Chapter 376: The Mech Test
Chapter 376: The Mech Test
"No. 32 'Thunder Rumble': Present!"
He replied without hesitation.
Since they had specifically mentioned him, it was likely something important.
Soon after, a response appeared in the Radiant Star Order group chat.
"No. 19 'Blazing Sun': Didn't you say in the group that you wanted to acquire the Neutron Star Remnant? Are you still interested?"
Upon seeing the words 'Neutron Star Remnant', Song Chi's eyes lit up.
After absorbing the second portion of the Neutron Star Remnant, his Neutron Star Core Armor was only one step away from upgrading to Silver quality, requiring just one more portion of the Neutron Star Remnant. Naturally, he was thrilled to receive news about it.
"No. 32 'Thunder Rumble': Yes, I'm interested. Have you heard anything?"
"No. 19 'Blazing Sun': Alright, I just got some information. If you want it, I'll look into it carefully!"
"No. 32 'Thunder Rumble': Thank you so much, Uncle 'Blazing Sun'!"
"No. 19 'Blazing Sun': Uncle? Forget it..."
"No. 32 'Thunder Rumble': No, no, brother, please..."
"No. 3 'Corpse Dog': @No. 19 'Blazing Sun', you're almost 300 years old, and you're still acting like a kid?"
"No. 22 'Red Fox': Exactly."
...
Song Chi smiled as he saw the sudden influx of messages in the chat group.
He was delighted to receive news about the 'Neutron Star Remnant' and also grateful to be a part of the Radiant Star Tower family.
Setting aside the fact that he had already asked his family to collect information about the Neutron Star Remnant at a high price, they had only found one portion in the family's colonial star domain, and there had been no further responses.
In comparison, the members of the Radiant Star Tower had access to far more resources, and it seemed they had already made progress on his request.
Not only did they have an abundance of resources, but the members of the Star Tower also maintained harmonious relationships, which was truly rare.
Song Chi put away the token in his hand and set aside the low-tier Spatial Law Crystal, deep in thought about another matter.
Ever since he had obtained the Double Pupil through the Brightsight Blood Pact, he had been struggling with a decision, one that he had yet to make.
Although he had only begun to explore the Double Pupil's mysterious abilities, the explanation from the Tier 5 Double Bright Phoenix had given him insight. He knew that this Double Pupil could allow him to perfectly control two types of Star Sea Laws before reaching the Seventh Stage, with each eye capable of accommodating one type of Star Sea Law.
But the problem lay in the choice of the second law.
He had already chosen the Spatial Law, but what about the second one? How should he decide?
This was the dilemma that had been troubling him.
According to the strength of the Laws in the Fractured Star Sea, the Temporal Law, the strongest Star Sea Law, was half a rank higher than the Spatial Law. Naturally, it would be best to cultivate both Space and Time Laws.
However, this was just the ideal choice. Aside from the fact that each Temporal Law was extremely difficult to perceive, let alone cultivating two at once, there was another crucial factor.
Song Chi was aware that the Song family's ancestral heritage, the Dragon Spine Tyrant Whale Heritage, was based on Light and Space Laws.
In the Dragon Spine Secret Realm, within the Dragon Whale Mountain, all the secret techniques on the Dragon Spine Heritage Monument were related to Light and Space Laws. Additionally, there was also a complete Light Law Secret Technique Monument.
Furthermore, in the heritage of the Seven Stars of the Dipper Palace, the Radiant Star Tower, Light Law was also a fundamental law.
Every generation of Radiant Star Lords, although they cultivated various laws, shared one commonality: the first Star Sea Origin Law they completely perceived was always the 'Light Law'.
Not to mention that the Radiant Star Tower's fundamental secret technique, 'Radiant Star Arrival', was a universal technique that could be practiced and used by any Flame Torch Warship Captain, regardless of their cultivated law. However, if a Flame Torch Warship Captain who cultivated the Light Law used this technique, it would receive an additional power boost.
Moreover, in the Cultivation Sanctuary, there was a Light Law Tree that could save a significant amount of time in the early stages.
Additionally, for the Double Pupil itself, the Light Law was the most compatible law for this talent, without question.
Given these factors, Song Chi should naturally choose the Light Law.
It was precisely because the Time and Light Laws each had their advantages that Song Chi had been unable to make a decision.
"Forget it, I'll ask the Ancestor later. After all, I'm only at the Third Stage, and my understanding of Origin Laws is too shallow..."
Shaking his head, Song Chi put aside his thoughts and picked up the low-tier Spatial Law Crystal, focusing on perceiving the Spatial Law.
...
Time passed, and a few more months went by.
At the foot of Dragon Ridge Divine Mountain, the location of the Family Research Institute.
As an institution under the jurisdiction of the Family's Inner Affairs Hall, the Research Institute occupied a significant area.
Within the confines of high walls and special space curtains, the Institute's core research was strictly confidential to outsiders.
However, as a member of the Family's hierarchy, Song Chi had the qualifications to enter the core area.
Underground, Core Research Zone 08.
A dedicated testing field.
Looking at the somewhat mismatched figure standing in the testing field, Song Chi frowned slightly.
"Is this the Hellfire Battle Armor developed with the full support of the family? You've got to be kidding me!"
No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't associate the mere hundred-meter-tall, meatball-shaped mech in front of him with the majestic Hellfire Battle Armor from before.
Of course, these were his true thoughts, and he didn't dare express them so bluntly in front of the family's senior researchers. If he did, even as a member of the family hierarchy, Song Chi was certain he would be kicked out immediately.
