Chapter 488: Security
When the Tech-Priests entered the compartment and saw the pristine STC system, everyone was shocked into silence. The lead Tech-Priest walked briskly to the main console, checking the system status readings in disbelief.
"This... this is impossible..." He cross-referenced the data repeatedly. "System integrity ninety-nine point eight percent? All databases restored?"
The other Priests also threw themselves into the verification work.
They tested one functional module after another, and every time the results showed that the system had recovered to a perfect state. Only the absence of the AI core reminded everyone that this system had once suffered severe damage.
"Magos Explorator, how was this accomplished?" the lead Tech-Priest finally couldn't help but ask.
Ryo had long prepared an explanation: "While studying the system core in depth, I discovered a hidden self-repair protocol. It was likely a security mechanism programmed for delayed activation, triggered under specific conditions."
Although this explanation was simple, it was the most reasonable one under the current circumstances. Although the Tech-Priests still had doubts, they could only accept this explanation in the face of the definitive system status data.
With the STC system fully recovered, the Eternal Seeker gained an immensely powerful technical asset.
This system was not only capable of drastically elevating the equipment standards of the warship and its affiliated forces, but it also provided a solid technological foundation for Ryo's subsequent research projects.
Over the next few standard days, the Tech-Priest team began fully exploring the capabilities of this complete STC system.
Every day new technologies were discovered, and every moment new possibilities were unlocked.
And in the minds of everyone, the recovery of this system was viewed as the manifestation of a mechanical miracle.
Ryo commenced comprehensive performance testing on the newly manufactured security robot.
The test results far exceeded expectations, with its composite performance parameters visibly surpassing the Castellax-class automata currently widely used by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
The robot's motive system exhibited staggering mobility.
In obstacle testing, it was capable of executing tactical maneuvers at speeds of one hundred and eighty kilometers per hour, with a response time for emergency braking and turning of only zero point zero three seconds.
Its limb joints utilized a multi-directional transmission design, allowing it to complete highly difficult actions, including vertical climbing and traversing cramped spaces.
Defensive performance testing displayed that the new composite armor utilized on the robot's outer shell successfully withstood continuous fire from a standard boltgun.
In impact resistance testing, it endured the kinetic impact equivalent to a direct hit from a heavy bolter while its structure remained intact.
Energy weapon resistance testing indicated that its armor possessed an effective dampening effect against the damage of both las-weapons and plasma weapons.
The performance of the sensor systems was equally impressive.
The robot's multi-spectral observation devices were capable of identifying targets five kilometers away in complete darkness, and the precision of its motion detectors was sufficient to track the trajectories of high-velocity artillery shells.
The audio collection system could filter background noise to accurately capture specific sound sources within one kilometer.
Combat efficiency assessments displayed that despite being equipped only with a non-lethal weapon system, the robot's tactical mobility and defensive performance had reached an astonishing level.
Its suppressive weapons could incapacitate multiple targets within a short duration, while its extraordinary mobility allowed it to effectively evade counterattacks.
Ryo recorded in the testing logs: If this robot were equipped with a lethal weapon system, its composite combat efficiency would be sufficient to pose a severe threat to a squad of Space Marines.
Considering its exceptional defensive performance, outstanding mobility, and precise tactical execution capabilities, it might even hold an advantage in single-combat engagements.
Throughout the testing process, the robot's energy system continuously performed excellently.
After continuously undergoing high-intensity mobility and defensive testing, the energy readings decreased by only seventeen percent, far below the expected energy consumption of the design parameters.
The exceptional performance exhibited by this security robot made Ryo involuntarily recall a piece of long-buried history.
That was during the ancient era before the Imperium was established, when the Emperor was still dedicated to unifying Holy Terra.
The twenty Space Marine Legions, having just completed their initial formation, were committed to live combat to cleanse the tech-warlord factions across Terra.
During the Battle of the Tempest Galleries, the XVIII Legion was ordered to assault a certain warlord stronghold nestled deep within the Ural Mountains.
