RPAGF Chapter 11 Anatomy and Rescue
Chapter 11 Anatomy and Rescue
硅？
The vocabulary that Wen Mu used surprised many people, and Xue Zijing scratched the back of his head in bewilderment.
"Turtle? Director Wen, what did you just say?"
Hu Zhou, Fu Chen, Cui Tang, and the others suddenly realized what was happening.
Cheng Xu was surprised and impressed, his gaze fixed on Director Wen's retreating figure. The brief words he had just heard had cleared away the fog of confusion for him.
From the very beginning, these individuals, and even the Chengmingxing branch, went astray.
Cheng Xu naturally set a premise for the communication problem—the root cause of communication failure is that the signal transmission path is blocked or shielded.
Perhaps it's the unique properties of the Crystal Tomb area, perhaps it's a special strong magnetic field on the planet Golun, or perhaps it's the lingering influence of a ritual from a thousand years ago.
In short, before Wenmu spoke, no one realized that the problem might lie with the communication equipment itself.
After all, the Bureau's outposts and various research institutes and associations on Golun Star must have a considerable amount of communication equipment.
It's impossible that all communication devices were affected, right?
Now it seems that this is indeed the case.
This also explains why the exoskeleton can maintain communication capabilities:
From the beginning, the Crystal Tomb only affected the equipment itself, that is, the two ends of the signal transmission and reception, while the transmission process in between was unaffected.
The special coating on the surface of the exoskeleton protects the communication equipment inside from being affected, so Fu and Xue can communicate normally inside the exoskeleton.
What kind of impact could possibly paralyze all communication facilities on the surface of Golun Star?
Wenmu has already provided the answer: silicon.
Silicon is a key material in mechanical equipment and electronic components. Elemental silicon is the core carrier for the manufacture of most chips, while silicide materials have a wide variety of physical properties.
If the Crystal Tomb affects silicon, then all of this makes sense.
"As expected of Director Wen!" Although Xue Zijing didn't quite understand, it didn't stop him from being the first to offer verbal praise.
"This." Wen Mu took out a semi-transparent tablet computer.
Dai Shan peeked out from behind Wen Mu's thick black clothes: "The director means that he was able to make this connection because he discovered a problem with the tablet's functionality."
Dai Chuan poked his head out from the other side: "The director also wanted to say that the most urgent task is to deal with the equipment we have on hand as soon as possible."
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then rushed toward the metal barrier.
Everyone carries some instruments and equipment, which inevitably contain silicon and silicon compounds. If we don't find a solution soon, they will probably become obsolete sooner or later, just like communication equipment.
Before heading back, Cheng Xu glanced at the Dai brothers, Dai Shan and Dai Chuan, and clicked his tongue in amazement.
How did these two brothers manage to translate the short two characters "Wen Mu" into such a long string of words?
Fortunately, the discovery was timely, and thanks to the fact that most instruments and equipment have low silicon content, most instruments can still be used normally.
Under Tang Shutong's arrangement, several people from the logistics department took out a bucket of paint-like substance packaged in alloy and evenly applied it to the walls, floor, and ceiling of the conference room with the largest metal barrier.
This bucket of "paint" is still an extract from the "Boundless Black Hole," belonging to the strategic reserves of the Chengming Star Branch, and is valuable but unavailable for sale.
Although its concentration is not as high as that of the coating on an exoskeleton, it is enough to create a "shielded room" to keep out abnormal influences.
All kinds of instruments and equipment were concentrated in this shielded room to prevent them from being paralyzed by the Crystal Rock Tomb.
While everyone inside the metal barrier was busy, Wenmu outside the barrier was not idle either.
With the Dai brothers acting as translators, Xue Zijing and Fu Chen, on Wen Mu's advice, initiated communications with the whale-class transport ship.
First, they explained in detail the situation after landing, the battle with the crystal rock people, and the discovery regarding the cause of the communication anomaly.
Next, Wen Mu requested that the transport ship postpone the airdrop of subsequent instruments and equipment, and that the personnel remaining on the spacecraft contact the Chengmingxing Branch Bureau to urgently allocate special equipment that is free of silicon or can shield against abnormal effects.
Finally, the plan was to deploy whale-class transport ships to cruise in near-Earth orbit around Golun, using the ship's comprehensive equipment to search for possible survivors on the planet.
After communicating all the details, Xue Zijing and Fu Chen took the initiative to pilot the exoskeleton and neatly placed the dismembered remains of the Crystal Rock Clan on the open ground for future research.
