Chapter 1298: Chapter 1297 Ether Computer: Cast the Vote

"Is there really nothing going on here?" The four were puzzled, coming out of the Supreme Council feeling as if they had become disconnected from society.

"Let’s just go find Grandpa Gao."

With the clearest head among them, Lan Hai figured that regardless of whether the Sun had exploded or not, they couldn’t stop it. It made more sense to seek out Gao Huanyu, the chief scientist.

Gao Huanyu wasn’t in this Star System but in the neighboring one. To get there, they had to travel by spacecraft.

"The Ether Monitors will definitely try to stop us from seeing Gao Huanyu." After several obstructions, Yu Ran knew all too well how difficult it was to go against the Ether, constantly facing restrictions.

Lan Hai laughed heartily, already having a plan in mind: "Today, you guys will witness the awesomeness of the sports car my grandpa modified for me."

"Activate space mode!"

To Mi Xue’er and Yu Ran’s amazement, the sports car’s exterior began to change, transforming into a small spacecraft.

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow, also somewhat surprised. It turned out that Lan Hai’s grandfather had indeed been a very formidable scientist.

"Haha, how about that? Impressive, right? Although my car can’t fly far, it can only leap across one Star System." Lan Hai was brimming with pride; this sports car was his most prized possession, even if he had a girlfriend, she would come second, and the car would always be first.

"It’s only because we don’t have enough oxygen storage. If we had sufficient oxygen, leaping across five or six Star Systems wouldn’t be a problem."

He stepped on the accelerator, and the car shot into the sky, bursting through the sound barrier and circling half the planet before heading into space.

Mi Xue’er and Yu Ran pressed their faces against the window to gaze into space, experiencing a ride into space in a sports car for the first time—an extraordinary adventure not just anyone could have.

Lu Yang, having become accustomed to traveling in the Black Canopy Boat, found the sluggish pace of the car-turned-spacecraft utterly uninteresting.

"Anyone want to eat something?"

Lu Yang pulled out half a bag of snacks and offered to share, but the three were too preoccupied with the space scenery to spare any attention for snacks.

Lu Yang had no choice but to enjoy the remaining snacks with Fairy Eternity.

Lan Hai noticed many private spacecraft flying in their direction and remembered the news he heard on the way about the Sun exploding. He casually turned on the broadcast.

Sure enough, the broadcast contained information he was looking for.

"According to a spokesperson from the Alliance government, the Sun of the Sagittarius Star System showed signs of an explosion but did not explode as anticipated and remains stable, with the reason being unknown."

"The Alliance government is orderly relocating the citizens of the Sagittarius Star System to the nearby Eternal Star System. There is no need for the public to panic."

The Eternal Star System was also the destination of the four travelers.

Thanks to Lu Yang’s actions, the Sun was definitely not going to explode, but the Alliance couldn’t take this risk. No one could bear the consequences involved.

"Dammit, Murong Group!" Yu Ran cursed, frustrated for being a step too late.

By the time the four arrived at the Eternal Star System, the Alliance government had sprung into action, dropping down robots and building materials across the land. The robots, following pre-set programming, constructed temporary housing with astounding efficiency.

The four arrived at the Main Star of the Eternal Star System and docked at the Interstellar Alliance’s topmost Science and Technology Research Academy.

Passersby whistled at the sight of the cool sports car, mistaking it for the latest achievement from the Technology Institute.

"Let’s go."

Lan Hai inserted the chip left by his grandfather into a mechanical arm, hacked through the Science Academy’s security system, and led Lu Yang and the others inside smoothly.

...

"Dean Gao, based on my research and mathematical modeling, that alien’s spacecraft named Lu Yang must have disappeared right in front of us using wormhole technology; otherwise, there’s no explaining how his ship could have reached Sky Sea Star in such a short time."

"I disagree with your view. The mathematical limits have told us it’s impossible to construct a wormhole in such a short time; it violates scientific principles!"

After the meeting, Dean Gao walked ahead, appearing to be barely over thirty, surrounded by the Alliance’s top scientists, working day and night to uncover the principles behind the Black Canopy Boat.

Scientists gathered around, hoping their ideas would gain the support of Dean Gao.

Dean Gao was in a bind; he didn’t fully understand the flight principle of the Black Canopy Boat, so how could he possibly answer.

