by <unknown>
Some scientists once believed that generating a powerful magnetic field could simulate a gravitational field that could be used to push a spacecraft at extreme velocity. If the magnetic field was powerful enough, the spacecraft would enter a space beyond our dimension and achieve faster than light travel. Upon the dissipation of this magnetic field, the spacecraft would return to our present dimension.
To put it in simple terms, the universe as we knew it could be described as a sphere. No matter how fast a spacecraft traveled, it would only glide along the surface of this sphere.
The profoundness of space warp engine technology stemmed from how it was able to break through the boundary of conventional travel. It penetrated through the surface of this sphere to arrive at another point of the sphere. This was the essence of subspace navigation.
The wonder of subspace navigation was that it could easily compress a ten-thousand years voyage to just one year.
By compressing a ten-thousand years voyage to just one year with subspace navigation, a stupendous amount of time and resources could be conserved.
In other words, the space warp engine technology Chen Chen obtained from the Event Horizon dimension was a magnetic field generation device that could create such a powerful concentration of gravitational force that it penetrated reality and the subspace.
"But I have some concerns."
Little X noted with a wry face, "With the implementation of space warp in the real world, there's a possibility that we may face a similar terror like what was shown in Event Horizon..."
"There's always the possibility."
Chen Chen noted with a quick smile, "This has always been the case with the implementation of technology. In a similar vein, do you think it was a mistake to adopt nuclear technology?"
Little X pouted. "That's not what I was saying..."
"Whether it's nuclear technology or space warp technology, the principle is the same as always."
Chen Chen explained, "The progress of civilization is always full of thorns. The further we travel down the road of technology, the higher the stakes become as we tread closer to potential destruction. The emergence of nuclear weapons can be said to be the first such major trial experienced by human civilization. The first deployment of the nuclear bomb terrified the world down to its very core and drew concerns that it would lead to the doom of mankind. But in the end, haven't we preserved and even managed to utilize nuclear technology for greater purposes?"
Chen Chen did not wait for Little X's reply to continue. "Nuclear weapons are just the beginning. From there on, there are anti-matter weapons, bio-genetic weapons, and further biochemical inventions that may very well backfire on its creators and wipe them out. We can observe this happening with some of the dimensions we've been to. These are the barriers to innovation.
"We have been theorizing what's called The Great Filter standing in the way of evolution of civilization. If The Great Filter truly existed, then nuclear technology would be one of the layers of this filter and space warp engine another one of them. Each new technology we reach into is another layer of this filter.
"However, just like nuclear weapons, the transition to space warp engine technology may bring in a corresponding crisis as well. The first usage of space warp technology may bring us into some form of an unknown entity in the subspace. Without proper knowledge and equipped defenses, our civilization may share the same fate as the Event Horizon dimension and be driven to destruction by the subspace...
"But space warp technology is essential to mankind's space voyage."
Chen Chen preached, "Without it, we'd need to travel for centuries only to navigate beyond the solar system. This is very inefficient and even inoperable. Only with the space warp technology can we consider ourselves a qualified interstellar civilization, otherwise, we humans will be forever bound to patrol inside the solar system only."
Little X was enlightened by Chen Chen's profound sermon.
"It's redundant now for us to worry about the potential subspace devastation that might be caused by the transition to space warp engine technology. Instead, we should make preparations and begin exploring how we can neutralize the dangers of the subspace."
Chen Chen noted, "Based on what we've gathered so far, the best way to resist the power of subspace is to put the crew into a cryogenic state. By doing this, the crew can be immune to the corrosive effects of the subspace. We can wait until the warp is completed and after emerging from the subspace to wake up the crew.
"In addition, we also need to have an effective plan against the puzzling existence inside the subspace. Now, this is what we'll need to further discuss..."
Chapter 598: Superpower Combative Police Force Six-man Squad |
After a decade, the presence of psionicists had progressed from one to be shunned to slowly being inducted into the society. In the present, they had become a central part of a society's DNA.
A majority of psionicists were assimilated by either Blacklight Biotechnology or the authorities of their respective continents. Meanwhile, the evildoers who used their psionic gifts for evil motives were always swiftly arrested and sentenced accordingly.
Three separate factions upheld this justice system.
The first, most authoritative faction was known as the "Superpower Investigation Bureau". It was an international organization affiliated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Its operation mirrored that of the FBI, where the local affairs were mostly left to the local forces to monitor. The Earth Federation only functioned as a unifying symbol for this faction.
All the members of these webs of local organizations were composed of the psionicists among the common folk, all recruited by the local authorities. They were tasked with handling psionicist criminals and other similar difficult missions that may require the help of qualified psionicists.
