Chapter 86: Upgrading the Third Generation Nuclear Fusion!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“10,000 technology points…”
Zhao Yu rubbed his hands as he was feeling excited. It was his first time spending such a large amount of 10,000 technology points at once.
Entering the core control room of the base, he searched for the fusion-related technology.
“Do you want to spend 10,000 technology points to upgrade to the third-generation fusion?” the prompt asked.
“Yes!”
“Base: Level 1”
“Experience: 62,800/100,000”
“Technology Points: 8. (Increases by 1 point per hour.)”
Ignoring the experience increase notification, Zhao Yu quickly opened the fusion technology interface.
He discovered that the current level was already the third generation of fusion, and there were no more upgrade b.u.t.tons available.
“I wonder if there will be a fourth-generation fusion or new technologies when the base reaches Level 2,” Zhao Yu muttered, quickly checking the changes after upgrading the fusion.
Soon, he found three newly appeared exchangeable technologies.
“Hall Thruster: A high-end propulsion system that combines electromagnetic and fusion technologies. Description: It can create an electromagnetic field at the rear of a s.p.a.cecraft, utilizing the energy released from fusion to accelerate and form a plasma jet for propulsion. Cost: 1,000 technology points.”
“So, this is the technology that Uncle Da predicted would enhance the power after upgrading to the third generation of fusion?”
“It’s actually a combination of electromagnetic and fusion technologies…”
Zhao Yu clicked on the s.p.a.ceship list and found the U-shaped s.p.a.ceship, noticing that it had indeed changed.
“U-shaped s.p.a.ceship: A conventional warship capable of equipping a Hall thruster, suitable for multi-purpose modifications.”
Zhao Yu suddenly realized why the U-shaped s.p.a.ceship had both nuclear and magnetic propulsion but lacked speed. Apparently, his fusion technology wasn’t sufficient to unleash the ultimate form of the s.p.a.cecraft.
He quickly checked the details of the Hall thruster.
The more he read, the wider Zhao Yu’s smile became.
“This Hall thruster is amazing!”
According to the description, a s.p.a.ceship equipped with the Hall thruster could reach a conventional speed of 500 Mach, equivalent to around 600,000 kilometers per hour or 14.4 million kilometers per day.
This meant that the closest planet, Mercury, would only take 10 days for a round trip.
Mars, currently 120 million kilometers away from Earth, would take approximately 20 days for a round trip.
“One plus one is indeed greater than two. The combination of these two fully upgraded technologies has increased the speed by so many times!”
Zhao Yu beamed with joy. The appearance of the Hall thruster meant that he could divert his attention from Earth and start mining on nearby planets.
What surprised him even more was that the Hall thruster was not limited to a conventional speed of 500 Mach.
It could also be installed on super-small special warships, reaching instantaneous speeds of up to 1,000 Mach.
However, the endurance was limited, requiring maintenance after just one hour of continuous use.
Even so, it was impressive. At the very least, the travel time to and from Earth had been significantly shortened. It would only take 20 minutes to fly from the Moon to Earth.
“Now, the only problem is the lack of technology points…”
Zhao Yu was feeling a bit overwhelmed. He had traded all the tradeable life-related technologies, and the only option left was the SkyNet that could be exchanged for 500 technology points.
“Should I consider trading some weapons with Earth?” Zhao Yu shook his head, deciding to discuss it with Da Ge before making a decision.
He then turned his attention to the second newly added exchangeable technology.
“Mother Ship: A large warship providing docking and maintenance facilities for long-range fleet operations. Cost: 1,000 technology points.”
Looking at the description, it seemed ordinary and average. It could also equip the Hall thruster for propulsion without sacrificing speed, but it consumed a considerable amount of fuel.
Zhao Yu examined the detailed data and furrowed his eyebrows slightly after going through it.
“It seems the Mother Ship isn’t as good as I thought. Although it can carry various types of weapons, there doesn’t seem to be any breakthroughs…”
“However, the Mother Ship can accommodate repair equipment for all damaged s.p.a.ceships…”
“The most important thing is its enormous size, reaching a length of one thousand kilometers. It can easily accommodate millions of people…”
If one was to look at the description, the Mother Ship was indeed an essential a.s.set for long-distance operations. It was capable of carrying a wide variety of supplies, almost like carrying a small asteroid with it.
“1,000 technology points may not be much, but there’s no immediate need for it…”
Currently, Zhao Yu didn’t have a requirement for long-distance travel. He could establish a s.p.a.ce base for supplies, along with various supply and transport ships as supplements, which would suffice.
Without lingering too much on the Mother Ship, Zhao Yu turned his attention to the next newly added technology.
“Artificial Sun: Can alter the inhospitable environment of remote planets. Cost: 1,000 technology points.”
“Artificial Sun?!”
A look of surprise appeared on Zhao Yu’s face as he read the description. He realized that it didn’t seem useful to him at the moment.
“If there’s no threat from the extraterrestrial fleet after a month, this Artificial Sun would be great. It can transform remote planetary areas for colonization…” There were still many life-related technologies that Zhao Yu hadn’t acquired. If it became safe in the future, he could acquire all of them and engage in a wave of colonization.
After completing the upgrades and understanding the situation of the three new technologies, Zhao Yu looked at the s.p.a.ceship list again. Besides the disk-shaped s.p.a.ceship, almost all other types of ships could be equipped with the Hall thruster.
The disk-shaped s.p.a.ceship could also be modified, but after the modification, its stealth capability would greatly decrease, almost losing its original function.
Aside from the significant enhancement in power systems, Zhao Yu also noticed a substantial improvement in weapons and defense products related to nuclear fusion.
For example, the star destroyer cannon, which previously was only in its first generation, could pulverize small asteroids with a diameter of 100 kilometers.
Now, with the option of upgrading available, it could potentially destroy small asteroids with a diameter of 500 kilometers.
In comparison, its power had increased fivefold.
Other systems like the laser defense system were also greatly strengthened, with improved endurance and maximum defense power.
Furthermore, the third-generation fusion provided upgraded energy supply.
The first-generation fusion power plants installed on Earth could meet the daily power needs of over 100 countries and regions on the planet.
However, with the current third-generation fusion power plants, they could supply the power demands of ten existing Earth.
Upgrading fusion was the key to Zhao Yu’s advancement. In a normal civilization, the biggest role of upgraded fusion would be to provide energy for large-scale energy-consuming scientific research.
In the case of Earth, they had always wanted to conduct large-scale research in the field of particles and quantum, but limited by energy, devices like particle colliders and proton colliders had to be operated at the lowest power. Even so, the annual energy expenditure was astronomical.
Leaving the core control room, Zhao Yu explained the newly acquired technologies to Uncle Da.
“Uncle Da, apart from SkyNet, we still need 500 technology points to quickly construct the Hall thruster. What other areas do you think we can squeeze for points?!”
After pondering for a moment, Uncle Da spoke, “Commander, since we will absolute not sell any of our weapons under any circ.u.mstances, it seems that the only option we have is to sell the Xiaotian robots….”
“Of course, we can sell just the first-generation models. This way, even if the Earthlings get their hands on it, they won’t be able to interfere with our underwater mining operations…”
After carefully considering it, Zhao Yu nodded, “That seems to be the only option!”