Age of Cosmic Exploration, 4 Read online

  "…Looks like we won’t be able to stop the alien's main body even if we clear the alien monsters. They’re like cannon fodder…"

  Yao Yuan’s heart sunk. Regardless, he steered the troopers into war. The least they could do was to shred the amount of monsters, easing the tension on Guang Zhen and hopefully able to stall time for the Hope to lift off.

  The formation of one particular echelon was particularly close when compared to everyone else. They were Xiao Niao, Dan Dan, and Qiu Qiue.

  "…Xiao Niao, this enemy is the Zerg, right? No matter how you look at it, they have an uncanny resemblance to the Zerg," Qiu Qiu asked through his communicator, since their close distance meant they were in each other’s isolator range.

  Xiao Niao looked out his jet window and replied after a long time, "Yup, it’s the Zerg."

  Dan Dan chimed in, "Then… what about that ZERO? Didn’t he say he will let us see the real Zerg with our own eyes? Do you think…"

  Xiao Niao had gotten more introspective. He then nodded. "Yes, he did say that… But before we can get a clear handle of things, let’s keep this ZERO thing to ourselves."

  His friends agreed without hesitation. Xiao Niao added, "It’s not that we’re purposely lying, but this whole situation is just too freaky. There are truly too many mysteries surrounding the Hope. Regardless, I’m sure this will play heavily into humanity’s future, so if possible, we need to get into a negotiation with ZERO without incurring his enmity."

  Dan Dan asked, "What negotiation? Is this still about how you lost at Star Craft?"

  "Of course not!" Xiao Niao scoffed jokingly in spite of himself. "We need to find out a few things from him. First, whether he can control the space warp exit. Second, how could he know we’ll run into a Zerg-like alien here, and lastly… what is his true identity?"

  Suddenly, Yao Yuan’s voice appeared in their ears.

  "Every trooper prepare for combat. Remember our plan. The veteran echelons will initiate the guerrilla tactics while others provide support fire.

  "Entering combat in 5 seconds.

  "3, 2, 1…"

  With Yao Yuan leading, his comrades, Ying and Ebon, shot into a monster ensemble of about 2,000 in size. The monsters were spooked by the ambush. In between flashes of lightning and fire, Yao Yuan’s echelon broke through the enemy ranks. They had fired more than 100,000 Gaussian bullets!

  This was the specialty of light Gaussian weaponry, they could fire rounds quickly and the bullets travelled fast. A normal Gaussian rifle could fire more than 10,000 bullets within a second, much less a Gaussian Gatling cannon.

  The layer of monsters at the front was shredded into pieces, and the layer of monsters behind them also fell to the stray bullets. Even the giant meat ball was punctured with bullet wounds. When the remaining monsters realized that they were being attacked, Yao Yuan’s echelon was already miles away, hidden by the ECS system.

  The assault continued. More echelons immersed into the guerrilla combat while other newbie troopers stood at about several thousand kilometers away, focusing their fire at the spots of carnage. Thankfully, their Gaussian bullets traveled so fast that the monsters were hit before they could even evade. The first skirmish ended up with more than 10,000 monsters being killed, more than 2 oval meat blob demolished, and with nary a scratch on the troopers.

  "Wonderful! Keep this up! Let these monsters know they’ve messed with the wrong civilization!

  "Spread into independent combat until the monsters in this area are cleared!"

  Each echelon then scattered into individual combat.

  Since they had the complete advantage with the ECS system, it was a one-sided massacre! Even the newbie troopers were getting excited as the amount of monsters they fell increased. They gradually got the hang of piloting the combat jets and their initial jitters peeled away…

  However, Yao Yuan was assaulted with omens of danger. It didn’t spell immediate danger, but it felt like the alien would decipher and negate the ECS system soon. If that were to happen, the 120 troopers would in turn become easy pickings for the several-million-sized alien army.

  "Hopefully the Hope will be able to reach space before then, or else…"

  Yao Yuan didn’t have the intention to finish the thought. Instead, he threw himself into another fight, wiping out a meat blob and the monsters around it…

  The war was boiling down, and mankind had the obvious advantage!

