Chapter Twelve: Target Dyson Sphere

At the base, the scattered parts in the hangar had been cleared away. The fully repaired space fighter shimmered with a metallic sheen as it slid out of its position, faci

With this armor aiding his movement, Fang Xu made his way toward the space fighter, with Nan Yi following lightly behind him. They boarded the fighter and settled into their seats. Fang Xu remaine

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Fang Xu reminded himself that Nan Yi was not human but a biomechanical robot. Learning anything was just a matter of transmitting data into her brain, so he trusted her capabilities. It was said that in the future, humans would be able to learn non-creative knowledge by direct input into th

Of course, the main purpose of gene optimization was not just learning but extending life—something Fang Xu eagerly anticipated. After all, who wouldn't want to achieve immortality?

With everything ready, the twenty-meter-long space fighter slowly glided toward the hangar doors, which opened to reveal a long runway covered in ice and snow. Numerous robots were busy clearing the runway, and it was nearly finished.

The space fighter continued its glide out of the hangar, stopping at the beginning of the runway. "It’s impressive that this old equipment from fifteen thousand years ago is still operational. The quality is surprisingly good," Fang Xu mused as they prepared for takeoff.

"Sir, we can depart now," Nan Yi reminded him. Fang Xu only had ninety-one days left, and his health was deteriorating, making movement increasingly difficult as time went on. They had limited time and couldn't afford to waste it.

"Alright, let’s go." At Fang Xu's command, the robots on the runway immediately cleared the path. Under Nan Yi's control, the space fighter's engines ignited with a burst of blue flame from the tail, propelling the fighter rapidly down the runway. Fang Xu felt his body pressed heavily into the seat by the immense thrust. Thankfully, the powered armor provided some cushioning, allowing him to withstand it.

"Mr. Fang Xu, how is your body? Please let me know immediately if you feel any abnormalities," Nan Yi asked as she piloted the fighter, still mindful of Fang Xu's health. After all, medical care was her primary duty; flying the plane was just an additional task. Although she didn't mind it at all.

"I'm fine, still holding up," Fang Xu replied, downplaying his condition to reassure Nan Yi so she could focus on flying. As the space fighter shook slightly, it approached the end of the runway, reaching a sufficient speed. Suddenly, Fang Xu felt his body lift back, the nose of the fighter rising as it slowly left the ground, ascending. The slight vibrations disappeared once they were airborne.

Fang Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief; having successfully taken off, they had overcome the most challenging hurdle. The space fighter continued to climb higher and higher—ten thousand meters, twenty thousand meters—until it gradually broke free from the atmosphere.

Fang Xu watched as the outline of the planet became clearer outside the window, while above them was a pitch-black abyss. The space fighter felt as if it was diving into a void, leaving the Earth for the dark expanse of space. In that moment, Fang Xu even felt a twinge of fear. He had heard stories in his time about astronauts going on extravehicular missions, facing the infinite emptiness of space, and feeling an innate sense of fear. It was as if a slight misstep could send them tumbling into an endless abyss.

Previously, Fang Xu could only imagine this, but now he was experiencing it firsthand. Even though they hadn’t fully entered space yet, and he was still inside the cockpit, simply gazing at the receding Earth and the approaching dark void above made his heart feel constricted.

He quickly closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Soon, the space fighter seemed to cross a critical threshold, and Fang Xu suddenly felt a weightlessness. If it weren't for the powered armor restraining him, he might have floated away.

"Sir, we have entered a state of weightlessness. We are expected to arrive at the space station in ten minutes," Nan Yi's voice rang out just in time.

Fang Xu prepared himself mentally, opened his eyes, and looked out the window to see a glowing point appear against the backdrop of the dark universe. If viewed from the ground, it would appear to be just a regular star. However, as they drew closer, the glowing point grew larger.

Eventually, it revealed its true form: the massive space station suspended in orbit around the energy collection star designated SH100079. It was ten times the size of the Fujian aircraft carrier where Fang Xu had previously resided, floating effortlessly in space.

In comparison, the twenty-meter-long space fighter seemed insignificant next to the station, which was merely one of the countless space stations humanity had built across various colonies, lacking even a proper name—just the designation SH100079-01.

As the space fighter approached, the dormant space station recognized the internal code and slowly opened its docking bay. Once docked, Fang Xu and Nan Yi floated through the passage into the station.

"The space station has insufficient energy, and artificial gravity has ceased functioning. Should we reboot it?" Nan Yi inquired.

"Forget it; we won't be here long. Let’s head straight to the shuttle."

"Understood."

Thus, the two didn’t linger in the station. Fang Xu also rebooted the station’s artificial intelligence control system before they proceeded through the corridor to the location of the shuttle.

Compared to the oxygen-rich environment on the ground, the equipment in space was clearly better preserved. With the help of the main control program, they quickly found a functioning shuttle. After making minor repairs and replacing a few parts, they boarded the shuttle, once again piloted by Nan Yi, heading toward the direction of the star completely obscured by the Dyson sphere.

"How long do you estimate it will take?" Fang Xu asked.

"Estimated arrival at the main control room of the Dyson sphere is in thirty days," Nan Yi replied.

"Thirty days. Alright, we still have time, no need to rush." Fang Xu reassured himself as well as Nan Yi.