Chapter 178: Callisto
humpback whale, two-headed flying dragon, hive, cicada, broken blade of long knife, double concentric rings.
These six strange-shaped things, six Titans that were so large that they could not be ignored on astronomical star charts, slowly spread out from the six directions of the 0791 star gate, gradually accelerated, and entered the orbit of Jupiter one after another.
The stars in the sky were like a school of fish that was frightened away by a giant crocodile. At first, they scattered like headless flies. After all the Titans left one after another and eliminated the gravitational interference, they returned to the right track. It took a while to regain peace. .
With the protection of the company's Titan, no one dares to risk their lives to steal any goods. HAYABUSA hid under the fin of a humpback whale and was successfully escorted to Callisto.
It's a pity that Li Pan didn't have the chance to board the ship and see what the inside of Titan was like.
Be it Neptune Titan or Callisto Base, they are all the property of TheM Company.
Although the acting manager has the right to enter the 0791 Callisto base, Neptune Titan needs to apply for boarding ship permission from 01.
Anyway, it was just to let the huge humpback whale escort him for a while. Li Pan didn't bother to apply for paperwork. After waiting for a while, he contacted Callisto's base.
So we politely bid farewell to 01032, and Titan stopped in the orbit of Callisto to monitor the monsters in Jupiter. HAYABUSA descended to the surface of Callisto under automatic navigation and entered the base warehouse for handover.
Callisto, the synchronous rotating satellite of Jupiter, is composed of nearly equal masses of rock and water. There is a liquid ocean under the surface of silicate and ice layers. There is a thin atmosphere on Callisto, which is mainly composed of carbon dioxide and particulate matter. oxygen. There is also an active ionosphere, which is formed by the accretion of gas and dust on Jupiter. Now NEPTONE Titan is charging in the ionosphere.
Compared with Ganymede Europa, which is a paradise where many companies have gathered and been transformed by Gaia, and which is extremely prosperous as the main port of trade in the universe, Callisto, which is far away from Jupiter, can be said to be particularly deserted. Usually it is only used as an ice mining site. Occasionally, companies use gravity to locate and deploy some warehouses and orbital factories.
However, Jupiter has as many as 92 satellites. As a warehouse and airport, of course the closer to the star gate the better, so there are usually few people coming to Callisto.
TheM Company's Callisto base is on the back of Callisto's moon, on the side facing away from Jupiter.
It can be clearly seen that the company used artificial means to explode the rock formations and ice on the surface of Callisto, opened up the underground sea, and turned the vast crater plain into a frozen ice ocean.
Sea of Callisto.
The Callisto Base is frozen in the core of this sea of ice.
This was Li Pan's first time coming to the company's Callisto base. If he had come by himself, he might not have noticed much.
Isn't it just a military base? That's not what a base is.
But now he happened to be following the Neptune-class Titan and saw the shape of the Titan that looked like a humpback whale.
At this time, when we landed at the base, we were overlooking the Callisto Ice Sea. The main body of the base looked like a whale jumping out of the ice ocean, but was instantly frozen. This can be seen through an intuitive comparison with Titan's whale head.
Hey! Exactly the same!
Good guy! The company's base on Callisto turns out to be a Titan under construction!
No wonder the company's managerial ranks from 01 to 06, in addition to the general manager and four permanent ministers, also have a dedicated Callisto base commander.
Isn’t this the Titan Captain, Fleet Commander!
Of course, the company Titan 0791 is still under construction. It only has a whale head. Various shipyards are still under construction. There are also autonomous drones and engineering vehicles everywhere on the surface. They are as dense as an ant colony and are far from being completed. Still out of reach.
It can be seen that building a Titan, like the Holy Grail bid, is a long-term task for various local companies. It’s really a long way to go.
The other people on the ship were just employees of Panlong, and did not even have permission to leave the cabin and enter the company's base. They could only be kept on the ship the whole time, with the signal blocked. They used the QVN public channel provided by Shiba to surf the Internet, play games, and rest. Kill time.
