Space Odyssey from Abandoned Mining Space Station

Chapter 550: Chapter 179: Yan Xiong’s Application Method

The next day.

At the agreed time, Chen Ming dialed Bai Quan’s number.

According to Bai Quan’s previous suggestion, it’s best to teach command techniques through a video call.

So, Chen Ming did just that.

Bai Quan’s image soon appeared on the screen of the terminal.

Chen Ming got straight to the point and said, ”I’m ready on my side, we can start now.”

”Alright.”

Bai Quan responded but did not make any other moves.

This made Chen Ming couldn’t help but ask in confusion, ”Where’s the instructor?”

Bai Quan patted his chest and said, ”I’ll personally handle it.”

”Uh... aren’t you dealing with your own matters? Your Vice Admiral promotion ceremony isn’t settled so quickly, right?”

”No worries.”

Chen Ming, looking at Bai Quan dressed in formal attire that clearly indicated he was about to attend to some matter, asked again during the video call, ”Really no worries?”

”Really no problem.”

”Alright.”

Since Bai Quan said so, Chen Ming had nothing more to say.

He projected Bai Quan’s image from the terminal onto the wall and took out another terminal, saying, ”I’ve received the teaching materials. Where do we start?”

Bai Quan also took out a newly compiled teaching material, modified extensively from the basic materials after analyzing Chen Ming’s performances in several recorded battles Chen Ming participated in, and said, ”Basic terms of command.”

From the moment Bai Quan officially started teaching Chen Ming.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

Although Chen Ming was busy almost every moment, after two days, he had more or less adapted.

Today, after finishing the day’s studies, while eating dinner, Chen Ming took the opportunity to tally up his situation over the past two days, especially having to periodically visit the Supreme Point’s warehouse to control those Mechanical Race.

It could only be said that he was still constrained by the need for physical contact to control these Mechanical Race.

Additionally, the Mechanical Race itself was not lifeless entities and couldn’t be transported directly like an industrial assembly line.

This resulted in a very low efficiency of Chen Ming’s control over the Mechanical Race.

Even though the efficiency of transporting the Mechanical Race increased as the number of Mechanical Race he controlled rose.

But up to now, the Mechanical Race he controlled only accounted for just over 20% of the entire Mechanical Race city.

If the efficiency continued to increase at the current rate, it would take at least half a month for him to fully control the Mechanical Race in the city.

This efficiency even made Chen Ming consider letting the Insect Queen lead his newly cultivated Insect Race to actively attack the Mechanical Race.

After all, the Insect Queen could protect the consciousness of those Insect Race individuals through the Hive Mind Network.

And once the Mechanical Race got damaged in combat, they were also very easy to control.

It might even be possible for the Insect Queen to evolve some abilities of Insect Race individuals more suitable for combat during the battle.

However, Chen Ming held back in the end and did not implement this idea.

Because he discovered significant issues with the Hive Mind Network of the Mechanical Race in the city.

The Mechanical Race here were different from the clustered Mechanical Race faced by the Empire; they were independent entities outside the system.

Their Hive Mind Network was confined to these individuals dispersed outside, without a sufficiently strong main consciousness to guide the Mechanical Race here.

This meant that all Mechanical Race individuals, upon their body’s death, would not have their consciousness preserved by the Hive Network to be implanted into a new body.

They would die completely and irretrievably.

These days, Chen Ming confirmed this while practically controlling these Mechanical Race.

Almost every day, roughly ten Mechanical Race units naturally died due to equipment aging in the city.

Yet, these dead Mechanical Race did not resurrect in any unused Mechanical Race body in the city’s factories, nor were there any signs of Mechanical Race consciousness emerging on any such bodies.

The total number of Mechanical Race was declining.

This clearly indicated that there was no strong consciousness dominating the Hive Mind Network constructed by these independent Mechanical Race.

Thus, the Mechanical Race connected to the network couldn’t receive effective control.

Once a Mechanical Race unit died, it was a true death.

This also meant that every Mechanical Race lost in battle would decrease the number of Mechanical Race Chen Ming could control thereafter, ultimately reducing the feedback to his Spiritual Power.

Once battles erupted, they wouldn’t stop just because Chen Ming thought about it.

Therefore, he was unwilling to waste these Mechanical Race, which could definitely be controlled in the future, in futile internal conflicts here.

Anyway, he still needed time for his Dusk individuals to explore the surrounding Star Systems; controlling the Mechanical Race was not so urgent, after all.

Moreover, with the vastness of the universe, Chen Ming would surely need to land on some other planets eventually and would likely encounter some clustered dangerous creatures, providing plenty of opportunities for the Insect Race to make an appearance.

As he mused over the matter of the Mechanical Race, dinner was soon finished.

Just as Chen Ming was about to continue studying the Cruiser-related technical documents Bai Quan had given him and ask the Extraordinary some questions to resolve the remaining issues from yesterday,

Chen Ming suddenly received a communication from the director, who had finally reached out after several days.

”Xiao Ming, the information questioning on my side is almost done.”

So Chen Ming was in no rush, preparing all the documents he initially planned to study, and then said to the director, ”Alright, I’m listening, go ahead.”