"If all the Crystal Rock Clan members on Golun Star have fallen into the same state of chaos as before, the camp won't be completely safe either. Let's explore the surrounding area first."
After leaving those words, Xue Zijing and Fu Chen each piloted their own mechs, leading three operatives away from Valley Thirteen.
Two elite special operations officers and two mobile suits remained to guard the temporary camp.
Within the camp centered around metal fortifications, logistics personnel continued to set up various devices and facilities, and to lay defensive traps.
Researchers, on the other hand, focused their attention on the remains of the crystal rock man.
As the director of the Anomaly Research Center, Wen Mu had research experience on the planet Golun, during which time he had close contact with and analyzed the Crystal Rock Clan.
No one objected to him taking charge of the "anatomy" work.
The Crystal Rock Humans possess a humanoid body structure, consisting of a head, torso, and limbs made of crystal rock.
At Wenmu's suggestion, a rocky arm was chosen as the first object of study.
Cheng Xu recalled the scene of the Crystal Stone Man in battle; its arm-waving attack was relatively clumsy, but its power was astonishing.
"The Crystal Rock Clan are silicon-based life forms born from rocks. They underwent a long evolutionary process on the planet Golun and eventually became what they are today."
As he cut the crystal rock, Cui Tang explained.
"This may also be the reason why the Crystal Tomb has an influence on the existence of 'silicon', as the entire Crystal Group is closely related to silicon."
Cheng Xu had learned about the Crystal Rock Clan's way of life from the information he had gathered about them.
Their food consists of all sorts of rocks and mineral veins, which become part of the Crystal Rock People's bodies after being swallowed.
For example, the hard armor on the surface of this crystal rock human is a thick layer of basalt, with iron ore grains embedded in the porous basalt matrix to enhance its protective capabilities.
Because their life forms differ from those of carbon-based organisms, the crystal rock family does not distinguish between genders.
After they grow to a certain stage, they will separate a portion of the crystal core inside their bodies and implant it into the giant crystal, where it will nurture new life over decades.
Cheng Xu saw laser sword marks at the joints of the Crystal Rock Clan's arms, and beneath the scorch marks was tough rock serving as the connection between the joints.
These rocks feel soft and smooth to the touch, with little friction. They also have tiny pores that help cushion the surface.
If you look closely, you can see tiny but densely packed holes at these joints.
After the thick rock arm was cut in half, the holes in its cross-section became more apparent, and hot liquid seeped out from them.
"This is part of the crystal rock circulation system. The liquid is a mixture of rock and metal with a very low melting point, and it is mainly used to transport minerals and energy throughout the body."
"I see. So it's like blood vessels in the human body?"
"right."
Hu Zhou stood beside Cheng Xu, explaining and answering his questions as an experienced elder.
The dissection continued, and Cheng Xu saw more of the structure inside the crystal rock human body.
This includes digestive organs resembling a millstone, a core of crystal rock containing intense heat ("heart"), and apatite fiber nerves that operate using stress waves and electrical pulses, among other things.
Wen Mu, who was in charge of the dissection, observed every detail of the crystal rock slices intently, with a look of disappointment flashing in his eyes from time to time.
The Crystal Rock Clan's body was almost identical to that of the one he had studied on the planet Golun.
This means that the crystal rock man in front of them did not actually bring any new clues about the mutation of the crystal rock tomb.
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"Boss, we can't hold on much longer!"
"Even if you can't hold on anymore, you have to keep going!"
The deafening battlefield was shattered and in disarray, with large amounts of rock debris scattered across the ground.
Five operators dressed in standard combat uniforms stood guard in front of a crystal cave, their uniforms showing multiple tears and damage.
Before them, seven or eight crystal rock golems slowly approached, like a mountain range crushing them.
"Pooh!"
The burly man known as the boss had his face armor blown off. He spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm and gritted his teeth as he gave orders.
"Crossfire! Take out the two toughest ones in the middle first, sever their sulfur-bacterial symbiotic layer!"
The magnetic railgun detonated the soapstone joint of a stone man's knee, and yellowish-green viscous fluid spurted out like pus.
This rock-like creature is covered in a nauseating slime, which is actually a symbiotic flora of the rock, capable of secreting large amounts of soluble acid.
When the team first encountered the Crystal Rock Clan, they suffered heavy losses in fighting these Crystal Rock Golems, losing many of their melee weapons.
Now, the squad's captain and vice-captain are each holding off a slime crystal rock golem, while snipers take them out of position by firing at them, destroying their joints to render them immobile.
