Age of Cosmic Exploration, 4 Read online

  Its power, if properly sustained, could evaporate a planet the size of Earth’s moon in one shot!

  This was the Genesis, a weapon suitable for space war!

  Nevertheless, this weapon was a creation from the peak of the 4th revolution. Even the junkyard alien was still researching it when they were wiped out. Many inroads had been made by the Academy, especially with Bo Li’s help, ever since mankind inherited the technology!

  However, according to overall analysis and prediction, this weapon would not see the light of day in the next 10 years. The Genesis required more than the construction of a few gargantuan buildings, it required special materials, a great store of radioactive ores, and other key resources.

  Even though plan 2 could handily destroy the alien, due to time and technological constraints, the plan had to be abandoned.

  The third plan was to drop the alien plant on Moon 2.

  The alien plant was a gathering organism engineered by a highly advanced race that mankind first stumbled across on Planet Sahara.

  It was called a gathering organism because it would digest everything except human flesh to form metal deposits and energy crystals within its body.

  If it was dropped onto Moon 2, within the near future, Moon 2 would become a desert planet… that was the trump card that Yao Yuan kept all his hopes on. He believed it would be the plant that consumed the alien and not the other way around. However, the phone call he received had completely shattered his hope.

  Yao Yuan, with Zhang Heng and Ji Jie in tow, arrived at the bio lab almost instantly. Standing outside the lab was a group of tired-looking scientists. Among them was Ivan.

  "Professor Ivan, skip the formalities. Let’s see this mutated cell," Yao Yuan said as he came forth to shake Ivan’s hand.

  An agitated Ivan replied, "Of course, Captain. Please follow me."

  Ivan led everyone to the deepest corner of the bio lab. Within a quarantined room, 10 petri dishes sat under 10 microscopes. One of them was bubbling as if it was boiling.

  "Captain, as per your orders, we’ve done some dissections on the alien monsters. Then we added some alien plant cells to conduct the consumption experiment…" Ivan explained while pointing at the petri dishes.

  "Initially, all of the monster cells were consumed by the alien plant. It didn’t stop because the alien monster cell was sentient. This is very different from us because the plant wouldn’t even consume dead human cells. Everything was going along just fine until…"

  Ivan referred to the bubbling dish. "When the experiment came to the 26th dish, the monster cells within it had mutated. It too was consumed like every other cell, but it didn’t die within that process. On the contrary, it started devouring the alien plant. Half an hour later, the monster cells split into a mutated cell that contained the plant’s genes. It has a combination of both the plant and the monster’s properties.

  "It can consume everything! Water, microbes, bacteria, and… metallic substances!"

  Yao Yuan held onto the table for support. He asked hurriedly, "In other words, the alien cell has inherited the plant’s features?"

  Ivan replied firmly, "I believe so, but Captain, this is not even the thing that instilled us with so much fear…"

  "There’s more?" Yao Yuan asked incredulously. This was in his mind, the worst result, the third plan was also denied. Could there really be something worse?

  "Sadly, yes… Captain, you better see it for yourself. I too am stumped by this development," Ivan said while wiping the sweat off his forehead. He waved for a few of his assistants to get to work.

  The microscope above the bubbling dish started moving and soon, a magnified picture of its cellular situation appeared on the monitor. Several light green color cells were presented on screen. Some were stationary, while others were devouring these stationary cells.

  Yao Yuan turned towards Ivan with a raised eyebrow. "What are they doing? Why is it attacking itself?"

  Ivan laughed bitterly and told the assistant, "Decrease the magnification until you can see the whole picture."

  As the magnification decreased, Yao Yuan’s facial expression turned from confusion to downbeat then to terror. The mobile cells were attacking the homogenous cells to obtain materials to… create cellular-sized instruments!

  Yao Yuan finally realized what he was witnessing. After obtaining the necessary materials from the other cells’ decomposition, the living cells created rudimentary utensils. The utensils’ usage was an unknown, but they were definitely metallic because they had that metallic glint.

