Chapter 175 Infrared Stealth is No Longer a Dream
“Alright.”
Sasha made up her mind to share Emerald Life Science's research findings with the outsider before her.
“Actually, in many cases, there is no fundamental difference between biology and machinery.”
She began with a divergent thought as an opening statement.
“Early internal combustion engines, like animal and plant cells, both used energy from chemical bonds.
“After entering Infinite Deep Space, humans began to discover extraterrestrial life. Among them, some species, though not highly intelligent, were remarkably evolved.
“Some organisms float like balloons in the atmosphere of gas giants, sustaining life by drawing electrical energy from thunderstorms;
Others live underground, possessing special digestive organs that can shield against radiation. They regularly consume radioactive metal ore veins, relying on temperature differences from isotope decay to obtain energy and maintain body temperature. This greatly changed Scholars' understanding of the concept of 'life.' Some hypothesized that somewhere in the universe, there might exist organisms that had evolved nuclear reactors, or even, going a step further, organisms that had evolved Zero Element Furnaces within their bodies?”
“Such organisms were later found, most of them ancient intelligent species. The abilities zero element bestowed upon them were almost identical to the 'superpowers' imagined by humans, such as telepathy based on Mass Effect Zero Element, rapid sprinting based on Warp zero element, and even flying and burrowing based on Mass Effect Zero Element. A very few master-level individuals could even create miniature black holes, spatial rifts, and time bubbles out of thin air, almost like deities—”
“Therefore, humans then called the ability of these organisms to directly use zero element 'Psionics.' All major factions subsequently began attempting to imbue humans with Psionic talent, which was the first 'Species Ascension Project' in human history.”
“That project didn't go so well, did it?”
Lu Yuan guessed the outcome.
If everything had gone smoothly, technology related to Psionic awakening should have left some remnants in the Star Alliance, or at least some legends. Lao Yu wouldn't have mentioned nothing.
“From the knowledge passed down by our ancestors, it indeed wasn't successful.”
Sasha confirmed his guess.
“Until 2810, when Emerald Life Science landed on Emerald Star, Psionic modification was still an extremely costly technology. Every Psionicist needed to undergo complex genetic and cybernetic modifications before acquiring the material conditions to awaken Psionic talent.
“This, rather than understanding the mysteries of Psionics, was more like spending a fortune to compress a set of zero element equipment, usually installed in warships, to its extreme minimum volume and then implanting it into the body.
“The reason was that humans had never found a more suitable species case for utilizing Psionics to reference, and the biological prototypes they imitated were not simple enough.”
“Until the discovery of Emerald Star?”
Hearing this, Lu Yuan already knew what Sasha wanted to say.
Sasha nodded silently.
“Yes, until the discovery of Emerald Star. After our ancestors landed here, they were immediately shocked by the unique ecosystem. They found that most advanced organisms on Emerald Star possessed some Psionic talent, more or less.
“And the most common method among them for using zero element to improve hunting success, based on your previous answer, has probably been lost to the outside world. That is the effect of Gamma-type zero element, or what is commonly known as 'Entropy zero element.'”
Gamma-type zero element? Entropy?
“Indeed, I haven't heard of it.”
Lu Yuan admitted.
“That's not surprising.”
Sasha smiled calmly.
“It is said that Entropy zero element is rare and was monopolized by the main fleets of major factions during the golden age, resulting in no stock in many remote star systems whatsoever.
“But on this Emerald Star, the content of Entropy zero element is extremely rich.”
Oh…
Combining the name of this zero element with the team's previous encounter, Lu Yuan could already guess the general idea.
“I guess the effect of this Entropy zero element should be to subvert the laws of thermodynamics, generating a negative entropy field, making physical processes that normally generate heat within the field absorb heat, and simultaneously reversing the direction of heat transfer. Simply put, forced cooling?”
“Completely correct—”
Sasha gazed at Lu Yuan, her mind rapidly working, beginning to re-evaluate the intelligence and academic level of her interlocutor.
“You really have never heard of this zero element?”
Just as expected, no wonder the thermal imager failed…
Lu Yuan didn't answer the question he had already answered. He understood everything now.
The effects brought by Entropy zero element completely defied common sense, producing a series of 'anomalies' such as cold generated by friction, ultra-low temperature flames, and even reversing some physical processes.
This meant its significance in the military field was enormous!
Currently, whether it was Cangyuan, Apollo, or other Star Alliance warships, 'stealth' design should only be limited to radar stealth, with good effects only when the vessel was not firing, not engaging engines, merely gliding at a constant speed, or ambushing motionlessly.
Once a warship ignited its engines or opened fire, the hull would gradually accumulate heat and dissipate it in the form of infrared radiation.
Especially when the main engines were at full power or the main cannon was used for extended periods, the waste heat generated was enormous. At this time, large heat sinks with surface areas several times that of the hull were needed for radiative heat dissipation, to prevent the warship's interior from becoming a forge.
But even so, according to the calculations of the community's cloud players, the temperature of the heat sinks would soar to over 1500 degrees Celsius in a short time.
At this point, the entire ship would be like a small star in the infrared band. Maintaining stealth would be a complete dream; it would be clearly visible from millions of kilometers away.
But after installing an Entropy Zero Element Furnace, everything changed.
Theoretically, one could try to have the Entropy Zero Element Furnace generate a negative entropy layer to envelop the warship's outer shell. This way, as long as the Entropy Zero Element Furnace was active, the warship's heat transfer process would reverse, no longer emitting infrared radiation outwards.
From external observation, it would appear like an object at absolute zero.
The next step, to make infrared stealth more 'realistic,' could be to have the Entropy Zero Element Furnace rapidly turn on and off at a relatively high frequency, precisely controlling the intensity of infrared radiation emitted by the warship, making it perfectly consistent with the cosmic background radiation.
This would make the entire warship merge with the dark space, completely invisible in the infrared band, becoming a ghostly assassin!
To observe such a warship, one would probably only be able to do so through visible light, which requires very large-aperture optoelectronic observation equipment, not easily achievable.
No wonder Entropy zero element was monopolized by the main fleet; its strategic importance was self-evident. Lu Yuan thought of the unknown equipment on the back of Emerald Life Science's power suits and the fact that they also couldn't be detected by thermal imaging.
The truth was already very clear.
“You've been able to produce Entropy Zero Element Furnaces for individual soldiers by studying the animals here?”
Sasha nodded: “Yes. This is an important defensive measure for our field teams to avoid attacks from apex predators.”
“Where do the zero element resources come from? Refined from animals? Do you have the complete set of processing technology?”
“Executive Officer, this set of technology is actually my bargaining chip for the upcoming trade. Its products include not only Entropy zero element but also other types of zero element; if you're interested, I can take you to visit our zero element production facilities now.”
“Alright. If that's the case, I generally know what you need.”
Lu Yuan looked directly into her eyes.
“Your company has already mastered the technology to obtain zero element from living organisms, yet you are still trying to reclaim the facilities left behind by Infinite Deep Space, indicating that your original purpose for coming here must have been something else. Your objective in seizing the research institute was not just for survival; the secrets buried there must be even more astonishing.
“I guess, before your ancestors landed here, that research institute had already been abandoned for unknown reasons, hadn't it?”
“Ah—”
Rita covered her mouth.
She hadn't expected that a casual answer from her earlier would lead to her side revealing their hand.
But Sasha wasn't angry; instead, her eyes showed a hint of surprise and admiration.
“You are far more intelligent than I imagined, Executive Officer. I think I might be a little smitten with you.”