Colonia Storm Tour

Alice shook her head.

"But currently, the only force on Earth that has mastered large-scale genetic modification and enhancement technology is us, the Fenfeng."

Lin Haiyuan used these words to hint to Alice what kind of rhetoric to use to persuade others.

"So why did those exploding, venom-splattering bugs appear, and why are we seeing this tidal wave of purple giants now?"

Gardenia asked Alice on the monitor with a puzzled look.

"...At present, there is only one possibility, which is that one of our MCV models was not correctly transported together, but instead appeared on the surface of the moon, which is 405493 kilometers away from Earth. This model of mobile construction vehicle happens to contain the construction blueprints for our genetic modification facility. It is also possible that a small or medium-sized base as a sample was transported to the moon in disorder. In short, it seems that it is out of control."

Alice gave a perfectly apt explanation.

"These monsters appeared because things went out of control?!"

Gardenia watched as countless lunar berserkers moved along the shadows cast by the lunar mountains that blocked out the sunlight.

"Besides the possibility of genetic mutations caused by loss of control or external factors, we have no other explanation. However, this genetic mutation is very much in line with the natural law of survival of the fittest in the current environment. It not only excessively increases human muscle mass but also gives humans the ability to move around in the lunar environment. However, no one wants to become a monster that looks like it only has muscles in its head..."

After a few seconds of contemplation, Alice ordered, "Track these genetically modified monsters. We need to know not only where these monsters, which run as fast as South American alpacas, are going, but also where they came from."

"Yes, send out a set of autonomous cameras independently using World Tree Leaf Unit 1. The first set of autonomous cameras and World Tree Leaf Unit 1 will track the direction the mutated humans are heading, while we will investigate in the direction they are coming from."

Lin Haiyuan released the World Tree Leaf primarily to relay and guide the autonomous cameras that might be tracking the other side of the moon.

After the brief appearance of FraxinusEX, a set of autonomous cameras were teleported to the bottom of the warship, and a World Tree leaf popped out from the branches and moved at the same height as the warship, following the autonomous cameras.

"If you do manage to track down a unique lunar base, be careful, because our bases are equipped with specialized devices to detect cloaked units. You may then be subjected to anti-aircraft fire."

Alice reminded her.

"learn."

"Lin Haiyuan and the other magicians answered. FraxinusEX made a light turn in place in the moonlit sky where there was no atmosphere, scanning everything in the path in the opposite direction to the autonomous camera and the World Tree Leaf."

At first, the only living creatures that could be scanned along the path that these lunar berserkers stepped out of the shadows were densely packed berserkers. Later, the seemingly endless berserker ranks gradually became sparse.

The autonomous cameras and World Tree leaves that moved with the Moon Beastmen remained unchanged, except for the "Purple River" formed by the Beastmen.

"How were so many genetically mutated humans created? There simply isn't enough humans on the moon for those out-of-control bases to modify."

You Huazhizi felt something was wrong when she saw the number of madmen.

"Girls of the Valkyrie Camp, our genetic technology is not just about curing diseases, regenerating limbs, or enhancing the human body. Do you know what human cloning is? The genetically modified people down here are all clones."

Alice revealed the "mystery" to them.

"A cloned cyborg?!"

Charlotte gasped, covering her mouth with her left hand.

"If it's a genetically mutated person, then in such a highly random genetic mutation, we can still detect differences in appearance. But think about it, do you see any changes in the appearance of those genetically mutated people on the monitor? No, they are all exactly the same, as if they were made from the same mold. Their flesh and blood are real, not an illusion created by light refraction or holographic projection."

Alice also imitated Lin Haiyuan's pose, striking the same pose as Commander Ikari.

"That means we, the Foehn winds, actually have the ability to clone a large number of humans to serve us..."

Charlotte felt a chill run down her spine at the thought: were there clones exactly like her, floating in storage tanks, immersed in a breathable nutrient solution?

