"I also know the truth, but you can see for yourself, all the system feedback data is exactly the same, even if all the instruments fail together, the feedback data will not be exactly the same, right?" The scissors put all the data on the big screen, and sure enough, as he said, all the distance fed back by the ranging instruments was exactly the same.

The most convincing is the observation data of the optical system, according to the size of the Proxima Centauri observed at the existing position, combined with the actual diameter of the Proxima Centauri in the database, through comparative calculation, you can get the approximate distance data, because all the data are obtained through observation in real time, so there is no possibility of error, and the error will not exceed half an astronomical unit at most.

The numbers don't lie, and some of the officers on the bridge were surprised, some were stunned, some were at a loss, and some were thoughtful. The list goes on and on.

"This, how is this possible?" The stunned Ye Fei muttered to himself.

The facts were all in front of him, and he couldn't help but not believe it, and he suddenly thought of the difference between this faster-than-light flight and the past.

The first is the magnetic field explosion of Proxima Centauri, the principle of action of the faster-than-light engine is also an electromagnetic technical application, and the strong magnetic field is likely to affect the speed of the faster-than-light engine; The second may come from the faster-than-light engine itself, which is greatly increased by the desperate energy input in an emergency...... In other words, the maximum speed that a faster-than-light engine can reach is much more than 9.2 times the speed of light......

Thinking of this, Ye Fei's heart was hot.

If the ship's top speed can reach 18.4 times the speed of light, it will be twice as fast as it is now. Then the transit time from Earth to Proxima Centauri will be reduced to less than three months!

On a cosmic scale, Proxima Centauri's distance of 4.2 light-years from the Solar System is like a front yard and backyard, which is really not worth mentioning.

Humanity will inevitably enter the true age of cosmos – one in which there will never be a shortage of daring adventurers and out-of-the-box speculators, both of whom are more pioneering than any expeditionary force with an official background.

The current speed of 9.2 times the speed of light is enough for human beings to carry out large-scale interstellar expeditions, and perhaps the time of the expedition will be measured in tens or even hundreds of years, but the dispersion of human beings is by no means an illusory dream.

The epic expedition that lasted for hundreds of years was only to send the seeds of humanity out of the earth, and the existing human kingdom was simply unable to control such a huge interstellar territory. Expeditionary immigrants are like children of separate families. When they finally arrive on a new planet. Everything has to start from scratch, that is, there is no backup and no way back.

Perhaps after thousands of years of unknown passages, two descendants of human immigrants from the same solar system will inadvertently meet in an unknown universe.

However, the increase in speed means that the range of effective human control will be expanded geometrically, which means that a large number of interstellar migrants within the controllable range will be fully supported by the home planet. It means that the construction period of the newcomer star is greatly shortened...... With the pace of expansion getting bigger and bigger. Earth's influence on immigrant stars will gradually diminish as distance increases. The existing countries will even be divided because of the great distance, but what does it matter?

Common ancestry and blood ties are bonds that can never be severed.

Ye Fei's thoughts became farther and farther away. It seems to see the dawn of human prosperity, and the premise of all this is the unknown potential of the faster-than-light engine.

"Everyone, pay attention, no one is allowed to spread the word about what just happened." Ye Fei first issued a gag order, and then he could no longer suppress the impulse in his heart: "The Yangtze River calls the headquarters, the Yangtze River calls the headquarters, please answer ...... when you hear it."

"Headquarters received, Yangtze River, please speak."

"I'm Ye Fei, please ask the commander to reply." Ye Fei was unceremonious, as the captain of the ship, he had the right to talk directly to Lu Jian.

Direct conversations between the captain and the commander can involve a high degree of secrecy.

"I'm Lu Jian, what's the matter?" Almost ruined by the bad temper of the neighbors, Lu Jian, who was in danger of getting out of danger, just relaxed.

"Please send a confidential communication." Ye Fei said.

Lu Jian secretly wondered, he didn't know if Ye Fei needed to use confidential communication at this time, but he still agreed to Ye Fei's request.

"Commander, is the flagship out of faster-than-light?" Ye Fei got straight to the point.

