Chapter 1 2017, August 16th, 7:21 PM

Tiandu, Daoji Bureau Headquarters, 780 meters underground, Third Special Machinery Design Laboratory.

Because of the terrible war that swept the globe forty years ago, many nuclear shelters, command posts, and refuges were built underground in the capitals and major cities of major forces around the world to counter the potentially devastating nuclear war.

At present, Tiandu's crisscrossing underground network, such as the Dao Yi Central Hub at the end of Route 26, and the Security Bureau headquarters under the reservoir, were all built with the design concept of avoiding global nuclear strikes and maintaining a living force.

The Daoji Bureau is no exception.

The Third Special Machinery Design Laboratory, originally the Zheng Guo Special Artillery Central Design Office established in 1934, began researching the submarine-launched missile launch module in 1940. Later, it became a major research center for special machinery design. During the 'Space Race' period in 1972, it merged with three laboratories under the Zheng Guo Aerospace Administration and began research on spacecraft-related projects.

The deep-sea exploration vessel 'Jiaolong', which explored the Dragon King's ruins, and the 'Experimental Vessel No. 1' that appeared when the Tallinn people descended some time ago, were all designed by this laboratory.

Now, Su Zhou, who was invited to come here, saw a 'small' spacecraft.

It is thirty-five meters high, fifty meters wide, and one hundred and fifty-three meters long, and the overall shape is cigar-shaped. The entire ship has no obvious edges and corners, only rounded arcs. The inner side of the silver-white alloy shell is flashing with a light blue spiritual light that is very obvious to Su Zhou.

This spacecraft, which is no more than two hundred meters in length, is about the size of a sea destroyer, much smaller than the mountain-like Tallinn exploration ship. Even the frigate hand-made by the master craftsmen a few days ago is larger than it. It looks even smaller in the huge underground cavity laboratory.

It is currently located in the dock deep underground, as if it could be dispatched at any time.

"How about it, Professor Su? This 'research ship' has a good appearance, right?"

Beside Su Zhou, a gray-haired old man who looks no more than fifty years old is standing with his hands behind his back, nodding in satisfaction at the spacecraft: "Recently, with the help of many Tallinn engineers and Zheng Guo master craftsmen, we have completed the prototype of this research ship."

"Its function is roughly similar to that of the Tallinn exploration ship, and it is used for star exploration, but because of our unique technology, it does not require such a large hull—we can't build it for the time being, so we took a small approach and designed such a sophisticated spacecraft."

"Very handsome, Li Sheng, it's simply a work of art."

In response, Su Zhou's answer was simple. He looked up and down at the spacecraft with a sci-fi design, and his heart was full of surprise: "I didn't expect that this spacecraft would not be rustic at all! Unexpected!"

Li Sheng didn't know what Su Zhou was thinking, but if he knew, he would definitely shake his head—the relevant designs of the Daoji Bureau before were all spent a lot of thought, and they were in line with many historical allusions and related legends. The public always said it was tacky, but they couldn't appreciate that ancient beauty. It has nothing to do with being rustic, it's just that the aesthetic of this generation of nationals is not good.

If it weren't for the need to speed up the exploration, he would definitely design a set of gold and red intertwined Panlong armor patterns for this research ship.

By the way, Li Sheng is 98 years old this year, and is the oldest of the current Zheng Guo Holy Seats. He is a pure technician who has been responsible for handling all kinds of transcendent machinery design for decades. In other words, he is too focused on technology and has been out of touch with the outside world for decades, and his aesthetics...

Ahem.

In short, Su Zhou, who was notified and went to the Daoji Bureau headquarters, came here to take a look at his ride to the Qingqiu Secret Realm in advance.

The Qingqiu Secret Realm, as mentioned before, is a star secret realm with cosmic stars.

The entrance to the secret realm is located in the Qingqiu planetary system, on the fifth planet named 'Qingqiu Five', and their goal is a life planet similar to Earth named 'Qingqiu Three'.

The New World Exploration Department under Su Zhou has explored the periphery of the secret realm entrance located on Qingqiu Five, and Shao Qiming and other elite teams have also carried out corresponding missions. Their reports show that there are a large number of ancient ruins from the age of ancient gods around the secret realm entrance. According to analysis, it should be an ancient trade market.

Thousands of years ago, this trade market was shrouded in a huge formation, maintaining a constant temperature. Now, the formation has disappeared due to the decline of spiritual energy, and the entire ruins have been frozen or destroyed by asteroid impacts.

In this market, the exploration team found a large number of precious ancient resources, as well as several resource libraries of the 'Central Divine Court' in the age of gods. Although most of the herbal materials and elixirs have rotted and cannot be taken, many rare metals and transcendent materials in the rocks are considered a considerable income.

"This time, Professor Su, your mission is to observe what kind of changes have occurred on Qingqiu Three that have caused the humans living there to be judged by the Chixiao Sword as being in great trouble—do not act rashly, we need to judge whether to help them based on the specific situation."

At this time, Yu Sheng, who was connected through the network, was speaking. This middle-aged man with his left eye modified should still be at the moon base. The communication has a very high delay: "Because of the loss of ancient books, we do not understand the Qingqiu Secret Realm. Acting rashly will lead to bad results."

