Chapter 72 Orbital Breakpoint (14)

Chapter 72: Orbital Breakpoint (Part Fourteen)

Xiao Lu was the first to react.

"Ross...?"

She called out tentatively, the exhaustion in her eyes once again giving way to a rekindled light.

"It's me, Xiao Lu," Ross's voice was gentle, like that of an ordinary human. "It seems you and A Fei both held on."

"Well done, good girl."

"Hic..."

At that moment of affirmation, the girl could no longer contain her emotions.

She covered her mouth, tears of joy welling up and spilling over, a choked sob of relief escaping her.

She nodded vigorously, like a wronged child finally seeing a parent, her words tumbling out in a jumble: "Ross! It's really you! I knew it... I knew you'd come back!"

Beside her, Lao Chen, his face etched with weariness and sorrow, finally showed a genuine smile.

He looked at the flickering blue light as if gazing upon a long-lost friend, murmuring with endless emotion, "You're finally awake."

Everyone was caught up in the joy and hope of this reunion.

Except for Shi Wu.

He didn't approach, merely leaning against the wall a short distance away. His amber eyes coolly observed everyone's expression.

Xiao Lu's ecstatic joy, Lao Chen's heartfelt relief, Qi Lan's excitement, Lin's cautious scrutiny... it all seemed so perfectly reasonable.

Yet, it felt profoundly strange.

However, the image of Xiao's deranged departure was like a thorn, deeply embedded in his heart, making it impossible for him to immerse himself in this seemingly warm atmosphere.

Something was off.

Shi Wu's brow furrowed tightly.

He clearly remembered Xiao's first appearance in the safe zone: although filled with hostility and wariness, his words and actions still fell within the bounds of a normal person.

But later? Each of his emotional outbursts was more intense, more irrational than the last.

From the pathological obsession with the oxygen tanks, to the twisted jealousy towards Ross, to that final hysterical tirade... his emotions were like a balloon being inflated, finally exploding in front of everyone.

Was there something wrong with the ship's environment?

Shi Wu's gaze swept over the people before him, all stirred by Ross's awakening.

Xiao Lu's trust in Ross bordered on blind worship.

Lao Chen's heartache over Xiao carried an overly heavy, paternalistic sorrow.

Even the players seemed immersed in this world that belonged solely to the "NPCs."

As Shi Wu pondered this, the conversation at the main console continued.

"Ross," Xiao Lu wiped her tears and asked urgently, "What exactly happened out there? What about the Captain and the others? Why did we end up like this?"

Ross's electronic voice fell silent for a moment. The blue light on the screen flickered slightly, as if searching for something.

"Most of my sensors went offline during the incident. The last command I received from the bridge was 47 hours ago."

Ross's voice held a hint of regret. "As for me... it seems someone manually cut my main power supply after the incident and activated the highest-level physical isolation protocol. So, it was like I was in a very long, long dream, until just now, when you woke me."

It paused, then added in a tone tinged with self-deprecation and playfulness:

"Honestly, sleeping this long, my core processor is practically rusting. Let me think... did you all talk about me behind my back while I was 'asleep'?"

This sudden joke miraculously dissolved the tense atmosphere in the mess hall completely.

Qi Lan and Bai Su couldn't help but chuckle.

Feng Sui also exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Wow, Ross, you really are as cool as the legends say!"

Ross gave a light laugh. "Thank you. You're pretty cool yourself."

Gentle, humorous, powerful, and reliable.

This AI named "Ross" was so perfect it seemed less like a program and more like the omnipotent friend everyone dreamed of having.

Everyone was immersed in this long-lost sense of ease and hope, their gazes fixed intently on that blue light, waiting for it to bring more miracles.

Shi Wu's heart, however, sank heavily at that moment.

His gaze wasn't fixed on the main console. The moment Ross made the joke, he instinctively glanced towards Lao Chen, standing at the edge of the group.

And it was that glance that allowed him to witness a scene that sent chills down his spine.

Just as everyone relaxed because of that joke, not a trace of a smile appeared on Lao Chen's face.

He was still looking at the blue light, but the emotion in his cloudy eyes was no longer the warm relief of reuniting with an old friend.

It was an emotion Shi Wu couldn't quite name.

Deep within that gaze, there was no joy, no sorrow, only a bottomless—

Indifference.

However, this flicker of emotion lasted less than a second.

As if sensing Shi Wu's gaze, Lao Chen's body stiffened slightly.

In the next instant, the expression on his face switched seamlessly. That indifference vanished without a trace, replaced once more by the familiar, weary, paternal smile everyone knew.

