After coming to this era, Cheng Weilu’s basic understanding of bionics was that they were an upgraded version of robots. Their appearance was more humanlike, their intelligence was set at a higher level, and even their physical capabilities were superior, but they did not possess the biological or social attributes of humans. Those manufactured bionics were regarded more as “tools.”
Many operational tasks that required human labor could already be adequately handled by robots, and their intelligence could be configured according to their line of work. But bionics whose appearance and intelligence were both extremely close to those of humans blurred Cheng Weilu’s understanding of what constituted biological life.
This was one category of existence that Cheng Weilu had neither encountered nor understood much since coming here.
They should not possess emotions or self-awareness, so how could they have something like mental strength?
“The modified bionics had their bodily functions discarded. Their brains are kept active through the metal neural fibers and various nutrient solutions inside the boxes,” Li Xu explained. “They possess living consciousness, but they cannot really be considered living people.”
“How can a bionic’s brain… possess consciousness and mental strength?” Cheng Weilu struggled to put her thoughts into words. “And emotions. I clearly sensed their emotions.”
“I found it difficult to believe at first, too, but the rebel army’s laboratory really did it. After their brains were modified, bionics became more adaptable to optical-brain links, and their mental strength connection compatibility could basically be maintained at around 90%.”
Ninety percent was the threshold for an exceptionally high level. The figure shocked Cheng Weilu once again.
“So after the bionics army was deployed, the Alliance military simply couldn’t withstand them and suffered heavy casualties. But mental strength connections were extremely taxing on the brain, and bionics already had short lifespans to begin with. Each box could only be used for about three months at most. A constant supply was needed to maintain the army’s combat effectiveness.”
“The Alliance military was forced to retreat significantly. After being on the defensive for some time, they suddenly discovered that the number of bionic soldiers in the rebel army had begun to gradually decrease. From the intelligence they obtained, they learned that the person in charge of the laboratory for the modification project had committed suicide and destroyed the core data. Only then did the Alliance military have enough strength to launch a counterattack, all the way to the final outcome.”
Cheng Weilu was stunned for a long while before asking in confusion, “But what about those we saw at Sevi Base…?”
If their “lifespan” was only three months, then these weapons manufactured during the civil war should have “died” long ago. Why would the Alliance military secretly preserve these rebel weapons at a military base? Judging from that fighter jet, the base clearly held more than just preserved weapons.
“After I woke up, I asked Zhou Yan about what happened to the bionic weapons after the war. The answer I got was that they had disappeared without a trace, and all publicly available information about them had been erased. The act itself was very strange. I went through the intelligence Zhou Yan had collected along the various routes over the years. What I can confirm is that someone within the Alliance military preserved some of the bionics left behind from the battlefield and had been secretly conducting performance tests on them.”
Cheng Weilu suddenly remembered. “So those accidents involving the dozen or so ships at Fourth Star… were caused by someone conducting tests?”
Li Xu nodded. “And the collision between the ships at Seventh Star before that. Even earlier, there was a larger-scale testing accident near Sevi Base that affected several hundred ships. Because the impact on the pilots was not significant, it was covered up as a sudden weather event.”
Li Xu’s expression grew solemn. “Perhaps because of technological advances, they found a way to extend the bionics’ lifespans. Perhaps the person in charge never committed suicide in the first place. Anyone who experienced the battlefield knows how powerful they are. There are people in the military who want to control that power.”
“I can’t define the identity or nature of these bionics. I’ve touched their consciousness and emotions before, too. They’re pitiful, but in my eyes, they’re battlefield consumables that were manufactured. Countless people have already died because of them, and there may be even more in the future.”
Cheng Weilu: “…”
She could not say anything.
The information was too much for Cheng Weilu to digest all at once. Li Xu stood up, pulled the blanket that had slipped down from Cheng Weilu’s body back up, and tucked it around her. Just as he was about to turn and leave the main control room, his shirt sleeve was caught.
Cheng Weilu looked at him. “What happened to you back then?”