Alice saw right through the thoughts of many magicians present: "You think having your own clones is a terrible thing, right? But you need to understand two things. First, the fact that all of you can safely undergo Archer-level genetic modification and enhancement is because all of you have been tested in clone experiments to ensure that no mutations will occur. After confirmation, you will be decomposed and recycled."

The explanation that the experiment involved Archer-level genetic modification and enhancement through cloning experiments to ensure that there would be no problems with subsequent genetic modification and enhancement of the original person, and that the clones would be decomposed and recycled after the mission was completed, put Charlotte and the other Wind Magicians at ease. After all, no second "self" would actually appear in the world to disturb them, so their worries about cloning naturally subsided.

"Chief Alice, what's the second point?"

Lin Haiyuan spoke up and asked a question; if she didn't, her behavior would seem a bit strange to others.

"Our cloning technology is not perfect. To the original person, a clone is like a soulless doppelganger, even if these clones look exactly like the original person. Moreover, out of moral and ethical considerations, we do not actually clone a person or soldier to do anything outside. The purpose of these clones has already been explained. However, there is another purpose that you will find out when you go to Antarctica."

The technical flaw Alice mentioned is not unsolvable; the emergence of Libra and Rahn has proven that it simply requires a certain amount of time to develop.

"I see."

After Lin Haiyuan finished answering, he continued to look at the monitor in front of him. Charlotte and the other Wind Magicians on the warship all understood that their clones would not pose any threat to them, but would instead help them.

That concludes our discussion on gene technology and cloning technology for now; they have more tasks to focus on completing.

The Fraxinus EX maintained a steady speed as it sailed above the shadows of the mountains, scanning everything underground. After a few minutes, they found no Moon Beastmen appearing on the monitor from the shadows.

"Huh, that's strange. Just a moment ago, those cloned genetically mutated humans were running out here, but suddenly they disappeared as if the river had stopped flowing."

Charlotte looked at the empty monitor with a puzzled expression.

At this moment, the monitor only shows the rugged lunar surface covered by shadows, as well as the relatively bright gray-white lunar surface reflecting sunlight. The inner and outer parts surrounded by mountains also contain lunar maria that are not actually maria, but are rich in ilmenite. These maria were actually formed by the cooling of basaltic magma that flowed out of the lunar mantle.

On the main display screen, everything in front of me matched the image of a desolate, barren plain on the moon, but the appearance of a large number of lunar berserkers made it seem abnormal and eerie.

"The terrain around here is mostly flat enough. All we need to do is clear away some lunar dust and remove some lunar rocks to set up a large, complex lunar base. Those genetically mutated humans are most likely from this area, but why can't we see anything here..."

Alice frowned as she stared at the empty holographic projection in front of her.

“Chief Alice, I feel that there should be something in those flat areas. I have a strange feeling that makes me subconsciously think that there is nothing there.”

Lin Haiyuan looked at the empty space where a lunar base could have been built, and coupled with this inexplicable feeling, he knew without a doubt that he was being influenced by the mind illusion device.

“I share the same feeling as Battalion Commander Artemisia, and also the same inexplicable feeling.”

Gardenia looked solemnly at the desolate and lifeless lunar plain.

"That feeling... including the shipboard equipment, you were all affected by the mind illusion device, which means that our out-of-control base is nearby. But what I find strange is that our mind illusion device does not have the ability to hide buildings. If the illusion core were to hide buildings, the energy required would be large enough to meet the power needs of a large base."

Alice thought that in MO3, there didn't seem to be anything in the Mind Illusion technology that could hide buildings. Only in MO2.0 was there a Mind Illusion Device that could make any building that was allowed to be hidden invisible.

The Mind Distortion is an advanced defensive structure that can be built after constructing the Pandora Nexus (Epsilon War Lab), a common feature of the Epsilon faction. This Mind Distortion, modified from a Mind Beacon, can not only hide a large area of ​​units and buildings like the Brotherhood of Nod's Invisibility Tower, but it also has the weakness of not being able to hide itself. If you want to attack an Epsilon base that is perfectly covered and hidden by the Mind Distortion, you probably have to send fighters to lure out anti-air fire or use area-of-effect weapons to force an attack and determine the approximate location, or bring defensive drones and other reconnaissance units to attack.

