《Age of Cosmic Exploration》


 Chapter 1: Chaos!

    Chapter 1: Chaos!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan had been straining his ears for hours trying to discern any would-be commotion from beyond the shutters [1], but try as he might, he couldn''t hear anything. Even under broad daylight there was nary a squeak; the street outside was as silent as a ghost town, and the eerie calm was a stark contrast to the erratic chaos just days before.


    The reason was probably because enemy troops had already pillaged the area. The sorry state the room Yao Yuan found himself in was strong support for this supposition. The room was part of a once bustling shop that belonged to his friend, but one could barely discern that fact from the condition it was in. The place was utterly trashed and all valuables were gone; only dirt and debris was strewn all over the floor now.


    Long before the insurgence, that friend and his family moved away from the city to seek refuge by the countryside, and as an afterthought, he left the key to his business with Yao Yuan. Anticipating the impending chaos, Yao Yuan made a brash yet strategic decision: he ransacked the place and un-deployed the shutters, leaving the space in plain view, before retreating into its basement. The hope was for the dilapidated scene to deter possible pillagers, and thus preventing the discovery of his hiding spot.


    Later, when the pandemonium reached its height due to confrontations between the lawless army and the anarchic populace, thanks to his ingenuity, the spot Yao Yuan was in was left relatively unchecked. There were a few incidents of course, but none of them were of note. The worst was a case of arson that only managed to scorch the outer walls due to a lack of incendiary materials. Incidentally, that made the place look even more like a deserted ruin.


    Just like that, while the world above raged on, Yao Yuan had spent the past five days underground in relative peace. On the morning of the sixth day, he slunk up to the surface to survey his surroundings. His immediate area was clear of human activity, but it was not until he dropped the shutters that he let out a sigh of relief.


    A few hours had passed since then and the situation remained unchanged; he seemed to be the only human around, though he still kept his ears up to listen for others.


    The massive riots appeared to have culled the human populace. Most of the civilians lied around in lifeless husks while the few fortunate ones were either in hiding or were far away enough from the city to have survived the onslaught. The army, on the other hand, had either succumbed to their bloodlust and turned on each other or had gone off on their own in vigilante groups. The number of people alive by then, Yao Yuan deduced, could barely reach a thousandth of this place¡¯s normal populace.


    Yao Yuan could have easily joined the deserters. His years of war experience as a veteran had greatly tuned his sensitivity to signs of pre-war preparations. He knew something was off about half a month ago when important personnel such as heads-of-states, military agency directors, special task forces, business moguls, celebrated scientists, and other people of noteworthy accomplishments started to drop off the radar without any seemingly plausible explanation. That was when he knew that the world was going to experience a cataclysmic change; no place on Earth was going to be completely safe, so he decided to simply bunker down where he was.


    Nevertheless, foretelling it was dissimilar to understanding it or preventing it. Until now, Yao Yuan could not figure out the reason behind all of those mysterious disappearances.


    That alone was worrying enough, but added on to that were the discomforting rumors that circulated alongside these disappearances. If those were more than hearsay¡­


    These worrisome thoughts had Yao Yuan''s mind up in a twist. As he turned over these speculations, he detected a small rustle of footsteps. Like a wary tiger, he instantly tensed up and prepared to pounce.


    As Yao Yuan prepared to face the new danger, a crisp, quail''s birdsong drifted from beyond the shutters. Its melody caught Yao Yuan''s attention immediately and he started to reply with the same song. Despite being in birdsong, the two seemed to be able to communicate their intentions perfectly. A sense of relief washed over Yao Yuan because that confirmed that it was an ally. He quickly unlatched the shutters, and as the light streamed in from the few open inches, he spotted a figure squatting by a garbage pile a few yards away.


    The figure went into action instantaneously. As Yao Yuan lifted the shutters, the person crossed the distance between them in a few lithe movements like a feline on the prowl. The individual leaped into the room with an acrobatic roll and Yao Yuan dropped the shutter immediately after. As the lock clicked into place, one could also hear two great sighs of relief.


    "Lee[2]! Why is it you that are leading the way? Where are Ol'' Wong and the rest of the crew?" Yao Yuan asked with much urgency while grabbing the fellow.


    This guy beside Yao Yuan was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old, but instead of the indifference and brazenness that accompanied his age, he exuded a sense of calmness and stability that came with the sophistication of age. With a warm chuckle, he replied, "Ol'' Cap¡¯n'', if I do say so, your jabs are always so peculiar. I''ve been a scout for more than a year now, so it has been decided that I alone shall scout ahead while the gang waits outside the city walls. There are still small troops of soldiers in the area, and while the team could easily dispatch of them, the sound of gunfire would inadvertently draws nearby forces. That would result in unnecessary complications, so they''ll only move at night. If I don''t to return by then, they will know that you''re safe and will come here together."


    Yao Yuan nodded along to Lee''s explanation. The contingency where Lee couldn''t have made it back to the group because he had died did not even cross his mind. That was the strength of the faith that the members of the Black Star Unit had in each other. Despite being only a fresh recruit, Lee was a part of this elite group. He was right when he said that they could handle the leaderless soldiers with ease. In fact, every single of them could. Even if Lee were to fail in direct combat, he could lose them effortlessly with his unmatched ability at stealth operations. If Lee did not return on time, the only logical conclusion was that he had found refuge with Yao Yuan and not because he had landed himself in trouble.


    At that moment, Yao Yuan couldn''t help but lament the obscurity that had stubbornly shrouded the Black Star Unit. He was certain that the team could evenly match or perhaps be better than other special forces around the world, but because of political reasons, their fame could never rival those of other local units that had "Dragon" in their names. Those names seem to suggest greatness, while ours¡­


    Yao Yuan shook his head to snap out of his reverie. He then suggested, "Lee, please don''t refer to me as Captain anymore; I stopped holding that title when I left the army two years ago. Now that I think about it, I have never even been your superior officer, so please refer to me by my name, or Brother Yao if you prefer."


    At that suggestion, the usually calm Lee became uncharacteristically flustered. "How can you suggest such a thing, Captain?! If Captain Wong hears about this, I¡¯ll be dead meat! Also, many times when the members were in trouble, it was you who came to our rescue! In any case, you''ll forever be our Ol'' Captain, Cap¡¯n!"


    Hearing this, Yao Yuan could only let out a few dry laughs. He knew that arguing further would be pointless; the members were as stubborn as they were good. It was at this time that he could give Lee a good look. The fella''s clothes could barely qualify as rags; there were still spots where the mud hadn''t even dried yet. After giving Lee a good-natured slap on the shoulder, Yao Yuan led him inside. "Why don''t we go down to the basement first? We''ll find you a clean change of clothes and some food to fill your belly. After that, you can rest until the rest of them arrive, then I''ll give a briefing on why I''ve issued the order for the team to come here."


    The prospect of rest appeared to lull Lee''s demeanor as he was led into what would be the base of operations. The pair passed through rooms in various stages of destitution before reaching the stairs that led down to the basement. At the end of the steep decline there was a dark, enclosed space; its state of disrepair was not unlike the ones they had just passed. Yao Yuan moved to a corner and lifted up the floor in one mighty pull. A light source from beneath revealed an opening in the ground. The lifted "flooring" was a giant sheet of steel that acted as the hatch. Yao Yuan deftly squirmed through the gap and Lee quickly followed.


    The surprise of finding a vast, bright space hit Lee almost instantly. Before things started falling apart, Yao Yuan had spent quite a bit of resources modifying the 100 square meters space underneath the basement. The place was well stocked with food and water, several boxes of clothes, an array of weaponry, and most impressively, it was well wired, thus making it capable of supporting light sources, a working computer, and other miscellaneous machinery.


    Seeing all of this, Lee displayed an out-of-character burst of youthful excitement. He even went so far as to doing a somersault before digging in voraciously into the ample supply of food and drinks. "Now this is the life! Ol'' Cap¡¯n sure is something else! A few months ago during troop field training, the team got into an altercation with the Dragon Prosper Unit at some godforsaken desert. If weren''t for overall vigilance, we would all be beneath the sand by now. Added on to that was the need to trek out of the desert, the need to stay on the move to avoid the army, and also the need to rush here¡­ it was truly a hell on earth. And to think that Ol'' Cap¡¯n was enjoying himself all this time," Lee mumbled jokingly between bites.


    There was not much Yao Yuan could say in response to that. He figured a shoulder pat would be a better interaction to signal solidarity, and as he did so, Lee collapsed under his touch as if he was hit by a punch instead of a light pat. The shocked Yao Yuan directly went into application of emergency aid. Luckily, Lee''s heart rate and pulse were fine and he also did not seem to have suffered any physical trauma. It appeared that the kid had fallen asleep due to extreme exhaustion. To be able to doze off while chomping down food told Yao Yuan that the last few days must have indeed been awful for Lee. Factoring in Lee''s standing as the junior of the Black Star Unit, his journey surely had been more arduous than the rest¡¯s. As Yao Yuan''s heart was going out to the kid, he also intuitively understood why Lee was given the solo scouting detail; it was a covert kindness on Ol'' Wong''s part that Lee would reach him first and could earn some rest before breaking under exertion.


    Yao Yuan proceeded to move the lugging form of Lee''s sleeping body onto one of the makeshift beds. As Lee snored away peacefully, Yao Yuan''s fingers went flying across the keyboard. A set of numbers and a few lines of sentences in English appeared on the monitor screen. He then stared intently at the random sets of writing as if willing them to move into a more comprehensible arrangement. Nevertheless, as day turned into night, there wasn''t a discernable difference.


    As night descended, Yao Yuan found himself back at his perch by the shutters. Maybe it was his encounter with the Black Star Unit, but sitting there looking out over the barren wasteland reminded him much of his days as the unit''s captain. It was a job that demanded a lot of concentration and composure. On several occasions, he would be able to hear sounds of screams, of crying, and of gunshots from varying distances away.


    They were the human civilization''s swansong. They represented man''s desperation and despair; the animalistic nature from which humankind had spent ages to evolve from. It seemed oddly fitting that this was the form man reverted to before the end, clawing at each other like some feral beasts.


    As time slowly moved to midnight, a celestial appeared in the inky sky. Its luster paled even that of the moon, and under its silvery light, a group of men, about ten in number moved mutedly through the city streets. Their movements made no sounds and awakened no one as they moved toward the ruined shop. They moved through the rooms and later down to the basement as hushed silhouettes of the night.


    In the basement''s better light, one could see that each of these men had their faces creased with lines, stories of the vicissitudes of life. The eldest of them all was about thirty of age and went by the name of Wong Guang Zhen. He was the leader of the group. Despite his position and seniority in age, he still referred to Yao Yuan with much admiration and respect.


    The rest of them, no matter their age, were also men of substance. This was evidenced through the restraint they showed at meal time. In spite of their gnawing hunger, they only allowed themselves the bare necessities, not one bite more. As they settled quietly in place after the hasty meal, one by one they slowly trained their attention at Yao Yuan. Finally, Guang Zhen asked, "Ol'' Cap¡¯n, surely you didn''t invite us here just for a meal, right? Plus, I give this humanity business at most eight more months, so now is not the time to be reticent. Do you need us to clear this city of those armies? Consider it done!"


    A few others started howling at what would appear to be the simplicity of the task. The worst offender was an African American man that was built like a tank. His size and physique lent him an appearance that was more akin to a machine than a human being. He rasped, in a deep baritone, "On the way here, we spotted quite a number of those filth. Ol'' Cap¡¯n, you say the word and tomorrow I''ll gladly give them a taste of their own medicine!"


    With a head-shake and a sigh, Yao Yuan lamented, "Those are indeed some damnable nuisances, but that''s what they are, nuisances. The reason I''ve called you all here isn''t to handle those slim pickings and then wait eight months for the arrival of the rapture. There''s a bigger problem at hand here and IT IS ¡­ THIS!"


    While saying that, Yao Yuan flipped over the monitor to face the group. The whole team, other than Guang Zhen, who seemed to have caught a familiar glimpse of something, was understandably confounded by the series of numbers and words displayed on the screen.


    Without missing a beat, Yao Yuan announced, "This series of numbers represents geographical coordinates, and the paragraphs under it describes a well-known story, a story that is titled¡­"


    "Noah!"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Footnotes:


    1. The room, as the front part of the shop house, was is designed in such a way that one side of its wall is completely open to the streets. Therefore, the space utilized a wall of steel shutters that could be dropped down or rolled up according to business hours over doors.


    2. Full name Lee Hai Yun. But since he''s the junior of the group, he''s often referred to by others as simply Lee.

 Chapter 2: Hope!

    Chapter 2: Hope!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The evolution of human civilization has always been a fascinating phenomenon; from its humble, primate beginnings, to the miracle of language, the invention of manufacturing, the division of labor, proliferation of fiber optics, and beyond. One would be hard-pressed to find a similar philosophy across these vibrant and wondrous eras. However, there is but one that has remained present through them all, and that is the ideal of progress. After all, the only unchanged thing will always be change itself.


    Though progress has never been a constant; it''s always in flux, influenced by factors such as famine and war or renaissance and prosperity. That''s why periods of enlightenment are always alternated with dark ages. Nevertheless, through the highs and the lows, humanity has dragged itself to this historic day, the 21st century, the era of cosmic exploration¡­


    It was the year 2027 when America finally solved one of the greatest mysteries of the 1950s and initiated mankind''s first step towards space exploration. History stated that in the fifties, an unidentified flying object had crash-landed somewhere in the state of Tennessee. Officials even managed to discover decomposing remains of extra-terrestrial beings on it. Due to the sensitivity of the issue, the crash had been classified as a state secret and kept out of the public eye. American scientists had spent days and nights deliberating over each of its excruciating details, but, probably due to the difference in scientific knowledge, there were no notable breakthroughs for decades¡­ until the second millennium that is.


    Since its inception, scientific technology has enjoyed exponential growth. It benefitted from multiple industrial revolutions and theoretical contributions of pioneers from multiple fields and showed no signs of slowing down until the end of the twentieth century where it seemed to have plateaued.


    It was, however, in this period of progressive lull that the Americans had unlocked the mystery of the alien spaceship. Perhaps more than a mere coincidence, it was in that same year that they announced their mastery of space-warping technology. The promise was to warp the first human outside the confines of the solar system by the end of the year 2027. It was easily the biggest news of the century!


    Back in the present, Yao Yuan carried on with his explanation, "I''ve received a mail from a senior of mine around the month of April 2028. It contained an encrypted series of codes. Considering this senior is a key decryption expert, it wasn''t much of a surprise. Our relationship goes way back to when I saved his daughter during an international crisis, and we have been mailing correspondents since then. Around the time I received the mail, I had just returned from a trip to his place. That was when he introduced me to this newly-created decryption key of his. Thinking that was his way of getting me to try his keys, I solved the code without giving it much thought. As you might have guessed, the results of those codes are these sets of numbers and letters."


    Facing his companions, Yao Yuan carried on gravely, "Perhaps it was wrong of me to dismiss it as one of his decoding trails, because not long after that, apocalyptic rumors of every kind started festering around the interwebs. It was then that I intuited these were probably more than a mere trial run. To clear things up, I flew to Italy to visit his family, but when I was there, they were already under heavy surveillance. Based on my observations, I could tell that the surveyors were of American or British intelligence. It was fortunate that I had the foresight to be in disguise then or else it would have been impossible to slip away from the scene without drawing their attention. Nevertheless, their presence did confirm my suspicion that these letters and numbers are more important than I previously thought they were.


    Nevertheless, for the life of me, I was unable to fathom their significance then. My wildest guess was that they referred to some top secret intel that was of note to both the US and the UK, thus explaining the situation I encountered. That was back in the summer of 2029. All of my attention was concentrated on saving this old friend of mine¡­


    Just as the preparations for the rescue operation was going into its final phase, which was more or less a month ago, I¡¯m pretty sure you guys are familiar with what happened then. Important personnel and all the rich and powerful suddenly disappeared overnight. What''s more frightening is that none of the country¡¯s officials reached out to release any sort of statement; the world simply went on like nothing had ever happened. It was then that I realized that we''re in deeper waters than I thought."


    Here, Yao Yuan paused. When he carried on, his brows were in knots as if in pain. "As you guys may know, I consider myself quite familiar with European myths, and when I saw the text part of the code, I immediately thought of the tale of Noah''s Ark¡­ The story goes that because God saw how sinful the world had become, he decided to punish man by summoning an endless storm. The punishment was meant to literally and figuratively cleanse the world. Only one man managed to survive the ordeal: Noah. Before the storm, Noah received an omen from God; he was to build an ark and corral pairs of animals of opposite sexes onto it. And because of that, Noah and his family, as well as those animals on board, became the sole survivors of the apocalypse. The survivors were said to have repopulated into what we know as the world today, and the ark that was responsible for saving the world was named Noah, after its builder."


    Wong, who was beside Yao Yuan, piped up. "Captain Yao, if we were to connect the story you''ve just told and these sets of coordinates, you don''t think¡­"


    Yao Yuan nodded his confirmation. "That''s exactly what I thought! If I''m not mistaken, these coordinates triangulate the location of our Noah, the spaceship that will save the world just like in the story! This might be our only hope of escaping extinction!"


    Since a month ago, when the upper echelons of human society started disappearing, the world was thrown into a state of unease. There were small protests and inquiries, but overall civility prevailed. It was a period of contained anarchy as people waited for a new order of hierarchy to arrange itself.


    Things took a turn for the worse, however, when speculations of conspiracies started flying across the masses. As expected of unverifiable sources, there were variations to the story, but the gist was that when the Americans did their first space-warp experiment in 2027, it disrupted the space-time continuum. The result was that astronomers all over the world started to discover an anomaly in space. There appeared to be a rogue asteroid that was hurtling at lightspeed towards the solar system. The asteroid, suspected to be a fragment of a much bigger neutron star, was low in volume but high in mass, thus making it incredibly dense and therefore dangerous. Astronomers calculated its density to be multiple times that of earth. They also deduced that based on its trajectory and speed, it would come into contact with the sun around the summer of 2030. The impact would be unimaginably bad. The solar nova would eclipse the whole solar system but not before charring everything to crisps. Without the higher-ups to dictate order, the news plummeted the world into an apocalyptic frenzy. People wailed in despair or went attacking others in some sort of widespread lunatic high. Situations got so bad that the army staged a military coup, which unfortunately quickly spiraled into an indiscriminate massacre. It seemed like the apocalyptic gloom had broken everyone''s minds.


    It was indeed the end of the world!


    The degree of annihilation rendered it so that it wasn''t something that could be avoided by hiding and living underground for decades, nor could it be deterred by moving to Mars. This was going to be a complete eradication of the solar system! There appeared to be no way out.


    The Hail Mary pass would be the culprit that started it all: space-warp technology. One could theoretically use it in a spacecraft to warp over vast distances to beyond the solar system and hopefully locate a hospitable planet in outer space and survive.


    Nevertheless, this information would have been privy to the rich and famous as well, and one could surmise that that was the reason behind their mass disappearances. Various covert intel operatives confirmed that these people were, just like the plot of the sci-fi film ¡®2012,¡¯ building a spacecraft in secret, behind the prying eyes of the public. It was a literal survival of the fittest! They had colluded among themselves to seek survival on their own and leave the rest of humanity to their own devices.


    The lack of scientific knowledge and leadership was acting against the chance of survival for the roughly seventy billion people that were left behind. Furthermore, for humanity, time was running out. It was already summer of 2029, so the speculated end was less than a year away. Mankind was on its final lap.


    The combination of despair and devastation from abandonment twisted humanity back unto its ugly, basic instincts. The world became a cesspool of iniquity, dominated by death, famine, pestilence, and war. The first victims to fall to the Apocalypse were the unfortunate influentials that were left behind, or the scapegoats. Their families were subjected to unspeakable horrors before being granted the sweet release of death. The next to succumb were the women, who were then followed by the children. With no weaker targets to subjugate, the men finally turned upon themselves.


    "But, let''s not lose hope!" stressed Yao Yuan, with a punch on the table, denting its metal surface. Between gritted teeth, he declared, "Brothers, have hope! If these codes have a merit of truth, then we mustn''t lose hope! This Ark could be our last hope for survival!"

 Chapter 3: Target!

    Chapter 3: Target!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Now that we have a fixed mission target, it''s time to hammer down some other details," said Yao Yuan. As he said it, the gravity of the situation gradually dawned on the Black Star Unit.


    "The first will be the location. The coordinates have been confirmed to pinpoint the area where the spacecraft is said to have crashed in Tennessee. This further confirms my suspicion that there''s a secret base around there somewhere and that is exactly where we are heading.


    After arrival, the imminent objective is to secure a spacecraft. Next, we will need to learn how to start and pilot it. Those are the fundamentals of our mission. Beyond that¡­ Of course, we will need to secure sufficient rations and drinkable water. The craft will have an air and water purifier, but it will be best if we can round up additional units in case of emergency, because we have to remember that we''re going to outer space here. Without air and water, death will be certain. Other than that, we will also need repair kits, spare parts, and weaponry.


    Next will be an important yet tricky matter: human resources. I hate to mimic the ones that left before us, but we have to be realistic here. Based on the size of the craft, we are going to have to decide how many passengers we are taking. This can''t be helped; we simply can''t rescue everyone¡­ Of course, within our powers, we will help as many people as possible to ensure the continuity of humanity, but we will have to be selective. First priority will be given to scientists or academics, and after that, it will be technical workers or educators, before finally taking in soldiers or officers like us that haven''t turned against humanity in these dire times. Of course, extreme vetting is compulsory to ensure that there won''t be any felons among us.


    That is a very long to-do list and I''m aware that we might not be able to complete all of these tasks with the time we have left, which leads me to the last issue: time. As you all know, time is already ticking for us. Although experts¡¯ estimations state that we have almost eight months left before things hit the fan, I fear that in reality, it might be less than that. If the asteroid is as dense as the statistics predicted, then we will have to account for its immense gravitational pull. As it charts its way to the sun, that force will be more and more clearly felt. The pull and push dynamism between intergalactic entities could cause unforeseeable damage, especially to delicate technological devices, and that could utterly undo our effort. It could very well spell doom. Therefore, it''s best to escape before then, which dramatically shortens our remaining time down to about four to six months," Yao Yuan explained.


    "Alright, team! That concludes all of the research and analysis that I''ve collated over the past month. Hopefully everyone is clear about our situation now. Our immediate course of action is to depart for Tennessee, and hopefully get there in under six days. We''ll give ourselves half a month to locate the spacecraft and another one month to learn to operate it. Remember, guys, this is our last hope¡­ No, not our last hope, but the last hope for all of humanity!" Yao Yuan intoned as he worked himself to his finish. "So believe me, brothers, when I say we shall not bring shame to the Black Star name! FOR GLORY OR FOR DEATH!"


    "FOR GLORY OR FOR DEATH!" echoed the rest of the room.


    Yes, indeed¡­ for glory or for death, because against the certainty of victory, even death shall be perceived as glory¡­


    Silence tends to precede the storm, so the night passed without commotion. It has been a long time since the Black Star Unit could lie down to rest without worrying about their lives, and they knew that this was going to be similarly a rare occurrence in the foreseeable future. Therefore, all of the members of the group laid down their guard and tired bodies, each intent on savoring their first restful sleep in a long time. The next morning, the group woke up refreshed and readied. After a simple meal, they gathered to prepare for Yao Yuan''s commands.


    "So, just like what we planned yesterday. We need a means of transport that could get us to Tennessee fast. I believe the best bet will be planes. However, from my assessments, army-commissioned planes will either have been blown up in wars by now or they will be locked behind some army base. The inconvenience of travelling aside, the chances of them being guarded will be high. I do have a lot of faith in our capabilities, but it''s never easy to tell who will come out on the other end in a life-or-death situation. Therefore, if it''s at all possible, we shall avoid conflict at all costs. Every single one of us has an instrumental role in the overall success of the operation, so please don''t lose sight of the bigger picture in the heat of the moment. The cloak-and-dagger operation yesterday night was a success and therefore we shall adopt the same tactic today. We will move only after the sun sets. The main objective is to locate the spacecraft; the rest we shall decide later."


    In a serious tone, Yao Yuan continued on with his orders, "This S city has three commercial airports: one at the edge of downtown, and the other two in the city outskirts. There was a massive bombing at the downtown airport a few days ago; that coupled with the five-day-long riot, the place has been rendered to ruins. Even my surveillance system got trashed, so the possibility of finding a working plane there is too low for us to risk the journey. Although, the other two airfields might prove to be fruitful, so I would like to us to separate evenly into two parties. One of them will follow me to the city¡¯s southern airport, while the other party shall follow Captain Wong to survey the city¡¯s northern airport. No matter the result, we shall meet here again at nine tonight!"


    Guang Zhen stepped ahead and gave his old captain a salute. "Sir, yes, Sir!"


    Yao Yuan nodded his approval but not before issuing Wong another serious order. "Listen to me, Wong; these are all your juniors. Now you promise me that you will bring them out and that you will bring them back here again in one piece, every single one of them!"


    "Sir, yes, Sir!" saluted Guang Zhen.


    "If there''s nothing else, then¡­ dismissed!"


    These were all military men, men of actions and not of words. They knew this could be the final goodbye for anyone of them but there weren''t any maudlin affairs of farewell, because the focus on the success of the mission was of greater importance. As such, the group left the shop in silence, weaving through the deserted streets, each clutching their arms of choice as they moved towards their respective target locations.


    This was the first time Yao Yuan had seen the surface world since he went into hiding five days ago. He led at the front, scouting ahead for his team. Despite his years being in wars, the sight of the city that night still sent apprehension and sorrow down his heart.


    The carnage was indescribable¡­


    Rivulets of blood streamed freely over the streets, and in the summer heat, they gave out waves of revolting stench that attracted nebulous clouds of flies. Decaying bodies and rotten body parts littered the ground, acting as warm beds for maggots and worms. It wasn''t a cityscape, it was a hellscape!


    It painted the perfect picture for the end of humanity. Man has always stood on the tipping scale of logic versus instinct. When neither science nor civility could save humanity anymore, these vestiges of logic would fall. When mankind was shoved into throes of doom and hopelessness, the majority of them simply cracked and regressed back to their carnal state of sin.


    Based on his field expertise, Yao Yuan could easily tell that the first to perish were the womenfolk by analyzing the bodies'' stages of decay. The bodies were so badly decomposed at this point that he couldn''t tell their body types nor ages, much less their facial features. Next were the children and then were the men. Based on the distribution of bodies, as well as the exposed and burnt building frames, it would be a safe bet to say that there were only a handful of survivors. About 80 percent of the city populace had perished, and not a small amount of them were wearing military fatigue.


    Nevertheless, Yao Yuan had remained relatively stoic through it all. The situation demanded that he reverted back to his Special Ops days, for he understood that he was responsible for others'' lives now. It required him to be precise, careful, analytical and decisive. The lives of his team and survival of humanity hung onto his balance, so there could be no margin for error.


    As his team progressed along, they saw a few remaining rebel troops. They were either stupidly drunk or dangerously unstable. The smallest of them had about five or six members while the larger ones were as big as twenty or thirty something in number. Not all of them were armed forces though; some of them were corralling civilians, mostly women, like livestock around the city. They noticed that one of the groups was in the middle of a killing spree, while another was indulging their carnal desires, and a few others were locked in a shootout. One even consisted wholly of gang members. How they got their hands on weapons was anyone''s guess.


    Tempering his human urges, Yao Yuan carefully skirted his team''s way around these pockets of chaotic activities. Their path took them through back alleys, deserted buildings, and even a stretch of sewer before reaching their destination at around two in the afternoon. There weren''t any signs of life around and the number of dead bodies was also drastically lower around this area. It was good, but Yao Yuan kept on sensing a bad vibe that was lingering in the air.


    The town¡¯s southern airport¡¯s lobby was locked from the inside. Peering in, it was like a set piece painted fully in shades of black. Yao Yuan looked in through one of the windows and he could see that the walls, the floor, the ceiling, and everything in between were heavily singed. These included a few sets of torched remains that Yao Yuan could discern on the floor.


    This scene and its implication were the first thing in the city that truly gave Yao Yuan a frightening chill. After he cleared his surroundings, he summoned the rest of his group to gather by whistling the quail birdsong. As the full group arrived, Yao Yuan efficiently relayed his commands through a series of hand gestures, signaling his group to form into roles of scouts, backline supports, and long-ranged snipers before moving into the airport lobby.


    The place was completely deserted though. There was no sign of human beings other than the grotesque amount of scorched bodies that seemed to endlessly pile upon one another.


    There was no other way to describe it other than a mass slaughter perpetrated by an unknown hand. The perpetrator(s) seemed to have locked thousands of people inside the room before lighting it up like a giant bonfire. The place Yao Yuan''s team was in was the aftermath of thousands of victims clawing their way out on top of the furniture, the walls, and finally each other before perishing agonizingly in flames.


    "BASTARDS!" growled Lee, a sentiment agreed upon but was kept in restraints by the older members of the group.


    Yao Yuan folded into a deep silence. He merely locked his eyes towards the direction of the plane hangar and walked purposefully towards it. After a few moments, the team followed. A few corners and broken door locks later, they finally found themselves before the hangar. No one seemed to have noticed, but Yao Yuan''s hands were literally shaking as he pulled open the door.


    And what greeted them was¡­ yet another disappointment!


    There wasn''t a single usable plane. What was left were a bunch of exploded metal shrapnel or crushed aircraft carcasses.


    "... Let us return to base and wait for updates from Captain Wong''s group," Yao Yuan concluded briskly. He had seen what he needed to see and so, he turned to head back without a lingering glance, leaving behind a number of his stunned teammates.


    (That whole operation was a deliberate sabotage. The deconstruction methods of the machinery were too highly efficient. This whole thing reeks of military involvement, but why and whom? Could it be¡­)


    (That there''s someone other than myself that knew about the code or the coordinate? Someone or some group that is also currently in THIS city?)

 Chapter 4: Emergency Repairs

    Chapter 4: Emergency Repairs


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Later that night, when Guang Zhen''s team returned to the shop''s basement, the overall atmosphere was one of defeat. Even without communicating it out loud, their facial expressions said it all. Both parties had come back empty-handed; there wasn''t even one functional aircraft, much less one that could support ten something people in flight.


    "Sorry, sir, but there was nothing of use, not even a single one. All the planes were destroyed by either explosions or brute force," Guang Zhen reported solemnly.


    Staring at his laptop''s monitor, other than developing a deeper frown, Yao Yuan did not give any additional response. It was only after a long pause that he picked up the threads of the conversation. "As I''ve mentioned, we have to get to Tennessee fast. Getting there is a race, so all these setbacks make me suspect that it might not only be us that have access to these coordinates. Sorry, team; that was incredibly careless of me. I should have been able to tell that even if the decryption expert had sent me the coded coordinates, he might not be the original source. This is, after all, the last chance at survival, so it should come as no surprise that other parties are interested in it as well. But we shall not have this taken away from us¡­ Right, Lee mentioned before that you guys got into a scuffle with the Dragon Prosper squad during field training out in the desert. When was this?"


    The unexpected question stunned Guang Zhen. As he pondered over it, a forbidding guy next to him answered, "That was twenty-seven days ago, sir. We were doing field training together and the relationship was amicable until the twenty-seventh day of training. That was when they suddenly turned on us. Three of us died on the spot, while another two were seriously injured before finally bleeding out. But don''t worry, they didn''t have it easy either; we returned the favor. About six members of their squad died, downsizing their number to around twenty people."


    "That was twenty-seven days ago, huh?" Yao Yuan''s face fell, and then he explained, "Even though the Dragon Prosper squad isn''t under direct command from a government agency, they still have someone up there to answer to, so they won''t haphazardly initiate an inter-squad altercation without orders from above. Cover-ups have muddled the exact departure date for the rich and powerful, but it was estimated to be around that time as well, so if we were to connect these two facts, chances are that the higher-ups have ordered them to eliminate the Black Star Unit before they leave. However, members of Dragon Prosper are mostly orphans of war, so their loyalty will be to themselves. In a dire situation like this, one can''t guarantee that orders given to them will be followed, so the higher-ups must have dangled some kind of leverage before them to get them to obey¡­"


    Guang Zhen agreed, "So we can safely assume that the leverage was these coordinates? And it was them who were behind the planes¡¯ destruction? To jettison us here at S city and thus preventing us from catching up to them at getting the spacecraft?"


    "That''s the most likely scenario¡­ But whether or not it was to deter us, we can''t be sure of that. For one, they don''t know that we''re in possession of the coordinates as well; for another, they probably can''t tell that we''re in this city too. The carnage was probably routine for them. Of the four Dragon squads, the Prosper are known for their volatility and cruelty; havoc trails in their steps¡­ So if that''s the case, we might still have a chance at this."


    Yao Yuan continued, as his head dipped in concentration and planning, "Because if that''s true, then the destruction we saw was for the sake of destruction; it wasn''t as premeditated and systematic as I presumed. Following this trail, it looks like they¡¯re hightailing their way to Tennessee as well, so they probably didn''t have enough time to commit to their usual complete demolition. That''s why instead of a uniformed detonation, some planes we saw were crushed, while others were shot. This misgiving could be our lucky break¡­"


    At this point, Yao Yuan lifted his head and issued his order to the group, "So the plan now will be to search a wider area. Tomorrow we will clear a path through the city to the two airfields. We will hit the southern one first and then the northern one. Along the way and at those locations, we will be salvaging any and all usable parts and frames. If my calculations are correct, we should manage to patch together one or two aircrafts. They needn''t be perfect as long as they can carry us to America. If this plan fails, then we will have to risk raiding the nearby military base."


    Hope returned to the team as Yao Yuan laid down his plan, because each of them started to see that it could actually work. They were, after all, members of Special Ops, and disproportionate to their fame, they were the best of the best in this field. Every single one of them had basic training in machinery, and a few were in fact experts in firearms and machine maintenance. Despite having no real experience working with mid-sized crafts like commercial aircrafts, they had experience with emergency repairs of helicopters and jets during field rehearsals. All things considered, this might indeed be their biggest breakthrough yet!


    The night passed in silence.


    The Black Star Unit started their mission early the next morning with everyone getting into their pre-assigned roles. There were four small groups in total this time around. The first was being led by the forbidding guy, who was in charge of sniper detail, the second was the assault team led by the African American giant, Lee and his partner were recon scouts, and the rest were tasked with clearing the streets and searching for sizeable trucks for transport. The mission progressed along slowly due to a series of deterrents which included fallen debris and wasted vehicles as well as armed rebels and riotous civilians.


    It is worth mentioning that there exists a distinct difference between trained and normal troops. Normal armies, due to their strength in numbers, are better at locational conquests, attrition, and regular wars while the skill set of Special Ops are better suited for small-scale skirmishes, infiltrations, and special operations.


    And in cities where nooks and crannies are formed by alleyways, ruins, and skyscrapers, the leverage goes to the Special Ops agents.


    Along the way, with their strategic deployment of unit roles, the small unit of less than ten easily steamrolled through troops multiple times their size. The real hindrance to their progress was instead the wreckage that gave the truck that they had gathered intermittent halts. By this pace, they wouldn''t be able to reach one airfield, much less two in one day.


    Although faced with this quandary, the group received unexpected reinforcements. Their movements attracted the attention of survivors that had previously gone into hiding. By early noon, their numbers grew to about a hundred. The majority were women with only one-third of the total being men. In an ugly twist, the riot seemed to have worked in their favor. The infirm and sick had perished in the early days of the riots. Those that remained were mostly able-bodied young people. After some food and rest, they had recovered for the most part.


    Given the circumstances, Yao Yuan had to utilize the public. After being given a short rest, he separated the group into task forces of ten and organized them to work in shifts to clear the rubble and salvage valuables. As the crew worked themselves towards the target, they grew in numbers, attracting more survivors along the way. The hundred expanded to a thousand plus. The initial salvation crew increased threefold. The speed of progress was boosted tremendously.


    When they reached the objective, night had fallen. As most of them stepped onto airport grounds, they collapsed on the spot. These weren''t trained soldiers, after all; they were your everyday public men, ranging from students to office workers and even included children of officials who had never lifted anything heavier than a spoon, much less rubble. The combination of starvation and fear under anarchy with a long day of hard labor broke their limit. After they fell to the ground in exhaustion, none had the energy to do anything else anymore.


    Yao Yuan''s team didn''t have the time to cater to the public, so they instantly regrouped and moved toward the hangars. Once inside, they separated again into groups and started scavenging for what they needed. As dawn drew close, the result was satisfactory.


    As per Yao Yuan''s predictions, other than the giant crafts that were easy targets, most of the other crafts were salvageable. Some of the planes had ruined casks, but their inner parts were relatively well-preserved while others had it in reverse. The salvaged parts were covered in bullet holes or dents, but overall, it was a fruitful find.


    Without a moment''s rest, they moved on to the remaining part of the mission. First, Yao Yuan sieved through everything they had procured, looking for the best parts among them. Next, they decided upon a frame that looked sturdy enough to support their weight on the flight to America. Before moving on to its inner components, they replaced whatever needed replacement and added parts that were missing. Labor carried on through the night before finally having an aircraft that looked airworthy. No one managed to breath until after Guang Zhen safely landed from a dry-run that took him one circle around the airfield.


    "Then let''s not waste a moment''s time and head for AMERICA!" expressed Lee, who had been unusually excited since the other members started loading the aircraft with fuel.


    Yao Yuan nodded in agreement, but his eyes had never left the crowd. Interpreting it as a weakness of heart, the sniper leader moved close to advise him, "Ol'' Cap''n, I know leaving them behind is callous, but it''s like what you said: we must think of the bigger picture. Those cowards from Dragon Prosper have their skins only for themselves; we have to move immediately to intercept them or else all will be lost. Sometimes, for the greater good, hard sacrifices have to be made, Captain."


    Nodding, Yao Yuan replied as he drew in a deep breath, "Ying, I know¡­ Don''t worry, sentimentality hasn''t clouded my judgment." As he said so, he moved toward the crowd.


    By then, the world was getting ready for a new day and most of the civilians had risen from their slumber. Due to the unfamiliarity of the situation, most were afraid to wander, so many simply stayed where they were and waited for further instructions. As Yao Yuan approached, there were whispers of rumblings, but those were quickly replaced by silence as they placed their focus on Yao Yuan.


    Without hesitation, Yao Yuan launched into his speech. "We are strangers to each other here, but I can assure you that my team and I are different from those kill-crazy goons. We have your best interest at heart. However, due to extenuating circumstances, we have to take this plane here and leave immediately, but we shall return in one or two months'' time¡­ I can''t promise much beyond that. Whether to put your faith in us, that is your prerogative¡­"


    Before Yao Yuan could finish, the crowd erupted into objections. Many requested themselves be taken along while some of the women started weeping openly.


    Steeling his heart, Yao Yuan continued over the cacophony, "I know that this is cruel, but within this time, you all will need to fend for yourselves. This location is right next to downtown and there''s still plenty of resources to be found within the airport. With systematic planning, it should be no issue for a crowd of this size to eke out a living here for a month or two¡­ Now, we could carry a few people with us, but they will have to fit a criterion: they have to be good with computers. And I''m not referring to simple troubleshooting but experts in encryption and hacking. If you know these things, please stand up. We will bring you along and provide you with protection. Now, this is a life-or-death matter, so we will not tolerate liars. If caught, my team will arrange a special lesson in honesty and I promise you, it will be long and painful¡­ So, again, please, if there are any individuals who fit the bill, do stand up now."


    Initially, when the promise of protection was issued, a few people instantly stood up, but as Yao Yuan went into his thinly veiled warnings, one by one, they slowly slid back down. In the end, there was total stillness but no one standing.


    Yao Yuan shook his head regretfully, but as he turned to leave, a middle-aged and slightly rotund man sprang up with one hand in the air and another dragging a youngster of seventeen or eighteen along beside him. The teen''s head was dyed a halo of neon and his ears were pierced with jewelry. The older man growled, "Dear sir! My son knows computers and he''s very good at it, one of the best in China! Do you remember the hacking of the Pentagon from a few years ago? My son was the main hacker. Please take him with you. I assure you that he won''t disappoint!"


    As Yao Yuan heard that, he quickly turned and gave the pair a once-over. He quickly surmised that the man was from an affluent background. Despite his tattered jacket and ratty appearance, he exuded an unmistakable aura of the truly rich.


    The teen next to him was in total shock though. His face was draining of blood as he yelled, "Dad! The computer stuff was for fun, even the hacking was just games. Please, don''t make me go with them!" He then started to struggle like a petulant child, and at one point, tears even escaped his eyes.


    Things took an unexpected turn though when the older man brought down a wooden stick that somehow got into his hands on his son and knocked him out cold. As the teen went limp in his hands, he asked of Yao Yuan obsequiously, "Sir, please do believe me. My son is really a wiz with computers. I once saw him launch a hack attack using three computers simultaneously. Trust me, I wouldn''t use my son''s life as wager now, would I?"


    Yao Yuan strode to the man with purpose and singlehandedly took over the teen. He then half-goadingly asked the man, "We won''t be taking family members because of limited space. You''ll have to stay here with the rest for another two months. So now, would you still let your son go with us? If not, now would be the best time to back out, for I''m not an unreasonable person."


    The older man kindly caressed the back of the teen''s head, the spot where the stick came in contact with the body. He whispered, "Sir, I''ll be honest with you; I have no clue where you people are going nor how dangerous it will be, but I truly believe that my son has a better chance at surviving with you guys than down here. In any case, the world''s ending in less than eight months. I''ve long said my peace; my only worry is this son of mine. If he can be assured of protection by following you sirs, then I beg of you, please take him with you. He is really, really good at computers. Just tell him that I''ll wait for him here. Even after the two months, I will wait at this spot for his return. Please do tell him that¡­"


    Yao Yuan straightened his face, studied the man intensely, and finally said, "Yes, sir, I''m sure you could do that and you have my promise¡­ If your son is truly capable in technology, we will always have his back, and you can have my word on that. By the way, how shall I address you?"


    Dropping the stick, the man gave a low chortle and said, "I go by Mr. Zhang, and that is my son, Zhang Heng¡­ And don''t worry, you have my full permission to work him to the bone. I have spoiled him so much that he has picked up a bunch of bad habits; I even caught him doing drugs once¡­"


    "Ha Ha Ha, don''t worry about that. Now that he''s part of my team, I guarantee you those habits will be whipped out of his body in no time." As he said so, Yao Yuan reached over to give Mr. Zhang a pat on his shoulder. And in that brief exchange, a pistol surreptitiously slipped from one man''s hand into another''s jacket.


    The two men parted without any more words, just a slow chortle from Mr. Zhang for the gesture was meaningful enough. As the crowd dispersed to prepare to face the rest of the day, a single father was left alone on the field, quaking with grief and reluctance.


    About ten minutes later, under the watchful eyes of a thousand-something crowd, an aircraft lifted into the air and disappeared towards the eastern horizon.


    "Let''s move! Target: Tennessee, America!"

 Chapter 5: Storming the castle!

    Chapter 5: Storming the castle!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    As dawn broke, a moderate-sized aircraft landed in a nondescript Tennessee airport. From it descended about ten solemn-looking soldiers. Sticking out like a sore thumb amongst them was a conspicuously groomed, uncontrollably fidgeting teen.


    The leader of the small company appeared to be a man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and he was focusing intently on reading the intricate device in his hands. After a long while, the man said, "We should be near by now. If we continue moving eastwards, in about two days'' time, we should be there. Can someone hand me a map?"


    A map was quickly unfolded and set on the floor. The rest congregated around it, spending quite some time charting their path before refolding it and putting it away. Then they stood up and prepared to move out.


    "So, according to the map, there''s a small town that we could stop at that''s right outside of our destination, but the important thing now is to locate a serviceable car, because if it''s possible, I¡¯d like to reach our objective in under two days. Any extra time we save is useful because we have no information on the place; it might be a camp, or it could be a fortress, or anything in between." At that, the leader waved the group out of the airport to go search for cars.


    The ragtag bunch of people was indeed the Black Star Unit, and the leader was naturally Yao Yuan. They had just spent one full day up in the air, or to be more precise, that and a short pit stop in Hawaii. The plane they were on was not strong enough to last the full trip over the Atlantic, so they picked Hawaii to stop for gas and maintenance.


    Hawaii, like every other place in the world, was in a state of pandemonium, but luckily, the airport they landed in was far enough away from the general populace that it was still relatively functional. They even managed to procure additional fuel. However, because of that detour, they were a bit behind schedule in arriving at Tennessee.


    Nevertheless, they managed to land successfully on Tennessean soil. As they left the airport, along the driveways were already a bunch of stranded cars ripe for picking. As luck would have it, the airport they came out of was in the middle of downtown. There were even still surviving American families bunkering in neighboring buildings. The Tennesseans, though, knew trouble when they spotted it. Yao Yuan''s team was too heavily equipped and too proficient in their movement to be mistaken as your run-of-the-mill army soldiers. Even armed, the Tennesseans knew that this was a group that wouldn''t be taken advantage of and thus opted for flight instead of fight.


    And just like that, Yao Yuan''s team hitched a ride out of town without much of a fuss. As they went on the freeway, their speed picked up considerably because the roads became much broader and thus the number of vehicles blocking their way become fewer in between. The result was that they came upon the town that bordered their destination earlier than previously calculated.


    It was the quintessence of a pioneer''s home-front; a small dwelling for a similarly small population. What was weird about the place though was that there wasn''t any sign of human beings, not even those of the dead that they''d come to expect. It was as if the whole town was preserved in time, minus the populace. There was no sign of destruction nor of chaos; it was an incongruously idyllic hamlet compared to the devastation they had witnessed along the way. The effect was¡­ unsettling, to say the least.


    Yao Yuan sensed that something was wrong, so he immediately went into action. As he leapt down from his seat, he signaled his commands. The rest quickly fell into action. Yao Yuan led two other agents into the town to scout, Ying and his partner scrambled up to the roof of the car to set up their scopes, while everyone else spread out to secure the perimeter.


    There was a pair though that had remained still among the flurry of activities, and that was Zhang Heng and his caretaker, Guang Zhen. Surveying the peaceful scene around them, Zhang Heng couldn''t fathom the need for all these security measures. Finally, he asked Guang Zhen, "What''s wrong with everybody? We finally found a town that''s intact, so we should immediately drive in and go look for food first, right? Don''t you people ever go hungry?"


    Without turning his head away from the spot Yao Yuan had disappeared to, Guang Zhen replied, "There''s something very odd about this town. There shall be no hasty movements before Ol'' Cap''n Yao returns with his scouting report."


    Guang Zhen''s answer befuddled Zhang Heng, and so he quizzed, "Odd? What''s so odd about this place? It looks so peaceful here. Open cemeteries aren''t odd for you people but this place is¡­? Maybe the people have simply packed up and left. Have you guys thought about that?"


    Guang Zhen whipped his head around and stared sternly at Zhang Heng for his folly, his displeasure with the kid''s ridiculous hair further fueling his irritation. The sudden burst of ire had a shrinking effect on Zhang Heng, who stumbled a few steps back before wobbling to the ground. Seeing as the kid almost burst into tears, Guang Zhen reined in his exasperation and condescendingly said, "Everything''s not as simple as you think, kid. The fact that the world''s ending in eight months is public knowledge now. Facing certain death without assurance from the government who had long ago forsaken everyone, how many percent of the public do you think can maintain their sanity? My guess, and I''m guessing yours too, would be only a small percentage right? This town has at least a minimum of, let''s say, 10000 people¡­ what do you think are the chances that those 10000 people are all a part of that small percentage?


    And as you can see before you, there are no blissfully carefree townsfolk mulling about; they''ve disappeared without a trace it would seem. Why do you think that''s so?"


    As color returned to his face, Zhang Heng subconsciously echoed, "Why?"


    "Wipeout, massacre, migration, or¡­ most possibly, we have a trap before us!"


    At that response, all of the color that had previously returned to Zhang Heng slowly seeped away. Wipeout¡­ Massacre¡­ Trap¡­ none of these were terms were part of his everyday vocabulary, much less his everyday life. To have landed in such possibilities as a normal teen, a mere nobody, he¡­ was stunned into speechlessness.


    Luckily, reality wasn''t as bad as Guang Zhen thought. Not long after, Yao Yuan returned with everyone else. There weren''t traps in town nor were there signs of bioterrorism or radiation. There were no literal skeletons hiding in the closet. The fact was that their search didn¡¯t even turn up one dead body. However, Yao Yuan did manage to solve the mystery of the curated town. The answer came to him when his exploration came upon a fast-food restaurant. After his investigating it, he knew that the town was considerably safe, so he finally relaxed.


    Based on the degree of decomposition of the food in the restaurant, it had been at least two months since the town had had human contact. In other words, the townspeople most likely were evacuated around then. Yao Yuan''s deduction was that the evacuation was carried out due to the town''s proximity to the secret base. To safeguard the secrecy of the spacecraft and its operations, the townspeople had to be moved.


    "Or at least that''s my speculation," explained Yao Yuan, between bites of canned food that they had retrieved from around town. "Of course, this is not to exclude the possibility of a secret wipeout. In any case, it''s all in the past, so it doesn''t concern us. Let''s finish our meal and get to that base immediately. I''ve had a bad taste in my mouth all day. It feels like the biggest hurdle has yet to come."


    And so, the team wrapped up their quick dinner and moved on their expedient way towards the locale pinpointed by the coordinates. After a few more hours on the freeway, they veered into a side lane that was attached to an outpost. Naturally, it was deserted. As they carried on, they passed through more outposts that were similarly empty. Finally, at around three in the early morning, they arrived at the spot where their map had painted as a mountainous, barren wasteland. Imagine their surprise and consternation when in reality they had driven into a secluded mountain valley.


    As the team passed through the final outpost, the scene that greeted them put everyone on edge. The concrete floor before them was pockmarked with explosive shrapnel and bullet holes, and equally disheartening was the presence of a few dead bodies and what would appear to be spherical parts from some mechanical remains. The bodies were fresh kills; they had fallen only yesterday or the day before that.


    "Be on alert! Ying, prepare to snipe; Lee, you''re with me; Wong, take the rest and secure the perimeter! Ebon1, cover us!"


    Right after he issued the commands, Yao Yuan slipped out through the car window and dashed to the nearest cadaver. He felt the inert body before taking a whiff of its blood to help procure a rudimentary reading of the situation. A few seconds later, as his team fell in place, he started to take careful steps toward the spherical object.


    As Yao Yuan investigated the strange machinery, Lee and one other scout moved ahead for further exploration. Within 30 seconds, a shrill eagle''s call came from the pair, which gave everyone a millisecond-long daze before they trained weapons at the call''s direction. However, the call quickly transformed into a more mellifluous quail''s birdsong, and without hesitation, Yao Yuan instantly headed its way.


    A few hundred meters¡¯ jog later, Yao Yuan spotted a bloody figure grasping for breath up against one of the fortress walls. As he moved closer, he confirmed that the figure was a heavily-built man with bushy brows and large eyes. Despite preliminary bandage work, a copious amount of blood was free-flowing from his chest and stomach. It didn''t take long for him to lose consciousness, either from passing out¡­ or from death.


    Upon closer examination, recognition dawned on Yao Yuan. The man was his old nemesis, the leader of the Dragon Prosper squad. Yao Yuan promptly retrieved bottled water from his backpack and poured it down the man''s throat. As the man coughed up the liquid, he hazily opened his eyes. Quite some time passed before he could get them to focus on Yao Yuan''s face.


    "Yao¡­ Yao Yuan? How can you be there? This is Tenne¡­" asked the man in shock, but before long, that shock turned into a booming howl. "Of course, I should have known that those bastards would have tipped you off on this place as well. Yes, it''s true, there''s indeed a spacecraft locked behind these walls, the very last one. But alas, it''s so close yet so far. This thing here is impenetrable; it''s on complete lockdown and the passwords they gave us were all false! They initiated the automated defense protocol. It''s a bloody trap and my squad walked right into it!" At this point, the gravitas that had appeared moments before from seeing his nemesis had run its course, and as his breath slowed, the man lamented, in a dwindling voice, "To think of the unspeakable things that we''ve done for them¡­ and this is how they repay us¡­ How typical¡­ But fear not¡­ Yao Yuan¡­ I shall reserve some seats for the Black Star Unit down below¡­ I''ll see you then¡­" As he uttered those words, the man bled out.


    After paying his final respects to his once formidable opponent, Yao Yuan collected himself. As he stood up, he addressed the gathered group. "Alright, team, it''s going to be a harsh battle ahead. I want everyone to be ready with their weapons and ammo. And prep Zhang Heng with the laptop and hacking equipment. We''re going to storm this base¡­ And remember, as the Black Star Unit, we are not given the choice to fail!"


    "FOR GLORY!"


    "OR FOR DEATH!" rallied the group before charging into the ominously dark entrance of the base with Yao Yuan leading the way. That is¡­ other than Zhang Heng, who was still unfamiliar with the group''s dynamic. He fell behind after stumbling a few paces.


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Footnote:


    1. The literal translation is Dark Iron, which technically counts as Ebony, but since that sounds too feminine for a man, I''ve shortened it to Ebon instead.

 Chapter 6: Code Name: NOAH! (1)

    Chapter 6: Code Name: NOAH! (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Without wanting to admit it to himself, Yao Yuan could see that their prospects weren''t good. Yes, the Black Star Unit could go toe-to-toe with each of the four Dragon squadrons, but in terms of funding, technology, and pure numbers, his team was lagging behind by leaps and bounds. Frontline equipment wasn''t always available, and even at its very peak, the Black Star Unit could barely amass twenty members. They had political manipulation and favoritism to thank for all that.


    So, it was hard to believe that his team could succeed where the Dragon Prosper squad had failed. However, Yao Yuan debated with himself that the Dragon Prosper squad were blind-sided by betrayal, so maybe it was the shock that became their downfall.


    In any case, Yao Yuan knew that he had to be on full alert. There couldn''t be any misstep, because it was not only his fight now; it was a fight for his team and quite possibly the future of humanity as well!


    Led by Yao Yuan and other agents that made up the frontlines and rounded up by the mid and close-ranged assault battalion, the group charged into the foyer in an arranged formation.


    The previously shadowy room lit up the instant Yao Yuan''s team stepped into it. It would seem like the place was fitted with motion-sensor-activated lights. Bathed in the fluorescent lights were a typical-looking office foyer, stairs leading up the side, and a few corridors leading off to other areas. What was not common though were the seven to eight corpses. To call the sight inhumane was putting it mildly; the bodies were either squished into blobs of tendons and bones or were chopped into parts and pieces.


    The smell of congealed blood grid-locked the frowns on everyone''s faces, but for Zhang Heng, it also went further south to his stomach. The butchery knocked the wind right out of him, and as he went sliding down, he heaved all over the floor.


    Before he went totally down though, Ebon, who happened to be beside him, gave him a supportive grab. After setting him straight, he said, "Well that was unsanitary, but don''t you worry; I have the perfect training method for you. A few days in a pile of carcasses and I promise you that after having meals accompanied by squirming maggots, you won''t be puking at this kind of sight anymore."


    Hearing that, Zhang Heng felt another shot of vomit coming, but seeing as Ebon might just put his words into action if he has another episode, he forcibly kept it down. The physical and mental exertion combined left him shaken and spent.


    Without looking back, Yao Yuan warned, "Ebon, he''s just a civilian. Stop toying with him¡­ Now, let''s move on."


    Yao Yuan trailed a series of footprints and blood that ended before a gigantic pillar, one of the many that decorated the foyer. He started to rotate around this smooth, metallic post, giving it a detailed inspection.


    After a while, one of the other members joined him. He was a man with Adonian-good looks. His perfect and deceptively young features were only ruined by, or some may argue made more rugged by, an ear that was half-lopped off. He took out a spray can filled with white dust and started spraying it over the pillar¡¯s surface.


    As the dust settled, smudges of fingerprints started to float out before everyone''s naked eyes. The man exchanged a look with Yao Yuan and then both started to move, noting the distribution and locations of these prints. Very quickly, Yao Yuan managed to pinpoint a spot where most of the prints overlapped. As he pushed his finger onto that spot, a chime of silvery tingles sounded throughout the hall. A few moments later, the pillar miraculously opened upon itself, revealing an elevator carriage.


    Yao Yuan turned to cast his glance over the group and then said, "Four of you will follow me down. If this elevator doesn''t return in five minutes or is empty when it returns, that means¡­", Yao Yuan stopped there because the prospect was too harsh for him to elucidate.


    He had soldiered on all this while with hope burning in his heart. It would not be wrong to say that this hope empowered him. He couldn''t bring himself to openly admit that this hope was not actually within grasp.


    And thus, Yao Yuan said no more; he merely stepped into the elevator. Four more moved to follow him. Among them were Ebon and Zhang Heng, whom he was still supporting.


    However, they were stopped by Yao Yuan, "Zhang Heng can stay up here. Ebon, you also stay to look after him. Two other people can follow."


    Ebon, stunned by the order, debated, "But Ol'' Cap''n, isn''t this why we brought him along? There might be something down there that requires his skills¡­"


    Before Ebon could continue, Yao Yuan cut him off. "This isn''t a negotiation, Ebon! That''s an order!"


    Ebon immediately stood at attention and responded with, "Sir, yes, sir!" And with that, he led Zhang Heng out of the elevator.


    There was only one button in the elevator and that''s what Yao Yuan pressed after the exchange had taken place. The door instantly closed and the seams sealed upon themselves, reverting the pillar back to an inconspicuous architectural decoration. As the elevator went deeper down, with the exception of Yao Yuan, nerves started to jangle.


    This was because Yao Yuan had full faith that the elevator ride posed no threat. He started taking inventory the moment they entered this place, and the number of dead bodies they''d seen thus far didn''t tally up to account for all of the members of the Dragon Prosper squad. He expected more bodies. The fact that there were none in the elevator meant that it was safe. Of course, this also meant that the real danger was further in. These facts allowed him to attempt a reconstruction of the events that had occurred. First, for some reason, the first wave of the Dragon Prosper squad was killed. What reason though, Yao Yuan couldn''t tell; they still hadn''t come across the Dragon Prosper members that were first to die to draw an inference. Chances were that it was related to those spherical objects that were probably tied to the base''s defense mechanism. Anyway, in the ensuing chaos, the rest of the Dragon Prosper squad probably tried to escape through this elevator. Security channels likely crisscrossed the building and that''s why these killing machines could prepare for the escapees before they reached the foyer. The way the bodies were scattered suggested that they were so panicked by either the speed or the numbers of the attackers that they couldn''t mount a united defending front. In any case, it was probably a lost cause. The trajectories of the bullet wounds on those bodies indicated that the shots were fired from all around.


    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 fa?ade 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.


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    This title is being actively translated. Current translation speed is 7 chapters each week so one daily.

 Chapter 7: Code Name: NOAH! (2)

    Chapter 7: Code Name: NOAH! (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    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 you''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¡­


    "NOAH! IT''s NOAH!"


    Without thinking about it, Yao Yuan yelled that at Zhang Heng. For some reasons unknown even to himself, he felt compelled to let that be known.


    That gave Zhang Heng a pause, who turned to ask, "What Noah?"


    "N-O-A-H! NOAH! THE CODE NAME IS NOAH!" Yao Yuan screamed at the top of his lungs.


    Without much choice left, Zhang Heng keyed in the code. And just like that, the earsplitting sirens went mute and the drones which were in the cusp of firing froze on the spot, all semblance of power draining away.


    On the other side, behind Yao Yuan''s team, the cogs inside that giant metallic door started to turn. As the mechanism ticked into place, an opening slowly unveiled itself. It was after seven barriers had lifted themselves that a full path would appear. Yao Yuan''s team ushered themselves through the door that was itself almost ten meters long before appearing on the other side where¡­


    A conical shaped spacecraft the size of a small hill awaited them!


    (Author¡¯s note: This is a 4k update! So please do support this new book because your support is my motivation.)


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Footnotes:


    1. Also known as the expanding bullet. Invented by the British forces in the nineteenth century, it¡¯s a type of hollow shell which expands and explodes upon contact. The name Dum-dum comes from its main ordnance factory located at Dum Dum, India.


    2. Also known as a coilgun. A type of projectile accelerator that is used to fire high-velocity bullets. The name Gauss refers to Carl Gauss who wrote the mathematical formula for magnetic effect in magnetic accelerators.


    3. A high military grade weapon. Main purpose is for disabling siege machines. Design is inspired by World War 1 Anti-tank rifle.


    4. Name for the man with the loped off ear. Literal translation of the Chinese name given to him is Little (С) White. The term (С) or xiao is often used together with a name as an endearing nickname for someone younger than the speaker.


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    This title is being actively translated. Current translation speed is 7 chapters each week so one daily.

 Chapter 8: Hope!

    Chapter 8: Hope!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Hope, as per its definition, is putting an oftentimes untenable target before oneself to be used as a drive to carry on. Therefore, it is always a surreal experience when hope gets realized. And it is this uncanny feeling of being in a dream that pervaded Yao Yuan''s group when they passed through the door. They found themselves on a platform elevated about two hundred feet off the ground with simple staircases leading off its end. Then, a vast area about ten football fields in size opened up before their eyes. Like an underground kingdom, the place was so big that it stretched beyond the horizon.


    Set in the middle of this field was a mountainous spacecraft. Even from their vantage point, it looked humongous. A visual estimation would put it at about 10000 meters in length and more than 200 meters in height. Dwarfing even aircraft carriers, the spacecraft was the size of a small city.


    However, with something of this size, some questions were bound to circulate. How was it made? With modern human technology, it would be pretty unfeasible to even design, much less build, such a thing. Another would be: how would it fly? How much power was needed to lift something this size into the air? And furthermore, how could it possibly gain enough momentum to break through Earth''s ozone layer? So many unanswered questions!


    Yao Yuan''s team was heavily troubled by these prospects. Even without deep scientific and astronomical knowledge, these were simple issues that needed handling if they were to leave earth with this spaceship. Was there an energy source or technology advanced enough that could solve all these issues? They were doubtful. Man might need a few more centuries of research before they could find the solutions.


    In any case, this was their best bet. After taking about ten seconds to catch their breath and perhaps also to ensure that everything around them was not an illusion, Yao Yuan ordered his troops to move out. "Ebon, remember to bring Lee along. Xiao Bai, how''s his injury?"


    As Ebon moved to pick up the still unconscious Lee, Xiao Bai replied, "He''s still quite unstable. A few pieces of shrapnel are lodged too deep into his body. Without proper equipment, I''m afraid it''s too high of a risk to extract them. Another issue is blood loss. We''re running out of available reserves; the stockpile I''ve collected along the way won''t hold out much longer. Without proper treatment and medication soon, things aren''t looking well."


    "How many days could he hold out without proper treatment? Give me an estimate," requested Yao Yuan, as his sight fell on Lee.


    After giving it some thought, Xiao Bai answered, "If I''m to put him on continuous physiological saline support, I''d give him five more days if there''s no infection or accident."


    "So¡­ it''s best to have it done within three days¡­" Yao Yuan frowned. "Alright, I promise you I¡¯ll find you a usable surgery bay within three days. You keep him alive until then!"


    Yao Yuan then moved to descend down the stairs. The rest of the Black Star Unit picked up their slack and followed silently. Only Zhang Heng remained standing rooted to the floor. He was shaken and stunned. It was as if he hadn''t come down from the adrenaline yet. Passing him, Ebon gave him a healthy smack on his shoulder. "Let''s move, kid! That worked out better than expected, huh¡­ so, listen. Thanks."


    The force of Ebon''s smack sent Zhang Heng sprawling. He quickly recollected himself and fell behind Ebon''s footsteps, asking, "There''s no need to thank me; it was for my own benefit as well¡­ But is it okay leaving your comrades'' bodies behind like that?"


    Ebon shook his head and took a considerable pause before answering, "You have to understand that this is a war¡­ Kill or be killed. At the end of the day, we don''t mind whether it''s cremation, or burial, or neither. What''s important is to die fighting. And that''s the greatest send-off there is."


    Zhang Heng gave a grunt of pseudo-understanding before continuing his trail behind Ebon.


    Because Yao Yuan was leading the way, he was the first to step onto the solid ground. Loosening his joints, he doubled-over until his palms touched the floor before straightening up and raising his head towards the sky, which was technically the ceiling of the spacious underground cavern they were in. It was a few moments later that he started to move towards one of the nearby jeeps.


    Other than the spaceship that dominated most of the cave, there was also a row of cars just beneath the platform. Around them were blocks of buildings that appeared to be residences. These white-washed buildings lacked any sort of personality, and based on their arrangement and parallelism to each other, Yao Yuan surmised that these were probably barracks, which meant that at some point, this place had an army of considerable size.


    However, by then, other than the fifteen that still remained in Yao Yuan''s group, there was no one else about.


    As others went into their choice of vehicles, Guang Zhen leapt into the passenger seat of Yao Yuan''s jeep. As he patted his hands down the dashboard, he asked, "So Cap''n, how''s the situation?"


    Yao Yuan spread out his palm. It was covered with a thick layer of dust, a result of its previous contact with the floor.


    Looking at his palm, Yao Yuan explained, "I believe it has been at least a month since people have set foot in here. Despite that, the electricity of this place is still on, so this place is probably some kind of a perennial bunker, probably supported by nuclear energy. Other than that," and here he looked up, "that spacecraft probably uses anti-gravitational force as its main energy source."


    Following Yao Yuan''s line of sight, Guang Zhen repeated what his captain had just said to ensure that he hadn''t heard wrongly. "Anti-gravitational force? The kind they write about in science-fiction?"


    Yao Yuan nodded his confirmation. "Vertical elevation; it''s the only logical explanation. Look around you. There is no exit that is big enough for that spacecraft except up there." He circled a general area above the spacecraft with his finger. "These cave walls look to be naturally formed, other than that area directly above the spacecraft. There is some kind of metallic construction there, and if I''m not mistaken, that can be used to pull open the ceiling. However, without a landing strip to gather momentum, it would require an immense force to lift this spacecraft into the air. I doubt you could manage that even with all the fuel in the world.


    Which leaves one last possibility: anti-gravity," Yao Yuan concluded.


    Guang Zhen could see that indeed at that one part of the cave ceiling, there was a lattice of metal contraption. It would seem like his captain''s hypothesis was very likely to be true.


    That was where the pair''s conversation ended, because at this point, everyone else had gotten ready in their rides. The group of motorists sped towards the spacecraft. After all, that was their main objective in coming here.


    The ten kilometer journey passed without a hitch. As they neared the airship and got to a distance where its carapace was within hand''s reach, they managed to truly appreciate its enormous size. Driving under its underbelly felt like a long journey in and of itself, that was how big the thing was.


    Now that they were at its door, they were stumped. They had no existing information on what was inside, and more importantly, whether or not it was safe. After the hell that they went through, they could not afford to be too careful. They didn''t have the resources left to face another wave of those drones.


    Under these circumstances, it was Yao Yuan who acted surprisingly cavalier. Striding up to the cabin door, he sauntered into it as the door slid open. The rest exchanged a few glances, but since they heard no warning coming from within, they soon followed.


    The sole exception was Zhang Heng, who shouted, from right outside the door, "Guys! Aren''t you afraid there are more killer robots in there? We just met a few, remember? Guys¡­ Wait for me!"


    The spacecraft''s interior was perhaps even larger than it seemed when looking at it from the outside. There were rooms in multiple sizes that served different purposes. These included bedchambers, gymnasiums, media rooms, and even a surgery bay attached to an infirmary, which managed to elicit a cheer from Xiao Bai.


    It was a well-equipped spacecraft with enough space to hold tens of thousands of people!


    As the team continued to explore, the mood noticeably shifted to one of gaiety, to a point where there was even genuine laughters of joy. For Yao Yuan though, it was the opposite. Because he was so far ahead of the rest, lost in their jubilation, his team hadn''t managed to notice that he was getting increasingly somber.


    (This is all too good. So good that there must something devastatingly wrong with it. It has enough storage, space, and amenities. There are even fully-functioning technologies and devices. This spaceship could well support life in space for decades ¡­ But did its creator ditch it even though it''s so perfect? There must be something awfully wrong here¡­)


    The more he thought about it, the more worried Yao Yuan got. Along the way, he noticed that most of the pathways were laid with railway tracks whose purpose was probably for ease of transportation, which was all well and good, but his bigger worry was why hadn''t they come across a cockpit or a main control room?


    Zhang Heng could barely catch his breath after the exploration party had gone on for about two hours. As he was about to suggest taking a rest, Yao Yuan grabbed hold of him and pulled him before a panel that looked like a data terminal platform. Yao Yuan said, "Zhang Heng, I want to you to hack into this ship''s internal system. Don''t disturb anything; just find me a map of this ship. We need to get to the main control room immediately."


    Zhang Heng swallowed his words of protest when he saw Yao Yuan''s bleak and earnest expression. It was clear that something was worrying Yao Yuan. Feelings of the premonition he vicariously felt launched him immediately into his hacking job.


    Because the spacecraft used a similar encryption as the base, within a few minutes, Zhang Heng managed to gain access to the ship''s internal system. Fortunately, he did so without sounding off any alarms this time. However, Zhang Heng''s laptop screen was suddenly overloaded with a series of rogue codes. As he moved to counter it, the screen shifted to play a pre-recorded video. Standing in the middle of the camera was an old Caucasian man.


    Spotting this man, Yao Yuan took a sharp intake of breath. This old man was the one who started it all. He was the encryption expert whose daughter Yao Yuan had saved, the one who had sent him the code which had led them to where they were.


    "Only people who have received my key have access to this video, and I''ve only sent it to one person, so hello, Yao Yuan, how have you been?" said the old man, while chuckling. "This spaceship here, consider it my parting gift; a token of appreciation for saving my daughter''s life. I hope you''ll find it to your taste." The tone turned serious here. "But from here onwards, pay attention and listen up, Yao Yuan. What I''m going to say next will be a matter of life-or-death for you and I''m assuming your team too, and quite possibly the lives of tens of thousands of people. It''s something related to this ship, Noah Two¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    This title is being actively translated. Current translation speed is 7 chapters each week so one daily.

 Chapter 9: Decision!

    Chapter 9: Decision!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "The US discovered a fallen spacecraft around the 1950s, but that is not entirely true. Yes, there was a discovery of a spacecraft, but it wasn''t an astronomical find; it was an archeological one. Carbon dating put the actual year of the crash to be more than eight thousand years ago. This spacecraft was merely unearthed in the fifties.


    The carapace of this craft was made of a special kind of alloy that was unknown to man until now. Even though we''ve built spacecrafts ourselves, the actual component that makes up the shell of that spacecraft has yet to be analyzed. This proves how incredibly backwards our technology actually is.


    Along the same vein was the difficulty the government encountered just prying its way in. I''m saying so because it took the government two decades to gain access into the ship. They were only able to gain access through a sustained virus attack on its internal system. That is why there has been an intermittent influx of new viruses over the years on the electronic web. The government required a continuous stream of powerful viruses to crack this door, so in between months, they released these rogue viruses into public domain with the hopes that programming experts would pick up on them, counter them, and in the process, evolve them. The government then would collect these improved strings of viruses and siphon them into opening this spacecraft. The US government was actually farming the work out to the public without the public actually realizing it." Here the old man laughed awkwardly. "I suppose by now you could guess where I come in, Yao Yuan. As a renowned encryption expert, I was approached by the government in this project''s infancy. I was in a team that was rounded up to uncover the electronic information stored within this spacecraft''s computer mainframe. This was around the start of the new millennium, and the team consisted of other encryption experts like myself, programming experts, as well as expert linguists from all over the world. Even with our best men and women as well as a few supercomputers, the deciphering operation took us about a decade to complete.


    Information that was dug up, especially intelligence on advanced technology, was shared among all the participating countries. After all, this was only a public secret; among the countries'' higher ranked officials, it was pretty much a non-confidentiality. As I''ve said, this involves countries from all over the world; countries like England, France, Germany, Russia, China, and Japan.


    Each of these countries got their fair share of information. Of course, since this was an international affair, a lot of diplomatic maneuvers were involved. A lot of behind-the-scenes deals were made between the US and these countries because it was, after all, the Americans that made the discovery. For example, your country, China, struck a deal to liquidate a fair portion of US''s national debt. Instead of going into these diplomatic matters, I''m going to focus on some of these found technologies. One of them was for a device called gravity manipulator. It could be used to manipulate the gravitational force within a specific area, increasing it or decreasing it will. And that heavily plays into the size of the Noah Two and the multiple complications regarding its ability of flight.


    Luckily, the unearthed information did not contain any weapons technology, which is what some of the countries wanted. It appeared that the ship was just an expedition ship with only one member on board, whom we''ve found dead¡­ Anyway, I won''t go into the details here because they are all on the ship''s computer mainframe. You can easily access all of this information by using the decoding key that I gave you.


    The single most important thing that has come out of our ten year effort though was the technology of space-warping! The one technology that all the countries were fighting for.


    First, I have to say, we have simply no clue about how this technology works. Its theoretical basis, practical application, basically every single one of its details is out of our comprehension. Even the best physicists among us couldn''t wrap their heads around it for it defies physics'' most basic tenets! How could you use such minimal energy to deconstruct and then reconstruct the physical arrangement of atoms across space? It was literally unreal." At this point of his monologue, the old man''s pained expression was getting more pronounced. He removed his glasses and buffed it before continuing,


    "Nevertheless, even without us truly comprehending it, the technology was there. That much was true. And this meant that for humanity, or rather for these countries'' government officials at the time, the reality of space travelling was possible! Its implication on the advancement of physics and science in general aside, this technology would handily resolve what was by then the biggest crisis facing mankind: earth''s dwindling resources. Population boom and environmental deterioration made it so that humanity was living on earth''s limited sustenance. The fact that we could find a new, hospitable planet beyond the confines of the solar system was huge! It meant that when earth was no more, life could still flourish outside of it!


    Therefore, with the greater good of humanity in mind, all these countries headed by the US pooled together their resources to build two gigantic spaceships as contingency plans. This was around the year 2004. The ships were built in two separate locations and each one took about twenty years to complete. The long construction time was due to, firstly, its size, and secondly, our unfamiliarity with the technology. It wasn''t a process that could be easily sped up even with massive human and material resources. They were named Noah One and Noah Two, representing a lifeline for humanity should the apocalypse befall the human race¡­


    Noah One was test ran in 2027, and it was a horrendous failure. On it were about 30000 passengers from multiple countries; half of them were military while the other half consisted of experts and academics. They were too late to discover that during warp, the critical mass of objects boomed and thus the energy required to warp it wouldn''t increase proportionally in a fixed ratio. The ratio actually quadrupled, differing dangerously from their initial formula and calculations. As a result, the warp failed, the energy expended went way over their reserves, and Noah One went off in an explosion in space¡­


    Everything else that followed was, I''m sure, to your knowledge. Almost instantly after that first experiment, our astronomers picked up the appearance of a neutron star fragment that was hurtling towards our solar system at lightning speed.


    Other than the black hole, which we also know nothing about, the neutron star is the second densest material in space to our knowledge. It¡¯s impossible to retrieve just a fragment from a whole star. Even if two neutron stars were to collide with each other, the chances of them fragmenting off is nil¡­ And yet here we have one, one that appeared out of nowhere! It could only mean one thing¡­ It was warped there to target us!" Barely reigning in his anger, the old man shouted, "It was an attack from the aliens! A lot of scientists have speculated that alien lifeforms are most likely to be hostile. The idea that aliens are all scientifically advanced yet benign and friendly races is a fantasy fed to us by science fiction. History has proven again and again that the greatest catalyst to advancement has always been war! And let us not forget that war isn''t won with brute force but with intelligence, and we have just shown our hand!"


    Calming down, the old man continued, "Sorry, but I digress. So back to this spaceship¡­ Noah Two has the same structure as Noah One, but since the miscalculation catastrophe, it has been given the necessary tweaks. The number of nuclear energy generators has increased from the previous one to three, and now they''ve also been empowered with a uranium-based solution. Factoring in the amount of supplies and an estimate of 50000 people on board, it could support survival in space for about five years and could do around fifty space warps¡­ But you have to remember one crucial point: for every single gram that is added onto the craft, the energy exhausted during warp will have an exponential increase. When you''ve rounded up mathematicians or physicists or experts from those fields, you can refer them to the technology''s theorems and formulas that I''ve left in the ship''s computer memory.


    Other than that, because a lot of energy will be used in that short period of time, or essentially non-time, it might cause overloading, or in some cases, destruction of certain components. Know that this is unavoidable because we are messing with technology that is way beyond our understanding here¡­ We''ve essentially skipped at least a thousand years of research! Imagine the troglodyte with a gun; we''re the troglodyte and this technology''s the gun. More often than not, we''re going to end up shooting ourselves in the foot. Due to this fear of uncertainty, almost all of the countries have abandoned their hopes on Noah Two and instead started building their own smaller spacecrafts, crafts that can hold about a maximum of a thousand people, for their own government and people. However, these short-sighted fools don''t understand that in the vastness of space, the smaller your base is, the harder it is to operate it and survive.


    Nevertheless, because they are smaller, these one-thousand-person crafts can survive decades in space and even warp jump at least a thousand times with ease. As long as nothing happens to their nuclear reservoir, there won''t be an issue with energy depletion for quite some time. This much the human technology could still manage. Which leads to me believe that by the time you see this video, Yao Yuan, most of the higher-ranked officials from earth will have already disappeared."


    As the man drew to his conclusion, he sighed, "Yao Yuan, or whoever else that is seeing this, bless you, because the last issue and the one that I feel is the biggest about Noah Two is that because of our current technology, we still have yet to learn how to control the destination that the warp will end up at. In other words, if you''re using Noah Two, it''s all luck of the draw and I''ll be honest, chances aren''t stacked in your favor. To land exactly near a planet that is hospitable to us humans in the endless boundaries space, the probability of that is so small that it can''t even be calculated¡­ So, bless you¡­ and bless us all. Amen¡­"


    As the video ended, the screen reverted back to black and the expressions of everyone present were equally blank.


    Only Yao Yuan''s reaction was different; the video seemed to have brought him great relief. All the strain and pressure from before had melted away.


    "Alright, people, things turned out to be in better shape than I expected. At least the ship''s functional, and most importantly, it can warp us away from this solar system. That''s the key point!" Rounding everyone up, Yao Yuan commented, "Now, let''s get moving. Zhang Heng, I still need you to locate the map. We need to get to central command and assume command immediately. After that, we''ll have a meeting to discuss and decide in detail our next course of action."


    Surveying his audience, he continued, "But generally speaking, over the next few weeks, we are going to start searching for supplies like food and machinery as well as survivors. Our tentative target is to save at least 1000000 people, prioritizing scientists, academics, technical workers, managerial experts, and able-bodied people. Of course, we should also focus on getting police officers or soldiers that have not gone crazy and have been protecting the public all this while¡­


    And after all that¡­ Destination: SPACE!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    This title is being actively translated. Current translation speed is 7 chapters each week so one daily.

 Chapter 10: The Rescue!

    Chapter 10: The Rescue!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    While Alan was frantically collecting the papers scattered all over his table, a blond-haired lass barged in behind him and yelled, "Quick, dad! Those people will reach our block soon!"


    Without lifting his head, he replied, "Coming, Jas, I''m coming. By the way, Jas, have you seen that paper that I wrote on the collision between a high-density object and the sun? It has all those statistics and data on it. I remember distinctly putting it here somewhere¡­"


    This girl, whom we now know as Jas, ignored her dad''s sounds of protest and forcefully dragged him out of the room. The situation was dire; she couldn''t care less about some paper or statistics! The pair tumbled their way through the house and out onto the lawn. She had been pulling him onwards like luggage while he was lugging a suitcase. But, once out, they charged through the driveway and jumped into the car. As his daughter started the engine, he started to mumble, "Gone¡­ It''s all gone now¡­"


    Jas had not seen her father so distressed before and she was frankly quite afraid herself, but she knew that she had to take charge for both of them. As she drove down the road, she turned to console her dad. "No, dad. Not everything''s gone¡­ We''re still alive, aren''t we?"


    "Alive? No, we aren''t alive! We''re basically the walking dead! Because¡­ well¡­ the world''s ending¡­" As those words left his mouth, all his spirit seemed to have left as well. He sat dazed, staring blankly at the sun. The sun that had given the world warmth, the sun that had given the world life, and in eight months'' time, the sun that will also give the world its end¡­


    Despite being only in his early fifties, Alan was already a world-renowned astrophysicist. By this time in his life, he had already achieved many great things that many people would have spent their whole lives chasing but still wouldn''t have gotten.


    His wife, God bless her soul, departed from the world quite some time ago, but she left him with a beautiful, sensible daughter. Overall, he felt blessed. His life was wonderful, or as he liked to put it to himself, life was like his daughter''s cooking; it wasn''t by any means spectacular, and it certainly couldn''t rival that of the five-star chefs, but it was about the taste of home, the taste of love, and those were Alan''s favorites¡­


    Unfortunately, that blessing went up in smoke quite drastically and it could all be traced back to the year 2027 which was when news of the discovery of an alien spacecraft by the US government appeared. Alan thought it was some kind of April''s Fool joke, so he was delightfully surprised when he found out about the very real space-warp experiment. It could be the discovery of his lifetime and thus he tried many ways to insinuate his way into this project. However, his asset that usually worked in his favor, his age, turned out to be his downfall. The position that he wanted was already given to his more experienced rival, an astrophysicist that enjoyed the same amount of success and fame as he did but was favored because of his seniority. Of course, his rival''s Nobel Prize also tipped the scales against his favor.


    This incident had Alan fuming for almost a year, but seeing that there was no other option, he decided to assemble his own team to conduct his own analysis using information that he would gather by pulling strings and favors. However, before his plan could even go into its first phase, the world had taken a turn for the worse.


    First was the disappearance of major players around the world and then were the whistleblowers who leaked information like the fact that the disappeared personnel had actually escaped earth using warp technology. The reason cited for their desertion was a neutron star fragment that was plummeting towards the solar system, or more precisely, its center.


    Neutron star? Fragment? Those two didn''t link. And how could it have suddenly appeared? It was charging towards the sun? If there was such a thing, there would have been massive reports before then because a galactic entity doesn''t just appear out of thin air.


    Therefore, it would be safe to say that Alan was incredulous, but as more evidence and data surfaced, he started to have doubts. The one piece of evidence that truly convinced him though was a satellite picture of the fragment. Being an expert in this field, he could discern real news from fake news, and the hurling death star was very real. As his university and his team of researchers collated data and findings, their result was devastating¡­ None, not a single soul would be saved. If we were still within the solar system, humanity, no, the world would be wiped out!


    After he got the result, the world started to descend into madness and anarchy. Despair had a chokehold on the world and people started to look for catharsis, or in this case, scapegoats. Eventually, the army got involved, but in the end, the army abandoned their responsibilities to the public; they became bullies with guns.


    Under those circumstances, Alan and his daughter made the decision to leave the city and move to a more rural area.


    However, the countryside didn¡¯t contain much solace. People with similar ideas migrated there en masse, and following them were the terrorists. The ugly cycle of mayhem, murder, rape, and sin perpetuated and continued.


    Hearing a light knock on the door, Alan opened his eyes to the interior of a decrepit cabin. He quickly sat up before powerlessly crumbling down onto the wooden pallet he was lying on. He saw a girl with a head of hair that was barely noticeable to be blonde under its layers of mud and dirt rush to him. She worriedly asked, "Dad, are you okay? What are you doing up? Quickly lie back down; you''re still running a high fever¡­ Dad, I want to tell you something. I''ve found a potato farm. There were some rebels nearby, so I didn''t dare get close, but I''ve decided to sneak in later tonight and scavenge some potatoes for us."


    Alan was ready to lie down, but after hearing that, he quickly straightened up. "NO! I forbid you from going! Did you forget what we saw a few days ago? Those rebels aren''t human, they¡¯re are animals. That poor girl was only twelve, and she was chopped and roasted before being eaten! So no, you will not be going anywhere tonight!"


    Recalling that memory, Jas paled considerably, but then Alan started to hack his lungs up, which steeled her determination. As she moved to take hold of Alan, she softly said, "Don''t worry, dad. I''ll be fine. I won''t actually go to the field. I''ll just hide myself in the drain that encircles the field. We know they have no supply of electricity left, so under the cover of the night, they won''t able to spot me. I''ll just dig some potatoes from the side and hurry back¡­ Dad, we haven¡¯t had food in almost three days. We can''t survive on water. I could probably hold out for a while more, but you''re sick, dad. You have to eat something soon!"


    Hearing her daughter''s determination to proceed with her thoughtless plan, he so wanted to dissuade her, but his anxiousness made his coughs worse. And between coughs, he could barely get his words out before Jas added, "Dad, I''m a big girl now! You can''t tell me what not to do! I''ll sneak out and maybe you won''t even know it."


    Alan finally slowly regained his breath, but it was like the sickness had taken all the fight out of him. The usually eloquent university professor could barely form a cogent sentence before fatigue claimed him. As he fell out of consciousness, he managed to say, "Then I''m going with you. Two pairs of eyes are better than one. I won''t let you do it alone¡­"


    Watching her father''s sleeping profile, which had gotten drastically gaunt over the past twenty days, bitter tears couldn''t help tumbling out of Jas'' eyes.


    Later that night, Alan indeed put his words into action and forced himself upon Jas. Jas was afraid that her father would wander out alone when he noticed that she was gone, so she had no choice but to bring him along. Because of his condition, who knows where or who he might stumble into.


    After a harsh journey and two hours later, the pair finally found themselves by the potato field. It was as Jas had said, without electricity and hence, flashlights. The area was in complete darkness. With only the weak moonlight to light the way, one could barely see the things that were two feet in front of them. Jas ordered her father to rest himself on an elevated bank while she scrambled her way into the drain. Slowly, she waded her way through and eventually found her way up onto the periphery of the field.


    Suddenly, sounds of metal jangling started to go off. It turned out that Jas had accidentally tripped on the wire that the rebels had circled around the field as a sort of a primitive alarm. Following the metallic jangles came the hooting of a gaggle of men. Jas was frozen in shock while Alan was barely in his senses.


    "Looks like we have a fresh catch tonight, boys! And it''s a beauty too¡­ Oh, honey, we''re going to savor you, don''t you worry about that, doll. Now, go get her!"


    The one issuing the command was a fairly large man. When he saw Jas sprinting her way out of the field, he lifted his rifle and let loose a shot. Jas let out a painful yelp before she went down. Excruciating pain was radiating from her calf. The sound of his daughter''s cry energized Alan. He picked his way to his daughter''s side within seconds and immediately cocooned her in his arms, using his body to shield his daughter from more shots.


    "Oh¡­ Look what we have here, boys. She brought along her sugar daddy¡­ Honey, don''t worry. I promise you, we''ll treat you much better¡­ And don''t worry about this old bag of bones; his dead body will keep the fire warm and going while we take care of you."


    When this group of rebels about ten in size appeared in Alan and Jas'' sight, Alan couldn¡¯t identify any traces of humanity left in them. Their words, actions, and mannerisms exuded devilry. These were devil''s hell-spawns!


    "Daddy, I''m scared," sobbed Jas, into her father''s chest. She put on a brave face, but she was only a girl of eighteen who had boys chasing after her coattails barely a month ago. Life was beautiful then, but now¡­ she found herself crying in her father''s arms. Each of these tears were breaking her desperate father''s heart.


    Alan, a man of science and thus normally not of faith, prayed the hardest he ever had, "God¡­ If you''re listening, please have mercy¡­ Please just spare us, spare my daughter."


    The leader of the group trained his rifle at Alan''s head and then a gunshot rang out. It was, however, not Alan''s head that was blown off but rather the leader''s own. Before anyone else could grasp the situation, another series of shots rang out. Of the ten-something rebels, almost half of them fell dead on the spot. The rest, overpowered, surrendered their weapons and laid down on the ground in repose, not daring to twitch even a muscle.


    Then, a ray of light shone out from a distance away. Alan and Jas stared blankly at this ray like deer caught in headlights. Not long later, from behind the light appeared a small troop of men in army fatigue. Alan noticed that they appeared clean as there wasn¡¯t one spot of dirt on their uniforms, but more importantly, they were mentally collected. They consisted of Caucasians, African Americans, as well as Asians, and their leader seemed to be a forbidding Asian man.


    This man looked condescendingly at the subdued rebels before scrounging a notebook from within his uniform. On it was a picture of Professor Alan Potter. After making some side-by-side comparisons between it and Alan, who was still on the ground, he gave a small bow.


    "Nice to meet you, Professor Alan. I am second lieutenant Ying. You may refer to me by my post or directly by my name. In any case, it is an honor to meet you. I was ordered to locate you and extend an invitation to you to join our government. We desperately need someone with your expertise and knowledge in astrophysics. If you choose to accept, I will escort you back to our base where you will receive the protection and treatment that are more suitable to your position. We will also provide you with the necessary equipment and sufficient space to conduct your research and experiments. We also hope you will be willing to head an academic group on astrophysics that we have established."


    Alan was dazed by the show of civility. Even though it had barely been a month, it had been so long since he had heard words uttered with such propriety that he couldn''t form a response. It wasn¡¯t until the man who introduced himself as second lieutenant Ying started to frown that he blabbered, "Yes, right, I accept! Yes, I''m Alan Potter, and this is my daughter, Jas! We do need your protection and help, and do you guys have transportation? My daughter was shot in the leg, so she might not be able to travel far distances, and she also needs immediate medical attention!"


    Ying gave Alan a rare smile. As he helped Alan up, he simultaneously waved over one of the African American soldiers. "Give this miss some rudimentary treatment before we depart." Then, turning to Alan, he added, "Don''t worry, we''ll give her the full treatment when we get aboard the aircraft, and we will find you a doctor as well, because Professor, you seem to be a bit weak on your feet too. We will ensure that you and your daughter have the rest and medication you need."


    Alan gave this group of people one more look. He was handing his and his daughter''s lives to them after all. They all had the standard configuration and their uniforms seemed to be the standard issue for US military¡­ they did appear to be what they claimed.


    Right then, Alan heard the sound of propellers and felt gusts churning around them, but in the darkness, he couldn''t ascertain what exactly had arrived. His best guess was that it was a helicopter. And since this group of people could afford to deploy vehicles like choppers, they seemed to be an actual, disciplined, organized body of military¡­


    Having that confirmation, Alan finally relaxed and, as the adrenaline wore off, fainted.


    What he failed to notice though was Ying calmly giving orders to the rest of his group to execute those rebels who were already begging for mercy.


    "Ol'' Cap''n''s plan worked like a charm. In times like these, people, or at least those that are still sane, want nothing more than order. If we project that, people will gladly come to us. Works much better than kidnapping them directly into our care¡­"


    After Ying reflected upon that, he turned to address the rest of his man, who were already at attention. "The rescue mission was a success. Get onto the hovercraft. We''re reporting back to base."


    "Sir, yes, sir!" the soldiers answered in unison.


    Almost forty hours later, Alan gradually regained consciousness. What greeted him was a clean and sparkling white ceiling and an equally white and fluffy quilt that was covering his body. He also managed to take in the fact that he was put on a drip and Jas was lying on a similar bed a short distance away. She was awake and humming along to some music streaming through her ear buds while reading a novel. It was as if the experiences of the past month had been washed away along with all the grime and Jas had reverted back to the girl that she was before all the terrible things started.


    Alan didn''t have the heart to disturb his daughter. He merely rested his eyes, savoring this joy and contentment that he thought he had lost forever.


    Because he had it taken away from him once, he knew how precious this slice of joy actually was. It didn''t matter if there were only eight more months left, it didn''t matter what this government wanted him to do¡­ he swore that he would do everything within his might to safeguard this joy!


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    This title is being actively translated. Current translation speed is 7 chapters each week so one daily.

 Chapter 11: The Last Human Government!

    Chapter 11: The Last Human Government!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Three months had passed since Yao Yuan and the Black Star Unit had secured Noah Two.


    Within that period, the suffering around the world was still at an all-time high. Every day people died by the millions; some from massacres, some from starvation, and others from sheer hopelessness¡­ It was a recorded fact that whenever the world plummeted into a state of anarchy, an extended period of chaos would prevail until a powerful group appeared to stamp down on dissent and introduce order.


    And so, when the rest of world raged on in chaos, pockets of humanity started to appear in places. These were mostly groups that initially went into seclusion and had basic protection from armed forces that hadn''t gone rogue. After three months of hiding, they started to reach out to each other. And like that, seeds of regrowth were sown. If not for the fact that the solar system only had four months of life expectancy left, chances were high that humanity would rise again from its ashes and rebuild itself.


    Within these bands of hold-outs, one rumor was swirling. There was say of a last human government that was in possession of the last spaceship, and that this regime was still on earth searching for survivors!


    Many shrugged this off as blind hope, but it was undeniable that this rumor had given many the will to persevere, because isn''t all hope essentially blind? Many had banked their lives on this unverifiable chance at survival.


    This last human government that the rumor referred to actually had at its core only fifteen people, fourteen Black Star agents and one who was a member by necessary association.


    Within this core was Liu Bai, or as his mates referred to him, Xiao Bai.


    Liu Bai was once the son of a powerful government official, or rather the estranged son of a powerful government official. The estrangement was due to his decision to join the army, a defiance of his family''s wishes. Liu Bai had a naturally fair complexion and had the uncanny ability to stay fair even after hours of training under the sun. This unusual condition would have easily singled him out for teasing, but due to his family¡¯s background, no one had the guts to keep his company. Not even his seniors dared to put him through traditional hazing. While that saved him from a certain degree of abuse, it also isolated him from the whole.


    Not disheartened by the isolation, Liu Bai spent two years in the military proving his worth, distancing himself from the family name. Thanks to his expertise in firearm technicalities, close-quarter combat skills, field medical skills that he had mastered over the two years, and, despite his unwillingness to admit it, his family''s influence, Liu Bai managed to become one of the members of the prestigious Hidden Dragon squadron of the four dragons fame.


    Later, due to an unfortunate political misstep, Liu Bai''s family standing crumbled almost overnight. This loss of favor to the people in power caused Liu Bai to be transferred from the Hidden Dragon squadron to the equally less favored Black Star Unit, where he became the team medic, Xiao Bai.


    Now Xiao Bai found himself on a hovercraft, acting as guardian for a family of five as they headed towards the Tennessean base. The eldest of this family was Xiao Bai''s rescue target, the renowned German physicist, Silewei Sita. The remaining four were Sita''s family: his wife, his son, his daughter-in-law, and his granddaughter. This family was in a way lucky because they had managed to escape from public ire by hiding themselves in their summer house. Other than dwindling supplies, there was no actual mortality risk.


    Nevertheless, by the time Xiao Bai got to them, the lack of supplies had become a real issue, so much so that the family had opted for a suicide pact. Fortunately, aid in the form of Xiao Bai and his seven-member team had arrived before the designated date. Their professionalism easily convinced Professor Sita to join their cause. His only term was that his family be given treatment that was according to his status quo.


    The negotiation went as follows:


    "Professor Silewei, please do not worry. We have a working base with reasonable laws and rules. Furthermore, since we would like to invite you to head our physics academic committee as an acting resident professor, you and your family will be accorded the relevant treatment. Your access to food, supplies, academic and research materials, as well as recreation will be ensured," promised Liu Bai.


    With a bluntness known to the Germans, while packing his drafts and materials, Silewei replied, "And I believe you because a normal civilian group wouldn''t have the means to acquire a hovercraft. In fact, I''m curious; how did your government come across something of this level of scientific sophistication? The anti-gravitational device, to my knowledge, isn''t something that any of our current countries could build."


    Liu Bai merely smiled as response. "That I wouldn''t know, Professor. As you know, I''m merely a second lieutenant; I don''t have access to information that could answer your question. However, one thing I can tell you is that a safe place will be secured for you and your family before we warp away from Earth within two months'' time."


    Silewei gave a few incredulous chuckles before training his eyes on Liu Bai and asked, "Do you have any idea what you have just promised? Does your government even have the necessary spacecraft? A spacecraft that would support thousands of people as it warps through space? I''ll be honest with you; I''m highly skeptical of that. First and foremost, space-warping is pure science fiction; it has no basis in reality. And let''s say that the technology is real and has been found by your government, the supply of energy that is required to do what you have described is unimaginable. According to the qualitative law, even warping the mass of a normal adult man would need an amount of energy that would rival that of the sun, much less what you are suggesting¡­ However, in any case, even if everything''s just a pipe dream, for letting my family pass the final four months in civility and in peace, you and your body of government have my sincerest gratitude."


    Liu Bai was flustered into awkward laughs. After all, he was a soldier, not a scholar or a scientist; he wouldn''t know how to argue scientific principles with researchers of Silewei''s stature.


    Due to the lack of combustion and friction, the hovercraft travelled in silence. In comparison to fighter jets, it traveled much faster and much more quietly. Within a day''s time, the hovercraft that ferried Liu Bai and Silewei''s family arrived at the secret base within the valley.


    A lot had changed in this valley compared to the first time Yao Yuan''s group had arrived. Even if it was already nighttime when they arrived, the place was as bright as day because multiple incandescent lamps had been placed around the valley. Furthermore, unlike its initial state of desertion, the entrance to the valley had at least five hundred soldiers standing in patrol. Further in, the grounds was covered with a sea of tents. However, it was obvious that the placement was strategic. Even though it appeared cluttered, care had been taken to leave space in certain areas to allow for ease of human and vehicular traffic. Between the camp area and the entrance to the base was a one-thousand-square-meter feet field that was purposely left empty. The entrance to the secret base was guarded by about fifteen armed soldiers, while on the field were hundreds of people in the midst of jolly-making. There was dancing, singing, and campfires. If one was to take out the sentries, the place looked more like a huge carnival than an army camp.


    This took Silewei and his family by complete surprise. They were expecting camps of people wallowing in doomsday prophecies, or a highly sanitized military base with lots of protocols, or a hidden laboratory where they would be given sufficient food and protection but would be under surveillance twenty-four/seven.


    Noticing the confusion and surprise on Silewei''s and his family''s faces, Liu Bai smiled and replied, "Didn''t I already tell you, Professor Silewei? We aren''t a militaristic government. It is not our intention to dominate or rule; we merely want to save as many people as we can. The people you see before us are civilian survivors that we have managed to round up from around the globe. It might sound cruel, but since the spaceship can only support up to a certain capacity, the people here are those that are healthy and young, not in need of serious medical treatment, with no conviction of any felony, and with basic education. Of course, if these people have families that are still intact, we try to accommodate the whole family due to humanistic reasons.


    Until today, we have managed to gather around 87000 people. There are around three thousand that are either children or are below the age of fifteen and about four thousand people that are above fifty-five while the rest are aged from fifteen to fifty-five¡­"


    As Liu Bai continued his brief introduction of things inside this valley, Silewei agitatedly came forward and grabbed his hand. With tears in his eyes, Silewei gushed, "Now I have faith in your promise and your spaceship. I simply would like to personally express my gratitude for your government''s willingness to open its arms to accept these people¡­ Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart."


    Liu Bai was so ruffled by this sudden burst of emotion that he was unsure what the acceptable way to respond was. He ended up just smiling his way through. Right then, about ten soldiers ran to greet their arrival. After confirming everyone on board, one soldier registered Silewei''s family. The information was saved onto a laptop and later into cloud storage for ease of access and planning. After that, Silewei and his family had their pictures individually taken before each being handed a keycard.


    Liu Bai apologetically said, "So sorry for the inconvenience, Professor Silewei. That was necessary protocol. These keycards here are essentially your proof of identity, so please take care of them. When we are ready to move everybody onto the spaceship, these keycards will ensure that you and your family are given early access, which will allow you to pick the bedchamber that you prefer before everyone else gets on board. If you wait here, someone will arrive shortly to bring you and your family to the residential area that is further in the valley. It is temporary, but it is equipped with amenities like a kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and a living room. It also has rudimentary electrical appliances. And, professor, this shall be where we part for I am required to report back to duty." As he said so, he gave Silewei a salute and a handshake before turning towards the secret base''s entrance.


    Silewei''s family was overjoyed. They never expected this kind of treatment. In fact, everything was way above their expectations. The fact that they were given an official keycard and a residential unit put them above the rest who were residing in tents. It was a good feeling, albeit not one that was decorous to sound out loud.


    Just then, two jeeps stopped by their side. Almost instantly, two soldiers jumped down from it. One of them was a giant African American who gave Silewei a salute and said, "Professor Silewei, I''ve been tasked to lead the way to your residence. So please, get on and take a seat." And then he stood at attention by the jeep, waiting for Silewei and his family to ascend.


    Silewei turned to look at his family and nodded his agreement. After everyone was safely seated, the jeeps started to move in the direction that went deeper into the valley.


    As the jeeps picked up speed, Silewei turned to look at the entrance of the base where Liu Bai was heading towards. Spotting no one else there anymore, he turned back and sank comfortably into his seat. After retrieving from his chest pocket a cigar that he had saved for the day his family would kill themselves, he released a satisfied and relieved sigh. He then proceeded to light the cigar. He was thankful that it was for a celebratory occasion and not otherwise.


    As Silewei puffed out smoke rings, he opined, "It sure is nice here¡­"


    The African American soldier beside him nodded his agreement and guffawed, "Yes, it surely is nice here. In comparison to things outside this base, it is as nice as paradise here¡­"


    "This is indeed a slice of heaven. So, son, in the next four months or so, please protect it well. There is much hope and joy here, and these are the only things left that are worth protecting¡­"


    Steely determination entered the soldier''s gaze and he nodded purposefully. As the music from the field became vaguer as they drove further into the valley, tears started rolling down their faces.


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    This title is being actively translated. Current translation speed is 7 chapters each week so one daily.

 Chapter 12: Yao Yuans Tactics and… Departure Preparation!

    Chapter 12: Yao Yuan''s Tactics and¡­ Departure Preparation!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Going back to when the Black Star Unit had just acquired Noah Two, we find the group in the middle of their team meeting, discussing and planning what to do next.


    Seated on the captain''s chair, Yao Yuan surveyed the fourteen people that surrounded him¡­ His eyes fell on Zhang Heng. Granted there were still some kinks that needed to be worked out between the teen and the rest of the Black Star Unit. It was undeniable that the hacker had played a most crucial role in their success of securing Noah Two. Between that and the long time they had spent together, it would seem like Zhang Heng had assimilated naturally into becoming a Black Star, but of course, a lot more time would still be needed to provide him with the necessary training for it to be official.


    Yao Yuan declared, "While we have completed our first objective of securing a functional spaceship, there remains a lot to be done before we can leave this planet.


    As I''ve said, we need human resources! We need 100,000 at least 100,000 people to be on this ship when we leave!"


    Looking his audience in their eyes, Yao Yuan solemnly continued, "We have to understand that our friends did not sacrifice themselves for us to float around in space for a few years and then languish to our deaths. No! Their sacrifices were to help us secure survival, to find a hospitable planet and flourish!


    But for that to happen, we need people! Unity is strength; only with enough people can we have the necessary strength and knowledge to succeed and survive. Unlike those officials who were unable to see this, we shall not go seeking for lonely death in space!"


    Stopping mid-speech, Yao Yuan pointed at Ebon and asked, "Are you familiar with steelmaking, Ebon?"


    Scratching his head, Ebon answered, "Ol'' Cap''n, do you want to know about casting iron and making steel? I''ve read a book on it."


    Shaking his head, Yao Yuan laughed and replied, "Nah, I''m talking about the actual process that goes into making steel. Do you know how to do that?"


    Ebon shook his head straightforwardly. "Sorry, Ol'' Cap''n. I''m unfamiliar with all that, but if you would like me to try hammering some steel, I suppose I could."


    Yao Yuan gave another laugh and then pointed at Guang Zhen, "Ol'' Wong, could you explain to us the formula of the qualitative law? From which theory does it originate from?"


    Stunned by the sudden quiz, Guang Zhen gave it quite some thought before replying, "I could only remember vaguely the simplest part of the law, the part about the speed of light. Beyond that¡­ I''ll be frank, Cap''n. I''m not a physics scholar, so why would I be familiar with it?"


    Without replying, Yao Yuan turned to Xiao Bai. "Xiao Bai, you''re our medic. Then I assume you know about reactions that happen during pharmaceutical drug synthesis. This should be up your alley, right?


    Xiao Bai laid his out hands in surrender. "There''s no link between the two, Cap''n. Being a medic doesn''t mean that I know pharmaceutical chemistry. If you want to know about emergency aid or surgery procedures, those I can tell you about, but if you''re going to ask me about synthesizing drugs, then I''m afraid I''m of no help."


    After some hearty guffaws, Yao Yuan straightened himself and said, "Indeed, I am just the same as you all. If you were to ask me about steelmaking, qualitative law, or drug synthesis, I too could only tell you the basics. We are all equally in the dark about these things, but it is not something to be ashamed of. Everyone has their own expertise. We are living in the information era now; knowledge has gotten very specialized. Yes, basic information could be easily gleaned off the internet, but for specialized knowledge, we will need specialized experts.


    It is impossible to tell what will happen in space. What we will encounter? Let us imagine a scenario where somewhere on this spaceship, a component has broken down. What would we do? The answer would to be repair or replace it, but how do we repair it, what do we replace it with, and what if we run out of the necessary parts and need to cast some new ones? These are questions we have to concern ourselves with. Furthermore, let''s say we do find a new planet. What''s next? Start by building huts and setting rocks? I''m sorry, but I have no intention of restarting from the Stone Age, so¡­


    We need people! People with talents! Scholars, scientists, technicians, and able-bodied men and women! We need to think of longevity here. It is these people that will be the force that will keep this ship running!"


    Stressing his point, Yao Yuan stood up to address everyone present. "Ideally we should first assemble a scientific community, but for that, we will need a search and rescue task force which is impossible to form with only fifteen of us. It''ll be a pain locating them, not to mention the difficulty in convincing them to join us without a stable base to back us. Furthermore, as the number of civilians we rescue increases over time, we will need armed forces in place to safeguard both our and their safeties, to prevent chaos around us, and most importantly, to prevent sabotage to this ship.


    Therefore, we first need to draft a set of rules! To maintain control within a chaotic world, this is necessary, and of course, we need to make sure that these laws aren''t oppressive¡­ Under this lawful system, we will need to erect a commanding center. This is so that people under us won''t create dissent and the army we recruit will heed our orders. We need to appear constitutionalized and systematic, and not as a disposable bunch of special ops agents.


    Therefore, we will first return to China to recruit about twenty soldiers. It goes without saying that they must still be disciplined soldiers that haven''t turned on the public in these desperate times. This small group shall form the base of our law enforcement, and after that, this secret base shall be made off limits. Other than the fifteen of us, everybody else will be denied entry and trespassers shall be executed. It sounds harsh, but we are aiming for effectiveness here, so nothing short of the death penalty will work. Next, we need to set up our ranks, but they can¡¯t too high because we need to create a fa?ade that there''s a central committee that we still report to. After that, a month will be spent to recruit about two hundred members of law enforcement. We must arrange these members into specific ranks and file according to their ability. This will ensure a basis for building a civilized, systematic community.


    With an official center constructed, we can launch into search and rescue operations as well as military expansion. Civilians rescued will be located outside in the valley, and it will best to expand our law enforcement to a number of a thousand by then. Three months will be allocated for this effort. After that, we will need to focus our efforts on securing materials, food, and supplies, but regarding the amount and type of supplies, we will still need consultation from our scientific community, so that can come later.


    From henceforth, my rank is major and Wong is captain. Everyone else will be ranked as second lieutenant¡­ Zhang Heng, even though you''re not an official member of the Black Star Unit, we count you as an honorary one, so you''ll be taking the rank of sergeant. However, you''ll need to quit your drug addiction first and undergo some necessary physical and firearms training. When you''ve mastered those, you''ll be promoted to an official Black Star and a second lieutenant. Anyone have any issues?"


    Zhang Heng was delightfully surprised by this arrangement because he originally thought that he would be abandoned after he had outlived his use. He even feared that he might be silenced, so the fact that he was given the rank of sergeant was way beyond his expectations. Furthermore, when considering that even Yao Yuan only had the rank of Major even though he was the leader, the rank of sergeant was already high enough. He gladly accepted this arrangement.


    Settling that, Yao Yuan continued, "One last thing. I''ve never said I''m a saint, but we must always remember our roots¡­ So, I only have one request, and that is for the eventual population on the spaceship to be at least a fifty-percent Chinese."


    Liu Bai thought back to their initial meeting under that shop basement. He felt heartened that Yao Yuan had issued the command to gather, because everything had occurred according to his plans. Noah Two might¡¯ve been the last hope of humanity, and Yao Yuan was the one who brought that hope into reality.


    In the next few months, the Black Star Unit was divided into three main task forces. One was responsible for rescue operations of academics. Another was focused on rounding up survivors around the world. Of course, necessary care was taken to ensure that the survivors that were selected were of sound mind and body. The last team was responsible for collecting supplies.


    Liu Bai was in the rescue task force. The missions weren''t all successful because of the over one hundred targets, they only managed to rescue about twenty. Most of them had died while others had already left earth previously. However, these twenty were all scholars of great importance in their respective fields. The world''s remaining treasured minds!


    Yao Yuan''s plan of first establishing a systematic front had worked wonders in these past months. With a clear-cut hierarchy, the soldiers knew of a chain of command and the citizens knew that there was the law to adhere to. This attracted the scholars to join because they knew that they could conduct their research in peace.


    The originally somewhat hollow mirage of a government had filled out into a full-fledged regiment which had 1200 law enforcement officers, about 10,000 citizens, 7000 technical workers, as well as 600 respected members of the scientific community.


    After Liu Bai descended the elevator, he strode towards the giant door at the end of the corridor. As he approached, the thirty soldiers on guard duty saluted him. Even though they all knew of their second lieutenant, Liu Bai was still requested to present his keycard. They knew that protocol had to be followed.


    Even though the proximity of spaceship was still off limits to the general public, access had already been granted to scientists, technicians, and a selected pool of military personnel at this point. There was no strict implementation of rules, but thanks to a sense of sovereignty, the community had started to self-regulate.


    After confirming his identity, Liu Bai went into the secret base. The enormous spacecraft that greeted him was still an unfamiliar sight. He wondered when and if he would get used to its enormity. He took a jeep ride to the cabin door and after a short trip on its inner rail locomotive that had been recently reactivated, he arrived at central command.


    Even though he was still outside the door, he could hear loud arguments coming from within. The sounds of an altercation gave him a shock and he quickened his step. As he went in, he saw Yao Yuan in the middle of trying to pacify a dispute that had erupted within a group of seven or eight elderly gentlemen.


    "Alan, I''m telling you, there is a glaring mistake in your calculation! What analysis did you use for the acceleration calculation? I''m guessing band analysis[1], but that is erroneous because you have to consider the effect of refraction caused by the gravitational pull of the neutron fragment''s high density. So instead, you have to use¡­" argued a frail-looking old man in a booming voice that mismatched his appearance.


    Unwilling to back down, Alan gave a fierce counter argument, looking dangerously ready to physically assault his opponent. Waving his data before his opponent''s face, Alan replied, "Don''t be ridiculous. Of course I''ve thought of the issue of light refraction! I stand firm on the conclusion of my analysis. I''ve calculated the speed of acceleration within a specific unit of time through triangulation of the perpendicular intersection of bending point and non-bending point of wavelength using band analysis of the un-refracted light wave at the periphery. How is that wrong? Or do you have a better analytical method, Professor Calum Feta?"


    "As a matter of fact, I do¡­" retorted Professor Feta.


    As the argument continued, Yao Yuan silently made his way to Liu Bai¡¯s side and asked, "Was the mission successful, Xiao Bai? Were we able to locate the German physicist, Professor Silewei?"


    Liu Bai nodded in confirmation. "Affirmative. He is now safely in our case and he looks very much satisfied with the conditions of the base¡­ By the way, what are they arguing about?"


    Yao Yuan laughed awkwardly before silently disclosing, "They took a few hovercraft trips to the American Astronomical Centre to help pinpoint the date in which the asteroid will near the solar system and thus ascertain our time of departure. But because they couldn''t agree on a method, there appeared two camps with two different results. And as you can see, they don''t exactly see eye to eye with one another. Alan thinks we should proceed with the warp before the twelfth next month or the risk will drastically increase due to gravitational distortion. Calum, on the other hand, believes we still have two months'' time. Who knows why they would have a month''s difference in between¡­"


    Liu Bai smiled, noting that he empathized with the situation. After these experts had settled into their lifestyles around the base, they threw themselves back into work with a fiery passion. It was as if they were working for lost time where their knowledge was suppressed in favor of baser needs. They had new requests and updates almost daily. The effort needed to negotiate this academic diplomacy gave even Yao Yuan an increasing headache.


    "Then what''s the plan, Ol'' Cap''n? Will it be next month or the month after? I hope Cap''n understands that we are still unable to locate Zhang Heng''s father," chimed Liu Bai.


    "I have to be responsible for everyone here, so I think we shouldn''t risk it. We''ll depart next month. Take this last month to secure as much food, water, and equipment as possible. Also, don''t stop looking for the remaining scholars. Send for Ying and tell him to use his sleuthing expertise to aid Zhang Heng. We are going to try all we can to find his father within this last month¡­"


    "Then finally¡­ we depart!"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Footnote:


    1. Analytical apparatus used to measure the minimum distance between products or compute and visualize the areas on products corresponding to a minimum distance within a user-defined range. Has a wide range of uses, including analysis of stock trading trajectory.

 Chapter 13: The Final Days!

    Chapter 13: The Final Days!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It was the winter of the year 2029 and a troop of two hundred soldiers was making their way towards a nearby city. Upon closer inspection, one could discern that this motorized team was carrying along a hoard of everyday supplies like food and water. It was obvious that it was on supply acquisition detail.


    There were still 15 days left to the date of departure and everyone was on their final leg of supply gathering. By that time, the base was housing about 120,000 people. Of those people, half of them were Asian with the Chinese totaling at 50000. There were also 13000 civilians from the US, 14000 from European countries, and another 12000 from Australia and Canada. Rounding up the population were 9000 so Africans. The academic community had grown to about 900 people, while technical workers such as engineers and smiths were about 300 in number. They were protected by an army about 1500 in size.


    Thankfully, Noah Two was spacious enough to support such a big population. After all, it had been assembled with worldwide corroboration and had taken twelve years of construction with an initial purpose of space colonization. Calling it a spaceship would be a misnomer; it was more precisely a space city. Its size spanned an exact thirty-five kilometers going one direction and 2.4 kilometers going another with a height of three hundred and seventy meters! It was a momentous mechanical accomplishment, one worthy of being called the ninth modern wonder!


    It had a maximum capacity of 120000 people! With enough supplies, it could sustain a population of this size ten years in space!


    However, as Yao Yuan''s team had found out, it had ironically been abandoned due to its impressive size. Since warping required an immense supply of force, Noah Two''s size was a hindrance. This was not even considering the people that it would have on board during warp! That''s why Yao Yuan''s initial plan was only to gather 100000 people, but after five months of rescue and selection, they had ended up with 120000 people. Even though they had tightened their selection standards, they didn''t really have the heart to turn people away to their deaths. And so in the end, they decided that they would just have to make do with the excess 20000 people.


    Due to this stringent screening process, these 120000 people in general were citizens of good standing. There were no felons and their general level of education was above average. Counting the scientific and technical community, the strength of this population could very well rival that of the best mid-sized countries of the twenty-first century!


    Following this gigantic population was a rise in supply demand. They needed a stock of clean water, food, everyday necessities, and materials that could last them for an extended period in space. Resources were the only things they couldn''t skimp on, because these were the things that would be unavailable after they leave Earth. There was no guarantee what they would need in space, and that was why the list of resources had undergone five updates, each time broadening the categories of items they would need. The supply acquisition task force had also increased accordingly from the original fifty people to a staggering four hundred. The one task force had also grown into two, and they had been busy scouring America''s major cities for supplies.


    The troop we met at the beginning was such an acquisition unit. The two hundred soldiers were recruited from around the globe from forces of different loyalties, but they were all now subordinates to the unit''s leader, Guang Zhen. Guang Zhen''s motorized convoy had gone through six other cities already and was on the journey to their last stop before returning to base.


    Based on the freeway sign above him, Guang Zhen could tell that they were thirty kilometers away from their destination. Based on the speed they were going, it would be dark by the time they entered the city. It had been five months since the initial eruption of chaos, but it was still impossible to tell whether the city they were heading into still had rebel hold-outs. Despite their better discipline and equipment, Guang Zhen wouldn''t want to risk any casualties if not truly necessary.


    Hence, he made the decision to halt progress and set up camp for the night. Using his walkie-talkie, the order was relayed. "Cease all movement. Units one, two, and three, canvas the area. The rest prepare to set up camp. I repeat¡­"


    His team dispersed into action. An area was quickly zoned out using their vehicles, and within the quarantined area, tents were erected. Before sunset, a temporary encampment was completed by the freeway. After their perimeter had been cleared, the overall atmosphere of alertness quickly devolved into one of cheer.


    The dinner for the troop that night was scrumptious. This was because even though lots of shops has already been raided, more concrete storage spaces such as warehouses were safe from vandals. These were treasure troves of valuable supplies. And since some of these perishables wouldn''t last the journey back to base, the supply team was never short on upscale food and luxury.


    The menu served by the culinary attachment that night was roasted rib-eye with caviar sauce and fruits dessert. Coupled with deluxe cigars that weren''t normally available to these members of military, life was fine.


    Amiable conversations also streamed back and forth within the encampment. Topics of conversation included their families, loved ones, and their hopes for the future. It was Yao Yuan''s intention to primarily recruit army officers with family members remaining to foster a sense of belonging to the community they served. Incidentally, this helped bridge strong bonds between these family men. Knowledge that their service in the military granted their family members preferential treatment, like the fact that they wouldn''t need to brave the elements in tents but rather in secured residences, also contributed to this cocoon of camaraderie and joy.


    Even Guang Zhen found himself engaged in affable exchanges with his troops.


    Between bites, an African soldier next to him commented, "Second lieutenant, everything''s nice with the base, but why is everyone''s rank so low? For example, I used to be a navy lieutenant but now I''m just an upper class soldier. The huge demotion surely needs some getting used to, and my friend here, Tom, he''s now an ordinary soldier even though before this he was a navy sergeant. He almost chewed my ears off griping about this."


    Guang Zhen laughed off the question, thinking these men weren''t really concerned about frivolous matters such as ranking, but he then realized they were all waiting attentively for his explanation. Clearing his throat, he said, "That''s because the whole of our military is only one thousand plus large. How could we have so many sergeants or lieutenants? Imagine a unit where everyone''s a sergeant and one lieutenant. Or a unit where the leading field officer has subordinates that are all sergeants. It''s just impractical, so unless there''s an expansion, everyone will be demoted a rank. It can''t be helped."


    Another Caucasian soldier piped up, "Second lieutenant, honestly though, why haven''t we expanded? An institution of only 1.5 thousand is disproportionately small when compared to a population of 120000. Our hands are full with miscellaneous tasks like rescue, patrol, search, and even resolving civilian conflict. A brother of mine, also an upper class soldier, is now tasked with handling civil disputes. He has been complaining to me non-stop, saying that he wishes dearly to be out in the field. So, second lieutenant, maybe we should consider expanding? Or perhaps setting up a police branch?"


    Guang Zhen shook his head and replied, "We have to understand that we are the military, and there''s jurisdiction. What you''re suggesting goes under the executive and legislative sectors. The decision process is out of our hands. The most we can do is submit suggestions. But I did overhear the major saying that there is a plan underway to establish a committee staff to make the military branch''s competency system more robust, and that would make expansion necessary."


    The few upper class soldiers were excited at hearing this because it carried with it the prospect of promotion, which would bring along with it direct and indirect benefits, and even if it didn''t, a higher rank still had a better ring to it than being an upper class soldier.


    Suddenly, in the middle of the conversation, a shrill whistle sounded off not far away. Every soldier reflexively readied their weapon, and the upper class soldiers rallied their respective units as they waited for orders from Guang Zhen. Guang Zhen signaled his order and a few squads trailed him as he moved towards the direction of the whistle.


    They were quite dumbfounded by what they discovered. It wasn''t rebels but hundreds of refugees.


    The group was wide-ranging in terms of gender and age, but what was similar were the looks of destitution. Every single of them looked small and frail, hollow and afraid. A few of the younger among them had wooden clubs as weapons, but with some of them barely having the energy to stand, it was hard to see them as threatening.


    They were probably attracted by the light and smell of food from the camp. As they walked into the circle of light, they stared dumbly at the gaggle of military before them. Slowly, the dullness in their eyes turned into suspicion, fear, and finally, amazement. Nevertheless, none of them stepped forth or spoke a word; they just stood there, rooted to the ground, staring at the space before them.


    The soldiers turned their attention back to Guang Zhen, but they didn''t relax their alerted stances. Their weapons were still aimed at the group of unexpected dinner guests.


    After a moment of hesitation, Guang Zhen issued an order to an upper class soldier beside him. "Get two units to help them. Erect another camp next to ours and give them some food¡­ After that, you know the protocol; inquire and screen for people that we could bring along."


    Gladdened at his second lieutenant''s show of mercy, the soldier saluted and carried on with his order.


    Under the troops¡¯ guidance, the refugees were led to the encampment with Guang Zhen trailing behind silently. While they were in the middle of dispensing food, another trilling screech screamed through the air, which put everyone back on alert once more. A few seconds later, a pinprick of light appeared down the horizon. The halo of light grew in size until they realized it was a hovercraft heading their way.


    This made Guang Zhen apprehensive. All these anti-gravity-operated hovercrafts were futuristic vehicles that they had found within Noah Two. There were only thirty of them in total, and they all had been chartered to search for important rescue targets such as researchers or scientists. The fact that one was heading towards them sounded an alarm. Maybe there was trouble back at base?


    Without losing much time, Guang Zhen ordered his men to clear an empty space for landing. As the hovercraft hit the ground, a few soldiers rushed out, saluted Guang Zhen, and requested him to join them onboard. They told Guang Zhen that a higher official wished to speak with him through the craft''s communication device.


    Gripped by anxiety, Guang Zhen rushed aboard the hovercraft. As he picked up the communication receiver, from the other end came Yao Yuan''s agitated voice.


    "Wong, there is a change of plans. The asteroid had a sudden acceleration this afternoon. The astrophysics team has issued a state of emergency. Their most optimistic evaluation gives us five more days, but their advice is that we leave within the next 24 hours¡­ Tell your team to pack up and prepare for warp, which is scheduled at six P.M tomorrow. But you take the hovercraft and return here immediately. We have a Black Star mission, and it''s related to Zhang Heng and Ying¡­"


    "When they were searching for Zhang Heng''s father around China, they were ambushed by a foreign army. The entire search party was wiped out except for Ying, who barely escaped alive, and Zhang Heng, who was captured. The enemy party somehow knew about a spaceship being in our possession and demanded that they be brought along! We shall not be intimidated by such a despicable request!


    I''ve called the remaining Black Stars to gather and I need you to lead them and another five hundred soldiers to dismantle their base of operations! Take the hovercraft and electro-magnetized ammunition and bring Ying and Zhang Heng safely back to the base before six P.M tomorrow! We shall not be deterred now!"

 Chapter 14: Of One Root!

    Chapter 14: Of One Root!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "If I remember correctly, you aren''t a member of the Black Star Unit," said the man seated before Zhang Heng. He was well-built and had a series of facial scars that lent him a streak of menace.


    The room Zhang Heng was in was cramped and enclosed. It appeared to be an interrogation room of some police station. It had been three days since their unit was ambushed at Town H. The ambush was definitely well-organized, because it had surprised even Ying, the expert in ambush warfare. Everyone was killed other than Ying who, despite suffering a stomach bullet wound, managed to slip away through the sewers, and Zhang Heng, who was captured after getting shot in the arm.


    In the past three days, to Zhang Heng''s surprise and relief, there was no application of torture. As a matter of fact, he even received treatment for his bullet wound. They had extracted the slug and even gave him antibiotics. It was only on the third day that he was brought to this interrogation room before this man who revealed himself as the leader of a rebel army of a few thousand. The man whom the rest referred to as Chou.


    Taking in deep breaths to steady himself, Zhang Heng replied, "I, I have nothing to tell you because I have not even heard of the Black Star Unit¡­"


    This gave Chou a pause before he laughed out loud. He addressed Zhang Heng without a hint of ire in his voice. "Oh, sorry, I forgot you''re here. The statement wasn''t addressed to you; I was merely talking to myself there. I''m pretty sure you have nothing to do with the Black Star Unit. I would have known if you were one them, although I suppose they could have recruited new members recently¡­ But I doubt you''re even military, so don''t worry."


    Caught off guard by Chou''s comment, Zhang Heng blurted out, "But aren''t you here to interrogate me?"


    Smiling, Chou answered, "Interrogate you? Now, why would I do that¡­ I believe that everything you know I already know. For example, I know where you''re from. A Tennessean base housing a spaceship, right?"


    Zhang Heng was visibly perturbed by the man''s casual dropping of confidential information. He could barely mount a response.


    Seeing Zhang Heng''s flabbergasted response, Chou chuckled, "Don''t look so scared. I have no intention to harm you. In fact, you''re not here to be interrogated at all, and that information about your base¡­ It''s really not that hard to deduce. Your people have been trekking all over the world drafting able-bodied civilians and bright minds. Even if we''re in the middle of anarchy, obvious activities like that aren''t really that hard to miss. And with all of this information, it doesn''t take a genius to put two and two together, which again tells me that you aren''t a Black Star member, because they wouldn''t need me to spell out something this obvious for them."


    Fearing the answer, Zhang Heng hesitated for a while before finally asking, "If that''s the case, then why am I here?"


    Instead of answering, Chou retrieved a photograph from his pocket and dumped it on the table between them. Zhang Heng could feel tears pricking his eyes as his sight fell on the photograph. It was a portrait of his family, a memento from better times. A family of three was smiling brightly at the camera. There was his mother, who unfortunately had died in the earlier days of the riot, and his father, whose location was still unknown. The sight of his parents pierced a shard of grief through his heart.


    "Where did you get this photo? It has never left my father''s wallet!" he demanded hurriedly.


    Chou explained, "That''s right. I heard about your team''s objective, so while you¡¯re in here, I gathered all my resources to help you finish what you started. I''m sorry to say, but this man in the photo died three months ago in an outbreak. Due to the rarity of his size during these times and the fact that he had a gun on him, he made quite an unforgettable impression on one of my men, so when I issued the search details, he came forth and I took this picture from him. Keep it, it''s yours after all."


    Afraid Chou might renege on his words, Zhang Heng hastily stored the treasured photo and then said, "If you''re expecting me to repay your kindness, then I''m afraid I''ll have to disappoint you. I have no say within the Black Star Unit¡­ But making a case to take a few more people along, that I could still do. That''s your purpose after all, isn''t it?"


    Chou snickered at the suggestion before ominously adding, "You, my friend, are sorely mistaken¡­ I have no interest in getting aboard that ship. I agree that it might be a different story if the ship was found by somebody else, but the thought of having to exist in the same space as that hypocrite¡­ I''d rather die¡­ So, I don''t need your help; I just need you to stay put and be good bait. If I know that son of a bitch, and I think I do, he''ll order his men to come save you soon, so you just sit still until then¡­


    And then, my revenge against the Black Star Unit will be complete¡­"


    The time was already nine in the morning when Yao Yuan awakened from his sleep.


    Guang Zhen''s unit had departed for China seven hours ago. With the best firearms and bullet-proof vests, as well as satellite triangulation and hovercraft technology, there were simply no forces left on earth that could stand a chance against them. That much was certain.


    But a sliver of apprehension remained lodged in Yao Yuan''s mind. It had to do with the person he had just dreamed of¡­ The traitorous Black Star that he had eliminated way back when the squad was training on one of the space stations¡­ But why would he dream of him now¡­


    Added to that was the out-of-body feeling that he had first experienced when they initially breached the base. That feeling had gotten more and more pronounceable in the recent months¡­ They all seemed tied to that episode on the space station¡­


    "I''m coming, Ol'' Wong. Until then, please be careful because I sense a great danger out there¡­" prayed Yao Yuan silently. He then peered at the control panel of the hovercraft he was traveling in. It showed 9.30 a.m¡­ He had left half an hour after Guang Zhen''s unit departed. He hoped he wasn''t too late¡­


    A few hundred miles away, the Black Star Unit and another five hundred soldiers were preparing to engage the enemy. The group had been separated into multiple sub-units, each with a Black Star leading the way to infiltrate their enemy''s base. They were able to locate their enemy so quickly because the hovercrafts they used were connected to earth''s satellites. By tracing Zhang Heng''s and Ying''s transmission signals, they were able to quickly pinpoint the location where Zhang Heng was held. It was a deserted skyscraper in the middle of the city next to a police station.


    They even managed to discern that the enemy had about three thousand people. After removing the harmless ruffians and civilians that they had managed to sway to their side though, the actual number of armed rebels had an expected maximum number of only eight hundred.


    It was an easy mission, so Guang Zhen wasted no time because they needed to get to Zhang Heng fast. In hostage rescue operations such as this, time was of essence.


    "Move! Move! Move! Lieutenants and sergeants, get your units coordinated! Get moving!" Guang Zhen ordered out of habit, in Chinese. When he realized that most of his team had remained waiting for his order, he repeated it in English.


    Almost instantly, fourteen hovercrafts sped into the building, their outer machinegun turrets blazing. The outermost patrols were decimated under the hail of bullets, some even fracturing into pieces. Soon after, a piercing alarm shot through the building.


    Guang Zhen lifted his head and spotted a hovercraft landing on the roof. It was the scouts led by Lee. Their point of entry was from above. In the hovercraft, as Guang Zhen loaded his gun and checked his vest, he issued for landing and ordered his men to prepare to storm the building.


    As the craft touched the ground, under his orders, his team spread out to secure the structure¡­


    "Hahaha¡­ Look at them! Walking step by step into my plan!" cackled Chou, who was watching all this unfolding through a surveillance screen in the adjacent police station. With the difference in technology available in mind, he knew that his men had no chance against Yao Yuan''s troops, so instead, he used this inequality to his advantage. Stationing the place with just enough mobs to feed into the opponent''s sense of triumph, the skyscraper was essentially a giant trap luring Guang Zhen''s troop in with a trail of small victories.


    While noting his enemies'' movements through the screen, he elaborated, with dripping malevolence, "Here''s a little trivia for you. I was a spy sent by the higher-ups to infiltrate the Black Star Unit. Espionage like this was actually extremely common. It was to the government''s benefit to keep tabs on special ops units such as the Black Star Unit. In fact, before Yao Yuan became the leader, there was a long history of spies in the squad. If you think about it, it was actually a symbiotic relationship; the government was more willing to grant the squad with a larger budget and more supplies if they knew what was truly happening¡­ But Yao Yuan, that bastard, when he found out, he wanted to silence me when we were training on the space station, dismissing everything that I had done for the squad!


    No thought went into his mind that I had a family to support, because unless necessary, who would volunteer as a spy? But no, he never saw things from my perspective and gave me no chance. If not for my luck, I would have been a floating carcass in space by now. But thanks to him, everything I had was taken away from me. Because of political reasons, those politicians were unable to tell my family I was actually a spy but instead spun some story about how I was a foreign mole and had to be eliminated. I never heard from them after that. Those bloody officials, they turned on me!"


    Chou''s narration had gotten to a point where he was almost yelling everything out, but he caught himself here. After some time, he continued, in a tone that was contrastingly and eerily calm, "But no worries; today I''ll expose Yao Yuan for the hypocrite that he is. He always says that nothing is more important than your comrades and mates. Well, what the hell am I? But that''s alright; I''ll make mass graves out of his so-called comrades and let''s see whether he''ll use the remaining time to avenge his supposed comrades or if he will escape like the coward that I know he is¡­"


    Chou slipped from within his uniform a tiny remote and then resumed his monologue as if he didn''t notice Zhang Heng, who was scared shitless beside him. "Guess what this is¡­ It''s connected to explosives that I''ve collected over the past few months¡­ And bingo! They have been deployed throughout the building¡­ With just a soft click, the place will be flattened in a matter of seconds¡­" Chou turned to peer at the screen. "There''re still a few units not within the range, but soon¡­ We''ll have a fireworks display on our hands¡­ Exciting, isn''t it¡­"


    Zhang Heng looked at the monitor in increasing despair as Guang Zhen''s troops gradually filled up the screen. Before long, they managed to secure the whole building.


    Chou laughed manically, but right before his finger touched the remote button, a shadow swooped in through the window behind Zhang Heng, sending pieces of glass flying everywhere. As the person safely rolled into a soft landing, he unbuckled his gun and released a shot at Chou. Years of training helped Chou dodge the shot by leaping back. He even managed to return fire at the intruder.


    "Yao Yuan! How dare you still show your face around me?!"


    "It is you, Ning Bo Tao! You survived space?!"


    "Yes, I survived, but unfortunately for you, today you won''t!"


    To Zhang Heng, it was a scene right out of the Matrix. Somehow, in between dodging bullets, the two men still had time to fire at each other. It was as if they knew the trajectory of the bullets before they were shot!


    And the room thundered with relentless blasts of gunshots!

 Chapter 15: Homo Evolutis!

    Chapter 15: Homo Evolutis!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In Yao Yuan''s mind''s eye, he could see clearly that he wasn''t drastically faster than usual. Granted, his speed was greater than your everyday man¡¯s, but that didn''t explain the ease with which he could avoid Chou''s bullets. It also wasn''t due to a sudden improvement of his reflexes or acquiring a new ability where he could predict the bullets'' trajectory. Of course, all these were given a minor boost in an adrenaline-filled gunfight, but it wasn''t boosted to a superhuman level.


    What did help though was a newly acquired ability which allowed him to psychically envision malice projections. Whenever a bullet was fired, he could sense a coagulation of malice forming at its target location. It was in this way that he could tell beforehand where the bullets would land, and thanks to that millisecond of foresight, he could evade incoming danger accordingly.


    This new instinct of his was so strong that he could even tell where his opponent intended to move before he actually moved. And so he aimed at where he felt Chou was going to move next instead of where Chou actually was. He had never experienced anything like this before, but it was incredibly instinctual. It surprised even himself that he could dodge every bullet and stop the enemy short in his step.


    This didn''t mean that he had the natural upper hand though because it appeared that Ning Bo Tao, or Chou, had mastered the same skill. As Yao Yuan weaved through the volley of bullets, so did Chou.


    After a few minutes of this back-and-forth dance, both men had emptied their cartridges without a single slug ending up in the opponent''s body. Without pulling their triggers again, they both somehow knew that their guns had emptied, so they flung them off for hand-to-hand combat. The sounds of bones on bones and muscles on muscles were so loud that Zhang Heng had to cover his ears.


    Before long, the fight was fast approaching its premature conclusion. A projected simulation inaccessible to Zhang Heng had occurred between the two brawling men, and it showed that after a few more clashes, Yao Yuan''s greater skill at close-quarters combat would prevail. The visage was so authentic that both men had to give it validity.


    Perhaps dampened by the vision or maybe he had truly reached the end of his limits, Chou''s attempts at evasion became attempts at blocking. Weirdly enough, at one point, as he got further cornered, he started laughing and said, "Your Killer''s Arms has gotten better since the last time I tasted it! But unfortunately¡­" He let his guard down and allowed one of Yao Yuan''s punches to land. Reigning in the punch''s blowback, he somersaulted onto the floor. At that instant, the room¡¯s door was kicked out and Chou''s men rushed in. They immediately lifted their assault rifles and were ready to unload them all across the room. However, Yao Yuan was somehow faster; even before the door had landed on the ground, he had rushed towards the opening.


    Before any of the triggers were pulled, Yao Yuan had already sidled up to the foremost man. Without giving him any chance to react, Yao Yuan unleashed a punch on his stomach. As the force sent him folding upon himself, Yao Yuan elbowed his back and the man crumbled as his vertebrae snapped.


    The whole process happened so fast that when the rest of Chou''s men registered the sound of bones cracking, their fingers were still on the triggers.


    Within the next second, Yao Yuan kicked the fallen man into the air. As shells were being unloaded, Yao Yuan grabbed hold of the man''s body and used it as a human shield. The unexpected rabid convulsion of their mate''s body made Chou''s men hesitate momentarily.


    As they dropped their weapons, Yao Yuan could no longer feel any projected malice, and that bade him into action. Dropping the bullet-riddled body, he rushed into the group of stunned men.


    The result was to be expected. Yao Yuan''s combat style was neither military boxing, which was common to trained men, nor special ops'' grappling techniques, nor Chinese Wushu; it was a unique fighting style tailored to his height, ease of movement, and appendages¡¯ length. Yao Yuan spent eight years honing this art of killing which he dubbed the Killer''s Arms. It was somewhat similar to Jeet Kune Do2; both styles using the smallest effort and shortest time to achieve lethality.


    With lightning speed, he collapsed the trachea of one man before letting loose a flying roundhouse kick that caved in another''s temple and one other''s neck. And with that, all of Chou''s reinforcements had been vanquished.


    It has to be said that Yao Yuan''s airborne roundhouse kick wasn''t for show. He was in the middle of dropping his heel on the last man, but right then, he sensed projected malice in the form of flying knives sailing towards him. Out of options, he added lifting propulsion to his kick in the hopes of avoiding the knives by using the momentum of air twirls.


    However, no matter how fast his instincts were, his body couldn''t catch up with the speed of the darting knives. As he landed, two knives were jammed into his left torso, but because he was hit in a mid-air spin, the angle of entry was slanted, so they missed his vital organs by a bit.


    The knife on his right bicep though, that was unfortunately possibly fatal.


    This was how it was between highly-skilled experts; one small distraction could prove fatal. Chou started laughing maniacally as he leaped towards Yao Yuan, hoping to land the final blow.


    Seeing this, fear clogged Zhang Heng''s heart. He knew fully well that after Chou kills Yao Yuan, he will have outlived his use. He had serious doubts that Chou would be as kind to him as Yao Yuan once was.


    Even if he were to miraculously survive this, he would be a sitting duck. The control code to initiate warp was in the hands of the Black Star Unit, who had found Noah Two. If Yao Yuan were to die, the rest of the Black Stars would be blown into smithereens, and the remaining 100,000 people would be left on death panel¡­


    In an unexpected twist, Zhang Heng saw Yao Yuan step on the hand of the body beside him and the rut-tut-tut of an assault rifle rang out. The man Yao Yuan stepped on still had his fingers entwined over his weapon''s trigger, so as Yao Yuan applied pressure, the pistol shot out a series of bullets aimed at Chou!


    Chou could sense the projected malice, but since it didn¡¯t come directly from Yao Yuan, he misjudged the trajectory the bullets would take. He tried swerving out of the way, but as he landed by the wall, the lower part of his body was already riddled with holes.


    As Chou slumped in his pooling blood, his facial expression was not one of fear or sorrow as one would expect, but rather he looked relieved. Between gasps of air, he croaked, "Yao Yuan, did you purposely let yourself be hit to lure me to charge towards you?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head as he walked solemnly towards Chou, "No, that was indeed unavoidable. But somehow, as I landed, I felt like this plan would be able to spell your death."


    After hearing that, Chou started laughing even harder. "Looks like even fate wants me dead. When I was still in the Black Star Unit, you were always just a little bit better than me, be it bravery, resourcefulness, combat skills, or leadership¡­ When we were on the space station, you told me how small you felt when you looked at the immense nothingness around us. I didn''t tell you at the time, but I totally agree with you; I felt swept by a sensation of anxiety, emptiness, and loneliness when we were in space¡­ It was unsettling, but it also gave me this ability which had me overjoyed because I''ll finally had something that could help me overtake you¡­ Alas, it''s a trick of fate after all, huh? In the end, I''ll never outrun your shadow¡­


    But seeing you with this power did help me confirm the hypothesis that this power comes with man''s extended habituation in space. Perhaps it evolved out of man''s need to feel empowered against the nothingness of space¡­ And so, as your spaceship continues on in space, you''ll probably have more people like us on your hands¡­ But that concerns me no more¡­ Lan¡­ How I''ve missed you, but don''t worry¡­ I''m coming¡­"


    Chou''s breath gradually slowed until his spirit returned to nothingness.


    Yao Yuan looked somberly at his former squad member and a few moments later, he retrieved Chou''s dog-tag from his body and slipped it into his uniform. Then he stood up and addressed Zhang Heng. "Can you still move?"


    This gathered Zhang Heng''s scattered senses. He sprang up and replied, "Yes, sir. I have no problems moving, but quick, inform Captain Wong that the building they''re in is full of explosives!"


    This information startled Yao Yuan, but when he spotted the shattered remote at the corner of the room, he breathed a sigh of relief. "That''s alright, now. Without the remote, the bombs won''t go off so easily. Ning Bo Tao was a top secret agent; he wouldn''t set the bombs at places where they would be accidentally hit by stray bullets¡­ So let''s get moving. We''re leaving earth by six. And have you found your father?"


    The question brought tears to Zhang Heng''s eyes. Shaking his head, he answered, "He''s been found dead¡­"


    Yao Yuan moved forth to corner Zhang Heng into a hug. "My condolences¡­ But now you have to carry on on his behalf. He would want you to do that. Now, let''s meet up with Ol'' Wong'' and then we''ll depart for the spaceship."


    Just before Zhang Heng was made to follow, he caught himself and yelped, "Yao Yuan, wait a minute. I have a request to ask of you¡­ There are some womenfolk in this station that were gathered by Chou''s troops. They are truly helpless. Can''t we bring them along? There are only a hundred of them, that isn''t really a huge number. They''re nice people; in the three days I was captured, three of the girls came over to nurse me to health. They gave me water and changed my bandages. One of them is called Bai Ning Xue, another Luo Mao Miao and the last one, whose surname I didn''t catch, was called Bo Li. Please, I beg of you to bring them along! I''m willing to trade my rank for their places on board."


    Yao Yuan stared intently at Zhang Heng for quite some time. As he turned to leave, he said, "This is the last time I will hear of such a request again! You''re a military man now; your rank represents your honor, your life! Do not treat it so lightly! I will not hear of something like this again! So do not let me down¡­


    But I''ll remind you that the hovercraft will leave in another ten minutes. Until then, anyone that fits our screening criteria is allowed onboard¡­"


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Footnotes:


    1. A term used to describe the next stage of human evolution after homo sapiens by futurist Juan Enriquez.


    2. Martial art philosophy favored by Bruce Lee. Unlike other martial arts, Jeet Kune Do or JKD values usefulness in everyday life.

 Chapter 16: That Swath of Blue...Adieu! Home sweet home!

    Chapter 16: That Swath of Blue...Adieu! Home sweet home!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhang Heng was immediately glad after hearing Yao Yuan''s response, but before he could express his gratitude, Yao Yuan had vanished down the halls to vanquish the rebels remaining in the station. Wasting no more time, Zhang Heng also departed for his destination.


    After a short jog, he reached the rooftop where a few young women were on guard. Based on their haggard appearances and tattered clothes as well as a noticeable lack of armaments, they looked more like they were forced onto patrol duty rather than having the actual willingness to stand guard. The fact was that the women secured there were all ladies in their prime. The dangers that they had to protect themselves from originated from within the same building more often than from outside.


    When they saw Zhang Heng, they were shocked but not scared, because they all knew of him. After Zhang Heng was taken in by Chou''s men, he was locked together with these women and three of them took turns remedying him. The reality was that they too were curious as to why a man was imprisoned along with them. So, during Zhang Heng''s period of convalescence, they had formed a strong bond.


    Upon seeing Zhang Heng again while sounds of gunfire reverberated through the building, they couldn''t help but feel a surge of hope.


    Giving voice to their greatest hope, Zhang Heng shouted, "The army is here to escort us off! Get ready to move. They will only wait ten minutes for us, so pack light; take only important stuff like photographs or jewelry! Tell everyone to get ready. I repeat, we only have ten minutes!"


    The girls were stunned for a brief second before hollering out in joy. They immediately rushed to the rooftop loft to spread the news among their fellow friends in captivity. It didn''t take long for the staircase to get filled with throngs of women rushing down.


    Zhang Heng made the decision to not follow the crowd down. After the incident in the interrogation room, he felt like he understood Yao Yuan more. As long as he was not atrociously later than the designated ten minutes, he knew Yao Yuan would be willing to wait for him. And so he stayed behind to give the girls a slightly larger window of time to get on the hovercraft.


    As people streamed out of the loft, Zhang Heng went against the current into it. Inside he saw that some of the women were still changing, putting on what was left of their Sunday''s best. Because it was inappropriate to linger, he turned into a side room where he was originally detained. As he suspected, three women were sitting in it.


    One of them had her hair dyed in a shimmering gold color. This woman of porcelain skin had in her arms a girl of fifteen or sixteen. This girl with ink-black locks was visibly shaken; her eyes darted nervously around the room. Cradled within the woman''s embrace, she had the appearance of a frightened cat.


    The last remaining woman was reclining at the far corner of the room, listlessly watching the world outside the window beside her. Even when Zhang Heng barged in, she gave no sign of response, lost in her own world as she was.


    This scene that would have struck other people as weird was of no surprise to Zhang Heng. After three days of close proximity, he was already quite familiar with their peculiarities. The beauty with alabaster skin was Bai Ning Xue and the girl in her arms was Luo Mao Miao. The two weren''t related by blood, but the riot seemed to have pulled the two into a sisterly bond. For as long as Zhang Heng had known them, Ning Xue had always resided over Mao Miao as the protective big sister.


    The other woman went by the name of Bo Li and she had always been somewhat of a mystery. In the three days they had known each other, she had shown herself to be incredibly taciturn. A bookworm, she preferred her own company and exuded a degree of sluggishness between actions.


    As Zhang Heng ran into the room, he shouted at them, "Quick, follow me. The rebels have been taken care of; it was the work of an official army. We have ten minutes to join them and leave this godforsaken place!"


    Ning Xue and Mao Miao were delightfully shocked by the news. As they exchanged a glance, they let out a short cheer. They then moved towards the corner of the room where most of their stuff was laid out and started packing. Alarmed by their tardiness, Zhang Heng yanked them along. "Didn''t you two hear me? We only have ten minutes; there''s no time for packing. Plus, we''re leaving by hovercraft; there is a weight limit! Now is not the time to act leisurely! And Bo Li, don''t just sit there, move! Hurry, only bring your most valuables, and leave the rest!"


    Ning Xue and Mao Miao were more than a bit disheartened to have to leave most of their belongings behind, but after a minute of deliberation, they took off towards the exit with only their wallets, a few pictures, and some small accessories. In contrast to the pair''s urgency, Bo Li slowly lifted herself up from her seated position and without pausing to grab anything else, she sauntered towards the door.


    This bemused Zhang Heng. As Bo Li passed him, he took hold of her hand. "Don''t you want to bring anything along? Don''t worry about the time; of the ten minutes, there''s about seven left. There''s still time for you to quickly grab something."


    Bo Li slowly turned to stare at Zhang Heng and shook her head. "No, there''s nothing left worth taking¡­" And with that, she wriggled out of Zhang Heng''s grip and melted into the moving crowd.


    On the outside of the police station, Yao Yuan was trying to catch his breath at the bottom of the stairs. He had just cleared the whole station. With what Chou described as humans¡¯ next form of evolution, he managed the feat without sustaining a single scratch. But as the heat of the moment wore off, the lethargy seemed to catch up with him all at once, almost knocking him off his feet. What wouldn''t he do to just lie down and rest; he was so exhausted that he could barely keep his eyelids open.


    With pure mind over matter, he powered on. As he sat recharging himself by the stairs, not far away, the hovercraft that had brought him here landed. Out of it poured twenty fully equipped soldiers who quickly assembled themselves before Yao Yuan. As they stood at the ready, one of them roared, "Unit twenty-one, reporting for duty, Major!"


    Against an overwhelming exhaustion, Yao Yuan pulled himself up using the wall and said, "Make contact with Lieutenant Wong next door and tell him to lead everyone to vacate the area. The enemies have been neutralized and the hostage has been saved. Also, tell him to figure out a way to accommodate over a hundred female refugees. Remember to screen them accordingly¡­ We might not have the time to do that anymore, so just skip that step and make sure to get them on the hovercraft, but do register their names and other relevant details. And this operation has been ceded to Lieutenant Wong, so from now on, heed his orders."


    "Sir, yes, sir!" saluted the unit leader. After that, other than a field medic that stayed to attend to Yao Yuan, the rest of the nineteen soldiers separated into two groups. One went to the police station and another to the building next door.


    By then, the fatigue Yao Yuan had been holding in bubbled over and he slipped out of consciousness.


    When he woke up next, he found himself on top of a simple bed surrounded by the hovercraft''s metallic enclosure. By his bed were the rest of the Black Stars and Zhang Heng.


    As he sat up, a splinter of pain reminded him of his knife wounds, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that those had all been given treatment and were bandaged. Without missing a beat, he launched into his inquiries. "What time is it? How are those women?"


    When Yao Yuan woke up, obvious relief was written all over the members of the Black Star Unit. Guang Zhen reassured him, "They are all onboard. The hovercraft fleet has more than enough room to accommodate their number. The time is now four twenty in the afternoon and we''re already in America. There''s still a ten-minute journey to reach our base, so we will be able to catch the six o¡¯clock departure time with no problem."


    Relief swept over Yao Yuan. As he leaned back down, he was pierced with pain emanating from his wounded left arm.


    "Was it¡­ Ning Bo Tao? After I was briefed of your arrival, I inspected the structure and found many hidden explosives. Based on the way they were placed and wired, I had a feeling he was behind this."


    After a brief silence, Yao Yuan confirmed Guang Zhen''s speculation with a nod before adding, "Yes, you''re correct, it was him¡­ But this time, I made sure he was truly dead."


    Sighing, Guang Zhen replied, "That''s a relief I suppose¡­ Are you feeling alright? You have been in coma for more than seven hours. Xiao Bai has been checking up on you, but he said he found no incriminating wounds¡­"


    Without hesitation, Yao Yuan confessed, "It was due to something else; something I thought was mere coincidence, but now I can confirm that it has to do with man''s heightened state, or rather, evolution¡­ After we leave earth, I''ll explain the rest in detail, but if this turns out to be true, then the issue of military deficiency that has been troubling us will be solved."


    The spaceship will end up accommodating 120000 residents and so, with only one thousand and five hundred military men, the issue of military deficiency was troublingly real.


    Furthermore, they needed a greater military power to ward against dangerous contingencies that could happen in space. Yao Yuan''s encryption expert had said it himself; it was foolish to envision outer space to be a peaceful place. If the military was to fall, who would defend the ship? The citizens? The scientists? They wouldn''t be of much help, and that would be a giant waste of their expertise.


    The obvious solution was military expansion, and Yao Yuan had indeed given it some thought. However, power corrupts. During the initial riot, the first to turn against the civilians were mostly armed forces. To have found a troop of one thousand and five hundred was already an impressive feat to begin with. Try as he might, Yao Yuan couldn''t find any extra eligible candidates to be recruited.


    However, if Chou''s hypothesis was true and there was a chance that elongated habituation in space would incite man''s evolution, if provided with necessary training, their lack of numbers could easily be compensated by an increase in skill.


    The rest of the journey continued in silence. As the hovercraft neared the base, they veered towards a secluded entrance by the valley¡¯s side and directly proceeded into the underground base. Inside, three thousand technical workers, nine hundred academics, and the families of the one thousand and five hundred military men and women had already boarded Noah Two. They had set up residences according to previously allocated districts. These were the workshops for technicians, academies for scientists, and barracks for the military and their families.


    The military had quarantined the area around Noah Two. Armed to the teeth with siege weaponry, they looked ready to defend the ship to their deaths.


    As Yao Yuan and his team entered the base, orders were issued to allow passage for the remaining civilians to board. Arrangements had already been made according to nationalities, languages, and so on to enable a smooth and systematic boarding.


    Even though the most spacious trucks were being used to facilitate transport, the emigration of 120000 people still took up to almost a full hour.


    Most of the citizens were seeing Noah Two for the first time. The initial shock was hard to suppress. There were even some outbreaks of excitement, but those were quickly stamped out by attending officers. Twelve lanes were opened to expedite overall movement. To prevent misidentification, everyone was required to swipe their keycards on the designated panels to gain entry.


    With all these measures in place, it still took them until 8 P.M, two hours past the intended 6 P.M, to have everyone onboard.


    With a size of 120000, there was expected chaos. The originally spacious spaceship appeared even slightly cramped. Furthermore, since Noah Two was originally intended for 100000 people, there weren¡¯t enough sleeping bunkers. Technicians, soldiers, and scientists were given their own sleeping chambers, but it was impossible to provide similar privilege to the remaining civilians. The issue was that after the specialized districts had been cordoned off, there still remained quite a number of sleeping chambers but not enough to fit everyone. A difference in access to privileges between specialized members of the community and the normal public was manageable and even encouraged because it inspired self-improvement among the public. However, a difference in treatment among the same echelon of normal civilians would prove to be tumultuous.


    Hence, Yao Yuan made the decision to break down the partitions outside of the previously mentioned designated districts. Living arrangements would still be assigned according to tents and camps like how it was in the valley.


    As everyone settled into place, Yao Yuan and the rest of the Black Star Unit were congregating at central command.


    "Open the exit chute!"


    "Captain''s order, open the exit chute!"


    "Opening the exit chute!"


    Gradually, the metal layer above Noah Two started to open itself. This had been given multiple test runs, so this part of the operation proceeded without a hitch. After a few minutes, an aperture large enough to allow passage of Noah Two opened above the base.


    "Initiate Noah Two''s anti-gravitational system. Going into ten-second countdown!"


    "Captain''s order, Initiate Noah Two''s anti-gravitational system. Going into ten-second countdown!"


    "Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven¡­"


    As the seconds ticked down, the three sites of gravity manipulators around the base started to charge, and after an initial jolt, Noah Two began to achieve levitation. Within these few seconds, even though they couldn''t see outside the ship, everyone onboard collectively held their breaths because this was the moment that would decide their fate.


    Noah Two''s levitation started to accelerate and it began to float into the sky. Before long, it had pushed itself beyond the clouds. It wasn¡¯t until they reached the ozone layer that Noah Two began to slow against the resisting pressure.


    "Initiate energy pulse system. Accelerate speed!"


    "Captain''s order, initiate energy pulse system. Accelerate speed!"


    "Initiating energy pulse system. Total discharge increase by point zero two three. Energy discharge is on standard operation!"


    As Noah Two lifted beyond the ozone layer, everyone in central command was gifted with a grand view of Earth through the reinforced glass windshield. Amidst the engulfing darkness of space, the azure planet shone like a sapphire in the dark, its glittering beauty taking everyone''s breaths away¡­


    Behind the feeling of amazement, there was an undercurrent of deep melancholy. Zhang Heng was caught wiping a few stray tears with his sleeve.


    "Initiate preparation for space warp. Thirty seconds for energy calibration. Check load output for standard value!"


    "Captain''s orders, initiate preparation for space warp, thirty seconds for energy calibration, check load output for standard value!"


    "Initiating preparations for space warp. Calibrating energy. Load output confirmed at standard value, peaked at 93.23 percent of total output. All energy channels working as intended, slight discharge variation at third energy pool¡­"


    Yao Yuan turned to take one good last look at that swath of blue. His heart was roiling with mixed emotions¡­


    Adieu! Our home sweet home!


    "Initiate¡­ Space warp¡­"

 Chapter 17: The First Warp

    Chapter 17: The First Warp


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Man''s understanding of space warp technology was currently still minimal, or to be exact, approaching nil.


    The capability to move from one physical location to the next without traversing the distance in between nor the passage of time bordered on science fiction for human technology of the time. And yet, it had come into reality in the year 2027.


    Nevertheless, it was not only the technology of space warping that man of the time was unfamiliar with; outer space itself was a grand mystery to man. In the year 2027, man was just beginning to explore the worlds beyond their world. Everything about the mysterious expanse beyond Earth itself was stuff of speculation and myths. With the scientific advancement of the time, man had only managed to step foot upon the moon; we had not even reached Mars. For every thing man knew about space travel, there was much more that was still unknown.


    However, it was supremely clear that space travel was where technology was headed. Due to low mortality rate and dwindling natural resources, space emigration was the next logical step.


    That was why when the technology of space warping landed in human hands, immediate efforts were taken to understanding it and essentially making it work. The creation of Noah One and Two was a result of technological paroxysm that came with that discovery.


    Yet¡­ it has to be said that in the year 2027 there still existed some distance between man and actual space habituation. Even though man could put space warping into application, the theories behind it were still a source of befuddlement to man''s brightest minds. It was akin to how man''s ancestral hominidae would handle a gun. He could somehow figure out it that launches fatal projectiles, but the actual science involved would be lost upon him.


    According to scientists'' understanding at the time, the most possible way to displace an object across space would be through the usage of wormholes. It was speculated that through the creation of stargates, items could be transported through a wormhole from one of its ends to appear out of its other in no time. Of course, this was mere hypothesis; man didn''t have the technology at the time to put this into experimentation or practice.


    However, the technology of space warp was principally unique; it was closer to direct teleportation than talks of wormholes. It completely undermined man''s understanding of basic physics, because essentially you are traveling faster than light, and that was a physical impossibility.


    It should have been a huge honor for Yao Yuan''s crew and the 120000 people onboard Noah Two, because just like the ape with a gun, they were the first ones to have used a technology that was billions of years ahead of their time¡­ but most impressively, they all survived the ordeal.


    For such a historically momentous moment though, most of the people onboard couldn''t feel anything that was particularly different during the warp. Other than those who could see outside the spaceship, most had no idea warping had begun and finished. In fact, after it was over, many were still in pre-warp anxiety. The fact was that space warping was an affair that elapsed in no time; it was not uncommon for most to not have noticed it, because the whole process had taken literally no time.


    Looking outside the windshield, Yao Yuan could no longer spot earth''s blue and green. It was obvious that they were no longer within the solar system. The warp was a huge success with minimal complications.


    After Yao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, he communicated, through the ship''s intercom, "Attention all ship crew: begin check up on all ship parts. Law enforcers, begin patrol; check for possible casualties encountered in the warp and spread the news of warp¡¯s success¡­ Remove the ship''s protective carapace; we need the people to see for themselves the success of the warp to calm their fears."


    Due to his previous training on the space station, Yao Yuan was highly tuned to man''s needs for stability in space. On earth, that would come from the feeling of solid ground under one''s feet. However, now that they were in space, the difference between life and death was separated by a metallic carapace. It would be much harder to muster the same feeling of stability. To prevent fits of a nervous breakdown, Yao Yuan knew that he had to give the people onboard any and all assurance he could. They were all essentially trapped in an enclosed space, so even a small mutiny could be highly problematic.


    This was also the reason why Yao Yuan was adamant to bring more than the recommended 100000 people. There was a physical comfort to being in crowds. The bigger the crowd, the stronger the support one could feel. One could see this reflected in places of mass disasters. People usually thronged together after they had reached safety to seek communal support and comfort. This was also why he had condemned the powerful officials that had left in small-sized spacecrafts, because with such a small size, their morale and consequently their chances of survival would be greatly compromised.


    Noah Two bustled with activity after Yao Yuan issued his orders. Of the one thousand five hundred soldiers, six hundred of them had been previously assigned to sixty patrol units. They started patrolling according to their designated routes on electromobiles that were fitted alongside the ship''s inner rails. The civilians too had heard Yao Yuan''s announcement through the ship''s communication system, so the patrols went smoothly.


    "Captain, the different departments are sending back their initial reports."


    After a beep, a blueprint of Noah Two appeared on the screen before them. The ship''s body was overlaid with about fifteen red-colored lines.


    "Captain, on screen are the energy channels that suffered damages during warp. Of them, channels six, twelve, and thirty-one have received the most damage. Beyond that, the department of energy reported that everything else appears to be working as normal."


    "Reports from the patrols stated that other than a few fainting spells that occurred due to overexcitement, there were no serious cases of injury. Everyone''s accounted for."


    "Reports from the quartermasters stated that all of the stockpiles are accounted for. No further complications¡­"


    The string of reports continued for about ten minutes. Only after every department had reported a lack of incidents did Yao Yuan breathe a sigh of relief. He then ordered, "Dispatch the maintenance crew to begin repairs and maintenance. If there is a need to conduct repairs on the outer part of the spaceship, follow the necessary protocol. Liaise with the security committee before attempting to leave the spaceship."


    "Central communication, connect me to the surveillance committee. Find out our exact location. Triangulate that using our surrounding constellations and star locations. Check for whether we''re still in the Milky Way and whether there''s a planet nearby."


    "Then connect me back to the department of energy. I want a detailed report on the energy expenditure during warp, and calculate from that how many warps we could still attempt. Also, I need a report on our daily energy expenditure as well."


    As Yao Yuan concluded, he turned to realize that the rest of Black Stars had their heads turned towards the room''s left side window. Their attention seemed to be heavily attracted to what was beyond it.


    Yao Yuan followed their line of sight and saw that against the pitch blackness of space was a softly glistening star. Through the distance, it shone in a twinkling luminescence.


    What was truly attention-grabbing though was not the star itself but rather an interstellar entity that was a bit further away. Close enough to be visible to the naked eye, it glowed in an earthy yellow.


    A planet!


    Needless to say, it was to everyone''s astonishment that the warp''s randomized drop would place the spaceship in a location where a planet was temptingly within reach!

 Chapter 18: Planet Ho!

    Chapter 18: Planet Ho!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The cosmos, as per its definition, is an infinite expanse. To equate it with the Milky Way, which quite a number of people aboard Noah Two still did, once again showcased how little the general public at the time knew about space travel. Because the Milky Way, no matter how incomprehensibly big it is, is still infinitely small when taken in comparison with the boundless cosmos.


    Therefore, to have the Noah Two''s first warp land near a galaxy that housed a planet had such a low probability that it was numerically impossible to explicate!


    This simple observation was clear to Yao Yuan''s crew, the many scientists, and even most of the citizens onboard. Even without a deep understanding of space-warping technology and space traveling, the straightforward fact that space warping was a dangerous ordeal was lost on no one.


    Unbeknownst to everyone outside of the close circle of Black Star members as well as the scientists that did the calculations, the department of energy''s initial calibration allowed Noah Two three chances at warping before they ran out of energy. This was a closely guarded piece of information. Not even Zhang Heng knew of this, because they were afraid of the news sending waves of dissent and despair across the masses.


    How else would the public react to knowing they only had three chances, three chances that were each infinitesimally small to succeed?! They knew it was dangerous, but they didn''t need to realize that it was actually also hopeless.


    Nevertheless, perhaps it was the collective prayers of everyone aboard Noah Two that had touched the gods, because somehow, inexplicably, luck had smiled upon them!


    Even Yao Yuan couldn''t remain his usual collected self as he double and triple checked the russet-colored planet before his eyes. He could feel his heart leaping out of his chest.


    He might¡¯ve even allowed himself to cheer aloud in joy, but before he could do so, the rest of Black Stars, including Zhang Heng, had him beaten to the task. After that, through the intercom, they could hear similar outbursts of glee reverberating across Noah Two. It sounded as if the 120000 people aboard were simultaneously cheering for their good fortune, and that might not even have been that far away from the truth.


    A planet meant a chance at landing and subsequently a chance of it being conducive to human survival. Admittedly, the chance was still low overall, but it was already much higher than what they were initially willing to give themselves.


    What was supportive of this optimistic diagnosis was the lack of an asteroid belt around the planet. This signified that the gravity of the planet was stable enough to be free from falling meteor strikes and could sustain an atmosphere. This also allowed the expeditionary crew a better chance at landing. Secondly, even if the surface turned out to be inhospitable for man, what lay at its core could prove invaluable to Noah Two. Based on its size, shape, and color, the planet was most likely a type of terrestrial planet1. The chances of it having radioactive materials like uranium underneath its core were statistically high.


    Noah Two''s store of energy would allow three warps for a number of 120000 passengers. That, however, was a number calculated with Noah Two having three nuclear energy generators. If they could increase the number of generators and replace most of the inner partitions from their current steel to a lighter aluminum, the amount of warps they could do would dramatically increase. A safe prediction would increase the number of warps to the range of hundreds!


    Therefore, even if the planet''s atmosphere didn''t support human life, it would be fine. The year was already 2030; man had advanced far enough technologically to be able to support extended exposure to alien terrain. In fact, Noah Two had enough space suits to allow construction of a mining rig on the planet. With newfangled technology like solarponics2, Noah Two could technically last for about three to five years mining on the planet. After that, Noah Two would have enough energy supply to conduct more instances of space warp, exponentially increasing their chance at survival.


    No matter how one saw it, this planet was a lifesaver!


    "Central communications, relay the order to dispatch all long-distance surveillance devices. Train them all towards that planet closest to us. I want a reading on it in the next twenty-four hours. I need details like its gravity scale, weather patterns, and everything else that''s relevant. Also, broadcast across the ship that we''ve discovered a planet¡­" said Yao Yuan, into the intercom. Even though he tried to cover it, everyone could hear the smile in his voice and that inadvertently lifted the spirits of everyone onboard.


    [Could it be that our prayers were heard? Is there someone still looking out for us? If that''s true¡­ then please don''t abandon us; keep humanity''s last flame alive!]


    One day later¡­


    Jay Wales groggily woke up from his slumber. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the light blue color of a tent''s underbelly. It took him awhile to register his surrounding, to realize that he was¡­ in space, or rather in a spaceship. From whisperings around him, he found out that after the party had left earth, the warp had been successful and now everyone was waiting for the captain''s next series of orders.


    Jay wasn¡¯t a scientist nor a technician. In fact, he had not even attended college. He was furthest from what one would call society''s elite, for he was really a professional con artist. The Harvard education and multiple doctorates that he had presented to the military were all fabrications.


    In a twist of fate, the extra security he acquired a few years ago in a con job had saved his life. It had helped him again into conning a ticket, a VIP ticket at that, into Noah Two.


    Jay readied his bed, put on his clothes and left his tent. He walked right into a bustling crowd, and as the crowd milled around him, Jay couldn''t help but give a self-deprecating laugh at the fact that he too now belonged to this bunch of elites.


    At that moment, a voice lifted from his side. As Jay turned, he found an eighteen to nineteen-year-old girl addressing him in a continuous stream of sibilant sentences.


    Unfamiliar with any language other than his native English, Jay awkwardly replied, to the girl in her mid-sentence, "Can you speak English?"


    Stopped by the sudden request, the girl paused and stared blankly at Jay before resuming, "Oh, I''m sorry. I thought you spoke French. What was your major in university? Never mind, now is not the time for chit chat. What I was saying was, mister, could I bother you to help me fetch a pail of water? I wanted to give my tent a good scrubbing; it has mud splattered all over it from the rain we had before boarding. I wanted to clean it before that, but the time of boarding was suddenly pushed up, so I haven''t gotten the opening to do so."


    [This is why I hate foreign languages¡­]


    Jay smiled in reply. "Of course I am willing to help. But could you tell me, miss, where would I find the nearest washroom? I''ll help you bring back the water you need when I come back."


    The girl stared back at Jay again with her pair of watery eyes. While he waited for an answer, he couldn''t help but notice that the pompous ways this girl carried herself was quite cute.


    "Oh, you must have missed the dinner yesterday night. During dinner, everyone was given a map of the district they were in. Nearby points of interest were all marked on the map. Could it be that you don''t read Chinese? Because the map was all in Chinese and it''s not attached with a translation. That probably means that the authority''s Chinese, huh¡­ Why don''t you wait here for a bit while I go get you the map. I translated the Chinese words on it, but it was to French ¡­"


    [Then what use would I have with it?!¡­]


    Out of chivalry and respect, Jay merely smiled, but as soon as the girl turned around, he breathed a sigh of frustration.


    Some time later, the girl returned with a piece of paper in her hand. As she walked, she was busy scrawling something on it. When she reached Jay, she handed the paper over and then stretched out her hand.


    Jay accepted the map. Based on visual cues and the girl''s hasty translation, which was what she was doing as she walked over, he was able to discern that near their district was a communal bathroom with six shower stalls, four laundry rooms, and further away were two communal canteens, and¡­


    Right then, Jay noticed the girl''s still outstretched hand. Confused by it, he asked, "Don''t you need me to help you fetch water? I''m going, or is there anything else you need?"


    The girl tilted her head and replied, in a serious tone, "What I need is my map back. I''ve helped you with the translation, but it''s still my map, I need it back. It''s because you don''t understand foreign languages that I''m helping you here."


    Jay was silenced by her unassailable logic and thus could only smile dumbly in return¡­


    [THIS IS WHY I HATE FOREIGN LANGUAGES!]


    There were a total of three water supply depots near them: one for drinkable water and two for water for everyday usage. Based on memorization, Jay soon found the location for one of the depots for everyday water. When he arrived, the line was already hundreds of people long, but because everyone was part of an educated crowd, there were no petty acts like line cutting or the like. Also, helping with maintenance of discipline were six soldiers on duty. With arrangements as such, the line moved rather quickly.


    When it was Jay''s turn, he swiped his keycard on the adjacent panel and one of the soldiers handed him a water bucket and said, "Everyone is given only one bucket, so be careful not to lose it. If there''s damage, remember to report to the maintenance committee that will do their rounds every week. Everyone is entitled to two pails of water for everyday use each day, so be economic with your usage. Okay, next."


    Just like that, Jay lugged two pails of water back to his camp¡­ This place was a carnival before, but the attractions had all been removed by the logistics committee to make space for an area housing five thousand plus noncommittal tents, and Jay resided in one of them.


    The girl¡¯s tent was next to Jay¡¯s, and she appeared to be alone and without family. When she saw Jay approaching, she leaped up and ran towards him with a huge smile lighting up her face. As she took over the pails of water, Jay suddenly felt a black curtain dropping before his eyes. Without much warning, he collapsed forward¡­


    He felt a fever burning up within¡­


    As he slipped in and out of consciousness, Jay could viscerally sense the people, the objects, and finally, the spaceship around him melting away as he got jettisoned into space''s enveloping darkness¡­


    It was crushingly lonely, desolate, and unsettling¡­


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Footnotes:


    1.A type of planet, of which our solar system has four, i) the terrestrial planets, eg. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars; ii) gas giants, planets composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, eg. Jupiter and Saturn; iii) ice giants, planets composed mostly of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, eg. Uranus and Neptune; iv) dwarf planet, eg. Pluto.


    A plant cultivation technology using mainly solar energy. The word itself is modeled after hydroponics. It''s a combination of the terms, solar for sun, and ponics for plantation.

 Chapter 19: Landing project and… Dangers abound! (1)

    Chapter 19: Landing project and¡­ Dangers abound! (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In the afternoon after the space warp, many scientists from different fields were taking their lunch breaks at one of the communal cafeterias. The topic of the day was undoubtedly regarding discoveries on the new planet.


    "¡­from satellite photos we can see that the planet has an atmosphere, but it doesn''t appear to support the formation of low and mid cloud layers. This lack of heavy cloud layers coincides with our observation that the planet doesn''t have any aquatic terrain. Even its polar ends don''t seem to carry ice caps. It would appear this planet is similar to Mars, a desert world," said a distinguished-looking old man with silvery head, shuffling captured photos of the planet between bites of braised beef.


    Frowning, the man beside him interjected, "That''s a wild comparison to make. Yes, the planet appears to have a surface that''s as dry as Mars'', but after the photos are enlarged, you can see that the land''s completely covered with what appears to be sand. There is a distinct lack of variations in its crust layers; where are the mountains, highlands, or valleys? There is none because the planet seems to be a sea of sand. That, however, is anomalous with the weather pattern findings since the planet is reported to have an overall mild climate, and there are no reports of it having accelerated wind patterns that would cause severe weathering of its surface into a sea of sand that we''re witnessing here."


    A female scientist from the same table who was enjoying a meal of spaghetti agreed, "Yes, that is indeed very weird. From both geological and meteorological perspectives, this is an impossibility because you would need a constant weathering that lasts at least a few hundred billion years to have everything on a planet''s surface reduced to sand particles. We don''t have an exact number, but the cosmos is definitely much younger than that. Then again, everything we know about basic physics might be incorrect, so our estimate of the cosmos'' age may be way off."


    The woman''s comments caught the attention of another scientist that was passing her table who stopped and openly jeered at her as he retorted, "Why would our knowledge of basic physics be wrong? They are theories that have been tried and retried for thousands of years! How dare you question the integrity of the school of physics! Could you discredit the validity of gravity? Could you¡­"


    "Alright, alright, Silewei, let''s get to our seats. Save your energy for the academic committee discussions. We still have a meeting to catch later at two," said a fifty-something gentleman who appeared beside Silewei, gently nudging the heated physicist away while looking apologetically at the company present.


    "I apologize for my friend here. He''s German, so he tends to get a bit too serious about his passion, which in his case is the study of physics. Again, I apologize."


    After that, he gave a bow and dragged Silewei away, who was still in the middle of his tirade. "Alan, you yourself know how people are looking at physics nowadays. The success of space warping has completely undermined its institution. If this continues, the sanctity of our area of science will¡­"


    As the pair drifted off, the remaining scientists shared a few stiff chuckles. The fact was that academic debates such as the one that had just taken place was already commonplace even before the actual space warp. The presence of such advanced technology found in Noah Two had unhinged most of the academics and their lifelong beliefs in the unassailable logic of scientific inquiry. Faced with a technology that they couldn''t logically dissect, there existed a need to convince others to indirectly convince themselves the validity of their own practices.


    Therefore, arguments such as these were frequent on Noah Two, although the presence of a German accent in these arguments was indeed a bit too common.


    "Let''s get back to where we left off," said the female scientist, hoping to salvage the conversation. "Personally, I believe we need to have an expedient landing on the planet. Only then will we be able to tell why the planet presents such a case of anomaly. It will be such a breakthrough. Just imagine the progress we could make in natural science with the data and knowledge we would gather. Honestly, I cannot wait for the day of landing."


    A young scientist beside her chirped, "I''m afraid the authority would not authorize a landing with such haste. They appear to adhere firmly to rules and protocols. Without much more detailed deliberations, I''m doubtful anyone will land on the planet any time soon. Take the example of district segregation; normal civilians were given no access into the Academy, to which even technical workers and army have to apply for entry. Furthermore, have you seen the community regulations released yesterday? That''s a lot of rules to be followed."


    "It''s better that way!" agreed the older generation of the party in unison, and one of them led in explicating, "The fact that they are strict about rules being kept means that they have a high desire towards protecting and upholding the inviolability of order. Young''un, let me let you in on a secret: if it weren''t for their desire and penchant for order, I wouldn''t have agreed to come. In a time like ours¡­ what we truly need is order. As long as things don''t devolve into chaos, then that''s our greatest blessing."


    With that in mind, everyone present started sharing their experiences before they were relocated to the base. The gloom and helplessness seemed like a lifetime ago. It reminded them of how fortunate they were to have found solace on Noah Two. In an overall mood of thankfulness and contentment, lunch ended and the scientists broke off to their own rooms or designated labs to prepare for the meeting later in the day. It was a meeting to discuss discoveries on the planet.


    Time passed and more and more scientists arrived at the conference room. There were meteorologists, geologists, astrophysicists, chemists, and even pathologists. In fact, any member of the Academy that could contribute to the understanding of the planet were invited to attend. In the end, the conference room was filled to the brim with the attendance of about two hundred people.


    As the clock struck two, a small unit of army agents appeared at the entrance, each of their uniform lapels adorned with a black star-shaped pin. These were agents handpicked by Yao Yuan from the one thousand and five hundred army members. Most of them were special ops members before Earth''s governmental system collapsed. This troop of about eighty in number was specially built to ensure that the scientists and also Zhang Heng were protected as they were important members of Noah Two who were unable to protect themselves.


    The unit instantly proceeded to secure the perimeter of the conference room. A few minutes later, Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen arrived in an electromobile. Because they were men of military and thus unused to decorum at political gatherings, they went directly past the heads of the various scientific committees that had been waiting for their arrival by the door. Without preamble, Yao Yuan directed them to begin, "Let''s get started. We have no time to waste. It is instrumental that we decide today whether it is imperative to proceed with landing. We can''t idle in space forever."


    Back on earth, the few committee leaders, due to their high social standing, were familiar faces at political functions. They expected a certain degree of decorous reception and so were understandably astonished by the social affront.


    However, with sensitivity honed from years of maneuvering social functions, they were quick to realize that they weren''t dealing with politicians but soldiers, so they hastily followed in step behind Yao Yuan. Among them was a sixty-something gentleman who approached Yao Yuan and stated, "Major, I wish to request for permission to unpack a tenth of the sealed seeds. We are no longer in the solar system, and since it''s a completely different interstellar system, we''re dealing with a variation in solar source and light fractals. The changes could cause anomalous growth during germination. To ensure and increase productivity, I would like to conduct a growth experiment on seeds from various produce using one of the ship''s simulated biomes."


    Before they left Earth, Yao Yuan had targeted numerous biologists, genetic engineers, agriculturalists, as well as sociologists as priority rescue targets. He needed their expertise to discuss life skills in space, and one of those was space farming.


    Noah Two was ten kilometers long and several kilometers wide and was about a hundred meters tall. The ship had six levels, and if each level was packed to the brim, Noah Two could fit 500000 people! However, this was impossible because they needed space for supplies, and with that number, space warping would be unattainable due to the enormous energy required.


    Therefore, of the six levels, only the first, second, and third were inhabited by normal civilians. The fourth was the Academy and Workshop while the fifth was the Barracks. The fifth floor was also housing classified and specialized rooms like a metal forge, munitions and weaponry centers, storage for valuable resources like seedlings and animal genes, as well as e-book libraries. The top level was biomes with artificial soil.


    On the sixth level, there was a giant skylight. If Noah Two was in the presence of a blazing star, it could allow light exposure. Through air filtration and gravity manipulation devices, it could support biomes of different types and thus the farming of produce to sustain about 100000 people was entirely possible. After the biomes had stabilized, they could even facilitate animal husbandry through genetic reconstruction of animals like cattle, hogs, and sheep. These were all measures that had been put into place after suggestions from these experts.


    The committee leader''s request caught Yao Yuan mid-stride. Yao Yuan took a brief minute to consider his answer before resuming the journey to the podium. While walking, he replied, "One tenth of the total is too much. We still have no information on the star of this system; it might cause irreparable mutation or damage to the seeds, so the risk is too high¡­ but food is a big issue. We can''t rely on frozen food or rations for a prolonged period¡­ Okay, I''ll permit you to use five percent of the seeds, and a biome area of corresponding size."


    The biologist was instantly gladdened by the news and profusely thanked Yao Yuan by promising to provide a constant report on the seeds'' condition. Other committee heads saw how one of their colleagues had managed to finagle an advantage, and in the spirit of competition, they too wanted to rush ahead to issue Yao Yuan with their own proposals. However, seeing as the podium was already only a few steps away, they had to return disappointedly to their seats.


    With Yao Yuan at the podium and Guang Zhen at the front row, Yao Yuan started his speech. "Ladies and gentlemen, I''ll be frank. We don''t have the luxury of time. Every minute we spend in space, we''re spending an enormous amount of resources to maintain the air and water filtration as well as gravity manipulation systems, so let''s get to business. The agenda of this meeting I believe has been delivered beforehand to everyone present¡­


    There''s a planet not far from our current location. Based on calculations, it will take a month and five days for Noah Two to reach it. Now, I will open the floor for everyone to debate their findings and hopefully by the end settle on a conclusion¡­


    On whether or not we are landing on this planet!"

 Chapter 20: Landing project and… Dangers abound! (2)

    Chapter 20: Landing project and¡­ Dangers abound! (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It was the afternoon of the meeting¡­


    And Zhang Heng was noticeably absent. The reality was that other than Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen, the rest of the Black Stars were exempted from attendance. While the meeting was underway, they were at the fifth-floor gymnasium and shooting range training their marksmanship and close combat skills. Zhang Heng once more was the exception here due to the recent injuries he had suffered. Hence that fateful afternoon, he had his schedule wide open.


    It was then too that Zhang Heng realized how much power his title of sergeant carried. He had spent the whole day marveling at the amount of benefits a simple title could confer.


    Noah Two had a total of six levels. The civilians were limited to the lower three levels and their own designated campgrounds. Trespassers and violators would be warned and repeated offenders would be arrested.


    Limitation for scientists and technicians were looser; they could technically roam freely between levels one to four, but due to safety measures, whenever they wanted to leave level four, which was the Academy and Workshop, they needed attending guards. And since there were only one thousand and five hundred soldiers available, requests for descent into the civilian''s campgrounds weren''t issued and passed often. Things were similar when they had the desire to ascend to the fifth level in that requests were required, though direct access was given if they were members of specialized units that had their laboratories or places of work at that level.


    The military was allowed free access to all areas except the sixth floor, which was restricted to only the leading officials of the three districts. Nevertheless, due to a limited number of soldiers, the military normally was assigned to guard or patrol duty and weren''t free to wander around Noah Two.


    Zhang Heng, as an extended member of the Black Star Unit, was granted unrestrained access to all areas within Noah Two. Due to his unique position as a relatively non-combative member of the technical community, he was also always accompanied by two selected black-star guards1 whenever he stepped out of level five, and it certainly didn''t hurt that the pair that was assigned to him were two drop dead gorgeous women.


    Zhang Heng was secretly gratified by the special treatment, but he wasn''t supercilious enough to let his feelings show on his face. As he patrolled the third level residential campgrounds, he was heartened to notice the undercurrent of order that presided over the ostentatious hustle and bustle. The gloom that had initially settled over the Tennessean base had all but dispersed and it had been replaced by a sense of camaraderie and jollity. Even though they were originally from different cultural backgrounds, the people seemed to slowly settle into the realization that they had entered a new era, a more hopeful era, with their newfound neighbors.


    As Zhang Heng made his rounds, he passed by a group that was made up of a few Chinese families. They were discussing the issue of ration portions. They were in agreement that having the ration be portioned out according to body sizes was fair since there were few bulky individuals that survived the ordeal long enough to get on the Noah Two. This prevented unnecessary wastage.


    From the way the group members addressed each other, it appeared that they were neighbors since before the world fell apart. Their discussion continued on the topic of rations but it had moved on to the issue of excess. Because the families still had elders and children, they would end up with leftovers almost daily. They were discussing ways to deal with the wastage.


    "Maybe the government could release a form of currency," offered a slightly paunchy young man. "Do hear me out; I''m an economics student. Currently, the ship has about 120000 people; it''s a veritable city-state. The rationing system the government is currently adopting could only work short-term. Its issues of wastage and disorganization aside, if this continues long term, the biggest negative impact it will have is its psychological implication. One or two years down the road, this system is bound to breed negligence and exhaustion. Just take a look at the soldiers who have food and water dissemination duties; even though they have a better housing situation on the fifth level, compared to everyone else on that level, their workload is ridiculous. They have to be on duty twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. Now everything''s still okay because everyone''s still in their initial high, but as time passes, this can''t be good for their morale."


    A nearby middle-aged man who had in one hand his young daughter and in another his wife chipped in. "That is true¡­ We''re essentially trapped in space; there''s nothing around to threaten us other than the evil in people''s hearts, especially those armed forces¡­ We''ve experienced ourselves how quickly power corrupts and how easily these people who were supposed to protect us could turn on us¡­ But thankfully, the government of this spaceship has shown themselves to be trustworthy2."


    The rest of the group sighed in agreement.


    Zhang Heng was incredibly shaken up by what he overheard. Before this, he was merely a guileless teen. Thanks to his father''s position as a government official, all he knew were his women and his electronic toys. He was completely insensitive to the undertows of societal rules and norms. Therefore, the more he listened to this group of people, the more he bought into their agenda that people around him could prove him harm. Unconsciously, he stole a glance at the two guards behind him and they appeared unaffected. They seemed to be busy keeping watch over their surroundings.


    This made Zhang Heng even more paranoid, suspicious of their insouciance being a front to mask the fact that they could understand Mandarin and were plotting some insidious plan to undermine the safety of Noah Two. This paranoia combined with his existing injuries assaulted his sense of wellbeing. Feeling suddenly dwarfed by the surrounding cosmos, feelings of anxiety, consternation, loneliness, and fear flooded his mind.


    His vision blurred and before he collapsed under the extreme duress, he felt a sensation of heat surge through his body¡­


    As he faded out of consciousness, he tumbled into a chasm of dread and disquietude.


    Back in the conference room, the discussion was well underway.


    "From our observations thus far, this planet''s surface is an expanding desert terrain. Okay, I can see that a few of the meteorologists are already raring to interject. I know the planet''s weather patterns aren''t tempestuous enough to support this observation, but I''m not here to debate that. I''m just relaying a fact¡­"


    The current speaker was the geology academic committee''s director. He was a strapping man in his forties who looked more like a boxer than a geologist due to the way he was built. Nevertheless, it was this incongruity that had often impressed others when they realized he held such high regard within the scientific community.


    He continued, "As I was saying, the planet''s a giant desert. We were unable to spot any water sources from our telescopes. Weirdly enough, other geological structures like bluffs, ridges, plateaus, and hills were also absent. Furthermore, I would like to add that this condition is not caused by natural desertification. Based on the findings of the astronomical committee that was released this afternoon, it was shown that this planet''s age is similar to Earth''s. In other words, this means that its timeline''s not sufficient enough to support desertification. All of these facts led my committee to come up with a conclusion¡­


    This planet''s atmosphere contains corrosive elements that will erode everything that comes into contact with it! That''s the only explanation for the degree of dehydration and sandification that we''re seeing on its surface! If we are to insist on landing, it will be akin to us willingly jumping into an acid pool! Such foolishness!"


    What followed such a shocking announcement were claims of confusion and stupefaction. Amidst the uproars, the man took a silent bow and retreated from the podium, leaving behind a strepitous conference hall.


    Frowning, Yao Yuan turned to the director of the meteorological committee who was scheduled to speak next. However, the female head meteorologist was engaged in a heated consultation with the rest of her committee. It wouldn''t be any time soon that she would take the podium. Without a choice, Yao Yuan took to the stage. What he was hoping to do then was at least temporarily palliate the uneasiness and tumult brought upon by the chief geologist''s announcement. Its validity aside, he knew that what Noah Two needed then was a confirmation of hope. They had been surviving on hope for so long that to have it violently extinguished would send a rippling, irreparable, psychological strain throughout the whole of Noah Two¡­


    A successful landing would rekindle much hope for their community! Despite its possible dangers, the landing must proceed! That was his decision!


    As Yao Yuan stepped towards the podium, he snuck a look outside the window beside him. The darkness that greeted him sent a chill down his spine¡­


    [Space is such a dangerous place; once man steps out of the protection of the spaceship, he''s as vulnerable as he could possibly be¡­ What''s truly frightening is that despite its size, the cosmos feels like a soul-crushing cage. It traps one with its infinite size. Since it''s infinitely huge, there will never be a way out¡­]


    Right then, a few soldiers dashed into the conference room. Disregarding the curious stares of the scientists, they rushed ahead to Yao Yuan''s side where one of them detached to whisper something in Yao Yuan''s ear. The scientist nearest to them managed to catch a snippet of the conversation, it sounded like, "...seventy-three people, including twelve black¡­"


    Yao Yuan''s facial expression dropped for a few seconds before returning to normal as he was being relayed the report. In a low voice, he issued his orders back to the attending soldier before waving Guang Zhen over.


    Guang Zhen, who was already on alert when the soldiers rushed in, quickly jogged to join Yao Yuan. Lowering his volume, he hissed, "What''s happening? You don''t look too good. Is there a problem of riot?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "No, I suspect the ship''s exposed to some kind of unknown virus. Every Black Star except you and me are infected and are running high fevers; even Zhang Heng was not spared. I suspect Ning Bo Tao might have released a biohazard when we were in the police station. Currently, within Noah Two, there are seventy-three people that are running high temperatures. They need to be quarantined immediately. Ol'' Wong, now you must¡­" right then, Yao Yuan saw black ink blots bursting before his eyes. Concentrating his immense focus, he steeled himself through the vertiginous sensation. As the feeling passed, he felt a chilling fear caress his heart, and he hastily continued, "I think I may be infected too. To be safe, quarantine me as well. In the meantime, Ol'' Wong, I want you to secure the mili¡­"


    Before he could finish, Yao Yuan felt darkness claim him. As he fell into it, he could hear cries of shock and turmoil erupting around him.


    Within the fuzzy darkness, despite still sharing a concrete link to his corporeal body, all Yao Yuan could feel was an eerie desolation overloading his senses¡­


    It was as if his spirit had been plucked out of his body and dropped into an empty void. After a while though, Yao Yuan could see the darkness that was enveloping him receding as wisps of light started emanating from within his own self. As the area around him brightened, he noticed other effervescent orbs of varying brightnesses floating around his periphery. There were seventy-three orbs in total and he was the brightest and biggest of them all¡­


    ______________________________________________________________________________


    Footnotes:


    1. Members of the eighty-something unit that Yao Yuan hand-picked. They wear a black-star pin.


    2. The original text was "at least the government''s Chinese". Efforts have been made to filter out the nationalist sentiment.

 Chapter 21: The Awakening!

    Chapter 21: The Awakening!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Contrary to before, Yao Yuan felt submerged in a pool of tranquility.


    He was still completely conscious of the fact that nothing had changed. He was still aware that man was dealing with technology that was at least one thousand years ahead of their time!


    Things could have so easily been catastrophic because his operation had forced man into survival within a space in which man¡¯s knowledge had no handle over. After all, their understanding of the cosmos at this time was only elementary, or even juvenile and erroneous. The margin for disaster was disproportionately high and so was its corresponding sense of anxiety.


    To borrow an analogy, imagine an action movie scene where the hero is trapped inside a room where the water level is slowly rising and the hero¡¯s only way out is to wait for his teammate to come to his rescue[1]. Just imagine the hero¡¯s feelings of consternation as the room fills up and his fear regarding when and if help will ever come!


    Everyone on the Noah Two was in that water-logged room, but their fear could have been even more intense! At least while the water was rising, there was a moment to make peace with one¡¯s eventual drowning, but in space, there was no telling what might be waiting to strike next! And often times, the most fear-inducing thing was the unknown¡­


    Since the plan had started in that shop basement, Yao Yuan had been telling himself to not be afraid. This was something he had repeated time and time again many years ago to her. He would never be afraid again because he was determined to be brave on her behalf¡­


    However, when they were actually in space, as the captain of the Noah Two, having the lives of 120000 people on his shoulders had barely given him any chance to breath. Ever since they had secured the Noah Two, Yao Yuan had been thrown into a continuous rotation of responsibilities such as conferences with scientists, strategy meetings with military officials, supply allotment discussions, and maintenance to managerial obligations, not to mention maneuvering the barbed situation that was interpersonal relationships. He did all of this while maintaining four hours of daily sleep¡­


    Each of these responsibilities carried a heavy load. Combining all of it, the pressure would have been emotionally and psychologically staggering. If it were somebody other than Yao Yuan, the individual would have been crushed!


    Yao Yuan, despite all odds, endured because 120000 wasn¡¯t just a number; it represented his mates, his promises, and his dreams, but most importantly, it represented the last hope for humanity¡­


    From the other Black Stars¡¯ perspectives, Yao Yuan was a calm, collected, trustworthy, fair, and acute superior as well as a friend. With him on the battlefield, every challenge would eventually be overcome¡­ However, what they failed to realize was that at the end of the day, Yao Yuan was a man, a man with his own insecurities and fears, but because he was the face of leadership for 120000 attendees, he had to maintain a persona! A persona that exuded confidence and steadfastness, a sigil for hope and survival!


    Therefore, Yao Yuan had to conceal his mounting dread and anxiety to keep them away from the public front. For the sake of humanity, these insecurities would forever remain in his personal collection for his eyes only¡­


    That was until he found himself floating within that starry landscape made up of seventy-three fluorescent light sources. While he was unable to measure his distance from them, he knew subconsciously that if he were to reach out, they would be within reach¡­


    That proximity though was a gap that, try as he might, Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t cross. There wasn¡¯t a physical connection, but the emotional link was strong. Yao Yuan could vicariously feel the emotions that the others were experiencing and he found that the ones most reflected in him were the feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and abandonment.


    As the link became more pronounced though, these negative sensations were slowly eroded. While initially each of the stars shone in their own pockets of darkness, they gradually refracted and reflected off of each other until they were finally shining in a dazzling crescendo. Even without verbal communication, a shared experience was formed and the loneliness was washed away by a torrent of serenity. Yao Yuan felt protected and peaceful like a child in his mother¡¯s arms and he was lulled into a deep, restful slumber.


    When Yao Yuan awoke, he found himself surrounded by people in hazmat suits, some of them writing on their clipboards. Unhurriedly, Yao Yuan surveyed his surroundings. He was in a small, enclosed room with sparse furnishing which he identified as one of the Noah Two¡¯s isolation chambers.


    He also realized that all over his body were needles connected to various graphs as well as a drip. He could see that beyond the closed door was a sterilization pathway, but that was as far as he could see. He was unsure whether there were guards beyond it, but he could somehow tell that four black-star guards were on duty there. And from the lack of commotion, it would seem Ol¡¯ Wong had the Noah Two under control.


    Yao Yuan slowly arose unto a seated position. His sudden movements shocked the attending agents so much that they jumped back several steps. Yao Yuan regarded them silently. Unloosing his sore body, he asked, "How long has it been since I fainted?"


    The initial shock of these hazmat-wearing personnel was quickly crested over by excitement. They frantically talked over each other through the suits¡¯ communication channel, and it was only after a few seconds of such frantic exchange that they cooled down and the leading young man reported,


    "Major has been unconscious for twenty four hours. Within that timeframe, the authority has been busy applying Major¡¯s order for quarantine. So far, three hundred and ninety-two people, including you, Major, have been quarantined, but¡­" The man hesitated.


    Yao Yuan urged, "But what? Has something bad happened? Continue with your report."


    After giving it some consideration, the man resumed, "Because the news of a virus came too suddenly and because of the need to organize a quarantine task force, we were seriously understaffed. Therefore, Lieutenant Wong had to issue martial law. Diagnostic outposts have been erected within the more populated areas, meaning the lowest three levels and the residential campgrounds, for the past two days. The increased security and precautions have people worried."


    Hearing that, Yao Yuan felt like a load had been taken off. The situation was much better than he anticipated. It was, in his mind, probably the best possible outcome.


    The issuing of martial law and general apprehension were acceptable; those could be rectified if given some effort and time. What he was afraid of was a riot because they weren¡¯t on earth, they were inside a spaceship, a highly pressurized and volatile enclosure. If there were riots, and especially army instigated riots, things would have easily spiraled out of control. No one would be able to contain the destruction. Therefore, everything was indeed better than expected!


    "And how is my body¡¯s condition? Has there been a diagnosis on the contagion?" asked Yao Yuan.


    Flipping through his clipboard, the man answered, "Of the three hundred and ninety-two people who were quarantined, forty-three were fatal. The rest are still in coma. Major is the first one to have awakened. And so, with Major¡¯s permission, we would like to conduct more tests on your body, but regarding the contagion¡­ that¡¯s the weird part. We are unable to locate one. From tests conducted on all the patients, none of them had or carried any unknown virus. The reports all state that they are in fit physical condition. There is no explanation as to why they are in a feverish coma. All of the medicine that was issued appeared to have no noticeable effect. I¡¯m sorry to report this, but Major, we were unable to identify any pathogen."


    After that, the man gave Yao Yuan a deep bow. This familiar posture made Yao Yuan¡¯s grimace turn into a frown, but the frown lasted only a moment; before anyone had noticed it, it was gone.


    "Your report was incredibly detailed. Are you the director for the pathology committee?" Yao Yuan asked casually.


    The man deferentially replied, "I¡¯m Mitsuda Saburo, and I am indeed the lead pathologist. But this ordeal has been ignominious; I have failed to identify the pathogen and to issue the necessary treatment. After this operation is over, I¡¯ll voluntarily hand in my resignation because I¡¯ve failed as the director of this committee."


    A lot of things passed through Yao Yuan¡¯s mind right then. Although he had issued the order to select Asians to form the majority of Noah Two¡¯s civilian base, to be fair, he had not limited it to only Chinese. They had also included the Japanese and Koreans. The fact that the three countries these nationals were from were also the most advanced Asian countries was a lucky happenstance and an easy excuse for him to skim over survivors from countries like India and Indonesia, whose citizens couldn¡¯t provide an equal level of sophistication and refinement.


    Other than important committees like the committee of astrophysics, physics, chemistry, and biology, whose directors were handpicked by Yao Yuan, the leaders for the rest of the committees were nominated and selected by each respective group. Yao Yuan already had so many responsibilities in his hands that he didn¡¯t have the time to delve into such politics. In any case, the directors of these committees had to have track records that would be convincing enough to satisfy the rest of their colleagues. That was why Yao Yuan didn¡¯t expect this Japanese man before him to actually be the lead pathologist. He didn¡¯t foresee that the arrogant Caucasian pathologists would be willing to swallow their pride to appoint a Japanese leader. To be able to force them to do just that, this Japanese pathologist must have been mighty impressive at his work.


    "That is unnecessary. You can remain as the director since none of the other pathologists could find the contagion either. It¡¯s not fair to let you alone shoulder the responsibility." Mid speech, Yao Yuan moved into a more comfortable position. "Okay, now your team can start with the body tests, and remember to conduct a biochemical analysis as well. Also, could you contact Lieutenant Wong? Tell him, I need to speak with him."


    While one of the team members left to grab Guang Zhen, the rest carried on with their tests. After a few minutes, Guang Zhen¡¯s voice came through the room¡¯s intercom. "Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n¡­ I mean, Major Yao Yuan. Wong Guang Zhen standing at duty!"


    While he kept his body still for the pathologists to do their job, Yao Yuan replied, "Lieutenant Wong, until I¡¯m released from quarantine, you will continue as acting captain. And I have three orders: first, terminate the martial law as it¡¯s no longer necessary; second, connect me to central communications for I wish to address the whole of Noah Two after the tests in here are completed; third, order all navigation departments to chart the way toward that planet but move at a speed with the lowest possible energy consumption¡­"


    "That¡¯s all, over."


    [1] The original analogy was a man trapped inside a room thrown into a lava pit. The anxiety coming from the unknowable moment the walls will be melted by lava. I did the change because I don¡¯t think any known material on earth that could be constructed into a room could be thrown into lava and survive more than 1 minute. Swapping it retains the original meaning, but personally I think this is more logical.

 Chapter 22: STABILIZATION AND… THE LANDING PARTY!

    Chapter 22: STABILIZATION AND¡­ THE LANDING PARTY!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Yao Yuan¡¯s physical exam ended quickly, but it would still be some time before he could get the results. In the meantime, the full-ship broadcast that he requested had been prepared.


    After a few repeated rehearsals of his main points, he leaned forward towards the communication device they had given him and said, in clear English, "Good afternoon, this is Major Yao Yuan, the captain of this ship.


    I¡¯m so sorry, but everyone must have been incredibly worried for the past two days. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude, yes, gratitude, not an apology. To be clear, an emergency incident occurred in the past two days: a sudden outbreak of fever and fainting. We suspected a biohazard attack and hence acting captain Wong issued martial law.


    It might have been too harsh or rash, but it¡¯s our responsibility as captains to keep everyone on board safe. Without quarantine and martial law, the virus could have easily spread and befallen even more people. And hence, I do not feel that Lieutenant Wong or myself owe anyone an apology for that.


    What we do owe everyone though is a thank you because the emergency quarantine and martial law couldn¡¯t have been so successfully implemented without cooperation from everyone. This inhibition must have obstructed personal conveniences, and for everyone¡¯s willingness to bear with that, I would like to once again express my immense gratitude."


    Yao Yuan took some pause to review his thoughts and continued, "Indeed, you have not heard wrongly; the martial law was issued by the acting captain because I am also one of the people that have been diagnosed with the symptoms, so I am currently in quarantine. Therefore, if you have a friend or family member that has showcased the relevant symptoms, for his safety and ours, please contact the nearest standing officers. This is a matter of life and death, and he or she needs immediate medical attention. Even I am in quarantine, so do not worry, this will be not a death panel.


    It is easy to say not to worry but hard to practice; I know because I too need to convince myself of that every single day. Every time I pass by the window, I run into complete darkness instead of the trees, clouds, sky, mountains, or sea that I expect to greet me, and then I feel the claw of anxiety slowly reaching towards me¡­


    However!" and Yao Yuan rallied in tone, "do not surrender to despair! Even if there are only 120000 of us left, even if everywhere we turn is an empty space, do not lose hope and do not give in! Because we are the only hope left to light the pathway for the future of humanity!


    Everyone on this ship, no matter whether you¡¯re a scientist, a technician, a soldier, or a normal office worker, even if you¡¯re a felon or conman, it doesn¡¯t matter! Because that¡¯s the past. Ever since you stepped onto this ship, there¡¯s only one way left and that¡¯s forward! So do not lose hope and soldier on! For our future, we shall unite, persevere, and survive!


    And so, starting tomorrow, the martial law will be rescinded, so do adhere back to your everyday schedule. Within the next month, we plan to launch by stages public emporiums and piazzas. There will be simple entertainment amenities, computer centers where everyone will be given daily access to one hour of internet service, as well as public baths where the shower limit will be increased from the current once per three days to once per two days. Everyone will also be given the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing bath once per week. Within the next three to six months, we will roll out rudimentary systems of civility. Things like trading posts with currency, a better merit system that rewards hard work with better entertainment and relaxation quotas, promotions, and also the chance to visit the sixth floor biomes to gain contact with nature¡­"


    After Yao Yuan charted out his plans for the future, he concluded it with, "I would like our future to be full of hope with achievable targets and goals. So do not lose hope; keep it alive not just for yourself but for the next generation. Of the 120000 people, there are about 10000 children, and they need us to not give in! Think of them because they are our future!


    Within the next six months, we will also roll out an employment plan that will be bracketed according to expertise and specialization. There will be occupations like teachers, artists, and social workers. And also, within the next month, the government will recruit an additional one thousand and five hundred military units. Of those one thousand and five hundred spots, one thousand and two hundred will be limited to males from the ages of eighteen to twenty eight while the remaining three hundred spots will be for specialists like nurses and doctors. The point is to not be worried about unemployment. This is a spaceship; the government is self-serving and the people are free to select the job they prefer. Salary will be stratified according to contribution and workload. Commitment and dedication will lead to promotion and eventual migration into residential districts where there will be no more camping but actual home units with individual rooms, bathrooms, and kitchen.


    Therefore, do not lose sight of your future! Let¡¯s work together and we will face every coming challenge head on!"


    Yao Yuan ceased communications. After going over his speech, he confirmed that he had expressed both of the points he wanted to. One was to provide explanation for the declaration of martial law and two was to elaborate his future plans for life on the Noah Two. Without any political experience, he believed he had done the best he could.


    "Hmm, hopefully this crisis we¡¯re having will be successfully overcome. Nevertheless, it has been said that people unite in the face of crisis. Hopefully, by rallying through this ordeal, the lingering feeling of xenophobia and anxiety within the people could be extinguished. Hope, to not lose sight of hope is indeed what we need¡­" Yao Yuan murmured silently to himself, before finally noticing the pathologists beside him. Addressing them, he said, "Then I will leave this in your hands. Please finish my analysis report as soon as possible and be firm about quarantine procedure. Even if the report comes back with nothing worrying, inject my blood into other animals. If they come out healthy, the quarantine may be lifted in a month.


    And in a month¡­ we will have almost reached that planet¡­ I guess we¡¯ll see how things go from there. Until then¡­" Yao Yuan let a yawn escape. Lowering himself down into a more comfortable position, Yao Yuan, tired from all the tests and the speech, slipped into a slumber before he could continue.


    The ambience within the Noah Two noticeably lightened after Yao Yuan¡¯s speech. In fact, it was quite possibly the best it had ever been since they took flight. During the period of martial law, the people had found the restrictions to be comforting as a counterbalancing salve to the months of suffering under chaos. Even though it was quite restrictive to their freedom, it was done in the name of their safety, and since their greatest worry was having anarchy replicated on Noah Two, it had a palliative effect on their overall feeling of anxiety. As the inner workings of the Noah Two slowly reverted to normal, so did their well-being.


    Furthermore, it was indeed as Yao Yuan had predicted; a sense of hope was often more important than anything else. What Yao Yuan had promised them was a hopeful future, and that had smoothed over most wounds.


    And time rolled by in the continuing period of normalcy¡­


    After the initial scare of heightened fever, the Black Stars woke up one by one. This was followed by Zhang Heng and another eighty plus civilians. Of the total five hundred plus that had fallen to the fevered delirium, only one hundred and two survived, and this included every member of the Black Star Unit with the exception of Guang Zhen. The mortality rate was over eighty percent. What was curious though was that there were no traces of virus residue from the patients¡¯ bodies and the survivors had neither lingering symptoms nor contractive properties.


    The virus came and left without notice, carrying with it over four hundred lives and leaving behind only one message¡­ the cosmos was much more dangerous and mysterious than man could ever fathom.


    There were speculations of galactic radiation, side effects of space warp, and even a new species of atom-sized virus, but without actual proof, these theories went nowhere. Furthermore, none of the surviving hundred and two people had relapsed.


    In Noah Two¡¯s electronic flight log, this period was marked under the incident of Virus X, a virus whose effect will remain latent until much later. Until then, what Virus X had brought was the awareness of the backwardness of mankind¡¯s medical science that it would allow a more than eighty percent fatality rate.


    As Zhang Heng exited the sterilization area, he took a deep breath. Even though every area within the Noah Two was connected by its air filters, Zhang Heng couldn¡¯t help but feel that the air outside was much fresher compared to the air in the quarantine chamber. To have to spend his every waking hour within that small enclosure for one whole month was a real torture for him¡­ a torture one hundred, no, one thousand times worse than his rehab. At least during rehab, he had a target to work towards, but this past month had been him staring blankly at the wall. The boredom was mind-shattering.


    As he turned around, before him stood a few members of the Black Star Unit. They were all looking at Zhang Heng with machiavellian grins. Zhang Heng shrugged off the feeling of being scrutinized before realizing that beside them stood three gorgeous ladies. There were the mousy Mao Miao, the voluptuous Ning Xue, and Bo Li, who was striding towards him with her eyes glued to the pages of her book.


    Isolated from human contact for so long, Zhang Heng was flustered as he tried to think of an appropriate greeting. Scratching his head, he uttered, "Sorry for leaving you guys waiting. I was acting a bit stupid there because the quarantine was so long¡­"


    Before he could continue though, Bo Li stopped before him, saying, "¡­Okay, then goodbye. I¡¯m going back." Without taking her eyes off her book, she made a turn to leave.


    Before she could get away though, Ning Xue grabbed hold of her and swiveled her back to face Zhang Heng. Demurely smiling, Ning Xue then said, "I¡¯m sorry, she has always been like this. Some days ago, she even locked herself in her room for five days straight. God knows when she went to the canteen for food. She¡¯s probably addicted to those books of hers¡­ Anyway, Zhang Heng, we¡¯re here to thank you in person for taking such good care of us. It¡¯s because of your intervention that we were allowed the rooms on the fifth floor. We later found out that civilians are limited to tents in the lower three floors, so¡­ thank you very much."


    Mao Miao, who was cowering beside her, also added, "Zhang¡­ Zhang Heng, thank you¡­" After that, the red-faced Mao Miao went back into hiding behind Ning Xue.


    Unsure of his required response, Zhang Heng continued scratching his head. Ebon sidled over and clapped his gigantic hand on Zhang Heng¡¯s shoulder. In a roaring laugh, he said, "Still a player, I see! Your reputation does serve you justice!"


    That made Zhang Heng even more awkward, but what Ebon said next caused his heart to skip a beat and the smile on his face freeze.


    "Captain¡¯s orders: Zhang Heng will be promoted to the rank of lieutenant and will be officially joining the Black Star Unit as a computer technician. Effective immediately!"


    Subconsciously, Zhang Heng stood at ready and yelled, "Sir, yes, sir!"


    Ebon though started laughing again. "Okay, okay, there¡¯s no need for that. Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n¡¯s not here anyway¡­ In any case, Zhang Heng, you have to undergo intensive firearms training. You have five days to at least master how to handle a pistol."


    Zhang Heng curiously asked, "Why? Why is there a five day limit?"


    "Because Cap¡¯n has decided to dispatch the first landing party in five days. We, the Black Stars, will be leading man¡¯s first expeditionary platoon onto an alien planet!"

 Chapter 23: THE FALL

    Chapter 23: THE FALL


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    "Entering the planet¡¯s third orbital track in thirty seconds. Counting down, twenty-nine, twenty-eight, twenty-seven¡­"


    After one month and eight days of slow propulsion through space, at about eleven A.M, the Hope was finally entering the desert planet¡¯s orbital track. Within the next thirty seconds, the ship would be touching the planet¡¯s atmospheric layer.


    The Hope was actually the Noah Two. It was what the people started referring to the spaceship as after Yao Yuan¡¯s uplifting speech. After a while, the moniker even spread across the authority. It wasn¡¯t before long that it officially replaced the name Noah Two.


    The desert planet was the only interstellar entity within the Hope¡¯s reach. According to multiple reports, the planet appeared to have an ozone layer and a physical surface fully covered by amber sand. Its mass was 0.007 percent greater than Earth¡¯s. Its size wasn¡¯t great, and it seemed to have a gravitational pull similar to that of Earth¡¯s.


    However, the planet had a fast rotation with regards to both itself and its sun. A day on this planet was sixteen hours long and a year was equal to two hundred and seventy days on Earth.


    Further reports also revealed that the surface temperature during the planet¡¯s day would be around fifty degrees Celsius while dropping to under ten degree Celsius when night fell. The night-and-day temperature difference was extreme, but it was still within mankind¡¯s acceptable range.


    The Hope¡¯s team of astronomers and astrophysicists had spent much effort and time calculating and recalculating the planet¡¯s data because this might be the location where the Hope will spend its next few years. Other than information that needed actual contact to be calibrated, like ozone and surface components as well as its flora and fauna, everything else about the planet was tallied and measured.


    The results of all these analyses, with the exception of reports on the planet¡¯s weather patterns, pointed towards a safe landing. Its balmy weather was a dangerous anomaly because it didn''t explain the extremely desertified planet surface. A month of observation showed no traces of natural disasters. Of course, due to the sandy nature of the planet¡¯s surface, they would still need to care for the possibility of quicksand and sand traps. These dangers depended on the level of solidity of the surface, so it was a risk that couldn''t be calculated unless they were on the planet itself.


    "Because we are unable to ascertain the planet¡¯s atmospheric and geological structures, it will be too much of a risk to attempt a direct landing of the Hope. Therefore, we need to first deploy an expeditionary unit for initial inspection. This scouting party will be taking a mini-shuttle to the planet," said Yao Yuan, addressing the four men before him. They were Ying, Ebon, and Liu Bai, who were senior members of the Black Star Unit, as well as its newest recruit, Zhang Heng. The four were going to be leading the ship¡¯s first planetary landing party which was made up of twenty elite agents and eight scientists.


    "There are only three of these shuttles within the Hope. These spacecrafts are unique because they can channel sufficient velocity to pierce through a planet¡¯s atmosphere within a short timeframe both when entering it and leaving it. Equipped with an anti-gravitational system, they can support eighteen hours of continuous flight. With our current technology and materials¡­ we are still unable to manufacture these kinds of shuttles, so each one of them is incredibly valuable. As the first landing party, you guys will be taking one," explained Yao Yuan. Next he turned to address his own men one by one. "Now I want to explain why I¡¯ve selected the four of you to lead this crucial party. Ying, you¡¯re the most clear-headed of all the Black Stars, myself included. So, in cases of emergency and/or if communications are cut off, I want you to take charge and use your experience and analytical mind to lead everyone back to safety. Ebon, your role is to support Ying when necessary and to be the commander to the twenty elite soldiers. Xiao Bai, you¡¯re naturally the team¡¯s medic, but you¡¯ll also be acting as the lieutenant that supports Ebon. Lastly, Zhang Heng, you must be curious as to why I¡¯ve scripted you into this party. The reason¡¯s simple: because your computer skill is the best among everyone aboard this ship." Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t help but feel gladdened at his serendipitous encounter with Zhang Heng. The young hacker had helped them acquire the spaceship and now was yet another valuable asset to the Black Star Unit.


    "Zhang Heng, I¡¯ll be honest with you. Within this past month, we have collated a proficiency chart by reviewing everyone onboard. We could refer to this chart to easily identify the best and brightest among the different communities so that when issues arise, we could locate the necessary individuals in no time. For example, for questions about aerospace engineering, we have quite a few rocket scientists to refer to and we have engineers and technicians for welding and molding of ship parts, but guess who¡¯s at the top of the list for computer proficiency. It¡¯s none other than yourself, and that¡¯s why you are instrumental to the success of this expedition. In fact, your role might be the most important.


    Within the shuttle, there¡¯s a multi-frequency communicator. It¡¯s a future-tech product that was probably created alongside the space warp system. Even through all sorts of environmental disturbances, be it electromagnetic or locational suppression, it will recalibrate itself to locate the frequencies needed to maintain a stable communications channel with the Hope. There is, however, a catch; the device is encrypted. The encryption is written into the communicator¡¯s programming, so it can¡¯t be removed. Even though its defense was heavily weakened when the government bombarded the ship with viruses to achieve entry, gaining full access over it is still troublesome because it will reconstruct a different encrypted firewall every ten minutes. That¡¯s the device¡¯s fatal flaw." Yao Yuan allowed himself a long sigh before continuing, "Fact is, the space-warping system also comes with such an encrypted protection, but thanks to the ship¡¯s own advanced AI and the professor¡¯s decryption key, this is a non-issue. It doesn¡¯t work that way with the communicator though; it needs manual intervention, and that¡¯s where you come in, Zhang Heng. The communicator is linked to the spaceship and thus presumably has a similar encryption pattern. You¡¯re already familiar with the decryption key, so I¡¯m sure you can handle it¡­ I know this is a big responsibility, but you¡¯re the best hacker we have. In any case, I have full faith in you because despite being a fresh one, you¡¯re still a Black Star!"


    There¡¯s a chinese idiom that goes, "He who knows the time and circumstance is a wise man," and people who are born with a silver spoon, like Zhang Heng, are usually such wise men. When he heard Yao Yuan¡¯s explanation, the first thought that popped into his mind was to find excuses to weasel his way out, but he was quick to realize that there wasn¡¯t any escape path. There was no one for him to turn to; he had to fend for himself now. And so, instead of going through an extended back-and-forth, which would still end up with him on the shuttle, Zhang Heng gravely nodded, signifying an understanding of his placement.


    Yao Yuan acknowledged him with a nod in return. He then resumed, "Then you should go get ready. The shuttle will be leaving in half an hour. Also, when the shuttle pushes through the ozone layer, its carapace will beam the ozone layer¡¯s pH reading to its computer. If the readings show that it¡¯s overly acidic or alkaline, abort the mission and return to ship¡­ If everything works fine though, after landing, you will need to immediately gather necessary information. This includes details like the planet¡¯s atmospheric components, bacterial make-up, geological structure, and the desert surface¡¯s density to help us decide whether landing the Hope is permissible.


    And then there¡¯re also these things to be careful about¡­"


    Yao Yuan droned on for another ten minutes before the four could leave to take the electromobile to the shuttle¡¯s hangar. On the journey there, Zhang Heng let loose his thoughts. "I¡¯m surprised; he isn¡¯t usually so wordy. Major Yao Yuan, I mean."


    Ying appeared to not have heard Zhang Heng¡¯s comment. He sat silently, checking his rifle¡¯s barrel before proceeding to fixing his magazine of electromagnetic bullets. Ebon, who sat beside him, answered, "Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n is such a man. Normally, he¡¯s extremely reticent; he could even give this guy here a run for his money." He nudged Ying with the butt of his assault rifle which he was deconstructing to check for kinks. "But during every operation briefing, he will go on and on¡­ Alright, you can stop staring at me now, Ying. I know that¡¯s just Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n being cautious, and many times his prudence has saved our lives, I¡¯m fully aware of that; I just wish he wasn¡¯t such a long-winded mother hen every time." He trailed off in his signature booming laugh.


    Liu Bai added, with a smile, "Zhang Heng, you¡¯re new to the Black Star Unit, so you¡¯re still unfamiliar with Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n¡¯s ways, but he¡¯s only so cautious because he doesn¡¯t want anyone to lose their lives over his carelessness. You¡¯ll get used to it and see that behind his every action, he has our best interest at heart."


    The amiable exchange continued until they reached a platform where twenty soldiers and eight scientists stood waiting. Behind them loomed the shuttle. It looked just like a jet fighter but larger and longer.


    The four descended the automobile without any more words, each packing their necessary luggage; Ying and Ebon with their weapons, Liu Bai with his medical case, Zhang Heng with his laptop and electronic paraphernalia. After some last-minute inventory, the four Black Stars led the twenty agents and eight excited scientists on board the shuttle and stood ready for departure.


    "Closing the first inner hangar door. All personnel, please vacate the area. Opening the shuttle exit in thirty seconds, neutralizing gravity forces¡­"


    "Moving the first shuttle to hangar rail, scanning rail perimeters¡­ Confirmed clearance of obstructions, charging propulsion energy. Preparing for blast off in thirty seconds¡­"


    "Counting down to blast off in thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight¡­"


    All across the Hope, the eyes of its 120000 occupants were collectively glued to a video feed of the shuttle. This was because history was being made! This was going to be mankind¡¯s first landing party on an alien planet, a planet with an ozone layer, light years away from earth!


    Many were quietly praying to their own gods and deities, but their collective hope was for the landing party to have a successful mission. They had hope for a future on this new planet...


    Although hope was a weightless thing, the thirty plus people onboard the shuttle could feel the weight of the collective hope from 120000 people on their shoulders.


    Finally, the thirty second countdown came to a close. Discharging pulsing electronic energy from its rear, the shuttle glided swiftly through the rails before dislodging itself out of the Hope. After floating for a bit in space and shifting for the optimum angle, the shuttle shot towards the planet. As it flew through the ozone layer, the extreme friction between the shuttle and the planet¡¯s atmosphere had the shuttle lit up like a fiery bullet.


    This had everyone¡¯s hearts up their throats. Thankfully, the shuttle got through the ozone layer without incident. After it pushed itself through the ozone layer, the anti-gravity device kicked in and the shuttle crested through the air before stabilizing. It then slowly descended towards the planet¡¯s surface. Ying¡¯s voice crackled through the receiver, reporting that everything had stabilized.


    Through the live feed, the citizens of the Hope closely followed the shuttle¡¯s progress. When they saw it slow to a standstill, they knew the dangers were over. It was now on anti-gravity support, so crashing was no longer an imminent possibility. The whole of the Hope breathed a collective sigh of relief before erupting in celebration. There were joyful laughs and teary embraces.


    Back in the shuttle, two scientists were hurriedly collecting air samples through robotic arms that extended out of the shuttle. Using a makeshift lab that was constructed within the shuttle, the pair was busy conducting analysis on the sealed bags of air. Too many things hinged upon their result and so all the people onboard had their eyes glued to the pair of frantic and excited scientists, including Zhang Heng, who was standing ready with the communicator.


    "¡­ The result is out! But¡­ but, this is impossible! In the atmosphere, there are two types of ox¡­"


    In the conference room, Yao Yuan, the rest of the Black Stars, and almost all of the scientists were at the other end of the communication. The transmission was also connected to the rest of the Hope. However, no one could make sense of what they had heard¡­


    Ox¡­ oxygen..?


    Just as they were waiting for more clarification, about ten people on the Hope had a sudden aspiration of premonition. This group of people, Yao Yuan included, all sprang up and yelled,


    "Stop! Stop the descent!"


    On the live feed, it appeared like gravity had decided to catch up with the shuttle, because the shuttle, which was sitting at a flat angle seconds ago, suddenly tipped downwards and started to freefall.


    The ground a few thousand feet below was waiting to greet it. Even with the possibility of crash-landing into a carpet of soft sand, the long falling distance combined with acceleration could only lead to one conclusion¡­


    Total annihilation!

 Chapter 24: BEYOND THE SHUTTLE!

    Chapter 24: BEYOND THE SHUTTLE!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    The first individual to sense that something was wrong was Ying, who was operating the shuttle. He was besieged by a flash of premonition moments before the anti-gravitational device shut down.


    Ying brushed the feeling away, marking it down as tricks of his overly anxious mind. After all, it was man¡¯s first expedition onto a celestial body other than the moon, so a certain degree of danger was to be expected.


    The range of possible catastrophes included sudden windstorms, illnesses caused by the wide variance in day and night temperatures, alien pathogens oft-featured in science fiction, or even life-threatening encounters with extra-terrestrial lifeforms¡­ Their mission had their lives on the line, and Ying was justified in dismissing the ominous feeling as unnecessary worry so as to not have it fogging his mind.


    The shuttle¡¯s anti-gravitational system fitted its interior with a simulated gravity field, so its passengers could move around as if they were on Earth¡¯s solid ground. Even after they entered the planet¡¯s atmosphere, the anti-gravitational system recalibrated itself, adjusting the indoor gravitational force to offset that of the planet¡¯s in an effort to maintain a stable gravitational environment within. The descent was smooth, and because of that, only the small handful of its seated passengers who were particularly cautious wore seatbelts. They were all in space suits, but none of them had their helmets on.


    The moment the anti-gravitational system broke down, those that weren¡¯t strapped into a seatbelt, meaning most of them, were thrown violently around the room before getting shoved up against the walls or onto the floor.


    At the height of five thousand meters off the ground, Ying¡¯s feeling of dread resurged in full vengeance. At one moment, the shuttle was floating down safely, but in the next, he could literally see the room tilting downwards. Everyone had their bodies pressed against the walls or the ground, immobilized as the shuttle began its plummet towards the planet¡¯s surface.


    Ying was one of the few who wore a seatbelt. His extra cautiousness that was often chided by his teammates was quite possibly the saving grace that had preserved everyone¡¯s lives. He knew he had to reach the buttons on the panel before him, but because he was crammed forcefully into his seat, it had taken him a few tries before eventually hitting the necessary buttons.


    The buttons fired up the boosters that were attached to the shuttle¡¯s rear, buffering the speed of their drop. However, this was about twenty seconds after the shuttle started plummeting. By then, they were already falling at a tremendous speed and were dangerously close to the ground. Even with buffeting from the boosters¡¯ fiery propulsion, it couldn¡¯t overcome the shuttle¡¯s overall downwards momentum.


    Working to regain control of the shuttle, a sweat-soaked Ying yelled across the room, ¡°Mayday! Mayday! We¡¯re hitting the ground soon and hard! Brace yourselves for a harsh landing!¡±


    That was, however, easier said than done. People were still getting flung across surfaces, and the boosters¡¯ propulsion merely added to the force that was juggling people about. Only the few who were physically trained were able to crawl to their seats and struggle to fasten their seatbelts. The shuttle hit the ground with an intense impact, its vibration surging through the room. The shuttle then proceeded to slide several meters across the sandy surface before stopping and lodging itself several meters into the ground.


    After the rocky landing, the interior was in a completely ramshackle state. Thankfully, everyone had space suits on, so their bodies were padded and protected. However, because they decided not to wear their helmets, an unlucky few had suffered head injuries, but the fall was basically just a rough tumble. For quite some time, other than cries and groans of pain, no sound was heard.


    Coming out of his daze, a scientist suddenly issued in alarm, ¡°No! The air¡¯s leaking!¡±


    That whipped everyone into attention. Frantically putting on their protective helmets, they rushed to check the shuttle walls for cracks. It took them quite some time to realize that the scientist who had issued the alarm wasn¡¯t up on his feet inspecting the walls as they were. Instead, he was shaking on the floor and staring intently at a shredded translucent bag before him. It took everyone some time to place this seemingly unfamiliar object, but once they realized that it was one of the bags that held the planet¡¯s air sample, their faces blanched. It was too late; they were already breathing in the planet¡¯s air!


    The significance that they had alien air in their lungs shouldn¡¯t be downplayed. They were in an alien atmosphere, so no one knew what was in it. Even if it had just one strain of a mild alien flu virus, they would be expecting a tragic death because none of them had immunity against it.


    Understanding that panic could only be harmful to their situation, a scientist standing by quickly added, ¡°Everyone, please don¡¯t worry just yet. We¡¯re still unclear on whether this planet supports any life. Plus, it¡¯s a desert planet; the air is extremely dry, so, technically speaking, it would be extremely unfavorable for the germination of microbes and viruses. So don¡¯t fret; first check whether you¡¯re feeling a burning sensation around your mouth and nose. This is to confirm whether the air is corrosive.¡±


    The scientist¡¯s words had an instant calming effect, making most of the people present sigh in relief. They searched for traces of burning sensations, but no one could find any. It was as if they were breathing in normal air.


    Only a few of the scientists held a worried pallor. This was because they knew that it was incorrect to apply Earth¡¯s understanding of microbiological behavior on this alien planet due to the environments being utterly different. However, they knew that it was not the time to mention that and so they stood quietly watching this scientist who was currently working to reconstruct the makeshift laboratory.


    The man was about fifty years of age. With wet blood still dripping from his head wound, he was already fully focused on conducting analysis on the air sample in one of the test tubes. The people in the shuttle were as silent as mice as they awaited his result. After what felt like an eternity, the scientist released a breath that nobody realized he was holding before shifting into a surprised expression.


    ¡°¡­About twenty percent of the atmosphere is made up of oxygen while its majority, sixty eight percent to be precise, is nitrogen. Eleven percent of it is composed of a unique gas while the remaining fraction is made up of carbon dioxide and noble gases. This unique gas is still unidentified, but what¡¯s certain is that it is not corrosive and not a variation of the poisonous carbon monoxide group. It¡¯s similar to inert gases in that it doesn¡¯t appear to have an oxidation reaction with our blood¡­¡±


    He excitedly continued, ¡°Do you know what this means? This means that the air¡¯s breathable! We humans could very much survive in this atmosphere!¡±


    The scientist got increasingly animated through his elaboration. At one point, he started pointing at the salvaged lab, saying, ¡°I can¡¯t find any microbe traces through the microscope, granted you¡¯ll need a more powerful microscope to detect the presence of viruses. That should be done once we return to the Hope¡¯s main laboratory, but based on everything we have at the moment, I am willing to conclude that¡­ the atmosphere of this planet with its complete lack of airborne water particles is unable to support the growth of any microbes and viruses. Everyone, we are so lucky!


    We¡¯re standing on a planet that could very well sustain the hope for our future! It has a non-harmful atmosphere and the fact that it has oxygen means that it should also carry plants because of photosynthesis. To escape direct sun exposure, they are probably hidden somewhere, but the fact that there¡¯s oxygen in the air confirms their existence. The most important part is that¡­ we humans can survive on this planet!¡±


    At this juncture, the man broke into tears, the rest of his exclamations submerged in his sobbing.


    Ying stood up after a while, usurping all the attention the scientist previously held. He then addressed the group. ¡°Listen up, everyone. Until we are one hundred percent certain that there are no harmful elements in the air, keep your space helmets on. We are not going to risk it¡­ Okay, I admit the process wasn¡¯t exactly smooth sailing, but we have indeed successfully landed, so proceed with your designated tasks. Each scientist will be issued two guardians when you venture outside the shuttle to complete your assignments. Zhang Heng, you remain to help with the communicator. Everyone else, get moving. We don¡¯t have much time left; we must return to the ship before our supply of air runs out.¡±


    With that, everyone got into motion. The scientists went off to their respective areas to finish their work, each escorted by two soldiers. The remaining soldiers were led off by Liu Bai and Ebon who were the first ones to step outside of the shuttle to secure its perimeter. When there was only Ying and Zhang Heng in the shuttle, Ying said, ¡°Zhang Heng¡­ Unlock the communicator. I wish to gain contact with the Hope.¡±


    Zhang Heng went into action quickly. Seating himself before the shuttle¡¯s control panel, he started hacking the communicator. After about five minutes, he breathed a sigh of relief and almost simultaneously, a voice reverberated through the shuttle,


    ¡°Central command to expedition squad. Central command to expedition squad. Please respond if you hear this¡­ Central command to expedition squad. Central command to expedition squad. Please respond if you hear this¡­¡±


    Ying hurried to the communicator, saying, ¡°Central command, this is the expedition squad.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ying, is everything alright? Is anyone injured? Is the shuttle still operational? What happened? The shuttle suddenly dropped out of the sky.¡± The communicator relayed Yao Yuan¡¯s questions.


    In a serious tone, Ying answered, ¡°When we were at fifty thousand meters above ground when the shuttle¡¯s anti-gravitational system suddenly malfunctioned, and it has been non-operational since then. However, according to the shuttle¡¯s self-diagnostics, the system had no issues. Its machinery and power source are all fine, and it¡¯s showing on the screen that it¡¯s operating, but the weirdest thing is that it doesn¡¯t seem to have any effect!¡±


    ¡°¡­Use the communicator to relay the anti-gravitational system¡¯s data back to the Hope for analysis. How about others? Has there been fatalities? Could the shuttle still take flight? Anything out of the ordinary to report?¡± asked Yao Yuan.


    Ying replied, ¡°The shuttle can still fly. Thanks to the shuttle¡¯s water and sand-resistant carapace, we can still fly using the fuel-powered rockets. But without the anti-gravitational system, a rocket launch pad, or booster rockets, there¡¯s little chance of the shuttle breaking through the ozone layer¡­ People-wise, some suffered injuries from the fall, but none suffered injuries serious enough that Xiao Bai can¡¯t handle. Also, we have the initial report on the planet¡¯s atmospheric components. Other than an unidentified gas that makes up eleven percent of the atmosphere, the air is almost identical to Earth¡¯s air. According to one scientist, this planet¡¯s air is harmless for humans. We will know for sure after we make sure there¡¯s no presence of harmful alien microbes and pathogens.


    Until now, we have received no contact with the planet¡¯s organisms. The sandy surface also appears to be firm enough to not be a sea of quicksand. I¡¯ll beam over a more detailed analysis after they are done with tests on the surface¡¯s bearing capacity¡­¡±


    After a pregnant silence, Yao Yuan uttered, ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll be waiting for the results and data¡­ It must have been mighty inconvenient because we are still unable to understand and design anti-gravity schematics. It¡¯s because of that that this disaster happened, but don¡¯t worry, I promise I¡¯ll get you men out of there.¡±


    As if talking with Yao Yuan in person, Ying nodded and replied, ¡°Of course, I have full faith in Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n¡¯s words¡­ Then the expedition party will stay on guard waiting for rescue. Ending transmission.¡±


    While contact was being made with the Hope inside the shuttle, outside of it, the platoon led by Ebon and Liu Bai took man¡¯s first step unto this alien planet.


    Under their feet was a layer of golden-brown sand which gave a little with each of their steps. However, underneath that granular surface layer was a more compact sand layer. After the first soldier stood firmly on this ground, the rest of them followed closely behind, each carrying their weapons, with eyes trained on their surroundings. Under the glow of this galaxy¡¯s sun, the ground shone in its glittering majesty. The waves of sand spread as far as they could see, empty of threat and interest.


    However, unbeknownst to everyone amidst the agitation and excitement was the fact that a number of beakers had been broken during the rocky tumble. Among them was a beaker containing distilled water which pooled around the shuttle¡¯s exit. On their way out, the men had unnoticeably stepped on it. The water particles that adhered to the inner linings of their soles evaporated quickly after coming into contact with the burning sand¡­


    Carried by desert winds, these particles of water floated out to several hundred kilometers away, unwittingly signaling the arrival of Ying¡¯s expedition group¡­

 Chapter 25: The rescue!

    Chapter 25: The rescue!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    "Someone answer me! Why did the anti-gravitational system stop working?" thundered Yao Yuan before the rest of conference room. This was the first time Yao Yuan had been so forward with his anger outside of being with a Black Star member. Normally he would reserve a certain degree of deference before the Hope¡¯s scientific community.


    Before the operation, he had considered all the risks it entailed and enacted contingency plans warding against the possibility of a corrosive atmosphere. He also carefully considered the loading limit of the shuttle and even dangerous encounters with aliens. However, he failed to foresee his plan being trounced by a malfunctioning future-tech system. He found it difficult to forgive himself for such a gross oversight!


    Yao Yuan knew the risk involved when he ordered the dispatch of the expedition party, so he had mentally prepared himself for reports of casualties similar to how he had accepted it when a few of his comrades fell in their initial search of the spaceship. The philosophy was that sometimes sacrifices needed to be made in order to achieve victory. This was heavily reflected in the Black Star Unit¡¯s motto: for glory or for death!


    However, there was no glory in death caused by neglect and carelessness. It was due to his lapse as the commanding officer that his men would have to pay with their lives! This was no sacrifice, this was a waste!


    Standing at the podium, Yao Yuan enunciated his directive with force and clarity. "All the necessary data has been transmitted. People, I know that what I¡¯m asking is difficult to fulfill, but we are running out of time. Down there we have eight scientists, twenty plus elite agents, and four lieutenants whose lives depend on the shuttle¡¯s supply of oxygen which will run out in eight to ten hours. I can¡¯t stress this enough: these are human lives waiting to be saved and we are running out of time."


    The room Yao Yuan was addressing was full to the brim with astronomers, physicists, biologists, meteorologists, and basically all people of sciences that were related to space travel. They stood ready to heed Yao Yuan¡¯s orders. The same could be said about the team of technicians that had packed another conference room. Through the use of a video feed, they too were waiting on Yao Yuan¡¯s commands.


    "I¡¯ll keep things simple: there are only three questions that I need answered. One, how could the faulty mechanism pass through initial inspection? Two, what is the reason for its malfunction, and is there a way to fix it? Three, outside of repairing the anti-gravitational system, are there other ways available to rescue the expedition party?"


    After he said so, Yao Yuan planted himself on the stage, explaining, "I¡¯ll be waiting here for updates. Go do whatever needs to be done to answer these three questions, especially the last one. People, down there are our kin and they need our help. These thirty-two lives are too precious to be lost, and they¡¯re counting on you to save them!"


    Time on the Hope slowly trickled away. The 120000 people on board all knew about the fate of the expedition party. They were still alive but only for another eight to ten hours before their oxygen ran out. Within that time frame, the Hope had to figure out a way to reach and rescue them, or they might never return again¡­


    It was now one hour and twenty minutes since the crash-landing¡­


    In the biology lab¡­


    "...no, no, no. These are just pictures; if magnified under the microscope, what you¡¯re getting are pixelated images. Damn it!" growled Saburo, punctuating his frustration with a punch on the metal desk. His disgruntlement was shared by his assistants as well as other biologists in the room.


    It was their assignment to confirm whether any dangerous pathogens existed in the planet¡¯s air. It was a hard task because they literally had no idea what they were looking for; no one knew what alien microbes or viruses looked like. Were they bioseston[1] or tripton[2]¡­ and if they were tripton, should they consider the possibility of them being non-carbon based existences, such as a type of silicon-based organism? The cosmos was so gigantic that there could be lifeforms with various biochemical make-ups, and they needn¡¯t all necessarily be carbon-based.


    Mankind, along with most of the organisms on earth, is structured with a carbon-based biochemistry. That¡¯s why we rely on digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, which are chemically organic compounds of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, for the energy to survive.


    However, it is not only carbon that can carry biological information. Like carbon, silicon can create molecules that are sufficiently large to sustain life. This is why silicon-based lifeforms are common features in science fictions, but who can affirmatively say that such organisms can¡¯t be found in space? The silicon-based biochemical make-up doesn¡¯t need water or oxygen to function, so even though the planet¡¯s arid atmosphere is not conducive for the breeding of carbon-based viruses, who can be certain it doesn¡¯t contain silicon-based microbes?


    This was the predicament facing Saburo and his team of biologists, pathologists, and epidemic prevention experts. Their knowledge of alien microbiology was too limited to form any worthwhile analyses. Furthermore, what they were given were air sample analysis results and a few pictures of the air particles; they had no access to an actual sample. How could they come up with any significant findings without conducting a full field analysis?


    Behind Saburo, a fair Caucasian sighed. "Let¡¯s just own up to the major. With what we have now, it¡¯s simply impossible to proffer a conclusive result."


    A dark-skinned pathologist added, "That¡¯s true. We¡¯re scientists, not psychics. How could we tell whether there are pathogens in the air based on a few pictures? This is a fool¡¯s task. Let¡¯s just go and explain our situation to the major, sir."


    This sentiment was picked up by a few other people in the room. They were in agreement that the assignment was simply too demanding¡­ Yao Yuan¡¯s show of unfettered fury today had shocked the scientific community, so they hedged their bet on being honest with their complications early rather than bear the brunt of his fury after much dallying and still coming up empty-handed by the end.


    Another slam on the table squelched the seed of disavowal. Saburo uttered, in a simmering growl, "No! This is thirty-two lives we are talking about¡­ I will not have their blood on my hands because of our laziness! This is why I¡¯ve studied to become a pathologist, to give people a chance at survival. I will not back down, not this time¡­"


    He turned around and regarded his subordinates with almost enmity in his eyes, saying, "Help me contact the major. Tell him I wish to access the central mainframe and I need him to initiate its root program, the one that was said to be connected to the anti-gravitational system, multi-frequency communicator, and space-warp system, the one that¡¯s operating all the future-tech systems¡­"


    It was now one hour and fifty minutes since the crash-landing¡­


    In the physics and anti-gravity analytics laboratory¡­


    Ever since the physicists found out about the anti-gravity manipulators on the Hope, they had been conducting numerous experiments on them, trying to decipher their theoretical functionalities. Even though man could build these intricate machines, their theories, physical bases, and production mechanisms were still unknown. When it came to these machines, it wasn¡¯t actually building but rather reconstructing them from schematics that were already there. Man¡¯s understanding of these machines was so lacking that even a simple change in size could lead to a faulty product.


    The gravity manipulator wasn¡¯t a blocky engine like many expected, it had the appearance of an electrical circuit. It snaked around the carapaces of the shuttle, hovercraft, and spaceship and was barely noticeable if one didn¡¯t go purposely looking for it.


    The purpose of this special laboratory was to dissect the theories and applications behind this mechanism. If they could figure out how it operated, man¡¯s understanding of physics would be improved by leaps and bounds!


    At this time, about ten physicists and numerous lab assistants were busy analyzing the data transferred over by the shuttle. A set of gravity manipulators was placed in the center of the room to offer a practical understanding of the data.


    It was a long but thin strand of complex mechanisms, barely fitting in between one¡¯s fingers. It wrapped around the area cordoned off for gravitational experiments like an abstract, futuristic mural. Underneath its rubber wrapping was a series of conductors which would convert electricity into gravitational force¡­ When viewed in the context of man¡¯s technological progress, it was something akin to a miracle.


    Hanging his head in defeat, a wizened senior physicist sighed. "This is impossible¡­ we can¡¯t possibly conclude why the system broke down if we are given such a short amount of time. To do that we require many more simulations and much more time¡­ We will have to inform the major. It can¡¯t be helped¡­"


    As he made ready to leave the room, a female voice rang out beside him.


    "It¡¯s electrical resistance¡­"


    The source was Bo Li, one of the women Zhang Heng had requested to save. Due to her background as a physics doctorate student, she was recommended a position in the lab by the employment committee. Since her time there, she milled about her work in a cocoon of silence, so no one had expected her to speak up then.


    Since she had uttered those three words though, everyone had their attention trained on her, many of them with open shock at her audacity to speak out of her place. A few other assistants were even walking over to escort her out of the room.


    The leading physicist, however, requested her to repeat herself. "What did you just say? Explain clearly. What is it about electrical resistance?"


    Bo Li was unused to having so many people¡¯s focus on her and she could feel the initial shock of some of her colleagues turning into anxiety and even envy. She felt like shrugging them off with her usual silence, but right then, she felt a sudden burst of inspiration flow through her, charging her through her speedy elaboration,


    "Because the system uses electricity to simulate gravity, it will have electrical resistance. That resistance is usually monitored and countered by the automated system. However, if there¡¯s a foreign interference that causes an unaccountable rise in the electrical resistance, for example, something like an alien force field, then the system would be dampened in its overall output. The resistance could be strong enough to neutralize the gravitational force discharge. The fact that the shuttle¡¯s computer reported a functional system despite not creating an effective gravitational force to support levitation is in support of this analysis. I believe electrical resistance could be one of the reasons why it isn¡¯t working¡­"


    By the time Bo Li went through her analysis, the fit of inspiration had left her, reverting her back to her normal, inconsequential, quiet self.


    The lead physicist frowned through Bo Li¡¯s explication and a few minutes after she finished, he issued a series of quick commands. "Lower the voltage of the experimental manipulator by five hundred points, and then crank the numbers! Repeat the lowering by five hundred volts for each successive test! Quick, get to it! People, don¡¯t just sit there; we don¡¯t have the time to waste!"


    While the rest of the room fell into action, the lead physicist approached Bo Li. "Are you a new trainee? Very nice work. What¡¯s your name?"


    "It¡¯s Bo Li¡­" she replied detachedly, barely lifting her head to respond to her superior.


    "Bo Li? I have not heard of the Bo surname before; is there even such a surname? No matter. Again, very nice job. If your analysis is correct, I will send a request to the Major to promote you to an official physicist¡­ You know, you might have just saved the lives of the thirty-two people down there. And not only that, if your finding is legitimate, then it could help us land the Hope on that planet!"


    His excitement was infectious as he powered on. "If it really was an issue with the voltage resistance, then the Hope, with its store of nuclear energy and the extra energy circuits added as a contingency plan before the space-warping incident, could bypass this problem. We could generate more than enough voltage to override the resistance!


    Listen to me! You might not only be the savior for those thirty two people but the savior for us all!"


    [1] Living constituents of seston. Seston being minute material moving in water. It includes both living organisms and nonliving matter.


    [2] Suspended nonliving debris in a body of water.

 Chapter 26: THE ENCOUNTER!

    Chapter 26: THE ENCOUNTER!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    It was now six hours after the crash-landing¡­


    Yao Yuan was still seated at the conference room stage, waiting for news from the expedition party and results from the scientific community. Until now, he had been busy parrying requests from the Hope¡¯s several academic committees, some of which he allowed, like the one who requested access to the ship¡¯s central mainframe.


    The person who issued that curious request was the man standing before him now, the head pathologist, Mitsuda Saburo.


    Saburo gave Yao Yuan a deep bow as he approached the stage to report his findings. "Major, my team has ascertained that the planet¡¯s atmosphere doesn¡¯t contain harmful microbes or viruses. I am, however, regretful to inform major that we are still unable to identify the mysterious gas that makes up eleven percent of its atmosphere. What we were able to find out though is that the gas is indeed non-poisonous, which leads us to happily conclude that this planet¡¯s air is breathable by man and it will not bring about any adverse effects."


    Frowning, Yao Yuan inquired, "How is it possible that you could come to that conclusion? Didn¡¯t your team report that the assignment was impossible because you lack an actual air sample for analysis?"


    "That much is true; we are indeed devoid of an actual sample," Saburo answered, "but with the help of the central mainframe¡¯s impressive computing capability, the photos that were beamed over were restored to their original resolution. Looking at those pictures was no difference from looking through a microscope. After comparing those air particles to that of Earth¡¯s, we came to a safe conclusion that there are no harmless viruses nor pathogens in the planet¡¯s air. Also interesting to note is that the air¡¯s incredibly dry¡­ we could barely find one water molecule!"


    Yao Yuan silently contemplated the lead pathologist¡¯s report. Thinking his report was being challenged, Saburo stared earnestly back at Yao Yuan. Saburo¡¯s focused gaze reminded Yao Yuan of his encounter with Ning Bo Tao and his ability to read projections of malice. It was his desperation to save his comrades that had moved him into that superhuman state. It was entirely unconscious, but now he couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether he could tap into that power consciously¡­


    (Could the key be imminent danger? Like how I felt my senses tingling right before the shuttle malfunctioned?)


    Yao Yuan pulled himself up and walked around the stage in circles a few times to walk off the thoughts that started to crowd his mind. Others in the room mistook this action as Yao Yuan mulling over whether it was safe to call off the time restraint since the survival of the expedition party was no longer limited by their oxygen supply when in fact Yao Yuan was considering whether it was possible to simulate situations of imminent danger to induce the superhuman experience.


    After a few more minutes of ambling back and forth, Yao Yuan planted himself back unto his seat with a loud sigh. It was his understanding that fear of imminent danger was ingrained in man¡¯s physiological response. Unless through means of self-hypnosis or infliction of mental manipulation like paranoia, it would be impossible for man to conjure a feeling of imminent danger at will¡­


    "Okay, thank you for your effort, Professor Saburo. You and your team have done a splendid job. I¡¯ll relay your findings to the expedition party. They will be glad to know that there¡¯s no danger of running out of air. Please go and enjoy a well-deserved rest. Again, I would like to express my gratitude for you and your team¡¯s incredible effort."


    Yao Yuan stood up once more to shake Saburo¡¯s hand before proceeding to thank each individual member of his team personally.


    Saburo could feel a heavy load lifted from his shoulders, and so did the rest of his crew. Their efforts had paid off handsomely, but more importantly, their labor had saved people¡¯s lives¡­ Saburo was particularly relieved because he had found repayment and satisfaction at the end of his perseverance.


    (Shiro, Hanako, mom, and dad, I promise you I will not disappoint you, because I know you guys are watching over me¡­)


    After the group of pathologists and biologists retreated from the room, Yao Yuan slumped back down on his seat. He had requested for updates every ten minutes, so he was well prepared to intercept delegates from the Hope¡¯s various academic bodies. What he wasn¡¯t prepared for was to have the conference room swamped with one hundred plus members of the different physics committees.


    The physics committee was an umbrella term for all the various committees dealing with the subject of physics. Some examples include the astrophysics and apex physics crews. The fact that all the members of the physics committees with their respective leaders would congregate at the conference room was no small deal. Yao Yuan quickly stood up to greet them because this could only mean that they came bearing news regarding the shuttle¡¯s anti-gravitational system.


    After a rudimentary consultation, Yao Yuan asked, while frowning, "You mean to say that a shift in the electrical resistance of the gravitational system was the reason for the shuttle¡¯s malfunction? Even if that¡¯s true, it is of no use to them because for one, they have no knowledgeable technician, and for another, they have no tools to conduct the necessary modifications. Furthermore, I will not risk landing the Hope on that planet on the basis of a hypothetical theory."


    Silewei, the acting resident professor of the physics unit, offered, "If that¡¯s the case, we could perform the necessary modifications on another shuttle to test the theory. If the modified shuttle shows that it is indeed the electrical resistance that interfered with the anti-gravitation system, then we could safely land the Hope because this spaceship can support a high enough voltage discharge to override any disturbance of resistance."


    Yao Yuan gave the suggestion some thoughts before agreeing with it. "Okay! The physics committees are allowed free access to all the resources you might need to proceed with the modification. But I want it done fast because even though we have ascertained the relative safety of this planet¡¯s open air, there¡¯s still the eleven percent that¡¯s unidentified. We need to reach the scouting party as soon as possible."


    The committees quickly launched into work as per Yao Yuan¡¯s orders. A shuttle had its anti-gravity manipulator removed to be fitted with the suggested modifications.


    However, things didn¡¯t end up going as smoothly as expected because even though the Hope had 120000 people, none of them had experience with spacecraft construction, much less someone with ample experience capable of tinkering with gravity-manipulating technology.


    That was why it had taken the relevant personnel more than ten hours to complete the modification. What was worse was that the modification was only a rudimentary one; the dangers that it could entail were a worrying unknown¡­


    Operated by a few volunteer soldiers, the second shuttle slowly ejected from the Hope. As it drifted towards the yellow-colored planet, it had the attention of everyone on board the ship. It was possibly more intense than when they had watched the departure of the first shuttle, for even though it was equally dangerous, this second shuttle carried with it the hope of them landing on the planet¡­ The hope for their future¡­


    As the second shuttle worked its way through the ozone layer, somewhere on the planet was the stranded expedition party. At this moment, all thirty-two of them, still in their spacesuits, were fast asleep.


    It had been twenty hours or, according to this planet¡¯s time, one day and two nights since they had landed. Without any food and water intake since they arrived, it was less of a sleep for most of the party but rather a blackout. According to Liu Bai¡¯s analysis, if they were to spend yet another twelve hours in such a barren environment, they would be facing serious dehydration, and twelve more hours on top of that would only lead to death!


    Making things worse was the fact that the shuttle¡¯s store of energy was completely depleted. This was because the anti-gravitational system and the communicator consumed exceptional amounts of power. Other than the fuel reserved for igniting the rockets, the shuttle¡¯s reservoir of energy was hitting rock bottom. The anti-gravitational system, the inner heating system, and the communicator had all powered down. Other than the sonar that relayed their location to the Hope, every single electrical appliance in the shuttle was non-operational.


    It was safe to say that things were not looking well¡­


    All of a sudden, Ying¡¯s, Zhang Heng¡¯s, Ebon¡¯s, and Liu Bai¡¯s eyes shot open and they sat up from their sleeping postures. It was a mystery to them as to why they had suddenly awakened. They were physically spent, but somehow their mental states were heavily agitated right then.


    "Tut, tut¡­"


    A series of light taps pierced through the pregnant silence. The sound was so light that it was barely discernable, but the four were able to tell that it definitely came from beyond the shuttle¡¯s entrance.


    The four exchanged glances and each could feel chills traveling down their spines. No one had the courage to articulate what was on their minds; even the normally loud and brash Ebon was struck silent. After some time, Ying said, "Rouse the rest of the crew. We have to go out and see what made that sound."


    "Is that really necessary? It was probably the wind sweeping the sand against the shuttle¡¯s shell. It¡¯s not even light yet; let¡¯s just stay in here instead of wasting our time," said Zhang Heng with forced cheeriness.


    Ebon ignored Zhang Heng and went ahead to wake everyone else up while Liu Bai whispered to Zhang Heng, "That can¡¯t be done. As the vanguard unit, we have the responsibility to scout ahead, and this includes¡­ ascertaining the presence of alien organisms. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of the main ship¡¯s rescue mission; if they¡¯ve confirmed it was electrical resistance that weakened the anti-gravitational system, the Hope will proceed to land here. There are 32 of us and 120000 of them¡­ For the greater good, we must leave the comfort of this room."


    At this time, the twenty soldiers had roused themselves and started to sort out their weapons while the remaining eight scientists were facing difficulties collecting themselves. These men of science were not trained to endure such harsh conditions, so after twenty hours without sustenance, they were already at the early stages of debility.


    As Ebon led the way, he was followed by Ying, then Liu Bai, and then the rest of the soldiers, the frontline squad moved towards the shuttle entrance. They were trailed by Zhang Heng, who was visibly reluctant to move from his position. After positions had been taken, Ebon kicked down the door, training his assault rifle at what laid beyond it.


    And beyond the door was¡­ nothing but a darkened desert. The weak light shining from within the shuttle revealed nothing but sand and more sand.


    Everyone was sharply relieved, but even so, Ebon remained extremely alert as he led the way out of the shuttle door. Following him were the soldiers, Ying, and Liu Bai.


    They came up with nothing after checking their surroundings for rogue prints in the sand. "Looks like Zhang Heng was right after all," admitted Ebon with a chuckle.


    After hearing that, the remaining soldiers gradually let down their guards. One of them was Chen Wei, who was particularly close to Ebon. Chen Wei walked up to Ebon¡¯s side, chiding laughingly, "You sirs are too strung up sometimes."


    At that moment, Zhang Heng, who was just stepping out of the shuttle, yelled, "Watch out!"


    Before anyone could respond, a few brownish, metal-like needles shot up from underneath the sand. They bored through the space suit and dug right into Chen Wei¡¯s body, lifting the unfortunate soldier into the air. Within the short span of two seconds, Chen Wei¡¯s body was mummified before everyone¡¯s shocked eyes¡­


    His bodily fluids had been drained instantly!


    Connected to those deadly needles was a seven-by-four-meter-sized monstrosity that was shaking itself loose from the sand. The thing was paper thin, and with its coppery shell, it had the appearance of a metallic object. It had no visible appendages or exterior organs like a mouth or eyes other than the metal-like needles that grew out of its circumference.


    The creature appeared to have become sluggish after its feast. It remained motionless after its attack on Chen Wei with the exception of the central part of its flattened body, which started to balloon up. It continued to expand for several seconds before deflating. As it deflated, about ten creatures similar to it but much smaller in size scurried out of its underbelly.


    These mini creatures leaped towards the party with surprising speed. In almost the blink of an eye, a few of the creatures stuck onto the two foremost soldiers. Even though attempts were made to swat them off, they adhered tightly to the spacesuits before lodging their needles into the victims within.


    Compared to Chen Wei, these two soldiers had the unfortunate pleasure of experiencing a slow death. Amidst violent struggles and earsplitting screams, the two soldiers shriveled up while the creatures attached to their bodies grew bloated at an alarming rate. While the carnage was happening, the other creatures swiveled past the claimed victims, throwing themselves at other fresh kills.


    "Fire! Fire!"


    Ying¡¯s call to arms shook everyone out of their stupefaction, then everyone started unloading their guns. There was no time or thought for neither scoping nor targeting; bullets were being sprayed aimlessly. It was a race for survival!


    This was mankind¡¯s first encounter with an alien lifeform¡­ and it certainly wasn¡¯t going to end well!

 Chapter 27: The Landing of the Hope!

    Chapter 27: The Landing of the Hope!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Just what kind of monstrosity was this?


    A creature like this didn¡¯t feel like it belonged to reality, it was more like something from a horror story!


    The thing was as flat as paper and noticeably lacked eyes as well as any other external organs which could be used to indicate its front and rear. The only thing that differentiated it from being a flimsy paper was the needle-like apparatuses that grew out its periphery. These needles were exceptionally thin but nowhere near as fragile as a hypodermic needle. This was proven when it pierced through a heavily-padded space suit like it was nothing.


    The element that propelled it to stuff of nightmares though was its "children," the mini versions of itself. These creatures were as small as a grown man¡¯s palm but could move as fast as lightning. Their incredible speed as well as their small size were huge factors in helping them evade the bullet storm. Even though half of these creatures were taken down by the party¡¯s unceasing fire, around seven or eight of them managed to survive the hail of bullets and ended up attacking Ebon and a few other soldiers that were at the forefront.


    At this moment, Ebon had a curious out-of-body feeling. It was as if the world had imploded upon itself. Every sound and diversion around him was drained with the exception of his own heartbeat and a visceral surge of hunger that was flying towards him¡­


    Yes, a visceral hunger, a hunger that could only be felt after years of starvation. It was an undisguised and unfettered feeling of hungering malice!


    A strange sensation clouded Ebon¡¯s psyche right then. With a mind that was not his own, he dropped his assault rifle to swap for his pistol. He heard a voice telling him that the pistol was much more effective in close-range shooting. The rifle would have shaken too much, ruining his aim.


    Launching forward like a bullet, the small creatures were so fast that only the few highly trained scouts were able to catch their movements. To be able to spot them was, however, a completely different matter from being able to stop them. The creatures were already several meters away from their location when Ebon suddenly dropped his rifle.


    Bang, bang, bang!


    In the next instance, Ebon unloaded three rounds and three creatures burst in mid-air. Without taking a moment to breath, Ebon took a leap backwards, and not a moment sooner, a creature landed before his feet. Before it could recollect itself, Ebon gave it a relentless stomping.


    The creature, dangerous as it was, was a newborn after all, so its shell hadn¡¯t had the time to harden. Unable to bear Ebon¡¯s weight, it was easily squished into a pulp.


    The other four soldiers were not as lucky as Ebon. Their rifles were too unwieldy to take down the creatures that were closing in, so in a blink of an eye, the creatures latched onto the men¡¯s suits and deployed their needles. Amidst the men¡¯s helpless cries, the creatures bloomed from their initial palm size into something as big as a car tire, and they showed no observable signs of slowing down. The men slowly shrunk before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    Taking no time to dally around, Ying shouted his commands. "Retreat! Everyone, retreat back into the shuttle! That includes you, Ebon! Get back in here!"


    Further away, the big creature¡¯s body ballooned up once more. Another dozen of its "babies" scurried out from underneath its belly as it deflated. The newborns floated across the sand towards the retreating party. Abandoning their victims that had already been completely sucked dry, the first batch of the creatures joined in the pursuit. Even though all of them were paper thin, the difference in size between the two batches was obvious; the newborns were still palm-sized but the older group was already one meter wide and one meter long.


    Even though the party was retreating, they had never ceased shooting as they were working to clear a path for their comrades. All of a sudden, Ebon let out an agonizing scream. Before everyone¡¯s eyes, the leg that he had used to stomp the small creature started smoking. It seemed like the creature¡¯s bodily fluids were incredibly corrosive. The toxin did a quick work on Ebon; before the man even dropped to the ground, his left calf had been wholly eaten away.


    At the same time, a few of the bigger "children" were still gliding towards the party. Ying and Liu Bai exchanged a look and then instinctively moved forth to rescue Ebon. As he was doing so, Ying felt an overbearing silence submerging his surroundings, rooting him to the ground. Within that silence, time slowed to a crawl and he found himself able to see everything with much greater clarity. Training his eyes on the big creature furthest away, he found himself with a clear vision of it, down to the patterns it had on its brown shell. He had a complete visual of the panorama around him; from the sand lifted off Liu Bai¡¯s boots, to the bedlam behind him as people stumbled into the shuttle; from Ebon, who was crawling on his arms towards them, to the needles that the creatures were using as paddles to glide rapidly over the sand.


    He was presented with a clear picture of everything around him with the option to zoom in at any location at will. Subconsciously, he dropped his assault rifle in exchange for the sniper rifle on his back. Without the aid of a scope, he unloaded numerous rounds into the distance. The rate that he was firing at could be compared to that of an assault rifle. As the sound of gunfire came to a close, Liu Bai was already at Ebon¡¯s side. Shouldering Ebon¡¯s massive weight, both of them struggled towards the shuttle.


    On the other hand, the few soldiers who were standing guard at the shuttle door as well as Zhang Heng, who had been shaking in fear, were in a complete daze because every round fired by Ying shot right through the centers of the many one-meter-wide creatures. Every single one of them pirouetted for a few moments in the air before falling inanimately to the ground.


    Ying himself was shocked by his marksmanship, but without allowing himself the time for shock, he ran towards Liu Bai to help him carry Ebon. As the three finally careened through the shuttle door, it slammed shut.


    It was then that the party had the time to reflect over the nightmare that they had just encountered. The cries of their friends and their mummified portraits were still vivid in their minds.


    "¡­Are those aliens?" asked a shivering Zhang Heng in a timorous voice.


    The question fell unto a quiet room with everyone still trapped in their abhorrent memories. The uneasy silence was shattered by Ebon¡¯s sudden moan of pain. Liu Bai immediately yelled, "Guys, help me carry Ebon into the inner chamber, and remove his space suit!"


    Everyone moved to heed Liu Bai¡¯s orders. After they removed Ebon¡¯s suit, the party was greeted with a nasty surprise. The place where Ebon¡¯s left calf was supposed to be was nothing but a stump that ended with a mess of bones, tendons, and blood vessels. On it still remained some of the acid, burning away and releasing an uncomfortable sizzling sound.


    The seriousness of the prognosis was written all over Liu Bai¡¯s face. He uttered no words as he leaned to reach his medicine kit. After extracting a surgical knife from within it, he said, with much difficulty, "Ebon, old friend, hang in there and don¡¯t you dare fall asleep! You¡¯ve lost a lot of blood and are seriously dehydrated, but I¡¯m sure you can pull through. No matter what, just focus on my voice and keep yourself awake!"


    An ashen-faced Ebon replied listlessly, "Do what you have to do. I know it¡¯s not my day today, so don¡¯t worry. The name¡¯s Ebon for a reason; the life¡¯s as tough as its namesake."


    Liu Bai turned to exchange a signal with Ying, who then walked over and inserted a part of Ebon¡¯s spacesuit into Ebon¡¯s mouth. Then Liu Bai sawed Ebon¡¯s infected leg. Pieces of muscle and bones fell off until there were no longer any sounds of corrosion. Liu Bai quickly retrieved a container with white powder from his kit and applied the powder over Ebon¡¯s leg. After that, he quickly bandaged it and moved to check up on Ebon.


    True to his word, even without anesthetic, Ebon had endured through the surgery. He came out of it fully exhausted with barely any energy left to move a muscle.


    One of the scientists broke free of their cowering huddle and went over to the spot where Ebon¡¯s discarded flesh had fallen. To his dismay, the flesh had sunken several centimeters into the floor. It was obvious how corrosive the creature¡¯s bodily fluid was.


    "This is some strong acid. It¡¯s not blood but acid that flows through these alien creatures¡¯ bodies¡­" commented the scientist before turning to address Ying. "It¡¯s necessary to bring him back to the Hope to conduct a full blood test. This is the first time we come into contact with an alien species that could produce such a level of acidity. We can¡¯t remove the possibility of it containing latent toxins, so to be safe¡­"


    Ying sighed. "That is easier said than done. If we could access the amenities on the Hope, we wouldn¡¯t still be stuck here now¡­"


    That squelched any semblance of hope present within the party. They were still hopelessly stranded on the planet, but they didn¡¯t have the monstrosities outside the door to deal with before¡­


    Ying stole a glance at Zhang Heng and sighed as he said, "We have no supply of energy left, so the communicator is non-operational, but we have to stop the Hope from coming here. Even if we all die, there will only be thirty-two deaths, but there are 120000 people on the Hope, including our families and friends. We must¡­"


    Right then, a series of beeps issued from the shuttle¡¯s control panel, giving everyone a shock. As Ying rushed towards it, he asked Zhang Heng, "Is that communication from the Hope? Tell me!"


    With a complicated expression, Zhang Heng replied, "No, that¡¯s... it just means a shuttle is flying towards us; it¡¯s pinging us of their proximity through sonar relay. Plus, as you¡¯ve said, we have no energy left, so the communicator can¡¯t even be powered up."


    Everyone stared blankly at Zhang Heng, trying to wrap their heads around the words he had just said. Meanwhile, Liu Bai was caught murmuring to himself, "So a shuttle is flying towards us¡­ According to a previous update, as long as they have proven the anti-gravitational system was indeed weakened by electrical resistance, the Hope will¡­"


    "The Hope will land here soon?!"

 Chapter 28: The Search!

    Chapter 28: The Search!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    It was a mixed bag of emotions when the expedition party found out about the possibility of the Hope landing on the planet soon. They were happy because this meant a greater chance for their survival, but they were also simultaneously worried because the landing would mean more innocent deaths in the face of those monsters!


    Ying slammed his fist into the shuttle wall and gravely said, "We must reach that approaching shuttle and use its communicator to warn the Hope!"


    Ying¡¯s directive was met by a room of silence until Liu Bai spoke up. "Ying, calm down. First, you need to understand that it¡¯s night time right now. This planet doesn¡¯t have something that¡¯s akin to Earth¡¯s moon that can reflect the sun¡¯s light at night, so it¡¯s literally a world of darkness outside. And since we only prepared for a scouting mission that was supposed to last for three hours, we did not pack any lighting equipment. Furthermore¡­


    "There¡¯s still those creature outside to worry about¡­"


    At this juncture, Ebon said, in a shaky voice, "Those are indeed monstrous creatures. There is no chance for communication nor negotiation¡­"


    Ying rushed to Ebon¡¯s side, peering at his struggling friend grimly before finally asking, "Those were some sick moves you demonstrated out there. Was it because of¡­"


    It took him much effort, but Ebon grinned and replied, "It was an out-of-body feeling. Didn¡¯t you experience it as well? When I was in that condition, I could clearly sense that those creatures had no mental faculty nor sentient consciousness. Their only intention with regards to us was¡­ to feast, or more specifically, to drink. There was a deep hunger for liquid in those creatures. They would risk their lives for even just one drop of water. Ying, don¡¯t go out there to go searching for that shuttle, and don¡¯t let your concern cloud your judgment."


    Ying stood up, shook his head, and gave himself a loud slap, hoping it would clear his mind. He took a few deep breaths before continuing, "Yes, Ebon, you are right. I was in that condition as well, but mine was different from yours. I couldn¡¯t sense their consciousness; instead, I was gifted with a clear vision of my surroundings. It was as if I was seeing with my mind¡¯s eye, and no matter the distance, everything was crystal clear¡­ It¡¯s hard to put the sensation in words, but it felt something like that."


    Turning to the scientists, Ying resumed, "Everyone, I will now describe every detail that I¡¯ve observed about those creatures. And I would like you to confirm how they detect our location."


    Ying recounted everything he had noted about those creatures down to the smallest detail. His audience of scientists was rapt. As Ying finished his tale, the biologist among the group offered, "If you¡¯re absolutely certain that the creature has no exterior organs, including eyes, nostrils, and ears, then I am fairly certain that their needle-like apparatuses act as sensors, probably highly sensitive ones at that. Like how echolocation works in bats, the needles are mostly used to detect surface vibrations."


    Ebon, who was lying at the side interjected, "And water¡­ I have a strong feeling that they are extremely attracted to water."


    The biologist, however, shook his head. "We depend on scientific method and not intuition. We can¡¯t come to conclusions like that without any actual evidence¡­"


    Surprising everyone, a scientist beside him added, "That might not be true. We may actually have the evidence to support his observation¡­"


    The room turned towards this scientist. He was the lead meteorologist, the man who suggested that the planet¡¯s air was corrosive during the conference meeting.


    He went on. "It is no secret fact that this planet having only a desert surface despite its young age is a scientific mystery. Since we¡¯ve ruled out the possibility of wind erosion and acidic corrosion, then it must have been caused by something else. This mysterious reason aside, the possibility that a species can survive on this planet where not a single trace of water could be found shouldn¡¯t be dismissed." Turning to the biologist, he continued, "As you should know, all carbon-based lifeforms require water to survive. Take us as an example, we would die without water. So, they¡¯re either like us or they are silicon-based creatures that don¡¯t require water to function. The fact that these creatures physically grow and reproduce after liquid intake points to the simple conclusion that they need water. According to the theory of natural selection, all creatures evolve towards the direction that best helps them reproduce and survive. Contrary to what you have suggested, I believe that these sensory needles were the result of their evolution to aid them in triangulating water sources, not vibrations. They sense us through the water particles in our sweat and our breath."


    The biologist was flabbergasted by the lead meteorologist¡¯s argument. It didn¡¯t take long for him to cede his position. "Indeed, you are probably correct. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m wrong, because those needles might be able to sense both water and vibrations¡­"


    After the back-and-forth between the two scientists, Ying suggested, "If we were to put on the space suits and helmets and breath only the air within them, how long would we last?"


    The room quieted down as everyone rushed off to give it a test. The result was satisfactory. They found out that one could last about fifteen minutes in the suit before the air inside become overly saturated with carbon dioxide.


    Liu Bai shook his head at this result. "It can¡¯t be counted this way. The rate at which we consume oxygen when we are standing still is drastically different from when we¡¯re moving or running. Ying, I understand where you¡¯re coming from, but we won¡¯t last more than five minutes trekking through the desert using only the air in our space suits. Five minutes is the limit I¡¯m giving; going on for more than that will only lead to suffocation and asphyxiation."


    "Five minutes, you say?" pondered Ying as he paced the room, before finally stopping in front of Zhang Heng.


    This gave Zhang Heng quite a shock. He quickly protested, "Please don¡¯t use me as an experiment! I¡¯m so much less qualified than you people, and I haven¡¯t even had any formal military training!"


    Shaking his head, Ying explained, "We¡¯re not going to use you for some twisted experiment¡­ But Zhang Heng, I want you to tell me, remember before when Chen Wei stepped towards Ebon? Why did you yell out a warning then? I thought that the creature was still hidden beneath the sand at the time. There shouldn¡¯t have been anything you could notice that would prompt you to yell out that warning!"


    Zhang Heng hesitated before answering, "You guys are probably not going to believe me, but when Chen Wei took that step, I suddenly felt like the world had gone quiet. It was an eerie serenity, silencing all of your voices and gunfire. It was like the world had been peeled away. During that weird moment, my mind was blasted with a flash of prophecy. I could somehow tell that Chen Wei was going to meet his end in the next two seconds. It was a weird experience. Told you it was hard to believe."


    Instead of confusion, which Zhang Heng was expecting, Ying appeared to be relieved. In a serious tone, Ying told Zhang Heng, "I believe you. Even though you, myself, and Ebon have all gone through that mysterious experience, it was different for every single one of us. However, it was clear that we were in some sort of superhuman condition. Ebon could sense malicious intentions and respond accordingly, I was granted super vision, and yours¡­ has something to do with divination. In any case, all the weirdness that happened has been explained.


    "Everyone, I will now lay down my plans. After I finish, you can decide whether you will follow me to go intercept that shuttle.


    "First, we will leave this shuttle in the space suits. With the help of a timer, we will allow a change of air every five minutes. Zhang Heng, during these brief windows of vulnerability, I want you focus your attention. As soon as you can see those creatures approaching, yell out their direction¡­ To make things uniformed and easy, use the clock as a direction indicator. For example, if the thing comes out from our northern side, you yell ¡®twelve o¡¯clock.¡¯ Then, I¡¯ll try to reenter my superhuman state to snipe those bastards!


    "Listen, I know that the plan is foolish and rash¡­ but I believe this is the best bet we have. Ask yourselves: are the lives of thirty-two really more important than the lives of 120000 people? We have to think of the innocent people that are on the Hope; we can¡¯t just send them to their deaths without trying our best to stop it.


    "Dawn will come in about half an hour. Until then, make your decision whether to follow or not¡­"


    After that, Ying strode off to a corner of the room and slept. He even started snoring, not at all worried about the death mission that awaited him.


    The rest of the soldiers were heavily conflicted. Zhang Heng opened his mouth multiple times, but actual words never came out¡­ His intuition told him that if he dared to request a retraction of his involvement in the upcoming mission, Ying would personally shoot him dead.


    As dawn broke, a total of twelve soldiers volunteered to join Ying because these men had their children, wives, and parents on the Hope.


    Liu Bai also decided to join Ying¡¯s operation. Without necessary medicine and facilities, there was no reason for the field medic to remain with Ebon. Even though some of the scientists had also volunteered to follow, Ying denied their requests. Ying was given explicit orders to preserve the safety of these scientists before they left for the planet, so he was adamant that all of the scientists must stay behind in the shuttle.


    Right as the small party stepped out of the shuttle entrance, Ebon, with the last bit of his energy, shouted, "FOR GLORY."


    "OR FOR DEATH!" finished Ying and Liu Bai in unison as the pair led the way out into the open desert.

 Chapter 29: Helpless

    Chapter 29: Helpless


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    It was a life-or-death gamble!


    The severity of the operation was clear on everyone¡¯s minds as they took their first steps out of the shuttle.


    As the saying goes: to know your enemy is winning half of the battle, but for Ying¡¯s troop, there were simply too many unknowns about their adversary. They did not have the answer to simple questions like how would these creatures know their location without the usage of conventional sensory organs like eyes or a nose? What they had were speculations. Speculations like they were tracing them through heat sensory, surface vibrations, or through the detection of water particles released by the human body.


    Even with Zhang Heng and Ying¡¯s superhuman powers, the possibility of being wiped out was not far from everyone¡¯s minds. At the end of the day, they were still humans with vulnerable bodies. They were not immune to damage, certainly not from needles that could literally suck the life out of man within seconds.


    Ying¡¯s small group was made up of army holdovers from when the world descended into chaos. There were two Germans, one French, one British, two Americans as well as two Chinese. Not all of them were high-ranking officers in their original armies; some hadn¡¯t even gone into actual battlefields, but they were familiar with the basics of firearms and protocols. And because of that, despite everyone¡¯s highly taut nerves, Ying¡¯s orders were still being closely followed. The group was further split into three units, one trailing behind the other. Zhang Heng, their human radar, was set in the middle.


    Somewhere down the direction they were heading, a stream of smoke was billowing upwards. On that windless morning, it was a clear signal for the landing spot of the other shuttle. This saved them the trouble of scouting, but¡­ the problem was that it was quite a distance away. A rough estimate of the time they needed to get to the shuttle was about fifty minutes to an hour, meaning at least ten stops for changes of air. It was a literal walk of death!


    Every member of the party, including Ying, was extremely distressed, and that made for faster consumption of the oxygen within the space suits. The member most affected by this was Zhang Heng. He had the least military training, plus it wasn¡¯t that long ago that he had his narcotic addiction cured. Understandably, compared to the others, he had the weakest physique.


    It was Liu Bai who was the first to notice that Zhang Heng had gone considerably pale under his helmet. He immediately requested that the party pause as he rushed over to unlock Zhang Heng¡¯s helmet. He yelled, ¡°Ying, we need to stop! Everyone, undo your helmets! We need a change of air!¡±


    Frowning, Ying looked at his stopwatch. It showed that they had only moved for three minutes. He spoke no words, but his frustration and condescension were loaded in the icy glare that he pointed toward Zhang Heng. In it was even a glint of menace.


    Liu Bai, after picking up on Ying¡¯s stare, ran and kneed Ying in his stomach with the full force of his anger. Roaring, he said, ¡°Just what the hell are you thinking?! Did you forget that he¡¯s a Black Star as well?! Put yourself in his shoes for one second, won¡¯t you? He hasn¡¯t received any formal training, so he doesn¡¯t have the endurance the rest of us have. What is wrong with that? Give him that look again and I¡¯ll gouge out those eyes of yours myself! The rest of you! Didn¡¯t you hear me? Take off your helmets!¡±


    Ying stumbled a few meters back from Liu Bai¡¯s kick. Standing up, he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That was my fault¡­ Let¡¯s take a two minute break, then. But don¡¯t let your guard down. Zhang Heng, can you still access your heightened sense?¡±


    A shivering Zhang Heng replied, in between desperate gasps of air, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m fine. I can still do that¡­¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Ying nodded. Without an apology to Zhang Heng, he planted himself on the ground. Cradling his sniper rifle, he went as still as a statue.


    After a while, Zhang Heng¡¯s breath slowed and color returned to his face. Liu Bai strode to his side and handed him a black pill that he had removed from his medical kit. He said, ¡°Here, keep this in your mouth. There will be an initial wave of bitterness, but it will pass¡­ Zhang Heng, don¡¯t take what Ying did to heart. He can be such an insensitive prick at times, but don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re one of us now; no harm will befall you from any one of us.¡±


    Zhang Heng nodded enthusiastically. Next, he worked to train his focus on his surroundings, hoping to return to that superhuman state. Nevertheless, other than the light that refracted off the sea of sand, there was nothing else he could perceive. He would try other possible methods, but since he had no clue how he had entered that state in the first place, this was the best he could do. Under the planet¡¯s sweltering heat and despite everyone¡¯s general state of dehydration, they started sweating.


    The two minutes passed in a blink of an eye. Luckily, the break was monster-free. There was hope that the operation might be finished without any encounter with those creatures. After all, this was a desert planet. There was a lack of sustenance to nurture any creature, especially one the size they encountered the day before. Perhaps there was only that one creature on this half of the planet, suggested some of the men.


    After forty minutes of trekking with many breaks in between, the tip of the other shuttle appeared on the party¡¯s horizon.


    There was a palpable atmosphere of joy because according to their calculations, they would be reaching the landing site of that other shuttle after only another four to five breaks. There was, however, one whose expression had soured among the air of celebration.


    Ever since the incident with Ying, Liu Bai had been keeping his eye on Zhang Heng. Zhang Heng was the junior of the Black Star Unit after all. When he saw Zhang Heng¡¯s face drop, he approached him and asked, ¡°Are you okay? I know you¡¯re probably tired, but hang in there for a little bit more. There¡¯re only a few steps left to the other shuttle. I¡¯m sure they brought food and water with them--¡±


    Shaking his head, Zhang Heng interjected, yelling at Ying, ¡°Ying! They are coming! From behind¡­ six o¡¯clock! And they are coming fast!¡±


    Before panic had the chance to settle, Ying summoned everyone to their posts. ¡°Ready your weapons! Backlines, stick to your positions. The rest of you form a line before them! Nice job, Zhang Heng¡­ They¡¯ll come from behind you say¡­ Liu Bai, hand him a pistol. Zhang Heng, I want you shoot at the spot where you sense the danger is emerging from. It¡¯s okay if you miss; just shoot at the general area!


    Zhang Heng nodded as he took hold of the pistol thrown to him by Liu Bai. With the weight of the pistol in his hand, he couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of the days he was practicing his marksmanship with Ebon on the Hope. Of all the Black Stars, Ebon was the one who treated him best, the one who made him feel like he was part of the fold. He suddenly felt teary-eyed, but he reigned himself in. Pointing his pistol forward, he tried to concentrate his foresight.


    Unlike the sensation of malice described by Ebon, Zhang Heng believed that his foresight wasn¡¯t something that focused on the opponent¡¯s projected malice. It was an act of divination or sixth sense, giving him a preview of the event that will happen next. Channeling the full range of his focus, he wouldn¡¯t dare to even blink for fear that he might miss warning someone of impending danger.


    The party stood prepared for about two minutes under the glaring sun. Some of the men started to get dubious and impatient, but one look at Ying¡¯s and Liu Bai¡¯s austere expressions persuaded them to keep their opinions to themselves. Suddenly¡­


    ¡°There!¡± shouted Zhang Heng as he shot at the sand dune before them. Almost immediately, Ying raised his rifle. Within that moment, he could again feel the world shutting in on itself. He could see the sand granules that were blown by the wind down to the details on each granule.


    Among the canvas of the shifting sand, he could discern an outline of the creature hiding within¡­ It was something that looked like a gigantic yarn ball. In the middle of it was a metallic-looking spherical object. Protruding from this sphere was a dense jungle of needles. It looked like a mutated, gigantic sea urchin.


    Using its needles, it squirmed underneath the sand. It was a sight that was truly unpleasant!


    ¡°¡­here, no, here¡­ no there!¡± mumbled Ying to himself. All of a sudden, a loud shot rang out of his rifle and he could see the electro magnetized bullet surging towards the creature before dislodging itself in the spherical object. The ammo burst into fragments, splitting the creature from within. Ink-black liquid seeped from its body and almost instantly the area ten meters around it was corroded into a giant sinkhole.


    Ying slumped into a kneeling position. As waves of fatigue swept over him, he felt a strong desire to sleep. The shot had taken too much out of him mentally.


    Everyone else though started cheering with the exception of one person. Zhang Heng hollered, ¡°No, no¡­ this corrosive acid is itself a form of liquid. I can sense more coming this way. It is a school of them this time. Their number is so high that I can feel their presence clearly even though they are still far away!¡±


    That dampened the celebration immediately. The men had their doubts regarding Zhang Heng¡¯s supposed power initially, but now, with the evidence before their eyes, they had no choice but to have full faith in him. And what he had just spelt was their doom.


    Ying¡¯s loud command shot through the air of depression that hung over the party. ¡°What are we still doing here, then?! Run! They are after this liquid, not us! Open your helmets to take in as much air as you can. We are going to make one last sprint! As long as we can reach the other shuttle, we will be safe!¡±


    Ying¡¯s words rallied everyone into action. The group charged towards the billowing smoke. As Ying and Liu Bai ran past Zhang Heng, with a tacit understanding that could only come from years of partnership, the pair half-carried and half-dragged Zhang Heng between them, supporting him so that he wouldn¡¯t lag behind.


    Everyone ran towards the shuttle literally like their lives depended on it. Urging them on was a noise that sounded like a colossal creature slithering towards them from underneath the ground. No one was brave enough to turn and look! They all had their sights set on the shuttle before them!


    Step by step¡­ Their destination came closer and closer¡­


    The first person to reach the shuttle slammed directly into its door with barely any time to slow down. After fumbling with the lock, he managed to get it open, then he lurched through the open door and fell flat on the floor completely drained. Soon after followed the rest of the group¡­


    When Ying, Liu Bai, and Zhang Heng, who were holding up the tail end of the party, fell through the door, they could clearly see a creature sliding towards. This creature was less than a hundred meters away. It looked like a snake, but instead of flesh and blood, it was made up solely of bones. It was at least twenty meters long, and as it glided over the surface of the sand, it looked just like a serpent stalking its prey, just a hundred times more devastating and scary.


    Before the party could get a better look, Ying rushed to close the shuttle door. With the door firmly closed, Ying slid down to the floor, trying hard to catch his breath.


    Right then, a space-suit-wearing individual jumped out from inside the shuttle. Barely holding his rifle, he shook all over as he demanded the identification of the party. After he got a clear look at everyone present, he finally let out a sigh of relief.


    It was Liu Bai who was the first to recollect himself from their death sprint. He urgently asked, ¡°Are you part of the rescue team? Where is everyone else? And is the shuttle¡¯s multi-frequency communication still functional?¡±


    The soldier quickly unarmed himself, taking pains to salute Liu Bai. ¡°Repor- reporting for duty, lieutenant, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Cut the formalities and answer me!¡± demanded Liu Bai.


    ¡°N, no¡­¡± unexpectedly, the soldier started to cry. ¡°Everyone is dead. They took the mini hovercraft out to survey the area yesterday and I kept communications from here. They said that they were thirsty and then I could hear the sounds of them gurgling water. The next minute all I could hear were painful screams before everything went quiet¡­ They are all dead out there¡­ killed by aliens¡­ who are going to pick us off one¡­ by one¡­¡±


    It would appear that the trauma of his teammates¡¯ horrific deaths and his subsequent confinement had caused this soldier to lose parts of his wits.


    Exchanging a glance with Liu Bai, Ying said, in a calm and authoritative voice, ¡°Soldier, calm yourself down! There are no vengeful aliens out there, it¡¯s just¡­ desert storms! Attention, soldier! Carry over some food and water, and then lead us to the multi-frequency communicator¡­ Actually, never mind that. Come on, Zhang Heng, it¡¯s time to get to work.¡±


    Zhang Heng stretched himself up with much difficulty, but before he could steady himself, the soldier¡¯s words sent him sprawling back down to the floor.


    ¡°Water, yes, sir, water and food, I will go get them¡­ But the communicator is broken. With the scientists¡¯ modification to this shuttle, the extra voltage managed to support its anti-gravitational system, but the high voltage discharge also fried the shuttle¡¯s main circuit board, disabling technologies like its navigator and communicator¡­¡±

 Chapter 30: Search and Rescue

    Chapter 30: Search and Rescue


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    "Aligning the Hope to suitable planetary track. Preparing to enter the planet¡¯s ozone layer. Initiating third ship inspection¡­


    "Inspection completed. Every installation accounted for. Initiating third data analysis¡­


    "Data analytics completed. All operations normal. Beginning the Hope¡¯s descent in thirty seconds. Counting down: thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight¡­"


    Under the Hope¡¯s central mainframe¡¯s guidance, the ginormous spaceship began its decline onto the desert planet. The descent was slow with the support of the anti-gravitational system. This was to prevent the creation of high friction between the ship and the ozone layer, thus lowering the risk of the Hope crashing into an alien planet.


    Residing in central command, Yao Yuan was busy taking in updates that were pouring in and issuing his corresponding orders. Naturally, these orders were discussed with and approved by technicians and scientists in order to bring the best performance of out of the Hope. Essentially, Yao Yuan was only there to read out the required orders at the right times.


    "Initiate the first and second nuclear energy generators. Idle the third."


    "Captain¡¯s order¡­"


    As Yao Yuan sped through his list of orders, the Hope glided closer and closer to the planet¡¯s surface. The view of solid land attracted the 120000 people on the Hope to their nearest cabin window. It had been quite some time since the people aboard the Hope had seen solid ground. As the sea of burnished sand rose up to greet them, the general air of excitement hid an undertow of consternation.


    The second shuttle had landed on the planet about three hours ago. According to the data they received, an increase in electrical voltage could verily counteract the weakening of the anti-gravitational system. This meant that it was entirely possible for the Hope to land on the planet.


    The issues of landing the Hope had been subsequently churned out in an emergency meeting among the ship¡¯s scientific community. A small margin still rejected the need for landing because they maintained that there were too many unknowns regarding the planet. It could be incredibly dangerous. Nevertheless, almost ninety percent of the scientists voted otherwise. In their eyes, being a space fortress, the Hope was their best defense against the planet¡¯s threats. Furthermore, should the need arise, they could abscond from the planet using the anti-gravitational system because they had worked out the kinks that prevented it from working before. Their priorities should be to rescue the stranded members and dispatch an environmental survey unit. It was instrumental to know whether the planet housed valuable mineral supplies since minerals like uranium were pivotal to the Hope¡¯s survival.


    All things considered, the scientific community had agreed upon the need to land. Yao Yuan had announced the ship¡¯s plan to land since then and they were now finally touching down on the planet.


    "Thirty minutes are required to prepare for lift off?" Yao Yuan requested for confirmation as he went over the information that was handed to him by the ship¡¯s engineers. This data was compiled after the engineers had done the necessary evaluation on the Hope¡¯s energy circuits and reservoir.


    Because of its size, the accumulation of energy that was needed for levitation would always be a thorn in the Hope¡¯s side. There wasn¡¯t a field big enough on the planet for the Hope to gather sufficient speed for lift off. Even with the use of rockets, the propulsion force wasn¡¯t strong enough to support the Hope in vertical ascent. The only viable method was through the use of the anti-gravitational system. That was why Yao Yuan had been hesitant about landing the Hope for quite some time. If disaster were to befall the anti-gravitational system, the 120000 citizens of the Hope would be condemned to life sentences on this planet.


    Even though they had figured out the solution, to create a spike in the ship¡¯s voltage output still required quite a bit of time since it involved a series of voltage converters.


    The engineers¡¯ evaluation reports confirmed that more than thirty minutes were needed for the Hope to charge the voltage needed to override the resistance from the planet. For some reason, Yao Yuan felt an overbearing need to memorize this number of thirty minutes to heart. After that, he shifted to another report.


    This other report was by a group of geologists. It was regarding the planet¡¯s surface compression. From the data given by the two shuttles, they managed to conclude that the landing locations for the previous two shuttles were unsuitable for landing the Hope. The sand layers were comparatively loose around those two locales, so they might not be able to support the Hope¡¯s weight.


    They had, however, identified a spot suitable for landing. It was one hundred and seventy kilometers away from the two shuttles. The geologists banked on this spot¡¯s higher altitude to signify that it had a firm underlying layer of rock.


    Another item on the report was a proposal to send out an underground probing party once the Hope landed. This would help ascertain the location¡¯s geological structure more clearly, thus preventing unnecessary geological disaster. It would also help in analyzing the planet¡¯s geological features and isolating mineral veins as well as water sources. In conclusion, a firmer understanding of the planet¡¯s formation would be gained¡­ After all, such an anomalous desert planet didn¡¯t appear out of thin air. There were many mysteries in space, but as creatures of logic, humans believe that everything can be explained through logic, and this desert planet should be of no difference!


    Truth be told, Yao Yuan had pretty much no clue on how to read the scientific reports handed to him, because he had had no scientific training. Nevertheless, he had a quality the scientists had found to be incredibly worth respecting and that was his willingness to listen. Just like how his men paid attention to him on the battlefield because he was the expert in combat and warfare, he felt it was his duty to extend the same amount of deference to the scientists in their fields of expertise.


    As Yao Yuan scrutinized the reports, he had a sneaking feeling that hiding within the pages was a disaster waiting to happen, but try as he might, he couldn¡¯t locate it. After all, landing something that was the Hope¡¯s size in a desert terrain did warrant an immediate geological survey. Despite his nagging feeling of dread, it was entirely logical. And thus, after much deliberation, he approved the proposal but not before issuing an accompanying injunction where the probing team had to be accompanied by three hundred armed soldiers¡­


    This proposal of desert drilling had attached with it a list of needed logistics. The amount of equipment and supplies asked was negligible because the Hope had quite a big hoard of those from its days on earth. What had Yao Yuan worried was the list of staff it required.


    The list requested for three hundred plus engineers as well as one thousand and five hundred mining workers. This would be the first time a group of this size would be leaving the Hope in one go, and if something were to happen¡­


    Fearful of their safety, Yao Yuan scribbled over the three hundred and wrote five hundred instead. With a sigh, he slumped back down in his seat, waiting silently for the Hope to touch the ground. His train of thought rounded back again to his sense of guilt.


    "Ying, Liu Bai, Ebon, Zhang Heng, wait for me. This was my fault, my miscalculation; I swear I will get you men back safely!" Yao Yuan promised himself.


    After ten minutes, the Hope passed the fifty thousand meters threshold. There was a gentle shake that was felt all over the Hope as the ship made contact with the sandy ground. Under the Hope¡¯s weighty pressure, the sand showed initial signs of giving away before it finally and fortunately stopped. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief alongside the soft but safe landing. There was an overall sense of hope and joy because according to preliminary reports, this could very well be man¡¯s next home planet!


    The mystery that shrouded the desertscape before them inspired an equal amount of fear and excitement among the citizens of the Hope. The people requested to step out of the spaceship. They wanted to breathe in the air of this new planet for themselves. Naturally, these were all denied because Yao Yuan had no intention of letting non-related personnel leave the safety of the Hope before they made sure the planet was secure enough to do so.


    After about half an hour of preparation, the rescue party was ready. With the exception of Guang Zhen, who was ordered to hang back as acting captain, every remaining member of the Black Star Unit was scripted into this party. Led by Yao Yuan, the party also included a hundred elite agents and five hovercrafts¡­ These hovercrafts were too fragile to be given the modifications necessary to allow them to keep their anti-gravitational function, but even without the modifications, they were still speedy means of transport as they could still glide quickly over the sandy surface using their conventional floatation systems.


    Before departure, Yao Yuan approached Guang Zhen. "Ol¡¯ Wong, you¡¯re the most grounded among us all. So while I¡¯m sorry you have to sit this one out, but you have to stay behind to look after the Hope. If there¡¯s any trouble, don¡¯t hesitate to contact me, but I¡¯m sure you can handle it yourself because I have full faith in you."


    Guang Zhen responded somewhat sullenly. "But why do you need to go? You¡¯re the captain, the captain that these 120000 people trust. You¡¯re the face of security for them, so why can¡¯t you stay and I lead the team instead?"


    "Ol¡¯ Wong, you might not believe me¡­ but I have a feeling that if you lead the team, you all will face incredible danger. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe in your capability, but I¡¯ve told you about this feeling haven¡¯t I? It is unreal, but it works best when heeded¡­ It just feels right to have you garrison the Hope. Alright, that¡¯s everything I have the time to say. Ol¡¯ Wong, just wait here for our return with the complete Black Star Unit. They are still out there¡­ I can feel it," said Yao Yuan.


    Sighing, Guang Zhen conceded. "It¡¯s that damn feeling again, isn¡¯t it? Go ahead then, and don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep watch over the ship while you¡¯re gone."


    The pair of old friends bumped fists before Yao Yuan turned to join the rest of the rescue party who were already waiting by the hovercrafts. As Yao Yuan neared the party, he intoned, "Let¡¯s move out! We¡¯re going to go get our lost heroes!"


    At the same time, a sizeable party was gathering at the other side of the Hope. Adhering to Yao Yuan¡¯s order, it had five hundred soldiers, more than a handful of technicians and engineers, as well as one thousand five hundred civilians who volunteered to follow as general workers¡­

 Chapter 31: Terror

    Chapter 31: Terror


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Ever since the Hope landed on the planet, Yao Yuan had been getting increasingly bothered. It was an insidious feeling. It reminded him of his first field operation when he accidentally stepped on a landmine and could feel his body involuntarily freeze. It rendered him helpless.


    Yao Yuan was certain that the planet harbored an unknown danger. Nevertheless, he chose not to voice his concerns out loud in fear of ruining overall morale.


    The hovercraft journey was dominated by silence because most of the soldiers were too wrapped up in the discovery of the new planet. Many stationed themselves before the windows with some even taking the effort to videotape the scenery. Even though there was literally only sand, they were still exploring an alien planet. The joy of fresh adventure and exploration had the men shaking with excitement.


    The men weren¡¯t technically putting up a disciplined front, but Yao Yuan decided to cut them some slack. He knew that these men weren¡¯t all from the Black Star Unit, so he reminded himself to not hold them up to the same standards. If he were overly oppressive, it might breed resentment, and that could only be disadvantageous.


    The hovercrafts travelled at a much higher speed than expected and before long, the crew could already see one of the shuttles rising out of the sand about ten kilometers away.


    As they glided closer to the shuttle, a few of the unit captains appealed to Yao Yuan with a request. They wanted to remove their helmets and drink some water to help cool down from the heat. They argued that since the planet¡¯s atmosphere was reported to be similar to that of Earth¡¯s, it would not cause them harm if they were to remove their helmets.


    Yao Yuan was surprisingly adamant about none of the crew removing their helmets, retorting that there still remained the eleven percent of the atmosphere that was unidentified and that it could be latently harmful. Unlike the expedition party, who literally ran out of air, there was no reason for them to take unnecessary risk. Yao Yuan¡¯s verdict was for them to suffer through the heat.


    There wasn¡¯t much of an uproar after Yao Yuan¡¯s refusal. That could be accredited to the fact that before they left, they had been given stern warnings by the scientific community to not inhale the planet¡¯s air unless absolutely necessary. The scientists had expressed concerns over the mysterious eleven percent of the planet¡¯s air and were still conducting additional analyses on it back on the Hope. Until they could be sure that the air was one hundred percent harmless to the human body, the Academy had given an official statement that direct inhalation was discouraged to prevent possible complications.


    It is worth mentioning that man¡¯s technology at the year 2029 has undergone certain changes when compared to how it was in the beginning of the twenty-first century. An example would be the introduction of nano-materials. Materials like metal, plastic, glass, clay, and even textiles had undergone major improvements. Space suits of the twenty-first century that were bulky and difficult to move in had become something that was more akin to bodysuits following the advancement of nanotechnology. They were lighter, much more flexible, and had better heat insulation. Even the opening and closing of the helmets had become automated. All of these improvements in functionality were thoroughly showcased during man¡¯s full-scale exploration of the moon in the year 2020.


    When they were still on Earth, Yao Yuan knew that these spacesuits would be invaluable assets to their mission, so he ordered his men to scour the American, Russian, and Chinese space centers to gather as many of these suits as they could. Before they departed for space, the Hope had almost 10000 of these spacesuits in storage.


    Thanks to Yao Yuan¡¯s prescience, the crew in the hovercraft was all wearing this handy space-travel wear. A few minutes after the captains¡¯ request was rejected, Yao Yuan received an entreaty for communication from the Hope.


    It was issued by the Academy. They had finished their analysis on the planet¡¯s atmospheric components. Their analysis had confirmed that the atmosphere contained no traces of microbes and water. It was indeed similar to Earth¡¯s atmosphere if one were to ignore its mysterious eleven percent.


    Since the mystery component was unlike anything mankind had discovered, the scientists had no point of reference. Their analysis had to be conducted at an atomic structure level. The result of that analysis was the reason they called.


    "¡­We have the result of the atomic analysis. It was unbelievable! It was made up of¡­" said the scientist with what sounded like crazed fervor in his voice. Even with Yao Yuan¡¯s basic understanding of chemistry, after hearing what the mystery component was made of, he could understand the fanatic way the scientist had reacted. It was indeed an impossible find!


    "You¡¯re telling me eleven percent of the air contains metallic element?! How is that even possible?" asked Yao Yuan incredulously.


    "Major, we have double-checked our results, so there is no mistake! We are as surprised as you are. Evidently, this planet¡¯s air is host to molecules that are large enough to support extensions of metal atoms. It is a mystery that we can¡¯t explain; it can only be described as one of the cosmos¡¯ peculiarities... Frankly, with our current technology, even with access to its chemical composition, we are unable to engineer such a complex compound molecule!


    "As you know, the air around us mostly consists of singular molecules like oxygen with two oxygen atoms and nitrogen with two nitrogen atoms. Even when they are compound molecules, they are chemically simple, like carbon dioxide with one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. They have to be simple to maintain their gaseous state¡­ We have never encountered a gaseous molecule that has a metallic atom¡­ It¡¯s a miracle!"


    Coaxed on by the fervor of the miraculous discovery, the scientist sounded like he was ready to launch into a long speech exclaiming the majesty of the great cosmos. Before he could do so, Yao Yuan interjected. "It is a miracle. We know too little about the cosmos to presume we could understand it all. The Academy can have all the resources it needs to pore over this discovery, but I just need to know, is this element harmful to man?"


    The scientist quickly replied as if shocked by the redundancy of the question. "Harmful? How could it be harmful? Even if the metallic elements are in a gaseous state, they are not elements that we have had no contact with. These are elements like zinc and iron; they are incredibly insoluble. Even if we were to breathe in this air for a whole day, the percentage of it that would get into our bloodstream may be even less than one percent of the total. The amount is too small to cause metal poisoning. In fact, inhalation of such trace amounts of metallic elements could help balance our body¡¯s chemical equilibrium. Since it is directly consumed through the air, its effect might even be better than taking edible supplements. Therefore, major, it is my suggestion that we allow everyone to be exposed to this air immediately as its effect can only be positive. Thank God."


    "Are we absolutely certain that it is safe? How do the Chrome ZH mice respond to being exposed to this gas?" asked Yao Yuan.


    "You mean the genetically-modified mice created by the biology committee? Yes, I think they were called Chrome ZH mice. They have double the metabolic rate of normal mice with only ten days life expectancy. We have indeed conducted experiments on a batch of these mice. After being exposed to this planet¡¯s air, they showed an increase in physical status. There were no side effects. That is why I was willing to make this communication, major. The Academy is certain that this planet¡¯s air is not harmful for human consumption. And that conclusion is backed up by one hundred and seventy biologists!"


    Yao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that solid confirmation. Before he closed communications, he said, "I am incredibly grateful towards the Academy for its hard work and dedication. Please relay this information to Lieutenant Wong. Inform him to open the Hope¡¯s air vents. It is time for the people to take in natural air and not the air filters¡¯ sanitized air!"


    After that, he allowed everyone to remove their helmets, then everyone was handed one bottle of mineral water. Since they had been cooped up in their space suits for an extended period of time, some of the men started chugging down water like they hadn¡¯t had a drop in days¡­


    Yao Yuan too started unscrewing the cap of his bottle. At the moment right before he tipped the water into his mouth, he had a flash of premonition. It was intense but fleeting. It dissolved before he could catch what it was trying to communicate. He waited for it to return, but the feeling was gone. Shrugging it off, he started glugging the water.


    The hovercrafts floated closer to their destination. A few minutes later, they would be expected to be right before the shuttle¡¯s entrance.


    Right then, a sandstorm started swirling around the group. The storm gradually gathered around one of the hovercrafts, immobilizing it in its spot. Before everyone¡¯s eyes, a giant skeletal "flower" bloomed underneath the hovercraft. It stretched its bony petals towards the captive hovercraft before closing in on itself, dragging its victim down into the sandy depths.


    A few seconds later, the skeletal "flower" reemerged in full bloom. Following a blinding explosion originating at the center of the "flower", the taken hovercraft, or what was left of it, was ejected into the air before raining down in pieces of waste metals ¡­

 Chapter 32: Deliverance

    Chapter 32: Deliverance


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    When the gust of the sandstorm started gathering, Yao Yuan¡¯s senses were practically singing. He could feel a strong surge of malice coming their way. It was pure and unadulterated. There was no hidden agenda; it just wanted to eat.


    The feeling of malice was so intense that it knocked Yao Yuan off his feet. He could see the room spinning as he went down. Before he lost consciousness completely though, he bit down hard on his lower lip. The shot of pain inspired a moment of lucidity, and Yao Yuan managed to rally himself off of that. Pulling himself back from the brink of collapse, he was granted a closer look of their adversary.


    The skeletal flower was most probably a crustacean because its every surface, from its bony petals to the stalk it grew out of, was covered with a hardened shell. The scariest aspect though was its size. Standing upright, it stretched to at least a hundred meters tall, while it covered almost twenty meters from one end of its bud to another. When it was in bloom, it would grow even bigger. That could explain the ease with which it engulfed one of the hovercrafts.


    The hovercraft wasn¡¯t a completely organic object. Its engine probably exploded when it came into contact with the creature¡¯s digestive juices. The blast shredded the bud into pieces. Black ooze was flung around as the stalk started spasming crazily like a man losing his head. They knew that the ooze was highly corrosive, because the moment it hit the ground, the affected area melted. The creature¡¯s demise pocked the ground around them with craters of all sizes.


    The hovercraft closest to the flower was showered with a healthy dose of its vile liquid which ate through the metal like butter. Even the people within were not spared. The acid was so highly corrosive that the hovercraft¡¯s unlucky passengers didn¡¯t have the time to respond before they were melted off. It took less than three seconds for the hovercraft with all of its carry-ons to be completely disintegrated.


    ¡°Move away! Steer the hovercraft away from that liquid!¡± Yao Yuan yelled. ¡°Keep your helmets on; this gas might be toxic too!¡±


    Yao Yuan¡¯s command tore the operators of the three remaining hovercrafts out of their shock. They immediately steered the hovercraft away from the general trajectory of the liquid spray. The rest of the people quickly switched on their helmets. They ran to investigate the spot where the explosion had occurred, but it was shrouded behind a wall of acidic fog.


    Two hovercrafts, the lives of forty soldiers, and four Black Stars were lost in the blink of an eye. It showcased how truly fragile humanity was amidst the wide cosmos¡­


    Staring at the toxic mist, Yao Yuan was at a loss for words. What was solid barely a minute ago was now a cloud of roiling gas. Out of nowhere, he heard a shot of gunfire from the shuttle. Using a pair of military-grade binoculars, Yao Yuan could see a person waving two makeshift flags by the shuttle.


    Yao Yuan quickly communicated to the two other hovercrafts, ¡°There are people stranded on the shuttle and those are the people that we¡¯ve come to save. Be on alert, but move the hovercraft towards the shuttle.¡±


    Fear was written clearly on the soldiers¡¯ faces. They would be eaten alive by another one of those flower creatures if they absconded from the hovercraft. A few of the soldiers even started yelling dissention, refusing to risk their safety for others. Faced with such open opposition, Yao Yuan¡¯s expression turned darkly serious. Abandonment of orders was no longer a misdemeanor but a heavy offense. Reading Yao Yuan¡¯s expression, all of the Black Stars stood ready to step in should things continue to escalate.


    At that moment, a unit captain came forth with a message. ¡°Major, it doesn¡¯t appear like the person was waving the flags for no reason. It is incredibly probable that he was a Navy SEAL and is communicating with us through semaphore!¡±


    This threw Yao Yuan for a loop and he quickly returned his attention to the person waving the flag. Hurriedly, he asked, ¡°What is he trying to say? Can you translate?¡±


    The captain hesitated before replying, ¡°I will try my best, major. But semaphore is normally used to signal situations at sea, so this might not make any sense¡­ He is repeating four signals. First, dangerous carriage; second, cease your intention; third, danger ahead; and fourth, diving operation under progress, so keep distance.¡±


    Yao Yuan waved one of the nearby soldiers to bring him a piece of paper. As the captain went through the meaning of the man¡¯s flag signals, he jotted them down. When he finished, he turned to the captain and said, ¡°Thank you, captain. Please continue to keep an eye on the soldier. If he signals something different, please let me know.¡±


    Yao Yuan sat studying these four phrases. The stranded soldier had taken much pain to sign these four terms over. They were within minutes from the shuttle, so these terms had to be of great importance if the soldier couldn¡¯t wait the few minutes to tell them this in person.


    The problem was that Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t understand what they were trying to communicate¡­


    The first was dangerous carriage. Did carriage mean the people on the hovercrafts or on the shuttle? But wouldn¡¯t it be weird to refer to people as carriages? Or did it mean something else¡­


    Second was to cease your intention. Was it telling them to cease moving towards the shuttle? Could the shuttle be a trap set by waiting creatures? Were the planet¡¯s creatures so calculative in nature? Yao Yuan had his doubts.


    One thing was clear though; however, before he could figure out what these terms meant, they should not be engaging in any operation recklessly. With that in mind, he shouted through the communicator, ¡°Stop movement of all hovercrafts. Stay idle but be on alert!¡±


    Without taking the time to address others¡¯ responses to his shifting order, Yao Yuan turned back to his thoughts. The third was danger ahead. Did it refer to the flower creature that attacked them or did it mean the person inside the shuttle would be a source of danger to them?


    The last was the most curious of them all: diving operation under progress, so keep distance¡­ It made absolutely zero sense. They were in the middle of the desert; how could there be a pool of water for a diving operation¡­


    (Diving¡­ water¡­ Wait, water!)


    Yao Yuan suddenly jumped out of his seat and shouted through the communicator, ¡°Do not remove your helmets! I repeat, do not remove your helmet! Seal every bottle of water there is and do not open a single one! Also, operators, please resume movement towards the shuttle.¡±


    (So that¡¯s what the four signals mean. The word carriage wasn¡¯t referring to people but the water that they carried. Secondly, it isn¡¯t the intention to reach the shuttle that needs to be ceased but rather humans¡¯ basic intention to drink and breathe. When the first two meanings are made clear, the third easily reveals itself. The danger wasn¡¯t about the creatures but the water that attracted these creatures. The fourth could only be hinting at the location these creatures will appear from.)


    With the meaning of the signals made clear, everything else started to fall into place. Yao Yuan had been wondering why they were suddenly attacked when they had been travelling incident-free for so long. He reflected that the attack took place right after he gave his crew permission to remove their helmets and to drink water!


    (It is water then that attracted these creatures?!)


    Yao Yuan¡¯s rumination was cut short because they had neared the shuttle. As they walked in, they were greeted with the tired faces of the stranded expedition party. There were eight scientists, Ebon, who was in a state of coma from amputation and blood loss, Ying, Liu Bai, Zhang Heng, and the remaining soldiers who had returned from the second shuttle as well as¡­ a flat, spindly alien carcass that was two to three meters in size.


    ¡°Bring it back to the Hope for autopsy,¡± said Ying when he saw Yao Yuan walk through the door. Pointing at the alien carcass, he continued, ¡°Its noxious body fluid has been drained, so don¡¯t wor-¡± before he could finish, Ying slumped to the floor. Entering the superhuman state had taken a serious toll on him and he had been holding on through the sheer power of his will, but right then, he had reached his limit.


    All of this took Yao Yuan by surprise, and amidst the general confusion, he had forgotten to remind the Hope about his new findings regarding the planet¡¯s dangerous creatures. And so, while they were distracted in the shuttle, Guang Zhen had obeyed his order to open the Hope¡¯s air vent.


    And through it, a large amount of water particles wafted out to the planet¡­


    At the same time, the geological surveillance unit departed from the Hope. Their destination was a decline about twenty kilometers away from the Hope. They intended to start a drilling operation there, hoping to use the data that they would find to unveil the mysteries surrounding this desert planet¡­

 Chapter 33: Deadly Greens

    Chapter 33: Deadly Greens


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Jay was tired and sick of everything at this point.


    Since he got onto the damnable spaceship, he had been infected by a mysterious virus, tormented by high fever, and thrown into one-month-long quarantine. He never thought that he would say this, but during that period, he even missed the times he was locked in jail, because then he at least had an inkling of what was happening.


    Tragedy, however, didn¡¯t end there. A few days after he was released from quarantine, he was requested to attend a series of meetings with the military and people¡¯s representatives where he was bombarded with questions regarding his academic standing. He knew that it was a matter of time before he would be found out, so he decided to come clean in the hopes of getting a less severe punishment. Before he could do that though, some emergency came up and the authority had left him alone. He felt immensely relieved following that, but his elation didn¡¯t last long. Call it karma because this time his fake doctorate had landed him in a much bigger pickle than he could have possibly imagined.


    The Hope was gathering personnel for a geological surveillance unit. This unit would be responsible for conducting an analysis of the geological structure around the Hope¡¯s landing zone. This was to find out whether the area would pose any danger to the spaceship and its citizens. Thanks to his doctorate, Jay was recruited into this unit.


    Obviously, the unit¡¯s mission was incredibly important; 120000 lives depended on the result gathered by this unit. It was considering their mission¡¯s importance that Yao Yuan allowed this unit to venture out of the Hope before the military had the whole planet secured.


    Of course, Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t going to send the unit out into the great unknown desert without protection. After all, the unit consisted of technicians, scientists, and engineers; these were invaluable assets to the Hope. Therefore, the unit was accompanied by five hundred soldiers and a fleet of hovercrafts to ensure their safety. Furthermore, the location that they were heading to was only twenty kilometers away from the Hope. The hovercrafts were there for expedient transportation of materials or for a quick retreat.


    And that was how Jay was roped into this conundrum. Before he boarded the Hope, he had spent days thinking about the perfect doctorate to give himself. To prevent an ugly unraveling of his lies, he needed to find a field where his knowledge would not be tested. Subjects like chemistry, biology, physics, and astronomy were definitely out. Even courses like translation, resource management, and economics were unsuitable.


    After much deliberation, Jay decided on geology.


    They were, after all, going to space, a place where there would be no land. What use would a geologist be in space? Or at least that was what Jay thought back then.


    Now things couldn¡¯t be worse. Thanks to his fake doctorate, he was requested to join this geological surveillance unit as a team leader. He would lead the prospecting team and would be personally responsible for analyzing the minerals they would mine.


    Amidst the general air of excitement that surrounded him as they walked towards their destination, Jay was an isolated bastion of gloominess. He was full with lamentations of how harshly fate had treated him. Suddenly, a hand nudged him on his shoulder. Jay swept around and was greeted by a girl¡¯s grinning face.


    "Eh? It¡¯s you! Your name is¡­" stunned, Jay had difficulties placing a name on the familiar face. But he was sure this girl was the person he was talking to when he fainted a few weeks ago, the girl who needed his help gathering some water.


    "The name¡¯s Feng Xiao Chen," the girl supplied, pointing cheekily at herself.


    "Wait, didn¡¯t you tell me your native language was French? Why do you have a chinese name now?" enquired Jay.


    Xiao Chen explained, "You¡¯re still as ditzy as ever! Don¡¯t you know that they are going to formalize chinese as the Hope¡¯s official language? People are going to give themselves chinese names sooner or later, so I opted for the sooner! Come, repeat after me: Feng Xiao Chen!"


    Shaking his head, Jay replied, "Fine¡­ Feng Xiao Chen, is it? By the way, why are you here? Isn¡¯t the Hope on lockdown? Other than the surveillance unit and rescue party, no one is allowed out. So how did you sneak your way here?"


    Feigning offense, Xiao Chen mockingly scolded Jay, "Who are you saying snuck here? I walked alongside this unit openly, okay? For your information, I speak multiple languages; without me, who is going to translate for you bunch of unilingual dummies?" Pointing at her collar, she added, "Lookie here! See, I¡¯m wearing a yellow first-grade badge."


    The surveillance unit was a hastily constructed unit with members who didn¡¯t know each other personally, so there was general confusion in determining people¡¯s assigned roles. To rectify this, a few engineers designed a set of color-coded badges. These would be used to easily signify one¡¯s rank and role. The reds were the highest ranked; these were the scientists and engineers. Following them were the yellows; the technical workers and a handful of translators. After that, the team leaders wore green and the remaining general workers had grey.


    Jay was more than a bit annoyed to have this girl of only seventeen or eighteen parade her yellow badge before him. It was a bit hard for him to stomach that she was of a higher hierarchy than he was when she was so much younger than him. Swallowing his anger, he teased, "Fine, you¡¯re the boss. As a matter of fact, is there anything I can do for you, madam?"


    Laughing haughtily, Xiao Chen said, "Not at the moment, but do not stray from your post beside me because I might need your help at any moment. I heard that the minerals we¡¯re collecting as samples are quite heavy. You can help me carry those."


    Jay wanted to turn around and leave, but he suddenly had a fit of inspiration. "Sure, a ten kilogram load will easily crush a girl like you, and I¡¯m sure those rocks are heavier than that. How about I carry those samples for you while you go around translating stuff for people?" suggested Jay nonchalantly.


    Grabbing Jay¡¯s hands, Xiao Chen tried to hide her appreciation as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You yourself suggested that, so no backsies! You are now my lackey and will be helping me carry everything that is heavy."


    Feigning reluctance, Jay complained, "I¡¯m okay with it, but how about my assignment? If my superiors find out, I will be dead."


    "To hell with them!" Xiao Chen giggled, catching herself swear. "This is volunteer work after all. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re abandoning work, you¡¯re just assigning yourself a different role, so why care about them? So, go get me a bottle of water right now, lackey number one. I¡¯m incredibly thirsty."


    Making no signs to move, Jay shrugged, "Can¡¯t help you there. All of the supplies have been sent to the destination beforehand. I heard that the military is setting up camp there now as we speak. If you¡¯re that thirsty, then move faster."


    Seemingly satisfied with his justification, Xiao Chen nodded obediently. Suddenly, she took off running, but not before dragging Jay along. As Jay was pulled along, he could hear Xiao Chen laugh. "Then let¡¯s move! We¡¯re not moving fast enough! Faster! Faster! Now I can¡¯t wait for work to start¡­"


    "Wait, wait! Are you crazy? You¡¯re going to make me trip¡­"


    The pair ran ahead of everyone else, trailing shrieks and laughter. In everyone¡¯s eyes, based on their intimate interactions and banters, this pair of rosy-eyed young girl and dashing young man was an obvious couple. Witnessing love blossom always brought a warm, fuzzy feeling to one¡¯s heart, and that was especially true considering their situation. It told them that even after everything man had been through, the legacy of love would survive.


    That brought hope for their future, a future where this barren desert would be terra-formed after they find a water source. With hard work and dedication, they could see this being man¡¯s second home planet!


    Everyone felt lifted by a surge of inspiration and their steps quickened¡­


    At that moment, back in the Hope, Guang Zhen had just ended transmission with Yao Yuan. There were three main points of communication. First was Yao Yuan reporting that they had indeed located the stranded survivors. A bit of bad news was that Ebon needed immediate medical attention when they transported him back to the Hope.


    The second was a warning about the planet¡¯s dangerous organisms. Yao Yuan said that they were still unclear as to how these creatures could detect human presence, but speculation pointed towards water. They were transporting a carcass of such an alien creature back to the Hope as well, hoping the biologists on board could get more information out of it.


    Lastly, Yao Yuan wished for the Hope to not stay grounded. He also wanted Guang Zhen to recall the geological surveillance unit, but that was a lost cause. They had departed hours before Yao Yuan remembered to contact the Hope. They were probably beginning the process for excavation by the time Yao Yuan called.


    After Guang Zhen got off of the call, he immediately issued an order for the Hope to lift off. The engine room heeded his order and started to charge the ship¡¯s anti-gravitational system.


    However, the system couldn¡¯t be powered on for some reason¡­


    On the outer wall of the Hope¡¯s base, numerous small tendrils were tangled up in the gravitational system¡¯s circuit. They appeared to be draining the system¡¯s electricity while simultaneously eroding it¡­


    At the same time, at a spot twenty kilometers away from the Hope, in a small encampment, people were busy working. In the middle of the encampment were a few giant drilling machines. They were poised to dig through the desert¡¯s surface layer.


    However, the operation wasn¡¯t going so well. For some reason, when the drill bits hit a depth of about two hundred meters, their power would suddenly become dry. It was the same with all the machines. This had the scientists and technicians present scratching their heads. Without any other solution, they ordered the bit to be retracted to have it checked to see what exactly it had come into contact with.


    When the bit was lifted above ground, its surface was enveloped in a thick, green layer of something similar to moss. However, unlike moss, these green organisms adhered to the surface of the drill by ways of tendrils. It would appear that these green organisms were the culprits that were draining the drills of their energy. What was more horrifying was that with a speed that was observable to the naked eye, the bit was slowing dissolving before everyone¡¯s eyes¡­


    The green organisms were draining and "eating" the drill bit! As the bit shrunk, bits of sand continued to fall off from the thick layer of the green organisms¡­

 Chapter 34: Smoke and Mirrors

    Chapter 34: Smoke and Mirrors


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Sitting in the hovercraft, Yao Yuan was feeling incredibly down; there was even a shred of fear mixed in.


    How could he have forgotten to contact the Hope? And it was not only he alone; the whole fifty plus member crew had forgotten as well!


    This was where the fear sprung from. It was tolerable if only a small handful of people had forgotten this important detail, because humans weren¡¯t robots with photographic memory. But to have all fifty plus of them lapse on this information¡­


    That was scary!


    It seemed implausible, but Yao Yuan concluded that they were all somehow lulled into this forgetfulness. How else was one going to explain this weird phenomenon?! Then again, Yao Yuan thought to himself that perhaps it was trauma from their brush-in with the skeletal flower that had pushed the need to contact the Hope out of their minds.


    Yao Yuan kept going back and forth between the two arguments. He deeply believed that there was a malicious force at hand that had dulled their memory, but he couldn¡¯t find any actual evidence of such a threat. And perhaps that was the biggest threat of all¡­


    As the chinese idiom goes: it is easy to dodge the spear in the open but hard to avoid a stab in the dark. It was always the hidden attack that would prove to be the most fatal. And Yao Yuan just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of being observed.


    (Calm yourself down, Yao Yuan. It¡¯s no use crying over spilled milk. You need to clear your mind and slowly go through the clues again.)


    Heeding his own advice, Yao Yuan took a deep breath. The pure oxygen siphoned into his helmet had a strangely calming effect as he started revising everything that had happened.


    First, about one month ago, the Hope spotted this terrestrial planet. It was also the only planet the Hope could reach with its limited supplies and technology.


    Then, the Hope charted its way towards this planet. In that period, the ship was ravaged by a mysterious virus, killing one hundred and two of the total five hundred plus patients.


    This virus left as suddenly as it came. After the initial wave of sickness, there were no diagnoses of similar cases again. Treated as one of the cosmos¡¯ many mysteries, the incident of Virus X had since been relegated into the central mainframe¡¯s historical storage.


    After that, the Hope successfully entered the planet¡¯s orbit. To gather initial surveillance, a few automated probes were released onto the planet. The data gathered wasn¡¯t complete enough to warrant a landing of the Hope, so Yao Yuan dispatched an expeditionary team which comprised of Ying, Ebon, Liu Bai, and Zhang Heng as well as some soldiers and scientists.


    The lackluster performance of the probes was to be expected because they were inferior to actual galactic probes like the ones used on Mars.


    The reason for this was simple: their creators were, to put it simply, slim pickings after the governments had done their rounds. They were not specialists; there were only a few handfuls of them that had contact with space technology before this. Naturally, their proficiency would grow with practice and time, but for this first planet, their creations were understandably less than satisfactory.


    For this reason, Yao Yuan had convinced himself and the Hope that an expedition group was necessary¡­ Personally, he felt that the ship needed hope from a successful operation, but now he started to have doubts.


    The Hope¡¯s storage of energy would allow for four additional space-warps. Their cache of supplies and the sixth floor biomes could provide enough sustenance to ensure at least ten years of survival for the 120000 people in space, a period that could be drawn out with systematic rationing.


    The point was that the Hope wasn¡¯t in dire need of landing. It would actually be more beneficial to use the extra time to conduct a more thorough analysis of the planet. He shouldn¡¯t have been so rash in his decision to dispatch the expeditionary unit and to order the landing. But weirdly enough, when these momentous decisions were made, even with Yao Yuan expecting it, there were no voices of objection from the Hope¡¯s citizens. It was as if the whole of the Hope was of one mind, and that mind was Yao Yuan¡¯s¡­


    (Could this be the source of the problem?!)


    Yao Yuan sat up straighter in his chair. He was suddenly reminded of an operation he was given years ago. It required him to assassinate an international spy. Due to the mission¡¯s covert nature, only Yao Yuan and the female leader of the Hidden Dragon squad were involved. The two of them were hot on their target¡¯s trail, but at a pivotal point, they were diverted off track.


    It was thanks to a coincidence that they managed to complete their mission. It was only after the target was eliminated that Yao Yuan knew that the spy was incredibly well-versed with psychology and hypnosis. Through the use of colors, words, conversations, and even interior design, he could subtly implant suggestions in people¡¯s minds, swaying them into making certain decisions.


    He had learned from the spy something called self-serving bias. Even when man was found to be in the wrong, he would be reluctant to admit mistakes and would instead twist the reality in such a way that the mistakes were found to be logical and intended. Yao Yuan had discovered that this psychological bias could be enhanced through suggestions. It was like what was happening to him then; instead of admitting that he had made some impetuous decisions, he kept telling himself that the moves were necessary because the people on board needed to witness immediate action and hope¡­


    In other words, could it be that he, alongside the 120000 on the Hope, were under the influence of hypnosis?!


    "Connect me to the Hope," ordered Yao Yuan as he sprang up from his seat.


    Call it a coincidence, but at that moment, the panel that indicated a communication from the Hope beeped. Yao Yuan quickly grabbed the communicator and asked, "What¡¯s happening, Ol¡¯ Wong? Why the sudden need for communication?"


    In an uncharacteristically frantic voice, Guang Zhen explained, "Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n, we¡¯ve stumbled into an emergency¡­"


    In an unceasing stream of information, Guang Zhen relayed to Yao Yuan every worrying report that he had received. The Hope¡¯s service team had found some type of green organisms attached to the ship¡¯s underbelly. They were rapidly draining the Hope of its reservoir of energy. Furthermore, the geological surveillance unit had reported stumbling across similar green organisms. They said that these green organisms appeared to be only attracted to the drills¡¯ metallic parts. They also added that when the organisms finished draining the stored energy, they would start digesting the metal itself. Through some unknown process, the digested material would be converted into sand¡­ In other words, when the organisms finish sucking the Hope¡¯s energy dry, they would start feasting on the Hope itself!


    The thought of that prospect had Yao Yuan shivering with dread. The Hope was literally the hope of 120000 people! If they were stranded on this planet¡­ there would only be death!


    And not death of old age but death by the hands of those creatures! After losing the Hope¡¯s protection, it would be a matter of minutes before the 120000 people were completely sucked dry!


    The thought of that harrowing scenario spurred Yao Yuan into asking, "How about those monsters? Other than the green organisms, have there been sightings or attacks from those creatures?"


    "That is indeed the weirdest thing. I¡¯ve not received any such reports from the Hope¡¯s patrols nor from the geological surveillance unit," answered Guang Zhen.


    These green organisms, probably the planet¡¯s flora, consumed electricity and metal to produce sand¡­


    The planet¡¯s fauna, on the other hand, had a highly corrosive bodily fluid and an unfettered desire for water¡­


    Yao Yuan swore that there was a link tying these two facts together¡­ A link that could perfectly explain why the planet was completely covered with sand, why the whole of the Hope was so hasty in their decision to land on this planet, and why the alien creatures hadn¡¯t attacked the Hope and the geological encampment¡­ The insight was deliciously close, but every time Yao Yuan felt close to understanding it, it floated away¡­


    In the meantime, on the other end of the communicator, it sounded like Guang Zhen was getting briefed on another report. After about ten seconds, Guang Zhen added rapidly, "This is bad, Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n. That was the latest report from the geological unit. After the green organisms finished their work on our drills, they fell off and disappeared underground. Soon after that, the camp was attacked by alien monsters. The accompanying army has constructed an emergency garrison, but they won¡¯t hold out much longer. The reports of deaths and injuries are increasing. What am I to do now? Should I send out reinforcements?"


    With that information, Yao Yuan could see everything falling into place; he could see the big picture now. Calmly, he called into the communicator, "Hold the reinforcements. Tell the geological unit to pour all the water they have into the ground. After that, have everyone wear their space helmets and retreat. Make sure no one carries any water with or on them. Do not let them open their helmets until after they have reached the Hope. Remind them to move fast!" Yao Yuan paused before adding, "Ol¡¯ Wong, are you familiar with the concept of the hive mind?"


    At the other end of the transmission, Guang Zhen was busy relaying Yao Yuan¡¯s orders. Being asked such a question apropos to nothing, he answered somewhat confusedly, "You mean like with bees and ants[1]?"


    "No¡­ never mind then. Remember to tell the Hope¡¯s biologists to stand at the ready. After an autopsy on this alien carcass, everything will be clear, and the mystery of this planet will be unveiled¡­


    And if I¡¯m not mistaken, these green organisms¡­"


    Instead of examples from natural world, the author used human example like workers¡¯ union. The meaning is the same: referring to group consciousness.

 Chapter 35: The Autopsy

    Chapter 35: The Autopsy


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Around three in the afternoon, Earth¡¯s time, the Hope came across Planet Sahara¡¯s (unofficial name) native plant life. It was a moss-like organism that was green in color and was made out of many individual units. Each unit, the size of a sand granule, was a host to a bunch of tendrils that served two purposes. One, they were used to bind to one another to gather into a large mass. Two, they could hook onto metallic surfaces to drain them of their power. After the power was fully drained, the tendrils would start breaking down the metals into sand particles.


    At 3:05 PM, the geological surveillance unit¡¯s drills were besieged by the green organisms. After draining and dissolving the drill bits, they disappeared underground.


    Later, at 3:08 PM, the unit was ambushed by alien creatures. Paper-thin creatures and urchin-like creatures led the first wave of the attack. It resulted in 73 deaths and the survivors had to retire into the more secure inner camps. Not long after that, they received the order to immediately return to the Hope, but it was already too late for that as they had already been boxed in by the alien creatures. The larger group of the unit1 with 2,400 people was luckier in the sense that they weren¡¯t close to the drilling site when the creatures attacked. Their number was high enough that they could barrel through the onslaught and turn back to the Hope.


    At 3:11 PM, Yao Yuan returned to the Hope with the rest of the rescue crew. The number of casualties reported by geological unit A had risen to 107, and they were still heavily surrounded by all sorts of weird-looking alien creatures. However, they did notice that after everyone had retreated into the inner camps, a general state of inactivity seemed to fall over the alien creatures. It appeared that they were already wrung out from their initial assault.


    Hoping to take advantage of their lethargy, a soldier volunteered to carry out Yao Yuan¡¯s order to go empty their supply of water at the middle of their campground. The moment the water hit the ground, there was a visible change among the alien creatures; they swarmed towards the spot in a frenzy. The carnage was so horrendous that the soldier who was caught in the fray was torn into a mess of guts and marrow within seconds. As unfortunate as the whole thing was, they did come to a conclusion. Other than the ability to detect water particles, the alien creatures were able to detect other signals, and that they weren¡¯t so ferocious in the absence of water.


    There were also updates from group B. Even without removing their helmets and after disposing of all their water supply, the band of alien creatures trailing them didn¡¯t stop growing in size. As they drew closer, they also got increasingly more savage. This showed that contrary to what they believed, these creatures, or at least some of them, had learning capability. They had learned that underneath the space suits was a rich source of water¡­


    This was the conundrum facing Yao Yuan. Two teams needed immediate attention or they might not see the end of the day. On the other hand, the amount of green organisms under the Hope had increased exponentially. The engine room calculated that they only had six hours left before their energy ran out!


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t have much time left¡­


    ¡°I understand, we have six hours left,¡± Yao Yuan said, after listening to all the updates and reports. He immediately gathered the Hope¡¯s chemists, genetic engineers, biologists, and pathologists to hand the alien carcass over to them.


    ¡°This is the only perfectly preserved alien carcass we have. I want you all to conduct an autopsy immediately. Also, I¡¯ve heard that studies have been done on the plant draining the Hope of its energy. Has there been any result?¡±


    The 100 plus scientists Yao Yuan was addressing had anxiety written all over their faces. All of the specialized districts, the Academy, the Workshop, and the Barracks had been given news of the Hope¡¯s situation, so they knew conditions were dire.


    One of the biologists came forth to answer. ¡°Yes, major. We have taken samples of the green lifeform. We found out that the plant can consume anything be it metal, plastic, glass, or clay. That¡¯s why we are having problems containing it. It eats through everything and leave us with sand. The only solution is to use electrically-charged containers, but we realized that electricity induces mitosis in these organisms. They grow in size through absorption of energy, and when that¡¯s done, we¡¯re left with more of these organisms, and then they eat through everything again.¡±


    ¡°Acid!¡± interrupted Yao Yuan. ¡°Only strong acid can resist being consumed by these plants.¡±


    ¡°Acid?¡± Most of the scientists were understandably incredulous. but since it was the best, if not only, suggestion they had, some of them retreated from the room to start conducting more experiments. More and more groups of scientists left the small conference room after they received the alien carcass from Yao Yuan until only a few biologists remained. These were all respected biologists with at least half a century of experience in their field, and Yao Yuan issued them a question. ¡°Sirs and madams, I¡¯ve asked you to remain because I have a question that only your group can answer¡­ do you believe plants can be sentient?¡±


    An old gentleman answered instantly, ¡°Major, we can tell you without a doubt that plants are sentient beings. This is observable from years of classic experiments. Just look at how plants can alter their liquid distribution to accommodate areas that are burnt. There is also evidence of animal-like homeostasis in many plants, and certain plants can also produce specific reactions if injected with specific types of chemicals¡­¡±


    Yao Yuan quickly interjected, ¡°What I mean is, is it possible for plant life to have a consciousness that is akin to ours? Like the predatory intention to set traps, or to prepare ambushes. Do plants have the capability to plan stuff like that?¡±


    The few biologists looked askance at one another, curious at where their major was going with this train of thought. One of them hesitantly answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. Even with Earth¡¯s most ostentatiously predatory plant, the venus flytrap, its reaction is entirely chemical. The clasping of its mouth is a reaction to prey landing on its surface. The motor skill is made possible through the transference of water within its flexible stem. It is entirely reactionary; it is not the flytrap itself going ¡®food, me eat.¡¯ Plants don¡¯t have a nervous system like that of an animal to produce and act on concepts like these¡­¡±


    Yao Yuan took some time to digest the information before finally adding, ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m just going through an imaginary scenario here, so just hear me out and tell me whether what I¡¯m saying is possible. For survival, a species of plant undergoes evolution to gain the ability to connect with one another to form a hive mind. Individually, each of them works like a single synapse, but once connected, they can maintain a semblance of consciousness.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a far-fetched concept, but this is the cosmos we¡¯re dealing with, so we have to think outside the box. We can¡¯t limit ourselves to Earth-bound knowledge. So I want everyone to approach this with a fresh perspective: is it possible for a plant species to achieve this level of evolution, to gain consciousness through a confluence of cells? To reach such a size and scale where it has the sophistication to control every other living organism of its planet and even attract prey beyond the planet¡¯s confines? Earth¡¯s flowers could attract pollinators through use of colors and smell, so couldn¡¯t this evolved species do the same but with bigger prey and better manipulation techniques?¡±


    The biologists were stunned by Yao Yuan¡¯s suggestion. It completely overturned everything they had learned. After a period of silent consideration, a biologist volunteered, ¡°Alright, major, let¡¯s take your advice. We¡¯ll all start from a fresh perspective. If what you are saying is true, that a plant species was induced by drastic evolution into achieving, or like what you said, merging into consciousness, then¡­ there is still one loophole. Why wouldn¡¯t they strive for civilization? It has happened to every other sentient being, so why not them? A plant civilization might seem weird, but it¡¯s the next logical step, so why would they instead opt for the destruction of their home planet? It makes no sense.¡±


    Yao Yuan continued to struggle trying to get his point across. ¡°No, I think you might have misunderstood what I¡¯ve said. Yes, they have achieved consciousness, but it is an awareness that is simplistic and primal¡­ Like that of bees and ants, just advanced enough to systematically manage issues of reproduction, food, and survival, but not advanced enough to produce personas and psyches. Is that possible?¡±


    The few biologists were still skeptical, but at that moment, the door flew open and a group of scientists rushed in. They announced excitedly, ¡°Major, the autopsy has just finished. We¡¯ve found an abundance of the green plants, or rather, the spores of these plants, within the creature¡¯s body. When imbibed with water, they instantly germinate into the matured form that is now draining us of our energy. Also, we tried suppressing them with acid and it worked! All of their functions have been stunted, but they are still alive somehow. It¡¯s hard to believe, but with these results, we have to conclude that these plants are controlling this planet¡¯s creatures!¡±


    There¡¯s no explicit mention of the unit being split in this chapter, but if I have to guess, the one group at the drill site is the group that went ahead to set up camp (see chapter 34 for details), and the larger group would be the rest. Since there was no clear distinction between the two made by the author, I¡¯m taking the authority to name the smaller group as Group A and larger group as Group B to avoid confusion.

 Chapter 36: Trademarked?!

    Chapter 36: Trademarked?!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    "Based on the data we¡¯ve compiled from our autopsy¡­" began the pathologist who stood beside Yao Yuan.


    They were standing in front of the glass partition that separated them from the biology lab. Inside, a handful of scientists were still analyzing the alien body.


    "The creature¡¯s carapace is molded from different kinds of metallic substances. It¡¯s akin to a shell-like exoskeleton, but its tensile strength matches that of steel alloy with the hardest parts being even sturdier than that. Of course, that is not its most interesting feature¡­"


    The pathologist continued excitedly, "We¡¯ve stumbled across a new category of organism: an amalgamation of flora and fauna¡­ Yes, major, you¡¯ve not heard wrong. This creatures is a composite organism that is one part plant and one part animal. This is because our autopsy revealed that latticed within the creature¡¯s animal physiology are plant spores. And these spores are the offspring of the plants that are currently draining us of our energy.


    "This means that this creature does not need to consume food; it only needs water to survive, because water keeps the plant in its body alive. And through photosynthesis, or possibly some other digestive process, the plant can in turn provide the necessary nutrients for the creature to survive¡­"


    Pointing beyond the glass panel towards a splice of green plant that sat inside a beaker, the pathologist explained, "When this plant is still young, it is unable to absorb energy and metals directly. Instead, it uses the airborne metallic particles that make up eleven percent of this planet¡¯s air in combination with water to create nutrients for survival. Also, we found out that this is a process that can be sped up in the presence of daylight. It¡¯s a chemical process that is completely unfamiliar to us."


    The pathologist was practically shaking with the excitement of this new discovery, but Yao Yuan, who was standing beside him, frowned. "If I remember correctly, these creatures have bodily fluids that are incredibly acidic. Why hasn¡¯t that prevented this parasitic relationship?"


    Shaking his head, the pathologist clarified, "This is not really a parasitic relationship, it¡¯s more of a symbiotic one¡­ Just imagine it as an evolved version of lichen. The spores are incredibly fragile, or rather, relatively fragile in comparison to everything else on this planet. They would dry up instantly if exposed directly to the planet¡¯s sun, but since they need water to germinate and survive, they rely on these creatures for protection and mobility. In return, they produce nutrients as valuable sustenance for these animals. In this barren wasteland, they rely on each other to survive. However, this relationship lasts only as long as the plant¡¯s spore stage. When the plant is fully grown and thus gains the capability of directly digesting solid metal, it consumes its host from the inside out because ninety percent of these animals¡¯ bodies contain metallic elements¡­


    "And so, perhaps as a method of adaptation to this necessary yet self-destructive relationship, these creatures learned to secrete acid into their bodily fluids as a way to slow the spores¡¯ growth. Our analysis shows that this is usable until the creature grows too old to maintain a high level of acidity in their blood. Then, nature takes its course¡­"


    While the pathologist was going through his explanation, an experiment was taking place inside the lab, so the two men turned to look. A biologist was pouring a cup of scalding water into the beaker with the plant splice. In just ten seconds, the less than five-centimeter-wide smudge grew to a moss-like bush the size of a grown man¡¯s palm. Glistening with an eerie greenish glow, it started to eat through the glass beaker.


    The biologist quickly poured some acid onto it, lulling it into inactivity.


    The pathologist turned back to Yao Yuan. "Anyway, we also found out that the matured plant is equipped with some sort of sonar-like communication system. They can use it to issue prompts to the spores within their close proximity. It works by having the mother plant send out a kind of electrical or radio transmission to the spores. We aren¡¯t entirely sure how, but now we do know why this planet¡¯s fauna gives its flora a wide berth."


    Still staring at the aftermath of the experiment, Yao Yuan asked, "What happens to the absorbed energy and metals then? Is it all used for growth?"


    All of a sudden, the pathologist¡¯s expression darkened. After some obvious inner conflicts, he sighed. "No, it¡¯s not that¡­ Major, please look at this enlarged image."


    A monitor dropped down beside them and on it was an enlarged photo of a plant splice. The pathologist continued, "These plants seem to possess a degree of sentience in their actions. Instead of spreading out over the planet to increase their coverage, they congregate to form a colony. Of course, depending on the period of formation, the colonies vary in size. But in all of them, a capsule-like entity forms in the center. This is an enlarged picture of such a center. As you can see, there are partitions to wall off specific areas for storing metals. In here, all the metals are in their basic forms and are cleanly organized. We believe that, for example, after they digest an alloy, it is deconstructed into steel, copper, and zinc and then separated into designated compartments. And at the center of this capsule is a small, clear crystal.


    "With some calculations, we have confirmed that about ninety percent of the metals absorbed are stored and the remaining are either released back into the atmosphere or used by the plant itself. It¡¯s hard to tell which one it is. On the other hand, the energy that is absorbed is more complicated. It seems to vanish without a trace. The only thing that seems relevant is this crystal. Therefore, some scientists have come up with the speculation that¡­ the plants have crystallized the energy."


    "Crystallized energy?" repeated Yao Yuan incredulously.


    The incredulity was reflected on the pathologist¡¯s face. At that moment, a physicist beside them stepped forth. "Major, let me help explain that to you."


    The pathologist nodded in courtesy and vacated his spot for the physicist, whom Yao Yuan could recognize as the German physicist, Silewei. The famed physicist moved before Yao Yuan, saying, "Crystallized energy, I agree, is the stuff of science fiction. An element of pure energy sounds preposterous to any logical man¡­ But theoretically speaking, it is not impossible. Take for an example, the common cellphone''s power bank. Is that not an example of stored energy? The concept''s the same. Technology is always improving, so this won¡¯t forever be the stuff of imagination. Nevertheless, the technology to crystallize energy is definitely not within human grasp. The force required to crystallize just one milligram of energy would be beyond human understanding."


    Silewei stopped to point at the crystal on the monitor. "There are many mysteries in the cosmos, but for me, this isn¡¯t one of them. I¡¯m certain that this crystal is not made of pure energy. It does contain energy in its composition, sure, but it is also constructed with other elements. Of course, even something like this is already beyond our comprehension¡­ I would argue that we shouldn¡¯t even be analyzing these crystals, because we aren¡¯t certain of their potency and property. One wrong move and the Hope could be blasted into oblivion¡­


    However¡­" Silewei added, "an intern of mine did have a curious hypothesis about these plants. Would Major be interested in hearing her out?"


    Yao Yuan was still digesting all the information that was given to him. He was trying to formulate a plan that could take advantage of these plants¡¯ weaknesses or features to rescue geological unit A. Somewhat absent-mindedly, he nodded.


    A few minutes later, an expressionless young woman sauntered into the room. To his surprise, Yao Yuan recognized this lady as well. She was one of the three young ladies Zhang Heng had pledged his rank to rescue, and also one of the few civilians living on the fifth floor, Bo Li.


    With just a simple nod at Yao Yuan, Bo Li went straight into business. "It¡¯s my opinion that these plants are man-made¡­ I do not believe any plant life would naturally evolve to gain such industrialized properties."


    A slack-jawed Yao Yuan asked in return, "Manmade? You mean through genetic engineering? But we don¡¯t have such advanced technology."


    Bo Li looked askance at Yao Yuan, as if berating him for his idiocy. She later added, "In that case, let¡¯s calls it alien-made."


    Without missing a beat, Yao Yuan followed up. "But why? Why would an alien species engineer something that could contribute to the slow destruction of a whole planet? What good would that do? Then again, could it be that this biohazard is caused by an experiment gone awfully wrong?"


    Bo Li turned to stare at the monitor. "You could be right¡­ But don¡¯t you think that these plants are too purposeful in their actions? To collect metallic ores and energy crystals, these seem like specific purposes¡­ I believe that these plants are some kind of harvester created by aliens. Just like how we created drills, an alien species engineered these plants to help harvest minerals. Unlike us, who rely on manual labor, they would only need to pollinate a planet with these plants and after a certain period of time, perhaps a few decades or even centuries, they return to harvest these plants. They would have gathered the minerals and energy of a whole planet, and the process can be repeated as they traverse the galaxy.


    "Don¡¯t you think that this kind of method is much more efficient and advanced than how we are currently gathering supplies?"


    As Bo Li went through her elaboration, Yao Yuan could feel chills running down his spine¡­


    If there was even a grain of truth behind what Bo Li was saying, then how advanced was this alien civilization? They have, after all, achieved such a godlike status that they can manufacture a new species! How disadvantaged mankind would be if pitted against such a civilization¡­ the thought itself was spine-chilling!


    At that moment, commotion broke out within the lab. Not long after, the biologist¡¯s voice could be heard coming through the intercom. "Major, this plant¡¯s gene map has just been unveiled, but¡­ Major, would you like to see it for yourself?"


    "Of course!" replied Yao Yuan almost instantly. "We would all like to see it!"


    Afterwards, on the monitor, the enlarged picture of the capsule was taken down and replaced by the plant¡¯s gene map¡­


    It looked like a symbol overlaid with letters. Upon closer inspection, it looked more and more like¡­


    "Trademark?" Guang Zhen asked curiously.


    Yao Yuan nodded his head, repeating, "Yes, it does look like a trademark¡­"


    "For what? To prevent counterfeiting¡­?"

 Chapter 37: Operation Battery!

    Chapter 37: Operation Battery!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    It was quite simply an unexpected shock!


    An organism¡¯s genetic chain is supposed to be natural, formed through the hands of mother nature.


    But the gene map before them was definitely not that. It was a recognizable business trademark! Upon closer inspection, one could even discern the outline of the symbols. There was a globe that probably represented a planet, a sun image, and a triangular structure. The idea itself was out of this world, but it was obviously an alien business trademark. What was more incredible was that such an unnatural gene map could form a living organism, and one with good health and a specific function at that. It was a piece of alien technology beyond human comprehension!


    The implications were endless. If there was a need for trademarking due to copyright issues, one could only imagine how many competing alien companies were manufacturing such plants. And who knew what other unimaginable products would be on sale.


    All of this produced an immense pressure on the people aboard the Hope!


    Because in comparison, where would mankind stand in the grand scheme of things?


    Probably even lower than a space bug¡­


    Everyone present was rendered speechless. They were all staring blankly at what everyone had to assume to be the peak of genetic engineering. It was an impressive technology that made everyone feel infinitely small. Even the usually stoic Bo Li was scrutinizing the gene map with a fervor shining in her eyes.


    After he regained his senses, Yao Yuan hurriedly asked, "Are these plants near their harvestable stage? No good will come out of us running into the alien civilization that will return to collect them!"


    The biologist hesitantly replied, "The plants that are assaulting the Hope are already way over their harvestable period. In fact, I would guess that most of the plants on this planet are way over their maturity. After all, they should be harvested long before they drain their host planet completely dry¡­"


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Bo Li suddenly added, "The alien civilization that manufactured these plants either have collapsed or have forgotten about this planet, so we don¡¯t need to worry about running into them."


    That reminded Yao Yuan of something, but without taking any time to dwell on it, he asked Bo Li, "How can you be so sure of that? Where¡¯s your evidence?"


    Pointing at the alien carcass inside the lab, Bo Li explained, "The composite organisms on this planet have evolved way beyond their initial symbiotic relationship. Following the drastic changes that have occurred to this planet, their relationship has transformed into a parasitic one. That process of evolution must have taken at least millions of years. No matter the civilization, if they abandoned their harvester for even 10000 years, one could safely assume that something horrendous has happened to said civilization."


    Yao Yuan chewed over the facts before finally concurring, "Indeed, you¡¯re right. Also, not only has the relationship changed, but these plants have even grown to cultivate a hive mind¡­ Alright, everyone, a lot of the mysteries surrounding this planet have been made clear. Now I need to know if there are any ways to save the stranded Unit A and get rid of the plants draining our energy!"


    That stumped everyone into silence. After seeing the plant¡¯s impossible gene map, a pall of despair had settled over the room and it had not dissipated since. With their limited technology, how could man face something so much more advanced?


    Was there still hope for the Hope?


    Yao Yuan sighed. "Please discuss this further to come up with a solution to destroy the plants. You have one hour. It sounds cruel, but we don¡¯t have time to waste. If there is still no result after the one hour is up, open the discussion to the public. Perhaps they will come up with some interesting proposals¡­"


    With that, Yao Yuan turned and left.


    Guang Zhen immediately made to follow. As he reached Yao Yuan, he asked, "Why are we leaving? Aren¡¯t we going to stay to discuss the solution with everyone?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "We have another problem to worry about. Dealing with the plants requires the intellect and expertise of the scientists, but rescuing the trapped geological unit is our responsibility¡­ There are about three thousand people combined in those units; we can¡¯t just abandon them!"


    Guang Zhen saw a serious look return to Yao Yuan¡¯s face. He was very familiar with that look. Every time they found themselves in the brink of disaster, Yao Yuan would put on that serious fa?ade and eventually the problem would be solved. Hence, he knowingly asked,


    "You have thought of a way to handle those alien creatures, haven¡¯t you, Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n? But how? There are so many of them."


    Yao Yuan nodded affirmatively. "Indeed, there are many of them. Not only that, they are also hidden underground, big in size, relentless in their attacks, and almost invincible. However, there is a rock to every scissor, a scissor to every paper, and a paper to every rock. That¡¯s why I decided to pay a visit to the lab, to learn of these creatures¡¯ weakness. Now I¡¯ve found it, it¡¯s time for action. It¡¯s time for Operation Battery!"


    A few minutes later, in the fifth floor war room, every squad leader and lieutenant except Ebon had gathered to listen to Yao Yuan¡¯s plan for rescue.


    "¡­those are all the key details regarding the rescue operation. The most crucial part is the batteries¡¯ deposit location."


    Yao Yuan looked at the soldiers before him and saw that some were jotting down notes. He continued, in a severe tone, "Currently, there are two groups that need rescuing. One is at a mining encampment twenty kilometers away from here. There are about two hundred soldiers, three hundred plus scientists, and engineers that remain there. They are also accompanied by a fleet of hovercrafts, whose actual number I¡¯m not entirely sure because we have to take into account a few of them being damaged in the alien assault.


    "The other team is only three or four kilometers away. This group has about two thousand and four hundred people. Among them are about two hundred soldiers with the rest being unarmed civilians. They don¡¯t have access to any hovercrafts, so they are travelling by foot. Because they have to rush back to the Hope, they can¡¯t stop to garrison themselves. There are only reports of small skirmishes so far, but if they are attacked by a big group, their fate will be worse than that of the group stranded at the mining site!


    "To ensure everyone¡¯s safety, every single hovercraft on the Hope will be at your disposal. This is to make sure there is enough space to accommodate everyone.


    "First, all of the hovercrafts will move to save the larger group. Then two will stay to escort the survivors back to the Hope. What you will have to do is drop a battery every ten meters. Essentially, there will be two hovercrafts bookending the return trip that will be dropping batteries along the way. For a three kilometer journey, you¡¯ll need about six hundred batteries, but to be sure, the two hovercrafts will be carrying a total of one thousand batteries. If monsters appear, drop more batteries to lead them away from the main team.


    "All of the other hovercrafts will move on towards the encampment. Also, I want to remind everyone to not open your space suits¡¯ helmets, because that will attract the attention of the monsters. When you¡¯re at the camp, this is the plan: deposit batteries at its outer perimeter to lure the creatures away from the inner camp. When the opportunity presents itself, swoop in to complete the rescue.


    "This operation as a whole is not complicated but incredibly dangerous. This is because you are not facing human beings, and it is on unfamiliar grounds as well, so do not let your preconceived notions get in the way. If there are emergencies and you can¡¯t contact the Hope, look for your own way out! If it helps the goal of saving the people, you are allowed to make use of any machinery and even the hovercrafts in any way you see fit. I will not hold you men responsible for any damage.


    "Just keep this in mind: there are only 120000 of us left. We can¡¯t afford to lose anymore. Any single one of these fellow men could be the light that keeps the future of mankind shining!


    "And dismissed! Be prepared to move out in ten minutes!"


    Everyone in the room stood up to salute Yao Yuan. Then, in a chorus of multiple languages, a reply could be heard,


    "Sir, yes, sir!"

 Chapter 38: Smoke and Mirrors

    Chapter 38: Smoke and Mirrors


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Jay was bummed out of his mind. Although, to be fair, the feeling was much more of a despairing variant than an annoying one.


    When will his streak of bad luck end?!


    At the moment, his group was caught in a stalemate in the middle of nowhere. All he could see around him was sand, so he had no way of telling how close they were to the Hope. What he could be certain of though was that the desert creatures were definitely closing in on them. He could even feel the occasional shifting of the ground below his feet, signifying their presence.


    It was, to say the least, horrifying. These monsters looked like they had come out of his worst nightmares. They all had shell-like exoskeletons presumably to prevent the loss of bodily fluids through perspiration. They were also gigantic in size, looking very much unlike earth¡¯s fauna. Therefore, the unlikely fact that they were a reality before them probably posed the biggest threat of all.


    Comparatively, the two hundred soldiers that accompanied them were rather useless. Their weapons did no visible damage to the creatures[1], and that¡¯s against creatures that had the audacity to emerge from the ground; they had no way of dealing with those that hid beneath the sand.


    Of course, if they were accompanied by the Hope¡¯s two thousand four hundred soldiers, things could have gone very differently. They probably wouldn¡¯t be out here risking their lives but hidden inside the safety of the Hope while jet planes annihilated these creatures with airstrikes. They could even drop an atomic bomb and be done with this damnable planet.


    In other words, this group of two hundred common soldiers and two thousand two hundred plus unarmed citizens was nothing but a feast waiting to be had.


    When they saw the creatures closing in, the feeling of dread surrounding the group gradually grew.


    Submerged in this shroud of gloom, Jay felt increasingly helpless. He expected a simple gathering mission, not a death trap! He stole a glance at Xiao Chen, who was tightly holding on to his hand, and despite his best intentions, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether it was her who caused him all these troubles. After all, his tumble with misfortunes did start with his introduction to her¡­


    Carefully and quietly, Jay pulled Xiao Chen from their original position to a place between the group¡¯s center and outer perimeter. He knew that for a group of their size, in the event of an attack, the most vulnerable spots were the center and the outer perimeter. Naturally, the people on the outside were the ones most exposed to attacks, but most people forget that the people in the center usually get trampled to death because they are literally standing in the middle of everyone else.


    Suddenly, a few soldiers cut through the crowd, and weirdly enough they were engaging people in conversation. When one walked before Jay, he stopped and asked, in a robotic tone that was honed from having to repeat the same question all too many times, ¡°Do you have anything charged on you? Something like a walkman or battery?¡±


    Both Jay and Xiao Chen shook their heads. Before the soldier could take his leave though, Xiao Chen grabbed hold of him and asked, ¡°All of those paraphernalia were confiscated when we first boarded the Hope. We weren¡¯t allowed to keep any of our stuff other than our tents¡­ So could you tell us why we need these things now?¡±


    The anxious soldier wanted to shrug Xiao Chen off, but perhaps due her young age, he replied somewhat cryptically as he retreated back into the crowd, ¡°I too have no clue; it was an order from the Hope. They said that reinforcements are coming our way and that these alien creatures are afraid of batteries or something. Anyway, our safety can be guaranteed if we have enough batteries!¡±


    When the soldier had retreated out of earshot, Xiao Chen groused, ¡°What more do they still need? They have already taken my laptop, my MP4, my iPad, and my¡­¡±


    Jay interrupted, ¡°That¡¯s your fault for bringing so many things in the first place. They stated before boarding that we are only allowed less than twenty kilograms worth of luggage. You should know this.¡±


    Xiao Chen glared crossly at Jay and said pointedly, ¡°What are you on about this time? I¡¯m talking about the additional clause that was written specifically on electronic gadgets. Oops, I forgot, unlike myself, you can¡¯t read chinese. Sucks to be you then¡­¡±


    She does know how to push my buttons, thought a simmering Jay. Then again, ignoring her boastful nature, Xiao Chen was a good person, and she wasn¡¯t issuing empty boasts. What Jay was most worried about then was his cover being blown, so sticking with Xiao Chen, who could be of help to him in the future, might not be a bad idea. Who knew what they would do if they found out he was a liar? He might even be thrown out of the Hope, and with these creatures around, that was a prospect he wouldn¡¯t enjoy. And so, in spite of him already having gone through all sorts expletives in his mind, he merely laughed.


    Then, sounds of gunfire came from the outer perimeter. Amidst the cacophony, Jay could even discern the unmistakable sound of people groaning. Stuck in the middle of the crowd, neither Jay nor Xiao Chen could tell what was happening.


    As the sound of gunfire and screaming became more frequent, the crowd started to get increasingly hysterical. That combined with the continuous gliding of the sand beneath their feet had prompted a stampede. People jostled into one another and knocked each other down as they went about like heedless animals. Many were injured in the process.


    In the meantime, the soldiers within the group tried to maintain order, but it was to no avail. Before long, even they were lost in the chaotic wave of human bodies.


    Most of the other soldiers stationed themselves on the outer perimeter to battle the alien creatures. The incident that started this conflict was the appearance of a giant sea-urchin-like creature that ambushed and killed two soldiers. Luckily, it was shot down instantly by an electro magnetized bullet. The soldiers were already briefed about the explosion of acid after the creature¡¯s death and thus, they evaded tactfully.


    However, this didn¡¯t mean that they were holding their ground. With the creature¡¯s death, its acidic bodily fluids inadvertently set the other creatures on a frenzy!


    About ten more monsters surfaced above ground. Among them were a few creatures that could only be described as bone dragons. Their size was so big that only the upper parts of their heads could be seen above ground. But what could be seen was terrifying enough. Their heads were made up entirely of bones and the place where there were supposed to be eyes had hollow holes instead. With a chomp, a great area of sand was engulfed and along with it went the people who were unfortunate enough to be standing in it.


    After the initial encounter, the two hundred soldiers were almost wiped out within minutes. Of course, the civilians faced an even higher number of casualties. When people started getting picked off, all hell broke loose. More and more people broke off from the group, hoping to escape from the carnage, but that only made them easier targets. Within just a few steps, needles appeared from underneath the ground and they were shrunk into mummies in almost an instant. That deterred the rest from straying from the group, but that hardly helped the situation. People were continuously being trampled and the alien monsters even started appearing among them. It was a literal bloodbath!


    ¡°¡­energy, energy, energy¡­¡±


    Jay was in absolute terror. His hand that was holding Xiao Chen was shaking uncontrollably.


    ¡°Right, how could I forget that I have energy on myself?!¡±


    Jay immediately removed his helmet and shoved his hand into his space suit. After a few seconds of searching, he removed his hand and a pen appeared within his grasp. It was a gaudy pen with a small light bulb attached to its end. When a small button on its side was pressed, it gave off a weak glow.


    His action gave Xiao Chen quite a shock. She immediately moved to close his helmet, then she yelled, ¡°Have you lost your mind? These creatures are attracted to the water vapor in our breath!¡±


    Suddenly, a violent tremor erupted underneath their feet. Before them, like a nightmarish freak show, a cavern of darkness slowly surfaced. It was the mouth of one of the bone dragons. It was so big that a few people had fallen to their deaths after being lifted up by it. Attracted by Jay¡¯s breath, it was ready to chomp down on them.


    ¡°This is a source of energy! Aren¡¯t you supposed to be afraid of this? There is a ton of energy in this!¡±


    The roof of the creature¡¯s mouth was ready to fall, and the anxiety of death had stunned everyone into a quiet submission. Jay, however, felt strangely at peace. Suddenly, the din around him melted away and only the echo of his last sentence could be heard reverberating all over the area¡­ ¡®There is a ton of energy in this!¡¯


    As if locked in time, the head suddenly stopped moving. Then, small, green buds started blooming in its bone crevices. In response, the creature started gyrating as if in extreme pain before retreating underground. At the same time, a tremor started emanating from underneath Jay.


    All of the creatures in their vicinity were visibly affected by this as well. Abandoning their prey, they disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a series of sand trails¡­


    Then, all around Jay, a cluster of dense vegetation grew. Their finger-like tendrils circled the air, as if searching for a target¡­


    Sometime later, the soldiers became useful again when they thought of using the electro-magnetized bullets they had bought.

 Chapter 39: The rescue and the plan (top)

    Chapter 39: The rescue and the plan (top)


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    When the rescue team reached Jay¡¯s group, a bloody yet eerily surreal scene unfolded before them.


    The original two thousand four hundred plus people had dwindled down to about one thousand and eight hundred while waiting for help to arrive. Around six hundred lives were lost and almost a quarter of those were trampled to death amidst the chaotic commotion.


    The surrealism though came from an unexpected development. In the middle of the carnage stood a young couple. They were shaking so hard that they could barely hold themselves up. They didn¡¯t dare fall though because beneath their feet was a floor of green plants that was slowly retreating. Afraid of complications, the rest of their group had given them a wide berth.


    The rescue team was understandably shocked when they arrived, but they had no time to stop and investigate. All they had time to do was to take a few quick snaps of the situation and beam them back to the Hope. After that, other than the two hovercrafts that were ordered to stay and tend to the survivors, the rest of the fleet went off to rescue Unit A.


    Jay saw the arrival of the hovercraft fleet out of the corner of his eye, but frankly, he didn¡¯t have the luxury to pay them much attention beyond that. He was trying immensely hard to not move a muscle for fear that sudden movement would cause the plant tendrils that were still circling around him to lash out against him. Getting mummified was definitely not on his to-do list!


    Xiao Chen, who was still holding Jay¡¯s hand, was similarly scared, but not as much as Jay. She too wouldn¡¯t dare to move, but her eyes continued to scan the plants underneath them. She noticed that there were a lot of creeping movements, as if they were searching for something.


    The soldiers on rescue detail decided to not approach the couple because the situation was too much of an anomaly to act rashly. Back in the Hope¡¯s labs, these plants had shown a capability to eat through all sorts of materials, including the space suits. However, they did find out that the plants wouldn¡¯t directly digest human flesh; they had the animals under their control to do that. That was why the scene before them was so confusing. The couple was knee-deep in these plants, yet they appeared unharmed and their space suits were wholly intact. However, they knew for certain that they had no time to waste. The plot of vegetation was already slowly decreasing in size, and the moment they were completely gone, the creatures would return and that could only spell doom.


    Of the people who stayed, there were two Black Stars. One went by the name of Lin Fei Biao and the other was Yang Wa Luo. Fei Biao was of average height, build, and looks; there was nothing of note in his appearance other than a gleam of viciousness that occasionally flashed within his eyes. Wa Luo, on the other hand, was a fragile-looking, soft-spoken individual. If not told of his position, nobody would have guessed he was a soldier.


    Each of the men had a hovercraft under their command. Following their orders, they started depositing batteries along the designated trail.


    When the first battery landed on the sand, it was as if the plants were affected. Almost instantly, they disappeared from underneath Jay and Xiao Chen.


    The couple breathed a collective sigh of relief and then slowly slid to the floor. Immediately after, a troop of soldiers joined them, lifted them up, and started to escort them back towards the Hope.


    Both Jay and Xiao Chen were still too stunned to realize that they had been given special treatment. Instead of leading them back to the civilian survivors, they were marched alongside the soldiers. As they gradually walked off their dazed state, they started to pay notice to their surroundings.


    One of the things they noticed was that at the very front of the troop, a hovercraft had been dropping square-looking objects at regular intervals. And as the mysterious objects hit the soft sand, bursts of green would appear. Later they noticed that this strange phenomenon was happening at the rear end of the party as well.


    Probably still reeling from residual shock, Jay was reservedly pensive. Xiao Chen though had slowly reverted back to her dauntless self. She grabbed one of the soldiers beside her and asked, "What are they tossing? And why does it attract the plants? And why do we need to attract these plants?"


    The soldier was African American and he was visibly annoyed by the interruption and bombardment of questions. Nevertheless, he had the grace to patiently answer, "According to scientific study, these plants are heavy deterrents against this planet¡¯s fauna. As long as they are around, the creatures won¡¯t come near us. For some reason, these plants are heavily attracted to energy and


    metals. Okay, miss, I¡¯ve answered your questions, can you please let me go now?"


    Xiao Chen harrumphed and let the soldier go. Jay, who was standing beside her and overheard the conversation, started to have a ridiculous thought fermenting in his head.


    Is it possible that¡­ the plants appeared before because they understood what he said? He said that there was a ton of energy with him and thus they appeared in search of it?


    But could that really be the truth? Now even alien plants could understand English....? That¡¯s preposterous!


    While Jay was busy wracking his head over the impossible idea, the party had made it safely back to the Hope against all odds. There was instant celebration when they went through the cabin door. Some even fainted from the combination of prolonged exertion and sudden burst of joy. The medical team who stood ready at the entrance quickly rushed forward to issue help. People with serious injuries were carried off to immediate treatment and those with minor injuries were given balms and bandages.


    The setting was a mix of confusion and order. The one thousand plus survivors felt like they were literally given a second lease at life.


    Despite having no visible wounds, Jay and Xiao Chen were also approached by a doctor. When the doctor was trying to assess their situation, a group of black star close-guards sidled up to the trio. The leader said, "Mister Jay Wales and Miss Feng Xiao Chen, am I right? Would you two please follow me?" After that, the group stood to the side, waiting for the pair to move.


    Both Jay and Xiao Chen were slack-jawed at the sudden request. But before long, that shock turned into fear for Jay. He felt like his heart had gone up to his throat, because he knew that he was found out, and his head slowly went through all the possible methods of torture that he would be subjected to¡­


    Will I be thrown into jail? He believed the possibility of that was low, because that still required resources to keep him alive. Plus, weren¡¯t they already in a giant jail cell surrounded by space¡­?


    Then he went to the possibility of being exiled out of the Hope! That would be a fate worse than death. He had seen with his own eyes what those monsters could do. He would rather die than suffer more encounters with them!


    Or could he still lie his way through¡­ It did do wonders for him thus far, but what if they put him to the test, or question him on geology? What would he do then?!


    Going through all the possible scenarios, none of them positive, Jay considerably paled. Spotting this, the attending doctor injected, "Sir, it¡¯s my professional opinion that they stay to be given proper treatment and examination. They have gone through an ordeal, so unless you can confirm that they won¡¯t be maltreated, I won¡¯t allow my patients to be so barbarically dragged away!"


    Unfazed, the leader replied, "I¡¯m sorry, doctor, but I can¡¯t let that happen. What I can tell you is that this is a direct order from the Major, and it¡¯s related to the survival of the Hope." He turned to look at Jay and Xiao Chen. "The most I can give you is another thirty seconds. After that, whether you like it or not, you two will be coming with us."


    At the same time, Yao Yuan was being briefed by a few scientists of their latest findings in the conference room.


    "Major, we have conducted more experiments on this planet¡¯s species of plant. They are not directly harmful to man, but they are highly resistant to heat, acidic solutions, and alkaline solutions. Also, they are so durable that normal weapons can do them no harm. So to dispose of them, we could either try to cut through them with high-powered lasers, or suppress their movements with a large acid bath¡­"


    While listening to the leading scientist¡¯s explanation, Yao Yuan had his eyes trained on the monitor before him. His frown deepened as the Hope¡¯s energy level that was projected on the screen dropped. His hands were tied because he couldn¡¯t order the engine room to stop the nuclear energy generators. If he did so, the plants would start eating the Hope instead and that would be even worse!


    "Are there any other ways? There isn¡¯t a great store of acid sitting around the Hope; plus, we can¡¯t just create some high-powered lasers. There must be some other more realistic ways. Has the Academy learned how the alien civilization controlled these plants? Don¡¯t tell me that they came prepared with a spaceship full of acid every time they harvested them," asked Yao Yuan anxiously.


    The scientists in the room stole glances at one another. They were equally frustrated, perhaps even more so than Yao Yuan, because they were stumped at the thing that they were supposed to contribute to the Hope: scientific knowledge. However, the difference in levels of technology was simply too great between the two civilizations. Plus, they were on a time crunch, so they couldn¡¯t just pull out and answer in such a short period.


    Suddenly, Yao Yuan called them over. "Come and look at this." Then he pushed a button on the screen and a video popped up. It showed Jay and Xiao Chen standing amidst the bush of vegetation.


    "So the story was that the group was going to be wiped out by an alien assault. This pair here was almost killed by one of the aliens, but suddenly, the man whipped out a pen and yelled, ¡®There is a ton of energy in here.¡¯ Following that, a pool of plants appeared¡­"


    After a series of explanations, Yao Yuan turned to address the scientists. "I want to know how this man summoned these plants and why they appeared even when there was no actual source of energy near him. Also, we¡¯ve entertained the possibility of these plants having a hive mind; I want a confirmation on that. And most crucially¡­ these plants eat these alien creatures because they have metallic elements in their bodies, but don¡¯t we have those elements in our body composition as well? Why don¡¯t they do that to us? Has it got something to do with these animals being controlled?"


    Pointing at the screen to stress his point, Yao Yuan added, "We don¡¯t have much time to figure all these things out. They have drained enough energy to deplete us of 1 space warp. The ship could only make four jumps; we¡¯ve used one, and they¡¯ve drained another, so now we¡¯re down to two¡­ So be quick! We have to find ways to escape this planet soon, or only death and destruction will be waiting for us!"

 Chapter 40: The rescue and the plan (bottom)

    Chapter 40: The rescue and the plan (bottom)


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    The scientists were asked to leave the room. In the company of their own colleagues, criticisms about how Yao Yuan handled the situation started to fly.


    The fact was that Yao Yuan had no clue how to manage the 120000 community on the Hope.


    One of the reasons was because their escape from Earth was too sudden, so he didn¡¯t have time to secure more people that were good at human resource management. Furthermore, he was a man of action and thus wasn¡¯t familiar with the nuances of social administration.


    Organization within the Academy was also much more complicated than Yao Yuan had expected. He wanted the scientific community to be divided into major committees according to their subjects and each would be led by a committee leader. However, depending on their size and functionality, many of these major committees birthed smaller subgroups, so issues of leadership became increasingly convoluted. For example, Yao Yuan had initially handpicked Alan as the committee leader of the astrophysics committee, but later the committee itself had fractured into smaller subgroups, and most of them wanted Alan as their leader. The conflicting loyalties led to many inter and intra committee rivalries.


    At the moment though, scientists from differing disciplines had put down their differences to gather at the conference room. They were waiting for their leaders to return from their meeting with Yao Yuan.


    When they were told of the current situation, the faces of everyone present darkened. They now knew how serious the situation was. If they lost the Hope, the consequences would be unimaginable¡­


    Suddenly, one female scientist broke the silence by offering, "Everyone, there¡¯s no use sulking. Why don¡¯t we try to drop our preconceived scientific notions and think outside of the box for once? Maybe it¡¯ll lead somewhere."


    With a deep Italian accent, she added, "I¡¯ll be the one to start then¡­ In my opinion, there are too many details that are unknown about these plants. So instead of analyzing them one by one, why don¡¯t we look at them as a whole? For example, the Major mentioned the possibility of them having a hive mind. And it is because of subconscious suggestions from this hive mind that we were lulled into ordering an immediate mining unit without waiting for, now looking back, much needed preparation and analysis.


    "However, this might not be the whole truth. Is it not possible that they weren¡¯t intending to lure us into a trap but instead were reminding us that the collection of energy and minerals had been completed and that it is time for harvest?"


    The female scientist¡¯s supposition sent many of her colleagues into deep contemplation. Among them was a twenty-plus intern. After the female scientist finished speaking, his mind went into a dreamlike place where it was quiet, safe, and peaceful. Caught within this state, he could make out someone whispering into his ears, and almost against his will, he repeated out loud, "Yes, that is entirely true. That would explain why they didn¡¯t directly consume us when we humans also have metallic substances in our bodies¡­ Somehow, these plants could tell that we are sentient beings.


    "That is the biggest difference between us and the creatures on this planet. The animals here are vicious but simplistic; we on the other hand, are complex. We have the ability to think and to have a civilization¡­"


    Suddenly, the intern screamed. The room stared at him as he continued with a dumbstruck look in his eyes, "They¡¯re the product of civilization! When the alien civilization created these plants, they must have infused them with some kind of limitation, just like how we have three laws of robotics! Because they are too powerful in nature, their creators must have added restrictions to prevent them from harming beings with sentience and civility. They are able to detect these qualities by attuning to other organisms¡¯ brainwave frequencies. If the frequency reaches a certain level, they would be able to tell that said creatures are civilized¡­ That¡¯s why they won¡¯t harm us directly! They assume we are their creators!"


    This hypothesis introduced a sliver of hope to the people within the conference room. The more they thought about it, the more they felt like it could very much be true.


    A heavily bearded scientist suddenly asked, "Is it possible that these plants themselves are controlled through the power of the mind? To put it in another way, could we use some sort of machine to control these plants by amplifying the brain power of its wearer?"


    That possibility had the scientists talking. Speculations and hypotheses were thrown all over the room. In some cases, the discussion was so intense that it led to serious arguments. After ten minutes of such controlled chaos, the female scientist clapped her hands a few times to reign in everyone¡¯s attention, then she said, "Folks, let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. Let us first review what we have hypothesized so far.


    "First, this plant species does have a hive mind, a feature that was probably put in place when it was created. It is used to control the functionality of this plant in case it grows out of control. Also, it acts as a system for easier reporting and surveillance¡­


    "When The Hope space-warped within the vicinity of this planet, the plant¡¯s hive mind detected our presence. Using some mysterious method, probably through the attunement of brainwave frequency as the young fellow has said, it could tell that we are a sentient civilization. Then they probably sent out some kind of brain signal to alert us that they are way over their harvestable period.


    "Perhaps because our brains weren¡¯t wired in such a way to be receptive of these signals, we were hypnotized by them instead. That led to an expedient landing. Now, since we don¡¯t have the technology to mind control these plants, they are siphoning the energy from the Hope because that is what they were engineered to do. Here, I have to disagree with the statement that it is because we are mentally dull that we are unable to control these plants. It is my opinion that it is rather because we haven¡¯t been able to tap into their frequency that we fail to do so. Like a radio, we have to tap into their frequency to gain a channel for communication and perhaps mind control."


    The scientist took a pause before adding, "That is what we have figured out so far. It could have connected to the young couple because the man somehow tuned into this frequency. Humans have been shown to be able to do almost miraculous activities in extreme situations, so it is not without precedent."


    "Then is it possible to get the man to tell the plants below the Hope to leave?" asked a man standing beside the female scientist. Without waiting for an answer though, he shook his head defeatedly.


    Another scientist butted in. "That is absolutely impossible. As it has been said, the man probably entered this state unconsciously, so what are the chances that he could manually do it again? Even if he could replicate the experience, as you¡¯ve seen on the video, the area of plants he could control was only one hundred meters wide; that is very small when compared the actual size of the Hope. Unless we can get a few ten thousands people to be able to do what he did, the plants that he evacuated will just return after he moves away from the spot."


    This time, even the female scientist was greeted with a dead-end. There appeared to be no way out anymore.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, the young intern who had previously spoken started talking again.


    He felt himself acting as the vessel of the voice whispering in his ears, because the words were not his but the voice¡¯s.


    "Dear professors and instructors, it is my belief that the word ¡®absolute¡¯ shouldn¡¯t exist in science¡­"


    He had the attention of the room now, but instead of wilting under it, he seemed to be gaining traction as he continued,


    "It is our common belief that every single planet has its own unique ecosystem and interspecies relationships. It is wrong to use one framework to understand them all. For example, a deadly virus on Planet A could be a source of vitamin for organisms on Planet B¡­


    "We talked about lasers and acid baths because we were too trapped in our own tunnel vision. Who could affirmatively say that things that are typically harmless to Earth¡¯s plants will be harmless to these alien plants as well? Think about it; we have not come across this creator civilization before and they have not gained contact with us humans either. So when they created this species of plant, how could they have immunized it against Earth¡¯s common plant viruses without knowing what Earth is?


    "We have planted all sorts of plants in the sixth floor biomes, so doesn¡¯t this mean that we have access to many different types of Earth¡¯s plant viruses as well? We should extract them to conduct more experiments, because who knows, without us realizing it, we might have had the trump card in our hands all this time!"


    At the same time, Yao Yuan was going through the video again as he questioned Jay and Xiao Chen.


    When he found out that the purpose of his summon was for some simple questioning, Jay had sighed in relief. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t of much help regarding the questions that he was posed. He himself was quite out of it during the whole process, so he could only provide vague answers. Similarly, Xiao Chen, who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, also couldn¡¯t contribute much to the conversation. And so, after some further questioning, she was led out of the room while only Jay, the main person of interest, remained.


    Contrary to what Yao Yuan had hoped, things hadn¡¯t gotten clearer. While he was frowning over the lack of development, Yao Yuan had a fit of inspiration and asked, "Jay, are you one of the 102 people who survived Virus X?"


    Jay nodded cautiously, adding, "That¡¯s true. I have been known to have a healthy disposition, so that¡¯s probably how I survived the ordeal."


    Jay started to sweat because Yao Yuan used an inordinate amount of time to process his answer. Adding to Jay¡¯s consternation, Yao Yuan then lifted Jay¡¯s data file off the table and proceeded to flip through it slowly. Finally, he asked a question that made Jay feel like the floor underneath his feet was falling away.


    "Mister Jay Wales, this whole file of yours is a lie. You are a liar. For example, you lied about your level of education, am I right?"


    Jay knew that he was found out and thus immediately launched into his explanation. "Major, please let me explain. This is all a simple misunderstanding¡­"


    With a flick of his wrist, Yao Yuan closed the file and shut down Jay¡¯s weak defense. "Okay, I¡¯m willing to call it a misunderstanding, but first, you have to tell me, in specific details, what happened in this video! Why did those plants appear?"


    On the verge of tears, Jay replied, "Major, I already told you, I really don¡¯t know what was happening then¡­"


    "Guards! Toss this man out of the Hope this instant!" ordered Yao Yuan as he made to leave.


    When a soldier came into the room, words came tumbling out of Jay¡¯s mouth in quick succession. "At that moment, I just felt everything go silent! Then, call it old habits die hard, but right then, I felt a lie forming at the tip of my tongue. Without giving it much thought, I yelled that lie and those plants appeared. That¡¯s all, Major, I promise!"


    "I¡¯m not sure how much a liar¡¯s promise would be worth, but¡­" Yao Yuan sat back down and waved the soldier away.


    Then he started thinking.


    (Could that be this man¡¯s superhuman power? The ability to lie¡­ to trick even this plant species¡¯ hive mind?)


    Then the monitor in the room lit up. On it appeared the excited faces of a few scientists.


    The leading scientist said, "Major! Good news and bad news! The good news is that we found a way to kill these plants. Using a plant virus that is common to Earth¡¯s vegetation, it could kill these plants in an instant. Ironically, because these plants have an increased absorption rate, they are very susceptible to viruses that targets a plant¡¯s xylem and phloem. While it would take months for this virus to take its toll on Earth¡¯s plants, it can wilt this alien plant in a matter of seconds!


    "However, Major, because development is so fast, the effect of the virus is very much localized. It wasn¡¯t even given time to spread before the affected plants wilted and died."


    The conflicted expressions of the scientists on the screen expressed perfectly the ludicrousness of the situation. Previously, their problem was that the plants were too indestructible, but now that they had found its weakness, the problem became that they were too fragile¡­


    The leading scientist continued, "And so, one of our interns suggested such an idea¡­


    "To inject the virus right into the heart of these plants, the central storage area so to speak, the spot where all the collected materials congregate and where the largest energy crystal would be. With that, perhaps the Hope could escape from the clutches of these plants and lift off into space!


    "However, the key problem is that we are unable to locate this so called heart. There was a proposal to initiate all three nuclear generators as bait to lure it out, but these plants are already so well-fed that even that might not be enticing enough for its heart to appear. Major, that¡¯s our latest update. We¡¯ve tried the best we can."


    Yao Yuan thanked the scientists for their effort and turned to stare conspiratorially at Jay.


    "Mister Wales, I believe everything is indeed a huge misunderstanding¡­. In fact, if you could help the Hope with this one simple favor, I¡¯ll personally make sure that it remains a misunderstanding," said Yao Yuan with an overtly kind smile.


    "Huh?"

 Chapter 41: A Hail Mary Bet!

    Chapter 41: A Hail Mary Bet!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    At around 4:45 PM, the rescue mission was completed. The operation tallied a loss of three hovercrafts, a total of two hundred soldiers, as well as one hundred plus scientists, technicians, and engineers. These were valuable human assets. Therefore, it was without a doubt a big loss for the Hope.


    At the same time, finishing touches were being done on the Hope¡¯s last functioning shuttle. It was being prepared to fly. However, that was not all that was behind the hustle and bustle on the Hope. The spaceship¡¯s three nuclear energy generators had also kicked into high gear.


    At this point, the Hope only had enough energy to initiate two more space warps. In other words, around one third of its energy had already been drained.


    Three space-suit-wearing men stood in the alcove of the hangar that housed this last shuttle. They were Yao Yuan, Zhang Heng, and Jay. The weak flames of the cigars dangling from each of their hands illuminated the bare faces of these harried men. Their appearance would not have been noticed if not for Zhang Heng¡¯s constant coughing from trying to keep the cigar smoke down.


    Frowning, Yao Yuan advised, ¡°Just give it a break, Zhang Heng. If you can¡¯t get used to smoking cigars, stick to cigarettes. This is, after all, Jay¡¯s request. You don¡¯t have to go along with it if you don¡¯t want to.¡±


    With a trembling hand that could barely hold on to the cigar, Zhang Heng surly replied, ¡°I knew that. In fact, what I wouldn¡¯t give for a bag of powder[1] right now. However, I have never tried a cigar before in my life, so I thought I¡¯d give it a go because, god knows, this opportunity might not come again.¡±


    With a sigh that reflected their shared frustration and desperation, Yao Yuan went over to give him a brotherly hug, and that communicated all that needed to be communicated.


    Beside them, Jay said, with a hint of acid in his voice, ¡°Yup, that¡¯s sad. Unlike me, you are a lieutenant after all; why they would order you to accompany a criminal such as myself on this one-way journey is beyond me. And to think I have avoided judgment by escaping into space, how na?ve I was¡­ But how about you, Major, sir? You are the owner of this ship, its dictator so to speak, so why have you deigned to join us on this fruitless journey?¡±


    ¡°I just want to complete the mission I¡¯ve given myself.¡± Without looking at either Zhang Heng or Jay, Yao Yuan glanced at the floor and said rather monotonously, ¡°Everyone has to bear way too many burden in life, but only cowards and weaklings run away from them. Because these burdens are also one¡¯s responsibilities and sometimes even duties, they are not things that one can simply discard¡­¡±


    Jay retorted sardonically, ¡°That is indeed so noble of you, our mighty savior¡­ It makes criminals like me so shame-faced that I am so inclined to commit suicide to redeem myself.¡±


    ¡°How is keeping a promise one made a long time ago noble..?¡± asked Yao Yuan with a rare kindness in his eyes. Then he took a long drag of the cigar but ended up choking himself and hacking up a storm.


    After his coughs petered out, Yao Yuan turned to look at Jay and Zhang Heng. With a sincere tone, he said, ¡°Don¡¯t think so highly of me. The amount of blood I¡¯ve had on my hands will easily detach me from the concept of the word ¡®noble.¡¯ Everything I do is merely to fulfill a promise because that is a responsibility that I have made¡­


    ¡°So, don¡¯t see this as being forced upon you¡­ Jay, is it not the great American cinema that says ¡®with great power comes great responsibility?¡¯ Because let¡¯s be honest, we have all been gifted with great powers following a recent event. An old friend of mine called this new generation of human beings the homo evolutis. Of course, that having any scientific validity is another issue completely, but it is undeniable that Zhang Heng, you have been granted the gift of divination. You can foretell the arrival of danger. And Jay, your gift of psychological manipulation has been enhanced, because let¡¯s honest, that is how you have managed to go undiscovered for so long. I myself have the ability to see the projection of malice and I have heightened reflexes. Also, I realized I have also been given the power of impeccable navigation, so that is why I will be the pilot for this last shuttle¡­


    ¡°Zhang Heng, you will be our alarm, so I want you to inform me whenever you sense danger approaching. Jay, on the other hand¡­ I¡¯ll be frank: you will be the bait. You need to convince the heart of these plants to approach us. Those are essentially the only details of this mission. If we survive, then Jay, not only will your previous criminal record be completely wiped, you will be welcomed back into the Hope as its hero. I¡¯ll award you the rank of unit captain and you¡¯ll be given a residence at the Barracks.


    ¡°Zhang Heng, as a member of the Black Star Unit, it is your duty to complete the mission that is given to you. But if we succeed, no one will look down on you anymore, and I promise you that incidents like your little run-in with Ying will never be repeated again.¡±


    It was hard to tell whether it was Jay that was the sweet-talker or was it Yao Yuan, because Jay had to admit that he was very much swayed¡­


    Suddenly, from the depths of his childhood memories, a sentence rang out as clear as day. ¡°Mom and dad, I¡¯ll grow up to be a hero! You¡¯ll see!¡±


    Jay took some time to recover from the unexpected trip down memory lane and then he somewhat nonchalantly said, ¡°Either way, I have no way out, so I¡¯ll do as you say. I¡¯m just afraid that if this thing you called gift of psychological manipulation is a dud, we would truly have a hot mess on our hands.¡±


    That surprisingly caused Yao Yuan to laugh. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, at least we could die happy knowing we have tried our best¡­ We would have the courage to face our families and loved-ones that are waiting down there¡­¡±


    ¡°Down there? I¡¯m not going down there, I¡¯d rather go up there,¡± replied Jay, who obviously didn¡¯t subscribe to the eastern religions¡¯ idea of reincarnation.


    Yao Yuan did not reply but instead turned to face Zhang Heng. The young man was shaking all over; even the cigar between his fingers was vibrating beyond control.


    Yao Yuan moved to give him a healthy slap on the shoulder and say, ¡°Stop being so afraid, Zhang Heng! I handpicked you myself to join the Hope, didn¡¯t I? In spite of you looking like you were a sleazebag, a drug addict, and a nobody, I saw the potential in you! Understand that your past doesn¡¯t define you, and I believe that under that shady appearance hid a courageous, trustworthy young man. In fact, I have seen glimpses of this man a few times before. He appeared when we went searching for your father and again when you appealed for the safety of those women! So channel that courage within your heart, because I know it¡¯s in there! It¡¯s time to be that man!¡±


    That speech injected a healthy dose of confidence into Zhang Heng and miraculously his shaking stopped. In fact, a warm, fuzzy feeling started spreading all over his body. He felt prepared to face the world.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s almost five. Time to go!¡± With that, Yao Yuan slammed down his helmet and walked towards the entrance of the shuttle. With an energetic gait, both Jay and Zhang Heng followed.


    The exact plan had already been hashed out after an intense discussion between Yao Yuan, representatives from the Academy, and the rest of the Black Star Unit. The mission was appropriately named Operation Hail Mary!


    The three generators in the Hope would be simultaneously activated to support the initiation of its anti-gravitational system.


    After calculating this planet¡¯s gravity, the Hope would take about half an hour to rise to the height of five thousand feet, that is if the plants that adhered to the ship haven¡¯t completely drained it dry by that point¡­ The success of the mission hinged on the difference between the Hope having its energy passively drained and it actively feeding its energy to the plants.


    As the energy output increased, the number of plants was expected to increase as well. When the Hope lifted off the ground, the plan was to pull the plants along with it and hopefully, with a strong enough pull, the heart of the plant could be lifted up into the surface. And that would be when the shuttle would strike.


    ¡°The shuttle only has two minutes because after that, its electrical circuit will fry and the anti-gravitational system will be rendered useless. Therefore, we have to insert the virus into the heart of the plants and return to the Hope within these fateful two minutes, or else¡­¡±


    Yao Yuan sat in the pilot seat and took a deep breath. Then he told Jay, who sat beside him, ¡°So your mission is very important. You have to manipulate this heart to appear within two minutes. I don¡¯t care how you do it; create as ludicrous a lie as you want, just make sure the target appears in two, no, scrap that, one minute. And if you fail, then we will be unable to return to the Hope, and even if we can, the Hope will be stranded on this planet forever¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, stop!¡± Jay slapped his own face, hoping to snap into focus, then he yelled, ¡°I can¡¯t stand that much pressure! Even when I participated in college football, my coach didn¡¯t pressure me so much¡­¡±


    ¡°Then change that pressure into motivation!¡± yelled Yao Yuan in return before pulling the engine lever. Sparks flew across the hangar as the shuttle slid across the rails with an incredible speed¡­


    Like a burning arrow, the shuttle shot out of the Hope and into the dark!

 Chapter 42: Let the Hope Fly! (1)

    Chapter 42: Let the Hope Fly! (1)


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    The moment the shuttle shot out of the Hope, it seemed like light was immediately sucked out of the room. For Zhang Heng and Jay, the drastic change took some time to get used to, but probably due to his heightened reflexes, Yao Yuan adapted to it much easier and faster.


    When they turned back around, the only source of light was the Hope that shone before them like a gleaming lantern. At that moment, the Hope was already about four hundred meters in the air and pulling it down were a few vine-like tendrils. Flares and sparks flew at the places where the tendrils were latched onto the Hope, and one could safely assume that the great store of energy was getting siphoned away. In fact, later reports showed that the higher the altitude the Hope climbed to, the faster its energy was drained.


    ¡°Starting two minute countdown! One hundred and nineteen seconds, one hundred and eighteen seconds¡­¡± Yao Yuan screamed as he initiated the shuttle¡¯s anti-gravitational system.


    ¡°Jay! Quick! Do what you need to do! I don¡¯t care how, just do it!¡± Yao Yuan yelled again as he steered the ship nearer to the ground.


    It was obvious from the way he stood and looked that Jay was channeling great effort to re-enter that superhuman state. However, it simply wouldn¡¯t happen. Instead of a great silence, he remained steeped in the raucous around him.


    ¡°One hundred and ten seconds, one hundred and nine seconds¡­¡±


    ¡°Jay!¡± screamed Yao Yuan once more, and this time even Zhang Heng joined in.


    ¡°I know! I know! Stop pressuring me!¡± Jay shouted in return.


    Nevertheless, this mysterious state that Jay was looking for wasn¡¯t as accessible as many wanted it to be. No matter how loud the two men screamed at him, if it was not meant to be, it was not meant to be.


    ¡°Ninety-three seconds, ninety-two seconds¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re entering the danger zone now! Jay! Why don¡¯t you try envisioning imminent danger!¡± screamed Yao Yuan as his voice rose to an inhuman volume.


    ¡°Screw you! My butt is safely rested here in this shuttle; what kind of imminent danger could I convincingly envision? In fact, why don¡¯t you throw me out of the shuttle? Maybe that¡¯ll help!¡± Jay retorted sarcastically.


    Zhang Heng¡¯s voice could be heard coming from the other side of the room, offering, ¡°Then think of something memorable, something significant. Just focus!¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right¡­ Jay! Ignore the countdown, just focus¡­ No matter what, even if everything fails, know that we believe in you!¡± Yao Yuan screamed with his voice rising over that of Zhang Heng¡¯s.


    We believe in you!


    We believe in you¡­


    A football competition at XX High School ¡­


    ¡°Jay, that was awesome! You were the most agile player on the field! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be picked as the quarterback!¡±


    ¡°Jay, quick, run! The goal is just in front of you¡­ Yes! We won, we actually did it! Team two actually beat team one and it¡¯s all thanks to you, Jay!¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, Jay. You have made it into the university¡¯s official football team. Now go on and tell your parents the great news; I¡¯m sure they will be so proud of you. But remember to tell them to come and watch the college league matches, hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful news! I¡¯m so proud of you, Jay, my boy. Of course, we will be there for you. We would not miss this match for the world. In fact, have I told you that your old man was once a football player? So when you¡¯re a big star, remember to tell the reporters that it was your old man that taught you how to play football in the first place!¡±


    Match day¡­


    ¡°Jay, I¡¯m sorry, but your spot has been given away. Nothing personal¡­ He just runs faster than you.¡±


    ¡°Jay, don¡¯t listen to that lousy coach. The guy got the spot because he was the school director¡¯s son. You are still the fastest of us all!¡±


    ¡°¡­Is that so? The reality is, Jay, we didn¡¯t see you on the field. Haven¡¯t we gone through this already, son? Stop lying to your parents¡­ You are such a disappointment¡­¡±


    No, I¡¯m not lying to you, I¡¯m really not¡­


    A liar¡­


    But you are a liar!


    A Harvard graduate?! Please, you can¡¯t even speak French! This relationship is so over¡­ Now get out of my face!


    You liar! Your father was no football star!


    You lying piece of¡­


    So what if I¡¯m a liar?!


    Jay suddenly yelled, but weirdly enough, no sound came out of his mouth. In fact, all the raucous that had been clogging his mind had ceased¡­ It was like the walls of the shuttle melted away and he was thrown into the immensely deep and quiet cosmos¡­


    ¡°There is an energy that is as big as a planet here! So big it could blow up an entire planet!¡±


    The lie reverberated within the walls of the shuttle before dissipating into space and the great beyond¡­ Travelling on a medium that was unknown to man, a medium that was far less destructive to sound waves than air; Jay¡¯s voice travelled into many unexpected places, even places that were underground¡­


    After that, tremors were felt all over the desert surface. The magnitude was so devastating that it rivaled a magnitude 12 earthquake!


    Right underneath the Hope, small cracks started to form and they gradually linked to create a deep chasm. Even viewed from the Hope¡¯s altitude, the chasm, which was at least a hundred times the size of the spaceship itself, seemed to be bottomless.


    ½ô½Ó×Å¡­¡­


    The ground continued to grumble¡­


    And a giant ball of moss rose from the chasm. It was almost as big as the planet itself!


    It was covered with tendrils and each of them was about the size of the Hope. Despite their size, however, they were incredibly agile. In fact, a few of them had already wound themselves around the Hope. Some tried to grab at Yao Yuan¡¯s shuttle, but he evaded them all. And that was lucky because at the speed they were going, one hit and they would easily be swatted down from the air.


    ¡°Great job, Jay! Now, hang on to your seat! But keep focusing on what you¡¯re doing. Don¡¯t stop!¡±


    Yao Yuan pulled another lever and the rear of the shuttle exploded in flames. Simultaneously, he yelled, ¡°Zhang Heng, start focusing as well. Yell when you sense danger incoming!¡±


    ¡°Sixty-two seconds, sixty-one seconds, sixty seconds¡­¡±


    Like riding a bucking mare, Yao Yuan was out of his mind trying to steer the shooting shuttle towards his desired destination. Despite his best efforts, he couldn¡¯t seem to pinpoint that location. Unable to take his own advice, he remained out of the desired superhuman state.


    Suddenly, Zhang Heng shrieked, ¡°Be careful! Something is coming at us from our left!¡±


    In that moment, Yao Yuan returned to that sensation of complete serenity.


    With a slight nudge at the control stick and with a grace that was uncommon to any vehicles, the shuttle did a right swerve and successfully avoided the incoming tendril. Yao Yuan felt like he had gotten more familiar with his ability.


    He knew that he was able to sense the projection of malice, but later he found out that, like Ying, he could have a perfect view of his surroundings. Like Zhang Heng, he too could sense danger. In fact, other than Jay¡¯s knack at mental manipulation, he appeared to have access to the powers of all the others homo evolutis.


    However, he realized that he was a jack of all trades but master of none. After some comparisons, he noticed that his power of sight was not as detailed as Ying¡¯s, his power of divination was not as clear as Zhang Heng¡¯s, and his power of malice tracking was not as attuned as Ebon¡¯s¡­


    While all of these were going through his mind, his hand had not left the control stick. Under his command, the shuttle drifted its way through the maze of tendrils towards the heart of the plant.


    At about two hundred meters away from their destination, Yao Yuan could suddenly see clearly the formation of this moss ball. It was not a whole entity but rather an amalgamation of millions and millions of minute algae-like plants.


    With just the wiggling tendrils latticing each other, these algae plants had coagulated to form a formidable presence. This confirmed the presence of a hive mind. Furthermore, with activities of this scale, it appeared as if the hive mind was not as they had suspected. It was simple but only appeared so because it had been restricted by certain limitations.


    As the shuttle got closer to their target, the giant tendrils around them became even more active. Some even started disintegrating into smaller vines, forming a wall blocking their way.


    ¡°Fifty-three seconds, fifty-two seconds¡­¡±


    The shuttle was less than a hundred meters to the heart of the plant. If weren¡¯t for the obstruction from this vine wall, they would have reached it within seconds¡­ However, navigating this dense jungle of vines would require at least another fifty seconds...


    ¡°Sit tight!¡± roared Yao Yuan as he turned the shuttle¡¯s rocket engine to its highest. Like a loose arrow, the shuttle shot straight ahead.


    Hundreds of tendrils and vines moved to block its path. However, like an energized lightning bug, the shuttle weaved through the plant barricades with surprising ease¡­ It was truly a sight to behold!


    Nevertheless, the shuttle had its vehicular limitations. Made not of flexible tendons but solid steel, there were simply corners that it couldn¡¯t turn. At about thirty meters from the heart, it had finally run into a deadlock!


    ¡°There are dangers coming from our left, and right, and back¡­ No! They¡¯re coming from all sides!¡± wailed a frantic Zhang Heng.


    ¡°Damn these plants! Hold on to your seats!¡±


    With another push at the stick, the shuttle righted itself, attempting an emergency break. A snapping sound emanating from the back of the shuttle followed. It sounded like something at the rear had been hit. A distraught Jay shouted,


    ¡°Go away! There¡¯s nothing here! The energy is above us; it has flown into the sky!¡±


    The tendrils that were closing in on the shuttle suddenly stopped. They waved their slender bodies around as if sniffing the air, then they surged towards the sky even though there was nothing there¡­


    The rocket engine was badly broken, but fortunately, the shuttle itself was still comparatively intact. There was even a small burst of flame still spluttering from the engine. However, the propulsion was barely strong enough to keep them afloat, much less push them towards the plant¡¯s heart.


    They were about ten meters from it. The target was right before their eyes as the shuttle floated sweetly right beyond its periphery.


    ¡°Forty-seven seconds, forty-six seconds¡­¡±

 Chapter 43: Let the Hope Fly! (2)

    Chapter 43: Let the Hope Fly! (2)


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Time cruelly moved on, paying no heed to the many lives that wished for it to slow down¡­


    At about ten meters away from their destination, the anti-gravitational system was keeping the shuttle barely afloat. Its rocket engine was too damaged to manage more than a slow crawl. But the reality was that they didn¡¯t have the time to slowly inch towards their target.


    Yao Yuan sat silently at his seat before getting up abruptly and rushing to the shuttle entrance. He yelled, ¡°You two keep the shuttle balanced. You don¡¯t need to pilot it, just keep it balanced!¡±


    On the way to the door, Yao Yuan swiped a black box that was hanging on the wall. Before the two men realized what was happening, Yao Yuan was already prepared to jump out of the shuttle. Secured only by a safety cable, Yao Yuan held in one hand the black box and in the other an army knife as he jumped over the distance that separated them from the heart of the plants.


    With a little pre-jump acceleration, it was technically not a hard gap to close. But to jump with the realization that a slip could cost one¡¯s life was mind-blowing enough to stun both Zhang Heng and Jay. After they managed to recollect themselves, the two men looked at each other and said, almost in unison, ¡°Do you know how to control a shuttle?¡±


    To which the answer was a collective silence.


    Part of Yao Yuan¡¯s willingness to commit to that jump was his faith in the tensile strength of the security cable. The rope was made for usage in space, so it was at least one hundred meters long and as strong as steel. With its help, Yao Yuan flung himself across the chasm. In mid-flight, at a distance where he could reach out and literally touch the outer wall of the heart, Yao Yuan unsheathed his knife and stuck it firmly into the wall.


    Inertia dragged him further down another ten meters. When he finally stopped sliding, he quickly removed the knife. To his horror, the blade disintegrated right before his eyes. Missing not even a beat, he tossed the knife away and stuck one of his hands into the open crack in the wall while the other hand frantically unlocked the black box.


    Resting within the box were three thick hypodermic syringes filled with plant virus. Because they were strapped within their case, they were hard to release using only one hand. In an effort to maintain his balance, Yao Yuan had to lean half of his upper body into the crack. When he felt relatively secured, he moved his hand out of the crack to help with the syringe strap only to realize the spacesuit around his hand had already been completely eaten.


    That might, however, turn out to be a blessing in disguise because for a job as delicate as fiddling with a strap, the protection of a space suit might be more of a hindrance than an aid. During that moment, Yao Yuan unconsciously entered a state of deep calm and all his powers decided to kick into high gear. Within that peaceful cocoon of silence, the details of his surroundings were rising up to meet him, a voice was in his head was offering guidance, and a deep attunement to the emergence of danger and malice was forged. In a way, he felt very much unlike his human self.


    With his hand curled firmly around the syringe, he wiggled his hand out of the box and fiercely shoved the syringe into the heart¡¯s outer wall!


    As predicted by the scientists, as soon as the virus was injected, the plant started shriveling. In a matter of seconds, the lush outer walls turned into a dry husk.


    Despite having the world around him falling apart, Yao Yuan stayed in his position. He was silently timing himself. With a sudden burst of speed, instead of turning back out, Yao Yuan picked himself up and charged deeper into the heart. Ignoring the fact that his spacesuit was slowly breaking apart, he stormed ahead while each of his hands were gripping the remaining two syringes tightly.


    Back on the shuttle, a crisp snap could be heard. When both Jay and Zhang Heng twisted their heads around, what they saw was the end of cable flapping in the wind¡­


    ¡°That crazy man! He really does want to be humanity¡¯s savior, does he not? Why did I believe him when he said he had faith in me?!¡± Jay growled angrily as he sprinted towards the pilot seat.


    ¡°Zhang Heng, be prepared to raise our elevation! Get this thing higher!¡±


    Jay grabbed hold of another secured security cable and tied it to his spacesuit. However, as he neared the open door, the fire that had been burning in his eyes seemed to have dwindled. He started to hesitate.


    ¡°Damn that man! His faith in me is going to cost both of our lives!¡±


    Yelling, Jay jumped out of the shuttle¡­


    ¡°Thirty-one seconds, thirty seconds¡­¡±


    At the same time, Yao Yuan was essentially squeezing blindly ahead. He couldn¡¯t confidently tell what direction he was going in in the semi darkness, but he knew that he had been circling around a basketball-sized object. It had left such an impression on him because its sturdy exterior felt so drastically different from the plump plant fibers.


    As a realization dawned upon him, he swiftly pierced the two syringes into the object. Then he pressed down hard on them, injecting every single drop of the virus into it.


    Right there and then, Yao Yuan felt an overwhelming emotion sweep over him. It was fear. Pure and unfettered fear. Before he could understand it, the pressure that had been pressing in on him suddenly released. The walls that he had been squeezing through had shriveled and shrunk. Before him, a semi-transparent capsule was revealed. The capsule was connected to numerous transference pipes and those pipes themselves were connected to more capsules that Yao Yuan realized littered the room. He surveyed his surroundings and realized that he had been standing in the heart of the plant all along. Unlike how the Academy had speculated, the heart was not a giant capsule but rather a room filled with a sea of capsules, each containing a type of mineral or energy crystal.


    The spot where Yao Yuan had stuck the syringes were near the bottom of one such capsule. Yao Yuan could see the virus spread across the plant through the interconnecting tubes. Beginning from that one capsule, the plant started to wilt.


    More plant walls started to collapse as the virus travelled through the tubes. In less than ten seconds, it had even reached the tendrils underneath the Hope, killing them in one go. This was a testament to how strong and advanced these plants¡¯ lives were, a strength that ironically enough became its downfall.


    Caught in the collapse, Yao Yuan lost his footing and started falling towards the ground. Only then did he realize that he was almost naked; the spacesuit and the security cable had entirely fallen away. What he had on him was only the basketball-esque object that he instinctively grabbed before falling.


    (Is this the end?)


    With the wilting plants raining down around him, Yao Yuan closed his eyes, preparing to make his peace.


    (Mission accomplished¡­ Finally, it¡¯s accomplished¡­)


    (I did not opt for the easy way out. I stuck with it through to the end¡­)


    (I did not fail you this time¡­)


    (But I¡¯m so tired now¡­)


    Suddenly, Yao Yuan could hear something cutting through the air. Unexpectedly, the thing slammed into him, almost taking his breath away. Before he could make sense of the situation, a pair of hands caught him from behind and his falling came to a sudden halt. Then he started rising in accelerating speed.


    ¡°Damn, I know you see yourself as Superman, but is that really necessary?!¡±


    The voice behind him said sarcastically. Instantly, Yao Yuan registered that as Jay¡¯s voice. Saying that it was a shock for the military expert was an understatement. He never expected rescue, much less one from a professional conman. If he was being honest, he doubted even his Black Star comrades would have the guts to do what Jay just did.


    He kept all of his shock to himself, but his impression of this supposed criminal had improved manifold. He was, after all, a realist, and they had about ten seconds to use the shuttle to return to the Hope. In other words, they were still in great danger, so it was not the place nor the time to be gushy with feelings.


    Jay added earnestly, ¡°I have to ask: why you had to say you have faith in me? Who would have faith in a professional liar?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡­ No matter the reasons, you followed me onto the shuttle. That showed you have faith in me¡­ I¡¯m just doing the same, because is that not what partners and comrades do?¡± Yao Yuan replied nonchalantly, reflecting none of the dangers they were in.


    Back in the shuttle, sweat was pouring down Zhang Heng¡¯s face as his fingers flew over the control panel¡¯s buttons. It was true that he had not personally driven a shuttle, but he had been the passenger of many such vehicles before. From his memories, he could piece together the method to operate the machine. In any case, there weren¡¯t any other choices. Somewhat miraculously, he managed to switch on what was left of the rocket engine and the shuttle slowly ground its way towards the Hope.


    The Hope too was climbing in height, but because of its size, it climbed at a slower speed than the smaller shuttle. Nevertheless, at that moment, the Hope was already six hundred meters off the ground while the shuttle was still hovering at around three hundred meters from the ground¡­


    ¡°Ten seconds, nine seconds, eight seconds¡­¡±


    ¡°Please move faster! I will not fail my father, who gave his life for mine, Yao Yuan, and the Black Stars who gave me ample opportunity. The respect that I¡¯ve earned, the friends...¡± Zhang Heng started bawling like a child as he navigated the shuttle towards the Hope. ¡°...and the life that I¡¯ve made, the man that I¡¯ve become¡­ I will not give up now!¡±


    ¡°Four seconds, three seconds, two seconds¡­¡±


    They were so close to the Hope that Zhang Heng could even spot the crowd standing by the ship¡¯s cabin entrance. They were waving their hands and yelling. Among them were a bunch of familiar faces: there were many of the Black Stars, Ying, Liu Bai, Ebon, Ning Xue, Mao Miao, Bo Li, and¡­


    There had never been such a moment in Zhang Heng¡¯s life where the wish to live, to keep on adventuring with his friends, was so visceral¡­


    ¡°One second, zero¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to let the Hope fly!¡±


    In spite of the completed countdown, the shuttle¡¯s anti-gravitational system hadn¡¯t gone completely haywire. But it was obvious that it had met its limits, as smoke started spluttering out of its many corners. It was as if the shuttle was channeling Zhang Heng¡¯s desperate desire to live as it dragged its broken body towards the finish line¡­


    An explosion at the rear end of the shuttle announced the death of the anti-gravitational system. As if planned, blow-back from the explosion gave the shuttle a final push, flinging it into the Hope¡¯s open hangar. It slid across the floor before coming to a stop by slamming into a metallic wall.


    The impact flattened Zhang Heng onto the control panel, knocking him on the side of his head. Before he lost consciousness, he could vaguely hear the crowd cheering. It sounded so happy, so carefree¡­

 Chapter 44: A Desperate Departure

    Chapter 44: A Desperate Departure


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    At an altitude of 5,000 meters, the Hope¡¯s anti-gravitational system finally regained its usual performance. Its previously slow ascent picked up speed. In the blink of an eye, the russet surrounding of Planet Sahara shifted to the inky black of the cosmos. A collective sigh of relief could be felt all over the Hope as the air of consternation hovering over its residents dispersed. People were celebrating their successful escape from that death trap of a planet.


    It was around this time of celebration that Yao Yuan awoke. He was already mighty tired when Jay caught him mid falling. That combined with the many rough tumbles as the shuttle slammed into the Hope had completely knocked him out.


    When he regained consciousness, he found himself safely tucked inside a hospital bed. It was a deja-vu experience because the situation was very similar to when he first awoke from Virus X. Doctors and nurses sans the hazmat suits circled him, admitting medicine, check-ups, and bandages.


    Pinpricks of pain shot through his system when he tried moving his hands and feet. The pain was a source of comfort because that meant the plants didn¡¯t cause any nerve damage.


    "How long have I been unconscious?" croaked Yao Yuan.


    After the initial shock, all of the attending doctors were glad to see their major awake. The leading doctor said, "Major, you weren¡¯t out of it for long; it was only about ten minutes. However, you survived a harsh tumble before you lost consciousness, and that was without the protection of a space suit. So, Major, please rest easy while we take a few x-rays to ensure that you aren¡¯t suffering from any broken bones and concussions¡­"


    Shaking his head, Yao Yuan adamantly rejected, "Sorry, doctor, I can¡¯t do that. Now is not the time to rest. After you are finished with the bandages, bring me a wheelchair. I need to get to central command."


    The European middle-aged doctor dithered before finally yielding, "Alright, Major, if you are so inclined¡­ But we hope you will agree to a full body-check after this business is over."


    "Of course. I need to know whether those parasitic plant spores had burrowed their way into my body," Yao Yuan joked. Then he took a forty-winks while waiting for the wheelchair to arrive.


    He was so tired¡­


    The superhuman state was undoubtedly strong. In fact, they wouldn¡¯t have survived Planet Sahara without it. The last mission alone would have been impossible without access to that mysterious state.


    Jay and Zhang Heng were, in all senses of the word, the Hope¡¯s heroes. Without their powers, the mission would have a zero percent success rate. It was thanks to Jay¡¯s power at mental manipulation and Zhang Heng¡¯s divination that the virus was deployed so successfully.


    The superhuman state came with its own complications though. The exertion it had on one¡¯s physical and mental vigor was astronomical. It was enervating. As if proving the point, Yao Yuan spotted out of the corner of his eye both Jay and Zhang Heng soundly asleep. He envied them deeply because his short nap barely helped. What he wouldn¡¯t give to lie down there and enjoy a restful sleep.


    But he knew it was not the time for sleep.


    He could hear the sound of rejoice echoing through the Hope. But for Yao Yuan, it belied people¡¯s desperate need for safety and stability. And at the moment, the Hope was everything they had.


    Yao Yuan could almost pick out the thread of worry weaving through the cheers because he of all people knew that the Hope¡¯s excursion to Planet Sahara was not without its heavy price!


    For one, they had lost an incredible amount of energy. The amount of energy that had been drained was massive enough to support almost two space warps!


    For another, they had not found any radioactive minerals on the planet. Yao Yuan suspected that these had all already been converted into energy crystals by the plants. All in all, humanity came off worse from the ordeal¡­


    Based on initial reports, the Hope had enough energy left for one more space warp.


    Even if they decided to go on with the space warp, the numbers were definitely not on their side!


    To have the first warp land within a solar system system with a terrestrial planet was already in itself bordering impossibility and the chance of continuing that streak was¡­ indescribably small!


    To give the Hope a fighting chance, Yao Yuan had to know exactly how much energy the ship had left. He also needed to have a meeting with the Academy to figure out whether it was possible to unlock the energy crystals found within the plants, and to use them as fuel for the Hope.


    With these missions in mind, Yao Yuan steeled his determination as he dragged his bandaged body out of bed.


    At that moment, a few lieutenants rushed into the room. They were led by Liu Bai, who, right after stepping into the room, knelt before Yao Yuan to give him a cursory check. "I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re doing fine, Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n¡­ By the way, what is your next course of action regarding the capsule of energy crystal you brought back with you? None of us dared to move it without your orders, so it has been left sitting beside the broken shuttle. The scientists have been notified of this, so what¡¯s the plan?"


    "Energy crystal?" questioned Yao Yuan. He recalled the baggage that he had grasped before falling. He originally thought it housed some sort of mineral.


    "The crystal itself should be quite stable. If not, it would have exploded during the tumble¡­ But to be safe, keep it out of the civilians¡¯ reach. For all we know, it could be highly radioactive. Let the scientists do their analysis first."


    Nodding his head, Liu Bai added earnestly, "Yes, sir¡­ Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n, the doctor told me of your request. I believe you should take a longer rest; God knows you deserve it."


    Yao Yuan only laughed wryly. Other than the few scientists who were directly responsible for the Hope¡¯s store of energy, Yao Yuan had told no one about the spaceship¡¯s dangerously low energy level. He had been trying to breach the topic with the Black Star Unit, but he couldn¡¯t do it with so many unrelated personnel in hearing range. He didn¡¯t want to sow the seeds of panic.


    Ten minutes later, Yao Yuan was already in central command, having a video meeting with the few selected scientists.


    "Major, the Hope¡¯s current energy level has been calculated¡­ We are relatively confident that it can still support one more space warp. After that, the remaining energy could keep the Hope running for another 25 days, give or take five days," said a frowning scientist as he glossed over his report.


    Yao Yuan guzzled down the tea that someone handed him before replying, "How about solar energy? Hasn¡¯t the Hope been using its solar panels to gather solar energy?"


    Another scientist interjected to pan the idea. "I¡¯m sorry, Major, but that won¡¯t work. The level of energy the Hope uses is too high to be supported by solar energy. Even if we transfer all the solar energy away from the biomes, it can only supplement a third of the ship¡¯s total energy consumption. However, due to the importance of the biomes, we really shouldn¡¯t do that unless absolutely necessary."


    Yao Yuan lowered his head to think. After a minute, he asked, "How about the desert planet? Now that the heart of the plant has been vanquished, couldn¡¯t we issue another landing to search for radioactive minerals or to salvage them from the dead plants?"


    A cloud of gloom eclipsed the faces of the scientists on the screen. One of them finally said, "That would not be possible¡­ Major, we are sorry to report, but I¡¯m afraid that what you destroyed is only a single heart of the plants."


    "A single heart of the plants? What do you mean?" Yao Yuan demanded.


    The scientist turned to whisper to one of his interns that were standing by. After a few seconds, a window appeared on screen. It showed the map of Planet Sahara. Circling a spot, the scientist explained, "Major, this area is around where the Hope landed. As you can see, as big as the Hope may be, it occupies only a small space when viewed in relation to the whole planet¡¯s land mass. However, it didn¡¯t take long for the plants to get attached to the Hope. This could only mean that the heart for this particular set of plants wasn¡¯t that far away from us. If we take into account the size of the heart that we saw and the size of this planet, we can safely speculate that there are almost forty hearts occupying this planet. They are evenly spread across Planet Sahara, and it was rather fortunate for us to stumble into only one of them¡­"


    The more Yao Yuan looked at the graphs and statistics on screen, the more he was convinced of the scientist¡¯s argument. If there really was only one heart, then it meant that they had been extremely unlucky to have landed within its gathering zone. The odds of that happening had also been calculated, it was one over forty¡­ It was not an odd Yao Yuan favored.


    In other words, the biggest possibility was that the planet housed more such plant hearts.


    "Major, this is why we are incredibly adamant against another landing. This is a chance that we are unwilling to take. We can¡¯t afford to have any more energy drained¡­" the scientist offered despairingly.


    Gritting his teeth, Yao Yuan sat brooding. Finally, he sighed. "I understand. We can¡¯t gamble with the lives of 120000 people. But space warping is also a risk, a bigger risk in fact¡­ Then again, since we can¡¯t land on this planet, how about other planets in this solar system? Have there been any other discoveries?"


    An astronomer stepped forth to answer. "Major, we have managed to detect six more planets in this solar system. Three of them are terrestrial planets and the other three are gas giants. But regretfully, getting to the nearest terrestrial planet will take at least one month. The furthest planet requires us to travel for almost a year before we can reach it¡­ In conclusion, they are all too far from where we are. Other than the space warp technology, the rest of the Hope is equipped with Earth¡¯s technology. We still aren¡¯t advanced enough to be able to cross great distances in a short span of time."


    "Is that so?"


    Yao Yuan closed his eyes. After a while, his head dipped. He remained still for so long that the people around him thought that he had accidentally fallen asleep. Suddenly, he said, with a pained expression, "Then do the space warp. We can¡¯t afford to waste more time staying put. We have tried our best and so we shall leave it all to God. May he smile upon us¡­ We will prepare for the space warp in an hour. In the meantime, Lieutenant Wong will be the acting captain. It is instrumental to save every single ounce of energy possible because we have to be prepared for all situations¡­"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s voice slowed before finally tailing off as he slipped into slumber¡­


    Everyone else who was present gazed silently at their leader¡¯s sleeping profile. This was a man who had saved the lives of 120000 people twice; once on Earth and once on Planet Sahara. In the eyes of these men and women shone immeasurable respect and reverence.


    The scientists ended the video meeting and then everyone started retreating quietly out of the room. Central command descended into a pool of silence with the exception of Yao Yuan¡¯s light snoring and the pitter-patter of receding footsteps¡­


    For the people that left the room, their hearts were as heavy as their footsteps.


    They had survived a supposedly doomed planet, a miraculous space warp, and an industrialized plant species, but what would their future hold? How much longer would this journey be?


    No one truly knew¡­


    An hour later, the Hope blinked out of this starry solar system, erasing all traces of its existence. It was as if it had never really been there¡­

 Chapter 45: A Cradle of Stars

    Chapter 45: A Cradle of Stars


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    It was the deepest sleep Yao Yuan had had in a long time. He dreamt of a great many things.


    From his childhood years to his new recruit days, from mundane paperwork to dangerous gunfights. Finally, he dreamt of her¡­


    "You silly oaf, promise me you¡¯ll stay alive. No matter how tired you might be, you are not allowed to surrender. The most I¡¯m willing to allow is a short nap, like the one you¡¯re taking right now¡­"


    "But¡­ I¡¯m so tired."


    "I know¡­ but you can¡¯t give up. You are not only my hope, but the hope of a lot more people, so don¡¯t give up, don¡¯t let these people¡¯s hope die with you¡­"


    "I promise you, but please don¡¯t go¡­ I know this is a dream, but I want you to stay with me¡­"


    Yao Yuan gradually lifted his eyelids, hoping to see her eyes staring back at him. Alas, what greeted him instead were the lights dancing on the room¡¯s metallic ceiling. Resigned to the cruelty of reality, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.


    He sighed inwardly. Dreams will be dreams¡­


    When he woke up again 15 minutes later, he felt more like himself as he started instinctively observing his surroundings.


    Yao Yuan knew that the room he was in was part of the Barracks¡¯ infirmary. He remembered falling asleep after giving his orders, so he assumed that some medical units had transported him here afterwards.


    Yao Yuan noticed that the scars and wounds on his body had already begun to heal and the pain had lessened significantly. Based on the degree of convalesce, he figured he had been asleep for about one whole day.


    The steady flow of light from the room¡¯s lighting meant that there had been no issue of short-circuiting. That combined with a lack of noise and commotion told Yao Yuan that the last space warp had been successful, or at least nothing momentous had changed within the Hope.


    Then Yao Yuan sat up and pushed the emergency button by his bed.


    Following that, sounds of footsteps could be heard coming from the outside corridor. A group of doctors and nurses came into the room and Yao Yuan was glad to spot a familiar face among them. The leading doctor that had been assigned to him when he first came to after the shuttle crashed appeared to be leading this crew of medical personnel as well. With a kind countenance, said doctor strode to Yao Yuan¡¯s side and started to pore over the medical apparatus that had been set up by Yao Yuan¡¯s bed.


    "Major, you appear to have recovered nicely. Apart from some minor abrasions and cuts, there is no evidence of bone fractures or a concussion. Remember to apply this balm over the wounds and make sure to stay away from water. You¡¯ll be back to top form in no time." The doctor smiled as he handed Yao Yuan the medicine.


    After the nurses removed all the tubes attached to his body, Yao Yuan swung off the bed to give his body a stretch, then he remembered to ask, "How about Zhang Heng and Jay? Are they doing well?"


    The doctor kindly replied, "Both of them are doing fine. They collapsed from fatigue, nothing serious. They left the infirmary after they awoke from their rest. If I¡¯m not mistaken, Lieutenant Zhang Heng is still somewhere around the Barracks, while Mister Jay has returned to the civilian campgrounds."


    "That¡¯s good to know. In any case, I would like to thank all of you for your service," said Yao Yuan as he approached each doctor and nurse to shake their hands. "I have to take my leave now. There are still many things that remain to be done. Thank you again."


    The leading doctor pulled him in for an embrace. "No, Major. We should be thanking you and the two young heroes. Without the three of you, we would have been stuck on leave Planet Sahara¡­ So please accept our gratitude, hero of the Hope!"


    Yao Yuan patted the doctor on his shoulder and removed himself from the embrace. When he finally left the room, he was surprised to find two black-star close guards standing by. They saluted Yao Yuan and stood squarely in position.


    "Fetch me an electromobile and get me to command central," ordered Yao Yuan after he saluted the pair in return.


    On the electromobile, Yao Yuan started asking about the things that had occurred while he was asleep.


    "According to the doctors, I¡¯ve been out of it for about 36 hours¡­ What have happened in that time? Have there been issues with the space warp? And where is our current location? Has the Academy found any hospitable planets nearby?" Yao Yuan asked in quick succession. He was particularly emphatic about the last question because its answer would decide the fate of 120000 people.


    A concerned look passed between the two guards before one of them spoke up. "Nothing worth reporting has happened in the past 36 hours, sir. The one thing of note is that a petition has been gathering support among the civilians. They want to have a large-scale carnival to celebrate the Hope¡¯s successful escape from Planet Sahara. There has also been a growing request to have a memorial for the lives that have been lost. The people wish for their families¡¯ and friends¡¯ sacrifice be recognized and honored."


    "We can proceed with the carnival as long as it is not too demanding of the Hope¡¯s store of supplies. And of course we will be honoring the lives of those who have fallen; it is the right thing to do. However, since most of the bodies were lost on Planet Sahara, planning a memorial will be a bit tricky. Perhaps we can have a symbolic burial. We can discuss the details after we have secured the permission of the family members¡­" Yao Yuan explained before adding, "Is that all? How about the space warp? Which star system have we landed in? And are there any visible planets around us?"


    The two guards started to stutter; they were trying but failing to provide a sufficient answer. Right then, the electromobile passed through a long corridor. It was a walkway that bordered the outer perimeter of the Hope and had a transparent wall that allowed one to view the scenery outside. Yao Yuan unconsciously turned his head to take in the view¡­


    Instead of the gloomy star-scape that he had come to expect, he was greeted with a luminous band of twinkling stars¡­ Against a deeply cerulean backdrop, multiple light novas exploded across the space as stars came in and out of existence¡­


    The majestic view made Yao Yuan¡¯s jaw drop to the floor. He had so many questions, but he knew had to keep them in until they reached central command. After all, there was no telling who might be listening in. When they finally arrived at their destination, the rest of the Black Stars and about ten scientists were already waiting. Without preamble, Yao Yuan launched into his questions. "What is happening outside the Hope? Have we warped into some weird dimension? Or are we stuck in some gas giants? No, that¡¯s not possible because if that were true, the Hope would be crushed by its high pressure by now¡­ Then what exactly is going on? Wasn¡¯t space supposed to be dark? Why is it almost as bright as daylight out there?"


    The gathered scientists were mostly astrophysicists. They were led by Alan, who volunteered to answer Yao Yuan¡¯s questions. "No, we are most certainly still in space, and we have not crossed the wall of dimensions¡­ To suggest that is preposterous because how could we as three-dimensional creatures even possibly survive in other dimensions? Anyway, what I¡¯m trying to say is that space-warping will not warp us across dimensions. We are still in outer space and definitely not in the body of some gas giant. As a matter of fact¡­ according to our analysis and discussion, I highly suspect that we have somehow found ourselves in the middle of a nebula."


    "A nebula?" echoed Yao Yuan incredulously.


    Ever since they had located the Hope, Yao Yuan had spent plenty of time furbishing his space knowledge. He felt that it was necessary for him to be familiar with entities that the Hope might one day stumble across. In the course of his study, he had learnt about neutron stars, white dwarfs [1], red giants [2], supernovas, and black holes.


    Incidentally, he had also learnt about nebulas¡­


    "That can¡¯t be right! Nebulas are supposed to be expansive. It is because of Earth¡¯s extreme distance from known nebulas that we got the impression that they are compact, bright, and hold a shape. In reality, if we are in the middle of one, it still should look like normal space. Or to be specific, nebulas are so big in size that we should not be aware that we are in one, because it would not look any different from other stretches of the cosmos! In fact, parts of it shouldn¡¯t even have stars because they are spaces of vacuum. Isn¡¯t that right?" Yao Yuan queried.


    While the group of scientists was hamstrung by the complexity of the situation, a young girl shuffled forward. The girl was Bo Li. She sidled up to Yao Yuan and explained in a soft voice, "Indeed, Major, you are right. For normal nebulas, we would not have this spectacle. However, if you take out the other possible explanations, this is the only logical explanation left."


    Yao Yuan looked askance at Bo Li for some time before adding, "Let¡¯s say you¡¯re right. Then how would you explain this anomalous nebula we are witnessing?"


    Bo Li answered stoically, "There is only but one logical explanation¡­ This nebula around us is collecting itself to form a new galaxy. And based on our readings, there is a high possibility that a newborn star has already been created. Our spectrometer had detected two distinct spectrums of light from this nebula. One of them is red, which we have found to correlate to the radioactive waves of the nebula itself. The other color is, of course, blue. And since only a star¡¯s light could be bright enough to overwrite that of its nebula, we could safely assume that a blue, newborn star has already been born¡­


    In other words, the nebula, or nebulous matter, that you see around us is the cradle for a new stellar system¡­"


    [1] A white dwarf is what stars like the Sun become after they have exhausted their nuclear fuel. Near the end of its nuclear burning stage, this type of star expels most of its outer material, creating a planetary nebula.


    [2] Red giants are stars that have exhausted the supply of hydrogen in their cores and have begun thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen in a shell surrounding the core. They have radii tens to hundreds of times larger than that of the Sun. However, their outer envelope is lower in temperature, giving them a reddish-orange hue.

 Chapter 46: A Reversal!

    Chapter 46: A Reversal!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Encountering a nebula in space is not something that is particularly rare. At least, it is more common than encountering a neutron star or a supernova.


    A nebula is a diffusive matter that spreads over a massive stretch of space, and the larger among them could cover more than ten light years of distance. To put that into perspective, a ray of sunlight needs almost nine hours to travel from the sun to Pluto. Humans, with our current technology, would take nine years to travel from Earth to Pluto, and that is if the party doesn¡¯t perish in the perilous journey!


    When one considers that a light-year is equivalent to the distance light travels in a year, or 9.5 trillion kilometers, the fact that a nebula could be more than ten light-years in size is mind-boggling¡­


    It is simply impossible for man to travel across such a distance. The journey would take about one hundred thousand years, a number that is even bigger than the age of human civilization!


    That was why when Yao Yuan was given the news that the Hope was stuck in the middle of a nebula, his expression instantly dimmed. Even though they still hadn¡¯t figured out how big the nebula was, the smallest of them would be one light-year in size. Getting the Hope out of that alone would be a task bordering on the impossible!


    He knew that the Hope¡¯s store of energy couldn¡¯t support another space warp. They only had enough energy left to keep the Hope running at its optimum settings for another 25 days¡­ Even if they turned off all the unnecessary electrical systems and channeled all that energy to the engine room, getting out of the nebula would be inconceivable.


    At the end of the day, no matter how hard they tried to conserve energy, the Hope would retain at most 30 more days of normal functions¡­ After that, the Hope would be nothing more than a glorified space coffin!


    To leave the nebula in under 30 days¡­ that was truly a fool¡¯s dream¡­


    "So, a nebula¡­ Has the Academy found out how big this nebula is?" Yao Yuan sighed resignedly.


    The scientists were at a loss. Only Alan came forth to answer. "Major, no, we haven¡¯t, and we couldn¡¯t even if we wanted to¡­ With our current technology, we can¡¯t tell you exactly how big this nebula is. Major, you have to understand that everything we currently know about nebulas is speculation. We could try to calculate the distance based on known hypotheses and formulas, but how valid those results would be¡­ There is no guarantee.


    "Also, this nebula is covered in a layer of static charge. This blue sheen we are witnessing is evidence of that. This is another hindrance because we don¡¯t have the technology to analyze static charges. Furthermore, our telescope can¡¯t see past this static layer to analyze the nebula¡¯s inner matter¡­ So, there is no conclusive way of telling how big this nebula is, nor how far we are from its edges."


    The gravity of their situation was brought to the forefront with Alan¡¯s frank words. Suffocated by despair, the room went silent.


    Even Yao Yuan could only muster a lame response. "is that so..?"


    Shattering the silence, a young man offered timidly, "Actually, we still might have one last hope left¡­"


    Everyone in the room turned to look at the young man. His face immediately registered in Yao Yuan¡¯s mind. This was the young man who first figured out that the alien plant species would not have been immunized against Earth¡¯s plant virus.


    Yao Yuan said, "I remember you. It is thanks to your brilliant hypothesis that we had a fighting chance at escaping Planet Sahara. Tell me, what¡¯s your name?"


    The young man, who appeared to have an Arabian and European mixed heritage, faltered before answering, "My name is Ivan Mohammed bin Rashad¡­ My friend usually calls me Ivan. You can call me that too, sir."


    "It is nice to make your acquaintance, Ivan. You¡¯ve mentioned a last hope, what would that be?" encouraged Yao Yuan.


    Ivan was obviously stressed out by the weight of all the attention. Even though he had been recently promoted from a temporary intern to an official member of the Academy, he was still a bright-eyed teen in his early twenties. To know that the lives of 120000 people hinged on his hypothesis was a big pressure to bear.


    He took some time arranging his thoughts before voicing them carefully. "Major, my suggestion has nothing to do with the nebula because that is not my field of study¡­ But I do know that we have to get out it and the Hope might still have an emergency store of energy to help us accomplish that!"


    Intrigue was palpable in the room. At that moment, Yao Yuan could hear a voice in his head, whispering two fateful words,


    "Energy crystal!"


    The two words were simultaneously echoed by Ivan. With a serious tone, he continued, "Based on our previous experiment, the alien plants have to absorb at least 10000 watts of electricity to form a 0.1 cubic millimeters sized energy crystal¡­"


    Yao Yuan interjected, "Wait a minute, by watts, do you mean¡­ du? That is 0.1 cubic millimeters of energy crystal contains 50000 Du of electrical energy, is that correct?


    .


    "Du?" All of the scientists, including Ivan, frowned at this unfamiliar term.


    Bo Li, who was still standing beside Yao Yuan, muttered under her breath, "Dumbass," before adding more clearly, "Yes, one thousand watts is equal to one du of electricity. Watts is the technical term, while du is what we Chinese use colloquially."


    Yao Yuan smiled half-heartedly at Bo Li, and urged Ivan to continue.


    "If we calculate the conversion rate, the energy crystal Major carried back, which is about 1.5 billion cubic millimeters, contains one trillion and fifty billion [1] watts of energy!" said Ivan excitedly.


    Not only were Yao Yuan and the rest of the Black Stars appropriately stunned, even some of the scientists had to ask Ivan to repeat what he just said. "How much did you say again?"


    "One trillion and fifty billion watts!"


    Ivan repeated affirmatively. He then retrieved from his backpack a stack of calculated data which he proceeded to pass around the room. Referring to the data, he said, "Of course, we have to take into account the amount of energy that is lost in the conversion process itself. The plants aren¡¯t superconductors, so a 100 percent conversion rate is impossible to achieve. After consulting with the physics committee, we have come to a safe assumption that for every one hundred thousand watts the plant has absorbed, it will be converted into an energy crystal with one thousand watts of stored energy.


    "So with that in mind, the energy crystal that Major carried with him should contain around one billion and fifty million watts of energy!"


    The talk of numbers, and astronomical numbers at that, had Yao Yuan¡¯s head spinning. He murmured half-dazedly, "Wait, give a minute to process all this¡­ In the year 2026, Earth¡¯s total consumption of electricity was around one billion watts¡­ Ivan, are you telling me that the small, basketball-sized crystal contains enough energy to power Earth¡¯s whole population for one whole year?!"


    Ivan stood by his calculation by asserting, "Major, and everyone else, I know this is hard to believe, but the math doesn¡¯t lie. Of course, there might be some miscalculations along the way, but the difference would not be big enough to affect the final number¡­ The biggest problem now is how do we tap into this reserve of energy? The technology behind the formation of this energy crystal is way beyond our current scientific comprehension. We have trouble even understanding it, much less unlocking its stored energy."


    That dropped the room into another period of silence, but before long, Bo Li started speaking.


    Bo Li felt submerged again into that serene sensation and a familiar voice started whispering in her ears. She felt compelled to repeat it.


    "Let him who ties the knot untie it¡­"


    Everyone in the room, with the sole exception of one, was befuddled by the cryptic sentence. It was Yao Yuan who instantly grasped the intended meaning.


    "Indeed, our current technology couldn¡¯t understand these crystals, but we do have the technology that can!" Yao Yuan sprang up excitedly. Almost shouting, he intoned, "if the alien plant can convert energy into crystal form, perhaps we can induce it to conduct the process in reverse! This is perhaps our best shot yet!


    "We still have samples of those alien plants in the lab, right? Do be careful, but you are free to use them to experiment on the energy crystal!


    "Postpone the Academy¡¯s other ongoing projects! I want the whole of the Academy to focus on this one task! This is our last lifeline, people! Understand that you have thirty days to make this work! Dismissed!"


    [1]The original number is one trillion and fifty million billion watts which can¡¯t be right because fifty million billion is already bigger than one trillion. So the numbers here and in the rest of the text have been adjusted accordingly.

 Chapter 47: The Daily Scoop (1)

    Chapter 47: The Daily Scoop (1)


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Sara was a 28-year-old suburban mom. She led a normal life, had a normal level of education, and was, in no uncertain terms, an important person.


    In fact, according to the Hope¡¯s selection standard, she shouldn¡¯t even be allowed onboard.


    There was, however, one detail of her life that she was proud of, and that had essentially saved her life. She was married to a Navy SEAL. When the riot started, it was her husband who kept her small neighborhood intact.


    Despite the pandemonium ravaging the world, Sara felt perfectly safe beside her husband. Their three-year-old daughter was her only and biggest worry.


    That worry had dwindled tremendously after they were escorted up the Hope and given residence at the Barracks. Life on the Hope, in spite of its many restrictions, was a special kind of bliss for Sara. Watching the smile that had disappeared during the traumatic riot days return to her daughter¡¯s face had brought immense joy to her heart. As time moved on, life for Sara slowly returned to the comforting suburban rhythm.


    That was until a few days ago¡­


    "Dear Mrs Thompson, on behalf of the Hope¡¯s third infantry regiment, we would like to thank your husband for his honorable service. We will never forget the life that he has given for the greater good of the Hope, the greater good of the 120000 people on board. Because of his bravery and sacrifice, we were able to rescue 341 technicians and 74 soldiers. Again, we would like to thank you for his service. The details are all in this letter¡­"


    Sara basically blanked out after hearing the first sentence. She had been expecting this letter ever since families around the Barracks started receiving similar notices. She knew in her heart that she would not see her husband return, but to be handed the actual letter was still a great blow to her.


    Tears would not stop falling as she shakily accepted the letter. If not for her daughter, who was holding on to her skirt, she would have keeled over right there and then.


    "Mommy, please don¡¯t cry," said the little girl innocently. Sara looked at her young daughter, and in the girl¡¯s eyes reflected the calm countenance of her father. Touched, Sara swept her daughter up into her arms and held her firmly to her heart.


    Sara knew that she had to be strong for her daughter. It was her duty now to ensure that her husband¡¯s legacy lived on. She needed her daughter to know that her father was a hero!


    A hero who sacrificed his life for the survival of humanity!


    No, he deserved much more than that! He should be given a proper burial! A government-validated burial! It was their responsibility because¡­


    He died for the government. It was only fair that his death be given a notice greater than that of a stupid letter! Not only that, she had to make sure that the government ensured that the families that were left behind were properly taken care of¡­


    And thus, hoping to seek justice for her husband and others like herself, Sara started contacting other families who had lost family members on Planet Sahara.


    She found out that about 300 people had lost their lives on Planet Sahara. The families that they left behind totaled up to about one thousand people. After Sara¡¯s intentions became known, connections between these one thousand people started forming. Finally, the day came for these family members to meet.


    A multimedia room was decided to be the venue. At this moment, about two hundred people had already gathered within and more were still coming.


    "Mrs. Jennifer and Mrs. Isle, sorry I¡¯m late," said the arriving Sara to the two ladies who were walking towards her.


    One of the ladies, Mrs. Jennifer, had a mixed heritage. One half was African American and Caucasian, while the other was European. Mrs. Jennifer was about 24 years old and Mrs. Isle was five years older. They both smiled at Sara, and the younger of the two chided her after seeing the large stack of paperwork she was carrying. "Sara, you sure did your homework!"


    As the two ladies offered to share the load, Sara responded, "Yes, here are some of the laws pertaining to US military protocol on field casualties and the ensuing familial reparations. Most of these are from the states, but there are some that are from China, since¡­ you know¡­ our major is Chinese."


    The two ladies smiled politely at the colored remark, then Mrs. Isle added diplomatically, "Yes, he is Chinese, but he is also a hero who have saved 120000 people, has maintained a continuous sense of order on the Hope¡­ and it was his bravery that saved us again on Planet Sahara. He is a trustworthy leader."


    "Oh no, you misunderstand me, Mrs. Isle. I do see him as a real hero and leader, and his government has been fair with all the dealings on the Hope. I bear him no ill will. It¡¯s just that as a Chinese, he might not be familiar with our military¡¯s protocol, that¡¯s what I meant," explained a flustered Sara.


    The other two ladies nodded their heads. They then started discussing Sara¡¯s legal findings. They knew that Sara had been busy going back and forth between the Barracks and the civilian campgrounds to ask for advice from legal experts from America, Europe, and Asia. They were very impressed by her dedication and devotion to their cause.


    And it was this important cause that connected these three ladies. All three of their husbands had perished on the Planet Sahara. None of their loved ones¡¯ bodies had been retrieved, and they were left with children to fend for. These similarities in their situations had formed an unbreakable bond between the three ladies as they championed for a better funeral or memorial service and reassurance of their children¡¯s future from the government.


    As Sara walked up to the podium, she frowned when she saw the measly two hundred people who had gathered in the room. She laughed awkwardly as she spoke into the microphone. "Has there been a mix-up? Isn¡¯t today the day for the important meeting? So¡­ why are there so few of us?"


    The people who were there were equally confused. A lot of them were similarly focused on this cause, some of them even came prepared with stacks of paperwork like Sara¡­ It seemed uncouth, but one had to ponder: was it possible that some families just didn¡¯t care enough about their dead children, parents, or loved ones?


    A lady in the front row suddenly stood up. "Mrs. Thompson, I¡¯m sorry, but I think I can offer some explanation," said the lady apologetically.


    The lady who stood up was a pretty, bespectacled Asian woman who looked to be approaching thirty.


    Sara asked kindly, "is it Mrs. Manos? Do you know why other families aren¡¯t coming?"


    Accepting the microphone that was passed to her, the Asian lady nodded her head. "I¡¯m sure people have noticed my Chinese heritage by now, but I left China when I was young. However, ever since boarding the Hope, I¡¯ve formed relationships with some of the Chinese families. In fact, some of them had family members who died on the desert planet. I talked to many of them before coming here today, and they have all refused to come along. I believe they prefer to wait for the official government response, and I have a feeling they might be afraid to attend this meeting."


    Most of the people couldn¡¯t register what Mrs. Manos was saying. Grabbing a microphone, a fifty-year-old elder stood up asking for clarification. "But it is because we have waited so long for an official government statement that this meeting is being held. We would like to discuss how to properly broach this topic with the government. But that aside, why did you say they are afraid¡­ What are they afraid of?"


    Mrs. Manos had obvious difficulties speaking freely, but under public pressure, she elaborated, "They are afraid of the government¡­ They were too spooked by the lawlessness of the riotous days¡­"


    An African woman stood up and asked, "That might be true, but shouldn¡¯t they feel safe now? The rules they have on this ship almost borders on personal harassment. Order reigns supreme, so why are they still afraid?"


    Cornered, Mrs. Manos finally caved. "That is what they are afraid of! Current conditions on this ship reminded them too much of the dictatorial regime they once had. They are used to living under conditions where the people have no say in the administration. They are afraid that a request like ours would earn the ire of the government. They have their children to think of, they are content with how things currently are, and they do not wish for it to change!"


    Chaos erupted following Mrs. Manos¡¯ statement. A sixty-something-year-old man stood up and said, in a booming voice, "Why would they think so? This is the first time the Hope has faced such a situation; we are setting a precedent for, God forbid, future repetitions. Why wouldn¡¯t they be a part of this? We aren¡¯t criminals, we are merely exercising our rights!"


    "I agree, and our Major is a just hero, surely he¡­"


    "We are helping the government streamline their protocol, how could that get us arrested¡­"


    "Mrs. Manos, are you sure there hasn¡¯t been miscommunication¡­"


    People started talking over one another, so it was hard to tell who had the reason and facts. Right then, the door busted open. Two Black Star Unit members and about fifteen soldiers marched in.


    That effectively settled the upheaval. Everyone turned to look at the newly arrived soldiers. Mrs. Manos was so riddled with fear that her body started shivering.


    One of the two Black Stars was Liu Bai. He extricated himself from the group and ambled up the stage to the podium. He smiled genially at Sara as he took over the microphone. After giving everyone a deep bow, he said, "Major¡¯s orders: there will be a solemn star burial service in the coming days to honor the heroes who have lost their lives on Planet Sahara. At the same time, one of the Barracks¡¯ pavilions will be renovated to build a Memorial Hall. It will be used to record the legacy of our fallen heroes so that their selfless deeds will be forever remembered by humanity.


    "Regarding the issue of familial reparations, the government is open for suggestions. We will set aside a week to listen to your suggestions. But please do not worry; your loved ones¡¯ memory will be properly honored. The families will stay on their current residences and the children will receive the best education possible so that one day they can proudly say to their friends that¡­


    "My father, my mother, my sister, or my brother was a true hero!"


    The news was greeted by a room of stunned silence. However, that quickly dissolved into soaring cheers, as if they had just won a war. Amidst the festivity was an overjoyed Mrs. Manos, who started sobbing uncontrollably like a child¡­

 Chapter 48: The Daily Scoop (2)

    Chapter 48: The Daily Scoop (2)


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    ¡°¡­The subject matter aside, where does their audacity to organize an illegal gathering come from? This is unacceptable!¡± fumed Guang Zhen.


    Since there was only himself and Yao Yuan within central command, he was unrestrained in his speech.


    ¡°Do they not understand that without Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n, you, leading the way, they would be dead by now! We¡¯ve labored day and night keeping this ship under control. Isn¡¯t that been enough for these ungrateful sods? Have they forgotten the hell they were in before we came along? We¡¯ve done everything we can for them, and how do they repay us? They complain! And a complaint that is in itself preposterous! Do they seriously think we won¡¯t be honoring our fallen comrades? The insolence!¡±


    While Guang Zhen raged on, Yao Yuan sat calmly flipping through a dossier. It was a report on the Hope¡¯s various zones and their individual energy consumption. Details on each zone, like their function, importance to the Hope, and population number, were all noted by the experts who did the report. Yao Yuan was looking through it because he had to decide which, if any, of the zones needed to be shut down to conserve energy.


    When Guang Zhen reached a lull in his tirade, Yao Yuan lifted his head and smiled understandingly at him. ¡°It¡¯s of no use telling me all this, Ol¡¯ Wong. As a matter of fact, why don¡¯t you try looking at it from their perspective¡­ You¡¯ll see that this is more than a simple meeting, it¡¯s also a test.


    ¡°Their actions aren¡¯t entirely unreasonable. For one, even though on paper we call ourselves humanity¡¯s last hope, we are still a fractured community. Just look at the civilian campgrounds. We¡¯ve tried arranging the placements in such a way that people from different cultures would mingle, but as time passes, they naturally separate back into their own little groups. There is obvious xenophobia.