“The reason I ‘died’ is a little complicated.” Li Xu gave a self-deprecating smile. “There were too many people who wanted to kill me. But the main cause wasn’t the bionic army, although 80% of the people in my direct unit did die because of them.”
He then reined in his emotions and said calmly, “Come out for dinner later.”
─────── ✦ · ˚ ✧ · ˚ ✦ ───────
The truth was too heavy, so the two of them did not continue discussing the war.
They maintained the same tacit atmosphere as before, and Cheng Weilu spent increasingly long periods of time standing silently by the porthole.
Once they finished this route, she would take him to Freedom Corridor and fulfill her agreement with Li Xu. After that, she would stop asking about any of this, Cheng Weilu told herself.
Those matters were not something an outsider and an ordinary salvager like her could influence. If her mental strength value could help a little, then so be it. If someone made use of her, they could use her. She did not care. Besides, Li Xu had paid her a large sum of money.
But that was all.
The star systems became increasingly dense, and the Star Network and communications gradually returned to normal. Cheng Weilu checked her personal communications. After nearly two months, she finally received a reply from Qiqi:
“A Luo! I’m safe! I’m on my way back to Freedom City and should arrive in ten days. Be careful of interstellar pirates recently. We’ll talk about everything else when we meet. Miss you! [Hug][Hug][Heart][Heart][Tears][Tears].”
It was wonderful news. The biggest weight on Cheng Weilu’s heart finally lifted, and she spent a long time stroking Robert’s head.
The ship entered the docking port of Nianchuan Fortress, where the Alliance’s customs checkpoint was located. There were hundreds of asteroids within the docking port’s jurisdiction, and all of them were quite lively and prosperous.
Of course, this kind of prosperity had only emerged in recent years. In earlier years, this area had also been plagued by repeated pirate attacks. Although the Alliance’s heavy military base, Sevi Base, was not far away, they did not particularly care about the safety of the people living on those hundreds of asteroids.
The situation only began to improve after Cynthia established Nianchuan Fortress here. This well-regarded female general came from one of the Alliance’s long-established prestigious families and had been one of the favored students of the former Alliance Supreme Commander. Not long after the civil war ended, she was nominated by the cabinet and military to become the new Supreme Commander.
Cheng Weilu had completely recovered. The two of them stopped the ship to rest and replenish their supplies.
At a rest area on the planet numbered NC271, Cheng Weilu watched an official promotional feature. In the holographic image, the black-haired, green-eyed female general wore the Alliance’s standard military uniform. The crisp black fabric was trimmed with silver, while Alliance insignia adorned her chest and shoulders. Her handsome, striking features were paired with a resolute gaze.
Cheng Weilu stared for a while. “Wow, this commander is really handsome.”
Li Xu glanced at the screen. “What’s handsome about her?”
“Her looks and bearing, and this military uniform. It all looks really handsome.” Cheng Weilu praised her sincerely. Then she remembered something and looked up at the man in front of her, who was dressed formally and wearing an antique brooch. “You must look good in a military uniform, too. Do you have any pictures I can see?”
The robotic attendant brought over the tea and tea set he had ordered. As Li Xu fiddled with the tea set in his hands, his lowered eyes and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly before he quickly composed himself.
“Not right now.”
“Oh.”
Cheng Weilu looked back at the promotional material and then asked, “Nianchuan is a person’s name, right? Was he Cynthia’s teacher? Someone that famous should have quite a lot of information about him. Why isn’t there anything?”
Cheng Weilu searched the Star Network again but could not find any more information. Then she remembered the fortress that had once disappeared near U2033. “Is it connected to that Dawnlight Fortress that disappeared?”
Li Xu’s hand holding the tea spoon stopped. “What’s the basis for your speculation?”
“I know about the Alliance’s famous major fortress sites. Near the planet where I salvaged you, I found records of a major fortress site that had disappeared. Dawnlight. Other than saying it was destroyed in the war, there’s no other information.”
Cheng Weilu lightly tapped her fingers against the table and continued, “Cynthia’s teacher, the former Alliance commander. The way this description is written, her teacher’s image should be a positive one. Something unexpected probably happened, which was why he became ‘former.’ If you compare the two, it seems to fit.”