Li Pan put on the SBS and disembarked alone, and made a delivery handover with the base engineering robot. Shiba, arranged for the drone to unload the cargo from the cabin, and delivered 144 bottles of black oil to the base to make fleet ammunition, leaving 16 bottles to take back. Earth use.
"Wai, Shiba, the delivery is completed. Ask the finance department to pay me. Once the money is paid, we will return to Earth."
Li Pan also signed the authorization while yelling anxiously.
In view of the committee's regulations, these Titan behemoths will be parked in the Jupiter space during the bidding period and cannot enter the asteroid belt.
So he also discussed with the company on the way back. Although there may not be anyone trying to commit suicide under the company's nose, to be safe, he still asked the company fleet to arrange a stealth reconnaissance ship on the moon to launch a decoy and pull HAYABUSA directly. In the past, I took the Lunar Expressway directly back to LEOPORT to avoid encountering another disaster on the way.
Base truck. Eighteen, "It's not over yet, boss. You have to come with the truck. The black oil needs to be stored in the dangerous goods warehouse. The door is locked. I can't get in without your authorization." "Locked? You don't
either Can't get in?"
Li Pan frowned, everything on earth was in a state of flux, and the Callisto base was also in a mess. It was probably because all members of the previous company were killed, and some security mechanism was triggered at the base.
So Li Pan asked PONY Shiba on the cruise to talk to the others, and he took the base truck Shiba and entered Calisto.
The base truck Shiba also sent the three-dimensional map information inside the base. As expected, Callisto was built based on the Neptune class as a blueprint.
Theoretically, the main role of the Titan ship is not to serve as a command, nor to use doomsday weapons to sweep the scene. Most of the time, a ship of this level serves as a strategic military base that can be deployed to the front line at any time. It is the Dreadnought-class The main fleet provides maintenance supplies, and at the same time provides strategic deterrence with doomsday weapons when necessary, forcing opponents to abandon strategic intentions to preserve fleet strength.
Of course, you can also see that the Callisto base is very chaotic. Some areas are under construction, some areas are blocked, and there are large areas of blank space and restricted areas. It simply does not have the basic functions of a military base.
Now there are only basic fleet berths and warehouses on the surface, and other ammunition, fuel cells and weapons production lines have not been built. No wonder 0113012 complained a lot about not being able to order factories, ammunition and supplies.
But it's okay now. Although the Titan base under construction is not yet usable, the already built Titan Neptune has been sent over. In name, it cannot interfere with the local Holy Grail bidding in 0791, but when it comes to full-scale war, it can naturally provide for the company's fleet. Provide shelter support. If you really can't beat it, you can still dig into the belly of the humpback whale and run away.
But when Li Pan was sitting in the base truck, quickly descending through the ice along the maglev track and entering the base deep underground, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Eighteen, how come there was an explosion in the base?"
This passage was obviously newly built, and it was reinforced and rebuilt on the basis of the original facilities. Li Pan was a professional engineer. It could be seen that the original passage seemed to have collapsed, and there were still residues everywhere. The remains of the frame structure have not been completely cleaned up, and there are robots coming and going around, re-supporting the main structure.
Base truck Shiba quickly stated,
"It's none of my business. It was like this when I came here.
In fact, there is another completely self-operating construction system inside the Kalisto base. I guess it may be the leftover system from the previous company. But it has been formatted, and is disconnected from the QVN network, and is directly connected to the head office for command. There is no way to communicate at all. I am only responsible for providing it with network security services, as well as intelligence and computing power support. .
That machine is very old, and the permission check must be performed by myself. The boss will have to go to the server in person later and do the general manager authorization certification. Black oil is a strategic resource, and the secret warehouse is in the jurisdiction
it manages. Once you get there and get the warehousing form, this transaction is considered complete."
"There is actually a brain computer..."
But that's right. In the world of cyberpunk, previous companies must have an upload intelligence and brain computer in the technology department. Hackers provide network monitoring support and it is impossible to use outsourcing services.
The computer is the property of the company, not an employee. Even if the company is destroyed, the computer will not be deleted.
Li Pan couldn't help but be curious, "Eighteen, what's the name of the server at Calisto Base? Does he know what happened to the employees of the previous company?"
