Chapter 34: The Mechanical Secret Door_1
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So he had to figure out a way to complete these two tasks by any means necessary—he didn't want to spend his life in a Steel Prison where outside lay either a primitive planet or the endless cosmos.
"Hiss~"
Cao Ge's brows suddenly furrowed as a torrent of information burst forth in his mind; these were cinematic snapshots, memories of the original body regarding this cabin.
He rubbed his temples, took a few minutes to recover, and then suddenly raised his right hand, looking towards his arm.
There was an Identity Bracelet; he took off the bracelet from his right hand, withdrew his gaze, and looked down at John, who was busy at work.
"John, this is my Identity Bracelet, take it. My authority is sufficient for you to access anything on this ship; perhaps it will help," said Cao Ge as he handed over the Identity Bracelet.
John looked up at Cao Ge, nodded, and took the Identity Bracelet from him.
"Authorization code 19860214," said Cao Ge as John took the bracelet.
John nodded, then swiped the bracelet over the scanner in his computer.
"Beep!"
An interface appeared on the computer screen with a rectangular input box at its center, but with no explanation.
John looked up at Cao Ge and then typed in the authorization code.
Indeed, after entering the authorization code, the screen changed, and a blue transparent box displayed a profile similar to that of a video game character.
Name: Walker Rute
Occupation: Head of Armed Forces
Age: 35
Status: Awakened
Besides these, several new options appeared within the operable range of the computer, such as various projects.
John looked up and returned the Identity Bracelet to Cao Ge, then delved into his work.
At present, the memories of these people were incomplete, their obedience to Cao Ge wasn't due to his unique personal charisma, but rather because it was the best arrangement under the circumstances; in times of crisis, they naturally followed the commands of the highest-ranking official, provided there were no major errors in the commands.
Cao Ge felt indifferent to John's rudeness; after all, he was not truly an official.
He took back the bracelet, put it on again, and then returned to the central area of the cabin, watching as Guy directed Eric and the others to clamber through the ventilation ducts.
The ventilation ducts here differed from those on Earth; every space on a spaceship was valuable, and it was not feasible to waste space on merely moving air.
The spaceship had its oxygen recycling system, generally maneuvered through tiny ducts.
The space where Eric and others were situated might as well be called a spread-out space for the ship's wiring rather than a ventilation duct.
They were able to crawl inside because the ship was currently powered down.
Otherwise, forget crawling, the heat alone would be fatal, not to mention the potential for electric surges.
Approaching the control panel, Cao Ge watched without giving random orders; professional matters were naturally left to the professionals.
"Major Eric, move forward another five meters, and you'll encounter a fork, please proceed to your right," Guy instructed, pressing a button and speaking into the microphone.
"Hm-hmm~"
Other than Eric's response, the speaker was filled with continuous heavy breathing; navigating the cramped space brimming with cables was certainly a challenge.
While searching and directing at the metal table, Guy had another soldier prepare equipment on the ground nearby—weapons, food, and the like, in case of any emergent dangers.
Aside from Cao Ge, the other six had tasks to attend to.
Cao Ge watched everything keenly. He wasn't idle; he was thinking. The sudden recollection of the bracelet had made him realize that there were still usable memories to excavate from this body.
He was trying hard to remember, to see if he had forgotten something.
If he could recall just one more secret path, perhaps they could all get out.
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Cao Ge's current plan was this: find a way out first, then figure out a way to awaken as many armed personnel as possible.
Once his power had grown to a certain extent, he would choose whether to restart the spacecraft or clear the monsters on board first.
In the quiet chamber, seven people were each busy with their tasks, and time ticked away second by second.
.........
In the blink of an eye, two hours had passed.
By now, it had been eight hours since Cao Ge awoke from the sleep chamber.
Their efforts to find an exit were still futile. Eric and his two companions had indeed walked out through the ventilation ducts, but they only went from one enclosed chamber to another.
The only good news was that two members of the flight team sleeping in that chamber had been awakened, increasing their numbers from seven to nine.
"Minister Walker!"
Suddenly, John shouted in the otherwise quiet chamber.
"What's wrong?"
Cao Ge was already somewhat irritable as they couldn't find a way out. Hearing John's shout only worsened his mood.
"Minister Walker, come over here," John said with a cheerful face, beckoning to him.
Seeing John's expression, Cao Ge's demeanor changed, and he suddenly thought of a possibility.
"Could it be?"
Cao Ge rose from his seat and came to the chamber door where John was.
"What's going on? Did you find a way to open the chamber door?" Cao Ge snatched the tablet computer and asked.
Cao Ge looked at the 3D map on the computer, scrolling up and down. But before he could find a solution, John spoke up.
"No, but using the Minister's authority, I checked the spacecraft's construction blueprints and found a secret passageway that isn't shown on the map," John answered with joy.
"Where is it, show it to me." Cao Ge handed the computer back and said.
John took the computer and then swiped the screen, bringing up two interfaces: one of the current chamber's map and one of the construction schematics.
Using the computer to overlap and compare both maps, there was a fuzzy area about three meters from the corner near the sleep chamber.
It looked very likely to be a passageway.
Cao Ge stared at the red area on the computer, deep in thought.
Given his status, the existence of such a mechanical door would fit.
Cao Ge went to the place indicated by the computer, looking at the intact steel wall with no cracks.
He wasn't surprised by this scene; since it wasn't displayed on the map, naturally there couldn't be any traces.
This door probably only appears in the chambers of the commanding officers of the spacecraft. The purpose? That was easy to explain—it was to prevent a total power outage.
Cao Ge took the iron plate he had in his hand and struck it hard against the corner of the wall.
"Clang Clang Clang~"
Although it made a clanging sound, it wasn't pure.
Cao Ge's face broke into a smile, and he turned back to look at John, "Does the computer show the thickness of the steel plate?"
John immediately operated the computer to calculate, and after about ten seconds, he had an answer.
"The discrepancy between the map and the blueprint is three millimeters. Subtracting the construction error, the thickness of the steel plate should not exceed two millimeters," John responded.
Cao Ge stood up, walked over to the metal console, and said to Guy, "Immediately pull back Eric and the others."