Twelve minutes later, the processor utilization rate plummeted, dropping from 100% to less than 1%.
"We have results!" Zeng Qiao announced. "Four points were found. Point one has a 94% match; point two is at 88%, point three at 71%, and point four at 35%."
Ou Zhanpeng immediately ordered, "Mark all suspected target locations!"
With a tap of Zeng Qiao's finger, dozens of light spots of varying sizes appeared on the screen, not only distributed within the target area but also extending beyond 300,000 kilometers.
Ling Xiao's eyes widened, "Why so many?"
"Because we're unsure of the target's shape, we had to place all celestial bodies that met the criteria on the screen," Zeng Qiao explained.
"Let's examine them one by one," Ou Zhanpeng said.
With only a few dozen targets in total, it was a significant improvement from the thousands they had dealt with previously.
Zeng Qiao clicked casually, and the system automatically numbered the remaining minor celestial bodies. Ou Zhanpeng began to observe them in order.
"Not the first, not the second, still not the third..." After reviewing more than half of them, none resembled the target.
Ou Zhanpeng grew increasingly agitated, reaching a point of near uncontrollable frustration.
Although this mission had been assigned by his superiors, it was his own initiative, something he had persistently fought for. The Yunhe was not merely searching for a mysterious entity; it was seeking the truth, a means to combat the aliens!
He had expected to have some sort of premonition along the way, leading him directly to the asteroid, but throughout the journey, he hadn't felt a thing!
Initially, he suspected the低温睡眠 (low-temperature sleep) had prevented him from entering dreams. However, even after sleeping normally for a period, there was no improvement.
From that point on, Ou Zhanpeng's mood had steadily worsened. Now, arriving at their destination without a single clue, his frustration was escalating into outright rage.
The exploration mission had been incredibly costly, even impacting the fleet's reorganization plans to build the Yunhe. If he couldn't even find the asteroid, how would he report back to his superiors?
With only a few targets left, Ou Zhanpeng's composure was about to shatter. Just then, a flash of light appeared, an object obscuring target number 34 from the camera's view.
Everyone froze, bewildered. What was happening?
Zeng Qiao could scarcely believe her eyes. She glanced between the radar and the screen, then back again, her expression one of utter disbelief.
Li Keke peered around, her small face filled with surprise, "Hey, hey, there's nothing on the radar!"
Ou Zhanpeng's heart leaped. He swiped his finger to zoom out the image, revealing a familiar asteroid.
He jumped up, pointing excitedly at the screen, "Hey, hey, that's it, that's it!"
What is it called when you search high and low for something, only to find it effortlessly?
This was it!
Zeng Qiao's face was etched with confusion, "Why can't the radar detect it?" Those who knew would attribute it to equipment issues, but what about those who didn't? They might suspect she was deliberately hiding something.
As an electronics specialist, she had always believed equipment to be more reliable than people. But here, things were different.
Ou Zhanpeng was beaming, his chest tightness completely gone. "It's correct that it can't be detected! How could a mysterious entity not have some anomaly?"
His excitement was palpable, impossible to conceal, and there was no need to.
Ling Xiao's gaze swept over the radar screen, and he let out a deep sigh of wonder, "This thing is truly unique. Don't you see? The radar can't pick it up, but it detects every other minor celestial body behind it perfectly. How can such a large asteroid be invisible to the radar?"
Ou Zhanpeng pondered, "It could be some kind of force field, or interference. Or perhaps it absorbs radar waves and actively feeds back information about what's behind it."
"We've found the main target. When do we go check it out?" Ling Xiao asked.
"No rush. Let's observe it for a while longer," Ou Zhanpeng replied.
He had been anxious when they couldn't find the target, but now that it had appeared, he felt no urgency. Given that this was the supposed location of a mysterious entity, it was likely not a simple matter. Caution was advisable.
Since the captain had spoken, no one had any objections. Zeng Qiao continuously utilized the ship's observation equipment, trying to find a method to observe the target. However, all attempts ended in failure. "No, none of the equipment can observe it. Only optical equipment can capture the image of the target... Captain, could this be a holographic projection?"
Her words stunned everyone. Ling Xiao looked astonished, "Impossible, right?" He asked it as a statement of disbelief, but his tone was laced with doubt.
Ou Zhanpeng was also feeling a bit disoriented. The joy had initially clouded his judgment, but now, with a clear head, he realized something was amiss.
Equipment didn't lie. If it couldn't detect something, it couldn't. And it was all shipboard equipment that failed. Emotionally, he desperately wanted it to be the mysterious entity possessing technology far beyond human comprehension. Rationally, however, the possibility of the object on the screen being a false target was far higher.