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  Chapter160 The Awakening

  Bo Li was burning with agitation!

  But she had no idea where that agitation came from. Even though she usually presented an indifferent front, it didn’t mean that she was unfeeling. Her natural temperament coupled with her history had forced her to keep her emotions to herself.

  But at the end of day, she too was one made of flesh and blood…

  In her flustered state of mind, she had made multiple mistakes in her readings. It had gotten so obvious that almost everyone else in her lab had noticed it. However, because she was the leader of the lab, nobody dared to confront her.

  Bo Li kept trying to pin down the source of her frustration; was it the alien or the Hope’s state of emergency? Both seemed close, but neither appeared to be the source. Like a star missing a corner, she got increasingly restless to a degree where she wanted to scream out loud.

  "Professor Bo Li. Professor Bo Li."

  A voice beside her called softly. It pulled her back to reality and she replied faintly, "Yes, is the data out?"

  The assistant quickly answered, "Yes, Professor Bo Li, data from the large particle accelerator is back. It is as expected: it’s extremely unstable, and it’ll explode in less than a minute."

  "Thank you." Bo Li frowned as she accepted the data report. Suddenly, the world around her became quiet and the familiar mumblings appeared beside her ear. They excited many new fresh ideas in her mind.

  Half a minute later, Bo Li relaxed the lock in her brow, saying, "Double the output of the supermagnetic attenuator, and add magnetized alloy to material compartment C. Also, here…"

  Bo Li was struck by a thought and stopped mid-sentence. The assistant waited for her continue, but after an extended period of silence, he lifted his head to look at her with questions in his eyes.

  Bo Li had her head lowered and was deep in thought. Finally running thin on patience, the assistant coughed lightly to bring Bo Li out of her reverie.

  "The solution is so close, but I’m still missing a key component," Bo Li uttered after she came to.

  "Have you reached a breakthrough with regards to this research, Professor Bo Li?" the assistant implored.

  "No… It has more to do with a plan to defeat the alien…"

  Bo Li reentered her contemplation. Suddenly she stood up. "I need a Thinker’s help to figure out this plan. We need this plan to beat the alien." Before anyone realized what had happened, she was already out the door.

  After a short while, the assistant caught up to her, saying, "No, Professor Bo Li, you’re a Whisperer! You’re not allowed on the battlefield! Marshal law states that very clearly. You’ll end up at the military court!"

  However, when she thought of the planet that would come with this victory, her agitation and worry melted away to be replaced by a sense of joy…

  "It’s fine. It’s all for the sake of victory. I so wish to see the ocean again…"

  Bo Li balled her hands tightly as she told herself that.

  It didn’t take long for Bo Li to reach the hangar. When she arrived, several military figures were already there. From their expressions, Bo Li knew they were waiting for her.

  A European soldier stepped forth to intercept Bo Li. He saluted. "I’m sorry, Professor Bo Li, but according to the law, personnel that haven’t received official military training are not allowed on the battlefield under all circumstance. Violators will be jailed for 3 to 10 years.
The case will be brought under the military court, so there will be no civil course of action, and convicts can only be pardoned by those above the ranks of major. If you are determined to pursue this foolish action, we are given the permission to forcibly put you into custody until the war’s over, so please… Professor Bo Li, let’s not make this hard for all of us."

  Her agitation long gone, Bo Li replied calmly, "I’ve figured out the key to winning this battle, but it is a plan that I can’t complete alone. I need the help of a thinker, and if my information’s correct, Ren Tao is up there acting as the strategist. Don’t you want to win this war? To save this possible home planet…"

  The European soldier interrupted her. "I’m sorry, Professor Bo Li. We’re in the middle of a war, and as soldiers, we’re bound to the military law. We can’t waive it for anyone… Furthermore, the alien’s technology is currently lower than our's, but their method of research is different. If you’re… forgive me for saying this, absorbed by the alien during combat, it’ll be indefinitely harmful to mankind! There’s no way we’ll allow you to go up there."