He even turned his head and gave Shi Wu a kind nod, as if that fleeting glimpse of strangeness had merely been a trick of the light.

A fine layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Shi Wu's back.

That was no illusion.

The shift in Lao Chen's expression was flawless, fast enough to fool anyone else present.

But it couldn't fool Shi Wu.

In that less-than-a-second gap, what Shi Wu had caught was the indifference of a detached observer.

Not the relief of a survivor celebrating the arrival of a savior.

This discovery sent a deeper chill down Shi Wu's spine than Xiao's earlier furious outburst and slamming exit.

Xiao's evil was at least right out in the open, stemming from greed and jealousy amplified by human nature.

But Old Chen... what he was concealing might be something far deeper, something beyond human comprehension.

Shi Wu averted his eyes without a flicker of expression, burying this shocking suspicion deep within his heart.

He glanced at Bao Yan, who was standing beside him, and noticed the other man was also scrutinizing the main console with a furrowed brow.

Clearly, Bao Yan also found this warm and fuzzy scene off.

Just as the dining hall was still basking in the post-disaster relief, Lao Chen suddenly stepped forward.

"Ross," Lao Chen looked up at the flickering blue screen, getting straight to the point, "Report your current available functions and the energy required to maintain your operations."

This question silenced Qi Lan and Feng Sui, who had just been all excited.

They finally remembered Xiao's earlier warning.

Xiao Lu shot Lao Chen a dissatisfied look, seemingly thinking it was too cold and practical to bring this up now, but ultimately said nothing more.

Ross's electronic voice remained gentle: "An excellent question, Engineer Chen. Information transparency is the foundation of efficient cooperation."

"Currently, my core computational functions are fully online. However, as you've surmised, power is our primary limiting factor right now."

On the screen, a new data stream was retrieved and clearly displayed before everyone.

"The ship's main power supply has been completely severed. My current operation relies entirely on the backup battery bank in Engine Room Three. According to Engineer Chen's previous maintenance, the remaining battery capacity is 37%." Ross's voice stated the brutal facts flatly.

"Maintaining my basic computational standby power consumption is approximately 0.5% of the battery capacity per hour. However, performing large-scale data processing, such as..."

Ross paused. On the screen, the words "Regional Structural Scan" were highlighted.

"For example, running a full-area detailed structural scan requires an instantaneous draw on a massive array of sensors and processors, estimated to consume 5% of the backup power in one go."

5%!

They only had 37% total power, and one scan would use up nearly one-seventh of it! This meant that every time they ordered Ross to execute a major command, they were gambling with their ever-shrinking lifeline.

"Damn..." Feng Sui couldn't help but curse under his breath, "That bastard Xiao was right this time. This thing is a power hog!"

Silence fell over the dining hall once more.

"But we have no other choice," Bao Yan broke the deadlock.

"Without information, we are blind. This 5% of power is the price we must pay to open our eyes."

Shi Wu immediately chimed in, "Exactly. It's better than everyone crowding here, watching our oxygen tick down. I agree to the scan."

Bao Yan and Shi Wu's stance quickly pointed the way for the others.

Lin nodded in agreement.

Although the others winced at the cost of their precious power, they understood it was the only option.

Lao Chen took a deep breath and issued the command to the main console, "Ross, execute a regional structural scan. Mark all abnormal locations, available resource points, and... any possible life signals."

"Command received," Ross's voice was calm. "Regional scan initiated. Estimated duration: three minutes. Please stand by."

After these words, complex data rapidly refreshed on the screen, gradually assembling into a basic 3D schematic.

Everyone held their breath, nervously watching every flickering point of light on the screen.

Three minutes felt as long as a century.

Finally, the data stream on the screen slowly stopped, displaying four large characters: Scan Complete.

"Scan concluded," Ross's voice sounded again. "This scan has identified two high-priority targets. Data integration is in progress."

Two?

Everyone's hearts tightened.

Soon, two distinct areas on the screen's three-dimensional structural diagram were highlighted with red alert symbols.

"The first target is located in the C-7 Cultivation Zone."

"The structural integrity of this area is highly unstable, and faint distress signals along with three unstable life signs have been detected. Preliminary assessment indicates three crew members are trapped within debris at risk of secondary collapse, with their lives in imminent danger."

On the screen, three points of light representing life were flickering weakly.

"There are... still survivors?" Bai Su exclaimed in disbelief.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go save them!" Qi Lan urged anxiously.

However, Ross didn't give them time to discuss, continuing to report the second discovery.

"The second target is located in the A-4 Equipment Zone."

"Within a secured safe in this area, a high-density energy alloy signal was detected via scan. Cross-referencing with the database confirms it as the 'passageway to the second level.'"