Chapter 86: Secrets of the Qiongxiao: Relics and Revelations

Five days had passed since Europa was secured.

Inside a cargo hold aboard the Qiongxiao, hastily repurposed and now packed with scientific equipment.

Over a hundred scientists, specially assembled to join the Fifth Fleet on this mission, were hard at work deciphering three devices that looked like they came straight out of a science fiction movie.

After all, even with these artifacts in their hands, the Fifth Fleet wouldn’t be returning home for at least half a year.

The first item was a perfect cube, each side measuring 1.8 meters. Its material was unknown, but initial tests showed its surface had zero friction.

According to Klein research, this was most likely an information storage device.

However, the Klein had never entered the electrical age, let alone the information era.

So, for now, they had absolutely no way to access any data stored inside.

The second device looked like a hexagonal crystal pillar, 27cm long and pale blue. No visible impurities could be seen and it was completely transparent.

As for what this was, the Klein had no clue.

The Federation’s scientists, though, had come up with some theories and were currently running tests to confirm them.

The last artifact was a small sphere with an incredibly intricate internal structure.

Strangely, while it was only the size of a ping pong ball, it weighed over a hundred tons.

Tests suggested it wasn’t quite as dense as a neutron star, but was made from a genuine degenerate material.

To build something this complex using degenerate matter as the foundation…

Just how terrifying was the civilization behind the ruins the Klein encountered?

Maybe humanity should be grateful it was the Klein invading the Solar System.

If it had been that other civilization instead…

There’d be no fight—just roll over and accept your fate.

“Dr. Lu, about how long will it take to extract the information inside?”

Mu Qingxue gazed at the cube in front of her and asked.

“From what I can tell, their technological path isn’t so different from ours—the main distinction is how far ahead they are. Even then, getting at the info inside won’t be easy.”

“It might take months. Maybe years. Decades or even centuries wouldn’t be out of the question.”

Dr. Lu, dressed in a white lab coat, paused to think before answering.

A hint of disappointment crept into Mu Qingxue’s expression.

So much for quickly cracking their technology and using it to beat the Klein.

Clearly, that idea was mostly wishful thinking.

Just then, another scientist in a white coat jogged over, talking rapidly to Dr. Lu.

“What? Are you sure?”

“Yes, Doctor. Look at this…”

The young scientist nodded and used his smart computer to project several data panels. Numbers and readings flickered across the screens.

“Just as I thought…”

“I knew it! It’s exactly what I suspected! This is it!”

Moments later, Dr. Lu, now practically trembling with excitement, shouted again as the data confirmed his theory.

“Dr. Lu, what is it?”

“Commander Mu, do you know what this is? The storage device type might be different, but inside… it’s vacuum zero-point energy! The same energy your fleet’s Zhulong uses!”

Dr. Lu was so thrilled he nearly started dancing.

After all, humanity only had three of these ever, all produced by fluke during a one-of-a-kind experiment.

But the Klein had found thirty-two of them in those alien ruins!

That’s thirty-two Zero-Point Modules!

No wonder he couldn’t contain his excitement.

“Zero-Point Modules?”

“Exactly! Preserved for thousands, maybe tens of thousands of years, and not a hint of leakage—still filled to the brim with vacuum zero-point energy. These are generations ahead of the three we managed to build.”

“Then it’s possible this device might contain the methods for gathering zero-point energy… and for making the modules themselves?”

Mu Qingxue pointed again at the cube.

Dr. Lu froze for a second, then grew even more animated.

“Right! That’s very likely!”

He’d already decided: apart from eating and sleeping, every remaining minute would be devoted to cracking the secrets in this cube.

He would use every means available to unlock its information.

——

After checking in at the lab,

Mu Qingxue headed back to the bridge. She had just settled into the captain’s chair when a file suddenly popped up for her.

Very few people in the fleet could send something to Mu Qingxue directly.

She opened it and saw it came from Lin Yu.

Then…

She started to read.

Within seconds, her expression turned strange.

“Commander, what’s up?”

“Check it out. That report Lin Yu sent is seriously a million words—no more, no less.”

Mu Qingxue answered with a wry smile.

Ye Lingwei leaned over to see for herself, especially at the word count displayed in the document…

Word.

It really was just as Mu Qingxue said—not a character off.

The best part? After reading a section carefully—

It wasn’t just random filler, either. The whole thing flowed like a novel—you could read it straight through.

It even made you want to keep going.

“Pfft… That guy’s a total genius!”

Ye Lingwei finally lost it and burst out laughing.

“Alright, that’s enough. Since Lin Yu apparently has so much free time, let’s have him come work on the Qiongxiao for a while—he can lend Dr. Lu’s team a hand!”

“Uh, will that really work? I mean, that’s serious research…”

Sure, people these days were born with higher brain development and anyone with a normal college degree had a massive and diverse knowledge base.

But not everyone was cut out for actual scientific work.

In this field, just being knowledgeable wasn’t enough. You needed divergent thinking, the kind of creative and lateral thought that drives real scientific breakthroughs.

That’s what decides who becomes a true innovator.

And not everyone has that.

“Relax. Did you forget? Lin Yu’s specialty is coming up with wild ideas—and his analysis and reasoning skills are second to none. Those are exactly what a great scientist needs.”

Hearing Mu Qingxue put it that way,

Ye Lingwei hesitated, but the more she thought, the more it made sense.

She had to admit,

Maybe…

Rather than leading a fleet,

Lin Yu was actually more suited to being a scientist.

That thought lingered in Ye Lingwei’s mind.

——

A few minutes later.

Lin Yu received Mu Qingxue’s orders.

He handed over his current duties to Chief of Staff Qin Qiong on the Zhulong, then—

Headed for the Qiongxiao to spend some time there.