Alien Relic Hunter

"All information has been encrypted. Every hunter who returns from the 'Ring City' will be required to sign a confidentiality contract. I spent a lot of credits to buy some broken information from an...an intelligence dealer. Information." Ke Lan paused and continued, "There is a brain hidden under the ground... to be precise, it is a large pile of brain cells that are like cancer cells, dividing and proliferating indefinitely."

"After I saw the core mastermind of Ark with my own eyes, I once thought that some of the things discovered underground in the 'Ring City' and the technology extended from them should have been applied to the core mastermind." Ke Lan Sighing, "But at that time, my focus was not on the core mastermind and the ring city, so I didn't have time to use my authority to check the information related to them."

"Since the Undead Crew were able to apply this technology to the core brain of the Ark, didn't they extract some valuable information from those 'brain tissues'? For example, how did Alpha Civilization disappear? ?”

"Perhaps, but the undead crew will not be made public. I don't know which hard drive these fragmentary information will be hidden in the dark well." Ke Lan shrugged with regret. At this time, he suddenly felt a little envious of Ze Luo. Now - if I had Ze Luo's ability, maybe I could move all the information stored in the black well into my mind in just a few days.

It's not like Ke Lan never thought about taking Ze Luo to the dark well, but considering that doing so might cause an overreaction from the Undead Crew Association, he didn't take action for a long time... To this day, I'm afraid this idea It can never be realized.

The topic of "biological computers, ring cities and brains" came to an end. The two continued to walk through the hive in silence, carefully looking at this city that was full of irrationalities.

"This factory...well, does it process cans?" Thirty-three stopped in front of a semi-open factory and pointed to the pile of empty cans in the corner of the factory that had not yet been filled and capped. .

"Canned food production line." Ke Lan also walked through the past - for a carbon-based biological civilization, food is always one of the most important things. Starting from the clue of food, you can understand many important aspects of this civilization. information.

The most critical point is that among the remains of the Alpha Civilization, the Ark hunters have never found any buildings or venues that can be related to "eating", including farmland, animal husbandry, food processing plants, vegetable markets, and restaurants. , even kitchen knives and tableware have never been found. As for some containers that look like bowls or cups, their real purpose is not to hold food and drinks, but to store some things that are obviously not intended for use. Come get something to eat.

Until now, whether it is the academic circle filled with experts or the chats of ordinary people after dinner, they all agree that Alpha people do not obtain energy through ingesting food - as for what is the source of energy for their life activities, this is There are different opinions.

Some people say that it comes from the nuclear radiation that can be seen everywhere on the surface of Alpha Star; some say that the skin of Alpha people contains substances similar to chlorophyll, which can perform photosynthesis like plants; some people say that Alpha people also eat food, but what they eat is not what humans see. food, but energy crystals, metal ores and the like.

There is even a bolder theory that from the moment Alpha is born, the total amount of energy in the body has been decreasing until death - just like the kind of battery that is installed at the factory and cannot be removed or replaced. Batteries are the same as those for children's toys.

Ke Lan remembered the scene he saw in the "Dirac Sea"-thousands of Alphas standing on a huge square, with heavy lead-gray clouds above their heads, and the sky in the distance. The horizon glowed with pale and dim sunset light. One hose after another was inserted three centimeters below their necks. The light gray viscous substance was slowly pumped into their bodies along the hoses.

If this behavior is the "eating process" of the Alphas... then Ke Lan feels that it is not like they are "eating", but like a car using chemical fuel refueling at a gas station.

As for the "civilization" that built Yagunaktor and the Hive City, it is obvious that they should be closer to humans... After all, the crew of the escaped engineering ship were originally humans from the earth.

Diet has always been an important culture that has been inherited since the birth of human civilization. In many cases, diet is not only a means of survival, but also an act of spiritual and emotional self-satisfaction: Ke Lan feels that even if he Like those cultivators who have reached the "Fat Grain Stage" in the novels about cultivating immortals, they don't need to eat, and it's hard for him to refuse the pleasure that comes when eating - the plump and juicy pieces of meat bursting out when chewed and squeezed by the teeth. Shooting out delicious juices, vegetables and fruits of various flavors and textures, and a wide variety of staple foods... Even synthetic foods can have a unique flavor with the blessing of thousands of seasonings.

Even just the two actions of chewing and swallowing can bring pleasure and satisfaction to the human brain.

The "canned food production line" in front of the two people adopts a semi-manual operation mode. Four huge "capping machines" stand against the wall. There are also a lot of leftover cutting scraps spread on the ground beside them, which are densely packed. It is full of holes that are the same diameter as the cans - Ke Lan just glanced twice and understood how to use this simple-to-operate "capping machine": put the filled cans into the central slot , then cover the iron sheet on the mouth of the can, and pull the lever hard. While the ring-shaped blade cuts out the cover, the welding gun hidden inside the blade will instantly weld the cover and the can tightly together to ensure the sealing of the can. Guaranteed.

From the perspective of an earthling living on the Ark - this method of sealing is really, really backward.

Not to mention that it is impossible to achieve hygiene when sealing cans in this non-sterile environment. Bacteria and dust from the air, machine, and operator's hands will be sealed into the cans. The efficiency alone is enough to eliminate these Equipment reasons.

According to Ke Lan's understanding, the canned production line of "Weijia Synthetic Meat Company" under the Soma Consortium includes a fully mechanized assembly line that operates 24 hours a day and can produce at least 150,000 cans, which is almost One every 0.5 seconds.

