Chapter 4

4. Piercing Through This Universe

A soothing melody woke Tang Xiao from his sleep. He opened his eyes and looked around at the familiar surroundings, letting out a bitter smile.

[Manager, I apologize for disturbing you, but there is an important matter that requires your decision.] The voice of Qi Jian came from the communicator beside him.

"Whatever it is, put it aside!" Tang Xiao got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom, asking the mainframe to adjust the water temperature to icy cold once again, then splashed his face fiercely.

He supported himself on the sink, looking up at his pale face due to the cold, clenching his teeth. After a while, he suddenly stood up, put on his clothes, and stormed out, slamming the door, "Mainframe! Lead the way to the bridge!"

"Manager, I apologize for disturbing you." On the command center of the bridge, Qi Jian bowed respectfully to Tang Xiao.

"Go on." Tang Xiao said indifferently.

"The engineering team has already established two mining stations near the gas giant. During your rest, they have already sent back two ships of helium-3 and refined it. Now we can launch more spaceships, especially the transport ships that need to travel between Dawn Planet and the mothership." Qi Jian said.

"Continue."

"Then... the reconnaissance team has sent back a report, preliminarily selecting 17 landing sites. We can choose one of them to begin the landing." As he spoke, Qi Jian's voice trembled slightly, and he unfolded an interface for Tang Xiao.

"You decide." Tang Xiao waved his hand impatiently.

Qi Jian was somewhat surprised, "Manager, this first colony may very well become our capital. I... I dare not overstep and make such a decision for you."

Tang Xiao was annoyed but had to look back at the screen. He originally planned to choose a random location, but as he raised his finger to tap, he saw the complex look in Qi Jian's eyes.

The look was filled with anticipation, pride, and a bit of unease. His fists were tightly clenched, trembling slightly as he tried to control his excitement. Not just him, but everyone else on the bridge was the same.

Tang Xiao sighed and looked back at the screen, this time carefully comparing the landing sites. The knowledge crammed into his mind like a force-fed duck began to flow out like a floodgate.

Combining the knowledge he had learned, he chose a region with mountains, water, and vast grasslands, pointing to it and said to Qi Jian, "Here. The latitude is moderate, and there is a water source nearby. There is also a small mountain over 1,000 meters high as a defensive vantage point. Send 20 marines to land first, set up defenses, and immediately start building the residential area."

"Yes, Manager! This will be our first colony! Our first step into this universe!!" Qi Jian was excited and immediately began assigning tasks.

After determining the landing site, work began on all fronts.

Soon, a transport ship carrying 20 marines and 50 construction workers took off from the mothership and landed on Dawn Planet. The marines spread out, driving away wild animals and setting up positioning beacons, while the construction workers began preparing their mechanized exoskeletons.

"Beacon signal is normal, Manager. The mothership can enter synchronous orbit." Qi Jian confirmed the signal and said to Tang Xiao.

Tang Xiao nodded and said to the operators at the bridge control panel, "Enter synchronous orbit with Dawn Planet, keeping the mothership directly above the beacon. Mainframe, assist."

[Understood.]

The massive Kusen mothership, over 41,300 meters tall, started its engines again. The immense thrust pushed the colossal 370 billion-ton behemoth forward, gradually descending into Dawn Planet's outer gravity field, then maintaining the same rotational speed as the planet.

As the mothership approached Dawn Planet's orbit, its enormous mass even triggered several 3-5 magnitude earthquakes and underground water eruptions on the planet's surface.

Once in the designated orbit, the mothership, under the influence of the planet's centrifugal force and inertia, required minimal power to maintain its course, staying in sync with the ground beacon. A central hatch on the mothership opened, and an orbital drop pod was launched.

The one-time-use orbital drop pod, due to friction in the atmosphere, caused the surrounding air to ignite, appearing like a meteor falling to the ground. Just before landing, the drop pod's reverse thrusters activated, spraying flames to help it land smoothly.

The construction workers, who were already prepared, immediately went over, opened the drop pod, and assembled the modular housing made of ultra-light materials, using the drop pod's outer shell as the building's exterior. In less than 20 minutes, a two-story building was completed.

The mothership continued to drop buildings at a rate of one every 10 minutes, including housing, solar and wind power facilities, and water purification systems.

Tang Xiao also began waking up some farmers and maintenance workers from the 600,000 cryosleep residents, sending them to Dawn Planet via transport ships. He also selected a man named Graham to be the village chief.

Once the process began, everything proceeded in an orderly manner. Tang Xiao stretched and stood up, looking at the busy people, feeling a bit heavy-hearted.

Looking out the other side of the porthole at the vast universe, Tang Xiao couldn't help but walk over. Seeing the distant stars, he thought of the mysterious dream that might have caused his穿越. Anger surged within him, his teeth clenched, and his fists tightened, then he punched the thick porthole fiercely!

He growled like a wild beast, "F*ck fate!! F*ck choice!! F*ck you, do you know what I want!! I just want to go home!! Are you playing with me? Fine! I'll pierce through this universe for you to see!! Then can you let me go home!! F*ck!!"

Bang! He punched again, and the wound previously bandaged by the nurse split open, blood flowing profusely.

But at that moment, his eyes were filled with madness! Soon, they returned to a terrifying calm.

"Mainframe, call the nurse to bandage me up." Tang Xiao said calmly, "Also, bring me the information I need. I have a lot to do."

[Understood, Manager.]

He was now somewhat resigned, and he vaguely felt that he might really never be able to return. If that was the case, continuing to drift aimlessly might really result in his home being left in poverty when the star-destroying ships arrived.

Moreover, after seeing the passionate and expectant looks in Qi Jian and the others, Tang Xiao realized he couldn't let them down. If he did, his position might be uncertain.

Human society is a complex web of various interest relationships. Although the mainframe said that even if he ordered the mothership to self-destruct, it wouldn't matter, he was certain that if he really did that, he would first have to worry about his subordinates rebelling.

Tang Xiao sat back in the main seat on the bridge, opened the colonization plan, and began reviewing it. He needed to understand the challenges he would face and how to overcome them.

He was a serious person. Once he decided to do something, he would be very clear about what he needed to do and how to do it. He didn't indulge in repeatedly checking the unrealistic technology projects from games, drooling over the massive warships. He just focused on what he needed to see.

What he needed to understand now was how to establish a colony.

In an unknown environment, rapid development and establishing a solid base were always the best choices.

Especially now, with everyone's intentions hidden, as a穿越者, he deeply understood that he was the most isolated here. And who could guarantee that this environment wasn't another "Truman Show"?

Suppressing his confusion and unease, Tang Xiao opened an entry titled "Guide to Establishing a Space Colony" and began reading the documents.