Chapter 33: Internal Combustion Engine

Li Qingsong was somewhat shocked to discover that the body fluids of this strange bird were not only rich in various amino acids, proteins, and active enzymes, but also contained a variety of sugars.

Although the specific types differed from those found in Earth-based life, there was no doubt that they were the very substances Li Qingsong was intimately familiar with.

It was an incredibly strange phenomenon.

Amino acids and proteins were, as far as he knew, unique to Earth-based life. As an extraterrestrial organism, did this strange bird rely on the same biological mechanisms as life on Earth?

What was its relationship to Earth-based life?

After a moment of contemplation, Li Qingsong temporarily set aside this line of inquiry.

He had already maneuvered the *Deep Space* spacecraft into the depths of space, and it was the only vessel equipped with genetic analysis apparatus.

"This creature appears to be based on DNA and RNA as well. Once this incident is resolved and the *Deep Space* returns, I will conduct a genetic analysis. Everything will become clear then."

Putting the matter aside, Li Qingsong’s attention quickly shifted to another concern.

Since the creature's body fluids were so nutritious... could they be used to cultivate clones?

One of the major limitations preventing him from cultivating higher-quality clones—which would allow him to possess more consciousness link capacity and control more bodies—was his inability to manufacture a sufficiently nutrient-dense culture medium. He could not provide the necessary nutrients for cells to develop according to his optimized genetic blueprints.

The "nutrition" required here was not simply a matter of sugars, proteins, or fats. If it were that simple, Li Qingsong, having planted vast fields of sugar beets and sugarcane, could have easily succeeded by simply soaking the clones in sugar water.

Obviously, that would not sustain development.

The nutrition required for clones was a complex formulation: easily absorbed, precisely balanced, and specifically tailored for early cell division and embryonic development.

The more optimized the genetic blueprint, the higher the demands placed on the culture medium during development. Even the slightest discrepancy could cause the cells to fail to develop, or to deviate from the intended plan, resulting in grotesque deformities.

However, the nutrient profile of this creature's body fluid seemed to perfectly align with his requirements!

Limited by his current technological constraints, Li Qingsong could only make a rough assessment. As for whether the fluid contained trace impurities or the exact concentrations of its components, he had no way of knowing.

But it didn't matter; he would use it and see.

What if there were impurities that led to failed cultivation?

If it failed, it failed. He would simply dispose of the deformed embryos as waste. What else could he do?

Li Qingsong didn't even bother with pilot tests on mice, rabbits, or livestock. He took samples of his own cells, filtered, purified, and extracted the bird's body fluid according to his protocols, and pumped it directly into the cultivation tanks.

He didn't just start with one; he immediately initiated 100 of them.

Whether it would work would be clear in half a year.

With the physiological analysis of the bird currently stalled, Li Qingsong shifted his focus to another endeavor: developing an internal combustion engine fueled by methane and pure oxygen.

By now, Li Qingsong had realized the limitations of electric vehicles.

They were far too dependent on logistical networks. They required a power grid and battery storage, and charging stations had to be located within a radius of at most two hundred kilometers from their operational zones.

They could never stray far from the base.

This model was fine when there were no external threats, as he could slowly expand the infrastructure without fear of sabotage. However, the arrival of the strange birds had exposed this weakness.

Even now, reconnaissance vehicles powered by batteries could venture no further than 200 kilometers from the base.

Since he could not yet manufacture aircraft, he had no way to conduct reconnaissance across the entire planet of Luoshen.

But an internal combustion engine was a different story.

A vehicle with a mass of three tons would only require eight liters of liquid methane and oxygen to travel 100 kilometers.

Luoshen has a diameter of approximately 2,350 kilometers, meaning its circumference is less than 7,400 kilometers. A vehicle carrying 600 liters of fuel could complete a full circuit.

Furthermore, he would eventually need to develop tanks and armored vehicles. Charging in a battlefield environment would be inconvenient, but resupplying methane and oxygen would be simple—a single methane tanker truck would suffice.

Considering all these factors, Li Qingsong decided to develop an internal combustion engine.

The principle was straightforward: methane and oxygen would combust in a chamber, generating high-temperature, high-pressure gas to drive a piston, which would then turn a crankshaft to perform work.

With his current technology, he couldn't achieve the extreme efficiency seen in the Earth era, but there was no need to aim for such heights. As he often said, it just needed to work.

Hundreds of clones were assigned to this task.

Following his established workflow, they manufactured customized components in the laboratory, assembled primitive internal combustion engines, tested them to see if they could perform work, and then iteratively optimized the structures to improve performance.

The principles were well-understood, and building a basic engine was not difficult.

Subsequent optimization was delicate work that required time and the accumulation of technical data.

But that was fine. With hundreds of clones, all possessing the same baseline knowledge of engine technology, they could test hundreds of different optimization paths simultaneously. Whenever one clone made a breakthrough, it was instantly synced to all others, allowing them to refine the design further. In less than ten days, the first practical internal combustion engine was completed.

By that time, the other groups of clones tasked with developing transmissions, chassis, steering systems, and braking systems had also finished their work.

Thus, the newly developed internal combustion "heart" was installed into the frame.

The "fuel-burning" vehicle Li Qingsong created was approximately two meters tall, three meters wide, and five meters long.

The body was fully enclosed, equipped with an air circulation system, thermal insulation, and a degree of radiation shielding.

The reinforced chassis was designed to withstand short bursts of fire from the "Assault Type" creatures without rupturing. However, it would not hold up against sustained, continuous attacks.

Its total mass was 2.8 tons, reaching about 3.5 tons when fully loaded.

Energy was provided by two fuel tanks: one 100-liter tank for methane and a 200-liter tank for oxygen.

With a full load of fuel, the vehicle could travel over 3,000 kilometers.

Beyond that, it also carried auxiliary fuel tanks.

These auxiliary tanks could be scaled, holding up to over 1,000 liters of methane and oxygen, which could not only drive the vehicle but also supply breathable air for the clones.

At that moment, under the operation of the clone driver, the engine roared to life.