  "What… what’s this?!" a shocked Yao Yuan asked.

  "Looks like they’re creating an electrical circuit."

  A girl’s voice explained calmly.

  Yao Yuan turned to see Bo Li giving a deliberate once-over at Ji Jie before adding, "Professor Ivan called me over to give a professional opinion on these metallic substances. And based on the structure, it looks like they’re building an electrical circuit."

  Yao Yuan said hurriedly, "Bo Li, it’s good that you’re here. Tell me, what is this thing’s purpose?"

  Bo Li’s eyes floated once more to land on Ji Jie. She then explained, "I’ve been here for a long time, you were too occupied to notice me… It’s obvious that this is a type of nano-technology. By the way, do you know how big these new cells are?"

  "How big?" Yao Yuan echoed.

  "About 10 nanometers. These new cells are modeled after the plant cells, so they are smaller than usual cells. Therefore, the things they’re creating are typical nano-machinery…" Bo Li pointed out as she looked at the screen.

  Yao Yuan started to accept the reality before him. Even though he found it unbelievable that a cell could create machinery, the cosmos was home to many mysteries.

  After a long while, he questioned, "But why are these cells creating machinery? Do they have a brain?"

  Ivan shook his head. "The cells are extremely basic; they don’t have something as complex as a brain. This is also where we’re stumped. What is urging these cells to create such complicated and delicate machinery?"

  The room was silent. Yao Yuan suddenly asked, "Then can someone tell me what the use for this machinery is?"

  "Communication."

  Bo Li answered. "It’s for communication. Our radar detected a weak signal source emanating from the petri dish. It looks like they’re trying to transmit a signal."

  "Signal transmission? Why are they doing that?" Zhang Heng, unable to contain his curiosity, finally asked.

  Yao Yuan’s expression dropped. His Thinker power told him the answer to Zhang Heng’s question. "They’re telling the main body on Moon 2 to quickly attack because we have something that could greatly improve its evolution…

  …the alien plants!"

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  Chapter156 The Arrival

  "Don’t worry. With the creator’s particle in place, it’s impossible for these signals to get through."

  On the way to the war room, Zhang Heng told Yao Yuan. But Yao Yuan retorted with an argument that made his body go cold.

  "About that, I’ve been thinking. The creator’s particle has its limitation too.

  "First of all, even though the creator’s particle is said to be able to block all electrical signals, and it has indeed proven to do so by all our experiments, Zhang Heng, it couldn’t block one particular kind of signal."

  Zhang Heng lurched in his step as he asked, "And what is that?"

  "Electrical signals that come from the human body, like brain waves!"

  Yao Yuan didn’t stop to wait for Zhang Heng. "This is the creator’s particle’s biggest weakness. Of course, we have to be thankful that this technology has such a weakness, or we would've all been dead from body shutdown when we came near the junkyard. However, this limitation has landed us in our current conundrum.

  "When we were first attacked, I didn’t think s
o much of it, but after you told me about the alien’s origin, I came away with a nagging thought. How does this alien command so many monsters? If it’s like what you said, the alien exists as a form of central consciousness, then how could it manage the battlefield from so far away, bypassing the field of the creator’s particle?"

  The more Yao Yuan thought about it, the more his face sunk. After some time, he continued, "Therefore, I came up with a hypothesis. If this alien on Moon 2 is mentally linked to each of the monsters, it is highly probable that this linkage is via something like a brain wave. Just like how our body motion is determined by a thought, the actions of these monsters are also controlled by the main body’s thoughts. Of course, for us, our brain and body are interconnected, but for the alien, its brain and units are completely separated. This may sound improbable, but it is definitely not impossible."

  Zhang Heng’s expression also dimmed when he thought about what Yao Yuan said. "In other words, the alien on Moon 2 already knows about what’s happening here?" Zhang Heng asked carefully.