Cheng Weilu thought Li Xu would answer her, but he merely continued elegantly tending to the tea set in his hands. The water in the small teapot began to bubble, and he focused on rinsing the teacups. His long, fair fingers, with their distinct knuckles, gently rotated his wrist as he held the teacup. The sight was pleasing to the eye, and Cheng Weilu watched for a while before forgetting what she had wanted to ask.
It was a morning on a day off. People streamed in and out of the rest area, while shuttle cars and small aircraft passed through the sky. From the nearby children’s amusement park came the sound of children laughing and playing.
Everything was peaceful. The sunlight streaming through the glass made Cheng Weilu drowsy, and amid the mist rising from the tea, Li Xu’s calm features seemed almost unreal in their beauty.
After a while, Li Xu spoke. “Your speculation is correct. His name was Li Nianchuan, the former Supreme Commander of the Alliance. He died in his Dawnlight Fortress. The military’s official statement was that the fortress was destroyed by interstellar pirates.”
Interstellar pirates again.
“Do pirate attacks really happen?” Cheng Weilu remembered Li Xu’s “foresight” on the Star Banner Route. “This is inside a fortress port, and there’s a large military base not far away. Would pirates really be that bold?”
After all, the largest pirate incident Cheng Weilu had personally experienced seemed to be something like Lanka’s. The small-scale pirates in some of the outlying star systems could barely be considered more than people stopping travelers to demand some food.
“When interstellar pirates first emerged, most of them were indeed like Lanka Adelo’s group. Because of survival, they were forced to take that path.” Li Xu began slowly filtering the tea. “But over the following decades, the types of pirates became increasingly diverse. After growing in strength, they began to possess their own armed forces and large-scale base star systems.”
“During the Alliance’s civil war, some of the rebel forces defeated by Li Nianchuan were captured and incorporated into the Alliance military, while others fled and became interstellar pirates. These people were originally soldiers, so their strength was naturally far greater than that of ordinary pirates. When they took action, it was no small disturbance.”
Cheng Weilu remembered what he had just said. “Then did this former commander and his Dawnlight Fortress die because of retaliation by the interstellar pirates? An entire fortress disappeared?”
Li Xu neither confirmed nor denied it, instead continuing, “In the fifty years since the war, the number of interstellar pirates has increased tenfold. One reason is that the Alliance suffered such heavy losses during the civil war that it drastically cut military spending and rarely carried out large-scale campaigns against pirates. Another reason is…”
He emphasized his words.
“Keeping pirates around to strengthen one’s own position.”
Cheng Weilu remembered what he had said before about high-ranking figures within the Alliance colluding with interstellar pirates.
“There are people in the military who are happy to see the pirates grow stronger.” Li Xu finished brewing the tea and placed a cup in front of Cheng Weilu. “With the economic recovery over the past decade or so, the various routes have been increasingly affected by pirates, and public dissatisfaction has grown louder. Only then did the Alliance cabinet begin paying attention to the military again.”
“Now is a very suitable time for them to come out and cooperate in putting on a large-scale performance.” Li Xu tapped the table. “This place, Cynthia’s fortress, is the most suitable location.”
An attack powerful enough to make a fortress belonging to the former Alliance commander disappear had already existed fifty years ago… If they attacked here, what would happen to the people living on these hundreds of asteroids inside the port? Could Cynthia protect them?
Cheng Weilu looked at Li Xu. He had only been awake for about two months, yet through analyzing all kinds of information, he had already gained an almost complete understanding of the direction major events had taken over the past several decades.
“You’re amazing, Commander Li. I don’t know what exactly you’re trying to do, but I hope someone like you wins.”
Li Xu’s hand holding the teacup stopped.
He raised his eyes, his gray irises fixed on Cheng Weilu. A flicker of surprise crossed his expression. After a moment, as if he had not heard her clearly, he asked, “What?”
She repeated herself seriously.
“I hope you win.”
…
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