Seeing this, Lin Haiyuan realized that this was a good thing he had done with INI. In INI, he had "restored" the Mind Illusion Device that appeared in MO2 for the Epsilon faction.

The AI ​​in the game won't build those invisible defensive structures that slow down your game in the late game and make it extremely laggy, especially when the final AI enhancement is enabled. That semi-transparent invisibility effect is very CPU-intensive, but it has lower requirements for the graphics card. However, older games like Red Alert probably won't have good support for multi-core processors.

At this moment, Odin, who had been silent until now, spoke up next to Alice in the scene.

"FraxinusEX members, based on our investigation database and confirmation from Chief Lin Haiyuan, the empty scene you are seeing now is created by a more powerful mental illusion device."

Odin said that a familiar blueprint for analyzing mental beacons appeared in the holographic projection.

"This mind illusion device is called the Mind Illusionist. It is a defensive facility that is based on the illusion core but created by taking a different approach. It consumes an acceptable amount of electricity to make a base disappear from human eyes and radar. Only people with keen senses or detection units equipped with special sensors can detect it."

Odin explained to everyone in simple language.

"A mind illusion device?!"

Alice exclaimed in surprise at the mention of this building that had only appeared in MO2.0, while glancing at Lin Haiyuan, who was in the body of Artemisia, with her deep purple eyes.

That look seemed to say, "You created the ultimate expansion module for the network core, the ultimate expansion module for the cloud-piercing spire, the ultimate expansion module for the nanofiber loom, and you even created the Mind Illusion Device for Epsilon?!"

How was I supposed to know that this defensive structure, which was supposed to be immune to AI builds, would appear on the moon? It's only used when we're playing the Epsilon faction, and even then, its effectiveness is limited, okay? Lin Haiyuan glanced at her with his sky-blue eyes.

The exchange of glances between the two was so brief that no one present noticed it.

Alice regained her composure after her initial surprise, while Odin continued to explain based on the situation.

"The existence of the mind-illusion device proves that a medium-sized base of ours, serving as a specific template, has appeared on the moon. This explains why multiple lunar probes have been slow to discover our base on the moon, and why our satellites have not discovered it either."

So far, the Poisonous Fleas and Lunar Frenzies discovered have operated in the cold shadows or occasionally ventured to the border between shadow and light, while bases hidden with psychic illusion devices can be built openly and brazenly on the lunar surface.

"But since it is a creation of our Foehn winds, why did it not contact the Foehn winds on Earth, such as the Colonia flank air base and the last fortress base in Antarctica, after appearing on the moon? Instead, it did not send any communication signals to Earth and just built a base alone on the moon?"

Gardenia looked at Alice and Odin in the picture with a puzzled expression.

Because the Epsilon base on the moon is not affiliated with Foehn, not only are they not allies, but it is also an expert-level AI with the assistance of the Terminator AI! It is only natural that we do not contact Foehn. This expert-level AI with the assistance of the Terminator AI is too smart. It even knows how to build a mind illusion device that was not programmed to be built. It seems that it is not just the two of us who have traveled through time. These three Epsilon AIs that have become a bit monstrous have also traveled through time.

As Alice thought this, she suddenly realized that things were getting complicated. If these three Epsilon AIs weren't dealt with, they would cause countless problems in the future.

"This is just as Chief Alice said earlier, the entire base is out of control... There are many reasons for this loss of control, and what we have discovered so far is the result of this loss of control."

Odin sensed Master Alice's thoughts, and therefore did not refer to the three Epsilon bases as enemies.

"If the entire base is out of control now, are we still capable of restoring it to normal operation?"

Lin Haiyuan asked – he was wondering if it was possible to occupy or infiltrate the Epsilon construction site and gain control of one or more Epsilon bases.

Unlike in games where gameplay is a priority, in reality, if your engineer or other technicians capture a construction site, any buildings connected to the construction site and any controlled drones will belong to you. It's not that the ownership of the construction site changes, and those defensive facilities and buildings will turn around and attack the construction site you captured or any troops entering the base from the outside.

