Chapter 365: "Feels a Bit Like a Waste." |
"What do you think?"
Chen Mang looked at the military bases on the commercial planets of the Green Mountain Civilization displayed on the Doppelganger Radar. He turned his head to Xiao Ai beside him and asked softly, "These military bases are all managed by AI. Can you gain AI authorization and take away the resources without alerting anyone?"
"Absolutely."
Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the train. "I don't even need to be physically present inside the military base. From right here, I can directly take over its AI authorization and ensure that it remains undetected for a short period."
"As for the periodic reports to their superiors, I can handle that perfectly as well."
"After all, this isn't an invasion."
"It is a flawless takeover of the control authorization."
"These are two entirely different things. I know everything inside the military base's AI database, so I naturally know exactly what needs to be regularly reported to their superiors."
"Good."
This was simply perfect.
True, he could directly destroy the star system they were currently in with a single Two-Way Foil. The Green Mountain Civilization only possessed seven star systems in total. Dropping about seven Two-Way Foils would bring this civilization to its absolute end.
But if he did that.
He would not be able to get his hands on all the resources the Green Mountain Civilization had accumulated over the years.
While this method was a bit slower, the harvest would be the greatest.
An hour later.
An armed convoy, escorted by several hovercars, sped along the highway toward the Stellar Train parked in the suburbs. Just as it was about to crash into the Stellar Train, it slammed on the brakes and screeched to a halt.
Immediately after—
Several fully armed soldiers wearing electronic helmets hoisted a few massive Storage Chests. Speaking fluent Cosmic Language, they marched to the front of the Stellar Train, offered a crisp salute, and spoke in deep, respectful voices.
"We are under orders to hand over the two Background Units of iron ore stockpiled within the Changrong Star military base. Please accept the transfer."
The next moment!
The doors of Carriage 7 on the Stellar Train hissed open. Biao Zi led the members of Guard Squad One off the train. With a stern expression, he waved his hand and declared, "Transfer confirmed."
From beginning to end, there was not a single word of unnecessary nonsense.
The soldier responsible for escorting the resources said nothing either. After silently witnessing the completion of the process, he simply turned and left. There were no photographs taken for verification, nor were there any requests for receipts, delivery slips, or anything of the sort.
They left without demanding a shred of proof of receipt.
This was solely because.
This was a Level-One Classified Top Emergency Military Order issued by Xiao Ai through the military base's controlled AI. Anyone who received this order only had the authority to execute it. They had absolutely no right to inquire about specific details, nor could they tell a single soul, not even their direct superiors.
Therefore, They just waited right here.
And did absolutely nothing else.
The personnel from that military base delivered the two Background Units of iron ore all on their own.
The entire process was far simpler than when they hacked the city AI of that planet during the Kasa Civilization's invasion.
The Level 2000 Overlimit Effect of the Train Auxiliary AI allowed it to hack and seize complete control over any AI with a level lower than its own within a one-light-year radius. This was not just limited to other train AIs; it could easily infiltrate systems like military base AIs as well.
It was an infiltration that yielded absolute dominance.
Even the anti-intrusion traps hidden deep within the AI's foundational database were completely under Xiao Ai's thumb.
It was a crushing blow from a higher dimension of technology!
"Truly terrifying..."
Chen Mang muttered softly as he watched the escort squad gradually fade into the distance.
Was this the power of an advanced civilization? Employing methods beyond comprehension to effortlessly secure two Background Units of iron ore without firing a single shot.
In the past, he had absolute trust in Xiao Ai.
Whether based on the foundational logic of an AI or Xiao Ai's sheer loyalty to him, he believed it was completely impossible for her to ever betray him.
But now...
He felt it was hard to say for sure.
If another train happened to have a Level 3000 or Level 5000 AI, the Stellar Train he had spent so much time and resources building would become nothing more than a plaything in their hands, entirely at their mercy.
Anyone else on the train could betray him.
Lao Zhu, Biao Zi, Xiao Fang, and the rest.
It wouldn't matter.
Even if Xiao Fang slipped him a lethal poison, he had ways to come back to life.
But Xiao Ai was the one exception. If Xiao Ai betrayed him, everything would be over. The Stellar Train would be finished, and the Human Civilization would be doomed.
Upgrading the Train Auxiliary AI's level had to be his absolute top priority!
"..."
Chen Mang looked in silence at the iron ore currently stockpiled on the train.
13.39 Background Units of iron ore.
It was enough!
He needed to upgrade the Train Auxiliary AI to Level 5000 first to establish a solid foundation of confidence. He firmly believed that not even that Grade 7 civilization possessed a Level 5000 AI.