This wasn't a matter of willingness to believe, but of the courage to face reality.
He felt a deep sense of unwillingness, yet couldn't bring himself to abandon it. "All detection methods are useless..."
"Yes, we've tried everything," Zeng Qiao confirmed.
"What about visible light? Have you tried visible light?" Ou Zhanpeng asked. "Since the eyes can see it, visible light should be effective."
Ling Xiao wanted to retort, "Is this your last stand?" But seeing Ou Zhanpeng's distressed state, he swallowed the words.
This was not the time for banter; it was best to avoid speaking carelessly. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Zeng Qiao nodded seriously, "Then let's try!"
She immediately activated the lighting equipment, briefly illuminating the asteroid. The optical equipment immediately registered a clear change in luminosity. If it were a holographic projection, the light beam would have passed through it without such a reaction.
Furthermore, Zeng Qiao observed light scattering on the asteroid's surface, further confirming that the asteroid they saw was indeed a physical object.
It was just that the location was far from the sun, and the luminosity was abysmally low. Only with that brief burst of strong light could such a significant change be produced.
Ou Zhanpeng breathed a sigh of relief, his entire body relaxing. He gestured forward with a sweep of his hand, "Move closer!"
The warship adjusted its angle and headed directly towards the asteroid.
Along the way, the crew gathered to observe the asteroid. With the correct method, Zeng Qiao quickly calculated their actual distance to be approximately 70,000 kilometers, and the asteroid's diameter to be about 1.4 kilometers.
Half a day later, the Yunhe arrived near the asteroid.
For safety, they didn't dare approach too closely, slowing down several hundred kilometers away and stopping at a safe distance.
At this moment, the direct distance was 220 kilometers. Visually, only darkness could be seen, but through the optical equipment, the details of the asteroid's surface were incredibly clear, as if they were right in front of them.
"Launch a satellite!" Ou Zhanpeng commanded.
"Loading one cannon-fired satellite!" Li Keke operated as instructed.
"Launch power at 20%!"
"20% power... Launch!"
The satellite separated from the cannon barrel. Its speed was a bit high, but it was fine. This was a reverse-thrust missile that could activate its engines to decelerate upon reaching its designated position until it reached the appropriate speed.
On the screen, the satellite continuously approached the asteroid. 200 kilometers... 150 kilometers... 100 kilometers... 80...
Suddenly, the satellite seemed to cross an invisible boundary, and the blinking light spot on the radar vanished.
Zeng Qiao jolted upright, "Captain, satellite signal lost!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked over in unison, then turned back – on the screen, the satellite was still flying towards the target!
Ou Zhanpeng's fingers moved rapidly, and two images appeared side-by-side on the screen. The left showed the normal missile heading towards the target, while the right displayed an empty radar screen.
His eyebrows were practically twisted into a knot, "At what position did the signal disappear?"
"74 kilometers!"
Ling Xiao smacked his lips and chuckled, "Interesting!"
Ou Zhanpeng remained silent, continuing to watch the cannon-fired satellite as it reached its designated position, decelerated, entered its predetermined orbit, and began operating.
He turned to Zeng Qiao, "Did you receive a signal?"
Zeng Qiao shook her head, "Nothing at all."
"Launch another one. Set the orbit a bit higher, just enough to circle around and reappear briefly," Ou Zhanpeng instructed.
Zeng Qiao was instantly stunned, "74 kilometers is too far. The target doesn't have that much mass."
"Then slow it down and make a close flyby!" Ou Zhanpeng countered.
It wasn't that he was being stubborn, but he absolutely had to confirm the situation near the target to determine if they could approach it safely. Otherwise, blundering forward blindly, if an accident occurred, they wouldn't even know how they died.
Another satellite was launched, this time at a much slower speed. Moreover, the satellite entered its operational state before reaching the 74-kilometer radius.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the radar screen, watching the satellite signal disappear, then watching the satellite approach the target.
Ou Zhanpeng's heart rate gradually quickened. If the satellite was shot down by the asteroid, then all would be lost.
The satellite slowly approached the target and then slowly moved away. After crossing the 74-kilometer line, the satellite signal reappeared.
Captain Ou's face was grim, "Zeng Qiao, what's the situation?"
A massive stream of data washed over Zeng Qiao's screen. Hearing his question, she looked up, "No anomalies detected."
Ou Zhanpeng finally exhaled, stood up without hesitation, and declared, "Everyone else, standby. Ling Xiao, come with me to land on the asteroid!"