After organizing his thoughts, Song Chi spoke:
"Is this the product based on the Celestial Mechanic Civilization's Hellfire Battle Armor?"
How come it feels quite different from what I saw in the ruins back then?"
Although he had tried to phrase it as politely as possible, the words still caused several senior researchers in front of him to display traces of embarrassment.
An elder among them replied, "Time is tight, and this is the final product after numerous simplifications. Although the appearance is somewhat unsightly, its performance is still quite good."
As he spoke, he waved his hand lightly.
The hatch behind the hundred-meter-tall, meat-shaped mecha in front slowly closed, and the three ordinary pilots inside the mecha began to move.
A red glow flashed in the mecha's eyes, indicating that it had been officially activated.
Then, Song Chi saw the meat-shaped mecha move quite agilely to the center of the testing field. Its arms rose, and the special nuclear energy weapon in its hands opened fire on dozens of Tier 3 aliens that had just been released.
As the mecha fired, the hatches on its shoulders opened, revealing two pitch-black cannon barrels. Soon, two Cruiser-class tracking missiles roared out.
Boom! Boom!
Two loud explosions echoed, and half of the dozens of Tier 3 aliens that were charging forward were instantly blown to bits.
However, these Tier 3 aliens were incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, the remaining twenty or so aliens reached the vicinity of the meat-shaped mecha. Under their thousand-meter-long bodies, the hundred-meter-tall meat-shaped mecha seemed like a toy that could be easily swatted away.
But at that moment, the mini controllable nuclear fusion engine on the meat-shaped mecha's chest started running at full speed. Then, strong thrusts were emitted from the soles of the mecha's feet, propelling it into the sky with incredible force. It quickly ascended to a height of several thousand meters above the testing room.
Below, the twenty or so Tier 3 aliens could only clumsily chase after the mecha with their energy, but how could they possibly catch up to the meat-shaped mecha's impressive speed?
Under the continuous fire from the meat-shaped mecha, all the Tier 3 aliens were eliminated in less than twenty minutes.
Seeing this, the elder researcher stroked his beard, a smile in his eyes, clearly satisfied with the test results.
His gaze shifted, and he addressed the projection of the family head beside him.
"Family Head, are you satisfied with this test?"
Song Xuan Cang's projection nodded slightly, but he didn't speak. Finally, he turned to look at Song Chi.
"Chi, what do you think?"
Hearing the family head bring the topic to him, Song Chi, whose mind had flashed with thoughts of the 【Sky Mind System】 component, didn't hesitate to speak his mind.
"Although this imitation mecha looks cumbersome, its actual maneuverability is quite decent. Its hundred-meter size may be small, but the original intention of such a mecha is long-range firepower. There's no need for them to engage in close combat, which can also save a lot of materials and reduce production costs. However, in my personal opinion, the firepower is still insufficient."
"From the previous tests, it's not hard to see that the nuclear energy weapon in the mecha's hands is only of ordinary Tier 3 strength, and although the Cruiser-class missiles are somewhat stronger, they're at most half a step into Tier 4. The firepower we need to face the Star Devastator Civilization in the upcoming Great Expansion War is not enough!"
His words were partly influenced by the considerations of the 【Sky Mind System】 component, as the cooling time of its "Automated Sub-Brain Intelligence" ability was not short. This meant that once it was used, it had to be highly effective, and for the current Cang Qiong, the Tier 3 firepower intensity was clearly not up to this requirement, even if hundreds or thousands of Tier 3 missiles were fired simultaneously.
Therefore, he subconsciously hoped that the family's research institute could mass-produce mechas with stronger firepower.
However, aside from this, his words were also entirely honest.
In the upcoming Great Expansion War, they would face the notorious Star Devastator Civilization, known for their resilience and toughness, and weak firepower simply wouldn't do.
Hearing his words, the white-haired elder didn't speak but instead turned his gaze to the family head's projection.
After all, the final decision still rested with Song Xuan Cang.
How could these researchers not be aware of the firepower issue? But the key point was that strengthening the mecha's firepower would require more investment, and once production costs increased, subsequent mass production would consume a large amount of Floating Land Essence.
Song Xuan Cang remained silent for a moment, then said, "This Great Expansion War is the key to our family's rise. There's no need to be timid. Our family has nearly three thousand years of accumulated resources, and we're not lacking in Floating Land Essence. Moreover, if this expansion war succeeds, all these investments will be doubled in return!"
Upon hearing this, the several senior researchers beside him had no further objections, and their eyes also lit up with joy.
The family's willingness to increase research funding was, of course, good news for them.
If they could eventually research and develop higher-tier imitation mechas, their rewards as researchers would naturally be higher.
As researchers who hadn't awakened the Flame Seed, they didn't personally need much wealth, but the family had a system of exchanging longevity spirit substances. For them, this was like the high-grade components that the Flame Ship Captain sought.
Additionally, they also had children and wanted to give them a better start in life.
Behind them, Song Chi didn't show it, but he was also extremely happy.
As long as the family was willing to increase funding, it wouldn't be difficult to research and develop more powerful mechas. Once they were mass-produced, he would only need to pay a substantial amount of Floating Land Essence to give the Cang Qiong another crucial trump card.
"Please try to expedite the research, and even after it's completed, we'll need time for mass production. We don't have much time left!"
"Rest assured, Family Head, all members of the Eighth Research Institute will do our utmost..."
...
PS: I initially planned for the story to focus on light and space, leaving time for later when the protagonist becomes a Sovereign.
(End of Chapter)
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