  Bo Li lowered her head and mumbled, "Is that so? Such a shame…"

  The soldier smiled kindly. "Then please return to your lab. Leave the actual combat to us soldiers, but of course, we won’t be successful without the Academy. So please continue to design helpful weapons to aid the combat…"

  "Voice activation, PM Original Prototype, Password 0316121. My orders… Incapacitate everyone in this area."

  "YES!"

  A section of the hangar wall moved to reveal an opening. Everyone was shocked because no one knew of its existence, but more shockingly, an alien robot floated out from it!

  Yes, a fully functional, tentacles flaying, floating alien robot, the exact one that massacred the Hope years ago. The robot floated obediently to rest beside Bo Li, but one of its tentacles kept sparking threateningly.

  "Professor Bo Li, this… you’ve fully recovered an alien robot? What’s the meaning of this…"

  Before the soldiers could recollect themselves from their daze, tiny, metallic needles sprayed out of the robot’s tentacles. The soldiers fell to the floor fully paralyzed.

  "Sudden high-voltage shock. Don’t worry, it’s non-lethal; it’ll only incapacitate you for half an hour. Rest well," Bo Li whispered after she squatted down beside the European soldier. Then she raced to the spacesuit storage room, the robot following her closely behind.

  The European soldier opened his mouth to mutter something, but the paralysis was too strong. Bo Li, though, had the presence of mind to turn around and add, "I’m a Whisperer, so don’t be surprised that I know a thing or two about the Hope’s mysteries. I might even know more than you do." With that, she excused herself from the area.

  After putting on the spacesuit, Bo Li stared at the robot and said, "So… naturally you’ll follow me to the battlefield. But here’s an extra order. After you’ve ascertained that my life signals are gone, destroy my body immediately, especially the brain. Secondly, if I’m captured and there is no chance of rescue, I want you to activate your self-destruct device and search me out. Countdown for self-destruct will be 3 seconds. Please confirm acceptance of orders, PM Original Prototype."

  "…YES, orders accepted."

  "Okay, then let’s get up there."

  Bo Li gave a bright smile before it was curtailed by her usual cool expression. She used the robot to hack into the vacuum quarantine room… Since her robot had already been connected to the Hope’s central mainframe, Bo Li was one of the few on the Hope who had the main password. In other words, she could use the password to override, restart, or even destroy the systems on the Hope.

  Very easily, she went through the many doors and air locks that stood in her way. When the support soldiers arrived at the hangar, she was already on a shuttle heading towards the battlefield.

  The battle aboveground was at its height. Gaussian bullets showered down on the battlefield like rain. The power of mankind's 4th revolution was showcased completely!

  The enemies, though, were no pushover. The cannon monsters and Gaussian rifle monsters proved to be powerful adversaries. Multiple shots were needed to break their electromagnetic shields. Therefore, most of the Support Battalion focused their shots on these special monsters. This meant that less support was provided to handle the foot soldiers. At many occasions, it appeared like the temporary base was going to be overwhelmed by these melee monsters.

  Thankfully, the base was supported by the 9 troopers. With an ability equivalent to a tank, they rammed through the enemy ranks easily. The sole monster type that provided some resistance was the centipede creatures. However, because their speed was greatly lower than the troopers', with careful planning, the monsters could be taken down easily.

  All 9 troopers were short of breath when Ren Tao led them back from another successful assault. They were shocked to see that a shuttle had appeared from the hole and then proceeded to float down towards them.

  Ren Tao cursed loudly, "Which idiot picks such a time to come up? If the shuttle is hit in mid-air, it’ll crash and destroy part of the base! Go round up its passengers, they’re in serious trouble!"

  Then Bo Li appeared before Ren Tao with a flustered smile…

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  Chapter161 Victory!

  "All of the monsters in space have been successfully cleared. I want a quick report on all the troopers."

  The space war that lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes concluded with mankind winning. In fact, with the aid of Space Combat Jet Prototype 003, the war was won with relative ease!