"Nope." Lu Jian subconsciously replied, and only after answering did he ask suspiciously, "Why are you asking this?" ”

Ye Fei sold a little: "Commander, please allow me to wait for a while before answering, I must know what the current speed of the Dao Dao flagship is." ”

"9.2 times the speed of light...... What the hell are you kid doing? Lu Jian was puzzled, but he still answered Ye Fei's question.

"You've reached top speed, haven't you?" Ye Fei was nervous for no reason, "Has the Yanjing been running at full power without reducing the energy level of the faster-than-light engine?" ”

"yes, what the hell are you thinking?" Lu Jian impatiently accentuated his tone.

"Commander, listen to me, I have a very important discovery and conjecture...... Ye Fei explained his guess, focusing on describing the flight time and distance of the Yangtze River, and in order to prove his remarks, he also sent a copy of all the ranging data to Lu Jian.

Lu Jian's eyes almost didn't fall out, he couldn't believe it was true at all, but he knew very well that the stakes were so high that Ye Fei would never dare to make such a joke.

The expeditionary force is still in a state of combat, and this kind of rumor spreading at this critical moment does not need to be tried by a military court, and Lu Jian has the right to directly shoot him!

And even Ye Fei didn't notice that this time he entered a faster-than-light state, and the abnormal time of separation between thinking and action was much shorter than usual, which was also one of the important reasons why Lu Jian chose to believe in Ye Fei.

"Xu Dong!" Lu Jian raised his head suddenly.

"Here!"

"Reduce the reactor power."

"Reactor power reduction!

"Reduce the power supply of faster-than-light engines by 10 percent."

"Faster-than-light engine energy reduction...... Per cent...... Per cent...... Ten percent! ”

The Yanjing is still running smoothly without any abnormalities.

"Turn off eight reactors and reduce the power of faster-than-light engines by 20 percent." Lu Jian was anxious to get the result. Just give a new order in one step.

"Reactor shutdown...... Faster-than-light engine energy drops by 20 percent, 30 percent, 50 percent! It's still going down! ”

"Boost your energy!" Xu Dong was shocked.

Faster-than-light engines are definitely a big energy guster, and once the power supply is insufficient, the battleship will be out of the faster-than-light state. The Yanjing has only been flying for a short time and is likely to be caught up in the superflare of Proxima Centauri.

"Xu Dong!" Lu Jian shouted, "Keep the energy supply level unchanged." ”

"Commander?" Xu Dong was stunned.

Lu Jian waved his hand: "Listen to me"

Xu Dong didn't hear the communication between Ye Fei and Lu Jian, and couldn't help but be stunned. He is the captain of the Yanjing, the first person of the battleship, and in normal times, Lu Jian will not directly command the battleship beyond Xu Dong, but the situation today is obviously a little different from the past.

He vaguely realized that Lu Jian's abnormality was related to the communication just now. couldn't help but quietly wonder what Ye Fei said.

As he spoke, the reserve energy of the faster-than-light engine rapidly decreased. Directly falling below the lowest point, the Yanjing suddenly withdrew from the faster-than-light state, and the position where the battleship exited faster-than-light was still within the asteroid belt, and the violent light explosion discarded the small celestial bodies around the battleship. Carve out a safe airspace in the asteroid belt.

"Immediately determine the position of the battleship. Calculate the distance between the battleship and Proxima Centauri! "Lu Jian can't wait to order." Xu Dong, tell me the time of faster-than-light flight, accurate to the second. ”

"Five minutes and seventeen seconds." Xu Dong nervously did the math. Quietly relieved.

Flying at 9.2 times the speed of light, the battleship flew a little more than one astronomical unit per minute, and although the eruption of Proxima Centauri was violent, the energy of the flare was five astronomical units away, and it could no longer threaten the safety of the battleship.

However, Xu Dong was still full of doubts, and he didn't understand what kind of medicine was sold in Lu Jian's gourd.

"Report, no Proxima Centauri found!"

"What? How can it be? Is it blocked by an asteroid? Xu Dong almost used up all the remaining surprises in his life, it was only five astronomical units, Proxima Centauri was a little smaller, but it wouldn't be impossible to find, right?

"Confirmation of the ship's location...... Determine the position of the double star, huh? The officer, who was busy measuring the range, suddenly let out an exclamation.

"How?" Xu Dong jumped up.

