Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 87 A Memorable Moment

Taimon Base.

Two days after Su Xun entered the secret realm, a package of supplies packed from Haiqu City was transported back and delivered directly to the research area.

Before leaving, Su Xun entrusted the research area to Xu Huan for management. However, this time, he was not the only one receiving the supplies; a group of veteran engineers from various places were also present. With the coordination of the base, the equipment department has been initially established.

"This is what the commander-in-chief was talking about... the spiritual energy crystal?"

Upon opening the box, dozens of identical translucent cubes were neatly stacked inside.

Xu Huan reached out and took out a cube. Inside the crystal cube was a misty, flocculent impurity. Almost instinctively, Xu Huan subconsciously activated his supernatural power. A surge of abundant spiritual energy emerged from the crystal, which greatly restored his recently somewhat fatigued body. However, immediately afterward, he felt a wave of dizziness.

The next moment, Xu Huan suppressed his supernatural power and handed the crystal to the others.

"It is indeed the crystal described in the book, and it should have been taken from a foreign species."

During this time, a group of people had carefully studied the contents of the survival manual about the secret realm. Although the contents were relatively brief, they still gained a lot of useful knowledge.

One of the most important things is this spiritual energy crystal.

These things can only be obtained from secret realms at this stage, as the conditions for them have not yet been met in other places. However, in the future, they will not be limited to this; they can be generated wherever spiritual energy is abundant. Of course, they will also be subject to various conditions.

Some are natural, forming mineral veins, while others are formed from the condensed spiritual energy within the bodies of various strange beasts or even zombies after they die.

In most cases, only crystals produced from natural mineral veins are relatively pure, and the spiritual energy contained within them can be directly absorbed by the human body. However, the impurities in the bodies of alien species, which are misty, can cause cognitive confusion if absorbed.

The crystals produced by other monsters are mostly the same, or even just milder types of cognitive derangement. For example, the crystals inside high-level zombies even retain the ability to infect people and turn them into zombies.

An experienced engineer took out calipers and measured the size of several crystals, then exclaimed in amazement: "Although we already know that this thing has self-forming properties, these crystals are just too regular in shape!"

Crystal self-forming property generally refers to the ability of a crystal to spontaneously form a regular shape under suitable conditions. This is a result of the microscopic growth rate within the crystal being fed back to the macroscopic level.

A typical example is pyrite ore. When these ores are mined from the veins, they also present a cubic shape. However, these cubes vary in size and are often not regular in shape. Many ores stick together during the growth process.

These spiritual energy crystals in front of them were all the same size, and each one was a perfect cube.

The engineer with the calipers measured several more pieces, marveling, "It really is just like the book says, each side is thirty... oh, that is, three centimeters, exactly the same. Is this some kind of coincidence?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances with Xu Huan. The book did not provide an answer to this question, and Su Xun had never mentioned it either. It was simply that he himself did not know either.

"It's alright... We can study this later. Right now, it has laid the foundation for us to establish a standardized spiritual energy industry in the future. Perhaps this size itself will become a new standard unit of measurement..."

"It's said that only beings of the third rank or higher can generate this kind of thing within their bodies. So many have been brought back this time; I wonder what the casualties are like for the commander-in-chief's troops on the front lines..."

"With the commander-in-chief here, everything will be fine."

Xu Huan divided the box of crystals into several portions and said to everyone, "Alright, the items have been handed over to us. We must begin our battle and not let down the sacrifices and efforts of the soldiers on the front lines."

"Next, we have a heavy burden, especially the Equipment Department. As you know, the most pressing issue is limited communication. The chief technical commander for long-distance broadcasting has already been left behind, and we need to develop short-range communication technology ourselves."

"We need to transform these existing technologies into tangible products as soon as possible."

"In addition, you should have received a lot of feedback from the front lines. Many of our weapons are not suitable for the current battle. The commander-in-chief estimates that the first general zombie wave is coming soon. Before that, we need to come up with some weapon modification plans as much as possible."

The senior engineers exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

……

Just as the Taimon Research Zone was starting to operate, Su Xun returned to the school, which was serving as a temporary command post.

