Forty-nine rules of the end times

Chapter 432 The Final Crisis
Inside the main cabin.

As soon as Guan Tong came out of the rest cabin, he saw the multi-clawed aerospace robot start operating in front of the control panel.

Then, a large folding screen on top of it rises and unfolds, automatically initiating a video call connection with the ground control center.

After the call was connected, Zhang Minglu and Director Weilanke appeared on the screen.

"Guan Tong, how are you feeling after resting? Are you alright?" Zhang Minglu asked with concern.

"I'm just a little tired right now, but there's nothing else wrong," Guan Tong said.

"If I'm tired... I don't want to say it, but now is not the time to rest."

Guan Tong frowned: "What do you mean? Is there anything else?"

Logically, after "Wailing Forge" was consumed by the title, the Crimson Fear should have subsided, and the crisis of this rule should have been resolved.

“Let me tell you some good news first,” Vilanco said. “After Terra returned to normal, the symptoms of those who were in a state of stress due to Scarlet Fear were also relieved.”

"Oh? They've all woken up?"

"No, that's not it. Although the effects have disappeared, the damage it caused is irreversible. Many victims have fallen into comas... But in any case, it would be good if even one out of a hundred victims could return to a normal life in the future, and that would be thanks to you."

Guan Tong nodded.

This situation is also unavoidable. Just as the law arrests and punishes criminals after the fact, the harm already suffered by the victims is irreversible.

He then took the initiative to ask, "Since you've told me the good news first, it means there's bad news too. Whatever it is, please tell me directly."

The two exchanged a glance, and Zhang Minglu said, "This is what happened..."

He explained the situation and background of Robert maneuvering "Dream Boat No. 1" toward them, and Guan Tong was not as panicked as the two had imagined.

"So, in short, you believe he intends to use the 'Dreamship' to ram the 'Imperial Pioneer'?"

"That's the case based on the driving trajectory."

Guan Tong pondered for a moment upon hearing this.

Seeing his calm expression, both Weilan and Zhang Minglu were secretly alarmed.

The fact that Guan Tong could remain calm upon hearing such news shows that, as a "person involved in the pre-collision incident," her mental fortitude is far superior to that of those who were not in danger on the ground.

However, if Guan Tong knew what the two were thinking, she would only find it funny.

The reason he wasn't panicked was that he wasn't in any real danger. Even if the two rocket ships did collide, he would have already teleported back to Tianshui before the collision.

After thinking for a moment, Guan Tong said, "Check on the situation of that woman who was the 'source of the spread' in Lu Ruiguo's case. See if she has returned to normal after the scarlet fear subsided."

The two were taken aback by his words. Zhang Minglu was the first to react, his eyes lighting up: "Guan Tong, do you mean that if she recovers, Robert might also recover?"

"Hmm. Didn't you think Robert was also a source of transmission? Then their situations should be similar, right?"

Guan Tong had previously deduced that those who became the source of the fear must have come into contact with or even obtained a small portion of the "Wailing Forge," thus gaining similar abilities.

Now that the main body of the "Wailing Forge" has been devoured and absorbed by the title, becoming an experience pack for leveling up, the small piece they have may also become "dead objects".

Just like the swarm of nanobots in Guan Tong's hands, after separating from that large intelligent entity, this small piece no longer possesses any intelligence and becomes a "tool" controlled by its owner.

“What you said makes a lot of sense!” Zhang Minglu made a decisive decision. “I’ll contact Lu Ruiguo right away and ask about the woman’s situation. Director Weilan, could you please have someone increase the communication efforts to ‘Dream Boat One’? If Robert regains consciousness and can hear us, he might contact us to explain the situation.”

After the two went their separate ways, the screen suddenly went empty.

Guan Tong sat alone, looking out at the space outside the porthole, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind: I wonder if my shadow can exist in the space environment.

The idea took root and sprouted quickly once it popped into my head.

He immediately decided to give it a try.

A blurred line of light appeared from beneath his feet and disappeared into the cabin material.

The reason for not using a physical shadow is that the airtightness of the rocket spacecraft is extremely important. If a hole is accidentally made, it would be both troublesome and dangerous in space.

Fortunately, last month he mastered the derivative ability of "coexistence of reality and illusion" through the development of shadows.

