Age of Cosmic Exploration, 4

by Zhttty

  Yao Yuan got from the patrols Bo Li’s location. He took the electromobile to meet her at the lab. When he arrived, Bo Li was in the middle of a huddled discussion with a group of people. She swore a professional pants suit and black stilettos. She was fully focused in her work, and there was a fiery glint in her eyes.

  "Bo Li!"

  Bo Li heard the voice that she had been dreaming about call her name. She turned to see a haggard Yao Yuan walking towards her. She felt heat coming up to her face, and for some reason she felt the need to run. She steeled herself and asked as cavalierly as she could, "Yes, why are you here?"

  "…Bo Li, my jet has been seriously damaged. I doubt it can be fixed in a short amount of time. I could take some of the other jets, but they can’t catch up to my speed. I need the best, could you give me your original prototype?" Yao Yuan got straight to the point while staring at Bo Li in her eyes.

  Bo Li’s focus wavered, then she asked concernedly, "Your jet has been seriously damaged… Is the situation on the battlefield bad?"

  "It’s definitely not ideal." Yao Yuan turned to his watch. "We have another 50 minutes until we launch the propeller, but there is still a giant monster army defending the nest. None of the reactors have been broken, and the enemy has nullified our ECS system. Since we can no longer win with surprise tactics, I need firepower, so give me that prototype!"

  Bo Li looked at the man before her. He might be scarily solemn and foreboding at times, but he had a golden heart. Maybe her father was wrong about him…

  "The prototype’s stationed at the hangar’s hidden room. You might not be aware of its existence, so I’ll bring you there." Bo Li nodded.

  "I know where it is; I’ve seen you working on the prototype in there." The words stumbled out of Yao Yuan’s mouth. Only then did he realize that he sounded like a peeping tom.

  Bo Li’s face flushed red and kept sending him patronizing gaze. Then the 2 of them walked to the hidden room. Yao Yuan trailed behind Bo Li and neither exchanged a word until they had almost reached their destination when both said in unison, "You…".

  Bo Li fixed him a sideway stare and said, "You first then."

  "Thank you," Yao Yuan said in a tender voice. "Is your face… still hurting? I’m really sorry for what I did."

  "No, it’s fine. It has been fully healed." Bo Li shook her head. "How about the combat? Is everything going along just fine for you?"

  "It’s okay…"

  An awkwardness stretched until the hidden room opened, giving them the chance to change topic. Both jogged into the room until Bo Li stopped in front of a metallic wall. She pressed something on it and then the wall slowly moved to reveal a large space with a bright red combat jet as its centerpiece!

  "This is the prototype for all the other space combat jets. There are an additional 2 accelerator fluxes and special circuits made using the plant’s alloys to increase maximum acceleration. This also affects the efficacy of the Gaussian cannons. They can now fire 1 shot every 2 seconds. Other modifications include a shell with greater tensile strength…" Bo Li launched into her explanation with pride in her eyes.

  Yao Yuan too was overwhelmed by the majestic beauty of the combat jet. As Bo Li’s continued ramblings streamed into his ears, the weird sensation he previously felt resurged in his heart…

  She reminded him so much of "her," pretty, brave, and kind. Bo Li didn’t have her cunning, but she had a desolateness that pulled out his protective nature…

  "Did you make this specifically for me?" Yao Yuan couldn’t help but ask.

  "Of course not…"

  Bo Li was adamant in her refusal, but when she saw how awed Yao Yuan was by her handiwork, her heart softened and she admitted albeit circuitously that. "Its name is Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 NT Model. It’s specifically built for the Hope’s strongest Homo Evolutis. Shortened as NT 1, its maximum acceleration can reach up to 700 kilometers per second, 3 times the speed of normal combat jet. With 2 Gaussian Gatling guns and 1 mini Gaussian cannon, its firepower is also 3 times that of the normal jet."

  Yao Yuan’s mouth curved into a smile. He tousled Bo Li’s hair lightly before parting to step closer to the combat jet. He climbed up the ladder to the pilot seat, and when he reached the final rung, he turned around and said, "Don’t worry, I promise you I’ll be back."