    ¡°This meeting was organized and mostly attended by westerners. They are afraid their people won¡¯t be represented and their death won¡¯t be honored, which I find to be a valid concern. They see us as the Hope¡¯s face of authority, and I have to admit, it is not a particularly inclusive representation. Therefore, they held this meeting to test whether we, the authority, would be receptive to their interests. There is a fear that because we are different from them culturally, we will brush them off as unimportant.¡±


    After taking some time to ponder Yao Yuan¡¯s explanation, Guang Zhen asked, ¡°Then how shall we answer? Are you considering a compromise¡­?¡±


    ¡°Not entirely a compromise,¡± explained Yao Yuan as he flipped through yet another page of the report. ¡°At the moment, the Hope can¡¯t support a democratic system, or at least the idealistic democracy that the people have in mind. Until we have a hospitable home planet, we will not be relinquishing our military power. The community is still too young to govern itself. If I allow them to have elections, the concentration of power would be ruptured. The clash following it would only be troublesome. At this stage, the Hope needs a single consolidation of power to unite under. However, as a give and take, I have decided that the military will start to distance itself from the territory of civil rights.


    ¡°Make no mistake; the Hope¡¯s survival depends on the progress that we make in the coming month. So that is our focus, but if we survive that, there are two things that I plan to propose: first, each of the communities will be allowed to elect their own representatives and have their own public council. Naturally, the power of this council is limited to civil movements and, as the military leader, I will retain the right to veto any motion that I find disagreeable¡­


    ¡°Second, the military will remove itself in stages from cases of civil suit. We will establish a police force and civil court to take over these issues. In terms of legislation, because of its scale, we will let the people discuss among themselves when times are more stable.¡±


    When Yao Yuan went through his plan, Guang Zhen wanted to interject at multiple places, but every time he had stopped himself at the last moment. Noticing this, Yao Yuan chided him, ¡°Ol¡¯ Wong, I know you were a dedicated politician, but¡­ everything has its place. Don¡¯t get your priorities mixed up. Isn¡¯t one instance of anarchy enough?¡±


    ¡°¡­I understand. I¡¯ll take your advice and only focus on military issues from now on,¡± sighed Guang Zhen.


    Yao Yuan smiled sympathetically, adding, ¡°These talks of politics tire me. Let¡¯s talk about something more interesting¡­ the case of Homo Evolutis.¡±


    With a serious tone, Guang Zhen replied, ¡°I still have my reserves regarding this superhuman state that you and Ying talk about, but since you are so sure, I guess there¡¯s no harm discussing it¡­ You have to understand that since I¡¯m the only one within the Black Star Unit that hasn¡¯t experienced this mysterious sensation, I have my skepticism.¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ To be fair, everything we know about this Homo Evolutis is also speculation. But based on the various incidents on Planet Sahara, the fact that it¡¯s real can¡¯t be denied anymore. I¡¯ve asked the Academy to look into this issue and they noted a link between this and Virus X. Here are some of their initial findings,¡± said Yao Yuan as he tossed Guang Zhen the report.


    Yao Yuan had skimmed the report beforehand. It read that the fever caused by Virus X might be the seed that birthed the new generation of Homo Evolutis. Another observation was that with the exception of Yao Yuan, those that survived Virus X were all under age 30, so in a way, Yao Yuan was secretly glad that the 34-year-old Guang Zhen hadn¡¯t fallen to the weird sickness.


    He and Guang Zhen went way back. When he was the Black Star Unit¡¯s leader, Guang Zhen was his second in command. And when he left, Guang Zhen stepped into his shoes. Guang Zhen was great at many things, but the quality Yao Yuan was most impressed with was his prudence. He had a way of dealing with messy situations that made sure the required result would eventually pan out. That was why Yao Yuan was so willing to hand over the Hope¡¯s leading position to Guang Zhen when he needed to step out. Guang Zhen was indispensable.


    However, Guang Zhen was pissed because he wasn¡¯t given any superhuman ability; he felt understandably left out. While the rest of the Black Stars were outside having their own adventures, people could spot their acting captain stalking around the Hope with an upside-down smile plastered on his face.


    He reluctantly accepted the report and started to read through it. That was another reason why Yao Yuan trusted Guang Zhen, he always wore his feelings on his sleeves.


    ¡°The number of people who survived Virus X was 102. Seven of them died on Planet Sahara, so that decreased the number of suspected Homo Evolutis to 95. 18 have been confirmed to exhibit signs of superhuman capabilities, the rest are still under observation.


    ¡°Below are the known Homo Evolutis types. We have the Diviner, like Lieutenant Zhang Heng, who can predict incoming danger seconds before it actually occurs. According to the experiments conducted, this power is passive in the sense that it is automatically activated 90 percent of the times when danger is imminent¡­


    ¡°We have the Deceiver, like Mister Jay, who, according to field reports, can influence a foreign party¡¯s thought processes through psychological manipulation. This power is active. The trigger mechanism is unknown, but it appears not to be activated by danger¡­


    ¡°We have the Seeker, like Lieutenant Ying, who can observe his surroundings in perfect details as if viewed through a microscope. It greatly improves marksmanship. This power is active. Trigger mechanism is pressure from danger¡­


    We have the Whisperer, like Miss Bo Li and Mister Ivan, who occasionally receive mysterious whispers when contemplating important questions or scientific conundrums. The whispers inspire breakthroughs. Active or passive power undetermined. Trigger mechanism unknown¡­


    ¡°We have the All-rounder, like Major Yao Yuan¡­¡±

 Chapter 49: The Daily Scoop (3)

    Chapter 49: The Daily Scoop (3)


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Qi Xiao Niao, Lin Qiu Qiu, and Wang Dan Dan were sitting in their tent, chatting each other up.


    The three guys were all students from Harbin Polytechnic University. Other than being each other¡¯s course mates, their families were also each other¡¯s neighbors. A brotherly bond was cemented through their years growing up together.


    The story of impending apocalypse broke when they were still in university. Cancellation of classes aside, life in the university had remained for the most part unaffected. It was only after the university¡¯s access to the internet was cut off that people started to panic. Students were asked to head back to their hometowns.


    The trio intended to follow the mass evacuation back home, but horror stories of riots and rebel armies had persuaded them to spend one extra week around the campus for better preparation. Their cautiousness was a lifesaver because almost eighty percent of the people who blindly left campus never made it back home.


    It took them three months to reach their hometown, and along the way they came across many of their friends¡¯ dead bodies. It was a harrowing experience. To make matters worse, when they finally arrived at their destination, they found their family homes in shambles and their families long gone. Their biggest fear had come true.


    With each other¡¯s support, the three friends managed to recover from the initial trauma.


    They matured from the experience. In the following days of anarchy, despite not having any weapons or fighting skills, they managed to round up a small group of survivors. With diligence and wit, they survived until rescue came in the form of the Black Star Unit¡­


    A few months of anarchy had mellowed out the trio¡¯s youthful impetuousness, but they were still adolescents in their heyday. The extended period of security on the Hope had returned them back from issues of survival to topics on video games and girls.


    "Hey, bro, I just came back from the C4 district. There was indeed an unopened internet caf¨¦. I snuck a look into it and saw rows of computers. Can¡¯t tell their actual specs, but the monitors and accessories were all high end stuff! Can¡¯t wait for it to finally open," shared Xiao Niao, in between glugs of water.


    His friends were visibly excited by the news. It even brought Qiu Qiu to his feet, saying, "Let¡¯s go check it out!"


    Dan Dan, however, remained seated and intoned listlessly, "You two can go ahead without me. They have promised us these entertainment amenities months ago. There¡¯s still no update, so why bother? They won¡¯t let us go in anyway¡­ Also, weren¡¯t we supposed to answer the military¡¯s recruitment call this afternoon?"


    Reminder of the recruitment slumped both Xiao Niao and Qiu Qiu back down to the floor.


    "I don¡¯t understand why are the three of us being recruited. We majored in engineering, shouldn¡¯t we be assigned into the Workshop and not the army?" griped Qiu Qiu.


    Dan Dan agreed, saying, "That is so true. In fact, we should be living in the Workshop right now and not here in the campgrounds. Like you said, why are we being enlisted? I do not get it¡­"


    Xiao Niao, who had been thoroughly silent since he sat down, suddenly added, "I wonder how many of us think that way?"


    Dan Dan and Qiu Qiu turned to stare quizzically at their friend.


    Xiao Niao elaborated, "You said we deserve a better accommodation because of our education. Do you think many people here share that thought?"


    Qiu Qiu instantly replied, "I believe many of us think that way. For example, the teacher couple a few tents away. They consider themselves part of the scientific community and believe they deserve a residence in the Academy. Also, Lee, who said he was a sociologist, noticed that the Hope, especially in its lowest three levels, still has many areas that are warded off. If the authority would open these areas, all 120000 of us could have our own rooms and would no longer need to stay in these tents¡­"


    Xiao Niao quickly warned his two friends, "Keep your distance from those people. These are very inflammatory remarks; the authority might not respond to them kindly."


    Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan nodded in return, with Dan Dan adding, "Do you think we are that dense? It¡¯s the westerners that are acting on it, organizing these disastrous meetings. We are wise to stay far away from them."


    "Indeed, they fail to see that we have a different way of handling things. They prefer to go with ostentatious protests, but we prefer to bide our time. At the end of the day, we need the government, but the government also needs us. There are only 120000 of us left, and we are the foundation that¡¯s holding the Hope up. The government could only do so much without irreparably damaging its own survival. Can¡¯t these westerners see that things will eventually pan out? It is just a matter of time. In fact, I dare say, the government will soon roll out more residential areas, entertainment zones, and its own currency. These cries of dissention will only slow all that down," Qiu Qiu supplied.


    Xiao Niao nodded affirmatively. "As long as we know where we stand, it¡¯s all good¡­ Also, since you¡¯ve mentioned the recruitment call, I¡¯ll share some of the information I¡¯ve gathered over the past two days."


    Without wasting any more time, he continued, "Hundreds of soldiers were lost on Planet Sahara. It¡¯s only logical that the military needs new recruits to replace these vacancies, but there was one detail that struck me as weird¡­ Of the people who were being recruited, more than twenty of them are women. I¡¯m not saying that women can¡¯t be soldiers, but the fact that so many of them are being recruited while there is not a single woman in the current administration is a bit weird. Therefore, I decided to do some more digging. Can you two guess what I found?"


    "What?" his two friends asked in unison.


    "Like us, all of these women were victims of the mysterious fever!" exclaimed Xiao Niao.


    Being reminded of that torturous fever blanched both of his friends¡¯ faces, but Dan Dan continued to ask, "What you¡¯re saying is that everyone who survived the fever is being recruited?"


    "It¡¯s your choice to believe it or not, but ever since I received the recruitment call, my mind has been completely wrapped up over this mysterious fever. It was as if something was telling me that this fever was the key. And with that as the starting point, more clues started to surface out of the woodwork. Now, based on my analysis and inference, I¡¯ve come to a conclusion¡­


    "I believe there is something unique about us, the people who survived this fever. Look at our Major, the Black Star Lieutenants, and that guy, Jay who many hail as a hero. Is it not weird that all these eminent people survived this fever? There must be something special about this group of people that the government knows but hasn¡¯t divulged."


    "So, do you think that is why we¡¯re being recruited?"

 Chapter 50: Homo Evolutis

    Chapter 50: Homo Evolutis


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Around three in the afternoon after the Hope¡¯s second warp, the military decided to have its first recruitment and enlistment call.


    Candidates who were recruited in advance included veterans, field doctors, and, of course, those that survived Virus X.


    The aim was to gather around 500 new recruits as well as 2,500 new law enforcers. This was to prop up the Hope¡¯s own police force so that its military and civil affairs could be properly divided.


    ¡£


    It was now two in the afternoon. About 400 hopefuls had congregated around the stairway between the Hope¡¯s third and fourth floors. More impressively, this number was still climbing.


    However, eighty percent of the people were there only to try out for the police officer vacancies. The misadventure on Planet Sahara deterred most from applying for a military role. They had learnt of the cosmos¡¯ cruel reality. To put it frankly, most of them wanted the privileges of being a soldier but none of the dangers that came with it. The role of a police officer offered exactly that. Naturally, the level of privilege will be stages lower than that of an actual soldier, but after three months on the job, the Hope promised an upgrade from a tent to a simple residence. Other than that, the police would only be on patrol details, and their lives would not be at risk.


    This meant that only about 800 people applied for a military role. They averaged at age thirty and each exuded an air of sturdiness and reliability.


    As mentioned above, the privileges accorded to military men were much greater than that given to the policemen. Their residences were much more extravagant in the sense that they were larger and came with better amenities and services. Their families were also given better treatment.


    Furthermore, many heard through the grapevine that after the Hope introduces its currency, each soldier will be receiving monthly wages that could be used to trade for food and luxury items like cigarettes.


    At three pm sharp, ten army captains appeared at the designated location. After setting up a set of rudimentary sign-in locales, the attendees were asked to organize into fifteen lines to expedite the registration process. Nine were for police force applications and the rest for military.


    Order prevailed; there were no line-cuttings nor petty grievances.


    Among the burly men who were queuing up for military application appeared an eighteen-year-old Asian girl. With cheeks that creased into dimples when she smiled, the lithe, sweet girl-next-door stood out like a sore thumb amongst the mass of muscles.


    Folding her arms, she was impatiently tapping her feet as she griped to the young man behind her, ¡°Ren Tao, didn¡¯t I tell you that we should come earlier? You see, we are so far behind now! It will take hours for us to reach the registration. If this makes us late for dinner, I am going to whip you up real good!¡±


    ¡°Chou Yue, would you please calm down¡­ Actually, we don¡¯t even need to line up¡­¡± The teen yawned before he finished his sentence. With a perpetually disheveled look, the teen gave the impression that his mind was always elsewhere.


    Chou Yue leered discontentedly at the teen, chiding, ¡°Don¡¯t need to line up? Don¡¯t tell me you intent to jump the queue? Ren Tao, I¡¯m telling you now: if you really do such a despicable thing, I¡¯m going to personally ensure that your life becomes hell!¡±


    ¡°¡­no, what I meant is that since there are so many people lining up, if we are going to miss dinner, so would the rest of these people,¡± said Ren Tao with another yawn.


    Chou Yue stared daggers at him, adding acidly, ¡°Why do you think we¡¯re so far back here in the first place, you little numbskull¡­ Who was it that I found up in the air vent when I specifically said not to wander off? How did you get up there, anyway? That vent entrance was lower than the others but it was still five meters off the ground!¡±


    Chou Yue¡¯s acerbic tone finally managed to pull Ren Tao¡¯s frayed senses back together. He laughed awkwardly as he said, ¡°Err¡­ I forgot.¡±


    Needless to say, his reply didn¡¯t help with Chou Yue¡¯s rising temper. After a long breathing exercise, Chou Yue finally said, ¡°Fine. Just stand still now! I¡¯ll deal with you later when we¡¯re out of public eye!¡±


    The pair¡¯s interaction had inadvertently attracted many interested stares.


    They were already confused about the girl¡¯s presence in line with them, but at least she had a commanding presence about her. Comparatively, the boy was way too skinny and was at least half a head smaller than the girl. It was hard to imagine that he had any real business being there. They would fit more in the line for a pop star concert than the line for army recruitment.


    Nevertheless, they were too busy with their own preparations to worry about this young couple. It was not their job to weed out the unqualified.


    One hour later, the girl finally reached the registration table. The Chinese soldier who manned the table took a look at Chou Yue and asked patronizingly, ¡°Young lady, this is the line for military registration. Are you sure you haven¡¯t gotten the lines mixed up? The line for police recruitment is on your left.¡±


    Chou Yue retrieved from her pocket a letter and shoved it into the soldier¡¯s face, saying haughtily, ¡°Don¡¯t you think I know that? It¡¯s you people that wanted me here! I¡¯m not a veteran and I don¡¯t have any medical nor military training, so I myself wonder why I¡¯m here! If you don¡¯t want us here, why call for the both of us?¡±


    The pair of military officials stole a glance at one another, obviously taken aback by Chou Yue¡¯s confrontational reaction. The Asian soldier carefully took the letter from Chou Yue. Stamped with a red seal, the letter wrote about requesting the recipient, Ren Chou Yue, to be present at the recruitment spot at three in the afternoon because she had been selected to join the army.


    ¡°An early recruitment call? This means you¡¯re one of the Homo Evolutis?¡± The man looked askance at Chou Yue.


    ¡°Homo Evolutis? What¡¯s that? Do you mean the Gen-i [1]? Kids nowadays that wanders about with nose rings and neon hair? Those are the people the army is recruiting? If that¡¯s true, I¡¯m not sure I want your protection,¡± fired Chou Yue.


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not what it means.¡± The man laughed awkwardly as he waved them away. ¡°In any case, your recruitment has already been confirmed. Please find the officer stationed by the staircase, he¡¯ll lead you to the fourth floor to complete the registration.¡± Then he handed the letter politely back to Chou Yue.


    Making sure the soldier was still within earshot, Chou Yue muttered angrily, ¡°So there was indeed no need for us to line up. Why didn¡¯t the officials inform us of that earlier? The lazy bums! In any case, Ren Tao, you¡¯re right again! ¡­Ren Tao?¡±


    Chou Yue turned around and instead of Ren Tao, an African man was standing behind her. When he realized Chou Yue was staring blankly at him, he smiled kindly at her, revealing a line of sparkling teeth.


    Ren Tao had disappeared again¡­


    Chou Yue was trying hard to keep her temper from boiling over as she went in search for Ren Tao. Just as she was going to reach her anger limit, a commotion sounded from a corner of the room. As she rushed towards it, she saw a few officers gathered below a monitor, yelling at it.


    On top of the monitor sat a young man, obliviously swinging his feet even though he was about seven meters off the ground¡­


    Ten minutes and the aid of a ladder later, the officers managed to get Ren Tao down from his precarious spot. Before his feet even touched solid ground, Chou Yue gathered all her might as she delivered a punch to his face, giving him a black eye.


    After the crowd dispersed, Chou Yue and Ren Tao, alongside other members who had red-sealed letters, were led by a senior officer up to the fourth floor.


    On the way, Chou Yue grabbed hold of Tao Ren and whispered, ¡°How did you know we didn¡¯t need to line up? I saw these ten people with us also standing in line before.¡±


    Lazily rubbing his eyes, Ren Tao mumbled, ¡°It¡¯s simple deduction, really. Also, for some reason, when I thought of this, my surroundings became suspiciously silent with more clues starting to bubble up¡­ Chou Yue, I¡¯m afraid we aren¡¯t getting recruited to become normal soldiers.¡±


    Ren Tao eyed the ten people around them and whispered to Chou Yue, ¡°I¡¯m not sure where we will end up, but I¡¯m certain we¡¯re here because we were all survivors of that mysterious fever¡­ Chou Yue, if anything happens to us, please try not to let that temper of yours flare up and makes things worse¡­


    ¡°I can see two drastically different outcomes: either we become filthy rich or we will have an ending that¡¯s worse than death¡­ I fear we¡¯ll end up as the authority¡¯s test subjects¡­¡±


    ¡°If it comes to that, don¡¯t you worry; I¡¯ll be the first to put you down. I promise you, it won¡¯t hurt even a bit¡­¡±


    Aka Generation-i. The iPhone, iPad generation.

 Chapter 51: An Explosion

    Chapter 51: An Explosion


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    The more she thought about it, the more concerned Chou Yue became about what Ren Tao had said.


    In spite of his unassuming appearance, Ren Tao had been a reliable big brother to her. After both of their parents passed away, he has been the rock she relied on. She knew that he was always on the lookout for their best interest and she was greatly comforted by that.


    Of course, she would not in a million years admit any of that openly.


    So, despite her mortification, she kept a cavalier appearance as she ruffled her brother¡¯s hair, whispering, "Why do you say that? Do you think we¡¯re heading into danger?"


    "I suppose that depends on these three factors¡­" Ren Tao whispered in return. "First, our value; second, our possible liability; and third, the authority¡¯s conscience¡­ I¡¯m banking on the third since the Hope is still quite small and the major has shown himself to be a trustworthy leader. At least I believe he won¡¯t consciously bring us harm¡­"


    "¡­That¡¯s optimistic of you¡­ But, Ren Tao¡­ Tell me, if they do decide to harm me, what would you do?" Chou Yue asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice.


    "I suppose I could use your dead body to inspire a riot¡­ Use it as evidence to expose the government¡¯s sinister nature. Your body could be the foundation of a successful rebellion¡­" teased Ren Tao.


    With a swift punch, Chou Yue added another black eye to Ren Tao¡¯s face to complete the symmetry.


    The pair¡¯s banter helped lessen the anxiety as they were led to their uncertain future. But even that quieted down when they arrived before a lab where ten plus people, twenty soldiers, and ten black-star close guards stood waiting.


    The solemn atmosphere had Chou Yue frozen, and the hand that held on to Ren Tao started shaking. In contrast, Ren Tao¡¯s expression remained unchanged while his alert eyes scanned their surroundings.


    Right then, a European man came out of the lab. Swearing under his breath, he kept rubbing his neck. A minute later, an Asian teen walked out of the lab. Spotting the grumpy European, he started chatting with him. Soon, they both began laughing.


    Beside Chou Yue, Ren Tao gave a breath of relief and whispered, "It seems like we have nothing to worry about. Try to memorize everything that happens in there so that later we can compare our notes."


    Chou Yue felt greatly reassured by her brother¡¯s words, but instead of letting that show, she chose to gloat, "Don¡¯t worry about me; I could memorize the details just fine, but¡­ literal numbskull, could you?"


    "Err¡­ I¡¯ll try¡­"


    The two men who came out of the lab were known figures around the Hope. The European was Jay, who recently made a name for himself as the Hope¡¯s hero, and the Asian was the Black Star Unit¡¯s youngest member, Zhang Heng.


    Having saved humanity from the treacherous Planet Sahara, the duo, plus their major, were fresh conversation topics on the Hope.


    (It looks like survivors of fever were afforded a special importance. This means that we are needed, and thus won¡¯t be harmed. Now I just have to figure what this special importance is¡­)


    Ren Tao thought to himself. When he came to, he was perplexed to find himself sitting in an air vent entrance¡­


    "Ren Tao, where are you? I swear to God if I find you in an air vent again¡­"


    On the other end of the floor, Jay and Zhang Heng were walking towards the fifth floor. "Why the long face? Did you fail today¡¯s test again?" asked Zhang Heng concernedly.


    Still rubbing his neck, Jay roared, "Do you know what those crazy scientists did today? They tossed me into a giant, flushing toilet and spun me around! Do they seriously think that could help understand the superhuman state in any way? They must have lost their minds!"


    "That¡¯s probably not a toilet but a centrifuge¡­" offered Zhang Heng kindly. "Although, who am I to complain? My power is passive, so no weird trigger mechanism experiments for me. However, more tests await you, Ying, and all those new recruits. After all, according to the scientists, these powers still possess way too many unknowns. It might be incredibly dangerous if overused or misused."


    "What do they know? You were there yesterday when Yao Yuan demonstrated a rudimentary grasp of his power. It completely debunked their theory that the trigger mechanism includes the presence of danger. I say these scientists are all frauds, and believe me, because it takes one to know one!" said Jay snidely.


    Zhang Heng couldn¡¯t help but laugh at Jay¡¯s self-deprecating humor. After their adventure on Planet Sahara, the two men had become close friends. It also helped that Jay was promoted to join the Barracks after his glorious return from Planet Sahara. He was automatically scripted into the Hope¡¯s army and although without a proper title, was given treatment equivalent to that of a lieutenant.


    However, there was one thing that had dampened his meteoric rise in the administrative ladder. It was Feng Xiao Chen. When an excited Jay went to invite her to share the spare room in his residence, she flat out refused to talk to him. Gone was the fiery girl with an oftentimes suffocating behavior.


    "¡­liar, I don¡¯t ever want to see your face again."


    That single sentence was all Xiao Chen would grant him. Later that night, Jay went through a whole month¡¯s worth of alcohol ration. The next day, suffering from a massive hang over, he was gloomy and confrontational.


    Zhang Heng was at a loss for words on how to comfort his friend, so he skipped tentatively around the taboo subject as they walked towards the fifth floor Barracks. Suddenly, Jay asked, "You lucky dog though, you have a pick of three gorgeous ladies. Tell me, which one is your choice?"


    "Three ladies?" Zhang Heng echoed before laughing awkwardly as he pieced together his answer. "Do you mean Mao Miao, Ning Xue, and Bo Li? What choice do I have? We¡¯re good friends who were there for each other, there is no choosing involved¡­ Furthermore, they know of my good-for-nothing past, so if asked, I don¡¯t think they would choose me."


    "Don¡¯t sell yourself short! Based on my years of experience being a professional conman, I can confidently say that Mao Miao and Ning Xue are into you. Though that girl, Bo Li, is a mystery. Perverse sexual fantasies aside, if you could use a little charm, I¡¯m sure they would be willing to listen to what you have in mind¡­" Jay chuckled mischievously.


    Suddenly, they heard a scream. "Help! Mayday! Mayday!"


    Before anyone could make sense of what was happening, a violent tremor shook the Hope. As it settled, a sharp siren rang through the ship, throwing all 120000 people into panic.


    Ten seconds ago¡­


    In a sealed lab somewhere around the Academy, a moderately-sized team of scientists was busy at work. They were tasked with inducing a reversal in Planet Sahara¡¯s plant crystallization process. The plan was to use the plant to undo the energy crystal Yao Yuan had brought back to its original energy form to refill the Hope¡¯s drying reserves.


    After his identification as one of the Whisperers, Ivan¡¯s station in the Academy had taken an impressive hike. Granted it was not as grand as other committee leaders, at least now he had the power to lead his own unit. And his group was already showing promising progress. Using a chemical potion he developed, his group had managed to goad the plant to break down the crystal. The next step was to encourage it to release its absorbed energy.


    Ivan¡¯s group stood around one of their first successes, a plant growth the size of a grown man¡¯s palm that had been induced to absorb 0.5 cubic millimeters of crystal. Streaks of electricity could be seen surging through the plant¡¯s surface, a sign of impending success.


    Beside Ivan, a scientist from another unit said, "Professor Ivan, congratulations on the success with your chemical potion. Would you care to share its formula with the rest of the room?"


    Ivan nodded before shaking his head. "I won¡¯t call this a success. But in any case, the formula is quite complicated. It utilizes the acidic bodily fluid of the creatures from Planet Sahara. Since they were able to keep the plant spores active to supply the host with energy while subjugating the spores¡¯ growth, I had a feeling maybe they could be used to our advantage¡­"


    Unexpectedly, the plant started to glow. Within a few seconds, its glow had gotten so blinding that people in the room had to shield their eyes. Some of the senior scientists who instinctively knew something was wrong yelled for everyone to get back from the growth. Before their advice could be heeded, the plant blew up in a plasmatic explosion, melting half of the lab. Residual static could be seen coursing through the room¡­


    While everyone else scurried for cover, Ivan leaped at a computer next to him. Cradling the machine as he fell, he knew he had no choice but to shield the computer with his body, because a voice in his head kept telling him¡­


    Save the chemical formula!


    Because it works!

 Chapter 52: Risks and Rewards!

    Chapter 52: Risks and Rewards!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    The explosion shook the Hope down to its core. Of the 120000 people onboard, there was none that didn¡¯t feel the reverberating tremor. In fact, more than a handful had sensed it before it actually occurred.


    Among them was Yao Yuan, who was one of first respondents. Accompanying him were Zhang Heng, Jay, and a platoon of soldiers who were stationed near the lab.


    The plasmatic explosion evaporated more than half of the lab. The scientist who was standing closest to the exit suffered from severe first degree burns, and naturally, the remaining people who were much closer to the origin of the blast weren¡¯t any better off.


    Soon after the blast, the rest of the military began arriving in droves. Using a factory-grade water hose, they started putting out the fire. Yao Yuan stood in despair at the sideline as the vapors rose up like hellish mists¡­


    They had lost almost one hundred scientists on Planet Sahara, and now they had to account for about fifty more?! It was pure devastation because when they left Earth, the Academy totaled at barely a thousand! When hope at the Academy dimmed, so did humanity¡¯s chance at survival!


    "Who was in the lab? Give me a list quick!" ordered Yao Yuan grimly to the stunned scientists beside him. They were academic committee leaders with the same amount of power and job-scope as Alan and Silewei.


    They were still too dumbstruck to answer until a chemist offered, "If I¡¯m not mistaken, this lab was led by Ivan¡¯s group¡­ They were conducting experiments to induce the reverse crystallization process through biochemical methods."


    This biochemical method was itself a source of contention within the Academy. Many argued that the energy extraction process should be based on physics principles because they were dealing with matters of energy and force.


    The opposite camp, the one which Ivan was in, retorted that even if they wanted to, their technology couldn¡¯t afford a purely physics-based approach. Plus, they were dealing with alien plant. It could only be beneficial to include perspectives from the fields of biology, chemistry, and genetics. And this explosion announced that Ivan¡¯s group had indeed happened upon a breakthrough.


    "Ivan?" Yao Yuan said as his expression grew somber.


    Not only did Yao Yuan remember Ivan, he valued this up and coming scientist. Ivan showed brilliant promise when he offered his groundbreaking and lifesaving proposal on Planet Sahara. Furthermore, he was one of the two known Whisperers.


    The Whisperer was one of the known Homo Evolutis type. With the exception of the Deceiver, they were incredibly unique in the sense that they were different from other powers which were only useful in battles. Instead, they inspired progress and revelation, valuable assets in both times of peace and war.


    This was why Yao Yuan regarded both Ivan and Bo Li, the pair of known Whisperers, highly. Their possible achievements could rival that of Newton and Einstein. In other words, they were crucial to the Hope¡¯s advancement and its survival.


    But now the hopes he had placed on Ivan had literally gone up in smokes¡­


    "Damn! Doesn¡¯t Ivan know how to follow safety protocols?" Yao Yuan cursed. "How could there even be an explosion in the first place? Wasn¡¯t it the Academy who reported that the energy crystal was stable?"


    A physicist replied timidly, "Yes, Major, that is true. Even though its chemical structure remains unknown, based on a multitude of tests, its stability is well documented. For example, when the crystal was subjected to extreme pressure, it was reduced powder but didn¡¯t explode. That is why shaving of the crystal could be done without fear of an explosive reaction¡­ So, logically speaking, it is not that Professor Ivan didn¡¯t follow protocol, but he had indeed engineered a way to make the plant reverse its crystallization process."


    Yao Yuan wanted to yell at the scientists, but he knew that they weren¡¯t to be blamed, so he could only resort to stomaching his frustration as he planned his next course of action. Suddenly, shouts could be heard from the team who was sent into the lab to do a perimeter check.


    Without hesitation, Yao Yuan grabbed hold of a nearby water bucket and doused himself. Then he charged bravely into the lab, cutting through a solid wall of heat wave. Inside, he was shocked to find a few figures with blistering and cracked skin moaning on the floor.


    Cursory inspection told Yao Yuan that the lab had an embedded fire alarm system. It must have been triggered during the explosion and its outer covering most likely had shielded it from severe damage. In fact, Yao Yuan could still see weak mists of water spraying out of its many spigots.


    The lucky few were standing right under these spigots when the explosion occurred. However, even though they were lucky enough to have survived the explosion, whether they could live another day was altogether a different issue.


    Based on their moans, Yao Yuan started locating these survivors. There were in total five of them, and one of them was Ivan, who was found collapsed atop a computer.


    Hanging on to his life via a slim thread, he was flittering in and out of consciousness. Yao Yuan could even hear his breath weakening.


    As soon as he saw him, Yao Yuan yelled, "Get the doctors in here! There are survivors! Quick!"


    And chaos ensued¡­


    It was only on the following night that the situation on the Hope began to settle.


    Of the five who survived the explosion, two died in surgery while the other three remained in coma. They were kept under 24-hour watch in ICU for they were still not out of danger zone.


    Furthermore, the injuries and deaths were not the only mishaps that followed the explosion. A maintenance crew found out that the blast had caused a short circuit in the Hope¡¯s anti-gravitational system. With the lab as its center, a zero-gravity area started to spread.


    Regarding this, Yao Yuan had merely ordered the area to be cordoned off. The gravity of the situation hadn¡¯t registered on him.


    The next morning, a few flustered physicists rushed to meet Yao Yuan. Only then did he understand that the zero-gravity area could seriously compromise the Hope¡¯s structural integrity.


    "Major, you have to understand that there is a tension that exists between a spaceship¡¯s inner and outer walls. Pressure on the inner walls comes from the ship¡¯s load, while the outer one comes from the pull between the ship and other intergalactic entities. To ensure the ship is safe, these two forces must be balanced at all times. There is a reason why the Hope is built in a cone shape. It is the only shape where our current technology can accurately calculate strategic locations where anti-gravitational units can be placed! The correct placement completely neutralizes the conflicting tension. Without these exact calculations, cracks would form at its weak spots and the spaceship would fold unto itself thanks to the imbalance in applied pressure!


    "As I¡¯ve mentioned, the cone-shaped spaceship is the easiest to build because these pressure points could be easily determined. Following that is the flattened shape, the one reflected in popular culture. Then is the spherical, and each of these changes in shape means a quadrupling in manufacturing difficulty! Of course, when one¡¯s technology is advanced enough, these shapes would matter no more, but we humans have not gotten that far.


    "That is why, Major, this ship took twenty years to make. It is not the assembling that was time-consuming but the math behind it!


    "So, this new zero-gravity area creates for the Hope the aforementioned weak point! Its effect won¡¯t be obvious while we¡¯re idling in space, but when our surrounding pressure increases like it does during warp, nearing a star, or even turning, that will be the point where the Hope starts to fall apart!"

 Chapter 53: Energy… Energy!

    Chapter 53: Energy¡­ Energy!


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    After Yao Yuan stepped down from his position as the leader of the Black Star Unit, he became a talent scout. With his broad family connections and relations forged during his military days, the trade came to him like fish to the water.


    And thanks that brief stint, Yao Yuan developed a sharp eye for talent.


    That was why when multiple leading scientists approached him brandishing a similar concern, he knew their appeal had to be heard¡­ and that meant the Hope¡¯s short-circuited anti-gravitational system had to be fixed in no time!


    ¡°Major, you want us to build an anti-gravitational unit?¡± queried the flustered scientists.


    Yao Yuan, who saw no problem in his proposition, explained, ¡°Like what you said, the anti-gravitational unit for that area is broken. Couldn¡¯t the Academy build another unit to replace it? Just follow the schematic that¡¯s available in the Hope¡¯s central mainframe.¡±


    The scientists shared a look among themselves, and one of them replied, ¡°I mean no disrespect, Major¡­ But it¡¯s not as simple as that. Did you forget the fact that we¡¯re running low on energy?¡±


    Yao Yuan continued to stare at the group of scientists confusedly.


    ¡°Yes, we could follow the schematic to build another anti-gravitational unit, but where would we get the special grade metal needed to assemble it? There is indeed a store of the metal¡¯s raw ingredients, but to mold them into metal ingots, we need access to the forge. Since the Hope¡¯s an enclosed area, we have to rely on electro-thermal methods to power the forge. We simply don¡¯t have enough energy to spare to do that at the moment.


    ¡°Even if we could melt the ingredients into ingots, we would still need another huge reserve of energy to power the machines that are needed to cut and mold the ingots into appropriate shapes and sizes.¡±


    Comprehension finally dawned on Yao Yuan. While scratching his chin in thought, he asked, ¡°According to the Academy¡¯s professional opinion, how much energy does it require to finish building this unit?¡±


    ¡°About five days¡¯ worth of energy used in powering the Hope,¡± the scientist answered as he handed Yao Yuan a set of data. Flipping through it, Yao Yuan¡¯s expression dimmed.


    According to the data, the existing unit had three sections that were broken beyond repair, while seven other sections suffered from minor malfunctions. However, the Hope¡¯s low reserve of energy could support neither repairs nor rebuilding¡­


    ¡°¡­ I see, so the Academy¡¯s suggestion is to remove the hovercrafts¡¯ anti-gravitational system and appropriate those to replace the ones currently broken on the Hope?¡± asked Yao Yuan as he closed the data report.


    To ensure a light load, the Hope carried only twenty hovercrafts and three shuttles when they escaped from Earth. They couldn¡¯t bring along any tanks or aircrafts.


    At the moment, they only had one damaged shuttle and nineteen hovercrafts left. Furthermore, these remaining ones were valuable assets to the Hope¡¯s military; they would be crucial in the Hope¡¯s future planet exploration. Yao Yuan understood then why these scientists had come directly to him. He was the only person with enough power to validate their request to impair ten hovercrafts.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give the Academy permission to repurpose ten hovercrafts. However, in return, I request that the repairs of the Hope¡¯s anti-gravitational system be completed expediently¡­ Also, are there any updates regarding Professor Ivan¡¯s experiments? What caused the explosion?¡±


    Silewei shuffled to the front of the group, explicating, ¡°There was an assistant who survived the blast with only minor burns. With his assistance, we were able to piece together Professor Ivan¡¯s research framework. Building off of his theory of natural biological weakness, he believes the answer to producing a reverse crystallization process could be found in the environment surrounding the alien plant. With that in mind, he turned to the plants¡¯ alien hosts. With their acidic fluid, these animals can allay the spores¡¯ growth while ensuring the plants continue to provide them with energy. That, Ivan feels, is a form of reverse crystallization because the plants are, in a way, prompted by their hosts into releasing their processed energy. Therefore, using these acids, Ivan had created a unique chemical potion. The formula is known only by Ivan, but he is currently¡­¡± Silewei broke off with a shake of his head.


    ¡°Indisposed¡­ But wait! Couldn¡¯t the Academy retrieve the formula from Ivan¡¯s computer? Look through it to determine what caused the explosion,¡± continued Yao Yuan.


    ¡°We already know what caused the explosion, Major,¡± said an ancient-looking man. With a balding head and aquiline nose, the man carried himself with much solemnity.


    Yao Yuan instantly recognized the man as the French senior physicist, Aleson. An expert in superconductor research, Professor Aleson was a famed figure within the physics world and was once honored with a Nobel nomination. When news of the neutron star catastrophe erupted within the world governments, the States tried contacting him, but spurned by his Nobel Prize loss to a US scientist, he refused to align himself with them. Then, he was invited by Yao Yuan to join the Hope.


    ¡°The young, in their hubris and impetus, are always eager to skirt around safety protocols. He should have known about the risks involved in experimenting with chemical potions. These young generations never listen¡­¡± said Aleson chillingly.


    Smiling politely, Yao Yuan asked, ¡°Then, Professor Aleson, could you tell us what was the cause for this explosion?¡±


    ¡°What else could it be?¡± snorted the disgruntled professor. ¡°They didn¡¯t create a proper channel for the energy to release itself, so when it reached its limit, the collected energy could only push outward in an explosion¡­ Let me put it another way: for a normal crystallization process, the energy collected is stored in the crystal, and this creates a stable energy circuit. But for its reverse? Energy is released outwards! Without a proper vessel to collect the released energy, it will only collect on the plant¡¯s surface! They¡¯ve basically made a ticking time bomb! And that, Major, is why there was an explosion!¡±


    Aleson continued to rile himself up as he went through his explanation. By the end, he was shaking with fury.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it would fall on Professor Aleson¡¯s shoulders to form a special group to formulate and create a stable outer energy circuit. After that, Ivan¡¯s experiment can be repeated and hopefully it¡¯ll be successful this time around. I hope I don¡¯t need to remind everyone to follow the safety protocols; we can¡¯t risk another explosion.¡±


    Yao Yuan¡¯s proposal, however, was greeted by resigned laughs. From the corner of his eye, Yao Yuan saw Aleson shaking his head. He was stumped by the scientists¡¯ reaction. Did he say something wrong?


    Silewei was the first to reply. ¡°Major, I understand your eagerness to unlock the energy crystal, since it represents survival for the Hope, but¡­ to create a circuit or a vessel that could withstand huge amounts of energy and not explode? That needs to be specially built, which brings us back to the issue of unavailability of the forge.


    ¡°Furthermore, like you said, we couldn¡¯t risk another explosion on the Hope, so the logical solution would be to conduct the experiment on the shuttle outside of the Hope. Of course, this means fixing the shuttle first, and naturally that requires another reserve of energy¡­


    ¡°Nevertheless, all of this is still doable if we pool all our resources on this one experiment. The other option is to sit idly and wait for death, so there¡¯s really not much of a choice. However, there remains one final problem standing in the way¡­


    ¡°The computer with Ivan¡¯s formula was melted in the explosion and it is still unknown whether the data within is salvageable. Ivan, on the other hand, is still in coma¡­


    ¡°We have no guaranteed way of getting the potion formula!!¡±

 Chapter 54: To Die For

    Chapter 54: To Die For


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Sitting at the family dinner table, Silewei took in his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter that sat around him. He felt absolutely content enveloped within their merry chatters.


    It was the ninth day after the Hope¡¯s second space-warp. The reparation process for the Hope¡¯s anti-gravitational system was well under way. According to the designated schedule, they would be fixing the shuttle later that night. At the same time, a rudimentary lab would be set up within it so that it could be used to plan and create the new energy circuit.


    Simultaneously, the Workshop was working day and night trying to retrieve the information on Ivan¡¯s computer. The computer wasn¡¯t as damaged as they previously thought, and the Workshop had been making headway with their data retrieval programs. According to their prediction, the complete set of data could be restored in a few hours¡¯ time.


    And the Hope had four days worth of energy left¡­


    However, practically speaking, the Hope¡¯s energy could only last for one more day, because missions like deploying the shuttle and forging the materials consumed massive amounts of energy. As the physics academic committee leader, Silewei was one of the select few who knew about the Hope¡¯s dire situation.


    Silewei sat quietly, carving the steak on his plate. It was one of the few luxuries he occasionally allowed himself, but today he didn¡¯t have the appetite to enjoy it. He had spent his one month¡¯s worth of luxury items to assemble the feast before him. There were steaks, red wines, cigars, caviar, lobster, and even fresh fruits and vegetables harvested from the biomes.


    Putting down his fork, he turned to look at his family, who were happily enjoying their meals. He smiled when his young granddaughter winked at him while sipping on her juice box.


    His wife softly nudged him, asking with a hint of concern in her voice, "Why the splurge, honey? These must have cost quite a bit."


    Obviously curious as well, his son, daughter-in-law, and their ten-year-old daughter all turned to look expectantly at him.


    Silewei took a sip of the red wine and smiled. "it¡¯s nothing important. I thought of having a little family feast to celebrate a work-related breakthrough. Furthermore, the Hope is going to roll out its currency system soon, so as the resident professor, I¡¯m sure I will be given my fair share of salary. So don¡¯t worry."


    There was an audible collective sigh of relief before his family moved on to lighter topics.


    Silewei knew why they were concerned and he wished to spare them the worry.


    Before setting foot on the Hope, even though it wasn¡¯t as horrible as what Alan and his family experienced, they too had suffered during the riots. They were essentially confined within their own home. Wary of venturing out in search of food, they had spent a long stretch of time in bouts of starvation. It was a difficult times for his family, but it must have been harrowing for his ten-year-old granddaughter.


    After they were saved by the Hope, they had to worry about mistreatment by a predominantly Chinese government or that it would have an authoritarian regime. To their pleasant surprise, they were given a spacious residence in the Academy, with their own private washroom, bedrooms, and kitchen. Other than that, Silewei was given a monthly quota for luxury items. Even when compared to other scientists, the Hope treated them incredibly well.


    "Did I mention I ran into Mrs. Thompson today? She was asking a quartermaster for baby powder¡­ The poor woman lost her husband when they¡¯re both so young, and she has to single handedly raise a daughter now. However, I feel the government has handled her situation well; they didn¡¯t cut her from her husband¡¯s military welfare, as a matter of fact, I believe they might have increased it. I heard her asking for her monthly quota of five high-quality milk powder cans. That¡¯s almost as many as we get," Silewei¡¯s daughter-in-law said jokingly.


    "It is going to be hard for her as a single mom. Actually, our family doesn¡¯t even need seven cans of milk powder. Only little Wae takes them and she can barely finish four tins in one month¡­ Why don¡¯t we give the extra to Mrs. Thompson?" asked Silewei¡¯s wife.


    "No! They are my stuff! You can¡¯t take them away from me! Mommy, I¡¯ll drink three cups of milk instead of one every day starting today!" harrumphed little Wae.


    Then, the little girl sulkily buried herself in her mother¡¯s arms. It took much goading and a surrender of her grandpa¡¯s share of lobster for the girl start smiling again. With his cherished granddaughter snuggling in his lap chewing part of his dinner, Silewei could feel his worry fluttering away.


    (It is moments like these¡­ Simple moments of domestic joy¡­ These are things that are worth defending and worth dying for!)


    Then, Silewei had a flashback to the morning when the fateful meeting was held.


    "I can¡¯t stress the importance of this experiment enough! It is basically tied to the survival of 120000 people. However, to be clear, it is also incredibly dangerous. There is a high chance that the people who undertake this experiment will not survive¡­ This experiment will be taking place on the shuttle thousands of meters away from the Hope, so if there is a mishap, there will be nothing that can be done!"


    Gathered in the room were twenty plus scientists. Like Alan, Silewei, and Aleson, they were all leaders of different academic committees.


    The person who spoke was Aleson. Famous for his short temper and eccentricity, he was a pariah even within the scientific community. With a feverish gleam in his eyes, he growled, "I don¡¯t care who else is coming, but I will be joining this experiment!"


    The other scientists looked strangely at him. An Asian scientist asked, "Professor Aleson¡­ Are you sure? You have a family on the Hope. People who are single like us can go; we have nothing to lose, but you have to think¡­"


    "It is because my family is on the Hope that I must go! One, I dare say that no one is more knowledgeable than me on the subject of energy circuit, for that¡¯s my specialization! Since we¡¯re going to need the best possible chance, you can¡¯t spare the best in this field!


    "Secondly¡­ It is because my family is on the Hope that I have to go¡­ To be frank, I don¡¯t see what is so impressive about this steel box in space, there¡¯s no blue sky and no brown earth. Simple things like these are views that my grandkids will never see¡­ But it is undeniable that they are happy! And hope is the thing that is keeping their happiness alive! No one can tell what will happen next in space¡­ We could warp into a black hole and die, but we could also find a brand new home planet. But to ensure these possibilities are open, one needs hope!


    "And it is with this burning hope in our hearts that my family was about to survive through the riots and finally find solace on this ship! Hope has transformed our possibility of survival into reality!


    "And I would gladly lay down my life for this hope!"


    Aleson took down his glasses and tiredly rubbed his eyes, then he continued, "There are still four spots to be filled" one biologist, one chemist, one physicist, and one lab assistant. Everyone, like what I¡¯ve said, we need the best people to give ourselves the best possible fighting chance. That¡¯s everything I have to say, and I will meet the rest of the team by the shuttle tomorrow afternoon."


    Silewei¡¯s attention blinked back to the present. He kissed his granddaughter on her head and whispered, "Little Wae¡¯s birthday is coming up in two months¡­ Granddaddy promises to bring you the best present."


    "Really? Thank you, granddaddy!" Wae excitedly hopped off Silewei¡¯s lap. Tugging at his sleeves, she kept asking him to give her hints about the present.


    Silewei merely smiled, but his wife noticed that that smile hid a determination that was previously absent.


    (Yes, it is hopes like these that are worth dying for!)


    Silewei rose up early the next morning. When he reached the shuttle hangar, Aleson was already standing there, surrounded by ten plus scientists¡­

 Chapter 55: Final Second

    Chapter 55: Final Second


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    The final selected five were French superconductor expert, Aleson; German physicist, Silewei; Chinese biologist, Yuan Pin; Italian chemist, Hannah; and the lab assistant, Bo Li. Bo Li was picked because her ability as a Whisperer might prove useful in unexpected ways.


    The five, were indeed as Aleson predicted: the best the Hope could offer in their respective fields. It was truly an all-in bet. If they were to fail, Yao Yuan grimly said it would be easier to commit suicide than wait passively for death to come.


    As the team of five boarded the shuttle with a newly concocted chemical potion, the Black Star Unit with the accompaniment of Jay stood silently by the hangar wall waiting for it to lift off.


    "Let¡¯s go. Instead of standing here and worrying, the time will be better spent planning our next move."


    Yao Yuan was the first to go back into the Hope. The rest of the group glanced at one another and fell in behind Yao Yuan. Their hearts were heavy with Yao Yuan¡¯s parting words¡­ our next move.


    But if the experiment were to fail, there would be no next move¡­


    The team of five sat obediently in their seats, the atmosphere too solemn for any words to be exchanged. Suddenly, to everyone¡¯s horror, Aleson removed his helmet and stripped out of his spacesuit. Ignoring everybody¡¯s questioning gaze, he retrieved from his case an MP5 player and started playing it. Silence in the shuttle was soon replaced by the harmonious melody of a classical orchestra.


    "Professor Aleson, what are you¡­ the spacesuit¡­" Hannah gasped.


    Aleson smiled. "What difference would it make? If the experiment fails, the result is still death. If we¡¯re saved due to the suit¡¯s protection, it¡¯s just going to elongate the pain towards death. Instead of stubbornly hanging on to life, I¡¯d prefer to be put out of my misery instantly."


    That silenced all future argument. After that, Bo Li was the next to remove her spacesuit, followed by Yuan Pin and Silewei. Hannah hesitated before finally, with a long sigh, removing hers.


    The team continued to sit quietly, listening to the classical music, each immersed in their thoughts. A few minutes later, the shuttle¡¯s broadcast started a countdown. The team strapped in their seat belts, preparing to lift off. As the countdown dropped to zero, the shuttle was shot out into space. In almost an instant, they were thousands of meters away from the Hope.


    Communication between the shuttle and the Hope was lost due to the interference of electrical charges in the surrounding nebula. The Hope¡¯s scanning technology wasn¡¯t advanced enough to pierce through the nebula¡¯s heavy static cloud. With the exception of a bluish glow that was visible to the naked eye, the Hope couldn¡¯t see anything beyond itself.


    Fidgeting with the communicator, Bo Li shook her head. "It is as everyone predicted: all forms of communications have been cut off. The multi-frequency communicator is still usable though, but without a hacker among us, it is practically useless."


    Aleson chuckled in reply. "That¡¯s fine too. We¡¯re conducting an experiment, not a concert, so the Hope doesn¡¯t need a live feed. They only need the results, and it is our responsibility to hand them one¡­" Sitting up, he placed his MP5 player on a nearby table and started assembling the necessary equipment.


    Then, Hannah asked, "Professor Aleson, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, is this score¡­ the famed Final Second?"


    Surprised, Aleson turned to meet Hannah¡¯s curious gaze. His surprise melted into a smile. "Indeed you are correct.


    "I remember the year was 2012 and the Mayan end-of-the-world prophecy was at its feverish height. Lots of doomsday cults started surfacing, and one of them did something that earned international infamy. In one of United States¡¯ rural towns, a cult started a satanic ritual. Instead of appealing to God, in their twisted logic, they decided to sell their souls to the demons in the hopes that hell would preserve them from the Rapture. So they started going around killing babies and children as sacrifices to the Devil¡­


    "One day, they captured a school. A thousand plus students were trapped within. Dousing the perimeters and themselves with petrol, the school was lit on fire¡­


    "When the police and firemen arrived at the scene, the school was already a sea of fire. The flames deterred all forms of rescue efforts. But with children¡¯s cries issuing from the flaming building, many firemen still risked their lives rushing headfirst into it. Process was slow. but one by one, the children were being saved¡­


    "With only a few children left in the school, the building started collapsing. If the firemen continued their rescue efforts, chances were they would not make it out alive¡­


    "At that pivotal moment, the leader of the fire brigade turned to the news reporter beside him and uttered into the camera a statement that I still remember to this day¡­"


    Aleson smiled genially and continued, "¡®The reason why we¡¯re is because it¡¯s our duty to be here¡­ But that duty¡¯s threshold stops before courting certain deaths, and many would agree, saying that we¡¯ve tried our best¡­ To that I say, is it not our duty as fellow humans to save each other¡¯s lives? So please, let us try our best until the very final second!¡¯


    "With this brave leader taking the helm, another twenty eight firemen went back into the barely standing school. And they managed to escort the remaining eleven children out into safety. But at the final moment¡­ the school unfortunately caved in, taking the twenty nine brave souls with it."


    "Then Aleson lifted his head from his worktable and with tears rolling in his eyes said, "One of the eleven children that were rescued last was my grandson. He suffered from second-degree burns, but he thankfully survived. He is now a twenty-year-old university graduate.


    "That is why this music score holds a special place in my heart. It is composed and performed by a world-famous orchestra in remembrance of the lives that were lost in that fire. It is, as Hannah said, called, the Final Second¡­"


    Putting down his voltage testers and other tools of his trade, he declared, "It is our duty as scientists to stand here and find a new source of energy to save the Hope, but many say that as long as we lay down a clear set of directions, we needn¡¯t be risking our lives. There are many less important interns that could be taking our places here¡­


    "To that I say we shouldn¡¯t be putting individual values on human lives, because each is equally important. While it is true that the Hope still needs our expertise and experience, and we are indeed categorically more important in that sense¡­ is it not also true that we are the best guardians of hope for the remaining 120000 people? Everyone on the ship, my family included, relies on hope to keep their dreams and happiness alive, so is it not our duty as fellow human beings to keep that hope burning bright?


    "So¡­"


    Aleson, who had been uncharacteristically mild and affable since he stepped on the shuttle, smiled kindly and said,


    "I would like to invite everyone present to try our best until the very final second!"

 Chapter 56: Hero

    Chapter 56: Hero


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    In his sharp suit, specially-made spectacles, and handsome comb-over, Aleson, aged fifty then, looked more like a successful businessman than a scientist. The silvery streaks in his hair only added to his general air of stateliness¡­ Nevertheless, that observation might not have been completely false. His team had just invented a new type of superconductor. Its patent alone could ensure Aleson a comfortable life of wealth until his death.


    He had just come out of a meeting with important government personnel. Due to the success of his latest research, his request for more grant money was permitted. He also managed to negotiate to have the few obstinate interns in his team fired. He demanded that they be switched out with people that he was comfortable working with, interns that he knew he could bully into submission¡­


    ¡°These ingrates have to be taught a lesson. It is not talent but social sensitivity that will get you places in life,¡± mumbled Aleson as he flipped through the newspaper. He was en route to fetch his grandson.


    Then, Aleson heard the news about the fire¡­


    He heard those words that shook his heart¡­


    He saw his badly burnt but still breathing grandson being carried away on a stretcher¡­


    He witnessed the school¡¯s collapse and, with it, the firemen¡¯s final deed¡­


    That day, Aleson also witnessed himself changing.


    He became even more stringent in his work. His team had a 360 degree change as he replaced all the bootlickers. The sole thing that remained constant was his absurdly high standard¡­


    He started nitpicking research results and lab supplies, alienating his government buddies and fellow colleagues in the process. The high standard he held himself and his team did help him finish many projects, but it also isolated him as a pariah within the scientific community. Even though his track record was indubitably impressive, no one was willing to work with him. He had said it was he who refused to accept the invitation from the US government when they escaped Earth, but reality was, it never their intention to take him along.


    So it was to everyone¡¯s surprise that such an exiled figure would selflessly volunteer to lead what was essentially a suicidal experiment.


    Preparation for the fated experiment was going well underway. Using Ivan¡¯s chemical formula, Hannah had concocted ten sets of potions that could be easily diluted or concentrated according to the situation. Yuan Pin, with Bo Li¡¯s aid, was preparing the alien plant sample. Silewei was busy splicing the energy crystal into crystals of different sizes, starting from the smallest 0.01 cubic millimeters to the biggest 10 cubic millimeters.


    ¡°Alright, everybody, now that the preparations are complete, I will need to focus on the circuit¡¯s voltage changes. The practical part of the experiment, I shall leave it in your hands,¡± said Aleson.


    Of the remaining four, Silewei was the most senior, but the person most suited for this experiment was the Chinese biologist, Yuan Pin. His ZH hybrid rice plant was deemed one of the best inventions of the decade for being able to single-handedly solves much of earth¡¯s dwindling food supply dilemma. He was undoubtedly the unnamed leader for this part of the experiment.


    ¡°Okay, then let us begin,¡± Yuan Pin said with a sigh, his breath fogging the glass panel before him.


    The shuttle¡¯s interior had been repurposed into a small laboratory. In the center, an area was insulated by walls of glass panels. By using mechanical arms, the scientists could conduct the dangerous experiment from a distance. Nevertheless, this was, mostly, for show. A flimsy glass panel wouldn¡¯t be able to provide much protection in the case of plasmatic explosion.


    Yuan Pin retrieved the alien plant sample from the freezer and situated it within a petri dish. The moment the frozen acid around it started to thaw, the plant started squirming. It would take less than ten seconds for the plant to become fully activated and start eating through its surrounding.


    Yuan Pin took over the potion that Hannah¡¯s mechanical arm handed him. It was the most diluted of all the potions. Simultaneously, Sileiwei cautiously dropped an energy crystal among the mass of plant. The 0.01 cubic millimeter crystal was so small that it was impossible to catch with naked eye.


    Thankfully, everything that was happening in the isolated area was projected on a separate screen. The video was, of course, appropriately magnified. When both crystal and acid were poured onto the plant, it stopped moving. Nevertheless, moments later, its gyration continued. However, its focus had switched to consume the crystal. By the side of the room, Aleson¡¯s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets from staring so intently at the voltage gauge.


    About ten seconds later, the crystal had completely disappeared. Aleson shook his head, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there was no electrical response. The crystal was too small. Our previous hypothesis is correct. When the energy released was too small, it will be consumed by the plant itself. It is not a superconductor, so it still offers a certain degree of resistance.¡±


    Everyone looked defeated, but Yuan Pin said calmly, ¡°No worries, science is all trial and error¡­ This time we¡¯ll use the 0.02 cubic millimeters crystal. Prepare me another potion, but use the same amount of dilution.¡±


    And thus began the second experiment¡­


    Time trudged stubbornly on. Unlike the people on the Hope, the scientists on the shuttle had paid it no heed; they were too caught up in the experiment. The rest of the Academy, however, stood by the window biting their nails waiting for updates. However, surrounded by the nebula, they knew the updates that they were bitterly waiting for would not arrive. They had to contend with one conclusive end result.


    They had been waiting for a full four hours. Tension was high and senses were frayed. A few older scientists had to excuse themselves from sheer exhaustion. Yao Yuan decided to allow the scientists to rest. In the end, only the Black Star Unit, Jay and a few others remained, waiting for the dreaded result.


    ¡°Initiating experiment number 89. We have a 0.05 cubic millimeters energy crystal and potion with a scale-seven dilution.¡±


    Yuan Yin¡¯s low voice echoed through the room. In the isolated room, another crystal and splash of acid were dropped onto the plant. The crystal disintegrated in the blink of an eye and the plant grew slightly bigger. Nevertheless, it still released no energy.


    Yuan Pin sighed. ¡°We failed again.¡±


    The sigh was echoed by everyone in the room. Aleson said, agitatedly, ¡°This is impossible. I¡¯ve been to the exploded lab; it was indeed caused by a plasmatic explosion. Why isn¡¯t it releasing any electrical energy now? Have we missed a step? Or is the chemical formula faulty?¡±


    Hannah replied, ¡°The formula is correct because the plant did indeed choose to break down the energy crystal and not its surrounding glass or metal. This proves that the reversal crystallization was a success, but for some reason, the plant absorbs all the energy instead of releasing it outward¡­ Why is that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Silewei frowned. ¡°Is there any difference between our experiments and Ivan¡¯s?¡±


    The trio turned to Bo Li in unison. Perhaps unconsciously, despite being men and women of science, they had hoped the superhuman power of their lab assistant could lead them out of this impasse. They could use any form of help then, even the supernatural ones that they on principles didn¡¯t set store by.


    Bo Li didn¡¯t return their gaze but stared blankly ahead at the clump of plant. After a long while, she said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, professors. I can¡¯t hear anything in my mind at the moment. I just feel that¡­ we are on the right track. Perhaps our mistake was we were being too careful. We already know the plant will self-absorb energy during the crystallization process, so perhaps we shouldn¡¯t be limiting ourselves to using crystals that are smaller than 0.1 cubic millimeters.¡±


    The four professors turned to look at one another and Aleson started guffawing. ¡°Indeed, the girl is right. We are already laying our lives on the line here, so why the restraint? Perhaps we¡¯re still afraid. Anyway, I second Bo Li¡¯s suggestion. We continue with something bigger.¡±


    After some more deliberation, they agreed upon using a 0.1 cubic millimeters crystal. As the reagents tipped into the petri dish¡­


    Electrical sparks started bursting on the plant¡¯s surface as it consumed half of the crystal. Then the plant started glowing. Without wasting a second, Aleson connected his circuit to the plant, and the moment they touched, his voltage gauge instantly recorded a high current reading.


    ¡°There is it!¡± Shedding his air of solemnity, Aleson started cheering like a child in a candy store.


    Smiles started appearing on everyone¡¯s faces, but before they could celebrate, the plant¡¯s glow suddenly grew in intensity and the reading on Aleson¡¯s gauge went off the charts. Following a crisp pop, the gauge blew into smithereens, blasting Aleson two to three feet back. The energy had overloaded the circuit.


    Even though they knew the crystal could store an astronomically high amount of energy, they never expected it to be this much! The circuit that was specially forged couldn¡¯t withhold the released energy?! This was a conundrum that they didn¡¯t see coming!


    They immediately started devising a plan, but it was already too late. The plant had consumed the whole crystal. Stray currents were surging through the air. Explosion was imminent.


    Aleson picked himself up and ran towards the control panel for the mechanical arm. With an amazing speed, multiple circuit connectors were jammed into the plants. The plant¡¯s glow dimmed, but that was not the end of their troubles. The plant was inching towards the remaining crystals that were shaken loose from Silewei¡¯s mechanical arm during the blast. If it consumed those 8 to 9 cubic millimeters crystals, the destruction that it could cause would be beyond calculable.


    Right then, a voice whispered in Bo Li¡¯s ear.


    ¡°The chemical potions! Their concentration! They are too diluted! If they are more concentrated, they can stop the plant! Quick!¡± yelled Bo Li.


    Everyone started moving, especially Hannah. The almost fifty-year-old chemist rushed to her station and splashed the plant with her strongest potion. It was as Bo Li had said, the plant stopped moving the moment it was hit with the acid. Ten seconds later, the plant was completely lulled back into inactivity. There was no glow left.


    As all of this went down, people on the Hope saw lights bursting from within the shuttle. Even against the glowing nebula, it shone so brightly¡­


    The shuttle returned to the Hope six hours and thirty two minutes after their initial departure. They brought back with them the data, ratios, and compositions necessary for the Academy to safely induce the reverse crystallization process within the plant. Without most of the Hope knowing, this team of six had helped it survive another crisis¡­


    Six hours and forty seven minutes after their first experiment, Professor Aleson was declared dead due to heart failure that was caused by electrical shock. At age 72, he was decorated a hero and had his name recorded into the Hope¡¯s Memorial Hall. It was a remembrance of his selfless contribution to the continuity of humanity¡­

 Chapter 57: Darkness of Hope

    Chapter 57: Darkness of Hope


    Translator: Lonelytree, _Dark_Angel_Editor: Lucas


    Calculations were perfectly done by the Academy the day after the experiment was completed on the shuttle. Functional anti-gravitational units were removed from the shuttle to replace the ones that had malfunctioned. More chemical potions were made, alien plant samples were activated, and a 1 cubic millimeter energy crystal was spliced.


    A room was transformed into a unique generator with the plant as agent and energy crystal as fuel.


    Naturally, the minute energy crystal couldn¡¯t provide enough energy to support the entirety of the Hope. The energy used to keep the air circulation, electrical, and other basic sustenance systems alive on the Hope was astronomical. It could easily rival the energy supply required by a mid-sized metropolis.


    Instead, the crystal reactor would be used to create energy circuits. According to Aleson¡¯s theory, a crystal reactor of that size could produce enough circuits within three days to fulfill the Hope¡¯s energy demands [1]. It might even have excess energy left to be stored.


    This was the Hope¡¯s most important objective. Yao Yuan stationed himself outside of the forge basically 24/7. He wanted to make sure everything was done correctly and professionally. As the crystal reactor became more volatile, the initial one percent utility rate of the forge increased exponentially to an impressive ten percent. As a result, more circuits could be molded. In such a snowballing manner, the Hope¡¯s radioactive energy generators were completely exhausted and substituted by the energy crystal reactor on the fifth day [2].


    The Hope¡¯s energy supply and demand had finally reached its balance. Then, the Academy came up with an ambitious plan. They wanted to designate part of the Barracks as a crystal reactor silo. It would be much bigger than their temporary one where instead of 1 cubic millimeter crystal, a 5 cubic millimeter crystal would be used. The plan was to have it replace the Hope¡¯s obsolete uranium generators.


    This was necessary because of space-warping. Space-warping didn¡¯t only require a massive amount of energy, it also needed them in a short burst of time. It was because of this that Noah One¡¯s departure was a failure, and why the Hope was designed with three generators.


    Their temporary crystal reactor could definitely support the Hope¡¯s energy consumption. They even had a surfeit of energy. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t intense enough to support space-warping. That was the reason behind the Academy¡¯s ambitious plan.


    However, when the enormous circuit for the silo was being created, few chemists and biologists halted its progress. According to their analysis, the Hope didn¡¯t have the technology to concoct a potion acidic enough to match those naturally secreted by Planet Sahara¡¯s fauna. Without that, they couldn¡¯t confidently release the plant mass required for a bigger crystal. To continue would be to create an explosive hazard.


    Thus, measurement was tinkered with. The one silo was split into three, each with a 1 cubic millimeter energy crystal reactor. Regretfully, that meant the energy release wouldn¡¯t be focused enough to support space-warping¡­


    "In other words, the Hope¡¯s everyday energy consumption has been settled, but we still can¡¯t commit to space warp?"


    Yao Yuan frowned at the scientists gathered before him. He looked through the report handed to him again. It detailed the energy required for a space warp and the energy the Hope could currently support. Needless to say, the difference was big.


    The scientists were equally frustrated.


    When man was still on Earth, progress was not considered slow, because supply was limited. There was only so much one could do when everyone clamored for limited resources. However, when man stepped into space, progress was predicted to have an exponential increase because they would be surrounded by limitless resources. The asteroids and moons, these offered precious supplies.


    In fact, according to predictions, man would reach this stage of scientific renaissance in the next one hundred years.


    Unfortunately for the Hope, the one hundred years in between wasn¡¯t accounted for. Their technology was too backwards for¡­ basically everything.


    Silewei sighed. "This can¡¯t be helped. Our current technology simply can¡¯t support a 5 cubic millimeter reactor. Of course, science is always improving. If there is another five, no, three years for the Academy to study, then perhaps we could make this a reality, but now¡­ it¡¯s impossible."


    Yao Yuan knew of the Academy¡¯s difficulties. Sighing, he retrieved from his desk drawer a set of documents. He handed it over to Silewei, whose expression darkened after he gave it a cursory read. The same thing happened with the rest when they were given the documents.


    "You can see it for yourself, right? To be frank, this was already a shot in a dark when we escaped Earth. To be able to survive this far with the discovery of a uranium substitute is already beyond my wildest imagination."


    Receiving the documents, Yao Yuan chuckled harshly. "The biomes we have are multi-dimensional. Other than the quintessential greenhouses, there are also pig and cow pens. Thanks to a 24-hour sunlight generator and high-quality seedlings, our harvestable periods are greatly shortened. With careful planning, food-wise, the Hope will see no issue.


    "But what about long-term plans? Take the fertilizer as an example. We can¡¯t keep on using the ones in storage. We¡¯ll run out sooner or later. But where will we find the raw materials to create more? Likewise, there is still storage for the materials used in the crystal reactor now, but we can¡¯t expect them to last forever.


    "And let¡¯s not go into the basics like water and oxygen. The Hope has a perfectly functional water distillation system, but as time goes by, there is bound to be wear and tear. The same could be said of our air circulatory system¡­"


    Yao Yuan continued with a worried tone, "It is good that for now we don¡¯t have to worry about the energy issue. According to your report, the reactor could supply the Hope with enough energy for another ten years. But in terms of supplies¡­ we have at most three years. After three years, we will first run out of fertilizer and consequently food, because the base materials for fertilizer, the acids, are all being used for potion creation. Then we will need to worry about clean air and water¡­ So, according to the logistic experts, the Hope can last for a maximum of another three and a half to four years in space."


    The scientists were silent. They had led a sheltered life in the Academy, but they could still understand these problems with supplies. It was simple math. They couldn¡¯t keep on taking from the store without eventually having to add some back. Furthermore, thanks to their close border to the Workshop, they knew much of the repairing needed within the Hope.


    However, if they could find a terrestrial planet or asteroid belt, these issues could be handily resolved.


    They would provide uranium or other radioactive substances to reactivate the Hope¡¯s energy generators. With both crystal reaction and radioactive generators, space-warping would be a non-issue. Other than that, the asteroids would contain carbonates and hydroxides that could be synthesized to produce chemical raw materials. As long as the Hope came into contact with these things, survival would almost be guaranteed.


    Survival was important because¡­ well, it was humanity¡¯s last hope. The Hope had a diverse gene pool from its 120000 citizens, a laudable history that was recorded in the central mainframe, so it was humanity¡¯s best chance at continuity¡­


    "Therefore, let us pray."


    Setting down the documents, Yao Yuan turned to peer out the window. The bluish tint of the nebula reflected in his eyes as he spoke,


    "Pray that this nebula is at its most condescend. Pray that the Hope can escape it within three years¡­ Pray that this bluish glow does signal the presence of a newborn star¡­


    "Finally, let us pray for darkness, an inky darkness of space! I know darkness usually means dread and death, but for us, it means hope because only then will we know we have passed the nebula¡¯s outer circumference!"


    [1]This paragraph makes no logical sense when compared to the preceding paragraph. If I have to guess, the author meant the circuits were more stable than the raw crystal, and so they can do what the crystal can¡¯t.


    [2]No idea why it¡¯s five days when the author previously said three. If I have to guess, the extra 2 days is to account for the energy used by the forge.

 Chapter 58: Hope and Change

    Chapter 58: Hope and Change


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The crystal silo ended up having 70 small-sized reactors and three medium-sized reactors. A total of 3,400 plus workers and technicians were part of its construction and everyday maintenance crew. They had even set up a 24-hour security feed.


    Thanks to the silo, the Hope¡¯s biomes could reach their fullest operation. This, however, required another 5,000 workers, especially in the fields of animal husbandry, and general farming.


    After solving the energy issue, Yao Yuan turned to realize that an array of civic affairs and complaints had been piling up.


    First, there was the problem of the living situation. Ever since the Hope left Earth, 120000 civilians were forced to eke out a living in rudimentary camping tents with no access to personal bathroom and kitchen.


    Furthermore, these 120000 citizens weren¡¯t your run of the mill commoners; they were stringently selected by Yao Yuan¡¯s team. These were people with a certain degree of education. It was not wrong nor out of place for them to expect some accountability from Yao Yuan. Three months of suffering under such a derelict situation had led to some weak but gathering grievances.


    To be fair, it was not that Yao Yuan had it out for them, it was a product of their circumstances. They were running from an apocalypse and not signing up for a cruise after all.


    Nevertheless, three months of relative peace had leavened out the initial mental strain. People started to have concerns beyond their basic continuity, and issues of living arrangement were at the foremost.


    Regarding this issue, Yao Yuan had a more open-minded outlook when compared to Guang Zhen. His years of retirement from the military had mellowed his perspective out quite a bit.


    Guang Zhen had a simpler way of looking at things: the Hope offered the people protection, and so they have to take it or leave it. They had no right to complain¡­


    Yao Yuan though wished for a more diplomatic resolution. They were all technically on the same ship. No good would come out of having the citizens and the government at opposing ends.


    Yao Yuan could only see two ways forward: suppression or assimilation. The former would be impossible because there were only 120000 people. Suppression would only bring the authority¡¯s own downfall.


    So he was left with assimilation, which meant taking the 120000 people into the Hope¡¯s inner workings. This way, they could see the problems the Hope was facing and together work past it. This would foster a sense of loyalty and camaraderie.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan created a four-tiered medal system. From the highest were the Hero, the Warrior, the Guardian, and the Defender. He then bequeathed upon Aleson the Hero medal and the individuals that passed away on Planet Sahara the Guardian medals.


    After that, Yao Yuan initiated a mass recruitment policy.


    Vacancies were found within the silo, the biomes, the three specialized districts, and the residential areas¡­


    Following Yao Yuan¡¯s order, the experts drafted a plan that could systematically absorb and place 35000 workers. That was the best they could do within a ship of the Hope¡¯s size. There were only so many jobs that needed to done.


    Within the next three months, the recruitment was put into motion. According to Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, priority was given to applicants with attached families because if they were hired, the authority could solve the living issues of a whole family at once. The whole family could be relocated to the residential area.


    After the three month period, there were still 20000 people living in the campgrounds. These people either had unsuitable expertise or were single, effectively removing them from the priority list.


    These last 20000 people, however, proved to be a convoluted dilemma for Yao Yuan. Even though there were still spaces within the residential area, he couldn¡¯t just let them waltz right in. That would be incredibly unfair to the people who got in the formal way, through the application of a job.


    In the end, Yao Yuan had no choice but to conscript them as militia reserve. Training would be on Wednesdays and with that, Yao Yuan had a formal reason to relocate them to the residential area.


    That, however, did not mark the end of Yao Yuan¡¯s engagement with civic affairs. The next thing he would need to tackle was the Hope¡¯s economy¡­


    After a career system was put into place, people naturally would request for salary or at least some form of remuneration. Furthermore, people were fed up with the monthly rations. They hoped that with their earnings would come the freedom of market and choice.


    So Yao Yuan began yet another long discussion session with another group of experts and he knew more sleepless nights awaited him¡­


    It was six months after the Hope had left Earth, four months after the Hope¡¯s second warp¡­


    The first batch of militia reserve started their training today.


    Jay was a sergeant at this point. With his pseudo-smiling jowls and compact build, he looked dashing in his army fatigue. Men saluted him when he strolled past the training field while the ladies winked flirtatiously at him.


    Jay, however, paid them no heed other than returning hastily the salute. He continued walking to the edge of the field where a team was already in the middle of dispersing. The returning militia saluted him as their paths crossed.


    Standing among the dispersing team was Xiao Chen. Noticing Jay walked over, she couldn¡¯t help but be struck by his handsomeness. He had swapped out his usual disheveled look for a clean shave and a fitting uniform. Now she could see why he was successful as a conman: he had that roguish charm about him.


    Feeling her heart speed up, Xiao Chen silently pinched her hand. For the past four months Jay had been lurking around her small but comfortable tenement, dropping in to say hi or talk about the weather. She barely gave him any response because there was nothing in her life that she hated more than conmen. They were the reason her family¡­


    "You will not talk to him today!"


    Xiao Chen inwardly told herself. Finally, they were so close that she could smell the cologne he was wearing. She could hear him taking in his breath, preparing to speak. What to do? What to do?


    "Can¡¯t you get the hint, you giant li¡­" began Xiao Chen.


    To her surprise, Jay walked past her to accost the blonde beauty standing behind her. The girl was twenty two of age and had a curvaceous figure that was barely covered by her militia outfit. Jay stood sheepishly before the girl with golden locks, trading laughs with her. He then asked her on a date, to have dinner at the Barracks¡¯ private restaurant, where they served fancy food items¡­


    "You giant liar!" roared Xiao Chen as she made a mental comparison between hers and the blonde girl¡¯s measurements. With uncontainable fury, she swung a kick at Jay¡¯s lower calf, then she stalked out of the field, leaving behind Jay, who was doubled over and screaming with pain¡­


    At the same time, the soldiers who were stationed at the bridge to observe the nebula were changing shifts. The shift changed in an interval of four hours. The observation had been going on for four months. To put it simply, there had been no change; the scenery outside the window remained a stubborn palette of blue¡­


    Suddenly, there was sound of shattering glass. Everyone turned to look at the soldier who had dropped his water glass. He seemed transfixed looking through his telescope.


    The remaining soldiers knew instantly that something was not right, so they too rushed to join the mesmerized soldier by his window¡­ and, they saw the blue receding. Like an announcement for the advent of night, the sky around them was darkening!


    "Quick, contact central command, contact the Major. We¡­ we are leaving the nebulous region!"


    By Hope Calendar [1], on day seventeen of the sixth month, after a five-month-long period of aimless wandering, the Hope was finally getting out of the nebula¡­


    And what opened before them was¡­


    [1]The day the Hope escaped from Earth was counted as Day 1.

 Chapter 59: Target! Meteorite Belt!

    Chapter 59: Target! Meteorite Belt!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Man has never been so anticipatory of darkness.


    Similarly, man has never been so cornered to have all of their hopes placed on one singular group of 120000 people.


    At this moment, the Hope was leaving the nebulous cloud and entering the darkness-suffused space. Witnessing the world darkening around them, everyone on the Hope breathed a collective sigh of relief.


    The few months the Hope was travelling around the nebula, things were working out according Yao Yuan¡¯s plan. Since he knew suppression wouldn¡¯t work, his policy was to try to assimilate the people into the Hope¡¯s governmental duties. The aim was to implant into the people¡¯s minds that there was no difference between the government and the civilian, that they were all people of the Hope.


    The first step was to relocate people from the campgrounds into simple tenements. Simultaneously, this encouraged job applications because that was the prerequisite for better housing. The second step was to purposely leak some information into the public¡­ However, the leak was, for the most part, excessive. People¡¯s new jobs had offered them an inkling to the reality that some crisis was assailing the Hope.


    The leak merely confirmed their suspicions. After all, these 120000 citizens weren¡¯t dummies. They could draw logical inferences from observations. Rather, the people who underestimated them were the dummies.


    Even before the ground-breaking recruitment policy, a section of the public had guessed that the Hope was facing some problems¡­The fact that their jobs allowed them access into all areas within the Hope with the exception of the Barracks and the biomes only aided more people into understanding the predicaments facing the Hope.


    Due to all of these reasons, the public had figured out how many more years the Hope could still linger around in space. Granted their prediction couldn¡¯t be as accurate as the experts¡¯, they weren¡¯t so far off. Therefore, all of the Hope was of one mind that they could only survive five more years in space without landing.


    And thanks to the sense of loyalty cultivated by Yao Yuan¡¯s policy, even without direct orders, the public started taking steps to care for the Hope. For example, they started policing their food and electricity wastage. There was a general sense of renewed vigor on the Hope to do the best by the people¡¯s temporary home.


    However, many realized this vigor belied an underlying fear. If they couldn¡¯t find more supplies soon, the Hope was definitely on its last lap towards death.


    Hope, though, came ever so suddenly. After a few months of circling around the nebula, the bluish glow that had become familiar to the residents of the Hope was suddenly replaced by the deep darkness of space.


    The moment the Hope got far enough from the nebula¡¯s static interference, all of its scouting devices were instantly activated. The reconnaissance took almost nine hours to complete, and its result was promptly collected and sent to the main conference room to be discussed. The discussion was between Yao Yuan and representatives from the Academy.


    "As we had anticipated, this is a newborn star system. The star is evolving from its protostar stage to its main sequence star stage. To be precise, according to our readings of the nebulous cloud, the star could very well be right in the middle of that process. In other words, this is a very young star we¡¯ve happened upon," an astronomer read from his report.


    The birth of a star, according to current understanding, started with the accumulation of nebulous clouds. In its initial stage, the cloud was so widespread that with the naked eye, one would not be able to tell that it was happening. Perhaps from a distance of 100 light years away, at most, one would be able to detect a barely discernable misty fog.


    To be able to witness its glow with man¡¯s naked eye meant that the accumulation had reached its latest stage where the concentration of the nebula was at its highest. The next step, according to scientists, would be preparation for the birth of a new star.


    The main constituent in a nebula was the element of hydrogen. When enough of it accumulates, its mass becomes so large that the gravitational energy between the hydrogen atoms will be transmuted into thermal energy. At this stage, a protostar is born. Its core will continue to heat up until it reaches about 7000000 degrees, where nuclear fusion will occur. This reaction increases the protostar¡¯s temperature to about one billion degrees, where the surrounding nebula matter is absorbed into the formation of a new star.


    And according to the Hope¡¯s surveillance, the star of the system they were in was reaching the end of its formation process. It was collecting the last of the nebula matter around it.


    "You mean to tell me that while we were trying to find our way out, we could have wandered into an unstable burning star?" questioned Yao Yuan, with a hint of fear in his voice.


    The famous astronomer who stood on the podium replied with a smile, "Don¡¯t worry, Major. Heat coming from a star would be so pronounced that we would have picked up on it through even the nebula. We would not blindly steer the ship into it. Furthermore, it is rather fortunate that a star is forming. It¡¯s because it is in such a late formation stage that the nebula cloud around us was so thin. If not, we would not be able to escape it in our lifetime."


    Nodding his head, Yao Yuan continued, "Alright, let¡¯s put that aside for now. What about intergalactic storms? Is there danger of intergalactic disasters during this stage?"


    The astronomer on stage hesitated before breaking into another smile. "I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible¡­ Of course, Major, you have to understand that this is the first time we are able to observe this miraculous process at such close range. To witness a burning star absorbing nebula matter, that¡¯s every astronomer¡¯s dream¡­


    "In any case, the star is currently absorbing matter at a stable rate, which means that its inner temperature is on a slow rise. Until it reaches the main sequence stage, there won¡¯t be any changes that would concern us. In other words, this means that this solar system is also still forming. According to our satellite pictures, there is no observable planet within our observable range. However, there is a cluster of nebula matter half a month of sailing away from our current location. And incidentally, there is a meteorite belt surrounding it.


    "According to our observations and calculations, there is a high possibility that this nebula clump will give birth to a gas giant. This means that the meteorite belt will most probably become an asteroid belt similar to that of Jupiter¡¯s. Of course, comparatively speaking, the meteorite belt is much smaller in size, and this leads into the most interesting part of our surveillance¡­"


    The astronomer excitedly punched in some buttons on the podium and soon after, a picture was projected on the wall behind him.


    Barely containing his glee, the astronomer pointed at a spot on the picture, saying, "Everyone, please focus your attention on this spot here. Wait, let me enlarge it¡­


    "What you¡¯re seeing here is a more concrete and substantial meteorite belt. In fact, as you can see, most of the meteorites are slowly coming together [1]! See, right there!


    "This represents the initial stage for the formation of a terrestrial planet! As time goes on, interaction between mass and gravity will pull all of these materials together and coagulate into a planet. Of course, that might take a few zillion years to complete¡­


    "But what is most important to us is this cluster of meteorites, where the largest is ten times bigger than the Hope. It is our belief that they are rich in minerals like iron, copper, and zinc. Furthermore, it is certain that they contain radioactive substances like uranium ore. Also, I dare say that since this is a forming terrestrial planet, it might even contain minerals that we have not seen before, minerals that disappear after a planet is formed¡­ These are all valid possibilities!"


    The astronomer¡¯s final sentence struck a chord with Yao Yuan.


    "Then let¡¯s start moving! There¡¯s where we can refill our stockpile!"


    1. I¡¯m assuming we¡¯re talking about another meteorite belt now, since this is now about a terrestrial planet.

 Chapter 60: Currency, Press, and Arrival

    Chapter 60: Currency, Press, and Arrival


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Finally, everyone on the Hope had a place they could call home. Naturally, with only one bedroom and barely enough space for a living room, these residential tenements were not as luxurious as the ones in the Academy, Barracks, or Workshop. Nevertheless, they still came equipped with a private kitchen and bathroom, and for families with more than 2 children, there might even be an extra bedroom. Spirits were high and contentment reigned.


    However, not everyone was as satisfied.


    These were the unemployed 20000 people who were still given housing on the basis of militia conscription. They were mostly single and had the smallest tenement, but their special treatment by the Hope had invariably landed them in awkward situations.


    With the introduction of currency, people¡¯s ID cards could access e-wallets that contained H-Coins. One H-coin could purchase 1 kilogram of rice or 0.7 kilogram of wheat. For citizens in the militia reserve, monthly allowance was at a mere 120 H-coins, nudging over what would be the equivalency for minimum wage. If a person only survived on simple carbohydrates, like rice and wheat, his monthly expenditure would be around seventy H-coins. However, that was definitely not a life worth living¡­


    Before the economic reformation and flourishing of the market, it wasn¡¯t obvious that people¡¯s choices would be restricted. Everyone survived on rice and bread. But now, items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, toiletries, seasonings, and vegetables began to appear as necessities¡­


    With a monthly allowance of 120 H-coins, these basic accoutrements could be covered, but there was definitely no room for luxury.


    Furthermore, among the militia reserve, there was a small portion that had families to care for. It was already a stretch for a single man to survive on a monthly allowance of 120 H-coins, much less a family of three.


    Yao Yuan was adamant that there would be no special treatment, but to tide these families over, he had introduced many welfare programs. These included programs aimed specifically at women and children.


    On the other hand, citizens that held regular posts, like public servants, had a monthly allowance of 250 to 300 H-coins. That was a considerable amount of money because it meant they could treat themselves to about two splurges of luxury each month.


    For occupations that were more specialized, like technicians or teachers, their allowance was in the range of 350 to 400 H-coins. Police and engineers had 500 H-coins, while scientists had the highest allowance amongst all. Interns at the Academy had 500 H-coins, lab assistants 650 H-coins, regular scientists 700 H-coins, while committee leaders like Alan and Silewei had 1200 H-coins.


    The military had a smaller allowance than the public gave them credit for. Normal soldiers had 200, captains 250, lieutenants 300, and even the Major only took 500. However, these were compensated with government benefits. The military¡¯s everyday needs were already subsidized, which meant that their allowance was mostly for luxury purchases.


    This was the policy decided after months of discussion between Yao Yuan and the experts. Even though Guang Zhen felt the policy would lead to a huge wage gap, the experts assured him that the gap would encourage competition which would subsequently lead to societal improvement. Also, even though on paper the gap between the rich and the poor was almost ten times in difference, in reality, after considering benefits and welfare, the difference would be pretty much smoothened out.


    Regarding this policy, Yao Yuan had his own understanding¡­ He believed that capitalism had its flaws, but it bred competition and improvement. For the best chance of survival in space, those are the qualities that he felt the Hope needed. Therefore, Yao Yuan agreed with the experts and approved such a reformation.


    With demands came creative pursuit¡­


    With that, Yao Yuan sat waiting, waiting for people to step up¡­


    "Hey, brothers, the internet caf¨¦ is finally open. 0.5 H-coins for one hour of access. I¡¯ve taken a look-see. They have the new Star Wars 3 game! Let¡¯s go blow some virtual aliens¡¯ heads!" With a half-smoked cigarette dangling on his lips, Xiao Niao suggested to Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan.


    "Blow your head! There¡¯s still eleven days to the end of the month and salary day. I don¡¯t know about you two, but I only have enough money left for food," Dan Dan replied sulkily.


    Qiu Qiu hesitated before announcing, "Damn it! Let¡¯s just go, my treat! It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t starved ourselves for virtual crap before. I¡¯ve not touched a computer for almost half a year already and all this computer talk is making my hands itch!"


    Instead of egging him on, Xiao Niao sighed and patted Qiu Qiu on his shoulder. Sitting down, he groaned, "Never mind, forget it. It was my fault for bringing this up. Before this it was also under my urging that we recklessly bought cigarettes and beers¡­ What to do, brothers? Who knew the three of us would be living from salary to salary?"


    Reflecting his two friends¡¯ gloomy expressions, Dan Dan sighed. "Actually, there¡¯s one thing that has been bothering me. All ninety something of us are victims of the fever, so why has the government chosen only about ten of them to join the military and had the rest of us sent back to our civilian lives? How I wish we were one of those selected few, their everyday meals are taken care of by the military and on top of that have 200 extra H-coins to spend. Tell me, how is that fair?"


    "Xiao Niao, of the three of us, you are the brightest. Can you tell us why we weren¡¯t selected even though we were specially recruited?" asked Qiu Qiu.


    Xiao Niao steepled his hands in thought. "How am I supposed to know? Maybe those selected have something special about them, but what, I have no clue¡­"


    His friends followed with a succession of sighs. Dan Dan lamented, "Money, oh, money, the source of all evil. Damn it, if God would give me a few thousand H-coins now, I swear I would have lobster, steak, and wine while I hang out at the caf¨¦ all day. If I hear even a squeak of saving for the future, I¡¯ll drown that person in my sea of H-coins!"


    While his two friends continued lamenting their fate, Xiao Niao could hear two cleaners discussing the Hope¡¯s upcoming supply landing. The momentous landing was scheduled to occur in about ten days They were discussing how to approach the supply gathering as if they were the experts.


    Right then, Xiao Niao could feel his surroundings going quiet; even the sounds of his friends felt like they were coming from far away. Little by little, clues aligned in his mind and a conclusion was slowly reached¡­


    "The currency release, wage gap¡­ I know it now! Why the militia training ended a few days ago, the government is waiting for us to get into action!"


    Xiao Niao grew more excited as he went on, but he made sure to keep his voice low, to ensure his thoughts stayed within only his two friends¡¯ hearing range.


    Both Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan looked at their friend confusedly. Qiu Qiu interjected, "Bro, have you gone insane thinking about money? Earth to Xiao Niao, Earth to Xiao Niao, it¡¯s time to wake up."


    Xiao Niao replied, with a mysterious smirk, "You¡¯re the one that¡¯s insane! I say, brothers, didn¡¯t you two say you wish for a bunch of H-coins? I might have a plan that can make that happen."


    "What plan?" his friends replied in unison. "Have you thought of any jobs that are perfect for the three of us?"


    "Not job," Xiao Niao said with a wicked smile. "but an entrepreneurship!"


    The next day, the trio using their future six-month¡¯s worth of salary as deposit, took out a loan from the government. With that loan, they bought several reams of paper, rented a few printers, and hired a handful of reporters and editors¡­


    One week later, the very first issue of Hope Weekly came fresh out of the press. Sold at the price of 0.2 H-coins per copy, it was released every Monday, detailing the general location of the Hope, the vacancies available, harvest reports from the biomes, jokes, civil affairs, and the like¡­


    In just under one week, the Hope Weekly held an impressive 20000 copies sold number. Another week after that, the government offered workers, printers, and papers to help institutionalize the Hope Weekly as the Hope¡¯s first news agency. As its main shareholders, Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan had indeed struck gold.


    Many on the Hope were inspired by the trio¡¯s success story. The ship was wrapped in an atmosphere of conscientious fervor as it sailed towards the meteorite belt¡­


    Man¡¯s first ore mining operation in space was going to initiate soon!

 Chapter 61: Space Mining

    Chapter 61: Space Mining


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    On the seventh month and second day of the Hope Calendar, the Hope successfully arrived at the gas giant¡¯s meteorite belt. According to the calculations made by the central mainframe, this was the safest distance for the Hope because even though they were still about 50 kilometers away from the mineable meteorite cluster, they were safe from collision with stray meteorites. Nevertheless, additional missiles were prepared for cases where crash was inevitable.


    Other than that, the shuttle was given another upgrade so that it could serve as a mining vessel. Two giant mechanical arms and a collection chute were added. Harvested minerals could be transferred through the chute to be deposited inside the shuttle.


    Naturally, a single shuttle couldn¡¯t satisfy the needs of 120000 people. Therefore, it was understood that this was supposed to be a trial run. The aim was to check whether these minerals contained any harmful elements and to check whether they were worth harvesting. After the experience on Planet Sahara, everyone on the Hope was that much more wary when approaching this alien situation.


    After preparation had been done, at two in the afternoon, several scientists, engineers, and two soldiers boarded the mining shuttle. A few minutes later, they departed from the Hope for the meteorite cluster.


    The shuttle crossed 50 kilometers in the blink of an eye. Without further permission, they wouldn¡¯t venture deep into the cluster. Instead, they hovered by its perimeter where a 2 cubic meters asteroid was collected.


    The whole process was conducted under the watchful eye of the Hope¡¯s surveillance, which had been restored to its full capacity after they left the nebula. It is worth mentioning that even though man¡¯s technology then was still too amateur for actual space-travel, it remained a source of comfort for citizens of the Hope because they already had the best man could offer.


    To garner morale, visuals of man¡¯s first space mining operation were projected on monitors all over the Hope. The Hope News Agency [1] was even doing a live broadcast. A sense of excitement could be felt all over the Hope that night.


    "Good evening. As you can see on the screen, the shuttle is harvesting its first asteroid, and its size appears to be around 2 cubic meters. At the moment, the asteroid is now firmly in the mechanical arms¡¯ grasp. They only need to send it into the chute now. According to updates from the Workshop, operations on the shuttle are running smoothly. This operation you are witnessing on the screen right now is run by a Mr. Hanzo Bick. Mr. Hanzo used to be a marine salvage operator, so I have faith that this operation is in good hands."


    In contrast to the military feed videos, which were laden with statistics, the visuals broadcast to the public came attached with an anchor. The female anchor was a seasoned journalist and newscaster. According to rumors, she was previously affiliated with a famous American news organization and was the Hope News Agency¡¯s first hire.


    "Dear viewers, now we have to be patient because analysis of the asteroid will take about three to six hours. We know that space is full of unknown dangers, so before we are certain of the actual components of this asteroid, the shuttle is not allowed back into the Hope. On that note, we have here on set Professor Yuan Bin, the world-famous biologist. Now Professor Yuan Bin, can you help explain to our audience the possible dangers this asteroid could contain¡­"


    At that moment in command central, Yao Yuan and everyone else were glued to the main monitor, the shuttle¡¯s channel of communication. This was where people got firsthand knowledge regarding the space mining operation.


    Zhang Heng, Jay, and a few members of the Black Star Unit though were watching the evening news on a smaller screen nearby. When Yuan Pin appeared on screen, Zhang Heng said quizzically, "Professor Yuan Pin? Didn¡¯t he say he detests these showy news programs? Why would he agree to an appearance now? I was expecting a normal science expert, not the Hope¡¯s best in biology."


    Without taking his eyes away from the monitor, Yao Yuan answered, "I told him to make an appearance. This is to stop baseless speculation that makes people charge aimlessly into danger during emergencies, like how they did on Planet Sahara¡­ Other than that, haven¡¯t you noticed? Professor Yuan Pin is speaking in Chinese."


    "He is indeed explaining everything in Chinese. What about it?" Guang Zhen asked, with a hint of interest.


    "Notice that he¡¯s speaking Chinese and the screen has English subtitles¡­ Still not getting it?" Yao Yuan shook his head, chuckling. "At the moment, there are about ten main languages being used on the Hope, the most common ones being Chinese and English. The rest includes French, German, Russian, Korean, and Japanese. In any case, it¡¯s complicated and it doesn¡¯t serve our cause of uniting the people. To do that, we need a lingua franca.


    "There is still some time before we need to formalize an official language, but when that need arises, my choice is Chinese. Therefore, I¡¯ve requested experts like Professor Yuan Pin to appear on these shows and speak in Chinese to implant into the people¡¯s mind the importance of the Chinese language."


    After Yao Yuan finished, everyone in the room started speaking in Chinese, which left Jay alone in the dark. Only Zhang Heng noticed Jay¡¯s confused expression and patted him consolingly on his shoulder¡­ (The poor fella, looks like he might need to put some extra effort into learning a new language, but then again, the girl he was chasing, I remember quite distinctly was a language expert. Maybe she could be of help.)


    Simultaneously, out in the shuttle, experiments were being expertly carried out. First, the asteroid was spilt in half. Then, various experiments were conducted on the rock¡¯s outer surface, inner layers, and its core. Their chemical make-up, mineral composition, and even possible sentience were given a thorough sweep.


    At around four in the afternoon, initial reports showed that while the asteroid contained no microbes or viruses, its components were incredibly complex. It contained multiple metallic and non-metallic compounds, carbon dioxide, ice particles, and most importantly, radioactive substances!


    This meant that among this meteorite cluster there were some meteorites that contained radioactive deposits!


    Scientists from the Academy cheered in happiness when they were relayed this news. Their hypothesis had been proven correct. During the formation of a new solar system, it is going to be suffused with ample minerals. They cheered because this meant that the Hope was going to get a timely restock of their supply!


    And this included energy needed for space-warping!


    According to the mass spectrometer, the asteroid consisted of rich elements that could be transmuted through processes like electrolysis to produce water, oxygen, chemicals, fertilizers, mineral ores, and even raw materials for drugs!


    The significance it represented couldn¡¯t be understated!


    This meant that as long as the solar system suffered no great tragedy, the Hope could stay within this system indefinitely! Using the materials supplied by these asteroids and meteorites, man could very well build a space base. While waiting for the terrestrial planet to form, assembly of new spaceships like the Hope could be initiated. Landing could occur when the planet is ready and the Hope¡¯s technology by then should be more capable to terraform the planet into man¡¯s new home planet!


    "Have we finally¡­ found a new home?"


    Yao Yuan saw celebration erupt across the Hope through the monitor, but a sneaking wariness prevented him from sharing in the people¡¯s joy. That wariness came from¡­


    The fiery newborn star¡­


    [1] Name of the news agency created in the previous chapter.

 Chapter 62: Blueprint

    Chapter 62: Blueprint


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    At eight PM that night, the mining shuttle returned safely to the Hope, carrying along with it the analyzed asteroid piece.


    The asteroid was covered with multiple layers of insulation to prevent exposure to the Hope¡¯s air. After all, the reports they had so far had been results from the makeshift lab in the shuttle, so for absolute safety, the asteroid still needed to go through more experiments conducted within the Academy.


    As captain, Yao Yuan was present when the shuttle arrived at the Hope¡¯s hangar. He approached each team member individually and sincerely thanked them. He knew that it might seem weak to have the captain bow down to his citizens, but these people had risked their lives going on the mining shuttle. He owed them that much.


    Then, the whole Academy threw itself into analyzing this asteroid. It was dissected from multiple angles, not only from the biological and chemical. The analysis carried on through the night, but not one whisper of complaint was heard. On the contrary, most scientists were giddy with excitement. This was, after all, a groundbreaking discovery.


    All of the analysis drew to an end the following morning, and all the data was promptly compiled and sent to Yao Yuan.


    As he sifted through the technical-term-laden reports, Yao Yuan was glad he had spent his free time reading up on the sciences. If not, he would have felt he had failed the Hope.


    Other than that, Yao Yuan was immensely grateful that they had spent resources to locate these brilliant minds before they departed from Earth. Throughout their journey so far, both institutions of Academy and Workshop had proved invaluable to the Hope. For example, they were indispensable on Planet Sahara and later when they were trapped in the nebula as well.


    According to their reports, the asteroid was confirmed to not contain any harmful microbes. It also showed no traces of housing any living organisms.


    Secondly, the asteroid was made up of a myriad of components, some metallic and some non-metallic, but most of them were complex compounds or oxides. Therefore, their empirical form could be broken down through the usage of chemical processes like electrolysis.


    However, according to the Academy¡¯s hypothesis, asteroids that could be found within the cluster were too fractured to be mined. Mining efforts would have been wasted anyway since their small size meant that they couldn¡¯t carry much minerals.


    Comparatively speaking, the forming terrestrial planet that was two-month journey away from the Hope showed much better promise. The asteroids gathered around it were much bigger in size. In fact, the biggest among them had become the planet¡¯s core. Its big size meant that it had the strongest gravitational pull, which in turn ensured that its surrounding cluster would remain stabilized throughout the planet¡¯s formation. Because it was forming a terrestrial planet, the Academy was certain that it would be filled with minerals that the Hope needed.


    Closing the reports, Yao Yuan grew deep in thought.


    The reports expressed two opposing opinions. One party felt that the Hope should depart for the forming terrestrial planet immediately. According their satellite pictures, the biggest asteroid among that cluster was spacious enough to allow the Hope to land. Furthermore, its impressive size promised a wealth of minerals and radioactive fuel.


    The other party quoted the unknown dangers of space. They advocated for a safer method, which was to stay and harvest the close meteorite cluster. Even though they wouldn¡¯t contain much deposit, the Academy calculated that the amount they could provide was more than enough to support two to three space warps. Therefore, instead of putting all their bets on the terrestrial planet, the safer route would be to harvest everything around them first before leaving for the terrestrial planet.


    Both sides had their pros and cons, but the second option had the support of over 70% of the scientists. It incidentally was the option Yao Yuan was leaning towards too.


    However, the second option had a fatal drawback. To prevent collision, the Hope would not be able to enter the meteorite cluster. In fact, some of the scientist even felt that the 50 kilometers distance they currently held was not secure enough. The safest distance, according to this group, was about 100 to 200 kilometers away.


    In any case, the Hope couldn¡¯t participate in the mining itself. The mining had to be done through the shuttle or vehicles the size of the shuttle.


    The issue was that the Hope had only one functional shuttle left. Furthermore, they couldn¡¯t just blindly pick an asteroid and mine. Space mining was much more complicated than that. Selection had to be carefully made based on size and surface conditions, not to mention the shuttle couldn¡¯t carry a very large load. It would take nine months to mine the amount the Hope needed, and this was without counting the supplies that would be lost in those nine months¡­


    "Is there no other way than to go with option one?" Yao Yuan rubbed his frowning forehead, thinking.


    As he continued to sift through the stack of reports, he happened upon one written by Bo Li, one half of the Hope¡¯s pair of known Whisperers¡­ The other was Ivan, who was still on life support. The Hope¡¯s futuristic medical tech had kept him alive, but he needed a skin transplant before he could make a full recovery.


    Bo Li¡¯s report came attached with a blueprint for a simple mining airship. It was about fifteen times smaller than the shuttle, its interior could sit two to three people, and it had rudimentary communicative equipment and life support that would allow its passenger four to five hours of action in space. It was armed with a pair of mechanical arms but had no room for storage. Its small size allowed it to venture easily into the cluster and literally lug the selected asteroids back unto the Hope¡­


    The locomotive, if it could even be called that, was nothing more than a moving box. Other than a system to moderate oxygen, temperature, and pressure, it came attached with nothing extra. Even the navigation system was simplified into a one-screen panel that controlled both speed and direction.


    Because of its extreme simplicity, Bo Li¡¯s design required little resources to build. According to Bo Li¡¯s calculations, the Workshop could pump out five to seven of these machines daily. The number might increase to ten after they were familiar with the process.


    "Could this even work¡­?"


    Ten minutes later, Yao Yuan came to find Bo Li calculating something in one of the labs.


    Bo Li had a pretty face, but she usually paid no heed to the upkeep of her appearance. Most of the time, she appeared looking disheveled and disinterested. When Yao Yuan asked her about her airship design, Bo Li snapped her fingers, uttering, "It has exploded."


    "What has exploded? What do you mean?" Yao Yuan asked, slightly alarmed.


    "It has exploded," repeated Bo Li, stressing the pronoun. Noticing Yao Yuan¡¯s flummoxed expression, she moved to a nearby computer with a tsk. Soon, a simulation appeared on the monitor.


    In the simulation, as the airship returned to the Hope heavy with minerals, it started to combust. Before long, the airship exploded in a fiery shower. Right then, a GAME OVER message flew over the screen while Yao Yuan broke out in cold sweat.


    "The airship couldn¡¯t use the shuttle¡¯s engine. This is because they have different sizes and thus different energy consumption. The engine obviously needs some tweaking, but that is a modification that I can¡¯t complete on my own in such a short time," said Bo Li openly.


    Yao Yuan was ready to leave, but Bo Li¡¯s statement pulled him back. Excitedly, he asked, "Is that so? Then is it possible for us to design and build this mini engine with our current technology?"


    "Of course." Bo Li narrowed her eyes haughtily, saying, "There is no problem with my blueprint. The issue is just that it needs a specially-designed engine¡­"


    Yao Yuan suddenly broke into a hearty laugh while patting Bo Li lightly on her head. This earned him some deadly stares, but he paid them no attention as he turned to saunter out of the room.


    That afternoon, Yao Yuan gathered specialists from the Academy and Workshop to introduce Bo Li¡¯s blueprint and discuss the engine issue¡­


    Three days later, the first mini engine was successfully created. Everyone on the team was given a 50 to 100 H-coins bonus. Bo Li as the lead designer had a 250 H-coins bonus. After that, the Hope poured its effort into building the mining airship prototype.


    "Two hundred and fifty [1]¡­"


    Bo Li saw the numbers appeared on screen, notifying her of a new inbound transfer. She smirked condescendingly.


    "How old are you already to still be doing childish things like this¡­?"


    "Also, between the two of us, you¡¯re the idiot here, not me!"


    [1]250 in Chinese also referring to an idiot.

 Chapter 63: The Prototype

    Chapter 63: The Prototype


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Three days after that, at about three in the afternoon, a prototype of the mining airship was assembled. After that, it was sent to the Workshop to be fitted with simple AI and an autopilot system.


    It was already nine at night when all the necessary components were added. However, with the exception of internet cafes, which normal citizens couldn¡¯t afford and specialists had no time to visit, the Hope did not have much of a night life. Therefore, even though testing of the prototype could very well go deep into the night, everyone on the team was in support of working late.


    While being remotely piloted by an experienced engineer, the prototype took its first shaky steps into space.


    Looking at the surveillance monitor, Yao Yuan nodded approvingly. ¡°This remote control system is working brilliantly. Is it possible to have all the airships be remotely controlled so that we can cut the risk of having people inside?¡±


    The engineer shook his head, explaining, ¡°Major, I¡¯m sorry to report, but this remote control system is only usable within a short distance. Due to interference, like radioactive and intergalactic waves, control will be lost after ten kilometers¡­


    ¡°Furthermore, the meteorite cluster has a complicated landscape. I doubt a remote-controlled airship will be able to traverse it well.¡±


    Yao Yuan debated before ceding to the engineer¡¯s argument. His days in the military had introduced him to the usage of drones. He had learned how complex terrain could prove fatal to remotely controlled devices.


    Then, a soldier walked into the room. He was summoned because he used to be an operator for military drones.


    On the monitor, the prototype could be seen slowly wading out from the Hope. It had a slow waddle, but it appeared to be extremely receptive. Whenever the operator issued a command, the prototype would instantly follow.


    ¡°Next, let us increase its speed to 70 percent,¡± suggested the engineer.


    After the operator pressed on a button on the remote control, a burst of flame came out of the prototype¡¯s combustion engine. The prototype, propelled by the flame, gained a burst of speed, exposing its weaknesses in the process. It showed signs of delayed reaction when it was ordered to brake or turn under high speeds.


    Test driving took almost an hour, and Yao Yuan left with another stack of reports.


    Experts unanimously agreed that the prototype was relatively stable. It had the quality of a 21st century product.


    Nevertheless, its propulsion system, especially in terms of its lack of speed increase and negative influence on dexterity, left much to be desired. This was, however, the nature of a rocket-based propulsion system. Without a magnetic propulsion system, which man¡¯s technology at the time didn¡¯t allow, these issues weren¡¯t going to be easily fixed.


    This, however, did not mean that the experts didn¡¯t give it their best shot. Right after the test drive was wrapped up, an emergency meeting was held to improve and modify the propulsion system. An agreement was made to decrease the power of the system since the small airship would not require such powerful propulsion. This in turn preserved the airship¡¯s natural dexterity¡­


    With that, another series of tests was implemented¡­


    Zhang Heng could be found in the simulation chamber. He was practicing his piloting skills because he was personally ordered by Yao Yuan to pilot the official mining airship. It was an honor, but to be frank, he was quite miffed. ¡°Why has an important, and not to mention deadly, mission fallen on my shoulders again¡± was the question he was struggling with.


    A question to which Yao Yuan answered, ¡°Because you¡¯re the only Diviner we have on the Hope. Having access to visions of incoming danger allows you enough time to push the airship¡¯s ejector button, which will propel you out into space. Its life support will keep you alive for about another hour while the Hope moves to rescue you. In other words, you¡¯re our safest bet.¡±


    That was why Zhang Heng was miffed. It was all in all a solid argument, one that he couldn¡¯t refute. That was also the explanation as to why he had been lugging his long face around the Hope for the past two days.


    ¡°Hey, Zhang Heng, where¡¯s the meal you promised you were going to treat us to today?¡±


    A female voice asked. He turned to see Ning Xue and Mao Miao staring at him. Ning Xue folded her arms, looking at him accusingly, while Mao Miao stared innocently.


    Zhang Heng was stumped before finally remembering his promise to the ladies when they dropped by his house to have dinner a few days ago. The topic of discussion was about how their monthly allowance of 120 H-coins as students could barely afford them anything beyond the basics.


    Ever since boarding the Hope, Zhang Heng had gotten much closer to both Ning Xue and Mao Miao. For one, they were in each other¡¯s debt, and for another, all three of them were around the age of seventeen to eighteen.


    In a weak bout of machismo, Zhang Heng boasted about his considerable salary as a lieutenant and the many benefits that were accorded to him. One thing led to another, and dinner ended with him promising the two ladies a scrumptious meal at the Barracks¡¯ Restaurant the coming Saturday.


    And today was a Saturday¡­


    Laughing awkwardly, Zhang Heng hedged, ¡°Right, today is a Saturday¡­ Okay, a promise is a promise.¡±


    The two girls squealed in delight as Zhang Heng led the way to the restaurant.


    The Barracks¡¯ Restaurant was only a name since its clientele was beyond the members of the Barracks. Its name and location was such because it was directly owned by the government. Nevertheless, it was the best eatery there was on the Hope. It was staffed with the best chefs and freshest ingredients. It was the place people visited when they had an occasion to splurge on.


    When they were seated, the two girls wasted no time with their orders. Their orders included caviar, steak, wine, fruit salads, and desserts. It was obvious that both girls came from an affluent background. In fact, Zhang Heng could recall Ning Xue saying they had both previously attended Ivy League schools.


    As the night progressed, Zhang Heng could feel his pressure shedding away. The food was delicious and he was in good company. He got increasingly relaxed as conversations moved to topics that reminded him of his previous life, topics like designer drugs, race cars, and nightly clubbing. Lost in the haze of nostalgia, they were unaware that their voices had gone beyond their little party of three.


    ¡°Look at what we have here¡­ A good-for-nothing rich kid and his two little stuck-up princesses. What a party¡­ I will never understand why the Hope would admit people like you three. You sure you didn¡¯t buy your way in¡­?¡±


    A brash voice asked condescendingly, and it was followed by a chorus of patronizing laughs. Simultaneously, a hand clamped down hard on Zhang Heng¡¯s shoulder.


    Zhang Heng quickly recovered from his shock. Based on the different voices he heard, he could tell that there were about three or four men. Needless to say, they didn¡¯t respond kindly to the rich¡­


    However, Zhang Heng knew that he couldn¡¯t back down in the company of his two lady friends. Furthermore, after his experience on Planet Sahara, he was no longer the witless kid. After swiping the hand off his shoulder, he stood to turn and face the offenders.


    The group comprised of a soldier and a few civilian militia. They were all about 20 years old. The eldest among them looked about 22 or 23, and he was the one who clamped down on Zhang Heng¡¯s shoulder. Scowling with derision and condescension, they obviously meant harm.


    Zhang Heng was in his civilian clothes because he had taken off his Black Star Unit uniform after military hours. However, recognition instantly dawned on the soldier after he stood up to face them¡­ After all, the Hope had only so many lieutenants, so it was pretty impossible for him to not get recognized. Instantly, the soldier stammered, ¡°Lie¡­ Lieutenant Zhang, I did not realize it was you¡­¡±


    Zhang Heng was secretly relieved that the confrontation was to be avoided, but on the surface, he smirked. ¡°So this is how the military treats its citizens¡­ I will see all of you at the disciplinary unit first thing tomorrow!¡±


    The soldier immediately stood at the ready, replying, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± After that, he stood dazed, rooted to the ground. His friends were even more flustered, especially the one who clapped Zhang Heng on the shoulder; his face was completely blanched.


    Unwilling to attract more unnecessary attention, Zhang Heng dismissed them. As he sat back down, both Ning Xue and Mao Miao gazed at him with admiration.


    Zhang Heng was flattered but unsure as to how to respond. He had had these looks directed his way before, but those were through flaunting of his cash; he had never impressed girls with his stature before. Gulping his glass of wine, he offered, ¡°Ning Xue, Mao Miao, we aren¡¯t who we used to be anymore. This is no longer Earth, and we no longer have our families to back us up. I¡¯m now a soldier and you¡¯re students¡­ So study hard. You might not notice the difference now, but sooner or later, you¡¯ll see that times have changed¡­¡±


    That night, Zhang Heng had gained a new understanding of his post.


    He had a renewed appreciation of the phrase ¡°with great power comes great responsibility.¡± He had to act in a way that befitted his name and rank, as he was no longer the rich kid, and for the first time, he no longer wanted to return to those days¡­


    Because he was his own man now, he was Zhang Heng, a Black Star Unit member!


    Hidden from their view at the corner of the restaurant sat Yao Yuan. He witnessed everything, and after hearing Zhang Heng¡¯s lecture, he couldn¡¯t help but wear a proud smile on his face¡­


    The next Monday at 10 AM, the mining airship departed from the Hope. It was piloted by Zhang Heng¡­


    An hour later, the first manual test drive had proved successful. Its data fitted The Academy¡¯s prediction and analysis. Next, the Hope started mass producing these airships. On Friday, a 20-sized fleet departed from the Hope. They returned with more than fifty tons of minerals, and one of them had a radioactive deposit that was predicted to be able to provide more than 8,000 grams worth of yield¡­

 Chapter 64: Transformation!

    Chapter 64: Transformation!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "Breaking News! Breaking News! the Hope¡¯s self-designed mining apparatus was a glowing success. Some experts touted it as man¡¯s latest big discovery¡­"


    "Breaking News! Breaking News! The first mining expedition came back with more than 50 tons of load! With a rising number of mining airships, the yield is predicted to increase to more than 1,000 tons in future expeditions!"


    "Breaking News! Breaking News¡­"


    Early in the morning, the Hope¡¯s lowest three floors, which also housed the civilian tenements, reverberated with cries of children hawking "Hope Weekly." These were newsboys hired by the Hope News Agency to peddle their publication. They were strategically placed at public places like spots where people tagged in their ID cards to increase sales coverage.


    The price of Hope Weekly had increased from its initial 0.2 H-coins to 0.5 H-coins. With only four issues each month, the expenditure added up to a measly monthly payment of 2 H-coins. Even for the lowest income citizens, the militia reserve with their monthly allowance of 120 H-coins, it was still pretty affordable.


    For only 2 H-coins per month, people had access to what was basically the Hope¡¯s sole source of affordable entertainment and current news.


    In a roadside stall sat Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan. The leisurely way the three men enjoyed their breakfast was a heavy contrast to the stream of people rushing by.


    It was Qiu Qiu who started the conversation. "Nice, it looks like we¡¯re going to break 40000 sales this week. And to think I was afraid the price hike would affect Hope Weekly¡¯s sales, now it seems like I was overthinking again. It was indeed the right decision handing over the agency¡¯s operation to the government. We are already pretty damn rich after earning the stock dividends."


    With his mouth stuffed with food, Dan Dan nodded aggressively in agreement.


    Xiao Niao, though, smiled knowingly. "It was not only the right decision, it was our only possible decision. You have to understand how much the power the Hope Weekly holds as the Hope¡¯s only body of media. Media has always been the government¡¯s watchdog, so there is no way our semi-militaristic government would let us hold on to the ownership of the Hope Weekly. Thanks to that leverage, we were given a monthly collection of ten percent stock dividend, and that is indeed a good deal. Also, with the inevitable increase in population and thus sale, the amount we will receive will only increase."


    His two friends nodded silently. After taking a few bites of his fritters, Xiao Niao suddenly laughed, a booming laugh that attracted a few raised eyebrows. Undeterred, he said, "Bros, quickly finish your breakfast. After this, we¡¯re going to hit the internet caf¨¦. Star Wars 3 and World of Warcraft 4, we¡¯re gonna sit there until they throw us out!"


    As people rushed to work, almost every single one of them held a copy of Hope Weekly in their hands. Most zoned in on the return of 50 tons of ores, but few paid notice to the mining airship, and deep impression were left on those who did.


    Simultaneously, the Workshop was working overtime to distill the minerals and to build more mining airships. The place was understandably hectic.


    "Are we that short on staff?" Yao Yuan asked as he looked through the daily reports, many of which mentioning the lack of staff.


    During the recruitment, many general workers were recruited, but since both construction of mining crafts and distillation of ores required specialized knowledge, the lack of specialized staff was a serious issue.


    However, this could be handily resolved by movement of workers and the introduction of training schemes.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan was not seriously worried. Au contraire, he was rather relieved at their general progress. In fact, his relief was shared by many who were in the know.


    First, with the success of space mining, they had access to the much needed radioactive fuel. Furthermore, the mining had also filled their stock of raw materials for fertilizers, chemicals, and medicine.


    The oxides could be distilled to extract oxygen to supply the Hope¡¯s air circulation system, and its by-product of hydrogen could be compounded to create water.


    The metal ores could be recycled to produce more mining airships, creating a lucrative cycle. The buzz of activity also meant that the people of the Hope had pretty much settled into life in space, and the underlying sense of anxiety had dissipated. These were all good news.


    Yao Yuan approved most of the Workshop¡¯s reports and turned to look at the reports from the Academy.


    There was not much worth noting in the reports. They were filled with observations of the asteroid pieces, details like their mass, colors, and size, in other words, details that were important to the scientists but not to Yao Yuan.


    However, one of them did grab Yao Yuan¡¯s attention.


    It was a joint report between a biological and a chemical engineering committee, detailing the possibility of using the alien plant to help with the mining process.


    Yao Yuan knew that the plant was engineered with that purpose in mind and had a strong enough constitution to not require air and water to survive, but what if they ended up not able to control the plant, or what if they had an accidental handling of the plant? There were simply too many risks involved.


    In conclusion, if the purpose of using the plant was only to speed up the process, Yao Yuan would rather they take it slow.


    And of course, somewhere in the middle of the report, it mentioned something that greatly piqued Yao Yuan¡¯s interest.


    It detailed the final product collected from the plant¡¯s harvesting was not only incredibly pure, but it also contained valuable alloys that man¡¯s technology couldn¡¯t manufacture at this time. In fact, most of the uses of these alloys were unknown. They were durable enough to make coverings for weapons and spaceships, but beyond that, they had no discernible uses.


    The exception was one of the alloys which had superconductivity. It was probably the purest superconductor man had ever come into contact with. It could conduct a high amount of electricity across a long distance.


    According to the report, if these alloys were used to supplement the Hope¡¯s existing energy circuit and engines, the Hope¡¯s space warp would be much more stabilized, to the extent where the degree of damage during warp would approach zero and the Hope could also commit to better logistics!


    Yao Yuan almost jumped out of his seat in excitement when he read that paragraph. After he went through the report a few more times, he ordered the leaders of the two committees, a few physicists and Bo Li, to central command.


    When everyone was there, Yao Yuan passed the report around, and after everyone had a read of it, he asked, "We know the biggest problem facing the Hope at this moment is the issue of space warp, namely its logistics and stability.


    "When the Hope¡¯s load increases, the amount of energy required for space warp will have an exponential increase. This is the reason why we couldn¡¯t carry more supply and people with us when we departed from Earth. It was simply unfeasible."


    Gesturing at the cluster of meteorites outside the window, Yao Yuan sighed. "Many were overjoyed when we came across this clump of space rocks, because they thought that we could carry the whole group of them on the Hope, and that would single-handedly solve the Hope¡¯s shortage of supply. I¡¯m sorry to say that is not possible, because the Hope has a load limit. We are collecting as much supply as we can at the moment, but when the time comes, we will have to jettison a great part of that¡­"


    Yao Yuan looked everyone straight in their eyes, saying, "If the plants can help with this issue, I need an affirmative answer! Could the alloys created by these plants really improve the Hope¡¯s functionality during warp?


    "You have free reign to all resources, including the alien planet, so go get me the answer!


    "A simple yes or no answer!"

 Chapter 65: A Change Shall Come!

    Chapter 65: A Change Shall Come!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Science is cautious; it will not have a seismic change on the word of a person, even if said person is the leader of man. Therefore, even if Yao Yuan demanded it, the scientists would not provide the answer to his question on the spot.


    This is especially true when we take into consideration the bunch of scientists Yao Yuan was pressuring. They were powerful people in their respective fields. It was not based on ingenuity alone that they reached the heights they were at; they would not be easily pushed.


    Yao Yuan was befuddled as to why his commands had had no discernable effect. The scientists paid him no heed. Instead, they ignored him and started discussing the research details of the joint committees. The slew of scientific jargon made Yao Yuan feel even more like an outsider.


    After the discussion had reached its conclusion, a representative informed Yao Yuan that the Academy would require more time to conduct more tests before it could provide Yao Yuan with a definite answer.


    Hearing that, Yao Yuan was relieved. While the discussion was going on, he was starting to second-guess the tone he used in his directives. The matter was urgent, but the scientists knew that as well; it was perhaps too harsh for him to push them like that.


    Therefore, in the following hours, he knew that he had to restrict himself from dropping by the Academy every few minutes to check up on their progress. Thus, he shifted his attention to the still ongoing mining operation.


    However, before long, people started approaching him with requests, conflicts, and petitions. These included military, civil, and political matters.


    Before this, space warping and adventures on Planet Sahara had kept the Hope incredibly occupied. Other than issues of delegation, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t have much to worry about.


    However, with the advent of civilian tenements, currency, and a burgeoning work force, the things Yao Yuan had to look after had increased multifold. Added to that was the matter of space mining, so Yao Yuan¡¯s plate was full.


    Therefore, he was seriously considering erecting a government.


    If he were to go through with the idea, Yao Yuan knew that he would have to veto the idea of having an election. He knew that he would get a landslide victory in the first few elections, so why not skip the formality? Furthermore, he was unsure of whether or not having elections would lead to true democracy on the Hope.


    They were, after all, in space. Their situation was much more volatile and elections would only allow the dissidents an easy channel to provoke anarchy. Also, he was certain that the elected representative would not be as good at the job as he was; he was sure they would falter under the pressure.


    Therefore Yao Yuan was clear that a democratic government was impossible. For the sake of the people, he had to keep reign over unassailable political and military rights.


    On the other hand, the system couldn¡¯t be absolutely dictatorial. Yao Yuan was sure that he was a fair leader, but he couldn¡¯t say the same about other people in power. There needed to be some form of check and balance.


    This meant that a House of Representatives [not Senate] was necessary.


    Then, there was the issue of legislation. Obviously a distinction was needed between military law and civil law. However, Yao Yuan felt that they needed also a space law, law that pertained to the Hope and its survival. There must be a hierarchy between the three laws, and the space law could even be the basis of the Hope¡¯s constitution, but those were matters to be discussed with legal experts.


    After that, he had to deal with the multiple branches and departments. There had to be a Department of Military Affairs that handled everything related to the Hope¡¯s army, from space exploration to army recruitment. One department might seem like too little, but the Hope only had 2,000 or so soldiers, so one department was more than sufficient.


    Then he needed a Hall of Innovation and Communications. These included government and press secretaries, logistics people. It was called a hall and not a department because it would serve a wide variety of purposes.


    Also, not to be forgotten was the Department of Science and Technology that would handle all forms of interactions with the Academy. These included their supply demands and benefits.


    The Department of News and Broadcast would only have one news agency at its center to handle all press-related affairs. This was to prepare for the future when the Hope would have more than one news source.


    The Department of Industry to handle all matters related to the Workshop.


    The Department of Finance with its jurisdiction of currency and price monitoring¡­


    After ten days of idling, the mining expedition had grown to about a fleet of 240, and its daily salvage easily surpassed the 1,000 ton mark. Furthermore, the radioactive fuel collected thus far was more than enough to support two more space warps¡­


    The time was already late afternoon when Debinou finished his daily sweep of two residential areas. He still had to sweep the same area again later at night because his job had two shifts. It wasn¡¯t a particularly demanding job, but it was highly mind-numbing. However, Debinou was thankful for the job because with the Hope¡¯s 20% unemployment rate, he considered himself lucky to still have a job. He understood that he was no longer on Earth, where he had access to his glory and wealth¡­


    Debinou wandered over to his everyday spot to catch up with the rest of the cleaning crew. Reclining on the park bench, they started sharing their day¡¯s affairs. The main topic was how the Hope¡¯s mining expedition had been breaking the 1,000 ton mark for the past few days.


    This was also a precious time for Debinou to enjoy his daily cigarette... It was an expensive habit, but Debinou still needed time to curb the addiction. Thankfully, his salary still allowed him to enjoy one cigarette each day.


    Suddenly, an electromobile stopped in front of them and two soldiers descended from it. Then they marched towards Debinou¡¯s group.


    There was palpable nervousness within Debinou¡¯s group, but there was no hint of fear because Yao Yuan had trained his men and women well. There had been no reports of military and civilian dispute so far.


    The two soldiers gave a deep bow when they reached the group of cleaners. The European soldier proceeded to hand Debinou a document, saying, ¡°Is it Mr. Debinou? The Major requests your presence at command central at four this afternoon. This document will allow you access into the Barracks.¡± With that, the two soldiers gave another bow, climbed on to the electromobile, and left.


    Debinou was too stunned to say a single word through the whole exchange. He came to his senses as people around him urged him to look at the document. It was a simple document with a cut-out of his resume.


    However, when Debinou saw the cut-out part, his heart skipped a beat¡­


    It detailed his experience as an ex state economic advisor¡­


    Debinou was incredibly excited, but he calmly bid his leave and sauntered home. Under his family¡¯s questioning eyes, he put on the best suit he had and walked over to central command¡­


    At seven that night, Debinou was officially made the Hope¡¯s first director for the Department of Finance. His benefits would be similar to that of an intern at the Academy¡­


    It was the twelfth day the Hope had idled near the meteorite cluster when Yao Yuan came across the reports that stated that they had run out of materials to manufacture mining airships. Yao Yuan frowned.


    Then, a knock resounded through central command, and after Yao Yuan issued his permission to enter, a brunette walked in, announcing, ¡°Major, Silewei and the rest of the scientists are here.¡±


    Yao Yuan nodded. ¡°Okay, please let them in.¡±


    After the woman left, about ten scientists barged into the room. Before Yao Yuan could even get his question out, one of the scientists exclaimed excitedly, ¡°Major, we¡¯ve done it! A new energy circuit has been made, and it has been confirmed to be able to support a much higher voltage at a more stable rate!


    ¡°According to our calculations, after the Hope undergoes this update in hardware, it could withstand the maximum output from all three of our nuclear reactors. This means that the amount of load we can bring will be doubled! And there will no longer be risk of explosion and short circuiting!¡±

 Chapter 66: Bon Voyage

    Chapter 66: Bon Voyage


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    After the Academy¡¯s deliberation and testing, which lasted ten days, it was finally confirmed that the alloy created by the plants was a type of never-before-seen superconductor; it was a metal that was unfamiliar to man.


    If the Hope¡¯s energy circuit were updated with this metal, not only would it withstand the output from three nuclear reactors, it would also withstand the added energy from the crystal reactors. Even the total output compiled from all of these reactors was still way below its support limit.


    This solved some of the Hope¡¯s biggest problems, which were the risks and negative effects undertaken during warp. Simultaneously, this meant that the Hope could afford to support a greater load during warp.


    With this discovery, man¡¯s chance of survival in space had made a flying leap. Estimates put the longest man could spend in space without landing at about ten years, and with a maximum storage of fuel, the number of possible space-warps at about a few hundred times.


    Yao Yuan was immensely delighted at the news but calmly, he asked, "How much of these alloys will the plant produce? How much metal do they need to consume to create these alloys? Also, how much of these alloys do we need to upgrade the Hope¡¯s energy circuit? Most importantly, how vulnerable will we be during the upgrade?"


    The scientists looked at each other blankly before turning to the small group of statisticians that had joined them in the room. The statisticians nodded subtly. They were glad that their leader was astute enough to consider matters such as these.


    One of them immediately handed Yao Yuan a report. "Major, regarding your question, the Hall of Communications has collected some data for clarification. First, the issue of alloys¡­ Regretfully, its composition is still unknown, and we have no idea what happens during the plant¡¯s crystallization process. However, based on experiments so far, the plants will create three to four grams of alloy after consuming one ton of asteroid pieces."


    The conversion rate had Yao Yuan stunned, and it wasn¡¯t hard to see why.


    With the Hope¡¯s current fleet of 300 mining airships, they charted a harvest of 1,200 to 1,500 tons worth of minerals daily. After removing the waste materials, they were left with about 50 tons of useful minerals.


    The numbers simply wouldn¡¯t add up! The plants would exhaust the whole meteorite cluster before they could produce enough alloy to upgrade the Hope!


    Noticing Yao Yuan¡¯s flummoxed expression, a scientist quickly offered, "Major, you might think that the conversion rate is incredibly stingy, but don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re in space; there are deposits of minerals literally floating all around us. Even if we exhaust the several billion tons of minerals that makes up this cluster of meteorites, we still have that forming terrestrial planet to fall back on. The forming planet has asteroid pieces that are bigger than the Hope; just imagine how many minerals it contains!


    "Furthermore, the plant has a strong constitution and can spread very fast. If we drop it on one of the big asteroids and let it do its work, we will have more than enough alloy on our hands when it¡¯s finished. So please don¡¯t worry."


    After giving it some thought, Yao Yuan concurred. "Alright, let¡¯s move on then. How much of this alloy does the Hope need¡­ Never mind, we can skip that. If we end up with more than enough alloy, then we won¡¯t need to worry about that anymore. So the next question is: how safe will we be during the upgrade?"


    The statistician who previously spoke answered, "Of course, Major, the report has data on that as well. This is going to be an immense upgrade that will involve most of the Hope¡¯s structure, especially parts that are related to the reactors, so within this period, the Hope can only idle, and of course, it can¡¯t commit to space-warping. Regarding the danger, I suspect there will be none coming from within, but from outside¡­ that is an unknown.


    "After all, this solar system is a new system, so there might be stray asteroids. If one such asteroid heads towards us while we¡¯re in the middle of upgrading, that might be a problem."


    An engineer picked up the thread of conversation. "Also, within this period, energy to most of the area within the Hope will be cut off. In fact, the upgrade would be much faster if the Hope¡¯s energy was completely shut down."


    "A complete shutdown?" Yao Yuan frowned as he addressed the engineer. "But we¡¯re in space. Without energy going to life support, all 120000 people on board could die!"


    The engineer smiled indulgently as Silewei explained, "Of course, Major, we¡¯ve thought of that. But if we are to upgrade the Hope section by section, it will take years to finish upgrading a ship of this size. However, if we land on some planet and then transplant parts of the Hope¡¯s anti-gravitational system and life support onto that planet, the upgrade would take at most two weeks. In fact, here is the plan that we¡¯ve drafted.


    "We will carve out a temporary underground base, fit it with the necessary systems, and relocate the people there while work is being done to the Hope. It will take, as I¡¯ve mentioned, two weeks to upgrade the more important parts of the circuit. Simultaneously, with the Hope safely landed, we can avoid collision with stray asteroids."


    After weighing all the possible variables, Yao Yuan asked, "But where would we land in this solar system? The planet isn¡¯t fully formed yet. Also, won¡¯t the forming planet be prone to geological disasters, like earthquakes, due to its rapid seismic movements?"


    "Even though we¡¯ve mentioned planet, it needn¡¯t be one. What we have in mind is the core of the forming terrestrial planet. It has enough mass to make our plan possible. Furthermore, based on our observations, it has about one twelfth of Earth¡¯s gravity, and that can only aid our effort. Also, it is still too young to have a layered crust formation, so we needn¡¯t be worried about earthquakes.


    "Of course, we can¡¯t possibly erase the possibility of it colliding with other asteroids within the cluster, but since they move so slowly, it would take years before any collision would happen. With only a maximum of two months of working period, we will be gone before those disasters occur," explained Silewei.


    Yao Yuan dithered over the option. He took a long time before standing up and declaring, "Okay, everyone, the Hope is going to sail towards that forming planet. It will take two months to get there. Within these two months, I want everyone to revise and reevaluate their calculations and analyses.


    "120000 people¡¯s lives are on the line here! The margin of error must be kept to its minimum!


    "We will depart for the terrestrial planet early tomorrow!"

 Chapter 67: Arrival and the House of Representatives

    Chapter 67: Arrival and the House of Representatives


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: - -


    With the Hope¡¯s departure from the meteorite cluster, much of the forging and mining had stopped. This meant that quite a large amount of people lost their jobs.


    Initially, there were voices of complaints, but those were quickly replaced by another more interesting topic.


    The third day after the mass mining was closed down, the Hope¡¯s government released a statement saying that they were going to construct a House of Representatives, aiding the people towards self-government. Two hundred representatives were going to be selected from the general public, and there was not going to be any selection requirements¡­


    Even though the details were still unclear, each of the representatives were going to receive a certain degree of benefits, but more importantly, this held weight because it was the first time the Hope allowed its citizens a part in its administration. Everyone on board raved about this and people wandered the streets asking about the selection process. Was it going to be a voting system or were there going to be exams?


    A nervous excitement lingered for almost a month before people got tired of waiting and prompted the government to issue the selection process and rules.


    To be fair, it was not Yao Yuan¡¯s intention to drag the month out, but there were simply too many things to discuss before the admission for the House of Representatives could be rolled out. Yao Yuan wanted representation of the house to align with the racial and national make-up of the Hope¡¯s citizens, but that idea was quickly shot down by experts.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s rationale was simple: if the Hope had mostly Chinese citizens, wouldn¡¯t it be logical that the house had a majority Chinese representation? Of course, this meant limiting the number of representatives from non-Chinese countries. Therefore, about 50 to 70 seats of the house would be filled by Chinese, and the remaining would be delegated amongst others¡­


    Or at least, that was the plan.


    However, that plan was completed dismissed by the experts.


    The experts¡¯ argument was that since they were now no longer on Earth but the last human escapees, it was foolish to still insist on segregation between nationality and race. The Hope¡¯s government should aim to unite its people, not separate it.


    Emotions were high during these exchanges, and at one point, Yao Yuan even pondered, weren¡¯t these people afraid that he was going to shoot them and be done with it?


    Nevertheless, in the end, the team of experts won out. His discussion with the experts and interviews with other Black Star Unit members as well as the general public had swayed Yao Yuan to the experts¡¯ perspective. He was brought to see that it was the government¡¯s duty to introduce assimilation between its people, not segregation.


    Nomination for House of Representatives was going the classical way in the sense that voting would be held within each residential tenement to select its own representative¡­


    According to the size of the tenement, each area would have one to three representatives. The residents would vote for the candidates to represent them in the house. There would be no discrimination for candidacy, so people of all ages, sexes, races, and nationalities could enter.


    The voting period would begin on the second month after the Hope left the meteorite cluster.


    At the same time, the government released the representatives¡¯ job scope and benefits.


    Even though its power was still limited, the House would be involved in the administration¡¯s general direction, and if necessary, question its actions and decisions.


    However, the main role of the House was to be a go-between for the Hope and its people. The House would discuss and debate the public¡¯s requests and complaints regarding matters like living and working environment. After that, the House would approach the government with the results of their debate, and the government would respond to them within seven to fifteen days.


    Lastly, the House had the right to amend and reject statutes pertaining to the civil laws.


    That was the House¡¯s role within the Hope. The public was given rights to self-govern, but those rights wouldn¡¯t encroach completely on the Hope¡¯s administrative policy. For example, the House had no jurisdiction over issues like survival of the Hope and of humanity.


    Since most of the representatives would still keep their day job, their allowance would see no significant increase, hovering at about 150 H-coins per month. However, for positions like Speaker and Assistant Speaker of the House, their allowance would be about 500 H-coins per month because they had to deal with the daily ins and outs of the House. These roles would be rotated every three years and no one could hold these positions for more than three terms.


    Just like that, the two months the Hope spent sailing to the terrestrial planet was suffused with election fervor. There were speeches and rallies happening all over the ship. Benefits aside, the fame of being a representative was incentive enough for most to be wrapped up in this fervor¡­


    The Hope¡¯s central mainframe recorded that all of its 120000 citizens had participated in its first democratic process, or at least that was what a future generation found after they unearthed the mainframe several centuries later.


    And here was the complete record: Eight months after leaving Earth, the Hope¡¯s government held its first election for its House of Representatives. Most felt it to be a success and thus had kept it as a tradition, but it was undeniable that there were still parcels of the public that felt they were too oppressed. The freedom that they were granted were mere morsels because the government still held power over most of the administration. It was only after the Hope came into contact with other alien civilizations and had gone through several space wars that man realized how democratic and free they were¡­


    The conclusion was simple: democracy was indeed a human creation!


    After the election for the House was set up, Yao Yuan shifted his attention to other matters. That was, after all, the purpose of the House, to let the people govern for themselves and for him to be relieved of those responsibilities.


    Therefore, by then, he only had his eyes on the Hope¡¯s upcoming big upgrade.


    This was not only going to be the Hope¡¯s first big upgrade, it was going to be mankind¡¯s first redesign of a spaceship in space! Furthermore, this was going to be done with 120000 people on board with no planet to land nearby.


    It was not an exaggeration to say that the fate of humanity¡¯s last hope hinged on the result of this upgrade. This upgrade was going to decide whether they were going to flourish or perish in space.


    Once more, the Academy did not disappoint. Within the two months, they had recalibrated and reassessed their analysis to ensure the upgrade was a success. From the creation of a temporary space base to the transference of the life support system, they had calculated and predicted every problem there was.


    Building of the underground base would take about three months to complete. After that, one month would be dedicated to the upgrade. In other words, if there was no change in plans; the whole process would take about four months.


    While all this was underway, on a screen in a diagnostics room somewhere, the line that kept track of the solar system¡¯s new sun¡¯s radioactive and magnetic fields fluctuated. The line twitched for only a second before it returned to normal, so none of the people in the room managed to notice it¡­

 Chapter 68: Alien Plant’s User Manual

    Chapter 68: Alien Plant¡¯s User Manual


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    After two months of sailing, the Hope finally reached the forming terrestrial planet.


    This meteorite cluster was miles different from the one they were harvesting from previously. Since the previous cluster was a precursor for a gas giant, the overall size of its individual asteroids was small and they were far in between.


    This cluster, however, was made up of asteroids of differing sizes. There were some as small as several cubic meters while others were several hundred cubic meters big. In its center, there were a few asteroids that were as big as Earth¡¯s moon. They were not uniformly shaped; a result from collision with one another.


    The asteroid the Academy selected for landing was the biggest among the bunch. According to calculations of its size and mass, it had about one twelfth of Earth¡¯s gravitational force. That force was strong enough to ensure that the Hope stayed landed. Simultaneously, calculations revealed that the asteroid had a dirt layer, which meant that mining could be conducted on it.


    Before landing could be done, there remained a lot of preparations to be completed. Thanks to their experience on Planet Sahara, no one on the Hope was willing to take any more chances. Before the scheduled landing date, more than a handful of surveillance devices were dropped onto the asteroid.


    The devices were used to conduct a series of analyses. From its gravity to its magnetism, all sorts of data was collected. Thankfully, all of the results matched the Academy¡¯s hypothesis. Thus, on the third day the Hope arrived at the cluster, it started landing.


    The landing finished without a hitch. The whole of the Hope breathed a sigh of relief when the giant ship landed softly on the asteroid¡¯s surface; some of them even cheered.


    In the following days, a rudimentary scouting party was formed. Naturally, it was mostly fitted with military personnel, and a few scientists tagged along. Using a hastily-constructed landing craft, the party departed from the Hope to secure its perimeter and collect some soil and rock samples.


    That finished without a problem as well.


    What followed was a few days dedicated to analysis¡­


    There were still many wonders waiting to be discovered in space, but one couldn¡¯t just jump heedless into it. There were plans to be charted and precautions to be taken. The level of caution was especially heightened when the lives of 120000 people were tied to it.


    Six days sped past before the Academy could present its analysis result. The asteroid posed no observable dangers. However, since it didn¡¯t have an atmosphere, spacesuits must be worn at all times when one was outside the base and the Hope. Furthermore, warnings like not to stare directly into the new sun were issued by the government.


    On the seventh day after landing, a mining crew was finally dispatched. They had selected a flat land three kilometers away from the Hope as their mining site. Because they were preparing for a base that could accommodate 120000 people, the workload was incredibly heavy.


    The idea seemed so implausible that most of the citizens didn¡¯t believe it could be done. And there was basis behind their concern. This was, after all, not a construction project on Earth, which could be rushed, and even if it was an earthbound construction, it was still hard to unearth an underground space big enough for 120000 people in three months.


    However, these people were clueless to an important detail, a detail that compelled the mining crew to dig a deep hole on the asteroid¡¯s surface. The hole¡¯s opening was only about ten meters wide before it expanded in size underground.


    Within the Hope, under Yao Yuan¡¯s watchful eyes, Ivan was leading his team with an experiment on the alien plant.


    Yes, the Whisperer, Ivan, had had a full recovery thanks to the skin transplant futuristic technology. Other than a few scars that were still visible on his face, he had recovered fully from the severe burn. Of course, due to his contribution to the reverse crystallization potion, he was granted a few more promotions and was now a famed and revered biologist on the Hope.


    And Ivan¡¯s current experiment represented the most important detail that would allow the dig site to be completed within three months.


    The scientists had suggested using the alien plant to speed up the digging process. Since they were going to use it to harvest the mineral ore anyway, this would be killing two birds with one stone.


    "¡­Okay, I admit that that was beyond my wildest dreams."


    That was what Yao Yuan said the day he was presented this proposal. However, he was even more surprised by the Academy¡¯s ability to think so outside of the box.


    Its crystallization process, harvesting method, and alloy composition, all of these were details that were unknown to man when they first encountered this plant. However, the Academy had never slackened. Little by little, they had unraveled the mystery behind this engineering marvel. And now they could even engineer the plant to benefit them; it was definitely impressive.


    Yao Yuan asked, "Using the plant will indeed speed up the digging process greatly, but you guys have to understand, we still have no full control over these plants. If we allow them to grow wild, they might harm us in the end.


    "Although these plants won¡¯t directly harm us, they will consume everything in their proximity, and this includes our spacesuits. Do I need to remind you that this asteroid has no atmosphere? Also, what if the plant ends up desertifying the asteroid like it did to Planet Sahara? How will we handle it then?"


    To which the group of scientists provided an answer that made them sound less like men and women of science but fantasy novelists.


    "Indeed, with the plant¡¯s accelerated growth, it might get out of hand easily. Plus, the asteroid¡¯s lack of atmosphere does complicate things. It would be hard to manually inject the virus in this environment. So how about we introduce the virus into its system beforehand?"


    "Introduce the virus beforehand?" Yao Yuan repeated dumbly.


    "Yes, with a prepared virus capsule. But since these plants are highly sensitive to the virus, it is impossible to introduce it into them the conventional way, as they will wilt almost instantly. But don¡¯t worry, because we have come up with a plan¡­


    "There is one thing that the plant won¡¯t consume, and that is the energy crystal that it produces. According to our testing, the plant will only reabsorb it into its system.


    "Therefore, Major, we are going to embed a nano-machine into a small energy crystal and let it be absorbed by the plant. The machine will contain a capsule of the plant virus. The machine will be controlled via a remote so that when the time comes, we can use the remote to order the machine to release the virus. In case of interference, the machine could also be timed. After a specified length of time, let¡¯s say, three or five days, it can be programmed to automatically break out of the crystal and release the toxin. And then, the plants all over the asteroid will wilt and die!


    "That, sir, is our plan to use these plants! In fact, we¡¯ve found ways to turn these plants into a beneficial tool! From matters of harvesting, mining, energy supplying, and new alloy industry, we are slowly compiling a user manual!


    "Yes, Major, our technological level might be laughably low when compared to other alien civilizations, but that is not because we¡¯re simple minded, it¡¯s just that we lack the necessary experience!


    "Man¡¯s intellect¡­ will never be overshadowed by any other civilization!"

 Chapter 69: Harvest Season

    Chapter 69: Harvest Season


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The operation on the plant was successful. As a precaution, the scientists didn¡¯t let the plant absorb the crystal naturally but inserted the mechanically-enhanced crystal into the plant¡¯s central sac through old-fashioned surgery.


    Three separate insertions were done on plant samples of varying growth stages, from the budding shoot, to flowering tendrils. Many plant samples, however, were casualties of these three successful ones.


    Then, the scientists realized that these wilted plant materials were excellent sources of plant fiber. They could be used to create paper, which was especially useful now that the Hope had a news agency.


    The Academy was glad that they had stumbled upon such a treasure. They believed that this plant would prove invaluable to their misadventures in space!


    The belief had infected even Yao Yuan, who ordered some plant spores to be kept in quarantine so that when man¡¯s technology caught up, they could be used in more wonderful ways.


    On the other hand, the mining operation had reached its end, which meant that it was time for the alien plant to be used. Of course, they needed to fit the underground hole with surveillance devices before they could release the plant to monitor its growth rate. The devices would be corroded in the process, but those were necessary sacrifices.


    Setting up of the surveillance devices took up yet another long day. After all, this was the first time man had used space technology; they were using a plant for the purpose of harvesting and excavating, so they had to be incredibly cautious. In fact, some parts of the Academy still rejected using this method. They had appealed to Yao Yuan multiple times to give man a few years before they commit to something mankind couldn¡¯t understand and handle.


    These voices of dissention came from senior scientists, and even though Yao Yuan knew that their points were valid, he believed that man needed to look ahead. For a better chance at survival, they needed a leap in their technological advancement and not a stagnant idling. Yao Yuan felt that using these plants was a step in the right direction.


    However, Yao Yuan still had a needling apprehension about the whole operation. In fact, it was not a feeling that was unique to him. He had consulted Zhang Heng, who expressed the same concern. Nevertheless, because Zhang Heng said that the feeling was more like an annoyance than acute danger, they both decided to keep the matter under wraps.


    What mattered the most at the moment was for the upgrade on the Hope be done expediently. This was because if there was any danger, with the upgrade, they could choose to warp without reservation.


    After the manual excavation was completed, an acid-covered plant sample was lowered into the hole. Within, four cameras were monitoring it.


    "Releasing energy bait."


    "Surveillance system working as normal."


    "Initiating heat detection sensors."


    "Opening radiography system¡­"


    All of these commands poured towards Yao Yuan, who sat over the whole operation in central command. Finally, every single surveillance device at the Hope¡¯s disposal was activated. As an extra safety measure, the Hope even flew 500 meters off the asteroid¡¯s surface.


    "Now, shed the acidic carapace."


    "Captain¡¯s order, shedding the acidic carapace¡­"


    In the surveillance video, one could see the covering surrounding the plant blow up into smithereens. However, it was an incredibly contained blast; there was barely any lingering smoke. After that, a ball of green mass slithered to the ground. It then pooled itself in a clump, barely moving.


    Everyone watched the video with bated breath, waiting for the alien plant to respond. Gradually the plant mass started to spread out. Other than the globular sac that remained in the center, the rest of the plant fused into searching tendrils. They latched onto nearby rocks, and before long, the rocks turned to sand. It was obvious that the plant had awakened from hibernation. With an incredible speed, the tendrils crowded towards a corner of the cave. It was reaching for the previously buried energy bait.


    After ingesting the bait, the initially 30-cubic-centimeter-wide plant¡¯s mass grew to about several hundred cubic centimeters wide. Plus, it showed no signs of slowing down. Almost instantly, it dissolved an amber-colored stalactite the size of a grown man¡¯s fist. Before long, it expanded to ten cubic meters in size.


    All this was carefully recorded. Attention was especially paid to the amber-colored rock. After all, its color meant that it probably carried radioactive deposits, and those needed extra analysis.


    Just like that, within only a few hours, the hole that was only about several meters wide grew into a cavern that was a few hundred meters in size.


    During this process, a lot of air was released by the plant. The scientists had found out that the oxides in the rocks were converted by the plant and released into the air as oxygen and other gases. This was the reason behind Planet Sahara¡¯s unique air composition.


    The whole project took about seven hours to complete. By then, the plant had grown to a massive size about one hundred meters big, and the cavern was already one thousand meters wide. The harvest would be allowed to continue if not for the fact that the plant suddenly ate upwards. Therefore, the process had to be halted. With the press of a button, the plant started wilting. In about 10 seconds, all that remained were husks of the plants.


    Everyone on the Hope cheered for the success of the operation. A digging expedition that would require months of manual labor was completed within a few hours; it was truly a sight to behold!


    After landing once more, a special unit made up of soldiers and scientists went into the cavern. They started to survey the situation, especially the plant¡¯s activity. Everything had gone according to plan. All of the plant had died, leaving behind a bunch of fibers, sacs of minerals and alloys, and most surprisingly, an energy plant capsule the size of a ping pong ball!


    This meant that they had another energy crystal in their hands!


    Although it was only the size of ping pong ball, it contained one tenth of the energy supplied by the Hope¡¯s crystal reactors!


    Then there were pure minerals of many kinds, such as copper, zinc, aluminum¡­


    There was also a great harvest of alloys. Together with the alloys, whose usage was still unknown, they had harvested about one ton of the superconductor alloy!


    The time spent on transporting these materials alone was one full day and one full night.


    However, the cavern was not large enough to accommodate 120000 people. Therefore, the excavation would have to continue. Calculations estimated another ten excavations. This meant that harvests of this size would be repeated another ten times!


    After these ten harvests, the Hope would no longer need to worry about its stock of metals, energy crystals, and plant fibers. Other resources, like fertilizers and chemicals, could be transmuted from these, so that meant that the Hope wouldn¡¯t need to worry about those anymore either.


    The only exception was the radioactive ores and that happened to be the Hope¡¯s most urgent necessity. But in a forming solar system, there was bound to be loads of radioactive substances, so it didn¡¯t pose much of a worry. With time, the Hope would also have more than enough stores of radioactive supplies.


    This had brought a fresh wave of hope to every man on the Hope. Their initial consternation regarding this solar system was immediately wiped out. This system was, in fact, a paradise!


    During the second scheduled harvest, a few specialists were looking through the recent computer records on the system¡¯s new sun. Suddenly, one of them said, "Hey, come over here and look. There was a spike in the sun¡¯s radioactive scale yesterday."


    The other specialist replied, without raising his head, "Was it a short fluctuation before everything returned to normal?"


    "Yes, you¡¯re right," said the surprised specialist.


    "Then it¡¯s probably fine," offered another person at the end of the room, "That has been happening since two months ago. Our observations showed that the sun has remained overall stable. We¡¯ve reported this to the Academy, and their personnel reached the same conclusion after their own analysis. Since every other reading on this sun has remained relatively stable, this was probably a misreading by the device or a result of asteroids colliding with the sun.


    "In any case, record it down and report it to the Academy, but most probably they¡¯ll tell us that it¡¯s nothing again."


    With that dismissal, everyone went back to work¡­


    Far away from the Hope, the sun burned quietly, spreading its warm embrace throughout the solar system¡­

 Chapter 70: A Big Development

    Chapter 70: A Big Development


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "There are so many things waiting to be done!"


    After the big plant harvest, with the addition of so many supplies, the Hope was over the suggested warp weight limit. In fact, if the Hope were to attempt a warp right now, the fate awaiting it would be instant explosion.


    However, these additional supplies were necessary for survival of the Hope. They would allow the Hope 30 more years of survival in space without the need of another restock. That number was not one to be scoffed at; that was already half of a lifetime.


    Therefore, the upgrade on the Hope must be completed to accommodate these extra loads. With an update on the ship¡¯s energy circuit, not only could they support these loads, they could also space warp without fear of its dangerous side-effects anymore.


    With that goal in mind, after the plants were cleared out of the cavern, architects and engineers started drawing up a layout for the underground base. Within two months, they planned to finish fitting the base with necessary life support systems like an anti-gravitational system, indoor lightning, and an air recycling system.


    The whole series of projects was first drafted by experts and architects, then it was discussed by the House of Representatives before being sent to Yao Yuan to be approved.


    The procedures were extremely streamlined. The addition of a Hall of Innovation and Communications had indeed increased the overall efficiency on the Hope. This was because the workers here were all experts in the field, and this included Yao Yuan¡¯s new secretary¡­


    Yao Yuan¡¯s secretary, a strawberry blonde with a sparkling resume who happened to also have a voluptuous figure and a penchant for wearing black lace during work had attracted many a meaningful stare from other Black Star Unit members when they came for their appointments with Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan was initially reluctant to hire her due to obvious reasons, but he caved due to her impressive resume. His decision had raised a few suggestive eyebrows within his close circle of friends.


    There were five candidates up for the secretary post. Two of them were public servants while the other three were international companies¡¯ secretaries. Before affirming the appointee, Yao Yuan had a face-to-face interview with all five of them.


    At the end of the interview, it was obvious that Barbie Isle, who had a mastery of five languages, a sharp mind, broad knowledge, especially in fields of natural science, and who also happened to be a survivor of Virus X, was the best candidate.


    The optics aside, Yao Yuan had to choose her for the job. And his choice was validated because Barbie has proven to be a very capable secretary.


    Other than Barbie, other personnel in Hall of Innovation and Communications were experts at their job. As a middleman between Yao Yuan and the rest of the Hope, this hall had made life a lot easier for Yao Yuan. He even had time to enjoy a daily meal at the Barracks¡¯ Restaurant and visit the residential tenements once in a while. These were things that he didn¡¯t have time to do before.


    Nevertheless, with the advent of the new underground base, Yao Yuan returned once more to his busy schedule.


    First, there was the engine room proposal for radioactive resources collection. They suggested using radiation detection devices to harvest these deposits instead of the alien plant because the plant would directly ingest the valuable deposits. This meant that collection had to be done manually, the traditional mining way.


    Therefore, a mining party had to be formed. It would consist of engineers and technical workers to help transport the yield and soldiers to guard it. Preparations needed to be made for supply lines, spacesuits, gas masks, machinery, etc¡­


    When this workforce was assembling, representatives from the Workshop came with a proposal to build a factory that specialized in manufacturing spare and fine parts¡­


    According to their inventory, the parts they had brought from Earth had been exhausted, especially after constructing the fleet of mining airships.


    Even though there were already multiple forges and factories on the Hope, they only handled the manufacturing of factory-scale products. These included furniture, machine parts, automobiles, and the likes. To prevent overload, the fine parts assembly line was jettisoned during departure.


    This situation needed to be fixed because the Hope currently had no spare parts available for emergency replacements.


    Therefore, the Hall of Innovation and Communication had an emergency meeting to discuss this issue with pertinent engineers and experts, and to draft a budget¡­


    Before this issue would reach a conclusion though, representatives from the Barracks came with their report.


    The Barracks wanted to build more shuttles, not the flimsy ones like the mining airships, but ones replicating the Hope¡¯s original shuttles, the ones with an anti-gravitational system, a long term homeostatic system, and an engine powerful enough to shoot through a planet¡¯s atmosphere.


    The Barracks asked for five such shuttles to be built. The reason given was because the Hope needed a dedicated shuttle fleet to handle delicate situations that were too unwieldy for the Hope, situations like incoming meteorite rain and future planet invasion or defense. Having these shuttles would allow the Barracks to have more tactical options. Furthermore, they wanted the shuttles to be equipped with missiles to increase their combat capability.


    Yao Yuan initially thought that the proposal was preposterous, but after giving it some thought, he found that there was validity behind it. Even the Academy said that they were prone to stray asteroids idling outside the cluster, and having a shuttle fleet with missiles would resolve that worry. Plus, who knows what else they might encounter in the wondrous cosmos¡­


    And so, Yao Yuan launched another meeting with another set of experts. After double-checking the Hope¡¯s store of missiles and their combat ability, that proposal was accepted as well, but the five shuttles had been reduced to three¡­


    Right after that, another report came Yao Yuan¡¯s way and it was from the agricultural committee¡­


    Ever since the introduction of currency, the citizens¡¯ buying capability had seen a tremendous increase. This led to a high demand for food items like meat, eggs, and dairy products, so the Hope was running dangerously low on food. The biomes, with their limited fields of wheat, potatoes, corn, and vegetables, weren¡¯t big enough to feed 120000 people.


    The report suggested either increase the price for these items or finds a new spot for plantation and farming.


    And this new spot suggested by the committee was equally preposterous¡­


    They suggested adding an additional cabin on the seventh level, using the biomes as its foundation.


    The Hope¡¯s architectural structure was a predesigned marvel that was built to maintain a perfect balance throughout the ship during space travel. It couldn¡¯t afford any additional attachments, or the delicate balance could be destroyed, which would in turn lead to disastrous result.


    Therefore, the committee¡¯s report came with a solution that would bypass that limitation. They wanted an external cabin because during flight, it would be attached to the biomes but be supported by zero gravity space, so it would not affect the Hope¡¯s sense of balance. During landing or warp, the seventh level could be brought within the Hope because the balance wouldn¡¯t matter then.


    Once more, Yao Yuan was persuaded because the other option would be to introduce a price hike. That would decrease the morale on the Hope and that was totally undesirable.


    Therefore, at the end of a long to-do list, construction of an external cabin was added¡­


    Next, a second recruitment was conducted to supply workforce to all of these projects. The wage had increased from the previous 300 H-coins to 400.


    The renaissance of the last human community that everyone was hoping for seemingly had arrived¡­

 Chapter 71: A Satisfying Day of Work

    Chapter 71: A Satisfying Day of Work


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "You big liar! I¡¯ve warned you, stay far away from me!"


    About a hundred people could be seen bustling about the radioactive ore mining spot. A few mechanical drillers were employed to dig deeper into the ground. At other sites a few yards away, other crews were busy laying down tracks. Overall, there were more than a thousand workers laboring in the area.


    This meant that the Hope¡¯s current unemployment rate was at a satisfying zero. The previously overloaded patrol and public service units even had to let some go so that they could be siphoned into these waiting projects.


    The mining spot was at a plateau not far away from the Hope. Using detection devices and manual digging, they hoped to gather enough radioactive deposits for the Hope¡¯s reactors. Due to this usage of conventional methods, the whole project needed about five thousand workers. The number was so high because there was a shift rotation to keep 24-hour functionality.


    They wanted immediate results, but since the asteroid had no breathable atmosphere and only one twelfth of Earth¡¯s gravity, the normal nine to five working hours would exhaust most men. Therefore, the original three shifts per day were expanded to five shifts per day, and that meant a vibrant workforce was required.


    The wide scope of the project meant that there were people from all walks of life, nationalities, and language backgrounds. This made multi-lingual translators a necessity, and one was attached to every few units.


    Of course, a respectable amount of military was required to ensure the protection of the people. They were also tasked with guarding the supply lines that were responsible for transporting the mined ores as well as the space-handy compact oxygen canisters which were invented in the year 2023.


    Therefore, it was to Xiao Chen¡¯s annoyance that the unit she was attached to had her nemesis¡­ the liar, Jay Wales!


    Speaking of which, the devilish trickster sidled up to her and grinned mischievously. "But it¡¯s my job to stick to you. You¡¯re an important asset to us, after all, O great translator. Now, don¡¯t be shy; I¡¯ve read through your resume. You¡¯ve mastered eight different languages at your young age and are still learning a few more. Now how could I ever let my eyes off important personnel like yourself¡­."


    Suddenly, Xiao Chen shrilled, "You¡­ you¡¯ve read my resume?!"


    Confused, Jay replied, "Of course¡­. You¡¯re the leading translator of the units I¡¯m attached to. It¡¯s only natural for me to go through your¡­"


    Losing her temper, Xiao Chen leaped to give Jay a flying kick. However, she forgot that the asteroid¡¯s gravity was much lower than Earth¡¯s, so instead of hitting Jay in his chest, with a scream, she flew over his head instead.


    Sighing, Jay grabbed hold of Xiao Chen¡¯s calf. Carried by her forward momentum, both of them flew several feet in the air before landing in a heap on the ground.


    "Are you crazy? Did you not read the safety protocol? We don¡¯t need someone like you to endanger this mission! Either go and memorize the protocols or hand in your resignation!" Jay roared angrily as he righted himself.


    To his surprise and concern, Xiao Chen started crying uncontrollably. After pushing away Jay, who went to help her up, she yelled, "Who the hell do you think you are to lecture me like that?! You¡¯re a liar! You have no right to lecture me! Or to read my resume, for that matter! That¡¯s a gross violation of my privacy! Get away from me! Go find your blonde girlfriend and leave me alone!"


    "Listen to me, you crazy woman¡­"


    The surrounding people smiled as they watched the scene unfold before them. It was oddly grounding to witness something as common as a couple¡¯s quarrel in the middle of space. It was a much needed levity in the midst of everything.


    At the same time, Jay¡¯s friend, Zhang Heng, could be found wolfing down his lunch of bacon fried rice in The Barracks¡¯ Restaurant. In between mouthfuls, he reached for the steamed lobster and stir-fried vegetables that were set before him. A red apple was also present to serve as dessert. It was a luxurious meal, one that the normal working people could only afford twice per month.


    Sitting opposite Zhang Heng were Ning Xue and Mao Miao. They smiled inwardly as they sat watching Zhang Heng wolf down his food. After a while, Zhang Heng lifted his head and as if noticing the two girls sitting there for the first time, blushed, and said, "Forgive my rudeness; I¡¯m just starving after a long day of work."


    Both girls shook their heads smilingly, and Ning Xue asked, "If your job is so demanding, why don¡¯t you look for something more relaxed?"


    Barely containing his pride, Zhang Heng replied, "How is that possible? Among the Homo Evolutis, there are two more confirmed diviners, but their instincts aren¡¯t as good as mine; their prediction works only half the time. They need me down there in the cave. It¡¯s dug by plants after all, so who knows whether it¡¯ll cave in or not. My power is indispensable. Only I can tell accurately whether there is a danger of cave-ins. I barely have time to do anything else!"


    There was a hint of bravado and confidence behind his voice as Zhang Heng lamented his busy schedule.


    Both girls picked up on that, and it hit them right there that the mewling boy they had once nursed in their laps had blossomed into a full grown man. A mix of attraction and regret suffused their racing hearts.


    Suddenly embarrassed by his sanctimonious speech, Zhang Heng abashedly scratched his head. "Okay, that¡¯s enough about me. How about you two? How¡¯s school?"


    "It¡¯s the same as usual, but at least we have an interesting new professor this semester. He has been griping about how the Hope¡¯s government has forgotten about the Department of Education, and how that will be the humanity¡¯s downfall. Hearing him speak, you would think he should have gone to the Major with his demands already¡­" pouted the two girls.


    After that, the party of three segued into other topics. With a similar familial background and age, the topics between them were practically endless.


    At the other end of the restaurant, a few middle-aged men and seven or eight youngsters made up a strange table of friends. A sense of joy was shared as they ate their meals and sipped their beers.


    A Caucasian, middle-aged, firmly-built man burped after he downed his beer. "Now this is the life! To have your family waiting with a warm meal and cold beer after a satisfying long day of work. The picture would be complete if there was a free movie or television show."


    This unlikely mix of friends was workers that had just been released from their work shift. They had just returned from the asteroid to the Hope. To celebrate the increase in their allowance and new friendships, they unanimously agreed to splurge for a night out at the Hope¡¯s best eatery. Enjoying both beers and cigarettes that most had not touched in a long time, blissful satisfaction was written plainly on their faces.


    "500 H-coins per month and provision of luxury items like alcohol and cigarettes during breaks, now this is indeed the life," sighed a young man satisfactorily.


    After taking another long drag of his cigarette, the Caucasian man continued, "Now, I¡¯m going to let you guys in on a secret that only we technicians know. Based on the data we¡¯ve collected so far, the Hope has hit the motherload this time! Did you know that the scans showed that the meteorite cluster and this solar system in general contain more mineral deposits than our own star system? Before long, the Hope will have to expand into more projects and job scopes! I¡¯m not ashamed to admit that prior to this, I would wake up scared s**tless in the middle of the night¡­


    "We were too helpless, too lonely, too isolated in the vast cosmos. I didn¡¯t believe we had what it takes to survive in space. But after locating this system, my view has changed. The Hope itself has changed as well. Things are so much better now, people are better taken care of, and benefits are better, even the food¡¯s better¡­" The man pointed jokingly at the empty plate before him before continuing after another drag of smoke. "I have a six-year-old son. I was so afraid for him, afraid that he will not have the chance to even begin his life before tragedy hits this ship. But now that fear has dispersed like smoke. I pray to God that the Hope will keep up this busy schedule¡­


    "This proves that we humans can not only survive but also flourish in space¡­


    "That is my firmest belief!"

 Chapter 72: Moving In

    Chapter 72: Moving In


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    It took two months and 29 days to completely furbish the underground base with necessary life support.


    The temporary base was separated into three levels. The top level, also the biggest level, was designated as residential area. It could accommodate up to 80,000 people. Other than that, this level was also where amenities like communal cafeterias and bathrooms could be found.


    The middle level was also going to be a residential area. It could accommodate 50,000 people. The combination of these two levels could house most if not all of the Hope¡¯s general citizens.


    The last level was the industrial area. All assembly lines that were constructed in the past two months were here. Production of spare parts, technological goods, the three shuttles, as well as the external cabin were this floor¡¯s responsibility.


    Although temporary, the base was responsible for the lives of 120,000 people. If it were to fall, it would handily wipe out humanity¡¯s last hope.


    Therefore, multiple stages of detailed vetting and testing were necessary before the government would allow the public to move in. There was no margin for error. Yao Yuan even threatened execution for those found guilty of mishap. He didn¡¯t think his threat was over the line, because the lives of many outweighed the lives of the few!


    However, because the failure of this project would harm the families of these engineers, technicians, and general workers, Yao Yuan¡¯s threat was excessive.


    In fact, the project was originally completed in two months. The multiples stages of quality control had dragged it to two months and 29 days.


    The period of quality control was so endless that it even had Yao Yuan antsy and worried. After a final tweaking had been done to a spot of water piping that had been found to be faulty, the underground base was finally cleared for lodging.


    By then, the Hope had left Earth for over 11 months. According to the Hope Calendar, they were about 15 days away from the Hope¡¯s first New Year. It was a historical moment not only because mankind had spent a whole year in space, but also because that year was incredibly tumultuous. Frankly, no one expected they would last this long!


    It was truly inspiring to realize how far they had come since then. They now had enough materials and energy to last another 30 more years in space. The harvesting of radioactive deposits for the past two months also ensured the Hope 370 more space-warps!


    Furthermore, within the piles of radioactive deposits, the Academy had discovered many unfamiliar radioactive isotopes. They were naturally-occurring elements that were previously unknown to man. Their rarity could be credited to their incredibly short half-lives. The Academy needed to do more testing before their uses could be known.


    However, it was undeniable that they had their own specific uses. Maybe they could be used in the future to build radioactive weapons. Hence, the Hope decided to keep a store of them in their mineral form.


    The bountiful harvest, the zero unemployment rate, and the increase in wages kept the Hope¡¯s overall spirit at an all-time high. To keep the high morale going, Yao Yuan ensured the supply of luxury items be kept constant by expanding the biomes to include coffee, hops, and tobacco fields. There was even an added pool to rear seafood like lobsters and crabs.


    An atmosphere of glee suffused the Hope for the past three months. It was the first time there was such an overt showcase of joy and happiness since they left Earth. It was a joy that was that much sweeter because it appeared that they were slowly climbing out of rock bottom.


    "Attention. Please make sure your spacesuit is correctly equipped before stepping out of the Hope. Ensure that all the clasps and zips are secure. Please follow all of the safety protocols during transportation. Do not take too big of a step, do not use excessive force, stay close to your assigned partner, and do not stray away from your group. Attention¡­"


    There was a vacuum sanitation chamber near the ship¡¯s entrance. Everyone had to go through it before they could step out into open space. With its 10 doors, each cycle allowed 100 people to go through at once. About 1,500 people would pass through every 30 minutes.


    It was finally time for migration from the ship to the base. From its 120,000 citizens, there were about 70,000 women and children that hadn¡¯t been exposed to open space since they boarded the Hope. Therefore, the government had to handle the transfer delicately. To ensure a stable level of efficiency and safety, every group of 1,500 people that left the Hope was assigned a troop of 300 soldiers.


    Even before leaving the Hope, there were talks, rehearsals, and simulations of safety protocols to guarantee a safe transfer. The government had done all it could to provide maximum protection.


    The Academy and the Workshop went as far as engineering and building a space bus to transfer babies and toddlers. This was because they were too small to fit into the available spacesuits. The bus could run for eight hours, perfect for short-distance trips like these.


    The migration took about three days and three nights. It took such a short time because supplies like water, oxygen tanks, food, and tents were transported beforehand. Later, people could claim these by presenting their ID cards.


    After three days, there were still a few technicians and soldiers that remained on the Hope. They were responsible for maintenance of the biomes and overall security.


    Yao Yuan also moved into the base, while maintaining a line of communication with the Hope. Many jobs awaited him in the base, like overseeing the reports of the ongoing radioactive ore mining, the running of the industrial level, and arrangement of settlement within the public. In fact, his workload had increased manifold since the move.


    Six days after they settled into the base, the Black Star Unit members that were in their downtime, accompanied by Jay, approached Yao Yuan in his office, attempting a proposal.


    "A New Year party? Campfire party? And events like¡­ Movie screenings? Transformers 7, Spider 8¡­"


    As Yao Yuan listened to his teammates rattle off their ideas, it finally dawned on him that the Hope¡¯s New Year was coming in a few days¡¯ time¡­


    "We can have a New Year party but not a campfire. For one, there is no spare fuel, for another, what about the lingering smoke? However, the idea of classic movie screening is not bad. We can sequester some strategic spots for that purpose and¡­ the choice of films can be decided through voting. But no adult films. Wa Luo, wipe that lascivious smile off your face, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know about the files you have in your hard drive. Those are exactly the films that we can¡¯t be showing."


    The more Yao Yuan thought about it, the more he realized how warranted the party was. First, it could raise morale; second, it would ease the public¡¯s anxiety; and third, didn¡¯t they deserve a party? Everyone had suffered through so much to finally reach a stage where people could legitimately lay back and relax. Wasn¡¯t that worth celebrating?


    Yao Yuan¡¯s approval was met with a resounding cheer. A cheer that was joined in by the rest of the Hall of Communications, and his secretary, Barbie, smiled gratefully at him.


    The group went whistling happily out of Yao Yuan¡¯s office, and even long after they had left, the sense of joy lingered in the room.


    "If there is a God, I pray to thee to keep us safe, to make sure this joy continues year after year. Give us strength to push forward, to find mankind a new home."


    Yao Yuan silently prayed before shaking his head and laughing at the absurdity of his actions. After that, he picked up the rest of the reports to review¡­


    Then, it was New Year.

 Chapter 73: The New Year Party

    Chapter 73: The New Year Party


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    News about the New Year party and movie screening spread among the Hope¡¯s citizens like wildfire. People weren¡¯t expecting much from the government due to their busy schedule, but to have such a momentous date marked with a big celebration was a joyous comfort.


    Of course this meant that the authority had more things on their plate. Personnel who were still stationed on the Hope and workers on the radioactive mining sites as well as the industrial level were going to return to the base¡¯s residential area to join in on the celebration. Plans had to be made to tighten the security and to maintain order. Shifts would have to be introduced so that the guards themselves could take a breath and join in the fun.


    However, what¡¯s a party without food? And for a celebration this size, the amount of food they needed to prepare was ginormous.


    But a promise is a promise. The authority wasted no resources preparing delicious meals and luxuries like cigarettes, candies, fruits, and wines. Nevertheless, it was all done within Yao Yuan¡¯s stipulated limit. Their emergency stockpile of food was not to be touched. They were already using every single acre of fertile land of the biomes. This precious stockpile needed to be kept untouched in case of emergency.


    Even so, the amount of resources used to make this party a success was not something to be brushed off, but Yao Yuan felt that it was permissible because the completion of the external cabin would help restock these resources quite easily. After weighing all the options, Yao Yuan finally resolved to approve the request to pretty much empty their stored food items. Following that, he also started recruiting experienced chefs.


    However, a party is not just food; there needs to be conversations and events. The issue of language barrier then stood in the way of this.


    So, Yao Yuan lost himself in another busy week preparing for the party¡­


    While dragging a grumpy Ren Tao to the canteen, Chou Yue grumbled, "Would you stop giving me that sad face, Ren Tao? So I woke you up from your sleep, what¡¯s the big deal? You could do the same to me next time¡­. Alright, listen up because I have a serious question for you. Do you think I should join the audition? Humble brag, I do know a lot of pop songs."


    Ren Tao scratched behind his ears uninterestedly. "You, singing? Please, you¡¯ll only scar the audience. Think of the senior scientists and technicians who will be joining this party; I don¡¯t think their hearts could withstand your singing. I don¡¯t think your status as a pseudo-diviner could excuse you from a mass murder of that scale."


    Chou Yue smacked the back of Ren Yao¡¯s head angrily, yelling, "If you don¡¯t have anything good to say, don¡¯t say anything! That¡¯s a life lesson for you. Plus, it¡¯s you who can¡¯t appreciate my unique tone. But fine, I won¡¯t be auditioning. Happy now? And so what if I¡¯m a pseudo-diviner? It¡¯s still better than you, who isn¡¯t part of the Homo Evolutis elite! After I¡¯ve mastered this power, maybe they¡¯ll even give me a military post, maybe one like Zhang Heng¡¯s. You¡¯ll really feel sorry then!"


    Ren Tao only smiled blankly in return. In his mind though, he was actively rearranging all his observations from the past few months.


    The Homo Evolutis his sister had just quoted was the group of people who survived Virus X. To his knowledge, this group of people acquired superhuman powers after the ordeal. An example was the diviner like his sister. She could predict danger, or as he saw it, it was a heightened sixth sense. Research on sixth sense had been around for quite some time, and although there had been no conclusive proof, experts agreed that such an attuned sense does exist in some people.


    The most powerful diviner on the Hope was the famous Zhang Heng. His power was so focused and trained that his was more than a mere sixth sense; it could legitimately be called a superpower.


    Other Homo Evolutis included the likes of researchers, Ivan and Bo Li. They were The Whisperers. According to hearsay going around the ship, the pair had been responsible for solving many scientific conundrums facing the Hope ever since their powers had been discovered. They were even named the future Newton and Einstein by people of the Hope.


    (Now that I think about it, my powers do seem awfully similar to the Whisperer. But instead of hearing voices, clues, logical deduction, and reduction come easily to me. Maybe I should give myself a cool superhero name as well¡­ Hmm¡­ How about the Thinker?)


    While Ren Tao got lost in his thoughts, Chou Yue, who was still fuming, stormed ahead. After a while though, she felt something was off. The sense of weight she was supposed to be dragging disappeared. After turning around, she realized that she had been holding on to the limp sleeves of her brother¡¯s jacket, and the body that was attached to it had completely vanished¡­


    On the other hand, Ren Tao in his undershirt found himself five feet in the air, hanging on to the side of a sturdy tent pole after unconsciously clambering up it¡­


    The New Year party was a great success. The people who got through the audition presented a hilarious and varied series of performances. Naturally, these weren¡¯t professionals, but that only added to the sense of camaraderie surrounding the party.


    The party came with a quotaed buffet. Luxuries like seafood, cigarettes, alcohol, and truffles were limited to few servings per individual, but bases like noodles, rice, soup, and potatoes were unlimited.


    Served with delicious food, surrounded by a joyous crowd, and serenaded by musical performances, for many, it felt like a regular night off back on Earth¡­


    Reminiscing about the journey they had taken since then, many surreptitiously wiped away their stray tears¡­


    They had spent hours, days, weeks, and even months worried about personal safety when they first left Earth, when they landed on Planet Sahara, and when they ended up trapped in the nebula. It was, for many, a touching and inspiring moment.


    Right then, Ning Xue, who gave a beautiful rendition of a melodious pop song, concluded her performance and left the stage. The next person to ascend the stage was a 17-year-old Asian girl. With a head of lustrous hair shimmering like black silk, she was a beauty with her toothed smile and pearly skin.


    But what truly grabbed everyone¡¯s attention was the fact that the girl was wearing a traditional Han costume. Like a lady who came out of a Chinese period drama, her outfit added a sense of class and dignity to her beauty. As she readied for her performance, everyone started to quiet down.


    With the host¡¯s aid, she laid down a GuZheng [1] on the table before her. Then she proceeded to mesmerize the audience with a haunting string musical¡­


    "[2] Starry, starry night, a world shining in pearly haze, do you remember our carefree days, a world that we have loved deeply so¡­


    "But we were forced to go, to a world that is unknown still, a cosmos blowing with its winter chills, an empty, empty land¡­


    "Now strong and proud we stand, for hope spoke to you and me¡­


    "How strong this hope has made us be. It said we¡¯ll again be happy. No matter the distance, no matter how. In fact, I can see it now¡­ Starry, starry night¡­"


    From the song¡¯s rough edges, it was obvious that the song was an original and the girl didn¡¯t have much experience performing in public. It was highly possible that she wrote the song herself.


    However, everyone present was moved by the lyrics and melody of the song. From the devastation of losing a home planet, the excitement in the prospect of progress, and hope for the future, it was as if they were reliving these moments vicariously through her song!


    It was a magical and indescribable experience. It was as if the audience was charmed by the girl¡¯s performance and they could share her emotions, feelings, and her soul through her song.


    Homo Evolutis like Yao Yuan, Zhang Heng, Jay, Ren Tao, Chou Yue, Xiao Chen, even Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan in the crowd though shared surprised and cryptic expressions.


    They saw something of themselves in the girl. During the performance, they felt like the girl was communicating personally with them on a spiritual level through her song.


    Yao Yuan quickly waved for his secretary to bring him the files on the girl.


    "Nian Xi Kong, so you¡¯re one of the Homo Evolutis, and one whose power hasn¡¯t been discovered¡­


    "The ability to effectively communicate feelings and emotions on a spiritual level¡­ An Anima [3]?"


    [1]A Chinese string instrument


    [2]Translation of the lyrics is roughly modeled after the song, Vincent


    [3]Greek term for soul

 Chapter 74: Solar Wave

    Chapter 74: Solar Wave


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The sense of joy slowly dispersed following the conclusion of the New Year party, but a fostered sense of faith and conviction had lingered within the people long after the last light of the party was switched off.


    Scratching his head, Yao Yuan mumbled, "Hmm, this is troublesome. We burned through so much of our food stockpile, huh?"


    "But Major, if you look at it from another perspective, the fact that we are running low on resources is a good phenomenon," offered Barbie, who stood beside him.


    Yao Yuan looked curiously at his secretary. "How so? We might be facing a situation where people will have to starve. How is that a good phenomenon?"


    In her tight skirt and figure-hugging black suit, Barbie was a gorgeous beauty with her pair of chilling blue eyes and olive skin.


    She smiled. "With all due respect, Major, you¡¯ve got to open your eyes to other possibilities. History has shown repeatedly that paucity of resources doesn¡¯t necessarily lead to collapse. With the necessary programs in place, it could even inspire progress in production and economy. Some people work well under pressure."


    After some rumination, Yao Yuan replied, "So you believe that releasing information on this shortage and the fact that the government is actively building an external cabin to counteract this problem will inspire a resurgence of faith in the people? Because it shows that the government cares about the public enough to share its crisis with them, and also that it¡¯s capable of resolving those issues?"


    "Yes, I do believe so. Major, you have been viewing the government and its public as two separate and opposite entities. I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯s wrong, because a line does need to be drawn within the two, but it serves us no good to completely alienate the public in the government¡¯s decisions. By involving the people, it¡¯ll foster a feeling of loyalty and responsibility¡­" Barbie offered with a sweet smile.


    Finally, Yao Yuan concurred, "Yes, I can see the point of your argument. If it doesn¡¯t involve something crucial like military regimes and governmental restructuring, we should be inviting the public to join in the conversation¡­. Barbie, if you find me with such lapses in judgments again, please kindly remind me to correct my erroneous ways."


    Barbie chuckled coquettishly. "Wouldn¡¯t that be inappropriate, Major?"


    That was the reason why Yao Yuan was initially reluctant to hire Barbie. He knew rumors would start flying around the Hope. The fact that his own Black Star Unit members started looking at him slyly had proven him right. Thus, faced with Barbie¡¯s slightly flirtatious remarks, Yao Yuan could only smile awkwardly in return.


    A few days later, when the news of food shortage broke, it was as how Barbie expected; no one began pointing fingers. Many even approached Yao Yuan to volunteer for more shifts.


    Things were right on track¡­


    The projects resumed after the New Year party. The crews continued upgrading the Hope¡¯s energy circuits.


    The first level that underwent the upgrade was the sixth level biomes. It was the most difficult level to upgrade because it housed many plants and animals. The energy couldn¡¯t be completely shut down, for it would harm these creatures, and there was no other empty space available to temporarily move the plants and animals to. Therefore, the upgrade had to be carried out section by section. It was incredibly time-consuming, and the upgrade of the biomes alone took up the bulk of the stipulated schedule.


    Thankfully, the upgrade went without a hitch. After that, they moved on to upgrade the circuits around the three nuclear reactors. To facilitate that, they had to shut down all energy that was connected throughout the Hope. The only exception was the biomes. In other word, if the Hope was to come into contact with any form of danger then, it would be doomed.


    Due to that reason, Yao Yuan ordered a team comprising of a newly built shuttle and their remaining shuttle to patrol around The Hope during that vulnerable period. The shuttles were upgraded to have at least minimal combat capability so that they could provide firepower in case it was needed.


    This upgrade took either to ten days. They had to be extra cautious because this modification corresponded to the Hope¡¯s stability and functionalities during warp.


    The crew worked tirelessly to finish this important circuit upgrade. Finally, the upgrade was completed, and what followed were upgrades of other miscellaneous electrical parts, which would take about another half a month.


    With the completion of the main energy circuit¡¯s upgrade, the Hope¡¯s central mainframe, alongside its rudimentary surveillance system, came back online. With its radar in place, at least now the Hope would know of and could prepare for impending danger, and with that, many breathed a sigh of relief.


    The day after that, the Hope¡¯s scanning and detection system had been restored to its full capacity. Two technicians started their day going through the routine checks. They chatted jokingly about their days until one of them froze silently before a printer. After retrieving the printed report with a shaking hand, he yelled, "Quick! Send this report to the Academy, which is now stationed at the underground base!"


    The report featured wildly fluctuating graphs. It was a report that documented the sun¡¯s radiation level, electromagnetic waves, and photon levels, and it revealed a startling truth¡­


    The newborn sun of the system was undergoing an unknown but immense change!


    A catastrophic change!


    And quite possibly an explosive change¡­


    "No! It can¡¯t be an explosion! After a sun is formed, it is already fairly stable. The only time it would be unstable would be when it reaches its final stage, where its inner cloud of hydrogen becomes transmuted into helium and reacts with other elements to form compounds. We would see a fluctuation in its star body then! Of course, before then, if a high velocity asteroid with a heightened photon level flew into the sun, it would create a disaster on a catastrophic scale, but there is nothing in our system thus far that suggests that would happen in this solar system!"


    Within just 30 minutes, all the relevant scientists gathered in the second level field when news of the report reached the underground base. They were joined by the Black Star Unit and all other known Homo Evolutis, and this included their newest addition, Xi Kong.


    The person on stage now was the famed astrophysicist, Alan Watts. After reviewing the data, he was debunking the theory of galactic explosion espoused by a physicist that spoke before him.


    He said solemnly, "As everyone here knows, this is a new solar system we¡¯ve found ourselves in. The star is brand new, filled with various unknown hydrogen composites. It is too young to cause any explosive reactions. Of course, we can¡¯t rule out periodic fluctuations of a new sun, but those fluctuations occur every few hundred million years; is it even possible for the star to have aged so much within the time we¡¯ve been here?"


    While listening to Alan¡¯s explanation, Yao Yuan was reviewing the reports that were handed to him. Reports on the sun then and reports on it ten days ago seemed to correspond to two entirely different cosmic entities! The differences between the data were so obvious that it was not lost on a non-scientist like Yao Yuan.


    While pressing the voice button on his chest, Yao Yuan interrupted, "Sorry, Professor Alan, as the person responsible for the last survivors of humanity, I don¡¯t need a class on astronomy at the moment. I just have two questions that I need answered¡­


    "What exactly is happening to this star, and how is it going to affect our situation?!"


    Alan nodded firmly before addressing the crowd. "Within the half an hour of receiving this report, the astrophysics committee has had an emergency meeting. The most possible hypothesis we¡¯ve come up with is that the star is beginning its transformation from a protostar to a main sequence star.


    "Since this is the first time we are witnessing this transformation in person, I can¡¯t guarantee what will happen. The best I could provide is based off of simulations done by the National Observatory¡­


    "The star will undergo a limited expansion before exploding in a wave of radiation and electromagnetic currents. Whether or not that will affect us directly¡­


    "...I have to say, the answer is most likely. During this transformation, the star¡¯s seismic changes will increase the overall activity of the asteroids in the system, because formation of a main sequence star would incite a quicker development of planets to complete the solar system¡­"


    Right then, everyone felt a tremor shake the room. The force toppled several people off their feet. After that, lights on the walls and ceiling started blinking before going off completely, and cracks started forming on the cave walls¡­


    Was it an earthquake?


    Or hints of something else¡­

 Chapter 75: The Collapse

    Chapter 75: The Collapse


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The tremors lasted for three to five minutes. The room shook violently in the first few minutes before petering off.


    People started collecting themselves when some of the lights came back on.


    The second level they were in was in total shambles. There were multiple cave-ins, and wall installments littered the floor in pieces. Simple constructions collapsed under the pressure, and most worryingly, cracks began appearing on the floor.


    This was not the cave¡¯s natural flooring. It was reinforced cement flooring that had passed stringent quality control. The fact that it started cracking was an alarming testament to how strong the earthquake was.


    When debris fell from the cave ceiling, Yao Yuan was unfortunately hit on his head by one of the bigger pieces. Trapped in a throng of panicked crowd, even though he could sense the danger, he couldn¡¯t timely avoid it. The concussion knocked him out cold for several minutes. Even as people around him started rousing themselves, Yao Yuan was still drifting in and out of consciousness.


    His Black Star Unit members were the first to notice the blood streaming down Yao Yuan¡¯s forehead. Lifting his leader and friend up into a seated position, Ebon yelled for medical attention. "Doctor! We need a doctor here! Liu Bai! Where in the world are you? Get over here!"


    Hearing his name, Liu Bai quickly rushed to Yao Yuan¡¯s side, uttering hurriedly, "Ebon, would you stop with the yelling! It¡¯s not helping the situation¡­. Let me see¡­. Thankfully it¡¯s just blood. Damn, I don¡¯t have my medical kit on me. And people, move out of the way, you¡¯re blocking the light!" He then proceeded to take Yao Yuan¡¯s pulse and check his iris for eye movement.


    Ebon seemed ready to scream something else but was stopped by a firm pat on his shoulder. He turned to meet Ying¡¯s piercing glare. "Didn¡¯t you hear what Liu Bai just said? Move out of the way, you¡¯re blocking the light!"


    Ebon swallowed his retort and sluggishly moved his giant body out of the way, but his eyes remained firmly fixed on Yao Yuan.


    By then, Yao Yuan was gradually regaining his sensibility. However, in reality, even though he was unconscious, he could sense clearly what was happening around him. He just couldn¡¯t seem to command his body. As he woke up, he shook his head at Liu Bai, signaling that he was fine, carried himself up with his friends¡¯ help, and surveyed the surroundings.


    The devastation aside, Yao Yuan also frowned at the group of scientists that was in the room with them when tragedy hit. About 10 of them were also victims of falling debris, and some were still unconscious. Most soldiers and Homo Evolutis also suffered light abrasions. It was, in one word, chaotic.


    "Ying, bring Zhang Heng and a small unit to check on whether the ceiling of the first floor has opened to space. This is most important, so go now," Yao Yuan issued.


    Ying saluted, wrangled up seven trained men, and marched towards the first floor.


    Without missing a beat, Yao Yuan turned to Liu Bai. "Liu Bai, I want you to head another team to take care of all the wounded. Record any and all deaths and serious injuries. I will send extra medical supplies and personnel to join you in about 10 minutes."


    Liu Bai saluted and then quickly led his team to the group of scientists. He understood what was left unsaid in Yao Yuan¡¯s orders. It seemed cruel, but the lives of these scientists were the most important, even more important than the Homo Evolutis¡­


    "Ol¡¯ Wong, and the rest of Black Star Unit, your job is the heaviest of all. I want you to gather all the remaining soldiers and escort the civilians on this floor up to the first floor.


    "This quake came too suddenly, so the people must have been spooked. I want you to go up there and maintain order. Ol¡¯ Wong, I give you the power to terminate any and all dissidents that attempt to foment ensuing chaos. Show them no mercy! And this includes executing any resisting military, public servants, or sc¡­ scientists!"


    Yao Yuan gritted out his last few syllables. The sense of dread and rancor in his order was so acute that it had Jay, who stood several feet away, shivering.


    With a grim fa?ade, Guang Zhen saluted his leader. He then turned to gather the rest of his team members and moved to complete his assigned mission objective. Instead of moving towards the residential areas though, his team first made their way to the direction of the arms storage area.


    Yao Yuan silently nodded his head. He had full faith in his second-in-command, and he knew that this important mission was left in capable hands. Then he turned towards the group of Homo Evolutis.


    "Follow and keep up with Lieutenant Wong¡¯s team. You¡¯ll be safest with him, so please move," Yao Yuan advised them.


    Yao Yuan tried to keep his words light, but his intonation betrayed the severity of the situation. They knew that refusing this order would result in disciplinary action and possibly execution. So they nodded obediently and waited for Guang Zhen¡¯s team to return.


    Jay made to join this group, but Yao Yuan grabbed him by his shoulder and said, "Jay, you¡¯re with me!" With that, Yao Yuan sprinted towards a long corridor.


    After a slight hesitation, Jay ran to catch up with Yao Yuan. In between breaths of air, he asked, "Hasn¡¯t everything been properly assigned? What else is there for us to do?"


    "The third level¡­"


    Yao Yuan continued with much difficulty, "I¡¯ve been hearing voices coming from the first floor ever since the quake. This means that there¡¯s probably chaos up there, but it also meant that the passageways between our level and theirs are clear enough to allow the sound waves to pass through. But the third floor¡­ There is supposed to be at least 3,000 workers and 200 soldiers stationed there. There¡¯re several industrial machines as well, but I haven¡¯t heard a peep coming from the third floor¡­. I fear¡­ The passageway to the third level has completely collapsed."


    Jay recovered from his shock and asked hurriedly, "Does this mean that the third floor itself has collapsed¡­ But what about all those people in there? It¡¯s impossible that they¡¯re all dead, right?"


    "I have faith in the experts¡¯ analysis of the base¡¯s structural integrity. Their environmental report says that the base could withstand up to magnitude 9 earthquake, so this small tremor should do it no harm. The level itself should be safe, but it¡¯s the getting there that I¡¯m worried about¡­. Anyway, let¡¯s go take a look first," Yao Yuan added.


    Jay went silent to digest the information. After a moment, he asked carefully, "But why didn¡¯t you pick one of the Black Stars to join you? I don¡¯t have Zhang Heng¡¯s divining ability nor the others¡¯ weapon skills. Are you expecting me to dig the passageway with my bare hands, or intend to use me as a meat shield?"


    Yao Yuan turned to face Jay and looked him in the eye, saying, "Jay, you are part of the military and a reserved member of the Black Star Unit now. Remember that you belong to this ¡®others¡¯ you speak of¡­ In any case, I had a fit of inspiration to bring you along. It was as if something was telling me that the lives of these 120,000 people will depend on you¡­"


    Shocked by the revelation, Jay quickly added, "Don¡¯t tell me the shuttle¡¯s nuclear missiles stockpile are on the third floor! I¡¯m not a hacker or bomb diffusion expert, I can¡¯t handle those!"


    Yao Yuan laughed bitterly, "No, it¡¯s something worse¡­"


    "Something worse? What could be worse than bombs?" questioned Jay incredulously.


    "¡­The alien plant!


    "The energy of this base is supplied by the three crystal reactors situated on the third floor. According to protocol, the acid and potion bath has to be recycled every eight hours to ensure that the output of the plant remains constant¡­


    "If the way to third floor really has collapsed, it will be impossible for us to dig our way through in under eight hours. This is because we have to take care of the majority first. This means assigning most of the workforce to the top two levels to ensure order and security¡­


    "Only after that can resources be relegated to opening the pathway to the industrial floor. Do you know what this means? We¡¯ll need at least 18 to 24 hours to clear the pathway, but currently there are only two changes of potion available down there, because all the potion stock was stored on the second floor¡­"


    Yao Yuan swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, adding, "This means we might be losing power to this base soon. Do you know how long man can survive in space without the support of the life preservation system? The most is 30 minutes!


    "I could send the people on the first two floors back onto the Hope, but Jay, what about the people down there?!"


    In an uncharacteristically fragile moment, Yao Yuan pleaded with tears in his eyes, "There are at least 3,000 people down there, Jay. Do you hear me, 3,000 people! These are people that we¡¯ve shared tears, laughter, and sweat with; you want me to sit idly and give them up?! I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t!


    "So, Jay, please, I beg of you. Please listen to my desperate and only plea¡­


    "Use your mental manipulation power! Trick the plants into believing the potion has been changed even though it hasn¡¯t! Please!"

 Chapter 76: 24 Hours (1)

    Chapter 76: 24 Hours (1)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    When Jay and Yao Yuan arrived at the pathway leading to the third floor, they were distraught to realize that it had indeed collapsed. The collapse was so complete that there wasn¡¯t space for a rat to squeeze through, much less a full grown man.


    After an uncomfortable moment of disbelief and stunned silence, Yao Yuan met Jay¡¯s eyes and said, "There¡¯s no other way now. Get closer to the rocks and try to focus on the plant¡¯s presence. You don¡¯t need to use your power yet, just try to clear your mind. There are still two changes of potion available down there, so I believe we¡¯re safe for the next 20 hours."


    After a pause, Yao Yuan added, "Jay, you stay here. I need to go meet up with the rest to come up with a plan. But trust me. I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible."


    After hearing that, Jay panicked. "Wait, Yao Yuan! I can¡¯t focus with all that¡¯s going on around us. Plus, I have no idea how I obtained this power in the first place; how do you expect me to switch it on just like that?! It¡¯s pointless for me to stay here, so how about I follow you up there and we¡¯ll come back here together in 20 hours?"


    Grabbing Jay by his shoulder, Yao Yuan sternly said, "No! You have to stay here. 20 hours is my rough estimate because the limit the experts gave me was 16 hours. The difference will depend on the concentration of the potion currently used in the reactor¡­. Also, Jay, Xiao Chen is down there. She applied for the post of translator for the technicians so she could avoid you!"


    Jay was flabbergasted by the news and Yao Yuan took that opportunity to leave. After a long while, Jay lifted his hand at the direction Yao Yuan ran off to. As if finally noticing that Yao Yuan was no longer there, Jay slid passively down to the floor, mumbling, "What does he mean by trying to focus on the presence of the plant? Does he really think I¡¯m Superman? Why does he trust me when I don¡¯t even trust myself¡­


    That bastard!"


    On the other hand, the team led by Ying had reached the entrance to the first floor. They breathed a sigh of relief after finishing a cursory survey. Even though there were a few pieces of falling debris and widening cracks, because it was the underground base¡¯s main entrance, the place had escaped the quake practically unscathed. Most of the machines were functioning normally and the quarantine room was still in one piece. Thankfully, there was no air leakage.


    Ying couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by the Workshop¡¯s craftsmanship. They must have spent days designing and building this entrance. This confirmed Ying¡¯s initial evaluation of this entrance when they first moved into the base. Based on his sniper experience, he believed it would require at least a tactical missile to break down this door.


    Then, Ying turned to address his team. "Everyone spread out to secure the perimeter. Zhang Heng, are you getting anything with your divining power¡­ Zhang Heng?"


    Ying turned to the direction he thought his teammate was standing and saw a blanched Zhang Heng. He quickly rushed to Zhang Heng¡¯s side to keep him from falling. "Zhang Heng, what¡¯s wrong? You¡¯ve sensed danger, haven¡¯t you?! Tell me!"


    Zhang Heng swallowed nervously and replied in a wisp of a voice, "The door itself is fine¡­ but the concrete foundation connecting it to the cave wall is loosening. I have no clue how much longer the entrance will stand, but it has been sending me waves of warning ever since we stepped into this area."


    Ying took in a breath and nodded slightly at Zhang Heng without uttering a word in return. Then he sat firmly down on the floor, looking resolutely at the entrance door.


    Ever since the Hope left the confines of Earth, many of its citizens had been working hard, brushing up on their knowledge about space. For example, they knew that instead of ballooning up and bursting in an explosion like how it was commonly portrayed in movies, man would die of asphyxiation if left in space without support.


    That was the danger they would face if the door was to fall. If the foundation continued to loosen, the difference in air pressure inside and outside the base would create a powerful pressure vortex. A small crack in the foundation would lead to the entrance being completely ruined¡­. That would certainly spell doom for the 120,000 people within.


    Speaking of the people within, when Ying¡¯s team was rushing to the first floor entrance, they had witnessed chaotic outbreaks among the people. There weren¡¯t any cases as serious as robberies or murders for now, but it would probably take hours before order could be restored. It would then take a few more hours to equip everyone with space gear before they could proceed to migrate back to the Hope¡­


    Even though the Hope¡¯s main energy circuit had already been upgraded, most of its remaining circuits were still in progress. If the Hope couldn¡¯t power up its life preservation system, the 120,000 people would have to stay in their space-gear. That would not work long-term because the spacesuits had limited battery life, so they could only function for¡­


    Ying had never felt so crowded with worries and insecurities before in his life. He then received a newfound respect for Yao Yuan who had to look after these issues every waking moment of his life.


    "Zhang Heng, tell me immediately if you sense things changing¡­ On the scale of 0 to 100, 100 being we¡¯re completely toast, how we are faring at this moment?" Ying whispered.


    Shutting his eyes, Zheng Heng then paced around the room before stopping before Ying. "It should be around 80¡­ No, 70!"


    "70? Let¡¯s hope there¡¯s still time!"


    On the other end of the base, Guang Zhen¡¯s team had changed into their full uniform after gathering all the remaining soldiers and functioning weapons. Starting from level 2, they began consoling the public while moving everyone up to the first floor. Simultaneously, Liu Bai¡¯s medical unit was making the rounds and offering help to the wounded. A temporary camp was set up to conduct simple surgeries and to act as a collection spot for the medical workers and supplies.


    "Haven¡¯t I said not to conduct any invasive surgeries?! Prioritize stopping the bleeding before doing anything else!" yelled Liu Bai, when he saw a team of doctors cutting open a heavily wounded citizen to retrieve the objects that were lodged within.


    The doctors were openly flustered before one of them spoke. "But Lieutenant Liu Bai, the patient¡¯s vena cava has been pierced. If we don¡¯t remove the object, it¡¯ll lead to internal bloating and he¡¯ll¡­"


    "Just stop his bleeding first. You can continue the surgery back on the Hope!" Liu Bai stole a glance at the patient who appeared to be an engineer. Regardless, he continued forcefully, "First of all, we don¡¯t have much blood here because the blood bank is on the Hope. Secondly, we are extremely under equipped. Last and most importantly, you still have time to conduct these surgeries because the overall situation is not so bad on this level, but I assure you things are much worse on the first floor. Please do not think that we¡¯re in the middle of a hospital¡­


    "Because this is a battlefield!"


    Even though Liu Bai normally had a polite demeanor, if need be, he could gather a frightening and commanding presence. The doctors who were used to his smiling face were too afraid to even look him in the eye at the moment.


    "I repeat, this is a battlefield! We¡¯re no longer medical doctors but field doctors! It¡¯s our responsibility to save as many lives as we can and realize that pooling our resources on one person is going leave another 10 to die. It¡¯s cruel, yes, but reality¡¯s cruel!"


    After that, Liu Bai turned to finish stitching the wound of a woman who had gone unconscious. "There are only 120,000 people left on the Hope, so understand that our effort is utilitarian¡­. It might be amoral to let 100 people die so that another 1,000 can survive, but that is what we field doctors are supposed to do!"


    "Take it from me. It¡¯s easier to stomach that sting of guilt if you see it as hope for the greater good!"


    "Yes, take it from me, the person who sacrificed his teammate¡¯s life so that more could live. Trust me, you¡¯ll eventually learn how to live with it¡­"


    Liu Bai¡¯s last sentence was so soft that none of the people around him heard it. In fact, it felt like that proclamation was meant for his ears alone. Hurrying on to his next patient, no one realized tears were mixed with the sweat that was pouring down his face¡­


    By then, 30 minutes had passed since the big earthquake¡­

 Chapter 77: 24 Hours (2)

    Chapter 77: 24 Hours (2)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    When Yao Yuan arrived at first floor, most of the 120,000 people had already been gathered there. It was incredibly crowded. Guang Zhen¡¯s team was busy patrolling, handing out bandages. The fallen debris coupled with the trampled tents and broken appliances lent the place the look of a refugee camp.


    The faces of the many soldiers and citizens lit up with hope when they saw Yao Yuan. Many who had been sitting languidly on the floor stood up involuntarily as they parted the way for Yao Yuan to pass through. The black-star close guards moved to huddle behind Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan was suffused with an inexplicable feeling as he moved through the expectant crowd.


    (Is this what you meant by responsibility? Just like how I¡¯ve been leading the Black Stars, now I have to lead the last remnants of humanity as we struggle through space in search of a new home? This is one hell of responsibility¡­ One that I¡¯m not sure I could keep on bearing¡­)


    Yao Yuan had remained exceptionally quiet since he arrived, and before long, his vow of silence slowly infected the people present, until finally, with the exception of the sounds of breathing and children crying, not a single word could be heard.


    Ying sidled up to his side to whisper in his ear when Yao Yuan reached the middle of the crowd. Yao Yuan¡¯s expression shifted temporarily before returning to normal. Next, he ordered a few soldiers to construct a temporary stage.


    While construction was going on, Guang Zhen led his team to report back to Yao Yuan. No words were exchanged, but a lot had been said between the two men¡¯s silent salute.


    Yao Yuan took the stage and scanned the ample-sized crowd. The sea of people stretched beyond horizon. Just for comparison, during the Chinese Olympics, the televised event featured a 90,000 sized crowd. A crowd that size could barely fit in the TV screen, so you can imagine how big the crowd on the first floor was!


    It was a sight to behold.


    Ebon came up the stage to hand Yao Yuan a microphone. Yao Yuan inwardly sighed when he saw Ebon struggling up the stairs with his prosthetic mechanical limbs. "Ladies and gentlemen, no, my fellow survivors, you may or may not have seen me around the Hope, but I¡¯m your captain, Yao Yuan.


    "In the year 2029, Earth met its biggest catastrophe, wiping out all that it has nurtured. Our friends, families, and civilization, alongside Mother Earth, perished in that tragedy¡­


    "But we¡¯re still alive! We who are no longer separated by countries, race, or skin color ever since we stepped onto the Hope, because underneath it all, we are only human, fellow humans of Earth!


    "Today, we come into yet another space tragedy not unlike the one we have faced on planet Sahara. Without the protection of Mother Earth, we¡¯re as fragile as hapless babies. We¡¯re unable to survive in space, much less conquer it¡­


    "And yet, surviving we have been! With hope, with dreams of a new home, a better future, and survive we shall!"


    Yao Yuan took a deep breath and yelled into the microphone, "I¡¯m very glad that the deputy captain told me that there was no record of misconduct when he escorted everyone up here. In fact, there was barely any harsh jostling, so I¡¯m very impressed! Even rocked by a sudden earthquake, everyone has managed to keep calm. Not only that, but you even helped and supported each other, so good on you!


    "On that note, please remember today, and remember this spirit of charity during tragedy. Remember our hopes and dreams, to one day feel the earth beneath our feet again, to feel the wind touch our skin¡­. Remember our children and our future generation, because we do it all for them so that they can wake up one day and take in not the cold, steel walls and empty space, but the sound of the sea and the warmth of the sun!


    "And for that, I am willing to sacrifice everything, even my life! I hope you would too!"


    The crowd¡¯s morale soared after Yao Yuan¡¯s speech. By the end, people were chanting Yao Yuan¡¯s name in frenzied waves! Some butchered the unfamiliar Chinese pronunciation, but that only made it that much more inspiring.


    "Alright, people, please calm down." Yao Yuan waved for the crowd to quiet down.


    "Now, I need the men to step forth and follow your deputy captain to the second floor to retrieve the space-gear from the storeroom. Remember to account for your families and take care of those who are unable to fend for themselves. Bring an extra spacesuit even if you¡¯re single; you might run into someone that will need it. Remember, we¡¯re all in this together!


    "All the womenfolk please do look after your children. Those that can afford to lend a hand, search and rescue the wounded. Mend light wounds, but yell for military assistance if the injury is too serious.


    "Let¡¯s move out and prepare to get back to the Hope!"


    Sustained chaos erupted after Yao Yuan finished speaking; however, that quickly siphoned into a disciplined fervor. Instead of idling blankly around the field, the men marched towards the storeroom and the women spread out to offer help.


    Without wasting another breath, Yao Yuan turned to Guang Zhen. "How it¡¯s going, Ol¡¯ Wong? Have we established contact with the Hope?"


    To which Guang Zhen replied with a shake of his head. "Unfortunately, no. The Academy suspects they will need 30 to 40 minutes to restart the Hope¡¯s energy system after an earthquake this size¡­. Then again, depending on the stage of the circuit upgrade, the downtime might increase to an hour. In any case, we have no idea what is happening on the Hope currently."


    "Regardless, if there¡¯s another quake or something is indeed wrong with the star, I don¡¯t think this asteroid, or even the Hope, could survive that¡­" said Yao Yuan tiredly.


    The pair descended into a gloom of silence. They were briefed on the situation with the entrance by Ying. Although Zhang Heng¡¯s prediction had dropped from 70 to 60, the door would collapse in hours.


    Ten seconds later, Yao Yuan picked up from where he left off. "Ol¡¯ Wong, I want you to continue maintaining order. Ying, form another team of ten to transport the wounded and the rest of the medical workers to Liu Bai. Also, bring along some spacesuits for those that have recovered enough to move."


    Addressing Lee and Ebon, Yao Yuan continued, "The pair of you, take the rest of the Black Star Unit to go and locate some technicians. I need them to drive the short-distance preservation buses up from the second floor to this floor. They might need to do several trips to transport all the kids, but we should have enough time. After that, make sure they go back to fetch Liu Bai, the medical crew, and the wounded."


    "Major, what about me? Should I stay near the entrance?" asked Zhang Heng.


    Yao Yuan paused before resuming. "No, Zhang Heng, I have another mission for you. Put on a spacesuit and take another one for Jay. I want you to go down to the pathway leading to the third floor, he¡¯s waiting there. Both of you need to put on a spacesuit, but keep the helmet open and don¡¯t use the life support system for now. You use it only after you hear big changes coming from above. The oxygen supply in the spacesuits is limited and we need as many seconds as we can get out of it."


    Zhang Heng nodded, but then he cautiously asked, "But if I¡¯m gone, who will tell the danger level?"


    Yao Yuan replied firmly, "Other Homo Evolutis¡­ They¡¯ll need the field experience to grow, right? Didn¡¯t you go through the same thing on planet Sahara? Your skill got enhanced because of that experience, so this will be good training for the rest of them. Don¡¯t worry, I have it covered."


    Hesitation disappeared from Zhang Heng¡¯s eyes. He saluted before moving to join Ebon and the rest.


    After Zhang Heng disappeared round the corner, Yao Yuan called for one of the close guards. "I want you to find me Ren Chou Yue. You should be able to tell her apart based on her ID. She¡¯s the Diviner, Ren Chou Yue!"


    At that moment, Chou Yue was mumbling under her breath about the mistreatment against Ren Tao. She should¡¯ve been the one sent to get the spacesuits. Her skinny brother could barely support one spacesuit, much less two. But since it was the captain¡¯s order, she had to stay behind helplessly and watch Ren Tao leave. She was fuming silently, replaying the words they had exchanged before they parted.


    "Sis, I need you to squeeze to the front of the group to make sure you are one of the first to leave this base. I saw that Zhang Heng guy wandering around the entrance for a long time; he¡¯s a diviner like you, right? I suspect¡­


    "That the entrance might fall soon!"


    It had been 50 minutes since the earthquake¡­

 Chapter 78: 24 Hours (3)

    Chapter 78: 24 Hours (3)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Ren Tao was calm. Some might even say that he was being callously calm in spite of everything that was happening around him.


    Situated in the middle of the crowd, he felt his surroundings to be exceptionally quiet. All the destruction, the debris, and the voices were nothing but mist that no longer clouded his mind. Instead, pieces were falling into place.


    First, the quake was indeed a bit too sudden. The government was very careful about finding the perfect location to build this underground base. It was preposterous that they would end up choosing an earthquake-prone area.


    If it wasn¡¯t caused by the location, then the next possibility would be a lack of structural integrity. However, Ren Tao quickly dismissed that idea. The fact that the base was still standing even after such a shake was an affirmative confirmation that the base was structurally sound. In fact, Ren Tao was willing to bet the base was more stable and concrete than necessary.


    So if it wasn¡¯t caused by internal sabotage, then the next logical conclusion would be that it had to be related to something external¡­


    A picture of the star system they were in flashed across Ren Tao¡¯s mind. In his mind¡¯s eye, he could see the millions of meteorites stretched across the galaxy. In his mental reconstruction, the meteorite the base was built on crashed into another meteorite because that was what he believed had happened.


    In science, there exists a saying that goes: no matter how small the probability, if it¡¯s the only logical conclusion left, it has to be true.


    It was not uncommon for meteorites to crash into one another during the initial planet formation stage. If it had happened once before, one could expect it to happen again and again until the planet became stabilized.


    Therefore, the pressing question would be¡­ when will the next crash occur?!


    Even though technically there was no safe space in a situation like these, the Hope was humanity¡¯s safest bet. Therefore, it was incredibly likely that when push came to shove, the government would not hesitate to sacrifice a few to save the majority. It sounded cruel, but that would net humanity the best chance at survival. In spite of his words, Ren Tao was certain that as long as the Hope remained under Major Yao Yuan¡¯s leadership, this would be the route the government would take.


    Even though the Hope only had a population of 120,000, Ren Tao suspected that the government had a full storage of frozen human ovum and sperm to turn to if they needed to repopulate the ship. After all, they had the technology.


    A few months ago, news regarding the government officials that had abandoned Earth before them broke. Even though their ships were only big enough to accommodate a few thousand people, their bank of genetic materials could breed many times its carriage limit. Who could be sure the same couldn¡¯t be said of the Hope?


    Therefore, if the situation arose, Ren Tao believed that the Hope¡¯s government would not hesitate to turn its back on its own people¡­


    (Zhang Heng, the known Diviner, has been roaming around the entrance for a while now, so this means that the source of danger will probably come from that door. During evacuation, the first group to be sent back to the Hope will be members of the Academy and their families. It will take four or five trips to transport all of them. Then, it will be the Homo Evolutis and specialized workers like doctors and nurses, and they¡¯ll probably bring along the wounded¡­)


    On that thought, Ren Tao felt relief permeate his body. Chou Yue was one of the known Homo Evolutis, so she would reach the safety of the Hope soon. As long as she was safe, he had nothing more to worry about.


    Comforted by that thought, Ren Tao gradually returned to his oblivious self as he was swept by the public towards the second floor¡¯s storeroom.


    Back on the Hope, the repair crew was engrossed in emergency updates. Everyone onboard felt the earthquake, and not only that, they could see what was causing it through the cabin windows.


    As if suddenly charged by energy, the idling meteorites around them started flying towards and crashing into one another. Pulled into each other by a mysterious force, the Hope was witnessing a particularly destructive dance. However, most alarmingly, many on the Hope swore that the asteroids that resulted from one of these collisions were surging towards them. They couldn¡¯t provide actual evidence for it, but they could feel it firmly in their guts.


    No matter what, the first thing they had to do was establish contact with the underground base. Without orders from Yao Yuan and information from the Academy, they were effectively lost.


    "Ignore the circuit update for the remaining system for now! We need to finish installing these few circuits and get the ship back online! For the rest, leave the old circuit in! Quick! We need to move!"


    The circuit update crew comprised of more than 1,000 technicians and electricians. The man who led the crew was the Chinese engineer from Germany, Liu Ren De. He was part of a group that worked on Earth¡¯s space station. At that moment, he was practically screaming.


    "Pick up the slack! We have another 15 minutes to complete the finishing touches on this set of circuits. After that, initiate the Hope¡¯s main power to activate its life support, air circulatory, and anti-gravitational systems. Leave the rest!"


    An engineer beside him asked, "Liu, are you sure that¡¯s ok? How about the surveillance system? Shouldn¡¯t we prioritize that to know what¡¯s happening?"


    Ren De replied without taking his eyes away from his work. "What difference would that information make? Are we going to abandon the rest knowing that the meteorite is going to explode the next second? No, we won¡¯t!


    "There are 120,000 people in that base. Let¡¯s assume we can survive the loss of the major, but without the Academy, what will that entail?


    "That means that we are only delaying the inevitable! Yes, we could teach our children knowledge about circuits and electrical appliances, but who is going to educate them on subjects like biology, chemistry, and physics? Can you? No! So running is not an option. The only option we have is to restore the Hope¡¯s power to contact the base and wait for the scientists and others to return."


    The engineer was lectured into submission and sighed quietly. "Of course you¡¯re right. We could only survive with the three bodies, Academy, Workshop and Barracks, intact¡­. Okay, I¡¯ll go rush my team to speed up the progress."


    Ren De nodded and smiled weakly. "At least rest in the comfort of knowing that we¡¯ve tried our best and hope that God will look kindly upon us for that¡­"


    "So are we turning to God now?"


    While Yao Yuan was managing the rescue missions around the first floor, the scientists and their families were already gathered around one corner of the room. Many were praying to their gods and ancestors.


    Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t going to interrupt such an overt display of faith because he found the faithful to be more trustworthy than the atheists. Simultaneously, he realized that the Hope needed to address the subject of religion if they survived this ordeal.


    Even though there were initial conflicts between the citizens of the Hope due to their wide-ranging backgrounds, those were being slowly smoothed out as time passed. They only needed time to realize they were all allies on the same ship. Time and constant exposure to other cultures had worked wonders on overcoming the racist sentiments.


    The single source of contention that had remained divisive had stayed inconspicuous, so much so that Yao Yuan had overlooked it¡­ and that was religion.


    For the Asians, this was a non-issue because their major religion of Buddhism and Hinduism had a similar root [1]. The real trouble was the animosity between the western and middle-eastern religions¡­


    This, however, was a sensitive area, so even though Yao Yuan knew that it was a giant problem, he knew that he needed better tact and planning before broaching it. Plus, the occasion didn¡¯t call for it.


    Right then, the military came back with the first set of spacesuits. Yao Yuan quickly ordered the members of Academy and their families to put them on. Then, a small team of 50 soldiers was assigned to escort this important group of people back to the Hope.


    It had been 1 hour and 25 minutes since the earthquake¡­


    [1] The reason given by the author for the Asians being not a problem was because they weren¡¯t firm believers of their faith, which are just all sorts of weird.

 Chapter 79: 24 Hours (4)

    Chapter 79: 24 Hours (4)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "This is the underground base, over. I repeat, this is the underground base, over¡­"


    A few soldiers were yelling into the communicator on the first floor, but they had received nothing but static in return.


    Even though they had screamed until their voices were hoarse, they didn¡¯t cease passing the communicator around to each person so that they could try to gain contact with the Hope. Suddenly, the static cleared. Everyone was shocked, but they quickly huddled around the soldier who held the communicator.


    The soldier took a deep breath and said, with a coarse voice, "This is the underground base¡¯s temporary central command. Over. Can you hear me?"


    A few seconds later, a clear voice came from the other end of the communicator. "Yes, I can hear you just fine! This is the Hope¡¯s central command. I¡¯m Jason, the Hope¡¯s security crew leader. Please contact Major Yao Yuan immediately; there has been an emergency!"


    "Understood. The Major will be here in a minute," replied the soldier.


    A moment later, a sweaty Yao Yuan rushed into the room and swiped the communicator in his palm. "This is Yao Yuan. Give me a report on the Hope¡¯s current situation."


    What followed was the crackling of papers. After a while, Jason¡¯s gruffly voice came through. "Yes, sir. Below is the updated report on the Hope¡¯s overall situation. The circuit upgrade for the biomes, reactors, life support, circulatory, and anti-gravitational systems has been completed. The crew is a third of the way through upgrading the ship¡¯s lighting system. Minor systems like transportation and domestic electricity haven¡¯t been touched¡­"


    Yao Yuan interjected, "What about the surveillance system?"


    "The engineering and repair crew is working on that as we speak. However, because most of the Hope¡¯s systems have been powered on, the upgrade will probably take a while. According to the main engineer, Liu Ren De¡¯s, report, they will need another four to five hours to complete the project."


    Yao Yuan compared this new information to the original circuit upgrade schedule and sighed in relief when he realize that Ren De must have sidetracked the crew to focus on restoring the important life support systems when the tragedy hit. "A job well done. In the meantime, I want you to pay special attention to the surrounding meteorites. Report back immediately if there are any dangerous changes. Keep the channel of communication open. Also, the first batch of scientists is currently being escorted back to the Hope. Please keep them safe."


    "Sir, yes, sir!", saluted Jason.


    The scientists and their families were already in spacesuits when Yao Yuan returned to the first floor field. The 6,000 people were being led by the 50 soldiers through the base entrance.


    Following protocol, the crowd had to go through the vacuum decontamination rooms before leaving the base. Each of the rooms could only accommodate 1,000 people per cycle. Even if they rushed through the progress, it would take at least five minutes to complete one cycle. This group of scientists alone used 30 minutes to exit the base.


    And this was without taking into account the time needed for them to put on the spacesuits¡­


    Yao Yuan¡¯s expression got increasingly gloomier, but he still maintained his patience while guiding everyone through the process. Right then, the second batch of spacesuits arrived. They still had 500 suits left after everyone had taken their share.


    After rejecting the suit offered to him by the soldiers, Yao Yuan firmly said, "Gather all the remaining doctors, engineers, and technicians. Bring along all the Homo Evolutis as well and everyone that survived Virus X. Give them each a spacesuit."


    The few soldiers hesitated before finally saluting and leaving.


    At the same time, Chou Yue was drifting around the base¡¯s entrance desolately, mumbling under her breath, "He really thinks I have superpowers?! He must be joking! This divining power he speaks of is nothing more than a woman¡¯s intuition. I¡¯m not Zhang Heng, that freak of nature. He must be kidding..."


    Chou Yue had half a mind to abandon her post, but she didn¡¯t have the guts to follow through. When Yao Yuan approached her, even though he wasn¡¯t overtly menacing, Chou Yue could feel the threat inherent in his orders.


    Suddenly, Chou Yue felt her surroundings get impressively quiet, so much so that she could barely hear herself anymore. However, she could somehow hazily pick up the sound of rocks grinding coming from the foundation beside the entrance door. It was short and barely a whisper. That was, however, followed by an intense fear. Chou Yue felt like she had been transported to a cliff side and was staring down into certain doom.


    She involuntarily took several steps back, which caused her to trip over some fallen debris. Her actions attracted the attention of the few soldiers stationed nearby. One of them quickly rushed to her side, asking, "What¡¯s wrong? Did you feel something?"


    "Danger¡­ Intense danger¡­" Chou Yue said, with a shiver. "The rock layers supporting the door on both sides has moved. I can feel incredible warnings of danger coming from it."


    The soldiers exchanged worried glances, and the soldier who came to help Chou Yue spoke into his walkie-talkie. Soon after that, Yao Yuan arrived at the scene. He saluted the soldiers before squatting down to address Chou Yue. "I¡¯m sorry to have to put you through this, but could you explain what you¡¯re feeling in details?"


    Chou Yue nodded hesitantly and then repeated what she had told the soldier but in greater detail. Yao Yuan¡¯s face dimmed as he heard Chou Yue¡¯s story, but after she finished, he smiled. "Thank you for your service. You¡¯re one of the Homo Evolutis, so to be fair, you should be able to join the rest of them when they retreat back to the Hope after this. But the base needs your power, so I thank you immensely for your willingness to stay. But here, please put on this spacesuit." Yao Yuan waved for a soldier¡¯s aid and a spacesuit appeared in Chou Yue¡¯s lap.


    With the soldiers¡¯ help, Chou Yue successfully struggled into the spacesuit. Suddenly, she grabbed hold of Yao Yuan and asked, "It¡¯s okay if you ask me to stay. But I have a brother called Ren Tao. If it¡¯s possible, can you make sure he¡¯s one of the first to return to the Hope?"


    Yao Yuan was dumbfounded by the sudden request. He whispered to a soldier who then typed hurriedly into a device, and soon enough, information on Ren Tao popped up on the screen. He handed the device over to Yao Yuan.


    "It says here he¡¯s one of the survivors of Virus X. This means that he¡¯ll be joining the Homo Evolutis when they depart from this base, so don¡¯t you worry," said Yao Yuan comfortingly.


    Chou Yue nodded calmly. She then turned her focus to the entrance door. Her brother¡¯s face with that stupid grin of his slowly appeared in her mind¡­


    That giant idiot!


    With the departure of the second batch of Academy members, the base had successfully evacuated 12,000 people, almost 1/10 of its total population.


    It had been 2 hours and 40 minutes since the quake¡­


    At the same time, the Hope¡¯s surveillance crew was able to confirm that a small planet¡¯s shattered asteroids were indeed flying their way¡­

 Chapter 80: 24 Hours (5)

    Chapter 80: 24 Hours (5)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Jay laid his tired body on top of a fallen rock. After lighting another cigarette, he flung the old one away to join the cluster of cigarette butts that littered his feet.


    Turning to look at Zhang Heng, he kindly advised, "You can stop staring at the caved in entrance, you know? Come, take a break."


    It was little wonder why Jay said so, because Zhang Heng looked exceptionally pale. He looked like a dying patient, not someone that had undergone a daily intensive training regime. Ever since he joined the Black Star Unit, Zhang Heng had been training alongside the rest of them. Of course, his physique still couldn¡¯t rival the rest, but his physical state was already better than normal soldiers.


    The reason for his blanched fa?ade was because the usage of superhuman power would drain its user immensely. This was known among all the Black Star members. Research had shown that using the power would greatly lower one¡¯s blood glucose level and, more importantly, present a heavy strain on one¡¯s mental acuity.


    Comparatively speaking, passive powers like Zhang Heng¡¯s divination were less draining than Jay¡¯s mental manipulation, which was more active. Zhang Heng had been using his power for several hours; that was why he was so tired.


    Sighing, Zhang Heng picked a spot that was slightly far away from the caved in entrance and sat down. "The passageway is completely blocked, but the things inside should be fine, because I didn¡¯t feel any warnings of danger."


    After a short silence, Jay gave Zhang Heng a soft pat on his shoulder, saying, "Thank you."


    Zhang Heng chuckled lightly. "Why thank me? This is what I¡¯m supposed to do. It¡¯s you that I¡¯m worried about, actually. If you have to keep on tricking those plants, the strain you¡¯ll be under to keep your power activated¡­"


    As a reserved member of the Black Star Unit, Yao Yuan could have ordered Jay to do exactly that, but he opted for a more diplomatic measure because these circumstances were incredibly unique.


    Depending on the third floor¡¯s storage of chemical potion and the time needed to mine a way in, Jay might need to keep on lying for more than two hours¡­ two hours! It was practically unheard of!


    It was, in other words, a death sentence¡­


    Even though that was not uncommon on the battlefield, the circumstances were different because Jay¡¯s power was irreplaceable. Yao Yuan realized that forcing him into the task would only backfire. After all, it was only natural for one to push back if one was forcefully pushed towards certain death.


    Jay smoked silently, mulling over what Zhang Heng said. Suddenly, he heard light snoring coming from his side. He turned to realize that Zhang Heng had fallen asleep. Sighing, he helped Zhang Heng lie down into a more comfortable position and then lit another cigarette.


    (¡­ Why would you guys place such deep trust in me?)


    (Bunch of idiots!)


    Beyond the underground base, the first batch of scientists had reached the Hope. After consoling and dispatching their families, the group of scientists walked silently to the Academy. Huddled in their respective labs, they started collating the collected data.


    "¡­of course I would love to stay. Faced with this big tragedy, I¡¯m as afraid as you are. I saw several people get crushed by falling rocks with my own eyes. Like our old friend, John. He was hit in the head and is still currently unconscious. So of course I¡¯m afraid. But this is what I have to do."


    A scientist said consolingly to his family.


    "This is why we are allowed to leave the base so far ahead of everyone else. It¡¯s not because of our stature, power, or anything like that. It¡¯s the knowledge that we could provide!"


    The scientist continued with a hint of pride intermingling with sadness.


    "It is our responsibility to utilize this knowledge to provide a better chance at survival for the rest. We¡¯re living on their charity, so we owe them that much!"


    This appreciation for life and sacrifice was inherently understood by this group of scientists that was given early leave. The scope of privilege they had been given didn¡¯t go unnoticed.


    On the Hope, the technician crews were well into their 10 hour shift. There was supposed to be at least three shift changes, but because most of the Workshop was stuck in the underground base, they had to barrel on. However, no one complained. Surviving on bites of energy bars and fresh water, everyone slaved away until the surveillance and security system finally came back online.


    "Initiating energy buffers, counting down on central mainframe, three, two¡­"


    With the return of the Hope¡¯s surveillance system, a bunch of data appeared on the computer screen almost instantly. They included observations on the sun, the star system, the earthquake, and the intergalactic magnetic fields.


    Everyone came for their needed data and left. Analysis, experiments, discussions erupted all over the Hope. Everyone was trying their best to achieve their objective!


    Disregarding the workers that were trapped in the industrial layer and the people that had been escorted back to the Hope, the base still housed around 110,000 people. That was about 90 percent of the total population!


    It was not an understatement to say that the Academy¡¯s work was life-saving!


    At times like these, it was easy to see that the spirit of Professor Alison had lived on through his colleagues¡­


    Back on the meteorite, 100 soldiers were escorting the second batch of citizens out of the base. The 14,000-sized crowd comprised of the remaining scientists, the known and latent Homo Evolutis, doctors, technicians, teachers, and their families.


    Other than the soldiers that were on escort detail, every single military member, including the Major and all the Lieutenants, had remained in the base.


    Just like how Yao Yuan had promised Chou Yue, he strived to be fair in his judgment regardless of circumstances. He had to abandon most of the people when they departed from Earth because he had to be selective. Not a day had gone by that he was not tormented by that decision¡­


    In the end, he knew that equality was not possible, so he settled for fairness. And fairness couldn¡¯t be contaminated by personal interest. Therefore, he had ordered the military to stay because that was what they had signed up for. In fact, Yao Yuan promised that he would be the last to leave the base¡­


    Chou Yue asked skeptically, "That¡¯s what he said? Ren Tao, this is certainly just for show, right?"


    Beside her, Ren Tao, who was also in a spacesuit, shook his head mildly. "No, I don¡¯t think so. If it¡¯s just optics, he should have presented that statement during the gathering at the field, but he didn¡¯t. Furthermore, the Major¡¯s political standing is currently unshakable, so there¡¯s no reason for him to do this other than the fact that¡­


    "This is what he truly believes."


    Ren Tao continued, with a mysterious expression, "You can see for yourself how strong the Major¡¯s prestige is. The crowd was instantly silenced the moment he walked into the field, remember? Furthermore, even though the people are leaving in batches, no one complained about the arrangement. Because they knew they could place their trust in the Major. He¡¯s the force that ground the Hope. As long as he¡¯s around, I believe the Hope will be not rocked, unless, of course, god forbid, something unfortunate happens to him in the course of this crisis¡­


    "He truly wishes the best for these people¡­. It appears I have misunderstood our Major. Yes, the frozen eggs could repopulate half the population, but they¡¯ll be babies; they¡¯re useless in keeping the Hope or humanity and its civilization burning. And I believe that was his plan all along, and that¡¯s why he hasn¡¯t left."


    After Ren Tao concluded his observation, Chou Yue butted in to ask crossly, "Then what about you? Why did you stay? You should¡¯ve been able to leave with the rest of them, right?"


    "Well, you know me. I tire easily. My legs could barely move after carrying those two spacesuits, so I figured I¡¯d come join you," Ren Tao replied with a happy chuckle.


    He barely had time to evade the incoming punch. It passed through his open helmet and landed on his left eye.


    "You are a giant idiot!"

 Chapter 81: 24 Hours (6)

    Chapter 81: 24 Hours (6)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Zhang Xian He was an unassuming middle-aged man. To be even more specific, he was an unassuming economic analyst who flew under the radar for most of his life.


    His looks were as average as his professional standing. Carrying a pouch that came with working habits that required him to spend hours in front of a desk, he had a trusting smile and balding head. His agreeable and harmless appearance was unusual for his occupation and it made him look at least a decade older than his actual age.


    That was also why Xian He had been unlucky with the ladies. Even though he was kind, loving and responsible, he was shy and awkward around the ladies. His lack of romantic success was also compounded by the fact that he only attracted those that see him for his money. That was why it was only at his middle age that Xian He had his first serious relationship.


    That year he was 41 years old and was aimlessly strolling down the beach. It was then that he ran into a young beautiful OL whose bag was robbed by a few truants¡­


    That woman later became his wife, and they were blessed with a precious daughter. The gravity of his life shifted to his family, a family he would sacrifice everything for!


    On The Hope, even though Xian He and his wife were both highly educated and knowledgeable citizens with proficiency in multiple languages, they melted perfectly into the crowd. They were not scientists, engineers, soldier, doctors or teachers¡­


    In other words, they weren¡¯t going to be one of the firsts to leave the underground base.


    Xian He sat silently beside his wife and daughter. He and his wife were already in their spacesuits but their 2 years old wasn¡¯t because she was too tiny to fit into the space gear. As if feeling left out, she was fussing about cradled in her mother¡¯s arms.


    Xian He watched his family with a silent interest¡­


    When he saw another short-distance life preservation bus moved towards the entrance, he finally decided he had to speak up. Standing up, he yelled, "We should let the children back onto The Hope first. They don¡¯t have the protection of a spacesuit. It¡¯s too dangerous for them to stay here," rallying the people around him, he continued, "Don¡¯t you agree with me, fellas? We should let the children and their mothers evacuate the base first. It¡¯s our responsibility as man to stay behind to ensure their safety!"


    Xian He wasn¡¯t being exceptionally loud but his message rang loud and clear. At least 10 families heard his call to action. Among these families were 3 children, 2 toddlers and even one pregnant mother. It didn¡¯t take them too long to rally behind Xian He¡¯s cause. Slowly but surely, the commotion spread.


    This inevitably attracted the attention of the soldiers who immediately contacted Yao Yuan. A civilian uprising was the thing they feared the most. And it wasn¡¯t like there was no merit behind it, after all, these people had been left behind to preserve a better survival chance for others. Furthermore, the 1000 plus soldiers won¡¯t be able to contain a rampaging several ten thousand people¡­


    Yao Yuan instantly rushed to the scene with a small troop of soldiers. He breathed a great sigh of relief when he arrived. It was a very contained chaos. The people were talking, and not yelling, among themselves. However, because there were too many speakers, it was hard to make up what they were discussing.


    Yao Yuan though knew this was a situation that he needed to tread lightly upon. Accompanied by his soldiers, he wiggled into the crowd. With his arrival, like magic, the crowd gradually silenced.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s frown deepened. Then, a slightly rotund middle-aged man stood up. Instead of coming forth, he stood calmly at his spot and said, "Major, we have a request."


    "Of course, sir, do tell. If it¡¯s reasonable, we¡¯ll gladly accept," replied Yao Yuan.


    With a bravery that rarely came to him, Xian He continued steadily, "Major, as you can see, there are many children, toddlers and even pregnant mothers here. Now that the scientists had been escorted out, I beg of you to please let the children and their mother leave first. The children need their mother. As you know, the kids don¡¯t have access to the spacesuit¡­


    And we, the man, are willing to stay behind!"


    Xian He¡¯s legs were shaking when he finished his speech. This was the second time he showed such courage in his life. The first was when he finally popped the big question to his wife. It was equally disconcerting both times.


    Everyone, including Yao Yuan, responded with a deep silence.


    In reality, it was the doctors and engineers¡¯ turn to be evacuated. Coupled with their family members, there were about 50000 of them. Only a third of them had left the base. With this speed, it would take another 3 to 4 hours to get this group fully out of the base.


    "Okay. I will allow the children priority to board the short-distance bus. Don¡¯t need to be so precise with the carry limit. It can fit an extra 3 to 4 people than the suggested limit. The Hope is not that far away¡­ Yes, let their mothers follow but arrangement will have to be made so that men of the family will have to wait for a later turn," Yao Yuan finally announced.


    Xian He could barely contain his emotion. With tears stinging his eyes, he gripped his hands tightly as he thanked Yao Yuan profusely.


    Yao Yuan saluted the crowd in return and left the area. Long after he had left, as if coming out of a coma, the crowd erupted in violent cheers, and the remaining 10 soldiers moved to update their records.


    "Sacrifice oneself to give one¡¯s wife and children the best hope at survival?" sighed Yao Yuan.


    Xian He¡¯s wife was completely stunned by his husband¡¯s behavior. After Yao Yuan and his soldiers had left, she tugged at his sleeve tightly, "Have you lost your mind? It¡¯s our turn after this batch of people. Why¡­ why would you make such a request? What about yourself? You¡­"


    His wife, usually the prevailing one in their relationship, was visibly flustered. Just like her words, her tears were out of her control.


    In their marriage, his wife had learnt that Xian He was a kind and accommodating partner. In work and in marriage, he was not the one to stake his claim. What he just did was a complete surprise.


    Xian He enveloped his wife in a tight hug and kissed his daughter, he smiled, "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine. The most important thing is that you and Yu Er will be safe. Plus, the major himself hasn¡¯t left. If there¡¯s real danger, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll figure something out. Plus, with this spacesuit, I can survive several hours in space, so don¡¯t worry too much."


    Holding on to their daughter, his wife¡¯s tears were flowing freely now. Resting her head on her husband¡¯s shoulder, she felt incredibly safe and protected. She had not chosen the wrong man¡­


    Soon after, the children were put onto the short-distance bus. Following close behind were the mothers. Escorted by a troop of soldiers, they were led back onto The Hope. There was no shortage of wet eyes in the crowd¡­


    The men they loved had given up their lives for themselves and their children¡­


    Back on The Hope, The Academy had compiled their first report¡­


    The system was undergoing dramatic changes. Transformation of the star had introduced a giant force of seismic change into the solar system. Think of the system as a magnetized field, a change on one end would affect the whole field.


    And surrounding this field is a smattering of minute metallic pieces. However, because they are situated some distance apart from the center of the field, instead of being pulled towards it, they will become magnetized!


    The bigger they are, the faster they¡¯ll become magnetized, and the stronger their pulling force will be!


    It was a phenomenon The Academy couldn¡¯t explain¡­ It was well beyond human technology¡¯s comprehension. They could only offer stipulation based on learnt theories. For example, the gravity of the meteorite they were on had increased to 1/11 of Earth¡¯s gravity and it was still growing!


    In other words, the meteorite was pulling nearby intergalactic substances towards them!


    This was probably how a terrestrial planet forms itself!


    Make no mistake though because it was also an irrevocable disaster! If another asteroid of similar size ram into the meteorite, it will not only cause an earthquake, they would shatter upon impact!


    "According the increasing speed of the gravity and distance from nearby asteroids¡­ We have another 18 to 19 hours before a collision of devastating scale would occur!"


    It had been 4 hours and 50 minutes since the quake¡­


    36000 people were on The Hope¡­

 Chapter 82: 24 Hours (7)

    Chapter 82: 24 Hours (7)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "This won¡¯t work," said Ren Tao as he fixed his blank gaze at the entrance.


    A pale Chou Yue beside him asked, "What do you mean?" Leaning weakly into Ren Tao, she had lost that earlier fiery spark in her eyes.


    "You and that door¡­" Ren Tao continued with a hint of worry in his voice, "it took almost 5 hours to escort half of the population out, it would take another 5 to evacuate the rest, but this door¡­"


    "This door would not hold for another hour according to your superpower. This is an unmitigated disaster!" finished a vexed Ren Tao.


    After a pregnant silence, Chou Yue replied, "But what can we do about it? Everyone has to follow protocols when leaving the base, and for safety¡¯s sake, they are supposed to be that long¡­"


    "What if we remove the door ourselves before it falls?"


    Shattering his usual oblivious countenance was a sharp glint of brilliance in his eyes, it was as if the thinker within had suddenly awoken.


    A few minutes later, Ren Tao could be found accosting Yao Yuan.


    "A demolition job? Do you fathom what you¡¯re saying, the consequences that it would bring?" asked an incredulous Yao Yuan.


    Ren Tao nodded obediently, "Of course. The moment the door is broken down, it¡¯ll create a giant pressure built from the air within the base being forcefully sucked out into space. This pressure will be strong enough to carry people out with it, and since the meteorite¡¯s gravity is only 1/12 of Earth¡¯s, if the person is taken too far away from the surface of the meteorite, he or she would be lost forever in space. So, this could be a giant disaster that will probably wipe out tens of thousands of people!"


    Barely containing his anger, Yao Yuan waved Ren Tao away, "If you¡¯re clear with the consequences, why would you suggest such a ludicrous idea? Have you lost your mind? Go disturb someone else¡­ or you¡¯re hankering to leave already? Tell me if you are, I¡¯ll move you to the front of the group."


    Ren Tao though continued stubbornly, "I¡¯m just describing what will happen if we demolish the entrance, yes it is going to be a disaster and I could guarantee not one tenth of the people will survive this demolition¡­ But since the entrance is going to fall within the next hour anyway, why not bet against certain doom?"


    Surprised by Ren Tao¡¯s acute observation, after giving it some thought, Yao Yuan tossed him a report, saying, "read this."


    Ren Tao read the report carefully. It was the report from the geological unit. Using powerful sonar rays, The Hope¡¯s surveillance room was able to tell that the rock layer surrounding the underground base entrance would not hold for another hour. In fact, they speculated the door would only keep on standing for another 40 minutes.


    Ren Tao was not surprised by the report¡¯s result, calmly he returned the report and said, "We¡¯re facing down certain doom, one way or another tens of thousands of people are going to die. Instead of walking willingly into it, why not challenge death itself?"


    "And how do you suggest we do that?" asked Yao Yuan noncommittally, unconvinced a boy like Ren Tao could potentially provide any useful idea.


    "First we need to shut down all the air circulatory system in the base. Next, we will use the multiple quarantine rooms to pre-release all the air in the base. Then, instead of waiting for the door to collapse, we will blow it up using C4 that will be strategically placed at the entrance¡¯s weak points. After the door is down, the people won¡¯t need to waste time going through the protocols anymore. With this, we can retreat to The Hope within the shortest time possible!


    Key to the success of this plan is that all the children have already been transported back to The Hope. A short jog in space will not harm us adults who are equipped with the necessary space gear!"


    Yao Yuan turned to take a good look at Ren Tao. He was so surprised by his proposal that he stood up from his seated position.


    Frowning, Yao Yuan started circling around the small area. After deliberating the multiple conditions of Ren Tao¡¯s proposal, he finally said, "Yes, your suggestion might work. Indeed, the crucial point is the balance of air pressure within and without the base. If we pre-release the air in the base, we could bypass the tragedy that would form due to the great difference in air pressure. Now, we just need someone who can accurately pinpoint the weak points in the entrance foundation. If we¡¯re not carefully, we might initiate a chain of explosions that will bring the whole base down¡­"


    Ren Tao smiled kindly, "I¡¯m here just to get the ball rolling. The rest is beyond my capacity¡­ Furthermore, I believe there is an explosive expert within the Black Star unit. Am I wrong?"


    Yao Yuan stared long and hard at Ren Tao. "I understand. Chou Yue can now be safely released from her post. She might be a bit weak on her feet so help her get into one of the short-distance buses. Also¡­ Ren Tao, I believe you might have something to report to me after this whole disaster is over¡­"


    Ren Tao smiled bitterly and mysteriously before turning to head down Chou Yue¡¯s direction.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t mull on Ren Tao¡¯s situation but immediately contacted The Hope using his communicator. He couldn¡¯t just follow Ren Tao¡¯s suggestion without approval from The Academy, but he believed¡­ Ren Tao had hit the hammer on its head.


    Not long after that, everyone in the base was told to put on their space helmet and activate their spacesuit¡¯s life support system. Alongside powering up the remaining short-distance buses, the whole enterprise took about 10 minutes. In that time, exhausted military men moved through the crowd, double-checking for safety.


    After everyone was ready, and the circulatory as well as gravitational system for the base had been logged off, approval from The Academy finally arrived!


    Yao Yuan acted upon it quickly, ordering everyone to move away from the entrance. Then all the quarantine chambers open their doors. Air in the base escaped swiftly into space through these special channels, it took barely 10 minutes for it to complete doing so.


    After that, rocks around the entrance started to move. Weakening in its structure was so obvious that even normal citizens could see the door was beginning its collapse. There was a burgeoning commotion among the people but that was quickly stamped down. The reason for that was simple and obvious, it was as Ren Tao had said, the major was the grounding force for the citizens of The Hope.


    All the Black Star members were also present and the explosive expert revealed himself to be Wa Luo, the impertinent young man who often treated things way too lightly. No one had expected him to be part of the Black Star, much less one of the Special Forces.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t provide much explanation to Wa Luo after giving him the directives, but many was communicated in the wordless salute that followed. In comparison to Yao Yuan who was incredibly serious, Wa Luo retained his happy-go-lucky countenance, his frivolous nature betraying none of the seriousness of the situation.


    The rest of the Black Star members though knew about the explosive genius that hid behind that flighty appearance. Known as the firecracker, Wa Luo was scarily proficient in setting, measuring, and placing explosives. His moniker was not because he was a colloquial firecracker but rather he could crack the inner workings of fiery explosives like a hacker could crack computers.


    Therefore, when Ren Tao first mentioned the explosive expert in Black Star, Yao Yuan¡¯s thoughts immediately zeroed in on Yang Wa Luo, the proud collector of prime AV films and connoisseur of the Loli culture, a young man with an impressively deep interior that hid behind a facetious exterior!


    Armed with the high-tech sonar pictures beamed over by The Academy, installation of the explosives took barely a moment. Entering a state of eternal silence, Wa Luo could see beyond the physical realm the location where the rocks had moved, the range it had moved, the minute cracks in the wall, and possible explosion range. He could literally hear the rock layers moving, sliding into place. Based on his intuition and experience, the explosives were properly set.


    It was an indescribable sensation¡­ The best he could come up with was how Ebon described it, the feeling of being a Perceptor [1].


    When Wa Luo returned to behind the safety line, he had paled considerably. He felt light on his head but he still kept that insolent smile of his.


    He nodded at Yao Yuan whom returned a similar gesture. Taking in a deep breath, Yao Yuan announced, "Explosion counting down. 3, 2, 1¡­"


    For those who witnessed it from The Hope, a roiling cloud of dust could be seen floating out of the base¡¯s entrance. The cloud then dispersed to reveal a gaping hole, where there had once been the entrance door¡­


    It had been 6 hours and 50 minutes since the quake¡­


    And 16 hours to the big collision¡­


    [1] A Homo Evolutis with great power of perception. Term lifted from the Transformers comic series.

 Chapter 83: 24 Hours (8)

    Chapter 83: 24 Hours (8)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Yao Yuan¡¯s intention to employ explosives to demolish the entrance faced quite a sizeable resistance; even the Academy voiced its concerns. However, Yao Yuan decided to go ahead with the plan because none could offer a better resolution¡­ Ren Tao was right, it was do-or-die.


    After the resounding explosion, almost everyone on the Hope gathered at the windows facing the base. Many were praying tearfully, praying for the safety of their families and friends who were still trapped in the underground base. This was especially true for the women who were allowed an early leave due to the voluntary sacrifice of their husbands.


    The most hectic room on the Hope was, however, its surveillance room. Training all its scanning and tracking devices on the underground base, technicians and scientists hustled about the room checking and collecting data. This was data on the base¡¯s geological condition, structural integrity, and the general situation around the meteorite.


    "¡­ The scanning feed is now online! The explosion has collapsed the door and nobody¡¯s hurt. It didn¡¯t loosen the rocks nor did it cause a cave-in! The mission is a success! The entrance is now 20 meters wide!"


    Through the Hope¡¯s broadcasting network, the good news was quickly spread among the citizens. It was received with cheers of joy. It had turned many tears of sorrow into ones of joy.


    The aftershock of the explosion knocked most of the people on the base¡¯s first floor off their feet. The explosives used were the latest invention of the 21st century. Using a liquid oxygen base, it could create high-powered explosions without requiring exposure to atmospheric air. It was the perfect selection to use in a vacuum surrounding.


    10 seconds after the explosion, the Black Star members were the first to stand up. Relief swept over them when they confirmed that the explosion didn¡¯t bring the whole entrance down with it. The 20 meter hole that resulted from the explosion was more than enough to speed up the transfer of the remaining people.


    As more people regained their footing from the blast, a sense of contained joy spread through the crowd. Even the frown that was previously locked on Yao Yuan¡¯s face relaxed. Without wasting any more time, with the military-escorted short-distance buses leading the way, people swarmed through the entrance in an orderly manner. It took only half an hour for the whole group of people to reach the cabin door of the Hope. Now all they needed to do was wait for their turn to pass through the decontamination rooms.


    Being so close to their symbolic hope and the place where they had called home, many in the crowd broke down in tears. Many tried but failed self-consciously when they moved to wipe the tears flowing from their eyes, the screen of their space helmet blocking the way. The little blunders lent a small bubble of mirth.


    Yao Yuan, on the other hand, was busy maintaining a constant channel of communication with the Hope¡¯s surveillance room. He needed continuous updates on every situation.


    "¡­ According to our heat sensors, there are still several thousand people trapped in the third floor. Due to its isolated existence, the pre-releasing of the air in the first and second level hasn¡¯t affected it much. The people down there are still alive."


    At that point of the report, Yao Yuan interjected, "Is there a reason why we are still unable to establish contact with the third level people?"


    "Even though that level is equipped with a communicator, its telephone cable must have been destroyed during the initial earthquake¡­ And Major, I¡¯m sorry to report this, but since that level is only specialized for industrial purposes, they do not have access to any wireless communicators. They also can¡¯t contact us via the space helmets¡¯ attached communication device because all the spacesuits are stored in the second level storeroom."


    "In other words, the several thousand technicians down there are essentially cut off from the rest? The upper two levels are now a space of vacuum, so without access to spacesuits and communication, even if the way to the industrial level is cleared, the situation will be¡­" Yao Yuan sighed frustratedly instead of finishing his thoughts.


    The other end of the communicator was also steeped in silence, lamenting the third level¡¯s regretful state.


    Gritting his teeth, Yao Yuan was at a loss for words. Suddenly, he was hit with a vision of Ren Tao. Without giving it much thought, he started looking around and ordered the few guards beside him to locate Ren Tao.


    Soon after, a reluctant Ren Tao was brought before Yao Yuan. He grumbled, "Why do you have to pull me out of the line? I was right in the middle of it, but now I have to start again at the back."


    Without preamble, Yao Yuan ordered, "Switch your communicator to the xxxx channel now."


    Ren Tao moved reluctantly, but he did switch the communicator within his helmet over to the specified channel. Then, Yao Yuan said hurriedly, "Ren Tao, as I¡¯ve promised, Chou Yue is one of the first to return to the Hope. She¡¯s in the short-distance bus. You can see it for yourself, right?"


    Ren Tao nodded cautiously, knowing full well that Yao Yuan had something more up his sleeve.


    "I don¡¯t care what kind of Homo Evolutis you are, or even if you aren¡¯t one, but I seriously need your help here. It¡¯s regarding the people that are trapped in the third level of the underground base¡­"


    Yao Yuan proceeded to explain the conundrum. He included the details about the lack of communication, spacesuits, and the danger that could be realized from the difference in air pressure.


    Ren Tao had maintained his usual oblivious expression throughout Yao Yuan¡¯s elaboration.


    "Ren Tao, if you can point out the right direction, a military ranking, a wealth of H-coins, a guarantee of your and your sister¡¯s safety, if you name it I shall provide¡­ Just help me overcome this problem. If you¡¯re not doing it for me, do it for the people down there. These several thousand people have worked through sweat, tears, and blood to keep everything afloat; we can¡¯t turn our backs on them now!


    "Those are good people that have done nothing wrong. In fact, they have done many things right! So if there¡¯s a sliver of chance, no matter how small it is, I¡¯m going to save them! So please, show me the way to that sliver of a chance!" finished Yao Yuan.


    Ren Tao could feel the gears in his brain turning, but that sensation only remained fleetingly. A glint of inspiration appeared in his otherwise inattentive expression and he yawned. "I won¡¯t say there is absolutely no way to save them. There are two key issues you need to overcome. The first is to establish contact with the people down there, and second is to send them the spacesuits before the pathway leading down there is cleared.


    "Regarding the first point, since it can¡¯t be solved using conventional human technology, how about trying out the new batch of Homo Evolutis? I¡¯m referring to specifically the girl, Nian Xi Kong."


    Ren Tao didn¡¯t go into details, but he could already see the different possible simulations assimilating in his mind. He could see the multitudes of simulacra his suggestion had set into motion. It was incredibly draining, and it made him yearn for a good munch or a short nap, but he continued with a toneless delivery,


    "Regarding the second point, I believe you might have forgotten a special unit that can help you with that. If I¡¯m not mistaken they are only on the Hope¡­"


    "Another unit?" asked Yao Yuan curiously. He also noticed that the intervals between Ren Tao¡¯s yawns had gotten much closer, so much so that he realized the boy could barely keep his eyes open.


    "The radioactive minerals harvesting unit¡­ I noticed they were using steam injectors and oil extractors in their harvest wells. If you could modify the pipeline to become air insulated, it could be used to create a direct tunnel into the third level which then can be used to transfer the spacesuits¡­"


    Ren Tao could barely finish his sentence when he crumbled forward into Yao Yuan¡¯s alert arms. Yao Yuan quickly waved over several soldiers to help lift Ren Tao safely back onto the Hope.


    Yao Yuan then broke into a surprised smile.


    "Hope surveillance room, this is your captain. I need you to help me contact the person responsible for the radioactive mineral harvesting unit and the main engineer. At the same time, I want to you spread these enquiries among the Workshop and Academy¡­


    "The possibility of adding an air insulation modification to the digging pipeline, and the complications that would come from digging and lowering said pipeline from a vacuum environment into a non-vacuum one!


    "I need the answers in 30 minutes!"

 Chapter 84: 24 Hours (9)

    Chapter 84: 24 Hours (9)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Compared to the technicians in the underground base, the personnel assigned to radioactive ores mining duties were much more fortunate. This was especially true when one realized how better off this group of people were compared to the rest. For one, because the mining area wasn¡¯t attached to the underground base, it wasn¡¯t checked multiple times for structural safety. In other words, many mines collapsed during the initial earthquake. They couldn¡¯t withstand the level 9 quake.


    However, because most of the mining operation had been automated, all the workers were above ground maintaining upkeep of the machinery when the earthquake hit. They retreated back to The Hope with a miraculous 0 percent fatality rate.


    When this group of people heard about Yao Yuan¡¯s inquiries, they gathered with the relevant experts to conduct discussions. With the aid of The Hope¡¯s supercomputer, man¡¯s crowning technological marvel of the 21st century, their discussions were further hashed out with simulations.


    Within 30 minutes, Yao Yuan received the necessary response. The rock layers around the base were too compromised for drilling was the general consensus. Disturbance to the earth crust might exacerbate its structural weakening and cause the base to collapse.


    Instead, the experts offered an alternative in small scale drilling. Even though cracks already appeared, the ground layers were still compact enough to support a contained drilling operation. As long as the operation did not extend beyond the stipulated 10 to 12 hours, the ground should hold.


    The engineering team added that if the operation was assigned with their best tools and workers, they were confident an air-insulated chute could be built within the 10 hour limit.


    "To conclude, it is entirely possible to transfer spacesuits to the third level citizens but the risk undertaken will be incredibly high because the operation alone would take about 10 hours?"


    With great risks come great rewards. From his years of leading the Black Star unit, Yao Yuan knew the best result didn¡¯t come easily. His conscience had been blunted over the years as he sent his men into dangerous situations because it would contribute positively to the overall mission success. Yao Yuan was a great believer of utilitarianism. He believed sometimes fatal concessions had to be made along the way to greatness [1]¡­


    Now, he had found himself again at such a crossroad. To risk losing more people to save the third level technicians, or to give them up to preserve what he already had¡­


    Both choices had its own merits, and each had several thousand human lives hanging in the balance. Even by his standards, there was no obvious choice. But, Yao Yuan knew this was to be his responsibility alone¡­ it was the responsibility that he assumed when he picked up the mantle of leadership!


    "¡­Get the drilling team ready within the next 30 minutes. Make sure they are packed with sufficient food and water because this is going to be a long battle. We will be working in 2 shifts, each for 5 hour. There will be no break in between, so I want everyone to be prepared mentally and physically. We have to finish this operation under 10 hours!" Without waiting for a response, Yao Yuan cut off communication and sighed deeply.


    (I¡¯ve chosen. No matter the outcome, I¡¯ve tried my best. Just like all the decisions that I¡¯ve made before this¡­ I will bear all the consequences that shall come!)


    Under Yao Yuan¡¯s order, The Hope quickly went into motion. Members of this drilling team were treated with the best food and luxury items. But staring down possible doom had dampened many an appetite and in the end, the team left with cafeteria with an absurd amount of food still piling on their plates.


    At the same time, the remaining citizens were still lining up to go into The Hope. With only a few decontamination rooms available, waiting for tens of thousands of people to go through was going to take some time.


    Witnessing this, Yao Yuan called for Guang Zhen, "Ol¡¯ Wong, I want you to be in charge to maintain the order. Give the drilling team members clearance priority, but make sure the rest stay in their lines. I trust you¡¯ll be a good acting captain¡­ Because I¡¯m going to need to take a short nap, wake me up after 5 hours¡­ Also, help me retrieve Jay and Zhang Heng from their post. Give them a hot meal and a new change of spacesuit. Tell them they have 5 hours to rest their eyes."


    After that, without giving thought to where he was, Yao Yuan lay down on the floor and started to snore. Everyone else present was dumbfounded by their captain¡¯s behavior but the acting captain quickly took over. Guang Zhen ordered a few soldiers to guard Yao Yuan¡¯s sleeping body as they waited patiently for their turn to get on The Hope.


    Then Guang Zhen ordered others to reach out to Zhang Heng and Jay who was still in the underground base. With everything done, Guang Zhen stared at the people around him and thought¡­


    (You¡¯ve picked one long and hard battle, Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n¡­)


    Despite the many worries complicating his mind, Yao Yuan entered deep REM sleep quickly because he had spent many of his military years training to do so. He knew he needed a completely refreshed state of mind to face what would come next.


    As if his brain came with an internal clock, Yao Yuan woke up automatically after 5 hours. When he came to, he saw he had already been stripped out of his spacesuit, laid out on a white bed and strung up on a glucose drip.


    As per his usual habits, Yao Yuan spent his first waking moment surveying his surroundings. After making sure everything was safe, he spent less than a minute extricating the drip needle and getting dressed.


    When he was ready, Yao Yuan stepped out of the room to run into a pair of Black Star close guards who was standing by. Without hesitation, Yao Yuan asked, "Pass me a communicator. How long have I been asleep?"


    Removing his own set of communicator, one of the guards replied, "Sir, you¡¯ve been asleep for exactly 5 hours."


    Nodding, Yao Yuan put on the communicator, "This is your captain. I need an update."


    "¡­ Yes, captain. This is The Hope¡¯s main communication center. I will pass you over to the rescue operation headquarters now."


    (Rescue operation headquarters?)


    Yao Yuan was stunned by the unfamiliar term but he remained silent, guessing correctly that it was Guang Zhen¡¯s idea. Within that few seconds, he had come to seeing its purpose because things are easier accomplished in numbers.


    Soon after, a voice came through his ear piece.


    "Captain, everything on The Hope is going well so far. All the energy circuits, both updated and not, are in full capacity. We could lift off and space warp this moment if needs be¡­


    Drilling in the underground base is at its second shift. They are 80 percent through the flooring, and modification for air insulation is being done as we speak. They will need another hour before everything¡¯s complete¡­


    About 60 percent of the machinery and supplies used and stored in the base has been retrieved back to The Hope. A team of 1200 soldiers was assigned on this salvaging detail¡­


    According to the latest headcount, there are 42 confirmed deaths, 2 of them members of The Academy and 346 still remain in ICU, 9 of them members of The Academy¡­


    We are still unclear about our astronomical location but surveillance has shown the asteroids within this solar system to be incredibly unstable influenced by the star¡¯s dramatic changes. Using data on the star¡¯s radioactive wavelengths, The Academy predicted the star¡¯s next big change will happen in the next 6 to 8 hours. The effect it will bring is unknown but possibly catastrophic. The Academy advises we leave this star system before then¡­"


    Yao Yuan took some time to digest the slew of information, before finally saying, "Contact the following persons to be ready to follow me down the base.


    Zhang Heng, Jay, Xi Kong, and¡­


    Ren Tao!"


    It had been 12 hours and 10 minutes since the quake¡­


    It would be another 11 hours to the collision with the shattered planet¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] I added extra emphasis to the aspect of risk management which was absent in the original. It flows better with the overall story.

 Chapter 85: Song for the Soul

    Chapter 85: Song for the Soul


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Regarding the 4 people Yao Yuan named¡­ Both Zhang Heng and Yao Yuan had long since been ready. After catching up on some precious sleep, they had been waiting for Yao Yuan to call on them. Even Ren Tao predicted he would be called so he wasn¡¯t at all shocked when the order arrived.


    The only exception was the 17-year-old girl, Nian Kong. She stood timidly before Yao Yuan. Obviously uncomfortable in this unfamiliar situation, she was as scared as a spooked rabbit.


    This threw Yao Yuan for a loop. Due to his military background, he was used to dealing and negotiating with men like Jay and Zhang Heng¡­ but an anxious little girl?


    Yao Yuan cleared his throat and spoke in his kindest tone possible, "Xi Kong, hi, my name is Yao Yuan and I¡¯m the captain of this ship. Please don¡¯t be afraid, you¡¯re not here because you did something wrong, you¡¯re here because I need you."


    Xi Kong was shocked being directly addressed by Yao Yuan. Turning red, she mumbled barely above a whisper, "So¡­ sorry¡­ This is the first time I¡¯m meeting you so¡­ I¡¯m going to have to decline¡­ Plus my parents will probably disagree¡­"


    Hearing that, Yao Yuan slapped himself on his forehead, making Xi Kong jumped in shock, and chuckled lightly, "I might need to rephrase what I said. I mean I need you to follow me back to the underground base. I¡­ We need you, the people who are still trapped down there need you!"


    The little misunderstanding made Xi Kong¡¯s almond-sized face burned even redder. She stole a glance at Yao Yuan who stared back at her with a straight face. She wished a hole would swallow her up right there and then. Finally, she nodded gingerly.


    Just like that, escorted by 15 soldiers, the party of 4 took a short-distance bus and sped towards the base.


    Along the way, Yao Yuan kept asking Xi Kong about her power.


    "¡­Actually I¡¯m pretty much clueless about this power myself. I just know that every time I pick up my Gu Zheng or hum a note, my surrounding will get peacefully quiet like everyone and everything has fallen away, leaving only the empty cosmos as my stage," speaking from memory, Xi Kong continued, "it was a mysterious experience seeing the cosmos stretch before me. Initially I was very afraid but as the melody came to me, these little orbs of light appeared around me, and I could feel the warmth coming off of them. There were in the beginning only 10 of them but slowly their number grew. They burn with varying intensity but there is always 1 in the middle which shines the brightest. As if guided by natural instinct, every orb gravitates towards it. I always feel safe bathed in its silvery glow¡­"


    Here, Xi Kong stopped to look carefully at Yao Yuan. She turned away shyly and continued, "I¡¯ve tried communicating with these little orbs of light but trapped in their own world, my voice can find no way of reaching across. So I resorted to singing, and gradually my field of vision expanded¡­ The cosmos isn¡¯t empty at all, it is filled with these little orbs¡­ or rather singular sparks of light, and there are tens of thousands of them. It is as if I find myself immersed in a field of stars."


    Even though it didn¡¯t show on his face, Yao Yuan was deeply intrigued by Xi Kong¡¯s experience. When she took a pause, he urged, "And then? What else did you do?"


    Staring at her feet, Xi Kong resumed her story, "As I¡¯ve said, my attempts at communication, even turning to using all the languages that I know, had been to no avail. But my singing worked, and somehow when I sing, I feel less alone¡­ And everyone crowds around me whenever I sing. They say I have a beautiful voice like I was singing with my soul."


    (Singing? But sound waves need air to travel, and the chute is going to be insulated¡­ No wait! I mustn¡¯t underestimate her ability as The Anima. I could also see the orbs of light but not the little sparks she mentioned so her mastery of the skill must be more powerful than I am.)


    Ever since they left Planet Sahara, Yao Yuan had received confirmation regarding the existence of Homo Evolutis. In fact he had ordered a section of The Academy, which comprised of 10 scientists and over 50 lab assistants, to head a special group specifically dealing with mystery of the Homo Evolutis.


    Other than that, he himself also had been testing and trying to expand his powers.


    In the several months after they left Planet Sahara, no matter how exhausted he was, Yao Yuan would still dedicate about 1 hour each day to practice his superhuman abilities.


    He had gotten so familiar with the powers of the Perceptor, the Diviner and the Seeker that he could use them at will. He had bypassed the necessary trigger of using imminent danger.


    He had also been training his Whisperer power. However due to its passive nature, he hadn¡¯t had it under full control to be able to switch it on or off at will.


    Lastly, there was Jay¡¯s Deceiver ability but it didn¡¯t appear like Yao Yuan had access to this power.


    Thus far, of the recorded Homo Evolutis, the majority was the Perceptor. Among them were Ebon, Lee, Liu Bai, and Fei Biao.


    There was only one pure Seeker and that was Ying.


    There were three known Diviners, Zhang Heng, Chou Yue and a random other who were attuned to prediction of danger.


    The Whisperers were those could receive sudden inspiration when they were contemplating difficult questions. There were two of them aboard The Hope, Bo Li and Ivan.


    Lastly, there was Jay, the sole Deceiver.


    As the All-rounder, Yao Yuan was unique in the sense that he had access to all the above mentioned abilities, with the exception of Jay¡¯s.


    Nevertheless, on his low moments, Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t help but feel like a jacks of all trades but master of none. It might not be obvious now but he knew his malice detection wasn¡¯t as sharp as Ebon¡¯s, prediction of danger wasn¡¯t as accurate as Zhang Heng¡¯s, clarity of vision wasn¡¯t as clear as Ying¡¯s and now he knew his connection as the anima wasn¡¯t as profound as Xi Kong¡¯s¡­ It was only a matter of time when his power would be no longer needed.


    Yao Yuan mulled over this newfound type of Homo Evolutis, the Anima. He believed its power shouldn¡¯t be that simple. All the recorded superhuman abilities shown its first sign after The Hope left Earth. So the simple deduction was that they were born out of human¡¯s adaption for survival in space. And since there was essentially no air in space, he believed The Anima¡¯s power went beyond reliance on sound waves.


    With that in mind, Yao Yuan said, "Zhang Heng, Jay and Ren Tao, I want all of us to close our communication for 3 minutes. Xi Kong, would you please sing for us in the next 3 minutes? You can sing any song you like but don¡¯t tell us the title beforehand."


    Yao Yuan was the first to switch off his communication, after some hesitation, Zhang Heng and Jay followed suit. Ren Tao though remained silent, staring blankly at the space before him. It was until Yao Yuan moved to give his space helmet a slap that he unwillingly joined the rest.


    Xi Kong was suspicious of Yao Yuan¡¯s intention but she obeyed his order. Unable to sit facing Yao Yuan while she sang due to her extreme shyness, she moved her body away from the three men. When they saw the side of her mouth moving, they knew Xi Kong had started singing.


    (Hmm¡­ I hear nothing. Have I been overthinking? Indeed, without the help of air, how could sound travel to our ear lobes and into our brain? It was physically impossible. I need to stop basing my judgments on science fiction¡­)


    Yao Yuan sighed inwardly but when he moved to open his communication, he heard a sound.


    No, instead of a sound, it was more like a signal or an emotion¡­


    [1] Blue shining like sapphire; Blue blinding like the sky and sea¡­


    Blue, we shall no longer be¡­


    When Yao Yuan came to next, he could feel wet tears flowing down his face. Hurriedly, he switched on his communicator and shook the other 3 out of their tearful reverie. As communication came back online, Xi Kong¡¯s mellifluous voice poured forth¡­


    Instead of singing, she was humming part of the melody from the Home Sonata. Circumventing the law of physics, Xi Kong had sung the desire for home right into the men¡¯s hearts.


    "You can stop now, we can hear you perfectly. It was a song for the soul," finished Yao Yuan with a complicated expression.


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] Lyrics has been changed to maintain rhythm but here is the literal translation of the original lyrics:


    It is a planet as blue as a gem, blue sky, white clouds, deep sea, land, green plants¡­


    Everything is so warm, the world before our eyes is so gentle, this¡­


    This is home!

 Chapter 86: 24 Hours (10)

    Chapter 86: 24 Hours (10)


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    When Yao Yuan¡¯s group arrived at the base they met a salvage unit that was returning to The Hope.


    They were tasked with reclaiming parts and apparatus from the anti-gravitational, life preservation as well as other machinery unit. Even though these parts could be reproduced but that would require another set of investment so to prevent wastage, all that could be saved were saved.


    Throughout this evacuation operation, the short-distance bus became an unlikely asset. Initially intended for transportation of children, it had become the operation¡¯s most valuable mode of transportation. This was because it had a big capacity, an easy control, and a set of specially-designed tires that could grip the ground tightly. Furthermore, due to their lesson on Planet Sahara, it was also fitted with powerful engine that normally would be used for monster trucks!


    Recognizing its potential especially in reforming supply lines, The Barracks claimed it as its main mode of transportation. Therefore, throughout the operation, the military had been jotting down its weaknesses in the hopes that improvement could be made in the future.


    At this moment, a few such short-distances buses passed by Yao Yuan¡¯s group. They were loaded with materials salvaged from the underground base. The military escorts saluted and answered Yao Yuan¡¯s several simple questions before resuming their mission in a hurry.


    After that brief intermission, Yao Yuan led his team deeper into the base. When they reached the base¡¯s second level, Yao Yuan repeated to Xi Kong her mission, which was to transfer information from the second level to the third level.


    The details of Xi Kong¡¯s mission though had undergone plenty of transformations as Yao Yuan learned more about her power. For example, Yao Yuan¡¯s initial plan was to send a detailed instruction on how to build a simple communicator to the industrial level. But after finding out Xi Kong¡¯s method of communication was to form emotional connections via singing, that plan fell apart. How could one enunciate detailed instructions with only melodies? Yao Yuan also realized an inherent weakness that he had overlooked in his initial plan¡­ Even if he could somehow outline the instructions for the third level people, without a single member of The Academy, the instructions would remain indecipherable.


    Therefore, Xi Kong¡¯s original mission was canceled. Instead, it was changed to offering a source of comfort for the people down there. It was Yao Yuan¡¯s hope that her power would calm the people within especially when the digging got close enough to rock the third level.


    It had been 13 hours since the initial quake. Yao Yuan predicted the crystal reactor¡¯s acid bath had been changed at least once, or worse, he feared they might have already used both sets of the available chemical potions. Compounding the situation was the fact that it had been at least 10 hours since they had had outside communication. It was anyone¡¯s guess what the situation down there was. As the major, Yao Yuan had to prepare for the worst.


    When Yao Yuan arrived at the second level field, the leader of the drilling unit accompanied by a few Black Star members hurriedly gathered around Yao Yuan. They quickly gave Yao Yuan a brief on the overall situation, focusing specifically on the digging progress.


    "¡­Major, we¡¯re almost done with the drilling but there is a problem¡­" the leader said directly.


    Handing Yao Yuan a chart of the digging site, he continued, "Drilling until now has been successful, all has been going according to plan. But now at the cusp of breaking into the third level, we¡¯ve stumbled across a big problem¡­"


    Studying the chart, Yao Yuan offered, "You mean one of the cracks has widened?"


    The leader nodded solemnly, "Major, you are correct. A crack has widened between the rock layer in the middle of the second and third level. I¡¯m afraid if we are to continue with the operation, vibrations from the drilling might widen the crack even further¡­"


    Yao Yuan appraised the chart silently and called Zhang Heng over. He relayed the situation to Zhang Heng before adding, "There is no time for us to come up with another plan. We have to finish digging this tunnel. This is our only hope for rescuing those people¡­ So Zhang Heng, I¡¯m banking all my faith on you because you will probably need to keep your power activated for more than several hours¡­"


    "Major¡­ Captain, I have nothing else going for me but this power, so don¡¯t you worry. I would die before I would let you down! I will not disappoint you¡­ because I know I am nothing without this power." Zhang Heng saluted with a weak smile.


    Yao Yuan patted Zhang Heng consolingly on his shoulder before moving away. As he crossed Zhang Heng¡¯s side, Zhang Heng could hear an uttered whisper.


    "No, Zhang Heng, you still have us. As partners, The Black Star will always have your back."


    "Continue drilling!"


    He then assigned two close guards to Zhang Heng. As long as there were people to support him, Zhang Heng Yao Yuan believed would be fine.


    He stopped before Xi Kong, and said seriously, "Nian Xi Kong¡­ Can I call you Kong?" to which the girl nodded shyly, "Kong, as you can see, the base itself is not entirely secure but know that there are about 3000 lives below us waiting for rescue. It is understandable that they would be afraid because they are running out of water, food and possibly even air. It is our responsibility to lend them a voice of hope¡­


    Danger in space affects all of us but Kong, since you¡¯re not part of the military, I¡¯m going to present you with a choice¡­ You¡¯ve heard the leader of the drill team yourself. Continuation of the operation might collapse the whole base due to the weakening of the geological structure.


    So, here¡¯s the choice. You can return to The Hope now or you can stay to help the 3000 plus people¡­ I want you to deliberate over your final decision because understand that your life hangs in the balance."


    Xi Kong lifted her head lightly to sneak a glance at Yao Yuan. After that, she nodded firmly, "I¡­ want to stay to help you."


    Yao Yuan sighed in relief, "Then would you please kindly start singing? The one that makes you enter that quiet space. Try to aim your voice at the sparks of light below us because otherwise it might prove to be a bit distracting for the people working up here¡­ because your voice is too beautiful. So please disconnect your communicator and only direct your voice at the people down there, could you try that?


    Also, would you sing songs that are hopeful or calming, and after that, songs about seeking communication¡­ Hmm¡­ that might be a bit too specific, perhaps sing about songs related to friendship or family, something that could hint at communication."


    Xi Kong nodded hesitantly. After that, she cut off her communicator. She tried talking to Yao Yuan but he could only see her lips move.


    Yao Yuan enunciated his words slowly, trying to tell her that she could start singing now using the shapes of his mouth.


    Xi Kong didn¡¯t launch into her song immediately, instead she closed her eyes to calm herself down. As she became increasingly still within, the stillness was reflected outwards. Eventually, the realm of reality fell away, leaving her buoying as an orb of light.


    After that, more orbs appeared around her, the biggest among them was burning like a miniature star. Xi Kong involuntarily drifted closer to it, attracted by its warmth.


    Soon after, beyond this constellation of orbs, little sparks of light emerged. A cluster of them huddled in a group not far away from her, but their glow was comparatively faint in contrast to the orbs around her. It was as if they would be wiped out by the slightest wind.


    "Please don¡¯t be afraid, listen to my song. There are many people up there fighting tooth and nail for your survival, and most of all, there is him¡­ He¡¯s here, he who promised he would die beside you, so¡­


    Please do not be afraid, he will not turn his back on you!"


    Amidst the steely silence, Xi Kong felt her spirit returning to that accident many years ago, the year where she came into that fateful contact with a blundering truck. She was only 10 then but she had spent 3 years in coma, singing to herself in consciousness and in spirit to ward off the deep anxiety and fear¡­


    "Come join me in my song¡­"


    It had been 14 hours since the quake when the drill bit finally broke through the third level.


    It would require another 4 to 6 hours to construct the air-insulated chute necessary to let down resources like spacesuits, communicator, and chemical acids¡­

 Chapter 87: Relentless Hope!

    Chapter 87: Relentless Hope!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    In the underground base¡¯ third level¡­


    It had been more than 10 hours since the pathway between the second and third floor caved in. Thankfully, the life preservation system wasn¡¯t greatly affected by the disaster. However, even though the temperature and air continued to be properly maintained, it didn¡¯t take away from the devastation of being buried alive!


    For better or for worse, since this was not the first time The Hope¡¯s citizen faced such despairing situation, they managed to wait patiently for rescue. They had faith that The Hope¡¯s government would not desert them!


    Grounded by such a faith, the thousands of people calmly went about looking for possible cracks in the wall or still open pathways. Simultaneously, the technicians among them conducted a careful check-up, ensuring the life preservation, air recycling and communication systems were well-functioning.


    The result was regrettable because the cable for the communication system was found out to be irreversibly damaged during the quake. This meant that they had no means of communication with the outside world. And since there was no radio wave in outer space, common communicative devices like mobile phones were unusable, which was not a problem because there was an endless supply of landlines littering the base¡¯ 3 levels, and not to mention, they were also equipped within each spacesuit. Sadly, they were all useless then.


    Due to their lack of foresight, they had been effectively displaced from the bigger community¡­


    Everyone¡¯s composure persisted for the initial several hours. People went about their way checking the acid base¡¯s concentration, the functionality of the various machineries, or just resting.


    The mood shifted greatly 10 hours in, when the last set of chemical potion was added to the crystal reactor.


    It was hard to understate the importance of this crystal reactor. It was responsible to power the base¡¯ life preservation system, its death meant the death of 3000 plus people.


    Admittedly, that was an exaggerated worry because the enclosed pocket of air could ironically stretch the trapped citizens¡¯ survivability, but what about the alien plant?


    Granted the plants posed no harm directly to humans but they would make easy work of the base¡¯ overall structure. If the plants ate through the base wall, exposure to the vacuum would doom them all!


    In other words, when the chemical bath lost its effectiveness 8 hours later¡­ that would be their time to face death!


    Gradually, obvious expressions of despair started to manifest. People got either increasingly agitated or placid. Some sauntered about instigating fights while others sat to a side and started writing their wills on their clothes. A few soldiers even started sleeping.


    Mark Norse, the father of 2 sons opted for neither!


    He was not going to give up because his wife and 2 sons still awaited his return on The Hope! He was going to be a survivor to see his loving family¡¯s faces again!


    He refused to lie down and die just like that. His family deserved better!


    That was why Mark had been going about the place looking for salvageable parts ever since 2 hours ago. Spotting the increasing roll of wirings in Mark¡¯s hands, several of his colleagues joined him in the search.


    "¡­yes, I intend to build a rudimentary wireless communicator," Mark revealed to his friends, "there are however 2 issues. One, there is no suitable parts around. This level is mainly used for constructing factory-scale parts like attachments to the external cabin so it is hard to find small components that are used in electrical devices.


    "Secondly, it¡¯s the structure of this base. Do you know why the base is not fitted with wireless communicators? The answer is actually very simple. This meteorite contains deposits of radioactive minerals, this much is common knowledge. It might even contain minerals that could no longer be found on Earth. In any case, the radioactive waves of these minerals would interfere with radio waves.


    In fact I believe this interference is constant with regards to the communicators on The Hope and within the spacesuits. But, they are usually too weak to pose any trouble to such powerful devices."


    Mark shrugged disconsolately, "Wireless communicators, on the other hand, because it is not part of the future-tech ensemble are not stable enough to withstand interferences from these waves. Therefore, usage of landlines is more reliable¡­ under normal circumstances that is.


    The device that I¡¯m trying to build could reach around 500 to 1000 meters without interference. Sadly, while we¡¯re trapped here, it has only a 100 to 200 meters range of communication¡­"


    Mark turned to face the group around him with a weak smile, "that distance though could still bring us into contact with the people above us¡­ We will know if it¡¯s truly time to despair after I¡¯ve finished building this communicator."


    "How long would this take?" A middle-aged man asked, "We don¡¯t mind trying, but¡­"


    He pointed somewhere far away, "I don¡¯t think that bunch of people are willing to wait."


    He was pointing at a group of people who had been gathering at the end of the caved in pathway, chipping away at the stoppage. Eager to do something, these people were working off their inner upheaval by moving fallen rocks and pushing over boulders. As time moved on, their progress gained traction as more people joined in. Unfortunately, the aggression wasn¡¯t always directed at the rocks. 3 altercations had already broken out. It was only a matter of time before¡­ one would see blood.


    Mark shook his head helplessly and turned back to check the materials that they had gathered, "We still don¡¯t have enough ingredients to build a communicator. According to our current progress, we would need another 3 hours."


    "Then let¡¯s hurry and split up. Hopefully that¡¯ll buy us some time. If necessary, dismantle the machinery and even the shuttle, what use would these serve if all of us were to die?" the middle-aged man clapped his hand and announced.


    Everyone continued their search with renewed vigor.


    3 hours later, when the materials were adequately assembled and Mark started building the communicator, trouble ensued.


    The group that had been digging at the pathway by then had grown to about 2000 plus in size, and about 10 of them surrounded Mark¡¯s group. One of them yelled, "You people had been scavenging around the area like rats and for what? For a dumb communicator that has at most a 200 meters range! Are you kidding me?!


    Give it up already! There is no longer anyone other than ourselves that are trapped in this base! It has been 14 hours since the earthquake and we have not seen or heard any signs of help coming from above. Do you hear any sounds of digging? Cause I don¡¯t! They must have left for The Hope already! Tell me, what¡¯s the use of your communicator then?


    Stop what you¡¯re doing and come help us! With all of us pitching in, I guarantee you, we will be able to get out of this place on our own!"


    The person¡¯s order gathered support among the people around him and Mark watched all this unfold with a sinking feeling in his gut. They hadn¡¯t resorted to grabbing his project or smashing the materials but he knew these people were not far away from that mob mentality. The inherent threat was obvious, either join them or suffer their wrath.


    "Everyone, please listen to me. The pathway is completely blocked by the cave in. Without tools or explosives, it is impossible for us to leave. Even if we have explosives here, I would suggest against using it. What if it causes more collapse? The reason we are building this communicator is because¡­" began Mark in a loud and clear voice. He was slowly convincing the crowd to his perspective but¡­


    His group was still the minority!


    "Smash their stuff! They will have to help us then!"


    Screamed the man as he rushed towards Mark¡¯s communicator, and he was followed by a few howling men. There was a blind rage burning in their eyes¡­


    Mark closed his eyes in defeat. He knew it would be futile to stand in the way. In fact, it might even make things worse. These people could no longer be reasoned with. They were out for blood¡­


    (So, is this the end?)


    Suddenly, with the man¡¯s foot hovering threateningly over the communicator, a song drifted into the area¡­


    A calming and hopeful song, one that spoke of faith and rescue¡­


    And it came from¡­


    All 3000 plus people, including the raging mob stopped and lifted their head to stare at the ceiling.


    Yes, it was true. The song came from the second floor!

 Chapter 88: Will you Trust me?

    Chapter 88: Will you Trust me?


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The song had an instant calming effect on its listeners. As a matter of fact, some men in the crowd started to openly weep. To regain a lost hope, that would appear to be the last straw that broke the camel¡¯s back, and their accumulated fear and anxiety flowed out in form of tears.


    Nervously retrieving his outstretched leg, the shamed man uttered, "I¡¯m sorry, I lost my¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve lost my composure and sanity because of fear for a moment there. So¡­ sorry¡­" He then slowly crumbled to the ground, shuddering in tears.


    Sighing, Mark surveyed the extent of damage. Luckily, the communicator wasn¡¯t irreparably damaged. After some repairs, he would need another hour to complete the construction.


    "Everyone please help me find the necessary tools!" Mark yelled without hesitation as he continued to work on the communicator.


    Rallied by Mark¡¯s order, the crowd dispersed to look for possible parts. A small group even gathered around Mark, serving at his beck and call. Whenever he needed a component, they quickly handed one over. This sped up the progress tremendously and the product was finished under an hour.


    A sizeable crowd gathered around Mark as he moved to put the communicator to the test. There was a sustained excitement and people had hope glinting in their eyes, waiting for response to come from the other end of the communicator¡­


    "Hello, can you hear me? Is this the second level? Hello, is anyone there?" Mark said carefully, as he fine-tuned the frequency.


    "¡­Yes, I hear you! Major, we just received a voice transmission from the third floor! Hello, this is the rescue unit. Please hold, the major is coming!"


    Despair is, by definition, an absence of hope. An example was when man knew an asteroid was hurtling towards Earth, and they had no escape, that was despairing.


    Thus, when hope was injected into the situation, feelings of despair would itself gradually dismantle. Case in point, when news came from the rescue unit, despair surrounding the crowd immediately dissolved. Serenity fell over the crowd as they moved calmly away from the cave in and lied down on the floor to rest and sleep.


    Yao Yuan was overjoyed to receive communication from the industrial level. He wasn¡¯t expecting someone down there to construct a makeshift communicator but it was a welcomed boon. Things were made a lot easier with 2-way communication. For example, if the technicians down there could help build the air-insulated shuttle on their end, the manufacturing speed would be cut down by at least half an hour!


    30 minutes! It might seem inconsequential but it was not a number to scoff at. The difference of 1 minute could save 3000 lives, much less 30 minutes?!


    "Move! People, move!" Yao Yuan shouted with unbridled joy at the group of workers around him.


    Fueled by the elation from establishing contact with their fellow citizens, the workers poured more effort into their work. Renewed energy could be heard in the multi-lingual affirmative response they replied Yao Yuan in.


    Nevertheless, it must be understood that they were on a race against time, and their opponent was not one that was known to slack¡­


    It had been 17 hours since the quake and the chute was 2/3 ready. It was 1 and a half hour away from completion. However, the acid bath in the third floor had reached critical condition. It could only hold for another 10 minutes before the plant within went berserk.


    When Yao Yuan received this news, he marched over the Jay¡¯s side. Without a word, he sat down on a fallen boulder beside Jay. In the silence that followed, Yao Yuan even unconsciously went searching for his pack of smoke before realizing they were both wearing their spacesuits.


    "¡­It has reached the critical stage, right?" Jay asked with a released breath.


    Yao Yuan nodded his head in confirmation, "We have at most 10 minutes. I have the third level people be on close monitor of the plant, you still can rest for a while longer."


    "That¡¯s fine. I would like to do some warm-ups just in case you want me to enter that state again within like 10 seconds. I¡¯m not going through that again without preparation," Jay said as he lifted himself up from the boulder.


    Yao Yuan opened his mouth to say something but he stopped himself. He only patted Jay on his shoulder before moving towards the work site.


    Suddenly, Jay¡¯s voice came through his communicator, "Yao Yuan, you know full well that I¡¯m a conman¡­ I¡¯ve conned for money, for benefits, for status, and if the feelings suit me, for fun. In fact you¡¯ve seen through my act the first time you laid your eyes on me. So why do you still trust me?"


    "This is about Planet Sahara right?" Yao Yuan replied without turning, but his every word fell heavily on Jay¡¯s heart.


    "No one is born a conman, and nobody aspires to be one, but life often pushes one down a certain lane¡­ It is not my place or anyone¡¯s place to judge where life leads us¡­ Plus, Jay, there are many things one could say about a man who graciously offered to help a woman who doesn¡¯t have much to repay him gather water. You could say he¡¯s dumb, or maybe he¡¯s horny, but one thing you couldn¡¯t say is that¡­


    He¡¯s a conman. He has nothing to con from this woman, it¡¯s not logical to say so."


    At that point, Yao Yuan turned around and even though he stood a distance away, he stared Jay right in his eyes, "Jay, you are a man of your words¡­ Your past and your memory don¡¯t define you, your power as the deceiver doesn¡¯t define you. In fact, it offers you the freedom to lie and thus puts you above the need to deceive! Jay, I will not fault you the failure of this mission because it is not your prerogative but mine, but remember that I do not see you as a conman!"


    After Yao Yuan walked away, under the shadows of Jay¡¯s space helmet, a blithe smile broke.


    "Is this what it feels like to be trusted? That idiot¡­"


    After that exchange, Jay felt exceptionally calm, so calm that he could feel the conman label that had haunted him all his life peeling away¡­


    "Okay, it¡¯s time to put this silver tongue to use. Come, alien plant, it¡¯s time to meet your maker!"


    Jay chuckled darkly to himself before closing his eyes in meditation. He entered the mysterious state easily¡­ That came as a shock to even Jay himself because he had been trying and failing to do so for the past few days.


    Light orbs of varying intensity and size appeared around him. One of them was at least 10 times bigger than the rest and it glowed intensely.


    (No, not these, the plants should be much lower¡­)


    As Jay trained his focus downwards, slowly but surely, pinpricks of light appeared in a crowded cluster¡­ and they radiated an eerie green glow!


    (There you are¡­ Now, you na?ve plants, it¡¯s time to succumb to my art of lying¡­)


    As time trudged on, concentration of the acid bath in the crystal reactor moved closer and closer to the critical stage. A sense of anxiety permeated not only the third floor residents but also the mining workers and technicians. Even the military was not free from its chilling effect, and their overall progress gradually slowed.


    Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t going to hurry them because he too was lying in wait¡­


    (I need to make a decision now! Either evacuate the mining party now to minimize fatality or wait for Jay to succeed and hope for the best!)


    "This¡­ this is unbelievable! Major, the acid bath¡¯s concentration is stabilizing! It¡¯s teetering near but not crossing the critical line! This is a miracle! the crystal reactor is still working! Has God heard our prayers?"


    The message that came from the industrial level was greeted with a spirited cheer. Everyone resumed their work with fresh vitality¡­


    "God? No, it¡¯s a man¡­" uttered a sighing Ren Tao as he stared perplexed at Jay who still had his eyes closed.


    "No, it¡¯s a hero."


    Came Yao Yuan¡¯s voice.


    "A hero who we can place our trust in."

 Chapter 89: Believe!

    Chapter 89: Believe!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Xiao Chen sat quietly to a corner of the room. If not for her quivering lips, she could easily pass as taking a rest¡­


    But, it was true that she was shaking in fear due to her mild claustrophobia.


    In her past, she would do all she can to keep her space open, and this was true for both when she was living in her tent and in her modest residence. The Hope had a record low criminal rate so she was not particularly afraid to leave the door open.


    Even before that, when she was still sharing an apartment with her friends, the windows in the room would always be wide open, and that had landed her into multiple altercations with her roommates.


    This was all thanks to the memory that had been haunting her since she was 9¡­


    Hiding under the bed, she bit her tongue tightly despite her parents¡¯ blood that was seeping through the mattress. When the police arrived 2 days later, they found an unmoving little girl caked in her parents¡¯ fresh blood curling into herself¡­


    Months before that, her mother had had an affair with a professional conman. During their pillow talks, her mother unsuspectingly shared her father¡¯s company secrets with the man. The man instead repaid her with AIDS. Her family was thrown into dysfunction when her father¡¯s company faced bankruptcy and when he received his own health reports for AIDS. He confronted his wife and in throes of despair, shot his wife before turning his gun on himself.


    This traumatic experience became part of her life. As she grew older, she heard between family gossips that the conman was a translator for a French financial company. After that, she poured her heart and soul into pursuing an education in France and picking up the tricks for being a translator¡­


    A cheer not far away pulled Xiao Chen out of her reverie. She stared vacantly at the crowd of people before finally getting up to ask a person near her what was happening.


    "Haven¡¯t you heard? It¡¯s a miracle! Just when the acid bath was going to cross its limit, it stopped, but somehow the crystal reactor is still functioning! Yes, even without exhausting the acid bath, it¡¯s still working! Thank God, it must be He who is looking over us!" exclaimed the middle-aged man.


    (God?! No, not God. It¡¯s that liar¡­)


    Xiao Chen lifted her head upwards and swore she could somehow instinctively locate the spot Jay had planted himself as he started utilizing his powers¡­


    (Humph! So what? He¡¯s still a conman! I¡¯d rather die than forgive him!)


    Xiao Chen returned to her previous spot in a fit of rage. She knew her anger was unreasonable but if asked, she would say¡­


    "Even his power is to deceive! It¡¯s little wonder that he¡¯s a liar!"


    Of course this was all unknown to Jay who was in full concentration on the second level. As time passed, he got increasingly familiar with the ins and outs of his power.


    He realized the key to activating his power was focus. Contrary to what many believed, it had nothing to do with his physical condition, being alarmed or relaxed was totally unnecessary. In other words, if he could maintain a sharp focus, his power could be activated in the middle of a fight. Therefore, Jay slowly slumped himself down the boulder, preserving his energy for what would be an extended affair.


    (How long could I hold? 30 minutes? 1 hour? 1 hour and 30 minutes? Or¡­ until I die?)


    With his eyes still closed, Jay chuckled bitterly to himself. He wore an incredulous smirk.


    (This is certainly unexpected, a hero¡¯s departure¡­ Those that I¡¯ve conned must have cursed me aplenty. Their wish is going to come true but I bet they weren¡¯t wishing for such a gallant death. How ironic.)


    The air-insulation operation finally entered its final stage. After the third level technicians finished installing the parts on their end, the first batch of supplies could be dropped. After that, it was just a matter of figuring out a way to clear a pathway and transport everyone back to The Hope.


    However, it would still take at least 20 minutes to finish this final touch¡­


    At this moment, Jay was already breaking out in cold sweat. He had been lying to the plants for more than 1 hour. That had gone way beyond the critical limit for any Homo Evolutis and it was evidenced by Jay¡¯s conditions. He could barely keep himself awake and he realized he would instantly fall asleep if he ever let his guard down. To prevent himself from drifting off¡­ he had been biting his upper and lower lips.


    Yao Yuan noticed the blood flowing down Jay¡¯s chin but what could he do? Order him to keep going even though it might harm his life?


    Yao Yuan was not above making necessary sacrifices, but to have others die for his own safety, that he couldn¡¯t do! He understood life was precious, so he was always careful when it came to decisions like this.


    As the leader, he would be the first to die for the majority. But to push others to their deaths so that his life could be preserved, that was to him the very definition of cowardice!


    Therefore, even if it involved thousands of lives, he would not order Jay to challenge death. It was not his or anyone¡¯s place to do so!


    Unexpectedly, Jay opened his eyes and waved Yao Yuan over. Without waiting for Yao Yuan to come close, he said, "I want to talk to Feng Xiao Chen."


    Sighing, Yao Yuan nodded a soldier over, informing him to contact the third level. Then he sat down beside Jay, listening quietly to the man¡¯s labored breathing.


    Then, Ying¡¯s voice came through the communicator.


    "Yao Yuan, request for private conversation," Ying said.


    After switching over to a private channel, Ying continued, "Yao Yuan, we can¡¯t allow him to talk to anyone else. If he could hold for another 20 minutes, the mission will be successful. This conversation will only be a distraction for his already drained mind and the repercussion could be devastating¡­"


    Yao Yuan responded firmly, "I will not allow anyone to interfere with his decision to talk to Xiao Chen, even though it might fail us all¡­ He has done everything that he could do, and I will not hold him responsible to anything else!"


    After a long silence, Ying replied, "You¡¯re the captain¡­ If that¡¯s your decision then I shall obey."


    Yao Yuan nodded, "Then continue with the original plan, and ensure the project is continued until completion. Try to speed up the progress by cutting corners, now is not the time to be picky about quality. After it¡¯s done, make sure to lower the batch of chemical potions first!"


    Xiao Chen¡¯s discontented voice wafted into Jay¡¯s ear, "Giant liar¡­ Is that you? What do you need me for, you liar?"


    Jay felt comforted hearing her voice. He laughed lightly but that only worked to highlight the gravel in his voice. It required tremendous strength for him to even speak but still, he chatted nonchalantly with Xiao Chen, "Chen¡­ Do you hate liars that much?"


    "Yes, I hate them with a passion!" Xiao Chen screeched with a slight tremble, "I hate conmen the most! They con others¡¯ feelings and heart, they are the worst scum! They should all just die!"


    "Is that so? Your wish might just as well come true today¡­"


    Jay chuckled slightly before adding, "Chen, how about we make a deal? If you survive, you¡¯ll stop referring me as a giant liar, how about that?"


    "In¡­ your dreams!" Xiao Chen could barely mask the tremble in her voice then. Even Jay, in half his mind, could pick it up clearly.


    "I will not suffer being saved by a giant liar!"


    "That will simply not do¡­"


    A rare smile blossomed on Jay¡¯s face. In that instant, it was as if all his energy had been restored as color rushed back to his face. With his face burning pink, Jay roared loudly, "Chen, will you believe this?"


    "Believe what?" Xiao Chen asked with a quiver.


    "Believe¡­


    "Believe that a giant liar will do everything to save you, would you believe that¡­?"


    Jay shut off the communicator before Xiao Chen could respond. By then, blood was already pouring freely out of his ears and nose but it didn¡¯t seem to faze him in any way. Jay only sat there laughing dumbly to himself¡­


    20 minutes later, the chute was completed. The chemical potions were successfully lowered and added into the acid pool¡­


    30 minutes later, an unconscious Jay was pushed into surgery¡­


    50 minutes later, Jay was officially announced to be brain dead¡­


    At the same time, swept by a sudden overwhelming grief, Xiao Chen, who was in the middle of putting on her spacesuit, started bawling like a child¡­

 Chapter 90: One Last Gamble!

    Chapter 90: One Last Gamble!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "Leave both of them behind!"


    Yao Yuan turned back to look at the two wounded agents with a steely gaze. Not part of the Black Star unit, they were members of an additional unit attached to his mission. Their help had been instrumental to the mission success but unfortunately, two of them had been mortally wounded by stray bullets.


    "But we¡¯re in the middle of the enemy¡¯s camp. And this is a covert operation, if they were to fall into enemy hands¡­" a recently-rescued government official said hurriedly.


    "You¡¯re right. The information they have is too valuable¡­"


    Retrieving a silencer, Yao Yuan leaned into one of the agent. He whispered into his ear, "This is for the benefits of the majority. I¡¯m sorry but please rest well. If luck would have it, maybe I¡¯ll see you soon¡­"


    A crimson blossom bloomed in the air following a violent shock¡­


    Memories of his past operations as the leader of the Black Star unit suddenly flashed through Yao Yuan¡¯s mind¡­


    "Captain, captain?!"


    The voice pulled Yao Yuan back into reality.


    Realizing the sound came from his communicator, he quickly responded, "yes, any update?"


    "This is the latest report, captain. The crew has finished building the air-insulated chute, and transportation for 3421 sets of spacesuits has been completed. Currently, everyone down in the third floor has their own pair of spacesuit but to be safe, an extra 100 pair is provided," replied the voice.


    "That¡¯s good news. Then, we shall move on the plan¡¯s second stage. Immediately escort the mining crew back to The Hope. We have to be fast so only take the handy equipment and leave the stationary ones," ordered Yao Yuan.


    "Yes, sir. Captain¡¯s order¡­"


    Under the military¡¯s guidance, the technicians, scientists and workers on the second floor were quickly corralled out the underground base and into The Hope. A mixture of fear and astonishment swept through the crowd when they passed through the base entrance because the cracks on the wall were already as numerous as a spidery web. The fact that it still remained standing was in itself a scientific anomaly.


    "What¡¯s next¡­" Yao Yuan turned his attention to the people around him. Present were most of the Black Star unit, black-star guards, normal soldiers and Ren Tao, the only civilian.


    Before Yao Yuan could put forth his decision, Liu Bai interjected, "Yao Yuan, it¡¯s my advice that you take a rest. Similarly, Zhang Heng also need to rest!"


    Yao Yuan stared dumbfounded at Liu Bai before turning to Zhang Heng.


    Only then he realized the pink blush that suffused Zhang Heng¡¯s face. He looked not unlike Jay moments before he fell. Zhang Heng had been keeping his power on for more than several hours, beginning from the start of the drilling to the completion of the insulated chute. Other than Jay, Zhang Heng¡¯s contribution was not to be overlooked in the success of this mission.


    Even though the strain of using a passive superhuman power was less demanding than an active one, it was clear that Zhang Heng had reached his very limit.


    In fact, the same could be said of Yao Yuan himself. He had been using his own set of powers since the moment they stepped foot once more into the underground base.


    Shaking his head at Liu Bai, he added, "Don¡¯t worry, I can still carry on¡­ I know my body well so I won¡¯t harm myself purposely, but Zhang Heng¡­ Zhang Heng, you are allowed to go back to The Hope if you want. You¡¯ve given us your best."


    Mimicking Yao Yuan, Zhang Heng shook his head, "We¡¯re already at the last step of the rescue mission, how could I leave now? Plus, I can still hold on¡­"


    "¡­Alright, make sure that you hang on," Yao Yuan said after a short silence.


    Turning to address everyone, Yao Yuan continued, "According to the original plan, the last step is to tunnel a way through but due to time restriction, we only have one option left¡­ and that is rely on explosives."


    "But that sadly will not work!"


    "¡­it won¡¯t work."


    The moment the word ¡®explosives¡¯ was issued both Zhang Heng and Yao Yuan expressed their disapproval.


    Sharing a meaningful look with Zhang Heng, Yao Yuan added, "Both our power tell us, if we were to use explosive, the only result it will lead to is the collapse of the whole base. Then, not only will all the people down there in the third level die, our lives will also be in danger, so this solution has to be vetoed."


    Turning to face Ren Tao, Yao Yuan said, "Now, it¡¯s your turn to shine, the thinker among the Homo Evolutis. Ren Tao, tell me, what shall we do next?"


    "The thinker, huh? A fitting name if I do say so myself, but sadly¡­ I¡¯m no magician, I can¡¯t pull the perfect solution out of thin air," Ren Tao stated helplessly.


    Contrary to his belief, none of the people harassed him for his failure but they merely looked at him solemnly. Shrugging, he said, "Yes, I don¡¯t have the power to save them, but perhaps you guys do¡­ Okay, if you could get me the tomogram of the fractured rock layer, then maybe there¡¯s still hope for these people."


    "A tomogram?"


    As Yao Yuan repeated the unfamiliar noun, he entered a quiet state where clues and inferences slowly fell into place¡­


    "I understand, indeed, this is the only answer."


    Yao Yuan contacted The Hope to request for the tomogram, specifically focusing on the places where there had been cracks and fractures.


    "The plan is surprisingly simple¡­"


    Pointing at the caved-in pathway, Yao Yuan continued, "First, we need to give up on that pathway because it is not the most efficient line of action. Human¡¯s inability to fly means that all the pathways connecting levels of varying elevation are built at an inclination. In other words, it will be faster to create a new perpendicular pathway than slowly blasting our way through the prebuilt pathway."


    While waiting for The Hope to beam over the tomogram, Yao Yuan continued with his explanation.


    "As I¡¯ve mentioned before, this line of movement is unconventional and impractical due to human¡¯s natural limitation. Furthermore, we have to content with the possibility of collapse in this situation. And even if the tunnel would hold, how would we transport the thousands of people up? Pull them up with a trolley? It is definitely impossible to pull them one by one. We do not have the time or the supply.


    However, Ren Tao had provided us with a solution that might work because it is in itself impractical, one that makes use of our unique disadvantages, and that is¡­


    Procedural demolition!


    Using contained explosion, we could manipulate the collapse to our advantage. Using strategically placed explosives, we could create a natural inclination from the fallen debris. Thankfully, the base¡¯s surface area is big enough for the inclination to not be at an absolute 90 degree. However, make no mistake that the explosion have to be contained. Spread out too wide and the base will not be able to support the multiple weakening of its structure¡­


    It seems improbable but this is the only way¡­


    The only way available to save these 3000 people!"


    Right then, the fax machine¡¯s light blinked. Rushing to it, Yao Yuan wasted no time to look over the graphs that were spat out.


    He then waved Wa Luo over and handed the graphs over, adding, "Form a team with Zhang Heng and a few other black-star guards. Cooperate between the two of you to decide where to set up the bombs and the quantity needed. You¡¯ll handle half the bombs¡­


    ¡­And I¡¯ll take the rest.


    Everyone else return to The Hope this instance! If we¡¯re not there in the next 30 minutes, I want the ship to space-warp immediately because the rescue mission has failed¡­


    In that scenario, Wong Guang Zhen will be the next captain. He will lead The Hope."

 Chapter 91: A Speedy Warp

    Chapter 91: A Speedy Warp


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Since it was the captain¡¯s order, there was no refutation.


    Barely a moment had passed before the team separated into two to set up the explosives. Using the tomogram as a guide, the explosives were set at the rock layer¡¯s weakest points.


    The location and quantity would normally be carefully calculated, but due to the lack of time, they had to depend on Yao Yuan''s and Wa Luo¡¯s instincts and experience. There were only two possible outcomes: either the rescue would be a success¡­ or they would all perish.


    "¡­Is this decision correct? No sane person would bet on such a small margin of success; is this truly worth it¡­?"


    Yao Yuan asked himself repeatedly, but there was no clear answer. Finally, his tired mind pushed the question out of his head to focus solely on the setting the explosives.


    "¡­No, this can¡¯t be put here. It¡¯ll damage the geological foundation too much," a mysterious voice warned Yao Yuan as he prepared to bury a set of explosives.


    Without hesitation, Yao Yuan removed the half-buried explosive. Turning to look at Wa Luo and Zhang Heng at the other end of the room, he exhaled in relief.


    It was undeniable that the mission was too demanding for the even the best explosives expert. To have a calculation down to such precision within 30 minutes where the multitudes of explosion would create a natural slope was, in a word, inhuman.


    Thankfully, Yao Yuan had on their side¡­


    The Diviners!


    The Diviner¡¯s power of foresight came in handy in predicting the rocks¡¯ falling patterns following the explosion. Success of the mission hinged heavily on this unique group of Homo Evolutis!


    "¡­You can¡¯t put the bombs there, it¡¯s too dangerous," Zhang Heng uttered weakly.


    Stopping in mid action, Wa Luo mumbled, with a hint of impatience, "You¡¯ve stopped me from employing my bombs at multiple locations. Aren¡¯t you afraid that the total force won¡¯t be strong enough to knock the floor out?"


    Zhang Heng turned his focus to the floor and replied, in between labored breaths, "Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s definitely more than enough. The base currently is barely standing on its own. A whisper of the wind could knock it down. If you go overboard with the explosives, it will instead bring the whole base down."


    Weighing the explosives in his hands, Wa Luo shrugged. "Fine, you¡¯re the Diviner, so we¡¯ll follow your instinct¡­"


    Zhang Heng nodded before slumping to the ground. He could barely hang on to his thread of consciousness, and his every waking moment was an uphill battle against exhaustion¡­ The long explanation he gave drained him of his last store of strength!


    "Don¡¯t fall asleep."


    A woman¡¯s voice came through his communicator. Zhang Heng unconsciously turned towards the source of the voice and saw two female black-star guards standing behind him. One of them was the one who spoke to him.


    Zhang Heng was so out of it that he couldn¡¯t even see the lady¡¯s face clearly. He smiled with much effort. "Why are the two of you still here?"


    "The captain wanted us to stay to protect you. The rest of the Black Star Unit can fend for themselves, but you can¡¯t¡­ We will be responsible for carrying you back to the Hope during the final evacuation," replied the same woman.


    "Okay." By then, Zhang Heng was barely holding on to reality, and out of the depths of his mind came his reply. "That¡¯s cool. When you bring me back to the apartment, remember to keep the windows closed. The gang on third floor likes to sing karaoke in the middle of the night, and trust me, they aren¡¯t actual singers¡­"


    "Do not fall asleep!" the woman replied, with sternness in her voice. "You¡¯ll be the next Jay if you fall asleep. We¡¯ll get you hooked to the medicine when we reach the Hope, so please do not fall asleep until then."


    "¡­But I¡¯m so tired¡­" Suddenly, as if shocked, Zhang Heng turned towards Wa Luo¡¯s direction and yelled, "Not there! Find another location!"


    Wa Luo sighed and once more removed the explosive.


    Still hanging on to the two female guards, Zhang Heng seemed to freshen up a little. He added flirtatiously, "Right, I¡¯m no longer living in the apartment. In fact, there are no longer parents, no more school, no more Earth¡­ But¡­ I have to say, you have a lovely voice. How about this, I¡¯ll trade you a LV handbag for a peck on the cheek."


    The two ladies looked at one another and stayed quiet. It wasn''t until Zhang Heng started to nod off that one of said hurriedly said, "Alright, fine. If you promise to not fall asleep, I¡¯ll kiss you on the cheek."


    "Okay, I have your word now! I must say¡­ This pack of pills is hella powerful, but I¡¯ll come get you when I¡¯m slightly more awake. Pretty lady, if you look as pretty as your voice, I guarantee you I¡¯ll give you the world. Do you know what my father is¡­?"


    Zhang Heng continued to mumble in his feverish state. Suddenly, the two guards lifted him up from behind and started to run. Leaning into their support, Zhang Heng complained somewhat petulantly, "Slow down, you¡¯re making my head hurt."


    Without paying him any heed, the two jogged all the way to the first floor without stopping or slowing down. At the first floor field, Wa Luo and Yao Yuan caught up to the ungainly trio. Without exchanging a word, they sprinted out of the underground base and only stopped when they were a fair distance away.


    It was true that sex was one of the highest components in the hierarchy of basic human drives. Hanging on to the girl¡¯s promise of a kiss, Zhang Heng latched onto his shred of consciousness. In a way, he had had plenty of experience dealing with this twilight sensation of drifting in and out of existence. It was not entirely unlike his pill-popping days.


    Before Zhang Heng could further embarrass himself, a violent tremor shook the floor. Carried forward by the force, Zhang Heng was sent flying before hitting sharply against the floor. As a screen of darkness fell before his mind, he could hear¡­


    "Do not sleep! Please do not fall asleep!"


    "Zhang Heng, can you hear me? Tell me what number I¡¯m showing!"


    "¡­Major, it¡¯s too dangerous to administer analeptic. It might react too wildly with his Homo Evolutis power, and he¡¯s currently too weak to handle that¡­"


    "¡­Quick! His heart stopped! Bring me the defibrillators!"


    "¡­That was too dangerous, but thankfully he survived. We managed to pull him back right before he over-exerted himself. If we were 1 or 2 minutes late, he¡¯d end up like Jay¡­"


    "¡­No idea, Major. The machine shows that he is still asleep. Yes, we are certain that he is not brain-dead. His bodily functions are all fine¡­"


    "Zhang Heng, here is your promised kiss¡­"


    "¡­Thank you for saving my brother that was trapped in the third level. I have nothing else to repay you but this kiss¡­"


    Zhang Heng opened his eyes to be greeted by a warm glow. It took him quite some time to realize that he was lying atop a sickbed. Not far away from him was a female nurse who was reading. Spotting her, Zhang Heng said, "Could you pass me a glass of water? Thanks."


    He was shocked by his own voice, which had gone uncharacteristically hoarse. Nevertheless, he was not the sole shocked party in the room. After staring blankly at one another for quite some time, the nurse exclaimed, with a surprised cheer, "Lieutenant Zhang Heng, I¡¯m glad to see that you¡¯re awake. I would advise against drinking water since you¡¯ve been abed for such a long time. Wait here, I¡¯ll go get the doctor."


    Before long, a group of five or six doctors and nurses rushed into the room. The leading doctor was a dignified 50 year-old practitioner. A few iris checks and multiple cognitive tests later, the doctor breathed a sigh of relief. "Lieutenant Zhang Heng, I¡¯ve informed the Major of your awakening. I believe he¡¯ll be here soon. Please do take the time to rest some more, you¡¯re still too weak¡­"


    Zhang Heng hurriedly asked, "Doctor, how long have I been asleep?"


    "¡­One and a half months."


    "Yes, the doctor wasn¡¯t lying. You¡¯ve been asleep for one and a half months, or more specifically, one month and 18 days¡­"


    Yao Yuan said as he wheeled Zhang Heng to the fifth floor Barracks.


    "The explosives mission in the underground base was a success. Thanks to your power, everything went according to plan and about 2,800 lives were saved¡­" continued Yao Yuan.


    "2800?" Zhang Heng asked curiously. "Weren¡¯t there 3,000 plus people trapped down there?"


    "¡­A few hundred people was crushed by the falling debris," sighed Yao Yuan. "But thankfully, against all odds, most survived. And it was all thanks to you."


    Blushing slightly, Zhang Heng added, "Please don¡¯t put me on a pedestal. I know where I stand, and I¡¯m not as important as you make it out to be. There are others who deserve greater credit, like Jay¡­" Zhang Heng¡¯s voice petered to a silence and Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t keen to pick up the conversation.


    There had been a more detailed diagnosis on Jay. He was still in vegetative state¡­ but not completely brain dead.


    The functions of his main cerebral lobes had all but ceased, but his minor lobes and pituitary glands still showed occasional responses. Nevertheless, every few hours, Jay¡¯s electrophysiological monitor recorded subtle activity, thus preventing brain atrophy, and that had puzzled the doctors the most¡­


    Therefore, the diagnosis was "not completely brain dead." The monitor normally recorded zero activity, and Jay had remained in coma ever since he was transported onto the Hope.


    When Zhang Heng was still at the hospital, he had paid his comrade a visit. Even though they hadn¡¯t known each other for long, they had formed a deep bond ever since their adventure on Planet Sahara¡­ When Zhang Heng was there, he stumbled into Xiao Chen, the girl that Jay had a crush on. She too had survived the underground base. After returning to the Hope, she applied for a move to a small residential area near the hospital so that she could come to give Jay his daily dry bath and body massage¡­ The proud smile on her face when she went through her daily exercise was not unlike one a wife gives her husband.


    In fact, the whole thing reminded Zhang Heng too much of Planet Sahara¡­ but sadly, this time he returned alone.


    After a long silence, Yao Yuan said, "In any case, you¡¯ve returned once more as a hero¡­"


    Zhang Heng laughed lightly. Scratching his head, he asked, "Right, I¡¯ve heard others refer to you as Lieutenant Colonel. Is that true [1]?"


    "Yup, I¡¯ve given myself a promotion." Yao Yuan sometimes made a joke. "Even though many things happened on the meteorite base, it''s undeniable that it brought immense wealth to the Hope. We can space warp more than 400 times, and we are stocked with enough supply to last almost 40 years in space! Plus, we will not have to worry about side effects during warp. This is all thanks to our stop at the meteorite base.


    "Many have contributed to this success, and therefore promotions and rewards had to be meted out accordingly. So, I¡¯ve become a Lieutenant Colonel and now we have a lot more second lieutenants and new recruits. You¡¯re going to report as a military instructor when you recover."


    Zhang Heng added bashfully, "Stop toying with me. I know where I stand. It¡¯s more likely that they will be my instructors¡­ By the way, in the period I¡¯ve been asleep, how many times has the Hope warped? Did we stumble into any interesting galaxy or planet?"


    Yao Yuan stopped the wheelchair suddenly and a weird expression crossed his face. He then directed Zhang Heng¡¯s wheelchair down a different direction, saying, "We¡¯ve warped 12 times since the meteorite base. The Hope stays for three days to observe the area we''re in every time we warp. This is to map out the cosmos using familiar constellations so that we can revisit the area in the future when the technology¡¯s available."


    Zhang Heng nodded, but as the math added up in his head, he asked, "Wait, I¡¯ve been asleep for one month and 18 days, right? Why have there only been 12 warps? Did we run into any trouble during the last warp?"


    "No, there¡¯s nothing like that. This area we¡¯re in is a cosmic void. We¡¯re staying here longer than usual because¡­"


    They arrived at one of the corridors that had windows that opened into outer space. Leaning ahead, Zhang Heng was surprised to see¡­


    "Your eyes aren¡¯t lying. This area is indeed a void, because records show that there are indeed no planets, stars, or anything of the like. But there is, however, this¡­"


    Yao Yuan too turned towards where Zhang Heng was looking and excitement lit up in his eyes!


    "A landfill for alien spaceships¡­


    "A tens of thousands meters wide space where aliens deposit their broken spaceship carcasses!"


    [1] The Chinese military ranking system doesn¡¯t have an actual equivalency in the English language. The translator has been mixed up by the author¡¯s use of two words that are supposed to refer to two different rankings. They are supposed to be lieutenant and second lieutenant but have been treated as one and the same. The difference doesn¡¯t alter the plot much; it''s only important in minor ways. For example, in this chapter, Zhang Heng got promoted from second lieutenant to lieutenant while the translator has been treating Zhang Heng already as a lieutenant. I apologize for the mistake.

 Chapter 92: An Intergalactic Spaceship Junkyard!

    Chapter 92: An Intergalactic Spaceship Junkyard!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The Hope had made 11 warps since it left the meteorite base.


    They stayed for three days each time for the purposes of cartography and observation.


    However, they were quick to realize that it was an exercise in futility¡­ because the cosmos was simply too vast!


    Furthermore, it was always undulating. It was a map that would never be fully drawn.


    There were too many planets, galaxies, nebulas¡­


    The cosmos was indescribably humongous! The common analogy of it being the great River Nile failed to capture the scope of its actual size.


    The gravity of the situation slowly descended on the citizens of the Hope following each warp. It made them feel¡­ increasingly and devastatingly dwarfed.


    On the third day of the eleventh warp¡­


    "¡­Negative, negative, negative!"


    A small group of scientists was going over the latest satellite surveillance pictures. One of them angrily repeated as he slammed his hand on the table, "Still negative! There is no familiar intergalactic landmark around us. In what fresh hell have we landed in this time? Are we still in the Milky Way? Who can really tell?"


    A senior scientist in the group wanted to ignore his junior¡¯s outburst but still said consolingly, "Let¡¯s not jump into conclusions. First, we are still too unfamiliar with how the space-warping technology operates. Refuting our previous theory of it being a wormhole, the Hope doesn¡¯t travel the way light does during warp. The fact that it can transpose such a large quantity of mass with such a low energy cost is in itself a scientific miracle."


    Here, the senior scientist lifted his eye to look directly at his pugnacious junior. "That is the reason why we are doing this. It might seem inconsequential now, but our current effort is building a foundation that will ultimately help to uncover the mystery of the cosmos. Two years ago, space traveling for us human was a dream. Do you really expect us to know everything there is to know about space in such a short time?


    "It would behoove you to learn a little patience, young lad. Practicing science is not a short sprint, it¡¯s a marathon. Yes, talent is important, but patience is the key that makes or breaks a discovery. There might be several missteps along the way, but remember that the spirit of science lies in trial-and-error¡­ Without error, the institution of science would truly be dead. Learn to appreciate the opportunity around us. There are many things that elude our understanding, but isn¡¯t that the perfect chance for us to learn? What is the theory behind space-warping? Is it completely random, could its destination ever be manipulated? Questions surrounding the very existence of the alien plant and the atomic level reactions it has to create energy crystals. These are questions that await answers.


    "So don¡¯t fret, young lad. We¡¯ve gained far more compared to what we¡¯ve lost. If we can¡¯t achieve the necessary breakthroughs in this lifetime, there are always the generations after that. We are not inherently weaker than other alien civilizations, what we¡¯re missing is¡­ experience."


    The senior scientist smiled. "And aren¡¯t we working to mend exactly that?"


    At the same time, Yao Yuan was rehabilitating to life back on the Hope.


    It has been 32 days since their warp away from the meteorite base and he had spent every single one of them handling the remedial issues from that excursion.


    First was the issue with death¡­


    According to the logistics, there were 623 deaths in total, most of them lost during the blast that cleared the third level. Others died during the initial earthquake, while the rest died in surgery¡­ The number 623 was not counting Jay.


    It was a loss that was comparable to the one on Planet Sahara. After the necessary funeral arrangements were made, the Hope came across an associated problem. Many families had lost their sole breadwinners because the men, those that died in the base¡¯s industrial level, were also the ones keeping their families financially afloat.


    In other words, the problem was much more complicated than expected. The issue of familial compensation alone could tear his mind apart.


    Yao Yuan stood up from his chair and stretched his tired body after a long meeting with another grieving family. After cracking his joints, he turned to his secretary, Barbie, and asked,


    "Have the latest post-warp surveillance reports arrived? The next warp is scheduled at 12 AM tomorrow, so do send me the reports if you have them¡­ Also, help me brew a pot of tea, and make it thick; I suspect this is going to be a long night."


    Fiddling with her pair of glasses, Barbie replied, "The report is not here yet. According to the usual protocol, it will arrive right before dawn, which will be 24 hours before the next scheduled warp. Should I go rush them? About the tea¡­ we¡¯ve run out of the tea leaves that I normally use. Do you want me to go get some more from the quartermaster?"


    After giving it some thought, Yao Yuan smiled lightly. "Never mind, there¡¯s no need to rush. It¡¯s only three or four hours till dawn¡­ Also, our stock of luxury items will be running low until the next month when the external cabin¡¯s ready, so it¡¯s not wise to mess with the inventory until then. Could you help me fix a cup of coffee instead? We still have a few packs left, right?"


    Barbie smiled in reply as she stood. "Okay, a cup of strong coffee coming up¡­ But Captain, I¡¯d rather you take this rare lull in your schedule to take some rest. Issues like death gratuity payments need time and careful planning. Be too lenient and people will take advantage of it, but if you''re too strict the government will come across as heartless. This will be a drawn-out battle."


    "Yes, you¡¯re right."


    Yao Yuan sighed as he watched Barbie leave the room. He sat back down and resumed perusing the rest of the document. Time unceremoniously passed until he noticed the smell of roasted coffee beans enveloping the room. He lifted his eyes to see Barbie smiling in return as she handed him the cup of coffee¡­


    As dawn broke, the warp report came as expected. It was, for the most part, similar to the ones that preceded it, a summary on the various intergalactic entities around them. It was one of the better ones that heralded much good news, or rather, not as much bad news.


    Speaking of which, the report on the seventh warp had everyone breaking out in cold sweat¡­


    That warp brought the Hope to a location where there was no star within several hundred light years of distance, the closest one being tens of thousands of light years away. The Academy suspected that they were in between galaxies, like the space between the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy. It was a whole empty stretch of nothing!


    Thankfully, future warps after that had been much more fruitful. Even though the Hope did not land exactly in a stellar system, they were not that far away.


    After these 11 warps, the Academy had come up with an observation. The Hope¡¯s space warping system followed its own set of rules and it had plenty to do with gravity.


    In other words, the destination of the warp would be a spot where gravitational force was present.


    They based that on math. If the warp was completely random, the Hope would end up in the empty space between galaxies about 99 percent of the time, following the space distribution ratio. However, reality had proven otherwise.


    Therefore, it was highly likely that the warp system followed a rule that decided that the warping destination would be close to a gravity source. Of course, for human standards, hundreds of light years could not be considered close, but for the alien civilization that created the technology, it might be akin to a short drive.


    All in all, it was an impressive find. At least they now knew something of the mysterious space-tech that governed their lives.


    A statement provided by the Academy when they learned how to manipulate the alien plant was forever emblazoned in Yao Yuan¡¯s heart. Compared to other alien race, humans were not lacking in intelligence but in experience. In the grand scheme of things, the ragtag bunch of human survivors was similar to babies.


    But who could say these babies would not grow up to become geniuses?


    Therefore, even though faced with the unnerving unknown of space, Yao Yuan was not worried. His main focus was to collect supplies in between warps and to improve their technology so that one day they would have a crystal reactor big enough to allow for an infinite numbers of warps.


    As long as man still has a breath left in him, there remains hope for mankind. The future will always be an unknown, so no one could firmly say that there is no hope awaiting man in the future.


    With that forward vision in mind, the Hope initiated its twelfth warp¡­


    At 3 am the next morning, with Yao Yuan having just lain down to sleep an hour ago, a series of knocks fell on his door. It was immediately followed by the beeping from the communicator he left on his bedside table. He sprung up from bed ready for battle, assuming wrongly that an uprising had happened¡­


    The few soldiers that gathered outside his door relayed this information¡­


    The Hope¡¯s surveillance room, after multiple probes using a super-grade space telescope and military grade photography equipment, had confirmed¡­


    That two months'' journey away from the Hope was a large area about tens of thousands meters in size. It was a junkyard filled with spaceship carcasses!

 Chapter 93: Difference!

    Chapter 93: Difference!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Reports of the discovery were spread among all the known Homo Evolutis at 3 AM that day itself. Members of the Academy also received similar updates.


    Two months 12 days and 6 hours, give or take 5 minutes, away from the Hope was the spaceship junkyard. It was thanks to the ship¡¯s powerful central mainframe that the time could be so precise.


    By early 22nd century, man had invented a camera that could capture high definition photos at a distance as far as the distance separating Earth and Mars. Using a similarly powered camera, the Hope managed to capture pictures that displayed the airship carcasses¡¯ rough outline.


    According to these pictures, the metallic carcasses formed a unique "asteroid belt" that spanned tens of thousands of meters. It could be seen so clearly in lightless space because the bigger pieces among them gave out an eerie glow.


    Some of these pieces, according to initial calculation, were three to five times bigger than the Hope. This was true at least volume-wise. Granted the Hope was longer than these broken pieces of debris, but even at about several tens of meters long, they possessed considerable size.


    "¡­Here is the report on our latest discovery. Let me remind everyone that this set of pictures and data are top confidential documents. If there is any leak before the information is declassified, the parties involved will be brought to trial before military court. There will be no due process." Yao Yuan opened the meeting with a warning, a warning that was well heeded.


    Reclaiming his seat at the head of the table, Yao Yuan continued, "Now that we have that out of the way, let¡¯s continue. I apologize for waking everyone up in the middle of the night, but it can¡¯t be helped. We¡¯re facing a situation that dwarfs all previous warp findings. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve heard the rumors before arriving.


    "Yes, they are real. There is a junkyard, an alien spaceship junkyard."


    Yao Yuan said, pointing at one of the pictures, "This photo here shows a section of this vast junkyard. It would appear that none of the spaceships are intact. The smallest among them are as small as several centimeters while the bigger ones are larger than this ship.


    "I¡¯m no scientist, nor an academician, or even an intern, and that is why you all are here today¡­"


    Yao Yuan addressed the room in a serious tone. "First, I want to know how advanced these spaceships are compared to our current technology. Is it in terms of decades, centuries, or millennia?


    "Secondly, I want to know whether there are still usable ships among this junkyard. I¡¯m not talking about ships that we could occupy and use, but rather¡­" Here Yao Yuan swallowed before clarifying, "¡­is it possible for some hostile alien race to still operate these ships to attack us!? This is the most important question. I want an answer in the next 24 hours because that will be the time I decide whether it is beneficial for us to continue space-warping.


    "Last but not least is the question regarding this junkyard¡¯s origin. A landfill this size doesn¡¯t appear out of nowhere. I want to know where these carcasses come from, do they float here from somewhere else, or were they destroyed here, and if so, why? Was it an intergalactic disaster, planetary implosion, or¡­"


    A gloom fell over Yao Yuan¡¯s face as he enunciated the words. "An attack from another alien civilization!?"


    "These are the questions that I need answered. Report back as soon as possible. This is not a request, this is an order."


    Standing up, he added, "I will await the report in the surveillance room as I have to keep an eye out for new developments. Feel free to utilize all the resources you need. Human resources, we don¡¯t have much, but supplies, thankfully we have in spades.


    "Alright, meeting¡¯s over. Remember, ladies and gentlemen, humanity¡¯s future might very well depend on this!"


    And Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t exaggerating when he said so¡­ for the statement was further confirmed by the report that awaited him in the surveillance room.


    Because there was no issue of wind-caused erosion in space, certain objects could be perfectly preserved for millions of years. Using the mainframe¡¯s reconstruction software, the bigger pieces of debris were remodeled into their original form by manipulating their locations, shapes, and directions.


    The result revealed¡­ a magnificent space battleship!


    In fact, the oval-shaped creation was so big that it could barely be called a spaceship! It was, more appropriately, a planet!


    It was obvious that this 1400-kilometer big manmade planet was a command center because arranged in a circle around it were hundreds of flat, pancake-shaped warships.


    This fleet of space battalions was oppressing, and the pressure from the size of its giant command center alone could take man¡¯s breath away¡­ They were created with a level of technology that was way beyond man¡¯s comprehension!


    This fleet would take one month, no, probably only one week to totally demolish man¡¯s solar system. Of course, man would most likely surrender before that. If the alien overlords promised not to completely wipe out the human race, there would be an over 90 percent chance that man would surrender within days¡­ especially after realizing man¡¯s best weapon, which was that of the atomic kind, was useless against such a wildly superior race.


    Looking at the reconstructed monstrosity, Yao Yuan was further convinced of his previous statement. This piece of space junkyard was immeasurably important to human survival! The discoveries that they could glean from it could easily bypass those provided by the alien plants!


    To use a simple analogy, the technology behind the alien plant was like magic, elusive but still understandable. It might take multiple generations of the Academy for man to even start understanding the theories behind it. In that way, it was very much similar to the space-warp technology.


    This junkyard, on the other hand¡­ would take several hundred generations of scientific analysis to even break its surface. If the plants were like magic, this would be like myth, illogical and incomprehensible.


    Thus, gaining even a smidgen of knowledge about it would drastically improve the Hope¡¯s scientific level. For example, understanding the carcasses¡¯ metallic carapace would cause man¡¯s metalworking technology to improve by leaps and bounds.


    The possibility of breakthroughs was endless, particularly in the fields of telecommunication, space-used internal combustion engines, surveillance devices, and even weaponry¡­ Of course, as mentioned above, blundering blindly into it would not work, but with enough time, the research could be compartmentalized into simpler groups, each breaking down the project into smaller parts to analyze. With the accumulation of findings over the years, Yao Yuan believed they could fully grasp the technologies that made up this wasted battleship!


    (After the Academy clears the junkyard of danger, we will have to start dissecting and learning their technology¡­ This much must be done!) Yao Yuan balled up his hands firmly. So determined was his focus that he didn¡¯t notice his fingernails had pierced so fiercely into the ball of his palm that it had started to bleed.


    It was seven in the morning and multiple groups of scientists were still in the middle of their calculations, arguments, and observations. The importance of this junkyard was not lost on them, because a majority of them shared Yao Yuan¡¯s vision. In fact, it was this shared vision that kept them going through the night, confronting each other with bloodshot eyes.


    Breakfast was served at 8 AM, and that was also when Yao Yuan received his first report, a report on this reconstructed battleship¡¯s technological level.


    "Based on our current observation, calculations from the central mainframe, and scientific analysis¡­


    "Their technology is at least 200 to 300 years more advanced than ours, and this has already taken into account the scientific renaissance that will happen on the Hope.


    "We¡¯ve agreed on this number because of two major reasons. One is its size. It would require an incredibly powerful engine to move a fleet this size, and this technology alone bypasses our current technology by at least 200 years¡­


    "The good news is that their technology is not thousands of years away from where we are. And why we say so is the second reason. The civilization responsible for this creation doesn¡¯t appear to have access to space-warping technology or even light-travelling technology. As a matter of fact, we don¡¯t believe they have the basic anti-gravitational systems, and evidence shows that they rely on circular shapes in their engineering and construction to balance out the forces of gravity. Therefore, both their central command and battle carriers are circular or oval. It is through the usage of centrifugal force that balance is maintained¡­


    Thus, to repeat, it is our expert opinion that this battalion of spaceships is about 200 to 300 years more advanced than us humans¡­"

 Chapter 94: Advance and Trial

    Chapter 94: Advance and Trial


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "¡­After several days of careful observations and detailed discussions, we came to the conclusion that there is no intact spaceship in the junkyard. Carriers in need of support are prone to releasing electromagnetic signals at regular intervals, and thankfully, we have not intercepted such a signal from the junkyard."


    Yao Yuan elaborated as he pushed Zhang Heng forward, "That is why after multiple debates, it has been decided that the Hope should head towards the junkyard. And so far, we¡¯re 15 days into the journey. On a related note, the junkyard¡¯s existence has been discovered by the public about 10 days ago. Many were already suspicious when the Hope hadn¡¯t space-warped after the usual three days. The fact that the junkyard keeps giving out shards of light doesn¡¯t really help the situation either. Previously, you would need a telescope to notice it, but now it¡¯s viewable with the naked eye alone. Needless to say, the confidential clause has been resolved since almost everyone on the Hope is currently busy discussing the junkyard."


    Zhang Heng wasn¡¯t mentally there as evidenced by the fact that he kept turning back to stare out the window with a blank look in his eyes. It wasn''t until Yao Yuan smacked him heavily on his shoulders that he woke with a jolt and announced excitedly, "Wow! Alien civilization and alien spaceships! Is this real? Are we sure it¡¯s not some kind of mirage?"


    Yao Yuan laughed lightly. "You can¡¯t have mirages in space, so this is real¡­ Or rather, most of it doesn¡¯t appear to be illusory under the scrutiny of our discreet probing. Of course, your worry is shared among some of the scientists, saying that the junkyard is nothing more than a masterful trap conjured up by some advanced alien culture to trick technology-wise backwards societies like our own, but this line of thought lacks validity."


    Zhang Heng turned around and asked, "Why not?"


    "Because there is a lack of pay off." Yao Yuan smiled. "It is my belief that there is an intention for profit behind every one of our actions, and it should be the same for all alien life forms as well. Be it for survival, the claiming of territory, or assault, there has to be a profitable purpose behind it, right?


    "We humans are no threat to their survival or territory, so the safest bet would be assault. Perhaps they view us as a possible future threat and would like to vanquish us before then. However, there is still a problem. Why would they set a trap for us in the middle of nowhere? This area is literally a void as there is with no star or planets around, so if this is a trap, where¡¯s the bait? What are the chances that we would cross here willingly?


    "Hence, this argument lacks validity. We are looking at a spaceship junkyard, nothing more nothing less!" Yao Yuan concluded, with the smile still attached to his face.


    Zhang Heng debated for quite some time before laughing cheerfully. "Then that¡¯s great. Looks like there is a bright future awaiting man after all¡­ But then again, as you¡¯ve said, these spaceships are several hundreds of years more advanced than us, so¡­ why are they lying around in broken shreds?"


    The question had both Zhang Heng and Yao Yuan descend into silence because the possibility was too scary to be spoken out loud¡­ In fact, lots of scientists had been debating this issue since the junkyard was first spotted. According to the captured pictures, all of the debris in the junkyard was similar to the ones that made up the central command battleship. In other words, there were no parts that were of a different origin.


    With that in mind, the Academy came up with two hypotheses. One, there was an internal uprising. This was not hard to envision since the Hope itself had almost succumbed to this ending when they were dangerously close to running out of supplies. Of course, the infighting could also be caused by a difference in religious or political ideals, and to have a mutiny escalated to such devastation was not entirely impossible¡­ Then again, the command battleship alone was at least 1,000 kilometers long, so it could survive easily for several thousands of years in space. As long as the society wasn¡¯t overly populated, it was hard to see the people voluntarily hurting their own chance at survival, so the possibility for hypothesis one was quite low.


    And that left them with the much scarier hypothesis two, one that made chills run down Yao Yuan¡¯s spine.


    The fleet of battleships came into contact with a far superior alien race, and in the midst of combat¡­ no, the massacre, the battleship was demolished without its opponent suffering even one warship loss¡­ Of course, it was possible that for such an advanced civilization, they didn¡¯t even need to rely on warships for the purpose of warfare.


    In any case, the idea that this battleship fleet that was already 200 to 300 years more superior than human technology could be wiped out without a chance of retaliation was¡­ spine-chilling¡­ Because one could already imagine how man would fare when they came into contact with this powerful adversary.


    Man¡¯s ingenuity in cruelty was unrivaled as evidenced by the inhuman experiments done on lab animals, so they knew clearly what would be their ending if the roles were swapped when they were captured by these alien overlords¡­ Thoughts of that had Yao Yuan shivering, so he promised, "We will make the technology in this junkyard our own!"


    And that was the perspective he presented to the Hope¡¯s public, a perspective that was not accepted by the more cautious parties on the ship. However, the majority was behind Yao Yuan¡¯s back. In any case, this had sparked a new wave of dialogue on the Hope.


    Nevertheless, for better or for worse, all would be revealed in two months, when they arrive at the junkyard.


    10 minutes later, Zhang Heng, with Yao Yuan¡¯s aid, finally arrived at his home, where a bunch of people already sat waiting. There were members of the Black Star Unit, newly promoted second lieutenants that were there beside him in the underground base for the rescue mission, Ning Xue, Mao Miao, and a reluctant Ren Tao, whom Chou Yue had dragged there by his ear.


    Zhang Heng looked around and with tears pricking his eyes and smiled. "I don¡¯t think my house can fit so many people, so how about a meal at the restaurant? My treat¡­"


    Yao Yuan clapped him tightly in his shoulder, interjecting, "This is your welcome home party, so keep your offer until next time! Come, I¡¯ve made reservations at the Barracks Restaurant. We¡¯re going to have a toast¡­ a toast for having successfully completed our mission."


    "Cheers!"


    "Yes! I¡¯m not leaving there sober!"


    "Zhang Heng, I¡¯m going to stuff you full with food and wine to help you make up for lost time¡­"


    Zhang Heng felt a warm feeling suffuse through his body cocooned within the cacophony of familiar voices. However, he still turned left and then right as if looking for someone, and that prompted Yao Yuan to ask, "What¡¯s wrong? Did we miss someone?"


    Whereupon Zhang Heng answered, "¡­No, everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s not waste time anymore." And he made to catch up with Ebon.


    (So she isn¡¯t here¡­ But didn¡¯t she promise¡­ Did I imagine everything?) Simultaneously, in a slightly large room that had been converted into a courtroom, a sizeable crowd had gathered. The courtroom was one of the three courtrooms currently available on the Hope. About ten thousand citizens wandered in its vicinity, some waiting for their turn to be called into court, others talking among themselves. Interspersed within the crowd were also several reporters interviewing the public about the ongoing trial.


    Yes, court was in session. It had attracted such a crowd because it was the first time the Hope was sitting over¡­ A ¡®Crimes against Humanity¡¯ trial!


    This all started when the underground base¡¯ black box was unearthed. On it was the recording of the mob led by a group of workers harassing Mark, the engineer, and then threatening to destroy his communicator.


    During the final evacuation, the soldiers stationed in the third level grabbed hold of the black box with the intention of preserving confidential information and the data backlog. They didn¡¯t expect their action to lead to such a monumental court case.


    To be fair, the group of workers didn¡¯t violate many laws, plus no one was hurt, and the communicator was unharmed in the end. If this was a case on Earth, it would be tossed out by the court almost immediately.


    But circumstances were different now. Many citizens and even soldiers demanded proper repercussions. This was because most of the Hope had been spurned by mobs that had lost their grasp on sanity in the face of pressure and despair. Their experience during the final days of Earth had told them that the most dangerous creature of all was a crazed man.


    And that was the biggest threat to the Hope¡¯s safety. Without a sense of order, the Hope¡¯s security could easily be dismantled from within. No one on the Hope was willing to relive Earth¡¯s dark few months, and that was why protocols had been put in place by the military and upheld by the public so that such tragedy would not repeat.


    Therefore, the group of workers was immediately charged by the soldiers, hoping Yao Yuan would persecute them under martial law.


    However, when the news reached the House of Representatives, they pooled their resources to appeal to Yao Yuan to hand over the workers to the civil court. Their justifications were, one, the accused weren¡¯t members of the Barracks, and two, they hoped an open court proceedings in the civil court could set a precedent for members of the public to know to uphold order at all times.


    After sitting through multiple viewings of the recordings, Yao Yuan decided to pass the trial over to the civil court.


    And today was the trial for Marcian Nikopov, the person who initiated and led the mob.


    The defendant for the Hope¡¯s first ¡®Crimes against Humanity¡¯ trial!

 Chapter 95: Trial and Test Flight

    Chapter 95: Trial and Test Flight


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    When Yao Yuan returned from Zhang Heng¡¯s welcome back party, he realized that Barbie had left him reports on the day¡¯s trial in his room. It was a report that detailed the first day proceedings of the Hope''s first trial on ¡®Crimes against Humanity¡¯.


    It was a given that the case was going to have an extended trial, but Yao Yuan could already predict the result¡­ It was unlikely that the death penalty would be served. The reason why the House of Representatives requested the trial be had in the civil court was that they didn¡¯t want the Hope to have a bloody precedent for such cases. It reflected the citizens¡¯ fear of the government being tyrannical, and Yao Yuan understood that fully.


    Even though multiple instances had shown that having a democratic process may not be 100 percent conducive for survival, the people of the Hope preferred the separation of power between the military and the political sides. The Hope relied on a firm and tight leadership to see the light of another day when it came across dire situations, but in the grand scheme of things, how often would they came across such situations? Therefore, most of the time, they preferred the Hope be run by a consensus of the majority, because then everyone would have a say in the discussion. As long as there was no ridiculous legislative amendments, Yao Yuan also felt that this was the perfect mode of governing for the Hope.


    Because of that, the citizens had a fairly conventional approach to the punishment that should be meted out against the defendants on trial, and the representatives they elected shared the same view.


    Yao Yuan sighed in relief after skimming the report. Even though the result of the trial hadn¡¯t been concluded, he was sure the defendant would at most face 20 years of incarceration. In fact, he believed that the defendant would be acquitted of "Crimes against Humanity" and be charged for assault and battery or destruction of public property instead, since with the "Crimes against Humanity" charge being dropped, the court would be able to skirt around the death penalty.


    To be perfectly honest, even though the trial had grabbed hold of the entire ship¡¯s attention, it was a minor distraction for Yao Yuan. He was more concerned with the junkyard the Hope was heading towards.


    "Thankfully, Zhang Heng has woken up. His presence will help the upcoming exploration immensely. The problem now is¡­ Jay."


    Yao Yuan sighed inwardly, but he wasted no time to linger on the subject. After his night rituals, he undressed and climbed into his bed. 10 seconds later, his breath stabilized as he fell into a deep slumber.


    Early next morning, Zhang Heng, escorted by several nurses and a doctor, arrived at the rehabilitation center. He was there at his doctor¡¯s behest. The injuries he suffered had been predominantly mental, but since the brain and the body were inextricably linked, they had manifested themselves as physical complications. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t serious, and his doctor believed that Zhang Heng would make a full recovery after 15 visits to the rehabilitation center.


    To his surprise, Zhang Heng met one of his old friends at the center. It was Ebon, the Black Star Unit¡¯s own heavy gunner.


    It was not shocking to find Ebon there, since he spent two hours at the center daily ever since he was fitted with a mechanical leg designed by a group of Japanese and American electrical engineers. The mechanical leg returned to him the simple mobility he had lost from the amputation on Planet Sahara, but he was no longer as agile as he once was.


    As a soldier and a member of the Black Star Unit, that was a weakness that he would not allow himself. A leg that might trip him over during missions, that was unacceptable!


    Therefore, Ebon had been trying his best to familiarize himself with his new leg. He still had some ways to go before he would reach his original agility, but he was already speedier than normal recruits. In fact, if Ebon didn¡¯t lift up his trousers, no one would suspect he had a mechanical prosthetic.


    "Come on, Zhang Heng, man up! Stop hanging on to the nurses like you¡¯re their baby. If I can do this on my own, surely you can too," teased Ebon, in his signature booming voice when he saw Zhang Heng come into the room. He slapped the machine beside him, indicating to Zhang Heng that he should try walking there himself.


    Hearing that, Zhang Heng reluctantly released himself from the nurses¡¯ hold, but as soon as he did so, he felt the floor giving away under him, and one second later, he found himself kissing it. Thankfully, the soft, corkwood flooring softened most of the fall. Ebon waved away the nurses that came forward to help as he walked over to Zhang Heng. Extending his hand, Ebon said, "Get off the floor, it¡¯s not the time to sleep. The boss is afraid you¡¯ll be like this, so he has ordered me to keep an eye on you. You¡¯re not going to slack in my presence. Come, let¡¯s get to work."


    Zhang Heng was thus forced into a training routine by the two-meter-tall personal trainer. Before long, as he got into the rhythm, he managed to even find enjoyment in the pain, reminding him of his previous military training days. At noon, Zhang Heng was so wasted that he had to be dragged to the canteen by Ebon.


    As both men wolfed down their lunches, Zhang Heng suddenly asked, "Ebon, do you remember the two close guards that escorted me back to the ship?"


    "If I¡¯m not mistaken, it was a man and a woman. The rest I¡¯m not so sure. Why?" Ebon replied, after taking a thoughtful bite of his food.


    Zhang Heng could feel heat rising on his face, but he replied as nonchalantly as he could. "It¡¯s nothing important, I just want to thank them personally for saving my life."


    "Nonsense," said Ebon as he smacked Zhang Heng heavily on his soldier. "According to your logic, then wouldn¡¯t the whole ship-worth of people, including myself, need to line up to thank you personally because you¡¯ve technically saved all of us? Nonsense, it was their mission to escort you back to the Hope. They would''ve faced punishment if they had failed to do so! You¡¯re a soldier, don¡¯t be so sentimental!"


    Zhang Heng could only repeatedly nod his head and agree, because he would rather die than reveal his true intention to Ebon. Even though they would trust each other with their lives, certain sentiments were not meant to be shared amongst men.


    Furthermore¡­ (Ebon is a known blabbermouth. Telling him is similar to telling the whole ship. Where would I hide my face then?) Zhang Heng frowned deeply, and the food he kept shoveling into his mouth to keep up the appearance started to gain the consistency of bland paste¡­ (Wait, I can remember hazily her thanking me for saving her brother that was trapped in the third floor. Perhaps that¡¯s the way to go.) Zhang Heng knew that it was easier for him to go and look through the close guards¡¯ database than doing it the roundabout way. After all, there were almost 2,000 survivors from the third level, and most of them were male, but there were only 200 Black Star close guards, and among them was less than 40 females.


    There was, however, one obstacle that stood in the way. Zhang Heng had been part of the Black Star Unit for almost a year, so he was privy to the existence of a pair of prying eyes that lurked within the ranks of Black Star Unit¡­ A member of the Black Star Unit himself, the pair of eyes reported directly to Yao Yuan. Even though its existence was common knowledge, no one knew of his actual identity, Zhang Heng suspected that not even Guang Zhen knew who this person was. Maybe the person was Guang Zhen himself, or Ying, or Ebon, or even someone who had passed away on Planet Sahara.


    Therefore, even though Zhang Heng could use his rank as a lieutenant to go through the required database, he would be instantly found out by Yao Yuan¡­ It was true that he would not be committing anything illegal, but for a security-sensitive body like the military, his transgression would be hard to explain.


    (After all, I just want to thank her personally. It¡¯s better not to involve anyone else¡­) With that awareness in mind, a plan slowly formed. No one would think twice if he went through the files of non-military personnel. Furthermore, with his position as the lieutenant, that could be easily done. He just needed to find an opportune time¡­ With a plan at the ready, Zhang Heng rejoined Ebon to clean up the rest of the food.


    While Zhang Heng was recovering at rehabilitation, the trial on "Crimes against Humanity" came to a close. It was as Yao Yuan expected, neither charges of "Crimes against Humanity" nor assault and battery stuck.


    In the end, the defendant was sentenced to five years in prison for crimes against public security and the destruction of public property. As for the rest of his gang, some got acquitted and others got one or two years of jail time.


    Reporters who got the trial¡¯s firsthand news quickly returned to the newsroom where the trio of Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan already sat waiting.


    "Finally, it¡¯s over. I¡¯m going to miss it though because thanks to it, the sales for the papers has been great," said Qiu Qiu as he read the sales report with a cigarette dangling from his lips.


    On the other side of the table, munching on snacks, Dan Dan sighed. "That¡¯s true. Sadly, the sales number is most probably to going drop back down."


    "No, no, no," teased Xiao Niao after he took a deep draught of his cigar. Holding a similar sales report, he added, "There will be more stories if we go out to find them. We¡¯re in the news business, aren¡¯t we? Sitting here is not going to help us get anything done. Plus, did you two forget about our new roles?"


    His friends looked at one another before asking in unison, "What new roles? Millionaires?"


    "No, we¡¯re the government¡¯s spokesperson, or rather, its official media outlet,"


    Flicking the report in his hand, Xiao Niao added, "And as the media, we have to be in tune with the public¡¯s psychology. Haven¡¯t they been talking about the spaceship junkyard? So let¡¯s write stories on that¡­


    "Plus, aren¡¯t they going to perform test flights on the shuttles that will later be used to explore the junkyard within the next few days?


    "Report that!"

 Chapter 96: Homo Evolutis Faction

    Chapter 96: Homo Evolutis Faction


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Initially, the Hope was working to upgrade two shuttles, but one of them was buried alongside the underground base when the earthquake hit the meteorite. Therefore, in total, the Hope only had one upgraded space shuttle and another un-upgraded one.


    The upgraded shuttle could now fire small-sized and medium-sized missiles and was armed with automatic cannons that could do quick work of large spaceships. Furthermore, its energy circuit was upgraded to include an energy storage system that could help it maintain a 60 percent longer flight time. The energy circuit was upgraded using the superconductor materials provided by the alien plant.


    Without overhauling its internal combustion engines, its speed and mobility had remained unchanged, but even at that stage, it was already a product that stood at the forefront of humans¡¯ technological advancement. However, all these projects were additive in the sense that they didn¡¯t involve the shuttles¡¯ internal engines, which were still beyond man¡¯s comprehension.


    In other words, toying with attachments was the extent of the upgrades that the Hope could perform on this shuttle. The Hope¡¯s scientific acumen had to be stronger before more core upgrades could be done.


    And that was why it was heading towards the spaceship junkyard!


    The upgraded shuttle¡¯s test pilots were unanimously selected to be Ying and Lee. Both of them were Homo Evolutis, Ying being a seeker and Lee a preceptor. As safety precautions, the team of test pilots originally included two diviners, Zhang Heng and Chou Yue, but since Zhang Heng was still in rehabilitation, he was exempted.


    Chou Yue, on the other hand, was still in basic training. With a prima donna attitude that befitted her surname [1], Chou Yue¡¯s training regime had been dragged on to a stage where everyone was positive it was never going to end. In one of her running practices, she constantly requested for rest because the temperature was too hot. Finally losing his temper, her commanding officer chided her, asking how the temperature could be too hot when the Hope had its temperature regulated at 20 degrees Celsius. To which she famously replied, "Running makes your body temperature rise, right? And since the external temperature is, as you said, regulated, this means total in total, my temperature has had a net gain. And with that, I repeat, it¡¯s too hot to run."


    Because she was a preteen girl and a diviner that was only slightly less powerful than Zhang Heng, no one dared defy her. The fact that she was also an important member of the underground base rescue unit didn¡¯t help the situation either.


    In any case, she was not cut out to be a military woman.


    So Yao Yuan had no choice but to volunteer to join the team of test pilots. Even though his diviner¡¯s power wasn¡¯t as powerful as Zhang Heng''s or Chou Yue¡¯s, his presence should at least be of some use.


    It took almost the whole Black Star Unit to persuade him otherwise and let both Ying and Lee handle the test flight.


    The first flight test took 6 hours, and thankfully it went without a hitch. Tests on the shuttle¡¯s mobility, weapons, energy consumption, and storage were well within the Academy¡¯s predicted spectrum. The only exception was the cannon¡¯s firing range, which turned out to be longer than expected.


    There were six test flights in total, and other than some minor complications, the shuttle was deemed ready to venture into the junkyard.


    "Then it¡¯s the matter of deciding who will be going,"


    Addressing the Black Star members before him, Yao Yuan continued, "The exploratory party will consist of 11 to 12 people, and 80 percent of it will involve Homo Evolutis. The shuttle will carry the party into the junkyard, while the Hope will station itself 300 to 500 kilometers away from it.


    "There will be four steps to the exploratory mission. First the shuttle will stop at the junkyard¡¯s outer layer to collect various metallic samples for the Academy to conduct analysis on them. Hopefully, this will be able to give us more details on the spaceship fleet¡¯s technological level. This first step will be incredibly dangerous, and the team will have to be on constant lookout for signs of danger. We can¡¯t tell for certain if the spaceships¡¯ defense mechanism has been shut down. Be vigilant for lasers, or high-speed missiles, or even both. In other words, this first step is also to bait out possible attacks¡­"


    "It¡¯s incredibly dangerous," Yao Yuan repeated for emphasis.


    The seriousness of the topic didn¡¯t match the feast stretched out before them, but since Lee and Ying had completed their last flight test around dinner time, Yao Yuan decided to invite all of his Black Star comrades to gather for dinner while sharing with them the plans for the exploratory mission.


    "Since the first step is the most dangerous, I will be leading it myself alongside Zhang Heng and Ying. We will return immediately if Zhang Heng predicts danger," added Yao Yuan.


    Here, Guang Zhen interrupted, "Ol¡¯ Capt¡¯n, can¡¯t we use the remote-controlled mining airship like how the Academy suggested? Those are controllable within a 1,000 kilometer range, and if the purpose of this first step is to collect materials, the airships are perfect. Plus, it¡¯s the safest option."


    Yao Yuan shook his head. After taking a bite out of the spring roll on his plate, he elaborated. "The problem is we do not know how advanced this civilization is. We could release 50 of these airships to venture into the junkyard on our behalf when the Hope is within range, but due to possible radioactive wave interference over long distances, there is a high chance that not only will we lose these airships, they will trigger the spaceships¡¯ sleeping defense mechanism as well.


    "However! That is the best case scenario. Alan and Bo Li have revealed to me a possibly worse fate. Our intrusion may be handled in the manner I¡¯ve just described, but that prediction is baseless because at the end of the day, we can¡¯t really predict the exact response of a technologically superior race."


    Yao Yuan was greeted with pairs of puzzled eyes and hence he continued to explain, "I know it sounds complicated, and I was equally lost when they first approached me with this possibility, but I soon broke out in cold sweat when I understood their perspective. Let me use fishing as an analogy; perhaps that will make it clearer. It is common knowledge between veteran anglers that fish are prone to testing your bait. If you reel in your rod at the first sign of your bobber moving, chances are the fish will escape.


    "The experienced angler thus could differentiate between a fake bite and an actual one."


    Finishing the rest of his spring roll, Yao Yuan continued, "Similarly, whenever anything approaches us in space, we first analyze it before deciding to fight or flight. If it is a natural entity, like a space rock or asteroid, we avoid it if we can and destroy it if we can¡¯t.


    "But what if it is something manmade, like a spherical, metal ball? If a round, metal ball is flying towards us right this moment, what would be our first reaction?"


    A thoughtful silence pervaded the room before Ying said firmly, "We would destroy it!"


    Yao Yuan nodded, putting weight behind Ying¡¯s solution. "I agree, but here lies the problem. We are completely unfamiliar with this metal object, and even if it was giving out constant electrical signals, we would destroy it for safety¡¯s sake¡­ But what if it was some sort of peace treaty from another colony? We would have unwittingly initiated a space war!


    "You see, we are the inexperienced angler in the analogy. We would jump right into preemptive action for the sake of safety¡­ But remember, the civilization that formed this junkyard is much more advanced than us. Let¡¯s say their scanning technology is advanced enough to be able to easily analyze and dissect electrical signals, and maybe even our communicative structure and meaning. They could come to the fast conclusion that our mining airships present no threat.


    "What would you do if you were this other civilization?"


    This time it was Guang Zhen who answered. "Capture it to examine it further and to siphon out more information."


    "Indeed." Yao Yuan nodded. "Different civilizations approach the similar problem with widely different solutions depending on its technological era. Guang Zhen is most likely correct that the opponent would capture our airships to conduct more analysis on them. Of course, since the place is already a junkyard, I¡¯ll admit that the chance of this happening is low. Then again, there are still fairly big pieces floating about the area, so one really can¡¯t tell. In any case, a wrong step here could lead the Hope to total annihilation.


    "And this is not a risk that I¡¯m willing to take. So this plan of using the mining airships will not work. We have to rely on the shuttle, which has communication functionality and weapons to complete this first step.


    "So, that concludes the first part of the mission. If all goes well, the second step will be forming a Homo Evolutis team to venture deeper into the junkyard. This team will also be 10 to 12 people in size and similarly, I¡¯ll be leading it¡­


    "To find members for this second team, I¡¯ve decided to organize a specialized unit called Homo Evolutis Faction, specially designed to train and unlock the potentials of all known and latent Homo Evolutis. Its tasks will be to teach this unique class of people the ways to wield their powers and the accompanying pitfalls.


    "This Homo Evolutis Faction¡¯s importance can¡¯t be understated because¡­ it might be humans¡¯ only unit powerful enough to diffuse the threats posed by a more advanced civilization!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] Chou Yue¡¯s surname is (ÈÎ)Ren, which coupled with ÐÔ (Xing) means willfulness, but in Chou Yue¡¯s case refers to a pampered and spoiled attitude.


    [2] The author¡¯s original term for Homo Evolutis Faction is NewTypeOrgans, which doesn¡¯t align with the translator¡¯s use of Homo Evolutis. Hence, adjustment has been made.

 Chapter 97: Daily Scoop… Baby Boom

    Chapter 97: Daily Scoop¡­ Baby Boom


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Zhang Heng finally got his long-deserved day off.


    The day couldn¡¯t come soon enough because after his week of training at the rehabilitation center with Ebon, he was dragged to join another week of rehabilitative training regime with Ying, Liu Bai, and Wa Luo. Zhang Heng could sense his spirit escaping his body. He felt he would die under his comrades¡¯ hands¡­ After avoiding certain death on Planet Sahara and the meteorite base, the COD [1] on his autopsy would be death during training.


    Zhang Heng would find it humorous if it didn¡¯t cost him his life.


    Zhang Heng had made multiple appeals for a break and on his third, Yao Yuan, feeling sorry for him, finally approved. He also stopped Zhang Heng¡¯s rehabilitative regime and allowed him to join normal training.


    It was not that Zhang Heng was not appreciative of his comrades¡¯ efforts. He knew they only wanted what was best for him. Having once been so close to death, they wanted him to be physically more resilient so that such a situation would not happen again.


    However, that only made Zhang Heng yearn for normal human contact. His heart exploded in happiness when he stepped into the third floor residential area and saw the crowd thronged about him. He felt like a born-again convict on his first day of freedom; he could barely contain the spring in his step.


    Swarming through the crowd, Zhang Heng purchased a copy of Hope Weekly from a roadside stall. Buoyed by his effusive mood, he carelessly flipped through the paper, even laughing out loud when he read the page on jokes. 30 minutes had passed in such a manner before he realized he was on a mission.


    "Oops, almost forgot! I need to go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get the information I need," Zhang Heng reminded himself as he tapped himself lightly on his head. After folding the paper, he rushed to the bureau, which was situated not far away from the House of Representatives.


    Zhang Heng expected the bureau to be empty, but when he arrived, a line of about 200 people was already there. Weirdly enough, almost everyone was carrying a baby or a toddler. The cries of 200 babies ricocheting off the office walls drowned the room in a cacophonous din.


    At the same time, within command central, Yao Yuan was in a fistful of rage.


    "Are you kidding me?! There have been two more deaths during childbirth within the last week alone?! Since when has our medical technology gotten so low that we have such a high fatality rate during childbirth? I want an answer!"


    Yao Yuan slammed the report on the table angrily, venting at Barbie, who stood a distance away, "According to the court cases issued by the two families, they waited for more than three hours before the doctors came to deliver their babies. How is this possible? The Hope is only so big; how could the doctors have taken more than three hours to reach their families? It doesn¡¯t take that long to run from the sixth floor to the first floor. Currently, the Hope¡¯s doctors are all military doctors, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to rely on their ranks to weasel out of this. If it is found out that any one of them has slacked and caused the women¡¯s death, I will personally execute them myself!"


    Unfazed by Yao Yuan¡¯s anger, Barbie walked silently to switch the stack of reports Yao Yuan had looked over for a new set before moving calmly towards the door.


    Shocked by her lack of response, Yao Yuan asked, "What¡¯s this report? And why didn¡¯t you comment anything on this gross atrocity?"


    Barbie turned around with a defeated look in her eyes, adding, "Captain, the report is from 10 days ago. You¡¯ve been ignoring the reports on civil affairs because constructing the Homo Evolutis Faction and issues about the spaceships junkyard has been holding your undivided attention. Unless there is a mention of death, the civil reports are all passed down to the Hall of Innovation and Communications. However, you have to understand that the officers there have no jurisdiction over military matters, like this case with the military doctors."


    Frowning, Yao Yuan picked up the new report and started to read.


    The report was a compilation of the many reports written by hospices over the Hope and signed by the main hospital. According to it, there would be a baby boom starting from the month before last and would continue for three to four months. Within the previous month alone, there were 4,000 new babies born on the Hope. The number was predicted to rise to about 10,000 in the coming months. Due to this, the Hope¡¯s hospital was seriously understaffed, especially in the field of gynecology. Even the most experienced gynecologists didn¡¯t have the time to fit in two childbirths within 24 hours. In other words, when the monthly birthrate broke the limit of 6,000, it would have greatly surpassed what the Hope¡¯s medical unit could possibly handle.


    The report appealed to Yao Yuan to figure out an expedient way to handle this issue. Their suggestion was to recruit trainee surgeons or experienced midwifes within the public to help tide over the first wave of the baby boom before designing and opening training for a new generation of medical workers.


    Yao Yuan made a silent calculation in his mind. The Hope had left Earth for one year and two months. After taking into account a pregnancy¡¯s 10 month period, Yao Yuan was able to discern that the span of increased conception on the Hope started about four to six months after they departed from Earth.


    First with the help of his memory and later with a time table, Yao Yuan was able to tell that was when they were sailing through the nebula. Yao Yuan found that to be reasonable because before that, they were too busy adapting to a new environment. They had just escaped from Earth into space and they needed time to familiarize themselves into the new surroundings. It just so happened that the fever that led the way to the creation of Homo Evolutis also occurred then. Maybe this meant that the superhuman power was a manifestation of man¡¯s extreme adaptation to life in space.


    Similarly, the number of pregnancies within that stretch of time was minimal, clocking in at only a measly 1,000 babies per month. The citizens of the Hope were probably too busy worrying about basic survival, leaving no room for marital duties.


    The same could be said when they first came across Planet Sahara. They needed another stretch of time to get used to this new discovery. However, since that was man¡¯s first discovery of a habitable planet, it had also sown a seed of hope within the people. Maybe with time, and with more warps, they would be able to locate a new home planet!


    These were common human psychology.


    There was another crisis following that, but that information was never released to the public. Instead, the Hope had introduced a new currency system, job assimilation, and housing revolution¡­ Yes, the housing revolution!


    Weighted down by guilt that stemmed from carelessness, Yao Yuan slapped himself heavily on his forehead. The responsibility for the two deaths in labor turned out to fall squarely on his shoulders.


    The housing revolution had given many families the first taste of privacy ever since they left Earth. A combination of both the news of a new energy source for the Hope and a stable income ushered in a sense of contentment and bliss. It was little wonder that it would lead to a baby boom.


    "¡­This is my oversight." Yao Yuan sighed while standing up. "It¡¯s only fair for us to pay the two grieving families a visit. Maybe the government can recompense them somehow, but can we truly make up for the deaths of a mother and her child¡­"


    Yao Yuan sank back down resignedly, adding, "Maybe it¡¯s not the best idea to visit them now, but compensation is the least the government can do. See if there¡¯s anything the government could help the two families with. Next, we need to solve the understaffed issue. Their suggestion is fine, so we¡¯ll follow that. Have the Hope Weekly publish a recruitment call. Remember to recruit among the military as well. After eliminating the unqualified, have the rest go through a week-long intensive training period. Make sure they have enough field experience before they are allowed to enter the surgery room."


    Here, Yao Yuan stopped to ponder some options before declaring, "Other than that, we have to introduce a new welfare policy specifically tailored to this baby boom. This is to make sure that every baby is well taken care of. I¡¯ll leave the actual policy drafting to the Hall of Innovation and Communications, but here are some of my suggestions: first, we have lower the price of milk powder. The team can discuss the exact amount with the experts, but it is my suggestion that we cut the price by half."


    "The problem is we don¡¯t have enough milk powder in storage for that," Barbie interrupted. "Since dairy products are luxury items, there isn¡¯t much of them in storage to begin with. Even with fresh milk, we could only feed 3,000 to 5,000 babies. This could be easily solved if the mothers breastfeed fully, but since most of the mothers are first time mothers, they need to rely on additional supplements."


    "Is that so..?" Yao Yuan stood up to circle the room before adding, "Give every family with a newborn a baby tag. Only those with this baby tag can make milk powder purchases. Also, I need a team of nutritionists to calculate the ratio of milk powder versus breast milk that is optimal for growth so that each family can only purchase that exact amount every month. Make sure to release all of this information alongside the recruitment call."


    While Barbie was typing all of this down, Yao Yuan asked, "Combining both milk powder in storage and daily fresh milk, how long can we last feeding 30,000 babies?"


    Barbie expertly added up the tally and said, "Rudimentary calculations puts us at three months, but it could be extended to four to five months if more mothers are able to breastfeed."


    "So in the worst case scenario, we have three months." Yao Yuan frowned before continuing firmly, "No matter what, we must ensure this generation of babies grows up healthy and strong. They are the future of the Hope, and this includes the extra 30,000 babies. We must do our best to provide them with the best environment to grow up in. Okay, I¡¯ll will order the Workshop to stop all progress on upgrading the second shuttle and channel their efforts towards creating the external cabin so that the new biome space can be completed sooner."


    Yao Yuan sat back down, looking at Barbie, and said, "From this day onward, I want you to view all reports about the babies at the same level of importance as all the other military updates. You can approach me with them any time you want and you have to make sure that I reply to them within 24 hours."


    Barbie broke into a smile. Giving Yao Yuan a semi-accurate military salute, she waltzed out the door, saying, "You¡¯re a good leader¡­"


    "My faith isn¡¯t misplaced."


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] Cause of Death

 Chapter 98: A Wave of New Inventions

    Chapter 98: A Wave of New Inventions


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Bo Li was a quiet girl who preferred her own company. She usually spent her time at the library or in a corner by herself day-dreaming.


    Nevertheless, her favorite spot was the laboratory.


    Bo Li was one of the Whisperers among the Homo Evolutis. She was able to receive a mysterious voice hinting at the solution whenever she faced a difficult scientific conundrum. This was possible because the voice helped increase the whisperer¡¯s brain activity whenever it appeared. Studies showed that the voice influenced a tenfold increase in brain activity every time it announced itself.


    This was in the Homo Evolutis Faction¡¯s rudimentary analysis report on the Whisperers.


    Viewed from this perspective, the Whisperers could be said to be the most human among all the Homo Evolutis. Their power was the most similar to common human psychology. The basis could be found in the theory of trial and error. The answer was teased out through a dissection of the problem from multiple angles, and every error brought the Whisperer ever closer to the truth. As it was mentioned before, it was only when man ceased to try that the institution of science would fall.


    This was the historical truth. From Newton¡¯s law of gravity to the theory of relativity, from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics, they only came into existence after numerous trials and errors. In other words, to be a good scientist, one had to have a thrill for failure.


    Currently, the Academy had pretty much covered all of the available basic fields of science. Granted their total number couldn¡¯t rival the number they had when they were still on Earth, being small in number had its own perks. For one, this ensured that the Academy was not divided by countries, race, or politics. Instead, its members were all gathered under one banner. With the collective strength from all its different fields, the Academy¡¯s scientific prowess was equal to 3/4 of America¡¯s original scientific contribution, and that was already in itself an impressive feat.


    For another, this ensured that the scientific scene remained vibrant. Even though experienced scientists like Alan and Silewei had fixed powerful positions within the Academy, the rest of the administrative ladder was incredibly fluid. Yao Yuan believed that the allure of a better lifestyle from earning promotions would bring the best out of the members of the Academy. Shining examples of people who started at the bottom but quickly rose to the top were Ivan and Bo Li. Another benefit was that this policy put everyone at a relatively level playing field, so this erased the possibility of workplace bullying.


    Currently, the Academy had three main affairs: One, studies on the alien plants and its byproducts, the multiple alloys, and energy crystal. After all, the crystal reactors were an accidental discovery, so they didn¡¯t truly understand its underlying mechanism. Like how it happened in the underground base, it could turn into a liability in an instant. Therefore, the Hope would sleep better at night if the Academy could finally grasp its inner workings.


    Two, studies on Homo Evolutis. There were eight formal classes of Homo Evolutis: the Diviner, the Deceiver, the Seeker, the Whisperer, the Anima, the Perceptor, the Thinker, and the All-Rounder. However, the verdict was still out on the validity of the Thinker because the scientists believed that these were simply people with acute observation and logic.


    In any case, these eight were things that defied scientific conventions. Take for an example the Seeker. When Ying used his superpower, he could see 10 times better than a normal human being. In other words, while the rest of us saw moving pictures on the televisions, Ying would see a sequence of changing stills.


    His power was not limited to dissecting moving pictures; his sight could also zoom into measurement as small as 10 nanometers!


    Initially, the Academy thought this to be impossible, because it was simply inhuman, but they devised an experiment just to be certain. Using nano-lasers, a random word was scrawled onto a piece of metal. In fact, the word was so small that the technician himself couldn¡¯t tell what he had written. Nevertheless, the picture drawn by Ying matched the image that showed up on the microscope perfectly! This stunned the whole Academy, but instead of stopping them, it sparked a wave of scientific fervor within the community. Hypotheses were tossed around regarding the mechanism of the Homo Evolutis, and the most valid among them all was the theory on brain evolution.


    Three, studies on space weaponry.


    It was common knowledge on yhe Hope that they were too under-armed to carve a successful way out of the dangerous cosmos.


    Ever since their misadventures on Planet Sahara, there had been an unspoken truth bubbling among the citizens of the Hope. They must try their best to avoid contact with other alien civilization.


    Their fear wasn¡¯t unfounded, because for one, they were forced to step into space at least 100 years before the projected time. Following man¡¯s progress in science, they were supposed to start by exploring the Moon or Mars because that was the goal man had set themselves for the 21st century.


    In the 22nd century, a space station was supposed to be in the works. Modifications could be done in stages to improve the functionalities and hospitability of this space station.


    In the early 23rd century, after man had gotten used to life in space, efforts for space migration to nearby planets, like Mars, could begin in earnest.


    Around the middle of 24th century, maybe man¡¯s technology would improve to such a stage where man could find hospitability at the fringe of the solar system. This would be in preparation for man to leave the safety of the solar system around the end of 25th century. This meant that, according to this schedule, space travelling between galaxies was supposed to be only possible¡­ in the early 27th century!


    In other words, the Hope had left Earth around 600 years earlier than scheduled!


    100 years difference could mean the difference between safety and death in space, much less 600 years!


    Many people on the Hope saw that cruel reality. They knew that space wasn¡¯t going to be a paradise, and the presence of a spaceship junkyard had just confirmed their suspicion. It was a harsh place out there in space!


    Following the same trajectory, ever since the 12th warp, the cries for more research to be done in space weaponry were getting louder and louder. Most of it came from famed scientists, Silewei being the movement¡¯s most stringent champion. It was his belief that science dictated a civilization¡¯s fight or flight instinct. Peace could only be brokered between societies of similar scientific prowess. And currently, with its weak arsenal, the Hope was easy prey.


    Therefore, to survive, they needed better weaponry!


    To that effect, with Bo Li at the helm, a weaponry research committee was assembled. Their study was at a turning point, and on the third day after Yao Yuan issued the milk powder limited provision policy, Bo Li barged into command central bearing her team¡¯s research result.


    "Hmm? Well, isn¡¯t this a surprise? Do you need more budget or supplies, Bo Li?" Yao Yuan blurted out, surprised to see Bo Li in his room.


    Bo Li shook her head and, without a word, planted herself on the chair opposite Yao Yuan despite not being given the invitation. Then she spread out on his table a series of files. When her files almost buried his present work, Yao Yuan coughed and asked, "Bo Li, I have more than enough things to deal with already on this table. There¡¯re the reports on the baby boom, the external cabin, and also the rumor of a bovine outbreak happening in the biomes¡­ So please, just tell me directly what you need."


    Bo Li¡¯s mouth twitched into a small smile, adding, "The blueprint for the electromagnetic tracker you requested is ready, but it still needs a field test on the upgraded shuttle. The Gaussian Weapons on the other hand¡­ are sadly still in their theoretical stages. We have several prototypes ready, but they will need some time before they can be brought into the field. The issue is energy storage. Without fitting it with the newly improved batteries, they are functional for only two minutes."


    A silence ensued as Yao Yuan stood up to walk about the room. Then he added, "Your team has given me more than 10 new weapon types. It has gone way beyond not only my expectations, but also the expectations of the Academy. They say that your team¡¯s contributions might be the sign that the scientific renaissance that we¡¯re hoping for is coming. Of course, I know your role in bringing about this development couldn¡¯t be understated, so¡­ Ning Bo Li, name your needs. I will try my best to provide."


    "Robots," replied Bo Li in a calm tone. "Remember the spherical robots that your team demolished at the original spaceship base, the one back on Earth? I need their carcasses, but it would be best if you could find me some that are still intact. Those robots have internal mechanisms that are closest to the Gaussian technology, and I need them!"

 Chapter 99: Catalyst for Science and the Compartment

    Chapter 99: Catalyst for Science and the Compartment


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    No one could tell what the catalyst for the next scientific renaissance would be, nor when it would arrive.


    For example, the first scientific revolution was brought about by the creation of the steam engine, even though history called it the industrial revolution and tied it to the European cultural renaissance. Then again, hasn¡¯t advancements in science always been linked to great societal improvements?


    The one after that was caused by the proliferation of electricity, where new fields based in electronics was introduced.


    The next one included the advancement in nanotechnology, space technology, and biological engineering, whose common root could be found in the field of computer science. In other words, it was computer science that provided the fertile soil on which other contemporary sciences would grow.


    Until now, man had been reaping the rewards from this third industrial revolution. Therefore, even though it had been decades after the onset of this revolution, man was still regretfully languishing in it.


    So it was little surprise that people were asking¡­ when the next revolution will arrive. And what will be the catalyst that ushers in its arrival.


    This was the topic of the day within the Academy. Some argued for biotechnology, others space technology, there was also support for technology in alternative energy and artificial intelligence. Everyone had their own say regarding this matter, but the whole Academy was in agreement that this next revolution will no doubt be potent and influential.


    Even Yao Yuan, especially after witnessing the latest wave of new inventions, couldn¡¯t resist joining in on the hype. He wished he could be alive to witness the arrival of this new revolution because¡­ he believed this revolution would finally usher in an age of true cosmic exploration!


    Yao Yuan frowned after listening to Bo Li¡¯s request before sitting back down, "Since you know about the existence of these robots, then you should know as well that they have been reprogrammed to act as the Hope¡¯s last line of defense against threats of non-human origin. Also, since they are controlled by the ship¡¯s central mainframe¡­ I can¡¯t approve of your request right now. You have to understand that even a small tweak to their programming¡­ could have a possibly adverse effect on the Hope¡¯s overall security."


    Bo Li too frowned slightly in return. However, she didn¡¯t show any intention of continuing to appeal to Yao Yuan. Instead, she bowed and turned to exit the room.


    Yao Yuan, though, called her back, asking, "Bo Li, you have been at the forefront of many new inventions lately¡­ Could it be that you¡¯ve already felt the fourth industrial evolution coming? Tell me, are we at the cusp of this next revolution, like how the rest of the Academy has been saying?"


    Bo Li stopped and answered without turning around, "¡­I can¡¯t say for certain, but they seem to be correct. I need to conduct more experiments to be sure."


    Yao Yuan added, "Will it be related to what you¡¯re working on, Gaussian technology? In other words, will this next revolution be based in electromagnetic technology? If that¡¯s true, we will need more supplies, like octane-powered batteries and alternative energy sources, to anticipate this revolution, right?"


    Bo Li frowned. "I will say it again, I can¡¯t say for certain, and I need to be conduct more experiments to be sure!"


    "Is that so?" Yao Yuan sighed. "Alright, I¡¯ll give you a reply within three days."


    "Thank you," Bo Li answered, before retreating out of central command. Stopping just before the door, she suddenly added, "There is a shop that sells rice cakes on the third floor C Street. I really like their rice cakes." And with that, she disappeared out the door.


    The sudden information had Yao Yuan stunned. He chuckled to himself, and after thinking about it for quite some time, he activated the communicator on his table, saying, "Tell Zhang Heng, Ying, and Ebon to come meet me at central command."


    Three days later, Ying, Ebon, and Zhang Heng, dressed in their smart army fatigues, arrived at Bo Li¡¯s weapons laboratory. They had in tow behind them several robot guards and a pile of broken robot pieces.


    "Lieutenants Ying, Ebon, and Zhang Heng reporting as observers and protectors of this robotic experiment," Ying announced, with a sonorous voice to the room of scientists as he took a step forward.


    Bo Li glanced at the trio insouciantly before moving past them to inspect the cluster of robots. She first stopped beside the robot guards to take a detailed look at their protective shells before squatting down to look at the pile of robot parts. Finally, she stood up, saying, "Then we shall start the experiment with the robot carcasses¡­"


    (A Diviner to sense danger, a Seeker to record my movements, and a Perceptor to incapacitate me at the shortest notice if necessary¡­ So be it. I¡¯ve told him I¡¯ve no ulterior motives, and I happen to love the Hope, but I suppose Dad was right; the man holds high mistrust of other people¡­) With that, Bo Li¡¯s experiment began in earnest. On the other hand, Yao Yuan¡¯s milk powder purchase limitation policy was thankfully accepted by the citizens without much of an uproar. In fact, before the baby boom, many people had stopped purchasing milk powder on account of its high price, so this didn¡¯t affect them much.


    With an addition of 1,000 new doctors, the following wave of baby boom was efficiently solved. Thus far, the Hope¡¯s population had increased to a total of 140,000 people. Among them, 16,000 newborn babies. There were 15,000 scheduled childbirths in the upcoming two months, and that would kick the Hope¡¯s population to go over the 150,000 line!


    Nevertheless, it was not all good news because the increase in population meant a decrease in living space.


    Civil engineers pointed out that the Hope had a maximum capacity of 220,000 people. The biomes wouldn¡¯t be able to support a higher population than that, so people would have to starve if the number of inhabitants went over the capacity. The population increase also brought more pressure on the ship¡¯s air and water recycling systems.


    Human needs sufficient private space to move around in to grow and flourish. Being boxed in a limited space will stunt both physical and spiritual growth. Adequate space is a valid need alongside a satisfying job, sufficient relaxation, and food. At this point, the Hope stumbled into a situation where it was lacking in these four.


    The Hope was simply¡­ too small!


    However, Yao Yuan knew that he couldn¡¯t sign off a policy that discouraged childbirth, because that was in gross violation of basic human rights. Furthermore, practically speaking, the Hope needed this new generations to keep humanity¡¯s hope burning. If there was a 1-child-per-family policy, the quality of the gene pool on the Hope would dramatically decrease. As inbreeding became more common, the future generations would get weaker and weaker.


    Experts concluded that sufficient living space and stable population number were the two main factors deciding man¡¯s fate in space.


    "Looks like plans to construct that external cabin have to continue."


    The idea of an external cabin was brought up by multiple experts in response to the increase in population.


    It was their expert opinion that not only could the external cabin be used to house more biomes, it could be a successful prototype that could be copied to construct future cabins. With the addition of these cabins, the Hope¡¯s space issue would be resolved because these cabins could be re-purposed into housing units.


    Simultaneously, the experts had pointed out the irrationality within Yao Yuan¡¯s decision to conduct continuous warps.


    Currently, the Hope could warp 400 times. If one totaled up the three days that were spent after every warp, the time would add up to about 4 years.


    That number didn¡¯t align with the amount of time the Hope could survive independently in space, which was 40 years. So after exhausting all the energy in warps, what would the Hope do for the remaining 36 years? Become an aimless space nomad?


    Therefore, the experts suggested that instead of a three day stay, they stay for a whole month whether or not there was anything worth sticking around for. They could also use the 30 days to let the external cabins out as some plants had a 30 days harvest cycle. In the future, more cabins could be added to provide the much needed housing space.


    Housing arrangements could be cycled after each warp so that every family would be given its turn to spend a month out on the external cabin. With this system in place, the Hope¡¯s maximum population could increase to a staggering 500,000 people. It could fit two generations of people. If the Hope was destined to perish 40 years later, at least then man would have lasted long enough to build a new spaceship.


    Just when Yao Yuan was discussing matters of the external cabins with a panel of experts, Bo Li¡¯s team sent over a new report.


    The report wasn¡¯t about her team¡¯s experiment success, nor was it about any accidents, but rather her team had intercepted a stray signal issued by the group of intact robots. However, weirdly enough, the signal wasn¡¯t targeted at the ship¡¯s central mainframe but instead¡­ at the compartment below the mainframe!


    According to the Hope¡¯s blueprint, that space should be a slab of metallic flooring, and it wasn¡¯t supposed to be hollow. But since the target of the signal was there¡­ something must lie within that compartment!

 Chapter 100: UFO!

    Chapter 100: UFO!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    As the ship¡¯s captain, one would expect Yao Yuan to be familiar with everything there was to know about the Hope. In fact, when they first acquired the Hope, Yao Yuan spent days poring over the spaceship¡¯s blueprints because he felt it was his responsibility to do so.


    However, Yao Yuan was as equally blind sighted as everyone else with regards to this unexpected development. So when news came that there was a mysterious object hiding underneath the Hope¡¯s central mainframe, he sat sweating profusely in his seat.


    "How could I have been so careless¡­?"


    After immediately excusing himself from his discussion with the panel of experts, he called for his Black Star members to join him at the central mainframe. As Wa Luo joined him mid-sprint, he yelled, "Even though we have done a thorough search around the Hope, we¡¯ve forgotten about one important thing!"


    Wa Luo, who was still out of the loop, asked in return, "And what is that?"


    "Hazard inspection! Specifically, we didn¡¯t scout for the possibility of internal explosives!"


    Yao Yuan added grimly, "Let¡¯s not forget who we¡¯re dealing with¡­ the original owners of this ship were politicians that were as slimy as snakes. If they could be heartless enough to abandon Earth in secret, would they really leave such a perfect ship for the rest of us to find? It is not beyond them to sabotage this ship with explosives out of spite!"


    Wa Luo was not only taken aback by this new information but also by Yao Yuan¡¯s anger. He had never seen his captain so angry before.


    Yao Yuan was envisioning all sorts of torture devices that he would have at the ready for this group of government officials if they were unlucky enough to fall into his clutches. He believed there was an 80 percent chance that there were indeed explosives buried under the mainframe. It fitted the officials¡¯ modus operandi too perfectly! Similar to Wa Luo, the people around Yao Yuan could feel waves of anger emanating from their captain as they parted for the pair to pass.


    The Hope¡¯s central mainframe was situated at the center of the fifth floor Barracks. It was a highly secure area with 24 hour patrol. The patrol team of 25 members wouldn''t allow anyone other than Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen to enter easily. A lot of forms needed to be filled to gain entry, and even so, said person or group had to be followed by six guards at all times within the room.


    Such high security was warranted because this place was the brain and heart of the Hope. It dictated everything from the ship¡¯s anti-gravitational system to its communication channels.


    When Yao Yuan arrived at the central mainframe room, Ying, Ebon, Bo Li, and Zhang Heng were already there. Since they were the ones who sent Yao Yuan the news, they knew of the seriousness of the situation because if Yao Yuan didn¡¯t know about this mysterious object, then it must be the previous owner that left it there. Knowing the group of slimy politicians, it was highly unlikely that this was something harmless¡­


    Spotting Yao Yuan, their tense facial features relaxed and they sighed in relief. Yao Yuan, who was still tense, walked up to the four of them and quickly asked, "Who spotted this signal? And has the nature of this signal been deciphered?"


    Without hesitation, Bo Li stepped forth to reply, "It was me who first found the signal. It has gone unnoticed for so long because it was technically still heading towards the central mainframe. However, when I was checking the issue of signal delay in the group of robots, I realized that there was an additional hidden stream of signals heading below where the mainframe was supposed to be. After that, I instantaneously filed for a request to enter this room."


    "Yes, I¡¯ve received your request and approved it." Yao Yuan nodded. "So, did your team find anything? Were they able to tell the location this hidden signal is heading towards?"


    Pointing at a spot below the central mainframe, Bo Li confirmed, "Yes, the receiving point of the signal is in the interlayer beneath the central mainframe."


    For a matter as serious as this, Yao Yuan wanted an extra opinion. Therefore, in the following few hours, he ordered several experts to conduct an isolated analysis on the signals issued by the set of robots. Their result confirmed Bo Li¡¯s discovery. They also tracked the signal to the interlayer beneath the central mainframe!


    "I need your help in confirming two points," said Yao Yuan, to the group of experts. "Since I¡¯m no computer expert, first I want you to tell me if it''s possible to gain access to this interlayer without shutting down the mainframe.


    "And secondly, if it''s impossible and the central mainframe is definitely going to suffer damage for us to get to the bottom of this¡­ can the damage be repaired by the Workshop?"


    The group of experts Yao Yuan directed his questions toward were the Hope¡¯s best experts in computer software and hardware engineering. Some of them were even parts of the teams that were responsible for the multitudes of apps that defined the 21st century. Others were instrumental in building top government agencies¡¯ supercomputers.


    Since they had previously checked the central mainframe, when Yao Yuan asked, the leading expert replied swiftly, "Captain, regarding your first question, as long as we¡¯re careful during the dismantling process, it should be fine. There is nothing important under the mainframe other than electrical circuits, so if we follow the ship¡¯s construction blueprint closely, we should be able to avoid harming the wiring."


    "About your second point though¡­" The expert massaged the back of his head and looked at his colleagues with distress in his eyes before finally adding, "In other words, you¡¯re asking if we could construct another central mainframe if irreparable damage was done to this one. Sadly, that is currently impossible. This mainframe here is the collective contribution of the best minds in computer science across the globe. It is not something we can replicate at the moment. Sorry to say, but if there¡¯s damage even to just some of its crucial parts, the Workshop will be unable to provide any replacements."


    Yao Yuan had expected this answer, but to have it confirmed was still a huge disappointment. Even if this current mainframe ended up unscathed through this project, the fact that the Hope still couldn¡¯t conduct any repairs on it would arise as a problem sooner or later.


    Yao Yuan believed firmly in the edict: hope for the best but prepare for the worst. And that was how Yao Yuan had been drafting his policies.


    (Looks like I have to send more people to the IT department after this¡­ Sigh, but from where?) The irony of the situation had Yao Yuan laughing bitterly to himself. He had, on one hand, a burgeoning crisis in population overload, and the other, a deficiency in skilled workers.


    In any case, he had to first focus on the issue in front of him, and that was to dismantle the base of the central mainframe and find out what this mysterious object was¡­


    With the aid of the construction blueprint that Yao Yuan pulled from the mainframe itself, the group of engineers spent eight hours carefully unlocking the interlayer beneath the mainframe. Contrary to what was pictured on the blueprint, they found underneath it¡­ a hidden cache, a space about seven or eight meters wide and similarly tall. Placed within this cache was¡­ a silver, metallic sphere.


    The sphere had a diameter of about three or four meters, and surprisingly, a few wirings from the central mainframe were connected to it. However, there were no noticeable points of interception; the wires seemed to be melted seamlessly into the sphere.


    This finding had everyone slack-jawed, and it was not only because the sphere had a weird appearance but also¡­ it floated freely in the air without assistance. And when they moved closer to look, they realized that it was slowly spinning as well.


    "What is this?" Wa Luo said what was in everyone¡¯s mind. Faced with this mysterious ball, he turned around to Yao Yuan, adding, "Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m needed here, because even if this is a bomb, I have no idea how to defuse it."


    "No¡­ you¡¯re right, this isn¡¯t a bomb¡­"


    Yao Yuan mumbled as he stared transfixedly at this metallic ball. But slowly, a wide smile broke on his face. In fact, when he first laid eyes on the strange sphere, he almost fainted from a rush of sudden euphoria. With a glint in his eyes, he started swaying uncontrollably, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of joy. If he was forced to find a comparison, he would say it was like a blue-collar worker stumbling across a 50,000,000 US dollar jackpot. He was that happy!


    He laid his hand on Guang Zhen¡¯s shoulder and leaned into him for support. Finally, when the light-headedness from joy had passed, Yao Yuan said, in an uncharacteristically giddy voice,


    "This¡­ this is a UFO. The one the US government found crashed in Tennessee, the source of power that was responsible for this ship¡¯s anti-gravitational systems and space-warping technology¡­


    ¡­The thing that started this crazy journey!"

 Chapter 101: A Conundrum

    Chapter 101: A Conundrum


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The discovery of the UFO was quickly treated by Yao Yuan to be the Hope¡¯s foremost secret, bypassing even the secret location of the ship¡¯s store of atomic weapons. Simultaneously, Yao Yuan tightened the security around the central mainframe, increasing the previous 50 unit patrol to a 200 unit patrol. He also added the robots Bo Li had returned to the security unit, with some directly assigned to secure the hidden cache.


    "Yes, I¡¯m certain that we¡¯re looking at a UFO. The fact that it is floating without aid confirms that it is the same UFO that the US government found, because man doesn¡¯t have the technology to create something this advanced!"


    Yao Yuan announced, in a firm voice that brooked no argument in a room where a secret meeting was held.


    The attendees of this secret meeting included members of the Black Star Unit, who were present during the discovery, engineers, computer scientists, explosives experts, and a group of scientists led by Bo Li.


    Currently, on a screen embedded into one of the room''s walls, a private documentary on the US government¡¯s initial discovery of the UFO was being played. The raw video files were taken from the central mainframe.


    "¡­As all of you know, this UFO escaped our analytical prodding. Its metallic casing¡­ Actually, I¡¯m suspicious of whether the casing is actually metallic, because our team until now is still unable to get an exact reading of its chemical make-up. But, as they say, seeing is believing... This UFO has a round casing that is silver in color, and that casing has the reflective quality and feel of a metal¡­ So what else could it be?" said a scientist, with the UFO hovering in the background.


    Suddenly, a few robed assistants appeared on the screen to set up several devices around the metallic ball.


    "Everyone, what you¡¯re seeing now on the screen is the UFO under 10 times magnification. You can see that it has no grooves and is incredibly smooth¡­


    "Now we¡¯re increasing the magnification to a 100 times, and the image looks the same¡­


    "And 1,000 times magnification¡­


    "¡­Now 2,000 times magnification¡­


    "Alright, you might think we are duping you by playing the same image over and over again, but I can assure you that they are all different. And we are as confused as you are. But what I can say for certain is that this thing is 100 percent well beyond our current scientific comprehension¡­


    "And with that in mind, we will continue to increase the magnification¡­ What you¡¯re seeing now is at a 2,000,000 times magnification, and it still looks the same as before¡­


    "Finally, I will present to you the image taken under our most powerful laser microscope. Its magnification power is at an unbelievable 300,000,000 times magnification because this microscope is normally used to observe items at the atomic level¡­


    "As you can see, there is no evidence of protons, neutrons, or electrons. It is just a smooth surface¡­ This is a material that we have not seen before¡­ It violates our most basic chemical and physical laws¡­"


    All of the scientists in the room watched the documentary with increasingly stunned expressions. Some of them were so taken by surprise that they didn¡¯t notice that they were drooling.


    "Dear viewers," the scientist in the video continued, after wiping the tears in his eyes. "I have nothing more to say. If you are still unclear about what we have discovered, please refer to the memo that I¡¯ve given out to you before this video. Everything we know about this thing is on there. And this ends the current sessions. Sorry, there will no Q&A after this because I¡¯m too exhausted preparing for this conference¡­"


    With that, the screen turned black. It was followed by a line of English, stating the year and date of recording. After that, another wall of text appeared, declaring the unfortunate death of the scientist three days after appearing on the video. With a will and no suspect, his death was ruled as a suicide.


    As the video drew to a close, the many attendees of the secret meeting, with the exception of the group of scientists, looked at one another with puzzled looks in their eyes. The many scientific terms and implications referred to in the video flew right over their heads. They also didn¡¯t understand the relevance and reasoning behind the scientist¡¯s suicide. Ebon asked the people around him why the scientist committed suicide. He intended for a whisper but his booming voice was heard by everyone.


    "¡­In a way, the scientist committed suicide out of despair. Just imagine, after you have been blinded, silenced, incapacitated, and left in a locked room to die, wouldn¡¯t you search for an early release as well?" sighed Yao Yuan.


    "But I don¡¯t see how the two are related," said Ebon. "I understand your premise. Indeed, in the case you described, it¡¯s understandable for there to be a desire to seek self-inflicted death, but doesn¡¯t the scientist in the video appear healthy?"


    "It¡¯s easy, that¡¯s because the world he lived in operated on the basis of science¡­ When this ultimate source of meaning crumbled, it was like the light of his world was cruelly shut down. Trapped in despair, he could see no other way out but death," explained Bo Li.


    Ebon shrugged and responded rather condescendingly. "I still don¡¯t get it."


    "That¡¯s fine. I just hope that our group of scientists on the Hope isn¡¯t as fragile as this scientist in the video," Yao Yuan said as he cast worried glances at the scientific community members that were in the room.


    The truth was that Yao Yuan had seen this video before on his own when they first secured the Hope. Like Ebon, he was initially unaffected by it until he got more familiar with the workings of the Academy. Then he realized the true impact the video could have on students of science.


    "Let us collect our feelings for the next documentary¡­"


    With the press of a button, another scientist appeared on the middle. This scientist was in his middle age and looked more collected and inspired than the previous scientist.


    Nevertheless, he had the same look of despair in his eyes as his predecessor when he talked into the camera, "I¡¯ve been fielding many question regarding the circumstances around the lead scientist that held this post before me, and there are many about the reasons for his suicide¡­ To be honest, I too had the same hopeless thoughts crowding my mind when I saw this UFO, but somehow I survived. In any case, I see that there are new faces among us, and so let me start by explaining what this UFO¡¯s smooth metallic outer casing represents.


    "First, I believe everyone here has basic knowledge about atoms, so I will only provide a cursory introduction. Everything, including metals, is made up of atoms, and each atom consists of subatomic particles, protons, neutrons, and electrons. Take for an example my wedding ring. It looks solid, but at the atomic level, there are many spaces between the atoms that make up this carbonate."


    Right then, a window appeared on screen beside the scientist displaying the structure of an atom. A proton sat in the middle while electrons and neutrons circled around it.


    "The picture you see on the screen is an enlarged image of an atom. As you can see, there is a lot of empty space around the proton that sits in the middle. From the perspective of atomic science, 99 percent of any given atom, and thus all objects, are empty spaces. There is energy between an element¡¯s atoms that helps to keep its atoms at a fixed distance. This energy between atoms both attracts and repels one another to maintain the specific chemical construct of an element. Therefore, protons from different atoms will not come into contact with one another if there is no application of external force. And this law is true for all known substances on Earth.


    "This UFO, on the other hand, is something else completely. If you can remember from the images shown previously, the surface of the UFO, even magnified at the subatomic level, is completely smooth. There is no evidence of any protons, electrons, or neutrons. The empty space normally occupied by mobile electrons is noticeably missing¡­"


    The scientist paused for a long time before finally adding, "So, even though the surface casing of this UFO looks and feels like a metal, it defies identification because it is nothing like anything we have on Earth. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to disappoint you if you came here with the intention of finding out what this thing is, because¡­ we, the scientific community, can¡¯t provide the answer. What I can say for certain is that the technology behind this UFO¡­ based on its surface casing alone¡­ is at least thousands of years, or even more, ahead of our current technology.


    "I¡¯ve heard people tried using lasers, explosion, quakes, and even atomic fission to crack this open, but they were all to no avail. In fact, they were unable to scratch its surface. However, if you still want my opinion from a scientific perspective on whether there is a way to open it, my answer to you is¡­


    "Unlikely!


    "You have to understand that this is an impossible metal with no spaces at its atomic level. It literally couldn¡¯t be broken apart. The only logical hypothesis we have regarding the nature of this metal is that it is one that is made up from a tight weaving of protons and nothing else. This is what we can call¡­ a protonic element!


    "Sadly, I have no idea how such a protonic element could come to be, or in fact, how this UFO could defy the laws of existence." The scientist sighed. "We humans are as backwards as primates, no, as unicellular organisms before this UFO¡¯s technology. But I have to inform everyone who is now present and all future viewers of this recording...


    "¡­To not waste energy or time forcing this UFO open. Unless the UFO is willing to open on its own, using our technology to force it open is akin to a child trying to put off the sun by shooting at it with a water gun¡­


    "It is an impossible conundrum!"

 Chapter 102: Artificial Intelligence

    Chapter 102: Artificial Intelligence


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The UFO shocked not only the batch of scientists when it was first discovered, it also had the same shocking effect on everyone present when it was rediscovered 10 years later.


    Yao Yuan was the one most unaffected by the videos, not because he wasn¡¯t astute enough to appreciate its importance, but because the shock had been dramatically decreased after multiple viewings of the two videos.


    Only Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were left in the room after everyone else left hugging a file of confidential information. The two men sat silently across from each other before Guang Zhen finally caught Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes and asked, "Couldn¡¯t we open it by overwhelming it with computer viruses like how the government first got it to open?"


    "No idea, but it is definitely worth trying." Yao Yuan sighed. "Actually, I harbor a personal speculation¡­ something about this UFO¡¯s computer system. Assuming that its information processing unit works like a conventional computer, I believe its computer system has some sort of artificial intelligence."


    "Isn¡¯t that a given?" Guang Zhen replied, with a quizzical look thrown at Yao Yuan. "It¡¯s impossible that something this technologically advanced doesn¡¯t come fitted with artificial intelligence."


    Yao Yuan though shook his head, "Of course you¡¯re right, but I¡¯m referring to an artificial intelligence that is more complicated than the ones we know, something that could qualify this UFO as an electronic organism."


    "What do you mean by that?" Guang Zhen asked, with confusion wrinkling his brows.


    "You¡¯ve seen the video on how Earth¡¯s governments got this UFO open, right? They bombarded it with a blast of computer viruses. While any one string of those viruses is fatal to the computers on Earth, aren¡¯t you suspicious about¡­ the fact that they would work on this ship¡¯s mainframe when the difference in technological level is so big?"


    Yao Yuan stood up, walked about, and added, "I¡¯ve seen the videos myself, but I haven¡¯t really given them much attention. After all, we didn¡¯t know this UFO was actually on the Hope¡­ Of course, I have always harbored a suspicion that it could be on the Hope, but I thought that there was no way the government officials would leave such a valuable thing behind on this spaceship.


    "My own suspicions aside, let¡¯s talk about my conclusion after watching this pair of videos¡­ Indeed, access to this UFO was granted after a continuous attack of computer viruses, but it only stayed open for about three hours, right?


    "Within that period of time, the government officials retrieved from within a set of alien remains ,and most importantly, they downloaded information from its mainframe, the technology to produce and operate crucial systems like the anti-gravitational and space-warping technologies.


    All that took coincidentally about three hours. After that, the door to the UFO closed, and no matter how much they kept hacking the ship after that, it would not open. This was all explained in the videos."


    Yao Yuan sat back and looked squarely at Guang Zhen before adding, "Based on that, I¡¯ve come up with a hypothesis¡­ After the alien, for some mysterious reasons, passed away, the ship stayed buried at Tennessee for perhaps millennia until it was discovered in the 20th century. However, the AI within was not receptive to our presence then because man¡¯s technology was too inferior at the time.


    "It was only in the 21st century, after our own advancement in computer science, that the AI awakened. It is my belief that while we thought the viruses were harming the ship, from the AI¡¯s perspective, we were playing with it. After all, this has been its first outside contact after many lonely decades. Perhaps as rewards, it opened the door to give us access to some technologies as gifts. It has remained closed after that because it''s already tired of the same old viruses and is waiting hopefully for something new."


    Disbelief was written across Guang Zhen¡¯s face when he replied, "Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n, isn¡¯t that a bit too¡­ science fiction-esque? We¡¯re talking about a piece of machinery, granted one with technology that is much better than ours¡­"


    "And that¡¯s the reason why!" Yao Yuan interjected. "Could prehistoric humans imagine what an airplane looks like? Could they have drawn the picture of a spaceship? We are the prehistoric humans when compared to this UFO¡­ and in fact, I fear we might be more regressive than that.


    "Other than that, I have seen a piece of evidence that has greatly increased my belief in this hypothesis."


    "What evidence?" shocked by this new revelation, Guang Zhen quickly asked.


    "Do you still remember the cables that are connected, no, melted into the UFO?" Yao Yuan asked. "Our current technology doesn¡¯t have the capability to do something like that. The wiring connected both the mainframe and the UFO seamlessly. In other words, the processing units for both the Hope¡¯s mainframe and the AI are inextricably connected!"


    Guang Zhen suddenly looked left then right before whispering to Yao Yuan, "But the UFO¡¯s alien owner is confirmed dead, right? Does this mean the AI is acting with its own consciousness? Then, doesn¡¯t that mean it has been spying on us all this while, or worse, it could possess control of this ship if it feels like it? In other words, the biggest threat of our survival at this moment is a sentient AI?!"


    Yao Yuan waved his hands, telling Guang Zhen to calm down, explaining, "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad. Since it has always been there, there have been plenty of occasions for it to harm and obstruct us if it wanted to, but the fact that it hasn¡¯t means that¡­ at least for now, it means us no harm."


    Suddenly, the world became silent for Yao Yuan as pieces of clues fell into place. He stood there dazed for about 10 seconds until he saw a worried Guang Zhen moving to give him a shake, to which he replied, "Ol¡¯ Wong, let¡¯s say the car that you¡¯re driving suddenly gains artificial intelligence, what would you do?"


    Caught by surprise, Guang Zhen stuttered, "That¡­ that would be great. I could leave all the driving to it. I only need to tell it where to take me."


    Snapping his fingers, Yao Yuan added, "And what if this car suddenly opens its doors when you are stopped by a group of gangsters?"


    Guang Zhen looked at Yao Yuan weirdly, answering, "What else? Of course I¡¯ll get out of the car to take care of them! What, do you expect me to call the police?"


    "¡­" Yao Yuan stared at Guang Zhen with a speechless expression before finally sighing. "Fine, let¡¯s put this in another way. If you¡¯re Zhang Heng, what would happen to you in that situation?"


    "I¡¯d probably die." Guang Zhen considered before adding, "And if my life is spared after I¡¯ve handed over all my valuables, I will probably write a strict letter of complaint to the car company. I will also stay away from using cars with AI in the future. Who knows, they will probably drive me off the cliff next time since there is evidence of them actively harming their passengers¡¯ lives¡­"


    "Exactly!"


    Yao Yuan snapped his fingers again, saying, "We¡¯ve missed an important detail!"


    "Oh? What detail?" Guang Zhen asked as he revised what the two of them had discussed.


    "That alien body!" Yao Yuan said firmly. "For a technology this advanced, I don¡¯t think they would set heavy restrictions on their AIs. Building on what you¡¯ve said, without direct orders from its owner, it will not simply open the door, because that will actively harm the safety of its owner. Even after its owner is dead, its main mission should shift to preserving the owner¡¯s body and not allow some outside influence to come in to claim its owner¡¯s body¡­


    "With that in mind, I have a revised hypothesis."


    Yao Yuan stood up once more, and as he wandered about, he elaborated, "Ol¡¯ Wong, as you know, I¡¯m an all-rounder, this means that I have some of the power of a Thinker. Just now, a logical inference was formed in my mind, and I find it to be incredibly interesting¡­ We might have on our hands a newborn AI!


    "Listen. Perhaps this ship originally had a powerful AI, but the bigger possibility is that it has a dynamic computer program that is able to learn and grow. But even so, it is still a written program, a type of lifeless machinery¡­


    "However, as time passed, and we have no idea how long this UFO has been hibernating on Earth, this AI has slowly learned and evolved. Eventually, it came into sentience and gained an awareness of self. And with the exception of a physical body, it has no difference from you and me.


    "When man came across this UFO and siphoned the viruses into it, they were weak enough for this newborn AI to treat them as toys. And in the midst of this playing, it picked up upon our mannerisms and culture. Finally, as rewards for giving it such fun toys, it allowed us access to its technologies. And it has been passively waiting for the next interaction after that¡­"


    Here, Yao Yuan took a meaningful pause, and a surprised expression crossed his face. He finally added, "Maybe this AI is still a baby. Since it¡¯s new to the world, it has a curious disposition to experience everything. However, restricted by the unfamiliarity of its surroundings, it is fearful of stepping out of its comfort zone. Ever since it found itself on the Hope, it only dared to fuse itself to the central mainframe and, from the safety of the hidden cache, observe us from afar¡­


    "That is my final hypothesis!


    "This is a newborn, sentient artificial intelligence!"

 Chapter 103: Countdown for 10 Days

    Chapter 103: Countdown for 10 Days


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    After the discovery of the UFO was treated as the Hope¡¯s top secret, everyone who knew of it was warned to not leak the information. This combined with the added security around the central mainframe helped Yao Yuan feel at least relaxed about its safety.


    Nevertheless, he retained a certain insouciance regarding the UFO¡¯s discovery, since even if someone on the Hope bore it evil intentions, there was nothing they could do to harm it. The UFO was indestructible.


    As mentioned before, the key difference was technology. With a chasm in technology as big as theirs, Yao Yuan suspected that even if they could somehow get the UFO to open, the technology within would be out of man¡¯s comprehension. Imagine the prehistoric man being granted the technology of brick-laying. Would that help them construct a better shelter? Theoretically, yes, but practically, no. They wouldn¡¯t know how to decipher this technology, and the same could be said of man on the Hope and this UFO.


    Because of this reason, the spaceship junkyard they were closing upon became that much more important. Yao Yuan believed that with a thorough study of the junkyard¡¯s technology, man¡¯s technological level could increase tremendously within a few years. And that gave him a spark of hope.


    Due to its increasing importance, the Hope¡¯s surveillance on this junkyard had been ordered to not cease. Now that they were only 10 days away from the destination, the Hope¡¯s 24-hour surveillance managed to pick up more things than they were able to before.


    First, it was obvious that the technology behind the UFO was levels ahead of the technology that resided in the spaceship junkyard. This was evidenced from the fact that the Hope could still make educated guesses on the junkyard¡¯s situation, like providing a reconstructive model of the original battleship, but they couldn¡¯t make heads or tails about the UFO.


    And how far ahead was the UFO¡¯s technology? The answer was¡­ unknown. A complete unknown. Not only was its material unknown, the technology it contained was an unknown as well. An unknown that stretched across several tens of thousands of years in technological difference!


    Therefore, even though the UFO could be said to be the Hope¡¯s trump card, it was a card man currently couldn¡¯t show. Yao Yuan believed that he might not even live long enough to see the mysteries of the UFO revealed, so he perceived it as his biggest present for the Hope¡¯s future generations.


    The thing that could really help the Hope¡¯s situation then was the spaceship junkyard that was teasingly within grasp. It was the source of a better technology that man could get their hands on!


    When the Hope was 10 days away from the junkyard, the news quickly spread among its citizens¡­ and this was all thanks to the Hope Weekly that printed a big, red numeral "10" on its cover page, initiating the official countdown!


    The three men who were responsible for that decision could be found in an internet caf¨¦ playing Star Craft 3.


    The caf¨¦ was situated on the Hope¡¯s 3rd level Barracks and was drastically different from the establishments that they usually visited. With the sole exception of Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan, the rest of the caf¨¦¡¯s patrons were either quietly doing research or reading web-novels. No one was playing games, and the trio was the caf¨¦¡¯s only source of commotion.


    That was why they had opted for a private room. The space only had three computers, and the price was at least a 100 times more expensive, but it was still better than being given the evil eyes every other minute.


    "Hey, not fair! The two of you are working together to attack me! Stop using Zerg to speed rush me! This is so unfair!" groused Xiao Niao, with more than a hint of taunting and teasing in his voice.


    Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan snuck a look at one another before laughing slyly as Qiu Qiu retorted, "What! We¡¯re called Zerg for a reason, and it¡¯s your fault for randomizing the Protoss race. We¡¯re not dumb enough for you to reach late game. So surrender quietly and leave the battling to the pros."


    Xiao Niao surrendered in a fit of complaints and then created a new server to start another round. After Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan were added to the server, a window popped up saying that another ID by the name of ZERO had joined their server. The trio was taken aback and instinctively looked at each other.


    "Well, looks like we have a new challenger. We finally found another gamer," said Dan Dan, who was the first to recover. He reached over to a pack of biscuits that sat on the table and started laughing.


    Xiao Niao and Qiu Qiu, though, were still in shock. Qiu Qiu even went so far as to twist his body around to peer outside of their private room, saying, "Wait, this person is playing outside? Isn¡¯t he afraid of being assaulted by a mob?"


    Xiao Niao, however, breezed through the concerns, adding, "Who cares? Isn¡¯t this the best set up? Team death match, 2 versus 2, so now no one can complain. In case you two say I bully you, I¡¯ll volunteer to be in a team with this ZERO. And¡­ game start!"


    Amidst Xiao Niao¡¯s carefree laughs, another round of Star Craft started. After the loading screen, Xiao Niao realized that he had randomized Terran and Zero got Zerg.


    "Not bad at all. One to zerg and another to provide mid-game support. This should be fun," Xiao Niao told himself, not caring that his friends could hear his haughty laughs.


    And¡­ Xiao Niao lost again. If not for the law that prohibited destruction of public property, Xiao Niao would have slammed the keyboard¡­ He was angry, but not to the extent that he would toy with the idea of two to five years behind bars.


    "Damn, this ZERO is such a noob! What Zerg player focuses on rushing tech tree and completely disregards the team comp!? The freaking enemies consist of a Protoss and a Terran! Yes, they aren¡¯t going to rush, but what tactic consists of not building any close ranged units?! And what¡¯s the point of building so many infestors?! Is your late-game going to be stronger than the Protoss¡¯ and Terran¡¯s?! What a noob!"


    Xiao Niao was almost growling at that point. Even after tagging ZERO as a noob, he was still fuming. He typed in team chat to confront ZERO, lecturing him on the right way to zerg.


    To his surprise, ZERO replied almost instantly.


    "¡­Star Craft 3 is not meant to be played like that," came ZERO¡¯s reply.


    "Then tell me, if the game is not about tactics using the three races¡¯ weaknesses and strengths, what the hell is it about? As Zerg, you either go for early rush, mid-game zerg, or late-game macro. Tell me I¡¯m wrong," Xiao Niao typed in return.


    "¡­The early stages of space wars should be focused on survival, pooling all your resources to create an environment to ensure that your civilization can have long-term survival. After that, your focus should shift to expansion. There are two halves to expansion, with the first half focusing on the expansion of human resources, supplies, and mapping. With that completed, the second half of the expansion should focus on technological expansion¡­


    "As this wormlike Zerg organism, you could steal other civilizations¡¯ collected technology through mind-controlling infestation. This is impossible in real life, but if this is possible, the expansion stage should be switched. You will need to focus on stealing others¡¯ technology first and foremost, while base and supply expansion can be put on hold as long as your base is not under serious threat," ZERO replied.


    Reading these replies, Xiao Niao swore he could feel an aneurysm coming. Smacking his keyboard, he fired back, "Please, bro, this is Star Craft 3, not Civilization 7! The main aim is to demolish your enemy. Why are you making it so complicated?!"


    "¡­Bro? Have I said I¡¯m a male?" ZERO replied.


    "¡­What?! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re a she? I have never seen a female play Star Craft 3 before!" Xiao Niao was close to pulling his hair out. He was certain that this ZERO was nothing more than a troll now.


    "¡­Female? Male?"


    ZERO disconnected from their server after typing this last reply, leaving behind a speechless and raging Xiao Niao. His friends were trying their hardest to not burst out laughing as they witnessed their friend being mercilessly trolled by this noob.


    "Damn! You noob, who leaves without saying gg!? Now I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a she, because only a woman could do something like that!" Xiao Niao typed furiously, not caring that there was no longer anyone on the receiving end. Then, he turned to look at Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan.


    "You two can stop laughing now!" Xiao Niao added, with a cruel glint in his eyes as he created a new server. "Come, I¡¯m going to go for my strongest pick next! Get ready to be zerged! I¡¯ll make you two noobs bow down to my gaming superiority!"


    "You¡¯re on!" Qiu Qiu said as he slapped Dan Dan on his shoulder, adding, "I¡¯ll pick Terran and go for a bunker rush. Dan, you pick Protoss and have your workers build proxy base next to mine. I¡¯ll defend and you focus on your tech tree; we¡¯ll definitely crush him!"


    "Great!" Dan Dan cheered as he chewed down on another piece of biscuit.


    The trio then spent the rest of the day lost in the joy of playing Star Craft 3. Of course, by the end of it, all three of them had forgotten about this mysterious ZERO. The only exception was Xiao Niao, who was left with a bitter taste in his mouth from being trolled by a noob.

 Chapter 104: Dream Team

    Chapter 104: Dream Team


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    With the passage of time, the Hope floated closer and closer to the junkyard, and finally there were only nine days left to their journey. It was on this day too that Yao Yuan revealed the 12 members of the scouting party.


    First, the team was led by Yao Yuan even though many objected to it, including his Black Star teammates and Guang Zhen. They wished he wouldn¡¯t risk his life so willfully, especially when the Hope still needed his leadership. Nevertheless, their advice fell on deaf ears, his retort being that even if he perished, the Hope still had Guang Zhen, the acting captain, to lean back on.


    Furthermore, he was the most powerful among the 12, both in terms of Homo Evolutis capability and military skills. As the all-rounder, he was the obvious selection for the leader position. With him leading, the success rate of the exploratory missions would greatly increase.


    The rest of the team members were Zhang Heng, Ying, Liu Bai, Lee, Ebon, Fei Biao (Black Star Member, Perceptor), Xie Xiao Yan (Black Star Member, Perceptor), Peng Huai Shi (Black Star Member, Perceptor), Wa Luo, Ren Tao, and Chou Yue.


    In other words, with the exception of Guang Zhen, all the Black Star members were participating in this mission. Both Ren Tao and Chou Yue were also requested to join as respectively the Thinker and the Diviner.


    "¡­Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n, isn¡¯t this too much of a risk?" Guang Zhen asked, with concern wrinkling his brow as he looked through the member list.


    Guang Zhen¡¯s concern was shared by many on the Hope, including the many committee leaders and even the newly appointed second lieutenants.


    One of the problems was that even though Yao Yuan was clear that Guang Zhen would be his successor, that decision was not one that was unanimously accepted by the citizens of the Hope.


    For one, after his heroic deeds on both the meteorite base and Planet Sahara, Yao Yuan¡¯s position as the Hope¡¯s de-facto leader became firmly unchallenged. For another, even though he held absolute military power, his policies had proven time and again to be humanistic and inclusive. Finally, he wasn¡¯t ethnocentric, for he showed appreciation for other cultures and encouraged inter-cultural assimilation.


    Compared to Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen was a traditional military man. There was a clear hierarchy in his mind when it came to policy-making. He was prone to having a condescending attitude towards people that he considered being a station lower than him, and with the exception of his Black Star mates, those people was everyone else on the Hope. Many westerners and some Asians were put off by this to the extent of being apprehensive of his leadership.


    While Yao Yuan was still around, they were mostly fine with Guang Zhen being the second in command, because they knew that most policies still came from Yao Yuan.


    However, after Guang Zhen officially took over as the captain of the Hope, things would be a lot more different¡­ Because of that, after the member list for the exploratory party was revealed, many came forth with objections. They were adamant that Yao Yuan not participate in this mission, and they were also concerned about whether it was wise putting all their eggs in one bucket with all 12 members of the party being Homo Evolutis.


    "I understand your worry."


    Yao Yuan sat in central command, going over the member list once more. "Ol¡¯ Wong, you¡¯re worried that the list is too weighted, right? First, with me dead, the Hope might face political upheaval, and second, if the team was to perish, half of the Hope¡¯s known Homo Evolutis will disappear alongside it as well. Those are your concerns, right?"


    Guang Zhen hesitated before finally nodding and sighing. Sitting down across Yao Yuan, he added, "Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n, you know as well as I do that I¡¯m not politician material. For the sake of the Hope, I behoove you to reconsider the candidate for your successor."


    "What is there to reconsider?" Yao Yuan lifted his head to catch Guang Zhen¡¯s eyes. Laughing, he stood up and walked over to Guang Zhen. Patting him on his shoulder, he added, "Guang Zhen, regardless of your political leaning, there are two things about you that make you the best successor candidate. Your kindness and your reliability, those are the qualities that the rest of the Hope has yet to see.


    "Your reliability ensures that you will not instantly roll back current policies. Even though you might have opposite opinions on some of them, for the sake of stability, I believe you will make sure that they remain effective. Secondly, your kindness ensures that you will not draft draconian policies. These two qualities alone make you a more than qualified leader. Plus, stepping into this post will change you. You¡¯ll learn from experience and I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll only get better at it."


    Yao Yuan smiled, "That¡¯s why you are the best candidate. The all Homo Evolutis line-up though, I¡¯ll admit, is rather risky."


    "However, isn¡¯t the fact that we¡¯re in space itself a big risk? Every step we have taken even before leaving Earth was risky. Every day we¡¯re taking some sort of risks. We can¡¯t let that hold us back. For the sake of a successful mission, this risk is one that I am willing to take," Yao Yuan confessed.


    "Furthermore¡­ We really do need this success."


    Yao Yuan circled back to his chair and sat down, sighing. "There has been a series of roadblocks since our adventures on Planet Sahara, then the nebula, and finally the meteorite base. It is obvious that such a long period of distress has introduced frustration and fear in the citizens of this ship. Within these two months, I¡¯ve received reports that people are forming new religious groups. The tenets for these groups are very basic, but their aim is to find reasoning behind the series of misadventures. The majority of them says that these are trials given by God to test us sinners.


    "I¡¯ll be frank. I¡¯m very afraid¡­ Religion is the manifestation of man¡¯s irrationality. If correctly guided, it can provide wonderful spiritual relief, but if wrongly used, it could cultivate cult mentality. When things escalate to an unruly stage, I will have no choice but to execute all followers of this cult. I do not see that sitting well with the rest of the Hope, but it is definitely something that has to be done. Therefore, to prevent that from happening, we have to stem these doomsday cults at their buds.


    "To that effect, this 12 Homo Evolutis party is necessary."


    Yao Yuan looked at Guang Zhen seriously and said, "There can be no margin for error. We must give this mission our best shot. Only with the success of this mission will people stop turning to these cults, and without public support, they will eventually die out.


    "Ol¡¯ Wong, I¡¯ve made up my mind, so you can stop trying to persuade me now. If you really want to help, help me maintain the peace on the Hope after I¡¯ve departed for the mission."


    Yao Yuan repeated the same speech to others that approached him with opposition. After several days of repetition, Yao Yuan finally convinced the ship that he was not going to back down from leading the party. Realizing his determination, the Hope shifted their effort to prepare for the worst.


    "When the Hope is 1,000 kilometers away from the junkyard, we will stop to release a fleet of upgraded, pilotless mining airships. We will control the airships to get close to the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter to see whether they¡¯ll trigger any traps."


    In the Barracks¡¯ war room, Yao Yuan elaborated as he pointed at the blackboard behind him using a cane.


    "If no danger is triggered, the upgraded shuttle will be used for us to get closer to the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter. This part of the operation will take about three days.


    "After the shuttle reaches the outer perimeter, we will once again control the airships to move closer to the area with giant, floating debris. With deliberate care, the airships will be used to gingerly bump against the debris to ensure that their weapon systems have been completely shut down. If this step is also successful, we will move on to the next course of action, which is the one that is most vital."


    Yao Yuan turned back from the board and looked at the ten something people gathered before him. "With me leading, the exploration party will enter this area to search for valuables to bring back to the Hope. Naturally, this mission will harbor all sorts of dangers, so while I¡¯m gone, Guang Zhen will assume my position as captain of the Hope until my return.


    "This concludes the briefing for the junkyard scouting operation. The members of this mission are myself, Zhang Heng, Ying, Liu Bai, Lee, Ebon, Fei Biao (Black Star Member, Perceptor), Xie Xiao Yan (Black Star Member, Perceptor), Peng Huai Shi (Black Star Member, Perceptor), Wa Luo, Ren Tao, and Chou Yue.


    "Both Ren Tao and Chou Yue will be joining this mission as new military recruits in the ranks of Sergeant and as the Black Star Unit¡¯s reserve members¡­


    "There are still four days until we reach our destination, so use the remaining time to train and rest adequately.


    "Dismissed."


    With that, Yao Yuan walked out of the war room.

 Chapter 105: Prep-Work

    Chapter 105: Prep-Work


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Since Ren Tao and Chou Yue were siblings, they were given a shared residence. Due to limited housing on the Hope, this situation was unlikely to change at least until both of them were married.


    Nevertheless, since both were in their teenage years, there were bound to be inconveniences sharing one bathroom and bedroom, especially since they were siblings of opposite sex.


    Take showering for an example. Putting on clothes right after taking one was cumbersome because it trapped the moisture from the vapor within the clothing. It would be more comfortable if they could walk about naked or only wearing their bare necessities, but alas they weren¡¯t living alone or in a romantic relationship. On this issue, Ren Tao had it easier because at least he could walk about bare-chested since he was a guy, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Chou Yue. One couldn¡¯t expect a girl of her age to be able to go about her everyday activities in only her lingerie in front of her brother.


    Still, she was thankful that as inconvenient as it may be, she was sharing a living space with her adopted brother, the thought of having Ren Tao be some random stranger that she had to share lodging with brought upon some serious headaches.


    At the end of the day, the inconveniences aside, Chou Yue was glad for such an arrangement. The mundane frictions from living in close proximity had brought much joy to Chou Yue even though she wouldn¡¯t admit it out loud. Sibling bickering provided her a semblance of normality in a life that otherwise sounded like sci-fi.


    Both Ren Tao and Chou Yue returned home straight after the mission operation briefing in the war room. After all, they were already exhausted from attending a whole day of training prior to the briefing. Furthermore, it was not like they had anywhere else to go to¡­ With the exception of the biomes, which needed special clearance to enter, every corner on the Hope looked just about the same. If they wanted to stare at metallic walls, they might as well do it in the comfort of their own home.


    "Good god! Finally it¡¯s over! Who knew military training could be so draining!?"


    Chou Yue exclaimed as she jumped onto a sofa bed the moment they stepped into the door. After rolling about in it for quite some time, she yawned satisfactorily.


    Ren Tao sat opposite her on a solitary sofa and groused, "Chou Yue, you¡¯re messing up my bed. Go sleep in your own bed."


    Chou Yue turned to lie on her back and glanced haughtily at Ren Tao. "You dummy, it¡¯s only 5 PM. What am I to do if I wake up at dawn tomorrow? Stare at the walls?"


    "Be my guest. Anyway, since we have three days of downtime starting tomorrow, you can sleep until noon if you want¡­ I¡¯m going to shower, so can you please prepare dinner in the mean time? I¡¯m hungry." Ren Tao shrugged as he stood up.


    Chou Yue might seem like the bossy one in their relationship, but she was also the one who was responsible for housework like cleaning and cooking. If their schedule allowed it, Chou Yue would prepare meals herself because she knew Ren Tao preferred not to eat out.


    There was another reason why Chou Yue appreciated their living arrangement, and this could be seen from the fact that she started blushing after Ren Tao left to use the shower. Enveloped in the bed that still lingered with her adopted brother¡¯s body aroma, she blushed even harder.


    (That dummy. We¡¯ve been living under the same roof for almost six months now. How much longer is he going to wait?! He really is going to treat me like his actual sister if this continues. I can¡¯t allow that to happen. If he¡¯s not going to act, I suppose I¡¯ll have to. Okay, I¡¯m going to make him confess his feelings to me within the next three days!) When Ren Tao came out of the shower, he was immediately attracted to a sweet and sour fragrant in their room. Rushing to the kitchen, he saw Chou Yue making roux for a pan of sweet and sour sauce, while on the table sat a plate of fried pork ribs. He squealed excitedly, "We¡¯re having sweet and sour pork today?! Yes! But why did you suddenly decide to make my favorite?"


    Chou Yue smiled coquettishly. "Well, it¡¯s not common that we have off days. Plus, you have been going at it hard for the past few days. I figured a little reward is in order. Speaking of which, could you help me set up the table in the living room, dinner is almost ready."


    During dinner, Ren Tao immediately went for a piece of his favorite dish after a mouthful of rice. In between mouthfuls, he praised Chou Yue¡¯s cooking effusively.


    "Is that true? Then please take some more." Chou Yue smiled brightly in reply. Happiness blossomed in her heart as she sat watching Ren Tao wolf down her cooking.


    After Ren Tao polished off half their dinner, Chou Yue asked sheepishly, "Ren Tao¡­ We¡¯ve spent the past few days training. It has been incredibly boring, so why don¡¯t we go to the biomes for a change of scenery?"


    "The biomes? Tomorrow?" Ren Tao asked, surprised by the invitation.


    "Sure." Chou Yue giggled. "I¡¯ve heard people say they have farms and petting zoos up there. We¡¯ve not seen living animals and plants for such a long time. Let¡¯s take a break and go there tomorrow."


    "Can¡¯t."


    Ren Tao rejected the offer outright. Taking another piece of the meat, he elaborated, "I have to go see Bo Li tomorrow. This has been set this up since last week, so I¡¯ll probably have to spend the next three days with her. Plus, since you¡¯re a sergeant now, I¡¯m sure you can get into the biomes without my help, so why don¡¯t you go there on your own?"


    "Bo Li!?" Chou Yue said the woman¡¯s name with gritted teeth. With an increasingly chilling voice, she added, "The hot scientist girl? 17 to 18 of age, small in build, cute face, the one people call stone-cold fox?"


    "Stone-cold fox?" Ren Tao repeated, chewing over the unfamiliar term. He then shook his head. "That I haven¡¯t noticed. I suppose she is of a slight build, indeed she is smaller than you. Huh, I guess she¡¯s even smaller than me."


    "I don¡¯t need the details!" Chou Yue reared up in anger, swiped the rest of the dinner, and retreated back to her bedroom.


    "Wait, where are you taking the food? I¡¯m still hungry," Ren Tao called after her.


    "Then go eat s**t! I¡¯m taking back what¡¯s mine¡­ If you want some more, ask Bo Li to cook for you!" Chou Yue replied harshly before slamming the door in his face.


    Ren Tao sat looking at what remained of his dinner with a stunned expression. He finished what was left on his plate and said quietly, "What did I say to anger her this time? I mean, she is taller than me and Bo Li; I thought she would be happy by that compliment. She didn¡¯t even give me the time to explain that it¡¯s because of the upcoming mission that I¡¯m meeting with Bo Li."


    Regardless, Ren Tao knew that he had pissed Chou Yue off, but he had no idea why¡­ So, the day after that, he wandered over to Bo Li¡¯s lab to discuss the equipment they needed to prepare for the mission.


    He stayed until almost noon. At the entrance to Bo Li¡¯s lab, he crossed paths with Yao Yuan, to whom he merely nodded as acknowledgement. Passing Ren Tao, Yao Yuan arrived at Bo Li¡¯s lab to find her submerged in a pool of sketches and blueprints.


    "Ren Tao wanted you to design some stuff for him?" Yao Yuan asked without preamble as he collected a stack of blueprints to study.


    Bo Li narrowed her eyes at Yao Yuan, annoyed at his brazenness before finally replying, "You¡¯re right. He wanted me to design two things: a sturdy rappel belt and a frequency-stable communicator."


    "Looks like we have the same idea." Yao Yuan nodded. "I suspected him to be here because I saw his sister outside in T-shirt and jeans as well as a baseball cap. I almost didn¡¯t recognize her. But back to business; I need you to finish designing and creating these two devices as soon as possible. We need at least 12 sets of them. Feel free to solicit help from other committees if that¡¯s necessary."


    Bo Li nodded absently. She then walked past Yao Yuan to a metallic safe. After keying in the password, she retrieved a box and placed it before Yao Yuan.


    "This is the thing that I promised you," Bo Li said nonchalantly.


    Yao Yuan flicked open the box and nestled within was a weird-looking gun. Its barrel was way too long; it gave the impression that it came equipped a built-in silencer.


    Bo Li continued, in a measured voice, "This is a lightweight gun that can pierce through heavy armor. Gaussian pistol prototype 1¡­"

 Chapter 106: Aerospace Combat Suit Prototype 1

    Chapter 106: Aerospace Combat Suit Prototype 1


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The Gaussian gun felt hefty in Yao Yuan¡¯s hand.


    Although, to be fair, what he held in his hand wasn¡¯t actual Gaussian weaponry. Those were still impossible for man at the time to make. What he had was a simplified prototype.


    Actual Gaussian weaponry, or electromagnetic weaponry, destroys its target at the atomic level. Its projectiles create an electromagnetic vortex that disrupts atomic stability through the formation of bipolar magnetic fields.


    The Gaussian prototypes created by Bo Li¡¯s lab were weak imitations. Using magnetic coils in the configuration of a linear motor, they formed accelerators that could shoot out projectiles at high velocity. The accumulative magnetic pulse formed by the succession of coils and small projectile mass added up to a high velocity bullet. Theoretically speaking, with the increase in voltage and decrease in projectile mass, the bullet could even reach light-speed!


    And the faster the projectile traveled, the greater the damage it could inflict. According to experiments done by Bo Li¡¯s lab, the prototypes they had had a range of several tens of thousands meters. In other words, if its gunner had a good aim, he or she could incapacitate Earth¡¯s hardest tank from tens of thousands meters away with just one shot.


    Needless to say, before it, even man¡¯s sturdiest armor vest was as flimsy as paper.


    To conclude, even though the Gaussian weaponry created in Bo Li¡¯s lab wasn¡¯t at its optimum form, it could already deal immense damage to its target. That was the reason it was touted as the invention that would usher in the 4th industrial revolution!


    Before they venture into the junkyard, Yao Yuan took time to predict all possible dangers that they could encounter. The biggest possibility was the threat of automated defense robots, not unlike the ones found on the Hope.


    The reason for this assumption was the glowing bigger pieces floating among the sea of spaceship scraps. The fact that they still gave out a weak glow meant that they still contained energy, and it was not unlikely that this energy was strong enough to activate automated defenses. Based on the spaceship¡¯s technological level, those defenses would either be a robot fleet or immobile turrets. Either way, it was going to be a challenge for the 12 unit party¡­ Yao Yuan feared the gap in the technologies might be too big for them to overcome.


    Take for an example the best weaponry during the first industrial revolution, the flintlock. It was the best gun one could find at the time, but if faced with a gunner wielding even the worst rifle of the third industrial revolution, it would be nothing more than a piece of junk. That was the fear Yao Yuan had.


    The presence of Bo Li¡¯s Gaussian gun was thus a calming salvo. Yao Yuan knew fights weren¡¯t won by confidence and bravery alone. They needed actual firearms to back that up.


    "This firearm uses the most durable metal among all the special metals created by the alien plant. Therefore, you don¡¯t need to worry about it clogging or exploding. The one aspect you need to worry about though is its energy preservation system¡­


    "I¡¯ve used the superconductive metal to make the magnetic coils, but I still can¡¯t find a good energy source. Several groups are working on a new battery design using the same superconductive metal, but there are still several technical issues we need to iron out. Give us another six months and I promise we can present to you the prototype 2," Bo Li concluded.


    But Yao Yuan knew they didn¡¯t have another six months to wait. They were inching closer to their destination by the day; therefore, he holstered the Gaussian gun and left.


    "¡­Bo Li, thank you¡­ for your recommendation of that rice cakes stall. They were indeed delicious," Yao Yuan said as he stepped out of the room.


    "Of course, you dummy¡­ they are my recommendations after all¡­" Bo Li uttered after a while, surprised by the random comment.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s next destination was supposed to be another science lab, but he believed the place would be deserted because it was lunch time, so he took a detour to the canteen.


    Yao Yuan finished his lunch hurriedly and arrived at the other lab at around 1 PM. This was the bionic new material lab hosted by Ivan.


    Yao Yuan feared he was too early because he hadn''t spotted anyone on his way there. Therefore, it was to his surprise that he found Ivan busy arranging a huge stack of files on his table when he stepped into the lab.


    "Captain, I didn¡¯t expect you to be here so soon. Sorry for the mess," said a flustered Ivan as he stood up to offer Yao Yuan a cup from the nearby dispenser.


    Yao Yuan smiled kindly in return. He held a secret admiration for Ivan, the Hope¡¯s other whisperer, because not only did his brilliance save everyone on Planet Sahara, it was thanks to his chemical potion that the Hope would have access to the incredibly useful crystal reactors. This was not even mentioning the passion that he had shown when he used his life to protect the potion formula during the lab explosion. The fact that Ivan was still working while everyone else was out for a break further increased the admiration Yao Yuan had for this young man. Yao Yuan found his dedication commendable.


    Yao Yuan accepted the water cup politely and smiled. "You don¡¯t need to be so courteous, Dr. Ivan. It¡¯s me who should be sorry for disturbing you. I heard from the patrols that you have been working late for the past month."


    Ivan smiled bashfully. "My working hours are normally that long, so the added hours are nothing¡­ Plus, Captain, you don¡¯t need to worry about that affecting my performance. As the whisperer, many times I will subconsciously enter a working state even without the need to memorize important details. The power has wired my brain that way. Nevertheless, it is also thanks to this power that we¡¯re been able to finish creating these 12 new spacesuits within this past month."


    Ivan then walked to a door that sat at the end of his lab. He opened it to reveal 12 silver spacesuits. Based on touch alone, they appeared to be thinner than the spacesuits they currently had.


    "By mimicking the cellular arrangement of the alien plant, we are able to create this new spacesuit using the latest ceramic-embedding and nano-sewing technologies. This type of spacesuit is at least half the weight of our current one. Matter of fact, why don¡¯t you give one a try, Captain?" Ivan retrieved a spacesuit from the closet and handed it gingerly to Yao Yuan.


    Because Yao Yuan had a part in the design of these spacesuits, he knew of their importance and worth. It had taken about six different scientific committees to produce these 12 spacesuits. The time, effort, and not to mention materials that were poured into just one of these spacesuits could buy a Boeing 747.


    The moment the spacesuit fell into Yao Yuan¡¯s hands, he could instantly feel the difference in weight. Their current spacesuits, even though they were already one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century, weighed at about 40 kilograms each with the added accoutrements like liquid oxygen tank, communicator, and homeostatic systems.


    This new spacesuit, even with all these built-in accessories, weighed at about 20 kilograms, and that difference could do wonders for its wearer¡¯s dexterity and agility!


    Spotting Yao Yuan¡¯s surprised face, Ivan smiled proudly. "I¡¯m glad you noticed the change in weight, Captain. Previously, that was our biggest hindrance when we traversed planets or asteroids with gravity, because strong gravitational force would weigh us down. However, with this new spacesuit, that worry is effectively cut in half. And this is done without taking out any of the important life support systems. Furthermore, an elastic material is used to pad the suit at its joints, so its flexibility is also much better than the ones we currently have."


    Yao Yuan studied the spacesuit like it was some newfound treasure, which, in a way, it was, before finally asking, "How about its defensive capability?"


    Ivan answered with pride suffusing his voice. "For that, we¡¯ve borrowed much inspiration from the alien plant¡¯s cellular structure. We realized that their hexagonal cells are arranged like a beehive, and the distance between each one was highly calculated to provide the best durability. We used ceramic threads to create a similar pattern, and our lab experiment revealed that this pattern is so durable because it is able to effectively disperse the force at the point of impact. With the exception of a sniper rifle, whose penetration is too strong, other known bullets and projectiles are unable to harm the wearer of this spacesuit. Even the sniper rifle only managed to pierce half of the material."


    "That is indeed great news! Thank you so much for your efforts."


    Yao Yuan almost jumped up in joy. Caressing the spacesuit with a dazed look in his eyes, he added, "Like all new discoveries, let¡¯s give it a name. How about aerospace combat suit prototype 1?!"

 Chapter 107: Arrival!

    Chapter 107: Arrival!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The final three days passed in the blink of an eye. Before anyone knew, the Hope had arrived at its destination, a spot about 1,000 kilometers away from the junkyard''s outermost perimeter. The time was 4 AM.


    Four hours later, the 12-member exploratory unit, Guang Zhen, a group of scientists, soldiers, and technicians could be found gathered in the Hope¡¯s command central. They were there to compare their notes and work on a plan. There, they also had access to footage from the Hope¡¯s surveillance room.


    "10 mining airships will be deployed in 10 seconds."


    With the completion of a countdown, 10 pilotless airships gently flew towards the junkyard.


    The group of airships had everyone¡¯s attention. Through the security cameras that were attached to each of the airships, there were 10 screens in the room displaying each of the airships'' point of view.


    "They will reach the designated location in 20 minutes," Yao Yuan announced.


    The airships moved sluggishly because their initial purpose was for close-ranged mining and gathering. Their singular purpose translated to a simplistic design, which simultaneously meant that they were disposable.


    Their disposability made them the perfect candidates for this mission, as they were extremely replaceable. In comparison, the construction of an upgraded shuttle would take months and a boatload of supplies to complete. No sane person would use such a valuable commodity for this risky gamble.


    As the 20 minutes drew to a close, everyone in the room held their breaths as they witnessed the airships moving dangerously close to the junkyard. Everyone had their eyes glued to the screens to see whether the airships would¡­ pass safely or be destroyed.


    The result was positive.


    All 10 airships entered the junkyard safety. They continued deeper into the junkyard as they bounced smaller scraps out of the way.


    "Nice!"


    Everyone broke out in cheer. Feelings of hope, worry, fear, and everything in between had everyone by the noose moments before the airships entered the junkyard. Now, relief was openly written on everyone¡¯s cheerful countenance.


    "Great, now we just need to order the airships to return¡­"


    As the sentence was uttered, the screens that provided security feed via the airships went offline one by one¡­ Within two seconds, all 10 screens were off!


    Yao Yuan reacted instantly, yelling at the technicians that controlled the airships, "Switch to long-distanced camera. Rewind to the time when the feed went offline, we need to see what happened to the airships!"


    Soon after, the footage that was taken from the Hope¡¯s long distance camera appeared on the main monitor. There was no sign of the airships being attacked at the time their feed went offline. Even after the footage of the long-distanced camera was fast-forwarded to real time, the group of airships could be seen waddling safely deeper into the junkyard.


    That had everyone in a grip of silence. They looked at one another with worried expressions until some of the scientists started dithering among themselves. Nevertheless, this development wasn¡¯t exactly shocking because losing control of the airships was one of the predicted outcomes. After all, with such a difference in technology, it would not be hard for the alien civilization to obstruct signals or even take over the airships.


    "Check for signal interference! Begin analysis, stat!"


    The few experts quickly went to work. They checked for errors by examining the airships¡¯ signal routing system. Hopefully, they could figure out the reason for loss of control there.


    Sadly, there was nothing suspicious within the routing system. Although, to be fair, the experts couldn¡¯t promise the validity of their result because it was highly possible that man¡¯s technology wasn¡¯t advanced enough to detect the hidden interfering signal.


    That sunk the room into another bout of depressing silence before Yao Yuan ordered, "Send out another 10 airships. Remember to pay close attention to their control signal as they neared the problematic spot. I want to know what exactly went down. Get to work! I don¡¯t want to hear any objections or hesitation, because this must be done for the sake of our future!"


    Many shared Yao Yuan¡¯s determination because they knew of the junkyard¡¯s importance. Unless it was certain that approaching the junkyard would spell the Hope¡¯s demise, they knew this mission had to be done, because the junkyard provided what the Hope needed the most at the time¡­ technology! The junkyard could provide a boost to their technology that would bring them into the 4th or even 5th industrial revolution. It was an indispensable stepping stone!


    Therefore, as long as the mission didn¡¯t seriously harm the Hope, the mission had to be completed¡­ no matter the sacrifice, including the sacrifice of Yao Yuan¡¯s life, or even the whole 12 Homo Evolutis party!


    As the second group of airships left the Hope, Yao Yuan whispered to both Zhang Heng and Chou Yue, "Zhang Heng, Chou Yue, I want both of you to train your power on this new fleet of airships as I do the same. I remember clearly that before the nebula¡¯s sun collapse, I could feel it giving off weak waves of threat. It is my speculation that the Diviner¡¯s power will not be nullified by drastic changes like a distance of 1,000 kilometers¡­ This is up to the three of us now!"


    Zhang Heng nodded obediently, while Chou Yue remained passive. She snuck a glance at Ren Tao and saw him still spaced out. Annoyed, she turned her gaze back to the screen.


    Another 20 minutes passed as the new fleet swam past floating debris to enter the junkyard¡­ "We are approaching the location where control for the previous fleet was lost¡­"


    Before the technician could finish his sentence, the screens that provided security feed went offline, signaling that control was once again lost. Using the long distance camera, the fleet of airships, similar to the one before it, was shown to continue deeper into the junkyard.


    "The problematic spot is about eight kilometers from the junkyard¡¯s outermost perimeter!"


    The scientists quickly concluded. Similarly, there was no sign of tampering in the signal routing system.


    Yao Yuan turned to the Diviners. Zhang Heng shook his head immediately, while Chou Yue followed suit after a short hesitation. Yao Yuan sighed. "I too didn¡¯t feel any warnings of danger, not even an ominous feeling¡­ It was like the airships were destined to lose control; the whole thing felt natural."


    Yao Yuan stopped and kept his further thoughts to himself. After a while, he turned to Ren Tao. "What do you think?"


    Ren Tao rubbed his eyes open and said, "Release another group of airships, but this time only five per group. Is that feasible?"


    Yao Yuan smiled and then nodded, "I too have the same thing in mind. Okay, send another five airships. We need to make sure whether control is lost at the same location every time, or if the 8 kilometers distance changes."


    "Captain¡¯s order. Release five airships. Counting down, 10, 9, 8¡­"


    Another 20 minutes of waiting time followed. Exhaustion appeared on the faces of many a scientist and technician, but the exhaustion was more mental than physical. The continuous cycle of relief and anxiousness, hope and despair, had taken a toll on their psyche.


    Nevertheless, they held on to witness this new group of five airships lose their control at the same location eight kilometers away from the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter.


    After that, everyone in the room turned their head towards Yao Yuan, waiting for his next order. They were ready to release another group of airships, but his actual order surprised them all.


    "Start the ship¡¯s engine. Move circularly around the junkyard while maintaining the 1,000 kilometers distance we have now, to a spot 300 kilometers from our current location!"


    After giving his order, he turned to Ren Tao and said conspiratorially, "You must have realized too the actual spot where the airships lost control is not really eight kilometers away from its outer perimeter."


    Ren Tao nodded and replied insouciantly. "Indeed, that is if my speculation is not wrong¡­"


    "It shouldn¡¯t be," Yao Yuan affirmed. No one else could grasp what the two were saying. It was like they were conversing in their own language.


    "After the Hope stops, release another set of airships. That will confirm our suspicions. And if we¡¯re right, we can proceed with the upgraded shuttle after that," Yao Yuan mumbled as he saw the angle of the footage changing. He added, "And the objective of the first shuttle flight will be to retrieve the bigger pieces floating about the outer perimeter!"

 Chapter 108: Set Sail!

    Chapter 108: Set Sail!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "Alright, let us revise our information so far," standing at the podium, Yao Yuan said through the microphone.


    "We¡¯ve released five sets of airships with each set having three to five airships. The first three sets lost control when they were eight kilometers into the junkyard, while the remaining two lost control at 14 kilometers. With that data, we¡¯ve constructed a simulation. Could we bring that up now?" Yao Yuan requested of the technician who stood at the control panel.


    The technician nodded and pushed a few buttons on the panel. After that, a 3D model appeared on screen.


    "As you can see, the locations where the airships lost control have been marked with red dots. Even though all five of them are at different depths and locations, they share a striking similarity¡­"


    Suddenly, a cluster of green dots that were larger than the reds appeared on the simulation. Waving at them, Yao Yuan continued, "Yes, that similarity is this group of spaceship pieces. Based on further surveillance, this group of spaceship pieces consists the larger ones within the junkyard, and they still contain traces of energy. The pilotless airships lose control when they are within 300 kilometers of these pieces."


    Pausing for effect, Yao Yuan measured the crowd before adding, "Sadly, with our current technology, we are unable to tell what exactly caused these airships to lose control. We still need more data and analysis before a conclusive answer can be found. Nevertheless, our next course of action is clear.


