Super Mothership
In the current era of explosive technological advancement, where productivity has far exceeded humanity’s basic material needs, Nie Yun naturally hopes to invest as much of the surplus resources as possible into scientific research.
In the interstellar age, advancing through technology is the only path to godhood!
However, every elite scientist who has undergone “brain enhancement,” when left to their own creative freedom, consumes an astronomical amount of resources!
Raising a group of such elites is like supporting a group of pampered nobles.
All sorts of reasonable—or unreasonable—requests they make must be satisfied as much as possible. Funding must be allocated on time, and any damage they cause must be covered by public expense…
They are responsible for unleashing their creativity, while Nie Yun is responsible for footing the bill!
With every additional “pampered noble,” Nie Yun can clearly feel that suffocating pressure of dreams closing in on him…
Therefore, the addition of Lawrence and Karl is not only due to the rapidly increasing number of research projects, but also a direct reflection of Nie Yun’s growing strength and the increasing abundance of resources under his control.
During this period, countless technological items secretly absorbed through Gemini and the Wolf Empire have brought Nie Yun hundreds of technological sub-projects.
Some of these can be made public and have been placed into the technology tree’s virtual world for scientists with the appropriate clearance to analyze.
Others cannot yet be disclosed but are technologies Nie Yun urgently needs—for example, “wormhole expansion technology,” which has been input into the internal database of the Cloud Research Institute for internal processing.
…
“This thing… my God!” Karl’s eyes sparkled as he flipped through the structural design of the “Wormhole Expansion Device” before him, utterly captivated.
From the 3D model, the device resembles a sundial, almost identical to the wormhole expansion device of the Locke Consortium.
Although Karl cannot completely confirm from this blueprint alone that it is indeed a “wormhole expansion device,” given the power and seemingly omnipotent nature of his boss, he instinctively accepts its authenticity.
Whether it is the “Hades Type I Annihilation Bomb” or the “Wormhole Expansion Device,” this complete trust and overwhelming power further solidify Karl’s convictions.
Reluctantly, he closed the blueprint before him, then immediately, as a provisional member of the Cloud Research Institute, submitted a personal request to the AI system before logging out.
Removing his virtual helmet, Karl put on his coat, donned a gentleman’s hat, took a deep breath, and stepped out of his manor.
As the door opened, he was greeted by a sea of blooming tulips swaying gracefully under the evening sunset.
Karl lived in a remote European town. Even in an age of disruptive black technology brought by the Ghost Captain, this place still retained the charm of a medieval European town.
Passing through the flower fields, by a windmill, and along the somewhat desolate streets, Karl made his way with ease to a small tavern in the town center.
Pushing open the wooden door, a wave of noise rushed toward him.
In stark contrast to the quiet outside, the tavern was bustling, as if the entire town had gathered there. Loud, crude conversations and bursts of laughter created the feeling of another world.
Karl glanced around the bar, ordered a cocktail from the bartender, and then walked toward an inconspicuous table in the corner.
A man in a long coat was already seated there—unshaven, with a ruddy nose and heavy eye bags—casually sipping whiskey by himself.
He was a regular at this tavern, coming almost every day for the past six months and always sitting in this exact spot.
When the man saw Karl approaching with a drink, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in his otherwise dull eyes.
He discreetly pressed the pen clipped to his chest. Only after it gave a faint vibration—indicating no suspicious electronic devices nearby—did he relax slightly.
Raising his glass, he grinned at Karl, who had just sat down.
“Mr. Karl, compared to that bland cocktail, I think you should try whiskey next time—it might make you feel young again!”
“Thank you, but you know I’m not here to drink,” Karl replied, shaking his head.
“Oh, of course! Then, esteemed Mr. Karl, what good news have you brought back for our country this time?”
“What I’ve brought isn’t one piece of good news—but two,” Karl said calmly.
“The first good news is that the Ghost Captain has almost no guard against me. I’ve obtained partial technical details of two major research projects.”
“Oh?” The man immediately became excited. He hadn’t expected Karl to achieve such results so soon after joining the Cloud Research Institute.
“And the second piece of good news?” he asked eagerly.
“The second piece of good news is that, starting today, you won’t have to pretend to be a drunk every day anymore.”
