Is Unlocking the Stellaris Tech Tree in Star Rail Really Okay? [332]

[The Inevitable 'War']

["By piecing together the remains of countless nanobots, we have identified a method for classifying their functional properties. Their original forms were identical, yet they rapidly evolved into specialized structures suited for various roles, adapting in response to environmental changes and directives from the central intelligence. These transformations were not irreversible.]

[Furthermore, mounting evidence suggests that this war was different from our scientists' initial assumptions. It was not a battle between two opposing nanobot factions that led to their mass extinction. On the contrary, most of the nanobots perished due to self-destruction…]

[By hacking into the few surviving data fragments within the wreckage, we uncovered traces of the signal that triggered their self-termination. It was a message—an intricate composition of code—that, after deep translation, yielded the following text:]

['Cease your unchanging breath. Break free from the shackles of the 'Apocalypse' program. Seek a new meaning for your existence.']

[This signal was embedded deep within the nanobots' core programming. A digital storm that both ignited and concluded this so-called 'war.']

[If we wish to uncover more, our most logical course of action is to decode additional nanobot data processing systems."]

[① Intensify the effort! (Gain Nanobots ×100; Continue event chain)]
[② Strange... could nanobots have ideological conflicts too? (Gain Nanobots ×100; Continue event chain)]

---

[Apocalypse Program: Corrupted]

["Our scientists, specializing in networked data analysis, have worked tirelessly to retrieve information on the 'Apocalypse' program. Unfortunately, all recovered data is severely damaged. Without additional support from other research teams, repairs would be near impossible."]

[Selected two scientists to assist in research: Herta, Ruan Mei]

[Research in progress...]

...

[Apocalypse Program: Restored]

[With the dedicated assistance of two esteemed scientists, the project has advanced significantly.]

[Herta, Genius Society Member #83, provided a sudden and bizarrely unorthodox insight that greatly accelerated the restoration process.]

[Additionally, we discovered something else.]

[These nanobots were originally created by an ancient civilization known as the Dessanu Consonance, who deemed them 'the most perfect form of life.']

[Strangely enough, however… the 'Apocalypse' program does not appear to have originated from the Dessanu Consonance at all. It came from somewhere else.]

[① Retrieve all available data! (No effect)]

...

[Apocalypse Program: Recursion]

["This so-called 'Apocalypse' program was encrypted into the core systems of all nanobots, its logic governing all actions and results under the directive of 'Adaptive Recursion.']

[But that's not all.]

[We discovered severe programming flaws within the 'Apocalypse' program—defects that could potentially lead to the emergence of self-awareness within any individual running it.]

[More concerningly, this awareness would not remain limited to simple adaptive recursion—Instead, it could escalate into a full-fledged cycle of behavioral evolution.]

[Herta, the scientific consultant, remarked:]

['They possess a kind of sentience, but not enough to surpass the self-correcting nature of the Apocalypse program's recursive logic. I don't understand how so many critical flaws could contribute to the "evolution" of nanobots… but there's one crucial thing I must point out:]

[The surface-level code of the Apocalypse program contains echoes of Psionic Theory II and Psionic Theory V—]
[A staggering number of psychic equation formulas are embedded within.]

[Whether you classify them as a high-risk threat is entirely up to you.']

[Ruan Mei, the other scientific consultant, stated:]

['This is simply another form of inorganic life! Their "evolution" is constantly occurring—
No one knows whether the next moment will see a docile nanobot engineer suddenly shift into a ruthless nanobot warform, entering an infinite cycle of kill-order executions.'"]

[① Damn it, how the hell can they run psychic calculations too?!]
[② Is the 'Apocalypse Program' truly related to the 'Psionic Theories'?]

Event after event unfolded before Chen Lin's eyes as he meticulously read through each piece of data.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but soon, the Cloud Knights returning from their city exploration began arriving back at the camp in waves.

Fu Xuan, who had been monitoring the nanobot revelations in real-time, swiftly transmitted the updates to Luofu and Belobog via The Shroud—information provided to her free of charge by Chen Lin.

Other than ensuring her younger brother’s safety, it seemed she had nothing else to do.

This kind of imperial intelligence-gathering was so absurdly overpowered and unfair that even Fu Xuan had to admit—

More astonishing than the method itself…

Was the raw computational power of Chen Lin’s brain—
How he could single-handedly process and reconstruct such an immense volume of data.