Tier 3 mutants are indeed difficult to deal with. Heavy machine guns can still inflict damage on them, but they're starting to lose their effectiveness. However, this time they entered the secret realm as a unit, and machine guns were just the most basic equipment. In other words, they were just small fry.

Large-caliber self-propelled howitzers are not well-suited for small search and rescue teams, but portable anti-tank missiles...

Even a third-tier mutant can't eat a second one; if it could, then it should eat a few more.

Once the search and rescue operation was on track, Su Xun stopped interfering too much. His main purpose in entering the secret realm was simply to personally confirm the situation in that sea area. Apart from that, many things could be handled by the soldiers themselves.

As for the so-called treasures in the shallow part of the secret realm, in Su Xun's eyes, they were far less valuable than the spiritual energy crystals they had already given away.

Only on this basis can humanity truly embark on another technological path.

What is the significance of one or two so-called treasures? It is these new materials and energy sources that are enough to take humanity further. Modern industry excels at building colossal structures in places that ordinary people do not pay attention to and take for granted.

Most of his work actually took place in this temporary command post, or rather, in this school.

The classroom, which had already been emptied, was filled with noisy sounds. Su Xun was already used to it; it was the wind-type ability users practicing their wind-sound technique.

The process of practicing this ability is also a gradual progression. Having a certain degree of control over one's superpowers, rather than relying entirely on instinct, is an important sign of entering the second stage.

Not only are wind-type ability users practicing, but most people in this school, apart from those serving as external guards, are trying to use their abilities. Su Xun assigns different tasks to different ability users, which helps them gradually master their abilities.

This is one of the reasons why people with superpowers need to constantly hone their skills in battle. Only by constantly stimulating their potential, constantly using their abilities, and constantly verifying the application of their abilities with their own understanding can they take another step on the ladder of extraordinary abilities.

However, this was also experience gained from the individual battles of the various survivor bases in his previous life. Looking at the earth-type and body-enhancing ability users in the distance who had already dug a large pit in the ground in preparation for building a reservoir, Su Xun couldn't help but ponder.

Perhaps... in the future, someone might unleash their potential through constant hard work and eventually achieve something even better?

Su Xun chuckled to himself. This guess might not be confirmed for a long time. The fact that these people were participating in the training was essentially due to the knowledge he had imparted.

While I was pondering these things, a cheer suddenly erupted from one of the classrooms.

Succeeded?
Su Xun walked over there, and when the soldiers saw him coming, they quickly quieted down, but the excitement on their faces did not fade.

"How's it going? Any results from the practice? Who succeeded?"

The soldiers in the classroom all looked at one of them, who turned out to be a female soldier. Her face was filled with joy as she saluted them.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief, my name is Feng Jia."

The girl stood at the back of the classroom. She didn't use much force when she spoke, but her voice seemed to be right next to Su Xun's ear. Her voice was a little hoarse and sounded distorted.

Su Xun was already very pleased. Being able to achieve this level of control was already a sign of entering the second stage. Moreover, with this group of people training together, once one person had it, the second wouldn't be far behind.

Next, a large number of Tier 2 individuals should appear, which means that these ability users can now explore the secret realm independently, and Su Xun himself can basically extricate himself from this matter.

“Well done. Next, you need to find ways to improve your control in this area, increase the distance and accuracy of your voice transmission. Also, making your voice heard by others is just the beginning. You also need to be able to catch other people’s voices in the wind. Don’t worry, it won’t be difficult.”

"If you have any experience or insights, you can share them with your comrades."

Feng Jia nodded repeatedly, her eyes bright. Looking at the excited expressions on their faces, Su Xun suddenly felt that this was the more gratifying achievement. They had taken the first step on a new path, and the new hope brought by their extraordinary power slightly eased the bitterness and sorrow of the past few days. This was perhaps a moment worth commemorating.

The reason for choosing this school as the temporary command center was not only because of its convenience, but also because they were actually preparing to establish a school.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to gather people with supernatural abilities from all over the world, Su Xun and others plan to establish a school that specializes in teaching extraordinary knowledge. Of course, at present, Su Xun is the only qualified teacher and principal of this school.

The thought that many high-level superhumans might call him "principal" in the future gave Su Xun an indescribable sense of déjà vu.

(End of this chapter)