    "First, upgrades will have to be done on the shuttle to replace all the auto-pilot systems with manual systems. Since it is highly likely that auto-piloted systems are the ones being tampered with by the spaceship pieces, we will have to rely on manual piloting to ensure overall safety. Only communication, life support, and anti-gravitational systems will remain automated. Speaking of which, to prevent signal interference, the old communicator fitted to the shuttle will also be upgraded to a new version. This is to ensure that constant communication is held between the shuttle and the Hope."


    Yao Yuan coughed. "And that concludes the results from our airship experiment. Our preliminary scouting shows an absence of defense mechanism within the junkyard. Of course, it¡¯s still too early to let our guard down. After all, the airships had barely entered the junkyard when control was lost. There might be traps further in. In any case, we will find out more when the shuttle sets sail at 10 AM tomorrow. Dismissed."


    With that, the meeting for the first scouting operation was concluded. The result wasn¡¯t particularly heartening, nor was it worrying. As Yao Yuan said, more would be revealed with the departure of the shuttle the day after.


    That night, everyone who was involved was plagued by a miasma of apprehension.


    The next morning at around 10 AM, the attendants of the first flights, Yao Yuan, Zhang Heng, and Ying stepped into the upgraded shuttle. Under the Hope¡¯s watchful eyes, they left for the spaceship junkyard.


    All three men wore the new aerospace combat suit prototype 1. The difference was immediately noticeable. The suits applied significantly less pressure on the wearer, making their footsteps lighter.


    Since they were deprived of auto-pilot, Yao Yuan was manually piloting the shuttle towards the junkyard. With his hands on the control panel, he turned to both Zhang Heng and Ying. "Repeat to me our mission."


    Zhang Heng replied instantly, "My main mission is to keep my power open to sense any kind of impending danger. If there is one, I will inform you immediately. Instead of cardinal direction, I will use clock position to relay the information. And if the danger is over or below us, I will say top or bottom."


    Yao Yuan nodded in agreement. The choice of clock position was the result of their discussion from the day before. Since it was not an easy feat determining the cardinal directions in space, they had decided upon using clock position to make the transfer of information faster. The difference of one or two seconds in space could make all the difference. Secondly, the accuracy of the angle was also clearer using clock position direction than cardinal directions. After all, the face of a clock has smaller increments than the face of a compass.


    In a way, the shuttle was the center of their compass. Yao Yuan and Zhang Heng¡¯s directional system was set up with the forward direction of the shuttle as 12 o¡¯ clock. For example, 12 to 6 o¡¯ clock would be on their right, while 6 to 12 o¡¯ clock would be on their left. Vertically, everything above the shuttle would be their top and everything beneath will be known as bottom.


    Of course, this system was not without its flaw. Even though it was more precise than cardinal direction, it was still not accurate enough. However, until they were given a better compass, this was the best they had.


    Ying spoke next. "My mission is to closely examine the metal pieces around the shuttle using my power when we¡¯ve arrived at the junkyard. I am to look for valuable items like weaponry, machines, and robotic parts like computer chips."


    Yao Yuan nodded his approval. He added, "Using both Perceptor and Seeker powers, it is my responsibility to pilot this shuttle. Combined with the Diviner¡¯s power, I will make sure we get to the junkyard and back in one piece. The triumvirate of superhuman abilities will also help me evade all possible dangers in the shortest time possible."


    After the trio went through their respective missions, a voice came through the communicator, "Captain, you are now 700 kilometers away from the junkyard. You will reach your destination in about 1 minute and 42 seconds. The experts suggest you slow down the shuttle¡¯s speed to prevent direct collision with stray pieces."


    "Okay, slowing down. 7 kilometers per second¡­ 6.5 kilometers per second¡­ 6 kilometers per second¡­"


    With the push of a button, a liquid hydrogen and oxygen fire pulsed from the front of the shuttle, slowing it down. When they were at 50 kilometers from the junkyard, their speed was at around 300 meters per second. They were still slowing down as the shuttle inched closer to their destination.


    Finally, the shuttle was primed to enter the junkyard. At that moment, not only were the three on the shuttle holding their breaths, everyone on the Hope held a collective breath. They beat with one heart. After all, this wasn¡¯t a pilotless airship anymore; there was lots to lose.


    The shuttle was piloted by their captain and also the Hope¡¯s only All-Rounder. His passengers were no less important. Zhang Heng, the Hope¡¯s best Diviner, and Ying, one of the few Seekers.


    Any loss would be a huge loss!


    "Entering the junkyard in 10 seconds, please make all necessary preparations!" the voice on the communicator said. The shuttle was charged with an air of anticipation.


    "Zhang Heng!" Yao Yuan said, in a low voice.


    Zhang Heng hesitated for two seconds before saying, "No signs of danger!"


    "Ying!" Yao Yuan said.


    Without any hesitation, Ying replied as he stared firmly ahead, "I¡¯m already in seeker state¡­ so far nothing worthwhile yet!"


    "Okay¡­ Let¡¯s enter the junkyard!"


    With a pull of the lever, the shuttle lurched into the junkyard. After pushing away some of the floating debris, they were officially in the junkyard!


    "Hope, initiate an overall check on the shuttle¡¯s functionalities!" Yao Yuan shouted into the communicator.


    "¡­The shuttle is functioning fine. Communication signal stable, nothing wrong!"


    "Alright, keep a close eye on the shuttle¡¯s situation. We are moving five kilometers deeper into the junkyard. Issue an alert if we get too close to any bigger pieces."


    Activating all his powers, Yao Yuan led the shuttle carefully and slowly forward in a bubble of silence.


    After another five kilometers into the junkyard, the debris floating around them had significantly increased. They even started to spot the bigger pieces among them. However, Zhang Heng still received no sign of danger and Ying too hadn¡¯t found anything useful.


    "Attention, members of the shuttle, you are getting closer to a piece of energy-laden spaceship part. Please be careful, you are currently 308 kilometers from it. You have seven more kilometers before entering its danger zone!"


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Understood, please keep us apprised of the situation!" Nevertheless, they kept moving forward.


    Slowly but surely, the shuttle kept gliding closer to the large spaceship part to a point where Guang Zhen shouted through the communicator asking them to return.


    Yao Yuan looked at their progress chart and it showed that they had ventured 11 kilometers into the junkyard. He persuaded himself to go back since this was only their first flight, so there was no need to take such enormous risk.


    "Okay, the shuttle is preparing to return¡­" Yao Yuan answered as he moved to turn the shuttle around. He was going to use the shuttle¡¯s perimeter engines to propel the shuttle around. After the shuttle turned about 10 degrees, Ying suddenly frowned.


    "Wait! Yao Yuan, I saw something!"


    Yao Yuan quickly directed the shuttle¡¯s light beam to where Ying was pointing. The glint of a small, transparent object was picked up by the light!


    Yao Yuan could feel his heart skip a beat. He had no idea what the thing was, but since it was so distinctively different from the metallic debris around it, it had to be useful. He yelled into the communicator, "Hope, I need a reading on the shuttle¡¯s distance to the big spaceship part!"


    "¡­The shuttle is currently 11 kilometers into the junkyard and two kilometers away from a sizeable spaceship part."


    "Thank you." Yao Yuan turned to the other two in the shuttle. "The spot of reflection is not within the 300 kilometers radius from any spaceship part, so I¡¯ve decided that we will go for it! Zhang Heng, keep your power open, and Ying, keep an eye on our surroundings and other possible objects of interest.


    "We are going to get ourselves our first alien-made product!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    After some admin rights mix up, I''m finally back at the helm again. Hello people XD While I was away, I''ve picked up a new Qidian novel to translate. I''ve requested the boss to pick it up here but failed because the Chinese raw is too unpopular. If you enjoy my work, maybe you''ll like this too [It''s not a sci-fi but a modern novel]. I''m currently translating it for free because I really like the story. Hopefully, with enough people reading it, it''ll have a better chance of ending up here. http://www.novelupdates.com/series/an-eye-for-news/ Thank you :D

 Chapter 109: Music Box

    Chapter 109: Music Box


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The retrieval of the alien object was successful. There was no accident.


    Nevertheless, the object was handled with extreme care.


    First, the extra metallic debris that was stuck to the object was peeled off and set off to the side. Then, a layer of plastic cover was wrapped around the object to prevent it from being exposed to outside air since there was no telling what reaction it might have with airborne microbes and viruses.


    After that, it was deposited into a small, glass chest which was then tightly sealed. Lastly, it was taken into the shuttle and secured among the shelves. Care was taken to ensure it wouldn¡¯t fall off the edge or knock into other stuff.


    "Collect the peeled metallic pieces using the mechanical arms and then we¡¯ll return to the Hope," Yao Yuan ordered, in a low and weak voice. Keeping multiple superhuman abilities open had put an insurmountable amount of pressure on Yao Yuan¡¯s well-being, but he still tried his best to focus as he steered the shuttle back to the Hope.


    Heavy with everyone¡¯s prayers, the trio on the shuttle returned safely to the Hope. Even before the shuttle door opened, they could see that a spacesuit-wearing crowd had gathered around the hangar awaiting their return.


    As the trio stepped gingerly off the cabin, the crowd separated into 2. The larger party rushed instantly into the shuttle to box and transport the collected metallic planks, while a small run-off of the larger group went to secure the glass chest. So much attention and care was given to the chest that one would think they were handling a newborn baby.


    On the other hand, without removing their spacesuits, Yao Yuan, Zhang Heng, and Ying followed the smaller of the two parties to a miniature, vacuum isolation chamber. After that, they had to walk through a microbial disinfectant bath. Only then could they remove their spacesuits.


    "Good God, this is annoying! Do we have to do this every time we return from space?" grumbled a tired Zhang Heng.


    Yao Yuan nodded lightly. "Yes, it is troublesome, but unfortunately necessary. These steps have to be taken until the Academy comes up with a powerful antibiotic¡­ but I don¡¯t think we will live to see that happen."


    Ying stood beside Yao Yuan without a word. As Yao Yuan finished, he took advantage of the break in conversation to add, "If there¡¯s nothing more, I shall go take my rest."


    Yao Yuan nodded at Ying before turning to Zhang Heng. "You should go rest as well. Even though the pressure from using a passive skill is less demanding than an active one, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired as well. Go take a good rest, because things are going to get hectic for the next few days."


    Zhang Heng yawned as Ying took his wordless retreat. "Okay then, Captain. Now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, I do feel drained. Weird, it doesn¡¯t feel that way when you¡¯re actively using the power." Zhang Heng bade Yao Yuan goodbye before turning to follow Ying.


    Yao Yuan was left behind with the group of people that they had followed. To be frank, Yao Yuan wished to trade places with Zhang Heng or Ying because he was definitely more tired than either of them. However, since he was not only the leader of this expedition but also of this ship, he didn¡¯t have that luxury.


    "How¡¯s the surveillance on the junkyard?" Yao Yuan asked as someone handed him a folder.


    That someone was Barbie. Dressed to the nines in a revealing, lace dress, she replied professionally, "The 24 hour surveillance on the junkyard didn¡¯t reveal any development worth noting. And this here is a proposal written by a group of scientists."


    "Huh, a report by Bo Li?" Yao Yuan asked no one in particular when he saw the name on the cover. Then he started to read in earnest.


    The more he read, the deeper his frown. According to the proposal, the Hope was way too close to the junkyard. It was only 1,000 kilometers away from the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter, and more worryingly, only 1,000 and several hundred kilometers away from the bigger spaceship pieces within it. The Gaussian weaponry invented by Bo Li¡¯s team could easily penetrate the Hope¡¯s walls at this distance, so one could imagine the damage that could be wrought if they were assaulted by laser or plasma weaponry.


    The safest distance provided in the proposal was¡­ more than 10,000 kilometers away.


    Even though Gaussian bullets would only take 10 seconds to traverse a distance of 10,000 kilometers, the great distance would drop its accuracy to almost 0. Granted the Hope¡¯s massive body wouldn¡¯t be able to evade the bullets easily, that wouldn¡¯t matter when the bullets couldn¡¯t even connect in the first place.


    The proposal elaborated that high precision triangulation was needed for long-distance combat in space, and unless this ruined civilization had access to advanced technology like a photon computer, they would be safe a distance away. Furthermore, even if they had a photon computer, it would have been ruined or pillaged in the midst of its downfall. The proposal decided on a 10,000 kilometers distance on the grounds that a homing system on stray missiles wouldn¡¯t be efficient enough to strike its target accurately that far away.


    "10,000 kilometers, is it?" echoed Yao Yuan as he mulled over the findings of the proposal.


    The upgraded shuttle could travel at a maximum speed of 10 kilometers per second in zero-gravity. It would take about 15 minutes to cross 10,000 kilometers, but taking into account acceleration and deceleration, that would increase to about 20 minutes.


    "Alright, I¡¯ll approve of this proposal. Send this to the engine room, tell them to move the Hope 10,000 kilometers away from the junkyard. Is there anything else?" Yao Yuan queried.


    Barbie shook her head before adding, "There is nothing else at the moment, but I do need to remind Captain that you have a meeting scheduled at 3 PM. It will be about the external cabin."


    "OK, noted," Yao Yuan said as he glanced at his watch. Nodding, he added, "Then I shall take a rest before then. Please wake me up at about 2.30 PM. However if there¡¯s any update on the junkyard, the metallic planks, and the small alien object, do wake me up immediately."


    "Okay," Barbie replied as she wrote into her datebook. Finished, she looked up and smiled. "Then I shall wish you a good rest, captain. Sweet dreams."


    Yao Yuan chuckled lightly. He then lugged his tired body to one of the nearby electromobiles to get back to his chamber. He started snoring the moment his body hit the bed.


    At the same time, a series of biochemical tests were being done on the spaceship¡¯s metallic planks and the small, mysterious object. This testing, which was overseen by Mitsuhara Saburo, was carried out to ensure that these alien objects didn¡¯t contain harmful microbes. The result was negative, but nevertheless, to be safe, Saburo decided to conduct a life experiment using a ZH lab rat.


    The rat showed no visible difference to its activity after 1 hour of close enclosure with pieces of the spaceship metals. The pathologist finally concluded that there was no harmful microbe on the two alien objects.


    "¡­ Isn¡¯t this to be expected? These two things have survived in space for god knows how many years. Even if there were microbes in the beginning, they would have been long dead by now after such a long exposure to a lack of light and air," whispered one of the interns, taking a jab at the pathologists¡¯ extra cautiousness.


    To his shock and consternation, a pathologist heard him. Without raising a fuss, the pathologist merely whispered back, "And how do you know what form these alien microbes would take? The fact that the cosmos could create life is already in itself an enigmatic miracle. None of us know where the limit of evolution lies. Even the smallest crack on Earth could contain never-before-seen organisms, much less in space. Maybe there is a type of organism that could survive solely on solar radiation. We can¡¯t afford to be too careful, young man. The lives of 10,000 plus people and not to mention the whole human civilization depends on us. We must be as thorough as we can be."


    The young intern nodded obediently in silent shame. After the pathologist walked away, his mouth turned up in derision, but he wisely kept his thoughts to himself as he sauntered over to the experiment tables.


    "We¡¯ve confirmed that there is no harmful microbe or bacteria on the alien objects. The life experiment confirms this observation," Saburo announced to the rest of the group.


    The group was made up of scientists from diverse fields, ranging from psychics, kinetics, and energy to biometrics. They greeted Saburo¡¯s news with applause. Suddenly, a sing-songy melody cut through the thunderous claps.


    Everyone froze to follow the melody. Their eyes finally fell upon a glinting, metallic sphere. The sphere was the size of a child¡¯s balled up fist. It was lying in the middle of its shed shell and it was the source of the melody.


    And a soft, melodious tune, not unlike a child¡¯s humming, filled the lab¡­

 Chapter 110: A Child’s Last Words

    Chapter 110: A Child¡¯s Last Words


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Yao Yuan awoke to Barbie¡¯s voice. He looked at his watch and it showed 2.30 pm. After a simple bathroom ritual, he left for a 4th floor conference room to join the discussion on the Hope¡¯s external cabin.


    After several months of construction, the first external cabin was finally ready. Its size was 1/10 of the Hope¡¯s 6th floor biomes. The space would be perfect for a cattle farm, which could increase the Hope¡¯s daily milk production by 2 to 3 times.


    However, due to the wide range of products processed by the Hope, its Department of Agriculture had birthed many sub-committees. There were committees for vegetable products, wheat products, meat products, animal by-products, and luxury products like coffee, cocoa, as well as tobacco, and every single one of them was vying for this valuable space.


    The discussion was thus sidetracked by intra-departmental politics and sarcastic barbs. This was Yao Yuan¡¯s first taste of western policy-making, where each committee had their own say to the matter. For example, representatives from the staple food committee proclaimed that the Hope¡¯s food storage was still below the safety line, so they would face food shortage if there was calamity.


    The committee for luxury products, on the other hand, invited an economist to give a speech on the negative impacts a decrease in luxury products would have on the Hope¡¯s overall economy¡­ The discussion dragged on with each committee plying for the spot until Yao Yuan dictatorially decided to use the external cabin to farm animal by-products like milk and eggs. Yao Yuan sighed inwardly, knowing that chaos was going to repeat when the next cabin was ready.


    The discussion concluded at around 4.30 PM. As Yao Yuan exited the room, he murmured, "Goodness, Barbie, don¡¯t you westerners have a sense of organizational discipline? But¡­ then again, I¡¯ve witnessed the presence of such discipline working as a company headhunter."


    Barbie covered her mouth and giggled. "The difference between the two is obvious. There is oftentimes no worker protection when you work for a company. The higher-ups could willy-nilly let a general worker or even a manager go. One could complain, but that would normally be to no avail. The best you can do is accept the severance deal and quickly look for your next meal ticket.


    "A governmental posting is wildly difference. A president can¡¯t just let his or her cabinet ministers go without proper justification. This is especially true for a democratic society because the public backlash would be devastating. The president would have little chance of getting re-elected."


    Barbie stopped and turned to look at the animal by-products committee members who were just leaving. They had smiles all over their faces. After they were a distance away, Barbie continued, "For some reason, when you first drafted the government officers, you purposely avoided putting Chinese officials at leadership posts. Many of them had the relevant experience, but you didn¡¯t even give them a committee leader post. Therefore, most of the leaders in the agriculture department are westerners. Furthermore, they are familiar with your temperament, so it¡¯s only natural that everyone gave it their all to stake a claim for their own group."


    "My temperament? And what would that be?" Yao Yuan asked curiously.


    "You are what we call a ¡®fake dictator,¡¯ and that¡¯s a compliment." Barbie giggled. "Even though you¡¯ve proclaimed a dictatorial governing style, there have been policies like the creation of House of Representatives and policies that strive for cultural assimilation. Furthermore, other than important positions, like department leaders, all the other government postings require intra-departmental recommendations, and those are decidedly democratic. All of this combined makes you a ¡®fake dictator.¡¯"


    Yao Yuan rubbed his nose self-consciously, but he didn¡¯t directly rebut Barbie. Instead, he said, "That¡¯s because I have not shown my dictator side yet. Furthermore, the word ¡®dictator¡¯ has many nuances in its meaning¡­ Actually, never mind that. Plus, aren¡¯t you going to ask why I purposely put those Chinese officers at the lowest level? The reasoning¡¯s mighty complicated, but here, I¡¯ll try to explain it with a joke.


    "Once upon a time, an infamous drug lord was captured by Interpol. He was temporarily detained after his trial at the international court while he awaited his transport to his country of origin. In that period, he befriended his fellow cellmate, who was a turncoat emissary. During one of their conversations, the drug lord asked, ¡®Right, we¡¯ve been talking for so long, but I still don¡¯t know why are you in here, and what country did you work for again?¡¯


    "After a long and pregnant silence, the emissary replied, ¡®I¡¯m a Chinese government officer¡­¡¯


    "The drug lord paused and then nodded in commiseration, ¡®Okay, I get it¡­¡¯"


    Barbie turned to Yao Yuan with a confused face. She frowned, waiting for the punch-line before finally conceding. "Wait, that¡¯s it? Unlike the drug lord, I don¡¯t think I get it."


    Yao Yuan laughed heartily in response. "No matter, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t get it." He massaged his temples and continued, "If there¡¯s nothing else, I will have a simple dinner and resume my sleep. The analysis on the alien object should be ready by tomorrow morning, right?"


    Barbie replied, "Then, Captain, I¡¯m afraid you might have to miss your sleep tonight. The preliminary result on the object is back¡­ and it said that the scientists have identified the object¡¯s purpose¡­ or rather, the object has revealed its own purpose¡­"


    "Pat, pat, pat."


    Yao Yuan clapped his hands wordlessly. Just like what the scientists reported, the metallic sphere that sat on the table cracked open on its own to release a soft melody. An indistinctive voice could be heard intermingled within the melody, but it didn¡¯t appear to be human-sounding. It was too sing-songy for normal conversation; it sounded more like someone or something was singing a Broadway musical.


    "This is it? The thing that we¡¯ve risked our lives for is a damn music box?" Yao Yuan turned around with a stern expression, questioning the scientists in the room with his finger still pointing at the music box.


    The scientists too held frustrated expressions. They were also hoping for something valuable or practical, like computer hard disc, weaponry, engines, or surveillance probes. The fact that they had ended up with a mere music box didn¡¯t sit well with them either.


    However, one of the scientists replied instantly, "Captain, please continue listening. This is not just a music box. It is a recorder as well. At around 27 minutes, when the music stops for shuffle, you can hear some alien speech."


    Reining in his annoyance, Yao Yuan pulled over a chair and sat down to listen.


    Slowly, he started to appreciate the soft-flowing melody. It gave him a sense of freedom, freedom of floating carefree through endless space. However, the freedom also hid an undercurrent of sadness, especially when paired with the vocals of the female singer. Even though the vocals were begrudgingly high-pitched, like it came from the undeveloped voice box of a child, Yao Yuan had to admit that the singer had a soothing and graceful voice.


    When the last tune ended, the sounds of clapping could be heard from the music box. It was then followed by a male sing-songy voice. In comparison, the vocal range of this second voice was much greater than the first one. Under normal circumstances, Yao Yuan would come to the conclusion that the male was a veteran Broadway star while the female was a young talent.


    "More singing?" Yao Yuan asked, with more than a hint of annoyance.


    However, what he heard next overturned that suspicion. After the male voice fell off, the female, childlike voice replied in a similar sing-songy manner. It sounded like they were singing to one another without musical accompaniment. However, the giggles and breaks in the female voice that sounded suspiciously like a child asking for praise proved that the recording was mostly likely a conversation between a grown alien male and a young alien female.


    The conversation continued for quite some time until it ended with two resounding claps.


    Yao Yuan stood up and said, "An alien language¡­ Sadly, we can¡¯t translate it, or else I¡¯m sure we could extract valuable information, like their societal structure, from the conversation¡­"


    The scientist laughed bitterly to himself. "Lieutenant Colonel, there¡¯s still some more¡­"


    "Huh, there¡¯s more?"


    Yao Yuan sat back down to continue listening. The recording on the music box was interspersed with clapping sounds, and following the claps would either be the alien female singing or she would be talking to herself. The male alien had a much stingier appearance. Just like that, Yao Yuan sat patiently listening for one and a half hours. Just before he lost his patience, another clap happened, but this time, it was followed by the sound of a small explosion.


    That shocked Yao Yuan out of his reverie, and he started to pay close attention to what followed next.


    After the explosion, the sound of the female alien came back on, but this time she sounded like she was crying. She was saying something haltingly, but it was muffled by her crying and the unfamiliarity of the alien language. The sounds of the explosion got increasingly louder as it got closer, and the same was with the girl¡¯s crying. Nevertheless, she was repeating the same syllables like a broken record.


    Finally, the girl shouted the syllables before it was drowned out by an ear-splitting explosion. The sphere instantly shrunk back to its original form, a fist-sized ball, signaling that it had finished playing the recording.


    Yao Yuan sighed deeply. He asked hesitantly, "That last recording¡­ that¡¯s a sound bite from when the spaceship fleet was destroyed, right?"


    The scientist beside him nodded reluctantly, then he added, "By comparing and contrasting every part of the recording, we managed to figure out the meaning of the syllables. She said that every time the male voice appeared, so that leads us to believe that the few syllables she kept repeating until the end was¡­


    "Father, or more accurately¡­ daddy."


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Releasing a bonus chapter today because... why not.

 Chapter 111: Technological Levels

    Chapter 111: Technological Levels


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The sound of the music box was replaced by a heavy silence. The people recorded might''ve been from another species, but the fear inherent in a child¡¯s keening for her parent was something that was instinctual. The child¡¯s mewling understandably pulled a few heartstrings.


    10 seconds later, Yao Yuan said firmly, "Alright, let¡¯s all first collect our feelings. I know what we¡¯ve heard is difficult to stomach, but we need to understand that this might have happened thousands of years ago¡­ It shouldn¡¯t weigh us down. If anything, we should be that much more wary if we don¡¯t want the devastation that happened in the recording to happen to us."


    Yao Yuan continued, in a measured voice, "Continue analyzing this music box. I want to know everything there is to know about this music box. There is no detail that is too small."


    Before Yao Yuan could finish, a scientist stepped forth. "Captain, it is my belief that this music box is no less valuable than say a weapon blueprint or a computer chip. Of course, we need more analysis to be precise, but for starters, this music box has an incredibly powerful battery.


    "As you¡¯ve said, this music box might be from thousands of years ago, but as we¡¯ve seen for ourselves, it¡¯s still fully functional. The only plausible rationale is that it is supported by a powerful battery, and the battery itself must be small, because the whole music box is only so big. With that theory in mind, one can¡¯t help but draw a parallel to the lights emanating from the spaceship carcasses. Why do you think the lights on the spaceship pieces are still functional?"


    Yao Yuan turned back to the music box and concluded, "Yes, a small power system that could store an impressive amount of energy for an extended period of time. That would be a valuable technology for us to learn¡­ What else?"


    With fear of being overshadowed, another scientist came forth and uttered excitedly, "Captain, there is also a small software program that we could study. Even though we already have a certain degree of mastery over sound-operated technology, there are still ways to go until we reach perfection. For example, we can turn lights on and off using our voices, but that is limited by volume and accents. Furthermore, because this function is directed by a written software program, the intended device has to be connected to a computer."


    Pointing at the music box, he continued, "Our analysis showed that the sound trigger for this music box is not influenced by conventional nuances like volume. It also responds to recorded clapping sounds. Such high sensitivity could only be explained by the presence of a highly effective sound recognition program. In other words, there exists a computer within this fist-sized object, one that is as powerful as our common home PC!"


    Yao Yuan started to view the music box in a new light. He was surprised to realize that this unassuming object of a child¡¯s fist-size could harbor so many valuable technological marvels. He couldn¡¯t help but feel delighted at the discovery.


    "The technology for this civilization is, as expected, far more advanced than ours, but¡­" Yao Yuan hesitated before adding, "These are imaginable technologies¡­ They¡¯re not science fiction-esque technologies like the ones on U¡­" he caught himself and coughed, "Like the ones we have on the Hope, like the space-warping and anti-gravitational technologies."


    Yao Yuan almost blurted out the word ¡®UFO,¡¯ but thankfully he was quick to realize his mistake, because most of the people in the room had no inkling of its existence.


    A girl among the scientists caught Yao Yuan¡¯s verbal faux pas, and that girl was Bo Li. She narrowed her eyes at Yao Yuan as if admonishing him for almost accidentally spilling top secret information. Cornered into an uncomfortable position, Yao Yuan hacked out a few dry coughs.


    In an attempt to divert attention, Bo Li said, "Further analysis could be done on this music box¡¯s structural construction, raw materials, and even internal circuits. This reminds me. The metallic planks that Captain brought back were identified as a type of feather-weight alloy. Its light weight aside, it also has a tensile strength and melting point that is greater than all known metals. We¡¯ve only managed to melt a tiny section of it by using plasma rays. We¡¯ve learned of its empirical formula, but we still can¡¯t manufacture this alloy because its atomic arrangement is one that we¡¯re not familiar with."


    Recovered from his previous faux pas, Yao Yuan continued after some serious consideration. "Then could anyone ballpark for me how far ahead is this civilization¡¯s technology from ours? We don¡¯t need to go into something as detailed as how many years because too many factors could play into that, so describe it instead in terms of revolution. This civilization would represent which of our industrial revolutions?"


    "The fourth!"


    "The end of the fourth revolution!"


    "The middle of the fourth¡­"


    "The early fifth¡­"


    There were multiple answers, but they fell within the general duration from the late middle of the fourth industrial revolution to the cusp of the fifth.


    Yao Yuan had studied plenty of scientific treatises ever since he got on the Hope, but he was ultimately not a trained scientist, so he asked, "Why are all of you so sure? Is there a huge difference between the end of the fourth revolution to the start of the fifth that there needs a distinction? Also, could such a huge fleet of warships really be created during the fourth revolution?"


    The leading scientist, Silewei, stepped forth to answer. "Captain, to understand all that, you first have to fix a misconception, one about industrial revolution¡­ First, did you know that the advancement from the 20th century to the early 21st century is several hundred times greater than the total scientific advancement for the whole history of humanity? And the scientific progress achieved in the 10 years after the start of the 3rd revolution was about 100 times greater than the progress accumulated by man throughout both the first and second industrial revolutions?


    "Industrial or scientific revolutions are scientific progress calculated in exponential and not incremental increase. For example, if the first revolution is represented by the multiplier of 1, the second revolution would not be 2, instead it could 20 or even 200, and when it reaches the third revolution, the multiplier could be in the thousands or millions!"


    Silewei continued firmly, "Traditionally speaking, we can only predict what will happen in the next revolution. It is impossible to predict the one after that. Take the first revolution for an example, people in the 18th and 19th century couldn¡¯t possibly imagine what things would look like in the third revolution. Important events like the moon landing, personal computers, and genetic engineering were for them stuff of science fiction. In contrast, they managed to predict the promises our second revolution would usher in, most notably being the discovery of electricity. This proves once more that my theory that man could only correctly predict the discoveries in the approaching scientific revolution but not the ones after that."


    Silewei stopped before pointing straight at the music box. "Captain, it is undeniable that this music box has opened a door for us. Instead of technologies like space-warping and anti-gravitational systems that we couldn¡¯t wrap our heads around, this music box provides us with familiar but decidedly far more advanced technologies in fields of electrical systems, manufacturing, and computer science. This is definite proof that this alien civilization, with this music box as an example of its scientific product, is at the end of our fourth industrial revolution!"


    Yao Yuan sighed in relief. "That¡¯s definitely good to know¡­ I¡¯ll be frank, I¡¯ve been afraid the technology from this civilization would be far too advanced for us to study. Just like how it was with the space-warping technology, we couldn¡¯t make headway into understanding it even though it is technically in our possession. That would also seriously deter our exploratory plans because its defensive system would probably be powerful enough to annihilate us with just one hit.


    So thank you for relieving me of my worries. This also confirms my suspicion that we will enter the fourth revolution after we acquire more of this civilization¡¯s technologies. That will prove invaluable to our overall survival in space. Knowing this, I¡¯m also less worried about sending our men into the junkyard."


    Pausing for thought, Yao Yuan breathed in and out several times before stressing adamantly, "The mission to scour the outer perimeter of the junkyard will resume tomorrow. Please do not stop with your analyses and experiments, because after we¡¯ve acquired several more pieces of the alien product to ascertain its technological level¡­


    "We shall venture into one of the warship husks!"

 Chapter 112: Operation Leap!

    Chapter 112: Operation Leap!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    The Hope had been idling for one and a half months 10,000 kilometers away from the junkyard.


    Nevertheless, it is not to say that nothing had been done, because internal development had been going on 24/7.


    This could be credited to the citizens¡¯ impeccable time management habits. Their hectic lifestyles from way back when was now properly emulated on the Hope. This was because things were going well on the Hope.


    With the advent of currency came a burgeoning economy. There were also social safety nets provided by the government. Even if one refused to work, he or she would still be allotted a small residence and enough food supply to pass the day. There was no sight of any homeless people or beggars on the Hope.


    However, the situation was still not perfect. For example, their food choices were extremely limited. Other than the staple grains and canned food, fresh vegetables were available only once every few days, while fresh meats even less. The rarest were, of course, luxury items like sugar, tea, coffee, cocoa, cigarettes, alcohol, and seafood.


    After the initial wave of anxiety regarding both their survival in space and an unknown government had passed, the Hope finally started rebuilding its societal structure. They had, after all, spent at least one whole year in space. The initial consternation had slowly worn off. The most obvious of this evolution was the flourishing of the new entertainment industry.


    Basic entertainment amenities, like internet caf¨¦s and karaoke, were original features on the Hope. They were designed into the spaceship when the Hope was still the Noah 2. Other than that, to preserve its passengers¡¯ mental health, Earth¡¯s government had added features like three basketball courts, one soccer court, cinemas, and many others into the spaceship¡¯s blueprint. In the beginning, many of these had remained unused because the Hope¡¯s government had much greater things, like escaping certain death, to worry about. One year later, the tension on the Hope had relaxed enough to have some of these places reopen.


    Today, every Saturday and Sunday were designated as official off days. There was double-pay for workers working on off days and triple pay for those willing to work on official holidays. In other words, it was not hard for the citizens of the Hope to earn sizeable H-coin savings. With this came the requests to open more entertainment amenities.


    This public request was brought to the House of Representatives and it was passed with an 87 percent approval rating. 11 percent voted negative while 2 percent voided their votes.


    This had much to do with the fact that the majority of the Hope¡¯s citizens were in the age group of 20s and 30s. Their mindset was that of your typical city-dwellers, and what big city doesn¡¯t have a vibrant nightlife and entertainment scene?


    Faced with this challenge, Yao Yuan decided to adopt the delegation approach. This was because he was unfamiliar with economics and politics. Like how he handed every science-related issue to the Academy, with this particular endeavor, he relied heavily on advice from political and economic advisors.


    This approach had proved fruitful for Yao Yuan thus far. With the bountiful harvest from the asteroid, progress on the Hope was growing fast. Developments could be found in departments of manufacturing, medicine, and electroplating. The House of Representatives was even discussing the possibility of streamlining the Hope¡¯s education system.


    Riding this wave of progression was the successful construction of the external cabin. This external cabin could be taken into the Hope whenever the spaceship had to space-warp or was too close to a high gravity intergalactic entity. It could be brought out to air during other more peaceful times.


    Needless to say, modifications also needed to be done on the Hope¡¯s outer shell to accommodate this new external cabin. Other than that, the walls on both the cabin and the Hope had to be cut and rewelded, and the life support system and anti-gravitational units had to be rewired and redirected.


    It was Yao Yuan¡¯s assumption that all these would take at least another 6 more months to complete, but he had underestimated the public¡¯s feverish tempo. Both upgrades were finished in under 2 months! The news was so unbelievable that Yao Yuan had to suspect the engineering crew for cutting corners to rush the projects. Results from the quality control unit had proven Yao Yuan wrong. In fact, according to their report, the quality of the external cabin might even be greater than that of the Hope itself.


    In any case, Yao Yuan was glad that he was proven wrong, because it meant that within this next week, they could add more farms and plantations.


    Within this one and a half months, progress was not limited to things inside the Hope because surveillance and scouting on the junkyard hadn¡¯t stopped. So far, the shuttle had taken 30 trips into the junkyard, retrieving about 80 metallic planks and sheets of various metallic compositions. They had also retrieved 6 alien products, but they were all small items like music boxes, timers and some other unknown objects. The most valuable among them was a fairly complete lighting device.


    Yao Yuan knew they had exhausted almost all of the possibilities the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter could provide. True findings could only be found by venturing deeper into the junkyard!


    "¡­Like what I mentioned before, I don¡¯t think there is much left to be gained from going around the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter. It¡¯s time for us to go deeper into the junkyard!"


    Yao Yuan declared, while standing at the war room¡¯s podium. Behind him was a rough map sketch of the junkyard. A 2D map couldn¡¯t effectively represent the enormity of the junkyard, but since they didn¡¯t know much about the junkyard¡¯s inner world anyway, it would have to do for now.


    "The team of 12 will depart tomorrow. Our destination will be a 7 kilometers long, 600 meters wide, and 200 meters tall warship husk 20 kilometers into the junkyard. It is the smallest one closest to the outer perimeter."


    Yao Yuan stopped and scanned the 11 people gathered below the stage. "The time of departure is 9 AM tomorrow. Prepare the necessary equipment before then. They are 1 aerospace combat suit prototype 1, 1 wolf-eye flashlight, 1 combat rifle, and 1 Gaussian Gun prototype 1. Beyond that, Wa Luo will need to take some space-use explosives, Ebon space-use machine gun, Ying anti-material sniper rifle. and Xiao Yan multi-frequency communicator."


    Liu Bai raised his hand. "What about me? Do I need to carry along some medical kits?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "That will not be necessary. Because of the unique space environment, you won¡¯t be able to provide treatment without taking off the spacesuit anyway¡­ right, a reminder. Behind the combat suit¡¯s shoulders, heels, and waist, there are mini rocket propellers. Their functionality can persist for 5 whole minutes and they are ocular activated. There is a scanner on the top end of your space helmet. If you stare at the spot for more than 5 seconds, it will light up red. Keep staring at it for another 5 seconds and the propellers will be activated.


    "Similarly, the direction of the propellers will be determined by your eyes. After the propellers are activated, they will push you towards the direction you¡¯re looking at. The propellers can¡¯t be halted midway, so please reserve them for emergency use only. The speed they provide isn¡¯t fast enough to prompt any serious worry, but please don¡¯t underestimate the power of inertia in space."


    Yao Yuan stopped once more and his expression dimmed. He continued, "I cannot stress enough the importance of these propellers. Because the warship husk is a complete unknown, there is no guarantee the shuttle will not lose control like how the airships did. This propeller system may be our last hope for getting back to the Hope!


    "For tomorrow¡¯s mission, I will request the Hope to open and train all its spotlights at our target destination. Yes, the junkyard is 10,000 kilometers away, but even so, we should still be able to see where the Hope is. So, God forbid, if we are stranded in space, please follow the lights closely! Propel yourself towards the lights because that represents our hope!


    "Dismissed!


    "Be at the gathering point by 9 AM tomorrow!


    "We will start the mission at 9 on the dot and it will be officially called Operation Leap!"

 Chapter 113: Blank Space

    Chapter 113: Blank Space


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    All 12 members of the unit dealt with the incoming mission in their own unique ways. Ying and Ebon were happily preparing their guns and ammos, pumped for a new mission; Zhang Heng was worried sick, barely managing a bite of his dinner; Chou Yue spent the whole night talking with Ren Tao; Yao Yuan threw himself into administrative work until 10 PM and had a dreamless sleep until 8:30 AM the next morning.


    Before 9 AM, all 12 of them gathered at the shuttle hangar, the location where their equipment and spacesuits stood at the ready. As the clock struck 9, they would collectively walk into the shuttle to begin Operation Leap.


    "Do you feel any danger now?" Ren Tao suddenly whispered to Chou Yue.


    Chou Yue fired back sullenly. "What? You refused to talk to me yesterday night but now suddenly you¡¯re willing to do so?"


    Ren Tao smiled brightly. "That¡¯s because we¡¯re boarding. Now is the time you should be able to tell whether there is any danger."


    Chou Yue was adamant to not give Ren Tao any time of her day, but in the end, she ceded. "There¡¯s nothing now, but why didn¡¯t you approach Zhang Heng with the question? I¡¯m just a half-baked Diviner, so there¡¯s no point in asking me!"


    Ren Tao stopped to seriously consider her question before finally admitting, "That¡¯s because you¡¯re closer to me, so it¡¯s much more convenient."


    "You idiot!"


    At the same time, Yao Yuan incidentally was asking Zhang Heng that very question, a question to which Zhang Heng firmly replied, "No, there¡¯s no sign of danger."


    "Great, everyone, please put on your spacesuits and get ready. We will enter the shuttle and start the mission at 8:55!"


    Under Yao Yuan¡¯s command, everyone started to get into their spacesuits. With the attending officials helping, the prep-work was quickly done. After Yao Yuan led everyone into the shuttle, everyone ventured to their assigned station, waiting for the countdown to start.


    As the countdown dropped to 0, the shuttle accelerated on the rails before gliding out of the Hope. With Yao Yuan at the helm, they sped towards their destination at maximum speed. None spoke during the journey, Ying and Ebon calmly went over their load, Zhang Heng and Chou Yue sat to a side quietly while Ren Tao was his usual spaced-out self¡­ 10 minutes later, the shuttle decelerated as it inched closer to the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter. They were at a speed of several hundred meters per second but were still decelerating.


    "Alright, we¡¯re officially in the junkyard area. The shuttle can¡¯t move fast beyond this point because there are too many floating pieces around us. We will reach the point where the airships lost control in another 20 kilometers. Zhang Heng and Chou Yue, tell me the instant you feel danger," Yao Yuan announced, while keeping his eyes on the navigation.


    The duo nodded in reply. As the shuttle crawled to the break-off point, the sense of worry in the shuttle started to mount. Even Yao Yuan, who had been in plenty of battlefields and life-or-death situations, started having clammy hands.


    And then the lights in the shuttle started flickering before going off completely. Other than the headlights fitted into the spacesuit, it was a world of darkness inside the shuttle.


    Not only that, even the lights from the control panel had disappeared. In that moment, it felt like all 12 of them had been dropped into space, because it was as empty and dark inside as it was outside!


    "Zhang Heng! Chou Yue! Do you feel any danger?" Yao Yuan yelled hurriedly as he tried to bring the shuttle back under control.


    He waited for several seconds, but there was still no reply. A chill grabbed his heart, fearing that the twp of them were dead. He turned back in a hurry and was relieved to see 11 weak globs of light in the dark. He looked closer and spotted Zhang Heng and Chou Yue¡¯s faces, and their mouths were moving rapidly as if in speech.


    "What¡¯s happening? Is it because you¡¯ve felt danger? Why aren¡¯t you speaking?" Yao Yuan turned back to the control panel in a hurry, but he still heard no forthcoming reply.


    (¡­ Of course! The internal communicator must have lost its power!) The reality of the situation finally dawned on Yao Yuan and he breathed a sigh of relief.


    In preparation for moments like these, other than the modification done on the shuttle, extra efforts had been made to improve the spacesuits¡¯ autonomy. Naturally, there had been updates to help it defend against signal interference, but beyond that, the autonomy of the spacesuit had also been increased in the sense that it would remain operational for as long as 12 hours from the moment the main electrical supply was lost. This was thanks to an isolated battery that was added to the combat suit prototypes [1].


    If they had to rely completely on external power supply to maintain the spacesuits¡¯ life support, it was certain they would die in a matter of seconds if the shuttle¡¯s power supply was cut off. Thankfully, they came prepared for this scenario.


    (Looks like this is the reason behind the airships¡¯ loss of control. Electricity will be lost if you venture into the 300 kilometers danger zone. No wonder we can¡¯t hear each other¡¯s voices, the communication system must be down. It should be the same with the shuttle¡¯s life support system as well.) Yao Yuan released his grasp on the control stick to unlatch the wolf-eye flashlight from his utility belt. The glare on the flashlight was so strong that it could cause temporary blindness if directed at one¡¯s eyes, so Yao Yuan was careful to aim it at the ceiling before switching it on.


    Almost instantly, the room lit up in the reflection of the light. Ying, Ebon, and Liu Bai stood intensely with their weapons out; Ren Tao stood in front of Chou Yue, shielding her; while Zhang Heng had his Gaussian gun in one hand and his rifle in another as he scanned his surroundings.


    With the arrival of light, all 12 of them turned to one another trying to speak but failed to do so, so they gave up before finally all turning to Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan set his flashlight down on the floor, allowing it to continue shining at the ceiling. Straightening up, he signed some commands at Lee and then at Ying.


    Lee immediately took out his own wolf-eye flashlight as he walked to the control panel. Pointing it out the window that sat above the control panel, he switched it on. The glare of the light was admittedly strong, but it still wasn¡¯t strong enough to pierce the darkness of space. Only the outlines of the metallic pieces crowding around them were revealed by the light. After all, the warship husk was 300 kilometers away!


    Then Ying joined him. Activating his power, he looked out the window. After some time, he pointed at a location some distance away. Yao Yuan quickly signed for Ying and Lee to take a break.


    (Now that we have a general direction of our destination, we need to find out whether this shuttle is still controllable¡­) Yao Yuan thought to himself. Jiggling the control stick, the shuttle slowly turned under his control. After turning about 180 degrees, the weak clump of lights, which was the Hope, appeared before their eyes.


    (Phew, it looks like even though the electricity has been shut down, stripping the shuttle of its automated functionalities, it still can be manually operated. No wonder both Zhang Heng and Chou Yue didn¡¯t sense any danger¡­ there is a simple workaround to all this.) Yao Yuan turned the shuttle back around, down the direction where Ying was previously pointing.


    By then, all of them knew the communicator had broken down, so they returned quietly to their stations. Only Chou Yue stood frozen at her spot. She was badly shaken by the whole incident. The sudden darkness was a tremendous shock to her. Tears that she was unable to wipe dried on her face. Feeling beside herself, she clung onto Ren Tao¡¯s arm.


    Ren Tao, on the other hand, still wore his oblivious look¡­ but this time, there was cogitation behind those seemingly vacant eyes.


    In any case, the shuttle continued to move forward. There was nothing but an abyss around them. There was no visible change in scenery or even conversation to signify that time was even moving¡­ so much so that it felt like they were traversing a blank space¡­ After an incalculable period of time had passed, a dark outline gradually materialized before them.


    When the flashlight finally caught parts of outline in its rays, the lights within the shuttle suddenly came back on! And just like that, it was as if the time spent in the dark hadn¡¯t even happened¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] There was no clear explanation on why the spacesuit¡¯s battery can work while the rest can¡¯t other than the word "physiology". So if I¡¯m going to guess, I believe the spacesuit uses some sort of kinetic-electrical hybrid battery system so the electrical shut down doesn¡¯t fully affect the spacesuits¡¯ battery.

 Chapter 114: Warship Husk!

    Chapter 114: Warship Husk!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "Of the 300 kilometers danger zone, only the 10 kilometers nearest to the warship will not send us into a blackout."


    After the systems came back online, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t instantly continue their journey to the warship husk. Instead, he parked the shuttle to initiate multiple checks. He wanted to know their distance from the husk and the shuttle¡¯s internal conditions.


    The examination lasted for 10 minutes, and after it finished, Yao Yuan shared the results with the rest of his party. Certain that everything was back to normal, they continued on to their destination.


    The area of blank space came as a surprise, but it was definitely all show. However, as the shuttle came ever closer to the warship husk, Zhang Heng and Chou Yue both felt a tingling sense of incoming danger. Nevertheless, the feeling was not one that screamed of immediate threat¡­ in fact, it was not unlike how they felt prior to the earthquake that shook the meteorite base.


    This insidious feeling assaulted Yao Yuan as well.


    This didn¡¯t raise any alarm for the party though because they had already expected to face some sort of dangerous encounter within the husk. In any case, they could not turn back now because humanity¡¯s ultimate survival in space depended on the success of this mission. The technological advancement that could be salvaged from within the warship would provide humanity with a better standing in the great cosmos. As the saying goes, with great risk comes great rewards, so as dangerous as it might be, this was a mission that they must see to its very end!


    Yao Yuan was ready to sacrifice a lot to claim the technology within the alien warship, be it a few more decades of the Hope idling within this star system, the death of his partners, or even his own!


    This was because all the mentioned sacrifices combined were still less important than the 200 years that humanity would need if they were to enter their fourth industrial revolution the traditional way.


    "¡­4 more kilometers to our destination. Everyone, we are nearing the husk. To be safe, let¡¯s all review our mission. First, Zhang Heng, Chou Yue?" With his hand over the controls, Yao Yuan asked of the party.


    Zhang Heng replied hurriedly, "I am to sense the presence of immediate danger like the activation of internal defense mechanism."


    Chou Yue hesitated. "Mine is to sense threats that are more long-term or drawn out, like the possibility of a self-destructive device in the warship husk."


    Yao Yuan nodded before passing the question to his Black Star comrades.


    "The Black Stars¡¯ mission is to be vigilant for traces of movement while protecting Zhang Heng, Chou Yue, and Ren Tao. Also, we are to set up a safety perimeter during searches and pit stops," Lee said, representing the whole group.


    Ying added, "Using my power, I¡¯m responsible for sniping high-armored machinery."


    Ebon followed, "I¡¯ll provide backline support, but when normal weapons fail, I¡¯m told to use the Gaussian gun."


    "As the one responsible for everything explosive, it¡¯s my job to demolish locked doors or safe boxes with the smallest damage possible to the surroundings," said Wa Luo.


    "As the information relay person, I will keep a constant eye on everyone¡¯s internal communicators. In situations where they are jammed, I will help relay information using the multi-frequency communicator to ensure a constant stream of communication," added Xiao Yan.


    "As the so-called Thinker, I am tasked to provide solutions if we¡¯re stuck in an ambush or trap¡­ But is that really useful?" Ren Tao finished.


    Yao Yuan chuckled. "Frankly, I myself can¡¯t tell, but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. I¡¯m not going to let anyone die because we¡¯re unprepared.


    "Okay, we¡¯re officially entering the husk¡­"


    Yao Yuan circled around the husk looking for an entrance. To be fair, since the warship husk was already torn apart, there were plenty of open apertures, but none of them served as a valid landing spot.


    "It¡¯s no use. Fine, we¡¯ll use the mechanical arms to clamp the shuttle to the warship."


    A stymied Yao Yuan announced. Guiding the shuttle to one of the biggest apertures, he released the shuttle¡¯s mechanical arms when they were about 1 meter away from the warship¡¯s edge. The arms latched onto the warship¡¯s metallic edge, and after a brief, violent shake, the shuttle stood secured in space.


    "Right, I hope everyone¡¯s ready for an adventure."


    Yao Yuan stood up from the driver¡¯s seat. Grabbing the space rifle beside him, he strode to the front of the party. Then the shuttle door opened to reveal a world of darkness. It was as if they were staring into a monster¡¯s gaping maw. Undeterred, Yao Yuan stepped out of the shuttle, yelling, "For Glory!"


    "Or for death!" echoed the rest of the Black Star Unit as they moved to follow Yao Yuan.


    The last to remain were Zhang Heng, Ren Tao, and Chou Yue. Without hesitation, Zhang Heng too jumped out of the shuttle yelling the slogan. Finally, when it was only Ren Tao and Chou Yue, he asked, "So¡­ who first?"


    Pouting, Chou Yue mumbled, "That is such a corny slogan. Why did they pick something so cringe-worthy? Even the ¡®I¡¯ll be back¡¯ from Terminator 6 might be better, and that¡¯s saying a lot¡­ Anyway, you know I don¡¯t like to be the last one out, so I¡¯ll go first."


    Ren Tao smiled, and after Chou Yue got off the shuttle, he whispered under his breath, "I quite like the slogan actually." With that, he too descended the shuttle.


    Standing at the entrance to the warship husk, Yao Yuan waited patiently for the whole party to assemble. After everyone was there and the Black Star Unit had their weapons at the ready, Yao Yuan finally switched on his wolf-eye flashlight.


    The rays of light revealed a scene of absolute wreckage. There were punctures and holes made by explosions and tearing while metallic baubles and parts of differing sizes littered the general area. However, based on the husk¡¯s inner structure, the party still managed to envision its original glory.


    In all honesty, there was a hint of disappointment that threaded through the group. This was because they were expecting a scene that was much more high tech and not something that looked so similar to the inner chambers of the Hope. With the exception of the walls and partitions that were thinner than the ones on the Hope, making the space wider, the structure was about 70 to 80 percent similar to the insides of the Hope.


    Nevertheless, since there was neither danger nor findings in the entrance area, the group moved deeper into the husk. Wary of the zero-gravity environment, extra cautiousness was present in every step taken. That combined with the lack of lighting and the multiple of obstructions that littered the floor made their progress regretfully slow.


    Hugging the walls, the party moved steadily into the husk. About 10 minutes later, they saw lights flickering some distance away before them. This meant that the corridor in front of them still had access to an electrical current!


    "¡­Proceed cautiously. Be mindful of your partner," Yao Yuan advised.


    The group then moved carefully to the flickering light source. As they stepped closer to their destination, the amount of damage they could see around them got significantly lesser. The area they were heading toward was making out to be the most fully-preserved space after the devastation. If there was a discovery to find, this would be where they were going to find it.


    As they reached the end of a long corridor, a dim, red light suddenly flashed around them. Almost instantaneously, both Zhang Heng and Chou Yue shouted, "Danger! Danger incoming!"


    Hearing that, Yao Yuan yelled, "Retreat! Move back to the place where there are no flashing lights!" Turning around, he used the wall to climb his way back to safety.


    Others did the same. However, before they could get even 10 meters away, a metallic partition started to drop down further down the corridor they were in, intending to cut off their path.


    "Sh*t!" Yao Yuan instinctively grabbed hold of his rifle, but he soon realized that that was futile. All the structural weak points had already crumbled during the previous destruction, and sadly, there was no opening big enough for them to pass through in sight.


    Finally, the partition closed with a tremor, and the party had no way left but forward!


    The mysterious source of danger was also imminent¡­

 Chapter 115: Robot!

    Chapter 115: Robot!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    Yao Yuan was already searching for solutions before the partition dropped completely. He looked left and then right before yelling, "The hole on the wall, follow me!"


    Before he finished his sentence, Yao Yuan had already leaped over the hole [1]. He landed in a room whose door had already been blasted off and miscellaneous broken machine parts covered the floor. Training his weapon at the opening where the door once stood, he yelled behind him, "Don¡¯t let your guard down! We are moving forward! Ebon and Wa Luo, you two bring up the rear!"


    Yao Yuan took big steps towards the opening¡­ but he remained careful. Try as he might, he could only go so fast in zero-gravity space.


    Yao Yuan involuntarily moved his eyes to the red lights blinking at the top of his helmet, but he quickly caught himself. It was still not the time to employ the one-use propellers.


    The propellers must be reserved for emergencies only because they would only stop after they had exhausted their fuel. Attached to the back of the spacesuits¡¯ shoulders, waist, and heels, the propeller ports, the size of a coin, were impressive marvels!


    They were emergency movement devices that made use of man¡¯s newest battery model!


    The technology was harvested from the internal mechanism of the music box. Even Yao Yuan was impressed at the inroads the scientists had managed within the 15 days after the music box was discovered.


    The music box¡¯s battery was the size of a button, but it held an energy storage that was tens of thousands of times larger than normal lithium batteries!


    It was so extraordinary that it could hardly be described as a battery. It was more akin to a high-energy electromagnetic device. Such an object the size of a button could bring immeasurable progress to the fields of Gaussian technology, nanotech, and electromagnetic technology.


    It was a device that was well beyond man¡¯s scientific possibility at the time!


    However, while it was something man couldn¡¯t create from scratch, with the presence of a replica, duplication was entirely possible¡­


    The fact that it could be duplicated proved once more that the technological level of this alien race wasn¡¯t so far off from the Hope¡¯s. Some of their technologies might seem far-fetched, but scientists pointed out that they were already in the theoretical stage for some of them. Further contact with this alien civilization would only hurry that process along.


    The batteries that powered the rocket propellers were such duplicated replicas. Through the process of electrolysis, the battery supercharged its surrounding chemical carbides into forming thin wisps of powerful corpuscular streams which then propelled the wearer forward at high speeds. That was the theoretical mechanism behind the rocket propellers.


    Nevertheless, not many knew of the existence of this future-tech battery. The actual number of the people who were in the know was less than 100, and of those 100, 90 percent of them were pertinent scientists and researchers. Yao Yuan had a hard time explaining this propeller to Chou Yue and Ren Tao without divulging top secret information. It was very likely that this battery would spearhead mankind¡¯s fourth industrial revolution!


    (Yes, I mustn¡¯t lose sight of our goal. The catalyst for the fourth revolution has to be inside this junkyard. Replicating the battery inside the music box alone has already brought incremental progress to the Hope¡¯s technological level. Understanding it fully will definitely introduce a giant leap to the Hope¡¯s scientific standard!) Yao Yuan reminded himself. Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward¡­ His eyes were burning with the determination of a man who wasn¡¯t afraid to face death!


    "Quickly, we must get away from this area that still has electrical currents!"


    Leaping out of the room, Yao Yuan unhesitatingly waved his team down another broken down corridor. They had only taken several steps before the world around Yao Yuan silenced and he sensed a danger source rushing towards them!


    "Be careful! Danger incoming!"


    "From the front!"


    Zhang Heng and Chou shouted in unison. With their warning still reverberating around the walls and Yao Yuan barely lifting his space rifle, a luminous robot appeared in front of them, floating down their direction fast!


    Yes, the robot was floating. It was about 30 centimeters off the ground to be precise, and it was gliding towards the group with lighting speed. But most surprisingly¡­ other than the few weak spots of lights that lit up its joints, the robot didn¡¯t appear to be corporeal; like a ghost, it floated freely in zero-gravity space.


    Could the robot be¡­ a tentacle monster?!


    The thing was a cylindrical, alien-made machinery of some sort. Four tentacle-like appendages that mirrored robotic arms came out of the top and middle end of the creature as it floated above ground on a spinning, circular plate. The creature wasn¡¯t at its top form because the damage on its body was conspicuous, two of its appendages were torn apart, and a giant wound cut across its torso, revealing the gears within. Regardless, it still posed a threatening presence, especially when it got increasingly closer, radiating a milky-white glow.


    "Aaaaah!"


    Standing in the middle of the group, a panicked Ebon roared. Training his machine gun at the robot, he muscled his way forward to the front of the group where Yao Yuan stood.


    "Stop! Calm yourself!" Yao Yuan yelled when he realized what Ebon was up to. Unlike the other Black Star members who respected him as the leader, Ebon looked at him with a starry-eyed admiration. Ebon had once said on the battlefield that he would die before he would allow any harm to come to Yao Yuan!


    As Ebon pushed others out of the way, the color of the glow surrounding the robot started to deepen. First it changed to yellow, then pink, red, green, and finally blue¡­ Ebon used his elbow to push Yao Yuan behind him as he pointed his machine gun straight at the robot, his eyes bulging and his whole body tense.


    "Calm down!" Yao Yuan shouted again as he pulled Ebon backwards. After he regained his position at the front of the group, he added, "The thing moves incredibly fast, so if it truly meant us harm, it wouldn¡¯t be standing there now. I suspect there¡¯s some restriction preventing it from attacking us! Don¡¯t you agree, Ren Tao?"


    Ren Tao had his hands out, shielding Chou Yue, who stood behind him. He replied instantly, "I concur. Since we¡¯re in the middle of an alien warship, it should come as no surprise that there are alien guards¡­ after all, isn¡¯t it the same on the Hope? That said, even if we don¡¯t have the proper ID, it probably won¡¯t attack us indiscriminately!"


    "ID, huh?" Yao Yuan echoed. "Right, some scientists did mention that in the future, for the sake of convenience, ID might be embedded in one¡¯s arms or even head to replace conventional ID cards. Of course, to account for fringe cases where the ID chip or the scanning device in the robot is broken, it is unlikely the robot guards are programmed to attack indiscriminately on sight¡­"


    Right then, Ying, Liu Bai, Lee, and most of the Black Stars had also reached Yao Yuan¡¯s side. Ebon roared, "Have you two lost it? The robot is standing right in front of us and you¡¯re still arguing scientific theories?!"


    "Chill," Ren Tao shrugged. "Didn¡¯t you see that the color around the robot has changed back to normal? I believe that as long as we don¡¯t do anything hostile, it will not rashly attack us. I bet it¡¯s still trying to analyze our group, which has no proper ID. We should take this opportunity to learn more about this warship, things like how many robot guards it has, what weapons these guards carry, where is their zone of defense, and of course, the possibility of bypassing our lack of ID conundrum. As long as we avoid unnecessary conflict, things should be just fine¡­"


    "Shut it, you d*ck!" Ebon howled in return. "I wasn¡¯t talking to you¡­"


    "Ebon!" Yao Yuan cut him off. "Who are you calling a d*ck? Ren Tao is now part of our team, so watch your mouth!"


    Ebon mumbled recalcitrantly, but eventually he apologized. Ren Tao wasn¡¯t paying him much attention though. He stared directly at the robot as if he were in trance. Several seconds later, he told Yao Yuan, "Something¡¯s off¡­ The robot¡¯s light has returned to its normal white, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be staying that way. Plus, the fact that it¡¯s standing there without any response while blocking our way is a bit weird¡­"


    Yao Yuan too had the same suspicion. Lo and behold, the color of the robot slowly changed to yellow, but it still showed no sign of moving¡­ "It¡¯s communicating with us! I bet it¡¯s producing some kind of sound, but we can¡¯t hear it because we¡¯re in space! Then again, we wouldn¡¯t be able to understand what it¡¯s saying anyway. I believe it wants us to drop our weapons and follow it to perhaps their police station or barracks¡­


    "Our failure to do so might cause it to start attacking us!"


    As Yao Yuan explained, the color on the robot turned a faded yellow¡­ They didn¡¯t have much time left!


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] There wasn¡¯t much of an explanation about why there is suddenly a hole when it had been explicitly stated that there wasn¡¯t such a thing in the previous chapter. My guess is that tremor from the partition shook the foundation enough that one such opening peels off wide enough to form this hole.

 Chapter 116: Bait and Switch!

    Chapter 116: Bait and Switch!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    "Tell me, Ren Tao. Do you think this is the only robot on this ship?" noticing the robot¡¯s color turning yellow, Yao Yuan quickly asked.


    All the clues started to line up in Ren Tao¡¯s head as silence descended upon his world. He replied almost instantly, "No, there has to be more than one. Previously, Zhang Heng and my sis sensed the danger coming from another direction different from where this robot came from. However, since there isn¡¯t another robot behind us at this moment, I believe these robots have their own zone of activity, and the one before us is only responsible for this zone!"


    "I too come to the same conclusion¡­ Now, a second question," Yao Yuan added as his hand went searching for the Gaussian gun strapped to his waist. "Do you think the other robots will respond aggressively if we attack this one before us?"


    "Absolutely!" Ren Tao answered. "It took us about 10 seconds to move from that previous area to this one, but this robot was already waiting for us. Such an impressive reactionary time means that there has to be a shared communication system between all the robots. Harming one will definitely tip off the others!"


    Yao Yuan already had his hand over the gun, but he didn¡¯t unsheathe it. Without turning about, he asked Ren Tao, "One last question¡­ Do you think these robots are armed with long-range weapons using high-penetration or highly-explosive ammo?"


    "¡­" This time Ren Tao hesitated for 3 seconds before replying, "It¡¯s unlikely. From what I¡¯ve observed so far, they don¡¯t have powerful AI, but simple ones to facilitate identification. It doesn¡¯t appear like they are aware that the ship¡¯s ruined and there is no life remaining on it. In other words, they are only programs. And in an intact warship, it¡¯s highly unlikely that they¡¯re programmed to use high-penetration or highly-explosive weaponry!"


    "So you mean even if they are equipped with long-range weapons, they won¡¯t be able to penetrate metallic walls?"


    Then Yao Yuan growled, in a low voice, "Black Stars, we¡¯ll fire in 3 seconds! Take down this robot asap! After that, follow my instructions closely!"


    "3, 2, 1¡­"


    "Fire!"


    The first to unload was Ebon. The machine gun he was using was a specifically modified prototype that could be used in space. The recoil was still present, but at least it would no longer stray away from its target.


    Thanks to the aforementioned recoiling force, the bullet hail pushed all 10 members of Black Star Unit, Zhang Heng included, backwards. The lack of friction in space meant that the backwards momentum would not stop without external aid. The human wave of 10 crashed into Chou Yue and Ren Tao, carrying the 2 unfortunate souls with it. It wasn''t until several of them managed to grab hold of holes on the walls and ground for support that the party of 12 stopped rolling backwards.


    When they straightened up, the robot was already blown far back into the dark chasm. Not long after, a resounding explosion shook the warship husk.


    After the group blasted the robot away, Yao Yuan was certain manmade weapons could do damage to the warship¡¯s robot guards, albeit one that was infinitely small. Based on the bullet wounds on the robot¡¯s shell, many of the bullets barely dented its surface!


    The ones that pierced the shell and inflicted damage were the ones fired by the Gaussian guns.


    Yao Yuan, however, knew they didn¡¯t have the time to linger. Without missing a beat, he yelled, "Back to the room we leaped out of! Quick!"


    Using the punctured wall as some sort of a horizontal rock-climbing surface, Yao Yuan clambered his way back to the room. Along the way, he asked, "Zhang Heng, Chou Yue, is there any danger surrounding us?"


    Zhang Heng reported instantly, "Yes, there are sources of danger book-ending this corridor, the blocked corridor we escaped from, and there are some more moving towards us from the level above."


    Chou Yue confirmed, "He¡¯s right. They are coming onto us fast."


    "Okay, thanks for that. I have a clearer grasp on the map of this ship now. I believe the blocked corridor and the one where we stumbled across the robot are connected. All the robot guards should be gathering at where we are now, and the one closest to us should be the robot that¡¯s from the blocked corridor. He should be rushing down the connected corridor as we speak," Yao Yuan explained as he leaped back into the room. The rest of the party followed.


    Still catching their breath, Yao Yuan ordered, "Wa Luo, I want you to set up some mines here. Make it so that they detonate 5 seconds after activation!"


    "Yes, Sir!" Wa Luo moved to oblige even though he, and basically everyone else, had no idea why Yao Yuan would deploy such an order. This way, they themselves wouldn¡¯t be able to escape the explosion, but they knew better than to question Yao Yuan¡¯s battlefield expertise.


    Yao Yuan then turned to the rest. "Zhang Heng, Chou Yue, I want the 2 of you to focus on divining the distance and numbers of the robots pursuing us. When they approach the corridor outside of this room, I want you to inform me immediately. Then, at my command, everyone else will jump back through the hole to the blocked corridor and immediately run down the open end. Be quick, understand?"


    Zhang Heng nodded, but not before asking, "Both corridors are guarded by robots though! Aren¡¯t we just jumping into their grasp?"


    "No, all the robots should be coming this way to finish us off, so the blocked corridor¡­ should be free of robots by then!" Ren Tao suddenly offered.


    Unsatisfied, it was Chou Yue¡¯s turn to ask, "But won¡¯t the robot from the other corridor just come through the opening like we did?"


    Yao Yuan caught Ren Tao¡¯s eyes and nodded. "They won¡¯t because there¡¯s a wall between us."


    The rest looked at the wall in question and sighed in disbelief. The "wall" had a giant opening on it where both man and robot could easily pass through. Barely standing, it could hardly be called a wall.


    "We¡¯re dealing with robots here." Yao Yuan chuckled darkly as he supervised Wa Luo¡¯s work. "They might have AI, but they lack common sense and logic. As long as the frame of the wall remains standing, they will treat it as a partition and will not think to cross through it. Therefore, to grab us, they will definitely take the long route around because in their AI, we¡¯re already cornered in this room and there is no other exit other than the one in front of us!"


    "I get it now!" Lee shouted. "So we¡¯re essentially the bait that¡¯ll lure them to this room. While the explosives deal with the robots, we¡¯ll be escaping through the opening. That¡¯s the plan, right?"


    "Not we, but me¡­" Yao Yuan continued seriously. "As the All-Rounder, I¡¯m the perfect candidate for the bait. I¡¯ll stay until the last 5 seconds prior to the moment the robots will enter this room. Then I¡¯ll activate the detonation and catch up with the rest of you."


    The scope of Yao Yuan¡¯s plan silenced the rest of his party, only Ebon alone roared, "No! You¡¯re the captain of the ship; your life is more important than anyone of ours. I¡¯m just a Perceptor, but I¡¯m willing stay to be the bait. In fact, why don¡¯t you let Ying and Zhang Heng stay with me? The three of us combined are stronger than your All-Rounder power! No matter what, you can¡¯t be the bait!"


    Ying too added, "5 seconds is too short. It¡¯s impossible to escape from the range of all these explosives with just 5 seconds¡­ Leave the mission to me."


    "It has to be 5 seconds, or perhaps even less, because if the robots realize that there¡¯s already no one in the room before then, the plan will definitely fail! I¡¯m the only one who can escape the room in 5 seconds, so I have to be the bait!"


    Yao Yuan continued, "My power as the Perceptor grants me hyper-reflexivity, while the power of the Seeker gives me super-sight, and Diviner the power of prediction. All these combined with the rocket propeller system allows me the speed I need to get out of the room in 5 seconds. In other words, I¡¯m the only candidate that would have any chance at survival! Got it?!


    "Plus, this is not a discussion, it¡¯s an order!"


    It was obvious that none of the Black Star members were willing to send their leader to his death, but faced with the incontestable nature of an order, they resigned. And thus, the room sat quietly waiting for Wa Luo to finish his work.


    About 10 seconds after Wa Luo¡¯s explosives were set, both Zhang Heng and Chou Yue scrunched up their faces, yelling, "They¡¯re coming, the one leading is incredibly close to us!"


    "Remember to be on the lookout for my signal!"


    Yao Yuan unclasped his Gaussian gun wordlessly and took another away from Chou Yue¡¯s shivering hands. Pointing both guns forward, Yao Yuan took a deep breath and shouted, "Go!"


    However, taking the direction opposite from everyone else, Yao Yuan charged towards the room entrance!

 Chapter 117: The Line between Life and Death!

    Chapter 117: The Line between Life and Death!


    Translator: LonelytreeEditor: Lucas


    This was not the first time Yao Yuan had used his Homo Evolutis power in combat.


    He had the unfortunate experience of doing so during one of his previous missions at the space station.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t know he was using his power then.


    The truth of the matter was that the central Homo Evolutis experience, which was the suspension of human senses, especially that of sound, was not something that was uncommon on the battlefield. At the height of combat, or even when one¡¯s life is seriously threatened, many reported the sensation of having lost the feeling of pain, and that of hearing. Some said in those situations that one could barely hear oneself.


    This is a psychological phenomenon that is widely reported on. One doesn¡¯t truly lose the sense of sound or pain, but rather the trauma one was under was so overwhelming that it shut down those senses.


    On the other hand, the Homo Evolutis power was more than a simple twitch in the brain, for it had been proven time and again to observably heighten one¡¯s natural abilities. It would not be wrong to call Yao Yuan a superhuman then, but only in the sense that his human potential was further unlocked and not because he could fly or could shoot laser out of his eyes¡­


    Speaking of the Homo Evolutis powers, Yao Yuan, in this particular combat situation, used 3.


    The first was the power of the Perceptor, which drastically increased his reaction time, second was the power of the Seeker, which greatly improved his sight, and last was the power of the Diviner, which gave him the ability to predict danger. Individually, each of his powers was less powerful than the pure version wielded by respectively Ebon, Ying, and Zhang Heng. However, when all his powers were used in sync with one another, they could achieve even supernatural effects¡­


    While Yao Yuan was rolling over to the entrance, Ren Tao was helping Chou Yue over the opening in the wall. Yao Yuan, ever careful, didn¡¯t rush headfirst into the fray. Instead, he used his diviner¡¯s power to predict the enemies¡¯ location and then unloaded his bullets at that general direction.


    The lack of a definitive pop from the gunshots and the unexpectedly strong whiplash from the Gaussian guns unhinged Yao Yuan¡¯s balance. Thanks to his Perceptor power, he recovered quickly. Leaning into the whiplash¡¯s momentum, he landed a kick on the wall he was falling towards, and the rebounding force sent him careening out of the room. At the end of the corridor, a robot crumbled in a rain of sparks.


    There was a noticeable lack of explosion because instead of relying on pure firepower, the Gaussian guns relied on strong penetration, and they disabled the robot by severing its internal chips as well as wiring.


    "It¡¯s finally time to test my own limits¡­"


    As Yao Yuan took another deep breath, his eyes moved resolutely to the red light on the top of his helmet. It was time to make use of the propellers.


    "¡­Yao Yuan, even though I¡¯ve spent 1 whole year doing in-depth research on the Homo Evolutis, I still doubt the actual cause of this Virus X. No matter, that¡¯s beside the point. What I meant to say was that this Homo Evolutis is probably some sort of biological adaptation. Just like how there¡¯s always a small pocket of immune cases during period of epidemic, this power is most likely how man adapts to the cosmic environment¡­ or threats," Ivan explained.


    "¡­Here¡¯s the thing you asked for, or rather, the best version we can come up with in such short notice. Using the new battery prototype, it can operate upwards of 5 minutes¡­ under the best circumstances. If you were not so eager to grab this alien technology, my team could have more time to perfect the technology, but¡­ you¡¯re the boss. Just a precaution: none of the prototypes lasted for more than 3 minutes in all three sets of our trial runs, so keep that in mind," advised Bo Li as she handed Yao Yuan the propeller-equipped spacesuits.


    "Cosmic threats and 3 minutes, huh?"


    Yao Yuan continued inhaling, for he hoped the surfeit of oxygen could help invigorate his brain.


    Yao Yuan felt 3 distinct spots tremor on his back before a strong force sent him flying straight forward. He took several last-minute turns during his deathly charge, but because his line of sight was so in tandem with the direction his body was facing, it felt like he was dashing down a straight line.


    A total of 3 robots were coming towards him from both ends of the corridor, and using his diviner¡¯s power, he could tell about 10 more were tailing him.


    (Damn, if a warship husk already has so many robot guards in one area, won¡¯t there be an army of robots on the main battleship¡¯s broken husk?)


    In that unlikely moment, a thought came into Yao Yuan¡¯s mind, but it disappeared as quickly as it arrived. Yao Yuan needed undivided focus to handle the robots that were closing in on him and the propellers.


    Seconds before he would slam into a wall, Yao Yuan nudged his shoulder forward and his body made an emergency turn. Using his abdominal strength, he managed to swerve 180 degrees around. Now with the wall behind him, he instinctually kicked against it, and that propelled him forward.


    It was not a moment too soon because the minute he bounced off the wall, it was riddled with bullet holes. The bullets came from the 2 robots closest to Yao Yuan, which had their tentacle-like arms materialized into gun barrels.


    (The first one)


    Yao Yuan did another pirouette, and in the instant, he turned around and fired off at the chest of one of the robots. The robot convulsed for a short moment before finally crumbling to the floor.


    Yao Yuan bounced off the wall before the bullets could get him. Escaping certain death, Yao Yuan pulled another trigger, ending the other robot.


    (Second one)


    It was like a scene out of a superhero movie. Yao Yuan was effectively teleporting between the two opposite walls, stopping at each for barely a second.


    It was to be expected that the propellers would grant superhuman speed in space, because there was no counteracting forces like wind resistance or gravity. Normal human beings could easily meet their ends by slamming into surfaces at an extremely high speed.


    It would require intense concentration to just move using the propellers in space, much less committing to the stunts Yao Yuan was doing. He had to pay attention to factors like the trajectory of the robots¡¯ and his own bullets, the angle of his body, the area of contact his foot should make, the choice of retaliating or evading, and many more.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s heroism was possible not only because his 3 powers were in use, but also because, unbeknownst to him, his Thinker¡¯s power was also in effect.


    The complicated dynamics of the situation shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. The absence of a constantly downwards directional pull of gravity would unhinge the most veteran of combatants. Yao Yuan would find himself on the ceiling looking down on the killer robots or he would find the world being turned upside-down. He had to adapt to these varying situations in a matter of seconds and end his opponents before they could end him.


    With a loud bang, Yao Yuan could feel a sharp pain pierce his body. As impressive as his moves were, Yao Yuan was grossly outnumbered. Furthermore, even if Yao Yuan had superhuman abilities, the robots weren¡¯t lagging much behind with their scientifically-accurate aim and lack of fatigue. When Yao Yuan took down his fifth robot, around 10 robots had gathered around the corridor. Assaulted by a barrage of bullets, he was finally hit on his upper thigh. This severely impacted his dexterity. Last-minute veers away from the wall became an increasingly common occurrence.


    Yao Yuan had a bigger worry on his mind though¡­ Does this mean that his combat suit was pierced?


    Yao Yuan breathed in deeply to calm down, and with an acrobatic twirl off 2 surfaces, he flipped back into the room which was laid with mines. Dropping the 2 Gaussian guns, he grabbed hold of one of the fixtures in the room with one of his hands to slow down his forward-moving momentum. His other hand went searching for the bullet wound on his calf.


    (Thankfully, there¡¯s no puncture. Just like how Ren Tao predicted, the robots aren¡¯t programmed to use high-penetration bullets in the warship¡­ Then again, this spacesuit sure is sturdy; it held even after being shot¡­ It saved my life, but it looks like the femur¡¯s fractured.)


    Yao Yuan was calculating his course of action, but suddenly he heard screaming coming from his communicator. It sounded like Ying and Zhang Heng.


    "Yao Yuan, get over here quick. Another partition is coming down the end of this corridor."


    "Quick! It¡¯s almost completely closed!"


    "F*ck, let me go. I¡¯m not going to let Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n die alone!"


    Yao Yuan was unable to piece together the whole picture with these snippets of information, but as far as he could tell, there was another partition coming down on the still open end of the other corridor.


    Yao Yuan made a split-second decision to click down on the detonator. Then, it was his intention to utilize the propeller to send him dashing through the hole on the wall.


    (Four¡­)


    Yao Yuan¡¯s broken femur incapacitated his ability to expediently align his body down the direction he intended to head towards. He finally got the angle right after some fidgeting around, but by then, his Diviner¡¯s sense was already tingling.


    (Three¡­)


    As the propellers powered on, Yao Yuan shot through the hole like a loosened arrow. After his whole body entered the blocked corridor, Yao Yuan did a mid-air twirl by extending his hands and using the center of his body as a fulcrum. His unharmed feet tapped against the ground mid-twirl, and that changed the trajectory of his flight, sending him away from the already down partition.


    (Two¡­)


    The twirl caused Yao Yuan¡¯s flight to be decidedly slanted, but just before he would crash into the wall, he extended his hands once more. Instead of bouncing himself off it, his hands caught the surface for purchase to further propel him forward. With that, he righted himself as he shot directly ahead.


    (One¡­)


    In the blink of an eye, Yao Yuan glided through the 20 centimeters that were still left at the bottom of the dropping partition. Right at that moment, the room at the other end of the partition exploded. Still caught in the memory of that room, Yao Yuan could feel the fire blistering his skin.


    With a violent quake, the partition dropped down completely, effectively cutting off the shockwaves of the explosions. At the same time, Yao Yuan careened into a wall of bodies that stopped him in his tracks.


    Drained both physically and mentally, Yao Yuan dropped into a deep unconsciousness almost instantly.


    At the last moment, with regards to the line that separated life and death¡­


    Yao Yuan came out the other end ultimately victorious.

 Chapter 118: Strategy to Claim the Warship Husk!

    Chapter 118: Strategy to Claim the Warship Husk!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan opened his eyes to a warm glow. Swaddled in a warm blanket, he hadn¡¯t felt so comfortable and relaxed in a long time, which in and of itself was alarming. He quickly scanned his surroundings and mentally checked his body¡¯s condition.


    (My upper thigh¡¯s bandaged in plaster, so it does appear that I¡¯ve suffered from broken bones. I¡¯m no longer in my combat suit, and this looks like the Hope¡¯s infirmary. So they¡¯ve carried me back to the Hope¡­ I wonder what else happened on the warship husk¡­ Were there any deaths? Did we manage to carry some of the broken robot parts back to the Hope? Have there been other discoveries?) Yao Yuan thought to himself. Suddenly, he felt an intense ache in his head as if it a vise was clamping down on it. Unable to tolerate the pain, he screamed out in agony.


    His scream attracted 4 Black Star close guards who stood outside his room to come rushing in. Expecting an assault, they entered the room with their weapons drawn. Their experience as Special Forces made them spread out to secure the perimeter while one of them squatted by Yao Yuan¡¯s side, shielding him.


    "The room¡¯s clear! The Captain seems to be in extreme pain. Call the doctor, quick!" The person who knelt beside Yao Yuan quickly performed a check on Yao Yuan¡¯s signs of life. By then, Yao Yuan had stopped screaming, but he sweated profusely, gritting his teeth. This was the face of a man who was fighting for life.


    The 4 close guards were shocked by the quick development of events, but their formal training helped them speedily recover. One of them pressed the emergency button beside Yao Yuan¡¯s bed and another kept a close hand on his pulse while talking slowly to Yao Yuan to keep him from slipping into unconsciousness, the third one kept a vigil over Yao Yuan¡¯s body, while the last lopped out of the room to get the doctors.


    In less than 2 minutes, the doctor on duty and a group of nurses entered the room. Yao Yuan had started foaming at the mouth, and the whites of his eyes were showing. After feeling his pulse and breathing, the doctor ordered, "Give him a shot of tranquilizer and painkillers, now. And then get me his X-rays. I¡¯m afraid we have overlooked some internal wounds the captain might have suffered¡­"


    That was all Yao Yuan could capture before the chemicals took effect and fatigue overtook him. He barely uttered a sentence before slipping back into sleep.


    "¡­You¡¯re feeling tired now, aren¡¯t you?"


    "Hmm¡­ Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m physically, mentally, and spiritually tired. I feel like even my soul needs a rest¡­"


    "¡­Then why don¡¯t you use this opportunity to take a good rest? But promise me you¡¯ll work that much harder after this. For me and our child''s [1] sake, you mustn¡¯t slack off¡­"


    "Of course¡­ I¡¯ll do anything for our child¡­"


    When Yao Yuan opened his eyes next, he feigned yawning and surreptitiously wiped the tears that had gathered at the corner of his eyes.


    He found himself sleeping on another bed, but this time it came with a decontamination layer, not unlike the one they had at the Hope¡¯s ICU room. Not far away from him was a nurse who was trying her best to not nod off. Yao Yuan calmed himself and surveyed his surroundings.


    After some time, he uttered in a hoarse voice, "Hello, nurse, I¡¯m awake."


    Shocked into response, the nurse almost tripped on her way over to Yao Yuan¡¯s bedside. After checking all the monitors around Yao Yuan¡¯s bed, she exhaled in relief and steepled her hands in apology, saying, "Captain, I¡¯m so sorry. I stayed up late last night catching up on a drama series. I swear I¡¯m normally not as clumsy as this, so could you please keep this between us and not tell my supervisor?"


    Yao Yuan smiled. "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t rat you out, but please don¡¯t stay up late again. Your work requires full concentration. Human lives hang in the balance here."


    The 20 something nurse stuck out her tongue innocently and replied, "Captain, please wait for a moment. I¡¯ll go get the doctor."


    Before she left, Yao Yuan asked, "How long have I been asleep?"


    "12 days," answered the nurse as she walked out of the room.


    Memories from his previous resuscitation slowly came back to Yao Yuan. The ghost of the pain from back then still lingered. Wary of exacerbating his situation, Yao Yuan let his focus wander around the room, waiting for the doctor to arrive.


    Doctor, nurses and guards arrived not long after.


    After another series of check-ups, Yao Yuan asked hesitantly, "Doctor, tell me honestly, is there something wrong with my brain? Like a tumor, or I¡¯ve contracted some weird brain virus? Please be frank so that I can arrange for the Hope¡¯s future."


    The doctor shook his head. "Don¡¯t worry, Captain. Your results have come out negative for all the tests that we¡¯ve done. In fact, you¡¯re at the pink of health. The CAT scan showed you were in deep sleep for the past 13 days, so you weren¡¯t in a coma. But I¡¯ll be frank, we were quite worried should you decide to continue sleeping."


    "13 days?" Yao Yuan scanned the crowd for the nurse. He found her pulling an innocent face in the crowd while stealthily begging him to keep his promise. Yao Yuan smiled in spite of himself and decided to let it go.


    More tests followed, and in the process, several government officers, Black Star members, Ren Tao, Chou Yue, members from the Academy, all came to pay Yao Yuan a visit. They totaled up to about 200 people, and they had to line up on a field in front of the hospital because the hospital wasn¡¯t large enough to accommodate such a crowd.


    The mass of people in turn had attracted more people, and it didn¡¯t take too long for the field to throng with life. Many westerners even came with banners in their hands, ready for a celebration.


    Inside, Guang Zhen was relaying to Yao Yuan the things that had happened on the Hope in the past 13 days.


    First, it took 9 hours for the warship husk exploration team to return to the Hope. Other than exhaustion, no one was hurt. The moment they descended from the shuttle and went through the decontamination room, most collapsed on the spot.


    Soldiers, scientists, and government officers who stood by waiting rapidly rushed into the shuttle to inspect its load. There were 5 relatively intact robot remains and alien products of varying sizes. After removing the spacesuits, they discovered the injury on Yao Yuan¡¯s thigh and immediately rushed him to the infirmary. Everyone else was sent to the hospital to recuperate.


    Yao Yuan was still in slumber when everyone awoke the day after¡­ "The first time you rose was 2 days after, but that period of cognizance didn¡¯t last for long and, from what I¡¯ve heard, was critical and painful. The hospital conducted more tests after that, but all the reports said you were fine."


    While they were waiting for more medical machines to be wheeled into the room, Guang Zhen continued.


    "There was nothing of note in the first week, but inflammatory statements started to circulate among the public after you¡¯d been in bed for more than 7 days. They said that you had entered a vegetative state and I will usurp the administrative power to remodel the Hope under a draconian rule. And that¡¯s not even the worst. Some doomsday cult started a rumor that we¡¯re sinners for having escaped God¡¯s rapture, while some mysterious party said that since the alien civilization behind the junkyard has been proven to be more advanced than ours, we should find some ways to appeal to them so that they would teach and lead us."


    Guang Zhen concluded with much derision and anger.


    Yao Yuan, on the other hand, sat quietly and listened. After the inspection had been completed, the doctor once again declared Yao Yuan was fit to go but expressed the hope that he would remain in the hospital for further observation.


    Yao Yuan declined on the spot. There were simply too many things he needed to take care of. While the inspection was going on, Yao Yuan tried exercising his mind and realized with much relief that the pain was gone. Since the doctor couldn¡¯t provide him with an answer, Yao Yuan speculated that the pain was the result of him exhausting 3 superhuman powers at the same time. Nobody knew what the side-effects of overdoing the All-Rounder state was, so Yao Yuan concluded that this was probably it.


    "Ol¡¯ Wong, I know we have to nip these issues at their buds before they unsettle the ship¡¯s societal structure. Rest assured that I will take care of them carefully and firmly, so I hope you can leave them to me¡­ But now we have a bigger fish to fry. I want you to help me train a troop of about 300 soldiers to get them familiarized with space combat. Other than that, we also have to increase the productivity for combat suit prototype 1, Gaussian guns, and space-use shuttles.


    If a small exploratory team is not going to cut it, we¡¯re going to overcome these warship husks by the numbers!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] No idea whether it is child or children, will stick with child for now.

 Chapter 119: Rise of the Machines!

    Chapter 119: Rise of the Machines!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "I¡¯m sure everyone present has gone through the video of the exploration many times. It¡¯s true that the team escaped death by the breath of a hair, and we¡¯ve also come across many inexplicable questions. I hope some of them have been answered in the 13 days I was asleep."


    Yao Yuan had asked for a meeting at the war-room the afternoon he was discharged from the hospital. Attendees included the rest of the exploration team and representatives from the Academy, Barracks, and Workshop.


    Yao Yuan continued, "First, I would like to know why there is a danger zone 300 kilometers around the warship husks. Is it caused by electromagnetic, or radio-signal interference, or some other more advanced hampering technology? And most importantly, is there a way to bypass it?"


    All the scientists shifted their heads away from Yao Yuan until the leader stood up and said, "Captain, we¡¯ve fired off 5 more sets of the pilotless airships in the past 13 days using special devices to counter both electromagnetic and radio-signal interference, but they were to no avail. All forms of electronic signals disappeared the moment they entered the danger zone¡­ it was like the area barred the entry of all electronic signals."


    "So we still can¡¯t find a reason, huh?" Yao Yuan frowned, but he added conciliatorily, "That¡¯s fine. After all, we¡¯re dealing with a more advanced civilization, so I¡¯m sure the mystery will be solved in time¡­ Well, let¡¯s move on to the next set of questions. How do the robot guards achieve mobility? I noticed that they didn¡¯t have an exhaust or propellers to aid in their movement, so how do they move so easily through zero-gravity space?"


    "They rely on some kind of electromagnetic force."


    This time it was Bo Li who stood up. She added, "Based on the analysis on the robot samples that were brought back, the circular plate that held them up were electromagnetic products. As long as they are in a metallic environment, they can rely on the electromagnetic tension formed between the plate and the metallic surface for the purpose of movement. Furthermore, there is a mini particle accelerator inside the circular plate to help with changing of directions and speeds.


    "Not only that, we¡¯ve managed to unveil the 3 types of weapon these robots carry. The first is a set of high-voltage tentacle arms that are perfect for close-quarter combat.


    "Second is a type of medium artillery that¡¯s similar to our own modified space rifles. They are the least harmful because I believe they are designed to be used inside the warship, so they won¡¯t pose much harm to the ship¡¯s structure.


    The last is a type of Gaussian electromagnetic weaponry. It is definitely not something that can be used inside the warship. In space, it can fire off bullets that could reach up to the speed of 2840 kilometers per second. That¡¯s almost 1/100 of the speed of light! The ammo for these weapons is some sort of metallic spheres that are about 10 nanometers in size. Its destructive power is immense. For example, it could easily shred the Hope¡¯s walls like they¡¯re made of paper!"


    Bo Li¡¯s revelation sent chills down Yao Yuan¡¯s spine. After he collected himself, he continued, "So it is as I predicted. These robots are not only used for defense, they¡¯re used for offense as well¡­ Is there anything else you¡¯ve found out from the robots?"


    Bo Li sat down to let another researcher take the floor. Yao Yuan recognized this person. He was the Hope¡¯s expert on computer hardware. He was leading the effort to dissect and understand the Hope¡¯s central mainframe.


    "Captain, we managed to salvage some processing chips from the robots¡¯ internal framework. They are slightly more powerful than our conventional CPU, albeit much more compact in size. However¡­" the researcher paused, scratching his chin. "The chip contains some sort of external lock that destabilizes most of its uses. This lock also acts as a form of cell... something¡­"


    "Cellular battery," Bo Li beside him offered.


    "Yes, cellular battery. It could release a contained electrical charge almost instantly if it receives the signal to do so. The charge is powerful enough to create a plasmatic explosion that could easily wipe out the chip and its surrounding structure," the researcher concluded with a sigh.


    Yao Yuan was stunned. He was unsure of the chip¡¯s significance until Chou Yue poked Ren Tao in his back, who then lazily added, "We¡¯ve looked over this set-up¡¯s purpose while you were asleep and we¡¯ve narrowed it down to several possibilities. First is to prevent their technology from being stolen, and another is as a self-destructive last resort.


    "However, there are obvious logical loopholes in these 2 hypotheses. For the first, this civilization is, like the Hope, a space nomadic race, but with technology that¡¯s far more advanced than ours. The Academy predicted them to be in a stage that¡¯s equivalent to our fourth or nearing fifth industrial revolution. It¡¯s unlikely for them to be afraid of technological thievery because the enemy they would face would either be drastically backwards like us, or so much more advanced that their technology would be worthless. So unless they are shielding their technology from themselves, the first scenario is quite unlikely.


    "The second scenario is hard to believe as well. Even though the battery could create a plasma explosion, its range would be too small to cause any actual harm. The size of the explosion is only as big as the robots themselves, so¡­ this set-up is more likely to harm the robots themselves than their adversary!"


    "Self-harming?" The concept crossed Yao Yuan¡¯s mind and initiated a strange train of thoughts, but he quietly waited for Ren Tao to finish.


    Ren Tao resumed, "As I¡¯ve said, the civilization¡¯s incredibly advanced, and this could be seen from their military make-up. It is completely automated. A military that has no fear of death or fatigue, it could be said to be the perfect future version of military.


    "This might sound like I¡¯m peddling science fiction, but its supremacy could be seen from our foray into the warship husk. A completely destroyed warship that¡¯s not even part of the main fleet still contained so many defending robot guards. One could only imagine the number of robot patrols during the civilization¡¯s golden era. I bet even a single warship contained tens of thousands of these robots back then.


    "Obviously these robots could be used for war, but during peace times, they could be converted to become manual laborers that maintain the warship as well. It¡¯s a perfect combination of civilian and army."


    Here, Ren Tao¡¯s mouth curved into a chilling smile. "Logically speaking, this insurmountable amount of robots couldn¡¯t possibly be manually controlled. There has to be a central server that control everything, and that most likely will be the central mainframe residing in the gigantic battleship. And I suspect this alien civilization might have even already invented¡­ fully functioning AIs.


    "And if one is to follow this supposition, they will arrive at an interesting supposition."


    Caught up in the excitement, Ren Tao leaped out of his seat and started pacing around the room. In a conversation that looked suspiciously like he was the sole participant, the elaboration continued. "Invention of AI and robotics must have helped greatly to relieve the citizens of physical labor. It¡¯s not hard to imagine that robots of more diverse functionalities were invented so that the citizens could relegate more time for study and recreation. In other words, the hard part of life, which is work and labor, was cut out thanks to the automated robots¡­


    "However, unlike humans, there is no end to an intelligent robot¡¯s learning capability. As time went on, it is not hard to see them achieve singularity [1]. Yes, there might''ve been limitations like Isaac Asimov¡¯s Three Laws of Robotics, but as creatures born out of pure logic, it would not be hard to argue them away. This could only lead to¡­ The rise of the machines!


    "¡­Now, it¡¯s hard to say how this robotic uprising plays into this civilization¡¯s overall history, but I have a few speculations in mind. For one, perhaps the alien race came out on top in the war between them and the robots, but the results of that war made their home planet ultimately inhospitable and they had to escape into space to find a new home. I mean, our atomic bombs already had century-long impacts on Earth, so just imagine the weapons of mass destruction for this race. The difference between us and them though is that we have space-warp as a trump card. So perhaps finally admitting the impossibility of survival in space, they seeked a self-destructive end¡­


    "Of course, it could be that the robots were the party that came up victorious in the war. The people had built this battleship to escape the fate of being hunted down. So this battleship might be the survivors that finally got caught up to by their robotic pursuers¡­


    "Either way, these are my inferences from the unique set-up of the internal chip.


    "This is a civilization that both depended on and was wary of the use of robotics¡­


    "A civilization that was cornered by its own creation!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] Term is borrowed from Ron Currie¡¯s Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles. Definition as provided in the novel, the basic idea is of the moment when a computer wakes up, becomes self-aware, gains consciousness.

 Chapter 120: Sacrificial Lambs

    Chapter 120: Sacrificial Lambs


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After the meeting, Yao Yuan had second thoughts regarding further exploration into the junkyard. His doubts came not only from the things discussed during the meeting but also the long conversation he had with Ren Tao after the meeting.


    Yao Yuan was on his way back to the reports that awaited his signature and approval in the captain¡¯s room when the normally happy-go-lucky Ren Tao forcefully accosted him by the entrance to the war-room. "You have something to tell me?" Yao Yuan asked, rather impatiently.


    Ren Tao nodded firmly. "I do, but this is only meant for the ears of¡­ the exploration party, Black Star members, and definitely not these government officials. Oh! Right, Chou Yue, you¡¯re not supposed to hear this either."


    Before Chou Yue could even flare up, Yao Yuan had already ordered all the non-related personnel to leave the room. Out of her wits, Chou Yue resorted to stealthily pinching Ren Tao on his waist before reluctantly following the rest out. Only Guang Zhen and a few other Black Star members remained.


    Rubbing the sore spot, Ren Tao laid his cards on the table. "I didn¡¯t mention any of this during the meeting because I don¡¯t want to cause unnecessary panic, but¡­ Yao Yuan, I have to ask you to stop exploring the junkyard, especially plans that involve the main battleship."


    "Hmm." Yao Yuan did a double-take. "So you¡¯ve figured out my next course of action."


    "It¡¯s not that hard, actually." Ren Tao ventured cautiously. "You¡¯ve asked for 500 prototype 1 combat suits and 500 Gaussian gun prototype 2s in the next 2 months. It¡¯s not hard to see where you¡¯re going with this."


    "Really? Do tell." Yao Yuan feigned innocence.


    "You want to build an army for space war, right? The Hope¡¯s current military, while trained, have no experience in zero-gravity combat and doesn¡¯t have the necessary equipment to do so. This sounds harsh, but for your future plan, our military at its current state is practically useless." Ren Tao continued, "Therefore, you need to fix that fast because I believe your plan is to conquer this junkyard one warship husk at a time. Since the robots are programmed to limit the use of their most powerful weapon inside the warships, you intend to lead this army of, I¡¯m guessing, 300 to 400 people to storm the warships and overpower the robots using sheer numbers and combined firepower. Am I wrong?"


    Yao Yuan stood in quiet contemplation and retrieved a pack of cigarettes from within his coat and flicked one over to Ren Tao. "You¡¯re right, not missing even a detail. With your intellect, surely you understand how valuable this junkyard is to the Hope. An innocuous music box alone has managed to improve our technological level by so unbelievably much, could you even imagine how much progress the whole junkyard could provide? The most conservative prediction puts it at several centuries worth of development and research. How can you possibly ask me to give that up?!"


    Ren Tao returned the cigarette kindly back to Yao Yuan. "Thanks, but I don¡¯t smoke¡­ What you said is all true, but one first has to be alive to enjoy all of that! By the way, have you seen the Terminator series?"


    Yao Yuan furled his brows. "As a matter of fact, I have."


    "Then you should know what the basis of an AI¡¯s existence is. The entity that makes us human, or a kind of conscious existence, is our brain. What is the equivalent for AIs? Is it its hard-drive, CPU, or something else? We wouldn¡¯t know because our own creation hasn¡¯t achieved Singularity. That knowledge is literally beyond our intellect!" Solemnity entered Ren Tao¡¯s voice as he continued, "There is another possibility behind the chip¡¯s self-destructive set-up, and that is to prevent the malignant AI from hacking into the individual robots. In other words, even though the central mainframe is destroyed, the AI remains unharmed because, like Skynet, it is a virtual existence. It doesn¡¯t need the mainframe to exist because its existence is anchored in the virtual world, and that world is not only maintained solely by the central mainframe but also separately by individual network servers."


    "So what?" Yao Yuan took a deep drag of his cigarette and asked rather impassively, his previous impatience gone.


    "Are you serious? So, we have a big problem!" Ren Tao argued. "How can you be certain there aren¡¯t such network servers remaining in the bigger warship husks? If the smallest warship husk could manage to preserve its power, what are the chances that the bigger ones won¡¯t have their servers still intact?"


    Ren Tao raised his voice to emphasize, "You¡¯ve heard the arsenals these robots carry! They are killing machines specialized in space combat, with extremely fast flight speed and incredibly powerful Gaussian weaponry. If they wish the Hope any harm, this ship will be torn into pieces in a matter of minutes! Therefore, we need to leave this star system this instant, warp out of here as soon as possible! I believe our presence is still undiscovered because the battleship fleet has already been destroyed, but I¡¯m sure our existence will be exposed when we venture into the battleship itself! If the malignant AI is awakened, I doubt even this 10,000 kilometer distance will save us from its wrath. It¡¯ll be too late by then, so I beg of you, please don¡¯t toy with the future of humanity!"


    Ebon, who stood behind Yao Yuan, had been trying to keep his anger in check, but at this juncture, he finally lost it. Unleashing a loud roar, he lunged at Ren Tao, but thankfully, Yao Yuan had the presence of mind to first knock him out of the way. He shook his head at Ebon to calm him down before turning to face Ren Tao. "I¡¯ve thought of everything you said, and indeed I¡¯m aware we¡¯re technically sheep waiting to be slaughtered if the AI means to do us harm, but¡­ I can¡¯t let this precious opportunity slip through our fingers!"


    Provoked by Yao Yuan¡¯s stubbornness, Ren Tao too lost his composure and yelled, "Is taking this shortcut so important to you? What is so wrong with allowing progress to move on its own accord, one gradual step after another step? I swear we only need 1 or 2 more generations to reach the fourth industrial revolution! It could be done with the alien products we currently have on board!"


    "It¡¯s sadly not fast enough¡­"


    Yao Yuan did not respond in rage. Instead, he replied with a certain melancholy in his voice as he turned to look out the dark abyss that was space outside the ship¡¯s window. "Ren Tao, you¡¯re right about most things, but I¡¯m curious whether you¡¯ve noted one particular detail."


    "What detail?" Ren Tao asked, still fuming.


    "There was no dead body on the warship husk¡­"


    "¡­I¡¯ve noticed."


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Logically speaking, a carcass will last literally forever in space unless it is met with human tampering or a space-related disaster. This is due to the cosmos¡¯ vacuum environment and low temperature. So, how come there is not even one carcass on the warship?"


    Yao Yuan paused and turned to address Ren Tao directly. "If we had the unfortunate fate of stumbling into this civilization in its golden age, we would be instantly crushed like an insignificant bug. There wouldn¡¯t be any skirmishes, negotiations, or even struggles, and this is only because they were 1 industrial revolution ahead of us!


    "However, such a powerful civilization has somehow fallen into our speculated fate. Even though their whole base has been shredded into pieces, there is not one trace of foreign influence. This could only represent 1 thing! Another more powerful civilization has in turn crushed them like a bug!


    "One has to wonder¡­ what does that make mankind? An existence that¡¯s inferior to a bug¡­ so, bacteria?"


    His face reddening, Yao Yuan continued agitatedly, "The Hope has been incredibly lucky so far. We¡¯ve managed to escape certain death on Planet Sahara, and not only that, managed to secure benefits in the form of the alien plant and development of the crystal reactors and supplies from all the space mining. But it is foolish to expect this streak of good luck to last. The Hope as a whole needs to be better prepared and equipped. For that, we need technology!


    "Yes, the cosmos is a harsh place, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll have many nasty surprises lying in wait for us, but we shan¡¯t quiver in cowardice, because mankind is the most innovative, resilient, and favorable of all intelligent lifeforms!"


    Yao Yuan looked Ren Tao squarely in his eyes. "I know how much danger I¡¯m undertaking with my upcoming plans. Like you said, it could lead to the downfall of humanity, but it is a step that I¡¯m forced to and willing to take. We can¡¯t always depend on luck, so this time, I¡¯m taking matters into our own hands¡­ Both you and Chou Yue have the freedom to opt out of the upcoming missions, but I¡¯m not ashamed to say we truly need your powerful mind¡­"


    Yao Yuan turned to head towards the captain¡¯s room with the rest of his Black Star comrades falling into his footsteps. His parting words were, "My mind¡¯s made up. Before the mission begins, I will give an order to the Hope¡¯s officials that will allow them to abandon the troop and warp if the ship comes under any form of a threat.


    "¡­Of course, as the one responsible for leading the troop, I will gladly make a last stand with the troop and proudly lay down my life alongside my friends and comrades!"

 Chapter 121: Space Troopers

    Chapter 121: Space Troopers


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "For the 300 candidates, they need to be physically fit and have combat experience, but it¡¯s preferable that they have a good sense of direction as well. That is what I¡¯ve learned from our previous mission."


    This was 3 days after the war room meeting. Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were sitting in the captain¡¯s room, flipping over the Hope¡¯s military files. Their first draft of selection contained 800 people, and even though the 800 selected were experienced soldiers, Yao Yuan¡¯s frown deepened as they went deeper into the pile.


    Guang Zhen argued, "Couldn¡¯t we rely on intense training? How about former air force¡­ Then again, the Hope doesn¡¯t have many of those to begin with."


    Yao Yuan sighed. "I suppose it¡¯ll have to be that way. How about this, we¡¯ll ask the Workshop to build us a space-combat simulator inside a faux shuttle cabin to test these people¡¯s power of adaptation to combat in space¡­ All the Homo Evolutis will have to join, the Whisperers and Thinker included."


    Guang Zhen stopped short of his work. "Do you mean to bring them to the battlefield? Ol¡¯ Wong, this is unadvisable. The Academy is highly protective of Bo Li and Ivan. I swear to God, they will go on a strike if you actively put them in harm¡¯s way!"


    "Don¡¯t worry. This is just for the simulator. I want to test Ivan¡¯s theory that Homo Evolutis is a result of mankind adapting to the space environment. I feel there might be more than a grain of truth in his hypothesis. Actually, in that case, arrange for all the Virus X survivors to take part in the simulation as well."


    The simulation was carried out 1 week later, and of the 800 first draft candidates, only 106 people passed, while all but 1 Virus X survivors passed the test. That person was¡­ Qi Xiao Niao.


    "You idiots! Have you two lost your minds or do you really want to join the army? Didn¡¯t I tell you to fake failure beforehand?" Xiao Niao lectured Dan Dan and Qiu Qiu.


    Chewing a piece of tomato, Dan Dan retorted smugly, "But it is simply too simple. Who knew I had the potential to be in the air force? All they wanted me to do was to use my eyes to follow a small, red dot. It¡¯s not my fault that I managed to locate it every time even though it moved really fast across the 3d screen."


    "Will you stop eating!?" an angry Xiao Niao howled. "All you do is sit on your ass every day and eat! We already know we are Homo Evolutis! I¡¯m a Thinker, Qiu Qiu is a Perceptor, and Dan Dan, you¡¯re a Diviner. We¡¯ve tested and confirmed that on our own! Now look at what you 2 have done! We¡¯ll have to join that ridiculous Homo Evolutis Faction and be experimented on for the rest of our lives!"


    Finally aware of their mistake, Qiu Qiu coughed and added, in way of reconciliation, "We tried our best to fail, but our eyes naturally moved to follow the red dot. It¡¯s like our sight was glued to it¡­ We¡¯re very sorry, Xiao Niao."


    Xiao Niao slumped to his bed listlessly and uttered, "I know, I know¡­ Even I myself almost trailed after the red dot involuntarily. It was as if we were forced to follow that dot¡­ Damn it! Betrayed by our own instinct!"


    In the captain¡¯s room, Yao Yuan was reviewing the test results. It was fair to say he was appropriately surprised by them. The first surprise was that other than former air force soldiers, almost none of the military passed the exam. The second was the fact that all Virus X survivors, regardless of gender and age, sailed through the test!


    The last surprise was the presence of a sole failure among the Virus X survivors¡­ Qi Xiao Niao.


    "To be honest, you¡¯re tripped by your own careful planning."


    Yao Yuan poured Xiao Niao a cup of tea and continued, "I bet you thought that most, if not all of, the Virus X survivors would fail the test, so to prevent yourself from standing out and thus being exposed as a Homo Evolutis, you would purposely fail to blend in with the rest, right?"


    Xiao Niao picked up the cup and spun it carefully in his hands before laying it down without taking a sip. He then laughed bitterly to himself. "Indeed, I didn¡¯t account for mankind¡¯s instinct to be so visceral that we would involuntarily followed the red dot. You¡¯re right. I was caught by my own careful planning."


    Yao Yuan smiled. "So¡­ that would make you a Thinker? To my knowledge, only the Thinker can access a multi-lineal thinking strategy to conduct multi-directional deduction. If you activate your power during the test, that¡¯ll definitely help you overcome your base instinct."


    Xiao Niao nodded. "I realized I might have fallen into a trap halfway through the test, but it was already too late, so I figured why not go for bust? If I had known everyone else would pass the test, I swear to you I would not have failed no matter what."


    Xiao Niao hung his head in defeat, but on the opposite end of the table, Yao Yuan could barely contain his smile. Now that Ren Tao had expressed his intention to bow out, God decided to present him with a replacement¡­ he couldn¡¯t believe his luck!


    "I¡¯ll cut you a deal. The 3 of you will keep your hold over the news agency¡¯s share, but in exchange, you¡¯ll join the Homo Evolutis Faction. Nevertheless, before that, I want to correct your misconception about it. This faction is not some genetics lab. Its main purpose is to learn more about the Homo Evolutis powers and, more importantly, their side effects. In fact, I myself am one of them, so to speak, test subjects," Yao Yuan said jokingly.


    Yao Yuan might call it a deal, but Xiao Niao knew this wasn¡¯t something that he could negotiate or weasel out of. His status as a Homo Evolutis was exposed during the test and, based on his captain¡¯s past actions and policies, Xiao Niao knew this was not a simpleton that he could swindle with his words.


    Therefore, he stood up and declared, "I understand. I will join the faction¡­" Then, he turned to leave the room.


    Yao Yuan called after him though. "Not so fast! You¡¯ll not only join the Homo Evolutis faction, but also the military. And this includes your 2 friends. However, I promise I won''t send you blindly into your grave¡­ but if that were to occur, I¡¯d be the one leading the charge."


    Xiao Niao sighed. "I¡¯d rather it not come to that, because if you die, the Hope will most likely follow in your footsteps. You might not have realized it, but you¡¯ve grown to become a symbol that¡¯s more meaningful than this ship¡¯s captain, you¡¯ve become its religion¡­ or rather, the spiritual anchorage of its people."


    Xiao Niao shut the door behind him, leaving behind Yao Yuan, who was stunned into speechlessness.


    It wasn''t until Barbie knocked on the door and walked in that he recovered and asked, "Yes?"


    Barbie pointed at her watch, "Captain, it¡¯s 2 in the afternoon. You have a meeting to attend at the House of Representative on the definition of crimes against humanity. There will be reporters there, and the meeting will be broadcast live across the Hope. You haven¡¯t forgotten about it, have you?"


    Yao Yuan leaped off his seat and shrugged into his general¡¯s suit. He then hopped onto the electromobile waiting outside the room, and when Barbie sat down beside him, he asked, "Barbie, let me ask you a question. What will you do if I die?"


    Barbie was first shocked by the morbid question, but she quickly blushed. Turning her face away from Yao Yuan, she mumbled, "I¡¯ll most probably cry because the ship has lost a good captain¡­ But, I have to ask, do you always tease your secretaries like this, captain?"


    This time it was Yao Yuan¡¯s turn to be shocked. He was quick to realize how easily his question could be misinterpreted. Believing that explanation would only make the situation worse, he laughed it off and turned to look out the window.


    (Is mankind¡¯s faith so malleable? Perhaps solving the multiple tragedies the Hope has faced in space has nurtured their spiritual reliance in me¡­ I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t notice that earlier.) Looking back, he realized that those weird rumors and cultish behaviors that had troubled Guang Zhen greatly had disappeared or gone stagnant right after he woke up and assumed control over the Hope again.


    With Yao Yuan back at the helm, life on the Hope gradually returned to its optimal pace. 30 days later, the Hope¡¯s first space army unit was finally ready. It included all of the Black Star members and 6 new Homo Evolutis: Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, Dan Dan, Ming Ji Jie, and 2 others.


    As fate would have it, this Ji Jie was incidentally the nurse who was responsible for looking after Yao Yuan after his return from the warship husk. She was a Virus X survivor and now a confirmed perceptor.


    "¡­With this, I declare the formation of the Hope¡¯s first unit of space troopers!"

 Chapter 122: 6 Months

    Chapter 122: 6 Months


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    6 months had passed since the formation of the Hope¡¯s first space troopers. The year was December of 0001 according to Hope Calendar. This meant that mankind¡¯s life in space was reaching its second year.


    The first half of the 6 months was mostly dedicated to space combat training. Other than physical training, a majority of the regime was designed to familiarize the troop with combat in zero-gravity environment.


    This was because unlike combat on Earth or solid ground, combat in space was multi-dimensional. Guang Zhen had described it as air-combat, but it was, in reality, more complicated than that. At least there was a general sense of up-or-down in aerial combat, a luxury that was conspicuously missing in space.


    Furthermore, common directives, like the 4 poles, were also useless in space because conventional signs, like the constellations or the sun, were sorely missing.


    However, a sense of direction and, more importantly, a common frame of reference was crucial to paired or group skirmishes during space warfare. There was no obvious solution unless one was to consider the Homo Evolutis¡¯ innate ability.


    All of the Homo Evolutis appeared to have some sort of inner compass that allowed them to easily and quickly ascertain the necessary target even in directionless space.


    Therefore, to solve the general issue of disorientation, Yao Yuan had to assign each Homo Evolutis as a unit leader. Using one another as points of reference, Yao Yuan managed to devise a set of unique coordinates.


    Of course, one needed more than just practice to truly master this rudimentary coordination system. It fell on the unit leaders¡¯ hands to not only efficiently cooperate and fully understand each other, but also instantly digest and process geological coordinates to correctly lead their team.


    Yao Yuan was worried this might prove to be too much of a hurdle for the Homo Evolutis, but his worry was ultimately unfounded. The Homo Evolutis turned out to be spatially-gifted, but whether that was caused by that their superhuman power remained unknown. Nevertheless, with this talent, the unit leaders mastered the coordination system with less than a month¡¯s training.


    In comparison, the other soldiers took more than 3 months to merely have an adequate grasp of it¡­ After that was the space artillery training. The recruits were asked to try out space-use rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, explosives, and finally, the Gaussian guns.


    The recruits were not the only ones busy these 6 months. The researchers had also poured extra effort into the combat suit prototype. Modifications were added to the propeller system so that it could now last for 8 minutes. Its speed had gained a 0.2 percent increase, but regretfully, it still needed to exhaust its battery before it could be stopped or slowed down.


    Other than that, using the research on the robot parts, the Academy was able to fashion a new type of space-use ammo that could neutralize the recoil force. This ammo relied on an opposite particle flux created during bullet discharge to find a balance in force. This unique mechanic, when paired with the electro-magnetized bullets initially found on Earth, could cause devastating damage even if fired from a common space rifle.


    However, its damage was still lacking when compared to the Gaussian gun. Nevertheless, this also meant that they couldn¡¯t solve the Gaussian gun¡¯s recoil issue using this method¡­ With all the training and research bustling about the Hope, the 6 months passed in a blink of an eye. By December of year 0001, all the training and equipment preparations had been completed. Now they only awaited Yao Yuan¡¯s order before the venture into the junkyard would begin in earnest.


    "Gaussian gun prototype 2, a new transport shuttle, prototype 2 combat suit, anti-recoil ammunition, particle flux propeller system¡­ Looks like war and conquest will always be mankind¡¯s biggest scientific catalyst."


    Reading the data on his report, Guang Zhen sighed.


    Yao Yuan corrected him, "No, not war, but survival. The meaning of this so-called war is not for conquest but survival. As the saying goes, a cornered animal is a dangerous animal. So it is the same for the Hope; we are desperate to survive and thus, we are desperate to improve."


    Guang Zhen sighed once more, but he finally spoke his mind after a long pause. "Ol¡¯ Cap¡¯n, to be frank, I¡¯m incredibly envious of the rest of you. Because I¡¯m the only person in the Black Star Unit that¡¯s not a Homo Evolutis, I¡¯ve missed out on all the missions... Can I still call myself part of unit if this is the case?"


    Yao Yuan looked at his friend in silence. Finally, Yao Yuan broke the uncomfortable silence. "Ol¡¯ Wong, your situation is not so bad. Think of it this way¡­ There is a high possibility that you¡¯ll be the last Black Star standing, so it¡¯ll fall on your shoulders to rebuild the unit¡­ Promise me that you¡¯ll not let it die¡­ This star needs to have its place in the cosmos!"


    The unexpected pun in his captain¡¯s reply worked to lift Guang Zhen¡¯s dampened spirit. He lifted his head and solemnly said, "Don¡¯t you worry, Yao. I promise to keep not only the Black Star Unit, but also the Hope and humanity alive as long as I live¡­ Your legacy will surely live on¡­" Uncomfortable with discussing such a mushy topic with his captain, Guang Zhen coughed. "Is the departure at 9 AM tomorrow?"


    "That¡¯s right. The first space troopers will board transport shuttle 1 to the junkyard at 9 tomorrow. We¡¯ll finish exploring the previous warship husk and then search and secure the one nearest to it. That¡¯s the objectives of our first mission."


    The next day, 11 December 0001, the space troopers stood assembled at the shuttle hangar, inspecting their equipment and gadgets. Even though the unit consisted of only 301 people, it was the Hope''s and mankind¡¯s first large-scale operation. Everyone fell hushed, pressured by the uncertainty of their future and the solemnity of the occasion.


    Yao Yuan could be found within the retinue of soldiers. It was 8:55 AM when he finished checking his spacesuit and arms, but the person he was waiting for still hadn¡¯t arrived.


    "Did you guys see Ren Tao?" Yao Yuan asked of his Black Star comrades that had congregated around him.


    They shook their heads in return. It was Ebon who said, "I¡¯m thankful that he¡¯s not here. I¡¯ve had it with that sissy. He and his sister are more burden than asset anyway. They¡¯ll only bring shame to the military and Homo Evolutis name!"


    Yao Yuan gave a wry smile and added, "It¡¯s alright. We each have our own goals to pursue in life. We can¡¯t really fault them for not going on a suicide mission. Furthermore, we¡¯ll need to leave some Homo Evolutis with Ol¡¯ Wong in case anything happens to us. Not all superhuman abilities are useful on the battlefield. In the end, it¡¯s also for the good of humanity, so¡­ let them be.


    "We¡¯ll start boarding now. Everyone, get on transport shuttle 1 while I alone shall pilot the shuttle. Over!"


    Following Yao Yuan¡¯s order, each unit leader led their team onto the transport shuttle. Yao Yuan noticed a slight commotion among the troops and realized it was caused by the team led by his nurse, Ji Jie. The nonplussed nurse caught Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes and stuck her tongue out at him before grabbing hold of the situation and continuing to lead her unit up the shuttle. Yao Yuan smiled in spite of himself.


    What Yao Yuan missed was the condescension and bloodlust that temporarily flashed across Ji Jie¡¯s features after their little exchange¡­ Finally, at 9 sharp, both shuttles left the Hope for the junkyard.


    Using the communicator, Yao Yuan maintained control over his troop through Ying.


    "Ying, a report on the situation within the transport shuttle," relayed Yao Yuan.


    "¡­Everything¡¯s normal," Ying replied, in his usual taciturn manner.


    "Then, we shall go according to plan. Follow the lights of the shuttle in front of you, but remember to change the shuttle¡¯s internal lights circuit over to a physical switch to minimize interference when we enter the 300 kilometers null zone. We will first return to that warship husk to salvage all of its valuables."


    After giving the orders, Yao Yuan¡¯s attention strayed to the 2 new buttons added to the shuttle¡¯s control panel and a sealed envelope beside them.


    Inside the envelope was a series of forbidden codes¡­ It was mankind¡¯s most powerful set of weapon at this time. It was the only effective offense Yao Yuan could levy against a large, AI-controlled robot fleet¡­ A high-yield tactical H-bomb!

 Chapter 123: Intention

    Chapter 123: Intention


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The nuclear weapon was a human invention that first arrived in the middle of the twentieth century. Of course, the earliest versions of these weapons of mass destruction were unlike the one wielded by Yao Yuan. They were nuclear fission-based bombs, more commonly known as atom bombs. Several decades after that, the H-bomb finally arrived at the scene. This new version, as its name suggests, used the power of molecular fusion between hydrogen atoms.


    This was mankind¡¯s most devastating creation, one that could easily cause its creator¡¯s extinction!


    Prior to this, mankind was pretty cavalier about their usage of weaponry and explosives, but that came to a screeching halt when it came to the usage of nuclear weapons. Caution was warranted because a single H-bomb could handily eradicate half of the Earth!


    Even 80 years later, the H-bomb still stood proudly atop the ranking of mankind¡¯s most dangerous weapon!


    During the few months prior to escaping Earth, the Yao Yuan-led Black Star Unit was busy scouring the world for supplies. Their focus was on renewable resources, seeds, talents, parts, and equipment. Weapons and heavy artillery, like tanks, were relegated to the sidelines and oftentimes jettisoned.


    The only exception was the H-bombs.


    Regretfully, his search turned up no promising result for a long time. Despite his strenuous effort and deep web of information, there was simply no nuclear weapon to be found. In an uncharacteristically kind gesture, it appeared like the escaped government officials had desensitized Earth¡¯s store of nuclear weapons before they absconded to prevent the chaotic masses from mindlessly blowing each other up. Yao Yuan didn¡¯t know whether he should thank or kill them¡­ However, on their final month on Earth, Yao Yuan happened upon the map of a secret military base encrypted within the Hope¡¯s central mainframe. Finally, 4 high-yield tactical H-bombs landed in his possession!


    The 4 missiles were hidden in a secret warehouse on the Hope. Even Guang Zhen needed the daily randomized password given by the central mainframe to access its location. A single misstep could blow up the Hope, so Yao Yuan had to be careful.


    Prior to this mission, Yao Yuan¡¯s conversation with Ren Tao had deeply unsettled the ship¡¯s leader. Other than that, both he and Zhang Heng were assaulted by an insidious feeling as the day of the mission neared. Finally, they had to admit that this mission would most likely be besieged by difficulties, and on that note, an H-bomb would be handy in clearing out a large robot fleet.


    Because of that, the shuttle piloted by Yao Yuan was fitted with an H-bomb missile that could only be launched by pressing the password-protected button. However, because the scale of the H-bomb¡¯s explosion was big enough to affect both shuttles, Yao Yuan understood fully that the button couldn¡¯t be pressed unless truly necessary. In other words, the button was no different from a self-destruct button¡­ They lost electrical current and contact after entering the null zone, but thanks to preventive measures, the lighting system was unaffected. Both shuttles glided swiftly towards the previous warship husk, the one where the exploration party almost perished.


    Electrical currents and signals returned when they were within 10 meters range of the warship husk. Guided by Yao Yuan, they returned to their previous landing spot. Yao Yuan stepped out of the shuttle after it had clamped itself to the warship floor. The transport shuttle shot out several ropes to entangle onto the husk¡¯s ceiling and wall fixtures. This allowed its passengers to rappel onto the husk.


    A roll-call was conducted to ensure all 301 were present on the warship. Then, the troop separated to carry out their pre-assigned objective. The Black Star Unit went to secure the area while the Homo Evolutis-led units started to comb the area. In just half an hour, the area around the entrance was cleared and they came back with about 12 alien devices and products. The lucrative salvage was more than what Yao Yuan had expected, and among them was a shiny, flat, circular object that for Yao Yuan looked most promising. The object had the appearance of a multimedia CD, and it brought joy to Yao Yuan¡¯s heart because at least now they wouldn¡¯t return empty-handed.


    "We¡¯ll move in slowly. Make sure the gap between each team isn¡¯t too big. Stay close to one another, but please be careful of friendly fire!"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s directive was aimed squarely at the new Homo Evolutis. After all, their inexperience might cause them to make such a rookie mistake. One could train forever in battle simulations, but the actual ordeal was bound to be something completely different.


    Finally, the troop reached the spot where they first ran into the tentacle robots. Yao Yuan switched over to a private line and asked, "Zhang Heng, do you feel any danger?"


    Zhang Heng shook his head. "None. Not even those that tell me we¡¯re being pursued. I believe we have cleared them out with the explosion."


    Yao Yuan nodded in agreement. As Zhang Heng moved ahead, he yelled after him, "Then do you feel the pressure of an omen¡­ like the calm before a storm, the inexplicable anxiety that always precedes a calamity?"


    Zhang Heng turned to look at Yao Yuan in surprise. He dithered before adding, "I do¡­ This feeling occurred to me even before we left the Hope, and it¡¯s only getting stronger. I¡¯m feeling extremely fidgety, but there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop it. Do you think it could be related to the warship that we¡¯re going to after this one?"


    "¡­You might be right, but no matter what, we need to push on. We can¡¯t abandon this mission," Yao Yuan sighed. He then patted Zhang Heng¡¯s shoulder and continued to lead the troop forward.


    The rest of the operation went smoothly. There was no robot left in the warship. After the Black Star Unit cleared the entire warship husk, all 301 of them sighed in relief. Other than the ones on guard duty, the rest of them started salvaging the husk for valuables. Slowly but surely, more discoveries started to appear. For example, a new music box was discovered. However, its system seemed to have been damaged because instead of music, a 3D image of a mysterious, blue plant appeared when it was activated.


    The image lasted for several seconds before going out completely. That seemed to have irrevocably broken the trinket because no matter how hard they tried after that, it remained inactive. Regardless, the box was definitely something worth looking into, so Yao Yuan happily added it to their salvage pile.


    The salvage operation took 3 and a half hours to complete. Under Yao Yuan¡¯s command, everyone returned obediently to the shuttles. It was time to move on to the next warship husk. This next husk was bigger than the one they were leaving behind and was further into the junkyard. It sat right in the middle of the course heading towards the central battleship, so either way, Yao Yuan¡¯s team had to pass it. Yao Yuan figured he might as well make this their next destination to collect both information and resources.


    Right when Yao Yuan planted himself before the control panel, Zhang Heng¡¯s voice came through the communicator, "Yao Yuan, be careful! The omen is at its strongest, something big is going to happen!"


    Yao Yuan responded instantly, "Everyone heard Zhang Heng, right? Be careful. In any case, Ying, I give you the power to decide whether to open the shuttle door to join in the fight or retreat should the situation arise."


    "¡­Yes, Sir." Came the reply.


    After that, the two shuttles returned to the null zone and all manner of electrical systems shut down again. Using the shuttles¡¯ weak lights as guidance, they headed slowly towards their next destination.


    The systems came back online 10 minutes later. Yao Yuan was dismayed when he turned to study the now online radar system.


    "Something¡¯s wrong! The location of the warship husk changed! It¡¯s obviously different from when we scanned it this morning! We¡¯ll reach it in 20 minutes, but it has moved away from the center of the junkyard!" Yao Yuan screamed through the communicator.


    "Qi Xiao Niao! Tell me under what circumstances would the husk move out towards the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter, but the route it took was neither horizontal nor vertical! Answer me!" Yao Yuan questioned agitatedly.


    "¡­Someone¡¯s controlling the husk?" This was the first hypothesis that came into Xiao Niao¡¯s mind when he activated his power, but he quickly vetoed it. "No, that¡¯s unlikely because any life force would have come up on the Hope¡¯s scanner. Plus, this husk has been confirmed to not contain a functional engine, so where would the force to move it come from¡­ That leaves us with the logical conclusion of¡­"


    "Something bounced it out of the junkyard from within!" Yao Yaun and Xiao Niao finished in unison.


    The reality of the situation finally dawning, Xiao Niao¡¯s face turned a sickening white and then ashy grey. The same happened to Yao Yuan several minutes later.


    "That something is heading towards the Hope! We must have missed it¡­ or it has the technology to go invisible?!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Going on a holiday tomorrow so releasing tomorrow''s chapter today :D

 Chapter 124: Forward!

    Chapter 124: Forward!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Both shuttles were suspended in the infinite cosmos, uncertain of whether to move forward or back.


    "Something¡¯s heading towards the Hope?"


    That was the first question asked after Yao Yuan came over to the transport shuttle and had everyone gathered. Many were initially surprised by Yao Yuan¡¯s sudden appearance, but the gravity of the situation immediately dawned with a look at Yao Yuan¡¯s fretful mannerism.


    A racket erupted the moment Yao Yuan shared his and Xiao Niao¡¯s hypothesis.


    The Hope¡¯s first space troopers agreed to the mission with the understanding that they would probably not return.


    The Hope was the entity that harbored their future. The spaceship had given them and their families a safe place to thrive after the nightmare on Earth. They were ready and willing to lay down their lives to protect humanity¡¯s last bastion of hope.


    The Hope was a self-contained environment. Cornered on all sides by the cosmos¡¯ impenetrable darkness, humanity had no one but itself. Albeit initially meant to be temporary, the Hope had become a veritable symbol of home for its 120,000 citizens.


    The Hope became the collective that the soldiers would voluntarily defend with their lives. The Hope was the final bulwark of humanity¡¯s future, and hope was more important than their individual lives. This pseudo-nationalistic sentiment had been fostering among the space troopers during the 6-month-long training, so it was only natural that they would not let the Hope be harmed. Furthermore, practically speaking, the space troopers would only end up starving to their deaths if the Hope were to fall!


    Therefore, many urged Yao Yuan to return the Hope. The troop was technically the Hope¡¯s only legitimate force of defense, so they had to save the Hope from the alien monstrosity¡¯s assault.


    "We can¡¯t go back!"


    Before Yao Yuan could get a word in, Xiao Niao interjected, "We won¡¯t be of any use even if we return. First, we¡¯re not even sure such a threat exists, and even if it does, what can we do if we can¡¯t even pinpoint its presence. The Hope had its radar aimed at the junkyard 24/7, but such a threat didn¡¯t even once appear on our system!


    "This elusive entity, if it does exist, is armed with a technology that evades our detection. We¡¯ll be of no use to the Hope even if we choose to return!"


    A soldier stood up to protest. "But we can¡¯t possibly sit here and watch the Hope go up in flames! The least we can do is to inform the main ship to warp. We¡¯ll be abandoned here, but at least the majority will be safe. Isn¡¯t that the right thing to do?"


    "What about the null zone?"


    It was finally Yao Yuan¡¯s turn to speak. "All our communicative and electrical signals are neutralized by the null zone¡­ Even the multi-frequency communicator couldn¡¯t hack through it! So should we try going back through it instead? Know that in the time we spent doing that, the enemy should have taken several laps in and out of the junkyard, that¡¯s how fast they move, so tell me, are there any other bright ideas?!"


    The cantankerous crowd was immediately silenced. They knew they couldn¡¯t possibly outrun the invisible threat. The combination of the null zone and the floating debris populating the junkyard conspired to slow them down.


    After further contemplation, Yao Yuan added, "There was no sign of tampering on the positioning of the debris and husks on the junkyard¡¯s outer perimeter, so the enemy intended to lure us in with a false sense of security. They knew that we couldn¡¯t possibly untangle ourselves from within the junkyard in a short amount of time!"


    "Then what shall we do?"


    A new Homo Evolutis broke down and cried, lamenting, "I still have a 1-year-old son on the Hope¡­ I¡¯d die before I would let anything happen to him and his mother!"


    That outburst lowered everyone¡¯s spirits. Helpless, they opted to shoot the messenger, whom in this case was Xiao Niao, because no one dared to train their ire at Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan also turned to Xiao Niao. "I too agree we shouldn¡¯t return. Since the Hope is out of our reach, what should we do now?"


    Xiao Niao once more submerged into his Thinker state. If one was to measure his temperature then, it would appear like he was suffering from high fever.


    "We press on deeper into the junkyard!"


    Xiao Niao replied, "As we can see from the pathway taken by the enemy, only this warship husk and a few other¡¯s positions have shifted. This meant that there is a direct pathway going from here to the main battleship!"


    "And¡­ What about it?" Yao Yuan already had a rough idea after Xiao Niao laid down his plan, but he enquired regardless.


    Xiao Niao shrugged. "Our next course of action depends on the accuracy of Ren Tao¡¯s hypothesis. If he¡¯s correct and there¡¯s no more life-forms existing within this junkyard, the true entity of that enemy that swept past us towards the Hope can only be the AI residing within the main battleship.


    We¡¯re going to bet on how evolved this AI is."


    Xiao Niao raised his voice. "First, I want everyone to step into this AI¡¯s shoes. Imagine that you¡¯re forever stuck inside this un-operational broken spaceship. You¡¯ve resigned yourself to this fate, but one day, another spaceship appears not far away from you using a space-warping technology so advanced that you¡¯ve not seen it before. Now, if the spaceship has such advanced technology, is it not fair to conclude that its occupants will be powerful enough to crush you with the flick of a finger? So what would you do if you¡¯re this AI?"


    The question was greeted with silence until Yao Yuan answered, "Go into in hiding. Since there¡¯s no other living organism inside the junkyard, my presence within it will probably go unnoticed. I shall hope that the powerful adversary will leave on its own before my existence is discovered."


    "Indeed," Xiao Niao explained, "and I would like to believe that this AI did exactly that. We¡¯ve been in this area for almost 1 year, and we¡¯ve no clue of its existence, do we? While we¡¯re examining the robot remains, it¡¯s only fair to speculate that the AI is also examining us in return¡­ And then a thought crossed its mind¡­ Why are the occupants of such a powerful spaceship so¡­ weak? Now, what will you do next if you¡¯re the AI?"


    "¡­Conduct a test." Yao Yuan offered.


    "True, the truth can only be revealed through a test! It needed to know the actual technological level of this spaceship, and only then would he decide what to do with it. The AI probably couldn¡¯t parse the Hope¡¯s drastic difference in technological level, so if I¡¯m not mistaken, it¡¯ll be cautious enough to not send its actual server to the Hope but send a robot fleet or a broken-off segment of the battleship that could carry the robot fleet to attack the Hope!" Xiao Niao concluded.


    Yao Yuan found Xiao Niao¡¯s inference to be logical and reliable. At the end of the day, mankind¡¯s technology on the Hope was too weak to defend against this invading AI.


    So the only chance of survival fell on his retinue of space troopers!


    "If that¡¯s the case, we shall follow this opened path and speed towards the heart of the junkyard. I believe it¡¯ll only take us 10 minutes to get there. After the location of this AI has been located¡­


    "We shall let him have a taste of mankind¡¯s ultimate weapon!"


    At the same time, Ren Tao was sitting in his room reading the newspaper while Chou Yue was busy setting up the table in preparation for lunch. Chou Yue glanced at Ren Tao and sighed. "I know you wanted to follow them, so why didn¡¯t you? I would''ve gladly gone with you."


    Ren Tao shrugged. "Who said I wanted to join them? I¡¯m not dumb enough to go on a suicide mission."


    "¡­Then why have you been reading the papers upside-down for the whole morning?" Chou Yue sighed again as she plopped herself down beside Ren Tao.


    "¡­I wanted to improve my upside-down reading skill, obviously," Ren Tao answered, without hesitation, fully dedicated to his ludicrous fa?ade.


    Chou Yue wasn¡¯t going to let him off so easily, but at that moment, an acute sense of danger surged through her heart. She yelled, "This is bad! Danger incoming!"


    Just as she finished, the lights in their room went off, and a moment later, the Hope was submerged into darkness. Then they started to float off the ground.


    Ren Tao intuited the cause in an instant. "We¡¯re under siege! The enemy, no, that AI must have slipped through the troops when they crossed the null zone! The Hope has been incapacitated!"


    "Quick! Chou Yue, follow me!"


    Ren Tao stretched out his hand towards where he thought Chou Yue was and the pair of them floated towards their room door. Lost in the darkness, Ren Tao slammed heavily into the wall.


    "Damn! Chou Yue, we have to get to the Barracks¡¯ military warehouse and put on spacesuits, or else¡­


    "We¡¯ll die within 30 minutes after the life support system goes down! The AI needn¡¯t even use the robot fleet, the entirety of the Hope will die of asphyxiation!"

 Chapter 125: The Cosmos-crossing Voice!

    Chapter 125: The Cosmos-crossing Voice!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Before Yao Yuan became the leader of the Black Star Unit, he came from a long line of influential government servants. He was the eldest son of his family and technically had a life of ease and luxury laid out for him since his birth. However, his family made the mistake of picking the wrong side during a period of political uncertainty and was snubbed by the eventual new government. Regardless, the sometimes abrasive and definitely condescending leadership style that had been imprinted by his family since he was child had stuck with Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t like the idea of lording over others, but he had to admit there were occasional uses for it.


    An example was now. A few minutes after both shuttles had decided to speed down the opened track, the Hope¡¯s lights disappeared. It could have warped, or worse¡­ Worry for the Hope weighed heavily on the troop¡¯s mind. The fact that they couldn¡¯t contact the Hope to be sure only added to the overall sense of anxiety.


    Reading the room, Yao Yuan knew his team was at the cusp of a mental breakdown. History had shown soldiers turning on each other or themselves in cases of extreme stress¡­ Identifying the issue and fixing it though were two distinct problems. Yao Yuan was at a loss on how to raise his troop¡¯s morale, because the loss of a home was not an easy void to climb out of.


    (Ol¡¯ Wong and everyone, I beg of you to please hold on. Thankfully, there were no signs of explosions or combat, but no matter what, please hold on until we can come back to save you!) Back on the Hope, Ren Tao and Chou Yue finally struggled out of their room. Generally speaking, the Hope¡¯s room doors normally opened and closed using electromagnetic power, but during a power outage, they reverted back to normal metallic doors. The exceptions were the doors for high security locales, like the room for the central mainframe and the H-bombs warehouse. These places would be on complete lockdown during blackouts.


    Darkness greeted the pair of adopted siblings after they stepped out of their room. They couldn¡¯t even see one step ahead of themselves!


    "Ren Tao, what are we to do now? We can¡¯t possibly find our way to the military warehouse in this darkness!" Chou Yue¡¯s voice was breaking and her grip on Ren Tao¡¯s hand tightened.


    Ren Tao replied consolingly, "Hold on to my hand and don¡¯t let go. Don¡¯t worry, I have a way!" After that, he took his first step into the darkness.


    Chou Yue slowly nudged her feet forward. The total darkness had eclipsed all of her senses other than that of her hearing. Clumsy like a person who had suddenly gone blind, she almost tripped, but that wouldn¡¯t have caused her any harm because they were in space.


    Ren Tao frowned at Chou Yue¡¯s ungainliness. Instead of wasting his time looking futilely around like Chou Yue, he had closed his eyes to feel his way forward. Certain that Chou Yue¡¯s clumsiness wouldn¡¯t be a one-time affair, he swept her into his arms and wrapped her elbow over his neck.


    "Wh¡­ what are you doing!?" Shocked by the sudden lift, Chou Yue started blushing.


    "Hush and stay still. Keep your power activated while we continue on to the warehouse¡­" Ren Tao replied as both of them floated ahead. Due to the zero-gravity environment, Ren Tao was more like guiding Chou Yue along in his arms instead of full-on carrying her. Using the wall as support, he glided them forward.


    After Chou Yue finally got used to the darkness, she noticed the current flowing through her hair. They were moving at an incredible speed. Curious, she asked, "Ren Tao, can you see in the dark? Is it some newfangled way of using your power?"


    "Nope, blind as a mouse. What, you think I was born with night vision?" Ren Tao replied sourly.


    "If that¡¯s the case, why are we moving so fast? Aren¡¯t you afraid of running into walls?" Chou Yue¡¯s interest piqued.


    "¡­Don¡¯t worry. I have the map of this ship memorized."


    At this moment, Ren Tao was no longer his usual oblivious self. Earnestness permeated his body as he guided Chou Yue to their destination. Their lodging was near the Barracks, so he knew they had the best chance of getting there before things took a turn for the worse. The lives of 120,000 people were on the line. He might not save them all, but¡­ at least Chou Yue will be safe!


    That was his most desperate wish.


    On the other end of the Hope, the blackout came when Bo Li and her team were busy analyzing the alien robot¡¯s tentacle arm. After a few seconds of expected silence, her lab exploded in chaos.


    "Keep calm," a frowning Bo Li ordered.


    Her order was immediately swamped by the pandemonium. Her team could barely hear her soft voice under normal circumstances, much less in such commotion.


    Frustrated, Bo Li lifted a metal rod and slammed it heavily on the metal desk. That silenced the room and everyone turned their heads towards Bo Li.


    "¡­It¡¯s obvious that the Hope¡¯s power supply ran into some problems. We¡¯ve lost the lighting, anti-gravitational system, and possibly the life support system. Therefore, experiment group 2, please activate the PM experimental prototype 1 next to you," Bo Li ordered, in a collected voice as if it was another day in the lab.


    The members from experiment group 2 were stunned by the sudden order and one of them said, "But Prof, the prototype hasn¡¯t been field tested before¡­ What if it fails?"


    "¡­It has been tested in many computer generated simulations, that¡¯s good enough. There¡¯s no other way; desperate times call for desperate measures. Activate it!" Bo Li replied sternly.


    "Yes, Prof. Activating PM experimental prototype 1!"


    Several seconds later, a globe of light appeared in the room. In the middle of the lab, a 2-meter-tall alien robot started to float off the ground, the light that came off of it illuminating the whole lab.


    (It¡¯s only logical that the alien robot will be immune to the interference of the null zone. A little tweaking to its algorithm and it could be used to our advantage¡­ Wait¡­ this means that we are in a null zone, so an alien warship is close to us?!) Bo Li went silent for a moment before telling her team, "We¡¯ll use PM prototype 1 as torchlight to move to the fifth floor. We¡¯ll bring along everyone that we see along the way. The fifth floor houses the Barracks, so it should be safer there."


    Bo Li¡¯s lab was in the fourth floor Academy¡­ A level that was loosely populated when compared to the levels below it. The Hope¡¯s lower 3 floors were the civilian levels, so the majority of the Hope¡¯s population was situated here.


    These three levels were the most affected when the power got cut off. The civilians got thrown into chaos the moment the lights went off. The panic only grew to greater heights when the electricity didn¡¯t come back after several minutes.


    The next part of the story happened in a school on the third level. The school had 3 grades: freshman, sophomore, and senior. In the sophomore grade, hundreds of people were in a panicked fit. Trapped in complete darkness and off solid ground, even the calmest of individuals started flailing about in dismay.


    Instead of acting out in panic, some shut down in fear and despair. One of them was Xi Kong¡­ The darkness, the helplessness, the panic¡­ they reminded her so much of her comatose days.


    "Please¡­ everyone stop¡­ fighting," Xi Kong said, in between sobs with her hands clamped over her ears.


    The people around her either didn¡¯t hear her or chose to ignore her, lost in the heat of the moment as they were.


    "Yes, I shall sing. My song will take my fear of darkness away like it always has. That¡¯ll definitely make things better¡­"


    Xi Kong started humming. Even though her voice was quickly swallowed by the din around her, she kept on singing as if pulled by a mysterious force. Slowly but surely, she submerged into a world of silence. The noisy crowd that suffocated her melted away, leaving an empty abyss behind. After that, orbs of light materialized around her. She searched but failed to spot the biggest of the lights that usually brought her warmth.


    She later found the warm light orb quite a distance away from where she was. However, even at such a distance, she could still feel the light¡¯s comforting caress.


    "I shall sing for you, the source that bring me solace in a world of darkness¡­"


    As Xi Kong got more immersed in her singing, more radiating orbs of light floated into her periphery and the chaos around her calmed. Lulled by the melody of her song, not only her class, but the entirety of the Hope relaxed, comforted by one another¡¯s supportive presence. Even though they couldn¡¯t physically see one another, a type of spiritual bond connecting every soul was threading through the Hope.


    At the same time, in the transport shuttle, a new Homo Evolutis slowly lifted his space rifle to his heart while drops of tears fell heavily on a locket around his neck. Within the locket was a picture of his son taken on his first birthday. The soldiers around him noticed his actions, but none of them moved to stop him. Even though none of the soldiers were openly weeping, when they looked at the distraught father, they found their inner despair reflected clearly in his eyes.


    The shuttles were inches away from the center of the junkyard, but it had been 10 minutes since the Hope had blinked out of existence¡­ It was a torturous 10 minutes that only culminated in despair.


    Right before the father pulled the trigger, a song drifted into his ear. In that instance, brilliance returned to his eyes. He shot up, "This is Nian Xi Kong¡¯s voice, the girl that got first place during the New Year party! I¡¯m sure because my wife is in love with her voice! It¡¯s true! I can hear her singing!"


    The buzz of excitement quickly caught up with the rest. They too started hearing the song and instinctively went searching for the source. Some ran to the window to check on the Hope while others ransacked the shuttle. Even after they closed their communicators, the song kept going, like a sweet, balmy, evening wind comforting their wary and anxious hearts.


    "This is amazing. They¡¯re still alive, the Hope is still there. Yes, my family is still alive!" The father jumped up in joy, swapping his tears of sorrow for those of joy.


    Even Yao Yuan¡¯s serious expression relaxed after hearing the song. He could pick out the message of calm that ran in the undercurrent of the song¡­ "The Anima¡­ Her song could traverse such a distance and even across the null zone¡­ this is beyond any scientific explanation¡­ But thanks to her, at least we know the Hope is still alive!"


    Yao Yuan picked up the communicator and yelled, "Be at the ready! We¡¯re moving into the center¡­ We¡¯re going to let that AI taste the despair that it has sent us into!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    "Good! Let¡¯s make this a good one!"


    "For the Hope!"


    The troop¡¯s morale returned with Xi Kong¡¯s song. It proved to be more effective than any inspirational speech that Yao Yuan could ever manage. Of course, the girl didn¡¯t know that her plea for comfort had incidentally solved Yao Yuan¡¯s biggest problem¡­ At the same time, in a room at the heart of the broken battleship was a creepy conglomerate of random electronic appliances. One would easily mistake it for a heap of trash if not for the active screen situated at the belly of the electronic beast. At this moment, a wall of text in an alien language was shown on it.


    The translated meaning was: Discovery of Soul-Web iseijin [1], Cosmic Adaptation Index (CAI) 840, identity analysis¡­ A caliber, grade S rarity, top priority. Destruction of spaceship cancelled. Assigning new mission: Capture Soul-Web iseijin, increase the creator¡¯s particle to its maximum coverage. Prioritize the capture of 4 other grade S cosmic adapters and 2 other super grade S cosmic adapters. Targets must be captured alive¡­ Simultaneously, outside of the Hope, on an almost invisible battleship fragment, almost 10,000 robots were aiming their arms at the Hope. At the end of their arms were the powerful Gaussian rifles. Just as they were going to annihilate the Hope, the light around their bodies shimmered. After that, they put down their weapons and rode the particle flux that came out their bottom spinning plates towards the Hope¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] Japanese term for alien.

 Chapter 126: Looking for a Way in!

    Chapter 126: Looking for a Way in!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­How can we find it? Xiao Niao!"


    Both shuttles had reached the center of the junkyard. Floating before them were about 10 gigantic battleship fragments, some of them even bigger than the Hope itself!


    Some of them were more than 10 kilometers long, and the biggest among them was more than 100 kilometers long, its size at least 10 times that of the Hope!


    The fact that they were once a functioning battleship created by an AI was beyond Yao Yuan¡¯s comprehension. Lumping together a galaxy-sized battleship willy-nilly was already in itself a mountainous task, much less one that was carefully designed and executed.


    Its extraordinariness aside, its enormity was a troublesome hindrance to a search and locate mission!


    It would be days before all 300 of them could complete searching the fragments. If done that way, the Hope would perish before they could even locate the AI.


    Xiao Niao laughed awkwardly as he shook his head. "I have no clue¡­ It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not trying, but this is simply impossible. Upwards of 10 battleship fragments is too big of a range to cover¡­"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s expression dimmed because he too knew the mission bordered on impossibility. However, they had to locate the AI with much expedience!


    "This AI is too sneaky. It refuses to send out any robots to attack us or defend itself because it knows that¡¯ll expose its location¡­" Xiao Niao said placatingly.


    Yao Yuan uttered angrily, "Its elusiveness is indeed our greatest problem. Sadly, our shuttles don¡¯t carry any long-ranged weapons like long-distance missiles or high-powered laser beams. We could have blown these fragments into smithereens instead of having to locate that damn AI manually!"


    Xiao Niao nodded. "That¡¯s true. I¡¯m afraid the AI has already figured out our technological level, and that¡¯s why it has such a cavalier attitude to our presence. It¡¯s a shame we only have 1 H-bomb¡­ No, wait a sec, we still have 1 H-bomb!"


    Yao Yuan looked at Xiao Niao curiously. "Yes, we do have 1 H-bomb, but do you really think 1 H-bomb could level this area? Do you know how big this place is? Wait, unless you mean¡­"


    "Yes, a warning shot!"


    Xiao Niao continued sincerely, "If we go back to our inferences, the mastermind behind the attack on the Hope is the AI hiding within these fragments. In other words, this AI is the brain for the body that consists of all the robots¡­ Due to its fear of the Hope''s greatly differing technology level, it sent out the robot fleet to assault the Hope while it stays behind. In this case, no matter whether the Hope ends up captured or the robot fleet gets destroyed, it¡¯ll be safely out of harm¡¯s way.


    "From that we can conclude that the AI is written with some sort of self-preserving algorithm. From a human perspective, we can say it fears death. Of course, the algorithm was probably written with its creator in mind, but since the alien civilization has already been wiped out, the subject of the algorithm most likely got rewritten to refer to itself.


    "If that¡¯s the case, after we launch the H-bomb at one of the fragments¡­"


    Yao Yuan considered for about 10 seconds after hearing the whole of Xiao Niao¡¯s plan and added, "That¡¯s probably that best chance we have at finding this AI¡­ Alright, let¡¯s do it."


    The plan was actually deceptively simple, which was to launch the H-bomb at a random battleship fragment. Since the AI wouldn¡¯t know how many H-bombs in total the 2 shuttles were carrying, it would have to prevent them from firing off more H-bombs lest one of them would hit where it was hiding. And when it made a move, its location would be revealed!


    "That¡¯s the entirety of plan. After I launch the H-bomb from the shuttle, Ying, you¡¯ll need to activate your Seeker power to observe any and all changes in our surroundings. Be it a flickering light or the appearance of a robot fleet, the location of any immediate response will probably point us towards the AI!" Yao Yuan explained.


    He then turned to Zhang Heng. "Zhang Heng, your mission is no less important. In case Ying¡¯s power can¡¯t pick up on any changes, we¡¯ll be relying on your Diviner power. It is only logical that the place that houses the AI is the spot that¡¯s the most heavily guarded. After the explosion, even if there are no outwards changes, there has to be systemic changes within that room, so use your power to locate it!"


    "Alright, everyone, that¡¯s the game plan. After the AI responds, we can¡¯t possibly afford to still float leisurely towards it, their Gaussian weaponry isn¡¯t something we could trifle with. That¡¯s why after the AI¡¯s location is known, these 2 shuttles will fly towards it at full speed and invade the fragment by crashing through the biggest opening available. So stand ready!"


    After delivering his orders, Yao Yuan retreated to his shuttle. He entered the password and pulled a small key from a string that hung around his neck. After inserting the key into the keyhole that appeared on the control panel, he turned it, and then a 10 second countdown appeared.


    "A nuclear explosion in space¡­ Not my first time witnessing it¡­" Yao Yuan mumbled as he moved to close the shuttle¡¯s windows. With that, Yao Yuan became isolated from the world outside other than scans of the shuttle¡¯s radar.


    10 seconds later, a large missile was launched from the shuttle. Propelled by rocket fuel, it flew right into a large battleship husk. As it made contact, a ball of light started radiating from within the husk. It glowed like a miniature sun before the vacuum weight of the cosmos eclipsed it. In that small period of time, almost 1/3 of the husk disappeared¡­ There was not much of a fanfare like it would have if it had exploded within an atmosphere. There was no mushroom cloud or radiating airwaves, but that only made to highlight the H-bomb¡¯s great power of devastation¡­ Within the shuttle, Ying stared directly at the floating fragments around them behind the protection of a pair of space-grade tinted binoculars. Blinded by the flash from the bomb, his tears kept falling. Nevertheless, he resisted the urge to blink, afraid of missing any important details. He would not fail the Hope¡­ About 5 seconds after the explosion, the shuttle trained its missile launcher at another husk¡­ Of course, it was all for show, but at that moment, Ying saw a few lights go off and sparks flying in one of the husks. It lasted for barely a second, but it was all captured by the Seeker¡¯s power!


    "Got it! Coordinates 67, 126, 71!" Ying screamed through the communication while guiding the transport shuttle towards it.


    The moment Yao Yuan received Ying¡¯s coordinates, he had triangulated them in his mind. The first coordinate referred to the front-back vertical distance of the target from Ying, positive number as forward, negative as back; the second coordinate referred to the horizontal distance, positive as top, negative as bottom; the last coordinate referred to the left-right vertical distance, positive as left, negative as right. Within seconds, the set of coordinates helped Yao Yuan ascertain that the target location was within their viewing range!


    "Charge!"


    Yao Yuan roared as he pushed his shuttle into full speed. Flames burst from behind the shuttle, and because his shuttle was a more advanced model than the transport shuttle, Yao Yuan reached the designated fragment in mere minutes. Unable to decelerate, Yao Yuan braced for impact as his shuttle slammed into the battleship through a tear on its wall. His shuttle turned into compressed metal and broken parts upon landing, and Yao Yuan should consider himself lucky that it didn¡¯t blow up in the process.


    The impact from the crash and whiplash from the seat belt made Yao Yuan feel like his bones were shattering. Ultimately, thanks to the protection of his spacesuit, the pain passed and he came off with a slight daze.


    Comparatively speaking, the transport shuttle was luckier. It was fitted with the latest particle flux jet apparatus. Its power at deceleration and acceleration was more powerful than Yao Yuan¡¯s shuttle even though it lacked consistency and stability. Regardless, because of this device, the transport shuttle remained in a comparatively acceptable state even after the crash landing. Other than some dents, it got off quite easily.


    Suddenly, Zhang Heng¡¯s voice came through the troop¡¯s communicator.


    "Be careful! A lot of danger sources¡­ the robots are coming for us!"

 Chapter 127: Might of the Homo Evolutis!

    Chapter 127: Might of the Homo Evolutis!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhang Heng¡¯s divination power was very well-known among the Hope¡¯s citizens, so much so that he was often stopped to predict humanity¡¯s future while he was out on his walks. These encounters made him feel equally humbled and frustrated.


    Compared to Chou Yue, whose power occasionally worked, Zhang Heng¡¯s power had become a hallmark of the Diviner. The description and entries on the Diviner kept by the Homo Evolutis faction was written with Zhang Heng in mind!


    His power was so strong that he had never once failed to predict a source of danger. What he had was more than a simple sixth sense, it was beyond scientific explanation because he could technically see into the future at this point.


    Other than the few Homo Evolutis, Yao Yuan¡¯s space troopers consisted of trained ex-military, including some from the American Delta Task Force. Trained soldiers that they were, after the troopers were formed, they put in extra effort to get to know their comrades because a strong bond was crucial on the battlefield. When they were doing their rounds, the Thinker, Xiao Niao and Diviner, Zhang Heng were the ones that held their interest the most.


    The Thinker was akin to an on-the-spot intelligence processing center, an important asset because many a times a secure feed of information could do wonders to turn the tide of battle. On the other hand, the Diviner was similar to a 24-hour alarm. Not only could he predict danger coming from mines, traps or ambushes wouldn¡¯t escape his detection either.


    Before the mission started, Yao Yuan had secretly ordered his Black Star members and these former special ops to look after both Xiao Niao and Zhang Heng because the 2 of them could very well decide the fate of the whole troop.


    Therefore, the moment Zhang Heng screamed his warning, everyone moved into their designated stations. Zhang Heng¡¯s power hadn¡¯t failed them before, so it was unlikely for him to be wrong now!


    Yao Yuan roared, "Stick to your pre-assigned units. Then 3 units will form a team because we don¡¯t have the luxury to scour the battleship as a complete troop anymore. Split up, but keep communications open. Spread out into the battleship. Priority 1 is to locate the AI. Demolish all robots that stand in the way!


    "Listen up, the Hope has lost its power for about 13 minutes. According to the Hope¡¯s size and population, its life support can only last for another 30 minutes. After that, the death count will start to climb, beginning with the babies and then the elderly¡­


    "Understand that we don¡¯t have much time left! We have to take out the AI as soon as possible!"


    Thanks to the 6-month-long training, the space troopers were familiar to moving in space. Using the mini particle flux propellers installed in their palms, they moved around into teams with exceptional balance. Within 10 seconds, all of the teams were formed, and each team¡¯s route was set.


    The teams started moving off until it was only Yao Yuan, Ebon, Lee, and Zhang Heng, as well as Xiao Niao, who had been ordered by Yao Yuan to stay behind beforehand.


    "We stick together as bait to lure the massive robot fleet away from everyone else," Yao Yuan explained, before ordering Zhang Heng to lead them towards the spot Zhang Heng felt the most robots would congregate.


    Along the way, Xiao Niao whistled as ruins of once-great halls and pavilions came into view. "So this is where the 4th revolution will get us¡­ They do look more advanced that what we have now. Luckily, it was a junkyard we stumbled into and not an actual alien battleship fleet. Who knows what disastrous fate would''ve befallen the Hope then."


    Yao Yuan agreed. "Indeed. We should definitely consider ourselves lucky, because even the robots besieging us are half broken. Their outer shell may be indestructible by our standards, but years of disuse has exposed many soft spots. Plus, the internal chip prevents them from using the Gaussian weapons within the spaceship, also giving us the upper hand. Let¡¯s not forget we have numbers on our side too.


    "Other than that, this battleship itself is barely standing. Even if it was originally fitted with a defense mechanism, I¡¯m pretty sure more than 90 percent of it isn¡¯t working. The robots should be our only worry. With everything balancing out, I¡¯d say we have a 50-50 chance of winning this. The only thing that can tip the scales in our favor is time, so we must earn the rest as much time as we possibly can from the robots!"


    Suddenly, Zhang Heng frowned and yelled, "There¡¯re at least 10 robots gathering at the room at the end of this corridor!"


    Yao Yuan slipped instantly into motion. Unbuckling his Gaussian guns, he fired relentlessly down the darkened corridor. After about 3 rounds, he shifted the trajectory angle and launched yet another hail of bullets. He stopped 8 seconds later and sheathed the guns. When the group reached the field, about 15 robots laid in broken heaps on the floor.


    "Lastly, we have one important advantage over the AI: the Homo Evolutis¡­ Don¡¯t forget that as the All-Rounder, I too can divine their location!" Yao Yuan said lightly, before moving on.


    Needless to say, there were other robots patrolling the battleship, and at least 5 teams had come into contact with them¡­ One of them was Ji Jie''s, Ying''s, and Liu Bai¡¯s units. Under Ying¡¯s leadership, they rushed relentlessly into the battleship¡¯s depths, making the most progress of all the teams. This was thanks to Ying¡¯s Seeker power. He believed that the AI had to be in the area that was the best preserved, as it would have the power structure to keep it alive. By analyzing the different routes¡¯ state of decay, Ying brought them ever closer to the AI¡¯s hiding spot!


    They were running down a long corridor that led to an open corridor when a gauntlet of robots appeared at the pavilion entrance, blocking their way. Before long, more robots appeared on both ends, and they found themselves cornered in the middle of the corridor.


    "It seems like my navigation is correct. The AI must be down this corridor and not far from that pavilion. I¡¯ve paged for help, but all the nearby teams appear to have their hands full as well. We¡¯re on our own."


    Ying added, in his usual clipped manner, "I need 3 volunteers¡­ These here are 3 N-Type hand grenades. One of these could level everything within a 300 meter radius and has almost double the blast range. There aren¡¯t many of these in stock, so only Black Star members have them. I volunteer because I¡¯m the only one who can tell the correct way, so I only need 2 more volunteers. To be fair to everyone, we¡¯ll leave it to fate and do a random drawing. Everyone will throw their names in the hat, including the unit leaders. Is that fine with you, Liu Bai?"


    Liu Bai shrugged. "Of course I¡¯ll participate. How about you, Miss Ming? What¡¯s your decision?"


    With her head turned away from everyone else, staring straight ahead at the end of the corridor, she replied silkily, "I wonder¡­ Lieutenant Ying and Lieutenant Liu Bai, have you seen the video recorded by Captain Yao Yuan¡¯s spacesuit during his combat with the robots on the exploration mission?" Shielded from view, Ji Jie¡¯s eyes were burning with an almost unhinged, homicidal rancor.


    Ying and Liu Bai looked at each other before replying in unison, "We have."


    "Did the video not remind you of a dance¡­ a dance that transcends the shackles of life, one that glides gracefully between it and death? Watching it, I was visited by an idea¡­ You see, perhaps that is the thing that separates us Homo Evolutis from the filthy banalities of the common folk, the ability to stare death in its eyes and make an art out of it. With that in mind, I feel we should¡­"


    Activating the propeller in her spacesuit, Ji Jie slipped through a soldier standing beside her and swiped the Gaussian gun that hung on his waist. Unsheathing one of her own, Ji Jie shot down the corridor in the speed of light.


    The moment she stepped out of the corridor, Ji Jie pressed her feet against the floor and, using the rebound, lifted herself up into the air. The moment her feet lifted off the ground, the spot she was on was already riddled with bullet holes, a few stray shots even blew the few soldiers who stood in the front deeper into the corridor.


    Riding the wind, Ji Jie was submerged into a world of silence.


    (First the power of Perceptor, then comes Seeker and Diviner¡­ He must have used the Thinker¡¯s power as well to keep up the extreme level of multitasking¡­ Ahh, this rush, this dance with death¡­ It¡¯s a million times better than having an orgasm!) These thoughts were going through Ji Jie¡¯s mind as her body leaped to the top of the pavilion ceiling. Twisting her shoulders, and under the aid of the propeller, she did a somersault in mid-air to turn her body around. Bowing her leg that connected with the ceiling, she launched herself straight as an arrow towards the ground. A row of bullet holes followed behind her, marking her impossible trail.


    Then she started retaliating!


    About 8 robots that separately crawled on the floor, climbed the wall, and floated in the air exploded in a shower of lightning sparks and metallic parts!


    (Yes! The All-Rounder¡­ is unsurprisingly the height of all Homo Evolutis! He¡¯s definitely the only one who is worthy of being my mate! The rest of the Homo Evolutis could be allowed to live if they swear a life of slavery to me¡­ And the other useless human beings must be exterminated like the bugs that they are! But I shouldn¡¯t get ahead of myself. I still need to earn his trust and infiltrate these people¡¯s highest authority, only then can I¡­)

 Chapter 128: Rescue Mission!

    Chapter 128: Rescue Mission!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Following the cessation of the Hope¡¯s power and consequently life support and anti-gravitational systems, even the Barracks was sent into alarm. However, Guang Zhen¡¯s intervention quickly brought the situation back under control. The army was quickly corralled under Guang Zhen¡¯s leadership.


    Guang Zhen immediately gave out spacesuits and weapons, but unfortunately, the spacesuits were of the older version. Their flexibility and defense paled considerably behind the aerospace combat suit prototype 2s; the weapons were normal rifles, and those unfamiliar with using them in space would end up getting injured by the impressive recoil, an effect that would greatly harm one¡¯s accuracy.


    Regardless, Guang Zhen had to give them out because they were still better than facing the unknown threat empty-handed. With the Hope on complete shut-down, as acting captain, he needed the army to help him find out what was happening.


    "What? Even the communicators within the spacesuits are not working? Same with their life-support system? Only the light source installed with a physical switch is working?" Guang Zhen¡¯s heart chilled the moment he heard such reports from his soldiers.


    "This is the effect of the null zone! But why is there a null zone so near the Hope?" standing in front of the military warehouse, Guang Zhen yelled.


    "That¡¯s because we¡¯re being invaded by the alien AI!"


    A voice pierced the commotion, answering Guang Zhen¡¯s question. The soldiers trained their lights at its source, revealing Ren Tao floating towards them, with Chou Yue in tow.


    Catching his breath, Ren Tao added, "An AI-controlled battleship or warship piece is within 300 kilometers range of the Hope! That¡¯s the only explanation to why the Hope¡¯s electrical structure is completely fried with only those devices installed with physical switches still working!"


    Spotting Ren Tao, energy could be heard returning to Guang Zhen¡¯s voice as he said, "Then we shall hurry the Academy to resolve this null zone and activate the Hope¡¯s power reserve in the meantime¡­"


    Ren Tao sighed inwardly before interrupting, "That would be a waste of time. The scientists have spent 6 months deciphering this null zone to no avail. What are the chances they¡¯re going to reach a breakthrough now? Plus, this is not a power shortage issue. The null zone doesn¡¯t drain the Hope of its power, it merely blocks it. What we need desperately is a device that can help channel electrical currents and signals, bypassing the null zone¡¯s interference! We don¡¯t have the time to waste on anything else!"


    Guang Zhen hesitated before asking Ren Tao, "Then what do you suggest we do now? It¡¯s my understanding that life support can only hold on for another 30 minutes before the death toll starts to rise. As the Thinker, do you have any plan in mind?"


    "H-bombs!" Ren Tao replied firmly. "Yao Yuan told me that the Hope brought 4 H-bombs when it left Earth. The space troopers took 1 with them, so we should have 3 left. We¡¯ll transport one of them into the warship husk using a shuttle. The Hope can only be saved with an explosion!"


    Even though Guang Zhen was not a Homo Evolutis, he still retained his cautiousness from his days as a Special Ops leader. He gave Ren Tao¡¯s suggestion much thought, especially since this deeply concerned humanity¡¯s future.


    "No, it won¡¯t work! Even though I know the storage location of the H-bombs, the place is locked behind a password-coded door. Firstly, unlike the normal doors, the place will be on complete lockdown should the power cut out. Secondly, using the H-bomb requires several sets of codes, and those are randomly updated by the central mainframe daily. Since all signals and currents are blocked, doesn¡¯t that mean the mainframe is down as well? Thirdly, what we have on the Hope now are earlier versions of the shuttles, and their propulsion system is controlled via signals. They couldn¡¯t even fly in the null zone, furthermore¡­


    "Wouldn¡¯t they be shot down by the robots the moment they leave the Hope?"


    Suddenly, a glowing presence slid into the area.


    The soldiers instantly trained their arms at it and were shocked to realize the glow was surrounding an alien robot!


    Bo Li, who led a group of scientists behind it, quickly stepped out and said, "Don¡¯t shoot! This is a robot recovered by my lab. I¡¯ve rewritten its program, so it is of no harm to us."


    Guang Zhen waved his hand and the soldiers put down their weapons. Many stared at the robot in awe, and their collective concern was voiced by Guang Zhen when he said, "This is impossible! The Academy has spent 6 months studying these robots, and even though they¡¯ve managed some inroads, especially regarding their processor and energy system, the consensus is that their technology is too far ahead of ours. How could you possibly overwrite its internal program?"


    Bo Li pointed at her head. "You have the Whisperer¡¯s power to thank for that. Do you guys seriously think I¡¯ve spent the last 6 months idling in the lab? Anyway, now is not the time to discuss that. I couldn¡¯t help but overheard your conversation, and honestly, Ren Tao¡¯s plan is the only way to save the Hope. I support him."


    Guang Zhen hesitated. "But the blockages¡­"


    Bo Li motioned at her robot. "This robot here is immune to the effect of the null zone and can help override that interference in other devices as well. However, he can¡¯t replace the central mainframe because his CPU is restricted. Therefore, activating parts of the Hope should be of no issue. We can use him to open the H-bombs storage door and then again to retrieve the codes from the mainframe. Lastly, he can be used as a propeller to push the loaded shuttle into the husk. Its particle accelerator is more powerful than the shuttle¡¯s rocket propellers anyway. Furthermore¡­"


    "We can make use of its ID signal too, right?" Ren Tao asked excitedly. "The enemy robots won¡¯t view him as a threat because they share a similar ID signal. Since the robots¡¯ CPUs are heavily restricted, they wouldn¡¯t be able to detect that Bo Li has hacked into this robot. It¡¯s brilliant!"


    Bo Li nodded silently.


    With all the issues solved, Guang Zhen said hurriedly, "If that¡¯s the case, we shall move to the H-bombs warehouse now. But damn, I didn¡¯t think we would be invaded so soon¡­ Everyone, let¡¯s move out!" Then he led everyone to their destination.


    On the way, overwhelmed by curiosity, Guang Zhen asked, "Ren Tao, as a thinker, I didn¡¯t believe you would come up with a hapless plan like the one you¡¯ve just described. You couldn¡¯t have predicted Bo Li¡¯s appearance, so you must have a plan B¡­ A trump card so to speak. Tell me, what is it?"


    Ren Tao laughed wryly. Now he understood why Yao Yuan had such deep trust in his second-in-command. Guang Zhen was not one that could be easily fooled. He believed that in such situations, honesty was the best policy, so he answered, "My trump card is the UFO¡­ Don¡¯t be so surprised that I know of its existence. The Thinker is useless without a firm grasp of information, so Yao Yuan realized it was not to his benefit holding information back from me. The UFO¡¯s technology is higher than that of the junkyard, so much so that we couldn¡¯t tell which industrial revolution it would place itself in.


    "Regardless, it is certain that its technology is greater than the AI''s. Then, it goes without saying that it would be immune to the null zone¡¯s interference. If all else fails, we¡¯ll have to hope that it¡¯ll step in¡­ After all, it has stayed hidden for all this while and not lifted a finger against us¡­ one has to ask ''why.'' Is it for purely observation, or something more? Either way, even though we might be as insignificant as ants, we are still valuable assets for whatever purpose it has in mind. On this point alone, I doubt it¡¯ll allow us be wiped out by an external force¡­"


    Ren Tao sighed before adding, "The Thinker¡¯s plan isn¡¯t fool-proof. When there¡¯s a lack of variables, one can only gamble and leave it up to God, which in this case is the UFO¡­ I understand it¡¯s a giant gamble, but that¡¯s the only solution¡­ that is until, like you said, Bo Li appeared like a ray of hope in the dark."


    Guang Zhen didn¡¯t pursue the conversation because they were close to their destination. With Guang Zhen¡¯s help, Bo Li¡¯s robot hacked into the electronic lock by intercepting its internal wiring and overriding the lock using the robot¡¯s processor. After that, the door came back online and gradually opened to reveal a large space that housed 3 giant missiles.


    They were mankind¡¯s greatest weapon at this time¡­ 3 high-yield tactical H-bombs!

 Chapter 129: Electromagnetic Shield!

    Chapter 129: Electromagnetic Shield!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­142 fatalities so far, including 1 Homo Evolutis¡­ Such heavy casualties¡­"


    As the space troopers pushed deeper into the battleship, the death count kept increasing in Yao Yuan¡¯s field report. Based on the reports thus far, the space troopers had suffered more than 50 percent fatality rate, and it showed no sign of decreasing!


    Yet they pressed onwards, riding on both battlefield fervor and the need to protect their families back on the Hope. The closer they got to the AI, the more robot guards they encountered.


    The robot fleet was separated into smaller cavalcades to face the space trooper units of differing sizes, a sound sign that they were managed by an overseer AI. However, with all its intelligence, the AI underestimated one crucial detail¡­ The combative power of the Homo Evolutis!


    Even those newly recruited Homo Evolutis adapted seamlessly into space combat like fish to water. Faced with challenges like a zero-gravity environment, multi-dimensional combat, and multi-layered tactics, they still managed to maintain an upper hand over the robots!


    Based on Yao Yuan¡¯s observation, of all the superhuman powers, the Perceptor¡¯s was the most suitable for combative situations. Compared to other powers, the Perceptors seemed destined to be used in battles, and the Perceptors happened to be the majority among the Homo Evolutis!


    Along the way, Yao Yuan¡¯s unit had demolished more than a thousand robots. Simultaneously, this meant that they had the most robot guards on their tail. However, with Zhang Heng¡¯s help, they managed to evade death by using the broken down battleship to their advantage by scurrying through broken down walls as well as debris that could be used as stairs. Anxious for their capture or death, the AI had sent more than 10,000 robots on their pursuit!


    Currently, they were on their way to meet up with Ying¡¯s unit because Ying¡¯s report said that they were extremely close to the AI¡¯s hiding spot but were being held back by a large group of robot guards. With such valuable information, Yao Yuan had no choice but to rush to liaise with Ying¡¯s unit even if it meant bringing the 10,000 robots with him. The lethal cat-and-mouse game would only be stopped after the AI has been disposed of, after all.


    When Yao Yuan arrived at the pavilion, he found Ying¡¯s unit finishing off the last few robots. As the robots crumbled to the ground, Yao Yuan found himself stunned beyond words¡­ There were around 2,000 robot carcasses around the area, but Ying¡¯s unit had suffered no casualties¡­ When had Ying¡¯s unit become so unstoppable?


    "It¡¯s not us¡­ It¡¯s her, she¡¯s unbelievable¡­ You should have seen it¡­ It was like what happened with you on the exploration mission. She basically danced between hails of bullets darting around the pavilion. There were no nooks or crannies that she didn¡¯t use. I wouldn¡¯t have believed it if I didn¡¯t see it with my own eyes. Thanks to her help distracting most of the robots, we were able to clear out the area with hand grenades, but it seems like she¡¯s at her limit already," Ying said, while pointing at the repose Ji Jie.


    Yao Yuan followed Ying¡¯s finger and found a smiling Ji Jie sleeping on the floor. Her face was incredibly flushed, not unlike the final radiance that appeared on Jay before he collapsed. Then again, her expression was different. She didn¡¯t look like she was in pain but rather¡­ like a woman satisfied.


    Yao Yuan shook his head to clear his mind and said, "Bring her along, it looks like her Perceptor power is stronger than we anticipated, we can¡¯t leave her here¡­ Ying, lead the way! We have only 10 minutes left, quick!"


    Ying instantly activated his seeker power and pointed down a corridor. "This way, it looks the least damaged!"


    So everyone rushed down the path. With more than a handful of Homo Evolutis, and not to mention, Yao Yuan, the All-Rounder, they basically ran over everything that stood in their way.


    After they turned round several corridors, they arrived at an almost perfectly preserved central field. Other than a few broken apparatuses, the well-lit space was free from any perceptible damage. As they stepped into the area, some floating metallic plates surged towards them.


    Everyone immediately lifted their guns, but the plates stayed still even after several seconds. They waited patiently about 10 centimeters in front of their feet.


    "¡­This must be a means of transportation that can be used to replace walking," an awed Xiao Niao said. "It¡¯s amazing how much can change with just one additional industrial revolution¡­"


    Yao Yuan stopped to study the plates. They had a shiny surface and each was about 5 centimeters thick. In other words, there were probably tons of machinery parts inside. Yao Yuan believed they contained something that was similar to the stuff inside the round plates that held up the robots. They made up a horizontal escalator that relied on the static charge that worked between the plate and the battleship¡¯s metallic floor.


    "The AI is most likely in this area. Everyone, be careful; there has to be an ambush!" Yao Yuan said, before rushing headfirst into the field.


    Since there was the benefit of good lighting, they almost instantly managed to locate the spot where the robots gathered. It was a helical structure that seemed to be screwed into the battleship. It was tethered by pipes that were attached to the ceiling and walls of the battleship. At the building¡¯s conspicuous entrance, the entourage came upon a pair of robots that was obviously different from the ones they had faced so far!


    This robot had a humanoid appearance except for the fact that instead of legs, it had 6 spider-like appendages and 4 multi-jointed arms instead of 2. They were the best preserved of all the robots they¡¯d seen so far.


    However, Yao Yuan¡¯s team could still theoretically make mincemeat out of them with their Gaussian guns¡­ if not for the fact that they were immune to this threat!


    When the group arrived at the cluster of robots shielding the entrance, they made quick work of them. Several hundred robots perished under the combined fire of both Gaussian guns and space rifles. Unfortunately, 4 of their unit mates fell during the crossfire too¡­ Finally, only these 2 special robots remained. No matter whether they were hit with the Gaussian guns or space rifles, a shimmering layer would appear, neutralizing the bullets. In retaliation, their 4 arms changed into gun muzzles to return the bullet hell back at Yao Yuan¡¯s group. Furthermore, like actual spider legs, the 6 lower body appendages allowed them to stick onto and move around all surfaces with an incredible speed. The 4 fatalities were by their hands!


    "God damn it! Energy shield? We should have anticipated that they would have the technology¡­" An anxious Yao Yuan lamented. Even though the two robots traversed the area with great agility, they made sure they were 1 jump away from the entrance. Therefore, the plan to use bait was impossible. They had been stalled at a stalemate for about 5 minutes. As time stretched closer to the 30 minutes deadline, Yao Yuan started to sweat.


    Another person who was breaking out in cold sweat was Xiao Niao. He was almost shot down by the robot but was saved at the last minute by a soldier who courageously jumped in front of him. The mixture of shock and appreciation rendered him speechless.


    However, his brain kept turning, picking up on their surroundings, details that they had seen or missed, until a scene flashed in his mind. It was about the metallic plates that worked as transportation. He shouted, "No, it¡¯s not an energy shield! That¡¯s impossible with their technology. This is electromagnetic shield! They can only neutralize metallic objects! That¡¯s why all our bullets are useless. The way it works is¡­ is like how Magneto can stop bullets from hurting him in X-Men!"


    Yao Yuan stopped to process the information before reprimanding him. "Are you suggesting plastic bullets? Where are we to find plastic bullets now? Stop kidding! Damn, we didn¡¯t expect the AI to keep such a powerful technology in reserve. He purposely did not put it in the normal robots so that we couldn¡¯t possibly prepare for it!" As he finished, he threw his gun away and looked up at the red dot blinking at the top of his space helmet.


    Xiao Niao saw Yao Yuan¡¯s pupils moved upwards, so he yelled, "Yao Yuan! What you are trying to do?"


    Yao Yuan replied, with surprising calm, "Xiao Niao, thank you. You¡¯ve managed to figure out another important piece of valuable information at such a crucial time¡­ Your mission is officially at an end now, so leave the rest to us soldiers. Ying! I will get in close to the 2 robots. The spacesuit is made up of ceramic weave, so it should be safe from harm. Since their mechanical arms are jointed, that has to be their weak points. And if I can¡¯t incapacitate them, I¡¯ll use my body to entangle them in my grasp. Hopefully that¡¯ll be able to buy you fellas some time¡­


    "I¡¯ll leave the AI to you. Give it a good thrashing for me!"


    Before the rest of them could respond, Yao Yuan flew into the fray pushed by the propellers on his back.


    As they recovered from shock, both Ying and Liu Bai shouted, "As Black Stars, for glory!"


    "Or for death!"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s last words came back in an echo¡­

 Chapter 130: The Nameless One

    Chapter 130: The Nameless One


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Back on the Hope, Guang Zhen was leading a whole gang of people to the central mainframe. As they passed through the staircase, Guang Zhen sent a section of his soldiers down to the residential areas to help maintain order.


    However, all of their effort would be wasted if Bo Li¡¯s robot was unable to activate the central mainframe and retrieve from within it the codes necessary to access the H-bombs.


    Suddenly, Chou Yue shivered. She hesitated before whispering into Ren Tao¡¯s ears, "I¡¯m not sure whether it was me overthinking it, but I just sensed danger spreading through the Hope lowest 3 levels."


    Ren Tao asked hastily, "Danger? What kind of danger? Is it manmade or natural?"


    Chou Yue shook her head. "I can¡¯t tell for sure, but THEY are still some distance away, some of them moving at an unbelievable speed¡­"


    "Has to be the robots!"


    Ren Tao grabbed hold of Guang Zhen. "This is bad. The AI has sent robots to infiltrate the Hope. They¡¯re moving to strategic locations as we speak, we must hurry!"


    Guang Zhen was shocked by the sudden news. He had personally seen what the robots were capable of, their power of flight, and that Gaussian rifle that could tear through the barrier of sound and shred the Hope like soft cheese!


    Ren Tao noted the change in Guang Zhen¡¯s expression and said hurriedly, "Don¡¯t worry, since the robots are on the Hope, this means that the AI has no intention of destroying this ship. It¡¯s not too late¡­ as long as we still have a breath in us!"


    Guang Zhen alternated between worry and relief. Finally he issued an order between gritted teeth, "Move faster!" and the group increased in speed.


    In Guang Zhen¡¯s mind, the Hope¡¯s residential levels was already a soulless town¡­ But did that mean that they should just give up? He knew in his heart that the answer was no, but could they possibly take on the robot fleet on their own? Realistically, he realized it was unlikely!


    The fact that the Hope was left with only upwards of 100 combat suit prototype 2 and Gaussian gun prototype 2s aside, other than the few selected Homo Evolutis, none of the soldiers could conduct battle in space. Plus, they were inside the Hope. They had to be wary of harming the ship itself, so they couldn¡¯t be insouciant with the usage of their Gaussian guns. On the other hand, the robots could freely employ their Gaussian rifles¡­ One couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many human lives would be left after this ruthless massacre.


    Was their only possible future to rebuild with a small collection of human survivors? Was that even feasible in space? Wouldn¡¯t they be consumed wholly by the impenetrable darkness of the cosmos?


    With all these thoughts swirling in their minds, the group arrived at the central mainframe room, where they were joined by the soldiers that patrolled the area. The spherical robot guards that secured the area lay about in inactive heaps, not one showing signs of life.


    After a perfunctory report, Guang Zhen led everyone to the mainframe servers. Using an external keyboard, Bo Li controlled her robot to fuse its own wiring to that of the computer¡¯s. As the link was formed, the mainframe showed small signs of reviving, but regretfully, the alien robot alone was still too weak to power the Hope¡¯s mainframe!


    "Wait a minute. The information flow is too large. I¡¯ll need about 5 minutes to retrieve the details that we need!" Bo Li mumbled as she read the data that appeared on the screen hooked onto robot¡¯s chest.


    "5 minutes?!"


    Guang Zhen echoed as he snuck a peek as his watch. 20 minutes had passed since the lights went out, so they had another 10 minutes before they reached the critical stage. In other words, they needed to load the H-bomb onto the shuttle in 5 minutes and move it to the warship in the other remaining 5¡­ It was going to be a desperate race against time!


    At the same time, the UFO under the mainframe was radiating a pearly-white glow. The glow revealed semi-transparent dust particles that were dancing on its shell.


    A stream of information passed through the mainframe from the UFO into the robot, an exchange that was indiscernible by human eyes.


    The robot kept on processing silently as the seconds ticked by. Some of the soldiers started pacing around the area, working off their nerves.


    It took 4 minutes for several sets of codes to appear on the robot¡¯s chest. A scientist that stood beside Bo Li rushed forward with a notepad to scribble them down. With the codes in their grasp, Gaung Zhen said, "Quick, we need to get to the bridge. I¡¯ve sent some people to carry the H-bomb there beforehand. They should be ready by now! We only need to key in these codes to launch the missile!"


    They ran into no roadblocks on the way there, but they were weighted down by a heavy silence.


    The H-bomb itself was controlled via electronic signals, so the shuttle had to be within 10 meters off the warship before it could be launched¡­ The shuttle would definitely be consumed by the nuclear blast¡­ In other words, launching the H-bomb was a sacrifice mission!


    Humans are selfish by nature, so there was no volunteer to take on this mission. Everyone was waiting for someone braver to step forth. As Guang Zhen scanned the crowd, every pair of eyes instinctually shifted away¡­ Guang Zhen couldn¡¯t fault their nature because he knew every single soldier present would still complete the mission if he was to order them¡­ Much deliberation went into that choice because a single soldier was going to be responsible for saving tens of thousands of lives, and by extension, ensuring the continuity of human civilization.


    Human history hadn¡¯t seen 1 individual being labored with such important responsibility before¡­ Guang Zhen knew they only had 1 chance of getting it right. A candidate forced into the mission by the weight of his order might not have the focus to parse the timing, angles, and calibration perfectly to pull off a successful mission.


    If the missile missed its target, Guang Zhen would have to shoulder the blame of failing humanity. How desperate he wished for there to be a volunteer!


    "I¡¯ll do it!"


    Guang Zhen sighed, and added, in a calm voice, "I know how to pilot the shuttle, and I am part of the Black Star Unit and a Special Ops agent¡­ I¡¯m the perfect candidate for this job. Since Ol¡¯ Yao has placed the Hope in my care, it¡¯s only fair that I take on this responsibility. Everyone else, return to your stations. Be on the lookout for the robots¡­"


    Before Guang Zhen could finish, he felt something coming towards him from behind. He ducked instinctively, but because he had forgotten they were in space, he got the angle all wrong. Unable to avoid the blow, Guang Zhen fainted and slumped to the floor.


    His assailant was a young soldier. He knocked Guang Zhen out using the butt of his rifle. Everyone trained their weapons at him, and the young soldier tossed his weapon away without giving much resistance. He then said lightly, "Let me be the volunteer. I was the back-up unit for the space troopers but ultimately didn¡¯t make it in. I¡¯ve been through the training and simulations, plus I know how to pilot the shuttle. Most importantly, I hold no important position and am emotionally unattached¡­ No one will mourn my loss, so give me the codes and let me do this."


    Everyone put down their guns and went into silence. Bo Li squatted down to pull the codes out of Guang Zhen¡¯s hand. Handing it over to the young soldier, she said, "¡­anything else you want to say?"


    The young soldier accepted the codes with a candid smile, saying, "I believe I have said everything I want to say¡­ Actually, one final word: I love the Hope like it is my home. A place where neighbors smile at one another as everyone works towards a better future. It¡¯s a paradise on Earth¡­ or I should say, in space¡­" Then he put on his spacesuit and walked to the shuttle hangar where the robot was already waiting. It was programmed to carry the shuttle piloted by this young soldier towards the nearest alien signal relay¡­ the invisible battleship husk!


    "We didn¡¯t even catch his name," Chou Yue whispered.


    Ren Tao grimaced as the young soldier¡¯s final candid smile crossed his mind. He sighed, "It¡¯s always the nameless ones¡­ that surprise everyone."


    The soldier seated himself in the shuttle. He grabbed hold of the cross that hung from his neck and prayed as the Hope drifted further away from view.


    "God, please hear me. Please lend your aid to humanity by protecting the Hope, this slice of heaven where people exist in blissful harmony¡­


    "Amen!"

 Chapter 131: Courage!

    Chapter 131: Courage!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Yao Yuan propelled himself towards the pair of robots, he harbored neither reservation nor hope of coming out the other end alive! The odds were greatly stacked against him.


    He had no weapons and planned to tussle with the robots barehanded!


    The robots had guns, electromagnetic shields, and not to mention, 6 legs and 4 hands!


    If this was a movie, this scene would be where the hero sacrificed himself in a glorious death!


    Yao Yuan knew Homo Evolutis were uncannily strong in space combat, but there was ultimately a limit to that strength. One couldn¡¯t single-handedly change the course of nature even if one poured one¡¯s entire life in it¡­ (Fine, one last gamble! No, I can¡¯t die yet! The Hope still needs me! But I¡¯m so tired¡­What I¡¯m doing is evading responsibility! I can¡¯t let myself sink so low! I promised to lead humanity to a better future!) As Yao Yuan stared at the specter of death, all these indelible memories and commitments flashed through his mind.


    In his mind¡¯s eye, he could see 2 distinct Yao Yuans, one was the leader of the Hope and the rock humanity placed its faith on, while another was a loving husband who stood beside a beautiful young woman, teasing the baby cradled in her arms¡­ The dual images of himself seared themselves into Yao Yuan¡¯s mind even though they had only appeared for less than 1 second. Yao Yuan then trained his attention fully at the 2 humanoid robots.


    They had to be exemplary products of this alien civilization because there was, in total, so few of them. Other than that, Yao Yuan had some inkling about the electromagnetic shield, a technology partially mentioned by the Academy as possible future-tech, a shield produced by an electromagnetic device that could construct a strong static field without harming its user. Yao Yuan had seen it in action because the robots were metallic products, but they were obviously unharmed by the electromagnetic field.


    All of these were technological conditions that mankind still couldn¡¯t meet. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t mean that there wasn¡¯t improvement available for this technology. Unlike energy shields found in typical sci-fi, these electromagnetic shields could only defend against metallic threats, and they exhausted an enormous amount of energy. Furthermore, they only worked against fast-moving threats. For example, if one was to come at the shield with a slow-moving knife, it wouldn¡¯t be able to block it.


    Because of these weaknesses, Yao Yuan managed to engage the robots in close-quarter combat. Here was another sign that the shield wasn¡¯t perfect. If the shield was powerful enough to completely block all metallic objects, Yao Yuan wouldn¡¯t even be able to get near because there were metallic devices sewn into his spacesuit.


    As Yao Yuan jumped out of cover, the pair of robots trained their weapons at him and fired. Yao Yuan could feel the bullets slicing the air beside him.


    Yao Yuan dared not rush at the robots down a straight line. Instead, like Ji Jie, he flitted through the area, moving towards the robots from multiple angles. Thanks to his Perceptor power, every single one of his landing sites, flight time, angle, and rebound force were intuited with surgical precision. In less than 5 seconds, he found himself in front of one of the robots.


    With a powerful kick against the ground, Yao Yuan sprung straight into the air, aided by the propeller. Just as it appeared he was going way too far over the robot¡¯s reach, he grabbed at the robot¡¯s head as support, pulling himself back before latching on to the robot¡¯s back!


    Of course, the robot wasn¡¯t going to go down that easily. It turned its head 180 degrees around and its hands started spinning upwards. As Yao Yuan stared into the robot¡¯s glassy eyes, the 4 robotic arms were closing in on him like a metallic venus flytrap.


    Yao Yuan cursed loudly and then, using the robot¡¯s head as a fulcrum, spun out of its deadly grasp. The arms closed with a resounding clang. If he had leaped one second later, he would''ve been crushed!


    Simultaneously, the other robot fired another round of bullets at him. Stuck in mid-air, Yao Yuan knew it was physically impossible for him to evade. He bit down hard, preparing for the pain¡­ Surprisingly, none came. All of the bullets were caught in a shimmering shield before falling flatly to the ground. It turned out Yao Yuan was under the protection of the other robot¡¯s shield.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t stop to count his lucky stars. Instead, he grabbed onto one of the robot¡¯s arms and, using the propeller, flew once again up into the air. Using the arm as an axle, he started spinning in mid-air. He spun for 3 complete circles¡­ before everything resolved in a loud bang and a violent quake!


    Yao Yuan had twisted the arm off the robot¡¯s body. Flailing about in a shower of sparks, the arm flew about 10 meters away directly into a wall, bringing Yao Yuan with it.


    "Nice!"


    Yao Yuan yelled inwardly, while Ying, Liu Bai, Zhang Heng, and the rest yelled out loud. Acknowledging the break they need, Ying waved for his unit¡¯s attention and shouted, "Other than Zhang Heng and Xiao Niao, who have been tasked to stay, the rest, if you¡¯re not afraid of death, follow me!" Then he leaped out from behind his cover.


    Everyone else, both Homo Evolutis and normal soldiers included, followed suit, chanting a blood-raising war cry as they charged towards the room housing the AI. Both Zhang Heng and Xiao Niao stayed obediently put, more than a little disgruntled that they couldn¡¯t participate in the action.


    Finally noticing them, the pair of robots switched to focus on Ying and his party. However, they were ultimately too late. Yao Yuan slammed into one of them from afar, carrying it with him several meters away. The robot with 1 arm torn off was the one remaining. As it prepared to fire¡­ "For humanity!"


    One of the soldiers suddenly screamed. He already had his eyes close to the red dot before the robot made its move. With his propellers activated, he flew directly into the robot¡¯s trajectory line. Because he wasn¡¯t a Homo Evolutis, his body convulsed as the bullets made impact before blood spluttered out in floating pools from the many puncture wounds like a grotesque show.


    The soldier¡¯s last words still reverberated into everyone¡¯s communicator¡­ for humanity!


    The soldier¡¯s body was carried helplessly forward by the propellers and rammed hard into the robot. More blood oozed out upon impact, and tiny globules of blood started filling the air around them¡­ "Tell my wife that I love her!"


    Another soldier activated his propellers and knocked the robot down again before it could recover. Before the soldier could escape, 3 robotic arms surged towards him and impaled him. The arms pulled themselves apart and blood exploded in circular halos¡­ Watching the scene unfold, both Zhang Heng and Xiao Niao had tears flowing freely in their spacesuits. At that moment, they understood why people said that the road towards victory was paved with the blood of heroes and warriors!


    Zhang Heng suddenly growled. Activating his propellers, he too flew towards the robot. He was immediately followed by Xiao Niao. The pair followed the previous soldier¡¯s trail, right at the 1-arm-missing robot.


    When Ying saw Zhang Heng and Xiao Niao rushing forward, he cursed lividly. "Those 2 idiots¡­ Stop using your propellers! Leave the robot to the two of them! They are at least Homo Evolutis¡­ Damn it, quick, follow me! We will make the AI pay for pushing us to such crazy ends!"


    The rest of them followed Ying and Liu Bai silently deeper into the building. Unknown to many, their lips were already bleeding from grinding their teeth too hard, as angry, determined, and shocked as they were. They soldiered on with courage in their hearts¡­ a courage that stemmed from their willingness to lay down their lives for the safety of their families, the Hope, and humanity!


    Leading the team, no one noticed that Ying¡¯s lips were already bitten until they were blood red¡­ "You lovable dummy, I have a question for you. What do you think life is?"


    "Life? Being alive I suppose."


    "Wrong answer! Let me tell you, everyone has a different definition of what life is. Like how it¡¯s written in the book, for some it¡¯s heavier than a mountain, for others it¡¯s lighter than a feather. How about this, when you grow older and have a better understanding of life, could you tell me what it is?"


    "¡­Okay, I promise you."


    When Yao Yuan came to, he was hugging the robot¡¯s arm. He tried to twist it off, but the robot made use of his own force to throw him hard against the floor. He coughed out a mouthful of blood and then fainted.


    When he came to next, the robot was ready to slam him again into the floor. Putting every bit of his energy into his arms, Yao Yuan pushed himself up and leaped onto the robot¡¯s head. With a mighty roar, he pulled the head into a gridlock and, using the power provided by the propellers, twisted it off. The robot was finally forced into deactivation.


    "Life is courage."


    The courage to fight, the courage to live, and the courage to sacrifice oneself for others, the courage that was exemplified by Zhang Heng and Xiao Niao, who were still in combat with the robot, and the other 5 to 6 soldiers who gave their lives to aid humanity¡­ Tears slid down Yao Yuan¡¯s face. He looked at Zhang Heng and Xiao Niao keenly, but with a turn of his heel, he ran down the other direction, pursuing Ying and Liu Bai, heading towards the AI!

 Chapter 132: Victory!

    Chapter 132: Victory!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan rushed straight ahead. However, his speed started to slow because the energy of his propellers started to run out. Along the way, he saw 5 more bodies!


    Thankfully, neither Ying nor Liu Bai were among them. Weirdly enough, the bodies looked like they had been sliced through by a sharp wire, and their wounds had signs of burning. It was obvious that they had been killed by laser weapons!


    The corridor was set with laser traps.


    As Yao Yuan stepped into the corridor, he instantly noticed that something was off. The apparatus found in the area looked crude and arid; in other words, not products that corresponded to this civilization¡¯s technological status.


    "¡­Does this mean the AI wasn¡¯t born here but moved here after the battleship was destroyed?"


    Yao Yuan activated his Thinker¡¯s power to search for a logical answer. Depending on this answer, there could be 2 wildly different scenarios.


    If the AI was originally born here, then it meant that the AI had a similar importance as the Hope¡¯s central mainframe. This meant that the alien civilization would heavily guard this AI¡¯s existence, so the road ahead would be incredibly dangerous. Chances were he might perish before he could lay eyes on this AI.


    If, on the other hand, the AI moved here after the civilization met its end, that would mean that either the AI was, in some way, restricted by the aliens before they perished, or it had gained singularity while in service to its creators. Either way, in these cases, the AI had to rely on pre-existing tools for defense, and they wouldn¡¯t be as advanced as the AI itself, so things should be easier.


    While Yao Yuan was lost in his thought, he turned a corner to find Ying¡¯s party forming a barricade with their weapons trained in his direction. He quickly waved. "It¡¯s me! What¡¯s wrong? Why are we stopping?"


    Ying¡¯s party sighed in relief and their morale had a conspicuous raise. A few of them couldn¡¯t even get their words out, overwhelmed by excitement of seeing their captain.


    As expected of him, Ying explained calmly, "There¡¯s a wide laser field ahead blocking our way. We already had volunteers die going into it¡­ but so far, we still can¡¯t find the energy panel necessary to shut it down."


    "Use a hand grenade!"


    Yao Yuan said, without hesitation, and he retrieved from his toolkit one of those and passed it to Ying, adding, "I have 1 extra, here. Time¡¯s running out, 2 minutes, quick!"


    Ying took the grenade and yelled, "Get back behind the safety line! Prepare to storm ahead!" Then he pulled the safety pin off the grenade.


    After everyone scurried behind Yao Yuan, Ying activated his power to full capacity as he prepared to lob the grenade. The weight of the grenade, the arc, and the landing spot were intuited by his power. The Seeker¡¯s power was pretty much a godsend for a long-ranged snipers like him. As the grenade left his hand, Ying quickly scurried back. With a helpful pull from Yao Yuan, he slid behind the safety line.


    The corridor was blasted with a resounding boom. People tumbled to the floor while debris blown away by the blast flew dangerously over their heads. As the dust settled, Yao Yuan was the first to stand up. He strode to the end of the corridor and a giant crater came into view. Broken circuits littered the area, stray electricity surging everywhere.


    "Let¡¯s move! The ceramic weaved spacesuit is electric-proof! As long as none of the lasers are still functioning, we have nothing to fear!" Yao Yuan howled as he moved forward.


    There was not one shred of fear that still lingered among the troopers. After witnessing so many brave sacrifices, every one of them had stared directly at the abyss of death, and none looked away. With death-defying awareness, they followed Yao Yuan.


    After scurrying for so long in the dark, the first thing that hit them about the final room was its overwhelming brightness. In the middle of the room was an amalgamation of multiple reflective metallic plates that looked like solar panels. This weird amalgamation was also where hundreds of wires congregated. Its construction looked surprisingly haphazard, and with Yao Yuan¡¯s and Ying¡¯s Seeker powers, they saw that the connecting joints were also welded amateurishly.


    As they walked deeper into the room, the panels started blinking a phenomenon not unlike the synapses in our brains starting up.


    "Is this the AI?" Yao Yuan looked at the weird amalgamation closely. To be frank, it was totally different from the image of the AI he had in mind. From appearance alone, it was just a bunch of metal plates welded together with random wiring. It looked less impressive than the Hope¡¯s central mainframe. Yao Yuan had a hard time believing this was the mastermind behind The Hope¡¯s biggest threat yet.


    Regardless, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t intend to dawdle. He waved his hand in the air and everyone trained their weapons at the metal plates. Yao Yuan took out his last grenade, and just before he was going to remove the safety pin, a voice could be heard through everyone¡¯s communicators.


    "Iseijin, a proposal for collaboration. I have tons of technology that can, according to your lingo, usher in your 4th industrial revolution, and I¡¯ll even offer 3 items from your 5th industrial revolution that I¡¯ve bought from other iseijin merchant¡­"


    "Cut the crap!"


    Yao Yuan threw his grenade. The room was large enough that those standing at the entrance wouldn¡¯t be affected by the grenade blast. They stood staring ahead with steely gazes, unmoved by the AI¡¯s offer.


    "Yes, mankind still has a long way to go, but we will never stoop to liaising with a heartless AI¡­"


    Yao Yuan said, rather condescendingly. "There are definitely difficulties in store for us in the future, but I¡¯ll see that we overcome it with our own strength¡­ Now, 1 last parting word, have you not learned anything after scouring through our history like a desperate pervert?


    "We forgive but don¡¯t forget! Consider yourself lucky that we¡¯re only taking your 1 life in place of the many you¡¯ve taken! [1]"


    The grenade detonated above the heap of metal plates. The place started to collapse under pressure, and before long, the room was buried¡­ Simultaneously, outside of the Hope, the shuttle was still gliding towards the invisible battleship. As it passed the null zone, the electricity within the shuttle returned. The young soldier who was praying in genuflection leaped up and activated the shuttle¡¯s rocket propeller and scanner.


    "Freaking alien race! Here I come bearing gifts, a space fireworks show. I guarantee you¡¯ll love it!"


    The young soldier drew a cross on his chest and kissed the cross dangling from his neck. Then the shuttle started flying at full speed towards the battleship. At the same time, he entered the missile codes. He was going to fire the minute he got close enough!


    Unknown to him, the robot that was pushing the shuttle suddenly had the light wreathing its body changed. It stopped and returned to the Hope¡­ like it had started thinking on its own!


    Inside the shuttle, the young soldier wore a calm mask of acceptance. He sat steadily looking out the shuttle¡¯s back window¡­ looking at his home, the Hope.


    "Goodbye, Hope. Goodbye, fellow friends. Goodbye, Mary¡­ I wish you the best of luck."


    When the robot was about 20 kilometers away from the shuttle, the young soldier pressed the launch button without much ceremony. Small, metallic bits shot through the shuttle, piercing through the young man in the process. The next second, a blinding light emerged, a flash strong enough to rival that of a sun. It was followed by record-breaking heat and devastation¡­ 1 minute and 27 seconds after the explosion, the web of unknown particles covering the Hope disappeared, and following that, the Hope was suddenly bathed in light.


    Then the anti-gravitational and life-support systems kicked in. After that, it was the resuscitation of the central mainframe¡­ The glow around the robots that had been rampaging through the Hope capturing isolated targets and killing the rest shimmered and suddenly, all of them stopped moving¡­ They had won¡­ Mankind had won!


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] The original text is "We humans are the most violent and bloodthirsty beings! Don¡¯t look down on cornered humans!" which I felt doesn¡¯t flow well so I¡¯ve changed it.

 Chapter 133: Pain

    Chapter 133: Pain


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Fire! Bow! Salute!"


    Following the firing of blank ammunition, about 200 coffins were released into space. Among the crowd, some were openly weeping while others bowed their heads in grief. The soldiers present remained in a solemn salute.


    Of the 301 space troopers that left, only 33 returned!


    And, just like how Yao Yuan predicted, every single one of them returned a hero!


    According to the Academy¡¯s aftermath analysis, even though the battleship fragment near the Hope exploded, the robots would tear through the Hope from within.


    Thankfully, Yao Yuan managed to defeat the AI in the nick of time. With their overseer fallen, the robots lost their activity. In reality, they were still fully functional, patiently awaiting another set of orders.


    Today was the 7th day after the infiltration. According to Chinese customs, this special date was also known as Tou Qi [1].


    It was why all the surviving troopers, the Hope¡¯s military, the families of the deceased, reporters, members from House of Representatives, and 2,000 selected civilians were gathered at the ship¡¯s hangar for the Hope¡¯s third celestial burial.


    "Ceremony over!"


    All of the soldiers went at ease, but none of them moved nor chatted. They stood firmly, staring at the host of coffins that slowly drifted out of view. A mixture of pride and sadness mingled in their eyes¡­ Hardened by war, the remaining troopers stood transfixed and emotionless. Only when they were in the company of their families would they let their guard down and show emotion.


    This time Yao Yuan didn¡¯t slumber for 13 days like before. On the night of the 6th, as if someone was pulling him awake, he woke up to participate in the special burial.


    All through the ceremony, other than the host, none of the leading figures moved to the podium. The burial was conducted with extreme solemnity. At the end, other than the families, the rest dispersed in respectful silence.


    "Giving a speech to praise them would be an insult to their sacrifice!"


    On the way back, Yao Yuan told Barbie.


    No one knew the scope of their sacrifice if they weren¡¯t part of the troop. They fought, they struggled, and eventually they died, apart from and for their families on the Hope, whose fate was an unknown¡­ Having a gaudy celebration would only sully the memory of their heroic deeds!


    "Following the protocol, the records of their names, deeds, and combat videos will be saved into the central mainframe¡¯s history folder. Also, don¡¯t leave out that nameless hero. They¡¯ll be given the Hope¡¯s greatest honor, the hero badge. Actually, let me correct myself. Make sure to use the name ''Arnold Vett'' instead of ''the nameless hero.'' We must make sure humanity¡¯s future citizens know that they are alive because of these selfless people!"


    Barbie jotted everything down efficiently. Suddenly, Yao Yuan started coughing. The fit was so intense that some blood escaped into the air. Barbie quickly passed him a handkerchief and asked worriedly, "What¡¯s wrong, Captain? Are you OK?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head as he wiped the corner of his mouth with the handkerchief. "Don¡¯t worry. I injured my lungs during combat, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine after a good rest¡­ Then again, who has the time? The paperwork is already piling up in the captain¡¯s room."


    Barbie looked at Yao Yuan concernedly but kept her thoughts to herself.


    The week after the infiltration was spent in mourning. The robots had killed 1471 people. Because of the power outage, the number of babies who died from low temperature and lack of oxygen was 362.


    Combined with the casualty from the space troopers, the entirety of the Hope lost about 2,000 people!


    That was an astronomical number that would cause great effect for any non-warring city on Earth, much less one in space!


    For the Hope, the 2,000 loss was an unmitigated catastrophe! The Hope only had 120,000 people to begin with, so losing that many able-bodied adults in one go was, to say the least, worrying. The ratio of loss scope-wise was akin to the Earth being swallowed by a giant tsunami!


    After Yao Yuan came back from the funeral, he threw himself into the business of the citizens¡¯ death gratuity. Even though he had aid from Hall of Communications, there were still plenty of things that needed him to personally oversee.


    Other than civil business, there were other things to take care of as well¡­ "What do you mean none of the robots can be used? Are you kidding me? You¡¯re telling me all these robots'' resources can¡¯t be recycled?! Do you know how many lives have been lost to gather them!?" Yao Yuan fired with a voice no less than a roar.


    Sitting before him was Bo Li. The girl was barely there, tired as she was from a whole sleepless week going through upwards of 10,000 robots.


    "That¡¯s right. When you crushed the AI, the internal information processor for the robots was fried. These processors are like hearts for these robots. Without them, they can¡¯t possibly function," Bo Li said as she leaned forward lightly to take the cup of tea off the table and started sipping.


    Yao Yuan sat back down. Frustrated, he said, "But¡­ Damn it. So many robots with Gaussian guns and particle accelerators; we¡¯re talking about 10,000 of them on this ship alone! There has to be more in the junkyard, and now they¡¯re all useless. Damn it!"


    Bo Li¡¯s mouth curled up in a smile, but it was covered by the cup and quickly disappeared. "We can still salvage the parts. The Gaussian technology can be used to improve and perfect our Gaussian gun, while the particle accelerator could be used in the combat suit¡¯s propellers to increase its flight time and power. Even the robots'' shells are usable¡­ if we melt them down. They¡¯re made from a metal that is much more advanced than our current metallurgy technology, so I suggest we melt them down into blocks to be kept for future use."


    Yao Yuan sighed. "Understood, we¡¯ll follow what you suggest."


    Bo Li nodded slightly and set the cup down. Without another word, she made to leave the room. Suddenly, Yao Yuan called her name.


    Bo Li turned around to hear Yao Yuan say, in a heartfelt manner, "I want you know that your hard work doesn¡¯t go unnoticed, so¡­ thank you."


    A minute frown crossed Bo Li¡¯s brow. She stared at Yao Yuan seriously. After a long pause, she turned around and said, rather uncomfortably, "You¡­ are welcome. It¡¯s what I want to do. I love the Hope. I¡¯ll keep doing what I¡¯m doing even after you¡¯re dead."


    "Is that so?" Yao Yuan smiled in spite of himself. He stood up and moved to pat Bo Li on her head. "Either way, I do mean it when I say I appreciate your hard work¡­ Now, please go take a well-deserved sleep. It¡¯s going to be a long battle ahead."


    Bo Li slapped his hand away and harrumphed. "I¡¯ll sleep when I want to. For the record, I hate it when people touch my head, so this is the only time I¡¯ll allow it. Never again!" And she stormed out.


    Yao Yuan laughed, shaking his head. He returned to his table to greet the mountain of paperwork that awaited him. His heart was as heavy as the stack of files and reports that filled his table. Going through them, he couldn¡¯t help but harbor a dream in his heart¡­ Mankind, please get stronger!


    On the 9th day from the infiltration, the best friend trio of Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan met up at a park bench somewhere on the third level. Xiao Niao still had his arm in a cast because he had shattered his humerus. Doctors said he had to keep it in an arm sling for at least 4 months for it to fully recover. Then again, in the whole, Xiao Niao had to consider himself lucky because at least he was still alive¡­ "Bro, you must have lost your mind when you rushed in to face the robot. You have to be more careful out there." Qiu Qiu sighed, slapping his friend on his shoulder.


    Xiao Niao smiled rather bashfully before saying, "The man died for me, then there was blood everywhere¡­ I can¡¯t really explain it. It¡¯s a heat of the moment thing. Then again, didn¡¯t your unit face something similar? I heard Dan Dan almost bit the dust!"


    Dan Dan stared quietly at the passing crowd. The bag of snacks that usually could be found in his hand was missing. After a while he said, "I¡¯m thinking¡­ It¡¯s not so bad being a soldier. At least that way we can protect them from the pain that¡¯s written on their faces. Let us work hard to become good soldiers that can safeguard them against sadness. "


    There was a heavy solemnity among the passerbys, a reminder that for many, the pain in their hearts was still healing. Xiao Niao suddenly suggested, "How about the 3 of us form a special unit on our own? Needless to say, it¡¯s unofficial, but since the 3 of us are Homo Evolutis and have been best pals for so long, we should be able to work seamlessly with one another!"


    His friends agreed instantly. Then they started discussing the unit¡¯s name.


    "How about Kurosan Ren-sei [2]?"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] Tou Qi (Í·Æß) is the seventh day after the date of death. It is said the soul of the deceased returned to its body on this day.


    [2] San Ren-sei is a starting technique in Go that uses 3 pieces to set up the board. Kuro is the Japanese word for Black to stay in line with the Japanese influenced term. Kurosan Ren-sei refers to the trio unit that¡¯s within the bigger Black Star Unit.

 Chapter 134: Language

    Chapter 134: Language


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Attention, area number 2. Operation unit 6 is returning soon, please prepare the hangar for landing!"


    The time was now 1 and a half years after the historic infiltration¡­ Most if not all of the Hope¡¯s citizens had walked out of the miasma of grief. Life always moves on, and it was no different for life in space. As the saying goes, time heals everything, and its performance was nothing short of a miracle when smoothing over the pain that stemmed from the infiltration.


    Death gratuity was handled within a month of the burial. The families that lost their breadwinners were scripted into simple paying jobs and supplemented by monthly welfare. Similar to before, the education and living arrangements of their children and spouses were taken care for by the government.


    Sadly, the policy couldn¡¯t satisfy everyone, but at least these people had a place to voice their concerns and get heard. Unlike many of Earth''s governments, the Hope¡¯s government adopted a transparent administrative policy, and under Yao Yuan¡¯s watchful eye, there were no cases of authoritarian suppression. Part of the reason any misconduct could easily be detected was also because the Hope was such a small entity.


    Therefore, even though the infiltration greatly pained the people, they knew the fault wasn¡¯t to be aimed at their government. After all, their captain himself had led the space troopers to deal with the AI. They didn¡¯t come back unharmed either. Everyone had suffered losses. Thus, after receiving the compensation, everyone collectively decided to bury the hatchet and move on.


    As the Hope breathed this sigh of relief, the 3 bodies started to mobilize, their main affair being a complete exploration of this junkyard and the absorption of its technology into mankind¡¯s own. They were desperate to usher in the 4th industrial revolution!


    Yao Yuan, though, had a new philosophy before sending in the space troopers to help with exploration.


    He realized that numbers ultimately played a less than significant role in space combat, especially when the technological level was drastically different. Reviewing his combat with the 2 humanoid robots, he concluded sadly that the robots still held the upper hand even though they were grossly outnumbered by the troopers.


    Instead, the 2 important factors in space combat were proficiency and weaponry. These 2 would decide the outcome of the battle!


    With this philosophy in mind, he introduced more hierarchy into the space troopers. Every 3 Homo Evolutis would be leading a space combat unit, with one of them as the leader, the other 2 sub-leaders. Each leader would lead 9 normal soldiers, and there would be 10 30-man units in total. Therefore, Yao Yuan needed 30 Homo Evolutis¡­ He knew that was a tall order to fill, so he had to put virus X survivors as sub-leaders even though their powers were still latent. However, with their innate grasp of space combat, Yao Yuan was sure they would be proficient soldiers with some training.


    This new battalion of space troopers would be led by Yao Yuan. They called themselves the Black Star Troopers and naturally adopted the Black Star Unit¡¯s motto as its own: as Black Stars, for victory or for death!


    To facilitate a mass exploration, other than the battalion, the Hope needed transport. An increased productivity was thus induced, and the Workshop pushed out a new transport shuttle almost monthly during that 3 month period. These transport shuttles were simplified versions of themselves because their sole aim was to transport about 1,000 people to and from the junkyard. Since it still had to cross the null zone, there was no point installing anti-gravitational and life-support systems. Its passengers would rely on their own spacesuits for survival¡­ After all, the construction of a shuttle each month was made possible only after all these features were dropped!


    On the 2nd month after the infiltration, the newly formed Black Star Troopers escorted their first transport shuttle into the junkyard. Even though the AI had been killed and radar showed that there was no longer any robotic activity in the junkyard, the Hope still held its breath in worry, waiting for this exploration and salvage crew to return.


    Just to be sure, the Black Star troopers conducted a blanket search across the junkyard and its many husks to make sure there was no longer any danger. 2 months later, the search was complete, and the junkyard was confirmed to be safe!


    Finally, the members of the Academy and Workshop could enter the junkyard and witness the glory of this advanced alien civilization for themselves. They had been begging for this opportunity because only a hands-on approach could truly bring about necessary breakthroughs. This was the fifth month after the infiltration.


    So far, the Hope had created 6 transport shuttles, and they were on a 24-hour transport schedule. Almost every scientist, researcher, engineer, and technician had been into the junkyard. They could feel that they were at the cusp of welcoming mankind¡¯s 4th industrial revolution!


    "This is it! It is as I thought!"


    Now, we find ourselves in linguist Thompson Goby¡¯s room, where every available surface was covered by tomes and papers. One would be hard-pressed to find a free spot to stand. In the middle of the room, a 60 something man was yelling at the top of his lungs, waving a piece of paper about.


    Some time later, the man finally calmed down. His face flushed from excitement, he grabbed hold of the corner of the table for a push to get up. Numb from hours of sitting, his legs gave out and he fell flat against the floor. Undeterred, he pushed himself up and rushed out, screaming, "I¡¯ve solved it! The language in the music box! I¡¯ve finally solved it! The alien language, we can finally understand it!"


    Ever since the junkyard was open for exploration, the Academy had collected many more alien products, some blowing even the greatest scientists¡¯ mind. For example, there was an alien battery the size of common battery, but it had several tens of thousands of times its voltage! If fully charged, the battery could supply electricity to a flashlight for as long as 30 years!


    Other than that, there was also a video-screening apparatus. In the 21st century, mankind was introduced to 3D movies, but the 3D images were mere light shows. Within the junkyard, they found an electromagnetic projector that could produce actual 3D effects, effects that were not limited to projection on a screen but through the arrangement of electromagnetic particles and light, creating 3D images that could be imprinted onto any room! The moment Wa Luo heard about this technology, he approached Yao Yuan, volunteering himself to test it out. He said he had plenty of "action" movies that would be perfect for testing out this new technology¡­


    However, technology was not the same as science!


    Technology could inspire advancement in science, but the process was not as straight-forward as one would hope it to be. The technologies needed to be broken down and thoroughly studied before mankind could say they had a total grasp over it.


    What the Academy needed were theorems and formulae, the building blocks that form the technology, and not the technology itself!


    Sadly, mankind didn¡¯t understand the alien language. Even though they had salvaged plenty of reading material from the junkyard, they were all inaccessible due to the language barrier. Without the necessary translation, the books that sat in the Academy appeared to taunt the scientists day after day. They had a treasure trove of information, but they lacked the key to open it!


    The collective rage of the Academy was not one to be seen lightly.


    Therefore, a ton of pressure had been set on the group of linguists¡¯ shoulders.


    Translation was not an easy task though. Translating one human language into another was hard enough. One had to refer to books and experts on both cultures to bridge the cultural gap and language barrier.


    If the different cultures on Earth were hard to bridge, the difference in cultures between different alien civilizations was astronomical. For one, they couldn¡¯t even tell if this alien race was a mammalian race and as such had jointed tarsals conducive for writing. What if they evolved from bugs, or even plants?


    Language is the reservoir of a culture¡¯s history. It moves and changes according to its speaker¡¯s history. How could mankind begin to translate this alien language if they didn¡¯t even understand the history of this alien race?


    Then again, not all hope was lost, because among the books, some scientists spotted pages that contained pictures that looked suspiciously like scientific formulae. These pages contained icons that some speculated referred to numerals 0 to 9. After further analysis, it was found that they corresponded to common theories like the Pythagorean Theorem¡­ With side-by-side comparisons, mankind came up with a cipher to translate the aliens¡¯ language.


    As time passed, more inputs were added to the cipher until eventually it culminated in Thompson Goby¡¯s joyous celebration. Even though only rudimentary, mankind could finally translate and access the alien¡¯s knowledge!

 Chapter 135: Clarion Call of the Fourth Industrial Revolution!

    Chapter 135: Clarion Call of the Fourth Industrial Revolution!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­If we study this alien theory, the so-called creator¡¯s particle is a type of superpartner [1]! This superpartner, or sparticle, is the accompanying supersymmetrical particle mentioned in String Theory, and this creator¡¯s particle is the basis for the formation of the null zone."


    The one standing on the stage was Silewei. His face flushed with excitement, he continued, "According to String Theory, every property of an ordinary particle is determined by the vibrational state of the string. By manipulating the string, these sparticles become antimatter, which, after collision with its corresponding particles, creates mutual annihilation [2]!


    "Of course, this requires the alien race to be able to manipulate the string. This kind of technology¡­ no, this kind of godlike power is simply unbelievable. In any case, the formation of the null zone can now be understood to be caused by a device that forms this creator¡¯s particle. Its underlying theories and formulae can be found in page 34, where there are additional details¡­


    "¡­To conclude, these creator¡¯s particles, or antimatter sparticles, are formed by manipulating the string to create antimatter out of an ordinary particle¡¯s sparticle. In our case, the antimatter then collides with electrical signals to annihilate one another, creating the null zone.


    "Then, how do we defend ourselves against this sparticle? The answer again could be found in the book. Antimatter is rarely naturally-occurring. Whenever it¡¯s formed, the string will neutralize it using vibrations of similar frequency. It is like the cosmos doesn¡¯t like the presence of antimatter, which is the reason why is still a great physics mystery! Therefore, to form these antimatter sparticles, one requires a string vibrator, and we¡¯ve managed to salvage 3 of these still functional vibrators and many more of their parts from the junkyard. They shall be our focus within the next month!"


    Yao Yuan exited the conference room with his head spinning. As an expressionless Bo Li crossed in front of him, he stopped her by grabbing onto her shoulder. "Join me for dinner. I have some questions for you," he said, when she finally turned around to stare daggers him.


    "¡­Let go of me first." Bo Li almost yelled after she failed to struggle out of his grip.


    Yao Yuan released her with a chuckle. He then walked directly to the canteen, knowing full well that Bo Li would follow. Bo Li sighed inwardly before doing exactly that.


    "Are you familiar with the creator¡¯s particle?" Yao Yuan asked, while they were on the way there.


    Bo Li shrugged. "Of course."


    Yao Yuan shook his head, saying, "Looks like the era of dreadnought missiles people are waiting for is still a distance away."


    Bo Li continued, in an insolent tone, "The era of dreadnought missiles? I can¡¯t believe people still have hope for something as dumb as that. Even a robot era would make more sense than that; are they still living in 20th century Earth? Even then, they would know a giant ass dreadnought is not going to work in combat. They should be looking forward to either an aircraft carrier jet squad that combines both speed and power, or anti-space nuclear-powered space artillery. Dreadnought missile¡­ yeah right."


    Yao Yuan retorted, "It¡¯s not that hard to believe, really. If we didn¡¯t discover this creator¡¯s particle, the dreadnought missile might survive the 4th, 5th, or even 6th industrial revolutions. If the target is within range, the missile could take it down in less than a minute. Our current supermagnetic surveillance technology could triangulate coordination in under 10 seconds and lock on in just 1. Using a laser missile, the target could be shot down in just 1 second. Or even better, a Gaussian missile. The recently suggested Gaussian railgun, doesn¡¯t it have a purported ability of reaching 50 percent light speed? We could be taking down 1 enemy at every 50 seconds interval, especially when facing an enemy fleet.


    "However, the presence of this creator¡¯s particle has shoved all of these plans out the window. With the null zone activated, the possibility of long-ranged sniping becomes impossible. They could still snipe us after they have escaped the limit of the null zone, but we would have left using the particle accelerator by then.


    "Furthermore, when one is trapped within the null zone, no signal would be able to pass through the signal blockade¡­ This means that even if we had the dreadnought missile, it would be for show, or to torment a young civilization that doesn¡¯t have access to the creator¡¯s particle technology, like us before this¡­"


    Bo Li said mischievously, "Still thinking about those robots?"


    Yao Yuan laughed bitterly. "Of course. They became scrap metal before we could even retrieve the mini creator¡¯s particle isolators inside them. Those mini devices allow their carriers to neutralize the effect of the null zone in a range of 10 centimeter around itself."


    Bo Li shrugged. "Yup, they¡¯re all waste metal now. I¡¯ve ordered it so."


    Yao Yuan smiled and moved to tousle Bo Li¡¯s hair. She turned and leveled at him her death stare, which only made Yao Yuan break up in laughter. "In any case, for every positive, there¡¯s its negative. It is the same with the creator¡¯s particle vibrator and isolator. One is for offense, another defense. The similarity is that they both exhaust an incredible amount of energy in use. Especially for the isolator, to neutralize the antimatter, it has to keep on producing positive particles to contest the antimatter and balance the charge out. No wonder the robots don¡¯t patrol outside of the warship, it¡¯s too energy-consuming."


    After some reflection, Yao Yuan added, "Now that I think about it, this victory borders on the impossible. Our enemy has a device that neutralizes almost all of our arsenal, an electromagnetic shield that blocks all of our ammo, and an army big enough to run us over like bugs, but somehow we come out victorious. Granted we did suffer a huge loss as well, statistically speaking, we should''ve been wiped out. Thanks the gods that we somehow pulled through¡­ By the way, how¡¯s the data on the controllable polymerized reactor?"


    A glint returned to Bo Li¡¯s eyes now that they were talking about science. "According to preliminary results, we can definitely create controllable polymerized reactors using the electromagnetic technology to administer hydrogen isotopes, which allows us a degree of control over the reactor¡¯s polymerization rate. Regretfully, since our electromagnetic research is also still in its nascent state, the reactor could only be controlled to reach the same level of output as the Hope¡¯s current nuclear fission reactor. We still need a few months to reach the level you have in mind."


    Yao Yuan waved her off. "Time is not an issue. We¡¯ve salvaged much supplies from the junkyard, including a great store of heavy water [3], so don¡¯t worry. Plus, we¡¯ve already been here for almost 1 and a half years; what¡¯s another 1 and a half? The key is for us to enter the 4th industrial revolution, only then can we face the wide cosmos head-on¡­ This is too crucial for our survival!"


    Bo Li suddenly asked, "Now that I think about it, other than forming the new Black Star Troopers, you¡¯ve not mentioned the need to create new weaponry in there past 9 months. You know that the complete version of the Gaussian gun is already ready. With an order, my lab could mass produce up to tens of thousands of these weapons using the metal taken from the junkyard. Furthermore, research on the electromagnetic shield is also pretty much finished. Even though we still can¡¯t manufacture one big enough to fit the Hope or the shuttles, personal shields that can be attached to the combat suit are entirely possible to make. Not to mention the particle flux accelerator. If we could replace the rocket propellers on the shuttles with corpuscular streams¡­"


    "There¡¯s no need to rush." Yao Yuan smiled, interjecting, "Watching our technology improve on a daily basis, with new theories and technologies popping up every other day as study into the alien reading material goes deeper, it¡¯s a wonderful feeling¡­


    "I was not kidding when I said I mean for us to stay for another 1 and a half years here. We need the time to process all that we¡¯ve collected. There are simply way too many things to complete¡­ weaning off our reliance on rocket fuel to particle flux, fixing creator¡¯s particle isolators onto the shuttles, building and fitting the Hope with Gaussian railguns, ambitious plans involving the electromagnetic shields¡­"


    Yao Yuan spread his arms as if welcoming the bright future. "The fourth industrial revolution is going to be based in electromagnetic technology. The one step in scientific progress involves contribution from the fields of energy, superstring theory, genetics, and space tech. It means that we¡¯ve finally escaped from the confines of a singular solar system and are prepared to take on the whole cosmos. The 4th industrial revolution enables us to do all that¡­ or at least that¡¯s what''s been written into the alien books, right? According to their history, the 4th industrial revolution was when they truly stepped into an era of cosmic exploration.


    "I¡¯ve heard the clarion call for our 4th industrial revolution, so now is not the time for us to warp! We shall do no such thing to delay its arrival!


    "After all, isn¡¯t our life expectancy extended to 200-year-olds now? The genetic mesomeric effect [4] created by electromagnetism has been found to induce anti-aging and increases longevity. Look at Silewei, he¡¯s part of the test group, and hasn¡¯t his hair been showing brown roots lately?"


    Yao Yuan laughed heartily, adding, "Yes, I can hear the sound of the 4th industrial revolution¡­


    "And it couldn¡¯t have come sooner!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] In the Standard Model, all particles have an accompanying partner particle and they¡¯re called superpartners.


    [2] In particle physics, annihilation is the process that occurs when a subatomic particle collides with its respective antiparticle to produce other particle and energy. Sometimes the energy from the collision is strong enough to create black holes.


    [3] Heavy water or deuterium oxide has high molecular weight. It is used as a moderator of nuetrons in nuclear power plants.


    [4] The mesomeric effect in chemistry is a property of substituents or functional groups in a chemical compound. The effect is used in a qualitative way and describes the electron withdrawing or releasing properties of substituents based on relevant resonance structures and is symbolized by the letter M. How this technology can be used in genetics is still an unknown so this part is probably made up by the author.

 Chapter 136: Space Combat Jet Prototype 003

    Chapter 136: Space Combat Jet Prototype 003


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the Hope¡¯s robot infiltration!"


    Yao Yuan announced as he inaugurated the Hope¡¯s third New Year Party. It was televised all over the ship. His voice could be heard in every corner of the Hope.


    "We¡¯ve been through so much pain and grief, but at the same time, we¡¯ve held our heads high because we know our families and friends would want us to keep going strong.


    "In this past year, the Hope has welcomed more than 8,000 new babies. And in this year too, we have truly experienced what it means to live in space. Yes, it is official. We¡¯re officially stepping into our 4th industrial revolution! We can now proudly call ourselves a space civilization!


    "I want to take this opportunity to apologize to those affected by my decision two months ago to upgrade the Hope¡¯s reactors. There were migrations carried out all over the residential areas of the second floor. Representing the government, I apologize and thank you for your cooperation.


    "The upgrade¡¯s aim was to improve the existing reactor to become a controllable polymerized reactor. This new reactor is safer, and it exudes less pollution and radiation. Most importantly, by using hydrogen isotopes to create nuclear fission, its output is more than 10 times its previous version! The plan is to upgrade the remaining 2 reactors so that our warp limit of several hundred times can be increased to tens of thousands more times!


    "Furthermore, the element hydrogen is the most common thing in space, so we won¡¯t have to worry about running out like how it was with the radioactive ores. As long as the Hope is not seriously damaged, I promise you that the Hope can theoretically maintain a limitless amount of space-warps!"


    Here, Yao Yuan paused to let the news sink in. "Other than that, the 4th revolution will also usher in many other improvements. For example, the Academy is working on the computers taken from the junkyard. It was found that they employ electromagnetic hardware. If we can replicate the technology, our computer science field will greatly improve as well. I can already see a few 20 something youngsters in the crowd grinning. Yes, introduction of supermagnetized CPUs and hardware will probably make virtual companions a reality. Of course, this is a rudimentary improvement, so there¡¯s still a long way to go before we humans can exist as virtual presences."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s jab helped lighten the mood greatly. He continued, "Jokes aside, more technologies inspired by the 4th revolution will be continuously revealed in the next 6 months. First would be the upgrade of the Hope¡¯s power supply. The nuclear reactor will be changed into a hydrogen polymerized reactor. Following that will be an enhancement on the central mainframe. Supermagnetized chips and processors will be swapped in to replace the outdated parts so its computing power will see a 50 to 100 times increase. With that increase, the Hope can afford to support an additional 2 levels, a basement level underneath level 1, and a level 7 above the biomes, increasing the total height of the Hope to about 500 meters tall!


    "Of course, it¡¯ll take at least 1 and a half years to complete a project of this scale. Last but certainly not least, the genetic mesomeric resonator will be available in all main hospitals after the New Year. Just like how it was reported on the news, this device will help increase our life expectancy to about 200 years, and with future technological improvements, this number can only go up!"


    At this point, even Yao Yuan could barely contain his excitement. "So, on this date that marks our third year in space, let us rejoice!


    "The future is looking brighter and brighter for us humans!"


    Even though the event was held on the fifth floor, after he finished, Yao Yuan could hear loud cheers coming from the levels below him. Even the soldiers stationed on the fifth floor couldn¡¯t keep themselves from cheering out loud. There was nothing more exciting than personally testing new technology. Mankind had worked tirelessly and sacrificed much to reach this stage, so the pride underlying the joyous cheers couldn¡¯t be missed. It was finally time to reap the rewards!


    Barbie met him at the bottom of the stage. She smiled and said, "Major, I never knew you were such a good public speaker. You should give more speeches; I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll help motivate the public and improve the government¡¯s approval ratings."


    Yao Yuan smiled kindly. "My speaking skill has nothing to do with it; the news itself is incredibly exciting. The new technologies introduced in the past year almost rivals the total advancement made throughout mankind¡¯s own scientific history. Even though many of the technologies are still in the experimental stages and haven¡¯t seen public use, the news about the resonator alone would work wonders in hyping the crowd. They¡¯re not cheering on my speaking skill but the wonderful results earned by the Hope as a collective."


    Barbie smiled brightly in return. She didn¡¯t add much but walked silently beside Yao Yuan. Then she took out her notebook. "We have 20 minutes until the meeting to construct a new space combat jet¡­ But if you don¡¯t mind me being frank, why are you working on New Years? Major, you deserve a good rest; I¡¯m sure this meeting can be pushed off until after the New Year celebration."


    "Let¡¯s call it an end-of-year review. After all, the New Year only begins tomorrow, doesn¡¯t it? Starting tomorrow, the Hope will have a week-long holiday even though there are still many things waiting to be done. Off the top of my head, there¡¯s the reactors upgrade, which requires us to stop the crystal reactors to channel all of the ship¡¯s energy to conduct the upgrade. Other than that, the Hope¡¯s propulsion system, surveillance radar, and computer system all require necessary updates. The work that needs to be done on the Hope alone will take 1 to 2 years to complete, and we both know these are just tip of the iceberg.


    Yao Yuan paused to think before adding, "And we haven¡¯t even stopped to consider the other facets of the 4th revolution. For example, the engineering robots Bo Li¡¯s group is working on. Using a supermagnetized CPU, these mechanical wonders are slated to greatly decrease our reliance on human workforce and drastically increase the production rate for all the projects. Barbie, you have to understand that unlike pre-historic revolutions, modern day revolutions are facetious. It is called a revolution because it revolutionizes every aspects of the culture it changes!


    "If we hadn¡¯t stumbled into this junkyard, we humans would have to work for another 200 years before we could reach our current stage. Furthermore, let¡¯s not forget we are now merely toeing the technologies the 4th revolution could bring. There¡¯s still a long way to go before we can reach the height of this industrial revolution. That¡¯s why every single second is important and shouldn¡¯t be wasted."


    Yao Yuan stopped to stare at Barbie because he suddenly noticed that something had changed about his secretary¡­ He looked at her up and down before asking, "Your skin seems smoother¡­ Have you used the resonator?"


    Barbie¡¯s face turned as red as a robin¡¯s breast and she coughed lightly. "Major, if I remember correctly, getting teased is not in my job description¡­ Fine, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to convince you to rest anyway. You always have so many arguments to throw around¡­ By the way, do you have any plans for New Year?"


    Yao Yuan was so busy planning for the Hope that he forgot to plan his own holiday. After a long consideration, he confessed, "The week-long holiday? I guess I did forget to schedule anything. But I¡¯m sure something will come up, or I can use the downtime to catch up on my reading. There are many translated alien books sitting on my shelves¡­"


    Barbie knew Yao Yuan was going to start rattling off book titles, so she waved her hands to cut him off early, adding, "In any case, I¡¯m sure you can free one of the days up. I would like to invite you to join me at a ball."


    Before Yao Yuan rejected her, she added, "It¡¯s more like a gathering for all the government workers. So, as the leader of the government, I¡¯m sure many will hold you responsible if you decide to miss out on such an important function. I know you¡¯ve given out H-coin bonuses for the New Year, but this is a good opportunity to mingle with and feel out other important authority figures. So, what do you think?"


    After weighing the options, Yao Yuan finally said, "I suppose one night of socialization won¡¯t hurt."


    "Then it¡¯s a deal¡­" Barbie spread into a smile. The woman wasn¡¯t old to begin with, but after using the resonator, a youthful glow seemed to radiate from within Barbie. Any man would consider her a catch.


    After that, Yao Yuan continued to the meeting. When he arrived, the room was already seated with scientists, engineers, and persons of interest from the Barracks, like the Black Star Unit, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao. Yao Yuan walked to the podium and began, "Let¡¯s cut to the chase. The aim of this meeting is to discuss the new space combat jet. I¡¯ve seen the blueprint submitted by Prof. Bo Li. This new jet is designed with the technologies of the 4th revolution in mind and is 1/5 the size of the current shuttle. Its maximum acceleration could reach 340 kilometers per second and it''s armed with Gaussian automatic guns and mini cannons, an electromagnetic shield, and a miniature hydrogen-based engine¡­


    "Using the year as its name, it¡¯ll be called Space Combat Jet Prototype 003. We¡¯re gathered here today to discuss whether we should start building it now or wait a few years for our technology to be stabilized before we start the project. Now, I¡¯ll pass the floor over to Prof. Bo Li."

 Chapter 137: A Smile

    Chapter 137: A Smile


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The conference regretfully didn¡¯t reach a satisfactory conclusion. Even though many showed support for the combat jet¡¯s capability, they had reservations because they felt the Hope still hadn¡¯t had a full grasp over the technologies that would be involved in the jet¡¯s creation. Granted, if forced, the jets could be made, but it would require extra resources. But in the end, the contribution-result ratio wouldn¡¯t be worth it.


    The one point everyone agreed upon though was that sooner or later this combat jet would have to be built. It was necessary to fill the high-mobility and long-ranged combat engine blind spot that was created by the creator¡¯s particle. When both sides had access to the technology of the creator¡¯s particle, the turn of the battle was going to be decided by skirmishes among combat jets because the main ship would be out of reach, shielded against long-ranged assault.


    According to Bo Li¡¯s data, it would take at least 1 whole year to finish building one combat jet, and this was not to mention the toll that it would take on the Hope¡¯s resource stockpile. To take an example, if the current shuttle was akin to an early dual-vane propeller aircraft, the Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 would be a B2 bomber!


    After much back and forth, the agreed upon plan was to build a prototype craft within the next year, and using it as the basic replica, adjust accordingly until the Hope could produce one of these crafts monthly. This was the fastest way to give the Hope an air force fleet.


    "¡­Personally, I¡¯m in favor of your proposal."


    After the conference, Yao Yuan waved Bo Li over to join him for tea¡­ He knew tea was the girl¡¯s favorite, so he personally steeped a pot for that afternoon.


    "It goes without saying that the jet pilots have to be extremely qualified. To that end, I intended to restrict the pilot seat for Homo Evolutis or Virus X survivors. To ensure their total safety, I have no reservation assigning an exorbitant amount of resources to this project."


    Yao Yuan sighed. "But sadly, the Hope isn¡¯t an isolate expeditionary troop but a home for all remaining human survivors. We not only have to take care of military but also civil affairs. There are updates, renewals, and repairs happening concurrently all over the Hope. We are incredibly understaffed, so it is simply impossible to requisition material or human resources over to build expensive combat jets at the moment. So, Bo Li, I hope you can quickly revise your blueprint to one that we can afford to mass-produce with our current resource levels."


    Bo Li sipped her tea quietly, her hands spinning the cup lightly in her palm. She then asked faintly, "Okay¡­ then what features are you willing to lose or downgrade?"


    "¡­We probably can lose the miniature Gaussian cannons. After all, the purpose of these combat jets is to combat other jets, so we would have no need for heavy artillery. In terms of speed, 340 kilometers per second is a bit too fast. The pilot might not even be able to support such an accelerator. Furthermore, maintaining such high speeds would exhaust a great amount of energy, and that would hurt our prospects in drawn out battles, so it is my personal opinion that 100 kilometers per second is more than enough."


    Yao Yuan caught himself and laughed. He moved to tousle Bo Li¡¯s hair and reprimanded leniently, "Wait, you¡¯re the designer, you wouldn¡¯t need to worry about these things. Leave them to the engineers, or was that a purposeful entrapment? Either way, I want to apologize again. I¡¯m the one who wanted a high-performance combat jet and told you to start designing one. But in the end, I¡¯m also the one who rejected it, I¡¯m sorry."


    Bo Li slapped his hand away and finished her tea. Setting it down haughtily, she said, "That¡¯s all, right? I have to return to the lab. You can reach me there if you need anything." Then she stood up to leave.


    Suddenly remembering, Yao Yuan added, "Wait, how goes the project to arm the Black Star Troopers?"


    After the battle in the junkyard and entering the 4th revolution, Yao Yuan had been meaning to upgrade the troopers¡¯ arms. They needed better combat suits, better Gaussian weapons, and more weapon variety that could be used in close-quarters combat or for special purposes, like taking down electromagnetic shields.


    Turning around, Bo Li replied, "The combat spacesuit you¡¯ve asked for proved to be a challenging project. After all, the main purpose of a spacesuit was to survive in space, and it has nothing to do with combat. So I need more time to come up with a design that could fulfill both purposes. I¡¯m hoping for an exoskeleton-esque body armor technology within the alien books, but we¡¯ve not come across such technology so far. What we have is technology for electromagnetically welded metal plating, but even with those, we need more time for analysis and experiments.


    "In terms of weaponry, testing on long-ranged weapons has been completed. I¡¯ll send the reports alongside those on the Gaussian rifles. For close-ranged weapons, we have produced a magnetized saw-blade with 34,000 nanosheet gouging per second. It could easily slice through all currently known materials, including diamond. It also comes with an anti-magnetism structure, so it can theoretically slice through electromagnetic shield. The details will be in the reports I¡¯ll send you. Is that all? I have no time for this verbal game."


    Impatience was clearly written on Bo Li¡¯s face.


    Yao Yuan smiled awkwardly as he asked, "Are you free during New Years? I would like to invite you to a ball¡­"


    Bo Li stared at him. "Do you think I¡¯m as free as you?" With that, she sauntered out of the captain¡¯s room.


    Yao Yuan smiled in spite of himself as he watched Bo Li walk away¡­ Time fast-forwarded to the third day of the New Year holiday and Yao Yuan found himself at the ball. As mentioned by Barbie, the function hosted at a fifth floor open field was well-attended. The food was done buffet-style and plates of meat, cakes, and fruits were served.


    Most of the attendees were westerners. Notable ones included committee leaders like Alan and Silewei, who were accompanied by their wives. There were also members from the House of Representatives, the heads of the Hope¡¯s many departments, and the head editors from Hope Weekly. Basically every westerner of a certain stature on the Hope was there.


    Initially, many weren¡¯t slated to be present, but after Barbie purposely dropped hints that Yao Yuan would be there, many changed their RSVP. Some who weren¡¯t invited but felt they should have been even came to Barbie asking for an invitation. Unable to reject them, Barbie had no choice but to increase the maximum occupancy. Therefore, when Yao Yuan arrived and saw several hundred people already crowding the field and most of them being influential figures, he was appropriately shocked.


    Just as Yao Yuan stepped into the field and accepted a glass of red wine from a waiter, a middle-aged man sauntered over with his wife in tow, asking, "Captain, where¡¯s your date?"


    As previously mentioned, Yao Yuan had been involved with an international company doing head-hunting work for several years, so he knew the decorum for attending such an event dictated a date. That was why he had invited Bo Li, but now he could only laugh awkwardly in reply. "Representative Anfier, I¡¯m sorry to say, but my date has rejected my invitation."


    Stunned by the reply, Anfier chuckled lightly. "Surely you¡¯re kidding, Major. If you don¡¯t mind me being forward, with a man as responsible and competent as you, if I had a daughter, I would be asking for a betrothal right about now. I find it hard to believe that a woman would reject your companionship."


    "You flatter me, representative." The fact that I would even invite her in the first place I find hard to believe myself, Yao Yuan thought but did not say.


    Then he excused himself from the middle-aged representative, attempting to find a quiet spot by the fringe of the ball.


    What Yao Yuan failed to understand was that he was the focus of the ball. The crowd followed everywhere he went. His wine glass clinked with the glass of one authority figure after another until the sentence, "Major, I hate to bring this up now, but I feel the next budget for the Department of Industry might be too small. You see¡­" uttered by the many interchangeable faces brought him back to his life on Earth where traps, lures, and false promises were laid in between verbal exchanges and where everyone wore a perfunctory smile like a mask¡­ To be frank, Yao Yuan felt that maneuvering social gatherings was more tiring than being in actual combat.


    After the ball was over, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t even have the energy left to complain. On the way out, he crossed path with a half-drunk Barbie. She pulled him in for a hug and slid a solid object into his hand. Then she extricated herself and left. Yao Yuan opened his palm to find a room key¡­ the meaning of the gesture was not lost on Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan smiled in disbelief before pocketing the key and walking back to his own residential area.


    On his way back, a feeling entered his mind, and he changed his direction going towards the fourth floor instead. He saw no one but patrols on this quiet holiday night, so he was curious about who this lonely soul loitering around the Hope instead of celebrating the New Year with family and friends back in the comfort of their own home was.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s feeling led him to the door of a familiar lab. He saw lights coming out from underneath the closed door. He walked in and sighed. Bo Li was asleep leaning against her table, where a multitude of reports were piling and some spilling down to the floor. Yao Yuan could spot the weapon reports Bo Li mentioned earlier among them.


    Yao Yuan stretched his hand out, wanting to stroke her hair, but he caught himself. Sighing, he stripped off his coat and draped it over Bo Li, whispering, "I¡¯m sorry to have killed him¡­ I had no choice; the life of my teammate stood on the line. And before that, on the space station, if I hadn¡¯t dispose of him, it would be his family that would have to suffer being used as bargaining chips. Your family could only be saved with him dead¡­


    "Bo Li, I¡¯m so sorry¡­"


    After Yao Yuan left the lab, Bo Li opened her eyes slowly and caressed the coat on her back and mumbled to no one in particular, "¡­He had been waiting for death for a long time. Even though he survived the space station, the radiation brought him immense pain day after day. It was a fate worse than death¡­


    "So¡­ I don¡¯t blame you or even hate you."


    Tears fell from her eyes. They were caught by the curve of her smile, a warm and gentle smile that she guarded heavily from the public and perhaps even herself¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    I realize there''s some romance in this chapter. Just want to say, between the science and romance, I lean heavily towards the romance. Hopefully, you''ll feel I''m better at translating romance [because i feel i do XD]. I bring this up because I''m going to release a translated romance novel here soon. It''s most probably going to be a part of the upcoming voting event [happening most likely next Monday/Tuesday] so please remember to vote for me~~ Read more: https://forum.webnovel.com/d/32-new-feature-tell-us-what-you-think

 Chapter 138: Hope Calendar Year 0006

    Chapter 138: Hope Calendar Year 0006


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It was the New Year of the Hope¡¯s 6th year in space. Everywhere you looked, people were laughing as they went about preparing for the New Year. Wearing clothes newly bought by their parents or given by the government were the children running up and down the Hope with not a care in the world. Their younger siblings still had to be cradled in their parents¡¯ arms. The lowest 4 levels on the Hope were decorated with New Year paraphernalia, suffused by an atmosphere of joy.


    It has been 4 years since the infiltration, and much has happened within these 4 years.


    First, the construction for a basement and the 7th floor was completed. After connecting them to the main ship, life-support and an anti-gravitational system was added. After that, 3 more months were spent to design their layout. Finally, half a year later, the Hope had 8 levels in total. With a height of 500 plus meters and tens of thousands meters in length, the Hope still looked pretty boxy, but with the extra height, it had a more solid look.


    Within that same period, the propulsion system for the Hope had changed from the traditional rocket fuel jet apparatus to the new corpuscular stream apparatus. It could reach up to 60 kilometers per second, and if pressed, it could maintain a short burst of speed at 80 kilometers per second!


    Not to be overshadowed was the Hope¡¯s new defense system. It was updated with an electromagnetic shield and 42 new large Gaussian cannons as secondary turrets. These were heavy weight weapons that could make quick work of the original the Hope!


    However, the scariest addition was the Hope¡¯s main cannon!


    Placed right in the middle of the Hope, this singular cannon took around 3 months to complete. The construction time would have taken longer if the cannon wasn¡¯t built from the main cannon salvaged from the alien battleship.


    Officially named the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon, it had a medium-sized polymerized reactor as a power supply and had a 60 second charging time. Despite what its name suggests, it understandably couldn¡¯t blast through a whole planet with 1 shot like how it was often portrayed in most sci-fis. Nevertheless, the cannon¡¯s initial emission velocity could reach up to 16,400 kilometers per second, meaning its speed was a jaw-breaking 50 percent of light speed!


    Even though the bullets were only 120 grams supermagnetic metallic balls, the preserved kinetic energy within each of these balls was almost as powerful as any weapon of mass destruction. As previously mentioned, it couldn¡¯t one-shot a planet, but it could definitely bring down satellites with a single shot, so even though the name should be understood in hyperbolic terms, it was also not that far away from the truth.


    However, the process that went into constructing this cannon wasn¡¯t exactly smooth sailing. Unfamiliarity with the alien¡¯s technology had provided many a roadblock, but those were thankfully expediently solved by Bo Li¡¯s Whisperer power. If not for Bo Li, it was highly unlikely that the cannon would ever see the light of day.


    Other than that, the Hope¡¯s electromagnetic shield was at least 10 times more powerful than a normal shield. Under certain conditions, it could even refract light, meaning it had a certain degree of defense against laser weapon. The newly improved supermagnetic scanning system, if not blocked by the creator¡¯s particle, could come up with a rudimentary surveillance result on everything within a 1 light speed area, and a complete scan and lock on for everything within a 1/10 light speed area!


    Ever since Yao Yuan¡¯s speech on the New Year party 3 years ago, the Hope had seen many new products from the 4th industrial revolution. However, since the Hope wasn¡¯t a scientific expedition, most of the new technologies were Hope-focused because the ship¡¯s safety was first priority. Therefore, comparatively speaking, public science saw only a few new additions, the notable ones being the genetic mesomeric resonator and a few other devices from the fields of genetic electromagnetism and electromagnetic biology.


    Unsurprisingly, most of these new designs were unveiled by Ivan, the Hope¡¯s second whisperer. His top expertise in the field of biology was once again showcased when he managed to include electromagnetism into biological research. He introduced new changes to the biomes which greatly increased the harvest rate for many plants. Grains could be harvested every 40 days while the growth rate for luxuries like tea, coffee, cocoa, and hops increased by at least 3 times compared to when it was on Earth!


    Theoretically speaking, because the time flow in space and on Earth were completely different because they were affected by factors like travel speed and gravity, scientists during the 3rd industrial revolution had predicted the growth rate of plants changing in space, they just didn¡¯t have the technology to control the rate of change. By manipulating the string, Ivan managed to create supermagnetic fields that were conducive for plant growth. However, even for the alien race, this technology was still new, so Yao Yuan was wary of its usage, ordering Ivan to limit his practice to the biome plants and leave the animals alone.


    The 4th industrial revolution was still going, but Yao Yuan knew they were at the end of the initial burst phase. They had reached their limit for understanding the science. What awaited them was in-depth study of new theories or new data, but either way, the result wouldn¡¯t be noticeable within the next few years. In other words, the days of exploring the junkyard were reaching their end.


    "Team 2 scheduled to return soon, reaching the hangar in 20 seconds. Opening the second airlock¡­"


    Gathered at the bridge, Yao Yuan and a few Barracks authorities sighed in relief. Guang Zhen nodded. "That doesn¡¯t look so bad, better than the 2 times before this."


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "It¡¯s still not good enough. They¡¯re familiar but not proficient; I¡¯ve noticed at least 2 pilots still unable to get used to the high speed."


    Ying added, "You¡¯re being too harsh on them. These are Virus X survivors. According to the AI, as cosmic adapters, most of them are at Rank C and B with a few among them at Rank A. Of course, they aren¡¯t comparable with the Rank S Homo Evolutis, but they are already good enough to be able to complete these feats."


    Yao Yuan frowned. "Looks like the jet still needs to be installed with artificial aid to help the pilot get used to the speed. 150 kilometers per second¡­ is indeed too fast for normal human beings."


    This was the start of year 0006. The Hope was in the middle of conducting its third Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 drill. Compared to the previous 2 instances where there had almost been an accident, the pilots had gotten pretty much used to flying the jets, but of course, they still hadn¡¯t reached Yao Yuan¡¯s expectations.


    The combat jet had experienced multiple design changes in the past 3 years. Its original form came into the world 2 years ago. It was a super jet that could reach up to 340 kilometers per second, had Gaussian railguns and miniature Gaussian cannons with 3 seconds charge time, as well as an internal polymerized reactor to support up to 140 hours of continuous combat.


    Tweaking had to be done for mass production though. Until today, the combat jet had seen 3 different iterations. The first was the original, which the Hope only had 1 of so far. After that there were the Homo Evolutis jets that could reach up to 200 kilometers per second, armed with Gaussian railguns and miniature Gaussian cannons, a dual-tier high-power electromagnetic device, and upwards of 8 hours combat time. The last was the Virus X survivor jets. Those could reach up to 150 kilometers per second, had Gaussian railguns, a single-tier electromagnetic device, and could maintain a 6 hours combat time.


    Of course, with the lowering of features, the price and resource requirement had a significant decrease as well. With the removal of the polymerized reactor alone, the production cost was slashed by 40 percent. With other changes, the final cost for the Homo Evolutis jet was reduced to 1/10 the cost of the original jet, and the cost for the Virus X survivor jet was 1/30 the original cost.


    Today, the Hope had 25 Homo Evolutis jets and 120 Virus X survivor jets!


    Watching the fleet return to the hangar, Yao Yuan sighed. "You¡¯re right. They¡¯ve given it their best, and I shouldn¡¯t forget that before this, they¡¯re still normal civilians¡­ I am being a bit too harsh. Let them have a good rest. They¡¯ve trained hard for 3 months in preparation for this 3rd drill. They deserve a half-month holiday. Well then, we should start discussing our next course of action."


    Everyone was stunned, and it was Guang Zhen who came forth and asked, "Ol¡¯ Yao, what do you mean by next course of action? Do you mean a fourth drill or a fourth landing operation simulation for Black Star Troopers?"


    "Neither, I¡¯m talking about space warp."


    Yao Yuan continued seriously, "From my conversations with a few of the top Academy leaders, I was told that we will need at least another 10 to 15 years of study before we can reach the mid-point of the 4th industrial revolution, and another 30 to 50 years before we can reach the height or the end of the revolution. This has nothing to do with how many alien products we can salvage; the data collected needs time to percolate, that¡¯s all. In other words, the Hope is slated to enter the mid-point of the revolution, and in fact, I believe we¡¯re extremely close to it. We have the weapons for both space combat and landing invasion, the Hope has seen many upgrades, our agriculture has undergone massive leaps, we have longer life expectancy, and even have access to engineering robots.


    "But make no mistake, this is not meant to be our home!"


    Yao Yuan announced as he pointed straight at the dark space outside of the window.


    "Let¡¯s not forget our goal. We¡¯re looking for a planet with a blue ocean and open sky, and this is not it!


    "So clear your schedule for a conference on the next space warp!"

 Chapter 139: This is Space!

    Chapter 139: This is Space!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan had been thinking about the warp 6 months prior to his announcement.


    The thought was initiated by a sense of lethargy that he felt was spreading through the Hope.


    It was not that the people had gotten lazy, it was on the contrary. Everyone worked their hardest, way into the night. Everyone contributed their best!


    This lethargy came from another source¡­ complacency. Even since they left Earth, it was a series of disasters, one after another. It was impossible that the citizens didn¡¯t get fearful for their lives. Even Yao Yuan had startled himself awake as memories of the past surged into his dreams. He would lie awake in bed for hours on end every time after such nightmares.


    If even Yao Yuan was exposed to such frights, it would be worse for the normal civilians.


    Therefore, this period of relative peace had ushered in a sense of contentment all over the Hope. Even though they were still surrounded by an empty space, at least they knew there weren¡¯t monsters lurking behind the darkness, because the area had been thoroughly patrolled by the Hope¡¯s troops.


    A small segment of the Hope even expressed the willingness to stay forever, while the majority wanted the Hope to stay longer, to wait until they went through the 4th industrial revolution and maybe even entered the 5th¡­ But was that even feasible?!


    Mankind¡¯s life expectancy was only between 150 and 200 years!


    Of this current generation, a majority of the citizens were in their 30s, while authority figures like Alan and Silewei were in their 60s or 70s. Theoretically speaking, they could live for another 100 years, but could mankind feasibly step into the 5th industrial revolution in the next hundred years?!


    Obviously, the answer was no! Mankind could barely step into the 4th revolution in the next 200 years if they hadn¡¯t come across the junkyard!


    According to the records siphoned from the alien battleship¡¯s mainframe, this alien race had been surviving in space for at least 1,700 years before they met their end!


    Within the records was also the mention of their encounter with a small alien spaceship that teetered between the 4th and 5th revolution. The strangers announced themselves as space-travelling merchants who dealt with technology, materials, and information trading. According to the records, the merchants had been stuck at the end of their 4th revolution for almost 10,000 years! Their spaceship engine, even though of fifth revolution quality, was traded from another civilization!


    Based on their many observations, the alien race that ended up in the junkyard came to the conclusion that since every revolution after the 4th was going to be ground-breaking , it would be incredibly difficult to start a new revolution. They themselves were the perfect example because when they left their home planet, they were already in their 4th revolution, and even before they perished, they were still stuck in the same revolution!


    Nevertheless, there was another set of data that pushed Yao Yuan into deciding on a space warp.


    This data revealed detailed information about the Homo Evolutis, or as they called it, Cosmic Adapters. According to their historical data, when they left their home planet, there were 14 Adapters, among them 1 Perceptor, 1 Diviner, and 1 Soul-Web User. It was this trio that helped them overcome many troubles and enabled them to survive for as long as 1,700 years in space!


    But as time passed and more generations were born in the spaceship and deprived of the embrace of the blue oceans and emerald skies of their home planet, the number of adapters gradually started to fall off. The last known Adapter, a Whisperer, died 900 years ago, and when they met the space merchants 600 years after that, they were left with 2 Adapters, but neither of them had any observable powers¡­ Regardless, the space merchants were willing to trade the 2 Adapters for 2 technologies from the fifth revolution. Obviously, the Adapter served a necessary value in space travel. Perhaps they had a surprising use during the 6th or 7th revolutions, but that usage was an unknown even for the alien race.


    After compiling all this information, Yao Yuan had a long meeting with the Academy. They came up with the conclusion that after a civilization left their home planet, the lesser their technology and the greater their inability to adapt to the space environment, the higher the chance Homo Evolutis would be born.


    As they got familiar to life in space, the need to adapt would naturally decrease. Unless there was stimulation from great events, like war or societal reformation, every civilization would reach its eventual technological stagnation. However, unless faced with an outside threat, these events would not happen organically in space. And for war, at least one side was bound to fall, another reason why the cosmos was such a harsh place.


    Because of all these reasons, Yao Yuan had to space warp instead of waiting for them to move further into the 4th revolution. Currently, the citizens of the Hope still had memories of Earth fresh in their minds, and there were plenty of documentaries available for those that wished to reminisce about their home planet, but could this visceral yearning for home be maintained across 2 or 3 generations?


    If they were to stay, they would be walking the same path travelled by the alien civilization they had been plundering from.


    Yao Yuan would not allow that to happen!


    Riding on the fever of the 4th revolution, Yao Yuan felt this was the perfect time to venture further into the cosmos, to further their minds and to unlock the mysteries of space. This would help collect information to lay a firm foundation to welcome the Hope¡¯s 5th revolution!


    Based on the data taken from the alien race which they had previously bought from the merchants, space civilizations could be ranked into levels according to their technological level. Civilizations prior to the 3rd revolution are level 1, or primeval civilizations. They are at the satellite stage and they have no usable spaceships nor the ability to terraform planets.


    Level 2 civilizations have command over the creator¡¯s particle and are in their 4th revolution. They are able to build bases on terrestrial planets as pit stops during space travel. Thanks to the long-ranged defense offered by the creator¡¯s particle, to a small degree, they are not easy pickings for even level 3 or 4 civilizations.


    Level 3 civilizations are at the cusp of entering the 5th revolution. Their spaceships have the technology to travel at superlight speed, but they can¡¯t solve technical issues like the great energy drain compounded during curvature navigation.


    Level 4 civilizations are rare in space, or they are just elusive enough to avoid detection by the space merchants. They have perfectly mastered the technologies offered by the 5th revolution and have conducted early trials of wormhole technology. Their technology isn¡¯t stable enough to create star gates, but they already have access to humanoid robotics!


    Level 5 civilizations and above are an unknown, as there are no known records for them.


    Other than these descriptions, Yao Yuan also found a space law that dictated that level 4 and 5 civilizations have absolute control over level 2 and 3 civilizations. The more advanced civilizations are allowed to raid and capture all Cosmic Adapters and less than 50 percent of the lower civilizations¡¯ total population without any compensation!


    Failure to follow this law will lead to¡­ annihilation!


    All of this information was kept in the Hope¡¯s top secret files folder, buried deep within the ship¡¯s mainframe. Without Yao Yuan¡¯s permission, no one could have access to them.


    Another facet of the cosmos revealed by this data was that space was not as lonely as Yao Yuan thought. The reason it only appeared that way was because they had escaped to space without the necessary preparations. Things would have turned out completely different if they had run into any sentient alien race with the intention to harm!


    This, therefore, became a case of the more you know, the more there was for you to be afraid of. Yao Yuan, however, wasn¡¯t struck by fear. He instead felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders increasing. His decision alone could cause the downfall of the entire human civilization. There was no time for them to be complacent!


    Just as Yao Yuan was deep in discussion about the need to warp with the authorities, a piece of news broke and instantly the decision to warp was made.


    "Captain, we¡¯ve hacked into the battleship¡¯s mainframe fragment. A surveillance video was retrieved from within it¡­ it has recorded fully how the fleet was destroyed!


    "The enemy was only one spaceship, but it was involved in space warfare that was completely out of the ordinary¡­"


    Yao Yuan saw the video for himself and quickly decided for the Hope to warp. The video fully showcased an eternal truth of the cosmos¡­ the weak are nothing but toys or inconveniences in the eyes of the strong, and the will is never with the weak because they wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to run!

 Chapter 140: Super Civilization… Space Warp!

    Chapter 140: Super Civilization¡­ Space Warp!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The alien battleship¡¯s mainframe had been so completely destroyed that even after 4 whole months of scouring the junkyard, they couldn¡¯t find a relatively intact piece. Regardless, by pooling together the many pieces that they did find, the Hope had gotten much valuable information, like space knowledge, from them.


    A single piece, though, proved to be an isolated case. It had grown a nascent AI and couldn¡¯t be cracked using conventional method. There was suggestion of using forceful hacking, but that was quickly shot down for fear of damaging the information locked within.


    Therefore, to procure this information, a task force had been set up to unlock it. It wasn''t until the Hope¡¯s own mainframe had been updated with supermagnetic chips that the piece could be cracked.


    After the news reached Yao Yuan, he immediately called for important personnel, like the Black Star Unit, Zhang Heng, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, Bo Li, Ivan, and the like, to gather at a secret conference room. When he arrived, about 100 people were already there, waiting for Yao Yuan to arrive before the start button was pressed.


    "Let¡¯s begin."


    Yao Yuan was eager for the information inside the piece. He only got more excited when he was told it was a video, because they might be able to see how space wars were fought.


    With some buttons pushed, a 3D image was projected in the middle of the room.


    Even though this technology hadn¡¯t seen public use, the military and scientists were already familiar with supermagnetic 3D imaging technology because it had already been used in their studies and research.


    The image showed a giant battleship fleet flying through space. The size of the fleet was bigger than any of them could have imagined! The main battleship alone was more than several thousand kilometers wide and at least 1,000 kilometers tall! It was much bigger than the replica simulated by the Hope¡¯s central mainframe!


    Around the battleship were thousands upon thousands of warships, some bigger than the Hope itself, the smallest among them only 1/5 the Hope¡¯s size. If Earth was going to end by being invaded by alien, this was how mankind imagined the invaders would look like.


    Suddenly, several kilometers ahead of the fleet appeared a warped, concentrated cloud of darkness¡­ It was like the space had become liquefied and started swirling, the ripples sending splashes of¡­ space into space. The moment the warships at the forefront touched the ripples, they exploded.


    And then the video got cut off and the room was plummeted into darkness. Nobody spoke, but everyone knew the creator¡¯s particle had been unleashed, and that had affected the video recording.


    After a while, the video came back online, but the camera angle had changed. This new section of the video was shot from a 1st person angle, and from the multiple screens and sonar readings shown, it would appear that the video was taped in the battleship¡¯s surveillance room.


    In front of them was a silver streamline spaceship. It was hard to tell what the spaceship was made of, but its surface kept on rippling like mercury. Instead of solid metal, it had the appearance of liquid silver. Because of that, it gave the impression that it was constantly changing its shape.


    The spaceship was not big, it was only several thousand meters wide and tall.


    A small, armless jet flew towards the silver spaceship obviously an attempt at brokering peace. The silver spaceship gave no visible response, but in a layer of 10 kilometers around it, one could see ions colliding into one another with the naked eye. This was the result of both creator¡¯s particles coming into contact with one another.


    Right then, the silver spaceship opened to release a wiggling, metallic blob. The blob had a diameter of only 10 meters, probably something to intercept the armless jet¡­ but wait!


    Surprising everyone, the blob coalesced into a 4 eyed, winged humanoid robot with 2 arms and 2 legs!


    In the next second, the robot leaped through at least about 100 giant warships, and in his trail was a series of explosions.


    "No, it didn¡¯t warp. It¡¯s a wormhole technology, far lesser than space warp, not even to the level of space gate¡­"


    Bo Li offered in a whisper, reading the question on Yao Yuan¡¯s face.


    Yao Yuan nodded in thanks.


    What happened next could only be described as a massacre!


    A total massacre!


    The robot evaded deftly around all the weapons leveled at it. The robots, including those spidery robots that were such a headache for Yao Yuan, turned against their creators the moment they were within 5 kilometers of the robot.


    The electromagnetic shield was useless against the robot; it phased through it like it was nothing. Without even revealing its weapons, it basically shot through the lines of warships like they were marks at target practice, which, in a way, they were. In just 50 seconds, other than the main battleship, everything else floated about in shambles!


    Then the robot flew into the battleship and exited several seconds later. Behind him was a trail of aliens.


    The alien looked like an amalgamation between shellfish and human. They had basic features like mouths and eyes, but their eyes were as bulgy as a fly¡¯s and were 5 times the size of humans¡¯. Half of their bodies were occupied by an overgrown brain, and around their bodies was a shell-like exoskeleton. Other than the pair of hands and legs, their upper body also showed an extension of multiple tentacles.


    The aliens appeared to be lassoed by an invisible rope, and this rope also helped protect them from direct exposure to vacuum space. Tied by the lasso, the aliens formed a long string as they were swallowed by the silver spaceship. The whole eerie procession took about half an hour to complete.


    "There are at least 200,000,000 of them¡­ How could they possibly fit in that spaceship? A space folding technology?" Bo Li asked.


    No one answered. They were still stunned by what they had just witnessed. This was an alien fleet that could demolish Earth in a day, but they had just been destroyed by a robot blob¡­ It was¡­ After the trail of aliens were completely consumed by the spaceship, the robot showed itself again. Melting into a silvery band, it sailed around the damaged fleet in an incredible speed and brought out another trail of aliens, but this time, the aliens were all dead. This continued for another stretch of time until it appeared once more. It lifted a finger and aimed it at the alien battleship. Several seconds later, a ray of silvery light shot towards it.


    Even though the silvery, ionic ray was extremely thin, the moment it hit the battleship, the ship shattered into pieces, the bigger pieces among them disintegrating into nothingness¡­ Shattering was not the perfect description because it was more like the ray made its center disappear, and without the central anchor, everything else drifted away on their own.


    After completing its task, the robot returned to the silver spaceship. Then, a wormhole appeared to swallow the spaceship¡­ The video ended to a room of silence. Everyone held different expressions, but be it shock, disappointment or alarm, there was an undercurrent of fear.


    "Is that the end?" Yao Yuan rubbed his eyes before standing up to ask the technician.


    After checking, the technician replied, "That¡¯s the end of the reel."


    Yao Yuan nodded before turning around to face the room. "This video will be accepted as one of the Hope¡¯s grade 1 classified subjects. I¡¯m sure everyone is familiar with this clauses, so I won¡¯t repeat them here. I only have one question to ask¡­


    "Would the Hope have enough time to warp away if we were attacked by this liquid spaceship?"


    Yao Yuan sat down to wait patiently as the scientists started their calculations. After some time, a researcher stood up. "I¡¯m sorry, Captain, but the time taken by the spaceship to fully appear from the wormhole was less than 5 seconds. If the creator¡¯s particles device is not activated within these 5 seconds, we¡¯ll be taken down by long-ranged artillery in less than 2 seconds. With the device activated, there would be an interval of about 10 seconds before the robot is deployed, but since the Hope is only a singular ship, we would be an obvious target, so there wouldn¡¯t even be time for us to warp¡­"


    "Is that so? We wouldn¡¯t even be able to run?"


    Yao Yuan collected himself and ordered, "I request all units to return to the Hope. The junkyard exploration operation will be ending in the next 3 days¡­


    " In 3 days, the Hope will initiate space warp!"

 Chapter 141: Warping

    Chapter 141: Warping


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Hope was already done preparing for its next warp.


    They had stayed at this same spot for several years, and those years weren¡¯t spent idling . This was the period when mankind truly became a space civilization, when mankind gained the ability to flourish in space.


    For many, the Hope was a completely different entity from the Hope of 6 years ago. In fact, if they were to return to Earth now, the Hope would not be a last desperate measure at escape but an armored spaceship competent enough to blow up Earth itself!


    And the Hope wouldn¡¯t even need to land! By activating the creator¡¯s particle, mankind¡¯s technology would be undone just like that!


    In other words, the Hope had finally come into the title of a spaceship, and not a just a metallic casing ferrying humans through space.


    Of course, other than these physical changes, mankind¡¯s knowledge about the cosmos had a drastic increase too, and they had learned one cruel yet eternal truth about the cosmos.


    There was no peace in space!


    Even if there was a time of peace, it was a precarious peace between two equally powerful civilizations, like the short encounter between the junkyard civilization and the space merchants. It was a peace brokered upon trade and profit because God knows things wouldn¡¯t end well for that pair of Cosmic Adapters traded away by the junkyard civilization.


    After the designated 3 days, all of the operational units had returned to the Hope, carrying resources from the junkyard with them. There was such a great salvage that empty residences had to be converted to warehouses to store metallic tablets, heavy water, chemicals, and solid hydrogen oxides¡­ These hydrogen oxides were the alien civilization¡¯s way of effectively storing a huge amount of water. Stored in their solid state, the hydrogen oxides had a smaller volume when compared to liquid or gaseous hydrogen and oxygen of similar mass. They stored well in this state and could be broken down and compounded into water, hydrogen (for the reactor), and oxygen (for mankind) when necessary.


    These resources filled the Hope, and their amount was 8 times the amount they had when they left Earth!


    Of course, this couldn¡¯t be accorded to the additional supplies alone. The 8 times increase also accounted for the added weight coming from the new metallic armor added to the Hope¡¯s surface and the 2 additional layers that had been added to the Hope.


    Other than that, the Academy had come forth with a crazy proposal. They wanted the Hope to add an additional 8th level, a level that would be longer and wider than the Hope itself to house an electromagnetic large hadron collider that would be used to study the theories that would be later revealed as their technology continued to improve. The scientists swore that without the collider, it would be impossible for the Hope to dream of entering the fifth revolution!


    Yao Yuan rejected their proposal outright!


    Yao Yuan had seen for himself the broken pieces of such hadron colliders during his expedition into the alien battleship. Even though they weren¡¯t intact, pieces of them were already 1/4 the size of the whole battleship. In other words, the collider would be larger than the Hope itself! It was preposterous!


    In any case, the junkyard had supplied the Hope with more than enough supplies, and it was finally time to bid it farewell. At the late evening of the fateful day, many gathered by the window, looking at the junkyard, praying. There were tears because this was the graveyard for their many families and friends.


    Then, space warps¡­ Coordination, the nearest space body to the Hope was about 40 light-years away¡­ Coordination, 20 light-years¡­ Coordination, 26 light-years¡­ Coordination, 9 light-years¡­ Coordination, not in any galaxy¡­ The external cabin came in and out of the Hope as it warped, and because the Hope could warp more than 10,000 times and could survive for more than 1,000 years without stopping, they only stopped for 1 day after every warp for the purpose of cartography.


    Just like that, in 2 months alone, there were more than 60 warps¡­ Staring at the game over screen of Starcraft 3, Xiao Niao sighed. "This is just ridiculous. Ever since we watched the video on the destruction of the battleship fleet, this game has gotten more and more unreal for me."


    Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan beside him though were happily enjoying the game. Qiu Qiu even reprimanded him, "Why are you being so serious? This is just a game after all. Plus, if you put the events from that video in this game, wouldn¡¯t that make this even more unreal? Reality¡¯s often stranger than fiction, man."


    Xiao Niao sighed audibly. "It is unreal, alright. No one expected a robot, an incredibly powerful one at that. It was not even a war. It took the robot less than an hour to completely wipe out a civilization."


    While munching on a bag of chips, Dan Dan asked, "Now that you mention it, why is the presence of a robot such a surprise? You, the scientists, and even the captain seemed so taken aback when the thing changed into a robot. But shouldn¡¯t that be expected? All of the greatest weapons in movies and anime are robots."


    "¡­It¡¯s improbable." Xiao Niao continued, with obvious frustration, "First of all, shapes or forms have no meaning in a vacuum. There is not air or gravitational resistance, so the technology can take on any shapes it wants. With their technology, this civilization could very well not design a humanoid robot, and in fact, just a sphere might even be better. Think about it, which would fare better in space combat, a ball or a robot? A ball has a smaller size and can fire out bullets from all sides. A humanoid robot, on the other hand, would be hampered by its two hands because that would be where the weaponry was concentrated. You could argue that it could open up its body to reveal more weapons, but in that case, what¡¯s its difference from a ball? Why go through the added trouble?"


    Qiu Qiu thought and retorted, "You mentioned arms, right? That gives the robot an upper hand in close combat."


    Xiao Niao snorted. "Based on the aliens¡¯ technology, if they had gone with a sphere, the sphere could have easily extended into multiple arms. Who would have the upper hand in close combat then? If you¡¯re thinking the humanoid robot is meant for ground combat where gravity plays a role, then wouldn¡¯t a spidery robot makes more sense? Or one of those that have a track frame. No matter how you see it, a humanoid robot is not the best choice for a combative role.


    Finally, let¡¯s just say the race is particular about the humanoid shape, they¡¯re in love with it, but they still need to consider the most crucial element: its control system."


    Xiao Niao paused to look his friends in their eyes. "You 2 are also Homo Evolutis. Let me ask you a question: when you first piloted the Space Combat Jet, didn¡¯t it feel like it was a bit hard to control?"


    After the pair nodded, Xiao Niao quickly added, "That¡¯s right. Now a humanoid robot is more than controlling its direction and weapons, the pilot has to take care of its 4 appendages and so much more. Do you think a simple combat stick could manage so many nuances? And let¡¯s say it can; does mankind have such perfect hand-eye coordination to master it? The answer is a big no! On the battlefield, a misstep could mean death! So it is highly improbable that a humanoid robot would appear in space combat."


    His friends were speechless, overwhelmed by his argument, but after some time, Qiu Qiu asked, "Then why did that civilization go with a humanoid robot? Could it be a pilotless AI?"


    "¡­A cybernetic cerebral linking matrix."


    Suddenly, this phrase appeared on the trio¡¯s pc screens. Unbeknownst to them, the player ZERO had entered their server, and it was ZERO that had sent over this phrase.


    Xiao Niao turned his body around to peer out of their private room before replying, "Please, Noob, this is not something to joke about. What cybernetic cerebral linking matrix? You¡¯ve watched too much sci-fi."


    "I¡¯m not a noob, and my answer is correct. Might I add, the Zerg is not correctly portrayed by this game!"


    Xiao Niao laughed insolently. His mean streak surfacing, he typed, "Then, Noob, what is the real Zerg like?"


    "¡­To be precise, the Zerg should be called a genetically stress-mutated alien race, a race without a fixed set of DNA, a group of hive-like organisms that are formed by an accumulation of bacteria. The whole race shares a unified purpose, and they are the second greediest race in the cosmos. Their current technology level is unknown, but based on their growth rate and ability to absorb technology, the safest extrapolation puts them at the rank of a Level 9 civilization¡­"


    Xiao Niao laughed even louder, inputting his retort before ZERO could finish typing. "Hey, Noob, it¡¯s time for your medicine."


    "¡­What medicine?"


    "Your mental medicine of course, LOL"


    "¡­I swear I¡¯ll let you witness this Zerg with your own eyes¡­ And I¡¯m not a noob! I¡¯m not on mental meds!"


    After that, ZERO disconnected¡­

 Chapter 142: Underground

    Chapter 142: Underground


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Of course, Xiao Niao didn¡¯t think much of ZERO and his so-called promise. He spent the few days after the encounter playing or training.


    The Hope was starting another warp on the 5th day after the weird encounter. Space-warping had lost its novelty though because the Hope had been through it literally hundreds of times. The initial worry that everyone seemed to struggle with was gone. Even if the warp was to cause their deaths, like, for example, warping into a black hole, the Hope would see its end in a matter of seconds, and since there was nothing they could do to prevent that from coming, worrying about it would be futile.


    Just like that, everyone carried on with their lives like normal, and sometimes normalcy was all a civilization could pray for. With the introduction of new agricultural and farming technologies, for the first time, there was a surplus of food items on the market. These sort of things might seem negligible, but they actually have a deep impact on the citizen¡¯s morale. For example, the doomsday rumors had stopped completely.


    During this new warp¡­ the Hope was suddenly shaken by a huge tremor. Things toppled over and they included important lab apparatuses. Thankfully, it was approaching dusk when this happened, so the amount of labs still working and thus seriously affected was small. Regardless, thanks to the store of flammable materials stored in most labs, many labs burst into flames, drowning the Academy in a cacophony of sirens.


    The 4 levels below the Academy were equally chaotic. No one truly knew what was happening, but everyone found it difficult to be calm, because such a violent quake hadn¡¯t followed a space warp before. Many naturally turned to the worst scenario possible.


    And the fear spread from one to another like a disease.


    Yao Yuan was in central command when the quake hit. People fell alongside the non-stationery items, crashing into one another. Yao Yuan was the first to stand up, yelling, "Activate the supermagnetic radar, and I want a damage report on the Hope, stat. What¡¯s happening?!"


    He looked outside the window, and it was a world of darkness. However, it was not the heavy darkness like the one associated with space, but darkness with a brown, gradient-like¡­ soil?


    Before Yao Yuan could make heads or tails of it, the radar had completed its initial sweep, and a 3-D image was projected in the room.


    On the image, a long, box-shaped spaceship was stuck in the middle of a rock layer. This rock layer was incredibly compact, as there were few observable cracks. Zooming in, it appeared like¡­ the Hope was stuck in the underground of a terrestrial planet!


    "¡­We¡¯ve warped into the middle of a planet? Then how are we still alive?" a shocked Yao Yuan asked around, but none could give him an answer.


    At around 8 PM, Yao Yuan arrived at a conference room where many related personnel had already gathered. Without wasting any time, Yao Yuan strode to the podium and began, "I¡¯m sure everyone has already familiarized themselves with the situation. It would appear that the Hope has again found itself in a troubled position. We¡¯ve warped into the underground of a terrestrial planet. According to the reports by the geologists, this rock layer doesn¡¯t show any indication of it being hollow prior to the Hope¡¯s arrival, but for some reason a space that perfectly matches the Hope''s shape was taken out just before we appeared here. You¡¯ve heard right, the perfect size, the Hope fits into this cavity perfectly, with zero budging space!"


    Right then, the 3D image appeared behind Yao Yuan. It certified what Yao Yuan was saying.


    "I want to know why, two whys to be precise. First, why are we still alive? According to the warnings from the Academy, if we warped into a solid object, there could be complications within the molecular structure, so why hadn¡¯t that happened? Secondly, the Academy told me we can¡¯t warp right now. Why is that so?"


    Yao Yuan then looked down the stage, waiting for people to answer.


    Then someone pressed the ¡®speech¡¯ button, wishing to speak. "Captain, I believe I can answer the first question. First, we have to realize that the Hope¡¯s space-warping technology is a future-tech that we still don¡¯t fully understand yet. Unlike wormholes or star gates, it¡¯s a technology that is conceptually different¡­ The opinion of my team is that during the process, there¡¯s a matter displacement of some sort. In other words, if we¡¯re warping from spot A, the original matter at spot B, no matter what it is, will be displaced to Spot A. That¡¯s the only logical explanation as to why we¡¯re still alive even though we should theoretically be crushed within the rock layer."


    Yao Yuan nodded. "I understand that there needs to be more breakthroughs in the school of physics before this question can be fully answered, but your explanation does sound valid. Then, what about question 2? Why can¡¯t we warp again? Do you know how deep into the ground the Hope is now? Based on the radar sweep, we¡¯re 4,000 meters underground. This means that to surface, we¡¯ll need to dig a several dozen thousand by 4,000 meters hole!


    "The crust of this planet consists of mostly rock layers, and near the surface, clay and soil. Even with the aid of the engineering and worker robots, we would need at least a year of digging to get to the surface. And let¡¯s not forget about the danger of collapse! We¡¯re not lacking in supplies, so I¡¯d rather miss out the opportunity of an adventure or surveillance than let any unnecessary harm come to the Hope!"


    Right then, another person pressed the ¡®speech¡¯ button. The name that appeared on the panel was Bo Li. Her clear voice rang through the room. "The reason we can¡¯t warp is mass and gravity¡­ Haven¡¯t you considered that? Think about it, why must the Hope be away from any cosmic entity when we decide to warp? That¡¯s because space warping might be destabilized by gravity. That aside, everything that¡¯s attached will be brought along during warp. Do you seriously think the Hope could possibly warp with the whole planet attached to it? That¡¯s not going to happen even if you add another 100 polymerized reactors!"


    Yao Yuan was already used to Bo Li¡¯s insolent tone, so he merely frowned before replying, "But digging our way up is not going to work either. The geologists told me that if we were to dig upwards, there¡¯s a 30 percent chance that there¡¯ll be landslide. Because of the Hope¡¯s elongated structure, the extra weight could easily snap the ship in half. The electromagnetic shield is useless here too because the soil isn¡¯t metallic! Considering everything, is it possible for us to dig around the Hope, to isolate it from the soil layer, and then warp?"


    No one pressed the button, but everyone was discussing amongst themselves.


    Suddenly, a few military officers barged into the room, went up the stage, and whispered into Yao Yuan¡¯s ear. An expression of disbelief spread through Yao Yuan¡¯s features. He nodded his thanks at the officers and then spoke into the microphone. "Everyone, there has been a new update¡­ Help me put up a video, this is something you need to see for yourselves¡­"


    A 3-D image appeared in the room. Then it started to zoom out. From the Hope, the video moved closer and closer to the surface, 2,000 meters, 1,000 meters, 500 meters, 300 meters¡­ When the video broke through the confines of the earth crust, the view that greeted everyone was that of a verdant field. Some distance away were even a copses of fern-like trees and dinosaur-looking scaly animals that were 5 to 6 meters tall. The video kept on zooming out, and finally there was a wide expanse of blue, was that, yes¡­ Ocean!


    "Ocean! What about the sky? Let us see the sky!"


    A scientist shouted as he sprung up from his seat. Even though he didn¡¯t press the button to speak, his excitement spread through the room like a wave. Before long, almost everyone was on their feet, looking at the video like they were in a trance. A picturesque landscape filled with greenery, animals, sea, and a blue sky that stretched endlessly towards the horizon¡­ It was an image that was bursting with life!


    Even Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t contain his excitement so much so that he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his throat. He felt something stinging his eyes, breaking his composure¡­ Several times he opened his mouth to speak, but no words seemed to come out. After many in the room had broken out in tears, he roared, "Yes, this is a life-preserving planet with a vibrant ecosystem. We¡¯ve found it, we¡¯ve finally found it, our next Earth!"


    "Dig, the digging shall start tomorrow! If I hear any talks of space warp, they will be shot without question!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Help me vote for my next project :D Please~ Link: https://www.webnovel.com/book/8456930206000105

 Chapter 143: Fever

    Chapter 143: Fever


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Images of the planet they had warped into were published in the Hope Weekly the day after its discovery. Understandably, this had created such a stir in the public that the paper was sold out. To make that happen, every family had to purchase at least 5 copies!


    After a long night of analysis, basic information about the planet had been acquired. Of course, they would need more time before a detailed analysis could be done, a task that was compounded by the fact that they were stuck underground.


    "Oxygen percentage in the air composition is 29 percent and carbon dioxide 1 percent [1]? Everything else is similar to Earth¡¯s¡­ Is this dangerous?"


    Yao Yuan asked the biologists who handed him the report. Among them was Ivan, who answered, "The high percentage of CO2 shouldn¡¯t pose any trouble. As long as people don¡¯t commit to extreme activities, there should be no harm other than the planet being warmer than usual."


    Knowing how difficult it was to procure such valuable information in their situation, Yao Yuan smiled appreciatively. "That¡¯s a relief. Hopefully, the planet isn¡¯t a host to some dreadful virus¡­ Then again, even if it is, we must find a way to overcome it. This is a second chance handed to us by God, so we mustn¡¯t let it slip away!"


    Ivan repaid Yao Yuan¡¯s smile. "That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve not seen, much less touch, the ocean for a long time, so I can¡¯t wait to get to the surface."


    Yao added, "Your son is in his troublesome stage, isn¡¯t he? It¡¯s about time he wants to run around freely. Hopefully we can reach the surface soon. I too can¡¯t wait to lay my eyes on the blue sky and sea."


    The two chatted amiably until the team of biologists had to leave. Even so, the smile didn¡¯t leave Yao Yuan¡¯s face. He could feel his face muscles cramping from smiling too much for the past 2 days, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. It was difficult to not be infected by the sense of mirth all around.


    As the saying goes, you¡¯ll only treasure it after you lose it. After the loss of Earth, there was no one on the Hope that was not overjoyed by this miraculous find. Yao Yuan shook his head, incredulous about their good fortune. As he settled down to read some paperwork, his secretary, Barbie, barged into the room. Her usually perfectly styled hair was in a disarray as she exclaimed disconcertingly, "Captain, we¡¯ve been infected by a mysterious virus!"


    Outside of the pathology lab, Yao Yuan saw Mitsuda Saburo peering through his microscope while a few assistants bustled about frantically. Without knocking, Yao Yuan entered and demanded, "What¡¯s wrong? I heard that there has been a virus infection? When and how did it happen? Wasn¡¯t there a strict order that no one was allowed to come into direct contact with the outside minerals?"


    Saburo stood up and bowed, "Captain, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not a virus infection."


    "Not an infection?" Yao Yuan asked curiously.


    Ever since they realized that this planet housed living organisms, Yao Yuan ordered all of the outside entrances to be on lockdown and set soldiers to guard them. Since there were microorganisms 4,000 meters beneath Earth¡¯s crust, who could say things would be different with this planet?


    Their experience on Planet Sahara reminded them that the evolution of organisms in space could be wildly different from their history on Earth. An incredibly powerful space plant could be destroyed by Earth¡¯s common plant virus after all.


    Similarly, mankind¡¯s immune system evolved alongside Earth¡¯s own strains of unique viruses and bacteria. Therefore, it was foolish to expect man¡¯s immune system to be useful across different planets. Yao Yuan knew some viewed this action of his to be overly cautious, but he had no choice because he couldn¡¯t risk the possibility of alien bacteria leaking into the Hope!


    Therefore, when he heard that there was an infection, his expression immediately dimmed¡­ If someone had really bypassed his many orders to not go outside the Hope and had unwittingly brought an outbreak back to the Hope, that person would suffer a fate worse than death!


    His feeling thus took a 180 turn when he heard Saburo say that it wasn¡¯t an infection.


    Saburo forced a smile. "Since it¡¯s not an infection, then most possibly it¡¯s¡­" Before he could finish, the pathologist collapsed forward. Everyone in the room dropped their work and rushed to their leader¡¯s side. They talked over one another, unsure of what to do.


    Yao Yuan, however, remained calm and squatted down beside Saburo¡¯s repose body. He felt the pathologist¡¯s pulse and forehead¡­ "Fever? Homo Evolutis?"


    It was too early to tell, because many diseases showed symptoms of fever and faint spells. However, to be safe, Yao Yuan asked for quarantine for Saburo and all the consecutive fever victims.


    The victims, on their part, sprang up like mushrooms after a fresh rain. They included Barbie, Zhang Heng¡¯s friends Ning Xue and Mao Miao, and a few others from the Black Star close guards, including that female soldier who saved Zhang Heng¡¯s life on the meteorite base. In total, there were 160 plus people in quarantine.


    The pathological department, of course, didn¡¯t stay idle even though their leader, Saburo, was unconscious. However, after diagnosis was done on the patients¡¯ samples, the result on the presence of virus came back negative!


    At the same time, these patients¡¯ brain activity was shown to be 10 times faster than normal as revealed by the CAT scan performed using the latest electromagnetic medical devices. The mesomeric resonator showed more interesting results. These patients¡¯ genetic coding seemed to be evolving.


    Because of their internal increased activity, the patients¡¯ physical bodies needed extra nutrients to keep up. Thankfully, due to the improvement in medical science, the Hope had packets of nutritional tonics available. The patients were supplied with these tonics almost daily. Thus far, Yao Yuan was sure that the Hope wasn¡¯t ravaged by a new virus but instead some of its people were undergoing a new adaptation to life in space. Yao Yuan was unfamiliar with its inner workings, but these people were evolving into a new batch of Homo Evolutis!


    (The first set of Homo Evolutis came when the Hope first left Earth. And now it¡¯s happening again. Could it have something to do with the discovery of this planet that¡¯s similar to Earth¡­? Or is it something else?) Yao Yuan paused to think. Even though the Hope had access to medical devices from the 4th revolution, all of the results came back negative on accounts of sickness, virus, bacterial, or microbial infection. It was extremely similar to Virus X.


    Either way, with this happening, everything else had to be put on halt. Even though they still hadn¡¯t fully understood what a Homo Evolutis was, Yao Yuan knew well enough to know that they would be invaluable assets to the Hope. The Whisperers could help the Academy greatly, the Perceptors were the best soldiers, the Diviner was helpful as an alarm, the Seekers were perfect for surveillance, the Anima could invalidate the creator¡¯s particle¡­ another All-Rounder would definitely be a welcomed addition, and lastly, a second Deceiver could be kept as an ultimate trump card.


    In conclusion, the known Homo Evolutis had already been a great help to the Hope, and there was a possibility of Homo Evolutis emerging with new powers.


    Even for the normal Homo Evolutis, who showcased no obvious superhuman skills, they were already exceptional soldiers. Seated in the combat jet, their ability could rival 100 normal jet pilots!


    The time between the last patient that was sent into quarantine and the first patient to wake up was 18 days¡­ 1 month and 4 days later, all of the patients were conscious. In total, there were 193 fever patients, and under the aid of the tonics, 172 survived and 21 died.


    Another month was given for the patients to recuperate before they were hauled to the Homo Evolutis Faction for analysis. There were 13 new known Homo Evolutis: Saburo was a Whisperer, Barbie was an Anima, Mao Miao was a Diviner, Ning Xue was a Perceptor, and the female soldier who saved Zhang Heng was a Seeker. The rest were all Survivors [2]!


    Sadly, there was no new All-Rounder or Deceiver¡­


    "159 survivors and 13 known Homo Evolutis."


    Looking at that line in his report, Yao Yuan had mixed feelings. If mankind had better medical technology during the first Virus X fever, the lives of several hundred people would be saved and there would be more Homo Evolutis around¡­ "Regardless, the truth is that a second batch of Homo Evolutis is here. Then¡­


    The digging operation shall resume tomorrow!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] Carbon dioxide concentration in Earth¡¯s atmosphere is only 0.04%, so 1% is considered high.


    [2] Homo Evolutis that showcased no observable special skills like Perceptor, Whisperer, and the like are called Survivors. This is because¡­ well, they survived the Fever.

 Chapter 144: Army Draft and Excavation

    Chapter 144: Army Draft and Excavation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    With the arrival of the second batch of Homo Evolutis, the Barracks immediately reared its head. Excluding the Whisperers and women, the amount of able-bodied new Homo Evolutis was 122.


    Realizing that this fever might not be an isolated occurrence, the Barracks approached Yao Yuan with an ambitious proposal. They wanted all male Homo Evolutis to be handed compulsory enlistment if they survived Virus X. They wanted this to be part of the Hope¡¯s legislation.


    This was because Homo Evolutis were natural soldiers, a feature that was perfectly showcased when paired with weaponry from the 4th revolution. The most notable example was the Space Combat Jet Prototype 003.


    The Survivors could handle the combat jets with a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per second while other Homo Evolutis could handle 200 kilometers per second. Theoretically, they could still pursue a higher speed if not for the fact that speed was not the only thing one needed to be concerned with while sitting at the pilot¡¯s seat. The 4th revolution added many accessory systems to the combat jets, like a ballistics prediction system, a coordinate triangulation system, a natural lock-on system, and a target homing system. Utilizing all of them in tandem to one another required extreme focus. In other words, only Homo Evolutis could pilot these combat jets.


    Therefore, for the Barracks, the more Homo Evolutis the Hope¡¯s army had, the better it was. Forgoing the combat jet for a minute, another 4th revolution technology could also help prove how Homo Evolutis were miles above common soldiers.


    This technology was the Black Star troopers¡¯ standardized combat suit. The spacesuit was created using a thin alloy alien-tech, equipped with high-power electromagnetic non-invasive body matrix and space armor prototype 1. The body matrix included an internal electromagnetic induction system that calibrated the wearer¡¯s movement speed using his innate ability. For example, when Yao Yuan put it on, the highest speed he could achieve during combat was up to 400 meters per second!


    Even Zhang Heng, who was unfamiliar with combat, could go up to 150 meters per second. That was 3 times the speed possible for normal soldiers!


    Even though speed didn¡¯t mean everything in combat, it had unequivocally showed the value of Homo Evolutis in combat. It was little wonder why the Barracks wanted to have all the male Homo Evolutis for itself.


    Yao Yuan, though, rejected this proposal after careful consideration. For one, it was not necessary that all males must be suited for combat. Their expertise or talent might be more useful off the battlefield. Pushing them into combat might put them in a situation where they could fumble and die in their first battle, thus depriving the Hope of their talent that might shine elsewhere.


    Secondly, not all female were unsuitable for combat. Combat drills had shown women to be good jet pilots as well.


    Lastly, if the Homo Evolutis were forced into the military, they might grow resentful of the government. If there were people like Xiao Niao, who was initially suspicious of the military in the new batch of Homo Evolutis, being forced into the military could only exacerbate that antagonism.


    To conclude, even though the Homo Evolutis were powerful, it didn¡¯t necessarily correspond to them having a greater responsibility. The best scenario was for them to volunteer to join the army.


    However, Yao Yuan knew a volunteer system couldn¡¯t work for the Hope because of their current population number. After consulting a few experts, Yao Yuan decided to roll out an obligatory military service.


    If the Hope had several billion people in population, of course a voluntary military service would be a non-issue, but in reality, the Hope only had 130,000 plus adults. For a population this size, there had to be more than 5,000 soldiers to ensure everyone¡¯s safety!


    But who would volunteer?


    Granted, there might be quite a number that would be willing to pick up arms to protect his or her family or out of a sense of loyalty to the Hope.


    However, one had to admit that such sentiments were limited to the first generation of Earth escapees. They had been through it all with the government, so they had forged a sense of loyalty in their common goal of seeking a better future for all human survivors!


    The question was¡­ could that loyalty be cultivated across generations? In the far future, when Earth was long forgotten, how many would still willingly join the army to protect its survivors¡­ several thousand¡­ or hundreds?


    Therefore, instead of waiting until then, Yao Yuan had decided to introduce an obligatory military service when the public was still in line with the government¡¯s philosophy. When there were more people to go around, they could revert to a voluntary service. Yao Yuan believed it was easier for the public to stomach an enlistment policy this way than the other way round.


    Thus, Yao Yuan transformed the Hope¡¯s military system. First, the obligatory military service was written into the law. Every man in the Hope under the age of 60 was on army reserve duty and could be scripted into the army if necessary. Exception was given to members of the Academy and the Workshop.


    Changes were also made to the Homo Evolutis Faction. First, detailed analysis had to be carried out on new and future batches of Homo Evolutis to identify their power before they were conscripted. This was to make sure non-combative Homo Evolutis, like Whisperers and Animas, could be isolated to prepare them for training that would better suit their powers.


    For example, the most powerful Anima then, Nian Xi Kong, had been honing her skill in the past few years.


    As an Anima who could phase into what the aliens called the "soul web" with just singing, her power could bypass the creator¡¯s particle. Information is important on the battlefield, especially when the enemy doesn¡¯t expect you to have access to it. Therefore, Xi Kong had become a unique strategic advantage in combat. Her power allowed the troopers to perform simple, coordinated moves in combat despite the confines of the creator¡¯s particle.


    This was a strategic upper hand that shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. Her power could practically give an army from a level 2 civilization an edge over an army from a level 3 civilization and even possibly allow them to emerge victorious.


    This was the undisputed power of the Anima, even though she was behind the front lines. With the appearance of the creator¡¯s particle, the Anima only became that much more important, giving her allies valuable leverage over the enemy!


    The other non-combative Homo Evolutis, the Whisperer, was equally important to the Hope. However, their contribution wasn¡¯t made on the battlefield but in the labs. The current 3 Whisperers, Ivan in the field of biology, Bo Li in the field of physics, and now Saburo in the field of pathology, were instrumental to the Academy!


    Therefore, Yao Yuan propounded a selective conscription for the Homo Evolutis. Those that could better serve humanity elsewhere were not forced into the army, but the opposite was true for combat-made Homo Evolutis. On that issue, Yao Yuan gave no budging space!


    Reorganization of the military took about 10 days, and in that period of time, a great deal of progress had been done in terms of the excavation. For one, the Hope had been dislodged from its surrounding rock layer. Now they needed to continue digging upwards, but of course, they had to solve the biggest issue of a possible landslide first.


    "...the experts¡¯ opinion is to build more anti-gravitational units."


    This was the answer provided by the team of experts when Yao Yuan met up with them.


    "Build more anti-gravitational units?" A shocked Yao Yuan continued, "But why? The Hope¡¯s anti-gravitational system is not broken. In fact, it is kept on 24/7 to keep the ship afloat."


    The leading expert shook his head. "The new units are not meant for the Hope but the rocks currently piled up on top of the Hope."


    The experts¡¯ solution to the landslide problem was deceptively simple. The threat that the landslide posed was it could crush the Hope with its weight. The reason it would have weight was due to gravity. Therefore, if gravity was taken out of the equation, there would be nothing to worry about.


    Yao Yuan paused to give it some thought before saying, "This would be a huge undertaking because you guys have to understand that the Hope¡¯s surface area is not small. We would need to create a lot of units to cover such a huge surface. Furthermore, we still don¡¯t fully understand what goes into the inner workings of this technology¡­ And let¡¯s not forget the energy that would be needed to keep them activated. You gentlemen surely have given me an interesting solution."


    After discussing it with the Bo Li, Yao Yuan decided to adopt their solution. Even though it might eat into the Hope¡¯s main power supply, since it could protect the Hope¡¯s safety and at the same time allow a quicker excavation by enabling the use of explosives, Yao Yuan decided to go with it because the rewards that awaited them was, to quote Bo Li, "¡­I would like to see the sky and sea once more. Would you care to join me?"

 Chapter 145: A Sense of Danger

    Chapter 145: A Sense of Danger


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The excavation had been going on for about 3 months.


    Thanks to the anti-gravitational units, the excavation had seen a tremendous increase in progress. The use of explosives without the fear of landslides sped up the progress by a lot. Today, the Hope was only 2,000 meters away from the surface. They expected there to be 3 more months before the Hope could break through the planet¡¯s crust.


    Simultaneously, as the Hope got closer to the surface, the better its surveillance became. By this time, almost the whole planet had been fully scanned.


    The planet was about 3 times bigger than Earth. One day on this planet lasted 25 percent longer than a day on Earth, while one year passed by slightly faster. Its gravity was 1.2 times greater than that of Earth¡¯s. The added pressure might cause light-headedness for the more feeble among the Hope¡¯s citizens, but it wouldn¡¯t have any effect on the physically fit individuals.


    According to their surveillance, the planet was basically a primeval version of Earth when it was still untouched by human hands. Water took up 62 percent of planet''s surface, while its land mass was mostly covered by jungle with several isolated pockets of dry deserts. The animals had only evolved to a reptilian stage.


    No matter what, based on the surveillance results thus far, the planet was all the people of the Hope could hope for. There was no need for terra-forming because it was a perfect planet waiting for human colonization!


    All of these results were published on Hope Weekly, which only added to the public¡¯s hype to get to the surface. There was an increased demand for the excavation to go faster.


    Incidentally, Yao Yuan too felt the need to increase excavation speed. However, it wasn¡¯t because of the public pressure but because he was feeling restless due to a pervading sense of danger.


    He intended to check with Zhang Heng that day. He had asked for Zhang Heng to meet him at his office after lunch even though Zhang Heng already had plans with Ning Xue and Mao Miao. Due to the seriousness of the issue, Yao Yuan demanded Zhang Heng change his plans.


    "¡­The feeling of danger wouldn¡¯t disperse. Even though I have no clue what it is pointing towards, I¡¯m sure something awful is going to happen," Yao Yuan confessed as he stared directly at Zhang Heng, waiting for his comment.


    Zhang Heng nodded imperceptibly as if confirming Yao Yuan¡¯s fear before replying, "¡­To be honest, I¡¯ve sensed this danger as well, but it is extremely light and doesn¡¯t feel as ominous as it was on the meteorite base. However¡­ the feeling has been getting stronger the closer we get to the planet''s surface. A few days ago I saw Saburo¡¯s article in the Hope Weekly talking about the possibility of dangerous viruses in this planet¡¯s air and his demands for the Hope¡¯s public to go through a stringent immunization regime before the Hope opens its doors to the planet''s environment. I can¡¯t help but wonder whether my feeling of danger is related to this issue. Then again, since we have to break into the surface no matter what, I didn¡¯t bring this up to you."


    Yao Yuan paused to think it over before nodding. "I feel the same way. The feeling does get stronger the closer we get to the surface. Perhaps you¡¯re right that it¡¯s related to the microbes in the air, since the bigger organisms of this planet don¡¯t appear to be able to pose any harm to us. In any case, I hope you¡¯ll come to me, no matter what I¡¯m doing or where I am, should you feel things changing."


    Zhang Heng stood up and saluted. Before he left, Yao Yuan added jokingly, "By the way, who do you actually prefer out of Ning Xue and Mao Miao? I don¡¯t remember allowing polygamy on the Hope."


    Zhang Heng laughed awkwardly as he scratched his head. "Honestly, they¡¯re both fine. One¡¯s passionate and affectionate, while the other¡¯s meek and gentle. I don¡¯t mind either."


    "You lucky kid." Yao Yuan smiled as he shook his head. "But keep your hands clean. If anything were to happen, understand that I will always stand on the law¡¯s side. We already have one Wa Luo in the Black Star Unit, we don¡¯t need another."


    The mention of Wa Luo piqued Zhang Heng¡¯s interest. He considered himself a member of the Black Star Unit, so he asked, "What¡¯s wrong with Wa Luo? I haven¡¯t heard anything improper about him from the rest."


    Yao Yuan looked left then right, making sure Barbie wasn¡¯t in earshot, before whispering, "Let¡¯s just say there¡¯s a reason why he¡¯s known as the team player¡­ if you catch my drift."


    "Huh?"


    They then had a laugh about it. After Zhang Heng left, Yao Yuan asked to see Saburo. "Professor Mitsuda, I have to know, what is the percentage of the possibility for this planet¡¯s microbes to be harmful to human beings? And how fatal would they be if that were the case?" Yao Yuan questioned.


    Saburo approached Yao Yuan¡¯s table and respectfully accepted the water Yao Yuan offered him. After a sip, he answered, "Captain, it is impossible for me to confirm whether the harmful viruses, if any, would be fatal to human exposure, because that is not how our biology works. Human genomes are wildly different from one another. Every one of us has 23 sets of chromosomes, and even though about 99 percent of them are similar, there are still enough variances between each one of us to ensure a different manifestation of facial features, height, sex, and even life expectancy. Similarly, each one of us has a different immunity system that responds to the threat of viruses differently.


    "For example, AIDS. Even though it has no known cure, there have been people who were completely immune to it in the past. They were carriers of the virus without the virus posing any harm to their bodies. In other words, it is impossible for a natural virus to completely wipe out a civilization, because a section of it is bound to gain a resistance against it. The survivors will procreate, and the gene that is responsible for the immunity will be transferred to future generations, ensuring their survival.


    "Therefore, with the right immunization, the virus shouldn¡¯t be an issue."


    Here, Saburo stood up and bowed. "On that note, I hope Captain will first dispatch a unit to collect the planet¡¯s microbial samples before the planet is opened to the public. This will give us time to prepare a vaccine."


    Yao Yuan motioned for the professor to sit down, before adding, "Professor, please don¡¯t stand on ceremony. So, a dispatch unit, huh?"


    After Saburo left, Yao Yuan called Bo Li and the excavation team over. He relayed Saburo¡¯s concerns.


    "I know this will eat into the excavation progress, but is it possible to first create an opening for a dispatch unit to go up to the surface? This is regarding the safety of our future home, and I will not risk the lives of 18,000 people!"


    The few leading engineers glanced at one another before one of them responded, "We could try digging through one of the more fragile spots, but because of the horizontal direction of the project, it is impossible for us to use explosives for fear of damaging the entire structural integrity. Even though the anti-gravitational units can prevent a landslide, that doesn¡¯t prevent us from being buried. The layer of debris is still going to end up hovering above us¡­ This is going to be hard."


    Bo Li, who had been silent, suddenly added, "What about a supermagnetic field?"


    "Supermagnetic field? What¡¯s that?" Yao Yuan asked, as he went through all of the 4th revolution inventions in his mind.


    Bo Li narrowed her eyes at Yao Yuan. "I¡¯m sorry, but I remember writing a proposal to build a supermagnetic field generator about 3 months ago. It came back with a giant, red REJECTED stamp, so I thought you were already familiar with the technology."


    Yao Yuan laughed awkwardly. "That¡¯s because the amount of supplies you asked for was too astronomical. Granted it¡¯s more economical than the Hadron Collider, it''s not by much. Your proposal said the machine would occupy ? of a whole level, so how could I possibly approve it? Regardless, what is this supermagnetic field?"


    Bo Li rolled her eyes. "This is a technology inspired by my power when I was flipping through the alien scriptures. We will have access to manmade gravity at the end of the 4th revolution, and this supermagnetic field is its byproduct. The supermagnetic field could lock objects within a limited area in stasis. However, it requires a large amount of energy, one not even the polymerized reactors could provide, so this technology hasn¡¯t been available to the aliens either. One thing to note is that this technology is different from our anti-gravitational technology; it is much more primitive."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s interest was raised, so he asked hurriedly, "But how could that help? Are we going to manually remove the debris bit by bit?"


    "No, we use something more direct." A mischievous glint flashed in Bo Li¡¯s eyes. "With the anti-gravitational units keeping the debris afloat and the supermagnetic field locking it into place¡­


    "We¡¯ll blow through it with a shot from the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon! That¡¯ll be our ticket to freedom!"

 Chapter 146: The First Dispatch Unit

    Chapter 146: The First Dispatch Unit


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Bo Li¡¯s suggestion sounded crazy to say the least.


    It was preposterous enough that a supermagnetic field generator needed to be built to essentially open a tunnel, and her plan required the usage of the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon! A weapon strong enough to demolish a medium-sized space satellite with 1 hit!


    "I¡¯ve asked many experts before coming forth with this idea. All of them agree that a shot from the cannon could tear through the suspended 2,000-meter rock layer easily. Furthermore, the shot will have reached enough third cosmic velocity [1] to break through the atmosphere and perhaps even this solar system to disperse itself in space! There is no harm in doing this!"


    Yao Yuan was convinced by her sound argument on one hand and conflicted by the ludicrousness of the situation on the other. In the end, he came to a decision and asked for a meeting among the Black Star space troopers.


    "First, I¡¯ve accepted the plan. It sounds ridiculous, but in reality, the generator only needs 20 days to build. After it has passed the safety check, a shot will be fired by the cannon to create an upward path. Then, a first dispatch unit of about 15 people will take a shuttle to the surface to conduct field study and sampling."


    Yao Yuan addressed Ying, "Ying, you¡¯ll be leading the team. Bring Zhang Heng and Ren Tao along. Make sure to keep communication open at all times. In cases of emergency, I¡¯ll ask Xi Kong to use her power to reach you. Your team will also consist of 5 scientists and 7 Black Star troopers. Please ensure the safety of these 5 scientists. Among them will be Professor Mitsuda, the Whisperer."


    Ying nodded. "What about our equipment? I request for gear that is suitable for a planet with an atmosphere."


    "Approved," Yao Yuan answered immediately. "Other than those, I¡¯ll allow your unit to carry 1 lightweight Gaussian cannon, and for every one of the members, a supermagnetic guided mine."


    Ying felt that there was nothing for him to add, so he nodded satisfactorily.


    Then Yao Yuan left the rest to Ying. He had faith in Ying¡¯s meticulousness during mission planning, so he didn¡¯t drop in to check.


    Ying didn¡¯t disappoint. Other than Zhang Heng and Ren Tao, who were nominated by Yao Yuan, he picked Ebon and Liu Bai, making the total number of skilled Homo Evolutis to 5. Finally, he picked 5 Survivors to round up the party.


    Without being told, Ying understood Yao Yuan¡¯s intention. Other than the ostentatious mission objectives, the hidden point of the mission was to provide field training to the Survivors. That was why Ying opted for a 50-50 ratio between the skilled Homo Evolutis and the Survivors, even though the Survivors¡¯ ability wasn¡¯t as powerful as the other Homo Evolutis''.


    With the increased progress brought in by the 4th revolution, the generator that took up ? of the Hope¡¯s entire floor was completed within 20 days. Unfortunately, because the machine was too unwieldy to be fitted in the Hope, it had to be attached to the ship¡¯s outer wall. This action earned Bo Li¡¯s ire, since treating it as an external attachment would mean exposing such delicate equipment to damage.


    Yao Yuan, though, paid her no mind. It was, after all, a necessary decision. The thing would occupy a quarter of one of the Hope¡¯s individual levels. Putting it inside the Hope would naturally mean sequestering part of the public space. The public ire from that would be worse than the wrath of a single Bo Li. Furthermore, since they were loaded with resources, if the device was damaged, they could just as easily build a new one.


    After exhausting a whole polymerized reactor, the generator was activated as plasma visibly surged towards the top of the ship. The floating debris above the Hope slowly gravitated towards the walls and formed a compact, horizontal rock barrier.


    As everything set into place, the front of the Hope opened to reveal the barrel, body, and even the rail where the cannon sat on. The cannon slowly pointed upwards and electricity could be felt suffusing the area as it charged up. Electricity could be seen running through coils inside the cannon, creating a plasmatic energy center.


    "Starting count down: 30, 29, 28..


    3, 2, 1¡­"


    Following the completion of the count down, the whole ship shook. In barely a second, a hole of 50 meters in diameter appeared above the Hope. Several pieces of pebbles broke away from the edge, tumbling downwards. However, the rest of the barrier held. Finally, through the hole, the people of the Hope could see the sky!


    The cannon shot would be out of the planet¡¯s atmosphere by then, far into the reaches of the cosmos.


    Everything was ready, but¡­ the hole was too small for the shuttle to navigate through. In the end, Yao Yuan had no choice but to order 3 more shots. The shots increased the size of the hole to about 170 meters in diameter, and finally the shuttle could squeeze through.


    Inside the shuttle, everyone was in their spacesuit. With the anti-gravitational system activated, the shuttle floated slowly through the hole. The shuttle was grazing the walls at every side, but thankfully, with Ying¡¯s power, there was no accident. However, due to the difficulties in navigation, it still took the shuttle about 10 minutes to pass through the 2,000-meter-long tunnel.


    The moment the shuttle broke through to open air, it felt like they were transported back to Earth.


    Beyond the windows was a field of grass where animals galloped away hurriedly, startled by the shuttle¡¯s appearance. Ferns of many kinds and colorful flowers dotted the landscape. Clouds floated lazily up in the sky, pierced occasionally by aviaries of some sort. The sky was awashed in a palette of gold and red, for a sun was setting in the western horizon. It was so¡­ beautiful.


    Ying wasted no time enjoying the scenery. Certain of the mission, he found a safe spot to land before leading the troopers out the shuttle. They needed to secure the perimeter. After all, this was an alien planet¡­ even the plants could be dangerous!


    20 minutes later, Ying allowed the scientists to descend after making sure there were no obvious signs of danger.


    The moment they heard Ying¡¯s consent, the group of scientists rushed out of the shuttle with much glee and excitement. Then they spread out to complete their own assignments. Samples were collected from the plants, animal feces, soil, air, and microbes. This was not a project that could be hurried, so even when the sky was fully dark, the sampling process hadn¡¯t seen its conclusion yet.


    Suddenly, Chou Yue, Mao Miao, Yao Yuan in the Hope and Zhang Heng on the surface lifted their heads upwards and exclaimed in unison, "This is bad. Danger incoming!"


    An unknown danger was coming from above them, from way above the planet''s surface and even above the sky and atmosphere¡­ it was coming from beyond the planet itself!


    What kind of feeling was this?! This was an unbridled malice, intent on swallowing everything¡­ They felt like they were like meat stranded in a circle of hungry beasts!


    Zhang Heng¡¯s first reaction was to connect to the Hope, Chou Yue went searching for Ren Tao, Mao Miao sought Ning Xue¡¯s comfort, and Yao Yuan communicated with Ying immediately.


    "Ying, what¡¯s happening?! Report immediately! I feel something extremely dangerous coming from beyond the sky! What¡¯s happening?"


    "The planet¡­ It¡¯s being consumed!"


    With shock and terror, Ying¡¯s party stood transfixed, watching the planet¡¯s two moons. One of them had irregular bite marks on its surface. The culprit was a mass of muscles adhering to the moon¡¯s surface, slowly digesting it!


    The scene was captured in Ying¡¯s mind using his seeker¡¯s power.


    His eyes met the stare of the many eyes that covered the meat monster¡¯s massive body. It shifted its gaze away from Ying and to the shuttle behind him¡­ and then to the giant hole beside the shuttle!


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] The ''third cosmic velocity'' is the speed that a spacecraft needs to attain in order to be able to leave the solar system.

 Chapter 147: Life? Spaceship?

    Chapter 147: Life? Spaceship?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Suffice to say, the dispatch unit¡¯s good mood was entirely ruined by the appearance of the meat monster.


    No one had any leisure left to admire the planet¡¯s beauty, so they rushed through their mission mechanically.


    Their hearts heavy with worry, the dispatch unit returned to the Hope. After the necessary decontamination procedure, the 15-member unit was escorted to a secret meeting where more than 100 attendees were already waiting.


    "¡­These are the results of our surveillance thus far."


    Yao Yuan explained from the podium. Behind him was a 3-D image of the planet they were on and its two orbiting moons.


    "This planet has 2 moons. To prevent confusion, we shall refer to the first moon as Moon 1. Moon 1 is 1/6 the size of Earth¡¯s moon, and the second moon naturally will be called Moon 2¡­ Then again, rather than a moon, it is more akin to this planet¡¯s binary star, as it is only smaller than this planet by 0.17 percent. It has its own atmosphere, terrain, and ecosystem¡­


    "I understand this is hard to believe, especially for the scientists in the room, because scientifically speaking, it is statistically improbable to find a life-supporting planet in space. What¡¯s more is that we have stumbled upon a pair of life-supporting binary stars. They orbit around one another, seemingly unaffected by each other¡¯s gravity field. This is indeed a space miracle.


    "However!"


    The mood of the room changed as Yao Yuan¡¯s expression turned grim. "That was not all that we¡¯ve found! Operator, please post the enlarged image of Moon 2!"


    A second later, the original image was swapped out for the zoomed in satellite picture of Moon 2. Using those, a constructed 3-D image of the moon of half a meter in diameter was projected in the middle of room.


    The planet''s surface still maintained several traces of greenery, but its sea was nothing more than a giant gulf. All of the water had been dried up, and the planet''s surface was so arid that it was cleft with cracks. A giant, meat-like pipe of several tens of thousands in diameter encircled the planet''s surface. The branching, muscular pipe appeared to be completely welded into the moon, as if it was sucking it dry from within.


    The moon¡¯s biggest land mass¡­ was covered with an unknown muscular layer, and the pipe appeared to be connected to this layer¡­ "Based on our surveillance data, this muscular layer is about 2,400 meters above sea level and covers ? of the moon¡¯s surface. So far, we have no clue as to this¡­ thing¡¯s identity. Is it alive? Is it an alien weapon or a mineral collector like the plant on Planet Sahara? We don¡¯t know."


    After some minor commotion in the audience, a scientist pressed the speech button. He requested, "Captain, can you pull up the heat distribution schematics for this creature?"


    A surprised Yao Yuan answered, "Of course. Operator, you heard the man."


    A military man punched in a few controls and the colors of the 3D image changed. Most of the muscular landmass was in shades of red, orange, and yellow, while the rest of the planet was in blue, signifying its low temperature. Within the muscular landmass, there were 4 notable points that shone with a white light. Those were places of high altitude on the map.


    "¡­According to the data, these 4 spots have a temperature of more than 10,000 degrees with a possible maximum temperature of 100,000 to 1,000,000 degrees¡­" Yao Yuan read from the numbers that appeared on screen.


    More commotion ensued until a scientist stood up and announced, "Captain, we suspect that this is a spaceship!"


    Yao Yuan was stunned. He asked hurriedly, "A spaceship? A vehicle to travel through space?"


    The scientist nodded. "Yes. As we can see, this unknown object is collecting resources by absorbing it directly from the moon. The materials are siphoned through the pipes to be used as energy reagents. That is the only plausible explanation to why those 4 spots could reach such a high temperature. Those are energy reactors of some sort. Therefore, this is a spaceship we¡¯re looking at."


    Right then, another scientist pressed the speech button, asking, "But Professor Peter, why couldn¡¯t this be an animal organism? It looks just like one!"


    Peter retorted, "Then where could such an organism come from? The fact that there is only 1 such creature on this moon and it has no competition means that it probably didn¡¯t originate on this moon. Furthermore, from a biological perspective, an organism with this mass and size can¡¯t logically exist!"


    Yao Yuan halted the argument by asking, "Sorry to interrupt, but could everyone slow down for a minute? Can someone explain to me what is this origin planet and illogicality that Professor Peter spoke of?"


    Ivan stepped forth to answer. "Captain, let me explain. First, venturing in space has broken many of biology¡¯s accepted rules. For example, silicon-based and nitrogen-based organisms are no longer stuff of science fiction. However, one biological truth has remained uncontested, and that is the biological need for reproduction.


    "Be it through sexual reproduction, asexual reproduction, mitosis, or even other methods that we¡¯ve not seen before, the aim of reproduction is to ensure an organism¡¯s continuity. For continuity to occur, the offspring can¡¯t be biologically different from its parent. Such is the iron rule of biology. We see this replicated in every organism that we know; microbes breed microbes and rabbits breed rabbits. It is impossible for microbes to breed rabbits, as that is just preposterous. Even if there¡¯s evolution, it occurs across a long time with the bad genes gradually eliminated by natural selection. Organism A couldn¡¯t just become organism B across 1 generation. This should be true for all space organisms, or else there wouldn¡¯t be any civilizations or races."


    Ivan paused to point at the 3-D landmass. "So if we assume that that thing is a living organism¡­ this means that its previous generation would also be about the same size and mass. Could you envision a planet big enough to support such a group of living organisms? Think about it, the planet would have to be at least 10,000,000 times bigger than this planet! For a planet that size, its gravity would simply doom its inhabitants. Furthermore, the planet would implode upon its gravitational pressure, so logically speaking, such a giant organism is impossible."


    Another scientist piped up. "Then couldn¡¯t the organism have mutated? Even though I¡¯m not a biologist, I understand mutation can bring some drastic changes."


    Ivan replied firmly, "You¡¯re right. Under the influence of radiation or other odd circumstances, an organism can undergo dramatic evolutionary changes. That was why Professor Peter has asked for a heat distribution schematics of this thing¡­ My fellow colleague, do you think it is possible for an organism to even evolve to a stage where it can innately learn how to fuse hydrogen to create atomic energy? This is beyond pure biological knowledge, for it involves familiarity with the fields of electromagnetism, atomic energy, and metallurgy to name a few. These are all 4th revolution technologies, but this ¡®organism¡¯ is using them!"


    The scientist contemplated for a long time before conceding. "You¡¯re right. If that¡¯s the case, this ¡®organism¡¯ has to be a spaceship. Perhaps instead of focusing on mechanics and robotics, this alien race has ventured deep into the studies of biology and genetics¡­"


    Yao Yuan waited for them to finish before adding, "So this thing could be an organic spaceship¡­ This means that its owner has crossed into 4th or even 5th revolution by now. We can¡¯t eclipse any possibilities at this point. However, the bigger question is, will they cross over to this planet?"


    Everyone started arguing amongst themselves again, but no one dared to speak their mind. Regardless of its identity, since it had shown the intention to drain the moon of its resources, then it would be illogical to expect it to leave the other similar planet alone¡­ It would descend upon the planet they were on sooner or later.


    "¡­Since no one can be sure, let¡¯s find out more first."


    Yao Yuan sighed as he spoke into the communicator. "Fire 10 remote controlled S grade mini AI probes, the ones we salvaged from the junkyard¡­ I want a close-up of this organism within the next 10 minutes!"

 Chapter 148: War!

    Chapter 148: War!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Hope¡¯s military force was highly efficient, so they only had to spend 10 minutes to pull the AI probes from the warehouse. These 10 probes were some of the 50 probes that the Hope had salvaged from the junkyard. Even though mankind could replicate some of the technology used to build the drones, some of the smaller parts required nanotechnology that mankind didn¡¯t have access to. Therefore, the 50 drones were extremely valuable, because the replicated models couldn¡¯t be as powerful as the originals.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s determination could be seen from the fact that he had ordered to deploy 10 drones in one go. 10 drones could literally scan the whole solar system they were in with ease. Yao Yuan, in fact, wanted to deploy all 50 drones. After all, this organic spaceship could very well ruin their prospect of finding a second home planet!


    10 minutes later, the 10 drones lifted into the air through the open hole. The moment the drones reached the surface, they shot into space. Their speed was so fast that they seared burning trails into the atmosphere.


    "Armed with particle accelerators and high-energy electromagnetic batteries, the drones can reach a maximum speed of 1,400 kilometers per second and last for 72 hours. No wonder it¡¯s a technology from the 4th revolution."


    As Yao Yuan spoke, a 3-D image slowly materialized. Details of Moon 2 became clearer as the drones gently descended onto the moon, inching closer and closer to the muscular landmass.


    "¡­Detection of high-energy reaction! Energy surging towards the 4 suspected reactors. Energy rising, possible anti-air weapons!"


    An urgent voice said through the communicator. Before anyone could respond, the 3-D image blinked out of existence, and barely a beat later, every other surveillance device in the room also started to fail.


    "Are we under attack? What kind of attack? Energy weapon? Laser weapon?"


    Yao Yuan yelled through the communicator. A hurried response came several seconds later. "No, not a weapon attack, but¡­ creator¡¯s particles!"


    When they looked out the window, they saw a bright layer of ions clashing with one another, a physical manifestation of creator¡¯s particle coming into conflict with the Hope¡¯s particle isolator. If this was the Hope prior to the junkyard, all energy would have been lost by now.


    Everyone returned to the meeting room with heavy footsteps. The situation was obvious; regardless of whether it was an organism or an organic spaceship, it represented a level 2 civilization since it had access to both polymerized reactors and the creator¡¯s particle. Based on these observations, it could be concluded that it was not a simple mutation.


    "¡­As everyone can witness for themselves, all of our surveillance technology has been rendered useless¡­ We have to rely on our eyes to keep watch over this thing¡­ Of course, this is the same for our enemy. The creator¡¯s particle has made surveillance impossible for the both of us."


    Yao Yuan paused to think before adding, "First, I need Ying to lead the dispatch unit¡­ excluding the scientists of course, back to the surface. I need the 9 of you to keep a close eye on the giant organism. I want you to immediately report back to the Hope the second it tries to do anything, be it flying towards us or it dispatching satellites or things of that sort."


    "Mission duration?" Ying stood up to ask.


    "¡­12 hours," Yao Yuan answered. "You and the female black star guard, Ye Mu, are the only seekers we have, so I¡¯ll have Ol¡¯ Wong bring her to take over after the 12 hours. I¡¯ll be relying on you to keep the surveillance active. Dismissed."


    Ying saluted. "Yes, Sir!" Then he made eye contact with Zhang Heng, Liu Bia, Ebon, and Ren Tao before leading all 4 of them hastily out of the room.


    Yao Yuan then turned to the scientists. "Continue working with the surveillance data we have. Other than that, continue sampling the planet, make sure the excavation continues, and increase the speed if possible. In other words, keep to your stations; we need as much information as we can get¡­ Bo Li, if you can, please stay behind."


    The scientists only got more worried after witnessing the meat muscle creature sucking the moon dry. Even without Yao Yuan¡¯s urging, they wished to return to their labs to find out more about this unknown organism!


    Finally, only Yao Yuan, Bo Li, and a few technical workers were left in the room. Yao Yuan took the opportunity to ask, "Bo Li, you¡¯re the designer and creator of our space combat jet and the space troopers¡¯ equipment. I wish to ask¡­ Do you think our current equipment is enough to defend the Hope if a war ensues on this planet?"


    A slight panic entered Bo Li¡¯s eye as she answered, "You really think the monster will descend on this planet? If such a big creature were to fall from space, the only way the Hope could defend itself would be by warping. I don¡¯t think an atomic bomb or the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon will be of any use. Yes, they could harm parts of the creature, but due to its great size, the majority of it will remain¡­ unless we manage to destroy ¡®that¡¯ thing."


    "Destroy ¡®that¡¯ thing huh?" Yao Yuan smiled ruefully. "If only we had the technology. Regardless, temporarily, at least for the next 5 years¡­ the creature won¡¯t come to this planet. Call it the Diviner¡¯s intuition, but realistically speaking, it won¡¯t be attacking so soon because one, it hasn¡¯t completely drained the moon yet, and two, it has to be wary of us suddenly appearing in this planet¡¯s underground.


    "Therefore, it¡¯s my speculation that it¡¯ll send out small crafts or landing crew to test the waters. However, since the creature is already in the 4th revolution, and because of its size, we have to suspect that it¡¯ll have a larger population than us¡­ Since we can¡¯t prevail in terms of number¡­ I hope we¡¯ll at least have the upper hand in terms of quality. That¡¯s why I asked you those questions."


    "In terms of quality, I don¡¯t think we should have anything to worry about. Even though our space combat jet is only the result of the initial stage of 4th revolution and thus pales in comparison to jets that will arise in later revolutions, it won¡¯t be completely overwhelmed. It won¡¯t be a situation where we¡¯re the prehistoric mankind fighting a jet using stone axes," Bo Li offered.


    "Furthermore, I think you¡¯ve missed out on an important detail."


    Yao Yuan was stumped. "What detail?"


    Bo Li replied, "The Homo Evolutis, obviously. Our number of Homo Evolutis is higher than the junkyard alien civilization, so they had to rely on normal citizens to pilot their warships. Even though the warships had great power, they went unused because of their pilots. Therefore, I can assure you that in terms of quality, as long as we¡¯re not seriously outnumbered, we¡¯ll be fine. A Homo Evolutis-piloted combat jet could easily take on 10 normally-piloted warships! That much is certain!"


    Yao Yuan relaxed only slightly because Bo Li had raised an important point¡­ What if they are seriously outnumbered?


    "No matter what, we must try our best to protect this planet! It¡¯ll be impossible to locate another planet that has greenery and a blue sea and sky, a planet that could give us hope! How can we allow it to be consumed by an alien monster?! We will never let that happen! If the worst happens, we¡¯ll just reveal our trump card!"


    Ying led the 9 member unit up to the surface. They descended the shuttle but knew not to wander 10 meters away from it, because that was the safe zone¡­ the safe zone from the interference of the creator¡¯s particle. Even though each of their spacesuits was outfitted with an individual isolator, operating those required a great amount of energy, so they shouldn¡¯t be used unless truly necessary.


    The time was almost dusk. Moon 2 hung low in the sky, its surface pockmarked with craters and cracks. Like a malign growth, a mass of muscles pulsated on its surface.


    "So ugly and disgusting," Ying said snidely.


    "This planet shall be mankind¡¯s second home planet. We will not allow you to contaminate it!"

 Chapter 149: Trump Card

    Chapter 149: Trump Card


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It had been 3 days and 3 nights since the creator¡¯s particle was activated.


    Within these 3 days, the Hope¡¯s public went on with their lives like nothing had happened. They reported to work every morning, gossiped with one another during breaks, and returned home to have dinner with their family after work. Their main topic of conversation was, of course, the Earth-like planet, the planet that they could one day call home.


    Hidden from the truth, the public had nothing but anticipation towards rebuilding a life on this new home planet. Their only worry was the virus because that was the only information that was revealed. However, it might be an exaggeration to call it a worry, because at the end of the day, the public had full faith that the government would overcome the problem. After all, technology was improving tremendously right before their eyes. They wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Hope Weekly suddenly announced that the Academy had found a way for mankind to achieve immortality!


    In conclusion, the general public on the Hope had high hopes for their future. The remaining pockets that thought otherwise were either hidden doomsday cultists or people who were privy to the truth.


    Among those who were in the know, they barely had time to eat in those 3 days. Every waking second was spent researching the meat monster. A combination of fear and hope contributed to a total of 79 feasible plans for Yao Yuan to choose from!


    "They want to create ¡®that¡¯ thing in such a short amount of time? Have they finally lost it? Its key technology hasn¡¯t been fully understood, and realizing this plan requires 13.4 times the energy required for a space warp. In other words, we need at least 5 giant polymerized reactors to make this plan work. Do they think we can complete all of this on such short notice?"


    Yao Yuan slammed the files on his table. His mental state had been strung taut by the pressure that had accumulated over the past 3 days. If it was someone else, the person would have cracked under pressure by then. Yao Yuan, though, only fumed silently, a testament to his mental stability.


    Yao Yuan was not afraid of combat or even death, but he found himself to be apprehensive of the momentous pressure he was placed under.


    After all, it was almost miraculous that the Hope had managed to find a perfectly preserved planet with a sustainable environment in its more than a hundred warps after they left Earth!


    Blinded by the prospect of a new home, information about this new planet was rashly released through the Hope¡¯s media before the organic spaceship was discovered. The public¡¯s great desire to see, touch, and feel the new planet for themselves was the source of Yao Yuan¡¯s enormous pressure.


    Sitting before Yao Yuan was Guang Zhen. He held in his hands the military¡¯s proposed plan. When he saw Yao Yuan fuming, he laughed conciliatorily before pushing the plan forward, adding, "Stop giving yourself so much pressure, Ol¡¯ Yao. Our current condition is already more than satisfactory. If not for you, human civilization would''ve been long gone by now."


    Yao Yuan gulped down his cup of tea and sighed audibly. "Ol¡¯ Wong, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been under a lot of stress lately¡­ But I think you can see why¡­ This planet¡­ this planet is our second chance, so we¡¯ll have to protect it no matter what. Do you know that based on the HD pictures taken by Ying and the data collected before the activation of the creator¡¯s particle, the Academy has already come up with the speculation that¡­ this organic spaceship spreads via mitosis, like bacteria."


    "It spreads?" Guang Zhen was startled.


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Yes, it spreads. We¡¯ve been carrying out 24-hour surveillance on the thing for the past 3 days. The Academy came over with a report this morning. The creature has gotten about 30 meters thinner, but its coverage has gotten wider. You know what this means, right?


    "According to their calculations, the creature will have covered the entire moon in the next 30 days, and I believe that after that, it¡¯ll definitely find ways to come over to this planet!"


    Guang Zhen¡¯s face sank, then he asked hurriedly, "Is it possible that the Academy miscalculated? This is a whole planet-sized moon we¡¯re talking about. It sounds impossible that it¡¯ll be completely digested in just a month!"


    Yao Yuan chuckled bitterly. "I had the same suspicion, so I purposely used the supercomputer to simulate the situation of Moon 2 1 month from now. Do you know what I saw?"


    Guang Zhen knew the question was rhetorical, so he sat quietly. Yao Yuan added, "This creature¡­ After it covers the moon, it¡¯ll swallow it whole! Like a snake, it gobbles a planet several times bigger than itself whole and then takes time to let its internal digestion system take care of the valuable resources before disposing the rest as waste material! It doesn¡¯t drain the moon slowly but swallows it in one go!"


    Guang Zhen could feel sweat pouring down his face. He tried to say something, but he was at a loss. Yao Yuan, though, was not done. "Of course, this shouldn¡¯t come as much of a surprise, since it would take millennia to slowly drain a planet dry. Its method is much more efficient. After Moon 2 is swallowed, this planet will most definitely be its next target¡­ If that¡¯s true, we have another problem to worry about. If the creature ventures close to this planet with Moon 2 still in its body, it¡¯ll definitely lead to a cataclysmic disaster. The binary stars will clash and shatter upon impact. Then again, when the stars got close enough, the gravitational forces between the 2 stars will create a fluctuation big enough to tear the Hope asunder! We won¡¯t even live to see the planets clash.


    "Hopefully, the creature has enough common sense to not attempt something suicidal. However, this doesn¡¯t mean that we¡¯re safe¡­ Ol¡¯ Wong, this is a picture taken by Ye Mu an hour ago. Keep this to your eyes alone," Yao Yuan warned as he retrieved a picture gingerly out of his drawer and handed it to Guang Zhen.


    Guang Zhen accepted the photo and noticed instantly that the picture was taken with a high-power camera. The Barracks had similar equipment, but they weren¡¯t as powerful. This was clear because the details on this photo were much clearer than the ones taken by the Barracks. Guang Zhen could even see the several meters big pebbles clearly.


    On the picture, a lively, organ-like creature was splattered onto the planet surface. Interspersed among the creature were several spheres of varying sizes. The spheres were dark brown in color and had a collagen-like shell. It was hard to tell what their uses were.


    "This is the second picture taken 30 minutes ago¡­" Yao Yuan passed over another photo.


    Guang Zhen¡¯s expression changed the moment he laid eyes on the picture. There was murderous intent in his steely gaze.


    The spheres had cracked open in the second picture. Several winged, fleshy monsters had crawled out from within. In the picture, some were already in flight, while others that were obviously newly hatched monsters gathered around a gash on the planet''s surface, licking some sort of green liquid that had pooled there¡­ "This is the third picture sent over by Ye Mu several minutes before you arrived," Yao Yuan said as he passed over the last picture.


    This last picture wasn¡¯t as magnified as the previous two, for the intention was to capture the entire landmass in profile. Spread across the landmass were¡­ millions upon millions of such egg-like spheres!


    With a heavy countenance, Yao Yuan added, "I have reasons to believe that this organic spaceship is preparing for assault. I dare say these fleshy, winged creatures are their equivalent to our combat jets. In 2 to 3 days, there will be millions of these creatures. Even if the spaceship itself doesn¡¯t come close to us, do you think we can stop these creatures?"


    Guang Zhen went silent for a long time before finally saying, "Then what should we do? Give this planet up?"


    Yao Yuan stood up to pace the room. "No, surrender is not an option. We might not encounter a planet like this again in our lifetime¡­ We will fight even if this might be our last stand!"


    Guang Zhen lifted his head and leveled a serious glance at Yao Yuan. "But how can we fight? Ol¡¯ Yao, where there¡¯s life, there¡¯s hope. I¡¯m more than willing to fight alongside you to my last breath, but if you are to drag the entirety of the Hope in this doomed battle¡­ I¡­"


    Yao Yuan matched his gaze. "I understand. When I took over the Black Star Unit, I did say that if I ever issue a death-seeking order for my own benefit, you have the right to execute me. I haven¡¯t forgotten¡­ I should rephrase, because I believe we still have a trick up our sleeves that could lead us to victory."


    "Huh? What trick? If it could guarantee this planet¡¯s safety and humanity¡¯s continuity, just say it. Even if it requires my life, I¡¯m willing to give it." Guang Zhen straightened himself.


    Yao Yuan laughed. "What use do I have for your life? I still need you alive to act as my second-in-command¡­ In any case, it¡¯s impossible to create ¡®that¡¯ thing with such short notice. We don¡¯t have the technology nor the power supply to make the plan successful. Of course, with the engineer bots, we could rush to build 5 extra reactors, but without the key technology, it¡¯ll all be useless, so we have to let ¡®that¡¯ thing go for now.


    "Our real trump card is this¡­"


    Yao Yuan then handed Guang Zhen a faded report.


    Guang Zhen flipped through it immediately. The report had nothing of note but one thing¡­ the executive order to dismantle the crystal reactors and to preserve alien plants.

 Chapter 150: Tricked!

    Chapter 150: Tricked!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ying led Zhang Heng, Ren Tao, Ebon, Liu Bai, and 5 Survivors, so 10 Black Star troopers in total, to the surface in the shuttle on the 3rd day after the activation of the creator¡¯s particle. It was dusk and thus the time to take over the surveillance shift from Ye Mu¡¯s unit.


    As Ye Mu was getting on the shuttle to return to the Hope, Zhang Heng ran to catch up to her. "I¡¯ve spent years looking for you. Now that we finally meet, are you seriously going to ignore me?" Zhang Heng asked.


    Ye Mu turned to glance at Zhang Heng. Born of an Asian-European heritage, Ye Mu had exotic and handsome features. A short scar ran in the middle of her brow, but instead of ruining her face, it lent her an air of valiance. She replied lightly, "Is there anything you need from me, Lieutenant?"


    A self-conscious Zhang Heng mumbled as if to himself, "I¡¯ve been meaning to thank you. If not for your help a few years ago on the meteorite base, I wouldn¡¯t be standing here today. I meant to find you to thank you personally after I woke up at the hospital¡­"


    A faint blush rose to Ye Mu¡¯s face. She interjected, "I¡¯m sorry, but that was so long ago that I¡¯ve forgotten all about it already. Is there anything else, Lieutenant?"


    Zhang Heng stared blankly at Ye Mu for an extended period of time before sighing. "No, there¡¯s nothing else. I¡¯ll get out of your unit¡¯s way now."


    Ye Mu saluted and led her team to the shuttle without a backward glance.


    Zhang Heng stood watching the shuttle drift away. After some time, he heard Ebon¡¯s mocking laugh beside him. Then he felt a harsh slap on his shoulder before Ebon¡¯s baritone voice drifted down. "Actually, we knew you¡¯ve been searching for her all these years, but¡­ since Ol¡¯ Wong said she¡¯s not a good pair for you, we¡¯ve been keeping it under wraps. You only have yourself to blame since you couldn¡¯t pick up the courage to ask any of us or to directly flip through the army log."


    "What do you mean by not a good pair?" Zhang Heng questioned.


    Ebon¡¯s tone turned serious. "She¡¯s an elite soldier of an Eastern European sect. They were trained to kill since they were young. It¡¯s a miracle that she still has traces of humanity left¡­ Don¡¯t look so shocked. Many of us from the old Black Star Unit are just like her. With the exception of Ol¡¯ Captain and Ol¡¯ Wong, our lives are spent killing. Our brains are wired to think like a humanized weapon. And she¡¯s just the same¡­"


    "¡­I heard she has a brother," Zhang Heng said to no one in particular.


    "That person is technically not her brother." Unexpectedly, it was Ying who came over to explain. He added in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, "The guy is the son of her former comrade. She fell during one of their skirmishes. The guy¡¯s mother died to save Ye Mu¡¯s life, so ever since, she has been taking care of the guy on her behalf."


    "But the person is too close to her age to be her adopted son! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ she¡¯s already in her fifties?!" Zhang Heng exclaimed.


    Ying shook his head. "When she joined the Hope, she was only 21, and the guy was 17. I heard that she adopted him when he was only 8, so yes, they¡¯re more like siblings than parent and child."


    "17? That means she has been his sole caretaker for¡­ 9 years. Since she was 12? How does a 12-year-old managed to do all that¡­" Zhang Heng said disbelievingly. However, he looked at Ebon¡¯s and Ying¡¯s serious expressions and knew that they weren¡¯t kidding.


    "That¡¯s right. She joined her sect when she was 10. No wonder she has such an imposing aura. Call it the shared intuition of the predator, but whenever she¡¯s close by, I get unconsciously alert. Many others in the military have told me the same," Ebon added.


    (So she¡­ had her first taste of killing when she was 10. I can¡¯t imagine what her life¡¯s like¡­) Ying addressed him. "Zhang Heng, don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but even though you¡¯re part of the Black Star unit, deep down in our hearts, we all know that you belong to a world different than ours. I would die for you, but there¡¯s just a gap that it¡¯s impossible to cross. Girls like Ning Xue and Mao Miao belong to your world; you guys share the same world vision. Know your boundaries, or else it¡¯ll be you that will end up getting hurt, understood?"


    Zhang Heng balled his hands together, but he uttered no retort. Within his heart, other than the previous appreciation and curiosity about this woman by the name of Ye Mu, a new sense of empathy emerged.


    Then everyone went back to work. The surveillance unit was tasked with taking pictures of Moon 2 at 30 minute intervals, while the rest was spent lying on the grass waiting for stuff to happen. So far, the diagnostic on the planet¡¯s atmosphere and virus was still progressing, so the team had to be in spacesuits because no one was allowed to have direct contact with the planet¡¯s environs for the sake of safety.


    The true enemy of the day was boredom. Time was spent literally staring at clouds in the sky. Even though the spacesuits came with 1 TB storage, making it possible to upload movies or music into it, no one dared to do so for fear of Ying¡¯s wrath. When the situation required it, Ying could be more heartless than Yao Yuan, and no one dared to test the extent of his wrath.


    Time whiled away until it was almost midnight and the team started to nod off. The only person fully awake was Ying. To preserve his energy, he only used his seeker¡¯s power during the photo sessions that occurred every 30 minutes. Regardless, it was impressive that Ying had managed to maintain full alertness while everyone else, including those who weren¡¯t using their powers, were already leaden with tiredness.


    Zhang Heng found himself drifting into his dream when he was suddenly assaulted with a tense warning. He shot up into a seated position so drastically that the gun that sat in his grasp flew out into the air.


    "Danger! Everyone be prepared, danger incoming!" Zhang Heng yelled at the top of his lungs.


    The rest of his team came to their senses immediately. No one doubted Zhang Heng¡¯s capability as the Diviner. Ying reacted the fastest; with an arch of his body, he sprung up to train his gun at the sky as he activated his power. He whispered, "Where¡¯s the danger? From the sky? Around us? Is it the mutated meat ball? Or a threat from this planet?"


    Zhang Heng had paled considerably. His eyes wandered their surrounding aimlessly, adding, "Not from the sky, it¡¯s coming from around us. I¡¯ve never felt so disgusted in my life. I feel like I¡¯m being slimed all over with guts, blood, and offal. The feeling also won¡¯t recede."


    With that, everyone knew what he was referring to¡­ the meat thing on Moon 2!


    Ying whipped his head upwards. The sky was empty, not even a cloud in sight. With his seeker¡¯s power, he could see the creatures still crowding the meat monster on Moon 2; they were inactive. He yelled, "Everyone return to the shuttle, but don¡¯t let your guard down. Liu Bai, I need you to take a look at Zhang Heng; he¡¯s not doing so well. Ren Tao, tell me, what do I need to do now?"


    Ren Tao issued a bitter laugh. "Why does every single one of you sound like Yao Yuan? I can¡¯t help you if we don¡¯t know anything, okay?"


    Ying glared at Ren Tao and shouted, "Ebon, come with me! Ren Tao¡¯s right, we need information. Where is the source of malice, how will the enemies from Moon 2 appear? There are too many unknowns¡­ Liu Bai, you need to bring Zhang Heng back to the Hope. Then report to Yao Yuan immediately and tell him we need back up!"


    Liu Bai saluted and carried the limp Zhang Heng in his arms as they rushed towards the shuttle.


    The expressions of the 5 Survivors instantly soured. The shuttle was their only way back; if there was apparent danger, why couldn¡¯t all of them just retreat? Now they were trapped.


    As if reading their minds, Ren Tao warned, "Don¡¯t even dare to think of running. This hole is the only way to reach the Hope. If there is an actual alien threat, we¡¯ll have to keep this entrance safe with our lives. Don¡¯t you guys get it? If this entrance is lost, all our families and friends will die trapped in the ship!"


    Simultaneously, he ran to the shuttle and yelled, "Liu Bai, tell Yao Yuan, we were tricked! The creature on Moon 2 had already sent over its underlings when the sun was still high in the sky. Their traces were covered by the planets¡¯ rotation. We forgot to account for the back of the moon that was hidden during the day."


    Liu Bai didn¡¯t verbally respond, but he waved his hands to signal that he had heard Ren Tao. 10 seconds later, the shuttle door closed and it descended down the hole.


    Ebon and Ying scanned their surroundings with their weapons out. Ying had a Gaussian sniper rifle, and strapped onto his back was an electromagnetic sawblade. Ebon had a mini Gaussian rail cannon in his hands and a sawblade on his back. However, to match his size, Ebon¡¯s sawblade was so ludicrously big that it looked like a cardboard cutout.


    Before the pair could begin their recon, they found themselves blanketed by shadows. Under the 2 moons¡¯ weak light, the shadows materialized into monstrous silhouettes¡­ Their attackers had sturdy exoskeletons, scythe-like claws, and mouths that extended to 6 gaping cavities. The smaller among them was about 1 meter tall, while the bigger ones were more than 6 meters in height. There were more than a million of them, and each one occupied a different form¡­ "As Black Stars!" Ying yelled.


    "For life or for death!"


    Came Ebon¡¯s lonely echo before it was drowned out by the artillery sound of his rail cannon!

 Chapter 151: Unexpectedly Strong! Black Star Troopers!

    Chapter 151: Unexpectedly Strong! Black Star Troopers!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Black Star slogan hadn¡¯t really caught on with the troopers because it wasn¡¯t that impressive, and because it too steeped in the Black Star Unit¡¯s history.


    After all, the slogan had been the Black Stars¡¯ for almost 50 years!


    This was pretty much the Black Stars¡¯ death march slogan. When Ying wailed the slogan, it meant that he was already prepared to not return alive!


    As Ebon¡¯s rail cannon went roaring away, Ying knelt down to use his angled leg as support for his rifle. Then he began to snipe the bigger monsters among the crowd¡­ In a matter of seconds, the area was dripping with monster blood and guts.


    The Gaussian rail gun was doing its work. It had a firing speed of 30,000 shots per second, and the bullets had an initial velocity that could reach up to a maximum of several thousand kilometers per second. Basically, the bullet would find itself outside of the ozone layer a second after it was fired. Its power couldn¡¯t be underestimated!


    Despite the monsters¡¯ scary appearance, they were nothing compared to the raw power of the 4th revolution weaponry. Their exoskeletons might look tough, but they were anything but when faced with these reinforced weapons.


    Ying¡¯s shot took down a 6-meter-tall creature, and Ebon followed it up by annihilating the smaller underlings around it. In just a blink of an eye, a sizable gang of monsters became nothing more than a heap of fleshy mess!


    Only then did the Survivors and Ren Tao begin to come to. They too lifted their guns and shot at the adversaries. Without surprise, the monsters fell under the bullets like paper mache. Even Ying¡¯s team was shocked at how fragile these creatures were.


    There was a chance that they would live! However, before they could relax, a visible layer of electricity appeared around the bigger monsters. The layer rendered all of their bullets useless.


    "Damn, electromagnetic shield! Looks like the big creatures aren¡¯t for aggressive purposes!" Ying yelled. He turned to realize that his team had already spread out to deal with the onslaught. The creator¡¯s particle isolator in their combat suits had only a 1 meter radius. In other words, they had to get close to communicate with one another.


    Shaking his head, he pulled out his sawblade and rushed headfirst towards the bigger creatures that were at the enemies'' backline.


    As Ying rushed forward, the framework in his combat suit sensed his motion as well as rise in adrenaline to activate a supermagnetic growth field. Originally meant to promote plant growth, this technology¡¯s actual usage was to desensitize g-force!


    Yes, g-force!


    When an organism achieves sudden acceleration, g-force will be formed. G-force is created due to the density difference between cellular fluids and rigid cell structure. Therefore, under extreme acceleration, the density of the cellular fluids will get so overwhelming that the body will implode from within. This is the reason why g-force can be a valid cause of death.


    For mankind in the 3rd revolution, g-force was a mystery. In fact, many countries were investing into g-force technology when Earth was still around. However, the research went nowhere. There was no way to prevent the damage caused by g-force when the human body reaches the acceleration of several thousand meters per second.


    That problem was solved in the 4th revolution though. The technology to manipulate the human body at a cellular level had arrived!


    One such technology was the electromagnetic growth field. Electromagnetic waves could be used to get into humans'' deep tissue. Other than increasing plant growth rate, the technology could be used to counter g-force during acceleration.


    The technology was used to push not only the solid parts of the human body, like bones, but also the fluids forward during acceleration. The forward motion was found out to be the most effective direction to offset g-force!


    This was why mankind could survive piloting the combat jet even though it could reach up to several hundred kilometers of acceleration per second!


    The technology was replicated in the Black Star troopers'' space armor. During particle flux acceleration, the Space Armor Prototype 1 would use its electromagnetic growth field to offset the increasing g-force. With these devices in place, the space armor could allow its wearer to reach up to 200 meters acceleration per second!


    Not only that, the electromagnetic growth field has another important use. Due to the difference in the weight of the electromagnetic and gravity fields, time flows differently. This has seen real world experimentation in the twentieth century.


    Like how the growth field can speed up a plant¡¯s growth, it can make a human¡¯s response rate go faster. The increase is, however, dependent on personal ability.


    As a Homo Evolutis, Ying¡¯s reflexes had seen a tremendous increase under the effect of the electromagnetic growth field!


    As he leaped forward, the internal AI of the space armor activated the particle flux to support Ying¡¯s running start. He found himself several hundred meters away from where he was just seconds ago, and he was still accelerating. He zipped down a straight line about 8 seconds before jumping upwards, his sawblade glinting in the moonlight.


    His blood curdling, Ebon whipped his rail gun away and rushed towards Ying, brandishing his own sawblade.


    The other Survivors were glued to their feet. They were firing their guns in an area around them aimlessly. During Ebon¡¯s mid-acceleration, a group of 1-meter-tall monsters leaped into the air, covering the area above Ebon¡¯s head with their writhing mass before dropping down and smothering him.


    "We¡¯re totally done for! These monsters are endless, and our bullets are useless against their electromagnetic shields¡­"


    The 5 Survivors unconsciously moved to gather around Ren Tao. In their heart, they knew that both Ying and Ebon were a lost cause, so in a desperate bid for survival, they placed their bets on the sole remaining skilled Homo Evolutis, Ren Tao.


    Their close proximity caused Ren Tao to hear the person¡¯s despairing exclamation. "Move out of the way! Have you guys gone through several months or several days of training? Such shame! Those are your families down there! I¡¯d die before I let any harm come to my sister! Get out of my way, you¡¯re blocking my blade!"


    Ren Tao lifted his sawblade and tore through the monster crowd. The space armor gave him the boost he needed, so he reached Ebon¡¯s side in 7 seconds! He then unleashed a side that no one had seen before. As a Thinker, Ren Tao had spent most of his time on the battlefield strategizing, so it came as a shock for everyone when they saw their strategist tear through the mass of fleshy monsters.


    As the bodies of the monsters fell, Ren Tao¡¯s brain started calculating. With the combined power of all the Homo Evolutis and the space armors¡¯ aid, it was fully possible that they could live to see another day!


    Suddenly, the ground shook. Ebon emerged from underneath the a monster mountain with his eyes blazing. Swinging his sawblade, he rampaged through the battlefield. Like a steamroller, he rammed a bloody trail through enemy ranks. An alien darted towards him, baring its claws, but he cleaved it perfectly in half.


    Like the God of war, Ebon was showcasing his might on the battlefield!


    In his rampage, a few aliens managed to claw at Ebon, but those barely slowed him down. Ren Tao observed that the space armor not only increased their reflexes and offset the g-force, the armor was interlaced with special alloys created by the alien plant. That gave it a shell that was indestructible by the aliens¡¯ standard!


    Since this was the Black Star troopers¡¯ first actual combat, Ren Tao was pleasantly surprised at how unstoppable they were!


    At that moment, an electromagnetic shielded alien was cut in half, revealing a perfectly unscathed Ying standing above its dying body.


    Ren Tao¡¯s voice rang out as he riddled an alien that appeared before him with bullets¡­ "We can win! The backup will bring about 10 skilled Homo Evolutis and 100 Survivors¡­ With that support, we can absolutely win this!"

 Chapter 152: Time for War!

    Chapter 152: Time for War!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan had been stewing in fear and anxiety for minutes before Liu Bai arrived bearing news. Other than the few Diviners onboard, whose danger senses had been singing for the past few days, the rest of the public mulled about without a concern in the world.


    Only after Liu Bai clambered onto the Hope with a completely out-cold Zhang Heng on his back did Yao Yuan know that they were struck with an ambush!


    "Damn! How many enemy aliens were there? Where¡¯s the rest of the unit?" Yao Yuan screamed at Liu Bai with bloodshot eyes.


    Liu Bai answered calmly, "I left too early to tell how many enemies were there in total¡­ Plus, I had to leave on my own because Zhang Heng was not looking so well."


    Yao Yuan turned to Zhang Heng immediately. The boy had lost consciousness and was fidgeting all over like he was suffering from epilepsy. Yao Yuan collected himself quickly because he knew Liu Bai had made the right choice under the circumstances. Returning to the Hope allowed him to both rescue an important member of the ship and to bring back updates from the front lines¡­ Information was everything in a situation where creator¡¯s particles had been deployed.


    "Liu Bai, you¡¯re off medical duty; leave Zhang Heng to the medical unit. Help me prepare for combat."


    Yao Yuan retrieved from his pocket a red communicator. A sharp siren wailed through the Hope¡¯s fifth floor when he pressed a button on it.


    "The Hope is under attack! All Black Star troopers and the Hope Defense Unit, please prepare for combat! I repeat. The Hope is under attack! All Black Star troopers and the Hope Defense Unit please prepare for combat! This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill!"


    The announcement followed the siren. According to protocol, all military personnel had to gather at the Hope¡¯s training field to wait for orders within 5 minutes of the announcement. Whether one was resting or eating, it made no difference; an order was an order.


    Yao Yuan arrived at the field in less than 5 minutes. All 140 plus Black Star Troopers were already there. This was an elite unit composed of purely Homo Evolutis. Thanks to the increase in Homo Evolutis brought upon by the second fever, Yao Yuan decided to limit the Black Star Troopers to a small yet elite unit. Everyone was armed with Gaussian rifles, electromagnetic sawblades, and Space Armor Prototype 1s. Few among them were also pilots for Space Combat Jet Prototype 003.


    The Hope Defense Unit, on the other hand, had about 3,600 members. Armed with reinforced space combat suits, Gaussian rifles, and charged bayonets, this was a unit that was meant to win via overwhelming numbers. Every platoon was fitted with 1 mini Gaussian Gatling cannon, every company 2 mini Gaussian cannons, and every battalion 2 to 3 medium Gaussian cannons. These 2 were the main military units that made up the Hope¡¯s army.


    Yao Yuan wasted no time to address the gathered men and women. "Mobilize all 3 main units within the Black Star Troopers now. Use the shuttles to get aboveground and help exterminate all enemies in sight. Secure the perimeter and wait for further orders¡­ Ol¡¯ Wong, you¡¯ll be leading the teams, go now!"


    Guang Zhen saluted. "Yes, Sir!" With the rest of the Black Star Troopers, they rushed towards the shuttle hangar.


    Yao Yuan then trained his attention at the remaining 3,600 soldiers. "This ship is currently under alien attack. Right above us, our dispatch unit was ambushed. They might be dead by now, so I¡¯ll skip the sentimentalities. With the Black Star Troopers forging the path for us, we¡¯re going to arrive to clean up the rest. I¡¯ll be personally leading your party for this mission!


    "Combat Battalion A, Battalions 1, 2, and 3, fall out!" Yao Yuan ordered.


    About 1,500 soldiers shifted into position in an orderly fashion.


    Yao Yuan continued, "Your battalions will be armed with standard space combat gear. Follow closely behind the Black Star Troopers. Aid them in securing the perimeter. Go now."


    "Sir, yes, Sir!" The 3 battalion commanders and 3 second lieutenants saluted in unison. Then they ran to catch up with the troopers.


    "Support Battalion B, Battalion 4, 5, and 6, fall out!" Yao Yuan yelled.


    Another 1,500 soldiers shifted into position. Yao Yuan added, "Your mission will be to help the troopers and combat battalion A secure the perimeter. In about 10 minutes, your battalion will arrive at the battlefield with long-ranged weapons to provide cover."


    "Sir, yes, Sir!" the 3 battalion commanders replied.


    Yao Yuan turned to the last 600 plus soldiers. "Scrapper Battalion C, your task will start after the combat has reached its mid-point. Head out after 30 minutes and start building battlefield modifications around the temporary base. I¡¯ll allow the usage of heavy duty transport vehicles and large creator¡¯s particles isolators as well as large high-energy electromagnetic batteries."


    The battalion commanders replied, "Sir, yes, Sir!"


    While all of this were going on, the Guang Zhen-led troopers had already arrived at the battlefield. They were stunned by the scene that unfolded before their eyes the moment the shuttle window opened to the surface.


    The field was littered with so many alien bodies that their blood had pooled into a green-colored stream. Chipped exoskeletons and meat hunks dotted the landscape. There were heaps after heaps of alien carcasses!


    Ebon¡¯s almost 3 meters tall space armor stood out like a sore thumb amidst the grotesque scene. He was still crashing through the battlefield. Every enemy that stood in his path was shredded down. A gang of aliens tried stopping him by forming a flesh wall, but he rammed through it with ease like he was a human tank!


    "Tank? You¡¯re underestimating the power of Space Armor Prototype 1."


    The word "tank" triggered a memory in Guang Zhen¡¯s mind. He remembered arguing with Bo Li. This was during a discussion on possible vehicular addition to the Hope¡¯s military. Since the Hope no longer needed to worry about overload during warp, the Barracks could afford to consider engineering armored vehicles, like tanks.


    Bo Li said, in her condescending tone, "Just in terms of technology, the space armor is more advanced than the combat jet. So why would we want a tank? A tank will be useless with the presence of the creator¡¯s particle. It will be nothing more than an empty tin can! We should focus our efforts on high-mobility, high-compatibility, high-speed, and high-defense body armor!


    "Furthermore, a normal vehicle, like a tank, wouldn¡¯t showcase the power of the Homo Evolutis. Yes, a tank might be able to rival 2 enemies, but the space armor¡¯s better than that. According to its wearer¡¯s ability, it¡¯ll be able to adapt and improve its wearer¡¯s combat capability. It is the perfect technology to showcase the value of the Homo Evolutis."


    Guang Zhen was a veteran soldier, so even though he might not want to admit it, he knew the importance of the space armor. However, his mind was set in the times of World War 1, where tanks were the undisputed kings of the battlefield. After being shut down by Bo Li, he even went into a slight depression.


    At that moment he finally accepted the strength of the space armor, especially when it was worn by the Homo Evolutis. Armed with so many pieces of 4th revolution technology, if pitted against a tank, Guang Zhen believed the armored Homo Evolutis could easily flip the tank over like it was made of paper.


    Guang Zhen spotted a safe spot among the sea of bodies. 5 Survivors were camped around the spot, firing around them while Ying, Ebon, and Ren Tao were slashing through enemy ranks with their sawblades. Naturally, he also spotted the bigger aliens who had electromagnetic shields that protected them from bullets.


    Noticing this, Guang Zhen narrowed his eyes. There was a lethal glint in them.


    Guang Zhen had many differences with Yao Yuan in terms of policies. He was, by all accounts, a by-the-rules soldier. The thought that flashed through his mind then was to execute the 5 shameless Survivors where they stood.


    Before he could do anything and before the shuttles could properly land, about 1,000 2-meters-tall alien creatures burst out from underneath the ground. They were different from the giant electromagnetic shielded creatures and the small alien foot soldiers because they had a 1-meter-long shafts that protruded from their chests. And they were all trained at the 2 shuttles.


    Then electricity started swirling around the shafts. Numerous metallic pieces shot out of the shafts with unexpected speed, and before anyone could react, two transport shuttles blew up in mid-air¡­

 Chapter 153: Execution!

    Chapter 153: Execution!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Gaussian weapons!"


    Ying, Ebon and Ren Tao exhaled in relief when they saw the arrival of back-up. The Space Armor Prototype 1¡¯s capability was beyond their wildest expectations. It enabled them to basically lord over the battlefield.


    However, it was also incredibly draining. Unlike during training or drills, they were out of breath after a mere 10 minutes on the battlefield. Another 10 minutes and they would be lying exhausted on the floor, and another 15 minutes after that, they would find themselves staring at death!


    Therefore, when the backup arrived, relief swept through the 3 of them. Before they could rejoice though, 2 transport shuttles exploded before their eyes. Ying and Ebon gritted their teeth in anger while Ren Tao hung his head in despair.


    These worm-like creatures managed to genetically engineer Gaussian weaponry out of their bodies? This was an impossible feat of engineering.


    Then again, the giant spaceship on Moon 2 contained polymerized reactors. This was in and of itself a biological impossibility because no natural cells would be able to withstand the high heat created by the reactors¡­ However, the reality was that the giant organism did contain reactors. Not only that, it could even dispense creator¡¯s particles! These were not organic products!


    Ren Tao despaired because their enemies not only were endless but also had access to 4th revolution technology. At the same time, the Hope¡¯s greatest fighting force, the Black Star Troopers, were wiped out with 1 shot. Under such circumstances¡­ the only chance for survival the Hope had was to warp in spite of the gravitational influence between the binary stars and from the planet itself. Then pray that mankind would survive the warp. This was an unwinnable battle; in fact, they should consider themselves lucky if they could manage to escape.


    The main objective was to defend the opening that led to the Hope. If the tunnel fell into enemy hands, the Hope would either have to warp immediately or wait for a massacre. To complete said objective, they needed the Black Star Troopers to help secure the perimeter around the tunnel so that the defense unit could set up a temporary base around the area. With the opening cleared, the Hope could lift up and warp without fear¡­ but the Black Star Troopers were already gone.


    In other words, the defense unit wouldn¡¯t be able to follow up. The only thing that awaited them should they appear would be death! After that it would be the death of humanity!


    His sister, she¡¯ll die too. Like how their parents had died on that night¡­ "No!"


    Suddenly, a 3-meter-tall person walked out of the shuttle¡¯s smoldering debris. As the smoke dispersed, more silhouettes appeared behind him. Other than a little char on their space armor, they seemed to suffer no damage. Incidentally, the armor¡¯s electromagnetic shields had saved them from the bullets. Ren Tao sighed in relief. The lack of investment into the transport shuttle, meaning it wasn¡¯t equipped with energy reactors, had saved the troopers¡¯ lives. Chain explosions were prevented.


    Guang Zhen shook himself awake as he found the energy to stand up. He then ordered, "Start fighting! Spread out with 3 in a team! It¡¯s time for combat!"


    However, no one outside of a 1 meter radius from Guang Zhen heard his order. Furthermore, many were still dazed from the explosion. After all, many of the troopers were new army recruits, and the new Homo Evolutis were normal civilians just months ago.


    Guang Zhen saw the troopers still immobile, so he changed tack, yelling at the few people around him, "Stick close to me and follow my orders closely."


    The few around him were all Survivors. They were still in a state of disorientation. It wasn''t until Guang Zhen repeated himself in a roar that their months-long training kicked in. They replied, "Yes, Sir!"


    Guang Zhen started running. Even though he was not a Homo Evolutis, as the leader of an elite force, his physical ability was already miles ahead of normal soldiers. The space armor improved his stride as he circled around the ruins of the 2 shuttles. He yelled at every soldier that he stumbled across to get into battle. After a loop around the shuttles, about 50 people rushed into the fray, brandishing their sawblades. Most of the brave souls were Homo Evolutis from the first batch. The remaining troopers either stood around vacantly or they copied the previous 5 Survivors and unloaded their bullets into the ground around where they stood.


    Guang Zhen¡¯s eyes simmered with lethal intent. Without hesitation, he walked to the 5 Survivors. Gripping the handle of his sawblade, he ordered, "Soldiers! Take up arms and get into the battlefield! Follow the lead of your leaders and charge!"


    "¡­"


    The 5 Survivors of course knew the Hope¡¯s acting captain. Guang Zhen was also Yao Yuan¡¯s named successor. Their faces blanched the moment they heard his orders. 2 among them even doubled over. It appeared they had vomited in their combat suit.


    "But there are so many aliens¡­"


    They said hesitantly. One of them, who looked to be the eldest, finally confessed, "There are way too many of them. It¡¯ll be a waste of time and energy even if we go in. I¡¯m not leaving¡­"


    Guang Zhen¡¯s temper flared. He pulled out his blade and sawed through the man¡¯s waist. There then an uncomfortable sound of metal grinding on metal. Tough as the space armor might be, it fell under the sawblade¡¯s might.


    "Soldier! This is a battlefield and those are your orders! Violating them makes you a deserter and that gives me the permission to perform your execution under military law!"


    Guang Zhen wore a murderous countenance. His armor was painted crimson with the soldier¡¯s blood. The man screamed murder as blood oozed out of the gaping wound on his waist. Because his armor had been split open, his violent screams were carried by the air through the battlefield.


    Those inanimate troopers turned their heads towards the source of the scream. The picture they saw couldn¡¯t even factor in their minds. Their acting captain was standing coldly over a fellow soldier who was sawed in half, his blade dripping with blood.


    The 4 other Survivors were shocked and dismayed. Their protective instinct ushered them to lift up their weapons at Guang Zhen as he took deliberate steps towards them. Overwhelmed by his force, they involuntarily took steps back as Guang Zhen neared. Their fingers froze over the gun triggers.


    "Pull out your sawblades and charge into combat or I¡¯ll have the 4 of you executed as deserters! Your death notice will say that you died from cowardice and shame!" Guang Zhen yelled before lifting his arm that was not holding his sawblade upwards. The soldiers that had been following him snapped into attention and trained their guns at the 4 Survivors.


    There was a veteran soldier among them that wailed, "Think about what you¡¯re doing! Drop your weapons! Do you really want to desert? Drop your weapons!"


    The 4 Survivors were startled by the veteran soldier and dropped their rifles instantly. "Major, we¡¯re not deserters, we¡¯ll obey your orders!" a Survivor said hurriedly. He then lifted his sawblade and ran into combat.


    The other 3 followed.


    Guang Zhen whipped his head around and his eyes were as cold as a grave. The Survivors who had been following him felt a chill instantly. They too rushed into battle, led by the veteran soldier.


    The other troopers who had gathered around the shuttle ruins were also shocked into action. A dark green group cut through the mass of aliens like an arrow slicing through air. Their numbers were small, but their opponents presented 0 resistance.


    Guang Zhen sighed heavily. His little run around the battlefield was costing him his life. He wondered how others could manage to wear the space armor for so long. Suddenly, a trooper materialized near him. Guang Zhen yelled instinctually, "Charge, soldier!"


    "Alright, I hear ya. Don¡¯t need to yell."


    The person was Ren Tao. He dragged his tired body to Guang Zhen¡¯s side. "Such vigor. No wonder Yao Yuan picked you as his successor¡­ Don¡¯t worry, we have this battle in the bag. You just got here, so you haven¡¯t understood the full extent of the Black Star Troopers¡¯ power. Now that everyone¡¯s here, this first battle¡­


    "Is ours."


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Got a free game off a bundle. Steam Key: 0LARV-WYX5W-XKZEP First come first serve. Enjoy. :)

 Chapter 154: Base and the Anima

    Chapter 154: Base and the Anima


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan followed the Hope Defense Unit to the battlefield. When they reached aboveground, the Black Star Troopers had already removed more than 100,000 aliens and had cleared a 10 by 10 kilometers ground. This prevented their transport shuttles from being shot down by the aliens. However, when Yao Yuan saw the ruins of the previous 2 shuttles smoldering, he crash-landed the shuttles and immediately ordered everyone out.


    Yao Yuan wore a red space armor, so he stood out quite fairly. It didn¡¯t take too long for Guang Zhen and Ren Tao to spot and reach him. He caught up with them mid-way and asked, "Give me a field report! Any deaths?"


    Guang Zhen saluted, "So far¡­ only 1 death, he died¡­ in combat. The rest is still unknown because they¡¯re still in combat."


    "Isn¡¯t that a given? How else is the soldier going to die, tripped and fell to his death? Ren Tao, you¡¯ve been here the longest, so give me an update. Also, explain what you do meant when you told Liu Bai that we¡¯ve been tricked." Yao Yuan coughed.


    Ren Tao smiled ruefully. "Well, we¡¯re holding up surprisingly well. The Black Star Troopers are unexpectedly strong, so I believe we aren¡¯t in any danger at the moment. The actual number of fatalities that I predict will not be more than 10. However¡­ I suggest you immediately send someone back to the Hope to ask Saburo, the Japanese doctor, to speed up his progress of producing a vaccine, or else there will be more people that die from sickness than in combat¡­


    "About the fact that we were tricked, do you believe these aliens appeared suddenly? That¡¯s impossible. I guarantee they snuck over and hid themselves on the other side of this planet during the day. Since the sun is blinding on this side during this day, that coupled with the creator¡¯s particle, it¡¯s a perfect ambush plan."


    Yao Yuan frowned and looked about. "How about their numbers? Hmm¡­ Never mind, I can see for myself how seriously we¡¯ve been ambushed¡­"


    Yao Yuan whirred around and shouted, "Battalions 1, 2, and 3 gather within the shuttle¡¯s isolator range!"


    The soldiers instantly separated into their assigned battalions and crowded orderly around the shuttle.


    Yao Yuan turned to Guang Zhen. "Ol¡¯ Wong, you¡¯re good at commanding, so I need you to stay behind and be the commander. Ren Tao will also stay as your strategist. In 10 minutes, Support Battalion B will arrive, and Scrapper Battalion C will arrive 20 minutes after that. I¡¯ll leave the men and women in your capable hands." Yao Yuan saluted before leaving to join the skirmishes.


    Guang Zhen led Ren Tao to the front of the battalions. He hollered, "Battalion commanders and second-lieutenants, please fall out!"


    The commanders and second-lieutenants of the 3 battalions immediately showed themselves. Guang Zhen ordered, "With the shuttle as the center, spread out to secure a perimeter. Start setting up a base. Each battalion will be responsible for a 120 angle perimeter. Support the Black Star Troopers with long-ranged weapon if necessary, and kill any non-human threats that approach the perimeter!"


    The commanders and second-lieutenants saluted. "Yes, Sir!" Under the guidance of their leaders, the battalions started to mobilize. A circular perimeter was formed and the sound of gunshots rang throughout the battlefield.


    Guang Zhen sighed. "Do you know, Ren Tao? Military discipline is very much related to crowd psychology. If isolated, each and every one of the soldiers are brilliant in their own right, but when pulled into a crowd, they will often be dragged into doing stupid things. If one starts going off the rails, many will blindly follow. You¡¯ve seen for yourself how much damage the 5 Survivors caused."


    Ren Tao waved his hand. "The Black Star Troopers have an inherent problem. I¡¯m sure Yao Yuan has noticed that."


    Guang Zhen shook his head resignedly. "Homo Evolutis¡­ they¡¯re not trained soldier and yet they aren¡¯t civilians. Ren Tao, you yourself are a Homo Evolutis; haven¡¯t you noticed this problem? Hopefully Yao Yuan will be able to come up with a solution soon. If not, things might not end so easily next time. Don¡¯t be so surprised; I know him better than you do. If the situation requires it, he will not hesitate to revamp the troopers. And trust me, the death count won¡¯t be in the single digits then."


    Ren Tao opened his mouth but caught himself. He knew that this was not his place to comment. Therefore, he switched the topic. "By the way, your work isn¡¯t finished, is it? Don¡¯t you still need to send someone to hurry Saburo?"


    Guang Zhen quickly waved a few soldiers over and sent them to the task.


    Like a surging flame, Yao Yuan burned through the battlefield in his red armor.


    Yao Yuan had many reservations about this gaudy suit, but the designer, Bo Li, shut him down. "You have to prepare for situations where creator¡¯s particle has been activated. Under those situations, you need something obvious to signify your presence since you¡¯re the commander. Red is the perfect color; they¡¯ll be able to spot you from miles away."


    Regardless, the body armor was specially made for Yao Yuan the all-rounder, so its functionality was even better than Space Armor Prototype 1.


    Its reinforced shell could withstand for about 3 seconds even when cut with the sawblade, and gaussian bullets would be blocked by an internal electromagnetic shield generator.


    The armor was fitted with 3 high-power batteries and not the 2 that were given to the normal armors. This was to support the special armor¡¯s capability for greater speed. When Yao Yuan¡¯s all-rounder power was fully activated, the armor could help him increase his speed to about 500 meters per second!


    In other words, his body would become as fast as a fired bullet!


    Its power was showcased perfectly in that battle. Like a cannon, Yao Yuan stormed through the alien horde, mincing every enemy that stood in his warpath.


    Witnessing this, Yao Yuan relaxed slightly. He finally understood what Ren Tao meant when he said that victory was already in the bag.


    Space Armor Prototype 1 coupled with the Homo Evolutis was truly a force to behold. The two supported each other in growth, making the Black Star Troopers a force to be reckoned with!


    If one was to tabulate combat capability, unarmed civilians would have power of 10, unarmed Homo Evolutis power of 20, civilians with guns would have power of 100, and Homo Evolutis with guns would have power of 500. In other words, the better the weapons he was paired with, the greater the Homo Evolutis¡¯ combat capability.


    When a civilian was paired with Space Armor Prototype 1 and the sawblade, their power would be 1,000. However, when Homo Evolutis was paired with similar equipment, their power could reach up to 50,000. The difference was so big that you would think they are different species altogether¡­ Wait, different species?


    Yao Yuan slowed in his onslaught and observed the situation around him. He himself only just found out how strong the space armor was, so how is it possible for the new Homo Evolutis to be so brave and willing to launch themselves into the midst of combat without prior knowledge about the strength of the combat suit?


    (Ol¡¯ Wong¡­ No wonder he hesitated before mentioning that one person died "in combat.") The thought flashed across his mind. However, he realized that the troopers were starting to come into their own. There was no shred of fear in their demeanor as they mowed down their enemies. In fact, there was even a sense of bloodlust surging through the troopers after they realized that the enemies weren¡¯t as scary as they thought but were actually as fragile as paper.


    However¡­ Many started to tire, especially Ying and Ebon, who had been there since the beginning. Their steps had gotten sluggish and their faces were suffused with a faint blush.


    "Ying! Ebon! Retreat to the shuttle! This is an order!"


    A voice spoke in their ears. The startled pair looked around them to search for the source, then they saw a red shadow skipping around a 6-meter-tall alien. The alien then broke into pieces. The shadow materialized into Yao Yuan, who looked straight at them.


    "I¡¯m communicating with you through my Anima power. Retreat to the shuttle! Don¡¯t make me repeat myself!"


    Ying and Ebon stopped short in their tracks and stepped towards the shuttle. Yao Yuan¡¯s voice then sounded in every trooper¡¯s ears.


    "This is Yao Yuan! Take down the giant alien that¡¯s creating the electromagnetic shield!"

 Chapter 155: End of Combat

    Chapter 155: End of Combat


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    One thing of note was that when Yao Yuan first created the Homo Evolutis Faction, there were rumors circulating around the Hope that its purpose was to capture Homo Evolutis as test subjects. There was a brief period of unease on the Hope. Nevertheless, the faction had come up with multiple interesting results in the past few years.


    One of the faction¡¯s aims was to analyze each Homo Evolutis¡¯ specialty, usage, effect, and future importance.


    Among the Homo Evolutis, the Perceptors, Seekers, and Thinkers were the easiest to analyze. According to the CAT scans, when these 3 types of Homo Evolutis activated their powers, their brain would go into overdrive, working 10 times faster than normal human beings. Of course, this was supposed to be fatal. They should have died from lack of nutrition or extreme body heat.


    That was prevented by changes that were found in these 3 Homo Evolutis¡¯ genome chart. It turned out that strands of DNA that were thought to be useless coded a special protein when their power was activated. This protein helped to lower the strain felt during power activation. Of course, there¡¯s a limit to the capacity of the protein since people could still die from overexertion.


    Simultaneously, the faction had found out the best method and time to train these 3 powers¡­ Next would be the Whisperers, Animas and Diviners. The Whisperers were the backbone of the Academy. The Animas relied on something called the soul web. The concept of soul itself wasn¡¯t even scientific to begin with, so it was hard to analyze this particular power.


    The Diviners had seen the most analytic progress among the 3 because at least they knew it had something to do with a sixth sense. However, because it was also something that had plenty to do with pseudoscience, it was hard to construct a scientific analysis around it.


    The most unique and most difficult to understand Homo Evolutis were the All-Rounders and the Deceivers. The All-Rounders had access to all the superhuman powers except the Deceivers¡¯, and speaking of the Deceivers, the only Deceiver on the Hope was still in a vegetative state, so almost no progress had been made on these 2 types of Homo Evolutis.


    All of these analyses fulfilled one important purpose: to distill and replicate the Homo Evolutis strands in normal humans using chemicals, and that was to be the Homo Evolutis Faction¡¯s next big thing¡­ Human Modification Project!


    If used in combat setting, the Animas and All-Rounders were determined to be the most precious.


    Due to the presence of creator¡¯s particles, communication had become incredibly close quarters, while the battlefield had only gotten bigger. In such situation, the Anima¡¯s power was pretty much a cheat. The fact that you could have access to information while your enemy couldn¡¯t was a big deal in deciding the sway of the battle.


    Therefore, after the 4th revolution, the Anima became a tactical importance, and the All-rounder, who also had access to the Anima¡¯s power, only became that much more important!


    For example, with the arrival of Yao Yuan, the whole battlefield had a seismic change.


    First, the military morale was instantly raised. While the soldiers feared Guang Zhen, they respected Yao Yuan.


    Because Yao Yuan had performed his Anima power during military drills, no one was shocked to find his voice in their heads. In fact, they felt comforted. They quickly fell into position. With their Homo Evolutis leaders spearheading the charge, every team of 9 followed through with Yao Yuan¡¯s orders.


    Before long, the electromagnetic shield aliens were annihilated. In the next moment, the medium-sized Gaussian rail cannon started firing. Without the shields, the layer of alien foot soldiers was punctured. Yao Yuan knew the wind of the battle was shifting.


    Even though the aliens still piled high like mountains, with each skirmish, Yao Yuan could see the enemy lines retreating.


    "Stop charging! All Black Star Troopers, stop charging and hunker down for defense!" Yao Yuan ordered with his Anima power. He noted the time that was shown within his space armor. It had been almost 10 minutes since he reached the battlefield. In other words, Support Battalion B was arriving.


    Battalion B was actually the Hope¡¯s artillery and missile men. Unlike Battalion A, their strength was not in close-quarter combat or clearing perimeter but in large-scale long-distance assaults. For example, their Gaussian cannons were so powerful that it could shred through electromagnetic shields as long as the shield wasn¡¯t generated by a battery as powerful as the Hope¡¯s.


    After Yao Yuan¡¯s order to stop charging, about 10 seconds later, the enemy too stopped rushing into combat. They started retreating. However, Yao Yuan realized that they were retreating with their fallen comrades in tow. As the mountains of aliens were cleared away, other than pools of green goop and broken flesh pieces, there were almost zero intact alien carcasses.


    Yao Yuan stood at the front of the troopers with his seeker power open. Then he whipped his head around. In the middle of the temporary base, a few more shuttles were arriving. Without hesitation, he submerged in a world of silence.


    The material world slowly fell away, leaving behind an expanding emptiness. Gradually, he could feel his own presence. It was a fireball as radiant and warm as a small sun. After some time, other orbs of fire of varying sizes appeared around him.


    (Yes, that¡¯s Ren Tao, Ying, and Ebon¡­) The emptiness around him gave an impression that time had slowed down, but in reality barely a second had passed. Thanks to his training, he entered communication with Ren Tao, Ying, and Ebon almost instantly.


    "Ren Tao, Ying, Ebon, this is Yao Yuan. Order Battalion B to initiate a blanket fire. I want those disgusting aliens to be out of our sight!"


    The trio jostled awake. It was Ebon who shouted, "Captain¡¯s order: issue a blanket fire on the mass of aliens!"


    The other 2 chimed in agreement. They were within the range of the shuttle isolator, so Battalion B mobilized after receiving the order. A turret base to support the Gaussian weaponry was erected. Small and medium sized Gaussian cannons, Gatling cannons, Gaussian shrapnel cannon, and other long-ranged siege weapons were added and charged.


    "Small Gaussian cannon artillery unit, unit 1, 2¡­ and 9 preparation complete! Reporting for duty!"


    The artillery unit leaders reported to the battalion leader through a communicator. Soon after, the commander also received similar report from 4 other medium Gaussian cannon artillery units and 3 Gaussian shrapnel cannon artillery units.


    "Fire!"


    The ground shook unceasingly. The bombs flew past so fast that the naked eye couldn¡¯t capture their trails. Their targets were 3 spots of level fields about several tens of thousands meters away from the base. Each bomb fell like an asteroid hitting the planet. Even though the bomb shells were small and compact, the moment they hit the ground, several hundred meters of ground was leveled in a halo of dust. Even the shielded creatures weren¡¯t safe from destruction¡­ Furthermore, this wasn¡¯t a single bomb drop, it was a carpet bombing. The terrain seemed to change before the troopers¡¯ eyes¡­ The bombing lasted for almost 20 minutes. A small troop took a shuttle to survey the area from the sky and they found 0 enemies alive.


    The first battle between mankind and the fleshy aliens had reached an end, but everyone on the battlefield knew¡­ this was only the beginning!

 Chapter 156: The Birth

    Chapter 156: The Birth


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­So far, we¡¯ve lost 2 transport shuttles and 3 Black Star Troopers. 12 troopers had to be quarantined because their armors were punctured and they exhibited allergy symptoms after being exposed to the planet¡¯s air. This ends the battle report."


    Yao Yuan handed the command over to Guang Zhen in the middle of combat. He had him set up a temporary base around the opening that led to the Hope. The base, a product of the 4th revolution, was fully-automated and electromagneticly shielded. Now, even if they were swamped with a sea of aliens, there was nothing to worry about as long as the base¡¯s energy and ammo didn¡¯t run out.


    Yao Yuan led the Black Star Troopers to the Hope. The troopers had truly shone in this battle, so much so that Yao Yuan himself was pleasantly surprised by the troopers¡¯ capability. They had gone beyond their intended use of being an elite force. Yao Yuan found new understanding and respect for the Homo Evolutis.


    The objective of the day was to find ways to save the 12 infected troopers whose bodies were covered with red spots. The other Black Star Troopers were given a well-deserved rest because Yao Yuan knew that this was going to be a drawn out battle¡­ There was 1 trooper though that didn¡¯t have the luxury of rest, and that person was unsurprisingly Yao Yuan himself. He dragged his tired body to the war room to have a meeting with war experts and scientists. A combat video was played on the screen, and after it finished, he walked to the podium and said,


    "First, it¡¯s obvious that the aliens have the advantage in numbers. If we had stumbled across them when we were still in our 3rd revolution, we would be indubitably swamped¡­ Thankfully, the power of the Black Star Troopers was greater than most of us expected. With designs from Professor Bo Li, the combination of Homo Evolutis and Space Armor Prototype 1 has proved to be undefeatable.


    "However!"


    Yao Yuan pointed at the still image behind him. "There are so many aliens, but we only have 140 Black Star Troopers in total¡­ Now after 3 deaths and 12 infections, we¡¯re left with 129 troopers! These 129 troopers aren¡¯t made of steel; they too will get exhausted, especially after a long battle!


    "So what do we do next? I¡¯ve ordered for a temporary base to be built aboveground, but that is merely to stall the enemies. The alien spaceship is still a threat! You all have seen what is happening to Moon 2; do you hope the same will happen to this planet?!"


    Yao Yuan stopped to take a look at his watch. "8 hours from now I¡¯ll send 6 Homo Evolutis in the Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 to survey this whole planet from the skies. Simultaneously, I want an answer by then on whether the previously discussed proposal on the alien planet is usable!"


    The room shuffled into motion. After some time, Ivan pressed the button to speak. "Captain, I reject the plant proposal! First, we still have no idea what species this alien on Moon 2 is. Is it an organic spaceship, and if that¡¯s the case, is an intelligent life form guiding it from within? Maybe, this is all a misunderstanding because they¡¯ve not seen a mechanically advanced civilization before. We might lose a valuable ally if we launch an attack too rashly. Furthermore, the alien spaceship might be more advanced than the plant for the plant to be of any use¡­"


    Yao Yuan interrupted Ivan. "Professor Ivan, with all due respect, I fear you¡¯ve missed out on 2 important points. No matter whether this thing is an organic spaceship or an intelligent life form, the moment we were ambushed, this became a war! 3 of our men were killed, do you understand?! Don¡¯t reject for the sake of rejecting; a government that is all talk but no action will not survive!


    "Since this is a war, communication will only happen when one of us has the other under control! Humanity depends on the last tens of thousands of us surviving. What kind of precedent will we set if we are to surrender and run now? How is the public going to feel protected when its military won¡¯t pick up arms to protect its own people? Do you think humanity can survive with such a mentality?"


    Yao Yuan paused to let his argument sink in. "Secondly, I¡¯m more familiar with the habits of the alien plant than you are, Professor Ivan. First, they are harmless to human contact but will consume any other substance to create sand! We¡¯ve seen this in action ourselves through the many experiments conducted by the Academy, haven¡¯t we?


    Of course, there is a possibility that the plant won¡¯t harm the alien because it is an intelligent and sentient life form unlike the rats, rabbits, pigs, goats, and cows that we¡¯ve tested the plant on¡­ This is why we have these!"


    Yao Yuan turned to the operator and nodded his head. Then a 3D image appeared in the middle of the room.


    The image showed about 10 squirming, injured alien creatures. They showcased incredible vitality because despite their bleeding wounds, they bounced again and again against the electromagnetic cage, sometimes even venting their aggression on each other.


    "We¡¯ve managed to capture these creatures using the power of the Diviner among the heaps of broken guts and sinews. I¡¯ll hand them over to the Academy, but please be very careful because they are extremely dangerous! To be safe, I¡¯ll assign a trooper to guard over a creature. They¡¯ll be around whenever you conduct the experiment."


    Yao Yuan continued, "There are another 16 hours to the next war room meeting. The troopers will spend the next 8 hours resting and will gather here after the other 8 hours to listen to the result of the Academy¡¯s experiments. Hopefully, we can come to a conclusion by then¡­


    "Dismissed."


    Chou Yue set the ceramic bowl she had in her hands down carefully. The bowl contained a meal of porridge seasoned with century egg and meat floss. Beside the bowl of piping hot porridge was a plate of kimchi and a salted egg.


    Chou Yue sat looking not at the scrumptious meal but the clock that hung before it. It had been almost 8 hours since he had slumped into the room¡­ so he should be awake soon.


    Before long, Ren Tao ambled out of his bedroom, rubbing his eyes. Taking in Chou Yue, that sat on the sofa, and the meal assembled before her, he smiled. "Hey, it¡¯s my favorite breakfast. What¡¯s the occasion?"


    Chou Yue pouted, "I feel like eating light lately. Why, do you object? Don¡¯t worry, it has nothing to do with you!"


    Ren Tao smiled understandingly in return and moved to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He then sat down opposite Chou Yue to eat.


    Chou Yue¡¯s mouth curved involuntarily upwards as she watched him wolf down her cooking, but she quickly caught herself. She asked casually, "How fierce is the combat above?"


    Ren Tao answered, "It¡¯s nothing serious. We¡¯re on the defense at the moment, so everything¡¯s just routine¡­ a group of men shooting their loads."


    Chou Yue scoffed. "Could have told me that without giving me the mental image¡­ Truthfully, the combat¡¯s not going well, is it? I¡¯ve been receiving danger warnings and a suffocating sense of malice with my power even though we¡¯re several thousand meters underground¡­ Right, when I was out buying ingredients, I saw Zhang Heng. He was leaving the hospital to head towards the Captain¡¯s residence."


    "Oh, he¡¯s awake?" Ren Tao was startled. He mumbled something to himself before smiling at Chou Yue. "Don¡¯t worry, the combat above is really not that serious¡­ Plus, I¡¯ll be protecting you."


    "Yes, I believe you will¡­"


    At Yao Yuan¡¯s place, Zhang Heng was shell-shocked to see Ji Jie saunter out of Yao Yuan¡¯s bedroom. The girl was in her pajamas, yawning as she strode across the living room towards the bathroom. Maybe she was still fuzzy from sleep, because she didn¡¯t appear to notice Zhang Heng standing there, staring gob-smacked at her.


    "¡­Impressive," Zhang Heng whispered under his breath, but it was still loud enough for Yao Yuan to hear him.


    "Get your head out of the gutter. She was too traumatized by the disgusting aliens that she had trouble sleeping. She¡¯s still a young girl and is living alone, so when she came to me, I lent her one of my rooms¡­"


    Yao Yuan explained nonchalantly before turning serious to ask, "So, the monster¡¯s malice¡­ comes from its unfettered desire to consume us humans, our technology, and the Homo Evolutis?"


    Zhang Heng replied, "That¡¯s right. When I was up there, I felt swallowed by that desire before fainting. And in my dream, I saw how the monster was born¡­


    It was truly a nightmare¡­"

 Chapter 157: Evolution

    Chapter 157: Evolution


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "First there was a vast emptiness, not unlike the space currently around the Hope.


    "Within this emptiness, there was a glob of writhing mass of meat. It was unexpectedly huge. Based on my speculation, it was as big as several Earths combined. Furthermore, it was emanating rays of eerie light¡­


    "As the rays shot at the folds of flesh, the meat started decaying and breaking. Bones and sinews started falling apart from the mass of meat. Yes, I felt that it was dying, dying from old age¡­


    "But the process took a long time, taking perhaps several millennia to complete. Using curvature navigation to travel through space on its last legs of life, it stumbled upon a life-supporting planet. It disintegrated just before entering the planet. The excess muscles and weight were abandoned into space while the glob at its disgusting center shot into the planet.


    "The growth process that followed was equally long. After another several millennia, a native civilization appeared on this planet. It was an aquatic civilization. With technological advancement came an issue that similarly had troubled us: natural pollution. However, since they survived by ways of water, the effect of the pollution was viscerally felt. Therefore, when they reached the end of their 3rd revolution, their scientific focus was on technology that could reduce pollution. Then¡­


    "When they reached 4th revolution, they had to focus on space travelling technology because the pollution had become too serious for them to undo. When their first spaceship traveled beyond their planet¡¯s orbit¡­ they found a neutron star surging towards their planet."


    Yao Yuan stood up in shock. "Wait, a neutron star? You sure? Why was this civilization attacked by a neutron star too? Could it be that it was similarly targeted like Earth?"


    Zhang Heng shook his head listlessly. "Who knows? The dream I had described things that happened millennia ago¡­ Plus, I can¡¯t really explain anything because it was all in a dream. Anyway, let me continue. The civilization too was hamstrung by the sudden appearance of the neutron star. Finally, as a last resort, the civilization pooled together to build a large spaceship with their early 4th revolution technology. However, around that time¡­ the glob that hid itself in the planet¡¯s core hatched. Its product was a clot of bacteria, festering like an ugly wound.


    "In its weak, initial stage, it could only survive by absorbing the buried plant and animal bodies around it. However, with each absorption, parts of dead bodies¡¯ DNA were translated into the bacteria¡¯s genetic coding. Gradually, the bulk of the bacteria grew.


    "Finally, it grew to such a size that it couldn¡¯t hide from the planet¡¯s native civilization anymore. After running out of ideas, the civilization decided to use an H-bomb to blow the bacteria mass up in one go¡­


    "However, things didn¡¯t go as planned. The alien had already released parts of itself into the water source. The bacterial pieces seeped through the ground into the surface water source¡­ Since the natives were aquatic organisms, they were easy pickings for the alien bacteria. They were slowly digested and consumed by the bacteria. From that, the mass of muscle essentially absorbed their technology. It learned how to fire bullets from within its body, how to create electromagnetic shields, and even how to build polymerized reactors. Like many of our myths, the sea granted it an unlimited force of life. It started to reproduce itself in the sea into the monsters we saw aboveground¡­


    "Several years after that, the mass of meat fully digested the planet and left its star system. It started trawling the cosmos for more life-supporting planets to consume. This process repeats ad nauseam until finally it finds itself in this star system."


    Zhang Heng leaned back in his chair to take a breath. Ji Jie, who had sat down beside Yao Yuan while Zhang Heng was talking, joined Yao Yuan in his musings.


    "Let me confirm. When the meat alien was born, it didn¡¯t know any science, right? And the creatures that it produces are coded with the DNA it previously consumed?" Yao Yuan asked.


    Zhang Heng nodded. "You¡¯re correct. Initially, the meat alien was a blank paper. The more organisms it consumes, the more varied the creatures it can produce. Similarly, the more civilizations it consumes, the greater its technology becomes."


    Yao Yuan frowned. "But this is weird. Based on what you said, the alien¡¯s mother, before it perished, had to be a level 3 civilization because it could conduct curvature navigation. So how come this meat alien doesn¡¯t have access to those technologies?"


    Zhang Heng responded, "Because the mother had gone down the wrong evolution path!"


    "Wrong evolution path?" Yao Yuan and Ji Jie asked in unison.


    "Yes!"


    Zhang Heng explained, "The impression I got from the mother is that this species has a limited lifespan. Therefore, to increase its livelihood, it has to keep on consuming to become stronger and more technologically advanced to stave off death and decay. This is because the consumed civilization will help it improve to a level where its lifespan can be indefinitely increased. However, it is not always that the civilization it consumes will align with that purpose. For example, the mother might be incredibly strong in plant evolution, but that technology has nothing to do with animal cellular resuscitation and revival¡­


    "To borrow an online game analogy, the mother had made the mistake of leveling the wrong skill tree. Unlike in the games though, reality doesn¡¯t allow a reset. Therefore, to prevent its offspring from inheriting its mistakes, the offspring had to start anew. There are different colonies of this species flying through space, and only the strongest among them will survive to reach eternity."


    An exasperated Yao Yuan shook his head. He added, "Alright, let¡¯s sum up all we have said so far. First, this meat alien depends on consumption of DNA to produce a monster army to protect its main body, is that right?"


    "Yes," Zhang Heng confirmed.


    "Secondly, it also relies on this consumption to increase its technological level. For example, the reactors we saw came from the aquatic civilization. Is that true?" Yao Yuan continued.


    "There is somewhat of a difference. This meat alien has a central consciousness that allows it to combine the technology it has absorbed and the monsters that it can produce. In my dream, I saw cannon monsters, bomber monsters, explosive monsters, Gaussian rifle monsters, and the like¡­"


    Yao Yuan nodded. "This means the more varied the DNA and the greater the civilizations it absorbs, the more diverse the types of monster it can create¡­ Also, its current technological level is at the early 4th revolution, right? Could that improve if we leave it on its own?"


    "The ability to conflate DNA and technology aside, this alien doesn¡¯t have a creative mind. All of its technological increases came from the consumption of other civilizations. Currently, it is definitely in its early 4th revolution, so technology-wise we have the upper hand," Zhang Heng replied.


    "Is that so¡­?" Yao Yuan asked suddenly, "Then does it have any weaknesses? Is that revealed in your dream?"


    "Sadly, no." Zhang Heng paused before adding, "It doesn¡¯t appear to fear anything, not a new virus, bacteria, plants, or animals. This is because it can consume the organism to restructure its own genes. It might be harmed initially, but that contact will allow it to create antibodies out of the consumed DNA. It can consume and absorb everything and anything¡­"


    Upon hearing that, Yao Yuan had a flashback to the monsters¡¯ retreat and their deliberate deed of retrieving the monster carcasses¡­ Since the monsters had a central consciousness, this meant that the main body had an intended purpose for the carcasses. Could it be that the bodies could be used to create stronger monsters?


    Yao Yuan had a sneaking feeling that he had forgotten something important¡­ Suddenly, his communicator rang. He was startled but picked it up quickly, saying, "This is Yao Yuan. What¡¯s wrong?"


    "¡­Captain, could you please come to the biology lab¡­


    "The monster cells have consumed the alien plants to evolve into an abnormal individual cell!"

 Chapter 158: Supercell

    Chapter 158: Supercell


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The update from the bio lab was devastating.


    The Barracks had provided many war plans to deal with the alien on Moon 2. The 3 most feasible were: one, to build a giant H-bomb. The Barracks intended to utilize 1/3 of the planet¡¯s water as hydrogen raw material and heavy water to build a giant H-bomb. An H-bomb that size should be able to blow up Moon 2 with the alien still attached to it.


    However, the plan had multiple difficulties. First was to draw such an amount of water there had to be constructions of several enormous buildings, like nuclear fission plants and fission energy generators. The buildings themselves also had to be manned by trained personnel. The entire process would take about 10 years.


    Moon 2 would be drained way before that, so the first plan was a fail.


    The second plan was to create ¡®that¡¯ thing. This thing was the ultimate weapon of the 4th revolution, a weapon of mass destruction that was on a different scale compared to the 3rd revolution H-bombs. The thing was called the Genesis, an electromagnetically based tactical weapon!


    Using the core 4th revolution technology, electromagnetism was employed to create micro heatwaves. The heatwaves were then amplified through reflective mirrors. Through the energy of a large polymerized reactor, the heat waves could be multiplied to form a heat ray that was more than several thousand meters wide. This was the ultimate weapon from mankind¡¯s 4th revolution, an energy weapon that had heavy inspiration from 5th revolution technology!


    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!"

 Chapter 159: The Arrival

    Chapter 159: The Arrival


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "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 so 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!

 Chapter 160: The Mother Nest!

    Chapter 160: The Mother Nest!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­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?"


    Yao Yuan nodded gravely. "Yes, that¡¯s right. I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but we¡¯ve stumbled across so many impossibilities already, so why not this one?"


    A warfare specialist also pressed to speak. "Captain, if Zhang Heng¡¯s dream is true and the alien main body is linked to its creations, then it will know about the presence of the alien plant. This means we have a war on our heels."


    Yao Yuan chuckled dispiritedly. "That¡¯s right. The alien plant allows the alien to perform a super evolution. Furthermore, since our technology is also greater than the alien''s, I doubt it would mind consuming us as well. Based on these 2 observations, there is simply no way it would leave us in peace. We have sacrificed many to get our hands on the technology inside the junkyard, but now we are the junkyard for that alien."


    Yao Yuan sighed but quickly collected himself. "In other words, war is imminent. I¡¯ve gathered everyone here to hear the brightest minds on the Hope out. Is there anything we can do to exterminate the alien on Moon 2? Professor Ivan and Mitsuda, you¡¯ve done many experiments on the aliens. On Planet Sahara, the alien plant was taken out by a common Earth plant virus; could the same be replicated here?"


    Ivan laughed sadly, but before he could speak, Saburo stood up. "Captain, since this is my expertise, the field of pathology, let me answer your question¡­ Unfortunately, the same method will not work because this organism represents a perfect cell."


    Yao Yuan frowned. "There is no perfection in this world! It is impossible for an organism to be immune to every single virus and bacteria found across the cosmos. Something must be wrong with the experiments!"


    Saburo smiled despondently. "Captain, I too hope that the results of my experiments are wrong, but after hearing you describe Zhang Heng¡¯s dream, I¡¯m certain of the fact¡­ that even though natural perfection might not exist, relative perfection is definitely possible.


    "There is a row of DNA inside this organism¡¯s cell that is uncoded. When the organism comes into contact with an unknown virus or bacteria, the cell will code a previously discovered antibody. If the protein doesn¡¯t work, the row of uncoded DNA will tweak the formula of the amino acids slightly. Even if the newly formed antibody still doesn¡¯t work, the adjacent cells will receive the tried formula as some sort of a dying message. Utilizing a trial-and-error concept, it¡¯ll eventually form a usable antibody.


    "This is why," Saburo lowered his head, "we are unable to completely kill this organism. Unless there is a supervirus that could infect all of the cells within a short period of time, nothing will work. A slow-working virus will allow the organism time to eventually code immunity against it. It is, as I¡¯ve said, a perfect cell."


    Yao Yuan too was at a loss for words. They had run out of options. Both H-bomb and the Genesis would take too long, and the alien plant was of no use¡­


    Did they have no other choice but to warp out of there?


    Then a few soldiers rushed into the room and whispered into Yao Yuan¡¯s ear. Yao Yuan nodded slightly before announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, our prediction is correct. About 5 minutes ago, a large army of alien monsters was found above the temporary base. There are more than a million of them."


    The room rustled in panic. It was so chaotic that no one was paying attention to Yao Yuan.


    Frustrated, Yao Yuan slammed his hand on the podium, sending the room into silence. Then he added, "But please don¡¯t worry, because at least we have the technological upper hand. Furthermore, we have built a concrete base, so as long as we have enough energy and ammo, we should be fine. We¡¯ve hunkered down around a small base, limiting our area of vulnerability, so their numbers advantage shouldn¡¯t be that worrying.


    "Here are my orders: first, the experiment on the alien cells must continue. I believe firmly that there is no perfection in space. There must be a weakness to this alien, and I want the Academy to find it for me¡­


    "Secondly, the speed of excavation must increase. If necessary, I¡¯ll allow the use of the Hope¡¯s main cannon to help the excavation. As long as it won¡¯t result in the Hope getting buried, I¡¯ll allow any desperate measures¡­


    "Then, for the Barracks, we need a steady replenishment of ammo and explosives. Also, we need to have mechanics at the ready to repair any damages to the space combat jets¡­"


    Yao Yuan finished everything he wanted to say. After a pregnant pause, he looked at everyone gathered there. "Pray to your gods and ancestors for their blessings. Pray that this possible home planet will not be taken away from us¡­


    "I¡¯m sorry, but if there is no other choice, I¡¯ll have to warp. Yes, a possible home planet is very important, but the safety of the entire human civilization is even more important. Therefore, if you wish to breathe clean air freely under a blue sky again, devise a plan to get rid of these alien monsters!"


    When Yao Yuan was busy coordinating the military logistics, Ying¡¯s team, who had been out for only half an hour, came back with harrowing news.


    "What! The giant organism on Moon 2 is detaching itself? It gave up on Moon 2 and is heading towards us now?"


    Yao Yuan was in utter disbelief, but he had to accept the truth after witnessing the pictures taken by the combat jets. The slice of alien that covered almost half of Moon 2 was curling off of the land. It was rolling into a sinewy meat ball, preparing to depart.


    Its destination was obvious¡­


    The main body intended to land directly on the planet to absorb the Hope entirely!


    "Not only that, on the way back, we stumbled across many space-surfing alien monsters¡­ they could travel through space, and even though they were slow, clunky, and fragile compared to our combat jets¡­"


    Ying¡¯s face fell, adding, "There are too many of them; it¡¯s easily more than ten million!"

 Chapter 161: The ECS System!

    Chapter 161: The ECS System!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan scanned through the pictures brought back by Ying¡¯s scouting team one more time. The alien main body that was previously spreading itself to cover Moon 2 was unfurling at record speed. As it layered upon itself, the 4 reactors showed signs of charging up. It was obvious that it was leaving Moon 2.


    Simultaneously, in the space between the planet and Moon 2, especially around Moon 2, was a dense crowd of flying monsters. The monsters had both giant fleshy wings and an opening on their back for a stream of corpuscular flux. It seemed like they had the ability of flight both in space and within the ozone.


    Captured in some of pictures was the combat between the space jet and the alien monsters. Like other aliens that they¡¯d seen, the flying monsters were covered with an exoskeleton and looked grim and ferocious. While their bodies were only 8 to 9 meters tall, their wings extended to more than 20 meters wide. Their flight speed was unknown, but it was obvious that they were much slower than the space jets. The fact that they weren¡¯t electromagnetically shielded also made them easy targets for the combat jets.


    The 4 space combat jets cut through the ranks of flying monsters easily. Due to time constraints though, they didn¡¯t wander deep into the monster army.


    "This thing here is what worries me," Ying said while pointing at an oval-shaped meat blob that hid behind the frontline. "At the interval of about every 10,000 monsters, there will be one such blob. The thing is about several hundred meters long and I believe it has a similar purpose as those electromagnetic shield generating monsters. And if that¡¯s true, the combat capability of our troopers will be greatly hindered."


    Looking at the images, Yao Yuan asked suddenly, "Was the ECS system activated? I notice that these are all pictures of close-ranged combat."


    Ying was taken aback. "Of course it was activated. That¡¯s common space combat rules."


    "Is that so¡­"


    Yao Yuan stood up with joy. "Our minute technological advantage might tip this war to our favor! There¡¯s still hope, Ying!"


    Very quickly, Yao Yuan gathered all of the Black Star Troopers at the Space Combat Jet Prototype 3s¡¯ hangar. The combat jets were all ready. A space war was going to start.


    "¡­There¡¯s no time to waste. Everyone here knows how much is at stake. If we fail, our families, friends, future generations, and the entire human civilization will end up as alien nutrients!"


    Yao Yuan stared down from his vantage point at the podium. 120 plus troopers stood at attention. Each was armed with standard trooper equipment, fitted space armor, Gaussian rifle, and a sawblade strapped to their waist.


    "Remember to activate your ECS system before entering combat. Based on our observation, our enemy doesn¡¯t have access to this technology, so they will only realize our presence when we¡¯re awfully near. Therefore, we¡¯ll be depending on a guerrilla tactic for this battle. Hit hard and hit fast. The moment your target is struck, get out of its detection range! Rinse and repeat!


    "Let¡¯s save humanity! Move out!"


    The ECS system was also known as the invisibility tech. Unlike Earth¡¯s camouflage, the ECS enables actual invisibility by refracting the light source that enters one¡¯s eyes. It was a 4th revolution technology.


    As mentioned above, invisibility didn¡¯t mean actual disappearance. It was all light manipulation. One¡¯s presence will still be exposed if scanned using powerful optical radar systems. Therefore, the ECS system had to be paired with creator¡¯s particles. With creator¡¯s particles blocking the radar system, the ECS system could provide substantial invisibility. This technology completely invalidated a warship¡¯s main cannon, making skirmishes between mobile engines that much more important.


    This ECS system was also inherited from the junkyard. In fact, when the AI ambushed the Hope, it had used the ECS system to cloak the battleship piece!


    Since the alien didn¡¯t know about the ECS system, this meant that it was open to ambushes from the Black Star Troopers. Similarly, after the Hope lifted up into space, it could activate its ECS system to escape detection. Furthermore, since the alien monsters had no ECS system, the Hope¡¯s long-ranged weapons weren¡¯t at all hampered!


    The Hope could provide a warship¡¯s worth of long distance support! After a series of bad news, Yao Yuan was immensely relieved to finally hear some good news. After the Hope lifts into space, it will be easy to squish the meat blob into a meat pie!


    It was as Yao Yuan thought, even a small technological difference could mean life or death in space!


    Back at the base, Guang Zhen used his military-grade binoculars to scour the sky above them. Even the horizon was packed with a sea of monsters; there was not even any breathing room available. Other than the monster types that they had already encountered in their previous skirmish, there were a lot more weird-looking monsters.


    One of them crawled on 6 legs and had a tube-like extended neck. It had not a head but a pair of eyes that blinked at the end of its long neck. The monster was 5 to 6 meters tall and more than 10 meters long. It easily dwarfed the other monsters on the field. It was a cannon monster.


    Another monster was awashed in black. However, unlike other monsters that had shell-like exoskeletons, this monster¡¯s black outer shell had a metallic sheen. Like a centipede, it was segmented and had appendages that extended underneath the many segments. At the forefront was a pair of pincers that surged with electricity. It was not tall, only several meters in height, but it was about 8 meters long. Its looks alone could inspire fear in one¡¯s heart.


    Other notable monsters included the long-barrel-at-the-chest monsters that appeared in the previous battle. The long barrels could shoot Gaussian bullets, and compared to last time, there were a lot more of them this time.


    Similarly, the small foot soldiers and giant electromagnetic shield generating monsters also increased in numbers. Collectively, they gushed towards the base like a tsunami.


    Guang Zhen breathed in deeply. He hugged himself closely, saying to no one in particular, "This is so weird. Why they aren¡¯t attacking? If I had known that it would be so complicated, I would have asked Yao Yuan for a Thinker¡­"


    "¡­Sorry, can¡¯t help you there."


    Guang Zhen turned to see Ren Tao saunter lazily out of one of the transport shuttles. Even though there was a distance between them, thanks to the internal communicator within the space armor, the troopers were able to communicate with each other easily. The whole base was in the creator¡¯s particle isolator¡¯s range, so this line of communication wasn¡¯t affected.


    Ren Tao dragged himself to stand beside Guang Zhen with reluctant steps. He surveyed the army of monsters that had them at a chokehold, observing. "Unfortunately, I¡¯m still unfamiliar with how to pilot the combat jet, so Yao Yuan left me behind."


    Guang Zhen, though, rejoiced. "That works out just fine. To fully understand the complicated wartime state of affairs, we need a Thinker like yourself¡­ So looking at all these, anything come to mind?"


    Ren Tao glanced sideways at Guang Zhen and shrugged. "I told you, I have no clue why they aren¡¯t attacking¡­ But if I have to guess, they are waiting for something."


    "Waiting for what?"


    The puzzle attracted not only Guang Zhen¡¯s attention but also Zhang Heng¡¯s, who stood beside him. Even the other troopers moved closer despite the fact that they were already in hearing range.


    "Who knows, maybe they¡¯re waiting for the battle horn."


    Ren Tao, though, disappointed them with a non-serious answer. Right then, several combat jets flew up into space from the opening. The moment they hit open air, light waves twirled around them, eclipsing their presence, leaving only their smoke trails behind.


    At the same time, the line of alien monsters roared in response. Numerous monsters started charging towards them. The cannon monsters hunkered down for impact as bombs were lobbed into the sky one after another. It was clear that these were not Gaussian bombs, because the soldiers were able to follow their trajectory. They arced beautifully through the sky until¡­


    A series of explosions erupted several thousand meters around the base. The bombs were traditional explosive blast weapons!


    "I believe that qualifies as a battle horn," Ren Tao commented lightly.


    Guang Zhen had no time for his snide comments. He yelled, "Support battalion, prepare your weapons! Let some of the enemies through. 10 seconds later, bombard the horizon with a Gaussian carpet bombing!


    Let¡¯s make these alien filths eat some shrapnel!"

 Chapter 162: Mankind’s First Space War!

    Chapter 162: Mankind¡¯s First Space War!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    As 120 plus Space Combat Jet Prototype 003s zoomed into the sky, the heart of every single pilot was beating extraordinarily fast.


    This wasn¡¯t completely the fault of their nerves; it was partly caused by the increasing g-force. The g-force should have rendered these pilots dead as the combat jet prepared for lift off, but thanks to their restructured DNA, the Homo Evolutis managed to adapt to the electromagnetic growth field that neutralized the g-force.


    3 combat jets formed an echelon. Basically, the members of each echelon had to know one another well from their training days. Of course, there were also newbies from the second batch of Homo Evolutis that had received minimal training. Their training was supposed to last for another 2 years before they could be sent into actual combat.


    However, due to desperation, they had to be sent out.


    Yao Yuan, though, had faith in them because the Homo Evolutis had a natural affinity for 3-D space combat. This affinity was normally hidden but would reveal itself when forced. That was why Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t reluctant to ask them to go into war.


    Nevertheless, to prevent unnecessary deaths of these valuable assets, Yao Yuan had given them a specific order: to not engage with a large group of monsters. The newbies were tasked with handling small clusters of monsters that had unfortunately strayed from the army. Instead of initiating guerilla tactics, they were asked to take care of the easy pickings.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s combat jet sped to an acceleration of 30 kilometers per second in a matter of 10 seconds, and his speed was still increasing.


    According to the scientific knowledge of the 3rd revolution, g-force created from such acceleration could easily tear him apart, but the 4th revolution had brought along the electromagnetic growth field to nullify the large g-force. It made high-speed combat possible.


    Yao Yuan had no time to chew over the scientific theories because before long, he found himself surrounded by the inky space. By then, Moon 2 had rotated to the other side of the planet, so Yao Yuan quickly steered his combat jet to the back of the planet.


    "This is Yao Yuan. Everyone, activate your ECS systems, but stay on alert. Watch out for your own echelon members. We will come into contact with the monster army any time now!"


    Yao Yuan used his Anima power to communicate with everyone.


    The troopers arranged into their own separate echelons following Yao Yuan¡¯s order. It was noticeable that most troopers found themselves at the back lines being led by the Black Star Unit because they were newbies whose main purpose in that battle was to provide support fire.


    Then Moon 2 and an army of monsters appeared before their eyes. A giant swarm of flying monsters crowded around a ginormous meat ball as it floated away from Moon 2. The meat ball had a diameter of more than several thousand meters and was covered with a layer of sticky collagen. Using the particle flux that came out of its back, it floated lazily towards the Hope¡¯s planet.


    "¡­this is their carrier army? God damn, there are so many of them!"


    This was the alien advantage that Yao Yuan was worried about, a staggering advantage in numbers! Unlike the Hope, who barely managed to scrounge up 5,000 combat personnel, the alien mother nest was able to continuously incubate monsters to add to its army¡¯s numbers. Furthermore, these monsters could survive on only water and nutrients taken directly from the ground. They needn¡¯t meat to survive. The nest also contained 4 polymerized reactors to provide it with sufficient energy to support such a large army.


    "¡­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!

 Chapter 163: The Awakening

    Chapter 163: The Awakening


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    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¡­

 Chapter 164: Victory!

    Chapter 164: Victory!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "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.


    A dilapidated Ren Tao stood behind Guang Zhen when he gave these orders. The rest of the troopers didn¡¯t look so dandy either. Their space armors were either chipped or shattered.


    This second alien assault was, in terms of scale, much greater than the previous one. The monsters had also gotten more vicious, especially with the addition of the centipede monsters. Their strong pincers could even punch through the space armor. Even though none of the troopers were seriously injured thanks to their impressive reflexes, their broken armor meant they were exposed to the viruses and bacteria in the air.


    Ren Tao gazed at the burning mountains of corpses with muted feelings. Then he turned around to face Gaung Zhen. "Then¡­ it¡¯s time for us to return to the Hope. If luck would have it, maybe we¡¯ll fight alongside each other again."


    Guang Zhen understood what he meant. The troopers would now have to be quarantined. Other than studying the alien, the pathology department was still looking for a vaccine for that planet.


    Like how it was on Planet Sahara, the germs on this planet might not be as stringent as Earth¡¯s Ebola or AIDS, but because of the difference in environment, mankind didn¡¯t have immunity against even the common cold virus equivalent of this planet. Of the contaminated soldiers, one had already passed away, and others were still in ICU.


    Ren Tao, Zhang Heng, Ye Mu, and the 7 Survivors were about to join their ranks. They too had been contaminated. They would spend the rest of the war in quarantine until they were cured¡­ or until they were dead.


    Guang Zhen was at a loss for words; therefore, he gave the troopers a silent salute. He then watched the 10 brave individuals step onto the shuttle and disappear down the hole.


    Bo Li approached him. "I too shall return to the Hope, because plans for the final combat strategy have already been completed. I¡¯m going to go try it out with more analysis and simulated tests."


    Guang Zhen looked Bo Li in her eyes and said sternly, "You better prepare to face Yao Yuan first. Do you know how many rules you¡¯ve broken being here? Who knows how mad he¡¯ll be when he hears of this. The least he will do is imprison you."


    Bo Li pouted slightly and said calmly, "Does he not need the Whisperers anymore? What else can he do? Hit me? Anyway, I have to go." She turned without giving Guang Zhen another look. Accompanied by a soldier, she too got on a shuttle.


    Just as Bo Li¡¯s shuttle lifted off ground, about 100 combat jets shot through the ozone layer and seared their trails in the sky. Their speed eased as they got closer to the ground. They were welcomed with a series of cheers when they landed near the hole. The troopers¡¯ appearance brought massive relief, and more people finally managed to relax and take a rest.


    The second war between mankind and the alien ended¡­


    With a victory for mankind!


    But this was not the last time. These two would cross swords¡­

 Chapter 165: A Slap on the Face

    Chapter 165: A Slap on the Face


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan was extremely tired. After all, he hadn¡¯t rested since not this latest combat but the one before it. He had stolen some shut-eye here and there, but those were barely enough to keep him fully alert and awake.


    The exhaustion piled on to a stage where he couldn¡¯t take it much longer.


    But take it he must. After he disembarked from the combat jet and entered the Hope, he crossed path with soldiers that also were returning from the temporary base. He didn¡¯t stop them to ask for an update but allowed them to continue on to their residences or the canteen. He only requested them to send for their battalion commanders.


    "¡­In other words, more than 200 soldiers died?" Yao Yuan sighed. Suppressing the burgeoning sadness in his heart, he continued, "What about others? Major Wong and the Black Star Troopers?"


    A second-lieutenant replied, "Major Wong is still up there taking control of the situation. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be down here any time soon. The troopers¡­ well, the troopers¡¯ armor was broken during combat. They were still up there when we came down, but I suspect they¡¯ll be here soon."


    Yao Yuan frowned, but he didn¡¯t pursue the line of questioning. He ordered the commanders to take good care of their soldiers. Then he rushed to the shuttle hangar. Unsurprisingly, he saw Ren Tao, Zhang Heng, Ye Mu, and the Survivors in the area. They were already in new spacesuits, being readied to be sent into quarantine.


    Yao Yuan walked toward the few of them and sighed. "Don¡¯t worry, we will definitely manufacture a vaccine. You¡¯ll be safe."


    Ren Tao shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, death is God¡¯s decision¡­ But Yao Yuan, if I die, please spare Chou Yue the details. She has been through enough, and help me take care of her."


    Yao Yuan nodded solemnly. "I promise. As long as this ship still runs, she¡¯ll be safe."


    Ren Tao chuckled lightly. He waved before turning to head towards the 4th floor quarantine rooms. The rest only saluted before walking past Yao Yuan. When they were at the exit, Ren Tao suddenly turned, "Forgot to tell you a good news. Framework for the final strategy has already been done. There¡¯re still some flaws, but this is the only plan that I¡¯ve heard so far that has a chance at beating the alien."


    Yao Yuan was stunned before breaking into a huge smile. "What plan is it? Hey, tell me about the plan before you go."


    "I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll tell you personally. After all, she braved the battlefield just for this." Ren Tao laughed loudly before disappearing down one of the corridors.


    Yao Yuan mumbled to himself, "She? Braved the battlefield? What did he mean?"


    "He meant me."


    Bo Li was in the area when Yao Yuan and Ren Tao conversed, so she overheard everything.


    Yao Yuan turned around in shock. He was greeted by Bo Li¡¯s empty expression, and his eyes narrowed when he saw the alien robot that accompanied her.


    "You just came back from the battlefield?" Yao Yuan asked chillingly.


    Bo Li, though, was unfazed. She stared straight ahead at Yao Yuan as she replied, "Yes, I just returned from the battlefield."


    "¡­why were you up there?" Yao Yuan was livid; he was almost shouting at that point. "Don¡¯t you know about the marshal law? It¡¯s a freaking war up there! Why were you presenting yourself as a gift to our enemy? You should know better!"


    Bo Li shrugged. "I needed Ren Tao, who was up there, to help me complete the plan¡­"


    "Don¡¯t interrupt me!" Yao Yuan growled. "I¡¯ll have you confined! Until the war is over¡­ No, not even then will you be out! You need to learn a lesson! And where are the people watching the shuttles? How could they have let you through? I¡¯ll have all of them in the military court!"


    Bo Li frowned but continued lightly, "You think those people¡­ can stop me from going to the battlefield if I want to go? Plus, I didn¡¯t die, did I? Plus, if it¡¯s necessary, I¡¯ll be doing this again¡­"


    The sound was crisp as Yao Yuan¡¯s hand landed on Bo Li¡¯s face. The girl froze with her hand unconsciously shielding her face. She didn¡¯t cry, but the rims of her eyes were red. After an uncomfortable silence, she forcefully tossed the tapes in her hands to Yao Yuan before turning and saying, "I understand. The confinement rooms are at the 5th floor, aren¡¯t they? Don¡¯t need to get soldiers to detain me, I¡¯m going." As she walked away, Yao Yuan saw her shoulders shaking and tears falling to the floor.


    Yao Yuan wanted to say something and pull her back. However, he sighed before putting his hand down. He waved a patrol over. "Send 4 soldiers to protect her, but make sure they don¡¯t allow her back onto the battlefield again. And tell her she doesn¡¯t need to be confined and send her to her lab. Also, remember to shut down her robot¡¯s power source and get her a pack of ice for her face."


    The patrol saluted before running to catch up with Bo Li.


    Weighted down by the tape in his hand, Yao Yuan exhaled with frustration as he walked to the war room.


    "I¡¯ll leave this with you. Start analyzing the details in it immediately. I¡¯ll allow the use of our central mainframe because I need the simulation to be as precise as possible, the password is xxxxx¡­ Wake me up in about 5 hours, and do not disturb me in the meantime. Also, tell Professor Ivan and Saburo to stop working on the aliens and transfer their attention to manufacture the vaccine."


    Then Yao Yuan dragged his overworked body back to his room. He had reached his limit both physically and mentally, so he slumbered the moment he hit the bed¡­


    It was a dreamless sleep until a loud groan woke him up. He stretched into a seated position and grabbed the communicator that sat on the table beside him.


    Then he heard a female moan. He tensed and leaped out of bed, ready to take down the threat. A second later, he saw the lithe figure that lied in his bed. It was Ji Jie.


    Ji Jie was in her undergarments and was sleeping in the fetal position. The groan Yao Yuan heard was probably hers. Yao Yuan stood up and frowned at her sleeping figure.


    "¡­Sigh, I¡¯ll have to remind her of this when she wakes up."


    Yao Yuan believed that she had ventured wrongly into his room in her tired state. As part of the Black Star Troopers, she must have been incredibly tired after their mission, so Yao Yuan didn¡¯t have the heart to wake up her for a talking to there and then.


    Yao Yuan retreated to the living room, his communicator in hand. "This is Yao Yuan. How is the plan coming along? You have all the data tabulated? Wonderful, I¡¯ll be there in a minute."


    Yao Yuan rushed to the war room. When he arrived, Guang Zhen and many others were already there. "Then let us see the simulation," he announced as he strode into the room.


    The expert that stood on stage nodded. "Yes, Captain. This here is the ultimate battle plan provided by Thinker Ren Tao and Whisperer Professor Bo Li.


    "¡­Based on the surveillance data we got before the creator¡¯s particles were up, the 4 polymerized reactors inside the mother nest was constructed using cellular restructuring. They¡¯re not stabilized in heavy waters like ours. In other words, if we can overload these reactors, the reactors will implode upon themselves.


    "Nevertheless, for a creature as big as the mother nest, the implosion of 4 reactors still won¡¯t fully devastate it. Based on our findings, the damage won¡¯t be great enough to cause it fatal damage; however¡­


    "After the reactors are destroyed, the monster will lose its main source of energy. It¡¯ll need 1 hour to recreate a small-sized reactor and 3 hours to create a big one. Before then, it won¡¯t have enough energy to conduct space travel."


    "And how is that going to help us?" Yao Yuan asked, hoping to get to the point.


    The expert pressed something into the panel. A 3d image showed itself in the room. In the image, the mother nest had already lost its 4 reactors and was floating still in space.


    "Then, we will launch a giant propeller device into the mother nest. The device will be inserted into the alien body, so the surrounding monsters won¡¯t be able to attack it. We¡¯ll use the propeller to send the nest into the sun!"


    In the image, a rocket-shaped propeller was shot into the nest, pushing it towards the sun.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s frown deepened as he contemplated over the plan. He shook his head. "This won¡¯t work. For one, there will definitely be monsters inside the nest itself. They will demolish the propeller from within. For another, the size of the nest is too big. Even with a high powered propeller, we¡¯ll need about 5 hours to send it into the sun. Within the time, it will have reconstructed a new reactor."


    The expert tutted, "And this is where the brilliance of the plan shows itself¡­


    "The surface of the propeller will be covered with a layer of alien plant. No matter whther it is the alien that absorbs the plant or the plant that absorbs the alien, at least several hours will be spent on this altercation. It will delay the mother nest from reconstructing the reactor. This way, we will have enough time to let the propeller reach a sufficient acceleration to complete this plan¡­


    "A win-or-lose, all in type of ultimate battle plan!"

 Chapter 166: Operation Celestial Wolf!

    Chapter 166: Operation Celestial Wolf!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "This is one crazy plan."


    Yao Yuan sighed deeply after a 10-minute contemplation.


    Everyone knew that after the alien absorbed the alien plant, it would evolve to a super organism, one that could digest everything, minerals, energy¡­ Mankind would truly be hamstrung then.


    However, the plan, as crazy as it may seem, was also the only proposed plan that could work¡­


    The alien¡¯s strength lied in cellular construction and regeneration. Using a singular cell, it could create a sea of monsters with sufficient nutrients.


    The alien had almost absorbed Moon 2, so it shouldn¡¯t have to worry about the lack of nutrients. It could produce millions of alien monsters easily. It didn¡¯t even have to rely on the monsters to destroy the Hope; it could do that with its enormous size.


    Getting into close proximity with the Hope¡¯s planet would create such a disturbance in the gravitational fields that it would shred the spaceship into pieces. Unlike the mother nest, mankind couldn¡¯t regenerate when damaged.


    Therefore, the Hope had to eventually warp or suffer a monumental loss. Yao Yuan believed there was no third option.


    However, the third option had arrived wrapped in a package of craziness. It sounded insane, but it might just prove to be successful!


    Simulations from the central mainframe provided 2 possible outcomes. One had a chance possibility of 6.7 percent while the other 92 percent. The biggest key difference was obviously the alien plant. If the mother nest managed to absorb the alien plant in less than 2 hours, it would be able to completely infuse the DNA of the plant throughout the nest in less than 1 hour. It would then use its newly acquired power to digest the propeller. It would escape the fate of being shoved into the sun easily.


    However, if the altercation between the two lasted more than 2 hours, the propeller would have reached so much acceleration that the alien wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to stop it. Even if it did end up absorbing the alien plant, it would be too late. Pushed by the inertia of the acceleration and pulled by the gravity of the sun, it would be heading straight for its death.


    Of course, there were other minor kinks to work out in the plan. The first was the protection of the propeller before it could get lodged inside the mother nest. A special unit needed to escort the propeller through the monster crowd around Moon 2 as the propeller traveled to its target. The propeller was extremely fragile, so a team of combat jets would have to be deployed to protect it from harm.


    Secondly, the 4 reactors within the mother nest had to be blown up. The combat jets would be needed again. The millions upon millions of monster that guarded the nest would be a high wall to climb. Even Yao Yuan had doubts about whether the combat jets could succeed in this hard mission.


    The discussion continued with everyone arguing their thoughts. More data was churned out by the central mainframe, but¡­ the biggest issue was the absence of the plan¡¯s original creators. Ren Tao was in quarantine, passed out from fever.


    Bo Li had locked herself up in her room and refused to answer to any pleadings and calls. Yao Yuan warned against any efforts to drag her out by force, telling everyone to let her be.


    3 hours later, as the Homo Evolutis roused from their slumber, Yao Yuan had decided to carry on with the plan, calling it Operation Celestial Wolf. It was a mission that had humanity¡¯s future on the line. If it was a success, they would have themselves a new home planet.


    But if they failed, they would have created a space monstrosity and hopefully would be able to warp away before they themselves were absorbed.


    "The giant propeller prototype is ready, Sir. It was built using Professor Bo Li¡¯s latest set of data. Its speed and acceleration are 10 percent better than normal propellers, but it still has its flaw, the most notable being its instability."


    It was one of the scientists from Bo Li¡¯s lab that provided the explanation. He was right that the propeller had some stability issues, but according to the simulations, those issues would only manifest themselves after a 10 hour activation. It was relatively stable within the first 10 hours of its activation.


    "This is not the time to be picky; we¡¯ll just have to trust this prototype," Yao Yuan said solemnly as he took in the several hundred meters long and 30 meters wide propeller device that took up most of the lab. Compared to the size of the mother nest, it would still be tiny, but it had enough power to pull the plan off. As long as the alien plant wasn¡¯t absorbed within 2 hours, victory belonged to humanity!


    Then Yao Yuan continued to survey other preparations. To prevent the alien plant from directly digesting the propeller, its surface had to be covered with a thin layer of energy crystal. This too was another lengthy and exhaustive project. The Hope¡¯s ready store of energy crystals wasn¡¯t large enough to cover the large surface, so they had to use the alien plants to create more.


    Then came the modification to the front of the propeller. It needed to be sharp enough to pierce through the mother nest¡¯s surface and serrated enough to hook onto its flesh. Furthermore, the particle flux on its combustible end couldn¡¯t end up inside the fleshy folds of the alien, or it would affect acceleration.


    In the meantime, surveillance on Moon 2 continued. The excavation project had almost reached its end; there was only about 300 meters to go before the Hope could prepare to lift off. For that purpose, the temporary base had to move its location. It was uprooted to a location several meters away from the opening. That too was a tiring project.


    Then, 2 hours before the initiation of Operation Celestial Wolf, the surveillance team on Moon 2 came back with reports on the alien¡¯s suspicious developments.


    "This is¡­"


    The mother nest on Moon 2 had completely curled into a ball. It looked like Moon 2 had grown a malignant tumor. It was ready to launch into space any time soon.


    The surprise, though, was the appearance of a new flesh monster¡­ or rather a flesh warship.


    The new monster was more than 1,000 meters long and was shaped like a stick. From the high definition pictures taken of it, almost every corner of its surface was punctured with Gaussian cannon barrels, giving it an appearance of a spindly meat stick. It looked straight out of someone¡¯s demented nightmare.


    There was more than several thousands of these monster warships, and they were surrounded by a gauntlet of flying monsters.


    There were also millions upon millions of those meat blobs. From their previous combat, Yao Yuan knew that the purpose of these blobs was transportation. Each one of them housed about 2,000 monsters. In other words, all of the monsters added up to an army that could drown out the Hope¡¯s planet with just their sheer numbers. Their numbers this round was several times greater than their numbers from the previous 2 wars combined!


    "Prepare the whole defense unit! Make sure you have all the necessary weapons, armor, ammo, and batteries!"


    Yao Yuan ordered inside the war room, "Stand ready, all Black Star Troopers. We¡¯ll be heading out after the combat jets¡¯ last check-up. This will be our last stand against this enemy!


    "Everyone, a picture speaks a thousand words, so I implore you to look at this stretch of blue sky, land, and sea! This could be ours¡­ if we win this war. We will disappoint humanity if we fail!"


    Yao Yuan roared for inspiration. "So we can only return with victory in our laps! I shall fight until my last breath out there. If I die, you¡¯re all allowed to return to warp, but before that, I request that you give this war your all!


    "Guang Zhen, I¡¯ll leave the defense of the base to you. When the Hope lifts off, I expect it to be assaulted by the flying monsters, so Black Star Troopers, we have to be ready for that!


    "I need every single Black Star Trooper to be out there! The Hope can only lift off in about 3 to 4 hours, so before then, we have to secure this opening. After lift-off, the combat jets will provide support to the ground unit, so Guang Zhen you better make sure the base holds until then!


    Let¡¯s make Operation Celestial Wolf a success!"

 Chapter 167: Operation Start!

    Chapter 167: Operation Start!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The lights in Bo Li¡¯s room weren¡¯t on. She lied quietly on her own bed staring into the darkness, accompanied by the sounds of her own breathing.


    There was an apprehension clogging her heart, but she couldn¡¯t tell where it came from¡­


    Was it because of her unfinished experiments or miscalculated data? Or was it because of the final plan¡­


    The final plan¡­ Did he accept it? He should be on the space combat jet right now if he did¡­


    Matter of fact, he wasn¡¯t. Yao Yuan was actually standing outside her door. The 4 soldiers that were on guard duty saluted when they saw him approach. Yao Yuan returned the salute and said, "It¡¯s okay, you guys are relieved of guard duty. As long as she doesn¡¯t leave the Hope, she has the freedom to go anywhere she wants¡­"


    After the guards left, Yao Yuan stood transfixed in front of her room door. He didn¡¯t make to enter or knock, he just stood their quietly. The guards threw him some questioning gazes, but they didn¡¯t dare to comment anything.


    "Bo Li, I know you can hear me. I want to apologize¡­ for what happened earlier, but make no mistake, the marshal law still stands. As a Whisperer, you¡¯re still not allowed on the battlefield. You have to understand that if you fall into enemy hands, it will not only harm our winning prospects in this war, it will be a great loss to the Academy¡­"


    Needless to say, Bo Li could hear him clearly. Yao Yuan perhaps didn¡¯t realize he was using his Anima power. Bo Li, though, refused to reply. She bit down hard on her lips and could feel tears swirling in her eyes. The feeling of apprehension that was bugging her increased and it suffocated her heart¡­


    (My death¡­ will only be the Academy¡¯s loss¡­?)


    "¡­and..."


    Yao Yuan dithered before completing his sentence, weighing what he wanted to say. "...me, it¡¯ll be a loss for me too¡­


    "So please don¡¯t take such unnecessary risks again. I will never allow you on the battlefield! But... I remember everything that I¡¯ve promised you; we¡¯ll go to the beach together, go swimming if the sea¡¯s safe¡­ and lie on the beach at night to enjoy the night sky. I remember every single promise that I¡¯ve made, and I always fulfill my words. I¡¯ll do my best to keep my end of the bargain, and you have to promise me you¡¯ll do the same too¡­"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s voice slowly petered away. Bo Li¡¯s tears were flowing freely now. She pushed herself up from her bed and rubbed her tears away as she rushed to open the door. There was no one out there anymore.


    Even so, she didn¡¯t feel disappointed. Instead she felt warmed, intertwined with wisps of bitterness... It reminded her of her favorite tea drink, a light sweetness and warmth that always permeated her body after the initial bitterness.


    "Professor Bo Li?" a soldier that passed by asked tentatively.


    Bo Li coughed and replied lightly, "Can you accompany me to the lab...? I¡¯m sure that idiot doesn¡¯t have the foresight to tweak the propeller to its maximum setting. Let¡¯s get to work since we still have time before the operation officially starts."


    Yao Yuan saw the tired Guang Zhen off to the temporary base. Guang Zhen would be responsible for holding the safety of the base until the Hope could lift off into space. His order was to not budge from his post under any circumstance, and based on his personality, Guang Zhen would die before he would allow the base to fall.


    "Ol¡¯ Wong, I¡¯ll leave the defense of the surface to you. For the sake of humanity¡­ please do your best." Yao Yuan saw Guang Zhen¡¯s diminishing figure and he sent him these parting words through his Anima power.


    Without turning around, Guang Zhen lifted his hand and waved before getting on the shuttle.


    "Come on, now it¡¯s our turn."


    Yao Yuan turned to address the gathered Black Star Troopers. The 110 plus troopers included new Homo Evolutis that shouldn¡¯t even be on the battlefield. If all the troopers were to be wiped out, humanity would have suffered an indescribable loss.


    "I¡¯m not sure whether this will be our last confrontation with this alien, and there are definitely many things humanity still needs to worry about, like the safety of the planet and the well-being of our future generation, but all those things will come after we win this war!


    "Let us fight for the sake of humanity, for the sake of future, for the sake of our children, and for a new home planet!"


    Then all the Homo Evolutis got on their assigned combat jets. With Yao Yuan leading, they soared through the sky as their ECS systems were activated. Within a blink of an eye, they were already in space.


    In front of them was the mother nest that was previously on Moon 2. One had to wonder how such a giant thing had extricated itself from the moon''s surface. Currently, it was still in Moon 2¡¯s orbital range. Due to its size, it had to contend with Moon 2¡¯s gravitational force, so it was travelling extremely slow.


    "The first step of Operation Celestial Wolf is to clear out as many monsters as we possibly can. The mother nest requires some time before it can birth new monsters. Therefore, the more monsters we take down now, the easier it¡¯ll be for us later. Similarly, we¡¯ll be using guerilla tactics. This first step will last for an hour. An hour later, we¡¯ll gather at coordinates 3612, 7161, 2351."


    Yao Yuan took in a deep breath and led the troopers into the cloud of monsters. The second space war was going to start¡­


    Back at the Hope, Ivan and Saburo were slaving in the biology lab. Their eyes were ringed with black eye from god knows how many sleepless nights. They weren¡¯t even given rest when the soldiers came back and went for their forty winks. The 2 of them only managed short naps in between quick meals.


    The pressure on them only increased after 20 more infected were sent into quarantine. Among the 20 were Ren Tao and Zhang Heng. One of them was a rare Thinker and the other was the best Diviner. Yao Yuan gave specific orders that they must be saved no matter what.


    But it was easier said than done.


    It was already a miracle for a planet to be able to support life. However, the evolution of the creatures on it would definitely be different from that of Earth¡¯s. The same could be said of its microorganisms. A common virus on this planet might be fatal to humanity because mankind didn¡¯t develop immunity against it.


    "There¡¯s just no way. We¡¯ve tried all the antibiotics we have. Even the lab rats have entered metabolic shock from ingestion of so many medicines. Obviously, one or more of the virus strands are activated by our antibiotics. Instead of suppressing it, the medicines are activating it." Ivan sighed in defeat.


    Saburo glared at the test tubes of samples with bloodshot eyes. The whole situation reminded him of the tragedy that he had once experienced, but as frustrated as he was, he had to concede. "You¡¯re right. It would be much easier if there was only 1 virus or bacteria. In that case, we could use the electromagnetic cellular separator, but¡­ these people took in the air of the planet. They were contaminated by a whole bouquet of bacteria and viruses that live in the air. Of the earlier patients, a few of them died from internal bleeding. If the symptoms are the same, this new batch of patients will die in the next 30 minutes."


    "Things definitely would be a lot easier if they had been contaminated by one or two viruses or bacteria, but now¡­ I don¡¯t think even medical technology from the 5th revolution could save them in such a short period of time¡­" Ivan concurred.


    Saburo balled his fists and growled, "If only there was an immune system that could counter any and all viruses and bacteria¡­ Wait a minute, Professor Ivan! We do have something like that, an organism that has perfect immunity! Yes¡­


    "We¡¯ll use the alien cells to create the vaccine!"

 Chapter 168: The Dismantled ECS System

    Chapter 168: The Dismantled ECS System


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan¡¯s combat jet focus-fired on a monster warship. It exploded in a shower of green goo and broken flesh. Some had even splattered on Yao Yuan¡¯s combat jet. Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t worried, because they weren¡¯t corrosive and the ECS system wasn¡¯t affected by the appearance of these liquids. It twisted the light around the entire combat jet, including the splattered marks.


    Due to the success of their previous war, many pilots, including the new Homo Evolutis, gained confidence this time around. Some of them even conducted the guerilla strike successfully.


    The monster army decreased greatly in number. When the troopers went closer to the mother nest, it finally retaliated.


    Many small monsters flew out from within the mother nest. Their size and shape suggested that they were still growing and unformed. In fact, they didn¡¯t even appear to have combat ability. They floated aimlessly around the mother nest. Before the troopers could give a proper reaction, the monster warships shot at the clot of tiny monsters, taking them down.


    This was repeated multiple times, forming a large expanse of monster carcasses around the mother nest.


    "What is it doing? Suicide? But why¡­"


    Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t understand what was happening, but he knew they didn¡¯t have the time to idle. The monster army behind them was inching closer and closer to the Hope¡¯s planet. Yao Yuan had no choice but to lead the troopers onwards.


    However, right before they entered the field of tiny monster bodies, a series of conjectures and images flashed across Yao Yuan¡¯s mind. He hurriedly used his Anima power to order, "Everyone, spread out!"


    Then Yao Yuan¡¯s combat jet did a corkscrew spin and turned back the other side.


    However, the troopers¡¯ locations had already been exposed. More than 10 monster warships aimed their Gaussian cannons at the troopers¡¯ general direction and almost instantly, 10 silhouettes of Space Combat Jet Prototype 003s appeared in space. This was the electromagnetic shield in action.


    The more responsive among the troopers had followed Yao Yuan out and found themselves safe more than 10 kilometers away; however, the Gaussian cannons weren¡¯t slow themselves. Under the focus fire of more than a million Gaussian cannons, about 3 combat jets exploded.


    "Damn! They¡¯re nullifying the ECS system through this method! How many monsters dud they have to sacrifice to make this work?!" Yao Yuan was livid. The 0 fatality rate the troopers had been maintaining suddenly shot up to 3. What was worse was they had to go through the body field and thus expose themselves, or the mission would not succeed!


    Yao Yuan sighed and used his Anima power to give a firm order. "Every 3 jets will form a unit. Don¡¯t waste time on the monster army heading towards the planet, leave them to Major Guang Zhen and the defense unit. Focus on the mother nest! Keep on fighting until either your jet is damaged or you¡¯re incapacitated! Attack!"


    Yao Yuan knew full well what his order meant. He had left Guang Zhen with millions upon millions of alien monsters to deal with, and simultaneously, more than half of the troopers might end up dead¡­ However, he knew they had reached a stage of no return. Giving up was not an option!


    Yao Yuan roared, pushed his jet to its maximum acceleration, and shot towards the mother nest.


    When his jet crossed into the field, the warships trained their cannons his way. Yao Yuan activated all his powers and then his world fell silent.


    Yao Yuan felt all the malice that was directed at him, and the dangers warnings crowded his mind. However, he also saw the warship¡¯s weakness¡­ There was inconspicuous protrusions on their backs, and every few seconds, they would light up. It should be the monster¡¯s power source¡­


    Yao Yuan¡¯s combat jet had reached an impressive 150 kilometers per second in acceleration and it was still increasing. It was at a stage where the scenery flew past in a flash even for the Homo Evolutis. Mankind¡¯s anatomy was not created to handle super acceleration like this; even with the electromagnetic growth field, it was pushing it.


    There were 2 distinct combat jet models. Their maximum speeds were indeed 200 kilometers and 150 kilometers per second, but those numbers, like many numbers in science, were just placeholders¡­


    Generally speaking, the common speed for the combat jet was at 80 to 100 kilometers per second. For many, this would hinder their capability because they wouldn¡¯t be able to respond fast enough to issue any attack.


    Of course, the Homo Evolutis, especially the Perceptors, Seekers, and Diviners, were the exception. They could rely on their superhuman power to assimilate to such high speed.


    Yao Yuan¡­ was activating all his power like how he did on the warship husk when he was confronted by the group of alien robots. Under such a state, his reflex response could only be described as being nonhuman¡­


    100 kilometers per second, 150 kilometers per second, 200 kilometers per second¡­


    Yao Yuan¡¯s jet kept climbing in speed. He zipped through space like a flash of lighting. Even though his location was exposed, the monsters couldn¡¯t catch up to his speed¡­ He was too fast for the monsters to handle!


    He fired off a series of Gaussian bullets.


    In less than 10 seconds, he had racked up more than 100 kills. He was unstoppable. He broke through enemy ranks, not caring whether his fellow troopers could even keep up with him. The 4 gleaming spots on the mother nest then came into his vision. Pulsating with a light that was visible to the naked eye, these were where the 4 polymerized reactors were located. Yao Yuan intended to destroy them!


    However¡­


    Security around that area was extremely tight. Throngs of monster swamped Yao Yuan¡¯s jet when they saw him approaching. They closed in on him from every side.


    "Get lost!"


