Chapter Thirty-Nine: Reducing Energy Consumption

Then, Zhao Chengming proceeded to explain to Zhang Desen the situation regarding this marriage. Upon hearing it, Zhang Desen only felt his headache intensify—he truly wanted to curse.

As it turned out, the son of Grand Chancellor Zhang of the Great Xing Kingdom in this universe had a terrible reputation, so none of the high officials or distinguished families were willing to form a marital alliance with the chancellor. This left Chancellor Zhang extremely anxious, but at last, he managed to secure one match. This was with the daughter of a nouveau riche merchant family; the girl was notoriously hot-tempered, a veritable tigress.

Still, it was better than nothing, so the engagement was settled. Yet not long after, the chancellor’s son fell victim to his enemies. Even so, Chancellor Zhang never gave up hope that his son would one day return. The merchant’s daughter, due to her temper, remained unwed, so the engagement was never annulled.

At this point, a thought occurred to Zhang Desen and he said, “Chengming, since the marriage isn't finalized, just withdraw from it. Besides, I still haven't managed to contact headquarters. What if I do? This really has nothing to do with me.”

Zhao Chengming immediately replied, “Desen, haven’t you considered staying here? We believe you could have a great future in this place.”

Zhang Desen responded, “I am a soldier; obedience to orders is my duty. I cannot forget my country…”

Zhao Chengming pressed, “Desen, how will you determine whether you can still contact headquarters?”

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Desen said, “I’ll confirm as soon as possible. If I compare the time when Tang Shijie entered this universe with when I arrived, perhaps I’ll know for sure.”

Zhao Chengming said, “Let’s hope we can continue to face difficulties together.”

Zhang Desen replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll settle everything as quickly as possible.”

At that moment, Master Liu and his daughter emerged from the inner room, causing Zhang Desen to pause and glance at Zhao Chengming. Zhao Chengming nodded in return. Understanding instantly, Zhang Desen saluted the Liu family. When Master Liu had everyone sit, he began, “Desen, I am now almost certain that you are the counterpart of the chancellor’s son in this universe—there’s little doubt left.”

Zhang Desen asked, “Did you receive some information, Master Liu?”

Master Liu replied, “Didn’t Chengming just tell you? In the past, to protect ourselves from that chancellor’s son, we had our confidants be ever vigilant. We all had his portrait.”

Zhang Desen was taken aback, barely able to believe it. “A portrait?”

Master Liu nodded. “Yes, frankly, when I first met you, you seemed very familiar, even your name. But I couldn’t recall where I’d seen you before, and your character made it hard to associate you with the chancellor’s son. No offense, but that young man’s reputation was truly abysmal—though not as detestable as Councilor Qian’s son.”

Zhang Desen replied, “No offense taken.”

Master Liu continued, “But after hearing you speak about the multiverse, and learning what the head retainer of the chancellor’s household is doing, I put it all together and immediately fetched the portrait. Here it is…”

With that, Master Liu personally unrolled the painting and went on—

“So I have no more doubts.”

Zhang Desen looked and, indeed, the likeness was uncanny. No, it was his own image, just depicted in ancient attire, looking every bit the handsome, dissipated scion of a powerful family. Zhang Desen felt awkward and said, “No matter how alike, that doesn’t prove anything. Even if it’s true, so long as Chancellor Zhang believes there’s hope to find his son, there’s still a possibility…”

Master Liu interjected, “That’s impossible. We have informants within Councilor Qian’s administration. Because he has a penchant for squeezing others dry, many are wary and have their own precautions.”

Zhang Desen considered this. “Then let’s not mention it for now. Some things are best left to settle gradually.”

Master Liu agreed to Zhang Desen’s request. Liu Yuting, standing by, was filled with complicated emotions and seemed on the verge of speaking, when suddenly the miniature computer on Zhang Desen’s left wrist beeped. Seeing the display, he grew excited and said, “It’s news from headquarters, I need to—”

Master Liu interrupted, “Go ahead, but we’d like to come as well. There are things we wish to say.”

Zhang Desen replied, “Of course, that’s for the best.”

