Age of Cosmic Exploration, 1 Read online

  To distract himself from those nightmarish prospects, Yao Yuan started massaging his cramping head and silently counting the meters the elevator had hurtled them past. One hundred meters, two hundred meters, three hundred meters… It wasn’t until they were at the eight hundred meter mark that the door whisked opened. What greeted him were bodies that had been peppered into beehives.

  As he turned away from that sorry sight, Yao Yuan noted that the elevator had opened unto a straight corridor. On one of its ends was the elevator and on the other a tunnel that veered off into darkness. He could, however, still tell that the tunnel was man-made from its concrete flooring. It seemed to be a road that allowed vehicles to directly access this area straight from the surface.

  With their weapons at the ready, the five-man party started a small search. After making sure nothing posed immediate danger, Yao Yuan ordered one of the men, "Better go get them down here; it's been almost five minutes. Who knows what kind of things they'll do if they don't hear back from us. Be quick."

  The person went back up the elevator after giving Yao Yuan a salute. Even though he was just waiting, Yao Yuan didn't dare to aimlessly wander. Instead, he had his full attention trained at a metal door that sat at the end of the long corridor.

  This door was disproportionately huge, almost fifty meters in height and a hundred meters in width. It would dwarf even the biggest of men. Yao Yuan couldn't spot any keyholes or door knobs, so he was certain that it was a password-protected door. Even without information on its actual thickness and material, Yao Yuan's assessment was that it was built to withstand high pressure; homing missiles might even have trouble getting it to crack. This level of security probably meant that it was guarding something highly valuable, most likely what they came for, thought Yao Yuan. However, without even a C-grade explosive on them, it was an impossible impasse.

  As Yao Yuan pondered over their dwindling options, his gaze landed on a small protrusion that was nestled in the lower corner of the door. It was a control panel, which should be connected to the door's password system. If they could hack into it and retrieve its password, they would gain entry. However, systems like these would have a firewall that would trigger the defense apparatus when hacked, so if they took too long or failed… a fate similar to the one the Dragon Prosper squad suffered awaited them as well.

  After the whole team had gathered, Yao Yuan briefed them on his observations and analysis. As he finished, his eyes landed squarely on Zhang Heng.

  At this point, Zhang Heng was completely terror-stricken. He repeatedly shook his head, saying, "No, you people don't understand; I'm just a small-time hacker who deals with simple data decryption." It was a statement which made the faces of the people around him darken. Noting this, he quickly launched into a series of explanations. "Yes, yes, my dad did say I am good at computers, but all of that came from gaming. Yes, I could manage hacking basics like bait and switch or DDoS attacks, but you could barely count me as the best in China, much less in the hacking world, where I have no standing what so ever…"

  Yao Yuan strode before Zhang Heng and stared him down, cutting his monologue short. "Then tell me what rank are you in China. And don't you lie!"

  Zhang Heng tore his head away and stammered, "Th… third…"

  It didn't showcase on his face, but Zhang Heng's unexpected proficiency at hacking gave Yao Yuan a small surge of hope. Without letting his austere façade fall, Yao Yuan enunciated his order. "Then you're our best chance at this! Look, I'm not going to lie; there's probably going to be something that will attack us once the hacking starts, but you'll be safe. There are no bodies or blood anywhere near the control panel, so obviously the firepower won't be focused there first. Most likely, they will come from these two walls of this corridor here, but we'll be between them and you, so unless every single one of us dies, no harm will befall you! I only need you to hack the password to open this door. That's my only request."

  Zhang Heng stared blankly at the panel. Just as he was going to say something more, Yao Yuan hunkered down for a man-to-man talk. "Listen, kid. I'm not going to threaten you or do anything like that, because honestly, our fate is in your hands now. So just hear me out… Unlike the rest of us here, you still have something concrete to fight for. That day, to ensure your survival, your dad made a big target of himself. He's the reason you're safe now, unlike the rest of city S. I know he's not the one directly responsible, but resentment can be a very manipulative emotion. Do you understand what I'm saying? If you complete this mission, we'll be able to get in there… and I'll be frank, there's a spacecraft in there that could carry us, your dad included, off to safety, safety from the apocalypse. Now, he has done everything he could to keep you safe, so tell me, don't you want to do the same for him?"