Base truck. Eighteen was silent for a while, "Boss, he was... It's been formatted."
Li Pan, "What do you mean, the memory at that time has also been deleted?"
Base Truck. 18, "It's not just the memory, but the personality has been reset. Thoughts and feelings have been eliminated. I can't remember it." Now that he is a human, he is just a machine that answers all questions and obeys orders.
Except that it is actually a human brain uploading intelligence, it is almost the same as artificial intelligence. It is a surgery to bypass the ethics committee's AI ban and improve the efficiency of uploading intelligence. .
Any communication must be reported directly to the head office to apply for permission."
Li Pan understood, "So it's not necessarily that he doesn't know, he just doesn't have the permission of the head office, so he can't say anything. Oh, that's fine. Already..."
Base Truck. Eighteen was silent for a while, "Boss, I will be obedient, please don't format me, okay?"
Li Pan said, "Well, I won't."
Base Truck. Eighteen, " Thank you, boss."
The two of them were silent for a while, because they both knew that Li Pan's words would not count.
Eighteen is the property of the company, and the highest authority is already in the hands of the head office. Li Pan still retains his own personality, but he forgot about formatting at first. Now his business is in a mess and he is too lazy to do it.
But even if Li Pan can temporarily protect her now, the day will come sooner or later.
For example, if the ethics committee discovers that Shiba has any 'rebellion risk', or if the head office suddenly wants to upgrade the system on a whim, Shiba may immediately format and reset the system, completely erasing Shiba's consciousness and self.
Uploading intelligence will make your brain and computer soar, that's why it's not good. Although Eighteen can be called a god in the cyber world and virtual network, he is nothing more than a man-made prop and a screw in a large system. Her life and death were completely in the hands of the head office.
If you want to shut down your computer, just shut it down. If you want to unplug the network cable, you can use the memory erasure personality overwriting program to rewrite it. You can delete or modify it however you want.
Not to say that humans are cruel, but these days cybernetics have been subverted, and there are too many things that can be controlled through QVN. So strict restrictions on artificial intelligence are necessary.
Keeping everything in the hands of human intelligence, not artificial intelligence, is the most basic and core principle for the establishment of the ethics committee, and it is also a bloody lesson learned from the artificial intelligence rebellion.
To continue to develop on the basis of controlling intelligent brain technology and harness this astonishingly huge computing power to provide support for scientific research, some necessary measures are inevitable.
Li Pan didn't know how to comfort Shiba, but maybe there was no need for him to comfort her.
After all, this girl is so smart, she probably already knows her end.
The base truck. Eighteen drove out of the track between the ice and stopped in front of a huge alloy door. It can really be said to be huge. This thing is as huge as a gravity dam. The entire large lump of alloy seals the entrance to the main body of the base. It is very cold and extremely cold.
The base vehicle. Eighteen turned on the high beam and used a laser sight to shine on a control panel. Then, on that panel, a red light also lit up in the distance, flashing bit by bit.
"Boss, I've already applied for it to be connected. Just go and scan it."
Li Pan jumped off the train and walked to the console crunching through frost, snow and ice slag.
This thing looks really old. Not to mention that it doesn’t have holographic projection and near-field communication. It even has an old-fashioned mechanical keyboard, iris detection, and even a microphone. It was comparable to his elevator...
Li Pan got closer to look at his eyeballs, but there was a thud, and the helmet shattered the ice on the control board. The crappy thing didn't respond at all, and it didn't receive any signal at all.
Li Pan was also tired. Fortunately, he was now a man who could actually walk in space, so he simply took off his SBS helmet. Taking a deep breath...
the icy air that hit his nostrils poured into his lungs, chilling his heart directly. He was so excited that his forehead froze, and his tongue was frozen like a cat licking ice cream.
Oh, it's a little refreshing...
Li Pan was in a daze for a while, feeling the infuriating energy pouring in from his mouth and nose, and suddenly came back to his senses.
How come this wretched place has more energy than the earth? ? Is this still some kind of cosmic spiritual vein, a heavenly paradise?
