From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 738 Surreal Magnificence and "Bizarre"

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Hearing Dr. Halsey use such a formal title as "Your Excellency the Primarch," and with a tone that even implied that his presence made the large device 01 "glorify," Sui Meng felt no pleasure whatsoever; instead, he immediately felt a sense of unease.

Almost instinctively, with an almost instinctive respect, he bowed slightly in return, and said sincerely:
"Doctor, you flatter us. It should be the Imperial Warrior Legion, and even the entire human empire, that should thank you and your team for your selfless dedication and outstanding wisdom."

It is thanks to your tireless research that so many legions have gained greater combat power and a solid technological foundation, enabling them to expand humanity's territory in the multiverse.

Sui Meng's swift and respectful reaction was not out of mere politeness.

In his deeply ingrained belief, Dr. Halsey, like his mother Athena, was a great being who created the Primarch and endowed the Empire with top-notch combat power, and was an "elder" who needed to be revered like a mother.

If any Primarch dared to show the slightest disrespect, contempt, or rudeness towards Athena, Sui Meng would be the first to fly into a rage, regarding it as an unforgivable blasphemy.

Therefore, when he realized that Halsey seemed to be intentionally lowering himself to elevate him, he immediately responded with the utmost respect to show absolute deference to the elder.

Seeing that Sui Meng seemed so "nervous" and even a little flustered because of his slightly teasing formal greeting, though it wasn't outwardly apparent, Halsey was first slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but burst out laughing, his laughter carrying a hint of mockery and a rare sense of ease.

She took a few steps closer, not minding at all the powerful and imposing power armor the other person was wearing. She even casually raised her hand and gently patted the side of Sui Meng's hard waist armor, making a crisp tapping sound.

"Relax, Primarch."

Halsey's tone became casual and friendly, with her characteristic slightly teasing tone, "I was just joking with you, don't be so serious. Judging from the way you were just now, anyone who didn't know better would think I was some kind of pedantic, man-eating scholar."

Her words eased the slightly tense atmosphere.

Those familiar with Halsey know that this scientific giant's personality was indeed somewhat "eccentric," sometimes as meticulous as the most precise instruments, and at other times revealing a mischievous, almost childlike, quirky sense of humor, with unconventional and unorthodox thinking.

Moreover, setting aside her academic standing, considering her shared experience of "nurturing" multiple prototypes with Emperor Sui Yang, she could indeed be considered Sui Meng's "aunt" in terms of seniority and affection.

This special kinship also made Sui Meng feel a natural respect and affection for her as an elder, in addition to his professional relationship with her.

Next, the group did not linger and headed towards the large magnetic levitation elevator platform on one side of the hall.

The elevator's interior space was extremely spacious, easily accommodating a giant like Sui Meng and his entire guard.

As the elevator began to move smoothly and rapidly upwards, through the huge viewing window on one side, one could clearly see them quickly passing through the thick outer structure of the ring, heading towards the "surface" inside the ring, which has a self-circulating ecosystem.

During the ascent, Halsey turned his gaze from the rapidly passing structural landscape outside the window to Sui Meng beside him, and asked with a hint of academic curiosity:
"Speaking of which, I'm a little curious. Why did you suddenly think of applying to use a 'large device' to solve this threat to the universe?"
Based on standard procedures and the strength already demonstrated by your Imperial Guards, completely eliminating the remnants and establishing a stable rule should only be a matter of time.

Sui Meng's gaze remained calm as he replied, "Doctor, our legion has collected a large number of samples of Blood Moon entities, Corpse Mutant organizations, and Divine Seals during previous operations, and has conducted preliminary analyses."

These existing biosignals and energy fluctuations are highly specific and interconnected. Furthermore, I have carefully studied your publicly available papers and project summaries on large-scale device principles, energy spectrum modulation, and target recognition and locking mechanisms.

He paused briefly, gathered his thoughts, and continued:

"Based on this information, I speculate that the large device, after your and your team's improvements, should have a precision far exceeding that of the original 'Halo' from the pioneers."

In theory, it can achieve the function of 'targeted destruction of a single intelligent species' or a specific life signal spectrum', thereby eliminating the need for indiscriminate galaxy-wide life eradication.