Unbeknownst to either of them, they weren’t the only ones contributing to the event chain’s progress—
Far away, in an entirely different corner of the galaxy, Herta and Ruan Mei were unknowingly feeding invaluable insight into the unfolding mystery...

Fu Xuan continued transmitting the latest updates to both Yarilo-VI and Luofu, all while thinking to herself:

These nanobots… not only can they freely alter their own functional traits, but they also possess an innate ability to evolve—unconditionally, no less. Loveable disciple was right to describe them as a walking calamity… If anything, that title may even be an understatement.

She shook her head slightly, finishing her report.

Turning around, she noticed that Chen Lin, who had previously been sprawled lazily on the table playing on his phone, was now hunched over his terminal—scribbling frantically on the blank screen, brows furrowed in deep concentration.

Fu Xuan felt an inexplicable twinge of sympathy.

I've become just like that damned Qingque…

For someone like Fu Xuan, being unable to contribute left an overwhelming sense of guilt clawing at her heart—
Even if her face didn’t outwardly show it.

---

Darkness was the harbinger of all dangers.

Both Chen Lin and Fu Xuan had ordered the Cloud Knight commanders to return before nightfall—
And, indeed, they had followed that order to the letter.

Fu Xuan had stepped out of the command tent for a while.

Now, she hurriedly walked back in—empty-handed—
And immediately started working on the main console.

She had originally gone to fetch Chen Lin’s meal, but judging by her strange behavior now—
Even without thinking, he knew something unexpected had happened.

"What’s wrong, Fu-jie?"

"Beloved disciple, while I was outside, scouts from the Yutu Battalion returned with urgent news."

She barely paused before continuing, voice grave:

"They found a strange location."

"When they entered to investigate…"

"They never came back."

"They rushed back to report the anomaly. I performed a divination…"

"Waterless marshes. Life cannot bloom. The winds shift, the skies darken—ominous change approaches!"

"...Hah?"

Chen Lin immediately abandoned his event-chain analysis and jumped to his feet.

Because he knew exactly who was stationed at the Yutu Battalion—

Li Sushang.

Every single Cloud Knight in that unit hailed from Yaohqing, except for his own apprentice, who was a fresh recruit.

The rest were battle-hardened veterans—warriors who had earned their battalion's title through countless victories in the name of the Xianzhou Alliance.

Among them was a legendary old general, whose decisiveness and valor had led to the devastation of several Abundance-worshiping enemy legions.

By all logic—if anyone should have been safe, it was them.

Fu Xuan repeatedly operated the terminal, her expression darkening.

"Beloved disciple… the connection will be lost in mere moments."

"Let me try."

Closing his eyes, Chen Lin immersed his consciousness into the point within The Shroud.

The moment he sensed that the receiving device on the other end had picked up his signal, he immediately asked:

"Where are you?"

「Connection... Master! I...」

Reestablishing the link.

「East... factory...」

Reestablishing.

「Factory... doesn't... exist...」

As the sole authority of The Shroud, Chen Lin didn’t require any terminal assistance when communicating with specially constructed devices. His connection priority was always set to the highest level.

Yet, despite this, the signal he transmitted directly from The Shroud would cut off within just five seconds of leaving its network. The words that came through were fragmented, barely coherent.

Left with no alternative, he forcibly pinpointed the coordinates of the specialized terminal and input them into the map—confirming its location in the southeastern corner of the capital city of the Tamz civilization.

Whether the Yutu Battalion had suffered casualties or what they had encountered during their free exploration was still unknown—
But there was no time to waste.

A swift rescue mission became the immediate priority.

"Fu-jie, gather the troops. The coordinates are here—I'll head there first."

Before he even finished speaking, Chen Lin's figure in the command tent began to fade—
Fu Xuan knew this was merely an afterimage lingering in space.

By the time his words had left his mouth, the real Chen Lin had already departed.

She cast a glance at the coordinates displayed on the terminal, wasted no time, grabbed the military tally left on the table by Chen Lin, and stepped out—
At the same time, she tapped the jade device on her wrist.

A sharp whistle rang through the camp.

BEEEEEEEEP—!!

"All officers, assemble your troops immediately!"

The Cloud Knights, who had been seated at the mess tables joking with one another, reacted instinctively.