  Yao Yuan alone took down 574,216 monsters!

  In other words, he fell about 60 monsters every other second!

  His efficiency was truly magnificent…

  Of course, the contribution of the various 4th revolution technologies, like the Gaussian Gatling cannon, electromagnetic growth field, and ECS system on the combat jet couldn’t be understated.

  As mentioned above, there were zero living monsters occupying the space between the possible home planet and Moon 2. Yao Yuan even led his team to assault the monsters surfing around Moon 2’s orbit. The crowd of monsters that were gathered underneath Moon 2’s ozone tried providing backup, but after they were annihilated, they learned to stay put.

  With these observations, mankind’s first space war drew to a close. Even though using the Space Combat Jet Prototype wasn’t as exhausting as using the space armor, after an extended 2 hour combat session, there was no one in the troop that wasn’t drained. It appeared like they could lie down and sleep there and then. The results of the war might have changed if the combat had dragged on.

  Secondly, even though the Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 was still usable inside the ozone layer, its functionality would be greatly decreased. Due to the air resistance, it couldn’t maintain a high speed of 120 kilometers per second. The friction with air might cause the jet's shell to combust.

  Furthermore, the effect of ECS system would be greatly influenced by the presence of air. If the combat jet was shot down on Moon 2, the pilot would have crash-landed into a pit of hell.

  Due to all these considerations, Yao Yuan ordered for the assault to stop. He wanted the troopers to regroup within each other’s creator’s particle isolator range to conduct a battlefield update.

  "…First echelon here. Suffered no damage…"

  "…Second echelon here. Suffered no damage…"

  "…"

  "Eighth echelon here. The left wing of the leader’s jet was grazed…"

  Yao Yuan was pleasantly surprised by how little damage the troopers had suffered overall. Other than a few minor abrasions, the troopers came out basically unscathed after such a long battle. With a smile in his voice, Yao Yuan ordered, "This stage of combat is over. Let’s return to the Hope."

  Everyone sighed in relief, and it was followed by a rowdy cheer
. With Yao Yuan leading the way, they returned safely to the planet the Hope was on…

  Things were less optimistic on the ground. After a 2 hour-long battle, the temporary base was ultimately secured with more than 200 soldiers’ lives lost and the 9 troopers completely drained. It felt like the war had lasted for thousands of years when the last monster was killed. Many of the Survivors directly passed out and slumped to the floor.

  Even Guang Zhen had to try his best to keep his senses together. The base would have fallen into enemy hands if not for his involvement. Even though he was not a Homo Evolutis, he rushed headfirst into combat whenever it appeared like the monsters were about to break through. Guang Zhen knew he had to protect mankind’s last line of defense.

  Guang Zhen threw himself into combat with the belief that he was not going to return. There were no regrets to his actions because he found it honorable to be able to sacrifice his life to safeguard the longevity of humanity!

  Thankfully, as the war milled on, the monster army started to lax in their stance. It was not that they started to fear mankind’s strength, they had no such emotion, but because their numbers started to fall.

  This was mankind’s battle plan. Even though the alien mother nest could continuously create new monster eggs, the young monsters needed at least several days to mature before they could join the war. Furthermore, the monsters needed to travel the space between the planet and Moon 2 to support their frontline. If this support route was cut off, it was only natural that the numbers of monsters on the planet would start to peter off.

  Guang Zhen surveyed the base’s surroundings with his military-grade binoculars. He even ordered a few men to survey the lands from the sky using the shuttles. There were no observable living monsters. Finally, Guang Zhen downgraded the red alert to a yellow alert and handed defense of the base to the artillery battalion. The remaining battalions were ordered back to the Hope to receive some well-deserved rest.

  "Such a harsh war." Guang Zhen observed with a complicated feeling. The land was pockmarked with craters, and monster carcasses were piled up as high as mountains. Because the monsters could regenerate from a mere cell, the best way to deal with their bodies was fire. Therefore, Guang Zhen ordered his men to burn the nearer carcasses with flamethrowers and the rest with molotovs.