"Captain, Proxima Centauri has been found, but ......" The officer pointed to the screen and didn't know what to say.

"But what? Say it quickly! Xu Dong was so anxious that he couldn't wait to tear off this unlucky officer and do it himself.

I don't know when Lu Dao walked behind Xu Dong, Lu Jian quietly patted Xu Dong's shoulder: "What's the hurry?" You come here. The latter sentence was addressed to the officer in charge of ranging.

The officer hurriedly trotted all the way to Lu Jian and saluted, "Commander." ”

"Hmm." After returning the salute, Lu Jian lowered his voice and asked, "How far is the distance between the battleship and Proxima Centauri, say quietly." ”

"Yes!" The officer immediately realized something, leaned into Lu Jian's ear and said, "The measured distance is forty-two astronomical units, and the direction we are detaching from is exactly the tangent direction of the galaxy, otherwise we would have left the asteroid belt a long time ago." ”

"Good." Lu Jian nodded, "What about the faster-than-light engine?" ”

"Nothing out of the ordinary!"

"Very good, don't spread this matter for the time being."

"Yes!" The officer replied excitedly.

"Xu Dong, follow me." Lu Jian summoned Xu Dong, who was puzzled, to leave together, and directly entered the remote conference room, and issued a notice to the ships to convene a meeting immediately, and it was the most urgent and highest level.

In just a few tens of seconds, all 14 captains of the expeditionary force arrived, and even Rear Admiral Wu Ting of the Northern Aerospace Carrier and Senior Colonel Wang Zhuo, captain of the Taihu Lake, were not left behind.

"Don't talk nonsense, except for the North, Taihu and Yellow River, which are not in the Proxima Centauri space, whose warships have not left the speed of light?" Lu Jian asked bluntly.

"Mine." Liao Zesheng, captain of the Jinmen, raised his hand first.

"Mine!"

"And my ......"

None of the four destroyers was bad, and the engineering and supply ships were not spared.

The flare outbreak is such a fatal thing, everyone is afraid that the speed is not fast, which one is like Ye Fei who whimsically reduces the energy supply of the superluminal engine?

"Give you a minute to get out of the faster-than-light state right away, quick!" Lu Jian's tone was unquestionable, and although several captains still had something to say, they had to hold it in their hearts first and carry out Lu Jian's orders first.

"Old Lu, what's wrong?" The only major general in the expeditionary force with the same rank as Lu Jian. Wu Ting, the captain of the North, asked suspiciously.

Lu Jian sighed faintly: "I can't say a word or two, when everyone comes back, you will know the Tao in a while." ”

"It's fine." Wu Ting nodded in response.

A minute later, all the fleets returned to the meeting, and Lu Jian ordered again: "Determine the current position of each ship as soon as possible, and then assemble with the Yangtze River as the assembly point, pay attention, each ship must issue a gag order to the relevant personnel, and must not disclose the location of the battleship, one minute." Execute it now. ”

Yanjing is located within the asteroid belt. Obviously not a good place to gather. Except for the Yangtze River, Lu Jian didn't know the location of the other warships in the Lu Dao, and it happened that the Yangtze River broke away in the direction of the double star, and the nearby was full of void. It's the perfect choice for rallying.

The captains who received the order looked at each other. I don't know what happened to Lu Dao. However, he quickly passed on the order and returned to the conference room again.

Such an order can be given through normal communication. What does it mean to have to use a remote meeting room?

Lu Jian didn't want to do this either, but other than that, he couldn't think of a better way to keep it secret.

Once the ships are out of the speed of light, it will only be a matter of time before the anomalies are discovered, and it is much better to control the situation in advance than to let the news get out unprepared.

The captains who returned again guessed wildly what kind of order Lu Jian would give, but this time they guessed wrong, Lu Jian nodded at Ye Fei and said, "Ye Fei, tell me what happened." ”

"Yes!" Ye Fei took the lead and told him what he knew. After listening to this, Xu Dong finally understood what was going on just now.

The other captains were in an uproar.

The lowest person sitting here is also the rank of lieutenant colonel, who can stand out from countless soldiers and become a mid-level officer, which one is a fool who does nothing? Everyone realized the meaning of this for the first time.

