diskusbooks Chapter 715 Driving Simulation
Chapter 715 Driving Simulation
Since the starship carrying Meng Chuan left Mars' orbit, the scenery outside the window has turned into a frozen inky black.
Although the starship is accelerating forward, it appears as if it is stationary in space.
Apart from the occasional sliver of light from distant stars, there was no other movement.
The low rumble of the engine acted as a constant background noise, making the cabin even quieter.
Even the hum of the air circulation system was clearly audible.
Yingdie fiddled with the ring controller, her fingertips rubbing against the cool surface of the ring repeatedly.
Meng Chuan leaned back in the passenger seat, flipping through star charts, but after a couple of pages he found it boring.
Looking up, I saw Yingdie staring intently at the controller, and I smiled:
"Since we're just idling around anyway, why not do some research? We don't want to be scrambling when we actually need it."
Yingdie's eyes lit up, she nodded, and gently touched the face of the ring with her fingertip.
Because the starship's signal was always on, War VII would reconnect every ten minutes or so.
Meng Chuan and Ying Die were also unable to experience the "feeling" of zero gravity.
Without any earth-shattering sound, a pale blue halo suddenly rippled out from the ring.
In the blink of an eye, a holographic projection was spread out inside the cabin.
It was several times clearer than the projection on Meng Chuan's starship, and even the graininess of the light and shadow was not visible.
The projector first displayed a line of unfamiliar characters, which then automatically converted to Chinese:
"Messenger-class spacecraft 'Stardust' binding interface."
Below are a dense array of options:
User manual, performance parameters, driving simulator, identity authentication, etc...
Yingdie tapped "User Manual," and the projection instantly switched to a three-dimensional diagram of the ship's structure.
From the engine to the particle buffer layer, every component is clearly labeled, and you can even see the dynamic simulation of energy flowing in the micro-curvature resonator.
"This alien is quite thoughtful."
Meng Chuan leaned closer and said:
"Even the translation is so well done."
"you do not say."
Yingdie hovered her fingertip over the "identity verification" screen, but turned to look at Meng Chuan:
"You do this."
Meng Chuan was stunned for a moment:
"You can do it yourself, I don't know anything about these things."
"No. This is a gift for you; it's only legitimate if it's linked to your identity."
Yingdie pushed the ring towards him:
"Look, it says 'Requires verification by the holder' on it."
Meng Chuan leaned closer to take a look.
really!
There is indeed a line of small print next to "Identity Authentication".
He reluctantly accepted the ring and, following Yingdie's instructions, clicked "Start Authentication".
The next second, a strange box suddenly popped up in the projection:
"Please enter 'vital characteristic baseline'".
Before Meng Chuan could react, a very thin beam of white light suddenly shot out from the ring face, sweeping across his fingertip—presumably to collect his fingerprint.
Then came "Please enter your voiceprint," "Please enter your iris," and even "Thought fluctuation calibration."
Ask Meng Chuan to stare at the light spot on the projection and think for three seconds about "the place I most want to go".
"This certification process is too much of a hassle."
Meng Chuan rubbed his eyes, which were a little itchy from the white light:
"I never imagined aliens were so concerned about privacy."
"That's safe."
Yingdie watched from the side and laughed:
"Think about it, if just anyone could come and drive it away, what kind of greeting gift would that be?"
The final step is "ownership confirmation".
A line of text popped up on the projector:
"Is it confirmed that 'Stardust' is bound to Meng Chuan's private property? After binding, it can only be transferred with Meng Chuan's authorization or by designating a driver."
Meng Chuan clicked "Confirm".
The ring face suddenly vibrated slightly, and the interface in the projection instantly changed.
A small "Meng Chuan (owner)" logo has appeared in the upper right corner.
"All right."
Shadow Butterfly immediately came closer:
"Authorize the driver now."
Meng Chuan clicked "Authorization Management" as prompted and entered the name "Yingdie".
They made her record her fingerprints and voiceprints again.
When Yingdie's name appeared in the "Authorized Driver" section, the projection suddenly flickered and a new interface popped up:
"Simulated driving mode is unlocked".
"Come and try?"
Yingdie's eyes lit up, and she pulled Meng Chuan to sit in front of the projector.