"Understood!" Ling Xiao immediately stood up and followed behind Ou Zhanpeng.
Xu Qing looked worried but said nothing, merely sending two words through the terminal: "Be careful!"
Ou Zhanpeng replied with two words: "Rest assured!"
The two had a tacit understanding; there was no need for lengthy explanations. A few words were enough to convey their feelings.
As Ou Zhanpeng looked down at his terminal, Ling Xiao's terminal also vibrated. He opened it to find a message from Li Keke!
Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow. What did this little girl mean?
Opening the message, he found equally simple words: "Don't die!"
He couldn't help but chuckle, "This kid!"
Ou Zhanpeng turned back in surprise, "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Ling Xiao immediately lowered his arm, displaying his characteristic smile, a very successful disguise.
A moment later, a shuttlecraft detached from the warship and flew directly towards the asteroid.
Outside the window was darkness. Even with the most advanced night vision equipment, only the immediate surroundings could be dimly discerned.
"Nervous?" Ou Zhanpeng asked, staring at the asteroid ahead.
"A little," Ling Xiao admitted truthfully. "And you?"
Ou Zhanpeng took a deep breath, "The same!"
Everything related to the mysterious entity was unknown. To say they weren't nervous would be a lie. In front of others, the two might have to maintain some pretense, but here, with only each other, there was no need.
Ling Xiao suddenly wore a sly grin, "Are you more nervous now, or were you more nervous on your wedding night with Xu Qing?"
Ou Zhanpeng froze and immediately blurted out an expletive, "Get lost, you brat!"
Ling Xiao burst into laughter, winking and gesturing wildly at Ou Zhanpeng, completely ignoring the fact that his face was hidden by his helmet.
Ou Zhanpeng couldn't see Ling Xiao's expression but could guess what he was doing, and couldn't help but smile.
This guy, nearing thirty, how could he still be like a child?
Suddenly, Xu Qing's voice, laced with indignation, came through the radio: "Ling Xiao, you just wait!"
Everyone in the bridge heard it clearly. Xu Qing's face flushed, and her heart fluttered. She wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Ling Xiao was about to tease her further when another voice came through the radio: "Ling, you just wait!"
Young Master Ling immediately lost his smile and looked at Ou Zhanpeng suspiciously, "Hey, hey, what does that mean?"
Ou Zhanpeng thought to himself, "What do you mean? Don't you know? Playing dumb, are we?"
"What does it mean? Figure it out yourself!" he said with a smile.
All along the journey, Ling Xiao and Li Keke acted like enemies. However, Ou Zhanpeng and Xu Qing were very fond of them as a couple and had been subtly creating opportunities for them.
What if they were a bickering couple?
"About to cross the 74-kilometer line!" Zeng Qiao's reminder came through the radio.
"Understood!" Ou Zhanpeng responded seriously. "After the wireless signal cuts out, we'll communicate via optical signals!"
Just some radio interference, was that such a big deal?
But the moment they passed the 74-kilometer line, Ou Zhanpeng suddenly felt as if something within the asteroid was waiting for him. The feeling was clear and intense.
He couldn't help but look back. Could it be that this layer was blocking the signals from the asteroid?
Strange!
As the target grew closer, Ou Zhanpeng suddenly saw a dirty snowball emerge from behind the asteroid.
He didn't think much of it at first, but soon noticed something was wrong. The object wasn't passing by coincidentally; it had circled halfway around and gone behind again.
"Ling Xiao, Ling Xiao, do you see it!" Ou Zhanpeng pointed forward.
Young Master Ling's vacant eyes widened, and after a while, he retracted his gaze, "See what?"
"A satellite!" Captain Ou prompted.
Ling Xiao glanced at the radar screen, then at the dark window, "Where is it?"
What was going on? This shouldn't be happening.
But Ou Zhanpeng immediately remembered they were within the 74-kilometer line, and it was likely that the equipment was being affected.
"Never mind, it's nothing."
Ling Xiao, however, didn't dare to be careless, "You fly, don't hit it."
He also realized something was wrong.
"Okay!" Ou Zhanpeng nodded and took over the shuttlecraft.
The further they flew, the more dirty snowballs came into view. They varied greatly in size and length, revolving around the asteroid at different distances, forming a small celestial system!
Ou Zhanpeng counted roughly, and there were over a dozen.
One of them was directly ahead. Young Master Ou focused his attention. The satellite magnified in his vision, and as he clearly saw the satellite's appearance, his pupils suddenly constricted, and two words escaped his lips: "Broken ship!"