"Uh-huh...... Woo ...... Woo ......"

Everything in front of him suddenly turned dark red, and then a sharp alarm sounded throughout the ship.

"Level 5 alert, all crew members are immediately online...... Repeat ......"

The alarm sound is so harsh, but the content is extremely simple, there is no other explanation in the alarm except for the online command, but the simple command makes everyone feel the seriousness of the matter, and the new Kuafu experienced the five-level alarm state for the first time.

"Hachi, what's going on." Jiqing now didn't know whether to go out or sit back in his place, connecting the system, and at this time, two somewhat contradictory orders made him feel at a loss and very anxious.

"There is no specific information to be issued, don't worry about anything else, go online immediately! The five-level warning command is higher than all commands. "Xiaoba has already made the system preparations, and immediately urged Jiqing.

Most of the crew arrived at the online hall almost immediately, and the personnel who went out to work also received the information here in real time through the communication system to ensure that they could understand the alarm information at the first time and carry out the next emergency tasks.

On the command platform, except for the commander-in-chief and the deputy chief of the general staff, all the other high-ranking members of the fleet were present, and they did not wait quietly for everyone to arrive as usual, but pointed to the information in front of them while discussing something fiercely. Deputy Commander-in-Chief Shaohao sat in the position of the original commander-in-chief with a heavy expression, saying something from time to time, speaking with a resolute attitude, with an expression that could not be refuted, and occasionally repeating it to others, at that time the sound would faintly cover the somewhat noisy hall and reach Jiqing's ears. In the virtual system, the propagation of sound is not like in reality, it is obviously a long distance, noisy environment, although the sound is very weak, and the sentences are somewhat fragmented, but people can clearly distinguish a lot of words and information.

Jiqing carefully segregated every word that came his way, eager to get useful information from it.

The personnel in the hall were a little noisy without clear instructions, and some people entered the online hall one after another, strangely asking for news from the people around them, and slowly, everyone's attention began to focus on the command platform, and they all stopped their original behavior. After a while, there was no other sound in the hall at all, only the sound of heated discussions among the people on the podium.

Jiqing had heard enough information, a very bad news for Kuafu.

All members of the Pioneer Exploration Ship are killed!

I inadvertently passed by death.

After hearing this information, his heart trembled uncontrollably, and an extremely depressing thing pushed up to his throat, and his eyes were a little black, and the scene that was originally clearly presented in his mind blurred, as if the resolution had been reduced by the system, and it became a little dreamy.

This state lasted for a while, and the voice from the command platform suddenly woke him up, blinked his eyes vigorously a few times, and then took a deep breath,

At this time, the argument on the command platform was almost over, Shao Hao said a few words at the end, and everyone quieted down and returned to their positions, looking at the front in silence, not knowing if it was as calm as it looked like the outside.

Shao Hao looked at the online hall, was silent for a moment, sorted out his emotions, and said to everyone.

"I'm sure you've heard something from our discussion just now, and I have to repeat it to you again."

Shao Hao's first breath had been exhausted, and when he was ventilating, he paused, probably adjusting his somewhat hoarse and slightly choked voice, which took a little longer than usual, giving all the crew the illusion of a time pause.

"The Pioneer Exploration Ship has encountered a medium and large-sized dark rain and has lost contact with us, according to the information available now, in the process of resisting the dark rain, all members of the Pioneer Ship have been killed."

After this news was confirmed by Shao Hao, there was a slight commotion in the hall, Jiqing seemed to hear someone sobbing, and most of them were silent, trying their best to hide their sadness, waiting for the next order.

Shao Hao paused for a short time, and without waiting for the hall to return to quiet, he changed his stern tone and continued, "Although this news makes everyone very sad, but now we have no time to pay tribute to our fallen comrades, and a bigger crisis is waiting for us ahead. After this dark rain destroyed the Pioneer Ship, it was rapidly attacking our Kuafu, even if we slowed down or turned with all our might, the Kuafu would be attacked by the dark rain within 6 hours, this dark rain area is too big, we have no way to avoid it. ”

There was not the slightest other sound in the whole hall, only Shao Hao's voice echoed in it, everyone withstood one blow after another, trying to suppress the emotions in their hearts, years of education and training were reflected in everyone at this time, and everyone repeated a sentence repeatedly in their hearts.