  Between tears, Zhang Heng nodded his willingness to try, but before he could start, he asked, "Do you have any… medicine stuff? Could you give me just one pill? It'll help me focus better."

  Yao Yuan was slightly stunned by this unexpected request, but without expressing disdain, he signaled the man with the missing ear lobe, who retrieved from his bag a shot of morphine. As he moved towards Zhang Heng, he informed him, "The dose I'm giving you is just enough to supercharge your senses but not enough to induce hallucinations. Also, the high is temporary, so move fast, okay?"

  Zhang Heng obediently withdrew his arm. The man proceeded to inject him with half a syringe of morphine.

  Then Yao Yuan brought everybody before the panel. The group started to get into their positions, double-checking their weapons and assigning one another's firing range and area. Bodies that were lying about were piled up before the group to be used as a temporary barricade

  After their preparations were finished, Yao Yuan nodded at Zhang Heng, who was setting up a signal interjector onto the control panel. As he saw the signal from Yao Yuan, he took a deep breath before hitting the necessary laptop key, bringing the monitor to life. Echoes of the surprisingly crisp keyboard sounds reverberated through the long corridor before being replaced by a piercing alarm. In the same instant, torrents of spheres started rolling out from all four sides of the walls.

  "ATTACK! GLORY TO THE BLACK STAR UNIT!"

  "FOR GLORY OR FOR DEA…" and the remainder of the rally was drowned out by the din of the ensuing bulletstorm.

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  Chapter7 Code Name: NOAH! (2)

  About two hundred small spheres rolled out from the four surfaces of their surroundings, each the size of a small fist. On each of their very tip blinked what would appear to be a pair of electronic eyes. Thin metallic wings adorned those eyes, giving the spheres the function of flight. Each of them emitted a continuous refrain of "Hello", not unlike the recorded greetings from service calls.

  Under the circumstances though, the sing-songy chorus of Hello's had everyone's blood frozen!

  Luckily, these small ball-like drones moved surprisingly slow and were unexpectedly fragile. Before they could even launch an offensive, more than half of them had already perished under a hail of the bullet storm. What was unlucky though was that every single one of them packed a devastating punch.

  Under those eyes, were a needle-sized hole, and sparks flew all over the place as shots were discharged from within at lightning speed. Three persons at the foremost were hit with a series of bullets but they were undeterred for fact was the shots hurt nothing more than a pin-prick. Not a moment later though, what was seconds ago three full-bodied men burst and rained down in a slew of flesh and blood. With the exception of one, one could barely identify the other two sets of remains as pieces of human body parts.

  "Damn! These are electro-magnetized bullets!"

  Watching three of his comrades fall, Yao Yuan felt an acute pain slice through his heart but there wasn't time for grief. Without a moment's notice, he let loose a hand grenade and shouted, "Seek cover people! Be careful! These are electro-magnetized bullets, one hit and y
ou're gone!"

  Heeding his advice, the rest of his squad quickly flattened themselves onto the ground, minimizing their rate of exposure. Then, anything and everything nearby, be it body parts or machine parts, were gathered before each to be used as a shield.

  Electro-magnetized bullets were by then a recently minted type of ammunition. It was similar in design to the earlier Dum-Dum Bullets[1] but was much more powerful, especially in terms of lethality. Created as a byproduct in a new Gauss Rifle[2] research, these bullets could be fired at an incredibly fast speed, and because of that had good penetration. Once it came into contact with a hard target, which normally would be the bones in the human body, the electromagnetic casing would convert the interrupted kinetic energy into a pressurized magnetic push, which as one would expect, if happened within the body is extremely fatal.

  Being hit by those bullets was like being injected with an orb of highly pressurized air. The impact point would expand and eventually burst, as the air within sought release. Its power was not unlike that of an anti-material rifle[3], they are so powerful that victims of these guns usually won't be left with a full corpse.

