NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 127: New Reactor
"The cube is holding, Sir," Ego reported. "But energy output is approaching critical levels."
"Activate superconductors!" Zack ordered over the rising noise.
The particle beam's energy surged into the superconducting field coils, which used quantum flux stabilization to maintain the precise electromagnetic field necessary to stabilize the nascent Singulium. The prism began to glow faintly, then more brightly, as the new element crystallized within its core. The glow soon became blinding, forcing Zack to shield his eyes. "Shut it down!" Zack yelled, slamming the stop button.
The accelerator powered down with a loud hiss, releasing clouds of white vapor as its cryogenic systems worked to cool the overheated components. Zack removed his goggles and exhaled, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. "Now that's power," he muttered.
Carefully, Zack approached the containment chamber and used a pair of robotic tweezers to retrieve the glowing prism. Inside it, the newly synthesized Singulium shimmered faintly, its structure radiating with barely-contained energy. "Sir, congratulations. You've successfully synthesized Singulium," Ego said, her tone carrying a rare hint of pride.
"Let's test it," Zack replied, placing the Singulium core into the Singulium Reactor prototype he had prepared earlier. As soon as the core was secured, the reactor came to life, emitting a steady, brilliant light. Its systems began converting the Singulium's latent energy into usable power, with Ego monitoring the results. "Status report," Zack ordered, crossing his arms.
"Sir, the reactor is fully operational. Calculating energy output…" Ego replied. "12 billion joules per second… 25 billion… 48 billion… 60 billion… 72 billion…" "Sir, the new element has stabilized at a maximum output of 76 billion joules per second, exceeding all theoretical projections," Ego concluded.
Zack blinked in astonishment, the grin on his face widening. "Ten times stronger than the cold fusion Reactor…" he muttered, barely believing the numbers. He had expected improvements, but this was beyond his wildest expectations. "This changes everything," Zack said, his voice filled with excitement. "Time to redesign all my blueprints."As the reactor glowed steadily, filling the basement with its light, Zack felt a wave of exhilaration. He was just getting started.
The Titan Armor was originally designed to be powered by eleven Cold fusion reactors. With the Singulium's incredible energy output, only one reactor was now needed to achieve the same performance. Take another example: Aegis, the air-command platform currently under construction, was supposed to run on twelve Cold fusion reactors. Now? Just one Singulium Reactor would suffice. "Sir, it's great that Aegis hasn't fully started construction yet," Ego said, her tone steady as always, "but you've already built many parts for the Titan Armor. If you cut down the number of reactors, those parts will go to waste."
"Who said anything about cutting down the number of reactors?" Zack chuckled, his grin widening into something almost maniacal. "Keep all the reactors! Any extra power can go straight to the weapons!"
"But—" Ego started.
"No buts, Ego. Just do what I say." With that, Zack picked up an Singulium Reactor reactor and strode out of Mansion No. 6, heading to Mansion No. 9. Excitement bubbled in his chest as he thought about the upgrades he could make to his suits of armor.
Back at Mansion No. 9, Zack wasted no time installing the new reactor into the Apex suit. Finally, the armor shed the limitations and fully reach utilize all it's potential! "With this new element, I think Annie can finally have her own reactor," Zack suddenly remembered.
Annie's unique condition made her hypersensitive to palladium. Even minimal contact would lead to severe poisoning, forcing her to rely on a hydrogen battery—a pitifully weak power source in Zack's eyes. "Ego, once we build enough Singulium Reactor reactors, make sure Annie gets one," Zack instructed.
"Understood, sir. But…"
"What is it now?" Zack paused, frowning slightly.
"Sir, the materials you currently have won't allow you to build as many Singulium Reactor reactors as you're planning." Faced with material shortages, Zack begrudgingly abandoned his dream of cramming a dozen Singulium Reactor reactors into a single machine. While the new elements themselves weren't hard to produce, the superconductors required to harness their energy were made of incredibly rare materials.
"Alright, here's the plan," Zack said, leaning over the console to adjust his designs. "Aegis and the Titan Armor each get four Singulium Reactor reactors. Aegis's sub-body fighter gets one as well. That leaves just enough materials to build a smaller reactor for Annie."
The immediate problem was solved, but Zack couldn't ignore the larger issue. To make new armor or expand his projects in the future, he would need more superconductors. "Resources are still too limited," Zack muttered, frustration seeping into his voice.
When he first took control of NYC, he thought the resources of an entire city would be more than enough to fuel his ambitions. But reality had other plans. While basic materials like steel were abundant, rare metals and superconducting materials were in painfully short supply. Take rhodium, for example—a crucial component of the superconductors. Its abundance in the Earth's crust was a measly one part per billion. Expanding his territory to nearby cities wouldn't solve the problem; these materials were simply too rare.
"It seems I can't quietly stockpile resources and build in peace," Zack sighed, shaking his head. "Time to target those cutting-edge research bases directly. Why waste time searching for crumbs when I can just take the whole cake?" With this thought in mind, Zack shifted gears. "Ego, how's the mechanical army coming along? Have the Titans and drones been built yet?"
"Sir, two Goliath have been completed. They're currently parked in the airport construction area, awaiting activation. Five Mark multipurpose drones have also been built and are awaiting activation alongside the Goliath," Ego replied promptly. "The mechanical army now consists of 210 spiders, 115 mechanical dogs, two Goliath drones, and five Mark drones. Additionally, over 300 manufacturing bugs are operational to meet current production needs. However, continuing production at this pace may lead to resource wastage. Shall I reduce the factory's efficiency?"
"Reduce it," Zack agreed after a moment's thought. "But keep producing maintenance parts, and don't let the number of mechanical bugs fall below 300."
"What about Aegis?" Zack asked next.
"The production framework is 57% complete. Full-scale production is expected to begin within a week, with an estimated build time of 21 days. Altogether, it will take one month and seven days to complete," Ego reported.
A massive air-command platform with a wingspan of 100 meters completed in just over a month—this level of productivity was unheard of, even before the apocalypse. "Much faster than I expected," Zack said, nodding in approval.
Satisfied with the progress, Zack decided to inspect the new members of the mechanical legion. He donned his upgraded armor Apex V2, as it would now be called—and prepared to head out. "First, let's test the power of the new reactor," Zack said, excitement bubbling in his tone.
Activating the thrusters, he shot into the sky like an arrow released from a bow. The raw power of the Singulium Reactor reactor roared to life, pushing the thrusters to maximum output almost instantly.
Boom!
The sonic boom shattered the calm of the neighborhood, echoing through the air as Zack broke the sound barrier within seconds. Inside the Mansion, Sophia sighed as she heard the familiar explosion. "Here we go again…" she muttered, shaking her head.