Using this, we can specifically target and eliminate all life forms associated with the 'Blood Moon Divine Seal' system, fundamentally dismantling the main threat to this universe—a far more efficient method than conducting military cleansing of individual planets or star systems.

Upon hearing this, Halsey smiled knowingly, even with a hint of approval, and laughed heartily, not denying it:

"It seems you are not only a commander on the battlefield, but also very talented in academic understanding."

She confirmed Sui Meng's speculation, "Indeed, the 'halo' that we replicated and improved is theoretically more 'comprehensive' and 'advanced' than the original version of the pioneers."

The halo of pioneers is more like a 'reset' button in despair, while our version is more like a 'scalpel' that can adjust the frequency and precisely remove the 'lesions'.

You guessed right, it does indeed possess the ability to target and eliminate specific life forms, but it still needs some real-world data to ultimately calibrate and verify its limiting parameters.

Her tone was full of confidence in her creation, while also implying that the operation would have both practical application and scientific research purposes.

The elevator continued upwards, soon to reach that man-made "new continent".

Just before penetrating the final structural layer and reaching the "surface" inside the ring, Sui Meng's sharp eyes swept over the group of silent Spartan warriors standing not far away.

His gaze lingered briefly on one of the Thor's Hammer armors; on the left side of the breastplate, a white number was clearly painted—

117.

Presumably, that was the renowned Spartan 117 John, a sergeant major in the Imperial Spartan forces, known for his legendary luck and ability to escape danger in countless perilous situations.

Sui Meng understood, but didn't pay much attention to it.

To him, John was a respectable and excellent soldier, but at this moment, his attention was more focused on his conversation with Halsey and his observation of the large device itself.

Ding--

A soft beep sounded, and the elevator finally reached its destination.

The gate slid open silently, and a fresh breeze carrying the scents of grass, damp earth, and faint flowers rushed in, accompanied by natural light, giving one a sense of openness and tranquility.

What unfolds before your eyes is a vibrant, boundless temperate grassland.

The lighting matrix in the center of the ring simulates sunlight, causing the grass blades to sway gently in the wind, creating layers of green waves.

In the distance, herds of herbivores resembling deer or antelopes stroll leisurely, and on the horizon further away, the outline of a forest can be faintly seen.

In the sky, there are not only simulated clouds, but also various brightly colored birds soaring freely, emitting clear and melodious calls.

The ecosystem here is so real and complete that it almost makes you forget you are inside a giant man-made celestial body.

Looking into the distance, at the edge of the grassland, near the ring-shaped horizon, stands a sizable town. The buildings there are arranged in a staggered pattern, combining practicality with the simple and dignified aesthetics of the empire, with communication towers and energy conduits rising atop the highest points.

That was one of the main bases and living areas on the large installation 01.

According to Halsey’s casual remark, this settlement, along with several other similar areas in the ring, housed a total of approximately four million people of various kinds.

This included the Imperial Army responsible for the maintenance and defense of the ring, the technical personnel conducting various scientific research projects, the administrative staff managing the operation of the ring, and their accompanying family members.

Within the town, schools, hospitals, commercial streets, and entertainment facilities are all readily available, making it a fully functional and vibrant miniature city, no different from an ordinary imperial city.

The group did not stop and went straight to an open-air platform next to the elevator platform.

A large maglev train, designed specifically for engineering transportation and rapid personnel passage, was already waiting here.

The train has no enclosed carriages, only sturdy railings and a roof, seemingly intended to allow passengers to enjoy the scenery along the way.

Once aboard the train, with an almost inaudible swaying sound, it began to travel smoothly and at high speed along the tracks that traversed the grassland, heading towards the distant settlement.

As he walked, Sui Meng couldn't help but look up at the "sky".

That wasn't the blue sky in the usual sense, but rather the inner wall on the other side of the ring.

Due to the curvature of the ring, he could clearly see the distant "sky" above him.
It is a vast blue "ocean" with golden "desert" borders, and you can even see the outlines of continuous "mountains" and "clouds" like cotton wool.

This bizarre scene seems to have spliced ​​two different worlds together in the same field of vision in a way that defies common sense, full of surreal magnificence and "eerie".

