Chapter 119: Liu Shaoyu at the Turning Point of the Incident

Chapter 119: Liu Shaoyu at the Turning Point of Events

The Fringe Sector.

The starscape here was as annoying as ever, Liu Shaoyu thought. Thomas informed him that the salvage of the wreckage would take another fifteen minutes, just enough time for a cigarette.

Miss Dong and Liu Shaoyu were quite lucky; they had encountered an oblivious pirate warship the moment they arrived in the Fringe Sector. Although Miss Dong was now down to her last ship, Liu Shaoyu had observed that the vessel’s configuration was far from simple. He had never seen data for a ship like this among any standard models; it was clearly a heavily modified craft.

"Huaxia ships are just too slow," was Miss Dong’s only explanation to him.

What intrigued Liu Shaoyu more was the ship's exceptional combat capability. During the initial skirmishes in the Fringe Sector, he had ample opportunity to observe its performance. Surprisingly, discarding the heavy standard-issue armor of Huaxia did not leave the ship vulnerable. Instead, a highly expensive type of lightweight armor demonstrated outstanding resilience.

The victories were largely due to the ship’s superior weapon systems—or, as Liu Shaoyu felt, simply put: "vicious." The data made him wonder who possessed the wealth to provide her with such a vessel.

Miss Dong’s "bombardment" style of combat caused Liu Shaoyu to frown repeatedly. To put it bluntly, her strategy was simple: throw money at the problem. But the current environment forced her to face a realistic issue: resupply. Realizing this, Miss Dong shifted her strategy. If she wanted to gain a foothold here, she had to think long-term. Consequently, there were no further skirmishes for the time being.

Liu Shaoyu felt a sense of gloom. After entering the Fringe Sector, he had managed to get Thomas to connect to the external network. However, when downloading the star charts, he discovered that the coordinates for Dragonet Star no longer listed the planet.

"A network error?" Liu Shaoyu had thought at the time. A moment later, he instinctively felt that something had gone wrong. Given his own experiences, it was highly likely that Dragonet Star had been implicated as well. But he had no way to find out more or take any action.

"Salvage complete. Task finished," Thomas’s voice broke his train of thought. As for Liu Shaoyu, he was currently busy helping Miss Dong source supplies—using the method of fighting fire with fire, as pirates were everywhere.

"Alright, prepare to return," Liu Shaoyu said.

"I may have encountered some issues," Thomas said, taking the initiative for once. Ever since the incident with the five-man squad, Liu Shaoyu had developed new perspectives and ideas, though they were still in the early stages and required further deduction.

"And?" Liu Shaoyu asked.

"I have received a trusted source. This will be an upgrade," Thomas replied.

"An upgrade?" Liu Shaoyu was intrigued, recalling the first time it happened. "Could it be Wang Weifu?" he wondered. "What aspect? Are there any instructions?"

"Unknown," Thomas replied briefly.

"Can you trace the signal source?" Liu Shaoyu tried again.

"Access to network permissions denied. Unable to complete."

Liu Shaoyu sank into contemplation, feeling more and more that this was related to Wang Weifu.

"Proceed," Liu Shaoyu said. He had no choice, but he hoped this upgrade would bring some good news. Otherwise, there would be nothing left to hold onto. A sense of irritation rose within him, which he suppressed. Realizing his state of mind, he lit another cigarette. The smoke stimulated his neural nerves, bringing a measure of comfort.

"This human body," Liu Shaoyu muttered, the image of Carter flashing through his mind. "Is that the direction of human evolution?" He immediately dismissed the thought. If one reached that point, could they still be considered human? Or was he himself even still human in the standard sense?

He felt a slight warmth in his brain, meaning Thomas was operating at high speed. "With such advanced technology, why not make it more sophisticated?" Even someone as patient as Liu Shaoyu began to complain. He didn't know that the average person's personal computer utilization rarely exceeded ten percent, let alone reached full capacity.

This prompted a reflection on technology. He felt there was something suspicious—compared to the past, the technological progress of the last millennium seemed to have slowed significantly. This was, at least, his conclusion by comparison.

"Upgrade complete," Thomas’s voice echoed in his mind. The tone remained unchanged.

"Any new discoveries?" Liu Shaoyu asked.

"This upgrade primarily enhances personal computer permission capabilities and improves network protocol compatibility," Thomas explained.

Liu Shaoyu understood that Thomas was translating its capabilities into simple terms, and he grasped the practical benefits. "To what extent?" That was his real concern. Thomas had previously been able to bypass permissions under the *Glory of the Republic*, but the five-man squad incident proved there were limits. If targeted, Thomas would be reduced to an ordinary PC.

He realized that even in an external network environment, Thomas could now use compatibility to make things more convenient. Every intelligent species communicated differently, and external networks utilized various signal transmission methods—not just via carriers, but potentially through fundamental neural transmission. This gave a PC the opportunity to capture, decode, and re-program these signals.

"The maximum capability is to intercept classified documents of the *Glory of the Republic* to a certain extent without being detected," Thomas stated.

"How much does the temporary combat blockade affect you now?" Liu Shaoyu asked.

"No impact," Thomas replied. "However, communication would require the target terminal to have the capability to shield against detection. Otherwise, it would be exposed to the *Glory of the Republic*." Thomas, monitoring his neural signals, knew exactly what he was thinking.

Indeed, his first thought was to establish communication. But it seemed this would have to be a last resort. As people said, networks made the distance between people greater, and without them, the distance became even further. Especially in the vastness of space; without communication, some might go their whole lives without a word of exchange.

"Help me search for all data regarding Dragonet Star, starting from when it was renamed."

"Search complete. I have marked several important events for priority review," Thomas said.

Liu Shaoyu projected the video onto the ship’s command hologram. As he watched, his brow furrowed, his face growing heavy. By the end, his fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, blood dripping onto the deck.

"Hahaha, look, look, look. This is what you have done," Liu Shaoyu’s voice became distorted.

A cooling sensation washed over him, and the uncontrolled rage subsided.

"Was that you, Thomas?" Liu Shaoyu’s voice trembled.

"Detected that your mental state was out of control. I had to take emergency measures," Thomas replied coldly.

"Heh, out of control. Who is really in control? We are the ones who are always being controlled," Liu Shaoyu muttered. Seeds of thought were taking root in his mind. He felt a sense of despair; he had not imagined the God Project would end this way. Even if Wang Weifu had disappeared, he had held onto a one-in-a-thousand hope. But he couldn't conceive of anything that could preserve a primate’s neural system under the power of a doomsday weapon.

"Brother, don't worry. I won't let you die in vain," a smile appeared on his face, though his eyes were wet with tears.

He continued to review the data. With Thomas's upgrade, the system was far more effective. Classified files were now like an open library. Soon, he had pieced together a line of thought. The incident ultimately pointed to the five-man squad, and he knew they had an unusual relationship with the *Glory of the Republic*. Their bizarre composition and strange actions made him feel the whole event was filled with intrigue.

"Is this related to Wang Weifu?" Liu Shaoyu concluded.

Just then, he received a communication request from an unknown source.