Space Odyssey from Abandoned Mining Space Station

Chapter 562: Chapter 179: Yan Xiong’s Application Method

The next day.

As scheduled, Chen Ming dialed Bai Quan’s number.

According to Bai Quan’s previous suggestion, teaching command skills is best done through a direct video call.

So, Chen Ming did just that.

Bai Quan’s image quickly appeared on the terminal screen.

Without wasting words, Chen Ming said directly, ”I’m ready here, we can start now.”

”Okay.”

Bai Quan responded, but didn’t make any other moves.

This made Chen Ming ask in slight confusion, ”Where’s the teacher who’s supposed to teach me?”

Bai Quan pointed at himself and said, ”I’ll teach you personally.”

”Uh... aren’t you handling your matters? Your side of things should be pretty important, not easily resolved, right?”

”It’s fine.”

Chen Ming looked at the video call showing Bai Quan dressed as if he had important things to do and asked again, ”Are you sure it’s okay?”

”It’s really fine.”

”Alright.”

Since Bai Quan insisted, Chen Ming didn’t press further.

Chen Ming projected Bai Quan’s video image onto the wall for easier viewing.

Then he casually took out another terminal and said, ”I’ve received the teaching materials here, where do we start?”

Bai Quan also brought out teaching materials he had revised extensively based on Chen Ming’s recorded battle performances, saying, ”The fundamental terminology of command.”

Once Bai Quan started formally teaching Chen Ming,

Two days passed quickly.

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

Today, after finishing his day’s studies, Chen Ming tallied up the times he had to frequently visit the Supreme Point’s warehouse to control those Mechanical Race units during meals.

It turned out he was still constrained by the need for physical contact with the Mechanical Race for control.

Additionally, as the Mechanical Race is not lifeless, they can’t be transported like industrial assembly lines.

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

Even though the number of Mechanical Race units he controlled increased, thereby improving transportation efficiency,

he only managed to control just over twenty percent of the Mechanical Race in the entire city until now.

If efficiency continues to grow at the current rate, it would still take over half a month to completely control the Mechanical Race in the city.

This inefficiency made Chen Ming consider having 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 individual Insects through the Hive Mind Network.

And damaged Mechanical Race units during battles are quite easy to control.

There might even be a chance for the Insect Queen to actively evolve some Insect Race units more suited for combat during battles.

However, in the end, Chen Ming refrained from executing this idea.

Because he discovered a significant problem with the Mechanical Race’s Hive Mind Network in the city.

The Mechanical Race here is different from the cluster faced by the Empire; they are independently outside.

Their Hive Mind Network is limited to their dispersed individuals, without a strong enough main consciousness to guide them.

This means all Mechanical Race offspring, after their corporal death, would not be preserved by the Hive Network to await new assimilation into new bodies.

They face complete and absolute death.

Chen Ming confirmed this during his control attempts over the past few days.

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

But these dead Mechanical Race units don’t revive within any uninhabited, still functional Mechanical Race bodies in the city’s factories.

Nor does any consciousness appear in any Mechanical Race body.

The overall number of Mechanical Race units is declining.

This clearly indicates that within the hive consciousness built by those independent Mechanical Race, there isn’t a strong consciousness guiding the entire hive network.

This results in connected Mechanical Race units being unable to receive efficient control.

Once a Mechanical Race unit dies, it’s truly dead.

This means that every Mechanical Race unit lost in battle results in a reduction in the Mechanical Race units Chen Ming can control afterward, which then reduces the feedback to his Spiritual Power.

Once a battle breaks out, it can’t just be stopped by Chen Ming’s wishes.

Therefore, he doesn’t want to waste his future controllable Mechanical Race units through internal conflict here.

Besides, he still needs time for his subordinate Dusk entities to explore the surrounding Star Systems; controlling the Mechanical Race isn’t that urgent.

Anyway, the universe is vast, and Chen Ming will definitely land on other planets in the future, surely encountering some cluster of dangerous creatures where the Insect Race will have their chances to act.

While Chen Ming contemplated matters regarding the Mechanical Race, he soon finished his dinner.

Just as he was about to continue with the technical documents about cruisers that Bai Quan had given him, and ask Extraordinary some questions to resolve the pending issues from yesterday,

Chen Ming unexpectedly received communication from the factory director after a few days.

”Xiao Ming, the interrogation on my side is nearly complete.”

So Chen Ming wasn’t in a rush anymore. He prepared all the documents he originally planned to study and then said to the factory director, ”Alright, I’m listening. Go ahead.”