  "…I’ll wait."

  Several minutes later, Bo Li leaned against the Hope’s window and saw a red combat jet shoot out into space and then blink out of her vision. She felt her heart wrench…

  Yao Yuan, on the other hand, felt reenergized. The jet was as good as Bo Li said. It was fast, had more weapons, and was equipped with a small reactor to support a more powerful electromagnetic growth field. As aforementioned, every individual’s acclimation to the growth field was different. Yao Yuan, as the strongest Homo Evolutis, adapted to it best, allowing him a great increase in response speed.

  "NT 1… 3 times the normal speed? Let’s try it out! Come, let us show this monster that not everything is its food!"

  Yao Yuan couldn’t contain his giddiness. Like a flash of red lightning, he broke through the ozone layer and into space.

  "She has always been lousy at naming things. Should have just called it Red Lightning…"

  NT 1 entered ECS state easily, and before long, it had reached the spot where the 2 forces were clashing at full force. The mother nest had fully disengaged herself from Moon 2 and was moving with increasing speed toward the Hope’s planet. Around it, about 100 troopers were locked in deep combat with its defenders. The combat was so rabid that it was visible from a distance away.

  Yao Yuan activated his multiple powers once more.

  Sensing its pilot’s changes, Red Lightning increased in acceleration. 200 kilometers per second, 300 kilometers per second, 400 kilometers per second…

  In a matter of seconds, Yao Yuan moved from the outer ring of the battle into the battle’s midst. Yao Yuan announced himself with a series of cannon fires. A warship monster before him crumbled into pieces. Simultaneously, the Gaussian cannon shell blew up another warship monster, shredding it completely. Following the Red Lightning was a sorry trail of alien guts and sinews.

  "It’s the Captain! The Captain’s back!"

  "He’s so fast, and what is that red combat jet?"

  "Great, he took down another warship!"

  Everyone cheered, and the morale rose after Yao Yuan demolished another 10 warships. They moved to follow behind Yao Yuan, utilizing the break in the monster’s defense Red Lightning had torn.

  However, Red Lightning was too fast. Even for Ebon, an experienced Perceptor, he couldn’t follow it.

  Like an actual lightning bolt, Yao Yuan zapped through the battlefield before the monsters could form a proper defense line. Yao Yuan flew to above one of the 4 polymerized reactors. Underneath the disgusting layer of flesh, Yao Yuan could see the heat gathering within.

  "Let’s light it up!"

  A fully charged Gaussian cannon’s ammo hurtled towards its target in a straight line. When it pierced through the mother nest’s flesh, Yao Yuan’s Red Lightning was already miles away. Behind him, Yao Yuan felt an explosion radiating the heat and light of a small sun…

  There were still 3 polymerized reactors to go!

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  Chapter167 Lift Off! The Hope!

  After the group of combat jets flew into the sky, the temporary base was on high alert.

  However, things appeared to be different this time because even after some time, no monsters appeared. It wasn't until the troopers came back with damaged jets that the monster army materialized in the sky.

  "A skydive assault? They think we don’t have anti-air weapons? What a bunch of idiots."

  Guang Zhen lifted his head and laughed contemptuously, he then asked the soldier beside him, "Are the anti-airs ready?"

  "Yes, Sir. We are at full ca
pacity; we could fire at any time," the soldier replied after he scanned the chart he had on his hand.

  "Then… fire them all in 15 seconds. Let these filths know that airstrikes have become obsolete due to 4th revolution technology." Guang Zhen lifted his head once more and smiled chillingly.

  Indeed, with the arrival of the 4th revolution, the position of air forces had become increasingly awkward.

  The key factor was the invention of Gaussian weapons and electromagnetic shields. They pushed out the usage of traditional firearms. Due to carriage issues, the air force didn’t have the ability to carry around reactors in flight. As consequence, they could only support lesser weapons and weaker electromagnetic shields, so they had the obvious disadvantage.