Fearless in the face of challenges!

"After the discussion and approval of the leadership of Kuafu, I am temporarily acting as commander-in-chief, and I will order below! The whole ship of Kuafu entered the state of five-level combat readiness. ”

"The scientific research department will make every effort to summarize and analyze the dark rain data from the last of the pioneer ship, send it to the General Staff, and copy it to all major departments. Your task is very important, pay attention to the strict control of the time, and every second you advance will increase the chances of success. ”

"Power Department, Route Department! Immediately steer and decelerate, and turn Kuafu in the direction of facing the dark rain, so that the Kuafu and the dark rain reach the minimum front-end contact area. You have 4 hours to use 84% of your energy, and after 4 hours you can only use 19% of your energy. ”

"Maintenance Department! Disassemble the gravitational sail from its original position and move it forward, block it in front of Kuafu, pay attention to the strength of the fulcrum, how strong it is, even if the gravitational sail disintegrates, the fulcrum must remain intact in place. This is a glimmer of hope for the Pioneer Ship to Kuafu, and the gravitational sail is our important first protective barrier in the event of dark rain, and it is also the key to our success or failure, and you must do your best to complete this mission at all costs. If there is still time to strengthen the hull from the front with all the materials, the stability of the hull is guaranteed. ”

"Probe! Send all the detectors out, arrange them according to the distance, and do a good job of warning the approach of dark rain, the more accurate the time, the better. At the same time, continue to search and contact the internal detector of Dark Rain to see if you can get updated data, not even a byte of new data can be left behind. ”

"The Ministry of Communications should do a good job in the maintenance of system equipment, especially when it is raining, you must ensure that the whole ship is in contact. Also, send the latest information to Shennong to ensure that in the worst-case scenario, all the information of Kuafu can be transmitted back to Earth. Meantime...... Go ahead and call Ren and Civilization...... Sending out the highest level of distress ......"

"The medical department has done a good job of rescuing, this is a tough battle, and you must make every effort to ensure the rescue of injured crew members."

……

"General Staff! All reservists have been regularized and rationally distributed to various departments. ”

"All personnel praised the front-end department and evacuated to the middle of the hull as planned."

"Other task instructions, wait for the system update."

"Finally, I want everyone to strengthen their belief that there is still hope for Kuafu! The Pioneer did not sacrifice them in vain at the last moment, except for the distress warning, and did its best to transmit back all the data about the dark rain and the important experimental data of the gravitational sail against the dark rain, and repeated it several times, in order to prevent the information from being damaged by the dark rain. Because of this, they didn't even leave any last words. We must not let down their painstaking efforts, and we must shoulder the legacy of all our fathers and ancestors and the hope of all mankind. ”

Shao Hao conveyed his strong belief to the whole ship in words, especially the last fighting spirit of all the crew members of the Pioneer Ship, which inspired a powerful heat in the hearts of all the crew, which dispelled the cold brought by the dark rain and allowed people to face this crisis head-on.

"Fearless in the face of challenges!"

The shouts of all the crew in their hearts, the battle of life and death in the face of the challenge of the universe, only by uniting as one can there be a glimmer of life.

Using the curvature of space-time to accelerate a spacecraft is a complex physical process, especially to complete directional acceleration. When Kuafu left the earth, mankind's understanding of space was always in a very rudimentary stage, and the methods used were also very simple, and the curvature accelerator manufactured in the early stage was basically in the experimental stage because of its energy consumption far greater than the traditional propulsion and acceleration method, and could not be applied to space navigation at all.

In order to obtain more accurate experimental data, the three spacecraft in the Kuafu project still carried several small experimental machines and conducted several experiments in the gravitational field of the planets in the solar system. Perhaps the planet's gravitational field is too small, or the power of the experimental machine is too small, or the distance is too far, the experimental data has been disappointing for humans. Therefore, for the subsequent voyages, the curvature accelerator was kept only in warehouses and materials until the appearance of gravitational winds.