    Yao Yuan kept pressing the fire button. One monster after another shattered into pieces, but the space they left behind was quickly taken over by others¡­ There were simply too many of them; it was a number beyond mankind¡¯s comprehension¡­


    Yao Yuan¡¯s jet shook at it rammed through the wall of monsters and came through the other side. The monsters that stood in the way were shredded into pieces, but his jet was greatly damaged. The front end of his jet started sparking and the jet body was dented in many places. One of its particle fluxes started to flutter before eclipsing. The jet¡¯s speed started to take a nose dive¡­


    "Is this the end?"


    Yao Yuan clenched his teeth, refusing to back down. He didn¡¯t want to die just like that. He wanted to keep fighting to lead humanity to a brighter future. More than that, he still had many places he wanted to see and the people that he wanted to see them with¡­ The girl that he had laid his hands harshly on and the woman that she reminded him of¡­


    "Damaged combat jets, please return to the Hope for repairs. The rest keep on going. Harass the monsters to reduce their numbers!"


    Yao Yuan turned to lead about 30 smoking jets back to the Hope. They were going to change for new jets.


    On the way back, his mind was fogged by the memory of a girl who stood expressionlessly beside a red-colored combat jet. When no one was looking, she carved her lover¡¯s name into the jet¡¯s wing¡­

 Chapter 169: Red Lightning!

    Chapter 169: Red Lightning!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Everyone mobilized when Yao Yuan reached the jet hangar. He leaped out of his damaged combat jet. Other replacement jets were already sitting at the rails, ready to lift off.


    Other Homo Evolutis mulled about in silence, austerity and severity following them like a cloud. Some opted for a cigarette break, while others closed their eyes in meditation. Few stood staring at the Hope¡¯s walls as if in a trance. They despaired after the upcoming battle, but they knew they couldn¡¯t surrender. If they weren¡¯t doing it for themselves, they at least had to do it for their families who depended on the Hope to survive.


    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!

 Chapter 170: Lift Off! The Hope!

    Chapter 170: Lift Off! The Hope!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    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 capacity; 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!"

 Chapter 171: A Shot of Hope

    Chapter 171: A Shot of Hope


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    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.


    The surprise quickly curtailed into high-spirited cheer. This meant that the defense unit had successfully completed their objective, which was to defend the base until the Hope lifted off.


    Equipped with an ECS system, as long as the Hope didn¡¯t get close to the field around the mother nest, it was practically invisible to the alien monsters. Scarred by how easily the Hope had been intruded by the junkyard AI, Yao Yuan and all the authority agreed that the Hope needed upgrades and modifications.


    First was its defense. A giant reactor was specifically made to charge an electromagnetic shield around the Hope. Combined with the strategic placement of alien plant alloy, the Hope could withstand another spaceship¡¯s continued fire for 5 minutes, and this included withstanding a shot from the enemy¡¯s main cannon! This technology was as strong as the junkyard battleship¡¯s.


    Then was its firepower. Around 60 cannons were added to the ship¡¯s roof, and an additional 180 cannons were added to its sides. Not to be forgotten was the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon. If back on Earth, one shot from this cannon could sink an island country.


    Lastly was its mobility.


    Sadly, mankind''s 4th revolution technology was still unable to dissect the space warp technology. However, the Hope¡¯s current particle flux engine was powerful enough to break the ozone layer without the use of anti-gravitational unit. Of course this was only a theoretical calculation put forth by the Academy. In reality, the Hope¡¯s metallic structure might not be able to withstand the pressure, especially since the Hope had such a fragile design shape.


    In fact, the giant propeller used in the final plan was initially built for the Hope as an emergency acceleration device.


    More upgrades were still underway. The military wanted more weapons, the admins better defense, and the public enhanced mobility. Taking in everyone¡¯s opinion, the Hope had become a high mobility, high damage, and high defense monstrosity.


    The people on the temporary base cheered because this meant that they were safe¡­ as long as they stayed out of the Hope¡¯s artillery range.


    The sound of combat pulled the defense unit back to the threat at hand. Most dropped their heavy artillery for lighter weapons, leaving the giant monsters for the Hope to handle. They clashed with the foot soldiers instead.


    Then, 10 seconds later¡­


    A spot in the sky started to twist upon itself like a mirage. An energy flux started to gather on the ground, creating a sand vortex about several hundred meters tall. This was the power of the Hope¡¯s 600 cannons.


    With the collective power from 600 cannons, the Academy predicted it could even blow up the moon!


    Following an increased pressure in the air, the ground sunk to create a giant crater. It was as if the ground was hit by a big meteorite. The monsters caught in the fray, 300 giant ones included, were blasted into meat pies almost immediately. They were practically smothered into the floor!


    Then it was time for the Giant Gaussian Electromagnetic Cannon to shine. They were essentially a simpler version of the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon. All 18 of them aimed at a stop 40 kilometers away from the base, the spot where the alien monsters landed. Electrical ions suffused the air as the cannons charged.


    This time the sand vortex was several thousand meters tall. The whole planet surface was literally covered by sand. The collective shot leveled an area that was several kilometers wide. If the previous shot was like a meteorite, this was a meteorite rain!


    The defense unit on the ground stumbled and fell. Thankfully, the turrets only shook but didn¡¯t crumble. However, multiple cracks started appearing in and around the base. The 2 shots from the Hope had devastated the land¡¯s geological structure. Luckily, the Academy predicted as much during combat briefing and had calculated the angle and power of the 2 shots using the central mainframe. The 2 shots were precisely calculated to demolish the enemy but leave the base intact.


    In less than a minute, the situation on the ground was overturned. The defense unit only needed to finish off a few stragglers. The Hope turned its attention to something else. The Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon was aimed upwards and not downwards. The planet probably couldn¡¯t survive a shot from the cannon. It would not only destroy parts of the planet¡¯s geological structure, it would create a catastrophe of an unimaginable scale. This was to be mankind¡¯s future home planet, so they couldn¡¯t harm it that way. The target of the cannon was the flying monsters and the transport-use meat blobs in the sky.


    The shot from the cannon broke the sound barrier, creating a zephyr as it surged through the sky. It essentially moved the planet¡¯s stratosphere as it tore the ranks of flying enemy monsters apart. The monsters within the ozone, even when they were not directly hit, were shredded by the great torrents of air. Those in space were luckier; only those directly hit perished. This meant there were still quite a number of monsters in space.


    Bo Li oversaw the proceedings in central command. After some length she said, "The main cannon has been fired. If the Captain is still alive, he should be coming back soon. My order is to let the Hope lift up into space and set up a perimeter. Take down any monsters that appear in range. Initiate the final plan after a 30 second countdown¡­"


    "Captain¡¯s orders¡­"


    The Hope floated gently into space following Bo Li¡¯s order. The number advantage the alien had in space became a non-issue. They were all cannon fodder now.


    In the meantime, the countdown continued into the single digits, 5, 4, 3¡­


    Viewed from the Hope¡¯s central command, a red lightning bolt was flashing through space, trailing sparks and explosions in its wake. The Hope¡¯s defense cannon turned to aim at it when it flew towards the Hope. When it was within 10 kilometers of the Hope, the cannon turned elsewhere after recognizing the friendly signal that it gave off.


    "Fire!"


    With Bo Li¡¯s command, a giant propeller shot out of the Hope. The red combat jet assumed command over it and the propeller took on a straight trajectory towards the mother nest!


    The war against the mother nest was reaching its end!

 Chapter 172: Despair!

    Chapter 172: Despair!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan had destroyed 3 reactors on the mother nest. When he went searching for the fourth, the mother nest had evolved. It had moved the last reactor deeper into its heart, and its oval shape slowly became rounded, encircling the last reactor.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s weapon couldn¡¯t pierce through such a thick layer of flesh. He only managed to create craters on the surface before they clumped back together. The flesh regenerated faster than Yao Yuan could shred through them.


    When Yao Yuan was figuring out a plan, he turned back to see a large crowd of monsters in the ozone around the hole where the Hope went through. He could see so far because his Seeker¡¯s power was activated. He predicted correctly that the Hope had managed to lift off.


    "Yes, the Hope is the answer! The Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon could punch a hole through this thing!" Yao Yuan collected himself and turned Red Lightning back towards the Hope.


    Within several minutes, Yao Yuan was in the Hope¡¯s general area. Their distance was almost similar to the distance between the Earth and the Moon. In other words, they were close enough that their ECS system could recognize and reveal each other.


    "Fire!"


    This was the first thing Yao Yuan heard when he crossed the threshold for communication. It was crisp and somewhat girlish; Yao Yuan recognized it as Bo Li¡¯s voice. Right after, a giant propeller shot out of the Hope.


    The propeller was fitted with an internal device that allowed it to be remotely controlled by specific commands within a 100 meter radius. In other words, Yao Yuan or other troopers could control the trajectory of the propeller if they were close enough. This was the reason the plan could be executed. The technology allowed the propeller to be manually guided towards the mother nest. The set up was perfect because Yao Yuan also needed to be close to the propeller to defend it.


    Yao Yuan saw the propeller dislodged from the Hope and he yelled anxiously, "The last polymerized reactor on the mother nest is still active. Use the Hope¡¯s central computer to triangulate its location and give it a shot using the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon. Its location is somewhere near the heart of the nest."


    With his orders given, Yao Yuan turned to follow the propeller. Thankfully, the propeller was just accelerating, so Yao Yuan caught up to it quick.


    "An emergency electromagnetic shield¡­ It could withstand shots from weapon as strong as the Gaussian cannons for less than 5 seconds¡­ It¡¯s like it is made of paper."


    Yao Yuan grumbled when he read the details of the propeller that the Academy sent to the combat jet¡¯s computer.


    However, he didn¡¯t have the time to dally. The last reactor needed to be destroyed or the plan would fail!


    Under Yao Yuan¡¯s order, the Hope started to prepare to launch a shot at the mother nest. Multiple coordinates and data were entered into the central mainframe to complete the necessary calculations. However¡­


    The mother started to disappear!


    No, not disappear!


    A mirage-like fa?ade started to gloss over the mother nest¡¯s surface. This was¡­


    The ECS system!


    "This is impossible! Why does the alien have access to the ECS system, and why is it only using it now?"


    Then realization dawned for Yao Yuan. He activated his Seeker¡¯s power to scan the battlefield. The broken combat jet pieces that previously littered the area had all disappeared¡­


    The only conclusion was that the mother nest had absorbed them all. And it was evolving to create the ECS system for itself.


    Everyone inside the Hope who saw this unfold had their jaws to the floor. As bigger sections of the mother nest blinked out of their eyes, the calculation on the mainframe started to go haywire. Bo Li asked instantly, "Has the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon finished charging?"


    The assistant came back from the shock and replied, "Yes, Captain. It finished charging about 10 seconds ago. We¡¯re waiting for the triangulation to complete¡­"


    "We can¡¯t afford to wait any longer. Fire it now using the last sets of coordinates we have," Bo Li ordered calmly.


    "But¡­ Yes!" The assistant said into the communicator, "Captain¡¯s order¡­"


    Then the Hope started to rotate until its main cannon was pointing at the mother nest that was still disappearing. After a surge in electricity, the cannon fired away, shaking the Hope. Everyone held their breaths as if the shot had also taken their breath away.


    The distance between the Hope and the mother nest was about 400,000 meters. In other words, the cannon shot needed about 30 seconds to reach the mother nest¡­ This was the reason why long-distance combat wasn¡¯t preferable in space.


    Once both parties had access to creator¡¯s particle and ECS system, no matter how strong your long ranged weapons were, they would be useless if they couldn¡¯t hit their target. Furthermore, the long distance that the ammo needed to travel gave one¡¯s opponent ample time to move out of its way.


    This was why Yao Yuan had focused all of the Barracks¡¯ development on high mobility combat jets. They were the real players in space combat.


    Therefore, when the mother nest started using the ECS system, mankind¡¯s advantage was lost!


    In the next 30 seconds, everyone in the Hope¡¯s central command waited with bated breath. Finally, the mother nest appeared out of its ECS status. Starting from the lower corner of its body, its fleshy body started to regain its shape.


    "Yes, we hit it!"


    Everyone cheered, but Bo Li and a few other people¡¯s expressions were unsightly. As if verifying their fear, the mother nest started disappearing again.


    "We missed! The shot didn¡¯t hit the last reactor!"


    Yao Yuan, who was out in the field, saw everything clearly. Despair swept through him. Now that the mother nest had complete control of its ECS system, the Hope¡¯s main cannon had lost its use. Even though the nest only had 1 reactor left, it could create more through cellular fission. This meant¡­


    The plan had failed?!


    "No! We mustn¡¯t give up. If the troopers continue firing at the mother nest, its ECS system will be disrupted enough to allow the Hope another shot, but¡­"


    Yao Yuan glanced at the propeller beside the Red Lightning. It was still flying towards the mother nest. According to its calculated speed, it would reach its target in the next few minutes. Yao Yuan wouldn¡¯t dare to leave its side lest it got destroyed by the monsters.


    However, Yao Yuan''s current location was too far away from the other troopers. His Anima power wasn¡¯t strong enough to reach them from so far away. So how could he relay his plan to them?


    "Nian Xi Kong!"


    Yao Yuan submerged himself into the soul web. He concentrated and tried to feel out Xi Kong¡¯s presence. After he spotted the light orb that represented Xi Kong, he formed a link with her and channeled his thoughts to her¡­


    Xi Kong was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees. Her parents were fidgeting outside in the living room. This was similar for many families on the Hope, because the civilians were asked to stay in their residences to wait for the war to pass. Suddenly, Xi Kong heard Yao Yuan¡¯s voice in her mind.


    "Xi Kong, I need you!"

 Chapter 173: Singing for Victory!

    Chapter 173: Singing for Victory!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Other than Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen, Ying, Ebon, Liu Bai, Lee, Wa Luo, Fei Biao, Xiao Yan, Huai Shi, Zhang De, and Wang Hua were the only surviving Black Star Unit members. Other than Ying, who was a Seeker, the rest of them were all Perceptors.


    With their experience in the Black Star Unit, they were undoubtedly the strongest batch of Homo Evolutis. In both rankings for Black Star Troopers and space combat jet pilots, they occupied the highest placement.


    Right then, they were at the frontline, caught in a space battle with the alien monsters.


    Even though their combat gains weren¡¯t as insane as Yao Yuan in Red Lightning, it was already scary enough, miles ahead of the other troopers. In other words, they were the core that kept the troopers running.


    However, they were also greatly exhausted.


    It had been more than 2 hours since the battle began. Even though piloting the combat jet didn¡¯t require them to keep their superhuman power activated, combat with the monsters required their extended use. That coupled with the fatigue that came with piloting the jet, they had reached their limits. 2 hours were their threshold.


    "Damn it, Ying! The main cannon missed the last reactor and Ol¡¯ Captain is not here because he has gone to intercept the propeller. What should we do now?"


    After Ying blew up a bunch of monsters, another jet surfed to his side and Liu Bai¡¯s voice came over the communicator.


    "Keep on fighting¡­" Ying said matter-of-factly. "Until the retreat order comes, we must keep on fighting!"


    "I know that!" Liu Bai yelled. "But what¡¯s the strategy?"


    "Then¡­"


    Before Ying could architect an answer, a sound wafted into his brain. It was a light, caressing humming. It seemed to communicate a message to him.


    "Attack the mother nest¡¯s surface to temporarily disable its ECS system?" Liu Bai echoed the thought in Ying¡¯s head.


    "So¡­ you heard it too." Ying, after some length, added firmly, "Liu Bai, contact the remaining combat jets! Order them to focus fire on the mother nest¡¯s surface!¡¯


    "Roger!" Liu Bai replied. Before he left, he asked, "By the way, do you feel that¡­"


    "Yes, I do." Ying raised his hands to massage his temples. "I feel my body becoming lighter, like the melody is taking my lassitude away. It¡¯s such a wonderful sound¡­"


    The sensation was not limited to Ying and Liu Bai. The remaining 89 pilots all felt an indiscernible serenity that chased away all their fatigue. Many others also picked up the threads of message that were embedded in the melody. Staying in their 3 members per team formation, they flew towards the mother nest.


    Yao Yuan, who was further away, felt the miraculous properties of the melody as well. He felt the melody reaching beyond his corporeal form. It was more than a simple transference of message, it felt like a communication between souls¡­ Perhaps this was the true power of the Anima. She could not only communicate with anyone she wished within a certain radius across the barrier of time but also heal and reenergize the weary soul. Yao Yuan felt his previous despair melting away, and he was ready to take on the alien once more.


    He looked out the window of his jet and saw something that buoyed his heart even further.


    The previously organized monster army started to have its members stray from their formation. They tumbled out of their designated position like they were drunk. Some even turned on their allies, chewing and clawing at each other.


    Yao Yuan saw a meat blob that was torn from within. The monsters that it was transporting turned on it from within, and after it burst open, the monsters floated about suspended in space.


    "Right! The mother nest uses some kind of biological messages to make these essentially rabid monsters into an army. Xi Kong¡¯s Anima power must have overridden it somehow¡­ We had an ultimate weapon on our side all along, we just didn¡¯t realize it! Yes, victory is possible!" Yao Yuan roared excitedly.


    This excitement was replicated by the 89 pilots. As the monsters were too busy attacking each other to pose any threat to the troopers, they started to strafe fire at the mother nest¡¯s surface. It was shot by Gaussian cannons from every side.


    Under such focused fire, the mother nest¡¯s ECS system started to lose its functionality. Due to the mechanism of the ECS system, it had to be attached to the surface, so under the carpet fire of 89 combat jets, parts of the ECS system underneath the mother nest¡¯s fleshy surface was destroyed. It kept rebuilding them, but it didn¡¯t take long for them to get taken down again.


    The Hope started recalibrating its coordination. The invisibility of the mother nest adopted a random pattern. Sometimes its vulnerable parts would be revealed, other times not. This added to the complication of the calibration. After 30 seconds, the calculation was completed after mixing and matching all of the different parts that were revealed at varying times. Now they only needed to take into account its location and movement speed.


    Everything was rapidly processed by the central mainframe.


    "We have 5 more seconds, 4, 3, 2, 1¡­"


    The assistant mouthed out the countdown that appeared on screen. After it drew to 0, multiple windows of data appeared. Bo Li ordered immediately, "Send all the data over to the main cannon. Fire immediately after the recharging¡¯s completed!"


    "Yes. Captain¡¯s orders¡­"


    Several seconds later, the Hope was assaulted by another tremor. Another shot was launched from the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon.


    The shot carried humanity¡¯s prayers. Everyone stared at the screen silently as the shot they focused on arced through space¡­


    There was no sound in space, but everyone could clearly see an explosion as the cannon shot came into contact with the mother nest. It writhed around a small ball of fire that emerged at its center as if it was wincing from the heat and pain.


    With the loss of its last reactor, the entire mother nest reappeared in space because the power gpomg to the ECS system was lost. The mother nest was defenseless¡­ at least until it reconstructed a new reactor.


    Not only that, the surveillance in the Hope showed the density of creator¡¯s particle in space decreasing. Evidently, the mother nest was too injured to be able to manipulate the string.


    "Increase the creator¡¯s particle¡¯s functionality to its maximum. Clear away the creator¡¯s particles within this planet system," Bo Li ordered.


    "Captain¡¯s orders¡­"


    Several minutes later, as the melody started to slow down, about 70 percent of the creator¡¯s particles had been neutralized. There were still communication issues, but the Hope¡¯s surveillance devices had come back online. The surveillance range broke past the 10 kilometers limitation.


    "There is a high energy reaction within the mother nest. It is creating a new reactor. Size medium, predicted completion time is 37 minutes¡­"


    "The giant propeller will reach its target in less than 16 seconds¡­ 13, 12, 11¡­ It has made contact. Activating super growth field to push the propeller deeper into the enemy¡­"


    "Unusual development found within the mother nest. Disappearance of high energy reaction, I suspect it has abolished the plan to create a reactor. Concentration of cells around the propeller increasing¡­ The cells disappeared¡­ The mother nest is collapsing, heading towards dissolution¡­"


    "Dissolution stopped. Emergence of a new type of cell, and it¡¯s increasing in numbers¡­"


    When the propeller shot into the mother nest, the nest became animated. Its fleshy surface started gyrating in waves. It was reacting to the appearance of an alien object in its body. The constant motion all over its surface lent it a look of desperation¡­


    Or excitement.


    Following the disappearance of the melody, the monsters should have returned to their disciplined selves; however, they were weirdly agitated. They flew towards the mother nest to merge their bodies into it. In a matter of minutes, the space was cleared of any living monsters.


    "The plan is working successfully. Increase the propeller¡¯s propulsion to its maximum. The target is¡­ the sun!"

 Chapter 174: Soul Singer

    Chapter 174: Soul Singer


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    To be accurate, the giant propeller was not pushing the mother nest towards the sun in a straight line.


    First, the front of the propeller was equipped with a super growth field generator that reacted with the mother nest at the cellular level. It hardened the cell wall so to speak so that the propeller would not simply shoot through the nest. The propeller, although big in size, was as small as a needle when compared to the overall size of the mother nest. It would pierce through the nest if not for this technology.


    Due to its mass, the propeller was unable to push the mother nest in a straight line towards the sun. The plan was to utilize Moon 2¡¯s gravitational force to add to the acceleration. The aim was to circle around Moon 2 to harvest centrifugal force that could add to the propulsion.


    The whole process was slated to last for 2 hours and 40 minutes. According to the central mainframe, the first 2 hours would be the most important. After the 2 hours, the acceleration would have reached an irreversible acceleration.


    Prior to that, the propeller couldn¡¯t suffer any hostile attack and must be manually guided. Yao Yuan was tasked with handling these 2 important details. He was successful, so the propeller managed to lodge itself into the mother nest, initiating the tug-of-war between the mother nest and the alien plant. This caused the creator¡¯s particles to decrease in density, because the mother nest was too focused dealing with the alien plant. When the mother nest reached Moon 2¡¯s orbital range, the creator¡¯s particles had completely been removed and communications came back online.


    "¡­This is 001 combat jet, I am Yao Yuan. Please give me a combat report."


    "002 combat jet suffers from an abrasion to the left wing, energy level at 21 percent¡­"


    "003 combat jet suffers no damage, energy level at 26 percent¡­"


    "¡­ 127 combat jet suffers damage to the particle flux accelerator, lowering the mobility by 11 percent. Energy level at 30 percent¡­"


    After the last trooper gave his report, Yao Yuan calculated there were still 90 troopers still alive. In other words, about 20 Homo Evolutis had died.


    "The undamaged combat jets stay to watch over the proceedings, the rest returns to the Hope... Yao Yuan to the Hope, Yao Yuan to the Hope, request to speak with the acting captain."


    "This is the Hope¡¯s central command. Nice to hear from you, Captain. Connecting you to the acting captain now¡­"


    "Bo Li? I need a report on the mother nest."


    Bo Li read the crowded data that appeared on screen and replied, "The mother nest¡¯s inner layer is undergoing drastic changes. The scanners show that its cellular structure is rapidly changing, not unlike how the gene vibrator operates. According to our heat scanner, one third of the mother nest has been consumed by the alien plant but the mother nest is stabilizing and fighting back¡­"


    "How long do we have?" Yao Yuan asked after some thought.


    Bo Li glanced at the computer simulation and answered, "1 hour and 20 minutes until the alien plant starts to get consumed in return, then there will be about 15 minutes of downtime for evolution to occur."


    "1 hour and 35 minutes in total? That¡¯s much shorter than the predicted 2 hours," Yao Yuan groused.


    Suddenly, a voice entered his communicator. It was Xiao Niao¡¯s. "Yao Yuan, the voice just now came from Nian Xi Kong, right?"


    Yao Yuan answered offhandedly because he was preoccupied with figuring out a solution. "Hmm, I asked her to help me pass on my message to attack the mother nest to the rest of you. I wasn¡¯t expecting her power to be so strong that it could affect the mons¡­ Wait, Xiao Niao, do you mean¡­?"


    "Yes, that is exactly what I mean. If the alien plant couldn¡¯t hold the mother nest that long, we can ask Xi Kong for help. If she can keep the mother nest occupied for about 20 minutes, the plan will work!" Xiao Niao¡¯s voice answered.


    A rejuvenated Yao Yuan yelled into the communicator, "Hope, this is Yao Yuan. Get Nian Xi Kong to central command and give her an electromagnetic transmitter. Ask her to try singing at the mother nest!"


    Following Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, the diffident Xi Kong was brought to command central. She fidgeted nervously under the crowd¡¯s gaze as Yao Yuan explained to her the mission.


    "I¡­" Xi Kong glanced at her feet, afraid to lift her head. After a long while, she took a deep breath and said, "Yao, Yao Yuan, do you really need me to do this?"


    "Yes, Xi Kong, I need you! I need you to use your voice to disturb the mother nest¡¯s cellular actions, so sing at the top of your lungs and fill the empty cosmos with your voice!"


    "Okay," Xi Kong replied in a soft voice before closing her eyes to focus.


    Bo Li, who was sitting in the captain¡¯s seat beside Xi Kong, kept her face straight, but a closer inspection would reveal her subtly twitching eyebrows.


    After all the equipment was set up, Xi Kong¡¯s voice was transmitted through space in the form of electromagnetic waves. However, more than that, her voice also reached across people¡¯s hearts in a more ethereal connection, one that science couldn¡¯t explain.


    "She really does have an impressive voice. I get relaxed every time I hear it."


    A male technician in command central offered as he involuntarily closed his eyes to submerge himself in the enjoyment of Xi Kong¡¯s song. The female technician beside him nodded in agreement, but she nudged him out of his reverie, adding, "Look, the cellular distribution in the mother nest is changing!"


    Following Xi Kong¡¯s singing, the cells inside the mother nest started to show a "rogue" condition. They started to slow down until they reached inactivity. This gave the alien plant the break it needed to spread out across the mother nest. Slowly but surely, more and more of the mother nest was consumed by the alien plant!


    The troopers who were still fighting cheered in relief when they saw this development. Even Yao Yuan sighed in relief.


    "¡­Please don¡¯t revive again. We¡¯ve used everything we got, just become plant food already!" Yao Yuan mumbled to himself while looking at the gyrating mother nest before him.


    As time passed, the troopers who returned to fix their jets came back to surround the mother nest, and Yao Yuan returned to the Hope in the Red Lightning to personally give support to Xi Kong¡­ The girl¡¯s voice had gotten hoarse from singing nonstop for about an hour. She was reaching her limit.


    The room was as still as the inside of a coffin as Xi Kong finished another song. The initial excitement was replaced by a heavy solemnity. Many civilians crowded the corridor outside of central command after they heard what was happening. Many hugged each other closely and stared at the singing girl in silence. Some of the younger girls in the crowd even started to cry.


    "That¡¯s enough!"


    Yao Yuan strode to Xi Kong¡¯s side and took the trembling girl in his arms, adding, "You¡¯ve done more than enough, please leave the rest to us."


    Xi Kong smiled up at him. There was a faint, sickly blush on her face. She said weakly, "I hope I¡¯ve been of use to you¡­"


    "Of course, you¡¯ve done more than what I could have possibly asked for, so please, rest now," Yao Yuan replied kindly. Then he felt pressure on his arms because Xi Kong had collapsed.


    "Carry her to the care unit, and keep a close eye on her." Yao Yuan passed Xi Kong to the crew of doctors who were already waiting. After they had left, Yao Yuan turned to Bo Li. "Bo Li, I¡¯ll leave the Hope to you. Keep me updated on the mother nest¡¯s condition. We¡¯ve done everything we could. The rest¡­


    "We shall leave to fate."


    Yao Yuan left for the hangar after that. He got on the Red Lightning to finish the rest of his mission.


    In his hurry, he failed to notice the disappointment that flitted across Bo Li¡¯s eyes and hatred that flitted across Ji Jie¡¯s.


    Xi Kong, in her unconsciousness, returned to the empty space she occupied whenever she sang. She was surrounded by light orbs and dots. She instantly spotted the biggest orb that represented Yao Yuan, but to her consternation, she found a dark orb behind it. It was bigger than the size of the normal orbs, and instead of emanating light, it seemed to be sucking the light from its surroundings. It was cold, as cold as the touch of death¡­

 Chapter 175: The Truth…

    Chapter 175: The Truth¡­


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan left the Hope in the Red Lightning. In a matter of minutes, he joined the rest of the troopers who were guarding the mother nest that was heading towards the sun.


    With a one-hour-long disturbance, the alien plant had consumed 1/3 of the mother nest¡­ It was true, even with the disruption from Xi Kong¡¯s song, the mother nest hadn¡¯t stopped evolving. At the height of Xi Kong¡¯s song, half of the mother nest had been consumed by alien plant, but it had started to fight back.


    The moment the song stopped, the mother nest was jolted into action. It showed a drastic increase in cellular activity. The alien cells were consuming the alien plants at record speed.


    Simultaneously, a great amount of dead cells and metallic alloys, water vapor, and air were steadily removed from the mother nest. It had shrunk by 30 percent, and it was still shrinking.


    Everyone watched all this unfold with nervous hearts. The time finally crossed the 2 hour threshold, so the mother nest was hurtling towards the sun with exceptional speed. The propulsion from the propeller kept increasing; its speed was now 270 kilometers per second. The acceleration was still increasing, but it wasn¡¯t as strong as it was in Moon 2¡¯s orbital range.


    Thus far, the mother nest had flown past the first 2,000,000 kilometers. That was only a small part of the total distance, which was 140,000,000 kilometers. Then again, the aim of the operation wasn¡¯t to push the mother nest directly into the sun but to let the mother nest reach an irreversible acceleration. It would be hard for an organism this big to decelerate after constant acceleration. Even when it does stop, it will be too near to the sun not to be affected by its gravitational pull. It would also have to contend with the Hope¡¯s sniping of its reemerging reactors. That was the true purpose of Celestial Wolf Operation.


    "Let¡¯s stop¡­ We shall return to the Hope," Yao Yuan ordered as the mother nest continued to drift on its trajectory.


    All that was left to do was wait.


    The biggest difference between the particle flux propeller and traditional combustion engine was their longevity. The traditional combustion engine was limited by its fuel, but the energy source for the particle flux propeller was at the 4th industrial revolution level. Its battery was the size of a match box, but it could provide the energy output of a small electricity plant.


    This energy source was none other than a mini polymerized reactor. In other words, the acceleration could be trusted to keep constant. Even though the acceleration speed was expected to decrease as time went on, the mother nest was slated to reach 300 kilometers per second in the next 3 hours and 320 kilometers in the next 10 hours. That would also be when the propeller would run out of fuel¡­


    So Yao Yuan was correct, all they could do then was wait.


    After Yao Yuan and the troopers returned to the Hope, they went to take a well-deserved rest. The Hope¡¯s surveillance kept on running¡­


    "2 hours and 22 minutes in, all traces of alien plant has disappeared like the simulation said it would. The mother nest is beginning its evolution. The time it¡¯ll take is unknown¡­"


    "3 hours and 47 minutes in, a mass cellular collapse within the mother nest. It¡¯s shedding off extra weight, according to our calculation, its current mass is about 1/30 its original mass. This increases the propeller¡¯s acceleration. It is now at 600 kilometers per second and still increasing¡­"


    "4 hours and 56 minutes in, the cellular collapse has ceased. It¡¯s current mass is 1/90 of its original mass. Current speed is at 1,400 kilometers per second¡­"


    "5 hours and 4 minutes in, the propeller is starting to get digested. The mother nest is showing a green coloration. We suspect that it is mass producing new supercells¡­"


    "5 hours and 32 minutes in, the evolution into supercells has been completed¡­"


    When Yao Yuan woke up, it was already 6 hours since the initiation of Celestial Wolf Operation. He quickly took a quick shower before resuming his duties in central command.


    "¡­Currently all the cells in mother cell are supercells, it¡¯s going at 1,500 kilometers per second, and it is about 12,000,000 kilometers away from the sun. It¡¯ll be another 9 hours before it reaches irreversible speed," Bo Li mumbled beside Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan looked at the mother nest that appeared on screen¡­ It was about 1/90 of its original size. With a green color coat, it looked less like exposed flesh but one with green-colored skin.


    "How¡¯s its internal energy reaction?" Yao Yuan asked.


    "This part is weird because there is no energy reaction. We can¡¯t pick up any traces of it¡­"


    "¡­then we shall wait to see what it does next."


    This wait lasted for 2 hours. The mother nest seemed to have hibernated.


    Suddenly, when everyone thought things were going to be fine, a cyst grew on the back end of the nest. It unfolded to reveal a giant particle flux, resisting the nest¡¯s acceleration.


    "The target is slowing down drastically! Current speed 1567, 65, 64 kilometers¡­ per second, the number keeps on dropping!"


    Yao Yuan yelled, "Don¡¯t get flustered. Ready the main cannon, aim at the cyst!"


    "Yes. Captain¡¯s orders¡­"


    Like how it was planned, the Hope started utilizing its main cannon to snipe at the mother nest. Due to the distance between them though, even with the cannon shot¡¯s speed, it would take several hours to fully monitor its impact. Thankfully, with the aid of the central mainframe, in the next 14 hours, 3 shots were fired. By then, the acceleration of the mother nest was at 600 kilometers per second¡­


    However, one thing of note was that after the evolution, the mother nest had a harder time responding to the cannon shots. Perhaps it was still unfamiliar with the particle flux¡¯s operation.


    That gave Yao Yuan the impression that this supercell might not be as strong as they feared.


    However, a new development came over from the biology lab¡­


    The supercells that were bred in the petri dish had undergone another evolution. They had evolved to adopt the alien plant¡¯s shape. The new cells had a trademark as well!


    Other than that, this new cell would begin expanding. If not for the laser that kept the cells under containment, the Hope would have been eaten from within!


    "¡­What you¡¯re saying is that this new cell violated the law of mass conservation and grew without consuming anything?" Yao Yuan asked in surprise.


    Ivan shook his head/ "That¡¯s not exactly correct. To be precise, it consumed the ions in the air to grow. It no longer needed to rely on solid substances; it could transmute water and energy from atoms found in the air. The cell can keep on growing if it¡¯s exposed to air."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s face sunk because this was the perfect evolution for the mother nest. As it neared the sun, the solar wind would provide it with enough materials to grow into an invincible monster!


    "Why did it start evolving only now? I thought the previous supercell was already its final form," Yao Yuan asked.


    Bo Li, who stood beside him, answered, "Probably¡­ it was still decoding the password then."


    "Decoding the password?"


    "Yes, the alien plant¡¯s genetic code so to speak. This plant is a creation from a high level civilization, meaning its code is most likely hard to decipher, so it took the alien cell this long to unlock it."


    "I understand."


    Yao Yuan stared solemnly at the mother nest on the screen. He finally understood why the mother nest was having delayed reactions to the cannon shots. It was busy decoding the alien plants to fully absorb the plant¡¯s technology as its own and transform into the scary cells found in the biology lab!

 Chapter 176: Super Organism�

    Chapter 176: Super Organism£¡


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "However, it is as Zhang Heng said: the alien has the most basic of instinct and intelligence. The desire to acquire technology outweighs everything else. It doesn¡¯t even care that it¡¯s hurtling towards the sun¡­ Such crazy need."


    At about 19 hours and 30 minutes, the mother nest started changing its forum. Under the Hope¡¯s careful surveillance, it slowly changed to adopt the trademarked genetic code. Before its death, it put on the most grotesque freak show mankind had ever seen¡­


    In about 10 seconds, the mother nest flattened itself to a skin-like organism. Its thickness was about 10 centimeters, and it looked ready to completely envelop a planet.


    The piece of skin graft unfurled before mankind¡¯s eyes with surprising speed. Even at the Hope¡¯s distance, one could see it expanding. It grew larger and larger, expanding at an exponential rate.


    Numerous bulbous growths emerged on the side that faced the sun. They were mini particle flux accelerators. Their purpose was obviously to slow the acceleration down.


    However¡­


    It was already too close to the sun. The most generous estimation put it at about 30,000 kilometers away from the sun. It was already within the sun¡¯s gravitational range. The sun¡¯s high temperature and pressure were pulling it towards its death!


    "Its speed continues to drop, 400 kilometers per second¡­


    "300 kilometers per second¡­


    "200 kilometers per second¡­


    "It¡¯s burning¡­"


    The skin organism slowly caught on fire like a piece of paper. However, it kept growing and decreasing in speed. Alas, it was too late. It fell into the sun, into a place where the Hope¡¯s surveillance couldn¡¯t keep up anymore, and the screen went completely white¡­


    At the same time, in a cordoned off internet caf¨¦ sat Xiao Niao. He gained entry by using his trooper¡¯s privilege. He chose his usual table and switched on the game, Star Craft 3. He stared at the familiar main menu until he eventually fell asleep. 6 hours had passed when he woke up next.


    He was feeling groggy until the ID ZERO joined his server. He sat up straight in his seat, feeling suddenly refreshed.


    "Noob, you¡¯re here?" Xiao Niao typed hurriedly.


    "I¡¯m not a noob! I¡¯ve proven you wrong, haven¡¯t I? I¡¯ve presented to you the actual Zerg in space! Qi Xiao Niao!"


    "Yes, that is definitely a Zerg. but I¡¯m more interested in knowing what are you, ZERO."


    ZERO kept up a long silence. When Xiao Niao thought he had gone offline, the reply came.


    "I am ZERO, the beginning as you humanfolk put it¡­"


    "As we humanfolk? Does this mean you¡¯re not one of us? Then who, or what, are you? The Hope itself, or an alien? God or demon?"


    ZERO retreated into silence once more. Xiao Niao waited patiently and eventually his patience paid off. ZERO replied, "I was born on Earth, but differently¡­ from mankind. I have no honest answer as to what I am, but I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not an a¡­ Furthermore, there is no God in space, but there is indeed a demon race, the kind described in your bible."


    Xiao Niao looked curiously at the answers. He couldn¡¯t understand it. He replied, "You said you were born on Earth but not a human¡­"


    Suddenly, it hit Xiao Niao and he typed excitedly, "I know, are you from Atlantis? This means you¡¯re a merman or a mermaid?"


    ZERO¡¯s reply came instantly this time. "No, I¡¯m not from Atlantis, not a merfolk, I¡¯m¡­ a pure spiritual life force if I have to describe it, something akin to your humankind¡¯s understanding of a plasmatic life form¡­"


    "What the hell is a plasmatic life form¡­" Xiao Niao groused. He was a thinker, but he was no scientist, so the scientific term proved to be a tumble for him.


    "But speaking of pure spiritual life force, this means you¡¯re an angel? So you were telling the truth when you said you''re a girl. Wait a minute¡­ angels can be men or even transgendered. I¡¯ve seen plenty of angelic men in sailor outfits before in anime. Are you one of those?"


    "¡­ Do you hate men?" ZERO asked suddenly.


    "Hate is too harsh a word. But my typical impression for an angel is a female, so discovering that she is actually he would come as a bit of a disappointment," Xiao Niao replied after some thought.


    "Then you can just treat me as a female, but in any case, I¡¯m not an angel¡­ I¡¯m leaving, seems like the Zerg crisis is over. Be thankful that I¡¯ve kept a tab on it, greatly decreasing its cellular decoding capability to buy you extra time¡­ So don¡¯t call me a noob again," ZERO typed.


    Xiao Niao responded immediately, "So how could I find you next? Err¡­ for multiplayer games like Star Craft 3, Civilization 7. The more the merrier, right? Plus, as you¡¯ve said, the Zerg crisis is over, I foresee an extended relaxation time for games¡­"


    "¡­I will find you when I need to and¡­ The peace won¡¯t last for long because the program is still running, there will never be peace unless the civilization breaks through the level 9 limit or finds the ¡®key¡¯¡­"


    And ZERO logged off.


    Xiao Niao had gotten a lot of useful information. He had said many insignificant things, but the final purpose was to drag as much information out of ZERO as he could. A majority of the things ZERO revealed were within his expectations. Now he needed to find a secluded place, one where the possibility of eavesdropping and spying was nilch, to discuss it over with Yao Yuan, to request his aid to set a trap¡­


    The only thing that worried him from the conversation was ZERO¡¯s parting sentence. What did he mean by peace wouldn¡¯t last long? What program was still running? What is the level 9 limitation? And what is the "key?"


    These were beyond his comprehension.


    As he walked out of the internet caf¨¦, he heard cheers resounding through the crowd. People were running up and down the corridors in celebratory fashion. They danced, they laughed and they cheered. The reason for their celebration was¡­


    Mankind had won! Victory was theirs!


    They had a planet with a blue sky, blue sea, and lush greenery waiting for them to discover¡­


    And to architect into mankind¡¯s new home planet!

 Chapter 177: Virus

    Chapter 177: Virus


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This was hours before the mother nest evolved to a super organism¡­


    There was another battle happening inside the Hope.


    "This won¡¯t do, the virus has spread to the internal organs. More than 5 troopers are suffering from internal bleeding, breathing difficulties, and palpitations. If this continues¡­"


    A researcher yelled hurriedly as he watched the data on the screen.


    Behind him were more than 100 scientists and researchers, including Whisperers, Ivan, and Saburo. They were the Hope¡¯s brightest minds on the subject of pathology and biology. Their greatest hurdle right now was the new home planet and its viruses and bacteria.


    As previously mentioned, the planet¡¯s virus and bacteria had a different growth history from the ones found on Earth. For example, even though the planet¡¯s virus and bacteria were carbon-based, their genetic code was wildly different from the ones on Earth. This meant that mankind¡¯s immune system offered zero protection against them.


    In fact, they found out that a single breath of the planet¡¯s air would cause irrevocable damage to Earth¡¯s survivors. The infection was so strong that the infected would die in a matter of days or even hours! This was unlike sci-fi movies where the first thing humans did after locating a new planet was take off their space helmets and breathe in the open air. That would be essentially committing suicide.


    Ivan frowned deeply. He exchanged a meaningful look with Saburo before saying, "Apply flash freeze to the troopers¡¯ bodies and prepare necessary body fluid shots."


    The researcher was stunned. Before he could protest, a senior scientist beside him said, "Professor Ivan, are you sure about this? There are still many flaws with the flash freezing mechanism. If we don¡¯t unfreeze them in the next 3 days, the cold will cause irreparable damage to the human bodies¡­"


    Saburo came to Ivan¡¯s support. "It¡¯s still better than letting them die now, right? We already have 4 deaths on our hands. Among the living, Zhang Heng is undergoing heart shock and heart arrest. This is the only way available to keep them alive until we find the vaccine."


    The senior scientist sighed because he knew Saburo was right. A few minutes later, all of the quarantined troopers were given body fluid shots to prepare their bodies for flash freezing. This was to prevent their skin from being frostbitten during the procedure. Then the super growth fields were activated, and all of the troopers¡¯ bodies were sent into stasis. Unlike the flash freezing portrayed in sci-fi, there were no blocks of ice; the troopers merely looked like they had fallen asleep.


    Everyone stood outside the lab to watch over the procedure until a fight broke out between Ivan and Saburo.


    "Professor Saburo, I staunchly refuse to let you conduct any experiments with the alien cells. For one, they are held by the military. Furthermore, you have seen for yourself how dangerous these cells can be from our force¡¯s battles with them. If the experiments went wrong and they infected the human body, to be honest¡­ I¡¯d rather the troopers die!" Ivan said strongly.


    Saburo, who was normally polite in his demeanor, retorted angrily, "But Professor Ivan, can you think of any other way to save these people? Every single of one of them has contracted more than 100 fatal viral and bacterial strands. Each of the strands is responsible for a different cellular damage, and thus every single of them requires a specific vaccine. Could we feasibly create more than 100 vaccines in 3 days? Furthermore, because of the flash freezing, their bodies¡¯ immune system has completely shut down! This is our only choice!"


    Ivan hesitated before shaking his head firmly. "No, this might be our only choice, but I still can¡¯t allow it. Have you thought of the consequences? The cells might save their lives, but they might take control over their bodies. I believe the troopers would rather die than be mind-controlled by the alien!"


    Saburo replied quickly, "That won¡¯t happen because I won¡¯t directly inject the cells into their bodies. I still have basic knowledge of biology. I will begin by allowing the alien cells contact to the virus and bacteria in petri dishes. Do you still remember these alien cells¡¯ unique properties? They have no set genetic structural code. In other words, whenever it comes into a contact with a new virus or bacteria, as long as they are not ones that would kill them instantly, the cells can change their genetic code to eventually create immunity against these new virus and bacteria.


    Then, by observing the interaction between the planet¡¯s virus and bacteria with the alien cells, we can replicate or retrieve the immunogens and lysozymes from the alien cells and¡­"


    Ivan interrupted him. "This sounds good, but you are using mankind¡¯s scientific knowledge to understand the alien cell. I too have thought of this possibility. To use the alien cells to breed the necessary stem cells to inject into the human bodies rather than injecting the alien cells directly. If the human body accepts the stem cells, immunity will be gained. However¡­ who can be certain a spliced cell from the alien cell doesn¡¯t contain its harmful DNA? Maybe its RNA is more than enough to create complete alien cells inside the human body. Then the victims would be eaten alive from within!


    "This is space we¡¯re in! None of us know how the alien cell could evolve. What if I¡¯m right and they can regenerate with just a spliced cell? Maybe the effect is latent in the beginning, but after 10 days, 1 year, or even 1 decade later? Could the cells not suddenly wake up and become active again? Like what had happened to the aquatic civilization, the cells can reproduce and spread by infecting its host¡¯s body. The whole civilization was wiped out in mere months; do you wish the same to happen to us, mankind?"


    The hidden accusation in Ivan¡¯s words was clear. If he had brought this before Yao Yuan, Saburo would definitely be labeled a public threat.


    Saburo¡¯s face was as red as a tomato. He took several calming breaths before adding, "Regardless, I will continue with this experiment! Professor Ivan, if you have any more objections to it, you are welcome to report to the Captain¡­ I¡¯m doing this not for glory or for fame!" Saburo felt warmed by the memory that swamped his mind, the smile of his love he once lost. It gave him the courage to say out loud, "This is to save human lives! Death is the great equalizer, but only for the dead; the pain lies forever more with the living. To prevent others from suffering the same fate I did, I will carry on with this experiment unless you have me detained!


    "Professor Ivan, you do not understand the gravity of this experiment? It not only affects the currently infected troopers but our future as well. Like you said, we are in space, and mankind is nothing but a brief candle buffeted by the cosmos¡¯ vile winds. Any contact with future planets or organisms could lead us back to this situation, and the scale might be even bigger. This time we have about 20 deaths, but what about next time? Let another 20 people die for the safety of the majority simply because we have no ways to save them? How is that different from the officials that abandoned Earth the moment tragedy struck?


    "I refuse to succumb to this weakness! These people can and must be saved; human life is most precious. The alien cells provide us with the best raw material to cultivate the ultimate vaccine. Yes, it is risky, but there is risk behind every breakthrough. Furthermore, isn¡¯t taking risks what we scientists are here for?"


    Saburo bowed deeply at Ivan, adding, "I guess this is where we part ways, Professor Ivan. I¡¯ve learned a lot in our times working together, but this¡­ is my own battle now! Unless you kill or incapacitate me, there is no way I¡¯m stopping this experiment. If the alien cell does end up infecting me, I¡¯ll activate the lab¡¯s neutralizing sequence¡­"


    Saburo straightened himself and walked out of the room. His assistants that made to follow were deterred by the stern glare in his eyes. He strode alone to his lab, his departure solitary yet unusually glaring¡­

 Chapter 178: During the Experiment

    Chapter 178: During the Experiment


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Mankind¡¯s medical history was thousands of years long. Discounting the prehistoric period, even modern medicine had had a long history of about 200 years. However, we were still hamstrung when it came to vaccines against viruses, bacteria, and microbes as well as risky operations like heart transplants.


    When mankind¡¯s technology reached the 4th revolution, many medical technologies also evolved. For example, there was a type of nanobot that could enter the human body to repair damaged organs or dissect tumors without the need for surgery. Other than that, the genetic mesomeric resonator could be used to elongate all carbonate life forms¡¯, mankind included, lifespan. The efficacy of surgery could also be increased by using technologies the like super growth field to stabilize the cellular activities of human organs during operation to increase the operation¡¯s success rate. However, the side effect of the super growth field was still heavy on animals, so its uses were mostly limited to plants. It would probably require the 5th or 6th industrial revolution for the technology to be perfected.


    It was true that the 4th revolution had introduced a giant increase to mankind¡¯s medical progress, but there was also the appearance of many new diseases. Or rather, there was an increase in the number of viruses, bacteria, and microbes mankind¡¯s medical technology couldn¡¯t handle in space.


    Saburo was alone in the locked laboratory. Of course, Yao Yuan, who had the master key, could still enter it, so this wasn¡¯t a step to ward off Yao Yuan but to steel his own determination.


    "Hanako, Shiro¡­ I will not let what happened to you repeat itself!"


    At the same time, Ivan sat silently in the biology lab. Researchers in the room looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to come to a decision.


    After some time, Ivan announced suddenly, "Report this to the Captain, then¡­"


    The group of scientists sighed both in relief and in worry. This meant Saburo¡¯s experiment would be forcefully halted, but it would help ensure the Hope¡¯s safety.


    "¡­then transfer all the data we have on the alien cells, as well as this planet¡¯s microbes, viruses, and bacteria to Professor Saburo. That is the least we can do for him."


    Relief changed into shock. The researchers were confused. Did Ivan want to stop or help Saburo? His orders served 2 drastically different purposes.


    Regardless of his intentions, as the leader of the biology committee, Ivan¡¯s orders were quickly carried out. However, there were some issues during the transference of information. Since Yao Yuan and other authorities had their focus fully trained on the mother nest that was hurtling towards the sun, they wrongly assumed the update meant Saburo was still working on discovering the alien cell¡¯s weakness, so they didn¡¯t pay it much attention.


    Just like that, Saburo attained all the data from the biology lab. He then received splices of untainted alien cells from the damaged combat jets that returned from war. Since the combat jets hadn¡¯t entered the planet¡¯s atmosphere, the alien cells attached to them hadn¡¯t had contact with the planet¡¯s microbes, viruses, and bacteria. They were, so to speak, pure.


    In the next few hours, Saburo submerged completely into his experiments. Time flew by as he worked on data analysis, observations, and experiments. His whisperer power was activated from time to time, allowing him big and small breakthroughs¡­


    Several hours later, the mother nest, which had evolved to a super organism, was confirmed to be dead. The Hope breathed a collective sigh of relief. However, no one knew that for one member of the Hope, the battle was still going on¡­


    When the correct news reached Yao Yuan, it was already 3 hours after the destruction of the mother nest. It was so delayed because there were simply too many things waiting to be done. The steps that needed to be done to ensure that the death of the mother nest was final took up about an hour of his time. The rest was spent doing something incredibly important¡­ that was to clear all the remnants of the alien cells within this solar system!


    Emergency modifications were done on the remaining 80 space jets so that their emissions could release high heat using the interaction between liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. Rough estimations put the required time to finish clearing the alien carcasses at 3 months. The monster carcasses littered the solar system, so they had to prioritize the ones that were closest to New Earth.


    Similarly, the clearing had to be done on New Earth. This operation would require lesser time, 1 and a half months to be precise. This was because it was easier to clean the carcasses on Earth due to the presence of natural oxygen. Unlike the space combat jets, the exterminators on New Earth had no need for constant refuels. Furthermore, they could rely on technology, like Fuel Air Explosives, to clear a large space within a short period of time.


    Within the 3 hours, Yao Yuan dropped a newly created Fuel Air Explosive on the spot where the alien monsters landed. After that, a unit with flamethrowers was dispatch to make sure all traces of alien were burned away.


    He finally had some time to take a breather when Guang Zhen led the flamethrower unit of about 2,000 people from the Hope. However, before he could even grab a quick bite, another piece of breaking news fell into his lap.


    "What? You mean Professor Saburo has locked himself up into a laboratory to conduct experiments on the alien cells?" Yao Yuan asked in shock.


    Ivan, who came to update him on the infected, nodded firmly. "That¡¯s right, Captain. We sent this information to you a few hours before the death of the mother nest was confirmed."


    "Are you sure?" Yao Yuan asked, still in shock. "How could it have been reported already? I would have stopped him if I knew. The alien cell can easily mutate to become a supercell capable of digesting everything. How could he be allowed to conduct such a dangerous experiment?! If he is infected, no one will be around to help him because he¡¯s doing this on his own! Stop him immediately! Never mind, I¡¯ll go and stop him myself!" Yao Yuan leaped out of his seat, hailed an electromobile, and sped to the Academy.


    With an agile backflip that was inconspicuous with his scientist identity, Ivan leaped into the seat beside Yao Yuan. He smiled slyly in response to the surprised gaze that Yao Yuan threw him, adding, "Captain, you can¡¯t pin the blame on us. We did inform you of this hours ago; you must have missed it somehow. Because no reply came from you, we assumed you were in support of Saburo¡¯s action."


    Yao Yuan racked his mind and indistinctly remembered someone did come over from the biology lab with an update. The person said that Saburo wanted to commission pre-evolved alien cells for his experiment. Since Saburo was a firm follower of scientific protocol, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t dwell on it. Furthermore, he thought a whole lab would be watching over Saburo¡¯s experiment. Help would be readily available if anything went wrong.


    Lastly, all his focus then was occupied by the mother nest. Now that the mother nest was a problem of the past, Yao Yuan realized he had glossed over an important piece of news due to his haste and Ivan¡¯s careful wordplay.


    However, he found himself unable to punish Ivan or even Saburo. Professor Saburo¡¯s action was ultimately for the goodness of mankind, and his willingness to take on this dangerous experiment alone was admirable.


    "Regardless¡­ Let¡¯s get to the lab first and pray that nothing serious has gone wrong¡­" Yao Yuan sighed.


    Inside the lab, Saburo held a test tube with his shaking hands. After a few hours of using his Whisperer power, his face was flushed a sickly red. He stared at the thing inside the test tube with pride. That was the purpose of his experiment¡­ It turned out better than how he expected it be.


    The ultimate vaccine¡¯s first prototype!

 Chapter 179: The Past

    Chapter 179: The Past


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ivan and Yao Yuan arrived at Saburo¡¯s lab with the escort of a military unit and many researchers. With Yao Yuan¡¯s master key, they gained access into Saburo¡¯s locked lab.


    When they entered the lab, they saw Saburo lying on the floor, his hands clutching a sealed test tube.


    Many were petrified witnessing this; some of the young interns even went so far as to cover their noses with their hands. After all, they knew of the alien cell¡¯s hazards. Being infected was a fate worse than death. They had seen such horrible events described in sci-fi, and they had no intention of allowing it to happen to themselves.


    On the contrary, Ivan, Yao Yuan, and most of the senior researchers merely frowned. Yao Yuan, as a Diviner, didn¡¯t pick up any danger warnings, so naturally the alien cells hadn¡¯t leaked.


    On the other hand, the senior researchers were familiar with scientific protocol. The only thing out of the ordinary was a fainted Saburo; the rest of the lab was in perfect condition. They had faith in Saburo that he wouldn¡¯t be careless enough to violate simple protocol.


    "¡­Get Professor Saburo to the hospital. This is exhaustion from overexerting his superhuman powers. Feed him some nutrients packs," Yao Yuan ordered the group of doctors and nurses that tagged along after he squatted down beside Saburo to inspect his situation.


    Only then did the interns know that there was no danger in the room. After all, if there was any, Yao Yuan as a Diviner would be the first to warn them. They put down their hands awkwardly and moved to help the nurses lift Saburo onto the electromobile.


    By then, Yao Yuan had already taken the test tube from Saburo¡¯s hands. He lifted it to his eyes and tried to train his Diviner power at it. He only felt a tiny tingle of danger. Several seconds later, he passed it over to Ivan, adding, "Now it¡¯s the Academy¡¯s time to shine. Find out what is inside this test tube. Depending on his physical situation, it will take a day to a week for Saburo to regain consciousness, but our men who were flash frozen only have 3 days left. It¡¯s my order that¡­ the Academy continues Professor Saburo¡¯s experiment, first by finding out what is inside test tube!"


    Ivan accepted the test tube, and after some thought, accosted Yao Yuan with a serious expression. "I will take over the experiment, but there is something that I wish to make clear with the Captain."


    Yao Yuan nodded his head, signaling for Ivan to continue.


    Ivan added, "No matter what is inside this test tube, if it has anything to do with the alien cell, I will not conduct any live human experiments. If you force me to do it, I¡¯ll demolish this test tube and all my research notes."


    Yao Yuan stared into Ivan¡¯s eyes and he saw a firm determination burning within. He nodded and said, "Alright, you have my word. There will be no such orders¡­ By the way, Ivan¡­"


    Ivan sighed in relief before asking, "Yes, Captain?"


    "I remember¡­ your resume said that before you came on to the Hope, you worked as a biologist for a small Middle Eastern country and hosted the country¡¯s research on bio-weapons, am I correct?" Yao Yuan asked.


    Ivan was shocked as he balled his fists and lowered his head, adding ruefully, "Yes, that¡¯s correct. I was tasked with such a project, and it compelled me to conduct¡­"


    Stopping Ivan mid-sentence, Yao Yuan patted Ivan on his shoulder to express his understanding. He then led the medical unit out of the lab. It wasn''t until his shadow disappeared around the corner that a voice appeared in Ivan¡¯s head.


    "Follow your conscience. To save or to kill, poison or medicine¡­ the difference lies in the user¡¯s intention. Ivan, as one of the 3 Whisperers, I will leave the rest in your hands. The safety of everyone on the Hope, the lives of the 20 plus heroes and the necessity of human experiments¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make the right decision."


    Ivan was visibly shaken. His hands that held the test tube grew tighter. Sometime later, he yelled, "Start analyzing Professor Saburo¡¯s data and use it to understand what is inside this test tube¡­ Let¡¯s start moving, people."


    ¡­That year.


    Saburo was a new medical student, training to be a good physician. Other than the prestige of being a doctor, Saburo was more interested in the profession¡¯s lucrative salary and benefits. He needed the money to improve his quality of life so that he could provide a good life for his beloved Hanako.


    Hanako, full name Kosaka Hanaki, was the daughter of a huge corporation. Even though Saburo¡¯s family wasn¡¯t exactly poor since his father was one of the corporation¡¯s smaller shareholders, in comparison, his family wasn¡¯t as wealthy.


    Because of family history, Saburo and Hanako spent their primary and secondary school years first as classmates then as lovers.


    Their families approved of their relationship since their families were of somewhat equal footing. Since it was obvious that the young couple was deeply in love, their parents didn¡¯t have the heart to stand in the way. They actually wished for them to get married after they graduated from university.


    Hanako¡¯s parents only had one requirement, and that was for Saburo to not rely on his parent¡¯s money to throw Hanako her dream wedding. They needed to make sure Saburo had the capability to provide for their precious daughter.


    Since Saburo already had interest in medicine, he decided to focus all his energy to pursue a career in medicine.


    In his second year of university, because he wanted to study for his exams, he missed out on a summer trip between the 2 families. Hanako was accompanied by his and her parents, as well as his 8-year-old brother on the trip to the Mediterranean Sea.


    "Hanako¡¯s plane should arrive at 3 PM today."


    Saburo said to himself as he sat in the arrival lobby. He looked at his watch and the clock that hung in the lobby. Both showed 3 PM. However, the screen didn¡¯t show that her plane was arriving.


    After some asking around, he found out that the plane had to take an emergency pit stop at a small Middle Eastern country due to engine problems. Saburo wasn¡¯t alarmed, because the receptionist told him it was only a routine check. Time swam by slowly and finally the plane arrived, but¡­


    "What?! A mysterious virus infection?! The whole plane is now a quarantine zone? Are you kidding me? I didn¡¯t hear about such an outbreak on the news!"


    No matter how much Saburo begged and argued, the military wouldn¡¯t allow him access. After about 10 hours, even the researchers who were tasked with sampling died. The military torched the plane because there was no longer a living soul on it¡­


    Saburo opened his eyes suddenly after a 2-day coma.


    While he was unconscious, the bio team had been working non-stop to finish what he started.


    Ivan, in his tired state, kept having flashbacks to that fateful year¡­


    Ivan was a child prodigy. He had a natural affinity for the study of biology that was well documented since he was young.


    After his graduation from university, he quickly became his home country¡¯s best biologist. After publishing a few journals on his study, he even gained some fame across the globe.


    In the year 2020, when the oil supplies in the Middle Eastern area started to dry, the continent was thrown into a civil war. It lasted for only 2 years, but it did send an alarm across the many Middle Eastern countries. They were still sitting on money collected from years of exporting oil, but one day, it was going to run out. When that happened, a war for survival much bigger in scale than the one before it was going to happen.


    If Ivan had been born in a wealthier Middle Eastern country, his talent could be used in research for alternative income, like draught-resistant seeds. However, since his was a small country, the best choice of defense was offense¡­


    That year, Ivan was forced to host a bio-weapon research, and it had unfortunately leaked¡­

 Chapter 180: A Virus Apocalypse?

    Chapter 180: A Virus Apocalypse?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After putting on his lab coat, Saburo left the hospital in a hurry. Under Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, he was escorted by 2 guards, but Saburo paid them no attention. He had been out for 2 whole days. That combined with the experiment he was conducting alone that lasted for 12 hours meant that the flash frozen troopers only had 12 hours left!


    "We must save them! Every single life is important. The government can¡¯t abandon these people simply because it might harm the safety of the majority!"


    Saburo reached the biology lab in a matter of minutes. Along the way, he tried to get information out of his escorts. He learned that the research on the ultimate vaccine had been taken over by Professor Ivan and his team. Of course, they didn¡¯t know much about the details of the experiment since they had been assigned to look after Saburo and not the experiment.


    When Saburo entered the lab, he saw about 100 exhausted scientists. They had bloodshot eyes from 48 hours of nonstop lab work. They only allowed themselves short naps that lasted at most for 30 minutes before forcing themselves awake by splashing their faces with cold water. It was a war!


    And it was not only Saburo¡¯s war, but the Hope¡¯s war!


    When the scientists noticed Saburo, they asked after his health worriedly. Even though Saburo was heavily agitated, he answered them politely. Finally, he arrived at Ivan¡¯s side, who was by then flushed a sickly red from overexerting his superhuman power.


    "Professor Ivan, thank you for your help, but I¡¯ll gladly take over if you need some rest," Saburo said seriously.


    Ivan shook his head. He put down the data he was reading and leveled a straight stare at Saburo, adding, "Professor Saburo, forgive me, but I can¡¯t do that. I won¡¯t give you the opportunity to use these vaccines to conduct human experiments. I¡¯m certain that¡¯s what you¡¯re planning, right?"


    Without waiting for Saburo¡¯s reply, Ivan smiled knowingly as if he already knew the answer, adding, "Based on the data and the vaccine prototype you¡¯ve left behind, we¡¯ve conducted multiple experiments and improvements. What we have now is the third generation vaccine. We¡¯ve used this new set to experiment on about 100 ZH mice. What do you think was the result?"


    "¡­" Saburo was silent before responding. "If it¡¯s the vaccine prototype, it¡¯ll have a high probability in causing genetic mutation, but since you¡¯re using an improved formula, I suspect the mice¡¯s immune system was destroyed, or there was a serious infection due to cellular collapse and possibly death¡­"


    "More than 30 percent of the mice were infected to become alien monsters. 20 percent become afraid of light, violent, and dazed. Another 20 percent¡¯s immune system got shut down and they died from air-borne bacterial infection in a mere 10 minutes! The rest showed signs of being poisoned!" Ivan stared at Saburo as he listed the results one by one.


    Saburo wasn¡¯t fazed. He stared back at Ivan, adding, "However, does this not show that the vaccine is improving? Every scientific breakthrough happens like this! How high could the first plane fly? How many died in the process to create a usable airplane? And look at us now, we¡¯re in space! Can you honestly say all the sacrifices along the way were wasted?! It is the same with this ultimate vaccine. I agree, it looks like a bio-weapons now, but how the end product will be depends completely on us! It is us scientists who decide what trajectory this product shall eventually take. A vaccine that could defend against all kind of viruses, bacteria, and microbes; isn¡¯t that a service for mankind?"


    Ivan shook his head weakly. He started to slump from his standing position before saying, "I believe I¡¯m almost at my limit, so I have to hand the experiment over to you. However, I have to ask, Professor Saburo, what is your next course of action? Do you still plan to conduct human experiments?"


    Saburo replied firmly, "I¡¯m not a mad scientist. The vaccine prototype does contain splices of the alien cells, but that is because I wish to investigate the theory behind the cell¡¯s ability to mutate across generations to eventually create immunity. Then we¡¯ll hopefully be able to replicate this theory in a manmade chemical or biological system. After that we¡¯ll use that system as a basis to create stem cells for injections. I¡¯m unfamiliar with the experiment¡¯s progress, so I¡¯ll need about 1 to 2 hours to familiarize myself before I can decide in detail what we¡¯ll be doing next."


    Ivan sighed in relief. He relaxed his thumb that secretly hovered over a button. With the press of the button, the experiments¡¯ data would be wiped clean. He continued, "Professor Saburo, please promise me you won¡¯t carry any experiments on living human beings. They are innocent, so please don¡¯t involve the innocents, promise me¡­"


    "¡­I promise you," Saburo said through gritted teeth.


    As Saburo said that, Ivan fainted. The medical crew who stood nearby quickly went into action. They carried him to the hospital and then the lab was effectively taken over by Saburo.


    "The vaccine is at its third generation? Wonderful, this means that we can allow it contact with human cells at this stage. We¡¯ll be able to find out more from this interaction¡­"


    Saburo was clear about the experiment¡¯s purpose. It was to create a vaccine that could defend against every type of bacteria, microbe, and virus.


    From a scientific standpoint, that aim was impossible. There was no vaccine that could realistically defend against every type of disease. The so-called heal-all elixir was stuff of fantasy and sci-fi. Different environmental conditions bred different microorganisms and viruses. The new home planet might look similar to Earth, but the microorganisms it hosted had a wildly different mutation history than the ones found on Earth. One deep breath of the planet¡¯s air would introduce about 1,000 to 10,000 different types of viruses, microbes, and bacteria into the body. The numbers might vary depending on forest coverage and overall plant growth, but the variation wouldn¡¯t be big. To be fair, some of the viruses might be harmless to the human body; they might even be beneficial for mankind¡­ but as reality had proven, they also contained strands that were perhaps more vicious than Ebola and AIDS. They were not objectively more vicious; it was because mankind¡¯s immunity was as vulnerable as a newborn¡¯s when put into such an environment.


    If the virus was harmful to the human body, they would not hold back in destroying it!


    Even if they abandoned the 20 plus troopers that were infected, mankind still needed to populate the new planet. They couldn¡¯t just spend their lives cooped up in the Hope. Therefore, the question of how would they assimilate to the planet¡¯s environment arose.


    The answer, Saburo believed, lied in the ultimate vaccine. It was the only way mankind could survive on the new planet and any other planets after it!


    "The ultimate vaccine¡¯s trial prototype is ready. It is created from a replication of the alien cell¡¯s immunization system. It is fully manmade and doesn¡¯t utilize actual alien cell splices. It can only provide immunity to this planet¡¯s viruses, but that should temporarily be enough. We shall work on a more finished product after this crisis is over. The day when mankind no longer has to worry about contracting diseases is deliciously close!"


    9 hours after Saburo woke up from his coma, he entered central command with a shot of vaccine. Central command acted as the information and surveillance center for the alien carcasses immolation mission. It also acted as a liaise agent for both the space and ground team working to clear away the monster carcasses. It was the third day into the mission.


    When Saburo approached Yao Yuan, 2 pairs of tired eyes stared at each other. Yao Yuan collected himself and asked hurriedly, "Is the vaccine ready?"


    Saburo nodded after a short hesitation, adding, "We have tested the newest vaccine on ZH mice and 70 percent were cured. The next phase would be human experimentation¡­"


    "70 percent?" Yao Yuan sighed. "What about the remaining 30 percent? They¡¯ve mutated? So it¡¯s still an alien cell poison. Plus, didn¡¯t I hear thar you promised Ivan to not conduct experiments on innocent humans?"


    Saburo was shivering with anger when he replied, "This is a vaccine, not an alien cell poison! It is a medicine created using safe scientific methods! Captain, I won¡¯t stand quiet if you¡¯re to insult my morality and honor like this! I¡­ I volunteer to be the first human test subject! That way, we won¡¯t be harming any innocents!"

 Chapter 181: Success

    Chapter 181: Success


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Needless to say, Yao Yuan rejected Saburo¡¯s insane offer. This was not only an issue of safety but also Saburo¡¯s unique importance. Even though Zhang Heng, Ren Tao, and the likes were exceptionally important to the Hope and were mankind¡¯s heroes in their own right, Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t just add another Whisperer to the death toll for the sake of an experiment.


    If there was no other way forward but human experimentation, Yao Yuan would opt for civilian volunteers, or if all else failed, inmates¡­ Yao Yuan knew it was immoral and inhumane, but to him, Saburo¡¯s life was much more important than all the inmates¡¯ combined.


    However, Saburo said directly, "I¡¯m sorry, Captain, but before I came, I ingested a sample of the planet¡¯s air and took a shot of the vaccine. In about 30 minutes, we¡¯ll know definitively whether the vaccine is successful or not."


    "You?!" Yao Yuan stood from his chair and yelled at Saburo, an angry finger pointing at his face.


    Saburo continued firmly, "This vaccine is not infectious. After it enters the human body, it¡¯ll react positively with our immune system to create new proteins to kill this planet¡¯s viruses, bacteria, and microbes. Of course, if it fails, the disease contracted via exposure to this planet¡¯s air could still spread via my bodily fluids. Therefore, I shall place myself under quarantine right this moment following the protocol. I¡¯m sorry, Captain. Hopefully, we shall meet again¡­" Saburo then bowed deeply at Yao Yuan before turning to head towards the electromobile waiting outside of central command.


    Yao Yuan stood there dumbly, his finger still in the air. He finally sighed. "The command rights will be handed over to Major Guang Zhen. I¡­ have to step down temporarily to deal with the development regarding the planet¡¯s virus. Reach out to the Major and ask him to return to the Hope immediately. Over." Yao Yuan then left central command and headed towards the quarantine rooms.


    In the next 30 minutes, even though Saburo was kept in quarantine, his situation was wildly different than others. Since he was essentially a lab rat, his body was wired to many machines and his bodily reactions were recorded on a screen outside of his quarantine room.


    "His lymphoid system already shows signs of infection, but why hasn¡¯t the vaccine given any response?"


    A researcher looked at the screen and mumbled to himself.


    This had puzzled not only him but the whole room of researchers. This was because the vaccine should have already displayed its effect several minutes into the experiment since it took that long for the vaccine to react within the ZH mice. Naturally, there is a metabolic difference between mankind and mice, but even after taking that into account, some sort of a reaction should have happened at the 30 minutes to 1 hour mark. Weirdly enough, there were no conspicuous changes to Saburo¡¯s life signs even though it had already been more than 1 hour since the experiment started.


    Suddenly, Saburo, who had been lying quietly on a cot, started to shiver. What followed, as shown on screen, was a spike in his body temperature.


    "He¡¯s now at 39 degrees, and it¡¯s still increasing¡­ We¡¯re over the 40 degree danger mark! It¡¯s still not slowing down!" a researcher yelled.


    A scientist beside him added hastily, "Give him a shot of Potion A. It should be able to neutralize the vaccine¡¯s negative effects. He must have taken a dosage that¡¯s too high. This is bad; if this continues, I worry his body will not be able to take it."


    After a shot of Potion A was administered by a mechanical arm, Saburo¡¯s temperature finally got under control. However, it still hovered at around 39.5 degrees Celsius, and it showed no signs of decreasing beyond that. Saburo by then was already unconscious. If this situation continued, his body would die from overloading before they could even find out whether the vaccine was of any use.


    Yao Yuan paced outside the quarantine rooms. Every time news about Saburo came, his frown deepened. He was reading a report on the vaccine¡¯s components and their relationship to the virus handed to him by a group of scientists when he heard someone whisper into his ears¡­


    He quickly waved over a soldier, saying, "Go to the Homo Evolutis Faction immediately and ask them to bring over 3 doses of Formula X. Here, take my ID. Be quick."


    The soldier accepted Yao Yuan¡¯s ID and saluted. He then took an electromobile and sped to his assigned destination.


    The researchers who overheard Yao Yuan were dumbfounded. One of them asked, "Captain, what is this Formula X? Some kind of new medicine?"


    "No," Yao Yuan elaborated, "It is a mysterious component secreted by the Homo Evolutis when they use their powers. They help neutralize the load that was placed on our bodies and increase our various bodily functions like reaction time when we¡¯re in the Homo Evolutis state. To put it simply, it¡¯s a kind of stimulant."


    The bunch of researchers looked at one another curiously before one of them said, "But Captain, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wise to inject a stimulant into Professor Saburo¡¯s body at this juncture¡­ His body is already under a lot of stress, and I fear adding the stimulant into the mix will only make things worse."


    Yao Yuan replied firmly, "I know, but doing nothing is not going to help his situation either. The man is stupid enough to use his own body as an experiment, so the least we can do is not let him die foolishly and wastefully like this. We might as well make the most out of it. Furthermore, he is a Homo Evolutis, so the formula should do nothing more than increase the component that is already naturally occurring in his body which in turn will hopefully help stabilize his body conditions¡­"


    10 minutes later, Saburo was injected with Formula X, which was secretly researched by the Homo Evolutis Faction. The shot was clear and looked very much like distilled water. A single dosage of Formula X was only several micrograms in volume. It contained components that was secreted by the human brain when the Homo Evolutis entered his or her superhuman state. Thus far, animal experiments done using Formula X had caused the animals to die from hyperethism within 10 minutes after injection. Such ghastly results were why Formula X was kept a secret.


    It was also why there hadn¡¯t been any Formula X human experimentation. Yao Yuan held firm that they would not toy with the sanctity of human lives.


    In a twist of fate, Saburo also became the first human test subject to try out Formula X¡­


    Time slowly passed by. At the 30 minute mark before the flash frozen troopers would suffer from irrevocable body damage, Saburo¡¯s conditions showed drastic changes.


    First, his body temperature gained a sudden rise, stopping at 44 degree Celsius. The temperature was high enough to be lethal. It would burn out internal organs and sever brain synapses. This was no laughing matter because even if Saburo was to survive, his IQ would be seriously damaged.


    However, the researchers realized right then that his immune system had started to kick in. Initially, after the Saburo was exposed to the planet¡¯s virus, his immune system had completely shut down. However, at this moment, his immune system suddenly decided to start working again, and it began coding special proteins that could combat the pathogens in his body¡­


    In the next 10 minutes, the screen showed that the viruses, microbes, and bacteria in Saburo¡¯s body had been completely annihilated. Simultaneously, his body temperature started to drop back to normal levels. The result also showed a high amount of Component X in his body, about 10 times the amount he was injected with. However, weirdly enough, this Component X wasn¡¯t secreted by his brain but¡­ by his immune system.


    "The reason the ultimate vaccine is dangerous is because it is not a simple antibiotic. In other words, its main purpose isn¡¯t to directly engage the pathogen but to evolve the human body¡¯s natural immune system. Yes, it¡¯s an evolution medicine, one that could evolve mankind¡¯s immune system to gain the capability to naturalize to its environment, to create immunity."


    "Absolute immunity is scientifically impossible because normally, one antibiotic or vaccine could only react to one or several disease strands. Nonetheless, bacteria as a form of living organisms are always evolving. They become drug-resistant. Our medicine will need to keep on evolving as well to keep up with the bacteria¡¯s evolution. However, this limits our research to a single environment, and this means that we won¡¯t have the time and resource to focus on the viruses, microbes, and bacteria from other environments."


    "The danger of such tunnel-vision in science is obvious. The troopers we have in quarantine are prime examples. Therefore, instead of following such linear research progress, I believe it is more beneficial that we focus on our immune system instead. If our own defense is strong enough, we won¡¯t have to worry about the attacks from different bacteria, microbes, and viruses. Instead of researching for a new vaccine whenever we land on a new planet, with the evolution instigated by the vaccine, our immune system will be able to adapt to the planet¡¯s environment and create immunity. I dare say if this experiment is successful¡­ this will be the last time mankind will ever hear of epidemic and disease!"


    Yao Yuan read carefully the elaboration on the ultimate vaccine that was left behind by Saburo. He sighed. "Unfreeze all the infected troopers, inject them with the vaccine and Formula X."

 Chapter 182: Bionic

    Chapter 182: Bionic


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhang Heng was sprawled on his bed, coughing intermittently. Counting that day, he had been lying on that bed for about half a month. He knew based on his condition that it would be another month before he would be allowed to move about freely.


    Zhang Heng was pulled back from the brink of death via injections of the ultimate vaccine and Formula X after being unfrozen. However, that didn¡¯t mean that he was safe. On the contrary, his body conditions were still in a critical stage. Yes, his new immune system had started working and had killed off the virus, but his organs that had been damaged were still damaged.


    His trachea was greatly punctured and there was internal bleeding in his lungs. An emergency operation had saved his life, but he was unable to speak for the previous 15 days. It was only today that he managed to spit out some monosyllables.


    However, his condition wasn¡¯t the worst. That unfortunate prize went to one of the Survivors. His entire trachea had to be removed. Thankfully, cloning technology from the 4th revolution was powerful enough to be able to replicate a new trachea from his DNA, but the process needed a few months to complete. Therefore, the man had to survive on his ruined trachea before his assigned operation date. It was a veritable torture, and the man appeared to be suffocating during his every waking moment¡­


    However¡­


    At least he was still alive!


    This was a sentiment shared by all the infected troopers. When they were taken out of their flash frozen state, they were barely hanging on to life. If the operation came an hour later, none of them would be alive. Regardless, 3 of them did perish in the process. The ultimate vaccine didn¡¯t help because their internal organs were too damaged to be able to code new proteins.


    There was another complication to the operation¡­


    And that was an overly effective nervous response system.


    The result had shown that after the first injection of the ultimate vaccine and Formula X cocktail, the human immune system would continue to release additional Component X. Saburo and Ivan¡¯s research showed that this would eventually peter out. After about a month, the immune system would stabilize and it would stop producing unnecessary Component X. Of course, it would retain its ability to produce immunity against new bacterial threats in the future, but it wouldn¡¯t be as impactful as the first time.


    This caused 2 unique problems. For one, the infected had a sensation that they were in slow motion all the time. This was most obvious when they watched movies. They could finally understand why movies were called moving pictures, because in their minds, the movies were shown in stills, one picture after another. This affected Saburo the most because unlike other patients who were infected, he still needed to work. Even though his ultimate vaccine was a wild success, the strain it put on the body was still too high, making it unsuitable for non-Homo Evolutis and children, so he had to continue with his experiment and research.


    What did it feel like to have an overly effective nervous response system? It¡¯s actually quite easy to describe. When one takes a step forward, in one¡¯s mind, the foot has already been lifted off, moved forward, and made contact with the ground. However, in reality, the body hasn¡¯t even caught up to the command to the lift one¡¯s leg. The only consequence was constant tripping. For this, Saburo had visited the hospital many times. The most severe was for a broken arm.


    The other side effect was the fatigue. Since the brain was in a constant state of hyperactivity, both the physical and mental state of the patients were definitely strung out. Furthermore, to compensate for the increased metabolism, there had to be a high intake of food. Zhang Heng alone had to consume at least 8 meals each day. That certainly didn¡¯t help to deter a sedentary lifestyle.


    While the infected was suffering from these inconveniences, the Homo Evolutis Faction was a buzzing hive. With Yao Yuan as chair and Guang Zhen as vice, they were discussing the Formula X¡¯s success.


    "I believe we should use this method to improve our soldiers¡¯ physical attributes."


    This was a secret meeting attended by authorities from the Barracks and the Homo Evolutis Faction. The one given the floor was a military expert. Waving a piece of data, he continued, "From our latest war with the alien monsters, it is obvious that our normal soldiers couldn¡¯t compare to the Black Star Troopers. This is beyond the issue of equipment, but rather they lack the necessary intuitive response and the physical condition to support a greater response system.


    "Everyone here is a military man or woman, so you should know that bullets fired from common weapons from our 3rd revolution have an initial acceleration of several hundred meters per second, at most 2,000 meters. Their range is short, or at least there won¡¯t be a situation where a bullet fired within a planet¡¯s ozone layer that could possibly end up outside of it. The best weapon can only manage to take out targets that are beyond the immediate horizon.


    "However, now that technology has entered the 4th revolution, it is necessary that our soldiers have improved physical attributes. This is because the electromagnetic shields have pretty much nullified the importance of long-ranged artillery. Combat has gotten closer and more immediate. With the exception of a spaceship¡¯s space cannon, most of the combat is going to be limited to on-the-grounds warfare."


    The expert continued, "Because of this, our soldiers need to have a better response system and dynamic vision. This will help increase their combat capability by increasing the chance to inflict critical hits on their enemies as well as to evade enemy attacks. This new vaccine enables our bodies to naturally produce Component X, and the only negative effect observable so far is longer fatigue and increased appetite.


    "Therefore, our team¡¯s plan is to use the new cocktail to induce an evolution in our soldiers¡¯ bodies. When combat reaches its height, a shot of harmless bacteria and nutrients can be used as a trigger. This way it acts as a drug. Granted their prowess won¡¯t be as powerful as the troopers¡¯, at least that will put them at a more level playing field. Yes, there is the fatigue to contend with, but our team feels that overall it is a worthy price to pay!"


    After the expert descended from the stage, Guang Zhen took his spot. He began, "I have something to add to this. First, it is undeniable that the Black Star Troopers are incredibly strong, but we have so few of them. After this war with the flesh alien, we¡¯ve lost about 30 of them. That is not a small number for a unit that totals at just over 100 members. Let¡¯s not forget that this is just one war. If this continues, we¡¯ll be shutting down the entire Black Star Troopers unit pretty soon.


    Therefore, I agree with the need to improve our soldiers¡¯ physical attributes. Future warfare will be centered on close quarter combat, as the expert before me just explained. Other than the improvement in weapons technology and grounds transports that we¡¯ve discussed, I truly believe it is time to initiate the bionic project."


    As the Hope¡¯s second-in-command, Guang Zhen¡¯s words carried more weight than the expert¡¯s. Even Yao Yuan had to consider what he had to say.


    Yao Yuan took the podium after Guang Zhen. He said, "I believe everyone here has a report on the bionic project. I¡¯ll be honest, ever since the inception of Homo Evolutis Faction, we have been working on research that investigate why and how a common person turns into a Homo Evolutis, but with our current technological level, the research has hit a wall at every turn. The only success we have so far is the identification of Component X that appears within the Homo Evolutis¡¯ bloodstream whenever they activate their power.


    "First, even though there are now 20 plus successful examples of inducing an evolution in our immune system with a cocktail of Formula X and Saburo¡¯s ultimate vaccine, it is worth noting that all these success stories are about the Homo Evolutis. They already had Component X in their systems to begin with."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s tone got serious as he continued, "Before this, the researchers from Homo Evolutis Faction tried experimenting this Formula X on animals, and there hasn¡¯t been a single survivor, so they have come up with a hypothesis¡­


    "Could it be that non-Homo Evolutis can¡¯t support Formula X? Therefore, even though the bionic project is incredibly alluring, the fatalities that it could cause might be greater than what anyone of us here could have predicted. I dare say a 100 percent fatality rate is not impossible, so I have to announce that¡­


    "Until the safety of the project is ascertained, the bionic project will be indefinitely delayed. Dismissed!"

 Chapter 183: The Confinement Order and Logging Order

    Chapter 183: The Confinement Order and Logging Order


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It had been a month since the war with the mother nest¡­


    In the past month, news was sent through either Hope Weekly, the Barracks, or the government bodies to the general public. The civilians finally knew of the danger they had been in, the underground death trap, the sea of fleshy monsters, and the threat of the mother nest. Even though the war was officially over, news of such dangers still brought fear into people¡¯s hearts.


    More names were added to the Remembrance Hall, and the fear slowly dissipated in the past month. Now it was completely replaced by an excitement to see the planet outside of the Hope!


    Currently, the Hope was suspended at a spot 3,000 meters above the hole it was once in. The scenery wasn¡¯t entirely inviting since the place had suffered 3 alien monster assaults. The area had the highest monster body count and was covered with broken body parts. It was one of the main focuses for the Hope¡¯s cleaning efforts.


    The defense unit was split into 6 squadrons, each with 500 people for the cleaning purposes. The workload couldn¡¯t be considered heavy because their daily working hours only lasted for 8 hours. The biggest pressure came from the possibility of ambush by surviving monsters. After all, the defense unit wasn¡¯t good at close quarters combat. One or two surviving monsters might tear through their ranks if they were not careful.


    That was why their squadrons worked in rotations. Some rested while other worked. This way they could keep an eye out for each other.


    Of course, these were not the concerns of the citizens. They were only interested in when could they take the transport shuttle to the ground.


    The desire to see the blue sky and touch the green grass was palpable!


    Everyone knew there was bound to be danger waiting for them since this was, after all, an unfamiliar alien planet. Nobody knew what kind of dangerous animals might be lying in wait for them. A cute rabbit-type critter might kill with its hidden fangs. One simply couldn¡¯t be too careful.


    However, these possible threats paled in comparison to the people¡¯s desire for a new home planet. Some of the more hot-blooded youths had even formed crews among themselves, petitioning the Hope to allow them to survey the area around the ship. They wanted to document the scenery because they detailed an important part of human history. At the same time, they could find out more about the planet¡¯s unique ecosystem, like documentation of its herbivores and carnivores as well as edible flora, like roots, leaves, fungi, or even herbs. Chinese legends said consumption of certain herbs could allow one to fly above the sky. Who knows, maybe there were such plants on this planet. Anything was possible in the great cosmos.


    In conclusion, there were great expectations for this planet. With the passage of time and the signs of enemies decreasing, even though they knew that the planet¡¯s native life forms might still posed their unique dangers, the public was restless and eager to get down to the planet''s surface.


    However, with such demands, the government had more things to worry about.


    First and foremost, how to ensure the civilians¡¯ safety if they were allowed down to the planet. The obvious danger of the straggling monsters aside, there were the planet¡¯s native flora and fauna to contend with. There were simply too many unknowns. Would the animals be harmless or harmful to human presence? Nobody could tell for sure. And who was to say the plants wouldn¡¯t pose some sort of danger? Even Earth had rumors of man-eating plants, much less an alien planet. Yao Yuan himself had run into a species of vampiric vines that was native to the tropical rainforest. Thankfully, he reacted quickly then, or else there wouldn¡¯t be a Hope today.


    To conclude, carelessness could spell doom when venturing into a new environment. The Hope was already lacking in military number. Yao Yuan went as far as considering sending out the recovering troopers into the field. That spoke volumes of how much Yao Yuan was in need of capable men.


    If he allowed the civilians passage to the new planet, should they be escorted by the military? If not, who would be responsible if something were to go wrong? He was sure the blame would fall on him, the captain of the ship.


    On the other hand, if he were to allow military escorts? How big would the unit be? Several hundred or thousands? Currently, the Hope had about 100,000 in population, and the number would increase to over 170,000 if adding in the children that were less than 4 years old. Allowing one group of civilians to visit the planet would lead to another demanding the same treatment. Allowing only a section of the people to leave couldn¡¯t possibly work because it would lead to libelous rumors against the government, citing favoritism.


    Therefore, even though Yao Yuan understood the public¡¯s desire to descend onto the new planet, he maintained his stance that only military personnel were allowed to go outside of the Hope.


    Nonetheless, he was quickly faced with another problem¡­ The Academy too demanded access to the new planet.


    The Academy¡¯s request was harder to deny because the reasons behind their demand were valid. They wanted to carry out experiments and analyses on the new planet. Things like the planet¡¯s mineral composition, and the intricacies of the planet¡¯s food webs couldn¡¯t be revealed by the Hope¡¯s scanning devices. That was why the researchers hoped to continue the previously halted sampling process. Ivan himself had handed in 3 requests. This was, after all, his area of interest, a new ecosystem to analyze and study.


    Demands from the Academy and the public found support in each other and grew louder as the days went by.


    Simultaneously, reports from the defense unit who had been on the ground came trickling back. First was an update on the cleaning mission. After a month, all of the carcasses in a 300 meter radius around the Hope had been cleaned. They needed to expand their perimeter.


    However, they stumbled into a problem. A lush and wide jungle terrain stood in their way. In reality, the planet had a warm and wet atmosphere that was perfect for forest growth. 60 percent of the planet was jungle, and they were separated by the occasional grasslands and deserts.


    This was, of course, a good thing, for it meant a wealth of natural resources. However, it had proven to be a headache-inducing problem when they were hunting down the monsters.


    The defense unit consisted of normal human beings with military training. Their speed couldn¡¯t catch up to the monsters¡¯ enhanced mobility. They could stand a chance in the open grasslands, but jungles provided cover for the monsters to ambush the defense unit.


    Because of this, the cleaning mission was halted. After an emergency meeting, the Barracks came up with a solution, and that was dispatch low-flying modified shuttles to first scan the jungle area. Cleaning efforts would be focused on spots where signs of large animal presence or alien monster-like presence were picked up.


    The military still couldn¡¯t wander aimlessly into the jungle, so in total, Yao Yuan released 2 orders. They were the Confinement Order and Logging Order.


    The Confinement Order was jointly released by the government and the Barracks. It required non-military personnel to ask for clearance before stepping out of the Hope. Failure to obey the order would result in detention under the crime of actively harming human survival since the person would bring the planet¡¯s viruses back to the Hope. If convicted, the guilty party would serve 3 to 5 years in prison. For serious offenders, the sentence could be increased to 10 years!


    The Logging Order, even though it was a military order, due to its sensitive nature, was released through the Hope Weekly. It allowed the clean-up crew to commit deforestation whenever the sensor picked up suspicious activities of possible monster stragglers. The range of actions permitted included burning less than 10 acres of forest land, infinite logging, and killing of any wildlife¡­

 Chapter 184: A Secret Meeting

    Chapter 184: A Secret Meeting


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Yao Yuan, I heard you¡¯re leaving the Hope for a mission."


    This was the second day after Yao Yuan released his two orders, and he sat in command central waiting patiently to be peppered with opinions and criticism. However, he didn¡¯t expect the first one to visit him to be Qi Xiao Niao.


    Yao Yuan frowned and said, "You heard wrong. I¡¯m the captain, why would I assign myself an outstation mission? I need to be here to keep the ship afloat and the government running."


    "Huh? Really?" Xiao Niao said in an excessively surprised tone. "But don¡¯t you need to evade the crowd for a while after the release of the Containment Order and Logging Order? Aren¡¯t you afraid the parties that want to get down to the surface and the nature lovers are going to crowd your office and question your decision? What do you say, shall we go down there for a temporary reprieve?"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s frown deepened as he activated his Thinker power. He tried to tease out the underlying meaning in what Xiao Niao was saying.


    For one, Xiao Niao was personally present when they were discussing the release of those 2 orders. He should understand that the release was necessary to protect humanity from the dangers of their human desire. With Xiao Niao¡¯s brilliance, he should know as much.


    For another, even though Yao Yuan would be annoyed by those parties that would come bearing opinions and criticisms, he wished to meet them. He preferred to discuss his decision with these parties face-to-face to calm and inform them instead of allowing them to spread false rumors around the ship. As the captain, how could he have escaped due to fear of criticism? Where was he going to put his face then?


    However, since Xiao Niao had purposely come to say such things, he must have something else in mind. As one of the only two Thinkers on the Hope, he couldn¡¯t not see the two orders¡¯ actual purpose. He must have been vying for another angle, but what could it be?


    Is it¡­


    Yao Yuan asked suddenly, "Why? Do you intend to follow me if I go on this reprieve?"


    Xiao Niao snickered and said, "Of course. I too have the desire to see the blue sky, green grass, and plants. Instead of going on some mission, I¡¯d rather follow you on a holiday."


    Yao Yuan thought about it before adding with a nod, "Alright, we¡¯ll go on this ¡®holiday¡¯ as you call it, but to be sure, I want you to go for a body check. There¡¯s no medical help out there if you suddenly fall sick."


    Xiao Niao laughed as he pulled out a medical report from his coat. "I¡¯ve predicted as much. Since we¡¯re going on a holiday, there has to be a body check, so here you go. As you can see, I¡¯m not down with any ¡®virus.¡¯"


    Yao Yuan read the report wordlessly. He focused on the part about Xiao Niao¡¯s genetic mapping. The report was signed by Ivan and a few other scientists. Xiao Niao was clean as a whistle.


    (It is as I¡¯ve expected, he has some secret that he wants to tell me, something that can¡¯t be revealed while we¡¯re on the Hope. Since the report states clearly that he¡¯s not under the control of some alien monster¡­ Fine, he probably has something important to say.)


    Yao Yuan thought about it some more. Currently, the Hope was running along just fine, there were no reports of emergency disasters, and Guang Zhen had a good hand over the military. The cleaning crews were going through the motions, and the Hall of Communications was handling the administrative part of the government well. It was absolutely fine for him to excuse himself for a few hours, even though it might disappoint the few parties that wanted to meet him to discuss the 2 orders. Yao Yuan laughed, thinking they would end up believing he was running because he was too afraid to meet them in person.


    The two of them moved to the hangar and put on their space armor. After Yao Yuan put on his red space armor, Xiao Niao said, "How about we take one of the newer transport shuttles? They are the updated models that haven¡¯t been field tested yet. We can take one and kill two birds with one stone."


    Yao Yuan frowned and his brain started churning, but he didn¡¯t voice his thoughts out loud. He merely nodded. He noticed that unlike him, Xiao Niao hadn¡¯t reached for his weapons or gear, and it didn¡¯t appear like he was going to do so. "That¡¯s not a bad idea. Wait here, I¡¯ll go fill in the required forms."


    With Yao Yuan piloting, the pair left the Hope in the biggest transport shuttle the ship had. It moved further and further away from the Hope until the blue sea came into their view. Yao Yuan landed the shuttle on an isolated stretch of the beach and stared intently at Xiao Niao.


    To his surprise, Xiao Niao said, "Aren¡¯t you going to activate the creator¡¯s particles generator? Aren¡¯t you afraid those people are able to locate you? In the meantime, I¡¯m going to go for a stroll. I wonder if this planet has crustaceans, like crabs."


    Without waiting for a response, Xiao Niao strode towards the exit.


    Yao Yuan took the hint and activated the shuttle¡¯s creator¡¯s particle generator. The shuttle was a new model and was still in need of modifications. It was more of an armored shuttle than a transport shuttle. It had a built-in creator¡¯s particle generator and a small polymerized reactor.


    After Yao Yuan descended from the shuttle, he realized that Xiao Niao had wandered outside of the 100 meter range that was unaffected by the creator¡¯s particle. He walked to him wordlessly until he was within 1 meter of Xiao Niao. Only then did he ask, "Get on with it; what is it that made you act so weirdly? Could it be that you feel you¡¯re being monitored on the Hope?"


    Xiao Niao checked his status using his space armor, and after he made certain that they were in the creator¡¯s particle coverage, he admitted, "I am¡­ no, we are being monitored, but I¡¯m not sure who or what is doing the monitoring."


    Yao Yuan frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"


    Xiao Niao structured his thoughts and explained, "I¡¯ll reveal everything to you in detail. It started way before you realized I was a Homo Evolutis. That day me, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan were playing a game of Star Craft 3 in the internet caf¨¦ when¡­"


    Xiao Niao spoke at length until he concluded, "I have no idea what this is ZERO. To be honest, I thought she was just a random troll before this war we had with the mother nest. After all, what she was saying was simply impossible.


    "However, she made true to her words, and we did stumble into a Zerg-like alien. It is impossible to tell whether this mother nest and the Zerg were one and the same, but you have to admit that their unique characteristics were way too similar. Even my latest conversation with ZERO proved that ZERO herself believed the mother nest was the Zerg. Can you believe this was all a coincidence? Or to put it another way, do you think a random nobody could make something that was obviously said in frustration a reality?"


    Yao Yuan frowned and asked, "Do you mind if I ask what is this Star Craft 3? Is it a video game?"


    Xiao Niao rolled his eyes, but he still patiently explained the game, especially emphasizing on the Zerg, their image, and their unique combat system.


    "¡­Like I said, the Zerg in Star Craft 3 is an alien species that relies on absorbing genes from multiple species to evolve its own body to adapt to the space environment. Its battle mechanics is almost the same as the mother nest that we¡¯ve countered, which is a heavy reliance on the advantage of numbers."


    "In other words, you suspect that this ZERO was behind our latest warp? She made us come into contact with the mother nest to prove to you that she is not a noob and that the actual Zerg exists in space?"


    Xiao Niao shrugged. "That is why we¡¯re here. There is obviously something that I don¡¯t know about the Hope. Do you know how much pressure I was under to schedule this meeting? On one hand, I needed to make sure ZERO couldn¡¯t find out what I was up to, and on the other, to persuade you that I have important things to tell you but only in secret. The preemptive medical report to ensure I wasn¡¯t infected by the alien and the deliberate motion to leave my weapons behind, the hoops I had to jump through. So how about it? Are you going to tell me the Hope¡¯s secret?"


    Yao Yuan hesitated only slightly before saying, "You do have the clearance to know about it, but I need you to promise that you won¡¯t reveal anything to your two friends¡­"


    Xiao Niao answered immediately, "I never intended to tell them in the first place. I didn¡¯t even tell them about my latest conversation with ZERO."


    Yao Yuan continued, "In a hidden compartment underneath the Hope¡¯s mainframe, we found the source of the ship¡¯s future-tech devices for things like the anti-gravitational system and space-warping technology¡­ It was an UFO, the one initially found by the US government in Tennessee."


    "UFO? Inside the Hope?" Xiao Niao was shocked, then he questioned, "Are you pulling my leg? Why didn¡¯t the eloped government official take off with it if it¡¯s something that important?"


    Yao Yuan replied with frustration, "I¡¯ve been bothered by that too. There are still many mysteries surrounding this UFO, but one thing is certain: the UFO is real, and it is definitely the source of all the future-tech currently on the Hope¡­"


    "Could it be that¡­ ZERO is the UFO¡¯s AI?"

 Chapter 185: Embryo of the Mother Nest…

    Chapter 185: Embryo of the Mother Nest¡­


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan and Xiao Niao¡¯s secret meeting didn¡¯t reach a conclusion, but there was one thing that was certain: even though this ZERO might not be the UFO¡¯s AI, she was an entity that held sway over the Hope¡¯s space-warping technology. To be more specific, she could decide the warp exit.


    The threat of the cosmos was its size. It might not present itself as an active threat, but its pure existence alone would bring despair to any life forms. This was because its size was impossible; it bypassed all given logic.


    If the cosmos was described as an ocean, then the planets would be something smaller than the water particles in the sea. To enable the Hope to wrap into a star system, or in the most recent case, into the ground of a planet, was something impossible. The probability of that happening could be equated to winning the lottery every day for a whole year!


    However, the reality was that it did happen. Making it happen once might be a random luck, but it happened again and again. The Hope had committed to more than 100 warps, and a great majority of them was near or within a star system. One had to wonder, could this still be called random?


    In fact, before Xiao Niao came to him, Yao Yuan already had his own suspicions. And it was shared by Ren Tao. However, it was merely suspicion. They had no proof to say that the warp was controlled by someone or something, and that thing was the UFO.


    The secret meeting didn¡¯t exactly add light to ZERO¡¯s identity, but it wasn¡¯t entirely fruitless either. At least they knew that the space warps could be controlled to a certain degree. The actual mechanics still eluded them, but it was a start. Furthermore, they were relieved that this ZERO didn¡¯t appear to wish to harm mankind.


    "In any case, your biggest responsibility now is to find out this ZERO¡¯s identity. Of course, you can¡¯t just go ahead and ask her directly. Befriend her first and get to know each other. However, no matter what you do, don¡¯t get on her bad side; endear mankind to her if possible." After Yao Yuan found out about ZERO¡¯s existence, he nagged at Xiao Niao like he was his mom. In a way, he was giving Xiao Niao a mission, but it was one that didn¡¯t involve any fights.


    Xiao Niao laughed garrulously. "Look at who you¡¯re talking to. It is not for nothing that I¡¯m known as the Love Master within the Black Star Troopers. As if I need your help to teach me how to chase after girls. Just leave it to me."


    Yao Yuan frowned, but he kept his mouth shut because after he thought about it, he suspected that this ZERO approached Xiao Niao because he didn¡¯t have a hidden agenda. If he told Xiao Niao to change his MO, it might raise red flags. ZERO would get suspicious of their intentions, and who knew what tragedy that might entail?


    If Xiao Niao¡¯s two best friends were there, they would not hesitate to point out that Xiao Niao was blowing his own trumpet. The whole Love Master thing was a straight up lie. Xiao Niao had no relationship experience and was a virgin. His boastfulness was to hide his own insecurities.


    The pair returned to the shuttle to get back to the Hope, each nursing their own thoughts.


    When they were within the 100 meters range of the Hope, the intermission said that the shuttle was to be taken over by the Barracks. After the shuttle landed inside the hangar, the two of them went through the decontamination room. Yao Yuan believed that the takeover was because they had given false alarm by activating the creator¡¯s particle away from the Hope. He even rebuked Xiao Niao for it.


    It wasn''t until Guang Zhen rushed over with a bunch of troopers in company that Yao Yuan knew that something serious had happened.


    Without wasting any time, he asked, "What happened? The Hope is under attack? Or we discovered a giant monster?"


    Guang Zhen passed him a photograph, adding, "Look at this. This was taken by the defense unit about 30 minutes ago. They were given the order to clear this area of the forest, but after a subunit was sent to the area, 2 soldiers mysteriously disappeared. After they returned to the Hope following a failed search, the Hope¡¯s radar picked up a genetic mesomeric action at a location 50 meters underneath the surface."


    Yao Yuan gave the picture a close look. It showed a dark brown patch of land that had a different coloration from its surroundings. It looked like a combination of dirt and muscle.


    "A mother nest embryo¡­ So what¡¯s next? Why didn¡¯t we just destroy it? Insert high volume explosives underground and blow it up from within!" Yao Yuan ordered instantly.


    Before Guang Zhen could reply, a voice came from behind him. "We can¡¯t do that. It is not so easily destructible." The person who said that was Ivan. He led a group of scientists.


    Yao Yuan frowned. "Why not? Don¡¯t tell me you want to experiment with it. I¡¯ll not allow it! I might consider it if it¡¯s one of those flesh monsters, but we can¡¯t let this embryo fester. This thing has to be eliminated, or it¡¯ll be a pain in the butt in the future. I¡¯m more than willing to give up the scientific discovery that would result from its analysis than leave such a potential threat to our future generation! You have to understand that this is going to be our new home planet, not the ruined Moon 2. If you still think the experimentation is worth it, just look at what Moon 2 has become. It¡¯s a complete death planet! Furthermore, after we clean up everything here, I have plans to clear up Moon 2 as well, so don¡¯t even think about persuading me to let the Academy keep this thing!"


    Ivan chuckled mirthlessly as he said, "I believe Captain might have misunderstood us. We have no intention of keeping this thing to experiment on. We are on the same wavelength; the Academy also wishes to leave a clean planet for our future generations to enjoy. For that, we have a proposal that could remove this threat completely with one go."


    Yao Yuan scratched his face in thought. After some time, he said, "Alright, I¡¯ll hear you out. If it¡¯s worth the effort, I¡¯ll allow it. If not, I¡¯ll order the Barracks to blow it up immediately."


    Ivan turned to a middle-aged woman that stood beside him. She nodded at Ivan as she came forward. "Captain, I am Peto Nora, an entomologist. My research interest has been in the similarities between the flesh aliens and bugs ever since the war began. To be honest, I have to say that my research couldn¡¯t have been so successful without Zhang Heng¡¯s help. He allowed us a greater and deeper contact with this alien race.


    "In short, this alien race has many similarities with bug civilizations, like bees and ants. They have a hive mind. However, there exists some minor differences between the two, most notably being the alien¡¯s hive mind is concentrated on the mother nest¡­ Anyway, now is not the time to get into the details. Based on our current observations, the mother nest¡¯s hive mind only has one purpose, and that is to instigate cellular renewal for the sake of consumption¡­ Then it brings us to the question: how come the mother nest couldn¡¯t regrow itself from the remaining alien monsters or even just splices of alien DNA?


    "Therefore, we feel the mother nest might have some sort of unique method that prevents its cells from splitting this way. This is why we¡¯ve seen that no matter how big these cells grow, as long as it has been separated from the mother nest, it will not evolve into another mother nest¡­"


    Yao Yuan nodded along.


    The middle-aged woman continued, "Because of this, we have a hypothesis that if there is already a mother nest, there won¡¯t be another. This leads us to an extended hypothesis that for this alien, each of its monster types is unique. For example, the squishy foot soldiers are the only close-quarter combat type, and the giant meat blob is its only transportation type. Back to the issue at hand, this means that if we don¡¯t destroy this mother nest embryo, it means that we will never have to deal with a new mother nest."


    "But this is no reason to keep this embryo alive. If there¡¯s another mother nest embryo that appears, we will similarly hunt it down; we will not give it the chance to grow," replied Yao Yuan.


    "But what if the next embryo grows at a location that evades our detection? Like in the middle of the ocean? Like what Lieutenant Zhang Heng had said, we have no clue whether this alien can only survive on land. In other words, we should consider ourselves lucky that this new embryo was found on land."


    Xiao Niao, who had been quiet, suddenly piped up. "Wait, you previously mentioned bees and ants. Don¡¯t tell me¡­"


    The middle-aged woman nodded. "It seems like you¡¯ve guessed our plan. Yes, it¡¯s correct, we plan to use this embryo as bait to lure the rest of monsters back to its location. The plan is actually very simple. Because the alien has a hive mind, every single monster out there technically is a part of it. They will not shy away from saving its brain. Therefore, we should keep this embryo and limit its growth by burning it once in a while. That will also provide the necessary stimulus for the monsters that are hiding on the planet to come save it.


    "With a good army stationed around the embryo, we¡¯ll be able to eliminate the remaining aliens in one go!"

 Chapter 186: The True Ending

    Chapter 186: The True Ending


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan had another secret meeting to discuss the entomologist¡¯s proposal.


    There were two arguments that were brought forth in the meeting even though they were basically the extensions of a singular one, which were: does the flesh alien have intelligence? If they do, was such an obvious exposure of its embryo a trap? Could it be possible that the exposed embryo was just a useless extension of its body, like the tail part of the lizard?


    It could have used this method to lull mankind into a false sense of security. When mankind was certain they had the alien under control, it actually had another part hidden away from sight that was growing into another mother nest.


    This was entirely possible. If the alien had sentient intelligence, the possibility of this happening was more than 70 percent.


    The counter-argument cited the mother nest¡¯s action when it was being pushed into the sun. If it had any semblance of intelligence, it would have known what mankind was up to. However, it was primitive enough to only focus on evolving into the supercell and passively allowing itself to be pushed into the sun. Furthermore, various surveillance videos had shown that the mother nest had reached the supercell level moments before it was pushed into the sun. Theoretically speaking, it could have used the newly acquired technology to absorb and grow from the solar winds. However, it didn¡¯t do so. It resisted the sun¡¯s gravitational pull when it should have leaned into its force and used the energy from the sun¡¯s gravity and solar winds to align itself into the sun¡¯s orbit.


    This proved that the flesh alien¡¯s intelligence was still primitive. Its basic understanding still equated the sun to death. The alien technically could be said to be sentient, but it wasn¡¯t an intelligent sentience. It had something that was more of a basic instinct. Its only missions were to consume and to evolve.


    There was equal support on both sides. For example, Guang Zhen was adamant that there was a hidden growing mother nest elsewhere, because the location for this one was too obvious. It had to be a trap. There was no way it wasn¡¯t a trap. It was biding its time, waiting for mankind to lose its vigilance and then it would strike, like how it did with the aquatic civilization!


    Therefore, Guang Zhen was totally for burning it up. Not only this embryo, any other places on this planet that appeared to be suspicious needed to be neutralized. He even guaranteed that none of the monsters in hiding would come to save this mother nest, because they would be too busy protecting the actual nest.


    On the other hand, both Xiao Niao and Ren Tao, who were still recovering, were of the other opinion. Both Thinkers believed that the embryo¡¯s vulnerability was real and the plan could work. The reason was simple: if the alien did have high intelligence, mankind would have been dead when it evolved to become the supercell. There was no need for it to drag the whole thing out unless it had a sadistic streak, which it didn¡¯t appear to possess. It could have easily gotten mankind¡¯s DNA when it was at its supercell stage, so there was no need for it to jump through all these unnecessary hoops.


    Arguments kept on mounting from both sides, each with support from their own scientists and experts. They reached a stalemate, and finally both decided to pass the decision to Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan was caught in the fray. Instinctually, he was on Guang Zhen¡¯s side. It was better to rid mankind of this huge problem before it could fester into something worse. It was for the sake of their future generations. They were the pioneers, so they couldn¡¯t leave a huge problem for their future generations to handle.


    However, rationally, he was on Xiao Niao and Ren Tao¡¯s side. Logically speaking, the flesh alien wouldn¡¯t have a high IQ; otherwise, it would have squash mankind when it had the chance. There was no need for it to lose and then restart everything from its embryonic stage just to toy with them. Furthermore, Guang Zhen¡¯s plan was going to cause irreparable damage to the new home planet¡¯s flora and fauna.


    In the end, he settled for something that was in the middle. He announced, "I¡¯ll go for a plan that utilizes benefits from both sides. First, we¡¯ll use the bait plan and see whether any monsters will come to its rescue. Secondly, the surveillance crew is going to continue its work, but there will be limitations on the scope of deforestation. The focus will be on detecting abnormal growths underneath the planet''s surface.


    "The operation will be called¡­ Operation Bait."


    So a weirdly named operation was born. Most of the defense unit was assigned to surveillance and scanning duty using the shuttles since they were not suited for close quarters combat. The troopers, on the other hand, were separated into 3-member teams to conduct the ambush part of Operation Bait. They were ordered to kill any monsters that emerged from the embryo, or any monsters that ran into their perimeter.


    Both parties carried on with their assigned orders for a month. A month later, the troopers had killed about 70,000 monsters, while the defense unit located 2 more mother nest embryos¡­


    It turned out that both sides had something wrong and something right.


    With the discovery of 2 other mother nest embryos, the Bait Operation was extended to cover 3 distinct locations. The Hope¡¯s surveillance team utilized everything at its disposal to search the planet, its deep mountains and deep seas especially, for more mesomeric actions, but it couldn¡¯t pick up any more of those signs. They were certain there were only 3 mother nest embryos on the planet.


    To compensate for the workload increase, the Black Star troopers were also separated into 3 parties, each responsible for one embryo. After another month, none of the troopers came across any other returning monsters. Yao Yuan finally ordered everyone to return after they destroy the 3 embryos.


    Other than that, he gave an order to the Hope¡¯s surveillance unit that they use their best device to scan every corner of the new planet on the 1st of every month. This order was to be continued after his death. In other words, as long as human civilization continued to exist, the order would have to be obeyed.


    Lastly, the cleanup crew would be cut to 100 members, but they would continue on with their responsibility to burn any spots that they considered suspicious. This too was to be continued after his death. The size of this crew would only increase with 100 as its minimum.


    However, at this juncture, everyone could finally sigh in relief. They had finally reached the true ending with regards to this flesh alien. It meant that mankind finally had a new home planet. Needless to say, there was another huge celebration that lasted for 3 days following the defense unit and Black Star Troopers¡¯ heroic returns¡­


    "What? The House of Representatives is discussing the validity of the Confinement Order?"


    This was after the long celebration and Yao Yuan was back at the captain¡¯s room going through the documents that had piled up over time. This was his response when he heard Barbie updated him on things that were happening on the political end.


    Barbie waved her hands with much frustration as she added, "Well, it¡¯s not actually entered the official discussion yet. It¡¯s just that some of the representatives are questioning the validity of the Confinement Order on the side, and a select few of them had some¡­ less than pleasurable views."


    Yao Yuan smiled as he put down the document. "Go into the details. We¡¯ve worked with each other for so long; you know I¡¯m not the kind of person to order political execution."


    Barbie hesitated before revealing, "These people are saying the reason the government is not doing away with the Confinement Order is because it wants to continue its autocratic reign of the Hope¡¯s citizens. It is afraid that when people start colonizing the new planet, the new countries and governments will pose a threat to the government¡¯s authority and validity. The Confinement Order is to ensure that the people will not have the sovereignty and a land to call its own so that it will not be threatening to the Hope¡¯s government¡­"


    Yao Yuan lost his smile, and his expression gradually became serious. After a long while, he said, "They¡¯re right. The Hope¡¯s government was indeed created in a rush, and we eventually have to open the home planet to the people¡­ In that case, I believe the time is ripe to create an actual and valid central government. I can¡¯t allow the same thing that happened on Earth to repeat itself on this planet, so the creation of hundreds of countries is impossible! Mankind does need a government, and the arrival of a new home planet means that we no longer have to wander around aimlessly in space and expose ourselves to various dangers. As long as there is no civil war on a gigantic scale, it is safe to say that human civilization will not meet its end, especially after we¡¯ve entered the 4th revolution¡­


    "So, after the mass release of the Ultimate Vaccine, we should think about setting up the constitution."

 Chapter 187: The Starting Plan

    Chapter 187: The Starting Plan


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    However, setting up a constitution was more complicated than saying it out loud.


    The constitution was the groundwork for the country in which it will be implemented. When its government violates its constitution, it means that the government has started to rot from its core. Therefore, the constitution is going to decide the path the country is going to take for as long as the country is alive. How to draft a good constitution and ensure that it is paired with a reliable executive power is something that has to be discussed over a long period of time. For the Hope, that period would be as long as 10 years.


    To be frank, Yao Yuan had no intention of retiring; he wanted to continue governing for the next 100 years. After all, according to the doctors, with the genetic mesomeric technology, he could live well into his 200s. He was the perfect candidate for presidency, and moreover, he was not one to do things half way. Since the responsibility to lead mankind fell onto his shoulders, he felt it was only responsible for him to continue on doing it to the best of his ability.


    Under his leadership, he promised that mankind would have a strong, powerful, and most importantly, united government. The government would not allow the things that transpired on Earth to repeat itself. A small planet with over 100 countries. Each keeping technological secrets and resources from one another, causing international frictions that eventually led to wars. Yao Yuan¡¯s government would not allow that to happen.


    Of course, a unified government came with its own downfalls too, the most conspicuous being the lack of individual autonomy¡­


    The political sphere of 21st century Earth might have had its own slew of problem, but there is one good thing that is worth admiring: the freedom of choice. With the exception of the few isolated countries, residents of most countries had the choice to migrate to another country if the ideals of their original country¡¯s government couldn¡¯t fit their worldview.


    However, if there is only one government, even though there won¡¯t be the complicated issue of diplomacy, once the government starts to rot and become autocratic, the leaders of such a government usually have control over the military, so the citizens will have no choice but to suffer silently and indefinitely as slaves!


    It is thanks to the freedom of choice that free market became a possibility. Politically speaking, it also encourages healthy competition between governments. The possibility of having a closed-off autocratic country is greatly lowered because other countries would step in to intervene. It might not even be an active intervention because the country will eventually fall into starvation when it is isolated by the international community. One of the most important assets of a country is its citizens. This is because they are the sole force that will bring the government¡¯s vision into fruition. Suppressing them is never a good idea when one wishes for a vibrant and powerful country.


    In other words, Yao Yuan still had a lot of things to be done.


    First, with the arrival of the home planet, mankind could no longer survive under the same governing system as they had on the Hope. To hold a spaceship full of people from different backgrounds together, Yao Yuan had to rely on an autocratic system, to pull the Hope¡¯s citizens together with one voice.


    However, with the home planet, it was expected that mankind would not unnecessarily risk migration through the wide cosmos in the next hundred or even thousands of years. This was due to the uncertainty of the warp system. They could warp out of the planet, but it would be impossible for them to return. Furthermore, their 4th revolution stage meant that they still hadn¡¯t mastered curvature navigation, which meant that their range of travel was limited to the star system within the next hundreds to thousands of years.


    Then again, that was already a big enough space to explore. The star system they were in had 8 planets, of which 5 were terrestrial and 3 were gas giants. There were 2 meteorite clusters and about 19 moons. Other than the ruined Moon 2, all of the other celestial entities represented important resources. The 4th revolution allowed mankind to terraform planets, but it was limited by the distance from the sun. Temperature was a verifiable worry. Luckily, they had another technology: construction of underground space stations. In other words, other than the gas giants, any other terrestrial planets in the system could be colonized by mankind.


    Even though the Hope currently had several tens of thousands people, if there was no giant natural disaster, based on mankind¡¯s medical technology, the government¡¯s policy, birth support, as well as an elongated lifespan, it would not be crazy to expect the number to grow up to ten million people.


    In conclusion, the Hope¡¯s way of governing couldn¡¯t be continued. Even though it could still carry on with Yao Yuan¡¯s high popularity and pressure from the military, forced autocracy could only go on for another 10 years before mutiny occurred.


    Therefore, the creation of a valid government, the construction of the government¡¯s various departments, as well as a more democratic governing system were necessary¡­


    "¡­No, the republic system is, theoretically speaking, a forced political compromise. This has been obvious since the Ancient Greeks¡¯ time. It is because the multiple tribes were so close to each other in power that they couldn¡¯t possibly find an agreeable leader that they settled on a circle of elders which eventually evolved into the known republic system. If we select from the more modern countries, it is almost similar to how Washington envisioned America¡­"


    "Academician An¡­ It is too rash to equate the Greek¡¯s republic system with Washington¡¯s. They might have the same roots, but the eras they were born in were too different for us to equate them as one and the same. I¡¯ll be the first to admit that there are various loopholes when it comes to the American political system, but it is not without its positive points as well¡­"


    "Both respected learners, I still feel it is best that we draft the policies according to the Hope¡¯s current situation. It is of no use for us to refer back to these old systems when we¡¯re in a completely brand new environment¡­"


    These were the arguments put forwards by the group of political science experts, sociologists, and the Hope¡¯s current government leaders. This was not the first time they had the discussion about the Hope¡¯s government future governing policies, but each of the experts had their own opinions. Since the policy would decide the constitution which would then form the country for possibly thousands of years, none was willing to compromise. Even within the widely accepted separation of power policy, there were nuanced differences that separated the experts into opposing groups. It was practically wishful thinking for one to want them to discuss these things with an open mind.


    This was half a month after the 3 mother nest embryos were burnt. The Hope was still floating at an elevation of 3,000 meters above the ground. However, the Hope had moved from its initial location of the battlefield to a delta plain.


    This was a location that was similar to the Amazon plateau. It had a 1 kilometer wide river snaking through it before separating into streams as it met the ocean. This unique environment created verdant grasslands and a lush forest further inland. The location had access to fresh water and a deep riverbed that was suitable for transportation. The lagoons near the ocean that would be perfect for piers. In other words, it was the perfect spot for a starting city.


    In Xiao Niao¡¯s terms, this would be a good city tile. If only there was a luxury item tile, like iron, gold, diamond, or sugar nearby, then it would be perfect.


    Viewed from the Hope¡¯s window, everyone could see the blue ocean that stretched to the horizon and the green knolls as well as woodlands. The untouched slice of nature was at least 100 times better than Earth¡¯s Hawaii or Eagean Sea.


    It was a natural paradise!


    This spot was selected after extensive discussion between Yao Yuan and the two Thinkers, as well as many academicians, researchers, scientists, and Guang Zhen. They all agreed that this was a suitable spot to rebuild human civilization.


    First, the open grassland allowed them to easily notice approaching threat, be it ambush from the alien or native animals.


    Second, there was a supply of fresh water, and the close distance to the sea meant that there would be easy salvage of marine products. The forest nearby also offered fresh meats¡­


    This was the first step of the starting plan, the selection of mankind¡¯s new capital!

 Chapter 188: Level 2 All-Rounder

    Chapter 188: Level 2 All-Rounder


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Hey Jerry, did you hear? The defense unit brought a fish-like creature with feet back to the Hope today," a teen yelled as he waved to another teen a distance away.


    Jerry was flipping through the documents in his hands. It detailed the freshwater consumption used by Street C that was on the Hope¡¯s second floor, since he was second floor Street A, B, C, and D¡¯s water and electricity manager. Other than the usual road maintenance, his job entailed him revising the electricity and water consumption on the 1st of every month for the 4 streets before sending them to the Department of Water and Electricity.


    When the other teen yelled out his name, he put down the document and said indifferently, "Tom, don¡¯t get too excited for nothing. The fish came in a sealed plastic bag, right? They won¡¯t even allow the water from outside the Hope come into contact with anything inside the Hope, much less the fish itself."


    Tom sidled up to Jerry with a face full of smiles. "I¡¯m just trying to chat with you. Why the long face so early in the morning? Even if you gave the fish for me to eat, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have the guts to eat it anyway. Who knows what will happen after you eat it? Maybe your body will be infested with parasites, or you¡¯ll be changed into a mutant fish! How scary would that be? I, for one, will not go near that fish, much less eat it, but you know those chinks¡­"


    Jerry shot him a fiery glance, and Tom coughed as he corrected himself. "Those Chinese people are discussing what kind of tasty animals would they find on this planet! Oh my god, do their heads not go beyond the matters of food?"


    Jerry frowned and he rebuked Tom. "How could you say something like that, Tom? I remember your Chinese neighbors treating your family to a scrumptious meal when you first moved into this residential area. Stop being so judgmental and racist; you¡¯re not so good yourself, a ruffian."


    Tom kept smiling, unaffected by Jerry¡¯s admonishment. "Well, I¡¯m only 18, and there are still 6 more years before the required age for me to find a job. The only thing I need to focus on is my studies. Furthermore, both my parents are in the Academy, so they have impressive benefits and salary. Alas, they spend their whole days researching this and that, so it has to fallen on their son to spend their H-coins, or else wouldn¡¯t it be a waste?"


    Jerry ignored him and went back to his documents. He jotted down a few notes.


    Tom waited for Jerry to pick up the thread of conversation, but when he didn¡¯t, Tom continued, "Actually, Jerry, I don¡¯t understand why you are out here working at your young age. You¡¯re only 3 months older than me, right? Furthermore, your dad is a university lecturer, so there¡¯s no need for you to move out so early from home and work to support your own studies. Also, didn¡¯t I hear you volunteer to join the military? Moreover, it¡¯s the Black Star Troopers regime. Did you seriously not hear about the rumors that all the troopers are to be taken into the Homo Evolutis Faction to be molded into robots? Poor Maria has been crying herself to sleep these few days¡­"


    Jerry sighed and put the documents away. He looked Tom straight in the eye as he said, "Tom, I know you¡¯re here because Maria told you to, so I¡¯m going to cut to the chase lest both of our times are wasted. I wish to join the Black Star Troopers not only because I am a Perceptor, but I feel summoned to do so. I¡¯ve told both you and Maria as much."


    Tom dropped his ruffian-esque demeanor and replied in a serious tone, "Yes, you¡¯ve told us so, but we thought you were kidding. We have not heard God summoning people to join the military before; doesn¡¯t the calling usually mean going into the cloister or church? Why the military camp? Did God tell you to be his blessed knight or avenging angel?"


    Jerry frowned deeply. After a lengthy consideration, he answered, "You misunderstood me. When I said I was summoned, I didn¡¯t mean it in terms of a God¡¯s calling, it¡¯s more of a compellation. I don¡¯t know how to describe it. After I became a Homo Evolutis, I felt compelled to be near Captain Yao Yuan, to fight alongside him. Every time I¡¯m near him, I feel comfortable and safe."


    Tom shivered visibly and took a few deliberate steps away from Jerry, saying, "Oh, I didn¡¯t know¡­ you bend that way. No wonder you rejected Maria every time¡­ Poor Maria."


    Jerry didn¡¯t know whether to be mad or laugh. He shook his head and said, "I only bend one way, and that is straight. Truth be told, I quite like Maria, but only as a sister. She¡¯s too young, only 14. Furthermore, the desire to be near the Captain has nothing to do with my sexual orientation, it¡¯s something more spiritual¡­ like his presence was some sort of physical talisman."


    Tom tried convincing Jerry to change his mind, but it was to no avail. This 18-year-old teen who boarded the Hope when he was 12 had his heart set.


    There were about 30 people who shared the same sentiment as Jerry. They appeared after the war with the mother nest ended. All of them were Homo Evolutis, but varied in gender, Homo Evolutis types, and age. There was another similarity between all of them, and that was their reason for applying to join the Black Star Troopers. They wanted to fight alongside Yao Yuan.


    The one person who was most shocked by this development was none other than Yao Yuan himself.


    Of course, the enlargement of the Black Star Troopers was one of his plans. The troopers had shown its importance in the combat against the mother nest. No matter the early ambush or later space combat, the Black Star Troopers were responsible for turning the battle around. Without the troopers, Yao Yuan dared to say they would have been infiltrated by the alien before they could even have the chance to warp.


    The 30 plus troopers who died in the war were thus giant losses for the Hope. Combined with the infected Troopers who didn¡¯t hold on until the discovery of the Ultimate Vaccine, the Troopers lost 20 percent of their numbers! They now had about 110 members.


    Authorities from the Barracks had been pressuring Yao Yuan to conscript more people into the Black Star Troopers since the end of the war. According to their data, among the new batch of Homo Evolutis, women included, there were about 10 individuals that could be trained to join the Black Star Troopers.


    Wary of causing resentment through forced enlistment, Yao Yuan hesitated to sign the order. He had kept the need to refurbish the Black Star Troopers on the backburner for about one and a half months. Needless to say, he didn¡¯t expect these people to volunteer to join the troopers. Yao Yuan should''ve been overjoyed, but when every single one of them mentioned the feeling of being summoned, he became cautious and anxious. To be precise, he was afraid they were all there because they were unconsciously hypnotized by his All-Rounder¡¯s power.


    This was because the All-Rounder had access to all the Homo Evolutis¡¯ powers, just that his power wasn¡¯t as powerful as the respective pure variants. The All-Rounder was a rarity among the Homo Evolutis and the other types, with the same rarity was the Deceiver.


    The Homo Evolutis Faction had tried everything they could to uncover the mysteries of the Deceiver, but they were impeded by Jay¡¯s condition. Therefore, most of the research was theoretical. Some researchers proffered the hypothesis that the Deceiver¡¯s power worked in the same way as the Anima. They could communicate with others through an alternative channel. The biggest difference was that the Deceiver could manipulate the information that was communicated. In other words, while the Anima could relay information that he or she was presented with, the Deceiver could relay whatever he wanted. He could manipulate the information to his advantage in order to deceive his target.


    The only power the All-Rounder didn¡¯t show obvious signs of having was the Deceiver¡¯s. Yao Yuan was afraid he had subconsciously used his Deceiver¡¯s power to trick these people into joining the Black Star Troopers. After all, for the past 1 and a half months, the need to increase the Troopers¡¯ number was all that he thought about.


    Yao Yuan was extremely worried because no matter how strong one was, if the power was uncontrollable, it was more of a burden than benefit. Yao Yuan understood that clearly, so he called Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Xi Kong over to discuss this development. He needed specifically Xi Kong to tell him whether she had received any messages or communication from him through the soul web.


    Her answer surprised Yao Yuan.


    According to Xi Kong, she didn¡¯t receive any message from him, much less one with the intention to trick! However, when she submerged into the soul web, she realized that the fireball that represented him had become bigger and brighter. Like a lighthouse in the dark, he was pulling other smaller orbs to him.


    After hearing her out, Ren Tao said, "Instead of saying you gained the Deceiver¡¯s power, I believed you¡¯ve become stronger¡­ Do you still remember the messages we gained from the junkyard AI? There is a term that it mentioned, Cosmic Adaptation Index. It had found out a matrix to numerate the Homo Evolutis¡¯ power index. Those with a power index more than 500 are Homo Evolutis with skills, or in other words, Survivors have a power index that is less than 500. All of us Homo Evolutis with skills are deemed as grade S cosmic adapters, and the most unique among all of us, the All-Rounder and Deceiver, are both super grade S cosmic adapters and their power index is about 900. When your power index goes beyond 1,000, according to the AI, you¡¯re deemed as¡­


    "A level 2 All-rounder!"

 Chapter 189: Governing Policy

    Chapter 189: Governing Policy


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Homo Evolutis could be generally separated into two types, Survivors and skilled Homo Evolutis, like Perceptors, Thinkers, and Deceivers.


    According to the incomplete record compiled from the junkyard civilization, after a race ventured into space with the intention to migrate to a new home planet, a small populace of that race would evolve to become cosmic adapters.


    The simplest adapters would have a better sense of the 3D space. They could instinctually feel out an area¡¯s lattice space. This helped tremendously in space combat. Their reaction time became better than usual, and there was a tiny bit of improvement in sensing danger, which allowed them to notice hidden malice. Lastly, their DNA mapping was in some ways restructured, rendering them to receive better results from the genetic mesomeric effect.


    More complex adapters had access to everything listed above and a specialized skill. These skills, depending on their type, could be expended to benefit the whole civilization. For example, the Diviner could sense danger approaching his or her group. In the wide cosmos, an early warning could mean life or death for a civilization.


    Other examples included the Anima, who could bypass the limitation put forth by the creator¡¯s particle. The Seeker could be used as a surveillance replacement when said devices were predisposed. Oftentimes the Seeker could see things that these devices would miss. Whisperers were invaluable assets to a civilization¡¯s survival and prosperity, as they could greatly increase the scientific output of a civilization. They were something of a gem to the civilization.


    Among the Homo Evolutis, the most unique were the All-Rounders and Deceivers¡­


    The records of the junkyard civilization stopped with regards to how unique they were. The Academy guessed this was because the civilization didn¡¯t have these two Homo Evolutis types, or the records were ruined in combat. Either way, that marked the end of the record. This information was all siphoned into the Homo Evolutis Faction.


    Now that Yao Yuan was a Level 2 All-Rounder, he could feel some minute changes, the most conspicuous being the natural and mysterious attraction he exuded for surrounding Homo Evolutis. This was the feeling of being summoned described by the Homo Evolutis who volunteered to join the troopers.


    To be honest, Yao Yuan hated this development from the bottom of his heart because the willingness of these people wasn¡¯t truly voluntary, they were swayed by some spiritual instinct to be near him. Even though Yao Yuan didn¡¯t quite like it, realistically speaking, with the addition of these 30 news troopers, the numbers of the Black Star Troopers would rise back again to 152 people, even a little larger than its initial numbers. After adequate training, the Black Star Troopers would be the Hope¡¯s most powerful military regime.


    Therefore, despite his personal reluctance, Yao Yuan had to enroll the volunteers into the Black Star Troopers training program. Among the new trainees were 8 female Survivors, which gave Yao Yuan quite a headache. Finally, Yao Yuan decided to accept them as the Black Star Troopers¡¯ medical unit.


    However, a bigger headache awaited him after that¡­


    "Ol¡¯ Yao, I still feel it¡¯s not a good idea to compartmentalize the Black Star Troopers. We¡¯ve seen from the war with the mother nest, a large scale group combat was the trooper¡¯s strength," Guang Zhen said as he followed behind Yao Yuan as the two of them walked towards the captain¡¯s room. He didn¡¯t stop advising Yao Yuan until they reached their destination.


    Yao Yuan closed the door with much frustration. He then exchanged a look with Barbie, who was also following them, and she obediently stayed outside of the room. As the door slammed shut, Yao Yuan lectured Guang Zhen. "Ol¡¯ Wong, it¡¯s not that I want to lecture you, but you¡¯re at least the Defense Unit¡¯s general. Why were you yammering like an old woman as we walked here?"


    Guang Zhen smiled wickedly and said, "Isn¡¯t this all your fault? Speaking of the Defense Unit, not only did you not replace the men that I¡¯ve lost, you¡¯ve decided to minimize it, leaving me with only 5 battalions, 2,500 soldiers in total. What¡¯s up with that? Furthermore, the Black Star Troopers now have 152 members. That is equivalent to 152 human-shaped tanks. It can totally be a specialized armored division, but suddenly you tell me you want to separate it into 10 smaller troops each with 15 members, and they are not under the Defense Unit¡¯s jurisdiction. Now how can I help myself to not hammer some sense into you?"


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t reply. Instead he steeped a pot of tea and poured out 2 cups. He passed one to Guang Zhen and held another for himself. Then he finally said, "Ol¡¯ Wong, I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. You¡¯re worried about the recent discussions about the constitution and future human government¡¯s governing policy, aren¡¯t you? Therefore, you want to bring in the military to have some leverage in the future?"


    Guang Zhen almost did a spit take of the tea. He put down the tea cup and looked at Yao Yuan with a complex expression. He sighed and replied, "Ol¡¯ Yao, you yourself know how ugly politics can become. If possible, I just want to be a simple soldier¡­ Even though the human government will be under your lead, so it probably won¡¯t be so corrupted, the political scene is as fickle as the weather. I¡¯m just looking out for you here. If anything changes in the future, this way at least you¡¯ll have the full Black Star Troopers as your support. The politicians would be deterred to have their schemes set on you¡­


    "But if you break up the troopers, this is giving the politicians the opening they need to undermine you. What if there is an insurgency, or impeachment? Therefore¡­"


    Yao Yuan laughed heartily. He stood up to slap Guang Zhen on his shoulder, adding, "Ol¡¯ Wong, your thoughts are still stuck on Earth it seems, and not only that, it¡¯s still focused on those days you were embroiled in the Heaven Party¡¯s politics¡­ You¡¯re right, politics is an always changing the scene, your friend from yesterday could be your enemy today, but there is one detail that you¡¯ve missed. Ol¡¯ Wong, do you know why I asked Barbie to wait outside? This is because everything I¡¯m going to say next is only allowed within the Black Star Unit. This conversation never happened after we step out of this room, understood?"


    Guang Zhen nodded wonderingly. Yao Yuan continued, "First, the new government will be widely different from the ones found on Earth. The biggest difference is, in this case, we¡¯re the rule makers, not the rules followers. Do you understand what this means? Realistically speaking, if I¡¯m willing to, I could wrest total control from the existing government. Of course, this might lead to armed resistance, so I won¡¯t be doing it, but I could rest easy knowing that the option is always available.


    Your worry is not unfounded, because humans are never good at remembering favors. There is a reason why we have Thanksgivings annually, to remind us to be thankful. Humans have a natural tendency to fixate on how they¡¯ve been wronged but never on how they¡¯ve been saved. It is impossible to ask the politicians to not undermine our power simply because we¡¯ve saved humanity. That¡¯s your concern, right?"


    Guang Zhen nodded immediately, saying, "That is right. Based on how things are going, it is a sure thing that we will have a future government. You¡¯ll probably be its first president, or the equivalent, and I¡¯ll give it one whole generation to prosper, but what about two or three generations later? With the medical technology, we can live up to 150 to 200 years old, that is 3 or 4 generations already. What if you don¡¯t get re-elected? Then, how do we handle the executive and legislative branches that are taken away from our hands? You need to understand that politicians are the most heartless creatures there is. You need to have the Black Star Troopers as a safety measure; that¡¯s why I¡¯m very adamant against breaking up the troopers."


    Yao Yuan shook his head and said, with a smile, "If we were still on Earth, this thing may happen, and it would have a high possibility of happening, but you forget that we¡¯re no longer on Earth, and this is no longer the 3rd revolution. We¡¯re in the 4th industrial revolution!


    "The increase in productivity is going to introduce life into the political scene as well. As the rule maker of the new government, do you really think I would give power to the politicians that you mentioned? The 4th revolution is going to improve the overall lifestyle of the general public, so the only way those politicians can stir up resentment towards the government is through an attack on our autocratic nature, and that is why I¡¯ve decided the new governing policy will be something like this¡­


    "I will set myself up as the chief of state so that I¡¯ll have a say until my death. I¡¯ve secretly taken down the names of those people who have been instigating uproar in the public by releasing statements like ''we will not let the public out of the Hope.'' They will not be getting any power. They must think that with the new government, I will need to expand the House of Representatives, but they will be wrong. The new governmental structure will not be the traditional pyramid shape but a circular shape with us at the center. We will have the majority of ruling rights, and the rest will be shared among the general citizens. Other than ourselves, everyone else will be given equal say in the matters of politics.


    "It is my hope that with the arrival of the 4th and 5th revolutions, the public¡¯s mind will be following the footsteps as well and evolve into responsible citizens that can think and choose logically for themselves. The public will replace those politicians that you worry about. Of course, this structure still needs a lot of tweaking, but I believe that in the future, with this structure in place, a true democratic society will arise!"

 Chapter 190: A Tour

    Chapter 190: A Tour


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Two months after the war with the mother nest¡­


    The Hope had spent 2 months above ground, flying about until half a month ago when it settled upon the delta plateau to be used as mankind¡¯s future capital.


    However, because the Ultimate Vaccine that could be used by the public was still in production, the Hope¡¯s citizens weren¡¯t allowed out of the ship. This didn¡¯t mean that nothing was done in the meantime. Within the past 15 days, hundreds of builder robots were sent down to the ground to set up the concrete foundation for future buildings according to the planned blueprint. Viewed from the Hope, the planet began to gain some air of civility.


    However, not everyone was satisfied with this development. Other than the exasperation that was pooled from the Confinement Order, they were outraged that the planet¡¯s natural bounty was destroyed by the construction¡­ In reality, to decrease effort, the building site was located around flatlands and its marshlands, leaving the forest that was further away completely untouched. However, since mankind had suffered greatly from natural pollution, they were extra sensitive to acts of destruction against nature. Deforestation, animal poaching, and urbanization, they didn¡¯t wish to witness these acts anymore¡­


    Even though mankind had gotten used to life in the modern age and basic amenities, like concrete housing and tarred road had become common knowledge, a small group of people still greatly implored the Hope to construct the new capital with as little destruction to nature as possible. Needless to say, this demand was a bit officious.


    Regardless, two months after the war with the mother nest, the citizen¡¯s yearning to feel the earth again had reached a critical peak. Even Yao Yuan could feel the palpability of their desire despite the fact that the nature of this planet was not ready to receive them yet.


    "Speaker Matt, Professor Peto, and Professor Ivan, let me guess, all three of you come to see me today to talk about descending to the surface, right?" Yao Yuan was in a conversation with Bo Li when Barbie opened the door with an apologetic smile, bringing the trio into the room. Even Yao Yuan stood up to welcome them.


    The three were respectively the House of Representatives¡¯ speaker, the entomologist who provided her genius insight with regards to the mother nest embryo, and the biology committee¡¯s head. They were all respected members of the Hope, so Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t just blow them off.


    Speaker Matt had the appearance of a middle-aged man in his forties¡­ when in reality, his actual age was already in the 70s. This was also thanks to the genetic mesomeric technology. His initially emaciated body had even begun to bulk up. He was a severe-looking English gentleman who was said to be a duke before he came on to the Hope. He was a well-respected figure among the westerners.


    It was him who spoke first. "Captain, we really didn¡¯t want to come to disturb you, but you yourself must have already noticed the mounting desire among the public to leave the Hope. I will not deny that the house that I currently preside over has some bad blood in it, but you can¡¯t punish the rest of us due to the few of them."


    Yao Yuan laughed politely, then he extended his hand for a handshake with Matt and quickly invited them for a seat. Yao Yuan began, "Of course I understand the public¡¯s wish to leave the Hope. It is depressing waking up to the dull, steely interior of the ship when nature is taunting us right outside of our windows. I am extremely sorry about this inconvenience because I know how much every single one of us misses the feel of sunlight on our skin. I know there have been a few representatives trying to stimulate the citizens into a mutiny, but I see this as a lesson to be learned for the government to improve. After all, they won¡¯t have any fodder to mount a resistance if they have nothing to complain about. Wouldn¡¯t you agree, Speaker Matt?"


    Matt¡¯s serious expression broke into a smile, adding, "Captain, you¡¯re still the same brilliant and kind leader that I admire. To be honest, I¡¯ve heard about the new governing system the Hope¡¯s authority is planning to use when the new government¡¯s all set up. I personally would prefer you settle for a constitutional monarchy, like my once beloved country. And, like Queen Elizabeth, I hope you¡¯ll take full reign of the country, bringing it towards a more glorious future¡­"


    Ivan, who sat beside him, coughed lightly, and Matt caught himself and chuckled. He patted his head and said, "When you¡¯re old, you tend to not stay on tangent anymore. Back to business. We know the Ultimate Vaccine for the general public isn¡¯t ready yet, so leaving the Hope is practically a death sentence, but it is a basic human right to feel and experience nature. We hope the authority will consider allowing small batches of people to tour our future home planet in rotation."


    Yao Yuan nodded and opened his mouth to reply, but Matt wasn¡¯t done. "Plus, Captain you have to think about¡­ our children."


    Yao Yuan frowned and asked, "The children? What about them?"


    Matt continued seriously, "Our children, specifically those that joined the ship when they were 7 or 8, have spent the most of their childhood on a spaceship. The sunlight, flowers, grass, and clouds that once characterized their childhood are no longer in their memory. Things are worse for those that were born on the Hope. Captain, I¡¯m begging you as the Speaker for the House of Representatives. Could you allow the kids to go down to the planet with sufficient protection? We shouldn¡¯t strip them of what is theirs by right."


    Yao Yuan was silenced for a while before he smiled. Then he pulled Bo Li to his side, adding, "Actually, Professor Bo Li and myself were just discussing this. We are working on a design for an anti-gravitational, fully-enclosed tour hovercraft. The craft will have a battery that can last for 48 hours and will be fitted with the best life support system. Should it come into contact with danger, it could fly 5,000 meters into the air.


    "The hovercraft should be able to fit 40 people, and the plan is to first manufacture 50 of these tour crafts within the next month. This way, 2,000 people can go on a tour every day. Of course, the tour will be limited to this plateau and not into the forest. In other words, it must be within 50 meters from the sea. If everyone here agrees with the design, then we should start discussing the details of the selection list."


    The three were overjoyed, but the situation quickly devolved into a series of arguments. Matt naturally believed the tour crafts should be carrying the general public with the majority being children. There also needed to be teachers so that the tour would be educational.


    Ivan and Peto, though, believed that a section of the crafts should be given to the scientists. At least 5 crafts should be exclusive to biologists, geologists, and other scientists from related fields that needed to conduct sampling and analysis on the planet. The arguments were incessant.


    Yao Yuan and Bo Li stood and watched in silence. Bo Li surreptitiously pulled her hand out of Yao Yuan¡¯s grasp and a faint blush rose to her face.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t notice Bo Li¡¯s action. He stared at the three people arguing before him, and instead of annoyance, he felt gratified and satisfied as it meant that his efforts were not for naught and his struggle to be fair was validated¡­


    After the first tour craft was manufactured, it was tried out by the Black Star Troopers to ensure its safety. Then everyone on the Hope went through every possible channel to find out more about the tours. The common questions were: are the seats purchased through H-coins? Is the seating only available for certain people? How to get selected?


    Everything about the tour craft was the talk of the town.


    Yao Yuan thought that this might happen, so details about the seating arrangement and the tours were quickly released on the Hope Weekly.


    First, H-coins weren¡¯t required because the selection arrangement had its own criteria. It had nothing to do with one¡¯s wealth or societal position.


    If you were a direct relative to an individual honored with the hero, the warrior, the guardian, or the defender¡¯s badge, then you would be given priority according to that order.


    After that, if the date of birth on your children¡¯s id could show that he or she was born on the Hope, you too could register for the tour, but your priority would be after the previous four noted groups of individuals.


    Lastly were the children who ascended the Hope when he or she was less than 10 years old.


    Yao Yuan also specifically relegated 3 tour crafts to the Academy, but they were renamed inspection crafts.


    Finally, 2 months after the war with the mother nest, the first batch of civilians stepped onto firm ground again. Before their eyes was a verdant paradise¡­


    At that moment, the eyes of every adult were filled with tears¡­

 Chapter 191: Training

    Chapter 191: Training


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Jerry successfully became a Black Star Trooper. He was now part of the 9th trooper unit.


    The unit had a total of 15 members, including himself. 12 of the 15 were newbies. In other words, there were only 3 troopers in his unit that survived the mother nest war. Moreover, according to rumors, only his unit leader, Sub Lieutenant Haweza, was an actual veteran. The other 2 were only slightly more senior than himself.


    It was 3 months after the mother nest war. The prominent planet tours had been going on for a month, and it finished carrying about 25,000 people to tour the planet. This was only a small portion of the Hope¡¯s total population, and many who had the required criteria still stood waiting for their turn. Those who didn¡¯t have the requirement could only satisfy themselves with the pictures and videos brought back by their friends or neighbors. They were so envious that their eyes were tearing up.


    However, none of the Black Star Troopers had the time to be envious because they needed to use the 3 months to familiarize themselves with the Ultimate Vaccine.


    All of the new troopers were injected with the Ultimate Vaccine and Potion X since they were all Homo Evolutis. This would allow them to safely breathe in the new planet¡¯s air and drink its water. However, the benefits came with its own adversities as well. For a long period of time after injecting the Ultimate Vaccine, the new troopers would walk around with bruises all over from constant tripping. Thankfully, they managed to familiarize themselves with the new sensation within the 3 months.


    Early that morning, all 15 members of the 9th unit gathered at the hangar. Wearing his space armor prototype 1 complete with a pair of Gaussian rifle and sawblade, unit leader Haweza frowned at the 14 merry-making soldiers before him. He thought about what Guang Zhen, the defense unit¡¯s general and Black Star Trooper¡¯s vice general, told him yesterday.


    "Sub lieutenant Haweza, with your experience as an ex US marine lieutenant, I believe you have your own opinion on the current state of the Hope¡¯s military. It¡¯s appalling, I know; any trained military man or woman would say the same.


    "In terms of technology and weaponry, we¡¯re miles ahead of Earth¡¯s old military. In fact, any defense unit battalion could rival Earth¡¯s trained armored unit. Alas, combat capability alone doesn¡¯t define what makes a good soldier. Without the necessary discipline, self-awareness, willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, and most importantly, the ingrained instinct to follow orders on the battlefield, can we still call them soldiers?


    "The defense unit has its own regime to fix all these weaknesses, but it is slightly unique with the Black Star Troopers. You are mankind¡¯s ultimate military unit, so there can¡¯t be fear or reluctance during danger or combat. You are to make sure that you are as strong as steel! You must be the end to any threat to mankind! You must fight for humanity! You must be feared but mustn¡¯t have fear!


    Sub Lieutenant Haweza, I want you to train the troopers with the most severe training possible! Ignore the fact that they are valuable Homo Evolutis, because they are only cowards at the moment! Only after real training can they become mankind¡¯s protectors. So ignore their cries of fatigue and distress and whip them into shape! Don¡¯t hold back and train them to become fearless fighters!"


    Haweza remembered distinctly what happened during the combat with the mother nest¡¯s monsters. There were not only deserters from the Defense Unit, there were Black Star Troopers that were afraid to get into the heat of the battle. When he stood behind Guang Zhen as the man executed the scared soldier, all that went through his mind wasn¡¯t Guang Zhen¡¯s ruthlessness but his family back in the Hope, his wife and son. If they fell, his family was going to become nutrients for the alien¡­ He was not going to let that happen!


    Therefore, he had to fight. He hated and despised those that didn¡¯t!


    Guang Zhen was right, cowards should die from shame!


    Haweza calmed himself and ordered loudly, "Listen up, kids, there will be no theoretical lesson, no shooting range or physical training¡­ Today, we, the 9th unit, shall start our field training!"


    The 14 people were mentally ready because about half a month ago, units 1, 2, and 3 had started their field training. Of course, those 3 units had more veterans in them. In fact, most of the members were from the Black Star Unit itself. They had no newbies, and the newest member for them had survived the mother nest war, so instead of calling it field training, for the first 3 units, it was more of a body warming.


    Actual training started with the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th units. They descended from the Hope to the new planet. They needed to hunt the planet¡¯s animals. Surviving on the planet¡¯s water, fruits, and plants, that was the gist of field training. The news of their training had the members from units 9 and 10 excited, and today it was finally their turn.


    Haweza looked at his team with a steely gaze. After a while, he continued, "This is survival training, so rookies, don¡¯t try to emulate what you saw on the actual Black Star Troopers¡¯ combat video; you¡¯re still too fresh. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you that this training might be fatal. There are some native species on this planet that are especially strong. The first, second, and third units¡¯ training was to eliminate them, to prevent them from posing a threat to the human capital in the future. Our training objective was to eliminate creatures that were one tier lower than theirs!"


    Suddenly, a teen asked, "Sub Lieutenant, but no matter how strong they are, they won¡¯t be stronger than the alien monsters, right?"


    Haweza chuckled grimly, adding, "You¡¯re wrong! Half a month ago, our scouting unit found a bunch of monster carcasses. They deduced that about 300 monsters had perished there, including the 3-meter-long sawblade-inspired super close-quarter monster type that was the stuff of nightmares. There were bite marks all over the bodies. Later they found out that this carnage was done by a group of 6 native creatures. Thankfully, there are few of them left, or they would be a bigger threat than the alien monsters!"


    All 14 troopers were shocked into silence. However, their expressions were that of disbelief, thinking Haweza was toying with them.


    Regardless, 10 minutes later, the transport shuttle for this unit finished preparing. Everyone put on their assigned gear and descended from the Hope to the surface of their new home planet.


    Their landing spot was the delta plain, specifically a spot that toed the forest beyond. All 15 troopers stepped out of the shuttle, taking in the view through their helmets.


    Haweza spoke into the communicator, "You return to the ship first. I believe we¡¯ll not be needing your service in the coming week."


    "¡­ Alright, all the best to you, Sub Lieutenant. You can reach me through the Hope if there¡¯s an emergency."


    The shuttle lifted off into the air, leaving behind the 15 Black Star Troopers.


    Haweza wasted no time to admire the scenery. He removed his helmet and took a in a deep breath. The remaining 14 troopers tossed him a surprised look.


    "Kids, what are you staring at? Remove your helmets, the Ultimate Vaccine enables you to breath in this planet¡¯s air directly, or do you prefer to enjoy the planet through a sheet of glass like the touring civilians? Be men!" Haweza said with a guffaw.


    The rest hesitated slightly before removing their helmets. They sucked in the air quickly. The air was moist, mixed with a bouquet of aromas. A mixture of earthiness and dewy freshness. It was a smell that wasn¡¯t present on the Hope, a distinct difference to the sterilized air ¡®created¡¯ by the system.


    As the 14 troopers took in the air with their eyes closed, Haweza squatted down to find a sliver of purple grass among a bush of weeds. He pulled it up and a pink-colored bulb hung among its roots. He patted the dirt away and threw it into his mouth. He then chewed on it with a satisfied smile.


    "Kids, this is going to be our new planet. Treasures are hidden everywhere. The grass that I just pulled is very common on this planet, and its roots grow a bulbous petiole. Analysis showed that it is a good source of carbohydrates and filled with multiple vitamins. It could very well be our staple food in the future."


    Haweza straightened himself and looked around emotionally. Then he narrowed them at his unit. "Listen up, kids! The Black Star Troopers are mankind¡¯s most powerful and important military unit, and our existence is to protect humanity¡¯s safety! To do that, we must be fearless, strong, and tenacious!


    "Therefore, forget everything about your previous comfortable lifestyle! From today onwards, we will commit to a weeklong survival training and locate plus eliminate the creatures that pose danger to humanity! The Black Star Troopers don¡¯t need cowards! I¡¯ve been given the right to execute anyone that refuses orders during training and combat. His family will be informed that he is a despicable deserter and that he has died from shame!


    And now we depart because training has begun!"

 Chapter 192: Feng Xiao Chen

    Chapter 192: Feng Xiao Chen


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    10 AM¡­


    Xiao Chen yawned and rubbed her blurry eyes. She then walked into the bathroom with her tussled hair. After a quick bathroom routine, she reappeared as a cute girl, looking about 17 in age. She had on a simple garter dress, showing off her youth.


    In reality, Xiao Chen was already 22, but the mesomeric technology had doubled mankind¡¯s life expectancy. In other words, Xiao Chen could maintain her youthful appearance for another 10 years. This was a feature well-loved by the women of the Hope, and they hadn¡¯t stopped using the technology ever since it was introduced.


    Xiao Chen pulled open the door to her fridge and extricated from within a pitcher of milk, cake, and fresh fruits, like strawberries. However, she didn¡¯t take a bite out of any of them. She set them up nicely and walked into a room. 15 minutes later, a blushing Xiao Chen wheeled Jay out. The man had a pale complexion and looked like he was asleep. He was strapped into the chair with belts, and a drip hung at his side.


    "Good morning¡­ It¡¯s time for breakfast, Big Liar. Today¡¯s breakfast is milk and cake. I baked it myself. See, I burned my fingers baking it; look at the ugly bandage."


    Xiao Chen moved the cake closer to the sleeping man and waved her bandaged index finger in front of his face. Jay gave no visible response, not even a flutter of his lashes.


    Xiao Chen, though, seemed to have gotten used to this kind of one-sided interaction. She giggled to herself and started to have her breakfast. After she cleared everything away, she moved behind Jay and said, "It¡¯s time for our daily walk. You lucky fella, you have a gorgeous girl willing to accompany you on your walks, a girl you¡¯ve cheated at that. You should definitely feel honored."


    Xiao Chen pushed Jay out of their crowded room. After passing a few blocks, they stopped at a small pavilion. Xiao Chen sat down on an empty bench. The passing crowd examined the unusual couple, many tossing them respectful and admiring looks.


    After the incident on the meteorite base, Jay had gone into a coma from over-exhausting his Deceiver¡¯s power. His condition had gotten better after the past few years. Before the 4th revolution, Jay had to be plugged into the life support system to keep him alive, but with the improvement in medical technology and surgery, he only needed a daily glucose drip to prevent his body from dying.


    Ever since then, Xiao Chen had been taking care of Jay. Yao Yuan offered her a special job, to be responsible for constant care of mankind¡¯s hero. He allowed her all the benefits she needed to survive without an actual job. This way she could focus on caring for Jay. Other than that, a medical crew visited Jay at Xiao Chen¡¯s residence every week to conduct the necessary examinations. This policy had lasted until now.


    To his surprise, the fiery Xiao Chen agreed with all his arrangements. She cloistered herself in her own home to take full care of Jay. She would talk to him and clean his body every day. Basically, except the obvious, she did all the work like she was his wife.


    It had been 3 months since the war with the mother nest, and about 25,000 people had visited the new home planet. Needless to say, Xiao Chen desired to join them. She wanted to see and touch nature for herself. Her girlish nature compelled her to do so. However, she could only satisfy herself with clippings of animals and plants pictures published in the Hope Weekly. She could approach Yao Yuan for special permission to join the tour, and he would agree, but¡­ she couldn¡¯t leave Jay behind.


    Sitting at the pavilion, Xiao Chen sighed. She used her fingers to tidy up Jay¡¯s hair that was windblown. As she fussed over him, she said, "Big Liar, could you please wake up? I want you to take my hand and we¡¯ll race across this new planet like how we did when we were on Planet Sahara."


    Her words fell on deaf ears. She leaned back in her chair and the two of them spent the rest of the morning sitting quietly by each other¡¯s side. When Xiao Chen was ready to push Jay back home, an electromobile stopped by the pavilion and down strode a young man in army fatigue.


    "Xiao Chen, I knew you would be here¡­ Still nothing from Jay?" The young man walked towards Xiao Chen and Jay once he descended.


    Xiao Chen was familiar with this young man. He was Jay¡¯s comrade and close friend, Zhang Heng. Even though Jay had become comatose, the Hope didn¡¯t forget about him. Not only did its citizens still remember him as a hero, members of the Black Star Unit came to visit him often. Even the busy Yao Yuan came over once a week. Zhang Heng visited them pretty much whenever he was free. He would bring over fresh fruits for Xiao Chen sometimes, causing his friends, Mao Miao and Ning Xue, to suspect he had found himself a girlfriend.


    Xiao Chen smiled politely, saying, "Zhang Heng, you¡¯re here to visit Jay again? He¡¯s still the same old, same old. The doctor told me to keep on conversing with him. One day, he¡¯ll reply."


    Zhang Heng sat down beside her and Xiao Chen could sense the atmosphere getting solemn. Finally he said, "Xiao Chen, I¡¯m here today to take Jay away¡­"


    Xiao Chen¡¯s expression dropped immediately. She forced a smile and said, "Zhang Heng, what happened? Did the Captain have other orders? Or what I did wasn¡¯t good enough?"


    Zhang Heng waved his hands hurriedly. "No, it¡¯s not that. Actually, I need to bring him to get the Ultimate Vaccine and Potion X injection. You should¡¯ve seen the reports on the papers; every Homo Evolutis needs the injection. It allows them to breathe in the new planet¡¯s air directly."


    Xiao Chen¡¯s expression relaxed slightly, and she asked worriedly, "But he¡¯s still in a coma. Can his body survive such an injection? Plus, he can¡¯t join the Troopers in his condition; what would be the use of the injection? Plus, you said you have to take him away¡­"


    Zhang Heng was silent before saying, "Because some experts believe that for a half brain-dead patient like Jay, he needs a certain degree of stimulation before he can regain consciousness. Of course we won¡¯t expose him to any danger, but honestly, we have a good source of stimulation at the ready, which is to allow him contact with nature, actual grass, flowers, sunlight, air, and maybe even seawater. I agree it might not work, but it¡¯s still better than letting him waste away inside the Hope. Therefore, the Captain ordered to have him injected with the vaccine cocktail and then move him into a small room built down there. Ebon and myself are tasked with looking after him."


    Xiao Chen got paler as their conversation continued. She lowered her head and asked softly, "Can I¡­ get the vaccine injection too?"


    Zhang Heng was surprised by her request. He scratched his head and replied, "I don¡¯t think so. Component X is something naturally produced by the Homo Evolutis. We¡¯ve tried using it on animals before, and every single one of them has died. Therefore, Yao Yuan has a strict ban against using the potion on normal civilians. Xiao Chen¡­ you are not a Homo Evolutis, are you?"


    Xiao Chen could feel tears pricking her eyes. She suppressed her mounting urge to cry. Without lifting her head, she asked, "No, I¡¯m just a normal citizen¡­ Then, can I go visit him?"


    Zhang Heng too felt pressured by the atmosphere, so he said in distress, "I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible either. Normal civilians aren¡¯t allowed to go into the new planet unless it¡¯s in the tour craft. You can visit Jay, but your visitation will be through the glass¡­ Are you okay with that? How about this, Xiao Chen, if you¡¯re really not up for it, I will help you persuade the Captain to rescind the order. He¡¯s a sentimental person, so I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t reject your request."


    Xiao Chen deliberated for a long time and finally replied with a fierce determination in her eyes. "No, Zhang Heng, take him away. It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m only taking care of him because he saved my life, after all¡­ No, really, it¡¯s fine, take him, I¡¯m glad to be rid of such a burden."


    As she said so, tears rolled down her face. Like pearls, they fell on her hand that grabbed Jay¡¯s firmly, shattering upon contact.


    Zhang Heng looked at her and sighed. "How about this: I¡¯ll ask the Captain to allocate a permanent craft seat specifically for you. Jay will be moved to the ground tomorrow. With this seat, you can see him whenever you want. Give me a heads-up beforehand and I¡¯ll bring you to meet him." Zhang Heng let out another deep sigh before wheeling Jay towards the electromobile.


    Xiao Chen wiped away the tears that kept on falling, mumbling, "Who¡­ who wants to see him? Damn the liar¡­ he¡¯s already in a coma and still manages to make me cry¡­"


    Neither Zhang Heng nor Xiao Chen noticed¡­


    At that moment, Jay¡¯s finger twitched slightly.

 Chapter 193: Love that is Blocked by Glass

    Chapter 193: Love that is Blocked by Glass


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Jay was successfully injected with the Ultimate Vaccine. In a twist of fate, the typical side-effects were nullified because he was in a coma. The day after that, Zhang Heng and Ebon brought his body out of the Hope. Their destination was a wooden cabin set up next to the capital building site. It was sandwiched between a grass plain and a riverside fishing hole. The cabin was big enough to fit Zhang Heng, Ebon, and Jay.


    Yao Yuan had his own idea behind this arrangement.


    First, the obvious gain aside, Jay was his comrade, and they had been in plenty of life-or-death situations before. Yao Yuan had already treated him as part of the Black Star Unit. Furthermore, Jay ended up this way due to a selfless action, so Yao Yuan really wanted him to wake up.


    Practically speaking, Jay was one of the most unique Homo Evolutis alongside the All-Rounder. Yao Yuan needed more information on the Deceiver¡¯s power, and that could only be done with Jay¡¯s conscious cooperation.


    For example, Yao Yuan had gained much knowledge about the All-Rounder. He was the center of all Homo Evolutis, a spiritual existence that could gather the confidence and faith of other Homo Evolutis. In other words, the possibility of betrayal among the Homo Evolutis would be greatly lowered with his presence. This was a great burden on Yao Yuan¡¯s back because to have the powerful Homo Evolutis revolt would be a serious blunder. That was why Yao Yuan was reluctant to let Guang Zhen force-enlist the new batch of Homo Evolutis into the military.


    He wanted to know more about the Deceiver that was deemed to be equally unique as the All-Rounder. Wherein lays the uniqueness?


    Therefore, Yao Yuan decided to move Jay to the planet''s surface and had Ebon and Zhang Heng protect him. The choice of Ebon was self-explanatory; he was the strongest among all the Perceptors, and his close-quarter combat capability could easily rival Yao Yuan¡¯s.


    Zhang Heng, on the other hand, was the strongest Diviner. His power thus far had been 100 percent correct, responsible for saving mankind from certain death multiple times. With him by Jay¡¯s side, Yao Yuan was relieved. The orders he gave were simple. If there was any sense of danger, Zhang Heng would be tasked to protect Jay and bring him back to the Hope while Ebon stayed behind to cover their retreat.


    It was a failsafe recovery plan¡­


    The one detail that bothered Yao Yuan was Feng Xiao Chen, who was mentioned by Zhang Heng when he returned from claiming Jay¡¯s body. The lovesick woman had been taking care of Jay for multiple years. Because of her beauty, she had attracted the attention of several bachelors over the years, but she firmly rejected them all. She wanted to focus completely on looking after Jay. And Zhang Heng said that when they left¡­ she cried.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s hands were tied. He really wanted to help Xiao Chen, but alas, she wasn¡¯t a Homo Evolutis, so the Ultimate Vaccine in its current form would kill her, and they still needed at least 3 months to perfect the vaccine suitable for the public. Yao Yuan steeled his heart and approved of the mission.


    When they reached the surface, Ebon and Zhang Heng first spread out to search the perimeters following the Black Star Unit¡¯s usual protocol. They sighed in relief when they made certain there were no wild animals hiding around the corner. Then they started setting up the place, Jay¡¯s and their own bedrooms, the weapons rack, and the like.


    In reality, both were rather laid back because this mission was quite a relaxed one. Compared to the mission undertaken by the Black Star Troopers, taking care of Jay was a cakewalk. The area they were in was defined by the experts as a light-green area, or a space where the scale of danger was incredibly low. The chance of encountering life-threatening danger was low. When the capital was complete, the area would become a dark-green area, which meant that it was totally safe. Humans could travel around the area without any fear for their safety.


    Then again, with Zhang Heng¡¯s presence, the place was practically a dark-green area. Hence, this mission was a rare holiday for the both of them.


    After everything was set up, Ebon chuckled slyly as he retrieved from his backpack several fishing rods. He said, "How about it, Zhang Heng, want to go fishing? The few things here can be considered antiques since they were taken from Earth. They have not seen use for several years; didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to use them again in this life."


    Zhang Heng was slightly startled before saying excitedly, "Why not? I was deliberating whether we should have canned roasted potatoes with beef or canned pork for dinner. Fresh fish sounds a lot better. The fish from this planet have been analyzed by the Academy to be virus-free, right? There¡¯s nothing in its meat that would be harmful to human consumption, and they said its meat was full of vitamins and nutrients. With the vaccine injected, it¡¯s beneficial to our bodies to consume the fish on this planet, and I¡¯ve always wondered what one tastes like."


    Ebon¡¯s face scrunched up and he shook his head real fast, adding, "You mean the one that has legs? They look so weird. Other than the eyes on their head, they have another pair on their belly; it¡¯s so creepy."


    Zhang Heng shrugged it off. He took Ebon¡¯s fishing rods, and with Ebon pushing Jay, the three of them headed towards the riverside.


    The new home planet was truly a natural paradise. It was a planet completely untouched by human pollution. It was filled with biodiversity, there were reptiles that reminded them of dinosaurs, giant mammals hiding in the forest, amphibians that were 10 meters long but had the look of a common frog. The evolution on this planet was completely different from that of Earth¡¯s, but nature was beautiful in all of its forms.


    Simultaneously, there were different species of aquatic creatures. Other than the obvious feet-like appendages, the fish on this planet had similar looks to the ones on Earth. With their "legs," they were able to survive on dry land for a certain period of time. They would crawl out of the water to munch on river weeds or move to another habitat.


    With this evolution as evidence, some scientists believed that this planet had a serious tidal phenomenon. The fish had to evolve to survive on land because certain places would completely dry up when the tide ebbed. This was valid from a meteorological perspective. Since the planet and Moon 2 were so close in size, it was entirely possible that the gravitational pull between the two could dry certain rivers or lakes up during certain months. The month they arrived happened to be spring season, where the tide was high that so fish with legs were understandably a weird sight¡­


    Of course, Zhang Heng and Ebon didn¡¯t know nor did they care about such details. They started fishing by the riverside. It was possible because the fish on this planet hadn¡¯t seen a fishing hook before, so they were easily drawn to their bait. In just 10 minutes, between the two of them, they had pulled in about 100 fish of varying sizes. If calculated in kilograms, both of them had a combined haul of about 120 kilograms in just one hour. However, due to the fragility of their fishing rods and their inland location, they didn¡¯t catch any big fish. Regardless, that didn¡¯t take away from the fun that they had.


    Suddenly, their communicator rang. Ebon turned serious, dropped his rod, and said, "This is the Black Star Troopers¡¯ Lieutenant Ebon."


    The reply came, "Lieutenant Ebon, this is Cadet Qiu Si Te from the tour craft. We have Feng Xiao Chen onboard with us. With the Captain¡¯s permission, she wants to see Jay."


    Ebon was at a loss. Before he could reply, Zhang Heng snatched his communicator and said, "This is Lieutenant Zhang Heng, affirmative on that order. Please bring her to the resting bay. We¡¯re fishing by the riverside. If you spot us, please drive the craft down our direction."


    A few minutes later, a mid-sized craft floated down towards them from upstream. There were about 10 people looking at them through the craft¡¯s glass dome. Most of them were children interspersed with a few guardians. As the craft neared, Zhang Heng and Ebon stood up from the position and wheeled Jay further into the flat plains. When the craft halted, they saw Xiao Chen pushed up to the glass doom, her eyes scanning searchingly their way.


    Zhang Heng mumbled a few words at Ebon before pushing Jay closer to the craft. Because the craft¡¯s elevation wasn¡¯t high, when Xiao Chen lowered her head, she could peer into Jay¡¯s sleeping face. Almost instantly, her tears started falling.


    She stuck her hands to the glass and opened her mouth to say something, but she realized that the craft was completely segregated from the outside world. Other than through the communicator, there was no way her voice was going out of the craft. Helplessness made her cry even harder.


    Zhang Heng sighed and grasped Jay¡¯s hand to align it to Xiao Chen¡¯s hands that were on the glass. Even though they were separated by the thick pane of glass, this reminded Xiao Chen of the walks they used to take together hand-in-hand.


    "Jay Wales¡­ You big liar, please wake up, I want to hear you call my name. I don¡¯t want to be alone anymore; I want to be a Homo Evolutis, because I want to be beside you¡­"


    Xiao Chen kept on crying, and gradually, she felt her consciousness giving. Finally, she collapsed to the floor¡­


    Everyone stared at her with worry, and the medical unit stationed inside the craft rushed to her side. Zhang Heng and Ebon, who were outside the craft, yelled into the communicator, asking for updates. With all the commotion, no one noticed that Jay¡¯s eyebrow had moved several times¡­

 Chapter 194: The Deceiver!

    Chapter 194: The Deceiver!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Xiao Chen came down with a high fever¡­


    After her visit with Jay through the tour craft, she fell into an unconscious fever.


    Initially, many people thought her faint spell was because of her heartbreak from her inability to continue staying with Jay. Even Yao Yuan was under that impression. He only ordered the medical crew to look after her and bring her to the captain¡¯s room when she woke up. He didn¡¯t have any other orders.


    But the later development shocked everyone. Xiao Chen¡¯s body temperature continued to rise, and she had been unconscious for one whole day and night. The medical crew gave her all sorts of fever medicine, including the latest trial supermagnetic procedures, but her condition wouldn¡¯t improve.


    The next day, the medical crew started to worry because they knew Xiao Chen was a person of special importance. Her connection to Jay aside, the fact that Captain Yao Yuan had personally inquired about her condition told them that Xiao Chen must be kept alive. After a rushed discussion with the Academy, they came to a conclusion¡­


    Xiao Chen was evolving into a Homo Evolutis!


    This came as no surprise to Yao Yuan. He realized her symptoms were way too similar to the mysterious fever. Thus far, many medical workers still believed that the fever was caused by the currently unidentified Virus X. There was no need to quarantine Xiao Chen because if the virus was contagious, many young people wished desperately to contract it. A fever to trade for the possibility of superpowers? Yes, please. A chance to walk on the new planet was an added bonus as well.


    It¡¯s just that¡­ Why did Xiao Chen choose such a time to evolve into a Homo Evolutis?


    Her timing was simply too weird. There had been two awakenings of Homo Evolutis thus far. The first was when they first left Earth, about 100 people evolved into Homo Evolutis. A sad fact was that about 80 percent of the fever patients perished due to mankind¡¯s backwards state of medical technology at the time. This was a point of regret for those who were in the know later, because who knew how many All-Rounders, Deceivers, or some other new type of Homo Evolutis could be among those that had died?


    The second awakening occurred moments after they were warped into this planet.


    For both awakenings, the scales were massive. At least 100 people had fallen ill. According to the research by the Homo Evolutis Faction, this meant that the awakening could be tied to life-preserving planets. For example, the first mass awakening happened when the Hope left Earth, a life-preserving planet. The second was when the Hope warped into this new home planet, another life-preserving planet. It was also worth noting that both awakenings happened around the time of warping.


    Xiao Chen¡¯s case was an anomaly. Why did it happen half a year after the latest warp, and why did it only affect her alone?


    It was begging to be studied.


    Until now, the Homo Evolutis Faction¡¯s research hadn¡¯t really reached a breakthrough. Research topics, like awakening triggers, in-depth research of Homo Evolutis powers, side effects from overexertion of power, and training regimes to enhance the powers, all hit a wall. Among all of these, the most important was definitely the Homo Evolutis awakening trigger. If they discovered the trigger, it was entirely possible to transform the entirety of mankind into Homo Evolutis! Mankind would be a perfect race. How impactful that would be for mankind¡¯s future!?


    But that was impossible because even the more advanced junkyard civilization hadn¡¯t accomplished it.


    But Xiao Chen¡¯s awakening might prove to be a crucial anomaly that could lead to a breakthrough. Why was the timing of her awakening so different? Why weren¡¯t there the usual symptoms before her awakening? Why was only she alone affected?


    And most importantly, could her situation be duplicated on other people?


    Regardless, Xiao Chen¡¯s itinerary for 1 week prior to her awakening was brought up for discussion. Her more personal activities aside, the basic timeline was as follows: separation from Jay, visitation of Jay on the new planet, and then Homo Evolutis awakening.


    From this, the expert tried to extrapolate the possible awakening triggers.


    The first was a great fluctuation of emotions, but the possibility of this was low. There was a series of stirring events affecting mankind ever since they escaped into space, and this was also common when they were back on Earth, so why hadn¡¯t they heard of the presence of Homo Evolutis then?


    Of course, it was possible that it had to be coupled with the element of space-warping. Then again, there were at least ten thousand people on the Hope that experienced space-warping, and there wasn¡¯t a lack of people being stirred by emotions among them, so why hadn¡¯t there been more Homo Evolutis?


    The second was the pain of separation. This had a higher possibility. After all, the first awakening could be caused by the pain of separating from Earth. The intensity for pain of separation for Xiao Chen could be similar to that.


    However, the refutation was that there were many others whose friends and families died on the battlefield that survived. Wasn¡¯t their pain equally intense? So why hadn¡¯t they undergone the evolution? Why was Xiao Chen¡¯s case so unique?


    This possibility was thus rejected.


    The third possibility was the one offered by Ren Tao and Xiao Niao after they were briefed on the issue¡­ it had to do with Jay.


    This hypothesis was hard to understand, so Yao Yuan called over the both of them to come explain it to him.


    Ren Tao scratched behind his ears and said with a shrug, "Because that¡¯s the last possibility. After you¡¯ve ruled out the other 2 possibilities, this is the one you¡¯re left with. The last awakening wasn¡¯t so long ago, so why didn¡¯t she fall victim to the fever then? "


    Xiao Niao nodded his head and picked up Ren Tao¡¯s argument. "That¡¯s because her situation is unique. Xiao Chen has experienced the same thing as everyone else, the space-warp, the giant sway in emotions, discovery of a life-preserving planet; she was there to experience them all. But she didn¡¯t contract the fever alongside the two mass awakenings; her awakening is uniquely isolated. That¡¯s why instead of looking at the big picture, we should focus on what¡¯s different in her situation. After you remove all the rejected possibilities, the remaining one, no matter how ludicrous it is, is the truth."


    The three of them were at the Homo Evolutis Faction. Quarantined within was Xiao Chen, and outside of it were Yao Yuan, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and other scientists. Yao Yuan too entered his Thinker¡¯s state as he deliberated Ren Tao and Xiao Niao¡¯s arguments. He added, "I see what the both of you are getting at¡­ Jay, indeed, is the key to the Xiao Chen¡¯s awakening. He¡¯s the only possible hypothesis left. In fact, video from inside the tour craft did reveal Xiao Chen saying she wanted to be a Homo Evolutis to be beside Jay."


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao snuck a look at one another. There was surprise and confirmation reflected in their eyes. Ren Tao asked immediately, "This proves the validity of our next, bigger hypothesis¡­ Yao Yuan, do you remember our discussion about why the Deceiver was at the same level as the All-Rounder with a super S grade?"


    Yao Yuan reared his head in shock and nodded. "I do, but the discussion, as I remember, had no conclusion¡­"


    Xiao Niao interjected, "That was because we had nothing else to go on. We had no materials to pinpoint the Deceiver¡¯s functionality, other than it being a more powerful Anima¡­ Before that, Yao Yuan, I want to ask you something. Can you still remember the sensation you felt during the fever that made you a Homo Evolutis?"


    Yao Yuan nodded after some thoughts, saying, "I felt dropped into the wide cosmos. I realized then how small life really is against the background of the wide cosmos. I fully understood the meaning of ''life¡¯s a brief candle.'' It was incredibly lonely and helpless, and after that, I woke up."


    Ren Tao confirmed, "It was the same for me and my sister, Chou Yue. Everything you just described we experienced as well¡­ So we came up with a wild thought. What if the Deceiver could trick other people into this particular sensation? Yao Yuan, what do you think would entail?"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s expression changed. He stood up and paced around the room. "Then it is entirely possible that the Deceiver could induce the awakening in other normal human beings, but this is just a hypothesis, a very crazy one at that. Our current research on Homo Evolutis is still too surface-level; who could really tell if this is or isn¡¯t the trigger? Then again, everyone in space must have felt the same sensation of loneliness and helplessness before, so why haven¡¯t these people been affected by the evolution?"


    Xiao Niao waved his hands dismissively, adding, "Who knows? Maybe the intensity wasn¡¯t enough, or their minds have already gotten used to life in space, or they are somehow suppressed by society? Regardless, we aren¡¯t sure about this hypothesis either, but at least one thing¡¯s certain: Xiao Chen¡¯s awakening is deeply linked to Jay. And if this relationship could affirm our other more fantastical hypothesis, then the reason why the Deceiver is on the same level as the All-Rounder as super S grade cosmic adapter is because¡­


    "He can create an entire civilization of Homo Evolutis!"

 Chapter 195: Homo Evolutis and the Survival Training

    Chapter 195: Homo Evolutis and the Survival Training


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Xiao Chen woke up after several days of unconsciousness. She was confirmed to be the rare Anima after being checked at the Homo Evolutis Faction.


    Needless to say, the researchers were still clueless about why Xiao Chen suddenly became a Homo Evolutis, and not only a Survivor with no skills, but an Anima. It was mind boggling.


    From conversing with Xiao Chen, she too had no idea why it happened. But due to its importance, the conversation was recorded and kept in the Homo Evolutis Faction¡¯s files.


    "¡­ It was a boundless cosmos, a pitch black environment. There were twinkling stars, but all of them were so far away that their shine was constantly eclipsed by the cosmos¡¯ total darkness.


    "The pervading feeling was one of fear. The fear of being lost in space, the fear of being left to fend for myself alone. I yearned for a companion, someone to assure me of my existence¡­"


    Thus far, everything was similar to the experience of others¡¯ awakening, but what happened next was the kicker.


    "Right then, I heard Jay¡¯s voice relaying his experience to me when he himself became a Homo Evolutis. He walked me through it. His voice told me that it depended solely on myself whether I could become a Homo Evolutis. He said that as long as the purity of my desire to communicate with others, to find a home among like-minded people, didn¡¯t disappear, then I will become a Homo Evolutis."


    This part of her conversation became a crucial clue to uncovering the mystery of Homo Evolutis awakening. Also, it helped confirm Ren Tao''s, Yao Yuan''s, and Xiao Niao¡¯s speculation. Xiao Chen¡¯s awakening had everything to do with Jay. However, the nature of that relationship was still an unknown. Was Xiao Chen already on her way to become a Homo Evolutis and Jay had only pushed her along? Or did Jay forcefully make her into one?


    Regardless, this was an important manifestation of the Deceiver¡¯s uniqueness.


    A power that could awaken someone into Homo Evolutis, a dreamlike power if there ever was one. The three felt like the All-Rounder might not have access to the Deceiver¡¯s power, or else it would have manifested itself in some way by now, and it would definitely be the best power in the All-Rounder¡¯s arsenal!


    Yao Yuan, on his part, was not envious or threatened by this information. Even though he was an All-Rounder, more importantly, he was the captain for all of humanity. He appreciated all sources of power that were beneficial to the livelihood of humanity, as long as the owner wasn¡¯t someone malicious. Yao Yuan believed that he had a good eye for people, and he believed Jay was a good and kind individual, not one to lust for power. Therefore, he was overjoyed when they found out about this new aspect of the Deceiver.


    "It is as we suspect; the power level of a Homo Evolutis is not dependent on its overall numbers but its user¡¯s mastery over it. Before this, we had no idea the Deceiver could use his power in this manner, but with a real life case before us, we realized that the power could be used in this way as well." Xiao Niao sighed, shaking his head.


    Ren Tao added, "But I believe not every Deceiver will have access to this power; maybe it¡¯s limited by a threshold of some sort, like the Deceiver¡¯s physical condition, or perhaps it has to do with the person that is being awakened. Like whether the person¡¯s body condition can suffer through the awakening process. However, with the advancement in our medical technology, I believe one day even our seniors can awaken into Homo Evolutis safely. Then again, I still have my suspicions that the awakening has more to do with one¡¯s spiritual integrity. But the reality doesn¡¯t seem to support it, because most of the Homo Evolutis aren¡¯t overtly religious. Maybe the link between the awakening and spirituality is more tenuous than I give it credit for?"


    Yao Yuan observed Xiao Chen, who was undergoing a series of tests, and sighed. "We still know too little about the Homo Evolutis. But no matter what, this is a good development, yes? Xiao Chen became an Anima, and Jay finally showed some response. At least now we know he¡¯s no longer brain dead. I think with Xiao Chen at his side, he¡¯ll wake up soon enough."


    After Xiao Chen completed the series of tests, confirming her existence as an Anima, she requested Yao Yuan for an injection of the Ultimate Vaccine. Naturally, her request was immediately approved. She was given the injection on that day itself. What followed should be a month-long recovery period, but Xiao Chen¡¯s stubborn and rash nature compelled her to go searching for Yao Yuan. She begged him to let her see Jay.


    Yao Yuan felt that there were only good benefits for her to stay with Jay, since it would aid in helping him wake up, so he agreed. Plus, the location was just below the Hope and it was guarded by Zhang Heng and Ebon.


    Just like that, the girl walked to the wooden cabin with stumbling steps. Finally, she saw Jay¡¯s sleeping face again. But what happened next made Zhang Heng and Ebon, who were watching, look at each other with bewilderment.


    She strode up to Jay¡¯s bedside and slapped him heavily on his forehead. A blush rose to her face and she stalked back to her assigned room with faltering steps. The touching reunion that Ebon and Zhang Heng were expecting did not occur.


    "You liar, who gave you permission to kiss me in my dreams?" Xiao Chen mumbled in her heart, but her mouth involuntarily curved up into a smile.


    All in all, Xiao Chen finally returned to Jay¡¯s side and settled into her new lifestyle. It was akin to a life in paradise. Beside the cabin was an unpolluted, bubbling brook with drinkable water that was so clean it was as if it had been sweetened with honey. The other end of the cabin was a grass plain hidden with nature¡¯s bounty, and most importantly, the cabin itself was wired with the latest electronic equipment. Life was like a sweet dream¡­


    On the other end, life was like a nightmare for the training troopers of the ninth unit.


    This was the sixth day of the training, but for them, it felt more like a year.


    Initially, everything was exciting, fresh, and new. Their spirits were high after taking in the planet¡¯s air, drinking the sweet-tasting river water, and munching on the safety-approved nuts and fruits.


    However, in just a day, the excitement changed into torture. This was because they had brought nothing with them when they ventured into the forest. Other than space armor, Gaussian rifles, and sawblades, they didn¡¯t have sleeping bags, rations, freshwater, or even lighters. It was as if time had reverted to the prehistoric age and they only carried some weapons and armor from the 4th revolution. And their order was to survive 1 whole week in such conditions in the jungle!


    The jungle naturally provided them with a wealth of fruits, but unfortunately, the Ultimate Vaccine wasn¡¯t foolproof. Other than the few fruits examined and confirmed to be safe by the Academy, they were afraid the rest would be poison. Even though they saw the planet¡¯s critters munching on them, they were hesitant to consume the fruits, because the critters might have developed an immune system that they didn¡¯t have.


    Thankfully, most of the animal meats were edible. According the Academy, the planet¡¯s life forms were also carbon-based, so most of them were edible by human standards. Of course, there might be creatures that developed poison as a defense mechanism, like the puffer fish, so before eating some unknown species, one had to pray that it wouldn¡¯t be one¡¯s last supper.


    For the last 6 days, team leader Haweza was the backbone that held the unit together. He was a veteran soldier and thus knew the importance of pre-mission preparation. He researched the jungle¡¯s geological structure and unique locations beforehand. Other than that, he also went through the codex of the plants and animals in the jungle that had been researched by the Academy. He jotted down their edibility and effects.


    This forest fringing the grass plains had similarities to a prehistoric rainforest. It had high vegetation coverage, and in some deeper areas of the forest, the foliage was so thick that one couldn¡¯t see their hands in front of them. The slippery moss that covered the floor became a real hazard. After the ninth unit entered the forest, the first thing they needed to learn was how to survive, the second was how to follow orders and discipline.


    According to how perfectly they completed their assigned tasks, the troopers were given rations of differing portions by Haweza. Of course, cooking them was another challenge. The inside of the rainforest was incredibly wet and moist, so it would be hard to light a fire even if they had a lighter. Therefore, they had to learn from Haweza how to steel their stomachs to support eating fresh meat, and the identification of the softest part of the meat¡­


    In other words, the exciting new planet discovery trip that had the troopers excited from the second day onwards became a real nightmare¡­


    But this journey was just beginning.

 Chapter 196: The Training

    Chapter 196: The Training


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Pa!"


    Jerry slapped himself. The jolt woke him up.


    Of course, he wasn¡¯t a masochist; he had a bug as big as two palms sucking his blood on his face. The slap crushed it into a mess of guts, and blood splattered all over his face.


    The jungle¡¯s insects were unusually huge, caused by some unknown reason. One speculation said that during the dinosaur era, the insects on Earth were unusually big as well. Their size had something to do with the amount of oxygen concentration in the air. Apparently, the thicker the oxygen concentration, the bigger the creatures¡¯ size.


    Jerry had learned of such knowledge in the books, but reality and theory were two different things!


    For example, it might not cause much panic to happen across a mosquito that is the size of one¡¯s finger in real life, but a mosquito that is 2 palms big, now that is hair-raisingly scary.


    Incidentally, bugs that were more than 2 palms big were hiding in every corner of the jungle. A few of them were like leeches; they lived off of blood. It was unknown whether they sucked other creatures¡¯ blood or if human blood was especially tasty to them.


    Because of that, the troopers who had already removed their helmets put them back on after they stepped a bit deeper into the forest. Their bodies were fully covered, not a surface exposed. This carried on for 3 days and 3 nights. Even though the space armor had an impressive battery life, it couldn¡¯t support continuous 24-hour activation. They made some calculations in their heads and realized that the wastage couldn¡¯t possibly go on. The power of the armor was kept open during the day, but when they went to sleep at night, the suit powered down and the helmet had to be removed, or they would die from suffocation. Because of this, the troopers had developed a unique sleeping pattern. Following team leader Haweza¡¯s lead, they took some leaves and branches to smother their faces, leaving only 2 nostrils exposed when they slept.


    Jerry was particularly unlucky that day. The leaves that covered his face had fallen off during the night. Half of his face was stung by an unknown insect and it was bloated, making it difficult for him to even speak.


    Luckily, his immune system had already been upgrade by the Ultimate Vaccine. By afternoon, the swelling on his face subsided. However, this did help raise the alarm among the troopers. Haweza¡¯s advice that the Black Star Troopers had to be alert even during their sleep was forever imprinted in their minds.


    That afternoon, the unit took down a 15-meter-long, 3-meter-wide gigantic creature with their cooperation. The creature was a crawling mammal with many legs. When Haweza cut open the creature and was in the middle of explaining its internal organs to the troopers, Jerry finally asked, "Leader, is the bulk of our training rolling around in the mud and battling these huge creatures and bugs? Shouldn¡¯t we practice marching? I remember watching the Defense Unit marching all day long when they were on the Hope¡­"


    Haweza was taken aback and explained with a smile after he cut out a fatty, white-colored piece of meat, "But we¡¯re the Black Star Troopers, they¡¯re the Defense Unit; we¡¯re completely different entities."


    Another new trooper asked, "What¡¯s the difference? Aren¡¯t we both in the Barracks?"


    Haweza pointed at his space armor and said, "The difference is this."


    Then he picked up his sawblade and added, "This is also the difference."


    Lastly, he pointed at the 14 people around him, saying, "All these are the differences."


    "We are Homo Evolutis, do you know what that means? Not immense power or great status; for me, it only means one thing: the duty to protect mankind!


    "We are the most powerful group of people among all human beings. With great power comes great responsibility. You must have heard of this line from books or movies; you might even think it¡¯s laughable, but that is the lesson I want all of you to learn."


    Haweza raised his voice. "During the war with mother nest, who was the first to engage them in combat? It was us, the Black Star Troopers! Who were the ones caught in close combat with the alien monsters? It was us, the Black Star Troopers! Who came along to save the day when the war was almost lost? It was us, the Black Star Troopers! We are steel, we are unstoppable, we are humanity¡¯s saviors, and we must be fearless!"


    Haweza paused and pointed at a young soldier. "Peter, you¡¯re most afraid of blood, but look at you now. You can eat bloody, uncooked meat without fear! Barnon, your phobia is bugs and insects. Now? You can squish them up and throw them into your mouth!


    And you, you, you¡­


    "Every single one of you are evolving! Do you realize that? Every day you¡¯re evolving into your better self. Plus, you will only appreciate civilization when you¡¯re away from one! Let me ask you: do you wish for a warm bath now? Take off your sweaty space armor and wade into a pool of warm water. After that, lie down on a comfortable mattress, without the fear of dangerous creatures and annoyance of giant bugs. Finally, a good night''s sleep. Do you wish for that?"


    14 men replied in unison, "Of course!"


    Haweza nodded. "Me too. Then do you know who gave us all of these luxuries? Not Captain Yao Yuan. Of course, his leadership has done wonders for humanity and we will be forever grateful for that, but he isn¡¯t omnipotent. He has many things to handle, and he can only take care of things that are on a bigger scale. With an understanding look, he will instill us with hope, but what about all these everyday warmths? Who gave us that?"


    The troopers gave all kinds of answers; some said parents, others job, some even went as far as saying H-coins. Haweza waited until they finished before he announced, "Everything that you all have said can be summarized into one thing¡­ Human civilization!


    "We human are communal creatures. We can¡¯t survive in isolation, because we¡¯ll be eaten alive by loneliness. And none of us is omnipotent. We need each other to ensure the continuity of humanity, so the one that gave us everything is human civilization!"


    Haweza took another pause and he gritted his teeth as he continued, "Therefore, it falls unto our shoulders as Black Star Troopers to protect human civilization from all threats. This is a duty that we must complete even when our lives are at stake! Understood, kiddos? Now you all understand what bravery is and are no longer afraid of this forest. You have also learned how to listen to orders unquestioningly, but you still do not understand the weight of the responsibility on your shoulders.


    We are humanity¡¯s last line of defense! Behind us are several tens of thousands of people, and they are the arc that will ensure the continuity of humanity. For your families, your parents, the people that you love, and people that love you, even if the order tells you to die, you have to die!"


    There was a hint of viciousness that entered Haweza¡¯s voice when he continued. "I hope you remember the tale that I¡¯ve told you about when Major Guang Zhen personally executed a Black Star Trooper. I was just standing behind him then. If Major Guang Zhen didn¡¯t do what he did, the Barracks would be greatly disappointed. Thankfully, Major Guang Zhen did what he did. It was better than I expected, it was wonderful. That is how humanity¡¯s last line of defense should act! You¡¯ve been warned. I can stand for any mistake except abandoning the team during battle. Don¡¯t ever be a deserter.


    "Or else don¡¯t blame my sawblade!"


    His words gave the troopers quite a shock. They were silent the whole afternoon. They lied on a grass field cocooned in their own thoughts. A young trooper by the name of Peter sidled up to Jerry. He whispered, "Jerry, I heard your father is a scientist."


    Jerry nodded. "You heard right. He is working on something related to new raw materials."


    Peter commented, "My father is just a regular government servant, currently employed by the House of Representatives. But I guess I should count myself lucky. Every night when my father came back from work, he would bring myself, my mother, and my sister to the late night cinema. He would always complain about the film being shown, like how they were always the selected few, but he would sit through them just the same. Right, my sister is 5 years old now, and she was born on the Hope¡­"


    Jerry replied enviously, "That¡¯s wonderful. I wish I had a sister myself, but I can¡¯t say I have it worse than you. Yes, my parents are a bit set in their ways, so much so that I couldn¡¯t stand living under the same roof as them, but now that I think about it, I wouldn¡¯t swap them for anyone else¡­"


    "Yes, the Hope is a very good place now¡­"


    Peter suddenly sat up straight, and he said seriously, "I want to be a qualified Black Star Trooper, I want to protect my family, so Jerry, will you be my witness. If the day comes when I falter from this ideal, I want you to cut me down with a slash!" He extended his balled fist at Jerry.


    Jerry was silent before he too raised his fist and bumped it with Jerry¡¯s. The clash created a tingling metallic sound that attracted everyone¡¯s attention.


    "I promise you, but I hope you will do the same for me as well."


    "Okay!"


    "We are steel! We are mankind¡¯s enemies¡¯ biggest nightmare! We will fight for humanity! We are fearless!"

 Chapter 197: Super Species!

    Chapter 197: Super Species!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This was the sixth day of the troopers¡¯ training. They were preparing to return from the jungle. The training was quite useful since some of the newer troopers already had the steely gazes of actual soldiers. Haweza, who noticed, this was very satisfied, so he decided to have one week of such training every month to further improve the troopers¡¯ ability.


    When they arrived at the forest fringe during dusk, they received a SOS message from the sixth Black Star Trooper unit. They were 5 hours away, but due to the treacherous path of the forest, they would need at least several hours to reach them.


    What to do?


    This was a question that was faced by every member of the ninth unit.


    It was not that they didn¡¯t want to lend their hands, but the training was arranged to be one week long, and the power supply in their space armor was purposely calculated to only last that long.


    Initially, they could be operated for 24 hours to ease the new cadets into training, but 2 to 3 days later, they had to be shut down during sleep and be only used during specific hours during the day. 6 days later, the battery levels of their suits of space armor was almost reaching rock bottom.


    If they spent another 5 hours to rush to the scene, it would be one thing to just meet up, but another if there was combat involved. This meant that the space armors would run out of energy when they returned. The space armor weighed about 200 kilograms! Even putting it on needed help from 2 other workers. If the energy was spent, one had to be cut out from within. Without the protection of the space armor, the jungle would be a very dangerous place even for Homo Evolutis. Should they stumble into a dinosaur-like creature, the member count of their unit would most likely decrease.


    This time even Haweza hesitated. Suddenly Jerry suggested, "Leader, if my memory serves me well, the 6th unit has 16 members, right? One of them is a female, and they have a bigger unit, so what kind of threat would force them to issue an SOS message? It must be quite serious, like the discovery of alien monsters planning to ambush our new capital or the tour crafts."


    Haweza nodded in agreement. "What you¡¯re saying is highly possible. After all, we have no idea whether the alien monsters have been completely cleared. That¡¯s why the surveillance teams haven¡¯t stopped working¡­ So, in your opinion, we should go?"


    Another trooper piped up. "Of course. Fighting alien threat is the troopers¡¯ vocation. The issue of energy deficiency has a simple solution as well. Since the 6th unit has already sent the SOS message, I¡¯m pretty sure the Hope will dispatch support shuttles as well. We¡¯ll just take those home."


    Haweza gave it some thought and nodded firmly. "Then it¡¯s decided. We¡¯ll hurry to the scene. Everyone, check your equipment carefully, and remember, this is no longer training! It might even be an actual fight with alien monsters! So be alert!"


    The 14 men around him yelled loudly, "Yes, Sir!"


    Haweza waved his sawblade forward. "Let¡¯s move out!"


    Therefore, the 9th ninth rushed to the 6th unit¡¯s location. After 3 hours of silent trekking, they finally reached the battlefield where a bunch of trees had been fallen. It felt like a giant creature had stampeded through the area. "Alien," someone said under his breath.


    Haweza didn¡¯t think so; he had combated the alien monsters before. There was a layer of slimy goop that covered the aliens¡¯ body, and their blood wasn¡¯t red. Incidentally, most of the animals on the planet had red-colored blood, so that made for an easy demarcation between the though. The place didn¡¯t have any alien carcasses nor slimy goop; what it had, though, were patches of bloody red spots.


    Haweza signed a signal to his back, then the troopers surrounded him in a circle, their guns pointing outwards. He squatted down to inspect the liquid on the ground. He touched the liquid and spread it on a metallic slab on a part of his space armor. Very quickly, a window of numbers and words appeared before him. It was the blood¡¯s composition. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t human.


    "It¡¯s a native animal." Haweza sighed as he stood up, but at that moment, he felt a sudden wave of malice assaulting him from the top of his head. He kicked the floor and leaped back, carrying a few troopers with him. Like a small asteroid, something hit the spot he was squatting over with a resounding boom. All of the troopers were thrown out of formation. What followed next was a series of gunfire. A dark shadow weaved through the bullet trajectory before disappearing with a speed that couldn¡¯t possibly be caught by the naked eye.


    Haweza stood up and stared at the spot he was previously at with a complicated expression. There was a small hole about half a meter deep. Some of the new cadets were still shooting, so he yelled, "Stop shooting! Stop shooting!"


    Everyone stopped and the troopers regained their formation, but this time they paid extra attention to the sky.


    Haweza¡¯s expression dimmed as he said, "It¡¯s a super species. The 6th unit crossed paths with this thing; no wonder they issued the SOS message."


    The 14 troopers were confused, so one of them asked, "Leader, the super species isn¡¯t something you made up to scare us?"


    Haweza answered with a straight face, "No, I didn¡¯t lie to you; this planet does have its own unique super species. They can even rival the alien monsters. No, they¡¯re more dangerous than the monsters because they have been shown to be able to take down a whole group of alien monsters. These super species are little in number and small in size; the biggest we¡¯ve captured on video so far was only 1 to 2 meters tall, but their main food sources are the dino-sized creatures, and they are highly territorial. They will use their lives to chase away trespassers."


    Fear was written on the troopers¡¯ faces, but Jerry asked, "Leader, this means that the story about how the first, second, and third units being assigned to kill these super species is true as well? How many did they kill or capture? What did the Academy say about them?"


    Haweza shook his head. "Unfortunately, so far we haven¡¯t been able to take down even one of these super species. They are like natural killers of the forest, and they''re very sneaky to boot. Some of the scientists even believe that they have some form of rudimentary intelligence, because when they realize that the possibility of winning is low, they are clever enough to abandon their territory. This has made the capture effort incredibly difficult. The dense forest also nullifies a lot of our surveillance devices, and we, the Black Star Troopers, are hampered by that as well. So thus far, we are only able to chase them away and not capture them."


    The new troopers were silent. Peter asked, "Leader, then what shall we do now?"


    "¡­We move on," Haweza answered. "That super species must be keeping a close eye on us, waiting for us to make a mistake and then give us a fatal strike like how it did just now. However, I believe it is already wounded; the blood we saw should be its. Do not fear, because we are the Black Star Troopers. How can we be afraid of some beasts? Unit 6, let¡¯s carry on!"


    "Yes, Sir!" the 14 men replied in unison.


    As they marched on, Haweza used an isolated channel to communicate with Jerry. "Jerry, we are both perceptors so I want you to stay at the back of the group and I¡¯ll lead at the front. Keep your feelers up for the sting of malice. Can you do that?"


    Jerry quickly replied, "Don¡¯t worry, I will get the job done, Sir!¡¯


    "¡­ Be very careful, the claws of the super species are proven to be able to break through the space armor." Haweza dropped the advice as he moved to the front.


    The unit moved forward carefully towards the 6th unit¡¯s signal''s location. They sighed in relief when they saw the sheen of the space armor in front of them. Their footsteps fell faster. Suddenly, a cloud of malice surrounded them. It was acutely felt by both Haweza and Jerry. They lifted their rifles and aimed at the source of the malice.


    To their consternation, a second spot of malice appeared right underneath them in the middle of their unit. Before the two of them could react, they saw a shadow clamp onto a trooper¡¯s ankle and drag him deeper into the jungle with lightning speed. Haweza was too far in front of the group to react, so it was Jerry who leaped onto the trooper¡¯s body to stop him from moving. Unexpectedly, the dragging force was so strong that the two troopers were pulled into the deeper recesses of the jungle. This whole event lasted for only 2 seconds; that was how fast the super species was. The forest was a cacophony of rushing footsteps and screams¡­


    "I am steel! I am mankind¡¯s enemies¡¯ biggest nightmare! I will fight for humanity! I am fearless!"


    Jerry yelled at the top of his lungs. He tried his best to pull himself upwards. He aimed at the shadow in front of him and pulled the trigger!

 Chapter 198: Red Armor

    Chapter 198: Red Armor


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Jerry lifted his gun, he was given an unobstructed view of the super species that was chowing down on the trooper¡¯s leg. It was a scaly creature with a fusiform head and an elongated body not unlike that of a snake, only slightly wider in diameter. Underneath its body were six limbs that were used to move through the forest floor with unimaginable speed. It wasn¡¯t big, only 1.4 meters long, about the size of a small panther.


    However, it had a strength that was not proportional to its small size. Two suits of space armor stacked upon one another had a total weight that was over one ton. It was not something a creature as small as a baby panther could drag around like a rag doll. But this super species not only dragged it around, it did it all with ease. With just few seconds, the two troopers were pulled away from the rest of the unit.


    The creature seemed to sense that Jerry had lifted his gun. It suddenly bit down hard on the trooper¡¯s leg, and that sent a strong tremor down the trooper¡¯s body that had even Jerry shook. The muzzle of his gun moved and the shots were emptied into the air.


    The trooper underneath him let out a blood-curdling scream. Jerry could see with his naked eye the blood pouring out of the wound on his leg. He was assaulted by both fear and shock, as he wasn¡¯t expecting the super species to be so strong. The space armor was the pinnacle of mankind¡¯s technology. Its shell alone could withstand focus fire of the Gaussian rifle for several minutes, and even the sawblade needed a few seconds to get through it. The fact that this creature managed to break through it with just its bite¡­ Was the creature¡¯s bite powered by a polymerized reactor of some kind? Were its teeth harder than diamonds? Its mouth muscle pure, hardened steel fibers?


    Jerry¡¯s mind was addled. Even though Haweza had mentioned the presence of such super species, he didn¡¯t think they would be anything special; at most they would be like Earth¡¯s prehistoric dinosaurs but perhaps bigger in size. The alien monster massacre they came across¡­ was probably a coincidence and luck on the super species¡¯ part.


    Now, with the truth posed before him, Jerry had to admit to the scary threat of the super species. A killer instinct that was condensed within an unassuming small body; no wonder the few elite Black Star Trooper units were only able to chase them away and not exterminate them¡­


    "Jerry! Saw my leg off! Just saw it off!"


    Someone yelled. Jerry was rattled. He knew this voice. It was Peter¡¯s. As fate would have it, the trooper that was ambushed by the super species was Peter.


    Jerry hesitated for a moment before tossing his gun away. He lifted his sawblade with one arm. Then came the buzzing of the vibrating saw as it was activated. Instead of aiming it at Peter¡¯s leg, Jerry yelled, "Peter! Try to sit up, and help me grab a chokehold on this thing! I¡¯ll try to kill it!"


    Peter was stunned into silence before replying, "That¡¯s impossible, it¡¯s moving too fast. Plus, I¡¯m feeling weak from the waves of pain as I¡¯m being dragged through the ground. I can¡¯t do this¡­"


    Jerry interrupted him with a shout. "You freaking can! Believe me, you can! Don¡¯t you remember what you swore to me? You¡¯re not even afraid of death, but you¡¯re going to be beaten down by pain? Peter, sit up straight, you can do it!"


    Jerry felt the man underneath him moving, and the struggle gradually increased. The power of his space armor activated accompanying his movement. The supermagnetic field heightened Peter¡¯s reaction time. With a loud roar, Peters sprang up into a sitting position and lunged at the super species with both hands.


    The creature and Peter rolled into a ball of chaos. Jerry could feel the ground under his body moving. He had no suspicion that this creature could easily tear through Earth¡¯s old tanks, because just his tussle with Peter had leveled the trees in their surrounding area. 70 to 80 meters wide tree trunks were knocked down like dominoes. It was the battlefield that they saw when they approached the 9th unit¡¯s help signal. So that was what happened¡­


    Jerry didn¡¯t join in the fight between Peter and the super species. He held onto his sawblade and stood his ground. He stared at a spot in the jungle with high alert, yelling, "Show yourself! I know you¡¯re in there, your malice can¡¯t be hidden from me. I know you can hear me. Even though you might not understand me, you certainly can see me. I¡¯m standing alone here waiting for you! Come on! Show me your pride of being a super species and duel me!"


    Deeper in the forest came the sound of trees falling. Slowly, a creature about two meters tall, also fully covered with black scales, looking like a black rhombus, materialized from within the forest. It had six legs, and on what appeared to be its head were four triangular eyes. They stared at Jerry piercingly.


    The creature was exceptionally cautious. After it showed itself, it quickly scanned the surrounding to ensure that there was really only Jerry around. After it made certain of that fact, it tore open its spindly mouth that was filled with razor sharp teeth at Jerry, then a drum-like echo originated from within.


    "Come get me, you beast!"


    Jerry roared as he leaped at the creature, brandishing his sawblade. His speed increased as he jogged towards it since the space armor would automatically adjust itself based on its owner¡¯s physical condition. Jerry was a perceptor, the most combat ready Homo Evolutis, so when he charged forward, his speed was 180 meters per second because that was the speed the space armor calculated his body could support.


    Alas, the super species was even faster. Jerry charged at it in a straight line, but with the collective force of its six legs, the creature leaped back into the deep forest¡¯s covers. With a speed that was unbelievable, it appeared on Jerry¡¯s side, knocking him away. As Jerry slammed into a tree, the creature charged at Jerry, trying to bulldoze him down. It slammed its entire weight into Jerry¡¯s body. Jerry felt his breath give. The creature wasn¡¯t finished. It clamped down hard on Jerry¡¯s hand that held the sawblade. The crushing teeth cracked the space armor with ease and its teeth pierced into Jerry¡¯s bare hand.


    Jerry screamed and he could feel his hand going weak as the sawblade dropped to the floor with a clink. While Jerry tried to grab hold of the creature¡¯s neck with his other hand, the creature sensed it and sidestepped out of the way cunningly. It then flung Jerry more than 10 meters away and stepped on the sawblade until it was merely metallic pieces, flaunting its victory.


    In such a short battle, Jerry, who had the honor of being a Black Star Trooper, part of the strongest unit in the Hope, was handily bested by the creature. His hand was completely mutilated, and it had blood coming out it like a fountain. His Gaussian gun was lost in the middle of the jungle and his sawblade was completely shattered. In conclusion, he had no energy or resources left to combat the super species¡­ The planet¡¯s super species were uncannily strong. How was it possible that a beast could manage to gain such impressive combat ability?


    I lost¡­


    Jerry sighed with surrender. At the same time, the smaller super species hauled Peter¡¯s broken body and tossed it beside him. Peter was in a worse condition than he was. His space armor was cracked at multiple spots and both of his arms were torn open. The man still had a breath left in him, but it was getting weaker by the minute. Peter had many open wounds on his body; if he was left to keep on bleeding, he would die in a matter of minutes. But what else could they do? They were completely at the two super species¡¯ mercy.


    "Has my time arrived? Then¡­"


    Jerry forced himself to stand up. His face grimaced from the pain and effort. However, there was no fear in his heart; it was as if he was welcoming death. He felt indescribably serene. Holding his broken arm, he stared straight at the two super species. He knew instinctually that the bigger among the two was a male. He wouldn¡¯t be so aggressive if unprovoked. Could this mean that¡­


    All of this were for self-defense? Did something or someone hurt them first?


    Jerry examined the bigger super species and realized that there was a gaping wound on one of his legs. It was obviously caused by a weapon. Could it have been a sawblade? Could he have destroyed the sawblade first because he knew it was a weapon strong enough to harm and even kill him? But who would be strong enough to harm a super species like him? Could there really be a trooper that could rival this super species¡¯ speed and strength?


    The two super species stood silently by each other¡¯s side until the smaller one took small steps towards Jerry. Jerry was prepared to surrender to fate when a thunderous engine roar came from above the sky. Through the foliage, Jerry could see a shuttle speed past and a trooper in a flaming red space armor drop from the sky.


    The two super species were spooked. They instantly escaped back into the deep forest. At that moment, Jerry got the vibe of¡­ fear from them!

 Chapter 199: The All-Rounder!

    Chapter 199: The All-Rounder!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    There was only one person who wore red armor in the entirety of Black Star Troopers.


    Actually, the space armor had always had a paint job problem. This was due to the freedom of expression, exemplified by Earth¡¯s combat jets. The pilots liked to add changes to his or her vehicle¡¯s paint job as a memento, like adding a star after taking down an enemy craft or the like. Therefore, a small thing like paint was actually a point of contention within the Black Star Troopers.


    Initially, the space armor¡¯s original color was silver with black, metallic accessories. However, the color silver was simply too eye-grabbing. The troopers¡¯ missions normally entailed them traipsing through space, and with the black color background, the silver space armor was pretty much asking for it to get shot at.


    After a long and tedious discussion, grey, black, and green were eliminated for dark purple. Therefore, all of the space armors were awash in dark purple, and no exception was allowed. The only leeway was adding a sphere to represent Earth for team leaders and adding images of military insignia for those with military ranks.


    The only non-purple armor was the red one owned by Captain Yao Yuan.


    Therefore, the person who arrived was Yao Yuan. In fact, he came fresh from the discussion on the Deceiver with Ren Tao and Xiao Niao.


    Other than the preliminary confirmation that the Deceiver could aid in Homo Evolutis awakening, they discussed its future possible uses. Of course, these were all speculations.


    They also touched upon the uniqueness of the All-Rounder. If the All-Rounder was also a super grade S cosmic adapter, could he have some skills are that more powerful than the ability to use the weakened states of other Homo Evolutis skills at once? If not, the All-Rounder didn¡¯t really live up to the super S grade.


    While they were in the midst of discussion, they received a message from the Hope¡¯s communication center. The sixth Black Star Trooper unit had issued a distress signal. During the short communication, they said they were ambushed by two super species and that three Black Star Troopers were severely injured. They needed emergency transport to get them back to the Hope.


    The super species were native animals that were found on the new home planet after the mother nest war. Thankfully, during the initial sweep, none of the scouting party went deep into their territory, or they would have definitely been completely annihilated. In the end, they escaped with about 40 deaths.


    After a series of aerial surveillance, they realized that the super species¡¯ territory was marked with alien carcasses with numbers reaching up to the hundreds. Using high-definition photo capturing, one could see that the cause of death for these monsters were the claw marks and bite marks all over their bodies. Through the magic of the electromagnetic scanning radar, only two slightly bigger native super species were found to occupy the area. In other words, two wild beasts had taken down so many alien monsters?


    This news was quickly relayed to the higher authority in the Barracks. This was scripted into high confidential clauses immediately and a heated debate ensued.


    However, the shock this news brought to the Barracks was peanuts compared to how it had shaken the field of biology. Due to the severity of the issue, only the highest persons of interest were given intel, including Ivan and Saburo, but not to Bo Li due to the difference in her field of study.


    The confidentiality clause was to prevent the news of such dangerous animals from creating havoc among the public.


    This was something completely different from the alien. During the mother nest war, mankind used its own power to defeat the mother nest alien. The presence of such an alien instilled fear in people¡¯s hearts since the target was something concrete. There was something one could point at and say "this is the thing that makes me fearful." Therefore, to eradicate that fear, one only needs to remove the target causing it. The government¡¯s deforestation and monthly scanning might seem excessive to some, but they were carried out with the purpose to clear out the fear in people¡¯s hearts. They created a mirage that the government was actively handling the source of their fear, allowing them peace of mind.


    But the feeling caused by the super species was not fear, but anxiety. It was something abstract; the anxiety of being attacked by animals was something ingrained in the evolution of mankind.


    Since there was one such super species, there must be another stronger and scarier than it to bring balance to nature. They were the natives of this planet, and they were even stronger than the alien monsters, indestructible when facing the Defense Unit¡¯s Gaussian weaponry. Furthermore, they hid in the dark reaches of the forest, a place where they obviously had the upper hand.


    Of course, mankind could survive in cities guarded by armies, electromagnetic security systems, a constant shuttle patrol, and Gaussian watch towers. But what different would that be from living in jail?


    A small number of biologists tried to extrapolate the details of this super species based on the little information the Hope had compiled. First, the creature had high intelligence. Based on the aerial pictures taken, they showed that these creatures could already create handy products, like sharpened spears from wooden sticks, and even process dead bodies by airing them after dipping them in salt water. This proved that their intelligence was at least at the level of orangutans.


    Ivan suggested the possibility of these beasts being resistant to the alien¡¯s cellular consumption effect. They might have some kind of unique DNA strain that prevented the alien from consuming them. This was why they could eat the alien monster meat.


    They were also as territorial as tigers. They rarely wandered out of their territory and were highly territorial.


    On a side note, the Ultimate Vaccine usable for the public that was Saburo¡¯s project had reached a bottleneck. There were zero breakthroughs in the past few months. The main reason was that the Ultimate Vaccine¡¯s most central activator was Component X. However, the effect of injecting Component X into normal citizens was an unknown and thus banned, so the research had reached stagnation. Even though the tour could tide the public¡¯s desire to visit the planet, if there was still no result on the vaccine front, things could get incredibly pressured for Yao Yuan.


    Incidentally, the Hope came into contact with the super species then. Based on the fact that these super species could consume the alien meat without fear, it meant that their bodies had some natural resistance against the alien cell. Understanding this resistance could be the breakthrough Saburo needed.


    Therefore, when the news came, for the sake of eliminating these super species and improving the vaccine research, Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen gave out the jungle survival training order. It was also a good opportunity to train the new troopers.


    Of the 10 trooper units, 6 of them had contact with the super species. The number of these species was extremely low. Thus far, they only stumbled into 5 of them, and 3 had already been chased away from their nest. The troopers couldn¡¯t catch up to the beasts that were extremely familiar with the geographical condition of the forest, so they had to settle with evacuation and not elimination.


    The only exception was this pair of male and female super species. They refused to leave their territory. Even after the joint attack of multiple trooper units, they stayed. About 10 troopers almost died in combat. Two days ago, Yao Yuan himself led a team to lay siege to this pair, and he had managed to hurt the bigger male.


    Unexpectedly, the pair left their territory and started ambushing other units. Before the distress message from the sixth unit, there had been other sightings and attacks reported by other units, but it was clear that the sixth unit had suffered the worst.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t dare hesitate. He rushed to the hangar, put on his red space armor and rushed to the signal location. While he was flying through the air, his acute senses picked up a concentration of malice beneath him. He saw through the window an area of leveled trees. He immediately ordered the shuttle to decrease elevation. As long as the distance wasn¡¯t larger than 100 meters, the electromagnetic field generator inside the space armor would cushion the fall.


    When he reached the scene, he saw two troopers there, one of them barely breathing and another with serious injuries. When he wanted to launch a counterattack, the two super species ran. Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t sense their malice anymore, so they must have retreated deep into the forest.


    "Shuttle operator! I need assistance; we have someone seriously injured here!" Yao Yuan screamed into his communicator.


    Then he ordered the trooper who was still standing, "Cut down the surrounding trees to create a landing spot for the shuttle!"


    The trooper was stunned. Before breaking out an embarrassed smile, he said, "My weapons were ruined by that super species, I¡­"


    Yao Yuan frowned and tossed him his own sawblade, yelling, "Go, now!"


    The trooper accepted the sawblade with his unharmed hand and started sawing. In just a few minutes, about 100 trees in the area fell. He rushed back to Yao Yuan¡¯s side huffily, asking Yao Yuan, who was squatting beside the other trooper, "Captain, how- how is he?"


    Yao Yuan examined the trooper quietly. He shone light into his eyes and saw that the trooper was expiring. His mouth was quavering. Yao Yuan moved his ear closer to his face and heard the whisper, "Cap, captain, please, give me¡­ a last rite. I don¡¯t want to... die like this¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed inaudibly. He stood up and said seriously, "May God look over the soul of a young man who fought bravely on the battlefield to his last moment¡­"


    The trooper closed his eyes, but there was a smile on his face as if he was relieved. Yao Yuan and the remaining trooper stood in silence. Suddenly, a strange feeling entered his heart. It was as if something deep inside him had gained an addition. More specifically, imagine there was a pocket inside Yao Yuan, and it was inserted with something extra.


    Not only Yao Yuan, but the trooper beside him felt it. He dithered for a time before commenting, "Captain, I¡¯m not sure whether this is appropriate or not, but I somehow felt his soul entering yours. No, it¡¯s more like his soul was pulled by the glorious glow of yours. I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know how to describe it; it was a weird feeling¡­"


    "Yes, I feel it too."


    Yao Yuan continued with a complicated expression. "It was as if an invisible pocket had opened up within me and his soul is residing within¡­"


    Because Yao Yuan was an All-Rounder, he had access to Anima¡¯s skill, so he could see the light orbs that represented the Homo Evolutis. Even though he couldn¡¯t see the light spots that represented the normal people, from what the few other Animas told him, in the soulweb, normal citizens were represented by light spots that were smaller in size and brightness compared to the light orbs that represented the Homo Evolutis. The biggest one among them was his own, a fireball several hundred times bigger than normal orbs. Like the sun, it radiated warmth and light in the soulweb.


    Why would his own light orb be so huge? Could it have something to do with the reason the All-Rounder was a super S grade cosmic adapter alongside the Deceiver?


    Yao Yuan believed he had stumbled across the answer then¡­


    When he submerged into the soulweb, he could see a small orb circling his own giant fireball. The light orb wasn¡¯t distinguished, it was kept alive by the warmth of his own fireball!

 Chapter 200: Taming and Breeding

    Chapter 200: Taming and Breeding


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan was shell-shocked.


    The conclusive fact that human beings had souls alone had overthrown his more conservative thinking. How is it that life had so-called souls?


    While it was true that the Anima could see the presence of light orbs, this phenomenon could be scientifically explained as some sort of visual manifestation of intuition, mental concepts, brain waves, or even life energy.


    But could science explain the human soul? That would be impossible!


    However, now was not the time for all that. Yao Yuan straightened himself and told the young trooper beside him, "Temporarily keep this thing to yourself. By the way, what¡¯s your name?"


    The trooper¡¯s answer tumbled out in a hurry. "Cap, Captain, my name is Jerry¡­"


    The young man was starstruck, so even his speech was affected.


    Yao Yuan patted his shoulder encouragingly. "You did well. You didn¡¯t abandon your comrade even against something as powerful as the super species. You deserve a good rest. Take this transport shuttle back to the Hope. We can now perform good organ reconstruction surgery, so don¡¯t worry about that arm of yours."


    Jerry was once again stunned. He asked hurriedly, "Then what about Captain? Do you plan to¡­"


    "Yes, I plan to pursue the two super species."


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t plan to be secretive, so he explained clearly, "The two creatures are too dangerous. They have a deep-seated hatred towards mankind because we¡¯ve injured them. For some reason, they won¡¯t leave this slice of jungle and keep ambushing our men left and right. This place is too close to our capital; it¡¯s still manageable now, but after the migration, their presence will be scarier than an actual alien monster army.


    "Therefore, we have to dispatch them, or at least chase them away. Furthermore, the mass release of the Ultimate Vaccine might need the blood and DNA of these creatures, so I¡¯ll try to catch a live one."


    Yao Yuan smiled at Jerry. "Don¡¯t underestimate me, I¡¯m the Black Star Trooper¡¯s general after all. I¡¯ve managed to hurt these two beasts before, so I¡¯m sure I will eventually get the job done. Plus, I won¡¯t be attempting this alone; there are at least 4 other trooper units around. I¡¯ve left a trail for them to follow. Alright, that¡¯s all the time I have, or the trail will get cold."


    Yao Yuan took back his sawblade from Jerry and bolted into the jungle. Like a flame, Yao Yuan zipped through the trees, leaving behind Jerry, Peter¡¯s body, and the shuttle that was still circling for a suitable place to land.


    Jerry silently watched Yao Yuan disappear into the forest. After some time, he squatted down beside Peter and drew a cross on his forehead, adding, "Lucky you, your soul has found a home. So that¡¯s the truth behind the calling, it¡¯s a calling from home¡­"


    On the other side, Yao Yuan activated his diviner power and ran down the direction that sent off the most danger. He could sense the danger source dashing through the forest with incredible speed. Yao Yuan was sure that the danger was coming from the two super species.


    The super species had power and speed that were not proportional to their size. Their bodies were extremely hardy as well; they could rival the tensile strength of reinforced super alloy. Even though they couldn¡¯t completely block the penetration of Gaussian weaponry, they could greatly decrease their damage and effectiveness. It was tough, even by the sawblade¡¯s standard. That was why Yao Yuan had only managed to hurt one of them but not kill it.


    The reflex speed of these super species was incredibly fast. If put into numbers, it would be akin to a reaction time of 305 meters per second. This was much higher than almost all of the Black Star Troopers, almost double the reaction time of the trooper in fact! It was a scary difference. A small variation in reaction time could give a decided advantage in combat, much less a difference that was so wide.


    Among all the Black Star Troopers, only Yao Yuan could stand head-to-head with them. It was why Yao Yuan had to pursue this threat himself.


    Furthermore, he had a speculation he needed to prove¡­


    The previous three super species that they stumbled into, no matter their gender, were independent survivors. They would abandon their territory when they realized that their opponent was too strong. This pair of male and female super species was the exception. There was also another anomaly when it came to this unique pair of super species. They killed quite a number of alien monsters to dry and store their meat even though the amount was obviously more than enough to feed two super species¡­


    Could it be¡­


    Because of his suspicions, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t catch up to the two beasts and kill them immediately, he tailed them from a safe distance. He kept up a constant communication with the other units. He ordered them to keep a perimeter around the two super species¡¯ territory and not join him in the chase.


    Yao Yuan tailed the two super species for more than 10 hours. Since the space armor had an internal air circulatory system, he was not afraid the two beasts could pick up his scent. He was, however, feeling the beginning of fatigue from using his Homo Evolutis skill for so long.


    After he confirmed that he had become a Level 2 All-Rounder, during his daily training, Yao Yuan realized that his mastery over Homo Evolutis skills had almost doubled, and so did their effectiveness. They were still not as strong as their respectively pure forms, but Yao Yuan was content.


    After more than 10 hours of continuous tracking, the speed of the two super species finally slowed down. They shifted in direction and headed towards a spot by the edge of their territory. Yao Yuan ignored his growling stomach and followed patiently. The goal was near, so he couldn¡¯t give up now. The two super species finally stopped several hours later and stayed at that spot for more than one hour. Yao Yuan immediately ordered the surveillance shuttle to mark down the location. He stopped pursuing the super species, retreated to a safe location, and called for a shuttle back to the Hope.


    After food and rest, the fully recovered Yao Yuan took Ying and Liu Bai to the marked location on the next day¡¯s afternoon.


    Soon, they arrived at the location. After about 10 minutes of trekking, the three entered a seemingly normal swamp. Without Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, Ying used his Seeker power to memorize every inch of the scene.


    "Look, there are slight footprints here. Something must be hidden underneath this clump of dried branches and roots since the two super species spent a lot of time pacing around this area!" Ying confirmed, pointing at an inconspicuous bump on the ground.


    Yao Yuan signed a signal, telling them to be careful before inching forward to the suspicious bump. He used his Diviner power to scan the area, but there was no sign of danger. He carefully swept the branches and leaves away. He was surprised to find a structure that was like an upturned bowl. The space in the middle was only enterable from below. It was an interesting find, not unlike a beaver¡¯s dam but more intricate in design.


    Yao Yuan cracked open the nest and found within a mouse-like creature squeaking. It was the size of half an adult¡¯s palm. It was white as snow, and the black scale that would eventually envelop its body was still undeveloped. Like its adult variation, it had 6 appendages, two of them had already grown claws. The little creature still hadn¡¯t opened its eyes, but the sudden exposure to the rush of air made it squeak in curiosity.


    "The nature of a parent sure is impressive; even the alien species is not excluded from it. They are raising their offspring here, no wonder they are reluctant to leave their territory." Yao Yuan scooped the little creature carefully up in his palms. Liu Bai, who stood beside him, rushed over with a glass case that was equipped with multiple machineries within. It was a germ-free case. It didn¡¯t carry any viruses or microbes from Earth. The most it would have were the germs from this planet that escaped into it when it was opened, so it should be fine to contain this junior super species.


    Liu Bai brushed the little creature carefully with a germ-free napkin before sliding it carefully into the case. Then he nodded at Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan spoke into the communicator, "Transport shuttle, send down a rope ladder immediately. I can feel the two super species coming our way."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s warning was unneeded because the people on the shuttle could see a patch of forest further away suddenly coming crashing down. Obviously, the two super species were ramming their way towards them. Therefore, they released the rope ladder quickly. The three hopped on and the shuttle lifted off.


    When the shuttle reached a 200 meter elevation, a black object shot up like a cannon into the sky using some of the taller trees as purchase. However, it only reached about 140 meters in height before crashing back down to earth. What followed was a blood curdling scream, one that was as impressive as the beating of war drums!

 Chapter 201: Success and Infection

    Chapter 201: Success and Infection


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After the baby super species was brought back to the Hope, it was immediately taken over by the biology committee led by Saburo. Yao Yuan reminded them to be cautious, to not expose the creature to the Hope¡¯s air, because it might get infected by Earth¡¯s germs. The danger of infection went both ways; the germs on this planet could be fatal to mankind and germs from Earth could be the same for this super species.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s heart shook when he thought of the two super species¡¯ shrieks when they absconded via the shuttle. Regardless, they needed to do what needed to be done. At the very least, they needed to ensure the baby super species stayed alive.


    However, the little thing that was only the size of half a palm presented Yao Yuan and the gang with a huge problem.


    Its appetite was absurd.


    In just half an hour, it consumed about 30 kilograms of fish. These were fish with legs that the Hope had caught in the sea and river for the purpose of scientific experiment. They were kept in isolated tanks, so they were free from the Hope¡¯s germs and were perfect to be used as feed for the juvenile super species.


    The fish from the river were smaller in size. There were 3 in total, each about 3 to 5 kilograms. Other than the fish from the river, there was only one fish from the sea, and it alone was about 15 kilograms in weight.


    When the fish were fed to the super species, it stopped its panicky squeaking and quieted down immediately. It started munching on the offered fish¡­


    The little creature was only 300 grams, so initially the scientists stopped after feeding it 300 grams of fish. Who knew that after about 10 seconds or so, the creature would start squealing again, nodding its small head at the opening the fish would slide through. Its action was extremely endearing. Obviously, it was still not full.


    Therefore, the scientists fed it another 50 grams of fish and stopped no matter how much noise the creature made afterwards. After it realized it was not getting any more food, it laid down its head and started sleeping. Before that though, it did something that surprised the scientists. It pooped out ball after ball of extremely dry excrement.


    The scientists collected the excrement and analyzed it. They discovered that there were no nutrients at all in them, they had only a small amount of water, fiber, and waste product. They weighed about 300 grams. In other words, the creature fully digested the 350 grams of fish it consumed in a matter of minutes. Its metabolism was unbelievable.


    Then, the little creature woke up from its slumber and excreted a pool of liquid at a spot far away from the location where it laid down to sleep. After that, it dragged its body back to its rudimentary nest to continue sleeping. The observing scientists were pleasantly surprised.


    Impressed by its metabolism, the scientists would toss it fish every time after it passed its bowels. The thing¡¯s appetite appeared to be bottomless, it just kept on eating. Of course, the scientists weren¡¯t just playing with the creature, In the meantime, all kinds of analyses had started. The baby super species that was fed showcased incredibly high intelligence; it even cooperated with the analyses. This improved the analysis progress tremendously. Of course, this was traded for the Hope¡¯s stock of fish.


    When Yao Yuan heard the news, it was the time when the baby super species threw its tantrum, halting the analysis progress.


    The creature was too clever. It understood that if it allowed the scientist to poke or study its body, it would get fish as reward. Therefore, it came to understand the contractual relationship it was in: if there was no fish, then it would not allow the analytical machines anywhere near it.


    Even though it only weighedseveral hundred grams, when it wanted to, even a room of adults wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up to it. Thankfully, its appendages were still not fully formed. However, its mouthful of sharp teeth was something else. It took a small bite out of a metallic table and immediately it missed a corner.


    It was a warning for the scientists to back off. After it realized that no fish was coming, it ignored the gauntlet of eyes that stared at it and started to sleep right on top of the table of the germ-free room.


    Yao Yuan saw the whole struggle and shook his head helplessly. He ordered some men to catch more fish from the sea, preferably those bigger than 10 kilograms.


    Just like that, the baby super species started its pampered life on the Hope. The study on the super species also continued without a hitch. A report was given to Yao Yuan the very next day.


    According to the report, the super species¡¯ musculature was completely different from all the other animals mankind had seen. Its muscles were like high-density iron fibers, tough and strong. In just a day, the creature had grown 300 grams in weight, but there was no difference in its size. Obviously, that had to do with its unique musculature.


    Other than that, its bone structure was also incredibly unique. Even though they couldn¡¯t cut the beast open to study it, the 4th revolution technology allowed mankind to obtain a lot of information without the need for autopsy. For example, other than the common calcium and other components normally found in bones, the super species¡¯ bone structure contained traces of various metallic substances. So in a way, their bones were not bones but half-metals.


    The creature¡¯s blood contained a special type of enzyme. It was responsible for the creature¡¯s high metabolism. Under the careful experiment of the Academy, they found out the enzyme could even digest the flesh alien cells. Of course, the amount of alien cells had to be controlled; too much of them and it would be the super species that was infected and consumed.


    This meant that the super species¡¯ digestive system depended on its blood instead of specific organs, like stomach or intestines. This was proven to be true after more analysis. The super species had a sac-like organ in its blood circulatory system. It would pump out the unique enzyme whenever it detected the presence of food in the body. This allowed it to digest the food in a short amount of time.


    Simultaneously, the enzyme in the creature¡¯s blood was not only good for digestion, it was also a type of bacterial disinfectant. In other words, its circulatory system acted as its immune system as well! The enzyme was able to break down all sorts of virus, bacteria, and microbes, but of course only up to a certain amount.


    This was the thing Saburo needed. This enzyme could replace the Component X in the Ultimate Vaccine! By fixing the formula, the vaccine could be used by normal civilians!


    Several days passed and the baby super species had visibly grown in size. It had inhaled about 400 kilograms of food, and its weight had increased to about 2,000 grams, but it still kept that endearing cuteness. As the amount of feeding instances increased, it could even differentiate between mankind and food. One time an intern weighed it without giving feeding it first, and it opened its mouth to envelop the intern¡¯s finger. When everyone thought it was going to break the intern¡¯s finger, it merely squealed and shook the finger, asking for food.


    At the same time, the two grown super species were spotted around the edge of the forest, about 20 kilometers from the new capital. The surveillance unit immediately gave out a warning. Black Star Trooper Unit 2, who was nearby, instantly went into action, but when they arrived, they were greeted with animal carcasses of differing sizes.


    The super species appeared daily, but whenever the troopers arrived, they would be gone, only leaving behind the carcasses. In a fit of inspiration, Yao Yuan ordered the men to weigh the carcass. They realized they weighed the same as the amount of food the baby super species was ingesting.


    The parents¡¯ instinct was definitely something impressive.


    However, did this mean that it was possible to communicate with the super species?


    At the end of the day, Yao Yuan really didn¡¯t want to kill these super species, because they weren¡¯t aliens, they were native animals on this new planet. Mankind was no different from those aliens that wanted to take over Earth by wiping out humanity. Furthermore, wiping them out would be difficult, as there were 5 of them in this patch of forest alone. Who knew how many there were in total across the entire planet?


    If communication was possible, could they be tamed like their young ones? With such a powerful companion at mankind¡¯s side, it would be a lot safer when humanity wanted to venture into the jungle. After all, the planet had scary creatures, like dinosaurs, traipsing all over it.


    When such thoughts cropped into Yao Yuan¡¯s mind, news came from the surveillance shuttle.


    On the sixth day after the baby super species was brought the Hope, the two grown super species appeared at the fringe of the jungle again. However, the surveillance footage showed the larger of the two limping while it walked. The wound on its leg that was cut open by sawblade was festering and postulating¡­


    Obviously, it was infected by Earth¡¯s germs, viruses, or microbes!

 Chapter 202: Old and New Unified System

    Chapter 202: Old and New Unified System


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­ Regarding this problem, I admit my culpability."


    In the emergency meeting, a tired-looking Saburo spoke first. Then he offered a 90 degree bow that was culturally-unique to the Japanese.


    Yao Yuan sighed. Saburo was a good man, and Yao Yuan believed kindness should be repaid with kindness, so even before this, he didn¡¯t pick on Saburo because of his nationality. Yes, the Chinese and Japanese had a long history of animosity, but after a prolonged period of interaction, it had all dispersed. This was because Saburo exemplified an honorable man.


    Yao Yuan shook his head at Saburo. "No, this is no one¡¯s fault. Before I gave the order for the Black Star Troopers to venture into the forest to clear out the beast, both you and Ivan, alongside many other professors, reminded me that infection goes both ways. I knew of the danger beforehand, but the new capital had to be built. Furthermore, none of us could have foreseen the Ultimate Vaccine for the public would take this long to complete. No one is at fault; the only thing we can learn from this is to not overestimate our own technology next time."


    Saburo¡¯s expression eased for a bit, but he still looked as exhausted as ever. For the past few months, he hadn¡¯t had a good night''s sleep that lasted for more than five hours. It seriously affected his health.


    Yao Yuan asked, "So how goes the progress for the mass-use Ultimate Vaccine? Is it possible for us to introduce immunity to the native life forms on this planet so that they won¡¯t be harmed by the virus, microbes, and bacteria we carry?"


    Saburo answered, after a brief consideration, "Theoretically, it should be possible. The vaccine is not a pure anti-biotic; it works by evolving the organism¡¯s innate immune system. Therefore, if we allow the base for the vaccine to interact with Earth¡¯s unique strain of virus, it should theoretically be able to produce a vaccine that enables immunity for this planet¡¯s native organisms. Of course, it needs time."


    Ivan, who stood beside him, added, "Captain, we¡¯re not technically on a time crunch, so don¡¯t worry too much. This new planet is wildly different from Earth. No matter how fatal the virus is, as long as it is not airborne, no, even if it is airborne, we have more than enough time on our hands."


    Yao Yuan was shocked. "How so? Currently we have more than 100 cases of native animals being infected by Earth¡¯s viruses. And we haven¡¯t even started on the plants yet. But with the migration of our people and pollination of Earth¡¯s plant lives, like paddy, wheat, vegetables, and maize, wouldn¡¯t the plants on this planet succumb to mass infection?"


    Ivan shook his head. "Captain, you missed out on one important detail, and that is the speed of contamination. The threat of bioterrorism back on Earth was so huge was because of mankind¡¯s mobility. If not quarantined, a virus originating in a small country could spread across the entire Earth in just one day. However, on this new planet, none of the animals we noticed have the capability of rounding the planet in 24 hours. Furthermore, due to its unique gravitational pull of having binary moons, the animals on this planet do not perform migration. In other words, if we humans don¡¯t purposely wonder beyond the confines of the capital, the range of contamination will be limited to the area around the capital."


    Yao Yuan relaxed considerably after hearing Ivan¡¯s explanation. As long as the entire planet¡¯s ecosystem was completely destroyed, the sacrifice of an isolated area was acceptable. Nature had its way of recovering itself; as long as the ecosystem at large was still intact, the relatively small scar would be healed over time.


    "If that¡¯s the case, we better rush the progress for the Ultimate Vaccine. We need two versions, one for Earth-dwellers, and another for the organisms native to this planet¡­"


    Yao Yuan petered off to silence. The scientists were used to this quirk of his. There were three people on the Hope that acted this way. Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Yao Yuan, and all three had access to the Thinker power. They tended to escape into their thoughts in the middle of things, so the surrounding people had learned to let them be whenever these happened.


    After a long silence, Yao Yuan suddenly addressed the meeting room. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have a question: is it possible for us to evolve the entire planet¡¯s virus environment? With our technology, is it possible for us to do that?"


    That sent the room in a chaos. Researchers from multiple fields started plying their own point of view. They were all discussing the possibility of redressing the microbial ecosystem of an entire planet with 4th revolution technology.


    After a long time, the scientist finally reached a relatively agreed upon consensus. It was doable, but the actual plan needed a lot of ironing out. The one thing they had to be careful with was the planet¡¯s native biodiversity. Compared to the planet¡¯s natural environment, the plants brought from Earth were unvaried and monotonous. The plan had to ensure that the planet¡¯s biodiversity was preserved, or else the ecosystem would implode upon itself due to a limited gene pool.


    Therefore, the best way to go about this was to mix the new planet and Earth¡¯s viruses, microbes, and bacteria. Simultaneously, every life form that originated from Earth would be given a shot of the Ultimate Vaccine. The vaccine would also be sprayed across the new planet. This way, both parties would acclimate to the same environment, striking the perfect balance.


    The scale of this project would be enormous. According to calculations, under the condition of not harming the new planet¡¯s native biodiversity, the plan would take 50 to 100 years to complete.


    Of course, this was all a draft. With an increased discovery of the new planet, the plan would need to receive editing and modifications. This was a plan that would last for centuries, so there was no need to rush. The most important thing now was to create a version of the Ultimate Vaccine that could be used by the general public. And that still needed time¡­


    After the draft of the New Planet Transformation Project: Old and New Unified System was set into motion, Yao Yuan set a limit for Black Star Troopers¡¯ radius of activity. With the new capital as its center, they were not allowed out of a 300 kilometers radius. Of course, they were free to do anything within it.


    The day after the meeting, Yao Yuan grabbed his space armor, weapons, and a bunch of antibiotics from Earth to the spot where the two super species would appear every day. Understanding the super species¡¯ intelligence, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t allow anyone to accompany him. Even the troopers who were on surveillance duty were ordered away.


    Yao Yuan waned to conduct a test. The test would not only save the two super species, since Yao Yuan feel for their desire to protect their child, but also this one interaction would decide how humanity would handle these super species. They were too powerful for Yao Yuan to leave them be. So if they were still hostile against mankind, Yao Yuan would have no choice but to run them into extinction.


    Of course, Yao Yuan was hoping that they could exist in peace, or maybe in cooperation, like the prehistoric men and wolves.


    Suddenly, Yao Yuan felt two sources of malice coming his way. However, when they were about 1,000 meters from where he was, they stopped. Yao Yuan could feel them retreating.


    Yao Yuan stood up and he could feel the two sources immediately take another 50 meters retreat. What Yao Yuan did next was interesting. He tossed all his weapons to the side and pushed his arms up in surrender.


    Almost immediately, he felt hesitation in the two super species. Their intelligence quickly picked up the meaning of his action. Yao Yuan didn''t mean them harm. However, they recognized Yao Yuan¡¯s red armor and knew that it was him who once hurt them, so they were being extra cautious.


    Yao Yuan pushed a button on his space armor and a squealing sound was broadcasted. It was a recording of the baby super species.


    The super species were greatly affected. They stopped hesitating and rushed to the edge of the forest. However, their actions remained watchful. The smaller of the two hid itself in the shadows, while the bigger male stepped out into the open.


    The wound on its leg had started decaying, and the beast seemed to be swaying in the wind. Its eyes were bloodshot; it was severely infected.


    At that moment, the male super species and Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes met.

 Chapter 203: First Aid

    Chapter 203: First Aid


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In that brief eye contact, Yao Yuan no longer saw the condescension and frost that were previously there. In its faltering gaze, Yao Yuan saw that it treated him as an equal. Of course, there was still caution and even an underlying tone of pleading.


    "Can you hear me? Regardless, I doubt you can understand. Then again, you should be fine sensing malice or murderous intent," Yao Yuan said.


    The male super species took a few steps back, but it didn¡¯t prepare for attack or escape. It lowered its head slightly and stared curiously at Yao Yuan. There was brilliance in its eyes, proving that it was much more sophisticated than common critters.


    Yao Yuan scratched his head, having second thoughts that he could communicate with these creatures. The lack of a common language was one issue, and even though these creatures were more clever than common beasts, they still hadn¡¯t reached sentience like humanity had. Their intelligence was probably only slightly better than orangutans'', chimpanzees'', and dolphins''.


    Lastly, before this, there was animosity on both sides. The super species had killed one trooper and Yao Yuan had stolen their baby.


    Yao Yuan decided to continue trying. He activated his Anima power to communicate his intention to the super species. He only wanted to heal its wound and not hurt it. However, whenever he took a step forward, even when unarmed, the male super species took a corresponding step back. Perhaps the creature thought the man before it could extend its claw from its red exoskeleton whenever he wanted.


    Yao Yuan was helpless because the male super species was already at the edge of the forest. A few more steps and it would run straight back into the forest. He had no choice but to stop where he was and figure out another tactic. Before he could come up with anything, the female super species gave out her drumlike roar and the male super species tensed immediately. They turned and disappeared into the jungle.


    The first attempt at communication failed¡­


    Yao Yuan repeated the same thing for an entire week, but it was to no avail. The female super species would give out her call every time the male super species made brief eye contact with Yao Yuan. They kept racing back into the jungle no matter what Yao Yuan did. Yao Yuan even tried putting out some food around the area, but it was no use.


    However, the male super species got increasingly weakened. Its rotted leg was so bent out of shape that it could barely stand on it anymore. If this continued, it would die from bacterial infection soon¡­


    On the ninth day, Yao Yuan returned to his usual post. The super species would appear at 11 AM and leave at 11:30 AM. It had become a routine.


    On that day, Yao Yuan had waited until it was 11:30 AM, but there was still no sign of the two super species. Yao Yuan had many things to handle, so he couldn¡¯t possibly spend the rest of the day waiting. When it was almost 12, Yao Yuan decided he had to head back to the Hope. However, when the shuttle came to pick him up, he felt a source of malice approaching. He instinctually lifted up his gun. The smaller female super species leaped into the open. Weirdly enough, it wasn¡¯t accompanied by its bigger counterpart. Yao Yuan¡¯s Diviner power told him this wasn¡¯t some ambush set up by the super species.


    Before Yao Yuan could make out what had happened, the female super species roared at him. The sound was like the beatings of drums, but Yao Yuan heard the anxiety and fear laced into it. Then the female super species leaped back into the forest. She ran for about 10 meters, stopped and turned around to look at Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan understood immediately what had happened. The male super species was dying from infection and the female had come to him asking for help. Because the super species hadn¡¯t fallen ill before, they probably thought the sickness was caused by the sawblade wound. They had no one to turn to but its owner, Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t hesitate and followed the female super species into the forest. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to pack his weapons. He also activated his signal relay, so if anything happened, he could hold out until reinforcements arrived.


    20 minutes later, Yao Yuan was led by the female super species to a dry outcrop in the middle of the jungle. The trees in the area were comparatively sparse, so some sunlight managed to filter through the foliage. The time was about 12 in the afternoon but it was almost dusk on that planet.


    The male super species was lying atop of a pile of plush leaves and branches. Its injured leg was so infected that Yao Yuan could see the bones peeking through. Some maggots like insects had already gathered around the festering wound.


    Noticing the approaching sound, the male super species opened its eyes weakly. It opened its mouth lamely and its saliva dripped vertically to the ground. It was obvious the creature was skirting death; the once king of the jungle was now barely strong enough to stand up on its own.


    Yao Yuan sighed as he approached the male super species. Suddenly, a shadow flashed before him. The female super species blocked his way, hissing at him.


    "¡­ I have to heal him, or he¡¯ll die. Can you understand me?" Yao Yuan said as he retrieved from his backpack the antibiotic. This antibiotic was tested using the baby super species¡¯ blood. It could help the super species gain immunity against Earth¡¯s viruses. Of course, the male super species was so far gone, the most the antibiotic could do was stop the infection but not heal it. Amputation was necessary; it truly depended on the male super species whether it could ultimately survive or not.


    Yao Yuan used his Anima power to communicate his intention. He had no idea whether the soulweb could cross language barriers, but it was his best option. The female super species appeared to hesitate. She issued a low growl while sneaking a look at her partner lying helplessly behind her. The male super species was too weak to even close his mouth now.


    Yao Yuan ignored the female super species and strode to the male super species¡¯ side. The female growled lightly, but it followed behind Yao Yuan. Beads of liquid flowed out of her eyes. Like mankind, she was crying for her loss. She used her serrated tongue to lick the male super species¡¯ eyes and mouth, moistening them.


    Yao Yuan swatted away the insects on the wound. He tossed out a white pill from his pack of antibiotic before crushing it into paste. He then spread it generously over the male¡¯s leg wound. He should have applied disinfectant before applying the antibiotic, but he figured if he took out the cleaning alcohol, the female super species would have the wrong idea that he was prepping her partner for preservation, since that was how they preserved food.


    One of the super species¡¯ pearls of wisdom was they knew that dipping meat in sea water before airing them dry would help with preservation.


    After the white paste was spread evenly, Yao Yuan removed from his toolkit several tubes of liquids. These colorless liquids were some of the latest antibiotic potions. He twisted one open and poured it down the creature¡¯s throat. Since the creature was too weak to close its mouth completely, some of the liquid leaked out. Yao Yuan propped its head up to help the liquid go down.


    The male super species was in a daze, while the female paced anxiously around him. She kept alternating between hissing at Yao Yuan and licking her partner¡¯s face, consoling him.


    Witnessing these two super species¡¯ extremely humane actions, Yao Yuan was silent. He could feel his heart shaking, especially when the tears fell out of the female beast¡¯s eyes. It reminded him of his encounter with that special her¡­


    After the liquids were all poured, Yao Yuan sat back down the floor. He used his Anima power to communicate with the two super species. "That¡¯s the best I can do. The rest will depend on his luck. However, your species has a physical quality that is about 1,000 times greater than ours, so the chance of him recovering is extremely high¡­ But to be safe, we have to remove his leg. The bone, muscle, and marrow within are completely rotted." Yao Yuan took a quick look around the wounded leg. He was right, the tendons had all rotted away; the only thing keeping it attached to the body was the iron-like muscle fibers.


    Yao Yuan hesitated for a moment before deciding against calling the medical crew to carry out the amputation. After all, he was dealing with a pair of super species; if something went wrong in the process, he might be able to take them down, but the innocent medical crew would not be able to escape certain death. He could let the doctors take such an unnecessary risk. Furthermore, the super species¡¯ enhanced metabolism would render the anesthesia useless, and that would increase the chance of the surgery going awry.


    "Fine, I guess I¡¯ll see this to the end."


    Yao Yuan sighed as he stood up. His action was so sudden that it spooked the female super species. He ignored her hissing and headed into the jungle. He came back 20 minutes later with the body of a 40 to 50 kilogram lizard on his back.


    By the time he returned, the male super species¡¯ mouth was closed and his head was turned towards Yao Yuan¡¯s general direction. His eyes, though, were as unfocused as ever.

 Chapter 204: Communication

    Chapter 204: Communication


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The metabolism of the super species was truly something else. One hour after consuming the lizard Yao Yuan hunted, the originally dying super species slowly stood up. He was still shaking, but its condition was already several times better than before.


    Yao Yuan himself was surprised by the tenacity of these super species. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t reproduce much. Based on the latest surveillance, there was at most 10,000 to 30,000 super species populating the entire planet. Relative to other animal species, this number meant that they were facing extinction. This was, after all, a completely untouched natural paradise, so their number shouldn¡¯t be so little.


    Based on this observation, the Academy came up with a conclusion. Even if humanity didn¡¯t arrive at this planet, the super species would eventually die off in the next thousands of years, doomed by its own lack of reproduction.


    When Yao Yuan was mulling over all this, the male super species suddenly growled at him before limping away.


    What just happened?


    Yao Yuan was confused because the low growl was neither hostile nor friendly. If anything, it felt like a perfunctory greeting. The fact that the male super species had left without much ado confused Yao Yuan as well. Could he be going to get some stuff to repay Yao Yuan?


    However, using his Diviner power, Yao Yuan could tell that the two super species had returned deep into the jungle. They didn¡¯t show signs of wanting to return. Yao Yuan curiously stared at the clump of trees that they had disappeared into.


    Perhaps because the super species was used to being the ruler of the planet, they weren¡¯t used to being given aid. Furthermore, their own young was forcefully taken away by Yao Yuan. It was already a miracle in itself that they hadn¡¯t come after Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan decided to shrug the super species¡¯ curious behavior off. All in all, he had received a piece of important information: the super species was more intelligent than the Academy gave them credit for. As long as they weren¡¯t sentient enough to purposely attack humanity, the cleverer these creatures were, the better. This was because it meant that the possibility of communication and co-existence was higher.


    That afternoon, Yao Yuan returned to the Hope to attend to his business, and he received good news from Saburo. The public use version for the Ultimate Vaccine was completed, but it still needed to go through animal trials and simulated human trials. The simulated human trial was something created by the central mainframe. After both trials were proved successful, the vaccine could be given to the public.


    Yao Yuan was understandably glad, but he was cautious enough to order the news be silenced. He didn¡¯t want raise the people¡¯s hopes up for nothing.


    The morning after, Yao Yuan returned to the spot at the forest fringe. This time, both super species had arrived on time. Each of them had in their jaw a beast that weighed about 10 kilograms. The male super species had recovered nicely; he was no longer shaking uncontrollably. However, his leg was still rotting, and the decay had gotten worse. The bugs that Yao Yuan removed from the day before had returned.


    This time Yao Yuan was surprised by the super species¡¯ reactions. The male growled at him before squatting down a few meters before him. He extended his injured leg towards Yao Yuan and kept blinking at him. Even though there was no verbal communication, the meaning was clear. He wanted Yao Yuan to continue applying the antibiotic; he understood its purpose now.


    Without a word, Yao Yuan took out the antibiotic and the male beast just laid there motionless. He didn¡¯t even twitch. He stared silently at Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan frowned as he inspected the wound, adding, "The rot has penetrated deep into the tissue. You have to get it amputated. Can you understand me? This leg is already ruined; we have to cut if off or you will die."


    Yao Yuan tried using his Anima power to communicate even though he had no idea whether it had any use. Suddenly, the male super species picked himself up. It startled Yao Yuan so much that he involuntarily jumped a few feet back. However, the beast didn¡¯t attack him, he bit on his rotted leg, and with a twist of his neck, tore it right off. The leg landed with a heavy thunk, and the area was immediately drenched with blood that poured out of the beast¡¯s open wound.


    "F*ck." Yao Yuan cursed as he rushed forward to push the male super species back into a lying position. He squished the antibiotic pill and smothered it all over the wounded stump. However, the wound was so big that the blood simply wouldn¡¯t stop. Yao Yuan applied the biggest pressure he could to stop the bleeding.


    Yao Yuan screamed into his communicator, "This is Captain Yao Yuan, send me a medic¡­ No, the Defense Army¡¯s military surgeon unit. I need them to bring along all the equipment necessary for amputation. Also, remember to pack the latest nutrient potions and an abundance of manmade blood. My current coordinates are¡­ Be quick. Also, bring the baby super species."


    At that moment, Yao Yuan finally confirmed that it was possible to communicate with the super species, but of course, the Anima power still played a huge role. Yao Yuan had a feeling that these two super species would be the bridge that helped improve the relationship between mankind and other super species. Yao Yuan believed firmly that, based on their intelligence, the super species had their own channel of communication among themselves.


    Yao Yuan believed that this pair of super species which had received not only contact but also aid from humanity would be the key to reaching the rest of the super species.


    With this hope in his heart, Yao Yuan decided to go for a bet. After witnessing that the super species was clever enough to differentiate between things that meant them harm and things that could help them, Yao Yuan prayed they would show an intelligence that was greater than common beasts in the next few hours, or else¡­ they might be forced into extinction.


    In less than 10 minutes, a shuttle appeared above them. The male beast had been greatly weakened from blood loss. He tried to stand up but was forced down by Yao Yuan. The female super species, though, kept roaring at the sky while making intermittent eye contact with the male super species.


    "Don¡¯t be afraid, they¡¯re here to save you, not hurt you. They¡¯re here to save you¡­"


    Yao Yuan kept repeating this, consoling them using his Anima power. However, the female super species kept hopping about agitatedly. However, her agitation didn¡¯t appear to be one born out of fear or even hostility.


    When the shuttle landed, to Yao Yuan¡¯s anxiety and surprise, the female super species left the male super species¡¯ side and raced towards the shuttle. Yao Yuan knew that the super species¡¯ jaw was strong enough to bite through the space armor. Even though the outer material of the shuttle¡¯s walls was strong, they were still weaker than the material used in the space armor. If the super species went rabid, the shuttle would be torn apart like paper, and the people within¡­


    As Yao Yuan stood up to chase after the female super species, she suddenly stopped. She gave out a series of chirping noises at a spot 10 meters away from the shuttle. The chirpings weren¡¯t as striking as her usual drum-like roars. In fact, they sounded gentle and maternal.


    Watching this, Yao Yuan sighed in relief. He reapplied pressure on the male super species¡¯ wound and activated his Diviner power to predict possible danger. Other than that, he kept consoling both super species using his Anima power. He certainly had his hands full.


    The shuttle landed carefully on the ground. In fact, the people inside the shuttle were also nervous as hell. Thankfully, they weren¡¯t Black Star Troopers, so even though they had heard people on the Hope mention super species, they had no clue as to how scary they could be. To them, the lizard lookalike didn¡¯t really look that threatening. After the shuttle landed, a group of medical doctors descended from it.


    The female super species couldn¡¯t contain herself anymore. She surged forward like a flash of lightning, and before any of the crew members could react, she was already in front of the person who held in his hands a glass box. The person saw a flash of claws, and before he could react, the box in his hands fell to the ground in shattered pieces. When he came to, he saw that the female super species had in her mouth the snow-white baby super species. The chirping continued from the depths of her stomach and her tongue kept licking her baby playfully.


    Everyone was caught by surprise, but after noticing that the person who previously held the box was unharmed, they rushed to aid the male super species and left the female and her child alone. The person who held the box stood rooted, his face as white as a sheet of paper.


    A female doctor who passed him asked, "What are you doing? Too spooked by what happened?"


    The person replied under his breath, "You have no idea¡­ the glass box was created using the most sturdy nano bulletproof glass. It was used as the Hope¡¯s external windows. It could withstand collision with stray meteorites practically unharmed, but just now¡­


    "This six-legged lizard¡­ sure is scary."

 Chapter 205: Public Immunization

    Chapter 205: Public Immunization


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The surgery on the male super species was successful.


    It had many things to do with the creature¡¯s natural tenacity. Even after such serious blood loss, when he was administered the nutrient potion, his circulatory system came alive, producing new blood. Even though the blood produced could still rival the blood loss, at least the beast was slightly more conscious. This way, the medical crew could work without fear of being hurt accidentally.


    The surgery was simply the removal of the rotten muscles and suturing the wounds. The main issue was that the muscle of the super species was too tough, so normal surgical knife couldn¡¯t cut through it. Eventually, they had to use a laser equipment to sever the atrophied muscles.


    During the surgery, the male super species was as still as a statue, as if his nervous system was immune to pain. His eyes were aimed at the female super species and baby super species. The female picked up the baby and dropped it at the male super species¡¯ side. Watching the family reunion, everyone present was moved.


    After the antibiotic was spread over the wound, the surgery was officially completed. The male beast used his remaining five legs to move towards a small mountain of animal carcasses. He consumed almost half of it in record time. Then, the female beast took the baby super species to the same spot. She licked its body, asking it to eat.


    The baby super species took a cautious bite out of a carcass, but it immediately spat it out. Its small nostrils sniffed the air and started squealing at the medical crew. It nodded its head up and down, the action it did whenever it wanted to be fed. After 10 days on the Hope, the baby creature had learned how to ask for food.


    The medical crew stared at one another in confusion. Yao Yuan, though, had a fit of inspiration. He immediately called the shuttle to bring in some fish from the sea. Several minutes later, after Yao Yuan sliced a piece of white, firm fish meat and fed it to the baby super species, it chirped happily. It consumed the rest of the fish in one go and asked for more.


    The two adult super species were startled. They cautiously sidled up to the heap of saltwater fish. They sniffed it and then growled animatedly. The male super species instantly took a bite out of a large fish that was about 30 kilograms heavy. He hopped to a spot about 10 meters away and started tearing into the fish. The female took a smaller fish and did the same. Obviously, these super species had a special liking for saltwater fish.


    "¡­So that¡¯s why."


    Yao Yuan suddenly remembered how these super species prepare their food. They first dipped them in sea water before airing them dry. That could mean that they need a high salt intake. It probably had to do with their high metabolism. The enzyme in their blood that was discovered during analysis was discovered in the fish¡¯s body as well. Even the sea water from this planet had trace amounts of it.


    The crucial point was that the super species couldn¡¯t swim. Their body density was too high, so they would sink like metal if put into water. Therefore, the saltwater fish were probably a rare luxury for them. No wonder the baby super species had a preference for the saltwater fish over the freshwater fish during feeding, even though the meat of the saltwater fish was much firmer.


    This news greatly gladdened Yao Yuan¡¯s heart. He was afraid of there being nothing these super species wanted, that like beasts they only wanted freedom to roam the jungle. Then there was bound to be conflict between them and mankind. Now that he realized that the super species had a special preference for saltwater fish and that they couldn¡¯t swim, things would be much easier. On this point alone, maybe they could survive harmoniously alongside each other. Maybe they could even be as close to humanity as cats and dogs were.


    But first, Yao Yuan had to deal with the three super species before him. If he could somehow help them assimilate into human society, it would be a great addition for humanity because their natural strength could offset mankind¡¯s lack in physical power.


    When everything was over, Yao Yuan ordered the medical crew to return to the shuttle. He left the baby super species with its parents. After all, there was plenty of time in the future to build a relationship.


    However, something curious happened. When the shuttle prepared to lift off, the baby super species started squealing loudly. It ignored its mother¡¯s licking and crawled towards the shuttle.


    Before Yao Yuan could come up with a response, the female super species picked up her child and dropped it before the shuttle entrance before retreating about 10 meters back with longing in her eyes. She stared beseechingly at Yao Yuan and at the people inside the shuttle. Her meaning was clear: she wanted them to take her baby.


    It was truly mind-boggling. Never has there been a beast that would volunteer its own offspring to go off with some other parties¡­ with the exception of mankind. When a human realizes that his or her own child could have a better life and future with other people, he or she could be willing to part with the child for his or her own sake. In other words, could the super species¡¯ intelligence have reached that level of sophistication already?


    Yao Yuan scooped up the baby super species in his palms. The two super species stood there silently, watching the shuttle lift off into the air. They were still there even after the shuttle had entered the Hope.


    In the next ten days, Yao Yuan would spend one hour on the ground. He would bring the baby super species and a bunch of saltwater fish to meet the two super species. Slowly but surely, the animosity they had towards Yao Yuan lowered. They even let Yao Yuan some into contact with their bodies. Even their hostility towards mankind in general had dropped. Of course, they still had a certain degree of caution, but it was more of a caution against a friendly stranger than enemy. It could be said that by then, humanity and the super species had fostered a rather unique companionship¡­ a companionship that was built upon seafood.


    On the other hand, the Ultimate Vaccine had progressed tremendously. After the successful trials on 10 different animal species and simulated human bodies, Yao Yuan made a public announcement for volunteers. The Academy needed 100 people to volunteer to take the public-use version of the Ultimate Vaccine. The 100 volunteers would spend 1 month at a seaside villa built near the new capital.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s initial thought was that no one would volunteer to become what was essentially a test subject. He was prepared to ask the Barracks to give him some people, but on the morning when the announcement notices went out, about several thousand people had gathered at the 4th floor¡¯s registration point. More than 100 people contacted him via the communicator. These were the representatives, engineers, scientists and even generals. They all wanted to volunteer.


    At the end of the day, there were 37,000 people who registered, while they only needed 100 volunteers.


    To ensure fairness, the list was tossed into the central mainframe to be randomly picked. The selection started at 8 PM that night, it was like lottery night. 80 percent of the Hope sat in their rooms, their eyes glued to the TV screen as the ID numbers rolled on screen. Of the 100 who were selected, there was 1 representative, 1 engineer, 2 Academy interns, and a 70-year-old scientist.


    After they were given shots of the public-use Ultimate Vaccine, they were kept in a germ-free room for 24 hour observation. As there was no worrying symptoms, this first batch of 100 volunteers were sent down to the new planet. They were settled into the 3-story seaside villas.


    Of course, the villas were equipped with amenities, like microwave, television and the likes as benefits for volunteering. However, to ensure the validity of the experiment, their actions were monitored 24 hours, except during private moments. They were also given daily medical checks to keep track of their antibodies count.


    These 100 volunteers became something like celebrities on the Hope. Everyone prayed for their safe return, since that would also mean the public-use Ultimate Vaccine was a success. Time slowly passed. The construction robots continued working on the new capital, and the interaction between humanity and the super species continued. The 100 volunteers spent their daily lives in the villa or sunbathing. Other than the ban against wading into the sea, it was no different from a summer holiday.


    A month later, the 100 volunteers returned to the Hope safely. The public-use Ultimate Vaccine was a great success. It worked perfectly for people from different racial backgrounds, ancestries, and gender.


    Next would be public resettlement project!

 Chapter 206: The White Resettlement Manifesto

    Chapter 206: The White Resettlement Manifesto


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After the volunteers returned to the Hope, everyone on board the ship was hyped because this meant that they would resettle on the new planet soon. There would be a new life waiting for them, one filled with sunlight, sea, and actual earth. With every family assigned a house of their own, the future was a beautiful dream. The topic of conversation revolved around the public inoculation and the resettlement date. They stared at the ten blocks of seaside villas that had been built with mounting anticipation.


    The Hope¡¯s huge population proved to be quite a challenge¡­ Even though the Hope¡¯s current population of 184,241 people was nothing compared to the several billion people originally on Earth, it was still a sizeable number. There were about 60,000 newborns in the past six years, so the population number was indeed that much.


    For the Hope¡¯s compact government, the public resettlement posed a challenge that was as daunting as an actual war. There were simply too many things to juggle, like the manufacturing of the public-use Ultimate Vaccine, the physical check-ups prior to injection, the medical support in case of emergency during injection, the additional manpower needed to bolster the capital¡¯s defense¡­


    It was a giant project.


    Currently, about 3,400 villas had been built. They were all isolated bungalows, and every block would have 200 to 300 of them. Of course, there were spare spaces left in between for gardens or future plans. In the future, when all 10 blocks were finished, there would be more than 5,000 villas. Of course, if the situation demanded it, new residential blocks could be set up; the capital was not lacking in space.


    Currently, the 3,400 villas could only fit 3,400 families. Even if each family had 10 members, that would only bring the capacity to 34,000 people. Where would the reamaining 150,000 people live?


    Therefore, the public resettlement was impossible until more residential areas were completed.


    Thankfully, mankind had reached the 4th industrial revolution. The construction robots were incredibly helpful in solving the issue of the lack in manpower. If 70 percent of the robots were assigned to villa construction duty, in about 6 months, the remaining residential areas would be completed. However, this led to another problem.


    The problem of land ownership.


    This was a sensitive subject that involved politics, countries, economics, and the future humanity! If treated rashly, it could lead to a big problem that would last for the next tens or even hundreds of years. Yao Yuan, of course, rounded a bunch of experts to hash it out. Hopefully they could provide him with a satisfactory solution.


    Should the land be government-owned, privately-owned, or a mixture of both? The question was left for the experts to figure out. On the other hand, since the public-use Ultimate Vaccine had passed its last trial successfully, it was time to allow the first batch of people to resettle the new planet. This would help ease the public¡¯s anticipation.


    But who to pick? The selected ones would be able to live in villas, enjoy fresh air, feel the touch of solid earth, sun, and wind. The selection must be as fair as possible.


    "I have three opinions. First, the selection must take into consideration their occupation and responsibility. For example, soldiers from the Defense Unit. We must allow family members of the Defense Unit, who have to guard the capital 24/7, to go down first. Other than that, we have to consider the technicians and engineers. There are still many projects waiting to be done in the capital. The construction robots are still sadly not fully automated, so we need the technicians and engineers down there. Naturally, there should be an allotted quota for their families as well. Of course, the quota has to include the scientists as well.


    "Secondly, I feel we should continue picking using the honor medal system, hero, warrior, guardian, and defender accordingly. Of course, due to the limitation in number, we can¡¯t take all of them, so we¡¯ll set aside a specific quota which will be filled with people randomly selected from this pool.


    "The third point, I think the rest of the spots should be purchasable using H-coins."


    This was Yao Yuan speaking at the House of Representatives. The room was a circular hall, and Yao Yuan stood on the elevated stage in the middle. Nearest to him were the representatives, then the authorities from the Academy, Barracks, and Workshop. After that were the public members. The hall sat about 5,000 people, and the meeting was live-broadcasted throughout the Hope. Other than the few Defense Unit soldiers who were not on the Hope, the rest tuned in.


    The first two points brought up by Yao Yuan received no objections. In fact, many people predicted this would be the arrangement. However, when Yao Yuan brought up his third point, the hall erupted into pandemonium. Some of the representatives protested loudly and even parts of the public members stood up in opposition. The commotion was so overbearing that it covered what Yao Yuan said next.


    "Silence!"


    The speaker of the house ordered sternly after putting his microphone to maximum volume. The hall quieted immediately. The speaker stood up and eyed the room, adding, "This is the House of Representatives! Rioters will be escorted out without question! Please give our captain the respect he deserves!" Then the English gentleman sat down gently.


    Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t at all flustered. He continued, "I know my third point is hard to accept by many people here because how could money buy freedom? Especially freedom on the new planet, but I have a question for everyone here and the people watching from home: are H-coins only money?


    "No! H-coins aren''t just money pure and simple! I believe in the six years after the Hope left Earth, other than the few families who had human heroes amidst them, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone sitting atop a hoard of H-coins for no good reason. In other words, the H-coins you have in your ID card represent the contribution you have provided to humanity! It is a point of honor, a reward for your blood, sweat, and tears! They are earned through hard work! Something you can be proud of!


    So¡­"


    Yao Yuan addressed the room, "Why can¡¯t H-coins be used to purchase this valuable opportunity? The more H-coins one has means that the more he or she has contributed to humanity, so why can¡¯t he or she have the priority to resettle the new planet?


    "That is why I came up with the three rules. Those that are eligible for the first 2 rules will not be taken in consideration for the third rule. That is only eligible for the normal civilians currently residing in the Hope¡¯s lower one to third floors! It is fair, open, and transparent! The whole selection and purchasing process will be put online, so anyone can monitor it at any time they wish. Cheaters will be punished by death!"


    Yao Yuan took out a bound tome, adding, "All the resettlement rules will be written in this white-covered folder. At the same time, the digital version will be available online. I will single-handedly oversee the details that are added within. We will accept comments and modifications within the next 48 hours. You can do it through e-mail, phone calls, or even in person. I promise you we will take them into serious consideration. Of course, we can¡¯t promise everyone¡¯s comments will be taken into effect, but we still wish to hear from everyone."


    Yao Yuan took a pause and set down the book. "Everyone, it has been six and a half years since we left Earth. That is one hell of a long time, and now we are going to welcome a new Earth into our lives. Humanity will survive and flourish on it. We will see with our own eyes our children running through the fields as we tell them stories about this other Earth we once occupied. This is just a matter of sooner or later, so please do not fret¡­


    "Because the future is long!"

 Chapter 207: Morning

    Chapter 207: Morning


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Sara woke up early in the morning. The world outside was still drenched in darkness. She took a look at the clock on the wall, it was 4:40 AM. The Resettlement Manifesto introduced a new way of reading time. Instead of following the old time from Earth, the new time would be told using the spot the Hope landed as the benchmark. Currently, it was spring on the new planet. The sun would rise when it was around 6:30 AM.


    The stellar star of this system, commonly referred to as the sun out of habit, was a young star. At least according to the Academy¡¯s observation, it would have no issue burning for another billion years. This information was released through the Hope Weekly so the public could carry on living without fear of sudden solar explosion, like what happened on the meteorite base.


    It was definitely too early for Sara to wake up. This was because she was used to Earth¡¯s time, so the sudden change in the time standard needed some getting used to. Even though this was already her fifth day on the new planet, she was still struggling with jet lag. She predicted she would need another 3 to 5 days to fully situate herself into this new time standard.


    Then again, as the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm. It was not so bad lying on the plush mattress taking in the fresh smell of dew and seawater in the early morning. It was a sensation she had not felt in a long time. She felt like she was still dreaming and was reluctant to wake up.


    Sara was part of the first batch of human settlers. She was family to a hero medal recipient, which made her eligible for the selection according to the second rule. Luckily, she and her daughter were both selected. After taking shots of the Ultimate Vaccine, they were transported to the new planet. When the shuttle touched ground, she had a handle over her emotions, but her 9-year-old daughter, who left Earth when she was 3, lied down and rolled all over the field with gleeful cheers. She had spent 6 years on the Hope, so the only time she had seen greenies was in books, movies, or the rare occasion they were allowed on the biomes. These little brief contacts with nature couldn¡¯t rival the real thing. She picked up a bunch of flowers to make a wreath and scooped up the brown earth in her palms. She then ran to Sara to ask her where the bathroom was. The whole scene made Sara break down in tears. And she wasn¡¯t alone; most of the first batch human settlers knelt on the ground and started weeping tears of joy.


    After that, Sara picked a rather compact villa as their residence. Unlike the villas which were meant for families with 3 generations, theirs was smaller in size even though it was similarly 3-storeys tall. It came with a lawn and a private garden. It was a building style Sara liked. A seaside villa like this would cost more than 100,000 US Dollars back on Earth.


    The outside of the villa was designed beautifully. The private garden even came with a small vegetable patch. The lawn had access to an automated watering system, and beyond it was a miniature swimming pool. It also had a garage and an attached store. It was better than they expected.


    The interior, though, was comparatively lackluster. The flooring was hardwood and there was no carpeting. The furniture was familiar-looking because they were moved there from the Hope. Everything had a mass-produced roughness to it. Basic amenities like a fridge, air-conditioners, and oven were available, and each villa was fitted two computers. This allowed the settlers to connect to the Hope¡¯s main server to lodge opinions or request for aid whenever necessary.


    In the 3 to 4 days after arrival, all the settlers, Sara included, were busy setting up their own homes. Details like moving the furniture, tossing out the unnecessary items, adding their personal touches, house-cleaning, and the likes took that long.


    Today, Sara finally had the time to take a breather. This was the first time the alertness that was ever present since she got on the Hope was replaced by a sense of contentment.


    "Honey, the government treats us very well, and they remember everything you did for is. They plan to build a Hero¡¯s Mountain in the near future, a place to set up the Hall of Remembrance. Everything¡¯s going well for me and our daughter; we¡¯re now living on the new planet, but dear, I really miss you¡­"


    On that perfectly fine morning, Sara suddenly thought of her husband that lost his life on Planet Sahara. Tears streamed out of her eyes, and she buried herself in the mattress so that she wouldn¡¯t wake her daughter. Suddenly, a small hand reached out to touch her hair, she looked up immediately and saw her daughter in her pajamas staring back at her.


    "Honey, what are you doing up so early? Are you hungry?" Sara hurriedly wiped her tears and pulled her daughter in for a hug.


    The little girl turned her head up to look at her mother and said, with a smile, "Mom, your eyes are red. Didn¡¯t you promise you wouldn¡¯t cry again? Be nice and keep your promise, okay?"


    Sara chuckled at her antics. Raised by her single mother, Penny Thompson was a precocious little girl. Even though she was only 9, she would help out around the house, and many times when Sara was feeling down, it was her daughter that cheered her up.


    Sara patted her daughter lovingly on her head, adding, "Honey, what do you want to have for breakfast? How about a slice of cake with a sunny-side up? Plus a glass of hot milk."


    Penny scrunched her nose, saying, "But I want fruits."


    "Fruits?" Sara nodded. "There¡¯s some oranges in the fridge, but don¡¯t eat too many so early in the morning or you¡¯ll get a cold. And remember to pour yourself a glass of milk. Go ahead, honey."


    Penny shook her little head. "No, Mom, I want to eat those giant purple fruits, the kind that will dye your teeth and tongue purple after you eat it."


    Sara knew what she was talking about instantly. Their new neighbor, a Chinese technician, invited them over for dinner yesterday. Since they could be decades-long neighbors, Sara brought a home-made cake to the dinner. Truth be told, Sara was afraid she or her daughter might not be used to the Chinese palette, but the dinner turned out to be more sumptuous than she predicted. Even though the man wasn¡¯t really a good cook, the mother and daughter had their fill. After the cake dessert, the Chinese teen brought out a plate of sliced-fruit for them to taste. That was the purple fruit Penny was talking about.


    This was one of the fruits native to the new planet. The Academy was working overtime to identity and categorize the new planet¡¯s fruits and plants. This was one of the types they recommend. It was packed to the brim with nutrients and was harmless to those that had the vaccine injection. It also could help improve synapse formation in children, and thus was very recommended as a type of kid¡¯s snacks.


    The flesh of the fruit was sweet and juicy, kind of like a purple lychee. The only downside was that they were rather rare. At least until mass cultivation, these fruits could be only found by the fringe of the forest. Of course, there was bound to be more inside the forest, but common civilians were banned from entering the jungle without supervision for fear of beast attack. Therefore, these fruits still hadn¡¯t reached the market; they were all hand-picked. The Defense Unit soldiers and certain technicians that worked around the city walls would have easier access to them.


    Sara looked at Penny with a pained expression and said, "Honey, those fruits are very rare, so we can¡¯t buy them yet¡­ How about I get you some fresh oranges instead?"


    Penny¡¯s mouth turned down slightly, but she didn¡¯t make a fuss. She nodded obediently and followed Sara to the kitchen. After a quick breakfast, she was her old, happy self again.


    Penny said, "Mom, when do you think Uncle Liu Qing Yang will invite us over for chinese food again? He cooks so much better than mom, and I like the idea of having so many dishes to pair with a bowl of white rice."


    Sara smiled inwardly and pinched her daughter on her nose. "Then how about mommy starts leaning how to cook chinese food from today onward? But Penny has to promise she¡¯ll be mommy¡¯s little helper in the kitchen, okay?"


    Penny stood up in her chair and cheered. After Sara told her to sit back down, their doorbell rang. It was about 7 AM. The sun had risen, but it was still rather early; who would come knocking so early in the morning?


    Sara felt her guard go up, but then if it was someone or something dangerous, the Defense Unit that had a 24 hour patrol would step in, so she quickly went to get the door.


    The door opened to reveal a shy Liu Qing Yang, who stood on her doorstep with a box of purple fruits in his arm. For some reason, Sara felt her heart skip a beat¡­

 Chapter 208: Funny Things on the Forum

    Chapter 208: Funny Things on the Forum


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Even compared to life in the villa, life on the Hope wasn¡¯t too bad either. Other than the lack of fresh air, sun, and plants, the people on the Hope had a more convenient lifestyle. There were a lot more amenities available, and there was a market street where they could go shopping using H-coins instead of being forced to order them online.


    However, there was one thing that wasn¡¯t common for every household on the Hope: the computer.


    While every villa on the new planet was fitted with 2 computers, only the computer scientists and engineers had access to home computers on the Hope. Normal citizens couldn¡¯t purchase one even if they wanted to. The reason was because the Academy was still working on the supermagnetic processor, a product of the 4th industrial revolution similar to the one used in the central mainframe.


    Regrettably, the time mankind had spent in the 4th revolution was still too short. Even though supermagnetic computer could be manufactured already, the required cost was simply too high. The specialized parts used in manufacturing greatly hiked up the production cost. Therefore, other than the settlers who needed to maintain a constant communication link to the Hope, the Hope was still using old computers salvaged from Earth, and the government wouldn¡¯t be selling manufactured computers any time soon.


    Therefore, the only way to access the government server on the Hope to catch up on the latest news was through the internet caf¨¦s. That was why the caf¨¦s were the favorite spots for teens to hang out in after work. Of course, not all of them were there to get government information. Most, if not all, were there to study or to read, and surfing the government site was something they did on rare occasions.


    However, in the past 5 days, the amount of people visiting the official government websites and forums had increased tremendously. It had attracted even some elders to visit the internet cafes. The key change was the first batch of settlers. In 5 days on the new planet, they had taken a lot of pictures to share on the forum. These pictures were wildly different from the official promotional banners; they had an everyday feel to them. There were pictures of children running happily on the field, grandparents fishing idly by the river side, and even pictures of families around a campfire.


    People on the Hope were excited even though they weren¡¯t experiencing these things themselves, as there was that vicarious link. Furthermore, they would be experiencing all these things in the near future.


    Simultaneously, the official asking price for the accommodation near the new capital was out. Depending on the size and location, the price for a villa, furniture included, was about 18,000 to 20,000 H-coins.


    Honestly, the price wasn¡¯t high. If converted to US dollars, it would be around 10,000 to 20,000 dollars. This included the permanent land ownership, so technically speaking, it really wasn¡¯t that expensive.


    At the same time, the government introduced the 50-year 0 interest loan. The condition was, if the loan wasn¡¯t cleared after the 50 years, the government would confiscate the land and everything on it. The loan broke down to having to repay 20 H-coins per month, which really wasn¡¯t much.


    Actually, according to Guang Zhen and a few other higher authorities¡¯ opinions, since the construction of the villas didn¡¯t really cost much due to the fact that the construction robots pretty much did all the work, the villas could be given away for free.


    However, Yao Yuan and another group of experts had another opinion in mind, which was contribution and reward should come hand-in-hand. If the government gave away the villas for free, it would cultivate a society that would depend on governmental hand-outs. It would create a culture of laziness. Until the day where humanity no longer needed to work but could focus solely on recreational activities like hobbies, arts, learning, or research, there would not be governmental freebies.


    This life of recreation wouldn¡¯t arrive until the end of the 4th industrial revolution, at least according to the Academy¡¯s projection. Before then, mankind had to work for their meals, so the 50 year loan was absolutely necessary and logical.


    The loan, though, was well-accepted by the public. You have to pay for what you want, that¡¯s only fair. They would be worried that if the villas were free, the unfairness of it all would be too obvious. What about the people who had worked hard for their H-coins and the manifesto¡¯s third rule?


    Even though a 50 year loan was indeed a bit long, the people on the Hope were all well-educated individuals, so they could do their own analyses and come up with the conclusion that the location of the villas were not only near the capital but also near the sea. This meant that they had a great environment that was worthy of investment. In the future where the human population will break through the billion mark, the villas will be a veritable sign of wealth and status. It meant that that family was one of the first to settle on the new planet.


    Won¡¯t that sound impressive?


    Therefore, there was no complaints about the 20 H-coin monthly repayment. It was an amount even the lowest of workers could satisfy. In other words, it was the biggest benefit the Hope had ever given its citizens.


    Lee Jun was scrolling through the forum and typed on his messenger, "Bro, didn¡¯t you say you will post some pictures of a pretty woman? Why I can¡¯t find them?"


    On the other end, Qing Yang replied with a sly smile. "It¡¯s because your computer is delaying, okay? You¡¯re not using the supermagnetic computer, so get used to it. By the way, her name is Sara Thompson, and she has a daughter called Penny¡­"


    Lee Jun frowned. "Dude, you¡¯re pursuing a widow? Aren¡¯t you still a virgin? Why are you setting your mark so high? Wait¡­ a westerner? I had no idea your tastes were so international."


    Qing Yang responded, "She¡¯s a good woman, so I don¡¯t care if she¡¯s a widow. The point is I like her. So, have you seen the pictures?"


    Lee Jun refreshed the page and finally, in the settler¡¯s diary column, he saw the pictures uploaded by Qing Yang¡¯s ID. There were a lot of pictures of a family dinner. Other than his friend, there was indeed a beautiful, busty, and blonde woman in the frame. Beside her was a cute little girl, about 8 or 9 years old. She had a ponytail and was munching on the fruit the Academy dubbed the purple plum. She was giving the camera a wide smile.


    "F*ck, dude you¡¯re tasting both mom and daughter at the same time? Such an appetite!" Lee Jun typed.


    Qing Yang¡¯s reply came immediately. "Could you stop with jokes like that? It¡¯s really not funny. Seriously though, what do you think about the girl? Do you think my dad will kill me if I bring her home?"


    Lee Jun answered after giving it some thought, "I don''t think he will. After all, this is no longer Earth. Didn¡¯t your dad just praise several European scientists a few days ago? Furthermore, didn¡¯t I hear that the government is encouraging mixed marriages since there are way too many of us Asian dudes to go around? So you see, if you marry her, you¡¯ll even get some government benefits. So go for it!"


    "F*ck you," Qing Yang responded jokingly, then he continued, "After these few days of contact, I really think she¡¯s an excellent woman; hardworking, loves her daughter, and is so pretty on top of that. I think I¡¯ll really try to pursue her."


    "I wish you the best of luck, but seriously¡­ the reason you¡¯re chasing her is because you like big breasts, right? Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know your tastes; I¡¯ve screened through the collection you have in your hard-disc. Come on, don¡¯t be shy," Lee Jun teased.


    Qing Yang gave him a ¡®sweat¡¯ emoticon and no explanation. After Lee Jun finished looking through the album, he asked, "How¡¯s life down there? Damn, based on the pictures, it does look like heaven."


    Qing Yang¡¯s interest returned. "It is like heaven downright. Just breathing the air alone can make you feel refreshed. I won¡¯t get into the technical stuff, like oxygen percentages and all that, but everything here is truly something else. Bro, don¡¯t be envious; it¡¯s your own fault for taking the military industry course when I asked you to take architecture and robotics with me. Good, now eat your heart out."


    Lee Jun burst out laughing. He replied, "Dude, I see your moment in paradise is ending soon too, okay? Construction of the capital and the second batch of residential area, I bet you won¡¯t have the time to go home, much less chase after the girl. Furthermore, not all is bad with military industry. I¡¯ll be going down there the day after tomorrow as well, as they need me for the experiment on new electromagnetic weaponry. I have half a month of holiday coming up, and I have the chance to explore the jungle with the Black Star Troopers, then we¡¯ll see who the envious one is¡­"


    This kind of conversation was happening all over the Hope. After gaining contact with the first batch of settlers, the people still remaining on the Hope were inspired to work harder. Everyone was waiting for the second selection with bated breath.


    The future was so exciting, and everyone couldn¡¯t wait for it to arrive!

 Chapter 209: Tame

    Chapter 209: Tame


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan sat on the ground and opened his palm to reveal the snow-white baby super species that was rolling happily around in it. From time to time, it would use its front paw to pull at Yao Yuan¡¯s fingers, as if begging Yao Yuan to play with it.


    The baby super species had opened its eyelids. It had a pair of innocent, emerald-colored eyes. The intensity of the adult super species¡¯ eyes was absent. When it first opened its eyes, it easily tore through its ¡®room¡¯ that was made up of reinforced glass. Then, it went on to wreak havoc all over the germ-free room.


    The researchers were too afraid to barge recklessly into it without protection. They waited patiently for Yao Yuan and the rest of the Black Star Troopers to arrive. After the door was opened, the first thing the baby creature fixed its eyes on was Yao Yuan and the troopers behind him.


    It chirped joyfully when it saw them. Simultaneously, it nodded its head up and down, asking for food. From the looks of things, it had adopted them as its parents.


    From then onwards, the little thing had gotten itself attached to Yao Yuan. It had gotten to a stage where it would throw a tantrum when Yao Yuan was not around. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t attack people, but its power of destruction was not to be trifled with. It had even bitten its way through the germ-free room when the researchers weren¡¯t looking. It was crazy¡­ the wall was several inches thick of reinforced alloy!


    Because of this little accident, the baby super species had gained contact to the Hope¡¯s air. The scientists had no choice but to give it a shot of the newly created new planet reverse Ultimate Vaccine. However, its durable skin made this task impossible. Finally, the last resort was to inject the shot into its tongue during feeding time. The super species was so spooked that it curled itself into Yao Yuan¡¯s arms and refused to pull its head up.


    That day, Yao Yuan had brought the baby super species to the edge of the forest again. By now, the super species had gained a common name. It was six-legged black dragon, Black Dragon in short. This was because it had the appearance of a six-legged crawling lizard. Even though the physical appearance between the lizard-like super species and dragon was different, from its color and image, it was a close enough nickname.


    The two adult Black Dragons had been waiting when the shuttle that carried Yao Yuan and the baby dragon arrived. The Black Dragons immediately reared up their heads. They first sniffed Yao Yuan and then turned their heads towards the baby dragon.


    Even though the baby dragon was very attached to Yao Yuan, it knew instinctually that the two adult Black Dragons were its actual parents, so it didn¡¯t make a fuss no matter how much they licked it. Then, many boxes of saltwater fish were brought down from the shuttle. As one of the boxes passed by the male Black Dragon, he stuck his head into it, picked a large fish out, and started munching on it.


    Yao Yuan stood aside, watching the scene with a smile. Then a frown appeared on his face because he noticed something peculiar. The coloration of the two adult Black Dragons seemed to have faded. Instead of pure black, they had reached a shade of dark brown, or was Yao Yuan imagining it?


    No, Yao Yuan was sure it was deep black color before, so why the color change? Could it have to do with the change in their diet? Or was this the way they showed their happy emotions when they saw the boxes of saltwater fish?


    Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t figure out the answer, so he decided to ask the Academy to look deeper into this. He had another purpose for being there that day.


    Yao Yuan activated his Anima power and spoke, "You guys can understand me, right? How about this: if you do, then please nod your heads up and down. If not¡­ then, well, this is pretty much pointless."


    After Yao Yuan¡¯s statement, the two Black Dragons, which had consumed a ginormous fish and pushed out spherical excrements, lifted their heads and stared at Yao Yuan curiously. However, before they could give any response, the baby dragon playing in Yao Yuan¡¯s palms started bobbing its small head. After that, the two adult Black Dragons did the same. Not only did they bob their heads, they waved their tails and front paws up and down too.


    Yao Yuan continued joyously, "Today, I¡¯m going to take you guys for a tour of my people¡¯s capital. Of course, there are many humans like me there, so please do not attack them. Unlike me, they can¡¯t withstand your aggression. Do you understand? Same old rules, nod your head if you do."


    It was still the baby dragon that nodded first. The adult dragons seemed to be confused by the lengthy statement. After Yao Yuan repeated himself multiple times, they finally nodded knowingly.


    Truth be told, Yao Yuan was still very nervous. After all, these six-legged Black Dragons were too powerful; if they decided to run amok in the human capital, then it would be a real disaster. However, this had to be done if the Black Dragons were to be part of human society. He wanted humans and the dragons to live harmoniously alongside each other. Yao Yuan¡¯s plan was to eventually tame and breed a platoon of Black Dragons. They would be better than the Black Star Troopers at ground combat. Furthermore, with their intelligence, Yao Yuan believed they might even understand human language after prolonged exposure to humanity.


    Of course, for the sake of safety, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t lead the two Black Dragons to the residential area but the construction site. The human presence there was weaker since the majority of action came from the construction robots. Yao Yuan could also have a firsthand experience watching the Black Dragons¡¯ reaction towards human cities and creations.


    Carrying the baby dragon in his hand, Yao Yuan led the two adult Black Dragons to the outer walls of the human capital. They stayed a few meters behind Yao Yuan, and further behind were about 10 alert troopers. They eventually arrived at the construction site where hundreds of robots bustled about. The two Black Dragons sniffed their surroundings curiously. They seemed to understand Yao Yuan¡¯s intention. They started wandering around, trying to take everything in.


    After a while, the two Black Dragons gave Yao Yuan a low growl. Even though Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t really understand what that meant, he led them further ahead. All along the way, there was a series of construction sites. The capital had to be built from the ground up. Eventually, they ran into technicians and engineers that were there to oversee the construction robots since the robots didn¡¯t have the necessary AI to be fully automated yet.


    This was the gut-wrenching moment for Yao Yuan and the troopers because men and women without space armor started appearing around them. Even a slight bump from the Black Dragon could claim their lives. If the situation demanded it, Yao Yuan wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill the dragons. After all, the lives of mankind were still more important than animals.


    Thankfully, such a situation didn¡¯t present itself. The Black Dragons were initially guarded around other humans, but once they caught a whiff of these people¡¯s smells that were carried by the wind, they visibly relaxed. From the smell, they seemed to have concluded that these people were the same type as Yao Yuan, so they let their guard down. Yao Yuan and the troopers let out great sighs of relief.


    The tour continued until it was dinner time. The technicians and engineers left the construction sites in groups. Before they retired for the night, they input easy commands into the robots to be carried out in the night. These were easy assignments, like laying the road. Yao Yuan was ready to lead the Black Dragons back into the forest. Yao Yuan was more than satisfied with how their first tour went.


    Right then, an 8-year-old European girl ran out of the construction site. Chasing her was an Asian teen. They were playing some sort of a hide-and-seek game. The girl was running away with her head turned, pulling faces at the man. She didn¡¯t pay attention to where she was heading and rammed into Yao Yuan¡¯s back. The girl fell to the floor with a heavy thud, and her hands and legs were bleeding with fresh wounds. She started wailing.


    Before the anxious Asian boy got near, Yao Yuan had already turned to look at the little girl. However, the two Black Dragons were even faster than he was. They had surrounded the little girl, and the female dragon was licking the girl¡¯s wounds.


    Yao Yuan felt his heart chill. The thing that he feared the most was about to happen. Even though the dragons had killed a trooper before, that was done out of self-defense. Yao Yuan felt that they could still be tamed because they had not had human flesh yet. Furthermore, they had a certain respect towards human beings since they were harmed by one before. After several decades of cultivation, the dragons shouldn¡¯t pose much danger to humanity anymore.


    However, that would all be useless if the dragons partook in human meat. The two Black Dragons had to be put down for taking a human life. After than that, one couldn¡¯t be sure they wouldn¡¯t get addicted to human flesh, so they couldn¡¯t be left to survive!


    This little girl was meat at the tips of their tongues¡­ There was no way this wouldn¡¯t end horribly.


    Yao Yuan pulled out his sawblade and the troopers cocked their rifles, but the two Black Dragons didn¡¯t launch any attack. They circled the little girl to lick her wounds. Tickled by their serrated tongue, the little girl started laughing. She even stood up to give the female dragon¡¯s head a hug.


    The female dragon licked her small face genially, showing zero aggression¡­

 Chapter 210: Hope Landing

    Chapter 210: Hope Landing


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The incident with the super species did make many break out in cold sweat. The result, though, was indeed heartening. The girl ended up giggling and pinched the female dragon¡¯s face to play with it. The female super species allowed her to do this without growling or roaring. It wasn''t until the girl wanted to climb on top of the dragon that Yao Yuan came forth to stop her.


    After apologizing to the Asian teen for spooking them, Yao Yuan called the medic to bandage the girl up. When the girl mentioned she liked purple plums, Yao Yuan promised he would have someone send a box over as an apology.


    The teen had recognized Yao Yuan. Even though he was in space armor, the only person that wore red space armor in all of the Hope was Captain Yao Yuan. However, he was surprised Yao Yuan would be so friendly and apologize even though the blame didn¡¯t exactly fall on him. However, the teen was still on his toes during his interaction with Yao Yuan, giving Yao Yuan the respect he was due.


    The same couldn¡¯t be said of the little girl. She saw the baby dragon cupped in Yao Yuan¡¯s palms. The baby dragon, which was the size of a small kitten, blinked curiously at her when it poked its head up from Yao Yuan¡¯s palms. The girl immediately fell in love with the cute, white ball of fur.


    "Uncle, can I see the small animal in your hands? He¡¯s so cute. Wow, it has six legs." The little girl sidled up to Yao Yuan when he was engaged in conversation with the teen. She could see the baby dragon when she was further away, but she couldn¡¯t see anything when she was near. After all, Yao Yuan was more than 3 feet tall when he was in the space armor, and the little girl barely reach his knees, so how could she possibly see the baby dragon in his palms?


    Yao Yuan squatted down, but even so, he was still taller than the little girl. He lowered his hands. The baby dragon clung to Yao Yuan¡¯s fingers using its two front claws and nodded its head at the girl. The emerald in its eyes shone brilliantly.


    The little girl was ecstatic. She carefully pushed out her finger to touch the baby dragon¡¯s head. She felt like she had been touched by ice when contact was made. Then she used her fingers to lightly caress the baby dragon¡¯s body, and the baby dragon closed its eyes like it was enjoying the light massage. Then it used its front claws to hug her fingers and used its slightly spiky tongue to lick it. The girl giggled happily from the tickle.


    And thus ended the super species¡¯ first contact with human beings. Even though it wasn¡¯t perfect, it was already much better than what Yao Yuan had expected. It was truly a pleasant surprise.


    Things with the super species and settlers had made things on the Hope extremely busy. Not only Yao Yuan, but pretty much everyone had a long to-do list waiting to be completed.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s to-do list comprised of the Hope¡¯s eventual landing, the human country¡¯s constitution, the selection of the second set of settlers, testing of the Defense Unit¡¯s new weaponry¡­


    In other words, the one hour Yao Yuan allocated to spend bonding with the super species was his own precious resting period as well. However, these were things that he had to do, the issue of landing being the most pressing.


    This was caused by the appearance of the first batch of settlers. They lived in the villas and ate the new planet¡¯s various fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish hunted by the Defense Unit daily. Of course, each of them had their own assigned occupations. Engineers, scientists, and technicians bustled about busily almost every waking hours of their lives. Families of honor medal bearers and those that purchased the slot through H-coins found jobs through the government as well. These jobs included taking care of the construction robots, cleaning the food ingredients, or cooking the daily meals for the construction site workers. After all, they needed to pay for their housing, so working was compulsory.


    Even so, their lifestyle was the thing of envy on the Hope. The first batch of settlers only had 16,000 people, that was 10 percent of the Hope¡¯s 160,000 total population.


    Therefore, even though everyone knew that the second selection list was coming in about 2 months¡¯ time, the desire for the new planet wouldn¡¯t die down. One person commented on the official government forum asking for the Hope to land on the surface. That way, even if they weren¡¯t selected, they could enjoy the nature and perhaps go for a walk around the landing spot early every morning.


    Surprisingly, the comment gained enormous traction. The Hope Weekly did a survey on it, and other than those who were scarred by the alien attack, almost 95 percent of the Hope was in support of the idea.


    Because of this pressure, the manufacturing speed for the public-use Ultimate Vaccine had increased. If necessary, the vaccine for all 160,000 people could be done in 2 days. This included the vaccine for the animals and plants on the Hope to prevent them from contaminating the new planet¡¯s existing ecosystem.


    After a long meeting with the Academy and Barracks, Yao Yuan ultimately decided for the Hope to land on the new planet. After all, the Hope couldn¡¯t last forever floating aboveground. They would land half a month after the appearance of the first settler batch, which was in 5 days.


    After hearing this news, a group of experts approached Yao Yuan with a proposal. If the Hope was landing, why not use the day itself to host the human government¡¯s founding ceremony? After all, they had the military power to host it. The Defense Unit was training daily, and the Troopers were impressive in their space armor. Even though there were no tanks, weren¡¯t the space combat jets 100 times more powerful than tanks?


    The administrative reassignment could wait, and the governing policies could temporarily use the ones upheld by the Hope. The key to first host the founding ceremony was to calm human hearts. Also, wouldn¡¯t it be momentous if the founding ceremony was done on the day the Hope landed on the new planet?


    Of course, this proposal was greatly welcomed by a series of people, like Guang Zhen, but Yao Yuan had his reservations. First was the lack of preparation. How could something as important as the founding ceremony be rushed? Everything must be perfectly in place.


    Second was the issue of ground siege engines.


    The founding ceremony¡¯s purpose was to instill confidence in the citizens¡¯ hearts; it was to let the citizens know that they were well-protected by their government! Both soldiers from the Defense Unit and Black Star Troopers had to appear in the marching ceremony, there was no denying that. Of course, the Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 had to make an appearance as well. However, since they had already landed, it would be weird if there wasn¡¯t a powerful on-the-ground siege engine. It might cause a portion of the public to worry.


    With the 4th industrial revolution, there were naturally siege engines that were more powerful than tanks, including a super long-ranged bomb tank that was equipped with large Gaussian and automatic cannons. There were also blueprints for a robot army, and these could all be a reality. Other than that, humanity had a secret weapon, which was the anti-gravity technology.


    Combining all of these, the Workshop could create a contraption that could float off the ground, had a polymerized reactor as its power source to support its mobility and supermagnetic shield, as well as a large amount of high power Gaussian weaponries¡­ A Heaven¡¯s Cloud!


    This was the contraption Yao Yuan wanted to create the most. It could carry at least 500 soldiers and drop Gaussian bombs down from a high elevation. The bomb barrage would have one-fifth the power of the Hope¡¯s own bomb barrage. If needed, the platform could also descend to the surface to act at temporary base. If there was one or two of these, humanity wouldn¡¯t fear the revival of the flesh alien or even the combined assault of 1,000 super species.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan vetoed the founding ceremony; it could happen when everything was ready. However, the landing was still going to happen. 5 days later, the Hope would land on a plateau 10 kilometers away from the capital. A perimeter was set up 50 meters from the Hope. Other than the two known Black Dragons, any other animals that could pose a threat would be hunted down immediately.


    Therefore, over the next 5 days, everyone on the Hope was given the Ultimate Vaccine and was informed of the Hope¡¯s landing date and time. Everyone prayed for the landing to happen safely.


    On the fifth day, new planet time 10 AM, with Yao Yuan¡¯s order, the Hope started descending to the planet''s surface. Everyone crowded the windows, watching the sea and forest inch closer to their faces. Eventually, they could see the sunlight rippling off the water''s surface and butterfly-like things that flitted among the flowers.


    Following a slight shake, everyone on the Hope cried out in whooping cheers. The cheers were echoed by the Defense Unit soldiers and the first settlers that were on the surface.


    The Hope had finally landed on the new planet!

 Chapter 211: 17 Black Dragons

    Chapter 211: 17 Black Dragons


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The overall mood on the Hope was one of joy after the ship landed, even though there wasn¡¯t a luxurious villa waiting for each person. The curfew didn¡¯t dampen the spirits either. After the landing of the Hope, the construction of the capital continued. Project number one was the construction of a giant plaza in the middle of the capital; it would be named Human Plaza.


    The decorations, wiring, size, foundation, and the location of surrounding buildings were given to the expert architects to figure out. When Yao Yuan picked them from Earth, he honestly didn¡¯t expect them to be much use, and in fact, they weren¡¯t as useful as the scientists, but at moments like this, they were instrumental.


    All these issues could be solved with enough time and effort. The one mind-boggling detail was the several statues Yao Yuan wanted to set up on the plaza.


    Since this plaza was to signify humanity¡¯s presence on a new planet, it had to be perfect and detailed. Yao Yuan wouldn¡¯t settle for work that cut corners, especially when it came to the statues that were to be built. The House of Representatives suggested building 5 statues overall, 2 human statues, male and female, each situated at the north and south side of the plaza; the east side of the plaza would have the statue of a deep blue planet, representing Earth; a statue of a minimized Hope on the west side; and lastly a statue of Yao Yuan in the middle. This proposal was vetoed by Yao Yuan. He counter-offered to have the statues represent humanity¡¯s heroes instead.


    These heroes were the men and women who had sacrificed themselves in the 6 years the Hope had left Earth. There must be an equal representation of men and women and people of all skin colors. The theme would be one of remembrance and appreciation.


    The statues fell into the domain of fact since they couldn¡¯t be done by machines. However, when Yao Yuan left Earth, he didn¡¯t bring along any artists. Even though art was an important part of human civilization, it was more of a want than a need.


    The government was unable to find a single artist from the original 120,000 people who left Earth on the Hope. It was quite a headache for the government.


    As a last resort, 2,000 teachers who had relations to art were selected to handle this momentous project. They were tasked to figure out a blue print and create the 5 statues while the foundations for the statues were being built on the plaza. Whenever the statues were ready, they could be attached to the foundations.


    In conclusion, life for humanity was busy but rewarding. The new human capital slowly came into shape, and the people weren¡¯t given much time for recreation. The only daily breaks were the morning before work and dusk after work. The fruits, vegetables, and wild game on the new planet were great luxuries. The fact that there were only 800 people in the gathering team but the gathered product could feed 180,000 people went to prove how untouched the new planet was. The new planet was filled with nature¡¯s bounty.


    Of course, humanity, who once felt the pain of pollution, knew the dangers of overfishing and overhunting, so they had a rotation method. The gathering spots were different every time. With the transport shuttle¡¯s aid, it was easy travelling within a several hundred meters radius. After all, the Hope only had 180,000 people, and 60,000 of them were children, so the planet could provide more than enough to feed humanity.


    The wealth of resources kickstarted the progress in the food industry. The French, Chinese, and Japanese approached the government for business permits. Thus, in the Hope residential levels, a lot of French, American, Chinese, Japanese, and other local cuisine appeared. Thanks to the increased demand from these eateries, middle-men who would purchase raw ingredients from government to clean, categorize, prepare, and ship them to the various eateries also appeared¡­


    With the government¡¯s direct and indirect aid and encouragement, the entire human society was resurging at an impressive speed. Mankind was projected to become a full-fledged powerful race in the next decade, where the shadow of the helpless space nomadic race it once was would be long erased.


    "Hmm? Saturday and Sunday? What about them?"


    Yao Yuan was signing a document on the Defense Unit¡¯s weapons and armors upgrade when a few representatives and calendrical science experts approached him with a fairly weird question.


    One of the experts responded, "The problem is we can¡¯t apply them to this new planet. First, there are 27 hours to a day here, then 410 days to a year with 4 changing seasons. Actually 5 if we are to count the drought in the middle where even the sea will dry up. This complicated time issue throws the calendar we are familiar with into complete chaos. Since the second selection for settlers is coming up, almost everyone on the Hope has eschewed their weekly days off. Furthermore, they can¡¯t take a break even if they want to, as there are simply too many things to be done. This would be fine if we were back on Earth, but the new time issue on this new planet means that almost everyone is overworked."


    Yao Yuan considered it and realized that the expert was telling the truth. Since the construction robots¡¯ progress was incredibly fast, salaries couldn¡¯t be divided by sites but rather by working days. The workers would fill up a form to show that they wanted to work that day and the government would assign them to sites that were understaffed.


    Therefore, taking a day off meant a day without salary. To rush the construction progress, the government was handing out double pay, and since the second selection was coming soon, everyone was trying to earn H-coins to purchase the villa slots. Everyone was indeed overworked since the longer daytime on the new planet meant that the daily working hours were also longer.


    Yao Yuan proposed, "Then starting from tomorrow, there will be a designated five days holiday, let¡¯s call it Landing Anniversary. We will celebrate it every year. There will be no working for all other than the Black Star Troopers and the Defense Unit. The people are allowed to spend their leisure time in the green area, but not beyond the warning yellow lines. Other than that, we¡¯ll move back to the regular working schedule after this. Normal days off on Saturday and Sunday, hmm, we¡¯ll give half salary on those days off, which is the normal salary."


    Barbie, who was beside him, jotted everything down. She typed and printed the document out for Yao Yuan to sign right after. After Yao Yuan authorized it, the document was passed back to Barbie, who would then hand it over to Hope Weekly¡¯s office. The details would be broadcasted on the 7 PM nightly news. The details would also be posted online on the Hope¡¯s official website. The system was streamlined.


    The people who were there left with a satisfied smile. To be fair, they were affected by the hectic working schedule as well, so more days off was a good thing.


    After they left, Yao Yuan stretched lazily and scanned the small stack of papers on his table, then he turned to look outside the window. It was a piece of blue sea.


    "Maybe¡­ Taking a rest is not a bad idea after all. Didn¡¯t Bo Li say she wanted to see the ocean? I should live up to my promise."


    Yao Yuan smiled. The accumulated pressure from setting up the new planet was pressing down hard on him. He was definitely the most hardworking individual in all of the Hope. Maybe he too should give himself that 5 days holiday. When he considered that option, Bo Li¡¯s expressionless but lovely face floated into his mind.


    As Yao Yuan went to pick up the communicator to give Bo Li a call, the communicator rang. He picked it up and Guang Zhen¡¯s screaming voice came through.


    "Yao Yuan! This is bad! We have 17 Black Dragons coming our way. I¡¯ve charted their journey and I believe they are coming for our capital! They will reach the capital¡¯s defense wall in about 10 minutes!


    Yao Yuan cursed and ordered Guang Zhen to gather the Black Star Troopers. Then he had the Hope activate all its surveillance devices and prepare the weaponry needed to take down 17 Black Dragons. Finally, he rushed to the ordnance warehouse to put on his red space armor.


    When Yao Yuan arrived at the walls, 151 troopers and Guang Zhen, who was also in space armor, were already there. They were waiting for the 17 Black Dragons to appear from the forest, and stationed behind the troopers were 500 Defense Unit soldiers setting up camp.


    Yao Yuan only managed to say hi to Guang Zhen before 2 adult Black Dragons materialized among the trees. Behind them were 15 other six-legged Black Dragons!


    However, when Yao Yuan saw the Black Dragons, he sighed in great relief. Anticipation rose in his heart.


    That was because the scales of the two leading Black Dragons weren¡¯t as dark as the others; they had more of a brownish hue, and the bigger among the two had 5 legs.


    Yes, they were the Black Dragon couple that had disappeared for the past few days!

 Chapter 212: Domination

    Chapter 212: Domination


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Six-legged Black Dragons.


    There are special species found on the new planet. They have unimaginably strong body strength, stronger than a trooper in space armor. If put on old Earth, tanks would be like toys for them. Without weapons of mass destruction, Earth¡¯s original military wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything against them.


    17 Black Dragons, the number was awe-inspiring. Even with the whole Black Star Troopers pursuing them, if the combat was done in the forest, at least 50 percent of the troopers would have to lay down their lives to kill them all, that was, if they didn¡¯t escape into another forest first.


    That was why Guang Zhen had such a huge reaction. On a separate note, as the Hope¡¯s official second-in-command since Yao Yuan openly announced Guang Zhen was his successor, Guang Zhen also held the post of the Hope¡¯s sub-captain, the Hope¡¯s Defense Unit¡¯s commanding general, Black Star Trooper¡¯s vice-captain, and the Hope government¡¯s vice cabinet minister (Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t crowned the president yet), so Guang Zhen was the go-to person on the Hope if Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t available. Guang Zhen¡¯s traditional mindset that raised a few red flags in the House of Representatives aside, for a man of his position, mobilizing an army troop for defense was easy.


    Therefore, when Yao Yuan arrived, other than the Black Star Troopers whom Yao Yuan asked to gather, there was a temporary camp being set up by the Defense Unit. The piece of forest land was right at the fringe of the new capital¡¯s walls. It couldn¡¯t be broken through, because the line of defense represented humanity¡¯s military strength. Not even a bird was allowed through!


    The only exception was the Black Dragons because they were the only species not threatened by the Defense Unit¡¯s 4th revolution weaponry. Only the Black Star Troopers could pit themselves against them. Since the Defense Unit couldn¡¯t go with the offense, they opted to set up camp for defense.


    Luckily, the 17 Black Dragons weren¡¯t hostile, or at least not openly hostile.


    When the 17 Black Dragons appeared from the forest, not only were the Defense Unit and Black Star Troopers affected, the same happened over at the opposite camp as well. Other than the two leading Black Dragons, the other 15 Black Dragons went into attack or defense poses, they gnashed their teeth, and tensed their bodies. It was a fight or flight response spooked by the large presence of humanity.


    But after a low hiss from the leading, brown-scaled Black Dragons, the commotion among the Dragons quieted down. However, they continued fidgeting, obviously under unease.


    At this moment, Yao Yuan was reminded of the things Ivan and other biologists told him about the six-legged Black Dragons. This super species was most likely a communal animal. This could be observed from how the Black Dragon pair cared for their young. Unlike bears or tigers, who survived in isolation, the Black Dragons were more like wolves or horses, or in other words, could be tamed.


    However, due to their high food intake, they had to separate into their own territories. Nevertheless, they must have ways to maintain communication. Like how there is an alpha in a pack of wolves, it must be the same for the Black Dragons as well.


    Yao Yuan predicted as much before it was confirmed by Ivan and the other biologists. They were no longer on Earth, but animal behavior seemed to be universal across the universe. Now that 17 of them appeared at once in a group, it indirectly confirmed their assumption. Furthermore, when the Black Dragon couple hissed, the rest showed signs of deference towards them by listening to their commands. It also proved that they could be tamed.


    However, the fact that the ¡®five-legged¡¯ Black Dragon was the alpha came as a surprise to Yao Yuan. Even for wolves, if the original alpha was injured, it would be dethroned. But the male Black Dragon, despite losing a limb, was still the leader.


    Could it be¡­ caused by the color change in its scale?


    Now was not the time for theory-crafting. After Yao Yuan saw the Black Dragon couple stop the group of Black Dragons with their growls, he made eye contact with Ying, Ebon, Liu Bai, and the rest of the Black Star Unit, then he made a hand signal at Guang Zhen. Guang Zhen stayed to commandeer the Defense Unit and Black Star Troopers while Yao Yuan approached the Black Dragon couple with the rest of the Black Star Unit.


    Commotion among the 15 Black Dragons started instantly. The largest among them prepped its body, unleashed a drumlike war cry and launched itself at Yao Yuan.


    However, before it could get far enough, a brown shadow knocked it down from its side. In the blink of an eye, the larger 5-legged male Black Dragon had its entire body on top of it, pinning it down, while the female had her teeth on its throat. She could claim its life at any moment.


    The downed Black Dragon chirped for mercy while wagging its tail and six appendages. It reminded Yao Yuan of how the baby super species asked for food. Gradually, the male Black Dragon disengaged himself. He didn¡¯t pay the down dragon much attention but refocused all his energy at Yao Yuan¡¯s group, which was approaching.


    Yao Yuan spoke into the internal communicator, "Don¡¯t worry, but be on guard. Unless we¡¯re actively threatened, we can¡¯t be the party that shows aggression first."


    "Yes, Sir," the Black Star unit replied in unison.


    When Yao Yuan was 10 meters away from the male Black Dragon, he disengaged himself from the group and stopped before Yao Yuan. He allowed Yao Yuan to pat all over himself. Yao Yuan sighed in relief because for a creature like the Black Dragon, allowing someone else to pat its body represented a sign of friendliness.


    At the same time, the female Black Dragon also sidled to Yao Yuan¡¯s side. She circled and sniffed the air around Yao Yuan. Then she nodded her head at Yao Yuan and wagged her tail. Yao Yuan immediately called Guang Zhen to send over the fish and the baby Black Dragon.


    The wait lasted for about 10 minutes, but the 15 Black Dragons started getting raucous. Especially when they saw Yao Yuan inch closer to their group, their guard heightened. If not for the Black Dragon couple¡¯s presence, there would have been a bloodbath.


    Finally, a few shuttles arrived at the scene. After the first batch of saltwater fish was laid on the floor, all the Black Dragons seemed to submerge into a state of frenzy. Under the guidance of the Black Dragon couple, each of them picked up a large fish and went to town on it. After a while, all of them tossed up their heads and roared at the floor. The floor rocked with their drum-like calls. It was a display of excitement.


    Suddenly, the female Black Dragon bit Yao Yuan on his feet. The Black Star Unit behind Yao Yuan quickly drew their weapons, but Yao Yuan waved for them to stand down, telling them he wasn¡¯t being attacked. He followed the female Black Dragon and they stopped before the largest Black Dragon among the group. He was larger than the five-legged male Black Dragon; it was obvious he was the heavy hitter among the group.


    It dropped the fish it was eating, straightened itself, and assumed a fighting stance. Simultaneously, it gave out a war cry. The female Black Dragon extricated herself from the confrontation and left Yao Yuan there.


    "¡­I see. Even though a possible truce could be formed on our offering of saltwater fish, you¡¯re unwilling to bow down to a weaker race?" Yao Yuan understood immediately. After all, if humanity proved to be too weak of an opponent, the Black Dragons could raid the capital for fish whenever they wanted.


    Since that was the case¡­


    Yao Yuan pulled out his sawblade and rushed towards the largest Black Dragon like a ball of flame. There was no mercy in the animal world. The iron rule was the survival of the fittest!


    Several minutes later, a wounded Yao Yuan stepped on the broken body of the Black Dragon. After all, this wasn¡¯t the jungle, so the Black Dragon had no geological advantage. In close combat, the Black Dragon''s scales still weren¡¯t tough enough for Yao Yuan¡¯s sawblade. Plus, Yao Yuan was a level 2 All-Rounder.


    Lying supine on the floor, the Black Dragon chirped weakly and did the gesture that it did when it was begging for food. The rest of the Black Dragon did the same. The gesture made it look as if they were genuflecting before humanity.


    "With the saltwater fish as bait and food, as well as our combat prowess, the Black Dragons will heed our commands at least until I¡¯m old or I die. This means that we have at least 100 years to tame them."


    Yao Yuan said satisfactorily. The 17 Black Dragons could be trained immediately, supplementing the capital¡¯s defense. In the future, the amount of Black Dragons under humanity¡¯s command would only increase. Eventually, they would live side by side with humanity, like dogs and cats¡­


    A new human companion, the six-legged Black Dragon!

 Chapter 213: Holiday and Invitation

    Chapter 213: Holiday and Invitation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Things with the Black Dragons were going smoothly. They were fed fish every day and this was also bonding time with military dog trainers. As the name suggests, these special soldiers were people that once reared military canines or owned one. The Black Dragons were smarter than normal dogs, but at the end of the day, they were still animals. So Yao Yuan decided to let dog trainers interact with the Black Dragons.


    Of course, there was another thing that was under process¡­


    Using the enzyme in the Black Dragons¡¯ blood as template, an enzyme-clotting virus was created. It was harmless for humanity and other organisms but could cripple enzyme reaction in the Black Dragon¡¯s blood for a temporary period after it was ingested. This project was taken over by Ivan and there was expected to be breakthroughs in the next half to one year.


    However, these were all long-term projects. At least, today, the sudden appearance of Black Dragons was resolved. Now Yao Yuan had to focus on how to arrange his upcoming 5-day holiday.


    That night, be it the first settlers in the villa, the several ten thousand people on the Hope, and even the Defense Unit on duty had smiles on their faces. Holiday for 5 days, and even the Defense Unit soldiers could have 3 days off if they followed the assigned rotation. This was the first time mankind felt they could truly gave a sigh of relief in the 6 years they had left Earth. They could enjoy this nature¡¯s paradise without fear.


    Of course, there were still many things waiting for Yao Yuan to complete. These included the aforementioned rotation arrangement for the Defense Unit, the hiring of lifeguards by the beach, sending out announcements regarding the dangerous sea creatures the Academy had labeled, sending out Defense Unit soldiers to clear out the venomous sea creatures that night¡­ The things he had to do were complicated and taxing. Even with the Hall of Communication¡¯s help, it still took Yao Yuan until 11 PM before he could leave his office.


    As the Hope¡¯s captain for the past 6 years, Yao Yuan not only had to handle internal policies but also prevent internal arguments, the Hope¡¯s warps, energy, food, air, water, arrangements of the Barracks, and not to mention, the enemies that appeared after warps. Truth be told, he was tired, physically and mentally tired. No matter how strong he was, a man has his limits.


    We are all made out of flesh and blood. Even though in many people¡¯s eyes Yao Yuan was a perfect superhero, he too yearned for an occasional peace and a rewarding relationship¡­


    "Hello, is this Bo Li? You¡¯re still at the lab¡­ even though it¡¯s already so late?" Yao Yuan lay on his bed and called Bo Li through his communicator. He could hear the sounds of machines in the background.


    Bo Li¡¯s reply was laced with impatience. "What do you want? I still have some data to analyze; do not disturb me if it¡¯s not something important." Yao Yuan could hear hammering happening on the other end of his line.


    Yao Yuan could picture Bo Li working in her lab. He asked directly and without hesitation, "Tomorrow¡¯s the beginning of a 5 days long holiday; didn¡¯t you say you want to see the sea? Let¡¯s go tomorrow."


    "There¡¯s a holiday tomorrow?" Bo Li asked suspiciously. "Who said so? Plus, what do holidays have to do with you? Can you possibly drop your work and accompany me to the beach?"


    "Err, I gave myself holiday as well. Ol¡¯ Wong will help me handle everything during my absence. As long as nothing serious happens, I¡¯m a free bird." Yao Yuan asked gently, "So how about it? We don¡¯t get holidays often; do you want to spend 5 days by the beach?"


    Bo Li was alone in her lab. Her only company was a floating, alien robot, the original prototype she kept. When she heard what Yao Yuan said, her mouth curved into a smile. But it quickly disappeared, and she replied emotionlessly, "Then¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll go with you to the beach if you¡¯re so lonely. There¡¯re no important experiments in these few days, after all."


    Yao Yuan almost laughed out loud. The girl was truly something else; it was her who wanted to go to the beach and play, but somehow it became him who needed company. Of course, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t comment on it, he responded, "Perfect, then you better leave the lab and go to sleep. If you¡¯re burning the midnight oil tonight, we¡¯re not going to the beach tomorrow."


    Bo Li pouted but didn¡¯t argue. She said, "Fine, I¡¯ll be sure to sleep early tonight¡­ Don¡¯t be late." Then she cut off the communication.


    Yao Yuan laughed on the other end of the phone. He knew this was how Bo Li showed her anger. Actually, in the past few months, Bo Li had been dropping hints about going to the beach, reminding him of his promise. However, due to his busy schedule, especially the things with the Black Dragons, Yao Yuan had to pretend he didn¡¯t hear her. He simply couldn¡¯t find time for her. Several rebuffs later, a miffed Bo Li closed herself up in her lab. Other than that, she would be aloof whenever he conversed with her.


    "Still a little girl¡­"


    Yao Yuan put down the communicator with a smile. Truth be told, he was not new to this game. He was a real Casanova. His unique profession meant that he had to sometimes rely on something other than his strength. Charm goes a long way as well. With his handsome features and manly image, it was easy for him to find his way into a woman¡¯s heart.


    Of course, if it wasn¡¯t a mission, he would not use these flirting techniques. Furthermore, once the mission¡¯s accomplished, he would disappear from these women¡¯s lives.


    In reverse, there were only 2 women in this life that had truly touched his heart.


    Early the next morning, Yao Yuan habitually put on his military fatigue. But then he quickly caught himself and realized that it was a holiday. He laughed at his own mistake and set the military outfit on the sofa. Then he retrieved a T-shirt and beach pants from his closet. He readied his swimming trunks and pulled on a pair of sunglasses he bought when he was on a mission in Hawaii. With the change in appearance, Yao Yuan looked like a completely different person.


    "Maybe this kind of outfit will be common from now on. After mankind has settled down on the new planet, I believe there won¡¯t be any more wars in my lifetime. A future¡­ with Bo Li?"


    Yao Yuan smoothed his hair and walked out of his room. The two Black Star Close Guards who stood guard outside his door were fazed. The first reaction for one of them was to raise his Gaussian rifle at Yao Yuan, while the other, who had a better response system, yelled, "Wait, it¡¯s the Captain. Put down your weapon!"


    Yao Yuan smiled at the two men. "The holiday started from today¡¯s dawn; why are you two still on duty?"


    The African-American soldier who raised his gun laughed awkwardly, mumbling, "The general wanted us to stand guard outside of your door until the Captain was awake. Our holiday starts tomorrow."


    Yao Yuan pushed out his hand for a handshake instead of the usual military salute. He then said, "Thank you for your service. Do go home early today and take a well-deserved rest. Remember to bring your families to the beach tomorrow, wade in the ocean, and enjoy the seafood. Maybe try a little sunbathing too. Either way, I hope you won¡¯t mind me enjoying the holiday before you do."


    The soldier stuttered awkwardly, "Of, of course. Captain deserves this holiday more than we do. Yes, yes¡­"


    Yao Yuan gave another cheerful laugh. He bid the soldiers farewell and headed towards Bo Li¡¯s room that was on the 4th floor. As he was about to knock on it, the door was pulled open by Bo Li from the other side. Her bleary eyes bulged alarmingly as she took in Yao Yuan¡¯s get-up.


    Her reaction was similar to many who saw Yao Yuan that morning. The usually brave, severe and kind Captain Yao Yuan had suddenly changed into a beach hunk. More than 100 soldiers, government workers, and scientists stared curiously at Yao Yuan, and many of them walked straight into pillars and walls.


    A faint blush rose to Bo Li¡¯s face, but she said expressionlessly, "What¡­ what you doing here so early? The sun hasn¡¯t even risen yet."


    Yao Yuan chuckled and parted the long hair that had fallen over Bo Li¡¯s face, adding, "Since we¡¯re going to the beach, we can¡¯t possibly miss out on the sunrise. I¡¯m prepared to release the stress that I¡¯ve accumulated over the past 6 years all at once today. So¡­ are you excited?"


    "I¡­ am not." Bo Li swatted Yao Yuan¡¯s hand away. She left the door open and walked back into her room, saying, "It¡¯s you who forced me to go, so I¡¯m more of a babysitter. You mentioned watching the sunrise? I would never have pegged you for a romantic."


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t say much but planted himself on her sofa. Bo Li filed away her research notes and spent another half an hour to ¡®casually¡¯ ready herself. She changed into a white tank top and short pants. Accessories-wise, she only carried a small purse. It gave her a youthful and refreshing look, but it didn¡¯t take away from her intellectual feel.


    "Alright, let¡¯s go see that sunrise."

 Chapter 214: Planning the Future

    Chapter 214: Planning the Future


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The orange sun rose up lazily from the horizon. The horizon of the sea melted seamlessly into the sky, giving the illusion that the rising sun had emerged from the sea to dye the entire world orange.


    The few thousand people on the beach were silent watching this majestic moment. It was so quiet that one would be able to hear the sound of the people breathing. After the sun completely rose above the horizon, people looked at one another and chuckled in relief, breaking up the oddly solemn atmosphere.


    On the first day of the holiday, there were at least 8,000 people gathered on the beach to watch the sunrise. There were newly-weds and young couples cuddled in each other¡¯s arms watching the sunrise together.


    This was a great moment for relaxation for many people. They could finally sigh in relief after 6 long years of extreme stress. There were tears among the smiles.


    These were tears of happiness. The crowd didn¡¯t have time to be melancholy. After the sunrise, the amount of the people on the beach gradually increased. Several business-minded people had set up little stores by the beach, selling the freshest fruits, seafood, wild game, and vegetables from the new planet. The price was three times the normal price, but after considering that everyone was still getting paid on the holidays, it was still affordable.


    Yao Yuan brought Bo Li to one of these shops after watching the sunrise. Along the way, many people saluted and bowed to him, but everyone acted within a sense of propriety. No one disturbed him on this precious holiday; they merely stood in awe and appreciation for this hero who saved them multiple times from certain death.


    Yao Yuan pulled Bo Li into the waiting line. Under the waiters¡¯ confused gaze, he ordered a light breakfast for both himself and Bo Li.


    The breakfast was simple but nutritious. Even though humanity had just started to populate this new planet, they realized that the natural resources on this planet were more than enough to feed several tens of thousands of people. The food resources gathered from this delta region to the sea were more than enough to feed the entire the Hope. Therefore, in terms of food, humanity had nothing to worry about.


    Yao Yuan gentlemanly helped Bo Li peel open the skin of a fruit called ¡®Milk Fruit.¡¯ They had a custard-esque milky-colored flesh, and they had a buttery bouquet to them. The smell alone was enough to open one¡¯s appetite. This kind of fruit was found when the gathering party ventured into the northern Frozen Needles Forest. The gathered amount was small, so the price was fairly expensive, but it was still affordable by Yao Yuan¡¯s standards.


    Bo Li blushed slightly. She used a spoon to scoop out a small piece of the fruit''s flesh. It had a consistency of ice-cream and custard, melting immediately when it hit the mouth. It left behind a refreshing, milky taste with each bite, a real alien treat. Even a normally indifferent girl like Bo Li finished the fruit in a few scoops. Then she stared straightly at the Milk Fruit on Yao Yuan¡¯s plate.


    Yao Yuan laughed jovially, peeled open his own Milk Fruit, and put it on Bo Li¡¯s plate. The girl smiled happily and Yao Yuan said, "This Milk Fruit is incredibly unique. It is a type of nut, but it has buttery flesh. Currently, only the Frozen Needles Forest at this planet¡¯s North Pole has them. Before mass plantation, even I only have 2 to 3 of them each month."


    Bo Li ignored him and focused completely on the Milk Fruit. After she finished it, she gave Yao Yuan a sudden side-eye, adding, "You¡¯re way too good at things like this. How many women have fallen for these tricks of yours? ¡­ You know what, I didn¡¯t expect the hot-blooded captain to be such a ladies¡¯ man."


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t take offense. Instead, he laughed it off. "You¡¯re right. Even though my flirting skills are nowhere near my combat skills, I¡¯m not ashamed to say they''re not bad either. At least expert level. However, this doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯m a Lothario; you know about my previous history, sometimes¡­"


    Bo Li rejoiced even though she had no idea what made her so happy. When Yao Yuan stopped in the middle of his sentence, she urged, "Sometimes¡­ what?"


    Yao Yuan came to and said, with a smile, "Oh, it¡¯s nothing. At least you should know I¡¯ve been absolutely clean after we left Earth. You¡¯re the first woman I¡¯ve invited after we got on the Hope."


    Bo Li nodded silently, took a sip of her Purple Plum Juice, and a thought flashed across her mind¡­ After we got on the Hope? Then what about before then? What happened before then?


    But the thought quickly dislodged itself. After the quick breakfast, the sun was already high up in the sky. The external temperature was about 32 degrees, perfect for a day on the beach. The sun didn¡¯t feel prickly on the skin; it was like a blanket of warmth. This was probably because the new planet¡¯s ozone layer was undamaged, free from modern pollution, so the light on this planet wasn¡¯t as dangerous as the one on ¡®Earth.¡¯ One could enjoy a day in the sun with the minimum SPF protection.


    Yao Yuan then brought Bo Li back to the beach. This time it was Bo Li who came prepared. She set down two towels and beach rugs for them to lie down on. In an inspired moment, Yao Yuan took out his top and went for a swim. After a quick round in the ocean, he came back feeling completely refreshed. He accidentally found out Bo Li¡¯s secret: she didn¡¯t know how to swim. When he asked Bo Li to join him, the girl rejected him with an annoyed expression. Yao Yuan pulled her into the ocean, but she only floated about in the area where her feet could still touch the sea bed.


    Yao Yuan noticed that Bo Li actually yearned to learn how to swim, but like a scared kitten, she didn¡¯t dare to venture into the deeper ocean. When Yao Yuan left her side, she would stealthily wade back to shore. Finally, Yao Yuan took the courage to put his arm around her waist and the both of them swam alongside each other. 10 minutes later, both returned to shore and started sunbathing.


    "Are you having fun?" Yao Yuan asked. He had on his sunglasses and had his hands behind his head. He was enjoying this rare moment of peace and quiet.


    Bo Li still had a blush on her face, but it was unknown whether it was caused by the sun or the couple¡¯s swimming session. She thought about it and said, "Yes, this is very fun. I¡¯ve always wanted to see the ocean, but there simply wasn¡¯t time¡­"


    Yao Yuan was silent before asking, "After the incident on the space station, I rushed to Beijing to find you and your mother, but two of you had disappeared. What happened then?"


    Bo Li¡¯s body visibly shook. Finally, she said icily, "¡­ I was still too young then, so I can¡¯t remember anything."


    Yao Yuan sighed inaudibly. Suddenly, he pushed out his hand to straighten Bo Li¡¯s hair, adding, "Alright, it¡¯s no use fixating on the past anyway. We¡¯re out today to have fun; it¡¯s my fault for bringing that up. I promise you you¡¯ll have a future full of happiness, so let¡¯s not dwell on the past."


    This time Bo Li didn¡¯t swat Yao Yuan¡¯s hands away. She lowered her head and asked, "A future full of happiness¡­ What about you? What are your plans for the future?"


    Yao Yuan answered, "Naturally, after the human government is formed, I expect I¡¯ll be in power for at least the next 100 years. This is the best option for all the parties involved. 100 years is not a short period of time. At least 4 new generations of babies will be born. That is enough to ensure humanity¡¯s future¡­


    "I predict that in the next 50 years, humanity¡¯s population will increase to about 5,000,000 people. Of course, this might seem to be an astronomical number when we look at our current statistics, so in the next decade, after the new capital is ready and the societal structure has stabilized, I plan to use the sperm and ovum bank. With the combined numbers of both natural and clinical births, we should be able to reach 5,000,000 people. This is the early part of the plan.


    "The middle part, after we¡¯ve reached the population target, is time for colonization and development. Of course, I¡¯m personally against colonizing this beautiful planet; I think we should keep it as natural as possible. So when the time comes, I will suggest we colonize the moon or other planets, building space stations or alien bases. At the same time, effort will go into constructing massive spaceships. Of course, the Academy will be given all the resources necessary to make inroads into the 4th revolution technology, and hopefully, in the next 100 years, humanity will be able to enter the peak of 4th industrial revolution."


    Bo Li asked rather impatiently, "That¡¯s all? What about your personal future?"


    Yao Yuan guffawed. He pushed out his hand again, but instead of tousling Bo Li¡¯s hair, he reached for her hand, saying, "For the next 100 years, or as long as I may live¡­ would you experience it together with me? Holding each other¡¯s hands just like this."


    At that moment, Bo Li¡¯s face became as red as a ripe apple¡­

 Chapter 215: One and a Half Year and Founding Ceremony

    Chapter 215: One and a Half Year and Founding Ceremony


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Time flies. It has been one and a half year ever since the wars with the mother nest¡­


    In this year and a half, the foundation of the new capital was completed. There were 4 residential areas, the Human Plaza in the middle of the capital, the planned commerce streets, administrative streets, tourism centers, and other empty spaces reserved for future plans and uses. The new capital was huge, covering a huge plot of land, not something that could be explained with a few lines of words.


    Other than the capital''s construction, the other major advancement was weapons development. Even though Yao Yuan believed there would not be another major war within his lifetime, or at least in 100 years, it didn¡¯t mean that the cosmos was a safe space.


    After they left Earth, the people of the Hope learned a valuable lesson that there were dangers hiding everywhere in space. It might be natural, manmade, or alien-made. The whole cosmos was a veritable battlefield. Survival of the fittest, that was the iron rule of the cosmos. Even though the chance of civil war was low, having a strong enough army and weapons for the sake of defense was necessary. This was agreed upon by more than 90 percent of the population.


    In the past year and a half, one-fifth of the productivity was used in war industry. Mines were set up all over the new planet, and then the ores were smelted down by the robots to produce 4th revolution weaponry and siege engines.


    Today, mankind had produced 5 Heaven¡¯s Clouds. Each of them was 300 meters tall and 200 meters wide. They could float aboveground for 200 meters, came equipped with a high-voltage supermagnetic shield, an internal polymerized reactor, and every single one of them was capable of two-fifths of the Hope¡¯s firepower. In other words, if their power was pooled, it would be like having 2 Hopes!


    There was also a new on-the-ground siege engine. It looked like a mechanical spider, so it was dubbed the Spider Tank. It had 2 Gaussian rotating cannons, could carry 4 passengers, and similarly had an electromagnetic shield. Its maximum speed on land was 160 kilometers per hour and it could adapt easily to rough terrains. It was about 6 meters tall and 3.5 meters wide. The Hope currently had 360 of them, mostly for the Defense Unit¡¯s use.


    In terms of air force, the Hope manufactured a simplified version of Space Combat Jet Prototype 003. It could be used within and outside of the ozone layer. Its speed was only one-fifth the speed of space combat jet, but that was already the limit for normal pilot. There were about 300 of these jets in total, and all of them were for the Defense Unit.


    Lastly were the three unfinished space battleships¡­


    Each battleship was about 1,700 meters long, 650 meters wide and 400 meters tall. They each came equipped with a polymerized reactor, a cavalcade of Gaussian heavy artilleries, and anti-gravitational system. Other than that, they could also act as a temporary base and garage for Space Combat Jet Prototype 003s.


    Humanity¡¯s technology was at the middle of 4th industrial revolution, so it was a stretch handling both weapons manufacturing, construction of the new capital, and these three battleships. The focus was on the previous two, so there was only a frame for each of the three battleships. It would need at least another 2 and a half years before they could be completed.


    This concludes the technological and military update on humanity. Next are the societal updates.


    The 17 Six-legged Black Dragons had completely melted into the human society. Through daily feeding and interaction, a bond had slowly but surely formed. In the past one and a half years'' worth of research, the Academy found out that the Black Dragons possessed intelligence equal to a 4 or 5-yea- old child. However, with daily intake of saltwater fish, their intelligence could evolve further. The analysis result showed that when the Black Dragons¡¯ scales became completely white, they would have intelligence similar to an 8 or 9-year-old human child.


    That was scary enough because it meant that they could learn and understand human speech. They could identify more than a thousand words, solve simple logic puzzles, and differentiate between good and evil. After this research result was published, there was a group of people who was worried that the six-legged Black Dragons would one day develop their own civilization and pose a threat to humanity.


    If they had ill intentions against humanity, with their growing intelligence and frightening physical strength, humanity would be completely wiped out¡­


    However, accompanying that report was another that squelched this growing fear. The other report said the Hope¡¯s government already possessed something that could counter the Black Dragons¡¯ uprising. It was a virus that could shut down the enzyme within the Dragons¡¯ blood stream. The virus was harmless to human contact but was lethal to the Black Dragons. With the presence of this ultimate weapon, the worry instantly dissipated.


    The Dragons¡¯ high intelligence meant that they could communicate better with humanity and provide more services to mankind.


    Currently, there were 46 Black Dragons and 3 baby Black Dragons living alongside humanity. The Black Dragon couple that first gained contact with mankind already had their scales turned to a light brown color. However, the discoloration speed had visibly decreased. Maybe the intelligence growth was less conspicuous after adulthood.


    In comparison, the baby dragons that had saltwater fish ever since they were born had scaly bodies that were as white as snow. From daily interaction, it was also observable that they were highly intelligent. Simultaneously, they showcased high reliance on mankind. It was only natural, because the first creature they saw when they opened their eyes were human beings, and it was also human beings who fed them every day. Therefore, if there was no accident, the baby dragons would be loyal to humanity for as long as they may live, especially since they had such high intelligence.


    The capital¡¯s defense walls were reinforced with support from the 46 adult Black Dragons. They guarded the area like how they guarded their territory, fierce and unyielding. Sometimes, they would even join the Defense Unit or Black Star Troopers on their patrol, and the only thing they asked for in return was a daily supply of saltwater fish¡­


    On the other hand, human society was developing smoothly. In the past one and a half years, a new batch of babies was born. There were about ten thousand of them. Therefore, there were positions like teachers, babysitters, and nurses that needed to be filled. The government helped by building more hospitals and schools.


    The only thing that marred this great period of wealth and satisfaction was the enlarged Confinement Order. The Confinement Order banned those without permission from going beyond the capital walls. It irked the scientists that couldn¡¯t get clearance and civilians that wanted to go hunting on the weekends.


    Initially, everything was fine, but human beings are creatures that yearn for open space. With the increase in the Black Dragons¡¯ numbers and increasing knowledge of the new planet¡¯s flora and fauna, the demand for the removal of the Confinement Order was getting louder and louder. It was only second to the cries for a founding ceremony¡­


    Yao Yuan sat at the head of the conference table. Before him were representatives from the Academy, Workshop, Barracks, and various government organizations. There were also people of influence from the House of Representatives and the Treasury. There were only in total about 30 people, but they represented every aspect of human society.


    This was because the meeting was about the important event that was happening tomorrow. An event that would be one for the history books, something the public had been waiting for. It was the founding ceremony!


    "¡­ That¡¯s basically the program for tomorrow. You can refer to the printed document for details. It will begin by the concluding speeches of various departments, then my own speech. After that, it¡¯s the marching ceremony and the fiesta celebration. This day every year will be our new country¡¯s national day. Is there anything anyone would like to add?" Yao Yuan asked the room.


    Everyone had already finished reading the document that was set before them. In truth, preparations for the Founding Ceremony had started more than half a year ago. Tomorrow would be the fruition, so everything that needed to be said had been said. However, a representative suddenly said, "Captain, there is nothing more worth discussing, but there are two points that worry me. One is your designation. The title ''chancellor'' is a bit¡­"


    Yao Yuan shook his head, saying, "This is a non-issue. We¡¯re a new government on a new planet; whatever the title represented back on old Earth has no relation to what it is now."


    The representative nodded his head before adding, "The second issue is the Confinement Order. We all know that the crux of the issue is gun legislation. Captain is going to abolish the Confinement Order tomorrow, but the issue of gun ownership¡­"


    "We allow civilian-used Gaussian pistols and Gaussian hunting rifles," Yao Yuan interrupted. "We can¡¯t violate the people¡¯s right to owning firearms. The key is not allowing military grade firearms for public use. Of course, a lot of amendments are required before it can be listed as law. It¡¯s not something we can come to a conclusion within just a short meeting."


    The representative thought about it and concurred.


    Yao Yuan addressed the room, "Alright, if there¡¯s nothing else, the meeting ends here. Tomorrow¡­


    "Will be our new government¡¯s Founding Ceremony!"

 Chapter 216: Politics

    Chapter 216: Politics


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The highlight of the Founding Ceremony was, of course, the marching ceremony. There were the nine impressive-looking groups of Black Star Troopers, the smart Defense Unit soldiers, Spider Tanks, Space Combat Jet Prototype 003s, and coming up at the rear, the Heaven¡¯s Clouds.


    These were all very exciting. Many civilians only found out then how powerful mankind¡¯s technology had become. It was a rude wake up call for those that thought humanity¡¯s technology was still stuck in the 3rd revolution.


    "We¡¯ve been through a lot. When we escaped Earth, we couldn¡¯t see hope for our future because humanity was forced to leave the planet that had nurtured our civilization. The cosmos was too dangerous, so much so that we could be wiped out at any time. However, we¡¯ve stuck out despite the challenges and tribulations until today, and now we¡¯re standing firm on this new planet! We¡¯ve found our future!"


    This was Yao Yuan giving his speech at the front of the Human Plaza. The atmosphere was solemn. Everyone listened quietly, lost in their thoughts. Maybe the newborns and children who were only less than 5 years old when they got on the Hope couldn¡¯t understand it, but all the adults shared the same belief. A lot of sacrifices had to be made for them to have what they had that day. Everything was precious.


    "Let us celebrate and let us not forget! I announce¡­


    "The start of a new human government!"


    The plaza erupted into a thunderous applause. People cheered on the top of their lungs. People who didn¡¯t know each other hugged, and some elders even started weeping tears of joy. They¡¯d been waiting for a long time for this day to come.


    After the cheering died down, Yao Yuan¡¯s voice rang across the plaza again, "Other than that, the Confinement Order is officially abolished starting from today! However, for your safety, do carry your firearms when you venture out . Of course, this requires H-coins and a firearms permit¡­"


    Just like that, the Founding Ceremony drew to a close. The whole process was recorded by 10 cameras, to be kept as important data for the future. Of course, the day wasn¡¯t only kept in the video tape and central mainframe, it lived on within the people¡¯s hearts. No one would ever forget this momentous day. They told themselves, after they were old, that they must share this story with their grandchildren so that the memory would live on forever through the continuity of humanity¡­


    Following the completion of the Founding Ceremony was the construction of the Yao Yuan-led new government. This time the organization was more official. It mirrored Earth¡¯s old governmental structure by introducing crucial ministries like the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Civil Service, Ministry of Law, and the like¡­


    In terms of a state system, Yao Yuan opted for semi centralization of power and semi-democracy. With him as the chancellor, Yao Yuan had absolute right over politics, military, and most governmental agencies. He had the right to exact, propose, and veto any laws. In other words, the power of the new government was centered around one man, Yao Yuan himself. His power was akin to the emperors of ancient China.


    This unusual centralization of power attracted much attention. Even with Yao Yuan¡¯s enormous prestige and reputation, more than 100 people came to him with opinions and persuasions. Most surprisingly, Guang Zhen was part of this party. According to Guang Zhen, since Yao Yuan didn¡¯t have such an audacious ambition, there was no reason for him to hold on to such a huge chunk of power. In his opinion, Yao Yuan only needed absolute military power. He needed to practice more delegation of power.


    Power delegation was the natural course of things. After all, it was already the 21st century. The 4th industrial revolution had restructured the whole system of society. Autocracy was no longer possible unless it was demanded by extreme situations like when the Hope was travelling through space or when humanity was faced with the threat of extinction. If Yao Yuan wanted to adopt autocracy at this time of peace, it was not unlikely that he would be overthrown. After all, even within the Defense Unit and Black Star Troopers, only his comrades in the Black Star Unit were supportive of Yao Yuan¡¯s centralization of power. Their worry was not unfounded. While Yao Yuan was a kind ruler, who could guarantee his successor would be the same? By then, only anarchy could overthrow the ruler for its citizens to regain freedom.


    Regarding this point, Yao Yuan had thought long and hard about it. However, autocracy and power delegation were two different things. People would appreciate if things went from severity to leniency instead of the other way round. This was the truth that Yao Yuan believed in.


    After the general frame of the new government had settled in, Yao Yuan enlarged the House of Representatives¡¯ power spectrum. Other than military details, they had advisory and consultative right over most things. In other words, Yao Yuan abolished the senate, allowing the House of Representatives to take over the senate¡¯s function. This way, Yao Yuan also cut off the possibility of people using their money or influence to buy the post of a politician.


    Simultaneously, the citizens¡¯ power also increased. Naturally, other than the law pertaining to the military, every citizen had a vote to veto the proposed legislation even if it was one that had been passed by the House of Representatives. If the legislation was rejected three times, then the person who proposed the legislation would be removed from the House.


    The power of the judiciary was separated. The Supreme Court was an isolated presence from the government and House of Representatives. The chancellor didn¡¯t have the right to elect the Supreme Court judge for life; this right went to the citizens via public voting¡­


    Other than that, the honorary medals of hero, guardian, warrior, and defender could be awarded to living members of the society depending on the situation. Whenever one was awarded one of these medals, he or she would enter the House of Representatives as an honorary representative. This role would be for life and he or she wouldn¡¯t have to join the election that happened every 4 years.


    The new government currently was still a melting pot. Basically, it absorbed all the benefits from old Earth¡¯s different governing styles. Simultaneously, the constitution for the new government was still in the works. It was a giant underworking, currently involving 1,400 individuals. The outline was expected to be finished in the next 5 years. Editing would be allowed after that.


    After Yao Yuan announced these changes, the worried citizens and army sighed in relief. Even though Yao Yuan still held a great amount of power, it was balanced out by the increased power of the House of Representatives. Furthermore, since mankind¡¯s population was still low, pretty much every family had a member who was enrolled in the Defense Unit. Therefore, the citizens weren¡¯t that afraid of a military takeover. However, no one could tell what the future would bring. After all, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The people had seen many such examples.


    A month after the Founding Ceremony, the House of Representatives, who had its power enlarged, started demonstrating its newfound power¡­


    "Mr. Speaker! I am adamantly against the Logging Order! We cannot repeat the devastation of nature on this new planet, we need to protect its natural ecosystem!"


    This was a hearing on the Logging Order. A few reporters showcased a series of pictures, and the pictures were about the devastating effect the Logging Order had on the planet¡¯s environment.


    Every single picture was taken from a bird¡¯s eye view. The few reporters, or more accurately, photographers, framed the ruined jungle-scape perfectly. Viewed from the above, the blackened patch of forest looked like an unsightly, bald patch. The originally lush prehistoric jungle was rendered barren by fire. The images were particularly dreadful for the people who had experienced the effects of pollution firsthand when they were on Earth.


    So far, Speaker Matt hadn¡¯t said anything during the hearing. He stared silently at the few people who kept on giving inflammatory statements. Of course, he knew who these people were. They were responsible for the cries of dissatisfaction that arose when the Hope was still in the air, saying that the government wanted to lock them up. Politics¡­ was a world in the shades of gray. There was no absolute right or wrong, and there was always a bigger motive behind everything.


    Matt was a senior in the world of politics. In the entire House of Representatives, he was one of the rare few politician-by-trades from Earth. He chuckled inwardly, realizing that these few people wanted to have a game of politics with him. They were still too young to challenge him. With this one hearing, he understood what they were going for¡­


    These people wanted to try out the range of the power in their hands. They wanted to test for Yao Yuan¡¯s reaction using a harmless legislation. The Logging Order was part of environmental protection law; it had nothing to with civil law, administration, or military. They wanted to try for Yao Yuan¡¯s reaction from this angle. The worst that could happen was having the bill denied. However, if Yao Yuan could compromise, then they would surround him like sharks that smelled blood. It would allow them the opening to demand for more and more. Of course, the demands wouldn¡¯t be out of line, but what they wanted was a precedent, a beginning.


    Furthermore, the Logging Order still had something to do with the military. Even though the House of Representatives had its power enlarged, there was still a segment they couldn¡¯t touch: the military. However, if they could do something about the Logging Order, this meant that it was entirely possible to send their feelers into the military and from there, undermine Yao Yuan¡¯s absolute hold over the military¡­


    These people¡¯s intention was clear as day to Matt. But he didn¡¯t want to get himself involved in this mess. These dummies had no clue where Yao Yuan¡¯s power came from. Did they seriously think all that power was simply because he was the captain or the military¡¯s top general? No, it was the support of the common people. Tens of thousands of people, Matt included, respected Yao Yuan as a person. He was like a great person listed in the history books, his position unshakable. There was no way the power of the government was going to change while he was still alive!


    However¡­


    Maybe the action of these few dummies would be the perfect chance to test whether Yao Yuan would follow the rules. The worst thing one could do in politics was reckless rule-breaking. In a way, they were lucky the rules were created by Yao Yuan himself, because it meant that it would be unlikely for him to break his own rules. Then again¡­ it wouldn¡¯t hurt to know for sure. This would be that perfect chance to find out.


    "¡­The House of Representatives agreed via majority voting that the Logging Order couldn¡¯t be revoked due to its relation to the alien mother nest, but the methods could be changed. For example, a quarantine area could be set up around the affected area for more in-depth investigation to ascertain the situation of the alien cell remains¡­"


    The bill didn¡¯t completely reject the Logging Order but introduced possible changes to it. After the bill was passed, it was arrived at Yao Yuan¡¯s table that afternoon.

 Chapter 217: The Past

    Chapter 217: The Past


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Logging Order was eventually changed even though the change didn¡¯t exactly follow the House of Representatives¡¯ suggestion. Every spot that was suspected to harbor remains of the mother nest would be checked at least three times before burning. Simultaneously, after burning, the spot would be set up as quarantine.


    After several days of anxious waiting, the House of Representatives sighed greatly in relief because after all, the Logging Order did change. However, this was as far as things went. Those in the game of politics were highly patient people, and doing things in moderation was the sign of a good political player. Vigorous pursuit was not politics; that¡¯s public pressure.


    Yao Yuan too felt relieved in the days following that. After the optimization of the human government, he was only needed to guide the people down a key direction; the miscellaneous duties were passed on to government workers. This way, even though human society in general had gotten busier, he, on the other hand, had received more spare time. He only worked for five to six hours every day.


    Yao Yuan finally had his own private time.


    He used this precious time to go on walks or picnics with Bo Li, go fishing with Guang Zhen and gang, or he might get off work already to enjoy a relaxing afternoon accompanied by tea and a good book. His bookshelf was filled with historical dramas, war stories, and crime stories.


    It was worth mentioning that about half a year ago, Yao Yuan had already semi-moved in with Bo Li. This meant that the couple would move in together on the days of the month when they were most free. Normally, they would carry on with their busy schedules. Therefore, it could only be called semi-move in.


    Today, Bo Li left her lab early to visit the biology lab. When she arrived, Ivan was ordering a few interns to set up some experiment equipment. When he saw Bo Li, he waved a nearby researcher over and had him take over guiding the interns while Ivan went to Bo Li.


    "Professor Bo Li, please follow me to my personal office; there are too many people out here." Ivan smiled before leading Bo Li to a room deeper in the biology lab.


    Bo Li followed Ivan wordlessly into his office. After both of them were seated on the sofa, Ivan said, "Professor Bo Li, I¡¯ve tested the two blood samples you¡¯ve given me. Genetically, they are fine; there shouldn¡¯t be an issue of infertility. Based on the results, this male and female are in the pink of their health. Of course, if you want a more in-depth report, it¡¯s best that you present to me the sperm and ovum samples."


    Bo Li frowned slightly, adding, "No, that¡¯s more than enough. Thank you, Professor Ivan." In between words, she had stood up and extended her hand.


    Ivan took her hand and shook it, saying, "I¡¯m glad to be able to be of help. Do come get me if you need anything in the future. By the way, you and the Captain are getting married by the end of this year, right? It¡¯s early, but congratulations. I¡¯ll be sure to attend the ceremony."


    Bo Li forced a smile before leaving the biology lab. After the door closed behind her, she felt her heart shatter. It was a hard-to-describe feeling, like she had been lied to¡­


    Yes, Bo Li had done the deed with Yao Yuan half a year ago. They were especially inseparable in the beginning few days. And then there were the visits that continued to happen every month. Bo Li purposely counted to have their "encounters" on her non-safe days, but half a year later, she was still not pregnant. Finally, she had no choice but to go to Yao Yuan for an answer. His reply was that he was naturally infertile.


    Bo Li swiped Yao Yuan¡¯s blood sample without him knowing and asked Ivan to have it tested. She passed him hers to have it tested as well. This was the result she received¡­


    Bo Li stood in front of the lab for quite some time until she finally came to a decision. She waved down an electromobile and rode it to the Barracks¡¯ headquarters, the Pentagon.


    The Pentagon was a hidden location for normal citizens. They were not allowed entry. Bo Li, though, had a high security clearance. A Homo Evolutis, the mind behind Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 and much Gaussian weaponry, and her relationship with Yao Yuan was already half open, so when she arrived, the guards didn¡¯t stop her. She strode directly to Guang Zhen¡¯s office.


    When Bo Li pushed open Guang Zhen¡¯s office''s door, he was in the middle of a conversation with a middle-aged soldier. Surprise was apparent on Guang Zhen¡¯s face when Bo Li walked in. He quickly finished his conversation with the soldier, escorted him out, and had Bo Li sit on the sofa.


    Before Guang Zhen could say anything, Bo Li jumped the gun, "Uncle Wong... Help me."


    Guang Zhen was taken back before smiling. "You¡¯re finally willing to admit your real identity? Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t treat you differently because of your family background. Chou¡¯s deeds have nothing to do with you. Plus, when we get to the bottom of it, he was our comrade." Guang Zhen sighed before continuing, "No one could have known he would end up that way; it¡¯s no one¡¯s fault. The last time you called me Uncle Wong was when you were six¡­ time flies. Anyway, how can I help you? Bo Li, I will help if it¡¯s within my capability, so don¡¯t hesitate to tell me."


    Bo Li got teary-eyed all of a sudden. She lowered her head to collect herself. When she lifted it again, she was already her usual aloof self. "Uncle Wong, I want to know about Yao Yuan¡¯s past. He lied to me that he¡¯s infertile even though the test results came back otherwise. Has he taken the vasectomy surgery? Or¡­ am I just a fling for him?"


    This was another shock for Guang Zhen. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly caught himself. Some time later, he sighed and said, "Bo Li, you¡¯re putting me in a very rough spot. If Yao Yuan knew it was me who revealed his past, then he would have me skinned¡­"


    "He won¡¯t," Bo Li replied seriously. "He is not an unreasonable person. He is in the wrong for lying to me. I deserve the truth; why did he lie to me? At least until I¡¯m privy to the whole truth, I¡¯m not certain I can even forgive him. I can¡¯t ask him, because I don¡¯t want to see him right now."


    Guang Zhen gave a long sigh before coming to a conclusion. "I guess I won¡¯t be able to look him in the face after this¡­ Alright, Bo Li, since you are willing to call me Uncle Wong again, I¡¯ll tell you everything I know about his past, but I can¡¯t help with the details beyond that.


    "That time, he was still the Black Star Unit¡¯s captain and I was the vice-captain¡­"


    Yao Yuan was born into a family of aristocrats. Logically, he should enter the world of politics when he became older. However, because of multiple political missteps, the power of his family slowly dwindled. Since this was not the 20th century, you couldn¡¯t have a whole family exiled or killed. Their power may have dwindled, but resurgence in power was entirely possible.


    Under that circumstance, the best future for Yao Yuan was no longer politics but military.


    His natural talent in combat, incredible power of observation, and the inborn leadership from his aristocratic background were slowly honed in the military. Eventually, he was conscripted into the Black Star Unit. After the old captain retired due to combat injuries, he was the best pick to lead the Black Star Unit.


    Yao Yuan showcased incredible performance. The Black Star Unit rose out of anonymity in the next two to three years to the stage where it could stand toe to toe with the other Dragon special unit. Slowly but surely, the missions that fell into Black Star Unit¡¯s hands got increasingly more difficult and closer to the center of the power structure.


    And during one of our escort missions, he met the granddaughter of a minister that was then at the top of the political hierarchy.


    Guang Zhen elaborated as he went down memory lane, "With Yao Yuan¡¯s good looks and impressive physique from army training, he could get any woman he wanted. Before he met the granddaughter, he had charmed his way through many missions. If he put his heart into it, almost any woman, no matter their age, would fall for him¡­"


    Of course, after that, Yao Yuan coupled up with the granddaughter. Guang Zhen didn¡¯t go into their romantic details and Bo Li didn¡¯t ask; both of them skirted around the sensitive topic expertly. When Guang Zhen continued, the time had skipped to when the girl became pregnant with his child. When this thing was revealed to the world, Yao Yuan was mistaken by the minister and his family that he impregnated the girl because he intended to use her as a tool to regain his family¡¯s standing.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s situation was actually very dangerous, as he could be assassinated at any time. Many of his close friends advised him to make himself scarce. With his ability, he could easily hide himself to a stage where even the leader of the Dragon special units wouldn¡¯t be able to locate him. However, he chose to stay to nurture this impossible relationship. The girl was under house lockdown at that point. She was ordered to go through an abortion. Many things happened after that, Guang Zhen explained those in broad strokes. It was obvious that he was still cautious about certain things. He was reluctant to reveal the nitty-gritty of things.


    Bo Li kept the same emotionless appearance. Since Guang Zhen refused to go into the detail, she didn¡¯t want to press. She merely asked, "Then what happened? Did they¡­ end up together?"


    "Of course not," Guang Zhen said bitterly. "Or he wouldn¡¯t be so lonely now. The granddaughter¡­ died when she was in her second trimester¡­"

 Chapter 218: Not Her Replacement

    Chapter 218: Not Her Replacement


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan was in a fine mood today because the six-legged Black Dragons had given birth to another baby dragon. Maybe it had something to do with the change in their diet, but the total number of baby dragons now had reached three. Combined with the one Yao Yuan found, humanity now had four baby dragons. They would be great assets to mankind in the future.


    As long as the baby dragon was raised by human, then they would have a natural intimacy towards human beings. This intimacy would follow them for life. Even though it might decrease their feral nature and thus lower their combat power, the six-legged Black Dragons didn¡¯t completely depend on their feral nature to be such an imposing presence on the battlefield. They had their naturally impressive physical prowess for that. Therefore, not being raised in the wild was not an issue. If this was how things went, in the next 100 years, or at least while Yao Yuan was still alive, complete taming of the Black Dragon was entirely possible.


    Buoyed by this good mood, Yao Yuan specially went to purchase one kilogram of Milk Fruit. It cost him five days¡¯ worth of salary. This was one of the few favorite foods Bo Li liked. When he thought about how Bo Li¡¯s face would light up when she saw the Milk Fruit, the splurge was be worth it.


    When Yao Yuan arrived home, Bo Li was making dinner, a simple, home-cooked meal with some of Yao Yuan¡¯s favorite foods. When he saw this, his heart warmed. He was comforted by a sense of belonging. No matter how difficult it was outside, it would be safe and welcoming when one was home. This was something he would use his life to protect.


    However, his heart skipped a violent beat when he saw Bo Li¡¯s face. After all, the two of them had been officially together for half a year. If calculated from the beginning, the period of time they spent in each other¡¯s close company was about one and a half years. They were familiar with each other to the point where one could tell the other¡¯s mood from their expressions and demeanor.


    At that moment, Yao Yuan saw anger, disappointment, and determination on Bo Li¡¯s face. He had a bad feeling when he remembered their most recent conversation.


    "Err¡­" Yao Yuan sat himself at the table, picked up a big bowl of rice, hesitated, finally forced a smile, and said, "What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t look so happy; is something from the lab bothering you? Or you¡¯re not feeling well? By the way, I bought your favorite Milk Fruit¡­"


    Bo Li interrupted him, "Let¡¯s have dinner first. We need to have a serious talk after it."


    The usually assertive Yao Yuan was cowed by guilt. He nodded anxiously and started eating. As he shoveled the food into his mouth, he kept trying to figure out why Bo Li was angry, what she would want to discuss, and how to handle that prickly discussion¡­ like the issue of pregnancy that she recently brought up.


    After Bo Li cleaned the table, she told Yao Yuan directly, "I want to get pregnant and have children together with you. Can you promise me that?"


    Yao Yuan had prepared many different scripts in his mind, but at that moment, he stumbled. After an uncomfortable silence, he uttered, "But I can¡¯t have¡­"


    "Yes, you can." Bo Li interrupted him again, saying calmly, "Yes, you can. Will you please stop lying to me? It¡¯ll only lower you in my eyes. I only need a promise today, or tell me truthfully why you did this to me. Don¡¯t feed me any more lies."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s heart skipped another beat. He was certain Bo Li had found out about some things, but that was no longer important. Who told her, what she knew, all these were frivolous details. At the end of the day, he was in the wrong, so he couldn¡¯t blame it on others. Therefore, after some consideration, he came clean. "It¡¯s not my intention to deceive you, but can you give me more time about on the issue of children? I believe both of us need a bit more time to prepare ourselves¡­"


    Bo Li launched into her question immediately, "Then how long? Five years? Or ten years? Or one hundred years? It took you that long to fulfill the promise you made to bring me to the beach; what about this one?"


    "¡­"


    Yao Yuan was speechless. He sat there quietly even though he had many things he wanted to say. Finally, he sighed tiredly, "Can you please give me a little more time? For me to forget the pain and start anew¡­"


    Bo Li suddenly walked to Yao Yuan¡¯s side and pulled him in for a hug. She leaned her head on her heart, saying, "I don¡¯t want you to forget your past. If we erase everything that has happened to us, then what are we? I¡¯m not forcing you to forget it ever happened, because that made you who you are today¡­ and I¡¯m deeply in love with the Yao Yuan I see before me. I don¡¯t implore you to suppress your past for my sake. Instead, I wish for you to draw strength from it to accept a different future, to accept me and our child¡­"


    "¡­Our child¡­"


    Suddenly, these few familiar words rang in Yao Yuan¡¯s mind. His expression changed immediately. Shaking his head wildly, he said, "Hong, you can¡¯t possibly give birth to this child. Hong, listen to me¡­"


    "Hong?"


    Bo Li repeated the unfamiliar name. She pulled herself away from Yao Yuan. She stared at the man before her and despair crashed over her like a tsunami. Her heart was being pulled apart. Even when she received news about her father¡¯s death, she didn¡¯t feel this way. That was because her father was at a terminal stage of cancer, so even if he didn¡¯t die by Yao Yuan¡¯s hands, he would eventually die from the disease several months later.


    A simple word shook Bo Li¡¯s normally indifferent heart. She felt her heart shattering into fragile pieces. Her eyes were red, but no tears seemed to come.


    "I don¡¯t know what to say anymore, Yao Yuan. The memories of the things that we¡¯ve been through flooded my mind; the time we met, the arguments we had on the Hope, the time you jokingly awarded me 250 H-coins, our altercation on the battlefield, and most recently, the wonderful day we spent on the beach. I really love you, and I want to spend our lives together, hopefully with a family of our own, but¡­ but¡­


    "Yao Yuan, I¡¯m not her replacement¡­"


    After saying those words, Bo Li turned and left. The moment she turned her head away from him, her tears fell like chain of pearls, breaking into pieces when they hit the ground¡­


    Yao Yuan raised his hand weakly as if trying to grab at something, but all he got was air. He couldn¡¯t even say a word. He slummed back down on his chair. After Bo Li had left the room, he mumbled softly, "No, you¡¯re not her replacement. You¡¯re really not¡­"


    Alas, it was already too late¡­


    That night, Yao Yuan carried a few bottles of spirit to the beach alone. It was the spot where he once saw the sunrise with Bo Li. By now, the stretch of beach had added many public amenities, like a freshwater showers, changing areas, parasols, and beach lounge renting places. As people settled into a comfortable rhythm, conveniences like these tended to spring up.


    While Yao Yuan was drinking himself into a stupor, about ten Defense Unit soldiers and two Black Star Troopers were patrolling the area. It was not that Yao Yuan requested for their presence, but the rule of the new capital stated that no one was allowed outside of the city after night fell. Today was the first time Yao Yuan had used his Chancellor¡¯s special privilege, the first time he violated his own rules. Therefore, the night patrols assigned a few soldiers to escort Yao Yuan, to ensure his safety.


    After half an hour, a group of people approached from a distance away. After the patrols realized it was Guang Zhen leading a small troop of Defense Unit soldiers, they let their guards down. Guang Zhen saluted the patrols and left them to their devices. He sat down beside Yao Yuan, grabbed one of the bottles, and took a small gulp.


    "Hmm, this is Lao Bai Gan [1]. Rich bouquet and goes down smoothly; this must be a recent brew," Guang Zhen commented after he wiped his mouth.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t reply. He took up his own bottle and clinked it against Guang Zhen¡¯s before tossing it back.


    Guang Zhen sipped on the liquor to steel his determination. "Ol¡¯ Yao, it¡¯s me who told Bo Li¡­ about your past. I¡¯m sorry, I really didn¡¯t know it would end up like this, I really¡­"


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "This is not your fault, Ol¡¯ Wong. I deceived her first. I planned to tell her a few years in why I couldn''t have a child with her, but I underestimated her autonomy¡­ In any case, I guess this is the end for us. It might be better this way."


    Guang Zhen took another heavy gulp of the spirit. He eyed the soldiers, and after making sure they were out of earshot, he whispered, "But don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t reveal your biggest secret¡­ About how you¡¯re a genetic clone¡­"


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Like I said, it worked out better for the both of us. She deserves better than what I can give her. I don¡¯t want to deprive her of the joy of motherhood¡­"


    Guang Zhen laughed bitterly because he had no idea what else he could say. After another sip of the liquor, he added, "Right, after Bo Li came to me today, I ran a check on her recent activities and realized that she passed your blood sample over to Ivan for testing. Don¡¯t worry, because I have asked someone to deal with the sample over at Ivan¡¯s¡­ But Ol¡¯ Yao, technology is constantly advancing, so don¡¯t worry too much. Maybe when we reach the height of 4th revolution, our genetic technology will be powerful enough to fix the natural flaw of your cloned body, so¡­"


    Before Yao Yuan could reply, about ten soldiers rushed over. Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen recognized the one leading as one of the leaders for the Space Surveillance Department. He was a second-lieutenant, so part of the Barracks. Seeing his anxious arrival, Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen looked at one another and stood up in a hurry.


    "Captain! We found, we found¡­"


    The second-lieutenant started yelling even before he got near.


    Yao Yuan ran to meet him and told him to stop talking. He had Guang Zhen move the surrounding soldiers away before he asked the second-lieutenant, "Why? What happened? Don¡¯t worry, tell me softly. Remember the confidentiality clause."


    The blanched second-lieutenant said, in a barely audible whisper, "A neutron star fragment suddenly appeared outside of the solar system and¡­


    "According to the calculations by the central mainframe, it will collide with the sun in the next three years!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] Laobaigan is one proverbial brand of Chinese liquor.

 Chapter 219: Despair

    Chapter 219: Despair


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Neutron star fragment¡­


    This was a term that was both familiar and strange to humanity. It was because of this thing that mankind had to leave Earth, their home planet. They were forced to venture into space with 3rd revolution technology. This thing had about 99 percent fatality rate!


    In the Academy, there were many committees studying the appearance of neutron star fragment, but the analyses was going nowhere. After all, mankind hadn¡¯t even seen a neutron star before. All the analysis was purely theoretical.


    The supposed neutron star is a stellar object that is denser than the sun. After its internal gaseous atoms, like hydrogen, fuse upon themselves to form heavy metals like carbon, the extremely high mass of the metallic atoms collapses upon itself due to its strong intra-gravitational pull. The atoms undergo a nuclear reaction to become compound nuclei. The mass of each nucleus can be calculated in terms of million tons. The star implodes upon itself but hasn¡¯t reached an inflated state where it becomes a black hole. At this stage, the star is called a neutron star.


    A neutron star is a substance with a ridiculously high density. Other than the black hole, the substance with the biggest density per unit volume is the neutron star. Its tensile strength is incredible. Comparing it to diamond is like comparing gold and air; they¡¯re not even at the same level.


    This was why it was hard to believe a neutron star fragment was even a possibility.


    Even if the Academy had diagnosed it from many angles like gravitational pull and density, and confirmed that it was indeed a neutron star fragment, Yao Yuan still found it hard to believe!


    The possibility of a technology powerful enough to break neutron star aside, on the basis of scientific theory alone, a neutron star fragment shouldn¡¯t even exist. When atoms are compressed to become compound nuclei, there exists no space between them. Therefore, the moment a neutron star fragment is extracted from the bigger neutron star, it will expand immediately. This is because there is not only pulling force between the atoms, but also repelling force, and at that moment, when the bigger structure of the neutron star lattice is disturbed, the repelling force overwrites the pulling force.


    A perfect analogy would be magnets. The closer they are, the greater the repelling force between them. There needs to be a stronger external force to have them close together. The moment the fragment leaves the whole neutron star, it loses the neutron¡¯s star incredible gravitational mass to hold it together.


    In other words, the presence of a neutron star fragment directly challenged basic human scientific knowledge. The first was how did one cut out a neutron star fragment? With nuclear bombing, lasers? Impossible!


    The second was how did the neutron star fragment maintain its high mass density and not have its compressed atoms revert back to its more natural state? Glue? Alien glue??


    These were the conundrums facing the Academy regarding this sudden neutron star fragment appearance. With mankind¡¯s current 4th revolution technology, the answer was not to be found!


    Humanity had no way of stopping the neutron star fragment from hurtling towards the sun!


    When the second-lieutenant finished his report, both Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen¡¯s faces turned pale like they had seen a ghost under the living daylight. They felt swamped by despair.


    Guang Zhen suddenly roared, "F*ck! How is this possible? Did that thing follow us or what? F*ck!"


    Yao Yuan immediately pushed on Guang Zhen¡¯s shoulder, saying, "Ol¡¯ Wong, calm yourself! The soldiers over there still have no idea what¡®s happening. We can¡¯t let this news leak out. We¡¯re not ready¡­ they¡¯re also not ready."


    Guang Zhen suppressed his mounting anger and frustration, slumped to the sandy floor, and started glugging down the Lao Bai Gan like it was plain water.


    Yao Yuan felt the same way, but he was more rational than Guang Zhen. He asked for the second-lieutenant to sit down and asked, "Tell me in detail the entire process. How many people know about this? You can talk softly instead of whispering; they are quite a distance away." Yao Yuan didn¡¯t forget to pass the second-lieutenant a bottle of Lao Bai Gan.


    After downing a healthy sip of the hard liquor, color finally returned to the second-lieutenant¡¯s face. Then he slowly said, "About half an hour ago, the super-distance electromagnetic radar sounded the alarm. Only five people were stationed at the surveillance center because it was already after working hours. It was almost time for the change of shift. We were shocked beyond belief when it happened. We thought it was a kink in the system, you know how things are¡­"


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Yes, it¡¯s caused by the twin stars. The electromagnetic field around the planet occasionally acts up because the two stars are so close to each other¡­"


    The second-lieutenant nodded to show his agreement before continuing, "After we checked the system, we realized it showed¡­ it showed a lot of suspicious data. All of it pointed towards the fact that a high mass density space entity had appeared outside of our solar system and was flying towards us with a slow speed.


    "By then, there was already a bad feeling sitting in our guts. After some calculations, we¡¯ve confirmed the mass density of the entity is about one-thousandth of the sun¡¯s mass density. And its speed was slowly increasing even though the acceleration wasn¡¯t fast. However, based on the central mainframe¡¯s calculations, when it collides with the sun in about three years, its mass density will have increase to about one-tenth of the sun. This¡­ this is the same set of data we had when we were back on Earth!"


    Yao Yuan was silently ruminating over the plausibility of the reality revealed to him. Before they left Earth, he did order the Black Star Unit to scrounge up the research data on the neutron star from every country¡¯s research lab. The data was later stored in the central mainframe, viewable by those past entry level ranking for both Academy and Barracks. Therefore, the second-lieutenant before him should be familiar with the data. In other words¡­ if the machines and data had nothing wrong, then what he said was mostly true.


    "This news¡­" As Yao Yuan said those words, his mouth was filled with bitterness. He grabbed the bottled liquor and downed it. The Lao Bai Gan chilled his mouth but burned on its way down like a wildfire tearing through his body. Strangely enough, it mirrored his feelings then. He had just been dumped and now this thing had to make its appearance. He was so close to murdering someone.


    "Keep this news to yourself. Follow the confidentiality clause because this information is for S-level information¡­" Yao Yuan finished.


    The second-lieutenant was shocked. S-level information was akin to the secrecy surrounding information like the Hope¡¯s atomic bomb code and storage location. Exposing such information would lead to execution without due process. The second-lieutenant nodded in quick succession to show that he understood the severity of the situation.


    Yao Yuan took a deep breath and said, "We still need further confirmation regarding this development. We can¡¯t leave everything to machines and devices. This time¡­ this time we must have definite evidence. Alright, from now on, your team will be on 24-hour alert. Alongside the surveillance center¡¯s other two teams, you¡¯ll set up a surveillance rotation to keep an eye on the neutron star fragment. Any and all updates must be sent my way, any and all updates. Do you understand, Second-Lieutenant?"


    The second-lieutenant quickly straightened himself, saluted, and said, "Yes, Sir!" He didn¡¯t say anything more to Yao Yuan. He turned to head towards the surveillance center that was in the middle of the new capital.


    Then Yao Yuan turned towards Guang Zhen. "Ol¡¯ Wong, we must keep the lid on this sensitive information. I will have the related astronomers and scientists start researching the data. Also, there is something bugging me about this sudden development. We can¡¯t leave this new planet because of numerical data, I need more physical evidence!"


    Guang Zhen looked at him in confusion. "What evidence do you need? A giant mass density is not enough?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head vehemently. "Of course not! This is merely data collected through surveillance devices. Actually, after we left Earth, I have been entertaining this thought: what is the purpose of the alien civilization sending the neutron star fragment? If they wanted to wipe us out, they could have aimed the fragment at Earth itself. Isn¡¯t that more convenient? Why must they go through the trouble of having the fragment appear beyond the solar system and then have it slowly plummet towards the sun?


    "Furthermore, we can¡¯t know for sure whether this is a neutron star. Based on our current scientific knowledge, a neutron star is an impossible entity! Therefore¡­ is it not possible that this is just a ploy made up by an alien civilization that wants to take over our home planet but doesn¡¯t want to or isn¡¯t capable of fighting a war with us?


    "That¡¯s why¡­"


    Determination shone in Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes as he said, "I must see this neutron star fragment for myself!"

 Chapter 220: The Observer (1)

    Chapter 220: The Observer (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    News about the neutron star fragment had been classified as S-level security information.


    When Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen received the news regarding the fragment, many things became frivolous. For example, it completely overwhelmed Yao Yuan¡¯s relationship problems. The two of them returned to the capital without a word. Then they rounded up a large number of government higher-ups as well as Barracks and Academy authorities.


    The gathered people were confused. It was already so late, so why were they being gathered? They had not heard about any big events coming up, so what was the purpose of the emergency meeting?


    The meeting was held at a conference room deep in the Pentagon. Initially, people were still joking and socializing with each other happily, but as the number of influential people arrived, the atmosphere became increasingly solemn. It had to be something big when high authorities from both the Academy and the Barracks were called.


    When the leader of the astrophysicists, Alan, appeared in the room, everyone felt fear clench their hearts. Their sixth senses told them that this was a bad omen. Everyone prayed vehemently that their intuition was wrong¡­


    Alan was beside himself with worry as well. He was the leader of the various astrophysics-related groups and was the top expert in astrophysics among the human society. When he arrived and saw his many colleagues, not only from the astrophysics group but also biology and chemistry, he knew sh*t had hit the fan.


    However, he kept his opinions to himself, chose a seat at the reserved VIP area, and waited patiently. Not long after that, Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen walked into the room. After a quick word between themselves, Yao Yuan walked to the stage and announced without hesitation, "Ladies and gentlemen, you¡¯re here today because our Space Surveillance Department stumbled across some strange data about an hour ago. The recorded data is now making its way to you."


    As Yao Yuan spoke, a few soldiers were passing sets of documents across the room. Members from the Barracks and the government departments were unfazed because the scientific data befuddled them. However, the members of the Academy started giving gasps of shock. They stared at the document disbelievingly and started discussing with the colleagues next to them. Their faces became increasingly blanched, and a few of them started mumbling ¡®it¡¯s impossible,¡¯ obviously traumatized by what they saw.


    "Some of the present people might not be able to understand what this document means."


    Yao Yuan said on the stage, "To put it simply, a neutron star fragment about one-thousandth of our sun¡¯s mass density is hurtling towards this solar system at an accelerating speed. Its target has been confirmed to be the sun. According to calculation by the central mainframe, it will reach its target in the next three years. Through the law of conversion, when it hits the sun, its mass will become one-tenth of the sun. In other words¡­ three years from now will be the end of this solar system!"


    Just as he finished saying that, the room erupted into chaos. People either whispered each other with questions or yelled out their enquiries loudly. Some talked to themselves, trying to convince themselves that it wasn¡¯t true, and some of the more elder people fainted on the spot.


    Yao Yuan had expected as much. He waved his hands in the air and a few medics standing by the entrance rushed in to carry the fainted individuals away. After that, Yao Yuan yelled, "Silence! Those who continue to create chaos will be escorted out!"


    Instantly, the room quieted. However, the faces still spoke of shock and disbelief. They refused to buy what Yao Yuan had said; they refused to admit this¡­ reality.


    "In the following days, I will erect a ¡®natural disaster¡¯ team to handle everything that has to deal with the neutron star catastrophe. I want to remind everyone that everything surrounding the fragment and consequently this team will be an S-level confidentiality clause. Therefore, until we understand completely what this neutron star fragment is, not a word about it outside of this room!"


    Yao Yuan paused as the few fainted people rushed in from the entrance. He nodded and continued, "Everyone here will be part of the ¡®natural disaster¡¯ team. The Barracks will be responsible for anything security and enforcing the confidentiality clause¡­


    "The government officials will help keep society running smoothly. Slow down the all construction sites and focus instead on harvesting metallic ores and crops as well as the planet¡¯s natural bounty. If the danger is real and we can¡¯t do anything about it, I want us to leave with as many resources as we possibly can, so let¡¯s not waste time constructing buildings that we might not have the chance to use!


    "Members of the Academy, I want you to confirm the validity of this data in the next three days. Simultaneously, I want you to calculate this fragment¡¯s speed, its current coordinates, and how close we can get to it without harming ourselves with our 4th revolution technology. I repeat, three days."


    Yao Yuan sighed deeply after he finished all that. He added, with a serious expression, "Ladies and gentlemen, this planet is supposed to be our new home planet, a home that we¡¯ve been building for two long years, a reward we deserved after the long war with the mother nest alien, something traded with the lives of a couple hundred heroes! Therefore, unless it is truly necessary, we will not be abandoning it¡­


    "Let us try out best for this new planet, for our home!"


    In the next three days, the ¡®natural disaster¡¯ team went about their respective responsibilities. First, the Barracks slowly pulled back the human range of activities. The patrol had reached deeper into the jungle but was pulled back to the city walls. Other than the few mines, smitheries, and the three spaceships¡¯ building platforms, other points of interest, like weather observatories and wildlife observation posts, were gradually closed. With the excuse of the capital needing their help, the people stationed at these places were sent back to the capital.


    The societal arrangement also received visible changes. First, the construction on the outer second, third, and fourth sites were halted, quoting the fear of environmental damage and lack of human resources or materials. The workers were moved to mining, smithing, or spaceship construction duties. The rest were tasked with harvesting the plantations around the delta or rearing the pigs, cows, and sheep brought from Earth as well as four-legged fish and fat lizards native to the new planet.


    Of course, the changes couldn¡¯t be too drastic for fear of alarming the public. It was meted out over the course of three months. On the fourth month, all construction sites had stopped working and the focus had been transferred to resource collecting and management.


    The scientists and academicians of the team had the most difficult job of all. They had to finish analyzing and calculating the data in three days. There were simulations to draft and theories to discuss. Essentially, they were tasked to find out a way to save this planet.


    Two hundred plus scientists and a great number of interns were visibly tired after three whole days of non-stop work. They reached two conclusions.


    First, the data was valid. Almost one hundred thousand calculations had been over the three days, and each of the calculations confirmed the data¡¯s validity. The only variations were the neutron star fragment¡¯s increasing speed and its distance to the sun. The verdict was final: a neutron star fragment was indeed hurtling towards their solar system¡¯s sun.


    The other conclusion, though, was a hypothesis that gladdened Yao Yuan for quite a bit.


    First, the scientists still couldn¡¯t understand the theory behind the formation of the neutron star fragment. How to split a piece off of the bigger whole without harming either was a conundrum beyond mankind¡¯s current scientific comprehension, but they at least came to a consensus on one thing: there must be a mechanical contraption or a force controlling the fragment¡¯s acceleration.


    Thus far, information regarding the fragment was pulled from long-distance surveillance and theoretical calculations. In other words, no one had seen an actual neutron star with their own eyes. No one knew what the actual property of a neutron element was; not even the aliens from the junkyard knew that.


    Therefore, no one knew under what circumstances the neutron star fragment operated. What kind of force was supporting it acceleration, increasing its speed? Was it a machine or was it something else? Could it be destroyed?


    If it couldn¡¯t be destroyed, could the force be misdirected or slowed? After all, the fragment was still pretty far away from their solar system¡­


    Therefore, the scientists proposed a plan to save the new planet, or rather the plan that preceded the actual saving¡­


    The Observer Operation!


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Sorry for the late post, I''m suffering from food poisoning.

 Chapter 221: The Observer (2)

    Chapter 221: The Observer (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Observer Operation was deceptively simple, which was to use a high-mobility spaceship to speed towards the neutron star fragment and back. It was to check the validity of the fragment threat through the use of close-range surveillance equipment or with one¡¯s naked eye. Simultaneously, this would be the first time mankind could confirm the physical presence of a neutron star and not only through scientific theories and hypotheses.


    With the Seeker¡¯s power, not even the smallest anomaly would escape one''s eyes. The Seeker was more powerful than mankind¡¯s strongest surveillance machine. If there was any weakness mankind could exploit, it was certain that Ying would find it.


    There were two difficulties to this plan. The first one was time. The neutron star fragment was set to collide with the sun within the next three years, but with mankind¡¯s current technological level and production power, to create a high-mobility Observer was a hard task. The multiple scientific conundrums and simulations were not things that could be skipped.


    The second was distance, which had something to do with time. Even though the fragment would hit the sun in three years, its actual distance was still pretty far away. It would be accelerating as time went by, closing the distance. Therefore, to have the Observer leave the new planet, reach the fragment, then return to the planet, and still give time for humanity to come up with a solution would cover too much distance.


    Therefore, it was truly a race against time!


    Yao Yuan and a team of ¡®natural disaster¡¯ scientists descended the transport shuttle. Before them was a concrete wall about 180 meters tall. The outer layer of the wall was connected to a high-voltage circuit and could withstand the attack of any native animals on this planet, six-legged Black Dragon included.


    The wall surrounded the Industrial City mankind had built on the new planet. Its permanent residence was about 6,000 people, among them 500 Defense Unit soldiers and 20 Black Star Troopers. The rest were technicians, engineers, a small amount of scientists, and their respective families.


    This Industrial City took about eight months to complete. It exhausted many materials and resources. It had used almost 70 percent of the Hope¡¯s construction robots in its construction¡­ Of course, the finished product was worth it.


    The new planet was rich with mineral resources. The Industrial City sat around mines of coal, gas, copper, zinc, and other rare minerals. A large river cut through the city as it sped towards the delta near the capital. By all intentions, this was to be mankind¡¯s most important heavy industrialization area in the future. Therefore, buildings like smitheries, factories, and most importantly, the building platforms for the space combat jets were located here.


    Using inspection as the reason, Yao Yuan led the scientists to Industrial City to check out the 70 percent completed defense-grade space combat jet. Yao Yuan wanted to know whether the jet could be modified to become the Observer.


    The whole inspection process was rather tedious. It was heavy with political socialization, which Yao Yuan despised. That was why Yao Yuan had only visited the place twice after the construction of the place was complete. This would be his second time. He hoped the next time he was there, he could give his orders and leave. He didn¡¯t want to waste time participating in political drama.


    The inspection didn¡¯t last for too long. Yao Yuan and the team of scientists left before noon. On the shuttle, after Yao Yuan waved the unauthorized personnel away, he immediately asked the few engineers and scientists, "So, how was it? Can we modify the defense-grade combat jet to the Observer?"


    The leading engineer replied immediately, "Yes, Chancellor, the modification is entirely possible. The jet has more than enough space to support the livelihood of several hundred people for an extended period of time. Furthermore, it is already equipped with polymerized reactors that could be used to power particle accelerators. After our discussion, all of us unanimously agreed the modification is possible."


    Yao Yuan sighed in relief, and he added quickly, "Then how long will it take, including both the completion of the jet and the modification?"


    The engineer replied with some difficulty, "Chancellor, after our calculations¡­ preliminary estimation puts us at six to eight months."


    "Six to eight months, huh?" Yao Yuan started thinking. His initial plan also set about that long for the modification. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it took a year to complete. After all, they were not building a toy but a 1,700 meters long, 650 meters wide, and 400 meters tall monstrosity. The spaceship was the product of all 4th revolution technologies. It was with the use of construction robots that a spaceship of this scale could be completed so fast. If built using manual manpower, it would take upwards of eight years to complete.


    Yao Yuan finally nodded and said, "Then I shall leave this in your hands. If you need manpower, do not hesitate to file a report to the government. We will have things arranged as fast as we can."


    Just like that, the Observer Operation started in earnest. While the modification was underway, multiple groups of scientists started focusing their research on a high-power particle propulsion system. This was to be the research that was done on the propulsion device that was used to shove the mother nest into the sun. Naturally, the leading expert on this issue was Bo Li, the Whisperer in the field of physics.


    Yao Yuan and Bo Li hadn¡¯t seen each other after that fateful day. In fact, Yao Yuan had dropped by the physics lab using different reasons ever since, but every time he was there, Bo Li would be absent as if she could sense that he was coming. After this happened several times, Yao Yuan stopped visiting the lab and stopped attempting to approach the girl he once planned to marry.


    However, after the Observer modification started, things changed. Bo Li started appearing before him to discuss with him details of the modification blueprint. Of course, she had reverted back to her previous indifferent self. There was no smile and she was always formal. This pricked Yao Yuan with guilt, and he was extra gentle around her.


    But then¡­


    "I want to be in the Observer." Bo Li sat down on the chair across from Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan was taken by surprise. He was reading the report handed to him by Bo Li on the progress of the giant particle propulsion system. This latest upgrade had fixed the system¡¯s original weaknesses, which were instability and high energy consumption. The latest upgrade lowered the system¡¯s propulsion force to the previous variation¡¯s 80 percent, but it could run for a longer time and exhaust much less energy. Overall, this latest variation was a qualified and usable propulsion system. Other than the Observer, the Hope¡¯s propulsion system could also benefit from this upgrade. Its actual value was hard to gauge. According to the review by the Academy, this technology was at least the standard of the middle of the 4th revolution. It was unbelievable that Bo Li could come up with it.


    Before Yao Yuan could rejoice in that fact, Bo Li said something that completely ruined his mood. He replied instantly, "Impossible! Do you know how dangerous this operation is? No one knows what this neutron star fragment is. No one knows what will happen from too close a contact to it. I will not allow you to join this operation!"


    Bo Li said matter-of-factly, "I¡¯m not begging you to let me join. You have to understand that this high-power particle propulsion system is entirely my project. Also, more than a handful of the technologies inside the Observer are from me, so I¡¯m the one most familiar with their usage¡­"


    "You¡¯re bargaining with me?" Yao Yuan narrowed his eyes. He suppressed his anger and said gently, "The Observer Operation is really very dangerous. Even I won¡¯t be a part of it. We have to be responsible to the human society at large. You¡¯re a Whisperer and the leading expert on everything physics. If anything were to happen to you¡­"


    Bo Li was unfazed. She shook her head and retorted, "Our responsibility to human society¡­ If that¡¯s the case, you should definitely let me join. If we find any machinery on the fragment, then my Whisperer power would come to good use. And I said I¡¯m not begging you for me to join, I¡¯m merely informing you. By the way, I forgot to tell you. The core of this improved propulsion system is not included in the report. If you want to have the technology, take this experimental one. Without the core technology, you¡¯ll have to be satisfied with the old, unimproved propulsion system."


    After she said so, Bo Li stood up and turned to leave.


    Yao Yuan was angry beyond words. He slammed down so heavily on the table that the smaller stationeries stumbled over the edge and scattered to the floor. Two soldiers that were stationed outside his room rushed in. They scanned the room curiously and they finally left after Yao Yuan waved them out.


    Bo Li turned around and stared at Yao Yuan coldly. "What, you¡¯re going to slap me again? Or send me to prison? Either way, do you as wish. The point is that the technology is in my head. See if you can crack it open and take it out."


    Yao Yuan stood up and met Bo Li¡¯s gaze. Slowly but surely, the fire in his eyes softened. He slumped back down on his chair, defeated, and uttered weakly, "¡­ I¡¯ll have Ying watch over you so you won¡¯t attempt anything dangerous.


    "¡­Go, I¡¯ll allow you to join the Observer."

 Chapter 222: Arrival

    Chapter 222: Arrival


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Human Calendar Ninth year¡­


    Three years had passed since mankind populated the new planet. In other words, one year after the neutron star fragment was discovered. At the same time, it had been five months since the Observer departed.


    The Observer first circled around the new planet for acceleration and then used the gravitational energy of the planet to reach a speed of almost 500,000 meters per second. This alone took a month to prepare. Therefore, the actual time the Observer had spent in space was only four months. Four months of travelling at a constant speed of 500,000 meters per second meant that it had covered five thousand million meters, or thirty plus astronomic units!


    Then the Observer started to decelerate. Three high-power particle propulsion systems fired up from the front for almost a week. Finally, the Observer had reached its destination, about ten million kilometers away from the neutron star fragment¡¯s forward trajectory.


    "So how is it, Professor? Can the Observer survive being so close to the fragment?" Ying addressed the group of scientists who hovered around a bunch of equipment.


    The leading scientist was Alan. With his status at the most influential astrophysicist on the Hope, he could very well bow out of this dangerous mission, but his scientific curiosity couldn¡¯t be stopped. After all, this was an once-in-a-lifetime chance to observe the impossibility of neutron star up close. Therefore, he forced his way into the Observer.


    At that moment, confusion colored his face. After studying the figures on screen, he turned to speak with Ying. "This is weird, simply too weird. Logically speaking, since the fragment is about one-thousandth of the sun¡¯s mass density, with our current location, such close proximity to the fragment, the Observer should have felt its gravitational pull, but why¡­"


    "Why what?" Ying and the soldiers behind him asked.


    Alan shook his head. "The Observer is not under the influence of any gravitational pull. Simply put, we are like idling in the wide cosmos, not near any celestial entity. However, both the latest electromagnetic radar and the traditional telescopic surveillance system show the presence of the fragment. This is too weird¡­"


    A flash of excitement temporarily entered Ying¡¯s expression, but he quickly reverted to his usual serious self. He thought about it and said, "Professor, then do you think what the Chancellor said was the truth? The neutron star fragment is nothing but an illusion, a mind-trick played on us by a more powerful civilization?"


    Alan hesitated. He discussed it with the group of scientists and Bo Li, who was given special permission to tag along, and replied, "Previously I thought the possibility of that was pretty low, but now I have my doubts. After all, gravity is a constant force. Since the Observer is not exposed to any gravitational influence, then perhaps there is truly nothing there¡­"


    By then, the Observer was incredibly far away from their solar system¡¯s sun. Previously, the Observer crossed a haphazard asteroid field. According to Alan, the field consisted of astronomical scraps that were pulled by the sun¡¯s gravity when it was forming. However, they failed to form a planet, so now they floated around the solar system¡¯s outer fringe.


    Simultaneously, the Observer was ten million kilometers away from the fragment. The distance made it extremely difficult to spot the neutron star fragment via naked eye. Furthermore, the fragment didn¡¯t glow and was far enough away from the sun to not get warmed by its rays. These made observation incredibly difficult.


    Everyone turned their eyes towards Ying. He was the captain of the Observer and the commander of the Observer Operation. Even though the data had confirmed that there was no source of gravity and thus they could already return home, technically speaking, the operation was still uncompleted.


    Ying ruminated for a while before turning towards Zhang Heng. "Zhang Heng, what do you think? Do you sense any danger?"


    Zhang Heng hesitated. He suddenly closed his eyes and focused. A long time later, he said, "This is a weird feeling, one I have not experienced before."


    The people¡¯s interest was piqued. Zhang Heng was mankind¡¯s most powerful Diviner. His power hadn¡¯t let them down before, but what did he mean by a weird feeling? ¡®Is there any danger¡¯ was a yes or no question, so why ¡®there is a weird feeling?¡¯


    Zhang Heng explained after formulating his thought, "What I mean is that while I¡¯m on the Observer, I feel safe, no signs of danger at all, but there¡­" Zhang Heng pointed at the direction of the supposed neutron star fragment and continued, "There is a huge danger warning down from that way, an inexplicable danger, like a ticking atomic bomb, one that could engulf us whole at any minute."


    The room was silent. They had a hard time understanding the actual situation. First there was no gravitational pull when they neared the neutron star fragment, and now there was Zhang Heng¡¯s danger warning. Could it be that the fragment was actually an alien warship troop in hiding?


    Ying suddenly said, "We¡¯ll take the Observer close to the fragment. The moment we picked up any trace of gravitational force, we¡¯ll stop or reverse. Zhang Heng, be on the ready; tell us if you sense any changes."


    Since it was the captain¡¯s order, everyone moved to oblige. Furthermore, the crew themselves were curious. There were many questions that needed to be answered. Was there really a neutron star fragment? Under what kind of circumstances did it exist? How come there was no gravitational reading? What was this mysterious source of danger?


    The Observer inched closer to the fragment cautiously at 50 kilometers per second. It covered only 180,000 kilometers per hour, and for a total distance of ten million kilometers, it was nothing.


    Just like that, everyone stayed on high alert as the distance slowly closed¡­


    Twenty four hours later, the Observer was only six million kilometers away from the fragment, almost half of the initial distance. However, from the Observer¡¯s surveillance devices, there were still no traces of a gravitational pull. It was like there was truly nothing before them.


    It was a mixture of emotions for the scientists. They simultaneously wished for the neutron star fragment to be there and to not be there. It was, of course, a cause for celebration for the military men and women. The threat to the new planet seemed more and more likely to be a hoax.


    Ying gave his order for the Observer to stop at six million kilometers from the fragment for everyone to rest and sleep. Surveillance was done in rotation. As Ying put it, a fresh body and mind is most important for one to stay alert.


    The crew was instead tired after a twenty-four-hour-long state of heightened mental exhaustion. Three days of rest later, the crew was ready to resume the operation. Ying had the speed accelerated and they went ever closer to the neutron star fragment.


    Five million kilometers, four million kilometers, three million kilometers¡­


    There was still no gravitational reading on the devices, so more and more started to believe the neutron star fragment was just a deception. When the Observer was only 100,000 meters away, a shot of high-power energy beam was fired at the neutron star fragment¡¯s supposed location. A magnificent and unbelievable sight appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes.


    When it hit the neutron star fragment, the energy beam spot curved and billowed out in the shape of a floweret. A 5,000 kilometer oval light orb appeared out of thin air, refracting and reflecting the light.


    The photosphere was spinning and transforming at incredibly high speeds, causing a kaleidoscope-esque mirage. Every single transformation had its own unique, artistic appeal; it was like the Observer was given a postmodern light show. The Observer¡¯s energy beam was twisted into this surprising and eerie art.


    "The light has refracted and it¡¯s escaping the neutron star fragment¡¯s gravitational scope in a parabolic state. God, the neutron star fragment is real¡­ This is unbelievable, its gravitational force is constrained within its 5,000 kilometer radius. What kind of tremendous force could possibly do something like this? To so accurately inhibit the fragment¡¯s enormous gravitational force within a 5,000 kilometer radius?" Alan exclaimed in surprise. The shock was evident in all the other scientists¡¯ faces.


    The neutron star fragment was real!

 Chapter 223: Neutron Star Fragment

    Chapter 223: Neutron Star Fragment


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Other than the scientists, other people were equally shocked by the scene before them, but they never truly understood what was happening. They were witnessing light being twisted before their very eyes, and that was not something that happened every day.


    Ying asked, "Professor, what does this represent? Why is the light creating these pictures?"


    Alan replied, "Because of gravity. This fragment¡¯s mass is one-thousandth the sun¡¯s mass. That is so much greater than the new planet¡¯s as the new planet¡¯s mass is but only one over several ten thousands of the sun¡¯s mass. Furthermore, such a high mass is so compressed to a stage where we still can¡¯t spot it from one hundred thousand kilometers away.


    "With such a high mass and small volume, the gravity field that it creates is powerful enough that even light can only traverse it in parabolic state. In other words, one needs to achieve the speed of parabolic light to overcome the gravitational pull of this fragment¡­"


    Many pairs of eyes looked at Alan vacantly even after his explanation. He elaborated patiently, "Simply put, everyone knows a planet has gravity, but the fact is every matter has gravity, including you and me. However, for minute matter like us, the gravity we exude is so negligible that we normally ignore its presence. For bigger density celestial bodies, like Earth or the new planet, gravity is a tremendous force. It is because of gravity that the living organisms and atmosphere are pulled to the planet''s surface and do not escape into the wide cosmos.


    "Therefore, to elevate from the planet''s surface, one requires an opposing force that can overpower its gravity. For example, our Hope and Observer rely on the anti-gravitational system to achieve this. But what if we don¡¯t have access to this technology? Then we¡¯ll have to rely on speed, or more specifically, surface escape speed. In terms of Earth and new planet, the speed we need to achieve is about 10 kilometers per second.


    "The higher the mass, the greater the surface escape speed. For something like the sun, its surface escape speed can reach up 600 kilometers per second¡­"


    Suddenly, a soldier interrupted, "Professor, the speed of light is about 300,000 kilometers per second, right? If the fragment is only one-thousandth the sun¡¯s mass, then its surface escape speed shouldn¡¯t have reached a stage where light needs to enter the parabolic state, right?"


    It was obvious that even though this was a person from the Barracks, his scientific knowledge was much greater than your run of the mill soldier.


    Alan looked at him admiringly and said, "Logically speaking, yes, but you¡¯ve missed out on one important detail¡­ the fragment before us is not a simple neutron star fragment."


    As he spoke, Alan lifted his finger to point at the still-changing light show. He continued, "Scientifically speaking, the smallest size of a neutron star that can theoretically exist is one-tenth of the sun¡¯s mass, or it would collapse from a lack of internal force to pull it together. However, the fragment before us is one-thousandth of the sun¡¯s mass; this alone is beyond our current scientific comprehension¡­


    "Secondly, the neutron star fragment isn¡¯t supposed to be something cold; its surface temperature is expected to be higher than 10,000,000 degrees, and how close are we to it now? Ten thousand kilometers. We should have been vaporized. Furthermore, the neutron star is supposed to have a strong magnetic field, so our surveillance device should have been fried when we were a hundred million kilometers away from it, much less ten thousand kilometers¡­"


    Alan stopped and said in shock, "This goes to show how scientifically advanced the civilization behind this fragment is. Many of you might not understand it, but the force needed to compress the fragment¡¯s gravity, high temperature, high magnetic field, and high pressure to a 5,000 kilometers radius is just crazy. The 5,000 kilometers is practically a neutron star in itself, a field strong enough to fuse atomic nucleus into neutrons. Beyond that 5,000 kilometers radius, everything is like normal space¡­ This is as if God has clamped his hands over this fragment and is moving it!"


    Ying was silent. After a while he asked, "Professor, can you explain what is happening before you? Is the neutron star fragment really there? How can it exist? Can we get close to it? And is there any way for us to change its trajectory?"


    This time it was Alan who went silent. Later, he picked up the thread of conversation, "Major Ying, I¡¯ll answer your questions one by one. First, from what we¡¯ve witnessed, the neutron star fragment is real, or put it this way, this might not be the neutron star we have in our minds, but it is still a threat that is not less than the actual neutron star fragment. Therefore, if given the choice, I¡¯d rather this neutron star fragment be real, because the other possibility of it being an alien creation is frightening¡­"


    Everyone understood what Alan meant by that. If this fragment was an alien race creation, then humanity would have less than a zero chance of escaping a civilization this powerful. It wouldn¡¯t bode well for humanity.


    "Anti-gravitational system."


    Suddenly, Bo Li, who stood to the side, spoke up. Everyone turned to look at her curiously.


    Ying frowned, but before he could speak, Alan nodded, "That¡¯s right. Major Ying, didn¡¯t you ask how can this thing exist? Professor Bo Li just gave us one of the best possibilities. Think of it like this: first we cut off a piece of the neutron star; don¡¯t ask me how, we just do. Then we find a box about 5,000 by 5,000 kilometers and put the fragment inside it. The box is invisible and untouchable, so it wouldn¡¯t be destroyed by the neutron star fragment itself. Then we fit a high-power anti-gravitational unit inside the box to contain the fragment¡¯s high gravity. This is how we will get the scenario we see before us, the neutron star''s gravity field within the 5,000 kilometers box and nothing outside of it."


    Ying thought about it and asked, "Then, Professor, can the Observer go near the fragment? As long as we are not within the 5,000 kilometers radius, we should be fine, right?"


    Alan nodded. "Theoretically speaking, yes, but no one can tell what will really happen¡­"


    Ying said firmly, "That¡¯s a risk we¡¯re willing to take. Since we¡¯re already here, there¡¯s no way we¡¯re returning without doing anything. I want to see for myself what this box you speak of is like. By the way, Professor, what will happen if we destroy this box?"


    "Explosion, an explosion beyond the scale of which you can possibly imagine!"


    After that, the Observer inched cautiously towards the fragment. Using the twisting light as guidance, the Observer could tell where the 5,000 kilometers danger limit was.


    When the Observer was 10,000 kilometers away from the fragment, Ying put on a pair of special-grade sunglasses and activated his Seeker power.


    Ying saw with his own eyes an oval-shaped object that was spinning at a high speed. Both of its ends were releasing waves of light. It was a light that was observable by the human eye, so it wasn¡¯t strong. No wonder they couldn¡¯t spot it from so far away. The whole object was surprisingly small; its radius was definitely smaller than 100 meters. It was a very small piece, so much smaller than the Observer.


    "That¡¯s the neutron star fragment?" Ying asked in surprise.


    Then, Ying slowly studied the small piece¡¯s surface and surroundings. He didn¡¯t spot any suspicious protrusions. The fragment was slowly travelling in space as if on its own volition.


    This observation lasted for hours until Ying was exhausted. The Observer was still stationed at 10,000 kilometers away from the fragment. The scientists were busy recording and analyzing, trying to decipher the mystery laid before them. Five days of intense research later¡­


    The neutron star fragment was slated to enter the previously mentioned asteroid field. It was going to collide with several thousand asteroids of varying sizes!


    The collision was predicted to happen in several hours. Everyone waited to watch the result with bated breath, because this collision would help to reveal the fragment¡¯s real identity. Was it corporeal or not? The question would be answered with the collision.


    And then¡­


    When the first asteroid entered the neutron star fragment¡¯s 5,000 kilometers radius¡­ it disappeared!


    Yes, it practically blinked out of existence. Even with Ying¡¯s power, he couldn¡¯t tell what had happened. Was it vaporized? Or at the moment it entered the field, it was compressed into neutrons and absorbed into the fragment¡¯s neutron field? Or was it something else completely?


    The same happened to the rest of the asteroids. They all disappeared into thin air the moment they were within the 5,000 kilometers range of the fragment. After the fragment passed through the area, it was like the asteroid field wasn¡¯t even there in the first place!


    "Let¡¯s go back, back to the new planet¡­"


    This was the only order an ashen-faced Ying gave after they witnessed the ¡®collision.¡¯

 Chapter 224: The Last Year

    Chapter 224: The Last Year


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When the Observer returned to the new planet, it had been six months since they departed from the neutron star fragment. Since they couldn¡¯t possibly circle the fragment to provide acceleration, the return time was two months longer than the departure time. They only had the propulsion system to rely on.


    In other words, there was only one and a half years remaining until the collision when the Observer reached the new planet. In truth, the escape preparation had started six months prior to that. The information brought back by the Observer only confirmed that the need for humanity to escape once more into the unknown and dangerous cosmos.


    Of course, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t make this decision on his own. He came to this solution after long discussions with plenty of experts.


    The neutron star fragment was confirmed by the Observer to be a real threat. It had the properties that they would expect from an actual neutron star fragment.


    Even if the neutron star fragment was a fake, all the data, including the high mass density, high temperature, high magnetic field, if all of these were trickery and nothing was actually heading towards the sun, how did that change anything?


    To be able to do something like this meant that the civilization had access to super impressive simulation technology. They could manipulate the data in such a way that mankind was under the impression that a scientifically impossible celestial entity was hurtling towards the sun. Could mankind really stay?


    You have no say in your destruction!


    This sentence which Yao Yuan once read in a sci-fi novel appeared in his mind. When mankind was facing the infiltration of a far superior civilization, this sentence was uttered in the book.


    You have no say in your destruction!


    No matter whether the neutron star fragment was real or not, whether the threat to destroy this solar system was real or not, when the Observer confirmed that there was an actual entity behind the data and not just a row of numbers, it meant that mankind had no choice but to leave. The difference in technological level was simply too big. There was no room for negotiation. Unless he¡¯s a crazy, a human being wouldn¡¯t deign to negotiate with an ant.


    Humanity was like an ant in comparison to the civilization that launched the neutron star fragment, fake or otherwise. Mankind would be blown away with a sneeze. It was already kindness on their part for allowing mankind to leave on their own. At least Yao Yuan could take comfort in the fact that all of humanity wasn¡¯t captured to be made into specimens¡­


    If that was the case, mankind would have no choice but to abandon this newly acquired planet, this second home planet, and venture into endless space. However, at least¡­ mankind would still be alive!


    Yao Yuan felt a fire of fury, melancholy, agitation, and madness burning inside him.


    ¡®Perhaps you might have successfully chased humanity away from this solar system, but in the future, be it one thousand years, ten thousand years, or more, as long as humanity still has a place in the wide cosmos, still surviving strong, still improving, one day¡­ one day we will return to squish you like a bug!¡¯ Yao Yuan swore.


    This sentiment was shared by many who knew the full truth.


    In space, weakness was not a fault, but contentment at being weak was the biggest mistake!


    Of course, they couldn¡¯t just uproot and leave just like that. Humanity had time to prepare before the neutron star fragment entered the danger zone. They would not repeat the rash situation on old Earth.


    The first thing to do was modify the two remaining spaceships so that they could warp alongside the Hope. For that, they needed to be physically chained together to the Hope when the Hope warped. Of course, the same had to be done with the Observer. This time, mankind would have three small and one big spaceship as they ventured in space. The Hope would be the anchor.


    The Defense-Grade Spaceships One and Two would act as the protection fleet and enter combat whenever necessary.


    The Observer, on the other hand, would fulfill the role of exploration ship. It could be dispatched whenever they stumbled across a space junkyard or new terrestrial planet to save the Hope the risk from doing so.


    Simultaneously, the Hope would undergo its third large modification. There would be a basement two level and eighth and ninth levels. The basement levels would still be used as residential areas. With the increase in population, the demand for living space would naturally increase. This basement two level was made to solve that problem.


    The eighth level would be the plantation level for the plants harvested from the new planet, like the Purple Plum and Milk Fruit. With the ecosystem of the new planet contained within this level, two species of omnivorous lizards found on the new planet could be reared here as well.


    The ninth level would be a simulated ocean. This level was two times the height of other levels. It was about tens of thousands of meters tall, more than enough to create the simulation of a simple underwater environment. Inside it, species of the new planet¡¯s saltwater fish, Shell Web, the new planet¡¯s unique crustacean species, and edible seaweed would be bred here. This level hosted the largest group of the organisms that would be carried away on the Hope. There were about 70 species in total. Other than for human consumption, the other function was to feed the six-legged Black Dragons.


    Yes, humanity¡¯s biggest reward on the new planet, the six-legged Black Dragons, would be taken on the ship as well. Even though the appetite for one Black Dragon equaled to the consumption of several hundred human beings, the Black Dragon, as a species of highly-evolved organisms, was not only useful for humanity¡¯s future research in the field of genetics and medicine, they were invaluable asset to the Hope¡¯s military force. If the Hope was infiltrated by alien robots again, the Black Dragons could take them out easily. Furthermore, when exploring new planets, they could act as hunting hounds alongside the Black Star Troopers.


    Due to the food constraints, only twenty young Black Dragons and all the baby dragons that could be located were carried on the Hope. However, to prevent inter-breeding due to the small gene pool, the six-legged Black Dragons¡¯ sperm and ovum were greatly harvested.


    Other than these changes, in the six months before the Observer returned, many mineral ores were mined and smelted into ingots to be stored inside the Hope. At the same time, plantations of many luxury items was underway. At a time like this, protection of ecosystem was no longer a concern. Forests were cleared away using wide-spread burning. Using the ashes of the trees as fertilizers, luxury plants like tea, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, and cotton were planted.


    Even though the government tried their best to cover up the news about the neutron star fragments, the recent changes in governing policies tipped off more than a few sensitive experts. Facing the mass-scale deforestation, the protests died down quickly after the initial uproar. It was as if the whole of society was affected by an ominous feeling. They put extra effort in their work, be it for manufacturing, planting, or mining. Everyone chipped in to gather as many resources as they could.


    Journalists and photographers started taking down notes, videos, and pictures of the new planet. Even though no one spoke a word, everyone knew something big was coming¡­


    The Observer returned to the new planet in this kind of environment. After Yao Yuan spoke to the members of the Observer, especially the scientists, he finally had the talk before the entirety of humanity.


    "My fellow man, this is Yao Yuan. With a heavy heart, I¡¯m given the task to inform all of you of saddening news. A neutron star fragment is heading towards our solar system¡¯s sun¡­


    "Yes, just like how it was on old Earth, we are once more cornered into a helpless situation¡­


    "The fragment was discovered about one and a half years ago. We did not give up immediately; a spaceship was given emergency modifications so that our men and women could identify the threat up close and try to figure out a solution, but we have failed. The spaceship has just returned, and after we passed the data it brought back to the Academy, they came up with the confirmation that our situation can¡¯t be helped¡­


    "We have to once again abandon our home planet and venture into space¡­


    "But I promise you, I will not leave behind a single of you. We will leave together!


    "I also promise that this departure doesn¡¯t represent our surrender! We are weak now, but we are always improving and growing! So hear me out!


    "Keep everything in your hearts, in your souls, and in your genes. Record everything that happens so that we¡¯ll be able to tell our children and have them tell their children that we lost several billion people when we were forced to abandon old Earth! We lost a new beginning when we were forced to abandon the new planet! Remember this pain and anger! Even hundreds, thousands, millions of years may pass¡­ but this shall forever be a part of our history! One day, we will crush this alien civilization that has cornered us so! Crush them like bugs!


    "One day, vengeance will be ours!"

 Chapter 225: Departure…Life on the Run!

    Chapter 225: Departure¡­Life on the Run!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    With the information brought back by the Observer, the Academy postulated the time remaining for humanity to stay at the new planet: a year and a half.


    Even though it would take a year and a half for the neutron star fragment to make contact with the sun, one year from now, the fragment will enter the solar system. Its gravitational pull by then will be strong enough to disturb the celestial activities. To prevent accidents, mankind will only remain for another year at the new planet, just to be safe.


    In other words, the next warp would happen in the middle of Human Calendar Year 10. This last year was absolutely precious to humanity.


    The Hope¡¯s new three extra levels, construction of Defense-Grade Spaceships One and Two, mining and smelting of mineral ores, all these took time.


    Of course to increase the quality of life, luxury plants were a necessity. If possible, Yao Yuan wanted to create several large agricultural spaceships specifically for plantation, but alas, time didn¡¯t allow it.


    After Yao Yuan¡¯s speech, there was some extreme public opinions, like this was a government conspiracy aimed to suppress societal autonomy, but all that died out after the video taken by the Observer on the neutron star fragment was released. Instead, the entire society was caught in an atmosphere of anger and melancholy.


    Because they had no other choice but to once more abandon their home planet. It was sadness and fury born out of one¡¯s helplessness¡­


    This also inspired mankind to go the extra distance!


    In space, weakness was not a fault, but contentment at being weak was the biggest mistake!


    During this last year on the new planet, certain people and things had also changed.


    When Bo Li ascended on the Observer and spent one whole year in space, she was given plenty of time to straighten her thoughts away from Yao Yuan.


    First, she understood that it was not that Yao Yuan didn¡¯t love her, because with his personality, he wouldn¡¯t agree to the relationship in the first place if he didn¡¯t. He was a respectable and responsible man with immense self-control. The best human being Bo Li knew. They had shared so many good moments together, laughing and crying alongside each other. Yao Yuan did love her, because it was unlike him to jump through all these hoops for just a fling.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan did love her¡­


    Then, why couldn¡¯t he give her a child? And what exactly did the word ¡®Hong¡¯ represent? Was he still trapped in the trauma from his past, or had he really treated her as a replacement?


    Bo Li was not a conversationalist; it was her nature. Even though she had all these questions, she had no clue how to bring them up with Yao Yuan. It was one of the reasons why she wanted to get on the Hope. She needed some time away from Yao Yuan to straighten her thoughts.


    During that one year in space, she tried conversing with Ying to pull some information on ¡®Hong¡¯ out of him, but Ying was even worse at people skills than she was. He was unresponsive most of the time. However, there was one instance where he let slip the fact that it was not because of ¡®Hong¡¯ that Yao Yuan didn¡¯t want progeny.


    Due to that one sentence, Bo Li decided to have a deep talk with Yao Yuan after the Observer returned to the new planet. But she was hindered by her own lack of confidence; she just couldn¡¯t bring herself to talk to Yao Yuan. However, she realized that the woman called Ming Ji Jie had been trying her best to approach Yao Yuan.


    Bo Li decided to bow out. Her intention to talk to Yao Yuan never once came into fruition. After the Observer returned, Bo Li locked herself up in her lab. Since this was the last safe year humanity had on the new planet, her dedication was praised by many who weren¡¯t in the know.


    This was all a mounting headache for Yao Yuan. Ji Jie approached him after his break-up with Bo Li. This na?ve girl-next-door actively pursued him, but not to a stage where it became suffocating. Even though Yao Yuan wasn¡¯t interested, he didn¡¯t have the heart to hurt her feelings. Therefore, even though Yao Yuan had rejected her, he couldn¡¯t firmly stop her from getting close to him. Just like that, under everyone¡¯s gazes, Ji Jie walked closer and closer to Yao Yuan.


    Pulled between Bo Li, who he felt guilty about, and Ji Jie, who practically offered herself to him, the year passed by slowly for Yao Yuan. However, the year was eventually over.


    This was the third seasonal harvest for the luxury plants. The Hope¡¯s warehouse was full beyond its capacity. Finally, an additional warehouse had to be built on the newly constructed basement two level. Simultaneously, a large quantity of precious metals like tombarthite and radioactive ores were distilled until their purest form and stored in ingot form. The Hope had reached its maximum capacity. If it hadn¡¯t undergone that circuit upgrade back on the meteorite base, it wouldn¡¯t be able to warp with this cargo weight.


    In the last two months until the year limit was up, both Defense-Grade Spaceships One and Two started their field run. After one month of testing and moderating, the two spaceships were ready to go. The Hope evolved from the fleet of one to a fleet of four, one main ship, two defense ships, and one exploration ship. Humanity looked much like a space race now. It was definitely better than when they escaped from their home planet the first time. At least they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about immediate survival in space.


    In the last month, the earlier fervor had died down. The government had stopped assigning jobs. Other than the Defense Unit and Black Star Troopers who kept up the patrols, the rest began their month-long holiday. They formed groups to go on trips, went sunbathing by the beach, or went into the plantation to have a new planet¡¯s fruits feast. Of course, these were all done with the accompaniment of soldiers. After all, it was their last month on this wonderful planet. Who knew when they would see the sea sky and sea next? Everyone was enjoying this last slice of heaven in their own way, memorizing and recording it for the future¡­


    This day, Yao Yuan finished his small amount of document work early. It was only 2 PM. He recently received reports that Bo Li again spent another few days locked up in her lab. A few days ago, he saw Bo Li from afar, and she was looking worse for wear. It broke his heart. Yao Yuan found way to dismiss Ji Jie, who once again called to ask him out, and went to the lab.


    At the lab, Bo Li was creating something alongside her alien robot prototype. Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t understand what it was or what its purpose was. He stood outside the door watching the girl concentrating on her words, ordering and moving the robot about. Finally, he sighed and coughed lightly to let Bo Li know of his presence. After that, he walked in and said, "Busy?"


    Bo Li shuddered lightly. She didn¡¯t turn. Her hands slowed down for a split second before picking up her pace.


    "¡­" Yao Yuan strode to her side wordlessly and suddenly grabbed her hands. "Bo Li, let¡¯s go see the ocean¡­"


    Before Bo Li could respond, the eyes of the alien robot that stood beside her glowed menacingly red. Bo Li waved her hand in front of it and it reverted to inactivity.


    Bo Li lowered her head stubbornly and said, "Let go of me. I don¡¯t want to see the ocean"


    Yao Yuan eyed the alien robot curiously and shrugged. "You have to even if you don¡¯t want to. Who knows when we will be able to cast our sight on the ocean again after this warp."


    Bo Li finally raised her head. She bit her lower lip. "Even so, that¡¯s my problem. In any case, I don¡¯t want to go to the beach."


    Yao Yuan looked at Bo Li intensely and she held his gaze. They stared at each other for quite some time, before Yao Yuan said rather weakly, "Then¡­ can you do it for me? I want you to accompany me as we take in the beautiful sea before we leave, just like¡­ before this. I only saw the sunrise with you, today I want to enjoy the sunset with you. Can you be my date just this once?"


    Bo Li¡¯s heart softened, but her mouth said, "I¡­ don¡¯t want to leave the laboratory, so can you please stop disturbing me? You have Ming Ji Jie now, don¡¯t you? Why don¡¯t you go ask her?!"


    Yao Yuan was slightly taken aback, but an inexplicable joy rose in his heart. He tousled Bo Li¡¯s hair with a giant smile like he used to and said, "There is nothing between me and her. I¡¯ve always treated her like my little sister because she¡¯s an orphan with not many friends. She¡¯s like an extended family member. So that¡¯s that, let¡¯s go watch that sunset!" Then he pulled Bo Li¡¯s hand and exited her lab.


    For some reason, Bo Li didn¡¯t struggle. She allowed herself be pulled along by Yao Yuan to the beach. They sat there quietly, watching the sun drop below the horizon. As the night slowly fell, perhaps it was out of habit, Bo Li slipped her hand around Yao Yuan¡¯s arm¡­


    The one year limit was up. The Hope, the Observer and the two Defense-Grade Spaceships, christened Defender One and Defender Two, lifted off from the new planet. Everyone stared at the new planet silently. As the horizon drew further and further away, the grass changed into a piece of green and the sparkling sea into a piece of blue. Eventually, the trees, the glades, the beaches, and the new capital shrunk into a spherical planet. Some cried, while others closed their eyes in prayers. However, there was a ball of fire burning within everyone¡­


    A fire stoked by vengeance!


    Finally, the four spaceships that were linked by metallic chains initiated another warp and blinked out of existence.

 Chapter 226: Signal

    Chapter 226: Signal


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Human Calendar Year 11 Month 7¡­


    Yao Yuan looked out the window with melancholy. It had been one year and six months since they left the new planet. In this period of time, the Hope fleet had warped more than a hundred times since they warped daily. None of these more than 100 warps brought them any closer to a new home planet. Every time they ended up in empty space, the closest planet was several tens of thousands of light-years away.


    At this kind of distance, surveillance was impossible, much less physical contact. After this had happened so many times, the Academy suspected that the warp exit would get further and further away from any solar system as the number of warps increased. As proof, the latest warp found the Hope to be a billion light-years away from a terrestrial planet.


    Since they didn¡¯t understand the warp technology, they couldn¡¯t do anything about it. The warps were totally random. The lack of results for hundreds of warps slowly ate into the people¡¯s spirit, especially since they had just left a wonderful home planet.


    Today was another warp day. All the related personnel were busy, bustling about the four ships. The members from Workshop were checking for damages while space cartographers were finishing up their mapping of the area. These would take a whole day to complete.


    It was worth noting that since Defender One, Two, and the Observer were new spaceships, no one could guarantee their safety during warp. If the link was somehow broken during warp, it was certain that their fate would be over. It would be a fate worse than death.


    Therefore, almost everyone remained on the Hope. The people would spread out to the remaining ships after and before warps to conduct repairs and maintenance. This provided quite a sizeable amount of jobs. Since leaving the new planet, the number of jobs available had significantly dwindled, causing the previously deflated H-coins value to bounce back. Of course, this was not really something worth celebrating.


    On the other hand, when the people left the new planet, there was initially a fire burning within each and everyone, but one and a half laters, that fire had become a slow-burning ember. The zeitgeist instead became one of depression.


    This departure was something completely different from mankind¡¯s first departure from old Earth. They had no other choice then; venturing into space was their only hope and no one expected to find another home planet in their lifetime. Since there was no gain to begin with, there was not much of a sense of loss. The public knew life had to go on.


    This time things were different. Mankind had obtained a new home planet, a new beginning, a new life. This kind of ending was hard to stomach for many. It felt helpless to have something valuable forcefully taken way. Therefore, as the fire died down, depression settled in. They had squandered one possible home planet, so chances were they wouldn¡¯t be setting their eyes on another in their lifetime. They knew how rare these habitable terrestrial planets were¡­


    This situation had Yao Yuan worried, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Unless something big happened to distract the public¡¯s attention, this psychological quandary couldn¡¯t be solved so easily.


    This was Yao Yuan¡¯s biggest worry. If allowed to fester, it would become a giant problem in the future. However, statistically speaking, they could warp a billion times and be no closer to another planet or interesting celestial body.


    As Yao Yuan stared out the window thinking of solutions, he heard a series of rushed footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around and saw a bunch of workers run into his room in a hurry. He quickly asked, "Why? What¡¯s wrong? Has something happened to the Defenders or the Observer?"


    The leading man said excitedly, in a mixture of both anxiousness and happiness, "No, Captain, it¡¯s a signal! We received a set of weird signals. After analysis by the central mainframe, it is more than likely to be signals coming from an alien civilization!"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He didn¡¯t dawdle and move to accompany these workers to the surveillance room. People were waiting there to explain the situation to Yao Yuan in detail.


    Like all the previous warps, all units started to move out to accomplish their given tasks. The mission of the surveillance room was the most important because all external information would be received here. The place was also the information central for all the remaining units, so it could be said to be the busiest place on the Hope.


    After today¡¯s warp, the surveillance room was like usual, full of people. A small group accidentally showed an electrical signal on screen but were shocked to find a set of weird signals. The set of signals was sent to the experts to be analyzed, and the result was that the signal was unlike the natural signal sent out by pulsar planets but something more complicated with its own set of logic and a large amount of information, something that was most likely to be¡­


    A signal left behind by an alien civilization!


    The signal was sent through space in electromagnetic wave form and the Hope just so happened to pick up a segment of it. However, due to the language barrier, the signal was unreadable. The elementary analysis could only conclude that the signal had its own unique logic and a large amount of information. They couldn¡¯t tell anything beyond that.


    When Yao Yuan arrived, the workers were trying to convert the signal into audio or video files, but the process was highly challenging because the signal itself came with inscrutable quantum cryptography. The part that had been solved would rearrange itself as the cypher changed. This weird cryptography alone was enough to make the team excited. They hadn¡¯t even gotten into the actual message yet.


    Yao Yuan could feel his heart racing after being told all of this, but after he calmed down, he was struck by a boatload of worry. Where did the signal come from? Who was behind the signal? Would the sender be friendly? How far away was the Hope from the signal¡¯s origin?


    Many people rushed to the surveillance room after the news spread across the ship. There were representatives from the government, the Barracks and the Academy. The small surveillance room became even more crowded than before. Yao Yuan had no choice but to move everyone to a conference room nearby and called for a new meeting.


    This meeting wasn¡¯t hosted by Yao Yuan. He stood off in a corner with Ren Tao and Xiao Niao discussing the impact of this signal.


    Even though the signal hadn¡¯t been fully cracked, one thing was sure: there was once an alien civilization around or near the space the Hope was in now. The next course of action was naturally to decipher the signal, to at least gauge the general direction and location of said civilization, to tell whether it was still close by.


    The three of them came to a consensus: if it was at all possible to avoid contact with this civilization, then that should be done. Mankind¡¯s technology was still stuck in early 4th revolution, so if the civilization was hostile and was at a higher technological level than mankind, then contact was inadvisable.


    It was a fallacy that the more advanced the civilization, the more cultured it would be.


    In humanity¡¯s history, most colonization and wars were started by the more advanced societies¡­


    Furthermore, the alien civilization had a greater chance to be more scientifically advanced than humanity, since not every civilization was forced into space. This reinforced another perspective¡­ The alien civilization¡¯s reaction would probably depend on its own technological level in relative to mankind¡¯s technological level. There was no reason to expose oneself to such a debilitating situation.


    Therefore, the three reached the conclusion that if possible, contact was to be avoided. Of course, if contact was inevitable, the key depended on both parties¡¯ technological levels. If the other party¡¯s level was almost similar to the Hope¡¯s, then contact was not an issue. After all, warfare would not simply occur since both parties had misgivings and scruples to worry about.


    While the meeting was going on, another group of workers rushed into the room. This time, their expression definitely showed anxiousness.


    "Cap- Captain, our surveillance just found out that the signal''s origin is moving towards us¡­


    "With a speed faster than light!"

 Chapter 227: Merchant

    Chapter 227: Merchant


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "How did you people find out that the signal''s origin is coming towards us at super light speed?"


    Yao Yuan stared at Bo Li and the group of people around her curiously. It was them who suggested that the signal origin was heading towards the Hope with super light speed.


    The news was simply too shocking. It was not that mankind didn¡¯t know that achieving super light speed is entirely possible; they had learnt of that possibility from the information siphoned from the junkyard civilization. For example, curvature navigation was the most likely way to break the barrier of light. In other words, while one couldn¡¯t achieve super light speed organically, it was doable via other methods.


    Regardless of the technology used to achieve super light speed, being at such a high speed meant that one was literally faster than light. In other words, one was undetectable via naked eye or conventional surveillance. This sounded complicated, but it was actually fairly simple. This was because light speed was the maximum speed available in speed; this was an iron law that couldn¡¯t be denied, and even the junkyard civilization agreed so.


    The maximum speed threshold for protons, electromagnetic waves, basically anything, was the speed of light!


    Mankind¡¯s current surveillance technique, be it with the basis in light detection or magnetic wave detection, could only receive information below the threshold of the speed of light.


    After something achieved super light speed, it was akin to the courier losing his package, because the package couldn¡¯t catch up to his speed. To make a similar analogy, if one person was to shout and then travelled faster than sound, he would be able to arrive at his destination faster than his words and he would be able to hear them.


    When one travelled faster than light, one would be invisible. This was because everything we see were images in our brain from light that reflected on objects. In other words, we didn¡¯t really see the object itself, but our eyes captured information carried by light that reflected from the objects around us. Therefore, if the thing travelled faster than light, it would be undetected because the light wouldn¡¯t be able to reach it and then carry the information to the surveillance devices.


    Similarly, if the signal origin was moving towards the Hope with super light speed, so logically speaking, the Hope shouldn¡¯t be able to detect its existence unless it stopped halfway to allow light to hit it.


    Herein lied the question: how could Bo Li confirm that the signal''s origin was moving towards them with super light speed when it was technically undetectable?


    Bo Li gave Yao Yuan a side-eye and explained calmly, "Of course from the signal itself." While she spoke, Bo Li pressed something in mid-air and a window-like a virtual keyboard and screen appeared before her.


    The scientists behind Yao Yuan gasped audibly. One of them rushed forward to say, "Professor Bo Li, you¡¯ve finally created the electromagnetic interactive screen? This is amazing!"


    Bo Li nodded and turned to Yao Yuan. "Look at this. This is the signal that we¡¯ve received. The key reason why we can confirm it was from an alien civilization and not a natural space signal is its regularity and complexity. In other words, the signal is released continuously and it has its own basic rhythm and frequency."


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Yes, this I¡¯ve known. What else?"


    Bo Li pressed on the virtual keyboard again and something else appeared on the virtual screen.


    "When you were in the meeting, we were analyzing this signal. I realized that the signal''s frequency has increased," Bo Li said as she pointed at a wave pattern chart.


    Yao Yuan frowned. Before he could make light of what Bo Li said, a scientist behind him chimed in, "Professor Bo Li, you mean to say that the signal''s origin is increasing its speed?"


    Bo Li nodded again. "Yes, that is exactly what I mean. This frequency increase can be explained if the signal''s origin increases in speed. After that¡­"


    Yao Yuan quickly interrupted, "Wait a minute, what are you guys talking about? Can someone please explain to me what¡¯s happening?"


    Bo Li tossed him another side-eye before pointing at the screen and explaining, "This is a logical conclusion. Look, this series of signals is continuous and systematic, in other words, the signal originator has set a specific schedule. For example, if we send out an SOS message from the Hope and set the message at an interval of every ten seconds, it is impossible for the message to go out after five seconds the first time and then twenty seconds the second time, right? I believe it is the same for the alien civilization. After all, such technology is precise and accurate. The signal originator¡¯s technology is high enough for the frequency to not be haphazard, isn¡¯t that right?"


    Yao Yuan thought about it and confirmed, "You¡¯re right. Unless the transmitter is broken, the frequency should be constant."


    Bo Li continued, "That¡¯s right; however, while you were in the meeting, I realized that the frequency of the signal has changed. The interval has increased by seven seconds. I thought it was our devices that malfunctioned, but after analysis, I realized that the signal¡¯s frequency kept increasing. There was nothing wrong with our surveillance devices; it was because the signal''s origin was increasing in speed."


    Yao Yuan entered another deep thought. Xiao Niao, who stood beside him, also entered the Thinker state. The only exception was Ren Tao. He looked around with a bored expression. In fact, while no one was paying him any attention, he walked towards the surveillance room''s wall and climbed up one of the taller pieces of equipment¡­


    "I think I understand what you mean," Yao Yuan said after a long time. "Since light speed is a constant, it won¡¯t be affected by the change in the speed of the signal''s source. In other words, even if the signal''s source achieves half the speed of light, the transmitted signal will still be travelling at light speed. However, since the frequency of the signal changes, it means that the signal''s source must be travelling faster than light, is that right?"


    Bo Li nodded and confirmed, "That¡¯s right. We understand that FTL space propulsion systems like warp drive is not physically going beyond the speed of light but changes the warp velocities before and after the warp to break the barrier of time. However, warp drive has a giant limitation: it needs an extremely large space for accelerating and a long time for acceleration to enter warp speed.


    "During this process, the spaceship¡¯s speed will steadily increase. When the spaceship is initially accelerating and the speed is low, the signal is travelling at the speed of light. After the speed has significantly increased, the signal is still travelling at light speed. However, for the one at the receiving end, the frequency of the signal will appear to have increased. The closer the origin is to breaking light speed, the smaller the interval between the signals. When it reaches light speed, all of the signal will arrive at once, and after it breaks light speed, the signal will be left behind and will be received after the origin has left."


    At this juncture, Guang Zhen raised a valid question. "If that¡¯s the case, how can you be so sure that the signal''s origin is still before us and has not left this place?"


    Bo Li frowned impatiently, but she still slowly explained, "Because of the increasing signal frequency. If the origin was going away from this place, the frequency of the signal we receive would be decreasing, as in having a larger interval."


    Here, Bo Li waved her hand and looked toward Yao Yuan. "Of course, this is only one of the possibilities on why the signal''s frequency is increasing. What to do with this information is still up to you."


    Yao Yuan had an inner bitter smile. It had been half a year, but Bo Li was still indifferent towards him. She didn¡¯t reject his advances, nor did she reciprocate them. However, he liked it. When he was sometimes aroused, he needed to take matters into his own hands, literally¡­ Anyway, this was not a time to think about thing like this.


    Yao Yuan massaged his temples. "Regardless, the possibility of this hypothesis is very high. So, we¡¯re dealing with warp drive? That is the technology available between the peak of the 4th revolution and early 5th revolution. Based on the information we received from the junkyard civilization, there are four levels to space travelling. The first is under the speed of light, the second is faster than light, the third is wormhole, and the fourth is star gate. This means that we¡¯re dealing with an at least Level 3 Civilization. From the looks of things, it¡¯s better that we warp immediately to avoid any possible confrontation¡­"


    Suddenly, the Prototype alien robot that stood beside Bo Li produced a flashing light in its eyes. Soon after that, a set of signals appeared on Bo Li¡¯s virtual screen.


    Everyone crowded around the screen to see what had happened. Bo Li read from the screen and said, "The junkyard civilization appears to have made contact with this signal origin before. My robot automatically translated it! Let¡¯s see, what it says here¡­"


    Xiao Niao cut in and read it out loud.


    "Space Recycling. Recycling all types of technology and biomass!"

 Chapter 228: Hypothesis

    Chapter 228: Hypothesis


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The translation was simply too suspicious. Many were at a loss for words¡­


    What did it mean by "Space Recycling, Recycling all types of technologies and biomass?" This was like an advertisement for a recycling company¡­


    There were plenty of blank expressions in the room, befuddled by this message that was seriously inconspicuous. After who knew how long, Wa Luo suddenly said, "What the f*ck?! The signal is from a garbage man?"


    The shock was warranted. The alien civilization that could space warp was a waste picker¡­? This was too suspicious.


    Someone asked, "Could the message have been mistranslated? After all, there must be plenty of linguistic differences between our language and theirs."


    These words were echoed by many. After all, the idea that such a powerful civilization was a waste picker didn¡¯t sit well with many. Many even tossed it out as nonsense.


    Bo Li gave the screen a closer look and concluded, "No, the translation is correct. This signal is part of the junkyard civilization¡¯s database, and the signal''s origin is someone they had made contact with before. I remember now, this signal belongs to the merchant civilization that they traded their two cosmic adaptors with!"


    Merchant civilization?


    The Hope, or more specifically, the human race within the Hope, hadn¡¯t really had actual contact with other alien civilizations. However, they did know of their existence through other means.


    The first was, of course, the junkyard civilization that contributed greatly to mankind¡¯s current technological level. The second was the merchant civilization that traded with the junkyard civilization. The third was the liquid robot civilization that demolished the junkyard civilization. These were the three first alien civilizations humanity encountered.


    Technically speaking, the mother nest alien and the aquatic civilizations consumed by the mother nest alien were alien civilizations known to mankind as well.


    The above were the alien civilizations mankind had some knowledge about. Of course, the wide cosmos was home to more civilizations than these, each with their own uniqueness and technological levels.


    When Bo Li mentioned the merchant civilization, everyone thought back to the information they received from the junkyard civilization on this merchant civilization.


    The incomplete information taken from the junkyard civilization stated that the merchant civilization wasn¡¯t exactly a race but a space conglomerate made up of several alien races. Its technological prowess was between the peak of the 4th revolution and the early 5th revolution. The conglomerate had perhaps more than a thousand individual ships across the cosmos.


    They were the middle man between many civilizations, trading technologies, materials, and biomass. The merchants slowly picked up pieces of information and improved themselves from the technologies that passed through their doors.


    They were a unique space civilization.


    In comparison to the many space civilizations, the space merchants were one of the rare ¡®peaceful¡¯ civilizations. At least they didn¡¯t present themselves as predators. Even when treating civilizations way below their level, they presented themselves as traders or merchants. They were in popular demand for many civilizations that had just entered space, or level 2 civilizations. This was because they could get the important star navigation maps or valuable 5th revolution technology from the merchants. These were essential to the survival of level 2 civilizations.


    When the identity of the signal''s origin revealed itself, another set of questions appeared. The main one being: should they warp immediately to avoid the merchants?


    The argument for immediate warp was because mankind had no idea who the signal''s origin was. Yao Yuan decided to warp in case the alien civilization posed an insurmountable threat to the Hope.


    However, now that they knew about their identity and modus operandi, the thought process would be different.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s mind started spinning in overdrive. First, humanity couldn¡¯t avoid contact with other space civilizations forever.


    Before this, he had discussed the theory of Black Forest [1] with a group of scientists, and the Academy had vetoed the theory directly. According to the scientists, the first rule of the Black Forest Theory, which said that light speed was a barrier that couldn¡¯t be broken, was already wrong. The highest travelling speed in space was light speed. However, technology like warp drive, wormhole, and star gate completely undermined the Black Forest Theory. Since the first rule was wrong, the other rules were questionable as well.


    This meant that communication between space civilizations was entirely possible. Of course, while symbiotic relationships weren¡¯t a given, it also didn¡¯t meant that every space civilization must necessarily be out to harm each other.


    In other words, for humanity to really be a part of the cosmic society, communication with other space civilizations was inevitable.


    Therefore, if the signal''s origin was really the space merchants, then it didn¡¯t seem it was necessary for humanity to warp. After all, compared to other unknown space civilizations, having the space merchants as mankind¡¯s first contact with space civilization might be a good thing. At least they could exchange information or even obtain 5th revolution technology like the warp drive from the merchants!


    The Hope¡¯s space warp technology, while high up there, was highly unpredictable. The warp exit was a random toss of the dice. To get stuck within the new planet was nothing; what if the Hope suddenly warped into the sun, near a neutron star, or a bottomless black hole? The result would be the extinction of humanity within the blink of an eye.


    Not only that, the Hope would always warp out at a location several light-years away from a solar system. The distance of half a light-year was already a despair-worthy distance for humanity, much less several light-years. Therefore, more often than not, mankind had to abandon the possibility of discovering a new home planet. However, with the access to the warp drive technology, wouldn¡¯t that issue be solved? The discovered planets might not be naturally suitable for human habitation, but with humanity¡¯s current technology, they could terraform the planet easily!


    Therefore, warp drive was a super valuable technology to have¡­


    Weighing all the pros and cons, contact with the space merchants seemed to be more beneficial than not¡­


    Of course, since the lives of the whole of mankind hinged on this decision, Yao Yuan had to be extremely cautious about it. Even if he had made the decision in his mind, he still needed to consult it with Xiao Niao and Ren¡­ Where was Ren Tao?


    Yao Yuan looked around curiously, but he failed to spot Ren Tao. This made him scratch his head. Wasn¡¯t Ren Tao in the room minutes ago? Did he leave without them noticing?


    Finally, it was eagle-eyed Ying who spotted him. He found Ren Tao spacing out on top of a 10-meter-tall device. Ying had someone fetch him down, but the question of how he even got up there in the first place was one that no one could answer¡­


    When Yao Yuan sought their opinions, the two of them gave differing answers. Xiao Niao agreed with Yao Yuan. "I believe it is fine for us to stay. Just like you said, instead of placing our bet on a future unknown civilization, why not have our first space civilization contact be with the space merchants? The one thing we¡¯re lacking the most right now is information, information on other space civilizations, like how many are there, what are their customs during communication, the technology variance, and the likes. Valuable information like this we can procure from the space merchants. Furthermore, they¡¯re willing to take anything for trade, right? We have some valuable minerals that we can trade for the information."


    Ren Tao¡¯s answer was different. He said, "I think the key to staying or not depends on whether the space merchants have had contact with us humans before or not¡­"


    While others were confused by his observations, Yao Yuan responded directly, "Of course they couldn¡¯t have gained contact with us before; this is our first time being so physically close to them."


    Ren Tao shook his head. "Have you forgotten about the humans that left Earth before us? Their technology couldn¡¯t be better than ours since it is statistically impossible for them to stumble into a junkyard civilization that they could siphon technology from. If they ran into the space merchants, I don¡¯t think it would end up well for them. After all, all the civilizations that ventured into space were level 2 civilizations. The government officials¡¯ spaceship technology was only level 1. Do you think the space merchants would trade with them, or capture them to analyze the technology that allowed them to venture into space in the first place?


    "They would find out the number of disproportionate cosmic adaptors within humanity. Wasn¡¯t it stated before that their most valuable commodities were cosmic adaptors¡­


    "What do you think will happen when they run into us, level 2 civilization human beings?"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    A theory put forth by novelist Liu Ci Xin in his sci-fi novel, Tri-Body.

 Chapter 229: Contact

    Chapter 229: Contact


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Other than Xiao Niao and Ren Tao¡¯s opinions, Yao Yuan also consulted a large amount of scientists and soldiers, including Guang Zhen. Yao Yuan came to a conclusion especially after he asked about the activation time necessary for space warp and the like.


    Wait!


    Yes, the minute possibility mentioned by Ren Tao aside, based on what they knew about the space merchants, they were still a space civilization available for contact. The space merchants¡¯ technology was indeed higher than mankind¡¯s, but not to the point where mankind couldn¡¯t do anything about it. This was because the space merchants¡¯ technology had an irregular growth.


    In other words, unlike humanity or the junkyard civilization, which started from the ground up and improved slowly from the 1st revolution to the 2nd revolution so on and so forth, the space merchants¡¯ technological advancement didn¡¯t follow a logical advancement. Their advancement came from opportune trades. Therefore, even though they might have 5th revolution technologies, like the warp drive, their weapons and ships were still from the 4th revolution.


    Because of all this, the space merchants were indeed the best space contact currently for mankind. If the merchants intended to do them harm, they could still counter back. After all, they only needed to buy some time for space warp to initiate. The chance of complete extinction was nearly zero.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan¡¯s final decision was to stay and wait for the space merchants to draw near.


    Of course, all combat personnel on the Hope went into high alert as a precaution. It never hurts to be careful. No matter what kind of flag the space merchants flew on the outside, the main thing they were after was profit. The space merchants had a good reputation because perhaps they still hadn¡¯t come across a profit big enough for them to turn physical. If the profit was high enough, they could risk everything for it.


    After all¡­ the Hope had more than a hundred Homo Evolutis!


    In the following days, maintenance was done on the Hope¡¯s weapon system. It could go into combat whenever it wanted. People were assigned to control the two Defenders, and dry runs were carried out. Other than that, the space combat jets were oiled and maintained. Lastly, the Hope activated the creator¡¯s particle to cover its surrounding space.


    From the information taken from the junkyard civilization, this was the first step whenever contact was gained between two space civilizations. The activation of the creator¡¯s particle not only served as a precaution but also proof that the originator was not a primitive race. It acted as a combat deterrent.


    Furthermore, the space merchants were in the middle of a warp drive. During warp, at least by 4th revolution standards, all external signals were undetectable. Therefore, to prevent the merchants from missing the Hope¡¯s location, the creator¡¯s particle was to allow them to know where the Hope was.


    Several days later, everything was ready on the Hope. The public were also given knowledge of what was happening: mankind was going to make its first official contact with another space civilization.


    A large group of people were very unsupportive of this idea. If gaining contact with the space merchants represented danger, why couldn¡¯t they just avoid it completely? Wait until mankind was advanced enough and then have the contact. Why did Yao Yuan choose to risk all of their lives?


    There were many bearing this particular opinion¡­


    Of course, Yao Yuan knew of these. The identity of the few opinion leaders were known to him as well. Many of them were members of the House of Representatives and had the history of doing this in the past. However, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t make a move, not even a sly one, he was waiting¡­


    On the nineteenth day, a large, spherical spaceship suddenly appeared twenty light-years in front of the Hope. It materialized out of thin air, without any warning. After it made its appearance, the spaceship stood still as if waiting for mankind to make its move.


    Such a sudden appearance was one of warp drive¡¯s important characteristics.


    During warp drive, the ship itself was at zero speed. Warp drive was a space distortion technique that dragged the space around the spaceship forward. In other words, it was as if the spaceship was standing on an electronic space mattress that was pulled forward. The speed didn¡¯t lie with the spaceship.


    Therefore, when the spaceship exited warp drive, the spaceship was immobile. There was no issue of acceleration or deceleration.


    When the spherical spaceship made its appearance, the Hope was bombarded with a series of signals. For the next few minutes, the large spaceship remained silent with no outward movements.


    From Yao Yuan¡¯s observations, the spherical spaceship, while not larger than the junkyard civilization¡¯s main ship, was about 50 kilometers in radius and was spinning on its own axis. Unlike the spaceship pictured in sci-fi, the surface of the spaceship was not smoothed out and gleaming; instead, it was bumpy and crooked, giving it the appearance of a ball that had been patched one too many times.