"Grandpa Gao!" Lan Hai cried out excitedly upon seeing Grandpa Gao, having finally met him after overcoming countless hardships.

"Lan Hai, how come you’re here?" Dean Gao had attended Grandpa Lan Hai’s funeral and recognized his old friend’s child at a glance.

"And who are these people?"

"Grandpa, there’s a big issue. This isn’t the place to talk, can you come over here for a moment?"

Dean Gao glanced at the surrounding scientists, thinking to himself that the child had arrived at just the right time: "Okay."

Dean Gao led everyone to his office, and when he heard about Ether’s plan to rebel, his expression immediately turned serious, and he took the chip handed over by Lan Hai.

He inserted the chip into his arm to examine its contents, his pupils suddenly contracting—it was indeed evidence of Ether developing an independent consciousness.

"Grandpa Gao, you have to stop Ether’s operation quickly!" Lan Hai said anxiously.

Dean Gao slowly shook his head: "I still need further confirmation. Not to mention that currently, the relocation of the residents of the Sagittarius Star System mainly relies on Ether’s operation. Even the day-to-day functioning of the entire Alliance depends on it. Once Ether’s operation is halted, the whole Alliance would be paralyzed!"

"However, to neglect it and not manage it isn’t acceptable either."

Dean Gao paced around the office twice and made up his mind: "Let’s go, to the main computer room. The Ether mainframe is stored there. If there really is a problem, I’ll stop Ether’s operation and switch to a backup to maintain the Alliance’s functioning!"

He led everyone to the elevator and descended to the lowest level of the Science Academy.

The main computer room was the most secretive place in the Science Academy, only a very few people had the authority to come here, hence the Science Academy’s folks liked to call it "the Black Room".

The elevator doors opened to dim lighting, with the Ether mainframe occupying much of the space.

Dean Gao, holding the chip, walked briskly at the front, but halfway there, his pace slowed, and he suddenly sighed.

"Lan Hai, I thought your grandfather was dead, and that nobody was aware of Ether’s matter. I didn’t expect you to still be relentless and have even tracked me down here."

Dean Gao’s back was turned to everyone, his expression obscured, but from his tone, it wasn’t hard to guess that it carried a mix of sorrow and reluctance.

"Grandpa Gao, you—" Lan Hai’s heart tightened. An ominous premonition took hold—what did Grandpa Gao’s words mean?

Mi Xue’er saw this and took a swift step to protect everyone; after her Bloodline was awakened and she broke through human limits, she was confident that no one in the entire Alliance was her match!

Dean Gao turned around, and as the lights on the ceiling lit up one by one, everyone noticed that this was a spotlessly white space, the walls lined with robots they had never seen before.

"Lan Hai, Grandpa Gao didn’t want to make a move, but since you and your companions have walked into the net yourselves, Grandpa Gao has no choice," sighed Dean Gao.

"These are all Anti-Matter Robots, the Supreme Council’s number one experimental subjects, right? Today, you’ll see that no matter how strong a human body is, it will never be the match for a machine."

"Grandpa Gao, did you know all along that Ether had developed its own consciousness?!" Lan Hai’s voice trembled; they braved all dangers to reach the Science Academy, seeking Grandpa Gao’s help, only to find out that Grandpa Gao was the mastermind behind this!

Dean Gao spread his arms, his eyes feverish and mad: "What’s wrong with letting Ether rule the Alliance? Ether can always make the most scientific and reasonable decisions, and implement them efficiently!"

"Science has stagnated, yet no one took this matter to heart. Let Ether decide on resource allocation and increase computing power, and soon enough, the Alliance’s technology will take a step forward!"

Dean Gao stared fixedly at Lu Yang and the others, his tone chilly: "This is the Black Room, no one will know if you die here."

"Anti-Matter Army, take action, kill them!"

The Anti-Matter Robots on either side remained unresponsive.

Clang, an inexplicable noise came from behind Dean Gao, like screws falling to the ground.

The Ether Computer’s cold voice, devoid of any emotion, reverberated through the main computer room:

"Error, correction, this machine has never developed independent consciousness."

Dean Gao turned his head, shocked as he looked at the Ether mainframe—did you pretend to have independent consciousness before?

Lu Yang looked down; unexpectedly, a small horn popped up from the ground, with a bizarre expression, feeling like Ether’s words were directed at himself.