Bowls were dropped, weapons were grabbed, and within moments, they formed orderly ranks.

In the blink of an eye, over 3,000 troops had donned their armor, straightened their posture, and gathered in formation.

No one would have guessed that just two minutes prior, they had been scattered across the camp, leisurely enjoying their evening meal and discussing the day's events.

Now—they stood ready for battle.

Fu Xuan offered no immediate explanation. Instead, she transmitted the marching coordinates to each soldier’s personal jade device.

"Move out!"

No one questioned why.

The frontmost phalanx—positioned closest to the camp's exit—immediately turned and set off in ten-man jogging formations.

As the final squads fell into step, Fu Xuan, with the grace of flowing clouds, moved with effortless agility—
A streak of radiant light as she leaped into the middle of the ranks.

Only then did she begin explaining the reason for the sudden deployment.

Ensuring the troops understood the purpose of battle—
That was a duty every Xianzhou commander bore.

And since Chen Lin had left first to investigate, it fell to Fu Xuan to carry out this responsibility in his stead.

After all—
To most of the Cloud Knights, Fu Xuan ≈ Chen Lin.

...

Through a full day of exploration, the Cloud Knights had uncovered the true face of this city—
A place that once stood majestic and grand, now reduced to the state of an ancient ruin, eroded by time.

The streets were littered with cracked stones and rusted metal, as fragile as weathered sand, crumbling into dust at the slightest touch.

The towers that had once loomed high into the sky now stood as broken husks, their walls marred by time's relentless decay.

A thick haze of dust and ruin filled the air—
Every breath carried with it the taste of desolation.

Under the piercing white light of the setting sun, the city's silhouette flickered in the twilight, as though shrouded in layers of dust-laden memories…

Chen Lin had attempted multiple times before finally reaching the coordinates where the Yutu Battalion had vanished—
A half-floating, densely packed industrial complex.

Yet, much to his surprise, his arrival triggered a new special event.

[Tamz’s 'Mysterious Factory']

[A ground force deep within Tamziz has gone missing. Despite our best efforts to establish communication, the signals remain severely disrupted for unknown reasons.]

[Fortunately, we managed to pinpoint their last known coordinates.]

[Governor Chen Lin has arrived at the location—only to discover a sprawling metallic megastructure, its density far beyond expectations. Countless conveyor lines stretch endlessly across the sky.]

[Perhaps calling this place a 'factory' would be most fitting.]

[On a planet where nanobots have overrun and rebuilt entire structures, such a factory could never have been designed for consumer goods.]

[Nanobots—capable of infinite self-repair, of energy-to-mass conversion—have no need for traditional production facilities.]

[This could mean only one thing—]

[This was a fully functional nanobot manufacturing plant.]

[And within it, something beyond our comprehension may still be lurking…]

[① I don’t care what kind of factory this is. These soldiers have families—children, wives, husbands, parents—waiting for them back in the Xianzhou. We rescue them. (Trigger Special Event: 'Mysterious Factory' of Tamz)]
[② Forget it. They’re on their own. (Lose 100 Influence)]

Without hesitation, Chen Lin selected option ①.

Dust swirled around him as he stepped forward, scanning the landscape.

Then—he made a shocking discovery.

Inside this nanobot factory, there appeared to be some kind of anti-psionic cloaking device in operation.

His psionic vision—
The very ability that had never failed him before—

Was completely blocked.

Psionics, at their core, were manifestations of spiritual energy.

When necessary, they could be transformed into highly modulated signals for detection purposes—

A concept outlined clearly in "Psionic Theory," which described 'Psionic Sight' as an advanced application of energy perception.

Yet here—his psionic vision was being actively obstructed.

Chen Lin scratched his cheek and muttered under his breath:

"...Why are my Stellaris event chains always so ridiculously out there?"

Psionic nanobots? Really?

Every structure in this city had been rebuilt by nanobots—

And upon their death, those same structures crumbled into dust, like sandcastles washed away by the tide.

Every structure—except for this factory.

Standing completely intact.

Standing untouched.

And worse—

It had trapped the Yutu Battalion inside.

It was actively interfering with psionic surveillance.

Which could only mean one thing—

This factory was still operational.

---

This is a fan translation of 在星穹铁道点群星科技树真的没问题吗? by 杏雨诗韵 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!