Chapter 32: Dreamscape: Steel Jungle

The computing power of the super-machine’s intelligence core, when measured by Blue Star’s computer technology standards, would easily overpower the best super-computer on Blue Star, reducing it to nothing more than rubble.

The difference in computational power between the two is immeasurable by reason!

Hence, even when the intelligence core is parallel processing a massive task list, it can effortlessly satisfy Du Qiu’s request to utilize the visible light perception subsystem to perceive and observe the external world of the machine.

Of course, whether to store the observed images is decided by Du Qiu.

However, learning from experience, Du Qiu doesn’t immediately alter the observation direction of this subsystem.

He first checks some of the perceptual subsystems that he can understand, probing for the existence of extraterrestrial life or observers around the super-machine.

After confirming their absence, he then examines the current images from the visible light subsystem.

With some excitement, Du Qiu watches as an external image unfolds before his eyes.

The super-machine’s visible light perception subsystem is equipped with over a hundred thousand cameras, not only can it observe the details of each production module but also the surrounding environment of the super-machine.

An aforementioned super-telescope capable of viewing more than 20 kilometers sits atop of the super-machine, able to scan 360 degrees in any direction.

It seems that this camera had been pointing at a part of the super-machine, giving Du Qiu an overhead view.

The appearance of this image in front of Du Qiu is somewhat startling.

From the bird’s-eye view, one can see an area covering tens of thousands of square meters, within which there are many tall buildings of various designs.

Some of the buildings look familiar to Du Qiu, and he quickly remembers them as the shapes of certain functional machines he had seen previously in images while studying the super-machine’s modules.

Then, Du Qiu notices that after fixing the camera view for a few seconds, text appears next to the buildings in the field of view.

The text is identical to that of the program language, and Du Qiu immediately understands that they are the names or identifiers of the machines.

Without moving the camera, Du Qiu focuses on each building in the field of view and discovers that, besides some cubic buildings lack a name, all others do have one.

Looking at these building names and correlating them with the terms from the function programs he remembers, it’s clear that this entire area is part of the super-machine.

This super-machine has essentially become a super-factory on Blue Star that integrates resource collection and refining.

After confirming that there are no alien life forms or intelligent robots in the vicinity of the super-machine, Du Qiu quickly rotates the camera.

Having turned in a circle, Du Qiu now has a complete overhead view in his mind and is astounded by the land area covered by the super-machine.

It occupies at least a million square meters!

Setting aside 49 massive pipelines that extend deep into the ground in all directions, the entire area is mostly a regular square, with an estimated side length of about 1000 meters.

Most peculiar is that the midpoints of the four sides of this massive square seem to be connected by straight lines.

Upon closer inspection, Du Qiu finds these are actually huge fissures!

His curiosity peaked, he focuses on the fissures and discovers they do not penetrate the base of the square.

This square platform stands about five or six meters higher than the surrounding terrain, as if it is a giant podium.

In this metallic square area, Du Qiu does not see a single person.

Oh no, that’s incorrect; there are no beings resembling intelligent life or even moving creatures to be found, the entire area is chillingly silent and still.

Indeed, there should be no sound here!

Because Du Qiu turns the camera towards the distance, including the sky.

He does not notice any signs of an atmosphere; the area outside the super-machine features rolling hills and numerous large pits.

At a glance, Du Qiu almost mistook it for the surface of the moon.

Most of these pits are likely to be meteorite craters, while a few seem to match the diameter of the 49 pipelines.

With the camera moving, Du Qiu spots a much larger steel jungle about 3 kilometers away from the super-machine!

This steel jungle differs in color from the surface of the super-machine.

Whereas the outer surface of the super-machine glimmers with a silvery-white metallic luster that resembles aluminum alloy, the colors and surface textures are different.

The distant steel jungle, however, shimmers with a dark cyan metallic luster, and it’s completely unclear what alloy it could be.

The steel jungle there is composed of three massive squares arranged in a “品” (product) shape.

Each of these squares is slightly smaller than the super-machine, with the land area of each appearing to be about half that of the super-machine.

The two openings of this product shape face the super-machine, and inside the right square, there are various buildings similar to those of the super-machine.

Du Qiu doesn’t need the perception system to label them; he can recognize one or two types of buildings, indicating that this place is similar to the super-machine.

The left square is different, with mostly cubic buildings of varying heights, the taller ones looking to be multi-storied.

Giant cylindrical structures sit at each corner of the square, their exteriors seamless, without any visible joins.

Oddly, the perception system does not provide labels for buildings within this square.

Looking further back at the other square, it is mostly obscured by the two in front, but some taller buildings can be seen.

They appear to be regularly arranged cylindrical towers, much thicker than the corner columns on the left and tiered, tapering from a wider base to a narrower top.

Once again, the perception system fails to label these cylindrical towers.

This somewhat dampens Du Qiu’s interest.

He quickly considers that among this distinctly different steel jungle, there must be aliens, right?

Du Qiu continually adjusts the perception system’s focus, carefully examining every visible corner of the alien production area.

The buildings within the three squares, all shimmering in dark cyan metallic luster, are understandably labeled by the perception system; while some labels Du Qiu recognizes, others are completely foreign to him.

Like the super-machine, these three squares also rise five or six meters above the ground, with their midpoints linked by gaps, as if they had been cut out to form a regular square.

Between the buildings within the square, there are no roads akin to cities on Blue Star – every building appears to be sealed off.

The entire steel jungle seems silent and lifeless.

Could this be a place abandoned by aliens?

Just as this thought occurs to Du Qiu, he dismisses it.

Since there are caretakers, and the super-machine is still carrying out resource collection and processing various raw materials, it must be a normally functioning production area.

Wait, could it be that this entire area operates on unmanned intelligent production, and the aliens’ living quarters are elsewhere on the planet?

Thinking this, Du Qiu figures he might not be far off the mark – with the level of intelligence of these massive machines, they indeed wouldn’t require constant supervision by intelligent life.

This alien civilization is far ahead of Blue Star; just one super-machine can undertake resource collection and primary raw material production on its own.

The nearby steel jungle, composed of three entities similar to the super-machine, could probably carry out other types of production.

While speculating, Du Qiu continues to look over the area, hoping his good fortune will allow him to spot some sign of activity.

In such a vast production region, there must be vehicles transporting raw materials, products being exported, and more.

However, after looking back and forth several times, Du Qiu does not spot a single moving entity.

This makes Du Qiu think back to his original notion: is this place indeed abandoned by aliens?

With this question in mind, Du Qiu wakes up!

Eyes wide, Du Qiu stares at the ceiling, finding he has grown somewhat weary of suddenly waking from his dreams.

Just when things were getting exciting, it all comes to an abrupt end.

Du Qiu gets out of bed, pulls back the curtains, and the morning light floods in.

Outside, spring is in full bloom, the community landscaping is commendable, and with a deep breath, Du Qiu can feel the invigorating taste of ample oxygen.

Du Qiu is still in high spirits; last night, he finally reconnected with the dreamscape, even truly seeing the planet where the super-machine was located, along with that alien civilization’s production zone.

What’s crucial is that he modified the protection net program to prevent it from detecting his control over the descent onto the super-machine’s intelligence core.

This way, Du Qiu can maintain his connection with the dreamscape.

He can descend there every night through the dreamscape, accessing a vast repository of technology far surpassing that of Blue Star.

As an engineering doctorate, nothing excites him more than acquiring these technologies.