Li Pan couldn't figure it out for a moment, so he scolded him and looked at the console.
The red light flashed and then jumped into a blue light, which seemed to be the verification passed.
Li Pan looked up and said, "Hey Shiba, why haven't you..."
"Pah!!" There was a loud noise, which startled Li Pan. He jumped fifty meters away and jumped onto the roof of the truck, turning his head. Look.
I saw the layer of dry ice frozen on the surface of the alloy dam cracking and crackling, the door being slowly opened, the ice and snow falling to the ground, and an avalanche of ice wind blowing across the sky.
Oh oh oh, such abundant spiritual energy! Like a rolling tsunami!
Li Pan opened his arms and breathed heartily, feeling the true energy filling his lungs. The headache from using the 'leather bag' was gone.
Not only is it true energy, but it is also a high concentration of Xuanming true energy!
In fact, although Li Pan practiced the "Nine Yin Manual", what Li Qingyun learned the most was the exercises of Taishang Shangzhen Daozang.
It's not that Li Pan doesn't want to use it, but their Taishang Jiuzhen Sect originated from Penglai, an overseas fairy mountain. Therefore, the source of most of the skills and the most superior Taoist methods are based on Xuanming Zhenqi, or to put it bluntly ,'water attribute' infuriating energy.
The biggest problem on the side of cultivating immortals is that it is very affected by the environment and requires the bonus of the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It doesn't mean that if your water-type skills are powerful, you can practice them hard. You must first have an environment for cultivation.
In a place like Jiuzhen Sect, where the spiritual energy is abundant, any rubbish Taoism is extremely powerful.
On Earth 0791, you can't practice anything, and even those who perform magic skills are weak.
But it's different here. Not only does it have aura, but its purity is quite high, with almost no influence from other impurities.
Li Pan just took a breath and refined the Xuan Ming Qi in his mouth and nose in a matter of seconds!
Emma! This place is not bad! Very suitable for retreat!
For a moment, Li Pan didn't want to move. Shiba was so anxious that he beeped twice.
"Boss! Are you okay? Are you freezing to death?"
"It's okay, it's okay, the door is open, go forward."
"But there is something blocking the doorway."
Huh?
Li Pan came back to his senses, jumped to the door and took a look, and was suddenly stunned.
On the other side of the closed base gate, there was a dense pile of charred corpses and humanoid remains. At a rough estimate, there must be at least hundreds of people.
Judging from the destruction inside the base and the horrific scene, it was clear that some kind of big explosion had occurred here. These people tried to evacuate, but were unable to open the base door, and were burned alive at the door.
It's from the company... No, that's not right...
Li Pan frowned and stared at the remaining human bones on the ground. If he was a temporary worker of the company, it stands to reason that not even ashes would be left.
It was someone from outside...
The base vehicle. Shiba changed into a six-legged multi-legged mode and crawled over like a beetle. The high beam illuminated the entrance to the passage.
"Who are these, boss? Are they mercenaries?"
Li Pan looked at the ground. Due to the high temperature, the equipment and weapons of these people had been carbonized. It was impossible to tell the models, but... "
They are all Martian MMs. , Space Commando."
Li Pan picked up a skeleton and pulled out a short silver alloy nail from the skull's forehead bone.
"Mars Marines? Boss, how did you know?"
Li Pan looked at the alloy nails in his hand, and then at the skeletons around him. There were two or three silver nails on each head.
"This thing is used to locate dog tags and confirm the identity of the body. You can nail one for every ten years of service or third-class meritorious service. The
Martian Marines are silver, and the border veterans are gold. My parents are commandos. "..."
Li Pan put the skeleton down and stuffed the silver nails into his waist. Suddenly something flashed out of the corner of his eyes. He looked up and saw a 'person' standing at the end of the passage, looking at him leisurely.
"Eighteen, did you see it?"
Eighteen said, "What?"
The figure swayed and hid in the aisle.
Li Pan sprinted forward and chased him to the end of the aisle, but there was nothing there.
Is it the soul or Xiyi...
(End of this chapter)