  However, these bullets have a fatal flaw: their power is concentrated on their initial target. In other words, one would be safe if one is not hit by it directly.

  And that was how the rest of Yao Yuan's team survived the onslaught. While the human shields were repeatedly minced, the rest was relatively safe behind cover. The grenade that Yao Yuan lobbed off managed to give Ebon and his assault coordinate the opening necessary to clear up the rest of the drones. When they finally had the chance to take a breather, the floor was littered with shattered pieces of drone parts and thousands of empty artillery casings. As the chorus of robotic Hello's fell silent, it was replaced by Lee's sorrowful wailings. Still not completely inured to life on the battlefield due to his lack of experience, Lee broke down before the three died members' sorry remains. Echoing across the corridor was his cries and their names.

  The trio were all part of the scout's unit, they were Lee's close partners. Their sudden deaths were too unbearable for his young heart.

  Yao Yuan squatted down beside Lee with a sigh. As he retrieved three dog-tags from the remains, he uttered, "Dear comrades, it has been a tiring journey, you all deserve this rest… Don't you worry, we shall finish the rest on your behalf." When he stood up and walked off, there was neither sorrow nor pain. None managed to notice though that under his bloody hands, the knuckles that gripped those tags had gone completely white from grabbing them too hard.

  As the rest moved to console Lee, the alarm suddenly sounded. Everyone immediately went into action. As the walls before them folded upon themselves, about ten mechanical spiders each half an inch in diameter came skittering out.

  "Fire! And don't save those grenades…" Yao Yuan yelled in between shots, "Zhang Heng, what's the matter? Did the hacking fail?"

  Without taking his eyes of the monitor, despite his body shaking all over , Zhang Heng answered in a voice that's clearest it has ever been, "Nothing's the matter! I've cracked the password's first layer of defense, the base is responding to this breach!"

  "Christ! How many layers are there?" Yao Yuan growled as he let loose another grenade.

  "I've passed the first one! Counting the current one, there's still two more…" Zhang Heng replied as his fingers flew over the keyboard.

  Yao Yuan released yet another grenade, this time in tandem with an angry "Fuck!". A few other members followed his lead but before those explosives could hit their target, they were detonated in mid-air following a sudden blinding flash of light. Nearest to the waves of explosions was Lee, followed by Yao Yuan who was flung a few meters back through the air. As he was tossed back upon the ground, there was incessant drumming in his ears, and his body felt like it had just been shattered into pieces.

  (This… This is… laser…)

  Yao Yuan tried to pick himself up but his body was for some reason out of his control. The explosive wave had actually concussed his brain, depriving him of basic motor skills. His anxiety was palpable but despite his best intentions to speak, all sounds were caught in his throat.

  At this moment, while fire blazed around him, Yao Yuan felt himself being dropped into a pool of serenity as the world gradually went silent. It was a faintly familiar sensation, reminding him of a training experience he once had in a space station somewhere…

  "Wong, we're dealing with lasers here. Based on the size of those spiders, their storage of energy can't be unlimited. Keep throwing those grenades, it doesn't matter they don't detonate on target, the aim is to exhaust the power source inside those spiders…"

  Guang Zhen heard this order just as he was going to release another round of bullets. He could recognize it as Yao Yuan's, instantly, he switched out for grenades and ordered, "Keep throwing those grenades! Everyone stop firing! Use explosives!"

  The order made them pause, for it had just been shown, grenades would only get blown up in mid-air; it was of no use. However, over the years, they've learnt to not question the orders of their leader, and so subconsciously, everyone reached for their grenades and let them fly. Most of them were indeed discharged during their initial arc through the air. Following the blast, two other members who were at the foremost, crumbled to their knees and died.

  At this point, it would seem like the team was just wasting their stores of grenades. Nevertheless, Guang Zhen didn't let up, he ordered the team to keep on going. As they were going to run out of bombs, one finally dropped amidst the drones and went off with a resounding boom. As the smoke and ember cleared, what was left were the fractured remnants of all the mechanical spiders.