With that, Zhang Desen, together with Master Liu, his daughter, and Zhao Chengming, hurried with a group of retainers to Zhang Desen’s base at the foot of Mount Wu. Once there, only Zhang Desen, the Lius, and Zhao Chengming entered, while everyone else waited outside, with strict instructions that no one was to enter or leave during this time.

…

Meanwhile, in the space observation room at the Seaside Base, capital of the Terran Olmei Empire, the Supreme Leader Yuri Gotne had arrived in person. Upon entering, Yuri Gotne issued his first order: “Activate all observation systems at once. Track the spaceship of the Gandor race from Sirius B in its entirety. I will direct operations here personally. Dull, you are to relay my commands.”

The intelligence chief of the Olmei Empire, Kaba Dull, immediately replied, “Yes, my Leader!”

Not long after, the unidentified spacecraft from Sirius B swiftly entered the space near Sedna in the Kuiper Belt. Upon learning this, Kaba Dull hurried to report: “Leader, according to our latest observations, the unidentified spaceship from Sirius B has reached the vicinity of Sedna. Even as we speak, it has already crossed that region and is heading towards Pluto’s orbit. It is expected to pass close by Pluto very soon.”

Yuri Gotne exclaimed, “Remarkable! Their speed is truly impressive. But at such velocity, slowing down will be no easy feat. Continue your observations!”

Kaba Dull saluted. “Yes, sir!”

At the same time, the unidentified spaceship from Sirius B began to decelerate, though its speed remained astonishingly high. Eventually, it reached Pluto’s space.

What happened next surprised everyone: upon reaching Pluto, the spaceship used part of its own energy and Pluto’s gravity to execute a sharp seventy-degree turn, heading directly for Neptune.

Observing this, Kaba Dull reported, “Leader, after passing near Pluto, the unidentified Sirius vessel did not follow the straightest path past Neptune to Ceres in the asteroid belt. Instead, it veered seventy degrees to the left and is now heading directly for Neptune’s current position.”

Yuri Gotne, who had been sipping tea, was taken aback. He set down his cup and asked in confusion, “What? Why is this? Since Neptune hasn’t yet moved directly into the ship’s flight path, they could simply continue straight, safely crossing Neptune’s orbit without risk of colliding with the planet or its moons. Why risk an encounter with Neptune and its satellites?”

Kaba Dull responded, “Leader, I believe they are doing this because of an energy shortage—their ship’s reserves must be nearly depleted.”

Yuri Gotne turned to Kaba Dull. “How did you arrive at that conclusion? On what basis?”

Kaba Dull explained, “Just now, during remote observation, we noticed that when the ship decelerated near Pluto, the exhaust from its reverse thrusters was much weaker than when it passed by Sedna.”

Yuri Gotne’s eyes widened. “So, their ship must now minimize energy consumption, which is why this is happening. Explain further.”

Kaba Dull said, “Yes. In space, there is no air. Changing a ship’s direction means either increasing energy use or taking advantage of external forces, like planetary gravity.”

Yuri Gotne grew animated. “Exactly! Increasing energy usage allows for more agile maneuvers, but is unwise for long voyages due to limited reserves. Using planetary gravity to change direction and decelerate saves energy, though it’s less flexible.”

Kaba Dull continued, “So, I believe the Sirius spaceship is risking a close approach to Neptune to slingshot past it, rather than taking the safer, more direct route, because—”

Yuri Gotne interrupted, “Because they need to decelerate and conserve energy by using the turn, and will likely do the same when crossing Uranus’s orbit.”

Kaba Dull affirmed, “Precisely! And the reason they always replenish their energy by absorbing solar plasma before landing on Earth is that their reserves are nearly exhausted upon arrival. That is when their ship is least maneuverable.”

Yuri Gotne laughed. “Excellent! That is truly wonderful!”

Kaba Dull said, “Then, Leader, shall we launch an attack immediately?”

But Yuri Gotne waved his right hand. “No, let them come and go in peace this time.”

Kaba Dull was taken aback. “Leader, what do you mean?”

Yuri Gotne replied, “Don’t overthink it. Sometimes, patience is needed to land a big catch. I have my reasons. For now, just continue to observe and report to me. Don’t worry about anything else. Also, organize a covert reconnaissance squad to monitor every move the Gandor humans make from now on.”

Kaba Dull saluted. “Yes, my Leader!”