

"There are some words on the plate," said Anxashe, who always had a sharp eye.

And when the ship got even closer, I saw that a series of unique characters and symbols had been carved onto the plate.

"It's here. I did not expect us to find this place so fast," said Little Forest in excitement.

"What words are these? What's written on the plate?" asked Old Du.

"These are Sacred Wing characters. Roughly, they are describing that this is the exit where dark matter was extracted when this building was first built. As the extraction had exhausted a large amount of energy, an entire spot had been burnt here. To commemorate what they did, the burnt spot was preserved. I had only ever read of this in books. I never imagined that I would personally witness a place where the predecessors of the Sacred Wing race had crafted a miracle before," said Little Forest in excitement.

"Since we've arrived, get ready, everyone. We'll move out immediately," I ordered, not wasting any time listening to Little Forest.

But right after I gave the order, alarms blazed.

"What happened?" asked Old Du cautiously.

"The surveillance system has discovered our suspicious route. Four flying robots have been dispatched and are coming toward us. We have less than 10 minutes left for you guys to sneak through and the rest of us to withdraw from the danger zone," replied Big Forest, greatly alarming all of us.

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