The second faction was Blacklight Biotechnology's very own Psionicist Combative Police Force stationed across the continent. This was a collaborative effort between Blacklight Biotechnology and the local officials of all continents. The New York branch remained the most distinguished among this collection. They were essentially the superstars of the Psionicist Combative Police Force.
The third and final faction was largely shrouded from public attention. It was a major task force serving under the Blacklight Foundation.
Even for the officials of most countries, the name Blacklight Foundation remained quite obscure. Most commoners would never even have the privilege to hear of this organization while only the elite members of small countries would have heard of it.
Even so, the name of this faction was the only concrete information they knew of it.
Among the elite members in the small countries, rumors circulated that the Blacklight Foundation was beyond any other official bodies of the Earth Federation. It was said that it was established by the four major continents in conjunction with Blacklight Biotechnology. It was an independent armed department which goal was to oversee the progress of human civilization.
The reason why they knew of this was that they were all forced by the four major continents to sign a set of treaties that proclaimed that the Blacklight Foundation was authorized to operate above the restrictions of the Earth Federation if the circumstance demanded it.
However, not a soul knew what secrets this mysterious foundation concealed.
In the entire Earth Federation, only the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology as well as a representative from each of the four major continents were in the know. This scarce collection of individuals formed what was known as the "Lilith Council".
With these three faction's ruling, there was no chance of any psionicists who were unwilling to submit to any of the forces to survive in this global landscape. On the off chance, there may be a handful who managed to slip through the web occasionally, but their only chance at survival from there on would be to tuck their tails and live their lives as common citizens as to not expose their psionic identity.
M
ost of the psionicists who were well known to the public belonged to the Psionic Combative Police Force. With Blacklight Biotechnology's branding, these individuals were well received by the general public and received another publicly acknowledged title known as -
Superheroes.
However, although psionicists were now seen as a regular fact of mankind, there was still a minority who still held a deep-rooted hostility toward the psionicists. As far as this demographic was concerned, psionicists were non-human aliens and not only that, but they were also dangerously superior to commoners. The power of these psionicists was a threat and if not put on a chain, they may very well overturn the government and rule over mankind.
There was once a study conducted by a public research organization. The name of this study was known as the "Psionic Threat Assessment Report". The result showed that thirty percent of the demographic believed that psionicists were dangerous to society and more restrictions should be put in place to subdue them.
Although this was merely a sample survey, it still proved the point that many people still held a deep hostility concerning the subject of the existence of psionicists.
Over the last decade, some secret organizations were assembled, all of them with a unified purpose of eradicating all of these vermin known as psionicists from society. One of these many organizations was known as the "Psionic Threat Association" and they proclaimed that the psionics must be suppressed. Even if it was not possible to completely suppress them, these mutant freaks should be exiled to Mars or other planets to preserve the pure, original bloodline of men.
Without surprise, the primary targets of these non-governmental organizations were the "Psionic Combative Police Force" put in the spotlight of international media all these years.
In Northern America, New York, inside the Blackwatch New York branch building.
In one of the conference rooms located near the top floor of the building, there were several branch executives and six individuals each in odd uniforms gathered together.
There was a familiar face among this group of branch executives. It was Liu Zhijian who sat in the center, the most prominent position. He had been promoted to the role of the central supervisor in the Northern American branch of Blackwatch.
There was a blond-haired man who wore a blue uniform with a large cloak flapping behind it. His gaze was like a beam of laser. He was John, the psionicist known to the public as the "Guardian".
With his handsome features that put ancient Greek sculptures to shame and unparalleled charisma, John had accumulated a giant fan base numbering more than ten million all around the world. His sheer popularity could only be rivaled by several other contemporary icons of the modern world and even the peak popularity of Brooke who was once the most popular member of the now-retired Bionic Combative Police Force.
The unique combination of personal charm and supreme psionic talents helped him ascend the corporational ladder in the blink of an eye. His authority in the organization was second only to Liu Zhijian.
Apart from John, "Thor" Lane and "Invisible Man" Blake were present at the scene as well. However, the shy young man Hodge was no longer with them as he had retired from the Psionic Combative Police Force three years ago.
The Psionic Combative Police Force was graced with the addition of three new members over the last decade. Their nicknames to the public were "Elastigirl" Haiti, "Catwoman" Anna, and "Dragonfly Man" Jeff.
The Elastigirl Haiti's psionic manifestation was the ability to alter her form at will. Provided her total surface area remained the same, she could alter her appearance to match anybody in the world. Furthermore, her body was as resilient as tough rubber and could resist blunt damage bullets or even knives occasionally.
The Catwoman Anna possessed reaction speed and dexterity like a cat. She also excelled at hand-to-hand combat. She could eject sharp claws from her palms and slice through steel beams like cheese.