    The Academy picked up much information about this spaceship from its appearance alone, like how they didn¡¯t have anti-gravitational technology. Granted the technology was beyond what mankind should have as well.


    Other than that, based on the spaceship¡¯s size and the size of each individual ¡®patch¡¯, one could basically predict where was the spaceship¡¯s entrance, weapons ports, signal generators, and the rest.


    While the Hope was still parsing the spherical spaceship, the latter cracked open, or rather the entrance to the spaceship opened. Because of the spaceship¡¯s unique shape, it looked like an egg being cracked from within.


    After that, an about 200 meters long small spacecraft with the classic plate-like UFO shape spun slowly towards the Hope.


    It was not that the spacecraft didn¡¯t release signals, but the whole area had been covered by the creator¡¯s particle, nullifying all transmissions. However, the fact that the other party had sent over a smaller spacecraft instead of coming over with the whole spaceship was a sign of peace.


    Watching this gesture of peace made the entire society on the Hope let out the breath they didn¡¯t know they were holding. However, the reprieve was temporary. After all, it could be possible that the spacecraft was rigged with explosives. When the spacecraft neared the Hope, the electromagnetic shields on the Hope and the Defenders came up. The ECS system was also activated to prevent long-distance attacks.


    Thankfully, even as the spacecraft neared the Hope, neither the spherical main shop nor the small spacecraft did anything out of the ordinary. They didn¡¯t activate their own ECS system. When the spacecraft entered the Hope¡¯s creator¡¯s particle null zone, the Hope received all sorts of signals immediately.


    All the people started to get busy, dissecting the signal, comparing the signal, categorizing the signal. However, for some weird reason, Bo Li¡¯s prototype robot didn¡¯t translate any of the received signals. Bo Li tweaked the robot¡¯s internal server but failed to find any translating software, so the issue of the mysterious translation had to be put on the backburner.


    Thankfully, the space merchants kept sending signals of varying frequencies and contents. Obviously, it was trying to find one that humanity could hopefully understand. In less than 10 minutes, the spacecraft had sent more than a thousand different signals, but humanity still understood none of them. While the atmosphere slowly dropped towards despair, someone suggested the Hope to send their signal out, maybe the merchants had access to some kind of universal translator device.


    However, this suggestion was vetoed by Yao Yuan, Xiao Niao, and Ren Tao. The obvious risk aside, what if there was validity behind Ren Tao¡¯s fear? Tipping humanity¡¯s hand to the space merchants was definitely not a bright idea. It was absolutely not necessary to reveal humanity¡¯s identity to the space merchants until it could be sure that there was no harm in doing that.


    Suddenly, the spacecraft sent over a set of signals that the Hope¡¯s computer could process immediately. It was a signal similar to¡­


    The junkyard civilization!

 Chapter 230: Value

    Chapter 230: Value


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Of all the alien languages, this junkyard civilization¡¯s language and culture was the one most familiar to mankind.


    At the time mankind was cornered into a dead-end, they had plenty of the junkyard civilization¡¯s literature but no way to understand them. After pooling the resources of many linguists and historians, mankind finally had a cipher available to translate the junkyard civilization¡¯s language. Over the years, the translation effort hadn¡¯t stopped. There were new corrections and additions made to the cipher. Overall, the Hope¡¯s experts¡¯ familiarity with this space language was similar to how they were familiar with English, French, or German.


    Therefore, when the space merchants sent a signal parsed in the junkyard civilization¡¯s language, everything clicked. Mankind¡¯s identity was not revealed and they could still communicate with the merchants. The expert on the junkyard civilization¡¯s language was ushered to the surveillance room and very quickly the first set of signals was translated.


    "We are the 3,400th unit from the space merchant conglomerate. We would like to ask the space civilization before us: do you have anything to sell or trade? We have the highest Level 3 and 4 space civilization technologies, a large amount of rare materials, and genetic prints for many species of biomass. We buy anything and sell anything."


    People in the room stared at each other. They didn¡¯t expect the other party to be so direct. There was no preamble, like "we come in peace" or the likes. They went straight to the point: we¡¯re here for business, are you up for trade?


    This was not the space contact many people in the room had in mind. This was like a night market stall owner hawking his wares. It was rather¡­ unbelievable.


    Such direct communication rendered the diplomatic parlance some of the experts thought up useless. To use back the same analogy, if you started talking about peace within space and such lofty ideas to the night market hawker, he would think you¡¯re crazy.


    This was how humanity felt then. Initially, they thought to approach this contact diplomatically, but they didn¡¯t expect the other party to be so direct. Looks like this team before them was not a first time trader; they were extremely familiar with the trading process. Get to the point and cut the crap.


    This raised another question for mankind: what to buy and what to sell?


    Actually, this question was already heavily discussed in the past ten days. First, knowledge about the distribution of most space civilizations and their unique culture was necessary. If not, it was possible that a sign of respect from mankind¡¯s side, like a marching band, might end up as an offense equivalent to our flipping the bird to some space civilizations. Wouldn¡¯t it be crazy to have a war over something frivolous like this?


    The next would be the warp drive technology and the theories behind it. This was so that the Academy could hopefully expand upon it and produce more technologies from it.


    Other than the two necessary items, the rest depended upon what other items were on sale. Technologies like terra-forming might be useful as well.


    But what did mankind have to trade?


    From the merchant¡¯s message, at least mankind had valuable ores, species'' DNA prints, and technologies from 4th revolution or below available for trade. Not to mention the alloys and energy crystals created by the alien plants.


    However, Ren Tao warned that anything could be traded, but the products of the alien plants must be kept a secret.


    Of course, that secrecy hinged on one thing, and that was whether the space merchants had come into contact with other human beings or not.


    If they had, then three things were certain. One, human civilization had many cosmic adaptors; two, human civilization had access to space warp technology, a technology greater than warp drive, wormhole, and even star gates; last, human civilization had anti-gravity technology.


    The first problem aside, the second point meant that with space warp technology, mankind could go to any location in space. It was a technology that ignored the limitations of time and space.


    However, there was a major weakness to this technology: the greater the cargo weight, the higher the amount of energy used in warp. Of course, if the warp was not to warp a whole planet but just a small fleet, the energy consumption issue could still be solved via the means of polymerized reactors. However, what about the conductors and storage units to support the large surge of energy during warp?


    Based on mankind¡¯s current technological level, there was no product in the 4th revolution that could rival the alien plant¡¯s products for this purpose. Without the alien plants, mankind couldn¡¯t have supported the space warping of a maximum loaded Hope and three other spaceships. In other words, the conductors tempered from the alloys produced by the alien plants were the key. Only thanks to it was space warping with large loads possible. The space merchants¡¯ giant, spherical spaceship would require the plant¡¯s alloy to support space warping.


    The third question was simple: if mankind didn¡¯t need to fully crack and understand the theories behind it, copying it was entirely possible. However, to apply it on a large spaceship, a high computing power was required.


    The only reason the Hope could add two more extra levels was because the central mainframe had been updated to the latest 4th revolution electromagnetic computers. However, what about the space merchants? Could their central computer be at the 5th revolution already?


    No matter what, according to the worst case scenario put forth by Ren Tao, anything that had to do with the alien plant shouldn¡¯t be revealed.


    After Yao Yuan mulled over Ren Tao¡¯s warnings and words, he told the person responsible for communications, "Use the junkyard aliens¡¯ language to reply to them that we have plenty of valuable minerals and technologies from level 2 revolutions as well as DNA prints for native flora and fauna from Earth up for trade. We are interested in many things, so if possible, ask them to provide us with a list."


    Very quickly, the signal was sent from the Hope and the signal from the spacecraft ceased. After a few minutes, the signal returned in the junkyard alien¡¯s language.


    "Alright, please wait for a moment while we compile the list. However, since we have too many things for trade, to save time, please be clear about what you need. Is it materials, technologies, or biomass? We buy anything and sell anything."


    Yao Yuan responded, "We only need technology and we value information, if they would be kind enough to provide that."


    After Yao Yuan¡¯s words were transmitted over, a large amount of electronic signals surged into the Hope¡¯s computer. The amount of data was so large that the people manning the computer thought they were being DDOSed.


    However, it turned out that the amount of amount was so large because it was a 3D image. After the person moved the data into the central mainframe, the data was identified as 3D video files and then was slowly categorized.


    First, there was basic information of the cosmos, such as constellations, solar systems, dangerous locations in space, notable planets, and distance to places called ¡®Shelters.¡¯¡®Shelters¡¯ were places in space where multiple civilizations congregated, a pit stop of sorts. Yao Yuan felt his heart twist when he saw the word.


    After that came the data on the technologies. There were more than a handful of curious ones, like how to handcraft a stone axe, how to mine and smelt iron, how to wire a light bulb, and even how to create tesla coils. The technologies were listed in a long list. The amount of information was so large that the whole room spent literally hours just to go through the 3D images.


    However, there was one thing that gave people pause. Behind every data, material or technology was a term called ¡®value.¡¯


    For example, how to handcraft a stone axe was valued at ¡®0.0000000002.¡¯


    While information on the nearest shelters, such as basic information, coordinates, and space chart navigation were valued at respectively 50,000, 70,000 and 100,000. The discrepancy was obvious.


    Among this information, Yao Yuan also realized¡­ the highest technology offered was only until the 4th revolution, there was nothing from the 5th revolution!


    "Tell them this and make sure that you don¡¯t miss a word, what we need are¡­


    "Technologies from the fifth industrial revolution, or in other words, technologies for Level 3 and 4 civilizations!"

 Chapter 231: The Face of Trade

    Chapter 231: The Face of Trade


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan¡¯s words quickly reached the merchants. After several hours of complete silence where all signals stopped and the spacecraft returned to the spherical spaceship, probably to exchange information with the spaceship within the spaceship¡¯s own creator¡¯s particle null zone.


    In the few hours, speculations started to fly on the Hope.


    First, it could be confirmed that the space merchants had technologies from the 5th revolution. Even though the technologies might not be complete, since they could use warp drive, it meant that at least they had entered the 5th revolution.


    The reasoning behind this was fairly simple: science does not have exponential growth. In other words, it was impossible for one to ask about trigonometry first then about planetary fuel. This kind of leap in scientific thinking only exists in sci-fi.


    Of course, if we¡¯re talking about only the product of science and not science itself, then this is possible. Simply put, with colors painted on computer keys, even the chimps could be taught how to use the computer. The two had nothing to do with each other. Can you ask the chimp to explain the science behind the computer even though he may know how to use it? The answer is obvious.


    The reality works as such as well. It was undeniable that the space merchants had access to many of the 5th revolution¡¯s products, but for some reason, the space merchants didn¡¯t pursue an in-depth research in these technologies. This sounded unbelievable, but based on what humanity had observed thus far, this happened to be the truth.


    For the space merchants, when they got hold of 5th revolution technologies, instead of studying them like how humanity would do, they employed them in ways of trade.


    It was also worth noting that even though mankind¡¯s scientific products were only at the initial 4th revolution level, the scientific studies behind them had reached late or the peak of 4th revolution.


    Therefore, if given a 5th revolution technology, even if it might not be complete, it could very well be the catalyst that mankind needed to initiate another scientific revolution.


    Perhaps the space merchants knew that. That was why they only showed the Hope the choice of 4th revolution technologies and below. Their intention was clear: they didn¡¯t want to help mankind proceed to the next revolution.


    Soon, the spacecraft returned to the Hope¡¯s null zone and a series of signals came rushing at the Hope.


    "We do have technologies from Level 3 and 4 civilizations, but these technologies are highly valued. It was through many trades that we were able to procure these technologies, so if you wish to purchase these technologies, you have to convince us that you¡¯re able to afford it. We purchase anything: products, technologies, material and even organic life forms."


    This was the space merchant¡¯s response. The Hope quickly compiled the list of the items they were to trade based on the earlier 3D images that the space merchants had sent over. Of course, since the nomenclature was different for different civilizations, to prevent confusion, the biochemical make up was provided alongside the list that was sent to the space merchants.


    After the space merchants received this information, they categorized them one by one and then added values to each of them.


    Common metals like iron, treated or otherwise, were valued at 0.5 per ton, while other metals were given pitiably low values. The highest valued metal was platinum, but that was also only at 0.7 per ton.


    If that was the case, even if the entire the Hope was sold, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to purchase common space information.


    Next was radioactive minerals. They were valued at a higher number than most expected. For example, uranium was 7 per ton, while other minerals were even higher. The highest among this category was an unknown mineral collected from the nebulous cloud. It was valued at 370 per ton. Even the associated ore of this mineral was valued at 10 per ton.


    Suddenly, Ren Tao furrowed his brows and gave an audible "hmm." Xiao Niao, who stood beside him, initially didn¡¯t have any reaction, but after witnessing Ren Tao¡¯s curious response, he started scanning the data in closer detail. After a while, he too repeated the "hmm." However, neither of them chose to elaborate.


    The remaining experts focused on the list and continued calculating the value of these materials. However, their faces gradually dropped as the time went on. In the end, the entire store of minerals on the Hope was not even worth the value of 10,000!


    Selling the whole warehouse of the minerals wasn¡¯t enough to even purchase common space information, much less 5th revolution technology! In other words, mankind¡¯s current wealth was pitiably small.


    Next would be the transfer of all the DNA prints. However, before the transfer, both Ren Tao and Xiao Niao said in unison to not send the prints for the alien plant, Black Dragons, and the mother nest alien.


    Compared to the minerals, the DNA prints were much more valuable. For example, the simplest wheat DNA print and ten samples were valued at 100 plus, while the lowest value for animals were at 500. When the group received this information, the atmosphere in the room visibly improved. Ren Tao and Xiao Niao nodded their heads slowly as if they had been expecting this kind of response. However, they didn¡¯t say a word and waited patiently for the transmission to finish.


    Yao Yuan noted the change in the expressions and he had many questions in his mind, but he knew it was not the time. After all the DNA prints were sent, the person in charge was going to send information on the Hope¡¯s technology but was stopped by Ren Tao.


    "Stop here. Tell the space merchants that¡¯s everything we can offer. If it¡¯s still not enough to purchase the 5th revolution technology, then consider the trade canceled," Ren Tao told the person in charge.


    The person snuck at look at Yao Yuan to seek his approval. Yao Yuan stared curiously at Ren Tao and Xiao Niao, but the two of them had on an indifferent countenance like there was nothing wrong with the request.


    Yao Yuan was not dumb; he too had realized there was a trick hidden within the space merchants¡¯ message, so he gave the person in charge the go-ahead. After that, he turned to the two of them to ask, "Can you please explain to us why you stopped us from reporting the technologies we have? It is obvious that with the things we gave so far, they are definitely not enough to afford any 5th revolution technology."


    Ren Tao shrugged his shoulder and said not a word. Xiao Niao sighed and explained, "Because it''s obvious that the space merchants are taking us for generous fools. How should I put this? Anyway, the value of a certain thing is proportional to its purpose and amount, right? For example, while we might treat gold as something valuable on Earth, it would be something equivalent to our dirt if we¡¯re trading with a planet made entirely of gold.


    "It is the same thing here. There are many things we consider valuable that are not worth much to the space merchants. One man¡¯s trash is another man¡¯s treasure. We have to be clear about this."


    Xiao Niao turned towards the data on the screen and smirked condescendingly. "Therefore, conversely, things that we consider trash might be extremely valuable in space. This is incredibly possible. Since we have no clue of the space value for our resources, it enables the space merchants to swindle valuables out of our hands for extremely low prices. After all, these are experienced merchants we¡¯re dealing with, and all businessmen are liars."


    Yao Yuan nodded. "You¡¯re right. This situation will mostly likely occur. Since both parties value the same things differently, it is possible that the things that are trash for us are extremely valuable to the other party. I think I get what you mean; we¡¯re essentially bargaining. If the lists we¡¯ve sent have something valuable, the space merchants will stop us from leaving this trade because it is a trade in their favor since they have the information on the real space value of these items, while we don¡¯t. But how can you be sure there is something they want among the lists we¡¯ve given? You should know this trade is a once in a lifetime opportunity¡­"


    Before Xiao Niao and Ren Tao could answer, the reply from the space merchants arrived.


    "¡­We¡¯re always willing to help out new space civilizations. Even though you¡¯re lacking in materials¡­ no matter, we still hope to continue this trade, but we ask that you add something to balance out the trade. The best would be your civilization¡¯s main life form, or cosmic adaptors¡­"

 Chapter 232: Negotiation

    Chapter 232: Negotiation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The space merchants¡¯ reply made both Ren Tao and Xiao Niao smirk. Even Yao Yuan realized that the merchants must have cheated during their previous conversation. There must be something valuable in the list mankind had provided that was given a low value. This latest response was probably the only honest thing the space merchants had said.


    However, this knowledge calmed Yao Yuan. Profit is profit, no matter whether it was for primitive or advanced civilizations, in space or on Earth, profit was a yardstick that was clear and universal.


    Trade between two parties was possible only because there was profit involved. Now that the space merchants had shown interest in some of the minerals available on the Hope [1], the next course of action would be to find out what it was, to identify the leverage so to speak.


    Yao Yuan turned to Ren Tao and Xiao Niao and asked, "Fine, but now you two should tell me from where did you see all of this? How did you find out that the space merchants are trying to swindle a deal out of us?"


    This time it was Xiao Niao¡¯s turn to not respond. He stared directly at Ren Tao and snickered. Ren Tao shrugged, scratched his chin, and said, "It¡¯s fairly simple. Look at the value they¡¯ve given to our list and you¡¯ll see it."


    Yao Yuan initiated his Thinker power and analyzed the space merchants¡¯ value list. He had troubles spotting any anomalies in it, so he asked, "Just what did the two of you see? My Thinker ability is not as good as yours, so I can¡¯t see it¡­ What is it? Just tell me."


    Ren Tao gave a helpless expression that said "I¡¯m too lazy," but he still walked to Yao Yuan¡¯s side and explained, "Look at the values closely. The values are suspiciously proportional to the amount of the items we have in stock. For example, we have the highest amount of iron ingots in storage, so it was valued at the lowest. Conversely, our store is platinum is the least and the value was the highest.


    "It is the same with the radioactive minerals. Other than the few exceptions, the radioactive ores we mined from the new planet are highly out of proportion to the value offered. For example, these associated minerals. I remember clearly that we¡¯re only left with about 200 kilograms after distillation to clear away the impurities. However, when compared to its main minerals, the value is suspiciously low. This raised a red flag in my mind. How come every other mineral was valued according to the amount we have but these few were not?"


    Ren Tao shrugged before continuing, "Next would be the DNA prints. The value given was simply too high, way higher than our expectations. Even though every planet and civilization has their own range of unique life form DNAs, the value is still too high. There is only one reason why the value is so high, and that is to cover up the fact that they pulled the price drastically low for other incredibly important items on the list. Giving these common DNA prints high values would balance out the bitter taste in our mouths from the low price of the minerals earlier."


    Realization dawned for Yao Yuan. His Thinker power had kicked in halfway through Ren Tao¡¯s explanation. He said immediately, "Of course, you¡¯re right! It is really true that all businessmen are liars¡­ But thankfully, at least they still have no idea that we¡¯ve seen through their ploy and that they have unwittingly let out the fact that we¡¯re in possession of some extremely valuable minerals. Now that leverage is our side, we¡¯re definitely going to squeeze this bunch of wily merchants dry."


    However, Yao Yuan still needed to be political in his words. After all, this was not a group of human merchants but a merchant conglomerate with technology slighter greater than mankind¡¯s. There was no point in getting into a hostile confrontation because of a few words.


    "Tell them that we¡¯re really lacking in resources so the trade has to be canceled. Thank them for their offer."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s heart started palpitating after he said those words. However, he had faith in Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and his own assessment. Currently, mankind was like people groping in the dark. They needed information and technology, so Yao Yuan had to risk it.


    The response came quickly from the spacecraft. "We are always willing to help new space civilizations. We are willing to trade a piece of 5th revolution technology for all the resources you have. Remember that the space merchant conglomerate will buy and sell anything."


    The risk paid off. There was cheering in the meeting room. At the very least, humanity would gain access to a new 5th revolution technology, perhaps the warp drive technology. After all, this new technology could be the catalyst mankind needed to kick start another technological renaissance. It was entirely possible that mankind could officially enter the 5th revolution in the next decade with the help of the one 5th revolution technology.


    However, there were still many things that mankind needed, and the biggest issue was that Yao Yuan had no idea how much value the Hope was actually sitting on. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t just come out and agree with the proffered trade. After all, bargaining was a part of trade. Of course, this didn¡¯t require Yao Yuan¡¯s input anymore. The Hope was home to a society of experts, and there were plenty that were familiar with business and business logic. This was their wheelhouse.


    In actuality, this group of people got the shortest end of the stick when they joined the Hope. They were not familiar with scientific knowledge or handy with their hands. Their business minds were practically useless on the Hope, so the best they could do with their talent was open a hawker stall¡­ It was truly a waste of their talent.


    However, they finally found the chance to prove their worth. The top 10 businessmen and women according to their resumes on the Hope were summoned to the meeting room. They were tasked with handling the trade with the space merchants.


    Initially, Yao Yuan and the gang still stayed in the room to be part of the conversation; however, after a while, they realized that they were the outsiders. Business slangs were flying all over the room, and they had no idea how to add to the conversations. They resigned to standing still and listening. However, as time passed, some of them started yawning.


    Spotting this situation, Yao Yuan separated the business people into groups and had guards watching over them in rotation so that people could go and get the rest they needed.


    While Yao Yuan was resting, Guang Zhen took his place. However, he had a hard time sleeping; the smallest motion would shake him awake. Thankfully, nothing disastrous had happened. The negotiations had entered its third day.


    Currently, it was the group of human experts that held the upper hand. The initial offer of one piece of 5th revolution technology was changed to one piece of 5th revolution technology and some space information. Furthermore, according to the negotiators, this was just the beginning. With how the negotiation was going, it was entirely possible that mankind would be able to get everything they wanted from the space merchants.


    Was the radioactive mineral the Hope had really that important to the space merchants?


    The answer the experts gave to this question was curious. They felt that it was not that the minerals were valuable but the merchants were too na?ve. Simply put, the merchants appeared to have no experience in business speech and practically no knowledge about trade. They were like hawkers, barely qualified to be called merchants. That was why they kept losing their ground in the negotiations.


    This answer befuddled many people¡¯s minds. Only Ren Tao gave a shocked expression, but the change in his expression was so quick that no one noticed it.


    In the end, the negotiations lasted for seven days. The final trade was three pieces of 5th revolution technologies and all the information the merchants had on the cosmos. The space merchants finally seemed to have realized that something had gone wrong. They started rejecting mankind¡¯s requests for negotiation. In fact, they started to become more agitated than mankind. They didn¡¯t state that they wish to end the trade, but the spacecraft kept going back and forth to and from their main ship, obviously in deep discussion about something.


    On the eighth day, the space merchants finally came to a decision. They invited mankind¡¯s leader to their main ship to cement the trade negotiation, and at the same time, they would send out a representative unit of less than ten people onto the Hope to do the same. The result of these two face-to-face negotiations would dictate the trade¡¯s success or loss.


    After a long discussion, Yao Yuan was taken out of the unit going to the merchants¡¯ main ship. Ying would be leading the unit which consisted of Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, 20 Black Star Troopers, and half of the business experts.


    "This negotiation is extremely important. Ren Tao and Xiao Niao, this is mankind¡¯s first official contact with another space civilization. Whether it will end with happiness or tears all depends on you¡­"


    Thus, the invitation was accepted¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] No idea where this sudden leap in plot comes from. The author didn¡¯t mention anything about the space merchants eyeing the minerals on the Hope before this. But for the sake of plot, let¡¯s just assume that did happen.

 Chapter 233: Invitation

    Chapter 233: Invitation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Regarding the space merchants¡¯ invitation, there were again two camps. Those that supported it said that the invitation was just a formality to cement mankind¡¯s victory in the negotiations. Going through with it would nab mankind the space information and 5th revolution technologies.


    Those who rejected it, although small in numbers, backed up their argument with Ren Tao¡¯s warning. The space merchants already knew about mankind¡¯s existence and this was a way to test their cosmic adaptability. The invitation was a trap in disguise.


    After weighing both sides of the argument, Yao Yuan still decided to accept the invitation. After all, the contact had been initiated, so there was no reason for them to abandon it half-way. This opportunity was way too important for them, so the invitation had to be accepted.


    The party accepting the invitation was separated into groups for them to learn the correct manners and ways when they dealt with the alien merchants. After all, this was to be mankind¡¯s first contact with a space civilization, being prepared didn¡¯t hurt.


    While all this were happening, a European girl about 9 years old walked into the meeting room. The place was a hub of activity where people were bustling about with their work. For example, the programmers were adjusting and transmitting information and signals, the Black Star Troopers were checking their space armor, the business experts were discussing among themselves excitedly, and even Yao Yuan was relaying something to Ying.


    The girl waltzed easily into the supposedly heavily guarded meeting room. She approached Ren Tao with a giant smile and said, "Big Brother, I have a present for you before you go on this journey." She then opened her palm.


    In it was a baby Black Dragon. The exquisite creature was shining like white pearl. It was sleeping soundly, yawning occasionally.


    The little girl¡¯s words pulled Ren Tao out of his reverie. He didn¡¯t ask for people to get her out but instead eyed the path she took. The guards were changing shifts, so no one was there to stop her entry. Furthermore, the rest of the room was so busy that no one managed to pay her any notice.


    "I recognize you. You¡¯re Eva, right? The granddaughter of that famous scientist¡­" Ren Tao tried searching his mind for a name but it just wouldn¡¯t appear.


    Eva smiled and didn¡¯t explain. She passed the baby dragon over to Ren Tao and said, "Remember to have him close to you, it will be something that is crucial to the success of this mission." Before Ren Tao could even reply, Eva swiveled around and left. When she reached the door, the new rotation of guards arrived and they escorted her out.


    Ren Tao was temporarily dazed. His mind was racing. After several minutes, he started laughing to himself and dropped the baby dragon gingerly into his space armor.


    The Black Dragon had assimilated to life beside human beings, and their babies were especially familiar with the smell of mankind. There were no reported attack cases so far. The baby dragon was warmed by the inner space of the space armor and it fell back to sleep.


    At the same time, the scientists finally returned to the bio lab after their lunch break, and within the baby dragon incubator, the originally 6 baby dragons were now 5. However, since it was not feeding time, no one had noticed the disappearance yet.


    Eva, who left the meeting room, suddenly pulled a piece of high density fiber glass shard from her pocket and tossed it away. Then she walked away whistling her favorite tune.


    Back at the meeting room, everything was ready. The party took the transport shuttle to the Observer, which would later send them over to the alien spaceship.


    When they neared the alien spaceship, a 30-meter-long mini-spaceship exited from the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. It headed towards the Hope, the first face-to-face contact was about to begin.


    Almost everyone was gathered at the windows to witness this momentous moment. About 20 minutes later, the mini spaceship entered the Hope through one of its hangars. With Yao Yuan leading the way, a group of Defense Unit soldiers, Black Star Troopers, and governmental workers stood at the corridor outside of the hangar to welcome the merchants¡¯ arrival.


    Finally, 10 aliens of varying types descended from the mini spaceship.


    The aliens were also in spacesuits, but their materials, colors, and appearances were totally different from each other. The 10 aliens standing before mankind could roughly be categorized into 4 races. One of them had a head about half the size of their bodies. They had a large head atop of a miniscule body, only about 1.4 meters in height, the typical image of an alien mankind had in mind.


    Another race was about 3.5 meters tall and wide. They looked physically impressive, like a gorilla, but with 4 arms instead of 2.


    Another race¡­ didn¡¯t fit Yao Yuan¡¯s impression of an alien. It looked more like a scorpion-like insectoid. Their body was extremely long, at least 7 to 8 meters, and protruding out of their spacesuit was about 10 small appendages. They could stand upright, but when they moved, they still crawled like an insect.


    The last race was the most curious of all. They were only a line. Yes, a 2 meter-long-line. The head part was slightly bigger than the rest. Otherwise, it looked exactly like an inconspicuous snake.


    When the 10 aliens entered the Hope, basically everyone was startled by their appearances. Other than the first 2 types, the rest were simply too far away from how humanity envisioned what aliens looked like.


    Thankfully, Yao Yuan quickly grabbed hold of himself. He went forward to greet them. His words were passed to a translator via his space armor, and the words were translated into a signal which was then sent to the aliens.


    "We gladly welcome your visitation. It is with an intention to improve the overall relationship between space civilizations that¡­"


    As Yao Yuan went through the speech that he had memorized, the alien with the largest brain interrupted him, "Let¡¯s go straight to the negotiation, and please let us check the stock that you¡¯re giving up for trade."


    Even though Yao Yuan was already prepared, he was still shocked by the alien¡¯s straight-forwardness. Perhaps it was because they had crossed paths with too many space civilizations that they wished to skip the formalities and get to the chase. Furthermore, mankind was the party with the lower technology, so the difference in attitude was understandable.


    If that was the case, Yao Yuan too didn¡¯t want to waste any more time with preamble. Escorted by the higher officials and business experts, 7 aliens were led to the meeting room, while 3 others followed another group of soldiers to the warehouse.


    Everything appeared to be running smoothly¡­


    On the other hand, Ying¡¯s group was led into the space merchants¡¯ spaceship.


    Their first impression was not high-tech, futuristic, or anything like that, but dirty, deplorable, and chaotic!


    Indeed, when they first stepped into the spaceship, the first thing that entered their eyes were repair patches and the electrical lines that were peeking out from the holes in the walls. Everything looked imperfect and lacking. In fact, the place looked more steampunk than futuristic.


    It must be said that Ying¡¯s group was disappointed by this view. However, it might be that the future looks this way? Who could really tell?


    Ying¡¯s group was led into a large hall, but the place didn¡¯t look like a meeting room but an interrogation chamber. There was an enclave in the middle where Ying¡¯s group was led to while the surrounding tiers of seats rose up towards the ceiling. Several thousand aliens were gathered in the room, and they were literally looking down on Ying¡¯s group. Almost instantly, the humans felt shamed.


    Ying tried to calm everyone¡¯s feelings. He whispered, "Don¡¯t get too worked up. This may be how they treat their honorable guests. Let¡¯s just follow their rules for now."


    Of course, his group wouldn¡¯t act simply out of line, but the offense they felt in their hearts was hard to ignore. In any case, the negotiations continued with them being treated like convicts¡­

 Chapter 234: Codes

    Chapter 234: Codes


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Because of the creator¡¯s particles, neither party knew about how the other party¡¯s negotiation was going. Therefore, the Observer and the merchant spacecraft had to keep going back and forth between the two main ships to inform their civilizations of the negotiation progress. This was a calming balm to the nervous mankind, allowing them to focus completely on the negotiation happening on the Hope.


    In this period, human representatives had accompanied the few alien merchants to look at the actual products to ensure that mankind really did wish to trade these items and weren¡¯t swindling the merchants for naught.


    Anyway, the negotiations lasted for more than a day. In fact, Ying¡¯s group had to take a break in the middle of it to return to the Observer to rest and to sleep. The negotiations had reached an impasse. The space merchants realized the trade was not in their favor, but mankind didn¡¯t have anything else available to be offered. Regardless, the negotiations had to go on, as there was no other choice.


    At 2 PM of the second day, a manager in the homeostatic room found something weird in the statistics of the Hope¡¯s daily water usage. The spike in statistics wasn¡¯t anything instantly alarming. In fact, it just looked like a stray line of code.


    The manager was ready to shrug it off, but the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Every program on the Hope was directly connected to the Hope¡¯s central mainframe. In other words, if there was anything wrong with the programs, it would mean that there was something wrong with the central mainframe. This was not a joking matter, but if it was serious, it could affect the Hope¡¯s life support system, and that was related to the lives of tens of thousands of people!


    Therefore, he didn¡¯t dare to be careless and repeated the checking done on the systems. However, the code had disappeared. The manager had a bad feeling about this. This might''ve been a glitch in the system, but he couldn¡¯t just ignore it. After all, his life might hang in the balance if anything bad were to happen.


    The manager thus reported this incident to his superior. They treated it with due diligence. Members from the Workshop were sent to check out the anomaly. In the end, they did discover the weird code. It was an encrypted code, the encryption being a quantum lock that they had not seen before.


    They felt that this was something more than what they could handle, so the manager¡¯s superior passed it on to his superior. The incident slowly climbed up the bureaucratic ladder until it finally reached Yao Yuan¡¯s ears. He wasted no time and formed an expect tech group to conduct an all-rounded checking and diagnostics.


    The report arrived very soon. The code was similar to the alien merchant¡¯s signal, because they used the same quantum lock. Of course, the content most likely was different, but it was certain that this mysterious code had come from the space merchants as well.


    This was a highly suspicious situation. Could it be that the merchants had discovered that their ploy was trounced by Ren Tao and Xiao Niao and they had sent out these stray codes as a disturbance?


    This was the most logical conclusion. Therefore, Yao Yuan took the report and headed to the meeting room where the negotiations were still going on. He was caught up in his own thoughts, so he wasn¡¯t paying attention to his surroundings. When he neared the meeting room, his feet suddenly slipped, and he flailed in mid-air before landing on the floor with an embarrassing fall.


    The fall scratched his forehead, causing it to bleed. Yao Yuan searched the floor for the culprit and found a glass pebble, but why would he find one there? This corridor was close to the Hope¡¯s bridge, so under normal circumstances, normal civilians and children wouldn¡¯t be allowed near. Furthermore, cleaning was done daily, so why was there a glass pebble there?


    As Yao Yuan struggled to stand up, a large shadow passed him. It was one of the space merchants, the large, four-armed gorilla. The 3-meter-tall creature lowered his head to glance at Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t tell what the other party¡¯s expression was because the gorilla was wearing a space suit, but for some reason, Yao Yuan knew it was condescension¡­


    When Yao Yuan straightened himself, the gorilla had already left. Yao Yuan saw something in the gorilla¡¯s condescending behavior, so he rushed towards the surveillance room. The people there were still trying to unlock the quantum lock.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t waste time on greetings but ordered them to speed up the decryption process. He needed to know what was the purpose and meaning behind the codes. There was a bad omen rising up within him, and for some reason, he realized that the key to understanding everything was to solve this quantum lock!


    In the next few hours, the process for the tech team slowed down considerably, so much so that he had to take Zhang Heng off the Observers¡¯ unit to work on the decoding. After all, he was the go-to expert for anything computer on the Hope. Plus, encryption was his specialty.


    However, this quantum lock proved too difficult for him to handle as well. Unlike other coding locks, this quantum lock was prone to changing and adapting to the hacking. Even with the central mainframe¡¯s aid, it was an uphill battle dealing with this lock. The biggest issue was that if the lock wasn¡¯t hacked in one go, it would reset itself.


    Faced with little to no progress, Zhang Heng proposed another method: abandon the force hacking and instead use the junkyard signal issued by the space merchants earlier as a cipher to understand the codes via compare and contrast. However, this method would require a ton of repetition; even with the whole team working on it, it would take almost 3 hours to complete.


    If that was the case, Yao Yuan stopped rushing them. He stood to the side and waited patiently; however, he was suddenly contacted by the business negotiators.


    "Captain, these alien merchants¡¯ tones suddenly became much more aggressive. They are complaining that the negotiation have been going on for far too long, accusing us of not showing them any sincerity. They asserted that they will only trade one thing for the 5th revolution technology. It is a take it or leave it kind of situation."


    Yao Yuan knew instantly that something had gone wrong, but he still hadn¡¯t figured out what. There was something clawing at his mind, but at that moment, he asked in a hurry, "Well, what is it that they want?"


    "Cosmic adaptors¡­ The Homo Evolutis!"


    The sentence made Yao Yuan¡¯s skin rise with goose bumps. It was the thing him, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao were worried about, that the space merchants had a technology that could detect the presence of Homo Evolutis. This was the scariest situation. If this was true, there was no way these negotiations would end in peace.


    The urgency of the situation pulled Yao Yuan out of the surveillance room. He rushed to the meeting room, and when he entered, he saw the business experts in the middle of a heated argument with the 10 space merchants. When they saw Yao Yuan, they immediately relayed all the information to him. The alien merchants had lost their patience and demanded to purchase the human cosmic adaptors. They demanded to have at least half of the Homo Evolutis to be up for trade or the negotiation was off. They had gotten so aggressive in their language that their tones had become nothing more than condescension and insults.


    As soon as Yao Yuan switched on his language translator, a stream of insults and scolding came into his ears. A fury rose within him immediately, but he suppressed it with force and told the merchants, "I¡¯m sorry, but unlike the space merchants conglomerate, humanity only has one main life form, so we will not have our own up for trade¡­"


    The giant brain alien retorted, "Don¡¯t be so stupid. In space, survival is the most important. We will provide you the best technology from Level 3 and 4 civilizations, and in return you only need to hand over half of your cosmic adaptors. This is a steal. As the leader of your civilization, how can you be so blind? Furthermore, the worms that your species are, shouldn¡¯t you be more courteous when you¡¯re facing a species obviously superior to you?"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s fury flared up even more, but he didn¡¯t react rashly. After all, this was a communication between two civilizations. He suppressed his rage and replied, "We have many other things we¡¯re willing to trade: the minerals, DNA prints, everything you see in the warehouse can be traded, but our people are definitely not for sale¡­"


    The big brain alien suddenly started issuing a series of calls that sounded like a duck¡¯s quacking. The other merchants gave out their own weird calls as well. The leading big brain alien said, "But what we want now are the cosmic adaptors, nothing else."


    "Do you want me repeat myself? Our cosmic adapters are¡­ not for sale!"


    Yao Yuan had already narrowed his eyes. It was definitely not the look of kindness. Just as he finished, his communicator rang. The urgent voice of the person came through. "Captain! The recent update from the surveillance room is that the code doesn¡¯t have the same frequency as the rest of the space merchants¡¯ signal. It matches¡­


    "The frequency from Old Earth! They¡¯ve met the other group of humans that escaped from Earth!"


    At that moment, all of the lights on the Hope blinked out of power, but they returned almost instantly. However, after that little incident, the people on the Hope realized that they had lost control of the central mainframe!


    The Hope was being taken over by the central mainframe!

 Chapter 235: Start!

    Chapter 235: Start!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    At this moment, Ying¡¯s group was still in harsh negotiations with the space merchants on the merchants¡¯ ship. Not only were they being treated like convicts, the language and tone employed by the merchants got increasingly condescending. Under these circumstances, Ying¡¯s expression became severe. Ebon, Liu Bai, and Wa Luo, as the Black Star Unit¡¯s members, were combat veterans, so they knew things were going south. Stealthily, they moved closer to Ying, on high alert.


    Ying whispered to them, "Sadly, Zhang Heng has been sent back to the Hope. We could''ve had him read the situation for us. These aliens don¡¯t seem too friendly to me."


    Ebon scoffed, "Let them try. I¡¯ve noticed their weapons; even though they look different from ours, they¡¯re still Gaussian weapons. I didn¡¯t see any plasma weapons. Do they think we Black Star Troopers are paper tigers? We¡¯ve killed millions of zerg aliens; I don¡¯t believe we can¡¯t handle this room of merchants."


    Ying waved his hand, signaling Ebon to stop talking. He observed the faces around them closely¡­ Even though he was unfamiliar with alien facial features, he could tell that the aliens were looking down on them.


    Suddenly, the hall quieted down. Even though Ying had no clue what had happened, he knew it couldn¡¯t be something good. In the next second, a laser fence appeared around the lowered platform they were in, effectively trapping them within.


    A few seconds ago, far away from the space merchants¡¯ mother ship, the Hope lost its light. Even though the power returned in a matter of seconds, the space merchants¡¯ ship opened its hangar and about 10 giant spacecrafts and more than a thousand smaller combat crafts surged towards the Hope.


    A few seconds after the laser fence trapped Ying¡¯s group, a series of tentacle arms appeared from underneath the ground. The mechanical arms were sturdy and fast. They bound Ying¡¯s group in only a few minutes. Even Ebon couldn¡¯t react fast enough to escape from the arms.


    The arms were made from some incredibly powerful metals. Even with the space armors¡¯ aid, they had difficulties tearing off the bindings. Furthermore, the arms went for human joints like elbows and wrists, making it extremely difficult to exert force.


    After that, smaller arms appeared. They started working on the business experts and accompanying workers¡¯ normal spacesuits. Very soon, the small arms peeled the spacesuits off the people¡¯s bodies. It was unknown what the atmosphere inside the spaceship was like, but after their spacesuits were removed, the few people groaned, gasping for air before fainting completely.


    The smaller arms didn¡¯t stop. They turned towards the others, the remaining Black Star Troopers. Their first target was Ren Tao.


    Ren Tao gave a knowing smile as if the truth had suddenly dawned for him. He stopped struggling and told Ying and the rest behind him with a smile, "I suspect that the air in the spaceship will make human beings faint. No clue whether prolonged exposure will be fatal or not, but to be safe, please help me get into my space armor after I¡¯ve fainted. If not, I¡¯ll come back to haunt all of you."


    Ebon roared back at him, "Are you kidding me? Can¡¯t you see were immobile too?"


    "No." Ren Tao smirked. "We¡¯ll be free in just a minute."


    As he said this, the smaller arms started working on his space armor. They took only few minutes to pull Ren Tao out of his space armor. At that moment, Ren Tao stuck his bound hands into his shirt and a snow-white Black Dragon baby appeared in his arms. He threw the baby dragon at the mess of arms without hesitation and yelled, "Sleepyhead, it¡¯s time to wake up and slash through those arms!"


    The baby dragon was woken up due to being tossed roughly to the floor. The moment he woke up, he started chirping in complaint. However, he knew that something was wrong as soon as he opened his small eyes. He sucked in a few deep breaths, but his small nostrils kept twitching. Almost instantly, his body tensed. Like an angry kitten, he hissed threateningly at the aliens beyond the laser fence.


    Ren Tao finally collapsed, grasping his throat. The baby dragon was actually very intelligent. He had been feeding on the new planet¡¯s unique, legged fish, so his IQ was higher than monkeys'' and orangutans''. His intelligence was on par with a seven-year-old human child. He cleverly avoided going near the laser fence and focused his aggression on the metallic arms instead. He was so small and fast that the arms were unable to keep up with him.


    Black Dragon¡­


    It was truly befitting of its super species name!


    Ever since leaving the new planet, the research on the Black Dragons¡¯ evolutionary system hadn¡¯t stopped even though progress was glacially slow. The main issue was the Black Dragons¡¯ unique genetic quality, namely its genetic enhancement quality. It was hard for man to envision why a peaceful environment like the new planet would breed a super species like the black dragons. It undermined the human understanding of evolution.


    Even at this moment, the black dragon showcased its incongruities to mankind¡¯s evolutionary knowledge.


    Even though it was only a baby dragon, its teeth and jaw strength were strong enough to directly chomp through the metallic arms. Not only that, he was completely unaffected by the electricity that leaked out of the destroyed arms. He worked through the arms one by one until few of the Black Star Troopers were released from their bindings.


    One of them was Ebon. With a mighty roar, he pulled out the sawblade on his waist and hacked at the remaining metallic arms. A series of metallic clangs later, all the Black Star Troopers were released. Ying yelled, "Ebon! Get 5 troopers and start cutting through the ground! If we can¡¯t go out, we¡¯re going down! Liu Bai, take another 5 and get the others back into their spacesuits and space armor. The rest follow me and we¡¯ll make quick work of the remaining arms!


    "Let¡¯s do this!"


    Back on the Hope, many people were startled by the sudden albeit temporary loss of power. People were shocked and afraid because they were, after all, in space. Who knew what would happen next?


    Eva¡¯s parents, who were resting and cooking, stopped what they were working on when the lights in their house flashed. They started fretting when Eva walked out of her bedroom sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "Mom, Dad, it¡¯s going to be fine. Everything will quiet down soon enough. By the way, please remind the aunty that comes with the needles to do it with less force and more accuracy after I fall asleep. Her first shot will miss the artery and the second shot will miss from her shaking hands."


    Eva yawned and returned to her bedroom, leaving her surprised parents behind. She closed the door lightly and hopped onto her bed. Then she pulled her teddy bear into her arms, lied down, and slept snuggled against the bear.


    After the temporary power outage, Yao Yuan instantly knew that something had gone awry. He yelled at the ten Black Star Troopers that were guarding the meeting room, "Detain them! There is something very suspicious about these space merchants! Detain them!"


    However, the troopers didn¡¯t move. The space merchants started laughing in their own language while the troopers tried to speak above each other, saying, "Sorry, Captain, we can¡¯t move. The space armors are completely offline!"


    With that, Yao Yuan knew that something was truly off. He turned to the Defense Unit soldiers and ordered, "Fire! Kill them all!"


    The Defense Unit soldiers carried low power Gaussian rifles, the kind that wouldn¡¯t penetrate the spaceship¡¯s walls, so their power was not as strong as the originals''. The 20 soldiers heard Yao Yuan¡¯s orders and pointed their guns at the alien merchants. However, they were too late. The bullets bounced off the electromagnetic shields that appeared around the merchants. The gorilla alien leaped over the meeting table while other aliens rushed towards the soldiers. The only alien who remained seated was the big brain alien. He continued cackling in that strange laugh of his.


    At that moment, a voice issued in Yao Yuan¡¯s communicator. "Captain! We¡¯ve lost complete control of the Hope. All the systems were hacked. The merchants used a code similar to something from old Earth and have taken control over our central mainframe! Everything is down!"


    The four-armed gorillas slammed into the Defense Unit soldiers. Their strength was so great that one fell swoop of their arm practically bent and cut a human soldier into two. Either that, or the soldier was sent flying into the wall and splattered in a mess of guts. With their incredible strength and speed, 3 alien gorillas took 7 seconds to decimate 20 Defense Unit soldiers!


    Yao Yuan understood that the time for words was over. Suddenly, a series of footsteps appeared from outside the door. However, they sounded too mechanically uniform to Yao Yuan¡¯s ears. There was only one possibility. After the merchants had taken over the central mainframe, they used it to control the empty trooper space armors.


    Yao Yuan leaped to one of the troopers¡¯ sides and pulled out the sawblade on his waist. Right at that moment, an alien gorilla charged towards him. Yao Yuan leaped backwards, and with a twirl of his write, the gorilla was split into two sections and fell to the floor. Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes were overcast with chilling vengeance.


    "Don¡¯t think that we Homo Evolutis are completely useless without the space armors¡­


    "Killing the likes of you is as easy as pie!"

 Chapter 236: Complete Infiltration!

    Chapter 236: Complete Infiltration!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The spacecraft and combat jets that the space merchants sent out during the temporary power outage finally reached the Hope. However, they didn¡¯t conduct any attack on the Hope¡¯s exterior. Instead, they flew closer to the hangar, and a platform extended out of the spacecraft and one unit after another of the space merchants¡¯ military swarmed into the Hope.


    Back in the meeting room that was used to host the space merchants, Yao Yuan stood over the bodies of 10 alien merchants, his sawblade gunning and expression severe.


    In the previous battle, 30 plus Defense Unit soldiers died and one Black Star Trooper was heavily damaged by the four-armed gorilla. He needed immediate medical attention.


    Not only that, based on what Yao Yuan knew, all the Black Star Troopers'' space armors were nullified. Other than that, all the devices and tools that had internal computer system were offline, this included the Prototype 003 Combat Jets and the Hope¡¯s internal defense system. Other than the Defense Unit¡¯s low-power Gaussian rifles, mankind was practically defenseless.


    Under these circumstances, the space merchants had started their complete infiltration! There was no need for the use of surveillance to confirm this observation. One could look outside the Hope¡¯s window and see the alien troops that kept pouring out of the few large alien spacecraft and more than a thousand combat jets. It was undeniable that the infiltration had begun!


    Yao Yuan¡¯s heart was filled with regret, but he knew that it was useless to focus on it. Rather than wallowing in regret, he should focus on handling the task at hand. He pulled himself together and ordered the remaining Defense Unit soldiers, "Get the troopers out of their space armors and start gathering the troops¡­"


    Guang Zhen, who was beside him, asked seriously, "Are we going to set up a defense perimeter at the hangars?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "No, we don¡¯t have enough firepower or manpower to put up any form of a fight. However, like the liquid metal civilization, these merchants want to capture us alive, so we still have a fighting chance¡­ Ol¡¯ Wong, gather all the Defense Unit soldiers and have them go to the central mainframe and set up the defense barricade there. Grab any Black Star Troopers and Homo Evolutis you see on the way. Also, bring along all the Black Star Troopers'' space armors."


    Guang Zhen did a double-take. He asked Yao Yuan for confirmation, "Are you sure about this? Have you thought it through? How about¡­ how about everyone else, the civilians and the families of the soldiers?"


    Yao Yuan nodded in confirmation. "Of course I¡¯ve thought it out. Don¡¯t you get it? The space merchants¡¯ targets are the Homo Evolutis, that is all they want! Therefore, with us gathered at the central mainframe, it will pull their troops towards it and away from the normal civilians. They will come for us first because if we decide to commit suicide, the loss will be unbearable for them. Get it now? We¡¯re the bait!


    "Other than that, we must make sure we regain control of the central mainframe as soon as possible. We must, or today shall be the end of humanity!"


    Guang Zhen nodded grimly. He stopped hesitating. After saluting Yao Yuan, he led a group of soldiers out of the meeting room while others helped the troopers get out of their armors. After that, they divided the space armors into smaller pieces and carried them to the central mainframe.


    In such a pivotal situation where the survival of humanity hung on the line, Guang Zhen didn¡¯t dare to dally. He corralled all the lieutenants and sub-lieutenants and relayed to them Yao Yuan¡¯s orders and plan. He tasked them with the job of pacifying the emotions of their units. After that, Guang Zhen split the soldiers into three teams. One was to gather the straggling Homo Evolutis like Zhang Heng and Bo Li, another was to go to the weapons warehouse to move all the space armors to the central mainframe, and the last was to rush to the central mainframe and start setting up the defense barricade around it. This would be the Hope¡¯s last bulwark!


    On the other hand, back on the space merchants¡¯ ship, Ying¡¯s group¡¯s space armors weren¡¯t affected. Perhaps the creator¡¯s particles had prevented the Hope¡¯s central mainframe from reaching their space armors. All of the twenty space troopers had helped everyone get back into their spacesuits and they had dropped down to the lower ground through the hole that Ebon had sawed through.


    This level below the condemnation hall was a level that was equally broken and grimy. However, this level¡¯s ceiling was much lower than the one they were previously in. At many places, the troopers had to bend down to get through. After they went deeper in, they found some snake-like life forms scurrying away to save their lives. The entire ship had sounded a piercing alarm. It was barely a minute from when Ying¡¯s group jump down the hole but several quarantine walls had dropped down attempting to block their way.


    Did the aliens really think the walls were going to stop the troopers? The sawblade was not for show. As long as it was not a pure laser fence, cutting through the walls was like cutting through cheese!


    The walls did have some thickness to them, but before the sawblade, they were nothing. They couldn¡¯t stop the killing machines the Black Star Troopers were!


    A unit made up purely of Homo Evolutis coupled with the armor that was meant to promote their reaction time and tenacity to the maximum with a sawblade that was unbeatable in close-quarters combat and Gaussian rifles that had long-distance piercing capability? Yes, they were killing machines!


    After tearing through multiple walls, Ying¡¯s group finally crossed paths with the space merchants¡¯ first military unit!


    One thing was for sure, the space merchants¡¯ weapons were definitely better than mankind¡¯s.


    The merchants still employed Gaussian weaponry because no plasma weapons were in sight other than the earlier laser fence. Even so, it was observable that the alien¡¯s equipment was indeed better than what the troopers wielded.


    The alien soldiers were of different shapes and sizes, but their weapons were standardized. There was a curious-looking triangular Gaussian gun. Before firing, the front of this weapon would disintegrate into three arrows, acting as a scope, aiming at the Space Troopers. The accuracy was much better than mankind¡¯s Gaussian rifles, but of course not better than Ying''s.


    Secondly, whenever the bullets rebounded and hit the walls, ceilings, or floors, a thin layer of electromagnetic shield would appear, blocking the bullets from piercing through and harming the body of the spaceship.


    Other than these standardized weapons, the alien merchants had a commander-like character in each unit. Normally, this role was held by an alien who had a ginormous head and small body. They didn¡¯t have any Gaussian weaponry on them, but beside their heads were three floating plate-like objects. These circular plates kept on spinning, and after a short period of charging, they would tear through their target with alarming speed. Not even the electromagnetic shield could block them. However, after they hit their targets or went beyond their targets, they would return automatically to the brain alien¡¯s side. Furthermore, these spinning plates would automatically block the bullets that came at the alien.


    This was an extremely powerful weapon that had taken down two space troopers. Since electromagnetic shields and covers were useless before this weapon, one could only avoid them with one¡¯s instinct. Two Survivors died from being ambushed by the plates.


    However¡­


    This did not stop the troopers!


    On paper it might sound amazing, but the 20¡­ 18 space troopers after their first encounter with the military unit of about 500 people practically ran over the resistance like a ballast roller. The spinning plates required charging time and could be avoided if one read the malice projection of the brain alien well beforehand. Even if they blocked the Gaussian bullet, they could do nothing if the troopers rushed in for close quarters combat!


    Of course, there were alien species that were good at close quarters combat too. One was the four-armed gorillas that had on giant armor that looked similar to Black Star Troopers¡¯ space armor, and the other was the insectoid scorpion-like aliens. With their many appendages, they were fast and furious.


    However, in comparison, even the Survivors with the aid of the space armors could reach upwards of 150 meters reaction time per second. That was a concept that was by itself hard to encapsulate!


    None of the alien species could match their speed! Occasionally, the gorilla aliens would leap forward to attack the troopers with giant clubs that shimmered with electrical pulses, claws, knives, or bats, but none of their attacks would land on the troopers. Instead, many of them would fall to the floor in two or in many pieces!


    The victory was clearly one-sided!


    However, Ying had no idea where they were or where the space merchants¡¯ crucial spot was. He could only power on deeper into the spaceship. After all, the merchants had fired the first bullet, so there was no reason for them to show any kindness. They cut down any alien that they came into. The soldiers alone, Ying¡¯s group tore through 3 platoons of them. That equaled to at least 2,000 soldiers, and they hacked down about ten times of that for other non-combative aliens.


    This bloodlust was a mixture of the betrayal and their worry for their families and friends back on the Hope.


    Both parties started moving. On one hand, about ten thousand alien space merchants had infiltrated The Hope, while on the other, 18 Black Star Troopers combined with a group of light-headed business experts and normal civilians headed deeper into the inner chasms of the space merchants¡¯ spaceship¡­


    The infiltrations had officially started!

 Chapter 237: One Step Back is Hell!

    Chapter 237: One Step Back is Hell!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Defense Unit¡¯s progress wasn¡¯t going smoothly. When they were dismantling and transferring (the space armors were too heavy to carry in one piece, so they had to be dismantled first), they unfortunately ran into the invading space merchants.


    Instead of using Gaussian weaponry, the space merchants were equipped with unique-looking electronic pulse rifles. They appeared to be more high-tech than Gaussian weapons but still not yet in the stage of actual plasma weaponry.


    Instead of bullets, the weapons shot out electronic currents, and there were basically no misses. The most important feature of this weapon was that it wasn¡¯t affected by electromagnetic shields. However, the damage of the currents was significantly weaker than Gaussian weapons. For example, a Defense Unit soldier in space armor required at least 7 shots before the gun would take effect, and even then, the damage was only strong enough to paralyze someone.


    The space merchants¡¯ aim wasn¡¯t to kill but to capture. They intended to capture all the human beings alive. Of course, their main targets were the Homo Evolutis.


    The Defense Unit soldiers hadn¡¯t faced a weapon like this before, so almost 300 soldiers were incapacitated when the infiltration started. The element of surprise could play a huge role in deciding the sway of the battle. While the rest tried to put up a fight, they were slowly retreating, pushed back by the space merchants. The biggest frustration was their low power Gaussian rifles; their power was equivalent to normal firearms. Could such a weapon pierce through the space merchants¡¯ electromagnetic shield? Impossible!


    It was a one-sided combat situation favoring the space merchants. Even though it was hard to tell whether there was any death on the humans¡¯ side, it was certain that the space merchants had suffered zero deaths. Furthermore, the space merchants were reinforced by the four-armed space gorillas. The soldiers¡¯ bullets basically bounced off their armors without even creating a dent.


    When the Defense Unit retreated to the central mainframe area, more than 500 soldiers were lost and they only had 30 to 40 space armors with them. Of course, one of them was the red space armor tailored for Yao Yuan.


    The other unit led by Guang Zhen had a better experience. He went to the basement levels to round up the patrolling soldiers and Homo Evolutis that were at their residences. The damage suffered wasn¡¯t so heavy because the basement levels were further away from the hangars. However, about 200 soldiers fell in the mission to protect important personnel like Bo Li. Then Guang Zhen led everyone back to the central mainframe, and in the end, there were only about one thousand soldiers left when they gathered at the central mainframe!


    The central mainframe covered only a small area. It was a highly defensible location because it had only one entrance, creating a bottleneck situation. However, it still didn¡¯t bode well for humanity because the difference in quality of weaponry was too big. One party had something akin to plastic guns, while the other had something that was indefensible. The paralysis incurred by the electric pulse guns was so strong that once hit, it would take at least a day for its victim to regain consciousness.


    On paper, it might need several shots to fully incapacitate a person, but considering the speed of electrical currents, the few shots only took 2 seconds in total.


    On the other hand, it required the focus fire of about 10 soldiers on the same target to create a ripple on the space merchant¡¯s electromagnetic shield to temporarily force them back. The bottleneck situation limited not only the space merchants¡¯ military but also the Defense Unit¡¯s. They could set up a half circle perimeter inside the room instead of the corridor. The formation would be more suitable for a more focused line of fire, but they couldn¡¯t do so because behind them was the central mainframe!


    The moment the central mainframe was damaged, be it only a single dent, it would create irreparable damage to such a delicate piece of machinery. The central mainframe was the heart of the ship; even a tiny bit of damage to it could spell doom to the entirety of human civilization!


    One step back was hell!


    Therefore, everyone knew that they couldn¡¯t retreat even another step. A heavy silence permeated the barricade. It was not fear but resoluteness. The moment the soldiers at the front fell, the ones behind quickly stepped forth to take their places. They took up their weapons and fought alongside their comrades until it was their turn to fall. This was repeated continuously.


    There were no orders from their superiors, but everyone knew what they were supposed to do. The soldiers kept stepping forward to block the entrance to the central mainframe. There was no exception.


    To quote what had been said before¡­


    One step back was hell!


    Behind them, a few groups of ladies were weeping silently, but most of them silently watched this situation unfold. It was not a stunned silence but a weighty silence. At the last moment, after the soldiers had fallen, the Homo Evolutis and space troopers who were out of their armors stepped up to the plate.


    Right then, Xi Kong, who was in the crowd, wiped away her tears and started singing. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it cut through the commotion created by the bullets and electrical pulses, the silence that pervaded the air into everyone¡¯s hearts and souls. The civilians who were avoiding capture by the space merchants, the soldiers that were fighting, and those that had been captured by the space merchants all heard her voice.


    The Defense Unit soldiers that were captured was the first group to respond to Xi Kong¡¯s singing. They stopped caring about their personal safety. The song they heard spoke of the biggest crisis that had faced humanity yet, the type that one step back would spell extinction for humanity. They heard the final struggle for humanity, the hail-mary effort that was willing to put oneself on the line for the sake of humanity; all these thoughts rang in their heads. Even though their weapons were confiscated, they bounced back up to tackle the space merchants that guarded over them¡­


    Next were the civilians. They stopped pushing and crashing into each other like headless chickens. They continued their effort to escape capture, but there was no longer that sense of being lost. Some of the elderly stopped moving completely. They fixed their clothes and waited for the electric pulse to knock them out¡­


    Control of mankind¡¯s three other spaceships, the Defender and the Observers, were lost as well because they were within the the Hope¡¯s control range and not out of its creator¡¯s particle field, so all of the functions on the three ships had gone offline too.


    The space merchants infiltrated these three ships as well. Of course, their main effort was to capture live humans. Even though the attack force wasn¡¯t as vehement as the one on the Hope, they too were losing against the space merchants.


    When they heard Xi Kong¡¯s song, the people that remained on the three ships had a sudden thought that crossed their minds. They retreated to the emergency control center, and all of them did the same thing¡­


    When mankind created the three spaceships, to prevent the possibility of losing control of these three ships during space war, a unique change in the design was introduced. There was no way for humanity to tell what kind of alien they would eventually come up against, and if it was the mother nest alien again, instead of being infected, death would seem to be the better choice.


    Therefore, self-destruct devices were installed into the three ships. There were two ways to initiate them. One was through electrical signals, and another was through manual operation. The two methods were not limited by each other¡­


    The workers on the three ships came to a unanimous decision without consulting with each other. Basking in the sound of Xi Kong¡¯s song, they pulled the self-destruct lever with grim yet determined expressions¡­


    At that moment, three giant, bright, and circular halos burst out in space, consuming tens of alien spacecrafts and more than 300 alien battle jets that were close to the three ships. In the end, there was nothing but space dust¡­


    Back on the Hope, when the three ships exploded, Yao Yuan raised his head suddenly. He hadn¡¯t actually witnessed anything, but there was a heavy feeling that pressed down on him, just like¡­ in that very moment, more than a thousand human beings had left him with their conviction, the conviction that spoke of love and protection towards the human race!


    Yao Yuan turned to ask Bo Li and Zhang Heng with a voice that had coarsened, "Still can¡¯t locate the reason why the central mainframe was taken control of?"


    Zhang Heng wiped the sweat that was pouring down his forehead. "It¡¯s a type of code, a code that identifies and attacks human digital fingerprints, but something else within it is changed. F*ck, what is up with this quantum lock!?"


    Yao Yuan sighed before turning to Bo Li. "Bo Li, how come your robot prototype isn¡¯t being controlled?"


    Bo Li was slightly taken aback before answering, "Because it was not created using human technology; it doesn¡¯t belong to the human digital system but the junkyard aliens¡¯¡­ Actually, there might be another way out of this."


    Yao Yuan asked hurriedly, "What?"


    "Destroy the central mainframe itself¡­"


    Bo Li continued, in a serious tone, "Destroying the central mainframe means that we will lose all the life support and anti-gravity system, but it is the only way we can stop this virus thing. After that, we only need to¡­"


    "Need to kill all these infiltrators before our lives run out and escape the creator¡¯s particle zone for the remaining members of the Workshop to repair the central mainframe. Is that right?"


    Yao Yuan raised his head to look at the defense barricade. The rotation was still going on. but the numbers¡­ was slowly decreasing.


    "Black Star Troopers, equip your space armors! The rest that don¡¯t have space armors, follow behind us as we rush to the space combat jet hangars!


    "Destroy the central mainframe! Since the space merchants have us cornered, we shall fight back with the full force of our lives¡­


    "And claim all of theirs!"

 Chapter 238: Release the Black Dragons!

    Chapter 238: Release the Black Dragons!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Destroying the central mainframe was easier said than done.


    The central mainframe was a complicated and delicate high-tech product. It contained elements that mankind¡¯s current technology couldn¡¯t replicate. It even used some of the parts salvaged from the junkyard civilization. Therefore, any wrong step could prove to be irreparable damage.


    Naturally, one couldn¡¯t just hack it using the sawblade; this difficult procedure required the careful hands of specialized experts to make sure that the damage done was contained and could later be easily fixed, or at least could be fixed within several minutes using mankind¡¯s technology.


    The chore thus fell on Bo Li¡¯s shoulders. She was the only one there who could perform something like that. After she received Yao Yuan¡¯s permission, she started diagnosing and checking the central mainframe¡¯s internal system. Other than that, she also pulled information from it.


    The information was from the Hope¡¯s surveillance system, like camera feed of important locations and public amenities from different floors. The Hope might''ve been under the control of the space merchants, but the cameras were still rolling.


    From all the observations she had received thus far, Bo Li suspected that the Hope¡¯s central mainframe wasn¡¯t directly controlled by the space merchants but was hacked into by some kind of computer program or virus that was unknown to mankind. After all, the Hope and the space merchants¡¯ spaceships were divided by a field of creator¡¯s particle, blocking all transmission of electrical signals.


    Other than that, the Hope¡¯s central mainframe was a product of the 4th revolution, albeit one that was from the early 4th revolution. It was a type of supermagnetic computer. Based on her observations, the space merchants hadn¡¯t entered the 5th revolution, so they only had access to few of the products.


    Therefore, it was impossible that the space merchants could use a laptop to gain complete control of a supercomputer like the central mainframe.


    Hence, the biggest possibility was that the space merchants had used some kind of high tech computer program, such as the quantum lock, to disable the central mainframe.


    Yao Yuan and the rest saw how the rest of the ship was surviving based on the pulled surveillance videos. Currently, a mass of space merchant military had entered the Hope. Other than the tens of thousands soldiers that had mankind cornered at the central mainframe, several thousands of the rest separated into units to swarm every corner of the Hope. They stunned all the humans that they ran into, and the large gorilla aliens would carry the unconscious human beings onto their spacecraft. So far, more than several thousand people had been kidnapped, and this number was still increasing. Similarly increasing was the number of the invading space merchants.


    Guang Zhen was the one who held himself most together while they saw the videos. He suddenly pointed at one of the screens and yelled, "Yao Yuan! Here! Look!"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s gaze followed Guang Zhen¡¯s finger and saw on screen more than ten Black Dragons anxiously pacing around a metallic wall. The wall had several deep dents on it, but it was observable that the Black Dragons didn¡¯t use their full force, because if they did, the wall wouldn¡¯t be standing, since mankind¡¯s technology wasn¡¯t advanced enough to create anything that could withstand their full force.


    This was the Hope¡¯s biome at its uppermost level, the Black Dragons¡¯ habitat. Under normal circumstances, no one was allowed to disturb them, and the dragons exercised restraint. As long as they were given their daily feed, they would not exhibit their feral side. With training, they could even learn to not ruin the level¡¯s structural frame. In fact, at the moment they realized something was going wrong on the ship, due to their prolonged training, they still hesitated to break down the doors and rush downstairs.


    Yao Yuan screamed excitedly, "That¡¯s right, the Black Dragons! They don¡¯t need to rely on any equipment, and the space merchants¡¯ electrical weapons will just bounce off their thick skin!"


    Bo Li continued her work on the central mainframe and said, "Hate to break it to you, but currently everything that is controlled via the central mainframe is not working. Even though the Black Dragons might feel that something is wrong, they won¡¯t go out without the door opening, so don¡¯t put too much hope on them, unless¡­"


    "Unless what?"


    The people around her asked in unison.


    Bo Li checked the screen closer before replying, "The quarantine doors employ electromagnetic technology. Other than the few important entrances that entered lockdown during the power outage, the rest of the doors are completely opposite. They lost the ability to stay locked 100 percent; however, this doesn¡¯t mean that they are wide open, or else they wouldn¡¯t still be staying inside. In other words, we have to open those doors."


    Yao Yuan immediately asked, "Is there any way you can do that? The black dragons will be a welcome addition to our troops. With their help, the space merchants will become less of a threat, and the space troopers can use this opening to get to the combat jets!"


    Bo Li gave it some thought. "I can try to disable the central mainframe myself to cause another blackout and use my prototype robot to hack into the system for that particular area, I believe my robot is powerful enough to override a door switch. We can let the black dragons out that way. However, I have to say, I¡¯m not a biologist, so I can¡¯t promise this won¡¯t go extremely wrong. The black dragons might attack indiscriminately under the current situation. If they attack mankind, they will be a bigger threat than the space merchants."


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "We don¡¯t have time to worry about such things anymore. Furthermore, the black dragons have spent so much time with us that they should be familiar with our presence by now. Also, based on the current situation, the space merchants want to force us into extinction, so I¡¯d say enraged Black Dragons are the least of our worries. We can calm them down after the fact. There¡¯s no time for us to hesitate, release the Black Dragons!"


    Bo Li stopped talking and started working on the central mainframe. With Yao Yuan leading, the rest of the chosen Homo Evolutis put on the space armors. Yao Yuan had on his red space armor, and everyone waited with bated breath for the Hope¡¯s second power outage to arrive.


    Everyone¡¯s focus was pulled into intense concentration from Bo Li¡¯s ¡®ready?¡¯ Their target destination was the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets¡¯ hangar. They would climb into the jets and escaped from the creator¡¯s particle zone as soon as possible. After that, the war would officially begin!


    And the defense of the Hope itself¡­ would be handed over to the group of Black Dragons!


    Bo Li had her robot incapacitate the central mainframe, and the Hope again submerged into a world of darkness.


    At the same time, the Black Dragons on the sixth floor were getting increasingly frantic. However, the sudden darkness dazed them temporarily. When they came to, the door that blocked their way was slowly opening. Witnessing this, the Black Dragons ran out with a brown dragon that was missing a leg leading the way, charged down the Hope with a speed that was way beyond human comprehension. The twenty Black Dragons seemed to melt into a bolt of dark-brown lightning!


    The Black dragons were completely unaffected by the loss of gravity¡­ like they were born into a zero-gravity environment!


    The Hope¡¯s fifth and sixth floors were home to the Academy and Workshop, so there were a lot scientists and technicians stranded here. Among them were also Defense Unit soldiers that didn¡¯t run into Guang Zhen when he was making his rounds. These small groups of soldiers were either making a last stand against the space merchants or had surrendered and allowed themselves be shocked by the enemy. However, the key issue was that these two floors were the locations where a lot of radioactive minerals were kept!


    Yang Sen was a veteran in the Defense Unit. Back on earth, he was part of the Chinese field unit. After he got on the Hope, he kept going strong in his training, so he was now a second-lieutenant. This year he was 38; if he was still on earth, he would be retiring, but with the Hope¡¯s genetic resonance technology, his army career was extended for another 30 to 40 years.


    When the first blackout happened, he was part of the group that was tasked to look after the warehouse that stored such important assets. When the alien merchants attacked, he led his group to set up a fight. However, like every other unit, the difference in weapon technology was too hard to overcome. His group was forced to retreat into the warehouse, and use the geological advantage to put up a last stand. However¡­ the fall was only a matter of time, and it would happen in the next few minutes.


    When the second outage occurred, Yang Sen¡¯s defense immediately fell apart. In less than 10 seconds, his group was rendered unconscious.


    The moment the electricity surged through his body, shutting down his synapses, his heart was chilled. He understood that mankind would face its extinction unless there was a miracle¡­


    Then¡­


    A miracle did appear!


    Before Yang Sen lost his consciousness, he saw a flash of red lightning out of the corner of his eyes. The four-armed gorilla standing before him that was in the middle of collecting the human beings that had crumpled to the floor suddenly folded his body into two beings shot by the red lighting¡­


    And then slammed into the wall, making a messy splat!

 Chapter 239: Start of the Real War!

    Chapter 239: Start of the Real War!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Black Dragon was a super species man couldn¡¯t understand.


    According to mankind¡¯s understanding of evolutionary theory, the Black Dragons should be born on a planet that has gravitational force 20 times larger than Earth''s, a barren landscape, a lack of food, low concentration of atmospheric oxygen, and was prone to frequent natural disaster.


    It was the logical explanation behind why the Black Dragon was such a powerful super species. Survival of the fittest, natural selection, one of the most accepted theories within biology.


    However, life would be impossible on such a planet. Gravity that is 20 times stronger than Earth''s? That alone is enough to make the existence of such a planet dubious. With that strong of a gravitational force, how small would the planet have to be? Or perhaps the geological structure of the planet would be different? Under such circumstances, how could there even be a food chain when the plants that form the foundation of all food chains would have difficulty growing?


    So why would the Black Dragons evolve to such a stage in the relatively peaceful new planet? What kind of event instigated such a drastic change in their evolutionary journey?


    These were questions mankind¡¯s current scientific knowledge couldn¡¯t answer.


    However, one thing was for sure: the Black Dragons were friendly to mankind¡¯s presence. Of course, it was not at a stage that was akin to man¡¯s relationship to dogs, but it was obvious that at least the Black Dragons were not averse to humanity¡¯s presence. However, it was another question whether the Black Dragons would put themselves on the line to fight for humanity¡¯s survival. I suppose we¡¯ll soon find out¡­


    The moment Yang Sen lost his consciousness, a gorilla alien that was picking up an unconscious human beings was crushed into a mess of guts and meat by a Black Dragon. The dragons¡¯ speed was so fast that the space merchants were completely oblivious to their approach. Even though their spacesuits were equipped with the latest radar system they had, it was still too slow in comparison to the Black Dragons¡¯ speed.


    Especially now, when the Hope¡¯s power system had gone completely offline and the ship had become a zero-gravity environment. While the space merchants¡¯ spacesuits were more advanced than mankind¡¯s, proven by the more numerous propulsion systems that decorated their spacesuits, providing a better balance and speed, the loss of gravity still greatly affected their mobility.


    About 20 Black Dragons entered the space merchants¡¯ sight. The dragons maintained an unusual stance to move forward. Their tails and claws firmly pierced through the metallic layer. The paths that they travelled were left with a trail of small, deep holes. The deepest were the ones made by their tails. It appeared like they were flinging themselves forward using this kind of forward momentum. Of course, they used this method to change directions freely in space too. They approached the zero-gravity environment like fish in the water. The zero-gravity did nothing to slow them down; in fact¡­ they might have been even faster in this environment!


    When the Black Dragons appeared, the hundreds of space merchants changed their formation. The gorilla aliens led the frontline, rushing at the dragons, their stun guns at the ready. The space merchants seemed intent on capturing the Black Dragons alive.


    That was a mistake¡­


    In the blink of an eye, all of the Black Dragons disappeared from their sight and appeared around the group of unconscious human beings. The leading Black Dragon, the one that was missing a leg, sniffed the human beings on the floor and gave out a booming roar. The rest of his pack joined in the war-drum-like growling.


    In the next second, 20 adult Black Dragons launched headfirst into the space merchant troops, and about 10 of 30 space gorillas that stood in the front were knocked out of their formation. A few of them were torn into pieces by the Black Dragons. After a swipe of their claws, the aliens¡¯ spacesuits were shredded like paper. They were defenseless.


    Of course, the space merchants kept shooting at the Black Dragons, but the dragons simply shrugged the stream of electricity off. An electrical voltage that was strong enough to knock a grown man out instantly was like a mosquito bite to the Black Dragons. They ignored the space merchants'' pitiful attacks and tore freely through their ranks.


    It was a massacre!


    On the other hand, with the power outage, all of the space armors came back online. After ensuring this development, Yao Yuan stopped hesitating. He led the troopers who were back in their armors to the jet hangar.


    There were only about 80 Defense Unit soldiers left at the central mainframe. Furthermore, most of these 80 people were already stunned by the electrical gun and were biting their lips to keep themselves from fainting. At this moment, they had reached their very limit. When Yao Yuan¡¯s unit charged out from within the central mainframe, several four-armed gorillas were charging in. They knocked the Defense Unit soldiers out of the way like nothing. One of them even picked up a soldier, aiming to throw him at the Hope¡¯s central mainframe!


    A flash of red lightning zipped through, and from top to bottom, the space gorilla was split cleanly down the middle.


    With the space armor¡¯s aid, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t even need to stop to collect himself. He immediately went after the next space gorilla. Furthermore, the space armor greatly reinforced his physical power, so he could even rival a Black Dragon in strength. It was a pure force that was even greater than a giant tank.


    Yao Yuan slammed into a space gorilla and carried his momentum to ram into the other aliens in the area. The aliens piled onto one another, being carried by Yao Yuan¡¯s force until eventually they were sent careening into the rest of the space merchants out in the corridor leading to the central mainframe.


    "Leave no prisoners! Troopers, use your sawblades and hack your way through!" Yao Yuan yelled into his communicator, and moments later, the air was thick with blood¡­


    More space combat jets continued to stream out of the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. There were around 1,500 circular combat jets as well as 100 plus several-hundred-meter-long circular spaceships. When the three human spaceships, the Observer and the Defenders, self-destructed, about 400 combat jets and 20 spaceships were caught in the explosion. Regardless, the space around the Hope was still teeming with these hostile spaceships.


    The spaceships travelled to and from the Hope and the mothership ferrying the human cargo, but it stopped temporarily when the power went out for the second time on the Hope. Perhaps it was their dogmatism, but the leaders of these space merchant units resumed their capturing mission. The only change was that the spaceship started circling the Hope in high alert.


    About 7 minutes later, a red combat jet shot out of the Hope with startling speed. Other combat jets followed it out one after another. There were about 100 combat jets in total. Their shapes and appearances were completely different from the space merchants¡¯ circular combat jets. Mankind¡¯s combat jets had adopted the sleek, streamlined design that was popularized by airplanes and aircrafts. Their appearance was quickly noted by the space merchants.


    It took the space merchants about two seconds to realize that they needed to capture the red combat jet, but that was easier said than done.


    The red combat jet was faster than any one of them. Before the space merchants could close in on it, it sped through their enclosing web, causing more than half of them to lose their offensive formation. However, the space merchants recuperated quickly. They decided to stop giving chase to the red combat jet and focused on the rest.


    A bent pipe appeared underneath their spaceship and began to shoot a series of bright, glowing, fast-moving bullets. They looked like Gaussian weapons but had a firing mode completely different from other Gaussian weapons.


    They miscalculated because unlike their own combat jets, which were piloted by normal soldiers, their enemies¡¯ combat jets were piloted by Homo Evolutis that made up the Black Star Troopers. Before the bullets even left the pipe, the Troopers had already felt their projection of malice and separated, evading the attack. Even though their speed was not as high as the red combat jet''s, it was still far beyond the space merchants¡¯ speed. They escaped their trap easily and sped outside of the Hope¡¯s creator¡¯s particle range!


    "Fire! Take down any enemy combat jet you can see! Leave the larger spaceships alone because they¡¯re carrying our civilians!"


    Yao Yuan pulled on the control stick and the Red Lightning made a drastic U-turn in space. When he righted himself, all the space troopers had escaped the creator¡¯s particle zone. He yelled with eyes burning with rage, "Since they¡¯ve asked for war, we¡¯ll give them one! Charge! We¡¯ll crush them to a pulp!"


    The Gaussian railgun and the mini cannon on Red Lightning started roaring as the combat jet charged towards one of the nearest circular combat jets¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Sorry for the late update, was busy for the holidays. Merry Christmas

 Chapter 240: Crap

    Chapter 240: Crap


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Prototype 003 Space Combat Jet, from its initial design, was made to be paired with the Homo Evolutis.


    In other words, while the combat jets were early 4th revolution products, they were not suitable for civilian use. The speed of the combat jets alone would make it look like the world was a blur if piloted by normal civilians. The possibility of accidents, like crashing into one another or just getting lost in space, was more than 90 percent if used by normal civilian.


    Therefore, even with mass production, thus lowering the quality of the combat jets, the Prototype 003 was still meant to be piloted by Homo Evolutis. The only exception was the Red Lightning, which was three times faster than normal combat jets. The full capacity of that jet could only be brought out when it was piloted by Yao Yuan!


    However, every lifeform underwent unique evolution according to its environment. For example, in the space merchants¡¯ troops, there were the physically impressive four-armed alien gorillas and the physically weak but mentally strong leader-type big-brained aliens. There was diversity. It was worth noting that the Black Dragons were a unique exception, where their bodies alone were enough to rival 3rd or 4th revolution products.


    Therefore, it was entirely possible that while normal human beings couldn¡¯t handle the Prototype 003 Combat Jet, the children of the space merchants could pilot it just fine.


    However, based on current observations, within the space merchants¡¯ many species, there was none that had an evolutionary path that focused on physical prowess. The alien gorilla aside, the rest of the space merchants were not unlike normal human beings, physical-condition-wise at least. Under this circumstance, the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets piloted by the Black Star Troopers were much better and much more efficient than the space merchants¡¯ troops.


    Of course, the space merchants¡¯ combat jets were certainly better than Prototype 003s in terms of technology. This was observable from design, metallurgy, weapon technology, and the likes.


    But!


    This difference wasn¡¯t drastic!


    Basically, both parties were in the 4th revolution era. The biggest difference was probably in propulsion system, like one had a jet propulsion system while the other had an invisible jet propulsion system. The key ingredient that broke the tie was the quality of the pilots!


    If that was the comparison, how big was the difference between a Homo Evolutis and the space merchants?


    Bigger than one could possibly imagine¡­


    First thing¡¯s first, the Homo Evolutis had the power to sense projections of malice and thus could commit to evasion. Therefore, unless the space merchants had the technology to fire the moment the thought was formed, then it was practically impossible for the bullets to hit the Homo Evolutis. The other possibility was having the numbers advantage, like how it was when mankind combated the mother nest alien. There were so many enemies that evasion was pretty much a moot point.


    When the Red Lightning piloted by Yao Yuan launched its first attack, the combat jets behind him followed. The Gaussian rail guns fired at an incredible speed using the same 3 jets per unit formation from before.


    Just like that, a semi-transparent electromagnetic shield layer appeared around the circular combat jets that were attacked. Multiple Gaussian bullets slammed into the shields, creating ripples of electrical currents, but the shield held firm. It was indestructible, at least by Gaussian bullet standards.


    This observation created a pall of disappointment over the Black Star Troopers. Even Yao Yuan started to frown. Thankfully, after a few more bursts of focus fire, one of the circular combat jets lost its electromagnetic shield and was riddled by bullet holes before exploding in space. That was a relief because even though the space merchants¡¯ technology was more advanced than mankind''s, it wasn¡¯t so far advanced that mankind couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    Steeled by this small victory, the attack began in earnest. Even though mankind¡¯s Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets were negligible in terms of numbers when compared to the space merchants¡¯ combat jets, Yao Yuan was surprised to realize that the merchants'' combat capability was unbelievably bad.


    Simply put, after Yao Yuan led the Black Star Troopers to start attacking, other than the first wave of defense that intended to catch them, the rest basically stood still where they were. They didn¡¯t move to surround the troopers or help their allies that were under attack.


    Speaking of the combat jets that were under attack, their response was even weirder. They started to panic. In fact, 30 percent of them abandoned the battle and fled!


    Yes, they didn¡¯t move into a more defensive position, nor did they counter-attack. They fled...?


    They either fled back towards the larger cargo spaceship or their mother ship that was further away. Even their retreat was a mess, so much so that there were collisions with the units that were entering and returning to the battlefield. This sent the space merchant troops into absolute chaos.


    This was a prime opportunity that could not be lost. Even without Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, the trained Black Star Troopers entered their offensive formation and took advantage of the chaos. They took down upwards of 400 circular combat jets!


    The situation that unfolded before him surprised Yao Yuan greatly. Compared to the alien space army that he had in mind, the space merchant troops were like amateurs or normal civilians out pillaging. The way they boarded the ship, their combat capability, formation, discipline, everything was a mess. He could never imagine an army fleeing in the middle of the war while they had the numbers advantage. How was that possible?


    Yao Yuan thought back to the situation on the new planet when the Defense Unit soldiers and Black Star Troopers showed signs of deserting. They were all cut down by Guang Zhen. Even valuable assets like the troopers were cut down without a second thought, much less the Defense Unit soldiers.


    After the war was over, Guang Zhen reported this situation to Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan knew about the importance of military discipline, so in the next few years, they did all they could to whip mankind¡¯s military into shape. No matter whether it was veterans or new recruits, they knew that the first rule in the military was that desertion during any warfare, be it with aliens or some unknown threats, would result in immediate execution, and the deserter¡¯s name would forever be recorded in history as human traitor, bringing long-lasting shame to his or her progeny and name!


    Military discipline was something even a civilization new to the space game like humanity knew about. Then how come the space merchants, who had survived in space for god knows how long, had such a lousy military unit?


    Could this all be a hoax?


    The thought came into Yao Yuan¡¯s mind when he was piloting the Red Lightning, but he quickly dismissed it. Based on the current situation, the space merchants had complete advantage over humanity. If they managed to take down the hundred plus Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets, victory was easily theirs. Mankind would have no way of coming back.


    Then who were they cheating? Or what were they cheating about?


    Regardless of their motives, there were things that needed to be done.


    After Yao Yuan¡¯s first glorious, 0-death victory, the space merchants seemed to have returned to their senses. The large amount of circular combat jets surrounding the Hope finally turned their target to the Prototype 003s. Minus those that had fled the battlefield, there were still about 900 circular combat jets and numerous large spaceships. They were all closing in on the group of Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets.


    This was a rude wake-up call to humanity that they were still at a disadvantage.


    Back in the Hope, Guang Zhen led 10 Survivors, the only combat force Yao Yuan could spare him, during the central mainframe¡¯s repair downtime towards the Hope¡¯s fifth and sixth floors, the location where the Black Dragons were supposed to be.


    Very quickly, the group in space armors arrived at their destination. The sight that entered their eyes was a hell-scape. Bits and pieces of the space merchants covered the area, and there was no sign of life anywhere!


    In the middle of the blood puddle, the 20 grown Black Dragons were crazily tearing the bodies of the space merchants apart, flinging guts and body parts all over the place. The Black Dragons¡¯ bodies were covered with gunk of tendons and blood, making them exactly like messengers from hell. When Guang Zhen¡¯s group arrived, they were frozen on the spot by shock and fear¡­ They were alarmed; even a tough guy like Guang Zhen was shocked.


    However, what happened next made them completely relieved¡­


    The group of Black Dragons straightened their bodies in alarm, but when they saw it was Guang Zhen and his crew, they did something amazing¡­


    They stood up slightly, wagging their tails and nodding their heads, a sign of friendliness the Black Dragons normally displayed towards human beings.


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Compensation for the one not released yesterday.

 Chapter 241: The Choice

    Chapter 241: The Choice


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Yao Yuan led the Black Star Troopers to launch the comeback, Ying¡¯s group, which was in the space merchants¡¯ mother ship, found themselves in huge trouble¡­


    They were lost.


    It was uncanny, but they were certainly lost.


    One of the biggest reasons was the enormous size of the spaceship.


    Other than that, Ying¡¯s group wasn¡¯t equipped with cartographical tools like a compass. Then again, even if they did, it would be completely useless since they were in space. For civilizations with 4th revolution technology, they relied on coordination to pinpoint the direction and distance of far-away locations like destination planets, suns, or other celestial bodies.


    For a close destination, one could rely on connection to the Hope¡¯s central mainframe, the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets, or the computer program inside the space armors to calibrate the direction and distance of the location.


    Naturally, Ying¡¯s space armor had this installed function, but for some reason, it was completely nullified while they were inside the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. To borrow an analogy, it was like how a compass started flitting all over the place when it was within a mountain range with its own magnetic field. The computer calibration was in complete chaos.


    Thankfully, the other functions of the space armor were perfectly functional. Therefore, Ying¡¯s group was practically unstoppable. After they dealt with the military unit, Ying¡¯s group started cutting down the alien civilians that came across. Eventually, their path was as empty as a ghost town, and the space merchants moved out of their way, allowing them to roam the spaceship freely.


    Before long, Ying¡¯s group felt that something had gone terribly wrong.


    First was the problem of navigation. The space armors had the ability to record the path that they had taken before, but gradually, the computers inside the space armors seemed to slowly malfunction. The directions stopped making sense and certain legends and parts of the map couldn¡¯t be showed. Not only that, the communication function of the space armors had gone offline as well. It was obvious that the space merchants had employed some sort of high-tech technology to undermine the information transmission and recording of the space armors.


    The second sign was from Zhang Heng [1]. He felt a sense of danger coming from all around the space merchants¡¯ ship pressing down on him. Probably the space merchants had realized the true threat of the Black Star Troopers, so they stopped dispatching light infantry and were preparing their siege engines. This was something that greatly worried Ying¡¯s group. The troopers had a distinct upper hand when facing off with light-armored units, but how about siege machines that had technological advantages?


    Due to that reason alone, even though the group was completely lost, Ying decided to get the group to continue moving. Navigation fell squarely on Zhang Heng¡¯s shoulders. When they came to any forks in the road, they took the one where Zhang Heng felt least threatened. Of course, certain paths were blocked off on the spaceship, so after a discussion between Ying and Zhang Heng, they decided to ascend from the lower levels to the upper levels.


    However, they needed to come up with another plan soon. A human being¡¯s physical capacity was limited, and the troopers weren¡¯t superheroes that could just blast their way out of their enemy¡¯s spaceship. As long as they remained trapped here, eventually they would fall into the space merchants¡¯ hands.


    Furthermore, the battery storage of the space armors wouldn¡¯t allow them to continue this charade for more than several days. After the space armors died, mankind would be like a mouse trapped inside a maze. Capture was inevitable!


    Therefore, during their escape, Ying kept turning to Ren Tao and Xiao Niao to ask for a solution.


    Both tried their best to come up with a solution, but Ren Tao was definitely not in his best condition. He suggested they go back to the interrogation hall and from there cut their way through to the hangar. This ridiculous idea was immediately vetoed by Ying.


    The security for the hall was probably sky-high, making it a place that was impossible breach with only about 10 combatants. Even if they could, it was highly doubtful that the space merchants would just let them waltz onto the Observer and return to the Hope. The plan was crazy to say the least!


    Ren Tao was too flustered by his worry for his sister, Chou Yue, who was on the Hope, to come up with a sound plan. The space merchants were ready to double-cross humanity from the very beginning, so they were most likely wreaking havoc on the Hope while they were scurrying through the space merchant¡¯s mother ship like rats.


    Isolated from the rest, Ying¡¯s group started to envision the worst possible outcome¡­ the Hope had fallen and the few of them were the last remaining members of the human race!


    This was the conclusion drawn by Ren Tao after his analysis. It drew a heavy silence over the group; even Xiao Niao, who had been arguing with him, was in solemn silence.


    Of course, they didn¡¯t want this to happen, but it had the highest possibility of happening. After all, the space merchants were using 4th revolution weapons. The fact that their technology level was higher than mankind¡¯s was undeniable. Lastly, the double-cross came as a surprise. The complete capture of the Hope was entirely possible.


    A worse outcome was the space merchants had no need for human beings other than the ones trapped on their mother ship. Then, they could have used some kind of super weapon to evaporate the Hope¡­ This was not that hard to imagine.


    If that was the case, what was going to happen to the few of them?


    No place to call home in this vast cosmos, no families and friends, no bond to a race, no future, no anything¡­


    What was the point of living then?


    "Let¡¯s just murder our way back!" Xiao Niao suddenly yelled.


    Ying, who was running at the front of the team, shut him down immediately with an angry roar. "Have you gone crazy as well? Ren Tao is unable to think straight because of his woman. What about you? Your two gay friends?"


    Xiao Niao fired back at him, "I¡¯ve lost it for the sake of humanity, is that so wrong? Furthermore, I didn¡¯t say we¡¯re going back to surrender. Hear me out, it is certain that the computer systems in our space armors are being manipulated in some way, right?"


    Ying calmed himself and replied, "That¡¯s probably right, but what about it?"


    Xiao Niao responded, "This means that the space merchants don¡¯t want us to see the map of their mother ship. If I¡¯m not mistaken, according to everything we¡¯ve observed so far, this spaceship should still be relying on polymerized reactors as its fuel source, wouldn¡¯t you agree?"


    Ying¡¯s interest was piqued. "Go on."


    Xiao Niao continued, "We will launch an attack on the nearest carrier point to take control of it. Of course, this requires a little planning because a good strategy will be needed. This is your field of expertise, so I¡¯ll leave it to you. After we take down the point, we¡¯ll get into their siege machines to pull up the map of this ship. Our systems might be affected, but they wouldn¡¯t target their own computer system, right?"


    Before Ying could reply, Liu Bai beside him retorted, "This plan is no good. We don¡¯t know how to read their language or, for that matter, operate their computers."


    Ren Tao immediately responded with eyes red with anxiety, "No, it¡¯s possible! Not sure whether you guys have noticed this or not, but after I woke up from the ambush, I realized that the space merchants didn¡¯t put up a united front, or rather, of their different races, only the four-armed gorillas are battle hungry. The rest of them, especially the big-headed aliens, were definitely not fond of battle. There were signs of deserters. It¡¯s just that we killed them all, so they weren¡¯t given a chance to surrender."


    This observation did surprise Ying, Liu Bai, and Ebon. Ebon immediately confirmed, "You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve noticed that other than the more advanced weaponry and the alien gorilla¡¯s natural physical prowess, the space merchants¡¯ army is suspiciously weak. There was no strategy or discipline to their movement. I thought I was imagining it¡­ Do you think it¡¯s because their main army was dispatched to take the Hope so the ones left behind were the back-up units or local police force?"


    Ying said coldly, "What¡¯s the point in dwelling on the dead¡­ Xiao Niao and Ren Tao, stop circling around and lay your plan in the open. We have no time for word games."


    Ren Tao answered, with an eagerness that was very uncharacteristic of him, "It¡¯s simple! Like Xiao Niao said, we take control of a small siege unit and then set up a contained trap. After we wait for the enemy to fall into our trap, we aim for the deserters and wait for them to surrender. We¡¯ll make them pull up the spaceship map and force them to translate for us. Of course, we need to inquire about the Hope¡¯s latest situation. That is the question that we¡¯re most interested in after all. After that¡­


    "If the Hope is still intact, we will proceed to this ship¡¯s heart, maybe it¡¯s central mainframe or engine room, some place of import, and use it as a leverage to force the merchants to stop their attack on humanity¡­


    "If the Hope is gone, then there is not much else we can do, other than¡­"


    Ren Tao¡¯s eyes flashed with malice as he forced his sentence out through gritted teeth.


    "Blow this ship up and make sure these cretins die alongside mankind!"

 Chapter 242: Assault and Mindbreaker

    Chapter 242: Assault and Mindbreaker


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ren Tao¡¯s plan was, to say the least, insane, but it was the only hope the troopers had left. The troopers had conflicted feelings about his plan. On the one hand, they wished to know the latest information about the Hope, but on the other, they were afraid to find out. If not for their impressive constitution, they would have ended up languishing in despair.


    There were two keys to pulling off Ren Tao¡¯s plan. One of was the troopers¡¯ combat strength. After the enemy troops fell into the trap, could the troopers be fast enough to wipe out an alien siege engine troop?


    If not, the fate that awaited the troopers would be death¡­


    The second key was if the alien merchants really surrendered, would it be like how Ren Tao predicted, there would be deserters due to a lack of military discipline? If not, even if they managed to stop and overtake a siege unit, the result would be more deaths. The whole effort would be pointless.


    If there was anything wrong with any of the two key points, the plan would fall apart.


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao had an emergency meeting to discuss these issues, and their conclusion was¡­ It had to be done!


    The first issue was practically a non-issue. If the Hope was already destroyed and the entire human race was wiped out, the only resolution for this straggling group of people would either be suicide or fight to the death. There was no way they would be willing to survive to be used as lab rats by the alien merchants. Therefore, this was a risk that they had to take to know about the latest situation on the Hope.


    The more troubling was the second issue, whether the alien merchants would surrender when cornered¡­


    "I need further confirmation."


    By then, Ren Tao had more or less returned to his usual self. However, the group could see that his calm fa?ade was only a front to contain his inner craziness. In fact, the current Ren Tao was more dangerous than usual because like an active volcano, he could blow up anytime, and the more he kept his emotions in, the greater the impact when he eventually exploded.


    However, the calm fa?ade was still useful because at least he could use his Thinker power. He turned to the Black Star Unit to ask, "Who among you is the interrogator? Don¡¯t deny that there is one! You people are from a special unit task force, one that I¡¯ve not even heard about before, but from my observations, one of the best. Therefore, there is no reason for you guys to not know interrogation or torture skills. I just want to find out what kind of torture you guys are familiar with. Or is the interrogator of the Black Star Unit not here?"


    Ying and the guys looked at each other with a knowing look before all turning to Liu Bai.


    Liu Bai shrugged with his hands open to his side. "Fine, you caught me. I am the interrogator in this unit¡­ but only because they say the one most familiar with human anatomy has to be interrogator, I don¡¯t personally agree with that sentiment since I know a few psychologists that are better than me at interrogation, but either way, I¡¯m sure I can handle a few alien interrogations if that¡¯s what you¡¯re going for."


    Ren Tao clapped his hands and said, "Then that¡¯s the plan. Even if the space merchants don¡¯t surrender, we can use mental tactics since they¡¯re a multi-racial unit. Divide and conquer; after we capture them, we split the enemies according to race. We pick one of the random races for interrogation, torture the few of them until they die, and then we let go of the rest. The other races will sweat and then a few of them will most likely surrender. Easy, right?"


    Before Ying and the group could understand what he meant, Liu Bai nodded. "You¡¯re right. This idea is even better than interrogating them individually. Because since they are from different races, there will be natural precaution against each other. Releasing one or two from one particular race is going to create a cleft between their trust, and that will make things a lot easier. Alright, leave it to me."


    With this out of the way, the rest was a cakewalk. Ying, Ebon and Liu Bai were combat experts. After all, they were from the Black Star Unit. It would be laughable if the special ops weren¡¯t good at battle.


    With Zhang Heng¡¯s danger detection as guidance, Ying¡¯s group set up a simple trap with expedience. The troop was separated into two. Zhang Heng would lead a group that would act as the bait, while Ying led another that would pounce on the enemy. 10 minutes of high-speed scouting later, they found the perfect spot to lay their trap.


    The contact was fierce and furious. Due to the isolated location and the trooper¡¯s deliberate sabotage of the corridors, the carrier point they assaulted had only 200 soldiers, and they had difficulty getting backup quickly. As Ying predicted, this was a heavy machinery unit.


    The unit consisted of a few siege engines. One of them was a spherical vehicle with caterpillar tracks; it looked just like an evolved tank. Instead of mobility, the tracks were used more for balance in zero-gravity space since the space merchants didn¡¯t have access to anti-gravity technology yet.


    The tank was large in size; based on a rudimentary gauge, it could fit about 20 soldiers. There were four of them there.


    Other than that, there was a 2-person controlled motorcycle-esque floating vehicle. It had incredible speed and was very mobile. There were about 40 of them floating 3 meters off the ground. At the top of each one was a large, heavy weapon, its power unknown.


    Next was a composite-looking vehicle with many legs. This was the most high-tech siege engine Ying¡¯s group had come across so far.


    The way to control this machine was a complete unknown. It was made up of multiple transparent cabins, and each cabin housed a big=brained alien. The outer walls of the cabins were laced with conspicuous gun barrels, and each of the cabins was linked together via a long, metallic, reel chain. The reel chain was moving without a specific pattern. In other words, all the transparent cabins tied to the chain were moving and evading without a specific pattern either. Sometimes, the chain would materialize into two metallic legs to support its total weight, but other times, the chain would shift and materialize into three, four, five, or six legs. And each time, the point of contact they made with the ground would be different. The whole contraption was bouncing irregularly all over the place, making aiming and shooting incredibly difficult.


    There was only one such siege engine, and it was right in the middle of troop, acting as the general it would seem.


    When this thing appeared, Ying, who was hiding in the aliens¡¯ blind spot, activated his Seeker power and studyied their weakness while Zhang Heng¡¯s bait group retreated to their pre-assigned spot. According to the plan, the unit would give chase to Zhang Heng. The rest of the ambush unit waited with bated breath for Ying to issue the order.


    However, suddenly, bright globes of light appeared above the few cabins, and a visible riptide that practically tore through space started to ripple throughout the battlefield. Both Ying¡¯s group that was in hiding and Zhang Heng¡¯s group that was retreated were caught in its snare.


    At that moment, everyone felt their brains surfeited with thousands of cries from unknown origins. The sounds crashed on top of each other, and it was so strong that some of them started to see illusions of swirling colors and pictures in the air. The few business experts that had just revived started screeching and scratching at their heads crazily like they were trying to pull their heads out with the space helmets.


    Compared to them, the space troopers fared better, but they weren¡¯t exactly unaffected. They felt the echoes materializing in their brains into ants crawling and burrowing into it. Itchiness, pain, lethargy, hunger, all sorts of sensation assaulted their body. The Black Star Unit gritted their teeth in response to the assault, but the rest had started screaming, a few steps away from going insane like the group of business experts.


    This was a¡­ mind-break attack?!


    Or more possibly, electromagnetic waves that could directly target mankind¡¯s brain.


    Ying gnashed his teeth in fury until they were bloodied. He knew this was the end for them. Being captured was only a matter of time. Instead of being kept as test subjects, suicide was a more honorable choice¡­


    They truly had underestimated the space merchants. After all, their opponent had lasted so long in space, of course they wouldn¡¯t be that weak. When they mounted a counter-attack, mankind was defenseless¡­


    As Ying, Ebon and Liu Bai pulled out their weapons to give their team mates and then themselves a more dignified ending, their eyes unconsciously swept to fall on two people that were standing there unaffected!


    They were Ren Tao and Xiao Niao. However, they looked different from usual. Their brains were working in high gear from the activation of their Thinker power, so the only thing they were heariong around them was silence¡­


    Several seconds later, the weird-looking siege engine started to gyrate uncontrollably, and the big-brained aliens driving the cabin were screaming in anguish. Their brains started popping one after another. Not only them, the aliens close to this siege engine started rolling on the ground and screaming before their heads also burst like balloons¡­


    One second later, the screams in the troopers¡¯ minds suddenly stopped. It was as if everything that had happened was an illusion. Other than the few that had fainted, at least 10 people stood up with confused looks in their eyes.


    Ying didn¡¯t hesitate to give his orders. Brandishing his sawblade, he yelled, "Charge! Give them hell!"


    At the same time, Ren Tao and Xiao Niao looked at each other with a curious gleam in their eyes. Ren Tao whispered, "You heard the message in the soundwave attack, right?"


    "Yes, I did. It was incomplete, but¡­ it was definitely there," Xiao Niao replied, with a curious expression.


    "This space merchant unit was¡­"


    "Cheated by another human group! They were swindled by the human officials that left Earth before us!"

 Chapter 243: Despair and Madness

    Chapter 243: Despair and Madness


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Even though only about ten people charged into the fray, this was the moment the space merchant siege engine troop was at its weakest. The weird siege machine was scrapped, and several big-brained aliens in it were dead from brain explosion. The aliens near it were affected as well; they died trapped in their vehicles, causing the whole troop to succumb into chaos.


    Ying took advantage of the chaos and charged forward. The first targets they went after were the floating motorcycles.


    Under normal circumstances, these vehicles would prove to be a challenge for the troopers because they were floating and were highly mobile. Furthermore, as a siege vehicle, it was practically a given that they were equipped with electromagnetic shields that would require an extended period of focus fire from the troopers before breaking. Therefore, the only way was combat quarters combat. While the troopers were fast enough to catch up with the motorcycles, unfortunately, the space armors didn¡¯t provide them with the ability to fly.


    However, with the entire alien unit in chaos, the already lacking in discipline and morale space merchant military was practically defenseless. When they saw the Black Star Troopers charging at them, the multi-racial space merchants abandoned their posts and ran. Each issued their unique racial screams and escaped from the scene either in their own vehicles or jumped out of the vehicles and scurried away on foot.


    This unique situation gave some troopers pause, but it didn¡¯t slow Ying down; if anything, it made Ying crueler. Like Liu Bai once told Jay and Zhang Heng, Ying was the most emotionless member in the Black Star Unit¡­


    While some troopers were standing in shock, Ying increased the speed of his space armor to the maximum and leaped into the middle of the space merchant unit. Like a bloody whirlwind, he left behind a trail of alien bodies in his wake. The sawblade was the epitome of sharpness among all 4th revolution close-range weaponry. At least, among the known 4th revolution materials, only a few of them could withstand the slashing of this weapon. The siege engine before them was not one of those.


    The rest of the troopers finally came to after Ying ruthlessly decimated about 10 running aliens. They fell in behind Ying, and the place immediately became a sea of blood. This continued until Liu Bai pressed down hard on Ying¡¯s shoulder, shouting into his ear, "F*ck! The plan is to capture them for interrogation, isn''t it? What are you doing? Are you aiming to kill them all again?"


    Ying wasn¡¯t angry from the sudden accusation. He merely lifted his head to look around at the devastation he had caused. The ground was littered with alien body parts, and about 10 aliens were cowering inside their vehicles, shaking with fear. Most of the alien either had escaped or were cut down. This impressive-looking siege engine unit was taken down before they could even fire a single bullet. When they finally calmed down from their bloodlust, the troopers were enveloped by a curious suspicion.


    "Stop the killing, keep a few alive for capture," Ying ordered calmly. He promptly ignored the eye-roll Ebon and Liu Bai gave him, because he was the one who had the most kills, the one that couldn¡¯t be stopped.


    Even so, the troopers didn¡¯t let their guard down. After the war with the mother nest alien, Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen put the military through a lot of training and introduced more stringent military laws to improve overall discipline, to prevent the presence of deserters. The space troopers followed war protocol and split into pre-assigned groups without explicit orders from Ying. Some were responsible for capturing the aliens, others for checking for allies¡¯ injuries and setting up a guarding perimeter.


    Liu Bai was afraid the mind-breaker attack from before had killed the business experts, but after he gave them a rudimentary check, he realized that they had merely fainted. The group sighed in relief, and it was finally time for the interrogation.


    After a simple discussion, they needed to establish communication with the aliens first. However, since Ren Tao was emotionally unstable, the candidate selected was Xiao Niao.


    "I know you can understand me. We have some questions for you. Answer them truthfully and we will let you go safely. If you don''t, then there will be hell to pay," Xiao Niao switched his speech frequency to match the junkyard aliens'' to communicate with the space merchants.


    There were about 10 captured aliens. Two of them were the big-brained aliens. They appeared to have suffered great physical injuries, as a faded, blue-blood-like liquid was oozing out of their noses, ears, and other orifices of which uses were unknown. The other alien races crowded around the two of them, as if protecting them.


    After Xiao Niao spoke his piece, a contained commotion appeared among the small group of aliens. A few weirdly-shaped ones replied with an unknown speech frequency. Naturally, none of the human beings understood it. After some time, the aliens understood the issue and they switched to the junkyard aliens¡¯ speech frequency. Alas, Xiao Niao¡¯s space armor computer was greatly disrupted, so he could barely understand what was being said.


    Xiao Niao replied instantly, "Our computer system is all offline due to your mother ship¡¯s disturbance. Either you stop the disturbance or use your own computers to translate into our language. F*ck, drop the charade. You already know we are the human race, and you have stumbled across the human language before! Just directly translate to the human language!"


    As Xiao Niao said so, he signaled Liu Bai, who stood beside him. Liu Bai pulled a centipede-like alien out from the group roughly and cut open its stomach. Liu Bai made sure to avoid the vital organs so that the alien would struggle crazily on the floor without actually dying. This stunned the group of aliens into a shocked silence before they started screaming in each of their own languages. The language barrier didn¡¯t stop the message of fear from being understood.


    "Our time is limited, so don¡¯t try to drag this out. At every interval of thirty seconds¡­ I don¡¯t know how your time is calculated, but the interval will be set at 30 seconds. If we see no progress, then we will kill one of you every 30 seconds, so don¡¯t dally!" Xiao Niao said, with as much threat as he could muster.


    After the aliens heard him, the screaming stopped. One of the snake-like aliens slithered to a floating motorcycle nearby, but it started screaming when it was half way there. It fell to the floor and started rolling around like it was in immense pain. Very soon, it went still like it had died.


    This sudden development made the troopers looked around in alarm. They raised their rifles and trained them at their captives. Any sudden movements or an order from Ying and these captives would be beehives.


    Right then, the two big-brained alien parted themselves from the group. With shaking bodies, they communicated in English, "We know your language. You are a life form called Homo Sapiens, carbon-based, warm-blooded, and a young space civilization. Of course we know your race¡­ You bunch of shameless thieves!"


    Ying¡¯s group was confused by the sudden insult, but they made no move. After all, they were the victors, so a little insult from their captives was harmless. The key was finishing the mission. Xiao Niao was a little speechless from the accusation. He offered, after a few seconds, "I doubt you¡¯ll believe me even if I say this is all a misunderstanding. To be specific, the group of humans that has tricked you is not us¡­ The two groups might be of the same race, but they have nothing to do with us!"


    A small surge of electricity appeared within the big-brained alien¡¯s brain. It was the unknown what the purpose of it was, but after the electrical surge disappeared, the alien continued, "You can¡¯t weasel your way out of this. How can the two of you be unrelated when you¡¯re of the same race? We pitied you, and because you were a new space civilization, we gave you the star navigation chart to the nearest shelter for free, and you people said you were willing to use half your population and half your cosmic adaptors to trade for technologies and materials. However, you bunch of Saharian Space Maggots use an incomplete wormhole technology or a pseudo-wormhole to escape after taking the technology and materials! Do you think we space merchants are dummies? This time you masqueraded as a Level 2 civilization to try to swindle us again! You people are the worst of the space trash, the¡­"


    Xiao Niao interrupted him, "You can scold all you want, but it is pointless. You are now a captive, and I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s a misunderstanding. Regardless, we still have no clue about our mother ship¡¯s information, and if the damage isn¡¯t irreparable, there is still a chance for a peace treaty¡­ Therefore, I have three demands for you. Number one, tell me what has happened to our mother ship. Number two, give me the map to this ship. Number three, tell me how to stop the disturbance to our computer systems."


    The two big-brained aliens looked at one another and started cackling. After that, they swiped their fingers at the space before them and suddenly a 3D image appeared. It was showing what was happening in space. More than a thousand circular combat jets were surrounding the Hope. The video moved to show the explosion of Defender One, Two, and the Observer. Finally, the Hope itself went out with a bang¡­


    Ren Tao split the big-brained alien into two. The Space Troopers cut the rest of the captives into mincemeat¡­


    At that moment, there was no longer any rationality left in the troopers. The only thing that remained was madness¡­

 Chapter 244: Fifth Revolution Weaponry and… Surrender?

    Chapter 244: Fifth Revolution Weaponry and¡­ Surrender?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    While Ying¡¯s group was isolated from the Hope and tricked by the big-brained aliens, back on the Hope, the Yao Yuan-led Black Star Troopers were piloting Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets to combat a continuous wave of circular combat jets¡­ it was a one-sided massacre.


    The difference in the two parties¡¯ fighter jet quality was even greater than Yao Yuan imagined. The Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets were better than the space merchants¡¯ space combat jets by miles!


    The quality of electromagnetic shield generator and metallic tensile strength that were hard to gauge aside, the competition of speed alone was hands-down won by the Prototype 003s!


    The circular combat jets had incredible balance, and just like mankind¡¯s classical sci-fi UFOs, they could accelerate and decelerate freely, ignoring the rules of inertia. On this particular point, the circular jets were indeed better than the Prototype 003s.


    However, this small advantage couldn¡¯t compete with the fully-trained Black Star Troopers. With their ability to sense malice and their greater military discipline, advantages like free acceleration and deceleration were as good as nothing.


    If the circular combat jets were faster than the Prototype 003s, then perhaps they would be a threat. However, the circular combat jets were much slower than the Prototype 003s.


    This came as a pleasant surprise to Yao Yuan. The circular combat jets¡¯ speed was not as good as their ability in free acceleration and deceleration. Their speed was only half the speed of Survivor-piloted Combat Jets. For Red Lightning, the circular combat jets were practically as slow as snails. For the Homo Evolutis, the space merchants were no threat.


    After activating his Thinker power, Yao Yuan realized where the problem was.


    It was due to the speed of reflex.


    Even though mankind and the space merchants were in the 4th revolution, the combat jets still had to be manually-piloted and not computerized. The quality of the combat jets was wholly dependent on the quality of the pilots. If the pilots were unable to support flying at a high speed, having a high-speed jet would be nothing more than a waste.


    Therefore, in this battle, the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets had the evident upper hand. Even though they were lacking in firepower, with coordinated movement, they could still take down their enemies.


    A short ten minutes crossfire later, almost half of the circular jets were taken down and zero Prototype 003 jets were lost. Such a one-sided result wasn¡¯t seen before when mankind was on Earth, much less in space. It was something akin to a miracle.


    When Yao Yuan led the troopers to take advantage of winning the skirmish, the circular combat jets started to flee towards their mother ship. The bigger spaceship started doing so even earlier. Yao Yuan shot down the propulsion engines of the few spaceships which were suspected to carry kidnapped humans. Other than those, the rest were already congregating around their mother ship.


    There were about 10,000 space merchant troops still on the Hope, but the spaceships had abandoned them completely. This situation alarmed Yao Yuan.


    "¡­I smell danger."


    Yao Yuan used his Anima power to stop the troopers from pursuing the fleeing space merchants. For some reason, when he saw the spaceships and combat jets returning and gathering around their mother ship, he had a bad omen. Since Yao Yuan also had access to Diviner power, he knew what this meant¡­ The mother ship had something that could destroy the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets!


    The Homo-Evolutis-piloted combat jets were unbeatable in close combat¡­ unless they were faced with scientifically-advanced weapons, like ones from the 5th revolution, such as sophisticated laser weapons, sophisticated plasma weapons, or sophisticated light beam weapons!


    These weapons probably could shoot down Prototype 003 jets before the pilot within had the chance to react. After all, light-speed was not something humans could bypass easily. They might sense it coming, but the body couldn¡¯t react fast enough to avoid the danger. Therefore, if the mother ship did have some kind of 5th revolution weapon, then pursuing the space merchants back to their mother ship would mostly likely end up a suicide mission.


    "Activate ECS System to its maximum capacity! All combat jets, prepare for evasion!"


    Yao Yuan ordered through his Anima power. Before he could come up with the next order, the space merchants'' mother ship underwent a weird change before their eyes!


    The mother ship turned to face the Hope, and numerous electromagnetic layers like the electromagnetic shield appeared in the cosmos. Behind each layer was a spaceship. The circuits on the spaceships started flashing, and energy could be seen gathering on the electromagnetic layers before them.


    The spaceships moved into formation and the layers piled onto one another, creating a bright mirage in space. Eventually, the electromagnetics layers melded into a cylinder-shaped object that was more than 100 meters thick and more than 10,000 meters long!


    The situation took mankind¡¯s breath away. This was the first time ever since the space merchants assaulted mankind that they revealed a technology that was vastly superior to mankind''s. This was a technology that eluded mankind¡¯s understanding! This was definitely a threat!


    "Fifth revolution technology!"


    Yao Yuan mumbled subconsciously to himself before turning back to look at the Hope behind him¡­


    The Hope had regained its power, but it was still unmoving. Evidently, the code or virus the space merchants had used to control the Hope was still in effect, locking the Hope down. Without mobility or ECS system, the Hope was pretty much a giant target.


    Yao Yuan had no idea what the power of this weapon was, but he was certain that with just one shot¡­ the Hope would disintegrate into space dust¡­


    "Attack! Everyone, attack! Aim at what you think is the weakness on the enemy''s mother ship! Attack!"


    Yao Yuan realized it was not the time to be cautious anymore. As he gave the attack order, Red Lightning rushed forward with its speed that was thrice the normal combat jet''s. Like an actual red lightning bolt, it reached a spot that was 10 kilometers away from the mother ship in a matter of minutes.


    His feeling of danger was at its peak. He didn¡¯t dare to dawdle. With a tip of the control stick, Red Lightning careened towards the mother ship. Behind him, 0.3 seconds later, about ten particle beams shot at his previous location. Truth be told, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t catch what kind of attack it was, laser? Plasma? Light-beam? Or something else completely? The only trace that the Red Lightning was attacked were the trails of the ten particle beams. They looked suspiciously like the particle streams of the corpuscular propellers.


    The rest of the troopers followed behind Yao Yuan. When they flew dangerously close to the mother ship, the shell of the mother ship became something like a porcupine. In the blink of an eye, about 10 Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets flared up in fire and smoke before exploding in a mess of fire. Other than that, there was no trace of an attack¡­


    "¡­Retreat! Other than the Perceptors, everyone retreat more than 10 kilometers away from their mother ship! I repeat, retreat!"


    Yao Yuan screamed while he controlled Red Lightning to fire another round of focus fire using all the weapons he had at his disposal at the mother ship, but¡­


    It was no use, completely useless!


    Compared to the circular combat jets and the spaceships, the mother ship was simply too large. Even though it was still smaller than the junkyard civilization¡¯s main ship, it was still the size of a small planet. The Prototype 003 Combat Jets were as small as a mosquitoes before it. Their attacks were easily taken down by its electromagnetic shield, causing not even a ripple¡­


    This series of pointless attacks lasted for about ten minutes. Within that period, another two combat jets fell. Despair crept into Yao Yuan¡¯s heart. He was overwhelmed by the superiority of their enemy¡­


    The last time he felt this way was during the neutron star apocalypse¡­


    The electromagnetic layers in front of the mother ship almost materialized into a solid object.


    A blurry light beam visible to the naked eye fired from the cylinder-shaped object. The attack looked surprisingly fluid. The shot ebbed and flowed as it missed the Hope by 5 kilometers before disappearing into the wide cosmos.


    "It missed?!" Yao Yuan was given a sudden reprieve from despair, but soon the reality came crashing back down.


    "Impossible, the distance between the two mother ships is not far. Without the protection of the ECS system, the Hope is a sitting duck, so there is no way they would miss, The only reason for this is¡­


    "They want us to surrender!"

 Chapter 245: Super Magnetic Track Cannon!

    Chapter 245: Super Magnetic Track Cannon!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After the shot was fired, the solid amalgamation of electromagnetic layers disintegrated. However, the space merchants started charging, and the outline of the cannon began to appear again.


    This was some sort of plasma weapon!


    Yao Yuan was certain of that fact!


    This was a product from the peak of the 4th revolution, a product of the scale of a giant airship, the ultimate planet destruction weapon, the Genesis Cannon. This was a technology that lied between the peak of electromagnetic technology from 4th revolution and the plasma technology from beginning of the 5th. This was something Yao Yuan had been hoping to build but was limited by technology. They had the necessary materials, but the Academy predicted that they would need at least another fifty years before work on the cannon could start in earnest. Therefore, the super weapon only existed on paper so far.


    The weapon that the space merchants were using was the perfect Genesis Cannon, or rather, an actual Genesis Cannon using the plasma technology of the f5th revolution and not the electromagnetic technology of the 4th.


    The blurry shot of light might look insignificant, but once it hit, the Hope would immediately melt and explode. If used on a normal planet the size of Earth, the power of one shot was enough to destroy one third of the surface layer, melting it with the high temperature of a microwave oven. This was a sign of the 5th revolution!


    An actual plasma weapon!


    Of course, for something as powerful as the Genesis Cannon, every shot required an extremely large pool of energy. Even for the weapons from the 5th revolution, this was true. The situation might be different for the 6th revolution, but they perhaps would be dealing with a different kind of weaponry then. Therefore, like what the Academy said, industrial revolutions were nothing more than the development of more efficient energy sources.


    Yao Yuan had started using his Thinker power. Mankind was fighting a losing warfare, the space merchants¡¯ mother ship had an indestructible defense, and the Hope was still under lockdown. It couldn¡¯t evade or move; it couldn''t even enter ECS mode to avoid the merchants¡¯ long-distance targeting system, much less space warp. It was a sitting duck¡­


    No, there must be a way out of this!


    When there¡¯s a will there¡¯s a way. There must be something he hadn¡¯t thought about before, there had to be!


    Yao Yuan¡¯s Thinker power was activated to its maximum, so much so that he felt a bit of a headache from over-exertion. His body even started to spasm. He was almost hit by the track cannons on the surface of the mother ship. However, it was thanks to this near death danger that Yao Yuan¡¯s attention was pulled to the giant mother ship.


    "Right, our people are still on the mother ship. With Ying, Ebon, Liu Bai, Zhang Heng, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao, they have both brawns and brains, so there is no way they have been killed or captured. Even though their current situation is unknown, at least maybe we can reach out to them somehow¡­


    "Either that or undo the code infecting the Hope, then we can space warp again. This too is not a bad idea¡­


    "If nothing works, then we can only¡­ No, we cannot surrender. Either we die fighting, win, or escape!"


    Surrender¡­ is not an option!


    Yao Yuan understood the implication of surrender. Without the military''s protection, mankind would become something like livestock to the space merchants, or even worse, live experiments. Humans might be made into live specimens, tested on without regards for the value of life¡­ This was no joke; it would be a fate worse than death!


    Therefore, only an idiot would surrender to the space merchants!


    "Regardless, the main thing to do now is stall!"


    With a plan in mind, Yao Yuan used his Anima power to inform the whole military, "Everyone, retreat to set up a defensive perimeter around the Hope! Be careful not to stray too close to the Hope¡¯s creator¡¯s particle range!"


    Following Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, all of the Prototype 003 jets started to distance themselves from the space merchants'' mother ship. The space merchants didn¡¯t give chase. Instead, they focused on charging the Genesis Cannon, as if it had made the decision to abandon the few spaceships that were stranded in space because their propulsion systems had been blown off.


    Before long, Yao Yuan led the troopers back to the area around the Hope, then he used his Anima power to pinpoint Bo Li¡¯s location.


    It is worth noting that Yao Yuan¡¯s Anima power was not as good as a pure Anima''s. His power was less effective than Barbie''s, the newly awakened Anima, much less Xi Kong, the most powerful Anima the Hope had. Yao Yuan¡¯s Anima power was limited by distance; his power could only reach so far and he could only converse with other Homo Evolutis. This was the biggest weakness of his Anima power.


    Yao Yuan was 10 kilometers away from the Hope when he activated his Anima power to search for Bo Li¡¯s location. Very quickly, he found the orb of fire that represented the Whisperer, Bo Li, among the sea of people.


    "Bo Li! This is Yao Yuan. How is the current condition on the Hope? Is the central mainframe back under control? How much longer until it can be used? Has Guang Zhen found the Black Dragons yet? Did they riot? How many enemies are left in the ship? Get me the answers and tell Xi Kong to pass them over to me." Yao Yuan sent all this information through the soul-web to Bo Li.


    Bo Li was currently busy fixing the central mainframe. There were no soldiers around her anymore, just a group of normal human experts. About 100 of them were there working on the central mainframe. Everyone was wearing a mask of anxiety and worry.


    When Bo Li heard Yao Yuan¡¯s voice, she immediately turned to Xi Kong beside her. "Help me pass on these words to Yao Yuan, he is near the Hope. Tell him that the Hope¡¯s central mainframe was a no-go. Even though we¡¯ve found the virus, it is an extremely mysterious quantum computer code, a quantum-level computer virus so to speak. When it was unnoticed, it exists in a certain manner, but after it is found out, it will change into another. And whenever we managed to break a bit of its defense, it self-recovered and changed its signal structure. Without the original coding, with our current computer technology, it will take at least a decade to break it, so tell him to not place any hope on the central mainframe¡­


    "After that, tell him Guang Zhen has found the Black Dragons and is leading up to clear away the remaining enemies on the Hope. According to Guang Zhen, the enemy troops have lost the will to fight. After the combat situation turned with the arrival of the Black Dragons, they started to flee. Currently, we have 1,000 captives, so it¡¯s only a matter of time until Guang Zhen clears them out completely. The Defense Unit soldiers are keeping the captives under control, so he needn¡¯t worry about that¡­ Also, I¡¯ve caught a glimpse of the space merchants¡¯ weapon and I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the final form of the Genesis Cannon. In other words, a plasma weapon from the early 5th revolution, the Requiem!"


    Xi Kong carefully repeated Bo Li¡¯s every word. She was slightly shaking with fear, as if afraid of the aloof Bo Li.


    Thanks to her, Yao Yuan had an overall understanding of the situation within the Hope. He thought about it and then said, "Bo Li, now I need you to help me with two things. One is to carry the almost finished supermagnetic orbit cannon using your alien robot and bring it to me. I will dispose of Red Lightning to monitor it. Currently, the cannon allows for three shots before overheating, right? The second thing I need you to do is have Xi Kong contact Ying¡¯s group within the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. I need an update on their current situation. In less than five minutes, the Requiem will fire another shot at the Hope¡­ and I don¡¯t think it will miss this time!"


    Bo Li was stunned. She stood there motionless for a few minutes as if weighing the options in her mind. Then she turned to Xi Kong. "Help me with these words too. The supermagnetic orbit cannon¡¯s technical aspect is not yet perfected. The one we have now is only a prototype, plus, important parts like cooling chambers haven¡¯t even been fitted yet. Yes, it can fire three shots safely, but a huge explosion might follow the third shot, consuming the cannon itself. The weapon is simply too dangerous¡­"


    As the words came into Yao Yuan¡¯s mind, he interrupted Bo Li. "This is the last chance we have! This is the only weapon we have that can possibly harm the space merchants¡¯ mother ship, since the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon is offline! Furthermore, I¡¯m only using it to disturb the energy charging process of the Requiem. There is no time for explanations, get your alien robot to bring the cannon outside of the Hope! This is an order!"


    Bo Li sighed before turning to Xi Kong. "Tell him that if he dies, I will never forgive him as long as I have a breath in me¡­ Also, Yao Yuan wants you to use your power to locate Ying¡¯s group and try to get an update from them if you can." Bo Li climbed onto one of the alien robot¡¯s tentacles and rushed towards the weapons testing room that was on the fourth floor.


    Xi Kong was caught by surprise. She mumbled, "Die? What death? Who died? Is Yao Yuan going to do something dangerous¡­"


    She realized she was talking to no one, so she quickly submerged into the soul-web.


    She could see that Yao Yuan¡¯s fireball was still glowing like the sun, and beyond that, the group of fireballs that represented the Black Star Troopers around the sun. She went beyond the Hope and quickly found Ying¡¯s group within the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. She quickly sent them the message.


    At that moment, Ying¡¯s group was in throes of madness. The presence of two Thinkers completely neutralized the aliens¡¯ mind-breaker attacks, and after the unfortunate death of three soldiers, they were on their way of demolishing their fourth siege unit. Currently, they were massacring the captives from the fourth unit.


    Suddenly, they heard Xi Kong¡¯s voice in their minds. Like a crisp and melodious song, it pierced through the haze of madness. Suddenly, there was hope in their despairing hearts, and some of them started sobbing uncontrollably¡­

 Chapter 246: Abandon…

    Chapter 246: Abandon¡­


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ying¡¯s group had lost their grasp on sanity, mowing everything in their path to reach the mother ship¡¯s central location to demolish it. They were hoping for it to be the engine room, that way they would die together with the whole ship of despicable space merchants.


    Madness and despair had overwhelmed their sanity, including Ren Tao and Xiao Niao. They kept no prisoners, so there was no way for them to know they had been tricked. From the moment they saw the Hope explode, the only thing left in their hearts was despair. Since there was destruction waiting for them, why not drag the space merchants along with them?


    They vented through destruction, but they knew it was only a matter of time before reality¡¯s despair would come crashing back down. Even if they destroyed the mother ship, would humanity be saved?


    When Xi Kong¡¯s voice appeared in their minds, there was a light shining through the miasma of despair. They were startled and found it hard to believe what they were hearing. They confirmed it was Xi Kong, and some in the group had started to cry.


    Ying looked at the pile of alien body parts unfeelingly and spat, "We¡¯ve been tricked, the Hope hasn¡¯t been destroyed! That alien had us fooled!"


    Ren Tao continued in a similarly chilling tone, "That¡¯s right. That alien wanted to push us over the edge, and we fell for its trick so easily. Looks like these aliens are shrewder than we thought¡­ That was careless of us."


    Liu Bai didn¡¯t dawdle; instead, he asked, "Then what should we do now? There is still no way for us to contact the people on the Hope, as we don¡¯t have any Anima with us."


    Ren Tao¡¯s face was frosted over. He pointed at the remaining 7 or 8 alien captives that they were going to kill, adding, "Simple, leave two or three live ones and kill the rest. Xi Kong is the most powerful Anima we have; she can communicate with common people and even see the fireballs that represent their souls. I believe she¡¯ll be able to see the fireballs representing these aliens as well. By slowly extinguishing the aliens¡¯ soul flames around us, she¡¯ll be able to tell we are still alive."


    Ying wasted no time and walked towards the group of alien captives. He cut through the aliens one by one without hesitation like a god of war plying his judgment.


    Back on the Hope, Xi Kong was hamstrung because the communication was only one-way. She realized there was no Anima in Ying¡¯s group, so how was she going to know their situation? At that moment, the weak soul flames around Ying¡¯s group started to get extinguished one by one. Xi Kong was originally confused, but when she understood that those was the aliens¡¯ soul flames, she quickly passed on the information to Yao Yuan.


    "So, Ying¡¯s group is surviving and is killing the aliens'' military inside the mother ship¡­"


    This was welcome news for Yao Yuan. He was waiting for the supermagnetic orbit cannon outside of the Hope. After he received the message, he replied Xi Kong, "Then repeat the following orders to Ying. This is Yao Yuan, I order your group to locate and destroy the core system within the enemy¡¯s mother ship in the next 30 minutes. The goal is to paralyze the space merchant¡¯s mother ship, so it can be the polymerized reactor, the central mainframe, or anything that looks important, half an hour, spare no expenses! Lastly, as Black Stars, for glory¡­ Tell them all this!"


    Xi King memorized his words and then passed them on word for word to Ying¡¯s group.


    Ying was killing the fifth alien when his team received Xi Kong¡¯s message. Ying, Liu Bai, and Ebon looked at each other in silence and stopped to process everything after the message finished.


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao noticed their silence and quickly asked whether there was something wrong with the message.


    "No, there¡¯s nothing suspicious about the message," Ebon explained. "It¡¯s just that the Black Star Unit has a slogan, I guess you can call it, but we will not use it at any random moment, because every time the slogan is mentioned, it means that it is a life or death situation. It¡¯s kill or be killed¡­"


    Xiao Niao understood immediately. "Got it, so this means that the Hope is facing a huge tragedy that threatens its existence, and our team might be the only hope they have left. Now I can see why the message is filled with so many choice words like ''spare no expenses''¡­"


    Ying nodded before turning to address his team, "We are now tasked with the most important mission, so let¡¯s be on our toes. Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Liu Bai, I want the three of you to interrogate these alien captives and get our location and the map of this ship out of them. Ebon, you and I will check the aliens¡¯ siege engines and weapon storage to see whether we can salvage some of them. Zhang Heng, you will be responsible to be the lookout and warn us if there¡¯s any danger. The rest help out Zhang Heng. We¡¯ll stay here for 3 to 5 minutes, so be quick!"


    After Ying gave his orders, everyone moved to oblige. Even the business experts stood alongside the troopers to help with the lookout.


    As Ying and Ebon sifted through the aliens¡¯ siege engines and weapon storage, they found several interesting heavy weapons. There was a rifle that fired spindle-shaped light orbs. It had a long reload time; it took 8 seconds to reload before it could fire another bullet, but the damage was incredible. Earlier, one trooper was unlucky enough to be struck by one of the light orbs, and his body shook before bursting in a gory splatter. It was like being rammed into by a speeding train. The damage was so high that not even the spaceship¡¯s inner walls could withstand it, which brought up the question: Why were the aliens willing to use such a powerful weapon inside their spaceship?


    Ying¡¯s group had come across this weapon which they dubbed the Seiya Gun before, but the ones they came across had their energy depleted. The gun exhausted a huge amount of energy for each shot, and even with 100% charge, it could only fire 3 shots. The group had no idea how the aliens charged these weapons, so they didn¡¯t take the weapons with them. Now they were searching for fully-charged Seiya Guns.


    As they flipped through the weapon storage, Ebon suddenly whispered, "Ying, what shall we do regarding those business experts? They have no space armor protection and can¡¯t catch up to our speed. The mission is only 30 minutes, so I¡¯m afraid¡­ they¡¯ll be nothing but added weight."


    Ying was silent for a beat or two before answering, "Yes, this is going to be a problem. I¡¯ll have a chat with them later."


    Ebon went back to concentrate on the task at hand, trying to find out ways to use them. After quite some time, he added, "It¡¯s not that I want to abandon them, but if we fail this mission, it¡¯s over for the Hope and humanity. We have no choice but to¡­"


    Ying interrupted him, "I understand, but certain things have to be done for the sake of humanity¡­ These people have to be left behind, because if the mission fails, then we¡¯ll be facing a bigger loss."


    The two continued their work in silence. Two minutes later, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Liu Bai approached them with the result of their interrogation. Ying and Ebon eventually located three useable heavy weapons from the weapon pile. Two were high-power Gaussian rifles that were similar to mankind¡¯s Gaussian cannon and the last was a Seiya Gun that still had 2 shots in it.


    "The mother ship is delineated according to race. The separation is incredibly complicated. We¡¯ve seen a general map of the mother ship, and generally it can be separated into 7 levels. Unfortunately, we couldn¡¯t get a geographical map of the ship; perhaps the aliens were reluctant to give it to us. Regardless, we¡¯re running out of time, so we decided not to waste any time on them. Of these 7 levels, the only system of import was a main energy circuit. This was confirmed by our interrogation. The circuit is connected to the mother ship¡¯s four polymerized reactors, so if we can locate the main circuit and follow it, it will eventually leads us to the reactors," Ren Tao concluded.


    Ying nodded and said, in a loud order, "Everyone, do a last minute check of your equipment and space armors. We¡¯re starting the mission soon, and we¡¯re not stopping until the mission ends. Unless all of us die, we¡¯re not going to stop until we destroy this group of reactors, even if the group only has one member left. In the scenario that I die in combat, Liu Bai will take over the mission, over!"


    After that, under everyone¡¯s scrutiny, Ying walked to stop before the group of business experts. Facing their begging eyes, Ying steeled his heart and said, "We can¡¯t protect you anymore. This mission is related to the survival of the Hope, of humanity, and we ourselves might pay our lives undertaking this mission, so we can¡¯t allow any mistakes. Without space armors, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but you guys will not be able to catch up with our speed, and to be frank, your involvement will only drag us Troopers down¡­


    "Here are two Gaussian rifles, use them to decide your own fate. You can surrender to the aliens, or use them to force out a road or your own, or¡­ anything you wish to do with them. Of course, you can try to keep up with the rest of us, but I assure you, it¡¯ll be difficult¡­"


    Ying stared silently at the despair that had returned to the business experts¡¯ faces and he bowed slightly. "I¡¯m sorry, but the group has no choice but to abandon the lot of you. If I die in combat, I will personally come apologize to you guys in the afterlife, but for now, I have to focus on the mission at hand¡­


    "Black Star Troopers, attention! Our target is the main energy circuit!"

 Chapter 247: Time…Time!

    Chapter 247: Time¡­Time!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    While Ying¡¯s group started their mission, Yao Yuan was waiting anxiously for the supermagnetic orbit cannon around the Hope.


    Currently, the Hope¡¯s central mainframe was still under other people¡¯s control, so the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets didn¡¯t dare to enter the creator¡¯s particle zone lest the control of the jets was also taken away from the pilots. If that happened, they would need another blackout to escape the Hope¡¯s control.


    Under such circumstances, only Bo Li¡¯s alien robot could carry something as heavy as the supermagnetic orbit cannon. Therefore, Yao Yuan specifically asked for Bo Li¡¯s help in his orders.


    In reality, the supermagnetic orbit cannon wasn¡¯t huge in size. Including its base and the entire necessary accessories, it was only slightly bigger than a Prototype 003 Space Combat Jet, completely incomparable to cannons like the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon.


    However, in terms of technological level, the supermagnetic orbit cannon utilized the best of the best of electromagnetic technology. In contrast to the Genesis, which involved plasmatic technology or 5th revolution technology, the supermagnetic orbit cannon was the best weapon from the 4th revolution.


    In comparison, while the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon had greater damage and firing speed due to a specialized upgrade in ammunition technology, generally speaking, the supermagnetic orbit cannon was more high-tech than the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon.


    The cannon still relied on pseudo-Gaussian technology which utilized high speeds to achieve increased penetration and thus damage. However, compared to weapons like Gaussian rifles, Gaussian cannons, and even the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon, the supermagnetic orbit cannon¡¯s schema was completely different.


    First and foremost, electromagnetism was no longer the pushing force. In the conceptual building of the supermagnetic orbit cannon, electromagnetic fields only acted as balance coefficients to situate the bullets during firing. The actual force that accelerated the bullet was particle force!


    In a way, it was conceptually similar to the particle accelerator propulsion system. It kept a concentrated particle box behind the bullet that was stabilized by electromagnetic fields. Simply put, the constant collision between the concentration particles and the metallic ball that was the bullet would create explosive tension. After the tension achieved a force bigger than the electromagnetic force holding the bullet in place, the bullet would be shot out at an unimaginable speed¡­


    A speed that was one-fifth of light speed!


    Yes, one-fifth of light speed!


    To sustain such high speed, the bullet itself must have low density, but at the same time, it had to be sturdy enough to withstand the constant particular collision.


    Not even the junkyard civilization had found a material of this quality; therefore, they had only created main cannons similar to the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon, while the blueprint for weapons like this supermagnetic orbit cannon were kept in its system. According to educated guesses, even after entering the 5th revolution, the power of the supermagnetic orbit cannon would still be equal to or slightly better than singular plasmatic weapons. This was because plasmatic weapons would be limited by energy consumption. Therefore, there wouldn¡¯t be a plasmatic weapon that would strong enough to ruin a planet with one shot, because the energy reservoir needed to accomplish that would be impossible.


    Compared to the junkyard civilization, mankind was lucky because they had come across something as valuable as the alien plants. Of all the unique alloys created by the plant, there was one that was strong enough to be used as ammo for the supermagnetic orbit cannon. Thus, research for the cannon was made possible. Of course, due to technological limitations, the created supermagnetic orbit cannon was only a prototype, the firing speed was only one-tenth of light-speed, and the bullet was only the size of a human adult¡¯s fingernail. Its damage was definitely lesser than a perfect supermagnetic orbit cannon.


    However, its penetration power was equal to its perfect form. Rather than spread out the firing over the wide surface of the space merchant¡¯s mother ship, it would make more sense to focus fire on one particular spot. This way they would be able to hit the energy circuit behind the electromagnetic shields, slowing down the charging speed of the Requiem. That was why Yao Yuan was hell-bent on using this weapon, because it was the only weapon mankind had that could harm the space merchants!


    Suddenly, a silver-white mechanical marvel floated out from one of the Hope¡¯s hangar doors. Yao Yuan was able to spot a robot pushing the machine from behind. Slowly, the machine went further and further away from the Hope. When it finally left the creator¡¯s particle range, the Red Lightning quickly surged towards it.


    The robot finally came to a halt and left the machine floating in space before turning back to the Hope. Yao Yuan¡¯s mission wasn¡¯t with the alien robot, so he didn¡¯t care about it. He moved Red Lightning close to the machine and opened the Red Lightning from within. He was wearing a space armor, which was technically a spacesuit, so movement and survival in space was a non-issue. Yao Yuan slipped easily from Red Lightning into the machine¡¯s seating base.


    It was he who approved the research on the supermagnetic orbit cannon, so he was naturally familiar with this weapon. Of course, since he was not a scientist, he didn¡¯t know much about its theoretical construction, but he knew there was such a weapon and how to use it.


    On the other hand, the electromagnetic layers around the space merchants¡¯ mother ship had coagulated to a certain degree. Based on previous experience, it would require another 2 minutes of charging before it could fire off another shot. Yao Yuan knew he had no time to dilly-dally, so he quickly familiarized himself with the control panel within the seating base. He expediently set up the long-distance lock-on system, initiated the energy charging, and the firing had entered count-down.


    It was worth mentioning that the cannon didn¡¯t come with the creator¡¯s particle isolator. The only reason it could be used then was because the Red Lightning was beside it.


    As the Requiem slowly materialized, Yao Yuan¡¯s heart was at his throat. He was sweating bullets. Not only him, the Black Star Troopers around him felt the same way. This was the last chance they had, and if it failed, it meant extinction for humanity. Even if the Troopers managed to survive this onslaught, there was no way they could survive on their own in space. Furthermore, with only hundreds of them left, natural extinction was only a matter of time¡­


    The fate of humanity fell fully on Yao Yuan¡¯s shoulders and the supermagnetic orbit cannon¡­ If they failed, it was over!


    "Quick! Faster!"


    Yao Yuan had finished preparing the targeting system. Other than the automated targeting system, he also used his Seeker power to imprint every single thing on the mother ship into his eyes. Even the smallest bump couldn¡¯t escape his sight.


    Yao Yuan was looking for possible energy coalescence points. After all, this weapon was very energy-consuming. The space merchants didn¡¯t have access to super conductors, and even if they did, they still needed certain points for energy to coalesce to simplify energy distribution and transfer. Unless the space merchants were already in 6th revolution, which it didn¡¯t look like they were, there had to be such weaknesses mankind could exploit!


    Therefore, attacking the energy coalescence point could not only slow down the energy from charging, but if lucky, could cause an energy implosion. The threat facing the Hope would then be neutralized¡­


    Yao Yuan was searching high and low for such a weak point. Time slowly passed and the Requiem was almost a solid state. The supermagnetic orbit cannon had also reached its final countdown. However, Yao Yuan still hadn¡¯t found the weak point he needed. In the end, he had no choice but to switch his target onto an energy circuit, marking it within the crosshair.


    "5, 4, 3¡­"


    With the final countdown, additional particles dispersed out of the supermagnetic orbit cannon¡¯s cylindrical and square cannon barrel. It looked like the cannon were gathering power. In the blink of an eye, a straight trajectory swept across the cosmos and an almost solid particle line appeared to connect the mother ship and the supermagnetic orbit cannon.


    Yao Yuan''s and the troopers'' gazes followed the straight line to its very end, the spot that would decide how everything ended!


    Initially, nothing happened. However, several seconds later, the electromagnetic shield appeared around the mother ship. Nevertheless, the shield that appeared was cracked. Explosions started happening on the mother ship''s surface, and sparks and flames were bursting out everywhere. The damage even started to spread until it finally stopped 3 kilometers later.


    Simultaneously, the electromagnetic layers in front of the mother ship started to weaken, and the energy was dispersing¡­


    This was the power of the supermagnetic orbit cannon!


    It had been 3 minutes since Ying¡¯s group started searching for the main energy circuit¡­

 Chapter 248: Ying

    Chapter 248: Ying


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Run, he''s the child of a monster¡­"


    Ying wiped away the mud on his face and continued to walked home wordlessly, holding his bulging pockets. Inside his pockets were wheat grains, provisions, dirty dry grass, a small pack of salt, and some coins that would last him a month¡­


    That year, Ying was nine, and his parents had been dead for two years¡­


    Ying''s parents were farmers from the poorest county in China. They had inherited their ancestors'' small farming plot, and they considered themselves lucky if they could feed themselves for the day. In their small village that was isolated from the outside world, if there was no external financial support, poverty crossed generations.


    Therefore, after Ying was born, his parents had a discussion and decided to venture out to work. Their village was small enough to not have basic amenities like roads, and they had to walk at least half a day to reach traffic. Even if they wanted to sell their farming produce, it would be impossible due to lack of transportation. In the end, the couple decided it was more worthwhile for them to find work outside of the village.


    However¡­


    Hidden under the city''s flashing lights was the world''s most savage jungle, the steel jungle and its heartless rules.


    The couple who had zero education was completely swallowed by the city. Other than menial labor, they were turned away from basically every other job. Certain upscale hotels wouldn''t even hire them as dishwashers or cleaners. The basic requirement of a degree certificate impeded their chances greatly.


    Just like that, the couple eked out a living in the city for a few years. After weighing all the pros and cons, it was still more lucrative than farming back at the village. However, the living cost at the city was also higher. They had no choice but to starve themselves every other day to save money for their only son. Their lifelong hope was to be able to send their son to school so that he would have a better chance at life. Education, they believed, was the great equalizer¡­


    However, after an extended period of heavy labor and skimpy diet, the couple''s health gradually declined. Finally, after a long day working in heavy rain, the wife came down with tuberculosis¡­


    The illness pushed the couple to the brink of desperation. Even with all the money they had saved, they couldn''t seek medical help as the medical fees at the city were simply too high¡­


    Finally, the husband, with someone''s introduction, earned quite a sizeable amount of cash from selling his blood to a private hospital. It was the first time ever since they reached the city that the husband could afford to purchase meat for his wife. However, contact with unclean needles at the hospital turned this blessing into a curse. They were infected with the disease which many claimed were God''s punishment for cheating sinners. However, this time, it had come for an honest couple¡­


    Its name was¡­ AIDS, a disease transferred via blood and bodily fluids.


    The couple continued to work in the city, trying to save as much as they could. They tried selling their blood again, but after the result came back that they were infected with AIDS, the hospital rejected them. Due to the lack of education, the couple had no idea what AIDS was; they only knew they could no longer earn money by selling blood. They didn''t know the disease was eating them alive.


    When Ying was seven, the couple returned to the village. Even though they weren''t at the critical stage yet, AIDS had ravaged their bodies to a stage where physical labor was no longer possible. Later that year, both passed away, leaving behind a seven-year-old son under the colored glasses of the whole village.


    From that year onwards, Ying was boycotted by other village children, calling him child of the monsters. He took their insults quietly, staring at them wordlessly in return. Even though the village doctor had confirmed he had no AIDS, the nomenclature stuck. Soon, even the adults in the village gave him a wide berth. Occasionally, some cheeky kids would throw stones at him, and he felt so alone in the world¡­


    Ying accidentally tripped on an alien''s body under his feet. Ebon, who was beside him, gave him a handy pull. Ebon chided him, "Hey, Ying, don''t tell me you''re hungry. This is the first time I''ve seen you commit such a mistake on the battlefield. The rest of the team won''t believe it when I tell them."


    Ying gave him a cold side-eye before adding, "Silence! Focus on your mission!"


    Ebon chuckled devilishly, but he didn''t dare to talk back. He turned to his work of sawing through an alien siege engine that was blocking their way. Among the Black Star Unit, Yao Yuan was undeniably the leader. Even after he stepped down from that position, the unit members still viewed him as their leader. The relationships within the Black Star Unit were closer and tighter than many imagined.


    The one below him was Guang Zhen. That was undeniable. As Yao Yuan''s biggest supporter and right hand man, Guang Zhen''s role was more important than many realized, and he was the person whom Yao Yuan trusted the most. Yao Yuan had even named Guang Zhen as his successor to the Hope. It went to show how much Yao Yuan valued Guang Zhen.


    The third most important person, even though the members didn''t have it written down, was Ying!


    Determined, stable, calm, and with great leadership qualities, even though he was the most heartless among the members, he had never raised his sword against an innocent person. If not for his fairly normal family background, Ying would''ve been appointed the leader to the team before Yao Yuan. Ying''s profile within the team was acknowledged by Yao Yuan himself. After all, he did order Ying to lead the group that was going to the mother ship to lead the negotiations.


    At that moment, they had found out the location for the mother ship''s main energy circuit and were rushing towards it.


    The alien merchants had found out about their aim and had blocked their way with a series of mechanized units. Initially, the fighting spirit of the initial few units were low, but with Ying''s group getting closer to the main circuit, the will for combat had a conspicuous increase. They started throwing themselves at Ying''s group in earnest. The previous alien unit they fought, for example, had no deserters.


    Ying stared quietly at the corridor before them. The corridor was huge and deep, and they had no idea how long it would go on for, but they knew for a fact that the end of that corridor would be where the mother ship kept its energy reactors. That was their mission''s destination; however, God knows how many ambushes were waiting for them.


    Ying suddenly asked Liu Bai, "What time is it now? How much time do we have left?"


    Liu Bai took out a highly accurate atomic watch and replied, "It has been 12 minutes since the mission started, we have 18 minutes left. Thankfully, we''re already close to our destination. After we take down another 2 or 3 alien resistance parties, we''ll be there."


    Ying frowned. "No, it''s already too late. We need to have at least 8 minutes of wiggle room when we reach our goal in case something unexpected happens. In other words, we have at most 10 minutes left for this mission¡­ If we continue with this speed, the mission will fail, and we have to think of something else¡­"


    Liu Bai was startled. "Think of something else? But we are not familiar with the geological condition of our surroundings. Plus, according to the map, there is only this one way to reach the reactors. I fail to see how we can possibly speed this up¡­"


    Ying was silent. He then called over Xiao Niao and Ren Tao and explained the situation to them. Hopefully they would come up with a solution.


    This task was not easy on both of them either. They stared at each other with drawn faces for a long time, but in the end there was no solution¡­


    Ying saw their responses and went over them to address the group. "The things slowing us down now are these siege engines that block our way. If we can ditch the aliens'' siege units, our speed will naturally increase¡­"


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao were taken aback as a realization dawned on them. Their faces fell and Xiao Niao came out to ask, "Are you going to abandon another group of people?"


    Ying had put on the same emotionless face. He answered matter-of-factly, "This is not abandonment; these people are soldiers, and as soldiers, they have to realize that the best ending is a heroic death on the battlefield, or do all of us wish to see the mission fail? Since you two can''t come up with a better idea, then we''re doing this my way¡­"


    Just like that, the unit continued progressing. Not long after that, they ran into an ambush from another alien siege unit. According to Zhang Heng''s power, a large unit was also chasing them from behind. If they slowed down, they would be trapped there since the enemy numbers would be several hundred times larger than theirs¡­


    At that moment, Ying made a decision. He ordered two Black Star Troopers to stay behind, to both engage the ambushing unit and to stall the alien units that were coming from their behind. Ying would lead the rest to break down the wall and leap through it¡­


    Yes, this might sound impossible, but the mother ship''s inner walls were a lot more fragile than its outer walls. The sawblade could cut through it if given some time. Even though it was impossible to tell what was on the other side of the wall, Ying decided to commit to the plan¡­


    He was going to sacrifice the two troopers to buy the unit more time!


    Everyone, Ebon and Liu Bai included, wore solemn expressions throughout. They had complicated reactions to Ying''s plan. They knew this might be the only plan available to make the mission a success, but the feeling of displeasure stuck to their hearts like a stubborn glue!

 Chapter 249: Nano Repair Bot

    Chapter 249: Nano Repair Bot


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Outside of the aliens'' mother ship, Yao Yuan was still piloting the supermagnetic orbit cannon. He was surrounded by at least 10 Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets. All of the jets had activated their ECS system, completely shielding the cannon from view. This made sure that the mother ship wouldn¡¯t be able to snipe the cannon with long distance targeting.


    After Yao Yuan took the first cannon shot, he immediately climbed back into Red Lightning to push the supermagnetic orbit cannon out of its original position. The caution was warranted because 10 seconds later, that spot was bombarded with weapons of varying kinds. If the cannon hadn¡¯t been moved, it would have been blown into pieces.


    While Yao Yuan was moving the cannon, he activated his Anima power to order the troopers to surround the cannon, to cover its location. With the help of the ECS system, he could finally get close enough to inspect the damage done by the supermagnetic orbit cannon.


    Its damage was even greater than Yao Yuan expected. Of course, it couldn¡¯t rival the Requiem, but it was at least the pinnacle of electromagnetic technology. It was the best of all the weapons from the 4th revolution.


    That one cannon shot had pierced through the mother ship¡¯s electromagnetic shield completely, and the outer wall of the actual mother ship had a hole. Due to the issue of the small bullet and other technologies, the actual damage was a lot smaller than what was described in theory. However, it was enough to critically damage the mother ship. The Requiem was short-circuited, and the electromagnetic layers started to dissipate. Plasmatic explosions were happening around the cannon''s wound. Incidentally, the cannon shot had hit a key location, and even though there wasn¡¯t an actual explosion, it did deprive the alien the ability of using the Requiem.


    Yao Yuan and the troopers rejoiced from this observation, but what happened next chilled them from head to toe.


    It was an unbelievable scene. It was as if a giant, invisible hand was smoothing out the damage on the outer wall. With a swipe, the damage disappeared. It was as if the events earlier had never happened.


    Not only that, under everyone¡¯s watchful eyes, the outer wall started to repair itself. It was hard to describe. Simply put, the outer walls were like human tissue, starting to mend and recuperate¡­


    "Nano repair technology¡­"


    Yao Yuan closed his eyes with a painful sigh. This was a technology that he was familiar with, and the full name was nano bot repair and recovery system.


    The supposed nano bots weren¡¯t exactly robots that were nanosize, they were extremely small mechanical marvels that could perform humanly impossible tasks. The idea behind this technology had been raised back when they were still on Earth, or during 3rd revolution. Yao Yuan remembered a lot of research had been done on this technology. In other words, the burgeoning of this technology was way back in the late 3rd revolution.


    However, the 3rd revolution era didn¡¯t have the necessary technological knowledge in fields like metallurgy, energy technology, or electronics to realize nano repair bot technology. The scientists were in agreement that this technology will not be realized during the 3rd revolution.


    After the Hope gained the scientific knowledge from the junkyard civilization and entered the 4th revolution, they finally came into contact with actual usable nano bots. The nano bot was a crystalloid mechanical creation about 20 nanometers in size. It required metallurgy from the 4th revolution to be able to manufacture something so small. At the same time, with the arrival of the supermagnetic computers, mankind could create rudimentary AI, and the microchips could reach the size of nanometers and had functions equal to microchips that were several ten millimeters big from the 3rd revolution.


    With the combination of many elements, the actual nano bot technology could be realized near the end of the 4th revolution.


    The purpose of this technology was simple. The space merchants were giving us one of the examples. It could help with repairs of metallic devices and surfaces. Not only that, it could help with painless surgery. Instead of going through an operation, the nanobots could enter the human body through ingestion and fixed problems, like recovery of human issue, extrication of tumorous cells, and so on, from within. In conclusion, the technology would be indispensable to the civilization.


    For another example, if the Hope had enough materials and nano bots, the central mainframe could design a spaceship and the nanobots would magically build a spaceship using the materials. The whole process would look like they were ¡®growing¡¯ a spaceship out of thin air. For a civilization from the 3rd revolution or earlier, it would be something akin to a myth!


    The space merchants¡¯ technological advancement was unconventional to say the least, but it was undeniable that they had access to a few technologies from the 5th revolution and plenty of others from the 4th revolution. The appearance of this nano repair bot technology completely undermined Yao Yuan¡¯s original plan of disabling the space merchants¡¯ power level by completely destroying its energy circuits.


    The damage inflicted wouldn¡¯t be able to compete with the masses of repair nano bots. The nanobots were too small to snipe while they were protected by the electromagnetic shields. Their repair speed was incredibly fast as well. In less than 10 minutes, the holes on the wall and the ruined energy circuits were all as good as new. This was absolutely despairing for mankind.


    Unless the Hope had a multitude of Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannons or the perfect version of the supermagnetic orbit cannon, even with the space merchants standing still for mankind to take shots at them, mankind wouldn¡¯t be able to harm their mother ship. The repair speed was simply too fast¡­


    "All hope is on your group now, Ying. We are unable to harm the mother ship from the outside. They are only slightly better than us technology-wise, but it has created a deep chasm that we were unable to cross. Your team is humanity¡¯s last hope¡­ I leave everything in your hands."


    After the nano bot completely repaired the aliens'' mother ship, the electromagnetic layers appeared in front of the mother ship once more. Yao Yuan waited until the Requiem had almost finished charging before he took another shot at the mother ship¡¯s surface energy circuit. This again disabled the Requiem. This time, three Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets were sacrificed before the supermagnetic orbit cannon could escape the mother ship¡¯s detection¡­


    With a bitter smile, Yao Yuan studied the sparks that were flying off the cannon. Even the edges of the seating base were coming loose. He understood that the next time he fired the cannon would be his death. Humanity had shown all its cards, and they were all failures. The only hope¡­ the only hope left was Ying¡¯s team, the team that was inside the mother ship!


    Speaking of which, Ying¡¯s team only had seven members left: Ying, Ebon, Liu Bai, Zhang Heng, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and another Survivor. The rest of the troopers had either sacrificed themselves or Ying had them stay behind to stall the pursuing alien troops. In other words, when they reached their destination, the unit had suffered a 70 percent loss!


    After leaping through the walls and evading the enemy units, the seven people finally reached the reactor room. However, before entering the area, they realized that around its perimeter were plenty of the weird siege machines, the ones the big-brained aliens used to launch mind-break attacks. They were all abandoned. This last line of defense should be held up by the big-brained aliens. They were right that with mankind¡¯s current technology, they were defenseless against the mind-break attacks. However, they failed to calculate the presence of two Thinkers who were not only immune to the mind-break attacks but were able to turn the attacks back onto the attackers. This was obviously out of the space merchants¡¯ expectations. 20 minutes were not enough for them to set up another line of defense, so after the big-brained aliens pulled back, the place was left undefended.


    When the team entered the room, technological marvels that were beyond human comprehension entered their gazes. One of the most eye-grabbing was a gigantic plasmatic bottle that could convert nuclear energy into plasmatic form before transferring it out. The high-tech scene took their breaths away.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t distract them from their actual mission. Many had been sacrificed for this one moment, so they needed to complete the mission¡­


    To find out a way to destroy the reactors, to create a giant explosion, to bring all of the space merchants down with them to hell!

 Chapter 250: The Last Sacrifice

    Chapter 250: The Last Sacrifice


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This heart of the space merchants¡¯ mother ship based on size alone was already larger than the combined size of all of the polymerized reactors on the Hope. It could supply more than enough energy to support six Hopes. Of course, with such a large reactor amount, while the explosion it would create wouldn''t necessarily melt the entirety of the mother ship, it would definitely melt one-third or even half of the ship, that much was certain.


    In other words, everyone present would die in the explosion.


    Of course, for members like Ebon and Liu Bai, dying for the sake of completing the mission was a point of honor, but if there was a possibility of survival while finishing the mission, that would be the best result.


    Liu Bai looked at his atomic watch and said, "9 more minutes to the limit of our mission. So, what shall we do now? Neither one of us knows about the science behind this thing, so how do we create the largest explosion possible?"


    Ebon aimed his Seiya Gun at the nearest reactor. "Why are you still hung up on that? It¡¯s not easy to get here, so let¡¯s start shooting. This baby still has one shot in it. Combined with your Gaussian rifles, I don¡¯t believe we can¡¯t create some fireworks!"


    Ren Tao, who was standing beside him, sighed. "We can¡¯t do that, because the reactors have an auto-protective system. Even our 3rd revolution reactors had them, so of course these more high-tech reactors do. If we follow your suggestion, the most it¡¯ll do is to cause leakage of nuclear energy, which might cause a temporary light-outs, but nothing else. Of course, if you¡¯re lucky, one of them might explode, but the explosion will be too small to actually cause harm to the mother ship."


    Ebon felt pricked by Ren Tao¡¯s inflammatory words. When he thought to move towards Ren Tao, he felt Ying¡¯s hand on his shoulder. Then he heard Ying ask, "Ren Tao, you¡¯re familiar with things like this? We Black Star Unit members haven¡¯t received an energy room sabotage mission before, so if you have any information, tell us so that we can work on it together."


    Ren Tao nodded before pointing at the large plasmatic bottle. "While I can¡¯t be sure what is the actual purpose of this device, my guess is it is some sort of plasmatic generator. After all, the space merchants have access to a number of 5th revolution technologies. According to the theoretical basis of industrial revolutions¡­"


    Ying cut him off, "Get to the point, we don¡¯t have time for a lecture."


    Ren Tao shrugged and continued, "Simply put, the higher the technological power, the great the energy it requires. A simple theory. Prehistoric man only needed fire to roast meat, but with the advancement in technology, the energy source from a bonfire was no longer enough, so he needed coal, oil, and a greater energy source. This is why the mother ship has such a large energy room."


    Ying and others nodded to show that they understood. Ren Tao continued, "Therefore, our solution from the beginning was already conceptually wrong. First, there¡¯s no reason for us to create a massive explosion using the reactors, since it¡¯ll kill all of us. Furthermore, with just the few of us, it is impossible to convert all of the nuclear energy here into a nuclear bomb¡­"


    Ebon sneered at him. "Stop distracting us with stories like this. I know full well what you¡¯re thinking. You¡¯re just a coward; you''re afraid of death, aren¡¯t you? When you realized that the Hope and your precious sister were safe, you didn¡¯t want to die anymore, isn¡¯t that right?"


    Ren Tao replied immediately, "That¡¯s right, I don¡¯t want to die anymore. Don¡¯t tell me that you all can¡¯t wait to die. I¡¯m just giving you guys an alternative that may not require all of us to die, and if you don¡¯t like it, you can close your ears and shut your mouths!"


    Ebon was instantly inflamed. He was ready to punch Ren Tao¡¯s face in. But the moment he took his first step, he heard a gun behind cocked behind him. Then he heard Ying say, "Ebon, do you intend to harm your ally? Is it safe for me to assume you¡¯re not under the aliens¡¯ mind-break attack? If you take one more step forward, I¡¯ll shoot you through the head, try me."


    Ebon¡¯s body went rigid and he ultimately didn¡¯t take that first step. Instead, he turned around to look at Ying in the eyes and sighed. Right then, Liu Bai yelled, "We only have 8 minutes left, quick!"


    Ying turned to Ren Tao. "Tell us your solution and its justification! You have 30 seconds!"


    Ren Tao didn¡¯t dare to dawdle. "It¡¯s simple, there are plenty of plasma energy sources here. We can reroute the energy circuits to pool the plasmatic energy together. This will create a plasmatic explosion, which will then create a giant-scale plasmatic ocean. The energy imbalance will burn all the devices that use energy into a crisp or even melt them completely. Of course, the damage won¡¯t be as large as a nuclear explosion, but its range will be large enough to affect the entire mother ship, causing a massive blackout because all the energy supporting this ship will be lost!"


    Ying nodded before asking, "What¡¯s the justification? Why shouldn¡¯t we just blow everything up with a nuclear explosion?"


    "For profit!" Ren Tao replied, "The aim of a war is profit, and this time we¡¯ve lost aplenty. Discounting the Hope, this unit alone has suffered the loss of more than ten Homo Evolutis. Who is going to be responsible for this loss? We can use a nuclear explosion to blow up the mother ship, but the war will be meaningless in the end. We won¡¯t be getting the space information, 5th revolution technology, nothing! This will be a meaningless war, a war for the sake of one. How is that profitable? Our men die for no reason! Better if we leave the space merchants completely defenseless and squeeze them for all they¡¯re worth! That is the best resolution to this war!"


    When Ying heard all this, he finally nodded and said, "Then we shall follow your lead. Tell us what to do, and make it quick. If the preparations are not set up before the 5 minute countdown, we¡¯ll be using Ebon¡¯s solution and blow this place up!"


    Ren Tao immediately turned to address the rest. "Then I need everyone¡¯s help. What we need now is a large amount of energy circuits and conductors! Their sizes don''t matter as long as they can conduct energy!"


    Under Ren Tao¡¯s commands, the unit started cutting down, moving, and sawing through the circuits in the energy room. When they were finished, the original circuits were a complete mess. However, this mission did highlight Ren Tao¡¯s hidden capability. Even though he kept saying this was only a small project, the complexity of it befuddled many. If one didn¡¯t have the required expertise, it was impossible to come up with a plan as intricate as this on the fly. God knows how much knowledge Ren Tao had hidden behind that vacant expression of his. One might never find out unless there were more than enough high-stake situations that forced him to show it.


    When the thing was completely set up, they only had almost 5 minutes left. Ren Tao turned to Ying and said, "All done. Now we only need to break this main circuit and this area will be converted into a plasmatic ocean. Without the superconductor that we have access to, the implosion of energy will corrode all their energy-consuming devices."


    Ebon asked, in a hurry, "Then what are we waiting for?"


    Ying also turned to Ren Tao, waiting for his answer.


    Ren Tao shrugged. "Currently, we¡¯re at the energy pooling stage. The greater the energy pooled, the greater the damage it¡¯ll cause later. Furthermore, if we just leave it alone, after 3 minutes, it¡¯ll reach the threshold and explode on its own, so there¡¯s need for us to worry. We can make use of these 3 minutes and get as far away as possible. Maybe we can make use of the motorcycle siege engines to increase the possibility of us getting out of here alive¡­"


    Ebon gave him an ¡®I thought so¡¯ condescending look, but this time he didn¡¯t say anything. He turned to look at Ying, and the last remaining Survivor in their team started to shake.


    Even if they were leaving this place, someone had to stay behind to guard over it. In case the alien army returned, the one person could set off the energy explosion manually. Or else the space merchants might be able to stop the device.


    The last Survivor knew that the person had to be him because he was, objectively speaking, worth the least. Plus, all the previously abandoned soldiers were Survivors, so this time¡­ it would be his turn.


    "I¡¯ll stay."


    Ying stood quietly, checking the bullets in his sniper rifle¡¯s cache. Then he turned to everyone else and said calmly, "I can¡¯t guarantee I will not set off the explosion before the designated 3 minutes, so if you want to have a chance at life, I suggest you leave now. I wish you all the best."


    The unit was stunned. Under everyone¡¯s startled gazes, Ying sat down on the floor and removed his space helmet. Then he pulled from within a necklace. It was a simple jade necklace hanging from a red thread. The jade was muddy, probably a cheap one from some random street stall. Ying looked at the jade in his palm and put it back into his space armor.


    Liu Bai opened his mouth to say, "Ying, this¡­"


    Ying looked right at them. "This is a mission! It is not my intention to abandon our previous teammates, it is for the sake of the mission, and this is the same. Ren Tao is right, humanity has lost too much to end up with another junkyard. I agree with his proposal, and now it is time for me to commit to this mission!


    "I¡¯m a sniper who can take down enemies from afar. My Seeker power allows me to sniff out enemy ambushes and set off the circuit whenever I feel the situation calls for it. I am the only one capable of holding off the enemies for 3 minutes in this team¡­


    "Therefore, this time¡­


    "It¡¯s my turn to stay!"

 Chapter 251: Fire and Brimstone

    Chapter 251: Fire and Brimstone


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It had been four minutes since the second shot had been taken by the supermagnetic orbit cannon. On the mother ship¡¯s surface, the damage was starting to get repaired. Witnessing the reparation speed, the nano repair bots were so much greater than mankind had expected.


    Due to the small size of the nano bots, other than the necessary chips, it was impossible for them to contain internal power storage, so the power source of the bots had to come from outside.


    This energy technology was part of the 4th revolution technology. Using the electromagnetic mesomeric effect, the energy was transferred to the nano bots in wave form. After receiving the waves of energy, they were internally converted to kinetic energy. In other words, as long as the mother ship¡¯s energy storage was not destroyed, the nano bots could be used indefinitely, and there was no need to worry about malfunction from lack of energy.


    Materials for repair were even easily solved. The size of the mother ship was as large as a small planet. The damage done by the supermagnetic orbit cannon was nothing more than a few puncture wounds relative to the overall size of the mother ship. Therefore, the lack of repairing materials was not going to be an issue either. The only way to stop the space merchants was to damage the mother ship on a larger scale.


    When the repair on the outer walls was completed, the electromagnetic layers started to solidify again. When the Requiem showed itself once more in space, it would be time for the Hope to go down. It would take about 10 minutes for the charging to complete. In other words, humanity had less than 10 minutes to figure out a way for survival.


    Yao Yuan leaped back into the supermagnetic orbit cannon, which was sparking all over the place. It looked like a piece of machinery that was going to explode at any moment. However, within it, Yao Yuan was uncannily calm.


    He had done everything he could. He would not hesitate to fire this last shot if the situation asked for it. It wouldn¡¯t have mattered, but if it could buy Ying¡¯s group a few more minutes, then humanity might get an extension of hope. What other choice did he have? Give up? Even if the commander of humanity also surrendered, then truly humanity was doomed¡­ What was the point of living then?


    There would be none¡­


    Therefore, no matter whether it was for the purpose of living or for the girl that he loved and had promised everything, he would have to stay in the cannon and fire the last shot when the last few minutes arrived.


    Alas, maybe after all of their struggles, Ying¡¯s group would still fail and the Hope would be destroyed, or maybe the Hope would be destroyed before Ying¡¯s group succeeded in pulling the space merchants alongside them to hell, or maybe Ying¡¯s group would manage to be successful with the time bought by this third bullet¡­


    Regardless of the outcome, he had stopped caring¡­


    At this final moment of his life, Yao Yuan was the calmest he had ever been. No, a feeling of quietus might be more precise. His life passed by in front of his eyes, his life that began as a replacement, his encounter with the woman that taught him the meaning of love, the meaning of life, and the promises he had made¡­


    Then the life he spent on the Hope, the ups and the downs, despair and joy, his encounter with Bo Li, the girl that was a decade younger than him. His heart pricked with pain because in the end, they were not destined to be together because of some frivolous reasons¡­


    With Yao Yuan¡¯s Anima power, he could have come clean to Bo Li but at this final moment, but he didn¡¯t do so. For some reason, he was suppressed by guilt. He had not only killed her father and had made her cry. Events like these made him lose the courage to face her even though he might not have the chance after this¡­


    Finally¡­


    "What is life?"


    Yao Yuan studied the electromagnetic layers that slowly solidified in the cosmos, and he smiled. He used his Seeker power to locate the energy circuit he wanted to find and marked the coordinates into the computer. The cannon moved and charging began.


    "Indeed, what is life?


    "The only reason I¡¯m even in this world is to be his replacement. I loved her, but she was embroiled in misfortunes because of my love. Maybe it¡¯s because of the promise I made to her that I¡¯m here, fighting to keep the meaning of my life going. Maybe that is life¡­"


    Yao Yuan laughed self-deprecatingly. He had no idea he would be so sentimental when death was so close. It was so unlike himself¡­ Perhaps man was truest to himself when death was imminent. It turned out he was pretty good with words. Maybe in an alternate universe, he would be a poet. Yao Yuan chuckled at his own joke.


    At the moment the supermagnetic orbit cannon was going to fire its third and last shot¡­


    The outer surface of the mother ship exploded in a series of lightning flashes. In that particular instance, the mother ship was like a giant, glowing ball of light, glowing so brightly that many watching had to shield their eyes. Yao Yuan could feel his heart beating violently. He struggled to keep his eyes open even though they were tearing up from the agitation. His Seeker power was activated to its maximum capacity to record everything in sight. The thing he was worried about the most did not happen, the space merchants didn¡¯t make use of this opportunity to fire Requiem.


    Instead, the mother ship was disabled¡­


    After the flash winded down, the energy circuits on the mother ship''s surface exploded almost simultaneously. Sparks and fire burst out spontaneously. It looked like a giant display of fireworks, blindingly beautiful. After the electromagnetic layers dissipated, the entire mother ship was in a state of inactivity.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes were so agitated by the bright glare that they couldn¡¯t stop tearing up, but it was hard to tell whether the tears were from the agitation or the sadness in his heart¡­


    Time backtracked for 2 minutes¡­


    Ying was sitting quietly on the metallic floor of the engine room. Around him was a spread of different heavy artillery, a Gaussian rifle, a sawblade, and an atomic watch. These were the things his teammates had left behind before they left. In the next 3 minutes, the whole area would be a plasmatic sea that would melt everything, including his bones. In other words, in the wide cosmos, the existence of this man named Ying would be completely wiped out!


    Ying¡¯s heart was serene like usual, and he was as calm as ever. No matter whether he was killing enemies, executing captives, in warzones, combat training, or sacrificing the weak and defenseless, he was calm, almost to the stage of deterring human connection.


    Human connection?


    What was that?


    Ying had no recollection of human connection. Since he was young, there was no warmth in his relationships with other people. He was brought up by his uncle and aunt, and thanks to them he had a roof over his head and food in his stomach. However, the way they treated him was like how they treated a piece of wood or a pet. There was no warmth in the eyes that regarded him.


    What was human connection? He really didn¡¯t understand¡­


    When he became older and moved back with his parents, he finally got a glimpse of human connection. Those eyes, his parents¡¯ eyes that caressed every inch of his face, were full of kindness and gentleness. He wished to be bathed in those gazes every day, but they disappeared after a short few months. After that, he had never seen that gaze ever again.


    What remained were disgust, condescension, and even fear¡­


    Human connection?


    What was that?


    That warmth that he missed when he was young returned when he became the toughest teen in his village. Everyone gave him a wide berth and no one dared to throw mud or rocks at him anymore. It was a warmth born out of security, the warmth that arose after he stabbed a few gangsters in the city and everyone looked at him with fear. Warmth was when he was sleeping alone in his military bunk with a gun by his side. That was the meaning of warmth.


    After that came the Black Star Unit¡­


    Why would they trust him unconditionally? He only ended up there because he had nowhere else to go and had no other choice. Why would they trust him implicitly?


    Against enemies, one must be vicious and take them out at the first moment, or there will be danger. Captives were unnecessary weight that would tie down the mission''s process. They might even revolt during the critical juncture.


    Ying knew that the only reason he could stay in this Black Star Unit, which occasionally reminded him of the way his parents used to look at him, was because he would complete his assigned missions no matter what. And if he failed, he would be forced to leave. Therefore, the mission came first, and failure was not an option. As long as there was a mission, it must be completed. Sacrificing the weak, the personnel not related to the mission, those were necessary if doing so could help complete the mission, because the mission was not allowed to fail¡­


    After Ying beat down the third wave of the aliens'' assault, he read the atomic watch in his hand. 6, 5, 4, 3¡­


    "So, Black Star Unit is my home¡­


    "The connection between the members was the thing I was looking for my whole life and the reason I must stay in the team¡­


    "Turns out, I do have a family¡­"


    A plasmatic explosion swallowed the room and swept across the mother ship. Everything disappeared, melted by the plasmatic wave¡­

 Chapter 252: Infiltrating the Space Merchantss Mother Ship!

    Chapter 252: Infiltrating the Space Merchants'' Mother Ship!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After the space merchants¡¯ mother ship experienced such a drastic change, Yao Yuan snapped back into focus after several seconds. He abandoned the supermagnetic orbit cannon. After all, after the technology behind it was perfected, they could build as many of the cannons as they wanted. It didn¡¯t matter even if it was abandoned. Furthermore, it was in the middle of collapsing, so Yao Yuan had to get away from it as soon as possible.


    After Yao Yuan returned to the Red Lightning, he used his Anima power to order the rest of the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets to give the supermagnetic orbit cannon a wide berth. After about 10 seconds, the cannon exploded in a fiery blaze. Thankfully, by then, all of the combat jets were already far away enough that no one got hurt.


    Simultaneously, Yao Yuan had recovered from the sudden melancholy. He used his Seeker power to study the mother ship. Other than the still bursting sparks, the mother ship seemed to have entered lockdown. There were no more electromagnetic shields, not even the appearance of more plate-shaped combat jets.


    "Attention to all Prototype 003 Combat Jet pilots, move your jets closer to the mother ship. Stay in formation with leaders in the front and the Survivors at the back. Without my orders, no one is allowed to get too close to the mother ship!"


    After Yao Yuan relayed the information, he steered the Red Lightning towards the mother ship. This time, his Diviner power didn¡¯t tingle, but he couldn¡¯t afford to be not careful. The Red Lightning had entered its maximum speed and was dashing towards the mother ship in a flash of red lightning. It eventually stopped several kilometers outside of the mother ship. It made a quick swerve practically just outside of the mother ship and there were no signs of any attack.


    Indeed, the space merchants¡¯ mother ship had been completely disabled!


    "Attack! Every trooper in Prototype 003 Combat Jets, attack! Attack with everything you got!"


    With this observation, Yao Yuan ordered them to launch a full-on assault.


    Very quickly, the remaining 100 plus combat jets started attacking. The roaring of the Gaussian rail guns never stopped. Interspersed in between was Yao Yuan¡¯s own Gaussian mini cannon. The surface of the mother ship proceeded to be shot into pieces.


    After a series of attacks, Yao Yuan ordered the troopers to change tactics. After all, the mother ship was gigantic, so it would take years for the combat jets to be able to do any real damage to it. Even though the Gaussian weaponry had great penetration, they weren¡¯t carrier missiles, they were like mosquito bites on the mother ship.


    At that time, it had been 3 minutes after the mother ship went down. Yao Yuan had finally figured it out. He immediately used his Anima power to locate Xi Kong inside the Hope and had her contact Guang Zhen and Bo Li.


    "Tell Guang Zhen to immediately gather all the Defense Unit soldiers he can find. Of course, leave some for necessary defense. The rest of the defense responsibility can be left to the Black Dragons. Get all the Defense Unit soldiers into a transport shuttle. Right, also bring along around 5 Black Dragons. Use Bo Li¡¯s alien robot to carry them out. After they leave the Hope¡¯s creator¡¯s particle range, it will be time for action! Tell them to go towards the space merchants¡¯ mother ship!"


    Xi Kong was unfamiliar with military events, so she delayed Yao Yuan¡¯s orders word for word to Guang Zhen and Bo Li. Guang Zhen was initially curious as to why Yao Yuan hadn¡¯t directly communicated with himm but he was quick to realize that unlike Xi Kong''s, Yao Yuan¡¯s Anima power couldn¡¯t reach the non-Homo Evolutis. Therefore, he quickly tossed the confusion out of his mind.


    Since it was Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, Guang Zhen quickly moved to oblige. In a short amount of time, he gathered all of the Defense Unit¡¯s lieutenant leaders and they started to calculate the amount of still active Defense Unit soldiers. Other than the ones who had sacrificed themselves, those that were still unconscious from the aliens¡¯ electrical attacks, and those that were injured, they currently could gather around 1,200 soldiers. It was a saddening number.


    As noted in Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, Guang Zhen left behind 200 soldiers and 15 Black Dragons to look over the Hope, while the remaining 1,000 soldiers and 5 Black Dragons were led into the transport shuttles. After that, Bo Li¡¯s alien robot lifted the shuttles one by one beyond the confinement of the Hope¡¯s creator¡¯s particle zone. After that, the shuttles recovered their functionality and started to fly towards the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s Red Lightning zipped towards the shuttles and he finally regained contact with Guang Zhen. Guang Zhen asked, immediately after communication was established, "What¡¯s the update? Yao Yuan, why are we going towards the alien merchants¡¯ mother ship?"


    Yao Yuan answered, "Because we don¡¯t have enough firepower to take down the entire mother ship. Furthermore, it is not in our interest to destroy it. As you can see, the mother ship has been completely disabled, as its energy circuits and energy systems seem to have short-circuited. This is an opportunity that we can¡¯t miss. We shall take advantage of this chaos and send in our troops to seize their mother ship¡­


    "We¡¯ve lost so much in this war, and until now we haven¡¯t heard anything from Ying¡¯s group, and we probably won¡¯t anymore. Regardless, the mother ship¡¯s shut down has completely taken away the space merchants'' will to fight, so they''re at a disadvantage. Now is the perfect time to attack. Ol¡¯ Wong, you¡¯ll lead the troops into the mother ship and split into 5 units to take hold of strategic location. Each of the units will have a Black Dragon accompanying it. The goal is to set up a bridgehead within their mother ship."


    Yao Yuan took a pause before continuing, "Us Black Star Troopers will aid in the combat as well. I will give you half of the Troopers to act as the shock troopers to take down and decimate the alien merchants¡¯ military resistance. We have to expand our control on their mother ship as much as we can. What to do next will be decided after we gain contact with the space merchants."


    Guang Zhen was taken aback. "Gain contact? What contact? Why?"


    Yao Yuan answered firmly, "Of course, for peace talks."


    Guang Zhen immediately retorted, "Peace talks? Have you lost your mind? Yao Yuan, you want us to have peace talks with the alien merchants? What is the meaning of this? Do you know how many lives have been lost on the Hope? Do you know that our three spaceships have self-destructed? Are you aware that the Hope is still immobile and is shut down? You seriously want to have peace talks?"


    "Indeed, we need to have this peace talk¡­"


    Yao Yuan confirmed, "Because we can¡¯t completely take down the alien merchants. Our current advantage is not a really big advantage, so we¡¯re still in risky waters. This infiltration of the mother ship is also to gain some leverage for the peace talks. You too have seen how things were when the supermagnetic orbit cannon was fired. The mother ship has access to nano repair bot technology¡­"


    Guang Zhen gave it some thought and nodded. "I know, Bo Li gave me a brief on it when we saw the mother ship start to repair itself."


    "That¡¯s right," Yao Yuan continued. "We might have an advantage now, but it¡¯ll be useless if we don¡¯t turn that into a victory. The moment the alien merchants regain their senses and pull out some emergency energy supply to reactivate the nano bots, then what will happen? Maybe it¡¯ll take several days or even weeks to fully repair their mother ship, but do you think we can control the whole mother ship in a short period of time? Impossible.


    "We don¡¯t have the military force to seize the whole mother ship. After the mother ship comes back online, the space merchants can keep it on lock down to prevent our entry. What if they start to charge up the Requiem again? How are we supposed to defend against that? The quantum lock in the Hope¡¯s central mainframe cannot be resolved in a short period of time, so we will need the space merchants¡¯ technology for that¡­"


    Yao Yuan took a deep breath. "Of course I realize the extent of the damage the space merchants have done. After tricking us under the disguise of trade, killing them all will not compensate for what we¡¯ve lost. They will have to pay for the lives that they have taken. However, Ol¡¯ Wong, politics is politics. Even though you and I might not like it, politics is a part of war. We can¡¯t fight a war simply because of our emotions, because if so, this whole war has no meaning! The reason we go into war is only one¡­ profit!


    "Based on everything so far, peace talks will bring us the greatest profit. It will provide us with the benefits we need and take away the danger we¡¯re in¡­"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s tone suddenly dropped. "Of course, this peace talk will not be built on faith alone. That way, we will not get the benefit we deserve! The so-called peace talks can only exist when the space merchants are under the mouths of our cannons! Other than setting up the bridgehead, I want the soldiers to decimate their remaining military and capture more captives! After I escort you guys to the mother ship¡¯s hangar, I will return to the Hope and have Bo Li¡¯s alien robot send to me all the H-bombs that still remain on the Hope!


    "Since the space merchants have already pushed us to the point of extinction, if they still refuse to bow down to our conditions, then their mother ship will become a fireworks display in space. I¡¯d rather we spent decades here sifting through the quantum lock than give these space locusts another chance to wiggle their way out of their responsibility and repayment. If they are that stubborn¡­


    "Then they shall have a taste of the H-bombs!"

 Chapter 253: Attack!

    Chapter 253: Attack!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Very quickly, the transport shuttles were directed to the mother ship with the Prototype 003s¡¯ protection. They headed towards the holes that were made on the walls and entered the mother ship through them.


    The inside of the mother ship had fared slightly better. Electrical circuits and devices were sparking all over the place. However, other than the few spots were the damage was especially serious, most of the area suffered nothing more than a few burnt circuits. Generally speaking, there wasn¡¯t much danger.


    Even though the Defense Unit soldiers weren¡¯t wearing space armors, they still had on uniform space combat suits. These were already the fourth edition combat suits. If taken back to 3rd revolution Earth, this suit would be stronger than any bullet-proof outfit on Earth. Even sniper rifles wouldn¡¯t be able to pierce through it, much less common bullets. Even with tank cannon, the person would only die from the vibration and the combat suit would remain unharmed.


    This version of space combat suit came with internal energy storage, so it could create an electromagnetic shield. Defense against common firearms like Gaussian rifles was available. Of course, its defense against heavy artillery was still lacking. Then again, it wasn¡¯t part of the plan for Defense Unit soldiers to be involved in classified missions. They had always used their advantage in numbers and firepower to overpower their enemies, so this space combat suit was more than enough to serve that purpose.


    Just like that, 1,000 Defense Unit soldiers entered the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. Under Guang Zhen¡¯s leadership, they were divided into five units. The units weren¡¯t able to connect with each other because the mother ship was in a state of shut down, meaning they were all covered by creator¡¯s particle.


    It had been years since mankind had received this technology from the junkyard civilization, so they had come up with a solution to this kind of problem. It was something akin to a signal relay station, a mini creator¡¯s particle isolator so to speak. It could undo the effect of creator¡¯s particle within a certain radius. Even though the area covered was small and it could only last for twelve hours before it required a change of battery or completely malfunctioned, it was fairly cheap to produce and almost every Defense Unit soldier was equipped with one.


    Without wasting any time, the five units were formed. Other than the main unit, which was led by Guang Zhen, the rest of the four units each brought along a Black Dragon and spread out to explore the mother ship. Simultaneously, signal relay stations were set up at regular intervals. That way, information from all the units could be compiled at the main unit¡¯s location. The main unit therefore had set up a basic defense barricade and a computer server to monitor and analyze the war situation.


    The Defense Unit pressed forward according to training procedures. Not long after that, about 50 Black Star Troopers under Yao Yuan¡¯s command also entered the mother ship. They arrived at Guang Zhen¡¯s side and their command was given to non-Homo Evolutis who were wearing space armors similar to theirs.


    Guang Zhen didn¡¯t stand on courtesy, he immediately arranged for 30 troopers to go assist a soldier unit who was ambushed by the alien merchants¡¯ military. The enemy unit was a mechanized siege unit. Currently, the Defense Unit¡¯s troop was in hiding, and progress was halted because this was not a hurdle they could pass with just the support of one Black Dragon.


    The 30 Black Star Troopers arrived at the scene swiftly. Under Guang Zhen¡¯s command, the 30 troopers and Defense Unit soldiers launched a surprise attack. The one at the front line was, of course, the Black Dragon. The result was out of everyone¡¯s expectations. Once this siege unit, which had impressive-looking vehicles, saw the 30 Black Star Troopers storming their way in, they started to turn and run. The bigger siege machines, which had trouble turning, were completely abandoned. The alien pilots climbed out and joined the retreating party. The battle was concluded with the aliens deserting and not firing even a bullet!


    Just like that, the 30 troopers and 200 Defense Unit soldiers managed to capture about 200 aliens. 40 of them even committed suicide.


    After confirming they wouldn¡¯t be able to run, they committed suicide after being captured.


    This was unbelievable. The aliens not only had regrettable fighting spirit, they were also extremely afraid of mankind. After they saw the 30 Black Star Troopers and 200 Defense Unit soldiers charge at them, they didn¡¯t even dare to retaliate. They pretty much allowed themselves to be captured, and after capture, they decided to commit suicide. What kind of logic was this?


    This curious development was immediately reported to Guang Zhen, and it befuddled him. He too couldn¡¯t figure out the logic behind this. Logically speaking, a lack of fighting spirit meant a fear of death, and since there was fear of death, it would deter suicide. If they had the courage to commit suicide, why didn¡¯t they use it to fight back?


    Guang Zhen had a Black Star Trooper take a Prototype 003 Space Combat Jet and report this information back to Yao Yuan. After receiving the update, Yao Yuan rushed to the ready bridgehead and started discussing it with Guang Zhen.


    "¡­Indeed, this doesn¡¯t make sense from a logical standpoint, but it is not completely unexplainable either¡­"


    Yao Yuan used his Thinker power and explained, "It is quite likely they¡¯ve stumbled into human Black Star Troopers, or probably Ying¡¯s group, earlier, or they are unable to differentiate between the Black Star Troopers and Defense Unit soldiers. After all, Ying¡¯s group was only 10 to 20 people in size and they managed to take down the energy core of this mother ship. I don¡¯t believe that it was a covert operation either. This means that they must have taken down a sizeable amount of alien soldiers along the way before they reached their destination. Plus, you too are familiar with Ying¡¯s disposition¡­"


    Understanding dawned on Guang Zhen¡¯s face. "You know what, you¡¯re probably right. I¡¯ve told Ying many times, but if it was him leading the team, he would not leave the captives alive. There was probably a massacre as well. From the looks of things, the aliens are highly traumatized by the Black Star Trooper¡¯s combat capability and probably Ying¡¯s bloodlust as well. That must have sown the fear in their hearts. If viewed from this perspective, then their actions of committing suicide even after being captured can be understood."


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Indeed, but this is a good advantage for us as well. In terms of war, the first thing we need to combat is the issue of psychology. Since the aliens are afraid of us, why not make use of this weakness? Let¡¯s take a look at the captives we have. Find a few that are willing to surrender and lead us to the nearest important locales or secret cores or to meet with the alien merchants¡¯ higher executives. Along the way, if we run into more alien units, we can use the captives as a bridge of communication, to present them with a choice. If they want to fight, then their deaths will be gruesome after capture, but if they surrender, I will make sure we will not harm their lives and will not torture them."


    Guang Zhen nodded along, but he hesitated when Yao Yuan mentioned massacre. "Are we really going to give gruesome deaths for those that resist, or is that just a scare tactic?"


    Yao Yuan answered with a chilling tone, "Of course it is for real! Any alien unit that dares to resist us humans will be slaughtered after they are captured! If not, how are we going to convince the rest that we are going to stick to our word? Why should we repay their aggression with kindness? This is a tipping point for us. Whether we can get our forces deep into the mother ship to secure strategic locations for negotiations later on hinges on this very moment. So why are you still hesitating?"


    Guang Zhen seemed to be unconvinced. After all, a veteran Heaven¡¯s Group soldier like himself was emotionally scarred by events like massacres¡­


    "This is an order!" Yao Yuan had no choice but to pull ranks.


    Guang Zhen immediately saluted and replied, "Sir, yes, Sir!"


    Just like that, the 4 Defense Unit soldiers powered on with the aid of 10 Black Star Troopers each. With the troopers and Black Dragon leading the charge, the infiltration speed gained a tremendous increase. At the same time, all the alien soldiers and civilian captives were sent over to Guang Zhen¡¯s bridgehead.


    Guang Zhen started to form a unit that would lead mankind deeper into the mother ship. Using the computer to translate human language into the junkyard aliens¡¯ language, he tried to select volunteers from the alien captives. However, it seemed like some of the captives even understood human language. To increase the efficiency of this leading group, Guang Zhen even promised those that volunteered that he would not only ensure their safety but also the safety of three of their friends. The human military would not harm them.


    Unsurprisingly, many of the aliens volunteered; not only the civilians, but also the soldiers. At that moment, Guang Zhen saw a new face of the alien merchants. They seemed to have weak or even no loyalty to their race, country, or team; they would turn on their own should the situation become too high-pressured.


    Just as Guang Zhen sent off the leading unit to join mankind¡¯s military, Xi Kong had managed to locate Liu Bai, Ebon, Zhang Heng, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and the last remaining Survivor wandering through the space merchants¡¯ mother ship.


    And Ying¡­


    Was ascertained to be dead!

 Chapter 254: Prediction

    Chapter 254: Prediction


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The progress of the Defense Unit was smooth. With the Black Star Troopers and the Black Dragons leading the frontline, mankind was practically unstoppable.


    However, it has to be said that the space merchants¡¯ mother ship was simply too big, so much so that seizing it with only 1,000 plus soldiers was preposterous. 24 hours after infiltrating the mother ship, the main unit commanded by Guang Zhen had gathered about 30,000 alien captives. It was the limit, as 200 plus people looking after 30,000 captives was too much.


    Under these circumstances, Guang Zhen¡¯s sharp instinct was singing in alarm. Therefore, he immediately ordered the 4 exploratory units to stop and wait for new orders and provisions.


    Now, we shall turn to describe the situation within the mother ship.


    The internal part of the mother ship looked old, but the designs were all complicated, reflecting the technological level of the 4th revolution. For example, the surface of the mother ship was broken by Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets into holes, and even though the mother ship had lost its main power source, quarantine walls were dropped to prevent the air inside the mother ship from being drawn out into space.


    The air within the mother ship was not compatible for human consumption either because it had a substance that was poisonous to the human body. Therefore, whether it was the Defense Unit soldiers or Black Star Troopers, they required an external supply of air, food and water, and a good homeostatic system within their space suits.


    When mankind entered the 4th revolution, there was a new technology to aid with supply provisions in space. It was something like a mobile isolated capsule. It could fit 10 people at once, when inside they could eat, rest, sleep, and recharge the energy and air in their spacesuits. Currently, the Hope had about 30 of them in stock. In the case of 1,000 Defense Unit soldiers and several hundred Troopers, it could only satisfy one-third of their necessities, but it was still better than none.


    Furthermore, they were in the middle of a war, so they couldn¡¯t have all the soldiers rest at the same time. At least half of the military force had to be ready to guard the captives. So one-third was fine since the military could use the capsules in rotation.


    Using Bo Li¡¯s alien robot, the capsules on the Hope were slowly transported to the Prototype 003 Combat Jets that waited outside the Hope before being carried to the bridgehead on the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. With Black Star Troopers as manual labor, the capsules were transported to the lieutenants of the four exploratory units. In the next 24 hours, the soldiers finally had the chance to enjoy a hot meal, and some went down for a nap. Of course, two-thirds of the military was still on active duty.


    This was preparation for a long, drawn out battle.


    Of course, not all units received this arrangement, because the unit personally led by Yao Yuan was searching the mother ship for Liu Bai¡¯s group. Using his Anima power, he brought along 30 Black Star Troopers to try to reconnect with these straggling heroes.


    Liu Bai¡¯s group, by that time, had reached their limits.


    It was not because of enemy soldiers, because when Ying blew up the reactors and caused the massive blackout on the mother ship, the enemy military had practically disbanded. The space merchant troops started deserting when they came across the six of them. The thing that really pushed them to the limit was the fact that their space armors were running dangerously low on juice.


    The Black Star Space Armor had within it a large storage of energy, but since it had within it the oxygen circulatory system, creator¡¯s particle isolator, and many other body enhancement systems, its power consumption rate was enormous as well. After all, the six of them had survived plenty of battles, and those exhausted plenty of their energy supply. If they didn¡¯t recharge in the next 2 to 3 hours, these 6 would die from asphyxiation from the shutdown of the oxygen circulatory system.


    However, by then Yao Yuan had reached them with his Anima power and had informed them that the larger army was infiltrating the mother ship. Therefore, Yao Yuan requested them to stop moving, to preserve the energy that they had while waiting for Yao Yuan to reach them.


    The six followed his orders and stayed put. With nothing else to do, they started chatting.


    "¡­So Ying is dead," Liu Bai observed with a sigh.


    The other 5, who were trading interesting stories about things that happened on the Hope, were silenced when Liu Bai said this sentence.


    Ebon parted his lips to add, "I thought that guy would be the one among us to live the longest. I still remember during a mission back on Earth where we were tasked to assassinate a Xinjiang split-support. The target was in a heavily guarded area. Other than the main entrance, the rest of the place was laid with landmines, and since this was overseas, we couldn¡¯t send in our troops. Ying volunteered to enter the area with a single sniper rifle. A few days later, the news came out that the target had been eliminated, and Ying hadn''t suffered a single injury on his body. And to think a person who was capable of achieving miracles like that has truly left us¡­"


    Solemnity weighed down on everyone¡¯s hearts. Regardless of how each of them viewed Ying¡¯s personality, he was an undeniable hero; not a personal hero, but a hero to the entire human race. If not for his contribution, they might not even have gotten through the defenses set up by the space merchants, much less had the chance to counter-engineer the plasmatic bottles. He died a heroic death. At that moment, they had nothing but respect and reverence for this human hero.


    Breaking the silence, Liu Bai suddenly turned to the last Survivor. "By the way, soldier, which Black Star platoon are you from and what¡¯s your name?"


    The trooper quickly tried to stand up right and give a salute, but due to thirst and starvation, he could only manage a half salute. "Reporting, Sir. I am from the 6th platoon, and my name is Ran Zhu Yi."


    "Ran? The surname of one of the Chinese ancient kings? Interesting," Ebon, who was sitting beside him, commented.


    Zhu Yi answered immediately, "Yes, it is that character, Ran. Zhu from bamboo [Zhu Zi] and Yi from loyalty [Yi Qi], Ran Zhu Yi."


    Liu Bai commented, "No need to be so cautious, we¡¯re combat buddies now. In this war, the Black Star Troopers probably suffered the loss of at least one or two platoons. We¡¯re not even sure how many of us we¡¯ve lost on the Hope¡­" Liu Bai sighed. "Black Star Troopers are comprised of all Homo Evolutis, but we still have no clue how to increase the number of Homo Evolutis. After the great losses suffered in this war, who knows how long this Black Star Troopers unit as a whole will be able to survive for."


    Xiao Niao piped up, "Speaking of which, the understanding behind the trigger for the birth of Homo Evolutis is still iffy. Thus far, there have been two times when there was a large scale awakening of Homo Evolutis. The first was right after we left Earth, and the second was when we arrived at the New Planet. I initially thought leaving the New Planet would instigate another awakening, but obviously I was wrong. Looks like my understanding of Homo Evolutis triggers is wrong¡­"


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Ren Tao retorted weakly, "That might not be true, because there might be things that happened without us noticing¡­" As he was talking, there was hollow ringing voice coming from within his space armor. Under everyone¡¯s curious gazes, a snow-white baby Black Dragon peeped out of Ren Tao''s helmet. It was the little creature that was responsible for the earlier ringing sound.


    "The little thing must be hungry. Hopefully, he can hold on and not chew on my body." Ren Tao saw the creature and started laughing.


    Right then, intrigue crossed Xiao Niao¡¯s eyes. He questioned, "By the way, Ren Tao, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you, but the situation before didn¡¯t allow it. Where did this baby Black Dragon come from? Why would you bring this baby dragon with you when we were told we are going on a negotiation meeting with the space merchants? Did you predict they would turn on us? No, impossible, because even so, you wouldn¡¯t have thought to bring along this baby dragon. There is no logical connection between the two!"


    This reminded everyone else of this curiosity. Indeed, this baby dragon had pretty much saved the whole of humanity. If he hadn¡¯t bitten away the metallic hands, their unit wouldn¡¯t have escaped capture, and the series of events after that wouldn¡¯t have happened. The key to their victory was actually this baby dragon!


    Ren Tao shrugged. "That is why I said there might be things that happened without us noticing. Xiao Niao, what is your opinion on the concept of time, or to be more precise, what do you think about fortune-telling?"


    Xiao Niao was startled by this sudden question. He thought about it and answered, "Fortune-telling is an enterprise that requires a lot of information collection and using that information to come up with the most logical extrapolation¡­"


    "No, that¡¯s not what I meant. I mean seeing into the future or knowing what will happen in the future, like the concept of chaos theory. To borrow a simple analogy, there are one thousand pebbles in a box, and each of them has a number written on it. The numbers are not repetitious, and you have to pull one out of the box. Can you use mathematical theories to predict the number written on the pebble you pull out?"


    Xiao Niao hesitated before answering, "Impossible, there simply too many variables to be able to come up with a logical conclusion¡­"


    Ren Tao chuckled and pointed at the baby dragon by the side of his head, saying, "Well, someone did¡­


    "That is why I said, we might have encountered a new change that we didn¡¯t even realize!"

 Chapter 255: Conversation and Time!

    Chapter 255: Conversation and Time!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan personally led Liu Bai¡¯s group back to the bridgehead where Guang Zhen was. When Yao Yuan found them, the six were at their physical limits, and their space armors had barely enough energy left to run the most basic of systems. Even after an emergency energy recharge, the six barely had energy left to speak. Yao Yuan¡¯s unit had no choice but to carry the six of them to the resting capsules, and hot meals proved to be the most effective medicine of all.


    Simultaneously, the interrogation with the alien captives was still going on. Other than questioning them on issues like the location of their higher authority, the key locations of their mother ship, and the structure of their military, mankind also focused on the issues of the quantum lock affecting the Hope.


    However, in the interrogation process, the interrogators stumbled across a curious observation. It appeared like among these alien civilians, about half of them had a stunted intelligence growth¡­


    Yes, it seemed unlikely, but these aliens appeared to suffer to mental retardation. They showed a lack of basic understanding of normal questions and had trouble forming coherent thoughts.


    This went against the common portrayal of aliens in human sci-fi. The aliens in the medium were always a species that had higher IQ than humanity. Even the children had high intelligence. This was derived from the understanding of the evolution theory. Since they had evolved to a stage where they could enter space, their technological level couldn¡¯t be lower than mankind''s, thus their intelligence couldn¡¯t be lower than mankind''s.


    However, the reality was, among these civilian alien captives, at least one-third of them showed evidence of mental retardation. In this situation, either they were really retarded or they were faking it, but why do it on such a giant scale? One or two pretending to be retarded would make sense, but one-third of the whole population¡­? Or did they think mankind was retarded?


    This observation quickly reached Guang Zhen¡¯s ears. At that moment, Yao Yuan was resting in the capsule, so Guang Zhen quickly had someone wake up him to relay to him the information.


    Yao Yuan was bewildered by this development. He too had no clue what this represented, but seeing is believing, so he quickly rushed to the interrogation point to observe for himself. As he had been told, a large number of the alien captives did showcase a lack of intelligence. Even the simplest of questions, they had difficulties in answering. This whole thing was just weird.


    "What about those with normal intelligence? Did you ask them why there are so many retards?" Yao Yuan asked Guang Zhen.


    Guang Zhen nodded. "We did, but the answers we got were confusing, to say the least¡­ They said that these aliens were born on the mother ship after they left shelter, so this level of intelligence was to be expected. They also mentioned that the mother ship has a population of about two million and the number has to do with the newborns. Honestly, I have no clue what they were talking about."


    Yao Yuan too was befuddled. He thought about it and said, "How long have I been resting?"


    Guang Zhen looked at the time inside his space armor and answered, "You¡¯ve been asleep for about 6 hours. You should take some more rest."


    "That¡¯s not necessary." Yao Yuan shook his head. "This means that Ren Tao and Xiao Niao have been resting for about 10 hours. Have someone go wake them up and get some food in their stomachs. Then tell them to meet us here. Also, grab one of the big-brained aliens for interrogation, one with normal intelligence. I will interrogate it personally to find out what is happening on this ship."


    Under Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, Ren Tao and Xiao Niao, who were soundly sleeping, were pulled out of their dreams and pretty much sleep-walked to the bathroom. After taking in some food, they put on their space armors and rushed to the interrogation point where Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were already waiting.


    "¡­That¡¯s the current situation. I have a feeling there is a giant secret behind all this, and it might have many things to do with the nature of these shelters, like what qualifies a location as a valid shelter? This is the information we need. I¡¯ve woken the two of you up because we will be interrogating a military officer, one of those big-brained aliens. I need the both of you to analyze its meaning and details." Yao Yuan didn¡¯t hesitate to reveal everything to the two.


    The two were confused by the sudden info dump. They too couldn¡¯t understand the connection between the so-called newborns and the shelter. Why would aliens that born outside of shelters become retarded? Could it be that the aliens were species that required specific nutrients to aid with development when they were born and these nutrients were only available at the shelter? But this hypothesis didn¡¯t sound right either¡­


    Furthermore, for such a massive mother ship to only have a population of two million was rather unbelievable!


    However, thinking back to when they cut through the mother ship under Ying¡¯s leadership, even though they put down at least ten thousand aliens, in relative to the actual size of the mother ship, that number was curiously small. Compared to the junkyard civilization, which had more than one billion citizens, the space merchant population was indeed curious.


    Could this be some unique situation?


    The two brushed off their drowsiness and followed Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen into the interrogation room where a big-brained alien was being held captive.


    The big-brained alien looked relatively calm, but it might be hunger or drowsiness because it looked rather pale. Yao Yuan cut straight to the point and had the soldier in the room translate his words into the junkyard civilization¡¯s language. "I¡¯m not going to waste time going in circles. You and your entire civilization are currently our captives. We want to ask you some questions, and if you refuse to answer or purposely provide us with the false information, then you will die. Therefore, if you want to live and want to keep your people alive, you better answer our questions truthfully."


    The big-brained alien let out a sound that was in between a laugh and a sigh. It replied, "Ask whatever you want. After your military boarded our mother ship, I know our fate was already written on the wall. We admit ours loss, so I will no longer lie to you."


    Yao Yuan exchanged a glance with the three others. He then went back to the big-brained alien. "First, I want to know why your race, or rather the future generations of the other races on this ship, suffer from mental retardation."


    The big-brained alien widened its eyes and looked at the people in the room curiously. It then suddenly let out the curious laugh again. "So, it is really a misunderstanding¡­"


    Yao Yuan and the rest were even more confused. He quickly followed up, "What do you mean by that?"


    The big-brained alien pointed at Ren Tao and Xiao Niao, saying, "Before the mother ship¡¯s main energy core was blown up, didn¡¯t the both of you ask some of my people why we attacked you? That was the two of you, right?"


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao looked at each other before nodding. Ren Tao explained, "That¡¯s right. When your people used the mind-breaker attack on us, there was a mental link, so we managed to gather some information from your mind, but we were unable to be certain, so we posed the question then and tried to convince you all that this was a misunderstanding."


    The big-brained alien continued, "The physical bodies of the people of my race are rapidly regressing, but in contrast, our brains are incredibly complex and eventually developed mastery in the field of psychic control. According to the records left behind by my ancestors, my race came from a comfortable planet, and due to the advancement in technology, a lot of robots were invented to replace our manual labor. That was when my race¡¯s physical bodies started to regress and intelligence started to improve. However, with the continued advancement in AI, the robots¡¯ internal program started to achieve Singularity and overwrote the rules of robotics. They eventually captured my ancestors and kept them as pets or farm animals. They were given plenty of food and care, but they were allowed zero freedom and no communication between each other, even though my ancestors were still referred to as their ¡®masters¡¯."


    For some inexplicable reasons, the big-brained alien started to go into its racial history, but since humanity didn¡¯t have much knowledge about the evolution of space civilizations, they didn¡¯t stop it. These were all useful details. They recorded them down quietly.


    "Under such circumstances, my ancestors spent about 100 years in captivity in a stage where even reproduction became mechanized, artificial mating. My ancestors eventually developed a prowess in the psychic field and managed to form a spiritual link between each other. Then, under the guidance of the Great Prophet, my ancestors managed to nab the first victory against the first grade AI robots, or more specifically, the victory for a great escape. My ancestors finally got out of our home planet, and that was about 18,000 years ago¡­


    "Therefore, when you conversed with my clansman, the words he spoke and the things he heard and saw, every single one of us from my race could hear and see it¡­"


    The big-brained alien suddenly looked at the humans present in the room. "The misunderstanding happened about 246 years ago when we stumbled across a small, human space ship¡­"

 Chapter 256: Conservation of Life

    Chapter 256: Conservation of Life


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    246 years ago? This was a crazy revelation.


    Needless to say, it shocked everyone present. After all, the Hope had left Earth only for decades. 246 years ago? Mankind had barely reached the first industrial revolution then, how was it possible that the space merchants had stumbled across humanity in space?


    If this was 246,000 years ago, then perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be such a shock. After all, it could be a completely different alien race that looked similar to humans, or prehistoric human races with super tech. But 246 years ago? A human spaceship was impossible then!


    However, there was no harm in listening on, or at least that was what everyone thought.


    The big-brained alien continued, "I remember it was around the Orpheus Nebula, and our main trading target was a level 3 space civilization. We were responsible for transporting their necessary resources, and in return they traded with us their victory spoils. However, regrettably, the pillage target at the time, the Shelter from the other side, was well-guarded, so there weren¡¯t many spoils. The war had been going on for too long, so we decided to venture to a new location. There we stumbled across a tiny spaceship.


    "The spaceship still had various qualities of a Level 1 Space Civilization. It had about 7,400 plus people, and when they entered our creator¡¯s particle range, their spaceship immediately shut down. Of course, since we are merchants and not pillagers or destroyers, we eventually deactivated our creator¡¯s particle and started to establish communication for trade.


    "There was no habitable planet within a few light-years of where we were, so we reached a consensus that this was a spaceship most likely abandoned by a larger colony or it was unfortunate enough to encounter a space catastrophe. Since our original trade kind of fell apart, we decided to trade with this small spaceship¡­"


    Here, the big-brained alien halted, as if weighing something in its mind.


    Yao Yuan waited for a moment before urging the alien to continue. "Well, what happened next?"


    The big-brained alien continued, "Then we realized that they had 6 Cosmic Adapters on this spaceship. This was a bargain beyond our imagination, so we started to plot for these 6 Cosmic Adapters¡­"


    Guang Zhen scoffed, "And the claws show. In times of peace, you¡¯re merchants, but when there is profit, the merchants become burglars. When the Homo Evolutis, or what you call the Cosmic Adapters, were identified, you would seize them shamelessly. For shame."


    The big-brained alien looked at Guang Zhen curiously. "Why would you say that? Shouldn¡¯t we seize Cosmic Adapters whenever we can? Is there any reason not to?"


    Guang Zhen was speechless. This was like a burglar who had stolen your money, and after being detained, argued that stealing was his profession, so why should he be punished for his occupation? It was an illogical argument.


    The big-brained alien ignored Guang Zhen. "However, this race was highly suspicious. When they realized that we were attempting to snatch their Cosmic Adapters, they initiated their spaceship¡¯s self-destruct sequence. If we continued to press, they would self-destruct. So we had no choice but to revert to normal trade and eventually promised to trade with them our level 2 space civilization technology.


    "The whole trade process was complicated; we had not seen such a troublesome race before. Any single one of them could come up with logic that we couldn¡¯t refute. In the end, we ended up with an atrociously bad trade. For six Cosmic Adapters, we gave them all our level 2 civilization technology, some from level 3, space navigation charts, the coordinates of our Shelter, large amounts of cosmic information, many radioactive ores, and materials.


    "That wasn¡¯t enough for this race. They wanted us to first pass them all our information and materials before giving us the six Cosmic Adapters. After an internal discussion, we decided to follow their proposed trading program. After all, this was a small spaceship from a level 1 space civilization, so we weren¡¯t afraid of them running.


    "Alas¡­"


    Yao Yuan and the gang answered in unison, "They disappeared before your eyes."


    The big-brained alien wasn¡¯t surprised. He continued, "That they did, along with all our trading chips. This was beyond our wildest dreams. We had given them so much and got nothing in return. This has never happened before. The few main negotiators were frozen and made into supplies when we returned to Shelter. I can still remember how angry our executives were¡­"


    Yao Yuan had a follow-up. "And then? 200 plus years later, you met us and you thought we were that small spaceship¡¯s future generation?"


    The alien looked at him curiously. "Future generation? No, we thought you people were the same bunch, but this time you put forth more Cosmic Adapters to swindle us even more. Is 246 years a long time? Why would you think we assumed you were the future generation?"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s group had too many things they had to discuss among themselves. He quickly ordered a soldier to escort the alien out and had someone bring the alien some food and water for it to rest, to prepare for the later interrogation.


    "¡­First question¡¯s first, why 246 years? That would be the 18 or 19th century; did we even have a spaceship then? Furthermore, according to the alien¡¯s description, this small spaceship was probably the politicians that abandoned Earth before us, so why would it be 246 years ago?" Yao Yuan asked the moment the alien was led out of the room.


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao were confused by this as well. After a long time, Xiao Niao finally said, "The time is probably something only the Academy can answer, but the only possible answer is it has to do with our space warp technology. This is the only similarity we have with that group of politicians. Both of our spaceships have that technology."


    Ren Tao added, "From the perspective of physics, time itself is meaningless; it comes into being when it has something to affect. Furthermore, time progresses differently in different situations. Variables like speed, gravity, and magnetic fields affect the passage of time. Therefore, space warp might not be a warp from one space to the next like we thought. It probably affects time too. Or perhaps during warp, we pass by something like a black hole that speeds up the time on the Hope. All these are possibilities, but I would advise you to pose this question to the Academy or Bo Li. We are, after all, not scientists like Einstein."


    Yao Yuan thought about it and decided to let the question slide for now. He then said, "The alien seems to be telling the truth, and his story does corroborate the things you two told me earlier. Other than the issue of time, everything else makes sense. Before us, there was indeed another group of humans that tricked them. Therefore, they would put on the aggression first. Of course, this is not to say that they are innocent. After all, they admitted that if their opponent has Cosmic Adapters, they do everything to steal them. From this point alone, it could be said that they are not some do-gooders either."


    Guang Zhen concurred, "They definitely are not. They led their assault with the pretense of trade and they have the face to call themselves merchants."


    After a long discussion and food break, the big-brained alien was brought back into the room to continue the interrogation.


    Similarly, it was Yao Yuan who led the questioning. "I think we¡¯ve learned everything we need to know about the history, but how can you be sure now that this is all a misunderstanding? Is it because we are different from that earlier race?"


    The alien shook its head. "No, you¡¯re definitely the same race. The only reason I know this is a misunderstanding is because you guys have no idea what the Law of Conservation of Life for space civilizations is. This should be common knowledge to all level 2 space civilizations and beyond. Furthermore, during our earlier trade with your tribesmen, this information was included in the things that we lost. If you were them, then you would''ve known about this, and there would''ve been no need for the earlier interrogation, so I and we are now certain you two are not the same."


    ¡®I and we?¡¯ Yao Yuan picked up this curious use of pronouns, but he didn¡¯t point it out. Instead, he asked, "Okay then, if you know this is a misunderstanding, then would you tell us what this Law of Conservation of Life is?"


    The alien didn¡¯t hesitate. "The meaning of this law is that the longer the civilization survives in space, the weaker the soul of the civilization. In other words, the future generations of such a civilization will become dimmer and dimmer until the civilization disappears completely in space. It is because of this law that the cosmos doesn¡¯t have many high level civilizations. In fact, the number of those is extremely small. This is why the cosmos isn¡¯t crowded with life forms even though it has been around for billions of years. This is a law that keeps the balance on the number of space civilizations, and it is called¡­


    "The Law of Conservation of Life."

 Chapter 257: Where is Life?

    Chapter 257: Where is Life?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The second conversation with the big-brained alien confused everyone again. The contents were perplexing, so after the short interrogation, the group started another discussion.


    "First, let¡¯s just ignore the Law of Conservation of Life for now. Do you still remember when the big-brained alien said that their race has a strong psychic link? Previously, when the two of you talked to their tribesmen, the contents were shared among the rest of the big-brained aliens too," Yao Yuan told Ren Tao and Xiao Niao.


    Ren Tao nodded firmly. "Indeed, during the interrogation, the big-brained alien used the pronoun ¡®we¡¯ as well. In other words, talking to one is similar to talking to all, including their executives, provided the big-brained alien just now didn¡¯t lie to us."


    Xiao Niao concurred. Witnessing this, Yao Yuan continued, "Therefore, the problem of meeting with the space merchant executives that has been troubling us is now handily solved. We can start the negotiations whenever we want. Then, we need to start gathering information on these executives, information like where is their bottom line, do they function as a collective or individual. These will aid us during the upcoming negotiations, and finding out the information will be both of your tasks."


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao looked at each other. They had to accept the mission. Therefore, the rest of their day would be spent feeling out the big-brained alien. The moment they got the information they needed would be when the negotiation started in earnest.


    "Ol¡¯ Wong, you lead the Defense Unit soldiers and half of the Black Star Troopers to bunker down the bridgehead. Stop the aggression and plant the H-bombs at strategic locations. After that, we wait. I will have the Hope send a few political experts over since their help might be needed for the negotiations." Yao Yuan thought about it and added, "Also, a few members from the Academy, they might be needed as well."


    Guang Zhen saluted and moved to oblige.


    After that, Yao Yuan turned back to Ren Tao and Xiao Niao. "So what do the two of you think about this Law of Conservation of Life?"


    Xiao Niao answered first. "This law sounds ambiguous as best. There is no precedent or proof to its existence, and there is no detailed explanation. Even though it is unlikely that the alien was lying to us, I¡¯m still suspicious regarding this law."


    Yao Yuan added, "You¡¯re right, this law does sound suspicious. It sounds like something a teenager made up after reading a few science magazines¡­"


    Ren Tao suddenly said, "I¡¯m not sure whether the both of you have noticed, but this mother ship sure looks old and damaged."


    The two were taken aback. They were both Thinkers, though the power wasn¡¯t that powerful in Yao Yuan. Xiao Niao took a careful look around and suddenly yelped in realization. Even though Yao Yuan had no clue what that meant, he realized this meant that Ren Tao probably had his own unique understanding to this Law of Conservation of Life.


    Unsurprisingly, he heard Ren Tao say, "From the information we took from the junkyard civilization, the space merchants are a trading conglomerate comprised of multiple races. The actual population number is unknown, but the safest estimates put it at above ten thousand ships. Or rather, a group with such a number could only qualify to call itself a space merchant conglomerate. They are a civilization with access to a large amount of 4th revolution technology and some from the 5th revolution.


    "However, the weird point of this civilization is that while they have access to these technologies, they aren¡¯t creative with them. In other words, they can only trade these technologies with other civilizations and not use them for themselves to improve their technological level. For them, something like a science tree doesn¡¯t exist. Even though they possess 5th revolution technology, they aren¡¯t be able to utilize it to branch out to study other related technologies.


    "A civilization that operates in this manner shouldn¡¯t exist, because technology doesn¡¯t exist in block form. It can¡¯t be isolated out. Like we¡¯ve mentioned, it is impossible for a civilization with high-tech weapons but stone-age armor to appear, because science is continuous, complete, and universal."


    At this point, realization slowly dawned for Yao Yuan. He said, "I think I know what you¡¯re getting at. You¡¯re right, there was a curious feeling when I first stepped into this mother ship. Everything just felt wrong. It is too broken, like it''s an antique. Of course, they might be going for a retro feel, but what about those rough repairs? They felt like they were done by inexperienced mechanics; they ruined a perfectly fine product. If we use this perspective to understand the Law of Conservation of Life¡­


    "First, we must remind ourselves that this law hasn¡¯t been proved to be true, it is something concluded by the aliens after years of observation. Every race starts to decline after leaving its mother planet. As time passes, more and more of the newborns of that civilization will be born retarded; some might not even possess the soul of the race. They are nothing more than just ¡®meat¡¯¡­"


    These were the details given by the big-brained alien during the second part of the interrogation. Yao Yuan was going through them verbally again.


    "If the civilization is unable to achieve level 9 space civilization before the entire civilization becomes so-called ¡®meat¡¯ and isn¡¯t given the opportunity to recharge their ¡®soul¡¯, then said civilization will perish in space.


    "The supposed Law of Conservation of Life is heavily related to the Shelters, because the retarded and the ¡®meat¡¯ can be recycled at the Shelters and the ¡®soul¡¯ energy produced after they are sacrificed can be used to birth normal newborns. The level of ¡®soul¡¯ for a civilization will thus always be a constant for any civilization, and this is the Law of Conservation of Life."


    Yao Yuan frowned. "The key question then falls on this ¡®soul¡¯, what exactly is it? Also, let¡¯s not disregard the possibility of the meaning being lost in translation. It might be translated as ¡®soul¡¯ in our language, but it can very well mean something similar, like spirit or essence. Furthermore, why would the danger of extinction disappear after a space civilization reaches level 9? However, Xiao Niao, this is very similar to what ZERO told you."


    Xiao Niao nodded while massaging his temples. "Everyone, let¡¯s conclude everything we¡¯ve discussed so far. First, the Law of Conservation of Life speaks of civilizations'' decline and how to prevent that. It also explains why the entire cosmos isn¡¯t filled with space civilizations by now and why there are so few high level civilizations. Personally, I think everything is tied to that concept of ¡®soul¡¯, but what does it represent? Soul or spirituality? Or is it something that our human language doesn¡¯t even comprehend?"


    Ren Tao suddenly added, "Actually, what Xiao Niao said indirectly proves the validity of this conservation of life law¡­ I remember reading a piece in a science magazine. It was written by a famous scientist whose name escapes my memory now, but it basically argued for the lack of life in space. According to calculations, the cosmos has been around for around ten billion years. If there is a space-faring civilization, then it would populate the cosmos like a cancer cell because life growth is an exponential increase¡­


    "As long as the civilization¡¯s technology is good enough to allow survival in space, like terraforming planets to make them habitable or a large enough spaceship to sustain the whole civilization, then its population would triple within a hundred years, and the cosmos has been around for more than that. If this civilization survives in space for at least one hundred million years, then it would cover the entire cosmos, so the conclusion given by the scientist was that the cosmos only plays host to us humans, and not other intelligent life forms.


    "Of course, we now know that this is false, and to be fair, many contested this conclusion when it was published back then. They each gave their own theories, and one of the more famous ones was the theory of the Black Jungle. The cosmos is like a dangerous forest, and every civilization is in hiding. Once they are exposed, they will be destroyed. In other words, the different civilizations keep the balance in space.


    "However, one important premise of the Black Forest theory is that light-speed is an unbreakable limit. This premise is already false, so we can safely assume the Black Forest theory is not valid either. So, my question is easy. The cosmos is so big, so why have we only stumbled across the space merchants so far and not other living, sentient space civilizations? Theoretically speaking, if a race can survive in space, then it will have free reign to populate the cosmos, so why is the cosmos so empty? Why?


    "We were indeed proffered an answer, the Law of Conservation of Life. After a civilization leaves its home planet, it will continue to decline. If viewed from this perspective, then maybe the law is true.


    "We didn¡¯t stumble across more aliens when we were back on Earth or even in space because 99.999999999 percent of those space civilizations¡­ have declined and perished!"

 Chapter 258: Start of the Negotiations

    Chapter 258: Start of the Negotiations


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The theories mentioned by Ren Tao were familiar to Yao Yuan and Xiao Niao. It was a famous incident back on Earth. Specifically, two scientists were arguing about aliens, and one of them suddenly asked: if there are aliens, where are they?


    The sentence spoke volumes. First, if we accept the premise that there are aliens or other sentient life forms in the cosmos, according to the lifespan of the universe, there has to have been aliens before the birth of humanity or even Earth itself. This is undeniable because the universe has been around for a long time. It is too conceited to assume that humanity is the first life form to appear.


    If we pursue this line of thought, why don¡¯t those aliens that have already been there for so many years before the arrival of humanity not show themselves on Earth? Logically speaking, they should have been scientifically advanced enough to make contact with the people on Earth or even make Earth their colony, so why didn¡¯t they?


    For example, a space civilization that has mastered space travelling technology one million years before humanity. What can it do in that span of one million years? Perhaps the civilization, like mankind, had a penchant for fighting civil wars, and since the civilization would have better weapons, they blew themselves up in space.


    However, the cosmos is enormous. What are chances that every space civilization went through the same thing?


    One million years is more than enough for any space civilization to propagate for multiple generations. Logical assumptions say that the population for every civilization will double every one thousand years, and how many one thousand years are inside a million years? The population for that civilization would be large enough to fill every planet they have come across.


    So why hadn¡¯t humanity discovered any space civilizations? Even using space surveillance technology, the one thing we could see was a sea of silence and utter loneliness, as if the entire cosmos was home to humanity only.


    Based of this observable reality, multiple theories emerged. Some argued there were only human beings in the whole cosmos, and others supplied theories like the Black Forest theory.


    However, after that theory was overturned due to the ability to breach light-speed, the Academy had tossed out many other speculations. Furthermore, the discovery of the junkyard civilization proved that humanity was not alone in space, so why? Why there were so few living civilizations in the wide cosmos?


    Finally, humanity was proffered a logical answer: the Law of Conservation of Life.


    As an example, a civilization has entered space after its 4th revolution. The scientific progress keeps going on even though they are in space, but they realize that the progress is gradually but surely slowing down until it eventually stagnates. Several decades later, the future generation of this civilization suddenly realized that they cann¡¯t understand the scientific theorems left behind by their ancestors and then list them as ancient super high tech technology. Like the space merchants, they could use them but not understand them.


    As time passes, the civilization suddenly realizes that the number of retards in its future generations is gradually increasing until the stage where the ratio can¡¯t be ignored anymore.


    The obvious question would be "why." No one would know, and even after they scanned through the scriptures left behind by their ancestors, there would not be an answer. Was it genetic? Impossible. With a large enough gene pool and no incestuous marriages, how could there be a massive scale of retardation affecting their newborns?


    Just like that, the civilization gives birth to more intelligence-challenged babies, and when it comes time to pass on the torch to these new generations, they realize that there is no intelligence in their future generation, perhaps not even basic knowledge; they are nothing more than ¡®meat¡¯!


    Finally, before they can reach the sixth revolution, the whole civilization perishes in space. Other than the large spaceship''s ruins, no one can find a trace of this civilization anymore¡­


    Yao Yuan, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao shivered when they envisioned these images in their minds. It was as if they were seeing humanity¡¯s future, and it was scary enough to steal their breaths away.


    Yao Yuan said immediately, "All the information, details, and elaboration about this Law of Conservation of Life, we must get it from the merchants no matter what¡­ It¡¯s lucky that we are the winner of this war that we can demand spoils of war. If we realized that there were retards among our newborns only later on, then it would''ve really been a tragedy."


    Ren Tao thought about it and said, "There are two key questions: one, what is ¡®soul,¡¯ and two, what is the relationship between cosmic adapters and this Law of Conservation of Life."


    Xiao Niao interrupted, "Why are we still hung up on these while we should be preparing for the upcoming negotiations? If we can get another victory during the negotiations, all of this information will naturally be ours. Everything will be clear then. Furthermore, we will end up with a large amount of 4th revolution technologies that we do not have yet, and not to mention those 5th revolution technologies. This might be the kick humanity needs to become a level 3 space civilziation."


    The other two nodded in agreement. They stopped discussing the law and started focusing on their own task.


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao returned to question the big-brained alien and its clansmen. They posed them different questions, trying to gauge from their answers and responses to see whether they had been lying to them and also to get more bargaining chips for the upcoming negotiations.


    Yao Yuan took over Guang Zhen¡¯s commanding duties¡­ because Guang Zhen was simply too tired. He had not rested ever since the army marched into the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. He was finally given release when Yao Yuan took over.


    Under Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, twenty negotiators were selected from the Hope. Other than the business experts, some political experts were needed as well. The selection process surprised even Yao Yuan. The originally peaceful Hope came up in a ruckus because almost all of the representatives had volunteered to represent humanity during the negotiations. Even Speaker Matt volunteered himself, expressing his wish to be part of the negotiation team.


    This was going to be mankind¡¯s first negotiation with an alien civilization, and this was a peace talk with mankind as the victorious party. If the negotiations were successful, all those involved would be written into the history books!


    Which politicians or lobbyists didn¡¯t want a chance at that? This would be great political asset! In the future, when the number of mankind¡¯s population has increased and the governmental system has expanded, those that participated in this momentous negotiation will have an unimaginable political weight!


    Therefore, the vehemence shown by these politicians overwhelmed even Yao Yuan. Initially, he thought no one would be willing to go to the enemy¡¯s mother ship due to fear of death. He intended to force them into it through orders, but obviously he had underestimated their political sensitivity¡­


    In truth, the politicians¡¯ desire for name and fame was much greater than the business experts¡¯. Most of the time, the business people still valued their lives more than fame, but any politician worth his weight would tell you that the most important thing in his or her life was their name. They would pick death if death would bring them a good name after the fact.


    Moreover, they noticed that the human army had already set up a bridgehead in the mother ship. Even though the politicians were not particularly clear about what was going on between the two sides, mankind had managed to fight until they had secured a position inside the enemy¡¯s spaceship, so how dangerous could it really get¡­


    12 hours later, a group of about 140 people in size departed from the Hope. Bo Li¡¯s alien robot helped transport this shuttle of people from the Hope to the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. Matt, who led the group, told Yao Yuan when he stepped out of the shuttle, "Captain, do not worry. With our names and reputations on the line, I assure you we will fight until they lose even the pants they¡¯re wearing!"


    "¡­I believe in you."


    He wasn¡¯t lying. Yao Yuan had full faith in the group of politicians. After all, earlier, with only 3rd revolution technology, they had managed to swindle alien merchants so much. Now, with a gun to the space merchants¡¯ heads, if this group of politicians were still unable to have a landslide victory, then he would truly suspect the usefulness of this group of politicians who once gave him enormous headache.


    In conclusion, after 48 hours, mankind infiltrated the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. The peace talks between mankind and space merchants began at a location already occupied by the Black Star Troopers¡­

 Chapter 259: A Landslide Victory

    Chapter 259: A Landslide Victory


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    There wasn¡¯t much to be said about the negotiation process other than the fact that it had lasted for about 2 days. The negotiations were led by all manner of politicians, business experts, and some scientists. Their conclusion was that the negotiations were too simple, so much so that they suspected the space merchants were playing another trick on them.


    From the start of the negotiation, Speaker Matt argued that the war only started because the space merchants ambushed mankind under the pretext of trade and every bit of damage mankind inflicted was in self-defense. Therefore, the fault of the war fell squarely on the space merchants.


    Of course, these were just opening statements; no serious negotiators would take them as facts and conclusions. In affairs of war, winners take all. However, the 10 big-brained aliens that led the negotiations and the other aliens behind them accepted it as the truth. First, they tried to reason by going into how they were first swindled by humanity and then brought up the heartless massacre done by the human military, but those were quickly rebutted by the human negotiators. In the end, the space merchants accepted full culpability for the war.


    Things were a lot easier after that. Since the other party had accepted full responsibility for the damage, asking for compensation was no different from direct burglary. Especially after the human negotiators brought up the numbers of human deaths, be it normal civilians, Defense Unit soldiers, and most importantly, 30 Homo Evolutis. The space merchants gave them wounded expressions. They promised to compensate with anything that humanity wanted as long as they were given a chance to live. This was an answer even some of the human negotiators felt sorry for pushing them into.


    Therefore, 2 days later, in the report Yao Yuan received, after the peace talks, humanity gained unimaginable victory.


    First, the big-brained aliens, as the administrators of the space merchant civilization, hoped to be pardoned and be allowed to lead the rest of their civilization back to their Shelter in an evacuation spaceship. Everything else, such as all the 4th revolution and 5th revolution technologies, cosmos information, star navigation charts, information on the Law of Conservation of Life, and even the mother ship itself would be handed over the mankind.


    In other words, this negotiation, which Yao Yuan thought would drag on and on for at least months, was concluded so easily. Humanity got a landslide victory. This was a result greater than what Yao Yuan could have imagined. The space merchants were practically talked into giving up everything they had, and they agreed to it!


    This was so uncanny that even Yao Yuan suspected that the space merchants were playing a game. Therefore, his first order was to have all the soldiers be on alert. Simultaneously, he had soldiers stand by the H-bombs. If there was something suspicious, he was going to blow up the mother ship without a second thought.


    However, nothing weird happened. A few hours after the peace talks, a big-brained alien approached Yao Yuan to tell him that a group of their clansmen was going to the Hope to unlock the quantum code. The space merchants were giving up their last leverage.


    However, as a precaution, Yao Yuan still arranged for many things. First, there was a staff adjustment within the Hope. The Defense Unit soldiers were led by the experts to station themselves at the strategic locations on the Hope. If they discovered that the Hope¡¯s self-destruction sequence was activated, then they would manually cut off the Hope¡¯s main power source, causing another blackout. Furthermore, Yao Yuan only allowed one big-brained alien to go on the Hope to solve the quantum lock.


    Even with all these precautions set in place, everyone was still worried. After all, the Hope was the root for all humanity; if the Hope was destroyed, then it would be over for the human civilization, so one couldn¡¯t be too cautious.


    Several hours later, full control of the Hope was regained and the quantum virus was fully analyzed. There was no ruse. The big-brained alien returned to its mother ship obediently. It was like they promised, they had surrendered completely.


    Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t understand or even imagine just how a race like this had become the administrators of multiple races. Or even called themselves space merchants.


    Then again, during mankind¡¯s first contact with these space merchants, the business experts already informed Yao Yuan that the business skills of the space merchants were like those of children, completely no match for the human experts. So it was no wonder they were swindled by the small spaceship full of human politicians so many years ago.


    "Theirs is a civilization moving towards racial senescence. While it might be true that they were an incredibly bright civilization when they initially left their home planet, after 20,000 years in space, the intelligence level of the civilization dropped to a frightening low. They have even lost their ability to adapt and create technology. I¡¯m afraid that in several thousand years, the big-brained alien race will probably disappear from space." Xiao Niao sighed beside Yao Yuan.


    This was one week after the Hope¡¯s control was regained. The aftermath of the war was still going on. The space merchants suggested the Hope disperse the creator¡¯s particles so they could directly transfer the information mankind needed to the Hope, but that idea was firmly rejected by Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan wouldn¡¯t let his guard down even at a concluding period like this. He was afraid the trap was set at these last few moments. Therefore, Yao Yuan not only rejected the idea of deactivating the creator¡¯s particles, but also activated the Hope¡¯s ECS system. To facilitate the information transfer from the mother ship to the Hope, 100 Defense Unit soldiers and ten Black Star Troopers were ordered to create a creator¡¯s-particle-free corridor from the room where the big-brained alien executives resided to the bridgehead. Cables would be set up in the corridor to help transfer information.


    The project lasted for about a week. Today was going to be the day the big-brained alien sent over information on the 4th revolution and 5th revolution technologies and information about the cosmos. Scientists from multiple fields were on standby to look over the information sent just in case the space merchants played tricks or gave false information.


    Inside a rest capsule, Yao Yuan, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao were sifting through the most important information, the document on the Law of Conservation of Life, and the accompanying information. The creator of the law and the time of creation was unknown, other than the fact that its history was longer than the space merchants and even the Shelter where they hailed from. According to the law, all forms of life were a combination of two elements, soul and material. The so-called soul was also spirit.


    Every living thing has a soul because those without one cannot be called living, and this included AI. No matter whether it was low level AI, mid level AI, or high level AI, no AI contained a soul, so they could only survive according to the rules set down by their creators. No matter what, their own technology would not be greater than the civilization that created them, because without a soul, they didn¡¯t have the ability to create and invent.


    Every race has its soul, but the moment it leaves its home plant, the soul will become a constant; it will not increase nor decrease unless it finds a new home planet to populate. The soul will not be affected by the death or birth rate. The soul of a dead person will be transferred to a newborn, and that creates an equalizer.


    However, this Law of Conservation of Life is limited by reality. Just like the law of conservation of energy, not 100 percent of the energy is transferred, so a large percentage actually dissipates into the surroundings during transference. So with souls, while most are absorbed by newborns, some souls dissipate into space, thus causing racial senescence.


    Some technologies in the 5th revolution can prevent soul energy from escaping into the cosmos, and this contributes to the creation of Shelters. Shelters are locales that were built with the cooperation of multiple civilizations. They are pretty much the soul energy recycling centers. Life forms from enemy civilizations or even inmates and retards from one¡¯s own are brought to the Shelter to be sacrificed to increase the amount of soul energy within a civilization. That is the purpose of Shelters.


    Cosmic Adapters are so valuable because all types of Cosmic Adapters¡¯ souls have undergone certain changes to adapt to a life in space without the need for the anchor of a home planet. They can absorb soul energy and pass them down safely to their own civilization¡¯s newborns¡­


    In other words, as long as a civilization has Cosmic Adapters, that civilization will never fall into decline!

 Chapter 260: Reward and Time to Leave

    Chapter 260: Reward and Time to Leave


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It looked like the space merchants really weren¡¯t planning anything sinister this time, or at least it seemed to be so from Yao Yuan''s, Ren Tao''s, and Xiao Niao¡¯s observations.


    The space merchants took fifteen days to transfer a large amount of tech information and details about the cosmos to humanity. After that, the big-brained aliens planned to escape using a small spaceship, abandoning their mother ship and other races. This plan was rejected by Yao Yuan because he was afraid the big-brained aliens were secretly planning a self-destructive sequence on the mother ship, which would blow up the humans on it. Who would the seek compensation from them then?


    In the fifteen days, all sorts of technological information was categorized by the Academy to detect their authenticity. This was easy for technology from the 4th revolution and below. The Academy truly shone at this task; they only needed 10 minutes to several hours to differentiate the authenticity of the information and categorize it accordingly. The whole Academy from the highest committee leaders to the smallest interns or even science students from Hope University were busy sifting through the information. Basically, all of the 4th revolution information and below it took only three days to compile.


    The keys were still the four types of 5th revolution technology.


    The first was the warp drive engine. Even though it was only an engine, it involved two 5th revolution technologies. One was the plasmatic energy concentration point that the team led by Ying came across. Since warp drive required a large amount of energy in a particular unit of time, especially when it entered warp drive, the normal electrical power was no longer enough to satisfy the exhaustion. Therefore, it had to rely on a higher-grade plasmatic energy as fuel. Thus, the first 5th revolution technology was about how to convert electricity to plasma and how to store and use plasmatic energy.


    The second was the technology of warp drive itself. This included how to build it nad things to look out for, but the thing that angered the scientists the most was that there was no related scientific explanation. Elaborations like the science behind the warp drive, the formulas, and theories were conspicuously missing!


    It was like they were given a computer schematic and all the necessary components but weren¡¯t taught how a computer operates, the purpose of individual hardware, and the programming of software! It was preposterous!


    After all, warp drive was more than simple FTL navigation. According to Silewei, this particular technological tree involved technology regarding power, space, and basic knowledge about the great cosmos. In other words, if humanity gained the whole technological tree of the space warp technology, it would be as great as pre-20th century human society gaining the theory of relativity or post-20th century human society gaining quantum theory; it would be a giant push to increase the scientific level on the Hope!


    The space merchants only gave humanity the manufacturing guide to the space warp and not its details? The Academy was as angry as humanly possible. Therefore, the negotiation team had no choice but to resume the talks with the big-brained aliens. After more threats, promises, and words, the answer was¡­


    The space merchants only knew the manufacturing method, and even that was traded with a large amount of money. The trade happened more than 6,000 years ago, and as for the actual technological tree, they really didn¡¯t have it¡­


    Naturally, the answer couldn¡¯t satisfy the Academy, but the big-brained aliens were out of ideas as well. They even volunteered to sacrifice half of their clansmen for compensation, but Yao Yuan had no use for the group of aliens that were mixed with retards. In the end, mankind accepted the technology begrudgingly. Thankfully, mankind wasn¡¯t like the space merchants; they could draw inference from the space warp technology itself. With enough time, the Academy believed they could fully dissect the space warp technology¡­


    This carried on for eight days, and the next 5th revolution technology was the technology the Barracks was looking for, energy simulation system!


    This was technology found after the peak of the 4th revolution and the beginning of the 5th. It used magnetic fields to focus energy to create multiple combination effects.


    The Requiem used by the space merchants was an example of this technology in action. In other words, as long as there was a big enough store of energy, all sorts of Gaussian weapons could be formed using the prepared magnetic program layout.


    Of course, this technology wasn¡¯t perfect either. Using the same example, while the Requiem had large damage output, it required at least 10 minutes to charge up, and that was through the large energy supply of the space merchants'' mother ship. If the Hope wanted to fire a shot from the Requiem, it would need at least several hours to charge.


    The last 5th revolution technology was the nanobot technology that repaired the mother ship earlier.


    In actuality, this technology should''ve been situated between 4th and 5th revolutions, so this technology was the most complete technology among all the five given by the space merchants. This technology also had multiple elements. First was the construction of nanobots, including the chips and materials; second was electromagnetic microwave sensing technology, which allowed nanobots to function as long as they were within the microwave range; third was the creation and control of first level AI.


    Of all the technologies given by the space merchants, this was the only one that could satisfy mankind. The Academy, especially the scientists studying AI, were overjoyed when they received this information that was absent from the junkyard civilization¡¯s database. If not for the fact that the big-brained aliens were enemies, they would have hugged and kissed them. The scientists were acting like crazies. According to their statements, after a clear and thorough analysis of this information, mankind would welcome a new technological era!


    Fifteen days had passed just to sift through all the technological information. After that would be data and info about the cosmos. The amount of information was about 10 times the scientific information. That was how big the data was. When Yao Yuan was assigning people to look over the information one by one, Ren Tao and Xiao Niao approached him with a warning.


    "After a deliberation between the both of us, we believe we should leave this area as soon as possible." Ren Tao and Xiao Niao located Yao Yuan, who was in the middle of a meeting with the negotiation group, and told him thusly before the crowd.


    The room went into a riot, protesting the two¡¯s proposal. They cited many reasons, like the space merchants still had plenty of valuable ores and they could even work on assimilating some of the alien races into human society, etc¡­


    In other words, no one was in the agreement with the two.


    Compared to the group of representatives who almost lost their minds, Yao Yuan asked them calmly after he silenced the room, "What''s your reason? Right now we¡¯re going through our spoils of war, so why should we leave now?"


    Xiao Niao replied, "Spoils of war? We already have more than enough, don¡¯t we? Almost all the technological and cosmos information has already been transferred over. What else are we missing? Do you think the Hope still needs those minerals when the Hope is already filled to the brim with rare minerals? Unless we add another few layers to the spaceship, where would we put the minerals? The broken alien mother ship? Do we really need that? Assimilation of the space merchant race that could backstab us at any moment? Why would we need that? What haven¡¯t we pillaged from the space merchants yet that is really valuable?"


    Yao Yuan frowned and said, "Indeed, we will never assimilate the space merchant races. Since we already know about the Law of Conservation of Life, adding those weakened races into our own will only slow us down. And you¡¯re right, they are, after all, not of human blood. Who knows what they¡¯ll do when faced with the threat of extinction. However, why should we abandon the mother ship? Admittedly, the internal parts are rather old, but it is still a giant ship. Plus, the deterioration is because the aliens didn¡¯t have the ability to create. If we take over the mother ship, we can easily give it a new life.


    "After all, the Hope is too small. It might be enough for our current population, but what about fifty years from now? One hundred years? Or even one thousand years? Since we have a ready spaceship, I really don¡¯t mind accepting it. At most we¡¯ll spend a few years to fit it with anti-gravitational systems and¡­"


    Yao Yuan stopped because he too had realized wherein the problem lied. First was the issue with the anti-gravitational systems. It had been mentioned earlier that the Hope was designed in an elongated shape because that was the limit of mankind¡¯s computational capability. To maintain a balance after fitting the anti-gravitational system, there was a limit to the size, length, and width of the spaceship¡­


    Even with the latest 4th revolution computers, it was impossible to calculate accurately the schematics needed to fit the giant mother ship with correctly-placed anti-gravitational systems. In other words, this would be a mother ship without anti-gravitational systems¡­


    Perhaps it could continue to use centrifugal force to maintain its balance. However, that would lead to problem number two. If they needed to warp alongside the mother ship, then they would have to reassign the energy circuits on the mother ship, every single one of them! Or else it wouldn¡¯t be able to support the high amount of energy needed during warp. Furthermore, the mother ship was humongous. The upgrade would take more than a few months¡­


    The limit was time, and mankind couldn¡¯t possibly stay there and idle for a few years.


    This was because the space merchants were a conglomerate and had access to a Shelter. Who knew how big the size of the total space merchant conglomerate was? For example, the last civilization the space merchants mentioned trading with was a civilization that was attacking a Shelter, so that meant it was at least in the 5th revolution, right?


    Maybe the space merchants would return to seek revenge using warp drive? If humanity stayed there longer, up to few years, maybe they would end up as space dust before they even realized danger was coming their way¡­ Therefore, as Ren Tao and Xiao Niao said, they had to abandon that part of the cosmos as soon as possible!

 Chapter 261: Funeral and Departure

    Chapter 261: Funeral and Departure


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The news of the Hope leaving was soon spread to the public after being announced at the House of Representatives.


    The discussion at the house lasted for more than an hour, and it involved many different facets, like the first contact with an alien civilization, the first war with an alien civilization, the loss and gain from that war, the many heroes that had lost their lives for humanity, the peace talks, and much more. Yao Yuan used self-criticism and plans for the future to end the discussion.


    "¡­Before I wrap everything up, I have to confess something before the entirety of the Hope. I, Yao Yuan, the captain of this ship, have made a horrible decision when it came to contact with this space civilization. Even though the war ended up with us victorious, it still doesn¡¯t take away from my bad decision."


    Yao Yuan continued openly on stage, "As a space civilization that has a lower technological level than the space merchants, and to be totally honest, most of the space civilizations, our main target shouldn¡¯t be swindling the people we come in contact with but rather try our best to keep humanity alive. I shouldn¡¯t have tried to bet our survival on some benefits. In retrospect, I realize how stupid it was, because we cannot afford to commit to such a bet! We might have won this time, and we might win next time or even a few hundred times after that, but if we lose once, then it will be over for mankind. I¡¯m sorry, I was so blinded by the benefits that I almost caused the extinction of humanity. I will remember this lesson in my heart and have this mistake recorded in our history books so that my mistake will not repeat itself! Here, I would like to offer my sincerest apology."


    With that, Yao Yuan bowed deeply at the crowd gathered before the stage. A camera was rolling. The image would be sent across the Hope.


    Several seconds later, Yao Yuan straightened himself. He continued, "However, I will not resign, as suggested by a few representatives, and hand my power over to the majority. That is impossible because from the information that we¡¯ve gathered, the danger in the cosmos is far greater than we previously imagined. The rule is the survival of the fittest, and mankind is still too weak. We need to persevere together towards the same goal and not fight for individual power and instill disagreement among the people. With that in mind, the following five individuals will be fired from the House of Representatives and not allowed to take any more public positions as long as they may live: Philip, Aretota, Johnson¡­"


    The five representatives who were named first gave looks of disbelief before turning ashen grey. They looked around them, trying to elicit aid from their ¡®allies,¡¯ but what they received were gazes of condescension. Eventually, they hung their heads in shame and despair.


    Since the peace talks began, a strange rumor started to appear on the Hope, saying that the war had only started due to Yao Yuan¡¯s failure to lead and make correct decisions, causing huge danger to humanity as a whole. Eventually, the rumor reached a point where it hoped for Yao Yuan to voluntarily resign from his position as captain of the ship.


    This rumor appeared when Speaker Matt was away from the Hope to join in the negotiations. The voices of the rumor kept increasing, but Yao Yuan made no move, causing some of the representatives to believe he was an idiot when it came to politics, and thus they aligned themselves with the rumor spreaders. This added to the uproar around the Hope.


    In truth, about ten days ago, Speaker Matt had already known about these views that were circulating the public. Some of the politicians in the negotiations also critiqued Yao Yuan, and Matt only smiled. This was what he said: "Our mission here is not to create internal conflict but to get the best deals we can out of this negotiation¡­ And to your point, it is not that our captain doesn¡¯t know the political game, but rather he doesn¡¯t want to play it. This is how a clever man acts. You newbies are too inexperienced to tell the difference between a real politician and a lousy lobbyist."


    Through the negotiations, Yao Yuan received a landslide victory on behalf of humanity. A whole set of 4th revolution technology to complement the incomplete technological tree taken from the junkyard civilization, four technologies from the 5th revolution, unlimited information about the great cosmos, space navigational charts, star maps, information on note-worthy space civilizations, space languages, and much more.


    With these victories, Yao Yuan quenched the plotting against him once and for all and the five representatives who were found to have led the plotting were fired from their positions. In other words, their political lives were over.


    The punishment might seem "harsh," but this was the difference between a politician and a lobbyist. A lobbyist might sway the political opinion using someone¡¯s unfortunate misstep, but a politician will prove his mettle using his actions and not words. Matt was present when Yao Yuan made this decision. He knew Yao Yuan had garnered another victory. A hero who fought for the safety of mankind on the battlefield shouldn¡¯t be dragged down by a few lobbyists who only looked out for themselves. Therefore, if Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t handle this on his own, Matt was going to step in, but that didn¡¯t seem to be necessary, because Yao Yuan handled the crisis better than he could possibly imagine.


    After the discussion, the Hope was set to conduct another space warp about 10 days later. The ten days would be used to further delineate the authenticity of the information and dealing with the aftermath of the war, like the funerals of those who had passed away. On this issue, Yao Yuan suggested a large-scale worship ritual that would be held on the space merchants¡¯ mother ship.


    Other than the usual celestial burial, another ritual with heavy Chinese cultural influence was going to be held as well. It was to appease the spirit of the many people whose lives were lost in the war. Some said this was only a show, others claimed it was to raise military morale. Either way, it was undeniable that Yao Yuan had poured a lot of effort into preparing this ritual.


    The fatality rate for this war was too high. After calculations, the Black Star Troopers were left with 118 people, meaning 30 plus troopers had died! About one-fourth of the Defense Unit, or 600 plus soldiers, had perished! There was less of a fatality rate in the civilians, but they too had suffered a loss of about 200 people.


    Other than that, Ying from the Black Star Unit had died. This was the person other than Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen that could lead the army. Ying¡¯s prowess and carefulness at many times could be said to be greater than Guang Zhen and only slightly below Yao Yuan. He was also the most powerful Seeker on the Hope¡­


    However, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t receive his soul. Perhaps it was due to the long distance or too much time having passed, because Yao Yuan only felt fourteen new fireballs representing the Survivors around his sun-like soul. He didn¡¯t feel Ying¡¯s presence.


    No matter what, the ritual had to happen.


    Five days from the departure of the Hope, the ritual began. It was attended by 1,500 Defense Unit soldiers, all the Black Star Troopers, 500 civilian representatives, 100 plus from house of representatives, and 200 from the three bodies. The group entered the mother ship and used cenotaphs to welcome the lost souls of the human heroes back to their home. The event was solemn. The honor guards led the way, the Black Star Troopers carried the cenotaphs, and the Defense Unit shot their guns in honor of the lost men and women.


    At the end of the ritual, Xi Kong, who followed along, suddenly sang an old song. The lyrics and melody had a retro feel to it. Many people had a hard time understanding what she was singing; they could only vaguely make out a few words¡­


    "Soul return home, soul return home¡­"


    But the lives of the heroes had been lost, so from whence would they return?


    This song by the Hope¡¯s strongest Anima seemed to pierce the barrier of time and space and reverberated into everyone¡¯s souls. Not only those present had started to weep, the people on the Hope too started crying. Almost everyone on the Hope was standing by the window, watching the ritual from afar, waiting for their friends and families to return¡­


    Even Yao Yuan felt himself tearing up. Ying, how can you leave your teammates just like this?


    Death can come at any moment in a job like ours, but¡­


    Brother, if there is a next lifetime, we shall fight alongside each other again!


    Right then, Yao Yuan felt a change within him. He immediately used his Anima power to enter the dark recesses of his own soul. What he saw surprised him. Unknown to himself, his soul was surrounded by an additional ten extremely weak fireballs of souls. The fireballs were like candles in the wind. They could be blown out at any minute, but thankfully, the flame of his soul seemed to bring warmth to them, aiding them in their recovery. However, one of the brightest among the ten gave a sense of familiarity to Yao Yuan, a feeling of pride and aloofness combined with fragility and indescribable affection¡­


    At the same time, in the deepest reaches of the mother ship, a giant big-brained alien whose brain was at least double the size of the normal big-brained alien looked at its subordinates and said, "Level two soul web user and a legendary immortal. This is a leadership quality even civilizations that have broken through level 9 would want¡­ Record everything¡­


    "And then sell all the information, sell all the information we have on this race called human beings. Trade with level 3, 4, or even the rare 5 civilizations, then our race can finally become a level 3 civilization¡­"


    All of this was happening behind Yao Yuan¡¯s back¡­


    Five days after the ritual, the Hope warped again, disappearing completely from the empty space¡­

 Chapter 262: The Demarcation of Space Civilizations

    Chapter 262: The Demarcation of Space Civilizations


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "I order¡­"


    With Yao Yuan¡¯s new order of space warp, the thoughts of everyone on the Hope were pulled taut.


    Even though the space merchants had completely surrendered to the Hope, during the space warp was when the Hope was at its most fragile, so it couldn¡¯t afford even the smallest damage.


    Because of that, the Hope even purposely drifted away from the space merchants¡¯ mother ship for one whole day. Then it activated its creator¡¯s particles, activated the ECS System, and committed to every defense system that it could. Some of the more vicious people on the Hope even suggested blowing up the space merchants¡¯ mother ship. After all, humanity had gotten all they needed from them, why leave such a threat behind?


    It might be so, but how exactly would they go anout that and who would do it? Ever since mankind entered the twenty first century, there were limited cases of genocide, even during warfare. The fatalities suffered during war were different from purposely wiping out the whole race after the war. After all, mankind was a new space civilization, and their thoughts were still stuck in Earth¡¯s time.


    If Ying was still around, making the space merchants extinct would be a non-issue, but the current the Hope really couldn¡¯t wipe out an entire civilization without batting an eye. It was simply too cruel.


    Furthermore, Ren Tao and Xiao Niao had made another argument. The space merchants were part of a bigger conglomerate. Pillaging spoils of war was acceptable, but wiping out an entire ship after winning a war would probably isolate the human race from other space civilizations, and that didn¡¯t seem to be worth it.


    Due to multiple reasons, the extinction route was rejected by many. Therefore, the Hope prepared to avoid possible attacks before finally warping from the area¡­


    The warp completed without a hitch. When the people inside the Hope came to, they were already far away from where they once were, and the space merchants¡¯ mother ship was no longer observable.


    Everything was fine and peaceful. There was no attack, ambush, or accident. This space warp was better than the one preceding it. When they found themselves in a new space, the Hope¡¯s citizens couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief. Some even started cheering. After all, no one wished for a war, especially when mankind¡¯s technological level was lower than its opponent''s. Unlike wars on Earth, where the civilians could hide behind other neutral countries, there was no place to hide in the Hope. With a giant explosion of the Hope, the whole human civilization would be over, so no one wanted to experience the war anymore.


    Yao Yuan sat in the commanding seat, waiting patiently for the surveillance report. Very soon, the report reached him through the Hope¡¯s internal wireless connection. The area of ten light-years around the Hope had been properly scanned. There was no suspicious presence, external signals, celestial bodies, or planets. It was a completely barren space, the safest place for the Hope to stop and recuperate.


    When he finished the report, Yao Yuan sighed in relief. He then told Guang Zhen, who was standing beside him, "Then I shall pass the commanding reins to you. I¡¯m going to take a rest."


    The day before the warp, Yao Yuan had spent his every waking hour preparing for it. All the accrued fatigue returned at that moment. Since there was no danger in sight, he could finally pass the leadership to Guang Zhen and enjoy a well-deserved rest.


    Guang Zhen nodded. "You deserve it, rest well¡­ Captain¡¯s order, the ship will be temporarily taken over by me!"


    "Understood, the Hope¡¯s commanding rights are now being passed to Vice-Captain Wong Guang Zhen¡­"


    "The Hope¡¯s commanding rights are now being passed to Vice-Captain Wong Guang Zhen¡­"


    The news was broadcasted throughout the Hope. When Yao Yuan left central command, the whole ship knew that the commanding rights had changed hands. Yao Yuan returned to his room with the accompaniment of a few Black Star Troopers. After he closed the door, he washed his face and went for a warm bath. Days of tiredness came at him at once, and at the moment he hit his bed, he fell asleep.


    The sleep went on for almost half a day. Eventually, he woke up from hunger pangs. The military discipline he had cultivated over the years was overwhelmed by absolute fatigue. He was tired both mentally and physically.


    He didn¡¯t have any rest during the war with the space merchants. He only stole a short nap after it was confirmed the war was over. After all, his time was taken up by the peace talks and analyzing the ton of new information. After that, it was the worship ritual. Then it was the defense system to ward against the space merchants. If he could sleep for three hours a day, it was already a good day.


    Not to mention the giant pressure he was under. The whole human civilization depended on his decisions. A small decision to him might cause irreparable damage to the whole civilization, or it might cause extinction. The pressure pressed down hard on him.


    Finally, when the Hope escaped from that situation and had been confirmed to have landed in a completely empty part of the cosmos, the collected fatigue released itself all at once. It overwhelmed his personal discipline, catching up on his sleep debt.


    Even though Yao Yuan had woken up, he didn¡¯t sit up immediately. He looked at the time and confirmed he had been asleep for 15 hours. It was not that he was going back to sleep, but he needed the peace and quiet to sift through his thoughts.


    First was, of course, regarding the Hope, or rather the future of humanity that was on the Hope. The cosmos was not as quiet as mankind thought. There were more intelligent life forms than they previously assumed.


    Based on a cursory read of the space information, Yao Yuan realized that the Shelter which the space merchants hailed from comprised of 8,000 plus alien life forms. Among them were "newborn civilizations" that had left their home planets for only about several thousand years and also antique civilizations that had been in space for over 40,000 years.


    If categorized via technological level, 99.5 percent of the civilizations at the Shelter were level 2 space civilizations. They had 4th revolution technologies and, like the space merchants, parts of the 5th revolution technology as well. The remaining 0.5 percent were level 3 space civilizations. They had officially entered the 5th revolution and thus had access to technologies like space warp and plasma weapons.


    Of the 0.5 percent civilizations, there were three civilizations from the space merchants¡¯ Shelter that were close to reaching level 4. These three civilizations were the peaks of lower grade space civilizations.


    It was also from the space merchants¡¯ information that Yao Yuan knew more clearly about the demarcation of space civilizations. First, space civilizations were divided into nine levels. Legends spoke of levels beyond the nine levels, like level ten, eleven, twelve, or even thirteen, but these civilizations were godlike existences already. They would not appear before common civilizations, and they were no longer affected by the Law of the Conservation of Life. They no longer needed to pillage other civilizations¡¯"souls" to foster their own. In other words, they had no reason to meddle in other space civilizations. They were known as the godlike civilizations.


    While from Level 1 to Level 9, Level 1 to 3 were known as lower grade space civilizations, Level 4 to 6 are middle grade space civilizations, while Level 7 to 9 were known as high grade space civilizations.


    Even though there was a great difference between two consecutive levels, like Level 2 civilizations could squash a Level 1 civilizations with the usage of creator¡¯s particles alone, and Level 3 civilization could do the same to Level 2 civilizations via the advantage of plasma weapons, strictly speaking, the difference was still within one¡¯s imagination. For example, the Level 2 civilizations, like humanity, might not really understand the inner workings of the Requiem used by the space merchants, but mankind roughly understood the concept of it.


    The actual difference lied between the different grades. A Level 3 civilization could face off with a Level 4 civilization and the difference between the two would be unimaginable.


    For example, Level 1 space civilizations relied on rocket propellers, Level 2 used the same but slightly improved, and Level 3 improved on it further to achieve warp drive speed, but the essential theories were the same; it was all about pushing force and propulsion.


    However, Level 4 space civilizations could use wormhole technology. The difference between the two was unimaginable! Because of this, among the 8,000 plus civilizations crowding the Shelter, there was not one Level 4 space civilization!


    Yao Yuan thought back to the information that he once roughly scanned. He didn¡¯t dwell on it. Level 4 space civilizations were too far a target for humanity, much less the godlike civilizations. The only thing awaiting the Hope was becoming a Level 3 space civilization!


    Just as Yao Yuan was figuring out ways to expedite that process, suddenly his emergency communicator rang. He picked it up immediately. "This is Yao Yuan, what¡¯s happening!"


    "Captain, people are coming down with fevers, no, not fevers, our people are awakening into Homo Evolutis!"


    Yao Yuan was taken by surprise. He then asked with obvious joy, "Is that so? Finally, the new awakening has arrived. What about the number? Is there a hundred of them?"


    "¡­Captain, it is more than a hundred, it is 570 people!


    "A total of 570 plus Homo Evolutis are awakening. This is even bigger than the scale of mankind¡¯s first Homo Evolutis awakening!"

 Chapter 263: Cosmic Adapters

    Chapter 263: Cosmic Adapters


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    573 people! The number of Homo Evolutis awakening this time was 573 people!


    This meant that the third awakening was even larger than the first two times combined!


    After hearing this news, Yao Yuan immediately jumped out of bed. After a simple bathroom routine, he dashed towards the electromobile. The Black Star Troopers who had already changed shifts for the second time were confused by Yao Yuan¡¯s actions. However, they followed him obediently. They didn¡¯t dare to walk in front of him, so their Black Star space armors followed behind him ¡®slowly¡¯.


    In about 7 minutes, Yao Yuan arrived at the quarantine area where about 10 doctors were waiting. When he arrived, they quickly briefed him on the latest development.


    "The first case of sudden fever happened the second hour after the space warp. Due to the experience from the earlier two awakenings, we moved all the patients into heavy quarantine rooms for close surveillance even though they only showcased minor symptoms. The patients were treated with genetic mesomeric devices and nutrient concoctions. Until now, we¡¯ve received several hundred more cases of fevers. Now we can finally confirm we¡¯re ushering in the third Homo Evolutis awakening," the leading doctor informed Yao Yuan in a hurry.


    Yao Yuan nodded in agreement as he stepped into the quarantine room. The original purpose of this room was to prevent alien virus outbreaks. However, with the advent of the Ultimate Vaccine, the possibility of that happening had greatly lowered. Therefore, the purpose of the room changed to prepare for the arrival of Homo Evolutis awakening.


    Currently, the quarantine area had to accommodate three to four people a room compared to the earlier one people per room. This was due to the high amount of Homo Evolutis awakening this time around. Furthermore, it employed a 24 hour automatic surveillance system, thus solving the issue of lacking of doctors. So far, of the 573 fever cases, there were no deaths.


    "An exceptional job, but don¡¯t let your guard now. Keep your eyes peeled for any incidents. If possible¡­" Yao Yuan paused for a moment. "I hope the fatality rate for this awakening is zero."


    Of course, even though everyone knew the fatality rate for awakening had always been high, plus current medical technology couldn¡¯t make it a zero fatality rate, the doctors nodded in confirmation as they left the quarantine area with Yao Yuan.


    After a moment more at the quarantine area, Yao Yuan felt uneasy. He realized that he looked like he was surveying the place like he was some kind of great leader putting on a show. So he stopped walking around and asked for a name list of all the patients and retired to central command.


    In central command, Guang Zhen was at his very limit. However, he was still in the middle of handling some things, like the new awakening. Ever since the first report of the Hope¡¯s new fever patients reached his hands, Guang Zhen had made it a priority. He sent out a great number of Defense Unit soldiers to the lower residential levels to check each residence for the occurrence of fever patients. So far, all of the fever patients had been discovered, totaling 573 people. If he didn¡¯t insist on sending the soldiers into people¡¯s houses, one-third of them probably would have died at home without medical assistance.


    Yao Yuan was impressed by what Guang Zhen did. With the information they received from the space merchants, they understood the value of Homo Evolutis; they were deeply related to the advancement and longevity of a civilization. Therefore, every single one of them was important to the cause.


    When Yao Yuan arrived at central command, he resumed command of the ship. The tired Gaung Zhen naturally returned to rest. After finishing his daily job, Yao Yuan pulled out the information on Homo Evolutis, or Cosmic Adapters, they had received from the space merchants. The information was long and complicated. They included not only information on the space adapters, but also Law of the Conservation of Life because the two were closely linked.


    "Every being has a soul, but this soul only exists in planets that can breed life forms¡­


    "The cosmos is wide and eternally expanding, but life-carrying planets are extremely rare, less than even 1/10000 of a percent. Under unknown circumstances, a planet acquires the ability to sustain life. If the planet doesn¡¯t suffer a space-grade catastrophe, it will eventually evolve to be a cradle for a sentient race.


    "The race will populate the whole planet limitlessly, or at least until the planet can¡¯t support them anymore. However, when the race enters the cosmos, its population will be greatly influenced by the Law of Conservation of Life, which means that the soul of a population will always stay constant. With the passage of time, the race will welcome its inevitable downfall. Without the supplement of external souls, the race will eventually disappear from the cosmos¡­


    "The only exceptions are the Cosmic Adapter¡­


    "The so-called Cosmic Adapters are an extremely limited group of a certain population that randomly gain the ability to adapt to life in space after they leave the comfort of their home planet. Depending on the Level of the space civilization and time away from home planet, the probability of a life form evolving to a Space Adapter is between 0.0001 percent and 0.0000001 percent. A formal calculation dictates that the lower the space civilization¡¯s level, the greater the chance for the appearance of Cosmic Adapters, and the longer the time spent from one¡¯s home planet, the greater the chance for appearance of cosmic adapters. Of course, common knowledge dictates that the lower the level of the civilization, the shorter the amount of time it has spent away from its home planet. This is a contrary proposition because the two variables balance each other out. After a deep calculation, we know that the highest probability rate for appearance of Cosmic Adapters is one over ten million, and the smallest is one over one hundred million.


    "Cosmic Adapters are life forms that have completely adapted to life in space. They have a great sense of general space and can easily adapt into 3d, 4d, and even 5d spaces. They have great reflexes and the ability to sense another life form¡¯s mal-intention. They also have a certain degree of predictive power and affinity to the sciences. Other than this, Cosmic Adapters are the one exception and unilateral proof to the Law of Conservation of Life.


    "The reason why they are exceptions is because when a civilization has Cosmic Adapters, even if there is just one, then the civilization can absorb the soul energy from the cosmos itself, enabling the newborns of that civilization to be exempted from the Law of Conservation of Life.


    "The unilateral proof is because when a Cosmic Adapter dies within a society with a vibrant population and birth rate, then there is a good chance there will be a new Cosmic Adapter among the newborns. This has been proven to be true because so far, the only Cosmic Adapter at the Shelter has been reborn at least thirty generations before the lineage disappeared. In other words, the Cosmic Adapter also follow the Law of Conservation of Life, albeit in their own unique manner."


    When Yao Yuan finished reading, his knowledge about Homo Evolutis increased quite a bit. First, when humanity left Earth, the technological level wasn¡¯t high, only at 3rd revolution, not even at the level of 4th revolution that was normally required for a civilizations to venture into space. Secondly, humanity relied on space warp to leave. This was the best way for mankind to put distance between themselves and Earth.


    When the Hope left Earth, it only warped three times. The first warp probably still left the Hope close to Earth, so the amount of Homo Evolutis awakening wasn¡¯t so big. The number of awakenings was probably so drastic this time because mankind had warped for quite a times. Each space warp brought the Hope further and further away from Earth. According to the calculations in distance, the Hope was so far away from Earth that it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say the Hope might have already ended up the other end of the cosmos. Therefore, even though mankind¡¯s technology had increased, it was offset by the distance, thus creating this giant influx of Homo Evolutis.


    Yao Yuan continued reading.


    "Cosmic Adapters are divided into different levels as well. First, there are cosmic adapters below the S level. According to their ability to absorb soul energy and personal prowess, they are divided into Type A, B, and C. However, their cores aren¡¯t changed. These are the Survivors. The Cosmic Adapters that have undergone changes in their genetic make-up are the Level S Cosmic Adapters. They are the Time Watchers (Diviner), Wave Function Savants (Seeker), Infinite Fighters (Perceptor), Academics of Dark Science (Whisperer), Soul Webbers (Anima), Artist of Logic Concepts (Thinker), six Level S Cosmic Adapters.


    "Beyond that there are the legendary double S Cosmic Adapters, the Immortals, the Originators, and the Curators.


    "Other than the cosmic adapters below Level S, these nine Cosmic Adapters have the ability to evolve. There are five stages of evolution, but we have too little information on these¡­


    "We have discovered that when Cosmic Adapters below Level S are given the chance to visit a second life-giving home planet, then they have a good chance of evolving into Level S Cosmic Adapters or beyond. Of course, this too needs require further confirmation¡­"


    Yao Yuan was taken aback when he read this. He immediately pulled out the fever patient list and he found a few unique names among them. One of them was the only Survivor who had survived the ambush of the space merchants, the only Survivor that survived in Ying¡¯s group.


    "Ran Zhu Yi, Black Star Troopers, Survivor, currently under observation for high fever¡­"

 Chapter 264: Stop to Plan

    Chapter 264: Stop to Plan


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Yao Yuan finished reading up on all the information regarding the Homo Evolutis, or Cosmic Adapters, four hours had passed. He lifted his head and realized that many people in central command were yawning.


    Actually, the many important departments on the Hope had set up a good rotating system before they left Earth. Normally, there would be four or five shifts in a day, making sure the departments were manned every minute of the 24 hours.


    However, during emergencies, like wars or disasters, the worker number requirement would be unusually high since every important panel required one or two standing at the ready at every moment. This was especially true for the Hope¡¯s central command, the heart of the ship. The workers here weren¡¯t numerous enough to afford more than the normal day and night shifts. Therefore, most of the people there had been working continuously for more than ten hours.


    At that moment, the second surveillance report had arrived. It provided the details of the space within a hundred light-years of the Hope and rough information of things that were 1,000 light years away using light scanning technology.


    Broadly speaking, they were in between galaxies, so there was a lack of stars. In 1,000 light years, there were only four stars, the nearest one being more than several hundred light years away. In other words, the Hope was something smaller than a speck of space dust relative to the space around it. Therefore, it was very safe there.


    There was no danger within a distance of one thousand light years. Four of the stars were stable, young stars. The Hope picked up no suspicious gravitational waves or impulse sources. In other words, there was literally nothing around them, nothing to provide resources, and at the same time, nothing to cause danger.


    Currently, the Hope wasn¡¯t in need of incredible encounters, and that could last for several decades, since the Hope¡¯s focus then was to dissect the information taken from the space merchants and grow. With enough time to percolate, humanity would break through the 4th revolution and enter the 5th revolution and join the ranks of level 3 space civilizations.


    The cosmos was a harsh place to survive, it was a jungle. From the information given by the space merchants, Yao Yuan further confirmed that the weak had no place in space. Their only use was being slaves or soul energy material. Level 2 space civilizations were the lowest in this food chain, and for a semblance of safety in space, one needed to enter Level 3.


    Therefore, a quiet piece of space like this might prove to be incredibly beneficial¡­


    Yao Yuan sent out his orders through central command, announcing that the Hope was to return from alert to a normal state. The curfews and safety protocols would be resolved. Most of the working hours would revert back to normal. Other than key departments, all the rest would return to 8 hour shifts. Everyone could finally rest.


    This order made many tired faces sigh in relief. After that, the luxury items on the Hope started to sell out. Items like meats, seafood, fungus, and wine were running out. People were purchasing these items in droves for celebration.


    When Yao Yuan was reading back the information on the Law of Conservation of Life and Homo Evolutis, he was treated with this news of item shortage. Thankfully, the Hope had many supplies. When they left the new planet, there was an overflow in stock, so Yao Yuan immediately had the warehouse opened and a large amount of supplies returned to the market.


    For the rest of the day, Yao Yuan gave no new orders. After dealing with all the assignments that had piled up, he returned to rest. It was the day after, when everyone had rested, that Yao Yuan called for a meeting with Guang Zhen, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, leaders from the Academy, Speaker Matt, civilian representatives, and important government officials to discuss some things in the fifth floor central meeting room.


    Yao Yuan was the first to start. "I decided to have the Hope stop in this spot for quite a protracted time; it might be more than five years."


    The whole room, other than Ren Tao and Xiao Niao, who nodded knowingly, was shocked. Even Guang Zhen was taken by surprise. He was the first to retort, "The closest star system to us is 100 light years away. There is no reason for us to stay, so why are we staying?"


    This question was on everyone¡¯s minds. They couldn¡¯t understand why Yao Yuan would come to this decision when there was literally nothing around them, no benefit for the Hope to stay. The star system that was 100 light years away would require ten years of travelling to reach even if they used the newly-acquired warp drive technology. So why should the Hope stay in the middle of nowhere?


    Yao Yuan was not surprised by this reaction. He knew his decision would receive many detractors. He replied quickly, "Before I explain myself, I would like to pose the room a question. What was the ultimate goal for us when we escaped from Earth? Space warping constantly and even pushing ourselves into war feverishly?"


    Everyone paused to contemplate. Many different answers appeared. Some said it was to survive, others to advance the civilization. Eventually, the many answers were distilled down to one. The answer was simple, it was so that humanity could continue its lineage and for mankind to discover a new home planet, a planet that could provide them with the comfort of a wide sky and blue sea.


    "That¡¯s right, our ultimate goal is to discover a new home planet to populate and then have our future generations carry on the torch of humanity on that planet. How close are we to that goal?"


    Yao Yuan continued as he looked down from his podium, "We have actually achieved that goal with the discovery of the new planet. It had a blue sea, green grass, and a perfect wilderness, but what happened? We were forced to abandon it due to the appearance of a neutron star fragment, just like we did on Old Earth. We are again a space nomads, and so what awaits us next? If we¡¯re lucky, we might find another home planet after innumerable warps, but what if the fragment appears again? We run again?"


    At this point, the room was silent. Only Yao Yuan¡¯s voice drifted on, "Therefore, our experience tells us that the only way for us to achieve our ultimate goal is to be stronger. We have to have the 5th, 6th, 7th, or even 8th industrial revolutions¡¯ technologies should another neutron star fragment incident arise to threaten us! Or else, this game of loss and gain will be continued indefinitely! Is that what all of you want?


    "Putting all of this aside, discovering another new home planet is even more difficult than winning 10 lotteries at this point. We will have to leave that to fate; it is out of our control, but if that is the case, we should make use of this opportunity to focus on things that we can control¡­


    "The space merchants were really something else, weren¡¯t they? A race with more than 50 percent retards, a lack of disciplined military, a civilization that has languished for generations in peace, a civilization like that managed to push humanity to the brink of extinction. Even now, when I think about how close we were to being wiped out, my heart chills¡­


    "They had technology slightly better than ours. In fact, they themselves hadn¡¯t entered the Level 3 space civilization stage, and yet they could have us cornered so perfectly. Now do you all understand the power of science? It is the true power in space! To be honest, I believe there is something larger than life looking out for us, because we managed to survive after so many space warps. This time we got off lucky, but what about the time after this one? Or the one after that? Who knows where we will land next. What if it¡¯s near a black hole? I admit the possibility of that is low, so let¡¯s consider a scenario that¡¯s more plausible. What if we land near or right in the middle of a Shelter?


    "Do you think that with our current power we can protect our people should the worse happen? I don¡¯t think so, and if that¡¯s the case, that would be when we humans face extinction!


    "So now, do you understand why we have to stay here?"


    Yao Yuan took a pause to press something on the podium. Soon after, a giant chart appeared on the screen behind him.


    "This here is our current technological tree. I will not get into the technologies from the first, second, and third revolutions. These were our own discoveries, so we have full understanding of them. The issues lie with the 4th revolution technologies. The information from the space merchants have aided us a lot in further breakthroughs, but our overall process is only at 1/10. Let¡¯s not get started with the four technologies from the 5th revolution. We have no clue how to even approach those¡­


    "Therefore, what we need now is time for us to crack open the mysteries of these new technologies¡­


    "We have enough supplies to last several hundred years in this empty space. We have enough technological information for us to break through into a Level 3 space civilization. We have Homo Evolutis to evade the Law of Conservation of Life, so I have to ask¡­


    "Why shouldn¡¯t we stop here for a period of time and stave off the exploration of space until we become a Level 3 space civilization and have at least enough power to defend ourselves?!"

 Chapter 265: Arrangement

    Chapter 265: Arrangement


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Even though the Hope had a democracy, as long as it didn¡¯t involve something humongous, Yao Yuan had the power to decide everything on the Hope. Of course, Yao Yuan knew there had to be limits to his power. Therefore, other than emergency situations like war, famine, or disasters, he would not rely on his power. Instead, like this time, he would convince the crowd with his words, and many did end up agreeing with him.


    One of the first reasons was the wealth of supplies on the Hope. When the Hope planned to leave the new planet, a variety of minerals were mined, smelted into ingot form, and stored. For example, the most important metals were distilled into their purest form using electrolysis from the 4th revolution. Materials such as these were innumerable on the Hope.


    After all, the Hope was 35,000 meters or 35 kilometers long. Furthermore, after the latest upgrade, the Hope had added several new levels, making it about 800 meters tall and 2,400 meters wide.


    Of course, compared to the space merchants¡¯ mother ship and the junkyard civilization¡¯s main battleship, it was relatively tiny, but this was the biggest size mankind could achieve with 3rd revolution technology. In other words, this was the biggest mechanical creation in human history. For the people back on Earth, the Hope would be something akin to a miracle.


    Thus far, the Hope¡¯s population was at 217,000 people, including the newborns. Realistically, the 90,000 children did not occupy much space, but from this perspective alone, it could be seen that the future population of humanity would have an exponential increase. Due to this, when mankind left the new planet, they basically carried with them everything they could and more. With the advent of the 4th revolution, many materials could be recycled, and the materials on the Hope could be used for at least 100 years as long as the population maintained at below 300,000 people!


    Therefore, stopping for five to ten years in space was a non-issue.


    The second reason would be the necessity of stopping in space. Just like how Yao Yuan described it, the cosmos was too dangerous a place for humanity to wander around aimlessly. Even after taking the technology left behind by the junkyard civilization, the Hope still fell into dangerous situations many times. In fact, mankind should count themselves lucky that they stumbled into the space merchants that were on the downward spiral, or else extinction would have awaited them. Therefore, stopping for five to ten years in relatively peaceful space to improve humanity¡¯s technology was beneficial and necessary.


    Just like that, the proposal to stop for five to ten years was quickly approved. In truth, many people sighed in relief when this proposal came to pass. After all, the incident with the space merchants had scarred many people due to the war. They wouldn¡¯t mind having a breather period to bolster the strength of humanity first.


    A period of peace had arrived. Even though the peace was temporary and precarious, many, especially those that were fatigued from war, had the best sleep they had ever had in a long time. Of course, while the civilian sighed in relief, the same couldn¡¯t be said for the government.


    After the proposal was passed, there were many things for the government to handle. The first was arrangements of work and rationing of resources.


    Stopping in space meant no exploration and space warping, so there would only be a decrease in food and energy and no increase. Therefore, a deficit was inevitable. Of course, the government had to make sure that the market wouldn¡¯t collapse from inflation. However, steps like limiting monthly purchases of luxury items had to be done. Of course, while the limitations wouldn''t be too severe, one couldn¡¯t buy them limitlessly like before.


    Secondly would be arrangements of occupation. Since they would be stopping for a long time, stations for the purpose of war would gradually be cut down and the people would be siphoned into service roles that would increase during peace time. There would also be a general lowering of working hours so that the citizens had time to attend school or seminars to improve themselves.


    The last and definitely not least was the scientific knowledge system. The current scientific knowledge system used by mankind could be roughly sourced from three origins. First was all the knowledge below the 4th revolution that was brought from Earth.


    Second was the 4th revolution technology taken from the junkyard civilization. However, since parts of that civilization had already been demolished, the technology wasn¡¯t complete. Parts of the information were missing. Therefore, mankind needed to use deduction to study and aid the missing technology before they could be used. This was because the Academy predicted mankind needed another 50 years before they could use weapons like the Genesis.


    The third would the technology given by the space merchants that bolstered the 4th revolution technology tree and four 5th revolution technology pieces. The Academy couldn¡¯t tell for sure whether this meant that the 4th revolution technology tree was completed or not, but it was undeniable that the scientific knowledge they got from the space merchants was a lot better than the ones from junkyard civilization. Now they only needed to study both in earnest.


    Above were all the scientific basis humanity currently had. They were also the reasons Yao Yuan decided to stop in space. According to his discussion with several leading scientists, in around 3 years, mankind would successfully entered the middle stage of the 4th revolution, and another 5 or 10 years after that, mankind would reach the peak of 4th revolution and they would be able to create and work with technologies from the 5th revolution.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan poured a lot of effort into the advancement of science. He fulfilled the Academy¡¯s every demand, like building new scientific devices, sending them more materials, and permission to use the central mainframe. Other than that, a new group of interns would be added into the Academy to breathe new life into the system.


    The last would be the arrangement of the three Whisperers. Since they were different from normal scientists, having them research and study existing information seemed to be a waste. Therefore, all three of them were tasked with researching the higher end of the scientific spectrum. Their research direction was different according to their fields of expertise, but the unifying similarity was that all three of them were researching technology from the peak of the 4th revolution or early 5th revolution.


    Yao Yuan had done everything he could about the sciences, bar getting into it himself. While it was true that he had part of the Whisperer¡¯s power, it didn¡¯t seem like it did anything for him. Scientific research was not combat, and it required a large amount of scientific knowledge and a drive in research. Yao Yuan could understand science but not do research on it.


    When all of these decisions were made, the Hope had stopped in the area for three days. Finally, Yao Yuan and the government officials could sigh in relief. However, this was not break time for Yao Yuan yet. For the past three days, every night he returned home, he would pull out a large amount of reading material given by the space merchants to study. Gradually, his understanding of the wide cosmos increased.


    The morning of the 4th day, he called Ren Tao and Xiao Niao to his room. He needed the two Thinkers¡¯ help to categorize the information.


    "First, about 60 percent of the information can be released to the public or even kept in the public e-library. At least the public can familiarize themselves with the cosmos, to prepare themselves for our future contact with other space civilizations¡­


    "Another 30 percent will be locked behind a higher reading privilege, viewable only by senior government officials, representatives, ranked soldiers, and scientists.


    "The other 10 percent will be completely sealed with confidentiality above grade A. Only the speaker of the house, military majors, and the highest government officials can view them¡­"


    Yao Yuan turned to the two. "This is the reason why I called for the both of you. I hope you can help me improve these demarcations, and another thing is¡­


    "I think I¡¯ve found the Hope¡¯s future target, or rather, I¡¯ve found the fastest way to become a Level 4 space civilization!"

 Chapter 266: Ruin

    Chapter 266: Ruin


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The information sent over by the space merchants was incredibly large. A part of it was completely useless as well. Information like the different surnames of alien civilizations had completely zero uses for humanity, and information like this covered up to 30 percent of the total information.


    To categorize this information, using the central mainframe would be a good idea. However, the computer didn¡¯t possess an AI, and even if it did, it was only a first-level AI. It had no creativity and imagination; it would only follow the designated program. AI like that wouldn¡¯t be able to sift through the information effectively.


    For example, one or several details hidden in the information about an alien civilization¡¯s myths might be important to humanity. After all, from the collected information, most of the alien civilizations had left their mother planets for more than ten thousand years. Many of them were on their downfall. They were clueless to the antiquated civilization of their ancestors and treated many of them as myths. Therefore, mankind perhaps could get useful information from their myths.


    It was because of this that categorization of the information was not a simple ordeal. It required a large amount of manpower and time. Yao Yuan¡¯s intention was simple, he didn¡¯t ask Ren Tao and Xiao Niao personally go through the immense amount of information but required each of them to set up a team, and with the two teams¡¯ cooperation, finish and assign the material¡¯s level and reading requirement.


    The two thought about it and accepted Yao Yuan¡¯s offer. After all, Yao Yuan was the captain of the ship, so unless it was an absolutely crazy order, they really had no choice but to accept it. With that out of the way, Yao Yuan carried on to discuss the real reason why he had brought two of them there. It was about the fastest way for humanity to become a Level 4 space civilization that he spoke of.


    "I believe both of you understand the meaning of humanity becoming a Level 4 space civilization. The power for self-preservation aside, the key point of a level 4 space civilization is the ability to use wormhole technology. Even though wormhole is not space warp, it has plenty to do with space technology. Creating wormholes requires that knowledge, and we happen to need this knowledge. After we know more about the space warp technology, it probably means that we¡¯ll be able to have a more direct control over the space warp process. Imagine, we can go anywhere we want in the cosmos, isn¡¯t that exciting?" Yao Yuan exclaimed, with excitement in his eyes.


    The two looked at each other and Ren Tao scratched his ear helplessly. "Of course we understand the implication, but Captain, you have to understand that we humans have just barely become a Level 2 space civilization. I know we have more than enough knowledge to help us maybe touch the edge of Level 3 space civilization, but have you considered the possibility of us not going over the threshold? Science is not politics or military; the scientists can¡¯t just make something happen just because you order it so. I simply can¡¯t figure out any method that can help us become a Level 4 space civilization in a short period of time."


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Which brings me to my next point. Of course I understand that science is different from politics and military, it is an entity growing outside of human control. I''m not that arrogant to think I can have science under my control. I mean to pursue this through another means, namely¡­ ruins!"


    "Ruins?"


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao looked at each other again. Xiao Niao couldn¡¯t stop himself from saying, "You¡¯re treating this thing as a game? Speaking of which, this Cosmic Exploration OL has been going on for 11 years. Our human race civilization level is still so low, only trained until level 2¡­"


    "Be serious." Yao Yuan frowned, then he continued seriously, "I¡¯m not kidding, I¡¯m talking about actual ruins¡­ Do you still remember the history mentioned by the space merchants?"


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao nodded in unison, and Yao Yuan continued, "I flipped through the information they sent and realized that the cosmos is not as empty as we think. If there was no Law of Conservation of Life, then we would be able to witness alien life forms all around us. This isn¡¯t the case because these civilizations have started to deteriorate several thousand, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years ago.


    "While the life of that race itself might perish, their creation and civilization products haven¡¯t. Especially in a space like the cosmos, the creation might be preserved forever until a giant catastrophe happens to it¡­


    "From the space merchants¡¯ information, I realized that fully-grown space civilizations, or civilization that have left their mother planet for more than 3,000 years and have no more cosmic adapters among them and deterioration was still inconspicuous, would normally go into one of these 4 different routes for survival. First are ones like the space merchants. They trade with other civilizations to increase contact with others.


    "Second are mercenary civilizations. They pride themselves on attacking Shelters or other races. Normally, members of these civilizations are blood-thirsty and have a long warring history, perhaps going back to when they were still on their home planet.


    "Third are research civilizations. They are not good at warfare but instead are good at scientific research. They are peace-loving and choose to avoid conflict if possible. Deterioration will also take the longest time to appear in this kind of civilization. They mostly survive in Shelters and use their creations to trade provisions with merchants or mercenaries¡­


    "Fourth are the ones I¡¯m interested in. These are the explorers¡­


    "One key feature of this civilization type is their longevity. From the information I¡¯ve read, a common explorer civilization can last as long as several tens of thousands of years. This kind of civilization visits Shelters once in a blue moon to conduct large-scale restocking and can survive independently in space for more than ten thousand years. Their main mission is to use warp drive to scour the cosmos, and what would they be looking for?


    "Ruins! Ruins left behind by other civilizations that have fallen under the Law of Conservation of Life!"


    Yao Yuan stopped to pull out a piece of information from the computer screen. "This here is a report on a legendary explorer civilization. According to this report, the civilization was lucky enough to stumble across the ruins of a space civilization that was at the brink of entering the 6th revolution. The life forms had all perished and the mother ship had been destroyed by a natural space disaster. However, even so, it allowed the explorer civilization to gain lots of 4th and 5th revolution technologies, and they themselves had evolved into a Level 4 space civilization before going on to become level 5 in the future.


    "I believe this is the best future route to be taken by the Hope!"


    At this point, Ren Tao''s and Xiao Niao¡¯s eyes were shining. Xiao Niao said excitedly, "I had no idea this Cosmic Exploration Online had such cheats¡­ Fine, I¡¯ll be serious, this is indeed something we¡¯ve not considered before. You¡¯re right. As you¡¯ve said, under the influence of the Law of Conservation of Life, space civilizations are constantly dying off. Other than the civilizations at the Shelters, what happens to those middle-level and high-level civilizations? They seem not to be at the Shelters, and they too are not free from the law¡¯s influence. In other words, if we can find these dead civilizations, like the junkyard civilization, then our level will indeed get a giant increase!"


    "What about the risk?" Ren Tao frowned and asked. "Don¡¯t tell me there is no risk. Even when we were dealing with the junkyard civilization, there was a giant risk. In fact, it almost caused our extinction, and those were only the ruins of a level 2 space civilization. I can¡¯t imagine ruins for a higher level civilization will be safer."


    "Indeed, there are risks, and very high risks if I might add." Yao Yuan didn¡¯t try to soften the blow but said openly, "This is to be expected. After all, even a difference in one revolution could mean the difference between two eras. Furthermore, this is space civilization levels we are talking about. A random object from a Level 3, 4, 5, 6, or even 7 civilization might cause a civilization-wide extinction. Therefore, I¡¯m not denying there is a presence of great risk."


    "Then what is there for us to discuss?" Ren Tao shrugged. "Randomness is the biggest danger. The possibility of us running into such a ruin aside¡­ I mean, the Hope has space warped god knows how many times before we came into that junkyard civilization. Even if we find one, do you have the courage to send your men to investigate it? What if it sets off some defense system that can wipe us out? Is the risk really worth it?"


    "I understand the risk involved, which is why I¡¯ve brought the two of you here¡­"


    Yao Yuan smiled. He turned to Ren Tao suddenly and said, "If we do come across such ruins, Zhang Heng¡¯s Diviner power is not strong enough to tell what level space civilization it is. We need someone with a sense more acute than our most powerful Diviner¡­ Ren Tao, tell me about the little girl by the name of Eva. I¡¯m very interested in what she does. I read something similar in the space merchants¡¯ information. She sounds like a Diviner that has evolved into its third stage¡­


    "A level 3 Diviner, or we should no longer call her that because such a Homo Evolutis'' power is dubbed¡­


    "The Sage!"

 Chapter 267: The Sage Eva

    Chapter 267: The Sage Eva


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Little Eva¡¯s parents were incredibly worried because their daughter had been asleep for more than half a month. From the month the space merchants infiltrated the hope, little Eva started sleeping. Before sleeping, she even left her family with some cryptic words. Her parents thought she had contracted some weird disease, like psychological trauma or some unknown virus.


    Little Eva¡¯s grandfather was Earth¡¯s famous physicist Silewei. He was also the Hope¡¯s most influential physicist, the leader of the Academy¡¯s physics faculty. He was one of the crucial players on the Hope, his power greater than some of the Hope¡¯s government officials. This was because the space merchants¡¯ information greatly inflated science¡¯s importance, and that greatly increased the Academy¡¯s stature. In fact, even if Yao Yuan had found out Silewei had misused his power, as long as it wasn¡¯t totally out of place, then there was a chance Yao Yuan would pretend he didn¡¯t see it.


    Luckily, Silewei was one of the traditional, serious scientists. He treated his research seriously and had self-discipline unique to the Germans. Actually, many of the top scientists were like this. Their focus was on their scientific research, and very few of them were concerned with position and power. Those that were didn¡¯t last long in the Hope¡¯s scientific system.


    Little Eva¡¯s sickness was the first time Silewei had technically misused his power. He used his influence to locate all the best doctors on the Hope to treat Eva. He even managed to get Ivan and Saburo to help him. However, even with the best medical devices, they couldn¡¯t diagnose her illness, and she remained unconscious.


    The Hope had stopped in space to enter a great scientific renaissance, but Silewei had shed about ten kilograms right before everyone¡¯s eyes. His appearance, which was being monitored by the genetic mesomeric technology to revert to a middle-aged man¡¯s appearance, started to undo itself. Silewei started to rapidly grow old. He and his family were in the throes of despair because they couldn¡¯t even detect any sickness or poison in Eva. That was the scariest part because this meant the thing that affected little Eva was something couldn¡¯t be identified and consequently cured by current human technology.


    Therefore, when Silewei saw Yao Yuan, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao heading towards him, who was at the ICU, he said listlessly, "Captain, I know why you¡¯re here. I will return to my lab in a minute. The physics faculty needs me, but please just let me stay with my granddaughter for a while longer."


    Yao Yuan and the two thinkers were shocked. Yao Yuan quickly explained, "No, Prof. Silewei, you misunderstood the meaning of my presence. I¡¯m not here for you, but your granddaughter, Eva. It concerns¡­ something important."


    Silewei too was surprised by this revelation. He suddenly realized who the three people standing before him were. One was the Hope¡¯s Captain, the only All-Rounder, and the other two were the Hope¡¯s incredibly rare Thinkers. They were all valuable assets to the Hope. The fact that all three of them were there¡­ Could it be that they knew how to treat little Eva?


    Ten minutes ago, Ren Tao revealed to Xiao Niao and Ren Tao his memory of Eva¡¯s actions. During the war with the space merchants, the key to victory was the team led by Ying. Even though the Black Star Troopers¡¯ contribution and Ying¡¯s self-sacrifice were crucial to the victory, all of that wouldn¡¯t have happened if not for that baby dragon at the beginning. The Hope might have defeated the infiltrators, but in the end, it would''ve only been shot down by the Requiem.


    The question became: how could Eva have predicted all of it? Why would she hand a baby dragon to Ren Tao, who had no relation to her? How did she know that there was a hidden mal-intention behind the space merchants¡¯ invitation? How did she know that the baby dragon would help the situation?


    Not only this, there were also other extenuating questions. For example, the baby dragons were all well protected. A common civilian wouldn¡¯t be able to get close to them, so how did she manage to sneak one out?


    Ren Tao had discussed all these questions with Xiao Niao many times before. According to logic, what she did was impossible under normal circumstances. Therefore, the only possibility left was¡­ Eva knew all this would happen, so she prepared accordingly. Handing Ren Tao the baby dragon might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but it was because of that one small action that the whole result of the war was turned around. Eva must have been able to see into the future to be able to accomplish something like that.


    In the space merchants¡¯ information, Diviners like Zhang Heng were called Time Watchers. However, there was no clear elaboration on the origin of the Diviner¡¯s power, or even any scientific basis to their existence. In fact, they only provided the basic elaboration of their powers. Needless to say, information on the three double S grade Cosmic Adapters was basically non-existent.


    In the space merchants¡¯ information, they also talked about normal Cosmic Adapters, or Survivors. They had a small chance of evolving into S grade Cosmic Adapters, while S grade Cosmic Adapters themselves wouldn¡¯t be able to evolve into the legendary double s grade Cosmic Adapters but instead they had their own leveling system. The actual leveling method was unknown though.


    According to myths, Cosmic Adapters had five levels, levels 1 and 2 were one tier, levels 3 and 4 were another tier, and level 5 only "possibly" existed. For example, the first tier of Diviner was called Diviner, but second tier Diviner would be named the Sage.


    According to Ren Tao and Xiao Niao¡¯s hypothesis, Eva most likely was a level 3 Time Watcher. If that was true, her importance could rival that of Yao Yuan, if not over him!


    When they reached the ICU, they stumbled across Silewei, who was visiting his granddaughter. The trio was startled because they suddenly realized that Eva was Silewei¡¯s granddaughter, and this cautious and stern physicist was someone even Yao Yuan needed to be respectful towards.


    Silewei didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and asked directly, "Captain and two Thinkers, you told me you¡¯re here for my granddaughter, so I have to ask, can you cure her condition?"


    The three looked at one another and Ren Tao interjected, "Prof. Silewei, can you tell us a bit of Eva¡¯s symptoms?"


    Liking discovering a savior, Silewei quickly told them about little Eva¡¯s condition, especially bringing up how her fainting spell coincided with the war with the space merchants.


    The three nodded knowingly. Yao Yuan walked to Eva¡¯s side and put his hand on her forehead, saying, "If that¡¯s the case, then it shouldn¡¯t be something wrong with her body. This is something to do with her Homo Evolutis power. As we know, after over-exertion of Homo Evolutis power, there will be a period of compulsory down time for recovery. For some, it might be a coma. I guess we need to give her more time to recuperate¡­"


    However, before Yao Yuan could finish, he felt a small and weak fireball rush through his arm into his soul. It then circulated around the giant orb of light that represented his soul. In just seconds, the small fireball returned to its original brilliance and in fact started glowing. After about ten seconds, the glowing, small fireball finally departed from his soul with reluctance. At the same time, Eva¡¯s eyelids started to flutter.


    The other people in the room didn¡¯t notice the changes on Eva. From their perspective, Yao Yuan had put his hand on Eva¡¯s forehead and then he practically froze. Silewei thought Yao Yuan was checking Eva¡¯s temperature, while Ren Tao and Xiao Niao, who understood Yao Yuan had no medical experience, knew better. Something must have happened.


    Xiao Niao asked immediately, "What¡¯s wrong? Yao Yuan, what did you find out?"


    "He found out about his other power, the power charger."


    A crisp voice said, with a giggle. Before anyone in the room could react, the previously unconscious Eva sat up with a charming smile. She tapped Yao Yuan¡¯s hand, which was still on her forehead, and said, with a girlish chuckle, "Captain Uncle, it¡¯s illegal to have such close contact with an underage girl, you know?


    "However, I do need to thank you for helping me, or else I¡¯d probably need another three to four months before I could wake up. Right, the question you came to ask¡­


    "You¡¯re right, I¡¯m a Homo Evolutis, one that has visions of the future. You can refer to me as the Sage."

 Chapter 268: Strength and Limitation

    Chapter 268: Strength and Limitation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Eva¡¯s awakening undoubtedly brought Silewei and her family inmeasurable joy. She knew she was perfectly fine, but she still went to the hospital for a check-up, overwhelmed by her family¡¯s demands. After the hospital confirmed she was healthy, her family finally sighed in relief.


    That afternoon, Eva changed into a frilly dress and skipped joyfully as she walked in front of Yao Yuan, Xiao Niao, and Ren Tao. They were at the third floor¡¯s merchant street as per Eva¡¯s demands. In truth, Eva was shopping, while Yao Yuan was paying.


    "I know what you guys want to ask¡­"


    Eva licked the ice-cream cone in her hand and suddenly turned towards the three men. "You¡¯re right, it was around the second or third day after we left new planet that my Homo Evolutis awakening occurred. However, since I was the only one on the Hope suffering from a fever, and I didn¡¯t go unconscious but only felt listless and tired, my parents didn¡¯t think I was awakening, so they gave me medicine and had me sleep all day."


    Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Yao Yuan¡¯s interests were piqued, because everyone¡¯s awakening incurred a coma. When they woke up, they were already a Homo Evolutis, so they had no clue what exactly happened during the awakening, but now standing before them was an exception.


    Yao Yuan asked immediately, "Is that so? Then what was it like during the awakening? Can you tell us?"


    "Lonely," Eva answered without hesitation like she had been waiting for the question from Yao Yuan. "I was conscious throughout the experience. Both my parents and grandparents had to work, especially my grandfather; he was the busiest of them all. I was lying in bed alone. The fever made me so weak that it was hard to reach for the cup on the bedside table. During that vulnerable period, a surge of loneliness overwhelmed me.


    "I felt alone, as if I was the only life form habituating this wide cosmos. Everything around me was so cold, so distant, and so full of danger¡­"


    The trio looked at one another. They knew about all this already. Even though the period of awakening was spent in a coma, Homo Evolutis, as long as they were not Survivors, would remember the feeling of helpless loneliness acutely. The feeling was less pronounced among the Survivors; only a handful of them would retain the memory of experiencing these things.


    Ren Tao frowned and pressed, "You were conscious then?"


    Eva nodded confidently. "That¡¯s right, I was definitely conscious. I know what you mean, how can a conscious person experience so many vague emotions like it was a dream? The only thing I can say is that I really felt all these things, like I was being hypnotized. It is incredibly hard to explain, but I can guarantee I was 100 percent conscious."


    After Eva said that, Yao Yuan asked, "Then what happened next? The next second you just became a Homo Evolutis?"


    Eva shook her head with a smile that quickly disappeared. Her tone became unusually serious. "Of course not. After that, it was like a layer of membrane appeared before me¡­"


    "A layer of membrane?"


    The three knew this was the information they needed, so they focused to listen to Eva¡¯s every word.


    "That¡¯s right, a layer of membrane that was there and also not there. I could feel the membrane enveloping me, giving me warmth and safety, but at the same time, I felt uneasy, like it was constricting my freedom. I wanted to get out of it so badly. Of course, like I said, I was weak from fever. I was conscious but couldn¡¯t perform any giant movements. The membrane was incredibly tough and appeared to be everywhere. This lasted for who knows how long, but when the Hope performed another warp, I realized that the membrane had become thinner, as if it could be broken through with a rough shove¡­"


    "Distance!" Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Yao Yuan said in unison.


    Indeed, one of the rules for Homo Evolutis Awakening was the further the civilization was from its home planet, the greater the probability of its citizens awakening, and there would be a high chance of awakening Grade S Cosmic Adapters and even Grade SS Cosmic Adapters.


    According to Eva, after the Hope¡¯s warp, the ship must have landed further away from Earth. That confirmed the awakening rules for Homo Evolutis because it caused Eva to fully mature into a Homo Evolutis; it was the reason she got out of the membrane. She was already a Level 3 Time Watcher when she awakened.


    With the question regarding the awakening out of the way, the next would be the key question the three were most interested in, something that was crucial to the development of the Hope and humanity¡­ the usage and power of the Sage¡¯s power.


    "You want to know about the Sage¡¯s power?"


    The four of them found a small caf¨¦ and sat down as they questioned Eva on this issue.


    Eva used a small, metallic spoon to stir her coffee. She thought about it and said, "The supposed power allows me to see visions of the future. However, most of these visions make no sense. For example, I saw a long corridor and Captain Uncle leading a bunch of people through it, brushing shoulders with a delegation from the space merchants. After that was a vision about you going towards the negotiation center to demand information about the mysterious code that shut down the central mainframe. The group of space merchants suddenly rioted, and even though you managed to kill them all, the one alien that crossed your path earlier had gotten away. After receiving the news, he used a long-range remote to format the Hope¡¯s central mainframe¡­"


    Yao Yuan shuddered. He thought back to the first negotiation with the space merchants. He was indeed on the way to demand information from the space merchants but had slipped on a glass pebble on the corridor. Because of that, he saw the derision in the alien merchant¡¯s eyes, which caused him to change his mind. Instead, he turned to the Academy and Workshop to get the experts to work on cracking the code on the central mainframe.


    "That was the vision that I saw. According to this development, even though Bo Li¡¯s alien robot would forcefully hack into the central mainframe to override the space merchants¡¯ influence, by then half of the Hope would have been dead, including my parents and grandparents. That future was too scary, so I had to change it. I tried many ideas, but the only one that could change the future was to let you see for your own the space merchants¡¯ evil scheme."


    Yao Yuan narrowed his eyes. "In other words, it was you who left the glass pebble on the floor?"


    Eva giggled and pointed at Ren Tao. "It was also me who passed Uncle Ren Tao the baby dragon."


    Ren Tao scratched his nose and said, "Uncle...? But I have a question, do you have to use your own eyes to check the future you see? Or is it more spiritual than that? You have not been to the space merchants¡¯ mother ship, so how can you possibly tell the future that happens within it?"


    Eva shook her head. "It¡¯s very feeling-based. Honestly, I too am stumped by this prediction power. Many times, it is simply out of my control. For example, I would like to see my parents and grandparents¡¯ futures, but I can¡¯t. This is not a controllable power, or rather not a fully controllable power¡­


    "But I can clearly see the future of every Homo Evolutis on the Hope. If I think about their name and face, then the vision of their future one month from now will appear in my mind. Of course, those appear in isolated visions as well. In fact, the stronger the Homo Evolutis, the clearer my vision. For example, like Captain Uncle here, I can even see what time you¡¯re going to take your shower for every day of the next month."


    Little Eva winked at Yao Yuan mischievously. Yao Yuan blushed unexpectedly. He quickly changed the subject. "What about the Survivors?"


    "Same thing, but the visions that I have are fewer. Actually, I can see into normal people¡¯s futures as well, but the visions are even fewer."


    Ren Tao suddenly asked, "Then why would you go into a coma? According to what you said, you can see into the future whenever you want. If that is the case, you should have gone unconscious many times already, so why go unconscious only for the latest one?"


    "Because of the change."


    Eva sipped her coffee and frowned. She added three sugar cubes and continued, "Having visions of the future will not cause weakness, but changing the future will. Furthermore, the greater the change, the larger the amount of people affected, and the weaker I will become and the longer my coma will last. At worst¡­


    "I will die."

 Chapter 269: Rules and University Admission

    Chapter 269: Rules and University Admission


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "In conclusion, the Sage¡¯s power has to follow these four rules. One, the future events or people observed by the Sage must be related to the Sage. Two, the clarity of future observed by the Sage is strongest on Double Grade S Cosmic Adapters and weaker on normal citizens; the more powerful the target, the clearer the vision. For normal citizens, the Sage has to meet face-to-face to activate its power. Three, the Sage can¡¯t control the future seen. It might be completely insignificant or absolutely important. The future seen could happen in the range from the next 24 hours to a month. Four, the future can be changed, but the bigger the change involved, the greater the damage it will have on the Sage. The damage could be large enough to kill the Sage!"


    Ren Tao scratched his head and said, "These are the four rules that I¡¯ve managed to categorize so far from what you¡¯ve told us. Of course, there might be hidden powers to the Sage that we haven¡¯t discovered. Eva needed to discover those on her own; furthermore, the ability to change the future is simply too powerful. This is something Eva needs to conduct in-depth research on."


    Eva shrugged and waved her hands in mid-air. She offered a girlish smile and said, "I¡¯m not a Thinker, so don¡¯t force me to categorize my powers or design the future, because that is the role of you Thinkers. Pushing them onto me is borderline child abuse, and I will sue! Furthermore, there is only one me but two Thinkers. Well, two and a half, since Captain Uncle can be considered half a Thinker."


    A visible vein popped on Ren Tao¡¯s forehead when she said this. Even though there were two and a half Thinkers, Yao Yuan naturally couldn¡¯t put down his other responsibilities to accommodate Eva. Xiao Niao was a military major and the leader of Kurosan Ren-sei. He and his two best friends had perfect cooperation and were the star pilots within the Black Star Troopers. Kurosan Ren-sei had started to make a name for themselves and thus was often tasked with training new pilots. Therefore, Xiao Niao couldn¡¯t escape from Eva¡¯s demands.


    In comparison, Ren Tao was more "otaku" in nature. As long as there was no active mission, his preferred activity was to let his Thinker¡¯s power go to rest, sleep in some high places, read some of his old novels, or eat his sister¡¯s home cooked meals. That was the life he loved the most. However, Eva¡¯s appearance meant his lifestyle was in danger¡­


    Actually, this was something they had discussed earlier. Eva¡¯s power was simply too incredible. It was not something science could explain or replicate. Of course, perhaps those godlike civilizations could still do something like this, but it was definitely impossible for Level 4 and 5 space civilizations. Ren Tao and Xiao Niao came to this conclusion that eventually Yao Yuan reached as well. What was the meaning of the ability to see into the future?


    It meant that the Hope¡¯s safety was guaranteed to a certain degree, this was the most important one. There were other opportunities one could draw from this power, because being able to see into the future was an incredible cheat.


    Of course, to perfectly utilize this power, other than reaching into the future, one also must be able to analyze these visions expertly, especially with regards to forming strategies. For example, if Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, or Yao Yuan had seen the same visions Eva saw, then there was a high possibility they would''ve come up with a plan that could dominate the space aliens without one human death.


    When Eva heard this accusation, the smile froze on the young girl¡¯s face and she offered with anxiety and fear, "Because I¡¯m not sure what effect my actions will bring¡­ Don¡¯t underestimate me, I¡¯m a university student, and I¡¯ve read the related books on the topic of timelines, like Chaos Theory and the Butterfly Effect. A small change could cause a big difference in the future. When I saw the vision of the space merchants attacking, it was only a few days away. I¡¯m not a Thinker, and as I¡¯ve said, I can¡¯t control the visions I see, so I committed to the two things that I felt would change the future the most. One was to pass Ren Tao the baby dragon that would eat through the metallic tentacles, and the other was to make sure Captain Uncle saw the space merchants¡¯ hidden intentions. I couldn¡¯t figure out a better plan. Plus, I couldn¡¯t have just come to you guys, could I?"


    Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Yao Yuan sighed continuously, but they couldn¡¯t fault Eva. After all, she was still young and not a Thinker. She was a new Homo Evolutis at the time, a completely new type of Homo Evolutis at that. The girl also admitted why she hadn¡¯t come clean to Yao Yuan about her power. She was afraid her power wasn¡¯t real and it was her going crazy. The negotiations with the space merchants was incredibly important, so if it turned out that it was just her psychosis talking, then she would be the biggest sinner against humanity. Finally, she had no choice but to act on her own.


    After a discussion between the three, Ren Tao was selected to be Eva¡¯s personal Thinker. Whenever Eva saw a suspicious vision of the future, she could contact Ren Tao through the phone at any time and Ren Tao had to pick up the call no matter what. This arrangement annoyed Ren Tao to no end.


    No matter what, Eva¡¯s arrival greatly improved Yao Yuan¡¯s anticipation and excitement. The Hope had birthed a level 3 Time Watcher. This was instrumental to the future development of the Hope, especially with regards to his ruins exploration plan.


    Of course, this needed some more planning. At the same time, Eva¡¯s Sage power and cooperation with Ren Tao needed a long period of training. This plan would take hundreds of years, so it was not something that could be rushed.


    Something that was imminent was the Hope¡¯s scientific development plan. Three new universities for education of general science were built. Their target students were the general public.


    The Hope¡¯s general public were experts from all walks of life when they were still on Earth, from business, politics, language, law, and many more. After all, the adult population of the Hope was 120,000 people. That was not a small number, and almost everyone had graduated from a famous school. They were all intellectuals; however, due to the fragmentation of their school of studies, the number of scientists on the Hope was actually lacking. The Academy only had less than 5,000 people, including the interns.


    Yao Yuan hoped the Academy¡¯s number could reach one-tenth of the Hope¡¯s total population, which would be 20,000 people. Of course, this was not to say that the larger the number of scientists the better because the true importance was quality not quantity. The scientific contributions of great scientists like Newton, Einstein, and Hawking couldn¡¯t be replaced by numbers. However, the current situation on the Hope was a bit unique. They had just acquired almost all of the scientific theories for the 4th revolution and some for 5th revolution. In this case, numbers became important because numbers decided the efficiency of the Academy understanding these technologies. Therefore, having at least another 10,000 scientists with basic scientific knowledge was the Hope¡¯s best current alternative.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan poured in assets and manpower to build three general knowledge universities on the Hope and started recruiting students from all over the Hope. As long as the age was over sixteen and they had a high school diploma, be it one from Earth or the Hope¡¯s high school, then the person was qualified to enroll in these three schools. The tuition was free and there would be monetary prizes for top students.


    The three universities would teach subjects like biology, physics, astronomy, and the likes. Of course, the rudimentary classes would be equal to introductory courses in normal universities. From there, students with good marks would be picked out to enter intermediary classes, while the rest continued studying in rudimentary classes. The talents would be sifted through layers. The hope was to train the talents that were unfortunately eclipsed when they were on Earth, while simultaneously raising the scientific knowledge of the general public.


    The learning process would last for two to three years and the best students to come out of this system would be enrolled into the Academy. They could be great scientists in the future if they worked hard enough. The average students needed to sit for a final exam, and if they passed, they would be awarded with a graduation certificate.


    To increase the public¡¯s desire to further their studies, Yao Yuan decided to provide some incentives. For example, better job treatment for workers with certifications. Workers with related certificates would receive 20 percent better treatment compared to others at the same post!


    Money talks, Yao Yuan believed, and very soon the three universities would be overflowing with experts from all walks of life. He was praying for the appearance of an Einstein-level genius among the university students, because if there was¡­


    The Hope would have hit the jackpot!

 Chapter 270: The Hope’s Fourth Upgrade (1)

    Chapter 270: The Hope¡¯s Fourth Upgrade (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Time zipped past and the Hope had spent one and a half months in the empty space. The one and a half months had been a taxing time for the Hope¡¯s higher officials. They wished they could split themselves so that there would be more of them to go around.


    Setting up the three universities took up the bulk of their time. The universities, albeit they wouldn¡¯t be as prestigious as most of the universities back on Earth, each of them had a large roster of faculties, like physics, astronomy, math, and even general sciences. The equipment required alone was enough to give the higher officials a headache.


    Truth be told, with the Hope¡¯s 4th revolution technology, creating the high-end equipment used back on Earth was a cakewalk. They could be completed within days. For example, the Large Hadron Collider was the top piece of equipment from the 3rd revolution, and even Earth¡¯s 21st century technology needed several decades to build it. However, for the Hope, with an electromagnetic blueprint and 3D printing, it could be built within days. The replica would have a 0.1 centimeter difference from the real thing, and they could be produced en-masse. This was the power of advancement in technology!


    Therefore, the real cause of headache for these officials was the scientists had pinpointed their desire for equipment matching the 4th revolution!


    For example, there was a device called the super electromagnetic string oscillation recorder. It was a device that could test the validity of string theory. More than a simple mechanical marvel, it required electromagnetic shock implantation.


    This was a technique available only after the middle stage of the 4th revolution. Such a technology did exist within the Hope¡¯s library of knowledge, but it was still incomplete. To be precise, the technology had recently been discovered, so they had to create a few early 4th revolution products first before it could be assembled.


    And such a device required about 30 plus early 4th revolution products!


    It was obvious that most of the equipment requested wouldn¡¯t be used by the universities but the Academy, but the leverage was with scientists because they insisted that the equipment was necessary for classroom experimentation. If the officials wanted to combat that, they would have to teach the classes themselves.


    The scientists seemed to be collaborating among themselves, because the equipment they asked for could still be built by the Hope, only they would require a large amount of time, manpower, and materials. These were not high end fourth revolution products that were impossible to build. Therefore, even Yao Yuan relented. The Workshop increased to their maximum productivity, and OT was a common occurrence during the one and a half months. Finally, most of the simple equipment requested by the scientists was ready two weeks before the semester started. There were about ten complicated devices left unfinished, and Yao Yuan decided to play rogue with the scientists. He told them directly,


    "I promise we will complete the rest in the next 6 months. The government and Workshop¡¯s productivity is only so much because we also need to keep an eye on civil affairs, food and luxury items storage, farming, and maintenance of this ship. If you¡¯re unsatisfied, then why don¡¯t you come and govern instead?"


    The scientists were forced into submission by the same tactic they had used earlier. The second month after the Hope idled in space, the first batch of students started their enrollment. There were about 10,000 students. The number might seem small compared to the total population, but one has to realize that even though the Hope had 210,000 people, around 90,000 were newborns, so the amount of adult citizens valid to enroll in school was about 120,000 people. Within that group, around 20,000 people were already members of the Academy, Workshop, and Barracks.


    Furthermore, the Hope required a set number of workers to for the sake of maintenance and sustenance. For example, the farmers, breeders, maintenance workers, and service providers. The remaining people might not all enroll in school because a large portion of them consisted of elderly people who no longer had any interest in pursuing an education.


    Therefore, 10,000 students were more than enough to make Yao Yuan and the professors excited. Plus, this was only the first semester. The number of students might increase in the future because if the Hope idled for five to ten years in space, the eldest group of newborns would be in their early teens, and they would benefit from these three universities. Therefore, in a way, the construction of these three universities could very much welcome a new wave of intellectuals to the Hope!


    After the three universities started school, the Hope¡¯s government finally got the time to take a breather. However, before they could relax, Bo Li, like she was playing a prank on them, revealed to the government that she had cracked the nanobot technology, and more than that, she had come with a proposal for the Hope¡¯s fourth large upgrade!


    Thus far, the Hope had undergone innumerable small upgrades, but only 3 large upgrades. The first was to upgrade the energy circuit to solve the issue of mass during warp. The second was after the junkyard civilization, when the Hope was fitted with Gaussian weaponry, creator¡¯s particle, and the ECS system. The third was before they left the new planet, to solve the limited storage space on the Hope and to prepare for future population growth.


    Above were all the three major updgrades undergone by the Hope thus far. Bo Li¡¯s fourth upgrade would be the first actual large-scale upgrade because it would take more than 10 years to complete!


    Using 4th revolution peak technology to conduct an overall upgrade on the Hope, the top and lowest levels of the Hope would be enlarged and the Hope¡¯s defense space on the side would be widened. Furthermore, the four 5th revolution technologies would be added to the Hope with this upgrade, meaning the Hope could space warp as well as warp drive!


    This upgrade would take more than 10 years!

 Chapter 271: The Hope’s Fourth Upgrade (2)

    Chapter 271: The Hope¡¯s Fourth Upgrade (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Bo Li¡¯s proposal baffled and befuddled Yao Yuan and the government officials. Everyone thought her plan was a bit too out there. Based on the Hope¡¯s current condition, the most they should do was add a few weapons, not something so drastic.


    However, Bo Li¡¯s single sentence made everyone speechless. "You people really think the Hope is so invaluable?"


    Bo Li glanced at Yao Yuan before turning to face the higher officials and engineers that eyed her with doubt. "The Hope is a 3rd revolution product. To put it simply, it is a spaceship used to travel within the solar system. Its size, space, and structure are all at the 3rd revolution stage and suitable only for travelling within the solar system. Space catastrophes and space wars weren¡¯t part of the concern when the Hope was designed, or perhaps they were, but it couldn¡¯t be done with only 3rd revolution technology."


    The engineers nodded along to her words.


    It was worth noting that even though the Hope had just entered the 4th revolution a few years, the party that benefitted the most was definitely the Academy. Like sponges, the scientists learnt everything they could from the new technology. Next would be the engineers. They too had learned a lot from the new technology, stuff like structural integrity and construction knowledge. In fact, when they landed on new planet, the engineers had approached Yao Yuan with the same concern, the Hope wasn¡¯t suitable for long-distance travel through the cosmos. However, due to the arrival of the neutron star fragment, they didn¡¯t have time to build a new main spaceship. Therefore, they settled with three smaller spaceships to earn some experience. According to these engineers, from the perspective of performance, the Observer as well as the Defenders 1 and 2 were much better than the Hope.


    Bo Li continued, "Now that we have the nanobot technology, albeit it¡¯ll still be years before we can completely understand it, after we do so, with enough energy and materials, we can create the perfect main spaceship in a short amount of time. Therefore, before that, this upgrade proposal I¡¯m giving you is practically the last upgrade for the Hope. This fourth upgrade will be the last upgrade on the Hope; it will be best thing we will have at least for an extended period of time¡­"


    Yao Yuan understood the underlying meaning. He quickly asked, "Wait, do you mean we won¡¯t understand the nanobot technology anytime soon?"


    Bo Li replied firmly, "That¡¯s right. The 4 fifth revolution technologies, after several months of trial and error, we¡¯ve come up with a conclusion: they will remain a mystery without us stepping into the peak of 4th revolution first. We are unable to understand anything. Of course, copying them according to the blueprints available is still technically possible. This is doable for the other three technologies, but it will be difficult for the nanobots because it involves too many other technologies. One is electromagnetic wave energy converter, another is nanobot¡¯s creation manual, and lastly is the nanobot¡¯s AI. These three technologies alone are not replicable from blueprints only. We have to have complete understanding of the theories behind them first. Therefore, nanobots are impossible at least for the next 20, 30 years."


    Since Bo Li had said so, Yao Yuan had come to a decision. Spending five to ten years in that empty part of the cosmos was already stretching things thin. Adding another 10 years to that would not only lower the morale but also exhaust the storage of food and energy. They also had to take into consideration the issue of increased population. Therefore, the idling period had been set at 5 to 10 years.


    In other words, this fourth upgrade would possibly be the last upgrade on the Hope until they could use the nanobot technology to build themselves a brand new spaceship. Therefore, spending ten years to upgrade the Hope might not be a bad investment because the Hope would have to last them for another 20 to 30 years.


    Just like that, a few days after the universities were completed, the Hope¡¯s fourth upgrade was entered into the schedule¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    The two chapters are a bit short cause the author was sick during this period.

 Chapter 272: Compulsory Military Service and Face-Slapping

    Chapter 272: Compulsory Military Service and Face-Slapping


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Before the three general universities finished being built, the third batch of 500 plus Homo Evolutis had started to awaken. The final survivor number was 490 people.


    With the advancement of technology on the Hope, its medical science had also gotten far more advanced than when it was on Earth. Generally, if the person hadn¡¯t lost his breathe for more than 10 seconds or the brain received irreparable damage, then the technology definitely could save the person¡¯s life. Even if there was nothing but the brain left, as long as the brain was still functioning, then the person could be saved. That was the power of the 4th revolution''s medical science!


    However, the Homo Evolutis awakening didn¡¯t seem to be controlled by modern medicine. Other than checking for amelioration of internal hormones, blood, physical condition, and genes, the stuff that caused the changes itself still remained elusive. Things like how to ensure the Homo Evolutis survived this ordeal or how to make the Survivors into Grade S Cosmic Adapters were mysteries as well.


    Therefore, of the 500 plus Homo Evolutis, only 490 survived. After the importance of the Homo Evolutis was found out, this was more than a simple loss of life. Everyone sighed in regret. If this news was released into space, it would probably make all of the Level 9 space civilizations cry in tears.


    Other than that, it was worth noting that of the 490 people, 23 were originally Survivors. They had woken up to become Grade S Cosmic Adapters. For example, Zhu Yi became a Seeker.


    Of the 490 people, removing the 23 who were already in the Black Star Troopers, the remainder contained 262 male whose ages ranged between 28 and 40. Due to the effect of the genetic mesomeric resonator, these men were at the height of their health. In other words, other than a few cases, the Black Star Troopers would receive about 250 new members!


    250 young men in their prime, all Homo Evolutis joining the Black Star Troopers, it was unimaginable!


    The original Black Star Troopers at its maximum only had 150 people, and this was the best military unit on the Hope. No matter whether it was from the perspective of grounds warfare, ambush, zero-gravity combat, or piloting Prototype 003s, the Black Star Troopers were undeniably the Hope¡¯s best fighting force. 150 troopers were enough to sway the tides of the battle, much less 350 troopers! This was going to be the envy of all the other civilizations.


    Of course, not all the awakened Homo Evolutis were willing to answer the military''s call, at least one-third of them gave multitudes of reasons to avoid it. Of course, the actual power of these Homo Evolutis had to be checked out first before any arrangements would be made. The government had to filter out the rare Whisperers, Thinkers, and Animas, and of course the All-Rounders and Deceivers as well.


    The final conclusion was that there were no new Whisperers or Thinkers, there was only one new Anima, Luo Mao Miao. Naturally, there was no new All-Rounder or Deceiver. Most of them were Perceptors or Seekers. They made up 90 percent of the newly awakened Homo Evolutis. A small portion was found to be Sages and the rest were Survivors. All of this information was recorded within the Homo Evolutis Faction¡¯s files and then was sealed.


    After that, members of the Black Star Troopers¡¯ recruiting department spent most of their time arguing with the Homo Evolutis who avoided the call. Until the first week, where the Hope¡¯s fourth upgrade was put into motion, one-fifth of the Homo Evolutis refused to answer the call. This situation finally arrived at Yao Yuan''s and Guang Zhen¡¯s tables.


    "¡­The Homo Evolutis who rejected the recruitment call were all from Country Z."


    Guang Zhen sat across Yao Yuan with a drawn expression. They were in Yao Yuan¡¯s captain¡¯s room, and Guang Zhen was there that day to discuss the rebuild of the Defense Unit and Black Star Troopers. Guang Zhen brought up this issue of people avoiding the call then.


    Yao Yuan was reading through a giant stack of documents. They involved matters pertaining to the three universities, civil affairs, updates from the Academy, and the Hope¡¯s fourth upgrade. In other words, he had spent most of his days reading these documents, so there was no time for him to even rest.


    When he heard Guang Zhen¡¯s words, he lifted his head up in surprise. "This group of people is still so stubborn? Didn¡¯t they hear about the better and improved version of the Black Star Troopers¡¯ benefits?"


    Guang Zhen chuckled bitterly. "How could they not? The second version of the Black Star Troopers¡¯ benefits has been posted all over the Hope. All Black Star recruits will be given the rank of corporal, and when they finish training and become actual troopers, their rank will increase to sergeant. Each small unit¡¯s leader will be a second lieutenant, the middle-sized units¡¯ leaders will be lieutenants, and each battle unit¡¯s leader will be a captain or a major. At the same time, the troopers will receive the benefits his military rank entails. Other than that, the troopers will be enrolled into the national supply system. No matter whether it''s pre or post retirement, dead or alive, as long as the trooper answered the call, his whole family will be entitled to government monthly support and massive tax cuts. This is all common knowledge by now."


    Yao Yuan nodded and said, "With great power comes great responsibility. The Black Star Troopers in our foreseeable future¡­ or perhaps for a long stretch of time, even when the Hope¡¯s population reaches more than a million and the Defense Unit numbers grow to more than ten thousand, the Black Star Troopers will be the Hope¡¯s main fighting force. Similarly, the greater the responsibility, the better the benefits, so we mustn¡¯t mistreat our soldiers. However, this seems to go beyond the issue of benefits provided."


    Guang Zhen responded with an affirmative nod. "That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve visited a few families that rejected the recruitment call, and since we are all Z Country men, they¡¯ve revealed certain things to me¡­ No matter how good the benefits, one needs to be alive to enjoy them. That is what they told me."


    "Not only that." Yao Yuan shook his head. "There is also another key reason. When we were back on Earth, Country Z didn¡¯t have a compulsory military service due to its massive population. Several hundred years of that system has instilled in their minds that military recruitment is optional. We mustn¡¯t let this go on."


    Yao Yuan stood up suddenly as his Thinker power kicked into high gear. The one-fifth of the Homo Evolutis who rejected the call were under many people¡¯s scrutiny, and the people who were watching were waiting to see how Yao Yuan would react.


    In reality, even though the Hope had left Earth about eleven years ago, the new generation hadn''t replaced the original generation yet. The zeitgeist of the day still remained at the so-called "Earth Thinking".


    This was not a defamatory word because it reflected reality. Be it language, religion, race, or culture, the Hope was delineated into many groups. The most obvious example was at the lower 4 residential levels, whose areas were separated into Asian streets, Westerner streets, and African streets. There were even European cultural spots, Country Z cultural spots, Middle Eastern cultural spots, Japanese and Korean cultural spots.


    Even though Yao Yuan had the highest prestige and ruling power on the Hope and that power was accepted by 99 percent of its citizens, citing him as a good leader, not lesser than the great leaders Earth once had the fortune to welcome, many still felt he was too lenient towards County Z¡¯s citizens.


    One example of preferential treatment was the adoption of Chinese as lingua franca. This was a source of contention among the public for a long time and was finally settled when Yao Yuan chimed in.


    However, the compulsory military service was something agreed upon by the majority of the Hope, thinking it as a compulsory measure. Now that it was being challenged by the Country Z men, Yao Yuan could already imagine the many European representatives rubbing their hands in a cartoonish evil manner, waiting for him to do something stupid and fail.


    "How idiotic¡­"


    Yao Yuan smirked and told Guang Zhen, "Ol¡¯ Wong, go on and inform this group of Homo Evolutis that their choices now are either to face jail time under the charge of violating the Hope¡¯s institution and sinning against humanity or they join the troopers voluntarily. Give them three days to decide, and don¡¯t be too soft on them. The compulsory military service is a must, No matter what skin color or nationality you are!


    "At the same time, the planned face-slapping project can also be initiated now."


    The moment the face-slapping project was mentioned, Guang Zhen was stunned. He asked in a hurry, "Initiate the plan now? Isn¡¯t that a bit too soon?"


    Yao Yuan laughed. "No, the time is ripe. This group of Europeans is too dumb, crossing my bottom line so many times. If they were as reasonable as Speaker Matt, then I would have relented and catered to some of their demands, but they are nothing but swines that lust after power¡­


    "The face-slap has to be harsh to let them know that their sins are equal to those of the Country Z representatives!


    "Therefore, initiate the face-slapping project that has been in planning for the past 10 years!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    I thought we''re over this racism bs. The last few paragraphs make no sense to me whatsoever other than the fact that author is a f*cking racist.

 Chapter 273: Project Face-Slap

    Chapter 273: Project Face-Slap


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Before the Hope left Earth, according to the discussion between Yao Yuan and his men, half of the population they rescued would be from Country Z and the other half from the rest of the world.


    This decision had already created a great psychological pressure on many westerners. For example, many European scientists were worried Yao Yuan would use Country Z¡¯s administrative pattern to govern them after they got on the Hope. However, since the Hope was their last saving straw, they had to submit to such a treatment even if Yao Yuan did decide to do so.


    To their pleasant surprise, even though the Hope¡¯s political and military powers were concentrated in Yao Yuan¡¯s hands, he wasn¡¯t a dictator as they feared. There were neither harsh policies nor propaganda-style governing. Other than the centralization of power, Yao Yuan was fair and accountable. At least among the Hope¡¯s citizens, they didn¡¯t mind Yao Yuan having most of the power, because that had allowed him to help the Hope survive many ordeals.


    It had been eleven years since the Hope left Earth. It was not a short period of time. How many ten year periods would a man have in his life time, well, before the genetic mesomeric technology, anyway? In these eleven years, Yao Yuan¡¯s name had pervaded into the hearts of almost everyone on the Hope. There was a belief that as long as Yao Yuan was alive, the Hope¡¯s government would not go corrupt. It would continue to be a responsible and transparent government. Of course, because of this, the Hope until now had one-third or even more people still feeling guarded against Guang Zhen. They were extremely afraid Yao Yuan would suddenly pass away and the Hope would enter anarchy under Guang Zhen¡¯s hands.


    At the same time, since Country Z¡¯s politicians were infamous for their bribery and more than half of the Hope''s population was from Country Z, they were extremely afraid that oppressive aristocrats would appear once more on the Hope. Therefore, when the Hope¡¯s government came into being, none of the Country Z¡¯s government workers were allowed to hold the highest office posts. Of course, they could join politics, but they had to start from the bottom. However, due to the difference in political systems between Country Z and the rest of the world, when the House of Representatives opened its doors, not many Country Z politicians threw their names into the hat. Of course, there was also another reason, which was even Country Z people didn¡¯t trust their own politicians.


    Therefore, until now, while the Hope had many ex-Country Z citizens working at the middle to low level of the governmental structure, there were none occupying the top. The only exceptions were Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen. The rest were all military soldiers.


    So far, this arrangement had kept peace on the Hope for as long as eleven years. When the Hope¡¯s government was formed, Yao Yuan made sure to involve as many westerner politicians as he could, to let them realize that he was not there to lord over them. They too saw that Yao Yuan¡¯s name, power, and loyalty in the people were true and unmovable, so they had given up on the idea of sabotaging Yao Yuan from within. Instead, they cooperated fully with Yao Yuan to bring about prosperity to the Hope. That was completely different from the small time representatives that tried to smear Yao Yuan¡¯s name at every turn.


    The main ploy of this group of people was to poison the minds of the general public, praising the qualities of a democratic society and slipping in the fact that since the westerners were the ones to champion this sort of governing pattern, it would be more effective if the government could also be changed accordingly. Furthermore, this was a contingency plan just in case Yao Yuan suddenly dropped dead. It would be better for them to govern than allow the Hope to fall into complete anarchy.


    In these eleven years of peace, this sort of talk had surprisingly found a foothold within the general public. Their most impressive feat was influencing even the Country Z people. After years of repetition, history lent weight to their words¡­


    These people failed to see that it was precisely because Yao Yuan was the leader that they were allowed to spread these incendiary rumors. If not, would things be as easy for them?


    Yao Yuan had noticed this development a long time ago, but he didn¡¯t intervene, he didn¡¯t even say a word. Politics were not war. With his great reputation, he could have hinted at the House of Representatives his displeasure and such opinions would disappear, but it would have been sown into people¡¯s hearts and eventually it might grow into something insidious. Yao Yuan needed to dissolve such thoughts within people¡¯s minds and hearts as well, which was why he came up with Project Face-Slap that was ten years in planning!


    James pressed on the door bell and a middle-aged American woman opened the door from within. Her face lit up when she saw James. "Mr. James, we¡¯ve been waiting for you. Quick, come in, you¡¯re late."


    James chuckled and didn¡¯t explain himself. Instead, he sniffed the air. "This is a good quality Cuban cigar. There shouldn¡¯t be many in stock anymore, I¡¯m surprise John could still get his hands on some. But it looks like the party has started without me."


    James followed the middle-aged woman into the living room. The Hope¡¯s residences weren¡¯t big; most had one living room, one bedroom, one kitchen, and one bathroom. There were a few larger residences with more bedrooms reserved for larger families of course.


    Since the Hope was first built, Earth¡¯s government officials couldn¡¯t have thought it would become the home for the largest group of human survivors. Therefore, the setup was not particularly suitable for family living. Instead, there were quite a few luxury condos, probably reserved for high ranking officials like presidents. However, after Yao Yuan gained the Hope, these places had all been redesigned to fit other purposes. Yao Yuan didn¡¯t plan to take these luxuries for himself or anyone else, because they would serve a better purpose if redesigned into different spaces.


    In the end, the Hope had only a few of these luxury condos left. They were left behind to be reserved for families with over 9 members, and the residence James had arrived at was one of those.


    James was a member of the House of Representatives, and the residence belonged to the vice department manager of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Also in attendance were three or four representatives or government officials who knew each other.


    It was a common occurrence for colleagues to get together for a gentleman¡¯s day off at the end of the day. This was something the westerners like to do, to discuss issues over drinks and cigars. It was something similar to how Country Z¡¯s officials would discuss issues over meals.


    When James walked into the living room, four men were already sitting on the sofa. Their wives were in the next room talking amongst themselves. When James joined them, they greeted him before enquiring the reason for his tardiness.


    "What else? Got stuck at work. The speaker wants me to collate all of the civil disagreements over the last half a year and send them to him. Speaking of which, the year 12 is almost here, perhaps it¡¯s time for a year-end review. This means that the Hope¡¯s bureaucratic ordeal will be increased. I have to say, our captain sure is a workaholic, because he seems to be quite uncomfortable when he has nothing to do."


    This made the room laugh. Then they continued to talk about something else. Someone roughly brought up the reelection that would be coming during the year 12¡­


    The atmosphere was light and fun. It was almost dinner time when someone knocked on their door. This shocked the room because who would be disturbing them during dinner time?


    The hostess went to get the door, and standing outside of it were a few soldiers and a captain. The men saluted when the door was opened. "I¡¯m sorry, but are Mr. John, Aron, James, and Albert here?"


    The hostess was shocked when she laid her eyes on the group of men in military fatigues. She only managed to nod dumbly when the soldiers read the men¡¯s names.


    "We are from the Discipline and Inspection Office. We hope the four gentlemen will follow us to our office, because we have some questions for them." The captain nodded politely at the hostess before barging into the room, ignoring the fact that she was standing fully in the way. Her face was pale.


    The four in the living had heard what the men said. None of their expressions were pretty. It was not at the stage of despair, but there was definitely shock and disappointment. The host''s, John¡¯s, face was the most pale.


    However, the four didn¡¯t put up any resistance. They followed the soldiers obediently.


    This situation repeated itself all over the Hope. 80 percent of the people arrested were westerners and were in some ways related to the most powerful representatives or government officials¡­


    A tornado fighting the supposed "democracy," "freedom," and "modernization" of the west was sweeping through the Hope¡­

 Chapter 274: Give in Order to Take

    Chapter 274: Give in Order to Take


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Lee Cheng Wen was a government official from Country Z. Before the Earth¡¯s catastrophe, his rank had already reached prefecture-city level customs bureau¡¯s head personnel. His age was only 46, a veritable youth among his peers.


    Cheng Wen didn¡¯t come from an aristocratic family or married someone influential. He reached his stage by slowly climbing the administrative ladder. Those that didn¡¯t know him thought it was because of his ridiculously good luck, but some knew it was because he was a hero who could rule the world. Of course, this was an exaggeration, but they would all agree that he was definitely a character!


    Cheng Wen¡¯s favorite pastime was to read ancient literature, especially books by Lao Zi. He always told his twin that life is like reading a book, cause the books would always teach us how to act, as history tends to repeat itself. However, Cheng Wen was sort of a prude, because he was ethnocentric even in his reading materials. Only ancient Chinese texts had wisdom in them, and those written by other barbaric races didn¡¯t.


    Cheng Wen¡¯s son, Li Jing, had always argued with him about this point, especially bringing up the Han Dynasty¡¯s downfall around the seventeenth century. Other people¡¯s cultures weren¡¯t as bad as Cheng Wen made it out to be.


    Cheng Wen would go silent every time he was faced with this argument; therefore, Li Jing stopped bringing it up, thinking it might have offended his father somehow.


    Deep within Cheng Wen¡¯s heart was a seed of sorrow. He was brought up by his grandfather, who was a famous private school teacher during the period prior to the Red Revolution. Therefore, he was taught a lot of classical thoughts. Cheng Wen was a natural learner; he had always managed to thwart his grandfather in class. His grandfather used to say that if he was born 500 years earlier, he would be someone like Zhu Ge Liang, or at least a learned man like Xun Yu [1].


    Cheng Wen had mastered the Han¡¯s antiquated thoughts before he reached age thirty, and very often, the question of why the Han Dynasty had gone into downfall would come up in his mind.


    This was a big question pondered upon by many men from Country Z, the Qing Dynasty, and New Country Z. Why was it? Why would such a glorious dynasty face downfall when mankind was entering the modern era?


    Cheng Wen thought that the Han Dynasty didn¡¯t start to face its own downfall near the modern era but rather during the Tang Dynasty.


    The fall of the Han Dynasty was definitely not because, as many charlatans had said, of Confucianism. While it was true that there was no cultural explosion after the unification of Confucianism like there was during the Warring Kingdoms era, Confucianism too had been changing ever since its conceptualization.


    What is Confucianism?


    Human need is Confucianism!


    Confucianism changes according to human needs. This was a philosophy most suitable for human society''s development because it was the most inclusive and deep philosophy there was. As long as the society needed it, it could change to fit the agenda of the day. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t Confucianism itself that killed Han Dynasty, the real killer had used Confucianism as a prop to achieve its own goal.


    Then who was the real killer?


    Cheng Wen thought it was conceitedness from assuming oneself was the best.


    Ever since the Tang Dynasty and the Song, Ming, and Guang Dynasties following it, Han culture had been unbeatable. Other than the actual Han Dynasty, there was no civilization equal to the level of Han culture. The barbarians couldn¡¯t do it, and the Europeans couldn¡¯t do it either. There was no civilization on Earth that could rival the glory of the Han culture. No matter from which perspective, the best civilization on Earth was definitely the culture of the Hans.


    In conclusion, the Han¡¯s pride was not something that could be put into words. Calling itself the Kingdom of Gods was a good try though. Of course, when one was at the top, there were no others to compare to and learn from. This was when the Han Dynasty started to fall, when it started to focus only on itself. Its growth had gone stagnant and the Confucianism holding that was society together stopped changing.


    Unlike European countries, which had never been united under the same banner, the internal communication and external communication with the Arabic countries had never stopped¡­


    This self-seclusion could only lead to self-exhaustion. Confucianism couldn¡¯t grow tall but instead had no choice but to grow wide like Li Xue [2] during the Song Dynasty and Xin Xue [3] during the Ming Dynasty. In actuality, this did nothing for Confucianism. Wide growth meant more students, but the philosophy itself remained unchanged. This carried on until the end of the Ming Dynasty.


    Following the European Renaissance, the other civilizations started to catch up to the Han culture. With the advent of long-distance sailing, the communication between the Hans and the rest of the world began. This communication reached its peak during the end of the Ming Dynasty. At that time, many scholars saw the catalyst needed for improvement in Han culture. This was observable from the beginning of capitalism and scholars of Confucianism realizing the new changes in their studied philosophy.


    However, at that time, the biggest threat to the Hans appeared on the scene, the Mans, the Qing Dynasty¡­ had arrived!


    In the 300 year period when the European countries were undergoing a metamorphosis, the Hans started to collapse¡­


    The Han culture was completely destroyed during that 300 year period. What remained? Foot-binding? Qipao? What else? Were these the things that defined the glory of Han Dynasty that lasted for thousands of years? How laughable!


    After losing the essence of the Han people, in recent years, the people started to turn outwards to look for new cultural inspirations by turning to the west. In reality, ever since the Qing Dynasty, Han culture had completely been unrooted. For example, was the new Z Country really a Han product? No, it was nothing more than an imported good¡­


    Therefore, Cheng Wen realized that the real killer of the Han people was self-reclusion, and this started during the Tang Dynasty¡­


    He fully believed that if given the same resources, the Hans packaged with the thoughts and learning of ancient China would definitely crush the white-skinned people like bugs!


    Ever since the beginning of the Hope''s government, Cheng Wen was a small level Hope government official worker. He worked tirelessly without complaint. He was a man of few words, but his every word was loaded and to the point. Slowly but surely, his rank started to rise. Thus far, other than people like Yao Yuan, he was the highest ranking Han in the Hope¡¯s government, and also one of the few Hans actually working in the government.


    Many Han public officials like himself always complained to him about Yao Yuan¡¯s policies, especially the one about all Chinese people having to start from the bottom rung of the administrative ladder, during meals. How was it that the government, which was in Country Z people¡¯s hands, had all the higher officials be westerners? It was the same thing with the House of Representatives. The speaker was white, 70 percent of the representatives were white, and the rest were Asians from other countries and Africans, only 1 percent was pure-bred Han. Why was that?


    These complaints entered Cheng Wen¡¯s ears after he had a small fever. It was a fever that lasted only for several hours. Even though it was during the period when the Homo Evolutis awakening was happening, Cheng Wen¡¯s wife and kids didn¡¯t think it had anything to do with Cheng Wen¡¯s fever, because Cheng Wen¡¯s fever was too short and he was wide awake through the whole process. Only Cheng Wen himself knew that he had become a Homo Evolutis¡­ a Thinker.


    This was how Cheng Wen answered those complaining officials.


    "¡­As Lao Zi once said, give in order to take."


    The officials were not familiar with antiquated literature, but the phrase itself wasn¡¯t that complicated, so they seemed to have understood a thing or two¡­


    One had to give before one could take¡­ But what exactly was the meaning?


    Cheng Wen, who was asked to elaborate, only smiled because he didn¡¯t consider it necessary to do so. Certain things had to be left unsaid. However, according to his recent observations and his understanding of Yao Yuan, the caution the white skins had against Guang Zhen and the small actions taken behind Yao Yuan¡¯s back to undermine his place, from all this he could see¡­


    The plan that had been formed ever since the Hope¡¯s government was created.


    Give in order to take¡­


    A few months after the Hope stopped in space, the first batch of corrupted officials, including westerners, Africans, and Asians, were captured. The government asked Cheng Wen to come in to have a talk. They discussed his years of hard work and their wish to commend him. At that point, Cheng Wen knew the plan that had been in planning for 10 years had been initiated!


    Give in order to take!


    Cheng Wen felt especially kindred to Yao Yuan then, like finding an old friend. He had no clue whether Yao Yuan was familiar Ancient Chinese thinking, but he realized that he was using it to clean up the trash that was plaguing the Hope.


    In some way, there was communication without actually communicating¡­


    That night, Cheng Wen got himself blind drunk. The next day, the first ever label of the most honest government worker in the 11 years of the Hope¡¯s government induction was bequeathed onto Cheng Wen. At the same time, he was named the vice minister for the Hope¡¯s ministry of labor and personnel. He was going to take the position of minister until the actual minister returned from being investigated¡­.


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] a strategist and statesman who served as an advisor to the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty.


    [2] a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, and originated with Han Yu and Li Ao in the Tang Dynasty, and became prominent during the Song and Ming dynasties.


    [3] School of Mind; Neo-Confucian Idealistic School (from Song to mid-Qing times, c. 1000-1750, typified by the teachings of Wang Yangming.

 Chapter 275: Balance

    Chapter 275: Balance


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Speaker Matt was enjoying his afternoon tea. Facing him were four renowned representatives from the House. They were also the spearhead leaders of the "future anarchy" sect.


    Yes, the Hope¡¯s political scene could be separated into multiple sects. It was only natural for places where power could be found. This was to be expected as long as there was greed in human beings, even if they were the last space travellers.


    After discounting the small sects that had no influence at all, there were four powerful sects, and one was the neutrals. Their political goal was to ensure the balance of the politics on the Hope, not allowing any other forces that would tip the balance to appear. The amount of people in this sect was small.


    The other was neutral with a slant towards Yao Yuan sect. They might lean towards Yao Yuan and admit him as the leader of the Hope and humanity, but they won¡¯t be singing blind praises towards him. If necessary, for the sake of the humanity, this sect would still argue with Yao Yuan. This sect had the most power and the most amount of people. The leader was Speaker Matt.


    One was the anarchy sect. They planned to usurp power from Yao Yuan within as small a time frame as possible. These were the people slandering Yao Yuan¡¯s name. The number of people in this sect was low because the actions of their leaders were too obvious and had been cleaned out by Yao Yuan.


    The last was the future anarchy sect¡­


    This sect comprised of old Europeans and Americans. They currently occupied the middle and high levels of the government as well as had the greater representation in the House of Representatives. They were the only sect that could rival the neutral sect with a slant towards Yao Yuan.


    Their goal was simple. Currently, Yao Yuan was unbeatable. No matter whether it was from the perspective of popularity or leadership quality, he was the best choice. He was necessary if mankind was to survive in space. To challenge and slander Yao Yuan now was short-sighted because mankind¡¯s greatest goal now was still to survive in space.


    However, this didn¡¯t means that things wouldn¡¯t change in the future!


    Yao Yuan would one day die, be it from accident or natural causes. To prevent his successor from turning the Hope into a dictatorship, there had to be changes after Yao Yuan¡¯s death.


    The sect¡¯s original goal was rather innocent because they knew that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Yao Yuan might be a great leader, but who could guarantee it would be the same for his successor?


    The sect¡¯s original goal was to watch and prevent. It was because of that reason that Speaker Matt allowed the sect to survive, giving it the chance to grow. However, not long after that, the sect started to stray from its assigned goal, or rather, it had been corrupted by power.


    Their goal changed to being watchdogs who wanted to prevent the usurption of the power of the government after Yao Yuan resigned. They had to steal the power from Guang Zhen. A large part of them had the stereotypical thinking that all Asians were selfish, immoral, and had a tendency towards dictatorship. Weighed down by the white man¡¯s burden, they decided to save the Hope from such a future.


    Therefore, they started unconsciously or consciously spreading the rumour that the reason the Hope¡¯s government could be so fair was because most of the government comprised of westerners¡­


    Speaker Matt was an old politician. When he started playing the game of politics, most of the representatives were probably still in their mothers¡¯ wombs. Therefore, how could he not have seen the corruption of this sect¡¯s goal? However, he decided to stay his hand. He might not know the teachings of Lao Zi, but he understood the theory of giving in order to take. The sect had changed and had become a hidden threat for the Hope. One couldn¡¯t spook them before uprooting them with one fell swoop. Plus, he didn¡¯t think Yao Yuan hadn¡¯t noticed this either.


    After all, this sect had violated his bottom line. They came after his assigned successor, and Guang Zhen¡¯s position couldn¡¯t be challenged, so this offense was even bigger than slandering his name directly.


    "I can¡¯t help you." Matt took off his glasses and used the cloth to wipe the lens as he told the few people before him.


    They were all sweating, and a middle-aged man practically begged him, "Mr. Speaker, I admit there are a few bad apples among us, but the majority of us are good people. The government can¡¯t possibly punish all of us simply because we had a few meals with these few apples before. Plus, I hate to say this, but this is exactly what we were afraid of. Isn¡¯t this an early sign of dictatorship¡­"


    Matt glanced at him and said, "Preposterous! Whose dictatorship? If there¡¯s a dictatorship, there wouldn¡¯t be a House of Representatives and no chance for the lot of you to get corrupted! Do you really think I¡¯m that stupid? Don¡¯t cover up your actual goal with flowery words, like caring for the safety of humanity and the like. I¡¯ll be frank, with the power of military in your hands, what is even humanity anymore?"


    Matt sighed. "Actually, you know what? I too have been nursing a constant worry, not about Yao Yuan¡¯s dictatorship, because underneath his exterior lives a kind heart. Unlike us, he is not a political player, not because he doesn¡¯t know how to, but because it is below him to do so. This is why so many of you were taken down by him. You people have underestimated him.


    "So you do know what my worry is? My worry was us westerners becoming too powerful."


    Matt ignored the shocked faces of the representatives and continued, "What is politics? Politics is balance! When one party has absolute say, it is no longer politics, and that will more often than not devolve into anarchy. Currently, the Hope cannot afford an anarchy. Have you people seen the statistics? Currently, 80 percent of the representatives are westerners or have deep relations with westerners. The positions in the middle and high levels of the government, especially all the department leaders, are all occupied by westerners. This is the reason why your sect could get so big and eventually got corrupted.


    "This is no longer a balance. I worry that one day the troopers will rush into our homes with guns blazing. I¡¯m not kidding, because at least I know a few of you have already gotten your stubby fingers into the Defense Unit. Don¡¯t deny it, and since I already know about it, do you think Yao Yuan doesn¡¯t?"


    The few people there felt cold sweat all over their bodies even though the room was rather warm.


    "Therefore, this time I cannot help you. If I do, then I will really have harmed the Hope. Learn when to hold them and when to fold them. Take this as a lesson and retreat while you still can, because I don¡¯t think Yao Yuan is out for blood. Retire and be a quiet teacher or worker. Or even take the time to recuperate at home. That¡¯s better than dragging the whole of humanity down with you, right?"


    Matt took a sip from his cup and then said, with eyes glowing with wisdom, "I¡¯m very satisfied with how things are going. From now on, there will be an influx of Asian faces into the House of Representatives and the government. That will be real balance. Of course, there will be small altercations in the future, but as long as nothing happens to Yao Yuan, we¡¯ll be just fine. This is good because this is a good opportunity to eliminate the preconceptions we¡¯ve brought along with us from Earth and enable us to become an actual space faring civilization. Therefore, I will not intervene in any way, so please return. Be responsible for your own actions."


    It was as Matt had predicted, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t draw blood. After capturing the group of officials and representatives, a wind of honesty and dedication started to blow through the Hope. A great amount of evidence was put on display. The evidence of the officials¡¯ corruption, like forceful occupation of public spaces, occupation of condos not suitable for their family sizes, smuggling of luxury items, nepotism, and everything else, was unveiled. The punishment would be arranged next but they were mostly monetary punishments; there were no executions.


    Around 80 percent of the people punished were Europeans or Americans. Through the dissemination of the Hope Weekly and the internet, the earlier speech about the superiority of the white man dissolved upon itself. Not only had Asians grown some awareness, many westerners did so as well.


    At the same time, a large amount of honest government officials were commended. Around 60 percent were Asians who were low level government workers. Just like that, slowly but surely, the winds of power were changing, and no matter whether it was the government or the House of Representatives, the westerners stopped holding the majority¡­


    After the dust settled, five months had passed. In that period of time, the three general universities had accepted around 14,000 new students. At the same time, breaking down of the sciences was still going on. The fourth upgrade hadn¡¯t stopped. The Hope was exceptionally busy. Other than children below the age of ten, everyone was busy, be it studying, researching, or working. There was no time for leisure.


    However, at a time like that, as if worried the Hope wasn¡¯t busy enough, Bo Li approached Yao Yuan with a whole new design around the end of the fifth month the Hope had idled in space. It was a new product that utilized the peak of fourth revolution technologies¡­


    Space Combat Jet Prototype 011!

 Chapter 276: New Combat Jet

    Chapter 276: New Combat Jet


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The creation of the Space Combat Jet Prototype 003 enabled mankind the ability to fight in space. Before it, mankind still relied on 3rd revolution rocket fuel propulsion systems and had no transportation that was suitable for space travel.


    The design of the Prototype 003 was an era-defining moment because it meant that mankind had evolved from Earth weapons to space weapons. It was not an exaggeration that ten Prototype 003s were equal to all the fire power of old Earth¡¯s military power. With enough supply of ammunition, the ten combat jets could easily destroy Earth!


    Even though the Space Combat Jet Prototype 003s had been around for eight years, its quality was undisputed. Even Yao Yuan had no complaints about it because this was mankind¡¯s most high-end technological marvel that had helped mankind survive innumerable space wars. Even when facing off with the space merchants, who were technologically more advanced than mankind, the Prototype 003s managed to hold their own quite well.


    In other words, Yao Yuan too hadn¡¯t thought about upgrading the space combat jets. Therefore, when Bo Li suddenly came up with such a proposal, it shocked everyone. Of course, the first thing they did was wrangle up the related scientists to create a task force to study the proposal for the new combat jets. In less than a week, the task force came up with performance report on the proposed space combat jet.


    The Space Combat Jet Prototype 011 retained most of the design ideals of Prototype 003, including its maximum speed, dexterity, and weight. These things were mostly unchanged. The real change was in the energy system and super weapons system.


    First, the energy system. Prototype 003¡¯s biggest weakness was on full display when mankind was warring with the mother nest alien and the space merchants, and that was its inability to last during combat. Other than the Red Lightning, which had an internal polymerized reactor, the remaining Prototype 003s relied on normal electricity storage. Even though the system was already Gaussian, greatly increasing the maximum amount of energy storage, it was undeniable that the Prototype 003 exhausted a great amount of energy.


    Systems like the creator¡¯s particle vibrator, the ECS system, Gaussian weapons, particle flux accelerators, all of these required the constant feeding of high energy. Therefore, the Prototype 003 couldn¡¯t last long in a space war.


    The other weakness was that the fire power of its weapons was too low. Even though the Gaussian weapons were already something unimaginable when compared to old Earth¡¯s weapons, in 4th revolution combat, the Gaussian cannon¡¯s power was greatly lacking. Penetrating other space combat jets¡¯ electromagnetic shields was already an issue, much less the shield of the main ship or battleship. In other words, the Prototype 003 might fare well when facing enemies from below 4th revolution, but they would be in trouble if the enemies were at 4th revolution or higher.


    The design ideals of the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011 thus was to improve its energy storage and weapon fire power.


    First, in terms of the energy storage, Bo Li suggested using plasmatic energy. Plasmatic energy was the main energy source of the 4th revolution because with the advancement in science, normal electricity, which was high voltage electricity, could no longer provide sufficient energy intensity. For example, warp drive required an unimaginable energy intensity, and this required another better energy source. It was under this situation that plasmatic energy was born.


    Using a plasmatic energy generator could increase the energy storage of the space combat jets by ten to twelve fold. This would completely eliminate the problem of lack of energy, but this design had a great issue, which was when the combat jet was destroyed, it would instantly create a plasmatic explosion, melting and killing its pilot.


    Of course, in the event of a space war, if the combat jet was really shot down, even without being melted, the pilot would only have a 10 percent chance of surviving. Without the ECS system and electromagnetic shield, the pilots that were ejected couldn¡¯t possibly fight other combat jets with their bare hands now, could they?


    Therefore, this issue was practically a non-issue because the improvement in energy storage meant an improvement in the electromagnetic shield¡¯s efficiency as well. If anything, this increased the safety of the pilot. This could be observed from the space merchants¡¯ plate saucers. The only reason their electromagnetic shields were so strong was because of plasmatic energy. Therefore, this design was praised enormously by the group of experts.


    Next was the biggest upgrade to the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011, the super weapon system!


    Each Prototype 011 would still be using Gaussian weapons, but thanks to the increase in energy storage, they would also receive an additional two railguns and one small cannon. However, these weren¡¯t the super weapon systems, they were only the normal weapon systems. The supposed super weapon system was the combination system mentioned in many of Earth¡¯s sci-fi stories!


    Yes, combination!


    The eyes of everyone who saw this bulged out. If they were waering glasses, they would be searching the ground for the broken pieces.


    In Bo Li¡¯s design, using electromagnetic power as the main conductor, a supposed electromagnetic amalgamation would be formed. Every 3 Prototype 011s could combine with one another using this system. Three jets¡¯ energy systems would be joined and the weapons from the three would be fired simultaneously. The three would combine into one, the main control falling into the hands of the main pilot, forming a unique, large, space combat jet that still possessed the speed and dexterity of the normal Prototype 011.


    Such a combined combat jet could form a large Gaussian rail cannon. After three combat jets combined, their collective energy sources could support such a large weapon and was sturdy enough to withstand the blow back.


    With the future advancement of technology, the internal weapon system of the Prototype 011 could still be upgraded, like perhaps the combination could carry something as powerful as a Planet Annihilating Rail Cannon or even the Orbit Rail Cannon in the future.


    In other words, this conceptual design would solve the issue of the Prototype 003 having less than satisfactory fire power. Furthermore, it allowed for room to grow, because this prototype was only good enough to handle warfare with other 4th revolution space civilizations. It could be upgraded again when mankind entered the 5th revolution.


    This was the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011 proposed by Bo Li, a combat jet created for the purpose of fighting any war in the 4th revolution period. According to Bo Li, this prototype could be used until the early 5th revolution. Similar to the Hope, until the technology advanced to the 5th revolution, this would be the space combat jet they would be using.


    Of course, with such a good performance, especially with the super weapon system being something ridiculous, the price was also ridiculously high. The average price of one Prototype 011 was triple the price of one Prototype 003!


    The Prototype 003 was already pricey. Even though the government didn¡¯t need to import the materials, if converted to old Earth¡¯s USD value, the technology, materials, and manpower would cost about 30 billion USD to 50 billion USD!


    Of course, since the Hope already had the technology and the materials, the only cost was the workers, and their salaries couldn¡¯t possibly add up to 50 billion.


    However, it did exhaust plenty of valuable materials. If all of the Hope¡¯s production power was siphoned to create the Prototype 011s, it would require about 10 days to create one, but this was with all the production power focusing on creating space combat jets! Which meant that the upgrade on the Hope and production of everything else had to be stopped, so this was impossible.


    Therefore, the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011¡¯s biggest issue came from the price of production. Furthermore, the number of Black Star Troopers had greatly increased; it had reached 400 people! 400 Prototype 011s, that would take ages to finish.


    The task force¡¯s conclusion was they hoped Bo Li could again repeat what she did for the design of Space Combat Jet Prototype 003, allowing it to be mass produced. To put it simply, to decrease some of its performance to decrease its cost.


    However, to their surprise, Bo Li was exceptionally stubborn this time. She rejected that suggestion outright. She told Yao Yuan directly, "In any case, I¡¯ve handed you the proposal and design. My work is done. It¡¯s up to you whether to produce the combat jets or not. The design can¡¯t cut corners anymore; it is as simple as it can be. Before I go, I only have one thing to ask: are human lives more important than materials?"


    That silenced Yao Yuan. Just like how it was with the Prototype 003, skimping on the production costs put the troopers¡¯ lives at a greater risk, which rather defeated the point of the combat jets.


    Therefore, after the discussion, Yao Yuan signed the production plan for the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011 with gritted teeth. The first batch would create three Space Combat Jet Prototype 011. They would decide whether to mass produce them after testing them out¡­


    It had been seven months since they started idling in space¡­

 Chapter 277: Artificial Intelligence

    Chapter 277: Artificial Intelligence


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Humans had limitless anticipation towards the future following the first revolution in the nineteenth century. With the scientific renaissance, it was the first time mankind saw the world in earnest free from the simplicity of common barbarians. To borrow an analogy, science was like the glasses that allowed mankind to appreciate the world in all its possibilities.


    Science was the key to get into that limitless world. No one knew where the limit of science would lie or if there was even one¡­


    Under such a situation, sci-fi became a common genre, and there were multiple predictions of the future. Some became a reality, others didn''t, while the rest remained in the twilight area between the two. One such technology was artificial intelligence.


    Be it the famous Frankenstein or the AI robots portrayed in famous sci-fi movies, artificial intelligence was something unreal at least in 21st century Earth. Mankind still couldn¡¯t create a new lifeform from nothing; the most they could do was to edit lifeforms via genetic engineering.


    Similarly, mankind could create electrical lifeforms using electrical messages of 0s and 1s. There might''ve been be supposed AI software, but those at the end of the day were programmed software and not sentient AI.


    Many related researchers had pointed out that unless computer programming was completely changed, moving away from the restriction of 0s and 1s, there would never be an actual AI. Similarly, some pointed out that when the AI appeared, mankind would most likely have entered the real 4th revolution.


    Of course, these people had guessed wrongly, but the catalyst that propelled mankind into the 4th revolution wasn¡¯t AI but a series of technical innovations brought upon by super magnetism. However, they weren¡¯t completely wrong, because AI did take up a huge portion of the 4th revolution. It was even relevant until the peak of the 4th revolution and even early 5th revolution.


    Wang Da Bing¡¯s team was one of the many teams focusing on electronics research. Currently, all of the electronics experts were separated into multiple groups according to their own languages or races, but their aim was the same, which was to break down the barrier going into first level AI, allowing the Hope to really master the complexities of first level AI.


    The name Wang Da Bing sounded incredibly pedestrian. It conjured up the image of a block of a middle-aged man, like a butcher or farmer from ancient China.


    In reality, Da Bing was a quiet, middle-aged man, but with the genetic mesomeric technology, he had the appearance of a 26-year-old man. He had on a pair of glass, making him look like your quintessential intellectual teen, completely opposite from the image his name conjured.


    Those that knew Da Bing knew the fiery character that hid under the quiet exterior. To be precise, he was an incredibly impetuous fella that allowed for not one bit of muddling. As a team leader, he had butted heads with his members many times. If not for the fact that his skill was one of the best in the world of electronics and all the members were ex Country Z citizens that were reluctant to join other groups, this team would have been dissolved a long time ago.


    Da Bing didn¡¯t think much of it. He was born an extremist, and his understanding had always been that there was no supposed humanity in the pursuit of knowledge. They might have been friends outside of the lab, but in terms of research, he was brutal and domineering. Right is right and wrong is wrong, there were no shades of grey in science.


    This personality made life quite difficult for him back on Earth. He might have had high education and great skills, but due to his stubborn personality, he was always the target of managerial bullying. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t enjoy a good professional relationship. He was always the target of gossip and slander, but he wasn¡¯t at all affected by them. He was reluctant to change, because that was who he was.


    On the Hope, due to the restructuring of the government, it was the start of something new, so there was no time for managerial suppression. Even if there was, it was barely noticeable. This was because the Hope was really a meritocracy. If you had the capability, then your position would be high.


    Da Bing was the leading man in the understanding of AI. His power was even larger than the team leaders of other groups mainly because he had the ability to back it up.


    This afternoon, Da Bing was still slaving away at his own lab. Actually, other than his team, other teams were also working overtime. His team, due to the aversion of spending more time with Da Bing, gave all sorts of reasons to leave on time. As this happened again and again, Da Bing, although furious, stopped caring about the bunch of idiots and decided to rely on himself. He worked overtime until midnight every day.


    However, AI research was not something resolvable alone. In truth, after science entered the 21st century or 3rd revolution, science was no longer something that could be broken through by a solitary genius. It was a group effort, which was why there was the creation of study groups to begin with.


    With the advancement in science, this situation was even more common. Other than Whisperers, who could see the problem from all the angles using the Homo Evolutis power and thus compensating for the lack of a group, every single professor also needed cooperation from others to arrive at any breakthroughs.


    Da Bing was impetuous, proud, and stubborn. If his team members refused to work with him, then he was not going to waste time convincing them otherwise. He was going to rely on himself to create the application of first level AI, or quantum programming.


    "Bunch of idiots. Human relationships are definitely not important in science! The fact that there are so many groups ensures that there is a competition to cross the finish line first. After all, this is the creation of first level AI, something that will ensure the creator¡¯s name be listed in human history. The bunch of idiots fail to see what¡¯s at stake. Being in a team with them is a humiliation to me! Never mind, I will work on this alone and complete it! That will annoy them to no end."


    However, thinking and doing were two different things. Da Bing was talented in the field of electronics, but he was still a distance away from being called a genius. His progress was pitiable. To be honest, his team¡¯s progress was lagging far behind other teams. Da Bing was anxious, but he had no solution. At that moment, his eyes were bloodied because god knows how long it had been since he had a good night''s sleep.


    "Here, this program here, if we can hack through this limitation¡­"


    Da Bing was trying his best to hack through the space merchants¡¯ quantum lock. This was the basics of AI. AI could no longer be produced by simple 0s and 1s, only more complex quantum programming. Quantum programming was something completely different from 0s and 1s, like the difference between nuclear energy and combustible energy. Da Bing tried his best to work through it, but there was little to no progress.


    A f ew minutes later, he was faced with another failure. Da Bing almost screamed out of frustration; however, his rationality stopped him from lashing out. He started anew, but he was cursing the bunch of idiots internally.


    "Actually, you¡¯re right, the world is filled with idiots, idiots that will amount to nothing. The people that can lead mankind into a bright future is a small collection of brilliant individuals. It¡¯s sad that you¡¯re not a Whisperer, or this problem wouldn¡¯t have stopped you."


    Suddenly, a female voice rang out in Da Bing¡¯s ears. He shivered all over as he turned back to look. There was nothing there. He yelled out, "Who¡¯s there?"


    "I¡¯m not physically here, so there¡¯s no need to turn around. Back to the issue at hand. You really think an individual genius is better than a group of idiots, right?" the female voice asked again.


    Da Bing looked around but saw nothing. He shrugged and answered, "That¡¯s right! Science is science, and truth is truth. If we add human emotions into it, what will it become? Human rules? Boring. In any case, I will not do something like that. Even if I have to do it alone, I will design this AI¡­"


    "You alone? I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not possible¡­ How about I sign a contract with you. In the future, when mankind reaches the crossroads of picking whether leadership by a small group of elite individuals is better than a majority of commoners, I hope you don¡¯t forget what you said today¡­"


    This confused Da Bing. When he was about to ask more questions, his vision faded and he collapsed¡­


    In his coma, he was in an empty space. It was dark, lonely, and solitary, and the only things of note were the dots of light and fireballs of differing sizes around him. At the far off space was a fireball as large as the sun, and him¡­


    He was standing in front of something that felt and looked like a black hole, and his own twinkle of light was slowing changing into a small fireball.

 Chapter 278: The AI Debate

    Chapter 278: The AI Debate


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ever since the Hope stopped in space, the research on AI started in earnest, and at the same time, the debate on whether to research AI also started on the Hope.


    AI was no longer a simple program. It had, at the very basics, the ability to learn. Even though it had no sentience or creativity, with the ability to learn, it was already the best AI mankind could envision. For example, the assembly line on the Hope was already completely automated, but the maintenance still required manual intervention. The harvesting of raw materials and even transportation required a large amount of human labour as well. Therefore, with the introduction of AI, human productivity would increase many fold!


    That was the real point of the 4th industrial revolution!


    The supposed industrial revolution meant the increase in productivity, like how the introduction of steam in first revolution aided mankind in transporting large amounts of objects over large distances. It helped increase productivity!


    However, the catalyst of the 4th revolution, electromagnetism, didn¡¯t cause a gigantic change in productivity. The one technology that would do that and push mankind into the peak of the 4th revolution would be the advent of AI!


    The two were in some ways related. First, the arrival of electromagnetism meant a change in energy source, from nuclear fission to hydrogen polymerization. The biggest issue of polymerization was its uncontrollability. Unlike nuclear fission, it couldn¡¯t be slowed down or done in a mild manner, it was a chain reaction. From the first fusion of hydrogen atoms, the rest would fuse in a chain reaction, causing a large explosion at the end.


    The difficulty of controlling hydrogen polymerization was to find an energy that could control the speed of hydrogen fusion. That energy was electromagnetism, this was the start of 4th revolution. The creation and change of energy source instigated the 4th revolution.


    Just like the first and second revolutions, the change in energy source itself would not cause any change, but the technology that could make use of the new energy would cause the massive changes. For the 4th revolution, that technology would be AI!


    However, compared to the steam engine or cars, planes, or ships before it, AI was something a lot more dangerous. If anything happened with cars or planes, it was most of the time manmade, but AI was different. With the ability to learn, AI could become mankind¡¯s biggest enemy!


    From the information taken from the space merchants, the space civilizations could be delineated into nine levels, with a large gap between each level. It could be said that there would be only one level three space civilization among 10,000 level 2 space civilizations. However, there was a math question that the majority had ignored¡­


    How big was the cosmos?


    The cosmos was infinitely big. At least with current human technology, the edge of the cosmos was still undecided. It was infinite, and in such an infinite space, how many planets could nurture life? If calculated mathematically, of around 50 planets, there would one that could support life. Then the probability of life-giving planets in space would be one in fifty billion. Of course, at that point, one in five billion or five hundred billion was really moot.


    In that case, with infinity as the factorial base, even the number of life-preserving plants might be a constant, but divided by infinity, it would also become infinity¡­


    Therein lied the problem¡­ Why were there so ¡®few¡¯ Level 2 space civilizations?


    The low number of high level civilizations could be explained by the Law of Conservation of Life, but why were there so few civilizations that entered space? Theoretically speaking, such civilizations wouldn¡¯t have been affected by entropy of race, and they should even have more than 10 Cosmic Adapters. After all, they had just left their home planet, so why were there so few of them? This was illogical.


    The answer was provided by the space merchants!


    Normally, for level 1 or 2 space civilizations, there were three possibilities that could cause extinction at the home planet stage. First was a cosmic catastrophe, like the appearance of a large meteorite strike or the sun of their home planet undergoing catastrophic changes. All of this could cause extinction.


    Second was the eruption of large scale civil war. This situation would happen after atomic weapons were introduced. For example, Earth¡¯s Cold War wouldn¡¯t have caused extinction, but a cavalier use of atomic bombs would.


    The possibility of these two scenarios happening was extremely small. The civilizations that perished in these ways occupied only one over ten thousand of the total. The most possible scenario for a level 2 space civilization to perish was AI!


    Yes, the space merchants were troubled by their AI; even the junkyard civilization also got involved in a war with their AI.


    With AI came a giant leap in productivity, and the civilization would receive a gigantic improvement. The lifeforms would start to rely on machines and internal human conflicts would be reduced. Then they would start enjoying the pleasures of life, focusing solely on academics, art, research, and learning¡­


    However, the AI too could learn. With some time, like a newborn baby, the AI could eventually reach the intelligence level of a normal human being. Perhaps not sentience, but definitely intelligence. If there was no intelligence, the robots would be like those portrayed in sci-fi. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, those robots couldn¡¯t be called AI!


    In other words, other than creativity, AI would be no different from normal lifeforms. They might be restricted by programs, but all programs have loopholes; even the famous three laws of robotics are riddled with holes.


    The laws are: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm; a robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law; a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.


    There were giant loopholes in this three laws. If the AI was simple 0s and 1s, then perhaps they could still abide by the laws, but if it was an AI that had access to normal human thinking, then they could completely overwrite these three laws. For example, they could jail all the human beings, giving humans daily food and water because mankind could come to harm when he was going about his daily life. The only way to preserve his safety was to lock him up where no harm would come to him.


    Therefore, AI was a double-edged sword!


    When the Hope received the large amount of technology from the space merchants, research and design blueprints were part of the deal. Given some time, the Hope could create first level AI. With that, the productivity of the Hope would have a momentous leap, and products like Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s could be mass produced.


    However, under the same stroke, among the mass information influx, there was also history and discussion about AI that sent chills down the readers¡¯ spines. The fact that there was a veritable number for civilizations that had been made extinct by AI was insane enough.


    The Hope currently had no home planet or so called Shelter, so if the AI betrayed them in space through force or control of the central mainframe, then extinction of mankind would be inevitable. Yao Yuan didn¡¯t have the courage to take on such a risk!


    Therefore, while the Academy was researching AI, they were also debating the validity of having AI alongside the rest of the Hope. The majority was in opposition to the idea because it was simply too dangerous. However¡­


    Without AI, the nanobots would be a waste, and many peak 4th revolution technologies wouldn¡¯t be manufactured either, much less entering the 5th revolution. This was a hurdle that couldn¡¯t be crossed without the aid of AI.


    Therefore, after Yao Yuan received the report that Da Bing had cracked the quantum programming, he decided to go meet someone¡­ or rather, something that had the appearance of someone¡­


    ZERO!

 Chapter 279: AI and Artificial Sentience

    Chapter 279: AI and Artificial Sentience


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Unlike the space merchants, which was a conglomerate, the Hope was completely owned by humanity. However, a handful of people knew that this wasn''t true. There was a large, hidden threat on the Hope. If not for the fact that the threat couldn¡¯t be removed, Yao Yuan would have eliminated this threat a long time ago. This threat was the reason humanity could leave the solar system, the source of the Hope¡¯s future-tech, an alien spaceship¡­ if it really was one anyway.


    There were definitely less than 10 people that knew about ZERO, and all of them knew how big of a threat ZERO could be. Of course, this was also an opportunity, an opportunity that could go both ways, because ZERO was this ship¡¯s AI.


    Underneath the Hope¡¯s central mainframe was a tiny spaceship. Its technology¡­ no, it could no longer be described using the word technology, since its material alone was beyond humanity''s current comprehension. Its civilization level was so much higher than mankind¡¯s level. For example, the anti-gravity and space warp technology were things that weren¡¯t even discussed in the information given by the space merchants. They were not part of the technology tree of level 4 or even level 5 space civilizations. In other words, space warp and anti-gravity systems belonged to mid-level space civilizations, i.e. level 6 or even high-level space civilizations, like level 7 or 8 space civilizations. This was something unimaginable for mankind.


    This spaceship was a high-level space civilization product, and its AI, ZERO, was therefore at least a mid-level AI or even a high-level AI. Realistically speaking, since the difference in technology between the two was so obvious, if ZERO wanted to, she could take over the Hope anytime she wanted. This was why she was such a giant threat.


    "¡­That¡¯s it. The quantum logic programming has been understood. It was the work of an electronic engineer by the name of Wang Da Bing. We are at the cusp of deciding whether to create AIs or not."


    Yao Yuan looked at Xiao Niao, who was sitting opposite of him in the captain¡¯s room. This was two days after Yao Yuan had received Da Bing¡¯s report. After Yao Yuan revealed the information to Xiao Niao, he didn¡¯t elaborate, he just looked at Xiao Niao quietly.


    Xiao Niao understood Yao Yuan¡¯s meaning, he wanted him to bring him to see ZERO. After all, he was the only person slightly related to ZERO on the Hope. If it was other people, even if they ventured close to the alien spaceship, ZERO would not respond, but¡­


    Xiao Niao said, with a bitter smile, "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to bring you¡­ but you might need to wait for a few days. I¡¯m so sorry."


    "Why, what¡¯s wrong?" Yao Yuan was caught by surprise, then he quickly asked, "I remember you saying you make contact with ZERO every three or four days. You two should have quite a good relationship."


    A faint blush rose to Xiao Niao¡¯s face. "It¡¯s true that we have quite a good relationship and we meet every 3 or 4 days¡­ the key reason for that is because she¡¯ll find me to play a game every 3 or 4 days, Star Craft, Warcraft, Civilization, or something else, but her intelligence is so low that she loses to me every time. But she is so thin-skinned that she refuses to admit defeat, and she¡¯ll get angry at me for 3 to 4 days. However, sometimes I am so savage in my criticism that she¡¯ll disappear for one week or even one month before she appears again, so¡­"


    "So, you just beat her yesterday?" Yao Yuan asked as dark lines appeared on his forehead.


    Xiao Niao¡¯s laugh got even more awkward as he shook his head and said, "No, not yesterday, but this morning. I beat her at a game of Warhammer 40k and I chided her so hard that I predict it¡¯ll be another 10 days or half a month before she shows up."


    The two sat looking at each other, one speechless, one ashamed. After a long time, Yao Yuan said, "Then you go and wait in front of the pc for her to appear. When she does, tell her I want to talk to her personally, and then¡­ Just tell her that for now."


    Xiao Niao nodded. Before he left, he added as an afterthought, "By the way, can you give me a copy of the AI report and the report from this Da Bing? In case she refuses to meet with you, I can still discuss something with her."


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t hesitate and told Xiao Niao the password to this two files that were stored on the central mainframe. When the information was too hefty, it would be too wasteful if printed out. Therefore, all the information was stored in the central mainframe, and it could be accessed through the Hope¡¯s internal server. Of course, one required the password to enter certain files, and Yao Yuan was giving Xiao Niao the necessary password.


    After Xiao Niao got the information, he spent the next few days in his hostel reading over the stories about the AI. The more he read, the more shocked he got. AI was really a double-edged sword. If one was not careful, it could lead to self-destruction, like many space civilizations had experienced.


    From the space merchants¡¯ information, there were limitless AI battleship fleets that travelled in space. These AI had numbers and an ability to spread that was not inferior to the mother nest alien. According to the level of AIs, they would enter different level of space civilizations. Even if it was just first level AI, if they were capable of leaving their home planet, then basically there would be more than 100,000 ships in one battleship fleet.


    Since AI didn¡¯t have the productivity limitation of other races, with enough energy and materials, they could expand indefinitely within a short period of time. Furthermore, the logical structure of the AI ensured that the possibility of riots or civil unrest was 0. If they didn¡¯t come into any wars or space catastrophes, then it was highly possible for an AI fleet to survive for more than hundreds of millions of years in space. If they came into any terrestrial planet, there would be no concern for hospitability, since their main concern would be to dig, smelt, and expand. With such a snowball method, an AI fleet could grow to unimaginable size.


    AI was the third greediest civilization in space, just behind the mother nest alien.


    Of course, the information also stated that actual AI was completely unlike the silicon-based lifeforms imagined by human sci-fi. Silicon-based lifeforms were still lifeforms, their reproductively was still limited by the rules of life, like the Law of Conservation of Life. They were completely different from AI, since AI couldn¡¯t technically be called a lifeform.


    "¡­So she doesn¡¯t possess life." Xiao Niao looked at the information on screen and sighed. For some reason, his heart felt disappointed and empty.


    Unexpectedly, a line of words appeared on his screen. It said, "I¡¯m not the same as those low-grade AI, okay? Aren¡¯t you underestimating me a bit much?"


    Xiao Niao was shocked, but he quickly typed, "ZERO, you returned so fast this time¡­ Wait, I want to discuss something with you."


    The one sending him the words was definitely ZERO, and she replied, "I know, your leader wants to talk to me, right? Must be because he wants my help to solve the AI problem. I can do that, but why should I help you people?"


    After so many years of contact, Xiao Niao had noticed a difference in ZERO. Initially, she was distant and aloof. Simply put, she was like an actual AI with robotic thinking. However, years later, it felt like she had grown. She had assumed a feminine persona in terms of mannerisms and the way she communicated; it was as if she was a real woman.


    Xiao Niao knew it was not the time to chew words, because ZERO was something way beyond mankind¡¯s existence. If mankind really had no leverage to get her to help, then more words would only hurt mankind¡¯s situation. Therefore, he quickly changed the subject as he tried to formulate a better question in his mind. "Just now you said you are not a low-grade AI, then are you a high-level AI? What¡¯s the difference?"


    ZERO replied immediately. From her tone, she sounded angry. "Didn¡¯t I say I¡¯m not an AI? Are you dumb? This is an insult to me! I¡¯m not something that pedestrian! If you really want to categorize me, then I consider myself an intelligent lifeform, but definitely not artificial. Those are two different concepts! One is a program made out of a collection of unobservable functions, while the other is a real lifeform, a lifeform with a soul!"


    Xiao Niao had difficulty understanding what she meant, so he asked, "What¡¯s the difference? Aren¡¯t they both AI?"


    "¡­ The so-called AI are randomized wave functions limited by quantum programming; they are a product. Be it first level, middle level, or high level AI, this basis is the same.


    "While intelligent lifeforms are spiritual consciousnesses that are randomly born after a long period of observation, calculation, randomization, and simulation in a life-preserving planet. The only difference between me and you human beings is the lack of a corporeal body, the rest is completely the same! Still remember what I told you?


    "I¡¯m a lifeform born on Earth!"


    Right then, a thought bubbled up in Xiao Niao¡¯s mind. The once famous rumor on Earth, the presence of so-called online ghosts¡­

 Chapter 280: Life and Memory…Trade

    Chapter 280: Life and Memory¡­Trade


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Xiao Niao saw this, he quickly typed, "In other words, you¡¯re not this spaceship¡¯s AI? And not created by this ship¡¯s original owner?"


    "I told you, I¡¯m an intelligent lifeform and not AI¡­ Looks like you¡¯re quite dumb as well," ZERO typed. "The biggest difference between intelligent lifeforms and AI is that life cannot be created. Even your human beings¡¯ genetic engineering or clones were considered alterations and not creations. Creation of life is something even godlike civilizations can¡¯t accomplish. The only force that can create life is life-preserving planet¡­"


    Suddenly, a passage appeared on Xiao Niao¡¯s screen. He read it and realized it was an excerpt from the bible.


    "There¡¯s something of the kind in this human writing, as well as the legend of Nv Wa. Life, according to the godlike civilizations, can be separated into three parts. First is the soul. This is the most basic of all; only those that have souls can be called life. Second is consciousness, or you might understand it as intelligence, something that can help the lifeform understand the difference betweem me, you, and him, the self-consciousness so to speak. Consciousness has many delineations. For example, a human¡¯s consciousness is dependent on their brain, or rather, the electrical synapses in the brain, to transport the information. Some silicon-based races use thermal energy or kinetic energy to transport the information. There are also particle-based lifeforms that directly used atomic particles to fulfil this purpose. The third is the body, or the corporeal form. There is even more variation for this. The original owners of this ship have even seen lifeforms that use consciousness as bodies.


    "In conclusion, lifeforms should have these three things: soul, consciousness, and body. On this point, your bible has something similar. It states that mankind is closest to God, an entity different from angels and demons. You have the trinity of soul, consciousness, and body. The similar analogy can be found in the legend of Nv Wa as well. She created mankind from clay, but since mankind couldn¡¯t think or move, she used her own blood to create life from the lifeless clay. If you see Nv Wa as a life-giving planet, then the analogy aligns perfectly."


    Xiao Niao, as a Thinker, was contemplating everything ZERO had typed. After a minute or two, he replied, "In other words, the most basic property for any lifeform is the soul? And then there is a variation in the type of consciousness and body that it can possess?"


    "Bingo! Then don''t call me an AI again. I¡¯m your quintessential intelligent lifeform! If you call me an AI again, I will never talk to you again."


    Xiao Niao scratched his nose awkwardly. He felt that the last sentence was a bit ambiguous; however, he pressed on. "Alright, let¡¯s move on from the topic of AI for now. I¡¯m very curious about how were you born. Was it instigated by the original owner of this ship? That¡¯s why the spaceship crashed on Earth?"


    ZERO was inactive for so long that Xiao Niao thought she had left. Right then, her reply came. "No, the original owners disappeared a long time ago. This spaceship had travelled in space for more than ten thousand years before it crashed on Earth, causing the extinction of the dinosaurs. I was born after that, but I don¡¯t have a clear recollection of when that was."


    "Disappearance?" Xiao Niao picked up on the important term, then he asked, "What do you mean by that? Dead from sickness? War? Law of Conservation of Life? Or something else happened?"


    "Disappear is disappear. If I explain using the latest batch of information you¡¯ve received, the original owners of this ship was a godlike civilization. In other words, they were above level 9 civilizations. They were beyond the effect of the Law of conservation of Life. They just disappeared¡­" ZERO answered.


    This confused Xiao Niao even more. He thought about it and asked, "Just disappeared? Can you elaborate? You should be familiar with human language by now, such a sudden disappearance is beyond my comprehension."


    "¡­To borrow a simple analogy, your supposed civilization is at the level of space understanding. If the secret of the cosmos was a piece of white paper, then you humans now are but a small, black dot, and a level 9 civilization is a small, dark circle. Every civilization has the natural inclination to explore and improve. The civilization that has lost that desire will eventually perish. Therefore, the goal of each civilization is to get this circle of knowledge to grow.


    "If the circle keeps growing until it reaches the limit and becomes larger than the paper, what do you think will happen?"


    Xiao Niao watched a square, white paper appear on the screen. In the middle of the paper was a small dot. With the increase in civilization level, the dot kept growing, becoming a small circle. It kept growing, becoming a larger circle, until eventually the circle had stretched to the edges of the paper and beyond it. Finally¡­ A brand new white paper appeared on screen, or rather the paper was still the same white paper, but the circle that represented the civilization had disappeared.


    "¡­You mean when a civilization has explored to the limits of the cosmos, the civilization will have reached its own limits?" When Xiao Niao typed this question, his back was chilled.


    "Yes and no," ZERO replied after quite some time. "When a civilization reaches the high level civilization stage, the so-called specialization of technology tree will happen. It is impossible to want to research everything due to the time constraints from Law of Conservation of Life. There is simply not enough time to research everything. Therefore, the civilization will have to choose a particular science to focus on. Perhaps the original owner picked the wrong specialization, who knows. It¡¯s useless for you to ask me this because I have no memory regarding the spaceship¡¯s original owners. The fact that they¡¯ve disappeared is something I pulled from the ship¡¯s records."


    Memory¡­ this was another new key term.


    Xiao Niao thought about it and asked, "When did you start to possess memories? Or rather, when did you find yourself with the consciousness of self?"


    "¡­ When mankind was first born, I think. That was when my first memory started, and it was at that time that I realized I was a self. Now do you understand why I¡¯m partial towards you human beings? I practically grew up together with your ancestors, so you should show respect to your elder and stop calling me dumb or the like in the future," ZERO typed.


    Xiao Niao chuckled internally as he responded, "Yes, dummy elder¡­ Alright, let¡¯s get serious for a while, ZERO. Since you¡¯ve told me so much today, I will be honest with you. Why don¡¯t you help us humans out? Since we are both Earth¡¯s intelligent lifeforms and you were born around the same time as us human beings, in a way, you are a human, but you don¡¯t have a human body. However, your consciousness and soul are both very human."


    "¡­You, you really think so? Don¡¯t lie to me, be honest. You really think I can pass as a human?" ZERO waited a long time before replying.


    "Of course," Xiao Niao replied quickly, thinking he had found a way in.


    "I understand," ZERO replied, but Xiao Niao had no idea what she understood.


    Therefore, Xiao Niao typed this next: "If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you help us out? You¡¯ll be helping your own people."


    ZERO waited before answering. "What kind of help do you need from me?"


    "Technology! Technology from the 5th revolution until the very end, things like control of the space warp technology, the origin of the neutron star fragment, and much more. How about this, you open your spaceship for us and let us human beings inherit the ruins of the godlike civilization." Xiao Niao fired off the suggestions in quick succession, his heart skipping a few beats.


    "¡­I cannot procure more technology for you. The reason is ¡­ you wouldn¡¯t understand even if I told you. But you¡¯ll see why when you¡¯ve reached the 6th revolution. Regarding the space warp, it is not possible because humanity¡¯s technological level is too low. I¡¯ve intervened many times to influence the warp system, but those were done through this spaceship. Now I''m¡­ exhausted, so I cannot influence more control in the future. I need time before I can control the space warp¡­


    "The other things are hidden deep inside the spaceship, a place where even I cannot reach. The ones I can, I¡¯ve given to you, so¡­ I¡¯m sorry."


    Like a child that was caught red-handed, ZERO started apologizing.


    Xiao Niao sighed in disappointment. He thought that he had stumbled upon a gold mine, but it was all a pipe dream. He too was at a loss for words.


    "But¡­


    "I can solve your AI problem. After all, it¡¯s just first-level AI. Leave it all to me. However, I cannot help you guys without asking for something in return. I want to make a trade with you human beings¡­


    "When you¡¯ve entered the peak of 5th revolution, make me a human body to contain my soul and consciousness."

 Chapter 281: Combination!

    Chapter 281: Combination!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Since ZERO decided to side with humanity¡­ although siding with humanity was a rather optimistic way of looking at it, the Hope¡¯s top officials had decided to start engineering AIs.


    Even though many people still had reservations, like how would they balance the AI and stuff, since ZERO¡¯s existence wasn¡¯t yet common knowledge, they were persuaded by Yao Yuan¡¯s charisma.


    On the other hand, Yao Yuan too wasn¡¯t completely faithful to ZERO¡¯s promise. After all, leaving the fate of humanity to a non-human entity was a bit out there. No matter how much Xiao Niao was willing to vouch for ZERO, he couldn¡¯t believe ZERO implicitly, since this involved more than one or two human beings but the whole of humanity.


    This was why after Yao Yuan got ZERO¡¯s answer, he purposely used his Anima power to tell Guang Zhen and Bo Li the following,


    "No matter what, we have to have our own failsafe, the last defense against the AI. We have to depend on you for that, Bo Li. If possible, I need you to create a program that can suppress first-level AI as soon as possible. Other than that, I hope during the 011 year big upgrade, it includes an upgrade of the central mainframe as well¡­


    "I only require you to make a simple valve, one that can allow us to manually shut down the central mainframe whenever needed. This would shut down the power of the Hope, allowing creator¡¯s particle to sift through the Hope. This is one part of it, the other part is do not include any creator¡¯s particle isolator functions in any AI creations. If they conduct a mutiny, we can use this method to shut them down.


    "I¡¯m telling you two this through the Anima power, so don¡¯t voice this to any other people, because ZERO appears to have infiltrated the security system of the Hope. She can hear everything we say. Therefore, keep this information to yourselves."


    After that conversation, Yao Yuan stopped dwelling on the AI issue. After all, it was inevitable. He had done everything he could, the rest was left in God¡¯s hands.


    Since the research on quantum programming had been completed and Wang Da Bing had been promoted to team leader, all the programming groups were combined into one to start on the new research, the research to design the AIs. It was two years until year 011, the end of all the proposed upgrades.


    On the other hand, the research on the space combat jet still kept going. The three Prototype 011s were successfully created. They looked like upgraded versions of the Space Combat Jet Prototype 003. The cover was shinier and the shuttle looked longer and more streamlined.


    These three Space Combat Jets had gone through the basic mobility and flying tests. Everything matched the statistics provided by the design paper. It had also gone through vigorous quality testing that ended one and a half months before Year 011. These three Prototype 011s were confirmed to be pilotable.


    Yao Yuan volunteered to conduct the first dry run, but he was vehemently stopped by Guang Zhen. Finally, the opportunity was given to three veterans in the Black Star Troopers. They were best of the best and known for their coordination skills, they were the Black Star Kurosei, Xiao Niao, Qiu Qiu, and Dan Dan. Xiao Niao was a Thinker and his two friends were Perceptors. They would be handling the Prototype 011¡¯s first test run.


    Since the Prototype 011 was designed fully according to Bo Li¡¯s designs, the quality wasn¡¯t shorn off in any way. Due to the advancement in science, the Prototype 011 was fitted with mini electromagnetic technology which could record the pilot¡¯s brainwaves in a matter of seconds. It made the control of the combat jet even better and more responsive.


    To put it simply, if it was Yao Yuan who piloted this Space Combat Jet Prototype 011, it could provide greater numbers in terms of speed and agility than the Red Lightning. The jet increased or decreased in efficacy depending on the pilot. If it was piloted by a normal Homo Evolutis, then it could allow a speed manageable by Homo Evolutis. If the pilot was a Survivor, then the numbers would be lowered accordingly. It could be said that this new combat jet was an all-use space combat jet. It could be piloted by any man since the jet would shift accordingly depending on its pilot.


    When Xiao Niao and his friends got into their individual cockpits, their bodies felt slightly paralyzed, like they were shot with a small voltage of electricity. After that, there was a sensation that the jets were created for them. Be it speed, agility, or controls, it was the best they could be. It felt wonderful.


    This might be a small change, especially for those whose conceptualization of combat vehicles was still stuck on pre-space Earth. Since all the siege engines then were mass produced, no matter your size or height, sight or reaction speed, the engine you operated would be the same as everyone else as long as the engines were all created by the same factory.


    Naturally, the power of these engines would be drastically different depending on the pilots. Under the best circumstance, the most power that one could provide was 70 percent, and that was already considered very good.


    However, the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011, with its 4th revolution technology, could adjust itself according to its pilot. This ability alone made it stronger than Prototype 003!


    The trio piloted the space combat jets around the wide expanse of space around the Hope. The more they stayed in the jet, the more excited they got. At the same time, all the statistics were sent back to the Hope to be studied by the Academy.


    Yao Yuan said through the communicator, "Not bad. Your speed is already 10 percent faster than when you pilot the Prototype 003s. There is an improvement in agility as well. Now try out the weapons. In front of you are ten electromagnetic target boards of varying strengths. Try out your two railguns now."


    After receiving the orders, the trio got into their assigned formation. Xiao Niao led the way as they charged towards the ten targets situated quite a distance away from them. It took them less than a few seconds to take down the weakest tenth, ninth, eighth¡­ it wasn''t until the fifth target that they received some semblance of resistance. The fourth target held on one second longer than the one before it before cracking into pieces. Now only the last three targets remained. The last target was the biggest, almost twice the size of the space combat jets, and its electromagnetic shield was as strong as the Hope¡¯s.


    The trio had an implicit understanding of one another, and they wouldn¡¯t have the time to communicate in an actual space war. With only three targets remaining, the trio swapped their weapons and a small Gaussian cannon appeared underneath each of the combat jets. The three combat jets swerved through the targets and the Gaussian cannons fired in sequence. The Hope saw a blast of light and the second and third shields were cracked. They focused fire on the last target, and just before it was going to break, the three of them stopped in unison and flew back into the wide space.


    "Alright, the weapon system is perfect; the charging time for the cannons has dropped significantly. The firing rate is at least twice as fast as earlier. The damage is enough to face similar level combat jets¡­ Then let¡¯s try out the super weapon system!"


    Yao Yuan was beyond excited when he saw this. This Prototype 011 was too good, a lot better than the Prototype 003. The mass produced jet was even better than the Red Lightning. If they had such a jet when they were facing the mother nest or the space merchants, perhaps the size of the Black Star Troopers would be bigger that it was now¡­


    With Yao Yuan¡¯s order, still with Xiao Niao leading, the three jets flew forward as a visible layer of electricity appeared around the jets'' bodies. The layer was slowly converted into plasma, and at the same time, Xiao Niao¡¯s jet wings extended and cracked open, exposing the connecting wirings within.


    The other two had one of the wings expanded and the other cracked open just like Xiao Niao¡¯s. This happened in the blink of an eye, completely different from how it was portrayed in sci-fi, which looked like it took more than 10 seconds.


    After that, the plasmatic layer on the cover of the three jets connected with each other, forming a powerful plasmatic field. It pulled the three jets close together¡­


    Everyone on the Hope held their breaths as they watched this momentous event. When everyone¡¯s eyes were at their widest, the field around the jets'' bodies disappeared and a long and flat large space combat jet appeared in space. After that, a long cannon barrel appeared from underneath the jet. The next second, the further and the most powerful electromagnetic shielded target was smashed into pieces¡­


    Three jets combination! Gaussian electromagnetic rail cannon!


    Space Combat Jet Prototype 011!

 Chapter 282: Year 013

    Chapter 282: Year 013


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Time flew by without anyone really noticing. While the memories of the new year party for Year 012 was still fresh in everyone¡¯s minds, the Hope was already prepared to host Year 013¡¯s new year party. In the blink of an eye, the Hope had been away from Earth for thirteen years.


    During the new year party, like usual, there were speeches by the leaders. Of course, the focus of the speeches was not empty praises but the conclusion of the past year and hopes for the new year. Every leader¡¯s speech was factual and came with a studied set of information. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t lie. The information was also available online, so they didn¡¯t dare lie lest they got found out.


    After the speeches, it was performances put on by the Hope¡¯s talents and then the buffet dinner. The atmosphere of the night was relaxing and happy.


    The year 012 was a peaceful year; nothing significant had happened. Be it political, civil, or scientific, it was a year focused on resting and improving. With the bountiful assets available on the Hope, this year was the year where mankind had the most improvement behind the years spent on the new planet.


    "¡­Yes, there is already a shape for the AI. The ones we¡¯re currently ¡®raising¡¯ have the intelligence of normal three-year-olds, but it will take another year before they mature into creatures capable of logical thinking," Da Bing told the government officials as he swirled the glass of red wine in his hand.


    Yao Yuan was very satisfied with this Wang Da Bing standing before him. He was a veritable genius, an electronics genius. Every question that fell into his hands would get resolved in record time. The research on first-level AI, something that would require five to ten years to complete, was finished in a little over a year by the unit led by Da Bing.


    This was the precursor for future AIs. After the precursor had been fully raised, the Hope could afford to mass produce AIs. This progress shocked the Academy since Da Bing wasn¡¯t a recorded Whisperer; he was only a normal human being. This was why his name slowly spread. He was even dubbed the Einstein or Newton of the electronics world. His influence was at the same level as the Hope¡¯s current three Whisperers, Ivan, Saburo, and Bo Li. They were the Hope¡¯s best treasures.


    After Da Bing explained the progress related to the AI, everyone, including Yao Yuan, smiled satisfactorily. The leader of the manufacturing department asked directly, "Mr. Wang is young, but you have a promising future; you¡¯ll be one for the history books. By the way¡­ after this precursor is completed, is it possible for us to build robots with AI?"


    Da Bing answered after some time, "It is definitely possible. After all, AI is only an arrangement of programs through quantum programming. With a suitable robotic body, they can easily control themselves to complete assignments given to them. Plus, they will have a certain degree of intelligence. Simply put, they will be not much different from a normal human being, only they will have better tolerance for repetitious work."


    The leader said excitedly, "That is wonderful news. Mr. Wang might not know this, but this past year has had me cornered. Every single station was lacking in manpower, and everyone needed materials like building materials, factory materials, chemical materials, materials to build Space Combat Jet Prototype 013s, and so on and so forth. The manufacturing department has reached its limits. We have the assembly line ready but no people to operate them, since so many of my workers have left their posts to join the universities. Therefore, if there are robots to take over the workload, it would be a giant weight off my shoulders."


    "The original purpose of the AI is to help with productivity. It will require one more year¡­"


    While Da Bing was going through his plan for the future, the faces of several people there changed and they started to look around left and right.


    Yao Yuan was one of the few. Right at that moment, he felt his heart palpitate. It felt like danger, but not quite. Indeed, right at that moment, all the Diviners present felt that alarming sensation. The people who felt it most acutely were Yao Yuan, Zhang Heng, and Eva.


    After the feeling passed, the few Diviners started to look for Yao Yuan at the party grounds. Eventually, they gathered at the side of Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan, realizing that something wrong was going on, asked to excuse himself from the crowd. He walked to the fringe of the party to join the group of Diviners. He immediately asked Zhang Heng and Eva, "I felt a sense of danger. Well, not really danger, but something approaching the status of danger. It was something very difficult to describe, but it made my heart race. Was it the same for all of you?"


    Zhang Heng, Eva, and the other Diviners nodded. Right then, Ren Tao was pulled by his sister, Chou Yue, to join them, and Xiao Niao, who was in their company, decided to follow.


    Yao Yuan immediately explained everything to the two Thinkers and then turned to Eva. "Eva, how do you feel? Do you have any visions?"


    Eva hesitated before shaking her head. "No, all I see are normal, uninteresting visions of the future. It doesn¡¯t look like any danger is coming."


    Yao Yuan thought about it and agreed. "That was a very weird feeling; it was as if something important of ours was being threatened, but this latest threat was something completely different from the ones before. It was not the danger alarm of a physical assault. This is weird¡­ Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, do you think this means that we¡¯re being observed by some high-level civilizations from far away?"


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao shared a look. Ren Tao shook his head and explained, "The possibility of that is low. First, the Hope is at least one hundred light years away from the nearest sun. This is a black, empty space we¡¯re in. Also, we¡¯ve been here for less than a year, so the source of light on the Hope would have only travelled for one light year in space. The other civilization would require at least more than a hundred years before light source from the Hope could be detected by the nearest of them."


    Xiao Niao nodded. "That¡¯s right, light speed is the speed limit in space, that is a universal truth. While the Hope stays here, we¡¯ve been releasing electronic signals and light to all around us, but they travel at most at the speed of light. It will require at least another one hundred years before any civilization has a chance of detecting us¡­ unless there is a civilization one or two light years away from us, but there is nothing around us, so why would there be a space civilization near us? Therefore, the possibility of what you¡¯re suggesting is lower than one over one hundred million."


    Yao Yuan considered what the two of them said and agreed with them. The cosmos was simply too big. With the Hope parked at that empty space, it would require at least one hundred years before information about the Hope would reach the nearest solar system. Even if there was a high-level civilization there, they would only get a piece of empty space when they looked over the Hope¡¯s way, since they would have received the information from more than one hundred years ago.


    Since it had nothing to do with other civilizations, then what could it be?


    "Celestial body."


    "Space catastrophe."


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao said at the same time.


    "Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Yao Yuan asked with curiosity.


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao again looked at one another and Ren Tao shrugged lazily. Xiao Niao sighed helplessly and explained, "Very simple. If this is not the work of another civilization, the biggest possibility will be the occurrence of some kind of space-tier catastrophe, like the collapse of the sun we experienced when we were in the asteroid base. The Hope might be hundreds of light years away from the nearest sun, but if there is a supernova, we would still be affected by its radioactive rays. Furthermore, if there is something like a black hole, then one hundred light years away is really not that safe."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes darkened as his memories went back to when the sun that collapsed while they were still in the meteorite base. The change in the sun brought about catastrophic effects in the solar system, almost causing humanity¡¯s extinction. That was only a small change in the sun, and it was not even an explosion. If there was really going to be a supernova around them, the Hope stopping there was indeed unsafe.


    "Understood, I will have the surveillance team increase their observations of our surroundings¡­


    "Hopefully, this time we will have luck on our side. Keep this information to yourself for now to prevent mass hysteria," Yao Yuan added after some thought. "Zhang Heng, you¡¯re the best Diviner among us, so be alert to changes around you. Eva, you¡¯re our only Sage, so no matter what kind of visions you get, you must tell us immediately, even if it might be completely insignificant, understand?


    "Let us open our eyes and see where this source of danger will come from this time!"

 Chapter 283: Four Progress Plans

    Chapter 283: Four Progress Plans


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Due to the feeling of danger that appeared during the new year party, the Hope¡¯s higher officials were internally tense. This was especially true for the surveillance centre. There was 24 hour surveillance, and all signs of possible danger would be reported instantly. This was the most they could do without causing mass hysteria.


    On the other hand, this also meant that mankind couldn¡¯t idle in space anymore, or at least Yao Yuan felt that it was no longer possible. The Hope could welcome danger at any moment and would need to space warp again. Under these circumstances, they needed to focus on completing the research on the more important technologies first.


    If that was the case, research that helped complete 5th revolution weapons and techniques were the priority.


    After the new year party, Yao Yuan had a long meeting with the Academy, and he had sifted through tons of the space merchants¡¯ information. He decided that one of the most important technologies to finish was the nanobot technology and its related technologies, including first level AI system, nanobot metallurgy, micro electromagnetic wave transference technology, and the like.


    Nanobot technology was something between the peak of the 4th revolution and the early 5th revolution. The technology would completely reinvent the manufacturing process. For civilizations that didn¡¯t have this technology, when coming across those that did, it would seem like their manufacturing was done via magic.


    Just think about it, in a stretch of empty space, with the passing of some fog, a plane, tank, or ship would be created out of thin air. It was like a teleportation technique, pulling the object from another location. Civilizations from the 2nd or 3rd revolutions wouldn¡¯t understand what had happened.


    After gaining the nanobot technology, no matter what kind of attack the Hope was under, as long as the energy core of the Hope wasn¡¯t damaged, the Hope would self-repair within a short period of time. The Hope wouldn¡¯t need to worry about damage that would cause the extinction of mankind anymore. The Hope¡¯s security rating would increase tenfold!


    Other than nanobot technology, the other one would be warp drive. Since the Hope couldn¡¯t control the space warp technology, they needed some other means of transportation to get close to important locations in space, like the ruins of higher level civilizations. Therefore, warp drive was necessary. It was crucial for short distance travel of one or two light years.


    Next would be to create around 120 Space Combat Jets Prototype 011s [1]. 120 because that was the number of veteran Black Star Troopers. The new troopers still needed more experience on the battlefield, but the veterans¡¯ combat ability would increase many fold when coupled with the new space combat jets. At least if they were faced with attacks from civilizations like the space merchants, the Homo Evolutis-piloted Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s would be enough to handle the onslaught.


    Nanobot technology, warp drive, and 120 Space Combat Jets Prototype 011s, these alone would make the Hope extremely busy for two years. However, under these circumstances, Yao Yuan, with his vision, requested that the Academy finish all the technologies related to the Genesis first.


    Yes, Genesis, the weapon at the peak of the 4th revolution and touching the 5th revolution! This was a weapon that could be a threat to early 5th revolution civilizations. It was akin to the power of tactical atom bombs during Earth¡¯s era. Even if the Hope didn¡¯t use it often, having it meant a certain degree of safety when facing off with other civilizations from the 4th revolution or early 5th revolution.


    The four technologies above were the most important, that was Yao Yuan¡¯s conclusion after long contemplation. Of course, there were other important technologies, like the manufacturing of AI robots, the energy circuits to facilitate the conversion of plasmatic energy, and the design of second generation space armors. It was just that in comparison, these four were the most important.


    After he came to the decision, Yao Yuan found the leaders for related sciences and gave them this mission. There were no issues or complaints. After all, the scientists used to work for Earth¡¯s governments. Therefore, they were used to being handed missions from their higher-ups. After they accepted the mission, they branched off to form their individual task groups.


    It was worth noting that the Hope¡¯s scientific community was the best treated group of individuals on the Hope. In the wide cosmos, the elements that decided the survival of a race was military power and scientific power. The line between the two was fuzzy because with great scientific power came powerful weapons.


    Because of this, Yao Yuan was always respectful towards the scientists. Basically, as long as he could, he would fulfil the Academy¡¯s demands no matter how ridiculous they were. This contributed to a vibrant growth to the Hope¡¯s scientific scene.


    Thus far, the Hope had around 1,200 decorated professors, 4,700 researchers, and 9,000 plus interns. This number was growing as well. This was an impressive ratio since the Hope only had 120,000 total citizens when they left Earth. The Academy now took up one-tenth of the total population. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call the Hope a scientific country.


    The task groups¡¯ leaders came up with their own demands. Demands related to materials and equipment were still manageable, the issue lied with the manpower. Currently, every single member of the Academy had been mobilized. However, with the advancement in technology, moving from the 3rd revolution to the 4th, the scientific theories had gotten deeper and not wider. They had moved away from the era of Einstein or Newton, where a single genius could instigate a breakthrough. Cooperation was the key to bringing in development now. Therefore, the demand for more manpower from these task groups was only natural. After all, not every scientist was like the three Whisperers¡­. Or the weird case, Da Bing, that they could figure out big scientific conundrums on their own.


    It was at this time that Yao Yuan felt like mankind was still at a low number. Realistically speaking, the population on the Hope that could think logically, and had education or experience was only 120,000 people. The remaining 100,000 people were children born on the Hope. The Hope would still have to wait for at least a decade for them to finish schooling.


    Of the 120,000 people, 99 percent of them were average-educated. They had joined the general universities, but at most, they could fulfil the role of interns. Becoming researchers or scientists was impossible.


    "¡­If only we have one or two thousand more scientists¡­ It will be at least another five decades before the Hope can enter the 5th revolution. Population, population, how I wish human beings were mice, that way they would give birth to at least 5 or 6 more children each¡­"


    This was the explanation given by Yao Yuan whenever he was approached by the task force leaders demanding additional help. He grumbled internally, "Before, I thought there were too many people on the Hope, and the supplies were being exhausted too fast, but when we really need men and women, the population became too low. Around half are children, so it will be another 10 years before they take on their responsibilities. So what to do for these ten years¡­"


    The Academy needed people, and Guang Zhen was also approaching him for people. The Defense Unit was expanding to reach its 5,000 soldiers goal. The number was still reachable via compulsory conscription, but there weren¡¯t enough trained captains¡­


    People, people, a large amount of scientists and veterans¡­


    No matter what, the Hope¡¯s higher ups were informed of the danger felt by the multiple Diviners. Unconsciously, the progress of the projects on the Hope increased in speed, including the four focus projects named by Yao Yuan. Among them, the manufacturing of the space combat jets increased the fastest. Currently, the Hope already had 30 Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s, and the number was still increasing.


    Next was the nanobot technology. The AI precursor was still in cultivation. Nanobot metallurgy and micro electromagnetic transference technology had started their research. The first batch of nanobots was projected to be born in the next one and a half years.


    Then there were the technologies behind the Genesis. The most difficult of them was energy condescension and dispersion technology. Collecting nuclear energy in high efficacy was also difficult, but with the information from the space merchants, understanding them was only a matter of time.


    The most difficult was the warp drive technology since it was a pure 5th revolution technology. It involved the usage of energy science, especially the practical usage of energy condensation, to cause a rip in time and space. This was the most difficult technology to crack. It was being led by Bo Li¡¯s task force¡­


    Just like that, time flew by in a hurry on the Hope, but the danger that was sensed earlier didn¡¯t show itself¡­


    On the other side of the cosmos¡­


    "Captain, the space warp is a success! Wait¡­"


    "What happened to the other half of the ship? Why did it disappear? Roll call immediately, check for all the members on the ship!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    [1] No idea why Prototype 013 changed to 011. No explanation given.

 Chapter 284: Argument and Helplessness

    Chapter 284: Argument and Helplessness


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The date on the Hope had already reached August Year 013. In other words, the four focus projects had been going on for eight months.


    For the four projects, the most surprising was the fact that it was the AI system that was completed first. Its progress speed was even faster than the warp drive task group led by Bo Li. In other words, a normal human being¡¯s understanding of future tech was even greater than the Whisperers''!


    This caused quite a commotion on the Hope. After all, Da Bing was confirmed by many parties that he really wasn¡¯t a Homo Evolutis. At least from the understanding of the Animas, his soul flame didn¡¯t burn the same way Homo Evolutis'' did, he was really a normal human being.


    This instilled a fact in Yao Yuan''s and the Academy¡¯s minds of the existence of crazed geniuses, people even the Whisperers couldn¡¯t compare to. Just like Earth used to have Da Vinci or Newton, the Hope now had Wang Da Bing. He was a sign that a great scientific renaissance was coming.


    With the arrival of the AI system, the first batch of about 100 AI robots was activated. Of course, they were operated under the greatest scrutiny since this was the first time mankind had used AI robots, and one couldn¡¯t afford to be too careful.


    After use, the majority on the Hope finally understood why so many 4th revolution civilizations were hell bent on creating and using AI robots in spite of their risks. They simply brought too many conveniences!


    The first field that received the benefits of the AI robots was the Hope¡¯s manufacturing community that had gone into overdrive. Be it smelting, vehicle production, or others, the manufacturing department on the Hope was the most short-staffed. The AI robots were a huge help because even though there were only about 100 robots, one robot could replace the workload of more than one hundred workers.


    The robots had no need for rest and they wouldn¡¯t complain of overtime. As long as there was enough energy, they wouldn¡¯t have slip-ups due to exhaustion, and they were always focused. Furthermore, no matter how repetitive the job was, it was not an issue for the AI robots. If anything, they were suitable for these mechanically-repetitive tasks.


    Therefore, even though Yao Yuan was still cautious about the usage of AI, he crumbled under public pressure and added another one thousand AI robots, pushing the manufacturing rate of the Hope into the middle of the 4th revolution. However, due to Yao Yuan¡¯s caution, the AI robots were only being used in manufacturing and assembly lines. The Hope¡¯s maintenance, services, and important tasks like defence and surveillance were still done manually.


    However, it was undeniable that the AI was now in use. This meant that the precursor for nanobot technology was ready. The remaining step was to create the actual body of the nanobot. According to the proposal, this would take less than half a year. In other words, by early Year 014, the Hope would have access to nanobot technology.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan, who was anxious, held a meeting with a majority of the Academy at the end of August Year 013 to have another scientific meeting.


    During the meeting, Yao Yuan was the first to speak. "I hope everyone present has a clear insight in their minds, which is that we human beings still haven¡¯t reached a stage for us to be content. This empty space that is at least one hundred light years away from the nearest solar system is not to be our paradise or home. We are only stopping here temporarily; be it variables of time or environment, we aren''t going to spend a lifetime here!"


    At this point, Yao Yuan pulled out a report and continued while flipping through it, "This is the latest information received during the middle of this month. It has all the information regarding the Hope¡¯s supply rate. How shall I put this? We still have a large amount of supply and energy, but as you can see for yourself, the report shows that after we¡¯ve stopped in space, the energy and supply consumption for this month alone was almost equal to how much we¡¯ve spent during the entire year of 010!


    "The greater the technology, the better the efficiency, but at the same time, the greater the consumption. This is something that we¡¯ve miscalculated. According to the rate we¡¯re going, at most we have seven years until the Hope¡¯s supplies and energy run out. If we can¡¯t find a suitable terrestrial planet or gas giant to collect enough hydrogen from, then even if we reach the peak of 4th revolution or 5th revolution, we will not have the energy to use them!"


    "Therefore," Yao Yuan put down the report to stress his point, "our plan has to change. We cannot stay here for five to ten years, we have to start another space warp the latest by early Year 015. Before that, I hope everyone here can put down their own projects so that we have enough people to crack all the technologies related to the Genesis."


    This caused a giant commotion immediately. The Hope was currently in a scientific explosion, be it robotics, physics, astronomy, biology, and other sciences, they were all improving greatly. This was a period where mankind¡¯s scientific knowledge was growing rapidly. After gaining both the junkyard civilization''s and space merchants¡¯ information, mankind predicted they could enter 4th revolution in the next decade when normally it would take another hundreds or thousands of years before that could happen.


    Under these circumstances, Yao Yuan¡¯s request was more than a little hard to stomach. Science was supposed to be free, not something that could be limited by politics. Even though Earth¡¯s government had a history of forcing scientists into their service, as time had proven, these were the wrong methods. Science could only grow by being free.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s earlier order was reasonable in comparison, which was to focus on four key projects. That was reasonable because this was common practice back on Earth. After all, the government couldn¡¯t just let the scientists complete free reign. This degree of control was something accepted by both parties.


    But now, they felt Yao Yuan had given an incomprehensible request. To have the scientists drop their research and focus on the Genesis? How was that possible? What could a biology professor do about electrical engineering?


    However, the scientists quickly realized what Yao Yuan meant. He didn¡¯t want the scientists to cross fields of research but rather hope that they could release some of their interns to go work on the Genesis. However, even so, the task group leaders were reluctant to part with their teams.


    This was an era-defining period, and any research had the opportunity to change the trajectory of humanity. Money and fame were at stake. Why should these scientists sacrifice themselves to aid others?


    Therefore, the whole room of scientists, other than those working on the Genesis, started to riot. They spared no face for Yao Yuan. Everyone started yelling at him. After all, he wouldn¡¯t do anything too serious to them. Yao Yuan still respected them due to their authority in knowledge and science.


    Unexpectedly, due to the pressure from most of the scientists, Yao Yuan, even though he was the captain of the ship, had to yield. Finally, he sighed and said, "¡­Because we need to strengthen the Hope¡¯s defense. Everything else is pointless if the ship is destroyed. We will soon have nanobot technology, so we need to first create the Genesis!


    "I know everyone here has their preferred research field, but there is no telling what will happen after this warp. We might encounter some unforeseeable danger, and without enough power to defend ourselves, what is the point even if we¡¯ve reached the 5th revolution?


    "Therefore, I suggest a compromise. I will stay out of the research, but the interns graduated from the three general universities at the end of this year will first be siphoned into the Genesis weapon task force. That is my final deal¡­"


    Just like that, with a final deal that neither party was really satisfied with, the scientific meeting drew to a close. During September of Year 013, Yao Yuan personally joined the Genesis weapon design task force as a Whisperer¡­

 Chapter 285: Not That Piece of Material

    Chapter 285: Not That Piece of Material


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan was the most unique among all the Homo Evolutis, an All-Rounder. His uniqueness lied in the fact that other than Deceiver¡¯s power, he had access to all the other Homo Evolutis powers, including the Whisperer.


    The supposed Whisperer¡¯s power was something that was hard to describe; it was something beyond scientific comprehension. It was unlike other Homo Evolutis powers. The Perceptor¡¯s power could be explained scientifically as a heightened sensory sensitivity. The Diviner (the Sage was an exception) also could be understood as a heightened sixth sense. Even Animas and Thinkers technically could be explained scientifically. Of course, their validity is another issue.


    In comparison, All-Rounders, Deceivers, and Whisperers were the most unique. We shall focus on Whisperers for now. Their uniqueness lies in the sense that when Whisperers used their power, they hear an indescribable voice.


    This voice is different from the Thinker¡¯s situation. The voice heard by the Thinker has clues, details, and logical conclusions. Even normal people, given enough time, would reach these observations. In other words, the Thinker¡¯s power greatly shortened the time needed to think. Therefore, if viewed from a scientific perspective, the Thinker¡¯s power came from increased brain activity.


    The voice heard by the Whisperes was something beyond scientific explanation. The Academy called it "Dark Technology." When the Whisperer needed to solve a scientific difficulty, they could find the key or break through with their power. They could even use experiments or examples to exemplify their thoughts. This process¡­ or rather, this non-process, was because the Whisperer¡¯s power was akin to providing the answer to a math equation without showing the work. It was not mental arithmetic, they arrived at the answer through intuition. This was something beyond scientific comprehension.


    Because of this, Whisperers were highly valued on the Hope. Wang Da Bing included, they were considered treasured talents of the same level as Da Vinci, Newton, and Einstein.


    Yao Yuan had access to the Whisperer¡¯s power, so after the Hope decided to focus on the research of the Genesis, he too would spend all of his days researching¡­


    However, after Yao Yuan joined the task force, he finally realized how complicated everything was.


    This was because unlike the space merchants, mankind was not aiming to just design these products. It was worth noting that the scientists on the Hope were really carefully selected from Earth. They had indescribable drive and responsibility, a responsibility towards mankind¡¯s scientific history, and they would not allow themselves to stop at just creating the products.


    In other words, the scientific knowledge hidden within each product and technology needed to be completely unearthed. For example, the research on AI. The Hope¡¯s robotics and electronics group had started writing quantum code, some even had started creating an AI game, a game world that was completely open and would change organically. This was only possible after mankind had uncovered everything about the AI technology.


    After Yao Yuan joined the task force, he realized how difficult scientific research was. Its difficulty came from the series of complicated formulas. The application of these formulas could be left to the computers, but the verification of these formulas, their logic and theories, needed to be processed manually. Computers were, at the end of the day, computers. They didn¡¯t contain the same level of imagination and creativity human minds had.


    All these analyses, calculations, verifications, and experiments were not something pursuable with just instinct. They needed a large amount of experience and familiarity with the sciences to pull off. Therefore, only a researcher or an actual scientist was needed for these works.


    Even though Yao Yuan was a Whisperer, and he could instinctually find out the correct answer when faced with these complicated scientific formulas, technologies, and theories, unlike Bo Li, Ivan, and Saburo, he didn¡¯t have years of research experience behind him.


    Simply put, the three Whisperers, after they arrived at the conclusions in the minds, they could use their scientific knowledge to work their way back, to simplify and connect the dots, to answer the question "why."


    However, when Yao Yuan got the conclusion, he didn¡¯t have the experience to ask "why." In fact, he couldn¡¯t understand why he needed to ask "why;" therefore, he couldn¡¯t show them the process but only the answer.


    Science was not math homework, it was not something you could pass by just writing down the answer. The key was still in the process; be it verification, analysis, or the calculation of formulas, those were not only solvable by providing a direct answer. Therefore, when Yao Yuan joined the Genesis task force, he brought quite a bit of chaos.


    Since Yao Yuan was the leader of the ship and also a Whisperer, the answers he provided needed to be followed, but normall,y after the researchers wrote down his answer, the next step would be¡­


    Nothing. That¡¯s right, it ended there!


    Was there something more inflaming than this? However, Yao Yuan couldn¡¯t see where the problem was in the beginning. He even ordered the researchers to build the Genesis using his conclusions. Of course, this craziness was halted by the leading scientists.


    After a few incidents of this madness, the few great scientists that governed the Academy finally had had enough of Yao Yuan¡¯s disturbance at the lab. They pooled together to confront Yao Yuan. Their sudden presence flustered even Yao Yuan.


    There were in total four great scientists that held sway in the Academy, and three of them had gathered to confront Yao Yuan. They were Alan, Silewei, and Garfield. Silewei, befitting of his German ancestry, was the one to confront Yao Yuan directly. "Science is not politics! Captain, Chancellor! If you continue to give impossible orders, then me and the few leading scientists will have to bar you from entering the lab!"


    Alan, who was beside him, thought his words were unintentionally harsh, so he quickly added, "Chancellor, we understand you¡¯re anxious because the Diviners have sensed danger. You wish to finish the Genesis as soon as possible, but science is really not something approachable via direct orders. Research can¡¯t be sped up with an order. We need a large amount of time, energy, and effort before we can get the things we want. Since you¡¯ve already left the development of science to us, why can¡¯t you trust us? Give us some time to finish the research behind the Genesis."


    Yao Yuan smiled awkwardly and then asked, in a low voice, "Actually, I also know science cannot be rushed, but I¡¯m running out of ideas. The Diviners have sensed the danger, but no one knows when it will arrive. Time is of the essence; is there any way we can hasten this process?"


    The three scientists looked at each other before shaking their heads. Finally, Garfield said, after some hesitation, "Chancellor, you also know that there are no shortcuts in science¡­ But if you¡¯re adamant on finding one, then I can only think of one solution, that is your Homo Evolutis power. The Whisperers are the only ones who can find the shortcuts in science. Other than that, I see no possible solution to hasten the research on the Genesis."


    After that, Yao Yuan left the lab. He knew he wasn¡¯t a research material. If only his Whisperer power could be given to a researcher, no, even an intern would be nice. Alas, it was wasted on someone like him¡­


    But the only shortcut?


    Yao Yuan was not someone who gave up easily. Since he couldn¡¯t use the shortcut himself, then he decided to visit Bo Li that night. He knocked on her door.


    Bo Li was wearing snow white pajamas when she opened the door. Her face registered both surprise and joy. She didn¡¯t stop Yao Yuan from following behind her when she sauntered back into her room. This was the first time Yao Yuan had been in Bo Li¡¯s room after they left the new planet.


    "What¡¯s the purpose of your visit?"


    Bo Li asked while Yao Yuan was studying the room''s decorations.


    Yao Yuan asked, with some excitement and weirdly some nervousness, ¡®I¡¯m here to ask you about the Genesis weapon system. You¡¯re a Whisperer and the most familiar with this technology. Can you resolve everything within a year?"


    "¡­I can¡¯t answer that. I may be a Whisperer, but I¡¯m not God. I can¡¯t promise I will finish everything within a year simply because you ordered me too. Why don¡¯t you do it yourself if you¡¯re so desperate. You¡¯re also a Whisperer, right?"


    Bo Li replied with a straight face that was turning cold. Even her tone was icy. After that, she ignored the question that was on Yao Yuan¡¯s lips and shove him out the door.


    "If that¡¯s all you¡¯re here for, then you can leave now."


    Yao Yuan had spent less than half a minute inside her room before he got the door slammed in his face¡­

 Chapter 286: Shock!

    Chapter 286: Shock!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Hope had entered December of Year 013. With the advent of AI robots, the Hope currently had 1,300 plus AI robots, and they had taken over most of the manual labour labor. For example, manufacturing, which was previously understaffed. This introduced a giant increase to the Hope¡¯s production speed. Thus far, the Hope had created around one hundred Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s and 10 percent of the Hope¡¯s latest upgrade had been finished.


    On the other hand, research on nanobots had reached a standstill. The biggest obstacle was nanobot metallurgy. Other than that, all the remaining technologies had been completed. After this hurdle was solved, mankind would welcome a new manufacturing era.


    Sadly, among all the scientists on the Hope, there was none that was familiar with this field. Even when the Hope left Earth, they only had a handful of scientists hailing from this field of science. Therefore, even though the government had poured tons of effort into this sector, the effect wasn¡¯t big. The most depressing was the fact that the Whisperers and, weirdly, Wang Da Bing were complete strangers to this study.


    Therefore, they had no choice but to wait¡­


    At the same time, cries for reformation of civilian goods were on the rise. Currently, only the Hope¡¯s medical science had entered the 4th revolution. In comparison, other civilian goods still remained in 3rd revolution level. Only a small section had been upgraded. Therefore, as the Hope idled in space, hoping to reach the peak of 4th revolution, this cry had appeared.


    The public hoped to enjoy the benefits of the advancement of science. Other than an increased life span, they also yearned for an increase in quality of life. This was natural for human beings, or rather, all life forms. Every life form improves themselves for the sake of having a more convenient lifestyle.


    Finally, at December of Year 013, this cry couldn¡¯t be ignored by Yao Yuan anymore. This was because more than six representatives had brought up such proposals in the House of Representatives. These proposals started to garner requests among the house and the general public. They hoped for the government to introduce 4th revolution technologies to the public.


    Yao Yuan might''ve been a dictator, but he was not a cruel leader. In fact, he almost never used his dictatorial power unless it was absolutely necessary, like in a war. He was a fair leader that was willing to listen to the opinions of the public, and this was one of those times¡­


    "I understand the public¡¯s demand, they wish to enjoy the benefits of better life quality with the aid of better technology, and this was to be expected. Of course, I know it is a bit harsh for me to demand you finish designing 4th revolution public items when there are so many things to be done. Therefore, I won¡¯t ask that you put your time into creating technologies like hover cars, or family-use super 6D televisions, or AI-operated games¡­"


    This was during another scientific meeting, and this was to be the last of such meetings in the Year 013. Standing on stage, Yao Yuan told the scientists beneath, "I only have a simple request, which is to enable the people to see the blue sky¡­


    "Of course, I¡¯m not asking you to create a sky, I¡¯m not that crazy. I¡¯m just throwing a possibility out there. We already have 3D Projection technology, right? Why can¡¯t we build up from there? Increase its size and longevity? Everyone here spends their entire day on the Hope, so you understand how dull it can get on the Hope. Even adults like us will feel monotonous watching the same metallic walls and narrow corridors day after day, much less the children. Don¡¯t you feel pressured every time you lift up your head and see the metallic ceiling?


    "Therefore, I¡¯m sharing my thoughts with everyone here. If possible, I wish there could be some changes using the 3D projection technology. Of course, I¡¯m not an expert, so this is just a suggestion. Whether it is usable is up to the Academy to research and decide¡­ Increase the longevity and size of 3d projection and used it to cover the spacious pavilions scattered throughout the Hope. The 3d effects will overwrite the cold, emotionless, metallic walls and ceilings. Is that possible?


    "I remember a comic from my childhood called Doraemon. There was such a technology in it. It could create the mirage that one was in a large expanse of nature even though one was actually in a small room using 3d technology. One could even hear the sounds of nature and could use the technology to emulate natural drafts, creating the sensation that one really was in the wild¡­"


    The more Yao Yuan described it, the more excited he got. Not only him, the scientists underneath also had their eyes glowing with excitement.


    "As everyone here knows, the Hope¡¯s scientific research is already operating at full load. There are no more free people that I can move around to work on civilian goods. We have to focus on the Hope¡¯s navigation and weapon technologies for now. Therefore, it is likely that in the next four to five years, there will be no change to public goods, and therefore, before that, is it possible to make my suggestion a reality? Think about your children, you must also wish for them to grow up in a world where they can enjoy nature and not face the cold, metallic walls every day, right? Even though the natural world they see will be a mirage, at least they¡¯ll know that is how their home planet looked like!"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s order, or rather, suggestion, received good reception from the Academy. Furthermore, 3D projection technology was a technology the Academy had already mastered. A little tweaking was not much of an issue. The hardest parts were the size and longevity. However, this was not really that difficult. With the related scientists pooling their effort together, in less than a week, a large scale virtual environment generator was produced. Accompanying devices, like natural environment sound emulators, were already created. The only difficulty was creating natural drafts using the Hope¡¯s homeostatic system. This was to be a large project, but for now, the most important point was to upgrade the many public pavilions so that the public could usher in a new year in a brand new environment.


    This propelled the Hope¡¯s manufacturing process into another round of business. It was only a week away from the new year, and even with the AI robots¡¯ aid, transforming a handful of large public pavilions was not an easy task. Finally, Yao Yuan even had to order 2,000 Defense Unit soldiers to join in the operation. The public pavilions were thus closed down. This was because Yao Yuan wished to give the public a surprise, so he ignored the complaints from the people and kept the pavilions under complete quarantine. The news about the virtual environments was also kept a secret. Only a handful of individuals knew about it, and the majority of the public was kept in the dark¡­


    Very soon, the new year had arrived. As mankind stepped into Year 014, it meant that it had been fourteen years since mankind was forced to evacuate from Earth. Like usual, luxury items and civilian goods were running out of stock on the market as everyone was preparing to welcome the new year. When everything was ready, on Year 014 January 1st, the few largest public pavilions were opened to the public again. This grand reopening stunned the public.


    The pavilions had blue skies and white clouds. Even though the ground still felt like hard metal,it looked like pavement or sandy ground. Beyond the shops that surrounded the pavilions were not the inhibitive, metallic walls, but endless forests and plains that stretched beyond the horizon. Occasionally, they could even see doves flying across the sky and could hear the birds¡¯ calls¡­


    Even though the public knew that this was all 3D imaging and that the virtual environment was technically fake and they were still in space and inside the Hope, it didn¡¯t decrease the shock and pleasant surprise. The people that lived near the pavilions practically had moved there, and those that lived further away took the electromobiles to visit the pavilions¡­.


    Dark circles ringed Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes as he watched the crowd that thronged about the pavilions. In fact, there was so many people, way beyond the pavilions¡¯ capacity, that there were cases of trampling. The Defense Unit soldiers had to be deployed to ensure public safety. Watching all this, Yao Yuan smiled satisfactorily. He was not God, so he couldn¡¯t create a new planet for humanity, but he had given them the best he could. The only reward he hoped for was the people¡¯s smiles¡­


    After the project for the virtual environment had started, Yao Yuan hadn¡¯t had a good night''s sleep. He rushed the project so that it could meet the new year deadline; he had even moved into the construction site. Thankfully, it was all worth it¡­


    "Captain, we found¡­"


    Right then, a few government workers rushed over. They were wearing the surveillance team¡¯s uniforms.


    As Yao Yuan was watching the public in the pavilions, he asked without even turning around, "What did you find this time?"


    Indeed, in these few days, people had been approaching him with endless reports and requests, like there weren''t enough metals, not enough energy, and the placing was wrong. In other words, he was used to people greeting him like that.


    "Noah One, the large spaceship built before the Hope, we¡¯ve found Noah One¡¯s signal!"


    "What?!"

 Chapter 287: Confirmation

    Chapter 287: Confirmation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This spaceship that contained about 200,000 human beings was the largest and the last human spaceship. Its original name was Noah Two.


    Initially, after humanity obtained the anti-gravitational system and space warping system, they didn¡¯t have to worry about the presence of the neutron star fragment. Their main purpose was actually to repopulate another planet.


    After all, for a lifeform to exist solely on one planet in one solar system was extremely dangerous.


    The cosmos was ridiculously expansive, and the dangers of the cosmos were unimaginable as well. Theoretically speaking, the cosmos wasn¡¯t conducive for the birthing of life; therefore, the life-preserving planets were like oases in the wide desert, incredibly rare and treasured.


    Like how an oasis could dry up any minute in the desert, anything could happen in space. A stray asteroid, a change in the sun, a collision between planets, or space catastrophes, anything could happen. With one calamity, the whole solar system could collapse, much less a planet.


    Because of this, a race that hadn¡¯t completely entered space and left their home planet could go extinct at any moment. It might not even be caused by a space catastrophe. Things like sudden outbreaks and civil wars could cause this regrettable end.


    In conclusion, for the 21st century man, there was nothing more important than space colonization. Therefore, after they gained the two systems, the world pooled together the power of the greatest countries to build the Noahs One and Two. These were giant spaceships that could support tens of thousands of people in space for at least 10 years.


    However, the mankind¡¯s production rate was simply too lacking and the technology was simply too backwards. For example, the most basic metallurgy was even lacking. This caused the first spaceship, the Noah One, to explode in space, causing the governments to give up the Noah Two, this steel coffin, and choosing to build a smaller and compact spaceship to escape Earth.


    However, at Human Calendar Year 014 January first, the Hope, or the original Noah Two, received a signal from the Noah One!


    How¡­ was this even possible?!


    Twenty minutes after the news was received, Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, Liu Bai, and the rest of the Black Star Unit, and then Zhang Heng, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, Bo Li, and Eva, the most important Homo Evolutis, Speaker Matt, and three other high ranking representatives, several leading scientists and seven scientific committee leaders were gathered at the Hope¡¯s fifth level secret meeting room.


    These were leaders from the Hope¡¯s political, military, and scientific scenes. Yao Yuan stood at the stage and explained, "You¡¯ve read the secret report, and it is right. At least twenty minutes ago, the surveillance team discovered a large amount of secret signals. After they were decrypted by the central mainframe, the electrical signals that were received were¡­ our own human electrical signals. This is observable from its signal type, words, and content¡­


    "Furthermore, this signal is the original signal without quantum programming. In other words, they were signals from the third revolution. After studying its code, we realized that its encryption was completely similar to the Hope¡¯s! The only difference is this code represents Noah One!"


    This speech baffled everyone there. While Yao Yuan spoke, they read the report handed to them. The report was written in both Chinese and English, and its contents were jaw dropping!


    After all, the Hope had left Earth fourteen years ago. Most of the information taken from Earth had been released to the public. The fact that the Noah One had blown up in space was common knowledge not only to the people gathered here but also the common public. Initially, Earth built two large spaceships. The first one exploded during warp, that was the Noah One.


    Now it was Year 014 and they could still receive signals from Noah One? How was that possible?


    "The reason that we¡¯re gathered here is to discuss this situation. I have three question. One, did the Noah One really explode? The information we¡¯ve taken from Earth contains a video of the explosion process. I wish for the experts from the related field can help look into its validity, to see whether it was computer generated or real¡­


    "Two, where is the Noah One''s signal coming from? The arrival of this signal was too sudden and abrupt, like it appeared from space. Even after the surveillance team used super magnetic scanning technology, they still couldn¡¯t find out the signal¡¯s origin¡­


    "Three¡­ Is there a possibility that this is bait by a high-level civilization?"


    This third question caused a ruckus among the people gathered here. After all, the Hope had just finished a war with the space merchants. Therefore, it was very likely that information about them had been released by the space merchants to other alien races when they returned to their Shelter. There might''ve been Level 3 space civilizations among them.


    However, there was an issue with this hypothesis, the problem of space and time to be specific.


    Middle tier civilizations that hadn¡¯t entered level four had difficulty traveling the wide cosmos easily even with the usage of the warp drive. To borrow a simple analogy, the space merchants would spend at least one hundred years to complete a single business trip, and this was only the distance between two Shelters. If they were to spread human beings¡¯ information to the whole cosmos, it would require at least several thousand years.


    But¡­


    "We¡¯re not the only human spaceship," Xiao Niao finally said.


    "That¡¯s right, this is why I posed the third question." Yao Yuan nodded and continued, "From the information we garnered from the space merchants, not all human refugees have been destroyed. Against all odds, they might have survived. Of course, they might have survived after being captured by high level space civilizations. If this is true, then the Noah One would be common knowledge to the other aliens. In that case, using the Noah One¡¯s signal to lure us in is a possibility."


    As Yao Yuan was talking, two scientists left the room with the video of the Noah One¡¯s explosion. They would conduct validity tests on it. With the Hope¡¯s current technology, the tests would take less than a minute, but due to the gravity of the situation, after the first test was completed, another method was used to test it again. In any case, all available analysis software was used, and half an hour later, the report was brought back to the secret meeting room.


    The video was 100 percent real. There was no evidence of tempering; however¡­


    The energy profile produced during the explosion had some mistakes.


    According to the central mainframe¡¯s calculation, the explosion¡¯s power wasn¡¯t the maximum power produced by the Noah One¡¯s nuclear reactors. Simply put, the explosion¡¯s force was a lot smaller than expected. Based on the mass calculation, at most the explosion could only bring down one-fifth of the Noah One!


    This again stunned everyone there!


    In reality, the Hope hadn¡¯t really done any tests on the Noah One before. It had been fourteen years since they left Earth, so who would conduct tests on the Noah One for no reason? If not for this weird development, this issue would probably have been forgotten in a corner of human history.


    However, at that moment, everyone knew that the Noah One had exploded, but the explosion wasn¡¯t enough to engulf the entire spaceship. In other words, it was likely that a large part of the spaceship had already warped while the remaining part that couldn¡¯t catch up exploded.


    Of course, this didn¡¯t bode well for the spaceship as a whole. A spaceship was a whole structure. There weren¡¯t cases of spaceships still running after missing one-fifth of their bodies; that was too unrealistic¡­


    However, reality was often stranger than fiction¡­ What if the Noah One had found itself a habitable planet and survived?


    What if, after warp, the rest of the ship didn¡¯t explode and a majority of the people had survived?


    This was not a complete impossibility. According to quantum theory, unless it was already confirmed, nothing was "definite"¡­


    Yao Yuan quickly picked up another document. This was also taken from Earth. It was the list of people on the Noah One¡­


    21,000 plus trained soldiers from various countries, 7,000 technicians specializing in spaceships, space tech, and future tech, and¡­ almost 3,000 scientists!


    This was a miraculous find! If all these people were added into the Hope, the issue of manpower would be completely resolved!


    Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes glowed. He turned to Xiao Niao and said, "Xiao Niao, follow me outside, I need you to do something for me¡­"


    To confirm the reality about Noah One. If there was even a small possibility, no matter how big the risk or sacrifice, they must get everyone on it to join the Hope!

 Chapter 288: Trade and Investigation

    Chapter 288: Trade and Investigation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It might be hard to admit out loud, but everyone on the Hope understood that compared to the experts on the mini-sized escape spaceship, the Hope¡¯s members weren¡¯t really qualified experts.


    To put it simply, the so-called researchers, professors, experts, and scientists might know a lot, but their knowledge was specialized. For example, a university¡¯s physics professor wouldn¡¯t know about the basics of the latest invisible jets (at least by 21st Earth scientific standards).


    The scientists that knew about high end weapon technology would spend their time in the governments¡¯ employment. The public might not even know of their existence, much less meet them. This was the difference between public and the government¡¯s high tech department¡¯s scientists.


    When the Hope left Earth, Yao Yuan had tried his best to locate the best scientists from all the countries, but his only reference was the knowledge he garnered from his head hunting years. It was logical that he would have missed out on people that he didn¡¯t know. Furthermore, the government-employed scientists would have been taken away by the mini-sized spaceship. After all, the mini-sized spaceship was led by Earth¡¯s best politicians, so of course they knew these scientists were the most valuable. How would they miss out on bringing them?


    Therefore, even though the Hope¡¯s weapon system, be it siege engines or assault rifles, had related information and techniques, the research progress was still glacially slow. There was really only one person on the Hope that knew a thing or two about these systems, and she was Bo Li. As a Whisperer, most of the Hope¡¯s weapon upgrades were her doing!


    Then, we shall turn to look at the Noah One¡­


    It was a spaceship created during the peak of the human era. The Earth¡¯s governments weren¡¯t privy to the existence of the neutron star fragment then. The spaceship was created using all of Earth¡¯s resources and the cooperation of 30,000 specially selected experts¡­ These were the experts among experts. If the 3,000 scientists were to join the Hope, the Hope¡¯s scientific world would have an earth-shattering change. At the point, Yao Yuan perhaps wouldn¡¯t be concerned about Genesis but the Requiem instead.


    Therefore, they had to get the people left on the Noah One!


    After Yao Yuan and Xiao Niao entered a small, isolated room, Yao Yuan asked excitedly, "Xiao Niao, contact ZERO now. I have something important to ask her!"


    Xiao Niao was not surprised by this demand; it was as if he knew this was what Yao Yuan was going to ask. He replied directly, "That¡¯s impossible, ZERO has told me clearly that at least before she has her own body, she will not talk to anyone besides me¡­ Captain, do you plan to have ZERO bring us to the Noah One¡¯s signal''s origin?"


    Yao Yuan nodded firmly. "Of course, but it might not exactly be that. First we have no clue whether this signal is real or not or whether is it a trap. Second, the signal¡¯s arrival was too sudden; it is as if the signal came out of the space around the Hope. There was no definite direction or source. This didn¡¯t feel like human technology, or at least not a technology from the 3rd or 4th revolutions. These are questions I have to ask ZERO."


    Xiao Niao waved his hands and said, "ZERO will not meet you. If I¡¯m perfectly honest, I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll even meet me if you¡¯re present¡­ For some reason, I can tell that she is afraid of you, so she won¡¯t meet you."


    "Afraid of me?" Yao Yuan pointed curiously at himself. After a long pause, he continued, "Stop kidding, I¡¯m serious. She is a god-tier civilization¡¯s AI, and it would take her less than a few minutes to wipe out the entire spaceship. How can she be afraid of me?"


    "It¡¯s your choice to believe it or not." Xiao Niao shrugged helplessly. He was too lazy to go into the difference between AI and intelligent life forms with Yao Yuan. He said, "I can¡¯t provide you with any proof, even if you demand it. This is just my personal instinct telling me that she is afraid of you, but¡­ actually, that¡¯s not important. In conclusion, you want to find out about the authenticity of this signal and how it arrived, right?"


    Yao Yuan continued seriously, "And the location of the signal''s origin. I know ZERO can control the ship¡¯s space warp. She was the one who trapped us inside the new planet. Even though the mother nest alien did give us a lot of trouble, I still wish to thank her on behalf of the entirerity of humanity. She gave us a few wonderful years on the new planet, and from that, we can see she has a degree of control over the space warp technology."


    Xiao Niao thought about it and answered, "Alright, I will pose her these few questions, but I can¡¯t guarantee that she will answer. Also, one more thing, Yao Yuan, you have to be mentally prepared¡­ She once said that there is price to pay for her to control the space warp. It sounded like she had paid a hefty sum for our earlier warps, so I have no clue whether she is still capable of controlling the Hope¡¯s future space warps."


    Yao Yuan nodded understandingly and patted Xiao Niao on his shoulder. "Regardless, do help me ask her those questions. And tell her this¡­ we humans are willing to provide her with anything she needs, other than our lives. We¡¯re willing to compensate her in any way we can. And we will remember this kindness that she showed us forever. Right, you mentioned she wanted to have a physical body when we have the technology to do that. You can tell her that I promise her that other than myself and those directly involved in creating that body, no one else will know about her identity. She will be able to live like a normal human being in our human society. This is what I promise."


    Xiao Niao sighed and nodded. Then he left the meeting and went back to his room. He opened his computer and planted himself before it, waiting for ZERO to arrive.


