Chapter 281: One Day Equals One Hundred Years?

"The zero-point vacuum energy theory verification has passed!" Zhao Kaiyuan's holographic projection bounced out of the energy lab, his hair messed up as if struck by lightning.

"Qiming reconstructed the mathematical model, compressing our three years of research progress into...... six hours! Now we only need to build an experimental reactor to extract energy from the vacuum!"

Wang Hao also shouted from the weapon design room: "The theoretical model of the spacetime tremor missile is out! Although it's still just on paper, if this thing were actually built, one shot could tear open a spacetime rift, making any armor useless!"

Li Yang said nothing, staring at the mech design platform's screen, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard leaving afterimages.

On the design drawing beside him, a brand-new mech was rapidly taking shape.

Streamlined fuselage, composite joints, a foldable wing-like structure on the back, and the familiar smiley-face paint spot on the chest.

"Old Li, what are you doing?" Wang Hao switched over the screen, "Designing another mech again? We've only had the Prison Gate Beast-3S for less than half a year..."

"Too slow." Li Yang didn't lift his head, "Qiming helped me reconstruct all the formulas in materials science and dynamics. This 'Responding Dragon-Ω' has triple the theoretical performance of the Prison Gate Beast, but only half the power consumption."

"If Kaiyuan's side can get the vacuum zero-point energy reactor up in time, it could even take on a small Harvester unit solo."

"Three times?!" Wang Hao glared, "You came up with that in just one day?"

"Not one day." Li Yang stopped his fingers, turned his head, expression a bit dazed, "In Qiming's simulated space...... I felt like I'd spent three months."

Chen Guang walked over from the algorithm monitoring room, holding a tablet with data streams cascading down like a waterfall: "Qiming has established a super-speed cognitive environment."

"It links our thoughts to the algorithm, using computing power to compensate for time perception."

"Simply put, your brain thinks three months have passed, while actually only six hours have elapsed outside."

Wang Hao's mouth opened and closed: "Then isn't this... a time room?"

"Similar, but more advanced." Chen Guang pushed up his glasses.

"But there are also side effects; the medical team just reported that researchers participating in the algorithm generally experience time perception disorder."

"Some see fragments of the future, some have scrambled memories, and others say they feel like they're living in several timelines at once."

"Is it serious?"

"For now it looks reversible; symptoms will ease after exiting the algorithm." Chen Youbiao displayed a brainwave chart, "But if immersed for too long...... it could permanently alter cognition."

Feng Yan walked in from outside, holding a cup of coffee that had gone cold, he forgot to drink it:

"Qiming just reported progress to me. In the first 24 hours of the computing revolution, we've completed the basic theoretical research that would have taken a hundred years before."

He brought up a holographic list:

Vacuum zero-point energy, from theory to experimental reactor design, completed.

Spacetime weapon mathematical model, from zero to complete framework, completed.

Purple material industrial synthesis process, efficiency increased 500%, completed.

Next-generation combat AI Torch Dragon-Omega, autonomously evolving based on the Qiming algorithm, 80% complete.

Plus seventy-six secondary technological breakthroughs, from medicine to agriculture, from communications to transportation.

"It feels like we've cheated." Wang Hao muttered.

"Well, isn't that just cheating?" Zhao Kaiyuan grinned, "But the cheat is from γ-7, so we might as well use it."

Moon Base, Ascending Computing Center.

Zhao Gong crouched in an observation post one kilometer outside the building, smoking a pipe, staring at that hemispherical structure.

The spatial distortion around the building is already visible to the naked eye, like looking through hot air, making the scenery wobble.

Even more bizarre, the ground near the building, the lunar regolith is slowly...... moving?

Space itself is subtly deforming, dragging the surface material along with it.

"Master, the monitoring data is out." A young engineer floated over, still holding a tablet.

"Within a one-kilometer radius of the computing center, time flows 10% faster than normal. That means, spending an hour inside, only 54 minutes pass outside."

"This time house has become a time tower." Zhao Gong spat out a puff of smoke, "What about Qiming? What does it say?"

"Qiming says this is a normal phenomenon; ascendant computing disturbs local spacetime. But as long as the energy supply is stable, the distortion won't spread." The engineer paused.

"But it also said...... if we keep increasing computing power, the distortion will intensify. Then we might need a larger safety radius."

"How big?"

"No details given, just said it depends on the situation."

Zhao Gong fell silent for a moment, tapped his pipe: "Tell the people inside, shorten shifts to four hours each. Anyone who feels dizzy and wants to vomit should withdraw immediately."

"Understood."

The engineer left.

Zhao Gong continued to stare at the computing center.

The building's purple coating glowed with an eerie light under the moonlight, like a huge gemstone breathing.

He recalled thirty years ago, when he was a fitter at a state-run factory, hand-polishing a precision part took three days.

Now, the same part, a robot produces one every three seconds, with even higher precision.

The era is changing too fast.

So fast it's dizzying.

Blue Star, Cloud River City Central Canteen.

Lao Wu is not only a quality inspector now, but also has to learn new things; the cafeteria introduced an fully automated nutrition meal system, and he needs to learn to operate it.

The system has been optimized by Qiming, able to tailor the most suitable meal based on each person's physical condition, workload, and even emotional fluctuations.

"This thing is more thoughtful than a wife." The middle-aged man ahead of him in line, holding his tray, muttered.

"My waist hurt yesterday, and today it gave me calcium pills and vitamin D."

Lao Wu swiped his contribution points card, and the machine spat out a tray: a protein-based main dish, two servings of vegetables, a bowl of soup, and a small box.

Inside is today's specially supplied energy bar, made from the byproduct of purple material, said to boost energy.

He found a seat, sat down, opened his phone to check the news.

The headline was the countdown to the activation of the vacuum zero-point energy reactor: 72 hours.

The comment section below exploded:

"Yesterday we were still burning coal, and today we're supposed to suck energy from a vacuum? Did I oversleep?"

"The Qiming algorithm is insane—one day equals a hundred years!"

"But I heard there are side effects; my cousin works at the Moon Base and says he saw his future self..."

"Upstairs, hasn't your cousin watched too much sci-fi?"

"No! It's real! The authorities even issued a notice saying time perception disorder is a common symptom—just rest and it'll be fine."

Lao Wu was chewing on an energy bar; although it tasted like compressed biscuits, eating it really did make him feel a bit more alert.

The cafeteria TV was playing a promotional video about how ascension-dimension calculation accelerates human technology; on screen, Li Yang's Yinglong-Omega mech easily tore apart simulated Harvester units in the virtual test.

"That mech is cool," said the young man at the next table. "Once I finish training, I want to pilot one too."

"Aren't you studying to be a chef?" his companion asked.