As for the Dragonfly Man Jeff, he possessed disproportionately superhuman strength like that of an ant. A pair of dragonfly wings grew along his back that allowed him to fly short distances. Just like Blake, he assumed the role of a scout among the group.
The three of them were the elite members selected from the annual psionicists contest show. The contest eliminated all unworthy contestants until the final one remained who will be eligible to join the elite squad.
One thing that remained constant over the years was the leader, John the Guardian, who was the most popular member of the group.
"John."
Liu Zhijian flashed an endearing smile at the blonde-haired man. "Your recent performance has been superb. You've cracked many cases including one of the largest scale bank robbery attempts in New York City in recent years. This has inspired a lot of confidence in us in the public and our popularity rate has reached an all-time high of eighty-six percent."
"This popularity rate doesn't surprise me."
John acknowledged the praises and noted calmly, "When you gathered us for this meeting, you mentioned that the company issued a warning to us, what is it about?"
"It's about the anti-psionicist movement."
Liu Zhijian noted cautiously, "The higher-ups sent word of increasing aggression of an extremist organization known as 'Psionic Threat Association'. They recently smuggled crates of illegal thermal weapons in the North Sea Continent and may be looking to act against the Psionicist Combative Police Force soon."
Their calm expression was replaced with caution upon hearing of this. John immediately knitted his brows apprehensively. "Do we have a name list of the organization?"
"No."
Liu Zhijian remarked regretfully, "They know how to keep their movements undercover. We're lucky to have even heard of this news thanks to a tip-off from one of our sources in the continent."
"D*mn it, it's the same story all over again!"
The Dragonfly Man Jeff cursed. "How much have we psionicists sacrificed for the good of society? How many vicious criminals have we captured? And all we get in exchange is to be hunted down by these pigs, I..."
"That's enough!"
Liu Zhijian rebuked sternly, "Keep your complaints to yourself and even if you have to utter them, don't do it anywhere outside of this place. Do you have any idea what consequences there will be if any external parties hear of these complaints?"
"Of course, I wouldn't voice them anywhere else..."
The Dragonfly Man Jeff whimpered quietly and remained silent after.
"What's important is we take the most appropriate measures that the situation calls for."
The Catwoman Anna was always dressed in skin-tight black tights. She licked her paws playfully and snickered. "This isn't the first time we've been prosecuted by extremist organizations anyway. I say we fight fire with fire."
With that, she turned to look Liu Zhijian right in the eye. "Will the company clean up the mess for us if we kill these people?"
"Of course."
Liu Zhijian stated, "But I wouldn't recommend you guys to make the move first. There's your reputation to consider and if someone finds out that you guys killed members of anti-psionicist organizations. It would be a bad look for the police force."
"But they are right in our faces by this point. Maybe even our families may be in danger so why can't we make a move yet?"
Lane asked, frustrated, "The company isn't going to let us receive a beating and not let us fight back, is it?"
Liu Zhijian frowned at this point. Concerning this matter, he would much rather not let them act as they would since each of them was equivalent to international celebrities. Everything they say or do recklessly may sabotage the reputation of the Psionic Combative Police Force that they had spent so long building. It may even give the anti-psionicists a better argument for their case.
As internationally renowned superstars, each member of the Psionic Combative Police Force was worth at least hundreds of millions of dollars while John the Guardian was easily worth a billion dollars. A
ny hit to their reputation could represent hundreds of millions to billions of dollars in losses. It may even come at the cost of his position as well.
Liu Zhijian strived for so long to get to this position. To retire early was the last thing on his mind.
Then again, as the primary superior of the Northern American Division of Blackwatch, it was important for him to appease the members of the Psionic Combative Police Force whenever possible. Liu Zhijian was not delusional and he of all people knew that this group was not the picture-perfect superhero models that they were shaped as to the general public.
With this in mind, he appeased them by saying, "Don't worry, everyone. The company will send B.S.S. troops to collaborate with the Northern American police and conduct a secret investigation. We'll make sure to let you guys take charge if the situation cannot be remedied naturally. We'll flag these organizations as terrorist organizations and this way, they can be crushed without any worries!"
"Hahaha!"
Thor Lane and Dragonfly Man Jeff bellowed with laughter upon hearing of this good news. The Guardian John and the others were visibly pleased as well. It seemed everyone was satisfied with this plan Liu Zhijian devised.
While the atmosphere in the conference room was slowly growing amiable, the communication device strapped to their wrists suddenly blared defining sirens.
None of them were spooked by this sudden intrusion. As superheroes stationed in New York City, they were always immediately contacted whenever a difficult and highly threatening accident surfaced in the city, ones that the New York City Police Department could not handle efficiently. This was how the reputation of the Psionic Combative Police Force was built over time.