This stronghold occupied treacherous terrain, its interior filled with intricate and complex defensive fortifications.
Most troublesome of all, the defenders had activated an automated security production line originating from the Dark Age of Technology.
Ryo recalled the descriptions in the relevant accounts: After breaching the outer defensive lines, the then-fledgling XVIII Legion encountered those continuously mass-produced security robots.
These robots utilized the complex terrain to wage a guerrilla campaign, inflicting immense losses upon the Legion.
At the height of the battle, the robots even organized coordinated offensives, displaying staggering tactical proficiency.
This fierce battle, which lasted for seventy-two hours, ultimately concluded with the Legion soldiers destroying the production line and capturing the stronghold.
But of the twenty-six thousand Space Marines who took part, only a little over one thousand remained capable of continuing combat operations after the battle concluded.
This tragic victory made the Imperial upper echelons of that time deeply recognize the hazard of relics left behind from the Dark Age of Technology.
Cross-referencing the current testing data with this historical record, Ryo discovered that the security robot manufactured now shared numerous similarities in core performance parameters with those ancient patterns that had caused massive casualties in the accounts.
Particularly in terms of defensive performance and mobility, both displayed levels far surpassing conventional designs.
This discovery made Ryo realize all the more the priceless value of the STC system in his hands.
It was not only capable of providing advanced manufacturing technology but also contained a complete record of the history of human technological development.
After confirming that the testing data was completely archived, Ryo brought the security robot back into the primary compartment housing the STC system.
Through the console, he deeply accessed the system database, searching for defensive technologies capable of matching the robot's exceptional performance.
The defensive systems within the database presented a breathtaking level of technology.
Ryo selected a complete defensive schematic, the most central of which was the Quantum Superposition Shield System.
This shield could simultaneously exist across multiple probability vectors, causing the vast majority of attacks to pass through a phantom image, with only attacks precisely matching the shield's frequency capable of touching the physical entity.
When the shield activated, a flickering quantum radiance would surface around the robot, as if it were shrouded within a constantly shifting mist.
Complementing the shield system was a Chrono-Spatial Distortion Field.
This field could generate a subtle space-time curvature around the robot, naturally deflecting any approaching physical entity or energy.
In testing, the trajectories of bolt rounds began to bend several meters away from the robot, and las-beams refracted as if encountering a prism.
This defense even exhibited a certain disruptive effect against psychic attacks.
The most exquisite aspect was the Phase Shift Module.
When the robot detected an unavoidable, fatal attack, it could temporarily shift into another dimensional space within a thousandth of a second, reappearing in its original place once the threat had passed.
To an onlooker, this process appeared as if the robot suddenly became transparent, the attack passing right through before it recovered its physical form.
The active defense systems were equally impressive.
Precognitive evasion algorithms allowed the robot to perceive danger in advance, its movement trajectories appearing to dance amidst the hail of gunfire.
Nano-scale self-repairing armor endowed it with staggering durability; damages inflicted during testing were often completely restored within a matter of seconds.
Spatial control gear added the finishing touch to the entire defensive framework.
Localized gravity wells could trap invaders when necessary, while chrono-spatial anchoring ensured no one could approach the STC system through anomalous means.
When working in coordination, these systems created a near-absolute defensive domain around the robot.
Upon completing all upgrades, this ultimate sentinel was deployed beside the STC system.
When standing still, it resembled a sculpture, with distorted light and quantum glows faintly visible around its body.
Once an unauthorized individual approached, the multi-layered defensive systems would activate in sequence, transitioning from mild warnings to resolute termination, forming a distinctly structured response architecture.
Ryo specifically set the defensive priorities: Protecting the security of the STC system transcended everything else.
Under this premise, the robot was authorized to utilize all necessary means, including those dark technologies touching the absolute fringes of physical laws.
Gazing upon this silent sentinel, Ryo could finally rest assured that this precious STC system had obtained protection worthy of its value.
(End of Chapter)