  Simultaneously, with the arrival of artillery with high initial speed, air forces’ original advantage of speed and height became useless. No matter how high or fast you fly, it won’t be faster than a Gaussian bullet that could reach its target in less than a second.

  Therefore, after the 4th revolution, war was fought in space or on the planet's surface. On the other hand, because Gaussian bullets traveled so fast, they were weak in long-ranged combat. The incredible air resistance over long distances made it incredibly easy for one to miss one’s target.

  As the number of black dots increased in the sky, Guang Zhen said into the communicator, "Don’t panic, wait for them to come closer, and then we’ll strike…"

  "…5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

  "Fire!"

  With Guang Zhen’s command, all of the Gaussian anti-airs, like Gatling guns, cannons of varying sizes, and even a Gaussian electromagnetic rail cannon borrowed from the Hope, as well as the rifles of 3,000 plus soldiers, started firing in unison.

  The bullets formed a gigantic stream, one that was made of bullets!

  The black cloud above the base started dispersing and monster parts started falling from the sky. The parts that contained metallic substances bounced off the soldiers’ electromagnetic shields, nullifying this unique form of hazard.

  The monsters’ blood fell like rain, washing the floor green. Enclosed within their spacesuits, the soldiers ignored the blood and kept their sights on the sky with determination in their eyes.

  Fire, reload, recharge, and then fire…

  This lasted for 6 minutes until there was not even a black spot left in the sky. The base was swamped in a sea of guts and blood. Even after they were washed out with the sewer system, there was still an indescribable, fleshy feeling when one walked on the soil in the base.

  After losing half of their numbers, the monsters dropped and collected themselves on the ground far away from the base. They formed an army and marched towards the base.

  Guang Zhen observed the army through the binoculars and frowned.

  The army had decreased in numbers, but the remaining monsters still posed a threat. There were the scorpion monsters in droves, and among them were the electromagnetic shield generating monsters.

  However, the scariest was a 150-meter-tall monster. It was covered in a black metallic shell, stood on 4 elephant-sized legs, and had an 80-meter-long bone blade instead of a trunk. Sparks kept flying over the blade, and there was more than 10 of these monsters!

  "Battalion B! Prepare your long ranged weapon! Fire when the enemies are in range! Take down the 10 giant monsters first!" Guang Zhen yelled.

  Very quickly, the many Gaussian weapons attached to the turret started charging. After the computer locked down to the target monsters, they fired off instantly. The air shook with the hail of bullets and the air was roiling with dust.

  Guang Zhen was pessimistic. He didn’t take his eyes off the binoculars, but everywhere he looked, he only saw dust.

  "Damn the creator’s particles!" Guang Zhen swore vehemently. If there was no creator’s particle, all of the surveillance devices would come back online and they could triangulate these monsters from space. That would allow them to strike them from space and remove the need to face them head on.

  Suddenly, the ground started to tremble. From the cloud of dust, a monster appeared. It was the giant monster!

  The giant monster had around it a layer of sparks that suggested the presence of an electromagnetic shield. Even though it was blinking out, it had survived the weapons’ focus fire due to its incredible size since it could store more power to charge the shield. It was still 10 kilometers away from the base, but it exuded an intimidating pressure.

  "Fire! Soldiers, don’t stop firing!" Guang Zhen yelled and fired him own rifle at the monster.

  The other soldiers followed.

  Everyone knew if they allowed such a creature to break into the base, the defense would fail immediately. That would in turn lead to lots of death!

  Therefore, at that moment, even the most coward of the soldiers unloaded their bullets at the monster!

  It exhausted the focus fire of more than 1.000 rifles and the cannons to take down the one giant monster. Its shield died out about 2,000 meters away from the base.

  Before the base could sigh in relief though, the ground shook once more. There were 1, 2, 3 no, 5 more giant monsters coming through!

  Everyone stared blankly at the monsters with hopelessness in their eyes… The thought was "5 150 meters tall monsters that have electromagnetic shields; is this war even winnable?"