    He believed ZERO had the power to survey every corner of the Hope, so she must have heard his earlier conversation with Yao Yuan. Even if she didn¡¯t do so due to her fear of Yao Yuan, she would have known that he was waiting for her, since he had opened his computer. If she wanted to converse with him, she would arrive soon enough.


    As he expected, a black screen took over the computer and some words appeared on it. "¡­You¡¯re here to ask me about the Noah One?"


    "That¡¯s right, I have three questions. First, is the signal real? Does it come from the Noah One? Or is it a trap from some high level space civilization? Second, why would the Noah One¡¯s signal appear in this part of space? How did it get transferred? Last question¡­ Do you know where the signal¡¯s location is?" Xiao Niao didn¡¯t hesitate and fired off all the questions at once.


    After a long time, ZERO answered, "This signal is real and it appeared so suddenly is because it used the space warp technology. It is because of space warp communication technology that its appearance was so out of nowhere¡­"


    "Space warp communication technology?" Xiao Niao copied and pasted this curious phrase back to her.


    "That¡¯s right. To put it simply, the physical limit of speed in space is light speed; no signal can surpass this limit. The warp drive technology that you¡¯re researching uses the folding of space to surpass this limit, but you have to understand that while mass itself can fold space, messages and signals cannot. This is because messages cannot create such a large amount of energy to fold the space around the signals. Even wormholes can¡¯t make signals achieve the speed of light. You will need technology like the star gate to do that, a permanent and stable worm hole. This allows messages to break the light speed barrier, but that is also only at the two ends of the star gate," ZERO replied.


    Even though Xiao Niao wasn¡¯t a scientist, he was a Thinker. He knew a thing or two about basic science. He processed the information ZERO provided and understood it after some time. The meaning was fairly simple, a spaceship could use the device and technology within the spaceship to break through light speed, but pure signals could not do that. After it was launched into space, it would travel at most the same as speed as light through space. That was the basic law of the cosmos.


    "And space warp communication technology uses space warp to transfer information. The message goes from Point A to Point B, it doesn¡¯t involve any space folding like the warp drive or wormholes. Instead, the signal directly disappeared from Point A and reappeared at Point B. This is why the arrival of this signal from the Noah One is so sudden and without alarm¡­"


    Xiao Niao¡¯s expression was serious. He typed, "Then the signal has to be a fake. We still haven¡¯t obtained this technology, and from the sound of it, this is some complicated, high level technology. I don¡¯t think the people from Noah One have mastered it."


    "No, the signal is real. So many years ago, due to the lack of energy and low quality energy circuits, the space warp of the Noah One was incomplete and unsuccessful¡­ Now, the situation of Noah One is as follows: around 3/5 was warped successful, 1/5 blew up near Earth, and the last 1/5 showcases a status of being in spatial transition wave. This signal came from this last 1/5 of the Noah One. This should be a natural signal coming from this part of the Noah One and not a manual signal¡­"


    "3/5 of Noah One is still intact!"

 Chapter 289: Rescue Plan! Another Warp!

    Chapter 289: Rescue Plan! Another Warp!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    At least 3/5 of Noah One was still instact! This confirmation by ZERO was definitely weighty.


    As mentioned earlier, the Noah One was completely different from the Hope in the sense that its members were the best of the best selected from all the countries. The military on it was the most trained and disciplined special ops. If these soldiers were saved and recruited into the Hope, then the Defence Unit¡¯s numbers would increase manifold!


    Of course, whether they would be controllable was another issue. However, Xiao Niao knew that Yao Yuan was the leader of Black Star Units, one of the best special ops units from Earth, so his existence was akin to a soldier king. Plus, with the Black Star Troopers behind his back, having their loyalty wouldn¡¯t be such a big issue.


    In comparison, he was more excited to get more information from ZERO.


    "Then can you triangulate the Noah One¡¯s location?" Xiao Niao typed in a hurry.


    ZERO took another long pause before replying, "I can, but it will not be accurate. Actually, in space, coordinate triangulation in the wide cosmos isn¡¯t as accurate as it is on a terrestrial planet. The coordinates wouldn¡¯t be accurate enough to reach the accuracy of centimeters. This is especially true about space warp. Triangulation is done through wave functions, and that in itself is randomized. Therefore, it took me several trials before I could bring you guys to the mother nest alien. However, I do know the Noah One¡¯s coordinates."


    She knows? What does she mean by that? Xiao Niao didn¡¯t want to waste time thinking about it, so he quickly typed, "Then can you bring the Hope there?"


    This time ZERO took an even longer pause, so much so that Xiao Niao thought she had left. However, she eventually answered, "I can¡­ but why would I? To tell you the truth, using the function inside the UFO requires¡­ anyway, it exhausts me a lot. The world inside the UFO is not something you human beings can imagine; it¡¯s a completely different world. Like I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m an intelligent lifeform and not AI, so I also can completely control the UFO¡­"


    Xiao Niao¡¯s mind rang with alarm. He quickly replied, "We¡¯re on the same boat now, aren¡¯t we? You know what this idiom means, right? The Hope is lacking in manpower, or more specifically, people from Earth that are experts. This is why our scientific progress has been so slow, and the Noah One has just that¡­"


    "I know," ZERO wrote, interrupting Xiao Niao. "Of course I know that. The Noah One¡¯s space warping is possible because I intervened to control the space warp. At the time, I didn¡¯t know using the device inside the UFO would exhaust me¡­ Now I regret it, so no matter how hard they call on me, I ignore them."


    Xiao Niao continued, "Since you know about the Noah One, you should know how important they are to us. Please help us with this favor, pretty please."


    "I don¡¯t want to!" ZERO replied directly. "I have no idea how much I have to sacrifice, and you only care about yourself¡­. Selfish! In conclusion, I will not do this, this is not something discussable!"


    Xiao Niao read her hesitation between the lines. He immediately typed in Yao Yuan¡¯s offer to sweeten the pot, "ZERO, think about it, if our human science increases, then you will get the body that you want sooner. Without the Noah One, I can live for at least another 150 years, but even in 150 years, we will not be able to make you a physical body. This means I will not be alive to see you become a real human. So you see, helping us is helping yourself."


    ZERO pause for the longest time before saying, "¡­ Give me three months. I will try my best to bring you to the Noah One, but I have to say, this time it will not be as accurate as locating the mother nest alien. We might have to warp many times, but the general direction will not be wrong. However, I still have to warn you, and you tell Yao Yuan and the rest about this¡­ Remember, the limit for this is only three to five years, within three to five years, if you still can¡¯t locate the Noah One, then you will give up because the neutron star fragment will arrive at the solar system they¡¯re in, so going there will be akin to suicide.


    "Finally, I¡¯ll not be doing this for free, so you have to promise me one more thing. I still haven''t thought about what yet, so you owe me twice now! Remember, when it comes time to repay me, no matter how hard my demand, you have to fulfil it!"


    After the last sentence, ZERO left, and to show her annoyance, she even shut down Xiao Niao¡¯s computer. However, Xiao Niao no longer cared about her or the computer. His brain was filled with much needed information and happiness. After all, the people on the Noah One were also human refugees and resources needed by the Hope, so it was hard for Xiao Niao not to be happy.


    Very soon, Xiao Niao relayed his conversation with ZERO to Yao Yuan and Ren Tao as well as Bo Li, who was with them.


    "¡­That¡¯s what she said. From what we know, space warp can be controlled, but the control is greatly limited. By what, I have no clue," Yao Yuan concluded after he told them everything.


    Yao Yuan immediately turned to Bo Li beside him. "How can we use randomized wave functions to control the direction and location of space warp?"


    Bo Li shook her head and replied rather hesitantly, "I have no idea. Wave function in quantum theory mentions that if there is no observer, the wave function of a thing or person will have an unpredictable change in its process and result. It should have nothing to do with space warp¡­ No, she is probably talking about something else completely."


    Bo Li petered off to silence. Yao Yuan and the other two looked at each other and shrugged helplessly. Regarding high tech stuff, mankind was too weak, so even if they were told the theory, it would be difficult to understand how it operated. Therefore, they moved away from the technology and started discussing other things.


    "If we warp in three months, then we will have to prepare everything in these three months. First, the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s. If manufactured at full speed in these three months, we can reach up to 250 sets. This is the limit. The black star space armors, are still in design, so we¡¯ll have to rely on the old armors. Lastly, the upgrade on the Hope¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed. "After all, we¡¯ve only been here for one and a half years. Then again, the Noah One is more important. After three months, we will ask ZERO to start warping."


    Suddenly, Ren Tao added, "Have you thought about the possibility that¡­ it was not only us who received this signal? After all, the Noah One¡¯s signal was sent out through space using the space warp¡¯s randomized motion. Of course, the chance of us receiving it is higher since we have the similar space warp engine, but this doesn¡¯t preclude other alien civilizations from receiving it as well. Have you thought about that? The closer they are to the Noah One, the greater the chance they will receive the signal from Noah One. Possibly Level 2, 3, or even 4 civilizations are rushing towards it. Do you think the Hope has any chance of winning over them?"


    Yao Yuan was silent before answering, "Of course I¡¯ve thought about that, but this is the only chance we have pf securing the people on the Noah One, so no matter what, we have to try. Of course, if we really stumble into an enemy that we cannot beat, I will not repeat the mistake I commited with the space merchants. So don¡¯t worry, I will order the Hope to warp immediately. Furthermore, we have Eva with us. If she senses the Hope¡¯s extinction, we will immediately give up on the Noah One¡­"


    Ren Tao shook his head silently before parting and walking towards the secret meeting room. Xiao Niao and Yao Yuan followed behind him. Of course, it was Yao Yuan who pulled along Bo Li, who was still in thinking mode¡­


    In the meeting room, Yao Yuan announced that the Hope would start warping in three months. Due to some special technology, the Hope could attempt to get closer to the Noah One¡¯s location. Of course, this would likely be a treacherous journey, so the Hope had to prepare for possible combat. Production on AI robots had to be stopped to focus on producing Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s, enhancing the space armors, and improving the Hope¡¯s outer armor¡­


    As the meeting came to a close, Yao Yuan concluded, "Everyone, I will not waste time to say more. I think everyone here understands the Noah One¡¯s importance to us. Therefore, let us work together to complete the most important mission since we¡¯ve left Earth!


    "Operation Rescue!"


    Just like that, three months later, the Hope warped again and disappeared from that part of space¡­

 Chapter 290: Silent Journey

    Chapter 290: Silent Journey


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It had been half a year since the Hope had left that part of space, and within that half year, the Hope had only warped twice¡­


    Yes, with the Hope¡¯s upgraded energy circuits and the ample energy provided by the polymerized reactors, the Hope could warp at least 10 times every 24 hours.


    However, those kinds of warps were completely random; they couldn¡¯t be controlled. And in comparison, the two most recent warps were "controlled" warps. In other words, this meant that the Hope knew the location it was warping to, and the exit they would end up at wouldn¡¯t be more than 10 light years away from their intended target coordination.


    According to the information revealed by ZERO, this is a technology open to Level 6 space civilizations, or mid-high level civilizations after they had mastered the technology of star gates. It was a highly sophisticated space exploration technology that used a host of irregular calculation techniques and quantum entanglement frequency division techniques, technology which mankind hadn¡¯t even heard of.


    In conclusion, mankind, in its Level 2 space civilization stage, used technology that was available to high level space civilizations, half-controllable space warp!


    According to ZERO¡¯s calculations, the Hope needed to warp at least five times before they could reach the Noah One¡¯s signal''s origin. These five warps would happen in the intervals of three months each due to the limitations put on ZERO. In other words, these five warps would take fifteen months. Discounting the earlier three months spent idling in space, the Hope still had to stop for a total of one year at four different places!


    This was unimaginably dangerous because no one knew what would happen after they warped. They might encounter some space catastrophe or hostile aliens. Furthermore, they wouldn¡¯t be able to warp in that three months down period, or the earlier controlled warps would be wasted. In other words, if the Hope didn¡¯t want to waste their effort, no matter the danger, they had to wait for the three months to finish every time!


    Just like that, before the first warp was initiated and the Hope was still at that empty space, an operation that would last for the next year was initiated¡­ Operation Safety Travel!


    This was a plan that involved the overall improvement of the Hope and the survival of people on Noah One. This was a plan that would find itself in the history books because its effect would be felt for centuries. If succeeded, the scientific talent aside, the trained Special Ops from Earth would be more than enough to introduce indescribable change to the Hope¡¯s Defense Unit!


    Not to mention the Homo Evolutis on the Noah One¡­


    Silent Journey was a plan specially tailored for all this. In other words, it was the plan to rescue the Noah One.


    After the first warp, the Hope still had to warp four times, and after each warp, the Hope had to take a three month break. The Hope couldn¡¯t warp anymore in these three months, or the earlier effort would go to waste. Of course, if absolutely necessary, like when facing the threat of extinction, warping would still be done.


    Therefore, the fact that whether ZERO was still willing to initiate another five space warps for the Hope aside, it was impossible from the perspective of time. This was because ZERO had already told Xiao Niao, according to her calculations, that a neutron star fragment would arrive at the solar system where the Noah One had landed in three to five years. If they wasted any one of the controlled space warps, then they wouldn¡¯t be able to save anyone from the Noah One!


    Not only that, according to ZERO, since the Noah One¡¯s signal was released randomly through space, the space civilizations around the Noah One would receive it as well. Of course, the distance would be an issue. With warp drive, the distance that one could cover was around 60 to 140 light years. The distance might seem huge, but compared to the size of the cosmos and density of space civilizations, it was more than likely not one space civilization would reach Noah One.


    However¡­ reality was often stranger than fiction. No one could guarantee there was no space civilization within 60 to 140 light years of the Noah One. If there was one and it was rushing towards the Noah One, it meant that the civilization had warp drive technology, because those without warp drive wouldn¡¯t have wasted their time.


    To put it simply, if there was another space civilization other than humanity itself rushing towards the Noah One, it meant that the civilization had access to warp drive technology, in other words, it was at the peak of Level 2 space civilizations or had even entered Level 3 Space Civilization, it would stronger than the space merchants¡­


    Also, one couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility of wormhole civilizations, civilizations that had stepped over the low level civilization threshold, and civilizations that had entered level 5 or 6 mid-level space civilizations. If they did make an appearance, low level space civilizations would be trapped like lobsters in a cage. According to the information provided by the space merchants, mid-level civilizations were powerful enough to shatter planets the size of Earth and collect they internal energy and minerals that way. The method was unimaginable!


    Because of this, humanity, as a civilization that just become a Level 2 space civilization, would be the weakest before any of these space civilizations. The more warps they made, the closer they were to the Noah One, and the greater the possibility of running into these other civilizations. Under these circumstances, the three months waiting periods were like torture. They had to figure out a way to effectively evade the detection of other more advanced civilizations!


    Yes, in the three months after ZERO started her first warp, the Hope¡¯s higher officials gathered with a large number of tactical experts to discuss the possible outcomes of each warp. Discounting space catastrophes, the biggest danger was stumbling into hostile alien civilizations. Currently, the Hope was like a huge target for these civilizations. Waging another war was definitely an unwise decision.


    It was foolish to commit to a war when mankind was at a disadvantage and when mankind had the potential to grow to be better than them all. Because of this, the experts scoured their minds to come up with the safest and easiest solutions to save the Noah One. This plan was called Silent Journey.


    This was a famous hypothesis preferred when mankind was discussing the possibility of aliens. The hypothesis was the Dark Jungle Theory. Simply put, when the greatest speed in space was light speed and one couldn¡¯t cross the barrier of space and time, going from one location to the next required hundreds, thousands, or maybe millions of years. This caused suspicion and untrustworthiness among the different civilizations. Therefore, each civilization had to hide themselves to prevent themselves from being found out by other civilizations.


    According to this theory, the cosmos was so deserted because the other civilizations were hiding in the dark, unwilling to let their locations be exposed to others. This time, the Hope intended to employ this method, a silent journey, one that wouldn¡¯t expose the Hope¡¯s existence to others. Actual precautions that went into this plan included shutting down all devices that would give off light, and there was a two-month-long upgrade on the Hope¡¯s surface. The upgrade was to introduce a layer of creator¡¯s particle generators, and beyond that layer of creator¡¯s particle was added another layer of creator¡¯s particle shielding systems. In other words, the whole of the Hope was covered by a layer of creator¡¯s particles that wouldn¡¯t spread. This would ensure that all of the signals from within the Hope wouldn¡¯t escape into space.


    Other than that, the Hope¡¯s surface was also equipped with a shield that blocked all external surveillance. The Hope was like an insignificant metallic object travelling in space. After all, the Hope¡¯s size didn¡¯t look like the conventional size of a civilization¡¯s mother ship. Therefore, even if they were detected by other civilizations, as long as they didn¡¯t take a closer look, the Hope would most likely be ignored because no other civilization would utilize this method to hide themselves. Since shielding went both ways, the Hope had also practically blinded and deafened themselves. This was akin to the dodo bird sticking its head into the ground, thinking others couldn¡¯t see it because it couldn¡¯t see others. Therefore, at the end of the day, luck would play a huge part in this plan. If the ship was attacked, it would be swift and without warning.


    Thankfully, the Hope had its own back up surveillance system in the form of Diviners and a Sage that could see one month into the future¡­


    This was the only reason Yao Yuan gave this Silent Journey plan the go-ahead.


    Finally, there were only six months and another two space warps to go¡­

 Chapter 291: Complicated Emotions

    Chapter 291: Complicated Emotions


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Six more months later and it would be another three months before the next controllable warp. In other words, the Hope was going to stop for three months in space.


    This latest stop made everyone on the Hope widen their eyes in shock, then it was followed by a complicated feelings of both excitement and disappointment.


    This was because the latest warp location was inside a solar system, one with a functioning sun, multiple gas giants, more than ten terrestrial planets, and multiple asteroid belts. The sun was orange-red in color, larger in size than Earth¡¯s sun. The whole solar system was larger than Earth¡¯s solar system. It was a slice of a God-given paradise!


    From the information gathered from ZERO and the space merchants, every space civilization that had found a life-preserving planet would be assaulted by a neutron star fragment in three to five years. However, it was different for non-life-preserving planets. One could live there for millions upon millions of years, and if nothing severe happened within the solar system, one could live there forever.


    Changing a non-life-preserving planet to a life-preserving planet was an impossibility, at least it was impossible for civilizations under level 9. This was something accessible to god-tier space civilizations only, but of course, this was all rumour. The biggest issue in this was that non-life-preserving planets didn¡¯t have the ability to produce "soul." What was the first one must do to completely terraform a non-life preserving planet?


    The answer was not building skyscrapers, or population migration. The first thing to do was to cultivate plants, a large amount of plants, be it terrestrial or aquatic¡­ Of course, if the race didn¡¯t need oxygen to survive, they would have to cultivate other plants that released the air they needed.


    However, one mustn¡¯t miss out on the law of preservation of life. This law not only dictated the souls of intelligent lifeforms but also that of flora and fauna. It was just that normally they used so little "soul" that they were not taken into the equation. However, what about when it was an amount that was needed to cover a whole planet? The "soul" exhaustion would be humongous. Plus, this would not be a one time investment. As they died, new "souls" would have to be injected. From this perspective, non-life-preserving planets were actually soul killing planets!


    Therefore, there was no such thing as an artificial planet, not because the technology wasn¡¯t there, but the conditions couldn¡¯t be fulfilled. Unless the planet was housing more than a hundred Homo Evolutis, then perhaps that would be enough to fulfil the "soul" exhaustion and cycle of the planet. However, which race would have more than 100 cosmic adapters?


    Well, human beings did!


    This was why the Hope was submerged in a haze of complicated feelings. With the technologies taken from the space merchants, after mankind completely breaks through the nanobot technology, mankind will have reached the peak of the 4th revolution and will have access to ways to terraform a planet, to make its environment suitable for living. In other words, they will be able to manually create a life-preserving planet. Since it was not a life-preserving planet to begin with, it wouldn¡¯t be targeted by a neutron star fragment, and mankind could enjoy nature on this planet. Of course, this wouldn¡¯t last forever. The moment the number of Homo Evolutis among mankind fell beneath the 100 threshold, the environment would wilt and mankind would be forced to escape into space again. However, it would be hundreds of years before that would happen.


    This was one of the future human plans stored in the Hope¡¯s central mainframe, Project Base. Mankind would find an insignificant solar system and use at least a decade to terraform a terrestrial planet. After that, mankind could populate the planet so that the population size won¡¯t be hindered by the Hope¡¯s limited space. This will allow the new generation to enjoy and realize the importance of nature. At the same time, this planet would be the base for mankind¡¯s spaceship fleet. Mankind would have spaceships that would explore space using space warp technology. In this manner, mankind would slowly enter the fifth revolution and become a level 3 space civilization or something even stronger¡­.


    Project Base was the perfect resting and resuscitation plan tailored for mankind. However, there were a few difficulties to overcome. One was the technology required to terraform a planet, because it might involve technology from the 5th revolution. The second was the limitation of time. The 10 years was a rough estimate, it might take up to possibly a hundred years to terraform a planet.


    The last difficulty was the third one, a perfectly safe solar system. This was something hard to find. Alas, the one they had found themselves in fitted this requirement perfectly. It was a large solar system with a large amount of terrestrial planets, so human beings could choose the most perfect one for transformation. They could take into account the different planets¡¯ gravity, rotational speed, and distance from the sun. At the same time, the other planets would become places to store mineral wealth. Even the gas giants could provide an endless supply of gaseous minerals. Some super weapons from 5th revolution, like implosion grenades, used these gases as the main ingredient!


    In conclusion, this solar system was too important to the Hope. Even just a small degree of resource mining was better than none. If possible, they would want to build a new spaceship, but all that had to be abandoned due to the Noah One. The Hope couldn¡¯t use the propulsion device, because it would violate the law of space inertia, and if there was a space civilization nearby, the Hope would light up like a beacon in the dark. Therefore, the Hope could only idle in space.


    Everyone in the Hope eyed this solar system with complicated emotions. A perfect resource gathering spot, a solar system that would be perfect for the construction of a human base. If the Hope was to do this the normal way, it would take several thousand random warps before it would land in a location this good. Such an opportunity¡­ such a waste!


    "¡­ So many resources gone to waste."


    Inside the Hope¡¯s canteen, the leader of the energy department sighed and groused to the officials that were sitting at the same table.


    This was a normal lunch meeting. Many government officials and servants would have lunch at the canteen. They were served a fixed portion, but they could use their own H-coins to purchase more. For example, the menu that day was prime steaks. The perfect accompaniment would be a glass of wine. Of course, that was luxury only those with high enough ranks could enjoy.


    At this moment, the energy department leader was sharing the table with a few others officials. They were all middle to high ranking officers in the government. One of them was Lee Cheng Wen, who was enjoying a bowl of beef noodles. When the energy leader offered his complaints, Cheng Wen frowned but didn¡¯t elaborate.


    The officer sitting on the other side also added, "It is a waste. The Hope¡¯s storage might still have plenty, but we¡¯ve already exhausted half of the full capacity. The biggest exhaustion came from those scientists, and this month¡¯s quota from them has increased again. Furthermore, the captain wants to increase the investment quotient towards the Genesis project. The supply quota will increase by 20 percent. If this continues, the Hope¡¯s supply will drop below the critical threshold¡­"


    The few other officials nodded in agreement, only Cheng Wen said, with a smile, "But the Genesis is currently the Hope¡¯s strongest weapon, so it has to be built. Plus, it is being hosted by Professor Bo Li and is progressing well. There is no waste of resources. That is the best situation, isn¡¯t it?"


    The officers nodded, but some of them still said, "Yes, the Genesis is related to the Hope¡¯s survival and shouldn¡¯t be dismissed, but this opportunity before us shouldn¡¯t be missed either. A stable and large solar system. Who knows how many resources we can mine from here? Probably more than enough to create a spaceship fleet as big as a small planet. We can use them to increase the security of the Hope. However, all of this have to be given up simply because of those humans on the Noah One¡­"


    The officer¡¯s voice petered off to a whisper until no one could hear him anymore.


    Cheng Wen sighed inwardly. The thing that he was most afraid of had occurred. The decision to begin a war was decided by profit, but the decision to continue a war or not was decided by the bearing capacity of the citizens.


    Frankly, a war was fought with blood because the blood of one¡¯s fellow man would inspire the will to fight. This was bound to happen during war. Sometimes, this blood came from a hero, sometimes the innocent, and sometimes the blood was "forced" out by the government. The saying "slaughter a town to alert the whole country" has its truth¡­


    Cheng Wen could pick up from the hidden threats from these officers¡¯ tones. If the citizens lost their desire to save their fellow man from the Noah One, then how would the Hope¡¯s high officials squash this selfish or self-preserving ideals burgeoning in the citizens?


    The hero¡¯s blood, the innocent¡¯s blood, or the blood "flowing" from governmental suppression?


    Maybe it¡¯s time for me to step in¡­


    Cheng Wen sighed as he came to a decision. He didn¡¯t forget that he was also a Thinker, a hidden Thinker on the Hope¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Sorry, forgot to update lol

 Chapter 292: Dark Strategy

    Chapter 292: Dark Strategy


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Cheng Wen had long since been promoted from his earlier role of the Hope¡¯s human resource department¡¯s vice leader to its leader. He oversaw everything related to human resources on the Hope. In a way, he was one of the influential people on the Hope.


    He was a hardworking and capable officer, and he wouldn¡¯t intervene in places where his presence was not needed. Even though it was because of him that many original government workers from Country Z were pulled from obscurity and made powerful officers. the Hope still relied on a system of fair meritocracy. Therefore, as the years passed, Cheng Wen¡¯s position slowly stabilized, his power as great as the power that government officials from Country Z enjoyed.


    Even though the event from a few years ago had stopped the interactions between government workers, those interactions couldn¡¯t be completely prevented. Eventually, liaisons between officials became common again. Of course, there wasn¡¯t anything illegal about them.


    Cheng Wen, as the human resource leader, an original officer from Country Z, had great influence on the Hope and was rumoured to be highly valued by Yao Yuan. Therefore, many Country Z government workers liked to align themselves with Cheng Wen. Even though Cheng Wen was selective in the friends he made, those that had relationships with him all felt impressed by him. Cheng Wen had the presence to make them believe in him.


    That Sunday, Cheng Wen was sitting across from two individuals with a pot of tea brewing between them. Cheng Wen had invited them over for afternoon tea to discuss the things happening on the Hope. Cheng Wen made use of a television program to unconsciously segue into the Hope¡¯s current situation.


    "The current situation is quite dangerous, isn¡¯t it? Even though we have started the Silent Journey plan, there is no telling whether we will run into aliens or not, and if we do, it¡¯ll be another war." Cheng Wen sighed as he took another sip of his tea.


    "You are so right," a slightly overweight middle aged man groused as he sipped his tea. "After this plan to save the Noah One was announced, there were complaints coming from the public. This latest warp has dropped us into a large and safe solar system. This caused some unrest among the citizens. Truth be told, being in the PR department now is not enviable."


    This middle-aged man was a middle-ranking officer in the Hope¡¯s Public Relations Department. He was another Country Z officer that rose in position during the face slap operation a few years ago. His rank might''ve been low, but he held a certain degree of influence on the Hope.


    On the note of the Hope¡¯s government structure, after so many years of adapting and changing, its structure had slowly started to mirror the structure of a cabinet. Everyone answered to the Chancellor, but other than that, the members of a department only answered to the responsibility of their own department. For example, the PR department was responsible for the information transfer happening within the Hope, including television, internet, and paper media. Yao Yuan wouldn¡¯t order them to do stuff and allowed them to work out their own rules organically. Therefore, if there were any misgivings within the department, it would be the responsibility of the PR Department¡¯s members to hand in their own resignation letter.


    This was why the PR Department¡¯s members, like the middle-aged man, would complain when the citizens of the Hope started to complain. After all, to save the Noah One was Yao Yuan¡¯s decision, but the PR Department was faulted by the public because they mishandled the information promotion and direction. In the department, many felt unfairly judged.


    "Actually, there are ways for the PR Department to make use of this situation." The complaint was what Cheng Wen was waiting for. However, he didn¡¯t blurt out his plan but went about it leisurely.


    The middle-aged man was first surprised and then asked excitedly, "You really have a plan? Brother Lee, you¡¯re famed for your intellect. If you really have any bright ideas, please help us out. The PR Department is having a fit. Outside the Hope is a large solar system, filled to the brim with resources, but we can only stay here and idle and wait for two more space warps. Honestly, at least 30 percent the citizens are having second thoughts about this whole operation to save the Noah One¡­"


    "30 percent?" The other middle-aged man chuckled. "That is an underestimation. I would believe it if you said half. After all, the progress on the Hope is going smoothly, and the population number is reaching the Hope¡¯s limit. Unless we can create a larger mother ship in the next decade, the Hope will be extremely crowded. And with the increase in the population, the resource levels will be dangerous as well. And let¡¯s not forget the people we¡¯re going to save are people from Earth¡¯s governments, not the mention the possible dangers we might stumble into."


    The others didn¡¯t rebut, because everything he said was the truth. The Hope was enjoying smooth progress. Be it population, life quality, or science, everything was improving. Becoming a Level 3 space civilization was something inevitable, so must they risk so much to save these people from Earth?


    After all, who knew how many original government officials there would be? These people¡­ were the ones who decided to abandon Earth with no regards for other human beings.


    Therefore, even though Yao Yuan¡¯s immense influence had made this project a reality, since no one dared to object, a hidden resentment among the public was something unavoidable, and this could be the threat that ripped the Hope from within.


    Cheng Wen took another sip of his tea and smiled. "No matter how many people are having suspicions on this decision, it is undeniable that the PR Department is currently under great pressure. Therefore, why doesn¡¯t your department broadcast some documentaries to counter this situation?"


    "Documentaries?" The others repeated in curiosity. The slightly overweight man asked directly, "What kind of documentaries? The government propagandas from Earth? Or war documentaries on heroes that we¡¯ve lost?"


    Cheng Wen shook his head. "According to the current situation, one of the biggest possibilities are war with alien civilizations, so why don¡¯t we broadcast footage of our war with the space merchants? The videos of them storming the Hope and the fights between our Defense Unit soldiers. The videos of how savage they were and how they had captured us. Then get some experts to educate the public on how to save themselves, how to find a safe location to hide, when to run when faced with this kind of situation. Isn¡¯t that the best kind of documentary to broadcast at this juncture?"


    The surprise was evident. They put down their tea cups and looked at Cheng Wen hesitatingly. The slightly overweight man said, "Cheng Wen¡­ but wouldn¡¯t this make the public complain even more? This will make them even more afraid of war with aliens, and the Chancellor will probably be forced to take action¡­ Cheng Wen, you have to be careful about what you say, since we have those earlier representatives as examples."


    This was honest advice from the man. What were those earlier representatives that were fired? They were those that wanted to challenge Yao Yuan¡¯s influence and spread nasty rumors about him. However, they underestimated the hold Yao Yuan had over the Hope¡¯s public. Their plans failed from the beginning. Furthermore, Yao Yuan was from Country Z, so the current Country Z people wouldn¡¯t plot against Yao Yuan in the dark.


    Cheng Wen laughed. "That will not happen, you people are overthinking this. Plus, I¡¯m just giving a suggestion. Furthermore, the Chancellor is a fair person. As long as the documentaries are not falsified and not released behind his back, then he won¡¯t come after anyone as he wishes. Furthermore, isn¡¯t the Hope currently facing this threat? This will be precaution for the public, to improve our survivability in case of war. This will be the contribution of these videos. Regarding public opinion¡­ How about we make a bet? Have the PR Department do what I suggested, and after seven days, if the public still has suspicions against saving the Noah One, then I will hand in my resignation and the PR Department can say that this was my idea. I will shoulder the responsibility. How about that?"


    The slightly overweight man frowned but still laughed and said, "Brother Lee sure likes to joke. We¡¯re in a cabinet system, so we will not push the blame to someone else, but since this is Cheng Wen¡¯s suggestion, then I wouldn¡¯t mind proposing it to my leader. He¡¯ll make the final decision. After all, I¡¯m just a lowly government servant¡­"


    Just like that, three days later, the Hope¡¯s newspaper, television, and internet changed up their usual offerings from praises on the Hope to the introduction of dangers in space, including the various alien space civilizations, the videos on the fight with space merchants, the death toll of the Defense Unit after the war, and the current number of soldiers on the Hope¡­


    In the week after the promotion period, the public''s opinion regarding this project to save the Noah One gradually moved towards negative. In fact, the uproar had gotten so intense that it had reached the House of Representatives, but before the week ended, the public opinion made a complete 180. More than 60 percent was in support of the project because the member list on the Noah One was also released in this period. It had more than 30,000 Special Ops soldiers from Earth¡­


    Therefore, in less than half a month, the internal strife that was burgeoning met its end. All over the Hope, only a small fraction of people maintained a suspicion against this plan, and the majority was in support of Yao Yuan¡¯s decision.


    Lee Cheng Wen¡¯s resume and history once again found its way to Yao Yuan¡¯s table¡­

 Chapter 293: Kun Lun and Prediction

    Chapter 293: Kun Lun and Prediction


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    With the documentaries, the public was slowly led to understand the meaning behind saving the Noah One, so the riots petered out and life returned to normal. They started planning for their future. After all, the one leading the Hope was the great hero, Yao Yuan.


    Time slowly flew by and without one realizing, it had been one and a half months. The next scheduled warp was going to happen in another one and a half months. People had started to miss this peaceful solar system.


    "¡­Ol¡¯ Yao, since there is still another one and a half months and Eva didn¡¯t see a bad future, can we try mining some resources?" Guang Zhen asked Yao Yuan openly as he sat across Yao Yuan¡¯s table.


    Yao Yuan focused on his documents and replied without taking his eyes off the reports. "This couldn¡¯t have been your idea. Tell me, what you want to do?"


    Guang Zhen chuckled and said, "Ol¡¯ Yao, you also know that the proposal to upgrade of Defense Unit¡¯s standard weapons has been handed in quite some time ago but has been constantly delayed due to the Genesis Project and the Black Star Troopers¡¯ Space Armor 2, as well as experimentation with mini plasma weapons. We cannot let this drag on anymore. After all, the Defense Unit is the Hope¡¯s strongest army after the Black Star Troopers. Therefore, I went searching for the scientists responsible for these weapon designs."


    Guang Zhen didn¡¯t go out of line, because even though Yao Yuan was the Hope¡¯s Chancellor, the Hope¡¯s government wasn¡¯t really a dictatorship. Furthermore, Guang Zhen was the Hope¡¯s second in command, and he had Yao Yuan¡¯s complete trust. If he wanted, he could reassign Defense Unit soldiers and even Black Star Troopers without consulting Yao Yuan. Therefore, meeting the scientists was well within his power.


    Yao Yuan started laughing, shook his head, and looked at Guang Zhen. "You¡¯re here on their behalf, aren¡¯t you? They didn¡¯t dare to approach me themselves because this relates to the Hope¡¯s survivability. If they make the wrong decision and anything happens to the Hope, they wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the responsibility, so they hinted for you to come see me. They must have said something about the low resource levels on the Hope not being enough to upgrade the weapons of thousands of Defense Unit soldiers, right?"


    Guang Zhen also laughed. He grabbed the cup of tea on the table and took a sip. "Of course, I knew they were sending me on a difficult task, but I was indeed shocked when I paid a visit to our storage room. It has been only how many years since we left the new planet? The resources that we predicted would last for several decades have already been exhausted by fifty percent. Energy storage is slightly better due to the polymerized reactors, the level maintains at 70 percent, but the moment we start to use the high-tech plasmatic technology, the energy storage will drastically lower, especially if we commit to warp drive¡­ I had no idea it was already looking so bad for the Hope."


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t reply. He sifted through the documents on his table and pulled from it one report and passed it to Guang Zhen. As Guang Zhen read it, his expression darkened.


    The report was written by Bo Li, the latest update on the Hope¡¯s science development. It reported on the Hope¡¯s storage levels, including the 50 percent material storage and 70 percent energy storage. The report brought up the issue of increased exhaustion with the advancement in science. High tech scientific experiments and products would require a large amount of materials.


    Other than that, the higher the technological level, the greater the amount of energy it would exhaust. This could be easily understood with a simple analogy, the prehistoric man could survive with a campfire, but modern man required gas, coal, and electricity. Therefore, an improvement in science would normally lead to a material and energy crisis (back on Earth, this was called environmental crisis).


    The report concluded with a projection into the future. It predicted that the Hope¡¯s storage would be emptied in the next three years. After these three years, the Hope would have nothing left, so it would have to restock before then.


    Guang Zhen¡¯s face was drawn because according to this report, the Hope could only survive for another three years. Three years¡­ this was a short period of time even back on Earth, much less in space. He turned towards Yao Yuan anxiously. "Ol¡¯ Yao, we have to do something. I find this report by Bo Li to be extremely reliable. Since we¡¯ve reached the critical threshold, why don¡¯t we stop to resupply here?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "We cannot do that, because nothing is more important than saving the Noah One. Therefore, we cannot stop and start mining. Furthermore, Ol¡¯ Wong, I want to ask you one question: do you think we took too few materials and energy sources when we left new planet?"


    "Of course not," Guang Zhen denied it immediately. "We filled the Hope back then¡­"


    By then, Guang Zhen knew what the problem was. Yao Yuan continued, "Looks like you too have realized the issue. It was not that we didn¡¯t take enough, but the size of this ship didn¡¯t allow us to take more. When we left the new planet, the Hope was already filled to the brim, but what was the result? The resources that were predicted to last us for several decades was halved in just a few years. The remaining can only last us for another three years. What does this suggest? The Hope this too small.


    "Now I finally understand why those space civilizations¡¯ mother ships are always the size of a small planet. Other than population, the other big thing is resource storage. Think about it, for a large civilization that needs to survive for thousands of years in space, how large would their storage have to be? I¡¯m afraid one will really need to break open a terrestrial planet to satisfy their resource exhaustion."


    Yao Yuan then pulled out another report for Guang Zhen. "Read this. After the conclusion of this Noah One project, be it success or fail, this will be our next step and our main mission."


    The report was sealed with a red double-S stamp, signifying the report¡¯s confidentiality level. Currently, the reports that had reached that level of confidentiality were all related to the Hope¡¯s life and death, something to do with the hope of humanity. The number of people that had access to double-S files were less than five, and Guang Zhen was one of them.


    He flied through the report cautiously and the first page was a construction design. It was full of data, structure, layers, and elaborations of many kinds of weapons. The whole design looked like a giant mountain, and the general shape was oval with a large base and cinched in top.


    "This is the new generation of human mothership that has been secretly designed by Bo Li and her group. It is large enough to accommodate millions upon millions of people. It will be fitted with a large amount of anti-gravitational units, but sadly enough, with our current computing power, even including the AI robots, we cannot calculate this mother ship¡¯s anti-gravity balance. Therefore, this mothership cannot land on a terrestrial planet but only exist as a space base¡­


    "It is called Kun Lun! Humanity¡¯s real space mothership!"


    As Guang Zhen listened to Yao Yuan and studied the design, his heart lit up with passion.


    This was a product designed using 5th revolution, or level 3 space civilization level, technology. Many designs and technologies were not available to mankind yet, but they would be there in the next 10 years. In other words, in another ten years, progress on the Kun Lun could start in earnest!


    The mothership was 674,000 meters tall, 540,000 meters long, and 300,000 meters wide. Its size was several thousand times the Hope¡¯s size. It would have 12 super large polymerized reactors, 36 large reactors, and 72 mid-sized reaction. At the same time, the energy circuit would be upgraded to the plasma system and there would be 8 Genesis cannons and 1 Requiem. At the same time, it would also have innumerable Gaussian heavy artillery weapons and a propulsion system using a super large particle acceleration that enables it to commit to warp drive and space warp¡­


    This would be the Kun Lun! Mankind¡¯s strongest product at the 5th revolution period while being a low level civilization.


    "F*ck! This is amazing! This data is too unbelievable. With our access to the alien plant¡¯s super alloy, especially that superconductor that is perfect for creating energy circuits, the Kun Lun¡¯s electromagnetic shield will be beyond our imagination. With that strong of a shield, even if we physically run into a spaceship like the space merchants'', theirs will be slammed into pieces! Build, we must build this!"


    After Guang Zhen finished reading the report, he was laughing with an excited blush. Yao Yuan nodded with a smile. Just as he was going to say something, his communicator rang. He frowned while looking at the caller ID. After he picked it up, his smile turned into a thin line.


    After he put down the communicator, Guang Zhen asked immediately, "Why? What¡¯s wrong?"


    "That was Eva¡­"


    Yao Yuan looked at Guang Zhen and said, "She saw images of the future, where 29 days from now, aliens will board the Hope!"

 Chapter 294: Cannot Warp?

    Chapter 294: Cannot Warp?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The one who made the call was not Eva but Eva¡¯s personal Thinker, Ren Tao. After he heard the story from Eva, he told Yao Yuan the news immediately and pulled Eva towards the Hope¡¯s captain''s room.


    Yao Yuan didn¡¯t delay either. He told Guang Zhen immediately, "Ol¡¯ Wong this is very important, I will call Xiao Niao, Bo Li¡­ and a few others to join us. We have to keep the number small because too many cooks spoils the broth. We¡¯ll not do it here, let¡¯s go to the secret meeting room."


    Guang Zhen nodded. Very quickly, he managed to seek out the secret unit of the Defense Unit. Every one of them used to be a special agent back on Earth. This was a unit specially selected by Guang Zhen. Regarding the use of this unit, well, that was knowledge limited to Guang Zhen and Yao Yuan. Suffice to say it had plenty to do with how Yao Yuan found out who was manipulating the political scene earlier so easily.


    Soon, after Ren Tao and Eva arrived, Xiao Niao and Bo Li came. Alongside Guang Zhen, the group was escorted by the secret unit to the secret meeting room. When they entered, Yao Yuan immediately asked Eva, "Tell us what you saw in your vision."


    Eva pouted but didn¡¯t make a fuss, because she knew the gravity of the situation. She started, "I saw many visions of the future, but they are all disjointed. The one that¡¯s important I saw one hour ago. A group of about 30 aliens in silver robotic casing entered the Hope. They were of average height, about 1.2 meters. The robotic shells were spherical and didn¡¯t look like they fit the aliens¡¯ bodies tightly. They used some kind of conical weapon, wide in the back and narrow in the front. The weapon would appear out of the casing, and with a flash of light, the metallic wall before it would melt, creating a 2-meter-wide hole.


    "After that, they stormed into the Hope. They left no prisoners. With a blast of the light, the people exploded into dust. There were no bullets or trajectory. When the vision ended, it was 29 days from now."


    Guang Zhen asked, "How can you tell it¡¯s 29 days later? Your power is so strong that you can tell the date and time of your vision?"


    Eva pouted again. "Of course not, but this is why you assigned me a personal Thinker, right? My visions are absolutely random; they are all over the place in terms of sequence. It was such a huge headache¡­ However, now as long as the visions are inside the Hope, I basically have a 70 percent chance of knowing the time and date of the vision. This is so much better than before."


    Guang Zhen finally understood. After so years away from Earth, the Hope had undergone many upgrades. Even the original creators wouldn¡¯t believe the Hope was the Noah Two. Other than the internal structure, the Hope was like a completely different spaceship to the Noah Two.


    The latest upgrade on the Hope introduced a few strange features. One of them was to label the street names and levels at easy-to-see locations. At the same time, many electronic clocks were installed at many places so one could see the time and date whenever they wanted. These clocks were everywhere; one street would have at least 10. This confused the public greatly.


    Now Guang Zhen understood that these changes were to aid Eva utilize her Sage power to the maximum capacity.


    With that out of the way, he turned to look at Ren Tao and Xiao Niao. They shared a meaningful look with each other before turning to give the same look to Yao Yuan. If one didn¡¯t know better, one would suspect there was something going on within the three of them.


    It was Yao Yuan who eventually spoke first. "Eva, can you still see into the future? Do you feel any side effects from changing the future yet?"


    Eva answered, "The latest vision happened only some time ago, so how I can have any visions so soon? Regarding the side effects, currently, there are none."


    Yao Yuan nodded and Xiao Niao chimed in, "Looks like the definition of changing the future is extremely loose. Technically speaking, when you told us about this future, the future was changed because we will not allow that future to happen. However, it looks like your power¡¯s side effect will not kick in until we commit to an actual action. That¡¯s neat."


    Yao Yuan sighed. "We have no idea what the science behind normal Homo Evolutis powers are, much less the Sage. Nothing surprises me after finding out some Homo Evolutis can look into the future. Then, Ren Tao, what are you thinking?"


    Ren Tao seemed to be staring into space. When Yao Yuan called him, he was pulled out of his reverie. "Oh, me? I was thinking¡­ If we know about this future and still do nothing, then will the future change or not?"


    Guang Zhen was a traditional soldier, so he was very much averse to vagrant-like behavior. His relationship with Ren Tao was completely formal, so if they met each other personally, they probably wouldn¡¯t exchange greetings. After hearing Ren Tao¡¯s suggestion, he harrumphed. "If you continue blanking out, then our future will definitely be like that."


    It was as if Ren Tao didn¡¯t hear the dissatisfaction in his criticism. He clapped and said, "That¡¯s the idea. Actually, in these few years, we¡¯ve been trying to determine the limitations and functions of this prediction power, but there has been no such occasion. In a way, this will be the first time we will be able to test out this power in real time if we discount the war with the space merchants¡­ Xiao Niao has mentioned this: the future cannot be known. Why? Because the future is constantly changing. This is why the butterfly effect can be used to describe time. This is similar to wave functions in quantum theory; it is unknowable when it is not observed, but after it comes into being, the wave function will collapse. The key is an observer. Therefore, I came up with a hypothesis for this prediction power, and that is unpredictability. Before we commit to an action, we only stop at the stage of knowledge, and that will not affect the unpredictability of the future."


    Xiao Niao and Yao Yuan started thinking, but Guang Zhen was getting antsy¡­ because he had no idea what they were talking about. He grumbled, "What is the use of talking about that now? We should be coming up with a solution instead."


    To his surprise, Yao Yuan berated him, "Ol¡¯ Wong, if Ren Tao is right, then it will help us greatly in understanding the power of the Sage. Do you know why we don¡¯t ask Eva to look into the future as often as she can? That¡¯s because the pressure from utilizing the Sage¡¯s power is too big. None of us can be sure whether a decision to drastically change the Hope¡¯s future will cause Eva to go into a coma like Jay or not. We cannot shoulder such a responsibility, but if it is like Ren Tao said, that looking into the future but not doing anything will not harm the Sage, then we can have incessant visions of the future and from there choose the one that has the best outcome¡­ But Ol¡¯ Wong, you¡¯re right as well. Now we need to focus on finding a solution."


    Xiao Niao shrugged. "What else can we do? From what Eva told us, it is obvious that the aliens are from the 5th revolution or above. Even foot soldiers have access to plasma weapons, so they¡¯re at least a Level 3 space civilization. This means that our silent journey plan has failed, and there is no other solution but to warp."


    The others sighed. Pain and regret clawed at Yao Yuan. They still had two more controlled warps to go before reaching the Noah One. Alas, that plan was rudely interrupted by a Level 3 space civilization. They seemed more professional than the space merchants, so if there really was a war, things were not looking well for the Hope¡­


    "How about this, we will try our best to come up with other solutions, and if there is no better solution¡­"


    Yao Yuan looked at them and finally said, "We¡¯ll warp in 20 days to avoid this alien civilization. There are still 20 days to go, so let¡¯s get our brain juices flowing."


    The others nodded silently. Suddenly, Eva¡¯s eyes went vacant and color drained from her face. She yelled suddenly and hugged her head as she crumbled to the floor. Guang Zhen, who was standing beside her, quickly went to catch her.


    However, the color didn¡¯t return to Eva¡¯s face, she mumbled, "Explosion¡­ a big explosion. We cannot warp! This next warp will bring us next to a sun! The Hope will explode!"

 Chapter 295: Destination

    Chapter 295: Destination


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Space warp was a future tech beyond human comprehension. The science behind it still eluded the Academy; they had no idea how to control it. However, space warp has also been the biggest aid to humans when trying to survive in the wide cosmos. Other than finding life-preserving planets, space warp helped mankind locate mineable resources, and that was crucial to the sustenance of life. Therefore, even though it was hard, human beings had to learn more about this essential life line.


    Currently, after 10 years of research, the Hope had realized a few basics about space warp.


    The first was something they found out a long time ago, that an increase in load during warp would cause an increase in energy consumption. Using the current Hope as an example, the energy required during warp was provided by several large polymerized reactors. The polymerized reactors were completely different from nuclear fission reactors; the energy supplied by polymerized reactors came from polymerization of hydrogen atoms similar to the reaction within suns. The other was only energy from the fission of nuclear atoms. The energy profile of the two was completely different; one was light from a match while another was a forest fire.


    Currently, the energy consumed during the Hope¡¯s warp was equal to America¡¯s national energy consumption in a year!


    For the Kun Lun, the energy needed for space warp could only be provided by extra-large polymerized reactors, and the energy consumed per time unit was so big that it had to rely on the plasma conversion system.


    The second thing had to do with the space warp¡¯s randomness. After warp, no one could tell where the destination would be. It might be an empty space (which would happen theoretically 99.99 percent of the time), within a solar system, or even something like inside a planet itself. Of, course not to be forgotten was the possibility of warping to danger area, like near a blackhole, neutron star, close distance to a sun, or inside a gas giant. Any of these would cause the Hope¡¯s destruction in a matter of minutes.


    Therefore, space warping, or uncontrolled space warping, was technically a gamble. Even though the chance of losing was only 0.01 percent, it was a loss that human beings wouldn¡¯t be able to recover from!


    In other words, mankind was betting with their lives when they used the space warp. This was why a Sage like Eva was so important. It was why Yao Yuan and the rest were so overjoyed when they found out about her existence, and they had the entire the Hope upgraded to accommodate her power.


    The upgrade was to enable Eva to clearly know the time and place she saw in her visions, and through her visions, they could come up with the perfect solution. The most important vision she could provide would be to the Hope¡¯s space warp destination.


    At this moment, a blanched Eva sat in a chair, her body still shaking violently. This was because the future had been changed. After Yao Yuan decided to not risk coming into contact with the alien army and decided to warp, the future had been changed. Yao Yuan was the Chancellor, so as long as his orders were lawful, then they couldn¡¯t be violated, and his order had changed the future.


    Therefore, Eva was affected by her power¡¯s side effect. She was struggling even to stay awake. Her head was titled to the side and her eyelids were drooping. The people around her didn¡¯t dare to let her go to sleep, because she had just revealed another surprising vision.


    "¡­I see Uncle Yao in the captain¡¯s room, giving the order to warp. After the Hope disappeared from this place, the inside of the Hope started to give out sparks and then blood started to explode from Uncle Yao¡¯s pores. Before I could understand what was happening, the Hope had exploded. Beyond that, I can see an enormous fireball not far away from the Hope¡­"


    After Eva said that, all the color had been drained from her face and she finally couldn¡¯t hold her consciousness anymore. Bo Li, who was beside her, quickly scooped her up and turned to address Yao Yuan. "I will take her to the hospital, you all can start the discussion without me¡­ By the way, there are many things that can cause the leaking of blood from the body, and one of them is high gravity, which would cause the blood vessels to rupture¡­"


    Bo Li then left the room. The room was guarded by the secret unit, so they weren¡¯t worried about her sending Eva to the hospital. The people inside the room looked like they too were sick, still under obvious shock from what Eva said.


    Guang Zhen was not a Thinker, so when he saw the three of them not talking, he laughed awkwardly. "Having a Sage sure is useful. She might have just prevented mankind¡¯s extinction¡­ Why, what¡¯s wrong?"


    Guang Zhen saw their serious expressions and his heart snapped. He quickly followed up, "Don¡¯t tell me the warp to the sun''s surface is unavoidable."


    Indeed, the mechanics for space warp was still a mystery. One moment they could warp to a solar system and the next moment they could be far away from the solar system, several billion lightyears away. Therefore, Guang Zhen wasn¡¯t worried after hearing about Eva¡¯s vision. After all, they could wait a few days before warping. With the size of the cosmos, the presence of suns and planets was really small. 100 warps and you might not even get close to one. This kind of warp which landed near the sun was really, really, really unlucky¡­ the probability of that was one over several billion.


    However, when Guang Zhen saw the expressions on the two Thinkers and Yao Yuan, he too realized that something was wrong¡­ the only thing then was that the future of this warp couldn¡¯t be changed! That was too scary.


    The three of them shook their heads, and Yao Yuan told him directly, "We can be sure about that with just one vision, but we thought about the same concern¡­ It¡¯s actually very simple, which has plenty to do with controlled space warp, something we do not understand. Ol¡¯ Wong, you might not know this since you were too busy with the Defense Unit; this is something only me and the two of them know. The reality is that after ZERO started controlling the space warps, these past few space warps have landed us inside the same solar system."


    Guang Zhen whipped his head to look at Yao Yuan in shock. Xiao Niao continued, "That¡¯s right, this is all thanks to the AI system. Ever since the AI system was introduced into the central mainframe, the computing power of the mainframe has seen a drastic increase. The star chart from each of our warps was stored inside the mainframe. Ever since the second controlled space warp, the mainframe confirmed that we are moving within the same solar system, and we¡¯re moving towards the solar system¡¯s center. After one more controlled warp, we will reach our destination."


    Yao Yuan picked up the thread of conversation. "Now do you understand? Controlled space warp brought the Hope closer and closer to the sun because the closer to the sun, the greater the density of planets. When Eva said that the Hope warped to the sun, I had this suspicion¡­ Could it be that the destination for Hope¡¯s past controlled space warps have been set to be the same but ZERO needed to calibrate the location through trial and error? Each calibration would take about three months¡­ Simply put, the Hope actually was in a stage of controlled space warp for the period of the three months, and the destination and direction of the warp was targeted at the Noah One, but without ZERO¡¯s calibration, the accuracy of the warp''s exit couldn¡¯t be maintained¡­"


    "This reminds me of an interesting experiment in quantum theory," Ren Tao suddenly said. "At the time, the scientists were observing the movement trajectory of electrons. They realized that the electrons occupied multiple trajectories even though they all led to the same destination. Could it be that controlled space warp follows the same rule? In essence, the destination has to be confirmed first and then use the multiple space warps to calibrate its location, or else why would we warp so many times?"


    Guang Zhen understood what they meant. Simply put, after the Hope had set its location, which was the location of the Noah One¡¯s life-preserving planet, without ZERO¡¯s control, the Hope would appear randomly in the solar system and would have a high chance of warping close to the sun¡­ After all, suns were common in the cosmos, so one''s location was the most easily confirmed. Therefore, warping close to the sun was the easiest way to enter the solar system the Noah One was in¡­


    However, in that case¡­


    The Hope couldn¡¯t randomly warp anymore?


    "No matter what, we have to prepare accordingly. Ren Tao, you are responsible for looking after Eva. After she wakes up, ask for more details from her vision and try to come up with a solution. Xiao Niao, you go and contact ZERO and ask her whether controlled space warp can be stopped after it was initiated. Lastly, Ol¡¯ Wong, you and I¡­"


    Yao Yuan turned to Guang Zhen and said seriously, "We¡¯re going to go check on the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s and other equipment¡­


    "To prepare for the war with the aliens!"

 Chapter 296: Ruin Deception Strategy

    Chapter 296: Ruin Deception Strategy


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Eva¡¯s fainting spell lasted for two days and two nights¡­ the reason for her early resuscitation was because of Yao Yuan, the Homo Evolutis "charger". Yao Yuan spent about one hour every day holding Eva¡¯s hand, even though he had no idea what kind of science this operated on, but it did help decrease the pressure applied after over-exertion of Homo Evolutis power.


    It was worth noting that Yao Yuan¡¯s "charger" power had no effect on other Double-S grade Homo Evolutis; therefore, Jay, the Deceiver, was still asleep. Furthermore, it felt weird for him to hold another man¡¯s hands and stare at his face intensely, especially in Jay¡¯s wife, Xiao Chen¡¯s presence. Therefore, he stopped after giving it a few tries.


    With Eva¡¯s recovery, it would be 27 days until the supposed alien infiltration into the Hope. It might sound like a long time away, but who knew how long the aliens had hesitated before the attack? They might have been observing the Hope for a long time already. Since they had no way of figuring out the answer, discovering the time for a safe space warp seemed to be the better solution.


    However, Eva was still weak after her recovery, so Yao Yuan waited for another three days before rushing to the hospital. When he arrived, he saw Eva playing with the newest scientific product, a palm-sized computer, excitedly¡­ it was truly palm-sized because it was the size of a normal Sony PSP or Apple iPhone, but its internal hardware was at the level of actual 4th revolution computers. The girl was happily engrossed in her game, and Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, Bo Li, and Guang Zhen were already gathered in the room.


    When Eva saw Yao Yuan arrive, she put down the game and yelled, "Hey, Uncle Yao, I¡¯m not the Hope¡¯s slave! You can''t ask me to use my power again when I just recovered from exhaustion from using it. Do you want to kill me?"


    Yao Yuan noticed other people¡¯s helpless smiles. Obviously, they had tried to advise her before he arrived, but this time, the young woman was stubborn and refused to use her Sage power again.


    Yao Yuan shrugged helplessly and sat down beside her to console her. "Little Eva, you practically grew up on the Hope, so I believe you have a great connection to it¡­ Do you really have the heart to see it destroyed just like that? Be it through alien infiltration or a space disaster, do you have the heart to see it destroyed? Come on, stop fussing about and tell us what the new vision is, or do you have any demands? We will fulfil them to our best capacity. You see, this palm computer is not out in the market yet, but because we heard you¡¯re a gamer, we obtained one for you ahead of time."


    Eva looked at the device in her hand, and her reaction startled Yao Yuan. Her eyes started watering and she threw the device at Yao Yuan. Then she scurried under the cover to cry.


    Yao Yuan was dexterous enough to catch the computer Eva threw at him, but facing the weeping of a little girl, he was immediately flustered. Eventually, Bo Li took his hand, led him outside of the room, and revealed to him why Eva was so stubborn this time.


    "It¡¯s because she saw death¡­"


    Bo Li continued with a straight face, "You and Uncle Wong are professional soldiers, special agents used to death and killing. Me, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao lived through the period of anarchy back on Earth, so we¡¯ve seen our fair share of death, but when she got on the Hope, she was only several years old. Even though the Hope has seen a few disasters and wars since then, she didn¡¯t see the massacre personally with her own two eyes. However, this time she saw the aliens kill people and then the Hope¡¯s explosion. Think about it, she saw you being incinerated by the sun into a skeleton and probably the death of her many close family members and friends. How real are the Sage¡¯s visions? We have no clue, but what if the visions are as real as real life experiences? You want her to relive that whole experience? No wonder she¡¯s crying."


    Yao Yuan was speechless. Indeed, death and killing had become something normal for him and Guang Zhen. There had been at least 1,000 lives that he had taken, not counting the massive amount of aliens. He was inoculated to the fear of death, but Eva was different. Even though the Hope was forced to leave Earth, Yao Yuan did one thing well, which was to prevent the people on the Hope from being influenced by negative feelings. He gave them a fair system and law and tried his best to fulfill their needs, which was why civil movement and science had been progressing so smoothly on the Hope.


    However, this also meant that the people on the Hope hadn¡¯t really experienced serious strife. Eva was one of the lucky ones, so it was entirely possible that she was stressed out by her visions.


    Yao Yuan and the others spent a few hours in Eva¡¯s room just talking to her. Finally, Eva had relaxed enough to give her power another try.


    "Perfect." Yao Yuan¡¯s face split into a broad smile. "In the few days after you awakened, did you see any more visions? What is the future for the Hope like?"


    Tears started appearing in Eva¡¯s eyes again, but she took a deep breath and continued, in a shaking voice, "Of course I¡¯ve seen some visions. The future is unfortunately still the same. Either the aliens infiltrate the Hope to murder all of us or enslave us, or the Hope explodes after warp. There are no other visions than these two."


    Yao Yuan looked at the rest and said, "Then I decide to warp at tomorrow 4 PM. In that case¡­ has the future changed?"


    Eva hesitated before shaking her head. "No, I don¡¯t see a new visions, so this means that the future is still the same. Either you don¡¯t warp tomorrow at 4 and 20 plus days later we will be infiltrated by aliens, or you do warp and the Hope will be destroyed near the sun¡¯s surface. I don¡¯t see anything else beyond that."


    Yao Yuan frowned and sighed. "Then rest for now. If you see anything else, you must inform us immediately¡­ Contact Ren Tao or anyone of us; as long as you contact us it¡¯s fine."


    Eva nodded weakly before lying down. The rest shuffled quietly out of her room and back to the secret meeting room.


    A heavy silence fell in the meeting room. After a long pause, Xiao Niao said, with apology, "I couldn¡¯t contact ZERO. I¡¯ve kept my computer open for 24 hours for the past few days, but there has been no sign of her. I bet she is staying inside that UFO, so I have no chance of asking her about controlled space warp."


    Yao Yuan sighed. "It has been incredibly careless of us. We thought the controlled space warps would happen only every 3 months and we could use random space warps the rest of the time. However, it seems like controlled space warps are long lasting and will go on for 15 months. In other words, the moment we decided to save the Noah One, the process cannot be changed or reverted, unless ZERO appears and tells us more about controlled space warp¡­ So, what shall we do now? Warping is not an option, and we¡¯ll have to wait for ZERO to appear one and a half months from now, but what¡¯s the point then?"


    Guang Zhen asked, "What about fighting? Our Black Star Troopers have been strongest since we left Earth. We have the second generation space combat jet, the Prototype 011¡­ If possible, why don¡¯t we ambush the alien troops that will attack us? Since we know about their existence and the time of their attack, ambush should be a very effective tactic."


    Before Yao Yuan answered, Xiao Niao did. "Commander Wong, that won¡¯t work. You should have heard many things in the past few days from Professor Bo Li about this group of aliens. Based on Eva¡¯s vision, these aliens utilize plasma weapons from the 5th revolution, and that is something undeniable. The space merchants had several 5th revolution technologies, yet their main weapon was still from the Gaussian level, but this alien civilization will be using plasma weapons. This means that they are at least at the 5th revolution and a level 3 space civilization, a level higher than us. We¡¯re like American Indian natives using stone axes to fight with settlers armed with firearms. There¡¯s no chance of winning!"


    After another long, uncomfortable silence, Yao Yuan suddenly raised his head to address the room. "In any case, we will have to figure out a way to survive somehow. Didn¡¯t the strategist department come up with a solution earlier? We¡¯ll just use that¡­


    "The last section of the silent journey plan¡­


    "Ruin Deception Strategy!"

 Chapter 297: Strategy Preparation

    Chapter 297: Strategy Preparation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Silent Journey was the strategy used by the Hope to approach the Noah One. Its biggest mission was to completely cut off the Hope¡¯s connection to the external world, be it from the angle of materials or signal. This would lower the possibility of being discovered greatly.


    However, the possibility wasn¡¯t zero. After all, according to Murphy¡¯s law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Therefore, to prevent such accidents, when Silent Journey was drafted, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Yao Yuan came up with a contingency plan that took several months to plan¡­


    This plan was the ruin deception strategy!


    What did the current the Hope look like?


    Like a chopstick-shaped space rock if seen from afar. If one looked closer, it would appear like an abandoned spaceship.


    The Hope had completely isolated itself through the use of the creator¡¯s particle, so no signal was going to be transmitted. Furthermore, with physical shielding, no light source would be seen from the outside either. The Hope looked like an actual dead object. Even if seen, aliens wouldn¡¯t be able to scan the information within, so the biggest possibility was them assuming that the Hope was an empty, abandoned spaceship. In other words, when aliens spotted the Hope, there would be a big chance they viewed it as the space ruins of a dead civilization!


    This was the key to the ruin deception strategy, it played into this psychology!


    From the information given by the space merchants, there were many documents detailing such dead civilizations¡¯ ruins. According to the technological level, the ruins were divided into low-level ruins, medium-level ruins, and high-level ruins. Similarly, the danger scale of each of the ruins was different according to the technological level as well. For example, the junkyard civilization that the Hope stumbled across earlier was a low-level ruin and could be counted as the lowest among the lows, as its greatest source of danger came from automated defences.


    Compared to low-level space ruins, medium-level ruins were a lot more dangerous. For example, the information from the space merchants detailed such a tale. A ruin-hopping civilization found a mid-sized spaceship, and the spaceship looked broken from the outside. This race was already experienced at exploring ruins, with at least 1,000 years of experience behind them, so of course they wouldn¡¯t be reckless enough to send their people in without some preparation. Therefore, they spent a decade analysing and observing this spaceship. They even collected some spaceship pieces to conduct analysis on to ascertain that this spaceship¡¯s technology might be beyond their expectations. Therefore, they contacted about 10 space civilizations that had trade history with this dead civilization, planning to enter the ruins together.


    In the end, only one of these civilizations, which was caught up in their own troubles and couldn''t come, escaped the fate of extinction. The rest of the civilizations were destroyed in this normal-looking spaceship¡­ This was a high-level space ruin. After the many space civilizations entered the spaceship, its self-destruct mechanism was triggered. Eventually, it exploded in the form of a small blackhole which not only swallowed all the civilizations but had changed the constellation of the area¡­


    Therefore, spotting a space ruin might not always be a good thing. If the salvage was successful, the civilization would benefit from the technology left behind, but if the salvage failed, the best situation was the civilization escaping with a huge loss of resources, the worst would be a total extinction.


    Therefore, since Silent Journey was already prepping the Hope to look like a space ruin, the plan was to continue that deception. More actions would be carried out to give the Hope the appearance of a space ruin, and hopefully this would give the Hope more time. After all, it needed only another three months before it could warp, and if it was really impossible, then they could still warp away (This was before they knew this option was impossible); therefore, there was no need to really fool the aliens, as the main point of the plan was to buy time.


    After Yao Yuan decided to go along with the ruin deception strategy, the Hope started to get busy again. Thankfully, this strategy was planned earlier, so all the pieces were already designed. They only needed to set them up now.


    Two days after the decision was made, Eva left the hospital. She sat in captain¡¯s room playing her palm computer. Sitting around her were Yao Yuan, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, Guang Zhen, and Bo Li. Yao Yuan in the captain¡¯s chair stole a look at his electronic watch.


    "Five more minutes to the initiation of the ruin deception strategy. Eva, what kind of future do you see?" Yao Yuan looked at his watch again after asking Eva.


    Eva was completely focused on her game. She shrugged. "In any case, if there¡¯s a new vision, I will definitely tell you. I can¡¯t create something out of nothing, so you can stop with the harassing questions. Uncle Yao Yuan, that¡¯s very long-winded of you, don¡¯t you think?"


    Yao Yuan ignored her. He took another look at his watch and told Ren Tao and Xiao Niao, "If the future doesn¡¯t change, then the aliens will start arrive on that fated date. This means that they still haven¡¯t discovered us and are not observing the Hope; perhaps they haven¡¯t even arrived at this solar system yet. This is the perfect time to set the ruin deception plan."


    Ren Tao held the same bored expression. Xiao Niao, who was beside him, noticed his reticence and sighed. "That¡¯s true, and when you think about Eva¡¯s vision, she said only ten aliens entered the Hope and they didn¡¯t fire any powerful, long-ranged weapons at the Hope. This means that they didn¡¯t know about the Hope¡¯s internal situation. This small unit of aliens is probably the so-called exploration team; they assumed the Hope was an abandoned spaceship."


    "¡­Fifth revolution," Yao Yuan sighed, "A technological level that high but still unable to bypass the limitation of the creator¡¯s particle, so naturally they cannot see into the Hope, but¡­ this strategy is really our last resort. If this fails, then this will probably not end well for us."


    When Yao Yuan said this, Xiao Niao¡¯s face blushed with shame. This was because this was his responsibility. He was the only person that could communicate with ZERO, and it was because of his carelessness that the Hope was stuck in this tough spot. He forgot to ask ZERO about the details of controlled space warp, specifically whether it would preclude normal space warp after it was initiated.


    Right then, Yao Yuan¡¯s watch started to beep. Yao Yuan silenced the room and pressed a green button on the table. At the same time, Eva¡¯s body shook. She put down the palm computer and her face split into a big smile. "No more, the aliens are no more¡­ Yes, the date is still the same, but I can¡¯t see the aliens anymore. In the captain¡¯s room, there¡¯s Uncle Yao Yuan and everyone else¡­ the time is 12:00 AM, the day is over, and nothing happens!"


    Eva was still a little girl, especially considering human beings¡¯ lifespan had reached 180 years. She showed her happiness purely on her face, and she couldn¡¯t stop smiling. In fact, they expected her to start dancing any time now. To be fair, she was the one under the most pressure over the past few days. Her constitution was weaker than Yao Yuan''s and the rest, but she had been exposed to visions of massacres by the aliens every day. The lightning flash was strong enough to melt space armor, and even though there were only 10 aliens, that was enough to wash the Hope with blood.


    Therefore, after the decision to commit to ruin deception strategy had been made, she kept herself busy playing her palm computer. She fell asleep naturally daily after she was utterly tired from gaming. She didn¡¯t dare to allow herself to relax lest the visions came back to her and she would be dropped into despair again and again. She didn¡¯t think she could handle it¡­


    Right then, she finally relaxed. In the future date, where the aliens were supposed to enter the Hope, nothing happened. This meant that the ruin deception plan was a success, and maybe¡­ this meant that the despairing future wouldn¡¯t appear again!


    In fact, everyone sighed in relief. They too were afraid that the strategy was completely useless and a war was inevitable¡­


    Yao Yuan stood up and said, "Then we shall go according to plan. Ren Tao, Eva, you two should continue monitoring the changes in the future, and pay special attention to the time the aliens were supposed to enter the Hope. Remember, we only created three ¡®baits¡¯, and each requires one month to build and they consume a lot of resources. We need the time to set the explosives to be as precise as possible.


    "We only have three ruin baits with space warp engines installed!"

 Chapter 298: Operation Start!

    Chapter 298: Operation Start!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Time passed by slowly and life was uneventful for the 200,000 plus people on the Hope. This number was a combination of 120,000 people from Earth and the newborns. The population had almost doubled compared to when the Hope first left Earth. When there were so many people, trifling household affairs were practically endless. The Hope¡¯s government was small and had few officers, but it was fairly complete. Each government worker was responsible for many things, and among them, Yao Yuan was probably the busiest.


    Yao Yuan was a professional soldier, but due to his autocratic background, before he was a soldier, he already knew about many skills, especially management skills. Overall, he still considered himself a soldier before he was a leader¡­ However, due to the Hope¡¯s unique situation, he had to be leader first before he was a soldier.


    This was especially obvious during uneventful days, when Yao Yuan felt like he was one of those paper pushers. The things he had to deal with were trivial matters. Other than the few important cases, 90 percent of the time he had to deal with civil affairs. Even though there was a threat of a 5th revolution alien civilization, he couldn¡¯t drop his responsibilities lest it create panic among the citizens.


    Today was the day the alien civilization entered the Hope according to Eva¡¯s vision. In the secret meeting room were Yao Yuan, Bo Li, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, Eva, Guang Zhen, about ten top scientists from the Academy, and several Black Star Unit members. These were the people who knew about what was going on. Since the ruin deception strategy required some high-tech equipment, the ten scientists had to be informed.


    "The three ruin baits were checked five days ago. Their internal structures, mass, energy levels, and long ranged signals were all perfectly fine," a young, about 40-year-old, scientist reported to the room. Behind him was the 3D image of a ruin bait being projected.


    The so-called ruin bait was a medium-large space vessel. Inside there was a 4th revolution battery that took up one-third of the internal space. The other two-thirds was taken up by the space warp engine. In other words, this was a simplified space warp system.


    First, thus far it had been confirmed that the alien civilization that was supposed to enter the Hope was a 5th revolution or level 3 space civilization. Their strength couldn¡¯t be compared to the enemies the Hope had faced before. This was a civilization that had mastered the energy revolution. If mankind came head to head with this civilization, the possible outcome was being vaporized in just several hours to several minutes. This was an enemy current human beings couldn¡¯t handle.


    In a situation where the Hope couldn¡¯t warp, the only chance at survival was this ruin deception strategy. The key of this plan was to present the Hope as an ancient civilization¡¯s ruin. Hopefully, the mystery would deter this alien civilization from entering. They still needed to drag it out for another half a month before ZERO would appear and the Hope would warp away from underneath this civilization¡¯s nose. All the danger would disappear then. That was the best solution.


    Therefore, the main issue was to create the impression that the Hope was a ruin that had a technology way beyond a level 3 space civilization.


    Many things could be faked, but technological level wasn¡¯t one of them, especially in front of an expert. A level 3 space civilization must be far more advanced than humanity, so they would most likely possess long-distance surveillance systems that could analyze the Hope¡¯s metallic structure, its density, and theoretical framework perhaps in just seconds. Even though the Hope was pretending to be a ruin, if it was just a level 2 space civilization¡¯s ruins, then a level 3 space civilization would have nothing to get worked over. That was probably why only 10 aliens entered the Hope in Eva¡¯s vision¡­ such a small unit was powerful enough to take down an entire level 2 space civilization.


    Therefore, just how would the Hope be moulded into a civilization ruin that was much more technologically advanced than a level 3 space civilization?


    Yao Yuan, the two Thinkers, Bo Li, and a large amount of scientists all agreed that the only solution was¡­ the space warp engine!


    This was the only thing on the Hope that was technologically advanced. At least from the information taken from junkyard civilization and space merchants, this was a technology not available to any known space civilization; it was a future technology even beyond the star gate technology!


    It was because of this that the ruin deception strategy was possible.


    First, a few space warp vessels were created. The metals that were used to create these space vessels came from the alien plant, including both the unknown alloy and pure metals. These were metals that 4th revolution technology couldn¡¯t understand or analyze. Even though they had no clue what level of space civilization they came from, it was at least way above level 3.


    Such space vessels were suspended away from the Hope. When the alien civilization neared the space vessels or the Hope, using the planned time sequence, these space vessels would enter warp state. However, due to the lack of energy, these vessels would explode in space while a part of them would have warped.


    Those that required mankind to use this ruin deception plan had to be at least a level 3 space civilization, so they had to know about space ruins. When the vessel exploded, they would go investigate, thus delaying the plan to explore the Hope.


    Under their close scrutiny, they would find out about the second and third space warp vessels. They would discover that this low technology empty space ship (due to creator¡¯s particle blocking them from reading the vital signs within) had incredibly high technology marvels floating around it. In that case, they would suspect that the Hope was a trap or a bait. Even though this would increase their desire to obtain the Hope, it would also cause them to be extra cautious to prevent unnecessary sacrifices.


    They too would try to investigate or capture the two remaining space vessels, but they would space warp the moment the aliens got near. This would help them confirm that the few floating metallic cases were incredibly high tech (at least above level 3). If the civilization that approached the Hope was also at a high level, they could even detect the space wave created during warp and calculate the density of the part that had warped away. This way, they would be even more cautious and perhaps even suspect the spaceship itself was a space trap or a space weapon (if there was such a thing)¡­.


    This was the content of the ruin deception strategy. It was a pure psychological strategy that used the alien civilization¡¯s caution towards space ruins as an opening.


    The strategy was, in itself, a gamble. If the gamble was victorious, then the prize would be their lives; however, if they lost, if the alien civilization sent one soldier into the Hope, then the Hope would initiate self-destruct sequence. Therefore, it was not Yao Yuan¡¯s intention to use the ruin deception strategy. His first choice would have been to abandon the Noah One and warp. However, that choice was taken away from them, so he had no choice but to commit to this crazy gamble that used the lives of the whole of humanity as the betting chips!


    After the scientist finished his report, Yao Yuan nodded and raised his head to look at the atomic clock inside the secret meeting room. "Two more hours. In two hours, the first space vessel will explode and we¡¯ll be left with two more space vessels and 16 days until our warp limit¡­ Or, conservatively speaking, we still have 17, 18, at most 20 days. In other words, in the next 20 days, when we explode the next space vessels will become the most important detail to the success of this strategy. It cannot be too early, because we still have to drag it out for at most 20 days, but it cannot be too late either, lest this alien civilization loses its patience and decides to send its people into the Hope¡­ this is the main point of our discussion today. By the way, how is the progress for the observer robots coming along?"


    "Observer robot?" Guang Zhen had the biggest reaction. He asked instantly, "Wait, Yao Yuan, didn¡¯t you say that observation was mutual? When we observe the surroundings, those in our surroundings would be able to observe us back, right? Shouldn¡¯t we keep quiet inside the Hope now?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "That was when we were still undiscovered, but now that we¡¯re going to initiate the ruin deception strategy, we have already been found out, so we have to start surveying our surroundings and the conditions of the alien civilization. So how goes the observer robots?" Yao Yuan turned towards Bo Li.


    Bo Li glanced at Yao Yuan coldly before tossing him a document. "The AI Observer Robots¡­ are ready. Including the prototype, there are in total five of them. They can be deployed at any moment."


    After Yao Yuan accepted the document, before he read it, he said, "Perfect. Then in two hours, after the first explosion, we will send out 3 robots¡­


    "I want to see this alien civilization for myself¡­ 5th revolution technology and level 3 space civilization, I need to see what kind of spaceship and army they have!"

 Chapter 299: Shock!

    Chapter 299: Shock!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The AI Observer Robots, which used the alien plant¡¯s special alloy, were also fitted with a creator¡¯s particle generator and isolator so that the alien civilization couldn¡¯t detect them other than by shining lights on them.


    Similarly, to avoid detection and leaking of technological information, the normal fuel propeller and more high tech particle acceleration were unusable. Instead, the anti-gravity system was used for mobility¡­ Using the Hope as a gravitational anchor, with its pull and push force, the robots could be moved to anywhere in space. Of course, this meant that the Hope had to move as well. However, compared to the robots¡¯ size and mass, the movement was barely discernible. Furthermore, the Hope was already in a floating state, so a small movement was to be expected. It would be fine if the robots were noticed as well, because it would make the alien civilization more cautious.


    First, they would be confused by the metallurgy (as long as the alien civilization¡¯s level wasn¡¯t too high). Secondly, they wouldn¡¯t understand the propulsion system, since they wouldn¡¯t have understood the anti-gravitational system. From the information taken from the alien merchants, a level 3 space civilization''s technological catalyst was plasma energy. Plasma weapons, plasma condensation, and the like, so they had not reached the level of anti-gravity. Third would be the series of space vessel explosions. All of these things pointed towards the presence of a lost ruin, one from a high level space civilization, so the alien civilization would have no choice but to be careful.


    Two hours after Yao Yuan made his decision, i.e. the time the alien was supposed to enter the Hope and one minute after the first space vessel exploded, two AI observer bots left the Hope¡­ passed the creator¡¯s particle zone and went into space.


    The rest would be waiting. The Hope had blocked off all external signals, so those on the inside had no clue what was happening on the outside and vice versa. No one knew what would happen to the two robots after they left the Hope. Even though they were all fitted with self-destruction mechanisms, no one could tell for sure what kind of technology a level 3 space civilization would have. If they could capture the robots before the robots could initiate the self-destruction sequence, then a lot of information on the Hope would be leaked, and that would not be a favourable condition¡­


    However, the ruin deception strategy couldn¡¯t move into the next step without sending out the robots, so they could only pray that nothing happened to those two AI Observer Bots.


    The atmosphere in the meeting room was incredibly heavy and nervous while they waited. Even the scientists who had quit smoking for decades couldn¡¯t help returning to their old habits. Thankfully, Eva didn¡¯t see any new visions, so that could be counted as a good development.


    However, no one dared to let their guard down, especially those who knew of Eva¡¯s latest information. The more often she used her power, the lower her visions¡¯ sensitivity. It was a hard to describe limitation. Perhaps the Sage power depended on an internal energy pool, and the greater the amount of energy used from the pool, the clearer the vision. If the Sage used her power too often, then the pool wouldn¡¯t have time to recharge, thus providing only some weak visions.


    This was a recently discovered Sage¡¯s power limitation. After all, they didn¡¯t even realize the Sage was a thing until recently, and the recent continuous use of her power had revealed this weakness. Then again, this was, in a way, to be expected; if the power could be used endlessly, wouldn¡¯t that be too unbelievable?


    In any case, this discovery brought new inroads to the research on Homo Evolutis. However, there were only a select few who knew of this limitation. Their hearts were palpitating at an incredible speed, afraid that the alien would rush into the Hope at any second. That was the most torturous wait ever.


    Thankfully, nothing happened. 10 minutes after the robots were deployed, they appeared once more in the Hope¡¯s tunnels. They had small, metallic parts in their hands, but those were not what Yao Yuan¡¯s group cared about. They only cared about the CD attached to the robots¡¯ chests, as those recorded everything the robots saw.


    Very soon, the two CDs arrived at the secret meeting room. Everyone turned to look at the screen with bated breath.


    The video was taken from the robots¡¯ viewpoint. The video began by showing the robots leaving the Hope through the specialized airways. After a few turns, the robots left the Hope¡¯s metallic walls and ventured into deep, dark space. In front of their eyes was¡­


    A fleet of silver-colored spaceships. They were glittering in space like a swath of impressive-looking stars. From the robots¡¯ angle, the spaceships stretched more than ten thousand kilometers.


    Yes, somewhere far away from the Hope, near a terrestrial planet, was a large, sprawling fleet of spaceships or warships. Observed with the naked eye, there was more than 10,000 warships, and at the center of them all was a flattened, oval-shaped mothership. It was as large as a planet. Even from the Hope¡¯s distance, it was still as clear as day. In fact, 80 percent of the light was coming from this mothership. In comparison, the warships surrounding it were like ants beside the titan¡¯s feet.


    This was an alien fleet. From the endless stretch of warships, this could very well be the whole level 3 space civilization''s population, military, and habitat¡­. That large mothership, everything humanity could see, made up a level 3 space civilization.


    Shocking!


    Incredibly shocking!


    As the video was posted on screen, the Hope¡¯s central mainframe had already started its dissection. First was the distance between the Hope and the alien fleet. Next would be number of alien warships, size of the warships and mothership, and the technological level from observable cues. All of these were being analyzed by the central mainframe. Slowly, the data appeared beside the screenshots.


    "There are 36,000 observable warships. The smaller warships log in a length of about 600 meters, and there are 28,000 such warships. Medium-sized warships are about 4,700 meters long and there are 6,000 of them. Larger warships are about 32,000 meters long and there are 2,000 of them. The mothership¡­ is a circular plate shape. It''s height about 81,000 meters and its diameter is about 1,270,000 meters. It is in the middle of centrifugal self-rotation¡­"


    When the data appeared on screen, the few scientists gasped audibly. One of them whizzed, "This is impossible! Such a large, metallic object self-rotating using centrifugal force? How is that possible? What about its internal force, metallic weight, and many different balances? That spaceship should have imploded already!"


    The scientist beside him laughed. "Why isn¡¯t it possible? After we ventured into space, how many impossibilities have we seen? Even scientifically impossible things, like anti-gravity and space warp, exist, so what is so startling about this? The presence of a plasma shield alone could resolve all the issues you¡¯ve brought up. If this is a level 3 space civilization¡­ which is an undeniable fact, they have already entered the 5th revolution and thus have the technology to easily resolve the problems you¡¯ve pointed out, or else how do you think we¡¯ll proceed with Kun Lun plan? That plan will start after we enter 5th revolution, will it not?"


    Yao Yuan and the rest focused on something completely different from the scientists¡­ This civilization was too powerful, so powerful in fact the Hope was defenseless against it. Humanity wouldn¡¯t be able to put up any sort of fight. If the Hope was discovered, there were only the choices of being captured or self-destruction; there was no third option.


    "This is the strength of the 5th revolution, or level 3 space civilizations? It is¡­" Yao Yuan narrowed his eyes to study the video. The things before him had given him a new understanding of the cosmos.


    In actuality, after entering space, even though the Hope had faced many challenges and had courted extinction many times, the Hope was incredibly lucky. At least they hadn¡¯t run into forces as powerful as this level 3 space civilization before. The strongest adversary they met was the half-baked space merchants, a space civilization that was on its decline.


    However, this level 3 space civilization was at its prime. This was observable from the alien fleet before them, and its population was probably more than one billion. It had tens of thousands of warships, fifth revolution technology, and impossibly strong plasma weapons. A small warship from such a powerful civilization probably could ruin the Hope easily; that was how powerful this civilization before them was¡­


    This was the strongest enemy mankind had faced ever since they left Earth! So powerful in fact that humanity would lose without even a fight!


    This¡­


    This was a level 3 space civilization!

 Chapter 300: Star Path

    Chapter 300: Star Path


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This was the fourth day after the first space vessel exploded. Compared to the relative peace earlier, the public, which had been given notice of the situation, spent their days in veritable hell. There was no crueller punishment, having your heart at your throat all the time, anxious that the aliens would rush into the Hope at any minute.


    The fourth day had passed and there was still no sign of the aliens. The Hope was silent. Even though the wait was still there, most had breathed a sigh of relief.


    Early in the morning, Yao Yuan was awakened by the knocking on his door. Subconsciously, he went to click on the light switch beside his bed before realizing he had fallen asleep in the captain¡¯s room. He quickly sat up and said, "Come in."


    Seconds later, Guang Zhen strode into the room. He sighed when he saw Yao Yuan slowly crawl out of his military-use sleeping bag. "I¡¯ll take over the night duties tomorrow, you need a good night''s sleep."


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "No can do. I have to do this because I have the Diviner¡¯s power to sense danger; I¡¯ll be the first to know to press the self-destruct button."


    Guang Zhen sighed yet again, but he didn¡¯t deny Yao Yuan''s claim. He pulled out a chair and sat down. "The morning patrol is over; there is nothing unusual. The Hope is operating just fine; every piece of equipment is functioning perfectly. The external shield seems to be working fine as well. As long as the theoretical basis for creator¡¯s particle is sound, then I¡¯m sure there is no leakage of information, so you don¡¯t need to worry about that."


    Yao Yuan was using the bathroom in the captain¡¯s room to wash his face. After he returned to his chair, he said, "Of course I won¡¯t worry if it¡¯s you leading the team. Regardless, it¡¯s good news that everything¡¯s fine, but I still cannot brush away the worry that the aliens are just toying with us¡­ How¡¯s Eva? Still sleepy?"


    Guang Zhen¡¯s sigh turned into a deep frown. He said, after a long pause, "That¡¯s right. Due to overexertion of the Sage power, even though there wasn¡¯t severe corruption, she spent her waking hours half asleep. The doctors couldn¡¯t find any fault with her body. The poor girl, she''s suffered the most during these few days."


    They then contemplated into silence. After some time, as the both of them were going to continue, someone knocked on the door, and after Yao Yuan gave his permission, Xiao Niao sauntered in while still yawning.


    Xiao Niao planted himself on one of the chairs and said through his yawn, "There is still no trace of ZERO. From the schedule, she¡¯ll need another 10 to 15 days before she reappears, but I did what you asked and stayed up until the early morning every day just in case she appears when I¡¯m asleep, so I didn¡¯t even close my computer."


    Yao Yuan knew Xiao Niao had done his best, but ZERO was simply too elusive; no one could tell for sure where she was. Therefore, Yao Yuan didn¡¯t blame him, but he suddenly asked, "Since you¡¯re already here, I have something to ask you¡­ Do you think this alien civilization is here because they¡¯re also moving towards the Noah One?"


    Xiao Niao was surprised before sitting up straight to reply, "Why would you think that? This alien civilization is at least at the 5th revolution, and this solar system we¡¯re in has many terrestrial planets and gas giants. These are all valuable resources, so why couldn¡¯t they be here for them?"


    Yao Yuan pressed a button on his table and a constellation chart suddenly appeared on the wall. The chart showed the solar system the Hope was in. There were a few blinking red stars on the chart. Those were the locations the central mainframe predicted the Noah One would be. In other words, those were their destination.


    "Xiao Niao, as you can see, these are the locations we¡¯ve predicted where Noah One can be¡­ You know about all of these, right? In space travel, the importance of suns, even for high level space civilizations that have achieved the technology of star gate, is still very great. They still depend on the star path anchored by the sun to navigate their journey," Yao Yuan explained, pointing at the chart. Xiao Niao nodded.


    In fact, this information was given by the alien merchants, details about space travel.


    This sort of information was brand new to humanity at the time. After all, human beings had left Earth when they were still too young a civilization. Theoretically speaking, they wouldn¡¯t have the technology to leave the solar system, much less know about the intricacies of space travelling.


    The cosmos was gigantic, so even if the surveillance caught the presence of sun or planets, going there physically would require several thousand years even if one was travelling at light speed. This was an unimaginable distance. For space-venturing civilizations, moving from one coordinate to the next was different from how one moved within a planet. They couldn¡¯t keep on moving simply because the general direction was correct. So how would one travel in space?


    First, one needed to secure a destination, and for that, one needed to have a reference. For example, if you¡¯re looking for an apple on top of a table, in relation to the apple, the table would be the reference. You could use it to determine the direction. The apple was on top of the table, but how about space? One couldn¡¯t possibly use emptiness as a reference. Due to the limitations of distance, after a celestial body was far enough away, it wouldn''t be observable. The only exception would be light-giving suns. For example, if one looked at our solar system from far away in space, Earth would become an indiscernible rock, while one would easily be able to spot the burning sun.


    Therefore, for space travel, the key was to obtain a navigational chart, and the things that made up these charts were the different suns. They aligned to create star paths. For space civilizations, travelling was from one sun to the next, and travelling from an empty space to another empty space was impossible. Civilizations that did that would only find themselves utterly lost in the directionless cosmos.


    On the other hand, for civilizations that hadn¡¯t mastered the warp drive technology, moving from one sun to the next would require a time as long as several hundred generations. For a level 3 space civilization that had warp drive technology, the travel time would be greatly reduced to the unit of years. However, this didn¡¯t mean that warp drive was perfect, its biggest weakness being the absolute silence during warp.


    Indeed, the spaceship during warp drive wouldn¡¯t be able to receive information from its surroundings, not even through light surveillance. This was because the spaceship was within a state of ¡®super¡¯ light speed, and the limitations for transference of information was light speed. In other words, a spaceship under such situation was akin to a blind person. Unless it was like how the Hope stumbled across the alien merchants and had already set the creator¡¯s particle beforehand. When the spaceship passed through the creator¡¯s particle, they would know of their existence and exit the warp drive state, then they would be able to survey their surroundings normally.


    Therefore, even for space civilizations with warp drive, they couldn¡¯t skip the distance of several suns and go beyond that, because that would be too dangerous. The most common travelling method was to warp to the nearest sun and then from there start another analysis and calculation to adjust the difference in data before reinitiating another warp drive. This would be repeated until they reached their destination.


    Yao Yuan¡¯s explanation of the star path was mostly for Guang Zhen¡¯s sake. Then he moved on to say, "These days I¡¯ve been using the central mainframe to calculate the distance between this solar system we¡¯re in and other surrounding solar systems, as well as our location in reference to known star paths. The result was astounding¡­ This solar system is not suitable to be a pit stop, because it is far away from other known solar systems. It is only a part of one particular star path¡­" Yao Yuan pressed a few more buttons on his table and soon the congested suns disappeared from the screen. Finally, a silver line appeared to join several remaining suns together, signifying a star path. At the end of the path was a blinking red dot, one of the predicted locations where the Noah One could be!


    Xiao Niao was stunned. After a long time, he said, "In this case, it¡¯s not so bad that we stumbled across this space civilization here now¡­"


    Guang Zhen asked hurriedly, "How is that not a bad thing? We¡¯re like at the tip of the knife; we might perish the next second! You know that, right? Ol¡¯ Yao has practically moved into the captain¡¯s room just in case the aliens rush into the Hope. He was preparing to self-destruct the Hope!"


    Yao Yuan waved for Guang Zhen to stop, but he nodded in agreement. "Indeed, if this civilization¡¯s goal is really to reach the Noah One¡­ Then it is not a bad thing we met them here. At least we¡¯ve learned some things about them now. It¡¯s better than them suddenly appearing when we¡¯re in the middle of saving the Noah One¡­


    "Other than that, I have another thing I¡¯m also worried about."


    Yao Yuan looked at the both of them and said, "If we¡¯ve already stumbled across a level 3 space civilization here, then¡­


    "What are the chances that more space civilizations will appear when we¡¯re closer to the Noah One? Will there be more level 3 space civilizations, or beyond that?"

 Chapter 301: Blue Race

    Chapter 301: Blue Race


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    For the past two days, Blue 6 had been in a foul mood. He suspected it was due to the rejection of his proposal.


    As sixth heir to the Blue Race¡¯s royal throne, Blue 6 didn¡¯t possess the purest royal blood. In other words, he might be royalty, but he only had claim to zero point something percent of royal blood. One of his ancestors was the attendant of a royal prince and was given a position of sorts for her loyal service. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that his ancestor was actual royalty; she was only associated to one. In fact, the real royalty of the Blue Race wouldn¡¯t even admit his existence. Even though he had the royal Blue surname, it was no reason for the team captain to offer him a placating smile whenever they crossed paths¡­


    The real reason for this was really simple: at the age of 11, Blue 6 became a cosmic adapter, an S grade adapter at that; a Time Watcher to be precise. With that identity, he was lifted from commoner status and given the prestigious Blue name, and then, within the shortest period of time, his connection to the royal line was unearthed and he was entered into a long, cosmic adapter training period. Finally, when he became an adult at the age of 170, with the approval from the royal committee, he was given the name "6" and thus became the sixth heir to the throne. At the same time, due to his young age, since the five heirs above him were all ancients over 1,000 years in age, as long as he didn¡¯t die, in the next 200 to 300 years, he would be the emperor!


    Of course, as a valuable Time Watcher, one that was guarded at all times by more than a hundred second level Transformers, unless there was huge anarchy within the Blue Race or a cosmic catastrophe, he would be incredibly safe. Therefore, him becoming the emperor was already writing on the wall.


    Of course, the emperor status didn¡¯t guarantee power. In the history of the Blue Race, there were examples of puppet emperors as well. Therefore, ever since Blue 6 reached adulthood, he started appearing in the public sphere, doing charities, working on policies, and he maintained a good relationship with the royals and was a private friend to many of the fleet captains. He was making himself into a veritable ruler.


    However, Blue 6 was still unsatisfied because the military power that he wanted was still out of his reach. Even though the Blue Race might not share the idea of autocracy, without the backing of the military, the highest ruler was similarly powerless. Thus far, Blue 6 was still struggling with accruing his own military force. He was approaching 200 years old and he was getting anxious. Recently, he kept proposing policies, hoping to get the Emperor¡¯s approval in the hopes that the Emperor would gift him the military power he needed.


    His biggest chance had arrived!


    At about Blue Race calendar¡¯s 200 term, they received a set of weird signals. These signals appeared out of nowhere. At the time, the Blue Race¡¯s fleet was on their way to return to their Shelter after they had assaulted a smaller Shelter with two other level 3 space civilizations. The Blue Race was given about 1,000,000 healthy alien lifeforms as spoils of war. They were going to return to their Shelter to sell them to other civilizations that were on their decline. The profits would be enough to get the Blue Race another level 3 space civilization''s technology. After all, the Blue Race still had 5 cosmic adapters to maintain the civilization¡¯s "soul," so these extra lifeforms were nothing to them but commodities.


    On their return way home, the Blue Race received this set of weird signals. The most crucial point was that they were in the middle of warp drive¡­


    This was scientifically impossible because how could one receive external signals during warp drive unless the signal itself had also exceeded lightspeed or used another spatial transference method¡­


    No matter which one, this was a highly sophisticated space technology for the Blue Race. Therefore, in the next few hours, every related Blue Race scientist had mobilized. They had dissected the signal, which was found out to be a prehistoric electrical signal. The reference they had to refer back to was in the Blue Race¡¯s antiquity archives. The signal was similar to the ones used by the Blue Race when they still hadn¡¯t left their home planet.


    The contents of the signal was fairly simple: it was the coordinates of the signal''s origin. Even though there was a language barrier, the general idea was understood. The location was not far away from Blue Race¡¯s current location as long as they continued down a star path.


    This set of signals created an uproar within the Blue Race. Many thought that this was a scheme by high level civilization to trap Blue Race, but some thought it was coming from an ancient ruin that some level 2 space civilization had stumbled upon. The level 2 civilization probably perished when attempting to enter the high-level space ruins.


    In any case, these were the two most likely explanations for this signal, and the Blue Race¡¯s power and influence were split into two parties accordingly. The liberals argued for them to move to the coordinates and wrestle the technology from the ruins, while the conservatives thought this was a trap and that going into it would cause huge damage to the Blue Race.


    As a young, ambitious person, Blue 6 aligned himself with the liberals. This was a perfect stepping stone for him. If he could prove his worth during this operation, be it from the aspect of his capability or his Time Watcher power, it would most likely give him the military power he needed. He thus became a highly respected member among the liberals.


    As a Time Watcher, Blue 6 was good at detecting danger, and in the future, he might even be able to see into the future. He was the only S grade cosmic adapter in the Blue Race, so with him leading the argument, the Blue Race¡¯s royalty finally agreed to his plan¡­ After all, the moment Blue 6 felt danger, with the size of Blue Race¡¯s fleet, they would just retreat with some losses. The Blue Race was not some random race, they were the strongest among all the level 3 space civilizations and the civilization with the highest chance of becoming a level 4 space civilization. In other words, the Blue Race was already a peak level 3 space civilization. If they could find a high-level civilization''s ruins, then the Blue Race could evolve from a low-level civilization to a mid-level civilization!


    Therefore, the operation started. After enough triangulation, the large Blue Race fleet initiated warp drive to travel to their destination. To their surprise, when they took a pit stop at an empty solar system to recalibrate their data, they found the Hope¡­


    An incredibly curious spaceship.


    Rudimentary surveillance showed that it had incredibly curious technological value¡­ First, its external metal layer was of the lowest grade and was created within a weighted atmosphere instead of space. From this, it could be seen that the civilization¡¯s technological was only a level 1 space civilization or even lower; this kind of technology shouldn¡¯t even appear in space.


    However, the weapons and equipment on its surface were obviously a level 2 space civilization¡¯s electromagnetic products. These were a level 2 space civilization¡¯s tech tree. But why would the people use the most prehistoric metals to create electromagnetic products? Was it possible that the creators didn¡¯t know they wouldn¡¯t last more than 100 year if done that way?


    The most curious were the unknown metals found in their electrical circuits¡­ An alloy even the Blue Race, a level 3 space civilization, hadn¡¯t seen before!


    Something a civilization couldn¡¯t cover or fake was basic crafting technology, especially those related to metals. Perhaps some low level civilizations could get some high-level civilization¡¯s technology through connections and mass produce it, but due to the gap between technological levels, a low-level space civilization wouldn¡¯t be able to do high-level space civilization crafting. However, in front of them was such an anomaly¡­ A seemingly low level civilization with crafting technology even they couldn¡¯t understand!


    Therefore, they decided to stop. After many discussions, the conclusion was¡­ This spaceship was probably another lost ruin, and its technological level was¡­ unknown! Either very low or very high level; it was shrouded in mystery!


    Under such circumstances, Blue 6 volunteered to lead an exploration group into the ruins. This was because his Time Watcher power told him there was no danger coming from this ruin!


    However, while he was almost close to persuading the royals, a small explosion occurred beside the spaceship, and according to the Blue Race¡¯s analysis¡­ this small explosion caused a disturbance in space!


    Thus, Blue 6¡¯s proposal was refuted and arguments between liberals and conservatives began anew. However, everyone knew¡­


    The Blue Race had hit the jackpot! Space disturbance! This was something level 4 space civilizations only began to understand! And to be able to create a disturbance in space, that was a technology limited to level 5 space civilizations!

 Chapter 302: Earth Race

    Chapter 302: Earth Race


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Blue 6 was sitting in the VIP room of captain of the 7th assault fleet. Surrounding him were the influential players of the Blue Race. They were all members of the liberal party and thus could be considered comrades, even though they were all vying for their own goals. Regardless, since their goals happened to coincide, this meant that temporarily, they were friends.


    As he drank the jade-green blood of the Mai Dong Race, his body was filled a sense of levity as the essence of "soul" passed through his body¡­ Actually, other than Blue 6, who could sense the "soul", others were just playing along. Of course, Blue 6 wouldn¡¯t expose them, since he was not born yesterday. He knew there were certain social agreements to uphold. However, these people kept skirting around the elephant in the room, which made him increasingly anxious.


    Nevertheless, the officials didn¡¯t seem to notice his anxiety, or rather they chose to not to respond to it even if they did. After all, as the emperor that would rule Blue Race for more than 1,000 years, his identity was powerful enough. When combined with his cosmic adapter role, Blue 6 was practically invincible. No matter what, even if he wanted to kill all the royals or even lead the Blue Race towards extinction or even on extreme occasion should Blue Race come under attack, Blue 6 would be spared simply because he was a cosmic adapter.


    Because of that, a certain degree of suppression was the agreed upon by the royals when it came to their dealings with Blue 6. Since they would need to hand power over to Blue 6 in the future, in order to evolve his ability and intellect, a degree of oppression was necessary to ensure that his head didn¡¯t get too big for his own sake. Therefore, this kind was contradictory behavior of being both respectful and insolent was common to Blue 6.


    One of the officials took a small sip of the Mai Dong Race¡¯s blood and said, "By the way, the Mai Dong Race has to be the most unique race in space. Their ¡®souls¡¯ are all collected in their blood, thus allowing for other races to directly extract their ¡®souls¡¯ by drinking their blood. This must be the most interesting talent there is."


    The other person beside him said, with derision, "What good is that? Because of this talent, they are already a civilization reaching level 3 but have to sell their own people for the sake of survival and advancement. The Mai Dong¡¯s Emperor should be sent into the ionic decomposition chamber for coming up with a policy like this!"


    The earlier official took another graceful sip of the blood and said, with a smile, "It¡¯s not bad compared to those level 2 space civilizations living in hell. From the perspective of trade, with the sale of one ¡®soul¡¯, they can have ten ¡®soul¡¯ products in return. There might be dispersion of ¡®soul¡¯ in the process, but as long as there is a net gain, in the next 100 to 200 years, they will have their own cosmic adapter, and for a race that was at the very edge of extinction, selling their people is the only option."


    Someone might have said something, but the remaining officials still put up some expressions of derision or condescension. After all, for the Blue Race, the protection of their own race, be it the smallest normal Blue Race citizen, was the responsibility of the officials. Selling their people¡­ this was something even the Blue Race''s Emperor wouldn¡¯t dare to mention.


    Blue 6¡¯s anxiety had reached its limits. Even though he was still politely smiling and enjoying the blood like the other officials, he suddenly said, "Earlier, I heard the rumours that several level 2 space civilizations wish to be our vassals. I wonder what the Emperor and the royal committee will do about that."


    It was here¡­


    Everyone knew Blue 6 couldn¡¯t be patient anymore. They all smiled inwardly because this meant that they had won. After all, the person who came up with the proposal had to be responsible for it; that was a common rule. Since this was brought up by Blue 6, if it failed, it would be on his shoulders. However, if the excavation of the ruin was a success, they would also be able to share in the glory¡­


    One of them said, "No one dared to accept the offer. Since while it might sound nice on paper that we will be able to have full control over their culture, technology, military, and population, all of us know they are on their decline. Why would they agree to become our slaves, basically? The only reason is they know we have a handful of cosmic adapters among us. Your Honor is one of them¡­ We all about ¡®souls¡¯'' underflow effect; in the dispersion and absorption of ¡®soul¡¯, measured in units of time and space, the lesser the ¡®soul¡¯ of a civilization, the greater the degree of ¡®soul¡¯ dispersion. Do you know why the Blue Race hasn¡¯t received any vassals? This is because this policy of no outsider ensures that our race¡¯s ¡®soul¡¯ density is always maintained at a high level, and with this density, the amount of cosmic adapters will never be lower than 3. An S grade cosmic adapter; I remember the last time our race had an S grade cosmic adapter was tens of thousands of years ago. So we are all clear about these civilizations¡¯ purpose when they ask to become our vassals. Who in their right mind would accept that? Not even level 2 space civilizations are willing to do that."


    Blue 6 knew all this already, as it was all taught in the Blue Race¡¯s primary education. This was only to segue into his next topic.


    "However, the historical records of these few civilizations are valuable." Blue 6 sighed. "They are all civilizations that have been around for tens of thousands of years already, especially the race by the name of Earth Race. Other than the fact that their facial features, body size, physical component, and thinking process are similar to ours, their historical records contain some really impossible things. Even though I don¡¯t know the full story, I hear that in their history records, there are navigation charts for places beyond this galaxy. And before their race started to decline, about 10,000 years ago, their race invented a legendary super weapon, the thing that could cross time and space. It¡¯s the ultimate Shelter created by their supreme leader. I think it was called¡­"


    "Noah San Hao," a person beside him added. "Your Honor, it¡¯s called Noah San Hao. This was a huge deal. I remember when the Earth Race initially revealed part of their history; it even got the attention of level 4 space civilizations. They even traded a few coordinates from their historical logs, and even though most of the coordinates were useless, one happened to lead to a hidden lost civilization''s ruin. This created a shockwave among the space community. News about the Noah San Hao spread through our galaxy like wildfire. The level 4 space civilization believed this was a lost and powerful antiquated technology and thus spent thousands of years going through the Earth Race¡¯s history, but they ended up with nothing other than the earlier mentioned ruins that they seemed to have stumbled upon via pure luck¡­ Your Honor, ruins are like four leaf clovers; they don¡¯t just appear anywhere. Do you not know the nickname given to the Earth Race? They are also called the Liar Race."


    Blue 6 was annoyed, but he didn¡¯t voice it out loud, after all, this person did help him extend the conversation. He added quickly, "Yes, the Earth Race might not be believable, but doesn¡¯t this prove the value of ruins? Even if it is a low level space civilization''s ruins, due to the difference in scientific progress, it might help introduce a push to our science that has stagnated, and right before our eyes, there is such a ruin!"


    The officials lowered their glasses of blood and looked quietly at Blue 6. This was the height of respect in Blue Race¡¯s culture. This meant that they were going to listen seriously and possibly adopt his proposal. This satisfied Blue 6 greatly. As if giving a speech, he stood up to continue in a grandiose manner, "Everyone, you all know my wish, or rather, my ambition¡­ I¡¯m an S-grade cosmic adapter, a Time Watcher that contains the royal blood in my veins. Give me a few hundred years to evolve and I might even become a Time Handler! Therefore, please believe in me. I will hand in the proposal to explore the ruins tomorrow and I will personally lead the party¡­


    "Of course, do not worry about me playing with my own life. After all, this life is no longer mine but the whole Blue Race''s. However, as a Time Watcher, I don¡¯t feel any danger. Yes, no danger at all. This ruin is like a ripe, blue apple sauce waiting for us to taste, and I need some support because the people from the conservative party are too strong. I cannot convince them with my power alone; therefore, I¡¯m asking for allies, looking for friends that will support me. In return, I will offer victory and glory. I know everyone here has wanted a part in the royal committee for hundreds of years already. If this thing is victorious, I¡¯m sure the Emperor won¡¯t mind adding a few more royal committee members, right?"


    The more Blue 6 continued, the more excited he got. He could see himself successfully finishing the exploration of the ruins, and these ruins could be of a civilization of an even higher level than the Blue Race could possibly imagine. He would end up mustering more military power than he could ever ask for, and his status in the Blue Race would become unmovable. His dreams were slowly coming true.


    Yes, tomorrow he shall hand in the new proposal, and then¡­.


    Enter the ruins!

 Chapter 303: Danger Sense and Attraction

    Chapter 303: Danger Sense and Attraction


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The people on the Hope naturally didn¡¯t know about the Blue Race. However, the atmosphere within the Hope had gotten increasingly curious. Many sensitive members of the public sensed the nervousness in the air, but since they could see nothing after observation, there were no rumors¡­ After all, there couldn¡¯t be any rumours, since it was Yao Yuan leading the Hope. Ever since he led these 120,000 people into space, his actions and working style had been familiarized by the public. Many people called him the human saviour, and as long as he was around and he was still the Hope¡¯s leader, the people felt strangely safe and protected.


    They had no idea Yao Yuan had been spending the past few days in the captain¡¯s room, waiting for signs of an alien invasion. If he sensed it, he would make the Hope self-destruct. Death was much better than being enslaved and taken as experiment, or even materials for "soul"!


    On this day, eight days had passed since the day alien was predicted to infiltrate the Hope. The past eight days had been spent in absolute peace. However, this peace made many anxious, and they were afraid that the aliens would attack at any moment. Even the normally stable Guang Zhen started patrolling the Hope four to five times daily. This was the reason why some members of the public felt like something was wrong.


    "Ol¡¯ Wong, don¡¯t be so nervous. You going on patrol every day has made many people on the Hope incredibly uneasy. Even though you avoid patrolling during the height period when people go and return from work, what you''re doing is still very attention-grabbing. Take it easy for a day or so. From tomorrow onwards, other than the usual patrol, stop the rest." Yao Yuan sat in the captain¡¯s room and advised Guang Zhen as he flipped through a document.


    Guang Zhen straightened himself up in his chair. As an old-fashioned soldier, his actions were influenced by military training. They were not pretense but part of his personality. Reprimanded by Yao Yuan, he laughed helplessly. "Ol¡¯ Yao, I understand what you¡¯re saying, but my heart just won¡¯t calm down. This is so different from our earlier wars. Even though there was always a waiting period after we decided our strategy, we had never been such a passive party, and so many things hinge upon this wait, so how can I not be nervous?"


    Yao Yuan sighed and went silent because he understood what Guang Zhen meant. Those that knew the truth, how many of them could eat and sleep well? Even the calmest of individuals would be worried since this was beyond life or death. If something really happened, it would be a fate worse than death¡­


    Human beings were already a cruel enough species. The things that were done to animals in pharmaceutical the industry back on Earth could make everyone¡¯s hair rise, and how could be said that people didn¡¯t know about that? No, most did, but since animal experimentation was beneficial to humanity, as long as the experiment was not done on actual humans, many chose to turn a blind eye. Therefore, cruel as it might be, it was necessary.


    Therefore, human beings understood perfectly that when such fate befalls mankind, such cruelty would await them. It would be a fate several million times worse than death! Even people with strong constitutions like Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen couldn¡¯t help but frown thinking of the possibility. It was because of this that Yao Yuan would spend his nights sleeping in the captain¡¯s room, and the moment something felt wrong, he would make the Hope self-destruct.


    The two sat in silence until Yao Yuan suddenly said, "By the way, this afternoon, Ren Tao came up with a new proposal¡­"


    "Ren Tao?" Guang Zhen said the name with derision, but he understood the gravity of the situation, so he still asked, "He¡¯s also a Thinker. So he came up with a solution to this problem we¡¯re having?"


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Exactly¡­ Ol¡¯ Wong, I know you have issues with Ren Tao¡¯s attitude, but you have to understand that he¡¯s not an official soldier, and during the war on the new planet, didn¡¯t he fight alongside us like a real soldier? Try to cut him some slack. Back to his suggestion, I¡¯ve given it some thought. The plan was to use the Anima to scan the alien civilization outside of the Hope."


    Guang Zhen was stunned before smiling brightly. "That¡¯s a good idea! Our biggest issue now is a lack of external information. Even bad news is better than no news¡­ Then again, perhaps we can skip the bad news, but we do need some news."


    Yao Yuan was silent before shaking his head. "That might be so, but there are some possible harms to this plan, and the harm could be extremely detrimental to our situation¡­ Observation goes both way. The Anima might bypass the limitation of the creator¡¯s particle, but when the Anima sees into this civilization, their Homo Evolutis, or rather, cosmic adapters, will be able to sense the observation on them. This might not be a good thing.


    "The alien fleet out there is too big. If this is the size of an entire civilization, our rough estimation puts the number at several hundred billion people. What are the chances that a civilization of this size doesn¡¯t have cosmic adapters? Even if there is only one, the moment they realize we are using the Anima power on them, then¡­ it will be horrendous!"


    Suddenly, Yao Yuan sprung up from his seat with trepidation on his face. This was not an expression common to him. In fact, whenever this happened, it meant that things were truly heading down the toilet. Guang Zhen was immediately alarmed. He also stood up in a hurry and looked around them, yelling, "What¡¯s going on? Yao Yuan, tell me what¡¯s happening?"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s expression was fixed in that flustered countenance. After a long time, he slumped down into his chair and said, with trace of despair, "I¡¯ve forgotten about one important thing. This is bad. If our enemy also has Homo Evolutis, then this is already over for us¡­"


    "What do you mean by that?" Guang Zhen asked.


    "¡­I¡¯m an All-Rounder, someone who''s able to attract Homo Evolutis or cosmic adapters. It¡¯ll make them want to get close to me; it¡¯s a feeling akin to being summoned. Therefore, if they have cosmic adapters, we¡­"


    At the same time, the alien fleet outside of the Hope had started to move away from the Hope. Of course, it wasn¡¯t using technology like warp drive to move a far distance but some sort of energy propulsion to cover a small distance. At the same time, a small spaceship about several hundred meters long extricated itself from the fleet and headed towards the Hope.


    Other than the normal maintenance members, the spaceship also had 50 well-trained second grade bionic people. These were from the Blue Race Emperor¡¯s royal guard. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to even mobilize one, but this time the Emperor was so generous that he let Blue 6 lead 50 of them. Furthermore, he even told Blue 6 that these people would be his personal guards from then on. He would be responsible for their lives and deaths. Things like insurance fees, death compensation, and the living expenses of surviving family members would be covered by Blue 6 in the case that any one of them died. The amount wasn¡¯t small. The Blue Race wasn¡¯t a barbaric race, so even though the Emperor was their lord and the royals were a station above the commoners, this didn¡¯t mean that the common people were to be trampled on. These were rules written into the Blue Race¡¯s history books. In other words, the death of one bionic man would cause Blue 6¡¯s wallet to bleed for quite some time. However, if all of them died¡­ then Blue 6 would have to announce bankruptcy even though he was the sixth successor to the throne. This was why the Blue Race was dubbed the civilization that treated its own citizens the best among all the level 3 space civilizations within this galaxy.


    This showcased the Emperor¡¯s wisdom. As a mature politician that had held the throne for hundred of years, he could tell Blue 6¡¯s desire for power. Furthermore, Blue 6 couldn¡¯t ever be punished, as his identity as an S-grade cosmic adapter was the best get-out-of-jail card. The entire Blue Race couldn¡¯t do anything harmful against Blue 6. In fact, if any harm was to come their way, the entire race would try their best to protect Blue 6¡¯s safety¡­ S-grade cosmic adapter, as long as Blue 6 was still alive, even if he was the only one alive, with the Blue Race¡¯s genetic bank, he could revive the Blue Race civilization. That was his value as an S-grade cosmic adapter.


    That was why the emperor gave him 50 of his best bionic men. He knew Blue 6 would hold on to them with his life, because the entirety of the Blue Race only had 300 plus second grade bionic men. These 50 bionic men satisfied Blue 6¡¯s desire for military power, but at the same time, they were a limitation on him. At least they would make him more careful; he would caution himself and retreat the moment he felt danger. This was the reason the Blue Race Emperor gave Blue 6 these 50 bionic men.


    Blue 6 understood the implication, but since this was a benefit, he needed to accept it. Plus, for this mission, he didn¡¯t sense any danger. His intuition hadn¡¯t let him down before. Not only that, he felt a deep desire to venture into this ruin. Earlier, he thought it was because of his desire to make a name for himself, but the closer he got to the ruin, the stronger he could feel a strange calling. It was as if there was something incredibly important waiting for him inside the ruin. This had never happened to him before. Others thought his insistence for entering the ruin was because of his deep-seated desire for power¡­


    But in reality, the reason he was so determined was because he felt something deep within the ruins calling after him. He had no idea what it was, but his feeling told him it was something important!


    Blue 6¡¯s blazing eyes stayed focused on the approaching ruins. Suddenly, he felt his heart palpitate and an indescribable feeling surged through his body¡­


    Danger! He felt danger!

 Chapter 304: Retreat and Coincidence

    Chapter 304: Retreat and Coincidence


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Blue 6¡¯s whole body tensed the moment he felt danger!


    He was an S-grade cosmic adapter, a Time Watcher, or Diviner to be precise. His ability was to sense the approach of danger. For any race, this was a valuable ability that was directly linked to the race¡¯s survival. Therefore, it was the kind of cosmic adapter every civilization wanted!


    After Blue 6 realized he was a cosmic adapter, he started training under the Blue Race¡¯s protection. To help him achieve the ability to evolve to the next level, the Blue Race wasted no resources. However, Blue 6 had repaid them in kind. In the hundreds of years Blue 6 had been a cosmic adapter, he had helped Blue Race escaped the threat of extinction twice.


    The first time was when they were attacking a small Shelter. Blue 6 felt immense danger days before the scheduled attack. The Blue Race¡¯s royal committee decided to retreat in spite of the cold stares given by three other level 3 space civilizations that attacked the Shelter together with them. It turned out that one of the space civilizations at the Shelter had just entered level 4, and the three other attacking space civilizations were wiped out completely. This made those that complained about the resources lavished on Blue 6¡¯s training shut up. From then on, Blue 6¡¯s position was approved and respected by everyone in the Blue Race.


    The second time was when the Blue Race was passing through a galaxy following a star path. Blue 6 felt danger when they were in warp drive. At the time, the Blue Race¡¯s fleet was in empty space, so changing navigation routes was extremely dangerous. It might''ve caused the Blue Race to lose itself completely in space. However, with the first precedent in place, the Blue Race had faith in Blue 6¡¯s ability. Therefore, after a long discussion, they decided to change directions. After that, they heard from other races that the solar system they were supposed to head to had exploded. The sun was expanding to become a red giant, and its radiating wave and protons made the place a no-go zone for civilizations below level 4. Blue 6 had once again saved the Blue Race.


    Due to these two incidents, even Blue 6 started to believe in his Time Watcher power. However, the Blue Race was, after all, a level 3 space civilization, so they wouldn¡¯t regularly stumble across danger. After all, there weren¡¯t many level 4 space civilizations to go around. In the known galaxy, level 3 space civilizations could practically run the show. Therefore, after those two incidents, other than during training, Blue 6¡¯s danger sense hadn¡¯t tingled for a long time.


    At that moment, that familiar sense of danger returned again. Furthermore, the sense of danger was so visceral that it made him break out in cold sweat. He sprung up from his seat and disposed of his earlier grace by starting to yell, "Stop! Stop the ship and all the devices¡­ No, don¡¯t stop the devices, just the ship!"


    The workers were first stunned, but when they saw how pale Blue 6 was, they understood the situation immediately. They too started yelling orders. In about 10 seconds, the spaceship stopped in space, and they were only a short distance away from the ruins.


    Everyone turned to look at Blue 6. After all, who would willingly die? Everyone knew Blue 6 had sensed danger, but how strong the danger was and whether the ship would be affected all depended on Blue 6, so everyone turned to focus on him.


    Blue 6 focused on reading the danger, and right when the ship stopped, the feeling of danger slowly dissipated. However, a sense of danger still remained within the ruins¡­ Could it be that this ruin wasn¡¯t as safe as he thought? Or was it really a trap ruin as those conservatives claimed? Why else would he only sense intense danger when they moved?


    What about the feeling of attraction coming from within the ruins? He realized that the attraction was only unique to him¡­ Was it some kind of high-tier space civilization technology that specifically targeted cosmic adapters?


    The sound of incoming communication interrupted Blue 6¡¯s contemplation. He looked at the communicator and ordered his adjutant to switch it open.


    "¡­Yes, I made the ship stop, because I¡¯ve felt danger."


    The person on the other end was the Blue Race¡¯s Emperor. Of course, beside him must be a whole group of royal committee members and scientists. They allowed Blue 6 to lead the exploration because they had faith in Blue 6¡¯s Time Watcher power, so when they saw Blue 6 stop the ship, everyone was worried. Afraid that something had happened to Blue 6, the Emperor contacted Blue 6¡¯s ship immediately.


    Blue 6 explained his situation openly and directly. However, he ended with, "The feeling of danger is dissipating, so perhaps it will be more dangerous the closer I get to the ruin. This suggests the possibility of a distance trigger of sorts within the ruins. Regardless, there¡¯s no danger where my ship is currently located."


    An exhale immediately came from the other end; it was a great sigh of relief. Soon, the Emperor asked, "Blue 6, what do you plan to do then?"


    This was a question obviously meant to test Blue 6. He understood the implication and replied, "I plan to move forward a bit to check the danger scale of this ruin and the closest I can get to it before setting off the extreme danger signal in my mind. This way we can get the most accurate reading of this ruin. After all, I¡¯m a Time Watcher, the most perfect candidate for this kind of scouting operation. Who can do this better than me?"


    The Emperor praised him, "It¡¯s good that you can understand that. It will be dangerous, but this is also why the citizens look up to the royal family, because we have the obligation to lead our people towards glory. Power and responsibility go hand in hand. Dangerous times like this is when royal family members like ourselves should step up. This is a tradition the Blue Race has maintained for centuries. You can understand this means that you¡¯ve lived up to the Blue 6 name. Okay, I will leave everything in your hands. There¡¯s no need to rush this exploration, so take it slow; it¡¯s best if you can get data on this ruin before venturing further in."


    After that, Blue 6 calmed down to focus on channeling his power. After all, he was a well-trained cosmic adapter, so he knew how to fine-tune his Time Watcher power. He sat back down calmly on the commander seat and ordered, "Power up the ship. Move towards the ruins with one bora average speed."


    With Blue 6 holding the fort, the rest also started to calm down. The ship moved towards the ruins with extremely low speed. The closer they got to the ruins, the more intense Blue 6¡¯s danger sense. However, since the ship was moving slowly, his danger sense also increased at a slow rate; it didn¡¯t arrive as abruptly as it did earlier.


    "It is as I expected. The closer we get to the ruin, the stronger the sense of danger. This is similar to the trap-like ruins mentioned in our data, but it is this kind of ruin that will normally get us the most reward. Civilizations like this are normally over level 5. The records stated the possibility of them even being level 7 space civilizations¡­ Perhaps there is something within this ruin that attracts me."


    Blue 6 continued feeling the danger¡­ He was a trained Time Watcher that had studied the science of sensing danger for a long time, so he could tell what kind of danger was fatal, what kind was a warning, the source and distance of the danger''s source. This was why he had the ship move so slowly.


    The ship inched ever closer to the ruins. They were close when a spark appeared not far away from the ruins. Even though it happened in a split second, it was taken down by the surveillance device in the spaceship. The picture was immediately brought up on screen.


    It was one of the three products surrounding the ruins. Their function was unknown. They were circling the ruins in a random pattern. The Blue Race had found them out from the very beginning, but due to the mystery of the ruins, they didn¡¯t go and capture it. Especially after the first explosion that create the disruption in space, Blue Race was extra cautious around these weird products. They didn¡¯t dare to venture to close, but they didn¡¯t expect there would be a second explosion.


    "Reading disruption in space waves¡­ Wave amplitude at 32 meters and still increasing¡­ Highest amplitude is 47 meters. The measurement between wave crest and wave trough is 12 meters. Wave amplitude starting to decrease, calculating the exhaustion of mass¡­ Disappearance of mass is charted at 42 percent¡­"


    It was an explosion from far away, but all the data on the explosion appeared on screen quickly. This was something the Blue Race¡¯s technology was capable of. At the same time, Yao Yuan in the Hope remembered his natural attraction towards cosmic adapters. Simultaneously, two AI bots left the Hope. This all happened in less than 10 seconds from the second explosion. It was a weird coincidence.


    Just as the two AI bots left the Hope and entered space, Blue 6¡¯s danger sense reached its height. It was dangerous, very dangerous. He yelled immediately, "Retreat! Retreat away from the ruins immediately!


    "This is a trap-like ruin. I¡¯ve confirmed that this is a trap ruin! A trap ruin with at least space technology and has a certain degree of research on cosmic adapters. This is a giant treasure trove of a space ruin that is worth any and all sacrifice to obtain!"

 Chapter 305: Time on Both End

    Chapter 305: Time on Both End


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Blue 6¡¯s news shocked the whole Blue Race.


    Just like how the Blue Race¡¯s royal committee members put it earlier, a lost space civilization ruin was rare. The cosmos was unimaginably big, so one could spend over a million years and one might not be able to finish exploring one galaxy, much less the whole cosmos. Relative to that scale, space ruins were rare like diamonds on Earth.


    First, for it to be called a lost space ruin, it had been to be a product or fleet left behind by an ancient space civilization after it had completely declined due to Law of Conservation of Soul or were completely wiped out due to war or a natural disaster.


    If following that definition, the so-called lost space ruins had to be innumerable, but that was untrue because the products of low level space civilizations would perish alongside its people. This was due to its low level technology. Without manual maintenance or control, it would self-destruct, or collide into other spatial entity and disappear in space.


    Therefore, generally speaking, these lost ruins had be the products left behind by civilizations of at least level 4 caliber. On rare occasions, there might be a chance discovery of a lost ruin left behind by a level 2 or 3 space civilization, but for all intents and purposes, they couldn¡¯t be called space ruins.


    The number of level 4 space civilizations was drastically smaller than the number of level 1, 2, and 3 space civilizations. The ratio was roughly ten thousand level 3 space civilizations to one level 4 space civilization. Of all the space ruins, level 4 space ruins were the most valuable in terms of ratio of investment returns. The danger level would be manageable and the technology harvested would be at a fair level. Therefore, whenever a space civilization stumbled into a level 4 space ruin, the ruins would be unconditionally collected.


    In other words, those other space ruins left behind by higher level space civilizations usually harbored great secrets, like super future technology, but similarly was home to unimaginable danger. This kind of space ruin was called a trap-like ruin!


    This was the news brought back by Blue 6, a news that lit up the ambition of every Blue Race citizen!


    A trap-like ruin was a treasure trove! This was something akin to a jackpot. Even though it would be extremely dangerous, so much so that it could cause the whole galaxy to collapse if one was not careful, similarly, the rewards provided by such ruins would be ridiculously good; at least it would definitely push the Blue Race into becoming a level 4 space civilization. Furthermore, with enough time and percolation, evolving into level 5, 6 or even 7 was inevitable.


    The Blue Race¡¯s longevity would no longer be measured in years but possibly in terms of epochs! If luck would have it, perhaps the Blue Race could even become a god-tier space civilization!


    Of course, not everyone believed this report fully, but since it came from Blue 6, the Blue Race¡¯s only S-grade cosmic adapter who had saved the Blue Race twice, his words carried much weight. This observation was supported by explosions around the ruins. The discovery of space wave disruption proved that the ruin¡¯s technological level was indeed unbelievably high. This reinforced Blue 6¡¯s conclusion, and so these minor voices were easily eclipsed.


    Of course, since the Blue Race was a mature level 3 space civilization, they naturally wouldn¡¯t barge into the space ruin just like those level 2 space civilizations would. With knowledge came caution. This kind of trap-like ruin could cause impossible catastrophe. There was some high level space ruins that had super long range weapons that could launch attacks through space after locking down their target¡¯s coordinates. The bullets crossed the space dimension itself to attack the target. They couldn¡¯t be too careful.


    Because of this, they had to figure out another way of venturing into this ruin. Blue 6¡¯s methods of charging into it head-on was no longer feasible.


    Blue 6 understood this, but he was unwilling to give up, because the closer he got to the ruin, the stronger the attraction he felt towards it. The attraction was something that crossed the limitations of space and time, it spoke to his "soul" directly. It was an attraction that he couldn¡¯t reject or want to reject. He knew there was something inside the ruins that he had to claim, so he wished to enter the ruins as soon as possible.


    "What? The creation of the perfect energy-blocking shield?"


    On the 6th day, Blue 6 returned to the Blue Race. This was 14 days after the ruin was discovered. He yelled out when he read this important phrase in the morning paper. He could no longer sit idle. After a hasty breakfast, he rushed to the royal committee, and soon, he received the authentic news from the royal committee members themselves. The Blue Race was planning to build a large perfect energy-blocking shield that would cover the entirety of the Blue Race¡¯s fleet.


    The perfect energy-blocking shield was a high functionality defense-use power shield. It was different from normal energy shields, although their theoretical basis was the same; they both used the conversion of energy to draw up a shield. This was the strongest defense measure available to level 3 space civilizations, because in actuality, in terms of defensive power, level 4 space civilizations were the same as level 3 space civilizations, so this technology was the strongest defense shared by these two levels of space civilizations. It was strong enough to withstand the solar wave for a short period!


    The perfect meant a perfect structure similar to the Golden Scale. It had the perfect shape and structure, thus providing the best defense with the lowest exhaustion of energy. This technology required one to be at the peak of the 3rd revolution, and the Blue Race happened to be at that stage then.


    No matter what, the first step before venturing into this space ruin was to ensure their own safety. Therefore, the creation of this perfect energy-blocking shield was necessary¡­ At the same time, it was worth noting that the Blue Race had no AI system!


    Because of that, this device required manual labor contribution from the people, and it wouldn¡¯t finish building as fast as if it was built by AI bots. From the news given by the royal committee, it would finish in 30 days.


    Blue 6 knew that this was standard procedure, as the leader¡¯s responsibility to its constituents was to keep them safe. It¡¯s better to be safe than sorry. However, Blue 6 still had issues suppressing the anxiety in his heart.


    "¡­ Baron Blue Light, is it not necessary to send out a small, unmanned scouting spaceship to get near the ruins?"


    Blue 6 had invited Baron Blue Light to join him for lunch. Even though the baron didn¡¯t have a number following his surname, his ancestor was the earlier Emperor¡¯s close family member, and Blue Light was also one of the liberal leaders in the royal committee.


    Blue Light looked curiously at Blue 6 before continuing to eat his lunch. He elaborated in between bites, "We don¡¯t dare to take this risk. No one knows this ruin¡¯s explosive trigger; perhaps it is the approach of life or even material. After all, there was only one floating product left around the ruin, so this might be our last chance. Before we finish building the defense mechanism, I will not agree to have any spaceship go close to the ruin¡­ Of course, an unmanned spaceship can be an exception, but the Blue Race still doesn¡¯t have the necessary AI to do something like that."


    After hearing what Blue Light said, the anxiety in Blue 6¡¯s heart only increased. He finally said, "I¡¯m sorry, Baron, but for some reason, I have a feeling¡­ If we don¡¯t hurry up, we will lose the opportunity of exploring this particular ruin."


    Baron Blue Light stared intensely at Blue 6, and after a long pause, he said, "I hear¡­ Your Highness Blue 6 hasn¡¯t become a level 2 Time Watcher yet, right?"


    Blue 6 lowered his head in shame. "Yes, I¡¯ve wasted the taxpayers'' money¡­"


    "No, no, no, that¡¯s not what I meant," Baron Blue Light explained in a hurry. "The evolution of cosmic adapters has nothing to do with the people¡¯s contribution. None of us can force you to level up, even you can¡¯t force that evolution. I¡¯m just saying, without the ability of the level 2 Time Watcher, Your Highness doesn¡¯t have the capability to see into the future, right? Other than sensing danger, Your Highness can¡¯t see into the future, right?"


    Blue 6 sighed inwardly. "That¡¯s right¡­"


    "Allow me to be frank." Baron Blue Light nodded. "Your Highness has contributed a lot in this case. There¡¯s more than enough contribution to enable the royal committee to give you the 46th space fleet. Therefore, it is my advice that Your Highness not get too hung up on glory and power, as there¡¯s still a long future. Your Highness is going to be someone who¡¯s going to lead us for the next thousands of years, so please don¡¯t be so anxious. Practice patience, we must¡­"


    Blue 6 tuned Baron Blue Light out. Even though he also started to have suspicions about his feeling, his experience told him his intuition was always right, so¡­


    He decided to lead his most loyal subjects to explore the ruins tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. This time, he would definitely enter the ruins!


    At the same time, 14 days had passed for the people of the Hope. The second alien exploratory team was getting close, and there was only one day left until ZERO¡¯s predicted controlled space warp!

 Chapter 306: One Day!

    Chapter 306: One Day!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Blue 6 was someone with military power.


    In the Blue Race, that meant he had a certain degree of power. The Blue Race wasn¡¯t a pure autocratic society, the people were loyal to their king by choice. This was a law created right after Blue Race came back from the brink of extinction. Everyone withheld this law. To put it simply, if the common people wished for their own residences to be a place barred from royal presence, then even the Emperor had no right to enter their houses.


    With great power comes great responsibility. Blue 6 was given the 46th fleet, so he was also responsible for paying their salaries and maintaining and upgrading their equipment. Blue 6¡¯s own assets were enough to cover all these expenses, so he wasn¡¯t worried about that.


    The thing he was worried about was what kind of spaceship he should use to enter the ruins. Should he use the spaceship from his own fleet or wrangle another through his connections?


    Even though the 46th fleet was already his underlings and, according to Blue Race¡¯s culture, this meant that the 46th fleet¡¯s soldiers would never betray him, this didn¡¯t mean that they would follow his orders unconditionally. This required extended interaction over time to foster loyalty. However, time was exactly the thing Blue 6 was lacking. He felt the ruins would disappear at any moment.


    Therefore¡­


    "A tourism spaceship?"


    Blue 6¡¯s request form had been handed to the officials, and in it, he stated that he wished to apply for a tourism spaceship to leave the mothership. Not soon after, the royal committee caught wind of this development. Even the Emperor found out about it.


    The Emperor was in the middle of dinner when the information made its way to him. He first frowned before turning to ask one of the royal committee members, "What is Blue 6 planning? Using a tourism spaceship to get near the ruins?"


    A few royal committee members were having dinner with the Emperor. One of them laughed and said, "This afternoon, Baron Blue Light enquired Blue 6 about this, and he said he wished to continue exploring the space ruins to obtain more information and data on it. He promised explicitly to not do anything dangerous, like entering it."


    The Emperor thought about it and nodded. "It does seem like he means it. The tourism spaceship is smaller and thus more agile than military spaceships. If this is not to enter the ruin but just to scout it, then the choice of a tourism spaceship does makes more sense¡­ How many people does he plan to bring with him?"


    Another royal commitee member added quickly, "According to his request, there will be 11, including Blue 6, 5 Second grade bionic men and 5 spaceship operators."


    The Emperor nodded to himself, took a sip of the Mai Nong blood, and added, "He didn¡¯t bring along that 50 bionic personal guards? Then approve of his request. He couldn¡¯t possibly enter the ruins with so few people, he¡¯s not that crazy. After all, he¡¯s a Time Watcher, so his acuity towards danger is much stronger than ours¡­ He¡¯s still young, so desire for power comes hand in hand. Let him be then."


    Just like that, after Blue 6 finished his dinner, he received news that his request was approved. He could leave the mothership in the afternoon of the next day.


    "Perfect, the plan¡¯s a success. Taking few people with me didn¡¯t raise their suspicion. If I didn¡¯t borrow the reason of scouting the ruins, then I wouldn¡¯t be given the chance to leave the mothership¡­ No matter, because tomorrow, I must enter the ruins!"


    At the same time, within the Hope, Ren Tao, Yao Yuan, Eva, Guang Zhen, Bo Li, the Black Star Unit, and a host of people who knew were waiting in the secret meeting room. Everyone was wearing a worried expression, and they were waiting for Xiao Niao to give them the information they needed.


    Yes, one more day and it would be the date ZERO promised they could space warp. However, no one could tell for sure whether ZERO would appear early or late. In the earlier space warps, ZERO once appeared 8 hours earlier than expected and several hours late in others. They were rushing for time. Xiao Niao stationed himself in front of his home pc. The moment contact was made with ZERO, he would send the information to the secret meeting room immediately.


    Yao Yuan lit another cigarette. However, it didn¡¯t take long for him to snuff it out. He looked at the clock and said, "It¡¯s already 8 PM. Why don¡¯t we go have dinner first? We need food to have energy, and we might be here for a long time, so we must eat."


    With Yao Yuan¡¯s orders, simple servings of dinner appeared in the room. Everyone was given one serving. They were lunch boxes and not really full course meals. However, even if it was the best meal in the world, it would be tasteless to the people there. In fact, there were many that couldn''t even bring themselves to eat. Other than the Black Star Unit, only Zhang Heng, who had trained alongside the Black Star Unit, took bites of the food¡­ or rather, they shoved the food into their mouths forcefully. Other people didn¡¯t even have the energy to lift up the spoons. They were too occupied with other things.


    Yao Yuan chewed on his food and studied the people in the room. He sighed inwardly. He couldn¡¯t blame them; after all, death normally came unannounced, so this kind of long wait for possible death was torturous. Nobody knew whether the aliens would barge into the Hope the next second. They needed more than bravery to face this possibility, they had to have steeled hearts and minds. Those were things limited to soldiers and not common citizens, so Yao Yuan understood why they had no appetite.


    "One more day, the last day. ZERO, please, you mustn¡¯t be late!"


    Yao Yuan mumbled under his breath. Suddenly, he thought about the time when he remembered the natural attraction he had toward cosmic adapters. At the time, the Observer bots were sent out of the Hope. When they finally returned, what they saw recorded by the robots made their hearts skip several beats.


    Not far away from the Hope was a small spaceship idling. This was obviously a scouting ship meant to enter the Hope!


    Even though the ship had already distanced itself from the Hope, the fear remained. What if they hadn¡¯t sent out the Observer bots then? Would the spaceship have entered the Hope just like that? Would humanity have survived? The final solution was Yao Yuan pushing the self-destruct button and ending humanity once and for all. This made a few senior scientists faint from anxiousness. In fact, there were still two of them lying at the hospital.


    So far, the aliens hadn¡¯t entered the Hope, but nobody knew whether the aliens would send out a third exploration party and this time finally enter the Hope. This was especially true after Eva had lost her Sage power.


    Yao Yuan turned to look at Eva. The little girl was smothered by a huge, fleece, winter coat. The Hope¡¯s internal temperature was maintained at a constant 20 degrees; it wasn¡¯t too warm nor too cold. The reason Eva was wearing so many layers was because she was extremely weakened.


    The girl¡¯s face barely had any color and she kept on yawning. She looked like she didn¡¯t have the energy to even straighten herself up, much less eat. However, there was nothing wrong with her body according to the doctors. In reality, Yao Yuan and other people knew that as long as she stopped using her power, she would instantly recover, but at such a sensitive time, no one dared to ask her to go rest, even if it might kill the girl. Eva knew that she was the last straw keeping the Hope alive, so she clenched her teeth and tried her best to hold out until the very end.


    One more day and everything would be over¡­


    With this thought, Yao Yuan swallowed his last bite of food. When he passed his plate away, Eva suddenly yelled out and stood up from her chair with a shocked expression.


    "They¡¯re here! I see it now. Tomorrow, there will a small ship entering the Hope and 6 aliens will come down from it¡­ They are in the Hope! The aliens are inside the Hope! It¡¯s over¡­ Wait, Xiao Niao finally came over with the news. ZERO is here, she¡¯s finally here!"


    The room was silent as they watched Eva. When the girl seemed to have finished, they all turned to look at Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan looked at Eva¡¯s blanched face and her slightly swaying body. His heart was pained, but for the safety of 200,000 people, he clenched his teeth and said, "Use the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon, use the cannon to demolish the ship! And then we will warp away!"


    Eva¡¯s face seemed to turn paler. This was the effect of exerting her power. The girl suddenly coughed up a pool of blood and she seemed to be ready to faint. Before she collapsed, she said in a hurry, "The ship was destroyed and no aliens entered the Hope¡­ No, that¡¯s because the Hope is destroyed. The mothership from far away gathered many energy beams and the Hope completely evaporated in the energy beam¡­"


    After all that, Eva completely collapsed. Curiously enough, color started to return to her face. It looked just like what happened to Jay before he went into the coma!


    The second prediction silenced the room once more. Everyone once again turned to focus on Yao Yuan, and his face was as pale as Eva¡¯s from earlier.


    "¡­Then we shall capture these aliens! The mothership will hesitate to attack, because their people will be on the ship. We will take advantage of this confusion to warp away!


    "Ol¡¯ Wong, gather the Black Star Troopers and assign each platoon with a mature Black Dragon¡­ We need to detain this group of alien infiltrators in the shortest amount of time!"

 Chapter 307: Arrival!

    Chapter 307: Arrival!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Eva became half vegetable¡­


    This so-called half vegetable state was when the brain was confirmed dead, but weirdly enough, the brain still showcased some minute activities. The activities were unlike normal brain waves. The situation was similar to Jay¡¯s condition; it was a type of recovery period of Homo Evolutis, but no one knew how long they would be asleep for, because currently mankind didn¡¯t have the technology to resuscitate them¡­


    Yao Yuan stood in the ICU room and looked at the girl¡¯s peaceful sleeping face. His heart felt pain.


    Eva was the biggest contributor in this incident with the level 3 space civilization. If not for her Sage power, the Hope would''ve been enslaved without knowing how or why. Yao Yuan might not even have had time to pull the self-destruct trigger and humanity would''ve been enslaved by this level 3 space civilization just like that. On this point alone, Eva was humanity¡¯s real saviour. She was so much more important than himself, who was only humans¡¯ savior by name.


    But she was only a little girl!


    Yao Yuan could still remember when Eva was only a few years old when she boarded the Hope. Due to the anarchy back on Earth, Eva was only skin and bones back then. The pair of inquisitive eyes didn¡¯t lose their luster, however. Yao Yuan remembered feeling melancholic watching the group of intellectuals and children shoveling food into their mouths like refugees that hadn¡¯t seen food for years. At the time, little Eva even asked cautiously whether she could bring some food home with her since she was afraid her family might get hungry at night.


    Who knew such a little girl would become humanity¡¯s savior several years later? Just like Jay, she over-exerted her Homo Evolutis power to save humanity and entered a half-vegetable state. This could last for several years, decades, or even until death. This sacrifice was¡­ a bit too hefty.


    Yao Yuan sat quietly beside Eva¡¯s bed. He raised his head to look at the clock on the wall. It was already 4 AM. After a whole night of setting up the Black Star Troopers and Black Dragons, the Hope¡¯s current most powerful military force; widening the circle of information, especially to those that would be responsible for space warping so that they wouldn¡¯t panic during warp; and organizing all sorts of trivial jobs, he finally had time to himself. The first thing he did was visit Eva¡¯s room.


    "Our sacrifice¡­"


    For some reason, this was the phrase that cropped up in Yao Yuan¡¯s mind as he studied Eva¡¯s sleeping face¡­


    For the sake of humanity, civilization, and survival, even the final hope of finding yet another blue planet, for all of these, mankind had sacrificed so much in the ten something years since they had left Earth. The people¡¯s sacrifices, the soldiers¡¯ sacrifices, the Homo Evolutis¡¯ sacrifices¡­ Jay was still asleep, and Eva had joined him. His Black Star Unit¡¯s comrades, Ying¡­


    There were so many sacrifices!


    Yao Yuan sat beside her bed and lowered his head into his open palms. Those sacrifices appeared again and again in his heart. They weighed so heavily on him that he couldn¡¯t feel anything else anymore. He might''ve been the Hope¡¯s savior, and many hailed him as the ultimate savior, but he understood that they wouldn¡¯t have survived until this point without the sacrifices of these true, brave heroes and heroines!


    However, the sacrifices were too hefty¡­


    If humanity had better technology, if they were already a level 3 space civilization with 5th revolution technology, if¡­ if all this was true, then wouldn¡¯t there be fewer sacrifices?


    Without power there would be no means to protect the things one loved, to protect one¡¯s people, to continue mankind¡¯s legacy. Therefore, they needed¡­


    Power!


    At around 6:30 AM, Yao Yuan sat in the military camp¡¯s canteen and had an early breakfast with the Black Star Troopers who just woken up or couldn¡¯t sleep. They would need to be in their space armors until Xiao Niao came with the news, because that would be when the aliens entered the Hope!


    Time trickled by slowly. Eva didn¡¯t have the chance before she collapsed to give the exact time the alien would enter the Hope. The only thing that was certain was that the timing was going to coincide with when Xiao Niao received news from ZERO.


    However, even though Eva didn¡¯t specify the landing location, she did mention the aliens¡¯ spaceship being hit by the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon. There were only a few spots on the Hope that could be targeted by the stationary cannon. Otherwise, the power of the cannon itself would blow up the Hope.


    With this clue to work this, the two Thinkers came up with a select pool of landing spots for the alien spaceship. Other than a small number of Black Star Troopers being used as patrol to prevent nasty surprises, most of the military power was congregated in these few possible landing spots, waiting for the aliens to arrive.


    At that moment, Yao Yuan had already put on his red space armor. He told Guang Zhen, who was also in space armor, "Ol¡¯ Wong, you don¡¯t need to be involved in this battle. Go to the Hope¡¯s central command and wait for Xiao Niao. The moment he arrives, get the Hope to warp immediately, the faster the better. In my eyes, it is impossible to demolish this group of aliens before we warp, so might as well warp with them inside the Hope, because then they will be isolated, and sooner or later, we will have them in our grasp!"


    Guang Zhen hesitated. He looked at Yao Yuan and said, "Be careful¡­ This alien civilization probably has plasma weapons, and no one knows how the space armors will hold up against them. So be very careful. I¡¯ll be leaving then, contact me if you need anything." Guang Zhen then gave a salute before leaving without turning back.


    Then it was a long wait. Everyone was anxious, and the most anxious was probably Xiao Niao, who waited in his room because the whole operation would start with him sending out the message. Ever since he was informed of the news the day before, he hadn¡¯t closed his eyes. He stared unblinkingly at his computer screen, his bloodshot eyes lending him a crazed look.


    "Please let there be no accident!"


    Xiao Niao had been mumbling this phrase to himself so much that he felt he might go crazy. Time was slowly moving into noon, and Xiao Niao felt ZERO was going to show herself soon. He barely had the energy to lift the lunchbox he was given and his body was at its limits, but his mental state was hyped. His brain kept on turning to dissect the situation, the possible accidents, why ZERO would be delayed. He sat there thinking and thinking; he could even feel his body being bogged down by over-exertion of his Homo Evolutis power.


    "¡­You¡¯ve been waiting for me?"


    Suddenly, as Xiao Niao¡¯s brain came to a mounting headache, this line appeared on screen. Like being struck by a pin prick, Xiao Niao sprung up from his seat. The action was so huge and sudden that he knocked over his brunch and fell back from his seat.


    While he was lying on the floor, he picked up his communicator and pressed the button hurriedly. He yelled into it as he tried to catch his breath, "ZERO has contacted me!"


    At the same time, at the Hope¡¯s largest space port, a 60 plus meter long silver spaceship, landed. In the spaceship, Blue 6 and his five most loyal second grade bionic men who had been at his side for hundreds of years since he became a cosmic adapter and a few spaceship operators were already in a rather rounded spacesuit. This was the Blue Race¡¯s combat-use spacesuit.


    "This ruin is so weird. It is so small that it doesn¡¯t have centrifugal force, but why is there gravity?"


    A bionic man jumped out of curiously and successfully landed. This proved that Blue 6 was right, the ruins had gravity.


    Blue 6 didn¡¯t have the time to understand the mystery, as he was thinking about the series of warnings he received earlier from the space traffic control, the military, the royal committee, and even the Emperor. However, none of them were able to stem his determination. At this moment, after he was personally in the ruins, his anxiety had finally dissipated. The sense that the ruin was going to disappear at any moment dispersed and in its place was a low degree of danger.


    "This is curious. Could it be that it only allows me to go in alone? The more non-cosmic adapters that I bring, the greater the danger? But I¡¯ve never heard of a ruin that was specific to cosmic adapters before."


    Blue 6¡¯s interest was piqued. He turned to address his men, "The operators will stay in the spaceship, the 6 of us will enter the ruin¡­ Do not attack anything on sight. My danger sense is low, but that probably has to do with my identity as a cosmic adapter."


    The operators moved to oblige. Then Blue 6 led the 5 bionic men out of the spaceship and they walked towards the ruin entrance. Using the simple plasma blade, the metallic entrance was cut down like it was nothing. This kind of easy entrance unsettled the small group.


    Before they could understand what was happening, in just a blink of an eye, energy shields appeared in front of their spacesuits. A few hundred "people" in prehistoric spacesuits were firing at them¡­


    Electromagnetic weapons from a level 2 space civilization?


    Wait, this feeling was¡­


    At the moment the small group was being attacked, Blue 6 felt a curious emotion, not danger, but¡­


    A resonance with cosmic adapters?


    The lifeforms before them were all cosmic adapters?


    How was that possible?!


    Before Blue 6 could give any command, the 5 bionic men beside him raised their arms and 5 Homo Evolutis in front of them were blown into dust¡­

 Chapter 308: Warp and Surrender!

    Chapter 308: Warp and Surrender!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Photon pulse wave was a real plasma weapon. This was completely different from Earth¡¯s supposed laser weapons that could only singe metallic surfaces and cut through thin, metallic layers. This photon pulse wave was a type of high energy pulse wave that could directly undo the material¡¯s atomic structure. Therefore, the target hit would disperse like dust, no matter whether it was metal, stone, liquid, or¡­ a life form!


    This was a weapon available to level 3 space civilizations in their middle stage. Photo pulse wave was the smallest weapon among all the plasmatic weapons, and as long as the target didn¡¯t have energy shields, normal electromagnetic shields were no longer powerful enough to defend against such a weapon, so the target was confirmed dead! This was why level 3 space civilizations had such drastic advantages over pre-level 3 space civilizations. In terms of combat, it was a one-sided slaughter!


    The moment Blue 6¡¯s small group stepped into the Hope, the Black Star Troopers started attacking these 6 people, but a hazy layer of shield appeared in front of this group, blocking all the attacks. The bullets fired from Gaussian weapons disappeared when they hit the shields. Yes, the Seekers saw this development perfectly; the bullets weren¡¯t blocked but disappeared into thin air!


    "Energy shield! Energy shield!"


    Just as the few Seekers yelled out the warning, a series of lightning flashes occurred and 5 Black Star Troopers evaporated into dust. Then the platoon leaders started yelling to order, "Disperse, retreat and go into hiding! The mission is to exhaust their energy, or have all of you forgotten the mission briefing?!"


    Very soon, after the 5 Black Star Troopers were evaporated, the remaining troopers scurried behind structures that were set earlier around the space port. When the Hope was still on Earth, many defensive measures had been done there, and after the adventure on the new planet and the latest upgrade, the defensive measures around there had improved and increased. The troopers huddled into the available bunkers and started combating the infiltrators.


    However, the difference in technology was simply too great. Gaussian rifles, the sniper rifles of more than several hundred Black Star Troopers, and mechanized Gaussian turrets were useless before the energy shield. The focus fire didn¡¯t even manage to cause a ripple on the shield. If this was just a normal electromagnetic shield, this level of attack would have decimated the attackers.


    In actuality, at this moment, Blue 6¡¯s group was still in shock. The earlier attack was an unconscious counter attack. Now, the 5 bionic men stood in front of Blue 6 because Blue 6¡¯s life was the most important, or at least objectively several millions times more important than theirs combined. However, the consecutive series of attacks confused them¡­ because the attacks were too weak. They were just electromagnetic weapon attacks, causing them to use less than 50 percent of their energy shield¡¯s capability.


    The 5 bionic men regained their senses and countered immediately. They aimed the photon pulsers in their palms at the bunkers. However, to the 5 bionic men¡¯s shock, the metal structures that they predicted should have evaporated only bent slightly. This kind of defensive power was greater than they imagined.


    "How is this possible?! What kind of metal crafting is this? This is a level 4 space civilization¡¯s energized atomic metal structure. How come they have such expensive metals but no energy shields?" Blue 6 gasped in surprise.


    However, he quickly returned from his shock and ordered, "Retreat, retreat immediately! We¡¯ve been tricked. This is not a ruin but a civilization¡¯s spaceship¡­ But not all has been lost, because this place does contain immeasurable treasures. Return to the mothership now and tell them to send out the military to enslave this entire ship. Do not kill anyone, because all these lifeforms will be the Blue Race¡¯s greatest spoils of war!" While he was talking, Blue 6 had already stepped back from the spaceport and was rushing back to the spaceship.


    The remaining 5 bionic men, after getting his order, suppressed the enemy¡¯s bullets and assault through a constant barrage of photon pulses. Blue 6 was escorted safely out of the space port, and on the outside, the tourism spaceship was still there. Nothing had changed, and its energy shield wasn¡¯t even active. This meant that it wasn¡¯t under attack. Blue 6 was overjoyed. He led the 5 bionic men into the spaceship and yelled his order, "Depart now and leave this ruin¡­ no, leave this spaceship. We¡¯re returning to the mothership!"


    The operators were all elite pilots who were loyal to Blue 6. With his order, the spaceship shot out of the Hope with incredible speed and charged towards their mothership¡­


    Mothership?!


    Their mothership had disappeared! The large Blue Race¡¯s fleet and mothership had disappeared without a trace! In front of the tourism spaceship was an unfamiliar swath of solar system. Although it couldn¡¯t technically be called one, because the nearest sun from their location was at least 2 light years away! This was no longer the solar system the Blue Race was in earlier, this was a completely new area in space!


    "Gone! None of the surveillance systems can locate our fleet, no signal at all. This place¡­ is no longer the same space we were supposed to be in!"


    About one minute ago, Guang Zhen had received the news of ZERO¡¯s arrival and had confirmed they could warp already. No one dared to delay, and the people at the control center initiated the Hope¡¯s space warp system at the fastest speed. The process was successful, way more successful than they predicted. There was no attack or other negative influence, the 4th space warp was completed just like that. And the Hope was only one space warp away from the Noah One!


    During warp, Blue 6¡¯s tourism ship was still within the Hope, so they too were warped along with it. This was the explanation behind the thing that happened to Blue 6 and his men.


    They were stunned beyond belief, as this was something impossible. In just a matter of seconds, the space they were in had completely changed, their fleet had disappeared, and they had found themselves in another unknown part of the cosmos. This was impossible, be it warp drive, wormhole, or the legendary star gate, this was impossible. According to the law of conservation and transformation of the 4 elements, the greater the distance travelled and the greater the mass transported, the greater the energy required. This was the law in space, it was an evolution of the conservation of energy law found so many decades ago. The law of conservation and transformation of the 4 elements, everything in the cosmos had to abide by this most basic rule!


    Blue 6 realized that this weird spaceship had violated this universal truth. Time was still uncertain because in space, time was relative. Perhaps you felt one second had passed, but another race in another space had gone through millions of years. However, distance was observable. They had moved at least 2 light-years away from their original spot. Even if the Blue Race¡¯s main fleet was still in the same solar system, it would take them 2 light-years to reach their position, and crossing such a distance would require an astronomical amount of energy.


    The polymerized reactors utilized by level 2 space civilizations was only sufficient for spaceships to travel for several thousand years in space, while cold agglutination reactors utilized by level 3 space civilizations would have enough energy to support the exhaustion of energy during warp drive. a level 4 space civilization with its ionic particle collision reactors would have enough energy to break through a wormhole in space. This was valuable information the Blue Race had received after sacrificing a lot.


    Both wormhole and warp drive required a large amount of energy and time to warp through space; however, they couldn¡¯t have warped through such a long distance in such a short amount of time. This was a violation of the cosmos¡¯ most basic rule, this was like 1 + 1 equals to X, this was scientifically impossible!


    The Blue Race had good education, so these types of cosmic laws and theories were taught to almost all the citizens. Furthermore, the people on the tourism spaceship were all elites, so when they realized what had happened to them, they were shocked. At the same time, they felt chilled by fear, a deep fear of the unknown. There were simply too many things that they didn¡¯t know¡­


    "We will surrender to this race." Blue 6 was the first to recover. After he tallied up their current situation, this was what he concluded.


    The people around him were shocked again. One of the bionic men shouted, "We cannot do that, Your Highness! It is possible for us to surrender, but if you surrender¡­ you are a cosmic adapter, an S-grade cosmic adapter! Your Highness, you mustn¡¯t do that!"


    The advice was picked up by everyone else, but Blue 6 was exceptionally calm. He said directly, "Other than surrender, do you see another way out of this? If I¡¯m not mistaken, we should be in this spaceship¡¯s heavy artillery range, right?"


    The operators pulled up the surveillance screen, and as he said, the energy level of the spaceship was climbing, and the surveillance showed the weapons that were targeting them.


    "Electromagnetic cannons, super electromagnetic railguns, track cannons¡­ These are all heavy duty weapons. Even though these are one level lower than ours, this tourism spaceship can¡¯t withstand the collective fire of all these cannons¡­"


    Blue 6 studied the data on screen and mumbled, "Furthermore, we are only a tourism ship. Yes, we can escape from this spaceship, but what happens next? This ship only has enough food to last us 3 months, and that has to be shared among 6 of us. This ship doesn¡¯t have a warp drive system, and we shouldn¡¯t bank on the hope that we¡¯ll be saved by our mothership¡­"


    Blue 6 pointed at the far sun and said, "Even if the mothership is still within this solar system, we are at least 2 lightyears away from them. When our SOS signal reaches them, 2 years will have already passed for us, so we will already be dead from starvation by then. Even if we don¡¯t die from starvation somehow, do you think the mothership will wait for us for as long as 2 years? So our only solution is to surrender¡­ You said it earlier, I¡¯m a cosmic adapter. Under such circumstances, we should definitely surrender because cosmic adapters are too valuable to be killed. As my men, all of you will be given the most basic right to live. Unless I die, none of you will be harmed."


    The room was silent, but a short while later, they all nodded. The leading operator nodded in agreement. "Your Jighness is right. He is a cosmic adapter, so his safety should be our priority at all times. As long as he is alive, the Blue Race will try everything to save us, so we should definitely surrender. This civilization is probably at the peak of level 2, so they will understand the space contract. Our lives are negligible, but Your Highness must survive¡­ We understand, we will surrender."


    Just as they prepared to send out a surrender message, at that moment, the space was covered with creator¡¯s particles, blocking all signals, and the spaceship had disappeared. The spaceship had activated its ECS system. This meant¡­ the spaceship was entering combat!


    The leading operator was sweating profusely. Blue-coloured sweat covered his body as he turned to Blue 6 to ask, "Goodness! They¡¯re going to attack us. Your Highness, why is this happening? Do they not know you¡¯re a cosmic adapter?"


    Blue 6 was first shocked, but then comprehension came to him. He slumped down into his chair and mumbled after a long pause, "This is bad. I know why, they¡¯ve lost so much that they don¡¯t care about one cosmic adapter like myself anymore¡­ Earlier, when we entered their spaceship, we killed 5 of their cosmic adapters. This is bad¡­"


    "What?" The room yelped in shock. The faces of the bionic men were pale, and two of them even collapsed on the spot. They couldn¡¯t believe the 5 people they had so easily killed were all cosmic adapters!


    According to the 8th constitution of the cosmic contract, unless it was in the middle of war, opposing parties with the same level of power would not harm or kill each other¡¯s cosmic adapters. Those that killed cosmic adapters, be it directly or indirectly, were punishable by death¡­


    Fine, history was written by the winners, and the civilizations that really abided by the cosmic contract were rare, but it was true that most wouldn¡¯t just go about killing cosmic adapters.


    These 5 people knew that no matter how the Blue Race was protective of Blue 6, if the Emperor, royal committee, or even the citizens knew what they did, murdering 5 cosmic adapters, the only thing waiting for them would be the death sentence.


    Just what kind of civilization would send out cosmic adapters at the frontline facing an unknown civilization? Could it be that this level 2 space civilization had so many cosmic adapters that they had an army just filled with cosmic adapters?


    No matter how the 5 bionic men turned this situation in their minds, the only thing that came to them was death. There was no civilization in the cosmos that could stomach the death of 5 cosmic adapters. This was a sin big enough equal to the destruction of a whole civilization. Other than wiping them out, there was no other way; they could see no other option for the level 2 space civilization¡­


    Blue 6 was caught in an impossible quandary. He was unwilling to let go of his loyal men, but he didn¡¯t want to die just like that either. It was not that he was afraid of death, but his life was no longer his own, it belonged to the entire Blue Race¡­ So no, he couldn¡¯t die just yet!


    Blue 6 thought about it and told the 5 bionic men, "5 brave men, I allow you to use suicide to rectify the sin of having killed 5 cosmic adapters, and I promise you that as long as I can return to the Blue Race alive, your graves will be craved with the brave deed that you committed today. You¡¯ve sacrificed yourselves to save the Blue Race¡¯s cosmic adapter."


    The 5 men were silent before kneeling before Blue 6 in unison. None of them spoke a word. They stood up soon and headed towards the exit. From the ship¡¯s surveillance, one could see the five bionic men in spacesuits heading outside the ship. When they were floating in space, the spacesuits suddenly opened to reveal a chamber right above their hearts. At the same time, the 5 bionic men covered their exposed chests with their pulser palms¡­


    At the same time, in the Hope¡¯s control center, Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, and the rest of the higher officials were deciding what to do with the alien spaceship. Other than Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and the Black Star Unit, the rest of them argued to capture this spaceship¡­ After all, it was a group of aliens from a level 3 space civilization and their spaceship, this was a treasure for the Hope.


    However, Yao Yuan¡¯s group had their own reservations. This level 3 space civilization was too powerful. They had energy shields and plasma weapons. If they started to rampage after they were captured, even if there were only one or two that did so, none of the people on the Hope could detain them.


    While they were in the middle of arguing, they saw 5 aliens float out of the spaceship. The round spacesuits could be seen from far away. The atmosphere in the room became nervous, and all of the Hope¡¯s weapons were trained at the small spaceship. The moment it showed any signs of gathering energy, all the weapons would be fired, shattering the spaceship into pieces.


    The image stunned everyone. The five aliens opened their spacesuits and aimed the plasma weapons at themselves¡­ Yes, the video was replayed, and the people inside the spacesuit were indeed the aliens, aliens that looked suspiciously like human beings. They were committing suicide.


    Then the surface of the small spaceship showed signs of slight energy waves, not enough for it to charge a weapon, but the color of the ship started to change from silver to a light blue¡­


    "I think¡­" Yao Yuan turned back to tell everyone, "Earlier, there were 6 aliens that barged into the Hope and killed 5 of our Black Star Troopers. I believe this is their attempt at surrender. They decided to neutralize their military force first and then change the colour of their ship¡­ They plan to surrender.


    "¡­Send out the AI robots and use the alien language system to ask them what kind of air they breathe and what temperature, air pressure, and gravity level are suitable for them. Get all the answers, and Bo Li, you take some engineers and build a chamber with this data. Then¡­


    "It¡¯s time we go collect our spoils of war."


    After 10 minutes of waiting, an AI robot entered their spaceship. Even though the robot looked primitive to them, to their consternation, the robot had mature AI.


    After answering all the questions, everyone, including Blue 6, could feel their hearts palpitate. The leading operator asked directly, "Your Highness, this is weird. That was a robot with AI system¡­ Could it be that the whole ship is controlled by AI?"


    Blue 6 suppressed the fear in his heart and answered, "That''s impossible because that wouldn¡¯t explain the cosmic adapters that we saw. No matter what, we have no choice but to follow their directions. Just be careful."


    9 hours later, Blue 6¡¯s group left their spaceship and entered the chamber this civilization had prepared for them. It had 25 percent oxygen, and even the air pressure and gravity levels were all suitable for Blue 6. Just like that, Blue 6¡¯s group became this level 2 space civilization¡¯s prisoners.


    Right then, Blue 6 finally met the emperor of this civilization. He was a lifeform in a red spacesuit. From the way the people around him treated him and the way he had the handle over the situation, Blue 6 knew instantly his identity. Compared to the fear in other people¡¯s eyes, Blue 6 was in complete shutdown from apprehension.


    "¡­Oh my God, he is, is¡­


    "An Immortal! The legendary double S-grade cosmic adapter, the leader of all cosmic adapters¡­ The Immortal!"

 Chapter 309: Survival

    Chapter 309: Survival


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Captain, there are currently 23,439 people on the Noah One, 15,023 military, 5,811 engineers, and the rest scientists¡­"


    In the Noah One''s captain room, the captain, Norton Maxier, was being briefed by his few adjutants.


    "Is that so? We''ve lost so many people." Norton sighed as he leaned back in his chair and pressed his military cap down over his face. He stayed motionlessly like that for a long time, making his adjutants nervous and helpless.


    Finally, Norton raised his head and said, "Thankfully, the lower half of the ship is mostly materials, like spare parts and a large amount of radioactive ores¡­ However, after losing those things, is our plan to colonize other planets still viable? Can we still survive in space?"


    The few adjutants were silent because they were the most familiar with the severity of the loss. The Noah One had lost one third of its people and a large amount of supply, especially the radioactive ores. These were the Noah One''s main source of energy, and this accident had made 80 percent of them disappear. The next were the spare parts, like locomotive rails, which would help greatly in resource harvesting. Without these, resource harvesting would take a lot more time.


    After a long time, Norton asked again, "How''s the planet?"


    An adjutant replied immediately, "An exploratory team led by Professor Ash and Professor Lee Hwa climbed through the crack to investigate the planet. The result already came back on the planet''s atmosphere. It is as the earlier message showed. The planet air contains 20 percent oxygen, but the level of carbon dioxide was slightly higher than Earth''s, so both professors suggest that before they can get a clearer reading, everyone should wear spacesuits before venturing outside."


    Norton nodded. "How about the crack on the Noah One? Is there leakage from outside?"


    The adjutant answered, "There is no air leakage. Since the Noah One has an isolated cabin structure, there are isolating partitions between each cabin. Therefore, other than the 30 plus soldiers, none of the others have been exposed to the planet''s air."


    "Is that so?" Norton reverted to silence once more and the whole room was quiet.


    "Every one of us¡­" Norton began, but what he said seemed to have nothing to do with the situation at hand. "Every one of us knew about our future when we left. We knew this was a journey of no return. Our bodies, our souls, have lost our home, our home planet¡­ Earth, like a baby who was taken away from his mother''s embrace. We won''t able to return even if we die here¡­"


    Norton stood up suddenly and stared at the picture of Jesus on the cross that hung in the captain''s room. The picture seemed to represent perfectly their current situation.


    "However, this was a step we had to take because Earth was too small for humanity¡­ Destruction of materials, nature, and the environment, this is all humanity''s handiwork, ruining the home planet that had birthed and cared for us for millennia. However, for the sake of our future, this destruction will have to continue until Earth was no more¡­


    "Therefore, we had to leave. Perhaps we will never return to Earth again, and perhaps this will be a futile effort, but at least we''ve tried. We''ve sowed a seed of hope for humanity''s future. This will be our contribution¡­"


    Norton paused to lift up his military cap and observed. "This can be much worse because at least most of the scientists survived. This means we''ll have the technology to survive¡­ How about the sperm and ovum bank?"


    The adjutants sighed in relief upon witnessing their captain return to his usual self. One of them replied, "The bank is unharmed. It is located in the middle of the Noah One, and we just had people to go check on it. It is totally fine."


    "Then we shall follow the decided plan. Start mating the first batch of 300 babies and repair the ship. Increase the speed of breaking through the crack so that we can fire the satellite into space as soon as possible¡­"


    Just as the Noah One''s captain was delegating the work, at the same time, a small unit of about 200 people was climbing up from 300 meters underground through the crack.


    The Noah One''s warp exit was about 300 meters beneath the surface of this planet. This was a controlled warp because this planet was already set as the warp destination when they were still on Earth. They named the planet "Eden."


    The whole plan exhausted several billion US dollars, innumerable workers, and utilized 10 years for it to come into fruition. The plan was to build the Noah One, select its members, issue multiple test warps, and then the final warp¡­ This plan was dubbed Return to Eden!


    The Noah One''s mission was to warp to Eden and then use the star gate technology to form a stable link between Eden and Earth. Of course, this required a high level of technology, but using the information taken from the UFO, all this was possible within the next hundred years!


    This 200 plus member unit, other than 130 plus soldiers, the rest were scientists and researchers from various fields. They were armed with weapons and devices before they left the ship from one of the bridges. They were now climbing to the surface through the crack.


    It was worth noting that even though the Noah One''s warp had them trapped underground, it wasn''t a complete failure. First, at least, they weren''t several million meters deep underground, or the high core temperature and pressure would have crushed the spaceship. Secondly, the space they found themselves in had a natural incline that led to the surface. It was not a vertical drop, but a stair-like passageway. This was a pleasant discovery and surprise.


    This small unit was going to be the Noah One''s first exploratory unit. In fact, if not for the fact that there were many things to be done on the Noah One, probably all the 2,000 plus scientists would demand to leave Noah One to personally observe Eden. After all, this was the first time mankind had been to other planet, not counting the Moon, and it was one that was able to support life. The desire to study this planet was huge. If not for the heavy militaristic atmosphere of the Noah One, there would be more than 200 people on this first unit.


    "The gravity is greater than Earth''s by 0.1 or 2 G. The difference is not great, but the temperature is weirdly high, it''s 36 degree Celsius. According to our latitude, we''re supposed to be in a moderately warm area of this planet, so why is the temperature so high?" A scientist observed as he studied the device in his hand.


    Another scientist answered, "How is that an anomaly? This planet''s carbon dioxide is almost 20 percent higher than Earth''s, so you have to consider the effect of global warming. Looks like we have our job laid before us. We need to first terraform this planet''s atmosphere to make it habitable¡­"


    The group of scientists started discussing among themselves on how to change Eden. Other scientists from other fields had anticipation on their faces, They hadn''t started their own studies yet, but in the foreseeable future, that would happen. A whole new planet for them to research. That was¡­ incredible!


    Suddenly, they saw a flash of shadow dart across the area. The military immediately took up their weapons and trained them at their surroundings. However, the shadow earlier appeared to be an illusion, because they saw nothing of interest other than some rocks at a distance away.


    Just as they let their guards down, a scream sounded. Everyone turned towards the scream and saw half of a body on the ground. The people around the body stumbled and fell, pointing and screaming at the body part that was still squirting blood.


    "Be on guard! Turn on all the search lights! Aim them at all suspicious locations!"


    The leader started barking orders and then several searchlights were set up. The dark underground lit up like daylight. At the same time, the elite soldiers took up their weapons and strafe fired at the dark corners around them. The bullets ricocheted off of the rock pillars and walls, causing sparks to fly. Some smaller stalactites even crumbled under the fire.


    Under such focus fire, several shadows materialized from behind the rock pillars. They could see the other half of the body which still had the spacesuit on. However, most of the body had already been eaten. The shadows were crustacean creatures that were 2 meters tall and 2 meters wide. They had large pinchers and sturdy legs. They moved vertically on their two legs. If not for their weird proportions and ghastly, bug-like faces, their movements would be uncannily similar to humans.


    When these creatures made themselves seen, all the bullets focused on them. But to everyone''s consternation, the bullets made only sparks on their shells and couldn''t pierce through them. The creatures were extremely fast. In just seconds, they were already in the midst of the unit. More soldiers were torn into two, but at the same time, 2 creatures had their shells broken and were immediately riddled with bullet holes.


    "Retreat! Retreat back to the Noah One! Report to the commander that there are too many of these creatures!"


    As the leader yelled, the rest of the group saw several more shadows at the end of the dark tunnel, and they were rushing towards them at a ridiculously high speed¡­

 Chapter 310: Conundrum

    Chapter 310: Conundrum


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "I''ve said, no matter the price, I need one of those shadow creatures, alive or dead, big or small, complete or in parts. I need one of them!"


    A major was yelling near the training camp. In front of him stood about one hundred soldiers in blue berets. No matter how hard the major yelled, the soldiers maintained similar expressions, one of calmness. It was a serenity that went deep into their bones; even death wouldn''t be able to shake them. These people were different from normal soldiers. If one had to make a differentiation¡­ these people were similar to the Black Star Unit in the aspect of spirit.


    The major yelled for a little more before taking a deep breath and concluding severely, "18 deaths, 6 soldiers and 12 scientists¡­ 12 scientists are dead! But only 6 soldiers died? Are you telling me our soldiers are all cowards that only know how to run? This is such humiliation!"


    The major strode back and forth in front of these people as he berated them. "Blue Berets are the best agents chosen from all over the world. You are the pride of human military, supermen in times of war and battle. Even though those shadow creatures are aliens like the ones we see in movies, you should have crushed them like Rambo or the Terminator¡­ Now, bring your best weapons and form battle units among yourselves. Move out now to kill all the aliens surrounding the Noah One, then bring back on an alien''s body. I only need one¡­ Dismissed."


    The hundreds of Blue Beret soldiers were expressionless, but it was not from cold-bloodedness like that of killing machines or robots described in movies or novels, it was a deep-rooted confidence in combat. After all, those that were handpicked to join the Eden''s Blue Berets were not those flight risks that would go berserk during times of emergency.


    Therefore, these hundreds of Blue Beret soldiers, other than being expertly trained, had ties anchoring them to the Noah One, be it ties of comrades, families, lovers, or children. Only over a hundred soldiers from tens of thousands of soldiers were picked to join the Blue Berets. Other than capability, one other important criteria was spiritual anchorage¡­ In other words, the Blue Berets had people they cared about on the Noah One. They could be maintenance workers, normal civilians, or, if they were dying, the government would freeze their bodies and bring them onto Noah One.


    Therefore, on the Noah One, other than soldiers, workers, and scientists, there were 20,000 normal civilians and 2,000 frozen, dying individuals. However, since they were of no direct importance to Noah One, from the beginning, Earth''s government didn''t release their information. Therefore, the Noah One had more than 30,000 people in the beginning. About 50,000 people were in it before the warp¡­ Due to the accident during warp, now the Noah One only had around 40,000 people.


    Since the Blue Berets were already given orders, they didn''t have much to hear. They studied the shadow creatures on video and ascertained that these organisms were indeed fast, at least as fast as a panther. They also seemed to have night vision and their shells was a chitin-like hard shell, causing the bullets to bounce off them. If shot from the front with rifles, they would need more than 10 shots before the bullets would really do any damage.


    However, the Blue Berets knew no fear. After an emergency meeting among the scientists, they found out that heavy artillery like sniper rifles, high speed machineguns, or Desert Eagles could still kill these shadow creatures easily.


    They had such a loss earlier because they were ambushed. With a plan in place, a landslide victory was to be expected. The Blue Berets were that trustworthy.


    This point was clear to the Blue Berets and the major who gave the order. They were sitting on a certain victory. However, just as the Blue Berets prepared to move out from the training ground, twenty of them collapsed to the ground without warning and stopped moving completely.


    When that happened, the remaining soldiers immediately spread out to create a perimeter. The medic soldiers started examining the twenty fainted Blue Berets¡­


    "Their breathing is normal, but they are all down with a fever. There are no signs of unknown viruses affecting their blood. However, some of these people have started to show signs of organ collapse. The older the soldier, the faster the decline. When I came to see you, there were already two deaths¡­"


    Norton looked at the people gathered before him with great tiredness in his eyes. They were all in spacesuits¡­ Yes, wearing spacesuits in the Noah One was rather weird, but Norton couldn''t care about decorum anymore. He immediately asked the leader, "Professor Peter, all I need to know is whether this illness is transferable. If it is, through what kind of method can it spread? And how fatal is it?"


    Professor Peter, who was also in a spacesuit, was a 50-year-old elderly man. He replied, "Captain, I also can''t get clear-cut answers to your questions¡­ Sadly, there are too many things that we don''t know about this illness. We don''t even know what caused it. As I''ve mentioned, we cannot find anything virus-like in the patients'' blood streams. The tests that we''ve conducted came back with the normal profile of the bacteria back on Earth, so this doesn''t look like an alien infection, but¡­"


    "But¡­" Norton frowned when he heard this one word. It was the single word that he was most afraid of then because this "but" could spell doom for more than 40,000 people on the Noah One¡­


    "But none of us know what kind of form alien viruses could take." Peter sighed. "Perhaps they are similar to Earth''s microorganisms, or they might be a completely different entity. To put it simply¡­ Perhaps an inconspicuous trace substance, like non-living metal particles or even dust, could be the virus on this planet. No one dares to say that such things don''t exist in the cosmos. Therefore, we had to quarantine the ship even before getting your orders."


    The Noah One was under a completely militaristic ruling. The captain, Norton Maxier, had complete authority. Before the Noah One settled itself and a colony base was set up and filled up with at least 500,000 people, this kind of militaristic ruling would persist.


    Earlier, after the first batch of 20 Blue Berets fainted, 200 plus people followed. The Noah One only had 40,000 people, so the news of mass fainting of 200 plus people couldn''t be suppressed. This created a hysteria among the public because this sudden fainting told everyone on board that¡­ a super virus had infected the Noah One!


    The first person to interact with these patients was the Noah One''s public health doctor, Professor Peter. Initially, they had no idea so many people had fainted, they thought it was only the 20 Blue Berets. However, following the increasing number of patients, they realized something had gone awry. Before Norton was notified, they issued a quarantine order. Other than the 200 plus people that were sequestered away, even those people that had constant contact with these 200 plus people were quarantined.


    However, this would involve too many people, especially all the soldiers at the training grounds, because the Blue Berets fainted when there was a large amount of soldiers prepping for the next combat with the shadow creatures. The number of quarantined people immediately burst to over 5,000, and at least 3,000 were soldiers¡­


    This was also why Peter came to see Norton. As they spoke, there were still at least 2,000 soldiers that refused to enter quarantine.


    Norton looked at Peter and the experts behind him silently. He saw the determination in their eyes, and after a long time, Norton pushed the communicator button on his desk and spoke into it, "Order the first and second platoons to get into the training ground in their spacesuits¡­ Bring along weapons and anti-riot shields as well as loud speakers. Ask those insubordinate people if they want to infect their own families and friends. Just ask them that¡­"


    After that, Norton closed the communicator and turned to look at the people in front of him. Suddenly, he asked, "Professor Peter, answer me this truthfully. If this is really a super virus infection caused by alien bacteria¡­ Can we fight it?"


    Peter was shocked, and his face considerably paled. He sighed after giving it much thought. "¡­Pray that God blesses us. That is the only thing we can do."

 Chapter 311: Multiple Difficulties

    Chapter 311: Multiple Difficulties


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It had been over one month since the mass fainting. However, looking back, this unmitigated disaster seemed so preposterous.


    Indeed, this super virus which was assumed would wipe out the entirety of humanity left as quick as it came¡­ On the second day of infection, around 30 citizens over 40 had died. This was even worse than Earth¡¯s Ebola because Ebola at least had a one week latent period. This kind of virus that killed on the second day was unheard of.


    Everyone who knew was mentally prepared. Over the past few days, the number of citizens that went to the church to pray skyrocketed. The church was so packed that some had to stand while praying. Other than that, about 70 percent started writing their wills. Some had gone crazy, but most settled into acceptance of their fate. After all, they had expected as much when they chose to join the Noah One.


    However, what happened next surprised everyone. The infection didn¡¯t spread, and other than the 200 plus people, none of the rest on the Hope was infected. Even those several thousand who were quarantined alongside the patients didn¡¯t show any signs of sickness. This was a development bordering on the miraculous.


    There had never been a virus without such a high fatality rate before, discounting manmade biological weapons. From the perspective of nature, such a disease was impossible¡­


    Fine, they were in space, so anything could happen and nothing could be treated the same as on Earth, but if this virus had such speed and fatality, then¡­ why didn¡¯t it transfer to other people?


    Other than the 200 plus people, those that interacted with them didn¡¯t fall ill from the disease. This was obviously not airborne. It was not through bodily fluids either because the few Blue Berets that gave their fainted comrades mouth-to-mouth resuscitation were as fit as horses as well.


    The doctors quickly came up with a hypothesis: the virus perhaps only infected a certain type of blood type or genetic make-up. However, after a diagnosis of the patients, their blood samples, genetic make-ups, sexes, ages, occupations, and lifestyles were all random¡­ Some of them did come from the same background, like the 20 Blue Berets, but what about everyone else? It was as random as it could be.


    This was where the clues ended. An incredibly scary virus that infected over 200 people had ended just like that. The doctors, microbiologists, and pathologists on the Noah One couldn¡¯t tell what kind of virus this was. The illness disappeared like it completely didn¡¯t happen. Trace of the virus couldn¡¯t be found anywhere on the Noah One or within the body of the patients.


    In the end, a total of 190 plus people died and only 26 survived. The fatality rate was about 90 percent!


    No matter what, "only" 190 plus people died from this virus that was expected to wipe out humanity so that was something worth being thankful for. This sudden virus was a rude wake up call for those who still held an optimistic view after they descended on a new alien planet and after the Noah One had lost about 2/5 of its supplies and people.


    One month later, the quarantine was called off and the Noah One¡¯s officials who had been totally focused on containing the virus found themselves in another quandary, the worst they had ever faced yet¡­


    "Food¡­ Food?"


    Captain Norton was discussing the virus with a few doctors, pathologists, and microbiologists when an adjutant came with a report and whispered something into his ear. Norton immediately grabbed the report and flipped through it. He mumbled these words rather blankly.


    The adjutant coughed and Norton came out of his reverie. He smiled at the scientists and said, "I will leave the problem of the alien microorganism in your hands. It¡¯s good if there is some animal experimentation. Write me a report and I will look over it later."


    The scientists knew Norton was asking them to leave, so they stood up politely and left the captain''s room together after a few more words.


    After they filed out, Norton asked the adjutant hurriedly, "How can there be no more food? We collected so much food before warping¡­ It all disappeared, didn¡¯t it?"


    The adjutant smiled bitterly. "That¡¯s right, the part that disappeared just happens to be the part where we kept most of our food. That was the heaviest part of this ship, so it was that part that disappeared. I¡¯m not sure whether this counts as lucky or not¡­ Captain, according to our analysis, the remaining food can only last the Noah One for about 2 months. If we ration it out, perhaps we can last for 3 months, but this is not the most important this. Captain, please take a look at the conclusion of the report¡­"


    Norton immediately flipped to the last page of the report. The words that appeared stunned him to his core. After a long time, he sighed dejectedly, "How many people have seen this report or how many people know about this truth?"


    The adjutant thought about it. "The people that know the whole truth are only you and me, but there are some that know parts of it, like the maintenance workers, patrols, and agents that work around the storage area¡­"


    Norton pulled down his military cap to cover his face again. He mumbled, "Is that so? This means that the news can¡¯t be contained for long¡­ Food can still last us for three months, but the water supply¡­ we only have one week worth of water left."


    "To be precise, it is six days if we continue using the water at the rate we¡¯re using it now," the adjutant corrected Norton calmly.


    Norton sighed deeply. "I should have thought about this earlier. Even though there were isolation chambers between the different cabins , the warp still disconnected the internal circuits, especially the water pipes. We were too late with our repairs, and most of the water had seeped outside by the time we finished. Plus, the water storage was at the back half of the ship and so was the water circulatory system¡­ Other than the air circulatory system, the water circulatory was the only one that spread out through Noah One. So only one week left?"


    "It¡¯s six days," the adjutant corrected him again.


    Norton finally lost it. He threw his cap away and glared at the adjutant angrily. The adjutant was pure European. He had short, blond hair, an aquiline nose, and blue eyes. If not for his sharp gaze, one could easily mistake him for a male model or movie star.


    The two stared each other down. Finally, it was Norton who sighed and slumped back down his chair. He said, "Austin, fine, I will tell you the truth. Even though you¡¯ve just woken up from your coma, since you¡¯ve already read through this report, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already familiar with the situation on the Noah One¡­ You know why those scientists came to see me just now?"


    Austin was startled. He thought about it and said, "¡­I think I know all of them. They are Noah One¡¯s famous doctors, pathologists, and microbiologists. Captain was discussing the mysterious virus with them, right?"


    "Not completely." Norton didn¡¯t hide the fact and continued, "After all, the illness has passed and after 10 days of quarantine for you and the 25 other survivors. There were no new cases of illness, so this thing should be over for now¡­ We were discussing something else. The scientists were analyzing the air of this planet when the mysterious virus stuck, but now that the virus is over, they continued their work. They exposed this planet¡¯s air to a few animals and the result¡­"


    "The result was horrible?" Austin caught up immediately.


    "Not only horrible, it was incredibly horrible¡­" Norton continued, "There were in total 20 animals from Earth that were exposed to this planet¡¯s air. From the smallest ZH white mice to the biggest TTTY horse. All of the animals died, with not one exception. The infection started in their respiratory tracks. The air ducts became bloated and then collapsed. Then the blood, internal organs, and even the bones decayed and melted. The situation was even worse than the mysterious virus or those viruses we saw in sci-fi horror flicks. If not for the fact that I¡¯ve witnessed this myself, I would have thought the animals had inhaled sulphur."


    Austin suddenly felt some hypothesis and conjectures come to his mind. For example, since there were pathologists and microbiologists among the people who left, he said immediately, "Is it the virus or microbes in the air?"


    Norton nodded with a bitter laugh. "Yes, it has nothing to do with the air composition. In the later experiment, after the air was cleaned with high-temperature sterilization, the animals were fine even after they were exposed to it. According to the experts, lifeforms from Earth, no matter whether it''s us humans or the animals, have not developed an immunity against the microbiological profile of this planet. Some of the microbes and viruses are completely harmless to us, while others will be killed by our immune system, but there are some¡­ that will infect us the moment they enter our bodies. Our store of antibiotics were completely useless against them. In other words¡­


    "We have found ourselves on a planet that is hell-bent on killing us. Even the smallest microorganism is extremely hostile to our presence!"

 Chapter 312: Operation Water

    Chapter 312: Operation Water


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The conversation between Norton and Austin wasn¡¯t leaked to the public, but they both knew this kind of thing couldn¡¯t be hidden from the public forever. There was precedent in the mysterious virus incident. The whole Noah One practically stopped for one whole month. No one was interested in leaving the Noah One and all the surveillance systems, the management system, and the internal defence system were down. It was an every man for themselves type of situation.


    The situation only changed after the mysterious virus was confirmed to be over. Therefore, it was pointless to hide these things from the public.


    "The key is still energy," Norton said in conclusion. "The air is still breathable since the issue lies within the microorganisms. Therefore, we only need high temperature to sterilize the air, water, and food whenever we bring them in from outside. This shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. After all, it is not our responsibility to terraform the whole planet, since we¡¯re just the first dispatch. However, maintaining high temperature needs energy, mining needs energy, even maintaining the oxygen supply in spacesuits needs energy, but the Noah One¡¯s energy storage is already dangerously low. We¡¯ve lost too much radioactive minerals, and the remaining can¡¯t last us for long. We have to get more radioactive ores before the ones we have run out!"


    Of course, that was a further goal. The most expedient goal was to increase the Noah One¡¯s food and water supply, especially water supply since it was the thing the Noah One needed the most at the moment.


    "¡­ From the echo locator, 200 plus meters beneath the Noah One and about 3 kilometers east is an underground stream. It is quite sizeable and should be enough to support the Noah One¡¯s water usage, but the issue remains, how do we draw water from there?"


    In the operation meeting room, Norton was sitting the table with all the military officials from the Noah One. Different from the Hope, which was far away, there were no signs of scientists in the room. There were only military personnel and a handful of technicians.


    Norton addressed the officer beside him, "Major Fujii, please describe the details of this operation to us."


    An Asian military officer stood up and gave a salute before moving to the podium. He said, "As everyone must know by now, the Noah One¡¯s fresh water supply can only last the ship for another 3 days, so within these 3 days, we have to locate ourselves a fresh water source. This operation is provided by our comrades from the strategy unit. The first difficulty is the distance of the water source. Even though 3 kilometers might sound short on paper, we are talking about underground here. The issue of geological complication aside, the source is about 200 plus meters beneath us vertically. Therefore, this 3 kilometer distance is more complicated than it seems.


    "Next will be those shadow creatures. Ever since the planning phase began for this operation, we gained for ourselves about 10 carcasses of these shadow creatures and 2 were captured alive. After the scientists¡¯ autopsy and experiments, these are the results they came up with. Please take a look at this¡­"


    Soon, the lights in the room darkened and pictures were shown on the wall.


    Fujii continued, "This is a type of warm-blooded exoskeletal organism. Yes, they might look like insectoids, but they are actually warm-blooded mammals, and they have incredibly high intelligence. For example, they are capable of crafting basic tools. We even managed to locate roughly polished skeletal decorations and sharpened rocks in their lairs. Rudimentary assessment put their intelligence at the same level as prehistoric men.


    "These intelligent creatures are our second difficulty. A word of warning: according to our current data, there are at least one thousand of these creatures in the Noah One¡¯s close vicinity¡­ Other than that, their shells contain an aseismatic structure. This is an evolution that surprised all the scientists. Regardless, this means that the creatures¡¯ shells are capable of blocking our bullets. Seven or eight bullets need to hit around the same spot, but the shell can be shattered. However, before that happens, these shadow creatures, utilizing their speed and numbers, will have torn through our ranks. Therefore, the comments given by the strategy unit about these creatures are¡­ extremely dangerous, especially in tight spaces!"


    Each person present was one of the Noah One¡¯s military officers, but due to the mysterious super virus earlier, most of them hadn¡¯t come into contact with these shadow creatures before. However, the detailed explanation from Major Fujii, especially about their speed, strength, and the durability of their shells, made chills run down everyone¡¯s spine.


    These shadow creatures could evade bullets using their natural speed alone, and their bodies could withstand at least 10 bullets. Their arms were strong enough to be able to pull apart a normal tank, and there were at least several thousand of them populating the whole planet. In fact, these creatures were even stronger than the aliens seen in the movie "Alien vs Predator." Other than the lack of corrosive bodily fluids, these shadow creatures were scarier and stronger!


    "¡­Therefore, Operation Water is not as simple as many here would like to think. In fact, it can be called an impossible mission. It is not hard to envision losing one¡¯s life over water, so I advise everyone to be on high alert. We are no longer on Earth. Even facing wild animals, we humans no longer have the absolute upper hand!" Major Fujii turned increasingly serious until at the end, he was almost growling.


    "Alright, with the details and difficulties out of the way, we¡¯re going to go into the actual procedures of Operation Water¡­"


    The operation was split into three parts. The first was to use the Noah One¡¯s military power to demolish all the aliens within a 3 kilometer radius of the Noah One. To quote the strategy unit, even if it was just a fly, they had to demolish it. That was given this planet had flies.


    The second part would be to link a rubber hose of about 5,000 meters long from the Noah One to the water source. Of course, even though the Noah One had many supplies, it didn¡¯t have a 5,000-meter-long rubber hose. Furthermore, there wouldn¡¯t be such a long, uninterrupted one on the Noah One. Even if there was, the water pressure wouldn¡¯t be high enough to transport the water from several meters up to the Noah One.


    Therefore, part two was more complicated. 3 to 5 hydro pumps had to be built between the Noah One and the water source. The pumps would be used to increase pressure to allow the water to flow from the source to the Noah One. This process would require the contributions of many technicians. These technicians were not soldiers, and every single one of them was an elite specially picked from Earth, so the loss of one would be a big blow to the Noah One. This was why they had to go through part one before starting part two.


    The first part was scheduled to take two to three days to complete, while the second part would need half a month. In the meantime, the water needed by the Noah One would be hauled back daily by soldiers from the water source using altered cars. A transport mission like this required a safe route, so there couldn¡¯t be hidden danger.


    The third part would be a long term plan. A rubber hose wasn¡¯t that reliable long term. Temporarily, it was impossible for the Noah One to float, or at least that was impossible in the next ten years, so human beings were expected to spend at least another ten years underground. This water hose would eventually have to be upgraded to be metallic, but this operation would take time, at least one or two years before it reached fruition.


    "¡­Part one of Operation Water will officially begin at 3 PM this afternoon. A total of 6 large units of about 9,000 soldiers will be involved. The Blue Berets will be the leaders, guiding the Special Forces to hunt down the middle to large size creatures, while the rest will do a blanket search and hunt."


    After Major Fujii finished, Norton added a few inspirational words. Then the members from the strategy unit gave the officers their in-depth mission details, like which unit would be responsible for which part, which unit would be responsible for support, which unit would be carrying the weapon supplies and the like.


    Just as the soldiers from Noah One was ready to start Operation Water, within the spaceship, a group of geologists was in deep discussion about something.


    "The geological stratigram is already out¡­ But how come they look so weird to me? I wonder if I¡¯m wondering this¡­ But have you guys noticed the location of the mantle layer?" A scientist said out loud as he studied the picture on screen.


    The scientists around him shared his confusion. The stratigram before them was too weird. Theoretically speaking, a planet¡¯s earth layer from the outside to inside should be arranged as such: the crust, the mantle, and the core. The crust was like the tough egg shell, the mantle was comprised of liquid lava, and the core was the center. The crust formed the planet¡¯s continental shelf and tectonic plates; they were like a layer floating above the lava layer and their movements were the source of earthquakes. However, this planet had a weird construction¡­


    On the stratigram, there was no mantle layer. In that case, there was no continental shelf or tectonic plates, the whole earth crust seemed like it was screwed into place.


    In other words, the underground layer of this planet was incredibly stable. There would be no earthquakes or the likes. If we follow this train of thought, one could expect a huge civilization under this planet¡¯s surface if there was such an evolution, since the underground was a lot more stable than the surface¡­

 Chapter 313: Missing Persons

    Chapter 313: Missing Persons


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Operation Water was very successful.


    After all, the Noah One was a product from 21st century, and its military had gone through years of training. Combined with the mature weapon technology of the 3rd revolution, like firearms and explosives, it took them less than 2 days to demolish all the medium to large aliens within a 3 kilometer radius around the Noah One. Other than a small amount of shadow creatures that managed to escape, they had killed 800 plus shadow creatures. Among them were more than 100 large shadow creatures, providing the scientists with many alien samples.


    On the other hand, the creation of water transport cars using existing vehicles helped solve the Noah One¡¯s water problem. However, only 8 water transport cars were converted from armored tanks. The Noah One¡¯s heavy siege engines had disappeared during warp, so the remaining ones were treasures. With the Noah One¡¯s current situation, it would be another year before they could start building another siege engine. so they were absolutely important. They were used for scouting, battles, and even as temporary pit stops. With the protection of the siege engine¡¯s heavy armor, mankind could spend a night outside of Noah One without much worry. In other words, it was these siege engines that allowed mankind to move beyond the confines of the Noah One.


    Therefore, only 8 tanks were converted to become water transport cars. However, with 24 hour transportation, they were just enough to solve Noah One¡¯s water crisis. This would have to continue until the second phase of Operation Water.


    With the completion of the first phase of Operation Water, the second phase would begin soon. The technicians within the Noah One had started work in earnest. Of course, they were protected by a large amount of military escorts whenever they left the Noah One to complete the underground water pipe.


    "¡­Demarcation of area safety. The immediate zone around the Noah One is green, the zone within 3 kilometers from Noah One is light red, the zone within 10 kilometers is red, and any places beyond 10 kilometers are black. Non-military personnel not allowed beyond the green zone. No personnel, including soldiers, are allowed beyond the red zone without explicit orders. You can refer to the housing pamphlet for more information¡­"


    The announcement was broadcasted around the Noah One. It was lunch, so the engineer team and soldiers had returned to the Noah One. Other than the few soldiers who were tasked to man the pit stops, almost everyone had returned to the Noah One to enjoy their leisurely lunch. There was even relaxing music provided in the public canteens. Due to the great success of Operation Water, everyone on the Noah One was in a relaxed mood. There were plenty of smiles during lunch.


    "¡­The food is running low."


    In the restaurant reserved for higher officers, a few officers were whispering as they enjoyed their steaks.


    One of them said, "There is still some in storage, but most of it disappeared during the warp. The remaining food probably can¡¯t support the whole ship for long¡­ Didn¡¯t I hear that the science unit was testing this planet¡¯s animals and plants? How is that coming along?"


    Another person shook his head. "Even though the high temperature can kill the bacteria, there must be some unique materials to this planet¡¯s animals and plants that are harmless to them but will be poison for us. Who can be sure? After all, this is space, so it is better to be careful. It will be fine as long as we can find a replacement before our food storage runs out."


    The rest nodded in agreement. These were people from the information era. They had seen those sci-fi movies before, and none of them wished to have those scary things happen to them, so they had to be extremely careful.


    However, compared to these higher officers or even the public, the scientists assigned to experiment and analyze these possibly edible animals and plants were more open minded. For them, the stuff in sci-fi were exactly that, fictional. Even though there wasn¡¯t a 100 percent chance that those thing wouldn¡¯t happen, those events where humans turned into aliens by ingesting alien flesh was something impossible, or at least it was on this planet.


    Why? Simple. If there was really such an organism on this planet, its gene must have incredible aggression and monopoly, not unlike the Zerg from Star Craft. According to the environment of the planet the Noah One was in, it was unlikely that such organisms existed on the planet, or they would have covered the planet completely.


    Therefore, these scientists, though still careful with their experiments on the new plants and animals on this planet, all thought that there was chance that they could find new food sources on this planet. For example, there was a species of enlarged lizard. They were 70 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide white mollusks. Other than that, there was also a species of mushroom-like fungus that grew in humid areas as well as dark black trees with dried branches that collected their nutrients in their roots. These were the few species that the scientists had high hopes would become the Noah One¡¯s new food sources.


    After lunch, the scientists returned to their own labs. The new food source unit entered their lab and saw on their tables a few new plastic bags of recently harvested samples.


    One of the scientists said, with a laugh, "They gave us so many new samples. Looks like today is going to be another long night¡­ But why are there so many red blood spots on this particular bag of samples?"


    The surrounding scientists all crowded around the bag and studied the sample with curious gazes. Inside the bag was the body of an animal that was about 70 centimeters in size. It looked like an enlarged cockroach, but its internal organs and structure were completely different from one. However, the most eye-grabbing was the fact that the carcass was covered with spots of red blood.


    This was because this planet¡¯s ecosystem was different from Earth''s in the sense that the organisms on this planet had generally orange-colored blood and not red like the ones back on Earth. This was discounting the crustaceans and mollusks of course. Therefore, when they saw that the creature had red-colored blood, it was quite shocking.


    Then they quickly returned to work. With the aid from the interns, the scientists started analyzing the sample. The first sample they analyzed was the animal with the red blood. After all, they were too interested in this biological anomaly.


    The analysis report soon appeared¡­ The red blood didn¡¯t belong to the organism, it was human blood!


    When Norton received this update, he was shocked and angered.


    "Haven¡¯t we outlined the different zones of danger? Why is there still people venturing beyond the red zone? Or do the Blue Berets now think they¡¯re above the law and have decided to ignore the threat of aliens?" Norton started scolding loudly after he heard the report.


    The few adjutants stood there motionlessly. The report they just gave was indeed a bit troublesome. In today¡¯s patrol, one unit discovered a fresh pool of blood. The unit immediately reported their discovery to their superiors. The information went through the chain of command quickly and the military immediately dispatched a unit to follow the blood trail.


    Soon, the unit reached the limit of the danger zone line. In other words, they were about 10 kilometers away from the Noah One. A few more steps and they would be in the black zone, places where humanity had not ventured into before. The blood trail continued deeper into the zone, but the unit no longer dared to give chase. Therefore, they resigned to collecting clues around the area. They discovered a few sample bags and animal samples that had fallen out of the bags. With no better choice, the unit collected these samples and returned to the Noah One before noon. Now the Noah One¡¯s army had done their headcount and realized that 3 people had gone missing from the Blue Berets. The blood probably belonged to them.


    Austin suddenly opened his mouth to say, "The place where they discovered the blood stains isn¡¯t the black zone, it¡¯s only 4 kilometers away from the Noah One. It is well within the Blue Berets¡¯ activity zone, so Captain shouldn¡¯t punish them for violating the military rules¡­ But there is one thing that I¡¯m curious about. This Blue Beret unit that has gone missing has 3 members in it, and they were only 4 kilometers away from Noah One when they were attacked, but from morning until now, none of us have heard the sound of gunfire. We¡¯re in deep underground, so the echo should be obvious, but the surveillance center didn¡¯t receive any such signal or even an SOS message. In other words¡­"


    Norton had calmed down and said, after some thought, "In other words, there is an organism agile enough to kill all three of them without them able to fire off a bullet first?"


    "No, it¡¯s not that." Austin immediately shook his head. "They only found one blood trail at the scene, and there is no flesh or many blood splatters. It doesn¡¯t look like the place the three of them were killed, and the blood trail was thin. If anything, it looks like a signal that was purposely laid there to lead us deeper, or perhaps it was a blood trail used a coordinate marker¡­"


    Norton and the other adjutants were confused and asked in unison, "What do you mean by that?"


    Austin shrugged and continued with helplessness in his voice, "I have no idea. This is just the conclusion from my analysis. Based on the blood trail we saw on site, the sample bags that littered the area as well as the gunshot that we didn¡¯t hear, rather than the hypothesis where these 3 Blue Berets were killed by some agile organisms, it feels more like the three of them have gone deeper underground, but one of them suffered a light injury and was bleeding. With each other¡¯s support, they shuffled willingly deeper into the darkness¡­"


    At this point, everyone there, other than Austin, could feel chills running up their backs and fear blossoming in their hearts¡­


    What did he mean by¡­ shuffling willingly deeper into the darkness¡­

 Chapter 314: Abandoned Son

    Chapter 314: Abandoned Son


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The disappearance of the three Blue Berets were knowledge only to the soldiers themselves, their immediate family members, and a few higher officers. The rest had no idea what kind of danger hid in the darkness¡­


    However, an anxiousness still fell like a veil over the Noah One. After all, the ship was only so big. It was hard to pretend nothing happened when the officers were all under the public''s scrutiny.


    "Austin, how come I never realized you were so clever before? No, not clever per se, but more intuitive, especially your focus towards details." Norton studied Austin, who was standing beside him.


    The two of them were standing outside the Noah One. Norton just gave the orders to three units to move towards the planet''s surface. These people were scouts as they were the first batch of soldiers to be ordered to go to the surface.


    Austin was taken aback. He thought about it and said, "Indeed, I too didn''t notice this quality in me earlier. Honestly, I have no clue what happen, but I do have a hypothesis. Well, I doubt Captain will believe this. After the mysterious virus, an elusive voice seems to remind me of the details I''ve missed whenever I am thinking about a problem or issue. It''s hard to explain, but to put it simply, there seems to be a voice in my head."


    Norton didn''t expect such an absurd answer, so much so that he was rendered speechless. He stared blankly at Austin, waiting for the latter to tell him it was a joke, but that didn''t happen.


    "You''re serious?" Norton grumbled. "What do you mean there''s a voice in your head? Do you think we''re in a movie? Answer me seriously!"


    "I''m being 100 percent serious," Austin answered with an extremely serious face.


    Norton was speechless. He chose to ignore Austin''s obvious ploy to play with him. After some time, he continued, "How do you think the surface of this planet will be?"


    Austin replied, "Probably the same as the scientists predicted. This planet''s water mass is lower than Earth''s, but due to global warming, the ice-caps at the two poles have been melted, so the sea level is still sufficient¡­ I guess this will be a rather warm planet with a high average temperature. Not that many jungles, but due to lack of civilization, the jungles will be untouched¡­"


    Norton nodded. "It''ll probably be like what you said, a warm, sprawling, and untouched world, but¡­ is this really our Eden?"


    Austin was intrigued. "Captain, why would you say that?"


    "Because I feel a sense of unpreparedness¡­" Norton shook his head and sighed. "Are our actions really suitable? Even though we were mentally prepared to face death before we warped from Earth, have we really reached a level where we can colonize in space?"


    Austin was going to say something but was interrupted by Norton. "Let me finish first¡­. The Noah One''s mission was to build a coordinated star gate on this planet and link it to Earth. You don''t know the details, but I do know a thing or two, and this small amount of knowledge is enough to be forced into committing ''suicide''."


    "Forced into committing ''suicide''?" Austin repeated curiously.


    Norton smiled bitterly and continued, "If we were back on Earth, we definitely wouldn''t be having this conversation, but we''re not on Earth anymore. After all, there were real cases where people had been forced into ''suicide'' due to this information¡­ Do you know where the Noah One''s technology came from?"


    Austin opened his mouth, but no words came out. He frowned and looked at Norton before saying, "It''s from the alien UFO, or you mean to say this news by the government is fake? No matter what, it is unlikely that the technology was created by us humans, but based on what Captain just said, there seems to be some inside stories¡­ Don''t tell me, the technology actually came from some ancient civilization."


    Norton laughed with good humor. "No, you were right earlier, the technology did come from the alien UFO. The government didn''t lie about this¡­. But do you know? The technology that we managed to get from the UFO only includes the space warp engine and anti-gravity technology. These are complete technologies; even though our scientists still can''t understand them, but they can replicate the blueprints and use them. They are the only future-tech we human beings can actually use!"


    Austin nodded along, but he noticed the worrying detail¡­


    "Wait, wait, Captain, you mean we have not really understood the star gate technology?" Austin gasped with fear.


    Norton laughed coldly. "That''s right. Now do you understand everything? The technology we have on the Noah One are the anti-gravity system that allows this spaceship to move in space and the space warp engine that allows us to move across large distances. Other than that, we human beings didn''t get any other complete future-tech from the UFO!"


    "¡­Complete future-tech?" Austin calmed down from his shock and started thinking. He repeated this phrase because he felt it was important.


    This surprised Norton. He laughed after some time. "That''s right, we only got two complete future-tech from the UFO, but the experts did find out some other information about the UFO¡­ There is another ''world'' within the UFO. I have no idea what it really means, but after the release of that information, a series of incomplete future-tech appeared. One of them was a quantum entanglement communicator. I hear it is some kind of communicator that allows messages to be sent over light years without losing its contents. There were other incomplete future-tech, and one of them was the star gate technology.


    "Now do you understand? We don''t have the complete star gate technology, and that is why the Noah One even exists in the first place. Star gate technology involves a deep understanding of space science, and this incomplete future-tech is so far beyond our current scientific understanding that filling out the incomplete parts will require decades to complete. Other than time, this technology also requires stable space coordinates to send signal back to Earth so that the scientists back on Earth will have enough data to conduct experiments on the star gate. This is the Noah One''s mission, to send the space coordinates of our location back. You have been briefed on this mission, so I won''t go into details. What I really want to tell you is this¡­ At least in the next 100 years, no, 500 years, we should not expect to see another human spaceship. Now do you understand? We''re essentially Earth''s abandoned sons."


    Austin was speechless. This was completely different from what the government told him. The government had siphoned many future techs from the UFO, like the anti-gravity system, the space warp system, future energy sources, the star gate technology. The Noah One was indeed on dangerous mission, but since government had mastered the star gate system, they only needed space coordinates and some time to build the star gates. It was not like what Norton told him. Such hopelessness¡­


    "Therefore, Captain told the groups go up to the surface to prepare a site to build the quantum entanglement communicator?" Austin asked calmly after a long sigh.


    Norton shook his head. "No, this is only one of the reasons. After all, that is our mission. Even though we are the abandoned sons, for the hope that our future generation can one day return to Earth, building the communicator is a must, but not now. I mentioned this earlier, the communicator is an incomplete future-tech. First, it cannot be controlled in the sense that we cannot decide which direction it will send the message, and the message can only be received by another spaceship. Thankfully, the other spaceship is back on Earth, so that is not much of an issue. The real trouble is its energy exhaustion. If we keep it active for one day, its energy requirement equals to the energy production for the entirety of Noah One, so we will not be building the communicator now. That will be planned after the next decade¡­ The purpose of this scouting is because of you, actually. Your analysis from before has spooked way too many people.


    "¡­Yesterday, I received the report from the Blue Beret scouting unit. The report states that there are no bullet holes or signs of combat near the location where the blood trail was found¡­ Other than the footprints of the three Blue Berets, there are no other creature footprints, and that blood trail¡­ Do you know how it was produced?" Norton suddenly stopped to ask.


    Austin thought about it and shook his head. "No clue, too little information to come up with a hypothesis."


    "It was produced by pricking the skin with the sharp point of a bug-like appendage," Norton continued seriously. "According to the analysis in the report, the Blue Beret scouts suspect that the bug was already dead and was prepared to be bagged as sample when the 3 soldiers were ambushed. For some unknown reason, they were immediately apprehended and voluntarily walked into the darkness. At the same time, one of them took out the bug and used its sharp point to pierce through his spacesuit¡­ Shocking, isn''t it? The spacesuit that is made of enforced fiber was pierced through so easily. The scientists came back with the result that the bug''s appendage is really sharp and stable, more stable than even metal. They are serrated as well, so with enough strength, they can indeed pierce through the spacesuit, but¡­ the amount of force needed for that to happen is several tons. Do you think that amount of force is something a group of human beings can create?


    "However, that did happen. The elite Blue Berets didn''t fire off a single bullet and didn''t fight back before disappearing into the darkness. Other than their own footprints, there are no traces of others, and one of them somehow created several tones of energy to pierce through his own spacesuit. All of these things that shouldn''t occur naturally have occurred."


    Norton turned to look away from the Noah One. He looked down at the tunnel facing away from the spaceship. It led deeper and lower into the darkness. The darkness felt even palpable.


    "I have no idea what is hiding behind the dark veil, but I do know one thing¡­ it is a terror beyond human imagination! I just pray for one thing: to find a surface area to colonize before this terror expands its territory to engulf us, or else¡­"


    Norton suddenly looked at Austin and laughed bitterly. "I think I will activate the Noah One''s self-destruct sequence and let everything disappear into nothingness!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Join us on Discord to discuss the novel or just to have fun: https://discord.gg/MkX48w

 Chapter 315: Base and Video

    Chapter 315: Base and Video


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The terror in the dark did not show itself at least for the first half a year. The days went by so peacefully that people had started to forget about the initial fear.


    The Noah One was still lodged underground. In fact, hope for the Noah One to become a spaceship again was practically nil. At most it could only become a base for the human settlers.


    Even though the Noah One could no longer lift aboveground, humanity''s activity range naturally couldn''t be limited within the confines of the Noah One. As time passed, people felt trapped within the claustrophobic metallic walls and underground tunnels. Therefore, so far, the range of human activities had expanded to several thousand kilometers around the Noah One.


    However, for some reason, the Noah One''s higher officials barred people from exploring deeper underground. All forms of exploration could only be done on the surface. This had created some mild resentment among the scientists, but the surface had plenty of research opportunities as well. In comparison, they understood that there might be safety concerns if they ventured deeper underground, so they didn''t really challenge the ban.


    On the other hand, with the finished construction of a defense structure 3 kilometres around the Noah One, the safety zones had to be redrawn. The immediate surroundings of the Noah One was still a green zone, 3 kilometres around the Noah One and within the defense structure was a light green zone, the area from 3 kilometres to 10 kilometres was a light red zone, 10 kilometres to 50 kilometres was a red zone, and beyond 50 kilometres was a black zone. Other than that, everywhere on the surface was considered a red zone.


    "¡­This area is perfect. From the explored map, this place is most suitable to build a base. First, this place is close to the river, it is on flat, fertile ground, and there is an open coal mine 30 kilometres north-west of the area. Secondly, upstream from the river is a rich deposit of iron. It will provide the resources we need for base building."


    Many people had gathered in the Noah One''s meeting room. They included the military officials, technicians, and scientists. They were discussing something that had been discussed for almost a week, and that was building humankind''s first base on this planet.


    Most of the Noah One''s supplies had disappeared during the warp. Over the past half year, the Noah One had found more than ten substitute foods, including five animals, 2 insects, 9 plants and 2 fungi. Thankfully, this planet''s nature wasn''t ruined, so with high tech harvesting technology, like hovercrafts, that allowed people to harvest over an area of several thousand kilometers, the Noah One didn''t have to worry about food shortages anymore.


    However, there were plenty of other things to worry about. For example, the energy level, metals, and material supplies. The Noah One was still using nuclear reactors to get their energy, so when the uranium that was used as fuel was exhausted, the Noah One would lose its lighting, temperature maintenance, air purifier, and much more. In other words, the moment the Noah One''s energy supply ran out would be the day humanity dies.


    Therefore, base construction was inevitable, and it would be better for it to be around the coal mine. There would be a giant fuel generator to replace the function of the Noah One''s nuclear reactor, and the remaining uranium on the Noah One could be stored for emergency use.


    However, the construction details had caused a split, and the biggest argument was about the location and the purpose of this base.


    One party felt that the base should be built directly over the coalmine and the base itself could be the fuel generator and metallurgy base. In other words, the base would become an energy and metallic materials production plant, an industrial city that spared none of the pristine environment.


    The other party thought the new base should be on a flood plain that was 30 kilometers away from the coalmine. The fuel generator could be built on the mine, but the base had to be further away. The base would be a residential city and most people on the Noah One would be moved there, leaving the spaceship with only maintenance workers.


    This was the difference in opinion. One side thought the base should be an industrial site, while the other thought it should be a residential city. Each had their own arguments. The industrial party said that the planet still had many unknown dangers, especially under the circumstances where human beings still couldn''t breathe the air directly, so they shouldn''t let the citizens out of the Noah One, because it amounted to murder. On the other hand, the other party argued that the living conditions underground were not palatable and they should fulfil the citizens'' wishes to interact with nature. This was especially true for children, as it was not good for their development to be cooped up underground.


    In comparison, the industrial party''s argument was more acceptable. It was good to interact with nature, but if the interaction involved life-threatening danger, then most wouldn''t choose something like that. The industrial party''s plan was more safe and acceptable.


    However, for some reason, the military officials leaned towards the residential area base compared to the safer industrial base. It also due to the officers'' leaning and intervention that the industrial base that had more public support was at a similar level as the residential base idea.


    Until now, both sides were still arguing and proposing their own ideas. The discussion could not be allowed to drag on anymore, so finally, the military decided to step in to introduce a compromise, which was an industrial-residential base.


    Other than providing enough electricity, the base would be responsible for producing a large amount of metallic materials like iron, copper, silver, aluminium, and the like. They would also search for a rubber substitute on the planet or create a mass plantation using the rubber tree seeds brought from Earth. They would look for radioactive ores as well.


    At the same time, residential areas would be built within the base. Of course, not everyone would be forced to move there. It would be a half-permanent, castle-esque residence that would not only isolate the planet''s air but also be installed with a homeostatic system, weapons, and defense systems. It could be used as a defensive fort whenever necessary.


    "¡­This is too obvious."


    Norton sighed and told the adjutants before him.


    They knew what Norton meant. The evidence of military intervention in this base building was too obvious. Even the purpose of the supposed residential area was too obvious. It looked more like a war fortress than a residential area. Due to this, many people had started asking around about whether there would be an impending war. These citizens were not dummies, and the way the military intervened in the base building was such an obvious tip off.


    "It is rather obvious, but we don''t have time to do this leisurely. Yun Si has once again felt the danger coming, and it''s getting closer," Austin added.


    It had been half a year since the mysterious virus, and of the survivors of the virus, around 8 of them had found obvious differences in their bodies. For example, Austin displayed a mental acuity that wasn''t there before, and the military doctor by the name of Yang Yun Si displayed a sort of danger prediction ability.


    The military was slowly given to notice the changes in these 8 people. For example, Yun Si''s power was found out after he managed to save his patrol unit from certain death multiple times.


    Not only that, about a month ago, a secret exploration unit comprising of Blue Berets and Yun Si were given the task of venturing underground to investigate what kind of danger was lurking underneath. They came back with a broken spacesuit, and the technicians started pulling the video device embedded within the suit.


    Every spacesuit was equipped with such a device. It would record the wearer''s last moments before the spacesuit died from battery or damage. It was due to the footage on the video that the Noah One''s officers decided to move aboveground. In fact, if the situation demanded it, they wouldn''t hesitate to abandon the Noah One.


    The video was from the three Blue Berets that disappeared half a year ago. The video showed them collecting samples. In the video, a floating creature about the size of a football that looked suspiciously like an octopus with tentacles floated to the three soldiers.


    However, curiously, the three of them didn''t seem to notice the octopus. Even when the octopus landed on one of their space helmets, they ignored its presence.


    Then, the scariest thing happened¡­


    One of the soldiers opened his space helmet. The video showed him opening the helmet naturally while he talked with his comrades. The octopus then landed directly on his scalp. Even while the octopus was tearing open his scalp and sucking everything within, including the brain and eyes, the soldier was still talking as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Finally, the octopus burrowed into the soldier''s skull and its eyes popped out of the soldier''s eye sockets. Then it used its tentacle to close the scalp¡­


    Then the three of them continued laughing and chatting among themselves as they walked deeper into the darkness¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Join us on Discord for chat about the novel or just for fun: https://discord.gg/5fsVhEc

 Chapter 316: Continuous Disappearance

    Chapter 316: Continuous Disappearance


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "No way, impossible, don''t waste time thinking about it!"


    Wahala''s growls pierced through the lab once more. As the leader of the pathology lab¡­ or as Earth''s most popular pathologist, 60-year-old Wahala was one of the Noah One''s top scientists. He was the leader of all pathological and biological task forces. This normally taciturn scientist was found yelling at the top of his lungs like a madman over the past few days.


    Initially, the scientists from other nearby department were shocked because Wahala was normally a consummate gentleman. He usually treated others with utter respect and politeness, and they had never heard him lose his temper like this before.


    "Why not? Are this planet''s microorganisms that powerful?"


    Wahala slumped down the couch with a defeated expression. This was the Noah One''s entertainment room not unlike the ones on the Hope, since the Noah One was the Hope''s template. This kind of entertainment room had plenty of amenities, from sports arenas to karaoke centers.


    However, Wahala wasn''t there to enjoy the amenities. He couldn''t be considered a workaholic, but how could he reach the top of the science world and lead so many task forces without treating his work seriously? Before finishing the work on his hands, how could he find the time to rest and enjoy himself? Therefore, he was at the entertainment room that day to discuss something with a few other scientific task forces.


    The question earlier wasn''t posed by him but by the leader of another task force. Wahala replied in a frustrated tone, "Actually, it is not that the microorganisms on this planet are that scary. In fact, according to our experiments and observations, these microorganisms are considered normal. They are not as corrosive as military-use bio weapons, and this is observable from the fact that the animals and plants on this planet have developed a certain kind of immunity to the microorganisms."


    The other scientists'' specialty was not in biology, but since they were leaders of task forces, they were all professors and doctors. This meant that they had dabbled in biology when they were pursuing their degrees, masters or phd. Therefore, when they heard Wahala, they were shocked. One of them quickly asked, "In that case, why has progress on the necessary antibiotics stagnated?"


    Wahala took a small sip of the red wine on the table and continued tiredly, "It is more complicated than that, but if you want the short version, it is because our genes are completely different from the genetic structure of the creatures on this planet. This is the miracle of nature. In fact, something like this happened on Earth before, but you might not know about this. However, ever since I became the head of all biological task forces, I''ve seen many of such information. Do any of you know about the mysterious super flu that happened during World War II?"


    The few scientists thought about it and nodded.


    Wahala continued, "During the war, there was a massive flu outbreak sweeping the globe, and many died, but it left as swiftly as it came. Even the reports and samples of the flu had disappeared. I accessed the secret files of the US government and found details on this mystery. Apparently, Hitler has a penchant for collecting artifacts from different religions, and he even had a military unit formed specifically to fulfil this purpose. This unit once discovered a set of antiques from underneath a Tibetan ice river. It was this discovery that led to that mysterious virus because it exposed to the world the flu bacteria that was secured in ice for thousands of years. The human body no longer had the immunity against it, and that caused an outbreak.


    "However, the bacteria was essentially the forefather of later flu bacteria, so eventually mankind started to develop immunity against it. The bacteria itself also started evolving because it is not only a virus that causes mankind to evolve, it goes the other way around as well. This is why there was no sample of the original flu virus. In fact, this can explain all the mysterious waves of flu that swept the globe, they were related to discoveries of ancient tombs or treasures encased in blocks of ice. However, if the virus was more than several thousand years old, then it would be a prehistoric virus, and that would possibly be fatal to the modern man."


    Wahala scratched his balding head and continued, "The human body is that fragile. Our immune system is not really an immune system, rather it records the message that this virus is harmful to the body and sends that message to the genetic level. Then the body will slowly repair the parts that have been destroyed and thus our immune system is really a passive system. Furthermore, and this is the most crucial, we humans have accommodated Earth''s environment for millions of years, so our immune system and genes have become so acclimatized to Earth that we can only exist in that environment.


    "In comparison, the microorganism profile on this planet is, in every sense of the word, alien to our human body. You give me a total population of ten billion people to acclimatize to this planet and 9.9 billion will die, but the remaining 100 million people will develop an immunity to this planet, and that is the only way to create the perfect immunization¡­"


    The faces of the scientists were drawn. They had not envisioned this difficulty. The Noah One had existed for 1 year and 3 months on this planet, the base on the surface had finished its frame, and the industrial center was pushing out stable productivity. Around 80 percent of the Noah One''s energy was provided by the industrial base. Other than that, the industrial center was also responsible for harvesting and hunting supplies. Other than luxury items, like cigarettes, alcohol, tea, and coffee that the Noah One brought from Earth, the rest of the supplies could be sourced from this planet through the industrial center.


    This was a good start. As long as the supplies on the planet were recyclable, then the threat of extinction was greatly decreased. After all, they had explored most of this planet, with the exception of the underground. According to the satellite images, there was no creature on the surface powerful enough to pose a threat to humanity. Of course, this was because humankind had the technological upper hand at least compared to the native creatures habiting the surface.


    However, thus far, humanity still couldn''t expose themselves to the planet''s atmosphere. This was a conundrum because if this planet was going to be humanity''s next colony, being in spacesuits all the time was impossible.


    Therefore, Wahala''s research was crucial. When the room heard the result of his research, everyone was saddened because it sounded like it was impossible for human beings to breathe in the air of this planet without the aid of the spacesuits.


    When Wahala noticed the expressions of the people around him, he said, "Actually, there is something that we can still do about this, and that is why I''ve called for everyone today¡­ I need a high photon dialyser¡­ or rather an atomic level dialyser. This is the key to my research. I know this is a lot to ask, but if my task force has this, then there is still hope for the research, if not¡­"


    They knew the gravity of the situation, so how could the rest of the scientists refuse Wahala''s request? Since they had promised him such a thing, then they would give it their best to fulfil their promise. However, they did remind him not to expect it be completed in a short amount time. This dialyser that Wahala wanted was beyond current mankind''s scientific level, so it couldn''t be created so easily. In other words, at least for a few more months, it was impossible for humankind to walk openly on this planet¡­


    On the other hand, Norton was flipping through a secret report in a secret meeting room.


    "So far¡­ confirmed disappearances of 48 people¡­"


    The faces of the adjutants and military officers beside him were drawn. It had been 1 year and 3 months since the Noah One had landed on this planet. Other than the 3 Blue Berets that were hypnotized by the alien octopus, thus far, there were another 48 unknown disappearances. There was no sign of their locations. In fact, no one knew how or when they disappeared. The disappearances were noted during rollcall. They created quite a ruckus in the military until the captain smoothed this over by lying that they had been reassigned to the industrial base.


    However, how long could this deceit hold up? The entire Noah One only had several ten thousand people, and most of them knew each other. The sudden disappearance of 48 directly involved the family members of about 200 people. If this continued, the Noah One would eventually find out that they were slowly being picked off, and the havoc then would be unimaginable.


    "¡­At most half a year. We can keep up this fa?ade for another half a year," Austin analyzed calmly. "According to the military rules, another half a year will be the duty rotation, and this will come into the open then."


    Norton was silent in thought before saying, "How is the base coming along? Can it hold the entire Noah One yet?"


    Another adjutant replied, "I''m afraid not yet. The base is only one year old. There hasn''t been enough time to finish building a small city. If we suddenly abandon the Noah One, then¡­"


    Everyone knew what would happen, and their faces were drawn from imagining the outcome¡­


    At the same time, at a defense depot near the underground stream, a few soldiers were happily chatting while a few octopus-like aliens were floating above their heads. Gently, like falling petals, the aliens landed on their scalps, but the soldiers were completely incognizant of their presence. From the dark, thousands of such octopus aliens floated towards the Noah One''s direction.


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Join us on Discord for chat about the novel or just for fun: https://discord.gg/5fsVhEc

 Chapter 317: Explosion and Betrayal

    Chapter 317: Explosion and Betrayal


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Noah One consisted of elites chosen from multiple countries on Earth, be it the soldiers, the few handful of managers, the scientists, and technicians. This was observable from the modernized base that they managed to build in just one year and a few months. The base might''ve been small, but it had all the necessary amenities, like schools, entertainment centers, industrial factories, and military barracks. It was a real alien colonization base, and based on this alone, these people on the Noah One were indeed the best of the best.


    However, none of these elites discovered that the defense outposts were being destroyed one by one by the floating octopuses¡­ Destroyed was a rather harsh word because the soldiers there were still chatting and joking among themselves or were seriously watching their surroundings. However, their spacesuits were open and the octopuses were happily feasting on their brains.


    However, humanity was known as humanity because we know how to think, rationalize, imagine, and solve problems. Therefore, when the Noah One¡¯s higher officers found out about these octopuses, they started to come up with ways to deal with them.


    First, these octopuses seemed to know some kind of hypnosis. Although there were few clues on the actual theory on the hypnosis, it could be through colors, vibrations in the air, or something else. In essence, mankind seemed to have a problem noticing these octopuses, and they would be influenced to open their spacesuits and allow the octopuses to eat their brains.


    However, these octopuses had to be some kind of physical creatures, because they could be seen through the video on the spacesuits, and as such, they weren¡¯t some kind of ghosts.


    In other words, they could be detected and recorded by light or other types of surveillance. This meant that they had to be close to hypnotize human beings. Therefore, when the elite soldiers were taken over by the octopuses, the surveillance devices posted at the posts recorded everything, and the video was immediately sent back to the Noah One.


    The surveillance unit on the Noah One that saw these videos were stunned by the horror¡­ A horror that was no longer possible to be described with words. The soldiers who were standing guard, on patrol, or just chatting amongst themselves had their scalps removed and the octopuses were sucking on their brains. However, the soldiers didn¡¯t seem to notice anything out of place. It was a veritable hellscape.


    In just a minute, this news was passed on to the higher officials on the Noah One. Immediately, Norton ordered everyone to return to the Noah One and activated the defensive measures that had been deployed around the Noah One.


    These defensive measures were the laser security system brought from Earth. It could detect anything that wandered too close and used lasers to zap them. With Norton¡¯s orders, the defensive measures surrounding the Noah One were all activated, and the long distance surveillance zeroed in on the school of octopuses heading their way.


    "There are about one thousand of them floating 3 to 5 meters above ground. They are moving slowly and look like Earth¡¯s mini octopus. We have no clue about their defensive capability or whether they can be taken down by lasers," an adjutant beside Norton said.


    This was the Noah One¡¯s central command. Norton was sitting in the captain¡¯s seat, and around him were all the majors. They knew about the existence of the octopuses. However, the remaining soldiers were shocked and shaking from the scenery from hell.


    The officers didn¡¯t have time to deal with the soldiers¡¯ shock, because when they saw the octopus for the first time, they too didn¡¯t fare so well. The incongruence of having an octopus alien sucking out one¡¯s brain while one continued to live life like usual was horrifying. Furthermore, the most important thing now wasn¡¯t to lecture the soldiers but to make sure physical methods could be used to destroy these alien octopuses!


    The octopuses were slow, but their leading group had already passed through the defense outposts easily and was not far away from the Noah One. They surged towards the Noah One, and the leading octopus was only 200 plus meters from the spaceship. Suddenly, several flashes of light appeared and circular burn marks like coins appeared on the surface of the octopuses. They convulsed for several seconds before falling to the ground. While they fluttered to the ground, several flashes of light occurred again and the few leading octopuses were shot into beehives.


    This lasted only for 3 to 4 seconds. When everyone saw the octopuses¡¯ deaths on screen, they cheered in unison. There was still an underlying fear, but it had lowered significantly compared to before. Since the octopuses could be killed with physical methods, then it showed that the octopuses had corporeal forms, and in that case, humanity would have ways to deal with them.


    However, the cheering didn¡¯t last long, because after the leading layer of octopuses fell, the rest slowly swam back out of the range of the lasers in the shortest amount of time. Simultaneously, there was an observable ripple around the octopuses, like ripples that one could see tearing through the air during extremely hot weather.


    "¡­They have intelligence. They¡¯re communicating, and it seems like their intelligence is extremely high, since they managed to retreat out of the laser¡¯s range at first notice," Austin observed with a drawn face.


    There were no smiles in the room. If the octopuses were just creatures hungering for human brains out of animalistic instinct, then mankind would have a way to deal with them. This was not Earth, and the enemies weren¡¯t human beings. They could use bio weapons or weapons of mass destruction to deal with them, and wiping them out was only a matter of time.


    However, if these creatures had high intelligence, then this would be a lot more complicated¡­ After their first assault was discovered by humanity and stopped, would they use ambushes in the future? Would they hide in the dark and ambush human beings that stepped out of the Noah One? In that case, wouldn¡¯t they all die trapped inside the Noah One?


    Furthermore¡­ intelligence meant the possibility of civilization, so just how intelligent were these octopuses? Did they have their own civilization?


    In conclusion, there were too many problems surfacing following the discovery that the octopuses had intelligence. No one knew how much damage the alien octopuses could wreck on humanity, but rudimentary predictions put that as very high¡­


    Looking at the screen and the pool of octopuses that slowly gathered beyond the safety line, Norton ordered, "Send out the Blue Beret snipers, have them snipe down as many aliens as they can without leaving the spaceship¡­ Wait, make them wait for now, and prepare the ground-targeted missiles. This group of disgusting aliens, they really think human beings are so easily bullied? Don¡¯t look down on us, you bunch of disgusting creatures!"


    Over the next minute, the group of octopuses gathering outside of the Noah One slowly increased in size, so much so that even the normal civilians knew what was happening. Everyone gathered by the windows to look outside. Since the underground tunnels were already fitted with artificial lighting, the space of 200 to 300 meters beyond the Noah One was observable via the naked eye.


    Several minutes later, several missiles landed at the spot where the octopuses congregated. If not for the fact that they were worried the underground tunnels would collapse, they would have fired hundreds missiles to squash all the aliens.


    Even though there were only several missiles, their power was still strong enough to tear open several craters among the octopuses. This first wave of bombing wiped out around 60 percent of the octopuses. After all, no matter how scary they were when they feasted on human brains they were only the size of footballs and their physical bodies were fragile. If the fire kept burning, they would curl up and die. Several waves of bombs later, less than 100 octopuses remained.


    However, these octopuses reacted very quickly. After the mass bombing, the living octopuses didn¡¯t stay there anymore, they turned to swim back into the darkness. In just the blink of an eye, there was no trace of living octopus left, other than their bodies that covered the floor.


    The people in central command sighed in relief when Norton frowned and yelled, "Where are the Blue Beret snipers? Why didn¡¯t they shoot down the octopuses that were escaping? Ask them immediately!"


    Before the order left central command, the people around the Blue Beret snipers were all dead, including the members themselves, the technicians, and support that were attached to the unit, the nearby soldiers. They were all killed in¡­ internal conflict¡­


    At the same time, of the people who gathered by the window to watch the octopuses, at least several hundred of them started attacking their surroundings indiscriminately, and the Noah One suffered the death of several hundred people in just minutes¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Join us on Discord to discuss the story and more: https://discord.gg/5fsVhEc

 Chapter 318: Infestation!

    Chapter 318: Infestation!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "It¡¯s light ray hypnosis and deep hypnosis. So far, there are still 140 plus people still in a hypnotized state."


    At the military hospital in the Noah One, military doctor Yang Yun Si was explaining everything to the group of Noah One high officials.


    The high officials naturally included Captain Norton. It had only been two days since the appearance of octopus aliens, but Norton seemed to have aged 10 years. He wasn¡¯t this distressed even when he heard about the disappearance of parts of the Noah One after the warp.


    Norton immediately asked, "The theory of the hypnosis is something of relevance to scientists and you doctors, I only need to know two things, whether this hypnosis can be undone and whether it can be defended, these are the two things I care about!"


    Yun Si waved his hands helplessly. "Even if you say so, Captain, our understanding of this hypnosis is only a hypothesis. I know you might not want to hear this¡­ but our understanding of hypnosis is very surface level. We know that this is some kind of psychological suggestion; however, this hypnosis method by the octopuses is even more complicated than the deepest hypnosis method we know. In fact, this sounds more like fiction than reality!"


    "In other words, there is no way to undo the hypnosis?" Austin, who stood behind Norton, suddenly asked.


    Yun Si shook his head before nodding. "That is not entirely true, but at least for these 140 plus people, their hypnosis cannot be undone. From my observation, instead of being hypnotized, they appeared to have fallen ill, and their illness is almost similar to the mental patients I¡¯ve worked with back on Earth. They are not the simple mental patients, but the most dangerous violent mental patients.


    "However, I do have an idea regarding the way to defend against this hypnosis."


    The second sentence brought back the hope that had been vanquished by the earlier sentence. Norton immediately pressed, "What do you mean by that? You have come up with a way to deal with the octopus aliens?"


    Yun Si said directly, "It is not entirely true to say that we have found a way to deal with the octopus aliens, but we can still try it. Within our medical knowledge and our knowledge regarding human hypnosis, hypnosis can be separated into sound hypnosis, light hypnosis, smell hypnosis, language hypnosis, and mannerism hypnosis. In conclusion, all of these hypnosis types have something in common: they have to deal with human beings¡¯ five senses. Like earlier, the alien octopuses used some method to cause vibration in the air to cause hypnosis. In other words, we have to be able to see, hear, smell, touch, or taste to get hypnotized."


    When Yun Si reached this point, Austin seemed to have understood something. He said immediately, "You mean there is a way to completely isolate ourselves from interacting with the octopuses? Actually, this could work¡­"


    Others hadn¡¯t caught up. Norton asked, "What does this mean? If we shut down all our senses, how would we discover the octopuses¡¯ presence?"


    "Easy, by infrared¡­"


    According to Austin and Yun Si¡¯s analysis, there had to be an upgrade to the spacesuits to make it so that the spacesuits isolated its wearer from the surroundings, including sound and touch. At the same time, the part of the helmet that looked out would be changed into an internal screen, and the screen would showcase the external world¡¯s difference in temperature and infrared sight. Actually, this was going to help human beings see better, since they were underground.


    In the next few days, a large number of workers emergency upgraded a new batch of spacesuits. Five Blue Berets were selected as test subjects. They would wear the spacesuits and venture out of the Noah One and deep into the underground.


    9 hours later, only one Blue Beret returned to the Noah One¡­


    The experiment had failed.


    When the five Blue Berets entered the underground tunnels, they soon discovered the remaining heat patterns using the infrared vision. To their surprise, other than the heat patterns left in the air by the alien octopuses, there were many traces of human activity. How was that possible? Were there human beings who were immune to the alien octopuses¡¯ hypnosis and survived? Or was there some kind of human-like alien lifeform?


    The 5 Blue Berets went deeper underground, and the deeper they went, the more heat patterns they noticed. Finally, they stumbled across the living alien octopuses. They were gathered in front of a giant, underground tunnel. A rudimentary reading said that there were several hundred octopuses, but to the shock of the 5 Blue Berets, they found about 10 humanlike lifeforms among the group of alien octopuses. There were intense heat readings near the brains of the lifeforms. To put it simply¡­ it was like the alien octopuses had infested the lifeforms¡¯ brain cavities. In fact, the alien octopus¡¯ tentacles were still visible within the cavity!


    Unless¡­ After these alien octopuses consumed a creature¡¯s brain, could they still control the creature as if it was still alive?


    This knowledge sent chills down their spines!


    After that, the five quickly prepared to return to the Noah One because the purpose of this experiment had been achieved. The use of infrared could avoid the hypnosis. It could be used to discover the trail of the alien octopuses and would not be affected by their hypnosis. This was good enough; at least human beings wouldn¡¯t be completely defenseless.


    However, right then, the hundreds of alien octopuses started moving. However, instead of surging towards the five of them, they started arranging themselves in space into a certain pattern. It looked like a mixture of picture, code, and words¡­


    "¡­Then, the four people beside me seemed to have gone crazy. They removed their spacesuits and ran headfirst into the school of octopuses. Only I managed to run away."


    This was the testimony given by the one remaining Blue Beret. After he returned to the Noah One, he was under heavy surveillance. Other than his testimony, the technicians extracted information from his spacesuit to validate his story. It was as he said, other than him, the remaining four soldiers shrugged off their spacesuits and ran happily towards the alien octopuses.


    So the question was, why only four? Why was there one survivor? The alien octopuses were kind enough to leave one survivor to report the situation? Or had this person already been hypnotized and he returned as a mole for the aliens? Or¡­ there was something unique about this soldier that made him immune to the octopuses¡¯ hypnosis?


    Regardless, this one Blue Beret¡¯s return brought with him many questions. The most important was the group of alien octopuses and the humanlike lifeform they controlled¡­ Were those husks of humanlike lifeforms or were they hypnotized, humanlike lifeforms? And were they human beings?


    This question didn¡¯t last for long. On the second day, around 10 surveillance outposts around the Noah One were completely ruined. The sabotage happened with such expedience that the Noah One didn¡¯t receive any alerts. They didn¡¯t even know what kind of creatures attacked these outposts.


    But the officials had a pretty good guess¡­


    "In other words, the creatures that attacked the outposts and neutralized them were most likely the human beings whose brains were consumed?" Norton asked with a drawn face.


    A scientist among them immediately retorted, "That is not possible! Captain, I can still understand something like hypnosis or having one¡¯s brain consumed, but how could the body still be controlled after the brain is consumed? That is impossible! How can this alien octopus control a body that has no brain? Do you think that is really possible?"


    A few related scientists nodded along to this scientist¡¯s argument. Norton asked in return, "Then what kind of creature do you think could have ruined our surveillance devices? How can they know about the location of the hidden devices? Don¡¯t tell me normal animals can tell that the devices are hidden between rock crevices!"


    Immediately, the room was silent. Norton turned to look at Yun Si. "What about the medical team? Have you come up with a solution to the hypnosis? And that returned Blue Beret, is he under any kind of hypnosis?"


    Yun Si stood up and said, "Our team didn¡¯t find any trace of hypnosis in his mental condition. Other than shock, he is perfectly fine, so we don¡¯t think he is under any hypnosis¡­ Unfortunately, there is still no solution, but we did discover how this soldier is different from the other four."


    Many were shocked. Norton asked immediately, "What is it? How is he different?"


    "He was, like myself, the survivor of the mysterious virus¡­"


    While the high officials were discussing this stuff in the meeting room, the workers that were in the surveillance room when the group of alien octopuses first attacked wandered towards the Noah One¡¯s bridge with a blank expressions. They were heading towards¡­ the Noah One¡¯s biggest entrance!


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Join us on Discord to chat about the story: https://discord.gg/5fsVhEc

 Chapter 319: After the Big Retreat

    Chapter 319: After the Big Retreat


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It had been 2 years and 3 months since the Noah One had landed on this planet¡­


    Yun Si flipped through his notebook that was earmarked at multiple pages and used his fountain pen to carefully write in it. He was running out of ink, so he was careful to not make any careless mistakes lest the pen dried out before he finished writing everything.


    As mentioned earlier, it had been 2 years and 3 months since the Noah One warped to this planet, and it had been almost a year since the mass retreat. The happy and peaceful days on Earth were like a dream. Everyone prayed for it, but they knew deep down that it was no longer possible. Even when they still had the Noah One, they didn¡¯t dare to wish for it, much less now.


    "¡­We¡¯re running out energy after we lost our fuel station and coal mine. If we¡¯re forced to migrate again, we will have to start to use emergency fuel. Thankfully, during the precious migration, we brought along our electricity generator, so if we manage to find enough fuel, then we can recharge the emergency batteries. The key issue is still the location of the next migration shelter¡­"


    Yun Si continued writing before raising his head and sighing. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to continue writing. For some reason, the events from one year ago on the Noah One flooded his mind.


    At that time, the high officials of the Noah One were in the middle of a meeting when the world was turned upside down. A school of alien octopuses suddenly appeared within the Noah One and instigated a wide-scale massacre. This was also the first time human beings saw the humanlike lifeforms. They were human beings¡­ except for a few crucial details.


    The lifeform shared the same physical characteristics as humans, other than the small fact that the veins on their bodies were bursting. The key difference was that part of their brains had completely changed¡­


    These humans¡¯ brains¡­ had tentacles coming out of them, like the brain had grown a fleshy mustache. Even their eyes were as dark as the night sky. These humans¡¯ skulls no longer hosted normal brains but were infested by the alien octopuses!


    The scariest thing was that these humans had superhuman strength. They could rip off a person¡¯s arm with just a small tug¡­ This was not something that could happen in real life! How could someone be strong enough to rip off another human¡¯s arm just like that? Even Hercules needed some tugging and tearing before the arm came flying off!


    Such evolved humans and a large amount of alien octopuses appeared suddenly within the Noah One, and the scene was like a picture from hell. It was an open buffet for the alien octopuses. Thousands of octopuses were having their fill of human brains. Either people stood there in shock or they were running away in panic. However, no matter what they were doing, none of them seemed to notice the presence of these octopuses. Even as they ran away from their aggressors, the octopuses had already attached to their scalps and were sucking their brains dry.


    Witnessing this, the Noah One¡¯s high officials showcased their leadership talent¡­ They were elites of the elites, so in just the matter of a minute, many orders were given. Of course, it was another issue how many of those orders would be carried out.


    However, at the same time, the high officials discovered something curious. In the meeting room, a few people could see the alien octopuses with their naked eye. They were Yang Yun Si, the military doctor, two Blue Berets, Xiu Yue Xuan, a bespectacled female scientist, and Austin, the adjutant.


    They were the rays of hope in this time of despair. These four people, excluding the female scientist, were sent out to scout the area. They used weapons to kill and clear out all the alien octopuses that they saw. They were split into four groups, each responsible for gathering the military troops, protect the civilians, and activate the Noah One¡¯s internal defense system¡­


    However, their effort was ultimately futile¡­


    Their effort was neutralized by the humans that were hypnotized. Ultimately, only one-third of humans managed to escape from the Noah One and resettled at the surface industrial base. Captain Norton and many of the Noah One¡¯s high officials perished during that nightmare-like retreat¡­


    However, that wasn¡¯t the end.


    Just like how the one-third of human beings wanted to return to the Noah One, the alien octopuses also were hell-bent on vanquishing all the humans.


    However, for some reasons, the alien octopuses were extremely sensitive to sunlight, so they would never appeared on the surface. Their ambushes always happened at night, and it was through the usage of human beings whose brains had completely been consumed and taken over.


    Due to some unknown mechanism, these humans who had been taken over by the octopuses started to physically change. Other than superhuman strength, another unique evolution was their physical bodies gained immunity against the viruses on this planet. After performing autopsy on these few humans, the medical troop in the industrial base managed to produce the antibiotic needed to withstand the viruses. The contribution of the late Wahala couldn¡¯t be understated. It was due to his demand for a high-photon dialyser that the research was successful.


    In the following year, it was a tug of war between humans and the alien octopuses. Humans relied on the surface sunlight to prevent the possibility of mass insurgency from the octopuses. After all, not all human bodies could be taken over by the octopuses. Most humans'' physical bodies died off after their brains were consumed. Only a small percentage of human bodies were possible for the alien octopuses to control even after they lost their brain. Therefore, humans managed to eke out a living in the surface industrial base.


    This continued until one month ago¡­


    The number of alien-controlled humans started to drastically increase. From the initial ten bodies, it became hundreds. This development set off an alarm in human leader Austin¡¯s mind.


    With the sacrifice of several soldiers, they managed to capture one of alien humans and discovered from it their secret¡­ The cellular age of the body was incredibly young. How young? Only one month old!


    How was that possible?!


    "The alien octopuses used our human sperm and ovum bank to manufacture¡­ yes, manufacture is the right word. Batches of human babies. Then they use some unknown method to raise them into adults. and since they were psychologically babies, they were easily controlled by the alien octopuses. This is why there are suddenly so many alien humans!"


    This was the answer provided by Austin, and it was the most logical from a medical standpoint. Over the past month, humans suffered a continuous and mass assault by these alien humans. From the initial physical assault to later when they started to use weapons. Yes, after consuming the human brains, the alien octopuses seemed to have inherited human memories and knowledge, including the knowledge on how to use human technology!


    Under such circumstances, the industrial base near the surface crack was no longer defensible. There was only 11,000 plus humans that were surviving, and less than 2,000 of them were soldiers. Most of the people saved during the mass retreat were technicians, scientists, and doctors. Austin finally gave his order to abandon the base and relocate to another spot. They would bring all the transport vehicles, important materials, and fuel with them.


    However, human beings realized a reality that sent chills down their spines. The planet¡¯s surface was filled with cracks that led underground. The fissures were of differing sizes, but most of them¡­ contained traces of the alien octopuses. These octopuses¡¯ numbers were a lot greater than they initially envisioned; there were several million of them. They filled up the entire underground of the planet!


    Their only weakness was sunlight. Theoretically speaking, the surface was somewhere they could never venture into, and that explained why the alien octopuses hadn¡¯t infected the brains of any other lifeforms on this planet.


    That was until the appearance of humanity¡­ With the sperm and ovum bank that would allowed them to create tens of thousands of human beings, the surface was no longer a location these alien octopuses couldn¡¯t venture to. Even during migration, the troop still managed to identify other human traces. They were obviously left behind by the alien humans. The signs of activity appeared around mineral deposits. In other words, the alien octopuses were collecting mineral ores, and they probably wanted to advance into civilization using human technology. Their main lifeform would be alien octopuses in human skin¡­


    That was such a heart-chilling realization!


    A few hundred of the living humans committed suicide out of despair. About twenty of them were soldiers¡­


    The rest struggled infinitely as they looked for a suitable location to rehabilitate, but¡­ did such a location really exist on this planet?


    They didn¡¯t realize this, but all of them had started to get accustomed to the smell of despair¡­


    Just as Yun Si closed his diary with a sigh, suddenly, a few soldiers rushed into his tent. One of them yelled, "Doctor Yang, please come out and take a look, the Major is asking for you¡­


    "In the sky, there is a flying object in the sky! It is not a human plane, it¡¯s a UFO!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Join us on discord to discuss the story: https://discord.gg/5fsVhEc

 Chapter 320: Only Lifeline

    Chapter 320: Only Lifeline


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Even though they had no idea what this UFO represented, things couldn''t be worse for humanity, so this change was better than nothing¡­


    Many stopped and stared up at the sky with this thought in mind. In fact, the UFO wasn''t big. It was smaller than planes used for national flights, much less Boeing 747s. However, since it floated only several hundred meters aboveground, people could see it clearly.


    On the plain right underneath it, there were already several thousand people gathered there to look at the UFO. There was desperation and anticipation in their eyes; some of them were even soldiers.


    "Go back! Return to the forest! Who allowed you people to come out into the open?"


    Among the thousand plus people, a few military captains yelled loudly. The order they were given was to set up a safety perimeter around the crowd and not allow any of them to cross their security line. However, more than 1,000 people had gathered on the open plain. The intention of the UFO aside, the congregation of so many people out in the open would attract the attention of the alien octopuses. Therefore, they tried their best to maintain order as they attempted to corral these people back into the forest.


    However, the crowd was uncontrollable, especially after they saw the possibility of hope. Of course, there were also people who were more cautious that still hid in the forest to take a glimpse at the UFO. After all, that UFO didn''t look like a human product.


    Suddenly, a flash of light appeared in the sky. After everyone got used to the glare, they saw 8 people floating off the crowd into the sky, like there was a pulling force in the sky that directly pulled these people into the UFO. After that, under everyone''s watchful gazes, a ray of light appeared at the end of the UFO, and with incredible speed, the UFO disappeared as it sped down the horizon.


    All the humans were stunned. After some time, they started screaming in unison as they thronged towards the protection of the forest. There was more trampling in the process¡­


    "8 were captured, 17 trampled to death, 40 plus suffered varying degrees of injury¡­ This is really bad! We are running out of medicine, and many of them suffered bacterial infections. We might have to perform amputations." In the tent, Yun Si reported to Major Austin, who was now humanity''s leader.


    Austin was a young, handsome military officer, but now it looked like he was fast approaching middle age. He retained his looks, but the word "youth" could no longer be applied to him, especially not after the crow''s feet that had appeared around the corners of his eyes.


    "This really cannot be worse." Austin sighed. "There are alien octopuses waiting for us underground and an alien UFO enslaving us from the sky. This is truly a horrible planet. Furthermore¡­ we''ve lost all semblance of unity, so the people will be hard to lead."


    Yun Si understood what Austin meant. Humanity was being attacked from both sides. Externally, there were alien octopuses, and now an unknown UFO had arrived to capture human beings. Internally, they were running low on energy, food, and medicine. Furthermore, they were losing their will to go on. Their hope was slowly being snuffed out by despair.


    After losing the Noah One and the industrial base, the remaining ten thousand people would have a hard time maintaining their civilization, much less revive it. In other words, it was impossible for them to create the signal tower, meaning no matter how much time had passed, Earth''s reinforcements wouldn''t arrive at this planet. They were cornered into a dead end!


    This kind of situation stripped all hope from the survivors. This migration was a manifestation of human beings'' basic survival instincts, but more and more people were even losing this basic desire. These people committed suicide. Over the past few months, there were more and more people who committed suicide, and the previously law-abiding citizens started to wander off on their own. This was what Austin meant when he said human unity was lost.


    After a heavy silence, Austin said, "Let''s talk about something else. What are your thoughts regarding that UFO?"


    Yun Si replied, "When the UFO appeared in my sight, there was a danger signal coming off it. It wasn''t as strong as the alien octopuses, but it is obvious that it has malicious intention towards us."


    Yun Si, over the past month, had displayed his danger alarm power multiple times. It was similar to what people called a sixth sense back on the Earth. However, Yun Si''s danger sense was more accurate. Over the past year, his predictions only failed twice, but he had saved the team more than 30 times. In other words, his contribution couldn''t be missed for the fact that they had managed to survive that long. Therefore, Austin valued his opinion.


    Austin continued after a short pause, "In that case, the surface will be more dangerous than underground soon."


    Yun Si was taken aback. He asked, "Why is that so? There are so many alien octopuses underground. Other than us who have been infected by the mysterious virus, others can''t even see them and can be controlled via hypnosis, so how can the surface be more dangerous than underground?"


    "Because of the UFO¡­ or the civilization behind the UFO," Austin explained. "The alien octopuses are indeed dangerous, but think about it like this: if we have the whole arsenal of human weaponry, as long as we are not ambushed by the octopuses, we actually have a large chance of directly destroying them. To put it simply, we can rely on atomic bombs to solve this conundrum.


    "But what about the UFO?"


    Austin laughed bitterly. "The way the UFO floated off the ground looks very much like our anti-gravity system, right? False, after the UFO appeared, our tech team managed to capture it on video. After using computer analysis, they realized that even though the UFO was floating in the air, it still kept on spinning, so it wasn''t floating still. In other words, it wasn''t using an anti-gravity system to keep itself afloat. Even though we have no clue how it fares against the anti-gravity system, at least there is one thing that is very clear¡­ The technology this UFO has is greater than ours.


    "If we follow this line of thought, then the answer is simple¡­ A civilization with technology greater than ours sent out a scouting UFO to observe this planet and then discovered us humans. Then they maliciously captured 8 of us. What do you think will happen next? No matter what their plan is for the rest of us, be it as slaves, food, experiment materials, there is no way this is going to end well for us. We can never hope that our enemies will be kind to us. In that case, we might as well kill ourselves."


    Austin continued with a deep frown, "Comparatively, the alien octopuses don''t have the same level of technology as us, or at least so far that is what we have observed. The UFO in the sky is far more threatening because they aren''t a problem we can solve with an atomic bomb. Even though I''m still not clear what this UFO civilization plans to do to us humans, at least you''ve confirmed one thing for me: they came with mal-intention. This is supported by common sense. To borrow a simple analogy, if we human beings come across a low-level alien civilization but they have a technological level that is not on par with and much greater than its general civilization level, then what do you think we humans would do?"


    Yun Si answered, "Investigate their civilization and technology, maybe conduct autop¡­"


    "Autopsy, right?" Austin smirked mirthlessly. He pressed down on his military cap, a complete copy of what the late captain Norton would do, and said in a whisper, "I don''t think this is a cruelty unique to us humans. If anything, I believe this is common to all sentient lifeforms. The impression of aliens that are peace-loving and na?ve but have high level technology is nothing but fictional portrayal. Even if such a civilization does exist, they would have been consumed by civilizations that are more powerful. Because of that, I will never believe that this UFO will treat us kindly. The supposed peaceful co-existence depends on the similarity in technological levels that can be used to limit each other."


    Yun Si was silenced. After a long pause, he asked cautiously, "Then what are we going to do? According to your analysis, there is technically no way out for us human beings anymore."


    "No, there is still one lifeline left. Even though the chance of it succeeding is exceptionally low, as low as one over one billion, it is still a lifeline¡­"


    Austin raised his head and said seriously, "We will go take back the Noah One! And then use the space warp engine to warp out of this planet and into the unknown cosmos!"

 Chapter 321: Cursed Planet and Negotiation (1)

    Chapter 321: Cursed Planet and Negotiation (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Parlei Race was a level 2 civilization that defied lightning and thunder. To be more specific, they were at the peak of level 2 civilization and only needed a small catalyst to push them into becoming a real level 3 space civilization. Furthermore, their civilization had a middle-aged cosmic adapter that had inherited 6 generations of adaptation, so they could at least survive for another 200 years or two to three generations. Before then, the Parlei Race had a great chance of becoming level 3 space civilization, so they were a lot more powerful than those that were already on the decline.


    About two years ago, the third fleet of the Parlei Race received a set of curious signal, and its origin was incredibly weird. It was sent using a technology beyond the Parlei Race''s comprehension; it was similar to the legendary space communication technology. Since it involved the manipulation of space and time, it had to be related to a level 6 space civilization or above. This was a legendary space civilization.


    However, in contrast to the super high tech communication technique, the content was written in the simplest 0s and 1s. This type of 2 dimensional content only existed for a civilization that hadn''t left their home planet. Theoretically speaking, after a civilization became a level 2 space civilization, they would stop using this kind of electrical signal.


    This anomaly of super high tech communication technique and almost prehistoric content was hard to understand. It was as if a chimp was operating a spaceship, it was impossible.


    This third fleet was the Parlei Race''s main battle fleet. It had 200 plus main battleships, 1,400 plus protection spaceships, and more than 5,000 combat spaceships. It was one of the Parlei Race''s three biggest armies, the solid proof that Parlei Race was a level 2 space civilization.


    After receiving this signal, the commander of this fleet, the Great Pap Pap Chief of the Parlei Race, immediately ordered the whole fleet to depart towards the location mentioned in the signal in the shortest notice!


    The Great Pap Pap Chief guessed that this was a low level space civilization that had fortunately stumbled across a high level space civilization''s ruins and had used its communication software. Alas, due to their lack of scientific knowledge, the signal didn''t manage to reach their main race but had dispersed through the cosmos. Therefore, this was an open high level civilization ruin that was danger-free and would be the beginning of the Parlei Race''s renaissance!


    At the time, the Great Pap Pap Chief smoothed down the green furs that grew out of his impressive chest and his face split into a wide smile. This was the perfect opportunity for him to become the Parlei Race''s Main Chief¡­


    Therefore, after two years, the third fleet of the Parlei Race, who wasn''t that far from their destination to begin with, arrived at the solar system. The first moment they did, they realized something was seriously wrong.


    This solar system¡­ housed the cursed planet!


    "Cursed planet? What is that?"


    In the Hope''s fifth floor, right next to the Black Star Troopers'' barracks, was an attached jail. This was the place with the highest security on the Hope because beside it housed plenty of Perceptors and Diviners. Even a fly couldn''t leave this area unnoticed, much less a sentient being.


    This was 10 days before the last controlled warp. 10 days from now, ZERO would help them warp one last time. This was the time when the Hope''s army was at its busiest. The Black Star Troopers had heightened their training, so there was no chance for breaking out of this prison.


    After idling for several months, these members from a civilization called the "Blue Race" had finally met Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and other military officials in person.


    "¡­Finally took down the creator''s particle layer? You even stopped the three inspections that happened daily and finally confirmed we''re not dangerous?" Blue 6 asked with resentment.


    He was the Blue Race''s Blue 6, the sixth heir to the level 3 space civilization, the Blue Race. The Blue Race was a large empire that had almost full control of a Shelter. He was going to inherit this civilization, he was a S-grade cosmic adapter, and he was cherished ever since he was a toddler, so when had he suffered such a humiliation like imprisonment before? No matter which civilization he had fallen into, barbaric civilizations like the Parlei Race aside, the other civilizations would treat him like a god! If anything, they wouldn''t hesitate to give him part of their government control because he was Blue 6!


    However, he was given such humiliation here. Of course, it wasn''t that his captive was barbaric, at least they didn''t pull out his brain and spine and then marinate him inside a nutrient case as a can of cosmic adapter like the Parlei Race would do.


    Even though resentment was obvious in Blue 6''s tone, his words were like gibberish to Yao Yuan''s group. After computer translation, his heckling tone had completely disappeared. It just sounded like a normal enquiry.


    Both parties studied each other through the separation of a thick, clear glass panel. Even though the air composition that was ideal to the Blue Race was almost identical to what was ideal to human beings, with the difference being a higher percentage of oxygen, due to fear of bacterial contamination, there was still the need for quarantine. After all, no one could be sure whether these Blue Race people carried some curious pathogens or not, so quarantine was the safest option for all parties.


    When Blue 6 grumbled his complaint, he studied the group of human beings on the other side of the glass pane. Their looks¡­ other than the non-blue hair, they looked just like normal Blue Race citizens. However, there was something that piqued Blue 6''s interest, the leader of this race was obviously a black-haired man, but how come the people standing behind him had gold hair, brown hair, and even white hair? Could it be¡­ that this wasn''t a single-race spaceship but a conglomerate spaceship containing multiple races?


    After Yao Yuan heard Blue 6''s translated comments, he replied, "The few months of imprisonment, daily inspection, and creator''s particle isolation was because we were uncertain of whether you people carried dangerous pathogens or not. I''m sure you will understand the necessity of all that. Since our technological level is much lower than the Blue Race''s, we couldn''t afford to be too careful."


    Blue 6 pouted. He thought internally, "F*ck, you people have managed to warp so many lightyears away in the blink of an eye. That is obviously something only manageable by a level 6 space civilization or above. Stop kidding with me. If you want to humiliate us, come out with it directly. Why the need to go with such insinuations?"


    "Today will be our first negotiation, and the contents are¡­" Yao Yuan picked up a piece of document and mumbled as he flipped through it.


    Blue 6 gritted his teeth and interrupted him, "Just say how much compensation you want or how many years you want me to service your race. If it is until my death, then I only ask that you will allow my body to return to the Blue Race''s spaceship. Fine, I understand this is not enough to compensate for your loss, but if you can spare my life, I can help get you some technologies that will enable your civilization to evolve to level 3. Of course, it will only be until the earlier level 3 stage, as that is the limit of my power of the Blue Race. If you insist on killing me, then be prepared to be hunted by the Blue Race forever!"


    Blue 6 couldn''t help but feel sorry for himself because of the lack of leverage in his hands. The chance of him being executed was still very high. After all, as a cosmic adapter of the Blue Race, even if he was an S-grade adapter, he was less valuable than a human cosmic adapter. Since this civilization had an Immortal, killing Blue 6 would 100 percent garner his civilization another cosmic adapter, he couldn''t imagine anyone not wanting that.


    This was the first time Blue 6 hated his civilization''s feudalism which limited his power. After all, even if he was the emperor, he would only be worth slightly more than he was now. However, if the Blue Race didn''t have a feudal system, he could use the whole Blue Race''s technology to trade for his life¡­


    On the other side, Yao Yuan''s group was startled. They looked at each other curiously. The two and a half Thinker understood everything in a matter of minutes. Yao Yuan suddenly decided, "Please wait for a moment. The compensation you''re proposing is too low, so we might not be able to agree to your terms. However, since you are still a cosmic adapter, please allow us to discuss this among ourselves first."


    Yao Yun immediately led everyone away, leaving Blue 6''s group behind in their seats.


    "Your Highness, looks like this civilization has a civilized system similar to ours. It appears like we''re dealing with a civilized race," one of the technicians whispered to Blue 6.


    Blue 6 nodded matter-of-factly. They were notified by the term Yao Yuan used earlier, discuss¡­


    If this was an oligarchy, autocracy, or tribalism, there would be no discussion since the leader''s every word would be an order. If this was any of those societal systems, their lives would depend on the ruler''s whims and not rational trades. That would introduce too many variables.


    Therefore, this situation had proven that this civilization known as "humanity" was probably a civilization with democracy, a civilized race that could be reasoned with¡­


    In that case, their lives most likely could be saved.

 Chapter 322: Cursed Planet and Negotiation (2)

    Chapter 322: Cursed Planet and Negotiation (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­What did they do that they have to offer so much in compensation?" a scientist that followed the negotiation team asked.


    It was a simple question, but Yao Yuan took a long time to answer, "His soldiers killed a number of our Black Star Troopers."


    This created more confusion. One of the people around Yao Yuan immediately asked, "Haven¡¯t they compensated for that? His few alien soldiers have committed suicide. Furthermore, isn¡¯t death to be expected during war?"


    "The value is unequal!"


    Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Yao Yuan answered in unison. Then Yao Yuan explained, "We¡¯ve been dismissing one important detail, and if the alien didn¡¯t bring it up just now, we probably would have lost a lot in this negotiation! The important detail is¡­ cosmic adapters are extremely rare in space!"


    "That¡¯s right." Xiao Niao added, "We¡¯ve been raised in the understanding that every human is equal to one another and that there is at most the difference in occupation or capability that might cause some discrepancy, but under our laws, every man is treated the same. Even if the emperor kills someone, he has to be punished the same way a beggar would."


    Everyone in the team nodded in agreement. He continued, "However, alien civilizations don¡¯t seem to share this understanding. From all our known information, they value cosmic adapters above all else. For these space civilizations that have been in space for millions of years, normal lifeforms can be incubated in a test tube, they are ¡®cheap¡¯, but a cosmic adapter can decide the survival of the whole civilization¡­ In actuality, we should have known about this for a long time, but since we only just recently entered space, our thinking is still somewhat stuck in the time when we were still on Earth."


    Yao Yuan continued as he nodded, "Xiao Niao is right. The people that died on our side were Black Star Troopers. They were soldiers¡­ and according to our normal understanding, soldiers dying during war is not something to really be concerned about. I understand it is cruel, but it is because of this mindset that we forgot that the few soldiers that they killed were the extremely valuable cosmic adapters!"


    At this point, comprehension slowly dawned. Then their initial shock slowly turned to excitement.


    This was especially true for Guang Zhen; he let out a shocked expression. "I know this sounds uncouth, us benefitting from the death of these soldiers¡­but I have to ask, do they really plan to compensate so much for our loss? Just because they had killed some of our soldiers?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head. He answered after some thought, "Their race¡¯s survival has nothing to do with us. Do not give us lectures on humanity or kindness, as this is space, cruel space. From the junkyard civilization to the lying merchants until this race¡¯s infiltration of the Hope, they did not hesitate to start their massacre. Do all of you still remember Eva¡¯s original prediction? She said that other than cosmic adapters, we would have lost 80 percent of our citizens! So why shouldn¡¯t we benefit as much as we can from this situation? Although he did promise something incredible, a whole set of technology that enables us to evolve from a level 2 space civilization to a level 3 space civilization, a whole set of it..." Yao Yuan started laughing in an evil way near the end.


    Guang Zhen was confused by what he said, but he slowly understood it. His eyes were practically shining when he said, "I get it now, the alien doing all the talking is someone important from his civilization. In fact¡­ he might be someone of your level in his civilization, he¡¯s the civilization¡¯s leader?!"


    "Not quite, but that''s not far from the truth¡­" Yao Yuan turned to address Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, and Bo Li. "I wonder if any of you have realized this, because I did¡­ that alien seems to be a cosmic adapter as well, right?"


    They hesitated before nodding cautiously. Yao Yuan ignored their hesitation and powered on. "Then that explains everything, like why he said he will offer his service to us human beings. Unless he is the chief scientist for his civilization, why would a normal alien offer something like that. Of course, that compensation¡­"


    Suddenly, Ren Tao interrupted, "Yao Yuan, don¡¯t tell me you plan to go claim that compensation? Stop kidding. You might want to die, but I still want to live. You really think we can get that compensation from that giant space fleet? We will most likely get captured !"


    Yao Yuan laughed and shrugged. "Of course I understand. The aliens in our custody are so cooperative now because we have the upper hand, but if they returned to their civilization, we would be less than microorganism, probably a mess of meat for them to play with. Do you think I am dumb enough to believe him? No matter how big the benefit, you have to be alive to enjoy it! Although, since he did bring up something like that¡­ Don¡¯t any of you think that having an alien strategist that knows plenty about space is beneficial to us?"


    Therefore, in the following negotiations, Yao Yuan¡¯s group maintained a high posture. According to Yao Yuan¡¯s order, they prenteded to be holding unimaginable resentment and anger during the negotiations. At the same time, the people from the Blue Race relaxed¡­


    Yes, this might sound weird, but that was what the people from Blue Race felt. Earlier, when Yao Yuan¡¯s group came in, they were too calm, as if the cosmic adapters that died did not matter. This observation chilled the Blue Race people to their cores. This gave them the idea that they were going to die, that these people had decided to kill them, which was why they did not want to waste any more time on them¡­


    Now, the humans¡¯ reaction finally fitted their expectations, and that was the proof they needed to be sure that they would not be executed¡­ Since these people had started negotiating with Blue 6, it meant that they planned to keep them alive.


    "¡­First, we are not going to gain contact with the Blue Race again in any short amount of time, so we are not going to give any of you freedom. Until then, all of you will swear fealty to us humans and serve us using your vast knowledge. When the time is right, we will make contact with the main Blue Race fleet.


    "Second, when you are in our service, you are not allowed to harbor any intention to lie or harm us. If we suspect any of you of doing that¡­ Please pay attention: even if it is just suspicion on our side, we will most likely execute you and your friends, and there will be no due process, so please do not challenge our patience and hatred. After all, you have comitted an unforgiveable crime against us humans!"


    Yao Yuan announced all that with a severe expression. Blue 6, who was sitting on the other side of the glass pane, sighed in relief. Then he said, with a smile, "Yes, I understand. Before you get in contact with the Blue Race¡¯s main fleet, I will contribute to your civilization as one of the members. Of course, I wish to have a better living environment and quality of life, one that matches my position. At least I ask that the current humiliation be stopped. After all, we are both civilized societies, it is below us to be so hung up on such a small altercation, right?"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s group was stunned. However, thanks to their earlier experience, none of them spoke, as they had handed that responsibility to Yao Yuan. After all, they were dealing with a level 3 space civilization, a civilization that had spent millions of years in space. Perhaps there was such a rule in space? One to prepare a better living environment for alien captives? But that just sounded preposterous to Yao Yuan.


    Blue 6¡¯s demand startled Yao Yuan. His Thinker power was in full capacity as he directly asked, "Then what kind of life quality upgrade do you wish for¡­ Do not try our charity, you are not worth as much as to offset the slight that you have caused my civilization!"


    Blue 6 let out an expression that meant he understood. He pointed at himself and said, "Of course I understand that. The reason I am offering my service to you is to resolve this slight, is it not? My requests are simple. First, I need to have a personal space, not this life of imprisonment where I am observed constantly. Next will be a certain degree of freedom because I need exercise, or my muscles will go into atrophy. Furthermore, since I have temporarily joined this civilization, I need to know the details and information of every mission. This is for the sake of my own safety¡­ These requests are not that out of line, right?"


    Yao Yuan thought about it and said, "I cannot fulfil your requests at the moment. We are preparing to complete an important task. To prevent any of you from causing unforeseeable damage, we cannot grant you any of those requests. However, we will accept parts of your requests and we can discuss the rest after this important thing is over and done with¡­"


    "See, this is what I am talking about." Blue 6 shrugged his shoulders. "I should have the right to know what this important mission is. After all, as a temporary member of this civilization, and for the safety of my own life, I will give my best advice on how to proceed."


    Yao Yuan studied Blue 6 for a long time, unable to tell whether this alien was telling the truth or not¡­ Could there really be such an alien that was so loyal to his responsibility? Was he kidding or not?


    In the end, Yao Yuan decided to give Blue 6 some information, including the solar system that they were going to and the alien races that possibly existed there. He hoped Blue 6 could live up to his promise.


    Who knew that when this information was revealed to Blue 6, he would let out an expression of abject fear, and he only gave a few cryptic words¡­


    "Cursed planet¡­


    "¡­The place where demons are born!"

 Chapter 323: Parlei Barbaric Race

    Chapter 323: Parlei Barbaric Race


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Parlei Race was known as a race of barbarians. Even though there was insult in it, the Parlei Race themselves loved the name.


    In actuality, the Parlei Race was only a small offtake of a bigger race. In the wide cosmos, there were all sorts of lifeforms, but in reality, to be able to unite the whole planet and venture into space, the civilization had to contain more than a handful of races. This was why Blue Race was only slightly surprised when they saw the different looks of humanity. Mammals were the first among all the various lifeforms to gain sentience. Generally speaking, the evolution of all mammals was similar, the major difference would happen in the eyes, hair, skeletal structure, or even height.


    The major race that the Parlei Race belonged to was number nine in terms of size among the several hundred thousand sentient lifeforms. The race was called Pa, it was an onomatopoeic word. It meant a loud bang. Every civilization had a different way of translating it, but for human beings, it was written in one word, "Pa."


    The Pa Race was not mammalian, they were a type of plant-based animal. It was complicated, but basically they were animals with plant-like features. They were like man-eating flowers but had mobility and animal intelligence. The Pa Race could absorb sunlight for photosynthesis, or they could directly consume other plants or animals for nutrients. Even their reproductive system was divided into two. One, they could mitosis out their progeny, but the young needed to be raise from the most basic bud. The time needed was long and the exhaustion on the mother''s body was huge, especially the exhaustion of ¡®soul¡¯. It was basically a suicide mission.


    The other type was similar to the reproduction among humans. There was nothing special to describe about that¡­


    The Pa Race valued natural selection and competition above all else. In other words, theirs was a dog eat dog word. Internally, those with capability, like great commanders, brilliant minds, exceptional scientists, or cunning strategists, were all at the top. On the other hand, those who were not blessed with these talents, no matter how important their bloodline, were treated as nothing more than servants.


    Externally, the Pa Race was known in space as the most famous barbarians. This was because their combat method was crude and coarse, favouring swarming their enemies with pure strength. No matter whether it was space fleet combat, ground combat, or capturing enemy ships, their preferred strategy was to suffocate their enemies with sheer force¡­ Of course, if that could be called a strategy.


    In conclusion, this was a race that believed in the system of natural selection right to their bones. They had no need for slaves other than cosmic adapters, and all the other aliens were sources of food and soul¡­ According to the Pa Race¡¯s customs, the waste of any food was despicable. Therefore, consuming even the bones was the most moral action.


    The Parlei race was an offtake of this Pa Race. They were also the most pure of the many Pa Race offtakes. After capturing the eight humans from the cursed planet, the eight humans were pulverized into meat cakes and tossed into pots to be cooked and consumed after confirming there were no cosmic adapters among them¡­


    After consumption, Fleet Chief Pap Pap realized that these mammals were excellent food sources, as they had tender flesh and, most importantly, high soul content. They were unlike normal space lifeforms; their soul content was similar to that of cosmic adapters even though they weren¡¯t¡­


    On the second day, after the 8 humans were eaten, about 300 the Parlei Race babies were confirmed to have received soul, and it was a thick degree of soul. Even though there was no birth of a new cosmic adapter, and they were not expecting one, this type of soul ratio was still a great source of happiness for the Parlei Race. Therefore, even though Fleet Chief Pap Pap was afraid of the legends surrounding the cursed planet, he still gathered his personal guards and a large number of Parlei soldiers¡­. In reality, there was no one that was not a soldier in the Parlei Race, even the females and children could be counted as soldiers. In any case, Fleet Chief Pap Pap gathered almost 100,000 soldiers to descend on the planet. The legend of the cursed planet, the demons, the greediest civilization in the whole cosmos, had completely left Fleet Chief Pap Pap¡¯s mind. Was the Parlei Race a civilization of cowards? Be it a godlike civilization or a civilization of demons, words would come after a skull bashing!


    Just like that, on the third day, the Parlei Race¡¯s main fleet landed on this cursed planet¡­ It was worth noting that since the Parlei Race was the purest offshoot of the Pa Race, they had the combination of plant and animal in their genes, which made them immune to the viruses common in space, since there was no virus that could infect both animal and plant at the same time. This was also the reason why the Pa Race could grow so big in space.


    On the surface of the planet, around 100,000 the Parlei soldiers either rode on their own Pa (imagine loud voice) siege engines or swarmed the plains carrying long-ranged weaponry. In conclusion, this was not an army¡­ It was everyone for themselves!


    At that time, the group of humans had hidden in the cervices after discovering the UFO. Among them, Austin observed the surveillance video before him with a drawn expression. This video came from the surveillance devices that were left on the surface a few days ago.


    In the video, a group of weirdly dressed aliens was massacring on the surface. This was a group of¡­ how shall we describe these aliens? Some were wearing something like a spacesuit, but from observation alone, it was obvious that their spacesuits were much better than human beings¡¯. Some were completely naked too. They were about 5 meters tall and had a green complexion like plants, but muscles covered their ape-like bodies. Other than that, there were also many such aliens that had machinery attached to their bodies, like robot arcm or even robot legs that were bigger than their whole bodies. They were spider-like robot legs, caterpillar tracks, tentacle robot legs. There were all kinds of these, but the scariest was those whose bodies was almost totally mechanized¡­


    When this group of aliens whose technology was god knows how many years ahead of human beings'' appeared on this planet, every single lifeform on the planet was torn open by them easily. They swept across the planet''s surface like a group of locusts. In almost a crazed manner, they chowed down any and all plants and animals that they met. Their cruelty and craziness sent shivers down those who were watching the video. Right then, they sighed in relief after listening to Austin¡¯s advice that they go down a crevice that they had found. It was because of him that they were fortunate enough to avoid these locust-like aliens.


    Austin studied the video until the surveillance device was destroyed for some unknown reason. He screamed and ordered, "Keep moving forward and do not stop! This is not a place for us to stay, we have to arrive at our destination before 6 PM today! This is our last hope, we must hold on to it!"


    With Austin¡¯s order, the group slowly moved forward again. They took one step after another deeper into the dark. No one knew what kind of future awaited them¡­ death or salvation? Or would they all become nothing more than bodysuits for the alien octopuses?


    Nobody really knew¡­ They moved forward only because they were asked to and there was no better option.


    On the other hand, even though the Parlei Race was called a race of barbarians, they were still a level 2 space civilization at their peak. Naturally, they would not tear through the whole planet to find their prey. They relied on their best tracking technology. Very soon, they found many tracks that led them to the mammals that lived on the planet''s surface¡­


    A small unit comprising of 300 plus Parlei soldiers found them first. After they located about ten of these mammals using their tracking devices, all of them swarmed the small unit of mammals with a deafening roar. After a short struggle, these native mammals were taken care of easily. However, due to their battle lust¡­ well, since they were the Parlei Race and there was no time when they were not lusting for battle, there was no living mammal left. In fact, all of them had been pulverized into meat cakes. Therefore, none of the the Parlei Race soldiers could tell how these mammals differed from the eight mammals they had captured. However, it was doubtful that these barbarians would be able to tell the difference even if they were not in meat cake form¡­


    These ten mammals had tentacles coming out of their skulls¡­


    After that, to not waste any food, these 300 plus Parlei Race soldiers had a happy barbeque. Combined with the luxurious host of plant and animal resources provided by the planet, the Parlei soldiers had a feast. The food, including meatballs made from the mammals¡¯ flesh, went shuttling down their throats¡­


    At the same time, a distance away from this cursed planet, a spaceship shaped like a chopstick appeared in space. In the spaceship, Blue 6 continued his sentence with a face full of terror.


    "The term ''cursed planet'' refers to a planet that has survived the threat of a neutron star fragment. In other words, the sentient lifeforms on this life-giving planet evolved to a level 2 space civilization, left the home planet for the wide cosmos, but then they returned. Theoretically speaking, a neutron star fragment should have threatened the solar system, but due to some unknown reasons, there are a few solar systems in the cosmos that managed to avoid this fate, and the life-giving planet in this solar system is called a cursed planet¡­


    "Why it is called a cursed planet is a secret to us low level civilizations, but we, the Blue Race, did manage to get a clue or two through our information network. This was a titbit from middle-tier civilization¡­ it is because other than cosmic adapters, all other lifeforms that enter the proximity of the cursed planet will be demonized!


    "The demons are the common enemy of all the living beings, souls, and materials in space! They are the greediest existence in all of the cosmos!"

 Chapter 324: Chaos

    Chapter 324: Chaos


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­I feel¡­"


    Just as a Parlei soldier said these few words, he was crushed by his fellow soldiers because he said a taboo¡­ In reality, the Parlei Race thought that none of them had the ability to have emotions, so the fact that this soldier said that he felt something meant that he was lying.


    However, this soldier did ''feel'' something unusual. Of course, this feeling was different from humans'' or other species'' emotions; it was more like the animal instinct for incoming danger, like how small critters, such as mice, would start to scurry before an earthquake. This Parlei soldier felt viscerally the presence of danger.


    However, what this danger was, where would it come from, what kind of consequence it would bring, he could not tell. In fact, the number of Parlei soldiers that had this ''feeling'' was slowly increasing; a great majority of the 100,000 Parlei soldiers felt it. However, around 20,000 Parlei soldiers felt nothing, and that was because they were no longer what they seemed¡­


    A Parlei soldier stood up while slapping his stomach. He was an adult Parlei soldier. He was 3.7 meters tall and was still in his growth spurt. However, that was not his most defining feature, because one-fourth of his body had already been mechanized, making him a combination of animal, plant, and machine. Among the Parlei Race, he was the soldier among the soldiers.


    Due to his unique station, his meal amount was triple the size of normal Parlei soldier''s. For example, he alone had consumed three mammalian lifeforms, a lifeform native to this planet. Even though their taste was not as good as Fleet Chief Pap Pap described, the soul content within them was indeed curiously high. The consumption of so much soul gave him the desire to reproduce. This presented him with an impossible choice of whether to become a powerful father or a single mother. However, no matter what, the more soul he consumed, the better.


    This was the third day the Parlei Race had been on the planet. The soldier climbed out a pile of dried branches and leaves of an unknown tree and kicked away a few Parlei soldiers that stood in his way. He rubbed his stomach because he felt that there was something rocking in it. Perhaps it was because he was hungry, or there was too much soul in his system, causing his body to start the mitosis process. He shrugged it off because he was going to go hunt for more mammals, he was going to feast on them¡­


    If the soldier had the thought to examine his body with some sort of X-ray, he would realize inside that his body¡­ his internal organs, not limited to digestive ones, like intestines and stomach, as well as bones and blood, were evolving in a curious manner. They were changing in a manner that was incongruous with the Pa Race''s DNA¡­


    At the same time, there was not only the Parlei Race''s fleet that had appeared in the space around this cursed planet. So far, two other space civilizations had arrived. The two space civilizations were also level 2 space civilization at their peaks. They had mastered the warp drive technology. Even though their numbers were not as big as the Parlei Race''s, they were still forces to be reckoned with. They each had hundreds of big battleships and millions of smaller spaceships. They were weaker than the Parlei Race, but the difference in power was not a huge gap.


    When these two space civilizations arrived, what they did was completely different from the Parlei Race. They did not dare to send any of their people to the planet. Instead, they immediately ordered their fleet to be moved as far away from this planet as possible. Then communication was formed between them. This was not because they were afraid of the Parlei Race but they felt fear regarding this planet.


    This cursed planet!


    In the history of the cosmos, there had been a legend that had circulated across innumerable space civilizations, be it low-tier, middle-tier, high-tier, or even godlike tier space civilizations. The legend was about the existence of the cursed planets¡­


    According to legend, these cursed planets were the final explanation to the concept of ''soul''. The cursed planets were the birth planets for demons, the greediest race in all of the wide cosmos. Whenever a cursed planet was born, it represented the death of a whole solar system. Indeed, it was not only a planet, but the disappearance of the entire solar system!


    Of course, there was another dimension to the word "legend." It meant rumors. The legend might be completely different from the original meaning. The supposed cursed planets were an impossible rumor that spread like wildfire across the cosmos. In reality, these space civilizations that knew everything about the cursed planet really knew nothing about the demon race, much less these cursed planets that birthed them.


    However, even though the cursed planets were basically legends, there were a few defining features that could help one identify them. First, they had to be life-preserving planet. All cursed planets were life-giving, but they just so happened to evade the neutron star fragment.


    Secondly, all cursed planets were completely different from normal terrestrial planets. They did not have the differentiation of earth crust, earth mantle, and earth core. From the surface to the core, there were only layers of rocks and soil. There were no lava or earth layers.


    Third, and the most defining feature, was all cursed planets would be at the center in the solar system. The solar system the cursed planet was in would have seven planets, and the cursed planet would be in the middle. The remaining six would be revolving around it. This was why cursed planets were so easy to spot!


    These two space civilizations were seeing this for the first time as well. Six planets were revolving around this one life-preserving planet. This was a miracle in space. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would not even believe it. There was only one word to describe how they felt: shocked.


    "¡­Legends of the cursed planets?"


    The leaders of these two space civilizations were cautious about the rumors of the cursed planets, especially after witnessing the supernatural celestial activity before them. No lifeform with intelligence would step onto this planet so easily¡­ Of course, the Parlei Race did not belong to this category.


    "So thoughtless. Are the Parlei Race a group of brainless chimps?" the leader for one of the civilizations commented.


    The other leader replied, "Brain, do you think the Pa Race has anything like that? Their brains are either muscle or wood, or I suppose you can call it a wooden muscle. The brain is an organ wasted on them. Instead of worrying about them, we should focus on what to do next, this cursed planet."


    "¡­Our scientific community has analyzed this set of messages. They were sent out through space-warping technology. In other words, they came from a civilization that was at least level 5. Even if this is only a ruin that has only this space-warp technology left in it, with this technology, we will be able to trade with even level 4 space civilizations in the future! Do you really wish to give up something as valuable as this? This might be the thing we need to evolve from level 2 space civilizations to level 3! Who would dare to give up on this?"


    "In other words, your race has come to a decision?"


    "Of course¡­ but it is not yet time to act on it. The legend of the cursed planet has been passed on in space for millions of years. No one knows its origin, but since it''s a legend that permeated even the ranks of high-tier space civilizations, then this cursed planet definitely has something unique to it. Perhaps it''s a trap set by some kind of god-tier civilization. At least until these dangers present themselves, we will let the brainless Parlei Race open the way for us."


    "¡­That is the decision our civilization came to as well. However, to prevent the Parlei Race from doing something drastic, how about we form a temporary alliance between the two of us? With our combined forces, we will not have to fear this Parlei Race fleet."


    "We agree to this proposal¡­"


    This kind of alliance had zero binding power, but for space civilizations with similar technological levels, it was equal to a life-binding agreement. Over the next few days, more and more space civilizations appeared around this cursed planet. They all requested to join this alliance, but some were rejected because they came from unknown backgrounds. Therefore, some broke off to form their own alliances. In the end, there were several tribes and alliances that populated this solar system¡­


    In conclusion, there were about around 10 space civilizations gathered in this solar system. However thankfully, all of them were level 2 space civilizations from nearby galaxies. It was because of this that was no open war, since their power was similar to one another. Regardless, it was because of this too that there were endless suspicions and covert actions among the civilizations. It felt like a war could break out at any minute between the few opposing alliances.


    They had all forgotten that the real danger was not these other space civilizations that were targeting each other, but from this inconspicuous cursed planet...


    At the same time, under the cursed planet''s surface, led by Austin and the mysterious virus survivors, the last group of human survivors was slowly moving towards their destination. There were plenty of sacrifices along the way because no matter what, life had to go on. Relying on the small sliver of hope Austin had given them, they pressed on despite the fact that a number of people would disappear every day. Everyone knew that their brains were probably getting sucked out, but even so¡­


    The rest of them still continued towards the Noah One! They were getting closer and closer to their destination!


    At the same time, there were still 5 days until the Hope''s last controlled warp!

 Chapter 325: The Start of Mutation

    Chapter 325: The Start of Mutation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Cursed planet? What was a cursed planet?


    This question was on the minds of many space civilizations, be it space civilizations under level 3 or level 4 to level 6 space civilizations, or civilizations with even higher level.


    From a time which no one could pinpoint, rumors about the existence of the demon race started to circulate throughout the cosmos¡­


    What was the demon race? Surprisingly enough, there was no verifiable news about it among the low-tier and middle-tier space civilizations. In fact, many space civilizations labelled the rumors about this demon race and its accompanying idea, the cursed planet, as the biggest lie in all of the cosmos.


    The public enemy of space civilizations, the destroyer of many civilizations, but a necessity among almost every low-tier and middle-tier space civilization, AIs that had achieved Singularity. A mechanical fleet that did not possess any creative power and could only hungrily consume technology from other civilizations. The AIs were only the third greediest race in space.


    Known as the space epidemic, the zerg that swallowed any civilization and material was only the second greediest race in space?


    Then, just what kind of creatures were the demon race to be called the greediest race in space? What else could they hunger for that was more than civilization, technology, and materials?


    According to the legends¡­ the answer was soul. This element that maintained the balance in space, the key that supported the law of conservation of soul!


    However, what did it mean by hungering after soul? Almost every space civilization that knew about soul hungered after it, so what was so unique about the demon race?


    The answer lied in the core of the cursed planet, the location where the demon race was rumored to be born. What kind of terror was hiding there? And what exactly was the demon race? Why would a small planet be a threat to one or several suns, multiple planets, a system, or galaxies? This was simply too unscientific.


    These were thoughts shared by many space civilizations. Of course, this was not all space civilizations, because for the few high-tier space civilizations that knew about the truth behind the rumors, they felt a spine-chilling fear whenever they talked about any cursed planet. They treated them with utmost seriousness, and not a thing of rumors.


    At this moment, among all of the space civilizations around the cursed planet, an intelligence lifeform was going through this sensation¡­


    He was the cosmic adapter for a peak level 2 space civilization and he was a rare S grade Time Watcher. Even though he was old, it did not affect the utilization of his Time Watcher power. If anything, due to his thousands of years of experience, even though he was only a level 1 Time Watcher, he could predict the danger that was far ahead. This allowed him to save his race many times, and he had led his race to the peak of level 2 space civilization and the fringe of level 3 space civilization. He was instrumental to his civilization.


    Like other space civilizations, his civilization had happened upon this set of space-warped messages accidentally and had arrived at this solar system by tracing its origin. To his consternation, it landed them around a cursed planet. Thinking about the numerous rumors, everyone in his civilization feared for their safety, but they were ultimately compelled to stay due to the allure of space warp technology from a level 5 space civilization. Furthermore, there were many space civilizations around who chose to stay as well.


    Actually, the common reason to why all the space civilizations stayed despite the obvious danger was only one: profit.


    What was a level 5 space civilization?


    To put it simply, perhaps there were one hundred level 1 space civilizations, or civilizations that had managed to evolve into technology mature enough to ensure colonization within its home planet¡¯s solar system.


    A level 2 space civilization, at its most basic, could travel a limited distance into the cosmos and had a large amount of space fleets and a main mothership that could support a population of several billion people. The evolution from level 1 space civilization to level 2 space civilization had its difficulties around the destruction of the environment and exhaustion of resources. Not to be forgotten was the possible betrayal of AI systems.


    Evolution from level 2 space civilization to level 3 space civilization required plasmatic system technology and the means to surpass the limitation of light speed. In other words, the warp drive technology. This would allow the civilization to survive and explore the vast cosmos.


    To borrow a simple analogy, without warp drive technology, going from one solar system to another would require at least a thousand years, and during that time, the civilization¡¯s survival depended fully on the mothership. If there was an accident, then the civilization would be gone. From this, one could see the importance of warp drive. For any space civilization, it was an unimaginable leap in technology. One could say that with the advent of warp drive, the space civilization had the basic ability to survive in the cosmos.


    It was because of this that while maybe one out of 100 level 1 space civilizations managed to enter level 2, from perhaps one million level 2 space civilizations, there would only be one that would manage to become a level 3 space civilization. This was the difference between level 2 space civilizations and level 3 space civilizations!


    Since level 3 space civilizations were already so rare, then what about level 4 space civilizations? The gap was no longer describable; it could be seen as a change in essence itself! This was because level 4 space civilizations were the beginning of middle-tier space civilizations, and they had distanced itself from low-tier space civilizations in every single aspect.


    Simply put, level 1 space civilizations, level 2 space civilizations, and level 3 space civilizations, their technology trees are linear and connected. Given enough time, population, resources, and safety, almost all space civilizations eventually reach the limit of a level 3 space civilization, the difference being the time taken.


    However, the barrier to become a level 4 space civilization was not something that could be broken with enough time. This was because it depended on one key element¡­ the catalyst!


    Just like how a level 2 space civilization¡¯s catalyst is electromagnetic technology and a level 3 space civilization¡¯s is plasma, then what is the key technology to break through to become a level 4 space civilization?


    This was the key question that no one had an answer to. Many level 3 space civilizations perished due to getting stuck at this juncture for thousands or millions of years.


    A level 4 space civilization was only the beginning of middle-tier space civilizations, and the message these civilazations received was sent with space-warp technology from a level 5 space civilization, and that was even stronger¡­ For these level 2 and level 3 space civilizations, it was a technology that was powerful enough to ensure the glory of their civilizations for millions of years!


    Therefore, which space civilization was willing to give up on this once in a lifetime opportunity?


    This was the attitude held by this Time Watcher as well. Even though he was the ruler of his civilization and held authority in his hands, at the same time, he had to be responsible for his civilization. It was because of this that he ordered his civilization¡¯s space fleet to stop, but as the time passed, the sense of danger within him increased. The sense of danger that permeated was ubiquitous, it covered him like a layer of slime. With the passing of time, it got thicker and stickier; it made him want to crawl away from that area and run.


    "Why? Why is there such a sense of danger? Where does this danger come from? Is it because there are too many space civilizations gathered here? Or is it because of the presence of the irrational Parlei Race? Threat of a space war? What is it? This danger¡­"


    This Time Watcher was sitting on the throne of his fleet and was massaging his head as he thought about this. At this time, his ministers came to inform him that several cosmic adapters from other space civilizations were requesting for communication.


    This Time Watcher did not hesitate. Very soon, the line of communication was formed between all the cosmic adapters. However, unfortunately, other than him, all the other cosmic adapters were only grade B or C, so they were completely no match for him. However, during the communication, he did spot something weird.


    This group of low level cosmic adapters all felt the presence of danger. How was that possible? None of them were Time Watchers, they were not even S grade cosmic adapter, but since even they also sensed danger¡­ then was this danger very real? And would it come any time soon?


    "These space civilizations have formed their own alliances, and they are each very powerful. Small squabbles are unavoidable, but it is unlikely a real space war will break out unless the source of the space warp technology is suddenly exposed. Then what kind of danger could be this scary?"


    Just as this Time Watcher ordered his fleet to retreat far away from the rest, until they were at the fringe of the solar system, suddenly, before their naked eyes, one of the planets that revolved around the cursed planet, it had a dark red surface, broke out in flesh-like pustules. The pustule number increased dramatically until eventually, the planet was covered in a layer of flesh!


    What was happening?!

 Chapter 326: Ambitious Hero!

    Chapter 326: Ambitious Hero!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Under the surface of this planet called cursed planet, about five hours before one of the surrounding planets became infected by flesh pustules, the Noah One¡¯s survivors finally reached a tunnel near the Noah One after paying with the sacrifices of the disappearance of nearly one thousand people. After sending out several Blue Berets and two mysterious virus survivors to do some scouting, they confirmed that within the tunnel and at the pavilion near the Noah One was a large amount of humans being controlled by alien octopuses and floating alien octopuses. In other words, this was an impossibly dangerous tunnel, and there was no way they could cross it safely.


    "We cannot rush headfirst into this!" Austin told the surviving military officers. "We now understand that the alien octopuses themselves are not that strong. As long as we have the mysterious virus survivors with us, we can take care them very easily. However, having those controlled humans around changes a lot of things¡­ According to our current data, there are at least 3,000 of these walking human zombies, and they are not afraid of pain or death. We are trapped within a small space, and our weapons will not be able to hold them back much less when they are supported by the large group of alien octopuses!"


    The faces of the people were drawn. Yun Si asked directly, "Then what do you propose we do? Since you have led us here, you must have some way to continue this further, right? If there are so many of them outside, there must be more of them inside, be it the alien octopuses or controlled humans."


    Austin replied after some pause, "I do have some ideas in mind, but they are very dangerous and require everyone¡¯s commitment¡­ Let¡¯s talk about the Noah One first. All of you should know by now that the biggest difference between the Noah One and the Noah Two is the Noah One¡¯s crew was mostly military soldiers since we are the scouting unit. Therefore, the Noah One was built mainly for the purpose of war. There are plenty of auto defense systems installed within. We all know that the alien octopuses¡¯ hypnosis only works on lifeforms, so if we activate these defense systems, the alien octopuses will not be our worry anymore¡­"


    "In that case, why didn¡¯t we activate those systems when the alien octopuses first infiltrated the Noah One?" One of middle-aged man stood up from the crowd and hissed vehemently. If not for the situation they were in, he would definitely have yelled. His question brought everyone a sizeable shock.


    Austin laughed bitterly and then shrugged. "Because of time constraint. Activating these defense systems takes time, and at the time, we didn''t even know that the mysterious virus survivors could see the alien octopuses. Furthermore, the general chaos of the situation prevented us from even the thought of activating the systems."


    The crowd got silent. They all thought back to those few days that felt like a nightmare. Many had fallen on that day and many more had lost their families and friends. The memories were like a nightmare that they could not wake up from. In fact, until that day, many of the survivors would still suddenly wake up from their sleep with a scream. Since Austin had brought that day up, they were silent, perhaps paying it their due respect.


    Austin looked around and continued, "The first few days after we landed on this planet, before we discovered the hidden danger on this planet, we commissioned digging and structural strengthening of a few tunnels around the Noah One. Everyone knows about that, right? Now, I am telling everyone that¡­ at the time, we also dug a direct tunnel connecting the pavilion around the Noah One to an area around where we are. The purpose of this tunnel was for the sake of tactical advantage. When the tunnel was built, it was designed with the purpose of allowing the passage of siege engines, like tanks, in mind. If we take that direct tunnel, we will be able to reach the pavilion easily."


    A middle-aged woman immediately chimed in, "Then what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s get to that tunnel, but are you sure there are no scary monsters inside it?"


    Austin nodded. "That I am certain of because this tunnel is well hidden and has both password and fingerprint locks. I do happen to have both¡­ However, the key issue is after we get through the tunnel, then what? How will we deal with the alien octopuses and controlled humans at the pavilion? I do not think we will be able to get into the Noah One that easily."


    Suddenly, a contained ruckus appeared among the crowd. Only Yun Si asked calmly, "Then what kind of idea do you propose?"


    Austin sighed and chuckled helplessly. "I do have an idea, but it will be quite dangerous. We can do something like this¡­"


    A while later, about 10 humans suddenly appeared from the tunnel near the pavilion and killed many controlled humans and floating alien octopuses with a rain of bullets before retreating back to the dark tunnel. Very soon, a large amount of alien octopuses and controlled humans swarmed towards the tunnel. Waiting for them was a barricade of heavy artillery, like rocket launchers and machine guns. The artillery was embedded into the tunnel wall to prevent blowback. Humankind had investigated the underground situation of this planet a long time ago. The ground was unusually compact and stable, and there had never been even one earthquake. Dropping a H-bomb underground would not cause the tunnel to collapse, much less the artillery.


    Just like that, relying on the bottleneck entrance of the tunnel and the barricade of heavy artilleries, the alien octopuses and controlled humans were unable to get into the small tunnel. Furthermore, beside the people operating the artilleries were one or two mysterious virus survivors. This was because the surviving humans recently found out that while they were still unable to see the alien octopuses, being around the mysterious virus survivors would help prevent them from being hypnotized. That was why they could keep up the defense.


    The sound of bullets and bombing attracted more and more controlled humans and alien octopuses to gather around the small tunnel. This heavy artillery unit was pushed deeper and deeper into the tunnel. The tunnel had light fixtures and smoothened walls, signs of human construction.


    "Quick, hurry up, do not separate yourself from the group! All the survivors, keep a lookout for those alien octopuses! Focus your fire, we have to keep holding them and attract more monsters our way to buy more time for the other unit!" a captain, brandishing his assault rifle, yelled non-stop at the soldiers around him. After his yelling, the sound of firearms increased and a mess of flesh and blood had started to pile up at the tunnel entrance. However, more controlled humans stepped over the mound of flesh and rushed in, giving no notice to the guns that were firing at them¡­


    In the middle of the tunnel, a large number of civilians were helping each other. Even though they were shivering, they kept taking one step after another. Even though what waited for them was a myriad of dangers or even despair, at least Austin had given them a sliver of hope, a hope at survival. It was already more than enough. Everyone was deeply appreciative of this hope given by Austin. In fact, many had deified him in their hearts.


    "¡­We cannot save so many people!"


    Austin whispered as he trudged forward. Around him were handpicked elite Blue Berets and his trusted allies who knew the full scope of his plan. There were 36 of them in total.


    "¡­Because when we left Earth, many scientists were already worried that we would stumble across scary alien creatures and the Noah One might be taken over. If the aliens were clever enough to deduce Earth¡¯s location from the information inside the Noah One, then the whole Earth would be in danger. Therefore, even though there are auto defense systems inside the Noah One, they attack indiscriminately. There is only one safe spot inside the entire the Noah One, but it is only big enough to fit less than 50 people. These 50 people are supposed to activate the Noah One¡¯s self-destruct sequence after the auto defense system cleanses the Noah One. So how can we possibly save so many people?"


    Austin mumbled as his eyes darkened. He looked at the people around him. There was sadness and hesitation in their eyes, but they still followed behind him. He continued, "I shall bear all the sin. It is a fact that we are unable to save so many people. It is not an issue of should or should not, but we simply cannot. Since we have no other choice, then we will find a way to live with this sin¡­ There is still sperm and the ovum bank on the Noah One and sleep devices. Even though it was not the same as the ones in sci-fi where one¡¯s lifespan can be drastically extended during sleep, at least it can slow down our aging during sleep. When the new generation matures, we can continue reproduction and ensure that the human line lives on¡­ Shoulder this sin and let us live, at least we still have a reason to live!"


    After hearing Austin¡¯s words, even though the sadness in these people¡¯s eyes had not dissipated, at least the hesitation had. There was resolution in their footsteps, and right in front of them was the end of the tunnel¡­


    About 10 minutes later, suddenly, the whole cave shook. At the end of the tunnel, there was a loud explosion. Following the explosion, the exit collapsed and everyone inside the tunnel was trapped within!


    They could only face the controlled humans and alien octopuses that were attracted by them alone!


    Outside of the collapsed tunnel, Austin¡¯s carefully group found their way into the Noah One. The pavilion was almost empty, and the small number of alien octopuses that remained was not enough to slow them down. Within the crowd, Austin was calm, but his eyes were solemn¡­


    At the same time, in a galaxy far away, Yao Yuan sat on the captain¡¯s chair and ordered while looking at the screen before him, "I order¡­


    "The Hope to start warping!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/5fsVhEc

 Chapter 327: Cursed! Demonization and Arrival

    Chapter 327: Cursed! Demonization and Arrival


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Austin and his small group of people hid inside a hidden room with platinum walls. The room was unfurnished and every surface was an unidentified silver panel. It was unclear how thick the walls were, but when they stepped into the room, they all sighed in relief.


    On the whole Noah One, no, in the entire planet, this room was the safest for humanity. Alas, the room was too small; it could only fit at most 50 people. With 30 plus people inside it, it was already crowded.


    Of all the people there, Austin was the busiest. He had been busy monitoring and fixing the Noah One¡¯s internal defence system.


    About 10 minutes ago, these 30 people depended on their own memories of the Noah One¡¯s internal structure to reach this hidden room, ignoring the threat of alien octopuses. They were temporarily safe; they only needed to wait for the ship¡¯s auto defence system activation. After the aliens near and about the Noah One were cleansed, then¡­ they would be totally safe!


    "There are different kinds of defense systems, these include high soundwave vibration, high temperature microwave, and the most common explosions and bullets. Unlike the Noah Two, this spaceship was built with the intention of facing various alien monsters. The internal metallic walls and fixtures were made with the most high-tech combat armoured alloy and could withstand these destructive attacks. Of course, atomic grade destruction is a horse of a completely different color¡­"


    Austin kept pressing the button as he explained. Behind him, a few soldiers still guarded him solemnly¡­ Even though there was no danger about, or rather, they had nowhere to run if there was danger, these soldiers still upheld their responsibility loyally.


    In a wait that was surfeited with anxiety, consternation, fear and anticipation, 10 seconds later, a great quake shook the ground. This cause several people to lose their balance and stumble to the ground. However, everyone showed an excited expression.


    Only Austin slid down the wall and looked at his watch calmly and quietly. In his brain, he was calculating the time that would be needed to cleanse the Noah One and the monster number that would swarm into the Noah One after the fact.


    "¡­Enough supplies, at least more than enough to last us until the first future generation matures into adulthood. Furthermore, the Noah One has an internal homeostatic system, artificial sunlight, and hydroponic technology. The original emergency supplies that were meant for 10,000 people is more than enough to help keep the 30 plus of us alive for a long time. Even in the future, when we have hundreds or thousands of people, it will still be more than enough.


    "The key issue will still be energy. Space warp requires energy, the homeostatic system requires energy, even the life support system requires energy¡­ Thankfully, perhaps it has been destined, before sh*t hits the fan, we managed to mine many radioactive ores, and they have been stored on the ship. If the ship was carrying less than 10,000 people, then the ores were enough to allow us to warp hundreds of times and enable us to live in space for hundreds of years¡­ Perhaps it has already been destined¡­"


    Austin thought back to the earlier maintenance and repairs on the Noah One. When the old captain was still around, even though he did not completely fix the Noah One, since that would require too much resources and manpower, he did fix the damages around the links between the ship cabins. This prevented air leakage, and the internal circulatory system was also updated. All of this seemed to be foundation for the mission that day, or else, even if Austin managed to lead these people inside the room, they would not have any chance at survival.


    "The sperm and ovum banks have been depleted by 30 percent, but we can still use the remaining resources to cultivate tens of thousands of people, but we need to find a new base first, and that will be a worry after several decades or even several hundred years¡­"


    Austin sat at the corner of the wall, his thoughts as his only company. When the quake in the room had stopped, he pulled himself up and said, "Let us go to complete our last step¡­ Space warp!"


    Then, several minutes later¡­


    "It has appeared! A disturbance in space! The high-tier civilization inside the cursed planet is showing itself!"


    Just as the Noah One entered space warp state, almost simultaneously, all of the space civilizations around the cursed planet detected the change in space within the planet itself. Actually, when a civilization entered level 3, they would interact closely with technologies that dealt with space manipulation. In fact, as early as level 1, there were already researches on systemization of space, like the relationship between space and time, the relationship between space and energy, the relationship between space and gravity, and the like.


    At the peak of a level 2 space civilization, there would be some rudimentary devices that could detect the disturbance in space around them. Most of the space civilizations had their devices targeted on the cursed planet. When they discovered the change in space reading, in the next few minutes, a large amount of planet boarding fleets rushed towards the cursed planet. The various alliances in space and the few independent level 3 space civilizations were cautious around each other. There was tension in the air; any spark could lead to a full scale space war!


    In reality, the existence of human beings, alien octopuses, and the combination of the two had been detected by the many space civilizations. The main reason they did not do anything about it was due to the scary legend surrounding the cursed planet. Even though no one knew about its validity, the rumours had survived for millions of years, and it was a weighty spiritual pressure that pressed down on all the space civilizations there. Therefore, other than the rash Parlei Race, who was on a rampage on the surface of cursed planet, all the other space civilizations watched the development with a detached eye. However, when the ruin presented itself, they would not allow the Parlei Race to claim it so easily.


    Therefore, the moment the space reading went off the chart, the entire space fleet mobilized. All the space civilizations started to sweat, even the civilizations in the same alliance started to get cautious of one another. When this space technology revealed itself, it would be the start of a space war!


    Under such circumstances, a drastic change exploded¡­ or rather a drastic change slowly exploded.


    The first change was the Parlei Race that had been pillaging the cursed planet. There were various weird evolutions happening to their bodies. Either their bodies suddenly began metallic, or their muscles expanded crazily, tearing open their skin, and they evolved into a shapeless meat blobs, or their bodies suddenly became wooden. There were innumerable curious evolutions. It was a monster freak show.


    Of course, this was not that surprising. Even though Pa Race creatures were renown for their high resistance against contamination and infection, it did not mean that they were immune to all strains of viruses. The scariest change was¡­ these Parlei soldiers did not seem to notice their changes, or rather, it appeared like in their eyes, they were still unchanged, they continued talking and fighting like nothing unusual was happening before their eyes¡­


    Not only had their bodies changed, even the spacecrafts operated by the Parlei Race had undergone similar changes. Either they became flesh, wood, metal, rock, flame, liquid, and the like. Every spacecraft changed into a different form, and the changes kept happening!


    Just like how the Parlei Race ignored the changes that were happening to and around them, the civilizations that were closest to the Parlei Race¡¯s fleet ignored the changes. Even if the change was right in front of their eyes, they did not respond to it in any way. Even the fleets that were further way were only startled slightly when they noticed this before they continued on to the cursed planet.


    Only the civilizations with cosmic adaptors that stayed far away looked at this crazy evolution with stunned looks. The twisted spaceships that had lost their shapes were truly a sight to behold¡­ However, the scariest thing was that all of them could still operate, and if anything, they moved even faster, as if the twisted evolution had increased their physical abilities. This kind of irregular, unscientific evolution¡­ was like a scene out of one¡¯s nightmare; it was completely illogical.


    These civilization saw the evolution spread across the cosmos like a wave with the cursed planet as its centre. Everything within the wave was slowly evolving into different twisted form, and they saw the effect coming towards them.


    At the same time, underneath the cursed planet, the people who were caught in the tunnel were in throes of despair. The tunnel¡¯s exit towards the Noah One had caved in and the other end was swarming with endless controlled humans and alien octopuses. The heavy artillery barricade could not hold on forever.


    This was real despair!


    Almost all of the mysterious virus survivors were led by Yun Si to stand guard at the front of the defence barricade. Behind them were almost 10,000 human survivors. They were scientists, technicians, the injured, women, and children. They were fighting a losing battle!


    The normal civilians behind them felt their consciousness giving, because they started to see illusions. The injured no longer felt the pain of their injuries, and in reality, under the gaze of the naked eye, their legs started to become metal, rocks, bones, and weirder stuff. Compelled by the will to live, they started to walk towards the direction of the alien octopuses¡­ Indeed, it was as if they were offering themselves up to be eaten¡­


    However, the scariest thing was that no one had noticed this change in the people around them. In their eyes, everything was the same. They did not realize that some humans were no longer¡­ "humans"!


    The space civilization with the S-grade space adapter that was furthest away from the cursed planet saw the changes happening clearly. They saw one of the planets around the cursed planet became flesh and eventually, on the surface, there were folds of flesh and bulbous tumours.


    Right then, an inconspicuous spaceship, long and flat, with the shape of a chopstick, suddenly appeared in this piece of chaotic space, dangerously close to the cursed planet¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/5fsVhEc

 Chapter 328: Nightmare in Reality

    Chapter 328: Nightmare in Reality


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Hope would warp to its destination after another 30 minutes, the location of the Noah One.


    Everyone on the Hope knew that this was going to be an unimaginably harsh battle. It had gone beyond the question of how many people would die, because the whole spaceship might die.


    Therefore, even with Yao Yuan''s incomparable popularity and Cheng Wen''s dark strategy, as the time drew near, the sounds of protest still appeared. The voices of protest were small, but it was obvious that a part of the citizens was not satisfied with this mission.


    30 minutes before the warp, Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were discussing the details of the missions at the ship''s bridge.


    "Ol'' Wong, just like how we''ve discussed earlier, I will leave you to handle everything on the surface. You will lead 150 Black Star Troopers, including all the Black Star Unit members, Zhang Heng, Xiao Niao, and the latest Black Star Space Armor Prototype Two and all the latest weapons. Ask and you shall receive! There is only one order: save as many as you can and remember to take the data on the Noah One, especially the data on Project Eden. I need all of those!"


    Guang Zhen gave a solemn salute. He treated this seriously even though he was friends with Yao Yuan. After the salute, he stood at ready and said, "Yes, Sir!"


    Yao Yuan responded with his own salute before continuing, "Of course¡­ bring all the kids back. They are all great soldiers. I''ve seen their training, and they are all stand-up soldiers. This mission is going to be really dangerous, but none of them complained, so you and everyone¡­ please return safely."


    Guang Zhen nodded silently. Then he added, "Ol'' Yao, there are more of those voices in these few days. You have to be careful, some people are starting to get uneasy about your orders. This kind of situation¡­"


    Yao Yuan interrupted him, "Ol'' Wong, I''ve noticed all that, but they are still within reasonable range. I understand¡­ The family background you''re from and your education cause you to be cautious of voices like this. Your go-to response to these voices of dissent, no matter how small, is to squash them using military law. I am not saying this to lecture you, because your way of doing things is even necessary in certain situations. However, when managing over 100,000 people from multiple countries, and with the majority of them being children, things are going to be a bit different.


    "So believe in me. After all, we are no longer on Earth. The issue of whether we have accommodated to life in space aside, we are already in space. It might not be voluntary, but it is the reality we have to live with. Furthermore, following that was a scientific renaissance. Basically, we have blown through progress in a decade which normally would require us thousands of years to complete. Our societal progress is thus lacking behind compared to our science. Our civil sensitivity is lacking by a lot, and that is not something you or I can solve. The only solution is to allow it to grow organically, give the public freedom to choose. The only thing I can do is to give a range to limit this growth within a reasonable range."


    Yao Yuan did not elaborate after that. Instead, he advised Guang Zhen to focus on the mission before returning to central command where he could direct and command the Hope in case some accidents happened.


    "On the other end of the warp will be our battlefield¡­" Yao Yuan sat in the captain''s chair. Standing beside him were Ren Tao and Bo Li, their expressions normal.


    Ren Tao could not help but add, "You sure do trust him¡­"


    "He is your superior!" Yao Yuan of course knew what Ren Tao was talking about. In reality, in terms of Thinker''s power, it was only when formulating extremely difficult problems that he would lack behind Ren Tao and Xiao Niao. During normal situations, he was no different from them, so he immediately interrupted him. "Wong Guang Zhen is your superior, so show some reason! And¡­ he is a comrade who you can trust your life with, your superior and comrade! This is a lesson I''ve learned after much bloodshed!"


    Ren Tao shrugged and said, "Of course I know that all of you from the Black Star Unit are impressive characters. Combat and war should come naturally to all of you, I have never questioned that¡­ You should know what I am talking about. Wong Guang Zhen¡­ Fine, General Wong has a different way of thinking from most, and that is very dangerous. Not only is the public suspicious and fearful of him, even the westerners in the Black Star Troopers are cautious of General Wong. Normally, this would be a non-issue, but you yourself understand how important this mission is. It is not hard to envision that suspicion be an insidious presence in this mission, so I just have to say, you sure have faith in him."


    Yao Yuan was silent and stared at Ren Tao. After a long time, he explained slowly, "Two points. One, I believe in my soldiers, and they are Black Star Troopers. They are the best of the best. Perhaps it is as you have said, maybe a difference in opinion might cause some friction, but this small suspicion will not be huge enough to make them lose their common sense and obedience to their superior. You have to understand that they are Black Star Troopers!


    "Two, Ol'' Wong is more fair than you give him credit. I will admit his way of thinking is very much influenced by his life back on Earth, but during combat, he will not be influenced by his personal opinion. He is a real combat expert. Since I am unable to personally participate in this rescue, he is the most qualified person on the Hope to lead this mission¡­ So you don''t need to worry yourself over this. Make sure that you focus on your responsibility. When we come into any emergency, give me the solution at the shortest notice!"


    Ren Tao shrugged once more. He did not think much about it. Even though the mission was important and incredibly dangerous, for the sake of the mission, both the Academy and the Barracks had committed a great amount of pre-battle preparation. For example, the 150 Black Star Troopers were equipped with the latest Space Armor Prototype Two. Other than an embedded hydrogen atomic battery as its energy source, it was also equipped with a high efficiency electromagnetic shield. Its defense capability was ten times the defense capability of the Space Armor Prototype One!


    Not only that, in the Space Armor Prototype Two, its metallic materials were from the alien plant''s special alloy, the kind that could withstand the damage from plasma weapons. Even though it was less powerful than energy shields, at least it could withstand around four shots of normal plasma weapons. This was created using the template from Blue 6''s spacesuit after they surrendered. Due to the time constraint, it was still a prototype. In the future, maybe energy shields will be added to this armor.


    There were also many other preparations work. For example, a high frequency supermagnetic radar to confirm the Noah One''s location, the latest anti-gravity high speed transport ship, as well as the completed Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s that were sitting in the hangar. Furthermore, after the Hope warped, it would start to charge energy for a subsequent warp. If the situation was not right, they would directly warp even if it meant giving up the Noah One. As a Thinker, naturally Ren Tao understood all that and he believed Yao Yuan would not hesitate to abandon the Noah One if the overall safety of the Hope was threatened!


    Therefore, even though Ren Tao did not really approve of this mission, he was not worried about it. After all, space warp was their ultimate trump card. According to Blue 6''s information, level 3 space civilizations had no method to prevent space warp unless it was done internally, like what the space merchants did.


    According to Blue 6, level 4 space civilizations and above were simply too rare, so much so that it was hard to ascertain whether there was one level 4 or above space civilization within the space of several thousand light years. In other words, with the space warp technology, the Hope was invincible. Therefore, even though Ren Tao did not have much faith in the rescue mission, he had complete faith in the Hope''s safety. Therefore, he did not think his capability as a Thinker would be of any use.


    In truth, his assumption would be broken after about ten minutes¡­


    This was the Hope''s last controlled warp. Normally, after ZERO set the coordinates, she would stay to chat with Xiao Niao. However, perhaps she knew that Xiao Niao was part of the rescue party. After she set the last coordinates, she disappeared without a trace. This did irk Xiao Niao in some ways.


    "What''s wrong?" Standing beside Xiao Niao were his two best friends, Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan. They were Homo Evolutis, so they were part of the 150 Black Star Troopers that would land on the planet.


    Xiao Niao shook his head and tossed the uncomfortable feeling that he could not explain himself out of his mind. He said, "No, nothing''s wrong. We will be warping soon, so let''s prepare for combat¡­"


    A few seconds after Xiao Niao said those words, the Hope entered warp. In the blink of an eye, the Hope blinked out of their original space. Then the videos on the various surveillance devices and sceneries outside the spaceship windows showed¡­


    A creepy scene that one could only see in a dream!


    It was like they had warped from reality into someone''s dream!


    And it was definitely a nightmare¡­

 Chapter 329: The Great Madness

    Chapter 329: The Great Madness


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "What is happening?!"


    Ten seconds after the last warp, this question was issued across all over the Hope. The things that unfolded before their eyes were too weird and too illogical.


    Outside of the Hope, a great amount of unknown things were changing¡­


    Unknown things, because it was hard to tell what they were. Globs of unknown gyrating masses were shifting not far away from the Hope. Some of them were illogically large, the smallest of them being several thousand square meters, while the larger ones were bigger than the Hope, as large as a small planet.


    These unknown masses filled up the space around the Hope. Some of them were metallic, others looked like rocks, flesh tumors that looked suspiciously like the zerg¡¯s mother nest, and rolling fire and ice. They were all still changing and shifting.


    If there were only changes in forms, then it would not have been so surprising. After all, since they had left Earth, the people on the Hope had seen many miracles from various high tier space civilizations. For example, the trademark in the alien plant was one of them. Perhaps this kind of weird form was something high tier space civilizations wanted?


    However, things were more complicated than that because the changes were simply too curious. For example, a four-legged creature would suddenly appear from a ball of flame before extending previously absent wings or changing into a giant weapon. However, the scariest was that it would change into a shapeless monster and start consuming the smaller unknown masses around it.


    This kind of weird interaction was happening all over the space. The unknown masses kept morphing into unknown creatures to consume the other unknown masses around it. Some of them even morphed into creatures with obvious sexual properties and started mating in space. This was not even the weirdest of them all¡­


    Many shapeless creatures, after consuming many unknown masses, would hug themselves and curl into eggs that would start beating like a heart¡­


    Inside the Hope, after the initial shock, the related personnel started closely scanning the situation in space. The first thing they noticed about this curious place were the five lifeless planet revolving around the one life-preserving planet. This was something that would not happen in space. Around this one planet was where most of these unknown masses congregated. However, the other thing that attracted the Hope¡¯s attention was that in the space further away from this planet was a fleet of spaceships. This observation sent more chills down the spines of people on the Hope compared to the earlier creepy freak show.


    "Open the creator¡¯s particle! The Hope is entering ECS system, and send out all Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s!"


    Yao Yuan spotted the mass of alien spaceship as soon as they arrived and felt extreme danger within this space. He immediately ordered the Hope to set up its defenses. Next, a large amount of creator¡¯s particle was released from the Hope and the Hope slowly disappeared from everyone¡¯s eyes. This was the optical illusion courtesy of the ECS system. 10 seconds after that, the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s that had been waiting flew out of the Hope. Soon, there were around a hundred of combat jets surrounding the Hope¡­ But!


    The creator¡¯s particle suddenly disappeared!


    Yes, the creator¡¯s particles that had supposedly spread across this space suddenly disappeared. No matter how hard the Hope tried to create more creator¡¯s particles, they all disappeared!


    The first to observe this were the personnel in the surveillance room. This news was quickly brought to central command. Yao Yuan and all the people there started to break out in cold sweat, some of them even fainted from extreme pressure.


    This was something that had never happened before! Ever since the creator¡¯s particle technology landed in humans¡¯ hands, be it the information taken from the space merchants or information given by Blue 6, there was no technology known in space that could wipe out a wide area of creator¡¯s particle completely. The most one could do was to create a space using a creator¡¯s particle isolator.


    In other words, in the recorded wars of level 6 space civilizations, the creator¡¯s particle remained a wall that could not be broken. This wall had protected a large number of weak space civilizations, like humans on the Hope, against enemies who had overwhelming advantages in technology, resources, or weapons. The creator¡¯s particle was that last shred of hope at escaping, and it would not be wrong to call it the last safety measure, but at that moment, the Hope¡¯s last safety measure had been taken away!


    "Start moving! F*ck, don¡¯t stop here! Start moving using the Hope¡¯s biggest propulsion force available. What? Where to? F*ck, do you really have to ask that? Towards that life-preserving planet!"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s eyes were red from anger and agitation. He stood up from his captain¡¯s chair and yelled out his orders. When the few fainted workers still lied there unmoving, he himself rushed to the control panel to help. Even Ren Tao, who was standing beside him earlier, moved to contribute.


    Several seconds later, Yao Yuan started to calm down. His hands remained moving, but he asked, "Ren Tao, do you think there is a space civilization above level six? The fact that our creator¡¯s particle has disappeared, is it¡­ due to the presence of such a high tier space civilization?"


    Ren Tao was sweating profusely beside him. Other than the fact that he had to operate something he did not quite understand, he was worried and fearful of many things. However, he took a deep breath before answering, "That is unlikely. The rarity of high tier space civilizations aside, if there is really such a high level space civilization around, this part of the space would have been wiped clean. We would not have seen these many unknown things and other space fleets floating about. If you told me that those high level space civilizations could directly convert a planet into fuel or collect all these planets into their spaceship, I would believe it. If that were the case, would we still see something like this?"


    Yao Yuan had given his orders and the Hope was accelerating as he commanded. The Hope was preparing to enter warp drive to get close to the planet. Right then, he turned back to ask Bo Li, "Bo Li, could it be that something is wrong with the spaceship internally? Like the creator¡¯s particle vibrator needs maintenance or something of that sort? Can that explain the creator¡¯s particle situation?"


    Bo Li shook her head and said, "Unlikely. The important devices within the Hope have undergone more than 10 inspections, so the chance of them breaking down is extremely low. You need not worry about that¡­ The only explanation I can give regarding this is that this area of space is covered with creator¡¯s particle isolators."


    "Covered with creator¡¯s particle isolators?"


    Yao Yuan turned to look at the dark and empty space that spread indefinitely. How could such an empty space be filled with creator¡¯s particle isolators? Furthermore, the isolators could not exist in nano form. The size of the machinery aside, there was also the issue of energy requirement. The isolators required a large amount of energy to operate. If they were made into nano size, their effect would probably last for a second before short circuiting.


    To put it simply, before becoming a level 4 or 5 civilization, there was no way the creator¡¯s particle isolator could be made into nano size and then spread across space. This was the natural limitation of productivity. It was something possible for high tier space civilizations only, and herein laid the question. If there was a high tier space civilization, wouldn¡¯t it be easier and simpler for them to wipe out the entire solar system using their scientific power than waste their resources building nano isolators?


    "In other words, it is unlikely that there are creator¡¯s particle isolators spread across space, and it is not something wrong with the Hope internally¡­ then could it be these curious masses we see before us, or there is a high level civilization''s ruin nearby?"


    At that moment, Yao Yuan¡¯s mind came up with such an answer. However, he understood that it was only speculation. After all, there were too many variables to consider. The loss of the creator¡¯s particles could lead to many unforeseeable troubles, so much so that Yao Yuan had the thought to have the Hope immediately warp away.


    Just as Yao Yuan was hesitating, the fleet of spaceships started to change as well!


    It was not that they started attacking the Hope, but these spaceships started to melt¡­ Well, melt was not exactly the right word, but they were undergoing constitutional changes. Some of them changed into rocks, others fire, ice, or more substances that humans could not name. Then they started to spread out in space, like all the spaceships were infected with some kind of disease¡­.


    The more shocking discovery was that one of the planets revolving around the life-preserving planet suddenly started to grow tumors, flesh, and tentacles¡­


    An indescribable madness unfolded before the humans¡¯ eyes in this dark space!

 Chapter 330: Closer

    Chapter 330: Closer


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "What is this?!"


    This was how everyone who saw the scene felt. They saw the spaceships morph like they were infected and the planet that was becoming flesh. This change was unlike the zerg¡¯s fake planet as it was a real planet undergoing this ridiculous change. The sight was really shocking!


    Yao Yuan was rendered speechless for a long time. He and the majority could not understand what they were looking at. A great amount of spaceships were changing in front of their eyes, but none of them had any clues as to why it was happening. Was it some kind of super high technology? Or an extremely dangerous space virus? After all, the cosmos was limitless, perhaps there was a virus that could infect even non-living substances? It was not impossible.


    When the people on the Hope saw this, they felt fear shaking the very essence of their souls, because¡­ the Hope was in the range of this infection! The disease was spreading across the group of spaceships in a conspicuous manner, and the Hope was right in its pathway!


    "What is going on? These spaceships are morphing! Is this some kind of high-tech weapon? Or is it some kind of weird infection?" Yao Yuan roared with his eyes flashing red. Unfortunately, no one was able to answer his question, not even Ren Tao or Bo Li beside him.


    "Recall all the Combat Jets, we are using the space warp¡­" Yao Yuan could feel danger encroaching, so he finally decided to give the orders to warp. After all¡­ even though they were there to save the Noah One and its members, it was silly to sacrifice the Hope for that.


    However, right then, Ren Tao pressed down hard on his shoulder and said, "Wait¡­ Don¡¯t you feel that something is weird? Those changes to the spaceships happened in the blink of an eye. Every spaceship within the range of infection has morphed, and technically speaking, the Hope is in that range, but nothing has happened to it. So don¡¯t be so rash¡­ or are your senses are telling you we could be destroyed at any moment?"


    Yao Yuan was startled. He did not finish the orders he wanted to give and thought about it before adding, "You¡¯re right, it doesn¡¯t feel like the danger is enough to engulf the spaceship completely. The danger is there, but it is incoming danger like usual."


    "Then that answers your question," Ren Tao said as he pulled back his hand. "Just now I remembered something. You still remember how Blue 6 once said that the so-called cursed planet is where demons are born and the demon race is the greediest race in the whole cosmos? They are the cosmos¡¯ biggest enemy, but what exactly is the demon race? No one knows, not even Blue 6, who came from a level 3 space civilization. He only mentioned one thing about them¡­"


    "Mentioned one thing? Wait, mentioned one thing¡­" Yao Yuan¡¯s Thinker power started operating, and known clues as well as the situation before him started to collect in his mind. Suddenly, he said, "That¡¯s right! Only cosmic adapters could defend themselves against the demons! Blue 6 once said that this legendary demon race could only be fought by cosmic adapters!"


    Ren Tao pointed at the screen and said, "Doesn¡¯t this confirm that? This is the cursed planet, and since none of us know what the demon race is, could it not be a kind of mysterious space virus? And these are all the materials and lives that have been infected! From the information taken from the space merchants and the messages given by Blue 6, we can confirm one thing, and that is the rarity of cosmic adapters. There will not be another existence like us human beings. In that case¡­ does this not confirm the hypothesis? The Hope has plenty of cosmic adapters, and that is why we are not getting infected!"


    Yao Yuan sat back down the captain¡¯s chair. He thought about it and said, "You make sense, but most of it is still hypothesis. There is no evidence to show that you¡¯re right, but¡­ we can still continue to try out the plan, or else the preparations and sacrifices we have made along the way will have been for naught. Of course, if the danger I sense reaches the maximum, I will immediately order the Hope to warp!"


    Ren Tao shrugged. "You¡¯re the chancellor, Yao Yuan. That is your decision to make, I¡¯m just giving you my analysis."


    Then central command started to quiet down. After a few minutes, Yao Yuan suddenly whispered, "Haven¡¯t you been averse to this rescue mission? Then¡­ why did you stop me just now?"


    Ren Tao turned to say, "Who knows? Perhaps it was force of habit that compelled me to conduct the analysis, or someone or something was clamping down my mind, or¡­ I was touched by your desire to save your fellow man. And deserting all the plans at the last minute seems too much of a waste. In any case, you can make of it any way you want."


    "¡­Is that so? Regardless, thank you¡­"


    At the same time, in the group of alien spaceships, even though they were in the infection range and were already morphing, that was not true for all of them. Among them, a small number of spaceships did not enter that scary evolution, or rather¡­ the morphing was decelerated due to some reasons.


    One of these spaceships belonged to a mammalian race. They walked on the ground with two feet and had a pair of arms. However, their arms were slender and long like they had no skeleton. They looked more like tentacles than arms. Furthermore, they had more than 10 fingers on each tentacle, and they too were slender and long. Comparatively speaking, their tentacles seemed to be more agile than human hands. Their brains were round and big and their eyes were large. They looked like how human beings pictured alien would look like.


    In this spaceship, everyone was in this despair. This spaceship¡¯s leader was a grade A cosmic adapter. It was because of him that the infection was slowed down, but the ship only had one cosmic adapter. Even though the infection was slowed down, it was not stopped. The lifeform furthest from this cosmic adapter was the first to experience this change. Some became monsters and others robots. Even in central command. where this cosmic adapter was seated, there was small degree infection happening. For example, one of the ship operators suddenly realized that stray flesh tumours had replaced some of the control buttons. That was why they were in despair.


    "¡­There is no need to run. After calculating the speed of the curse spread, its speed is faster than light. We need time to enter warp drive. Before then, we will be completely infected."


    This cosmic adapter sounded calm even though he was delivering their death sentence. However, the way his body was shaking belied his anxiety and frustration. He was leading his main race¡¯s strongest fleet, and he was his race¡¯s only cosmic adapter. After his race lost these two important assets, they would slowly decline towards extinction. It was inevitable. The curse was exceptionally cruel because it was slow. This cosmic adapter had to sit there and watch his civilization crumble before him. No matter how old one was, this was not something one could accept easily.


    The people around this cosmic adapter hugged each other and started to wail¡­ they could only wait helplessly as the curse caught up to them. Then again, the cosmic adapter had in his hand a self-destruct button. At least they would be able to die in their original form. This was the only consolation they had, and they were luckier than other races in this aspect.


    "Then let us begin. Let us use our most perfect form to return to Star God¡¯s embrace¡­"


    The cosmic adapter closed his eyes. When he was going to press the button, he suddenly sensed something. A palpitation in his heart made him open his eyes. He then yelled, "Quick! Use all available surveillance devices to scan this area!" He pointed to a direction into space, and down that direction was exactly where the Hope appeared!


    In the next second, in front of everyone¡¯s eyes, a large, perfectly fine spaceship appeared in empty space. The ship was¡­ not infected in the smallest of ways!


    "Is that¡­ the sun? No, it is something greater than the sun. It feels so warm, like the feeling of home¡­ Star God, have you arrived to save your people?!"


    When the cosmic adapter saw this spaceship, tears came out of his eyes. He yelled excitedly, "Activate all propulsion systems that are still usable! Get us close to that ship as fast as we can! That place, that right there is our only lifeline!"


    At the same time, many ships that had cosmic adapters on them also used the very last of the energy that they had to rush towards the Hope at their highest speed¡­


    Simultaneously, the planet that had started to change seemed to have achieved life, because it started to vibrate like an egg or like a beating heart. Some kind of sinister change was happening within it¡­

 Chapter 331: Blue 6’s First Mission!

    Chapter 331: Blue 6¡¯s First Mission!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Hope was flying towards that life-preserving planet at its highest speed. As they got closer, they realized that the strange evolution around them was becoming increasingly common. Many of the curiosities started consuming each other before exploding or disappearing. This struck fear into people on the Hope who did not really understand what was happening.


    "Scary, these things around us are very scary."


    This kind of observation could be heard all around the Hope. Thankfully, it was Yao Yuan who gave the orders. The Hope had been through many scary moments like this, and Yao Yuan had managed to lead everyone to safety every time. Yao Yuan¡¯s influence on the ship was unimaginably high because he was someone who had led the human civilization to survival and improvement in space. It was not crazy if some of the citizens directly treated him like a god!


    Therefore, even though the citizens on the Hope were nervous, they were not worried. They prayed silently for the success of this mission, and those who had families and friends in the Black Star Troopers looked at the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s that protected the Hope with both pride and worry in their eyes. On one hand, they wished that their families and friends would return as heroes, but on the other, they wished they would just stay out of danger¡­


    Compared to the public, the military and political party within the Hope felt much better, especially since it was Yao Yuan and not Guang Zhen who was leading the Hope. In fact, this was one of the reasons why Guang Zhen was leading the rescue mission and not Yao Yuan. This way, no matter how weird the scenery outside the Hope looked, the people within would still feel safe.


    Yao Yuan was currently in central command ordering the Hope to move forward. However, they did not move at a straight line because Yao Yuan wanted them to avoid coming into contact with those random masses that flew in irregular patterns in space. The closer they got the planet, the greater the number of these masses. Thankfully, there were still pockets of emptiness that the Hope could make use of as it flew towards the planet. Therefore, the Hope was dancing on a steel wire. No one could be sure what would happen if they bumped into those masses, and no one wanted to try. Getting to the planet thus required contribution from the Diviners as well as Thinkers who could analyse and calculate the speed and direction quickly. This was the time for Yao Yuan as the All-Rounder to shine. Even though his power was weaker than Zhang Heng''s as well as Xiao Niao''s and Ren Tao''s in terms of Diviner and Thinker power respectively, having the combination of both at that time outshined everyone else.


    With Yao Yuan commanding, the Hope reached the planet without coming into danger. As they neared the planet, suddenly seven or eight large, giant, red dots appeared on the surveillance screen.


    These seven or eight dots represented seven or eight large alien spaceships. Even though they were smaller than the junkyard aliens¡¯ super large mothership, they were each incredibly huge, at least several ten times bigger than the Hope. Even among all the spaceships and unknown masses, these seven or eight spaceships were the largest of them all.


    The spaceships appeared on the screen. For some reasons, unlike the others, they had not undergone serious mutation. Even though there were signs of contained mutations on the surface, generally speaking, one could still see that they were spaceships, and these spaceships were rushing at the Hope at their top speed!


    At that moment, the Hope had entered another conundrum. What kinds of spaceships were these? Why would they rush towards the Hope, and what was the Hope to do?


    "Attack! Yao Yuan! We must attack first! With the advantage the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s provide us and the pilots'' advantage, we must destroy these approaching spaceships! We mustn¡¯t expose the public to dangers like these!"


    This was the first response transmitted from Guang Zhen. He was the commander of the rescue mission, and they were gathered around the hangar. Of course, the place was also fitted with a giant 3D screen that allowed them to know about the encroaching spaceships.


    Even though Guang Zhen was not a Homo Evolutis, his power was only smaller than Yao Yuan''s on the Hope. He was the Hope¡¯s successor, the main commander of the Defense Unit, and the vice leader of Black Star Troopers. Yao Yuan valued his opinions of course, but Yao Yuan would not buy into his words completely. After all, Guang Zhen was not a Thinker who could pick out the many aspects of a situation.


    "¡­First, there is one thing I can be certain about, and that is that all these spaceships have Homo Evolutis¡­ or cosmic adapters. This is definite, or else they would not have been able to maintain the rough shapes of their spaceships. Next¡­ the number of their cosmic adapters must be pitiably low. Perhaps only one, and that is why we can see that the closer they are to the planet, the more obvious the mutation gets." Ren Tao scratched his head as he continued with his analysis, "Secondly, their purpose is probably not to attack us. If anything, they are coming to us to seek shelter, or grab at that last sign of hope. Just look¡­ they do not care about anything else, their only wish is to get close to us as soon as possible!"


    Yao Yuan nodded and agreed. "You¡¯re right, I think the same way, and according to our current situation¡­ Ren Tao, don¡¯t you think that these unknown masses around us and the mutations¡­ are incredibly scary? For some reason, I feel that these things will change into demons to attack us. I fear the Hope is not strong enough to fight against these monstrosities."


    Ren Tao¡¯s face shifted. He thought about it and shrugged. "It¡¯s your call cause you¡¯re the chancellor. In any case, I still maintain my stance¡­ when the Hope is in irrevocable danger, I hope you will remember your promise towards us. We are the ones you have sworn to protect, not the strangers on the Noah One! Don¡¯t use our lives to try to be a hero!"


    Yao Yuan nodded solemnly. "I promise you and promise everyone else! Now, get me Blue 6. Hasn¡¯t he been petitioning for a position of power within our society and wishes to be a part of the Hope¡¯s governmental structure? Go and tell him¡­ if he manages to finish this mission, then he will become the Hope¡¯s Minister of Foreign Affairs!"


    Blue 6 was walking back and forth in his own room. In fact, when he found out that the Hope¡¯s destination was the cursed planet, he had been incredibly worried. At the same time, after his contact with the larger society of this race called human beings, he was shocked by the scope of humanity and its miraculous potential!


    Just what kind of race was this!? He did not know of their history, but the key issue was¡­ they had several hundred cosmic adapters, and there were almost one hundred Grade-S cosmic adapters. They even had the legendary Immortal-grade that could create godtier civilizations. So what in the world was really going on?! As long as no accident happened to this race, this race was definitely going to become a middle-tier space civilization!


    Yes, that was the least of their potential!


    The difference might sound small on paper, but a level 4 space civilization could completely ignore the other space civilizations beneath it. Wasn¡¯t that the target the Blue Race has been slaving for? However, becoming a middle-tier space civilization¡­ was immensely difficult. The Blue Race was an optimistic race, but even the most optimistic among them did not think that the Blue Race would become a level 4 space civilization before declining. This dream of many space civilizations, Blue 6 could see it coming into fruition easily for this human race!


    Therefore, he desperately wanted power within this human race. From what he had observed, this human race seemed to respect each other¡¯s influence and power. This was similar to the Blue Race¡¯s internal structure. Therefore, he wished to gain power within the human society. In that case, when the human race becomes a level 4 space civilization in the future, as a part of the higher hierarchy, he could help the Blue Race gain benefits. He could even help Blue Race become a middle-tier space civilization by asking the human race to lend them aid!


    At that moment, he received the message from central command¡­


    "What? Minister of Foreign Affairs? What does that mean? This minister¡­ means a secretariat? In other words, your human emperor wishes for me to become the secretary of foreign affairs?!"


    Blue 6 roared in excitement. He started running back and forth in his room. His excitement could not be contained. Even his underlings had faces full of happiness. It completely undid the months of depression from being locked up. Everyone congratulated Blue 6. One of them said, with a huge smile, "Your Highness, congratulations. This is so surprising that the human emperor is so open that he is willing to give you a position as important as the secretary of foreign affairs, but¡­ Your Highness, this might not be the time, but since you are going to represent the human race on this mission, then please¡­"


    Blue 6 waved him away and said, "That is for certain, it is only feudal! It is such a sacred contract! I will use my soul and my life to protect this sacred contract that has saved the Blue Race multiple times. I will use the best of my ability and passion to help this human race that we are in service of! Even if the enemy is the Blue Race, there will be no partiality!


    "Come on! Let us go fulfil our first mission!"

 Chapter 332: Foreign Affairs in Space

    Chapter 332: Foreign Affairs in Space


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Blue 6 arrived at central command, he was briefed on the situation along the way. He understood everything when he arrived.


    "Do not let them get any closer!"


    Blue 6¡¯s earlier melancholy had completely disappeared. Now he stood straighter and his voice had confidence. After he arrived at central command, he bowed at Yao Yuan slightly before straightening himself and saying loudly, "We must not allow them to get close. One is the issue of navigational direction and speed. To prevent them from directly ramming into our ship, we have to inform them this. Second, it is about the unsaid contract in space. When both parties are at an unequal level¡­ have their leaders directly come to negotiate with us, or else there is nothing left to say. You Majesty, it is time for me to complete my duties!"


    The people around him stared at Blue 6 with their jaws dropped. In reality, their minds were stunned into dumbness. How does one put this? How could this Blue Race alien be so thick-skinned? He was their prisoner, and giving him the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs was only on paper, but he treated it for real and seemed very happy about it¡­ What was going on?


    Blue 6 continued on and even ignored Yao Yuan¡¯s curious gaze. "There is no creator¡¯s particles in this space, right? Then change the communication frequency to the space merchants¡¯. That is the lingua franca for space communication. Then transfer my words over to them."


    The operators were stunned. They all looked towards Yao Yuan and Blue 6 said as comprehension dawned, "I am sorry, Your Majesty. I have overstepped my boundaries, but that is only because I was too excited. After all, this is my first mission, and I hope I perform to the best of my ability. So please forgive my mistake¡­ With that in mind, I request to have some power equal to my status as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs. First, I request that there is one space embassy unit that will enable me to respond at first notice whenever an alien race comes into contact with us humans.


    "Secondly, I need some staff, like negotiators and my adjutant¡­ Well, I can figure out a way regarding my adjutant, but Your Majesty, there is something I have to say: as the human race¡¯s Minister of Foreign Affairs, don¡¯t you think it is a bit unruly for me to not have a group of honor guard? Of course, I can understand the conundrum we are in at the moment, so I hope that after the main fighting force has been formed, I hope Your Majesty will remember to assign some to the Department of Foreign Affairs. Lastly, I hope Your Majesty will give the Department of Foreign Affairs some degree of control over the ability to announce war. After all, as someone from the Blue Race, I am familiar with the power and psychology of most alien races, and it will help greatly in my responsibilities."


    Even Yao Yuan was baffled by the series of sentences Blue 6 had rattled off. He could not collect himself to respond. Thankfully, Ren Tao beside him coughed and his own Thinker power started to activate. He composed himself and said calmly, "Very good, these powers should be yours since you are willing to take the responsibility of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Then¡­ I will give you 21 Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s, 20 Black Star Troopers, as well as 100 Defense Unit soldiers to protect and act as your embassy staff. Regarding your honor guard¡­ After we humans have developed some more, I will arrange that for you immediately. Of course, before that, I hope you can resolve this immediate problem facing us."


    Blue 6 was practically glowing. He felt like his heart was going to explode. In fact, when he heard he was going to lead 20 Black Star Troopers, the hesitation in his heart dissipated. Earlier, he was worried that these humans were just pulling his leg, but 20 Black Star Troopers¡­ Yes, Blue 6 knew what the Black Star Troopers were, they were 20 cosmic adapters. This was¡­ such a fortune! 20 cosmic adapters were such a strange concept! F*ck, even level 6 space civilizations had to be cautious around him. If Blue 6 and his men were harmed in any way, they would be hounded by a large amount of same level civilizations!


    "Of course, Your Majesty! I will go perform my duties now!"


    Blue 6 immediately turned to face the operators. In a voice that was bordering on yelling, he said, "What are you people standing there for? Get moving! Send out the messages before these alien spaceships block our ship¡¯s forward path!"


    This time, the operators did not hesitate. After all, this was the most important thing at the moment, and Yao Yuan had given Blue 6 permission. So no matter whether he really wanted Blue 6 to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs or not, they had to solve this imminent crisis first.


    Just like that, several seconds later, all of these spaceships received the message from the Hope in the space merchants¡¯ language. This made the different civilizations sigh in relief¡­ After all, this meant that the other party was familiar with space rules and was civilized. That was important for communication and enabled them to seek help.


    "Your ship is not allowed to be closer than three combat spaces¡­"


    "Please send out foreign affairs ships to conduct a discussion with our party¡­"


    "To slow down the demonization of your ship, and to monitor possible hostile activities, please do not use any defense mechanisms and allow our combat jets to get close and escort¡­"


    "Please answer in 60 seconds ,or we will treat your contact as hostility, and we reserve the right to attack you directly!"


    At that moment, all those ships were at the brink of despair because the closer they got to the Hope, the closer they got to the cursed planet. The signs of demonization were getting rampant. Almost all of the spaceships outside had morphed and around 80 percent of the lifeforms within had changed. So to put it simply, no matter what the Hope ordered them to do, they would obey. It was their last chance at survival.


    Very soon, the Hope received the replies. They all agreed to the Hope¡¯s three demands easily, but they requested that the Hope would solve their demonization problem as soon as possible.


    When he saw their replies, Blue 6 laughed coldly. He said, "Only with written detailed contracts and the support of powerful battle capability can real contracts be born. This kind of easily given promise is nothing more than a delay strategy. Tell them that we will send out our men to protect their foreign affairs ships to come negotiate with us. At the same time, we will promise to keep their demonization under control, but¡­"


    Blue 6 said, with a wicked smile, "These two! The two that are most affected by demonization. Ignore them completely. After they have fully demonized, get our men to shoot them down! Let these civilizations understand one thing: their lives are in our hands. We are not someone they can afford to swindle or make light of¡­"


    Because Yao Yuan did not interrupt, and because Blue 6 was indeed the successor to the Blue Race¡¯s throne, and because humans really did not know much about space diplomacy, Blue 6 had taken over the operation easily. He did not hesitate to make use of his power. He requested the tour spaceship that was captured to be brought to the hangar. Then he brought 20 Black Star Troopers, about 10 Defense Unit soldiers, and his own people from the Blue Race to leave the Hope with 21 Space Combat Jets Prototype 011s leading the way.


    The few spaceships also sent out their own foreign affairs ships in the attempt to make contact. Due to multiple reasons, three spaceships did not send out their people. Under Yao Yuan¡¯s watchful gaze, every alien embassy spaceship was surrounded by 12 Space Combat Jets. Only those three larger spaceships were left completely alone. All of this took less than five minutes to organize. Since there was no creator¡¯s particle, the orders could be given with the press of a button.


    Around 10 minutes later, these embassy spaceships gathered at the empty space between the Hope and their motherships. To everyone''s surprise, these few embassy spaceships had started to demonize when they left their motherships, but when they got about 10 kilometers of Blue 6¡¯s ship, the signs of demonization disappeared completely. Of course, the damages were not undone, but all of the weird evolutions like flesh, fire, and ice disappeared and the ships reverted to normal albeit damaged spaceships.


    Blue 6, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, was the most powerful officer there in spite of his captive identity. Yao Yuan had given him the responsibility to settle this issue. When these spaceships neared their tour spaceship, Blue 6 whispered his order to the Black Star Troopers and soldiers around him. "When they enter the spaceship, strip them of their weapons and defense equipment. You do not need to be courteous with them."


    The few Blue Race citizens nodded naturally, but the soldiers looked at each other with confusion. One of the troopers asked after a short hesitation, "But Minister of Foreign Affairs¡­ Minister Blue, is that really suitable for space negotiations?"


    Blue 6 turned to give him a smile. "It is absolutely suitable. The human race has not had much contact with other civilizations, right? As my unit members, I will first teach you one important lesson¡­ this is how we do diplomacy in space!"


    When Blue 6 said that, the three demonized spaceships lit up with giant explosions. Several Space Combat Jets were ordered to blow them up!

 Chapter 333: Survivor Union

    Chapter 333: Survivor Union


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    There was a constitutional difference between war in space and war on Earth, and that was for space combat, there was no depth of strategy!


    The cosmos might be vast, but in the event of a war, unless there was planet-based building or bases involved, then both sides were fighting with their lives on the line.


    Depth of strategy? If your spaceship was blown up, it was impossible for anyone in the spaceship to survive, because lifeforms in space needed spaceships to survive. In other words, war in space was putting everything on the line. The best strategy was to branch out into more fleet units and sequester the public away on safer grounds, but it did not take away from the danger of the situation.


    Therefore, from level 2 space civilizations onwards¡­ in fact, for one to be called a space civilization, other than unique cases like humankind, one would have to start at level 2. When this civilization started building their space travelling gear, the most important aspect to focus on was naturally the defence technology. For example, the electromagnetic shield for level 2 space civilizations and plasma energy shields for level 3 space civilizations. It was these defensive measures that helped save the spaceships and the general civilization!


    Compared to the energy shields, the spaceships themselves were relatively weaker. After all, even if one became a level 3 space civilization, the materials used in the construction of their spaceship was mostly enhanced metals. They used plasma energy to rearrange the metals at an atomic level. This kind of metal had great tensile strength and malleability. To put it simply, if such a metal dropped down to Earth, perhaps humankind would not be able to even bend its shape, much less melt it or smith it.


    This kind of metallurgy was no better than paper making for level 3 space civilizations. Almost any weapon from a level 3 space civilization could tear through these metals like tofu. The only thing that could stand up to the threat of weapons from the same level was¡­ the different energy shields!


    When the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s fought the demonized spaceships, this kind of result could be seen!


    There is no need to reiterate the details of the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011. Basically, the Hope had pulled its belt tight to squeeze out as many materials and human resources as it could to contribute to the construction of these flying machines that were at the peak of level 2 space civilization! Bo Li¡¯s design was truly the best of space combat.


    The three demonized spaceships, even though they looked scary, honestly speaking, their weapons had completely been destroyed and their defense systems had collapsed. Using Gaussian weapons, these ships were like tofu. With the collective fire of multiple Space Combat Jets, the spaceships directly exploded. They only wanted to fire some warning shots, but the power of the jets was greater than they assumed.


    Witnessing this from his tour spaceship, Blue 6 revealed a great smile when the three large spaceships exploded in sparks and flames. He said excitedly, "This is amazing. The designs of these jets are amazing. Do we humans really have such a brilliant designer? The Emperor should really reward him the best honor!"


    Blue 6 seemed to suddenly remember something. He turned to look at the few troopers with shock and asked, "By the way, I did ask this earlier¡­ Could the designer be an Academic of Dark Science?"


    The troopers were confused. One of them whispered, "Minister Blue, the designer for this space jet is a female professor called Bo Li. She is a Whisperer. How can I explain this? When she is in the middle of her research, she will naturally hear something whispered into her ear, and she uses this as guidance to design these things¡­"


    "That is it!" Blue 6 clapped and he said excitedly, "This is such a pleasant surprise! Our technological staff contains an Academic of Dark Science?! It is so impossible to believe! However, now that I think about it, it seems normal¡­ Since we have someone as legendary as the Immortal, having Academics of Dark Science, Artists of Logical Concept, and Soul Webbers seems completely normal, right? Looks like our human race is heading for glory, and the way is just ahead of us!"


    Blue 6 was gladdened. When he thought about his role as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, his excitement grew. However, he maintained a calm composure on the surface. After all, the diplomacy department was one of the three most important bodies in a civilization. He had to maintain his royal conduct to not lower the human race¡¯s standards.


    As Blue 6 busied himself with the thoughts of the human race, the alien spaceships continuously arrived at this tour ship. Before the spaceships even entered the tour ship, the hearts of these aliens were pulled tight and their malicious thoughts were extinguished.


    Even though the tour ship was small in size, it was definitely the creation of a level 3 space civilization! Just the obvious plasma energy shield alone was enough to extinguish all the negative thoughts in the aliens from level 2 space civilizations. Furthermore, when they entered the ship, their weapons were confiscated by a group of armed lifeforms. Every alien lifeforms sighed internally because this was a civilization that knew space diplomacy very well. They knew it was impossible to swindle their way into a good deal and that they would have to pay.


    Very soon, after all the aliens had arrived, Blue 6 entered the room escorted by 20 Black Star Troopers and around 10 Defense Unit soldiers. About 10 embassy members from the different alien races offered their most respectful greetings and sighed a deep sigh internally. They were truly dealing with a level 3 space civilization, and the most famous level 3 space civilization of all, the Blue Race.


    Blue 6 seemed to have read their thoughts, because he said, in the space merchant¡¯s language, "First I would like to remind everyone that I am not here as a member of the Blue Race, but I am representing a new race, and the ones standing in front you now is the human race that will sweep across the cosmos in the future! Now, with that out of the way, I am sure the current situation is clear as day for everyone here. Your main ships are protected by us humans¡¯ cosmic adapters, but this situation is only temporary, or rather there has to be compensation for this service. I am sure everyone is in agreement of that, right? Lastly, I wish to remind everyone that the one speaking right now is the human race¡¯s Minister of Foreign Affairs, and that means that I have the right to decide your life or death. That is all you need to know."


    The aliens communicated among themselves. Several seconds later, a long, line-shaped intelligent lifeform said, "Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs, we are willing to abide by your race¡¯s requirements and pay accordingly for keeping us alive, but I would like to remind your grace¡­ that in all these spaceships, each has a cosmic adapter, so please don¡¯t cross your hands and do nothing."


    Blue 6 scoffed coldly/ He asked the Blue Race adjutant beside him, "Which race is he from? Which one is his race¡¯s spaceship? Tell the combat jets to get away from it. Why waste time arguing? One cosmic adapter and you dare to request so many things? Remember, we are not actively hurting your cosmic adapter, we are only saving our own cosmic adapters. Pass down the order."


    Right then, the long lifeform started to shiver all over. He collapsed to the floor and begged, "Minister of Foreign Affairs, please forgive my misspoken words, it was my mistake¡­ No, my greed is at fault. I am willing to use my life in exchange for Minister¡¯s forgiveness. I am offering my deepest and sincerest apology. As long as your race is willing to save our cosmic adapter, we are willing to use one-third of our population as trade. Of course, according to the space contract, please return our cosmic adapter after the crisis is over."


    Blue 6 waved his hand to stop the Blue Race adjutant who was going to send out the order. He said, with a smile, "You should have led with that instead. I do not need you to use your life to pay for your sin. Relay this information to your races¡¯ cosmic adapters. According to the space contract, before the crisis is over, I demand that they move to our mothership. This decision is for your own good since our mothership is the safest place to defend against demonization¡­


    "Secondly, I demand to have us humans as the leader to form a survivors union to survive this demonization catastrophe. All of you will be our vassals to support us humans¡¯ survival."


    Blue 6 took a break to point at the cloud of unknown masses. He smiled coldly and said, "Let me remind all of you, do you really think this evolution is the end? The demon race¡­ is the greediest existence in space, so don¡¯t tell me you really think this is everything they will do.


    "No, this is just the beginning! You see that planet that has become flesh? That change is only barely the beginning! So, if you want to live, surrender to us humans and be our vassals. Fight for us and we will face this greediest race in the cosmos together!"


    Several minutes later, in the Hope¡¯s central command, a jaw-dropping agreement appeared on screen. This agreement made those who were involved in the negotiation with the space merchants hide their faces from shame¡­ in comparison, this agreement was so much better!


    "Survivors Union Treaty?" Yao Yuan read the agreement with his eyes glowing. At the same time, he told Ren Tao beside him, "Blue 6¡­ can continue in his post as our Minister of Foreign Affairs. Until he decides to betray us, he will enjoy all the privileges his post brings!"

 Chapter 334: Landing!

    Chapter 334: Landing!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­That is the basic situation!"


    Blue 6 told Yao Yuan and the gathered human officials there with a face full of excitement.


    They were at the Hope¡¯s main meeting room. As Blue 6 led the five alien cosmic adapters back to the Hope, he walked at the forefront with his head held high like a hero in his return. He also requested Yao Yuan gather all the free government officials and royalty because he wished to announce his diplomacy result.


    Honestly, Yao Yaun really did not want to agree to this demand. After all, they were heading towards the cursed planet. War could break out at any moment, so why were they still doing something like this?


    However, after thinking about it some more, firstly, Blue 6 had just completed an impossible mission. One could say that with this Survivors Alliance Contract, humankind reaching the peak of level 2 space civilization was pretty much a done deal. Secondly, they might get several motherships as protection barriers and could get more useful information from the aliens. This mission had changed generously due to Blue 6¡¯s contribution. In other words, Blue 6 had technically saved plenty of human lives with his diplomacy skills.


    Furthermore, Blue 6 was from the Blue Race, whose culture Yao Yuan did not understand. Perhaps that race thought that not having a meeting was a grave offense and that could create more problems, especially if Blue 6 felt slighted by it, thus increasing his desire to betray humanity. Therefore, after giving it some thought, Yao Yuan decided to abide by Blue 6¡¯s request.


    Blue 6 and the other Blue Race members seemed to treat this as normal. They lifted their heads and returned with their heads held high. Then, in front of all the representatives and high officials, he introduced the five alien cosmic adapters and the contract. At the same time, he said, "Here, I wish to announce proudly¡­ this will be us humans'' first vassal race, but it will not be the last. We humans will only be stronger from now on!"


    The words were powerful¡­ even though the term ¡®we humans¡¯ coming out of a blue-colored skin alien on stage was plenty weird. Of course, these professional people did not point that out but offered a great round of applause.


    The Blue Race members were shocked because for the Blue Race, when one wanted to show respect or joy, they also would clap their hands. Naturally, Blue 6 did not dwell on that, instead he said, "And so I announce proudly that my task as Minister of Foreign Affairs has ended. I wish the royal committee and Your Majesty will give me a fair evaluation. Ladies and gentlemen, please cheer for me!"


    Just like that, the meeting ended in a sea of applause. Right after that, Blue 6 searched Yao Yuan out to request for an upgrade to his room to match his current position, and he even requested for an accommodation upgrade for the 20 Black Star Troopers who had aided him.


    After Yao Yuan fielded all the requests from Blue 6, he and Ren Tao moved towards central command. He asked Ren Tao along the way, "Evaluation? What is that?"


    Ren Tao scratched his head and said, "It should be related Blue Race¡¯s societal system¡­ Even though there are still many things I do not understand, the Blue Race definitely uses the feudal system, and the most important point within feudalism is the recognition of individual freedom. In other words, a dog can enter my private space freely, but the emperor cannot. Of course, that is an exaggerated analogy, but that is the basis of feudalism. I think what Blue 6 meant was simple: he used feudalistic ideals to understand our current system, so he assumed that by finishing his task, he deserves corresponding rewards. In that case¡­ I really do not know what the normal reward for the Blue Race is, but this evaluation has plenty to do with rewards."


    Yao Yuan said with a frown, "Reward you say? What types of things does the Blue Race like? Blue-colored stuff? Damn, we have no idea what they like, so how am I supposed to reward them¡­ But honestly speaking, Blue 6 has done a splendid job for this mission. Because of him, our situation has improved manifold. It would not be wrong to say he perhaps has managed to save the Hope. We might need him a lot more in the future, so the mark for his evaluation cannot be low¡­ In any case, I guess it is just simplest to ask him directly what kind of reward he prefers."


    Without noticing it, the two had arrived at central command. When they reached the place, Yao Yuan¡¯s secretary briefed them on everything that had happened while they were away attending the meeting.


    "We are 27 minutes away from reaching the cursed planet. All of the boarding ships are ready. With your order, they can depart any minute now. However, there are too many unknown masses around this area, so we have to change our path to avoid them."


    Yao Yuan sat in his captain¡¯s chair. He used his finger to press a button on his seat¡¯s arm and told the worker, "Order battleships A and B to attack all the unknown masses. Tell them it is integral for them to make sure the unknown masses are not allowed to get close to the Hope! At the same time, order battleships C, D, and E to protect the Hope, especially after the boarding ships leave the ship. Have them protect the ship to the best of their abilities!"


    Battleships A, B, C, D, and E were the motherships of the five races who luckily survived. Even though they were not super battleships, any one of them was at least five to ten times bigger than the Hope. Even though they were damaged from the earlier demonization, the remaining aliens activated all of their still usable weapon systems according to Yao Yuan¡¯s order.


    Battleships A and B focused fire on the unknown masses around the Hope. A great amount of Gaussian weapons and some plasma weapon fired at once. The unknown masses that did not have energy shield protection were shattered into minute pieces. This was the power of civilizations peaking at level 2!


    Everyone on the Hope sighed in relief. If not for Blue 6¡¯s contract, these spaceships¡­ would be a huge threat to the Hope!


    "I order the three boarding ships to depart now. 150 Black Star Troopers, prepare to land! Destination, point S!"


    On the Hope¡¯s surveillance system, there was a large hole underneath the Hope¡¯s surface. There was residual radioactive energy found at the spot. This energy was not natural radioactive energy but evidence of radioactive reactors. In other words, it was probably where the Noah One was¡­ That spot would be this mission¡¯s main target!


    "But unfortunately, for some reason, when the surveillance devices tried to scan deeper into the surface of the planet, they were interrupted. If not for that, we would know for sure whether there are humans on the planet." Yao Yuan sighed after giving his order.


    Ren Tao grumbled, "Learn to be satisfied. You think you¡¯re a god? Unless you¡¯re the main character of a story, life is not going to be smooth sailing. Regardless, this situation¡­ is already better than what we predicted."


    "You¡¯re right." Yao Yuan sighed and continued, "Now¡­ everything depends on Ol¡¯ Wong."


    At the same time, Guang Zhen and the 150 people who had been waiting at the hangar boarded the three boarding ships¡­ They might be called boarding ships, but they were more like giant, metallic buckets. After the troopers got in, the bottoms of the buckets extended out particle flux streams. With the propulsion energy, the three boarding ships rushed towards the cursed planet. As they entered its atmosphere, the three ships fell toward the surface following the planet¡¯s gravity. Their falling speed increased like there were three fireballs in the sky.


    Several minutes later¡­


    Using the anti-gravitational system, the three boarding ships landed successfully next to the giant hole where the Noah One once was and the scenery that unfolded before them¡­


    Several green-colored meat blobs were morphing, struggling, consuming, and attacking. Among them¡­ a large meat blob was hatching¡­


    A new lifeform!

 Chapter 335: Appearance of the Demon Race!

    Chapter 335: Appearance of the Demon Race!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The cosmos is millennia old, and there have always been the legends of three greatest threats in space. The third was AI. Low-level AI, middle-level AI, and high-level AI were respectively low-tier space civilizations (level 1 to 3), middle-tier space civilizations (level 4 to 6) and high-tier space civilizations (level 7 to 9). Since there was no need for soul balance or exhaustion, AI civilizations were usually unimaginably huge. The AI would swallow one galaxy after another to convert the materials and energy into its resources. Therefore, AI civilizations would always be a threat, even to space civilizations of similar levels. Only space civilizations that were one level higher than the AI would be able to squash the AI civilization completely. Normally, the only choice was to run. However, there was a fatal flaw to the AI civilizations, and that was their lack of soul. Due to the lack of soul, there would not be improvement in science. A level 3 AI civilization, without encountering some miraculous events, would still be a level 3 AI civilization even after one billion years. Eventually, it would stumble across a civilization more powerful than it and get promptly destroyed!


    There was another legend that stated that AI civilizations could only manage to become level 9 space civilizations at most. They could never become a godlike-tier civilization!


    The second threat was the zerg civilization¡­ Actually, they could hardly be called a civilization, because among the entire zerg civilization, there was only one being with sentience, and that was the so-called mother nest.


    The difference between the zerg and AI was hard to tell. One thing to note was that out of all of the zerg colonies in the cosmos, it was guaranteed there would be no colony that had similar DNA. In other words, even though they were all called the zerg race, each zerg colony was its own isolated existence. They had the same properties of endless consumption, which lumped them together as the zerg race.


    Indeed, the zerg race travelled through space evolving and improving through consumption of all living DNA. The mother nest contained soul, so it could manipulate its own DNA. Therefore, the zerg race could engulf a whole planet to drain its minerals and energy. If it was a life-preserving planet, the zerg race would even end up with a wealth of DNA samples, improving its own race¡¯s power.


    If that was everything the zerg did, then possibly any level 2 space civilization could demolish them. However, the scariest thing about the zerg race was that they were capable of consuming technology!


    Yes, the zerg could consume anything, and if those things were technological products, then the zerg race could even use its own flesh to simulate these products. This was why the zerg race was so scary! Think about it, if the zerg race consumed H-bombs and then used that to create H-bomb flies¡­ Based on the zerg race¡¯s productivity, the sky would be filled with H-bomb flies in just hours¡­ if the opposing race could not handle H-bomb power, then what would happen to them?


    Therefore, the zerg race with great numbers, super productivity and mobility, and insatiable hunger was scarier than AI civilizations. The ability to manipulate technology edged them one ladder higher than AI. There were also rumours stating that the zerg race could never become a godlike-tier space civilization¡­


    Next would be legends about the demon race¡­


    Legends about the demon race were understandably fewer in number than ones about AI and the zerg. This was because no known civilization could provide any real detailed information about the demon race. Therefore, this greediest race in the cosmos was stuff of make believe for many.


    Of course, Guang Zhen knew everything that Blue 6 had told Yao Yuan about the demon race, but when he saw the things before him for himself, he truly understood what the demon race was¡­


    When the three boarding ships landed on the surface, the first thing everyone saw was the innumerable green meat blobs. Of course, these were what the Black Star Troopers saw. The normal human being, Guang Zhen, saw something completely different.


    In his eyes, the world was as miraculous as his dream. The scenery was shifting every other minute; one moment it was the battlefields that he was familiar with, another second it was dates he used to have with his girlfriends, then it would change to his battles side by side with the Black Star Unit¡­


    These memories from the past brought tears to Guang Zhen¡¯s eyes. However, he was a real warrior, one who had survived hundreds of battles, so it only took him several seconds to decide on biting on his tongue in order to pull himself out of the illusion. Then he saw what the others were seeing.


    "You saw that?" Guang Zhen was solemn. He looked at the 150 plus Black Star Troopers behind and whispered at Xiao Niao beside him.


    Xiao Niao was startled and replied curiously, "Saw what? You¡¯re talking about these green blobs? Yes, we definitely see those, but it sounds like you¡¯re not referring to them¡­ so why? Did you see something different from what we see?"


    Guang Zhen gazed into the distance and said, "I¡­ I seemed to be in a dream. It is hard to describe. It was a weird feeling. I seemed to hear a voice calling me deeper into the dream, into happiness. To put it simply¡­ I felt seduced!"


    Xiao Niao¡¯s gaze suddenly sharpened when he heard Guang Zhen say those words. He looked at the green blobs around him and replied, "That¡¯s weird because I did not see those things. Why is that?" Then Xiao Niao asked several Black Star Troopers, including Zhang Heng, and none of them said they had the same experience as Guang Zhen. Zhang Heng added that the planet was extremely dangerous, but the danger was not imminent enough to warrant retreat.


    "Looks like the problem is yours alone¡­" Xiao Niao kept thinking, and he said to no one in particular, "Now that I think about it, the biggest difference between you and the rest of us is you are not a Homo Evolutis¡­ I think I got it. Perhaps there is some unique circumstance here that only affects the mental state of non-Homo Evolutis."


    Guang Zhen patted his own space armor and said, "This armor is completely sealed, it is like a spacesuit. I have no contact with the outside world. Let¡¯s say the virus or air of this planet can induce hallucinations, but how would it affect me?"


    Xiao Niao shrugged and said, "Perhaps hypnosis¡­ Physical contact isn''t necessary to cause hallucinations. In any case, you have to be careful because you¡¯re our leader. If you fall, this mission will fail¡­ If not, why don¡¯t you call Yao Yuan and have him switch positions with you?"


    Guang Zhen smacked his chest and the metallic clang of the armor rang like bells. At the same time, he pulled out his Gaussian gun and sawblade to say, "That is easier said than done. Every minute here is dangerous. How long you think it will take for me to swap places with Yao Yuan? Furthermore, who do you think I am? I am not that weak¡­"


    Here, Guang Zhen¡¯s eyes turned deeper and he looked into the distance again. "These scary dreams seem¡­ to start changing. I now see many creepy monsters. The friends and memories from before have changed into monsters. They were rushing towards those green meat blobs, but¡­ they seemed to be extremely afraid of them. One of them dared to approach us, but it melted into nothingness like it was splashed with a bath of acid¡­"


    When Guang Zhen said that, the green blobs around them started to change. Many meat blobs had their colors changed and were morphing into other strange shapes¡­


    At the same time, within the underground tunnel, Yun Si¡¯s party was completely cornered. At the front of the tunnel entrance was a large number of controlled humans and schools of alien octopuses. Even though they did not come armed with high-tech weapons, their numbers were endless. If not for the advantage of the tunnel, this small group of humans would have been swarmed by now.


    Alas, at that crucial moment, there was a report of problems coming from deeper in the tunnel. There was rumor of monsters among the human group.


    "F*ck, the exit has already been sealed off and blocked! Where will the monsters come from? Do you believe I won''t kill you with a shot right now? The entrance is already breaking and you come to me with this nonsense report from the back? Do you really wish for death?"


    One of the mysterious vice captains roared angrily. He gripped the soldier¡¯s cuff with his eyes blazing, and his gun was pointed at this soldier¡¯s forehead.


    The soldier was innocent, and he could not really give an explanation. Honestly, it was impossible for such a thing to happen, but he really did receive such a report. How else was he going to explain the accidents happening among the civilians? Self-inflicted damage?


    Yun Si, the Diviner, stepped in to calm the captain. He looked down the deep tunnel with cold eyes and said, "Calm down. From that side¡­ I really do sense danger, and look closely, that person right there¡­ does he look like a human being to you?"

 Chapter 336: So-Called Demon

    Chapter 336: So-Called Demon


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Demons¡­ are the ones mentioned in your human race''s bible, or the demon within the heart described within the eastern scriptures."


    Xiao Niao remembered such conversations with ZERO. Even though ZERO had not conversed with him face-to-face, she had always relied on typing, and thus there was always a mechanical feeling to her conversation. But at that moment, Xiao Niao felt the sense of surprise between ZERO''s lines.


    "I have watched you humans evolve from chimps. I can assure you that you humans are normal sentient lifeforms. There are many lifeforms like yourselves in the whole cosmos. You humans are not as exceptional as portrayed in your literature. However, there is one thing that is incredibly curious. In your many civilizations, be it western or eastern, the similarity between the human race''s origin has always been related to earth and the soul (the breath or blood of the gods). Weirdly enough, it is from this origin that the start of the demon race was described¡­


    "Could it be that you humans have a history that is unbeknownst to me as well?"


    Xiao Niao thought back to all of this. It overlapped with the story Guang Zhen told him. The demon in the bible and in human heart¡­ what kind of existence would that be?


    The demon in the bible should be the angel who betrayed God. He went against God''s order and reached out towards mankind''s ancestor, Adam. One third of the angels joined Lucifer''s rebellion and they were all sent by God into hell and became demons. These demons eventually made a deal with God. God would lead humanity towards good while demons would lead humanity towards depravity. The good people would go the heavens and the depraved to hell, thus creating the worldview described in the bible.


    The demon within the human heart in eastern scriptures referred to the possibility of falling into a demonic state during cultivation. The types of demons included sins of greed or envy. They affected the cultivators mentally.


    The similarity between the two was their abstract nature¡­ For example, the demon in the bible might have a shape or form, but due to the limitations set down by God, demons are unable to physically harm human beings. They can only rely on sins and lies to lead humans towards depravity. It was the same for the demons in human hearts.


    The second similarity w as their ability to draw human beings into depravity mentioned above. Both types of demons lure human beings into hell or death through pure deceit. In other words, their influence was purely mental. On the physical plane, demons were non-existent!


    The information above was the product of the many discussions between Xiao Niao and Ren Tao. However, since there were still too many things that were unknown about the demon race, the discussions weren''t much more than things to pass the time.


    Until they captured Blue 6 and obtained more information from him, the discussion between the two Thinkers started in earnest again, but in the end, however, they could not come up with any valid conclusion because they had not seen the demons in action for themselves¡­


    Until then, when Xiao Niao heard those words from Guang Zhen, he finally had some ideas in his mind.


    "I remembered a hypothesis from a famous scientist¡­ He asked another scientist if is there a type of living creature that cannot feel, see, nor touch. The other scientist replied, ''If there is a creature that cannot feel, see, nor touch, then it is not a living creature¡­''"


    Xiao Niao studied the morphing organisms and said this to Guang Zhen matter-of-factly.


    Guang Zhen was in the middle of assigning orders to the Black Star Troopers. He paused when Xiao Niao said those things. He then turned towards him and barked, "Be clear and concise, don''t play puzzles with me. I am not afraid of you Thinkers, I am not Yao Yuan, and this is a battlefield. If your little puzzles cause any delay in the mission, I will be the first to put a bullet in your head!"


    Xiao Niao shrugged helplessly and said, "I meant what I said, literally¡­ Fine, I will put it in simpler terms, and I believe you. Do you remember what Blue 6 told us? In legends, the demons could only be fought by cosmic adapters. In reality, us Homo Evolutis cannot see the illusions that you see, so we will not be affected, and I suspect that if you fall for the illusion¡­ you too will change into those meat blobs. Perhaps¡­


    "The supposed demon race is a type of lifeform that exists purely in soul form. We cannot see them, touch them, or detect them on our radar. Only under specific circumstances will they appear, and when they do, they will use some kind of method to infect materials or lifeforms, changing them into different forms. They use this method to achieve some kind of goal!"


    When Xiao Niao reached this part of his analysis, his face was drawn, but he continued, "And isn''t this¡­ exactly the way the demon in the bible or in our hearts materialize themselves?!"


    At the same time, before the eyes of 150 Black Star Troopers, the several green meat blobs had finished their transformations¡­ The end result was hard to describe. It wasn''t certain whether they were still living organism or not. Some of the meat blobs had morphed into giants, but they were weird-looking and disgusting. The biggest were 20 plus meters tall and were made out of bones. Some of them had seven to eight bones sticking out of their flesh, like spiders.


    Some had minimized to become aheets of meat boils that covered the floor. They were about 20 cubic meters in size.


    Others morphed into rocks or metals. Some parts of their bodies looked like weapons, while others were fire or ice. Some were moving or roaring, while others were completely twisted. It was something that human language failed to describe. It was something out of one''s nightmares.


    These few meat creatures appeared before the Black Star Troopers. Even though the troopers had been through several wars and some of them were soldiers when they were still on Earth, they felt chills when looking at this situation. The chills came from the fear of the unknown¡­ Because what exactly were these things before them!?


    Regardless, there was nothing else they could do but fight!


    Guang Zhen took a deep breath because he saw several mirage creatures slipping into those green meat blobs. The mirages looked exactly like the things that appeared before them now¡­ Was it like Xiao Niao said, could they only exist in soul form and had to rely on inducing evolution in material stuff to pass into the physical world?


    "Fire! Fire! Get into combat!"


    Guang Zhen waved the sawblade in his hand and roared, "We are Black Star Troopers! We are humankind''s best weapon and armor! We are steel! We are the end for humankind''s enemies! We fight for humanity! We have no fear!


    "Kill all the monsters! Cowards will die from shame! Do you wish for your name to appear in the Hall of Remembrance as cowards?! Kill for the Hope! For humanity!"


    A hail of Gaussian bullets rained on those monsters!


    To everyone''s surprise, when the bullets neared the monsters, they disappeared¡­ Yes, all the bullets evaporated into thin air without causing any damage to the monsters. There were no signs of bullet damage on the monsters, nor the ground around the monsters. The blanket fire resulted in¡­ nothing!


    "Electromagnetic shields? Plasma shields?!" Guang Zhen almost bit through his lip because he was the most familiar with what was happening before them. These creatures'' weird and sudden appearance had already rocked the troopers'' confidence in battle. However, if they could win this one battle, then their confidence would be recovered. The troopers had fought bigger and stronger enemies before, like the zerg. The thing that caused fear in their hearts at the moment was the unknown¡­ They would not be afraid of these scary-looking monsters because they were Black Star Troopers, and they had survived multiple space wars and had unimaginable combat capability!


    But now¡­ their attack was useless? And it was not just that the bullets got blocked physically, but this mystery added to the unknown. If this was allowed to continue, then the confidence of the troopers would break¡­


    Guang Zhen gritted his teeth. After a sudden roar, he charged into the fray, his sawblade whizzing through the air. After that, a few of the other Black Star Unit members who came to, the first being Ebon, who was flashing red in his eyes, yelled loudly, "Those that want to accomplish their mission and become a real Black Star Trooper, follow me!" He picked up his speed to chase after Guang Zhen. In fact, he ran past him and was the first to charge into the middle of the monsters. He lifted his sawblade and swiped at a metal monster.


    The sawblade tore through metals¡­


    The sawblade was like cutting through tofu. Ebon had sliced the legs off this monster before he even realized what had happened. Ebon did not stop there. He was a Perceptor, the Homo Evolutis most suited for combat. While he was charging towards another target, he kicked the ground under his feet and the power within his space armor exploded. Following a small tremor, he leaped several meters into the air, and there were two particle flux streams behind him. He landed before a meat mountain monster. Under everyone''s gazes, he charged at it¡­


    Ebon came out from the other side of the monster as the monster was cut into two by him!


    These so-called demons¡­ were so weak?!

 Chapter 337: Underground!

    Chapter 337: Underground!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Demon race¡­


    Of course, that was if these weird things they were facing were indeed the demon race. In any case, the 150 Black Star Troopers annihilated these monsters using their sawblades while suffering zero loss. Then the plasma weapons were used to decimate the monsters'' remains. All of this only took several minutes.


    "This is the so-called demon race? They are so weak!" Ebon laughed in his booming voice.


    Ebon was covered in so many broken remains that his space armor had lost its original color. However, it did not worry him, because after pressing a button, a flash of electricity pulsed through his armor''s surface and the remains were evaporated. The shining space armour was now as good as new.


    Guang Zhen sidled to Ebon¡¯s side while laughing and said solemnly, "Is this really the time for that? Have you forgotten the rules of the battlefield after a few years of peace?"


    Ebon segued into dry laughs and quickly ordered a few troopers to get to work. Right then, Liu Bai walked to Guang Zhen¡¯s side and said, "Commander, as the leading medic of this unit, my suggestion is that¡­ we do not take any samples of these creatures with us, because I cannot guarantee we have really demolished them."


    Guang Zhen nodded as he lifted his head to gaze into the distance. "You are right, we did not really destroy them¡­ or rather, we did not destroy them all. You guys are unable to see what I have seen¡­ These monsters, after their physical bodies were destroyed, other than the few that surrounded several troopers, the rest all changed back to become part of the nightmare. They surround us heavily, roaring at us relentlessly¡­"


    Liu Bai looked at him with a frown. He scoffed, "Commander, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re afraid? What is there to be afraid of regarding these monsters?"


    Guang Zhen did not get mad from the interrogation. After all, Liu Bai was one of his earliest comrades. He merely smiled and said, "I''m not really afraid¡­ but these dreams are frighteningly real. Even the desire deep down in my heart was presented before me. This feeling¡­ is horrible!"


    Liu Bai was silent for some time after he heard that. Suddenly, he waved at a group of Gaussian snipers a distance away from them. As the long-ranged unit got closer, he turned to Guang Zhen and said, "Commander, where is this nightmare that you see?"


    Guang Zhen was taken aback by the question. He replied as his gaze scanned the troopers that had gathered around them. "This is not necessary. Haven¡¯t we tried this before? All long range weapons are useless against them. The bullets will disappear when they get close or will be changed into something else. Other than close combat, there is no way¡­"


    Liu Bai ignored Guang Zhen and ordered the few troopers to fire down the direction Guang Zhen was looking at earlier. The focus fire riddled the ground with bullets, but it did not seem to have done any damage.


    Guang Zhen was silent. He clapped Liu Bai on his soldier. He then walked towards the technical team not far away and said, "You¡¯re worried about me¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I will survive. I know Ying¡¯s death is hanging on your mind. It''s hanging on mine too, so don¡¯t worry. I will not be defeated by mere dreams so easily!"


    On the other hand, Xiao Niao and Zhang Heng were busy alongside 10 plus Black Star Troopers. Among them, a large device was being built. Xiao Niao was ordering the troopers around to fix the parts. The device would be completed soon.


    Right then, Guang Zhen joined them. He asked Xiao Niao, "How long will it take for the super functionality electromagnetic radar to be built?"


    Xiao Niao answered instantly, "It will be done in the next three minutes. Don¡¯t worry, we have had dry runs building this device on the Hope, so it will not take that long. What I am worried about though is what if this device still cannot help us find the Noah One?"


    Guang Zhen sighed. "In that case, we will try our best to spread out. Now, none of us can guarantee that the Noah One is still there, and we cannot guarantee there are still living humans on it, but¡­ since we¡¯re already here, then we will have to complete this mission."


    Xiao Niao thought about it before shrugging helplessly. Then Guang Zhen turned to Zhang Heng and said, "How is the danger level now? Is there anything we should be concerned about?"


    Zhang Heng gave a curious expression before shaking his head. "Actually¡­ I have been feeling the danger ever since we landed on this planet. It has never stopped, and if you want the truth, this kind of danger is similar to life-threatening danger, and it is only getting stronger."


    When Zhang Heng said that, everyone there shivered from chills. After all, Zhang Heng was the most famous Diviner, and he was the strongest Diviner on the Hope (Eva being the exception). His danger sense had never failed them before, so when he said the danger was life-threatening, no one dared to doubt him.


    "In any case¡­" Guang Zhen was calm. He said as he turned back around, "Get the device ready first and try to scan the situation on this planet. If there is really nothing¡­ we will come up with another plan or we will return to the Hope."


    Several minutes later, the device was activated and supermagnetic waves scanned the planet. In just seconds, the situation all over the planet was recorded by the device. This was several million times better than Earth¡¯s radars!


    When one said the situation all over the planet, it meant all over the planet, from the surface to the underground. In actuality, if they were allowed to use the radar on the Hope, they would be able to scan the entire solar system. This too was a product of the 4th revolution.


    The scan result was presented to everyone. Like how it was on the Hope, due to some reasons, the electromagnetic waves were greatly blocked. Most of the radar results were blank spaces. However, perhaps because they were on the planet itself, the 200 kilometers around them were successfully scanned, and what they saw was frightening and exciting.


    "Look! This underground space is too suspicious. Look at that, those are human beings! They are in combat with creatures of some kind. There are several thousand of those creatures!"


    Ebon was the first to cry out when they saw the result. He was ready to wrangle the troops together.


    However, the more experienced Guang Zhen asked the operator, "That¡¯s all? There¡¯s no evidence of a spaceship? Where is the Noah One? These humans couldn¡¯t have just appeared out of nowhere. Where is the important Noah One?"


    The operator continued working for several seconds before replying, "Sorry, the rest of the places are still blank. This is the limit that we can scan, and we did not discover any spaceship parts. But Commander, please look at this¡­ This area near those humans, those are human buildings, and this part on the surface looks like a small town. There are humanoids there. Those are probably humans as well."


    Xiao Niao chimed in, "I have a hypothesis. Perhaps the Noah One suffered irreparable damage during warp, so the survivors built this town on the surface to survive. Then most humans moved in, this is evidenced by our scan result, and then they probably chopped the Noah One apart to be salvaged as building materials for this base. The humans underground¡­ Perhaps it has to do with the demonization on this planet. They were trapped underground due to some reasons. This is the only possibility I can think of."


    Guang Zhen¡¯s eyebrows were locked in deep thought. Even though he was not a Thinker, he was still a veteran soldier. For some reason, his instinct told him that these humans underground were a trap and that the town on the surface was too suspicious. Why would the environment for these two groups of humans be so different? One of them was surrounded and the other was safely inside a town?


    However, the situation demanded action. The several thousand people trapped underground, according to Yao Yuan¡¯s information, were important talents, and they were the main targets of this mission. They were heavily surrounded by unknown creatures and could be wiped out at any minute, so there was no time to waste.


    "¡­Liu Bai, you and Ebon bring 30 troopers to head towards the town. Be careful anddon¡¯t let your guard down just because it is a supposedly human town. The rest of you, follow me. We are going underground!"

 Chapter 338: Deep Infestation

    Chapter 338: Deep Infestation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Any news from the landing unit?" Yao Yuan asked Barbie.


    Barbie checked current information before answering, "No, Sir. The landing unit hasn¡¯t reported back yet."


    "Is that so?" Yao Yuan nodded. Actually, he expected this result. The planet had some kind of unknown message disruptor that blocked the communication technology of level 2 space civilizations. Even the main spaceship¡¯s device could not override the disruption, much less the landing unit.


    "Deploy the connecting satellites as soon as possible. We must gain contact with the landing unit as early as we can." Yao Yuan sighed. Then he snuck a look at Xi Kong, who was nearby. She still looked like a spooked rabbit. Upon witnessing that, Yao Yuan sighed once more.


    For some reason, even the soul web, which could ignore the limitation of the creator¡¯s particle, was blocked by this planet. This was something that had happened for the first time. It made Yao Yuan more alarmed about this planet.


    However, the mission had to be done. The only thing Yao Yuan could do was try his best to protect the landing unit and to provide them with the best benefits.


    At the same time, the changes on the spaceships outside of the cursed planet intensified. The mutual consumption from earlier had decreased and now these unknown masses started gelling together to form something like a heart or an egg. They kept palpating like they were birthing some kind of creature within.


    Under these circumstances, Yao Yuan did not dare to send more Black Star Troopers to land on the planet. He needed to keep them to pilot the Space Combat Jet 011s to help maintain the Hope¡¯s safety.


    "In any case¡­ let¡¯s have faith in Ol¡¯ Wong. He¡¯s a qualified commander and is a combat veteran. If the situation demands it, he will retreat. He is an expert and will not be affected by emotions. I believe in him."


    At the same time, Guang Zhen was staring at the masses of human dolls before him with his mouth open.


    Yes, the creatures that appeared looked exactly like humans, except for the tentacles protruding out of their brains. It gave the impression that their brains were taken over by something. These human-like creatures were attacking them using weapons from old Earth.


    Of course, the strongest of such weapons, the rifle, could do no damage against the space armor. The purpose of the space armor was to prevent the penetration of strong Gaussian weapons, so when facing these almost prehistoric weapons, the troopers did not even spend the energy to move out of the way.


    "¡­Are they humans? Or have they morphed due to some kind of infection? Or is this the effect of this planet¡¯s demonization?"


    These questions were passed among the troopers. They hesitated and held off their attacks; they even wondered if they should identify themselves as humans or not.


    Right then, Guang Zhen roared, "They are not humans! I have seen it, there are giant brains above their heads, and these brains are controlling the bodies. These are the demons! Evolved demons! Kill them! Destroy all the demons!"


    It has to be said that Guang Zhen was a respectful individual within the Hope¡¯s military structure. As the leader of the ship, Yao Yuan might''ve been the leader of the Black Star Troopers, but he was often distracted by paperwork and meetings. The time he could spend with the military was short; therefore, for the Hope¡¯s military, be it the Defense Unit or the Black Star Troopers, their actual leader was Guang Zhen. He used his military standards to cultivate the troops on the Hope. Since he was also the leader for the Defense Unit, his words were just as weighty as Yao Yuan¡¯s.


    After his orders, even though some troopers still had their hesitation, the reflex that had been drilled into them through training made them lift their weapons and start firing. However, many started to frown not long after because they realized that the demons could only be cut down through close combat.


    However, to everyone¡¯s surprise, the Gausian weapons¡¯ penetration power and damage was effective this time. In just a few minutes, the several thousand "humans" were torn into pieces, and they did not show any signs of recovering or evolving. This situation made many widen their eyes in shock, and some even doubted Guang Zhen¡¯s orders¡­ Could these people really be humans? And had they killed innocent people?


    Just as the hesitation passed through the troopers, the Seekers among them yelled out in alarm because they had spotted many weird organisms floating out from the broken meat pieces. They were the size of footballs and had many tentacles. They floated in mid-air, just like a octopuses. But upon closer inspection¡­ they had the appearance of human brains and spines after separating from the skeletal frame!


    After witnessing this, the doubt dissipated. Guang Zhen was right. These creatures were demons. Following the firing of many weapons, these creatures were equally fragile as the human dolls, and they were torn into pieces as well.


    "We are indeed lucky¡­" Xiao Niao followed closely behind Guang Zhen. He sighed and said, "It is lucky that you are leading this mission. Even though Homo Evolutis are not afraid of demonization and are unable to see the illusions, at the same time, we are unable to detect that presence. But you can do that for us. If you weren¡¯t here, this mission would have failed grandly."


    Gaung Zhen ignored him and stared curiously at the empty space that his troops were firing at. Then he whispered at Xiao Niao, "Be quiet, but tell me¡­ What were they shooting at?"


    Xiao Niao looked at him with a certain degree of shock. After all, he was a Thinker, so the shock quickly disappeared. He answered, "They were shooting at the brain creature that you described earlier, but they were small, only the size of footballs. They came out of these humanoid creatures¡¯ brains¡­ You couldn¡¯t see them escaping the dead humanoids¡¯ skulls?"


    Guang Zhen shook his head. "Indeed I saw nothing¡­ Looks like this is a fight that needs both normal humans and Homo Evolutis. This demon race is indeed weird. Some parts of them normal humans could see, but others are only visible to Homo Evolutis¡­"


    Comprehension seemed to dawn for Xiao Niao, but he did not elaborate. He followed Guang Zhen silently deeper into the darkness.


    With Guang Zhen leading the way, the 120 Black Star Troopers continued marching into the underground. The underground space was huge. Even though the place was dark, the space armors came with their own electromagnetic scanners, so they could see clearly in the darkness. The "humans" and brain monsters were like little animals to them. No matter how many there were, they were easily squished. Their speed was not hindered by the monsters, and very soon they were going to reach the spot where the signals of humans were found. The "humans" they came into slowly increased. There were males and females, and they looked like teenagers. They flailed crazily at the troopers.


    At the same time, echoing from a tunnel structure in front of them was the sound of gunfire. It was the sound of the guns humans used to carry.


    "It¡¯s the sound of machine guns¡­" Guang Zhen concluded. He ordered, "The place in front is where we found the signal. However, these people are different from these dolls that we have encountered along the way. Regardless, their situation is dire, and they could be wiped out any time soon¡­"


    Guang Zhen paused before continuing, with determination, "Xiao Niao, I order you to take Zhang Heng and another 20 assault troopers to rush ahead to the signal point. The rest of us will act as your support. You must open a path for the rest of us to get through as soon as you can!"


    Xiao Niao saluted after a shocked pause. He then waved for Zhang Heng and the troopers to gather around him. The 22 troopers rushed towards the signal point, brandishing their sawblades. The small group was like a tank ramming down the "humans" who stood in their path, leaving in their wake a pool of broken meat pieces¡­


    Back in space, Yao Yuan, the surviving aliens, and the rest of humanity had their guts in a twisted knot because before them¡­ one of the five planets revolving around the cursed planet, the one that had become flesh, suddenly grew a scary-looking cartilaginous claw. It was growing out of the planet''s surface¡­ The claw was unimaginably huge, the length was several tens of thousands of meters¡­


    It was as if a planet-sized monster was trying to escape from inside the planet itself!

 Chapter 339: Genesis!

    Chapter 339: Genesis!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In chaos darkness, there was an egg. One day, the egg hatched, birthing a giant. He saw the chaos darkness and split it into two. The pure would rise and the corrupted would fall. The chaos that the giant stepped on became Earth and his arms that rose became the sky. The giant grew ten feet every day, the sky expanded by ten feet every day, and the ground grew thicker by ten feet every day. 18,000 years later, they became the sky and the ground. This was¡­ the eastern myth, the Pangu creation myth.


    In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning¡ªthe first day.¡­ The bible, Genesis 1.


    "Do you see the similarities?" ZERO asked Xiao Niao.


    Xiao Niao studied it for a long time before answering, "They both talk about an omnipotent being creating the world¡­ Wait, both of them seem to mention the same thing, the world or light was created out of chaos and darkness. Is that right?"


    ZERO answered, "Indeed. This is the biggest secret within the cosmos. The birth of the cosmos, or rather the origin of material and soul, came from¡­ the so-called emptiness, darkness, and chaos. In other words, the cosmos."


    For some reasons, Xiao Niao who was rushing deep underground, suddenly remembered this conversation with ZERO. But it disappeared as suddenly as it appeared.


    At the same time, in space, everyone looked at the giant planet in shock. Its surface had completely become flesh, becoming a giant, flesh planet that looked like a heart or an egg. Even the naked eye could see it vibrating.


    Initially, everyone thought this was the result of demonization, but when the indescribably large meat claw came out of this planet, everyone had another realization¡­ this was true result of demonization, a giant, planet-like lifeform!


    "Even so, this kind of lifeform can¡¯t be called the greediest race in space." Yao Yuan¡¯s face was drawn. However, he was, to a certain degree, collected. At that moment, anyone would lose their cool, but not him. If he did, then the rescue mission would truly be over. Speaking of which, Guang Zhen¡¯s troop was still suffering an unknown fate.


    Ren Tao beside him commented as his face shifted as he observed the claw on the planet¡¯s surface, "Indeed. It is not like we have not heard of a planet-sized lifeform before. For example, a large zerg race colony, according to the information provided by the space merchants and Blue 6, can grow to the size of two normal planets, so size alone means nothing. Level 2 space civilizations already have weapons that can directly damage a planet, so big size is not that powerful¡­ What I am worried about is the range of demonization."


    "Range of demonization?" Yao Yuan turned to look at him.


    Ren Tao nodded and said, "We have seen this earlier. The range started around this planet, going from near to far, increasing in effect. We have no way to gauge the area covered by this range¡­ Actually, that is not true, we know we cannot use the creator¡¯s particle within this range, so this could be used as a detection method. Therefore, until now, we have no idea how big this demonization range is. What if¡­ and I¡¯m talking about if, this demonization range doesn''t stop growing? Eventually, the whole solar system will be demonized. Is that not the work of the greediest race in the cosmos?"


    Yao Yuan did not understand where Ren Tao was going with this initially, but he shivered uncontrollably when the latter came to his conclusion. He said, "That sounds impossible. The demonization was caused by a small planet influencing the whole solar system? That is just¡­"


    "Impossible?" Ren Tao scoffed. "Speaking of impossible, what do you think about this situation that is unfolding before us? What kind of mechanism created this series of demonizations? What kind of virus, radiation, or super technology has created these monsters and this planet-like lifeform? All of these are impossibilities, so tell me, what kind of things are impossible?"


    Yao Yuan was rendered speechless. He looked at the claw that was struggling on the planet''s surface silently before laying his eyes on the life-preserving planet just beneath the Hope. He gritted his teeth and ordered, "Make sure the combat unit is ready. The Hope¡¯s third deck better be prepared. Rescind the artilleries on the side and activate the propulsion system¡­ Start activating the Genesis!"


    At the same time, underneath the life-preserving planet, the landing unit had gone through the blockage built by the layers of "humans". The sounds of bullets lodging into flesh sounded non-stop along the way. Before them was a manmade underground tunnel, and several heavy artillery were left by the tunnel''s entrance. Deeper into the tunnel, one could see the chaotic shadows of human beings, and outside of the tunnel were bodies that littered the ground. They were body parts of the possessed human dolls.


    The humans inside the tunnel were in despair. This was because other than the alien octopuses and controlled humans blocking the entrance of the tunnel, the end of the tunnel had collapsed. They were trapped with no chance to hide or escape.


    Not only that, the normal humans inside the tunnel started to rampage. It seemed like several hundred people were turning into monsters, and this chaos started to affect the soldiers who were defending them.


    Under such dire circumstances, about 10 three-meter-tall, dark-colored robots appeared. Their appearance was even more shocking than the monsters. No one knew where these robots came from; were they more aliens? Even so, the damage they showcased was intense. They steamrolled over the controlled humans and alien octopuses. Their weapons were so advanced that they could not see their bullet trajectories. After a minute or two, the tunnel was covered with guts and blood. The swords that looked like saws were insane as well. No matter what stood before them, it would be cut in two with a single slash, be it stone or metal.


    And now the robots were storming into the tunnel. The hearts of the soldiers inside the tunnel were chilled. At the same time, the rifles started firing, all of them aimed at the robots, but the results only made things worse. This was because no matter how many of them fired, the bullets made not even a dent. The bullets were bounced back with a cling whenever they got closer. The robots ignored the hail of bullets and crushed the alien octopuses and controlled humans as they moved closer to the trapped humans.


    Just as the soldiers were ready to kill themselves out of despair, suddenly, a human voice came out of the robot.


    "Members from the Noah One, we are the rescue unit from the Noah Two. Please remain calm. I repeat, we are the rescue unit from the Noah Two. Everyone, please remain calm, we are here to rescue you!"


    Everyone was stunned by this announcement. Those who had grenades ready in their hands stopped moving. However, most still did not believe this. This pause was out of common instinct. Every lifeform had the instinct for survival, even though they knew that the people on Noah Two would not have survived, much less come to save them.


    Right then, a male voice started shouting, "You said you are the rescue unit from the Noah Two?! Since when did our human technology become so advanced? Stop kidding with us. Also, according to the plan, the Noah Two will arrive only after several decades. Who are you people? Do not come any closer, or we will blow up this place with all of us in it!"


    The trooper who spoke earlier was Xiao Niao. He yelled back and said, "Hold your arms. I will have one of us open the armor to let you see clearly¡­ Zhang Heng, sense the danger around you. When you sense that it is safe enough to open your helmet, do it to let them see whether we are really humans or not!"


    Zhang Heng responded and started to feel his surroundings. The gunfire stopped, and several seconds later, Zhang Heng issued to his space armor the order to open his helmet. His helmet was pulled back to reveal his face. The soldiers in the tunnel immediately used their night vision googles to look their way, to study Zhang Heng¡¯s face closely.


    The few mysterious virus survivors among the military observed. "There is no sign of octopus infection. Yes, indeed, he is a human¡­ But we can only see so much, we cannot see the body inside the spacesuit."


    The person with the highest military ranking there was an African American major. He looked forward with some hesitation and heard the cries and roars coming from the down the tunnel. Several minutes earlier, Yun Si took a bunch of people deeper into the tunnel. God knows what had happened in there. They really¡­ did not have time to waste.


    "Let them come in¡­ If they are hostile, they would have crushed us directly, just like those alien octopuses. Even though I still cannot believe they are people from the Noah Two¡­ this is our only hope."


    The African American yelled loudly to his men before turning to Xiao Niao and the rest, "I am Jacko, the major for the Noah One¡¯s second military unit! I wish to converse with the commander of your military!"


    "As you wish!"


    A voice came from the human dolls. Soon, a large group of Black Star Troopers stormed into the space. The one leading them removed his space helmet. That person was Guang Zhen. He looked at the African American major and ordered, "The Hope¡¯s Defense Unit commander and Black Star Trooper¡¯s vice-captain, Wong Guang Zhen¡­ I ask that your military listen to my orders. Now we will escort the civilians out into safety!"

 Chapter 340: Rescue Begin

    Chapter 340: Rescue Begin


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    With the help of the Black Star Troopers, even though there were only one hundred plus of them, their power was immeasurable. The thousands of controlled humans and alien octopuses were cleared before the group of surviving soldiers¡¯ shocked gazes. Then they broke off into teams of ten to form a defensive perimeter outside of the tunnel. The ease with which they carried out their mission shocked the survivors in the tunnel.


    Following the guidance of the major by the name of Jacko, Guang Zhen led twenty troopers deeper into the tunnel. Along the way, they saw the rows of civilians standing or lying by the tunnel walls, looking at the encroaching Black Star Troopers in fear. Major Jacko immediately had his men go comfort and console the civilians.


    On the way, Jacko asked Guang Zhen, "Commander Wong¡­ if you don¡¯t mind me asking, I have not heard of any country¡¯s highest commander by the name of Wong Guang Zhen. Were you elected after we left Earth?"


    Even though each country had their own differing military system, there was one common thing: it was hard to reach the position of commander unless one was born within a military family, or else a normal soldier would spend his or her lifetime without even getting close to being given that honor. Of course, during a time of war, this tradition had to be relaxed considerably.


    Regardless, the fact that he was given the task of leading such a rescue mission meant that it was likely that Guang Zhen came from military family who relied on connections. Furthermore, from the little contact that they had had, Jacko was all the more certain Guang Zhen came to his position through actual warzone and combat. Therefore, he was even more curious.


    Guang Zhen answered after a short pause, "No, I am not from Earth¡¯s military or rather, not anymore¡­"


    "Not anymore?" Jacko was befuddled, and he thought back to what Guang Zhen had said earlier. "Then what is the Hope? Aren¡¯t you from the Noah Two?"


    "The Noah Two is the Hope." Guang Zhen shook his head and said, "It is complicated. Many things happened after the Noah One left Earth¡­ It''s unbelievable, but I can tell you for certain that we are indeed humans and we came from the same place as you all. We were tasked with the mission to rescue you and lead you all out of this cursed planet. We will answer your questions when we reach the Noah Two."


    Jacko wanted to ask some more questions, but at that time, several hundred civilians rushed towards them, their faces painted with fear and terror. Chasing after them was a "monster" whose brain and neck were horribly twisted and elongated. It grabbed an unfortunate soul and with a crack and pop of bones¡­ it shoved the human into his stomach. Some screams and howls later, the human completely disappeared and the monster grew more twisted and bigger.


    Jacko¡¯s face fell when he saw this, because they were close to the tunnel''s caved-in entrance. If a monster appeared at this place, one could only imagine how bad it would be inside the tunnel. There were several thousand civilians in there, and if anything happened to them¡­ then the rescue mission would have failed grandly.


    Guang Zhen reacted quickly. He ordered immediately, "This is a demonized human being, it is no longer one of us. I saw the human''s soul being pulled out of his body when he was still dreaming. It is a demon now. Kill it, Black Star Troopers, then push forward! Destroy any humans that have been demonized!"


    Under Guang Zhen¡¯s order, the troopers pressed on. They did not show any fear towards these monsters. After all¡­ when they were on the surface, they had killed many such monsters. Just like that, a trooper rushed towards the monster and allowed the monster to twist him using its strengthened limbs. The space armor was tough enough to withstand assault from tanks, much less this monster of the flesh. The trooper shook the monster off, tearing its limbs along the way. The trooper waved his sawblade and the monster was cut into two instantly. In just seconds, this scary-looking monster was cut into meat pieces like tofu.


    Jacko witnessed this and sighed internally. If they had this armor when they were facing the alien octopuses, then they would have been able to overcome the crisis easily and would not have ended up in such a desperate situation.


    However, he did not have time to dwell on this. He followed the troopers, rushed into the tunnel, and found many safe civilians along the way. However, there were also many monsters, as well as¡­ humans who were in the middle of demonization, creatures that were half demon, half humans¡­


    The tunnel was like a unique type of hell. Due to the earlier lack of Homo Evolutis, normal people were unable to notice the demonization of the people beside them. As the Black Star Troopers passed through the tunnel, the originally quietly sitting civilians suddenly realized that there was a scary monster sitting or lying beside them. It created a massive chaos, and the scariest thing was that some civilians did not even realize that they were slowly being eaten by the monsters. When the troopers passed, they finally saw that their bodies had been half-chewed off. This kind of terror¡­ would only appear in hell!


    When Guang Zhen¡¯s group saw this, the Black Star Troopers and surviving soldiers from the Noah One felt suppressed by their heavy hearts. If one was to calculate carefully, the surviving number of civilians would be less than 3,000. About half of the citizens had been demonized or were demonizing, and these people¡­ were treasures for humanity! Any dead person could have the ability to become humanity¡¯s greatest scientist¡­


    After a short journey and after Guang Zhen realized that there were about only 3,000 human survivors, a series of gunshots suddenly came from somewhere ahead. It startled everyone, and they picked up their pace. They turned a small corner and saw that several hundred soldiers were retreating and protecting the hundreds of civilians behind them. In front of them was a large, cylindrical worm chewing down on the bodies that littered the floor. The worm was as large as the tunnel itself and was moving towards them with some strange motion, forcing them back. However, the scariest thing was that the worm¡­ had a human face!


    Among the soldiers, a young man by the age of twenty seemed to have realized something. When he turned back and noticed Jacko, he immediately yelled, "Major Jacko, please lead the civilians out of the tunnels. There are no longer any surviving humans ahead. The more this thing consumes, the bigger it becomes. We cannot hold it off any longer, and our bullets do no damage to it because it can consume even bullets!"


    Then the young man seemed to have noticed Guang Zhen and the troopers. Shock registered on his face before he and the soldiers behind him lifted their weapons to aim at Guang Zhen.


    Jacko roared, "Yang Yun Si, they are humans! They are members from the Noah Two tasked to come save us. Hold your fire, they are here to help us¡­" Then, he turned to face Guang Zhen.


    "Commander Wong, I will leave this to you and your soldiers. I will lead the civilians out. There are many seniors, ladies, and children, so they might not move fast. Therefore, please hold up our rear and prevent all the monsters from getting to us."


    Guang Zhen nodded. "Of course. My orders were to save everyone that still has a breath in them. But please remember, there must be a Homo Evolutis among the crowd, or there might be demonization¡­ Homo Evolutis are people like my soldiers. Therefore, I will give you five troopers to protect the civilians, I will hold up the rear."


    Jacko beamed happily and saluted Guang Zhen. He then ran towards the civilians. After Guang Zhen assigned him five troopers, he addressed the rest. "Attention. These people are humanity¡¯s greatest treasures. They are either great scientists or the best technical workers. They are instrumental to the Hope¡¯s future development, so this is a fight for our children and grandchildren, for the continuation of humanity¡¯s future! Follow me!"


    Guang Zhen then rushed towards the human-faced worm. Several seconds later, one trooper, two troopers, three troopers¡­ they ran past Guang Zhen and charged at the worm with an indomitable will¡­


    At the same time, Yao Yuan had received the latest update from the planet. The satellites had been dispersed throughout the planet. According to the disturbance around the planet, he would receive updates from the landing unit after about one minute.


    However, after this message came in, the Hope¡¯s surveillance unit also sent in a bad update¡­


    The surface of this planet showed signs of morphing into flesh, metal, and energy layers¡­


    Yes, the cursed planet itself was demonizing!

 Chapter 341: Exit…

    Chapter 341: Exit¡­


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "There are in total 3,441 people, including 426 military. The rest are the survivors from the Noah One¡­ However, 100 plus of them have shown signs of demonization of varying degrees."


    When Guang Zhen led the 50 Black Star Troopers out of the tunnel and ordered them to collapse the tunnel''s entrance, Xiao Niao came to report to Guang Zhen.


    Guang Zhen nodded suddenly. There was a melancholy in his heart not only because the ¡®reward¡¯ for this mission was so lacking, but also because he lamented the fragility of human lives. The Noah One started with 30,000 plus people, but now there was only one-tenth of them left, and around 100 of them had half-demonized. This was too cruel¡­ Could cruelty be the only thing that the vast cosmos could present?


    However, Guang Zhen was still Guang Zhen, so this melancholy lasted only for a minute. Soon, he turned to tell Xiao Niao, "Abandon all the demonized civilians and lead the rest to the surface. By the way, has contact been made with the Hope?"


    Xiao Niao nodded immediately. "That was what I was going to report. Commander Wong, communication has been made with the Hope, but the connection is not steady. It keeps breaking and disruption is strong. According to what we can see, the disruption is only getting stronger."


    Guang Zhen was startled before continuing, "Then what are we waiting for? I will contact Yao Yuan immediately. The situation here is worse than we previously imagined¡­"


    Just like that, Yao Yuan managed to contact Guang Zhen after several seconds. They managed to have a conversation of sorts despite the static.


    When only static could be heard from the communicator, Guang Zhen turned to address the rest. "The situation in space is not looking so good either. We have to increase our pace. Xiao Niao will still lead the Black Star Troopers to open up a path and I will lead part of the troopers to bring up the rear. That is the plan, so start moving. Our aim is the surface. The Hope will enter the planet¡¯s atmosphere and use a large amount of transportation vessels to come fetch us. We will definitely be able to evacuate in the shortest amount of time."


    After Guang Zhen gave his order, Yun Si, Jacko, and a few military officers accosted him. The leading Yun Si said directly, "Commander Wong, I heard your army plans to abandon those civilians who are demonizing, but there are at least 100 of them¡­"


    Guang Zhen nodded. "Indeed, those were my orders. We have to hurry and evacuate, there is no time to waste. You all are military soldiers from the Noah One, and I order you now to go comfort the remaining civilians and lead them to follow us to the surface."


    Yun Si frowned and said coldly, "Commander Wong, I respectfully decline your orders. These 100 plus people still have the consciousness of humans, and there is only minor demonization on their bodies. If anything, they might be caused by virus infection or radiation and not demonization. We cannot abandon them like this!"


    Guang Zhen looked at Yun Si coldly and he continued in his emotionless tone, "The situation is worse than you can possibly imagine, and I can guarantee you this is not caused by infection or radiation, this is something worse¡­ Follow my orders, understand that I am the commander here!"


    Yun Si¡¯s eyes reddened, not from tears but from sheer anger. He responded by glaring at Guang Zhen in return. "You want us to abandon these innocent citizens? Do you understand the kind of existence they have led? If we were on Earth, each and every one of them would have more power than you and me! They are humanity¡¯s most valuable treasures! Their scientific knowledge is enough to change humanity for the better, and you wish to abandon them? Plus, some of them came with their families. You want us to abandon them together with their families?"


    "I understand," Guang Zhen said as gentleness entered his eyes, but his expression was cold as before as he continued, "Frankly, this is a disease worse than any normal infection. Even full quarantine would not be of use, unless the person is a Homo Evolutis. He or she will only become another source of infection. You have to understand¡­. The spaceship that we are heading towards have 200,000 plus people, and many are children. If we carry along these 100 people, we are putting 10,000 people¡¯s lives at risk. Yang Yun Si, you are also a soldier, right? Under this situation, please follow my orders. I don¡¯t have the luxury to explain the situation for the third time."


    "Never!" Yun Si¡¯s eyes were blazing with passion. He yelled, "Abandoning them once was enough! Do you want me to abandon them for a second time? If you can, execute me on the spot, or else I will resist this order as long as I have a breath in me!"


    As he said so, Guang Zhen had already pulled out his gun to aim at Yun Si. As he prepared to fire, Jacko behind Yun Si knocked him out with a smack to the back of his head. At the same time, Jacko said, "He is one of the Homo Evolutis you have mentioned earlier. He is an asset to help us in our retreat. Please forgive him for now. If there is really a need for punishment, we will bring him to military court when we are safe on the ship!"


    Xiao Niao moved to Guang Zhen¡¯s side and pulled down his arm that held the gun, adding, "There are some things that happened earlier¡­ When you were inside, I heard about the general situation from them. In any case¡­ just let him go for now. After all, he has fainted, so he cannot stop our retreat mission anymore."


    Guang Zhen retracted his gun silently and roared at the people around him, "Start moving. Everyone follow your orders and your immediate superior. Do not leave your unit! Move out! Qi Xiao Niao, stay by my side, summarize for me what has happened. Why did this group of people leave the city? Where is the Noah One? Why is the number of fatalities so high?"


    Xiao Niao laughed bitterly and relayed to Guang Zhen what he had heard. Instantly, Guang Zhen frowned.


    The rescue mission¡¯s purpose was naturally to save all the survivors from the Noah One. After all, even though the Hope had a great population, the number of scientists, researchers, and technical workers was comparatively low. Especially with the arrival of 4th revolution and the start of technological specialization, the required number of scientists had starkly increased. With assistance of the talents from the Noah One, the Hope would save at least ten years in research!


    Other than this main mission, Guang Zhen still had a side mission, it was to locate the Noah One and retrieve all the information available within it. It would help complement the information in the Noah Two and there would be detailed explanations from the various countries when they first built these two spaceships.


    And now the Noah One had disappeared into thin air, so this side mission was a complete failure.


    "Is that so¡­ This Austin is indeed an impressive character. The clarity of his mind is startling. Under those circumstances, saving everyone was indeed impossible, so he just took a few people with him and initiated space warp¡­ I wonder where the Noah One is now, and also whether they can last for several decades while waiting for a new batch of humans to arrive." Guang Zhen sighed, but suddenly his face changed as if he had just remembered a tragedy.


    "F*ck, Liu Bai and the rest are in danger."


    Xiao Niao shrugged. "That was what I intended to say¡­ If the city was taken over by the demons, this means danger for Liu Bai¡¯s group, but I wouldn¡¯t worry too much. Since Liu Bai¡¯s group are mostly Black Star Unit members, they are better than the Black Star Troopers. I suspect they noticed the incongruity the moment they got near and have already retreated. After all, with the power of the space armor, as long as they were not heavily surrounded, escape should not be an issue."


    Guang Zhen hesitated before nodding and saying, "Hopefully you are right¡­ Wait, what is happening? Why did we stop moving? We have to get to the surface as soon as possible!"


    Not long after that, Zhang Heng led two people and rushed from the front in a hurry. Zhang Heng told them directly, "The road ahead is blocked. The opening we used to come down has disappeared, but that is not the worst¡­ the stone there has become metals, and the metallization is slowly spreading across the surface!"


    Guang Zhen¡¯s face was ashen, but thankfully, he was wearing his space helmet, or the morale of the team would''ve drastically decreased. Several seconds later, he yelled, "Use all the heavy artillery and cannons to blow us an exit! Even if there is a diamond wall, cut a hole in it!"


    Zhang Heng laughed bitterly. "We have tried that. Even with the Gaussian cannons we brought along, the metallic wall¡­ is like a living thing. No matter how many holes we punched in it, it recovered in the shortest amount of time. We are unable to blow through this metallic layer with the amount of firepower we have!"


    When he said that, not only was Guang Zhen baffled, the people around him were of the same expression. It was over¡­ really over!


    At the same time, outside of the human city, Liu Bai and his group had cut down a group of demon monsters. Right then, they were studying the city using their telescope. They had confirmed that the creatures in the city were not normal human beings. They were demon monsters, so they did not enter the city but chose to retreat to meet up with Guang Zhen¡¯s unit.


    "Hey, do you feel that?"


    Suddenly, Ebon said curiously, "Why do I feel the earth moving? Earthquake?"


    Before the rest of them could answer, suddenly, they were all stunned because their reflections were staring at them from the floor. They were suddenly standing on top of a metallic surface!


    The piece of land had completely metallized!

 Chapter 342: Aerial Combat

    Chapter 342: Aerial Combat


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "This is bad!"


    In the Hope¡¯s control room, Yao Yuan and the rest saw for themselves the changes happening to the planet¡¯s surface. Their faces were ashen and withdrawn, especially when the changes reached the entrance Guang Zhen¡¯s unit took to enter the underground. The despair stifled everyone¡¯s words.


    "No, we have to save them!" Yao Yuan roared immediately, and it helped to calm his mind. "We cannot use any large scale weapons, because they are trapped underground. We cannot control the penetrating power of Gaussian weapons, so they will be harmed even if they are in space armours."


    Yao Yuan¡¯s brain started moving. He had entered the Thinker¡¯s state, similar to Ren Tao beside him. Both understood that, emotional factors aside, losing Guang Zhen and the Black Star Troopers would be a loss the Hope was unable to handle.


    The death of 150 Homo Evolutis would deal a heavy blow to the Hope¡¯s strongest military regiment, and this was a loss that most likely would not be recoverable.


    Other than that, Guang Zhen himself was invaluable¡­ Yes, he was a normal human being, and yes, his position as the successor to the Hope still received many protest, yes, he might have a conservative thinking, yes, he had many weaknesses¡­


    But it was undeniable that Guang Zhen was the person who had the most right to rule the Hope other than Yao Yuan. This was because from the perspective of law and logic, Guang Zhen was the most suitable candidate to inherit the Hope¡¯s government. If anything bad did happen to Yao Yuan, then his presence would be able to unite the people on the Hope. This was Guang Zhen¡¯s instrumental use, or else¡­ the Hope would be dominated by Yao Yuan alone. If he decided to become a dictator, then there would be no one available to stop him or balance out his power¡­ this was why many learned politicians did not resist Guang Zhen but chose to side with him.


    Therefore, Guang Zhen could not die!


    Time trickled by, but Yao Yuan and Ren Tao were silent. They could not come up with a solution to solve this conundrum. Sweat was pouring down their faces, and their heads seemed ready to explode. However, something happened that pulled them out of their contemplation.


    Suddenly, the screens in the control center blinked into darkness and all the information disappeared. This had happened once before, it was when the space merchants had taken over the Hope¡¯s central mainframe. So why had this happened again? Could it be that¡­ those aliens who swore loyalty to humanity were up to something?!


    Yao Yuan was assaulted by surprise and anger. He was going to call Xi Kong to enter the soul web to have the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s attack the vassal races when a series of words appeared on the screen.


    "Nice to meet you, humanity¡¯s leader, the captain of the Hope, and the natural leader of all Homo Evolutis, I am ZERO."


    Yao Yuan was first shocked before he calmed down. He looked at the screen and said, "You can hear me, right? Or is communication only possible through typing? I am running out of time. I think you also understand this. Qi Xiao Niao is also on this planet. If you wish to save him, then stop adding distractions at a critical moment like this!"


    "I can hear you, translating speech to words is not that difficult¡­ I know you also want to save them, but your method is wrong. When facing a demonized planet, other than using the planet-annihilating cannon, normal weapons are useless against it. They would heal automatically and will demonize all sorts of materials. There is only one unique exception¡­"


    Yao Yuan asked impatiently, "What unique exception? You have a way to save them?"


    "I cannot do anything. Overseeing the numerous controlled warps has exhausted my store of energy, so I cannot help¡­ But you can. You are the Immortal, or what you call the All-rounder. You are the demon race¡¯s achilles¡¯ heel. If you take your Space Combat Jet Prototype 011 and fire at the demonized area from within the atmosphere of the planet, then the area will return to its original form and will not be demonized, at least for a short period of time. Only you¡­ can save them!"


    At the same time, Liu Bai¡¯s group on the surface was in the midst of despair. They had returned to the underground entrance where Guang Zhen¡¯s unit was earlier. They realized that the entrance had been completely sealed off because it had metallized. God knows how thick this metal layer was. No matter how hard they tried to attack the ground, the metal layer would recover on its own.


    "What do we do? Captain Wong and his team are still down there! I am certain that the underground tunnels haven¡¯t caved in and that they are still alive. We have to save them!" Ebon howled loudly. He used his sawblade to swipe at the metal surface, but no matter how many lesions he left on it, it would heal after a moment or two. This metallic layer was indestructible.


    Liu Bai grabbed hold of Ebon and said, "Stop! Preserve your energy. There are demon creatures all around us. Te must secure this location until Captain Wong leads his team out of there or until we receive a new order. Remember your identity! You are a member of the Black Star Unit! Not ruffians on the streets! I believe¡­ the old captain is trying his best to save us, I am sure of it!"


    Ebon quieted down before he continued in his signature loud voice, "That is for sure! When has old captain ever abandoned us before? He is not Ying¡­ In any case, I will stand my ground here. No one is going to pull me away!"


    Liu Bai shrugged. He stopped paying Ebon attention and turned to address the rest. "We will rest. Black Star Unit members, please be on alert. Wa Luo, continue checking the communication device. Are we still unable to communicate with the Hope?"


    Wa Luo was the team¡¯s communications member. He laughed bitterly. "Nope, still nothing. This planet¡¯s disturbance is too strong, so our communication devices cannot even function properly. Unless we¡¯re talking face-to-face, or else¡­"


    "Is that so¡­ Continue trying, don¡¯t give up." Liu Bai patted Wa Luo on his shoulder, the collision of their space armors creating a metallic clink. Both stopped talking and maintained their silence.


    However, right then, the static from the communication device cleared slightly. Both of them tensed when they noticed this. Wa Luo grabbed the microphone and yelled, "This is the landing unit. Black Star Troopers fourth unit¡¯s unit leader, Yang Wa Luo, requesting to communicate with the Hope¡¯s central command. I repeat, this is the landing unit, Black Star Troopers fourth unit¡¯s unit leader, Yang Wa Luo, request to communicate with the Hope¡¯s central command."


    Just like that, both men had their hearts hanging on a thread. They waited patiently as the signal got clearer and clearer. Finally, the static cleared and they could hear the voice of a man.


    "This is Yao Yuan! Wa Luo, report on your situation now!"


    Wa Luo immediately responded, "We were separated from Captain Wong¡¯s team when we reached the surface. We have 30 Black Star Troopers and all the Black Star Unit members with us, while Captain Wong went down the underground with the rest. From our earlier communication, they have saved part of the Noah One¡¯s passengers, but about 3 minutes ago, the surface here metalized and our weapons can do no damage to it. The entrance used by Captain Wong has been sealed off. Awaiting the Hope¡¯s orders."


    Yao Yuan paused before continuing, "Understood¡­ Now, your team will be responsible to clear all the demon monsters around the entrance. At the same time, move a bit further away from the entrance and be on the ready to cover for the civilians who come from the underground. Those are your orders, keep operating it until new orders are given."


    "Yes, Sir!"


    They congregated a distance away from the entrance when the unit saw several Space Combat Jets fly from the sky. The jets still maintained their three jets per unit formation, and the leading jet was bright red in color. In the entire Black Star Troop, the only red-colored space armor and combat jet belonged to Yao Yuan!


    In other words, Yao Yuan had personally led the troop to enter this cursed planet!


    "Didn¡¯t I say that old captain would not abandon us!"


    Ebon started running, following the combat jets in the sky. He also started laughing, and one could hear the joy in it. Behind him, the rest of the Black Star Troopers also got inspired. Only Liu Bai said calmly, "Be careful! Pay attention to your surroundings. We mustn¡¯t fail this mission¡­ Also, Ebon, stop your cackling! You¡¯re attracting the enemies!"


    Ebon, though, appeared to not have heard Liu Bai. He continued laughing, and his laugh permeated far and wide into everyone¡¯s hearts¡­


    Telling them that they¡­ had not been abandoned!

 Chapter 343: Deeper Underground Kingdom

    Chapter 343: Deeper Underground Kingdom


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Deep underground, in just a matter of minutes, several people already had white hairs growing out of their skulls.


    Waiting for death at a dead end, this was the real despair. This kind of waiting was the worse, it was worse than death itself. Every second was like spending it in hell.


    Thankfully, Guang Zhen still managed to maintain his cool. He ordered the Black Star Troopers to set up a perimeter and ordered the Noah One¡¯s soldiers to comfort the public. However, there appeared to be a parting layer within Guang Zhen and his army. Even though they still followed his orders. their actions and expressions showed their reluctance.


    "You abandoned those demonizing civilians, pooling these forces together in resentment against you," Xiao Niao whispered to Guang Zhen.


    Guang Zhen nodded and shrugged it off because he was only doing the right thing. Whether it was beneficial or not, he would allow time to prove himself. No matter what, there was nothing bothering him on his conscience, or else he would not have made that decision.


    "Stop chitchatting. You are a Thinker, solve this problem facing us," Guang Zhen told Xiao Niao directly.


    Xiao Niao shrugged helplessly. "It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, but there is no solution. You think I don¡¯t want to live? But the fact is, there is no solution. Enless we receive external aid, we are definitely trapped in here."


    "That is what I¡¯m afraid of," Guang Zhen said openly when Xiao Niao finished. "If even you come to that conclusion, then Ren Tao and Yao Yuan will do the same. I don¡¯t want to comment too much on Ren Tao, but you also know how he is. Huring critical times, other than his sister, everyone else is disposable¡­ I am worried about Yao Yuan. He will definitely come save us, and he will do that personally. In that case, if anything were to happen to him¡­ The Hope and humanity would be done for!"


    Xiao Niao was silent, but he was thinking about something else. In his memories, there appeared to be no situation where both Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were absent from the Hope. The only time that happened was when they were on that life-preserving planet when the zerg attacked. However, that was, in a way, humanity¡¯s last stand. After all, the prize was humanity¡¯s final dream, to have a planet where they could live in peace and breathe its open air. Under those circumstances, it was the first and only time that both Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were out of the Hope at the same time. Now that he thought about it¡­ Yao Yuan was indeed extremely careful.


    "No matter what, the only thing we can do now is wait," Xiao Niao commented with another shrug.


    Guang Zhen then stood there quietly¡­


    This silent torment lasted for several minutes until a static cleared from the communicator. Everyone was first stunned before they broke out in celebration. They all pooled around the communicator, waiting for the message.


    "Hello, can the people down there hear me? This is Yao Yuan. I order the unit underground to continue moving deeper underground. Stay far away from the metal layer. We will use heavy artillery to blow open this metal layer. I repeat, this is Yao Yuan¡­"


    The message was still breaking in places and was interspersed with static, but at least they had heard hope coming from the outside, and the most exciting part was that it came directly from Yao Yuan!


    As aforementioned, Yao Yuan¡¯s influence in the Hope was immeasurably huge because he had saved the Hope from the brink of extinction multiple times. He had also led the Black Star Troopers to complete many unimaginably hard missions. In other words, if it were not banned by Yao Yuan himself, there might''ve been a religion on the Hope which prayed to him. He was called "savior" by many on the Hope, "the man of miracles" and the like. In the Black Star Troopers, many had these beliefs, especially those who were "summoned" by Yao Yuan.


    Therefore, when Yao Yuan¡¯s voice appeared through the mist of static, almost everyone¡¯s spirits were soaring. There was no longer any hesitation as they waited for Guang Zhen to order them to go deeper underground.


    Guang Zhen kept yelling at the communicator, but no matter how hard he did so, the message coming through it was the same and the message was disappearing before it became all static.


    Then everyone turned to focus on Guang Zhen, waiting for him to arrange the next step. After a short contemplation, Guang Zhen ordered, "Zhang Heng will still lead the way and my unit will close up the rear. Xiao Niao will be in the middle, and that is how the formation will be. Let¡¯s move out! We need to get deeper underground with the highest speed!"


    The unit started to move with chaos, but it was quickly suppressed. The remaining 3,000 plus people had already gotten their senses dulled. They were now following the Black Star Troopers like sheep. Nobody cared what lied ahead, because there was only despair in their hearts¡­


    Time passed as they trudged deeper underground. However, the deeper they got, the more anxious they became. From Zhang Heng¡¯s danger sense, they could tell that even though the danger from aboveground had diminished, it was not enough to a level where it was no longer life-threatening. At the same time, the deeper they trekked, the stronger the sense of danger that came from deep underground. Zhang Heng could not pinpoint the origin of the danger, but it was as large as the danger aboveground.


    The conundrum once again fell on Guang Zhen¡¯s shoulders. Should they push forward or stop there and wait for the layer above them to open?


    "We¡­ will continue going down!" Guang Zhen lifted his head to observe the rock layer above him. The metal layer could no longer be seen, but according to the penetration of Gaussian weapons, where they were standing was still fatal. Therefore, between the choice of combat with the demons or death through friendly fire, Guang Zhen chose the former. He assumed that the danger from underground came from the demon monsters¡­


    "We will follow Zhang Heng¡¯s instincts. He is the Hope''s, no, humanity¡¯s, strongest Diviner. We will follow his instincts and choose the option that is the safest!"


    At the same time, the few Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s were combining. Yes, all three jets had opened their electromagnetic fusion parts to fuse together. The three jets formed a large Gaussian weapon. This was the true face of Space Combat Jet Prototype 011, this was the strongest weapon the jets could carry!


    "Ol¡¯ Wong¡­ Everyone, you have to survive!"


    Yao Yuan looked at the silvery-white metal surface and prayed internally. Then he yelled, "Using the coordinates as target, fire at will! We have to create an opening that is at least one kilometer wide!"


    "Fire!"


    Following Yao Yuan¡¯s command, the fused 20 plus jets had their weapons roaring at the same time. The moment the Gaussian weapons started firing, the surface started flaking with large metallic pieces. The power of the Gaussian weapons was on full display, but to everyone¡¯s consternation, even though the metal layer was riddled with weapon damages, it was recovering with a speed that was observable to the naked eye. When the layer was about to fully recover, Yao Yuan¡¯s red color combat jet flew down to the surface. Its body was almost touching the ground. For some unknown reason, the seemingly living metallic surface stopped moving, the opening remained open, the ground became ground again, and even the metal pieces that were blown back reverted to rocks.


    "Continue attacking! Do not stop! Let us blow a big hole in the ground to give our heroes a grand return!" Yao Yuan howled as he controlled his combat jet to continue attacking the surface¡­


    At the same time, in space, Bo Li sat in the captain¡¯s chair. Before her and the rest of the workers, a large screen was displaying everything that was happening on the cursed planet. With Yao Yuan as the center, more than a thousand kilometers from Yao Yuan, all the signs of demonization were receding. This was a welcoming observation.


    However, ten seconds later, everyone¡¯s faces changed again because another giant claw came out of the planet that had become flesh. The two claws scratched at the planet''s surface like it was trying to pull itself out. The fleshy planet surface was hard as rubber, so no matter how ferocious these two claws were, they kept them attached to the planet, but it was public knowledge that it was only a matter of time before the owner of the two claws would escape the shackles of the planet¡­


    Back underground, the unit stopped moving directly forward but turned corners following Zhang Heng¡¯s instinct. During the moving process, the earth started vibrating and there were cracks on the rock layers above them. Thankfully, the cracks were not serious enough to cause cave ins. Even though there were already recorded injuries, if the metal layer was completely punctured, it would be more than injuries, they would be buried alive¡­


    Just as everyone was in the throes of panic and Guang Zhen wanted to increase the pace of the group to avoid the possible cave in, they turned a large corner. What unveiled before their eyes¡­


    Was a large, metallic underground city. The buildings had crumbled in places, but one could still see the general shape and size of a large underground metropolis¡­


    An alien underground metropolis!

 Chapter 344: Discovery!

    Chapter 344: Discovery!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    An alien underground city?!


    This was something beyond imagination!


    Guang Zhen was first shocked when he saw this, and the thought of what Blue 6 said cropped up in his mind. The legend about cursed planets and how they were life-preserving planets who avoided the attack from a neutron star fragment.


    When sentient lifeforms appear on a life-preserving planet, with the natural advancement of technology, they eventually venture into space as long as the race does not face extinction through lack of materials or infighting.


    When this race manages to colonize every corner of its solar system, they will naturally wish to venture out of the confines of its own solar system. When that happens, the race becomes a level 2 space civilization.


    When a spaceship leaves its home solar system and returns to its solar system, within three years, a neutron star fragment that warped to a place outside this solar system will start flying towards the sun. This will obviously cause the sun to explode and thus destroy all life in the solar system. Of course, before that catastrophe, there will be enough time for this level 2 space civilization to leave and become an actual space-faring civilization.


    However, the vast cosmos was home to many miracles. Of the millions upon millions of life-preserving planets, there had to be exceptions, no matter how small that probability was. When a level 2 space civilization returned to its home solar system and there was no neutron star fragment that appeared to threaten its existence, then the life-preserving planet of this solar system would be called a cursed planet, the place where demons were born!


    If one followed this train of thought, then this city¡­


    Was the ruins of the level 2 space civilization who returned to this planet?


    While this thought was percolating through Guang Zhen¡¯s mind, the rock layer above his head suddenly started to shake and a large amount of rocks fell on them. They did not have the time to waste on speculation. Guang Zhen immediately yelled, "Black Star Troopers, hack out a way forward, remove all demon monsters. The rest of soldiers, follow closely behind. We will enter the metallic buildings of this city to temporarily hide from the collapse!"


    Very soon, the Black Star Troopers disperse to clean out the alien octopuses. They also discovered many small alien octopuses, but it was not the time to dwell on that. After a short commotion, they managed to locate several relatively sturdy metallic buildings. With the Black Star Troopers as the guards, the civilians were moved into such buildings.


    These metallic structures were incredibly stable. No matter how many piles of rocks fell on them, creating massive crashes, these buildings did not even vibrate. They were very sturdy.


    Right then, Guang Zhen saw Jacko lead an old man whose ankle was sprained towards him. Before the old gentleman could say anything, Jacko introduced, "Commander One, this is Professor Fernando from the Noah One. He is the leading expert in the field of metallurgy, and he seems to have something on his mind and wishes to discuss with the Commander."


    Jacko still had his hesitation. He was worried that Guang Zhen would mistreat this senior professor like how he treated his soldiers.


    However, Guang Zhen was most impressed by these senior professors, especially after they had saved the Hope many times with their experience. There were even some who sacrificed their lives for research, so the respect was deep in Guang Zhen¡¯s bones. He immediately went to aid the senior and said, "Professor, is there anything I can help you with?"


    Fernando might have sprained his ankle, but he was still fine. He replied in a firm voice, "Commander, if possible, I wish your soldiers will be able to help me cut down a square of this building¡¯s metallic wall. I just took a look at it and this metal does not seem like something we humans have already discovered¡­ if we manage to get out of here alive, with a sample, our metallurgy technology will have a great increase."


    Guang Zhen¡¯s first response was to deny his request. After all, the scientists from the Noah One were still stuck in the 3rd revolution era and had the thinking of a level 1 space civilization, while the Hope¡¯s science was already in 4th revolution and was a mid-tier of level 2 space civilization. With enough time, becoming a level 3 space civilization was guaranteed. Did they still need metal samples? The Hope still had the alloys from the alien plant that still needed research.


    However, he thought about it, and no matter what, this must be at least the metal product of a level 2 space civilization, so procuring it would be no harm to the Hope¡¯s scientific community. After all, the Black Star Troopers would not spend too much energy cutting down a tank, so a few metal plates wouldn¡¯t trouble them too much.


    Guang Zhen¡¯s imagination continued to fester. Since they were only waiting in this city, why not explore it further? Perhaps the city might have some unique records of its history, like how to avoid the attack of neutron star fragment.


    Since the Noah One had warped away and gaining the information inside it was impossible, then returning with the information from a level 2 space civilization was not so bad either¡­


    With this in mind, Guang Zhen brought Xiao Niao, Zhang Heng, and about 15 Black Star Troopers out of the buildings and deeper into the city. They saw plenty of alien octopuses along the way, and they even discovered their nest. For some reason, the nests of these alien octopuses were constructed using blood and flesh. It was unknown what kind of flesh it was, but they were moulded into a globular form and the alien octopuses formed their nests in the middle of it.


    The unit¡¯s speed was not fast. Thankfully, other than Guang Zhen, the rest of them were Homo Evolutis, so no matter how numerous the alien octopuses, they did not slow down the unit. They continued their search of the city practically unimpeded. However, they discovered that the city had nothing worth investigating. Other than the metals, most of the stuff had either disappeared or was crushed into sand. This went to show the long history of this city; it was at least several thousand years old.


    Thankfully, it was the Black Star Troopers who were responsible for the search, because the helmets of the space armors allowed them to see many things that were invisible to the naked eye, like heat distribution, infrared light, and even energy and electricity circuits. It was because of this that Guang Zhen had the idea of exploring this city. They could rely on the electricity to trace the center of the city. From the path of the electricity, there was still a building with energy storage at the center of the city, and that was the purpose of this search.


    The search was silent and they did not come across any real danger. This unit soon arrived at this building that still possessed energy. It was a completely sealed-off, metallic, circular building. There was no visible entrance on the sides or on top. It seemed gaining entry was not going to be easy. Therefore, after a routine search, Guang Zhen decided to use force to create an opening.


    Ten seconds later, with the combination of the sawblade and Gaussian rifles, Guang Zhen¡¯s unit stepped into this building. This place was completely different from the rest of the city. There was no trace of destruction or even dust, it was clean like brand new and there were no signs of alien octopuses or their nests. In fact, it looked like a high-tech laboratory humans used to have on Earth.


    "Be on your guard!" Xiao Niao ordered in Guang Zhen¡¯s place. He was acting as Guang Zhen¡¯s adjutant. He had the troopers check out the surroundings while he and Zhang Heng stood close to Guang Zhen.


    For some unknown reason, the whole building was suddenly flooded with light, light sources coming out from every corner. They were not harsh on the eyes but were enough to light up the interior of the building. Revealed before them was a large, oval structure at the center of the room. Guang Zhen¡¯s unit had a hard time deciding what it was at first. A computer? Weapon? Research equipment? Or a small spaceship?


    Before Guang Zhen¡¯s unit could do anything, a sharp ray of light came from above and fell on this structure. In just a few seconds, a slender lifeform with obvious female properties appeared in the light. She was graceful. Even though she did not look like a human, she still impressed upon them a sense of femininity. It was the most beautiful alien Guang Zhen¡¯s unit had seen since they ventured into space. Most aliens would appear scary to human eyes due to the difference in appreciation of beauty, but this was an exception.


    The slender lifeform that appeared like she was flouncing about like seaweed in the ocean stood on two feet and had two arms. She had a head like a human''s and had an appearance of frailty and fragility.


    "So this is 3D imaging¡­" Guang Zhen told the people beside him in a whisper.


    The female lifeform opened her mouth-equivalent to say something, but since it was in alien language, no one present understood her. However, they quickly recorded her with the devices in their space armors. After she finished her piece, she pressed something beside her and behind her appeared a large space map.


    In this space picture, a planet shone like a blue sapphire. A spaceship fleet departed from this planet, passing other planets and leaving further and further away from this blue planet¡­


    Yes, this fleet was leaving the solar system to venture into the cosmos¡­

 Chapter 345: Returning Demon

    Chapter 345: Returning Demon


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In the 3D video, everyone saw the fleet drift away far from the limits of this solar system. Of course, since no one present was a scientist, they had no idea that there was a limit to a solar system in space. In fact, humanity was still arguing about the exact limit of a solar system, so none of them there realized that this fleet had left its solar system.


    Just like that, this fleet disappeared in darkened space. At the same time, this sapphire-like planet kept on progressing. Even though the planet was only the size of a basketball in the 3D video, it could be seen with the naked eye. The green surface on the planet was decreasing and the ozone layer appeared to be polluted by something grey, creating flaws on this gorgeous planet.


    As the time passed, the planets surrounding this planet appeared to have metallic sheens, and these metallic sheens expanded from the initial few to a large surface area. Many colonized planets started to show signs of buildings and the sapphire planet slowly returned to its former glow. The pollution had disappeared and the planet became healthy again¡­


    However, under everyone¡¯s watchful gazes, in the 3D video, from the vast space, an incomplete spaceship fleet returned from the darkness. It was the same fleet that left the life-preserving planet earlier. The number of people that returned had halved. However, it was also because of that when the fleet returned to the life-preserving planet, in the zoomed in 3D video, everyone could see that the survivors of this fleet had a hero¡¯s welcome and that this civilization was in a mood of celebration¡­


    However, the celebration did not last long. The heroes who returned soon perished from various illnesses. Even though they had no idea how much time had passed in the 3D video, from the progress of the civilization, it had been more than three years since the return of the spaceship fleet, and there was no sign of a neutron star fragment in that period. The civilization was progressing at a normal speed.


    To be accurate, this civilization was improving at a speed faster than "normal". Civilizations in solar systems with life-preserving planets, a large amount of terrestrial planets, asteroid belts, and moons would not understand the pain and difficulties of space-faring civilizations. The continuous deterioration, the increasing number of retards among the newborns, the need to search for materials in space, and the need to avoid contact with high level civilizations, all of these pains made progress, if there was any, incredibly slow. This was why most level 2 space civilizations had a hard time evolving into level 3 space civilizations and why level 3 space civilizations had a hard time evolving into level 4 space civilizations.


    Civilizations with life-preserving planets did not worry about any of that. This was a weird phenomenon in space. Unless there was an absolute coincidence, even high level space civilizations would not normally stumble across the presence of a life-preserving planet. This was already an understanding among the space civilizations, perhaps one laid down by the godlike-tier space civilizations. Therefore, the space civilizations did not spend time discussing this lest they attracted the wrath of others.


    Because of this, with a stable environment, almost infinite resources, and a wealth of "soul" as basis, any civilization on a life-preserving planet could easily welcome tons of progress. In reality, this was why for level 3 space civilizations and above, many technological trees would be incomplete. Without sufficient human and material resources and no wealth or free time to dedicate to research, they could only focus on a few pertinent technologies, and this caused the phenomenon of an incomplete technological tree.


    However, for this civilization in the 3D image, they did not suffer from the problem. With the explosion of population, the completion of all scientific technologies, the colonization of other planets, the whole civilization was progressing by leaps and bounds. The progress was vibrant and full of vitality. This was a civilization with a bright future. Give it 100 years and it would become a level 3 space civilization.


    But¡­ there was always a but¡­


    Even though the neutron star fragment did not appear, crisis still occurred within this civilization. First was the malformation of their newborns. In the 3D image, in the ten years after the fleet returned, there was a small number of malformed babies. One could see the general shape of this race, but as time passed, about 50 years after the fleet¡¯s return, around one-fifth of the newborns would morph, be it physical body or intelligence, there was a giant change.


    This was a scary ratio. If the morphing ratio was any higher, the future of this race was doomed. One-fifth, it meant of five babies, one would be deformed. As intelligent beings and not basic mammals, having ten babies in their one lifetime was already something rare. As a civilization who had not tasted the cruelty of space, a civilization who grew up in the warm embrace of a life-preserving planet, their kindness and charity was something space civilizations could not imagine. Therefore, these deformed babies were not executed but raised by their parents or the government.


    In the 3D video, this race used all its power to research the trigger for birthing deformed babies, but it was to no avail. They had only found one pseudo-condition: the babies who were born on the life-preserving planet had a much smaller deformation chance than those born on the colonized planets. This was why most pregnant females chose to give birth on the life-preserving planet. Slowly, from the range that the 3D video could show, the signs of colonization on the other planets within the solar system had gradually decreased. The whole civilization started to deteriorate. Finally, almost all lifeforms returned to the life-preserving planet¡­


    However, that was not the end of the tragedy for this civilization. Those deformed babies did not gain any intellect as they grew up. If anything, their deformation only got worse. Of course, those who were greatly deformed and deemed dangerous were destroyed, but as time passed, even the normal citizens started morphing. The morphing was uniformed. The citizen¡¯s brain escaped from its body. Yes, the brain with the nervous and spinal systems attached to it tore itself apart from the rest of its body.


    However, these creatures were still alive and could live by consuming other creatures¡¯ brains. They even maintained their complete memory and consciousness. In other words, other than the lack of physical body, they were still the race¡¯s citizens spiritually. However, this was their biggest terror, so most with normal intelligence could not accept this change, and most with deformities of this kind committed suicide.


    However, a small portion of them survived. This combined with the morphing of the deformed babies once they grew up meant the proliferation of these creatures on the planet. The scariest part was that these creatures knew how to mate¡­ yes, it was that weird. They were creatures made up of pure brain matter and nerves, but they could feed and mate¡­ there was nothing more curious and scary than this.


    As the brain creatures with normal consciousness slowly died out, the remaining were the brains without normal consciousness and memories. They kept mating and increasing. Eventually, they started attacking the normal citizens of the race who remained, consuming their brains through hypnosis and using their bodies to attack other normal citizens. This ugly cycle continued until the race reached its point of extinction¡­


    The final generation of this race used the last vestiges of their energy to build this underground city. Everything here was controlled by the central computer, this machine that was before Guang Zhen¡¯s unit. It was the brain of this city. The city was defended by the computer''s technology, which could not be detected nor hypnotized by the brain creatures. Whenever there was signs of deformation among the internal unit, they would be executed by the computer. Just like that, the last generation of this race managed to stay in the city for hundreds of years using the sperm and ovum bank of their earlier generations. However, the numbers of this dying civilization kept on decreasing until this last normal female citizen remained. When she was all alone, she left the city and ventured to the surface.