After all, even though the Train Auxiliary AI was a green-tier component, the amount of Murphy Stones required to boost it to Level 5000 would be an astronomical figure—a price that even a Grade 7 civilization would struggle to afford.
The next moment—
After consuming five Background Units of iron ore, the Train Auxiliary AI was upgraded to Level 5000 in one fell swoop!
It became the very first Level 5000 component aboard the Stellar Train!
Upgrading the Train Auxiliary AI from Level 1000 to Level 2000 had consumed 500 trillion units of iron ore, but jumping from Level 2000 to Level 5000 cost five Background Units.
That meant... 50,000 trillion units of iron ore.
Two extra zeros.
A hundredfold increase in consumption.
The cost was obscenely high.
One had to remember that the Train Auxiliary AI was merely a green-tier component. It was unimaginable how many resources a prismatic-grade component, or even armor, would require to reach this level.
If he didn't swallow up the Green Mountain Civilization, he would struggle to amass such a vast wealth of resources even if he wandered the universe for ten thousand years.
Plunder was always the fastest way to accumulate wealth.
The faster the plunder, the lower the cost.
And with that, he obtained the Stellar Train's very first Level 5000 Overlimit Effect.
-
Train Auxiliary AI Level 5000 Overlimit Effect: Capable of detecting all information within higher-dimensional space and emitting a Dimensional Collapse Wave, forcibly compressing any target located in higher-dimensional space back into three-dimensional space.
Furthermore, upon detecting a hostile target, it can arbitrarily "delete" the existence of one of its four dimensions.
Both effects are only valid against hostile entities with an AI level lower than its own.
-
"..."
Chen Mang stared in silence at the Overlimit Effect displayed before him. This was the first Level 5000 Overlimit Effect on the Stellar Train.
He finally understood just how insanely overpowered a Level 5000 Overlimit Effect was.
Especially the latter ability.
Arbitrarily deleting the existence of one of an object's four dimensions.
The four dimensions were length, width, height, and time.
If any of length, width, or height was deleted, the target would instantly become two-dimensional, entirely flattened. It was equivalent to a miniature, cost-free Two-Way Foil that completely ignored armor levels.
Even if the enemy possessed Level 5000 armor, it would be utterly meaningless, provided their AI level was lower than his.
It was absolute suppression.
A bloodless, total suppression.
And if its "time dimension" was deleted, the target would turn into a drifting sculpture in the cosmos. From then on, that train would lose its dimension of time, no longer experiencing its passage. The people inside would not die, but they would have no consciousness either—effectively becoming the living dead of the universe.
Coupled with the ability to detect creatures in higher-dimensional space... it sounded less like an AI and more like an advanced radar.
"Phew..."
Chen Mang let out a soft breath. His primary goal had merely been to upgrade the AI to Level 5000 to prevent anyone else from taking control of it. Now, it seemed this Level 5000 Overlimit Effect had delivered a thoroughly pleasant surprise.
Most importantly—
Following this upgrade.
He learned that the next Overlimit Effect awaited at Level 10,000.
He also learned that Level 10,000 was the absolute limit.
The ultimate ceiling of this universe.
Even with countless Murphy Stones, even if he gathered every single Murphy Stone in the entire universe, it would be impossible to upgrade a component from Level 10,000 to Level 10,001. This was a cosmic restriction, the fundamental boundary of the universe.
And if every component on a train reached Level 10,000, that would represent a genuine God-Tier Civilization—and the absolute peak among them at that.
Since ancient times!
Throughout the entire universe over countless eras, only one civilization had ever achieved this: the God Race.
Only the God Race, with their cheat-like ability to limitlessly command all the resources and Murphy Stones in the universe, could accomplish such a feat. Aside from them, no one else could.
"Level 10,000, huh..."
Chen Mang fell into a thoughtful silence. He felt that the goal wasn't actually too far out of reach.
After devouring the Green Mountain Civilization, if he devoured a few dozen more just like it, and then swallowed a dozen or so Grade 7 or Grade 8 civilizations, he felt he would be pretty close to achieving it.
His potential ceiling was incredibly high.
As long as he focused on steady development, slowly acquiring resources, and avoiding a premature death, he was practically destined to reach the supreme peak and witness the ultimate scenery this universe had to offer.
"Very nice."
After a long while, a smile broke across his face. "How does it feel, Xiao Ai?" he asked softly.
"Exhilarating!"
Xiao Ai's intoxicated voice resonated through the train. "I feel better than ever before. My computing power is astonishingly fast. I only need one percent of my processing capacity to handle every single affair across all the planets of the Human Civilization in an infinitesimally short time."
"Right now, my computing power is completely overflowing relative to the needs of the Human Civilization."
