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Chapter 268: Deep Space Sensor Array

Returning to the laboratory, Xia Fei pulled out two Snake Eye Berries from his spatial ring and handed them to Harris as he ate two himself, too. To people who worked for extended hours until such a degree, food was no more than replenishment for their hunger needs, while their true energy intake depended only on these magical fruits.

“Since we already know that the second frequency is connected to a mysterious master control system somewhere in the universe, it is now time for us to uncover the truth,” Xia Fei said.

Harris excitedly continued, “According to my analysis, there are just two possibilities: One is that the manufacturer of the nether bell intentionally included this second frequency to get information regarding its users’ movement. This speculation isn’t exactly very plausible, for the moment a user discovers that the manufacturer is secretly observing their every move, the result will be unimaginable.

“The other possibility is that, in order for the nether bell to accurately find other communication devices for it to connect to and transmit the signal in the form of a directional meson energy wave, it needs positioning—a very precise one at that.

“The difficulty of locating such a small communicator in the vastness of space is especially huge, so it is my guess that the extraterrestrial civilization who produced the nether bells must have constructed a gigantic deep space sensor array in some unknown corner of the universe to search and propagate the signals from the communication devices all across space, assisting the bells in locating one another by being a sort of middleman.”

Xia Fei nodded. He turned on the monitor and proceeded to display the internal structure of the nether bell they had mapped out, magnified a thousand times.

“What you said makes a lot of sense. If there’s truly such a gigantic deep space sensor array somewhere in the universe, that will mean that it’s most definitely technologically superior compared to ours, but what I don’t understand is if this array truly exists, why haven’t the extraterrestrials used it to transmit their messages directly, instead using it as a navigational system?” Xia Fei was stroking his chin, puzzled.

Harris gave it some thought before saying, “Actually, that’s not exactly hard to understand. If all the signals are being transmitted through this sensor array, then they might run the risk of being spied on through it. The designer of the nether bells must have considered that particular point, which was why it led them into separating the two systems of positioning and communications.”

Xia Fei sighed. “If possible, I’d really like to take a look at this deep space sensor array. Just what sort of technology was used for it to be capable of scanning the vastness of space. After all, there are plenty of obstacles for it to pass through, especially for it to still work after so many years, seemingly without incurring damage. Could there still be someone there, maintaining its service?”

Xia Fei could not help but shake his head with that thought. The nether bell in his possession was something the ancestors of the Assassin Sect had found from amid ancient ruins. The alien civilization was already eradicated by then, so how could there still be anyone maintaining that sensor array after the tens of thousands years?

Xia Fei suddenly thought of the word ‘robots’. It would completely be possible if it was robots that were assigned to maintain the sensor array as all they needed was light to generate the necessary energy and they would be able to self-repair. Could this deep space sensor array, hidden somewhere in the universe, be maintained by robots?

Perhaps due to Qin Mang’s influence, Xia Fei was very sensitive to the word robots, hoping to witness with his eyes just what an AI robot would look like, and how they worked. Unfortunately, he had not been able to fulfill this desire of his yet.

“If we were to follow this mysterious wave, would we be able to grasp the position of the deep space sensor array?” Xia Fei asked.

Harris chuckled. “The sensor array is but a hypothesis of mine. If you were to really trace that frequency wave, who knows what you might find in the end?”

Xia Fei replied, “I know that as well. Right now, my only concern is to find out if there’s any way we can locate the source of the signal no matter what it is.”

“Positioning in the universe is a bit tricky because there are far too many variables to consider. However, if we are able to create a frequency attenuation index analyzer, we’ll have a possibility of locating it,” Harris said.

Any frequency signal would undergo attenuation as it traveled through space. As the distance it traveled got further, the signal strength would weaken until finally disappearing into the endless void of space. Tracking down the signal source via the strength of the signal was one way to do this, but it was necessary to simulate a decoding system that imitated this signal source first.

“Since that is the case, our next step should be to make sense of the directional transmission technology in the nether bell, and we still have to develop an analog decoding system to track down the signal source,” Xia Fei said.

Harris nodded. He could only agree to Xia Fei’s requests, while Phantom commented from the side, “You can’t possibly be planning to locate that sensor array that may or may not exist, right? Harris already said that it’s only his hypothesis and that there’s no way of telling if you will even find anything.”

Xia Fei laughed. “Think about it; if we manage to get our hands on a sensor array that can scan the entire universe, or if we get hold of such an advanced technology, won’t Quantum Holdings be able to compete in the communications industry?

“Besides, I’ve got this hunch that the sensor array has some sort of connection to Titan’s super-radar. It’s only that Titan’s radar system does ultra-long range transmissions, while the nether bell’s system is unique in its positioning system. If the two manage to combine them together, I’m certain that there will be a product in the making that transcends our technological era.”

...

The laboratory continued to be busy, and as time went by, the nether bell was slowly being analyzed bit by bit, solving each afterward was of course a cause for celebration. However, it was still quite a headache for everyone to come up with a way to combine both the transmission technology of the nether bell together with Titan’s radar system.

Xia Fei did not expect the nether bell to actually use a completely different technology than a common radar, the technology between the two immutable and hard to borrow from each other.

From the moment they understood the communication method of the nether bell, Harris’s work also ended, and he began to devote more of his time toward cultivating his new students, as well as his research toward single-celled organisms.

It was unclear why Harris recently had such great interest toward these simple celled organisms, spending his time daily with his high resolution microscope, observing and recording the growth of the cells.

...

Xia Fei knew that it was impossible for Harris to give up on his research toward the seventh brain region, so he must surely have come up with some ideas, which was why he had pivoted to studying these organisms. Xia Fei did not particularly mind, for the scientist had toned down quite a lot in terms of his fanatical energy, often taking the time to help others. It seemed that this lifestyle in the laboratory had allowed him to find some of his past self, no longer as stubborn now as he got older.

The production of the new radar was still in the early stages, though the time he had set for his tournament strategy was drawing closer and closer. Boateng had already set off to participate in the strongest warship competition event hosted by the military, and it would be Xia Fei’s crucial competition, the Golden Finger Cup in two months’ time.

Xia Fei knew that Avril was still waiting for him in the capital ring, so he packed up his bags and began his journey toward the capital ring as the research reached a bottleneck. Perhaps a change of pace was what he needed to come up with some good ideas.

Avril was of course elated when she got the message that Xia Fei was on his way. She had locked herself in her room and began planning the daily itinerary, not at all willing to waste even a single second that the two of them had got to spend with each other.