In this way, he can first control the blurred shadow to pass through the cabin, and then solidify the exposed part of the shadow once they enter the outer space environment. This way, he can test the shadow's adaptability to the space environment without damaging the cabin's integrity.

The blurred shadow, like a black line, swiftly passed through the cabin and entered space. The part of the blurred shadow that entered space materialized under Guan Tong's control and activated visual sharing.

The shadow, now in physical form, immediately began to exhibit many changes that were completely different from those on Tianshui Star.

First, under Guan Tong's control, it will begin to sway towards the planet. This is probably related to gravity; given the small mass of the shadow itself, it's impossible for it to escape the gravity of Tian Shui Xing while in orbit.

Secondly, it was even "darker" than when it was on Tianshui, which may be related to the lack of an atmosphere to scatter light. The edges of the shadow were exceptionally clear and sharp, making it very conspicuous.

If Guan Tong hadn't just released a small portion, but instead created a large number of shadows that transformed into some kind of monster, he could have realistically portrayed some cosmic monsters.

Ok?
Just then, Guan Tong made another discovery.

Through shared vision, he saw dots gradually appearing on the physical shadow, looking like spots left after being burned.

Was it caused by cosmic rays?

Guan Tong thought to herself that the various cosmic rays, radiation, extremely low temperatures, and lack of air pressure in space are all deadly to humans. Therefore, astronauts must wear spacesuits with precise protective capabilities when conducting extravehicular activities.

Since shadows are not human bodies, although they can be immune to some types of harm, they are still affected by radiation such as cosmic rays.

After trying it, Guan Tong blurred the physical shadow in space and recalled it.

His assessment is that shadows are usable in space, but are subject to many limitations such as planetary gravity and cosmic rays. Currently, the intensity of his shadow is still insufficient in a space environment.

This gave him some new insights.

He believes this understanding is more important than sublimated coins or the growth of spiritual power.

Because he had a premonition that the Firebringers would eventually issue rules related to outer space and other planets.

He believes it is necessary to do some research and preparation in advance.

Not long after he withdrew his shadow, Zhang Minglu gave him feedback. "We have news!" Zhang Minglu's face on the camera showed both excitement and worry. "According to the surveillance video, after the scarlet fear subsided, Lu Ruiguo's woman shouted, 'They're gone, I'm finally free!' and then she passed out!"

"they……"

"This proves your guess was correct. But..."

Zhang Minglu gave a wry smile.

"She just fainted, like many stress victims. That means Robert may have also fainted. But that still doesn't solve the problem, because he had already set the rocket ship's course."

Guan Tong said, "So, even if he's unconscious in the cockpit, 'Dreamboat One' will still crash into us at the pre-programmed speed and direction?"

"Yes." It was Wilanko who spoke; he also appeared on the screen with a serious expression.

"We tried to contact Robert, but we couldn't reach him. If we don't stop it, the two rocket ships will collide in about thirty hours."

"..."

“We could force the ‘Imperial Pioneer’ to return, but that would also be dangerous,” Wilanko said. “In any case, changing the ‘Dream Ship’s’ navigation settings is the best outcome.”

The three of them fell silent for a moment.

A moment later, Zhang Minglu's phone rang; it was a call from the Policy Research Office.

He hung up quickly after answering the call, then turned to tell Weilanco, "Return to base. We need to ensure Guan Tong's safety."

"...In that case, even if the return voyage goes smoothly, your 'Dream Ship' will inevitably be destroyed—and destroyed by a missile."

Without the goal of "Imperial Pioneer", if "Dreamboat No. 1" continued along its original course, it would simply crash into Tian Shui Xing.

If they're lucky, they might land in the ocean or in a desolate, uninhabited area of ​​a destroyed country. If they're unlucky, for example, if they land in a densely populated major city in a member state of the SCO, the consequences would be unacceptable.

As a precaution, the UN would prefer to launch a large number of missiles to destroy it before it lands.

“North Star can accept the damage to ‘Dream Ship’. I think what Director Weilan is really worried about is not the rocket and the spaceship, but Robert, a member of your agency who is inside it.”

Wilanco's lips twitched, and he acquiesced.

Robert's ability to be sent as the leader of a space colonization mission demonstrates that he is one of the best astronauts at the Somali Space Agency.