  "Fire! Don’t stop!" Guang Zhen yelled at the top of his lungs.

  But as the monsters got closer, some of the soldiers started to put down their weapons and involuntarily looking back at the hole. It was obvious that they were thinking about deserting. This intention spread like the plague with more soldiers putting down their arms.

  3 soldiers who stopped firing fell to Guang Zhen’s rifle. He wailed coarsely, "Deserter shall die from shame! Fire, keep on firing! I will kill any deserters that I see!"

  Everyone else was shocked and scared into motion. They took up their rifles and started firing again at the monsters.

  1 minute later, the last monster fell. Guang Zhen sighed in relief. This last monster was closest to the base, and it was only several hundred meters away. Guang Zhen would have gone into close combat if it had gotten any closer.

  There was no time for a breather, because another meat blob appeared in the sky. It vomited more monsters to the ground.

  About 300 giant monsters appeared down the horizon, and everyone’s hearts were chilled. Even Guang Zhen’s sawblade fell helplessly to the floor.

  "For humanity!"

  Suddenly, someone deep within the base yelled in english. It pierced through the eerie quiet of the base. However, more people resonated in return, and the same message was repeated again and again in a multitude of languages. It was a call of both desperation and hope. Without Guang Zhen’s urging, they lifted their rifles and continued firing…

  At the same time, underneath the ground, the excavation crew had returned to the Hope. This was because the excavation project was reaching its end. With another contained explosion, the Hope would be able to lift off.

  "Checking external anti-gravitational system… Checking complete, found no problem."

  "Checking particle flux accelerators… Checking complete, found no problem."

  "Checking creator’s particle vibrator and isolator… Checking complete, found no problem."

  "Checking the Hope’s ECS system… Checking complete, found no problem."

  The person lording over the command central was… Bo Li. She was designated by Yao Yuan to be the acting captain if both Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen weren’t there.

  Bo Li scanned through the checking report that appeared on screen and she ordered in a clear voice, "Activate the external anti-gravitational and ECS systems. Tune up the electromagnetic shield to its maximum power."

  Beside her, a middle-aged man repeated, "Captain’s orders. Activate the external anti-gravitational and ECS systems. Tune up the electromagnetic shield to its maximum power."

  "Yes, Sir! Activating
the external anti-gravitational and ECS systems and tuning up the electromagnetic shield to its maximum power!"

  With one last explosion, the final thin layer of rocks that covered the top of the Hope crumbled away, revealing portion of the blue sky above.

  "Lift the Hope up to 5,000 meters above sea level and activate all optical detectors."

  "Captain’s orders. Lift the Hope up to 5,000 meters above sea level and activate all optical detectors."

  Following a series of commands, the Hope gradually disengaged itself from its position. With both particle flux accelerator and anti-gravitational units working alongside one another, in just 30 minutes, the Hope had reached its intended location. The ECS system was in action, so the Hope was hidden from the monsters’ detection.

  "Aim all Gaussian cannons at the ground level monsters. Operate a strafe fire. The cannons need to recharge every 3 seconds, so alternate the shots systematically. Charge our main cannon…

  "Then fire the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon!"

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  Chapter168 A Shot of Hope

  When 300 giant monsters appeared on the battlefield, everyone in the temporary base despaired.

  These monsters were 150 meters tall, taller than the base itself. Their weight was noticeable from the tremors that shook the ground whenever they moved.

  5 of them almost took the temporary base down, and now there were 300 of them!

  Mankind’s Gaussian weapons were nullified by the monster’s powerful electromagnetic shields. They were so potent that strong artillery fire was needed to break through them, but…

  Mankind’s defense unit only had 3,300 soldiers left. The number was simply not enough to stop the stampede of 300 giant monsters. To make things worse, the threat was not limited to the giant monsters, there were other monster types as well.

  When everyone was suffocating in throes of despair, an explosion blew up not far away from the base, creating a wave of dirt and dust. The earth seemed to crack open in two, taking many by surprise.