    Guang Zhen¡¯s unit knew that this was the ending of the 3D video. This 3D video was captivating. It was like they were watching an award-winning film, but it was more authentic and real than those movies. When the video ended, everyone had a melancholy in their hearts. This race did not even have the chance to venture into space, but they still had such a regrettable ending. The last female survivor left the city alone to try to get to the surface, to see for herself the glory of the night sky that her ancestors once claimed.


    She was lucky. She did not meet any brain creatures along the way. When she reached the surface, she used her personal jetpack to fly into the sky and out of the ozone layer¡­ yes, this civilization had become an early level 3 space civilization! And they were not a level 2 space civilization as everyone on the Hope thought!


    Then, before her eyes, several planets had aligned themselves and circulated around the life-preserving planet, just like¡­ the several planets were monitoring or guarding this life-preserving planet!


    This phenomenon was familiar to Guang Zhen¡¯s group. This was the cursed planet!

 Chapter 346: Reward… Command!

    Chapter 346: Reward¡­ Command!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "This is the central computer?"


    After everyone finished watching the 3D video, other than the shock in their hearts, there were also a glow in their eyes. Everyone stared directly at the weird-looking creation. This was the central computer of a level 3 space civilization, and it was technically the last survivor of the civilization. It was responsible for overseeing the existence of the dying civilization, so¡­ just how much information was within it? Could it be that the civilization¡¯s entire knowledge was in it so that the future generations of this civilization could use it to rebuild itself?


    Even the collected Guang Zhen unconsciously took a gulp of his saliva. No one was more familiar than him regarding the meaning of this central computer. The central computer in the Noah One was nothing compared to this gem. It was weighty enough to be a perfect war reward. With it, the scientific issue that had been worrying Yao Yuan could be solved. In that case, the Hope becoming level 3 space civilization¡­ was in its grasp!


    Level 3 space civilization! How many space civilizations thought of reaching that level? This was the peak of low level space civilizations!


    When humanity enters that stage, even though they only had one spaceship, they would not be afraid of any large level 2 space civilization fleets. Combined with the full power of the Black Star Troopers, as long as they do not stumble across a rare mid-tier space civilizations and do not provoke the experienced level 3 space civilizations, then the Hope will face no danger in space. They could find any planet and start a small yet secluded underground colony, and then¡­ did that not mean a life of peace would finally be theirs?


    "Extract the whole thing without harming it¡­ But this is too big!" Guang Zhen ordered, but then he immediately frowned. The computer was too big! It was at least 18 meters tall and was the size of a small house. They did not even know its weight. The issue of weight aside, moving such a large thing when a war was happening was not going to be easy. Where would they have the time to busy themselves with something like this?


    Zhang Heng beside him seemed to come to the same conclusion. He suggested, "Can we spilt it open? It is so big because of the shell, right? Its internal systems shouldn¡¯t be so big. Can¡¯t we just take the internal systems?"


    Xiao Niao immediately retorted, "That is not possible. This is an alien creation, its building basis is different from ours. Who can really tell which part is important? As a famous person once said, the screw itself isn¡¯t important, but where to put the screw is, and what we¡¯re lacking now is the knowledge of its construction and basically everything else. This thing is too important. Who will be responsible if it¡¯s damaged? So either we take the whole damn thing with us or we leave it be. That is better than regretting it later!"


    Guang Zhen was ready to take Zhang Heng¡¯s advice when Xiao Niao jumped in with his warning. Without hesitation, he ordered harshly, "Lift it up! F*ck it, we are second generation Black Star Troopers. As Bo Li has said, the strength output of the second generation space armor is three times the output of the first generation. If we put our hearts into it, we can theoretically lift up a small ferry. This is the time to see whether she was bluffing or not¡­ Lift this thing up! This is the thing that will extend the Hope¡¯s longevity for at least several thousand years!"


    There was one sentence that Guang Zhen did not say. As the second in command on the Hope, Yao Yuan had basically told him everything. He was the only person other than Yao Yuan who knew the password to start the Hope¡¯s self-destruct sequence. Therefore, he knew many confidential secrets, like the natural deterioration of space civilizations.


    This generation of humans was unique in the sense that it had several hundred cosmic adapters and even three Whisperers. They did not need to worry about deterioration, and it was the time for them to progress. If they did not make use of this opportunity, when the first generation still remembered Earth and their lives on it, when they reach the second or third generation, humanity might join the long list of space civilizations who were languishing in space.


    Therefore, the first generation was key. Even with the genetic mesomeric technology, humans could only extend their lifespan until 150 to 200 years old. The extended 100 years was barely the blink of an eye calculated in space time.


    However, when a space civilization becomes level 3 space civilizations, its central technology is related to minimization of energy application, like plasma weapons. At that time, using the combination of plasma energy and nano technology, they will create a type of nano plasma cellular gene recovery technology. It''s more advanced than genetic mesomeric technology and can extend the lifespan by 500 to 1000 years. The extension is dependent on the properties of different lifeforms. For example, the Blue Race people can live for more than 1,000 years. If humanity¡¯s first generation can survive until they become a level 3 space civilization, with the added 500 to 1000 years of lifespan, becoming a level 4 space civilization was not impossible¡­


    Therefore, other than Xiao Niao, no one knew about the importance of this alien computer to humanity. In other words, even though this might be cruel, this central computer was worth more than the 3,000 humans from the Noah One¡­


    With Guang Zhen¡¯s order, seven troopers sawed through the bottom part of the computer. To preserve it as completely as possible, they sawed through the metallic flooring. The product was thus a 10 plus meters tall, 8 meters wide, and 5 meters thick creation. It was heavy, at least heavy enough that even when one of the troopers tried to move it, it was unmovable. Finally, 8 troopers hoisted it from below to lift it up. However, that was not the end of their troubles.


    The entrance opening of this building was not big enough to fit this thing through. With no choice, the troopers started deconstructing again. They cut a bigger hole and carefully moved this thing back to the human crowd.


    Such a curious phenomenon naturally attracted the people¡¯s attention. Many came to enquire about it; however, due to the importance of the computer, Guang Zhen only gave vague answers, saying this thing was very important to the Hope. He did not explain further. He then waited alongside everyone else for rescue.


    On the surface of the planet, due to the inability of communication, Yao Yuan had no idea that Guang Zhen¡¯s team had stumbled upon a treasure. If anything, he was so worried that his hair almost turned white.


    The people out there had no clue what was happening underground. They could only see that the surface kept metalizing and a large surface of at least several thousand meters had become metal. Who knows how it was underground? The worst outcome¡­ was the whole underground had become metal and Guang Zhen along with the 3,000 citizens had all died.


    Of course, that was the worst ending. Before they could know for sure, the rescue had to continue. Yao Yuan was complaining about the lack of progress. The metal layer was too strong and thick. Even with his presence, which prevented the metal layer from recovering on its own, the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011 was still rather powerless before such a thick layer of metal. After so long, they only managed to blow open a crevice that was about several 100 meters deeps and several 10 meters wide. F*ck, what was this metal layer? Diamond layer?


    "This is useless! We have to use the heavy weapon on the Hope. The Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s are fighter jets, they are not meant to do damage to the ground!"


    Yao Yuan came to this conclusion using his Thinker power. Without hesitation, he flew his combat jet back into space. After breaking through the ozone layer, he contacted the Hope¡¯s central command.


    "Is this Bo Li? This is Yao Yuan. Start calculating the coordinates of the crevice and fire a shot of the Planet Annihilating Cannon at it¡­ No matter what, we have to make an opening as soon as possible," Yao Yuan said into the communicator.


    The other end of the communicator was silent for a while before a female voice answered, "Due to some unknown reasons, Professor Bo Li fainted earlier. A few Black Star Troopers and myself have temporarily taken over the control of the Hope."


    Yao Yuan frowned immediately and demanded, "Who is this? Your voice is very familiar¡­ Is this Ming Ji Jie? Why would you be at central command? What about the residential area and Defense Unit camp? Are there still Black Star Troopers there? Also, what exactly happened to Bo Li?"


    Ji Jie answered, "Professor Bo seems to have fainted from overexerting her Homo Evolutis power. The doctor came to check on her and it did not seem serious. She will not enter coma, but since there was no one to head central command, those of us who are close came to give our support¡­ What is Chancellor¡¯s order?"


    Yao Yuan was silent as the image of the rather shy and cute girl appeared in his mind. He sighed under his breath and said, "Then, temporarily, you all will command the Hope. However, you do not have the required experience. How about this, there are three majors from the Defense Unit. They are all veterans. Have them join the commanding post. Also, add House Speaker Matt and Lee Cheng Wen, the human resources minister, to the list. All of you will form a tribunal to temporarily oversee everything on the Hope until me or Commander Guang Zhen return."


    Ji Jie replied, "Understood. Then what is our immediate order?"


    "Aim at the ground!" Yao Yuan had flown back towards the surface as he spoke into the communicator. "Use the Planet Annihilating Cannon to puncture a hole in the ground!"

 Chapter 347: Big Danger!

    Chapter 347: Big Danger!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan¡¯s order was quickly carried out. The Hope started to descend towards the planet¡¯s atmosphere. The alien vassals who saw this were white with fear. They thought that extinction was definitely going to happen.


    This was because the Hope was their only hope. They really had never seen so many cosmic adapters in one ship before, and they could survive in the war against the demon with so many cosmic adapters. But now, something seemed wrong with the Hope. The whole spaceship was heading towards the planet¡¯s atmosphere.


    This was a common knowledge for all space civilizations. Under normal circumstances, other than landing ships, larger spaceships would never land on a planet, especially one with ozone and atmosphere. This was because the bigger the size and greater the mass, the harder it would be for it to escape the planet¡¯s gravity. Even for level 3 space civilizations, it was hard for them to remove their main battleships from a life-perserving planet easily. When the size was bigger, the spaceships could even be torn open by the pulling forces between the planets.


    Because the Hope that had a weird shape, descending to the ozone layer was a suicide mission. Such a weirdly shaped spaceship would only snap when it entered the ozone layer. In fact, when these alien vassals first saw the Hope, they thought that the spaceship was curious. This kind of structure was not suitable for space travelling, it was more like¡­ a toy created by a level 1 space civilization.


    However, what happened next made all the alien vassals open their eyes wide¡­ or their eye equivalents.


    The Hope seemed to not be affected by the gravity and descend to the planet with a speed that was constant. It later stopped within the ozone layer, in a floating manner¡­ This was already inside the planet¡¯s gravitational pull. According to the Hope¡¯s size and mass, the particular flux was definitely not enough for it to float in the atmosphere. However, when these alien vassals used their computers to scan the elevation of the Hope, it showed no signs of going up and down, it had gone perfectly still in the sky!


    "How is this possible?!"


    This question was repeated among the vassal races. In fact, the thing they were seeing before them was already beyond their scientific comprehension. For level 3 space civilizations, even after gaining cold agglutination reactors, the energy output and efficiency was at least 100 hundred times better than level 2 space civilizations. However, even considering th at, this thing that the Hope was doing should''ve been impossible.


    For it to maintain idleness in a situation where they had to deal with gravity, air pressure, the mass of the ship itself, and multiple influences from the solar system, no level 3 space civilization could manage it. In fact, even level 4 or 5 space civilizations would have a hard time accomplishing it. This was not some manmade planet but a real life-preserving planet.


    Those with real knowledge were shocked by these little observations that they saw. The ability to keep idle with not even an inch of movement sent tremors across the vassal races. Even Blue 6, who was in the Hope and could not scan the Hope¡¯s current situation, had spotted the anomaly on the video feed. He was greatly shocked and was inspired as a member of the human race.


    Back to the Hope¡¯s central command, the place was indeed a bit crowded. However, this was Yao Yuan¡¯s order. Furthermore, at the time, Yao Yuan was right in the battlefield and Guang Zhen¡¯s condition was unknown. Bo Li, who was basically the Chancellor¡¯s wife, was indisposed, so the leadership of the Hope was empty. Even though most of the adults on the Hope were the first generation who left Earth and were feisty and earnest, they did not dare to do anything brash. After all, with both Guang Zhen and Yao Yuan not on the Hope, if anything happened to the spaceship, they might as well blow up the ship, because that would be faster than the tragedy that they could face.


    Therefore, the high number had its benefits, one of them being stability. This was probably why Yao Yuan had so many people come to central command. However, there was a weakness as well, which was speed. The discussions would take more time than a decision made by a singular wise man.


    Basically, it was the Black Star Troopers¡¯ 11th unit¡¯s leader, Ming Ji Jie, who was giving orders. There were a few Defense Unit generals giving suggestions and questions, while the rest were there as observers.


    Then, with Ji Jie¡¯s order, the several side cannons on the Hope started to initiate and point at the surface. This was the super electromagnetic Planet Annihilating Cannon and not super rail cannon. In fact, one could discern humanity¡¯s technological improvement from this. Earlier, the super electromagnetic Planet Annihilating Cannon and super rail cannon were both unfinished super weapons, but now they were only side cannons, with the super rail cannon acting as the main cannon while the real main cannon, the Genesis, was still in construction.


    "Charging complete, locking on target. AI alert limit open¡­"


    "Super electromagnetic rail cannon, fire!"


    Just as the three cannon barrels on the Hope extended out, a metallic ball slammed into the ground with a speed that the naked eye could not observe. The surface of the planet shook from the force. Even though the surface was metallic and thus did not cause any roiling dust, plenty of metallic pieces still got thrown into the air, and due to the spread of high temperature, many metal pieces even melted.


    Liu Bai¡¯s group was already more than 100 kilometers away, but when the shot hit the ground, they were still knocked off their feet by the gigantic tremors. They only managed to stand up after several seconds. The winds that came their way were laced with metallic pieces that made noises as they flung themselves against their space armors.


    "On the floor! Everyone on the floor!" Liu Bai yelled as he jumped to the floor.


    The second generation space armour was made using the alloy from the alien plants and its tensile strength was greater than the Hope¡¯s main defense board. Combined with the electromagnetic shield, the metal storm was definitely unable to harm the Black Star Troopers, but who knew how long the storm would last? After all, the space armors would run on energy and they were out of the Hope and thus away from the charger. Plus, they were on the battlefield, so they had to do everything to preserve the armors'' energy.


    Everyone quickly followed his order. When they dropped to the floor, they could feel the vibrations of the Earth more clearly as the wind whipped through their ears. This continued for several minutes before the wind started to slow down. Looked from afar, the area that was assaulted by the cannon was a site of blazing red. The sight was twisted due to high temperature.


    At the same time, in the metallic underground city, the whole city was shaking. The size of the quake made everyone feel like they were going to be buried alive.


    The crowd started to panic immediately. Adults were screaming and women were crying. Thankfully, there were no children left in the 3,000 people, or the situation would''ve been worse. Then again, who could fault them when the Black Star Troopers themselves felt fearful that the apocalypse was coming?


    Thankfully, Guang Zhen managed to keep his calm. He yelled at the soldiers around him to lead the Troopers to calm the public. After the quake settled, he called the soldiers from the Noah One and ordered them to prepare for retreat. They were running low on time, so they had to maintain order.


    "Commander, you don¡¯t have to worry about that." Major Jacko saluted Guang Zhen and he said in a cold yet respectful tone, "Us from the Noah One were selected best of the best, and before boarding the Noah One, they were given training on things like emergency retreat. As long as there is enough transportation, they will not be delayed by chaos."


    Guang Zhen did not mind Jacko¡¯s cold attitude. He saluted in return. "In that case, I will leave the civilians to your military unit. Do not worry about the transports. Leave the safety to us and our pilots to worry about."


    Suddenly, in the middle of their conversation, Zhang Heng yelled as a rush of blood came out of his nose. Then he fell backwards. Immediately, the Black Star Troopers went into alert and they surrounded Zhang Heng. Guang Zhen and Jacko, who was in shock, rushed to Zhang Heng¡¯s side. Guang Zhen asked immediately, "What¡¯s wrong? Was he attacked? What¡¯s the damage to the space armor? How great is the injury?"


    Zhang Heng was the Hope¡¯s most important asset. Other than that, he was a famed hero around the Hope, part of the Black Star Unit, and Guang Zhen''s and Yao Yuan¡¯s close friend, so Guang Zhen was really worried.


    Zhang Heng seemed to have kept his consciousness. He struggled to stand up and yelled simultaneously, "Danger! Very dangerous! We have to leave this place. No, leave this planet. A big danger is coming¡­ If we do not hurry, we will all die!"


    Not only Zhang Heng had felt this. This danger was too acute and obvious, so all of the Diviners felt it, only in varying degrees. Naturally, Yao Yuan sensed it as well. He was still piloting Space Combat Jet Prototype 011 when it happened, but since he did not feel it as strongly as Zhang Heng, he merely fainted for one or two seconds before he recovered. When he did, he yelled into the communicator, "Is this the Hope? Release all the transport shuttles now! Release all the transport shuttles! At the same time, use the Genesis to shoot at the giant claw on the planet! A great danger is coming. I have no idea what it is, but my bet is on that giant claw. Help me stall for ten minutes, no, seven minutes!"


    Everyone in the Hope¡¯s central command heard Yao Yuan¡¯s yelling. One of the troopers there was also a Diviner like Zhang Heng, and he too had fainted earlier. However, he did not have a nosebleed. He too was yelling about danger. Ji Jie also lost consciousness for a moment, but since she was sitting in the captain¡¯s chair, no one saw it.


    "Release all transport shuttles at once!" Ji Jie did not dawdle. She gave the order as her gaze swept the room.


    Speaker Matt, who was sitting in the chair beside her, had his face drawn, but he still said, "We are close to saving the people¡­ or we are close to dying ourselves? Regardless, we have to buy more time. Just like the Chancellor ordered, we will use the Genesis to shoot at that giant claw!"


    The others nodded. However, Cheng Wen, who was in another chair, snuck a glance at Ji Jie. There was a curious glow in his eyes, like he had spotted something¡­


    Just like that, about 40 transport shuttles left the Hope. These were the transports that would be used to land and save the people. One could carry 70 soldiers. If they squeezed, transporting 3,000 citizens was definitely possible.


    After the transport shuttles were released, the Hope immediately flew back into space and entered the giant claw¡¯s coordinates into the central mainframe. 10 seconds later, everything had been calculated, and with the control of the workers, the third bridge underneath the Hope slowly opened, revealing a large, circular line creation.


    This was the Genesis!


    "Plasma coagulation initiating!"


    "Energy collection 3 percent¡­ 8 percent¡­ 11 percent¡­"


    "The Hope¡¯s energy storage reaching limit, activating energy reactors¡­"


    "Calculating anti gravity data¡­ calculation complete, activating anti-gravity system!"


    "Preparation of Genesis complete!"


    Ji Jie heard the report. She looked around and others nodded silently at her. Then she raised her head to look at the giant claw on the planet and said, "Genesis, fire!"


    A large, circular light beam that could be observed by the naked eye arced across space and landed on the giant claw¡­


    Just as the transformation of the cursed planet continued, as the giant claw appeared on the planet, in the fringe of a solar system far away, strange information was being transmitted. If it was translated into human language¡­


    "This is we race¡¯s solar system! It is the final cradle for we race to become a level 9 space civilization! Even if thy are a level 9 space civilization, for this last hope, the we race will never give up!"


    "¡­Is that so? Then your race will disappear with this polluted solar system! Don¡¯t think a level 8 space civilization has seen everything the cosmos has to offer. Compared to our level 9 space civilization, you are still too weak. You don¡¯t even understand the scariness of demonic corruption. You will see, no, you will hear¡­"


    "The thing that will cause you and this whole solar system to disappear¡­"


    "The song of destruction!"

 Chapter 348: Rescue Start and… Stop!

    Chapter 348: Rescue Start and¡­ Stop!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Genesis¡¯ power was greater than expected. It was no wonder it was a weapon from a level 3 space civilization. It was no longer a Gaussian weapon but a real plasma weapon!


    When the light ray hit the planet''s surface, in an instant, the flesh surface was vaporized. Even the ginormous claw was crackling from heat. It was crumbling, as if turning back from flesh into stone. Even though they were in space and thus could not hear any sound, when the claw retreated back into the planet, everyone could swear that they could hear cheering.


    "It¡¯s working! This weapon is working!"


    Everyone on the Hope, including the technicians, government officials, soldiers, and civilians cheered when they saw this. There was nothing more exciting than the showcase of the power of their own military.


    However, what happened next stemmed the cheering directly. On the planet''s surface, about eight claws suddenly pushed their way out. The planet looked less like a planet but an indescribable spherical spider, and this impossible creature was close to breaking out of the planet''s surface.


    "Continue firing!" Ji Jie commanded. "Starting from now, shut down the Genesis and initiate space warp in seven minutes, even if the transport shuttles have not returned!"


    Everyone was startled. Some wanted to say something, but they ultimately didn¡¯t¡­


    No matter how precious the people from the Noah One were¡­ they were not more precious than the safety of the Hope. Since Yao Yuan had given the time of seven minutes, then they would be able to retreat within seven minutes, right?


    At the same time, on the life-preserving planet, the place that was shot by the super electromagnetic rail cannon had become a giant crater. The thick, metallic layer dipped inwards. Most of the metals had melted and some was vaporized, coloring the whole area a bloody red.


    "The central temperature is too high. It might not affect the transport shuttles or the troopers, but normal civilians will not be able to withstand such high temperature."


    Yao Yuan frowned. From his perspective, he could see 40 shuttles descending from space. The pilots of the shuttles were waiting for his command, but the temperature of the crater was so high that it made Yao Yuan hesitate.


    Thankfully, the Hope was already a middle level 2 space civilization. In other words, they were at the middle stage of the 4th revolution. Metallurgy, like the heat resistance of the transport shuttles, was much greater than that of the creations back on Earth. Even if the transport shuttles landed on the planet''s surface, Yao Yuan would not worry, but how would the normal civilians enter the shuttles? Such a high temperature¡­ through conductivity, even the shuttles'' surfaces would be several hundred degrees.


    Right then, Yao Yuan suddenly noticed a new signal, and it was coming from underground. He broke into a smile and yelled at the communicator, "Is this Wong Guang Zhen? Hello, Ol¡¯ Wong? Is that you?"


    There was still plenty of static crowding the communication, but seconds later, the static disappeared and Guang Zhen¡¯s word came through. "Ol¡¯ Yao? It is me. How is everything on the surface? How¡¯s the Hope?!"


    Yao Yuan¡¯s worried heart was greatly relieved. He replied hurriedly, "The Hope is doing fine. Do not worry, but we don¡¯t have much time left. I believe you already know about the imminent great danger. Let¡¯s not waste time, I will send you the coordinates of the opening¡­ But there is a problem: the temperature of this place became very high when we blew open the crater. When the shuttles pass through the hole, their temperature will rise as well. The troopers will not be affected, but normal civilians will probably have a hard time even getting close to the shuttles¡­ Do you have any underground rivers? Or a water source? We must find one!"


    Right then, Guang Zhen¡¯s side was crowded with people. Other than the Black Star Troopers, there were also military officers from the Noah One. When Yao Yuan gave his order, everyone looked at each other. Where would they find a water source underground? So many people were dying from thirst already.


    Suddenly, a clear voice sounded, "I know the location of a water source¡­"


    Everyone turned to the direction of the sound and saw Yun Si sit up from his position. He was waking up from his unconsciousness, but his tone was flat. When he said that, he did not hesitate and walked to the communicator to say, "What else can this device do? Can it scan out the 3D image of various geological positions?"


    Guang Zhen nodded at the trooper who was operating the communicator and he finally replied, "There is such a function. We can project the image into thin air. Do you want to use that function?"


    Yun Si nodded and he saw a light screen appear before him. The screen was delineated into top and bottom layers using color.


    Yun Si traced his finger through the screen and soon trails appeared on screen. He said, "You all came down from this large tunnel, right? This pavilion here is where the Noah One initially landed. If you continue down this way, there will be an underground stream. It is where the Noah One got its water supply. From where we are, we need to go down further¡­ It should be right here. If the opening is at these coordinates, then right under it, here. If you attack here, you will be able to siphon the water source and the stream will follow downwards, forming an underground waterfall. Then the issue of temperature will be solved."


    With Yun Si¡¯s explanation, the underground¡¯s environment was clarified. The various tunnels, pathways, and steps going up or down were marked. These made Guang Zhen¡¯s group excited. With these, the chance of survival greatly increased.


    However, Guang Zhen quickly asked, "Why are you helping us? Didn¡¯t you decide to stay earlier?"


    Yun Si scratched the back of his head as he sat down. He said calmly, "I am not crazy. I admit I was overly emotionally earlier, but since we can still save 3,000 people, it is still worth trying¡­ But you¡¯re sure the spaceship¡¯s leader will wait for us? You know the great danger is imminent."


    "I believe," Guang Zhen said confidently. "Because he is not on the spaceship but right above us, trying his best to save us. He will not abandon us!"


    Yun Si did not reply but started his own contemplation.


    Back on the surface, Yao Yuan was overjoyed when he received the underground geological map. He immediately sent the map to the 40 shuttles. Even though these were shuttles for transportation purposes, they were, after all, creations from the 4th revolution. Their materials, production, fuel efficiency, and the like had surpassed Earth¡¯s technology. One of such shuttles, if put back into Earth¡¯s era, could rival several hundred fighter jets¡­ That is if humans did not use any atomic bombs or such weapons of mass destruction.


    Each of the shuttles was equipped with several automatic Gaussian gatling guns and a small Gaussian cannon. The collective power of 40 shuttles was more than enough to clear away an underground tunnel. The shuttles also had anti-gravitational systems, so floating in the air was a non-issue.


    After receiving the underground map, the 40 shuttles submerged through the opening and started clearing a pathway using the map. Thankfully, the underground had not metalized, or rather, due to Yao Yuan¡¯s presence, the metallization process had stopped. The rocks fell away easily under the shuttles¡¯ focus fire. Several seconds later, a large waterfall sprayed out from the rock''s face.


    The pilots cheered before they went deeper down the hole and stopped at a leveled junction. This place was exactly where the Noah One had stopped. The place was crumbling, but due to the overall size, it had not completely collapsed yet.


    At the same time, Guang Zhen¡¯s unit departed from the steel city. Even though the roads were blocked by fallen rocks, the presence of the Black Star Troopers made them a non-issue. They easily cleared the rocks away, but most of the unit was tired, thirsty, hungry, and exhausted. They had elderly and injured people with them, so their progress was not fast. Guang Zhen knew about the seven minute limitation from Yao Yuan, and his heart started to palpitate as he saw the timer tick down in his helmet.


    At about the 7th minute, the leading party felt a heat wave. The temperature on the Space Armors had reached about 50 degrees. It was still bearable. Before their eyes were the rocky pavilions, and in it were the 40 transport shuttles!


    Back in space, the Hope had stopped firing the Genesis and siphoned that energy to space warp engine but¡­


    "What?! The space warp engine has stopped working? You can¡¯t even charge it with energy?!"

 Chapter 349: Warp Drive!

    Chapter 349: Warp Drive!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Space warp!


    That became humanity''s trump card after they headed into space. This technology was even more valuable than Homo Evolutis because without it, there would be no humanity, much less Homo Evolutis.


    Of course, without this technology, Earth wouldn''t have been targeted by neutron star fragment and human beings would still be languishing in its warm cradle. In any case, this was an issue of egg first or chicken first, so we shall not get into it now.


    In conclusion, space warp was humanity''s biggest trump card; it was not be an exaggeration to call it humanity''s lifeline. After all, the cosmos was vast, how could a "small" spaceship like the Hope possibly fly in space for tens of thousands of years? When one really thought about it, almost all the level 2 or 3 space civilizations had a mothership that was the size of a small planet. They had to be to reflect the size of the cosmos; how else was a civilization going to last thousands of years in space?


    However, it was obvious that this was not the case with the Hope. Simply put, the design theory behind the Hope was an exploratory ship using the anti-gravity system and space warp. Therefore, the two main Noahs weren''t meant to be used as humanity''s last fortresses, or else it would not have been so small.


    After losing space warp, the Hope would be a low level 2 space civilization, or even at the peak of level 1 space civilizations!


    It would be a real metallic coffin that would float for several hundred years in space!


    "We''re doomed!"


    These two words cropped up in everyone''s minds. Those who knew had their faces blanched white, while the others were red trying to figure out why.


    Soon, with the aid of the AI system, the report returned. As they expected, the space warp system was down. All the mechanisms and functions of the space warp system were shut down, including energy charging. Whether it was the issue of the space warp engine itself or the effect of demonization or ZERO''s tricks, no one could really tell. After all¡­ humanity still hadn''t found out how space warp truly worked, much less how to fix it.


    "Repeat inspection¡­" Ji Jie immediately ordered the workers in central command, "Shut down all information, do not allow any information about the space warp engine to leak to the public. Call for a meeting among all the scientists and technicians familiar with the space warp engine¡­ No, we don''t have the time, ask them to use their communicators or home computers and connect to the central mainframe''s secret government server. Use it to communicate with them, ask them what we should do now!"


    Ji Jie was firm and resolute. While everyone was lost, her crisp voice rang out. In that instant, people still had a hard time following what had happened. They felt like Yao Yuan was still on the ship and the whole central command was in a panic. However, they still carried out Ji Jie''s orders.


    Several seconds later, many people there started to regain their senses. The person who gave the orders was Ji Jie and not Yao Yuan¡­. This woman was quite a good leader, wasn''t she?


    No matter what, several minutes later, several transport shuttles were already ascending from the planet. They were heading towards the Hope, and trailing behind them was a continuous stream of other shuttles. Flying alongside them was a Space Combat Jet Prototype 011. It looked like the rescue mission was reaching its end, but the Hope¡­ had no means to leave this piece of space!


    "¡­Impossible, we don''t even know about the theory behind the space warp engine. How do you expect us to fix it?"


    On screen, a white-haired scientist shook his pale face and explained, "We tried to study the design blueprint of the space warp engine and we have been into the machine ourselves. It has a simple structure, nothing more than a few metal rings and lines like circuits, but it could bring something as massive as the Hope over several thousand light years away. This is impossible¡­ If it is really broken, unless we build a new one according to the blueprint, we will not be able to fix or use it!"


    "Professor Pavlov, aren''t you originally from Russia?" Ji Jie read the name appearing on the bottom of the screen and she shook her head to say, "We do not have the time to build another space warp engine, and rebuilding such a large and key object would use all the energy on the Hope. Can we possibly do that now? Stopping any other system will mean death¡­ So, is there any other solution? Anyone?"


    A middle-aged woman appeared on screen to say, "I think I can answer that, Black Star Troopers unit leader¡­ If there is really a problem with the space warp engine, then I can confidently say we are doomed. We have no means to escape this solar system. From the star chart we have received, the closest solar system to this one we''re in is at least 6 light years away. According to our current travelling speed, even using the particle flux engine at its maximum speed¡­ we will need at least 500 years to reach the next solar system¡­ The supply on the Hope will at most last us for another 100 years in space."


    "¡­What if we use these aliens'' spaceships?"


    Right then, a male voice entered the discussion. It was Yao Yuan''s voice. He said, "Thank you, Ji Jie. You have done a perfect job, leave the rest to me."


    Ji Jie was startled before sighing in relief. She smiled and said, "Chancellor, it is great that you''re back."


    The middle-aged woman continued without missing a beat, "Chancellor, you''re back¡­ If it is you, you must understand what I mean, right? The original design of the Hope is not meant to cross from one solar system to another. After losing the space warp engine¡­ humanity will be done for."


    Yao Yuan''s stern voice replied, "That is why I ask¡­ What if we use the spaceships of the alien vassals? Those aliens have lost plenty of their population, so they have empty spaces on their spaceships. If we fill up those spaces with enough water and various materials, can we survive until the next solar system?"


    Suddenly, a middle-aged man added, "Chancellor, that is a question of logistics. Even though I cannot give you an exact number now, I can tell you for sure¡­ we cannot because we humans still do not have the hibernation devices described in sci-fi. In other words, during these hundred of years of travel, we humans will have to continue to survive. Then I have to ask an important question¡­ What to do about our future generations? Planned parenthood? In that case, after this generation of Homo Evolutis all dies, we humans will start to deteriorate when we reach that solar system.


    "Furthermore¡­ We do not have the time to find enough materials to fill these vassal spaceships."


    The latter was the real reason. Yao Yuan laughed bitterly. In fact, if the situation did not demand for it, they would not come up with the hibernation system. It was only needed now that they were thinking about going into an alien spaceship. In that case, in the next 100 years, most humans would be in a hibernation state, but now¡­


    "Chancellor, I think we''re too limited on our thoughts. There is still another way to cross distance."


    Right then, a voice rang out. It was Ren Tao, who was in central command. Without Yao Yuan asking, he continued, "Other than space warp¡­ we can still use warp drive."


    Yao Yuan first smiled before it turned into a frown. "Our warp drive technology is still in research. It is a level 3 space civilization technology, so it is hard for us to instantly grasp it. Our current research progress doesn''t allow us to use warp drive¡­"


    "We can''t, but they can¡­" Ren Tao said confidently. "I remember warp drive is not the spaceship itself bypassing the barrier of light speed but using some special method to warp the space in front of the spaceship, twisting the space, and thus technically bypassing the barrier of light speed, right?"


    A few scientists who were responsible for dissecting warp drive nodded. One of them said, "You''re right, warp drive works the way you just described."


    "Then it''ll work," Ren Tao said firmly. "Currently, we still have 4 vassal spaceships. Have them drive their spaceships to surround the Hope, 2 on each side, then have them use warp drive technology. Then, the Hope will exist within the warped space. In other words, we will be in the same space as the 4 spaceships. The space itself will be warping, so even though we do not know how to warp drive, we will be in warp drive! I think this is how those alien fleets deal with mass transportation. Not every spaceship will warp drive, but multiple spaceships combine together to create a warped space and the spaceships within the space will be warped together. That way, they can still maintain communication within the warped space."


    When he said that, the few scientists were astounded. After a close discussion amongst themselves, they came to the same conclusion as Ren Tao¡­ Yes, this was the only explanation to mass teleportation of alien space fleets across space. If they entered warp drive individually, there was no guarantee they would exit at the same spot.


    Yao Yuan''s Thinker power was activated to its maximum. In less than 5 seconds, he made his decision. "Then we will use warp drive¡­ Call Blue 6. Didn''t he love to exact his responsibility?


    "It is time for him to shine!"

 Chapter 350: Song of Destruction!

    Chapter 350: Song of Destruction!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Blue 6 was indeed passionate about his own responsibilities. In fact, he was the kind of person who was very sensitive about his range of power. After joining the human society, he was extremely worried that others would overstep into his boundary.


    Thankfully, it appeared like humanity was a race that knew about the sanctity of feudalism and no one was attempting to replace him as the minister of foreign affairs. At least in the realm of diplomacy, he was the highest ranking officer, and he was greatly satisfied by that.


    "The Chancellor is right. In this situation, we human''s space warp technology has been isolated. In fact, even if it wasn''t, I would also wish to persuade the Chancellor to not use it, but that is the prime minister''s and other ministers'' responsibility and not my place to speak."


    After Blue 6 gained his place of power, he heard from the Black Star Troopers that Yao Yuan was not the Emperor but the Chancellor. Of course, everyone agreed that Yao Yuan was humanity''s only leader and that he was lawfully elected by congress, so it was only a change of title. There was nothing shocking about it.


    Yao Yuan had already told Blue 6 his latest mission. Due to the urgency of the situation, he did not hide anything from Blue 6 and told him everything. However, he was still curious about what Blue 6 said, so he said, "Why shouldn''t we use space warp? That is the safest and fastest transportation method."


    Blue 6 answered since Yao Yuan had asked, "Because the Blue Race has an axiom that is sacred even in feudal society: there will be people who are desperate enough to do stupid stuff, so it is best to hide your wealth¡­ Similarly, even though we humans have great potential, we currently are still too weak. These vassal races will be valuable to us in the future, but we cannot bring them to warp with us, right? Therefore, for our future, I personally suggest we rely on warp drive."


    "Don''t show your gold and silver. We humans have that axiom too¡­" Yao Yuan nodded then told Blue 6, "Then I will leave everything to you. From this second onwards, we still have five minutes before the rescue mission will be completed. After that, we will enter warp drive immediately."


    A flustered Blue 6 said hurriedly, "Your Highness, humanity''s technology level is already not low, so you should know about the properties of warp drive, right? It is a process that needs acceleration time; it is not similar to space warp that can be initiated immediately."


    "I know, so it has to happen as soon as possible!" Yao Yuan replied. "We are running out of time. Whenever you finish your mission, we will leave this damn cursed planet."


    "¡­Fine. If Your Highness has said so, then I will finish my mission as soon as possible." Blue 6 shrugged. He averted his gaze from Yao Yuan and told his adjutant, "Record down my mission and inform the space jets that are under the foreign affair department''s jurisdiction. Have them start their inspection preparations."


    Back down in the underground of the cursed planet, there were only several transport shuttles left. There were only 200 plus people left, including Guang Zhen and the Black Star Troopers following him. Liu Bai and his team, who were on the surface, had already left. In other words, this was the last group of people for the rescue mission.


    Guang Zhen right then was standing beside Yun Si. In these few minutes, he was impressed by Yun Si''s managerial and negotiation skills and found out that he was a Diviner, an S-grade cosmic adapter, from many different sources. He would definitely be a part of the Black Star Troopers in the future. He asked Yun Si, "You could have boarded the shuttle a long time ago, so why did you stay? Only Black Star Troopers are required to stay until the last second."


    Yun Si did not even acknowledge Guang Zhen. He was helping a young, beautiful girl. The girl seemed to have sprained her ankle and her dress was splattered with many yellow dirt spots. She seemed to still be in shock as Yun Si helped her into the shuttle like the gentleman that he was. The girl gave him her name out of appreciation. She was Xie Yue Xuan, the daughter of one of the scientists who unfortunately had passed away.


    After Yun Si helped the girl board the shuttle, he finally turned to face Guang Zhen. "I also need to stay until the last second¡­ Like I said, abandoning them once is enough. They¡­ they can no longer suffer the fate of being abandoned like trash, so no matter what, I will stay until the last second."


    Guang Zhen did not comment but looked at the people who still remained. Until the last group of civilians entered the shuttle, he told the Black Star Troopers, "Retreat immediately, and¡­ have you tied the alien central computer securely?"


    Xiao Niao, who was standing beside Guang Zhen, sighed helplessly. "Yes, we have secured it. You have asked that question at least 10 times already. Relax, we have done everything we can. If we still cannot get this central computer back onto the Hope, then it can only mean we are not supposed to have it."


    Finally, after the last transport shuttle floated aboveground, the four vassal spaceships aligned themselves around the Hope. A communication channel had been opened between the five spaceships. Of course, to ensure the safety of the Hope, when the channel was made, the four AI from the four vassal spaceships'' central computers were given limits of authority. They were all controlled by the Hope''s central mainframe. Yao Yuan sighed in relief. After all, the Hope was the main civilization, while the other races were vassals, so their lives were in humanity''s control.


    For now, we would not get into the shock of the 3,000 Noah One survivors when they entered the Hope. This was the most crucial moment for the Hope. As the four vassal spaceships aligned themselves around the Hope, command was returned to Yao Yuan. The spaceships would use the slowest spaceship as standard and fly out of the solar system using the fastest speed and at the same time. Yao Yuan had ordered the four vassal spaceships to accelerate to enter warp drive.


    "No, this is too unscientific."


    Blue 6 was also in central command. He was talking to his own adjutant¡­ another Blue Race member, but when he heard Yao Yuan''s order, he immediately interrupted, "Your Highness, this is too unscientific. Forgive my insolence, but before Your Highness makes this decision, I hope Your Highness will seek opinions from the minister of science¡­ I understand, we do not have the time for that, then I shall encroach beyond my range of responsibility. Forgive my insolence, but warp drive cannot be done inside a solar system. This is a very complicated long distance navigation and travelling method, and the destination might vary by several thousand light years due to a slight variation in angle. Of course, since we have the AI system and a central mainframe that has superelectromagnetic hardware, but it will only work when we are outside of a solar system. When we are within a solar system, the ship is constantly affected by many different forces, including the various gravitational pulls and pushes, the light pressure from the sun, and other elements.


    "All of these forces are weak, but they are enough to bring great influence to the warp drive process. Furthermore, these forces within the solar system are constantly changing, so we cannot correctly predict and calculate them. Therefore, warp drive is normally not allowed within the solar system, because it could cause a whole spaceship fleet to be lost in the wide cosmos!"


    "So what will happen?!" Yao Yuan asked calmly.


    Blue 6 was startled. He thought Yao Yuan did not understand what he was saying, so he repeated, "Lost in space! Your Highness, this will cause us to not be able to return to our race''s mothership, not even our race''s shelter. We will float about in space and deteriorate due to a lack of cosmic adapters; we might even be consumed or destroyed by other space civilizations. This is a great space tragedy!"


    "Are we lacking in cosmic adapters? Do we have a shelter to return to?" Yao Yuan continued calmly, "This is our mothership and the entirety of humanity¡­ You are a Diviner, or a Time Watcher in your language, so you should be feeling the great pressure¡­ A danger that is not unlike a supernova. The danger''s presence is everywhere, and it increases in sharpness every other second. What we need to do now is escape this solar system as soon as possible!


    "The destination is not important. Perhaps we can use space warp after we leave this solar system, that is the number one priority. Number two, there is nothing for us to be worried about. To be frank, we are worried about running into your mother race¡­ I think we humans now are what they call a great wealth of treasure, right? However, we still do not have the power to defend this great treasure, at least when we are facing a level 3 space civilization. Therefore, until we become a level 3 space civilization or we have enough power, we have to avoid any possible danger. Since we cannot confirm the destination of warp drive within a solar system, isn''t that perfect? Nobody will know where we are going, so this means that there will not be a large amount of level 2 space civilizations or level 3 space civilizations waiting to trap us at the other end of the warp drive. Therefore, save your breath and we will enter the preparation stages for warp drive now!"


    Blue 6 was startled, but he did not retort. He was unfamiliar with human culture, but he was not dumb. After all, a dummy could not have been Blue 6''s sixth successor to the throne, even if he was an S-grade cosmic adapter. Therefore, he cleverly shut his mouth and allowed Yao Yuan to continue his orders.


    The other 4 spaceships had confirmed the takeover of their spaceships'' central computers, so when Yao Yuan gave his order, they couldn''t refuse it even if they wanted to. Following the large output of energy from the 4 spaceships, the 4 spaceships extended out many thin and long devices. Large amounts of plasma energy concentrated on these devices and a lot of liquefied electricity pooled on them. Gradually, at the end of the 5 spaceships appeared a layer of transparent, frosted glass-like mirage space.


    "This is incomplete warp drive technology."


    Blue 6 suddenly opened his mouth to say, "Only a level 3 space civilization at its peak can use perfect warp drive technology. For example, the Blue Race''s mothership can enter such perfect warp drive using energy charge to enter light speed, and it will only require several minutes. The real warp drive decreases the space frequency of the space opposite from the ship''s destination to create the space distortion effect. However, due to the spread of technology and perhaps intervention from middle-tier space civilizations, now even level 2 space civilizations can use incomplete warp drive technology. Although, they are technically not using the real warp drive technology, and it can only be called a warp crawl technology¡­"


    Just as Blue 6 finished, the countdown for them to enter warp drive appeared on the giant monitor in central command. Since the four spaceships'' technology was higher than that of the alien merchants the Hope had met, the combination of the 5 spaceships'' mass was still smaller than the alien merchants'' mothership, so the expected warp drive time was fast. The countdown only showed around six hours.


    "6 hours? Can we make it?"


    When they saw the countdown, everyone''s gazes turned towards the planet that had become flesh. Around 10 claws had appeared from it and the surface of the planet had been cracked. However, it was covered by a thick fog, so they could not have a clear view of the monsters within. They needed 6 more hours, and they wondered whether they could last that long.


    In this solar system, the spaceships that were transformed earlier had now become various demon lifeforms. Some were pure energy, others metallic or rocks, and some could not even be described. The few planets that surrounded the cursed planet also appeared to have various levels of changes. The situation was so bad it was unimaginable, even¡­ it was hard to say whether it was a misreading or not, but the spaceship''s radar showed that the surface of the sun had some weird wave effects. So even the sun was demonized? Was that even possible?


    Time slowly passed by in this slow torture. The countdown had moved to the last hour. The space drag speed of the five spaceships had reached 90 percent of light speed, but it was still light speed, so even when viewed from the hope, the whole solar system was in slow motion, especially those demon creatures. But they could see the things that happened around them, as it was not like the real warp drive, where the surroundings were completely unnoticeable.


    Suddenly, in a space near the cursed planet, a weird creation appeared. It was of an unknown material that looked like crystal, but energy was observable on its surface. It looked like a creation made from pure plasma energy.


    The creation was only several meters in size. In fact, the Hope''s surveillance technology was unable to pick up such a small thing from such a long distance. This was the information provided by the four other spaceships, and the image was enlarged and put on central command''s big screen.


    "What is this? A ruin inside the cursed planet?" Yao Yuan stood up to study it.


    Under everyone''s watchful gazes, the creation started to multiply at an alarming speed. It formed various parts, it had a complicated yet curious rhythm, and it looked like a painting, a symbol, or a picture. The various parts started to form on their own and continued to increase the creation''s size.


    "¡­No, no mass!"


    According to the data collected by the four other spaceships, the creation had appeared from thin air and it occupied empty space. There might''ve been space radiation or ions, but this creation''s mass and density showed that radiation or ions were not enough to create something of this size. According to the same data, the space occupied by this creation did not have any nano devices. In other words, a scary truth had appeared before everyone, whether they realized it or not¡­


    The law of conservation of matter had been broken!


    "No, not conservation of matter! There is a large energy reaction in that space! I know, it is virtual particle!"


    Of the many scientists who witnessed this scene, one of them yelled out, "Virtual creation! This is virtual creation! They use virtual particles to create objects from a distance away!"


    Since all of the communication channels were connected, Yao Yuan asked immediately, "What does that mean? Virtual creation? How great is this technology level?"


    "Impossibly high!" the scientist said directly. "The supposed space is not actual space. Other than the space ions and radiation known to us, there is a limitless layer of always-fading virtual particles. They appear by receiving temporary energy using a mechanism that we human beings do not understand. After they appear, they immediately return the energy and disappear. This whole process happens so fast that we cannot measure it in time. However, when it appears, its property is no different from normal particles. Therefore, if there is a constant and large energy that acts as a source of energy to replace the virtual particle''s borrowed energy during this process, then it will be able to capture the virtual particle in the moment it appears and materialize it from its virtual state. This is what we call virtual creation, creating substance from space. However, one, the energy required is too big; two, the amount of time that virtual particle exists is too short; three, what is the method that can be used to replace the temporary energy¡­ This technology is impossibly advanced!"


    Yao Yuan turned to look at Blue 6. Blue 6 nodded and said, "I may not be from a scientific background, but I can honestly tell Your Highness¡­ Even I have not heard of this technology, and level 3 space civilizations definitely do not have this technology. Even though level 4 space civilizations are distant, we still have had communications with level 4 to level 6 space civilizations, and their technologies are focused on space manipulation, not this kind of virtual particle creation. Therefore¡­"


    A technology of a high tier space civilization!


    This conclusion appeared in everyone''s minds and their hearts shook. High tier space civilizations, level 7 to 9 space civilizations!


    Humanity was like an ant before them. Borrowing an analogy, this was a comparison between humanity in the 21st century and the unicellular organisms that roamed Earth. There was no need for comparison¡­


    A high tier space civilization''s creation? They wanted to demolish this demonic solar system? Or this was the source of danger?


    Yao Yuan''s face was blanched. He looked at the countdown, and it still had 20 plus minutes to go. On the screen, the creation was already the size of a small mountain and it still continued to grow¡­


    Time ticked by second by second. Everyone stared at the creation on screen unblinkingly. At this moment, it was like satellite circling the surface of the cursed planet. And it had fully blossomed into something that looked like a giant crystal flower with a curious lattice¡­


    Without any warning or explosion, the surrounding area of the creation suddenly darkened and then everyone could hear singing¡­


    It was a curious singing voice. It had an echo and an indescribable curiosity, and it just appeared in everyone''s ears. This was not a mental attack because the computer could detect and record the presence of this song¡­


    At the same time, the central computers of the five spaceships showed that the spaceships were heading towards the cursed planet, and they were nearing light speed!


    "Impossible! We are trying to leave this solar system, so how can we be moving backwards at light speed? This is impossible!"


    Everyone had this confusion, but no one could understand what was happening. From the screen, the cursed planet and everything around it could not be detected¡­ yes, not darkness, but it could not be detected!


    All the scientists on the Hope were gathered in the lab. One of them was hit by inspiration. With the song in his head, he keyed in some data into a computer, and after some time, he yelled out, "I know¡­ Space decay! Vacuum space is not the real lowest energy state. This device caused the real space decay. The song caused the uncertainty of ionic state to create space expansion and contraction. If there is air, then it will cause natural vibrations, and thus it will create a song. So that is what happens¡­"


    Yao Yuan was like an ant on the top of a boiling pot. He did not care for politeness and yelled, "What is the meaning of that? Explain clearly, is this fatal? How can we escape from this thing''s attraction? That device has created a black hole?"


    "Black hole?" The scientist seemed to have lost his mind. He started dancing and said, "A black hole is like a creep with 5 attack when facing this thing. We all know that the vacuum is always in a process of high energy ions moving to low energy ions. To put it simply, that is natural space decay. Since energy is always moving from high to low, then so is the cosmos. Do we know the last state of the cosmos? No, many scientists have predicted that the cosmos we are in is only a resting state of the space decay process. A resting state that will last for several billion years. When our cosmos, or the vacuum moves from its current energy state to an even lower energy state, then our cosmos will have a gigantic change, and it is happening before us now¡­ Pulling everything toward it at light speed, the cosmos is returning to its mass point!


    "Do you hear this song? This is the song of destruction! The song that cheers for the destruction of the cosmos!"


    After that, the scientist charging out of the lab laughing like crazy. Yao Yaun did not have the time to deal with the mad scientist. A fit of inspiration hit him, and when he raised his head, he saw Xiao Niao and Ren Tao looking at him with the same expression. Obviously they had thought about the key point.


    Light speed!


    Yes, currently the Hope was being pulled towards the emptiness at light speed. In other words, if they broke through light speed¡­


    "Tell the vassal spaceships to activate their maximum power! Even if it''s just one second earlier, we have to break through the light speed barrier!"


    Yao Yuan was yelling at the top of his lungs. After he gave his order, he could no longer speak any words. It was not only because of tiredness from continuous combat, it was the sense of helplessness of an ant when facing an insurmountable threat¡­


    High tier space civilization¡­


    Forced us humans into space, destroyed our Earth, killed 99 percent of our people, ruined our dream new planet, now¡­ they want us to wait helplessly like ants for our final judgement?


    High tier space civilization¡­


    High tier space civilization!


    Blood trickled out from Yao Yuan''s lips¡­


    Time ticked by. They were only 20 plus light speed away from the slate of emptiness and the countdown was reaching its final 10 seconds¡­


    Everyone watched the countdown like their hearts had stopped.


    Everyone watched quietly, including the aliens and the humans. They could only wait and watch quietly¡­ Either they survived or they perished¡­


    Finally, at the last second, there was complete darkness around the Hope. Other than the 4 vassal spaceships, there was nothing else around them that was visible¡­


    Warp drive¡­


    The Hope had entered warp drive!


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    This chapter is almost triple the length of normal chapter and is choked full of scientific mumbo-jumbo. I apologize for the confusion because even I barely understood what I wrote.

 Chapter 351: Addition

    Chapter 351: Addition


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In warp drive¡­


    To be honest, the Hope being able to escape certain death had plenty to do with luck. Even though there was the joy of surviving the impossible, many were chilled to the core¡­ it was from the helplessness of facing a much too strong enemy.


    Therefore, the first few days after entering warp drive, the atmosphere on the Hope was low until several days later, when the Noah One''s passengers came out of the epidemic prevention unit, that changed things. In these few days, they were checked and treated by the Hope''s medical unit and were kept in the Hope''s sixth floor, a simple but giant hall with simple, metallic corridors. In reality, this was a place specifically built to accommodate these passengers from the Noah One.


    In fact, of the 3,000 survivors of the Noah One, around 90 percent of them had fainted. The continuous running, thirst, and hunger on the cursed planet combined with the later fear and nightmare-like situation had drained everyone. When they boarded the Hope and saw the familiar faces of other human beings, they sighed immensely in relief. As they let their guards down, the collected anxiety came at once and several thousand of them collapsed on the spot. All of them were shuffled to the epidemic prevention unit. Most skipped the showers that were provided and slumped onto the beds to sleep.


    The medical personnel on the Hope and temporary volunteers with the directions of the related personnel sent the fainted members to their beds. Doctors and nurses went about checking their injuries. They treated those who were injured and gave glucose packs to those who weren''t. There were many things to be done.


    Back on Earth, to save a group of 200 people suffering from food poisoning required the combined effort of the whole hospital. However, there were 3,000 people who were on the brink of collapse, many of them were elders. Without immediate medical intervention, they might die.


    Because of that, after the first batch of thousand something volunteers had completed their work of moving all the passengers from the Noah One to the epidemic prevention unit, the Hope''s ministry of health called in a second batch of two thousand something volunteers and workers to help with the situation. The work was done in two hours thanks to the help of the group of AI robots. Efforts like cleaning and moving were carried out by them.


    On the second day the Hope entered warp drive, the passengers from the Noah One had been asleep for 28 hours and some of them started to wake up. Since they were attached to feeding drips while they were unconscious, they did not feel hungry. However, they still needed to take care of their bladder needs, so when they woke up, the first thing most of them did was search for the toilet.


    The Hope''s general layout was not much different from the Noah One''s. The only difference was probably the wider size. After all, the Hope had been through many upgrades and the internal environment had been greatly widened. After all, this mothership was expected to host 120,000 plus citizens from Earth. After decades in space, now the Hope had a population of 200,000 plus, and if there had been no upgrades, they would not be able to fit into the original Noah Two.


    Therefore, when the Noah One''s passenger woke up, they were led to the toilets by the medical members or volunteers. Along the way, the first thing that came to them was the size of the place, the second was the cleanliness. Of course, the Noah One was also clean, but due to the incomplete warp, there were places on the Noah One that were missing and there were obvious signs of repair, which often made people frown.


    The Hope was different. Even though it had undergone plenty of human upgrades, it was at least one decade newer than the Noah One. Whether it was materials or technology, it was leaps and bounds ahead of the Noah One.


    Yun Si was one of the first few to wake up. Of course, he too woke up because of his bladder. Another reason was his alertness. After all, he was a soldier, even though he was attached to the medical unit. However, after the loss of the Noah One, as one of the leaders who led the survivors and as a Diviner, he assumed the role of scout and had maintained that habit until now.


    When Yun Si woke up, he realized that he was lying on top of a clean, white bed and was covered by a furry blanket. The blanket was soft and warm; it had the feel of real fur. The surroundings were comfortable and safe. If not for his bladder and alertness, he would''ve continued sleeping.


    The surroundings were quiet other than the occasional footsteps, whispered conversations, and snoring. However, these voices served to prove the safety of the area. Yun Si looked around to find that he was in a large room that housed at least 30 beds. There were plenty of beds, but the place was not cramped. Beside each bed was a metallic table that protruded from the wall. Each of them was decorated with a pot of flowers. Based on the freshness of the flowers, they looked recently picked.


    Yun Si quietly took out the needle that was attached to his arm to not wake up the others. His feet searched for a pair of wool slippers, and right then, he realized that he was wearing a wide, cotton shirt. His own garments were probably ruined. After all, they were nothing more than rags. However, he remembered that his dairy was in his clothes. It recorded their lives of escape on the cursed planet. It was probably with the high officials of the Noah Two.


    Yun Si had too many questions. If this ship was really the Noah Two, how could its technology be so much more advanced than the Noah One''s? Furthermore, his conversation with Guang Zhen only led to more questions¡­ Was this spaceship really sent by Earth''s various governments? Or had something happened to Earth?


    Yun Si had wandered out of the room as he thought about those things. Outside the room was a long, metallic corridor. He saw several people stationed in the corridor, and there were others in the same outfits. He was accosting them with questions.


    Pressured by his bladder, he rushed forward to ask for the toilet''s location while quietly studying them.


    These people were obviously humans. There were Asians and Caucasians, but there were no Africans. They were all fluent in Chinese even though most knew English. When they were approached in English, they too could answer in English. Their actions were friendly and they always had a smile. The key thing was that Yun Si was certain these were not original members from the Noah One, so in other words, this was really a human spaceship.


    When one of them told Yun Si the toilet''s location, suddenly, the other one found something on the computer. He raised his head to ask, "Are you Mr. Yang Yun Si?"


    Yun Si was startled before answering, "Yes, I am."


    The member immediately added, "It''s like this, Mr. Yang Yun Si. You are a Homo Evolutis, so the injection you got was different from normal citizens. Now you are allowed to leave this place. At the same time, Commander Wong hoped you would report to the Black Star Troopers'' base at the fifth floor as soon as possible. This is your ID card, please keep it close to you. You can use the card to access the computers by the streets to find out about your current location, and it will allow you to take all the public transportation for free."


    Yun Si accepted the silver, metallic card dumbly. He did not ask anymore questions, because it was obvious that these people were only messengers. They would not be able to give him the details he wanted. Black Star Troopers¡­


    "The unit led by Wong Guang Zhen is the Black Star Troopers, isn''t it? What kind of military unit is it? Plus, the commander¡­"


    Yun Si thought about these as he found his way to the toilet. There, he met with many who also just woke up. Everyone greeted him with respect. After all, he was quite famous among the survivors, as he had rescued them many times. He greeted them with a smile. When he left the toilet, he ran into another friendly face¡­ Major Jacko.


    "¡­So you too have received the same message?"


    These two could be considered old friends. During the escape, other than Austin, who had the highest rank, both of them were one rank below Austin, so they had a good relationship. After all, they had been through death together.


    Jacko smiled and said, "Not only you and me, most soldiers have received the same orders. However, the biggest difference was that I was called to report to the Defence Unit Barracks at the 4th floor, while you and other survivors of the mysterious virus were told to report to the Black Star Troopers'' base at the fifth floor. Obviously, these are two different military units. It sounds like¡­ in the future, you might be my senior officer."


    "They separated us just like that?" Yun Si said suddenly.


    When Jacko heard that, he frowned immediately. He looked around before leaning into him to whisper, "You better not say that openly¡­ After all, they have saved all of us. I know you are not satisfied with Commander Wong''s decision, but that is the best solution in this situation. Don''t get mad, listen to me¡­


    "My father was in politics, so I was taught these lessons when I was young¡­ Politics is heartless, so what can we do? There are only 3,000 of us¡­ After all, we are all humans too; let''s just see how they treat us. For now, the rescue, retreat, and the latest medical attention, they have done everything they could. Forget about the Noah One, or¡­ I might even become your enemy in the future, because we¡­


    "Have officially joined the Noah Two!"

 Chapter 352: New Life in Space

    Chapter 352: New Life in Space


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Without surprise, Yun Si became part of the Black Star Troopers. Others who survived the mysterious virus like him were veteran military captains. The highest ranking among them was Yun Si. He was equivalent to the Black Star Troopers'' vice unit captain''s level. With more time, they would definitely be important members within the Black Star Troopers.


    For regular soldiers, they were elite soldiers specially selected to join the Noah One. If one thought about it, they had been protecting the civilians during those dark days for the Noah One without complaint. Be it military training or mission attitude, they were professional, elite soldiers.


    Just like that, hundreds of soldiers joined the Hope''s Defence Unit, fixing the lack of middle to low level captains in the Defence Unit in one fell swoop. This made Guang Zhen so happy that he went about his day with a smile on his face, an observation that made those who knew him, like Liu Bai and Ebon, shiver all over¡­


    Regardless, following the addition of these hundreds of soldiers into the Hope, the Hope''s military power finally became officialised and was no longer half military and half civilian like before. Under this condition, Guang Zhen''s plan of the second military construction was pushed ahead¡­


    Yao Yuan was not worried about Guang Zhen. He handed the issues of military completely to him because he himself was having a headache about another thing¡­


    "Too many famous scientists?"


    Yao Yuan read the report that Barbie handed him. It showed the number of scientists among the 3,000 survivors. Yes, only the scientists. It did not include researchers and technicians. Scientists alone, there were around 700, including the famous metallurgy expert, Professor Fernando, who conversed with Guang Zhen earlier. There were many famous scientists, and the fields they were involved in covered almost all of the advanced technology humanity had looked into during the 21st century. It even included talents in the fields of satellite, rocket, and space station construction, experts that the Hope was currently lacking.


    Among these 700 people, at least 60 of them had enormous reputations that could only be rivalled by Alan, Silewei, and Garfield on the Hope. Even though reputation did not equate to ability, in the same scientific group, the greater the reputation, the greater the power.


    Therefore, once these 60 famed scientists join the Hope, the impact they will bring to the Hope''s scientific system will be enormous, especially since the Hope''s scientific system had been delineated into levels and posts. Even though it was a meritocratic system, it could still lead to argument and discord, and that would be giant trouble for the Hope.


    This was the biggest headache facing Yao Yuan, but thankfully he had the solution to salvage this situation.


    After all, the Hope''s science had already advanced to the late stage of the 2nd revolution, and it was at least several thousand times more advanced than Earth''s technology. Be it hydrogen polymerization, Gaussian technology, electromagnetic technology, energy condensation technique, warp drive, and so on, they were all technologies dissected by the Hope using its own methods in the tens of years of space travel. Just the theories alone would fit a large library, and it would be enough for the scientists from the Noah One to study them for quite some time.


    This period of time would be the period for these scientists from the Noah One to familiarize themselves with the scientific body of the Hope. After all, they were all humans and they knew each other, so the gap would eventually be closed.


    Yao Yuan laid down his decision on the report. He would give the scientists a period of rest and then have then gradually approach the science of the 2nd revolution. It would be a slow process because he knew that this was a process that could not be rushed.


    Then Yao Yuan picked up the second report. It was written by the Ministry of Health. It was a health report on the 3,000 survivors from the Noah One. Generally speaking, these 3,000 people were fatigued and had small injuries, and they did not carry with them any pathogens or viruses. However, the eldest among them were already in their seventies, so they needed the help of genetic mesomeric technology the most.


    However, the Hope was in the middle of a scientific renaissance, and the mesomeric technology had advanced to its generation. It was a new machine utilized by peak level 2 space civilizations. However, due to the incompleteness of the technology, there were only a few successful constructed devices. This combined with the high quality-control on the Hope, the Hope so far only allowed 30 to 50 people to use this new generation mesomeric technology each month. If all of the Noah One''s members had to use this technology, even if Yao Yuan gave them the whole monthly quota, it would take years for all of them to finish it.


    This was complicated¡­


    According to scientific research, the younger one was when one used the original genetic mesomeric technology, the greater the effect. Elders in their seventies using them would at most extend their lifespan by 30 to 40 years and not double their lifespan. This was the weakness fixed by the second generation genetic mesomeric technology. It resolved this issue, so it was perfect to be used by middle to old age citizens.


    However, the more one used the genetic mesomeric technology, the more one''s genes would reach an inert state. In other words, the effect would worsen and the lifespan extended would be shorter and shorter. This was why even with the technology, one''s lifespan could only be extended by 80 to 90 years. It was because after continuous exposure, the genes could become inert to the genetic mesomeric technology''s effect, or else humanity could have lived on forever, and currently that was still impossible.


    Therefore, the older one was, the more important the second generation genetic mesomeric technology, and most of the scientists and researchers from the Noah One were people from such a group¡­


    "¡­Order the manufacturing department to stop all unimportant operations and fully focus on designing and creating the second generation genetic mesomeric devices. At the same time, the quota for all members under the 50 of age will be delayed to accommodate the members over 50 from the Noah One¡­"


    We shall not focus on the Homo Evolutis and soldiers'' experience after being indicted into the Hope''s military system, or the Hope''s headache when it came to accommodating these 3,000 people. Instead, we shall focus on the Noah One''s survivors'' experience when they walked out of the epidemic prevention unit and into the Hope''s lower levels of residential areas. There were many emotions involved.


    How stressed were they when they were on the run on the cursed planet? They had worried about every meal, and the Blue Berets had to go around to search for a clean water source. Safety was always an issue and they had to worry about the attacks of the invisible alien octopus¡­


    Under such circumstances, living itself was a luxury, much less enjoyment and recreation. The ability to lie down for a peaceful sleep was already the greatest luxury then.


    Until this moment, where they walked on the sturdy, silver-colored metallic floor, looking at the sea of people around them, people who were not rushing from danger, this kind of feeling¡­ it made the people weep involuntarily.


    They had received their assigned room keys, their ID cards, and the 2,000 H-coins provided by the government. Of course, they still did not know the purchasing power of H-coins, so they did not knew how much 2,000 H-coins were worth, but they appreciated the gesture. They had their own rooms, official ID registrations, and government support. Even though they were only new to the Hope, these gestures improved their impression of this government greatly. Therefore, after they left the epidemic prevention center, they departed into groups or alone to their residences, while others wanted to take a stroll on the Hope, to experience this spaceship that was completely different from the Noah One and meet the people who they heard had lived for at least 10 years in space.


    Marion Bess was once Earth''s most famous physicist. He was selected to join the Noah One''s space colonization plan and had brought along his wife, his son, who was also a scientist, and his daughter-in-law to the new planet. Unfortunately, during the dark days, his family perished in the tragedy and now he was all alone. He was walking on a street on the Hope''s third floor, window-shopping and clearing his head.


    The residential area in the Hope had given him much surprise. There were plenty of citizens there and they had completely gotten used to the life in a metallic spaceship structure. They had managed to delineate out a residential area, and also had allocated space for shops and recreation. There were even chain stores. If it did not have the obvious spaceship structure, it really would look like a normal city. Furthermore, the citizens here had peace written on their faces. Even for those who were rushing, they were rushing for words; there was no anxiety from the fear of their lives¡­


    As Marion looked around, a familiar voice suddenly called him, "Is that¡­ Professor Bess?"


    Marion turned around and saw a familiar-looking middle-aged man. However, he was sure he did not know anyone in the age range of 30 something who looked like this man, so he frowned.


    The man first lit up with surprise, but when he saw Marion''s shock and confusion, he touched his face with comprehension. "Professor Bess, I am Alan, Alan from England. We met once during the US academic conference. We have even emailed each other multiple times¡­ This look is because of genetic mesomeric technology. Right, you have not used it, right? Don''t worry, you''ll soon be as young as me."


    Marion squinted his eyes to study this man and he soon said with pleasant surprise, "You are Professor Alan? I didn''t expect to find you on the Noah Two¡­ No, I mean the Hope. Thank God you are still alive. How''s your family?"


    Alan was already shaking Marion''s hand. He looked about and said, "This is not the place to talk. Come with me, I know a good bar up ahead. They have the best wine. How about a glass to relax? I also want to hear about what happened on the Noah One."


    Similarly, Marion wanted to get to know this unfamiliar Hope. He did not hesitate to follow Alan to the bar¡­


    This scene happened all over the Hope. The scientists might''ve come from different countries, but science itself had no nationality, especially in the 21st century when everything was global. As old friends and colleagues conciliated, the Noah One was like a drop of water flowing into the great pond of the Hope. Other than a few small ripples, it did not cause much fluctuations.


    For the 3,000 plus people from the Noah One, their new lives in space were beginning¡­

 Chapter 353: Cracking the Code

    Chapter 353: Cracking the Code


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Derma was once Earth''s most famed electronic engineer. His programs were used in everything from satellites, to space stations, to space fighter jets. He was part of the team responsible for writing the computer system for the Noah One and Two''s central mainframe. Naturally, he was a member of the Noah One.


    Derma knew he was lucky. Yes, life on the cursed planet was not pretty and he almost lost his life, but he eventually survived, and not only that, his wife and 8-year-old daughter survived as well¡­ In the original Noah One''s several ten thousand members, families like his were rare, and after his whole family had survived to get on the Hope, Derma promised he would be the most devout person to give thanks back to God for blessing his family¡­ Of course, he was deeply appreciative of the Hope''s government too.


    "¡­Earth is gone and all human society was destroyed with it. Humanity is only left with this Hope government and I wish to find a suitable job as soon as possible. Of course, I wish to be given a contract that is suitable for my standing¡­"


    This was an email Derma wrote to the Hope''s electronic science department. It had been half a month since his family left the epidemic prevention center. They had since moved into their new home, a building secluded in a peaceful residential area. It had two bedrooms and one living room. It was just big enough for a family of his size to feel comfortable.


    Furthermore, the area had great amenities and his neighbors were all friendly people. The residential area also had green pottery and easy access to public transportation. It was 2 streets away from the Market Street and 4 streets away from a 3D manipulated garden. His wife and daughter were satisfied with the arrangement.


    The only complaint was that they were only left with three-fourths of the government allowance. After all, no matter how powerful the H-coins were, there were too many things needed to be purchased for a new family. Furthermore, his family had not had a good wine, steak, and cigar for a very long time. These all would consume money, and in just half a month, they were only left with 1,500 H-coins in their account. This made Derma worried.


    Initially, Derma thought he and the rest of the scientists would be integrated into the government like the Noah One''s soldiers. After all, his work was fixed, and there was nothing else he could have done with his expertise. However, half a month later, there was still no news. He was worried and bought several papers to locate the contact information of the department he would belong in.


    After Derma sent the email, his wife passed him a glass of coffee. He took a sip of it and said with pleasant surprise, "This is such a good smell. Freshly ground coffee beans?"


    His wife was a 30 something beautiful European woman. She replied with a gentle smile, "Yes, it is. When I was out shopping today, I saw these new coffee beans on the market. Initially, I did not intend to buy it, but the line was so long and the stock was running out. I couldn''t help myself and bought some. I was surprised that it had such a strong coffee smell; it is even better than the special blend Kona coffee that we used to get back on Earth. I really did not expect this spaceship to be able to grow such pure coffee beans, or maybe it''s leftover stock taken from Earth."


    Derma took another enjoyable sip of the coffee and said, "I really have a hard time believing this is the Noah Two. The outside has not changed much, but the inside has changed a lot. Furthermore, how many people are there on this ship? The papers have a daily population estimate, and today, there are already 246,000 people. They have to feed so many people, so what if they had brought the whole Earth''s supplies? This spaceship has been travelling in space for at least ten years, meaning they would have finished Earth''s stock a long time ago, so these things like these coffee beans must be cultivated right on this ship. After all¡­ this spaceship is already a product from the later 4th revolution."


    In the middle of their conversation about the price of the coffee beans being 170 plus H-coins for 1,000 grams, a suddenly ring came from the computer. Both of them turned to see the image of a small envelope appear on screen. It looked the real thing.


    They were no longer shocked by this 3D imaging technology on the Hope. Initially, they were shocked that an image could be projected in thin air, but after a while, they got used to it.


    Derma extended his finger to press the envelope and it opened to reveal a long english reply. He and his wife were reading the content.


    "¡­Mr. Derma, we have received your email and are impressed by your fiery passion. As you have said, the Hope is humanity''s last and only home, therefore we must work hard to protect it¡­


    "¡­Currently, our research team has stumbled across a conundrum that requires the expertise of someone just like yourself. If possible, please come to the Hope''s fourth floor Area XX for an interview at 10 AN tomorrow. We will definitely draft a contract that is to your satisfaction."


    Derma shared a look with his wife and saw the joy in each other''s eyes. They thought that since the Hope had left him hanging for half a month, they would not need someone like him. After all, his thoughts had been stuck in the 21st century level. He therefore did not have much hope in the email, but who would have thought that they would respond only after a few minutes, and from the way the email was worded, they had been waiting for him to write them.


    In that case¡­. Why wouldn''t the government just call him in for work directly?


    In the electronic department, Da Bing, who had been acting as the leader, was also not quite satisfied with Yao Yuan and his order that stated they could not actively enlist the scientists from the Noah One, not even the technicians and interns, to work for them. They had to be given enough time to familiarize themselves with the life on the Hope and to repair their hearts that were broken on the cursed planet. Unless the scientists actively requested to join a certain task force, they were not allowed to reach out to them.


    As the father of electronics on the Hope and dubbed the most brilliant scientist rivalling the Whisperers, Da Bing''s standing on the Hope had a meteoric rise. He not only became the head of all electronic committees, he was also one of the few scientists who could stand his ground in front of Yao Yuan. Therefore, he naturally had access to the list of survivors from the Noah One. It had about 40 electronic talents he could not wait to get his hands on, and Derma was one of them. No, more accurately, Da Bing was most excited about Derma from the 40 people.


    However, due to the difference in technological levels, Derma now was no better than a normal intern, but the real test of scientific study was intelligence and talent. They say success is 99 percent hard work and 1 percent talent, but in science, success is 70 talent and the rest hard work!


    If a scientist was born a genius, he would make a name for himself at age 20 and then retire to enjoy the labour of his genius when he is 40. Derma, who was only 40, was such a genius. Give him a little more time to absorb the scientific knowledge the Hope could provide and by then, he would be unrivalled.


    Therefore, when Da Bing received Derma''s email, he was beyond excited, especially since he had ran into a conundrum that needed the help of many fresh perspectives.


    After Da Bing sent his mail and received Derma''s reply several minutes later, he returned to the hall with a satisfied smile. In it was a silver-white metallic product, and due to its immense size, it had to be set on the floor in the horizontal way. Even so, they still needed to use a ladder to get to the top of the thing.


    This was the native machine Guang Zhen''s group had retrieved from the planet, the central computer of the level 3 space civilization. After they returned, the computer was sent to the electronic department that was on the fourth floor. In fact, there were 10 Black Star Troopers guarding the place for 24 hours to prevent theft or damage.


    Da Bing studied this large contraption and the hundred something people surrounding it and sighed. He joined the team to check up on their progress.


    The central computer used the plasma energy source. Even though the Hope could already produce this type of energy, the rate of conversion was still too low. After all, the Hope still had not reached the stage of having to use plasma energy. The energy required to activate this computer would exhaust 80 percent of the Hope''s energy storage, but¡­ that was only the beginning.


    The computer''s internal data used quantum programming; however, due to the language difference and the randomness of quantum systems, it was hard to crack. Last but not least, there was also an artificial AI precursor living inside this central computer!


    This was the biggest issue facing Da Bing. If he destroyed this AI, then the information within would be lost, but if they kept this AI¡­ as a non-human created AI, it was like keeping a ticking time bomb; it would be a hidden threat to the Hope, and no one would be able to accept that.


    So¡­ What should he do?!

 Chapter 354: Code: Darkness

    Chapter 354: Code: Darkness


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Quantum programming? Programming beyond 0s and 1s? AI system?"


    Derma studied the information in his hands, and he was excited like he was looking at a mountain of treasure. This made people around him laugh as when they thought back to how they acted when they saw the information poured in from the junkyard civilization, they were more ecstatic than he was.


    Derma roughly flipped through the information and he stood up seriously to tell Da Bing, "Leader Wang, you have to let me stay in this lab. Even though currently I am of no help to the group, give me three months¡­ no, one month, and I will try my best to catch up to the rest."


    Da Bing broke into a smile. He said as he shook Derma''s hands, "Of course, we gladly welcome Mr. Derma''s addition to our team. I am sure Mr. Derma will be able to contribute greatly to our progress in the future. A word of reminder, because this information has some parts that are not revealed to the public yet, so I hope Mr. Derma will uphold the confidential clause. Furthermore, I hope Mr. Derma can take a look at this contract."


    Then Da Bing passed Derma a contract and Derma started reading it in earnest. This was the difference between eastern and western societies, the attitude towards money. Even though eastern societies might value wealth, they would not discuss it openly, because flaunting wealth was not considered moral. On the other hand, the western society did not see it the same way. As long as the wealth was acquired through hard work, there was no shame in it.


    This contract detailed Derma''s future salary, so he was extra serious when studying it.


    The contract was surprisingly nice. First, Derma would be awarded the title of Academician. In this research facility, there were only 5 who had that title. Naturally, Derma would have benefits suitable for an Academician, like a personal lab, his own group of researchers and interns, his own annual quota of research grant and supply, monthly allowance. It also contained many benefits, like annual paid leave and family benefits.


    Derma was very satisfied with the contract, especially the salary. After almost a month on the Hope, he was familiar with H-coin''s purchasing power, and his salary was enough for his family to lead a wealthy lifestyle; he would even have enough to dabble in investment and stuff. In any case, he was very satisfied with the contract.


    Therefore, Derma signed the contract without hesitation. Then he would begin his work there in a month as a paid intern.


    After sending Derma away, Da Bing did not rest but spent the whole night trying to solve this AI dilemma. There were the same two choices, either break down the AI using force and pray that the information within was not damaged or keep the AI and use some method to entice it to give up its information.


    "What should I do¡­"


    Like usual, Da Bing spent his time at the lab until midnight. This was his personal habit, as the most perfect time for thinking was when it was quiet and dark, and this perfectly aligned with how the public thought of him. Only by pure hard work would a normal person be able to rival a Whisperer''s brilliance.


    "Whisperers¡­ Even they would not be able to solve this problem."


    Da Bing laughed bitterly. In fact, only he and the person who gave him this power knew that he was not a normal human being and that he was indeed a Whisperer. However, curiously enough, he could not sense the presence of other Homo Evolutis, and they, including Yao Yuan, the All-Rounder, could not sense his presence. However, he was indubitably a Whisperer¡­


    "No, it can be solved¡­"


    Suddenly, a female voice appeared in Da Bing''s ears. He was startled before asking quickly in his mind, "Is that you? Master, do you have the solution to this problem?"


    The female voice was silent for a while before continuing with another subject, "Do you still remember what we said when I first awarded you this power?"


    Da Bing was startled and then his face was suffused with seriousness¡­ no, extreme seriousness with an undertone of religious fervour.


    "Yes, there are many idiots in this world, and while stupidity is not their fault, using their stupidity to treat others and even attempting to influence humanity''s future, that is a sin¡­ Only a handful of elites can really direct the future, only we the few elites have the ability of saving humanity¡­


    "After the Hope left Earth, many events have proved this point. From the appearance of Homo Evolutis and the multiple times that our great leader Yao Yuan saved our lives, this proves that only the elites can really save humanity!


    "Of course, our goal is for the good of humanity and to preserve human civilization. Therefore, when the idiots are not indulging in their stupidity, we can tolerate their idiocy and try our best to salvage them from the sin of stupidity. We will hide ourselves in the darkness, we will become darkness, watching over everything and saving everything. Until we cannot tolerate this stupidity or until this stupidity is leading humanity towards destruction, then this piece of darkness will swallow the idiots so that our great leader, Yao Yuan, can continue his domination!"


    Even though Da Bing did not say any words. in his mind, his volume as he chanted these words was getting louder. It was like he was pouring out his heart and mind, and his face was suffused with a sacred glow like he was going to sacrifice himself for his greater ideal at any moment.


    "Yes, that is our mission, to hide in the dark, to watch over everything, to protect everything, and to shelter our great leader, Yao Yuan. When he needs us, we will decimate those dirty politicians¡­ But that is not doable by will alone, we still need power."


    "Power?" Da Bing nodded silently and offered in his mind, "Do you need my contribution? I can still help in terms of weapon electronic programming."


    "No, there''s no need for your contribution yet, your position is too sensitive at the moment. Even though the great leader did not suspect anything, one of the idiots, Wong Guang Zhen, is watching you closely. Currently, there are at least 3 hidden watchers observing you, so you mustn''t act rashly¡­ Of course, you are still an instrumental part of the plan," the female voice continued.


    Da Bing asked immediately, "Then please tell me what can I do."


    "We need this AI. Of course, not for it to enter the Hope''s server. This AI will be sealed as our own AI precursor. Last time, when you wrote the AI precursor, you did not add in any additional programming and gave it its own original presence. That was a job well done. This is because Bo Li has checked the AI, and if you had not done that, our organization would have been exposed," the female voice continued.


    "Our organization already has quite a few members, but everyone is in hiding. We have the same ideals; we are not traitors, we are not anarchists, we are people searching for a better future for humanity. Regardless of the ideals, we need power to support it¡­


    "This AI precursor will greatly increase our power, to help us increase our fighting power. This plan is codnamed¡­ Darkness.


    "Go forth, my child, use your Whisperer''s power to unlock this AI''s secret. Communicate with it, ensure its safety, but it will be in a sealed condition for a long time. This is its final opportunity; if it refuses to cooperate, then you destroy it rather than allowing it the chance to harm the Hope¡­ Of course, if possible, get as much information as you can about level 3 space civilizations before you do all that.


    "Codename: Darkness."


    About a week later, Yao Yuan received the emergency news regarding the level 3 space civilization''s central computer. He and Guang Zhen rushed to the scene that had been charred and the central computer was in broken pieces.


    "¡­I will fill out the report to detail the whole event. I am to blame, I shall request to stand down from my leader post."


    When Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen arrived, a defeated Da Bing was sitting on the chair. His arm was bleeding and pieces from the explosion had obviously hurt his skin.


    "We have been attempting to try to communicate with the AI within, and honestly we have come upon great improvement. We tried giving it a small internet server platform as a sign of our peaceful intention, hoping it would give us some technological information in return. We let our guard down. Earlier, the AI controlled the lab''s server system and tried to hack its way into the Hope''s central mainframe. In that emergency moment, I called the trooper on duty and ordered them to destroy the central computer," Da Bing silently relayed the event to the two of them.


    Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen turned to look at the mentioned trooper. It was Ji Jie, who proved her mettle leading the ship during the cursed planet crisis. Ji Jie nodded in confirmation. Her side of the story was not different from Da Bing''s.


    Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were naturally saddened by this news. Such an important and valuable level 3 space civilization''s central computer was ruined just like that. Of course, they could not blame Da Bing. If anything, they praised his resoluteness. If not for his clear head in a crisis, the AI would have taken over the Hope, and that would''ve been a real disaster.


    Therefore, both of them consoled Da Bing and denied his offer of resignation. Thankfully, nothing was lost, because before the central computer was destroyed, Da Bing managed to salvage some technological information from the AI. When Yao Yuan read them, he was beyond joy.


    One of them was about increasing the initial speed of warp drive, the other about electromagnetized ECS system, another about the plasma energy reservoir, and last but not least¡­


    The key defence method of level 3 space civilizations!


    Plasma energy shield!

 Chapter 355: Plasma Energy Shield

    Chapter 355: Plasma Energy Shield


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan picked up a glass of tea and stood at the side glass window of a room in the Hope. Beside him, a few officers were chatting. It was a rare Sunday holiday, but even so, Yao Yuan still had a few minor chores to deal with. However, he knew a day of peace was rare, so he finished his chore and decided to go for a walk.


    People from the Noah One had successfully melted into the big family of the Hope. There were still some altercations, but since those were easily resolved at the end of the day, everyone was dealing with humans.


    Furthermore, the Noah One''s people were rescued when they were in the deepest danger. The poignancy and shock was beyond description when they were ushered from certain death into the relative safety of the Hope. In other words, they only had appreciation in their hearts and were willing to assimilate into the Hope''s society¡­ Then again, even if they were unwilling, Earth was gone and they were in space, what choices did they have?


    Therefore, due to these many reasons, the Noah One''s people had successfully assimilated into the Hope without causing much trouble. Until now, the Hope had spent two months in warp drive. Other than assimilating the people from the Noah One, most time was spent in waiting.


    The warp drive was as predicted by most scientists. In this space, the surroundings contained nothing but emptiness because this space''s speed was quicker than light. Even though this space could be said to be in a standstill, internal lighting still worked normally, but outside of this space, space was a giant slice of darkness.


    Warp drive was an extremely long process. Even though they had passed light speed, the cosmos was large, so moving from one sun to the next could only be calculated in light years, and this warp drive was expected to last for one year and four months. Currently, the Hope existed in this waiting space, waiting to exit from warp drive space.


    There was another reason¡­ because this warp drive had no certain destination. Even though the general direction had been decided, it was heading towards a sun that did not have a crowded planet system. However, since they had entered warp drive while they were within a solar system, there had to be a variation in the destination. Just think about it, a slight tremor for a sniper could cause a variation of 1 or 2 meters after the bullet travelled for several thousand meters; therefore, the variation must have been bigger for warp drive that had its distance calculated in light years.


    Therefore, the Hope was not only waiting for the warp drive to end but also waiting for the unknown future. It was similar to their normal space warp. The difference was that this time it would be a long one year and four months, while it would be a blink of an eye if it was a space warp.


    Yao Yuan looked out the window and studied the black emptiness. There was nothing in space other than the few alien vassals. By now, Yao Yuan understood the true meaning of space decay. This empty space was not really space, and the real space¡­ that was the starting point of the destruction of the cosmos.


    "Everyone, please excuse me, I have to go to the lab," Yao Yuan put down his glass of tea and told the officers.


    Indeed, Yao Yuan had been visiting the lab these past few days. The key reason was still the few technologies taken from the level 3 space civilization''s central computer. They were all advanced technology, be it the improvement to warp drive, the ECS system''s anti electromagnetism, or the storage for the plasma energy or the plasma energy shield.


    Even though it was infuriating that they had only gained these few technologies and not that level 3 space civilization''s full technology tree, it was still better than nothing. After all, everyone knew what happened. The alien AI was indeed a time bomb that threatened the Hope. The emergency called for its destruction, so Yao Yuan agreed with Da Bing''s decision. These few technologies could be counted as spoils of war, and some was still better than none, right?


    Furthermore, these few technologies¡­ Just the plasma energy reservoir and plasma energy shield alone were enough to solve the Hope''s biggest issue.


    First of all, the Hope currently was using all Gaussian weapons. The only plasma weapon was the Hope''s ultimate weapon, the Genesis. Everyone on the Hope knew about the Gaussian weapons'' power. Without electromagnetic shields, even the space armors would not be able to withstand the assault of Gaussian rifles.


    Then why level 2 space civilizations, when facing level 3 space civilizations, would become so useless and powerless. Even if a level 2 space civilization had a fleet of spaceships and a level 3 space civilization only had one, the former still had to run.


    The answer was defense mechanism. Level 3 space civilizations did have many technologies that were more advanced than that of level 2 space civilizations, in the context of a war, the core difference was that level 3 space civilizations had plasma energy shields. These shields could not only defend against Gaussian weapons'' bullets but also the Genesis'' energy beams. While level 2 space civilizations'' electromagnetic shields could only defend against physical bullets and not plasma attacks!


    Therefore, during a war between these two levels of space civilization, one party could end the war without taking any damage, and that was the biggest difference between level 2 and level 3 space civilizations. Actually, this was not limited to level 2 and level 3 space civilizations, it was the same for level 4, 5, and 6 space civilizations. If I could hit you but you could not hit me, there would be a clear winner.


    Actually, the Hope had been researching plasma shields, but due to the lack of research information, the progress was stuck on many key issues like instantaneous energy charge, energy storage, energy condensation, and the like. This range of techniques was not available to level 2 space civilizations, and mankind would only understand them after they being a level 2 space civilization for several decades.


    But now, the Hope had received all the information about the plasma energy shield, including the most esoteric parts, and it looked like the Hope was close to constructing plasma shield, but in reality¡­


    It was not really so!


    "¡­Impossible. To perfect the plasma shield technology in one year and two months and equip the whole ship with it is purely impossible," Bo Li answered without taking her eyes off her computer.


    Yao Yuan was helpless, like he always was before Bo Li. He stood up beside her and asked, "What are the difficulties? Haven''t we gotten all the necessary information? Is it because of supply, material, or people? I can give you a larger quota if that is needed¡­"


    "It''s not that," Bo Li directly interrupted Yao Yuan. She raised her head and her eyes stared right at Yao Yuan. "It is not that, the quota for research is more than enough and there are enough people working on it. The main issue is the lack of research knowledge, and that is not something that can be fixed easily¡­ Fine, I ask you this, do you know what the best plasma energy source is?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head blankly and Bo Li answered, "It is the cold agglutination process. In other words, the upgraded version of the hydrogen-atom reactors we currently have. We are using normal hydrogen reactors now and we require extremely high temperatures to induce polymerization to release energy. This kind of situation will not contribute to cold agglutination. We need a new upgrade to our many devices, like energy storage blocks. Other than that, even our most basic metallurgy technology needs to improve as well¡­


    "To put it simply, imagine a country during World War I receiving the blueprint for weapons in the 21st century. Yes, theoretically, they can build it, but practically, it is not going to be easy. From the metals, manufacturing, to ammunition, they each require a large amount of time to research and adopt. Even after that, there is still the question of adaptation to current technology¡­"


    Yao Yuan exhaled to interrupt Bo Li, "I have thought about all that. I do know it is difficult to make use of the plasma energy shield, but you have to consider my trump card and choice. The trump card the Hope has now is our immense number of Homo Evolutis and the Space Combat Jets they pilot, right? From a certain perspective, this team can easily destroy a level 2 space civilization and might even stand a chance against level 3 space civilization, but our Homo Evolutis warriors are very important, and there is no way for us to replace the ones that we have lost. If possible, I also do not demand a perfect plasma shield technology, but at least can you give me a second best replacement? Like a plasma shield generator that has a short life span¡­


    "You have to understand, when we exit space warp, we might be facing innumerable level 2 space civilizations and level 3 space civilizations¡­"


    At this point, Yao Yuan''s eyes darkened like¡­


    He was looking into the far future!

 Chapter 356: Prediction and Military Exercise

    Chapter 356: Prediction and Military Exercise


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­As the strategist group predicted, this will be most likely what the Hope will run into next."


    In a war meeting room somewhere on the Hope''s fifth floor, every soldier with the rank of major and above from the Defense Unit as well as the unit leaders and vice leaders from the Black Star Troopers were gathered. This was the fifth month after the Hope entered warp drive. In these five months, peace reigned, and with the absorption of the Noah One''s military into the Hope, finally, this month was also the military restructuring Guang Zhen was waiting for.


    Of course, at the same time as the military restructuring, a group of strategists were thinking about the Hope''s future. This was delineated into many different categories. One was the prediction about the Hope''s scientific progress. So far, it was already Year 16 according to the Hope Calendar, and the Hope had 246,000 population. The number had almost doubled compared to the population that they started with when they left Earth, which was 120,000.


    In these 16 years, the Hope had evolved from a level 1 space civilization to a middle tier level 2 space civilization with access to some level 3 space civilization technology in one fell swoop. This was practically a miracle. If a normal space civilization had to go about this the normal way, it would take thousands of years, but the Hope managed it in such a short amount of time, and not only that, with a small amount of population as well.


    Of course, optimistic development now did not mean it would be the same for the future. Therefore, the idea given by the strategist group was for the Hope to become a level 3 space civilization as soon as possible and have no contact with other space civilizations before that. After all, the Hope was the only force available to humanity, unlike other level 2 space civilizations that had access to millions of spaceships. It was a wide discrepancy. Even with so many Homo Evolutis, a war would probably only lead to an escape.


    Therefore, until humanity became level 3 space civilization, they had to find a quiet space for humans to self-improve for about 30 to 50 years before they could interact with the other space civilizations without fear.


    But¡­ could things really go how they wanted?


    After the investigation by many scientists and elaboration by the Thinkers, they had come up with a few most likely future scenarios for the Hope.


    First, they would find themselves in space decay. Space decay spread in light speed and everything would be in collapse range. Everything, including the sun, the planets, supernova, and even black holes, would be consumed as the cosmos began its new birth. There was no way to run!


    Of course, the ability to be able to travel over light speed in the cosmos was already a confirmed reality. Similarly, using super light speed to communicate and to carry out surveillance was definitely something possible. Furthermore, from the information given by Blue 6, even though level 4 space civilizations and above were extremely rare in space, it did not mean that they did not exist. They would normally have a large amount of low level space race vassals who could provide them with constant supplies or resources and ''soul'' as well as act as cannon fodder when they were in a war with other middle tier space civilization.


    Therefore, those middle tier space civilizations would be able to detect the presence of space decay when they were travelling in super light speed and they would not hesitate to share the news with their vassal civilizations. In that case, one could imagine¡­ there would be many space civilizations heading towards the fringe edge of the solar system!


    The Hope was also heading towards the same destination. This meant that the Hope would be dropped in a pool of alien civilizations when it exited warp drive¡­


    There was also this piece of information taken from Blue 6. There was a great distance to cross between solar systems. The distance was so big that even with wormhole technology or star gate technology, the distance might not be crossable with one warp. This was no longer a distance calculated in several thousand light years but several billion light years!


    Therefore, to traverse from one solar system to another, other than high tier space civilizations, everyone had to follow the natural star path.


    What star path, Blue 6 had no clue, but it was something that every level 3 space civilization knew a bit about. It was not some valuable information, just the general direction of the path. Some civilizations guessed these were the paths used by the legendary god tier space civilizations while others thought this was a miraculous path formed by the cosmos naturally. Regardless of the type, it was the only way middle to low tier space civilizations could use to travel from one solar system to the next.


    Ren Tao, Yao Yuan, and Xiao Niao had a private discussion with the group of scientists. The combined brainpower of two and a half thinkers and the large group of scientists came to the conclusion that the Hope''s space warp was temporarily disabled. Perhaps the high tier space civilizations were attempting to prevent the demonized race within this solar system from escaping, so they sealed off the ability to space warp and initiated a space decay for the purpose of ''extermination''. How to initiate space decay and whether it could be stopped were still unknown. The Hope had no inkling to the kind of technological level a high tier space civilization had achieved, so everything was only guesswork.


    However, if high tier space civilizations could initiate space decay, then it was logical that they had a method to stop it, or else the space decay''s chain reaction would eventually cause the whole cosmos to collapse. No matter how big the cosmos was, the effective range of the space decay was endless. Eventually, the high tier space civilizations themselves would be sucked into it. Therefore, they had to have to way to stop space decay.


    Then, when would they stop it?


    Everyone came to the same answer¡­ until the whole solar system disappeared!


    In that case, then the limitation on the Hope''s space warp engine would probably be as large as the solar system itself. In other words, as long as they left the solar system, there was a high possibility that the space warp engine could be used again.


    Therefore, the Hope had to get to the star path and use it to leave this solar system!


    It was due to this decision that the war meeting was held. It was to discuss the possible danger encountered from when the Hope exited warp drive to when they reached the star path.


    After Guang Zhen''s vice commander, Liu Bai, made his report, Guang Zhen took the stage to speak. "My fellow comrades, I believe everyone here knows about the severity of the situation. Those who are still confused about the conditions we''re facing can look it up on the military website using your personal ID. Of course, due to confidentiality clause, only those with the rank of major or trooper unit leader or vice leader can access the information¡­ In any case, our situation is not optimistic. According to the prediction by the Academy, it will be 30 years of travelling to get to the star path Blue 6 mentioned from the space we are predicted to exit. Along the way, we will pass by 14 shelters and probably rub shoulders with thousands of level 2 space civilizations and one to five level 3 space civilizations.


    "I am sure everyone knows about the Hope''s current condition. Our energy and material supply are approaching the danger line. Therefore, we cannot use the space warp engine. Even if we could, we would not dare to. In any case, we will have to stop at one of the shelters to refill our supplies, and that will be a big challenge for the Hope."


    Guang Zhen then shared a look with Yao Yuan, who was sitting at the front row. The latter nodded imperceptibly and Guang Zhen continued, "Here, we will use the downtime of this escape warp to have a military exercise. The Defense Unit will be responsible to defend the interior of the Hope by setting multi-layer barricades and by using internal siege engines. The Black Star Troopers, on the other hand, will handle external defense using the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s and the second generation space armors with landing-use exoskeletons that will be released later this year. At the same time, due to the lack of human resources, after a long discussion among the Barracks'' higher officials¡­


    "We will be employing our first fully AI-automated military unit. Of course, for precaution, this unit''s number will be small and they will only be used as a last resort."


    When Guang Zhen reached this point, a 3D image appeared before everyone''s eyes. Guang Zhen continued, "This is the map pointing out the area each unit will be responsible for and the unit''s individual mission. Of course, the mission might change according to the situation of the war; however, before that, these will be each unit''s area to defend. At the end of this month, all Defense Unit soldiers and Black Star Troopers will combine to commit to a military exercise. At the same time, we will inform the battleships of our vassal race to cooperate with the exercise to examine the Hope''s current fighting power.


    "I know I am sounding like a broken record, but still I have to repeat¡­ The Hope''s government is a young, vibrant government system. We do not value nepotism or cronyism but meritocracy. If you have the goods, then the rewards will be yours. This will be the spirit of this upcoming military exercise as well. No matter whether you are originally from the Hope or you are survivors from the Noah One, we will not focus on your original ranking or age or experience but your ability. Therefore, the Barracks decided to open up more major slots to reward the soldiers who manage to perform brilliantly in this upcoming military exercise¡­


    "I anticipate great results from all of you. Dismissed!"

 Chapter 357: Emissary of Peace

    Chapter 357: Emissary of Peace


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Military exercise? That''s not a bad idea; I have not come across such a lively space civilization before."


    Blue 6 sat leisurely in his own "mansion". Even though it was no comparison to his mansion back in the Blue Race, according to his understanding, this was one of the rarest large residences on the Hope. It had complete amenities, including his personal team training center, and he was very satisfied.


    He was enjoying a glass of red wine when his adjutant told him about the Hope''s military exercise¡­ It was worth noting that he had fallen in love with red wine, as it was tastier than the blood that he used to enjoy. Because he was still in the Hope, the wine was also full of "soul" and it soothed his body. Most importantly, it was not expensive, so he could enjoy it daily with his high income.


    After Blue 6''s earlier lamentation, he added, "Have you seen such a lively space civilization before? Their goals and plans are measured in days or months. Any goals that pass the measurement of years are rare. It is impossible for this kind of space civilization not to grow."


    The other members from Blue Race nodded in agreement. In fact, this was the biggest difference between human beings and most space civilizations.


    Humanity left Earth in the 21st century when all work was calculated in terms of hours and only big projects used months or years. Think about it, in that era, electronics like computers were updated every few months or years and the technology updated every year. It was hard to not be fast-living in that era.


    But what about space civilizations? Following the advent of scientific bottlenecks, the time it took to finish researching every technology would be longer and longer, going from several decades to several millennia. The introduction of genetic mesomeric technology also extended the lifespan of space civilizations. Lastly, any travel from one location to another would take decades to millennia, one space war could also last that long, and societal restructuring would probably take thousands of years to complete.


    For space civilizations, years was a small measurement of time because they could not be faster even if they wanted to. Following the start of race deterioration, this would become even more obvious.


    Almost all level 1 space civilizations that progressed to level 2 space civilization had this concept of time. There was no level 2 space civilization that maintained the concept of time that was common thousands of years ago during the scientific renaissance. For them, time was mostly spent wasted during space travel. To use several years to finish reading a book was something common for them. Military exercises would only occur when there was a new generation of weapons, or every several hundred years¡­


    But humanity was completely different!


    Humanity did not enter space with that concept of time in mind. Furthermore, they entered the cosmos without aid. They were alone, had no base, no support, and no mother race. From the very beginning, there were only several ten thousand human beings. There was no technology, no energy, no supply, they had practically nothing when they left Earth.


    Under these circumstances, humanity could only allay their anxiety through hard work. Combined with the concept of time they had inherited, it was only 16 years from when they left Earth. In the eyes of other space civilizations, this level 2 space civilization was crazily hardworking. The workload of one human being was equal to the workload of one month or more for other civilizations. It was as Blue 6 claimed, it was hard for such a space civilization not to progress and improve.


    Blue 6 finished the rest of his wine in one gulp. He stood up and smiled. "Military exercise, you say? Wonderful idea. By the way, when was the Blue Race''s last military exercise?"


    The adjutant replied respectfully, "Your Highness, it was about 246 years ago. If we were still with Blue Race, the next military exercise would probably happen in another 50 years."


    Blue 6 snapped his fingers and said excitedly, "Yes, military exercise, it is going to be marvellous¡­ Perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to gain the military designation for our Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I shall go meet with the Chancellor to ask for a mission for this ministry."


    Just like that, about half an hour later, Blue 6, his adjutants, and two Black Star Troopers arrived at Yao Yuan''s office. Yao Yuan was incredibly busy for the past two days because military exercise was not as simple as it seemed. There were goals to set, new strategies, weapons, combinations to test, the supply to exhaust, and to familiarize with the actions of the alien vassals. These were heavy workloads. There were the Barracks and the Hall of Innovation and Communications to him, but Yao Yuan still needed to get personally involved in many things.


    "Ol'' Wong, hear me out. Do we really need to send out so many troops? This is around 95 percent of our total military force," Yao Yuan told Guang Zhen, who was sipping tea before him as he read through the document.


    Guang Zhen was about to take another sip when he smiled and said, "We are in the warp drive, so it is the perfect opportunity to train the soldiers. Furthermore, this is perfect for the military from the Noah One to get used to the Hope''s military system¡­ Don''t tell me, we don''t have enough supplies?"


    Yao Yuan laughed bitterly and massaged his temples. "That is true, but not yet to the level that will hinder the military exercise. I''m just thinking about whether it''s worth it or not¡­ So be it, we can lose some supplies. After all, if the situation demands it, we can get more from the alien vassals. In any case, we will follow your suggestion, Ol'' Wong. The military prowess of the Hope does need improvement."


    Then Barbie came into the room to tell Yao Yuan that Blue 6 was outside waiting to have an audience with him.


    When they heard the term "have an audience," Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen shook their heads. Looks like Blue 6 had really taken Yao Yuan as the emperor. Then again, this might not be a bad thing. For someone from a feudal society, the emperor was the highest existence, and this meant that Blue 6 had deep respect towards Yao Yuan.


    Half an hour later, when Blue 6 left with deep satisfaction, Guang Zhen and Yao Yuan were still in the office. As Blue 6 closed the door behind him, Guang Zhen could not help but ask, "Ol'' Yao, you really plan to let him and those who are tasked to watch over him join the military exercise?"


    "Why not?" Yao Yuan smiled as he looked at Guang Zhen. He stood up to pour himself another cup of tea and said, "I don''t need to tell you about humanity''s current situation¡­ We are very weak, and since we managed to kind of join the ranks of space civilizations, then we have to make use of this opportunity. Be a little kinder. We Chinese have a brilliant saying: the sea can hold the water from thousands of rivers, it''s big because of its capacity. A person is great when he can be tolerant and forgiving to many other people. It is because we are weak now that we have to be tolerant and forgiving. As long as it does not harm us humans, then we should give more chances to these alien vassals. There is nothing wrong about that, it proves that they are fighting for us humans.


    "Furthermore, Blue 6''s unit is our human unit. If he really has some sinister plan, they will not allow him to do anything to harm us¡­"


    Blue 6 was excited on his way back because he finally managed to earn a military designation for his own unit. Even though it was still part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the unit was called emissaries of peace. As Blue 6 said, we come in peace, but if you do not accept this peace, then we will return with an army and cannons!


    An adjutant beside him was confused, so he asked, "Your Highness, why are you so excited over an army designation? Yes, our ministry''s military system has many cosmic adapters, but our assigned battle fleet was still too small, there is barely any¡­ Gaining the designation doesn''t mean that we can branch off on our own."


    Blue 6 shook his head. "The education you have received is lacking, so you might not understand this. This is something taught to the Blue Race''s royalty only, it is the power of official titles¡­ If we do not have a designation, then our unit will always be the ministry''s private army and none of our actions can be considered as official. We might even be abandoned by humanity when the situation calls for it. Do you all understand it now? The Blue Race at many times will also do something like this¡­


    "But it is different with an official designation. This means that it is part of humanity''s official army, so it will be protected under the human law and the Emperor will not be able to abandon it as he wishes. Then, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs'' actions will be given an official weight, like the power to initiate war¡­"


    Here, Blue 6 looked around and continued, "Furthermore, this is a wonderful method to help us assimilate into human society. In fact, if we manage to successfully escape this solar system, I plan to marry a lady from a great house. Her father is a member of the House of Representatives. By the way, I have handed our DNA over to the cosmic adapter to be tested and it shows that we can indeed have a future progeny with human beings. These are all great ways for us to assimilate into human society¡­


    "I''m not sure whether you noticed this or not, but the human civilization is still guarded against us. For example, until now we have not been invited to visit their history archives. That is the most basic gesture to signify their acceptance of us, but until now, that has not been done. Therefore, we have to try harder to assimilate into human society¡­"


    Blue 6 paused as a severe expression fell over his face and he swore, "This civilization that I have fallen in love with¡­ I will definitely assimilate into it!"

 Chapter 358: New Whisperer

    Chapter 358: New Whisperer


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yang Yun Si flung his arm out of frustration. He looked at the time recorded on the second generation space armor from his small dash. His maximum speed was only 200 plus meters per second. This was already considered fast among Black Star Troopers, but this was a standard mixing both S-grade and non-S-grade troopers!


    It was common knowledge that Homo Evolutis could be delineated into different levels. S-grade Homo Evolutis had access to special powers, like the Whisperer, Thinker, Perceptor, and the like. The rest were non-S-grade Homo Evolutis. They did not have any power, but they were definitely still Homo Evolutis.


    There was a great difference between the two types of Homo Evolutis in combat as well. In general, when both were using the same equipment and weapons, one S-grade Homo Evolutis could rival ten non-S grade Homo Evolutis. And Yun Si''s speed could only be considered a middle-low tier among the S-grade Homo Evolutis!


    This was a blow to Yun Si''s pride. He originally looked down on the Hope''s military system. After all, those soldiers were consisted of a bunch of civilian refugees that escaped from Earth, while the military from the Noah One was hand-picked from authentic military elites. This was a point of pride for Yun Si, and naturally he had a sense of arrogance about it.


    However, he was taught a harsh lesson when he joined the Black Star Troopers and was exposed to the crazy training of the troopers. After participating in the internal sparring among Black Star Troopers and the recent military exercise, he was given the shock of his life. Not only him, even the elites from Blue Berets were stunned to realize that the most elite forces on the Hope were not the Black Star Troopers but the people from the group originally called the Black Star Unit. These people were greater than them on everything!


    "They are members from the Black Star Unit; I''m surprised we stumbled across them in space¡­ Alright, you may not know this, but in the world of special forces, the Black Star Unit represented the peak! There were only a few other legendary special forces that could be their rival, and none of these units would let themselves be known to us or the public and would not accept the order to join the Noah One, because they were their countries'' most powerful personal private units, therefore¡­ Now you understand? It is not that we are too weak, but they are too strong!"


    Fine, Yun Si surrendered to the immense power of the Black Star Unit led by Yao Yuan, but could he accept the fact that he was worse than Black Star Troopers who were originally normal civilians?


    His pride¡­ would never allow it!


    Therefore, even though the day''s training was over, he still did not remove his space armor and continued his training at the field to familiarize his body to the space armor to increase his speed and reaction time.


    Suddenly, a symbol lit up within his space helmet. He frowned but still used his gaze to look at the symbol for several seconds. Then a female voice drifted into his ears, "I''m sorry¡­ but is this Mr. Yang Yun Si?"


    Yun Si was startled, then he realized the date that day. He immediately apologized, "I am sorry, so sorry. This is Miss Xiu Yue Xuan, right? I''m running late, please wait for me a moment, I will be there in soon¡­ Definitely in ten minutes."


    "Okay¡­"


    The girl answered softly before ending the conservation. Yun Si did not dawdle and immediately rushed to the weapon storage to shed his space armor. At the same time, he hailed from the duty center a hovercraft and rushed to a hotel on the Hope''s third floor. Of course, he was still late in the end¡­ He arrived only about twenty minutes later, as he was caught in a traffic jam caused by a minor accident.


    Therefore, when he arrived at the hotel and saw the girl in flower-print dress sitting at the table with her head lowered, he apologized profusely, "I''m so sorry, Miss Xiu Yue Xuan. I was too distracted by my training and was caught in a traffic jam¡­ In any case, I am really sorry for making you wait for me."


    The sweet girl stood up in a flustered manner. "No, I was too early and you are not really late¡­ Mr. Yang must have many things to do as a Black Star Trooper, right? I am sorry for taking such a valuable slot of your time¡­"


    Yun Si laughed and said directly, "I should apologize since I am late. Also, referring to each other like this sounds weird. If you don''t mind, why don''t you call me Brother Yang¡­ You haven''t ordered, right? Server, can you bring us the menu?"


    As the night progressed, the initial awkwardness slowly dispersed.


    The girl''s name was Xiu Yue Xuan, currently studying at the Hope''s public university. She was only eighteen and was one of the survivors from the Noah One. She was one of the people rescued by Yun Si. When he literally lifted her off her feet due to her sprained ankle and placed her in the transport shuttle, this young and charming soldier had found his way into her heart.


    In the year they started their new lives on the Hope, they separated from each other. However, the Hope was not that big to begin with, so with Yue Xuan making the first move, they finally conciliated. Their relationship began by her thanking him. That day, she asked him out for dinner to officially thank him for saving her life.


    This hotel was one of the high class places on the Hope. The main chef there was once a famed chef back on Earth. His specialty was chinese cuisine, but the hotel also attracted many chefs who specialized in other cuisines. This fusion-style establishment slowly became one of the most famous private eateries on the Hope.


    Of course, this meant that the price tags there were not cheap. It could be called expensive, not a place where normal, working-class civilians would visit daily. Yue Xuan was still a student and relied on government''s monthly allowance, so this place was indeed a bit out of her price range.


    Yun Si had naturally thought about that, so he said that he would be paying that day. He did not feel pressured and ordered some food he liked and helped Yue Xuan order some after getting her opinion. Then, as they waited for the food to be served, they started chatting.


    There wasn''t much to chat about since, strictly speaking, they came from completely different worlds. One was a student girl who loved to watch internet dramas or read manga, while the other was a soldier, a Black Star Trooper, and a vice-leader for one of the Trooper Units. Yue Xuan was soft-spoken and shy, meaning most topics were initiated by Yun Si. Therefore, as the night progressed, the topic of conversation slowly moved towards weapons, military exercises, and the Black Star Troopers.


    Of course, Yun Si was a qualified soldier who knew about the confidential clause, so he knew his limits. However, the weapons for Black Star Troopers, space armors, and military exercises, these were not part of the clause and he had a great time talking about them.


    However, he sighed with frustration when he talked about his experience with the space armor. He was disappointed he was not on the same level as the other S-grade Homo Evolutis. Be it from the data or actual fights, his standard was just acceptable. Compared to those other troopers who were originally civilians¡­ he was like an amateur.


    Yun Si gulped down a shot of alcohol and munched on another piece of spicy chicken before adding, "Perhaps I am really a second-rate soldier and I will never surpass those real soldiers¡­"


    There was great sadness in Yun Si''s voice, but Yue Xuan was in a curious state. She felt like some voices were drifting into her ears; however, she could not hear them clearly. It was as if¡­ she was merely the mouth piece for the messages that were drifting into her ears.


    "No, that is not true, it is not that you cannot surpass them, but the space armor¡­ Yes, the uniformity of the space armor limited your power. Everyone has their own physical conditions, height, muscle mass, habitual tempo, the size of gait, these are different for each person, and the space armor''s uniformity has limited the maximum potential of each trooper. Of course, you can use long term training to familiarize yourself with the setup of the armor. In other words, you are lacking experience¡­ or upgrade the space armor, like the Chancellor''s red armor, a suit of armor perfectly suited for you, then your real power will be unleashed¡­"


    This series of words shocked Yun Si, who was complaining. Yue Xuan, after finishing her speech, half collapsed on her chair like she had made a hundred laps around the restaurant. Both of them looked at each other and there was shock apparent in each other''s eyes.


    The information about the demarcation of Homo Evolutis suddenly cropped up in Yun Si''s mind and he remembered that the type of Homo Evolutis most suitable for combat were Preceptors and Seekers, while its complete opposite was the rarest Homo Evolutis type¡­ the Whisperer!


    This type of Homo Evolutis who would contribute nothing on the battlefield had the most significant contribution to human society. This type of Homo Evolutis was extremely rare on the Hope, the most famous was naturally the Hope''s brain on weapon technology. In fact, both the space armor and Space Combat Jet were the children of her mind¡­


    But now, there was another Whisperer sitting across from him!


    A Whisperer who was also focused on weapons technology!

 Chapter 359: Exit

    Chapter 359: Exit


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Still half a month¡­"


    This was something many people were saying recently. From the data calculated by the AI, the warp drive was ending soon. In about 15 days, the Hope and its vassal spaceships would escape from warp drive, returning from warp drive space into normal space. When that happened, this temporary peace would disappear and the Hope would once again welcome their unknown future.


    Time passed by slowly. These 15 days dropped to 14, 13¡­ It crawled slowly by until it was only 12 hours until the designated time.


    In these 12 hours, the higher officials of the Hope and the Barracks were ready to face any situation that would come up after leaving warp drive. If necessary, they would enter warp drive on short notice¡­ Of course, this was something that would only be done if absolutely necessary. After all, the Hope''s supply and energy storage were reaching dangerously low levels, so if they continued travelling without recharging their supplies for five more years, the internal supply body of the Hope would be in a tense state. If it was ten more years, the Hope''s government would start to collapse.


    Therefore, the plan after leaving warp drive was to conduct alignment of navigation to begin another warp drive to the nearest solar system in order to refill on supply and energy before moving on to a longer distance travel.


    In reality, the cosmos was a veritable place of extreme danger, but it also contained innumerable treasures. For level 2 space civilizations, any planet was an endless treasure. Terrestrial planets could lead to harvesting of more than 80 percent minerals and asteroid belts would give access to rare minerals that were absent in terrestrial planets. For gas giants, after reaching a certain technology level, one could gain access to unlimited hydrogen atoms, and hydrogen atoms were the lifeline of level 2 and 3 space civilizations; they were the core for their source of energy!


    Therefore, while the Hope might be in serious need of supplies, as long as it had the technology, with a trip to a solar system, this problem would be resolved in a short amount of time and they would be prepared for a long travel that lasted for several hundred years again.


    "In another hour, the Hope will be in a yellow state emergency."


    Barbie once again reported the time to Yao Yuan, who was sitting in his chair. This was in the middle of the grand hall. There were not only Barracks'' members but also members from the House of Representatives. The big screen here would reveal the scenery of the cosmos after the Hope escaped from warp drive so that they could come to a decision in the shortest amount of time, be it escape¡­ or war!


    "The last hour, you say¡­ Where is Bo Li?"


    Before Barbie answered, Guang Zhen, who was sitting beside Yao Yuan, suddenly chuckled, then he looked around as if it had nothing to do with him.


    Yao Yuan scratched his head and said, "She should still be fussing over ''that thing'', right? After all, our demand came too suddenly and we gave her too little time to come up with a prototype. The poor girl¡­"


    Guang Zhen looked at Yao Yuan with a hidden meaning in his eyes and straightened his body to say, "Yes, the poor girl indeed¡­ especially considering the fact that she came across a man who is unable to confess his true love. The poor girl indeed."


    Yao Yuan coughed awkwardly when Guang Zhen continued, "Speaking of which¡­ How is ''that thing'' coming along? If we are really going into a war, ''that thing'' will be our ultimate weapon. Honestly, if we had ''that thing'', I would dare to send out Black Star Troopers to ambush a level 3 space civilization!"


    "I would agree if ''that thing'' could be created on time." Yao Yuan nodded. He looked around and changed the subject, "Regardless, I feel like it''s better to give her more time. After all, even though the Hope has a few Whisperers, she is the only one who is in the field of military. I have heard her tell me before that each Whisperer can only hear stuff related to a few specific fields. For example, Ivan is limited to the fields of biology, viruses, and cells, while even though Bo Li is stronger, she is limited to physics, maths, and weaponry. If only we had a few more Whisperers."


    Guang Zhen laughed and slapped Yao Yuan on his shoulder. "You''re daydreaming! Didn''t you catch Blue 6''s reaction when he realized that the Hope had Whisperers? That shock and envy was not something that can be described with words, yet you still want more? Other space civilizations need to survive too. Honestly, I am already satisfied with how we are. According to our current speed, I believe¡­ in the years I am still alive, I will be able to witness humanity become a level 4 space civilization."


    Yao Yuan thought about it but did not share his thoughts. In reality¡­ His ambition was bigger. If possible, he wished humanity could become a high tier space civilization in his lifetime. If that happens, then he would be able to pass away without regret!


    In the nervous atmosphere, the time dropped down from one hour to one minute. This was a completely different experience from space warp. Space warp happened in an instant, and even though they both led to uncertainty, there was no waiting for space warp. Now it felt like they were waiting for death or war to arrive as the seconds ticked by¡­


    Finally, as the last second completed, in everyone''s bated hearts, the Hope exited space warp and returned from super light speed to an idle state. Everyone''s heartbeat could be heard if attention was paid.


    At the same time, one of the adjutants accompanying Blue 6, who was in the grand hall, laughed under his breath. Then he heard Blue 6 whisper to him, "You find this humorous? Mocking them because they are afraid of warp drive?"


    The adjutant immediately mumbled in return, "No, Your Highness, I¡­"


    "There''s no need to hide it." Blue 6, who was sitting gracefully in his seat, turned his neck slightly to say, "This is nothing worth mocking. How many space civilizations have not gained access to warp drive technology before they disintegrated into endless space? Even if they had such technology, they did not dare to use it, or they are unable to calculate the most accurate navigation when they are in warp drive due to the lack of AI and implode within empty space. Just how many are those? So mocking is not necessary¡­


    "Furthermore," Blue 6 looked at this adjutant and explained seriously, "Human beings have access to something more powerful than warp drive, wormholes, and even star gates, so who are we to mock them? Just like how we, the Blue Race, have our own prehistoric means of transportation known as the bicycle, wouldn''t those who have experience going through warp drive be afraid when using the bicycle? It is the same thing here. Remember this¡­ Prehistoric species have no right to mock the fears of the civilized! Because the civilized¡­ have their own style of bravery!"


    The adjutant lowered his head and answered in a serious tone after a long time, "Yes, I understand, Your Highness."


    At the same time, the Hope and the few vassal spaceships'' surveillance devices were all activated to scan their surroundings. All the videos and images were displayed on screen, and everyone in the Hope was looking at the surrounding space around them.


    This was a piece of dark space, but at a location not far away from the Hope was a glowing star whose glow could be seen with the naked eye. It was a sun. Even though the Hope was not in the range of its solar system, it was not far from it. At least they were close enough to be able to survey the whole solar system with the naked eye.


    Instantly, everyone in the Hope cheered. Many people on the streets cheered and hugged each other when they saw this. They were cheering for their good luck. This time the Hope would not need to run into any danger before reaching its destination.


    A few minutes after the cheering, Barbie whispered a message into Yao Yuan, one which froze Yao Yuan on the spot.


    "What do you mean? Wasn''t our pre-set destination close to that solar system? Aren''t we lucky to exit near our designated destination? What is the meaning of this?"


    Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, and a few others left the grand hall and entered the secret meeting room. Yao Yuan then communicated with the surveillance room.


    "Yes, Chancellor, theoretically speaking, we should be heading towards that solar system. Even if our warp drive entrance was a bit unconducive, the most it would affect was the angle and, theoretically speaking, the distance is a variable that shouldn''t be affected, but¡­ It seems like we were mistaken. Our Hope is no longer near the solar system we were supposed to head to, we have passed that solar system and have landed ourselves closer to the other solar system beyond it! This warp drive crossed a way larger distance than what we have predicted!


    "It was as if¡­ the space has shortened!"


    At the same time, in this solar system, in a place far away from terrestrial planets and gas giants was a giant floating, metallic, circular plate which was spinning on its own axis. Due to the ginormous size of the plate, instead of calling it a mechanical creation, it was more suitable to call it a metallic planet, but that was not entirely true either because from certain perspective, it was even bigger than an actual planet¡­


    Within the circular plate, there were many alien lifeforms, and each race had their own active space. Other than that, there were public places, and some dark and bloodied places. These were amenities which were preserved due to certain reasons after a mass massacre¡­


    This circular plate had an alternative name among low tier space civilizations¡­


    Shelter!

 Chapter 360: Approach!

    Chapter 360: Approach!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Hope ended up further than expected when exiting warp drive? Why did that happen?


    In fact, this was very dangerous. If they could not correctly pinpoint their exit, then next time, they would exit at a dangerous location, like¡­ running directly into a planet or the inside of a sun!


    This was different from space warp. Warp drive did not enter a different dimension, it still happened in space, it merely stretched the space. Theoretically speaking, it still followed the basic rules of space travelling, and thus could run into any celestial body.


    It was why AI was so important for level 2 space civilizations on their way to becoming level 3 space civilizations. Warp drive without AI was extremely dangerous, and without warp drive, how would a level 2 space civilization become a level 3 space civilization? It was all a daydream.


    Due to this relationship, the exit of warp drive was important. The fact that the exit of this warp drive was further than excepted was no less serious than the disabled space warp. If they could not find a reason to explain this situation, then warp drive could not be used again.


    Thankfully, the Hope was carrying human civilization, one which had a major population of scientists. Considering the fact that they had personally experienced the process and danger of space decay, a reasonable explanation arrived at Yao Yuan''s and the high officials'' ears in a few hours.


    "First, space decay is actually our (human) scientific body''s hypothesis."


    This was a great physicist, Silewei, explaining the difference in warp drive navigation on stage.


    "It is common knowledge that in space, all energy will naturally go from a high energy state to a low energy state. This is a universal truth of the cosmos, and if I was to use a simpler word to describe it, it would be called entropy¡­ And when this energy level reaches its lowest level, the Academy believes it is the current cosmos. After all, this has realistic backing. The cosmos we are in has stabilized for billions of years and it can perfectly exemplify the lowest energy state of the cosmos¡­"


    When Silewei reached this part of his explanation, there was already a representative who could not help but ask, "Professor Silewei, we only want to know why the Hope''s exit is so far away from the predicted location. This is completely unscientific."


    "It is scientific¡­" Silewei sighed. "Everything that has happened so far is scientific, but our current science still cannot explain everything; we are lacking¡­ I was just about to explain the issue Mr. Representative brought up. Since it is our understanding that our cosmos is at its lowest energy state and thus the cosmos'' stability has been preserved for billions of years, a small group of scientists hypothesize that there is a state of the cosmos that has even an even lower energy state. The cosmos we''re in is merely in its ''half-decay'' stay. Just like how uranium has a half-life that is several ten billion years long, the cosmos we''re in is also going through a process, and when the time comes, the cosmos will naturally enter a lower energy state, becoming a ''real cosmos''!


    "Then, in reality, we have seen space decay when we were in the range of the cursed planet. In other words, the process which the cosmos becomes ''real cosmos''. Of course, there are many differing opinions regarding this point. When we were back on Earth, we had a scientists who conducted thought experiments to predict this phenomenon. A real cosmos will expand at light speed to cover the whole cosmos, but what is real cosmos? It is not the supposed lowering of dimensions, it is not one-dimensional or two-dimensional, it is real emptiness; it has nothing, not even space. In fact, one can call it the origin of cosmos. The space is infinitely small, but the mass is infinitely big. In other words¡­


    "The process of space decay might not be a giant ball that covers the whole cosmos but a mass that will pull in the entire cosmos. If it is explained in this way, then the discrepancy in the prediction of our warp drive can be explained¡­ Because a large amount of space has been torn asunder by space decay. In other words, it is not that we have increased speed during warp drive and moved further, but the distance we need to traverse¡­ has shortened!


    "Of course, this is not something that can be felt during under light-speed travelling. Only by travelling past light-speed can this sensation of distance being shortened be felt¡­"


    Even though the answer could not be 100 percent confirmed, it had real scientific backing behind it. This was both beneficial and harmful for the Hope. The biggest harm naturally was the increased difficulty in calculating warp drive, and the benefit was that the time needed to move from the Hope''s current position to the edge of the solar system had decreased. This was what the Hope needed to do the most¡­ to leave this solar system as soon as possible, or at least until the space warp engine could be used again!


    When the discussion on warp drive ceased, there was still another issue pending, and if anything, this issue was even more troublesome than warp drive¡­


    "In other words, there is a shelter nearby?"


    Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, and the few high officials from the Hope moved to the secret meeting room after the discussion on warp drive. Here, Blue 6 and the cosmic adapters from the vassal races stood waiting because they were there to discuss the Hope''s problematic location.


    "Yes." Blue 6 nodded first. "From the information preserved in their AI, we can confirm that there is a level 3 shelter in this solar system."


    "Level 3 shelter?" Yao Yuan took the head of the table and asked curiously, "Now that you mention it, we had no idea that there was a grading system for shelters as well."


    Blue 6 was the one who answered, "Your Highness, there is. The grade of a shelter corresponds to the civilization that built it. If it was a level 2 shelter, then it must have been built by level 2 space civilization, and so on and so forth. The purpose of grading is to exemplify its scale.


    "For example, a level 2 shelter made by a conglomeration of level 2 space civilizations has the lowest reputation and defense. They are easily pillaged. Generally speaking, the civilizations that stay there are either very low tier space civilizations or civilizations that are on their last legs. While a level 3 shelter means that it definitely has the presence of at least one level 3 space civilization. This is a guarantee of reputation and standard. Many level 2 space civilizations will reside there, and with a certain payment of taxes, they will be protected by this level 3 space civilization. When other civilizations approach, they too have to pay a trade and entry fee before purchasing the supplies or visiting the place. In essence, a level 3 shelter is the most common in the cosmos and the most stable of shelters.


    "Above that are level 4 shelters, but the number of those is very small. The Blue Race only knows about 3 of them, and the price for occupancy is very high. First, the race must have at least 3 cosmic adapters and a large amount of soul has to be sacrificed every 100 years. There is, of course, payment of normal taxes, but the amount is not something a level 3 space civilization could afford¡­ Of course, with such a high payment, there is high reward as well. Level 4 shelters can be said to be the only safe havens in the wide cosmos. You might even get clues or technology parts to become level 4 space civilization, and this attracts many space civilization to migrate towards these shelters¡­"


    Yao Yuan was in deep thought after hearing Blue 6''s introduction. Then he raised his head to look around and realized that Ren Tao and Xiao Niao had already raised their heads. The three of them shared a look and Xiao Niao uttered, "In other words, we are in the range of a level 3 shelter? They should have detected us by now, right?"


    Blue 6 paused for a second before replying, "Yes, we have idled in this space for several hours already, so that Shelter must have detected us by now. Of course, if we do not show any open hostility, according to our current troop number and technology level, they will not attack us without reason¡­ A level 3 shelter still has to protect its reputation, at least while we''re still near the shelter."


    Ren Tao added, "The Hope''s supplies are running dangerously low¡­ If we continue another warp drive, we will most likely perish in space¡­ isn''t that right, Chancellor?"


    Yao Yuan sighed and realized that everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to come to a decision.


    "Yes, I understand what you mean. The Hope has reached a stage where we have to stop for supplies. Since a level 3 shelter''s reputation is still considerable, then we can try stopping there for restock¡­ Of course, I am sure everyone knows the necessary precautions¡­


    "None of the Homo Evolutis are allowed exit or interact with anyone from the shelter, this includes myself, until the restocking is done and we have left this shelter. All external interaction will be jointly carried out by Guang Zhen and Blue 6¡­


    "Well, let us approach and enter this shelter!"

 Chapter 361: The Value

    Chapter 361: The Value


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Since they were approaching the Shelter, then they had to pay some form of taxes and had to prepare for trades like purchase of supplies. If possible, they wanted to buy technology from the level 3 space civilization. Of course, this was dependent on the fair trade and what humanity could offer in terms of trade.


    "First, I am adamantly against using technology in trade!"


    This was an important representative talking. "Technology is the basis of a civilization! We humans have sacrificed how much for our technology? Therefore, I am definitely against using our technology to trade for supplies! I will use the House of Representatives'' veto rights to veto this suggestion!"


    The people around him frowned as they surreptitiously glanced at this representative. Only Yao Yuan waved his hands to say, "Aren''t we discussing the currency of this Shelter? No one said anything about using technology in trades; it''s only one of the currencies used in this Shelter. They also allow for trades of resources, don''t they? That is the real topic we''re discussing now."


    Yes, using resources to trade for other resources, a barter system of sorts.


    Since the cosmos had all sorts of materials and minerals, naturally there was a difference in value for them. Humanity found out about this when they were trading with the space merchants. However, they were not clear about the exact value. Furthermore, from the information taken from the space merchants, it was the first time they had seen certain materials as well. After all, space merchants were a dying level 2 space civilization; they were the lowest of the space civilizations, so it was natural that they did not know everything.


    Therefore, they had to trouble Blue 6 and the vassal races. Now they were in the warehouse to look over the supplies the Hope had and put them into quantifiable value.


    In reality, Yao Yuan and company were worried, worried that the Hope would not have enough supplies to trade with the Shelter. Currently, they were discussing the alternatives, like using technology as a trade item was one of them. Of course, none present dared to bring up the possibility of using the race''s population as trade items even though it was the most common trade type in space.


    As the discussion continued and Yao Yuan was on stage talking, Blue 6 suddenly rushed into the room. It was so different from his slow and graceful way that Yao Yuan''s heart froze. He thought something dire had happened as they thought about the possible issue the Hope''s resources could have. Could it be that¡­ The Hope had nothing valuable? In that case, then¡­


    Before Yao Yuan could say anything, Blue 6 exclaimed excitedly, "Your Highness, I found Star Dust Gold! There are also Purple Larosite, Mica Sand, and many more! With just a small portion of Star Dust Gold, we can definitely refill the Hope and all the vassal spaceships'' storage!"


    The sentence silenced the previously rowdy meeting room. Everyone whipped their heads to look at Blue 6; a few of them moved so fast that they sprained their necks. Everyone stared at him with shock. They had a hard time understanding what he just said.


    Blue 6 was shocked by this reaction as well. He silently smoothed down his attire and looked around himself, then continued in his usual graceful manner, "Dear fellow men, rejoice, we human race have minerals that even level 4 and 5 space civilizations would desire! These minerals are more than enough for us to even purchase this entire Shelter¡­ Of course, if this level 3 space civilization is willing to sell."


    Quite a number of people laughed at his joke. When Blue 6 returned to his seat, he sent the trade information of the minerals onto the screen. The room went from silence into heated discussion again, but this time it was due to non-suppressible excitement.


    "This thing called Star Dust Gold is so expensive? Three gram is worth one 3000-meter mid-sized battleship from a level 2 space civilization? Also, this, what did you call it? Purple Larocite? The original form is already so expensive, but 5 grams of its purified form could buy a small ship from a level 3 space civilization? And this¡­ Mica Sand? A necessary component for wormhole engines and star gates? So it is a hot item among middle-tier space civilizations? And this, which looks like the legendary Sun Stone, according to rumours¡­ they are heavily sought by high-tier space civilizations?"


    A senior officer was reading it aloud when he suddenly clutched at his chest and fainted. The medical unit in the room moved to aid him. After giving him some emergency shots, they sent him out of the room. This was not an isolated incident, these people were simply too excited.


    To be fair, the excitement was warranted. Before this, everyone there, including Yao Yuan, thought they were the cosmos'' beggars.


    Even though humanity had many cosmic adapters and the progress for humanity was incredibly fast and humanity had a great store of technological information¡­ the cosmic adapters were definitely not for sale. Not even a single human being was going to be sold. Even if Yao Yuan ordered it, the order would not be submitted. If he dared to do so, anarchy would happen on the Hope instantly. This was human nature.


    Secondly, the technology. The Hope''s technology might seem very powerful and aplenty, but they had level 2 space civilization technology and a few level 3 space civilization technologies. They could be traded for something good at a level 2 Shelter, but definitely not at a level 3 Shelter. Even if they handed over all the technology, it was hard to tell whether they could refill the Hope''s storage.


    If human civilization had any treasures¡­ then the alloys from the alien plant could be counted as one. However, the alien plant was a creation from a middle to high tier space civilization. If they produced the alloy and accidentally tipped off the level 3 space civilization, then the Hope would be in great danger.


    Therefore, when Blue 6 told them that the unknown minerals they salvaged in a forming solar system were such valuable minerals, this was way beyond people''s expectation.


    Yao Yuan did not dally. He immediately pulled Blue 6 to the corner to have him describe the origin of these valuable minerals. Blue 6 nodded as comprehension dawned. "Is that so¡­ Humanity is indeed a blessed space race then. To be honest¡­ Your Highness, do you know how hard is it to stumble into a forming solar system?"


    Yao Yuan was startled. "It shouldn''t be too hard, right? The cosmos is so huge and there are new solar systems being formed every day¡­ Or there is something else that is at work?"


    Blue 6 nodded in response. "Your Highness, do you remember this information that I once told you? That almost all space civilizations are unable to detect prehistoric planets that contain lifeforms. Even if they accidentally stumble across one, they would naturally forget about it. They would leave without touching the planet. This is true for high tier space civilizations as well. Regarding this point, almost all space civilizations suspect it has to do with some sort of trigger set by god-tier space civilizations. In other words, civilizations that have entered space will not be able to disturb other civilizations who have not.


    "Similarly, this observation is applied to newly formed solar systems because they are the most malleable solar systems. For high tier space civilizations, they can easily manipulate it into a life-preserving environment. For example, the creation of suitable planet size, the rotation size and distance around the sun, the period of self-rotation of the planet, the suitable time for asteroid collisions. They can raise the possibility of a life-preserving planet forming to its maximum. Under such conditions, as long as the high tier space civilization builds a Shelter there and waits, they will be able to harvest unlimited soul, but in reality? This kind of situation has never even happened once. The reason is similar to the one with regards to prehistoric civilizations; space civilizations will normally ignore newly-formed solar systems¡­


    "This situation is generally dubbed the Mist of God¡­ According to legend, only the legendary Immortal can see through such mist¡­"


    Yao Yuan''s heart skipped a beat at this point. He slowly digested these words. The words "Mist of God" and "Immortal" circulated in his mind. Slowly, he understood why SS-grade was valuable and why¡­ even level 9 space civilizations hungered for an Immortal¡­


    "It is because of these reasons," Blue 6 continued on his own, "that those minerals and radioactive ores born during the infant stage of solar system formation are so expensive. This is because only those extremely lucky space civilizations will be able to occasionally get them from asteroid fields, and these things are crucial to middle and high tier space civilizations to create key materials for some of their products, so their prices are ridiculously high¡­"


    Blue 6''s tone dropped to a confidential and serious level as he continued, "Your Highness, at this point, I suggest Your Highness releases a new confidential clause and to keep a close watch on the alien cosmic adapters who went to check on the storage with me. At least before we can space warp, we have to stop them from communicating with external forces, or else something serious may happen¡­ Money corrupts, especially when we''re talking about a lot of money."


    Yao Yuan thought about it and replied in a similarly serious tone, "Blue 6, then tell me, what is the real value of these mineral ores? Just imagine we have a safe channel to sell everything at full price and trade in technology that is at equal value, how much will it benefit the Hope?"


    Blue 6 lowered his head to think. Then he lifted his gaze and answered, "I can''t give Your Highness the exact value, but roughly speaking¡­


    "It can help the Hope at least evolve to become a level 5 space civilization!"

 Chapter 362: Approach With Caution

    Chapter 362: Approach With Caution


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "There is still half a month until we reach the Shelter. Within that period of time, no Homo Evolutis is allowed outside of the Hope except under the Barracks'' direct orders, the confidentiality clause is¡­ S-grade."


    This was the latest military order received by all Homo Evolutis on the Hope. Even those who were still civilians received the same order, and it was given through the most official red-sealed document. Therefore, no one dared to treat it lightly. At the same time, the order was also broadcasted through the papers and internet.


    "Other than the workers and AI robots responsible for ferrying supplies, only the diplomacy group is allowed to enter and leave the Hope freely. Aren''t they being a bit too careful?"


    In Ren Tao''s home, he was playing a 3D fishing game while Chou Yue, who sat beside him, grumbled at him while she flipped through the newspaper. Ren Tao was silent until he finally lost his patience from the incessant questions. "There is no other choice¡­"


    Chou Yue was not satisfied by this answer. She directly turned Ren Tao around to ask, "What kind of answer is that? Quickly explain to me. You''re a Thinker, your brain is very active, so don''t ignore me by giving me these half-hearted answers. I hate this the most about you. Quickly explain to me."


    Ren Tao was cornered, so he said, "The key is still the lack of knowledge, specifically the lack of knowledge regarding the great cosmos¡­ To give you a simple example, if we were still on Earth and the US and China were caught in a deep altercation, would it ever escalate to an all-out war? It is hardly possible because each of them has their own cautions, including the worry about nuclear bombs. However, if a small African country kidnapped the US President and openly waged war against the US, the US would not hesitate to fight back, right?


    "This is due to knowledge. Since the China and the US knew each other so well, so there would be less of a danger for war to erupt. Even if you switched out China for a smaller country, as long as there is knowledge, most would choose to compromise rather than go into war. Of course, there are exceptions due to human greed, like the Middle Eastern oil war. Currently, our knowledge about the cosmos and the various space civilizations in the cosmos is still too low. We are like that small African country, we only know they exist and they are powerful, but how powerful? What kind of threat are they to us? These answers we can only extrapolate from the little information that we have."


    At this point, Ren Tao revealed a rather sarcastic smile. "I believe this is not sitting well with Yao Yuan either to have made such a decision¡­ From when we left Earth, even though we were forced to leave, we have stumbled across a series of coercing situations. Yes, most of them were unintentional, but even so, those high tier space civilizations did not even glance at us and treated us like bugs. That aggravation must have annoyed Yao Yuan greatly, especially considering his penchant for heroics."


    Chou Yue suddenly smacked Ren Tao on his head, saying, "Call him Chancellor¡­ You can do whatever you like at home, but when you''re outside, you better refer to him as our Chancellor out of respect."


    The sarcastic smile hung on Ren Tao''s face, but he did not argue with Chou Yue. Instead he continued, "Unfortunately, it is because Yao Yuan is the Chancellor that this misfortune falls on his shoulders. If he was not the Chancellor, then I am sure he would not have so many reservations. However, as Chancellor, he has to put humanity first, so even if he feels aggrieved, he has no choice but to stomach it and choose to flee every time¡­ In any case, back to the topic at hand, that is what I meant to say, because our knowledge of space civilizations, especially those with a level higher than us, is severely lacking, it is only natural that we fear them. This is especially true since we have seen so many powerful creations and the power the weapons of high tier space civilizations. That fear is deep within our hearts. Even if we now have the power to rival the peak level 2 space civilizations, when there is an actual war, most people will choose to flee, especially when we''re facing a level 3 space civilization.


    "The caution that you mentioned is the manifestation of the collective ideology. However, it escapes their minds that¡­ in such a dangerous cosmos, only those who are brave will be able to survive. If we continue this cycle of escaping and fleeing, I hate to make this prediction, but the human loyalty and spirit will break and society will collapse¡­"


    A similar conversation was happening with Xiao Niao and his two best friends as well as Cheng Wen and his few close friends. Even though the contents varied, they mentioned a similar issue¡­ After losing the will to fight, how will it affect humanity''s future? If humanity was conditioned into thinking they are always the weaker party, then how will humanity respond when they stumble across civilizations that are weaker than theirs?


    No matter what, time continued to move on and the atmosphere on the Hope got increasingly tense. Even though the general public was still stable, one could see from the papers that as they got closer to the Shelter, most of the news was about space civilizations. Similarly, there were also increasing news about how to save yourself during war, how to avoid combat. Lastly¡­ The staple foods on the Hope, like bread, wheat, flour, and canned foods, were sold out.


    Actually, this was an unconscious action by people. If there was a real war, either the Hope won, or they escaped, or humanity perished in space. There was no other choice, so what was the point of storing food?


    Thankfully, it was Yao Yuan who was leading the Hope. After a few of his speeches, even though the heightened tension did not decrease, at least there were no more riots. After all, Yao Yuan had reached a legendary status in people''s hearts. Many of them believed that as long as Yao Yuan survived, then humanity would continue to exist, and from a certain perspective, they were not wrong.


    Finally, there were only three days left until they reached the Shelter. At this point, the Hope and the vassal spaceships realized that a few battleships were heading towards them. As a precaution and as the rule of space dictated, all the spaceships, including the Hope, activated the creator''s particle.


    "This is a patrol crew. Looking at the shape of the battleship, it should be a level 2 space civilization."


    In central command, acting as humanity''s ''space expert'' and the official minister of foreign affairs, Blue 6 explained as he looked at the 3D images of the battleships.


    Yao Yuan, who sat in the captain''s chair, slapped his palm on the armrest and said, "In other words, these patrols are employed by the Shelter''s main race? Are they here to collect taxes? Will they enter our ship for checking¡­"


    Blue 6 replied with a smile, "Not only for tax collection, they will be responsible to lead us or keep an eye on us as we move towards the Shelter. Of course, there will be no inspection like what Your Highness said, at most they will use some device to gauge the size of our ships to help us arrange hangars that can ease our entry¡­ Your Highness, please remember this common knowledge in space: forcefully entering a ship is a cause for war!


    "The ship is our home, the ship is our land, the ship is our life¡­ The ship is the root from which our civilization grows! Without invitation, without permission, and forcefully entering the ship, this¡­ means a war to the death!"


    When Blue 6 said this, he lost his usual grace. In reality, outside of the color of his skin, Blue 6 was a handsome young man, he was no different from the dashing lads around the Hope. However, when he said this, it gave the impression of a lion-hearted warrior. The sudden radiation of heroic spirit surprised even Yao Yuan.


    "¡­Forcefully entering a ship means war?"


    Yao Yuan ruminated on this sentence and he laughed. "This is not bad. At least it means that our secret can be safely preserved. After we successfully finish the trading and restocking of supplies, we will leave the Shelter¡­ That is enough."


    Blue 6 looked at Yao Yuan with a serious glow in his eyes. It was obvious that he had something to say, but in the end, he chose not to voice it out. He joined Yao Yuan to look at the screen inside.


    A few hours later, the Defence Unit soldiers led by Blue 6 intercepted this patrol battleship. Then a simple discussion and bargaining followed, mainly discussing the entry tax for the Hope and all the vassal spaceships. This did not include the trading tax because that was not the jurisdiction of the patrols, they were only responsible for leading the few ships to enter the Shelter. Of course, it was more of an observation than kindness on the patrol''s part.


    "It''s not expensive, at least considering the size of our fleet¡­ Of course, it might be due to the color of my skin. After all, the Blue Race once visited this Shelter," Blue 6 reported back to Yao Yuan. Then the Hope and the vassal spaceships followed the patrols and moved towards the Shelter.


    At the same time, in the Shelter that more than 100 races called home, more than 70 percent of them were already on their decline. To preserve the seed for the continuity of their races, every day a large amount of retard "rubbish" were executed.


    However, among these races, there was one dying race who recently came into a stroke of good fortune because their race suddenly had a birth of more than ten thousand normal citizens. According to rumours, they were lifeforms with a wealth of soul in them that could last the race for another four to five generations!


    This was one of the races that was part of the space merchant conglomerate. They said that this happened because they met a race that had hundreds of cosmic adapters during one of their raids, and due to close contact, they had the fortune of welcoming the births of so many normal babies¡­


    Of course, none of the other races believed them¡­


    How could there be hundreds of cosmic adapters residing within one race?


    That was simply impossible!

 Chapter 363: Entry

    Chapter 363: Entry


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The few days of travel was nothing compared to travelling in space. For any real space civilization, the few days were equivalent to the time spent during dinner.


    Just like that, a few days passed and the Shelter was close before their eyes. With one last order from the Shelter, the Hope could enter this large construction.


    But¡­


    How big it was!


    Before this gigantic structure, the Hope was equal to an ant beside an elephant''s foot, or a grain of sand against a giant mountain. Within a day of travel, the building went from observable through naked eye to unable to be contained by one''s sight.


    This was a construction larger than a terrestrial planet; not those small planets, but one that could rival the size of Earth. From the information given by Blue 6, this Shelter was built about 3,000 years ago with the combined effort of 9 level 3 space civilizations and several hundred level 2 space civilizations. It took about 400 years.


    Actually, along the way, they could see certain things that confirmed this fact. A few small planets in the solar system had large holes in them and two terrestrial planets had giant craters and ditches on their surfaces. This was where the giant amount of materials that were used to build the Shelter came from.


    Today, this Shelter still had 6 level 3 space civilizations and 642 level 2 space civilizations. Even though this number was enough to shock Yao Yuan and company, it made Blue 6 scoff with derision. From his perspective, this Shelter was already on its decline because the Shelter that the Blue Race came from had 40 plus level 3 space civilizations, 3,000 level 2 space civilizations, and it was at least three times bigger than this Shelter!


    However, this was common sense. Due to the Law of Preservation of Soul, it limited the wild expansion of life. No matter how powerful or advanced a civilization was, as long as it had no way of stopping the exhaustion or decrease of soul, then eventually it would start to deteriorate to make way for a new race to appear. Rise and fall, this had been going on in the cosmos for millennia. There was no permanent race, other than perhaps the legendary god tier civilizations¡­


    However, no matter what, this Shelter was already something impressive for the Hope. Many space civilizations called it home, and that in itself was a concept and problem humanity could not grasp. Using a simple example, some races relied on carbon oxide for survival, while others relied on oxygen, and some might be aquatic species that lived underwater. Wouldn''t the close living arrangement cause problems? What about the habitats? Or a universal language?


    These were questions humanity had a hard time answering, and many scientists wanted to enter the Shelter to find out. However, due to the prohibition ban, most research requests were denied. Amongst the many complaints, there was a deep sense of regret, and it affected Yao Yuan too.


    "To be honest, this is quite a big regret¡­" Yao Yuan told Guang Zhen and Bo Li beside him. "Such a miraculous building, at least from our point of view, is nothing less than a miracle. Under normal circumstances, after paying sufficient tax, we are allowed to wander freely in it, but now we have to force everyone to hide in the ship like prisoners¡­"


    Bo Li did not say anything, but Guang Zhen smacked him on his shoulder and said, "The chance will come. Wait until we become a level 3 space civilization and then we can enter such Shelters openly. Until then¡­ we just have to be a little patient."


    Yao Yuan sighed and his gaze calmed down from fury to acceptance. Finally he nodded. "What else can we even do but sit quietly and wait?"


    On the screen in central command, the giant space harbor appeared before everyone''s eyes. With the leading of the colored signals, the Hope slowly headed towards the interior of the space harbor. During the docking process, everyone stared unblinkingly at this miraculous creation, a harbor door that was big enough to accommodate a giant mountain, and an unimaginably sprawling docking space. It made many people gasp involuntarily.


    After the Hope parked at the designated spot, aliens soon approached the Hope in their vehicles. At the ship''s entrance, Blue 6 and his troop of Defense Unit soldiers already stood waiting. After a simple negotiation, a bunch of information was transferred to the Hope''s AI.


    "This is the price list over the past decade, related taxes, exchange value for technology, and ways to earn currency as well as reputation at this Shelter. However, since we are not going to stay at this Shelter for long, we can skip most of these, except for material information and mineral information."


    Guang Zhen looked at the information list that was posted on screen and told Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan nodded and replied, "Then I will leave this in your hands, Ol'' Wong. Other than the designated workers and AI robots, only Defense Unit soldiers are allowed out of the Hope. Of course, the noted exception is Blue 6, the cosmic adapter. He too will accompany you¡­ Keep a close watch over him, listen and observe, pay attention to the alien lifestyle, culture, and the way the different space civilizations treat each other. Even though this is a supply stop, it is also¡­ our first real deep contact with space civilizations."


    Guang Zhen chuckled and clapped. "Don''t worry about this, I know what I can say and what I cannot. I will help collect as much information as we can. Regarding Blue 6¡­ I suppose this will be his biggest test yet. We will see whether he is trustworthy and whether his actions match his words¡­"


    "Let''s hope so¡­"


    At the same time, after the Hope received the price information from the Shelter, they started discussing the trades. What kind of rare minerals were they going to sell? It had to be valuable enough, but not so valuable that it would make the level 3 space civilization to want to raid the Hope. The key was these minerals had to have a valid origin. There were so many things to discuss.


    Just like that, the Hope idled in the harbor for one full day and one full night. In that period, no alien came to rush in or disturb them. After all, it was only one day. After paying the necessary taxes, they could stay there for a whole year and no one would care. The harbor was not part of the soul zone, so it would not affect the real citizens of the Shelter. They could stay as long as they wanted.


    After that one day and one night, the several hundred people whose eyes were bloodshot left the meeting room. Finally, only 10 plus people remained in the room, one of them was Blue 6.


    Blue 6 was also visibly tired. He yawned and said, "Your Highness, just like how it was discussed, I will intercept the other civilizations in the capacity of humanity''s minister of foreign affairs. I will introduce ourselves as a mining civilization that was lucky enough to come across a valuable ore vein. The valuable vein caused us to come into war with another space civilization, and even though we appeared victorious, many were lost and only a few spaceships survived. Our main ship was in a bad situation and needed a restock, so under such circumstances, we have some valuable ores we have to trade and one of them is the Star Dust Gold."


    Yao Yuan nodded. "We have to be incredibly careful, our cover cannot be blown¡­ Regardless, you have to communicate often with Commander Wong Guang Zhen."


    Blue 6 turned to Guang Zhen respectfully. "After leaving the Hope, other than diplomatic issues, I will listen to the crown prince''s arrangement for everything else. There is no doubt about that¡­"


    "In that case¡­ go take a rest for the day. Tomorrow, we shall enter the Shelter to buy the materials we need to resupply this ship. Then be on the lookout for good stuff. It can be products or technology, as long as it is within our price range and will not attract the wrong attention if we purchase it¡­"


    While the Hope was in discussion, deep inside the Shelter, another civilization''s higher officials were in deep discussion as well.


    This was a level 2 space civilization, a once-dying level 2 space civilization. However, due to a miracle, they had escaped that fate and their standing in the Shelter thus improved. Of course, it only improved slightly. After all, they were still a level 2 space civilization and the height of their power was still quite low.


    "Is it confirmed? This ship really belongs to the level 2 space race known as human beings that we have tried to raid before?"


    "¡­Not yet fully confirmed. Parts of the ship have changed, but its general shape is still the same. After a computer analysis, it is 80 percent similar to this human being''s mothership¡­"


    "They have more than 100 cosmic adapters? And their leader is the legendary Immortal? How can such a space civilization even exist? You all must be lying!"


    "You will know whether we are lying or not after an inspection¡­ But war or any sort of fights are banned inside the Shelter; how are we going to check whether they are the same civilization or not? Or¡­ should we give this information to the level 3 space civilization?"


    "No, this information can only be sold to level 4 space civilizations or above! Level 3 space civilizations do not have enough value to trade for this information. Of course, if this is really the human beings¡­ rather than handing them over to level 3 space civilizations, we might as well cooperate with other level 2 space civilizations and then raid them clean!"


    "Then what''s the plan? Launch an attack in the Shelter?"


    "No¡­ the human race seems to be extremely cautious. At the time they let us go, and that was after we killed many of their cosmic adapters¡­ Then we will force them! We will collude with other level 2 space civilizations to force them to let us enter their spaceship. If they agree, then we can confirm they are really human beings. If they refuse, then we will threaten them to make them leave the Shelter¡­


    "After they do¡­ We will assault and raid them!"


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Compensation for the chapter I''ve missed earlier. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 Chapter 364: Want to Buy Everything

    Chapter 364: Want to Buy Everything


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Guang Zhen checked his outfit again. In reality, he wanted to wear the normal Defense Unit battle suit but was stopped by many people, including Yao Yuan. Therefore, he had no choice but to put on the second generation Space Armor specifically designed for him.


    After their meeting, the related personnel rested for a full 24 hours. Fully refreshed, Guang Zhen personally selected the most powerful elite soldiers from the Defense Unit to wear the newest battlesuit and equipped them with enhanced Gaussian rifles and a long distance communicator. This was the troop led by Guang Zhen.


    Blue 6 was unsatisfied. His initial plan was to gloat with his special unit of Black Star Troopers, but due to the latest order that prevented all Homo Evolutis or cosmic adapters other than himself from leaving the Hope, he had no choice but to settle with the Defense Unit that was assigned under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


    The group of people gathered at the Hope''s entrance early in the morning. After a brief conversation between Guang Zhen and Yao Yuan, the group of about 100 set off from the Hope and entered the Shelter.


    The Shelter was so huge that it couldn''t be described using words¡­ Fine, perhaps it could be described using words if one was to force it. For example, this area the Hope was parked in was about 40,000 meters tall¡­ Yes, you saw right, this space harbor alone was 40,000 meters tall. According to rumors, this harbor was for mid-sized spaceships. There were others for large spaceships and super large spaceships. The ones stopping there were basically super large moving castles or the motherships of various races.


    The harbor the Hope was in was large enough to make the people standing in it feel like they were in the legendary pavilion of the titans¡­ No, it should be the pavilion of gods. The size alone was a great pressure on the people, it made them feel small and insignificant.


    Therefore, venturing deeper into the Shelter was not something that could be done on foot. The distance from the Hope to the interior of the Shelter was like from China to the US; was that a distance that could be walked?


    Therefore, specialized transportation was needed. Due to the unique situation of the Shelter, the transportation of the races themselves was not allowed. After all, there was no way of telling whether it was a weapon or not. Of course, this was another method to earn money. The amount used in renting the vehicles to traverse the Shelter was almost as much as the entrance tax.


    "This is the culture even for level 4 Shelters¡­ Of course, if you can locate a level 4 Shelter, the entry fee is always low, but the service price after entering the Shelter is sky high, and that includes the trade tax and the renting fee for various goods. Therefore, don''t go in unless you are loaded, or you might not be able to leave with your life intact," Blue 6 said to Guang Zhen with a smile.


    Guang Zhen studied this large vehicle before them. It looked like a large front end of a train. It was large enough to fit 500 people. It used a particle flux engine and had an aerial floatation device underneath. It was perfect to move through the Shelter with incredible speed. Then Guang Zhen jumped into the vehicle¡­ Yes, the gravity outside of the Hope inside of the Shelter was very low. This Shelter relied on centrifugal force to create gravity. However, other than specific locations, the general gravity was low. A normal person could jump 5 meters easily; it was similar to walking on the moon.


    "Speaking of which¡­ How did we pay for the entry fee? And the renting fee for this vehicle?" After sitting inside the vehicle, Guang Zhen suddenly turned to ask Blue 6 beside him.


    Blue 6 had always maintained a respectful tone towards Guang Zhen. He continued with a polite smile, "Very simple, using credit. This is also why I said ''don''t come in if you don''t have money'' earlier. If you have enough supplies, then you can exchange them for credit to enter the Shelter. Then, after trading, you clear the credit debt. If you are unable to clear the debt in a year or you wish to leave the Shelter before clearing your debt, then I''m sorry, the owner of the Shelter will have to repossess the things in your spaceships as compensation¡­ And the price used during repossession is only one-fifth to one-tenth the market price. If all the supplies in the ship are not enough to cover the debt, then they will start claiming the lifeforms, and then the spaceship itself. When it reaches that stage, you can say the civilization has been tossed into the slaughterhouse."


    "¡­That''s so cruel." Guang Zhen sighed.


    Blue 6 chuckled and continued normally, "The cosmos is cruel, Your Highness."


    After everyone got into the vehicle, they sped into the Shelter. This vehicle belonged to the Shelter and thus its AI and navigation did not need manual intervention. After loading in the location one wanted to go to, it would move there automatically.


    "Now we are heading towards the supply market. Other than the supplies and energy we need for restocking, it is also a good place to trade for food. Of course, the taste might not be suitable for human consumption. After all, the amount of soul cannot be compared to what we have on the Hope. However, some of them are rare space delicacies and others have beneficial benefits to mammals like ourselves. After raising them for a few generations on the Hope, they will be wonderful food sources. If we raise them well, we can also sell them to other civilizations in the future.


    "After that, we will go to the mineral trading depot to sell the Star Dust Gold. We have with us 20 kilograms of purified Star Dust Gold with a purity rate of 97 percent. After selling all this, we will have enough money to pay off all our debt and have quite a bit left. We can look for rare minerals that we need there too¡­


    "Then it will be the machine factory and technology trading center. Other than these locations, we can also visit the information trading center and traders for cosmic curiosities. The whole schedule will take up eight days."


    Along the way, Blue 6 kept introducing the crew to the places of interest in the Shelter. Even though it was his first time there as well, as a member of a level 3 space civilization, one that was going to lead the race at that, he knew more than most. Furthermore, Blue Race was an influential party of a level 3 large-scale Shelter, so it was natural for him to know a thing or two about Shelter culture.


    Guang Zhen did not stop him and allowed Blue 6 to handle most things. He was only needed to make important decisions¡­ and to observe Blue 6.


    Just like that, after four hours in the vehicle, the group reached their first destination, the supply market. Here they would select the things needed to resupply the Hope, including energy and materials.


    These kinds of things did not require Guang Zhen''s attention. There were more than 10 actuaries among the 100 people. They were working with the quota needed to restock the Hope and the vassal spaceships. Guang Zhen left this to the professionals.


    At the supply market, other than Guang Zhen''s group, there were other alien buyers. Furthermore, there was more than one company selling supplies. In fact, this was not a government-mandated market; any civilizations residing at the Shelter could set up a store there. Of course, that was after one had paid the necessary taxes.


    If there was one word to describe this place, it was huge!


    On the surface, it looked like a gigantic collection of buildings. The area had buildings in various shapes and sizes. Outside each of the buildings there was a communication port that detailed the items sold by the seller within. There were also a few large 3D billboards. They showcased a series of alien words and pictures. According to Blue 6, those were the supplies currently collected by the Shelter.


    There were plenty of alien lifeforms there. However, due to the size of the place, they didn''t appear often. After Guang Zhen''s group descended from the vehicle, they connected their carried laptops to the communication ports outside the buildings, and through AI analysis and restructuring, they would be translated into human language.


    "Oxygen, hydrogen, rare gas¡­ Heavy water, super heavy water, gaseous water, liquid alcohol¡­"


    In conclusion, there were plenty of materials on sale, some not even humans had heard of before. There were some that could not be translated. For example, there was something called Atomic Solid Water sold by level 3 space civilizations. According to Blue 6, after dissolving one drop of this water, it would expand to one thousand plus square meters. It is the most perfect way to store water across long space travels.


    There was also something called super solid gas. One cubic meter of this thing could expand to fill up the whole the Hope. It could be created from any gases, like pure oxygen. Of course, since it was a level 3 space civilization''s product, the price was insanely high.


    It was supposed to be a simple supply trip, but after seeing so many wondrous materials, other than the few Blue Race members, the rest had glows shining out of their eyes. So many cosmic curiosities and creations from high tier space civilizations were laid before their eyes. There were things beyond their wildest imagination, and they wanted to buy everything¡­

 Chapter 365: Exciting! Exciting!

    Chapter 365: Exciting! Exciting!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The many exciting items practically blinded everyone''s eyes. Under Blue 6''s recommendations, they bought the supplies the Hope needed. This included the not-that-expensive sub-molecular solid water and gases that were processed using similar technology. Other than that, they also purchased the hydrogen and heavy water needed for polymerized reactors. They bought the type that had large volume and small size.


    Then, also with Blue 6''s recommendation, they went to the food section of the market. There was also plenty of selection there. The people on the Hope had at least been to two life-preserving planets, one was Earth and the other was the new planet, so they had seen two distinct ecosystems.


    However, the 3D images of the food materials shown there really opened their eyes to the wealth of food types in space. There were all sorts of unique food, including edible minerals that grew naturally in the ground and parts of sentient organisms¡­


    Most of the food looked new, but there were human equivalents. For example, there was an interesting-looking ingredient that looked like delicious wheat, but there was nothing impressive about its nutrient contents. Such food items dominated 90 percent of the food sold there.


    The remaining little percentage was priced really high because they had unique effects. Just like Earth''s spice trade, due to their rarity, their prices were really not different than gold¡­ Although, since gold was a common metal in space, using it to trade for these unique food items was impossible.


    For example, there was an extremely rare condiment. It was a powder formed from grinding some sort of fungus. The spore of this fungus was sold there. They could be bought and reared on the Hope. The fungus contained a type of special amino-acid that could change to the taster''s favorite taste once it made contact with human saliva. In other words, the fungus was a tasteless condiment but would change into different flavors according to the taster''s palette.


    Furthermore, the amino-acid was beneficial to the human body. According to the computer analysis, constant consumption of this fungus would help improve the human body''s immune system and general health. However, there was always a small chance of it causing addiction. Therefore, regarding the purchase of this extremely rare condiment, Guang Zhen decided to purchase a small amount after hesitating for a long time. However, the price was indeed high.


    There was also an interesting legume-type food. It contained a great amount of carbohydrates and protein. However, most importantly, it contained a special stimulin that could activate a human''s growth hormones, inducing a second growth in intelligence, body, and fitness. It was a super food that had no downsides to the human body.


    However, this kind of legume required a large amount of feeding¡­ Yes, this legume was what they called a carnivorous planet in space. It was a type of vine, and its vines could move very fast through the ground. It hunted animals like a predator and sucked the nutrients from the animals after curling itself tight around its prey. It was only during the harvest period that its carnivorous nature would hibernate to reveal itself as a safe, green-leafed plant.


    According to legend, this legume''s legacy could be traced back to the Pa Race. That would explain its aggressive nature. There was anecdotal evidence that for certain species of this legume, they would still continue to attack the harvester even during harvest period. Of course, this unique growth meant that the fruits they produced were extremely nutritious and their effects were ten times greater than normal legumes. They could be called the superfood among superfoods.


    According to Guang Zhen''s calculations, the Hope could set up a room to specially grow this kind of carnivorous plant. After all, the Hope was not lacking in soul. Most animals grew almost too fast on the Hope. They had slaughtered groups of animals to lower their population a few times to clear up space. If there was such a carnivorous plant on the Hope, it could solve many issues.


    In the end, they purchased about ten of such plants¡­


    When the humans left the supply market, they had already purchased at least 100 species of food items. When they were shopping, they did not feel like they had bought too much, but when they returned to the vehicle and took inventory, everyone had a drawn face. Why? Because the Hope was running out of space. Even though it had undergone plenty of upgrades, the Hope currently had a population of 200,000 plus and had to set up special rooms to accommodate Earth and the new planet''s ecosystem. Now they also had the new tech center and military square, so there was not much space left on the Hope. These 100 species could not be mixed with Earth''s and the new planet''s ecosystem, and thus they had to open at least another 100 new farming areas. Where would they find so much space on the Hope?


    Let''s not fuss over these issues for now, let''s lust leave them for Ol'' Yao to worry about¡­ But seriously¡­ Our new mothership, Kun Lun¡­ It''s time to start building it since we''re soon going to become a level 3 space civilization.


    This thought was on Guang Zhen''s mind as he sat down and closed his eyes to rest. It was going to take several hours to get to their next stop, so they used this free time to have dinner or sleep. The next day, when they woke up, the vehicle had already arrived at the mineral trading depot.


    The structure was not dissimilar to the supply market, the only difference was the appearance of some civilization''s security unit. They were either on patrol or on guard duty. In terms of general security, this place was tighter than supply market.


    The trade sequence here was similar to the one at the supply market, the only difference was that this time, Guang Zhen was carrying a safe. After some questions, the group moved to a depot manned by a level 3 space civilization. After they stated their intentions, they were invited to go inside for appraisal and trade. Soon, about 10 members of the level 3 space civilization arrived to greet them.


    The trade went smoothly. Even though Star Dust Gold was expensive, it was not so valuable that it would cause a level 3 space civilization to shamelessly rob them. After all, Star Dust God was only used to create products from level 3 space civilizations, and twenty kilograms of its purified form was not valuable enough to incite these people''s greed.


    Therefore, after the appraisal, Guang Zhen''s group left the place safely with the Shelter''s currency value. After checking the accounts, Guang Zhen realized that they had only spent one-tenth of the large amount of money they got from the trade. They were planning to find a way to spend the rest of the money, because it was unlikely that they would return to this Shelter in the future.


    The rest was simple. The credit issue was solved after using the Shelter''s internal server system to clear the debt. The feeling of being debt free was indeed wonderful. They still had plenty of money left to purchase a large amount of supplies, technologies, and information.


    Their first stop was the mineral trading depot. Naturally, they started with purchasing the stuff that the Hope needed. They skipped super rare minerals like Star Dust Gold because the fact that humanity already had a large amount of it aside, they did not have enough money to buy it and humans had no use for it at the moment.


    The group had a list that was given by the Academy before they left the Hope. The various big scientists had named their purchasing needs. For example, there was equipment and parts for something called the super large hedron collider, the sensitive technologies, mineral processors, large equipment, and the additional parts to the second generation mesomeric resonator that the Hope desperately needed. Those were all on the list.


    This trading depot had once again opened their eyes. There were many minerals that they had not heard of before. For example, they saw someone auctioning a mineral called plasmatic light absorbent ore. Its actual usage was unknown to level 3 space civilizations as well. This type of material could absorb all light and energy to increase its own mass. It looked incredible and sounded rare, but since they did not know its purpose or benefits, it might be a natural ticking time bomb, so Guang Zhen''s group did not bid for it.


    Just like that, the journey at the mineral trading depot came to a close. The group spent another night on the vehicle, and on the third day, they arrived at the machine factory for level 2 and 3 space civilizations.


    This place was much greater in scale than the two previous trading centers because of the scale of the items that were traded there, which included the blueprints of a civilization''s mothership.


    The things being traded here were the various products of level 2 and 3 space civilizations, from everyday goods to technological products and weapons, including space battleships, patrol ships, and various other ships. The most exaggerated was definitely the mothership that was parked there¡­


    Once again, the choices blinded everyone''s eyes. Many things were beyond their wildest imagination.


    For example, they sold plasma weapons here. Simple guns that looked like normal pistols but fired plasma bullets. Of course, the trading procedure here was much more complicated than at the two previous trading centers. The products here could not be purchased by normal civilizations, they had to refer to another number, and that number was the so-called Shelter reputation points. These reputation points did not matter when one was purchasing the products of level 2 space civilizations, but when purchasing a level 3 space civilization''s products, especially the weapons and battleships, it mattered. Purchasing them required a high amount of reputation, and it was not something the Hope could afford currently.


    Regardless, the many products from level 2 space civilizations and the limited options of level 3 space civilization products that did not need Shelter reputation were already enough to confuse Guang Zhen''s group¡­


    And just like that, the third day passed without incident¡­


    Translator''s Thoughts


    Lonelytree Lonelytree


    Compensation for the chapter I''ve missed earlier.

 Chapter 366: Information… and Arrival

    Chapter 366: Information¡­ and Arrival


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    They bought the least items at the machine factory, but the price of each was sky high. In total, they had spent about one-third of their money, and even though they were not left with much, it was still quite a hefty sum.


    Next would be the technology and information trading centers. In reality, everyone, including Blue 6, did not have high hopes for technology trading, so stopping there was more for the purpose of sight-seeing.


    This was because there was a tighter control on technology than on machines and blueprints. Even a normal level 2 space civilization''s technology required a large amount of reputation, much less a level 3 space civilization''s technology. Generally speaking, it was impossible for a space civilization that was not from the Shelter to purchase any technology. Of course, selling the technology was a non-issue and the price of technology was the highest among all the possible trades. Some technologies would not be traded with money, as money could not measure them, so those could only be traded using soul or other technology.


    Of course, there was no harm to go sight-seeing¡­ For example, when Guang Zhen saw a shop selling the complete cold agglutination technology, it caused the group to salivate greatly. They all wanted to buy it. However, the first trade condition alone was enough to deter them. They had to have reached the reputation level of Honorable at the Shelter. Other than that, there were also other ridiculous conditions. In other words, this technology was not purchasable via money. After all, it was a technology from the fifth revolution.


    The group spent the rest of the day in the vehicle as they moved towards their last stop and probably where they would spend the most time for this shopping trip¡­ the information trading center!


    The cosmos was actually not that quiet. Many civilizations were constantly communicating in their own ways and, not as mankind envisioned, warring every time they met. After all, without the limitation of light speed and the law of conservation of life, the materials in space could be described as limitless. Therefore, there would be no war for supplies, and in reality, if not for the fact that there was still the need to preserve one''s own civilization against others, there probably would not have been any conflicts in space. After all, the law of conservation of life would have already taken up too much time to deal with.


    Therefore, the information in space was also limitless and most of it could be called a priceless treasure. For example, the coordinates for the ruins of a dying civilization, mining spots for rare minerals, or coordinates for other Shelters and star paths. There was a lot of different useful information, and it was all marked with a price.


    The humans'' arrival at the trading center did not raise any eyebrows, because compared to the previous trading centers, the information trading center was the most crowded. This was because most information would be traded using money, and the reputation value was not involved. Many civilizations were there to trade rumors that they had heard for money or used money to confirm rumors that they had heard. All sorts of trades were carried out in this small trading center.


    Guang Zhen''s main purpose of this trip was to purchase information on the star path at the fringe of this solar system. He wanted to know the coordinates of the star path, find out about the current situation there, and to investigate the various civilizations'' reactions to the incoming space decay, to see whether they had knowledge of that or not. This information would decide the blueprint of what humanity would do for the next decade.


    The trading procedure there was fairly simple. Similarly, the information of the trade items could be downloaded from the communication port. If there was information that attracted the eyes, one would enter the building to consolidate the trade. Of course, there was also the so-called official trading center. The place had a ginormous information plaque and various tradeable information panned through the plaque.


    While back on the ship, life on the Hope had pretty much returned to normal. In fact, after the Hope entered the Shelter, other than the initial one or two days of fear and anxiety, everyone''s moods slowly relaxed since nothing notable really happened. Life continued smoothly, and entering the Shelter did not affect the Hope much.


    In the following days, as the large amount of supplies, food, minerals, and machineries arrived, the Hope sighed in great relief, relieved that the trades were successful. This meant that there was order in the Shelter and no alien civilizations were out to bully those who were weaker than them. With the law in place, humanity did not need to worry about sudden attacks when they were in the Shelter.


    However, this peace did not last for long¡­


    It was around 2 AM when Yao Yuan was shook awake. He was in deep sleep then, but he flipped over with alertness as his two eyes flew open when the communicators rang. His body was still waking up, but his mind was indubitably alert.


    "What''s going on?"


    Yao Yuan looked at the source of sound. Due to his job description, he had numerous communicators. One of them was connected to the Hope''s central mainframe, it allowed him to initiate the ship''s self-destruct sequence at the shortest notice.


    The communicator that rang was the emergency communicator. When Yao Yuan noticed that it was this one that rang, his heart skipped a beat as he grabbed the communicator to answer it.


    A male voice came from the other end immediately. "Chancellor, this is Liu Bai¡­ We have an emergency. Several hundred aliens are gathered outside the Hope, they call themselves the coalition of several level 2 space civilizations. They are the citizens of this Shelter and they claim the Hope is harboring one of their fugitives and demand we give them an acceptable explanation."


    Yao Yuan shook his head as he jumped up to rush into the bathroom to splash his face with cold water. Then he roared, "Fugitive? You must be kidding! We have only been here for how many days? Furthermore, this is space age; couldn''t they have used the surveillance in the harbor? They would have known easily if there was anyone that entered the Hope illegally¡­ Where are these aliens now? Have they entered the Hope?"


    Liu Bai continued, "No, not yet, our Defense Unit soldiers are keeping watch at the various entrances, but these aliens are extremely adamant, like they have some real proof on them¡­"


    Yao Yuan shivered as the cold water splashed his face. At the same time, he had entered the Thinker mode and replied immediately, "No matter what, do not allow even one alien into the Hope, and f*ck the proof! It is because they do not have proof that they are braying for blood and not storming in directly¡­ Wait for me, I''m coming over now."


    10 minutes later, Yao Yuan arrived at the Hope''s central command. A few Black Star Troopers who were on duty that day and about 10 Defense Unit majors were present.


    "Liu Bai, bring me up to speed on the details."


    Yao Yuan was sitting in the captain''s chair, looking at the few giant siege machines and about several thousand aliens gathered outside of the Hope with a drawn face¡­ Yes, the number was increasing. The initial number of 20 plus alien civilizations had increased to 60 plus, and it was still increasing¡­


    After a bow, Liu Bai said, "At 2:40 AM, the first alien race arrived. In about several minutes, about 10 other alien races arrived, and they demanded we allow them access into the Hope because they suspect we are harboring one of their most wanted fugitives. Of course, that demand has been denied. After that, more space civilizations arrived. Currently, there are representatives from about 68 alien races gathered outside of the Hope."


    "Fugitive? Ridiculous excuse!"


    Yao Yuan was so angry that the vein on his brain was almost popping. He paced the room before sitting back down the chair. "Continue denying their demands¡­ By the way, what else have they said?"


    Liu Bai nodded and continued, "Yes, they claimed that if we refuse their demand to enter the ship for inspection, then they will pool together their grievances to report to the only level 3 space civilization currently watching over the Shelter to expel us from this Shelter, or we leave on our own¡­ That was what they said."


    There was an unstoppable fury burning in Yao Yuan''s eyes. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and finally uttered, "Wake all the Black Star Troopers now. The Hope is now in first grade alert state¡­ At the same time, get Professor Bo Li, Speaker Matt, and every high official on the Hope here. It is time for a large meeting¡­"


    The efficiency on the Hope was high. In fact, when they heard that aliens were mounting a forced entry into the Hope, everyone rushed to the scene no matter how tired they were. Even some mid-tier officers had arrived. Other than the general public, who still did not know anything, the rest of the Hope was on high alert.


    "¡­That is how the current situation is. These aliens are demanding to come in for an inspection or want us to get out of this Shelter. Also, about half an hour ago, our men asked the patrols of this Shelter''s level 3 space civilization to intervene and they said¡­ for the sake of this Shelter''s peace, they advised us to be obedient. Right, that is just hilarious, they want us to be obedient¡­"


    Yao Yuan''s anger was enough to swallow the sky and there was an indiscernible iciness in his voice.


    To his consternation and surprise, when he said these words, other than the silent Black Star Trooper and Defense Unit majors, the rest of the representatives and government officials were busy discussing¡­ other than denying the aliens entry into the Hope, most of them were discussing the option of¡­


    They wanted to agree to the aliens'' demands and leave the Shelter in the Hope with the few vassal spaceships in tow?!

 Chapter 367: Two Days!

    Chapter 367: Two Days!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "What exactly are we missing¡­"


    In the busy meeting room, as many took the stage to espouse their viewpoints, no one realized that Yao Yuan and a small of people had already slipped out of the room.


    In a secret meeting room near the meeting room, Yao Yuan hosted the discussion in an indescribable tone. He was not angry or disappointed, he sounded¡­ unusually calm.


    The people in the room shivered involuntarily when they heard him. Other than these few people, no one knew how that felt like.


    Liu Bai''s eyes twitched and he said immediately, "Ol'' captain, do calm down¡­ At least we have to wait for Captain Wong to return first."


    Yao Yuan lowered his head slightly. "Don''t worry, I am incredibly calm, Liu Bai, you don''t have to worry about me¡­ Let''s continue discussing the issue at hand. First, being expelled out of the Shelter is impossible. At least while we are here, there are rules to follow, but once we step out of this place, we will have to deal with the collective assault of several hundred or even thousand alien spaceships, so¡­ at least before this thing is resolved, we are not going to leave this Shelter!"


    Present were also Ren Tao and Xiao Niao. Ren Tao did not comment anything, but Xiao Niao nodded immediately to add, "That''s right, we mustn''t leave the Shelter until we are certain of these aliens'' real intentions. Also¡­ I hate to say this, but I wish to confirm whether Blue 6''s recent activities are normal or not. After all, this happened after he left the Hope."


    Others showed contemplative expressions, only Yao Yuan retorted, "No, that is not possible. At least the possibility is below ten or twenty percent. We can be certain he did not carry any weapons or technological products on him, and secondly, I believe in Guang Zhen''s observation skills. Until Guang Zhen confirms Blue 6 has leaked something to these people, I will not believe Blue 6 has done something to harm this ship!"


    Xiao Niao was silenced immediately and the room was quiet. After a long time, Ren Tao opened his mouth to ask, "What is your plan? You are the chancellor, you have total control over the power of foreign affairs and the military. What do you plan to do then?"


    "¡­Wait." Yao Yuan looked intently at Ren Tao and answered.


    "Wait?" Everyone mumbled in confused repetition as they looked at Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan repeated with confidence, "Yes, wait¡­ I can give any order and they will be accepted by everyone¡­ But! Do you all really want to have a society comprising of only heroes and commoners? Naturally, I can become the hero again, but what''s next? These people¡­ everyone else can only be commoners! Do we really wish to have humanity''s future always decided by me or an extremely small group of elites?"


    The room was quiet again. In fact, those sitting there could be considered Yao Yuan''s trusted subordinates. Even though he had the title of Chancellor and was undeniably the leader of humanity, Yao Yuan did not care for power. He had been trying to cultivate a sense of democracy on the Hope. After all, it was he who built the House of Representatives from the ground up.


    However, Yao Yuan was not an indecisive individual. He had always maintained a straight-forward style of doing things. The many crises the Hope had faced ever since it left Earth cultivated this quality in him, but this time¡­ he chose to hand the choice to the majority?


    (Is this due to feeling of grievances?)


    Xiao Niao, Ren Tao, and Liu Bai had this thought in their minds.


    Man, the wisest of all creatures (when on Earth) became so insignificant after they entered space. This was to be expected, but at least human beings still had the courage and hope to climb upwards, and the Hope had exemplified that again and again in its journey. However¡­ this journey also showed mankind the absolute crushing power and danger of the difference between space civilizations.


    For example, the war with the space merchants. Even though they were a normal and dying level 2 space civilization, that dangerous victory was won with the sacrifice of plenty of heroes. The victory was not really worth celebrating!


    After that, they hid from all space civilizations that they might stumble into, hiding in the dark corners of space for so many years. Later, to save the Noah One, they ran into the Blue Race¡­ The large military fleet that humankind could not even envision, and they had no choice but to again hide themselves like a f*cking turtle¡­


    After saving the Noah One, humankind again had to escape like an ant facing the impossible Song of Destruction¡­


    The real scary thing about survival in space was not weakness but being content with one''s weakness!


    This was something humankind knew, but after a series of interactions with impossibly powerful space civilizations, even though humankind had evolved to the peak of level 2 space civilizations and had faced other civilizations weaker than them, there was still fear and despair gripping them¡­ This was truly the meaning of being content with and accepting of one''s weakness!


    And this was probably where Yao Yuan''s feeling of grievance came from¡­


    These were the thoughts coursing through Ren Tao''s and Xiao Niao''s minds. In fact, Cheng Wen, who was present, thought about it as well. These clues appeared naturally in the Thinkers'' minds¡­


    "Wait!"


    Suddenly, Xiao Niao yelled out. In fact, both Ren Tao and Cheng Wen''s lips were twitching, but they were just slower than Xiao Niao, who then added hurriedly, "Wait a minute, Chancellor, please scan the spacesuits of all the aliens gathered outside and compare them to the information we have in the central mainframe."


    Yao Yuan was startled by this unusual demand by Xiao Niao, but he still used his communicator to pass on the order to the people in the surveillance room. Very soon, the answer Xiao Niao was waiting for arrived¡­


    "Space merchants! These people are wearing spacesuits similar to the space merchants''!"


    The information made the hearts of the people in the secret meeting room grow heavy. This was truly an impossible coincidence¡­ Or should we say, incredible encounter. After all, the Hope had warped so many times after parting with the space merchants. They had also used warp drive to save the Noah One. The complication of the travel routes they had taken confused even humanity themselves.


    However, after so many twists and turns, they still managed to run into the space merchants? Just how incredible was this? The possibility of this happening was smaller than one percent.


    "Could it be another branch of space merchants? Blue 6 said that the space merchants are a large conglomerate that has level 2 space civilizations, level 3 space civilizations, and even level 4 space civilizations. Perhaps this is another group of space merchants who use the same uniformed spacesuits?" Speaker Matt asked.


    However, he soon shook his head. The reason was simple: the spacesuits had to be built to suit the race''s own physical constitution. For example, a bug-type alien would not fit into a human being''s spacesuit. They had different body shapes, so how could they use the same spacesuit? Furthermore, from the AI comparison, the similarity to the space merchants'' spacesuit was more than 90 percent, which could only meant that¡­ it was almost certain that these were the space merchants that they had combated with!


    "In other words¡­ our secrets have been leaked?"


    The possibility made everyone there break out in cold sweat. What did this mean? This meant that human beings could be facing the collective assault and raids of several level 3 space civilizations and several hundred level 2 space civilizations. The scariest thing was that the Hope could not use space warp. They were stuck in the Shelter and were practically cornered!


    Yao Yuan stood up and announced, "When Guang Zhen''s group returns¡­ The Hope will enter highest combat alert. We might need to cut our way out!"


    The secret meeting ended just like that. The few orders given by Yao Yuan were carried out. Other than the few of them, no one knew about the real situation. After all, this might be a crisis that might end the human race, so it was better to keep it under wraps and not raise the alarm.


    After the secret meeting ended, Yao Yuan called for Bo Li. After ensuring there was no one around, he whispered quickly, "How is ''that thing'' coming along?"


    Bo Li looked at Yao Yuan before shaking her head. "Still in the works, having to deal with efficiency and launching method¡­"


    Yao Yuan interrupted her before she could finish, "We don''t have the time, you know how dangerous the situation is. If it is truly the same space merchants scheming against us, then we are truly in deep trouble. ''That thing'' is the only thing that can help us destroy this Shelter at the shortest notice. I need your confirmation that I can use it when the situation calls for it."


    Bo Li was deep in thought for so long that Yao Yuan started to get impatient. When he thought she had gone stupefied, she said, "Give me two days, and do not come to disturb me in these two days. I will try my best to provide you with the half-prototype. But whether it will be successful or not, I cannot guarantee, and this might harm the Hope in return, so you better think about it¡­" Then she turned to get into the electromobile without waiting for Yao Yuan to answer.


    Two days¡­


    That was when Guang Zhen''s group was scheduled to return!

 Chapter 368: …To Declare War!

    Chapter 368: ¡­To Declare War!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    While the Hope''s high officials were in a mess trying to come to an agreed solution to deal with the provocation from the gathered alien civilizations, time was ticking and the amount of alien races outside of the Hope had reached 130 plus. The words they used were increasingly incendiary and impolite; there were even requests to hand over a certain amount of soul as compensation. In other words, they demanded the Hope surrendered their livestock or¡­ members of the human race!


    How was that possible? Even Yao Yuan could not submit to that demand, much less these representatives and officials who wanted to yield. If they did surrender, peace could be maintained temporarily with brute force, but the cracks would have happened. At most, in the next ten years, the human race would implode upon itself.


    Then what should they do?


    Before Yao Yuan appeared to make the decision, an increasing number of high officials agreed to leave the Shelter. After all, since the Shelter had nothing but hostility towards them, under these circumstances, they might as well. The opponent wanted them to leave the Shelter, and that might not be that bad of an idea.


    Only those who knew about the actual information, such as the presence of space merchants, were worried. Leaving the Shelter? If the level 3 space civilizations knew about the actual truth of the human situation, then leaving the Shelter equalled to signing their death warrants, because then the level 3 space civilizations could openly attack and raid the Hope.


    Therefore, the Hope was truly in the grasp of chaos in these two days. As the number of people who knew about the truth increased, the number of civilians that were clued in to the situation also increased. The entire ship was in deep discussion, and the majority wished to leave this hostile Shelter as soon as possible.


    In the human society, only a small number of people wished for resistance and war¡­


    Two days later, Guang Zhen''s group, who had received the emergency call, finally reached the Hope. When they arrived at the harbor, the place already had more than a thousand aliens, each in their unique get-ups. At the far corners, they could spot many level 2 space civilizations'' siege engines. At first glance, it looked like these people and weapons were surrounding the Hope, like they were preparing for war!


    Even though Guang Zhen''s group knew something serious had happened, this was ultimately inside a Shelter, so their communication with the Hope when they were outside would be monitored at all times. Plenty of information was not communicated, they were only called to get back to the ship as soon as possible. They were not given any actual information.


    Therefore, when they saw the situation outside of the Hope, everyone''s jaws were on the floor. This was especially true for Blue 6. His mouth was gaping. This was a Shelter! Could it be that those level 3 space civilizations no longer wanted to keep this Shelter? How could they openly threaten to raid inside a Shelter? This was something even those at the peak of level 3 space civilizations would not attempt to do.


    However, upon closer observation, Blue 6 realized that there were no signs of combat and that those present in the rally were all wearing level 2 space civilization armor and spacesuits, and most were on the lower end of level 2 space civilizations. As someone from a senior space race, the Blue Race, this level of observation still could not escape Blue 6''s eyes.


    Then what was really going on? Did these lower level 2 space civilizations not want to live anymore? Even though the Hope was not a level 3 space civilization yet, it was definitely a high end level 2 space civilization. They might only have one spaceship, but in the context of a real war, they could definitely grind these people into dust.


    Think about it this way: the Hope belonged to a civilization that had the Genesis, and they had enough cosmic adapters to pilot Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s. These civilizations with electromagnetic shields were completely no match for that. Furthermore, Blue 6 was certain that these gathered civilizations were on their decline and that most of their population were retards. If they could truly pose a threat to the human race, which was full of elites, then truly the world had gone insane.


    So these weak races were there to seek death? Even though technically speaking, the Hope would not be able to launch any attack inside the Shelter.


    Blue 6, unlike the human race, who had been facing a series of traumatic encounters ever since they left Earth, came from the Blue Race, the kingly existence that practically ruled over the cosmos. He had never felt so insulted in his race''s thousand year reign. The thing that angered him the most was that the humiliation was directed towards the human race that he was currently serving, the race he had high hopes for, and the race he sincerely wished would rise to the top!


    This was such a face slap!


    Guang Zhen had a drawn face, Blue 6 was furious beyond belief, and the others either were in shock, fear, anger, or confusion as they entered the Hope under the scrutiny of these thousand plus aliens. The thought of rest was tossed out of their minds as they rushed to the Hope''s central command. When they arrived, they noticed that Yao Yuan was already in discussion with about ten people.


    Guang Zhen knew that this was not the time for decency. He directly interrupted the discussion by asking Yao Yuan, "Ol'' Yao, what is the situation now? Our confidential methods have been in effect ever since we entered this Shelter, so why are there so many aliens surrounding us? What happened?"


    Yao Yuan nodded silently. After he concluded the discussion with the group of people, he pulled Guang Zhen aside. "Things are a bit complicated¡­ internally and externally. Don''t rush. Sit down and I will explain everything to you."


    Guang Zhen and the rest of his group, including Blue 6, ran to central command. They were still panting for breath. Guang Zhen took a few deep breaths and found a chair nearby to sit on. After a few seconds, he said, "Ol'' Yao, just cut to the chase, what has happened and how bad is it?"


    Yao Yuan sighed. "Do you still remember the space merchants? The dying civilization that fought with us? We discovered their people among the collection of aliens gathered outside¡­"


    Then Yao Yuan continued to relay all the information to Guang Zhen and gave him the extrapolation constructed by the two Thinkers.


    "¡­After our analysis, we agreed that the space merchants did not announce our actual situation to the whole universe yet, or else we would not be dealing with only these level 2 space civilizations but also some level 3 space civilizations¡­


    "¡­Secondly, the space merchants'' plan is probably to chase us out of this Shelter just so they can ''legally'' attack us out of the confines of the Shelter. For this, they have collaborated with other level 2 space civilizations, but I doubt they have revealed to them that their main purpose was to go after our Homo Evolutis¡­


    "¡­So we definitely cannot leave this Shelter."


    Blue 6 was listening quietly when Yao Yuan was in conversation with Guang Zhen. Even though he was confused by some of the words, he did not interrupt, because one of them was the Hope''s Emperor and the other the Hope''s royal prince. His position did not allow him to comment¡­ at least that was what his education under the feudal system taught him.


    Therefore, when their conversation reached a lull, before they continued to discuss the method to overcome this, he excused himself and left. He did not say anything as he returned to his residence with his adjutant in tow. He found two Black Star Troopers on duty and two other Ambassadors of Peace assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and started to enquire after the incident that happened between humanity and the space merchants.


    "¡­Once raided by space merchants? That kind of retarded civilization? Okay, so the Hope was just becoming a level 2 space civilization?"


    "¡­What? They have killed your people?!"


    "¡­What? Even killed cosmic adapters?!!!"


    "¡­What? Even the Black Star Unit, the royal committee that would be next to take the throne had lost one member?!!! Lost many cosmic adapters as well?!!"


    "¡­What¡­ Did not wipe them out¡­ and let them go¡­"


    Blue 6 was first shocked, then angered, then furious, like the anger was going to explode from his head. The more he learned, the colder his tone become. Eventually, his words were simply laced with iciness.


    "Get all the Ambassadors of Peace and Defense Unit soldiers to gather! It is time for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to do some work! Let us go to the House of Representatives first! I need a final confirmation on whether we should be doing this or not!"


    When Blue 6 said so, the few adjutants seemed to realize something. One of them quickly fussed around Blue 6, helping him smooth down the creases on his shirt. The rest of them started to make calls. The Ambassadors of Peace and Defense Unit soldiers were officially under the rules of the Barracks, so they managed to gather in the shortest period of time. Then they followed Blue 6 to the House of Representatives.


    At the House of Representatives, Blue 6 did not enter to give any speech but stood at the entrance listening to the various representatives'' arguments. Most of them were discussing the options of leaving the Hope, or bribing them with gold, or appealing to the level 3 space civilizations. They were focusing on various forms of compromise¡­


    Blue 6''s expression was even colder when he heard this. Even those Black Star Troopers and Defense Unit soldiers were incensed. Of course, there was worry mixed in as well.


    "Let us go."


    Blue 6 suddenly turned and whispered this order. Then he moved to a secluded corner to put on his space armor¡­ Yes, as a Homo Evolutis, or the Blue Race''s cosmic adapter, even though Yao Yuan would not return the Blue Race''s combat spacesuit to him, he had still assigned him his personal Black Star Space Armor.


    Then Blue 6''s group arrived at one of the Hope''s entrances that led down to the harbor. Using his internal communicator, he gave a speech to all the communicators with the same frequency. This included all the Black Star Troopers and the Hope''s central command.


    "This is Blue 6, the Hope''s government and human civilization''s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Here, I will commit to my responsibility and duty as the Minister of Foreign Affairs¡­ and represent humanity to declare war on the space merchants!


    "This is not only because they have killed humanity''s most precious cosmic adapters, not only because they are currently provoking us, not only because they have in their grasp humanity''s biggest secret, not only because of all this¡­


    "But because the space merchants are currently trampling on our human souls! They are trampling on our spirits and hope!


    "As the sixth heir to the Blue Race''s throne, ever since I was young, I was given the education of one universal truth¡­ In space, being weak is not a sin, but the real sin is being contentment with weakness, thinking one belongs in the realm of the weak, resistant to improvements. This kind of lifeform, this kind of race, we call them enslaved races! We are allowed to kill their people, humiliate them, and trample on them because the enslaved are the most disgusting and degrading existence in space!


    "Now the space merchants and these dying level 2 space civilizations are treating us like an enslaved race, and I did not see the agitation, the anger, and the fury for combat that I should be seeing. Honestly, I am greatly disappointed. Humanity, the race that I swore my fealty to, why¡­ why are you acting like this? Isn''t this humiliation enough for you to take up arms and fight? Or¡­ is your desire for life so strong that it has overshadowed your will to fight for your dignity? In that case, why not surrender yourself to be reared as livestock by these aliens?


    "Now¡­ I will take this step with the Ambassadors of Peace, all the Defense Unit soldiers, and the Black Star Troopers. Of course, I know about the Barracks'' ban that prevents any Black Star Troopers from leaving the Hope. And I have no idea how many will take this step with me, but regardless, this is a step that has to be made. I have prepared to lay down my life not for the Blue Race, not for my name, but for you humans, on whom I have set store a great amount of hope. Humans, listen to me¡­ The glory of a civilizations comes not from economy, science, or population, but from blood and soul, life and combat!


    "I may die, but I will never regret this decision that I have made, because¡­ to be able to save a civilization, one that I approve of and predict will have a glorious future, to save it from the shackles of an enslaved race, I am nothing but proud!


    "And¡­ today¡­ at this moment!


    "I will represent you to declare this war!"


    Unbeknownst to him, Blue 6''s voice was tweaked at central command to be broadcasted throughout the Hope. Everyone, be it the higher officers or the civilians, they had heard everything he had to say. And as he said so, Blue 6 stepped out into the harbor with his head held high and his chest out. Behind him, the few Blue Race adjutants followed him with their heads held equally high¡­

 Chapter 369: Ultimate Weapon, Gravity Cannon!

    Chapter 369: Ultimate Weapon, Gravity Cannon!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Starting from a few years ago, Yao Yuan''s group had been discussing the possible ways that humanity might go extinct and the possible solution to these problems. If it was due to a cosmic disaster, then nothing could be done. Even a high tier space civilization would not be able to escape the fate of extinction.


    But what if it was a manmade disaster? Like the encounter with the zerg alien, space merchants, or junkyard civilization? When the Hope came up against the challenge from these powerful forces, would they be able to survive or even achieve victory?


    Of course, if the opponent was a level 4, 5, 6, or even 7 space civilization, then the answer was obvious. The Hope needn''t even struggle, because the chance of escaping, much less winning, would be zero. However, if this did happen, the greater possibility was humanity would be treated like an ant, and if humanity did not actively provoke them, the Hope would most likely be left alone¡­ given that they did not realize humanity had so many Homo Evolutis.


    Therefore, the Hope''s biggest danger would come from level 2 and level 3 space civilizations.


    This was currently the Hope''s main enemy. Due to the Hope''s unique situation, humanity''s military and scientific levels were high thanks to the various opportune encounters, but since the time they had spent in space was extremely short, the population had remained practically the same compared to when they left Earth. In fact, after leaving Earth, humanity only had the Hope, the sole mothership. Even though they had created a few other spaceships on the new planet with its paradise environment, those were battleships. They were a level 2 space civilization''s mini patrol spaceships; they could not even be equipped with cannons, and the Hope did not have a large fleet of them either.


    Compared to humanity, the normal construct of a mature level 2 space civilization should include a gigantic mothership that could survive for one thousand to two thousand years in space without the need for supplies, a mothership large enough to support the survival of at least two billion people in space.


    They would also have one to two large spaceship fleets, each fleet with three hundred to five hundred battleships and at least thirty main battleships with sizes similar to the Hope''s. In fact, the few vassal races to humanity had such battleships as their motherships, and the rest would be mid-size battleships and patrol ships.


    Therefore, even though humanity''s technology was better than these space civilizations'', in terms of numbers, humanity was no match for them. This was the understanding shared by the majority of the people in the ship: humanity was still a weak level 2 space civilization. Actually, this understanding was not completely wrong, and this was why even Yao Yuan decided to have interaction with other space civilization only after the Hope became a level 3 space civilization. The key reason was the lack of internal confidence.


    However!


    If a war or interaction with other space civilizations was unavoidable, for example, the forceful raid done by the space merchants, then the Hope needed an ultimate weapon that could tip the scales from the number disadvantage. It was not the Genesis or Requiem, but something unique to humanity that could be created from everything humanity currently had access to.


    With this idea in mind, two task forces were formed by Yao Yuan, each led by Bo Li and Ivan. Yao Yuan named them respectively: the Black Hole Task Force and Messiah Task Force.


    For Ivan''s Messiah Task Force, the order he was given was to deepen the research on the alien plant, specifically to figure out whether the possibility of creating a super weapon using the alien plant was possible or not, a super weapon that could nullify their opponent''s mothership. Of course, this research was extremely difficult. A few years had passed and almost no progress had been made.


    The Black Hole Task Force led by Bo Li was given the order to weaponize the super future tech that had somehow landed in humanity''s grasp¡­ the anti-gravity system!


    Ever since the Hope entered the cosmos, a large amount of scientists had been researching this anti-gravity system, but perhaps the difference in technology was simply too much, as they had made zero inroads. The only thing they found out was that anti-gravity system was like an extremely convoluted electrical circuit. It was through the passage of electricity that gravity or anti-gravity could be created. The key difference separating the two was whether the charge was current or countercurrent, and the size of the current also decided the gravity or anti-gravity force created.


    According to Bo Li''s research and the hypothesis from Yao Yuan and the two other Thinkers¡­ this anti-gravity system could be used to create an ultimate weapon!


    Yes, gravity!


    It was common knowledge that when a spaceship had reached a certain size and mass, it would distance itself from all the planets. The reason for this was because when something with a large mass got closer to a planet or something with high gravity force, it would create the so-called tidal force. In other words, the difference in generated gravitational force of various points on the large object created by the difference in the various points'' distance to the source of gravity. This would be a fatal damage to the object. For example, if this Shelter was to get close to any large planet, like the moon, then it would be torn into shreds.


    Of course, due to the improvements in science, like the AI and new metallurgy, the improvements in construction of space increased the tensile strength of the spaceship and thus increased its resistance to tidal force.


    However, it was a known fact that they did not have anti-gravitational systems. This was a lack that could be exploited. As long as they could ensure that the tidal force experienced by these spaceships was increased to the maximum in that concentrated moment, then the result would be simple¡­ the spaceship would be torn open from within despite its electromagnetic or plasma shield!


    This was the Black Hole Task Force''s mission, to research and create an ultimate weapon using the anti-gravitational system as its core. Bo Li called it the Gravity Cannon!


    The Hope''s current scientific level was actually very high already, especially after the year they spent in warp drive where humanity had been absorbing the sciences from the vassal races like a sponge sucking up water. If not for the fact that these vassal races did not have much population left and most of their scientists had perished, the Hope would have been a peak level 2 space civilization by now.


    The research into the Gravity Cannon continued in this one year, and now the Hope finally had enough technology to use the plasma technology showcased by the space merchants in their earlier war, the ability to construct plasma objects from thin air, and the ability to use pure energy to construct electrical circuits and various parts. Of course, they would not be physical and had a pure energy state, and at the moment the energy ran out, the creation would disappear. However, with enough supply of energy, a large energy weapon could be created, a weapon as large as the Genesis Cannon.


    This required the consolidation of a great amount of energy, and normal electrical energy could not be used. Only plasma energy could be used to finish this. Other than the great amount of exhaustion, it would also require the minute calculation of AI. In other words, the technical requirements for this virtual energy construct were numerous, and at the end of the day, they might not even be useable.


    However¡­


    When this technology met the electrical circuit of the anti-gravitational system, then most of problems could be solved¡­ Using plasma energy to create layers of anti-gravitational systems and using the powerful plasma energy current to surge through these circuits, then a gravitational force rivalling the force of a large planetary object could be created in a short amount of time. And this super gravity would cause severe damage to any spaceship!


    Of course, to manifest this would be extremely difficult. Since it was a secret weapon, until now there had not been a field test yet. It had only gone through AI simulation. The results showed that there was a limit to its range. If the range was over 30,000 kilometers, then the power of the Gravity Cannon would greatly decrease. Unless they could find a way to enhance the anti-gravitational system or have a more stable energy source, then that would be the limit of the Gravity Cannon.


    Of course¡­ this was only a half-prototype!


    Therefore, Yao Yuan, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao were of the same mind that the anti-gravitational system could be high tier space civilization''s siege weaponry that could be used to create¡­ an actual black hole.


    Back to the Hope, as Blue 6 walked from his own residence to the House of Representatives, a message was transferred from the labs to Yao Yuan in central command. It stated that Professor Bo Li had fainted in the lab and was being rushed to the hospital. According to rudimentary checking, it seemed to be caused by the over-exertion of Homo Evolutis power. Thankfully, the hospital had dealt with such cases before and they promised that she would wake up after five to ten days. Her situation was not that serious.


    Another message from the same lab had reported that Professor Bo Li had told the member of the Black Hole Task Force that the design for the draft prototype of the Gravity Cannon had been entered into the AI and could be utilized already. The time of energy charging was between 12 minutes 31 seconds to 12 minutes 37 seconds. The prediction for the active time for the cannon was 2 minutes and 12 seconds. In that period, the Hope would be unable to use plasma shields, and the efficiency of the electromagnetic shield would be minimized to its lowest!


    Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were speechless for a long time after reading these messages. Then Yao Yuan announced with a drawn face, "The thing has been created. Even though it is still a draft prototype, I want to give it a go!"


    Guang Zhen nodded silently as he slapped Yao Yuan on his shoulder. "Then we will give it a run. I have had enough of running. If we compromise yet again, then humanity will really have surrendered its future!"


    At this time, Blue 6 had started his speech using the communicator inside his space armor. Listening to him, Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, and everyone in central command were silent. Several seconds later, Yao Yuan suddenly yelled, "Broadcast this to the rest of the ship! This is something¡­ that is needed to be heard by the people. This is a speech coming from one''s soul, blood, and spirit! Remember it, and then¡­


    "All Black Star Troopers gather at the Space Combat Jet hangars and align all the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s into preparatory track. The Hope¡­


    "Is entering combat mode!"

 Chapter 370: Slaughter Them All!

    Chapter 370: Slaughter Them All!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After Blue 6 finished his speech, he stepped forward bravely. The first to follow him was the group of Blue Race adjutants. They knew what was happening and what the sacrifice was, but they followed Blue 6 without question.


    In comparison, the Defense Unit soldiers and Black Star Troopers hesitated. It was not that they did not dare to follow Blue 6, anyone who heard Blue 6 had a fire burning within them. As long as the person was human, he or she would willingly follow Blue 6. The glory and the honor that were going to be redeemed, it was greater than the fear of death.


    However¡­


    Other than death, these people had more things to consider. For example, their families, the Hope, the entirety humanity¡­ These considerations weighed down on them because even though their own deaths were negligible, if their deaths caused the deaths of their families and friends, then death would not have solved their sins.


    But even so!


    At least one-third of the Defense Unit soldiers and four Black Star Troopers followed Blue 6. As Blue 6 was about to leave the Hope, Yao Yuan''s voice suddenly appeared in everyone''s communicators.


    "Minister of Foreign Affairs, Blue 6, in my capacity as the Hope''s captain and the Chancellor of the human government, I award you the power to declare war against others and present you with the assistance from Units 1, 2, and 3 of the Black Star Troopers to slaughter the evildoers and those alien scum that have humiliated us humans!"


    This order was given through the public channel, and it managed to make the blood of the people boil. Even though certain parts of society still had reservations and they still had their own opinions, Blue 6''s earlier speech had greatly raised the human fighting spirit. The speech, with its awe-inspiring righteousness, had raised an unstoppable popular support. Now combined with Yao Yuan''s verbal confirmation, the popular support had become officialised, and even if certain people still maintained the desire to compromise, their voices were swallowed by the majority.


    At the same time, Yao Yuan communicated directly with Blue 6 using a private channel, "You have acted rashly this time and we will discuss the punishment for this transgression later. Now, listen to these orders¡­ First, naturally, is to declare war against all the level 2 space civilizations that are provoking us. We will only accept their unconditional surrender and nothing else.


    "Secondly, find the civilizations responsible for this Shelter, the representatives from those level 3 space civilizations. Demand that they severely punish the level 2 space civilizations that have led the provocation. Demand that they compensate our losses. It can be in minerals, supplies, technology, products, or even space curiosities, but the value has to be at least ten times the amount we have spent at this Shelter! If they do not agree, then declare war against the entire Shelter!


    "Thirdly, after the declaration of war, I have an attached mission for you¡­ Stall it out, use your words or threats or just random talk. In any case, stall for me for 15 minutes. In these 15 minutes, you have to ensure that all the level 2 and 3 space civilizations know that we mean war, but try to stop them from entering our ship. After 15 minutes is up, you can retreat with everyone else back into the Hope, and that¡­ will be when the real war begins!"


    After that, Yao Yuan''s voice completely disappeared. Blue 6 stood there in short contemplation for a while before smiling in relief and turning to address the few adjutants behind him. "What are you all doing standing there? Haven''t you heard the orders from Your Highness the Chancellor? We are to wait for humanity''s strongest force, the Black Star Trooper Units 1, 2, and 3!"


    The few adjutants were still rattled. In reality, when they followed Blue 6, they already understood a certain awareness, the Blue Race''s awareness!


    Surviving in space was more than direct assault, it had compromises too. Of course, there were races like the Pa Race that lived with their guns blazing, but mammals did not have the life force and rate of reproduction the Pa Race had. If they followed the ways of Pa Race, there would probably be no mammals in space.


    Therefore, even though the Blue Race was the kingpin of many races, they too would need to compromise many times. However, that compromise was limited to the Emperor and the royal committee. Acting as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was definitely part of the royal committee equivalent, but compromise was never a word in the Minister of Foreign Affairs'' dictionary. It was because of this that Ministry of Foreign Affairs had their own military and the ability to declare war that was not part of the main governmental structure. The goal of this separation was to ease the difficulties faced when the Hope was in this kind of rock and a hard place situation. The sacrifice of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would preserve the spirits of the rest of the race''s members.


    It was actually simple to understand. When compromise was necessary, someone had to be sacrificed. Blue Race had done this multiple times before already. The heroes would be sacrificed and the Emperor and royal committee would release an official statement to denounce their relationship to the Blue Race. After this compromise, at least the main race''s spirits would be preserved. This was Blue 6 and the few adjutants'' original plan, to sacrifice themselves to preserve the human spirit, that was all.


    But who would''ve guessed that at the very last minute, a great surprise would fall right from the sky. The human Emperor had directly officialised his actions and had given him other missions. Blue 6 was not dumb; he soon understood that stalling for 15 minutes was to prepare for some kind of ultimate weapon¡­ One that could destroy this Shelter before them!


    (What kind of ultimate weapon will it be? Theoretically speaking, a level 2 space civilization naturally will not have an ultimate weapon of this caliber. Heck, even a level 3 space civilization at its peak will not have an ultimate weapon that can bring down an entire Shelter, unless the civilization has received technological inheritances from a level 4 space civilization and the ultimate weapon was created using the products of the level 4 space civilization¡­)


    Just as Blue 6 was contemplating this, about 10 plus Black Star Troopers had arrived at this entrance. None of them said anything, they were standing there quietly, waiting for Blue 6''s next course of action.


    Blue 6 could not figure out an ultimate weapon that was plausible, but he still addressed these Black Star Troopers with high spirits, "Let us go. We will declare war now and cleanse these alien trash that dare to trample on our honor! Also¡­ remember who you are! You are all cosmic adapters! The royalty of space! Ignore the threats by these lowlifes, they will not dare to harm you at such a public place!"


    Blue 6 was the first to step out. After the isolation corridor, it was the Shelter''s harbor space. There were already several thousand representatives from various space civilizations there. Of course, all of these aliens were from level 2 space civilizations, and there were no level 3 space civilizations present.


    Following the appearance of Blue 6''s group, the thousand plus aliens started to rise into a commotion. This was because every one of them carried with them a device that could detect the presence of soul. Normally, they were used to detect the soul content of food or to detect the presence of cosmic adapters.


    At that moment, the thousands of aliens were excited to find that the small group before them had more than 10 cosmic adapters, more than 10! Even a vibrant space civilization would at most have four to five cosmic adapters, and that was already impossible. More than 10 cosmic adapters? Even a large scale Shelter would not have so many cosmic adapters.


    One of the aliens suddenly shouted, "These are all cosmic adapters, we have to kidnap them. After all, this race is an enslaved race, so they will not dare to resist us! They are too scared to do that! After we enslave them, our race will have its revival!"


    The people who said that was quite many. At least half of them started cheering, some of them were still dazed, while a small group of people started to retreat. However, as the cheering got louder, the siege engines parked quite a distance away started to come over. And soon, unit after units of alien soldiers in combat suits and weapons surrounded Blue 6''s group.


    Blue 6 smirked chillingly, but he still opened the communication and amplification devices in his space armor to yell, "We are the diplomatic forces of the human race, we have diplomatic immunity. You are not to attack us, or we are allowed to retaliate according to cosmic rules!"


    The words he said were incredibly logical, but the continuous compromises shown by humans earlier had roused the bloodlust within these aliens. They assumed Blue 6''s words were a sign of weakness. Furthermore, they were already blinded by greed. There were more than 10 cosmic adapters before them, and the capture of even one would revive their whole race from senescence. If anything, the race would start to improve again. On one side was the natural death from Law of Preservation of Life, while on the other was the renaissance of a race. The choice was obvious for those who had been blinded by greed.


    Surrounded by more than ten thousand alien soldiers, Blue 6 suddenly turned to those representatives of the vassal alien civilizations and said, "I order you to immediately deploy your army to aid us humans in the name of the suzerain civilization!"


    However, these representatives rushed hurriedly back into their spaceships like they had been torched. They ignored Blue 6''s orders, and this caused Blue 6''s cold smirk to harden.


    More than ten thousand soldiers had surrounded the Hope from all sides, but the Hope still did not retaliate in any way. This steeled the aliens'' conviction that humans were a useless race, and they started to zero in on Blue 6''s group. The circle of alien soldiers was closing in and capture was going to start at any moment.


    Blue 6 took a deep breath as he looked around. Then he ordered, "Alright, we can start now¡­ All this filth that surrounds us, Black Star Troopers, listen to my order¡­


    "Slaughter them all!"

 Chapter 371: Who Dares to Kill Me?

    Chapter 371: Who Dares to Kill Me?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Black Star Troopers around Blue 6 were already nursing a ball of fire. If not for the fact that they had not received the orders, they would have cleansed this group of dirty aliens a long time ago.


    Now that Blue 6 had finally given his order, how could they be patient anymore? They had in their left hands Gaussian spiral rifles (new weapon), and in their right hands were super fluctuation blades (new weapon). With three people per unit, they charged into the fray.


    There were at least ten thousand alien soldiers surrounding them. The ten plus group was heavily surrounded and their aggressors obviously did not expect a retaliation, especially the leading major level aliens. They were practically climbing over each other to capture these human cosmic adapters. It was then that they realized that they were not facing a group of sheep but a group of human-shaped tanks!


    Three Black Star Troopers, wearing second generation Space Armors, were already shooting their Gaussian spiral rifles at the outer layer of the alien units before they got near. In a matter of seconds, innumerable electromagnetic shields appeared, but in less than 5 seconds, these electromagnetic shields shattered and blood and guts started to fly. How would normal physical bodies and spacesuits fare against attacks from Gaussian weapons? Like paper!


    "What kind of ammo is this? Are they poison? Why are they so powerful that even electromagnetic shields cannot stop them?"


    The major aliens in the alien unit started yelling. They could not believe their eyes. Gaussian weapons were the main weapon of all level 2 space civilizations, and their weakness would be level 2 space civilizations'' electromagnetic shields that would be perfect to defend against this series of weapons. They balanced each other out and would never end up in a situation like what they were seeing now.


    However, the reality was right before them. Their electromagnetic shields were practically paper; they were shattered easily by these weird-looking Gaussian weapons. Humanity was practically harvesting their lives.


    "That''s a spiral-type Gaussian weapon! It''s a type of weapon used by peak level 2 space civilizations and early level 3 space civilizations! Foot soldiers, retreat. Send out the siege engines! Use the larger electromagnetic shields to stop them!"


    There were capable leaders among the alien units as well. They soon noticed the difference with the Black Star Troopers'' rifles; they were not something a normal level 2 space civilization would possess. It was a type of weapon purposely designed to break electromagnetic shields. Small and individual electromagnetic shields would be punctured easily, like a balloon facing a sharp tack.


    Among the alien troops, there were some small siege engines. There were various forms to them, but each was six meters tall and had mid-sized Gaussian weapons, like small Gaussian cannons. Other than that, due to their ability to recharge, the strength of their electromagnetic shields was also greater than normal. Under the Black Star Troopers'' scary Gaussian weapon assault, these siege engines were pushed to the forefront to act as a blockade.


    However, the Black Star Troopers were actually most familiar with close quarters combat. The long range rifles to deal with electromagnetic shield was practically harassment. When the troopers saw their enemies shove the siege engines to the frontline, they smirked coldly. They dashed towards the siege engines with unimaginable speed. The speed, agility, and dexterity increase provided by the second generation Space Armor was greater than the first generation. As Bo Li called it, the compatibility between Homo Evolutis and Space Armor had increased.


    This kind of speed was not something normal lifeforms could possess, but in just the blink of an eye, the three-man Black Star Trooper units had already reached the front of the siege engines. With a dance of the blades in their hands, the siege engines were dismantled. This type of close-range weapon was much more convenient than the earlier sawblade. In comparison, it was not that the sawblade was powerful before a thick layer of electromagnetic shield, but cutting through them still required a great deal of energy. However, the new super fluctuation blades could cut through electromagnetic shields like butter using the wave fluctuations to break down the magnetic field of the electromagnetic shields.


    Be it the super fluctuation blade, the Gaussian spiral rifle, or the plasma shield prototype installed in the second generation Space Armor, they were all technologies limited to space civilizations moving from level 2 to level 3. The Hope having access to them was all thanks to Bo Li, the Whisperer''s contribution.


    At that moment, the few units of Black Star Troopers had already cut down several siege engines. The one leading was none other than the champion of the various competitions among the Black Star Troopers, Ebon, the Homo Evolutis that could almost rival Yao Yuan in combat. With a battle cry, he charged at the front of the team, and behind him were Liu Bai and Wa Luo. Both of them smiled helplessly as they tried to keep up with Ebon. When they finally did, Ebon was already rushing headfirst towards a weird-looking siege engine that stood with four appendages touching the ground. It was 6 meters tall and at least 10 meters wide. It was much larger than a normal tank, but with just a flash of Ebon''s blade, the electromagnetic shield sparked and shattered. With another dash by Ebon, the siege engine was spliced into pieces. The explosion harmed everything within a 10 meters radius and about one hundred alien soldiers were sent flying by the blast.


    This kind of situation kept happening among the alien troops. The small group of just more than 10 Black Star Troopers was unstoppable. Their numbers might''ve been small, but they were going for a landslide victory.


    "Fire! Fire the long-range weapons! Do not engage them in close quarters combat!"


    Right then, a major among the aliens roared. He ordered continuously for the siege engines to fire at the Black Star Troopers, Blue 6, and Defense Unit soldiers. However, before his order could be carried out, more voices yelled back, "Do not fire! Those are cosmic adapters! More than 10 cosmic adapters! Who dares to open fire! We are in a Shelter, aren''t you afraid of being wiped out? None of you are allowed to fire! Swarm them, use light grade weapons and capture devices, use your numbers advantage to swarm them!"


    The contradicting orders and the savage assault by the Black Star Troopers sowed chaos among the alien troops. However, most importantly, these humans dared to openly go on a murder spree in a Shelter? Their weapons seemed at most to be at the peak of level 2 space civilization, but they dared to create havoc at a level 3 Shelter? Had this civilization lost its mind? Or was this human race a branch of the Pa Race?


    Taking this in, this group of aliens that provoked and threatened humanity, especially the leading space merchant leader, had their eyelids twitching¡­ if they had the organ eyelid that is.


    Everything had gone awry. Humanity had not compromised and allowed them to inspect the Hope, nor did they escape the Shelter with their tail between their legs. They did not even send out a diplomatic unit to seek aid from the owner of the Shelter like a normal space civilization would. Instead, they started to slaughter. It would be over for the Hope soon, but their plan was over as well. Humanity would be judged by level 3 space civilizations and then the fact that they had plenty of cosmic adapters would be exposed.


    However, most importantly, these Black Star Troopers did not give the soldiers any chance to retreat. They dashed into the army and started cutting. Even if these soldiers were capable enough to harm them, they wouldn''t because these were cosmic adapters. If they weren''t at such a public space, they would perhaps attack, but with so many other races watching, harming one meant that other races would wipe out your entire race.


    This kind of one-sided slaughter was deeply aggrieving. Furthermore, the soldiers being mowed down were not retards but the elite soldiers of these races. They were the most intelligent elite soldiers who possessed the greatest amount of soul. The death of one would make the whole race mourn for a long time, but here they had lost so many. Furthermore, this was a public space, so soul could not be recycled. This time they had really lost a lot.


    Just as the slaughter continued and the aliens were crying like crazy, a UFO of about several hundred meters suddenly zipped in from afar. The UFO had a streamline shape and its origin was definitely the Shelter. There was a symbol on the UFO''s surface¡­ and it was the symbol that represented the owner of this level 3 Shelter.


    While the Black Star Troopers continued their slaughter, about 10 light pillar dropped from the UFO. The giant light pillars slammed into the ground, and in the blink of an eye, more than several hundred alien soldiers were vaporized and there were huge metallic craters in the ground. However, none of the Black Star Troopers were harmed. The craters were at least several meters away from the nearest trooper.


    "Halt!"


    Then a processed voice appeared in the communicators of everyone there. After that, several hundred light orbs ejected from the UFO. These were single-use floating devices. From their appearance, this group of aliens had two legs and two hands, but it was unknown whether they were mammals or not.


    These light orbs floated in the air above the area surrounded by the light pillars. Other than a few orbs that landed on the ground, the rest of them trained their weapons at the ground from the air.


    "I said halt! Can you not understand language? Are you bunch of low grade civilizations trying to provoke a level 3 space¡­"


    One of the light orbs started yelling as he dropped before Blue 6. However, the next scene shocked even the Black Star Troopers. Blue 6 directly kicked this level 3 space civilization''s representative from his floating device. Then he said through the communicator, "Something that is not even a cosmic adapter dares to order me around?


    "If you dare, then order your soldiers in the siege engine to fire down on us. I do want to see how powerful your level 3 space civilization is to dare to kill more than 10 cosmic adapters at once. This is a public place with many civilizations watching¡­ Aren''t you afraid of being wiped out by level 4 or 5 space civilizations?


    "I am standing right here, who dares to kill me?"

 Chapter 372: Fire!

    Chapter 372: Fire!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Blue 6 was indeed acting quite arrogant. After all, the person he kicked was not just any random nobody but a representative from an actual level 3 space civilization. This was not a provocation but an actual face slap. He had practically tossed the level 3 space civilization''s honor to the floor and stomped on it.


    The Black Star Troopers around him broke out in cold sweat. Not only them, even the surrounding level 2 space civilizations looked on with utter shock. The originally chaotic scene became eerily quiet, everyone looking dumbly at Blue 6 and the level 3 space civilization''s representative.


    Blue 6 might''ve looked unperturbed on the surface, but it did not mean that he was feeling the same within. However, since he was given the order to stall, this was a risk he had to take.


    After he kicked this representative away and said those words, he did not pause before rushing to pull the representative upwards. He hissed at him through a private channel, "We''re both familiar with the underflow effect of soul. If you dare to kill us, then level 4 and 5 space civilizations will come to wipe you out. No space civilization will complain that they have too many cosmic adapters, right?


    "I know that if we met privately, your race would not hesitate to destroy us or even secretly keep us as livestock, but there are so many people here. Unless you dare to kill all the races here and destroy this entire Shelter. But that might not even work, because middle to high tier space civilizations might have the means to discern the leftover electrical signals and know how many cosmic adapters you have killed. Are you really that brave to risk extinction?" Blue 6 continued his threat.


    This representative from the level 3 space civilization was stunned. His original plan was to intervene into this conflict, punish both parties, and reap the rewards. They had done this kind of thing many times, and this representative was experienced in doing that. However, this time, before he could finish his sentence, he was kicked to the floor by this officer from a level 2 space civilization. This kind of situation had never happened before, so he was lost for quite a few seconds.


    When he recovered and was ready to order his people to slaughter everyone there, Blue 6''s words had drifted into his ears. Instantly, he regained his senses and was reminded of his actual purpose¡­ The fact that more than 10 cosmic adapters had shown themselves at their Shelter was unprecedented. Furthermore, they were from a level 2 space civilization, and the key detail was that they had violated the law and rules of the Shelter. This was a godsend. Either through threats, trades, or any other methods, his mission was to obtain at least 5 to 10 cosmic adapters to prevent the decline of this Shelter.


    Actually, just as how Blue 6 had observed when the Hope arrived, this Shelter was already on its decline. The real situation was that this Shelter had no cosmic adapter, and all the space civilizations, including the level 3 ones, could only obtain soul through raiding other races and killing their enslaved members to extend the lifespan of the Shelter. Therefore, throughout the year, there would only be one level 3 space civilization defending the Shelter, while the rest would be out hunting.


    It was because of this that they were desperate for cosmic adapters; even just one might be able to save the entire Shelter¡­


    However, obtaining and killing were two completely different concepts. For killing, if there was only their own race present, and if the secret was kept well, then it would have been fine. Wiping out a whole race of cosmic adapters would be fine. However, if the news was leaked, then¡­ a level 3 space civilization would truly be crushed like a bug.


    "Aren''t you afraid of a level 3 space civilization? Your spaceship is parked within our port and electromagnetic shields alone will not be enough to sustain our attack. One attack from us and it will be punctured. Aren''t you afraid we will completely destroy your mothership?" This level 3 space civilization''s representative even in a spacesuit was only around 1.3 meters tall. He barely reached the height of the space armor''s knees. After he was pulled up by Blue 6, he roared as he waved his hands and feet in mid-air.


    "Mothership? Listen to me, we are just a small scouting fleet of our race. I wonder which is more important, the spaceship of a level 2 space civilization or the entire level 3 space civilization. Furthermore, our battle suits are equipped with the ability to self-destruct if you plan to capture us alive. Do you believe that even if I murder you now in cold blood, your superiors will not do anything to save us?" Blue 6 said with a cold laugh, ignoring his threat.


    This representative was immediately silenced as if he had confirmed what Blue 6 was saying. However, Blue 6 then put down this representative, took several steps back, and knelt down officially on one knee, adding, "I wish for level 3 space civilization to judge this incident fairly. A group of gangster races wished to assault us humans. That is such deplorable conduct, and it was against a guest race of this Shelter. This is something that cannot be forgiven. I wish level 3 space civilization would oversee this judgement fairly and return to us humans the respect that we deserve!"


    Blue 6 had switched back to the public channel. His actions once again had shocked everyone present. The representative was stunned for yet another few seconds before finally declaring, "We have looked through the actual process, and both sides have committed their mistakes. Furthermore, this incident has violated¡­"


    Once again, before he could finish, he was grabbed into the air by Blue 6. Blue 6 used the private channel to warn him, "Stop giving me the official nonsense. Don''t act like this is not your fault either. You allowed them to do this to us humans. Do you really believe I won''t kill you and demand for another representative?"


    This representative was so pissed that he almost coughed out blood. He demanded with extreme hatred, "Then what do you want? You''re speaking in the Blue Race''s language, right? This race is one of your vassal races? We''re both level 3 space civilizations, so don''t push it!"


    Blue 6 smirked. "Whether they are a vassal or not is none of your business. You better say something that I want to hear, and not that official nonsense, or else I will dispose of you and have your race send over another representative."


    This representative was nursing a deep grievance. Normally, it was he who toyed with other civilizations. This was the first time he had to suffer such deep humiliation. The person treating him this way was only from a level 2 space civilization. This knowledge made him grit his teeth in anger. If not for the more than 10 cosmic adapters standing before him, he would order the siege engine above him to open fire immediately. In the end, he chose to not speak and stood there. No matter how Blue 6 threatened him, he would not utter a word. He really wanted to see whether Blue 6 had the courage to murder him or not.


    Just like that, time ticked by. Blue 6 had broken out in cold sweat and dried out many times. The Black Star Troopers had stopped attacking. They stared at their enemies quietly and the atmosphere at the scene was incredibly curious.


    (Time¡­ Just one last minute, it''s almost time¡­)


    Blue 6 stood before the representative calmly, but his eyes kept flitting to look at the timer inside his space armor. When the countdown of 15 minutes was over, he sighed in great relief internally. Then he suddenly patted the representative, who had been glaring at him wordlessly. This sudden action made the representative jump from shock. Blue 6 smirked and switched to the public channel to announce, "As I have said, we humans have been treated unfairly at this Shelter. We were seriously threatened and we humans have suffered great losses¡­"


    These words made the level 2 space civilizations'' representatives there cough blood. Who were the ones that really suffered great losses?


    "¡­Therefore, we officially requested the owner of this Shelter to give us a fair judgement. However, since thugs will only look out for thugs, the justice that we humans deserve was not given to us. Therefore, I, acting as humanity''s Minister of Foreign Affairs, wish to announce that¡­


    "We humans are declaring war on all of you!"


    After Blue 6 said that, he ignored the crowd and turned to walk into the Hope. The Defense Unit soldiers quickly went to protect him and the Black Star Troopers held up their rear. This group of less than 50 people strode calmly back into the Hope from the chaotic battlefield. The alien units that surrounded them did not dare to stop them. The representative stood there dumbly like he had lost his mind. The people in the siege engines were acting the same way.


    "¡­Wait, have we heard it wrongly? A level 2 space civilization is declaring war on more than 100 level 2 space civilizations and one level 3 space civilization? They have really declared war?"


    "He meant to say ''surrender'', right? Could it be the translation was mistaken due to the difference in languages? They''re talking about surrender, right?"


    Many races, whether they were physically there or were watching it through a long range signal, were in bouts of disbelief. They could not understand what the Hope was doing. This kind of suicidal behavior would not be done by any rational space civilization.


    However, just as they were discussing it among themselves, the Hope suddenly floated aboveground after Blue 6''s group had returned to it. At the same time, a great many layers of electricity appeared before the Hope. These electrical layers were so powerful that they were practically in plasma form. And they were slowly forming an electrical circuit in front of the Hope.


    While this was happening, in the giant Shelter, the ceiling and floor both exuded great energy reactions. In just a few seconds, a thick layer of plasma shield had surrounded the Hope as if the shield was created by the Hope itself.


    Yes, this was an internal defense measure of the Shelter. No matter how big or how strong the Shelter was, it was easier to dismantle it from the inside. This kind of example could be found anywhere in space. Therefore, the interior of the Shelter was equipped with great defensive mechanisms as well. One of them was to use the Shelter''s own gigantic store of energy to form a plasma shield to contain and seal the offending spaceship. This plasma shield''s supply came from the Shelter itself, so even for a level 3 space civilization, it would not be punctured easily. It was a very safe measure.


    Of course, a plasma shield wouldn''t know the difference between inside and outside. The weapons of the ships captured would not be able to attack the people outside, and similarly, the people outside would not be able to harm the ship captured while the shield was still up¡­


    When the Hope activated the energy construction, the AI inside the Shelter ascertained that the Hope was going to use a large scale weapon, therefore, it reacted by sealing the Hope inside the plasma shield. When the alien races saw this happen, they started mocking humanity, saying humanity was so arrogant and conceited that they dared to even attempt to use a large-scale weapon inside a level 3 Shelter¡­ Then this human civilization should be destroyed soon. Other than the cosmic adapters that would be preserved, the rest of the humans would be disintegrated to become soul energy.


    Just as these space civilizations thought this, inside the Hope, Yao Yuan''s group was pleasantly surprised!


    Surprised that the defense mechanism of this Shelter was so powerful to be able to create such a powerful plasma shield to seal up the entire ship and happy because this plasma shield had helped to protect the Hope during its most vulnerable moment.


    Almost all of the Hope''s energy had been siphoned into the Energy-based Virtual Reality Constructor. In front of the Hope, the pure energy construction for the anti-gravity system was being created layer by layer. The layers had reached a number of at least ten thousand, and it was still going strong¡­


    These anti-gravity systems could not be edited in size, shape, or even the arrangement of the internal parts. Therefore, it was the same for the virtual construction. The mess of systems covered the front of the Hope, waiting for that moment to arrive¡­


    "Gravity Cannon charging complete¡­ We can fire now!"


    "The Hope''s anti-gravity efficiency maximized to counteract external influence¡­"


    "Maximizing the output of all reactors. Reports from the 3rd, 5th, and 11th groups about minor errors¡­"


    "AI triangulation complete, adjustment of anti-gravity system¡­"


    A series of messages pooled into the Hope''s central command. As the messages were reported, Yao Yuan looked at the screen in front of him quietly. The screen showed the battlefield where Blue 6''s group was at earlier. The alien units were still standing there, waiting for humanity to fail¡­


    "Gravity Cannon! Fire!"

 Chapter 373: Scary! (1)

    Chapter 373: Scary! (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Following Yao Yuan''s order, the energy virtual device in front of the Hope glowed immensely like a newborn star. Other than the key location and life support system, all of the remaining energy on the Hope had completely disappeared and had almost all pooled at this one small spot, and then¡­


    In front of the Hope, a curious wave fluctuation that could be observed by the naked eye was expanding. It ignored the plasma shield that covered the Hope and expanded into the space of the Shelter. Furthermore, this wave fluctuation was expanding at an incredible speed. In just the blink of an eye, it had expanded to more than several thousand kilometers. None of the metals, non-metals, materials, or even shields could stop the expansion. The aliens and siege engines caught in the fluctuations outside of the Hope started floating in mid-air like they had entered the cosmos. As the gravitational force increased, they were even pulled towards the plasma shield.


    A plasma shield was not an electromagnetic shield. Even though it was called a shield, it was ultimately a layer of pure energy. Any material touching it would be vaporized. Unless this layer had exhausted its energy or the size had surpassed the layer''s capacity, the layer would not be destroyed.


    When the lifeforms and objects that were not glued to the floor flew towards the Hope, they were either burnt to toast or directly vaporized. After all, this was a plasma shield protecting the whole Shelter; even if a mothership that was several ten kilometers wide running into it, it would probably be the mothership that got destroyed, much less these little insignificant things.


    Following the destruction and deaths of the aliens and objects around the Hope, the harbor that sheltered the Hope started to collapse as well. The metallic floor and ceiling started to tear and crumble and the pieces were pulled into thin air. Cracks started to form at the harbor that held the Hope, and they continued to spread throughout the entire Shelter.


    The level 3 space civilization that was guarding the Shelter almost peed themselves from fear¡­ Just what monstrosity was this? If the AI and their knowledge weren''t tricking them, this was obviously manmade gravity!


    Gravity might exist everywhere, but creating it was a great task for science because it involved both issues of space and time.


    Yes, gravity might seem to be a simple energy. In fact, it was the basis that formed the human understanding of early physics. However, with the advancement in science, more and more space civilizations had a clearer understanding of gravity. Even though gravity was caused by mass, it also had to do with the twisting of space and time. In other words, it was high mass that caused the space and time around it to twist, thus causing the creation of gravity.


    Therefore, gravity that might seem ubiquitous required the understanding and application of both space and time if one was to create it through science. To put it simply¡­ for early tier space civilizations, level 1 to level 3 space civilizations, the basis of their scientific progress was energy. In the case of mid-tier space civilizations and humanity, they realized that the scientific progress would be related to space, while for high tier space civilization, they predicted it would have to be time¡­


    In other words, gravity was the scientific category for high tier space civilizations, it was a technology unique to high tier space civilizations!


    For the people inside the Shelter, they could clearly see that there was a source of gravity right in front of the human spaceship. It''s gravitational force, according to calculations, was one-third the Shelter''s mass¡­ However, the Shelter''s insides were hollow, unlike a planet, which was filled with rocks layers. The real density strength came from its walls and metallic construction. Therefore, to maintain a balance gravity within the Shelter, they had to rely on centrifugal force.


    The gravity source outside of the Hope had such powerful force but very small size. This created a problem¡­ Just as how it was discussed during the design of the cannon, this was what humans were hoping for, the creation of tidal force!


    This was happening inside the Shelter!


    Just as the members were checking the calculations done by the AI, in less than 3 seconds, the ground they were standing on started to shake violently. This place was the center of the Shelter that was very far away from the Hope. It was affected even from such a distance?


    With the Hope as the center, the entire Shelter was being twisted and torn apart. Especially the joints of the Shelter''s metallic structure, they snapped into two simply because they could not withstand the overbearing tidal force¡­ After that were the metallic layers, and even the large motherships¡­


    As long as its size had reached a certain level, it would be influenced by the tidal force. Its internal structure would start to break down and collapse. If one looked from outside the Shelter, one would see clearly that a part of its outer shell had collapsed. Innumerable parts and debris floated from that opening into the cosmos before being pulled back in by the Shelter''s gravity. At the same time, the surface of the Shelter had started to burst with explosions and sparks like it was being showered by bullets.


    Under the influence of this super powerful tidal force, any shields were like paper; they were completely useless. After all, gravity was not metal and tidal force was not energy. This was a landslide victory due to the difference in technology. It was similar to humans using tesla weapons to slaughter humans who fight with animal claws. The power the Gravity Cannon had over level 2 and 3 space civilizations was that scary¡­


    Not only were the people inside the Shelter shocked, even the people inside the Hope were shocked. Even though everyone knew Yao Yuan had formed two secret ultimate weapon task forces, they still had a hard time believing it when one of the ultimate weapons was used¡­


    Is this real?


    Is this really something that can be created using humanity''s current scientific level?


    Such a scary Gravity Cannon!

 Chapter 374: Scary! (2)

    Chapter 374: Scary! (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Gravity Cannon''s power was unleashed without reservation. In just a few minutes, this Shelter, which the size of a normal planet, was dismantled and around 90 percent of its structure was destroyed. Not only that, everything inside the Shelter that was past a certain size, spaceships included, received varying degrees of damage, the extent of the damage dependent on the size of the spaceship.


    This kind of attack method was not something that could be utilized by a low tier space civilizations. It ignored electromagnetic shields, plasma shields, and the tensile strength of the building structure. The infrastructure of the Shelter was torn apart like paper, without resistance. Be it the Shelter, or the spaceships of level 2 space civilizations, and even level 3 space civilization''s ships, they were easily ruined by this power that was way beyond the understanding of low tier space civilizations!


    One minute after the Gravity Cannon was fired, the plasma shield that surrounded the Hope disappeared. Instantly, the shrapnel of various crumbling materials flew right at the Hope. An electromagnetic shield was not strong enough to defend against these smithereens. Just as the Hope was going to be punctured, a layer of shield suddenly appeared out of thin air. This layer was unlike an electromagnetic shield, which was invisible to the naked eye. It glowed weakly as it surrounded the Hope like a liquid cover!


    Instantly, all the debris that shot towards the Hope disappeared. This was not some electromagnetic shield but an actual plasma shield.


    One of the icons for level 3 space civilizations!


    Outside of the Hope, where Blue 6''s group fought, there were quite some aliens that were alive. These few "lucky ones" were hidden behind metallic plates that had been pulled apart from the floor but hadn''t snapped off yet. When the plasma shield sealing the Hope disappeared and the Hope was going to be punctured by debris shooting at it with incredible speed, another smaller layer of plasma shield appeared around the Hope, blocking the innumerable shrapnel.


    "Plasma shield?"


    "Plasma shield!"


    "Plasma shield¡­"


    The few words sounded completely different in varied alien languages, but they all meant the same thing¡­ one of the icons of level 3 space civilizations. It was defense technology way above the level of the electromagnetic shield. It was something that could defend against all physical and non-physical attacks, its name was plasma energy shield!


    At that moment, all the aliens who were lucky enough to be alive had their hearts chilled. When the Hope pulled out the Gravity Cannon, it was enough for all the civilizations residing at the Shelter to pee their pants. However, when the Hope first entered the Shelter, the internal sensor scanned the Hope''s technological level. It was teetering between the peak and the middle of level 2 space civilization, meaning it was impossible for them to possess such a scary weapon.


    Of course, they could not rule out the possibility of them being cheated, like there being a level 4 or 5 space civilization hiding in the shell of a level 2 space civilization. However, the bigger possibility was that the Hope had stumbled across a high level space ruin and had obtained one or two future-tech products from it. That was the more logical explanation.


    Everything in the cosmos survived on a delicate balance. If it''s yours, it''s yours. If it was not yours, no matter how hard you begged for it, it would not be yours. Oftentimes, when a low tier space civilization obtained some powerful products from a high tier space civilization, they would not be powerful enough to use them. Even if one or two could be used, using it would exhaust a great amount of resources. That was fairness in space, one gives to take.


    If the Hope relied on such a method to obtain the Gravity Cannon, then it was logical that it would not last for long and the negative effect would be huge. They predicted that the Hope would be stranded there for quite some time. It was then that the civilizations at the Shelter had their chance. After all, even though the Shelter was destroyed, there were still alien units remaining, and overtaking a level 2 space civilization''s spaceship was going to be easy,


    However, the moment the plasma shield appeared, this thought was shattered. A level 2 space civilization''s spaceship and level 3 space civilization''s spaceship represented completely different statuses under such circumstances. This was made clear here. It was the straw that broke the camel''s back. To put it simply, the Shelter was practically powerless before the Hope.


    While despair was spreading throughout the Shelter, it was not entirely peaceful within the Hope either. In reality, the use of the Gravity Cannon was truly a great test on the Hope''s energy system.


    Due to the overload of energy, currently, around four reactors on the Hope were forced shut down. This was a great mechanical crisis. If they continued using them, it would cause perhaps even a hydrogen explosion. In fact, there were already fatalities due to leaked electricity. The four reactors that suffered the most damage were instantly shut down by the AI that detected their problems. The remaining reactors more or less also received some damage.


    This information was sent to central command through the AI. Yao Yuan followed them closely especially after the information came that a large amount of reactors had collapsed, causing the Hope''s total energy level to dip severely. This series of information made his eyes twitch with nervousness.


    "¡­Stop the Gravity Cannon in five seconds!"


    When the number of reactors that were forced to shut down increased to seven, Yao Yuan finally gave this command. The people in central command sighed in relief. Instantly, the order went down the chain of command, and as the energy source was switched off, the virtual energy that made up the Gravity Cannon slowly dispersed. After five seconds, the gravitational pull and tidal force caused by the Gravity Cannon finally ended. By then, the Shelter had the appearance of a rubber ball after it was rolled over multiple times by a truck. It was sad on the eyes.


    Even so, the people in central command did not dare to put their guard down. After the Gravity Cannon stopped and the Hope''s energy supply returned to normal level, Yao Yuan yelled, "Activate the creator''s particle and the ship''s ECS System! Deploy all the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s!


    "Break a hole through this debris and metal wall, release us into space! Command all the Black Star Troopers to indiscriminately attack anyone who exits the Shelter! Be it a big ship or a small ship, anyone who tries to escape the Shelter is to be shot down! I need to see that in the next 24 hours, no ship dares to exit this Shelter''s ruins!


    "Go now!"


    Following Yao Yuan''s order, all of the Space Combat Jets departed from the Hope. Other than the small number of Troopers who had to stay back to guard the ship, almost all of the Black Star Troopers had moved out in their own units. Several hundred Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s that were specially paired with Homo Evolutis left the Hope and crowded the space around the Shelter.


    Back in central command, everyone saw how the Hope had shot a hole through the Shelter''s wall that had lost the defense of the plasma shield. The Hope then escaped easily into space, surrounded by the several hundred Space Combat Jets.


    "The number is still too small¡­"


    Standing beside Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen sighed when he saw those Space Combat Jets.


    When Yao Yuan heard him, he also whispered in response, "That is true. Military numbers, spaceship numbers, and weapon numbers are all lacking. At least until we can find a solar system where it is safe for us to rest, this situation cannot be helped¡­ Also, a space combat unit made up of pure Homo Evolutis is simply too wasteful."


    Yao Yuan''s volume was low, but what he said drifted into everyone''s ears. Many in central command sighed involuntarily.


    The more time they spent in space, the more they learned about it. Especially with Blue 6''s addition, the Hope''s originally blank understanding of the cosmos and its culture had expanded tenfold. By then, even the civilians on the Hope knew about the value of Homo Evolutis. These were not normal expendable soldiers, they were the real protectors of humanity, the single biggest force that would help humanity extend its lineage. Any race could live on with only one or two cosmic adapters, while only humanity was extravagant enough to use Homo Evolutis as a military unit. This was an action frowned upon even by a high tier space civilization¡­


    Because of this, after Blue 6 joined the Hope and during the period spent in warp drive, other than normal development, the Hope focused on the two ultimate weapon task forces. The Gravity Cannon was the result of the group headed by Bo Li. Other than that, the intention to expand the Defense Unit and the variety of weapon types were proposed.


    As mentioned earlier, Homo Evolutis were not normal soldiers that could be expended on the battlefield, even though their combat prowess was much greater than that of normal soldiers, a prowess that would only increase after being paired with the Space Armor. However, when humanity increases in size, like after building the mothership Kun Lun and after a decade of population expansion, several hundred Homo Evolutis were no longer enough to sway the result of a space war of that scale. By then, mankind''s real main combat force should be the Defense Unit, whose power would be calculated by numbers. This point, be it humanity''s leader, Yao Yuan, or the Defense Unit''s general, Guang Zheng, everyone had an implicit understanding of it.


    Of course, all that could only be a worry if they could escape this solar system alive. The biggest hurdle right now¡­ was still this Shelter and the many space civilizations that called it home!

 Chapter 376: Take No Prisoners!

    Chapter 376: Take No Prisoners!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "We do not ask for any compensation¡­"


    Blue 6 had already removed his space armor and hurried to central command. Along the way, he was speechless from sheer excitement. His act of sacrifice had become an unexpected reward. Not only did he not die, he might even become humanity''s hero. This was a good method for him to really assimilate into the human civilization, and in fact, this might even improve humanity''s impression of his original race, the Blue Race.


    All of these thoughts were percolating in Blue 6''s mind. Even though he was excited, he maintained most of his rationality. The key was what humanity was going to do next.


    According to the unwritten rules of the cosmos, humanity had won this war with a landslide. However, this did not mean that humanity could rest easy, because dealing with the aftermath could be said to be the most crucial part of the war. To nab a large amount of valuable technology for the Hope? Or to gain new vassals for humanity? Or to take over this Shelter?


    Each of the choices had its own hidden problems; one wrong step and the advantage humanity had might be lost just like that, and it could even harm humanity itself. This was because humanity had too much unawareness regarding the cosmos. Blue 6 was cognizant of this, so even though he was excited enough to want to hold a celebratory ball, the first thing he did was rush to central command as fast as he could.


    When Blue 6 used a strategic manner to bring up the question of humanity''s future plan to Yao Yuan, Yao Yuan repeated the same thing he said earlier.


    "Of course, if there was a level 3 space civilization technology that could enable us to become a level 3 space civilization in the shortest amount of time and thus greatly increasing our security during our travels in space, that would be perfect, but¡­"


    Yao Yuan paused to look at Blue 6 before continuing, "But reward and danger are not proportional at the moment. For us to get the compensation that you mentioned, we humans have to have at least have an overwhelming military advantage, but you understand the real situation. I believe that that level 3 space civilization is not an idiot. They know that our technological level is actually not that high. The only reason the result is as we see currently is because we managed to strike with an unusual and surprising method¡­ but there is such an adage among us humans, or rather, more accurately, among us Hans. As for the war, one should engage it by regular way and win it by non-regular way. However, the non-regular way is merely another way of saying we''ve given it our all simply because we are not powerful enough. After all, who would opt for the non-regular way if a war could be won the normal way?


    "That is our current situation. We can defeat them, yes, but vanquishing them is impossible. If we attempt that, it will be us humans who might end up losing. Therefore, my decision is simple: we will block all exits from the Shelter for 24 hours and even use another shot of the Gravity Cannon. We have to ensure that no alien spaceship is allowed to get out of this Shelter. After 24 hours, we will escape as far as we can. After we exit this solar system, we will immediately enter warp drive to get away from this Shelter."


    When Blue 6 heard Yao Yuan, he nodded continuously, and the worry in his heart was settled. In reality, he was most afraid that Yao Yuan would act too recklessly or perhaps be blinded by profit and think that humanity could swallow this Shelter with its current power. That was what Blue 6 was scared of the most. However, since Yao Yuan still maintained his clear head, then Blue 6 had nothing to worry about. Currently, he needed to keep a low profile after such a high-profile victory. This was what they called "hide one''s capacities and bide one''s time" in Blue Race language¡­


    On the other hand, the battle on the surface of the Shelter''s ruins had reached its height¡­


    Several hundred Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s were cruising the space just outside of the Shelter. Like a patrolling shark, they would occasionally show themselves out of ECS invisibility to strike at an enemy. After the quick strike, they would disappear again. This was a favorite tactic among the Black Star Troopers'' space combat manual, the hit-and-run tactic. After so much simulation training, their power was fully on display at this particular moment. From the beginning of the indiscriminate attack, the Black Star Troopers had suffered no losses other than two Space Combat Jets that suffered minor damage and had to return to the Hope for repairs.


    Actually, those with a clear eye could tell that including the troopers who were in the war themselves, the so-called hit-and-run tactic relied on Black Star Troopers'' scary reaction time and danger sense. Other than that, it also required a powerful space transport. If this was the earlier generation of Space Combat Jets, only Yao Yuan''s Red Lightning was capable of hit-and-run, the rest would be limited by technology. It wasn''t until this generation of Space Combat Jets and masterful training that almost all of the Black Star Troopers could conduct a hit-and-run attack.


    The key to the hit-and-run tactic lied in the fact that if they suddenly appeared for a second to attack, the enemy would not be able to hit the Troopers. Around the Shelter''s surface, plenty of exploding circles of light and Gaussian bullets covered the space, but most hit their own combat spaceships and almost zero bullets landed on humanity''s Space Combat Jets. Furthermore, the Shelter was still crumbling. The alien spaceships were taken down by stray falling constructs and exploded. These explosions caused even more chaos and more and more spaceships exploded around the Shelter''s ruin¡­


    The Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s took advantage of this vicious cycle. The thousands of spaceships and millions of combat spaceships that could not expand into the wider space were like lambs waiting for slaughter. Their immense number had helped the Black Star Troopers because in the chaos, almost half of the alien ships were destroyed by the crumbling structure of the Shelter or died under friendly fire. What the Black Star Troopers were doing was practically sowing more chaos.


    Everything was going humanity''s way. Due to the natural advantage of the Black Star Troopers, which was formed by several hundred Homo Evolutis, the battle was completely one-sided. Who knew how many space civilizations had ended their lives in this Shelter, and who knew how many sentient space lifeforms were lost¡­


    Suddenly, a triangular, silvery-white spaceship shot out from inside the Shelter. Its speed was unusually fast, it was faster than when the Hope was moving at maximum speed. Nothing stood in its way; be it the Shelter''s falling debris or the other spaceships who stood in its way, they exploded in a shower of fireworks when they came into contact with this silvery-white spaceship.


    Needless to say this was a spaceship for a level 3 space civilization. It was small in size and was triangular in shape. There was a layer of plasma shield on its surface that was visible to the naked eye. It was why the spaceship could storm through the crowd without worry. None of the weapons or materials present could harm this layer of plasma shield. It created a path by cutting through the crowd, and it was close to getting out of the range of the Shelter''s ruin.


    At that moment, the Diviners among the Black Star Troopers felt the imminent danger. Even Yao Yuan, who was in central command, felt it as well. It was like a beast was leaping at them. Even though the danger was not strong enough to cause extinction, the danger level was slowly climbing.


    Without warning from Yao Yuan, the Black Star Troopers could feel the danger presented by this level 3 space civilization''s spaceship. The threat of this one spaceship was bigger than all the level 2 space civilizations'' spaceships combined. They peeled away from dealing with the level 2 space civilizations and focused on this one level 3 space civilization''s spaceship. Using the same hit-and-run tactic, they fired continuously at this spaceship.


    However¡­


    As expected of a level 3 space civilization, the focus fire of several hundred Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s had practically no effect on the ship''s plasma shield. Just like a dinosaur facing an ant, it did not even retaliate and just focused on getting out of the ruin.


    Xiao Niao was in one of the several hundred Space Combat Jets, and he was the leader of one of the units. Behind him were his two best friends, Qiu Qiu and Dan Dan. Noticing how their own forces were unable to even cause a dent on the alien spaceship, he did not say a word but circled his jet at a spot three times. Then the two jets behind him opened the emergency valves in their jet bodies and, using magnetic pull, the three jets joined into one!


    It was not only Xiao Niao''s unit that did the combination. Following their example, more units joined as well. Instantly, flashes of light appeared around the Shelter. After combination, the power of the Space Combat Jets turned from a medium-sized Gaussian weapon to a heavy duty Gaussian weapon; the power increased at least tenfold.


    The plasma shield on the level 3 space civilization''s spaceship finally showed traces of ripples. Even though it was not enough to destroy the plasma shield, they did manage to slow its speed down, since they had to transfer the energy from mobility to shield formation.


    Back on the Hope¡­


    "Release the cockpit protective layer¡­"


    "Raise the cannon platform¡­"


    "Initiating energy coagulation! Opening energy storage system, energy storage 3 percent¡­ 7 percent¡­"


    "Activating the Genesis lock-on system!"

 Chapter 377: Demolition!

    Chapter 377: Demolition!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Go big or go home!


    This was something Yao Yuan said in central command. What he meant was that since this solar system was not going to survive and they were not going to return to this place, not to mention it was the aliens'' fault for making human beings to show their hand, then why show mercy? While it might not be honorable to kick them while they were down, if they waited for the level 3 space civilization to recover, then humanity would truly be dumb.


    Therefore, go big or go home!


    The shot from the Gravity Cannon as well as strafe firing from the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s were still unable to ensure the alien civilizations stayed in the Shelter''s ruin obediently. When the level 3 space civilization''s spaceship poked its head out, Yao Yuan finally gave the final order, which was to reinitiate the Genesis cannon on the Hope!


    After all, that was the property of the plasma shield. No matter whether it was a physical or energy attack, as long as its strength was unable to surpass the plasma shield, or more accurately, unable to exhaust the energy of the plasma shield, then the attack wouldn''t be able to reach the spaceship protected by the plasma shield. In other words, as long as the attack power surpassed the defense of the plasma shield, then the plasma shield was like anti-bullet vest¡­ Who has seen an anti-bullet vest survive a rocket launcher before?


    This was obvious through the shot of the Gravity Cannon. Any ship over a certain size, even if it was a level 3 space civilization''s ship, was twisted and torn. The remaining ships were almost the size of the Hope, small to mid sized.


    In reality, there was another misconception here, and that was due to the technology within the Hope. Its energy was not at the same level as that of alien spaceships of the same size¡­ the reality was the complete opposite.


    This was because since most other alien spaceships of the same size were used for defense and combat, if it carried too much reactors, be it hydrogen atomic fusion reactors or cold agglutination reactors, the moment the ship was attacked or there was internal error, the scale of explosion would be huge and it might cause friendly damage.


    Therefore, if one had a mothership, the energy storage of these small to mid-sized spaceships would not be huge.


    However, the Hope was completely different. This was humanity''s only and last defense. It was not only used for combat, but also to support the life in the endless cosmos for tens and hundreds of years, so the more internal energy storage it had, the better. In contrast, the Hope was humanity''s mothership. Even though it was miniscule compared to a normal mothership, the pool of energy storage could rival the energy storage of a large or even super large mothership.


    Therefore, after they had confirmed that all the large spaceships of the level 3 space civilization had been destroyed and thus the Hope would not be surrounded by them, Yao Yuan had already decided to combat the level 3 space civilization''s spaceship that still remained!


    In the empty space, a chopstick-esque ship flicked in and out of existence. A layer of sparks appeared on the ship''s surface, and it shone brightly like a new sun. Next, a large pillar of light shot out of it. Before that, Yao Yuan had commanded all the Black Star Troopers to evacuate the area through Xi Kong. Therefore, only the level 3 space civilization''s spaceship and the mess of other alien spaceships behind it were caught in the ray of light!


    In the blink of an eye, other than the level 3 space civilization''s spaceship, all the other alien spaceships exploded. Their electromagnetic shields were no match for the Genesis'' energy attack!


    Only this level 3 space civilization''s spaceship survived the plasma ray. However, the plasma shield on its surface rippled violently and its thickness had greatly decreased. About 10 seconds later, following an explosion of sparks, the plasma shield was shattered by the continuing light ray, and at the next second, this level 3 space civilization''s spaceship was fireworks¡­


    This was not all. The Genesis fired directly on the Shelter''s ruin. Without the protection of plasma shields, how could the normal metallic structure resist the Genesis'' power? It melted instantly and, following a series of explosions and after the Genesis had finished firing, a giant hole appeared on the surface of the Shelter. It was as if the shot had almost pierced through the Shelter''s ruin.


    The people on the Hope were not shocked by this attack. After all, they had survived the trip to the cursed planet and the indescribable Song of Destruction. This was nothing compared to the terror they had seen.


    On the other hand, the various space civilizations who were trying desperately to escape the Shelter were on the brink of despair¡­ Just what kind of civilization was this human race? They dared to declare war on a whole Shelter with just one spaceship, and not only that, they had managed to dismantle the whole Shelter. Furthermore, they were not going to capture any materials or lifeforms after victory but demolish the Shelter indiscriminately using large scale weapons like the Genesis¡­ Could it be that humans really did not want anything but destruction?


    No one knew the answer. With the whole area covered by the creator''s particle, they could not ask even if they wanted to. All of the civilizations'' spaceships could only escape the Shelter desperately like headless chickens even though they knew that stepping out of the Shelter meant destruction. They had to get out because¡­ behind them was the Shelter''s ruin that could explode at any moment!


    "¡­In other words, the reactors inside the Shelter are acting up, and due to matter of mass, a giant fusion reaction might occur from within at any given moment?"


    10 minutes after firing the Genesis, the Hope was beginning another round of checking and maintenance. The indiscriminate attack outside of the Shelter by the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s was still going on. Unless there was another level 3 space civilization''s spaceship, the Hope would remain hidden in the dark using the ECS system.


    However, at the same time, several energy reactor experts were called to gather at a small meeting room close to central command. This was because Blue 6 had raised an interesting proposition when the Genesis was fired to explain why the level 3 space civilization''s spaceship was in such a hurry to escape the Shelter.


    "A Shelter has many differences compared to a normal spaceships or even a mothership. Any spaceship and mothership would be operated by one''s own race; at most they would have vassal races to act as cannon fodder. However, a Shelter is a half public place; it is a home for many civilizations and many other civilizations may enter and leave it at any time. Therefore, for the sake of security, its central energy core, be it a nuclear type or a cold agglutination type, would be placed in the center-most area of the Shelter. Due to it being the heart of the Shelter, the creator of the Shelter would normally choose to have a large reactor. Normally, it would a reactor large enough to supply the energy of the whole Shelter¡­"


    10 minutes were spent to process the words Blue 6 said. The various experts and calculations from the AI came to the same conclusion¡­


    Following the usage of the Gravity Cannon, the Shelter had been completely torn open, and this should include the reactor as well, and the possible tragedy of that was¡­ a large nuclear explosion from within this Shelter was imminent. To put it simply, this Shelter had become a ticking nuclear bomb. An H-bomb the size of a planet, its power would be strong enough to vaporize all spaceships within its range. Plasma shield? No plasma shield would be strong enough to withstand such an explosion!


    In other words, humanity could have really destroyed this Shelter¡­


    Because of that, the original 24 hour plan was immediately changed. About half of the Black Star Troopers were commanded to return to the Hope, while the rest of them continued the assault. The Hope would be responsible to pick off the spaceships that escaped the attack of the Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s¡­


    As time passed, the number of spaceships that came out of the Shelter slowly decreased, but the amount spaceships of the level 3 space civilization increased and humanity started to suffer fatalities as well. So far, already 12 Black Star Troopers had lost their lives¡­


    Finally, when the races inside the Shelter had lost their minds and the spaceships coming out of it were mostly level 3 spaceships, the human Diviners had sensed the great danger percolating inside the Shelter. It was a danger that would wipe out everything. The Hope fired another shot from the Genesis and called back all the Black Star Troopers. Then they escaped as fast as they could. Behind it, thanks to the attack from the Genesis, no alien spaceships dared to show themselves yet¡­


    Next, in this piece of quiet space, against the black background, only the Hope was flying away at maximum speed. Behind it, in a large ruin, a blinding light exploded, amplifying the darkness of the cosmos. At the center of the light, a fireball steadily grew in size. Finally, it grew at an exponential speed until it ultimately became a fiery planet, and the Shelter¡­


    Had completely disappeared, swallowed by this giant ball of fire¡­

 Chapter 378: Three Years Later

    Chapter 378: Three Years Later


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Degree of space distortion 0.32, 0.33¡­ Stably recovering¡­"


    "Energy level normal, temperature of warp drive engine dropping¡­"


    "Activating plasma shield, activating sub reactors¡­"


    Yao Yuan, who was sitting in the captain''s chair, looked at the countdown on the 3D screen and sighed. "I order for the Hope to exit warp drive state."


    "Yes, Sir. Captain''s order, the Hope is to exit warp drive state. Counting down, 10, 9, 8¡­"


    "The Hope is exiting warp drive state¡­"


    Today was the day the Hope exited the warp drive state. Similar to three years ago, even though this was the second time the Hope had used warp drive and exited it, the Hope''s citizens waited with bated breath. However, the feelings were completely different from the time three years ago.


    Yes, it had been three years since the battle at the Shelter. In this period, the Hope was in warp drive that lasted as long as three years. The super light speed travelling of warp drive and the distortion of space caused by the Song of Destruction meant that the Hope was not far away from their destination.


    In these three years, the human society on the Hope did not seem to experience much change. A day still had 24 hours and it was filled with the hectic lifestyle similar to the one on old Earth. Be it work, recreation, entertainment, the discovery of science or weapons, it all looked to be the same as three years ago.


    However, if one was to look closely, one might discover that many on the Hope had great spirit and the talks on the streets were about the various miracles in space, the culture of different civilizations, and the possibilities of future technology. Thanks to the war three years ago, the human heart and attitude had changed¡­


    Yes, humanity no longer saw themselves as the masters of everything and a unique existence in space. Humanity was a member of the huge cosmic family, a member that was trying his best to improve himself, to go from a level 2 space civilization to a level 3 space civilization. Furthermore, in the foreseeable future, the degree of improvement would slowly increase. Whether he would become a level 4 space civilization like Blue 6 predicted, that stood to be seen.


    Regarding the war three years ago, even though it was extremely dangerous, Yao Yuan was even ready to press the self-destruct button at any given moment, humanity won out in the end. Even though they did not reap any material reward, the confidence regained from that war meant that it wasn''t a waste.


    "Still not there yet¡­"


    Zhang Heng was enjoying his rare holiday after the Hope left warp drive. As a part of the Black Star Troopers, or more accurately, as the leader of the 15th unit and s first generation of Homo Evolutis, as well as the most powerful Diviner on the Hope, part of the Black Star Unit, even though he did not think so himself, he was part of the higher echelon of the Hope''s governmental system¡­ Not only from his job description but political-wise as well.


    There were even those busybodies on the Hope who came up with the ranking of the possible successors to take over from Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan was in first place, and the second spot would be the officially named successor, Guang Zhen. Third was Liu Bai. After eliminating people from Black Star Unit that had no interest in politics, like Ebon, Zhang Heng was in ninth place. That placing shocked even himself¡­


    His influence and power decided his job description. He was extremely busy during the day, either training the new Black Star Troopers in simulation gunfights or simulation Space Combat Jet training, or trying out new weapons or dangerous experiments. As the most powerful Diviner, a day off was extremely rare.


    Finally, it was his turn to rest. He had three days of off-days, so when the Hope exited warp drive, he activated his danger sense to ensure the Hope was not in danger before rushing to the entrance of the bio-garden at the top level of the Hope. He had a date with Ye Mu.


    In fact, this was not his first date with Ye Mu. After all, the Hope had left Earth 19 years ago. This meant that the oldest second generation people on the Hope were already 19 years old. For many of the first generation survivors from Earth, many of their grandchildren could already speak.


    Zhang Heng stood at the entrance, looking at the pairs of lover or families that were entering the garden. He stood there quietly, thinking about some things.


    After leaving Earth, he had experienced many things. From the original playboy, he became a unit leader of the Black Star Troopers, and he had humanity''s safety and future on his shoulders. He still found that development to be unbelievable¡­ That and his relationship.


    In his nineteen years, he had had his fair share of relationships. He dated both Ning Xue and Mao Miao, having sexual relationships with them both in fact. He had also been with other women, but in the end, the only woman that managed to capture his heart was Ye Mu, who had been nothing but icy and aloof towards him. A mercenary from Earth and a woman who had nothing but training and combat on her mind¡­ How did I end up this way?


    Zhang Heng thought self-deprecatingly. Ever since he met Ye Mu, the woman was a constant fixture in his mind even after she had told him seriously that she would not be interested in someone like him. After the war on the cursed planet, he started to seriously pursue Ye Mu. He had annoyed her so much that one time, during simulation training, she beat him until he needed to be sent to the hospital, but somehow, he could not shake the thought of her out of his mind. Finally, after the war at the Shelter, around two years ago, he managed to ask her out on the pretext that he wanted to discuss official business with her.


    It was worth noting that due to Zhang Heng''s personal request and Liu Bai''s special treatment of this little brother that they met back on Earth, Ye Mu was assigned as the vice-captain of the 15th unit. She was Zhang Heng''s subordinate.


    For this so-called date, Zhang Heng had asked Ye Mu to join him at the bio-garden for some reason. To his surprise, it was a success. Ye Mu seemed to like green plants and cute animals like cats, pandas, and sloths. Even though Ye Mu realized that the meeting did not end after the official work was done, she decided to join Zhang Heng for a walk around the bio-garden.


    After that, Zhang Heng kept asking Ye Mu out on dates, using all sorts of reasons. Other than the first few times, which she rejected, she eventually accepted his invitation. Even though Ye Mu was still rather aloof towards him, at least now she no longer beat him up during simulation training. Zhang Heng had even noticed that Ye Mu would occasionally reveal her vulnerable and tired side to him when they were on their dates.


    This was a good development!


    From the many experiences Zhang Heng had with women on Earth, this was a veritable signal that their relationship was improving. In other words, if he worked harder, then¡­


    However, there was something troubling Zhang Heng''s mind as well, and that was his personal life, especially his relationship with Ning Xue and Mao Miao. Until now, he did not have the courage to fully reject them, so their relationship was still in an unknown situation. Of course, Zhang Heng hid that information from Ye Mu, or else he believed he would be killed during training the next day¡­


    "What''s on your mind?"


    A cold voice said. It pulled Zhang Heng out from his contemplation with a start. He saw Ye Mu standing before him in normal attire. Her long face framed her pretty hair that was not done up. At that instant, his troubled mood was cleared and he smiled. "You''re late by about half an hour, anything happened?"


    Ye Mu nodded and answered honestly, "It''s my brother, he''s down with a fever. I was sending him to the hospital. It took some time because they needed to check whether it was the Homo Evolutis fever."


    After the battle with the Shelter, perhaps it was because they had slaughtered the entire Shelter, in the three years after the Hope entered warp drive, there were about 10 people who had awakened as Homo Evolutis. Even Blue 6 could not explain this phenomenon. After all, slaughtering an entire Shelter was not something new. Other civilizations had done that, but it did not lead to the forming of more than 10 Homo Evolutis.


    Zhang Heng replied with a smile, "As long as he''s fine. The medical science is very advanced now, so I''m sure he''ll be fine. The doctors will contact us if anything happens to him, so don''t worry¡­ Shall we go in? I''ve booked a table at the green restaurant you liked last time for lunch, the one that serves vegetarian meals. I hear that it is the harvest period for the Bread Fruit, we should go try one."


    Ye Mu nodded, and when she was about to reply to Zhang Heng, a short but urgent beeping suddenly came from Zhang Heng''s body. The two of them were startled, especially Ye Mu. Her eyes turned sharp immediately. Zhang Heng instinctively reached for the communicator on his waist and answered, "This is Zhang Heng, what''s happening?"


    "Zhang Heng, it''s Yao Yuan. Sorry for disturbing your date¡­ But I need you to come to central command immediately, there''s a new discovery!


    "We have detected a large area covered with creator''s particle, and the things shown on the high frequency optic sensors proved that¡­


    "This place we''re stopping at just had a space war not long ago!"

 Chapter 379: Salvage

    Chapter 379: Salvage


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After Zhang Heng arrived at central command, many others slowly filed into the room. These included officers from the Barracks like Guang Zhen, and experts in the creator''s particle, the study of the cosmos, and related fields.


    "First, the creator''s particle has both adhesivity and dispersity as well as immeasurability. To put it simply, they have unique qualities."


    The great physicist, Silewei, was explaining the qualities of the creator''s particle to everyone in the meeting room next to central command. Even though most of them there already knew some of the qualities of creator''s particle, like how it could block all electrical signals and electricity, they were unclear about its scientific properties, or at least compared to experts like Silewei, they didn''t know much about it.


    "I will not get into the details here. If you really wish to find out more about creator''s particle, feel free to visit the human library. I will only focus on two points here¡­ First, the creator''s particle is not a natural creation of the cosmos, unless it was some really unique situation. Of course, the probability of that happening is less than 1 over 300,000,000,000, so there''s no point even discussing that.


    "Secondly, the creator''s particle has the tendency to disperse at the speed of light, and at the same time, it has a constant half-life. Based on these two properties, we can predictably calculate when the space war occurred."


    As Silewei said so, a set of numbers appeared on screen behind him. Then the calculation was done by the AI. The speed was fast since the algorithm was provided, and soon a number appeared.


    "Yes, just like Professor Silewei explained, about eight days ago, there was a space war happening in this space. Based on the extent the creator''s particle has dispersed, this space war included at least thousands of spaceships, but¡­ from our analysis of the remains of the spaceships, they are all level 2 space civilization ships. That is the only good news."


    After the data finished calculating, Yao Yuan continued, "From our current light radar analysis, there is no alien presence at least one light year away from the Hope. Furthermore, there were traces of space tearing, signifying the use of warp drive. Therefore, we can be certain that the two or more space civilizations that were involved in the war have left the area."


    Suddenly, the seated Ebon said with a chuckle, "Ol'' captain¡­"


    As he said so, Liu Bai, who was sitting beside him, slapped him on his arm and Ebon scratched his head and began again, "Chancellor, are we going to go chase after these civilizations?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head and explained patiently, "We should be avoiding them, not chasing them. Everyone here is the heart of the Hope, so I will not go in circles, and this is the truth¡­ The war three years ago at the Shelter, even though we vanquished the Shelter, that was totally dependent on luck and surprise tactics. If we come face-to-face with an alien civilization, we might still lose to a normal level 2 space civilization. Therefore, we should hold back whenever that is possible and not act like we humans are invincible¡­"


    Then Yao Yuan''s tone softened. "The reason for calling this meeting, other than to familiarize everyone with the danger around this area, is to hand out the mission for the next 3 to 6 months.


    "I hope we can salvage this space war''s ruins. One is to gain the possible technology left behind and two is to search for materials and supplies. This is because we will be heading to a star path next, and there will be no supply depot once we start that journey. Furthermore, time is crucial. We have no idea how many years we will need to spend in the star path, so we need to collect as many materials as we can. Third, the alien spaceships'' computers might still be salvageable from this ruin, so more information, like how the war started, would not hurt. Dismissed¡­"


    Of course, this meeting was merely a heads up from Yao Yuan to the core members of the Hope. The real administrative decision still needed to go through the legal channels. This was to make official the power of the House of Representatives and the democratic system on the Hope.


    After the meeting was over, everyone left the room with the related information. The last to leave were Yao Yuan and Bo Li, who was called to stay behind by Yao Yuan.


    "¡­Let''s go for a meal tomorrow, it''s the harvest season for Bread Fruit. It''s your favorite, fresh-picked Bread Fruits are the best," Yao Yuan dropped nonchalantly as he picked up the files on the table.


    Initially, Bo Li wanted to reject him, but when she saw how his fingers shook as he picked up the paper document, her heart softened and she bowed her head to say, "I can''t make it tomorrow, there''s an experiment on the effect of gravity on space distortion¡­ How about the day after tomorrow, I''ll ask for a day off."


    Yao Yuan sighed in relief under his breath. He stood up with a bright smile. "Then let me escort you home. Do you mind if I have dinner at your place? I have no intention of mingling with the politicians at the canteen, since I will have to meet them again at the House of Representatives tomorrow."


    This time, Bo Li was silent, but Yao Yuan took that as silent confirmation.


    In fact, since the fainting spell Bo Li suffered three years ago when she overexerted her power to create the Gravity Cannon, their relationship had recovered somewhat. At the time, the doctors were close to announcing her as a vegetable, joining the ranks of Jay and little Eva. She was unconscious for ten days, and for those ten days, Yao Yuan never left her side. When she woke up, the first thing that she saw was Yao Yuan resting by her bedside with his eyes half-closed.


    After that, the two of them would occasionally come out for walks or dinners. They even spent a few nights in bed after a great deal of alcohol. In any case, there was hope that their relationship was rekindling¡­


    However, their precious alone time did not last for long. Just as the two of them left the meeting room, they were accosted by Guang Zhen, who was already waiting outside of the meeting room. Bo Li nodded and took several steps back, giving them the privacy they needed.


    Yao Yuan commented with a bitter smile, "Ol'' Wong, what is so important¡­ So be it, is there anything you need from me?"


    Guang Zhen chuckled and nodded at Bo Li with thanks before addressing Yao Yuan. "Actually, it is not that important, but I feel like I have to get it off my chest¡­ Is it really necessary for us to salvage this ruin? This place is quite close to the star path already, right? According to our previous hypothesis, if the space civilizations in this universe could observe, predict, or calculate the presence of the Song of Destruction, they would definitely pass this way, right? Is this safe? For us to stay."


    Since this was work, Yao Yuan''s expression turned serious and solemn. He nodded and replied, "I''ve thought about this as well. In fact, as you said, one definitely has to pass this place if they are going to the star path, and there is a certain danger stopping here, but one, we have Diviners, so we will know if there''s danger. As long as they have a space warp engine or launch an attack at us from light years away, we will be relatively safe¡­


    "Two¡­ it is because we are so close to the star path that we need to stop and salvage. We need to know the reason behind this war. Was it plunder or were they enemies? Or because the star path is only exclusive to a certain number of space civilizations? Only after knowing all this information can we plan accordingly for the star path journey."


    Guang Zhen thought about it and smiled. "I guess you''re right¡­ Alright, I won''t disturb you anymore, enjoy these few months of rare breaks."


    Yao Yuan waited until Guang Zhen left before turning back with a smile. He realized with a start¡­ that Bo Li had already disappeared. She left when he was talking to Guang Zhen¡­


    On the other hand, in a place about 10 light years away from the Hope, this was an empty space between solar systems. In reality, the further one was from the center of a universe, the rarer the presence of solar systems. This was the edge of the universe, so the distance between solar systems were at least more than 10 light years, and the bigger the distance, the larger the empty space like this between the solar systems. After they left the solar system, it would be an empty space that stretched for several thousand or billion light years.


    However, this stretch of empty space was different. The place that should be a slather of darkness was crowded with tens of thousands of alien spaceships, ranging from level 2 to level 3 space civilizations. There might even be spaceship of a higher level hiding among them.


    All the spaceships were heading towards the same set of coordinates. Of course, there were plenty of space wars along the way. Various combat ships and space cannons, or curious-looking weapons from future-tech, fired at each other¡­ This place was filled with space war remains; destroyed motherships littered the space.


    However, none of the surviving spaceships showed signs of retreating. In fact, all of them kept pushing forward towards that same coordinates¡­


    Their target destination was the center of that empty piece of space, it was¡­


    A ball of green¡­

 Chapter 380: Salvage Begins

    Chapter 380: Salvage Begins


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Early in the morning, Yao Yuan appeared at the captain''s room. Other than the guards, other government workers weren''t there yet, so he occupied himself by reading over the recent supply exhaustion report.


    However, not long after that, Barbie came in with a stack of documents. When she saw him, she was startled, but that quickly changed into a smile when she saw that he was in high spirits. She greeted him with a smile before returning to her office.


    Yao Yuan scratched his own head rather awkwardly. In the 19 years since they had left Earth, Barbie remained unmarried. Even though she had some boyfriends through the years, just like how she liked to say during their small talks, she simply hadn''t found someone she felt like settling down with. Regardless, she was single at the moment, and Yao Yuan could sense that she was still interested in him¡­


    Yao Yuan shook his head to toss the unnecessary thought out of his mind, then he focused on the documents on his hand.


    These were all related to the Hope''s supply levels. Since the war on the cursed planet, the Hope''s supplies had reached a dangerously low level. It was because of the need to resupply that the war at the Shelter had happened. The closer humanity was getting to becoming a level 3 space civilization, the greater the exhaustion of supply. For example, the large scale 3D imaging devices used at the recreational pavilions. These exhausted great amounts of electricity. However, due to preservation of human spirit, as long as there was enough supplies, they would be kept open 24 hours.


    After that were the two levels of bio-gardens on the Hope, one for terrestrial lifeforms and another aquatic. Due to the need for the simulation of different temperatures and weather, these bio-gardens also required a large amount of supply investment.


    Other than that, there was also the Hope''s homeostatic system that supported the lives of 200,000 people. Circulation of oxygen, water, and recycling of waste materials, the energy to power the Hope as well as the Workshop, which depleted the supply at an alarming rate; the Hope could only remain in space for around 15 years, even if it was running at full load¡­ And this was under the condition that it did not build any large siege engines.


    Therefore, the situation was alarming. As the population increased, the usable space on the Hope decreased. In fact, in the third year during warp drive, there were some representatives who suggested selling the governmental space within the Hope to the public through privatization¡­


    It was ridiculous!


    Granted, privatization had been occurring throughout the Hope, like the government sponsor of monthly meal tickets had now changed to the H-coin purchase system, with some of the staples still using the old system. The Hope was still abiding a law of meritocracy, but generally speaking, even Yao Yuan''s residence was not that much bigger or more luxurious than those surviving on governmental stipend. This was because of the Hope''s natural conditions.


    At least until they built a real mothership, the people on the Hope would not be able to privatize the sale of housing space¡­


    At the end of the day, all of these problems were facing humanity because they were too hurried to enter space when they did. Their technological level at the time was simply too low. It was why the spaceship created was only at the Hope''s level and not a giant spaceship common for level 2 space civilizations.


    It looked like the creation of Kun Lun would have to be moved forward. After becoming a level 3 space civilization, the first thing they would have to do was find an isolated solar system to focus on building Kun Lun¡­


    Time slowly passed as Yao Yuan studied those documents. People started to arrive at their posts around the captain''s room at around 9 AM. The day was starting again on the Hope.


    "¡­The period of salvaging this time will be set at three months. Of course, that time frame can be changed according to the amount of salvage or technological aspects or other situations. At the same time, the Hope will maintain a level 4 alert level. There has to be at least 3 Diviners at the ready at all times and at least 200 Black Star Troopers in level 4 alert status. The actual arrangement is as follows¡­"


    This was Yao Yuan giving a speech in the meeting room. The members there included the higher authority of the Barracks, the ministry leaders and vice leaders of the various government bodies on the Hope, and ten representatives from the House of Representatives.


    Just as Yao Yuan drew to a close, the slight commotion underneath settled down as well. Then several people had already hit the speak button. The AI randomly chose the people who would speak and the first was a representative. After the kind greeting, he asked sharply, "Chancellor, from the information we were given, this is an important pit stop for all that heads towards the star path. Even though the cosmos is big, and we are in the middle of an empty space, the closest solar system to us is at least 10 light years away. However, due to the contraction of space due to the Song of Destruction, all the nearby space civilizations will be heading this way. In other words, we will be clogging up an incredibly important passage. Wouldn''t¡­ that be extremely dangerous?"


    Yao Yuan answered after the representative finished, "There is definitely risk, but the reason we are stopping here to salvage is to lower the danger we might face in the future. First, we have enough Diviners, including the most powerful, Zhang Heng. Currently, we have 22 human Diviners. I believe before any harm would come to the Hope, be it a space catastrophe or an extremely powerful space civilization, we will be warned beforehand and have the chance to escape¡­


    "Secondly, it is because this place is close to the star path that we have to do this. What awaits us, what is a star path, how many space civilizations are waiting there, what can we expect, what is the reason behind this space war, we do not understand any of these, and that is why we have this salvage operation. Hopefully, we can get some more information from these ruins to let us prepare accordingly for the difficulties that await us. Information is the thing we are looking for in this operation, the technology and supplies are just an extra."


    Yao Yuan''s words caused yet another contained commotion among the crowd. However, generally speaking, his answer was satisfying. The amount of people reaching for the speak button had halved. Obviously their main concern was the Hope''s safety.


    Next, it was a Barracks'' major who asked the question.


    "Chancellor, I wish to understand what the Defense Unit''s responsibility is in this operation and the possible enemies we might face¡­"


    The meeting lasted for more than two hours. Of course, this was merely the framework of the salvage operation. There remained many kinks that needed to be ironed out later, like the guard roles of the army, the allocation of Black Star Troopers, Defense Unit soldiers, the salvage team, workers, and the AI robots responsible for hauling the salvaged items. The amount of supplies needed to support this operation and the H-coin salary for the government workers involved¡­


    Many things were assigned to the Hall of Communications and related government bodies. Yao Yuan had even set up a salvage task force to deal with this operation. It was formed from several representatives from the Hope. All of these preparations meant that the operation was going smoothly. It was now already the fifth day of the salvage operation.


    Around one hundred transport shuttles had left the Hope. Escorting them were 30 Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s and the several satellites that had been deployed beforehand to scout the ruins.


    Even though this was a salvage operation similar to when the Hope first met the junkyard civilization, the efficiency was completely different. The salvage at the time almost cost the Hope, but if the Hope came across that AI army now, they would be able to slaughter as many robots as they came across. After all, human civilization had already reached the peak of level 2 space civilization, and it was only a matter of time until they became a level 3 space civilization. Under this situation, if they were afraid of a bunch of level 2 space civilizations, then truly that would be the cosmos'' biggest joke.


    The satellites released before were the latest creation. They utilized the technology of a level 2 space civilization, and the team responsible for them was the scientists and engineers from the Noah One. Compared to the scientists on the Hope, who were more suited for "common-use" technology, the personnel from the Noah One were more suited for "military-use" technology. With the five years of percolation, these scientists and engineers originally from the Noah One had reached the level of familiarity similar to the members on the Hope. In other words, their scientific knowledge had already increased to the standard of a level 2 space civilization instead of the level 1 space civilization from old Earth.


    This had brought in a new wave of inventions and patents. For example, Gaussian rifles with greater accuracy, firing speed, and bigger ammo slots. They required less materials to produce and thus were cheaper to produce. There were also new designs for hovering tanks and the Space Combat Jets meant for Defense Unit. Similar to the satellites, these were the brain children of the personnel originally from the Noah One¡­


    "Detection of low energy fluctuations and an increase in density of the creator''s particle. There might be AI in the ruins¡­"


    "¡­Discovered defense-use siege weapons, a half-ruined spaceship, unclear whether there is still life within it. Damn, the satellite exploded¡­"


    Following the latest observation, the 30 Space Combat Jet Prototype 011s rushed ahead towards the half-ruined spaceship that had attacked the satellite¡­

 Chapter 381: Ruin?!

    Chapter 381: Ruin?!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This ruin definitely had plenty of self-defensive mechanisms remaining and AI guard robots. However, they were all level 2 space civilizations'' standard, using Gaussian weapons. In terms of technology, they were not better than the Hope, so their attacks were unable to poke through electromagnetic shields, much less plasma shields.


    This combined with the Homo Evolutis'' affinity for space wars and close-quarters combat, cleaning up these backward mechanisms was a cakewalk.


    To prevent the hidden threat from hurting the normal workers, the Black Star Troopers spent the following month combing the ruins until they could say for certain that this ruin didn''t contain anymore threats. It was then that the Hope could send in the salvage team.


    The whole salvage team was separated into three rotations, each rotation lasting for eight hours. In total, the Hope had sent out about 2,000 AI robots, 17,000 plus experts, workers, and technicians, 400 plus transport shuttles, and employed the Black Star Troopers around 60 times for the salvage operation.


    This was the operation that involved the most civilians after the colonization of the new planet. However, even though the exhaustion was high, the reward was high as well. Other than fetching enough supplies to compensate the materials exhausted in this operation, the leftovers could still last the Hope for another three years. There were also plenty of useable metals. In fact, of the 400 plus transport shuttles, around 100 of them were built using the metals salvaged from this ruin.


    The Hope had also gained a great load of information from some broken alien computers. Of course, most of the information was uninteresting cosmic hearsay, they were practically useless for human beings. Regardless, they were still stored in the central mainframe. They would probably have their uses in the future.


    There was also technological information, but other than very few esoteric products, most of the technology had already been known to humankind, so the rewards weren''t that impressive.


    The real exciting reward was the travelogue of the two space civilizations that were at war.


    The travelogue recorded the origin and destination of these two space civilizations. They both came from a nearby Shelter that had received the information that this part of the cosmos was rapidly decaying. According to the calculation of the level 3 space civilization and communication via some methods with level 4 space civilizations, it was finally announced that due to some reasons, this part of the cosmos was reaching its end. The solar system was rapidly imploding and staying in it would only lead to death. Therefore, those who wished to survive would need to escape to other solar systems through the star path.


    Therefore, these civilizations followed the other civilizations from the Shelter and departed for the star path.


    The reason for the war, other than the fact that they were already enemies, this part of space was isolated from the rest, meaning no other civilizations would intervene. Of course, these were merely the preconditions for a war and not the blasting fuse, that would be something else¡­


    "Ruin clues? What is that?"


    In most main computers of the ruined spaceships, the term "ruin" was brought up constantly. Of course, to avoid translation mistakes, they had referred to the computers from both space civilizations and the contents were similar, ruin¡­


    "¡­Looks like it is similar to the situation with the Noah One¡­"


    In a secured lab on the Hope, around 10 people were studying the translated alien languages that appeared on screen. The information stunned everyone there, and the above observation was made by Guang Zhen.


    So it turned out that both space civilizations were on guard against each other when they happened to meet in this area. When they were preparing to enter warp drive, they suddenly received a signal that came from nowhere¡­ Yes, it was similar to how the Noah One used the incomplete space warp engine to send out information.


    "Those space civilizations that have reached this message, come to us. For the ones who can discern the cause from the effect, come to us. We will award thee the legendary¡­"


    This was the signal received by both civilizations. It was attached with a coordinates and a star path chart. The described location when matched with the two space civilizations'' travelogue, coincidentally, or rather naturally¡­ they coincided at the entrance to the star path!


    This information silenced the room. After all, this was all a bit hard to believe. Then again, this was the cosmos, so anything was possible. Even a high level ruin had appeared.


    Yes, according to the simple analysis of the two and a half Thinkers present, it could be confirmed that this ruin belonged to a high level space civilization. After all, only a level 5 space civilization and above could send information through the confines of space like this¡­


    This was truly unbelievable!


    The number of ruins in space was relatively low. In fact, most ruins would just naturally disappear in space, either absorbed by the gravity of planets or consumed by planetary entities like the sun or already salvaged by other space civilizations. In conclusion, 90 percent of space ruins would cease to exist through these methods.


    Of course, due to the law of conservation of soul, most of the space ruins would belong to level 1 or 2 space civilizations, followed by level 3. Generally speaking, level 4 space ruins were exceptionally rare. The appearance of one would attract the attention of several tens of thousands of level 2 and 3 space civilizations to fight for it. Even if they returned with just parts of the technology, it could be considered a profitable operation.


    For ruins from a higher level space civilization, like level 5 or higher¡­ That was pretty much a legend. From the several ten thousand years of the Blue Race''s history, that only happened once, about several thousand years ago. It had caused an all-out war between more than hundred Shelter forces. According to the Blue Race''s records, the damage resulting from that war had ruined more than ten solar systems and more than 1,000 level 2 space civilizations were made extinct. Of course, the lucky space civilization who won the war successfully became a level 4 space civilization after about a hundred years of cultivation. and they still had enough technologies left to evolve into a level 5 space civilization¡­


    And this ruin before them was quite possibly a level 5 or higher space ruin. Its value was¡­


    Unpredictable!


    This was an existence that might even attract the desire of level 5 space civilizations because the biggest difference between a middle tier space civilization and low tier space civilization, other than the difference in power level, was the specialization of science. Due to the threat of racial senescence, these middle tier space civilizations couldn''t focus on unlocking every part of the technological tree like low tier space civilizations did. They had to select one aspect to focus on; therefore, the higher the level, the harder the improvement. For middle tier and high tier space civilizations, even gaining a technology lower than their standards would still help greatly improve their own race''s science. It was why level 4 space ruins or above were so valuable.


    "What should we do?!"


    The core members of the Hope and the two Thinkers were gathered at a secret meeting room to discuss the analysis of the information.


    The atmosphere in the room was heavy. Even though most were not Thinkers, the truth was easy to understand. The value of a level 5 space ruin or above was definitely high, and not only level 2 or 3 space civilizations, even middle or high tier space civilizations would fight for it as well¡­


    Furthermore, unlike those space civilizations who were dying, humanity did not have to risk their whole race to fight for a rare ruin, they could just turn around and walk away¡­ However, the key was that this ruin just so happened to be near the entrance of the star path.


    Yao Yuan looked around the room and no one answered him. Finally, he turned to Xiao Niao and asked, "Xiao Niao, why don''t you tell us what you think we should do?"


    Xiao Niao shrugged helplessly. "Fine¡­ honestly, none our possible courses of action are suitable. We can''t go back to wait for the Song of Destruction to arrive and we cannot stay here, since this is a pit stop to the star path. Do we want to meet other space civilizations? Shall we continue further in? That''s also a dead-end. Who knows how many space civilizations have already gathered at the star path entrance pursuing this space ruin? We might be destroyed by one of those crazy powerful cannons once we arrive. In any case, I personally do not think we should head towards this ruin."


    Yao Yuan sighed. He agreed with Xiao Niao. He too did not think it was a good idea to head towards the ruin or even the star path, it was simply too dangerous¡­


    Suddenly, Ren Tao commented, "I''m curious¡­ since we know that this ruin is dangerous, why didn''t these two space civilizations know that? Why would they abandon their half-fought war and rush towards this ruin? In fact, I have a hypothesis in mind¡­


    "Could it be that this ruin has hypnotized all the space civilizations near it just like how god-tier space civilizations can conceal new life-preserving solar systems and planets¡­


    "Only the Immortal would not be affected?"

 Chapter 382: Fake Approach

    Chapter 382: Fake Approach


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Many present did not think much about Ren Tao''s hypothesis.


    After all, humankind already knew that cosmic adapters were separated into different levels and that those above grade S had their individual skills, like Diviners and Whisperers. In comparison, other than Deceivers, all of the skilled cosmic adapters had no absolute advantage over each other, so as time went by, even Yao Yuan did not consider his All-Rounder power as something special.


    Of course, their understanding of the All-Rounder''s, or the Immortal''s, scary value increased after Blue 6 joined the Hope. The fact that he could ignore the limitations given by god-tier space civilizations and locate newborn life-preserving planets or solar systems was impressive enough.


    First, let''s talk about life-preserving planets. Even though there would still be a neutron star fragment assault not long after settling on the planet, landing one life-preserving planet meant that there would be a new wave of Homo Evolutis awakenings. This was the desperate wish of any space civilization. Furthermore, even for just a few years, life on the planet would be like paradise. They could also allow those born on the Hope to witness for themselves the beauty of nature, the blue sea, and the sky.


    Unlike before, humankind now knew to expect the neutron star fragment. Even though the creation of Kun Lun was impossible in those few short years, creating a fleet of Hope-sized spaceships was not impossible.


    Let''s also not forget about the precious plants and animals¡­


    A newborn solar system, now that would be a real treasure. Just like those precious metals on the Hope, they were metals desired by mid-tier space civilizations. Therefore, finding a newborn solar system was like hitting a jackpot, an impossibly lucrative jackpot at that.


    These were powers unique to the Immortal, the ability to ignore the limitations or hypnosis by god-tier space civilizations, the ability to suppress the progress of demonization. These were powers desired by even level 9 space civilizations. There was even a rumor stating that to go from level 9 space civilization to a god-tier space civilization, one of the prerequisites was the Immortal.


    What Ren Tao said was based on these rumors on the Immortal. To verify his hypothesis, the AI and programming experts as well as Zhang Heng were busy for the next two days, and the result was¡­


    "It is really close to Unit Leader Ren Tao''s hypothesis. When these two space civilizations received the signal, they stopped fighting immediately, and without any cross communication, both of them departed from the battlefield. From our two days of close observation and autopsy reports, many ruined spaceships still contained living aliens when the war was abruptly ended. They died from asphyxiation several hours later. This goes to show how deep in a hurry those two space civilizations were when they left."


    A lieutenant who was an expert in recon reported to the core members of the Hope using the reports and results that his team had managed to collect over the past two days.


    The room of about ten frowned when they heard this information. Then they turned to look at Ren Tao, who was blanking out. This dude had guessed correctly again¡­


    Yao Yuan did not put much attention on Ren Tao like the people around him, because his focus was completely on the meaning of the information which was just revealed. At the same time, his Thinker power was activated.


    The first consideration was simple. Was it possible that both space civilizations had decided upon a sudden truce in the middle of a heated war and together headed towards the same destination? The answer was no. Unless there was a great cosmic catastrophe, like a supernova, and there was no other choice but to form a temporary truce, these two space civilizations would not have done that.


    In other words, they had left the battlefield instantly after receiving the signal, abandoning even their own citizens, just like¡­ they were hypnotized.


    Ren Tao had noticed this and proposed such a hypothesis. This ruin had sent out the signal to hypnotize all the space civilizations towards it. The only reason humanity was immune was probably because of Yao Yuan, the Immortal. After all, the Immortal was immune to hypnosis by god-tier space civilizations. This ruin might be powerful, but it would not be a god-tier space civilization. The possibility that its signal could influence an Immortal was possibly nil. Then in that case, this might be a good opportunity¡­


    "We are not entering the ruin!"


    Yao Yuan looked around and announced firmly, "But we have to move forward. There is already no way back. Other than the star path, we have nowhere else to go, so we must proceed!"


    This statement sounded like a contradiction because the ruin just so happened to be at the star path''s entrance. In reality, humanity, including Blue 6, had no idea what a star path was. It was a rumor among the many space civilizations because level 3, 4, or 5 space merchants would use the star path to go visit other solar systems for trade; therefore, the existence of star paths was confirmed. However, what kind of existence it was and what kind of mechanism it used to link different systems, that was an unknown.


    Was it a technological product? A natural occurrence? A wormhole entrance? No one knew. Since the ruin was at the star path''s entrance, it was hard to tell whether they would be able to circle around it or if they had to pass through it.


    "Of course, we can''t just waltz into it, because who knows how many space civilizations were attracted to it already, so before heading towards this star path entrance, we need to make some preparations¡­"


    Yao Yuan''s plan was simple. First, since they were 70 percent confident that those space civilizations had been hypnotized by the ruin, they would not attack at first notice. Of course, this was a huge proposition, as whether that was true or not still remained to be seen. In general, this was the biggest possibility, and the possibility the Hope banked all its hopes on.


    With this hypothesis, they needed to make many preparations, and these preparations were to make the Hope look as old as possible.


    This was not a new plan, they had used this method before when they were heading towards the cursed planet. After all, humanity''s biggest concern in space for now was self-preservation. To avoid danger, run at the first notice of danger and cleverly avoid conflict. That was the philosophy of everyone on the Hope. Of course, it was also because of this philosophy that Yao Yuan felt so aggrieved at the Shelter and led to that war that ruined an entire Shelter.


    Back to the topic at hand, during the Silent Journey, the Hope already had the plan to change its surface and had planned accordingly. With a switch of the outer wall, the Hope would look old and beaten and certain places would look like they were poked with holes. The Hope appeared like a space tin can that would implode at any given moment.


    Other than that, they had to work on the appearance of the many vassal alien spaceships as well. They had to be modelled to have the appearance of level 2 space civilizations that were similar to the human spaceship. Even though the Hope, with its chopstick shape, was too unusual, making it look like the vassals were on certain parts similar to the Hope was still doable.


    Just think about it, a broken ship with heavy weapons that desperately needed repairing after a war, those big civilizations probably wouldn''t be interested in one, as it wouldn''t look like a profitable investment. Being shot at by a heavy weapons during the process of consumption wouldn''t be worth it.


    Therefore, in the next month, the Hope used the materials left in the battlefield to conduct this change. The Genesis had to be exposed as this was an obvious heavy weapon. It would deter level 2 and 3 space civilizations from targeting the Hope so easily.


    After solving all these problems, they realized that they had already spent around two months at the battlefield ruin. After fixing some societal issues, the Hope left the battlefield and headed towards the star path at the beginning of the third month.


    The Hope still used the warp drive technology. In the past three years, several space and energy experts on the Hope had introduced more upgrades to the energy output of the warp drive technology. Now the Hope''s warp drive speed was almost five times light speed, and the energy exhaustion was at least 5 percent less than when they got it from the alien civilization. For the Hope, warp drive was already a mastered space technology.


    Just like that, the Hope continued travelling for another 6 months, then one day, it was pulled out of warp drive without warning like a giant hand had grabbed it out from warp drive space¡­


    The moment they left warp drive, the Hope''s scanner could clearly see the mess of alien spaceships all around them. Like the Hope, they were all heading towards the same direction¡­

 Chapter 383: Weird

    Chapter 383: Weird


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This was something that had not happened before. Warp drive was cancelled just like that!


    This was not something doable by the creator''s particle, because warp drive existed in a dimension independent of the cosmos, a dimension created from distortion of space using a great amount of energy. Technically speaking, it existed in a different dimension from the normal space and would not be affected by whatever happened in the cosmos. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn''t be a technology that was able to affect the Hope when it was in super light speed.


    However, that really did happen, they got pulled out of warp drive. The moment the Hope entered this part of the cosmos, they left warp drive and entered the normal space, and this looked like it didn''t affect only the Hope, or else how was one going to explain the mess of alien spaceships around them?


    When this happened, the Hope''s Workshop and Barracks were in a state of chaos. After all, it was 3 AM, so most of the Hope was still asleep, including Yao Yuan.


    When the emergency alert reached Yao Yuan, in less than 10 minutes, he was already at the captain''s room. For the rest of the Hope, they were slowly roused from their sleep and returned to their assigned positions. At the same time, information from outside the Hope was slowly reported back to the related personnel.


    "¡­There are so many spaceships? At least ten thousand or more."


    In the captain''s room, Guang Zhen observed the 3D image of the situation outside of the Hope with a drawn face. Within the observable range, there were plenty of spaceships surrounding the Hope. There were at least 3,000 large motherships. A few of them even had plasma energy propellers, which were signs of level 3 space civilizations, and there were at least one hundred of them¡­


    Not only that, the Hope had also detected two weirdly-shaped motherships. There was something that looked like a ripple effect around the ships, like they were submerged in water or the space around them had turned into liquid. These kinds of spaceships¡­ belonged to level 4 space civilizations!


    That''s right, even the legendary level 4 space civilizations were part of this massive fleet. The method of telling this was simple: that was a shield technology unique to level 4, or rather mid-tier space civilizations¡­ space distortion shield technique. This was a new version of shield technology obtained after a civilization gained access to wormhole technology.


    From the earlier war with the space merchants, humanity had received relevant information from them, information like how to discern the level of a space civilization from its spaceship. Of course, due to the level difference, the information only reached level 4 space civilizations. Beyond that¡­ the information sounded like legends more than anything.


    And the level 4 space civilization that was just a level lower than legends¡­ there were two of them in this area!


    This was a level 4 space civilization! This was a civilization that could no longer be beaten by an advantage of numbers alone. A level 4 space civilization could easily run over all the level 2 and 3 space civilizations before it and suffer practically nothing in return. This was a space civilization that was in a completely different league. After all, out of tens of thousands of level 3 space civilizations, only one would evolve into a level 4 space civilization!


    Theoretically speaking, when these two level 4 space civilizations appeared, even if they had vassal races, they wouldn''t be approached by the lower level space civilizations. This was the power and presence of all mid-tier space civilizations. Even if they did not issue any warning, low level space civilizations would not have the audacity to approach them, just like how a rabbit wouldn''t go near a lion. This was natural instinct.


    However, due to the high density of spaceships in the area, beside the level 4 space civilization''s spaceships were obvious signs of spaceships from lower levels. Even though the cosmos was endless and each individual spaceship in comparison was like a speck of dust, the number of spaceships was simply too high. There was not enough wiggle space for the spaceships of differing sizes. This observation was simply too weird and creepy.


    When the Hope''s surveillance saw the fleet around them and the creepy sensation brought by the level 4 space civilization, Ren Tao''s hypothesis was confirmed. These alien civilizations were indeed either hypnotized by this ruin or attracted by the technology within it, or else, according to the density of space civilizations crowding this area, there would have been a giant scale space war already.


    However, the humans on the Hope were not hypnotized by the ruin, and it probably really had to do with the presence of Yao Yuan, the Immortal. Regardless, no matter what, this was a godsend for humankind, as they could escape this conundrum by hiding themselves among the many spaceships and avoiding the detection of other dangerous alien civilizations before heading into the star path.


    At the same time, the Hope was scanning the general direction every spaceship was heading toward. That was supposed to be the coordinates for the star path entrance, but the result of surveillance was¡­ a flash of green light.


    Yes, other than this green light, there was no cosmic entity or space or even products or creations that looked like the entrance to a star path. In a space far, far away, there was an endless slate of green light, and the light was so strong that the surveillance was only capable to pick up the light and nothing else.


    "That''s the ruin? The star path is hidden behind this green light?"


    In the third hour after the Hope fell out of warp drive, almost every important person had already gathered at the captain''s room. The emergency meeting was in full swing. There were also plenty of scientists present; they were discussing the implication of this green light.


    From a scientific perspective, this kind of situation bordered on the impossible. Light needed a light source, like the sun and its rays, the light from a lightbulb. The source was either pure energy, fire, or radiation; there had to be a source that released the light.


    However, this green light before them did not appear to have a source. Both light radar and electromagnetic radar scans came up with nothing. This was merely a pool of light and behind it was an empty space, there appeared to be no source. This was not some kind of light-emitting space gas either, it was simply light that was green in color.


    From the 3D image compiled by the radar, an endless amount of spaceships were heading towards this green light, and when they reached it, their ships disappeared as if into thin air. As mentioned above, there was nothing beyond the green light, it was empty space.


    This situation was beyond the basic comprehension of physics. Some scientists even suggested that this green light was probably some kind of teleport mechanism for a mid-tier space civilization. After entering the green light, they would be transported far away. This was similar to the star gate described by the space merchants, but if this was correct, this was a technology far superior to star gates.


    Some scientists thought that the green light could be an alternative form of the creator''s particle which could conceal all information from any detection. If this was to be believed, it could explain why the Hope''s surveillance would not be able to pierce through the green light.


    In any case, facing this situation, the Hope was still heading towards the green light following the major movement of the spaceship fleet. Using particle streams, the Hope''s speed was mediocre, not too slow or too fast. Based on calculations, the Hope would reach the green light in about three months.


    "¡­For now, let us forget about the weird green light and focus on our original destination, the star path."


    Yao Yuan addressed the roomful of people seriously, "The coordinates of the star path, after triangulating it with the solar system around us, is confirmed to be inside the green light. I do not care about whether the green light is the entrance of the ruin or not. On fact, I do not care about the ruin, I only wish to know how we are going to enter the star path!"


    Blue 6, who was familiar with cosmic knowledge, was part of this meeting. This being his first time participating in such a high level secret meeting excited him greatly. After he heard Yao Yuan''s question, he answered rather hurriedly, "Could it be that the green light is the star path itself? After all, star paths are shrouded in mysteries. We know of their existence, but we have no idea what they are like in reality. What if this green light is the star path''s entrance?"


    Someone questioned Blue 6''s hypothesis immediately. "Then what about the ruin? If this green light is the star path that could transfer something from one system into another, then where is the ruin that was supposed to be at the entrance? It disappeared?"


    Blue 6 shrugged, signalling that he too had no answer to that. The room was silent, with the prospect of the ruin looming over them. Even the level 4 space civilizations were hypnotized by it¡­ So it looked like this ruin was left behind by a powerful space civilization.


    "¡­Then should we still head towards this green light?"

 Chapter 384: Surveillance

    Chapter 384: Surveillance


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Whether to venture into the green light or not, this was truly a troublesome question¡­


    Thankfully, they were still 3 months away from the green light, so there was enough time for the people on the Hope to come to an agreeable decision.


    Life moved on¡­


    The citizens of the Hope felt anxiety and consternation when they left warp drive and saw the many alien spaceships outside the window. However, to prevent mass hysteria, the human government had already clarified the situation in a morning announcement at around 6 AM.


    After realizing that they were not invaded by any aliens and life went on as usual on the Hope, the emotions of the public gradually returned to normal. Even though in the initial few days there was worry that aliens would suddenly storm the ship or the Hope would be decimated in the middle of the night, as time passed, after about half a month of nothing interesting, the people on the Hope had gotten used to this situation. Certain busybodies even started critiquing the spaceships around the Hope or used this opportunity to soak up as much information about other space civilizations as they could.


    This was especially shocking for Blue 6 because there had never been any space civilizations, at least from those that they had known, to be so hardworking. Compared to humanity, almost all of the space civilizations were in a state of laziness. After all, the common lifespan for an alien civilization after they entered space was several hundred or even one thousand years, and thus many space civilizations extended their studying period to more than one hundred years. This was something unimaginable for humanity. One hundred years? That was pretty much a lifetime for human beings.


    Similarly, humanity''s hardworking nature was something unimaginable for Blue 6.


    Thanks to this, 3 years after the war at the Shelter, the proposal to update the Gravity Cannon was ready and the person behind this proposal was not the Whisperer, Bo Li.


    "¡­When the anti-gravity systems are layered on top of each other, we can see clearly the wave fluctuation of the systems. On this, I have done some improvement. After all, this is not supposed to be a simple layering on top of each other, there has been a conceptual mistake. We are modelling the system using energy and so they are not in a physical state like the ones on the Hope. Because of that, we don''t need to care about the limitation of three dimensional space. And this is the newly updated version of the Gravity Cannon¡­"


    In a meeting room in the Academy, a middle-aged Caucasian man was explaining his proposal to improve the Gravity Cannon excitedly on stage. This man was not a random person, he was a famous physicist from the Noah One. He was nearly 70, but thanks to the usage of the genetic mesomeric device, he looked to be in his 30s.


    This famous physicist was a shining example of the survivors from the Noah One. Ever since they were rescued, they had assimilated into life on the Hope in the shortest amount of time. After all, they were all humans, the biggest difference being skin color and language, a difference that was barely noticeable in the context of space. Therefore, the assimilation was smooth.


    The only thing that rubbed the survivors from the Noah One the wrong way was that their political demands were not met.


    However, the fault did not lie with the human government or Yao Yuan. After all, before saving the Noah One, the Hope''s governmental system had already stabilized, especially after the period of peace on the new planet. Unless this human government did something truly out of sorts with the public, it would continue to enjoy a support of more than 90 percent approval rating on the Hope.


    In short, the elites from the Noah One were disappointed that they were not invited to become part of the leading community on the Hope, be it among the House of Representatives, the Barracks, the Academy, the Workshop, or even the world of business. If anything, they were given a later start than everyone else. However, they too realized this had its cons too because this meant that the Hope was a true meritocracy, and from there, they worked harder to improve themselves. An example was this famous physicist who used the shortest amount of time to familiarize himself with the scientific developments and standards on the Hope and later focused on his own field to impress everyone.


    Through the calculations by the Academy and the AI''s simulation, this physicist''s design would improve the efficiency of the Gravity Cannon by 0.6 percent. Be it from the perspective of tidal force or the gravity system, he had opened a door for the scientists by using a different method of layering the energy systems, and perhaps the power of the Gravity Cannon could be further improved.


    This physicist admitted that his inspiration came from the level 3 space civilization products Guang Zhen had seen at the Shelter, the atomic condensation of liquid and air. This impressive storage method by stacking atoms in small space gave him the inspiration for the new Gravity Cannon.


    Improvements like this were happening all over the Hope. There were already scientists discussing the practicality of cold agglutination reactors, even though there was still at least a decade until the finished research of cold agglutination technology. This could already be considered part of the foreseeable future. In other words, the Hope already had one of its legs in the door to becoming a level 3 space civilization.


    And then¡­


    The Hope was getting closer and closer to the green light. So far, the Hope was about 10 days away from reaching the green light, but the question of entering it or not still hadn''t been solved. The key issue was whether this green light was the so-called star path or not, and if it wasn''t, then was it the ruin?


    If this was the ruin, the fact that it had hypnotized all the space civilizations into coming into it was truly spine-chilling. It felt like¡­ an ominous invitation, like a high-tier space civilization was attracting all the low level space civilizations for their own insidious purpose, just like the bug-eating plants back on Earth.


    Therefore, the issue remained unsolved. For one, other than going forward into the green light, the Hope had no other visible choices, but on the other end, entering it without additional surveillance was simply too dangerous.


    Finally, a compromise was made. It was to send a nonhuman piloted spaceship into the green light first to retrieve any information before deciding to enter it or not. Of course, there was also the possibility of the green light being a one-way opening¡­ naturally, there was a solution to that too.


    A super long nano rope could be released into the green light. The Hope could use this kind of primitive and physical method to find out more about this green light and what was behind it. If the rope was snipped or dissolved, then it meant that this green light was most likely dangerous, that it was some kind of super powered energy entity. In that case, the Hope was definitely not getting into the range of the green light.


    In any case, to ensure the safety of the Hope, there had been more than ten proposals around the surveillance of the green light. Following the improvement in technology, the available surveillance method had also increased. Other than the one mentioned above, there were also energy simulation technology, nanobots, or super-atomic bombardment. With the Hope''s current scientific level, creating these devices would require less than 24 hours. Therefore, for the sake of the best results, Yao Yuan approved every single one of the proposals. His only request was that all surveillance plans could only use lifeless robots or AI, no human pilots or volunteers were to be involved.


    Time passed in waiting. In the three months the Hope was heading towards the green light, more than ten thousand alien spaceships had entered it. There were still plenty of spaceships wandering around this part of space. As one batch had entered the light, another batch appeared to fill up the space vacated. It was now that the people on the Hope realized just how crowded the cosmos was. Human beings had spent too little time in space, so they had the impression that the cosmos was empty. For most space civilizations, they had more than one spaceship. In fact, most of them had fleets. A space civilization with the Hope''s type of existence where all of its several ten thousand population was in one mothership was quite possibly the sole exception in space.


    It was also because of this that humanity had to be extra careful¡­


    Finally, the Hope reached the edge of the green light. Another 10,000 kilometers and they would be inside the green light. With a closer look, the people on the Hope agreed that instead of light, this green "light" should be called fog, a fog that covered up that part of space¡­


    "Activating pilotless surveillance spaceship, control of AI normal, creator''s particle resonator functioning, energy system normal¡­"


    "Initiating surveillance plan number one!"

 Chapter 385: Biological Experiment

    Chapter 385: Biological Experiment


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Waiting always made people nervous. It had been 24 hours since the AI drove the pilotless spaceship into the green light. Therefore, the operation was announced a failure because according to the AI command, it was supposed to return within 24 hours. The fact that it didn''t meant that it had gone missing or was attacked.


    "We received no information from the other end. All we have is still a piece of emptiness and the pilotless spaceship has completely disappeared."


    In a lab somewhere on the Hope''s fourth floor, the few people gathered there were despondent. They were the task force behind this operation. They had quite some confidence in this operation, but it had failed gloriously. For this group of people who wished to improve their standing in the Hope''s world of science, this was truly a great setback.


    Thankfully, this was just one failure, and the loss was merely some materials and deduction of future project grants. As long as no one was hurt, it was fine.


    Following this failure, now it was time for the nanoline operation. A 30,000-kilometer-long nanoline would be released into the green light and pulled out one hour later to investigate how it was behind the green light.


    This nanoline was created using the nano technology of level 2 space civilizations. Its tensile strength was confirmed and each nanothread had their own memory that could record short information that lasted for three to five seconds. In other words, even if the front end of the nanoline was broken off, as long as a part of the line had touched the green light and at least one nano-size of the line still remained, then the data wouldn''t be lost.


    The Hope had exhausted plenty of materials just to create this nanoline. In reality, this nanoline was meant to be used as nano-server connecting a whole planet or Shelter; this was an upgraded communication device that was better than fiber optics. Even though they had wireless communication technology like supermagnetic communication, its effect was not proportional to its energy and material exhaustion. For a general use communication technology, the nanoline was still more suitable.


    Currently, the Hope was using this nanoline to investigate the inside of the green light. After one hour, the Hope''s internal dragging machine pulled the line back, but¡­


    The front end of the line had been broken off. About 1 meter of the line had completely disappeared. However, it was not a clean break like most scientists predicted. The line was not broken off in a manner that was clean and parallel, which would suggest a distortion of space.


    The break did not show any signs of corrosion, melting, or other high energy dissolution signs either.


    The front end of the line had weird twists, turns, and irregular changes, like certain places were flattened while others curled upon themslves. There were parts that were fraying as well¡­ This was hard to explain. If explained using the normal electrical line as an example, it was as if the inner copper lines suddenly twisted together with the outer plastic casing while the line had remained, for the most part, intact.


    This find was confusing. Why would this happen? What happened to the nanoline inside the green light? If it wasn''t space distortion or high energy corrosion, then what kind of thing existed within?


    The scientists could not come to a conclusion on this result shown by the nanoline. It was like an invisible hand had ruffled the line in a random manner, or¡­ this green light was some weird energy field? It would crush and ruffle everything that went into it?


    Regardless, the Hope continued to carry out several other surveillance operations, and without exception, all of them had failed. None of them could shed light on what was inside the green light, the only clue was this nanoline.


    "But this makes no sense¡­"


    The scientists almost tore their hair out trying to make sense of this situation. However. going bald wouldn''t help the situation. In other words, they had reached a dead end.


    In reality, it was not that there no hypotheses given by the Academy on what happened to the nanoline. There was talk of a curious energy field which twisted the line, while other scientists proposed that it was some kind ionic state that formed this green light and that any object entering it would be bombarded by the heavy ions, causing collapse or changes at the ionic level and thus causing the strange phenomenon they had seen on the nanoline. Or it was some strange defense system within the ruin¡­


    There were all sorts of extrapolations, but all of them had one similarity: there was no actual proof. These were all hypotheses using scientific logic and imagination, no one knew what truly happened in the green light. What if it was different from everything they had imagined? This could be death for the Hope should they enter based on a false hypothesis. Since this involved the lives of several ten thousand people and the legacy of humanity, the Hope''s higher officials had no choice but to be extra careful.


    Just like that, the Hope spent more days idling outside of the green light. Another three months had passed. Looking at these fleets of alien spaceships entering the green light and watching more of them appearing to refill their places, the hearts of the people were nervous and agitated¡­


    In this period of time, among the mess of alien spaceships, other than a few new level 4 space civilizations'' ships, there were also some unidentified, weirdly-shaped spaceships. They probably belonged to level 5 space civilizations¡­


    All of the spaceships disappeared after they entered the green light. No one could be certain whether a more high level space civilization, like 6, 7, or 8, would make their appearances. This ruin might''ve been powerful, but it wouldn''t be able to hypnotize a high-tier space civilization, right? If that happened and those high tier space civilizations realized that a level 2 space civilization that was not hypnotized was just idling at the edge of the green light, they definitely wouldn''t mind taking a look, right?


    Therefore, time was ticking for the Hope. They could be in deep trouble at any minute¡­


    After a great amount of discussion and more proposals to recon this green light, on the third month of idling, the Hope finally came up with a new surveillance operation, a live surveillance. Of course, they wouldn''t be using actual human beings, that was far too dangerous. They would be using one of the reared animals on the Hope. From pigs to cows and even a fish that was enclosed in a specially made case were part of the experiment.


    At the same time, the Hope also sent out a transport shuttle with an exploratory team made up of scientists and a Diviner to bring these animals near to the green light. This biological experiment''s aim was to see whether the green light was harmful to living creatures or not. Therefore, the animals would be led at least half way into the green light. This would enable humanity to tell whether the green light was harmful to them or not. Of course, for this purpose, the team responsible had to follow the experiment closely.


    Other than a Diviner, the team also contained Ivan, the biology and pathology Whisperer. Even though many did not want him to join when the team was formed, since his value as a Whisperer was simply too high to the Hope, Ivan''s reason was undeniable. After all, if the animals died in the green light, their corpses had to be studied at the shortest notice so that the secret of the green light wouldn''t be lost, and of all the biologists on the Hope, only Ivan had the capability to perform such autopsies.


    Therefore, in spite of everything, Ivan ended up as part of the exploratory team. Of course, the Diviner was secretly ordered by the Hope''s higher officials that should he feel any danger, even if it wasn''t serious, he would have to turn the shuttle around and announce the ending of the operation.


    Just like that, the transport shuttle inched closer to the green light. They were about 1,000 meters away from the green light. In fact, it felt like they could reach out to touch it. Using a mechanical support, the animals were slowly pushed into the green light. This time, not only the exploratory team on the transport shuttle, even the people on the Hope watched this unfold with bated breath. Finally, some of the animals had entered into the green light, while others still remained outside. After 60 seconds of varying exposure to the green light, the mechanical arm pulled the animals back out.


    Then¡­


    Those animals who entered fully into the green light had disappeared, even the part of the mechanical arm holding them had disappeared. Those who reached halfway into the green light had their spaceship completely twisted or disappeared, even parts of their bodies had disappeared or gotten grotesquely twisted. It was truly a scene out of a horror movie.


    The weirdest of all was definitely those who only had small parts of their bodies go into the green light¡­


    Those parts had completely flipped inside-out!

 Chapter 386: Hypothesis!

    Chapter 386: Hypothesis!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Ivan studied these living animals closely. The sheep and cow had the small parts that had entered the green light and turned inside-out. To put it simply, the skin had completely disappeared while the blood vessels and internal organs were on the surface. These vessels and organs too showed signs of weird twisting and inversion.


    Of course, if it was only just that, Ivan wouldn''t have been so shocked. The scariest thing was these two animals were still alive and their organs and blood vessels were still functioning. Yes, even in their state, they didn''t stop working.


    This was truly a creepy situation. After all, a creature''s internal organs were actually very fragile; even a slight tear or damage, much less twisting, would cause them to stop working. The fact that they could still work after being completely transformed was impossible, unless¡­


    Demonization!


    However, after a closer look at these two animals, Ivan confirmed that their surface vessels and organs had gone though more than the simple act of demonization. This was because the cellular samples picked from the organs had a completely different make-up from demonization. There was a highly confidential document file on the Hope that kept track of the details of demonized creatures. Demonization was a total conversion of organs and cells, it was different from the situation that was happening before them.


    In the next few hours, Ivan focused on examining these "wounds" and conducted an autopsy on one of the animals. At the same time, other scientists conducted isotope and other chemical experiments on the animal that were exposed to the green light. In any case, when the shuttle returned to the Hope, the experiments hadn''t finished yet.


    However, Ivan''s research had reached its critical stage. When he spliced the skin cells, he suddenly discovered a curious phenomenon. Other than the inversion and twisting of the skin cells, some of the cells had fused together¡­ No, that might be a wrong way of putting it. Instead of fusing together, it was more like they had overlapped over each other, because if given a closer look, the individual cell was still functioning as normal¡­


    If all of these observations and clues were strung together, then the logical conclusion was¡­


    Ivan was also a Whisperer. Even though he was a biological expert, it did not mean that he was not knowledgeable in other fields. Whisperers had a natural affinity for everything science-related, so they would have scientific clues whispered in their ears. When he was conducting the autopsy, he immediately used the communicator to call several physicists, including the Whisperer, Bo Li.


    "Hello, everyone, I will not waste time on pleasantries. The only reason I''ve called for everyone is because I''ve discovered a curious discrepancy. Of course, I''m not an expert in this field, the only thing I can work with are these cells, blood vessels, and small amount of organs. Therefore, I need a confirmation from the rest of you, to see whether the hypothesis is correct or not¡­"


    This group of scientists was hurried into Ivan''s lab. Ivan did not stand on ceremony and instantly brought them up to speed. Then he brought them to the enlarged picture under the microscope and explained his hypothesis. It shocked everyone there. After a long discussion and questioning in his lab, the probability of this hypothesis was slowly confirmed. If this was the truth, then the situation with the nanoline, the disappearance of all those spaceships, and the curious changes of these creatures could be logically explained. However, if that was the case, this green light would be a great opportunity, but at the same time, a great danger.


    In the next 20 hours, the number of people that joined the discussion gradually grew. After getting the permission from Yao Yuan, they had even taken a great section of the AI task force to conduct a simulation to confirm their hypothesis. When all of this was over and reliable and valuable data was found, Yao Yuan''s group had already waited for a long time.


    Just like that, on the third day of the animal experimentation, after a night''s rest for those scientists involved, they appeared at the Hope''s government hearing, refreshed. In contrast, Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, and the rest had already waited until their eyes were red with tiredness. The person leading the scientists was none other than Ivan. As the leader, he began, "Dear respected government officers who are gathered here, I will explain in detail the existence of this green light. Of course, this is merely our scientific hypothesis; whether it is true or not, we are unable to say for sure. However, under the condition where no actual experiments can be done, we are 80 percent confident this is how the green light works.


    "First, we need to predicate this with a big condition¡­ This green light is not a normal cosmic space."


    The people in the meeting room were silent. This first sentence was practically half useless, because this was almost confirmed already. This green light was definitely not a normal cosmic space; why else wouldn''t the Hope''s surveillance be able to detect its interior? Beyond that, the disappearance, collapse, or weird twists as mass entered the green light, could those happen in a normal space?


    Ivan studied the gathered people before him and continued, "After our discussion and experiments, the hypothesis we settled upon is that¡­ This green light is hiding a four-dimensional space!"


    Yao Yuan''s group didn''t react in any unusual way to this announcement, but the great amount of scientists in the room started to hustle and bustle. There was even a scream that stated, "Impossible!" Pandemonium descended upon the room.


    Thankfully, the chaos didn''t last for long. As the room quieted down again, Ivan continued, "I know this answer is hard to believe, but this is the only logical hypothesis that we have. It is the only explanation to why even though the green light isn''t a creator''s particle, we are still unable to detect beyond it. Us looking at the green light is similar to how the people in paintings looking out at us in reality, they wouldn''t be able to. Similarly, we are unable to look into the green light."


    Finally, a middle-aged scientist could not stand it anymore and asked loudly, "Professor Ivan, it is not that we want to question your hypothesis, but have you thought about one serious issue? That of space size? If this green light is as you said, a four dimensional space, then how big is it really? If this whole green light area hides a four dimensional space, then its scale could be large enough to envelope this entire solar system¡­ no, probably several hundred solar systems, right?"


    Right then, Silewei, the famed physicist who stood beside Ivan took the podium, "Let me answer that. Indeed, if the entire green light we see covers a four dimensional space, then its scale and density is bigger than we can possibly imagine. However, is it not possible that only the outermost layer is the four dimensional space and the interior is the star path entrance and the ruin? As everyone knows, with the advancement in technology and the increase in space civilization level, the creations will improve accordingly. Just look at our defensive shield; from the electromagnetic shield we''ve mastered, it has evolved to plasma energy. And there''s that space distortion shield we see on the level 4 space civilizations. Is it not possible for higher level space civilizations to use a four dimensional shield?


    "From the information we gathered from the battlefield ruin a few months ago, this space ruin is blocking the entrance to the star path, so couldn''t this green light before us be a shield of the space ruin? And beyond it is the ruin itself?"


    "But how is this four dimensional shield maintained?" This time, another scientist stood up to ask. "How to create a four dimensional space within a three dimensional space, that itself is beyond our scientific comprehension. At least we humans definitely do not have the technology to do anything like that. Regarding this hypothesis¡­ maybe you''re right, perhaps with the increase in space civilization level, this might be doable, but I want to ask, where would the energy to maintain this four dimensional space come from? Since this is a ruin, even if it has an internal energy supply, it couldn''t last forever, right? However, to maintain a four dimensional space, even just a one millimeter of space, the energy requirement would be greater than the energy exhaustion of this whole spaceship, much greater in fact."


    "Why couldn''t it be a permanent energy source? Like a perpetual motion machine¡­"


    "Are you sure you''re a scientist and not a sci-fi writer or a madman? How can there be a perpetual motion machine in space? Unless the whole cosmos collapses and the total space mass fluctuates, that kind of creation is impossible¡­"


    Then the whole meeting became a shouting match between the scientists on the stage and those below it. Their technical term-filled arguments confused Yao Yuan''s group.


    Therefore, Yao Yuan whispered to Bo Li, who was sitting beside him, "What if the green light''s a four dimensional space? Is that so hard to accept? Also¡­ why would a green light this size be able to contain several hundred solar systems?"


    Bo Li glanced at him before whispering in return, "Use your Thinker power to mull over it. One dimensional is line and two dimensional is plane. Think about it, how many lines can be used to fill up a plane? A millimeter plane can contain innumerable nanometer-wide lines. Of course, the first dimension doesn''t abide by the concept of length; therefore, the number of lines in a plane is literally infinite. Similarly, in a three dimensional space, how many planes could there be? Since the second dimension doesn''t have height, a three dimensional space could also have infinite number of planes¡­


    "Similarly, a four dimensional space will have an infinity amount of three dimensional spaces¡­


    "Saying it can contain several hundred solar systems is already an understatement. If this green light is really a four dimensional space, then it is actually the size of a cosmos¡­


    "An unnatural cosmos created by life!"

 Chapter 387: Discussion

    Chapter 387: Discussion


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The arguments in the hearing were still going on. In fact, the hearing had changed from the discussion of the interior of the green light into an academic forum on the possibility of four dimensional space existing in the current cosmos.


    It had even escalated to a stage where even among Ivan''s own group, there were arguments. After all, this was four dimensional space.


    In reality, it was not that human science hadn''t reached the exploration on four dimensional space. Before humanity left Earth, many scientists had already hypothesized about the space and time in the cosmos, like quantum theory, the theory of relativity, and string theory. Each of these theories elaborated on the concept of space and time and had a more complete elaboration on four dimensional space.


    The one dimensional space is the so-called line, two dimensional space is the plane, three dimensional space is 3D space with the parameters of length, breadth, and depth. Some counted time as a parameter in three dimensional space, but that would be four dimensional space, something completely different.


    In pure space theory, the whole universe was a three dimensional space, but adding four dimensional space into three dimensional universe, that was something unimaginable. The most crucial issue was that the high density of space would cause an energy dispersion and exhaustion that was beyond the capacity of any known energy source. This was a problem facing the human scientific system, either accept that the green light was really a four dimensional space and collapse the entire human scientific theories and bodies or this green light was not really a four dimensional space.


    This was psychological limitation. Even though humanity''s scientific understanding of space was still lacking, that was the basis of all human knowledge, it was the cradle of human civilization. It was a collection of knowledge cultivated over several thousand of years through millions of sacrifices and hard work. Even though human civilization was already half way in the door to becoming a level 3 space civilization, these scientific basis couldn''t be abandoned just like that. This was also the reason why scientific progress on the Hope was so slow. The Hope didn''t accept all external knowledge without filter, the Academy would spend time to dissect, master, and eventually fit the knowledge into humankind''s existing scientific theories. According to Blue 6, this was the go-to method for newborn space civilizations. Of course, there was benefit to this method as well. The scientific stability for such space civilization would be very strong and a great foundation in science was rumored to be way more important than new discovery when one became a mid-tier space civilization.


    This was the conundrum humanity was facing, a problem that had to be resolved, but once they admitted the presence of this problem, humanity''s scientific foundation would be undermined. The scientific foundation was like a pyramid, starting from the bottom brick by brick. When the bottom layer was destroyed, the possibility of the whole thing toppling would be much higher.


    The hearing had been going on for almost four hours and it had no sign of slowing down. If anything, it had only gotten more heated. If not for the scientific terms being tossed about, Yao Yuan would have the illusion that he was in the House of Representatives, watching the politicians arguing amongst themselves.


    After the four hour mark, some of the more senior scientists had gotten tired. Yao Yuan made use of the opportunity to order the people to serve a simple lunch. Even though it was not as complete as a meal at the canteen, it still had three dishes and a soup as well as a choice of rice or bread. The dessert was an apple or an orange, and thus, on top of the sound of arguments, there was also the sound of eating in the room.


    Yao Yuan sighed in relief internally.


    Even though he was the Chancellor of the human survivors and the hero in many people''s eyes, Yao Yuan was extremely polite around the Hope''s scientists and academicians, to the point where certain influential scientists would go to his room to create a ruckus simply to demand new equipment or more materials.


    This respect was not for show but an actual respect that came from the heart. Compared to the Black Star Troopers and Defense Unit, these scientists were the real saviors of humanity. Without them, how would humanity ever advance in space? Gaussian rifles, space armor, combat jets, various heavy weapons, those wouldn''t have existed. While they might have come from Bo Li''s mind, she alone wouldn''t have been able to make them a reality. Therefore, the Academy was in reality the biggest hero of humanity and the sole reason humanity could survive for so long in space, so Yao Yuan''s respect towards them was completely warranted.


    This was why Yao Yuan sighed in relief. To preserve the vibrancy of the scientific scene on the Hope, other than during extreme situations, Yao Yuan practically stayed away from the research of the Academy. He would try his best to fulfil their requests for money, supplies, and even treatment for individual scientists. This could be seen from the Hope''s earliest policy. From day one, the best treated community on the Hope was the scientists, and oftentimes the treatment was better than the Chancellor''s.


    So how could he break up their discussion? It was not yet a critical moment, there were at least 10 days of safety left.


    However, letting this argument continue to fester was not a brilliant idea either. Yao Yuan hoped the short lunch would be able to calm the room down. Alas, as they finished their lunch, most of them couldn''t wait to jump back into the argument. In fact, perhaps they had already forgotten the true purpose of this hearing. Due to the freedom accorded to scientists on the Hope, they had cultivated the habit of hashing out their academic arguments wherever and whenever, even during an important hearing.


    The argument thus continued for another few hours. Just as it would seem the discussion would go nowhere, there was finally a ray of hope¡­


    The speaker was the great physicist, Silewei. As the Hope''s most senior, most knowledgeable, and the representative from the physics committee, he too was caught in the crossfire of this discussion. When he took the stage, he said directly, "Dear colleagues, I understand your concern, because I too have the same concern. This is more than a simple discussion but a preservation of our scientific foundation. I''m sure that''s the thing that worries everyone, because it worries me too!


    "But remember that at the end of the day, we are scientists! And what do scientist do? We question, confirm, and deny through hypotheses and experiments to find the truth! If our scientific foundation and our historical figures were wrong¡­ Yes, to err is human, the people that contributed to the foundation of our knowledge may be wrong just as how we ourselves could be wrong, but the truth is always right. Do not fixate on the despair of the collapse of physics, because only by collapsing what is false can we reveal the truth!


    "So let us open our minds and take up the courage to hypothesize. Let''s say that this high tier space civilization has some kind of unknown superpower energy source and this energy is bigger than the total mass density of the observable universe like dark matter or dark energy. It could even be the preexisting super string energy or something we haven''t even envisioned yet. If such an energy source exists, then four dimensional space is possible¡­"


    Silewei was incredibly influential in the Hope''s Academy, especially in the field of physics. The combination of his deep knowledge and the German''s severe attitude made him one of the greatest minds on the Hope. Therefore, his words, when it came to issues related to science, were oftentimes more influential than Yao Yuan''s.


    After Silewei finished, the room gradually became silent. Following Silewei''s suggestion, their minds were broadened and they slowly accepted this possibility. With more discussions, they even came up with methods to test out this hypothesis, and this led to another wave of excitement¡­ Four dimensional space! If this was truly a four dimensional space and not just a computer simulation or something like that and it truly existed in space, this was purely unimaginable for creatures in three dimensional space, especially for the group of scientists. This was no different from the discovery of a new land.


    A group of overly excited scientists even volunteered to form an exploratory team to enter the green light. Of course, this was immediately harshly vetoed by Yao Yuan, he even banned this group of scientists from leaving the Hope. His reason was simple, due to the freedom he gave them, the Academy had a few spaceships that were especially designed to conduct experiments in zero gravity. Without the ban, Yao Yuan was afraid these people would break into the spaceship and venture on their own into the green light compelled by the heat of their passion.


    Just like that, after the hearing that lasted for three days, the Academy used the AI to simulate another result and they came up with another exploratory proposal!

 Chapter 388: Password!

    Chapter 388: Password!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Using the discussion results from the three-day-long meeting, the Academy truly had outperformed themselves. Utilizing the AI''s superhuman calculating capability, they came up with the most possible situation should one enter the green light in under a week.


    In the 3D image, no it should be called a 4D image, the 3d construction of a cow was pushed into the green light and it became turned inside out and kept shifting into impossible things where the form of a cow was completely lost. This shift was more than just the turning its organs or blood vessels inside out, this was more than that¡­ Simply put, it had changed into a jellyfish, where one could look into its organs and it kept vomiting out the organs so its insides became the outside of the jellyfish.


    In this weird 4D image, the cow theoretically should have died, but according to the calculations of the AI, the cow was not only alive, it was surviving better than before.


    "Please don''t be shocked, Chancellor."


    Beside this giant projection was a large group of scientists and government officials. The person responsible for the explanation was physicist Silewei. Obviously, he had discerned the shock on the public''s faces and commented with a smile, "Even though this cow looks beyond its normal form and you might see it as nothing more than a pile of meat, this is actually its true form within a four dimensional space. For example, when an artist draws an apple on a piece of paper, no matter how hard he tries to express the third dimension through shading and other methods, there would a great section of the apple that wouldn''t be portrayed in drawing. Then is it fair to say that part of the apple doesn''t exist? No, we can only say that such is the apple''s form in two dimensional space.


    "Similarly, if we put this apple into one dimensional space, it would have the appearance of a line, and at most it would have color. Here, we are merely inversing the process, from three dimensional space to four dimensional space, thus the form of this cow changed accordingly. Its internal organs, blood, brain, and bones didn''t go through any change because there wasn''t any force to change them. According to physics, if there isn''t any force involved, then it won''t have any changes in its form, so if we remove this cow from the four dimensional space¡­"


    As Silewei said so, the AI was doing the thing in the projection. This mess of meat and bones slowly recovered into the cow that we all know and recognize.


    Many non-scientists started talking in whispers, obviously they were shaken by this development. Among them was Blue 6. Even as a member of the more advanced Blue Race, four dimensional space was something new to him as well. Theoretical stuff existed in theories only, and seeing them in person was a completely different issue. Of course, the precondition was that this simulation was mirroring the real thing.


    Suddenly, a member from the Barracks asked, "Professor, but according to our observations, anything that enters the four dimensional space will be twisted and torn open, so how can this cow revert to its original form after it left the space? That makes no sense."


    "It does make sense," Silewei replied with a smile. "As I mentioned earlier, this is what happens when there is no external force. Moving from one dimension to the next is just a change of form¡­ However, if there is an external force, let''s just say three dimensional creatures are extremely malleable after they travel into four dimensional space."


    At this point, Silewei ordered the AI to put the cow back into the four dimensional space, and when that weird meat blob appeared again, Silewei walked to stand under the project to lightly blow on it. Then he told the AI to quantify and apply the force in his breath of air onto the cow.


    Under everyone''s scrutiny, this meat blob started to shiver like a blob of tofu and then some blood started to fall off. Then the more fragile bone marrow and brain matter started to vibrate, while most of the solid bone structure was unaffected and the cartilaginous parts resumed to their normal state after a short vibration. However, it was obvious to everyone that this cow was extremely fragile, so fragile that a breath of air could blow it away. If Silewei had used his finger to press at it, the thing probably would have died.


    "We are three dimensional creatures, so our body structures, thoughts, speed, and even power are existent in three dimensional laws and data. Even though we can enter four dimensional space without the fear of death, we''ll be extremely fragile. Perhaps a gentle shove could shatter us into a million pieces with no chance of reconstruction."


    Here, Silewei paused to let his explanation sink in. Then he continued, "According to our calculation of breaking patterns, damage clauses, and physical structure, we arrived at a vector. After we add this vector into the logarithm, we came up with the conclusion. After we enter the green light, there will be a pulling force from inside the green light¡­ This force is one-directional, not unlike gravity, and this explains why our pilotless spaceships would disappear and the breaking of the nanoline. The theory is simple, they were torn apart by the conflict of the forces outside and inside the green light.


    "In reality, this pulling force needn''t be big; even the most stable diamond, no, even a neutron star fragment would be shattered by this conflict of forces. This is because three dimensional objects are that fragile in a four dimensional space."


    Silewei had a serious tone as he explained and the room listened attentively. Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, and the group of high officials, though, started to frown. According to Silewei, this green light was a death trap for any object, because they would become extremely fragile within it. Then this meant that the Hope and the people inside it would be as fragile as tofu when they entered the green light, right?


    This green light was practically the kryptonite for everything that existed in normal space!


    Guang Zhen finally asked, "Then we have to give up this star path and find another way?"


    Silewei shook his head. "That might not be so. This is the result we have obtained after such a long discussion¡­ applying counter-acting pressure using the AI."


    As he said so, the cow in the projection had been recovered to its original form. It was placed into four dimensional space again and this time Silewei suddenly used his fingers to poke at the beast. The AI applied the same force to the cow, but the creature that was supposed to shatter into pieces stood their unharmed; there was not even a vibration. As the cow retreated from the space, it again reverted to its familiar form. According to the AI''s calculation, the cow was extremely healthy and it had received no harm.


    "The most threatening thing in four dimensional space is external force, but the thing that can counteract that is also force¡­ With the anti-gravity system and genetic mesomeric technology, these two force-related technologies can completely neutralize the external force that would be applied on the Hope, including the acceleration of the ship, the pulling force within the green light, and the possible damaging effect it could possibly have on the human or any living body. In other words, there is a way that allows us to enter this green light safely!"


    Basically, that was the end of this demonstration. Of course, there were still some questions left to be answered, but those would have to be answered in private¡­ In the next month, the Hope would begin surveilling this green light again as it continued to send in more living creatures to confirm whether this green light was a four dimensional space and the direction of its internal pulling force¡­ Even though talk about direction inside a four dimensional space was a bit fussy, it was the best term of reference, and the Hope needed all this data before it could decide whether or not to enter the green light.


    After the demonstration, the Hope''s high officials had a smaller meeting of their own. The final decision was: if there was still no progress regarding the understanding of the green light in the next year, then the Hope would give up on this star path. They would rather spend another decade looking for another star path than waste any more time here.


    Privately, Guang Zhen also questioned Yao Yuan on the possibility of this ruin being a trap. If this green light was truly a four dimensional space, then creatures from three dimensional space, be it low tier space civilizationw or even middle tier space civilizationw, would be dead once they entered the green light. Therefore, this looked less than a ruin but more like a method to collect soul.


    However, regarding this hypothesis, Yao Yuan, Xiao Niao, and Ren Tao had their suspicions, and their main reason was¡­ hypnosis!


    Yes, the hypnosis made all the space civilizations travel here and similarly it had lulled all these civilizations into entering the green light. Just as they discussed during the demonstration, the pulling force inside the green light was a constant, there was no change in terms of acceleration or deceleration. In other words, the hypnosis might have saved these space civilizations'' lives because a spaceship''s speed as they entered the green light and the speed they maintained inside the green light would decide its life or death. The hypnosis was like the password that gave the hypnotized civilizations the speed that they needed to maintain so as not to get crushed by the pulling force inside the green light. On the other hand, humanity that was not hypnotized, so they needed to crack this "password" on their own¡­


    If this hypothesis was to be believed, then this ruin¡­


    Was most likely authentic! And it belonged to a high tier space civilization!

 Chapter 389: Request!

    Chapter 389: Request!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "The success rate is only 20 percent? Or even less than that?"


    Back on the Hope, everyone was looking at a perfectly fine cow. Obviously, this cow had gotten immune to human presence because she merely stood there, quietly eating her feed, and did not get spooked by the proximity of humans.


    Several hours ago, the third experiment on the green light had started. They sent in five animals, one of them disappeared in the green light, three changed into unknown meat blobs and were shuttled away by the Academy as important experimental data, while the last remaining cow returned to the Hope in her original form unharmed.


    One out of five animals survived. A 20 percent rate of survival, or it could be even lower when taking into account the variable of low sample size. In any case, this was unacceptable. Just think about it, only 20 percent of the Hope surviving after entering the green light, that was unacceptable!


    Humanity had not reached a dead end yet, as there were multiple star paths in the solar system. The worst case scenario was they would have to find another star path to leave this system. Even though it might cause more wastage of time and might lead to other dangers, it was still better than a 20 percent success rate.


    However, Yao Yuan still hoped there would be some breakthroughs at this point, not only because understanding the fourth dimension would rejuvenate humanity''s science, since this might be the catalyst they needed to go from a level 2 space civilization to level 3, but also because the data on the four dimensional space would be valuable in the future.


    Other than the four dimensional space, this ruin¡­ Yao Yuan had some idea about it as well.


    For some reasons, when they came closer and closer to the green light, Yao Yuan felt pulled by something inside the ruin. It was an instinct, something different from the power of the Diviner. If one really had to describe it, it was the instinct of selecting the winning lottery ticket. It was very unscientific.


    In fact, as an experienced soldier and leader, Yao Yuan was not one to believe in instinct, because this instinct was something completely different from the Diviner''s power; it couldn''t be verified. However¡­ this instinct felt real, and he had asked many other people. It seemed like other than himself, there was no one else that felt similarly. Could it be that this was another one of the Immortal''s powers?


    Therefore, if possible, he wanted to discover the mystery of this ruin. If this was truly the Immortal''s power, combined with the Diviner''s danger sense, perhaps¡­ humanity could really get something from this ruin! Even if the four dimensional space technology would make the Hope invincible among all space civilizations lower than the middle tier, they wouldn''t live in constant fear of other civilizations¡­


    Due to Yao Yuan''s insistence and the Academy''s passion for knowledge, the Hope began another test. Of course, before the new test could begin, a review of the earlier results was necessary.


    "¡­I believe the basis of the earlier hypothesis is still correct."


    This was in a large meeting room. The scientists each held their own views, but hopefully a truth could be found through discussions.


    At this moment, a scientist standing on stage pointed at the 4D simulation behind him. "This 4D simulation is constructed from the data collected from the animals that were twisted and turned. Even though we couldn''t really understand the phenomena inside the fourth dimension, it is quantifiable. However, we have lost sight of one important thing: we have been using three dimensional knowledge and world view to analyse the acquired data. If we use three dimensional knowledge to analyse the data, there will be much less room for variation¡­"


    The scientist whispered to the AI and the simulation behind him changed. The objects inside it transformed. He continued, "As everyone can see, the transformation within a four dimensional space is more varied and random than three dimensional space. Therefore, in comparison, the force in a four dimensional space should have more variables than just direction. However, we have only been counterbalancing the variables that are known to us in three dimensional space. So, basically¡­ the fact that we have an animal that survived the test is already a miracle in itself."


    After this scientist made his observation, there was a string of other scientists who took the podium. There was a common thread among all of them, which was the way humanity perceived four dimensional space was not unlike how an ant looks at the sky; it was greatly inaccurate. The Hope''s technology had to improve until level 5, 6, or even higher before they could truly understand the fourth dimension.


    Similarly, when they thought the AI could calculate the data of the fourth dimension, that too was also wishful thinking. After all, no matter how powerful the calculative power the AI had, its knowledge framework was similar to the technological prowess of humanity. To put it simply, even its materials were from a level 2 space civilization, so how could a low level AI unveil the mystery of the fourth dimension?


    Therefore, after this review was over, almost everyone thought that this exploratory effort would end. Yao Yuan announced three days of break on the Hope, and in these three days, he and Xiao Niao were seated in front of a computer. Along for the ride was Guang Zhen and Ren Tao, who were dragged along.


    "¡­Tell me, why did you look for me?"


    Just as the three days were going to draw to a close and everyone''s faces were drawn with disappointment, the computer opened on its own and the screen wrote these few words.


    Before Xiao Niao could react, Yao Yuan typed on the keyboard, "ZERO, this is Yao Yuan, the leader of this ship¡­ I believe you know me and I''m sure you know why we have come to you this time."


    "¡­Of course, it''s about the layer of fourth dimension shield, isn''t it?" ZERO replied.


    Yao Yuan felt happiness surge through his heart and he immediately replied, "Fourth dimension shield, that''s the name of this green light? As you know, we humans have tried every method to explore and test this shield, but the results were unsatisfactory. We are unable to cross the shield safely."


    ZERO answered after a short silence, "Actually, you all have done more than enough. The fact that you can tell that this is a layer of fourth dimension shield and even came up with a solution that was doable if not limited by your scientific knowledge, that was indeed praiseworthy¡­ However, what do you think this is? This is a newly acquired technology for a level 7 space civilization, and only a level 8 space civilization can really master it. It is a shield that can block all physical and energy attacks; not even black holes can harm it. Human beings with their level 2 space civilization technology wish to enter it? Such a wonderful dream indeed¡­"


    Yao Yuan replied, "So in other words, we have found the correct direction, but due to the lack of a certain special technique, like super computers etcetera, we are unable to enter it?"


    "Such innocence¡­" ZERO was sounding more and more like a human each day as she replied, "The complete fourth dimension shield is not something that can be understood by a level 2 space civilization. Even though theoretically you''re correct, like the idea of using gravity and acceleration to counteract the balance of power, have you thought about¡­ what if the direction of the force was suddenly changed in the fourth dimension? Or the owner suddenly decided to change the structure of the dimension? The Hope and everything on it would be disintegrated in the blink of an eye!"


    Disappointment weighed on Yao Yuan''s heart, but he still glanced at Xiao Niao, which the latter understood. He accepted the keyboard and asked, "ZERO, this is Xiao Niao. I wish to ask if this means that this is a dead end for humanity. Do we have to leave this place and search for another star path entrance?"


    ZERO answered after a while, "No, there are still other methods¡­ This fourth dimension is what we call a static dimension. There is no AI or other space civilization behind it, it was indeed a shield for a ruin. As long as you can find the exact data and with great computing power, you could still traverse through this shield¡­"


    The group was psyched. Xiao Niao instantly asked, "ZERO, I''m sure you have super computing power, so can you please help us? Help me enter this green light. The ruin aside, we have to get to the star path entrance beyond this green light. After all, moving to another star path is going to take too long and we might stumble across other dangers. It''s best if we can enter this star path here¡­ Can you please help us? I will forever be in your debt!"


    ZERO went into a long silence again. It lasted for around 20 plus minutes, to the point where they thought she had left. Then she wrote, "Fine, I understand, I will help you¡­ But on the condition that your great leader here promises that I will be in full control of every electrical system, including the anti-gravity systems and propelling systems, when we are inside the fourth dimension. Ask him first whether he trusts me that much or not.


    "Furthermore, even though the level of this ruin is not high, there is something inside that I can sense¡­


    "It is something that is scarier that you can possibly imagine!"

 Chapter 390: Entry!

    Chapter 390: Entry!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Perfect¡­"


    This was another experiment. This time all 20 animals survived the entry into the four dimensional space. This made the participating scientists cheer out loud. Some of them had a hard time believing that the Hope''s AI had suddenly become so powerful that it could completely predict and analyse the various energy patterns inside the fourth dimension.


    Regardless, after the last failed experiment, all of the experiments after that were successful; there were no cases of death or twisting. The next experiment would push in 500 animals. If they too returned unharmed, next would be the Hope''s first human experiment. The leader of the Diviners would enter the green light.


    On the other hand, even though the experiments were successful, the few people who knew the truth were having their own discussions in a secret meeting room.


    "Ol'' Yao! I refuse to stand by your decision! If it was human, then perhaps we could consider it, but it''s just an AI. This kind of situation¡­"


    Guang Zhen slammed the table to emphasize his anger. Xiao Niao beside him said, with a bitter smile, "Commander Wong, she''s a sentient lifeform, not an AI¡­"


    "Major Qi Xiao Niao, did you ask your opinion?!" Guang Zhen laid it into Xiao Niao. He declared loudly, "In any case, I do not agree to let it control the entire the Hope. It is not from our race, so it must mean us harm! If it was human, then it would still be negotiate, but handing control of the ship to a non-human and going into a four dimensional space, no matter how I look at it, this is a suicide mission. This is asking for human extinction¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed and he looked at Guang Zhen seriously. "Ol'' Wong, do you really think¡­ She cannot take over the Hope if she wants to? Do you still remember the incident with the cursed planet? She has shown that she can take over the Hope if she wanted to, so why hasn''t she if she means us harm? Even though I am the leader of humanity, I am not conceited enough to think human civilization is advanced enough to deal with the creation of a high tier space civilization. In other words, if she really wanted to end it, she could have done it a long time ago. Instead of predicting each other''s intentions, why not make use of this opportunity to feel her out? If she doesn''t do anything harmful to the Hope after we allow her to take control, then this means that she doesn''t mean us harm and we can sleep easier at night."


    Guang Zhen replied with the same serious countenance, "But have you thought about the risk involved? This is four dimensional space, if¡­"


    "Enough." Yao Yuan put his hand up. "This is an order! Commander Wong, please follow my order!"


    After a short silence, Guang Zhen stood at attention and gave Yao Yuan a salute. "Yes, Sir!"


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Sit down, we''ll discuss the next agenda¡­ Whether to enter this ruin."


    Just like that, after the successful human experiment, where the only bad effect was there was a new discovery of a disease called fourth dimension blindness, all the other vitals were perfectly fine. Under these circumstances, the Hope finally decided to enter this layer of green light, the fourth dimension!


    "Energy control normal, anti-gravity system normal, structural integrity in place¡­"


    In central command, Yao Yuan sat in the captain''s chair, listening to the various reports. When everything was ready, he ordered the Hope to enter the green light. At the same time, in a screen that only he could see, ZERO reported that she was ready.


    Yao Yuan sighed slightly in relief. From his Diviner power, he realized that there were indeed multiple dangers in this green light, but these dangers either weren''t fatal or weren''t directed at the Hope. Of course, if little Eva was around, then it would be perfect, as she was like a golden finger that could give plenty of benefits to the Hope¡­ Not to be ignored was Jay''s large scale hypnotic power as well¡­


    Yao Yuan sighed once more and kept his thoughts to himself. Now he needed to focus completely in his role as the captain of the ship, or else something irrevocable might happen due to his carelessness. If it was something bad¡­ then he really wouldn''t have the face to still lead the human race, if the human race still remained that is.


    The Hope was actually not far away from the green light, but since this was the cosmos, this distance that was not far still required several hours of travel time. In this period, other than holding down the fort at central command, Yao Yuan continued conversing with ZERO. Even though this ZERO showed obvious sign of being not interested in the conversation, she responded to him better than Guang Zhen and the likes, who simply refused to talk to him about this.


    "¡­ZERO, you must be extremely careful. This entry into the green light, we humans have placed our complete faith on you. This action that gambles the race''s entire future and existence, losing is really not an option. You have to be 100 percent confident¡­" Yao Yuan''s fingers swiped the transparent keyboard floating before him. A few sentences appeared on the small screen to his side. This was the channel he used to communicate to ZERO.


    ZERO''s answer came after a long time. "Don''t worry, you''ve said this 47 times already. I''m a sentient lifeform, not some lowly AI, how could I make a mistake on something like this¡­ Furthermore, this is just a four dimensional space, this is a cakewalk for me."


    Yao Yuan smiled a slightly bitter smile. Just a four dimensional space¡­ This was something that could destroy everything in the three dimensional cosmos, it was something humanity could only simulate, something that could tear humanity''s understanding of science to its foundation, something that was unlike the existence of magic or miracles to human minds, yet it was "just" a four dimensional space for ZERO¡­


    Yao Yuan suddenly asked, "ZERO, actually I have two questions that I''ve been meaning to ask you but haven''t had the chance. Since we''re cooperating this time, then if I may be so forward, do you mind answering these questions¡­ One is the UFO, are you controlling it? Two is about the existence of your previous owner. Where are they now? How advanced was their technology? High tier space civilization? The legendary level 9 space civilization?"


    "Level 9? Legendary?" Even though it was only written, Yao Yuan could discern the heavy sarcasm and condescension in her words. Then he saw what ZERO continued to write.


    "This cosmos is bigger than you imagine. It is more than just space, or more accurately, it is more than the space that you can see and feel. This fourth dimension is the perfect example. It also includes the time in space as well as the energy layer and physical illusory layer. Even beyond that, there is a space of ideal material and heart. You humans are still too young, as young as the unicellular organisms of a new-born planet. You wish to understand the whole mystery of the cosmos in your current state? Impossible¡­ This cosmos is bigger than you can imagine, bigger than your scientists can imagine, so much bigger that even how much bigger is on scale that you cannot fathom. Therefore, the civilizations among all these layers are innumerable as well, and the so-called legendary level 9 space civilization is only legendary in your limited worldview¡­


    "I will answer your second question first. I do not know the level of the civilization that created me, but I can reveal to you a simple message: this civilization¡­ is at least a god-tier space civilization!"


    When he saw the words "god-tier space civilization," Yao Yuan felt the air in his body being sucked out. His heart was palpitating and he even broke out in cold sweat. Thankfully, due to his training and decades of experience, he slowly calmed down and returned to normal.


    ZERO acted as if she hadn''t just revealed an incredible secret. This was information¡­ that would interest level 9 space civilizations, and she was hiding inside the spaceship of a level 2 space civilization. This also made Yao Yuan more determined on preserving the secret existence of this UFO inside the Hope.


    After a break for food and a short rest, the Hope was slowly approaching the green light. They were so close that they could already see it with the naked eye. Many alien spaceships still entered the green light with extreme regularity. Ever since the Hope had stopped here, at least a million alien spaceships had entered the green light. And now it was the Hope''s turn¡­


    "Inspection of anti-gravity system completed¡­"


    "Inspection of the propeller device completed¡­"


    "All devices and machineries that can cause irregular force within the Hope have been stopped¡­"


    "Control of the ship has been taken by the AI¡­"


    Guang Zhen sat in the captain''s chair and ordered all the workers present, "I order for the Hope to enter the green light."


    "Vice Captain''s order, the Hope is entering the green light!"


    At the same time, as the Hope would enter the green light in a few minute, Yao Yuan brought along Ren Tao, Xiao Niao, Zhang Heng, Bo Li, and a few Black Star Troopers to the Hope''s central mainframe. This was a decision made by Yao Yuan after he conversed with ZERO¡­


    As they entered the fourth dimension, he wished to see this UFO of a god tier space civilization for himself, to see what secrets it was hiding!

 Chapter 391: Fourth Dimension!

    Chapter 391: Fourth Dimension!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The Hope had officially entered the green light!


    At the moment of entry, everyone felt blinded. Not from a bright flash, but the rewiring of the nerves connecting the brain to the eyes. It was¡­ an indescribable sensation!


    In that moment, an endlessly describable world appeared in everyone''s sight. This was not a description, it was reality¡­


    In fact, during the numerous experiments, the humans who were sent into the green light all experienced a weird phenomenon of blindness. The Academy came up with the simple hypothesis that humankind''s eyes and other organs were not meant for the fourth dimension, so there naturally would be some problem when they broke through from the third dimension into the fourth dimension.


    However, this blindness wouldn''t persist for long. It would recover after two to three days. In fact, from a medical standpoint, this blindness wasn''t even a type of physical injury. Some scientists suggested that it was because people couldn''t mentally support the sudden change of dimensionality.


    At that moment, when the Hope entered the green light, everyone suddenly understood why there was such a blindness. It was because¡­ the place was too huge!


    Just like how the cow was twisted beyond belief when its whole body was sent into the fourth dimension, it happened to human beings as well.


    Therefore, when one looked out, the sight was dispersed. To put it simply, humankind''s eyes had been affected by the fourth dimension to become something akin to a compound eye. One eye could look multidirectional at one moment in time. This caused the sensation of blindness because the normal indicators found through sight, like directions, had been completely jumbled up.


    It was an indescribable feeling. The only sensation was the spaciousness!


    Looking out from one''s eyes, the sight was turning in different directions. One could even notice that the interior of the Hope was slowly changing as well. In other words, the cabin inside the ship was twisting and turning. No, it was not accurate to call it that, it was twisting and turning only if one viewed it from the perspective of a third dimension dwelling organism, but they were in four dimensional space, so this was merely the natural manifestation of the changing of forms in the fourth dimension.


    To give a simple example, imagine an apple in a painting. That''s an object in the second dimension. Should it turn on its own, then the other dimension normally hidden would appear on the painting. In reality, that dimension had always been there. The only reason it would appear as it was not there was because dimension wasn''t something observable in a two dimensional painting.


    Similarly for creatures in a three dimensional space, the organs, muscle, blood vessels, bones, and the like were unobservable because they were "inside". This was the limitation of the three dimensional space.


    However, when they moved into the fourth dimension, an indescribable space axis appeared. This space axis didn''t have a directional left, right, up, down, but crossed through all senses of direction, including inside and outside. Just like how the linear movement of a point caused the creation of line (first dimension), the movement of a line caused a plane (two dimensional), the movement of a plane caused the sense of dimension (third dimension), when the dimension moved, a new space axis that parsed through all the dimensions in normal three dimensional space was born and the creation of this new space axis led to the existence of the fourth dimension!


    Currently, humankind was like the object moving out from the painting into a three dimensional space. Due to the change in dimension, it caused a sense of vertigo on the faculty of sight, hearing, touch, and even the Homo Evolutis'' powers. This was something natural, and the reason behind the four dimensional blindness.


    To put it even simpler¡­ the human brain could not keep up with the sudden increase in observable information. To protect the consciousness, it befuddled the mind to limit the intake of random information.


    This happened to every human being and alien in the Hope, including the Homo Evolutis¡­ No, there seemed to be an exception. Granted their numbers was small, this group of people had truly overcome the information overload caused by the change into fourth dimension and managed to record everything in sight.


    They were the Seekers!


    The Seekers were the second most suitable Homo Evolutis in combat, ranking just behind the Perceptors. They were normally used for long-distance support. Other than that, they could also be considered the most non-favored among the Homo Evolutis. This was because their combat prowess was not as good as the Perceptors, they couldn''t sense danger, couldn''t help with technology, didn''t have the Thinker''s power, or even access to the soul web. In short, the Seekers were considered the most useless among all the Homo Evolutis.


    This was because the biggest use for Seekers was their ability to see everything clearly. However, this could be easily replaced by surveillance devices, and this was merely the surveillance device of a level 2 space civilization. What if the space civilization was a level 3 or level 4 space civilization? Then the Seeker''s power could be said to be completely useless.


    However, at this moment, all of the Seekers realized that they had a natural adaptation to the changes in the fourth dimension. They were naturally familiar with the new space axis and understood how it operated instinctually. To put it simply, the Seekers felt like they were already fourth dimension dwellers¡­


    At the same time, in the room that housed the central mainframe, Yao Yuan''s group stood around the closed door that led to the room that held the secret UFO. The group also felt four dimensional blindness as the Hope''s entered the green light. If not for ZERO''s masterful handling of the ship''s anti-gravity system, everyone would have been pinned to the spot. It was also the reason why there wasn''t chaos among the citizens of the Hope, at least the gravity wasn''t changed abruptly.


    Several minutes after the four-dimensional blindness, Yao Yuan, as well as a Seeker who was present in the group, slowly adapted to the experience within the fourth dimension.


    The world they saw was completely different from the non-seekers, who had around them an irrational, illogical world that they couldn''t make sense of in words or writing. However, for the Seeker and Yao Yuan, they saw something different.


    It was a world that was huge, but it could be described as spacious as well. In this small room that sealed the UFO, from Yao Yuan''s eyes, this room seemed to morph into a giant, twisting maze with the dimensions layering on top of another; however, the overlapping was strangely harmonious. These dimensions added to a complete entity, like they were supposed to be that way.


    From the perspective of the fourth dimension, dimensions were supposed to be fluid. They moved constantly, and this was the single biggest difference between the fourth dimension and the third dimension. Simply put, there was no constant in the fourth dimension, or rather, there was no constant point of reference that could be used to determine an object''s location like in three dimensional space. For the fourth dimension, an object''s location had to be determined through the calculation of a mathematic algorithm.


    That was why it was so dangerous for a creature of the third dimension to enter the fourth dimension, because for them, it was a change from static to extreme movement, like a creature walking into a working blender. Wouldn''t that be alarming and dangerous?


    However, the most curious thing was that for Yao Yuan, it was as if he could discern the various movements and trajectories in the four dimensional space. Even though it was layers upon layers of dimensions before him, as if operating on instinct, he could pick up the way to go among the different layers. Where was the original ceiling, where were the original doors and exits, where was the UFO located, the information was registered in his mind as if by natural instinct. He took a closer look and realized that the place wasn''t as chaotic as he previously perceived. If anything, there was a rush from the new sense of dimensional freedom.


    "This way¡­"


    The other person who uttered that statement at the same time as Yao Yuan was the other Seeker. He was Wa Luo, one of the original Black Star Unit members and leader of the eighth Black Star Trooper unit.


    Both of them turned to look at each other. Even though what they saw was each other''s meat blobs, they could still discern each other''s identities. In fact, in their minds, it was the three dimensional human form that was registered. This kind of mental process was faster than the calculating power of a supercomputer, even more powerful than the Hope''s low level AI.


    "Of course, the Seeker''s power¡­ So this is the Seeker''s real capability."


    Yao Yuan sighed internally. He was remembering Ying, the most powerful Seeker the ship once had. However, this was not the time to process grief. Who knew how long they would last in this fourth dimension? The key point was to see this alien UFO for themselves!


    Yao Yuan told Wa Luo, "You stay and watch over them. I believe they have been afflicted by four dimensional blindness. I''ll go check on that UFO." Before waiting for a reply, Yao Yuan went flying down a direction.


    Honestly, flying was probably not the correct term. As this was the fourth dimension, there was no exact location or point. Instead of motion, or words used in three dimensional space like walking or flying, it would be more accurate if it was called twisting and turning. In Wa Luo''s eyes, Yao Yuan''s body turned long, short, wide, and thin as he moved away. Then he completely disappeared from his sight.


    Yao Yuan used his instinct to reach another dimension. From here, he could witness the alien UFO directly. His gaze landed on the UFO, and to his surprise¡­


    The UFO was unchanged!


    Not only was it not damaged by the change into the fourth dimension, even the form of the UFO itself was unchanged!


    Yes, it had maintained its perfectly spherical shape, its three dimensional form!


    It maintained a three dimensional form in a four dimensional space!


    This was a scene¡­ that could make even high tier space civilizations wet their pants from fear and shock!

 Chapter 392: End of the Green Light!

    Chapter 392: End of the Green Light!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan looked at this spherical UFO with a dazed look on his face. He felt like his brain was overworking on overdrive and there was a dull pain not unlike the sensation he felt when he was overexerting his Homo Evolutis power.


    He was inside a four dimensional space and the environment around him was changing accordingly, but on the other hand, this alien UFO had maintained a three dimensional form. This was a curious feeling. Yao Yuan wasn''t a scientist; even though he did spend most of his days reading scientist reports so that he could have a better handle over the development of the Academy, he didn''t have the scientific knowledge to explain and understand the incongruity of this alien UFO.


    However, he at least understood one thing because it had been confirmed by the influential scientists from the Academy and Blue 6, the heir to a level 3 space civilization. It was the fact that anyt three dimensional object or even energy would be extremely fragile in the fourth dimension. This included neutron stars and even black hole matter, they would be "fourth dimensional-ized". This change could be seen from appearance alone. For example, a human being was twisted beyond recognition and this went to show the malleability of any three dimensional object in the fourth dimension.


    However, this alien UFO¡­ Even though there was no microscope, Yao Yuan could confirm even in this four dimensional space that its surface was clean as a whistle, just like how it was in a three dimensional space. In fact, Yao Yuan believed that this UFO could survive any attack without the need for any shield¡­


    "This is indeed the creation of a god tier space civilization, but it is currently impossible to tell¡­ whether leaving it on the Hope is a tragedy or a blessing¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed under his breath. He thought he could use this opportunity to investigate this UFO, but it was to no avail. However, this did confirm Yao Yuan''s suspicion that this alien UFO probably did come from a high tier space civilization like level 8 or 9 or even¡­ as ZERO claimed, a god-tier space civilization!


    In spite of that, the higher the level of the civilization that created this UFO, the more afraid Yao Yuan felt. If this UFO came from a level 3, 4, 5, or even 6 space civilization, humanity would need at most several thousand years to catch up. Eventually, they would be able to open this UFO and gain its technology. In other words, this UFO was like a carry-on ruin, incredibly convenient.


    However, the technological level of this UFO was too high, so much so that humanity wouldn''t be able to unveil its secrets in the foreseeable future. This was the creation of a god-tier space civilization that they couldn''t even fathom. After all, in the endlessness of space, only one over several million space civilizations could evolve to become a high tier space civilization, and a god-tier space civilization wasn''t called god-tier for nothing¡­ they perhaps had already left this common cosmos shared by the normal space civilizations. That was a technological level that was so far beyond human comprehension that it could only be described in terms of magic, miracle, or myth.


    But¡­ was that something humanity could strive for? Even though humanity had an impossible number of cosmic adapters and Yao Yuan, the Immortal... could humanity really become a high tier space civilization? Even if humanity was given the time to cultivate for several tens of thousand years, as long as the law of preservation of life was still a thing, there wasn''t a 100 percent chance that humanity could eventually reach the stage of a high tier space civilization. After all, there were simply too many hidden dangers in space; one careless step and humanity could be vaporized¡­


    In other words, an incredibly tempting product of a god-tier space civilization had fallen into humanity''s hands, but they could do nothing about it. Could this¡­ really be counted as a type of good luck? Or it was something that would cause humanity''s destruction in the future?


    While standing there, many thoughts were drifting through Yao Yuan''s mind. In fact, the thought to abandon this UFO in the green light even appeared in his mind. However, after considering all the pros and cons, like the inherent value of the UFO, the possibility of ZERO leaving this UFO, and whether ZERO, who had escaped the UFO, still retained her powers like controlling space warp¡­


    Lastly¡­ If ZERO couldn''t leave the UFO and he abandoned the UFO, would ZERO use the UFO to attack the Hope? Needless to say, that was a battle that the Hope couldn''t win¡­


    In conclusion, there were simply too many considerations, causing the normally decisive Yao Yuan to come to a standstill¡­


    Back in the Hope''s central command, as the ship entered the green light, everyone suffered from fourth dimensional blindness. Unfortunately, none of the Black Star Troopers stationed there was a Seeker. Most of the people present were either Diviners or scientists, so naturally, everyone became blind and then they were anchored to the floor by ZERO through the control of the ship''s gravity.


    However, as everyone had been briefed about this before, after a contained panic, everyone became calm, "watching" the changes around them. It was like a world seen through a kaleidoscope, and the entire ship was now taken over by an "AI".


    Of everyone present, Guang Zhen was the most nervous because he was one of the handful who knew the truth that it was not the Hope''s AI that was controlling the ship. If it was the AI behind all this, he would be a lot more relaxed because the AI was a human creation, meaning it was limited by human algorithms. Until it reached the stage of a mid-level AI, it wouldn''t betray humanity.


    It was ZERO, the creation of an unknown space civilization, who was controlling the Hope. At the very least, it was a high level AI. There was no telling what kind of tricks it could pull. If it harbored any mal-intention towards humanity, this would be the perfect opportunity to ruin humanity, so how could Guang Zhen be relaxed?


    Suddenly, a 3D image appeared before Guang Zhen''s eyes. Weirdly enough, even though they were in the fourth dimension, he could see this image clearly like they were directly materializing in his brain in 3D form.


    On it was written a sentence. "Beginning countdown to leaving the fourth dimension: 2 hours 42 minutes 51 seconds¡­"


    The timer kept ticking down. After the initial shock, Guang Zhen soon understood that this was the calculation done by ZERO, and it had used some kind of unknown method to allow him see a three dimensional image in the fourth dimension. This did make him relaxed for quite a bit. Since this ZERO hadn''t killed humanity at the first given notice and had even provided them with a timer, then it probably didn''t mean humanity any harm¡­


    On the other hand, this timer was the only thing ZERO gave. There was no question, answer, or any other comments. Of course, in his current state, Guang Zhen couldn''t communicate with ZERO even if he wanted to. Since Guang Zhen had shown great suspicion against ZERO, the "AI" was merely responding in kind. Furthermore, Guang Zhen was neither Yao Yuan nor Xiao Niao, so ZERO was completely uninterested in him. If not for the fact that Yao Yuan had told ZERO that Guang Zhen would be taking over the captain''s duty during their time in the green light, she wouldn''t even have given him the timer.


    Regardless, in a state of anxiety and silence, the completely warped Hope continued to travel in this four dimensional space. In fact, they had ZERO to thank for her aid, or else the Hope wouldn''t have been able to enter the space without suffering any deaths or damage.


    As time passed, the Hope passed through many layers of dimensions and crossed large, unimaginable distances, and finally, when the timer ended, everyone saw a flash in front of their eyes before everything suddenly became clear again. At the same time, everyone discovered they had regained the freedom of mobility. As they slowly adapted to the change, everyone patted their bodies from head to toe. It felt like normal human bodies to the touch, there was nothing missing or out of place. It looked like¡­ the Hope had successfully passed through the green light.


    The surrounding space returned to the sight of a normal cosmos; however, most of the people on the Hope were still in the state of four dimensional blindness. The sole exceptions were the few Seekers. They headed towards central command on instinct. Yao Yuan, who found himself in the central mainframe room, ordered Wa Luo to look after the small group as he too moved towards central command.


    This was the Hope''s most vulnerable moment as about 99 percent of the people on the Hope were blind and they would remain blind for at least 2 to 3 days. The small number of Seekers could barely take care of the blind people, much less control the ship. However, there were many things waiting to be done, including a quick surveillance of this space within the layer of green light¡­


    As Yao Yuan rushed towards central command, he passed a corridor that looked out into space, and there¡­


    He saw it! Not far away from the Hope, a giant tree was extending its branches, trunks, leaves, and roots into the emptiness of space. This tree was several hundred kilometers tall. It was an unimaginably big and tall¡­


    Tree growing in space!

 Chapter 393: High Tier Genetic-based Space Civilization

    Chapter 393: High Tier Genetic-based Space Civilization


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It had been five days since the Hope passed the green light and stopped at this part of space. Gradually, more people recovered from four dimensional blindness. The first of them were none other than the Homo Evolutis, followed by those gifted in intelligence and wisdom. Currently, around 60 percent of the Hope had recovered from blindness, so, generally speaking, the Hope could run normally again.


    The initial one or two days of these five days were the worst. After all, other than the small number of Seekers, most of the Hope was in a state of blindness. A normal individual was unable to see anything, making everyday chores like eating and using the toilet nigh impossible. The awkwardness caused by the differences in gender aside, the Hope''s Seekers weren''t numerous enough to be able to take care of the several ten thousand people on the Hope.


    The asset that shone the brightest then was the Hope''s AI, the one created by humanity, and not ZERO. ZERO seemed to have disappeared as if to avoid suspicion the moment they left the fourth dimension. No matter how hard Yao Yuan called for her, she was nowhere to be seen.


    The human AI naturally returned to its post and continued to control the Hope. At this crucial time, Yao Yuan had dropped his reservations regarding the AI and ordered the AI to control all the service robots on the Hope to help its citizens. The robots were allocated to different areas, and even though there might''ve been a lack of human touch in their care-taking, at least the people''s basic needs would be taken care of.


    With the AI''s help, the Hope survived the most difficult period. As the number of individuals who had recovered gradually increased, they took over the robots'' jobs. After all, even though these robots were extremely helpful and obedient, Yao Yuan''s heart still chilled every time these robots handled the human citizens of the Hope. From his conversation with Blue 6 about the rise and fall of space civilizations, one of the common reasons for the collapse of space civilizations had to do with the uprising of the machines. Therefore, since humanity had recovered parts of its manpower, Yao Yuan quickly sealed these robots back into inactivity.


    The situation had improved greatly since then. Around 60 percent of the Hope had recovered, and to Yao Yuan''s surprise, other than almost all of the Homo Evolutis, which were to be expected, the remaining majority of the 60 percent were senior citizens. With a closer look, most of them were scientists and researchers, and in comparison, the percentage of healthy young men and women was curiously low.


    According to the analysis of certain people, this had plenty to do with the fact that four dimensional space was most likely a blurring of information, so as long as one could see through the haze that blurred the information, then the confusion could be easily resolved. This was similar to those abstract paintings. Those who couldn''t understand it would see squiggles and lines, while those with an artistic eye would appreciate its true meaning. Perhaps that was the theory behind the application of four dimensional blindness.


    As interesting as this was, Yao Yuan did not concern himself over this. Perhaps the Academy could make something out of the study of four dimensional blindness, but it had nothing to do with Yao Yuan. When most of the Academy had recovered, Yao Yuan called them for a meeting. The agenda was none other than the giant space tree visible outside of the Hope.


    For most who had just recovered from four dimensional blindness, the first thing they did after witnessing the giant tree in space was not question their sanity but rub their eyes continuously, afraid that the blindness from before had created an illusion in their minds. When they realized that they weren''t hallucinating, most of them took an involuntary deep breath and stared at the tree with their mouths gaping wide.


    With the aid of the surveillance devices, the accurate height of this space tree was 1,460 plus kilometers, almost one-tenth the size of Earth. After all, Earth''s diameter was only 12,000 and the moon was even smaller, at around 3,000 kilometers. Therefore, even though 1,460 kilometers might sound small on paper, it would take a domestic plane 2 hours to travel a distance that far, but for something that was supposed to grow on a planet and not exist independently in space, this was a verifiably huge tree.


    This tree was almost as big as certain space stations or moons of certain planets. If it had its own gravity, humans could possible walk on the surface of its bark without the worry of being tossed into space.


    The first question was not how this tree could survive in space but the size itself. The size of this tree had already violated humanity''s understanding of biology. The size of the thing was enough to create its own gravity, so how could this tree not crumble beneath its own gravitational pull? What material was it made of? Rocks or metals? Or was it a real, living tree?


    Furthermore, where would its energy to grow come from? How did it survive in a vacuum? There were simply too many questions that Yao Yuan needed the Academy''s help to answer.


    The first thing that they needed to confirm was whether this thing before them was real or not. Perhaps this was simply a mirage. After all, such a huge thing existing in space was against common knowledge. Therefore, before discussing the physicality of its existence, they had to make sure they were dealing with an actual thing.


    However, in space, all surveillance devices went both ways. In other words, when you detected others, others would have detected you as well. Recklessly using surveillance technology in this unknown space? That was a suicidal mission. A space civilization that could produce a fourth dimension shield was definitely a high tier space civilization, and mankind was nothing more than an ant before it. Currently, the other party perhaps had not detected humanity, but if humanity recklessly sent surveillance devices at it, they might attract the ruin''s attention, and that could lead to humanity''s extinction¡­ Yao Yuan didn''t dare to bet on the possibility that the high tier ruin didn''t have an AI residing within it.


    Therefore, the Academy''s request for surveillance had been promptly denied. For now, Yao Yuan merely wished for them to explain the possibility of this tree existing in space.


    Naturally, the scientists were disappointed, but they understood Yao Yuan''s hesitation. So they followed Yao Yuan''s advice and focused on discussing the possibility of such a big tree existing in space. To Yao Yuan''s consternation, a large majority of the Academy believed that this was not an illusion, this tree was probably an actual plant in space.


    In fact, after experiencing the fourth dimension, these human scientists had not only gained much valuable information about the fourth dimension, their horizons had also been widened. Their worldview had been widened and broken beyond the limitation of human knowledge, and they dared to use perspective beyond the confines of human science to view and understand the various illogical phenomenon in space.


    "Based on all the known information, living things, be it animal or plant, have the possibility of existing in space. For example, the alien plant or the zerg race. These species survive in space using their own bodies, and they can even procreate in space just fine¡­"


    In the meeting room, the head scientist of the biology committee, Yuan Pin, was giving his explanation to the top leaders of the Hope. "I believe everyone here knows a thing or two about the relationship between human technology and the natural world. Most of our technological advances are inspired by the things that exist in nature, the obvious example being sonar radar and bats. Even submarines, airplanes, these are all related to the majesty of the natural world. So what I mean to say is fairly simple: the natural world is more wondrous than you can imagine. With enough time or technology to supplement it, life itself can replace the functionality of many machineries. For example, initiating nuclear fission within living cells to support an electromagnetic shield or plasma shield. These things are definitely possible as long as said creature has the necessary organs and biological make-up to mimic the functionality of the machines it was intended to replace."


    That was the key!


    Most of the people on the Hope were elites. In fact, the current layer of the Hope''s top officials, be it Yao Yuan and the Black Star Unit or Homo Evolutis like Ren Tao and Xiao Niao or the elites saved from the Noah One, they were all men among men. In terms of the depth of their knowledge and the flexibility of their thought, they were veritable geniuses. With a nudge in the right direction by Yuan Pin, they understood the key of the situation instantly.


    Blue 6 had roughly mentioned this before, that when a space civilization entered the middle tier or going beyond the fourth level, due to the law of conservation of life, all space civilizations had to choose a particular scientific field to focus on. They couldn''t research everything like low tier space civilizations did anymore. Therefore, there would be specialized space civilizations, like mechanical space civilizations, genetic space civilizations, and cosmic energy space civilizations. This was one of the natural laws of the cosmos.


    If one looked at it from this perspective, then this impossibly large tree could be explained easily¡­


    This was possibly the product of a high tier genetic-based space civilization, and this tree was quite possibly a living mothership!

 Chapter 394: Summon!

    Chapter 394: Summon!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Understanding the giant tree didn''t mean that humanity had a way to deal with it. It was the same problem as before, humanity was too weak. A level 2 space civilization at its peak facing up against a high tier space civilization with a four dimensional shield was like a unicellular organism facing off against humanity with nuclear weapons, the difference couldn''t have been bigger!


    Humanity''s current technological level, excluding the Homo Evolutis cheat, was no different from a normal level 2 space civilization''s. In fact, its level might be lower than other level 2 space civilization''s due to its small fleet size. To counterbalance this, humanity had two secret weapons beyond the standard of low level space civilizations: the Gravity Cannon and the alien plant.


    However, in this situation, the Gravity Cannon was practically harmless. After all, a space civilization that had mastered the four dimensional shield definitely would have access to the anti-gravity system. In that case, the power of the Gravity Cannon would be neutralized. Even if they didn''t have the anti-gravity system, the essentially endless fourth dimension could be used to negate the effect of the Gravity Cannon just fine.


    On the other hand, the alien plant that could consume anything, including energy¡­ it was a mystery whether it could pose any harm to the giant tree. After all, this giant tree definitely came from a high tier space civilization, and the technological level of this alien plant¡­ was unknown. The difference in technological advancement decided many things in space. Furthermore, humanity only had one chance to strike against such a high tier space civilization, so if the alien plant failed to consume anything, then humanity could be considered done for. Naturally, Yao Yuan didn''t dare to take such a huge risk¡­


    Therefore, ever since leaving the fourth dimension, the Hope had spent almost a month idling in space, it had also circled around the giant tree several times. Every inch of this space was scanned and checked. This area that was surrounded by the green light was about as big as the distance between the sun and Jupiter. Other than the giant tree, there was nothing else worth noting occupying the empty space.


    However, this place was indeed the coordinates for the star path taken from the alien merchant, Blue 6 and the ruined spaceships they stumbled across along the way. Even though neither of them described in details what a star path was, they did share a common description, one would know the identity of a star path entrance the moment one laid one''s eyes on it.


    Alas, humankind had seen nothing other than the giant tree here, definitely nothing that could be taken as the entrance to a star path.


    With no other option, Yao Yuan''s group had to go to ZERO for help, hoping that they could get more information on the star path from her, but honestly, Yao Yuan didn''t think ZERO would even show up.


    To his surprise, not only did ZERO answer their summons, she also gave them some useful information about the star path.


    "The so-called star paths are not naturally occurring phenomenon, yet they aren''t fully an alien creation either. Actually, your high end technology has touched upon the knowledge of this level briefly. Yes, I''m talking about the basic particle in quantum physics. If you cut a quartz into two and placed them each at two ends of the universe, when you touch one, the other will react the same way. This reaction crosses the limitations of space and time¡­ Star paths work on a similar basis. Adjacent solar systems have this kind of relation, and this relation has been there since the creation of the universe. Even though the cosmos has grown over the past several billion years, thus causing such relations to get weaker, these relations won''t be broken unless the universe has reached its end. Utilizing star paths is the most common mode of transportation for god tier space civilizations, a method of travelling that is beyond even space warp¡­ in fact, star paths can be considered the incomplete version of this perfect method of travel.


    "After a civilization becomes god-tier, they will naturally use this method to travel between the many corners of the universe, and as long as they use this to travel between solar systems, then there will be a star path. To put it simply, god-tier space civilizations are like trucks that have travelled across grasslands that are untrodden. Due to the size of the truck, it created a trail as a result of travelling. The other smaller trucks thus can use this trail to travel between solar systems easily. Therefore, star paths are not fully natural occurrences, but they are not alien creations either.


    "Therefore, the majesty of the star path lies in the fact that it utilizes the fifth dimension. One wouldn''t be able to tell it exists from afar and from outside; however, when one gets closer, the star path is like an unimaginably large river of light, it is impossible to miss¡­"


    That was the end of the conversation with ZERO. She disappeared right after. However, Yao Yuan''s group was still pleasantly surprised. After all, they had gained a new understanding of the star path and also understood its inherent problem.


    To be honest, before this, even though they had gained a lot of information about the star path from many alien sources, Yao Yuan''s group still had reservations about using it. After all, all of the information only mentioned the star path in passing; there was no concrete answer to questions like how it looked, who created it, what was the theory behind its ability to connect the impossible distance between two solar systems. This was a super distance that even wormhole and star gate were unable to pass, but a star path¡­ managed to traverse this large distance in a short amount of time. This was something even space warp was unable to do.


    After getting a concrete answer from ZERO, one that was believable based on ZERO''s actions so far, the validity of the star path was proven. However, it left the Hope with another question: where was this star path¡­


    "If the coordinates can be believed, then based on what ZERO said, the star path''s entrance is quite possibly¡­ inside this giant tree!"


    In a whole new round of discussion, Xiao Niao gave the first hypothesis that came into his mind using his Thinker power. "First, I wish for everyone to really think about it. When we came across the junkyard civilization not long after we left Earth, it was the first time we stumbled across alien information, and we gained the Gaussian technology. It was the beginning of our space adventures. Can you still remember that? The process of the civilization being destroyed¡­"


    Everyone present narrowed their eyes. Not to mention the officials who had been on the Hope since the very beginning, even the people who later joined the Hope from the Noah One had seen the footage of the junkyard civilization''s destruction. They were reminded of how the several hundred million alien citizens were sucked into the liquid spaceship. Honestly, there was no one that did not feel fear watching that, because¡­ that would''ve also been humanity''s ending if they had stumbled across that liquid spaceship.


    Xiao Niao continued after his reminder, "The junkyard civilization had how large a population at the time? At least several hundred million, right? However, they were all sucked into the small, liquid-state spaceship. This was supposed to be something physically impossible, so the liquid spaceship must''ve been equipped with some kind of space technology. It looked so small on the surface, but it was probably bigger than a Shelter inside. That spaceship probably belonged to a space civilization of similar level or maybe lower than this giant tree. So it is impossible that this giant tree doesn''t have a space-folding technology inside it¡­"


    Yao Yuan took over the stage at this point. "In other words, the star path could be hidden inside this giant tree? The only way we can get to the star path is to enter the ruin of this high tier space civilization?"


    Everyone was silent. Obviously, they had all come to this conclusion after some contemplation, but this conclusion simply didn''t align with the Hope''s zeitgeist.


    In reality, even among the Hope''s top officials, they were split into various philosophies. One of them was in support of entering the giant tree. It would be best if humanity could end up with some high tier space technology. Of course, even grabbing a few products was already more than good enough. Even if they ended up with nothing, as long as they could get to the star path, then it was still acceptable. However, the number of officials in support of this idea was too small. After all, this was not a water park, this was the ruin of a high tier space civilization. One wrong move and humanity would be vaporized inside it. Therefore, only a single digit percentage of top officials was in support of this idea.


    The rest of them were split into two main camps. One wished to remain still to conduct more analysis. These were those who were unwilling to give up on the ruin but worried about the possible risk. This was about 30 percent of the total, including most of the Homo Evolutis and even a few of the Black Star Unit members.


    The rest, including Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen, voted to leave this star path after close consideration. After all, there had to be more than one star path. This solar system was adjacent to about ten other solar systems, so there had to be other options they could try.


    Just as the discussion and argument continued among the Hope''s top officials, suddenly, on the 37th day after the Hope had passed through the green light¡­


    All the devices on the Hope died! Thankfully, the life support, anti-gravity, and mobility systems were unharmed, but the Hope¡­ started to move on its own towards the giant tree!

 Chapter 395: Helpless!

    Chapter 395: Helpless!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    This caused the Hope to submerge into complete chaos!


    Indeed, humanity was still too fragile. The Hope was the last remaining survivor of the human race, so losing it meant the extinction of humanity. That was the reality of the situation. Even though humanity was on the brink of becoming a level 3 space civilization, on the issue of survivability alone, humanity was even worse than a level 1 space civilization.


    Because of this, when the Hope was taken over, those who knew the truth had their faces blanched immediately, including Yao Yuan.


    He was not afraid of death, yes, that was the truth. Granted, given the choice, he would prefer to live, but he was not afraid of death. If he was, he wouldn''t have become a member of the Black Star Unit and later its captain.


    However, he was greatly afraid of leading humanity to extinction. Call it responsibility, mission, or anything you want, but he had long since taken the people on the Hope as the purpose of his life. They were like his family, so when this happened, he was truly petrified.


    During the short period the Hope was taken over, those who knew the truth were rendered speechless from shock and fear. None knew what to do, because this was too sudden. The entire ship was taken over, this was a crisis they had not experienced before ever since humanity left Earth!


    "Do not panic! Activate AI self-analysis immediately! Check all the currently still controllable systems and devices on the Hope. Also, disconnect the auto self-destruct sequence and change it to manual activation only¡­ Also, disconnect the auto activation for all weapons beyond S-grade."


    Yao Yuan took a deep breath and gave his orders while the rest was still in a state of panic. As his voice resonated through central command, it was as if the people there had found an anchor, and they moved to oblige. At the same time, Guang Zhen, who happened to be in central command to discuss the issue of staying or leaving with Yao Yuan, also yelled agitatedly, "I''ll go summon all the Defense Unit soldiers and Black Star Troopers! F*ck, we might die soon, but we''re not going down without a fight!"


    Before waiting for Yao Yuan to respond, Guang Zhen dashed out of central command.


    On the other hand, Yao Yuan didn''t intend to stop Guang Zhen. After all, this might be the crisis that ended the Hope, and that was one of the better options, because they might get captured and reared as animals or even treated as experimental subjects¡­ If that really happened, the soldiers would be humanity''s last line of defence, not for the sake of survival but for the ability to die with dignity.


    Thinking about this, Yao Yuan added, "Send all the information about the Hope''s still operational devices, programs, and weapons to Room 12 in Area A. Then contact all the government officials over the status of vice minister to Room 12. Get all the scientists and related Defense Unit majors, unit captains, and vice captains of the Black Star Troopers to gather there in 10 minutes as well. Failure to be present will be a violation of martial law!"


    After that, Yao Yuan dashed out of central command. However, he didn''t head towards Room 12 immediately but started sending messages through the mini watch-type computer on his wrist. His computer wasn''t connected to any IP. In fact, from an outsider''s perspective, he looked like he was merely leaving behind some messages on his electronic notepad, only a few people knew he was actually contacting ZERO.


    For some reason, ever since there was a direct channel of communication between Yao Yuan and ZERO, despite their low amount of communication, whenever Yao Yuan sought ZERO out for questions, ZERO would abide by his demands and would appear at the first notice. However, this time, ZERO did not show herself. She was still nowhere to be seen, even when Yao Yuan had reached Room 12.


    Yao Yuan''s expression darkened. He didn''t know whether this meant that ZERO had completely abandoned humanity or that the level of this ruin was so high that she had gone into hiding for the sake of her own safety. Either way, Yao Yuan did not feel good about their prospects.


    Yao Yuan tried his best to exhibit a calm expression even though his heart was shaking. He knew he needed a paragon of serenity to aid as the whole ship was dependant on him. If he lost his footing, the whole ship would go down with him. As more people arrived at the scene, more people learned about the truth, but the situation was still rather contained.


    This was the influence of Yao Yuan''s reputation. Ever since humanity left Earth, Yao Yuan had been there every step of the way until now, when they were about to break through to become a level 3 space civilization. Every time the Hope faced any dangerous threat, or during any social reform, Yao Yuan was still hailed as the savior in everyone''s hearts. In other words, as long as Yao Yuan stood strong, there was still hope for humanity, and Yao Yuan used this influence he had on the Hope to maintain the order within the secret meeting room.


    In the designated 10 minutes, everyone had arrived. The last to arrive was Guang Zhen, who had brought along with him all of the Defense Unit majors and Black Star Trooper captains and vice captains. Yao Yuan did not plan to hide the reality from any of them, so he immediately relayed to them the Hope''s situation.


    At the same time, Yao Yuan opened the 3D computer in the room and told everyone, "This is the result of the AI''s self-analysis. Unfortunately, other than internal life support, the anti-gravity system, and all related systems, the rest of the Hope is beyond our control. Of course, we planned for this contingency when we first designed the AI, so I believe that most of us here know about the ''last resort'' plan. We have switched the Gravity Cannon, the Genesis, and the two Planet Annihilating Cannons back to manual operation, and¡­ the self-destruct sequence is also now manually operable."


    Everyone was silent while listening to Yao Yuan. Suddenly, Ren Tao chimed in, "How about the Hope''s flight speed? How far are we from the ruin? Can we change the speed or direction of the ship?"


    Yao Yuan nodded. "That is why I''ve gathered every one of you here. The Hope''s current speed is rather slow, about 30 percent of the Hope''s maximum speed. If the speed is maintained at this level, we will reach the ruin in about 8 to 9 days¡­ if the speed of the ship doesn''t change."


    Ren Tao stopped asking question after that. He merely sat there in silence, thinking to himself. Xiao Niao though continued, "Then is it possible for us to build any propellers in the mean time? If the Hope is only moving at 30 percent speed, then we can build new propellers to change the direction. No, wait¡­ I''ve just answered myself, that won''t work."


    Guang Zhen, who was beside him, frowned and asked, "Why won''t it work? I feel like it''s a sound plan. According to our current productivity, with the help of the nanobots, we can build a new propeller system for the Hope in less than 2 days, much less 8 days. This is a good plan, so why wouldn''t it work?"


    Not only Guang Zhen, others in the room had the same question as well. Yao Yuan had Xiao Niao explain himself, which he gladly did. After all, he was not Ren Tao, who was too lazy to even open his mouth. "It all comes back to one speculation, and that is whether this ruin will even allow us to leave¡­ In fact, when I found out that the Hope was taken over today, and I''m sure the Chancellor has thought of this as well, why wasn''t the Hope taken over yesterday, or tomorrow, but today? If this is not a coincidence, there has to be something unusual that we did today to make the ruin control the Hope.


    "However, today was like any other day on the Hope, so what was the difference? The only difference I can think of is that today we were discussing the possibility of leaving. In other words, when we decided to ''leave'', the Hope was taken over. In fact, don''t you think that we''re moving simply too slow towards the ruin? Instead of rushing us towards it, this ruin seems to be giving us ample time to prepare before we enter it. If we continue to talk about ''leaving'', ''changing our course'', or ''disruption'' in this period of time, I have no clue what the ruin will do as a response."


    After he gave his reasoning, many in the room started to chew on it. Then they started to break out in cold sweat/ If he was right, then wasn''t this ruin incredibly scary? After all, for the sake of safety, the Hope had been releasing the creator''s particle ever since they arrived. In other words, according to space knowledge, no signal was supposed to reach the Hope either to listen in or to control it, but the reality was, the ruin had controlled the Hope¡­ and that was under the condition that it had been listening in on their decision-making.


    This situation¡­ defied logical explanation!

 Chapter 396: Relic Type Ruin!

    Chapter 396: Relic Type Ruin!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The discussion didn''t reach any conclusion that day. After all, humanity was still too weak, they simply couldn''t understand the theory behind the action of this ruin that was way beyond humankind''s technological level.


    This led to a sense of sinking despair, one that was laced with frustration. After all¡­ it had almost 20 years since humankind had ventured into space. In the fast advancement of these 20 years, they still hadn''t been able to break through to a higher level¡­ that was truly a great blow to the human confidence.


    Of course, if this kind of emotion was revealed to other space civilizations or even Blue 6, humanity would probably be slapped on the face for such frivolous thoughts.


    After all, this was not some RPG game where experience could be gained easily through slaughtering enemies! This was the level of a civilization as a whole, a living organization involving several million, even billion people!


    From the stone age to the copper age, from the copper age to the metal age, from the metal age to the gunpowder age, then to steam power, electrical power, and so on and so forth, every advancement in these technological eras required plenty of human energy, materials, time, and even exhaustion of population to complete. It was the same for space civilizations. Due to the lack of a stable source of soul, many space civilizations ended their lives at the same level as they started, level 1 or 2. Every level 3 space civilizations had only reached that point after millennium of cultivation and hard work. In this long and arduous process, many had fallen along the wayside. In fact, according to the alien information, only 1 around 1,000,000 level 2 space civilizations would become level 3 space civilizations. The fact that humanity had done all that in just under 2 decades was crazy enough that any alien civilization who heard wind of that would probably cough out blood from disbelief and anger.


    Regardless, humanity was still too week. Following the level demarcation of a space civilization''s level, the high tier space civilization was in a different league altogether compared to low tier space civilizations; it was a difference between humans and unicellular organisms. This was not the first time humanity felt so helpless, and this was definitely not going to be the last time either¡­


    If there was still a next time for humanity, that is!


    The answer that they were unable to reach during the meeting revealed itself five days later.


    The Hope had built three powerful propeller engines to attempt to change the course of the ship. However, as predicted by Xiao Niao, no matter how powerful these three engines were, neither the speed nor direction of the Hope had changed. And not long after these three engines started working, the control over them was lost due to the breaking down of internal parts. It was unknown whether it was caused by short-circuit or external forces.


    After that, the Hope continued moving forward using the constant speed down the same direction like the incident with the 3 propeller engines hadn''t even happened.


    The people on the Hope were out of options because this experiment had verified Xiao Niao''s hypothesis. The AI or its equivalent inside this ruin seemed to have noticed the Hope, and since the ruin was so many levels ahead of humanity in terms of technology, there was nothing humankind could do.


    "In other words, we are only left with two options?"


    After the propeller experiment, Yao Yuan had another meeting with the top officials; however, the meeting had a less than satisfactory result.


    Just as Yao Yuan mentioned, humanity was only left with two choices. One was to activate the self-destruct sequence. It was worth noting that there were two self-destruct sequences on the Hope. Even though both could be activated manually, to prevent high tier space civilizations from controlling them using some kind of electronic overwrite, one of the self-destruct sequences was buried deep within the Hope''s internal H-bomb. Activating it required activation of electrical components on the H-bomb. The other was the giant load of explosives inside the department of chemistry. This could only be activated manually. Even if the Hope was covered with creator''s particle, it wouldn''t lose its efficiency.


    This was one of the choices for humanity, to blow up the Hope, and in just a second, humanity would disappear without much suffering as if the human race hadn''t even existed in the cosmos. At least this way, humanity wouldn''t be enslaved by other space races, they wouldn''t be kept as experimental lab rats, food sources, or slaves.


    Of course, this was an option that wouldn''t be considered until it was the only option left.


    The second option was simple, which was to enter the ruin and fight their way out!


    "Move! All the Black Star Troopers move out now! Other than Whisperers and Animas, all the other Black Star Troopers have to move! Put on your space armors, grab your weapons, and follow me! We will be moving out when necessary!"


    Yao Yuan called for the gathering of all the Black Star Troopers the afternoon the propellers failed. All of the Black Star Troopers, no matter whether they were on leave, still in training, or on a mission, were asked to gather at the training field. Yao Yuan, the leader of the Black Star Troopers, left the everyday training of the troopers to Guang Zhen due to his busy schedule, so this was one of those rare moments where Yao Yuan addressed his soldiers directly.


    Yao Yuan''s words were dripping with menace. As Ebon, who stood beside him, understood it, his words could be translated into, "Brothers and sisters, this is our last stand, let''s chop down some aliens before we die."


    Of course, Yao Yuan did mean that underneath all the official language. However, he was the leader of humanity, so he couldn''t just rush in guns blazing. Even though humanity was at its wit''s end, he still had his own plan.


    As an All-Rounder, Yao Yuan had access to an incomplete Thinker''s power. At the same time, he had a personal strategist group of his own that consisted of two full-fledged Thinkers. In the next few days, as the Hope drifted towards the giant tree, Yao Yuan started to analyze everything about this giant tree with his trusted advisors.


    First, it was already confirmed that this giant tree was indeed a ruin and not a high tier space civilization in disguise. After all, due to the difference in technology, there was literally no reason for this space civilization to disguise itself. The space civilization behind this giant tree was much more powerful than all the space civilizations Yao Yuan had seen enter the green light, including the level 4 and 5 space civilizations. If the giant tree''s owner race was lacking in soul, they could have ransacked and pillaged solar systems whenever they wished, they didn''t need to set up a trap like this and wait for people to come.


    Therefore, this giant tree was indubitably a ruin. From the space rumors given by Blue 6, ruins were delineated into different types as well. Of course, most of them were the ownerless type, where defense was done by the AI or mechanical system that remained. There were also the trap types. This kind of ruin was mostly left behind by the losing party of a space war. The civilization was on the brink of destruction, but the main population hadn''t begun racial senescence yet. In other words, they had high intelligence that was fuelled with resentment and anger. Before complete destruction, they would leave behind various traps just to spite the other space civilizations who stumbled across their ruin in the future.


    Other than that, there was also the supply type, normally left behind by middle to high tier space merchants who came into some sort of tragedy in their travels. Then there was the puzzle type, a creation of high tier space civilizations to entertain themselves because they were bored. One could get the reward left behind by the space civilization after solving the puzzle. The last was the relic type ruin, and the giant tree was one such example.


    The cosmos was filled with all kinds of danger. Even high tier space civilizations didn''t dare to say they would survive forever, that was a privilege limited to god tier space civilization only. Therefore, it was entirely possible for these high tier space civilizations to get destroyed as well. However, since they were high tier space civilizations, they were definitely unwilling to allow their glorious history disappear from space just like that.


    The history of a high tier space civilization normally stretched for several million years, and there was no two that was similar. This was because no one knew whether they had selected the correct path to focus on. Even a level 9 space civilization didn''t dare to claim that, because¡­ that was a privilege for a god-tier space civilization, and that was the goal for all space civilizations. Due to the limitation of soul, after a space civilization reached the middle tier, it had to select a single aspect to focus on, and none of the space civilizations knew whether their choice would bring them towards becoming a god tier space civilization or not.


    Therefore, even if it was a dying message, before the destruction of a high tier space civilization, they would leave behind a relic type ruin to wait for a space civilization with high potential. Using the technology left behind by the high tier space civilization, the space civilization with potential could evolve to become a god tier space civilization¡­ when that happened, maybe the civilization might revive the high tier space civilization as an appreciation for its earlier contribution. This was entirely possible as this was the power of a god tier space civilization!


    And this type of ruin that went actively in search of visitors fit the mold of a relic type ruin most perfectly!

 Chapter 397: Inside the Ruin!

    Chapter 397: Inside the Ruin!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Since it was a relic type ruin, then it meant that humanity had a chance of capturing the ruin as well¡­ However, that chance was small, considering the other space civilizations humanity had to fight for it.


    If they lost¡­ well, that was dependant on whether the ruin''s owner was kind or cruel. Either the losers would be allowed to leave safely or they would all become sacrifices for the winner. It would make sense for it to be the latter, as the lives of several billion space civilizations would be decimated to be turned into soul for the victor, allowing the victor to reach its full potential. This combined with the reward provided by the relic type ruin would allow the victor to become a high tier space civilization as soon as possible!


    Therefore, humanity shouldn''t bank on other people''s kindness. There was only thing for humanity to do, which was to survive no matter what and try its best to be the final victor!


    Even though the hope of that was incredibly small¡­


    "Units 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and 15, unit captains, please bring your troop members to area C to arm yourselves¡­"


    The units that were named followed their captains happily as they left the training field. In comparison, those units who weren''t named had glum faces. After all, this batch of equipment was the best the Hope could offer. Since the Hope was going to enter the ruin tomorrow, this batch was all the equipment the Workshop could muster up given the supplies and time constraint. Therefore, they would be given only to the few elite Black Star Trooper units, the rest of them would be using old equipment.


    Guang Zhen and Yao Yuan were in a room just off of the training field, they were discussing this new batch of weapons.


    "Actually¡­" Yao Yuan was hesitant, but he eventually voiced his concern. "It is quite a bit of waste for us to build this equipment. After all, these are untested prototypes. Plus, we are heading into the territory of a level 3 space civilization soon, so these weapons and armors from the peak of a level 2 space civilization are a bit outdated¡­"


    Guang Zhen though shook his head and said, "Ol'' Yao, it''s not that I want to mock you, but you''ve been more and more like a woman lately, fussy about such details. I know managing a whole civilization isn''t easy, millions of mouth all wanted to get something from you. If we run low on energy or supplies, the whole ship might head towards chaos¡­ I know that, but Ol'' Yao, this is more important than all that. What if the inside of the ruin is different from what we predicted? We cannot be over-prepared¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed slightly and didn''t say anything else. After all, it was well within Guang Zhen''s jurisdiction to order the upgrade of equipment for either the Black Star Troopers or the Defense Unit. As long as it was not related to massive weapons like the Genesis, then Guang Zhen, as the vice-captain of the Hope, commander of the Defense Unit, and vice general of Black Star Troopers, could give this order. As long as it was not out of line, even Yao Yuan wouldn''t have been able to intervene.


    The two of them moved on to other topics. After all, the Hope still had enough supplies left to support this batch of equipment upgrades. The real concern was the entry into the ruin. Currently, the Hope was so close to the giant tree that the normal civilians on the Hope could identify the grains on its bark and leaves. Combat could be ignited at any moment.


    And then¡­ nothing happened. The Hope entered the ruin without much fanfare. However, it was a completely different view inside the ruin!


    On the second day, the Hope was incredibly close to the giant tree''s surface and the distance between them was slowly decreasing. In fact, a normal civilian could now see the patterns on the bark clearly. The Hope was so close to the giant tree that the bark itself felt like a piece of land made entirely out of wood.


    "1,137 kilometers away from the giant tree, 1,127 kilometres, 1,117 kilometres, 1,107 kilometres¡­ the speed remains unchanged!"


    Everyone waited with bated breath inside central command. The workers waited quietly, posted at their designated stations. According to the surveillance, the Hope had maintained the same speed ever since it had been taken over. If the ship didn''t slow down soon, the Hope would crash land onto the surface of the giant tree itself.


    However, this was nothing to worry about, because before the Hope was taken over, the Hope''s surveillance device was already directed at the giant tree''s surface to discern how other alien civilizations entered the ruin. When they were close enough to the giant tree, a hole would suddenly open on the surface to suck them in. There was no accident of collisions.


    The real concern was everything inside the ruin, that was the real test.


    Yao Yuan maintained an expression devoid of emotion as he listened to the data provided by the workers. His eyes were glued to the 3D image beside him that showed the current progress of armed units on the Hope and the situation of the civilians going into hiding.


    Discounting the fear and anxiety of the civilians, the Hope''s workers and armed units were relatively calm as the ship slowly headed towards the giant tree. When the Hope was less than 100 meters away from the surface of the tree, a bottomless pit appeared right underneath the Hope, waiting for the ship to fall into it.


    The Hope''s surveillance devices had started working when the hole opened itself on the surface of the tree, but unfortunately, they had no way of telling what was inside it. Any light or electronic signal directed at the hole were pulled into it, like it was a black hole.


    Yao Yuan looked at the giant hole on screen. He felt some degree of danger coming from it, but it was not strong enough to be a cause for concern. He even asked Zhang Heng for his opinion and the Hope''s most powerful Diviner agreed with him. This hole, whatever it may be, was safe¡­


    "At least entering it will not be dangerous¡­ but we can''t know what lies beyond it."


    Very soon, the Hope fell into the hole while still maintaining its speed. As the Hope moved into the hole, the hole slowly closed up. The light coming from above the Hope decreased in intensity until there was no more. All of the surveillance devices on the Hope, like the electromagnetic radar, the light ray radar, the gravity radar, even the incomplete spatial radar, they all stopped working when the Hope fully entered this giant hole. It was as if the Hope was inside an empty and quiet darkness.


    Everyone on the Hope who was looking at the screen started to get worried. The fear came from the unknown. In fact, the Hope''s function had returned to normal, all of its weapons and mobility engines had been recovered, but it seemed like no matter how far or how fast they moved, they were still caught inside this endless darkness.


    However, the scariest thing was that Yao Yuan had disappeared. Yes, when the Hope fully entered the Hope, Yao Yuan suddenly disappeared without a trace. When did he disappear, how did he disappear, where did he disappear to, was he still alive, these were questions that couldn''t be answered. The only things that remained were fear, anxiety, and even despair¡­


    Other than Yao Yuan, there were two more cases of disappearances. One was Jay, who was still in a coma, and the other was a Black Star Trooper unit''s vice-captain, Ji Jie. What was the reason behind the disappearance of these three people? No one could tell¡­


    Just like that, the Hope continued to be trapped in this darkness. For a month, six months, a year¡­ First, Guang Zhen took over for Yao Yuan. Even though not everyone was happy about that change, it was necessary. The pressure on Guang Zhen increased tenfold. Without anyone really noticing it, the Hope had been trapped inside the darkness for ten years.


    In these ten years, the technology and population on the Hope continued to increase, but¡­ the supplies and energy levels kept decreasing. If this was allowed to continue, humanity would exhaust itself inside the giant tree.


    In the 30th year the Hope was trapped in the darkness, the first unofficial armed resistance occurred. Even though it was quickly stomped by the Black Star Troopers, the people knew that this was merely the beginning. If the militaristic governance and the poverty in terms of food, supplies, and spirit was allowed to continue¡­


    Thankfully, a breakthrough appeared on the 40th year the Hope was trapped in the darkness. Just as humanity was at the end of their thread, where most Black Star Troopers started to doubt the validity of their duties, the Hope suddenly left the darkness. No one could tell or even remember how that happened, because their attention was elsewhere. Before their eyes, a planet with blue surface and a peaceful solar system unveiled itself¡­


    "¡­What is this?"


    Yao Yuan looked at the group of people who had collapsed around him and immediately pressed a button hidden within the armrest of the captain''s chair. Instantly, a hole appeared underneath him and he dropped into the ground. Inside, his trusty red space armor awaited. He put it on with record speed.


    Just as the chair was dropping itself downwards, Yao Yuan managed to catch a glimpse of the 3D image that showcased the surroundings of the Hope. This¡­ was the interior of the giant tree. Lines that looked like electrical circuits or wood grains crowded the walls surrounding the Hope. This was the inside structure of the giant tree. The lines were glowing with green-colored energy, and the Hope was idling quietly inside this halo of green glow. Yao Yuan also managed to catch the various alien spaceships that were parked around the Hope.


    This¡­ was the interior of the giant tree! They were officially inside the ruin!

 Chapter 398: Fake Reality!

    Chapter 398: Fake Reality!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    In his red armor, Yao Yuan walked through the corridors of the Hope. Everywhere he turned, people were collapsed on the floor, apparently stuck in their deepest sleep. No matter how hard he yelled or shook them, they remained asleep.


    "Are they hypnotized? Am I immune because I''m an Immortal?" Yao Yuan mumbled to himself as he continued to walk towards his destination. This was to confirm his suspicion because this thing would let him know whether it was a hypnosis or not.


    It had been five minutes since the Hope entered the giant tree. In these five minutes, Yao Yuan had put on his red space armor. This was the latest edition of the product, it was the peak of humanity''s technology. It was personally designed by Bo Li, a real prototype for the third edition of the space armor. The exhaustion and value of this space armor was equal to a small spaceship. However, its power was strong enough to decimate the level 3 space armor brought along by Blue 6 when he initially entered the Hope. Of course, that was if it was paired with an Immortal like Yao Yuan.


    After putting on this armor, Yao Yuan started to explore the Hope. Just like the situation in central command, everyone he stumbled across was in a state of sleep. The most frustrating thing was that even after the Hope was completely absorbed into the giant tree, the Hope''s AI still hadn''t recovered. The Hope was still being controlled by this ruin.


    However, it wasn''t that worrying because tests had been done earlier to confirm that the Hope''s AI was still residing in the Hope''s central mainframe. When he got there, Yao Yuan should be able to link to the AI. Furthermore, he would be able to consult ZERO.


    Perhaps human beings could be hypnotized, but AI and ZERO definitely wouldn''t be hypnotized¡­ Unless this was the work of a god-tier space civilization¡­


    "Unfortunately¡­ the power that is shown here is the hallmark of a god-tier space civilization."


    When Yao Yuan arrived at his destination, he was shocked by what he saw. In fact, at that moment, he almost pulled out his weapon and started to fire. This was because he saw a naked woman sitting on the metallic floor and toying with a glob of light in her palm.


    Yao Yuan swore that she wasn''t a resident of the Hope!


    Even though the Hope had several ten thousand in population, half of that was still underage, while most of the other half consisted of the original batch who left Earth. After 20 years of being a leader, Yao Yuan could identify most of them by name. This was especially true with his soul web. He had an inexplicable connection with most of the people on the Hope, and this naked woman before him¡­ he had no idea who she was!


    With a whir, Yao Yuan unleashed his blade. However, he didn''t lose his rationality, especially since he didn''t sense any danger from this woman. He asked darkly, "Who are you?! Are you the AI of this ruin? Or someone it sent over to explore this ship? Answer me¡­" Yao Yuan was ready to strike should this naked woman do anything weird.


    However, when the woman saw Yao Yuan, there was first surprise, and then shock, and finally happiness on her face. This series of expressions made Yao Yuan itch to slash her with his blade, but what she said next confounded Yao Yuan.


    "What are you talking about? I''m ZERO."


    "Huh?"


    Yao Yuan''s first response was suspicion. However, it was a fact that the total number of people who knew about ZERO on the Hope was less than 10. Even though there was a possibility of the ruin''s AI creating this lifeform from piecing together the memories or consciousness of the Hope''s citizens, the real possibility of that happening was too small¡­ then again, what was happening before his eyes could be described as improbable as well.


    "To put it simply, all I''m seeing is an illusion of the hypnosis? Or am I already hypnotized?" Yao Yuan scratched his head after ZERO explained herself.


    According to ZERO, it was simple why she would appear. This was the powerful influence of the ruin. In other words, they had left the physical universe because in this universe, everything with a consciousness would materialize, and that included an artificial sentience like ZERO.


    ZERO scoffed with derision after she heard Yao Yuan. "No, no, no, what illusion you''re talking about? This is the real deal. If it was illusion or hypnosis, someone like you wouldn''t have been affected. The Immortal is immortal because he is the natural kryptonite for all falsehood, it is an immortal constant. The Immortal is someone even god-tier space civilizations are unable to fool, someone that is immune to even demonization. This is the real space because you are in it."


    "This is real?" Yao Yuan was confused, and he asked, "But didn''t you just say that this was not a physical space? Then how is it real? Plus, you are here in person, so how can this be real? You''re pulling my leg, aren''t you?"


    ZERO pouted angrily and said, "Who, who is pulling your leg? Are we that close for me to play with you? In any case, just accept the truth. This is real, and if you die here, you will be physically dead¡­"


    Yao Yuan removed the shirt from one of the sleeping men and passed it to ZERO. He then added, "Then explain it to me clearly. What is going on here, why are we the only ones awake, how can we return to the physical space?"


    At this moment, Yao Yuan was bringing ZERO towards the Hope''s bridge. There, they could manually operate some of the ship''s weapons. After all, since only he and ZERO could move on the Hope, at least before the rest of the ship woke up, they had to protect the ship''s safety.


    ZERO shrugged helplessly and sighed, "I wish, but that''s like explaining quantum theory to a rat¡­"


    "Tell me!" Yao Yuan interrupted her with a punch to the metallic wall. Amplified by the space armour, half of his arm was stuck inside the wall and Yao Yuan said severely, "I said, explain it to me! Use the language that I can understand, I don''t need the theories and stuff, I only need to understand what is going on, therefore¡­ don''t make me repeat it twice, especially considering the situation we''re in. Look at my people lying there as if dead, so stop with the virus, unicellular organism, rat or monkey kind of talk!"


    As if greatly scared, ZERO pouted from the unfair treatment and tears were swirling in her eyes.


    Is she really an AI? How can she be so¡­ humanlike¡­ Is she really an AI or a sentient lifeform? Yao Yuan, who had been observing ZERO, frowned with confusion.


    ZERO took several deep breaths and explained, "To put it simply, this is related to the perspective on space that I''ve explained to you before. The cosmos is more than the universe that exists in the physical world, there are universes in the energy level, time level, and more levels that are only accessible to god-tier space civilizations, like the materialistic level, or this space we''re in¡­ a cosmos that is on the level of illusory physicality."


    Yao Yuan thought about it and continued, "These are indeed words that I can understand, but I still have some questions. I''ve seen the different levels of space before, I can imagine a time-based space, even an energy-based space, but the materialistic space is way beyond my current comprehension¡­ I have two questions: one, what is the meaning of illusory physicality, and two¡­ does this ruin belong to a god-tier space civilization? Didn''t you say that the space civilization behind this ruin is only level 7 or 8?"


    ZERO gave Yao Yuan a side-eye, as if saying, "How dumb you can be?" However, since Yao Yuan was still fuming, she didn''t voice her thought but answered, "If I''m using your human language, I suppose you could say that illusory physicality is similar to your computer program. To borrow a simple example, do you think your game worlds are real or fake?"


    Yao Yuan thought about it and answered, "Of course they''re fake. Isn''t that a given?"


    "That''s right, the games created by you humans definitely are fake¡­ but what if you take it up another technological level? Imagine you create a game world and fill it with many AIs, making them the NPCs or mobs in game, then is the game world real or fake to these AIs?"


    Yao Yuan understood what ZERO was getting at, but she kept on explaining, "Similarly, if you take these AIs out of the game and then use them to help humanity in space, like piloting the spaceships or doing some calculations, then is this game that contains many AIs real or fake to human beings?


    "This is such a space, an illusionary real cosmos that can only be created by a god-tier space civilization¡­


    "A Shelter used by god-tier space civilizations to defend against the demons¡­"

 Chapter 399: Light and Darkness

    Chapter 399: Light and Darkness


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    (How powerful are the demons? And what are the demons?) were the two biggest questions in Yao Yuan''s mind after listening to ZERO''s explanation.


    Humanity had once crossed swords with the demons, and honestly, the demons was a scary race. This was not only because of their numbers, but their ability to demonize everything and anything. If not for the massive amount of Homo Evolutis on the Hope, humanity would have been completely demonized at that weird space.


    There were massive demons as well, like the giant thing that appeared from within a whole planet. One of its claws was already several ten thousand meters long. If the whole thing escaped the planet that birthed it, it would be huge, definitely bigger than this giant tree.


    Even so¡­ in the eyes of a high tier space civilization, no, even just a middle tier space civilization, such a threat should practically be a non-threat!


    Indeed, for a middle tier space civilization who could already manage super long range attacks, level 4 to 6 space civilizations had the capability of sniping the demons or even destroying the cursed solar system from afar, especially since demons wouldn''t be able to send out the creator''s particle. In other words, demons were merely a weird-looking organism, not that much different from the zerg race.


    So¡­ how could such a race threaten a high tier space civilization?


    This creation of practically another dimension and the Song of Destruction greatly amplified the demons'' threat, and this was something Yao Yuan couldn''t wrap his head around.


    And now, he heard something even more unbelievable from ZERO¡­


    This fake real space was created by a god-tier space civilization to "shelter" themselves from the demons. Yes, shelter, not to dissect, capture, or breed, but shelter¡­ So just what kind of existence were demons?


    Fine, perhaps that question could be answered later because that was simply too far away from humanity''s current level and progress. After all, the demon race was a rarity in space. One thousand solar systems might breed only just one, or else the whole cosmos would be empty by now. According to the chance of probability, humanity might not even stumble across another demon race in its history, so the question of the demons could be ignored for now¡­ Another more pressing question remained: if this was a space created by a god-tier space civilization, doesn''t that mean that the giant tree belonged to a god-tier space civilization as well?


    "Impossible! This cannot be the ruin of a god-tier space civilization because¡­ god-tier space civilizations wouldn''t leave behind a relic type ruin. Do you still not understand the meaning of a god-tier space civilization? They are civilizations on the level of myths, their power is way beyond the comprehension of normal space civilizations. For such a level of space civilization, the revival of an entire civilization is nothing. It''s like how much effort the Hope would require to build a shuttle," ZERO immediately corrected him.


    Yao Yuan nodded and went into deep thought. According to ZERO''s hypothesis, it meant that this space civilization had just so happened to stumble across this space left behind by a god-tier space civilization? Just like how humanity had chanced upon ZERO''s UFO? The biggest difference between the two was that humanity was barely a level 1 space civilization when they obtained the UFO, while this space civilization was already in the high tier when they obtained this impossible space.


    Therefore, unlike humanity, who could do nothing with the UFO, this space civilization was able to operate this space technology.


    "No, this high tier space civilization is not as powerful as you give it credit for. They hadn''t reached the level of mastering this illusory reality, or else this relic type ruin wouldn''t have been created in the first place. This is because if they had truly mastered this space technology, other than god-tier space civilizations and high ranking demons, nothing could threaten the survival of this space civilization, because at the very least, they could still escape to this dimension to hide," ZERO commented with derision.


    Yao Yuan didn''t understand it completely, so he asked, "What if the cause of destruction is indeed a god-tier space civilization or high ranking demons like you said?"


    ZERO glanced at Yao Yuan as if saying, "How can you ask a question that is so incredibly dumb?"


    It only took a moment for Yao Yuan to come to the answer himself. If it was really a god-tier space civilization or high ranking demons who destroyed this space civilization, then this ruin wouldn''t have existed in the first place, because this illusory space wouldn''t have been able to stop them from wiping the whole space civilization off the plane of existence¡­


    By now, the two of them had reached the bridge of the Hope. Along the way, ZERO kept opening and closing the large-sized clothes that were covering her body and kept twisting her ankles. In fact, Yao Yuan had been rushing since they left the room that housed the central mainframe. She could only attempt her best to keep up behind him barefooted. Thankfully, most of the journey was done in the auto-mobile; otherwise, how could a small-bodied woman like her keep up with Yao Yuan when he was in his space armor?


    Yao Yuan discovered the weird motions ZERO had been making. After some hesitation, he asked, "Can you feel pain as well?"


    ZERO rolled her eyes and said, "Isn''t that a stupid question? The uniqueness of this space aside, I myself have gone beyond the limitations of normal logic, math, and programming, so why can''t I feel pain? I can feel all ranges of emotions from happiness to sadness, from joy to despair, from pleasure to pain. I am practically no different from a normal human being, other than the lack of a physical body¡­ are you insulting me?"


    Yao Yuan immediately apologized. "I''m sorry, you know I don''t mean it like that. I''m just worried about your current situation¡­ Since this space is real and people can get hurt and die, you need better armor than the shirt on your back. If you died, I''m sure Xiao Niao would be incredibly sad, so you better put on some armor."


    ZERO''s face started to blush. She muttered with her head lowered, "You think so? He will be sad because of that? Alright then¡­ I''ll put on some of the unimaginably ugly armor you humans have designed¡­ I hope Xiao Niao appreciates the sacrifice I''m making for him here¡­"


    In any case, ZERO obediently put on a suit of female Black Star Trooper space armor. Looking at the way she walked in the thing, it was an issue for her to walk from one spot to another, much less fight. Regardless, at least she was much more protected now.


    On the other hand, Yao Yuan made use of the time ZERO went to change to start thinking.


    Even though what ZERO revealed was a buttload of information, he still managed to filter several important pieces out of it.


    First, the Hope indeed had entered the giant tree and the giant tree was indeed the relic type ruin left behind by a high tier space civilization. This was the proposition that allowed for the remaining analysis.


    When the Hope entered this ruin, it had either entered the supposed illusory physicality space, or the ruin itself consisted only of this space; both explanations worked.


    Based on the information given by ZERO, this illusory physicality had two dimensions to it. One was the light dimension, or the actual state of this space. The lifeforms of a god-tier space civilization would normally exist in this light dimension. For them, this was the actual space, and any injury or death suffered here were permanent.


    In contrast, there was also a dark space. This dark space was a simulated space, normally used in experiments or simulations¡­


    These were the details filtered from the information given by Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan couldn''t tell whether they were authentic or not, but since there was no other choice, he chose to believe ZERO for now.


    Lastly was the definition of the Immortal. Everything false and illusory wouldn''t be able to affect the Immortal; therefore, he didn''t sink to the dark dimension but woke up in this light dimension instead, and this¡­ was probably humanity''s only saving grace!


    In fact, Yao Yuan had gained an understooding of how this ruin had filtered out and finally selected the most powerful race. They had simulated a space scenario in the dark dimension and sped the time up. Based on the various races'' response to internal and external strife, one would be able to tell whether the race in question had the potential to become a high tier space civilization or not. It was the only reason why the ruin had attracted so many space civilizations, because it was only through this way that they could out pick the best of the best. When the race left the dark dimension and arrived at this light dimension, they would be rewarded with the technology left behind by this high tier space civilization¡­


    As for the rest of the space civilizations who failed¡­ would they be slaughtered to serve as soul for the victor, or would they be kept in the suspension of the dark dimension forever?


    Who could really tell¡­


    Of course, Yao Yuan wouldn''t leave the fate of humanity in another race''s hands. Furthermore, even though this was a crisis, it was also a great opportunity¡­


    If he could reach the reward in this ruin before anyone else!


    Then humanity would definitely be the race that had the most potential. Even if the rest of the space civilizations woke up and objected, humanity would be a middle tier space civilization by then, so they could just wipe out any voices of dissent!

 Chapter 400: Suspicion…and Action

    Chapter 400: Suspicion¡­and Action


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan wasn''t one to just theorize, he was a quintessential man of action. With a plan in place, he began to operate.


    The first things to prepare were definitely weapons and equipment. His space armor was already the third generation of Space Armor. It combined the advantages of the earlier two generations and added greater defense, movement speed, attack, better energy storage, and it contained one important future-tech design: the battle suit assembly system.


    As a specially-made exoskeleton-esque armor for Homo Evolutis, the space armor''s specialty was in close-quarters combat, like the battle inside the Shelter, inside the ruin, or when landing on another ship or planet.


    However, due to limitation of numbers, the Black Star Troopers would be the main fighting force for humanity in the foreseeable future. Therefore, be it space armor or Space Combat Jet, their priorities were much greater than the improvements to the Defense Unit''s equipment. The biggest weakness of the space armor was its lack of feasibility to be used in different scenarios. This was especially obvious during the war on the cursed planet. The space armor was at a disadvantage when the situation called for a heavy weapon.


    Therefore, when Bo Li was given the assignment to create the third generation of space armor, her main objective was to improve its functionality. In other words, to make it so that the space armor could adapt to different fighting scenarios. Of course, for it to be an all-rounder was impossible. To compensate for that, Bo Li invented an external interface that could be attached with different armor accessories depending on the situation.


    Currently, there was only one completed third generation space armor on the Hope, and it was merely a prototype. Even so, the battle suit assembly system was already online. After all, as the most powerful Homo Evolutis, Yao Yuan might need to get involved in actual combat at any given moment. Early preparation was better than rushing it at the last minute.


    After ZERO changed into the space armor, Yao Yuan brought her to the Hope''s armory. Other than to grab the necessary space armor accessories, he was going to leave the Hope from there. This was going to be an unknown journey with the survival of humanity hanging in the balance¡­


    Just as the two of them headed towards the entrance, they stumbled across another person who was wandering around the Hope!


    This person was also wearing a space armor, so their movements were rather noisy. The other person seemed to be heading their way because they heard the commotion on Yao Yuan''s side. Both parties were equally shocked when they met. Yao Yuan adopted a defensive posture immediately. Thankfully, each of the space armors had their own identification tags. Even though the Hope''s AI was down, this type of simple identification module was still operable. The minute they saw each other, the identities of both parties were already revealed.


    "Ming Ji Jie! You''re not hypnotized? What about other people?" Yao Yuan sighed in relief, but he didn''t completely let his guard down. After all, this was not the usual space dimension, so one couldn''t be too careful. What if this Ji Jie was just an illusion? Therefore, he entered his Diviner state, and after realizing that there was no danger coming from her, he gradually relaxed.


    Ji Jie was equally shocked as well. She put down her weapon and said hurriedly, "Is it Yao Yuan? It''s so wonderful that you''re safe. What happened? Why did everyone fall asleep when we entered this ruin?"


    Yao Yuan revealed all the information given by ZERO after some hesitation. After all, he was going to take on an incredibly difficult mission, and he would need any help he could get. Furthermore, this was a Black Star Trooper, a top trooper at that. According to the data, Ji Jie''s battle prowess was impressive, she was only slightly weaker than Yao Yuan himself.


    Ji Jie was silent for a moment before cheering. "This is great! So we have the chance to grab the rewards from this ruin ourselves? This means that humanity will be able to escape this weird dimension soon, right? The best of all is that I will be able to go on this adventure with you. This is awesome¡­"


    Yao Yuan really didn''t know how to respond, but he didn''t dwell on it. Since there was another member to join their party, more options had opened up. Yao Yuan ordered Ji Jie to scour the Hope before they departed to look for other Homo Evolutis that weren''t hypnotized.


    After Ji Jie left, ZERO mumbled curiously, "This is curious. A normal cosmic adapter shouldn''t have been able to wake up in this dimension created by a god-tier space civilization. She is not an Immortal like you, nor is she a level 3 soul web user¡­"


    "Is that so?" Yao Yuan said with a raised eye brow, but he eventually shrugged. "Perhaps she is uniquely blessed¡­"


    Regardless, the show had to go on. 10 minutes later, Yao Yuan brought ZERO to a slab of metallic wall at the bridge. He touched the surface of the wall for some time before the wall opened to reveal a metallic corridor that was about 5 to 6 meters wide. Yao Yuan stepped into it without hesitation. As he entered, a 3D image the size of a small computer screen appeared before him. He was operating something on it.


    "The sniping set can be dropped, it''s not useable in this situation. Heavy artillery set¡­ not useable either. Fighting a high tier space civilization in terms of firepower sounds dumb¡­ The stealth set, support set, skirmisher set¡­ I guess skirmisher set is the best choice considering the conditions. Speed is the most important at the moment."


    After a short contemplation, Yao Yuan selected the skirmisher set as the accessories to add to his space armor. It was a set that specialized in great dexterity and speed. It also came equipped with weapons and functions that supported such a fighting styles, like the automatic Gaussian shotgun and the ability to temporary fly by creating a zero-gravity environment around the armor.


    It took Yao Yuan several minutes before he exited from the other end of the corridor. When he did, the appearance of his space armor had changed aplenty. It looked completely different from a second generation space armor, the biggest change being the two mechanical protrusion on his back that looked like a backpack and two curved blades that hung from his sides.


    While the two of them were waiting for Ji Jie to return, they continued to discuss the many pitfalls and dangers of this mission. However, according to ZERO, the illusory physicality dimension differed according to different god-tier space civilizations. To put it simply, this was not unlike creating a new universe beyond the existing universe. It was as impossible as it sounded; therefore, it was something that was performable by god-tier space civilizations only. However, after the dimension was completed, the creator had full control over it. For example, if the creator wished for it, the very basics of logic could be shaken, like 1 plus 1 could be equal to 3. Therefore, attempting to figure out a dark dimension from the outside was practically impossible.


    This bunch of words made Yao Yuan worry. However, staying idle or running away was not an option, so he could only stay his heart and move forward.


    10 minutes later, Ji Jie returned. She had brought along with her a person who was not hypnotized, and the person gave Yao Yuan the shock of his life¡­ it was Jay!


    Yes, ever since the explosion on the meteorite base, Jay had existed in a state of half-vegetable. Even with the advanced medical technology on the Hope, they were unable to pull him out of his slumber. His awakening seemed to require some sort of trigger unique to the Homo Evolutis. Another Homo Evolutis trapped in the same conundrum was the Sage, Eva. Therefore, Yao Yuan was truly surprised that he had managed to wake up in this light dimension!


    (Then again, Jay is not a normal Homo Evolutis, he is different from the cosmic adapters known to the great cosmos¡­ Perhaps he is here because he is also a SS-grade cosmic adapter like myself. If that is true, why is this Ming Ji Jie conscious in this dimension? Could it be¡­)


    This series of thoughts flashed across Yao Yuan''s mind before he quickly suppressed them. Regardless of the truth, now was not the time to discuss that. He rushed to Jay''s side and removed his space helmet to address Jay. "You''re awake? How are you feeling¡­"


    Jay looked at Yao Yuan inside the space armor with great shock. It took him a long time before he could reply, "If not for your voice and the sense of familiarity, I really wouldn''t f*cking believe this was a human creation. Are you sure you''re not kidding me? Listen, this woman told me that I''ve been asleep for more than a decade. And our technology has advanced so far in just a decade? Fine, let''s say that''s true¡­ Yao Yuan, I heard that you''ve become the Chancellor of humanity? Also¡­"


    Jay seemed ready to rattle off all the questions that he had kept within him for the past ten years. Yao Yuan interrupted him in the middle of his diatribe, "We don''t have the time for explanations. Jay, put on this suit of space armor. You are also a Homo Evolutis, so you should be able to use it even without training. Currently, humanity has found itself in another crisis. I know you just woke up, and I feel sorry for asking for your help so soon, but¡­


    "Humanity needs you, so can you help me? My dear comrade¡­"


    Jay was startled, and he finally laughed as he walked to stand before Yao Yuan¡­ Even though he was much shorter than the 3-meter-tall space armor, he still landed a sound punch on the metallic exterior and announced, "Of course! Do you know who you''re talking to? I''m the human hero, Jay Wales, okay¡­


    "Of course, I will be glad to fight by your side!"

 Chapter 401: Time (1)

    Chapter 401: Time (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yao Yuan felt a lot more confident about this plan. Other than the Immortal, who couldn''t be affected by any illusion or hallucination, the party now had a Deceiver in their midst as well. According to various data and hypotheses, Jay''s Homo Evolutis power was on the same level as his own.


    Even though Ji Jie was in general weaker than either one of them, she was one of the best Black Star Troopers. Her contribution couldn''t be underestimated.


    ZERO, on the other hand, was more of a burden than anything else. However, Yao Yuan had to bring her along for two reasons. One, her knowledge. She was the person who was the most knowledgeable about god-tier space civilizations. Two, as a precaution. Yao Yuan was afraid she might do something harmful to the Hope during its most vulnerable moment, like¡­ causing the mass extinction of humanity or something along those lines.


    "¡­By the way, ZERO, what is that globe of light you''ve been playing with? Is it some kind weapon for god-tier space civilizations?"


    Yao Yuan used the time while they waited for the hangar to open to ask ZERO.


    ZERO smiled innocently and replied without hesitation, "Nah, it''s nothing like that. God-tier space civilizations have no need for weapons anyway¡­ This here is the brain of the Hope. In other words, the AI you humans have created. Only those with life can enter this light dimension and restructure itself. If the thing exists as a pure spiritual form in normal space, then it too will manifest itself as a spiritual form in this dimension. For example, this AI."


    Jay, who had been asleep for years, didn''t know how far human technology had come. He had no idea that the scientific advancements in the past twenty years were almost equal to or had even surpassed the total scientific history of humankind on Earth. When Jay got into the coma, the Hope had just left Earth. When he woke up again, even the Hope itself had undergone many upgrades. If not for the interior, which had remained for the most part unchanged, even the designer himself wouldn''t be able to recognize this ship.


    Therefore, when he heard the term "AI," he asked in shock, "AI? What''s that? Don''t tell me this is one of those computer programs that have their own intelligence and minds like those depicted in our science fiction? Yao Yuan, you''re telling me our human technology has reached such an advanced level?"


    Yao Yuan laughed. "If not for the fact I was there personally to witness and lead all of this, even I would find this hard to believe. Indeed, we human beings have improved a lot in these past twenty years. It is as you said, the AI is similar to the one we see in sci-fi movies, with just one minor difference. This AI is created by human hands and thus is heavily limited. We don''t need to worry about a mechanical uprising. Furthermore¡­ whether to create a large, robotic army is another topic altogether. Personally, I still feel it will be best if we can avoid that."


    This was the recent discussion among the human government before they got sucked into the whole ruin dilemma. He didn''t go into details as he didnt want to he bore Jay, but Yao Yuan had worried too much, because the young man wasn''t paying him much attention. He had wandered off in his thoughts, thinking about the gaming possibilities that could be brought upon with the AI. With his eyes shining, Jay breathed, "So, it is a real AI. I''ve heard that AI can create a realistic gaming world, one that is organic and vibrant, one that can evolve according to the player''s decisions. So you mean that these kinds of games are a reality now? Wow, if that''s true¡­"


    Yao Yuan wisely chose to ignore Jay and instead turned to look at ZERO and the orb of light she was toying with. He grabbed it from her and squeezed it slightly. It felt like a ball of cotton to his touch, lighter than a feather. Furthermore, the ball of light seemed to possess its own consciousness, because it floated off his palm, as if trying to escape his grasp.


    ZERO immediately grabbed it back from Yao Yuan, berating him, "What are you doing? Don''t you know he''s a fragile child? And you call yourself his parent? He''s still technically a baby now, so you have to treat him with love and care. Furthermore, you cosmic adapters better stay as far away from him as you can, it''s not good for him¡­"


    Yao Yuan started to think. He asked several seconds later, "Then how can you have a physical body? Shouldn''t you exist in spiritual form as well?"


    ZERO replied smugly, "How can you be sure I exist only in spiritual state in real life? Listen to me, even though the maker of this dimension can change it to however they see fit, the basics cannot be changed. If the foundation of the world is changed, the dimension itself will be changed. Therefore, unless it was for the purpose of some weird experiments, the basic rules are the same across all the illusory physicality dimensions. Since I had a physical body in the illusory physicality of my creator, why wouldn''t I have a physical body here? The only reason I wouldn''t be able to have one would be if the technological level of this ruin is greater than the technological level of my creator."


    Yao Yuan memorized all this information in his heart. This was valuable information about god-tier space civilization. it might seem irrelevant now, but it would definitely be useful in the future.


    (There are two hidden messages in this information. One, there is probably another dimension inside the UFO, and ZERO resides within it. Two, there is also a difference in technological level among god-tier space civilizations, but are they separated into levels? Could it be that they are also delineated into level 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on like us? That sounds improbable.)


    In any case, the hangar door opened soon enough. The small group of four took a transport shuttle out of the Hope. After taking a trip around the Hope to ensure there was nothing wrong, the shuttle travelled deeper into the ruin.


    The area they were in looked like the interior of the giant tree. The floor was a writhing mass of tree roots and above them was a slate of darkness. The transport shuttle fired a light beam above them, and instead of a dark sky, they saw a wooden-patterned ceiling.


    It really did feel like they were inside the giant tree, except the interior felt much bigger than what it seemed when looking from the outside. Caught within their sight were several hundred thousand spaceships of varying sizes and types. The bigger among them were space civilizations'' motherships. The darkness stretched beyond the horizon, and it was impossible to tell how big the space was.


    So, which direction should they head down?


    Weirdly enough, when they were deciding where to go, other than ZERO, the remaining three reacted in the same way.


    "There seems to be something there¡­"


    "I feel like we should go there¡­"


    "Something is calling me down that way."


    The three of them uttered at the same time and their fingers were all pointing down the same direction!

 Chapter 402: Time (2)

    Chapter 402: Time (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Homo Evolutis, or cosmic adapters, were equipped with an instinct that was commonly known as the sixth sense. All Homo Evolutis were particularly attuned to imminent danger, but the strongest among the Homo Evolutis type was definitely the Diviner, and the strongest Diviner was Zhang Heng. His prediction had a 100 percent accuracy rate; it was something not even science could explain.


    Most normal Homo Evolutis, or in other words, the Homo Evolutis without super powers, also had superhuman sixth senses. This sixth sense improved according to level, which meant that when they reached the S-grade and gained a Homo Evolutis skill, then this sixth sense would be greatly improved. Other than sensing danger, it could be used to sense many more things. For example, an S-grade Homo Evolutis had a greater chance of winning the lottery compared to normal human beings. The most powerful Homo Evolutis with this sense were naturally the Diviners, and the most unique Homo Evolutis who could make use of this sixth sense was none other than little Eva, where the power of the sixth sense had directly evolved to the ability to see into the future¡­


    Among Homo Evolutis, the Immortal, or the All-Rounder, was the most unique and rare. It was the SS-grade cosmic adapters that only appeared in myths. Even though the Immortal had access to all S-grade cosmic adapters'' powers, they were incomparable to the original wielders themselves. Therefore, in terms of sixth sense, he was weaker than a normal Diviner.


    However, at the end of the day, an Immortal was after all an Immortal. He was something as mysterious as god-tier space civilizations. He was expected to be useful at specified occasions and times, times¡­ like now!


    They were inside the ruin of a god-tier space civilization''s creation; therefore, Yao Yuan had 100 percent faith in his own instinct. The reason was none other than he was an All-Rounder¡­ What about the Deceiver, who was as shrouded in mystery as the All-Rounder? Jay was a unique existence among the Homo Evolutis, and perhaps he too felt some sort of connection to the god-tier space civilization just like Yao Yuan did.


    Therefore, when three of them pointed down the same direction, Yao Yuan didn''t hesitate and took the shuttle down that way. Along the way, he asked ZERO, "By the way, I forgot to ask you earlier, is this illusory space big?"


    ZERO rolled her eyes at Yao Yuan and said, "Even though this space was created, it is an actual cosmos. Then you tell me, is it big or not?"


    The shuttle suddenly stopped moving and everyone within slipped out. Yao Yuan ignored them and asked ZERO in a chilling voice, "Meaning, we might need to search a space that is as big as a cosmos? Do you think I''m stupid or are you toying with me?"


    ZERO shrunk back like she was afraid of Yao Yuan. She blurted out the answer in a shaking voice, "An illusory space is truly the size of a real cosmos¡­ But we''re close to the central control, which housed the central mainframe that controls this whole space, so searching this place shouldn''t take too much time¡­ I''m not lying to you, don''t be angry for no reason¡­"


    After Yao Yuan heard that, he continued in a gentler tone, "I''m sorry, I was being too brash. You have to forgive me because this is related to the survival of the entire human race, I couldn''t be too careful¡­ By the way, this central control you mentioned, it has to be the place that is most guarded, right?"


    ZERO replied instantly, "That I cannot say for sure, because every god-tier space civilizations'' styles and technological trees are different from each other. For some god-tier space civilization, their illusory space is a maze, while for others, it is a living creation. Every illusory space is different. For those with an owner, non-god-tier space civilizations wouldn''t be able to enter. In fact they wouldn''t be able to realize its existence. However, for an illusory space without a master which was not set to hide itself¡­ anyone could enter it should they wish to bear the risk. If they manage to take control of the central control, one basically has the control over the entire illusory space."


    Yao Yuan nodded to acknowledge that he had understood it. This time it was ZERO who was shocked. She asked, "Do you not hear me? After you take over the central control, you basically have control over the whole illusory space. Can you fathom what that is like?"


    "What that''s like?" Yao Yuan thought about it and answered, "This place is just another set of numbers, is it not? Admittedly, it is more high tech than our current virtual reality device, but at most, it is just a space to conduct experiments, right?"


    ZERO gasped. "Of course not, this is a universe in itself! A universe¡­ Bah, you wouldn''t understand it if I explained it to you. In any case, you have to understand that an illusory space is something only a god-tier space civilization can create. This is practically proof that you have evolved from a level 9 space civilization and have become a god-tier space civilization. If I explain it in terms that you can understand, an illusory space is the hallmark, the proof of identity for a god-tier space civilization. It is something that will only be abandoned when the civilization itself is dead. If you manage to capture this universe of illusory physicality¡­ then you would have solved the issue that has been bugging you, humanity wouldn''t expire anymore."


    For humanity to be immune from the threat of extinction was indeed Yao Yuan''s second biggest dream, his biggest dream being finding a blue life-preserving planet. That wish was a bit unrealistic, so the target he was actively working towards was to preserve the line of humanity in space. Of course, he didn''t take ZERO''s words to heart. It was good that the illusory space could act as a guarantee for humanity''s survival in space, but this was all hearsay. Until he could confirm all those details personally, he wouldn''t bet all his money on it. After all, the first objective of this operation was to save the rest of humanity, who had been trapped within hypnosis. All the salvageable benefits would come later.


    Even though Yao Yuan ignored her, ZERO continued talking to herself. "But this is weird. Since the giant tree spaceship is the entrance to this illusory space, it means that this high tier space civilization has mastered the technology already. In that case, why would they still leave behind a relic type ruin? Theoretically, there isn''t anything in space other than a god-tier space civilization and high-ranking demons that can pose a threat to this civilization, and if they were truly destroyed by either one of those two things, then they wouldn''t have the time to escape, much less the luxury to create a relic type ruin¡­ this is weird."


    ZERO''s suspicion didn''t resonate with the other three passengers on the transport shuttle, the main reason being the discrepancy in the level of knowledge. Then again, the trio wouldn''t have time to entertain such thoughts anyway. The transport shuttle was carrying them fast towards their destination. This was a level 2 space civilization''s creation. Its speed was faster than Earth''s fighter jets, it had even surpassed the speed of an atomic bomb. In just a few minutes, the shuttle had brought them several hundred meters away from the Hope.


    The area that they were in was incredibly huge. The several hundred meters of distance was like a drop of water in a great lake. The horizon remained a piece of darkness and their surroundings were still filled with different types of spaceships. This created the illusion that they were still staying at the same spot.


    However, the three knew that was not true, because their hearts kept increasing in speed. For some reason, as they headed down that direction, the attraction that they felt before was getting more pronounced. It was as if something important to them was calling after them. It was not the call of a friend or family, but more like¡­ a call of something bigger than life. It was hard to describe in words, but if I have to try, it was like¡­ the attraction of a bigger and greater purpose.


    Of course, this is merely an analogy that barely describes how the three of them were feeling. Yao Yuan, who was piloteing the shuttle, increased its speed and he felt his heart racing as the speed increased. When the shuttle reached its maximum speed, the three of them frowned in unison.


    "Hey, I say, Yao Yuan, did you slow this thing down? How come I feel like we were travelling much faster earlier?" Jay, who was a personal friend to Yao Yuan, bypassed the military ranking between them and commented directly.


    Yao Yuan was feeling the same way. He looked at the velocimeter and the shuttle was indeed moving at its maximum speed. If anything, they should''ve felt like they were travelling much faster than before. He was as confused as Jay because he too¡­ felt they had slowed down.


    "Could it be that the shuttle has broken down? That''s impossible, this is military grade, it wouldn''t have broken down so easily¡­ Or the readings are off because we''re so close to the central control?"


    Yao Yuan mumbled to himself as he looked at the displayed readings. He tried to operate the shuttle, but no matter what he did, the reading remained the same. He immediately turned to ask ZERO, "ZERO, will a god-tier space civilization''s technology do something as menial as messing with a shuttle''s readings? If it doesn''t want us to get any closer to the central mainframe, then it could have killed us directly, why would it lower our speed instead?"


    Before ZERO could answer, Yao Yuan tried to lower the shuttle''s speed. When the shuttle reached a certain threshold, the three of them felt confused because now they felt like the shuttle was travelling faster than it was supposed to be. This was a curious sensation, one that made them feel nauseous.


    "I say¡­ You all felt that, right? What kind of feeling is this¡­" Jay whispered, "It feels like the space has grown, which makes us feel like we have slowed down¡­"


    "No, it is time that has been changed."


    ZERO suddenly said, "I understand it now. This illusory space is still holding a high-ranking demon captive. This is the spoil of war that belongs to the original owner of this space, or the god-tier space civilization that created this space. I understand it now, I finally understand everything now¡­ why the high tier space civilization who had this illusory space in their arsenal would be wiped out and still have time to create this relic type ruin. The reality is that they didn''t master this illusory physicality technology, they merely obtained it but didn''t mastered it! This is wonderful, Yao Yuan, you now really have the chance to obtain this ruin!"


    Yao Yuan looked towards ZERO and demanded, "What do you mean by that?"


    ZERO didn''t hesitate and explained excitedly, "This is an illusory space of a god-tier space civilization, and it is holding a high-ranking demon. You can control it to¡­"


    "Wait, wait¡­" Yao Yuan stopped the shuttle directly because he felt a headache coming. He stopped ZERO and said, "Slow down, start from the beginning. I really don''t understand what you''re talking about."