"Li Sheng, who will be with me on this mission?"

Nodding to Yu Sheng to show that he understood, Su Zhou turned to look at the gray-haired old man. He said: "There are two main explorers, and you happen to know them. Liu Wu, Liu Wuxin, a peak Transcendent cultivator and Doctor of Biology. Lin Chengde, a disciple of Nong Sheng, a peak Transcendent cultivator and Doctor of Botany."

"In addition, a professional research team from the Third Division of the Daoji Bureau will also act with you."

"The Third Division, the Transcendent Environment, Secret Realm Exploration Division?"

Su Zhou recalled slightly, and then remembered the duties of the Third Division of the Daoji Bureau, and immediately understood: "That's normal, after all, an entire life planet located in the secret realm does need the entire team to explore."

"Their professional level is trustworthy, but their martial power is really insufficient and needs your protection."

The gray-haired old man sighed, he shook his head slightly: "Of course, you can also bring a few people with you, Professor Su, it all depends on your own choice, but don't bring too many, after all, the reserved space on the research ship is not very large."

"I will choose one. In fact, I already have a candidate."

Su Zhou replied readily, but he still had doubts: "It's just a research fellow on the ship—where are the ship crew? Can they all control the ship?"

"What, Yan Sheng didn't tell you?"

In response, before Li Sheng, who was organizing his thoughts, could speak, Yu Sheng on the other side of the light curtain took the lead to answer. He laughed and pointed to Su Zhou's pocket: "He gave you the 'Soul Abyss Server', why hasn't he mentioned it yet?"

Su Zhou's pocket was indeed bulging, and what was in it was naturally the 'Soul Abyss Server' that Yan Sheng had given before, which was used to collect the souls of dead human beings in the Qingqiu Secret Realm. Being pointed out by Yu Sheng, Su Zhou blinked and immediately understood the key.

Pilots, experienced, Soul Abyss, resurrection of the dead, ghosts, rapidly increasing number of crew members...

"Could it be?"

For a time, Su Zhou's expression became subtle, not knowing whether it was curiosity, excitement, or hesitation: "Yan Sheng copied the soul of an astronaut... and then used it as a template to create a large number of intelligent driving AIs?!"

"Oh, that's too much. Over the years, Yan Sheng is the only one who dares to copy souls. Only the duplicates of this freak will not argue with the main body about who is real... who knows?"

Yu Sheng didn't seem to expect Su Zhou's thinking to be so jumpy that he dared to think about such an extreme challenge to ethics. He waved his hand, and the red light in his mechanical left eye flickered: "It's the Tallinn people."

"Among those Tallinn people who were sealed and rescued by La Faye, some of them died after being unsealed because they were seriously injured. In addition, the Tallinn souls collected before, these aliens agreed to Yan Sheng's conditions in order to survive, and voluntarily converted into electronic souls, signed contracts, and worked for us."

Saying so, Yu Sheng's tone was relaxed, and even carried a trace of enthusiastic temperature: "Anyway, their ship operation is to put people in the electronic world, and the body is dormant and does not matter—in that case, why can't we directly use 'ghosts' to drive the ship?"

"No need for food, no need for water, no need for oxygen—electronic ghosts can use spiritual power to affect the material world, and can also interact electronically with the ship system, controlling the ship like an AI... This is a crew that is far more adapted to 'interstellar navigation' than physical humans, even Yan Sheng himself didn't expect that the electronic underworld would show its effect for the first time in interstellar navigation."

"Amazing." In response, Su Zhou also sincerely clapped his hands. He turned his head and looked at this not-so-large research ship, and could immediately see more things: "No wonder our research ship can be so small—because most of its crew members have no physical bodies! In this way, we can reduce life support systems and use the least resources to manufacture the most ships, and ensure the same, or even better, ship living environment and functions!"

Ghost ships are strange ships in ancient legends, condensed from the souls of those who drowned in the sea. It can sail endlessly and wander in the sea forever.

Today, because of the electronic underworld, this strangeness that exists in legends has turned into reality... And in the future, it may even become some kind of normality, and even become the largest source of troops for the Earth's fleet, turning into modern ghost fleets!

"Indeed."

Yu Sheng laughed, the signal at his current moon base is very bad, and even a bit intermittent. This is because there are too many alien spaceships excavated recently, and the residual spiritual energy radiation will interfere with communication: "These Tallinn people have signed the Underworld Covenant, so there is no need to worry about them not working hard... Anyway, we are not exploiting their labor, this is a win-win treaty."

"I will most likely be staying on the moon during this time and will not be able to see you off. I wish you a smooth journey in advance, Professor Su."

"Thank you for your kind words."

Su Zhou replied with a smile, and then Yu Sheng closed the communication.

Then, the young man frowned slightly, looked at Li Sheng who was silent beside him, he rubbed his chin, and then slowly said: "... Wen Sheng, Sheng Sheng, Yu Sheng and Yan Sheng, they are the reformers among the thirty-six Holy Seats—enthusiastic about using novel technologies, transforming society, and actively participating in various industries, setting off changes."

"So it's normal for Yu Sheng to ignore the 'Soul Abyss Server', but what is Li Sheng's opinion..."