Constant gravitational winds and sufficient spatial curvature brought the concept of curvature accelerators back on the research agenda of the scientific research department, and two small prototypes were modified in the later period of the old Kuafu, but the specific performance data has disappeared with time and disaster.

After Kuafu met Renhe Civilization, the new Kuafu went on a journey again, the staffing and resource allocation reached a very high level, and the curvature accelerator project continued to be restarted. Especially after combining a large number of measured data and the space theory provided by Renhe, the modified curvature accelerator has surpassed the traditional acceleration method in terms of energy utilization, and has been renamed Gravitational Sail and rebuilt and equipped with the new Kuafu.

Unfortunately, one of the most important experiments was aborted by the gravitational wind anomaly, and the Quadrat lost the opportunity to test the application of humanity's spatial theory of benevolence and civilization. Who would have thought that when it was used again, it would be applied to a completely different way, using a powerful energy output to build a regional gravitational field, thereby changing the relative velocity of Dark Rain and Kuafu, so as to reduce the interaction between dark matter and Kuafu, and create a shield for Kuafu.

This method does have a certain effect, after encountering the invasion of the first part of the dark rain, the damage to the Kuafu is not large, and there is no abnormal damage to the personnel and equipment. In front of Kuafu, in the space that seems empty to humans, the gravitational sail seems to have suffered a huge impact and vibrates strongly, showing the fierce confrontation between this gravitational sail and dark matter, but unfortunately the specific degree of resistance cannot be calculated with data, and the effect can only be preliminarily estimated by the monitoring feedback data laid in various parts of the Kuafu.

The strong vibration drove the hull of the Kuafu, and the crew had to hold on to their posts, enduring the feeling of dizziness, and staring at their command vault with wide, bloodshot eyes. I don't know if it's because of too much force, or if the vibration is too much, the blood oozing from the gums of many people has left the corners of the mouth. According to the physiological monitoring data of the crew, the staff of the medical department shuttled around the cabin to treat the crew with sudden symptoms.

Although the Kwafu is in crisis, everything is still under control.

Two hours later, the situation took a subtle turn. The reason is that the gravitational sail consumes a lot of energy, and it is generally used to use gravitational wind for a short period of acceleration, which will only unfold for twenty minutes in the plan, and these short twenty minutes can provide the acceleration that the Qua Father needs a year of conventional power to complete. The gravitational sail design also has a limited period of life, and it has been able to last until now, which is beyond the original capacity of the equipment. Now he is just trying his best to maintain, and Kuafu has completely disregarded the life cycle and life of the equipment.

If all of the above can be barely maintained, there is a more important situation to face, that is, the main reactors of Kuafu have been overloaded for so long in order to output the energy used to meet the gravitational sails, even if the energy consumption plan for the later voyage is not considered, there are only two options in front of Kuafu.

When a main engine is overloaded for a long time, the internal reactants exceed the limit limits, dissolving the protective shell, or causing the shell to rupture, fuel leakage, or even explode, destroying the Father.

Stop using the gravitational sail and expose Kuafu to the dark rain, survive this crisis by luck, or be destroyed, and end his mission as tragically as a Pioneer ship.

Either way, the consequences are not up to Kuafu himself......

As the performance of the gravitational sail continues to weaken, dark rain has begun to invade Kuafu's interior......

Casualties and unusual damage to equipment began to appear......

Combine...... Rapid ascent ......

How long will a gravitational sail last?

How long will the main engine last?

How long will the dark rain last?

How long can the Father of Kwa last?

This is everyone's question, although this catastrophe has been foreshadowed, but the time for human beings to explore the universe is too short, and the technology and experience are only at the level of sailing near the star system. The way the stars sailed, the Kwafu was the first forerunner, and on this unknown path, humanity has actually failed.