  "I believe so… But we better test it out first."

  Then they found themselves at the war room. Inside were seated all the Black Star Troopers, authorities from the 3 bodies, Guang Zhen, and the battalion commanders who had just returned from the surface.

  Yao Yuan quickly got everyone updated on the bio lab’s development. Then he revealed his hypothesis to the room. He said, "Therefore, I suspect things are going to get harsh. The 7 battalions aboveground, you must keep the surface entrance protected. I’ll provide all the weapons and support you’ll need to make this happen," Yao Yuan ordered.

  The battalion commanders stood up in unison, "Sir, yes, Sir!"

  Yao Yuan then turned to the Black Star Troopers and scanned the members. "Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, Dan Dan, and Ying, I want the four of you to get into a Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 immediately to conduct a thorough scouting around this planet. After making sure the planet is safe, I need you to move into space. The distance covered I’ll leave it to your discretion, but stay away from Moon 2’s orbital range, because I fear there are anti-air measures. The scouting will last for 3 hours, and I’ll see you back at the Hope after the 3 hours.

  "Ying will be the leader and Xiao Niao will be the sub-leader and temporary strategist. Now, it’s…" Yao Yuan looked at his watch. "3:27 PM. I want a detailed scouting report at 6:35 pm. Dismissed."

  Ying saluted and left the room without a word. An excited Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan moved to follow.

  Yao Yuan then turned to Guang Zhen. "Ol’ Wong, I’ll leave the surface defense to you. If I’m not mistaken, we’ll be facing a grand assault soon. It’s hard to tell how many there will be, but should it come to a dire situation, I need you to secure the area until the Hope manages to lift into the air."

  Guang Zhen saluted, but he added, "Reporting, Sir. The defense unit might be assaulted by monster air force, and if those flying monsters are shielded, we will suffer a great loss."

  Yao Yuan responded immediately, "If they send an air force or a giant monsters appear in the sky, I’ll personally lead the troopers to intercept them!"

  Guang Zhen continued, "Reporting, Sir. If there’re shielded long-ranged artillery monsters, the defense unit too will be cornered. Therefore I request 1 unit of Black Star Troopers to assist the defense unit as back up!"

  Yao Yuan did some mental calculations. The Hope still had 120 plus healthy Black Star Troopers. Even though they had proven themselves to be incredibly powerful on land, their true prowess would be shown when they were behind the combat jet. 120 plus jets might be too few to stop the monster army that Yao Yuan predicted the alien would send through space, but…

  "Fine. I’ll leave 9 troopers with you, so you must protect the temporary base until the Hope manages to lift up! I’ll give you full command over the defense unit! Should the base fall…" Yao Yuan let the threat linger.

  "My head will come meet you in a box!" Guang Zhen replied seriously.

  "I don’t want your head, I want you to defend the base with your life!" Yao Yuan scolded.

  "Yes, Sir!"

  Yao Yuan finally turned to the rest of the troopers. "Other than the 4 scouts and the 9 who will be tasked with assisting the surface defense unit, the rest of you are allowed to move freely, but only within the Hope’s fifth level. You’re not to reveal the battle plan to anyone else. Be prepared for combat orders. Dismissed!"

  Even though the details weren’t leaked to the public, the Hope’s atmosphere was charged with tension. Other than preparation for warp, almost all other projects were stopped. The general public was asked to remain in their residences. The excavation team was requested to increase their speed. With both anti-gravitational units and electromagnetic shield in place to further the excavation progress, the Hope should be able to lift up into space within the next 72 hours.

  At that time, 4 Space Combat Jet Prototype 003s flew into the planet’s sky.

  The 4 jets were tailored for the Homo Evolutis, and each had a creator’s particle isolator. They controlled their speed to fly in a parallel group so that everyone remained within each other’s isolator range to maintain constant communication with one another.