He knew of the existence of the halo and had read in detail the technical briefing on the Imperial replica device, but the theoretical knowledge was completely different from his experience of stepping on it in person.

This unimaginable grandeur and wonder moved even the well-informed progenitor of genes to silent admiration.

The technology and energy contained in creating and maintaining such a world are truly immense.

Halsey noticed Sui Meng's slightly dazed expression as he gazed up at the "sky," and then teased him:

"How about it, kid? You're impressed, aren't you? How about we go back to Universe Zero 8 (Halo) after the unification war here is over? There are still plenty of relics left by the Forerunners that we haven't fully figured out yet, waiting to be explored. I guarantee it'll be much more interesting than here."

When Halsey addressed him as "child" directly, Sui Meng felt not offended, but rather found it much more natural, as it was more in line with their special kinship.

However, he politely declined this "invitation," shaking his head slightly with a hint of helplessness.
"Doctor, please stop teasing me. I'm afraid I can't spare the time due to the many affairs of the Legion."

"Hahaha~."

Seeing the rare, serious expression on Sui Meng's dignified face, a mixture of embarrassment and determination, Halsey couldn't help but burst into laughter again, as if he had witnessed something extremely amusing.

Her infectious laughter was unrestrained, echoing across the open grasslands inside the ring, even startling several brightly colored birds that were pecking at grass seeds nearby.

"You're such a serious kid sometimes."

She shook her head while laughing, her tone full of teasing and affection from an elder to a younger person.

The maglev train continued to glide silently at extremely high speeds, and before long, the neatly planned residential area with its rows of buildings came into clear view.

Instead of heading towards the surface residential area, the train quickly and smoothly turned into a wide entrance with clear signs leading underground as it approached the edge of the settlement.

The light suddenly dimmed, only to be replaced by evenly distributed lighting fixtures inside the tunnel.

After a brief journey through underground tunnels that felt like traversing massive mountains, the train finally stopped at a large-scale, futuristic underground transportation hub.

The place was brightly lit, like daytime, and beneath the towering dome, the smooth, mirror-like alloy walls reflected a cold light.

The air seemed to be filled with the low hum of machinery in operation.

Holographic signs, visible everywhere, float in mid-air, guiding directions with clear icons and text;

Clones, clad in uniform armor, patrolled along fixed routes, their helmet-mounted eye sensors flashing a ghostly red light as they vigilantly scanned their surroundings.

Led by Halsey, the group disembarked in an orderly fashion and transferred to more flexible internal vehicles waiting at the platform.

These vehicles also employ magnetic levitation technology, silently traveling along dedicated channels towards deeper, more core areas.

The heavy, tightly closed gates marking different functional areas flashed by on both sides of the passage, indicating the high level of confidentiality and importance of this place.

Soon, the convoy of vehicles arrived at its final destination—

Located deep underground in the heavily protected area of ​​the large device 01, it is the core of the ring-shaped main control center.

The control center has an extremely spacious interior with an astonishingly high ceiling, as if it were constructed by hollowing out a small "metal mountain".

The circular layout makes the central area stand out, while the surrounding area consists of several layers of operating platforms arranged in a stepped pattern from low to high.

More than a hundred technicians in uniforms of different colors were busy at work in front of various control consoles that flashed complex data and graphical interfaces. The hushed conversations and the hum of the instruments formed the main melody here.

Most eye-catching is the giant main screen hanging on the curved wall directly in front. It is divided into multiple blocks, displaying in real time a perspective view of the overall structure of the ring, energy flow data like blood vessels, and a detailed star map of the external Dead Space universe, with the orbits of Earth and Aegis 7 being highlighted.

In the center of the control room is a huge, circular central control console, its surface covered with touch interfaces and physical interfaces, emitting a faint blue backlight, clearly the core of the entire ring's command and control.

Halsey knew the place like the back of her hand. She walked straight to the circular center console, stretched out her hands, and seemingly casually moved her fingers through the air a few times.

As she moved, several semi-transparent hard light holographic screens were immediately activated, floating in front of her as if they had come to life.

Multiple real-time monitoring feeds quickly switched and loaded on the screen.
(End of this chapter)