Chapter 58: I’d Have to Be Crazy to Fight You Head-On!
On Ceres, a chill ran through Li Qingsong’s heart.
The close-range observation from that Detector had lasted only a short time. But even that brief look was enough for him to grasp a great deal.
His opponent was very strong.
This was evident not just from the larger spaceships they could build, but from their propulsion technology.
Humanity had also mastered ion propulsion technology and had already applied it on a relatively large scale.
The principle behind this technology is to first ionize a propellant—the substance ejected to propel a spacecraft through reaction force. An electromagnetic field then accelerates the propellant ions to extremely high speeds before expelling them from a nozzle.
Because the propellant ions reach extremely high speeds—up to ten or twenty thousand kilometers per second, far exceeding the ejection velocity of chemical fuels at just a few to a dozen kilometers per second—a unit mass of propellant can provide far greater reaction force than chemical propulsion, thus yielding higher efficiency.
However, this technology has major limitations. Although its specific impulse is high and its propellant utilization is extremely efficient, the overall thrust it generates at any given moment is minuscule.
To put it simply, one unit of chemical fuel could accelerate a one-ton object from zero to ten meters per second in a single second. But since it would be expended in just three seconds, the total velocity gain would be thirty meters per second.
Ion propulsion, on the other hand, is different. Using the same mass of propellant, it might only accelerate a one-ton object from zero to 0.01 millimeters per second. However, it can sustain this thrust for an entire year, so the total velocity gain reaches 315.36 meters per second—far surpassing chemical propulsion.
In the Human World, ion propulsion is largely incapable of meeting the rapid maneuvering needs of massive objects. Its applications are limited to things like satellite station-keeping and the slow acceleration of long-range spacecraft.
The pros and cons of ion propulsion are both starkly clear. So... what if a technology existed that could solve its main drawback while preserving its advantages? What if one could overcome the problem of its minuscule thrust while retaining its ultra-high specific impulse?
That would be the High-speed Ion Propulsion the Human World had long dreamed of!
It was theorized that once High-speed Ion Propulsion was mastered, humanity could build spaceships capable of undertaking interstellar voyages!
But High-speed Ion Propulsion was too profound a technology, and the Human World had never been able to master it. With no other choice, they had to settle for the next best thing, developing secondary pressurized ejection technology as a transitional solution—the very same propulsion system the Deep Space Spaceship was now using.
And now... Li Qingsong was seeing the real-world application of High-speed Ion Propulsion on these unknown spaceships!
Based on this point alone, Li Qingsong could determine that his opponent’s technological capabilities far surpassed his own, and also far surpassed those of Human Civilization before its disappearance.
Combined with their enormous spaceship, Li Qingsong had every reason to believe they came from another Star System.
That raised a question.
’What are you doing in the Solar System?’
’What’s so special about the Solar System? Thinking it over and over, the only thing that makes it special is that it’s a Star System that harbors an intelligent civilization.’
Other than its intelligent civilization, Li Qingsong didn’t believe the Solar System had anything else of note.
’So, what is your connection to humanity’s disappearance? What role did you play in that event?’
Li Qingsong’s million-plus brains pondered this question simultaneously, but they stopped after only a moment.
’This isn’t the time to dwell on that question. The most important thing right now is that they’re flying toward me!’
’From the look of things, their mothership—that enormous spaceship—must have suffered unexpected damage. That’s why it had to temporarily station itself in orbit around Enemy God Star, using the planet’s resources to recover.’
’Perhaps the reason they didn’t attack me directly before, instead using those monster bird swarms to do their dirty work, was because they were still in the initial phase of their repairs and lacked the power to eliminate me then.’
’And now, after several decades of rest and recovery, they have regained some of their strength and are eagerly embarking on a journey across the system to destroy me!’
’Just how advanced must the offensive and defensive technologies be for a civilization that has mastered High-speed Ion Propulsion?’
’I’m no match for them! At least, not in a direct confrontation. I would definitely lose!’
Li Qingsong immediately came to this conclusion.
’So... what should I do?’
Facing an opponent more powerful than any he had ever encountered, Li Qingsong remained calm and composed.
Considering all factors—his own advantages and technological level, his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses—a plan quickly formed in Li Qingsong’s mind.
’I don’t care what your plans are or where you come from. Right now, the only strength you’re showing me is these few dozen small ships.’
’I probably couldn’t even beat these few dozen ships in a direct confrontation, but that doesn’t matter. I’d have to be out of my mind to fight you head-on!’
At that moment, Li Qingsong decisively issued a command to the 1.1 million Clones under his simultaneous control.
All non-essential posts were immediately shut down, leaving only the personnel required to maintain base operations and ensure the Clones’ survival.
This instantly freed up a staggering 900,000 consciousness-link slots.
The next moment, these 900,000 consciousness-link slots, along with their corresponding Clones, were all devoted to a single task.
Make guns! If they couldn’t make advanced ones, they would make Gunpowder Guns! Vast quantities of Gunpowder Guns!
As numerous unrelated factories temporarily shut down, every factory involved with firearms and ammunition erupted into a frenzy of activity.
Mines suddenly ramped up their production rates. Excavators and crushers roared to life, frantically quarrying massive chunks of ore.
Trains raced along the tracks, transporting the ore to smelters at unprecedented speeds.
Blast furnaces belched black smoke as molten steel poured out like a river of fire. After cooling and setting, the steel was sent to processing plants, where innumerable machines worked to turn it into individual components.
Chemical plants operated with the same frantic energy, sending massive quantities of gunpowder to ammunition factories. There, it was processed into standard-issue bullets that flowed off the conveyor belts in a torrent.
As this frantic production of guns and ammunition began, Li Qingsong also ordered his entire fleet—all 500 of his Mercury-class Warships stationed around the space base—to return to the surface of Ceres and enter a massive hangar.
Before long, the Warships all emerged.
This time, however, they did not remain in orbit. Instead, supported by the Deep Space communications network, they began a frantic acceleration, hurtling toward Enemy God Star.