The Star Gate development plan is very costly! The average development cost per day is as high as 5 billion farads. After more than half a year, there’s still no discovery. There are also some opposing voices in private, especially from the Finance Department. They heard that Finance Minister Luo Han approached Lord Nashkiel three times to protest this matter.
However, Lord Nashkiel, who had always been confronting the military department, was extremely firm on this matter. He not only rejected protests from the Finance Department but also added financial allocations and personnel support.
Mu Gen knew nothing about the various dark waves between the adults. He just carried out his tasks seriously day after day, and as he became more and more proficient, he cleaned up more and more “garbage” every day and Mu Gen discovered three new metals in the course of his work! As the soldier who found the most number of new elements in the cleanup unit, these discoveries have been converted into military merits and reported to his boss. After approval, Mu Gen can become a Private Second Class.
However, after approval, Mu Gen was directly promoted to become a Private First Class!
It turned out that one of the new metals discovered by Mu Gen attracted the attention of the base expert team. After analysis, a senior expert found a modified structure in the metal asteroid! With just that discovery, they finally determined where the Star Gate once appeared!
It’s said that the expert who discovered this structure was also a member of the military department so, with this discovery, their rank had been promoted directly from Brigadier General to Major General, which is far more shocking than Mu Gen’s achievement!
On the day the news was confirmed, the entire New Eustaza base specially cooked a large pot of braised Dota dragon meat to celebrate. The base officers and soldiers who had been taking nutrient solutions for a few months were happy, but Mu Gen was a bit unaware of it.
Braised pork…this is Oli’s favorite. Does Oli have anything to eat over there?
Just thinking about it, Mu Gen became depressed and had a rare leftover. Seeing that he didn’t eat anymore, Sigma planned to put Mu Gen’s leftover lunch in his storage space and save it for Mu Gen to eat at night (Sigma really goes with the flow).
At this moment, the person sitting opposite Mu Gen suddenly spoke to him:
“Such delicious braised pork, if you don’t want it, can you give it to me?”
A very familiar voice…Mu Gen abruptly looked up and when he saw the person opposite him, his mouth opened wide:
“Boss Booney?”
Isn’t the gray-haired old man opposite him the old neighbor from Idoli Commercial Street——the boss of the car repair shop?
Mu Gen was stunned again when he saw the stiff military uniform on Boss Booney. Looking at the epaulets on his shoulder for a while, Mu Gen dazedly said: “This…Boss Booney is a Lt General?”
“Silly boy, this is the rank of Major General! One star is missing.” Although he was wearing the uniform of a Major General, Booney’s tone was exactly the same as when he was wearing the greasy uniform of the car repair shop.
“Why are you here?” Having not seen the old neighbors for several months, Mu Gen was very happy.
“Hey, didn’t the military decide to increase the manpower in developing the Star Gate? I, an old guy, was also found by them, alas…aren’t I under retirement age?” Boss Booney sighed helplessly and Mu Gen had to laugh.
After laughing for a while, Mu Gen couldn’t help but ask about his own family’s situation: “My dad and uncles, how are they? I haven’t been able to contact them for the past few months! All signals sent by Sigma was intercepted.”
The military department attaches great importance to the development of Star Gate. To prevent leaks, no signal can be transmitted from the base, only through official military channels. When Mu Gen became a soldier, he couldn’t contact his family anymore.
“Your dad is very good. When I left, he asked me to especially tell you that. As for the others…you can ask them directly.” After blinking slightly, Boss Booney smiled slyly.
Mu Gen was startled, then, he saw a robot walking over with a plate: The familiar silver casing…the thick layer of multi-colored metal added outside, and the familiar dark screen…there’s even a patch on it. Although the appearance has changed, why is his First Uncle coming over with a plate of braised pork?
“Please eat.” The cold voice, as always, is the voice that Mu Gen has been listening to for more than 20 years!
“First…” Mu Gen just wanted to speak when he thought of something and tightly closed his mouth.
Visiting relatives are prohibited at the New Eustaza base.
“Alpha is my assistant robot who came here with me to perform the task this time.” Noting Mu Gen’s actions, Boss Booney smiled and told him Alpha’s new identity.
“He-hello!” Glancing around nervously, he found that most of the people around him were hurrying to eat the braised pork. Mu Gen finally reached out and shook hands with Alpha.
If he could, he wanted to give his First Uncle a hug. It’s a pity that there are too many people around and for the safety of his First Uncle, he dared not.
“Heart rate is 54, slightly higher than usual. You are a little excited right now.” The moment the cold robotic arm touched the warm human palm, Alpha’s scanning device had already habitually scanned Mu Gen’s physical condition. He confirmed that although his human lost 3 kg, his body functions have significantly improved so he’s very satisfied.
“En~” Mu Gen was so happy to see his family at the base, how can he not be excited?
After scanning Mu Gen, Alpha saw Sigma on Mu Gen’s back:
“Your dark screen flashed a yellow light the moment you saw me, excuse me, are you unhappy to see me?”
