15 15 301 Karenina The zero-point engine's gone haywire, right? I knew it. So? Are you able to shut it down remotely? 1
16 16 301 Teddy shakes her head and projects the control panel onto a screen.
17 17 301 Teddy The relay program has rejected all the requests from the control panel. It's probably already infected by the Punishing Virus. At this stage, no one can possibly cut off the reactor's power with programs. 2
18 18 301 Karenina Not even you? 1
19 19 204 2 5
20 20 301 Teddy Nope... I hate to say it, but I'm no wizard. If it can't be done, it can't be done... 2
21 21 204 2
22 22 301 Teddy sighs as she tries to think of other solutions.
23 23 301 Teddy How about we try to shut it down manually? 2
24 24 301 Karenina I tried already... That thing is surrounded by extremely intense gravitational waves. Nobody can even get close, let alone shut it down. 1
25 25 204 2 13
26 26 301 Teddy Not even you? 2
27 27 204 1 6
28 28 301 Karenina I can try to toss you over from outside. Then you'll be able to shut it down manually—as long as you aren't crushed into a pile of dirt on the ground. 1
29 29 201 1 500494 4 1
30 30 201 2 500499 7 -600 1
31 31 201 3 500495 4 600 1
32 32 301 1 Yarha What exactly are you talking about...? 2
33 33 204 1 4
34 34 301 Karenina Basically, the control center of the zero-point reactor was infected by the Punishing Virus and is now out of control. It keeps pumping zero-point energy into the engine, causing it to go haywire. The gravitational waves can blow up the lunar base at any time. 1
35 35 204 2 19
36 36 301 Yarha lets out a gasp. He too knows very well what would happen to the people here if the situation continues to deteriorate.
37 37 301 Karenina Speaking of which, Yarha, do you know any way to bypass the relay and shut down the zero-point engine directly? 1
38 38 301 Yarha No way... The reactor has top-level security. There are no other ways to cut its power. 2
39 39 301 Karenina Teddy, how long will it take for the gravitational waves to reach here? 1
40 40 301 Teddy They aren't expanding. Instead, they have been contracting— 3
41 41 204 1 12
42 42 301 Teddy's reply gives Karenina temporary relief, but she does not seem delighted at all—instead, she gets even more serious.
43 43 204 3 14
44 44 301 Teddy Don't be too optimistic. The waves are contracting because of the increasing density. The energy supply to the reactor is still going up non-stop. 3
45 45 301 Teddy It's not difficult to understand. With increased power, the reactor will produce more Punishing Virus... which will then infect more control centers and cause more reactor arrays to malfunction, until all the reactors are overloaded. 3
46 46 204 1 4
47 47 301 Karenina Which means... the engine is going to get even more out of control... 1
48 48 301 Teddy According to my calculations, the gravity oscillation generated by the engine will even have the strength to cause a small part of the Moon to implode and decompose... The debris would have an enormous mass and reach the Earth at an incredibly high velocity. 3
49 49 301 Karenina cannot imagine how desperate it will be for the people on the ground. They have survived so many disasters only to face the rain of doom falling from above.
50 50 204 2 7
51 51 301 Yarha What... about us? 2
52 52 204 3 13
53 53 301 Teddy Ha... Do you even need to ask? 3
54 54 204 3 4
55 55 204 2 19
56 56 301 Yarha gulps. It is not hard to imagine how everyone here would turn into space dust in a split second.
57 57 301 Teddy We cannot stop the reactor, but there is still one last chance... Before the zero-point engine finally blows up, the gravitational waves will continue to contract. We may be able to find an extremely short window to approach it... 3
58 58 301 Karenina If we can destroy the engine at that time... We can shut down the gravitational waves. 1
59 59 301 Teddy It still cannot guarantee to negate all the existing gravitational waves, but that is the best option available. 3
60 60 204 2 7
61 61 301 Yarha But... are we really going to destroy the zero-point engine...?! 2
62 62 301 Karenina remains silent. She knows she must destroy the engine for herself, for the people here as well as the innocent humans on the surface...
63 63 301 But it was once the symbol and hope of humanity toward space navigation and the pinnacle of technology during the Golden Age... Is she really qualified to destroy it?
64 64 301 Karenina Yarha, can we call Babylonia from here? 1
65 65 204 2 19
66 66 301 Yarha Technically, we can. The ID card I just gave you should be able to connect to Babylonia. But when I tried to do so earlier, there were tons of interference... 2
67 67 301 Teddy I'm afraid the Punishing Virus has also contaminated the signal station, thus the interference. 3
68 68 301 Karenina It should be better if we just send a one-way message... Teddy, make a report of everything happening right now. 1
69 69 301 Teddy Already did it... but you better be fast. The signals are almost cut off. 3
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71 71 301 1 AniZhuanchangBegin Karenina makes up her mind. She nods at Yarha and Teddy, then sends a comms request to Babylonia.