Wu Ting was the first to speak thoughtfully: "In this way, Xiao Wang and I can completely increase the speed several times, and it won't take long to meet the main force." But Lao Lu, what are you going to do about this matter? ”

"Report to the headquarters, what else can I do?"

"It's big or small." Wu Ting suddenly said something incoherent.

"What do you mean?" Lu Jian could hear what Wu Ting was saying, but he couldn't guess it at all.

The captains present were almost the same as Lu Jian, and they didn't understand what Wu Ting was referring to.

This discovery is so important to humanity that it can be so big or small?

Lu Jian is the kind of relatively pure soldier who cares about politics only a little more than ordinary people, while Wu Ting is the kind of person who is extremely sensitive to politics.

Wu Ting, who had mastered the rhythm of the meeting, looked around: "It's all my own people, and I have something to say." Don't look at the fact that China has mastered the principles and techniques of the faster-than-light engine, but whether it is our own or the Yankees' techniques, they are very primitive and crude. Everyone knows where the warships of the Ludao Expeditionary Force came from, and if it weren't for the processing technology of mechanical civilization, we wouldn't have been able to build these giant ships and supporting faster-than-light engines. As far as I know, our self-produced faster-than-light engine can reach up to four times the speed of light at most, and it is in danger of disintegrating after a little longer, and it is barely able to drive the giant whale-class battleship, and the giant ship of the expeditionary force cannot be carried at all. ”

"And where did the tachyon engine we use now come from?" Xu Dong, who vaguely guessed the answer, couldn't help but ask.

Wu Ting's face sank: "There are no design drawings of superluminal engines in the drawings of warships provided to the mechanical civilization in China, and the superluminal speeds we are using now are all from the techniques of the mechanical civilization." ”

"You're saying that the various data of the faster-than-light engine, including the speed cap, are also provided by the mechanical civilization?" Lu Jian suddenly grasped the key point.

"Yes!" Wu Ting slapped the table lightly, "Old Lu, according to what Ye Fei said, the speed of the Yangtze River's super-power operation is close to twenty times the speed of light, which is already more than double the standard speed; The Yanjing is even more exaggerated, it is about three times as much, and the faster-than-light engine itself has not suffered any damage...... Isn't it misguided by mechanical civilization? What exactly do they want to do? ”

Ye Fei's heart set off a monstrous wave, he didn't want to believe that the mechanical civilization was secretly calculating human beings, but was it necessary for Wu Ting to lie? What good is slandering mechanical civilization for Wu Ting himself?

He didn't want to believe in such an outcome, but as a soldier, he must have an absolute political position, although the mechanical civilization is helping mankind, who can guarantee that the mechanical civilization has no other intentions for mankind?

"Old Wu, I also know one thing." Lu Jian sighed and said, "The drawings handed over to the mechanical civilization at the beginning not only lack the faster-than-light engine, but also lack the core technology of the fusion reactor, the original reactor power on the battleship is only half of the current one, if calculated according to such energy supply data, the upper speed of the battleship is indeed 9.2 times that of the upper limit." ”

"Oh?" Wu Ting's face was a little unsightly, "I really don't know about this matter, I misunderstood it." ”

"Of course not that." Lu Jian said, "I don't want to overturn your inference, the heart of guarding against people is indispensable, the mechanical civilization is indeed weird, and there is nothing wrong with taking precautions in advance." But without definite evidence, it's not always good to beat people to death with a single shot, right? ”

Wu Ting was expressionless: "What does the commander mean?" ”

Lu Jian pretended not to see Wu Ting's expression: "Report the situation to the headquarters secretly, write down all the two possibilities, and let the people at the headquarters go to work." "The expeditionary force is a little bigger, and all the people here are senior commanders, and he doesn't want to make an unpleasant quarrel with General Wu Ting so obvious, so he can only selectively ignore it.

"You're the commander, listen to you." Wu Ting's voice was obviously a little colder.

Ye Fei's eyes looked east and west, and his heart was suddenly overwhelmed.

Harmony on the surface does not mean harmony in private.

There are only these two generals in the first fleet of the expeditionary force, and it is said that the two of them also grabbed the throne of fleet commander before they became an army, but Lu Jian won, so he is the commander of the expeditionary force; Wu Ting was defeated, so he could only be the captain of the North. (To be continued......)