The patriarch looked down on Sigma condescendingly.
“Sigma is very happy.” From behind Mu Gen was a dark screen sticking out. To prove that he’s happy, Sigma brightly flashed various green signals one after another.
Duplicity ← Sigma got a great new skill again.
Alpha sat across from Mu Gen and the moment he sat down, Mu Gen heard another faint voice:
“Nice to meet you.” The chilly mechanical sound is Uncle Beta’s voice. Mu Gen stared at Uncle Alpha’s “armor” in surprise. This color, is it possible…
Seeing Boss Booney nod lightly, Mu Gen immediately looked down. Noting the color of the metal covering Alpha’s legs, he was amused:
“Uncle Pi is here too.”
“Except for Xiao A, everyone else is here.” Chewing on the braised pork, Boss Booney said vaguely: “It’s said that they used the guessing box to decide who stays at home to watch the shop.”
Mu Gen: …Dad’s robotic arm is not flexible, so he surely destroyed it!
***
So when the work started in the afternoon, Mu Gen saw Uncle Epsilon, who transformed into a mecha, and Uncle Eta, who was disguised as a tool in the hands of the mecha…
Except for Xiao A who was left at home, the family reunited in New Eustaza.
It was a very pleasant surprise for Mu Gen to reunite with his family at the base. However, there’s a bit of surprise in the surprise:
When they assembled today, the Military and Research Institute deliberately sought Mu Gen alone and hoped that he will lead the way and bring the newly arrived expert group to where the asteroid was found.
This task is very common, but the target made Mu Gen stunned: This Research Institute personnel who got promoted from Brigadier General to Major General because of discovering the quasi-Star Gate structure is actually Boss Booney!
Boss Booney is actually the current chief expert of the expert group!
“Uh…senior technical officers can also be generals…” Boss Booney laughed.
But in this way, Mu Gen understood how Boss Booney can bring so many robots to New Eustaza.
Before, Mu Gen only knew that Boss Booney was very good at cars——Oli’s car was modified by him; Later, he discovered that he was also very good at repairing spacecrafts. Uncle Roroya would look for him whenever there’s a problem with his spacecraft; it now appears that Boss Booney is not just really powerful on hover cars and spacecrafts.
After Boss Booney came to the base and under Mu Gen’s guidance that day, all the spatial structure data was recorded near the asteroid. Four days later, the expert group announced the location of the Star Gate excavation point!
The so-called Star Gate is a fold in space, and the earliest Star Gates were produced by natural folding. However, after a thousand years, scientists can imitate the folding structure of the Star Gate and artificial Star Gates have been excavated by various methods, which had the same functions as natural Star Gates but are much more stable and safer.
With the excavation point determined, the technicians operated a special tool on the same day and made the first attempt to penetrate the void. Cleaners such as Mu Gen were not allowed to observe the excavation process——the excavation of a Star Gate is too dangerous and a little carelessness will cause space distortion. However, the progress during that day was broadcasted throughout the base.
The process of digging a Star Gate was like magic. Mu Gen watched a needle-like tool produce a small beam of light and hit the selected location. That location seemed like it’s just a part of the ordinary universe. However, after the beam of light flashed four times, Mu Gen saw a black dot on the light screen.
As the beam of light got denser and denser, the black spot gradually expanded and eventually became a black hole the size of a human head.
The cleaning work of Mu Gen and the others was stopped for a full week. During that week, everyone was forbidden near the black hole, so no one knew what happened there. Except for Mu Gen since the uncles would tell what was happening. Their network was once again connected to Sigma, so Mu Gen learned about all the tests that the Research Institute had done near the black hole.
The experts tried to put a plate of apple pie into the black hole and when they took it out 30 seconds later, the apple pie had disappeared and the iron plate was covered with rust; they also tried to put an animal in, but when it was taken out again, the animal turned back to its larva form.
The time in the black hole is very complicated, and the team of experts has to recalculate the combination of each node.
It was only half a month later did Mu Gen and the other cleaners get pulled out to work again.
The black hole the size of a human head became a size where humans could enter. It was so dark that it was impossible to see it at a glance.
“Starting today, your mission has changed.”
“There’s no longer any need to clean up the surrounding asteroids. Soldiers, your task is to dig this brand new Star Gate!”
“In history, the excavation and establishment of every Star Gate of the Empire have brought new land, countless wealth, and prosperity to the Empire! Everyone who is involved in the construction of this Star Gate will withness this process. The Star Gate in front of you is the first Star Gate discovered by the Empire in a thousand years. The soldier who broke through the Star Gate first will get the honor to name it after their name!”
The officer who announced the change in mission was obviously a great motivational speaker. Such a very dangerous job but under his words, it turned into a very glorious job.
“For the Empire! For glory!” Countless young soldiers were agitated by his words and for a time, the mecha public platform was full of excited roars.
“For Oli.” In the uproar, Mu Gen also uttered his vows.
The author has something to say:
I wish Oli and Mu Gen can meet soon
For Oli!!!!