A swarm of miniature drones emerged from an operator's shoulder, swooping down to spray fluorosilicic acid etchant, sending pungent white smoke billowing from the Crystal Rock Golem's exoskeleton.
"Boss, this is the last batch of drones. We're completely out of etching agent!"
As it spoke, the miniature drone rushed toward the etched area, burrowed into the stone man's body, and detonated the built-in bomb, instantly blasting the two crystal stone men into pieces.
"Clear the left side!"
The squad's demolition expert unleashed a barrage of firepower, a series of explosions drowning out any other noise on the battlefield.
Faced with overwhelming force, the two stone figures were blasted into pieces before they could even get close, failing to break through the protective wall of firepower.
But just as the demolition expert breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to support the others, the sky suddenly darkened.
A huge rock was launched from the sky, stretching its body as it was about to land; it was a perfectly healthy crystal rock human.
"I'll give you my stars, you'll starve them all!"
The demolition expert cursed loudly. In the distance, a crystal rock golem lowered its exceptionally thick arm.
Just now, this guy threw his companion out, and the tens of tons of crystal body turned into a battering ram and cannonball, directly crashing into the rear of the five-man squad's formation.
boom--!
The demolition expert tried to retaliate, but the stone golem in front of him was faster. Its rocky arm swung and slammed heavily into him.
The next second, a tooth-grinding dent appeared on the combat suit, and hydraulic oil mixed with human blood spread out in a strange pattern on the rocky ground.
The demolition expert was sent flying on the spot, crashing into the rocks beside the cave behind him before landing softly, his fate unknown.
The captain clenched his teeth even tighter.
If they hadn't been wearing only the lightest combat gear, how could their squad have ended up in this desperate situation?
That's right, the five people fighting hard are the first batch of reconnaissance agents dispatched by the Special Operations Division of the Chengming Star Branch to Golun Star.
When the Nightshade-class spacecraft suddenly crashed, they had no choice but to eject from the capsule and make a hasty landing on Golun.
All the weapons, equipment, and supplies carried on the spaceship were buried in the fire that crashed. The five people only had the most basic combat suits, as well as a small amount of weapons and food that were usually provided on the combat suits.
In the past hour, they have killed at least thirty crystal rock golems and are holding the cave behind them.
But their stamina and firepower were already exhausted, while the stone men in the trench seemed to keep coming out one after another.
At this moment, the team is in the most dangerous situation.
A crystal rock golem suddenly landed behind the defensive line, severely injuring the squad's key combatant, the demolition expert, in a single encounter.
The stone figure turned its head and began to approach the sniper.
Without the long-range support and suppression of snipers, the captain and vice-captain will lose the ability to engage in close combat and will be forced into melee combat with the slime crystal rock man.
Once exposed to that slime mold acid, even combat suits will be completely corroded, let alone the fragile flesh beneath them.
The support team member operating the drone wanted to help the sniper, but to their despair they found that their equipment and supplies in their combat uniforms were exhausted, and they could only watch helplessly as the stone man forced the sniper into a dead end in the rock wall.
"Boss, don't worry about me, I'm going to take it down!"
The sniper's face was full of ruthlessness, and he was about to activate the self-destruct device inside his combat suit.
A massive, powered hammer swept through, smashing the stone figure into the cliff face. The captain glared menacingly at his sniper: "Don't just stand there, get the sniper set up!"
The sniper paused for a second before realizing that his captain had saved his life. Without time to express his gratitude, he raised his railgun and looked ahead.
The captain's decision to leave the battlefield and return to provide assistance resulted in the vice-captain bearing double the pressure, having to maneuver between the two stone men with extreme skill and narrowly escaping being hit several times.
The railgun struck the joints, but the two stone men showed no sign of stopping, trapping the vice-captain between them and determined to kill him even at the cost of injury.
Despair flashed in everyone's eyes. They had just barely escaped one predicament, but a new one was about to descend upon them.
"Fangzi, you all lie down!"
At this critical moment, Captain Fang Shu heard a familiar human voice amplified by mechanical equipment.
To him, this sound was more in line with the definition of "heavenly music" than any sound he had ever heard in his life.
"Everyone! Lie down!"
In the distance, a blazing laser beam shot out and swept across the area.
The crystal rock golem that was approaching the squad stopped moving at the same time. Then, a glowing crack appeared on its body, splitting its huge body in two, and it stopped moving.
"Crisis averted. Thank goodness we made it in time."
A hundred meters away, Fu Chen inside the exoskeleton breathed a sigh of relief.