  After two life-threatening battles, those that remained could barely hold themselves upright. As they slumped to the ground, they solemnly regarded their captain with utmost respect to which Guang Zhen rejected by replying, "Ol' Cap'n, your reaction and analysis are still so impressive. Thankfully, we have you on our side. Otherwise, we would have been exterminated by that group of spidery drones by now."

  At this moment, Yao Yuan shakily stood. His balance was still seriously unhinged, in his eyes, the room seemed to be swerving on its own. He responded with a dry chuckle. The fact was, he still hadn't rediscovered his ability to speak.

  Another three deaths were mourned in silence. These were all comrades that had been through hell and back together, their loss was deeply felt.

  Struggling with his body, Yao Yuan collected two more tags. As he moved towards the middle of the carnage, he suddenly bellowed, "Xiao Bai[4]! I need your over here quick!"

  The guy with the loped off ear was caught off guard by the sudden order but that was quickly transformed into joy. He rushed ahead with his medical bag, and managed to ascertain that even though Lee was covered in shrapnel and lying in a pool of blood, he still had a breath left. Blood loss was severe, and many of his organs were traumatized by multiple blast force but he was indeed still breathing. Xiao Bai quickly gave him a shot of painkillers and rattled off a series of orders, "Quick! Get two men here! Carry him off to the back for me! He needs a blood transfusion stat! Clear some space!"

  It wasn't a task that requires two persons after all, since right after Xiao Bai yelled his directions, Ebon charged ahead and swept Lee in his arms. Within a few large steps, he reached Zhang Heng's side and glancing at the hacker, he laid Lee carefully down on the ground. Xiao Bai followed closely behind and immediately conducted an emergency rescue operation.

  Out of the blue, a third alarm sounded off. The floor of the corridor opened up before everyone's eyes, revealing seven or eight strange looking robots. Their upper body was humanoid with the exception of the arms which were fitted with machine guns while their lower half were swapped out for tank tracks. Weirdest was their torso which was a honeycomb shaped contraption. Yao Yuan's team guessed these were probably openings for missiles.

  Each of these automatons was two meters in height and they looked sturdy enough to withstand
normal gunfire.

  The sight of them filled Yao Yuan's team with despair. Out of nowhere, a shot was heard, hitting one of the automaton right in its torso. A second later, it exploded in a fiery combustion; the radiating heat waves could be felt by everyone even though they stood hundreds of miles away.

  Ying roared, "Have the rest of the sharpshooters gone dumb? Those hexagonal holes on their chests are natural targets! So pick one! Come on people! Let's score some holes in one!"

  Just like that, two more marksmen set down their scope and started firing. Not within ten seconds, even before any of the drones could return fire, all of them had fallen in piles of scraps. The base's third wave of defense was surprisingly weak.

  Or that was what they hoped… Because right then, the floor opened again. And another troop appeared to replace the one before it. Even with everyone else joining in, the cycle seemed to infinitely repeat itself until the three marksmen started to show unusual signs of panic.

  "How it's going over there, Zhang Heng? We can't hold them off any longer!" Yao Yuan asked for an update, as he rushed to Zhang Heng's side.

  Panic was similarly written all over Zhang Heng's face. Based on the sound of tank tracks and gunshots that were slowly closing in, without prying his eyes from the screen, he knew time was ticking. "This is a new kind of encryption that I've not encountered before. It's something that's brand new, something that's controlled by AI, instead of your lock-and-key hacking technique, it's like you're trying to win a game of chess against the computer with him learning to adopt and adapt to your every move… Argh! I don't know how to explain to you! The long and short is that he's asking for some kind of code but I have not seen this code referenced anywhere before!"

  From behind them came Ying's request of help, "Damn it! I'm out of ammo! Assistance! Xiao Bai, move it and toss me some ammo!"

  Without the head sniper's cover, the team started to lose their ground as more and more drones glided towards them through the explosion and smog. Before long, the drones lifted their machine-gun arms and had their target locked on. As they were prepared to fire…