Chapter 48 Borrowing a Knife to Kill

At this moment, that object was orbiting on a distant trajectory around the planet Luoshen at an extremely sluggish pace.

Controlled by a clone, the spacecraft quickly approached the object and hauled it aboard.

Inside the zero-gravity cabin, Li Qingsong examined the wreckage closely through the clone's eyes, noticing remnants of certain mechanical structures still clinging to the hull.

A trace of chill slowly rose in Li Qingsong's heart.

"This is definitely not made by me! Nor is it a creation of human civilization!"

The appearance of a technological artifact not manufactured by himself in the vicinity of Luoshen clearly meant that another entity had arrived here.

So... when was this? Was it before or after his own arrival at Luoshen? What were they here to do?

On a broader scale, when had they arrived in the Solar System? And was their presence connected to the mysterious disappearance of humankind?

Li Qingsong transported the wreckage to the scientific research base on the surface of Luoshen at maximum speed.

Here lay the most advanced laboratory available at this stage; perhaps he could analyze what kind of device this fragment had broken off from.

After a series of analyses, looking at the conclusions before him, Li Qingsong felt a solemnity unlike anything he had experienced before.

He had figured out what the wreckage belonged to.

It still retained some mechanical remnants. The technology level was exceptionally high—far beyond Li Qingsong's capacity to replicate—yet its primary function was still discernible.

These were unequivocally the remnants of a light-excitation device!

Furthermore, the light was not in the visible spectrum, but belonged to a specific wavelength within the infrared band. Moreover, its total energy output was extraordinarily high.

In other words, within that frequency band, the light it emitted was blindingly intense.

Further analysis revealed that this special wavelength of light corresponded to the optical spectrum of a certain organic substance. And...

Through years of breeding and studying those strange giant birds, Li Qingsong had already confirmed that the organic food favored by the creatures emitted a spectrum upon exposure to sunlight that precisely matched this wavelength!

It all matched. Everything fell into place.

Those strange birds had not arrived at Luoshen by mere coincidence!

They might never have intended to come to Luoshen at all. However, while they were still some distance away, a high-energy "infrared bomb" had detonated in the vicinity of Luoshen, releasing an intense radiance mimicking the spectral signature of a specific organic material.

Because his technological level at the time was limited and he lacked the corresponding observation capabilities, he had completely failed to notice this.

But the giant birds could see it!

Consequently, the birds assumed that Luoshen harbored a vast abundance of the organic matter they craved, prompting them to alter their course and head straight for Luoshen.

They had been deliberately lured here by some entity lurking in the shadows!

That unknown entity had intended to use the flock of giant birds as a knife to kill him!

Li Qingsong controlled a clone to abruptly raise its head, gazing up into the vast, boundless universe.

The sky was peppered with twinkling stars, silent and deep.

"Who is it? Who is trying to harm me? And why?"

Recalling the battle against the giant birds, Li Qingsong felt a bone-chilling cold wash over him.

Though the final outcome had been favorable, the process had been fraught with extreme peril.

A single misstep, and everything he had built on Luoshen would have been reduced to ashes.

Had he not already possessed a certain degree of industrial capability to rapidly forge cold weapons, had he not stockpiled a vast number of clones in advance to buy time at the cost of their lives while rapidly developing firearms technology, he might well have been devoured down to the bones by those monstrous birds.

Simultaneously, Li Qingsong commanded all the space-based detection devices at his disposal to train their lenses upon the heavens.

They were still relatively primitive—merely rudimentary telescopes and radar systems—yet they represented the sum total of his technological assets.

After a thorough scan, the expanse of space remained empty and desolate, revealing nothing at all.

A gravity heavier than ever before settled in Li Qingsong's heart.

"I must accelerate the pace of technological development once again, and at the same time devote all-out efforts to military technology and space exploration technology.

Even if we lag behind, we must at least possess some capacity for self-preservation!"

Li Qingsong turned his gaze toward the space laboratory that had just begun construction.

This space laboratory would serve as the foundation for all his future developments.

Too many technologies needed to be researched in a spatial environment, and too many experiments required the conditions of zero gravity.

Without it, his spacecraft technology, engine technology, space exploration technology, and weapon systems suited for spatial combat could never develop rapidly.

Weighing his options, Li Qingsong gritted his teeth.

"Within one year, the space laboratory must be completed!"

To Li Qingsong, this was an unimaginably grand objective.

According to his blueprints, this space laboratory would be a kilometer-scale colossal structure with a total mass reaching an astounding 1.3 million tons—vastly eclipsing even the Deep Space spacecraft.

This, of course, did not mean that Li Qingsong's current technological level had surpassed human civilization; rather, Luoshen's unique environmental conditions allowed him to achieve transit between the surface and space using comparatively simple technologies.

On Earth, by contrast, human launch operations were severely constrained by the planet's stronger gravity and dense atmosphere, raising the difficulty by countless orders of magnitude.

Yet even with the relative ease of space launches on Luoshen, constructing a million-ton experimental base remained an arduous trial.

The total number of Kaotian-1 spacecraft currently at Li Qingsong's disposal was a mere 200, each capable of carrying a payload of only two tons per trip.

Calculating eight hours per transport—accounting for refueling, maintenance, loading, unloading, and return flights, which represented the absolute limit of efficiency—even if all 200 Kaotian-1 vessels operated at full capacity, the task would require nearly three years.

Add to that the transportation of personnel and various material supplies, and the total duration would likely stretch beyond a decade.

And that accounted solely for logistics, excluding the actual time required for construction itself.

"There's no time to hesitate! We go all out! One year—it must be built!"

Under the shadow of this unknown threat, all 70,000 clones across the Luoshen base complex whose consciousness could be directly linked by Li Qingsong sprang into action.

In the communal dormitories, the two million reserve clones also readied themselves to step into the breach at a moment's notice.

The entire planet of Luoshen seemed enveloped in a grim, martial atmosphere.

Li Qingsong knew that all his developments over the past century were now facing a comprehensive, ultimate test.

The construction of this space laboratory inherently involved nearly every industrial sector and capability he had mastered.

"So be it, then. Let them come!"