As the director, Wielando had likely worked with Robert extensively before, and the two might even have had a close friendship. Both professionally and personally, he certainly didn't want Robert, who was presumably still alive, to be blown to pieces by a missile.

But no matter what he thought, he had no right to make the final decision. Whether to force the "Imperial Pioneers" to return was to be decided by the high-ranking officials of North Star and Soroma. Since the Countermeasures Research Office had called, it meant that the two sides had already reached an agreement.

"In that case, let's begin preparations..."

Guan Tong suddenly spoke up: "How can we stop the 'Dream Ship' from advancing?"

“The commands must be changed on the main control panel of ‘Dreamboat’. Remote operation won’t work because ‘Dreamboat’ is currently running under the highest privileges,” Wilanko said.

"In other words, to stop it, we must get inside the 'Dream Ship'."

Upon hearing this, Weilan was stunned for a moment. Zhang Minglu, who was standing next to him, exclaimed in surprise, "Guan Tong, do you want to go there? That's impossible! We've thought about this problem before, and some people have even suggested using teleportation devices to remotely teleport to the rocket ship. But first of all, teleportation devices simply cannot be used in space because there are no fixed coordinates in the universe, only relative positions!"

Once he came to his senses, Wilanco frowned and said, "Mr. Guan, your idea is too unrealistic. The 'Dream Ship' is currently moving at full speed. Do you know how fast that is? Moreover, this extremely high speed is not stable due to the influence of gravity. Even the most outstanding astronauts could not enter it."

Guan Tong nodded upon hearing this.

He certainly doesn't know enough about aerospace.

His original idea wasn't to use any teleportation device, as Zhang Minglu had suggested. He wanted to use his "Shadow Shift" ability to somehow project one of his mental artifacts onto the "Dream Boat."

But now, listening to what Zhang Minglu and Weilanke are saying, this seems somewhat unrealistic. The rocket spaceship is too fast; even a slight error can lead to a huge difference. It would be difficult to reach it using shadows or other mental constructs.

Moreover, doing this in space is too dangerous.

Exploring Scarlet Horror is one thing, but risking your life for an astronaut and a rocket ship you don't even know is quite another.

The former, if successful, could not only save many people, but also gain access to some of the underlying secrets of the post-apocalyptic rules, so Guan Tong was willing to take the risk.

the latter……

Guan Tong abandoned her original idea and said, "I understand. Then let's prepare to return."

"Chief!"

Just then, a hurried shout came from outside the screen. Wilanco turned his head and saw the team leader in charge of contacting Robert.

"what happened?"

"We received a reply from Robert! He said he has recovered and hopes to have a video call with you, Director!"

Vilanco was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Great! Connect the line here immediately!"

"Wait!" Zhang Minglu interrupted, "Director Weilan, calm down. I don't think this is right."

“There are indeed some issues with requesting a video call,” Guan Tong, who overheard the conversation on the screen, said. “Don’t forget, he could very well be the ‘source’ of scarlet fear.”

Weilanko hesitated: "Didn't Lu Ruiguo's woman prove that everything was alright?"

Zhang Minglu immediately corrected: "No, she didn't prove anything. She fell into a coma after the scarlet phobia subsided, and didn't have contact with anyone during that time—nobody knows if she's still a source of transmission!"

Wilanco felt a chill run down his spine, goosebumps rising all over his body: "So, Robert might be deceiving us? His aim is to spread scarlet fear through the video?"

"We can't rule out that possibility," Guan Tong said.

Even after the nanite swarm intelligence left Tianshui, the piece of nanite swarm in his hand could still perform its decomposition function.

After the main body of the "Wailing Furnace" is swallowed up, who can guarantee that Lu Ruiguo and Robert will not be able to continue to activate their abilities with the "fragments" they obtained?
Zhang Minglu offered a suggestion.

“Director Wilanco, contact Robert via audio communication. First, have him immediately stop the ‘Dreamboat One’s’ trajectory. Then, manually remove Wei Xuan’s highest authority from the central control console, allowing our North Star Space Agency to remotely control the rocket ship. Only if he agrees to these things will he have some credibility.”

"Okay, let's do it that way!"

(End of this chapter)