  Ying kept using his seeker power to alternately scan the air and the ground. Suddenly, a voice came from his communicator. "Ying, you actually don’t need to waste your power to observe the ground…"

  After a short silence, Ying admitted, "You’re right. You don’t need the seeker’s power to see that."

  Below them, an army of several million monsters was marching towards the temporary base like an undulating sea. It looked like they intended to cover the whole planet.

  Xiao Niao’s voice came through. "Instead of observing the ground, let’s find out where’s the monsters' base on this planet."

  Ying asked in a surprised voice, "But how do we do that? Almost the whole planet's surface is covered by the monsters, so it’ll take too much time. Let’s not forget we still need to scout around in space."

  Xiao Niao continued matter-of-factly, "That’s totally par the course… After we scout through space, if we are to follow where the stream of monsters fall, I’m sure we’ll be able to locate their base!"

  "…that’s true. Right, let’s also attack one or two monsters to test their offensive and defensive capabilities. This is all useful information."

  Under Ying’s guidance, the 4 jets increased speed to fly beyond the planet.

  Back at the base, there were only about 3 battalions-worth, or 1,500 soldiers, guarding the perimeter. This was because the defense was done in shifts. To preserve the soldiers’ stamina across what would be a drawn out battle, this was the best course of action. Of course, the shuttles couldn’t offer the same amount of comfort as the Hope, but they were on the battlefield, so it was already as good as it could possibly get.

  9 troopers followed behind Guang Zhen as he surveyed the base. Guang Zhen had the intention to ask for all of the Black Star Troopers to stay, but he knew that the Hope had more of a disadvantage in space than on land.

  Therefore, he only selected Zhang Heng, Ye Mu, and 7 Survivors who were also veterans as his choices.

  Guang Zhen continued his patrol, but suddenly Zhang Heng sucked in an audible sigh. Guang Zhen turned around immediately, asking, "What’s wrong? Is there danger?"

  Zhang Heng offered, "Yes, many dangers incoming!"

  Guang Zhen took in a deep breath and then yelled into the communicator that was within the space armor, "This is your commander, Wong Guang Zhen. Initiate red alert! I repeat! This is your commander, Wong Guang Zhen. Initiate red alert!"

  Flashing red lights appeared all over the base and an ear-splitting siren sounded as well.

  The camp was on highest alert! Combat was expected to occur in the next several minutes!

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  Chapter157 The Mother Nest!
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  "…thus concludes everything we know so far. Of course, not to be forgotten are the contents of Zhang Heng’s dream. I know it sounds ridiculous to treat one’s dream as reliable information, but Zhang Heng is our ship’s most powerful Diviner, so I have full faith in the power of his dreams."

  Compared to others who had isolated orders, Yao Yuan as the captain, major, and the highest commander of many different bodies had to oversee many things.

  War is different from a street fight. Many diverse elements play into the inner workings of a war. Even a street fight requires careful planning involving fighter numbers, weapon, retreat routes, and so on, much less an actual war. Even though the Hope had a small army, it had all the necessary departments responsible for surveillance, logistics, equipment, and militia. When all of the departments were mobilized, it required a sound mind to organize them all.

  Furthermore, none of the 120,000 citizens on the Hope was an empty burden. Even though not everyone might prove useful at the front line, the Hope was not lacking in experts on surveillance, logistics, equipment, and militia. They formed the Barracks’ general staff.

  Other than military affairs, there were also civil affairs, like the excavation above the Hope and public appeasement. Granted Yao Yuan had received help from the Hall of Communications, he still had to personally handle many things. He spent about 10 minutes finishing up all these things.

  Then he rushed to a large, fifth floor conference room. He needed expert opinions from the scientists and researchers that had gathered in the room.

  After Yao Yuan revealed everything that he knew, a contained commotion erupted. The room was obviously affected by the contents of Zhang Heng’s dream.

  A scientist raced to the speech button, asking hurriedly, "Captain, you mean the creature on Moon 2 increases its technology and army strength by absorbing other civilizations?"