“We need the Long-Range Drones to infiltrate and control the construction sites of one or more bases so that we can get the out-of-control bases back on track. Fortunately, we have Long-Range Drones in our warehouse on the Fraxinus EX for any eventuality.”

Odin pointed out.

[The Long-Ray Vision drone has been launched, with 3 units available.]

The messages from the ship's AI in Fraxinus EX appeared on the screen in front of each person's seat.

"Please protect these three Long-Range Eye drones. If we lose even one of them, we will lose the possibility of restoring one of the bases to normal operation. Furthermore, the base that has been restored to normal operation and is under our control may be attacked by the out-of-control base. Our base on the moon has been carefully technically dismantled and cannot be used to produce our Long-Range Eye drones. You must protect these three Long-Range Eye drones."

Odin carefully gave instructions to everyone on the warship.

"Yes!"

Everyone on the Fraxinus EX responded in unison.

"The No. 10 large basic manifestation device is responsible for generating magic power, and the No. 8 control manifestation device controls the movement of the newly generated random field. The random field's attribute is set to defend against impact, and its shape is fan-shaped."

Lin Haiyuan ordered, "The defensive properties of the Random Domain can be used for other purposes, namely, to suppress the enemy. The Elf Harem King, who was almost unable to move after being pressed against the wall of DEM's Japanese branch by the Random Domain launched in the original novel and anime, is an example. More practically significant is the use of the Random Domain by Origami Tobiichi to squeeze her opponent in the spin-off manga. It should be noted here that the Random Domain is not necessarily a perfect sphere. Its shape and properties can be changed at will according to needs. For example, the Random Domain can be contracted to form a highly precise shield to block powerful attacks."

As we all know, any unit that is invisible by a cloaking device will have its cloaking effect temporarily canceled if it fires or is attacked. However, in Command & Conquer 3 and its expansion Kane's Wrath, once a scout unit detects an invisible unit, the cloaking effect of the invisible unit will be canceled immediately, instead of remaining semi-transparent or just a pale yellow phantom like in Generals and its expansion Zero Hour.

This conveniently designed arbitrary area can also be changed from a spherical shape to a fan shape, just like the electromagnetic waves emitted by radar sweeping across the required area.

The warships reappeared in the sky from the mosaic once more. Just as the magician crew was preparing to generate a fan-shaped random field to scan and force the invisible buildings to reveal themselves, it seemed that the defense systems of the hidden Epsilon bases reacted faster than they did.

If Lin Haiyuan, Alice, and Youhua Zhizi were standing in the Epsilon base at this moment, they would definitely be able to hear a large group of familiar invisibility disabling sound effects.

When the curtains concealing everything were neatly and uniformly lifted, a scene that could scare a person half to death appeared.

Beneath the walls of Epsilon, Epsilon's defensive facilities and anti-air units appeared in a neat and orderly fashion, with the Epsilon-specific anti-air units on the ground being the first to sound the alarm.

That is the "Mini Antares" thermal beam weapon, which is a vehicle-mounted version of the "Antares" thermal beam weapon, developed from a complex psionic technology thermal beam weapon.

The Mind Legion's Raider Tanks utilize the "Widowmaker" thermal beam, which is slightly inferior in all aspects to the "Hell" and "Antares" thermal beams.

Those clusters of crimson and orange-yellow thermal energy were all fired at the disembodied Fraxinus EX almost simultaneously.

At that very moment, everyone felt the pressure from Epsilon's thermal cluster weapon; the intense heat instantly melted away a portion of the magic that formed the random domain.

Not only that, the Antares turret, which was originally thought to be unable to attack air targets, actually raised its muzzle and fired an even larger heat beam at the "FraxinusEX" in the sky.

In the blink of an eye, the front, port and starboard sides of the Fraxinus EX were engulfed in flames from the burning magic power caused by the heat energy cluster, and most of the front of the warship appeared to be shrouded in flames.

"It's truly a terrible feeling that the first combat target of our lunar combat weapon design is our own air warship."