Industry: Cthulhu

Chapter 80 Abyss
Brown was caught in the vortex, and the space around him seemed to be torn by sharp claws. The violent shaking made him feel weightless.

His consciousness gradually blurred, and Brown's hands, which were tightly gripping the joystick, trembled involuntarily, but he did not give up and continued to grit his teeth.

Suddenly, the frigate was projected into a completely unfamiliar environment.

Brown quickly got up and found that there was endless darkness all around him. The space was so vast that no matter which direction he looked, he could not see the end.

Brown did not panic. After calming down, he quickly turned on the scanner and detected this strange space.

Back then, as a mid-level engineer, he did not stay in the prosperous inner ring of the galaxy to enjoy a superior life, but instead resolutely came to the desolate and remote edge of the galaxy, which shows Brown's adventurous spirit.

After working for many years, Brown did not save any money and spent almost all of his money on traveling and exploring. It was because of this that he established a very deep friendship with the Merchant Alliance.

In short, Brown is probably one of the people most underestimated by Fang Yan, and he has a psychological quality that is many times stronger than that of ordinary people.

The scan results showed that this space was stable, vast, and quiet. In the distance, there existed a star-like structure and an unimaginable amount of metal.

"Could it be a secret mining area?"

Brown was puzzled. He gently turned the rudder, and the frigate adjusted its direction and began to accelerate. Fortunately, the hull was not seriously damaged when passing through the space vortex, and still retained 90% of its performance.

I don’t know how long it took, but suddenly a hazy outline appeared in the distant void.

Brown was instantly alert, and he adjusted his course, approaching the outline.

As the distance got closer, Brown was surprised to find that it was actually a huge and dilapidated starship floating in the void, its surface covered with ancient battle scars and strange symbols.

"Oh my god! What a huge starship!"

"It should be a battleship!"

Brown felt excited, but also a little uneasy. The shape of this starship was so unique that it probably did not belong to the Milky Way.

……

Brown docked the frigate steadily beside the battleship and thought about how to get into the starship.

Suddenly, the answering machine lit up green.

Brown was stunned, because there was only one answer to this situation: the other party had also installed a transponder system on the same frequency! It belonged to, or had once belonged to, the Milky Way!
For the sake of convenience and efficiency, the response system has undergone countless updates, but each update is backward compatible.

There is no doubt that this is a battleship from the Milky Way. Although it is very old, it can still communicate with the latest starships and be remotely controlled.

As Brown pressed the link button, the landing doors of the two ships opened with a low mechanical sound.

When Brown entered the cabin, he first noticed the structure of the cabin wall. Although the surface was rough, the metal material was the tri-titanium alloy he was familiar with.

Though the lights in the cabin were dim, he could still vaguely see ancient runes covering the walls. They must have been some kind of writing that predated the creation of a universal galactic language. Upon closer inspection, Brown could actually make out individual characters and symbols.

After putting on the smart glasses with automatic translation function, the content was displayed clearly in his sight.

Crew cabin, reserve cabin, third lounge, power cabin, fuel tank...

Brown moved forward and finally arrived at the command center.

The faint sound of the backup power supply was particularly clear in the empty hall.

Although many instruments have become obsolete, the large control console and the high-top captain's chair still allow people to feel the majesty of the past.

Brown tried to sit on the captain's chair and looked around, as if he was the commander of this ancient battleship, leading this behemoth across the vast sea of stars.

On the captain's special small table, there is a thick captain's log. Pick it up and open it, and you will see densely written handwriting on it.

Handwritten captain's logs are not uncommon nowadays. Many classical officers always insist that handwritten logs are a necessary respect for their jobs.

Atomic ink does not fade with the passage of time. Brown casually turned a page and read the contents.

"The number of robots is increasing. Those iron creatures are deeply intertwined with Imperial industry and human life. Even within the military, some are beginning to propose their use. But can we trust those cold, impersonal iron creatures? They have no emotions, no souls, and no faith. I'm beginning to suspect that one day, they might even become the mainstays of the military."

Brown frowned, he was surprised, because no country allowed robots to be put into large-scale use, and the Big Four would not allow such an incident to happen.

Fang Yan's mass production of robotic arms on Earth is already a very dangerous act and involves great risks, not to mention robots that can walk.

Moreover, this battleship is so old. Could it be that a country had already invented robotics technology long ago?
empire?

Which empire did this captain serve in? Does it still exist today?
After reading a diary, Brown was not only not puzzled, but was left confused. He felt that history and the present time and space were completely confused.

With great curiosity, Brown turned another page at random.

"Today, the military held an important meeting to discuss whether to allow robots to join the army. Many officers supported this proposal, believing that they are easy to manage and can enhance the empire's combat effectiveness. Nonsense! We must not leave the war to those cold-blooded machines! This is a blasphemy against military traditions!"

"I never imagined that the military would actually approve the use of robots to replace human soldiers. These fools! I'm ashamed of them! In these turbulent times, they don't trust their compatriots and choose to rely on emotionless machines. Scandal! What an outrageous scandal!"

"Recently, disappearances have occurred frequently throughout the Empire. Many renowned scholars have vanished without a trace overnight. People are busy discussing those iron-clad figures, but no one is paying attention to the fate of these outstanding human beings. I suspect it's not just scientists who have disappeared, but also the very soul of our civilization!"

"It's over, everything is over. The Imperial command system based on advanced artificial intelligence has officially been put into use. Seeing this, I simply cannot believe that they have handed command to a machine! This is the most complete betrayal of humanity! Do they really believe that an emotionless machine can understand the cruelty of war better than a real commander? I have a bad feeling that the Empire and our civilization will soon come to an end!"

"After months of frenzied attacks, the Nalan Empire chose to retreat. I admit that during the battle, the AI and mechanical troops displayed astonishing combat prowess; they were practically fearless. However, victory was only a temporary illusion. Who can guarantee that the mechanical troops will maintain this performance and remain loyal to the Empire?"

"The mechanical army's offensive continues to intensify, and they've actually broken through the Nalan Empire's first star! This is a long-awaited victory! A resounding victory! Perhaps my previous views were too narrow. Artificial intelligence and mechanical forces are truly powerful, even far beyond my imagination!"

(End of this chapter)