This kind of assembly line includes the entire process of making synthetic meat, from preparing raw materials, stirring and then condensing into shape, seasoning, cooking, sterilizing, filling and sealing, except that empty cans need to be transported from other places. , the entire process is completely automated, and the production line manager only needs to sit in a small glass room high up and glance at the computer screen from time to time.

As for the "canned food production line" in the nest, according to Ke Lan's conservative estimate, it can produce two to three thousand cans in one day, which is considered to be the highest output... Calculated based on the population of the upper level, This small amount of canned production is completely a drop in the bucket.

Come to think of it, canned food should be considered a "luxury" for the residents of the hive city on the upper level, right?

If you really want to feed so many mouths, the best solutions are protein blocks and synthetic starch. The former is made from various biological wastes, farmed cockroaches and even corpses after decomposition, while the latter is a pure chemical synthesis preparation. In Ke Lan's eyes, these two things are not even "food", they can only be regarded as "things that can be used to satisfy hunger and replenish energy" - but for the managers of this hive city, the taste of food The taste is not important at all. Preventing the people in the hive from starving to death is the most important thing.

"Unfortunately, they are all empty cans." Thirty-three picked up a can and looked at it carefully. "If we can find a batch of well-sealed finished cans, we might be able to know what these guys are eating."

"After such a long time, even if there is still something left in the can, it is probably difficult for us to distinguish the ingredients without the help of the equipment on the Ark." Ke Lan said, "Ze Luo may be able to do it, but now Deciphering those words is the top priority, and I don’t want other things to slow down the progress of deciphering.”

"This can -" Thirty-three flicked the wall of the can covered with a thick layer of oxide with her fingernails, "the material seems to be an alloy with aluminum as the main material."

"aluminum?"

On Earth, the most common material for metal cans is tinplate, which is tin-plated iron, followed by aluminum. But on the Ark, aluminum cans are almost non-existent - aluminum is a very important industrial material. There are huge reserves of aluminum ore on the earth, which is why there are so many things using aluminum as raw materials in daily life. But on Alpha Planet, aluminum ore is not only scarce, but also very barren. The little bit of aluminum has been used in more important places, and the value of the aluminum itself has also increased... Using aluminum to make cans, this kind of waste Things that were commonplace in old times seem a bit extravagant today.

It is an irrefutable truth that rare things are more valuable... Judging from the aluminum reserves on Alpha Star, this thing can basically be equated with precious metals such as gold.

"I also find it strange that aluminum resources are so scarce on Alpha Planet, and they actually use them to make cans." Thirty-three said, "It always feels... very wasteful."

"Wait a minute." Ke Lan suddenly said, and then he walked around the four "capping machines" several times, looking at every corner of the four devices, and then turned his head to thirty Third, "I think these cans may not be used to hold food. It's our preconceptions... When you see this kind of 'pop can', you will subconsciously think that there is a high probability that the food inside is edible."

"Why do you think so?"

"These four pieces of equipment are so clean." Ke Lan pointed to the machines that were covered with a layer of dust and some of the steel parts were rusty, but had no accumulation of stains. "If this was a can packaging machine, If the machine is operated in this way, something will definitely be spilled on the machine. Over time, sludge-like stains will definitely accumulate in places such as corners and grooves, even if it is scrubbed every day. It’s impossible to avoid. Even if microorganisms eat away those stains in tens of thousands of years, there will always be some inorganic residue left behind... But in these grooves, besides dust, there is nothing None. Does this look like a machine for processing food?"

A modern fully automatic food processing workshop can indeed be spotless and neat as new, but this canning production line is just a manual workshop. Since it is a human operation, mistakes will definitely occur. As long as the hand shakes, the canned food will be filled with food. Things will inevitably spill on the equipment, which is not as good as those robotic arms whose movements can be accurate to millimeters.

Unless the workers who use these devices have brains comparable to super biological computers and body control capabilities comparable to high-end robots... But if they really have this ability, how can they put this backward manual workshop into use? ?

"Ke Lan, there seems to be writing on the inside of the can."

Thirty-three took out a Nino alloy dagger, cut an empty can along the side, and then flattened the entire side. Ke Lan saw that at the bottom of the inside, there was a line that was easily overlooked. Small print.

This line of writing is engraved, but it is very shallow and cannot be found from the outside of the can... Logically speaking, neither product information nor production serial numbers should be engraved in such a difficult-to-find position.

"It's that kind of writing." Thirty-three said, "Look, this character, as well as this, this and this, all match up with some of the characters in the sentence we just saw on the edge of the lifting platform. It’s the same language.”

"It seems we have to wait for Ze Luo..."

As soon as Ke Lan finished speaking, the living armor on his body separated from his body and fell to the ground, turning into a girl with a stunning face but no expression.

"The deciphering is complete." Ze Luo blinked, his long eyelashes casting a thick shadow under his eyelids, "The general meaning of that sentence is: People with authority level 'four' or below are prohibited from entering the hive city. Urban area. This regulation was promulgated in the fourth year of the Ice Age and takes effect immediately."

"The upper city area of ​​the hive capital?" Thirty-three repeated, "Do you mean the third floor below? It seems that this upper city area should be the so-called 'noble area'. This place is really hierarchical."

"No, I am more interested in the 'Ice Age' mentioned later... Does this mean that there has been a period similar to the Earth's Ice Age on Alpha Planet? This hive is to avoid the extreme cold on the surface. , and what about the shelters built?”