The simulation interface is extremely realistic—it's as if a vast space has truly unfolded before your eyes, with nebulae slowly swirling in the distance and tiny specks of stardust visible up close.
A virtual image of the Stardust hovers in the center, with the various parameter panels of the cockpit clearly displayed on both sides.
"Let's try automatic flight first."
Shadow Butterfly tapped "autopilot," and the virtual ship immediately and smoothly sailed forward. When it encountered a sparse asteroid belt in the distance, it would automatically detour around it, its movements so smooth as if the trajectory had been calculated in advance.
"That saves a lot of trouble."
Meng Chuan found it intriguing:
"What about manual mode?"
Shadow Butterfly switched to "manual mode" and moved her fingertips on the virtual joystick.
The virtual ship turned sharply and accelerated, and you could even see its "exhaust flame".
It wasn't real flame, but rather a pale purple band of light formed by the flow of energy.
She tried emergency braking, side rollover, and even weaved back and forth between two meteorites. In just over ten minutes, she had mastered the basic operations.
"You have quite the talent."
Meng Chuan was astonished:
"It's much faster than me learning to drive."
"It's a bit like flying a plane; it all depends on visibility and reaction time."
Yingdie smiled and stepped aside:
"Would you like to try it?"
Meng Chuan reluctantly sat down, and as soon as he grasped the virtual control stick, he almost steered the ship into a spinning circle.
After finally regaining control, a virtual meteorite drifted towards us—the system displayed, "Distance 1000 meters, estimated collision time 3 seconds."
He frantically steered, managing to dodge but crashing headfirst into the shadow of a nearby asteroid. The simulation interface immediately displayed the word "crash."
Meng Chuan: "..."
Silently letting go, Meng Chuan said speechlessly:
"Never mind, I'll watch you drive."
Yingdie suppressed a laugh and reset the interface:
"Take your time, there's plenty of time."
However, in the following days, Meng Chuan's "driving talent" did not improve much.
Either they reacted too slowly when encountering a sudden meteorite, or they mistook "emergency acceleration" for "braking".
The most outrageous time was when they actually sailed the ship into a simulated "stardust cloud" and couldn't find their way for a long time.
In contrast, the Shadow Butterfly was able to move freely through the simulated "dense meteorite belt" after just two days.
The system-programmed "sudden meteorites" came crashing down from all directions.
The driver had less than half a second to react.
She always manages to steer and brake suddenly based on instinct, managing to avoid danger each time.
This highlights the importance of manual driving.
For meteorites or meteors traveling at normal speeds, autonomous driving is very convenient.
But what if you encounter a meteorite that travels at extremely high speed and suddenly strikes?
Autonomous driving is always a step behind and often fails to avoid obstacles in time.
But with manual driving, it all comes down to the driver's reaction speed.
The faster the reaction, the faster the Stardust could evade.
"Fine, I give up completely."
On the seventh day, after another "crash," Meng Chuan simply pushed the virtual joystick aside:
"From now on, this job as a 'dedicated driver' is definitely yours."
Yingdie smiled and closed the simulation interface:
"Fine, since you're the gang leader and I'm just a martial arts attendant, whatever you say goes."
Yingdie rarely cracks a joke.
She didn't object to being a "driver".
Even though Meng Chuan couldn't learn to drive, she was secretly delighted.
From now on, wherever Meng Chuan goes, he has to take her with him.
If she hadn't thrown a tantrum, Meng Chuan probably wouldn't have taken her on this trip to Mars!
Meng Chuan stretched and yawned:
"I can't take it anymore, I'm going to the hibernation pod to sleep for a while. This damn piloting is too mentally taxing, I'd rather catch up on some sleep."
Meng Chuan got up and walked towards the hibernation pod, but after taking two steps, he turned back.
Looking at the ring controller in Yingdie's hand, the pale blue halo reflected on her face, making her appear exceptionally gentle.
"Don't overwork yourself, take a break when you need to. Anyway, it'll be a while before we return."
Yingdie nodded, lightly tapped the ring with her fingertip, and the holographic projection retracted.
She casually put the ring on her own body.
But deep down, she couldn't wait to return to Earth.
When the time comes, she'll secretly fly into space alone, and she'll have to find a secluded place to truly test the speed of the "Stardust."