The new generation of Kuafu has just improved its means of dealing with gravitational winds, but it has encountered a new problem, which is unprecedented, as invisible as the gravitational wind, but even more dangerous. From the current point of view, it is almost at the level of destruction, completely different from the gravitational wind, although the destruction of the gravitational cyclone is powerful and random, but it is a small-scale and low-probability event, leaving a large living space for the Kuafu.

Although the dark rain is smaller and less destructive than a single gravitational whirlwind, it is very dense and has a mysterious penetrating power, which is difficult for humans to defend against all powerful substances.

The similarities between the dark rain and the gravitational wind are completely beyond the scope of human perception, both are hidden in the empty cosmic space between the seemingly calm stars, silently waiting for any prey that dares to stand in front of it, and devour it mercilessly.

Under the attack of medium-sized dark rain, the Kuafu no longer has any safe zone, and within the sturdy shell, the fragile flesh and sophisticated equipment of humans cannot escape the damage of the dark rain.

Damage reports are constantly aggregated and transmitted to the center, crew trauma, internal injuries, loss of hearing, vision, bone cracks, internal bleeding, arterial rupture, heart and aorta damage, arrest, brain death, ......

The honeycomb damage of the front-end shell, part of which has tended to the edge of rupture, and the emergency reinforcement plan cannot be carried out; The equipment is damaged, the standby equipment is exhausted, the maintenance cannot be completed in a short time, and the efficiency of replacing the equipment is low; Transmission is restricted, the location of the damage cannot be confirmed, the backup transmission line cannot be enabled, and the wireless remote connection cannot be completed; The main reactor is on the verge of melting......

Everything foreshadows destruction......

Almost everyone is desperate, but the sense of responsibility and the stubborn character of never giving up have made many people stick to their posts.

"It's possible that this is the last time we'll work together." Xiaoba looked at Jiqing, whose brain was running rapidly, but his expression was a little sluggish, and said.

......Hearing this, another area of Jiqing's brain began to move, and after a long period of excessive secretion of adrenaline in the face of the tense atmosphere in the operating system, his tired spirit had begun to affect his normal thinking.

But Hachi's words led his chaotic thinking in one direction.

"Yes......" Jiqing turned his head to look at his partner, the experience of living and working together for many years kept coming out of his heart, although the two people usually had no taboo verbal struggles, they did continue to deepen their feelings for each other.

Is artificial intelligence really soulless? Jiqing was a little skeptical, he had always been reluctant to admit it,

There must be, Hachi is a real person!

"I hope we can all keep it up!" In this case, this sentence is somewhat comforting, but it is true that he is truly in his heart.

Stay alive!

As soon as he finished saying this, a soybean-sized defect suddenly appeared on the collar of Jiqing's uniform, which was very dangerous, less than a centimeter away from the carotid artery.

Hachi's detection system accurately captured this detail, but it didn't warn Jiqing. No space is safe in this environment, and according to probability, raindrops are less likely to fall in the same location than in other locations. This is the reason why in times of war on Earth, in areas hit by a large number of shells, the fighters usually took refuge in a crater.

In fact, the same defect also appeared on the wall in front of Jiqing's eyes, the size and shape were not very regular, as if an extremely terrifying monster showed his sharp fangs to him, his heart contracted abnormally with the appearance of the breakage, and a cold numbness seeped out of his skin.

"Don't you ask me what I want?" Hachi asked suddenly.

"Wish?" Jiqing was stunned for a moment, and did not tease the other party as usual. "What wish?"

Become a real person?

An answer came to Jiqing's mind, but he didn't say it.

"Hmph......" This expression is just like what Hachi usually shows, "It's just a name change, the name gossip is too ugly, in the accusation center, you can fulfill my last wish!" ”

"Hehehaha......" Jiqing's laughter burst out from his heart, and the atmosphere in the whole room suddenly relaxed.

"You, don't count on it...... The highest order of the headquarters, how can it be so easy to modify, haha......"

"What about yours?"

"Mine?" Jiqing really didn't think about it, he had always hoped that the crisis would end as soon as possible, maybe ......