Karl’s words made the man freeze, and a sudden sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
“Mr. Karl, what do you mean by that?”
Karl didn’t answer directly. Instead, with a serious expression, he pointed at the whiskey in front of the man.
“The liquor is good, but unfortunately, sometimes something this strong can make people lose their reason.
I’m a scientist, so I understand that only a clear mind allows a person to remain rational—and make the right choices.”
Hearing this, how could the man not understand what Karl meant by “the right choice”? His face immediately turned grim.
“Damn it! You’ve betrayed your country!” he growled angrily, his hand slipping into his coat.
“I advise you not to do anything rash. I’ve already applied for internal staff benefits from the institute—my whole family will be relocated to Third Crescent City. The ship to pick me up has probably already arrived above the town.
I didn’t report you, but if something happens to me here, do you think you’ll be able to escape?” Karl calmly revealed the “way out” he had prepared for himself.
“You think I took on this mission, going up against that existence, and still care about life or death? I’m not like you. For my country, I’m willing to give everything!” the man sneered.
Karl sighed helplessly.
“Don’t think I’m doing this for myself. You’re too naïve—you have no idea how terrifying that person is. The technology he possesses—even if he handed it to you for free—is not something you can handle right now!
You know nothing. Do you know the maximum-level ‘Threat Elimination Protocol’? Do you know what happened on Pluto? Do you know that the AI can develop to the point of running private funds on its own?
No—you know nothing about power!”
The man was left stunned by Karl’s words, unable to respond for a moment.
“Actually, we could pursue a more peaceful path of development. The Cloud Research Institute forbids leaking high-risk technologies, but it doesn’t prohibit normal academic exchange. What I’ve learned, I can teach my students—they are the true future of science.
And killing me won’t benefit you at all. It may even bring retaliation from the Ghost Captain.”
Karl wasn’t foolish. He had long analyzed his current situation. Under the deterrence of the Ghost Captain, his personal safety was, at the very least, guaranteed. That was the real reason he dared to lay everything out so directly today.
“Heh… fine, I admit what you’re saying makes sense…” The man gave a somewhat dejected smile, as if he had given up.
Karl let out a sigh of relief. Things hadn’t escalated. Resolving this quietly was the best outcome for both sides.
But in the next moment, something he never expected happened.
The agent’s eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, filled with madness.
“Even if you make sense, I’m sorry—but I prefer whiskey. And I hate people preaching to me!”
With a savage grin, the man pulled out a delicate, compact pistol and, under Karl’s stunned gaze, pulled the trigger.
Bang! A spark burst from the muzzle.
Karl watched in horror, completely unable to understand why the man would suddenly take such a self-destructive and irrational action—one that could bring enormous trouble upon himself.
Was this really a case of reason failing before brute force?
Was he just unlucky enough to run into a drunken, deranged agent? Or had the intelligence department decided, “If we can’t have you, neither can anyone else”?
Scientists really weren’t suited for espionage work… this kind of naïve assumption could get people killed!
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant—then he froze.
“Huh? My final moment… seems a bit long? The bullet’s been flying for quite a while, hasn’t it?”
His eyes suddenly widened.
Right in front of him, a golden bullet hovered motionless less than five centimeters from his forehead—unable to move forward even an inch!
“This…!” Not only Karl, but even the agent who fired the gun stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
It was as if the bullet had hit an invisible wall. After losing all its momentum, it dropped neatly into Karl’s cocktail glass with a crisp ding.
Even more terrifying—no one in the tavern reacted. Not a single scream. This was absolutely abnormal!
Stiffly turning his head, the agent’s pupils shrank sharply.
Between him and Karl, at some unknown moment, a young man wearing a “Scream-style” ghost mask had appeared, sitting there casually, resting his chin on his hand, listening to their conversation with great interest.
He swore—just moments ago, it had been only him and Karl. This eerie figure had appeared out of thin air!
Not only that, the corner they occupied seemed completely isolated from the rest of the world. The other patrons showed no awareness of what had just happened.
The lively noise of the tavern only made this small space feel even more deathly silent.
This utterly bizarre scene drained all color from the agent’s face.
You know nothing about power…
Karl’s earlier words echoed once more in his mind—this time filled with mockery and cruelty.
TL Note- Power....
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