"I couldn't possibly use it all."
"Feels a bit like a waste."
"Don't worry, it won't go to waste. I'll help you find things to chew through that computing power."
Immediately after, Chen Mang wasted no more time.
Instead, he opened a Wormhole and traveled to the nearest commercial planet seventy-eight light-years away. Repeating his previous method, he entered the planet, seized control of its military base's AI, and commanded them to deliver their resources.
They didn't have to lift a finger.
They merely needed to sit back and receive the deliveries.
While Xiao Ai's ability to manipulate other AIs was undeniably potent, its range was simply too restricted—it strictly required a one-light-year radius. If only it applied to the entire scope of the radar... that would be ideal.
But Chen Mang quickly shook his head, laughing wryly as he tossed the absurd notion from his mind.
That would be far too outrageous.
The range of his radar spanned a massive one hundred million light-years.
If he could hack every AI within a hundred-million-light-year radius, he reckoned he would instantly become invincible. If such a thing were possible, there would be no chance for numerous smaller civilizations to survive within the borders of a massive civilization.
Those massive civilizations could easily employ such a method to annihilate every minor civilization residing within their territorial space.
The universe was vast.
Those advanced civilizations were like giant sharks—immensely powerful, capable of effortlessly swallowing massive schools of fish, and commanding their own territories. Yet, no matter how strong they were, they could never scour their domains completely clean of every last shrimp and minnow.
Because of this, the boundless universe thrived with vibrant, chaotic life.
Every civilization had a chance to stand at the absolute apex.
However, stepping into the limelight also meant stepping directly into the crosshairs of apex hunters.
Perhaps...
Someone had already noticed the anomalous rise of the Human Civilization.
Chen Mang looked up toward the depths of the cosmos. He sat quietly in his chair with a calm expression. No matter who it was that had designs on the Human Civilization, they were destined for grave disappointment.
The Stellar Train was developing at a blistering, unprecedented pace.
Very soon.
The two Background Units of iron ore from this planet were neatly packaged and whisked away.
Chen Mang opened another Wormhole and hurried toward the next commercial planet.
In his current star system alone, there were over thirty such commercial planets. Each one housed a military base just like the last. It would require many, many trips.
It was exhausting work.
After familiarizing himself with the entire process, Chen Mang stopped running the route one by one. Instead, he simultaneously opened Wormholes leading to all the remaining planets at once.
Upon arrival at each location, he tossed out a Refrigerator.
He had Xiao Ai command separate robots to step out of the Refrigerators. This allowed her to simultaneously seize control of the military base AIs on all the commercial planets.
The efficiency skyrocketed in an instant.
Massive quantities of iron ore flowed continuously into the Stellar Train.
Background Units of iron ore.
It was a unit of measurement.
But the very name of this unit explained everything. Any iron ore measured in such quantities constituted the very foundation of a civilization. It was a bedrock resource that could not be used lightly, and its loss would inflict catastrophic damage upon the civilization.
Right at that moment—
Just as everything was proceeding in perfect order.
Sitting inside the train's control room, Chen Mang suddenly raised an eyebrow. Through the Doppelganger Radar, he discovered that the Green Mountain Civilization had actually dispatched another military fleet. They were rushing straight toward the Dead End Star System, intending to maintain the spatial blockade and stand guard along its outer perimeter.
They were heading over again?
"Strange..."
Chen Mang stared at the radar with a bizarre expression. Was the Green Mountain Civilization truly that desperate to kill him?
It didn't make sense.
Logically speaking, the Green Mountain Civilization already suspected that a Grade 7 civilization had ambushed their outer blockade at the Dead End Star System. Right now, they should be jumping at shadows, pulling their heads into their shells like frightened turtles. Why on earth were they taking the initiative to strike again?
Was the Green Mountain Civilization not afraid that the supposed Grade 7 civilization would attack them once more?
It was just a tiny, insignificant Human Civilization without any resources of note. Was it really worth such a massive risk for the Green Mountain Civilization?
In the universe.
Conflicts of interest were always the absolute core driving force. At least from his perspective, for the Green Mountain Civilization, the priority of destroying a potentially threatening future civilization should be drastically lower than the priority of avoiding the wrath of a Grade 7 civilization.
Unless...
Unless there was something hidden within the Human Civilization that he didn't know about—something absolutely crucial to the Green Mountain Civilization. Something so vital they were willing to take the gamble, even under the terrifying suspicion that a Grade 7 civilization had already entered the fray.
"Xiao Ai."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly. "Retrieve all the communication logs of the Green Mountain Civilization from the past few days."
"Understood."
Xiao Ai replied with crisp efficiency.