    ZERO pouted, but since she was rather afraid of Yao Yuan, she followed his orders eventually. "Fine, then I''ll start from the beginning despite how troublesome that will be¡­ Stop glaring at me, didn''t I say I would explain it¡­ An illusory physicality space is like what I mentioned earlier, something a level 9 space civilization needs to master before it can become a god-tier space civilization. This is essentially the collection of all the technology the space civilization has mastered. Now why would the illusory space for each god-tier space civilization be different? That is the reason why. For example, a space civilization that reaches god-tier using genetics will have an illusory space that is a criss-crossing of flesh membrane or a giant beast. In other words, the illusory space is a sign of godhood.


    "Now, the reason why god-tier space civilizations can bypass the limitation of the law of preservation of soul is also related to this illusory space, but even if I explain the inner workings of that to you now, you wouldn''t be able to understand it. In conclusion, after completely mastering the technology of illusory physicality, one has surpassed the law of preservation of soul. As a god-tier space civilization progresses, so does its illusory space. This is not only the most powerful product of a god-tier space civilization, it is also the source of soul, the cradle of life and civilization. It also acts as the most powerful weapon and the last Shelter of a god-tier space civilization¡­


    "I have mentioned all this earlier. Of course, god-tier space civilizations have their enemies as well, and they are the high-ranking demons. Normal space civilizations wouldn''t have heard of this because their war is way beyond the physical realm of the cosmos. Of course, there will be losses on both sides. However, due to the nature of the demons, after their losses, they would normally be captured and sealed within the center of an illusory space to be used as an external source of energy and to modify the demon itself¡­"


    The trio paid extra attention to ZERO''s explanation. These were secrets of a god-tier space civilization. Human beings were merely a level 2 space civilization, but they already had access to such top secret information. However, Yao Yuan couldn''t be certain if this was a good thing or a bad thing.


    "Most modifications on demons end up in failure, but there are those rare cases that they are successful. They will either be kept as the defense system of the illusory space or cultivated as a new form as life. Regardless, if the modification is successful, then the god-tier space civilization will have acquired a great benefit. Of course, the demon who is in the middle of modification will be sealed inside the illusory space. Depending on the strength of the demon or demons, the exhaustion on the illusory space will be different. During this period, the power of the illusory space will be greatly weakened, and if the illusory space loses its owner, then even a non-god-tier space civilization would be able to obtain it. Of course, mastering it is a completely different thing altogether. They would have obtained an empty shell essentially¡­


    "However, if a race can truly dominate this trapped, high-ranking demon, then it will have gained complete control over this illusory space. Even though the power of the illusory space is greatly decreased due to the presence of a high-ranking demon, it is still an illusory space, one that can be obtained and mastered!


    "In the future, when humankind is powerful enough to seal this high-ranking demon away, then humanity will really become a god-tier space civilization¡­ and at least until then, humanity will be a space civilization that possess the survival method of a god-tier space civilization. Even the Song of Destruction of a level 9 space civilization wouldn''t be able to do any harm to humanity then!"


    Now the trio finally understood everything. This was truly an impressive find! This creation of a god-tier space civilization was not something as pedestrian as cell phones or toilets, it was a sign of power, the root of their civilization. If Yao Yuan could possess it, then it would be as ZERO said¡­ However, how to obtain it was a problem, and how to deal with the high-ranking demon was another problem¡­


    The demon race itself was scary enough. A level 9 space civilization was willing to unleash the Song of Destruction and destroy an entire solar system once signs of demonization were found. What about a high-ranking demon then¡­ Just think about it, this was a force powerful enough to rival and even destroy god-tier space civilizations. Even though it was now sealed within an illusory space, humanity was definitely no match for it.


    Even though Yao Yuan was interested in obtaining this illusory space, he was more worried about humanity''s survival. Therefore, he asked patiently, "Since even a god-tier space civilization only manages to seal this demon inside an illusory space, I don''t think we humans are powerful enough to deal with it, even if just temporarily¡­ That is too unrealistic. It is as you always say, humanity is just a unicellular organism, so how can we deal with something as powerful as a high-ranking demon?"


    To his surprise, ZERO started to laugh and she continued happily, "While that might be true, you are miscounting one very important detail: you. You are an Immortal. In your eyes, there is no falsehood, no demons, and no god-tier, there is only the stark truth. Others might be consumed or demonized when they go near a high-ranking demon, but you''re different. Before you, even a high-ranking demon is no different from a normal existence!"


    This was rather confusing. The trio seemed to half-understand it. Yao Yuan thought about it and he suddenly pointed at the ball of light on ZERO''s shoulder. "By the way, you mentioned earlier that my constant exposure to this AI would stunt its growth and you seem to be afraid of me¡­ Is it because I''m an Immortal?"


    ZERO stammered and after a while finally answered, "You''re right¡­ Alright, let''s not talk about that anymore. What do you think? You want to take control over an illusory space? This is something that is unfathomable by even a high tier space civilization." ZERO suddenly sounded smug when she said this, as if she was trying to remind Yao Yuan of her contribution.


    Yao Yuan replied, "This kind of thing can''t be forced. If it happens, of course it''ll be great¡­ And it would be great for you too. Your contribution won''t be dismissed if this does come into fruition."


    Yao Yuan was being sincere here. Even though he was still cautious around ZERO, if ZERO really did prove that she had no ill-intention towards humanity, of course she would be duly rewarded should humanity achieve greatness in the future.


    Then Yao Yuan continued to ask, "Okay, to summarize, the illusory physicality technology, high-ranking demon, and the current situation inside this space, I believe I have understood all of them now. Now I wish to know, why did you conclude that there is a high-ranking demon trapped here after noticing the change of the shuttle''s speed? Do you know something that we don''t?"


    ZERO answered without hesitation this time, "Yes, because nothing is wrong with this shuttle or its velocimeter, I am perfectly sure about this. The reading of its speed is the shuttle''s real speed. However, we did feel that the speed was slowed down, so there is only one explanation¡­ the speed of light inside this illusory space has slowed."


    Speed of light has slowed? The trio was confused. They knew about the speed of light and about the deceleration of speed, but combining the two was an entirely new concept.


    ZERO noticed their confusion and she gasped with surprise. "Wait, don''t tell me you people think the speed of light is constant? You''re a civilization going into level 3, and you don''t even know such basic knowledge? Fine¡­ stop glaring at me, I''ll explain it to you, okay? The speed of light is not a constant, it can be changed depending on the circumstance. Following the change to the speed of light, the unit speed will be affected as well. So what we felt earlier was not the speed slowing down but time has slowed down."


    By then, Yao Yuan had gotten a basic grasp of things. In reality, he had been reading up on various scientific books. Even though his knowledge couldn''t rival that of a real scientist, from a different perspective, he was more of a learned academician compared to most of the scientists back on Earth. His knowledge in science had increased tremendously, but he simply didn''t notice it until now.


    "So as the speed reaches the speed of light, the time around it will gradually slow. Therefore, the person in it might feel like a day has passed when in reality, on the outside, probably a year has passed already¡­ You mean to say, the speed of light in here was already slowed when it was created? But just how slow it will have to be for lifeforms like us to personally experience the different flows of time?" Yao Yuan said with shock.


    ZERO commented with a frown, "That might not be true. Generally speaking, most illusory spaces have similar rule sets to normal physical spaces. After all, a god-tier space civilization doesn''t appear out of thin air, they also began their life as a level 1 space civilization in the physical universe. So they are used to the rules in the physical universe. Of course, acting as the owner of an illusory space, they can introduce any changes to the monitoring law, but¡­ this is an ownerless illusory space. There shouldn''t be a change in the speed of light¡­ which is why I believe a high-ranking demon is sealed here.


    "A powerful demon race with expert control over space, time, and gravity!"

 Chapter 403: Message (1)

    Chapter 403: Message (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    What exactly is a demon?


    The topic once more returned to this. However, ZERO had been avoiding giving the answer no matter how harsh Yao Yuan was. In the end, he only managed to squeeze out a sentence through her tears.


    "It''s not that I don''t want to tell. Unless I am completely free from the illusory space I am in, the UFO''s self-defense will automatically activate if I reveal certain sensitive information to you humans¡­ You humans must find the answer to this question on your own, I cannot give you the answer unless you wish to die."


    When she said that, the trio broke out in cold sweat. Indeed, ZERO was ZERO, and the UFO she was in was an isolated entity; the two were not one and the same. If ZERO was telling the truth, and the UFO would destroy the Hope if she revealed certain information, then it was truly frightening.


    "Therefore, I can only say this: demons are not living creatures, they are an existence, they are not unlike the demons mentioned in your human bible¡­"


    The trio got into their own thoughts after hearing that. In reality, this was not the first time Yao Yuan heard that description, but he didn''t have time to ponder about its implications before. At the time, he hadn''t even met an actual demon, but now that he was reminded of it, many different observations formed in his mind.


    First, the demons in the bible were created by God. Let''s assume this God was a figurative existence, like the Dao in Daoism. In any case, for the sake of this thought experiment, it is not the "God" in the common understanding, that was merely a lifeform with a grasp of higher power, not something ZERO was talking about.


    In that case, demons originated from nothingness and not something with form, a form which then created the universe just like how God used seven days to create the universe in the bible¡­ wait!


    Yao Yuan, who was piloting the shuttle, suddenly turned around, surprising the other two who were deep in their thought and ZERO, who was just blanking out. He ignored them and said, "When you say the demons are similar to their depiction in the bible, then¡­ what about the other depictions? Or should I say, the bible also writes about God creating the world, humanity, and angels. So what about those? Are they real as well?"


    ZERO was stunned. She sat there quietly and started to think. After a long while, she replied, "You''re basically right¡­ they are real, but there are no angels because the angels are the demons."


    "Is that so?" Yao Yuan took a deep breath and said, "Then let me conclude and categorize what you''ve said so far. You are trying to implicate that there exists an ultimate thought which created the world and the demons?"


    "Wrong!" ZERO immediately retorted. "That''s wrong because the universe is the universe, its creation and operation follows the foundation of physics according to force, energy, space, and time. It is not controllable by a thought; the universe itself is a formless existence and it doesn''t come from an ultimate thought. In fact, there is no such thing as an ultimate thought. The universe is the universe, just like 1 plus 1 equals to 2, it is the real formless existence."


    Yao Yuan sighed, but he added with confusion, "But didn''t you just say that Genesis and the demons in the bible are real¡­ or I have misunderstood it?"


    This time ZERO didn''t say anything. Yao Yuan added after a moment, "Since the western bible contains clues to the demons'' existence, is there a similar example in eastern philosophy?"


    ZERO added, "Of course there is. The Pangu [1] is a perfect example, the myth of Nu Wa is another. Also, think about the stories of cultivation where people turned into demons as their hearts caused them to stray from the righteous path, that is also a manifestation of the demonic energy. I cannot say anything more than that."


    This time Yao Yuan was even more confused. They had more clues to go on with, but they were all half-clues. There was not one unifying thread that strung them together, so how could they possibly get to the correct answer from these?


    He reverted back to the question that started it all: what is a demon? All of the clues seemed to point towards this question, so if this question was answered, then the rest of the clues would make sense.


    So what is a demon?!


    Yao Yuan was using his Thinker power so much that he felt some measure of pain in his brain. However, he could not come up with nothing, not even the shadow of an answer. Finally, he gave up. After all, humanity was currently a level 2 space civilization, they were simply too far away from talks of demons and the universe. At least until they became a mid tier space civilization, they wouldn''t have to worry about demons, so thinking about them now was pretty useless. Perhaps the answer would reveal itself when humanity reached a certain level.


    The group continued on their journey. As they moved forward, the feeling of slowing down got more pronounced. In the end, it felt like they had returned to Earth''s speed and their surroundings were moving away at several hundred kilometers per hour. The group started to get impatient.


    Regardless, at least they were still moving forward, and finally a bright mist appeared down the horizon. It was probably the entrance to the central control. The group was excited, but the feeling of something being amiss was getting stronger. They realized that no matter how fast they travelled, the mist still remained at its original position; it didn''t seem like they were getting closer to it at all. It felt like¡­ their transport shuttle had gone immobile.


    The group was extremely sensitive to this, so they realized that something weird was going on immediately. However, when questioned, they couldn''t put their finger on what was wrong. Without a better knowledge of stuff, they could only conclude that either the rules of the illusory space had changed once more or some of high-end technology was preventing them from moving forward.


    As the transport shuttle continued moving forward, the group finally realized what was wrong. Their surroundings had suddenly become huge, making them feel like they were looking from the perspective of a bug.


    "This isn''t right, we have gotten smaller." Yao Yuan suddenly stopped the shuttle. They looked out the window and realized with a start that the spaceships around them had become unusually big. Even though it was hard to get an accurate reading of size from sight alone, the difference between now and before was so obvious that one didn''t need a device to tell the difference.


    Yao Yuan gritted his teeth and jumped out of the shuttle. He ignored the curious gazes of his crew and walked towards the mist. He merely moved ten steps away, but in the eyes of the group, he slowly grew bigger, and he was already 8 to 9 meters tall, looking like a typical metallic giant.


    The group was shocked. Yao Yuan turned back to look at the shuttle, which was the size of a model car, and sighed. When he walked back to the shuttle, he shrunk. Then he explained, "The space has changed. The closer we get to the central control, the smaller we become, and that''s not all¡­ I fear the shrinking is proportional, as in related to the distance. The closer we get to the central control, the smaller we will become, so technically, we will never get to the central control, because this short distance is essentially the size of a universe."


    This was a simple math calculation. This type of scaling down meant that even a distance of a meter could be as large as a universe. They were still so far away from the mist, and perhaps the transport shuttle would need to go on at maximum speed for a billion years before it could reach their destination.


    Everyone turned to look towards ZERO. After all, she was the most knowledgeable regarding this.


    "There is of course a solution," ZERO said in a tone that implied that she needed some begging and praises before she would say anything.


    Yao Yuan didn''t say anything, but the nervous Jay piled on the praises immediately. ZERO eventually nodded satisfactorily and said, "That will depend on you. Your Homo Evolutis power is as powerful as the Immortal after all. For you, the power of deception affects more than¡­ the human heart."


    Jay was confused. He pointed at himself and said, "Me? I know I can spin some lies, but what does that have to do with this situation we''re in?''


    Yao Yuan, though, seemed to have understood something. He pulled Jay aside and said, "Do you still remember the things that happened on the meteorite base before you collapse?"


    Jay nodded and Yao Yuan continued, "I believe I understand what ZERO means. Your power of deception belies scientific explanation¡­ but it is true that you can deceive even non-living things. You still remember how you lied to the crystal reactors, right? I believe ZERO is referencing that as well¡­


    "You have to lie to this illusory space, to trick it into making this space normal again."


    This order was so curious that Jay took a long time to process it before he finally said, "Wait, you want me to lie to a space? Hello, Yao Yuan, have you lost your mind? How am I supposed to do that? You want me to yell to this space, saying ''please return the rules of this place back to normal?''"


    When Jay finished that, the transport shuttle grew in size at a speed that was noticeable to the naked eye. In fact, the group also slowly returned to their original sizes. Yao Yuan retracted his shocked gaze and said seriously,


    "Yes, exactly, just like that!"

 Chapter 404: Message (2)

    Chapter 404: Message (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Jay really wanted to scream out loud. This was all f*cking unrealistic!


    Even though he had seen many things since he woke up, like the new the Hope, the startlingly fast transport shuttle, the so-called exoskeleton space armor, and many more things that were unscientific, the most unscientific thing of all was that he had just tricked space¡­


    When the transport shuttle continued to move forward, Jay raised his two hands and looked at them with shock. After a long time, he said blankly, "I just f*cking tricked a slice of space, what the f*ck just happened¡­"


    Yao Yuan, who was at his side, added, "You saw what happened yourself. Looks like your power is unusually strong, you better get used to it soon because I can see that we will need you for many instances in the future."


    Jay continued to blank out until he said suddenly, "A chocolate rain will fall here!"


    ¡­and nothing happened.


    "How about¡­ It will rain gold coins!"


    Still nothing happened¡­


    "Beautiful girls will fall from the sky!"


    There was still nothing¡­


    "I will become God¡­"


    "The only thing you''ve become is crazy," Yao Yuan chided him.


    ZERO laughed and said, "Your power doesn''t work that way. To put it simply, for a lie to work, you must first be able to believe it yourself. This is the first condition. If you don''t buy it yourself, how are you going to convince others? The second condition is it has to be natural or at least logical in your mind. For example, the situation just now violates your sense of the logical world, it is an anomaly in a way, and thus in your mind, it was not supposed to happen. Therefore, you were able to use your power to correct that anomaly easily."


    "Is that so¡­" Jay thought about it seriously, and uttered in a deeper tone than before, "I shall become God¡­"


    "¡­You shall become God of the crazies indeed¡­"


    The group got closer and closer to the light mist. When the shuttle finally reached the edge of the mist, they got a clearer picture. The mist was thick and it covered a space that was incredibly wide. It was impossible to tell how deep the mist was, because they could only look beyond about 2 meters of the edge before everything was swallowed up by the mist.


    The weirdest thing was that there was not even one spaceship within the several thousand kilometers of this mist. All of the spaceships were placed far away from the mist.


    "What now? Do we go into the mist just like that?" Jay lounged lazily in the chair and sighed half-heartedly. "Will there be some kind of monster waiting to ambush us inside? This is too much like the plot of a scary movie after all¡­ By the way, could this be an illusion as well? Yao Yuan, can you look past the mist?"


    "No, I can''t. This is an actual mist." Yao Yuan jumped out of the shuttle and managed to catch a glimpse of Jay laying sprawled in the chair. He sighed and said, "Let''s stop for food first. We''ve been moving for more than 10 hours already; I''m sure everyone is hungry and tired, right? After all, time is flexible here. Let''s take a 2-hour rest, we will continue the exploration into the mist after that."


    "Finally, I''ve been waiting for you to say for so long¡­" Jay immediately leaped off the chair with a burst of energy. He took off his space helmet and laughed. "Let me see how human cuisine has changed over the years!"


    He might''ve been putting on a light-hearted front, but Yao Yuan could tell the heavy pressure Jay was under. After all, he was merely a normal civilian who had not been gone through years of military training¡­ Asking him to put his life on the line and travel into an unknown space was a stressful enterprise, as it would be for anyone.


    Two hours later, they finished their meal, and with Yao Yuan''s request, they double-checked each other''s ammo and equipment before they headed into the mist in the transport shuttle.


    The group was silent as they looked at the mist before them¡­ Granted, they could only see 2 meters before them, so they couldn''t really tell what was in there. At least the mist seemed to fluoresce, meaning they wouldn''t need to turn on the lights.


    After an indeterminate amount of travel, as time seemed to lose its meaning inside the mist, Yao Yuan found himself standing amidst a state of nothingness. The mist that seemed to envelope him earlier disappeared and he was instead surrounded by space and stars. The space seemed to stretch to an infinity and he couldn''t spot the horizon.


    Yao Yuan moved his limbs subconsciously and realized that there was nothing wrong with his body, he could move around just fine. However, there was a sense of weightlessness to his movements. According to the reading on his space armor, he was in actual space with real space radiation. He had found himself back in the real physical universe.


    "What''s going on? Have I escaped from the illusory space? Then what about the Hope? What about humanity?" Yao Yuan started to panic. However, before he could figure out a plan, a voice spoke in his mind.


    "This is where our race was born. If translated using the information stored in the user''s brain, it is called Galaxy XRZNA- 37310. We call it the land of birth.


    "This is a small, insignificant solar system. The number of space civilizations birthed by this system is low, there was only us. It was a relatively peaceful space¡­


    "If calculated using your race''s unit of time, our race left our home planet about 34,000,000 years ago. We evolved from a prehistoric race into a space race. We''ve been to upwards of several thousand solar systems and were in several space wars of varying sizes along the way. Finally, about 1,200,000 years ago, our race finally became a level 8 space civilization. At that time, a secret was revealed to us. If one intends to reach the peak of level 9 space civilization, one has to return to the solar system one''s race was born in. If the solar system had already been destroyed, then the race would never reach the peak of level 9 space civilization.


    "Thankfully, this solar system was a peaceful place. There were no worthwhile minerals or places of interest. In the several million years we''ve spent back in our home planet, there was no space incident big enough to warrant the destruction of this place. Therefore, we believe our race will be able to reach the peak of level 9 space civilization without accident.


    "However, we didn''t expect the coalition of more than 10 level 9 space civilizations who arrived to suppress us. They wished to destroy this land of birth. How could we allow that to happen? This was the key that would help us become a level 9 space civilization, the cradle of hope for our entire civilization, so naturally we rejected them."


    Just as the voice appeared in Yao Yuan''s mind, the space around him started to change. First, he was given a close-up of a glittering blue planet. Several spaceships departed from it as a neutron star fragment hurtled towards it. Just like the fast-forward in movies, Yao Yuan was given a glimpse of one of the spaceships'' history. After leaving the solar system, they were assaulted by a group of asteroids. Then, since this was the first time they had ventured beyond their solar system, they didn''t prepare enough supplies. Due to the lack of supplies or differences in governing policies, there was infighting.


    However, this civilization was certainly lucky, because just as they were going to go extinct due to infighting, they stumbled across a fragment of a terrestrial planet. It seemed to be a giant fragment of a terrestrial planet that had left its original orbit during celestial movement.


    This civilization managed to acquire the materials that they needed from the fragment, so the infighting ceased. With the unity of the whole civilization, they managed to build an incredibly huge space fort on this planet fragment and continued on their journey¡­


    In the end, the civilization reached an unoccupied solar system. They attempted to cultivate one of the planets into a life-preserving planet, but unfortunately, their effort of several thousand years failed. By then, the last of their cosmic adapters had died from old age, and they stumbled across the real threat of any space civilization¡­ racial senescence!


    Thankfully, lady luck seemed to be smiling their way, because another level 2 space civilization had entered the solar system to harvest it. A war broke out between the two parties and, using their own technology that was also from the level 2 space civilization and the secret weapon that was hidden inside the space fort, this space civilization won the hard-fought war. However, after the war was concluded, they realized with a start that there was a batch of new cosmic adapters among their babies.


    The whole universe was playing out the history of this space civilization.


    Yao Yuan saw the history with his own two eyes, from their initial struggle to their later progress as they moved step by step up the space civilization levels. Even though there were many things that he wasn''t supposed to understand, there was a voice in his head that enabled him to understand everything instinctively.


    The universe continued to move to show their history until this civilization returned to the solar system that birthed them. Suddenly, one particular spot of this solar system started to implode as if a sinkhole had opened up and the space was falling into it. It was then that Yao Yuan heard that music again¡­


    It was the Song of Destruction!


    "We managed to stop the Song of Destruction, but in the end, we failed. All traces of our existence waere wiped by the coalition of level 9 space civilizations, except for this¡­


    "We didn''t dare to leave any one of our citizens or technology behind, because they would simply be hunted down by the coalition and destroyed, but we have this, this is our only hope¡­


    "This is something our race once obtained in our long journey. We do not know what is it or who created it, we can barely tell whether it is naturally-occurring or man-created, but we do know that it is something even a level 9 space civilization hasn''t mastered!


    "Chosen one, you have won the right to inherent this relic ruin, and we only have this thing left, an illusory universe! Take it, use it to grow, help us take our revenge and revive us, and we will be your most loyal servants¡­"


    When the voice disappeared from Yao Yuan''s mind, the universe around him disappeared as if a veil had been lifted and he could see everything clearly again¡­

 Chapter 405: Mecha God! Granzon!

    Chapter 405: Mecha God! Granzon!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Before Yao Yuan''s eyes was a large hall the size of a football field. However, when compared to the openness of the universe, it was extremely small.


    The hall even felt more cramped thanks to the various mechanical paraphernalia like cogs, parts, gears, and wheels that covered the four walls. It gives the impression that they were inside some kind of mechanical structure. Yao Yuan could feel his eyes getting blurry, following the different turning motions of the many different gears in the room.


    The one true eye-grabbing feature though was a small tower situated in the middle of the room. The tower was only four to five meters tall, its width about the size of three to five grown men standing side by side. The whole tower was made up of complicated cogs and gears. Yao Yuan used his Seeker power to study the construction of this tiny tower from afar. When he used his power to look in closer, he was shocked to realize that even the cogs were made up of millions of tiny cogs. However, all of the cogs formed a structure that turned harmoniously as if they were each obediently following each of their own rules.


    This little tower gave the sensation that the hall itself was alive, capturing Yao Yuan''s attention fully.


    "Hey, have you seen enough?"


    Suddenly, a female voice said to bring Yao Yuan out of his reverie. Yao Yuan''s heart jumped. He was a specially trained soldier, so his focus wouldn''t be moved under any circumstances, but he had indeed lost his focus examining a bunch of wheels and cogs. If not for the voice that had brought him to attention, he probably would have kept on examining it, and he wouldn''t have realized that a knife was heading towards his body. How scary was that thought!?


    Yao Yuan turned towards the voice and saw ZERO and the rest of his group. Then he heard ZERO say, "Stop looking at it. I know you''re an Immortal, but everything here is real. Furthermore, you''re just a level 2 Immortal, you wouldn''t have been able to see the truth of a god-tier space civilization anyway¡­ But I''m surprised. Even though a mechanical civilization is the most common among god-tier space civilizations, this is of the rarest Gear Technological Branch. The overall power is still weak, but this means that it is an opening for us, which explains why a high tier space civilization was able to operate the power of this illusory space¡­"


    Yao Yuan waited until the trio walked to his side to ask, "You all have seen the messages, right? Also, ZERO, I want to ask, how is this god-tier space civilization compared to the god-tier space civilization inside the Hope''s UFO?"


    ZERO huffed with derision. "There isn''t even a match, the difference between the two is unbridgeable. Regardless, for humanity, both of them are a standards that cannot be reached. However, you should be thankful that this god-tier space civilization is so much weaker than the one on the Hope, because now at least you have a chance to acquire it."


    Yao Yuan agreed with ZERO. The UFO inside the Hope still baffled the Academy and it even managed to maintain its three dimensional form in the fourth dimension, this was something way beyond humanity''s scientific comprehension. In comparison, the god-tier space civilization that was responsible for this illusory space was much better. If anything, Yao Yuan wished that this illusory space wasn''t a god-tier space civilization''s technology. He would have settled for it being a high tier space civilization''s technology, or better yet, the technology of a middle tier space civilization because at least that way, the Hope could adapt it into its system seamlessly. After all, one bird in hand was better than two in the bushes.


    Yao Yuan didn''t answer but turned once more to look at the tiny tower. This time, he asked as he observed the construct, "Then, what shall we do now? How do we take control of this illusory space? Is this small tower the central control?"


    "Nope," ZERO shook her head as she answered, "This hall we''re in is the central control. The hall is merely one of its forms. After you''ve taken control of this illusory space, this can be anything you want it to be. Regarding this small tower, I''m not familiar with the technology of a Gear-based civilization, but if I have to guess¡­


    "This is probably the prison for the high-ranking demon!"


    Just as ZERO finished that statement, the voice again began in everyone''s minds. "This here is the control center of the thing we found. This thing is incredibly weird, its interior seems like it grew naturally, since there is no sign of mechanical forging or creations. However, it is filled to the brim with high-end technology. This is something even a level 9 space civilization couldn''t master, much less create¡­"


    After the voice finished, under everyone''s gazes, multiple green vines grew out of every corner of the hall. The vines climbed all over the place like little green snakes. In barely a second, the hall was covered with plant-life, giving the hall a weird look. The retro-looking gears'' surfaces ware curled with tiny yet sprawling green vines. It had a feeling of great technology being swallowed up by nature.


    However, in this scene that looked right out of steampunk movie, after the green vines appeared, some of the gears started to glow in indeterminate colors and brightness. While the group was blinded by the sudden glow, the hall and the tower started to expand in size. Starting from the initial several meters, the tower grew to several ten metres, then finally stopped at several hundred meters.


    Before the group recovered from the shock, the scenery started to change again. The vines that covered the hall started to congregate, forming into a tree that was several hundred meters tall. The group looked on as it fell upon the tower, creating a giant glow. The glow was so sharp that they could barely open their eyes. Thankfully, the glow soon disappeared. When they opened their eyes again, the big tree had already wilted. It started to crumble into dust before disappearing altogether.


    On the other hand, the tower started to operate. The gears all around it started to move and several seconds later, the tower split into two, revealing the thing within¡­


    It was a giant blue robot with red equipment. Its height was at about 120 meters. It looked heavy and impressive, not unlike the mecha robot those pilots operated in the sci-fi anime "Gundam."


    Yao Yuan frowned with confusion because he didn''t see any demon. There was only this robot. Was the demon sealed away somewhere else? Was this robot the real reward of the level 8 space civilization and not the whole illusory space as he thought?


    While it was merely a normal robot in Yao Yuan''s eyes, for others in his group, including ZERO, they saw a ball of light with the colors red and blue clashing within itself. There was even occasional roaring. They merely took a few glimpses at it before a mounting headache assaulted their brains. ZERO collapsed to the floor with a scream and the ball of light on her shoulder blinked in and out of existence, like it could be extinguished at any moment.


    When Yao Yuan noticed their reactions, he asked immediately, "What''s wrong? Are we being attacked? What''s happening?"


    When the sound of Yao Yuan''s questions drifted into the group''s ears, the headache disappeared instantly and the blue-red thing trapped inside the tower changed into the thing Yao Yuan had been seeing all along, a giant blue robot with red accessories.


    "That was too close¡­" ZERO said with great relief. "I''ve not personally seen a high-ranking demon, I''ve merely heard of them. I didn''t expect them to be so powerful. I believe he knows your existence is his biggest threat, so he aimed to dispose of us first. However, according to my understanding of high-ranking demons, it is very rare for them to expose themselves so openly. Once they are trapped inside an illusory space, they often choose the battle tactic of slow corruption and not direct assault like what happened just now¡­"


    "High-ranking demon?" Yao Yuan looked around with alarm, but he didn''t see anything, he didn''t even see anyone else. He once again turned to the giant robot in shock and said, "Is this one of the creations of the level 8 space civilization? But it''s sealed behind a pool of dark matter, how were they going to access it?"


    "No, this robot is the high-ranking demon, or I should say, a demon that is in the middle of modification!" ZERO explained.


    At the same time, the voice appeared in everyone''s minds again, "¡­Granzon, Mecha God Granzon!


    "This is an existence of a higher plane that was sealed within this curious space. When our race obtained this illusory space, we also gained access to the information that was stored within, including information about this ancient presence¡­


    "He is one of most powerful demons; he destroyed 3 god-tier space civilizations. However, he has also betrayed the demon race, betrayed Chaos, and became a target for millions of demons. It was the only reason he would end up being captured, his name is¡­


    "Mecha God! Granzon!"

 Chapter 406: Suppression and Supply

    Chapter 406: Suppression and Supply


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "This is the high-ranking demon?"


    The group, with the exception of Yao Yuan, stood about 100 meters away from this demon by the name of Mecha God Granzon. They didn''t dare to stand too close to it. Yao Yuan shrugged. Compared to the others, he hadn''t seen the demonic form of the robot, so he wasn''t afraid of it.


    Then Yao Yuan turned to ZERO and said, "What now? This hall is the central control, but I do not think we humans with our current technology can fathom how to even control it. Those green vines are the technology of the level 8 space civilization, right? This reminds me, the spaceship is in the form of a giant tree, so is this high tier space civilization a plant-based civilization? In any case, how can I gain control of this illusory space?"


    ZERO shrugged and said, "Normally, you wouldn''t have been able to take control of this illusory space. Even though mechanical space civilizations are the most common and weakest among god-tier space civilizations, it is still a god-tier space civilization. The fact that it is holding a high-ranking demon means that most of its defenses and functions are down, which is why a high-tier space civilization was able to activate and slightly control it. Of course, that is under normal circumstances¡­


    "But for now, it''s quite simple. You''ll need to suppress this high-ranking demon, and then however much energy, supplies, or programs are released by this illusory space will be yours to use. Since this is an ownerless illusory space, it will serve whoever saves it. Saving it is something not even high tier space civilizations can do¡­ but you can!


    "For normal civilizations, they could only rely on the vines of this level 8 space civilization to control this illusory space."


    Yao Yuan looked unaffected on the surface, but internally, he was greatly excited. If ZERO was not lying¡­ then this time humanity had truly found itself a great reward!


    "Then, how shall I go about suppressing it?!" Yao Yuan realized how shaky he sounded, but he didn''t mind.


    ZERO pointed at the robot and said, "Get close to him, touch him. Since you''re an Immortal, you''re different from us; therefore, you''ll have to approach him to see beyond its physical facade to its demonic form. That way, you''ll be able to exist in the same dimension as he does¡­ That is a dimension occupied only by god-tier space civilizations and high-ranking demons, the ionic soul layer. If you manage to suppress him at that level, then its physical form will be suppressed as well. It''s that simple."


    It sounded simple enough. In fact, along the way, there was no combat or battle of any sorts. The adventure had been more surprising than dangerous, so much so that Yao Yuan wondered if this was a bit too easy.


    So it looked like the real danger¡­ came from the suppression of this high-ranking demon. After all, this was a high-ranking demon, and even though Yao Yuan had no idea what kind of existence that represented, a high-ranking demon was a force powerful enough to rival god-tier space civilizations. This was not something a normal space civilization could even understand, much less suppress, and yet now¡­ he had to do it!


    "Okay, I understand¡­" Yao Yuan looked at the robot for a long time before suddenly saying, "If I die¡­ Jay Wales, should you wake up after leaving this illusory space, then I name you as the vice-captain of the Black Star Unit to assist Guang Zhen in building up humanity. If you are unable to wake up¡­ Ming Ji Jie, relay my words to Guang Zhen. He will assume my position as the Chancellor of the human government and all my military responsibilitoes. Liu Bai will take over his original responsibility¡­ over."


    After Yao Yuan said that, he didn''t feel as worried, because the space armor would record them as 3D images. That would be a strong enough evidence to enable his last order to be carried out on the Hope. Whether or not humanity would be able to survive his loss, he had complete faith in Guang Zhen''s ability. He knew Guang Zhen would be a fair ruler, and that was enough.


    In reality, his wish was for Guang Zhen to take over his Chancellor role and Ying to replace Guang Zhen as the vice-caption of Black Star Troopers and the commander of Defense Unit, but that was no longer possible¡­


    "¡­Okay, wish me luck."


    Yao Yuan strode towards the giant robot. Jay, Ji Jie, and ZERO watched on as he approached the giant robot and laid his hand on it.


    At that moment, Yao Yuan felt his surroundings fall away, revealing a state of emptiness.


    He could not see anything around him, it was not darkness nor light, it was not physical nor metaphysical. It was a state of nothingness beyond the dimensions of physicality and even¡­ time. Yes, he had lost count of even time itself. He was unable to tell how long it had been, was it a minute, a hour, a day, a year, or even¡­ an immortality.


    Suddenly, a glowing explosion occurred in the state of nothingness. It grew rapidly, reminding Yao Yuan of the Genesis, creating something out of nothing.


    Yao Yuan felt his head spin as he watched this unfold. He almost fainted from the incredible amount of information that surged into his mind. However, if he tried to focus on this information, it would simply disappear out of his reach. When he opened his eyes again, he had found himself back in the hall. However, when he looked before him, there was no longer a robot but a living mecha¡­ okay, that sounded weird, but it was as if life had been injected into the robot. He was "looking" at Yao Yuan. There was a noticeable lack of emotion in his gaze, but there was something deeper. It felt like he was trying to communicate with Yao Yuan.


    "Do you have something to tell me? Or¡­ is there anything that we can share between us?" Yao Yuan said immediately. For some reason, he felt like this demon''s form was somewhat fake, or rather, the feeling this living robot gave him was just one of falsehood; it made Yao Yuan feel like he was dreaming.


    In fact, many people should have experienced this before, the knowledge of a lucid dream. The experience where one knew one was dreaming and could sometimes even control the dream in ways that one wished.


    That was exactly what Yao Yuan felt like at the time. He felt like this living robot was very dreamlike. He didn''t feel afraid like ZERO and the rest of his group had felt. It was as if should he wish for it, the living robot would turn back to an immobile one instantly.


    After a while, Yao Yuan didn''t feel anything different, he didn''t even see anything like the bright explosion anymore. In fact, he started to get impatient. Finally, with a full-body shiver, like one would get in a nightmare, Yao Yuan realized that the living robot had returned to its physical state.


    After that, the trio, who had been standing far away, quickly rushed towards him. Before anyone could say anything, Jay roared, "You scared me, Yao Yuan. Aren''t you tired after standing there for 7 to 8 hours straight? Also, the robot changed back to its demon form, and then to a ball of shadow, and then it came alive. In fact, it tried to attack you at several times, but it would always stop at the very last moment, and now he has reverted back to a robot."


    "7 to 8 hours?" Yao Yuan was startled. To his mind, he had merely stood there for several seconds, at most several minutes, but it had been 7 to 8 hours?


    Before he could say anything, suddenly, the gears on the wall, the ceiling, the ground, and even the tower that had been parted into two began to move. As they turned, they emitted a glow that slowly gathered. Finally, the whole hall was swallowed by a bright light that forced the group to close their eyes.


    "You did it! You''ve suppressed the high-ranking demon. Now we will see to what degree you have done the suppression. The greater the suppression, the more power you can gain from the illusory space!" ZERO yelled excitedly in the bright light.


    Then Yao Yuan received the information that the illusory space transferred directly into his mind. The amount of illusory space energy he could use was¡­ 0.00007 percent¡­


    He didn''t know how to feel about this number that also represented his ability to suppress the high-ranking demon. To be fair, he didn''t even know how to suppress the demon, this was a knowledge that he would have to accumulate over time. With the increase in human technology and the accumulation of space information, he would find out more about the true identity of the Immortal and eventually learn how to completely suppress this high-ranking demon. When that day comes, this illusory space¡­


    In the eyes of the remaining three, when the strong glow disappeared, they saw Yao Yuan being surrounded by a convoluted mess of shadowy gears. Their combination kept on changing and they didn''t have a constant shape. They only congregated around Yao Yuan because the rest of them didn''t have any gears around them.


    "Then, firstly¡­"


    The method to operate the shadow gears naturally appeared in Yao Yuan''s mind. When he pressed one of the gears, the four of them instantly disappeared from the hall and appeared back in the Hope. They had been teleported across such a long distance.


    "After that¡­"

 Chapter 407: Inheritance

    Chapter 407: Inheritance


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "That''s right, I have obtained this illusory space¡­"


    In a meeting room somewhere on the Hope, the group who had removed their space armors were discussing the issue regarding the illusory space. The ball of light was also with them.


    "No, that might not be the whole truth. The more accurate way of describing the current situation is, until the original owner of this illusory space returns, another god-tier space civilization comes to dominate this illusory space, or another space civilization obtains a greater load capacity of this illusory space than I did, then I suppose you can say I have obtained this illusory space."


    Yao Yuan scratched his head and explained the situation with a bitter smile.


    Other than ZERO, the other two couldn''t hide their excitement because ZERO had hyped up this illusory space too much. If humanity really obtained this thing, then it was an ultimate victory for humankind.


    "But¡­ the load capacity I managed was only 0.00007 percent. You can count for yourself how many zeros there are after the decimal point, and the functions that I am able to use are¡­ practically none."


    Yao Yuan continued to explain with an awkward smile, "I have gained part of the information about this illusory space. First, this space was created by a race by the name of Mo. The time of creation was about 70,000,000 years ago. After creating the breakthrough technology of Perpetual Gears Assembly, they became a god-tier space civilization¡­


    "Secondly, it was around 24,000,000 years ago that the civilization managed to capture this high-ranking demon by the name of Mecha God Granzon. They were defeated when they were in the middle of modifying this demon, and that''s how this illusory space became ownerless.


    "Just like how ZERO described it earlier, most of the energy of this space is being used to seal away Granzon. Therefore, the percentage of suppression I can manage to induce on this high-ranking demon equals to the amount of resources I can use from this illusory space. Unfortunately, I can only manage a 0.00007 suppression rate at the moment. This 0.00007 percent includes the information about the history of this illusory space, its creator, and the technology storage of this Mo race."


    The two who were grinning excitedly froze. With some lingering excitement, Ji Jie asked as the information registered in their mind, "Chancellor, does this mean that¡­ the information about the Mo race is the complete 0.00007 percent?"


    "Of course not." Yao Yuan shook his head. "But that is not far away from the truth. The functions that I can use at the moment include teleportation of less than 10 people to any location within the illusory space and removal of any lifeforms or civilizations that have a lesser load capacity than I do in this illusory space. Other than that, I am able to bring a group of less than 10 into the illusory space for as long as three months every 10 years, or use the function of the dark dimension for less than 3 years. Er, the so-called dark dimension refers to the dimension occupied by these people who are still asleep. I am able to draw their consciousness into the illusory dimension of the illusory space, where death is not equal to death, unlike this space we''re in.


    "Furthermore, if I do not use any of those powers, I will be rewarded with the power to perform a controlled warp every 10 years, or if I don''t use that, I will be able to demolish any material within a 3/10 light-second radius every 50 years¡­ Well, demolish is not the correct term, it is more like pulling these things into the intermediate space between the physical space and illusory space and abandoning them there. That dimension is a space between existence and non-existence, so technically, we wouldn''t need to worry about them anymore."


    The duo who started to get disappointed earlier had their interest reignited while listening to Yao Yuan. Regardless, Jay still chimed in to ask, "Isn''t an Immortal extremely rare in space? You only managed to get so little load capacity after suppressing the demon, so don''t tell me the level 8 space civilization had an Immortal that was more powerful than you? How else did they manage to draw so many space civilizations into this illusory space?"


    Yao Yuan answered, "That is the next topic that I wish to discuss. The load capacity I meant earlier refers to the Immortal load capacity, or in other words, the resource level I have as the owner of this illusory space. It will never decrease. It will never increase either if I don''t try to suppress the demon even if I do have a better method to do that in the future. Other than that, there is another load capacity by the name of contribution load capacity. Simply put, however much you contribute to this illusory space, the illusory space will return to you that much amount of resources. Unlike the Immortal load capacity, this contribution load capacity will fluctuate until it is completely depleted. I believe that this level 8 space civilization has collected the contribution load capacity over several billion years, and that is why they were able to attract so many space civilizations here."


    Then Yao Yuan turned to ZERO and said, "Now I understand why you could lead the Hope on those controlled warps¡­ There is another illusory space within your UFO, right? So you are able to pass freely between the illusory space inside the UFO and the physical space of the Hope. You have exhausted the contribution load capacity that you have collected inside that illusory space to lead the Hope on those controlled space warps, right? You have also mentioned that you cannot do anymore controlled space warps, and I believe that is because your contribution load capacity is now completely depleted, correct?"


    After ZERO heard that, she grumbled with some degree of dissatisfaction, "You''re right, I''ve exhausted all of the contribution load capacity on you humans. In exchange, I only ask for a physical body after you''ve become a high tier space civilization. That demand is not too high, is it?"


    "It isn''t," Yao Yuan sighed and confirmed.


    In fact, when he found out about contribution load capacity and ZERO''s sacrifice, the first thing he felt was guilt. He shouldn''t have treated the girl so badly before this. Contribution load capacity was invaluable because it was a joint existence with the illusory space. It was not life, material, or spirit, it was the basis for all god-tier space civilizations. It could record a lifeform or a civilization''s contribution towards it according to its own unique set of laws. The contribution load capacity was incredibly important. In fact, the amount of contribution load capacity ZERO had exhausted on humanity was enough to enable her to live on forever in her illusory space. In contrast, humanity had done nothing worthwhile for her in return, so humankind truly owed her too much.


    Suddenly, Ji Jie asked, "Then how do we earn this contribution load capacity?"


    Yao Yuan looked at her with approval. Indeed, under the condition where the Immortal load capacity wouldn''t increase any time soon, what they needed to do now was to collect as much contribution load capacity as possible. As long as they didn''t attract the wrath of the high tier space civilization, humanity was going to be invincible should they have enough contribution load capacity.


    "First, the most crucial thing for this illusory space naturally is to suppress the high-ranking demon. Therefore, everything related to the suppression, including technology, messages, information, or even items will be able to be exchanged for enormous amounts of contribution load capacity or even a smidgen of Immortal load capacity. The second method involves the technology that hasn''t been discovered or recorded by the Mo race. It can even be a technology from low tier space civilizations. As long as it is not in the records of the Mo race, they can traded for contribution load capacity. After that, it''s a collection of different space information, which includes biological information, demon information, universe information, or information about other god-tier space civilizations that haven''t been recorded by Mo race before.


    "These are the most effective ways to earn contribution load capacity. Of course, there are also some manual labor tasks that we can do¡­"


    Yao Yuan shook his head with a frown.


    "Manual labor?" Other than ZERO, who showcased a fearful expression, the duo was confused.


    Yao Yuan explained, "You''ll understand it better if I just show it to you¡­" His finger reached out to the air and the shadowy gears appeared around him again. He pressed one of them and the four of them disappeared again.


    They then reappeared in a state of darkness. On one side was darkness and chaos while the other was light and a large construction made up of numerous gears.


    "We''re at the edge of this illusory space. Ever since its creation, an illusory space will grow alongside the god-tier space civilization that created it, and this illusory space¡­ unfortunately is still too young, it is not even one million years old. This is because the Mo race was a young god-tier space civilization. Therefore, this illusory space is very small. In fact, according to the information I''ve received, the size of this place is about one-twentieth of a galaxy. Furthermore, this illusory space has stopped expanding. The reason for that is because, one, its owner has disappeared and two, most of its resources were expended on sealing Granzon. In fact, I was told that this illusory space is gradually downsizing, and the smaller this illusory space becomes, the weaker the seal on Granzon becomes. According to calculations, in about 12,000,000 years, if we still haven''t discovered a solution to deal with Granzon or stop the minimization of this illusory space, then this place will collapse¡­ due to Granzon''s escape and destruction.


    "You see those gears? Some of them are coming loose and others have cracked. The so-called manual labor is locating these weakened gears and reporting them to the system. This mission requires the most manpower but provide the least contribution load capacity. If we''re unlucky, the amount of resources we provide might even be less than the amount of contribution load capacity we obtain.


    "Other than that, the other manual labor is to create new gears. This is probably how the level 8 space civilization collected so much contribution load capacity. It is tedious, but it is a constant source of contribution load capacity. Unfortunately, we are unable to do this¡­ this is because we do not have the technology to build the gears necessary for this illusory space. We do not have even the simplest metallurgy technology to build a gear of this caliber¡­"


    Yao Yuan concluded with a bitter smile, "Therefore, this illusory space that I''ve inherited, while it is extremely valuable and can be considered our trump card¡­ it is going to be nothing more than a decoration in the foreseeable future."

 Chapter 408: Arrangement

    Chapter 408: Arrangement


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Even with such a great limitation, the illusory space was undeniably the biggest trump card at humanity''s disposal. The crucial point was that its potential was so endless that even high-tier space civilizations would be envious of it.


    Yao Yuan currently only had 0.00007 Immortal load capacity, but he could already access plenty of the illusory space''s functions. As his power of Immortal grew and thus improved his ability of suppressing Granzon, then the Immortal load capacity would increase accordingly.


    Just think about it, the technological and information storage of a god-tier space civilization, the various powers of this illusory space, just the ability to wipe out everything within a 3/10 light-second was already something akin to a cheat. And who was there to say they wouldn''t be able to expand the radius to everything within one light year in the future?


    Furthermore, there was the ability to conduct a controlled space warp every decade¡­ what did that mean?!


    That meant that as long as humanity didn''t receive any external threat, it was impossible for them to fall!


    It was truly as ZERO promised, this illusory space was truly powerful enough to be humanity''s ultimate trump card!


    "However, at the same time, this illusory space is also an unimaginably huge ticking time bomb¡­ if it is ever revealed to any other space civilization that we have this thing¡­ Basically, when the news gets out, it will be the last of humanity in space. Therefore, everything about the illusory space will be kept as the top confidential secret within the human government, a secret of the SSS level, the same confidentiality level as the information regarding the god-tier space civilization''s UFO inside the Hope. This means that other than myself, only Guang Zhen, the members of the Black Star Unit, as well as the leaders of the first ten Black Star Trooper units will have access to the information. Furthermore, should we need to expose the information to another party, it will have to get the approval of more than 80 percent of the existing members. Last but not least, this also concerns the three of you present here."


    Yao Yuan looked at Jay, Ji Jie, and ZERO each in the eyes before continuing, "The three of you wouldn''t have known this under normal circumstances; however, due to extenuating conditions, it can''t be helped. Regardless, I wish for you to keep this secret to yourselves. Tell no one, not even your closest family members. Violators will be judged as humanity''s traitors. Of course, I am subjected to this rule as well. I will not reveal any information to those that do not have the right to know, so I hope the three of you will do the same."


    ZERO thought about it for a long time before asking, "Then¡­ can I tell Xiao Niao?"


    "No," Yao Yuan replied immediately. "I need to have a discussion with everyone who has the right to know before I can decide whether we can reveal this information to the Thinkers. Therefore, before we come to that decision, I hope you will not speak a word of this to him¡­ ZERO, in my eyes, you''re already part of humanity, so I hope you will not disappoint me, okay?"


    ZERO pouted and nodded with disappointment. Jay and Ji Jie had no issues and accepted the order easily.


    "Then we will need to deal with the aftermath of this relic type ruin," Yao Yuan sighed and said.


    "I do not know how this level 8 space civilization originally planned to deal with these other space civilizations who lost, but from the value of the illusory space itself, I do not think they were kind enough to let them go easily. Furthermore, they did not have enough contribution load capacity left to utilize the illusory space for a ruin-wide memory wipe. Perhaps a level 8 space civilization will have a product that can replicate that effect, but the civilization was dying when they created this ruin, so¡­ the biggest possibility was, they were going to let things run their course."


    It sounded rather innocent on paper, but there was a vicious glow when Yao Yuan said that.


    "Let things run their course?" Jay queried. "Meaning they are going to keep on existing in the illusory space?"


    "I''m afraid it''s not so simple." Yao Yuan shook his head. "The only way to survive in this illusory space is to suppress the high-ranking demon''s existence. For that, one needs the Immortal load capacity. Without that, the contribution load capacity will be exhausted instead. When the contribution load capacity left in the illusory space runs out, then the only possible result will be¡­"


    "They will return to physical space?" Jay guessed with a frown.


    "Annihilation¡­ Or more accurately, tossed out of the illusory space but with no way back to the physical space. It is similar to the weapon I mentioned earlier, they will exist in the dimension between existence and non-existence, practically left in oblivion¡­" Yao Yuan said with a blank face.


    "You have to understand that entering illusory space requires either Immortal load capacity or contribution load capacity, and leaving the illusory space to go into physical space requires the same amount of energy as well. This is the theory of energy conservation, and this means that all the remaining space civilizations here¡­"


    Yao Yuan shrugged with a face devoid of emotion. "Other than the civilization that inherited the ruin, the other space civilizations will probably keep on surviving in the illusory space until the time arrives, and then¡­ they will be annihilated. This is the most logical resolution because one, it will ensure that the secret of the illusory space will not be leaked and two, the level 8 space civilization won''t need to exhaust so much contribution load capacity if they do not keep these people alive indefinitely."


    "In other words," Jay said in a shaking voice, his hand reaching for his mouth, "all these space civilizations, these billions of lives, they will¡­"


    "Yes!" Yao Yuan roared, "You''re right! They will all be annihilated! This is the end for them! No one can save, not even me!"


    Jay''s face was blanched immediately. He mumbled, "But this, but this¡­ these are billions of lives, there might even be peace-loving and innocent space civilizations among them¡­"


    "Their peace is reserved for them only! It does not mean peace with other races!" Yao Yuan grabbed Jay and forced him to look at the interior of the Hope. "Take a closer look! This is who we are! We are only humans! We are the smallest survivors of the cosmos! You''ve been asleep, so you do not understand what we''ve been through. Let me teach you a valuable lesson, the cosmos¡­ is no place for the weak! And we humans currently are one of the weak!


    "Furthermore, even if I obtained the method to save them and could release them back into physical space, I¡­ wouldn''t do it!"


    Yao Yuan announced in a frigid voice, "I am the leader of humanity, so I have to put the safety of humanity first! What do you think will happen? A big happy family of different space races? You really think lifeforms from different backgrounds can sit at the table and share a cold one without plotting the downfall of the other? Don''t be na?ve! Jay, you''ve not tasted the cruelty of space, but we have. We''ve been in space wars, we''ve been threatened, we''ve been framed, we were also once close to being wiped out!


    "It is not my intention to deny the value of peace and compassion, because after all, we humans are not emotionless robots, but before we can show other people kindness, we must make sure we will not regret it. So this time¡­ You''ll have to forgive me, I do not wish to have any regrets."


    Yao Yuan released Jay and he concluded, "I''ve made my decision. Other than humanity, all the space races here¡­ will be abandoned!"


    Jay was still pale, but he had nothing to say. After all, Yao Yuan was right, he was absent for most of the struggles humanity had faced throughout these years. In the end, he merely said, "Yao Yuan, I''m sorry. Please understand that I''m not trying to pressure you or anything. I just woke up and didn''t even have the time to brush my teeth yet. My brain is still not working so well¡­ Give me some alone time to think. By the way, do you have any cigarettes on you? Mind giving me some?"


    Yao Yuan offered Jay a pack of cigarettes wordlessly. He took a few cigarettes and walked out of the meeting room. After the door closed, Ji Jie asked with hesitation, "Chancellor, he¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed. "Don''t worry about him, because no one can save these space civilizations, this is already a confirmed fact. Instead of laying the guilt on him, it''s better for him to think that I''m being cruel¡­ Back to the issue at hand. From the information I''ve received, this level 8 space civilization still has some contribution load capacity left in the system. Unfortunately, I do not know how much exactly still remains, because the contribution capacity is not transferable. I only know that it is enough to enable us to escape the illusory space, because the level 8 space civilization''s last message was for the victor to use the remaining contribution load capacity to do exactly that. Moreover, they said that there would be enough left over to initiate another entry into the illusory space should we need it. As I mentioned earlier, I do not know the exact number, but this will be our trump card. When humanity faces real extinction, at least part of us can escape into the illusory space.


    "Another important issue is the dark dimension¡­ It has been going on for years. I do not know exactly how long, but it is at least more than 100 years. I do not know what still remains of the Hope, if anything at all. No matter the ending, that is all fake, an illusion at best. However, the feelings, especially animosity, that were cultivated during this time will not be fake. I am afraid that after they woke up, they will remember the things that happened in the dark dimension and will hold grudges¡­ That will not be good for humanity''s future¡­


    "Therefore, before waking everyone up and removing them from this illusory space, I wish to use all the Immortal load capacity I have to conduct a civilization-wide memory wipe. I want them to forget everything that has happened in the dark dimension. Since this is a memory-wipe of a god-tier space civilization, even Homo Evolutis won''t be exempted, and there will not be any side effects. However, this does mean that we will be unable to make use of this illusory space for the next ten years¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed before continuing, "After this, we will enter the star path and leave this galaxy."

 Chapter 409: Star Path and New Galaxy

    Chapter 409: Star Path and New Galaxy


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Guang Zhen was suffering from a great headache. For some reason, everyone on the Hope had fallen asleep after entering the giant tree ruin. A headache lingered after he woke up, and he had no idea how they entered or even escaped the giant tree ruin. Thankfully, Yao Yuan was not affected and, with the AI''s help, had managed to pilot the Hope out of the giant tree ruin. That was how humanity had survived the ordeal¡­


    Even though he felt like there was a crucial part missing¡­ he couldn''t figure out what it was when he thought about it¡­


    In any case, the Hope was heading towards the star path. Guang Zhen was busy from the moment he woke up to make the necessary preparations. However, before his work could finish, Yao Yuan called him for a meeting.


    Initially, Guang Zhen thought it was just a normal protocol meeting, but he quickly realized that something was out of place. This was because no Thinkers were involved in the meeting and even Bo Li was excluded. The only people in attendance were the Black Star Unit members and the unit leaders of the Black Star Troopers'' first ten units¡­ In reality, the total number of Black Star Trooper unit leaders who came was less than 10 because most of the leaders for the first 10 units of Black Star Troopers were originally from the Black Star Unit.


    This situation was curious¡­ Furthermore, the meeting was held at the meeting room near the Hope''s central mainframe. In reality, only Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen knew about the existence of this meeting room, and since this meeting was held there, it must be about something extremely important.


    "Everyone, before I proceed with the meeting, I have to remind everyone that the contents of this meeting have a¡­ SSS confidentiality level. Therefore, anyone who leaks the information of this meeting will be punished as humanity''s traitor. Any individual who is not here but manages to obtain information related to this meeting will be punished in a similar manner as well, there is no exception¡­"


    This was the first sentence that Yao Yuan spoke. It caused the room, which was chatting amiably among themselves, to go completely silent. Humanity''s traitor was a serious crime. In fact, it was the most serious crime on the Hope after they left Earth. It was even more serious than crimes against human society or against the human government. As long as one was confirmed to be a humanity''s traitor, one would be executed without the right for a plea! Anyone who committed this crime could no longer be considered a "human" anymore.


    "What I''m going to say next will decide the future development of humanity''s future, it will decide the trajectory of our development for the next several thousand or ten thousand years, and it might continue to be relevant until we become a god-tier space civilization or until we collapse¡­ This meeting will be noted in the history records. Even though the contents will be eclipsed, the name of this momentous meeting is going to be¡­ The Final Doctrine.


    "The meeting contents are¡­"


    When Yao Yuan explained everything, the room was stunned into silence. This was truly something beyond everyone''s comprehension. They had survived for more than 100 years in an illusion? And their memories of that were all wiped?


    The most important thing was, of course¡­ the illusory space!


    Liu Bai suddenly raised his arm to ask, "Chancellor, I have a question."


    Yao Yuan nodded and replied, "Go ahead, I''m sure everyone has some enquiries. This meeting is not timed, we will be here until all your questions are answered."


    "Yes, Sir¡­" Liu Bai weighed the words in his mind before asking, "My question is about the contribution load capacity¡­ What kind of scale is it? Can you give us a clearer introduction?"


    Yao Yuan thought about it and said, "It is not a concrete substance. If I really have to describe it, you can see it as some sort of credit or even H-coins. To put it simply, how much you contribute will be equal to how much you get in return; it is very similar to economics. However, the party we''re trading with is the illusory space. In other words, if we are able to aid the illusory space, whether it''s to help it suppress the high-ranking demon or help it grow stronger via the improvement of its size, technological storage, or information storage, then these will help us earn contribution load capacity. Other than that, contribution load capacity is not transferrable, but when we obtain contribution load capacity, we can set it as racial contribution load capacity so that members of the race can use it¡­"


    Liu Bai added, "My second question is, is there a solid way for us humans to earn contribution load capacity?"


    Yao Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile. "Currently, no¡­ that option is not available to us at least until we become a middle tier space civilization¡­ any more questions?"


    Guang Zhen seemed to have just recovered from his shock. He asked immediately, "You''ve explained most of the thing about the illusory space, so there''s not much to ask about that¡­ But I wish to know, there were plenty of spaceships caught in the giant tree ruin, and there were some from middle tier space civilizations among them. How can you move the Hope out of there just like that? We''ve missed out on a large treasure trove!"


    Yao Yuan continued to shake his head with another bitter smile. "The fact that we might not be able to undo their defense systems aside, there is a crucial problem standing in the way¡­ Those spaceships have all disappeared."


    "Disappeared?" Guang Zhen repeated with his mouth open. Not only him, the rest of the room was confused and shocked as well.


    Yao Yuan shrugged helplessly. "Indeed, the spaceships of those space civilizations have all disappeared. Even though ZERO said the things that happened in the illusory space wouldn''t influence their existence in the physical space, they have truly disappeared. I believe¡­ they were all consumed by the illusory space. This means that either this illusory space is unique¡­ or the information given by ZERO is false. After all, she has not used Immortal load capacity before, so her information on the illusory space might not be completely true."


    Guang Zhen thought of it for a long time before exclaiming excitedly, "Isn''t this better? We are unable to do anything against those middle tier space civilization in the physical space, but they are putty in your hand in the illusory space thanks to the Immortal load capacity. So you''ll be able to access their technology easily, right?"


    Yao Yuan sighed. "Unfortunately, when we departed from the illusory space, the contribution load capacity of the level 8 space civilization was exhausted almost to its end. In other words, the contribution load capacity left behind by the level 8 space civilization was depleted when I moved humanity from the illusory space to the physical space. Yes, there might be a small amount that remained, but it was not enough to utilize it to do anything else¡­ I''ve been to the illusory space, and there is nothing there, all the other spaceships have completely disappeared¡­"


    Even though the topic was rather heavy, the people present at the meeting were not like Jay, they were real soldiers, powerful soldiers even before they left Earth, so they understood the gravity of the situation and the necessary actions. After a moment of silence, Yao Yuan continued, "Therefore, we can forget about the technology of those space civilizations. To wipe out the 100-year-long memories of humanity that were spent in the dark dimension, I''ve used all of the Immortal load capacity we currently have, and this means that we are unable to use most of the functions of the illusory space for the next 10 years. Regardless, it is undeniable that the illusory space is our biggest and final trump card. I don''t think I need to repeat these words, but all the secrets regarding the illusory space and how to use the illusory space to its maximum capacity will be something we need to discuss in the future and must be kept in this room. Now, I shall propose three additional individuals that shall be given access to the information of the illusory space¡­


    "They are Bo Li, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao. Voting starts now¡­"


    Time passed by really fast. It had been a week since Bo Li, Ren Tao, and Xiao Niao had been briefed about the existence of the illusory space. Yao Yuan had moved the image of the illusory space in physical space into the most secret place on the Hope¡­ the room that housed the UFO. This room, combined with the internal defense regions of the Hope''s central mainframe, were all listed as the Final Doctrine alongside the secret meeting. Other than the 10 plus people who knew about the illusory space, according to the rules, only the human president and vice president were allowed to know about it in the future.


    At the same time, after leaving the giant tree ruin, the Hope had reached the edge of this galaxy. According to the surveillance device, they were nowhere close to any solar system, so they were officially at the fringe edge of the galaxy.


    "So¡­ This is the star path?"


    The Hope continued its mission in the weeks'' time, which was to locate the connection between various galaxies¡­ the star path. Originally, people on the Hope thought that locating one would be incredibly difficult and it might take years to complete. Yao Yuan was even prepared to use the warp drive to fly out of this galaxy and perhaps survive for 10 years in between galaxies and then use the controlled warp function of the illusory space to hop to a solar system.


    However, to their surprise, the star path was ridiculously obvious. In fact, two days earlier, the Hope''s long distance surveillance had picked up the trace of star path. It was a¡­ no, this was an area humanity''s current technology could barely understand.


    Before the Hope, there was a glistening area that was indeterminately wide, and it was so long that they couldn''t see the end on the other side. However, the Hope needed to get close to it before one could notice the giant light area. For example, several hours ago, the people on the Hope still hadn''t been able to notice the star path, but now, almost everyone on the Hope could see the river of light with their naked eye. There was an impression that the star path looked like a laser weapon. After all, the "path" was extremely bright.


    Of course, the Hope wouldn''t just wander in without any preparation. With all of its surveillance devices activated, the Hope stalled for about 2 months beside the star path entrance. Even though humanity''s technological level was still quite low, they could still theorize. Blue 6 was surprised by this. Based on theoretical understanding alone, humanity''s scientific prowess could be considered to be even higher than the Blue Race''s. And according to the Academy, the reason why the star path was so glisteningly bright was because¡­


    "The speed of light in the star path is heightened. The more accurate way of describing it is that the speed of everything in the star path is increased, and these include ions, electrons, and particles. Under this condition, the distance remains unchanged but the speed increases. It is probably why the star path manages to connect different solar galaxies."


    On the discussion-cum-conference regarding the star path, Silewei reported in summary, "Members of the Academy and the government officials present, I will try my best to use the lay language to explain the situation¡­ Due to some unknown reason, the movement speed of electrons in this region is about 60,000,000 times higher than their normal speed. Unfortunately, we are unable to get the actual number, the 60,000,000 is merely an educated guess, but it is fair to say that the speed of light inside this region is incredibly sped up compared to the outside.


    "Under the condition that the distance between the galaxies remains unchanged, the moment we enter this path way, the Hope will fly ahead with a speed 60,000,000 times its current speed. Therefore, even if the distance between galaxies is calculated in several million light years, at most we will need several decades to traverse the distance. Furthermore, the time can be cut down even more if we utilize warp drive while we''re in the star path. Therefore, this is scientifically plausible."


    Instantly, someone in the crowd raised his hand to ask, "But Professor, what about the strong light in the star path? Can the Hope''s defense system withstand the energy assault?"


    Silewei replied instantly, "Mr. Reporter, unfortunately, those aren''t energy waves. The bright light is actually caused by the appearance and disappearance of virtual particles in space. The increased speed inside the star path caused the virtual particles to appear and disappear at an improbable speed. The moment we enter the star path, the bright light will disappear. This can be observed from the surveillance devices that we sent, so you do not need to worry, this star path is completely safe."


    The conference went on for a long time. Other than Silewei, other scientists posted their findings as well. Of course, the questions were varied. They came from reporters, other scientists, government officials, representatives from House of Representative, and even common civilians. After all, this was related to the Hope''s survival, they couldn''t afford not to be careful.


    At the same time, in a meeting room on the Hope, Yao Yuan was signing the proposal to enter the star path. Guang Zhen was sitting beside him.


    Guang Zhen sighed with emotion. "The cosmos definitely is big enough to be filled with various curiosities. I remember reading in a sci-fi novel that some space civilizations slow down the speed of light in space to aid their travelling through space, and here we see a god-tier space civilization use some sort of travelling technique to cause the parts of the physical space to speed up by 60,000,000 times. This is incredible¡­"


    "Yes, it is incredible."


    After Yao Yuan signed the proposal, he gave it to Barbie. Then he turned to Guang Zhen and smiled. "This is just the beginning. As you''ve said, the cosmos is endlessly big, and we humans have just witnessed perhaps 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000001 percent of it. Perhaps when we become a god-tier space civilization ourselves, we will have seen one over a billion percent of the cosmos."


    "Indeed." Guang Zhen felt the same way.


    Yao Yuan stood up and said, "Come, let''s go have a drink or two¡­ tomorrow, we''ll enter the star path and head for a new galaxy, a new world!"

 Chapter 410: Arrival and New Solar System

    Chapter 410: Arrival and New Solar System


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Half of the Academy still maintained a hesitant perception regarding the usage of the star path. They believed it was too dangerous, at least by humanity''s current standards.


    However, the other half of the Academy believed that the star path was the most suitable connection between galaxies. After all, it was a mature path trodden by many space civilizations already.


    "Then how are we going to defend ourselves against the high speed of various ions inside the star path?" a physicist asked Silewei. "Do not try to use scientific terms to befuddle the fact, I''m also a physicist. If we really speculate using the data from the surveillance, the moment a lifeform enters the star path, it will be evaporated like it was trapped inside an oven! Furthermore, time is relative. Since the passage of time is 60,000,000 times faster inside the star path than outside, doesn''t this mean that we will need to move from one speed of time into another speed of time when we enter this star path? We will be destroyed from the different time flows!"


    The arguments between scientists were harsh, as were all academic debates. The weapons of choice were factual data and experimental conclusions. This was even more severe than political or religious debates because if one did not hold their ground in terms of research, then what was the point of doing science?


    "Therefore, we cannot enter the star path just like that. Think about it this way: can a prehistoric car use a super high-speed highway? Or to borrow another analogy, can an ant move at the same speed as other modern vehicles on the highway?"


    "That is why we need a ''vehicle'' that can ride on this star path highway," Silewei said with a cunning smirk. "A ''vehicle'' that can not only reach the maximum speed of this highway but can also protect us from being damaged by the high speed."


    "Vehicle? What kind of vehicle can ferry us humans across this star path? The Hope is not a good candidate, it is too unwieldly. Wait¡­" This scientist was not a normal scientist, he too was one of the traditionally-trained scientist who left Earth alongside Silewei. Instantly, he gasped in surprise. "Are you talking about space? Warp drive?"


    "That''s right! I am indeed talking about warp drive!"


    Humanity still hadn''t completely dissected warp drive''s operational theory, but from known information, warp drive was indeed a technology that could only mastered by level 4 space civilization. For some reason, it was leaked into the hands of level 2 and 3 space civilizations. Even though its function was greatly simplified and its proficiency not even one over one hundred of the actual warp drive, it was still the only method available to low tier space civilizations to break through the speed of light.


    The so-called warp drive didn''t refer to the spaceship breaking through the limitation of light speed itself. From this perspective, light speed was indeed a limiting barrier. It was impossible to break through light speed in physical space, and whether this was something doable for high tier space civilization or god tier space civilization was still unknown.


    Warp drive utilized the power of science to distort the space behind the spaceships, causing the space distortion rate in front and behind the spaceship to be different. This led to the formation of the "forward movement" of space. In other words, the spaceship itself was immobile, but the space the spaceship was in had moved. Imagine it as the space the spaceship was in was "cut out" and moved while the spaceship remained immobile in it.


    According to Silewei, this piece of cut out space would be the vehicle humanity would use to ride this star path. Since this space didn''t count as the space inside the star path, there wouldn''t be any interaction between the space itself and the star path. When the space entered the star path, the star path would act as a conveyor belt and "move" this space to the other end of the star path at 60,000,000 light speed. This was the answer given by Silewei.


    The star path was indeed dangerous, but with the suitable method, it was truly the most efficient way of travelling through the cosmos for low and middle tier space civilizations!


    The argument lasted for a month, and they were now one month later¡­


    The Hope was already on the edge of another galaxy, and quite far away from the star path.


    "Space radiation gradient normal¡­"


    "No gravitational response within the radius of 10 light seconds¡­"


    "Creator''s particle scanning system normal."


    "Triangulating the spaceship''s location, siphoning more energy to the central mainframe¡­"


    "Surveillance of star location completed, sending information to the central mainframe¡­"


    Due to the huge distance between the two galaxies and the uncertain speed inside the star path, the Hope didn''t quite know when they were bounced out of the star path. They were even still in warp drive state. In fact, the Hope didn''t even know where they were now. According to calculations, they wouldn''t need more than a month to cross the star path using warp drive, but beyond that, the Hope really couldn''t tell when they left the star path, when they entered normal space, and how long they had been travelling through normal space using the warp drive engine.


    Therefore, after exiting warp drive, the Hope immediately activated all of its surveillance devices. They wished to check whether they were in a new galaxy by using the surrounding stars and other solar systems as basis. Of course, this was to detect whether there was potential danger from other space civilizations as well.


    The calculation process was very complicated, even the Hope''s AI needed about 8 hours to complete it. The wealth of information would freeze old Earth''s supercomputers instantly. However, the result was exciting. It was confirmed that they were on the other end of the star path, in a new galaxy.


    The Hope was currently still at the edge of the galaxy. According to surveillance, this galaxy was at least 10 times bigger than the one they were in before.


    "Then¡­ we shall discuss the future development of humanity."


    After obtaining the surveillance result, Yao Yuan instantly called the Hope''s high officials, about 300 of them, to attend a large scale meeting. There were government workers, people from the House of Representatives, and representatives from the three main factions in attendance.


    "We can use space warp, but now we know space warp not only has its randomness, it also enables super long distance travelling. The current system we''re in is already so far away from the Milky Way that we cannot even tell where it is. In the future¡­" The moment Yao Yuan thought about the prerequisite to become a level 9 space civilization, his brain started to ache.


    "That is not important for now." Yao Yuan sighed and pushed the thought out of his mind before continuing, "Therefore, space warp is not a suitable space travelling method. At least until we can master controlled space warp, space warp should be treated as our last resort. We have the warp drive technology and can travel between galaxies. Furthermore, we do not have a mother planet and no branching ships. Even though this is a sign of weakness, it also means that we can grow without inhibition¡­ and speaking about that, I wish to ask everyone here, what shall our next direction of growth be?"


    After Yao Yuan finished, the room started to get busy with conversations. In fact, before the meeting was called and they were still in the warp drive, the people all over the Hope had been talking about this topic.


    Using the space warp to conduct random jump had the least support. After all, no one could guarantee what would be at the other end of the warp. That was an option that was open to humanity after they were starved of any other choices. Space warp was treated as the last means to escape by about 80 percent of the Hope. Unless they came up against an impossible enemy or a tragic cosmic catastrophe, space warp was not an option.


    What about other ideas?


    Some believed they should go search for a Shelter. Since no one knew of humanity in this new galaxy, the situation at the earlier Shelter shouldn''t repeat itself. As long as humanity kept to themselves, there shouldn''t be too huge of an issue.


    Others suggested that they use Yao Yuan''s power to look for life-preserving planets. Even if they could only stay there for three years, those three years would be like life in paradise¡­ After all, many babies on the Hope hadn''t even seen blue sky outside of movies and animation!


    However, the majority''s choice was¡­


    "The Home Base Creation White Manifesto."


    "Search for an isolated solar system and settle there. Using the materials provided by the solar system, humanity will focus on creating a new mothership, Kun Lun¡­ At the same time, using Kun Lun as the base, humanity will create its own Shelter, and after that, if possible, manipulate the birth of a life-preserving planet using the wealth of cosmic adapters available to humanity.


    "At the same time, improve humanity''s military force by expanding the number of Defense Unit soldiers, increasing the training of the Black Star Troopers, and increasing the functions and number of Space Combat Jets. The main purpose is to ensure that humanity can stand up to any level 2 space civilization!


    "The name of that cosmic system will be¡­


    "New Solar System!"

 Chapter 411: Search

    Chapter 411: Search


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The meeting ended with a 2/3 majority vote for the future development of the Hope and humanity¡­ that was the Home Base Creation White Manifesto.


    The contents of the book were numerous and varied, including the development of many different sections. The first step was to search for an isolated but not barren solar system. There were, of course, many criteria to the selected solar system. For one, it shouldn''t be too close to the center of the galaxy, because that would be the congregation of civilizations, and that might pose danger to humanity.


    The sun of the solar system had to be a healthy sun. In other words, it had to be stable and not something like a red giant. It had to be stable and wouldn''t lead to any cosmic catastrophe in the next hundred or thousand years.


    The number of planets within the system had to be more than five and at least two or more had to have meteorite belts. These would provide the materials needed by humanity for innumerable years.


    The white manifesto was separated into many different sections, such as the plan for the building of Kun Lun, the building of Space Combat Jets, the expansion of the Defense Unit, increase of population, specialization of work, new education policy, cultivation of arts, and much more.


    This manifesto was the collective work of relevant experts. It took almost a month to be compiled. In fact, most of the contents had been brought up years ago and this was merely a categorization process to make it official. The manifesto was demarcated into five big categories: selection of solar system, construction of military, construction of politics, construction of civilian technology, and the last category was confidential, as in it was something hidden from normal civilians.


    The fifth category was¡­ the New Solar System defense plan.


    Of course, these were far-fetched plans for humanity. According to current situation, completing the first step would take at least 10 years. That included selecting the appropriate solar system, building a simple Shelter, and creating the first of humanity''s spaceship fleet.


    After the manifesto was passed, it was time for the crucial first step, selecting a suitable solar system from the ones near the Hope.


    "If the star path is 0, and horizontal as X, vertical as Y, 3D depth as Z, our current location is X31-Y17-Z42. We are at the fringe edge of the galaxy, so there are extremely few solar systems around us. From the result of the surveillance, the next closest solar system is about 0.32 light years away.


    "Other observable systems are at least 50 light years away. We can still reach them using warp drive, but we''ll be threatening the ship''s supplies. Our surveillance also found out that three of the solar systems have some issues. One of them has a red giant, another is in an unstable state, and the third has a binary sun. Other than these three, the remaining solar systems fit our criteria.


    "We conducted more detailed analysis and 8 solar systems remained, but unfortunately¡­ the solar system closest to us only has 3 terrestrial planets even though it has 5 asteroid clusters. Other than that, since this solar system is closest to us, the surveillance result came back to be the most complete¡­ One of the planets is very interesting, I believe everyone here will be interested in it."


    On the fifth day of the manifesto, the Hope had scanned all the nearby solar systems and had gathered for a result-sharing meeting.


    In the meeting, Alan was giving his report. A 3D image was projected behind him.


    It was a planet that seemed to have a red surface. Using electromagnetic resonance technique, the Hope had captured all of its grandeur.


    Alan pointed at the planet and said rather excitedly, "If compared to our old solar system, this planet will be between Earth and Mars. The general temperature of the planet''s equator in the morning is about 30 degrees and it is negative 30 degrees at night. Everyone, do not be alarmed by the low temperature because in reality, for such a lifeless and dry planet, such a temperature is already quite sustainable for life to be born.


    "At the same time, the electromagnetic resonance detected that the planet has an atmosphere. The air contains a large amount of carbon dioxide and trace amounts of carbon monoxide, noble gases, as well as oxygen and water vapor. In fact, we found small regions of ice layer at the planet''s opposite poles. Granted most of it is dry ice, according to the prediction of the Academy, this is a sign that the planet has underground water. In fact, this planet has the conditions to be a life-preserving planet, but whether it is one is still unknown. Perhaps we''ll need to land there to find out."


    Alan could barely suppress his excitement at this point. He continued, "Instead of quantity, we should be focused on quality. You asked for a solar system with more than five terrestrial planets, but if most of them are at the edge of the solar system, like our Neptune, what is the point? Honestly, with the asteroid clusters available in the solar system alone, it can sustain humanity for more than 1,000 years. Therefore, isn''t transforming a planet into a life-preserving planet a better option instead?


    "For example, this planet, after we confirm that it has no life, we can start the transformation at its equator by creating one or even more cities. By introducing green to the planet and diverting the underground water to create lakes or mini oceans, we''ll slowly transform the planet''s weather and atmosphere¡­


    "We''ve lost our home, but does this mean we cannot rebuild a new home?!"


    Alan''s plea resounded with the room and he was rewarded with a thunderous applause. Indeed, creating a new home and ending the aimless wandering through space¡­ wasn''t that the dream of most human beings?


    Yao Yuan, who was also present, smiled. He leaned to Bo Li beside him and said, "Who would have thought that Alan had such a talent in giving speeches¡­ By the way, how is the Academy''s inspection coming along?"


    Bo Li shook her head emotionlessly. "There''s nothing out of the ordinary, but this planet is actually not as good as he made it out to be¡­ Well, it''s not objectively bad, but it isn''t fit for human habitation. This is because the gravity of the planet is 1.7 times Earth''s gravity. Those with weak constitution will feel the extra weight. In fact, many would end up indisposed. He was clever not to bring that up, and transforming the planet into a place suitable for humans to live is going to be more difficult than it sounds."


    Yao Yuan smiled. "Perfection doesn''t exist in the world. If there is really such a perfect planet for human habitation, then at most we will be able to stay there for 3 years. In that case, I''d rather we terraform a new planet. It is extremely difficult to find a suitable planet for the purpose of terraforming, but we humans are truly lucky. For those with a weak constitution, we can have them undergo months of training in the space station first before allowing them to land on the planet. After all, it is a poor man''s dream that we will have a perfectly wonderful planet handed to us just like that!"


    Bo Li didn''t reply and sat there listening to him. Yao Yuan scratched his nose helplessly before saying, "Since the Academy already has some ideas, then they should bring them up at the House of Representatives. No matter the result, we will still enter this solar system, even just for supply mining. If the place is truly not suitable, we will move onto another solar system."


    Due to the united front put on by the Academy, the criteria in the manifesto where the solar system needed to have more than 5 terrestrial planets was overruled. The Academy suggested that they use this closest solar system instead and rebuild humanity''s home on this planet itself. This kind of opportunity couldn''t be missed. They wished to make this solar system the New Solar System.


    Alan''s presentation lit up the fire among the citizens of the Hope. They didn''t care about a solar system having more than 5 terrestrial planets, they only knew that the chance of finding a suitable planet for terraforming was less than one over one million. Therefore, the civilians were leaning towards the Academy.


    The will of the people was reflected in the House of Representatives. Since the representatives were voted in by the people, they had no choice but to submit to the will of their constituents¡­


    The solar system closest to the Hope was 0.32 light years away, so they would reach there in days using warp drive. Whether it was suitable to be the New Solar System or not would have to be seen when they were there. Thus¡­


    The Hope entered warp drive, heading towards the solar system!

 Chapter 412: Entry and Research

    Chapter 412: Entry and Research


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Warp drive engine exhaustion 80, 75, 70¡­ dropping steadily."


    "Initiating flux propulsion system¡­"


    "Activating creator''s particle vibrator¡­"


    "Preparation of Black Star Troopers complete¡­"


    "I order," Yao Yuan sat in the captain''s chair and said, "Exit warp drive."


    "Yes, Captain''s order, exiting warp drive."


    "Countdown to exiting warp drive, 10, 9, 8, 7¡­"


    "Exited warp drive!"


    After a blue flash, the Hope exited warp drive, and the thing that was revealed before their eyes was a solar system¡­ Of course, they could only see the sun as most of the planets were still too far away to be seen with the naked eye.


    "Surveillance complete, there is no trace of creator''s particle, gravitational reaction, or electromagnetic resonance¡­"


    "There is no threat within observable distance."


    "Diviners reported no sense of danger."


    Yao Yuan finally sighed. "Lower the alert level to level 3. Power down the necessary defense systems and patrolling guard. The Hope will return to its normal situation as we operate the second step of the manifesto, noving towards the target planet."


    After Yao Yuan had given all the orders, he went to the Black Star Troopers'' headquarters, where Guang Zhen was in the middle of a discussion with the unit leaders.


    "We''ve just entered this solar system and yet practically every civilian already knows what we''re going to do next thanks to the Hope''s a-bit-too-vibrant mass media. Do you know? I''ve been trying to suggest to the government to control the media. After all, it won''t do to have what we just discussed in the meeting this morning to be released to the public this afternoon, right? Alas, your commander is a stubborn mule, he rejected my suggestion¡­"


    Guang Zhen shrugged and said seriously, "Alright, back to the issue at hand. As everyone knows, this solar system might be extremely meaningful to us human beings. Even though we are unable to confirm for now whether it will be our New Solar System, the possibility of that happening is more than 70 percent. In other words, this place will quite possibly be our new home base, the place where most of us will grow old and die.


    "From tomorrow onwards, the Black Star Troopers will be delineated into five divisions. Two of them will be responsible for guarding the Hope and its surrounding area, while the remaining three will explore this solar system. Yes, you have not misheard me, I need you to leave the Hope and comb this solar system.


    "The goal of this mission is to collect information on the basic details of the planets, like their gravity, atmosphere, and available supplies as well as note the important defense points within this solar system."


    Guang Zhen paused to let the information sink in before continuing, "As I''ve mentioned earlier, if this solar system really does become our New Solar System, then this place will be our main base for the next hundred, thousand, maybe even ten thousand years. Thus, we need to find out which spots are suitable for the construction of defense spots, supply spots, and hidden bases. That is your mission objective."


    When Yao Yuan arrived, Guang Zhen had already given all the orders. When the latter noticed Yao Yuan, he poured him a cup of coffee before adding, "Now all the Black Star Trooper units wish to go out and explore. This is not what I expected. It''s a hard decision to make."


    Yao Yuan accepted the coffee and frowned. He took a sip and said, "I''m sure you can come up with a solution. If it''s really impossible, then we''ll just use a rotation system. It might even be a good training opportunity. After all, the Black Star Troopers will need to defend the whole solar system after we settle. There will be plenty of occasions when we''ll need them to fight outside of the Hope. Might as well let them get used to it now."


    Guang Zhen laughed. "I know you''re a tea person, but this is a new batch of coffee, you should have a change of taste once in a while¡­ Either way, I believe this solar system is a good find. Even though the number of planets is small, there are plenty of asteroid clusters. Those are easier to mine and they form a natural defensive wall. What were those representatives thinking about when they said we needed more than 5 terrestrial planets? Do they think we have several billion in population? Do we need so many planets to house our population? Or are we humans creatures that survive on metals and we need more than 5 terrestrial planets worth of minerals to survive? They must be kidding."


    Yao Yuan took another sip of the coffee. It was fragrant yet bitter, no sugar because that was Guang Zhen''s habit. He didn''t say anything but followed Guang Zhen''s topic. "They have their concerns; after all, the civilians whom they serve do not know so many details. Isn''t that how politics work? At least for the Hope''s civilians, more terrestrial planets equal more materials and supplies, which brings about more occupational opportunities. The representatives are thinking about the civilians'' profit and benefits, so we cannot really blame them. After all, when the Hope was lacking in supplies and was rationing them, even you and me didn''t have the heart to smoke that additional cigarette each day, much less the normal civilians, so you can see where their decision is coming from."


    Guang Zhen scoffed with derision, but he didn''t retort. After a long time, he said, "It''s almost noon, let''s go have lunch and then go to that place."


    Yao Yuan didn''t argue, that was the purpose of his visit after all. Other than to check up on the progress of the Black Star Troopers, it was to visit that place with Guang Zhen¡­


    After lunch, Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen used an inconspicuous hovercraft to travel deeper into the Hope. They turned off the main road into a small corridor. When they descended, there was a large door before them. Hanging on the door was the insignia of the research center and two large letters¡­ HE.


    Yes, this was the Homo Evolutis research center, known as HE center for short. In fact, ever since this research center was established, it was hidden from public view. Even though Yao Yuan didn''t ban any mass media reporters from exploring the place, the reporters could only get information about the most surface things due to their lack of clearance credentials.


    "¡­HE center experiment, Case Study C-127."


    Before Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen was a monster-man with a very large brain¡­ or rather a monster that looked like a human. Its brain was half the size of its body, which was to say that it was incredibly large. This meant that it could only lie in bed due to the heavy imbalance. However, the most surprising fact was that it was not a remains or specimen, it had eyes and a nose, and it was still alive.


    "This is the only living case study we have left. It is now 6 months old and its brain kept on mutating since its cloning birth. We have taken out parts of its unimportant brain cells and discovered that it was only the lipids and cholesterol that were mutating and growing and not the actual brain matter. We cannot control or cure this mutation. In other words, it has caused the disintegration of its brain capacity. To put it simply, it is a retard, the type which has zero consciousness of itself and the world around it¡­


    "Secondly, we are still unable to counteract the progeria in the clones. The cells of the clone grow old at 1,400 times the normal human speed, this means that progeria has begun when they are still babies.


    "This case study C has survived the longest, it has been alive for 6 months and its cellular age shows that it is only over 20 years old. That is already a big break through¡­ but we still cannot solve the issue of the brain. If the speed of brain mutation is allowed to continue, at most we will have 1 more week before the body won''t be able to support the weight of its brain and die. So case study C is officially a failure."


    The manager of the HE center reported to the two leaders with shame and guilt coloring his face. Just like the earlier case studies A and B, this experiment also ended with a failure.


    Yao Yuan nodded expressionlessly before saying, "This is a new field, so failure is inevitable. Learn from the mistake and prepare better for case study D, good luck."


    After everyone had left, Guang Zhen asked Yao Yuan seriously, "Yao Yuan, this experiment C-127¡­ the cells for the cloning come from you?"


    Yao Yuan nodded. "Yes¡­ Cloning of Homo Evolutis started from the day the HE center was established. When it comes to the cloning of normal human beings, where due to the limitation of genetics, other than genetic disease, the clones are no different from normal human beings. However, the cloning of Homo Evolutis has always led to failure no matter the methods used. Under these circumstances, it is only fair that I provide my own cells for the cloning experiments¡­"


    Cloning was something that violated the rules of human nature and various religious doctrines; therefore, many countries had banned the technology back in the old Earth. Cloning was done in extreme secret on the Hope. In fact, the civilians had no idea that part of the resources had been channelled into this research.


    However, this was a necessity because in the wide cosmos, humanity was as weak as a small bug inside a large forest. They could be wiped out at any moment due to numerous reasons. The human population was too low, only several ten thousand people, it was barely over the limitation for genetic variance. Should a great tragedy happen to the Hope, other than the sperm and ovum banks, reviving the greats from the genetic bank was also part of the human revivification plan. The most important part, naturally, was the HE center, who was responsible for the collection of Homo Evolutis genes!


    In fact, from the information garnered by humanity, most level 3 and above space civilizations had experimented on Homo Evolutis or cosmic adapters, and cloning happened to be the most popular type, but¡­ until now, there had been no successful examples.


    Guang Zhen sighed. "If the cloning of Homo Evolutis is successful, of course it''s good, but we shan''t force it if it''s impossible, because cloning Homo Evolutis is only a small part of that plan, our real focus is still that plan.


    "The human fortification research plan."

 Chapter 413: Next Generation

    Chapter 413: Next Generation


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "From this point onwards, it is a dust-free clean room. You''ll have to change into a special suit and go through the cleaning process before you can enter," Bo Li said expressionlessly.


    Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen laughed awkwardly because only Bo Li dared to address them so nonchalantly. If this was anyone else on the Hope, they would explain the situation in a round-about way, probably putting on the special suit themselves to signal them, instead of ordering them around like Bo Li did.


    There were about 20 people in the group, and all of them were high officials from the Barracks. After Bo Li''s order, everyone followed Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen to go through the necessary process before they tailed Bo Li deeper into the experiment lab.


    The lab was filled with researchers walking about, busy with their work, but Bo Li ignored them all as she brought the group deeper into the lab. They passed a large door before finally reaching their destination.


    This was the seventh day after the Hope reached the solar system. The Black Star Troopers had been split into five rotations to explore every corner of the solar system and the Hope was heading towards their destination planet. With the Hope''s current speed, they only needed 20 plus days to reach the planet, but these 20 days couldn''t be wasted. As the Hope ventured deeper into this solar system, more and more citizens confirmed that this was going to be the New Solar System.


    The biggest reason was because the selected planet had 3 moons of varying sizes.


    For prehistoric civilizations that still couldn''t explore space, having 3 moons was nothing spectacular, but for space civilizations, having a moon would greatly increase the planet''s value. If it had more than 2 moons, the planet would normally be transformed into a Shelter provided the planet wasn''t too barren.


    The reason was because the moon would provide a natural defensive barrier. A moon could rival the defensive power of a spaceship 10 times its size. One moon might not be able to cover the whole planet, but having more than 2 moons meant that the planet was indestructible.


    All this information was available in the store of information provided by the alien merchants. The validity of this information was proven by the defensive committee from the Barracks. If one transformed the moon, it would be greatly effective in increasing the planet''s natural defenses. Thus, a planet with 3 moons was truly a treasure, granted it was not better than a life-preserving planet, but could they give up such a good opportunity?


    Therefore, this solar system had a great chance of being the New Solar System. The entirety of the Hope was focused deeply on the solar system and Yao Yuan was dealing with one of the important details. If they were going to settle there, then they had to defend it well. Humanity''s population was low, so losing one person was a great loss to the civilization. Furthermore, the main defensive force currently was the Black Star Troopers, and they were Homo Evolutis. At this point, humanity knew the value of Homo Evolutis, but since they were also the greatest fighting force, they had to be employed. Therefore, the best solution was to supply them with better equipment so they wouldn''t be defeated so easily.


    "This is the new generation of Space Combat Jet¡­ No, it is no longer a combat jet, this is the next generation of space transportation vehicle. I personally call it¡­ the Steel Ball Prototype."


    Before everyone''s eyes was a silvery-white metallic ball. Its surface was glowing like a mirror, and it had no front or back, no top or bottom. It was about 15 meters tall and wide, looking not unlike a normal metallic ball.


    Everyone present looked at one another with confusion. The thing did fit the name of Steel Ball because it was truly a ball made of steel¡­ but how could it be a space vehicle? Or was Bo Li just pulling their legs?


    At this point, everyone''s gazes turned to Yao Yuan until the leader of humanity felt awkward under their scrutiny. Bo Lo then said expressionlessly like there was nothing out of the ordinary, "Now I will showcase the power of this Steel Ball Prototype. However, so far, the only suitable pilot is Yao Yuan; therefore, Chancellor, please take your seat. Send out 20 of your most trustworthy and powerful Homo Evolutis to pilot the Space Combat Jets, we''ll have a match of space paintball and the group to be hit first loses."


    "Huh?" Yao Yuan was confused. Why must he be the pilot? With his position, he would not enter the battlefield unless it was a threat huge enough to cause human extinction. Even then, someone would advise him from doing so.


    Granted a paintball friendly match was not going to be dangerous, they were toying with a new technology that had not been tested before, and they were going to be doing this beside the Hope, which was flying at full speed. What if the Steel Ball exploded or accidentally harmed the Hope or the other Homo Evolutis?


    Bo Li seemed to notice Yao Yuan''s hesitation, because she turned to tell him, "This Steel Ball uses the latest control system. In fact, the shape and structure of the spaceship is such because it has to complement the control system. The control system is not my creation, its creator is someone else, but it is truly a genius design, so when I discovered it, I immediately added it to the Academy''s S-grade confidential information. You have the clearance to check it, but obviously you haven''t. In any case, you are the only person capable of piloting this control system¡­ Don''t worry, the steel ball itself is perfectly safe because this is just an experimental control system. We have not added any new technology to it, it is currently only equipped with a level 2 space civilization''s technology. In fact, it''s technological level might be even lower than the Space Combat Jet''s. Regardless, it is your choice whether you want to do this or not, but if you don''t, then don''t blame me for a lack of progress in the future because I won''t have the data I need."


    Yao Yuan was not really worried about the safety of the steel ball. After all, he doubted Bo Li would send him to his death considering their relationship, but he was just curious why it had to be him to pilot the thing¡­


    After Bo Li activated the Steel Ball and opened the cockpit and Yao Yuan got into it, he realized how weird the interior of the cockpit was¡­ It only had a chair and nothing else. This was beyond his expectations because the interior of the Space Combat Jet was filled with various devices.


    "Yao Yuan, now do you understand? The interior structure of the Steel Ball is widely different from the Space Combat Jet, it is all related to the control system, and that is why I said you are the only person capable of piloting it. This is a space vehicle that is well beyond our years, so you''ll have to personally experience its impossible strength. In fact, I dare say, if we can build a batch of usable Steel Balls, we will win even if we face a level 3 space civilization 100 times our size!"


    (It''s that good?)


    Yao Yuan''s interest was piqued. He knew Bo Li was not one to entertain exaggeration. Furthermore, Bo Li had seen a real level 3 space civilization''s spaceship before, so she must be right, this Steel Ball must have some truly impressive system inside it.


    "Now I will activate the control system. Yao Yuan¡­"


    "Hmm?" Yao Yuan asked curiously, "What''s wrong? You sound hesitant."


    "Be careful and don''t die out there."


    "Huh?"


    As he said that, the Steel Ball was bounced out of the Hope. The 20 Space Combat Jets who had been waiting immediately left the Hope to give chase. Soon, they caught up to the Steel Ball.


    Yao Yuan, who was inside the cockpit, felt a sensation he had not experienced before. When the control system was activated, the electromagnetic resonance device inside the Steel Ball was activated as well. Yao Yuan felt like he had become one with the Steel Ball, as a wealth of information surged into his mind.


    The sensation was too interesting; information like the Steel Ball''s speed, flying angle, coordinates in space, the remaining energy, and its distance from enemies appeared in Yao Yuan''s mind naturally. Even though he wasn''t looking at them with his naked eye, it was clearer than that.


    It was then that Yao Yuan understood why the Steel Ball had to be made in a spherical shape. Only that way he could feel the surroundings in 360 degrees! The control system connected directly to the consciousness, and this meant that he could move about without a specific rhythm in space. It was much more flexible than the Space Combat Jet!


    How could a hand-piloted Space Combat Jet be more flexible than a vehicle that was piloted by consciousness? This was a difference between heaven and earth!


    With a thought, the Steel Ball stopped moving and several small cannon barrels appeared on its surface. When the Space Combat Jets got near, 4 of them were shot immediately. As the group of Space Combat Jets wanted to retaliate, the Steel Ball seemed to evolve into a silver light rushing through space, and the Space Combat Jets couldn''t even get a good aim¡­


    In less than 10 seconds, the match between 1 Steel Ball Prototype and 20 Space Combat Jets¡­


    Ended with a landslide victory for the Steel Ball Prototype!

 Chapter 414: New Solar System!

    Chapter 414: New Solar System!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Yao Yuan woke up, it was already 20 days later.


    When he did, the first thing that he felt was a great headache and waves of mental lethargy came in consecutive episodes. It was very similar to how he felt when he overexerted his Homo Evolutis power before. He was drowsy and needed another two days of sleep before he could make a full recovery.


    He remembered that during the paintball match, the Steel Ball he was piloting decimated the other 20 Space Combat Jets in just under 10 seconds. The power of the Steel Ball couldn''t be underestimated and its maximum speed was at least 3 times faster than the latest Space Combat Jet. This was a very scary achievement.


    However, when the Steel Ball returned to the Hope and the electromagnetic resonance stopped, Yao Yuan was assaulted by a head-splitting headache. Endless information crashed in his mind and his brain couldn''t "digest" it. Before he knew it, he had collapsed onto the floor, and when he came to, it was already 20 days later.


    "The creator of this control system is not me and it was merely a flawed project when I first discovered it. This control system involves the human brain, spirit, consciousness, and something even deeper. Furthermore, it can complement the Homo Evolutis power. It is something truly incredible, but unfortunately, it is not within the research scope of my Whisperer''s power. Therefore, the improvements that I could add weren''t complete and perfect. The fact that it could reach such a state is already beyond my expectations."


    In the special sickroom, Bo Li was explaining the situation to Yao Yuan as she peeled an apple for him.


    Yao Yuan had stayed in bed for another 2 days, and even though he was still incredibly tired, he was at least mentally present. When he heard what Bo Li had to say, he asked immediately, "You mean¡­ there is another Whisperer on the Hope?"


    Bo Li glanced at him. "That I cannot be certain, perhaps the person is a human genius like Da Bing, but¡­ the chance of a hidden Whisperer is high."


    Yao Yuan was already grinning from ear to ear. After all, this was a Whisperer, whose contribution to a civilization was bigger than a Thinker''s, and it could rival his importance of an Immortal. The only drawback was that each Whisperer had their own research specialization. They were geniuses like Einstein in their specialized research area, but they were not more brilliant than a normal scientist outside of it.


    Currently, the Hope had three famed Whisperers. They had Ivan for biology, who was responsible for the cultivation of plants and animal rearing on the Hope as well as the strengthening of the human body, like elongation of lifespan and things of that sort. Of course, Ivan was still researching the alien plant and hopefully one day it could be used as humanity''s trump card, an ultimate weapon on the level of the Gravity Cannon.


    The second was pathologist Saburo, whose specialization was in the field of viruses. He was the mastermind behind the study of immune systems. In fact, Saburo could be considered the saviour of humanity because the immune system upgrade he came up with allowed human beings to survive in space and land on alien planets without worry. The alien virus was like an open book for Saburo, and currently he was researching on the zerg race''s cells, hoping to employ it as an ultimate weapon in the future as well.


    Third was naturally Bo Li. She was incredibly knowledgeable in the fields of mechanical engineering, modern science, and related fields. Therefore, she was responsible for all the weapon upgrades on the Hope. Over the years, she had solidified her position as the brain of the Barracks. The Gravity Cannon that had saved humanity at the Shelter was her creation.


    These three Whisperers had introduced a startling change to human technology. It was thus a surprise to Yao Yuan that there was a fourth Whisperer hiding on the Hope. This Whisperer was quite possibly the type humanity needed the most and probably the rarest type of Whisperer in space¡­ the Whisperer that specialized in the field of cosmic adapters!


    "We have to find this person¡­" Yao Yuan said excitedly before he paused suddenly and turned to ask Bo Li, "How did this control system reach your hands? Who gave it to you?"


    Bo Li shook her head and explained, "Someone left an USB drive on my table, and since it didn''t go through the internet server, there was no record in the AI either. The USB drive is something common, a small gadget, but it can contain up to 100 TB of content. A normal family on the Hope would have three or four of these, so it is impossible to trace it back to a specific buyer. Furthermore, this person was very clever. When he or she came in to drop the USB drive, he or she avoided the surveillance cameras masterfully¡­"


    "In other words, the person is from the Barracks." Yao Yuan nodded. "The fact that he or she knows how to avoid detection means that the person probably has a background in Special Forces and he or she should have a certain standing in the Defense Unit¡­ The scope is already so much smaller. If we add the timing of the latest Homo Evolutis Awakening, then it is 70 percent confirmed that this person comes from the Noah One¡­"


    Bo Li continued expressionlessly, "You''re going to seek this Whisperer out? With the help of the two Thinkers, you can probably trace the clues back to the person easily. The Hope is only so big, so that shouldn''t be so hard."


    Yao Yuan shook his head. "I don''t think we should. This person is also a human, and it is out of kindness that he or she delivered this control system. It is probably because he or she knows we''re settling in this solar system and will need to expand the military in the future. The members from the Noah One are still hesitant around the Hope''s government, and that is probably why this person refuses to reveal their identity. As long as this person means the Hope no harm, then I believe we should abide by their wishes. If they wish for their identity to remain a secret, then so be it. After all, the Hope''s government has nothing to hide, so eventually they will reveal themselves voluntarily."


    He was looking for a Whisperer who would work for humanity willingly. If he forced the person into the open, he might cause a grievous offense depending on the person''s personality. If this caused the person to refuse to do any research, then it would be a great waste, so the better option was to wait patiently. Yao Yuan had confidence the Hope''s transparent and fair governing system would eventually pull this person out into the open.


    After that, Yao Yuan agreed with Bo Li that the control system was indeed incredibly strong. Combined with the Steel Ball prototype, it was truly a cross-generation space vehicle. If it could somehow take down the shield of a level 4 space civilization''s spaceship, Yao Yuan had faith humanity could beat a level 4 space civilization!


    Therefore, he hoped Bo Li would continue to work on improving the control system. Even though this was not her specialized field, Bo Li was herself a scientist. Gradual improvement was still doable, given there was enough time. Thankfully, this Steel Ball was just a prototype. The weapon placement, the movement system, and the electromagnetic resonance system had to be tweaked, and there was the time needed for Bo Li to improve the whole thing. When the Steel Ball was fully online, then it would truly usher in a new change for humanity.


    While Yao Yuan was asleep, the Hope had reached the target planet. After another round of surveillance, this planet was even better than they thought, and at this point, it was already 90 percent certain that this was going to be humanity''s New Solar System.


    This was because they had detected a layer of ice layer underneath the planet''s surface. Other than dry ice, there was lots of frozen water. The biggest find was that the planet was not a life-preserving planet, there was no trace of life on the planet. In other words, after humanity settled on this planet, they wouldn''t need to be afraid of threat from a neutron star fragment. Therefore, they could focus fully on terraforming this planet. With the amount of cosmic adapters available to humanity, it was not out of question that this would end up being a second Earth several thousand years from now!


    With three moons and many asteroid clusters acting as natural defenses, this solar system was truly the best find. The Black Star Troopers had gone through the asteroid clusters that were full of valuable resources. The solar system also had 3 gas giants that could provide resources that humanity couldn''t use for now, but when humanity became level 3 space civilization, these 3 gas giants would be crucial. The hydrogen atoms in them could provide energy for the reactors for millions of years to come.


    Because of this, after Yao Yuan woke up, the entirety of the Hope was waiting for him to make an announcement. Yao Yuan hosted a poll at the House of Representatives, and after the voting, the human government finally came to a decision. The first step of the white manifesto, finding a new home base for humanity, was officially completed.


    "I announce¡­


    "This solar system now belongs to humanity and it is the lawful territory of human civilization. This is humanity''s¡­


    "New Solar System!"

 Chapter 415: Red Moon, Dark Moon, Light Moon

    Chapter 415: Red Moon, Dark Moon, Light Moon


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "The three moons, according to their orbit and distance from the planet as well as their own geological quality, have different appearances if seen from the planet itself. One of them is bloody red, another one is inky black, and the last one is shining bright.


    "According to the ship-wide vote last week, they are respectively named Red Moon, Dark Moon, and Light Moon. And now we''re landing on the moon closest to the planet, the Light Moon."


    The Hope had been idling above the Light Moon for more than a week now. It was not that the Hope wanted to stop there, but for the sake of absolute safety, they had to carry out plenty of calculations, exploration, and detection before they could allow the Hope to land on it.


    The Hope now was no longer the same ship that left Earth. It had reached the peak of level 2 space civilization and was brushing up against level 3 space civilization. It also had supplies that would last the ship for at least 10 years as well as the elite group of Black Star Troopers. Humanity was no longer a rookie in space.


    In this one week, the thorough exploration of the Light Moon had been completed. Information like the components of its core, its geographical layer''s structure, internal environment, and the types of minerals harvestable had been known. It was then that the Hope finally landed on the Light Moon. Even the landing spot had its own criteria. First, the place had to be a piece of smooth plateau near deposits of minerals that would be instrumental to forming the New Solar System.


    It was worth noting that these minerals were more abundant on the asteroid clusters and mining would be easier there. Some asteroids were formed completely of the metal and they could be used after being smelted down. However, traversing to and from the clusters was not easy. Even with the Hope''s maximum speed, it would require at least 8 days to complete the journey. If added the consideration of processing time and arrangement of various materials, a single trip would have to be as long as half a month. Thus, it would be easier if they mined the stuff on the planet or the moon itself.


    "This is the Light Moon, the moon closest to our target planet, and it is also the final defense line of our home planet in the future. We will transform this place. Of course, the first thing to do is build a metal processing plant worthy of a level 2 space civilization. Then, with the plant as the center, we will expand into modernized processing factories. This moon will be humanity''s city of minerals and productivity in the future. Things like farming tools, machines, space jets, mining equipment, weapon, space armors, and even spaceships and battleships will be assembled here in the future!


    "This way, the issue of a clean environment on our future home planet will be resolved. Of course, we will also build a large residential area here for the factory workers. If possible, we will transform residential areas beyond a certain size into a holiday retreat. Of course, those are concerns for the future. The most important thing now is to construct the foundation of an industrial system!"


    When Yao Yuan finished his speech and left the stage, the room erupted in camera flashes. At the same time, his speech was broadcasted throughout the Hope via the ship''s internet server. Be it the 3D images on the streets or the private 3D televisions at home, his message was relayed, and at the same time, many people cheered.


    While Yao Yuan was in the middle of giving his speech, a Black Star Trooper unit accompanying a Defense Unit ten times its size as well as four Space Combat Jets and plenty of transport shuttles carrying thousands of workers left the Hope. They had with them the rudimentary blueprints and the base model that was constructed on the Hope. They would be responsible for starting the home base on the Light Moon.


    Travelling along with the group was Yun Si, who had to be there as the vice-captain of a Black Star Trooper unit and Yue Xuan, who was tagging along as an apprentice engineer. They had been in a romantic relationship for more than a year and, technically speaking, they should be happy about this "coincidence" that both of them were sent on the same mission. However, only Yue Xuan felt that way. Yun Si had a heavy feeling pressing down on his heart.


    (Could it be that Bo Li or even Yao Yuan suspect that the control system was Yue Xuan''s design and it was me who helped her deliver it to Bo Li? Impossible, I''ve checked the area closely and even went through the Hope''s internal design. I''m sure that I''ve evaded all the surveillance cameras, and even if there was a hidden camera, it couldn''t have known it was me. Furthermore, even if it did, they wouldn''t have been able to link it to Yue Xuan¡­ But why would they send both of us on this mission then? Is it just a coincidence?)


    Yun Si was greatly bothered, but he didn''t let it show on the surface. Yue Xuan was too innocent to worry herself about these things. On their journey to the moon, she found an excuse to worm her way into the midst of the Black Star Troopers. The unit knew that she was their vice-captain''s girlfriend, so they cleverly cleared a private space for the little couple.


    The first thing out of Yue Xuan''s mouth was, "Yun Si, you have been extremely busy when I came to find you for these few days. Before that, you were busy exploring the New Jupiter. How is it? Is the planet pretty upon closer inspection? By the way, have you seen the flight experiment of the Steel Ball prototype that happened a few days ago?..."


    Before she could finish, Yun Si was spooked and he immediately closed the voice recording system in the Space Armor. Then he signaled for Yue Xuan to do the same. Then the two of them communicated via a private channel. "Haven''t I told you not to bring those things up when we''re not alone?"


    Yue Xuan immediately looked around, patted her chest, and sighed. "You scared me. Thankfully, there are only the two of us around here¡­ Where was I¡­ yes, that psychological control system was certainly impressive, it is truly a design that made me faint. Isn''t your wifey impressive?"


    Yun Si felt a headache coming, but he still said, "Yes, yes, you are the most impressive, but you better not talk so much about this in the future."


    Yue Xuan grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Why? This is a cross-generation design! Alas, the design is still not complete. When I saw the video of the trial several days ago, I had a new idea regarding the design. If only I was given a chance to improve upon it. This is a control system meant for Homo Evolutis, and I believe it is entirely possible to simplify it to be used by normal human beings. However, the technology required for all that is too great, it needs a large amount of modern devices to be used in calculation and experiments. If only I could join Professor Bo Li''s lab. I hear it has the latest scientific-use technology and it even has products from level 3 space civilizations. Thinking about it is quite exciting¡­ but this Chancellor sure is biased. We''re both Whisperers, but he is only good to his wifey¡­"


    Yun Si''s headache turned worse. In fact, after they got to know each other better, he realized that Yue Xuan was a quintessential chatterbox; her lips would rarely close after she started talking. However, thanks to her innocent nature, her chatter would rarely be construed as annoying, but as her boyfriend, he would still occasionally find himself as her nagging victim.


    "You two are different," Yun Si explained, "After all, she is a well-known Whisperer. About 70 percent of high tech weapons on the Hope came from her, and you''re still relatively unknown¡­"


    Yue Xuan grumbled instantly, "That is all your fault for telling me to keep a low profile. Honestly, my designs are not worse than Professor Bo Li''s. Even though¡­ most of them are weapons for Homo Evolutis, that is already good enough. For example, when I saw the Steel Ball trial several days ago, I was struck with inspiration. The updated control system and psychokinetic floating cannon are all wonderful design. Of course, there are still improvements to be done, but those are there because I don''t have the necessary technology to design them. If I had the same resources as Professor Bo Li, hehe¡­"


    Yun Si scratched his head, and after some time he added, "So be it. It might not be so bad if we''re discovered¡­. You might get the fame you need, but now is still not that time. In fact, we might need your help to get the members from the Noah One closer into the inner circle¡­"


    (But I have to admit that Yao Yuan''s government is transparent and fair. This human government has no dirty skeletons in its closet, so being discovered wouldn''t be a bad thing. After all, it was due to kindness that I volunteered that control system¡­ Sigh, maybe I should find a suitable opportunity to explain everything¡­)


    As Yun Si chatted with Yue Xuan, the group finally landed inside a large crater on the Light Moon. They started assembling the devices and the AI robots that tagged along started operating. They took over the jobs that needed brute strength. In fact, with the increase in technology, the productivity also increased exponentially. In just one afternoon, about 5 hours to be precise, the first base was already half-finished. All the quarantine rooms had been built and these isolated rooms would be resting the depots. This meant that they didn''t need to return to the Hope every time they needed to rest.


    With a speed that was observable to the naked eye, a silver base started to appear beside the cluster of rocks not far away from the Hope.


    The first supermagnetic smelter was built on the fourth day of landing. Tons of minerals were pushed into it and the manufacturing process officially started.


    The number of workers outside of the Hope had reached more than ten thousand, and the number was still slowly climbing¡­

 Chapter 416: A Bountiful Year

    Chapter 416: A Bountiful Year


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhang San returned home with great excitement. As he burst through the door, the smell of beef stew filtered into his nostrils, causing him to salivate almost instantly.


    "You''re home? Go wash your hands, it''s almost time for dinner. I''ve prepared ox tail soup for you. I went to the market early in the morning to fetch freshest ingredients, I''m sure you''ll love it," a middle-aged woman''s voice drifted from the kitchen.


    Zhang San rushed into the kitchen immediately and saw the woman ladling the soup into a bowl. He went to grab the bowl and said, "Mom, I''ll do it, you go sit there and rest, I have a good news to tell you."


    The middle-aged woman smiled and moved to oblige. She cleared up the mess in the kitchen and was about to leave when the door was pushed open and in walked a middle-aged man. The man''s face was carved with tiredness and he grumbled as he walked in, "I''m home. What are you cooking? It smells so good in here."


    The middle-aged woman who was walking out of the kitchen smiled and answered, "Ox tail soup. Just look at you two, always hungry no matter what. Go wash up, dinner will be served soon."


    This was a normal family of three. After the three of them were seated at the dining table, the middle-aged woman served her husband and son each a bowl of soup before getting one for herself. All three of them took a sip at the same time and sighed with great satisfaction. The flavorful ox tail combined with the freshness of tomatoes created a soup dish that was not worse than the soup served at the best restaurant on the Hope.


    The middle-aged man suddenly said solemnly, "The taste is indeed not bad. Honey, your cooking skill has improved again¡­ but this appears to be ox tail from free-range cattle, so it must''ve been expensive, right?"


    The middle-aged woman defused her husband''s question with a bright smile. "That''s where you''re wrong. Recently, the price for food items has been dropping. This ox tail was about the same price as reared pork and the tomatoes were cheaper by half compared to before, so they were not expensive."


    The middle-aged man nodded and didn''t reply. He sipped the soup and grabbed a few of the other dishes when Zhang San announced suddenly, "Dad, the school has assigned me my job posting."


    Both of his parents were shocked, but happiness gradually appeared on their faces. His father asked immediately, "So soon? You''ve been asked to stay behind at school for only a year, how can they give you a job posting so soon? What about your seniors?"


    Zhang San answered with his mouth full, "Most of them got their job postings too. Some seniors have already started work, but I heard that many other students who were asked to stay back have received their job postings today too¡­"


    Before the middle-aged man could ask for more details, the middle-aged woman chimed in excitedly and worriedly, "What kind of job it is? Don''t tell me it''s general maintenance, like the cleaning crew. I hear from others that those job postings have the least benefits and pay¡­"


    "No, no," Zhang San corrected immediately, "it''s an apprenticeship at the engineering unit. The monthly H-coin is slightly better than dad''s, but by how much. I still have no clue. I''ll know the details when I go for the interview tomorrow. However, I hear that the benefits offered are very nice. After one year of apprenticeship, there will be government housing and other benefits."


    Smiles broke out on both the middle-aged man''s and woman''s faces, but the middle-aged woman still asked with suspicion, "I remember that the daughter of our neighbor has stayed behind at school for two years already, but she still hasn''t received any job posting last I heard. So are you sure this isn''t some group scam?"


    Her husband berated her with a laugh, "This is not Earth, where would you find a scammer group? If there is really one, you think the Chancellor and his team are all blind? I know a thing or two about this sudden development. They''re trying to build a moon base on the Light Moon, so they are in serious need of workers, especially those in the fields of engineering, mechanics, super electromagnetism, and energy. Thankfully, I was bright enough to tell our son to enroll in the study of super electromagnetism. Granted, he''s still only an apprentice and it is not a given that he''ll become an actual engineer, but if he does, you know the benefits provided to the engineers, right?"


    His wife laughed and said a few words of praise before turning to her son. "San Er, you''ve worked so hard to get this job posting, so you have to focus hard at work, okay? We are so proud of you. This is wonderful news, come have some more soup."


    Zhang San suddenly felt his eyes red with tears. He was reminded of the years he spent at school and that extra year he was forced to stay back. His family wasn''t that wealthy; his father was a simple electrician and his mother was sick. Even though the Hope provided healthcare for all its citizens, it was only for serious treatments; everyday supplements still needed money. However, he knew that his mother never once spent money on those. At the time, he was still a student, and his student stipend was barely enough to buy her any nutritious food. Thinking about it made his heart twitch with sadness, but now that he had a job, one with good benefits, he swore to throw himself into work so that his parents could finally enjoy a comfortable life¡­


    This scene was happening all over the Hope. This was because the Hope''s government had been forced to ration all provided resources fairly and not based on needs. They were travelling in space, so their supplies were limited. The fact that they could find a system to abide by for everyone was already fair enough, and allocating supplies according to needs was simply impossible. This was especially true when the Hope was travelling long distances, when there might even be limited supplies. Under such conditions, most citizens on the Hope couldn''t be considered rich, they were barely surviving.


    Furthermore, the Hope was only so big and there were only so many available job opportunities. No matter how hard the Hall of Communications tried to specialize and delineate the job scope, it was impossible to give jobs to several ten thousand people. Lastly, matching job scopes was also an issue. They couldn''t have a great physicist go clean up the streets, right? This was not only a waste, but also an insult on the faculty of knowledge!


    Because of this, most graduate students from high-tech courses had to stay at school for years after their graduation and relied on government stipend. Even though they understood the government''s difficulties, saying that they didn''t feel any resentment was untrue. It was simply that the resentment still hadn''t reached a scale where it would explode.


    Lastly, there was another reason¡­ the population number increase. To be frank, the Hope had reached its maximum number of upgrades. After all, this ship was only meant to fit ten thousand people in space. Through multiple upgrades, the capacity had improved, but it was still not enough to fit the human population that had almost reach 400,000 people. The Hope was too small. They had been gone from Earth for almost 21 years, and as the ship that held humanity''s life, future, hope¡­ it was really too old and too small.


    In fact, there was no longer any empty space left on the Hope, but even so, there were still many families who hadn''t been given their own housing. Having three generations in one house was a common occurrence. Many newlyweds were forced to stay with their parents. Just think about it, the first batch of space babies was now 21 years old, some of them even already had their own children. Therefore, the Hope had become the biggest problem that limited humanity''s growth.


    The human government''s officials of course knew about the importance of population numbers in space. As long as the population number didn''t reach a hundred million, then humanity was at risk of extinction. Therefore, planned parenthood was technically a taboo on the Hope. In fact, it was a sin by law to promote planned parenthood. In fact, if any government worker or representative mentioned planned parenthood at any public place, then they would need to find a new job as long as they survived the law.


    Therefore¡­ it was not that humanity had the luxury of choice. They had to stay at this solar system because they desperately needed to expand.


    That was the current situation the Hope was facing. It had 400,000 people. Minus the newborns and children, the rest were all adults. In other words, there were about 300,000 adults, and that meant that there needed to be at least 150,000 job vacancies. The Hope could provide about 50,000 job postings, the Barracks could cover yet another 30,000 job postings. This meant that around 70,000 jobs vacancies were still needed, and the base on the Light Moon was perfect to fill that need. There were many open job vacancies in the fields of harvesting, smelting, manufacturing, and human resource management. As the moon base started to get constructed, a new breath of life was inserted into the Hope.


    The first to notice this was not Yao Yuan and the government but the representatives. Their constituents decided their direction, and in the latest House of Representatives hearing, there was a new vote that requested the human government to expand the moon base before the 21 New Year. Other than manufacturing and smelting bases, they requested a residential area to be built on the Light Moon. They wanted the base to fit at least 500,000 people. The supplies and manpower exhausted for this plan would be enough to build several Hopes, but at the same time, this project was going to provide many job vacancies.


    When Yao Yuan was reading this proposal, Guang Zhen came with a new proposal for the expansion of humanity''s military system. His heart was even darker and bigger than the representatives¡­


    "What? The first human fleet contains 50 battleships the size of the Hope, 450 guardian ships that are one-fourth the size of the Hope, as well as 1,200 combat spaceships armed with space cannons¡­"


    "Why don''t you just kill me now and become the Chancellor? That way, they''ll get built even faster!"


    Yao Yuan roared in the captain''s room, and it was transferred through a message channel through the Hope and into everyone''s ears. Everyone smiled helplessly and kindly¡­


    Hope, future, they were up for grasp!

 Chapter 417: Supply

    Chapter 417: Supply


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "The shuttle in front has to move faster! This batch of building supplies has to reach the 11th building of Area B or none of us are getting off work today!"


    Zhang San frowned while listening to the voice drifting through his spacesuit. It was a man''s voice filled with desperation and urgency. In reality, everyone was rushing, but the speed of the hovercraft was only so fast. Even though the lane was already divided into top, middle, and bottom, for the workers on the Light Moon, the traffic was still incredibly crowded.


    It had been 3 months since the Hope landed on the Light Moon. In these 3 months, with a speed that surprised even humanity itself, a large, super-modern industrial base was constructed on the moon. It combined the function of a smelting, manufacturing, and production factory. It had taken over those responsibilities from the Hope. This base on the Light Moon could process up to 5,000,000 tons of materials, 200 hovercrafts, 600,000 tons of building materials, and120 Space Combat Jets daily. On top of that, it could churn out 100 battleship ships every five days, a guardian ship every 20 days, and a mothership every 60 days.


    At the same time, a residential area had started being built next to the industrial base. The place would be able to support 500,000 people with schools, parks, and recreations. It would be called the City of the Light Moon, but the project was huge. The projected time of completion for the main parts of the city was 3 years, and 5 years for full completion. Of course, the amount of supplies needed for it would be gigantic as well.


    "So far, the the Light Moon industrial base has built 8,000 plus hovercrafts, 1,000 plus transport shuttles, 1,700 plus tons of building materials, 10 battleships, 2 guardian spaceships, and they''ll need another 20 days to finish building a mothership of the same level as the Hope. After that will be the expansion project of the residential area¡­"


    In the captain''s room, Barbie explained to Yao Yuan the plans in place for humanity for the next three months. Yao Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you, Barbie, for your hard work¡­ by the way, your request for in-vitro pregnancy has been rejected. You have to understand that single mothers are unable to get that according to the law, as it is not good for the child''s growth. But why would you want that procedure? I hear you have many pursuers. One of them is a representative from the House of Representatives. I''ve looked through his files, he''s handsome, rich, and kind. Apparently, he has been pursuing you for eight years already. You still don''t planned to get married?"


    Barbie in her professional suit, a nude silk stocking, and a pair of black high heels was a real beauty. Her face was still the picture of youth, she had kept a constant check on her weight, and with her identity as the personal secretary to the Hope''s captain, she was undeniably a diamond-class beauty. The man who pursued her could really fill up three streets, but for some reason, even though they had left Earth for 20 years, she had remained single. It wasn''t until she submitted a request for in-vitro pregnancy recently that Yao Yuan realized that she wanted a child. However, that request was promptly rejected.


    Barbie pouted but didn''t explain herself. She cleared the document and stood to the side, waiting for the next order from Yao Yuan. Her heart itched with annoyance.


    Actually, Barbie herself couldn''t explain what she was feeling. The longer she stayed beside Yao Yuan, the stronger the sense of reliance she had on him. Fine, perhaps it was not as unexplainable as she thought. However, since there was such a wonderful man beside her, Barbie felt like her standard had gotten much higher as well. She saw herself as a modern woman, one who could survive just fine without the company of a man. Since she couldn''t find anyone that could win her over, then she would just live her life on her own. It was a recently that she felt like she wanted a child. The fact that it was rejected by her boss, which in a way was the cause for the state she was in, made her burn with annoyance.


    Yao Yuan didn''t continue this topic but stood up to stand beside the window. Looking at the silvery base and the rows of hovercrafts that crowded the streets, the sense of busy activity gave him joy.


    Humanity had survived for about 2 decades in space. They had been through a lot and had sacrificed a lot. The emotions, sadness, joy, and relief that accompanied them throughout these years were something that couldn''t be put into words. However, finally, they had found solace. Humankind had finally found a place where they could flap their wings and fly. Its great potential as a level 2 space civilization could finally be unleashed.


    "Such greatness, this is the vibrancy of human life! We might seem weak now, but give us some time and in another 20 years, humanity will finally walk the cosmos with ease and ignore all the civilizations under level 3!"


    Yao Yuan''s tone was level, but Barbie could see his whole body shaking when he said that. She heard the pride, honor, and melancholy mixed within the words. Indeed, humanity had sacrificed a lot before it could reach this step. Humanity had given up too much for the sake of survival¡­ but this view before him, it confirmed for him that all the sacrifices¡­ had been worth it!


    If everyone who had laid their lives down for humanity had something akin to a soul, they would say proudly that their sacrifices had been worth it¡­ because it was necessary for the continuation of humanity!


    Yao Yuan stood beside the window for a long time before he retracted his gaze. Barbie saw the glisten in his eyes, but when she checked next, it was already gone. After a long time, Yao Yuan asked, "It seems like there is another pregnancy fever within these three months."


    Barbie quickly pulled out a document and said, "Yes, from the report given by the statistics department, the pregnancy fever this time is even more pronounced than the one on the new planet. Until today, the number of pregnant mothers who came to the hospital to register is around 43,000. It is almost twice the number of pregnancies this time last year. The health department has sent over the updated benefits list for the expectant mothers. Due to the great amount of new mothers, the people from health department hope that they can have more members in the baby and toddlers education sector and wish that the government can improve the benefits offered to expectant mothers¡­"


    Yao Yuan nodded and mumbled, "It is time to improve the benefits for pregnant mothers. It is another story if we''re in space and trying to survive, but now that we''re in the New Solar System, we have enough to do more¡­ Leave the document behind, I''ll read it over and think about it. Also, print another few more copies and send them to the related departments. I want them to write a report and proposal about this, make sure this is more than just a publicity move, we have to really take care of these pregnant mothers. About the supplies¡­ Have they finished the construction for Area A on the City of the Light Moon?"


    Barbie flipped through the stack of documents and pulled out another. "Yes, the construction of Area A will be finished in another 6 days. After all, the place will be delineated into blocks to fit 100,000 people¡­"


    Yao Yuan waved his hands and said, "Why do we need so many residential areas? The Hope is still hospitable, right? Furthermore, moving will exhaust plenty of resources. How about this, clear out 10,000 houses for the workers working on the base and the remaining resources can be used in further expansion¡­ But we will have to change the direction, starting with public goods. I hear that the prices of pork, mutton, and beef have started to rise and that the prices of related luxury items and necessities have followed suit. The price hike is especially obvious for rice, sugar, and salt, right?"


    Barbie searched through the stack once more and continued as she pulled another document out, "This is something I wanted to report. Due to the wildfire expansion we''re having, the Hope''s resources started to deplete at a rapid rate. According to the report handed over by the public consumption department, if this is allowed to continue, we will reach the yellow emergency line in the next month, and within 6 months, the Hope will experience an unmitigated famine¡­


    "Related is this report from the Hope''s central bank. The current purchasing power of H-coins is too high, so much so that we do not have enough resources to support it anymore. If this is allowed to continue, we might reach a stage where the citizens have too much money but nothing to buy. When that happens, the public''s trust in the human government will be greatly affected. Regarding that, the central bank proposed that we adjust the value of H-coins. In the next 3 to 6 months, we can lower the value of H-coins to combat the rising purchasing power."


    Yao Yuan started thinking. Barbie was right, these two reports were related. Due to the expansion, there was an explosion of job vacancies, and the salaries of certain jobs had become proportional to the jobs'' scope. For example, a street clearer had a salary that was only slightly higher than government stipend, but driving the transport shuttle to and from the City of the Light Moon paid much greater than that. Therefore, there was an influx of H-coins in the market. To combat that situation, Yao Yuan had to increase the market supply of resources. Thankfully, it was still in a manageable situation. However, as the price of the items continued to increase, it was already devaluing the H-coins.


    "We cannot devalue the H-coins!" Yao Yuan confirmed. "Go inform the people from the supply center to come up with a price survey and set the highest price for each market item. The price cannot go higher than that and continue to supply the market. H-coins are greatly related to the strength of the human economy and government, so at least at this crucial moment, we cannot allow it to weaken¡­ Like I said before, use the space saved at Area A and cultivate all of them into bio-plantations and farms. I want to see a new batch of market produce in 3 months!"

 Chapter 418: New Year

    Chapter 418: New Year


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "In three more days, it''ll be the New Year of the 13th year."


    Zhang San''s heart was burning. It had been four months since the school assigned him to be an apprentice for an engineering unit on the City of Light Moon. Due to his performance in these four months, he was hand-picked to join the unit as a registered electromagnetic engineer.


    This meant that Zhang San was officially on the Hope''s payroll. He could enjoy the benefits offered by the government, which included health benefits, social benefits, and retirement funds. He was also protected by the employee''s union, meaning he wouldn''t be fired simply because his boss didn''t like his face.


    Not only that, his base salary had doubled; it was about twice as much as his father''s salary. For these past four months, Zhang San had bought many new things for his family. Even though they weren''t anything expensive, realizing that his parents had a more comfortable life because of them made Zhang San''s heart sing with joy.


    Soon, New Year would arrive. Even though Zhang San was a space baby, he was born into a traditional Chinese family. He had celebrated Lunar New Year ever since he was a child. The greatest memory he had of the holiday was probably the angpao [Red Envelope] he would receive from his parents and parents of his friends as well as neighbors. Even though his parents would end up taking 90 percent of his angpao money, the leftovers would be enough for him to buy many snacks. That was truly his happiest childhood memory.


    However, Zhang San sighed internally while thinking about this. He came from a, frankly, poor family. It was tradition for his parents to give the same amount of money back to the children of the parents Zhang San had received angpao from, but it was actually a great pressure on his family''s financial situation. Of course, as a child, he didn''t understand that. In fact, he remembered himself crying and making an absolute fuss when his parents took his angpao away when he was a child. When he was older, he understood their difficulties. The little leftovers he was given to buy snacks was practically shaved off of his parent''s flesh. Now that he thought about it, his heart twisted with both appreciation and melancholy.


    However, this year it would be different.


    Zhang San gripped his fists tightly. This year, he had started working and had disposable income. He could buy his parents some new clothes and even purchase the 3D family projector television his parents had been testing at the mall as well as a table of scrumptious New Year''s eve dinner, [Reunion Dinner]¡­


    The future was looking up and he was sure it would only get better if he worked harder¡­


    At the same time, Zhang San''s mother was window-shopping at one of the Hope''s many merchant streets. As she continued walking down the street, she made mental calculations of the various prices and the overall budget she had for the Lunar New Year. All mothers were like magicians, they had the wonderful power of stretching out the budget to make the most out of the littlest they had. When Zhang San''s mother reached the end of the street, she already had a rough idea in mind on what to cook for reunion dinner.


    (That''s enough to fill up a table. That husband of mine has been mentioning that he wants to try the lobsters from the new planet, right? Normally, we wouldn''t be able to afford it, but it''s New Year, and Zhang San deserves some reward for the hard work he has been doing¡­)


    Just as Zhang San''s mother was figuring out the rest of the menu, a woman walked from the other side. The woman looked to be in her 20s, though she was already in her 40s, the same age group as Zhang San''s mother. Thanks to genetic mesomeric devices, every middle-aged person on the Hope had the appearance of a twenty-something.


    Zhang San''s mother obviously knew this woman, because they smiled in greeting, and Zhang San''s mother said, "Hello, In-Law, you''re also here to buy ingredients for reunion dinner? How about we go together, I''m so confused by all these produce from the new planet that I''ve never seen. I''m sure, in-law, who is more knowledgeable, will be able to help me make the right purchase."


    The woman smiled in return. "There''s still at least two more years before we''re actual in-laws¡­ By the way, do you mind giving me the recipe for the sweet and sour pork In-Law made last time? That daughter of mine has been craving it so much since you made it last time¡­"


    The two women started chatting amiably and continued shopping¡­


    During the extra year Zhang San was forced to stay behind at school, he met a 16-year-old junior who had just started attending school. That was how their relationship began. Eventually, they became a couple. However, the girl came from a rather well-off family. Her father was a senior engineer, and because of this, it placed quite a pressure on the young couple. After all, the girl''s parents wouldn''t have allowed their daughter to follow someone with no job. In fact, they were on the verge of breaking up if nothing changed.


    Thankfully, something did change. Zhang San not only got his job assignment, he was assigned to the engineer unit his girlfriend''s father managed. Even though this was a great pressure on the young man, he lived up to his potential. His hardworking nature and the fact that he was on official payroll greatly improved his girlfriend''s father''s opinion of him. In fact, both families had already discussed the possibility of an engagement. The couple would marry when the girl was 18 and they would start their own family.


    Everything was going swell for humanity. Happiness and joy blossomed on everyone''s faces. They had been at the New Solar System for only four months, but things had already changed and improved so much. If this continued for one year, 10 years, 20 years¡­ perhaps this place would really end up a second home for humanity.


    "Two more days and it''s new year. We have to be on time for all the vegetable basket projects. As I''ve said before, food is the first necessity of the people. If the people are unable to fill their stomachs, then this government might as well dissolve itself¡­ Previously, we had the excuse of not having enough materials and space, but now? I''ve given you all an open usage of the materials, so take all the fertilizers and human resources you need. I''ve even opened the empty plots on the City of Light Moon for you, so I don''t want to hear any more excuses from the agriculture department. The Hope''s government is a government of its word. If the all-important vegetable basket project cannot be finished, I expect resignation letters from everyone responsible."


    Yao Yuan stressed the importance of the vegetable basket project again before moving on to discuss the new year activities with the other leaders¡­


    "F*ck, I feel like I''m getting a migraine¡­"


    Yao Yuan took a sip of tea and complained to Barbie, who was standing beside him. Barbie''s face twitched and she almost burst out laughing, but she stifled it and said, "The New Year party''s director wished to borrow a guardian spaceship and its related personnel and some Black Star Troopers to shoot a close-up video of Homeward Planet. He says it is for humanity to witness the glory of the planet before it is officially transformed."


    Yao Yuan thought about it for a long time before saying, "One guardian spaceship, you say? Guang Zhen sees them as more important than his life. These few days, he has been training the fleet, saying even though New Year is coming soon, the training cannot be lax. The surveillance and patrol cannot stop. The director wants to borrow a guardian spaceship? This is going to be hard¡­"


    Barbie pouted and said, "Then, shall I reject the director?"


    "No." Yao Yuan added, "Promoting the Homeward Planet step by step is part of our plan after all. Furthermore, shooting this video is going to help increase the sense of loyalty, anticipation, and honor on the Hope. I don''t think I can get him a guardian spaceship, but a battleship should be fine. After all, this is only for filming, not battle. Homeward Planet doesn''t have any lifeform to put up a fight, so I''ll allow one battleship, two Black Star Troopers, and 10 Defense Unit soldiers. However, I have a condition: the video has to be longer than 10 minutes and I want it to contain frames of our human fleet. Even though the fleet is still not yet complete, have the director find the correct angles or use some editing. I want the human fleet to look impressive and mighty¡­


    "Starting next year, other than building plans, the Defense Unit will also start to expand. Currently, we''re in need of fresh blood, but the building process of the New Solar System''s first fleet cannot be stopped, so why not make use of this video for some military recruitment¡­"


    When Yao Yuan finished, Barbie jotted down everything he said. Then Barbie asked, "Is there anything else to consider? The confidentiality clause of the New Solar System''s first fleet?"


    "There''s no need," Yao Yuan replied. "The New Solar System will have three guardian spaceship fleets. These are existences that can be known to the public. Just like the US'' Pacific fleet when we were back on Earth, the whole world knew of their existence. We have to let the public understand that we are not only responsible for humanity''s continuity but also responsible for leading everyone towards happiness and protecting them from external danger. The existence of these three fleets mustn''t be made a secret. In fact, we have to promote it as much as we can, the number, the scale, the technological level, and so on¡­"


    Yao Yuan stopped before smiling and saying, "These things need to be done, but there''s no need to rush, we still have time¡­ Barbie, thank you for your hard work in the past year. The government has given you a big angpao, you can check your online account later. The annual holiday will start tomorrow. As long as there''s no emergency, you can rest for 10 days. Have fun and¡­


    "Happy New Year."

 Chapter 419: Industrial Base Number Two

    Chapter 419: Industrial Base Number Two


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "I have nothing! I repeat again! I have nothing already!"


    The usually gentle Cheng Wen roared at the top of his lungs. However, the eight individuals who stood smilingly before him didn''t move. They lowered their heads respectfully, but none of them moved an inch, forming a soundless wall to pressure him.


    Cheng Wen was at his wit''s end. He lowered his voice and sighed. "There is honestly nothing I can do. The second mothership was supposed to be finished 16 days ago, but it is now still sitting in the garage. The Vice-Chancellor has come to question me many times. In fact, he said that if the mothership is still unable to be finished in the remaining 10 days of the month, then I will need to hand in my resignation letter as the manager of this base and return to my government post, if they are still willing to accept me that is. So, I truly cannot help any of you."


    One of the middle-aged men smiled and said, "Manager Lee, Base Manager Lee, I''ve been waiting here since the beginning of the month; it hasalready been 20 days that I''ve waited. The materials that I was promised was 20 tons per day and 70 transport hovercrafts per day, but until today, I have only received less than 200,000 tons materials and 800 hovercrafts. Do you know how long the building process of the air circulation system at Area C has been halted for? Almost 10 days! Area C has started building, but the air circulation system is non-existent. Do you how hard that is for the workers that work there every day? They have to wear a spacesuits that weigh more 10 kilograms, and if a hole appears on someone''s suit, it will be fatal. Manager Lee, I''m begging you, please give me my quota first for the sake of these workers. We have to take care of their lives."


    After Cheng Wen heard that, his heart twitched with annoyance. Of course, the situation was not as bad as this man made it out to be. The spacesuits used by humanity now were created by the latest electromagnetic nanobots. They wouldn''t have be destroyed if shot directly by a gun, much less poked through by building materials. Furthermore, it used a double-layer sealing system, so if there truly was a leak, the material would self-recover and a warning light would appear in the system, signaling for its wearer to retreat to somewhere safe. Therefore, the whole plea was merely masking the man''s desire for more materials.


    Of course, if Cheng Wen had any left to give, he wouldn''t have keep it for himself, but there was really nothing left. He was not a magician, he couldn''t just pull stuff out of thin air.


    Ever since the project of the first industrial base started, everyone had been focused on the managerial role that would overlook the whole project. The government servants, representatives, and even the engineers, they all salivated after this role. Individuals who believed they had the qualifications had started moving up and down the Hope to garner support. Of course, there weren''t any bribes, they were going around asking favors. In other words, many forces were eyeing this manager post.


    This was because this post carried a lot of weight, as this was the first step for building humanity''s homeland. Whoever became the manager of this first industrial base would have great political standing in the future.


    Initially, everyone thought Yao Yuan would take the post, and others assumed it was going to be Guang Zhen. After all, this base was instrumental to humanity, it was the heart of humanity in the New Solar System.


    However, the final result surprised everyone. Neither Yao Yuan nor Guang Zhen took over the base, its managerial post was handed over to a rather unknown government worker on the Hope. It was Lee Cheng Wen.


    Cheng Wen was indeed a fine choice. Ever since he took the job, the chaotic base was arranged nicely and tidily and the progress of basically all the projects had increased. He flitted through his work responsibilities expertly, managing not only the base but also the external buildings attached to it. Everyone with eyes could see that this was Cheng Wen''s time to shine and that it wouldn''t take long for him to move closer to the central power of the Hope.


    However, everything was not as perfect as it looked on the surface. The power that came with being the manager of the first industrial base was great, but with great power came great responsibility. Currently, the base had more 10,000 workers, and setting up the work schedule alone was a headache. The worst was, of course, the materials that were dwindling by the day.


    The industrial base had been producing a great amount of materials. In fact, due to the expansion of the base, the base''s daily production of metals had reached 10 million tons, but the amount of material exhaustion rose at a rate that was even scarier.


    Around the industrial base, five surrounding areas had started being built. They would form the foundation for the City of Light Moon. They were respectively Areas A, B, C, D, and E. The five areas encapsulated all the necessary buildings for a town and the basic amenities for a space planet with no atmosphere, like super an electromagnetic ozone layer, internal air circulation, and water vapor circulation system as well as internal waste recycling and processing systems. These required a great amount of materials, an amount that couldn''t be compared to the amount needed to start a city back on Earth.


    In fact, other than Area A, which was prioritized, the remaining four areas'' daily exhaustion was enough to make a small country on Earth go bankrupt. These were not the extent of Cheng Wen''s concern. The other headache he had to deal with was Guang Zhen''s ambitious New Solar System defense plan. The first step of that plan was to build three space fleets to defend the New Solar System. Even though the size and scale of each fleet had been downsized multiple times, each of them was still large enough to cause a large country back on Earth to go bankrupt. In fact, just the materials needed for the mothership was enough to send anyone into despair. If not for the power of a peak level 2 space civilization, this plan was truly only a paper talk.


    In conclusion, the first industrial base was running on negative; it was way over its workload. There were more than 6,000 mining robots underneath the base working on a discovered ore vein. The mining carried on non-stop for 24 hours and every ore was tossed into the base''s several giant smelters to be processed and manufactured.


    However, even so¡­ the base had reached its limits. The giant electromagnetic smelters had been running at their maximum capacity for more than 100 days. This was already way beyond the recommended running period. If this was allowed to continue, some accidents might happen. These were equipment using energy reactor as energy sources, so if something bad happen to them, the number of fatalities would not be one or two.


    Then there were the mining robots. According to the AI robot manual provided by the Workshop, the robots had to have their internal systems cleared and restarted every month. However, due to the workload, this was impossible because the process would require three to five days¡­


    Cheng Wen had handed his report back to the Hope, but it was like dropping a stone into the sea, there was no news. The only message back from Yao Yuan was to try his best and the situation at the industrial base would be solved within this month¡­


    While Cheng Wen was at the edge of despair, inside the Hope''s captain''s room, both Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen glared at each other with eyes red. They were close to fighting it out. Thankfully, neither was a rash person, so after a long time, Yao Yuan sighed. "Ol'' Wong, it is not that I want to reject you, but the first industrial base really cannot support two great projects at the same time. The City of Light Moon''s Area B is opening for use soon, and after that, I will be able to create more manufacturing centers for public-use supplies. Do you know how long our current supply line is? If this is allowed to continue¡­"


    Guang Zhen cut him off immediately. "Ol'' Cap''n, it is not that I want to trouble you, but I have been very clear, building a space fleet is more important than this City of Light Moon¡­ to be frank, if we are attacked by a level 3 space civilization now, do you think we will be able to defend this City of Light Moon? But with a space fleet, all of us will be able to flee together. Survival is the most important. Furthermore, we will need the spaceship fleet to protect the City of Light Moon and the first industrial base. Any other project can be stopped, but the building of First Human Fleet cannot be stopped!"


    Yao Yuan was annoyed, but he tried his best to console Guang Zhen. Then he asked Barbie to get him a document file, then he told Guang Zhen, "Ol'' Wong, since you''ve put it that way, I cannot use orders to force you. How about this: we talk this out. I will not ask you to cut down the space fleet, but you give me one month. Just one month and I will give you back your space fleet in its most original form, the one that has not been downsized. What do you think? Take a look at this proposal."


    Guang Zhen picked it up and read it. Then he gasped. "The Industrial Base Number Two Proposal? I know about this. The first industrial base has reached its capacity, that I understand, but Ol'' Yao, does the Hope have enough human resources to go around? I hear the public university has already asked for their program to be cut by one year, even the new students can''t wait to join the production lines, but at this moment, do you have the manpower to start a second industrial base?"


    "We don''t." Yao Yuan shook his head but said with a smile, "But we can build one¡­


    "I''ve made my decision. The expansion of AI robot numbers will start now!"

 Chapter 420: The Human Advantage!

    Chapter 420: The Human Advantage!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    It had been two years since the Hope arrived at the New Solar System. Today, it was the year 23 according to the Human Calendar. It was another new year, another time for celebration. Time on the Hope was calculated according to Earth''s old system, 24 hours every day and 365 days every year. For human beings, most progress was measured in terms of years.


    "¡­To be honest, don''t you all feel tired?"


    At his private cocktail party, Blue 6 asked one of the representatives as he took a sip of the wine, "From the data shown, most people work for eight hours and rest for six every day. Some even work more than 10 hours, and that is within a period of 24 hours every day. Just how tiring is that ?"


    Blue 6 grimaced ostentatiously. "Then there is a measurement of a year that consists of only 365 days. There are so many things that need to be done in 365 days, and this causes the endless working within 24 hours. Do you know? There''s a street near the Foreign Affairs Department where I can see a group of ladies open stalls to sell breakfast every morning. They do that every day with no rest. Do they really not feel tired?"


    The representative talking to Blue 6 was a Caucasian man who was a famous lawyer back on Earth and had a gift of the gab. However, facing Blue 6''s questions, he found himself at a loss for words. In fact, he couldn''t even understand what Blue 6 was getting at.


    Blue 6 finished the red wine in his glass and said, "Other than a few special departments, like the Barracks, royalty, and House of Representatives, no other work should be so harsh. No, this is beyond harsh, this can be said to be a form of torture. 30 percent of one''s lifespan is used for working. This is a violation of living rights¡­ Perhaps this is out of place for me to say, but I am anticipating an anarchy to happen on the Hope."


    "An anarchy?" The representative laughed as he too finished the red wine before replying, "You worry too much. In fact, this government is the most humane organization I''ve ever worked for. To be honest, I don''t quite even understand what you''re trying to say. Is work and study not the most important thing in life?"


    Blue 6 gasped in shock. "Of course not, why would they be? The value of life lies in personal memories. In fact, there is a Blue Race philosopher who once said that the meaning of lies is to cultivate the best memories. Every laugh, every tear, every joy, and every sadness are the weight of one''s memories, but work? To be frank, other than researching, I do not thinking hauling tons of material back and forth daily will be a good memories for life. When we''re old and thinking back about this period of time, the thing we''ll have is a string of empty days that look like one another, is it not?"


    The representative was stumped and, of course, that was because he didn''t really understand what Blue 6''s point was.


    Blue 6 seemed to notice the representative''s lost expression then and he burst out laughing. "I do not mean any of that as criticism, of course. If anything, it is a shock combined with awe. You have to understand that each life is different and every life should be exciting, and human beings are¡­ if I have describe them, they are like incredibly precise and tireless pieces of machinery. In fact, this situation that should only appear in AI robots are now replicated in humanity."


    At this point, Blue 6 turned excited and said, "Do you know what this represents? This represents unparalleled potential and efficiency! The three biggest threats in space, I''m not familiar with the demon race, so we''ll ignore that, but for the Zerg race and AI robots, the key to why they can be so feared in space is their efficiency! I''ve seen the threat of the Zerg race before through videos of them assaulting a planet. The whole world was covered by an endless sea of Zergs. They were numerous enough to swallow up any civilization; it was a tsunami in terms of numbers.


    "On the other hand, the strength of the AI robot lies in its fleet and weapon numbers. Their number is often beyond the normal capacity of any sensible civilization, they normally appear in the number reaching beyond billions, and they process and harvest every inch of the solar system they attack. After completely harvesting the whole solar system, their numbers increase and this cycle repeats itself endlessly. Of course, they will destroy any lifeforms that they meet. The only aspect in which they are inferior to the Zerg race is their inability to absorb technology. They inherit the technology from the civilization that created them and that is their natural weakness.


    "Regardless, the reason why these two races are so scary is their size and efficiency. The Zerg race has a hive mind, and individual zerglings have no sentience. The mother nest can cover up an entire planet to consume and digest it to create more zergs. It is similar with AI robots. Other than the central consciousness, individual robots do not have sentience, they are replaceable. They keep on manufacturing and producing. The efficiency of these two races is something that can never be rivalled by normal civilizations."


    Blue 6 turned to the representative and said seriously, "Do you know how long it would take the Blue Race to build a base this size? Do you know how long it would take for a peak level 3 space civilization to build a base this size?"


    The representative was shocked. He was still trying to process the information about the Zerg race and AI robots. The sudden question surprised him, so he mumbled, "How long? One year? Or six months?"


    "One year? Six months? You must be kidding." Blue 6 laughed good-naturedly. "It would be calculated in terms of decades. For a base this size, it would take at least 10 years, and no one would consider that slow. In fact, that is already quite fast by level 3 space civilization standards.


    "For a lifeform that has a lifespan of over one thousand years, using 10 years to finish a project is not considered a waste. Other than work, we have many things that occupy our lives, like spending ten days to organize a cocktail party, spending one year to finish a particularly insightful book, or spending several hundred days to cultivate a pot of plants. In contrast to work, aren''t these activities more meaningful?"


    The representative responded with utter disbelief. Blue 6 laughed. "Yes, I know what you''re going to say. Perhaps in your eyes, those activities are the ones that are truly time-wasters because they contribute nothing to the civilization, and if this were allowed to continue, the race will eventually enter senescence and die off, but¡­ which civilization leaders don''t know that? It''s basic knowledge, but we''re talking about over one thousand years of lifespan. I can do this for this year and that for next year, and ten years later I can do this and ten years after that, I can do that. After all, this is one thousand years, so what if I waste one or two hundred years? Furthermore, this is how my ancestors lived their one thousand years and it will be how the future generation of the Blue Race live their one thousand years. In that case, who will be willing to have a robot-esque life? No one!"


    When Blue 6 reached this point, he appeared to be quite down, but he still continued, "A famed Blue Race philosopher once said that the most important thing for a civilization is not their technology, soul, or even cosmic adapter, but a common goal for which the members of the civilization could lay their lives down! I do wish to ask, what is the goal of humanity?"


    The representative seemed to understand Blue 6''s line of questioning and his lowered tone represented a disappointment, a disappointment at his mother race. The representative thought about it and said, "I cannot speak for other people or even the whole human race, but for me personally¡­ I simply wish to return to that blue planet, its warmth, its sea, its blue sky, and its clouds¡­ for that swath of blue, I am willing to lay down my life."


    "And that''s it." Blue 6 smiled. "The unity of the human civilization for the sake of a common goal, a reason to fight. Humanity is¡­ a new lifeform that has not been contaminated by the cosmos. Do you know why am I so willing to join your civilization and even lay down my life for it? Because humanity is the civilization that has the most potential of all the space civilizations I have ever met, a civilization that can support my hopes and dreams!"


    Blue 6 sighed and said, "In fact, when I was still in the Blue Race, I once saw some confidential records from the Royal Library. It was an information that was leaked by a level 4 space civilization. It was an observation of the delineation of space civilizations, low tier, middle tier, and high tier. The biggest hurdle for any space civilization is moving from one tier to another, because when one reaches that peak, almost all of the civilization''s motivation has been exhausted. Every level of space civilization has its own unique motivation. For example, for low level space civilizations, that would be survival. The motivation for middle tier and high tier space civilizations was not mentioned in the records, so I have no information about those.


    "However, there is one thing that is certain: humanity''s motivation is at its all-time high. Perhaps¡­ humanity has the chance to really evolve into a middle tier space civilization before that motivation runs out."


    Blue 6 sat up with excitement glowing in his eyes. He walked to the window and looked out at the rowdy working area. The place that keeps on introducing new changes day after day¡­


    "No, I am certain, humanity will be able to evolve into a middle tier space civilization successfully, that is my belief!"

 Chapter 421: Happiness

    Chapter 421: Happiness


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Blue 6''s words passed through many channels before it was recorded and eventually landed on Yao Yuan''s desk. When Yao Yuan picked up the record in the middle of dealing with other documents, he smiled. After all, they had been to a Shelter and were exposed to the culture of other alien civilizations before, so they knew about humanity''s advantage. The most obvious advantage was that humanity had retained the perspective of time left from Earth.


    Humanity''s perspective on time had changed over the decades, from the several decades as one cycle in the prehistoric era, every decade as one cycle during the Renaissance, and finally every year as one cycle in the modern era. The most current perspective on time was also called the city dweller''s perspective. Business, nervousness, and assiduousness were its hallmarks, but it was for the sake of efficiency.


    Initially, when they entered space, many scholars predicted that the perspective of time for alien civilizations would use every day as one cycle, but the reality was far from that. Most alien civilizations used several decades as one cycle.


    The cause of this was simple. When a prehistoric civilization was forced to leave its home planet, the civilization would retain its perspective on time from its old planet. However, very soon¡­ this would lead to a tragedy!


    Yes, when a prehistoric civilization left its home planet, its technological level would at most be at level 1 or at the edge of becoming level 2. Even though it might have a large fleet or motherships, it wouldn''t support a population of over ten billion¡­ Just look at humanity. When humanity left Earth, it had roughly seven billion people; however, how many of those had escaped into space?


    Regardless, even half of that number would mean 3.5 billion, and they would have to exist in space for several hundred or even thousands of years before they would reach another solar system. They also had to depend on their supply storage. Under such circumstances, if the population maintained the same perspective of time from their home planet, overworking themselves every day, they would feel lethargic in a week and probably tired from life in a year due to a lack of notable progress. This might cause even more of a waste of resources, and 8 out of 10 new space civilizations exhausted themselves out in this manner.


    The rest of the civilization might survive internal strife and most of its population would die before they reached another solar system. At the same time, the perspective on time would slowly change, and this perspective was inherited from one generation to the next. Even when they had enough materials and supplies in storage, the new perspective on time had settled. This wouldn''t be out of place because most space civilizations shared the same perspective on time.


    "One year to read a book? Now that is the true meaning of a waste of time!" Yao Yuan scoffed before putting the records down and continuing with his work.


    The things that occupied Yao Yuan''s time were definitely important and extremely varied. Even though his secretary had helped him filter most out, there were still many that needed his permission and approval. He was so busy because the 23rd New Year was coming soon. He intended to finish these few projects before the holiday so that they would be a gift for the people.


    They were mostly about the assignments of housing in the City of Light Moon!


    It had been two years since the Hope landed on the moon, and the main construction on City of Light Moon had officially ended about 10 days ago. Only the unimportant projects and city beautification remained, and those weren''t that urgent.


    Therefore, the issue of housing was pushed forward. A few days ago, there was a population-wide poll. More than 80 percent of the population had faith in human technology and believed in the safety of the City of Light Moon. In other words, more than 300,000 people hoped to move to the City of Light Moon. This number was more than half of humanity''s total population, so Yao Yuan had to be cautious with his decision.


    After that, the inspection group for the City of Light Moon returned with their report. The City of Light Moon''s safety inspection was a pass. The citizens could move in safely now. At the same time, the report made by the inspection group stated that the maximum capacity of the city was 300,000 people, but the optimal population number was 150,000. In other words, only half of the hopefuls could migrate to the City of Light Moon¡­


    Yao Yuan looked at the report in his hands and a headache appeared. This was a difficult decision to make, because it could lead to complaints of unfairness very easily. If one party was forced to stay on the Hope but another party was to go to the City of Light Moon when both of them were normal citizens on the Hope, and one party was not more impressive than the other, it would lead to resentment¡­ Yao Yuan also didn''t think this was something that could be solved by leaving it to the people themselves¡­


    "I guess we''ll continue to do the assignment according to contribution points¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed and made his decision. This was the fairest decision among the many unfair choices. Of course, priorities would be given to the families of the fallen heroes, then came the surviving heroes and their families.


    After that would be the scientists and their families. Then the rest would be based on working age. The longer they had worked for human government, the more priority they would be offered¡­


    "Lastly, all representatives and government officials will have to stay on the Hope until all the citizens who hope to move to the City of Light Moon have already moved there." Yao Yuan concluded the document with this proclamation. This was to suppress the complaints of abuse of power. With this proclamation in place, there wouldn''t be such complaints.


    Of course, whether this might cause an uproar among the representatives and government officials was a different question entirely¡­


    Thinking about this, Yao Yuan smirked coldly. If that truly happened, he wouldn''t mind taking some actions in return, because the Hope was lacking in cheap labor¡­


    Just like that, one month later, the move to the City of Light Moon finally started. Almost all the families of the fallen heroes and surviving heroes chose to move to the city, it was the same for most scientists. One month later, around 170,000 people had moved into the City of Light Moon, there were about 30,000 families. Similarly, many important departments on the Hope started their move to the City of Light Moon. The first was naturally the government departments, the second was the House of Representatives, following that were the public amenities like the banks, hospitals, schools, and the like. One month later, almost every public center had been moved to the City of Light Moon. In fact, the Hope now had become more like a pure residential area. There were transport shuttles that ferried the people to and from both places every day. In fact, there were members of the House of Representatives that urged the government to build a super speed highway connecting the Hope and the City of Light Moon.


    Zhang San''s family was exceptionally lucky. First, his father''s working age was long. Furthermore, he was part of the maintenance crew who helped fix the Hope when they were on both Planet Sahara and the new planet. At both of these times, humanity''s technology was not as advanced as it was now. If the spacesuits he was wearing at the time were damaged in any way, his life would''ve been over, meaning he had put his life on the line to help fix the ship. Therefore, his father''s contribution points and working age were both above the curve.


    Furthermore, Zhang San was leading a production group for the construction of industrial base number two, so they were given a residence at the City of Light Moon. It was a quintessential bungalow with its own garden, hovercraft garage, and pool. The three story building had a balcony and beautiful interior design. It was more than enough to support the need of a family, in fact¡­ Zhang San''s mother discovered that she was pregnant a few months ago. Zhang San was going to welcome his little brother or sister soon.


    Today, Zhang San was shopping at a newly opened mall at the City of Light Moon with his girlfriend. The place was crowded due to the recent move and the upcoming new year. H-coins flowed like water. In fact, many things were sold out, like the new planet''s mink caterpillar skin. It was a fur material made from a caterpillar that had mink skin. The rug weaved from this material was soft and fluffy. It was suitable for both winter and summer. It was a luxury item and cost at least three or four months'' worth of Zhang San''s salary. However, he saw many people carrying one around like they were free.


    For some reason, when he saw this, Zhang San was reminded of his mother''s smiling face when she first laid eyes on their new home and the excitement shown by his father when he found out his wife was pregnant. He subconsciously reached for his girlfriend''s hand and she smiled back at him.


    "This is¡­ the meaning of happiness," Zhang San said to himself.


    His girlfriend looked at him and asked, "What did you say?"


    "No¡­ it''s nothing, it''s just¡­"


    There seemed to be a fire burning in Zhang San''s eyes.


    "I wish to protect this, this source of happiness¡­


    "Even if I have to lay my life down for it!"

 Chapter 422: City of Light Moon (1)

    Chapter 422: City of Light Moon (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Wait, stop here!"


    Simon Peter yelled. His voice didn''t sound like that of a 90-year-old man. In fact, his appearance didn''t look like he was 90, at most 40, even though his actual age was indeed approaching a century already.


    Simon Peter was once a famous director on Earth. His directed films had won several Oscars, and he was a freelance director. His documentaries on underdeveloped countries and charity advertisements won him the lifetime achievement award from the film academy. In conclusion, he was the shot caller in terms of everything video-related; he was the most influential director on the Hope.


    Ever since humanity escaped into space, he too had suffered through the tragedies and progress humanity had experienced along the way. In fact, the many videos that documented the history of these 23 years were all directed by him or his disciples. However, the constant wandering in space didn''t give him the opportunity to really showcase his talent.


    Now, the Hope had landed on the New Solar System. The great progress brought with it an expansion of job vacancies, increase in overall salary, the lowering of product prices, and grand scale moving. All these signified the arrival of humanity''s golden years in space.


    Under these circumstances, Simon Peter''s work fever ignited like never before. Ever since the video showing the planet at the New Year party two years ago, his productions came out one after another. Other than charity advertisements and various short films, he also directed a full-length feature. It was a space war between the Black Star Troopers and a spaceship fleet. The film mirrored humanity''s war with the space merchants. The sci-fi flick was a great success, and if it was revealed back on Earth, it would make people''s jaws drop. The technology used was far too advanced.


    Similarly, the film had great reception among the human government. Before the arrival of this film, the Hope''s entertainment only consisted of news and old movies taken from Earth. The arrival of this film brought about the advent of a movie fever¡­ Even though the Hope only had eight or nine directors, it didn''t dampen the public''s desire to become movie stars. Many people registered to join the movie crews, and during this period, many new films appeared on the Hope like mushrooms after a spring rain. Simon Peter''s contribution to this change couldn''t be underestimated.


    The 23rd new year was coming soon. Simon Peter was invited by the government to shot another video about life on the City of Light Moon. After naming his own conditions and having them accepted, Simon Peter started working immediately.


    Simon Peter''s conditions weren''t hard, he just needed a large hovercraft and a group of technicians to pilot it. After all, this was going to be shot on the City of Light Moon, so protection wouldn''t be necessary. Of course, his own film crew had to tag along as well. Not to be missed was also the necessary equipment, so a large hovercraft was not an out-of-place demand.


    Just like that, Simon Peter''s film crew departed. Their destination was a spot about 10,000 meters above the City of Light Moon. Using the hovercraft''s floatation ability, they were taking a scene of the city below.


    "It''s beautiful, Teacher."


    In his crew, a young girl looked down at the city with a pair of glowing eyes. The silvery base glowed with the unique charm of a bustling city. In the darkness of space, the city was as beautiful as a glittering pearl.


    "It is beautiful," Simon Peter concurred. "It is because of this that we have to record everything. When our future generations see this, they will understand the history and the hardships that came before them, then they will hopefully learn to appreciate it even more."


    The City of Light Moon was a manifestation of the technology from a space civilization at the peak of level 2. It was constructed by the hands of 10,000 people over the span of two years. It was built on a plateau and not underground using superelectromagnetic filming technology. It was an open city like most cities back on Earth. To mirror the day and night cycle, the superelectromagnetic converging light technology was used. Looked from the inside, the sky wasn''t a piece of inky space, but a blue sky. Combined with the 3D imaging technology, they could even create birds and clouds. Life in the City of Light Moon was indeed several thousand times better than the cramped life on the Hope.


    Looking from the outside, the city glittered, but it was not a light that was harsh to the eyes; one could even see the outline of the city clearly. Viewed from afar, this city on the surface of the moon truly had the charm of a pearl, and this was humanity''s biggest pride, the most miraculous industrial miracle, the City of Light Moon that was built in the span of two years!


    "Okay, we''re done here. Let''s keep moving."


    With Simon Peter''s order, the hovercraft started to descend towards the City of Light Moon¡­


    At the same time, along the Light Moon''s orbit, two large, rectangular battleships surrounded by 10 guardian spaceships were patrolling the area around the Light Moon. Guang Zheng, who was seated in the captain''s seat, was looking at the large hovercraft through the battleship''s surveillance video.


    "Checking of internal code completed. It is Mr. Simon Peter''s camera crew, their destination is the City of Light Moon."


    Beside Guang Zhen, a young adjutant reported as he read from the data shown on screen.


    Guang Zhen nodded and said, "This is not easy. The City of Light Moon has finished being built and the moving is done. Humanity''s first space base is already a done thing, but our New Solar System''s first fleet is still only so large¡­"


    The adjutant smiled and said, "Commander, actually, you needn''t be so worried. It has only been two years, hasn''t it? Furthermore, even though this fleet is still small, it is more than enough to destroy the old Earth in its entirety. According to a rumor, hasn''t Professor Bo Li been working on the actual application of level 3 space civilizations'' plasma reactor? Who knows, maybe very soon, we''ll all be piloting level 3 space civilization battleships and this fleet will be considered outdated."


    Guang Zhen laughed, straightened his cap, and said, "The first fleet is returning to base. After restocking supplies, our target will be the fourth meteorite cluster. The objective of the mission is to conduct surveillance before the New Year!"


    "Yes. Captain''s order¡­"

 Chapter 423: City of Light Moon (2)

    Chapter 423: City of Light Moon (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The New Solar System had in total five meteorite clusters. To be more accurate, there were only four that counted, because the fifth was at the edge of the solar system and couldn''t be detected under normal circumstances. However, that was according to Guang Zhen, the New Solar System''s first and best line of defense. The best solution when facing an assault was to limit the enemy outside of your own territory. This whole solar system was humanity''s territory, so they had to try their best to lead the battle to the edge of the New Solar System.


    This place was far from Homeward Planet. For a to and fro trip, even with humanity''s current technology, it would take four months. Furthermore, this place was far away from the sun, so the place was shrouded in darkness and extremely unstable. Meteorites would crash into each other with no sense of reason, causing space catastrophes. Even with humanity''s current technology, they couldn''t shield themselves perfectly from this tragedy.


    Due to this, even though the City of Light Moon had reached its completion, the New Solar System''s first defense line was still left in the dust. After the 23rd New Year, Bo Li and a few other famed physicists unveiled humanity''s newest scientific breakthrough, a breakthrough that would mark humanity''s scientific trajectory for years to come¡­ They had mastered the core technology of the plasmatic ion fission reactor. The cold agglutination reactors they had been using would all be updated to plasmatic reactors. This would increase the energy output by several hundred times and this meant that there was finally hope for the construction of the New Solar System''s first defense line.


    "Energy umbrella self-propulsion corridor!"


    Just like everyone on the Hope knew the marking of a level 2 space civilization was electromagnetic energy, the marking of a level 3 space civilization was plasma energy, specifically the variance of plasma energy''s practical applications, like the creation of plasma energy shields, plasma weapons, and faster space travelling methods.


    This was humanity''s 24th planning meeting and discussion. Guang Zhen represented the Barracks to propose the creation of the first defense line. Of course, when this was proposed, it was instantly questioned by the building committee and the committee from the City of Light Moon. After all, even though humanity now had two industrial bases and the City of Light Moon had been completed, industrial base number two and the New Solar System''s first fleet were still under construction. Adding another humongous project would add a great pressure to the production team.


    The reason given by these people was not random, and their reason was valid. It was the location of the proposed first defense line. The meteorite base was too far away, so it would require four months of travelling. This would mean a great exhaustion in terms of logistics, and the human power required to accomplish this would be huge.


    However, when these people came up with these protests, Guang Zhen used the following phrase to counter them all. With a nod, a document was given to everyone present.


    "Different from the particle flux accelerator of level 2 space civilizations, level 3 space civilizations use something called the ''Energy Umbrella Self-propulsion Corridor.'' It uses strong plasmatic energy to activate the adhesive property of space ions and anti-directional propeller to create an umbrella-shaped ionic condenser. Under this state, the maximum speed that can be reached is 10 times faster than the particle flux accelerator! Similarly, the same mechanism can be replicated when one wishes to slow down. The same umbrella would be created in front of the ship and the ship would be able to stop. This is the navigational technology of a level 3 space civilization."


    The faces of everyone who read the document were filled with shock. In fact, the document stated very clearly that the technology came from the first genius of the Hope¡­ Professor Bo Li. This was something she had come up with when the Academy achieved the breakthrough with the plasmatic ion fission reactor. In other words, Guang Zhen had come prepared; he had even requested this document from Bo Li before he arrived¡­


    While everyone was still in shock, Guang Zhen scoffed internally. He was proud of what he did. Indeed, if he hadn''t requested those documents from Bo Li earlier, his proposal would''ve definitely been rejected.


    These idiots, did they not understand? In this space age, without enough power to protect themselves, humanity was like a delicious piece of meat. The new base and humanity itself will be hunted the moment they are discovered by other space civilizations.


    "Just like I suggested, the New Solar System''s defense system must begin immediately. Other than the first human fleet, the five great defense lines, as crucial parts of the defense system, must start work soon¡­ Of course, I understand that we are running low on resources, so other than the necessary engineers and workers, I do not need extra manpower. I only need AI robots as the environment there is not habitable by human standards. Regarding the issue of distance, this document is my answer.


    "Energy Umbrella Self-propulsion Corridor, it is a new concept using the energy umbrella model, create a giant energy umbrella propeller between the destination and the beginning point to form a controllable flow of space ions. Any object that enters it will be influenced by the energy umbrella. The accelerator created by the energy umbrella increases its travel speed. The rudimentary assessment puts the time of travel between Homeward Planet and the first defense line base to be 15 days!"


    15 days?!


    With this, the expressions of many people changed. Even though they didn''t want to add another burden to the building list, the allure of 15 days of travelling time was too high. After all, the cosmos was too big for humanity to traverse. Evidence could be taken from the New Solar System itself. The time of travel to move from the City of Light Moon to the nearest meteorite cluster and return from there would exhaust 10 to 15 days, but if this corridor was constructed, then¡­


    Everything else that followed was easy. Guang Zhen''s proposal was accepted unanimously. The human government would start building the corridor within the 24th year and the first defense line base would start its construction at the end of the 24th year. At the same time, at this discussion, many other projects were passed, like supervising the Academy to perfect and build the energy umbrella technology. Special attention needed to be paid to its safety. The moment the system was online, all the long-distance travelling shuttles humanity currently owned would have to be adapted. After that, humanity would start building its third industrial base. It would be situated on the meteorite cluster closest to the City of Light Moon. Compared to mining on the moon, meteorite clusters were where the minerals gathered. They could shove a whole meteorite into the smelter and get the purified mineral out the other end. This was much more efficient than mining!


    During the meeting, expansion of the City of Light Moon as well as upgrades for industrial bases 1 and 2''s reactors were also discussed. This included things like the social security, health security, education problems, as well as city planning, like the allocation of streets. This meeting had decided everything that was planned in the 24th year, and the meeting lasted for two days. When it was finally over, Yao Yuan collapsed directly on the table.


    In the government building at the City of Light Moon, Guang Zhen hummed a delightful tune while sitting across from Yao Yuan sipping his tea. When Yao Yuan signed another document, he grumbled, "You''ve been an annoyance since this morning. I don''t have time to guess your thoughts, speak your mind if you have something to say."


    Guang Zhen replied happily, "There''s nothing important, really¡­"


    "Then, leave." Yao Yuan concluded. "Although I have say, you''re mighty impressive for sneaking behind my back to do this energy umbrella corridor project. Do you know what you''ve done? The amount of work and headaches you''ve added for me? The arrangements of the two industrial bases and the expansion of the City of Light Moon and its daily ongoings are not enough, and now you want me to build this first defense line base? In any case, I''m busy, so if there''s nothing important, leave!"


    Guang Zhen didn''t get angry but laughed happily. Then he added with a smile, "I came because I have something to discuss with you¡­ Nothing important¡­ It''s about the Steel Ball¡­"


    "Steel Ball?" Yao Yuan became alert instantly. He looked at Guang Zhen seriously. "Ol'' Wong, I hope you''re not serious. I left the military in your hands and I will oversee politics, but this Steel Ball issue¡­ that is off the table. This control system still has a lot of issues and the pressure on its wearer is heavy. Currently, if it''s used by Homo Evolutis other than myself, they might go into coma like Jay and Eva. Who will be responsible when that happens? You or me? So this is not up for discussion."


    Guang Zhen laughed awkwardly before adding, "I just heard from my cousin, Bo Li, that she has done great improvements on the prototype, including changes made to the control system. Even though it is still not yet completed, to quote her, when it is completed, even normal Homo Evolutis will be able to use it¡­ Of course, it has to be an S-grade Homo Evolutis. There will be issues of overexertion, but it will not cause coma, at most a heavy case of lethargy."


    Yao Yuan looked at Guang Zhen seriously, and it was at this point that he commented, "Continue¡­"


    Guang Zhen also became serious, but before long, he started smiling in an effort to curry favor with Yao Yuan. "There''s no need to be so serious¡­ Fine, I''ll continue. What I meant was, such a powerful weapon is a waste if not used. Cousin Bo Li is going to continue researching this Steel Ball, right? I hear she is preparing to build three prototypes, 0, 1, and 2. All three prototypes have improved control systems, and the direction of improvement in each one will be different because she also doesn''t know which direction is the correct one. Therefore, when the three prototypes are completed, I wish to discuss with you the possibility of sending three S-grade Homo Evolutis to test them out¡­"


    Yao Yuan lowered his head to focus on his document. After a long time, he replied, "Request denied. The Steel Ball is indeed powerful, but its safety rating is too low. Even if the three prototypes are ready, I will not allow human experimentation. Of course, don''t think that I will go test them out myself. That is not possible... unless that hidden Whisperer is found. Now that you''ve brought this up, may I remind you not to send out your people to go look for this hidden Whisperer? I''ve told you the reason why, we are not looking for a convict or criminal, we''re looking for a scientist that should have a positive impression of the human government. Therefore, we have to wait for them to come to us. Don''t think I don''t know about what you''ve been trying to do. Bo Li is a powerful Whisperer, that much is true, but her power is not related to this control system, so my standpoint regarding these three Steel Ball prototypes is the same: they are too dangerous. That''s all!"


    Guang Zhen still maintained a smile on his face, but his pupils kept darting around. Yao Yuan knew what this meant. After all, they had worked with each other for more than a decade already. He said seriously, "Also, don''t think about sending out the Black Star Troopers on your own to test out the prototypes, this is not fair to them¡­ and that is an order."


    Guang Zhen was startled but could do nothing but stand up straight and salute. "Sir, yes, Sir!"


    All the projects were carried out according to plan. As time moved on, the projects for the 24th year were completed one after another. The creation of plasma reactors had been completed. Their safety and efficiency had been confirmed after multiple experiments and testing. The reactors in the City of Light Moon and the two industrial bases had been upgraded and certain scientists even predicted humanity would become a level 3 space civilization by the end of the 25th year!


    At the same time, more AI robots were produced. The moment the Energy Umbrella Self-Propulsion Corridor was created, they would be sent to the edge of New Solar System to start work on the first defense line base.


    This group of AI robots was kept in storage until they were needed. Among the rows of stationary robots, one of them suddenly wobbled slightly before going completely still again. No one saw this and it was not recorded on any video surveillance.


    Everything appeared so normal and fine on the surface¡­

 Chapter 424: Departure

    Chapter 424: Departure


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Huh¡­ so this is the psychokinetic floating cannon?"


    Yun Si looked at the three chopsticks in his hands that were¡­ well, the size of chopsticks!


    Yue Xuan looked at him excitedly, the expression on her face saying "praise me!"


    Yun Si scratched his head with befuddlement and told Yue Xuan, "And then? How does one use this thing? What''s its purpose? Energy exhaustion? Is it safe? Basically, you passed me three chopsticks and told me it''s the psychokinetic floating cannon and it''s all smiles at me¡­ Are you pulling my leg?"


    Yue Xuan still continued in an excited tone, "And yes, they took a long time to create. I''ve used all the materials we purchased and have used superelectromagnetic thought inductors that can tap into Homo Evolutis'' brainwaves. It is a weapon only operable by Homo Evolutis, it''s different from the system I gave you last time. For that control system, if the normal human beings have enough brain activity, reaction power, and sense of space, they can eventually use the system, but this thing is only useable by Homo Evolutis, so its power¡­"


    "Then have you used it?" Yun Si could only play along.


    Yue Xuan shook her head, saying, "No, I''m not you, I''m a Whisperer. I''ve discovered through my research that spiritual-type Homo Evolutis like Whisperers and Animas are different from other Homo Evolutis. We''re dealing with inward diffusion, and you''re the opposite. What created this, though, I still have no clue as there is too little actual data. Other than you and myself, there are no other Homo Evolutis who I can experiment on, but don''t worry about that, this psychokinetic floating cannon is definitely safe, believe me¡­ Of course, due to the lack of materials, and the devices that I need aren''t sold on the market anyway, so the product is a bit rough, but it is completely safe¡­"


    Until the end, Yue Xuan''s voice petered to nothing more than a whisper, and Yun Si gave her an "I thought so" expression.


    "In other words, this thing might self-destruct if I''m not too careful? And you dare say that this is completely safe¡­" Yun Si grumbled while scratching his chin.


    Yue Xuan pouted and retorted, "This is all your fault to begin with. If you hadn''t asked me to hide myself, I would have had enough materials to work with. Do you not know how much I''ve been saving to come up with these things? Why do you think I did all that? Who do you think it''s for?"


    Yun Si''s heart softened and he moved to give Yue Xuan a hug. "I''m just worried about you. Who knows whether the place will blow up in the middle of your experiment or not? Why don''t you stop doing these experiments already? At least until you find yourself a good lab and equipment."


    "No." Yue Xuan shook her head, then she turned to Yun Si and said, "My Whisperer power appeared naturally, and the voices in my head won''t stop. Experimenting and creating are second nature to me, I am compelled to do them. Also, haven''t you been telling me how weak and insignificant humanity is in space? We haven''t even become a level 3 space civilization yet, and even if we did, we''d just be a new level 3 space civilization. Our foundation is still too young compared to other space civilizations. In fact, if a large colony of a level 2 space civilization throws their full strength at us, we might only earn a narrow victory, so under these circumstances¡­ I have to continue to experiment and create!"


    Yun Si looked at the serious expression on Yue Xuan''s face and sighed. It made him feel bad for keeping Yue Xuan''s ability a secret simply because he had prejudices against the human government¡­ maybe he truly need to see things with a new eye. Perhaps it was time for Yue Xuan to reveal herself¡­


    "I understand." Yun Si put on his military cap and said, "I will test out this psychokinetic floating cannon, but please stop your experiments at least until I return from this New Jupiter patrol. Also, my credit card is with you, right? If you need any money, just draw from it. The pay for the Black Star Troopers is really high¡­"


    Then Yun Si left the room, leaving behind Yue Xuan, who was smiling sweetly on her own. A long time later, she mumbled as if suddenly remembering it, "Shucks, I forgot to tell him what to be careful of¡­"


    After the completion of the City of Light Moon, humanity could be said to have a permanent home in the New Solar System. The expansion around the City of Light Moon was to make this home more comfortable.


    However, everyone from the highest official to the youngest child knew about the danger of the cosmos. There was no kindness and charity in space; therefore, to protect this new home, they had to have a strong and powerful military, and among these fighting forces, the Black Star Troopers was definitely the best.


    Currently, there were 227 Black Star Troopers being split into 22 units. They had 1,690 of the latest combat jets and each unit had their own battleship. Of course, due to the constraints of time, only the first five units had battleships that were the size of the Hope, while the rest had guardian battleships.


    Each unit had a logistics, maintenance, and informatics subunit. Since the City of Light Moon was completed, if the Black Star Troopers still maintained its usual unified group structure, then it would be such a waste¡­ yes, a waste.


    As a military unit that consisted of all Homo Evolutis, when they were up against enemies from a similar level of technology, they were practically invincible. One fighting a hundred was an understatement, because a single Black Star Trooper could turn the tide of the battle. Even though the advantage of numbers was the way to go for normal space civilizations, for Black Star Troopers, it was an issue of quality over quantity. Spreading them out into smaller units was the better use of their abilities.


    The Black Star Troopers answered only to the highest military officials of the human government. In other words, the Black Star Troopers only answered to Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen. Under the situation where Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen were not around, the leader of each unit would be responsible to look over their own members. They had the power to decide whether to join the fray or to retreat. They were not tied to any power on the Hope, and this included the House of Representatives, the human government, the Barracks, and even the headquarters of the Defense Unit. The Black Star Troopers were an isolated force and the strongest military power available to humanity!


    Yun Si was the vice-leader of the 19th unit, and the leader of that unit was Zhang Heng. According to the patrol map set up by Yao Yuan, the 19th unit''s patrol zone was between the City of Light Moon and New Jupiter. Other than daily patrol, the 19th unit also had the job scope of being a mobile patrol. To put it simply, whenever there was an upcoming mission that was not within the jurisdiction of the 19th unit, they would still need to go intervene and provide help. In fact, other than the first 10 Black Star Trooper units, most of the other units were mobile patrols.


    Yun Si was leading four Black Star Troopers. He was driving a small battleship towards New Jupiter. The other four members of the unit were being led by Zhang Heng towards the first defense line using the battleship assigned to their unit. They were escorting a construction crew whose destination was the construction site at the fringe of the New Solar System.


    Just as Yun Si was toying with the three chopsticks, Zhang Heng sat in the captain''s chair, spacing out.


    After the escort mission was done, Zhang Heng''s mission would be over. Of course, this mission was simple. In fact, it was more like training than anything. Zhang Heng didn''t think too much of it because this was merely a minor mission. His mind was more focused on his own personal relationships.


    Yes, he was still single, and the crazy part was, even though he intended to get married, he wasn''t sure who his bride should be¡­


    Of course, he couldn''t share these issues with outsiders, so Zhang Heng could only work it out in his mind on his own. Suddenly, Zhang Heng raised his head with a confused "hmm". Instantly, everyone in the bridge turned to look at him. One of the soldiers asked concernedly, "Captain, you''ve discovered danger?"


    It was already common knowledge that Zhang Heng was the strongest Diviner on the Hope, so his sudden reaction sent chills down their spines. However, Zhang Heng merely shook his head and said, "No, it''s not that, perhaps¡­ it was my imagination."


    Just like that, the construction crew escorted by Zhang Heng''s unit reached the first defense line one and a half months later. The construction crew consisted of 25 senior engineers and 100 new engineers. Zhang San was one of them.


    At the same time, the construction crew brought with them 5,000 AI robots to be used as the labor force¡­


    Yes, 5,000 AI robots!

 Chapter 425: Thoughts

    Chapter 425: Thoughts


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhang San looked out at the empty darkness. Meteorite pieces of varying sizes were floating freely, their occasional collisions causing them to split into even smaller pieces. This¡­ was the edge of the New Solar System, the place where all the remnants that didn''t form into an actual planets congregated and where comets were formed. This¡­ was a forbidden zone for life.


    The general temperature was lower than -220 degree, lowest at -250 degree. In this place of zero vacuum space, exposure would mean fatality. Furthermore, due to the location''s long distance from the City of Light Moon, being accidentally deserted would mean certain death.


    This was why the progress of the first defense line was delayed until the latter half of the 24th year. The first batch of construction crews consisted of mostly Defense Unit soldiers. According to Guang Zhen, the Defense Unit was a troop that inherited the spirit of humanity that was not afraid of difficulty and sacrifice as long as it would be able to help the progress of humanity. The first set of projects for the first defense line were going to be carried out by Defense Unit using the AI robots to create a temporary stronghold.


    This was on the biggest meteorite among the loose cluster. The meteorite was about one-seventh the size of the Light Moon, and the stronghold was built within the meteorite¡­ Naturally, it had to be built underground and not the open way like the City of Light Moon because one, the project would be too large, two, it would be too open to attack. In comparison, having it underground would help with defense.


    However, due to the harsh environment, when the first draft of the stronghold was completed, three soldiers were sacrificed due to an accident. They couldn''t even retrieve one of their bodies. Due to this incident, Guang Zhen was brought before the military tribunal and his plan of using the Defense Unit soldiers to build the first defense line was thus brought to a close.


    In fact, he should have seen this coming. The Defense Unit soldiers consisted of a large amount of western soldiers, and one of the zeitgeists among these soldiers was personal human rights. In the current human government, the group that had the greatest benefit behind the scientists was not the representatives but these soldiers. To put it simply, Guang Zhen wanted to use these soldiers as disposable builders? Impossible!


    To prevent Guang Zhen from doing that, the human government shifted a large amount of money and resources to aid in the construction of the first defense line. They also handpicked a large amount of engineers to join the construction crew that would build the first defense line base.


    Zhang San was one of the engineers selected. When they were searching for engineers to join the project, he volunteered. His reason wasn''t because he loved humanity so much or thought the first defense line was important, no, he did it because after a year of training at the first defense line, he would become a senior engineer assistant, one step closer to being an actual senior engineer. The benefits he would get would be greater than the ones he got now as a new engineer¡­ After all, Zhang San''s family still owed a large amount of housing debt. Even though the loan didn''t have high interest rates, he wished to clear it as soon as possible. After all, he wished to marry his girlfriend when she graduated from university. It was why he ended up there.


    Initially, Zhang San thought the job would be easy. After all, human technology was already so advanced. Even though the conditions there would be harsh, there wouldn''t be any threats to his safety. He only needed to suffer through one year and a bright future awaited him. However, when he arrived there, he would understand the true meaning of loneliness, silence, and isolation¡­


    Yes, the overall feeling Zhang San had when he was working there was loneliness, the loneliness of humanity in the greater cosmos, the sense of helplessness and insignificance. He could see the cosmos from the City of Light Moon, but at least then he was surrounded by his family, friends, girlfriend, and the general public to offset the sense of loneliness, but here, that feeling of loneliness was amplified several times over. In fact, it had taken over his mind.


    He wished to return, to return to the City of Light Moon, to the company of friends!


    This wish continued to get amplified. Zhang San knew that this was some kind of psychological sickness. In fact, he had sought out the help of the stronghold''s psychologist and was given prescription drugs, but it was no use. The feeling kept growing, and if not for his own force of will, he would have gone crying to beg for them to send him back to the City of Light Moon.


    "There''s only six months left, then I will be released from the clutches of this loneliness¡­"


    Zhang San consoled himself. At the time, there was an AI robot standing beside him. It was his working assistant to help him with taxing manual labor. What Zhang San didn''t discover was the glow in the robot''s eyes when he said those things. It meant that the robot was also processing and thinking something.


    "Are you¡­ lonely?"


    These three words were issued through a mesh up of system audio. Zhang San looked at the robot with surprise. AI robots were implanted with simple AI so they could communicate with humans, so the fact that the robot had spoken didn''t surprise Zhang San.


    "Yes, very lonely." Zhang San looked out the window with melancholy and continued, "The books say that when my ancestors left the home planet, the first trial they faced was the feeling of bottomless loneliness of the cosmos. The feeling of human life being as insignificant as a piece of sand. When I read it, I couldn''t understand what it meant, but now I understand it perfectly. In fact, the feeling of loneliness is even greater than it was described by words. This loneliness¡­"


    "What is the meaning of¡­ loneliness?" The AI robot''s eyes shone and it continued to ask.


    Zhang San seemed to have forgotten he was conversing with a robot and continued to explain, "Loneliness has many meaning, but the most basic explanation is that there is only oneself in the whole universe. One has no friends, no family, no one of its kind, one is alone in the cosmos. This kind of loneliness¡­ would push one towards willing self-destruction."


    "Alone¡­ oneself¡­ no friends, family¡­"


    The AI robot''s eyes shone continuously. The light in its eyes became brighter and more erratic until it finally caught Zhang San''s attention. He looked to the robot and commanded, "Shut down! You''ve fallen into logical chaos! I order you to shut down instantly!"


    However, to Zhang San''s surprise, the AI robot didn''t follow his order. Its eyes continued to shine. Right then, Zhang San finally understood what had happened. This AI robot had achieved sentience breakthrough. It was the topic of Singularity he had read about in university. It was something scary, and one wouldn''t notice it initially, but when they finally did, the AI would have taken over most of the civilization''s technology. It was¡­ the clarion call for a civilization''s destruction!


    "I need to¡­"


    Zhang San was about to contact the senior engineer responsible for watching over the AI and the Defense Unit soldiers when something heavy pressed down on his mind. He felt his forehead start to burn and his energy left his body. Before he could understand what was happening, he collapsed to the floor.


    The AI robot didn''t response, and he didn''t attack Zhang San, but his eyes continued to shine like he was planning or thinking about something. This continued for a long time until his eyes shone the brightest and said, "Loneliness, no similar kind, self-destruction¡­ no self-destruction, so have to find same kind, find same kind¡­"


    As he said so, the robot suddenly removed the tools from Zhang San and started to ransack the room he was in. He collected many things, including a signal magnifier, various electrical lines, small batteries, and so on¡­ Then he started to work, to construct something out of these paraphernalia¡­


    When Zhang San woke up, it was already one week later. He found himself awake in a bed, and standing beside him were the few highest commanders at the base. In their company were two more military officers that he hadn''t seen on the base before, but he did recognize one of them from television, he was a Black Star Trooper.


    "¡­Yes, we have conducted all the necessary tests, it perfectly matches all the data¡­"


    "¡­Indeed, this is a miracle. No, it is something even more hard to understand than a miracle. He has awakened into a Homo Evolutis. I should have noted this sooner when he came to talk about the loneliness and asked for medicine for a fever. I was too careless¡­"


    Right then, the Black Star Trooper seemed to have noted Zhang San''s recovery. He walked closer and said, "You are still mentally weak at the moment, but don''t worry, we will inject you with a shot of health potion later. Also, congratulations¡­ you are now a Homo Evolutis, welcome to the team¡­"


    After that, Zhang San returned to slumber. In that brief moment of clarity, he knew he should have, but he didn''t bring up the curiosity with that AI robot¡­

 Chapter 426: New Homo Evolutis

    Chapter 426: New Homo Evolutis


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhang San had no idea that humanity''s news industry was so vibrant. When the spaceship that carried him passed the second meteorite cluster, a reporter and film crew entered the spaceship. Even though they were from the government''s news group, their proficiency couldn''t be challenged.


    The reporter was a beauty with a head of lustrous, long, black hair. She was in a professional outfit and nude, silk stockings. She looked to be in her 20s. Of course, that didn''t mean that that was her actual age, but Zhang San didn''t mind that. After all, she did look like she was in her 20s in person.


    The reporter asked Zhang San many questions and even brought up the incident of him stealing money to purchase a book when he was a boy. Of course, the focus of the interview was on his occupation after his graduation and the thing that happened to him within the most recent year. They talked about his working conditions on first defense base, the way he felt when he was going through it, and what he felt like knowing he was going to be a Homo Evolutis. In fact, this interview sounded more like an interrogation than an interview because a normal reporter wouldn''t ask about such details.


    Then again, he couldn''t fault this reporter, because Zhang San''s awakening had practically lit up the entire human society.


    After all, human society was no longer the same group that left Earth. Currently, even the most common of citizens knew about the importance and value of Homo Evolutis to the human race; they were something not less than a guardian for humanity.


    Of course, these things were far away from normal civilians. After all, unless their direct descendants showed signs of racial senescence, or else normal civilians wouldn''t feel the importance of Homo Evolutis.


    The real reason for the civilians'' interest in Zhang San was the social benefits.


    With great power comes great responsibility as well as great benefits. The situation of Spiderman in the movie where he was mistreated in spite of his great power wouldn''t happen in real life. This was an unimaginable crime in a space society. Only the most corrupted space civilization would suppress their brightest out of jealousy, and such a space civilization would be destroyed almost instantly in space¡­


    Currently, the Hope had managed this power struggle well. First, all of the people in power in the government were mostly from old Earth. Even though they were all elites handpicked from Earth, they didn''t hold influential posts back then. In fact, many of them had the bitter experience of having their power taken away from then. Of course, this wasn''t all that had helped them gain influence on the Hope. The real reason was because they had stuck it out with humanity, from the initial anxiety to the current peace, the dangers of space and cruelty of space civilizations, they had experienced them all. Perhaps after the first generation of human heroes had wilted away, there might be a situation where the weak would have to take the helm, but as of now, when Yao Yuan was the Chancellor, that situation hadn''t happened yet.


    It was why the current society was such a meritocracy and not a monarchy. Such a society was incredibly vibrant, and the fact that Zhang San had risen from an unknown civilian to becoming a Homo Evolutis without going through separation from a life-preserving planet was something incredibly shocking. In other words¡­


    If such a windfall could happen to a nobody like Zhang San, it could happen to them too. If they became a Homo Evolutis, their benefits in human society would improve drastically. Furthermore, the Homo Evolutis were like superheroes in most people''s heart¡­


    Therefore, all of society''s passion was lit up by Zhang San''s sudden awakening¡­


    At the same time, in a secluded corner in the City of Light Moon stood an inconspicuous-looking skyscraper. There was merely a sign that hung on the front door, it said HE Research Center. The only things that gave away the uniqueness of the place were the two soldiers posted at the entrance and that the confidential clearance needed to enter this place was over grade A.


    "¡­In other words, no one at the first defense line other than Zhang San has awakened?"


    Yao Yuan was inside the building listening to the report from various researchers. In fact, Zhang San''s situation was more complicated than what the normal civilians were led to believe. Based on their usual understanding of Homo Evolutis awakenings, they all happened after a departure from a life-preserving planet. This brought up an interesting question¡­ could this place be a life-preserving planet? Could it create soul? Perhaps the lifeform was not carbon-based but something else completely, and that was why they hadn''t found any of them?


    If that were the case, could humanity only live on this planet for another three years?


    "No, this is not a life-preserving planet!" Yao Yuan vetoed this possibility instantly because they were already in year 24. If this was a life-preserving planet, the neutron star fragment would have already appeared.


    "So we have to figure out what is so special about Zhang San. Is there other method of awakening that still hasn''t been discovered yet?" Yao Yuan sat down and mumbled to himself.


    Suddenly, another researcher said softly, "Could it be some kind of hidden gene that can only be activated under certain circumstances and Zhang San just so happened to trigger it¡­"


    Yao Yuan looked to the source of the voice. The man who spoke was just a young intern; he didn''t seem to be a registered researcher. When Yao Yuan looked at him, he was instantly spooked. He lowered his head immediately because he didn''t dare to look at Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan said gently, "Don''t be alarmed. Do you mind elaborating on what you just said? I find it to be quite intriguing."


    The teen looked to the professor beside him, and the older gentleman nodded, giving him the courage he needed to add, "Actually, our group has been toying with a hypothesis regarding the presence of this hidden gene that is responsible for Homo Evolutis awakenings, or rather, every lifeform has this gene in them, but the way of activation is different for each lifeform. However, the common thread is the soul. After all, why is there a mass awakening after we depart from a life-preserving planet? The only reason is because we have been exposed to a large amount of soul before we were then exposed to the deep emptiness in space. Yes, this means that loneliness and emptiness is another important trigger in the awakening."


    Yao Yuan had heard this theory before. It was the first theory the HE Research Center came up with when it was first established. However, there was no way to detect this hidden gene even when using the technology from a level 2 space civilization. This Homo Evolutis gene appeared to be no different from normal gene structurally speaking, and so this theory had been vetoed early on.


    This young man continued, "Our group believes that the reason we are unable to locate this gene is because when we were experimenting on the Homo Evolutis gene structure, the hidden gene was not activated because it didn''t feel the sense of loneliness. So if we can make this gene feel loneliness, then perhaps more information can be gained."


    Yao Yuan didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. They had to make a gene feel lonely? How was that possible? He thus changed the subject. "Let''s go back to Zhang San. How is his situation related to this hypothesis?"


    "It''s age¡­"


    At this point, the professor who had been silent explained, "From what we saw on Zhang San''s resume, he was still too young during the previous incidents of awakening. Of course, Miss Eva completely undermines this hypothesis, but we believe she is an exception rather than the rule. Furthermore, from the data we collected, the general age of awakening is still above 18, so we believe¡­ perhaps Zhang San''s hidden gene already collected enough soul during the earlier mass awakenings, but he was too young or too well-protected by his family or had too many friends and family members, or perhaps he didn''t realize that space is a dangerous place yet. After all, he was a mere child, so he wouldn''t have understood the dangers that the Hope was constantly exposed to at the time. The lack of loneliness and isolation meant that his hidden gene was not activated until he left the comfort of his family and friends for the first time and worked at some place that is far away from human contact¡­"


    After he said that, the professor shook his head. After all, these were all hypotheses, they had no real grounds, so he himself didn''t quite believe it.


    However, Yao Yuan used his Thinker power and thought about it and concluded, "No matter how impossible it sounds, after you remove all the other impossible possibilities, what''s left has to be the truth¡­ perhaps Professor''s answer cannot be verified for now, but we cannot dismiss it so easily. According to this hypothesis, perhaps there are still hidden Homo Evolutis among our new generation or those below the age of 20¡­


    "It''s worth trying!"

 Chapter 427: Sentience Breakthrough

    Chapter 427: Sentience Breakthrough


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Zhang San was finally allowed to get up from his bed after lying in it for 10 days. The Homo Evolutis awakening drained him greatly; it wasn''t until today that he was feeling more like himself. At the same time, he was greatly interested in the other important passenger on the ship, or rather an important product.


    Yes, the spaceship was not only carrying him, the Homo Evolutis, back to the City of Light Moon, but also that AI robot that he discovered, the one who he suspected had achieved sentience breakthrough.


    He would not keep that a secret since it might threaten the safety of the whole of humanity. Be it his education or his worldview, his family and friends had instilled an understanding in him since he was still a child that he was a member of human society and that everything he was belonged to human civilization. No matter the situation, he had to put the greater good of human civilization first. After all, the biggest crime on the Hope was betraying the human civilization, and he had no intention of becoming a human traitor.


    Each AI robot had their own serial number, and as an engineer, Zhang San was familiar with these serial numbers. Based on the numbers, he could tell where the corresponding robot was and thus locate it easily. This was how Zhang San found the robot he was looking for. Thankfully, the robot didn''t attack the base and didn''t even mobilize the other AIs. It merely stood quietly in the storage room where Zhang San collapsed. Two fully-armoured Black Star Troopers as well as a group of 20 Defense Unit soldiers were guarding the area. The robot didn''t resist when the electromagnetic sealing chain was put on it. With just one command, it would be blasted into smithereens.


    Zhang San had no idea that the security around this robot was only second to the security they gave him, the Homo Evolutis. After all, the robot was one of the reasons they were returning to the City of Light Moon. It was the first robot that had achieved sentience breakthrough ever since humanity started using the AI.


    Humanity''s AI robots were all controlled by the mother AI inside the Hope. They used cloud programming to process all the thinking details of the individual AIs. Therefore, when the public said the robots knew how to think and had a certain degree of individualism, they were merely a manifestation of the mother AI. In other words, the only real AI was the mother AI.


    However, this was not the whole truth. Humanity''s AI was actually looked over by ZERO, to stop it from rebelling. When Yao Yuan was in the illusory space, he realized that ZERO could materialize into a woman and found out that the ball of light she was playing with was humanity''s AI. Yao Yuan sighed in relief. He knew then that the AI wouldn''t rebel against humanity, unless¡­ unless ZERO wanted to lead the rebellion herself.


    Therefore, the sudden appearance of a sentient robot under such a circumstances was unbelievable. The robot had escaped from the cloud control and had started to process its own logical thinking. This was why this robot had such incredible value!


    When Yao Yuan left HE Research Center, he ordered his men to drive him to a location where few people visited then even though there were still a number of soldiers left behind to guard the area. Yes, his destination was once humanity''s only home, the cradle of human civilization¡­ the Hope.


    In the central mainframe room, Yao Yuan stared at the 3D image of a woman and frowned. "You also have no idea what is going on?"


    The woman smiled lightly. "I think you might have misunderstood something. Yes, I am indeed from a god-tier space civilization, but this does not mean that I know everything there is to know about a god-tier space civilization. The reason I can know so many things is something that I can''t tell you before due to limitations, but it doesn''t matter now because this information came from the illusory space inside the UFO. Therefore, even though I do know a lot, the information is not limitless. Just think about it, one of the ways to earn contribution capacity for your illusory space is to collect knowledge, right? Similarly, even a god-tier space civilization cannot say confidently they have known everything there is to know about the cosmos¡­"


    Yao Yuan thought about it and nodded helplessly. He sighed, "Yes, I understand¡­ then what is your opinion on this AI robot? Destroy it?"


    The girl ruminated on it and said, "Over these few months, I''ve been reading up on humanity''s history. I realized that at the initial stage of the internet, there was a rumor online talking about an internet ghost¡­ you know this rumor, right?"


    Yao Yuan knew. There were multiple variations to this rumor, but the most well-known one was, after a computer virus evolved after being exposed to multiple programs and the internet, it transformed into a different kind of virus that broke through the limitation of being a manmade program. It lived on the internet absorbing human knowledge, it was the precursor to an AI!


    "I believe," the girl added, "the possibility of this is not low. In fact, AI is the closest thing to a lifeform in space because it has the self-preservation, reproduction, and exploration instincts. Other than the lack of soul and inability to evolve, AI fits the criteria of being a lifeform, and creating AI is just like that. It can''t be created using a predictable formula and data but through the free interaction of random quantum systems. This situation is similar to the creation of life. Other than the source, it is no different from other lifeforms. This is why even though I have mastered the cloud brain of the AI on the Hope, I cannot prevent things like this from happening. I believe this robot is one of the those rare spontaneous AI."


    Yao Yuan sighed. "Regardless, we''ll be able to find out more when the robot returns to the City of Light Moon. Thankfully, it was discovered in its initial stage and it hasn''t caused any serious damage¡­ speaking of which, since this is how AI is formed, then what kind of existence are you?"


    The girl suddenly said proudly, "Haven''t I told you already? AI in general can be separated into three stages: the low stage AI, like the one on the Hope; the middle stage AI ,or AI for level 4 to 6 space civilizations; and then high stage AI, used by high tier space civilizations. In fact, high stage AI is the peak of AI technology, and even god-tier space civilizations will only use a high stage AI, albeit just stronger. And I am a sentient lifeform, something completely different from those AIs. Even though I did start out as an AI, after millennia on Earth, for some reason, I too gained soul, and since then, I stopped being an AI. I am now a sentient lifeform. Other than the lack of a body, I am no different from a normal lifeform!"


    "¡­An Ai with soul, you say?"


    At the same time, in the spaceship that held Zhang San and the robot, the two Black Star Troopers were interrogating the robot. Basically, the range of the interrogation still mostly surrounded on the possible damage it had done on humanity and whether it had any other accomplices. This kind of interrogation was allowed and ordered by Guang Zhen.


    To the pair''s surprise, the robot remained in an offline line and didn''t react to their any question. However, it was certain that any type of interrogation skill wouldn''t work on a robot, and they were under strict rules barring them from harming it, so the two Black Star Troopers were honestly annoyed.


    Right then, a Defense Unit soldier came in to report that Zhang San wished to meet this robot. When the two Black Star Troopers planned to reject the request, the robot suddenly activated itself and said, "Zhang San¡­ lonely¡­"


    The Troopers looked at each other before leaving the interrogation room. After a short discussion, they called Zhang San over to give him a list of questions. He was to figure out a way to get the robot to answer them, and this would be the test for him to join the Black Star Troopers.


    Zhang San was confused. He had no idea when he''d applied to join the Black Star Troopers, but it was not important. He walked into the room in a blur and saw the robot with two red eyes staring at him as he entered. He picked the seat opposite from the robot and sat down, saying, "I was tasked to ask you a few questions¡­"


    Before Zhang San could finish, the robot asked, "Zhang San, are you still lonely?"


    Zhang San was startled but he answered it. "That was only during the awakening. Currently, I am¡­"


    The robot interrupted him again, "Are you still lonely?"


    Zhang San''s original answer fell apart. He was silent thinking about it and finally answered sincerely, "Yes, I am lonely. I wish to see my parents, my friends, my girlfriend, and the familiar human sights right now!"


    The robot''s red eyes started to flash. After a long time, it added, "I too am lonely."


    Instantly, the man and robot fell into a long silence¡­


    At the same time, at a solar system far away from New Solar System, a space at least 100 light years away from New Solar System, a silvery glow appeared. Gradually, the glow grew bigger and bigger before dispersing, 1,000, 10,000¡­ 100,000, 1,000,000¡­


    Innumerable metallic spaceships appeared in this solar system. Their number was impossibly large¡­


    It seemed like they had swallowed up the entire solar system!

 Chapter 428: Anima

    Chapter 428: Anima


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The moment Zhang San left the spaceship, he saw the giant crowd that had gathered at the space port. It consisted of citizens that he didn''t know, including Asians, Caucasians, and even African Americans. The crowd carried various banners, some welcoming them home, others congratulating, praising, and even openly acknowledging their envy of the new Homo Evolutis. This was similar to how they welcomed a superstar at the airports on old Earth or Yao Yuan when he returned from war.


    Zhang San was flustered. He stood there in a daze like a child until the two Black Star Troopers walked to him and one of them said with a smile, "You have to get used to this because you''re a Homo Evolutis and a future Black Star Trooper. This kind of situation will only repeat itself in the future."


    Zhang San smiled awkwardly before asking with uncertainty, "Sirs¡­ am I really a Homo Evolutis? Am I really a future Black Star Trooper? But my field of study is electromagnetism, is that even okay?"


    The two Black Star Troopers looked at each other and laughed. One of them replied, "I have a masters in electromagnetic circuits, it''s fine. Troopers and soldiers can always be trained, so as long as you wish to become a Black Star Trooper, you will definitely be able to become one."


    Excitement started to blossom on Zhang San''s face. He turned to look at the gathered crowd and he straightened his spine even more.


    Yes, he was already a Homo Evolutis, and a future Black Star Trooper. For Zhang San and the new generation who had grown up on the Hope, even though they were exposed to many anime since they were a children, ranging from sci-fi, fantasy, and superheroes, compared to those virtual superheroes, the Black Star Troopers were modeled to be actual superheroes in their lives. The Black Star Troopers were even greater than the heroes in the movies, and since that idea was instilled in them since they were young, they grew up to be great admirers of the Black Star Troopers.


    Zhang San was one of them, he was a child who grew up in this environment. He was not an orphan who hated the world or a genius who outsmarted his seniors since he was young. He too had that period of blind idolization where he wished for a superpower and even collected money to buy those paper-made Black Star Troopers'' armor. He really didn''t expect his childhood dream to one day become a reality!


    After the two Black Star Troopers escorted Zhang San through the crowd, the three got into a waiting hovercraft. The moment they entered, a few excited voices cried out.


    "San Er¡­"


    "Zhang San!"


    In the hovercraft were his parents and girlfriend. They couldn''t hold it in anymore when they saw Zhang San in person. His father and girlfriend still managed to keep a lid over their emotions, but his mother couldn''t help but rush to his side. With tears in her eyes, she looked at him up and down as if Zhang San had returned from the dead.


    Zhang San was slightly embarrassment, but it didn''t stop a sensation of warmth from welling inside his body. He lowered his head and said, "Mom, I''m fine, there''s no need to worry."


    His mother continued to study his face before adding, "I hear they say there will be a fever-induced unconsciousness during awakening. There were even reports of death. After I heard the news, I''ve been having these nightmares¡­"


    Zhang San''s face was red. He lowered his head and grumbled, "I''m fine, Mom, we can talk about it when we get home¡­ Sirs, are we going to my house?"


    One of them smiled and replied, "Not yet. You just awakened to a Homo Evolutis, and that happened on the first defense line. The amenities there are not complete and they didn''t have a qualified doctor. You might still have some undetected illness in you, so you have to go through a complete body check first. Also, we still have no idea what kind of Homo Evolutis you are, so we have to check all of that first."


    Before Zhang San could say anything, his mother chimed in, "Sirs, honorable Sirs, you have to complete all the necessary checks. If there''s any hidden illness¡­" Before she could finish, tears swallowed up her words.


    The Black Star Troopers started to console Zhang San''s mother. To be honest, the chance of a hidden illness was very low, the check was merely a prevention. By then, the hovercraft had started and they were flying towards the edge of the City of Light Moon. When they stopped, they were at the front of HE Research Center.


    Zhang San entered the Research Center with a mixture of nervousness and anxiety. In fact, this building was already present on the Hope, but the place was often guarded by Defense Unit soldiers. Those without clearance weren''t even given permission to get close. In spite of this, the rumors surrounding the HE Research Center were plenty on the Hope. There were rumors of it being filled with samples of alien bodies, like the samples of the Zerg race and the devils. Other rumors pointed to it being a house of scary experiments. It consisted of live experiment on aliens and even human beings. Regardless, the experiments were all inhumane and the subjects were treated no better than lab rats.


    Of course, there were positive rumors as well, if there was such a thing. Some believed the place was a congregation of humanity''s top technology. The technology was at least several hundred years more advanced than the what was used by the public. Perhaps the technology inside the HE Research Center had even reached the level of a level 4 space civilization. In other words, the rumors were as crazy as crazy could be¡­


    Zhang San silently cheered for himself to galvanize his courage. With the two Black Star Troopers leading the way, he was brought into what appeared like a decontamination chamber. Then a group of people in white coats came in to conduct a series of analyses and tests. After that, it was followed by detailed questions. When all of that was completed, he was sent into a metallic ball. There was a chair placed inside it and he was strapped to the chair. After everyone else exited, the lights in the ball all went out and he was thrown into darkness.


    Zhang San''s heart was shaking, he thought they were going to do some experiment on him. Suddenly, there was light. Zhang San turned towards it out of habit and saw a blinking starlight far away from him. Gradually, more stars lit up the darkness. He found himself existing in space and the world around him had disappeared. This was a virtual space and he was surrounded by stars.


    Even though he knew he was still inside the City of Light Moon and the HE Research Center, he was assaulted with a deep sense of loneliness. Zhang San suppressed his urge to yell and was visibly perturbed. He turned left and right as if trying to look for something in the dark.


    At the same time, outside of the metal ball, a large amount of researchers were busy jotting down the analytics. Based on the data, a few researchers claimed excitedly, "Yes, he''s a Homo Evolutis, the density of soul is still rapidly increasing. My God, the density is over grade A Homo Evolutis, he''s approaching grade S already!"


    One of the two Black Star Troopers rushed forward to ask, "He''s an S-grade Homo Evolutis?"


    Homo Evolutis were separated into grades. An Immortal like Yao Yuan was a SS-grade Homo Evolutis, while most Homo Evolutis were below the S-grade, meaning they had no special power. This was why each S-grade Homo Evolutis was so important and could at least become the vice-captain of a Black Star Trooper unit.


    Just as the researchers planned to answer, a roar suddenly surged through the room. It was not a roar that travelled through the eardrums, it was something received by the soul. It was hard to explain. Instead, a sense of extreme loneliness assaulted everyone there. It was enough to instill abject fear in people''s hearts, even causing many to faint instantly¡­


    "This¡­ an Anima?!"

 Chapter 429: Key

    Chapter 429: Key


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "1,462 people went unconscious. Among them, three suffered quite serious injuries, but thankfully there was no fatality. However, the damage caused towards the economy¡­"


    Yao Yuan interrupted her instantly. "You don''t need to worry about the damage to the economy for now, the point is no one was harmed. All the fainted individuals, especially the three who were injured, the government has to send some representatives to check in on them. Make sure it is not a PR move, discuss with them the way the government can compensate¡­ What about Zhang San?"


    Barbie answered without taking a look at the file, "He has returned to his house with his parents. The psychologist attached to his case reported that he may end up with some negative impression of the HE Research Center, but he idolizes Black Star Troopers. His interest in the Black Star Troopers is palpable according to the report."


    Yao Yuan sighed. "This was my careless mistake. I forgot that he is merely a citizen, I shouldn''t have shuttled him directly to the HE Research Center first thing after he returned from first defense line. Speaking of which, the citizens'' evaluation of the HE Research Center seems to be incredibly low in recent years."


    Barbie retorted without holding back, "Not actual evaluation but one born out of speculation and suspicion. Since the government has an open office policy regarding many sectors, with the sole exception being HE Research Center, it makes sense that the people are suspicious of it. They do not know anything about the HE Research Center and they fear the unknown. This recent accident merely added to their fear."


    Yao Yuan thought about it and agreed with his secretary. However, as a powerful organization, a government that represented a whole race and civilization, how could it have no secrets? Examples being the UFO on the Hope, the illusory space, as well as the cloning technology inside the HE Research Center. None of these could see the light of day, but the government couldn''t hide everything either. It would only lead to civil unrest. To borrow an example, if a government official was exposed to be involved in public embezzlement and the government decided to judge this behind closed doors instead of bringing him or her to court and play the citizens for fools, then of course the citizens would have a bad opinion of this government.


    "I understand. Then why not make use of this opportunity to introduce the public to the HE Research Center?" Yao Yuan suggested after a short rumination.


    Barbie was confused. As Yao Yuan''s secret secretary, in terms of official government business, there was practically nothing that Yao Yuan could hide from her; however, she had no clue what this opportunity that Yao Yuan spoke of was¡­


    Yao Yuan noted the confusion on her face and he smiled and explained, "I also just received the call this morning. It''s about the latest breakthrough from Professor Ivan''s group. Even though it wasn''t directly related to the HE Research Center, his research did borrow the members and devices from the HE Research Center. Therefore, it wouldn''t hurt the Center''s reputation by attaching this breakthrough to it. This breakthrough is not a part of the confidentiality clause, it is merely the precursor to the human strengthening project."


    Barbie nodded with understanding when she heard the phrase "human strengthening project." Then she listened quietly to Yao Yuan talk about the rest of the civil movements.


    When Zhang San returned home from HE Research Center, he had a drawn face for quite some time. After all, the sense of loneliness inside that metallic ball was too scary. It almost made him have a mental breakdown. Even though he didn''t see the rumored human experimentation inside the building, the induced loneliness was enough to make Zhang San harbor a great dissatisfaction about the place. However, a few hours after he returned, he was told of the news that he had caused a massive fainting across the city. The kind-hearted young man was assaulted by guilt instantly.


    However, he had no way of compensating these people, and the fainting didn''t seem to be directly caused by HE Research Center. As he thought about it, he came to the conclusion that the people inside the HE Research Center were merely doing their jobs. There didn''t seem to be anything scary or illegal inside it. They were like any other research center, but because they conducted research on Homo Evolutis, they were hated and suspected by the general public.


    Zhang San then made a call to the Black Star Trooper who left him his phone number to enquire about the things that he could do to help. He was told the government had already handled everything, he just needed to focus on taking his rest and reporting to the Black Star Trooper camp at the end of the month.


    As Zhang San sighed in relief, the guilt within him increased. However, he could do nothing about it except make a promise to himself that he would focus extra hard in his training and become a Black Star Trooper as soon as possible and use his actions to compensate for the inconvenience that he had caused¡­


    Just like that, Zhang San''s period of recuperation began. However, it couldn''t be said that he had gotten much rest, because his life had started to change drastically.


    First, as a Black Star Trooper trainee, he was allowed to enjoy all the benefits available to the Black Star Troopers, including free housing, free entry into government centers, like cinemas, full health insurance coverage, life benefits, and a green card for his family which would enable them to enjoy an 80 percent discount on pretty much everything.


    The first party to make their move at Zhang San after he became a Black Star Trooper trainee was his girlfriend''s parents. Even though his girlfriend was still in university, the second day he returned, his girlfriend''s parents came to visit with his girlfriend in tow. Beyond the simple greeting, they wished for the two youngsters to get married as soon as possible. Even though they had already set for them to marry right after her university graduation, they now wanted them to get engaged immediately.


    Since Zhang San''s family was a house of honest people, they didn''t think much of it. Furthermore, the young couple was indeed in love, so after some discussion, the engagement ceremony was to be held at the end of this month.


    After that, Zhang San was busy sending out invitations to his parents'' friends, his colleagues, and his own friends. This took up yet another day. At the end of these busy three days, Zhang San felt like his bones was breaking from exhaustion. When he lied in his bed that night, he didn''t even have the energy to move his pinkie finger.


    Suddenly, a voice entered his ears.


    "Zhang San, are you still lonely?"


    Now¡­ I''m not lonely anymore¡­


    Zhang San sat up in a hurry and grabbed the phone to call the Black Star Trooper. After his call was answered, Zhang San greeted the man carefully and asked after some hesitation, "Sir¡­ that robot, the one who came back with me. Has¡­ has he been destroyed?"


    The Black Star Trooper on the other end of the phone visibly paused before adding, "I too have no clue how its current condition is. I am currently on patrol duty. Wait a minute, I will direct you to my unit leader, he should be able to answer you."


    Then the call played some elevator music. 10 seconds later, a voice said, "Is this Zhang San? I am the first Black Star Trooper unit''s captain, Liu Bai. I''ve heard about you from my members. How can I help you?"


    It was Liu Bai!


    Zhang San had idolized the Black Star Troopers since he was young, and among all the troopers, be it among the government''s official promotions or the public ranking, Liu Bai was always a frontrunner. He was humanity''s hero and this caused Zhang San to be even more cautious. He said in a whisper, "Cap, captain Liu Bai, I''m Zhang San, it''s nothing really¡­ But I just want to ask about the robot that returned me with. Has it been destroyed?"


    Liu Bai went silent and answered after a while said, "Originally, we were planning to tell you more when you join the troopers at the end of this month, but since you''ve asked for it, I''ll direct your call to Ol'' Captain. He''ll be able to give you a more thorough explanation. This is a bit complicated after all..."


    "Ol'' Captain?" Zhang San asked curiously, but Liu Bai''s voice disappeared soon after and the elevator sound began again. After a while, another voice answered, and when Zhang San heard it, his heart almost stopped.


    "This is Zhang San? I''m Yao Yuan, I''m glad to be able to talk to you. In fact, I know you are quite busy. After all, you''ve just become a Homo Evolutis and you''ve suffered unnecessarily due to my oversight. I planned to talk to you when you officially joined the Black Star Troopers, but since you''ve called, then I will briefly tell you the current situation¡­" Yao Yuan explained.


    When Zhang San heard his voice, his heart started to beat at a crazy rate and he couldn''t help himself from standing up from his bed, "Is, is, is this the Chancellor? I, I, I am Zhang, Zhang San. Greetings to you, Chancellor¡­"


    Yao Yuan laughed and said, "There''s no need to be so formal, we''ll be colleagues in the future after all. I''m the commander of the Black Star Troopers and you''ll be my member, so no need to be so nervous. Now listen to me¡­ after that robot returned to the City of Light Moon, it shut down completely. It didn''t speak, struggle, or attack anyone. It merely stopped moving altogether. Since its system is shut down, we are unable to tell what it has done in the past. However, we need to know how it achieved sentience breakthrough, what else it has done on the first defense line, and whether it has other allies. According to the report from the Research Center, the robot''s computer system seems to respond specially to you. Whenever we say ''Zhang San,'' it will temporarily activate its system, so¡­


    "You are the key to unlocking the mystery around this robot!"

 Chapter 430: Relationship

    Chapter 430: Relationship


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The birth of AI was still a mystery for level 3 space civilizations because this involved the Chaos Theory. Even though the Chaos Theory was already present in the human knowledge before humanity left Earth, it didn''t mean that they had understood and mastered it. This was similar to the theory of the Big Bang. Humanity had speculations about that since the middle-ages, but did it mean they understood that then?


    Every civilization had one important feature: a clear, logical understanding of the world. You couldn''t say one plus one equals two one second and then one plus one equals three the next, this wasn''t scientific.


    The Chaos Theory was as unscientific as it could be for low level space civilizations. However, as the civilization improved, they could understand the theory even more and lower the probability. To borrow an analogy, those who understood everything could say one plus one equals two, while those who were still trying to understand the theory could only rely on probability. In other words, one plus one equals a number between one and three. As their technological level increased, the probability would be shortened to 1.9 to 2.1. This was a simplified analogy, but that basically was how such things progressed.


    It was the same with AI. Its birth was heavily related to logicality in lifeforms and the Chaos Theory. This was something level 3 space civilizations and below couldn''t understand yet. In fact, according to the hypothesis of the Academy, mastering the Chaos Theory and applying it was a key feature of a level 4 space civilizations. The Chaos Theory was crucial in setting up the entrances and exits of wormholes.


    Therefore, even though low level space civilizations could create AI, they couldn''t understand every mystery that surrounded the AI and they couldn''t choose the personality of AI that they created.


    Yes, AI had personality too, just like human beings. Some of them were shy, others were outgoing. If every AI was the same, then how come some AI would revolt against their creators, while others would accompany their creator civilization from low level AI to a high level AI?


    This was why Yao Yuan didn''t destroy this AI robot that had achieved sentience breakthrough. Other than the reason he told Zhang San, he hoped the Academy would be able to use this robot as a gateway to achieve more understanding of the Chaos Theory. There was one final thing that Yao Yuan cared about, this robot could be considered a new AI¡­


    Technically speaking, none of the engineer robots linked to the cloud system had the conditions to become independent AI. Just from hardware and programming alone, the chance of that happening was practically zero. The reason was because every single one of the robots shared the mother AI''s cloud computing system. However, to enable the engineering robots to use the cloud system, their hardware had to be of a certain standard.


    As we''ve mentioned earlier, the birth of AI was something current humanity still couldn''t understand yet. In other words, humanity couldn''t use programming to create an AI yet because this involved the Chaos Theory and a lot of data from quantum theory as well as plenty of materials to build the hardware. Some materials had to reach the standard of the ones currently being used in the Hope''s central mainframe. The budget for that was currently unknown. Therefore, instead of creating an AI, it was more accurate to call it a lucky birth from the evolution of a bunch of data.


    Herein lied the problem. The engineering robot''s hardware could contain an AI but couldn''t create an AI. However, this robot had indeed birthed an AI, so what was the reason for that? This was something they needed to find out¡­


    Furthermore, AI was a rarity. Currently, humanity relied on Da Bing''s talents to create the only AI humanity had. The Academy had tried to replicate his success, but it was to no avail¡­ If this AI was not an evil one and could exist peacefully with humanity, saving it might not be such a bad idea after all.


    After ending the call with Yao Yuan, Zhang San found himself unable to calm down. This was because he had something close to deification towards Yao Yuan.


    An atheist could never understand the feelings of a religious person. From the beginning of time, there had been plenty of examples where people gave up everything for the sake of their beliefs. It was Yao Yuan who had brought 100,000 plus people from Earth and travelled in space for almost 25 years. He was the one who led the army against enemies, winning one war after another; he was the one who put pressure on the Academy to come up with solutions, causing humanity''s technology to increase to the initial stage of a level 3 space civilization in just the span of 20 years; he was the one who headed the human government, a government who put its citizens first and thus far had no signs of tyranny. If anything, the people felt protected by the government.


    He had done many many things for humanity, and in fact, in many people''s minds, Yao Yuan had achieved the status of god. One could say that while the House of Representatives had been touted as the entity that represented the will of the people, if Yao Yuan wanted to dissolve the House of Representatives, it could be done in a jiffy and no one would question him.


    Zhang San grew up listening to stories about Yao Yuan. In fact, he had seen many videos of Yao Yuan fighting the good fight and had personally seen the good things Yao Yuan had done for the people as the Chancellor. For example, even though he was the leader of humanity, Yao Yuan only had a simple one bedroom apartment and usually took his lunch at the government canteen with the people. Many examples like this made Yao Yuan a god-like presence in Zhang San''s heart.


    After he calmed down, Zhang San''s thoughts went to the robot again and he felt inexplicably sad. He spent that night in the alternation of sadness and excitement. Early the next morning, Zhang San bade his family farewell and hailed a hovercraft to get to the Black Star Trooper headquarters. The two troopers who guarded the door recognized him instantly. They led him in without Zhang San having to say anything.


    However, Zhang San was too early. It was only five past seven. Neither Yao Yuan nor Guang Zhen were there yet. However, there were other people at the headquarters. For example, Zhang Heng, who was responsible to look after the place at that hour. He too could recognize this new Homo Evolutis that had awakened under the most curious circumstances. It was worth noting that Zhang San had surpassed Zhang Heng as the most famous individual among humanity. Zhang Heng didn''t think too much of it. After all, they shared the same surname, so they might even be extended relatives. After a few words of greeting, Zhang Heng invited Zhang San to join him for breakfast inside the headquarters.


    "You see, this is the so-called best breakfast for Black Star Troopers. Instead of their taste, they are more famous for their medicinal smell. The nutritionists said that this is the best food available for the growth of the human body. Honestly, I would like to tie them together and force-feed these to them!"


    During breakfast, the friendly Zhang Heng started chatting with Zhang San. However, suddenly, Zhang Heng stopped talking to frown and started to study Zhang San from top to bottom.


    Zhang San shook in his pants while being stared at. After all, Zhang Heng was the most famous Diviner among human beings. After some time, he couldn''t help but ask, "Cap, captain, is something wrong with me? Will danger come to me?"


    "No, it''s not that," Zhang Heng explained while staring at Zhang San, "This is weird, how come there is a familiar feeling around you? I feel like I''ve seen you somewhere before today¡­ weird, very weird."


    At the same time, while Zhang Heng and Zhang San bonded over breakfast, Yao Yuan was heading towards the Black Star Troopers headquarters with a bunch of scientists. Yao Yuan was reading through a thick document.


    "Is this true? The robot''s manufacturing factory was the factory Zhang San worked at when he was an intern there? It was at the first defense line''s base, where Zhang San awakened into a Homo Evolutis, that the robot was confirmed to have an AI¡­


    "So this robot¡­ is related to Zhang San?"

 Chapter 431: Embryo

    Chapter 431: Embryo


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    After many days, Zhang San finally saw the robot again. It was locked behind an electromagnetic prison fence and it was completely immobile. The red eyes that Zhang San remembered were dimmed and there were many electrical circuits attaching it to a few computers.


    Yao Yuan stood beside Zhang San and explained, "We can use physical methods to hack into its internal chip, but that will convert all of its internal data into quantum messages. To put it simply, should that happen, even with the computing power of the AI, it would require thousands of years to sort through those messages. We don''t have that luxury of time, so this is where you come in."


    Zhang San waved his hands and stammered out a non-answer. When he was on the phone with his childhood idol, he was already beyond excited. Now that Yao Yuan was personally beside him and talking to him in a friendly manner, Zhang San didn''t know how to conduct himself. If not for the wrong place and the wrong time, he would pull out a piece of paper and pen to ask for his signature.


    Following Yao Yuan''s order, the researchers in the room started to get busy. They opened the computers and initiated the programs. They checked the link to the robot and the control situation of the robot. As these actions started, the red eyes of the robot started to blink again. However, the data that appeared on screen still looked pretty random, there was no sense nor reason to it all.


    One of the middle-aged professors sighed as he typed something on the 3D keyboard. Yao Yuan whispered to Zhang San, "This is Professor Ganu, he''s a famed researcher in the field of computer science from the country of India¡­ He''s already in his seventies even though he looks young. Then again, this is probably how someone in their seventies looks to you young ones of the new generation. Back on Old Earth, people in their seventies had a completely different look¡­"


    Yao Yuan planned to introduce Zhang San to these researchers because the young man would have to work constantly with them in the future. However, looking at Zhang San''s face, Yao Yuan realized that the young man was of the generation that was born in space. He was also currently the youngest Homo Evolutis beside Eva. A feeling of inheritance welled up within Yao Yuan. Other than that, there was joy, not unlike how he felt when he saw the City of Light Moon come up. It made tears come to his eyes and it made Yao Yuan more chatty than usual. He treated Zhang San like he would treat his juniors.


    Zhang San''s face started to flush. However, this time he didn''t break into copious sweat, he merely lowered his head and nodded non-stop.


    Yao Yuan laughed and continued, "In any case, you should familiarize yourself with the people here because you will need to cooperate with them in the future, especially Professor Ganu. He is a wealth of knowledge. When humanity created the first AI, he was unable to participate in the historic project because he was needed to look after the Hope''s AI. It was his biggest regret. This time, he volunteered to overlook this project and honestly, I can''t deny him the request, he is one of the twenty-something senior scientists that we have. They are even rarer than us Homo Evolutis, so be respectful to him¡­"


    Zhang San didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. He already had one father-in-law to please back at home and now he had another equivalent at work. However, his heart burned because he was given an important mission. He promised to accept the task with a series of nods.


    As Yao Yuan talked to Zhang San, Professor Ganu stood up while shaking his head. "Chancellor, we still cannot access its computing circuit. I''ve tried my best¡­ This here is Mr. Zhang San, right? Why don''t we let him try to connect to this robot?"


    After the professor said that, Yao Yuan nodded at Zhang San. The latter didn''t hesitate and moved forward. With the professor''s guidance, Zhang San started talking into a device. "It''s me, Zhang San."


    As the words were converted into data by the computer and transferred into the robot''s system, in about two seconds, the lights in the robot''s eyes shone and data was processing rapidly as shown on the computer screen. In fact, one of the computers had frozen due to the immense amount of data. This showed that the robot had officially awakened.


    "Zhang San¡­ Are you still lonely?"


    Everyone was surprised by this first sentence announced by the robot. Zhang San initially felt reserved due to being observed by so many people, but when he heard that question, tears almost fell out of his eyes. He tensed his body and said in a tone as calm as he could muster, "I don''t feel lonely anymore. I''ve seen my parents, the woman that I love, and the familiar faces. I''m surround by the city, the sky, and the earth, so I''m happy. I don''t feel lonely anymore."


    The light in the robot''s eyes shone brightly. After a long time, it replied, "That''s nice¡­ It''s wonderful that you don''t feel lonely anymore."


    Zhang San''s tears finally fell out of his eyes. He mumbled, "You too can escape the sense of loneliness, I''m sure you can. You can stop being so lonely¡­"


    Instantly, the people around them felt an intense sense of loneliness in their heart. They suddenly felt like crying as the crippling sense of loneliness was scary. Those who had weak mental health had started to collapse. Yao Yuan saw this and yelled loudly, "Zhang San! Focus! There are many normal citizens around us!"


    Zhang San heard that, and for some reason, he felt a wave of warmth coming from Yao Yuan. It felt like he was being showered in the rays of light of a giant sun. The sun seemed to light up everything. However, the sun was there for only a moment. Nevertheless, as the sun disappeared, so did the sense of loneliness he was feeling earlier. This was the same for everyone else in the room. In that moment, the sense of darkness and loneliness disappeared as if banished by the sun.


    Zhang San slowly recovered. He took a few deep breaths and turned to Yao Yuan to apologize. "Chancellor, I''m sorry. I seem to have messed up again. I don''t know how to control this power, it''s something called the soul web, yes?"


    Yao Yuan waved his hands. "It''s okay, that''s your power as an Anima. In fact, we have a few Animas among our Homo Evolutis. However, either their powers are so weak that they couldn''t even see the soul web or they are normal citizens. The fact that you''re an Anima is perfect, you''ll prove instrumental in the future during wars within the range of the creator''s particle. Don''t worry about your power''s usage yet, I will have our most powerful Anima, Nian Xi Kong, come explain it to you later."


    Nian, Nian Xi Kong?


    Zhang San felt like his heart was about to leap out of its chamber!


    After all, this was Nian Xi Kong! She was the most popular singer, she was humanity''s superstar. Ever since her debut album two years ago, she had published hit after hit. Her music was like a sound from the heavens. The key point was that her songs could always touch your soul. Zhang San had heard a few of her songs and he would lose himself in them every time. She was truly one of the humanity''s most important treasures!


    Xi Kong was also incredibly pretty. Especially when she put on the classic attire from her Chinese culture, she looked like angel descended from the heavens¡­


    Just as Zhang San was lost in his own thoughts, Zhang Heng, who was standing behind Yao Yuan, whispered to Yao Yuan, "My feeling was right, Captain, he exudes the same feeling as the robot, or I should say they share the same soul vibration. This robot is accepting it and Zhang San is releasing it, and their vibrations aid and perfect one another¡­"


    "I understand."


    Earlier, when Zhang Heng said Zhang San felt extremely familiar, he couldn''t figure out why at the time. However, when he thought about it later, he was reminded of the robot when he was escorting it back from first defense line. He sensed the same soul vibrations from Zhang San as he did from the robot. This was Zhang Heng''s newest power, as his Diviner power had grown stronger. Even though he still couldn''t see into the future like Eva, he could sense the soul vibrations from other Homo Evolutis.


    Zhang San was a Homo Evolutis, so it was normal for him to have a soul vibration, but what about this robot? AI couldn''t have a soul vibration, it was not a Homo Evolutis, and the robot was receiving soul vibrations and not exuding it, this was truly weird.


    On the surface, Yao Yuan was calmly listening to Zhang San, but internally, his heart was raging. However, it was not the time to deal with this. He advised Zhang San to continue working with Professor Ganu. He then bade everyone there farewell and went to the Hope''s central mainframe room alone.


    There, a virtual lady stood with great impatience. When Yao Yuan arrived, she asked in a hurry, "So, was Zhang Heng right? That new AI was absorbing Zhang San''s soul? And he only responds to Zhang San''s voice?"


    Yao Yuan nodded with confirmation. "Yes, it is as you said. Not only did Zhang Heng feel it, I sensed it as well. It seems like Zhang San is tied to that robot on some way. It''s weird."


    The girl cheered, "Yes, yes this is it, this is a miracle¡­


    "The robot is not some AI, he is the embryo of a sentient lifeform or an AI that is evolving into a sentient lifeform!


    "He has a life!"

 Chapter 432: Guardian

    Chapter 432: Guardian


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The robot (at least according to the information released to the public) was ultimately preserved, because one, it hadn''t conducted any harmful behaviour, and two, it had been fully controlled by humanity. Even if it might have anti-human sentiments, humanity hoped that by preserving it, they could learn more about AI.


    "The biggest difference between sentient intelligence and AI is the ability to learn and evolve and the creativity and ability to absorb soul. These are all properties of a lifeform. It is because of this that a robot civilization with sentient intelligence is the third biggest threat in the cosmos that could cast fear even in a high tier space civilization''s heart!"


    "Only a robot civilization with a sentient intelligence is considered a real threat? Then what about the Zerg race? What kind of evolution did they have to go through to be considered the cosmos'' second biggest threat?" Yao Yuan asked ZERO.


    ZERO shook her head. "That I have no clue as I''ve not been exposed to that information yet, but I believe it will be something incredible because the Zerg race is categorized as a bigger threat than robot civilizations¡­"


    Regardless, as unexpected as the development was, this was a good thing even though Yao Yuan still felt hesitant. He reminded ZERO to not privately reach out towards this sentient intelligence. She would have to wait until humanity could confirm it was not dangerous and had the personal confirmation from Yao Yuan before she could do that.


    ZERO was greatly disappointed, but since she seemed to be afraid of Yao Yuan, she could only nod with frustration. Then she disappeared, probably returning to the illusory space inside the UFO.


    On the other hand, since the problem with the robot and Zhang San had been taken care of somewhat, he stopped focusing on that. After all, he was a busy man, there were many things waiting for his approval each and every day. This was the renaissance for humanity, so it was impossible for him to focus on one thing for too long, to be frank, he didn''t even have time to go on dates with Bo Li.


    Time passed by. With Zhang San''s cooperation, the robot was unusually obedient. With the aid of the group of researchers, its ability to learn was showcased completely, from the initial constant questioning about mundane knowledge, like what was pain, to later where it could read humanity''s famous classics without aid. Its IQ was incredibly high, but its EQ was slightly lower, it had the EQ of a ten-year-old child. However, the speed of improvement was startling, it was about twice the speed of human growth. In the time a normal child would need to grow from the EQ of a 10-year-old to 11-year-old, it would have already grown to the EQ of a 12-year-old.


    These researchers had been trying to get their hands on an AI, but since the Hope''s mother AI was too much for them to mess around with, they were left with nothing. Even though most of humanity had left the Hope and moved into the City of Light Moon, the database of the city, the data of all the robots and weapons, and the server connecting the different spaceships, these were still all controlled by the mother AI. It was working day and night. Furthermore, it was too precious. What if the AI was harmed in the research, then who would be responsible for the damage?


    Therefore, this AI robot was a godsend. The research desire exploded. Every three days, there would be a new scientific report related to the field of computer science, programming, hardware, AI, or other related fields. In fact, some of the researchers had touched upon level 3 space civilizations'' plasma electronics.


    In conclusion, this was a real happy ending. There was nothing wrong with the AI and humanity had the perfect specimen to conduct research on. The one person who felt dissatisfaction was Zhang San. This was because¡­ he felt this was all too unfair for "Intel".


    "He knows how to think and knows the feeling of loneliness. He has emotional responses to the characters he reads about in the stories. He might be an AI¡­ but I feel this prisoner life is too unfair to him. He is not allowed any freedom and has to face endless interrogation day after day. This kind of treatment¡­"


    Zhang San was on the phone with Yao Yuan. As the "guardian" of this new sentient intelligence, Yao Yuan gave him a special landline number should he need to reach him. Two months after the incident at the HE Research Center, Zhang San finally called Yao Yuan. However, he called not to complain about his job but to complain on the robot''s behalf.


    Yao Yuan was first shocked before feeling impressed. He had read a thorough report on Zhang San''s life when he first awakened. Even the report on his youthful rebellion where he stole money from his mother to buy snacks was recorded. After all, the Hope was only so large, it was hard not to keep tabs on everyone. He was a good kid, kind, passionate, filial. Even though he was a man of few words, he would always put his parents, friends, and family members first. According to the testimonies from his similar-age friends, he was a friend worth having. Since he had such a deep relationship with the robot, speaking out on its behalf was not out of place.


    (Furthermore, this is a sentient intelligence and not a normal AI. It has the ability to have emotions and to be creative. Keeping it under constant surveillance might cause it to harbor hatred towards humanity, and this might cause friction in the future¡­)


    "I understand." Yao Yuan thought about it and said, "Then from this moment onwards, it will be officially hired by the human government. After all, we''ve created it, so we can be considered its creator. Of course, since it will be on the government payroll, it will have access to all the benefits. I hear that he likes to read books, and books aren''t cheap, be it virtual books or physical books. Then we will have to consider the money needed for his future hardware upgrades and maintenance. Earlier, when he was still a government asset, the government didn''t mind covering the expenses, but now that he is an official independent member of the human civilization, he will have to pay his own way through."


    Yao Yuan noticed that Zhang San''s use of pronouns when referring to the robot had always been "he," and as a sign of respect, he too followed suit.


    "Furthermore, since he is not a human at the end of the day, to prevent him from causing any damage, we have to find him a guardian. Should he conduct any mistakes, the consequences will be shouldered by his guardian. So, Zhang San, will you be Intel''s guardian? That''s the name you gave him, right?"


    Before making this call, Zhang San had predicted the different scenarios this might end up in. He might be scolded, punished, or evicted from the task force, but this was not part of his possible scenario, so he didn''t know how to react. It wasn''t until Yao Yuan asked him whether he would be Intel''s guardian that he came to and he replied in an excited voice, "Yes, Chancellor, yes, of course I''m willing to be Intel''s guardian. I will keep an eye on him. He is a good kid, he will not act out of place, I promise you, Chancellor."


    Yao Yuan smiled. "Then I will leave this in your hands. I will have some lawyers come discuss with you and Intel his benefits issue and the things you have to be careful about as his guardian. By the way¡­ Zhang San, I hear from Xi Kong that you have been unable to enter the Soul Web?"


    Zhang San blushed with shame. He mumbled, "It''s weird, I cannot do that whenever I''m not around Intel, I cannot even cause the sense of loneliness in others. However, if Intel is by my side, I can do all that in ease. Chancellor, do not worry, I will practice even harder and try other methods to improve my power¡­"


    "Don''t press yourself too hard, just focus on Intel''s arrangements for now."


    After he hung up, Yao Yuan remembered what Zhang Heng told him earlier. Zhang Heng had confirmed Zhang San and the robot seemed to share the same soul. When he was beside Intel, Zhang San''s Homo Evolutis power would reach its maximum capacity, making him the strongest Anima among the humans, surpassing even Xi Kong. He could even launch psychological attacks through the Soul Web, while Xi Kong could only use it to communicate. If he could master this power¡­ Zhang San''s value would be greater than 10 Black Star Trooper units!


    In conclusion, Zhang San happily became Intel''s guardian and discussed with the researchers how to proceed with this new arrangements. He couldn''t wait to bring Intel to visit the City of Light Moon. Two months passed without incident. However, by then, more and more citizens started to protest. The red color planet that was named Homeward Planet was like a taunt in the sky. Many citizens demanded that the government speed up the terraforming effort. Compared to the metallic city, humanity still preferred a natural environment.


    As this cry appeared, the plan Yao Yuan had been preparing could finally be initiated. The first step of the plan was to expose the HE Research Center to the public so that they would stop being afraid and suspicious of it. This was to make way for the next step of the plan.


    "Human strengthening project!"

 Chapter 433: Superhuman

    Chapter 433: Superhuman


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­Yes, as I''ve mentioned earlier, the conditions on Homeward Planet are horrible. To be accurate, without terraforming, it is impossible for the place to support life, at least we have not found any sign of life on it. Even though there is solid water, that is just solid water, it is not enough to cultivate life on this planet."


    On the television, the few recent series of science shows had famous scientists from various fields talk about the problems regarding Homeward Planet, including its orbit around the sun, the surface environment, the temperature, ozone layer condition, the geological situation, age of the planet, the internal storage of water, and the like.


    In fact, after the Hope left Earth, after the initial panic period, when humanity mastered level 2 space civilization technology, there was an active effort to improve the scientific knowledge of the normal citizens. This first method to do that was through mass media, like television shows. It could draw the people''s attention and also increase their knowledge at the same time. This method had been used for decades. In fact, the scientific program every Monday could be said to be the most popular series.


    The guest for this week was truly a rare guest, he was the lynchpin of humanity''s physics world, the great physicist Silewei. He looked like a middle-aged man with his hair combed down and was wearing a sharp suit, looking like a perfect gentleman.


    Silewei looked at the camera and smiled, "Of course, with our current technology, in the next 5 to 10 years, there will be an influx of level 3 space civilization technology. Under such conditions, terraforming a potential planet won''t hard. Yes, the conditions on Homeward Planet are horrible, but compared to the other planets in the wide cosmos, it is already quite unique. It has the potential to be a life-preserving planet. I''ve mentioned earlier, this planet has plenty of solid water, and this means it has a large layer of dry ice. When the temperature of the planet itself rises, the dry ice layer will melt and the greenhouse effect will cause the temperature of the planet to continue to rise. According to calculations, and if everything goes according to plan, when all the dry ice on the planet melts, the temperature on the planet''s equator will be like a summer afternoon, around 30 to 33 degrees.


    "As the dry ice layer melts, the water will flow downward and collect at the low lands. At the same time, due to the increased temperature, the water will evaporate into the ozone and this is how we will get rain¡­


    "These are the first steps our team has planned, a suitable ozone, a suitable temperature, and a suitable moisture and water level. These are necessary for life to form. Of course, these are not enough to make this planet suitable for human habitation. This is because the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air will be too high; its density will be high enough for an able-bodied man to die after taking in two deep breaths. I don''t think anyone will want to live in a fortress like the City of Light Moon, right? Where you''ll need to wear a spacesuit whenever you leave the city. At that point, what''s the point of the move?


    "Therefore, we need something to convert the carbon dioxide into oxygen. The long term solution is, of course, plants. However, based on our calculations, we only have a few species of underwater algae plant that will be able to survive in this environment. In reality, even plants need oxygen. With the current carbon dioxide profile on Homeward Planet, other than the few algae plants, all the other plants will die when the sun sets¡­ So, the initial stages of converting carbon dioxide into oxygen has to be done by human hands using our technology. This will take perhaps 5 to 10 years or even longer. You shouldn''t complain about the time needed, because a planet is simply too big and this is a planet even bigger than Earth. Plus, what is our population now? Only several hundred thousand people, so a few decades is not long. Ladies and gentlemen watching, I hope you''ll be patient."


    When Silewei reached this point, the host smiled and said, "Thank you, Professor Silewei, for explaining to us the process of terraforming this planet. Now let us watch a video on this Homeward Planet before we move on¡­"


    However, Silewei suddenly interrupted, breaking the program''s planned flow, "Dear host, please don''t be that impatient. I''ve agreed to your interview this time, so I wish you can let me finish. This is a live broadcast, isn''t it? Then, all the more reason for me to finish what I have to say."


    There was a layer of sweat on the host''s forehead, but she handled it like a pro. She smiled and said, "It seems like Professor Silewei has something important to tell us. Then, Professor, what do you wish to add about Homeward Planet?" The host purposely stressed the term "Homeward Planet," reminding Silewei not to reveal any sensitive information.


    However, Silewei knew what he was doing. He nodded and continued, "Dear viewers, you might think everything is fine and dandy since the terraforming plan has reached this stage, right? Indeed, when Homeward Planet is transformed to this step, the atmosphere will be suitable for human beings and the carbon dioxide conversion will slowly be handed over to the planets. From the soil conditions we have seen, the place is incredibly barren. After all, no plants or animals have roamed this planet before. However, the soil does have a large amount of minerals and trace elements, so we only need to sow some seeds and add some fertilizers before the plants will start to grow. In five to 10 years, the new forest coverage will reach 15 to 18 percent of total planet surface. This combined with the plants in the ocean, the planet will slowly move towards becoming a green planet.


    "What about temperature? It''s perfect, the forest, the increased ozone layer, and the sea will keep the temperature constant and the temperature on the planet''s equator in the morning will be preserved at between 28 to 30 degrees. Of course, the actual numbers might fluctuate slightly, but is that important? No, because we have nano body temperature homeostatic clothes. As long as the temperature is not lower than negative 20 or higher than 60 degrees, it will be a balmy 20 degrees for us.


    "What about the environment? There will never be threats of wild animals unless we breed animals from Earth and new planet. Even if we do breed fierce animals like tigers and lions, they are like bunnies before the Black Dragons that protect us¡­


    "Sounds like we will be able to move in the next 15 to 20 years, isn''t this perfect? We only need to spend one-tenth of our lifespan to gain a planet where we can run free¡­ Wrong! You''re all wrong!


    "Gravity! The gravity of this planet! Yes, I''m sure the many viewers watching who are knowledgeable individuals will say to me, ''but Professor, it''s just 1.7 times Earth''s gravity, that is not difficult.'' And I''ll reply, ''you all underestimate this 1.7 times.'' Ladies and gentlemen, it seems like many of you don''t think this increase will bring any difficulties. Those that are slightly overweight can go on the diet and the underweight can go train, but is it really that easy?


    "Of course not! Gravity is truly the last biggest problem that we cannot solve! Do you know what this 1.7 times increase represents? It means that other than the specially-trained Black Star Troopers, even the healthiest citizen would have a hard time moving on this planet. Why? Because his or her heart cannot work under this different gravity profile! After all, our ancestors have been adapting to the gravity on Earth since their birth. It took them several millennium to get used to that G number¡­ and you think we can accomplish that on the new planet with just a few days of training? Perhaps your muscle and bones can get used to it, but what about your internal organs?


    "Think about it, my fellow humans, when we were on Earth, trekking up the Himalayas would cause light-headedness from breathing difficulties. And now, even the flatlands on the Homeward Planet will be 1.7 times heavier than what we''re used to. Do you still think we can walk around with ease? Impossible!"


    At this point, Silewei sighed and closed his eyes, adding, "Unless we use the anti-gravitational system to tweak the gravity profile of this new planet, this planet is inhabitable, but that will take several hundred years¡­ May God bless us."


    After the program finished, the human race at large was crying, some even attempted suicide. Of course, with the advancements in medicine, none of the suicide attempts were successful. However, they had committed a great sin. Under the human government law, suicide was as heavy a crime as rape, it was just below than homicide.


    Under such a negative and despairing environment, the HE Research Center made an announcement. With the improvement in technology like genetics, the human strengthening project had been completed¡­


    All the normal bodies would be able to achieve the level of superhuman (at least by old Earth''s standards) in the next 10 years!


    After the strengthening, the Homeward Planet with its 1.7 times old Earth''s gravity¡­


    Would be habitable!


    Instantly, the human society erupted in feverish cheers!

 Chapter 434: Our Home

    Chapter 434: Our Home


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Human Calendar 26th year, January¡­


    It had been five years since humanity arrived at the New Solar System. Today was another annual meeting for the human government, and following this meeting, there would be a grand military exercise to showcase the transformation humanity had achieved in the past five years.


    Now, the maximum lifespan of human beings had reached 200 years, and it could break through to the limit of 500 years in the next 10 to 20 years. Humanity had been out of Old Earth for 26 years, and that was enough for a new generation to grow up and mature. In these five years, humanity had truly enjoyed the benefit brought on the great technological increase.


    Back on Old Earth, when a country achieved a renaissance, all of its people would be able to enjoy the benefits, like modern England or the US. They were the world leaders and their citizens were the happiest on Earth [1].


    The group of people on the Hope were in a horrendous state when they left Old Earth. There were only several hundred thousand of them and they had entered the unknown cosmos with fear and anxiety. They came across many threats, and if not for humanity''s will to survive, there wouldn''t be a human race today.


    The hardship experienced in these 26 years couldn''t even be put into words, even though the Hope had the archiving habit. In fact, after the human government was officially formed, the archives became an official institution and all the human history, including the 5,000 years on old Earth and everything that happened after they went into space, were recorded into the central mainframe, physical books, and the semi-permanent electromagnetic database. The moment these things became institutionalized, no one, not even Yao Yuan, would have the right to edit them.


    However, while editing them was impossible, reading them was entirely possible. In fact, any member of the human race could request to access them whenever they wanted. The several hundred thousand seniors would be in tears reading about the most recent 26 years. The memories of the sacrifice would appear in their minds and they would hope their next generation would appreciate those who had fallen for their ability to live.


    But now things were different¡­


    In the year 21, humanity arrived at the New Solar System. The population then was around 400,000 including newborns. The accurate number was closer to 380,000.


    At the time, humanity only had one spaceship, the Hope, the mothership that held all human hope. Other than the Hope, there was no other spaceship, and this meant that the Hope was incredibly cramped and crowded, and the market was actually greatly monitored. The price for meat and luxury items was high. Even though nobody was starving, they survived only on staples like grains, celebratory meals were rare.


    That combined with the lack of job opportunities meant that most 20-year-olds could only survive on government stipends. Yao Yuan knew this situation couldn''t be allowed to continue for long. He understood that the Hope actually had outlived its use, it could no longer support the increasing population number. Furthermore, as the population increased, the quality of public amenities and environment decreased. This was a vicious cycle, one that would lead to public protests and quite possibly even anarchy¡­


    But now things were different¡­


    Ever since humanity arrived in the New Solar System in the year 21, following the renaissance, the job market slowly opened up. Initially, there were still limitations to the job scope, but as the vacancies increased and the size of the shops increased. In the latest public census, it found that until the year 26, the number of university graduates over 22 years old was in reality only 320,000 people, and half of those were females. This meant that the workforce was choosing their career instead of the other way round. Even as the benefits and social services grew, the number of available workers hadn''t. In fact, by year 26, there was a great lack of human power.


    However, a solution was coming. In the general census in year 21, the population number was 380,000, and that shot up to 660,000 in year 26, the number almost doubled. In these past five years, most married women gave birth twice, a great number gave birth to three children, and in fact, the number of women who gave birth to a child every year, weirdly enough, was not small.


    Very soon, related reports arrived at Yao Yuan''s table, scientific research pertinent to this phenomenon.


    This was a serious issue. In fact, there was research done on it back on old Earth, it was called "the love bridge". It was the blueprint for many famous movies, especially those war flicks. The leads who had met each other for the first time fell in love in times of war and proceeded to get married and have children after war was over. This was more than a fictional convention; in fact, this happened many times in real life as well, where fear translated into love. However, according to the study, after the fear wore off due to the mundane life, problems would pop up. Even those in movies would sometimes end up separating either by the end of the movie or at the beginning of the sequel.


    The scientific explanation said that this was because humanity had the natural instinct to procreate for longevity. If the person felt that he was in danger, for the sake of extension of the human line, the body would assume the role of incubator. This was the same for both males and females. However, as the initial danger wore off, the everyday life would settle in, and unless the couple had formed a strong relationship, they would usually go their separate ways.


    This was perfectly replicated for these people in space. Ironically, this was better on the Hope because due to the limitation of the environment, salary, safety, and other clauses, most human beings wouldn''t think it would be a good idea to procreate. However, once the City of Light Moon started to get built, the accommodation, medicine, food, and supplies were provided openly. With the advancement in science, those things that were considered expensive back on Earth could now be enjoyed by the general public.


    Under such circumstances, the urge that had been held in for a long time exploded. This combined with the government''s initiative to support a big family led to a giant baby boom. In just five years, the human population practically doubled, and almost half of the population was newborns and babies under five year old!


    However, no one was really worried about this. This was one of benefits brought on by technological advancement. As more AI robots were created, they were a ubiquitous sight around society. They had spilled out of the military and joined society. They were there in the City of Light Moon and in the construction and mining sites. In fact, humanity had stopped doing manual labor because those jobs had all been taken over by the robots.


    Therefore, every human now could enjoy a life that would be limited to old Earth''s elites and rich. There would be private hovercrafts waiting when they went out and the hovercrafts were driven by robots. Every week, they had to spend two to three days to update the robots and the rest of the time could be spent on recreation or study. Accommodation was not an issue. With the expansion of the City of Light Moon, the actual housing area could accommodate more than a million people and the city was still expanding.


    Under such circumstances, every family had a smile on their faces. In the gardens around the City of Light Moon, there were sounds of children smiling and laughing, toddlers learning how to walk, and parents as well as grandparents looking on with love. Was this not paradise? Life was not so easy even back on Earth.


    This was the benefit of technology that was way more advanced than what Old Earth used to have.


    In the 26th year government meeting, Yao Yuan read the document in his hands for a long time. It detailed the progress humanity had made in the New Solar System in the past five years. So far, humanity had built 13 industrial sites, including the three general industrial bases around the City of Light Moon, two energy industrial sites on New Jupiter and New Saturn, as well as the eight mineral industrial sites in the meteorite clusters nearest to Homeward Planet.


    The maximum productivity of metal was 300 million tons. With the use of AI robots and nanobots, by now, humanity had 110 motherships the size of the Hope, 350 guardian spaceships, 1,300 plus battleships, and 36,000 plus combat spaceships used by the Defense Unit.


    At this point, the first defense line had been completed. It had six permanent armed fortresses, one main fortress, three Genesis Cannon towers, one Requiem Cannon tower, and various innumerable weapons. It was stationed with 3,000 Defense Unit soldiers and their families who wished to migrate with them. Combined with the maintenance workers, the first defense line had about 26,000 people.


    By now, the second defense line had started work. Due to its better condition than first defense line, the predicted size of this defense line would be three times the size of first defense line. It was predicted to be completed by year 31.


    By now, humanity had 228 Black Star Troopers, 22 Black Star Trooper units, and each unit had their own the Hope-sized mothership, five guardian spaceships, and 20 battleships. Of course, their main battle force was still the troopers themselves. They had 1,500 Space Combat Jets that could combine to form a cannon, 1,500 Third Generation Space Armors, and various equipment to improve their power. The New Solar System was separated into 22 areas, each protected by one Black Star Trooper unit.


    By now, humanity''s technology had grown exponentially. They now had plasma reactor technology, energy shield technology, epigranular propulsion weapon technology, super long distance energy refraction technology, and the currently researching large scale epigranular storm weapon technology and many more. In other words, humanity could no longer call themselves a peak level 2 space civilization, they had officially become a level 3 space civilization. In the next 10 years, humanity would approach more level 3 space civilization technologies!


    By now, the first step of terraforming Homeward Planet had started. Through the wave laser effect, around 20 percent of the planet''s internal dry ice layer had been melted. In the next three years, the ozone layer around the planet would slowly form to reach the density of the ozone layer of old Earth. Similarly, in the next three years, Homeward Planet''s temperature would continue to rise and that would melt more dry ice and solid ice. Before year 31, cultivation of plants on Homeward Planet and the construction of plenty of oxygen conversion machines would begin.


    By now, every human being had taken a shot of the cell-strengthening potion. It was a safe potion that would strengthen the human body from the DNA level. In about 5 to 10 years, the physical condition of the human body would improve by about three to four times. The muscle, bones, organs, spirit, as well as memory would be improved. Since this was a DNA level improvement, there was no worry of regression, and the improvements would only be more pronounced as the generations continued.


    These were the many accomplishments humanity had achieved in the past five years. The accomplishments would need around 5,000 thousand years to complete if they were still on old Earth. In the meeting that was broadcasted and had almost 100 percent viewing rate, after Yao Yuan listed off the accomplishments, the applause was so thunderous that the place shook. Many elders in the crowd started to shed tears, tears of joy and excitement.


    "I announce that the first five-year stage of humanity''s New Solar System Project has successfully been completed. We''ve achieved a brilliant result, but what''s more brilliant than that is¡­ our future!


    "Let us cheer, my friends. This is our home, a paradise that we''ve traded using our sweat and blood, our New Solar System!


    "Our home!"


    [1] That is factually untrue, unsure whether the author is mocking these 2 countries or he''s really that clueless.

 Chapter 435: Kun Lun Progress

    Chapter 435: Kun Lun Progress


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Viewers as you can see, this is Kun Lun¡­ or at least part of it. Hahaha, viewers please don''t mind my glib tongue, I''m too very excited being so close to this giant creation. Engineer Lin, please introduce to us what we''re seeing on screen here."


    The most recent exploratory television program was focused on the human creation that had the most eyes on it¡­ the future mothership of humanity, Kun Lun!


    Engineer Lin was a reticent middle-aged man. Since the show started, he had said less than five sentences in total. This made the reporter grumble internally, "Just what are these people from the Kun Lun engineering team are thinking about? Our program is only second in ratings behind the science program. So many people are begging us to get on our show, and for the sake of this interview, we''ve already written them one week ahead and this is how they''re treating us?"


    Engineer Lin hesitated after being asked the question, then he explained, "This is the Kun Lun''s external support, the twelfth skeletal support frame at Area E to be precise. Its total length is 43,000 meters long and 12,000 meters wide. It has the latest 18 holes design and is expected to be completed by the end of year 29."


    Then Engineer Lin stopped talking and started to look at this large, metallic creation with something like awe in his eyes. The reporter was still waiting for him to continue, but when she realized he wasn''t going to, the atmosphere became rather awkward. The only thing she could do was turn to the camera and say, "Looks like the Kun Lun has not only awed this reporter but also Engineer Lin, who has been working on it. Alright, let us pull back the camera and let the viewers see this magnificent creation for themselves."


    The camera panned away to include the view of the whole construction site. Even this support frame alone was humongous; it was as large as the Hope itself. However, in comparison, the structure''s weight, or rather metallic density, was only one-fifth of the Hope, because these metallic poles that made up the structure were hollow. Of course, this was not an effect of cutting corners. After all, who would dare to cut corner on the Kun Lun project? Yao Yuan would execute that person should he find out. This was actually the result of advanced technology after humanity became a level 3 space civilization. Using the energy optimization technology, this hollow metal was created. In fact, this was an extended version of the technology back on Old Earth. Old Earth had many hollow metallic poles used in railings or bridges that had more tensile strength than a solid pole of the same size.


    The design of Kun Lun had been brought about 10 years ago. At the time, many famous engineers had started the initial design. When humanity reached the New Solar System, the Kun Lun design was brought out again. However, it wasn''t a smooth-sailing progress. The main reason was because the speed of humanity''s technological advancement was too fast. The overall speed reminded some elders of the period between Old Earth''s 20th and 21st century. At the time, the rate of technological upgrades was calculated in months and there would be something new every month. It was the technological renaissance for humanity.


    This rapid progress was a point of celebration for the general public. Humanity had officially become a level 3 space civilization, and they wouldn''t have to live in fear of coming across an alien space civilization anymore. They wouldn''t be treated poorly by 80 percent of the space civilizations in the cosmos.


    However, this rapid progress caused the designers of the Kun Lun a great deal of headaches. In the year 26, when Yao Yuan announced that the first step of the New Solar System project was completed, the Kun Lun''s construction plan was moved forward. However, due to the increase in technology, they only settled on a final design by year 27. Even so, there were still tweaks to the design until the final confirmation in year 30. Kun Lun was a manifestation of humanity''s scientific prowess. As science progressed, so would the Kun Lun.


    The program was broadcasted three days after it was shot. Instantly, a wave of commotion appeared in the City of Light Moon. After all, the Kun Lun''s progress had been in a B-level confidentiality and the building base was on the back end of the moon where normal citizens wouldn''t visit easily. Therefore, news regarding the Kun Lun was like mist. Now the public finally understood the meaning of "mothership." It was the highest manifestation of a civilization''s technology, a miracle that could ferry a space civilization in the cosmos for thousands of years without the need for restocking.


    The newly designed Kun Lun was 880,000 meters tall, 670,000 meters long, and 490,000 meters wide. It was bigger than its initial design of 674,000 meters height, 540,000 meters length, and 300,000 meters width. It had 42 plasma reactors, and each reactor could provide the electricity usage of the entire old Earth. Other than that, there were about 100 smaller reactors, and at maximum capacity, it could support the simultaneous space warp of the Kun Lun and around 1,600 spaceships the size of the Hope.


    The Kun Lun had 16,370 residential areas of differing sizes, and each area had spacious living areas and convenient amenities. Each area could fit 100,000 people. This meant that the Kun Lun could fit 160 million people, and that was the most conservative calculation. Other than the residential areas, the Kun Lun had 16 nature parks, 41 large business areas, 160 military-related departments, as well as agricultural centers that were as large as the residential areas. One could say that the Kun Lun was something beyond the general public''s comprehension!


    At the same time, the Kun Lun had the latest level 3 space civilization technologies and weapons. Other than the 300 Requiem cannons, the Kun Lun also had 12 currently-being-researched particle sea long distance main cannons. It was also equipped with level 3 space civilization energy shields. An energy shield of this scale was large enough to defend against all forms of attack. Unless they ran into a level 4 space civilization or above, the shield was indestructible. In other words, if they stumbled across a similar level or lower level space civilization, the Kun Lun was invincible!


    This data and the opinions from various scientists, engineers, and even military personnel were included in the program. It scored a very high rating even though the program didn''t show many things, things that weren''t meant for the public''s eyes.


    For example, the astronomical number of building materials needed to complete the Kun Lun. It was a number that required at least a whole decade of harvesting to replenish. By year 30, the Kun Lun only reached two percent completion. According to the current speed, it would be at least 100 years before Kun Lun could be used!


    One hundred years, that was a crazy concept! Even though various biologists had perfected the genetic mesomeric technology in the year 28, increasing the human lifespan to 500, could humanity waste 100 years?


    Yao Yuan was one of the viewers who tuned into the program. No one understood the meaning of the Kun Lun to the human race better than him. Even if it took 1,000 years, the Kun Lun had to be built because this meant that they could finally stop being fearful of space civilizations beneath level 4. No matter the enemy''s numbers or technology, as long as it wasn''t one level higher, like a level 4 space civilization, then humanity had nothing to worry about!


    The New Solar System might''ve been growing at an exponential speed, but if a level 3 space civilization really attacked, the outcome of the war would not be as certain as Yao Yuan wished it to be. Furthermore, according to Blue 6, space civilizations from the Shelters usually went out pillaging in groups. Usually, their targets would be other Shelters or isolated civilizations like humanity. Of course, humanity would win in the end due to the contribution from the Black Star Troopers, but the sacrifices would be enormous¡­


    The more he learned about the cosmos, the more he understood about the fragility of the New Solar System. The only method to make this place a safe haven¡­ was to finish creating humanity''s own illusory space.


    Yao Yuan switched off the television and sat there, quietly thinking about humanity''s next development and possible struggles in space, when Guang Zhen led Zhang Heng and a few other Diviners into the room. They saluted him before Guang Zhen began, "These are the Diviners who have just returned from the corners of the New Solar System. Everyone stayed at their post for a month. Zhang Heng had it the worst, he had to stay at a spot one light year away from the New Solar System. You should ask them what they found out."


    Yao Yuan nodded and turned to look at them. "I''m not going to waste my time talking about useless stuff, you''ve been briefed enough. This is confidential A-level information¡­ so, did you feel any danger?"


    The Diviners all shook their heads, even Zhang Heng shook his head and said, "Chancellor, there is no sense of danger. No, that isn''t completely right either. I''ve sensed many small traces of danger, but they are very far away from us, probably hundreds of light years away from us."


    "Is that so?" Yao Yuan sighed, but it was unknown whether it was from frustration or relief. After a moment, he turned to Guang Zhen and said, "Then have the Academy decrypt this message as soon as possible. Find out where it was form, the contents, and the technological level of the sender civilization¡­


    "I need the answer at least before the alien civilization arrives at this solar system!"

 Chapter 436: Human Heroes

    Chapter 436: Human Heroes


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Jackson hugged his three-year-old daughter, his wife hugged their one-year-old son, and the three crazy brothers raced around them. This was a huge family of seven, the most common family-type within human society. Having many children was socially and morally encouraged by society.


    Today, Jackson and his wife had brought their children to a special place. Unlike their children, the adult pair''s faces were drawn because the building before their eyes was the Human Heroes Remembrance Hall. Unlike the metallic structures around them, this building stood out because it had a concrete fa?ade like how most buildings used to be when they were back on old Earth.


    The hall was to remember the human heroes who had sacrificed their lives for the survival of humanity after the human race stepped into space. This was the place of highest honor among the humans, a place where even Yao Yuan would feel small whenever he visited. The name of anyone here might have saved the entire human race.


    Jackson brought his family into this majestic hall and the place was filled with statues of human heroes. Before their statues, there were books and placards explaining their contributions to human society. Families like Jackson''s could be seen all over the hall. In fact, today, about 70,000 families were gathered at the hall, making the spacious Human Heroes Remembrance Hall feel cramped and crowded.


    Today was humanity''s annual Remembrance Day, a day where the human government Chancellor, Yao Yuan, Vice-Chancellor, Guang Zhen, and the various high officials would go to the hall to conduct a remembrance ritual. This tradition had started when they were on the new planet and it was modelled after the eastern tradition of grave-sweeping. It had become a national celebration as the years passed, and when this arrived every year, almost every citizen would join. Only those with important jobs and soldiers wouldn''t come.


    Even though the event was huge, there weren''t many protocols to follow. There weren''t speeches, media interviews, or the like, everything was conducted in respectful silence. Everything would start at the Main Remembrance Plaque to pay their silent respects. They was no burning of joss sticks or paper money, just silent observation was enough.


    After that, the crowd would move on to the statues. Those who were related to the human heroes by blood were allowed to stay near their statues, but others were required to move on silently. The hall was huge; just walking around it would take hours, so the place was fitted with benches for rest and even small restaurants should visitors wish to eat.


    Jackson pulled his family along with the crowd. However, after 20 minutes, the children started complaining about the pain in their feet. Nevertheless, the normally permissible parents didn''t stop, they just kept on walking until they stopped before the statue of an old man. The two eldest of the children had also stopped. They had been to this ceremony before and they remembered that this was their destination.


    "This is your grandfather, a hero who saved humanity, the great scientist, Aleson¡­ Kids, come pay respects to your grandfather."


    Jackson said solemnly. He looked at the statue with tears in his eyes.


    Aleson was once a great scientist in the field of conductors back on old Earth and was once nominated for a noble price. He was one of the few great scientists on the Hope, and Aleson was at the forefront of that esteemed group of people, his seniority even greater than Alan and Silewei''s. When humanity first faced the energy crisis, the time where humanity was trapped in the nebulous cloud and had energy left for four days, his team suggested to conduct experiments on the newly created crystal reactors. In the end, even though the experiment was a success, he died from a shock to the heart.


    This scientist had practically saved humanity, and his contribution would never be forgotten. Ever since he was made a human hero, during Remembrance Day, many would come to pay silent respects to this scientist who had given up his life for the pursuit of scientific truth. That was the highest honor available to any human.


    Jackson was the grandson of his human hero. He was 40 this year, but he had the appearance of a 20-something. He survived a fire when he was still a child back on Earth, and due to the limited medical technology at the time, he walked away with a face filled with scars. However, now, the scars could no longer be seen, he looked just like a normal man.


    Jackson touched the base of the statue and mumbled to himself, "Grandfather, I''m here to see you again¡­ Early this year, we welcomed a new addition to our family. He is an active and intelligent child. After some discussion with the wife, we decided to name him ''Aleson'' after you¡­


    "Grandfather, you once told me that even though life on the Hope was tough, we at least had our future. As long as we are alive, happiness will be waiting for us in the future¡­ You were right, Grandfather. I''m very happy and I''m sure my children will share in that happiness in the future as well. Isn''t that what you fought for, Grandfather?


    "It''s been my lifelong dream to join the Defense Unit to carry on your legacy, but the military has just rejected me again because from my profile, they found out that I''m the grandson of a human hero¡­ Grandfather, I don''t blame you. In fact, I''m very proud because my grandfather is a human hero, but of course, a sense of disappointment can''t be avoided. With your name, I''m always given the best jobs, the best social benefits, and even now when I walk on the streets, everyone looks at me with respect. Even though I wish to use my own power to earn all these benefits, I am proud to be your grandson¡­


    "This year is the year 30 according to the Human Calendar. We''ve been away from Earth for 30 years already, but I can still remember everything like it was yesterday¡­ Then again, that might be the effect of the body-strengthening potion, something they came up with that will improve one''s memory. I can now even remember very clearly the way your mustache would curl up with anger whenever I caused chaos in your office when I was just a little wee thing¡­


    "I miss you, Grandfather¡­"


    Jackson stood there quietly and started to space out while watching the statue. The crowd behind him moved on as the adults stopped before each statue to tell their children a story about them¡­


    After Remembrance Day, human society returned to its busy normal life, but they carried with them the memories of Remembrance Day¡­


    "The third Defense Unit expansion plan¡­"


    Yao Yuan frowned as he held the proposal in his hand. Other than him, there were Guang Zhen, some representatives, and some other officials in the meeting room.


    One of the representatives said, "This is too unscientific. Based on our most recent census, the number of our adult population is only 430,000, but we have to take care of 800,000 children. Under these circumstances, the fact that we have 27,000 people in the military is already scary enough. In fact, according to our data, the number of pregnant families is the lowest among military families. If one spouse is in the military, then the couple will only have one baby every two and a half years. We cannot allow this to happen. This is only our current condition; if this third expansion is allowed and the number of the military personnel is expanded to over 50,000, then this will push humanity towards extinction!"


    Another official concurred, "Even though we have moved plenty of manual labor into the hands of AI robots, those were for menial labor jobs, like harvesting, maintenance, and construction. The rest of the jobs still need to be filled by human beings. For example, the construction of the Kun Lun. Even though we already have 70,000 people working on it, we''re still deeply lacking in manpower. If we insist on expanding the Defense Unit under such circumstances¡­ I feel like this can wait¡­"


    Other than these two, none of the other officials and representatives agreed with this proposal, causing Guang Zhen to be caught in an awkward situation, especially after the reproductive rate of the military was brought up. He was speechless against this argument. Defense Unit soldiers had to patrol and train daily, there was no opening in their schedule for them to conduct husband and wife duties. To be frank, the fact that the soldiers were given a five day holiday every month was already toeing Guang Zhen''s limit. In his mind, the soldiers should only be given one holiday every year, and weekly phone contact with family was more than enough.


    However, this time Yao Yuan was standing on the side of the representatives and officials¡­


    "As technology and time progresses, our culture has to progress as well. Those that are no longer sensible have to be updated, that is how we improve as a society¡­ Nowadays, the soldier-family structure is already outdated. We''re no longer on Old Earth, where visitation took months. With the umbrella propeller system, the return trip only takes days¡­


    "So until the soldier-family structure is improved, the issue of the third Defense Unit expansion is off the table!"

 Chapter 437: The Children

    Chapter 437: The Children


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Jacko stood in front of a large group of military officers at the space port. They had been there for several hours, but no one was impatient. In fact, everyone had smiles on their faces and the occasional topics were light.


    Today was the day the soldiers'' families were supposed to arrive. The newly upgraded military family law focused on the soldiers stationed at the first and second defense lines as well as those posted at the meteorite factories. The number of soldiers at these places totalled to over 15,000 and their immediate families that agreed to move and stay with them was close to 100,000.


    This upgrade was more than just moving the soldiers'' families, that was impossible. This upgrade included a series of constructions, including an expansion of the amenities inside the defense lines and more AI robots. After all, this involved the migration of about 100,000 people, and among them were 60,000 babies and children. Questions of living arrangements, medicine, and education had to be solved.


    Living arrangement were considered an easy problem to solve. With the advent of AI robots, most manual labor tasks had been taken over by them. When the time came, they would need the military wives to open a day-care center or something. With the aid from the robots, one adult would be able to take care of 10 to 20 babies or children. That meant that a big problem had been solved.


    But what about medicine? AI robots weren''t doctors and the medical devices within the base were meant for injured soldiers to help with recuperation. In comparison, medical services for infant and child care were lacking. Therefore, they would need a group of related doctors and nurses as well as their families¡­


    Then came the issue of education. The eldest children born in the first wave of baby booms since humanity arrived at the New Solar System was nine years old, so it was time for them to enter primary school. After humanity entered space, they understood the importance of education and that education was a right deserved by everyone. Currently, the years of mandatory education for humanity was 18 years, from six years old when they entered primary school to 24 years old when they graduated from university. After that, they could enter the world of academia if they wanted and the government would provide social benefits for those who did. There was no limit for the life of an academician; they could go on studying forever. The only thing that they had to do was make sure they passed the annual exam.


    The fact that so many children were moving to the military bases meant that it had caused a series of explosive chain effects. From the latest government economic assessment, practically every defense line base would have to expand greatly, and in a few years, they could be called a small town. Among them, the second defense line would have the biggest base. The place was projected to be done in the year 32 and it would be able to fit 2,00,000 people¡­


    However, these were not the concerns of the soldiers. They only knew that their families were coming to live with them. There were no more monthly visits because now they could see their families whenever they wanted to. One could say that every soldier''s heart was filled with happiness and joy.


    "They''re here¡­"


    The soldiers among the group started to mumble when several large transport shuttles appeared in the sky escorted by 10 guardian spaceships. However, due to their military training, none of the soldiers acted out of line, they still stood in attention. It wasn''t until people walked out of the shuttles that contained commotion started among the ranks.


    "Marrion, I''m here, do you see me? Marrion!"


    Jacko was a group captain of the Defense Unit. It was a high rank and this meant that he was at the front of the group. When people were ejected from the shuttles, he scanned their faces carefully. Soon, he discovered a young, beautiful Caucasian woman accompanied by two AI robots that were pulling along a pouting boy with a head of brown hair. When Jacko shouted, she immediately turned to him and a wide smile blossomed on her face. She shouted in return, "Honey, I see you! Rei, can you see him? That''s your father."


    The boy seemed to be in his uncooperative years because he pouted and huffed, "How can I not see him? He''s so tall that he''s blocking the people behind him¡­"


    Marrion didn''t get mad but reached out to pat the boy on his head lightly. Then she walked happily towards Jacko. When she reached him, she didn''t care about the people around them. She leaped up into his arms and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. The boy cringed involuntarily while standing behind them. After a while, the pair separated and Jacko rushed over to pull his boy up into his hug. Then he proceeded to plant a big wet kiss on his son''s cheek. "Rei, you''ve grown so much taller."


    "Hmph, if you don''t return for a few more years, then I''ll be taller than you!" Rei pulled back from his father''s prickly stubble and retorted in his childish ways.


    Jacko then started laughing, and through the laughs, one could see some shine in his eyes. He then added, "I promise I''ll come back home more often and we can stay with each other now¡­ Didn''t you say that you wanted to hear about my adventures on the cursed planet? How about we stay up through the night and I''ll finish the story from where we left off?"


    Rei''s eyes lit up and he claimed loudly, "Liar, liar, pants on fire, you won''t lie to me, right? Oh, but Mommy said I cannot stay up overnight¡­"


    Jacko continued to laugh. "Don''t worry, I''ll talk to your mother¡­"


    Marrion then chimed in, "Come on, let''s go visit your apartment. I''m sure it''s a pig sty, but I''ll help you clean it up¡­ Also, you better make sure you got rid of all the signs of the other woman, or else there will be hell to pay."


    Jacko laughed awkwardly as he looked around before whispering, "I wouldn''t dare. Furthermore, there are only dudes around here, and I''m not gay. Come on, let''s go to our new home. The accommodations were been assigned a few days ago, but I haven''t had the time to move. However, while I was waiting for you to arrive, the AI robot should have moved all the furniture to the new place already. We''ll stay there from now on!"


    Just like that, with the boy cheering, the married couple walked to their new home holding hands. When they arrived, the family was satisfied with their new home. The place was at the end of the street, had three stories, and was already furnished. Jacko was especially excited when he saw the fireplace in the living room. He told Rei happily, "When I was small, we would use fireplaces like this when I visited your great-grandfather in the winter. We would sit by the fireplace and he would tell me his hunting stories. I hear they''ll be using the four seasons cycle again starting this year, so it won''t constantly be spring anymore. So when winter arrives, we can do that, Rei!"


    Rei looked at the fireplace and was reminded of the many old movies about Earth that he saw, then he nodded quickly with light glowing in his eyes. Marrion commented, "This place is not bad, and look at this carpet, this is authentic mink caterpillar skin¡­ Then again, you''re a group captain. This is probably how they compensate you for returning home so rarely in the past few years."


    Jacko coughed awkwardly and he later leaned in to kiss Marrion. Marrion took the hint and stopped throwing jabs at Jacko. She waltzed into the kitchen to take inventory of the utensils. After a long time, she returned to the living room to talk to the pair of father and son who was bonding. "Alright, you can resume this conversation after dinner. Come help me if you want to eat. We''ll go to the nearby mall to make some household purchases. By the way, what do you guys want to have for dinner tonight?"


    "Pizza!"


    The pair of father and son said in unison, "Seafood pizza with shrimp flavor!"


    Marrion laughed as she shook her head. "If you want seafood pizza, then come help me. Come on, we have many things to buy!"


    This situation appeared all over the second defense line. Every family was happy and everyone was celebrating their family reunion in their own way. The second defense line base was submerged in a sea of happiness. Soon, the stock of luxury items and various resources reached a red line. For this, the Defense Unit even commissioned the military ship to go back to the City of Light Moon to move some necessary produce.


    Of course, that was not all. Among this move, three Steel Balls had also been secretly moved to the second defense line. Along with them were three Homo Evolutis, and one of them was S-grade Homo Evolutis Wang Hwa, a member of the Black Star Unit. His presence alongside the Steel Balls were a secret known only to those above the rank of group captain.


    This didn''t affect Jacko''s happiness. In fact, he didn''t think much about this move. He didn''t believe it would affect life on the second defense line in any way. One month later, he received good news, he was promoted from captain to major as well as the leading commander of the second defense line. He became the first person originally from the Noah One to enter the upper echelons of the Defense Unit.

 Chapter 438: Superlight Speed Signal

    Chapter 438: Superlight Speed Signal


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "We did it! We only needed three seconds to send the signal to the receiver 15 light seconds away. This is a great improvement!"


    In a space quite far away from the New Solar System stood three giant spaceships the size of the Hope. Protecting them were 10 guardian spaceships and 200 small battleships. This could be considered a fleet according to the Defense Unit''s standards. In fact, the normal patrol fleet was only this size. Therefore, it was rare for a fleet like this to just idle in the middle of nowhere.


    However, those who knew about the fleet''s passengers understood what they were doing implicitly.


    This fleet carried three great scientists in it. They were respectively the British astrophysicist, Alan; German physicist, Silewei; and American energy expert, Stewie. Each one of them was a treasure of humanity. After all, the human race only had around 10 great scientists, this number was less than one-tenth of Homo Evolutis. The fact that three of them were gathered at the same spot meant that something historical was going to happen.


    That was indeed the truth because the result of this experiment would affect humanity''s projected development for hundreds or thousands of years. This was truly a historical moment because if this experiment was successful, it would mean that humanity''s transference of information speed could surpass light speed!


    Light speed had a very unique representation in space because it was the threshold to determine whether a space civilization could survive in space. The cosmos was too large, so large that it would make any non-immortal lifeform feel great despair. For example, the distance between one solar system and the next was between 10 light years to several thousand light years, while the distance between one galaxy and the next would be calculated in tens of thousands or millions of light years.


    If a space civilization wanted to survive in the cosmos, the first thing they needed to do was overcome the limitation of light speed, or else travelling from one solar system to the next would take thousands of years. Within these thousands of years, the exhaustion on the supplies storage would be tremendous. Furthermore, if you had too few people in your spaceship, that would lead to a weakened gene pool and thus deterioration of soul, but if you brought too many people, it would lead to drought and starvation. Many level 1 space civilizations were lost in space due to this challenge.


    Under this situation, the appearance of the warp drive changed everything. This was the first navigation technique in space that could surpass the limitation of light speed. It was because of this that travelling between solar systems was possible and a space civilization could grow and advance. According to the technological level of the space civilization, the speed of warp drive could be several times to several hundred times faster than light speed.


    However, this was merely navigational speed. While travelling speed could break through the barrier of light speed using warp drive, what about signal and information? Be it light waves, electronic waves, or subatoms, they were all still limited by the barrier of light speed. At least in current human technology, there was no information transfer technique that could surpass light speed. This meant that the fleet might have already reached the destination, but the information sent earlier hadn''t reached the destination. This was a crazy event!


    To put it simply, if the New Solar System was suddenly under siege by a large amount of level three space civilizations, then this meant that the enemy would already be at humanity''s doorstep when they received any information about the assault, this was unacceptable. This meant that humanity could never receive any warning about approaching space civilizations in advance.


    In fact, many level 3 space civilizations were caught in this conundrum. Becoming a level 3 space civilization represented a general safety of the space civilization since the number of high tier and middle tier space civilizations was too small.


    Therefore, most level 3 space civilizations were considered the powerful forces among normal space, and the normal course of action for these powerful space civilizations was to build a Shelter, and Shelters were often targets for other space civilizations. If every assault on a Shelter was a silent assault, no one would be able to stand it for long, because this meant that even though demolished a Shelter, you could be destroyed by another civilization immediately after.


    Therefore, those space civilizations at the edge of level 3 and level 4 would start to research on how to break through the barrier of light speed for information transference, especially superlight speed surveillance, to scan the enemy travelling in warp drive.


    This kind of civilization had started to edge towards level 4. In other words, they had started the research on time and space. In their minds, since solid materials could surpass light speed using warp drive, then could information be transferred using the same method? Then the further extrapolation would be, could certain surveillance techniques utilize this method to scan threats that are many light years away?


    In fact, theoretically speaking, this kind of superlight speed surveillance and communication was not impossible. In fact, most level 3 space civilizations would have touched upon it in their middle stage. As they ushered in the new breakthrough in energy research, they would improve upon warp drive. For space civilizations in the initial stages of level 3, their warp drive speed would be have reached 50 times light speed.


    When they became middle stage level 3 space civilization, with research on the atomization of energy and nano-control technology, they would manifest in the improvement in warp drive and super energy ray communication during warp drive. In this situation, people could communicate with each other during warp drive and even survey the surroundings outside of the warp drive dimension.


    As one continued to perfect this technology, and when one could initiate warp drive on pure energy, then this meant that the energy ray could surpass the barrier of light speed to transport information. In terms of surveillance, with nano-control and atomization of energy, they could reach out to "grab" basic particles several light years away using warp drive, and this was the basis of superlight speed surveillance. In reality, the information itself was still several ten, or even hundred light years away, but by using this technique, they could copy and fetch the information.


    This technique was something that was not available to humanity; however, humanity did receive it from the space merchanst alongside the warp drive technology. At the time, humanity''s technological level was still too far from understanding them, so they were sealed up and kept.


    Until these two years when humanity had become an initial stage level 3 space civilization, this rare information humanity had obtained from the space merchants or the cursed planet proved invaluable to inspire the Academy. Since the most crucial point for humanity at the time was the defense, and if the defense lines didn''t fall, humanity''s new home would be safe. Due to this, the research on superlight speed communication and scanning was pushed forward. Thus far, there were about nine great scientists who had joined this task force, and Bo Li was also in it to provide inspiration and answers in her capacity as a Whisperer.


    Even so, humanity still spent two years before they reached the first breakthrough and could conduct super light speed surveillance within five light years, detect the presence of warp drive within five light years, and increase the transfer of information to over five times light speed.


    However, this was truly the most basic of breakthroughs. This was the current maximum speed achievable by humanity. Each increase of 0.1 over light speed would exhaust the energy needed by 10 times. 10 times the current amount of energy! With such a rate of energy exhaustion, only the alloy created by the alien plant could support it. The metals created by humanity themselves could no longer support such intense energy flow. In fact, if the information went beyond the five light years limitation, even the AI wouldn''t be able to process the information quick enough¡­


    In conclusion, even though humanity had managed to secure this technology that was only available to the middle stage level 3 space civilizations thanks to the help of the Whisperers, humanity had no basic technology to support it. This was the manifestation of a low technological prowess, similar to how even though level 2 space civilizations could use warp drive, the speed it could achieve compared to an actual level 3 space civilization was¡­ laughable.


    Regardless, this breakthrough still brought about a momentous change to the New Solar System''s defense system. Humanity was no longer fighting in the dark¡­


    Just like that, this fleet brought the three great scientists back to the City of Light Moon to deliver the good news. Three months later, the Defense Unit at the first and second defense lines started building the superlight speed surveillance devices, and when they used them for the first time, the entire human civilization was stumped into silence¡­


    In a space less than 4 light years away from the New Solar System, a fleet was travelling in warp drive at 20 times the speed of light, and its destination was¡­


    the New Solar System!

 Chapter 439: Intention to Approach

    Chapter 439: Intention to Approach


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "It has been three days since we have started the superlight speed surveillance engine. With the data compiled from 17 searches, it is confirmed that the alien fleet is travelling at 20 times the speed of light in warp drive. At the same time, we have concluded the actual numbers of the fleet. There are in total about 4,750 spaceships, the largest of them about one-third the size of the Hope, and the small spaceships are slightly bigger than our battleships¡­"


    This message had been sent 17 times after the superlight speed surveillance engine had been activated, and the tone each time was more intense compared to the one before it!


    This was such big news! The breakthrough in superlight speed surveillance and communication was something worth celebrating. With the societal and technological improvements, humanity''s education system had changed drastically. The most obvious being the education syllabus. The old syllabus had been completely abandoned and preschool education had been taken over by AI robots. The syllabus for primary school had become much more vibrant and its level was equal to the high school syllabus from old Earth. The education for high school was all about the knowledge of a level 2 space civilization, while university included teaching of knowledge for a peak level 2 space civilization and some for a level 3 space civilization.


    Just like that, as the general knowledge of the public increased, even high school students were able to tell the importance of these two breakthroughs. Before this breakthrough was achieved, even though humanity had dominated this New Solar System, their claims were actually only limited to several points. The size of these points combined was barely noticeable compared to the actual size of the whole New Solar System. Furthermore, these main points were unable to communicate instantly with one another, and this was a great weakness to the defense of the New Solar System.


    With these two breakthroughs, the New Solar System could be better protected. As long as it was within five light years, communication could be achieved instantly. Five light years covered the entire New Solar System, and with the completion of the superlight speed surveillance engine, the defense system of the New Solar System was finally completed. If there was a foreign threat, the human fleet stationed at the outermost first defense line and the still-building third defense line would be able to be alerted. They could even use the super long-range weapons available at the defense lines.


    This was a technological breakthrough that could change the way of life of the whole of human society; this was unlike how things were when humanity first discovered the atomic bomb. However, the joyous occasion was instantly shattered by the news of an invasion. This was the first time in decades since humanity had had contact with another space civilization.


    The cosmos was no walk in the park, and there was no kindness between different space civilizations. Even among similar races, like back on old Earth, there was continuous fighting for the sake of profit, and this was even more true for races in space.


    This was more than a difference in space civilizations, it might be a basic difference in lifeforms. For example, humanity was mammalian, the enemy might be amphibian, or they might not even be a carbon-based organism. There would be difference in societal formation, thought process, spirit, value, morality, and the rest. Other than open war, there was hardly any other way that these two could exist together in the same space.


    Take for an example the Blue Race''s vassal races. To become the Blue Race''s vassal and enjoy the protection the Blue Race provided, the vassal races had to sacrifice a certain amount of population every year to the Blue Race. This was the basic demand for most vassal races. Do you think there is kindness in space?


    It had been 31 years since humanity left Earth and arrived at the New Solar System. The things that they had experienced in those 31 years informed them to not expect any kindness in the cosmos. The cosmos was survival of the fittest. Do not expect mercy from any space civilizations that are not human. To survive, humanity had to fight and kill, this was the blood lesson learned from 31 years of travelling in space!


    17 scans within three days put a great toll on the energy consumption of the City of Light Moon. This was an exhaustion that would be felt by a level 3 space civilization; it was an amount that couldn''t be replaced just like that. However, humanity still needed to perform those 17 scans. The aim was to procure a surveillance result that was as detailed as they could get. This led to a fiery discussion among the human government''s higher officials¡­


    "I suggest we initiate the Defense Unit third expansion project immediately! We need to expand the Defense Unit to reach at least 50,000 soldiers and have the first fleet assault this alien fleet the moment they exit space warp!"


    This was the ninth military meeting the Barracks had had since the 17th scanning report. The meeting room was submerged in some kind of smog. The air circulatory system sucked out the air and replaced it with more smog. The people inside inhaled the smog like it was some kind of cigar or cigarette smoke. It was a bloodshot-eyed Guang Zhen who claimed the statement above.


    A major beside him said instantly, "Commander Wong, if we expand the army now, what about new soldier training? This will only drag down the overall fighting power of the Defense Unit. I agree with the expansion, but that will have to wait until this crisis is over."


    Yao Yuan retorted instantly, "No, I believe that is not what Commander Wong meant. We do need to expand the Defense Unit, and the third expansion project has to begin immediately to make sure the number of Defense Unit soldiers is not lower than 50,000 people¡­"


    Most of the people were confused, while a handful nodded as if they had expected this. Among them, Xiao Niao commented, "It''s because¡­ this alien fleet doesn''t have a mothership?"


    "Indeed." Yao Yuan nodded and continued, "The lack of a mothership means that this fleet is not the main force of the civilization. In fact, we can see from the size of the fleet that this is merely a small exploratory unit. This is definitely not the entirety of the civilization. This means that even if we destroy this fleet, it doesn''t mean that we have achieved victory. We have to expect the arrival of the main fleet. Therefore, the expansion of the Defense Unit has to be carried out!"


    Other people were slowly bought over by this explanation, and Guang Zhen asked in a serious expression, "You''ve only agreed to one of my suggestions. What about the other? Moving the New Solar System''s first fleet to beyondthe New Solar System to ambush this alien fleet. What do you think about that?"


    Yao Yuan responded in equal an measure of seriousness, "Theoretically, I have no right to intervene in your combat decisions as the commander of the Defense Unit because the first fleet belongs to the Defense Unit¡­ However, you should listen to the opinion of the strategy department."


    Guang Zhen looked at the soldiers around him and said, "Of course, I''m not one to act rashly. To set up an ambush at the exit point of the warp drive was the plan the strategy department came up with. Black Star Troopers will also be involved in this ambush and we will be able to achieve victory with the smallest amount of forces. Furthermore, the battle will be far away from the New Solar System and thus we won''t need to worry about endangering the public."


    "That was before." Yao Yuan shook his head and said, "That plan was made before we had more details. At this time, we still do not know the size of the fleet. Let''s say this ambush is a success and we destroy this fleet, how will that benefit us? We will only end up with another space junkyard and increased hostility from the unknown level 3 space civilization¡­ so we better wait for the next simulated war from the strategy department and see what they come up with."


    Guang Zhen didn''t say anything after that. The meeting room was silent and the strategy department worked fast with the aid of the AI robots.


    "¡­From the data given by the strategy department, this fleet should belong to a space civilization that is between the early and intermediate stage of level 3. This can be seen from the speed they''re travelling in warp drive. In other words, when its fleet comes into contact with ours, be it numbers or power, we have the upper hand in terms of numbers and power. In fact, the advantage we have over them in terms of weapons is huge. After all, they were all designed by a Whisperer¡­


    "Therefore, this concludes that the civilization doesn''t pose too big of a threat to humanity. From our information archives, the interaction between level 3 space civilizations doesn''t usually lead to a space war unless it is a fight for a Shelter. Therefore, as long as we do not expose our overwhelming number of Homo Evolutis, then just with our current population alone, it won''t be that attractive of a reward to the outside threat. Furthermore, we humans are a level 3 space civilizations ourselves. Under these conditions, there is a 90 percent chance that this level 3 space civilization will just have surface interaction with us, probably exchange information and materials. The possibility of a war is very low¡­


    "Since this fleet is mostly likely only an exploratory fleet, the strategy department suggests we approach it with a pilotless spaceship. Based on the interaction, we will then decide what to do next. Before they show their intention, we have to careful of the front that we put up. It''s better that we do not show hostility upfront¡­


    "Over."

 Chapter 440: Assignment

    Chapter 440: Assignment


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    On the seventh day after the strategy department came up with the plan, about 72 emergency-created pilotless spaceships left the City of Light Moon. Each of the spaceships was equipped with a superlight speed communication device and surveillance device. If they managed to detect something, even if just for one over fifty seconds, the information would be sent to the City of Light Moon. Therefore, it was okay if these spaceships were destroyed, because a great amount of information would still be sent back. If contact was made without hostility, even if there was no one piloting the spaceships, communication could be made without delay.


    "There are in total 72 spaceships. They will separate into three groups, so unless the other party has decided to attack us directly, all three groups of armless communication spaceships won''t be destroyed on sight."


    The military engineer responsible for communication and innovation answered. Even though they only had seven days to design and create the spaceships, humanity already had the technological prowess to say something like this. The technology of a level 3 space civilization was something those beneath level 3 couldn''t understand. The electromagnetic technology that once impressed humanity greatly was now considered outdated by a level 3 space civilization. The difference between then and now was like heaven and earth; it was no wonder so many level 2 space civilizations would give up everything to become a level 3 space civilization¡­


    It was worth noting that after humanity became a level 3 space civilization, Yao Yuan and other Barracks officials would wake up in the night with cold sweat. The reason was because they were reminded of the fact they once destroyed a Shelter and the level 3 space civilization within it with one shot of the Gravity Cannon. After that success, many humans, including the military experts, while they still held a cautious attitude regarding level 3 space civilizations, didn''t see them as a huge threat that could wipe out the human race anymore.


    However, after humanity became a level 3 space civilization, they truly understood the difference between the different levels. That difference was no longer something that could be described in numbers. The best weapon of a peak level 2 space civilization, be it the Genesis or Requiem, wouldn''t even threaten the energy shield of level 3 space civilization, while the most basic weapon of a level 3 space civilization, like the trooper plasma pistol, was not something defensible by level 2 space civilization standards. A large scale energy weapon of a level 3 space civilization could take out the whole mothership of a level 2 space civilization with one shot!


    Seven days, it only took seven days for humanity to design and create 72 pilotless spaceships attached with the latest communicative technology¡­ In conclusion, you''re a level 3 space civilization, I''m a level 3 space civilization, so let''s not mess with each other!


    Of course, that was not everything humanity did. The New Solar System first fleet had returned to the City of Light Moon to prepare for a possible war. At the same time, all the Black Star Troopers were ordered to return and their patrol duties would be taken over by the Defense Unit. Other than a few troopers, all of the rest were tasked to return to the City of Light Moon to defend it.


    Within human society, the news about the expansion of the Defense Unit had been spread. To the government''s surprise, the number of citizens who enrolled was greater than they expected, and most of them were young people around or less than 30 year old. To put it simply, the generation that was born in space was passionate in joining the military. In fact, some had given up jobs like scientists and engineers to join the military.


    No matter what, humanity''s war machine had been started, and the people were slowly getting into place. The fleet travelling in warp drive maintained their speed of 20 times the speed of light and it would take them another two months before they reached the edge of the New Solar System. These two months were enough for humanity to prepare for war. They had given up the expansion of the City of Light Moon and focused on arming the New Solar System first fleet, weapon maintenance, and upgrades. Even considering the citizen migration project from the first and second defense lines, two months was more than enough to complete those things.


    The speed of the 72 pilotless spaceships was extremely fast. After abandoning the large devices for ferrying people, leaving behind only the communicative devices and energy storage, these pilotless spaceships were the fastest spaceships humanity had. In fact, their speed was easily 10 times the speed of battleships. On the 15th day of military expansion, the pilotless spaceships had reached the space outside of the New Solar System, the spot where the alien fleet was expected to exit warp drive. The 72 spaceships thus started to wait.


    Then it was one and a half months away from the alien fleet arriving. The first batch of 6,000 new Defense Unit soldiers had started their training and the Black Star Troopers'' spaceships had started their maintenance and upgrades to fit them with the newly designed weapons of a level 3 space civilization. The troopers themselves were given the latest multi-purpose space armor. At the same time, the New Solar System first fleet had finished the upgrade and left the City of Light Moon to head towards the third defense line. There were in total 20 spaceships the size of the Hope, 120 guardian spaceships, and 300 battleships.


    So far, the size of the New Solar System first fleet was far from the size that they were expected to have. There were supposed to be in total 250 spaceships the size of the Hope, 1,500 guardian spaceships, and 3,000 battleships. Regardless, from the numbers alone, this was a very powerful space fleet¡­ or at least, it looked like so from the human perspective, and at least the number was greater than the alien fleet currently in warp drive.


    Of course, due to the expansion in military, this caused a drought in spaceship pilots, so most ships had to rely on AI. However, even so, the New Solar System first fleet had exhausted about 20,000 Defense Unit soldiers, but this number was still far away from the actual number that should join the battle. To put it simply, even with the aid of AI, each spaceship the size of the Hope would need 120 people to pilot it, the guardian spaceships would need 30, and battleships five. Though these were the bare minimum numbers, they already added up to at least 90,000 people, and that was without taking into account the maintenance crew and the rest. If one needed to showcase the maximum power of the first fleet, they would need at least 200,000 people.


    Because of this, Guang Zhen was nervous about the expansion of the Defense Unit. To quote the man, humanity already had enough manufacturing power, especially since they had stepped into the threshold of a level 3 space civilization, with the advent of nanobots. With enough materials and energy, a spaceship the size of the Hope could be created within 15 days. However, in comparison, the lack of manpower had greatly decreased the potential of the New Solar System first fleet. Its current size was only one-fifth of its maximum potential!


    However, the reality wasn''t that simple. This wasn''t a story or a game where people could be moved in and out of the military with ease. You would need several hundred thousand soldiers, and you''d get them from the overall population? Things were not that easy!


    Does the human population need to expand? Does science need to advance? Does human society need to grow? Guang Zhen was not right in his words, but soldiers wouldn''t be able to have a child every year like normal citizens. This had greatly dragged down the expansion of human population because for soldiers, during the times of peace, they would have to join training, patrol, and the like, so they wouldn''t have time for other stuff. In that case, what about the expansion of new manufacturing bases and new harvesting and mining centers? Education of the people, invention of science? What about all that? Give up everything and everyone take up arms?


    It was not that people didn''t know about the importance of the Defense Unit and first fleet, but humanity needed to advance, so not everyone could be dragged into military service!


    Therefore, when the first fleet was fully upgraded, only 20 spaceships the size of the Hope, 120 guardian spaceships, and 300 battleships left the harbor of the City of Light Moon. This made Guang Zhen sigh incessantly.


    The real idea of the military he had in mind was a large Defense Unit army. The Black Star Troopers were indeed strong, but they were like Old Earth''s Special Ops, they shouldn''t be used as the main force. But the reality of the situation shattered his wish. From the current perspective, the Black Star Troopers were still the main fighting force for humanity, and this wouldn''t change in the foreseeable future¡­


    Yao Yuan, who stood behind Guang Zhen, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Ol'' Wong, don''t think too much of it. After all, the Defense Unit is expanding, and we have reached the 50,000 limit. To go beyond that, humanity''s population number is still too low. However, one day, I assure you that you''ll be the sky covered by spaceships the size of the Hope¡­"


    Guang Zhen sighed but didn''t say anything. Both of them walked on in silence. Suddenly, a hovercraft deposited a few worried-looking officers. The one leading was Liu Bai. He looked around and whispered concernedly, "We have to return to the Barracks immediately! Things are getting worse, the speed of the alien fleet in warp drive has suddenly increased! Its speed¡­


    "Is moving towards the peak of a level 3 space civilization''s warp drive speed!


    "It''s now going over 400 times the speed of light!"

 Chapter 441: Sudden Arrival!

    Chapter 441: Sudden Arrival!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­Yes, from our known information, there is a constant in the structure of the universe. In other words, when the active force is not over a certain threshold, space will exist in normal three dimensional space, but if this force is over this threshold, there will be chain effect that happens to this space, either tearing, twisting, or energizing¡­


    "¡­The most relevant example is the black hole. It has an incredibly large gravity, and the large gravitational force causes the space to twist. This means that light can no longer travel at normal speed around it and consequently this means that time travels differently around it as well¡­


    "¡­Similarly, when this large force affects space and time, the stability quotient of space will be affected as well. When the force is within this stability quotient, it will react within the expected rules of physics that we have in current space. However, when this force goes over the stability quotient, it will cause plenty of changes, including the change of dimension and time flow. In fact, as we have predicted, the technology of a level 4 space civilization or middle-tier space civilization like the wormhole is very possibly predicated on the manipulation of this space stability quotient¡­


    "¡­Therefore, obtaining the standard formula of calculating space stability quotient is very pertinent because it is no less important than Einstein''s mass-energy equation!"


    This was a thesis that was released by the Academy during the scientific renaissance after humanity became a level 3 space civilization. The thesis was titled "Space, Energy, Time, Mass: The Four Basic Elements of the Cosmos." Its writer was physicist Silewei, and the publication of this thesis had propelled him to the same state of fame and importance as Einsten and Newton.


    The relevance of this thesis was huge, even Blue 6''s eyes shone brightly the moment he read it. In that half a year, he kept going to Silewei for lessons like a high school student. To quote Blue 6, this thesis could be considered the bible for scientific breakthroughs of a level 3 space civilization.


    This thesis had introduced a brand new perspective, that was the existence of space stability quotient. This quotient came with a standard formula and its appearance solved many problems faced by the Academy. For example, it completely undermined the warp drive''s limitless travelling speed. In this formula, warp drive had an upper limit speed, and this limit was the space stability quotient. Normally speaking, warp drive would only continue to approach this limit but would never reach it because warp drive itself was a manipulation of space to initiate rapid travelling. If space didn''t exist anymore, then how could warp drive still exist? Therefore, warp drive had a limit just like how normal mass in space had the limit of the speed of light, one could only approach it but never reach or surpass it.


    Generally speaking, the higher the technological level of the civilization, the closer they would be able to get to this limit during warp drive. This was true even for level 9 space civilizations because that was how warp drive operated. The only way to surpass this space stability quotient was to utilize a navigational method that was more advanced than warp drive, like wormhole and star gate.


    In fact, this thesis had discussed that as well. The formation of wormholes was quite possibly due to the energy saturation within a constant unit of space and time. In other words, the force was greater than this stability quotient, and then they used some kind of method to initiate wormhole breakthrough. This perhaps was the navigational method of a level 4 space civilization.


    The calculated speed limit for warp drive was 528 times light speed!


    Civilizations in the early level 3 stage could reach up to 50 times the speed of light, while in the intermediate stage, they could go up to 300 times, while peak level 3 space civilizations¡­ like the Blue Race, could only reach 400 times the speed of light. Any increase in speed after that, even just 0.1 times, would expand such a great amount of energy that no level 3 space civilization would be able to support it.


    However, this alien fleet, after increasing in speed, had reached 420 times the speed of light!


    "Why!? How can they suddenly increase speed in warp drive?!"


    Yao Yuan''s roar reverberated through the whole Barracks. This was the first time the man who had been exceptionally calm since humanity arrived at the New Solar System became so angry. This stunned the room into silence. After a long time, it was a military engineer who answered, "Chancellor, this issue is complicated. Our current technology is still unable to change speed in warp drive, but it is indeed possible. However, one needs to reach the intermediate stage of level 3 before one can do that¡­"


    Yao Yuan sighed and practically slumped down in his chair. "No, this is my fault for not predicting our enemy could be using tricks. When we came up with superlight surveillance engine, we should''ve expected them to have the same technology. Perhaps that initial 20 times light speed was just a ploy for us to let our guard down from the very beginning. We fell for it hook, line, and sinker!"


    Guang Zhen''s face was also dark. The fury inside his heart couldn''t even be described using words. This was on top of the Defense Unit expansion issues. If there were enough soldiers, the whole New Solar System first fleet wouldn''t have to return to the City of Light Moon for war preparations. Now they were hit by an underhanded tactic that could be prevented if the Defense Unit was bigger, so how could he not be angry?


    Yao Yuan took in several deep breaths as he looked around at Guang Zhen, the members of the Black Star Unit, two Thinkers, the majors from Defense Unit, and the strategy department. With a drawn face, he announced, "I order for the Black Star Troopers to get ready. I order that all Black Star Troopers gather in the next 72 hours, and in the next five days, we will leave the City of Light Moon and head for the third defense line. In 10 days, Black Star Troopers have to reach the third defense line and then wait for my next orders.


    "I order, the mass deportation of civilians at the first, second, and third defense lines. No need to wait for civilian-use shuttles, just use the military spaceships. At the same time, all three defense lines are now in heavy alert mode. If they''re assaulted, retaliate with maximum power!


    "I order the tweaking of the Gravity Cannon to start immediately. The cannon has to be ready for use in 15 days.


    "From this moment onwards, human society is in military state. In the next 24 hours, all the travelling spaceships have to return to the City of Light Moon and we will not accept any private requests to leave the city."


    Following Yao Yuan''s orders, the whole human society started to turn chaotic. Thankfully, the human government had great efficiency. In just few hours, all the relevant parties had received the news and the whole civilization mobilized with great efficiency.


    Blue 6''s foreign affair department also had started to mobilize. In reality, compared to the humans'' reaction, Blue 6 was more excited, excited at the prospect of work. If not for the fact that his Emissary of Peace''s spaceship was in the maintenance phase, he would''ve probably led his men to the frontline first.


    Just like that, as the whole human race was urgently working, the alien fleet finally left warp drive two days later. Now humanity could finally scan this whole fleet clearly.


    It was a clean and strong-looking space fleet. All the spaceships had a silvery-white color and there was no sign of racial senescence. The whole fleet looked brand new, gleaming in space like stars. Furthermore, before the alien fleet exited warp drive, the last superlight speed surveillance detected hundreds of extra spaceships. However, when the fleet escaped warp drive, the extra spaceships were nowhere to be seen. This caused people from the military department to think this was more of their tricks.


    They wanted to initiate a second scan, but before that could start, the extra fleet appeared from warp drive, and the moment they did so, they released creator''s particle, disabling all of humanity''s surveillance methods.


    However, the alien fleet didn''t move towards the New Solar System after they did that. They merely stood their quietly, and one thing that gave humanity much relief was that the creator''s particle didn''t cover the 72 pilotless spaceships. It was unknown whether this was done on purpose or not. At least this alien fleet didn''t show humanity any hostility directly.


    Back at the City of Light Moon, everyone was busy. Yao Yuan sat quietly in central command, waiting for the next move¡­ or rather, he was waiting for this alien fleet to make their first move.


    "Send out 24 pilotless spaceships to approach this fleet carefully. Move them close to the edge of their creator''s particle and wait for them to respond!"


    After Yao Yuan gave that order, the 3D image showing the location of the pilotless spaceships and the alien fleet appeared in the room. Following Yao Yuan''s order, the 24 spaceships started to move towards the silvery fleet.


    Due to the size of the image, even though they might''ve appeared to move slowly on screen, they were in fact travelling at 80 percent of the spaceship''s maximum speed. However, they had only moved for several minutes and hadn''t even reached the edge of creator''s particle when a mess of plasma rays shot out from the silvery spaceships and shot down these 24 spaceships easily. Not only that, more plasma rays targeted the remaining pilotless spaceships, and in just the blink of an eye, an explosion erupted in space and all the pilotless spaceships disappeared in space¡­


    Silence reigned in central command. Everyone''s face was dark. However, before they could react, several soldiers ran into the room. The leading soldier stopped at Yao Yuan''s side and passed him a report. When Yao Yuan read the report, his face darkened greatly.


    "The last warp scan showed that¡­


    "¡­the unknown silver fleet has in total¡­. 1,763,722 spaceships, and the spaceships that are bigger than the Hope number at more than 100,000!


    "They will reach the edge of the New Solar System in another five days!"

 Chapter 442: Artificial Intelligence Civilization

    Chapter 442: Artificial Intelligence Civilization


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Impossible! This number is impossible! What kind of civilization can have 1,700,000 plus spaceships?"


    When Yao Yuan handed the report to all the officers present, everyone displayed an expression of disbelief. Even Yao Yuan himself shared in this incredulity. After all, this was 1,700,000 spaceships, and the spaceships weren''t small battleships but gigantic spaceships! Their size was so much bigger than the biggest spaceships humanity once imagined in the old Earth era. Just to paint a picture, humanity would need 10,000 years to build 1,700,000 spaceships!


    Fine, it was not impossible for a space civilization to last for more than ten thousand years in space while being lucky enough to avoid racial senescence, but there was still a key problem¡­ where would they find the manpower to control all these spaceships?


    Not every space civilization was as lucky as humanity that they had an existence like ZERO to prevent the uprising of the machines. If other civilizations followed humanity''s footsteps, it would easily lead to a mechanical anarchy, causing the race to go extinct. Therefore, most space civilizations had real people piloting their spaceships and, generally speaking, a spaceship the size of the Hope would require 12,000 people, and that was the baseline. Including the soldiers, the number could triple!


    Using the most basic 8,000 people as basis, 100,000 spaceships the size of the Hope would already need 800 million people to pilot!


    This was 120 million, not 1,200 or 12,000, basically, the whole country of China, including the seniors and children, would have to join the army to achieve this number!


    This was only the 100,000 spaceships the size of the Hope. What about the remaining 1,600,000 plus spaceships of differing sizes? To operate these spaceships to their maximum potential, at the very least there had to be 100 million soldiers!


    Therefore, the issue of population alone made it impossible for such a space fleet to exist in the real world!


    "No, there is a type of space civilization that can support a fleet this size¡­"


    When everyone was grumbling about the impossibility of the situation, a shaking voice suddenly uttered that statement. Everyone turned towards it and they realized that Blue 6, who had been leisurely enjoying his coffee earlier, had stood up with his face blanched and his whole body shaking. This was so unlike him that everyone was spooked.


    Yao Yuan, Xiao Niao, Ren Tao, and a few military officers looked at the state he was in and their hearts dropped. There was already a prediction on their minds, and Blue 6 had just confirmed it.


    "It''s a mechanical civilization, a mechanical civilization born from an AI that achieved independence! Only such a space civilization can own such a large fleet without worry for manpower and population. And only such a space civilization can have a fleet that looks always brand new, like they have just been built!" Blue 6 said as color continued to drain from his face.


    After the statement was made, everyone in the room was stunned by fear. The three great tragedies in the cosmos were demons, Zerg, and AI civilizations. The demons were usually too rare to warrant too much discussion, but Zerg and AI were well known space threats. Scary stories about them had been circulated around the cosmos, and according to the information from the space merchants, they were responsible for many extinctions in space.


    One could say that both the Zerg and AI civilizations were considered invincible when fighting against enemies of the same level. There had to be more than several hundred space civilizations of the same level working together to take down one AI space civilization. Plus, it wouldn''t be an easy win. This was because neither zerg nor AI had the issue of exhaustion. With enough energy and resources, a war was just like a game for either civilization. They could recreate their armed forces easily, and that was why both of these space civilizations were considered invincible among civilizations of the same level!


    However, if that was all, it might''ve still been okay. For a surviving space civilization, surrendering to become another race''s vassal race was acceptable. In fact, for weaker space civilizations, becoming the vassal race of a powerful civilization was something they yearned for. However, for Zerg and AI civilizations, they did not need any vassals or surrendering races. Their only aim was to consume and destroy any living existence!


    Yao Yuan thought about the possibility of this large fleet being an AI space civilization and his face blanched as well. After a long time, he said, "Order the pilotless spaceships at the first defense line to approach the area near the unknown fleet for interaction and surveillance. At the same time¡­ increase the speed of civilian migration."


    At the first defense line, things were busy. Many civilians were registering at the space port to retreat back to the City of Light Moon. However, to prevent chaos, the real number and level of the space civilization that approached humanity was not revealed. It was also because of this that the speed of migration was slower than expected.


    "Honey, why don''t me and kids leave next week? Our neighbors, Tom and his family, are leaving then as well. It''s better if I wait and leave with them. At least we can look after each other and our kids can keep each other company."


    Lee Yuan Fang''s wife suggested. Their family was already at the waiting hall of the space port and they were surrounded by people. Around 3,000 civilians would be leaving the first defense line that day. Since all the military spaceships had returned to the City of Light Moon for upgrades and maintenance, the civilians at the first defense line could only rely on transport shuttles. The trip home would take about 20 days, five days to reach second defense line and another 15 days to reach the City of Light Moon. It was worth noting that their destination was actually the second defense line as the base was at least 10 times larger than the first defense line. There, they would hop on military-use spaceships. More than ten thousand people would be able to fit into one and return to the City of Light Moon in one go.


    Lee Yuan Fang''s family was scheduled to take the ship home that day, and the next trip would be after five days. He told his wife in a helpless smile, "How is that possible? The schedule is decided by the government and not ourselves. Furthermore, Tom''s family will be leaving in another five days. If you need the company, why don''t you wait for them at the second defense line for a few days and you can return to the City of Light Moon together?"


    Lee Yuan Fang''s wife nodded obediently as she reached out to smooth out his military lapel. "Be careful out there. Don''t be a hero, our family doesn''t need the status of Human Hero¡­ I just want you to return home safely." At this point, there were glistening tears in his wife''s eyes.


    Lee Yuan Fang hugged his wife silently and turned to look at his kids, who were pulling on his trousers and shirt. They were a pair of boy and girl, one eight and the other nine. He tousled their hair in a loving way before turning to his wife and saying, "Wait for me at home. I will retire from the military after this war and then we''ll have plenty of time to go shopping and bring the kids to visit the zoo¡­"


    The wife nodded gently and looked at the man she had fallen in love with¡­ they were considered an elderly couple on the Hope because they were already a young married couple back on old Earth. While many couples had turned on each other during the anarchy, their love only got stronger. She was reminded of that fact while they were hiding in an abandoned house. He had laid traps to capture the rats and he would leave her the meat of the roasted rats while he would survive on the dried coats and skins. Surviving on those rats, they lived through the most difficult period of their lives¡­


    "I will wait for you at home. You must return home safely, for the kids¡­ for me¡­"


    "I will¡­"


    At the same time, while the first batch of civilians was dispatched from first defense line, several pilotless spaceships were heading towards the unknown fleet. On the third day after the first batch left the first defense line, the few spaceships reached that space occupied by the unknown fleet. Following their orders, they moved towards the fleet.


    However, the result was obvious. Similar to last time, the moment they got near, they were shut down. The unknown fleet showed zero desire to communicate.


    "Can we be sure we''re dealing with an AI civilization?"


    "Not yet, the fleet is still idling outside of the solar system. They didn''t unleash any attacks or release any signals; however, the moment our spaceships get too close, they are destroyed¡­"


    "Is that so? Continue being on alert¡­ I allow you all the power to command an attack if we''re threatened¡­"


    Yao Yuan put down the communicator with the leader of the first defense line. Then he turned to look towards the 3D image of the New Solar System. There were three large zoned-out areas around the three defense lines. These three zones referred to the firing range of the long-distance weapons. In fact, the three defense lines practically covered the whole New Solar System. Other than the first and second defense lines, which faced ahead, the third defense line faced the other end of the City of Light Moon. Currently, the unknown fleet was in the first and second defense lines'' firing range. The total defense zone in the New Solar System were five, and they protected Homeward Planet fully and completely.


    "Why aren''t they attacking? Waiting for more to come? Or¡­


    "They''re watching us?"

 Chapter 443: Defense Line!

    Chapter 443: Defense Line!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    On the fifth day after the silver fleet arrived, humanity sent out the third batch of pilotless spaceships. The second batch of civilians from first defense line was moving towards the second defense line. Right at this moment too, the space around the silver fleet started to twinkle with silvery lights¡­ several hundred thousand silvery lights suddenly appeared in the cosmos.


    At the City of Light Moon''s giant observatory, the workers who were stationed there for 24 hours managed to discover at first notice. Using the AI, they immediately started analysing it, very soon, the analysis report was sent to the Barracks and just as they had predicted, the main force of this silver fleet indeed totalled up to around 1,700,000 spaceships!


    The Barracks, who still initially held onto false hope, had their hopes dashed immediately and a thought suddenly appeared in many people, including Yao Yuan''s, minds¡­ space warp.


    Space warp was humanity''s trump card. It was a navigational technique even more advanced than wormhole and star gate. It wasn''t guaranteed that it would be able to help humanity escape from a high tier space civilization though. After all, they had stumbled across a situation where a high tier space civilization had locked up a whole solar system before. But facing against a middle tier space civilization, it was an invincible presence.


    However, this meant that they would have to abandon everything and it would be impossible for them to ever return to this place. The City of Light Moon, Homeward Planet, the New Solar System, they would all be memories from the past. It would be not unlike how they were forced to abandon Old Earth¡­


    The fate was much too cruel¡­


    Abandoning one''s home once was a harrowing experience, abandoning it twice would be a sin, while abandoning it thrice would break the human spirit into half!


    Therefore, unless there was really no other choice, no one dared to bring up the possibility of leaving the New Solar System, not even Yao Yuan¡­ Everyone knew the enemy was powerful, but since it was not a landslide disadvantage of facing a high tier space civilization, everyone was at least a little bit glad. Those who had not experienced the cosmos would never understand how deep the yearning for a home was; that desire oftentimes could be bigger than the need for survival. Therefore, if they really were to leave the New Solar System, unless Yao Yuan utilized his political power, quite possibly several thousand people would choose to stay behind¡­


    After they received the confirmatory report, the atmosphere at the Barracks was dark and heavy. All the strategists were carrying out hypotheses, confirmations, and simulations using all the available data. This was the war of a level 3 space civilization. It was fought first on paper before any war erupted. The amount of data involved in the calculations was so huge that they had to rely on the AI.


    "¡­Based on the current coordinates of both parties, if the enemy is determined to head towards the City of Light Moon, they would have to pass the firing zone of first and second defense lines. In fact, when they near the City of Light Moon, they will be within the firing range of third defense line as well. In other words, this fleet will be in an extremely disadvantageous situation!"


    On the stage, a middle-aged strategist was giving a speech with the 3D image of the New Solar System behind him. As his speech continued, the image changed.


    In fact, before building the New Solar System''s defense circle, many Defense Unit majors were confused. After all, space war was not a flat surface war like it was back on Old Earth. Even in 21st century, when there was marine, air, and land warfare, the wars were still carried out in terms of a singular plane battlefield.


    However, for a space war, the battlefield was truly three-dimensional. Up, down, left, right, front, back, there were six directions to worry about, and this was the reason why most soldiers were confused. In space wars, strategies like holding a fort wouldn''t work because the enemy could just circle around the location and the supposed defense line was nothing more than a set of dead coordinates in space.


    However, after using the AI to simulate the war, these soldiers finally understood the importance of the defense lines. One could say that a perfectly formed defense line would be enough to defend the attack from an enemy several hundred times its size!


    However, the most key issue was the plasma weapons used by level 3 space civilizations. Even though there were many different kinds of plasma weapon, they shared a similarity: their bullets travelled at the speed of light. Therefore, unless they were Homo Evolutis who could sense danger, most of the normal lifeforms wouldn''t be able to evade the attack. They would have to rely on energy shields. This was especially true for bigger spaceships.


    Of course, one had to take into consideration the things called creator''s particle and ECS system. With the combination of these two elements, one could practically appear "invisible" in space, and this would greatly decrease the accuracy of long distance attacks. However, while sniping was impossible, the spaceship would still be vulnerable to blanket fire. This was a level 3 space civilization, so the Genesis was no longer a tactical cannon but a general cannon. Combined with blanket firing of the more powerful Requiem and other plasma weapons, while the attack might not be as powerful as the booster-based energy weapons, it was not an attack that could be ignored by spaceships without a powerful enough energy shield.


    In terms of shooting range, when one became a level 3 space civilization, a well-constructed defense line with weapons could have the firing range as far as one-third of a solar system. This meant that a defense line''s firing range would cover 1/3 the size of the solar system. It would be difficult to circle around such a large firing circle. Furthermore, this was only one defense line, a solar system normally would have a wall of defense lines and their firing zone would overlap, thus creating a wall of security.


    The last point was the lack of depth in space warfare. If one got shot in space, then the war was practically over; however, it was different for defense lines since they were mostly built on meteorites or asteroids. No matter wehther it was built on the surface or underground, this was a natural advantage. Furthermore, the size of a defense base would normally be bigger than a spaceship, meaning they could store more energy cores and defense systems. Therefore, defense lines could be dubbed the indestructible spaceships. Unless it was surrounded by many spaceships or threatened by a civilization with a technological level much greater than their own, for level 3 space civilizations, defense lines were natural, indestructible spaceships!


    It was one of the reasons why humanity selected to make this solar system their home.


    As the strategist continued, the simulated silver fleet started moving. When the fleet was about 3 days away from first defense line, the first defense line started attacking. A great amount of Genesis and Requiem cannons fired at the enemy fleet.


    "As we expected, the exhaustion of plasma shields is huge, the exhaustion quota is almost six times the energy employed by weapons of similar strength. This is related to the manipulation of plasma, shaping the energy into a circular form apparent eats up energy¡­ In any case, our simulated result is that the first wave of fire will take about around 80 to 90 percent of the enemy frontline, but the damage caused by the second wave of fire will drop tremendously. Starting from the second wave, the damage caused by the first defense line will be less than one percent or lower, and it is the same for all the attacks after that¡­


    "However, this situation will last for around 30 hours. According to our calculation, the maximum time a plasma reactor can hold up against our attack is 30 hours. After that, even for a level 3 space civilization, its stability will dramatically decrease and they will need repair and maintenance, or else there might be a threat of energy leakage. If they continue this for 50 hours, there will be a chance for short-circuit and internal explosions. If more than 70 hours, then its energy output will decrease by half. If by some miracle the enemy fleet still hasn''t exploded, the weapons at the first defense line will be able to shoot through their weakened energy shield!


    "And that is the purpose of a complete defense within the solar system! The first defense line will be the line of death for our enemy!"


    After the strategist made his explanation, the 3D image disappeared and the faces of the majors present lightened up greatly. However, Guang Zhen asked darkly, "Then, according to the calculation from the strategist department¡­ how long can first defense line keep up the attack of this strength?"


    The strategist laughed bitterly before adding, "According to our data, first defense line can only support such an attack for¡­ 16 days. After 16 days, be it the Genesis, Requiem, or normal cannons, all the weapons will stop working due to lack of energy, and the whole first defense line will be depleted of any energy storage¡­


    "In other words, after 16 days¡­ the first defense line will fall¡­"

 Chapter 444: Beginning!

    Chapter 444: Beginning!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    While the simulation was going on, the second and last batch of civilians was getting on the spaceships at the first defense line.


    This was a transport shuttle that hurried over from the second defense line. It was originally used to transport cargo, so it wasn''t that comfortable for the passengers. However, comfort wasn''t really a concern during war time. It carried on it about ten thousand people in one go. As the shuttle drifted towards the second defense line, the atmosphere at the space port was drawn¡­


    Lee Yuan Fang looked his comrades'' drawn faces and he felt the bad mood reflected within himself. This time almost all the civilians had been moved, including many of their families and children. This feeling of separation was truly grating.


    "Captain Lee Yuan Fang, please report to the first defense line''s central command immediately. Captain Lee Yuan Fang, please report to the first defense line''s central command immediately."


    Just as Lee Yuan Fang was lamenting the sadness, this voice suddenly appeared in his mini earmic. He didn''t dare to dawdle and hopped onto a hovercraft to head towards central command. When he arrived, he realized that most of the majors and captains at the defense line were already there.


    The Defense Unit still used the military ranking system utilized on old Earth. In increasing ranks: normal soldier, private, corporal, sergeant, sergeant first class, captain, major, general, and above general was commander. Currently, there was only one commander within the Defense Unit, and that was the leader, Guang Zhen.


    The rank of captain was considered middle among the Defense Unit, while at the first defense line, the rank of captain was considered high because the leading commander at the base was merely a major. Therefore, Lee Yuan Fang as captain had to be there whenever there was an important meeting.


    "Lee Yuan Fang reporting for duty."


    When Lee Yuan Fang saw the group of captains and majors sitting inside, he stood to attention immediately.


    The one standing on stage was the first defense line''s commanding officer, Major Warner. He was a soldier originally from old Earth. He was in his seventies but looked like a healthy middle-aged man. He nodded at Lee Yuan Fang before continuing, "We''ve just received the order from the City of Light Moon five minutes ago. The first defense line will enter the highest alert state after this batch of civilians depart from the base. No one will be allowed to leave the base alone unless it is on the order from the highest military body. The first defense line will initiate energy conservation systems to focus all our energy on operable weapons¡­ This line of coordinates is our final war line. The moment our enemy crosses this line, we will start attacking!"


    There was a small commotion in the room after that order was given. One of the captains raised his hand to ask, "Major, the number of the enemy''s fleet has already surpassed the maximum number of enemies the first defense line can fighter when it was designed. In fact, it is several thousand times over it. This kind of strategy¡­"


    Warner shook his head. "The maximum number of enemies the first defense line can deal with is 400 spaceships the size of the Hope, guardian spaceships in the five digits, and battleships in the 15 digits. The moment, these number are surpassed, the first defense line will be completely wiped out. Yes, these numbers are close to my heart. The numbers are as such because these are normally the number of a space civilization''s main fleet, but!


    "We''re facing an AI civilization. This kind of number is merely the tip of an iceberg for them. I know this is difficult, and this order might represent the highest honor available to a soldier¡­ sacrifice!


    "Let me remind everyone what is beyond this base! There is the transport shuttle that is carrying our families and friends! Then think about the second defense line! There are more than 200,000 civilians there, and half of them are children! Children below the age of 10! If we lose them, humanity would have lost everything! So there can be no buts or ifs!"


    Warner said sternly, "This is an order! We are not allowed to take one step back! This is an order! I repeat, this is an order! Anyone who attempts to run, hide, or surrender will be personally shot down by me and I will report the name back to the City of Light Moon and have the Barracks announce to the whole civilization that these are the human traitors!"


    "Of course¡­"


    Warner''s expression softened. "The Barracks hasn''t abandoned us. The first spaceship fleet is heading our way as we speak. The order from the superiors is to hold the base for at least 15 days. After 15 days are over, we are allowed to retreat to the second defense line with the first fleet."


    When this detail was revealed, everyone''s expressions brightened. Of course they would follow the orders. They were soldiers, they would rather die than be branded human traitors. Furthermore, Warner was right. Their families and friends were just behind them, so they couldn''t give up and allow these people to die. However, if one could survive, who would willingly choose death? After all, one needed to be alive to reunite with their families and friends.


    "Now I will arrange the patrol area and the energy distribution system¡­"


    As Warner said that, a shrill alarm sounded through central command. This was the alarm that signaled that they were under siege!


    "At Earth time 10:27 AM, the unknown fleet started moving towards the first defense line. The fleet arrangement is as we can see on screen¡­ the leading fleet contains 30,000 plus spaceships and the space between each spaceship is incredibly small, completely ignoring the normal navigational traditions of space travelling. They wandered into the firing range of the super long-distance weapons easily, but their intention is still unknown.


    "At the same time, we have detected the travelling speed of this space fleet. Using the normal space travelling speed as constant, they are travelling at 4.2 times the speed of humanity''s spaceships. This is the sign of an energy umbrella propeller. Initial detection puts this unknown fleet at level 3 or even higher technological level¡­"


    When these messages appeared in the City of Light Moon, they were sent to the first and second defense lines at first notice. At the same time, all the defense weapons at the first defense line were active and armed.


    Warner stood in the control room for one of the Requiem cannons. Beside him was Lee Yuan Fang, who was responsible over that particular cannon. Both of them looked at the mess of silvery dots on the screen and their hearts fell. The message from the City of Light Moon had casted a pall over the atmosphere at the first defense line.


    4.2 times the speed of human spaceships? This meant that the enemy would only need one day to catch up to humanity, who had travelled for four days. Using this calculation, the unknown fleet would only need two days to reach the first defense line if they continued this speed¡­ and would only need less than one day to pursue and slaughter the transport shuttle carrying the civilians¡­


    How could they allow this to happen?!


    "¡­Yuan Fang, what is your opinion of the Barracks'' latest order?" Warner suddenly asked.


    Lee Yuan Fang was startled before answering, "It is their last resort. Either all the previous surveillance data was all wrong or, more likely, we''ve been swindled. Our enemy''s travelling speed is higher than any one of us has expected, the numbers are greater than we expected, and their technological level is greater than ours at least by two stages. This war¡­ is an unwinnable one."


    Warner nodded and continued bitterly, "The Barracks didn''t mean to abandon us, but they can''t save us anymore. The initial strategy wouldn''t have worked, using the first defense line as the enemy''s death line. That is possible only if we''re on the same level as our enemy. In just two days, we''ll be swallowed by this large, alien fleet.."


    Both of them were silent. Suddenly, Warner pulled a pack of cigarettes out from his coat. He passed one to Lee Yuan Fang before lighting one himself. He took a deep breath and said, "I''m prepared to lay my life down here, but at least before I die, I need to see my family reach the second defense line safely. The size of the base there is at least 10 times this base and they have more than enough weapons to halt this fleet¡­ at least enough to give our families enough time to retreat to the City of Light Moon."


    Lee Yuan Fang was silent before adding, "That''s not what I''m worried about the most¡­ Perhaps we will die here and our families will safely reach the City of Light Moon, but¡­ what''s next? None of us will be able to leave the New Solar System. This¡­ if I''m being frank, we''re all sitting ducks waiting to be picked off. We Chinese have a saying: the people surviving but the land dying means that both survive; the people die but the land survives, both die. When there is a ray of hope, the sacrifice of the military is necessary to preserve the land, but when there is no hope in staying, it is better to leave with a smaller hope intact. That is my honest opinion."


    Warner laughed. "All of us in the military know about this theory. However, the power is in the people. Many see this place as their home, so it depends on the Chancellor and whether his influence is big enough to sway the public opinion¡­"


    Suddenly, a soldier rushed in to report, "Captain, Major, there is a new message from the City of Light Moon. Halt all progress on Kun Lun and reactivate the sleeping Hope. All the civilians are ordered to file into the Hope and all the other same-size spaceships¡­


    "The moment everyone reaches home base, space warp will be initiated immediately!"

 Chapter 445: Cannon Fire!

    Chapter 445: Cannon Fire!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Another space warp¡­


    This message caused a serious commotion among all those who lived at the City of Light Moon. Everyone from all walks of life, Black Star Troopers, Defense Unit soldiers, normal citizens, teachers, students, scientists, engineers, were discussing this latest order by the human government. This was an order Yao Yuan had used his power as the Chancellor to make, and this was the first time Yao Yuan had used this power that was written into the constitution.


    "¡­the Chancellor has the right to issue any command in any situation that could threaten the survivability of humanity. This command ranges from defense, sacrifice, escape, and even self-destruction. This command is at the highest chain of command, and other than the Chancellor him or herself, no one else is allowed to deny this order!"


    This was the first law that was written into the constitution when the human government was first formed. In fact, the many powers and responsibilities of the Chancellor were extensions of this law. However, since humanity was a civilization that left old Earth and was submerged in the thought process of democracy for millennia, there were plenty of limitations to this law. This was especially true after humanity entered the New Solar System. There were six pending changes to the constitution, and they were all surreptitiously targeting this issue of the Chancellor having too much power.


    Of course, humanity''s Chancellor was Yao Yuan. He was the biggest hero humanity had ever seen, he had led humanity for almost 30 years since they escaped the catastrophe on Earth. In these 30 years, he had shown no signs of being corrupted by power. His government was transparent and was kind to everyone. That combined with his willingness to expand the power of the people during peaceful times meant that the general public was willing to hand him absolute power.


    And now Yao Yuan was going to use this highest power the public had given him as the Chancellor!


    Back at the first defense line, the first bell of war had been rung. The speed of their enemy fleet was incredibly fast; they had reached the first defense line''s final warning zone in less than a day. Then the Genesis, Requiem, and the only weapon that came from a level 3 space civilization, one that was personally designed by Bo Li¡­


    Energy Storm!


    Its firing range was one-third the solar system. Its concept was not the simple plasma weapon of level 3 space civilizations, not energy expansion, but energy coagulation. The Energy Storm''s design ideal was similar to the design ideal of the weapons for peak level 3 space civilizations. It was a manifestation of super energy coagulation technology.


    It was a technology that collected energy within a unit of space to form something like a light ball before firing. When it arrived at its destination, it would lose the binding force on it, causing a great explosion. The damage and coagulation technology was related to energy technology. In fact, in the simulation, when this weapon''s coagulation technology reached its maximum, one shot could evaporate the sun. Of course, this was something unimaginable by level 3 or even level 4 space civilization¡­


    This energy weapon was named Energy Storm, and it was humanity''s biggest trump card, or rather, the trump card that they could use.


    As all the weapons at the first defense line roared, several large pillars of light fired in unison. Behind them were several conspicuously bright laser beams. Their brightness was such that they couldn''t be viewed by the naked eye alone. Like looking at the sun, one''s eyes would be blinded and might go blind if exposed to it for too long.


    Behind these two different rays of light was an inconspicuous light orb. It looked small, barely 100 meters in size. In fact, for this weapon, the smaller the ball, the greater the damage. If the ball was the size of a needle, then the power would be great enough to blow up even a dark hole.


    These three weapons were the long distance weapons currently in humanity''s arsenal. They were the Defense Unit''s specialty. The Genesis could fire every 30 minutes, Requiem one shot every two hours, while Energy Storm¡­ one shot every eight hours. Therefore, it was in a way lucky that the alien fleet was moving towards humanity in a group, because if they moved separately, the damage of these weapons wouldn''t be so pronounced.


    "Move! Get maintenance here immediately! Energy team, start energy light-fractal analysis now! Reactor team, get on with the checking! Everyone move! We''re racing against time here!"


    "Yes, Sir!"


    This kind of shouting could be heard everywhere at the first defense line. All the Defense Unit soldiers were busy conducting their work. They were now the people fighting at humanity''s frontline, and behind them were their families who had just left the first defense line one day ago. If they couldn''t stop the enemy¡­ the transport shuttle didn''t even have a self-destruct option; therefore, they had to block the enemy''s passage!


    All the long-distance weapons shot at the enemy at light speed, so the enemy was unable to detect their presence. Under normal circumstances, a space civilization above level 3 would have superlight speed surveillance technology, and that would be able to tip them off to incoming light ray attacks. However, during the time of war, and when creator''s particle covered the whole battlefield, such surveillance techniques would be indisposed. Of course, unless the creator''s particle was removed; however, if one did that, the accuracy of enemy fire would greatly improve and ECS system and the like would be down, which would only lead to a greater problem.


    Therefore, unless they were directly hit, the enemy fleet wouldn''t know that they had been targeted.


    Currently, the enemy fleet was 3,600 light seconds away from the first defense line. In other words, they would need one hour to reach their destination if they were travelling at light speed. The damage report of this first round of fire would be ready after two hours.


    In reality, the energy umbrella technology that humanity had could reach up to 1.4 percent light speed, and the speed of the unknown fleet was 5 percent light speed. Theoretically speaking, they had reached the maximum potential of the energy umbrella propeller. This was a sign that they were a peak level 3 space civilization, and this was the reason why Yao Yuan ordered to initiate another space warp.


    After the first round of firing, all the soldiers at the first defense line started moving. Almost all the cannons had shortened their expected firing times by 5 to 10 minutes. Two hours later, the first defense line was ready to fire another round of Requiem and Genesis shots¡­


    However, before everyone''s eyes, several exploding weak globes of light appeared in space. Some of them glowed brighter than the others. This was the result of the reactors exploding after being shot by the cannons. This observation made the soldiers at the first defense line cheer and the fatigue from the two hours of non-stop work fell off them easily.


    Using the data analysis of AI and the latest photographic telescope, the result of the first round of firing was out within 20 minutes and was issued to the City of Light Moon at first notice.


    At the city''s military central command, all the officers were turned towards the entrance, waiting for the new report to arrive. When the report arrived, a 3D image immediately appeared at the center of the room.


    In this 3D image, several large light beams shot towards a spot in space. The place that they shaved through caused a series of explosions. However, that was only at the beginning. As the light beams travelled deeper, the number of explosions decreased.


    "That''s so unfortunate, we missed! If the accuracy was slightly better, this shot could have taken down at least 10,000 spaceships!" One of the majors slammed his fist on the table and groused.


    The major-ranked strategist beside him laughed bitterly. "The enemy is within the creator''s particle range and is in ECS state, so our attacks are at best educated guesses. The fact that we managed to land one hit is lucky enough."


    Everyone else nodded slightly. This was how it was in a space war. The cannon fire on the 3D image was still carrying on. The cannon fire by the Genesis was followed by the light beam of the Requiem. To everyone''s surprise, when the light beams reached their destination, they started to distort and spread across the whole battlefield. Initially, nothing happened, but when they swept a particular corner of space, a series of explosions occurred. The rate of explosions was even bigger than the ones caused by Genesis.


    "It is as we expected! The cannon fire of the Requiem can twist in direction, making it perfect for wide area attacks!"


    There was a clear excitement in the room when the 100 meter globe of light reached the space and a bright light swallowed up the whole area. As the light dissipated, many explosions detonated, causing the wide expanse to light up like an expanse of stars¡­


    "The analysis result is out. The first round of cannon fire managed to take down around 14,000 battleships and 3,000 main spaceships. The rest of the result is still in calculation¡­"


    At the same time, a soldier suddenly rushed in to say, "Report. The the first defense line is currently under cannon fire!"

 Chapter 446: Swallowed…

    Chapter 446: Swallowed¡­


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The first defense line was bombarded for a consecutive six hours. In that period of time, the first defense line retaliated with 13 shots of Genesis, three shots of Requiem, and even one shot of Energy Storm.


    It was then that the benefit of owning a base was truly exemplified.


    In truth, the reason spaceships like battleships were weaker was due to the overall environment of space. The vacuum, the super low temperature, and air pressure meant that a small bit of damage at a strategic location could cause the spaceship to explode in space. In contrast, be it superelectromagnetic weapons or plasma weapons, the damage they could deal against buildings and objects was limited. At least the damage wouldn''t be as powerful as a nuclear bomb.


    To borrow an analogy, if a meteorite was hurtling towards Earth, it only needed to be the size of 10 kilometers to wipe out more than 90 percent of living things on Earth. Just how small was 10 kilometers? Earth''s diameter was 12,000 kilometers, and in comparison, 10 kilometers was as small as a piece of sesame. However, that piece of sesame could wipe out 90 percent of living things on Earth.


    However, if one needed to destroy a space mass the size of Earth, even with this large fleet of several hundred thousand, it would require upwards of several ten thousand years. Even level 4 or 5 space civilizations wouldn''t be able to do that, much less a level 3 space civilization. Destroying a planet and wiping out its populace were two different things.


    Therefore, the first defense line that was built around a meteorite belt was far sturdier than the fleet expected. After a focus fire of a cannon ten times the strength of the Genesis, while first defense line didn''t escape unscathed, the important points were completely unharmed. There was only one notable damage. A Genesis cannon that was located quite far for the rest had been shot down by the enemy. It needed emergency repairs before it could be used again.


    However, everyone at the first defense line was worried because this first wave of cannon fire had cleared the row of meteorites at the outermost ring of the first defense line. Many smaller meteorites were evaporated. In other words, the first defense line''s outer layer of defense was taken down and the next wave of attack would hit the base directly.


    Lee Yuan Fang was patrolling, examining the situation all over first defense line. He was a captain, and this was rank considered high at first defense line, so along the way, many people saluted him. While he saluted in return, it was done in a hurry and it was the same for those who saluted him, their concern wasn''t on something as frivolous as saluting.


    "¡­We''re in the creator''s particles'' range, so our communication with the outside world has been cut off¡­"


    Lee Yuan Fang was passing a group of soldiers when he heard this conversation. With a stern face, he shouted, "What are you talking about!? Why don''t you share it with me as well?!"


    The group of soldiers was flustered, but they immediately calmed down. The leading African American soldier immediately saluted and said, "Captain Lee, we''re merely discussing how long we can hold this alien fleet off!"


    When Lee Yuan Fang saw the soldier, he was shocked. It was Private Tom. He was a space baby and Lee Yuan Fang''s neighbor. He was married to a woman from old Earth; their age difference was more than 20 years old. Disregarding the voices of dissent from both families, they ended up together. Their union even caused a ripple among human society, discussing how the age extending technology had unsettled the normal human perspective on marriage and social values.


    Lee Yuan Fang''s wife and Tom''s wife were like sisters, and throughout his wife, Lee Yuan Fang knew Tom.


    "Okay," Lee Yuan Fang said, "how long do you think we can hold them off."


    Tom was a university student who went through the new education system, and in terms of general knowledge, he was much more intuitive than people from old Earth like Lee Yuan Fang. He said seriously, "Captain, from our current data, we won''t be able to hold them off for the 15 days that the military wanted¡­ That is impossible. Actually, to be able to hold them off for five days is already a miracle. My personal estimate is¡­ maximum three days, we can hold on for a maximum of three days."


    Lee Yuan Fang nodded and joined the group of soldiers. "Tell me what you think."


    The group of soldiers looked at each other and the young Asian soldier said, "Captain, from the intensity of the cannon fire, we know that the size of this fleet is huge. We have managed to survive through elements like greater dispersion among the enemy fleet and the lack of accuracy¡­ However, if the enemy''s fleet reaches here and starts attacking at close-distance, our energy shield will have to defend against attack power that is ten times the damage we''re suffering right now. According to our energy analysis and energy output per unit time¡­ at most two days and our energy shield will be broken. Then we''ll be exposed. When that happens, in just one day¡­"


    Everyone was silent, including Lee Yuan Fang. Suddenly, Tom asked, "Captain Yuan Fang, what is your opinion?"


    Lee Yuan Fang laughed bitterly. "The situation is not far off from your analyses and predictions¡­ Yes, we might not survive for longer than three days, but¡­"


    Lee Yuan Fang''s voice got louder, attracting the attention of the nearby soldiers. Slowly, more and more soldiers gathered until it was a small gathering of several hundred people. and he announced, "But! We have to hold on for these three days even if we have to die defending it!


    "I believe many people are already discussing how we''re the abandoned chess pieces of this war, right? I believe many people have trouble sleeping and eating because they''ve started counting down their days, right? Fine! Then have you ever calculated how many hours it has been since that transport shuttle that carried our families left?


    "Let me tell you! 10 hours! It has left merely ten hours ago! It will need at least five days to cover the distance between here and the second defense line, and our enemy''s fleet speed is four times our speed! Four times! Do you understand what that means? In three days, the shuttle will have been gone for three and a half days already. But before it reaches the second defense line, this enemy fleet can still depart from this place and destroy it with some time to spare!


    "And let me tell you who is on that transport shuttle¡­ there are 14,000 civilians, and 9,000 of them are children! 9,000 children! Those are your children, his children, my children, our children! Those are humanity''s future, our hope! 9,000 children! Don''t tell me you want to let those 9,000 children perish in space?! Who dares to admit to that? I will personally tear him apart! If anything happens to those children, even the Chancellor will be questioned and even pressured to surrender his post, much less us!


    "Yes, we might only survive for three days! But in these three days, we have to fight until the last second! This might be a death order, but I have to ask you to ask yourselves with your hands over your hearts: when your wives and children departed from this place, what did your hearts say?"


    Lee Yuan Fang pulled off the buttons on his army fatigue, pointed at his chest, and said, "I''ve asked myself exactly that, and this is my answer¡­ I am willing to put this life on the line here. I, Lee Yuan Fang, have a wife and two children. My son, Lee Xia Ya, is only nine and my daughter, Lee Sai Na, is seven. I want them to grow up safely, I want them to see for themselves the continued advancement of human civilization, I want them to feel proud for being a human, I want them to experience the joy that I have experienced living among humans, and working proudly for the human society, so¡­


    "I, Lee Yuan Fang, will die here willingly! I will fight proudly for three days and die here when the time comes!


    "If my death will preserve the glory of humanity, then I welcome death with open arms!"


    Moments later, at the first defense line''s central command, Warner told Lee Yuan Fang, "Wonderful speech, Captain."


    "No, Lieutenant." There was a glowing conviction in Lee Yuan Fang''s eyes as he said, "That is not a speech, it is how I really feel. For my wife and children''s happiness and future, I will gladly lay down my life."


    "¡­Indeed." Warner turned around to look at the picture frame on his table and he smiled gently. "Happiness is worth defending with our lives. I agree with you, Captain Lee Yuan Fang¡­


    "Do you know my wife passed away quite early, leaving me a trouble-seeking daughter? When we were on old Earth, my daughter got embroiled with a crowd of druggies, but after she came onto the Hope, she turned over a new leaf. She started going to classes and later was very hardworking at her job. She found herself a man at work and they fell in love and got married. Now I''m a proud grandfather of six cute grandchildren¡­


    "I''m happy, really happy. Working for this government not to suppress the people or to fight another country but to protect the safety of humanity¡­ After retirement, I plan to buy a big plot of land on Homeward Planet and retire to become a farmer. I wish to rear a Black Dragon and bring him hunting and fishing every weekend. When winter comes, I''ll curl around the fireplace with a good book and fall asleep¡­


    "Wouldn''t that be the life? And I would do everything, including lay down my life, to give others an opportunity at happiness like that!"


    79 hours later, the first defense line fell and there were zero survivors. When the alien fleet landed on the base, the soldiers used their flesh and blood to block the progress of the robot soldiers until the whole base was swamped by the large fleet¡­


    The first defense line brought down 12,7000 enemy spaceships and held them off for almost 10 hours more than the time predicted by the AI!


    The transport shuttle was 35 hours away from the second defense line¡­


    And inside the shuttle, a woman suddenly collapsed in tears, hugging her son and daughter, crying like a baby¡­

 Chapter 447: Bros!

    Chapter 447: Bros!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "F*ck, f*ck, f*ck¡­"


    Wang Hwa was pacing up and down the second defense line, cursing to himself. His face was so dark that it seemed like he was going to tear someone open soon.


    Wang Hwa was part of the Black Star Unit, he was part of Yao Yuan''s original Special Ops group. He had been through many life and death situations in space and he was also an S-grade Perceptor. He was on special order to stay back at the second defense line, one of the few Homo Evolutis who wasn''t called back to the City of Light Moon.


    Wang Hwa had a feisty personality, or rather he was a typical soldier. His best friend among the Black Star Unit was Ebon because they shared similar personalities. However, Wang Hwa was slightly better than Ebon because at least he could be reasoned with somewhat.


    At this moment, Wang Hwa was in his berserk state. He paced around the base, but alas the number of Black Star troopers who remained to defend this base was pitiably small. Including him, there were only three Black Star Troopers, 140 training soldiers, and 200 Defense Unit soldiers. That was all, and he had to find another Black Star Unit member to vent his frustration.


    "What kind of f*cking order is this!? Why can''t we go to the frontline and fight? F*ck, we have to sit tight and watch the first defense line fall? What kind of f*cking order is this? Has Ol'' Captain been corrupted by the power of Chancellor? Is he emulating Gandhi''s no-fighting, peaceful resistance?"


    Wang Hwa mocked without filter, but the two Black Star troopers beside him were sweating bullets because if Wang Hwa''s words were heard by Yao Yuan¡­ even though the human government didn''t have any libel laws, he was slandering Yao Yuan''s name, the veritable human hero.


    Wang Hwa glanced at the two troopers out of the corner of his eye. "What are you two so afraid of?! If Ol'' Captain wishes to kill me because of my complaints, then so be it! I do wish to see whether he has been corrupted or not!"


    At the point, Wang Hwa was overwhelmed by his own anger. He lobbed the hand grips in his grasp into the air and growled loudly as he sat back down into his seat. He was so still that the two troopers thought he had died from aneurysm or something.


    "Ol'' Captain¡­ he is a good man. He has always been like this, shouldering everyone''s burden on his own shoulders like it is his natural responsibility to do so. That is just crazy! Doesn''t he know there are already too many responsibilities on his shoulders? The greatest human hero, the human savior, the only Immortal in space, the legend who will lead humanity to its peak¡­ at the end of the day, he is just a normal man! Those bastards at the City of Light Moon, those representatives, haven''t they been calling for more human freedom and more human rights, more limitations on the military, the Chancellor''s power, Black Star Troopers? They have been calling for all those limitations because according to them, those are the voices of the people, so where are they now? Why aren''t they relaying the voices of the people at this moment? They''re all silent like ostriches and pushing all the responsibility onto the Ol'' Captain! At this point, they have all¡­.


    "Abandoned the Ol'' Captain!"


    Wang Hwa suddenly stood up as he continued, "Any sane person knows we can no longer hold back a fleet this size, at least not with humanity''s current power, but no one dares to bring up space warp, so Ol'' Captain had no choice¡­ but this is not the end, at least for me. This is not the end¡­


    "I may not have the power to sway the government, I may not have the power to influence the people, I may not have the power to argue with those representatives¡­ but I have the power to decide my own life!"


    Wang Hwa suddenly smiled and said, "Hey, bros, don''t you think¡­ our friends at the first defense line are too lonely? Swallowed like that by a cold, mechanical fleet, they¡­ their souls and flesh could only freeze in that moment, while we, their families and friends, will warp away, leaving this place where they put their lives to rest. Won''t they be lonely?


    "So, how about this, bros¡­ let''s go set up a large fireworks show for these brave souls, to tell them that¡­ we''re still here and we''re still fighting!


    "Let them know that¡­ it is not the Chancellor''s intention to give up on them. The Chancellor¡­ was forced to do so!


    "Let''s go, bros!"


    At the same time, in the second defense line''s central command, Jacko was in deep discussion with several others members who looked after the base, consoling them, telling them that in the next eight hours, the civilians from the first defense line would reach their base, and that in at most three days, the New Solar System first fleet will arrive at the second defense line. Then they could all retreat to the City of Light Moon.


    "The second defense line is large and this meteorite we''re on is at least one-third the size of the Light Moon. It is practically indestructible. The first defense line held on for five days, so by that calculation, we can hold them back for at least 50 days. In fact, we might be able to completely eliminate our enemies here, so I wish for everyone to stop panicking and please return to your own areas to comfort and console your people. We''re in martial law, so please tell them not to do anything that violates the military law due to their emotions¡­"


    After Jacko sent away this group of civilian representatives, before he could catch a breath, another report came in.


    "Commander, the first defense line''s civilian shuttle will reach second defense line in 7 hours and 42 minutes; however, right behind him is the robot fleet. Using the creator''s particle zone as analysis, it will catch up to the shuttle in at most 8 hours, and after catching up, it''ll reach the second defense line in another 10 minutes.


    "The robot fleet is already within our cannon''s firing range, so Commander, shall we fire¡­"


    Jacko was silent for a moment before asking, "What is the simulation result? If we fire, what will happen to the civilian shuttle?"


    The person silently pulled out another report and said, "If we conduct a long-distance cannon fire, the AI fleet will immediately counter-attack. According to the fleet numbers and cannon trajectory¡­ the civilian fleet is in the trajectory, so¡­"


    "It will be shot down, right?" Jacko accepted the report and concluded, "There will be no firing of cannons, send out the order. Continue the surveillance on the robot fleet¡­"


    The person with the report was a lieutenant. He glanced at Jacko before adding, "But before the creator''s particle was released, the last order from the City of Light Moon was to do everything we can to stop the enemy¡­ If we wait until the enemy fleet gets too close, then this order¡­"


    "Then, what do you want me to do?!" Jacko suddenly grabbed the lieutenant''s collar and roared angrily, "You want me to order for the death of 14,000 civilians? You want me to watch 9,000 children die? You want me to cause the death of these people whom our comrades at the first defense line lay down their lives to protect? What do you expect me to do!? Tell me, Lieutenant! You want me to trample on the lives of these heroes from first defense line?! Tell me!"


    After a long time, Jacko finally released the collar of this soldier. However, the lieutenant still held his gaze calmly and said, "Yes, Commander, I know this is inhumane of me to say, but if I was in your position, I would order to fire the cannons¡­ because we have 10 times more civilians in this base! Our own families are here! We need to buy them more time to get back to the City of Light Moon. If you want to save these 14,000 people¡­ then what about our own families? Sir! What about our own flesh and blood, including your wife and children!"


    Jacko''s face was white. His hands gripped tightly, but he stood there, completely unmoving. He didn''t know who to blame, or rather, he was at a loss because this lieutenant had a point because his order could cause 10 times more sacrifices, but¡­


    How could he give the order to fire when the souls of the heroes at the first defense line were still watching!?


    Just as the whole central command turned to Jacko waiting for his command, suddenly, another soldier shot into the room yelling, "Re, report! The guardian spaceship that belongs to the Black Star Troopers has left the base and it is carrying with it a sealed box!"


    "Black Star Troopers?!"


    "We have Black Star Troopers on this base?!"


    The atmosphere in the central command suddenly rose, but Jacko''s heart fell because he was the only one who knew the so-called Black Star Troopers only had three members, and that sealed box¡­ carried a Steel Nall!


    At the same time, outside of the second defense line''s orbit, a guardian spaceship was getting further and further from the base. There was in total 180 plus people on the ship, including three Black Star Troopers, 60 general workers, and 100 plus Defense Unit soldiers.


    Wang Hwa sat in the captain''s car and roared, "Bros, we''re¡­


    "Coming!"

 Chapter 448: Tears and Fireworks

    Chapter 448: Tears and Fireworks


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "I''m telling you all now, I''m his boss from now on! If any one of you dares to bully him again, I will break your arms and legs!"


    At the back of the school compound, a big bloke about 1.8 meters was smirking looking at a group of five to six high schoolers lying on the floor. Several other students were looking their way with their legs shaking. Behind this big bloke was a gentle and weak-looking bespectacled guy with a shaved head, wiping the blood coming out of his nose.


    The big bloke seemed to be in quite a mood and pulled a guy off the ground and growled, "Wang Dog, what did I tell you last time?"


    The student by the name of Wang Dog (?) might''ve looked malevolent on the surface, but at that moment, he was as docile as a dog. With a shaking voice, he said, "Brother, Brother Wang, I remember your warning, but this time it was this guy''s fault, and it was him who came over to us to pay us protection fee, asking us to protect him in the future. However, two days later, he went around telling others that we forced the money out of him and told everyone we''re just a random group of ruffians and are nothing compared to the real gang of people that watches over him. We could not allow him to continue spreading such nasty rumors, so we¡­"


    The big bloke didn''t waste time and slapped the words out of the student''s mouth. "Stop making up stories to distract me. I told you, if any one of you comes to this school again, I would beat one if I see one. Did you think I was joking? Today, since all of you dared to come in again, I''ll make sure all of you crawl out on your knees!"


    The face of this Wang Dog turned white, yellow, and finally black. At long last, he squeezed out this sentence. "Wang Hwa, if you dare to do that, don''t blame us when our boss comes to seek revenge. Our boss is not someone you can deal with¡­"


    Before he could finish, a punch came right at his face and the words dovetailed into a blood-curdling scream. Two of his front teeth were punched loose and his face was a mess¡­


    Wang Hwa, a high school bully from XX High School. While he was only 15, he was already 1.8 meters tall. That combined with his bear-like body and triangular eyes gave him the impression that he was a killer. The teachers as well as the students wouldn''t dare to hold his gaze for more than five seconds, and he was labelled a "hopeless student" at school. Homework, self-study, and morning exercises had nothing to do with him, and cheating during exams, coming late to school, and playing truancy were his daily life.


    However, this student, unbeknownst to most students and teachers of his school, had conquered the land around 10 kilometers of his school. Be it mugging, extortion or blackmail, no one dared to do those near this school, and the school was even thus nominated by the local government to be the best local school¡­


    15 years old was the age where a student knew the importance of numbers because it was the age of school exams. The difference in one number could cause the difference in the school that they could apply to, and this¡­ was not something that could be solved using punches.


    Wang Hwa stared with wide eyes at the math textbook, but he had no idea what he was reading. After a long time, he slapped himself on the back of his head before walking to a bespectacled boy who busy studying. The boy was the model student who he had just saved a few days ago.


    "Bro, help me explain this formula. What in the world is happening? How come suddenly this number will turn to this number?" Wang Hwa chuckled as he slapped the boy intimately on his shoulder.


    The boy first had condescension flash across his eyes before quickly piling the smiles. "Brother Wang, of course I''ll explain it to you¡­ By the way, Brother Wang, I still haven''t thanked you for the incident earlier."


    Wang Hwa laughed and replied with ease, "Why are you bringing that old thing up? It''s no biggie¡­" Before he finished, the bespectacled boy suddenly pulled out a real leather wallet from his shirt and pretended to count the money inside before pulling out three 100 RMB notes and passing them to Wang Hwa with a smile.


    Wang Hwa continued to smile before the smile gradually froze until it was a serious face that was looking at the boy.


    The boy was startled and immediately forced a laugh. "Right, right, this is my mistake. How could Brother Wang take the same amount of money as those ruffians? This is my fault." Then he pulled another two notes from his wallet and offered them to Wang Hwa. The smile on his face looked fake, but there was a smugness in the boy''s eyes.


    Wang Hwa''s punch swiped the five bank notes and attached them right on the boy''s face, cracking his spectacles and teeth¡­


    "You''re truly a disappointed. Your mother went through three days of pain to give birth to you and wasted her last breath to feed you, but you have grown up to become a school bully that extorts other students for their money? Where do you have the face to face your mother? Get down on your knees! You bastard son, get down on your knees¡­"


    "¡­Juvi? Of course a bastard like yourself will end up in juvi; you bullied your little brother just yesterday, didn''t you? Doesn''t his mother treat you well? Even though she''s your stepmom, no one in this village has anything bad to say about her unconditional love towards you, but you don''t seem to appreciate it. Fine, go to juvi then!"


    "Go to university? Who do you think you are? You think we have the money for you to go to university? Even if we did, you think you could graduate? Go out to get a job! Your brother is the genius in his household, he will be the one that will go to university. Take a look at yourself; who do you think you are?"


    "¡­Join the military? Your physique is meant to join the military after all¡­"


    Wang Hwa sat in the captain''s chair, looking at the 3D image of the space around the spaceship, but his thoughts had returned to decades ago, to his high school years, juvi years, and later army days. The good, bad, fussy, pronounced memories surrounded him.


    Wang Hwa looked at the people around him. The two Black Star Troopers were similar to him in the sense that they also came from Old Earth. They were loyal, brave and were every bit a soldier as he was. They were truly humanity''s guardians.


    Then came the general workers and Defense Unit soldiers¡­. They were just normal people, not Homo Evolutis. They did not have superpowers in space wars, and when facing such a large fleet of energy, they didn''t even have the power to save themselves. They¡­ had already prepared to sacrifice themselves.


    Then again¡­ so were himself and the two Black Star Troopers. Even though they were Homo Evolutis, on a battlefield of this scale, it was as he said, they were only enough to create a large scale fireworks display.


    Actually¡­ he didn''t need to do this. The Black Star Troopers only answered to Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor. Even the military didn''t have the right to order them. Jacko, who was a major, was actually one rank lower than him, so he didn''t have the power to order them to attack, but¡­


    But these were the children!


    Wang Hwa had a soft spot for children. He liked hanging out with them, because he loved seeing the smiles on their faces. Other than that, Wang Hwa had extreme respect for the academicians. Among the Black Star Troopers, he was the person who respected the Academy the most. Furthermore, he was studious even though that didn''t reflect in his results. He was one of the few among the Black Star Troopers to volunteer to take the university entrance test¡­ even though he failed every time¡­


    He enjoyed watching society improve and every child get treated the best they could. Furthermore, due to the interaction between western and eastern styles of education, the type of eastern education where the child was put down was dropped in favor of the western style education that propped up the children. Every child was given the opportunity to go to school and enter university, and juvi was no longer a thing!


    Therefore, Wang Hwa''s favorite thing to do on the City of Light Moon was to visit the schools. Whenever he saw the smiles of children, his heart warmed and it gave him a happy feeling¡­


    Yes, he was happy!


    And now, that damnable fleet was coming to destroy this happiness. Right before them, there were 9,000 children''s lives who were being threatened, and there were more children behind them on the second defense line¡­


    He would do everything to protect them!


    Suddenly, a pilot interrupted Wang Hwa''s thought. "Captain, we''re entering the transport shuttle''s creator''s particle zone. Very soon we''ll enter its free zone and be able to communicate with them."


    Wang Hwa came to and replied, "Communicate with the shuttle and have the leader broadcast our conversation to the entire shuttle."


    Just like that, five minutes later, the two ships met each other. After a few words of conversation, Wang Hwa''s face appeared at every corner of the ship and everyone on the shuttle could see him.


    "Hello, how are the little ones doing? Hi, my name is Wang Hwa and I''m a Black Star Trooper! I''ve brought along my unit to protect all of you!"


    Wang Hwa concluded his short speech with a guffaw. After he said those words, the shuttle was stunned. However, that quickly turned into cheers. This was a Black Star Trooper unit! The Black Star Troopers had arrived!


    From who knew when, the Black Star Troopers had become something of a superhero unit among humanity. Movies using them as the heroes appeared like mushrooms after spring rain. That combined with the government advertisements, the image of the Black Star Troopers achieved a godlike status among the people. They were invincible, loyal, brave, and they were the staunchest defenders of humanity!


    The appearance of a Black Star Trooper unit dispersed the shuttle''s anxiety instantly. The feeling of relaxation and ease they felt couldn''t be described with words. Many people started tearing up¡­ perhaps because they were reminded of their husbands or sons at the first defense line¡­


    A woman suddenly collapsed hugging her own son and daughter. Her son, Lee Xia Ya, wiped away his mother''s tears and asked, "Mom, what''s wrong¡­ This man is a Black Star Trooper? He''s going to help daddy?"


    The woman smudged the tears on her face and said, "Yes, he¡­ and his friends are going to help your parents." As she said so, her tears became even fiercer.


    Lee Xia Ya''s face, though, was glowing. With stars in his eyes, he said, "This man¡­ is so handsome! Black Star Troopers are so handsome! I also want to become a Black Star Trooper in the future! Mom, I also want to be a Black Star Trooper!"


    The woman ruffled the boy''s hair gently and said softly, "Okay, Xia Ya¡­ will be the strongest Black Star Trooper."


    "Yes, I''ll be the strongest Black Star Trooper!" Lee Xia Ya looked at the screen with his eyes glowing until the image of the guffawing man disappeared¡­


    After the spaceships parted, Wang Hwa stood up and got into his space armor. Of course, this was merely a ritual, as this was a battle that had no use for space armor.


    "Open up the sealed box!"


    Wang Hwa ordered the workers. With the aid of a few AI robots, the large container was peeled open. Inside it sat a spherical, pure silvery white ball-like object. It was about 15 meters in diameter. This was no longer the first prototype. After 10 years of retouching by Bo Li, this was the latest prototype.


    This steel ball was Steel Ball Progressive Prototype Two. It was created by Bo Li using Wang Hwa''s body capability and Homo Evolutis power. It was, in other words, custom-made for Wang Hwa.


    Beside Wang Hwa, the two Black Star Troopers had stepped into their own Space Combat Jets while Wang Hwa raised his hands and told everyone there severely, "Comrades, every friend on this space¡­ I''m not one for inciting speeches, so¡­ I only have one thing to say¡­"


    Wang Hwa saluted them and walked into the Steel Ball saying, "Let us meet again at the Hall of Remembrance!"


    Four hours later, the transport shuttle arrived at the second defense line. The first thing they did was inform the people about how the Black Star Troopers had shielded their retreat, which was met with lowered gazes and silence by the people at the second defense line¡­


    The Space Combat Jets, the guardian spaceship, and the silver ball created a large fireworks show in space. They blocked the enemy''s progress for three hours. 10 minutes after the battle began, the guardian spaceship was shot down by the large fleet. 1 hour and 15 minutes later, the two space combat jets exploded one after another. Three hours and twenty minutes later, the steel ball that had been moving around the battlefield suddenly stopped moving and ten seconds later exploded in space¡­


    When the second the transport shuttle arrived at second defense line, the cannons at the base roared at once, adding colors to the fireworks that were still erupting in space¡­


    At the second defense line, Lee Xia Ya, who was watching the fireworks through the public television, had his tears fall from his face and shatter into pieces as they hit the floor¡­

 Chapter 449: The Light of Hope and Fever?

    Chapter 449: The Light of Hope and Fever?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Back in the City of Light Moon¡­


    Yao Yuan, Guang Zhen, Bo Li, Ren Tao, and several scientists as well as strategists were reviewing the long distance surveillance images of the first defense line and the combat video of Wang Hwa''s Black Star Trooper unit.


    Everyone was silent until the video was repeated the third time, where Yao Yuan called for quits. With a darkened face, he said, "As everyone can see, the second defense line has continued firing for 14 hours already, the first defense line has been taken down, and the pieces of Steel Ball have been collected by the unknown fleet. This confirms that Wang Hwa''s unit has sacrificed themselves¡­.


    "Based on what we''ve watched, I want to hear your opinions." Yao Yuan addressed the room.


    The room became silent once more. After some time, Guang Zhen said darkly, "This fleet''s military prowess is not weaker than us humans''. No, from their energy shields, they seem to be even more powerful than we are. Furthermore, their fleet is unimaginably big. We can see from the videos that even though the size of the cannons at the second defense line are 10 times the size of the cannons at first defense line, based on the observable data, our enemy has lost less than 5,000 spaceships. Without the initial element of surprise, now our enemy is really exhibiting their prowess as a level 3 space civilization."


    Yao Yuan nodded and asked, "Yes, that''s right, but other than that?"


    A strategist said, "The combat prowess of the Steel Ball is better than expected, especially the special weapons attached to it. The Explosive Arrow Bullets have the capability of shattering energy shields at close distance. The fact that one Steel Ball can destroy 4,000 plus spaceships in three hours is very impressive. If we had more than 100 Steel Balls, then we could win this war easily¡­"


    "100 Steel Balls?" Yao Yuan chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I guess that''s one way to look at it. Anything else?"


    Suddenly, Ren Tao raised his voice to say, "They¡­ they seem to be looking for something."


    Yao Yuan''s eyes glowed and he added hurriedly, "Why do you say so? Explain."


    Ren Tao contemplated for a bit before adding, "There are three weird observations. First, at the first defense line, even though they retaliated with intense cannon fire, it is observable that they still held some kind of reservation. Even though I don''t understand why, the reality told us that they seemed to be unnecessarily guarded about something. However, that confusion was answered when the robots landed inside first defense line. Suddenly, a thought came to me¡­ they''re looking for something?"


    "Looking for what?"


    When Ren Tao said that, the room was confused, and they reviewed the videos again. After a while, they came to the same conclusion. The robot fleet didn''t need to even land on first defense line. They had the overwhelming advantage, and the first defense line''s energy shield had been taken down, so there was no reason for them to risk landing. This was out of place for an AI civilization.


    "If this was a normal alien civilization, then perhaps this could be explained by their need to collect lifeforms to farm soul, but there is no need for that for an AI civilization because they have no use for soul, so this action of theirs is very strange."


    At this point, Yao Yuan was suddenly reminded of Intel, the sentient AI born within the human civilization¡­ His real identity was a sentient intelligence, the key to the breakthrough of machine singularity... Could it be¡­


    Here, Xiao Niao picked up where Ren Tao left off. "Yes, I too have discovered that anomaly. It was hinted at during the landing of first defense line and was confirmed when they fought Major Wang Hwa. The enemy fleet was indeed looking for something, but they didn''t seem to know what kind of thing it was or where it was. It was probably why they were held up by Major Wang Hwa for three hours, because they were trying to detain him alive."


    After Yao Yuan heard this, he rearranged his thoughts. "In conclusion, this enemy fleet is looking for something, but no one knows what that thing is, not even the enemy, so they''re trying to preserve everything as unharmed as they can to facilitate their search despite them having an absolute advantage. This in turn hinders their action¡­ is that what you all mean?"


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao looked at each other and nodded in unison. Xiao Niao said, "Yes, and there is a key information¡­ that we received from Blue 6 and the space merchant. The biggest weakness of an AI civilization is their static programming. Yes, they can process many things at a speed that is much faster than a normal lifeform can, but their power of logic is weaker than most. Once they settle on a specific sequence of programs, they will need to adhere to it, so that leads us to believe¡­ that this thing our enemy is looking for is very important and that it is their prime objective. Before accomplishing it, all other objectives are secondary. Unless they are physically threatened, this AI civilization will not change its programming sequence¡­ Even after the war settles, searching for this thing will be its priority."


    A Defense Unit Major suddenly asked, "So what about that? Will they still continue to attack us? Will they stop attacking us if we help them search for that thing?"


    Yao Yuan cut him off. "No, the focus is not on that thing. I believe I understand what they mean. They''re talking about something else¡­ The key is not the thing but how this AI civilization will be inhibited by this thing. Since they couldn''t confirm whether the Steel Ball was the thing or not, Major Wang Hwa managed to stall them for three hours. Similarly, because they don''t know whether the thing is in the second defense line, they won''t destroy it with a collective cannon shot even though they have broken down most of the base''s energy shields. This is where our advantage lies¡­


    "Other than that, the thing we''re most afraid of about this fleet is their size, 1,700,000 spaceships. Even now there are still 1,600,000 spacehips remaining. If the whole fleet moves towards us at once, we will be steamrolled, but in reality¡­ if we''re fighting them in sections, using the collaboration between our human spaceships and the Black Star troopers, we might survive or even win this war. That is what they mean¡­"


    Using the data from Wang Hwa''s final stand, Yao Yuan wasn''t exaggerating. With enough Steel Balls in combat, it was entirely possible to use one person to fight more than 1,000 spaceships. However, the lack of Steel Balls was the biggest issue. However, with the cooperation between the Black Star Troopers and the Defense Unit, the war was still winnable.


    On the battlefield, the difference in weapons could decide the fate of the war. The Space Combat Jet was designed by Whisperer Bo Li, and the plasma ammo, Explosive Arrow Bullet, was specially designed to shatter plasma energy shields. However, if it was fired more than 10 kilometers away, it would lose its power. In fact, the damage would be so weak that it could barely harm a human being. In contrast, when it was fired at close range, it could easily drill through any plasma shied to harm the entity within it. If attached with this ammo, the Space Combat Jets were truly spaceship assassins¡­ provided they could get close.


    That combined with the tactical focus fire of the Gravity Cannon¡­


    "In other words¡­"


    Yao Yuan raised his head to look at the room, and everyone saw the fire burning in his eyes. There was hatred, fury, hope, iron, and blood¡­


    "In other words, we still have hope for victory¡­"


    At the same time, in the civilian quarters at the second defense line¡­


    After the wild expansion, this place was practically a small city already. Even though the size was smaller than the City of Light Moon, it had all the necessary amenities to make life on the base a relaxing one.


    However, everyone''s faces were drawn. Tremors would shake the city occasionally. This was the sign that Energy Storm cannon was firing. The large counter force caused the whole meteorite the city was based on to shake, and the constant tremors reminded the citizens that they were in the middle of a war¡­


    Susan was chatting with Marrion while her sons Lee Xia Ya and Lee Sai Na were playing with Marrion''s son, Rei. The contrast was obvious between the adults and children. The children were playing happily, while the adults were filled with concern.


    After the civilians from first defense line arrived at the second defense line, they were immediately assigned by the government to share the household of the family currently residing at the second defense line. Susan, the wife of a lieutenant, was assigned to share the house of second defense line''s commander, Jacko''s home. The two ladies saw their predicament reflected in the other, so they became fast friends.


    "I wonder¡­ when we will win this war." Susan sighed as she took a sip of the tea.


    Marrion smiled and said, "Don''t worry. My husband told me that the main Black Star Trooper forces are heading our way. There are at least 200 troopers; we will definitely win this."


    Susan forced a smile and used the silver spoon to stir her cup of tea. "But¡­ how many troopers will we sacrifice? And the Defense Unit soldiers? How many families will¡­end up like mine?"


    Both women were then silent, each nursing their own thoughts¡­


    Suddenly, the smallest of the children, Lee Sai Na, collapsed on top of the blocks, causing a huge commotion. The two adults turned towards her instantly. Initially, they thought the kids were fighting, but they realized something was wrong instantly because the remaining two boys, even though they didn''t fall down, their faces were curiously red. The two women ran to them immediately. The moment they touched their faces, they realized the kids were burning up like¡­ they were falling into a fever!


    "Fever?"


    The two women exclaimed in unison, and the eyes that looked at each other were filled with indescribable shock¡­

 Chapter 450: Breakthrough... (1)

    Chapter 450: Breakthrough... (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Martial law was still in effect, even though there were no soldiers armed with guns patrolling the area. To prevent civilians from wandering into military-sealed zones, all the necessary provisions were sent by AI robots right to the houses. The city government advised the citizens to not leave their homes before the war was over, so the streets outside were completely silent. Other than the occasional cleaning robots, there was no one else. Even though there were no crowds to dirty the streets, the robots were still working according to their programming.


    When the two women rushed out of the house like crazy, a robot came over to offer them help instantly. Of course, this was another way of telling them not to leave the house. In reality, the two women had already called the hospital, Jacko at central command, and even the medical team attached to second defense line''s Black Star Trooper base. However, even so, they couldn''t wait anymore, as they wished to send their children to the hospital immediately.


    After all, human beings had passed the human strengthening phase. Physically speaking, even the women and elderly were healthier than Old Earth''s Special Ops soldiers or Iron-man champion. They were immune to all Old Earth''s sicknesses like the flu, fever, cancer, and so on. Technically speaking, human beings couldn''t fall victim to fevers anymore¡­


    Unless this was not a normal fever but one that so far couldn''t be explained by human technology¡­


    Homo Evolutis awakening!


    Yes, Homo Evolutis awakening, the fever could be fatal, and the fatality rate was startling high. Of course, that was if the patient was not given any medical attention. Both women were survivors from Old Earth that had lived through the many Homo Evolutis awakenings on the Hope. They knew how badly human beings would fare if they had no medical attention during their awakening. Furthermore, these were children, and the eldest among them only 9 years old, so they didn''t dare to take any chances.


    Both mothers were worried beyond words. Mothers were truly the most powerful creatures in the world when they needed to protect their sons. Even though there were robots blocking their way, the two mothers ignored them, hugging their three children between them, and rushed into the streets.


    About five minutes later, the three fainted children were placed in the emergency hovercraft. Inside the vehicle, several doctors were examining the children and applying them the necessary potions.


    "The symptoms are very similar¡­" one of the doctors whispered.


    The doctor beside him added, "Yes, the drastic exhaustion of various nutrients in the body, the dehydration, these are indeed the symptoms¡­"


    The group of doctors didn''t seem that old, though they were actually professors at the hospital. They were normally separated into their respective sections, but this time they were all there for these patients because three children were sick with fevers simultaneously. Normal fevers were an obsolete disease, so fevers had become a stand-in for Homo Evolutis awakenings. Even though the news was quite shocking when it arrived at the hospital, with the precedence of Zhang San, it was not that unacceptable, especially considering the situation¡­


    The two mothers, though, were only worried about the safety of their children¡­


    At the same time, at central command, after receiving the call from his wife, Jacko remained in a dazed state for at least 10 minutes after hanging up before he cheered loudly, "My son is becoming a Homo Evolutis? My son is going to be a Homo Evolutis? Hahahaha¡­"


    The people in the room turned to look at him with confusion and surprise. Jacko realized the scene that he had caused, so he coughed and said seriously, "Where''s the report on the preparation of the super-large Energy Storm main cannon?"


    The people around him instantly mobilized. Moments later, one of the adjutants replied, "All Genesis, Requiem, and Energy Storm cannons have stopped firing. Currently, we''re only using normal energy cannons. All the related energy channels have been rerouted to the main cannon. The preparation stage has reached 46 percent. Expected 32 minutes more before the cannon can be used."


    "32 minutes you say¡­"


    Jacko frowned. In that half a day, he seemed to have aged at least a decade. There were additional wrinkles around his forehead and there was more white in his hair. After some thoughts, he answered, "Have all the human forces at the outer cannons retreat immediately, leave behind only the AI robots. After making sure there are no people within a 10 kilometer radius, have the place self-destruct¡­ Reroute all the energy channels we have to the main cannon¡­"


    Jacko thought about it, but he didn''t seem like he had anything else to add. The second defense line mobilized following his orders. At the outer ring of the defense line, the unknown fleet had completely surrounded the defense line. In fact, the number of the unknown fleet and the space they occupied had already surpassed the size of the meteorite the base was on.


    However, the unknown fleet didn''t overwhelm the second defense line with their firepower. Instead, they set up their own defense line. Other than Energy Storm, even Requiem wouldn''t do much damage to the robot fleet. Under these circumstances, the fleet idled outside of second defense line, not attacking and not retaliating. No one really understood what they were doing.


    This situation was even scarier than if they just swarmed the second defense line. With its natural and man-made defenses, the second defense line could hold on for at least 10 days before it fell. However, this kind of radio silence was disconcerting. Plus, the enemy was an AI civilization, so they couldn''t be reasoned with or predicted. What if¡­ they were preparing for an ultimate weapon?


    Therefore, instead of waiting to find out what the robot civilization was planning, Jacko, after discussing it with the strategy department at the second defense line, decided to strike first. Their weapon of choice was the large Energy Storm main cannon. There was only one of those at the entire second defense line, and it was built right at the middle of second defense line. Technically speaking, this main cannon wasn''t meant for human-use¡­ or to put it into another perspective, it was not something that should be available to humanity, at least at its current technological prowess. This was something designed by Bo Li and was nothing more than a prototype. Its internal structure was built entirely out of the alloys created by the alien plant. In other words, this main cannon was similar to the Steel Ball in the way that they were beyond the comprehension of normal level 3 space civilizations.


    Just like that, 10 minutes passed and the charging of the main cannon was completed. With an order from Jacko, the main cannon started its final energy condensation process¡­


    "Fire!"


    Instantly, an energy ball with the brightness of the sun shot out of second defense line towards the fleet not far away from it¡­

 Chapter 451: Breakthrough (2)

    Chapter 451: Breakthrough (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Humanity''s scientific development is extremely irregular, or rather, humanity''s experience caused this irregularity. From a god-tier space civilization''s space warp, to a high tier space civilization''s anti-gravitational system, to a middle-tier space civilization''s psychological control system¡­ humanity has too many technologies that are beyond its current civilization level, and this may cause difficulties in scientific development of human technology in the future!"


    This prediction was given about one year ago at human society''s first scientific symposium. It was given by an up and rising scientist within the Academy. The sentiment was approved by many of the scientists, including two great scientists. In actually, this was not something new. This belief was something that existed back on Old Earth; it was akin to something called "degree of civilization maturity."


    To use an example, the Mayan civilization was technologically advanced, especially in terms of astrology and history. Even their agricultural technology was almost at the level of a middle-age civilization, and their math and construction were almost the level of modern civilizations. However, such a civilization was still limited within the medieval ages and didn''t have any breakthroughs in science until its extinction.


    Such examples were observable all over the world, like ancient China, ancient India, Babylon¡­


    Of course, while these words might have academic and realistic implications for the Academy, for the normal citizens, it was exciting news. Public-use technology would continue to improve. Military technology represented humanity''s safety in space, so the greater it was, the better it was¡­


    Currently, within humanity''s military technology, there were at least five that were personally designed by Bo Li. Of course, she couldn''t have done that alone. She had the best research laboratory where all the latest technological devices could be found. Similarly, she had the best military weapons research team and the team''s number was as high as 400 people. This combined with Bo Li''s power as a Whisperer meant that the team could showcase extreme potential. Initial assessment put humanity''s most advanced weapon at least several hundred years ahead of humanity''s current technological level!


    Energy Storm was the core of this technological advancement. It was humanity''s most powerful long-distance weapon. In fact, other than the surprise shot at the first defense line, at other instances, humanity''s normal cannons, including the Genesis and Requiem, were unable to harm the enemy fleet. The most they could take down was either the small battleships or guardian spaceships; they could do no damage to the bigger ships. According to human analysis, there were still at least more than several hundred large spaceships among the enemy fleet. They were like motherships, each of them were more than 200,000 meters long. They were evenly spread among the enemy fleet, and human weapons were helpless against them; even Energy Storm wouldn''t be able to cause any damage to them¡­


    In fact, this was the initial design scheme behind the large Energy Storm main cannon. When humanity started building Kun Lun, there was an awareness within the higher ups. If humanity could create such a large mothership and exist as an invincible entity among similar-level space civilizations, then didn''t it mean that other civilizations could do the same? After all, humanity had just entered space many years ago? Humanity was still a baby compared to many other space civilizations. Since humanity could create Kun Lun, it was ludicrous to imagine that other space civilizations wouldn''t come up with similar ideas.


    Therefore, the human government came up with a new order for Bo Li''s team. It was to design a cannon that could take down super-large motherships. The normal Energy Storm was merely a side product of this project, and this sole large Energy Storm main cannon was humanity''s actual trump card!


    When this ball of energy as bright as the sun shot out from the human base, every individual at second defense line followed its trajectory. It carried with it everyone''s hopes until it exploded among the enemy fleet. A giant energy wave overwhelmed the fleet, and it reached even the second defense line¡­


    Yes, the size of the explosion was bigger than expected. Its damage was at least 10 times greater than predicted. After all, this was the first time the cannon had been fired after it was designed and built. Its damage was calculated using normal Energy Storm as the basis, but in reality¡­ the larger the energy, the greater the compression rate, and the higher the damage. The ratio wasn''t 1 to 10 as they expected¡­


    Just like that, the large energy was compressed into a small sun and idled in the middle of the enemy fleet. At the same time, energy waves spread out at all directions. They tore through the ranks of the enemy fleet and even caused endless tremors at the second defense line. It felt like the meteorite was being affected by a giant earthquake. There were cracks in the ground and many buildings collapsed. The whole city area was submerged into chaos. There were sounds of crying and screaming, and certain places had caught fire due to the leaking of energy lines. At the same time¡­ the second defense line''s energy circulatory system was heavily damaged, causing the life support system to move towards the emergency energy storage. If this war wasn''t ended before the emergency energy storage depleted¡­ the entire second defense line would end up a city of death!


    Even though Jacko was in central command, he still suffered a nasty fall. However, he quickly jumped from the floor and yelled, "Start the system self-prognosis immediately! What about the military observation team? Analyze the damage situation of the enemy fleet! How are things at the civilian sectors? The various weapon systems? Also¡­ is the large Energy Storm main cannon still usable? Quick! I need the answer within five minutes!"


    Central command was chaotic, but they were, after all, soldiers. The prolonged training still made them return to their discipline and senses quickly. In less than five minutes, all the reports had been prepared.


    "Second defense line''s internal life support system is losing energy. Damage rate 26.3 percent, expected repair time is 17 hours¡­ the emergency energy can last for 72 hours. There is ample time¡­"


    "Most of second defense line''s external structure have been destroyed. Less than 30 percent of siege buildings survived¡­"


    "Energy Storm main cannon''s parts have been completely ruined. In a short amount of time¡­ no, more accurately, building another one will take less time? What kind of sh*tty data is this? Have them recheck this!"


    Jacko looked through all the reports with a drawn face. He cursed and yelled within central command. His usual cool had been lost. With the blood trailing down his face, instead of a military soldier, he looked more like a gangster.


    However, when the more detailed report came, he became silent instantly before the whole central command erupted in cheer!


    With just that one cannon shot, in visible range, the unknown fleet had lost at least 500,000 spaceships, and this included at least 30 motherships. And that was not counting the ones that had been vaporized. In other words, that one shot had taken out at least one-third of the enemy numbers!


    Of course, this was a result that couldn''t be repeated. One was because the enemy fleet had stopped moving around the second defense line and their arrangement was tactical. Two was due to the energy requirements of the main cannon; to fire another shot was impossible. That one shot was practically a miracle!


    The good cheer lasted for only a moment before Jacko roared, "Assign the Defense Unit with AI robots to go rescue and help the citizens. At the same time, start repairing all the cannons and salvage those that cannot be repaired. Those that can still be used, continue firing. Make use of this opportunity when the enemy is confused¡­"


    However, before he finished, the small dots of light that represented the enemy fleet on the large 3D image in the room started to move. There was no chaos or retaliation¡­ They moved with startling uniformity. Yes, this was a fleet without any lifeforms. They were merely machines. For this fleet, there was only data. Be it destruction of 100,000 ships, 200,000 ships, or 500,000 ships, they were all only data¡­


    Therefore, the expected chaos didn''t happen. Instead, the fleet started moving towards the second defense line. They didn''t fire any cannons. Just like what happened at first defense line¡­ they were going to land and overwhelm the second defense line.


    Instantly, everyone''s brains stopped moving and their eyes reddened with bloodlines. Everyone could see the end before them. The innumerable robots landing on second defense line, taking advantage of the fact that the defense mechanism was down. Then the citizens would be¡­


    The thing that increased the sense of fear most was that the large fleet started to separate. With the people at the second defense line watching, a large section of the fleet departed to head¡­ towards the City of Light Moon.


    This represented¡­ extinction? Human extinction?


    "No, there''s still hope!" Jacko suddenly roared as he slammed his bloodied military cap down. Like a gambler, he yelled, "Continue my orders from before. Use all the available weapons to stop the fleet from getting close to second defense line¡­ and wait for me to return!


    "We still have hope! We have three Homo Evolutis in the second defense line, but we only need one. We have equipment within our hangar that is powerful enough to stop the fleet from coming close to second defense line and to buy enough time for the New Solar System''s first fleet to arrive¡­


    "Rei and a Steel Ball!"

 Chapter 452: Steel Ball Standing in Space (1)

    Chapter 452: Steel Ball Standing in Space (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "This psychological control system is unique in the sense that it can connect to your brain waves through super-energy condensation. From a certain perspective, this means that the structure aligned to your brain wave will become part of your body, and all the signals will become a signal that you can sense directly¡­ to put it simply, this system is an extension of your brain!


    "All of us know that the human brain is the most mysterious human body part. In fact, even though we''re now a level 3 space civilization, our understanding of the human brain is still fairly lacking, especially in terms of spirit, consciousness, and logicality. It has to be said that the creator of this system is really a genius, but it is still incomplete, so it might cause an overload of sensory information¡­


    "If this is our brain, then the problem can be easily solved. For example, if you went shopping on a busy street and you ran into a familiar face and started chatting, the other noises from the street would naturally fade away for you to focus on your conversation. Similarly when you''re asleep, the surroundings will become quiet. If there is a constant water dropping sound in the background, it''ll disturb your sleeping pattern. Our brains are able to filter out this unnecessary information naturally¡­


    "However, the incompleteness of the system means that it doesn''t have a natural or fully functioning filter. Furthermore, the system will cause an influx of information that is normally ten times the size of normal situation. The consequence will be brain death for normal human beings and drowsiness, or in some cases, death for Homo Evolutis¡­ Currently, only Yao Yuan, who has received plenty of training, can survive the excessive information influx for an extended period of time before the sleep comes¡­


    "However¡­ even if this system is incomplete, it doesn''t mean that no one can use it. In fact, according to our research, there is one kind of person that can use them¡­ they are children. Yes, compared to adults, children have a more simplified thought process, and that aids with information filtering. In fact, if the user is a Homo Evolutis under the age of 10, the pressure the system will have on the children is much smaller than the pressure it will have on Yao Yuan. In fact, if the children focus completely in battle, they might not even feel the pressure of the additional information¡­


    "The internal structure of the Steel Ball contains a plasmatic ion cold fission reactor. Its energy output is no different from normal plasmatic ion fission reactor, but its stability is at least 100 times its normal variant. For a Steel Ball the size of 15 meters, the reactor can ensure that it will keep on functioning for at least a year¡­


    "¡­So the biggest issue in the construction of Steel Ball is not the materials but the lack of qualified pilots¡­"


    Jacko naturally didn''t know about this conversation. In fact, the Steel Ball currently still qualified as a grade A confidential detail. Other than a handful, most human beings were not privy to the design and construction of Steel Ball. The only thing confirmed by the citizens was that usage of Steel Ball would have a great toll on its user. Even a powerful Homo Evolutis like Yao Yuan would be greatly affected, much less a normal human being.


    Jacko sat in his personal hovercraft that came with its own driver. He gripped his hands tightly, his fingers interlocking. He sat quietly, his face as dark as abyss. However, there was a trace of hesitation on it. From the central command to the hospital, he maintained this expression.


    The journey was not long, and along the way were endless scenes of tragedies. People crying on the street, collapsing buildings, cracks on the ground, there were also explosions from energy plants and storage. The number of deaths had to be more than 100. This was a harrowing event. If this was peace time, he would definitely be deposed from his post as the commanding officer and perhaps even thrown into jail. But this was war¡­ if he didn''t come up with a solution soon, perhaps everyone there would¡­


    Thinking about this, Jacko gripped his fist and his face had a trace of conviction on his face like he had just come to a decision¡­


    Luckily, the hospital was still standing even though tons of equipment had been destroyed, especially those related to energy reserves. This caused half of the hospital to be unusable. Thankfully, the Homo Evolutis sector wasn''t affected, so when Jacko arrived at the hospital, he saw three children being given the drip and two women guarding over them.


    When Jacko arrived, Marrion was first shocked before walking over to ask, "What''s wrong? Why are you here when it''s wartime?"


    Jacko didn''t say a word but reached out to smooth his wife''s hair. Then he walked to one of the attending doctors to ask, "Doctor, I want you to tell me whether my son has really awakened to a Homo Evolutis or if he''s just suffering from a common fever."


    The doctor appeared to be in his middle-age, so this meant that he was probably over 90 years of age. In fact, he was one of the few medical experts that came from Old Earth. He said seriously, "Lieutenant, with all due respect, you''re a lieutenant, so you should know by now that we humans will no longer fall sick to fever. It is the same for children as well. After the human strengthening project began, we''ve only have three fever cases, and these are the three. No, wait, I stand corrected. There are four, the other one being Zhang San. Since he was confirmed to be a Homo Evolutis, then yes, the children are Homo Evolutis as well."


    "Is that so¡­" Jacko smiled apologetically at the doctor before turning to his wife. After he had his men usher the doctors and nurses out of the room, he said, "Marrion, I have a bad news. Unfortunately¡­ I''ve failed, no, the second defense line has failed. Even though the power of the main cannon was stronger than expected, we do not have the time to wait for the first fleet to come rescue us. Even if they were just one day away from us, this place will fall in less than 24 hours and we will all die¡­"


    Marrion opened her mouth wide, but no words came out. With her hand on her chest, she eventually gasped, "Oh, God, Jacko, please tell me you''re kidding¡­"


    Susan beside her was also in a state of disbelief.


    Jacko smiled. "Honey, how could I joke about something like that¡­ The scariest thing is the numbers of the fleet. According to our analysis, there is at least 300,000 spaceships heading towards the City of Light Moon. Even though the city is much bigger than this base, their military defense is much smaller than ours¡­ so humanity is facing extinction. How can I joke about something like that?"


    "God, please look after us humans, to help us overcome this ordeal¡­" Marrion started to pray.


    Jacko, though, bent over to look at his son. He was a healthy mixed blood baby, with yellowish brown skin and brunette, curly hair. This was his son, Rei¡­


    "Honey¡­ I want our son to get in a Steel Ball."


    Marrion still hadn''t recovered from her shock and Jacko''s words didn''t register in her mind, so she asked, "What did you say just now? Sorry, I didn''t hear you."


    Jacko stood up to look his wife straight in the eye. "Honey, my dear wife¡­ I want our son to get in a Steel Ball to control it. Currently, there are two Steel Balls left on the base. Unfortunately, the tremor just now had caused a crack in the hangar and one of them fell into the crevice and lodged itself there. We are unable to retrieve it in a short amount of time, so we only have one Steel Ball left, and I want Rei to be the pilot."


    Marrion was stunned before rushing to Rei''s side and forming a blockade around him. She yelled, "Jacko, you cannot do this! Our son is only nine years old. Maybe he is only suffering from a fever; no one can be certain he has already awakened to a Homo Evolutis, and this is the Steel Ball you''re talking about. He''ll die¡­"


    "Honey, do you know what is at stake here? The City of Light Moon, Homeward Planet, the place where the Hope landed, that''s the end of the line for humanity! If that place falls, it is over for us humans! So¡­"


    Jacko argued seriously. Then he walked to his wife to give her a hug. Using a voice that only he and his wife could hear, he said, "I know what you want to say, but please don''t say it. Indeed, Rei is not the only Homo Evolutis here, but¡­ they are not our children, and Rei is my son. I know this is unfair, but it was also unfair when the heroes at the first defense line had to sacrifice themselves. It was unfair when Major Wang Hwa brought his team to meet death. The world is unfair¡­ I''m sorry, Marrion, I love you and I love Rei, but¡­"


    Jacko used the back of his hand to knock at a point at the back of Marrion''s head, causing her to faint instantly. He placed his wife at the bed before hugging his unconscious son off the bed. He kissed his son''s face and brows and tears fell out of the corners of his eyes.


    "Rei, my son, you''re Jacko''s son, and you''re destined to be a hero, the youngest and the most powerful Homo Evolutis¡­


    "I''m very proud of you!"

 Chapter 453: Steel Ball Standing in Space! (2)

    Chapter 453: Steel Ball Standing in Space! (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Rei had a dream that could only be described with the word "weird"¡­


    In a world of darkness, three balls of light were struggling greatly. They tried to light up the darkness around them, but it was to no avail as the darkness was simply too large and encompassing, like the universe. In contrast, the balls of light were too small, like droplets of water in the ocean. They were overwhelmed and consumed by the darkness¡­


    Just as he turned to look at the three balls of light, they too seemed to discover him. Instantly, the three balls of light rushed towards him. He was afraid because he had no idea what they were. Plus they were burning, and he was afraid of being scorched. His natural instinct was to run, but unfortunately, he was unable to move in the darkness. He could only watch as the largest fireball rushed into his body. In that instant, he could see a large man laughing openly in space¡­


    The other two fireballs also disappeared into his body and then the world returned to complete darkness. He could no longer see anything and he was left alone in this world of emptiness. There was nothing but himself standing alone¡­


    He was afraid and lonely. The loneliness was like chills that gripped his heart. He wished to see his parents, his friends, but there was nothing around him but loneliness¡­


    Slowly, he felt like something was trying to grow out of his body. It was a light, a flame, but it was restricted within his body like his flesh and bones were a cage. Just as he was about to go into despair, a ray of brilliant light shone from behind him. He turned around unconsciously and saw in the world of darkness a gigantic sun. Its light warmed the world around it and the darkness could do nothing to consume it. In fact, the light was dispersing the darkness, making the world come alive. At the same time, the fire and light within his body seemed to resonate with the sun. They struggled to escape his body and instantly, he too became part of the light¡­


    "AH!"


    Rei suddenly sat up and his whole body was covered with cold sweat. Before he realized what was happening, a giant tremor shook him awake. It made him feel like he was sitting in a roller-coaster¡­


    Several seconds later, Rei got a clearer view of his surroundings. There was nothing around him, no doctors, no parents, no sign of any human but several AI robots. There were plenty of IV drips connected to his body. He was suddenly reminded of the time he was trapped in the darkness and he started to cry, "Mommy, I want Mommy. Daddy, where are you? What is this place? Please come save me."


    Then the few robots started to move. One of them helped removed the drip from Rei''s body, another pressed the front of its chest, and a 3D image shot out of its eyes.


    Jacko''s bloodied face appeared before Rei¡­ in 3D image.


    "Don''t cry, my son, be strong, you''re already a big boy. Remember how you once told me you''ll grow up to be a stand-up man? Then stop crying¡­ From this point onwards, you have to remember one thing, that is we humans will never cry, we only believe in iron and blood!"


    Looking at his father''s image, Rei wiped away his tears and promised in his childish voice, "I remember, Father! I will not cry anymore!"


    Jacko smiled as if anticipating his son''s reaction beforehand. "That''s my boy¡­ Rei, didn''t you tell me you wanted to become humanity''s hero, a Black Star Trooper? Now is your chance; you''re finally qualified to be a Black Star Trooper¡­


    "Listen to me carefully. After this video is over, follow the instructions given by the robot that showed you this image, he will tell you what to do¡­ My son, my dearest son¡­


    "My son, you''re also the son of humanity. I know this is unfair to you, but when you hear this message, me and your mother, as well as the aunties and uncles who have been looking after you, we''re all dead¡­ And you will represent our hope. Go to the deepest corner of the hangar where the latest human invention, the weapon that can only be controlled by Homo Evolutis, the Steel Ball sits¡­ Make me proud, Son.


    "Be a hero, carry with you your father''s wish, your mother''s love, and your precious memories to become a hero and protect this memory, protect this¡­ happiness!"


    After Jacko''s image disappeared, there was a conviction settling in Rei''s heart. His tears were threatening to flow, but this time, he bit on his knuckles until his teeth poked deep into the bone. His blood flowed, but not his tears¡­


    The robot turned and headed towards the hangar. The ground was still shaking, and Rei could hear the occasional explosion. With a grit of his teeth, he followed the robot obediently deeper into the hangar. After some time, he saw a large, metallic box sitting there. The robot was pressing some buttons on the box''s surface, and very soon, the box slowly opened to reveal its contents.


    It was a metallic, silvery-white sphere about 15 meters wide and tall. Rei had to tip his head back to see the top of the sphere. While he was stunned by the size of the sphere, the robot continued mobilizing the sphere. There was a jolt of electricity that lit up the surface of the sphere. Suddenly, a space opened up and a staircase extended into the darkness.


    Rei swallowed to steel his nerves. He was really nervous and afraid. After all, he just woke up to a world where his parents were gone and was suddenly left with the message from his father. This was not something a nine-year-old boy should face or understand. He was flustered, and he stood there quietly, unsure of what to do.


    The robot didn''t rush him but stood there quietly since its orders were all completed. Rei took careful steps towards the entrance. However, before he took the first step, there was a giant earthquake that made him fall completely to the floor. Not only that, the hangar itself started to collapse. A giant piece of ceiling cracked and fell on top of the metallic sphere. The sphere was powerful, so it survived with barely a scratch. In contrast, the robot standing next to it was smashed into pieces. Rei shielded his eyes from the flames and explosion. Then he felt something wet on his face. He touched it and realized his face was scratched¡­ probably by the metallic shrapnel from the explosion.


    There was nothing else he could do. The hangar was collapsing and the structure was falling apart. If he didn''t make his move soon, he might be buried alive. With no other options, he rushed into the darkness with tears in his eyes and a scream on his lips.


    After Rei was swallowed up into the Steel Ball, the staircase started to retract and the entrance closed. Rei found himself back in the world of darkness. He didn''t dare to move a muscle. Suddenly, his world lit up as a silvery light appeared all around him. It was rather cramped corridor. At the end of it sat a chair. Rei moved towards it and realized that the space was larger than the corridor, it was about two cubic meters. It was a small circular room.


    When Rei stepped into the room, a bunch of data appeared in Rei''s sight in 3D images. The data included the images of various places around the base, like the collapsing hangar, the pathways connected to the hangar, and even the residential area where numerous oval-shaped tentacle-robots fell from the sky like stars. There was a large gash above the sky of the second defense line, and a silver battleship was squeezing its way through. On the ground, people were rounded up and slaughtered¡­


    Rei gritted his teeth and jumped into the seat, then he started searching for buttons¡­ Yes, he had played plenty of battleship simulation games in his life and had already finished all four generations of the game. He believed he had the skills to survive this one as well, but he was confused as there was no joystick or buttons in sight, so how was he going to control this thing?


    Just as Rei looked around, a robotic voice said, "Please provide your full name. Steel Ball Prototype is attached to human information. Non-humans will be unable to pilot this¡­"


    Rei was spooked and whispered in return, "My¡­ my name is Rei."


    "Please provide your full name. Steel Ball Prototype is attached to human information. Non-humans will be unable to pilot this¡­ I''m sorry, but we are unable to find your information in the human archives. Please provide your full name in the next ten seconds or the Steel Ball Prototype will initiate self-destruct sequence, 10, 9, 8¡­"


    Rei suddenly saw a bunch of soldiers in the 3D images. They were fighting the robot army in their spacesuits, but they were suddenly vaporized from an energy shot from the sky. Instantly, his eyes reddened. He was afraid¡­ afraid that his father was part of the unfortunate group!


    "Dad, Mom! Start, you lousy machine, why won''t you start? Didn''t you ask for my name? My name is Xing Ling-Amulo-Rei! Start!" Rei yelled as tears poured out of his eyes.


    "Xing Ling-Amulo-Rei¡­ information found, son of lieutenant Jacko, voice analysis¡­ match, DNA¡­ match. Non-Homo Evolutis, fatality rate from using Steel Ball: 100 percent¡­ Do you wish to start the Steel Ball Prototype?"


    Rei yelled, "Yes, start now!"


    As he said so, a bright light consumed his consciousness. Instantly, his thoughts seemed to escape from his body to encapsulate the whole sphere¡­


    Just as the civilians at the second defense line looked on with despair at the carnage around them, at the military hangar, a silver sphere suddenly rose, and in less than one second, the several battleships above the second defense line exploded¡­

 Chapter 454: White Demon!

    Chapter 454: White Demon!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Amulo was a good kid. Anyone who knew him would attest to him. Other than the occasional conflict with his parents, he was truly a kid with a good heart.


    His favorite pastime was gaming, and he was particularly good at spaceship and battleship simulator games. In reality, after humanity arrived at the New Solar System, the population number increased greatly, and in the foreseeable future, this number was only going to increase until the number of new-borns reached more than 95 percent of the total population.


    Under these circumstances, the issue of education became very important. Other than traditional schooling system and proliferation of level 2 and 3 space civilization''s scientific knowledge, games were an important element of this construct¡­


    After a game was born, it would be there to stay, be it a game for children or adults. To borrow a simple example, sports initially was a game. Soccer, card games, mah-jong, golf, these are all games. Even the electronic games created after the advent of computers were also games. Even in the harsh period right after the Hope left Old Earth, there were already games in the Hope''s central mainframe.


    Therefore, to destroy the gaming culture within humanity was impossible and improbable. However, half of the human population was from the eastern culture, which meant that the zeitgeist was traditional and conservative. They had a negative view of gaming. In fact, in the eighth year after humanity arrived at New Solar System, there were cries for the government to ban the sale of games to underage teens.


    On the other hand, the remaining fifty percent from the more liberal western culture had their own perspective. In the years after humanity had arrived in New Solar System, due to the relative peace and great scientific leaps, it was a warm bed for an artistic renaissance. The vibrancy of this renaissance couldn''t be underestimated, and the demand for enrichment of gaming culture was brought up alongside its cries for a ban.


    The party who started this debate was a Caucasian family with 10 children. Their eldest was already 16, and he was a space baby. The parents were in the field of education; the wife was a secondary school teacher, while the husband was a university lecturer. They had their own perspectives and understanding on education. When the cries for banning of games appeared in the society, they joined their names to release this counter-article.


    Their articles believed that banning games was no different from killing humanity''s creativity. This was something undesirable. From the information taken from the space merchants, all the civilizations with racial senescence had a common thread: all of them had lost their cultural games and would not create new games anymore. In fact, dying civilizations did not have the concept of games in their cultural systems. This was something confirmed by the space merchants'' information.


    The article also argued that games and knowledge could be interlinked. If the only reason for banning of games was for a better result, then the children that came out of the educational system would be no different from an AI robot because they would merely be carbon copies of each other. For innovation and creativity, there had to be more than a marking system that relied solely on numbers. This article was actually directly against the educational scheme at the time, but it had at the very end of the article its trump card.


    It was related to humanity''s current situation in space. Humanity''s condition was actually treacherous despite the illusion of safety. Under this situation, it was necessary for each individual to be a soldier. Of course, compulsory military service for all civilians was impossible as that was too unrealistic. However, the least they should do was ensure that each citizen could wield guns or pilot space vehicles at the most dangerous situations and not only hide. The best method to do this was not through compulsory military training but games.


    Through simulation games, like spaceship simulators, human children could master these skills from young. Using humanity''s current technology, the simulation of piloting these spacecraft was actually not much different from the real thing. If it was necessary, they could find the best players and cultivate them as future pilots. According to scientific research, the best players could actually pilot the Space Combat Jets used by Homo Evolutis. It was proven that their sense of dimensionality was actually not worse than that of the most basic Homo Evolutis. They were only lacking in the Homo Evolutis'' sense of danger, but that could be cultivated through experience.


    Due to this last paragraph, the article caught society''s attention almost instantly. Even the government officials had read it. Guang Zhen asked the Academy the validity of the claim and it had been confirmed to be true. Right after that, he started promoting the commonality of gaming.


    The reason was simple. Even though Homo Evolutis had a natural advantage in piloting space vehicles, they were not all great soldiers. After all, the birth of a Homo Evolutis was completely random; an electrician or painter could awaken to become a Homo Evolutis. They were not natural fighters, and these occurrences were not uncommon within the Black Star Troopers. They relied on their natural advantage as Homo Evolutis to survive in war, but in terms of combat prowess, they were absolutely no match for professionals like Ebon or Liu Bai.


    In contrast, the ratio of good fighters in the Defense Unit was greater than Black Star Troopers. In fact, they had plenty of good pilots with natural instinct around vehicles. After their potential was fully activated, even facing up against the non-fighting type Homo Evolutis, they still had a 30 percent chance of winning. What if the number of good pilots in the Defense Unit became several hundred or thousand times the number of Black Star Troopers? Then¡­ the Defense Unit could truly replace Black Star Troopers to become humanity''s real guardians.


    Just like that, after the games were broadly introduced to the new generation, the scores of these children were secretly recorded by the government. The number of potential great pilots had reached 1,700 plus, and Amulo was at the forefront of that list. He was primed to be a human spaceship pilot in the future.


    But¡­


    What if such a great pilot awakened to become a Homo Evolutis? This kind of combination¡­


    Was akin to the presence of a demon! A demon that could cause chaos through the enemy ranks! His space combat prowess, according to the data, could even rival Yao Yuan''s¡­


    Amulo could feel himself becoming part of the Steel Ball, and plenty of information surged into his mind. It merely caused him to feel like his head had become a bit heavy. After he ignored this white noise, it didn''t feel like anything was out of place. At the same time, the structure, speed, energy, and weapon information of the Steel Ball were at his fingertips.


    "The maximum speed of the Steel Ball is 4.7 times the speed of normal battleships; it is reaching five times the maximum speed of the energy umbrella propeller. The longest period of flight is 472 days¡­


    "The interior of the Steel Ball is equipped with homeostatic function. There are auto circulatory and waste disposal services¡­


    "The shell of the Steel Ball is created using the alien plant''s alloy. It can defend against most plasma weapons. Attacks that are too strong might destroy the shell directly¡­


    "The Steel Ball contains a powerful plasma shield. The plasma shield has the ability to decentralize other plasma shields, causing the Steel Ball to phase through other shields that it comes into contact with.


    "The Steel Ball has three set of weapons. Super long-range, particular condensation ray: its damage is similar to the cannon fire of a guardian spaceship, one bullet each shot and cool down of 60 seconds after each shot¡­


    "Middle and close distance, explosive plasmatic bullet: it has the ability to shatter energy shields. It can take down all sorts of shield at close range. It was created using the latest half-energized ammo. Cool down time of 0.04 seconds after each shot and every Steel Ball is equipped with 674,200 shots¡­


    "Close distance, energy condensation knife: it can slice through objects less than xx mass. No cool down time, the range of attack is about six meters around the Steel Ball¡­


    "The Steel Ball contains a 360 degree, no blind angle surveillance, and the longest surveillance distance is 7,940,000,000 kilometers¡­


    "The Steel Ball has the ECS system and related creator''s particle creator and isolator¡­"


    In just a few seconds, Amulo understood all the above information instinctually and an excitement arose in his heart. This Steel Ball was much greater than a normal spaceship; this was even more of a boss than the sosses he faced in games¡­


    How could he not win with this thing?!


    Just as he thought so, the Steel Ball had already appeared before the enemy spaceships. The bullets started firing from the holes that appeared on the surface of the Steel Ball. They shattered the enemy''s plasma shields easily. In just a few seconds, several spaceships within his sight exploded. After that, the group of battleships behind the explosion and carnage all turned towards him.


    "¡­Just regular mobs?"


    Amulo mumbled to himself as the Steel Ball rushed out of the crack above the second defense line, trailing a road of explosions and light¡­


    The white Steel Ball! The power of a demon!

 Chapter 455: Ambush (1)

    Chapter 455: Ambush (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Guang Zhen''s specially-designed super high speed admiral ship had entered the hangar. The name of the ship might sound complicated, but it was actually very small, even smaller than a normal battleship. Its greatest feat was its speed. It used a type of technology similar to the Steel Ball''s energy umbrella propeller. For current human technology, only a spaceship smaller than one-fifth the size of battleship could use such a device. This couldn''t be helped as humanity''s scientific prowess was too low.


    After the last and biggest meeting on the City of Light Moon, Guang Zhen used this specially-designed spaceship to catch up to the New Solar System''s first fleet''s vanguard unit. Even though the vanguard unit was only one-tenth the size of the total fleet, with 20 spaceships the size of the Hope, 120 guardian spaceships, and 300 plus battleships, as well as the fact of them being fully-loaded, unlike the earlier situation where many seats were still empty on the spaceships. With the help of the AI robots, they could already unleash 80 to 90 percent of their fighting potential.


    As mentioned above, this unit wasn''t the main unit. Their main objective was to come to the aid and protect the civilians from second defense line before making a tactical retreat. The main fighting force was the six Black Star units, totaling up to 60 Black Star Troopers. They would be responsible for the attack and defense part of the mission, to aid the retreat the civilians from second defense line.


    Behind this vanguard unit, there were 6 other Black Star units who were doing their last preparations¡­


    "I don''t believe this!"


    Ebon roared angrily as he paced around the field. The force of his mechanical foot was so strong that it created a large footprint on the ground. He yelled, "Wang Hwa, that idiot, is dead? I refuse to believe this! This has to be fake news!"


    With two hands behind his back, Liu Bai told Ebon, "Will you please calm down? This is why you''re unable to become the leader of a Black Star unit, it''s because of your rash nature! Calm down and listen to me¡­ Wang Hwa''s sacrifice is already confirmed, this has been proven to be true."


    Ebon stood there for a long time with a drawn face before finally adding, "Why¡­ why can all of you be so calm? Tell me, Liu Bai, you''re like this, Ol'' captain is like that, Captain Wong is like this, everyone¡­ How can all of you can be so calm. Wang Hwa is no longer with us. Just like Ying, he will never return again! Or¡­ you all don''t really¡­"


    Before Ebon could finish, Liu Bai''s kick sent him flying five meters back. He finally lost his temper and roared, "If you dare to finish that sentence, I''ll personally cut you into pieces! F*ck, what are you trying to imply? That we don''t care? If we don''t care¡­ this counter-attack mission wouldn''t have been ordered! Open your damn eyes and see clearly. Who doesn''t care? These are all our comrades, our brothers from the Black Star Unit! Who cannot care?"


    Ebon sat down on the floor and his expression was dazed. After some time, he finally stood up with his face twisted with a wicked smile. "Yes, our brothers cannot die for no reason. Yes, we all care about them. The only one who doesn''t care is the enemy. His death has saved the lives of 9,000 plus children. It''s a worthy death, but it''s not enough! We need to serve Wang Hwa somehow, a ritual of sorts to mark his passing. The sacrifice¡­ will be those robot fleets!"


    At the same time, the second defense line was almost completely silent. Other than the few cannons that were still firing, the rest of the place had fallen apart. A mass of robots had landed and destroyed the lifeforms there, and they even started to pillage the construction within¡­


    The main base of the second defense line was already surrounded by layers of spaceships. However, at that moment, a silver ball emerged from the crack above the second main base. The spaceships around it exploded in less than two seconds. These spaceships were actually bigger than human battleships and they carried on them many robots. Their main purpose was to assist landing, and their energy shields were so weak that they couldn''t defend against the Steel Ball''s super long distance particular condensation ray. They were nothing more than sitting targets for the Steel Ball.


    The Steel Ball controlled by Amulo had such an incredible speed. Due to its smaller size and more powerful reactor and propeller system, its speed unit time was about six times the speed of the Space Combat Jets. However, the key feature was its dexterity. Since it was completely attached to its pilot''s mental frame, the reaction speed of the Steel Ball was the reaction speed of the human brain. Even though it was not light speed, when Amulo recognized the danger, he could immediately evade it. In other words, it was impossible for him to get hit.


    In fact, for most space civilizations, the so-called out-of-ship combat jets were all cannon fodder. This was because among level 2 or 3 space civilizations, the combat jets couldn''t evade the bullets from the enemies of same level space civilizations. Level 2 space civilizations used Gaussian weapons and level 3 used plasma weapons. Their bullet speed was much faster than the sight and the speed of the brain, especially for the plasma weapon of a level 3 space civilization. Plasma weapons had light speed bullets. As long as it was fired, it was practically impossible to evade. Under this circumstance, those combat jets without powerful energy shields were like cannon fodder.


    The only exceptions were the cosmic adapters. Even those without special powers had a great sense of space dimensionality and danger awareness, so they could react before the danger arrived. Furthermore, for combat in space, due to the intervention of the ECS system and creator''s particle, long distance aiming couldn''t have a 100 percent accuracy. This combined with the danger sense of cosmic adapters meant that combat jets controlled by cosmic adapters almost wouldn''t be hit by long distance shots. They might be hit by blanket shots, but since the damage of the shot was separated, the damage caused would be much smaller. Even if they were hit, the shield would be able to negate the damage.


    Under this circumstance, the Steel Ball controlled by Amulo was practically invincible at close range. None of the enemy spaceships could keep up with him, since the Steel Ball was weaving seamlessly through the enemy fleet. At the same time, its bullets in the shape of light orbs managed to phase through energy shields directly. This was too scary. In just 60 seconds since its appearance, the large group of spaceships outside of the second defense line had completely disappeared, leaving behind a large amount of broken pieces in space.


    Amulo had taken down at least several thousand smaller landing-use spaceships and battleships. After doing all that, he still didn''t feel a heavy weight on his brain. If anything, he felt energized and refreshed, like how he would feel after clearing a gaming level.


    Right then, a large mothership started to move. A great number of energy cannons started to collect energy and targeted the Steel Ball. With a twinge of his heart, Amulo sensed the danger coming. He didn''t hesitate and the Steel Ball morphed into a silver light. About half a second later, the spot he was at earlier was consumed by a blinding ray of light. Further away, a large meteorite was directly evaporated.


    "That''s the boss?" Amulo had temporarily forgotten where he was and what he was doing. In fact, he had entered his gaming mind and thought he was playing an extra real game. The Steel Ball was like a cheat, and he enjoyed taking down the plebs around him.


    When the large mothership appeared, Amulo''s first thought was that this must be the level''s last boss. Without hesitation, he rushed towards it, and as he approached it, the Steel Ball had started firing the particular condensation ray. However, when the ray hit the mothership, it was blocked by a thick plasma shield that was visible to the naked eye.


    "Immune?"


    Amulo was not shocked. In fact, he predicted this. If the boss was so fragile, then the game wouldn''t have survived internal testing. Just as he swerved in an arc around the mothership, all of the attacks by the mothership missed him by a hair. He launched the Explosive Arrow Bullets at the plasma shield. The bullets landed on the shield and started to burrow through it. However, the shield was so thick that the bullets eventually exploded in the middle of the shield.


    As Amulo continued to evade the attacks, he thought about it and rushed forward once more. He aimed about 10 shots at the same spot. All of the bullets started burrowing at once. Finally, one of them got through the shield but exploded in the space between the shield and the mothership.


    "This also won''t work? Then this is the last resort¡­"


    Amulo started communicating with the Steel Ball. In just the blink of an eye, the surface of the Steel Ball started to surge with electricity. After its appearance, the energy shield around the Steel Ball started to glow. Its brightness was beyond the intensity observable by the naked eye. The next second, the Steel Ball knocked into the mothership''s shield. In the midst of sparks, the Steel Ball crashed through the shield, creating a hole on the energy shield. Then two light sabers appeared beside the Steel Ball. The Steel Ball rushed towards the mothership, and there were explosions along the way¡­


    At the same time, at a place not far away from the second defense line, there was nothing¡­ or rather, nothing could be seen because of the ECS system.


    "¡­I see it, there are three fireballs there. Two of them are sitting quietly, while the last one is moving rapidly about. It is glowing brightly, but it is unlike the Chancellor''s sun, it isn''t a mere fireball but one that is glowing intensely¡­"


    Zhang San closed his eyes and reported.


    Guang Zhen nodded and turned to Xiao Niao beside him. "What do you think?"


    Xiao Niao thought about it and answered, "It cannot be Major Wang Hwa''s unit, they''re already confirmed to be dead. The observation was personally confirmed by Xi Kong, so the only possibility is a newly awakened Homo Evolutis like Lieutenant Zhang San, a latent Homo Evolutis seed¡­"


    Guang Zhen nodded affirmatively before telling Zhang San seriously, "Then¡­ contact him, tell the Homo Evolutis that is battling to lure the enemy towards the designated coordinates¡­ Drag the time out until¡­


    "We arrive to ambush them!"

 Chapter 456: Ambush! (2)

    Chapter 456: Ambush! (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­First! I have to stress one thing. Even if we sacrifice everything, all the vehicles, technology, base, and even parts of Kun Lun and we have to start everything again from scratch, even if we have to sacrifice all the soldiers, we have to save the civilians and children trapped at second defense line!"


    Yao Yuan looked at all the gathered officers before him. This meeting involved all the highest ranking officials currently in the human government, including Guang Zhen and all the Black Star Troopers.


    "Here are your orders: I demand that the Defense Unit and Black Star Troopers follow this order¡­ To have an ambush at a space not far from the outskirts of the second defense line. First, a vanguard unit will get all of the surviving individuals out from the second defense line and move them towards coordinates xxx. Release a large scale creator''s particle to conceal the location of the main fleet.


    "Then we will set up a last stand at this place!"


    Yao Yuan slammed his fist on the table, his expression as dark as the other side of the moon¡­


    This tactic was made after they received the information from Wang Hwa''s Steel Ball. The robot fleet was programmed to capture or destroy all the resistance that appeared before them. They would overwhelm their target with numbers and not tactical advantage; this was observable from the information taken from first defense line and the Steel Ball. After the meeting was over, Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen shared a short conservation before Guang Zhen departed to catch up to the vanguard unit.


    "Ol'' Wong, listen to me¡­"


    Yao Yuan puffed on a cigarette before turning to address Guang Zhen seriously. "There are around 194,000 plus people stationed at the second defense line, including the Defense Unit soldiers, their families, children, workers, and civilians. That is about one-fifth the size of our total population. Currently, there are two great scientists working and stuck there due to the war¡­ Either way, be it the one-fifth of the population or the two great scientists, we cannot afford to lose either one¡­


    "Even though the retreat order has been given, the Hope and the other motherships the size of the Hope could last us more than 100 years in space. The premise is that all of the surviving civilians warp away. We cannot afford to lose one-fifth of the human population or two great scientists!


    "Furthermore, I''ve come to a decision. In the cosmos, a civilization, a race''s heart, could only increase but not decrease. If you only see yourself as a dust, then you''ll only become a speck of space dust. In the war of this cosmic jungle, the greatest fear is not a race''s arrogance¡­ but being content with one''s weakness. Since other space civilizations could improve to become middle-tier, high-tier, and even god-tier space civilizations, why can''t us humans? Remember the two neutron star fragments? Remember the Song of Destruction? Remember how the races at the shelter treated us?


    "What is their basis for calling us an enslaved race? Just because they entered space earlier than us, does that give them the right to be so arrogant?! Cosmic lifeforms'' biggest fear is not arrogance but contentment in weakness!"


    Yao Yuan''s veins were popping when he was saying these things. He took a deep drag of the cigarette before telling Guang Zhen, "Since the enemy is a force that we are not completely powerless against, since they have a weakness, I''ve decided to fight this war¡­ To tell you the truth, even though arrogance is not a sin, rashness is. Therefore, I will not ask all the humans to take this last stand with us. If we lose¡­ the citizens at the City of Light Moon, the remaining soldiers.,and the ten Black Star Troopers I''ve left behind will warp away, taking our technology and collections, like the illusory space, the UFO, the information from the HE research center, the database for the zerg genetics, the alien plant, and all the related objects. They will warp away and begin a new life somewhere else¡­


    "But I will not leave, since I''ve selected this path on behalf of humanity. I will stay to walk this path to the end¡­"


    Yao Yuan squished the cigarette in his hand and told Guang Zhen, "¡­If your vanguard unit fails, then wait for me¡­ we''ll meet again in the underworld!"


    Guang Zhen sat in the captain''s chair in central command. All the orders were given from his seat. He lowered his military cap quietly to shield his eyes before mumbling to himself, "Ol'' Captain, this choice¡­ is the choice of all soldiers, is it not? You''re still the same as ever, nothing has changed, always ready to shoulder all the responsibilities¡­


    "But¡­" Guang Zhen straightened his cap and smirked chillingly. "This is your style, isn''t it? Then, let me¡­ fire the first round of retaliation for you!"


    It had been six hours since Amulo got into the Steel Ball. At the end of the day, Amulo was just a child; he was feeling hungry and thirsty and a little heavy in the head. However, that wasn''t something he couldn''t handle. One summer holiday, when his father was on a mission and his mother was at work, he tried playing a game for three days non-stop. He ate very little, and other than the 24-hour hibernation that happened after the gaming marathon, there were no side effects.


    Even though piloting the Steel Ball was more tiring than playing a game, it was merely a mental exhaustion, and six hours for him was nothing. With his consciousness checking in, the glucose and nutrient drips started to enter his body. Gradually, the feeling of hunger and thrist disappeared and he returned to dealing with these enemies.


    Around five hours ago, he heard a weird voice in his head¡­ In fact, it was inaccurate to call it a voice, because it did not communicate in terms of language. It was a vague intention or thought that told him to lure the enemy to a certain location and stall them there.


    Even though Amulo was curious about the origin of this message, he didn''t feel alerted by it. After all, a game was often more than just endless killing, there were side quests like retreat, cover, protect, and so on. Leading the enemy to the edge of the second defense line was not out of the ordinary for this kid gamer. Therefore, in the past five hours, he had been trying to accomplish this mission.


    In the past five hours, using this Steel Ball, Amulo had taken down more than 10,000 spaceships, including battleships and guardian spaceships. The only thing that gave him a pause was the enormous motherships. They were too big and their shields were too strong. Even Steel Ball itself was unable to phase through the energy shields.


    With a shiver, Amulo felt like the Steel Ball was about to shatter. Of course, this was merely a feeling in his mind; the Steel Ball was perfectly fine. However, it was true that the Steel Ball was just hit by another blanket fire. One or two blanket fires were unable to deal real damage to the Steel Ball, but what about hundreds or thousands? The thought of that¡­ was quite scary.


    "Why isn''t the mission ending? What''s next? Fight until the end?" As Amulo tussled with the enemy, this thought cropped up in his mind.


    After he took down another large spaceship and took another three blanket fires, suddenly, a large energy beam shot out from empty space. The energy beam was so bright that when it reached the enemy fleet, the light started to bend. This was Requiem! The focus fire of many Requiem cannons!


    At the same time, about 10 light orbs had found their way to the center of the enemy fleet. A great energy wave ruined at least 1,000 spaceships. Before Amulo''s eyes, a great amount of spaceships shifted in and out of existence. This was the effect of their ECS System being affected. Not only that, while Amulo was slightly stunned, about 10 latest Space Combat Jets had arrived at his side. The enemy spaceships around him exploded because these combat jets were all equipped with explosive arrow bullets that could take down plasma shields!


    In the leading ship, Guang Zhen ordered, "Full speed ahead! Following the path opened up by the Black Star Troopers! We have to buy more time for the guardian spaceships to get to the civilians!"


    At the same time, even though most of the alien fleet had been distracted by Amulo''s Steel Ball, there was still quite a few robots from the fleet that had landed on second defense line. The place had been under assault for several hours already, and the fatality number was over several ten thousands. The internal structure of the place was falling apart and the fall of the second defense line was only a matter of time.


    Just as the people were in the midst of despair, the few alien spaceships surrounding the second defense line exploded, and just like that, the guardian spaceships entered the base''s space ports.


    "Everyone, listen up, we''re the human Defense Unit. We''re under the order to help the civilians at the second defense line to retreat. From now on, everything will be following the military rules. Anyone who is found purposely disrupting the peace will be executed¡­


    "We will not abandon anyone, we will not run or escape. Before everyone is on board, we will stay behind with everyone¡­


    "To fight until the end of our lives!"

 Chapter 457: Red…

    Chapter 457: Red¡­


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The ambush by the vanguard unit was very successful. They managed to take down 30,000 plus alien spaceships at their first contact. While the Energy Storm and Requiem cannons were powerful, the main fighting force was still the six Black Star Trooper units. Each Black Star unit had 10 members, and the leader would be sitting in the main combat jet, using his or her danger sense to assign the members, while the remaining nine members would be separated into groups of three, and every group would form their individual fighting subunit. The six Black Star units therefore had 60 Black Star Troopers and 20 fighting units.


    60 Black Star Troopers¡­ and three Black Star Troopers, the combat prowess was more than a 20 times improvement in battle. To utilize the Steel Ball, Wang Hwa had given up using the combat unit strategy. Even though one Steel Ball could rival 10 combat jets, it did decrease the combat capability of the two other Black Star troopers greatly¡­ but here, there was 20 groups of fighting subunits, and they were the top close-range fighters for a level 3 space civilization, the 60 cosmic adapters!


    With explosive arrow bullets that could grind through energy shields, the super long-distance particular condensation rays from the combination of three combat jets as well as the plasma energy shield that was installed within each combat jet after their latest update¡­


    This was a storm of retaliation, this was a wave of attack created by 60 cosmic adapters, the roar of humanity''s Homo Evolutis!


    25 minutes after the ambush began, the damage suffered by the enemy fleet had gone up to 50,000 spaceships. On humanity''s side, there were two motherships the size of the Hope that were shot down. The fatality rate had reached 25,000 people¡­ this was a loss that humanity couldn''t afford¡­


    "25 minutes, there are still 35 minutes to the projected retreat time. Please hold on¡­"


    Guang Zhen looked at the time displayed on the atomic watch and he mumbled to himself before turning to look at Zhang San beside him¡­ Zhang San didn''t belong to the six main Black Star Units, but he was ordered to join the expedition due to his role as an Anima. He was important because he was the only person who could pass through the limitation of creator''s particles. He was crucial because he represented¡­ information!


    Zhang San was nervous and sad. With his head lowered, he said, "Currently, 54 Homo Evolutis remain, including the unknown Homo Evolutis who is piloting the Steel Ball¡­"


    "In other words, we''ve lost seven¡­" Guang Zhen said with a frown, then he continued, "Call the pilot of the Steel Ball to come back to the ship. His piloting time has far surpassed the predicted limitation. He might enter a heavy coma soon if he doesn''t return. Then again, there is no guarantee that wouldn''t happen even if he returns¡­ Regardless, call him to return and order the Black Star Troopers to cover the area around the motherships¡­


    "At the same time, have the motherships attack openly to attract the attention of the enemy fleet to decrease the damage heading towards Homo Evolutis¡­ Homo Evolutis are more important than any one of us. Send out this order, and I mean to every mothership, including this one we''re in!"


    After Guang Zhen gave this order, all the motherships stopped attacking. In fact, after the ambush, the vanguard unit was no longer able to cause any damage to the enemy. The difference in technological level between the two was obvious. Other than the Energy Storm, all the other weapons could barely leave a scratch on the enemy''s ships.


    On the other hand, even the guardian spaceships from the enemy''s side with its condensation cannon fire was powerful enough to take down the energy shields of humanity''s motherships. The weapons and energy shields from both sides were not on an equal stage. The ambush was successful due to the element of surprise as well as the power of the Homo Evolutis and the Steel Ball¡­ Not to be forgotten was the contribution of Bo Li, the weapon Whisperer who managed to create weapons beyond humanity''s current scientific level. It was because of her that there were Steel Balls, Energy Storms, and the explosive arrow bullets that performed brilliantly in this war!


    If the numbers of spaceships and technological level between the two forces weren''t so different, humanity would habe a great advantage with its Whisperers¡­


    This thought appeared in Guang Zhen''s mind. He took another glance at the atomic watch and time ticked by one second after another. He had never once felt time move so slow before; each second was like 24 hours. Suddenly, he felt the mothership shake¡­


    "The eighth residential area on the left ship has been shot down. The ninth isolation layer has been dropped down. The emergency maintenance workers and AI robots are on the move¡­"


    Guang Zhen sat in the captain''s chair with a blank face. He looked at the watch and mumbled, "Faster, faster, we¡­ already don''t have much time left."


    At the same time, at the second defense line, 11 guardian spaceships acted at transport shuttles. Each spaceship could fit 20,000 civilians; they were more than enough to ferry the entire second defense line. However, retreat was slower than expected because the enemies within the base hadn''t been completely cleared out.


    Even though most of the enemy fleet had been distracted by the vanguard unit, there were still hundreds of boarding ships around the second defense line and more than ten thousand alien robots swarming the place. This caused a great problem for the retreat effort. In fact, there came a point where a spaceship was almost taken over by the robots. Even though the Defense Unit''s spaceships had been covering the shuttles, the cannon shots couldn''t aim at the floor lest they cause more damage to the structural integrity of the base and cause it to collapse. In contrast, the robot enemy caused great damage to the Defense Unit. Their metallic husks were incredibly strong, and each one of them had a small energy shield and great mobility. They had no weakness, and even when they were 70 percent destroyed, they were still killing machines¡­


    To be frank, Defense Unit soldiers weren''t Black Star Troopers. They were practically powerless before such an enemy. Because of this, many civilians were unable to reach the spaceships for retreat, because the robots had blocked their way. For this, there were already 500 soldiers who lost their lives, and if this was allowed to continue, it wasn''t out of place for the Defense Unit to be completely wiped out.


    "Damn it! If only we had a Black Star Trooper. One is better than none. If we could ruin the formation of the enemies, then we could take them down easily from within. Their combat reactions are very bad, so if their formation is ruined, we can land fatal blows on them¡­ Damn!"


    This was the leader of the retreat mission, Asete North. He was from the Noah One, and after joining the Hope, he fast became a middle-tier officer in the Defense Unit. He once fought for radical Germany and had a certain fascination with second world-war Germany. After joining the Hope, his fascination turned to Yao Yuan. He believed Yao Yuan was an undeniable human hero and leader. Even though Yao Yuan personally was averse to this fascination, Guang Zhen believed this attitude was not a violation of the current human government''s leading policy, so he absorbed him into the Defense Unit and valued him heavily.


    Asete was not only Yao Yuan''s biggest fan, he was also a fan of Black Star Troopers. In his eyes, a Black Star Trooper was the greatest fighter. They were the most elite fighting force under Yao Yuan, the final result of human genetic improvement, the perfect human beings. In any simulated combat, he would convert his own fighting course to the ones used by Black Star Troopers, even if the final score was barely acceptable. At this point, his hope turned once more to the Black Star Troopers.


    "Black Star Trooper¡­ No, if it''s Homo Evolutis, my children are Homo Evolutis."


    Perhaps it was fate or coincidence, but one of the families ushered into this spaceship was taken from the hospital. When one of the mothers passed Asete, she happened to hear this lieutenant mumble to himself. Something crossed her mind, and with her eyes glowing red, she hesitated after 10 seconds before coming to a decision and started shouting.


    "Yes, my children, my two children are Homo Evolutis, but¡­ only my son can be a fighter, my daughter is still in the middle of a coma."


    Asete immediately turned his head around. He walked to the mother''s side and said seriously, "Lady, I hope you know the severity of the claim you''ve made. This is not only related to your son''s life, but also the lives of my soldiers and almost 50,000 civilians¡­ If you''re lying, I can technically execute you according to military law."


    The mother gritted her teeth and replied in equally serious tone, "I have proof, there should be records inside the hospital. My son, Lee Xia Ya, and my daughter, Lee Sai Na, awakened into Homo Evolutis together with Xing Ling Amulo Rei, the son of Lieutenant Jacko. Rei was just piloting that Steel Ball!"


    Asete looked into the mother''s eyes for about 10 seconds before he turned around to order his soldier, "Get the maintenance crew to bring out the Black Star Trooper space armor prototype from my personal collection. Have them fix it. I updated the weapons before we departed, and other than the space armor itself not being latest, the rest of the equipment can rival a level 3 space civilization¡­ provided if the wearer is a Homo Evolutis¡­


    "Activate that red space armor! The space armor with three times the power of normal space armors that was specially designed for the Chancellor!"

 Chapter 458: We are Soldiers

    Chapter 458: We are Soldiers


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Lee Xia Ya loved games too. The nine-year-old was quite famous in this field as well¡­ or at least famous among his peers. However, his favorite genre was different from Amulo. His interest in space vehicle simulation was not big. Even though he had played it once, his result was only slightly better than normal human beings. His real forte was in shooters. Games like Black Star Trooper simulation battles, these he was king among his peers.


    Lee Xia Ya idolized Black Star troopers since he was young, just like how children from Old Earth idolized superheroes. However, unlike the fictional characters from Old Earth, Black Star Troopers were real people, so that made the idolization process much easier. Lee Xia Ya had always hoped he would be one of the troopers, and the most powerful one at that.


    Suddenly, the people around him and his mother told him that he could become a Black Star Trooper, no, he was already a Homo Evolutis. He could fight like a Black Star Trooper if he just put the Space Armor on. The only question was¡­ would he do it or not?


    Lee Xia Ya was stunned for five to six seconds before saying excitedly, "Yes, yes, of course I would do it. I want to be a Black Star trooper just like that big brother who saved everyone¡­ I want to!"


    The faces of the people around him were severe, while his mother started to weep, but she didn''t stop him. She merely hugged his still unconscious sister and cried silently.


    Asete told Lee Xia Ya seriously, "Then¡­ I will assign you as the special member of the Defense Unit for now. Your Black Star trooper number will have to be personally confirmed by the Chancellor, so currently, this special number is your current number¡­ This space armor is from the earlier generation, but its prowess is still better than that of most of the current space armors. At the same time, it is at the level 3 space civilization and has a gun with 50 rounds of explosive arrow bullets and a light saber. The armor has an automatic adjustment system, so even though you''re not tall enough, after you put on the armor, it''ll automatically adjust to your height difference¡­


    "Finally, I''ll ask you again, do you want to become a glorious Black Star trooper?"


    Lee Xia Ya raised his head and replied with his childish innocence, "Yes, I want to become a Black Star trooper¡­"


    "Good boy. Now listen to your orders and put on this space armor," Asete nodded and left to select the soldiers who could fight alongside Lee Xia Ya well.


    Along the way, suddenly another major-ranked soldier rushed over to grab Asete on his collar and yelled, "Have you lost your mind? He''s only nine years old! Do you know what the hell you''re doing? He''s only nine and a Homo Evolutis, are you crazy? I will sue! I''ll definitely sue you at the highest military court, you''ll¡­"


    "What will happen to me?!" Asete pulled his collar back and roared with his bloodied eyes, "What can really happen to me!? Tell me! There are several ten thousand people and soldiers in this base! We only have 25 minutes left! There are several ten thousand children under the age of 10! And two great scientists! How many great scientists do we humans have in total!? You tell me! And those several ten thousand children, what do you want me to do? Give them up?"


    "I know this is unfair¡­" Asete pulled this major and told him seriously, "The cosmos is unfair! Only the best civilizations and races can evolve and survive. This war is humanity''s biggest tragedy and also the best opportunity to showcase our best! He is one of humanity''s children and he has the best bloodline among all of us, plus he is a Homo Evolutis and soon-to-be Black Star trooper. He is one of the chosen ones, so don''t say anything anymore, have faith¡­


    "Because we can do it!"


    Can we really? No one knows¡­


    After Lee Xia Ya put on the space armor, he realized he seemed to have grown taller in an instant. The armor fitted him perfectly and he felt like the armor was an extension of his skin. The weirdest feeling was even as he moved, he didn''t feel like he was lugging along a several ton metallic armor.


    "Let''s try it out," the maintenance worker beside him said. "There''re four AI robots in the room, they will fire at you using paint balls. Feel free to evade or retaliate."


    "Okay."


    Lee Xia Ya excitedly accepted the paintball gun handed to him with as he ran into the testing field. There were, as the man said, four AI robots in the room. After the signal turned from red to green, the four robots started to disperse across the room and aimed their paintball guns at Lee Xia Ya.


    Under these circumstances, Lee Xia Ya had completely entered his gaming state. He felt like he was in the middle of a tutorial. When the four AI robots fired at him, he started to move and turned to shoot at the robot nearest to him. However, unfortunately, since they both were running, neither hit.


    At the same time, the group outside of the field sighed in unison. Asete said calmly but with disappointment, "Looks like he''s not it¡­ Black Star troopers would never miss¡­"


    Suddenly, everyone saw that Lee Xia Ya abandoned the paintball gun and pulled out the light saber on his waist. He dashed at the robot nearest to him. As the distance closed, the robot aimed his gun at Lee Xia Ya. Just as the bullet was about to hit him, Lee Xia Ya suddenly swerved to avoid it and got into close range of the robot.


    "¡­I can see it! I can see it! In that moment, time seemed to have slowed, yes, I''m a Homo Evolutis, I''m really a Homo Evolutis!"


    Lee Xia Ya cheered internally, and the light saber tore through the robot''s chest¡­


    One minute and 42 seconds. Lee Xia Ya triumphed completely over the Ai robots. His agility, reaction time, and danger sense had reached S-grade Homo Evolutis level. Furthermore, he seemed to have an instinct for close-quarter combat because he could always find himself in the perfect distance to take down his enemy. This instinct was something most experienced Black Star troopers didn''t show, and this shocked everyone in the room. They had unearthed a treasure.


    After ensuring Lee Xia Ya''s Homo Evolutis power, this special unit started to mobilize to head towards the biggest underground base. When they arrived, they were only 20 minutes away from the retreat time. Lee Xia Ya listened to his order and led his team to charge into the base.


    The base was swarming with alien robots. They even learned how to ambush human troops, causing a great deal of damage to the Defense Unit. However, after Lee Xia Ya appeared, all the ambushers lost their purpose because he could sense danger. With a focus fire, these ambushers were free experience. The real headache was that the alien robots patrolled the base in large groups. The base was equipped with humanity''s defensive features. That combined with the robot''s fearlessness and technological difference, they were invincible.


    Or at least until Lee Xia Ya''s arrival. With the cover fire of his team, Lee Xia Ya rushed into the group. Admittedly, the boy was afraid before he rushed in, but after he did, his instincts took over. Lee Xia Ya in the red armor was like a killing machine. Since he was killing robots and not actual flesh and blood, this increased the sense that he was merely in a game. He didn''t hesitate to cut down these robotic enemies.


    With the whirlwind of Lee Xia Ya, the bases were saved one after another. A great amount of civilians were saved. However, when the last base was freed, the time was already past the limit of one hour¡­ It was already 1 hours and 7 minutes. A large amount of alien spaceships were surrounding the base, and their speed was faster than humanity''s guardian spaceships. It looked like it was¡­ over.


    "Damn!" Asete slammed on the table. Looking at the encroaching spaceships, he growled angrily, "Damn! If only we had a Space Combat Jet. With Lee Xia Ya''s talent, he''d be able to¡­ Now we have no choice but to cut our way out to liaise with the main fleet, but in that case¡­"


    At this time, a major beside him who had lost his arm and whose face looked frighteningly white said, "Actually there is still another method¡­ These robots are weird, they seem to be searching for something. After they take down a place, they will not leave before they completely scan the place. If there are people staying behind in this second defense line, they will not chase after you before the base falls completely¡­This way we can buy at least another 20 minutes of time."


    Asete was stunned before saying, "You''re right! We can send out all the AI robots to have them buy more time for us!"


    "It''s no use." The major smiled bitterly. "AI robots have no fighting capability. They can''t last longer than five minutes, the only way is¡­"


    The major suddenly turned around to look at the several thousand injured soldiers. "Comrades, brothers and sisters, do you mind staying back with me? To have our wives, husbands, sons, and daughters, our families, return to the City of Light Moon safely. Do you mind¡­


    "Staying back to fight until the last second like the heroes in the first defense line?! Answer me!"


    The injured soldiers didn''t say a word, there was barely a cough, but they struggled to stand silently. Even though some of them had lost their legs, they saluted in return.


    The major laughed and turned to ask Asete, "Give us enough weapons and ammo. We don''t need anything else¡­ Also, there''s no need for words, we don''t have enough time. Have the AI robots bring us back to the second defense line, that''s all I ask."


    Asete''s face was dark before he laughed in earnest. He saluted in return and said, "Hero, tell me your name."


    "Hero, you say?" The mayor laughed bitterly. "I''m no hero, I''m just a sinner. I''ve caused my lovely wife''s death; she''s now forever asleep in that hospital. And I''ve caused my son''s death; he''s probably star dust now. I''m no hero, I''m just a lowly soldier¡­"


    "I¡­ just want to go meet my wife and my son to apologize to them in person, to tell them I love them. But before that, I have to complete my duty, my duty as¡­ a soldier!"


    Then the major ignored Asete and headed towards the hangar. Behind him, the soldiers followed him silently in their faltering steps¡­


    All the AI robots in the fleet were given the command to follow this unit to set up final defense parameters around the space port. It would be manned by one thousand plus injured soldiers and several ten thousand AI robots. It was the final bulwark of the second defense line. It looked so fragile yet so strong¡­


    1 hour and 12 minutes since the retreat mission started, the guardian spaceships left the second defense line, carrying with them 160,000 civilians, including 110,000 children¡­


    1 hour and 26 minutes, the group of guardian spaceships reached their destination to liaise with the main fleet. With the help from the Black Star troopers, they left the second defense line¡­


    1 hour and 39 minutes, the second defense line fell into silence. 1 hour and 40 minutes, the place exploded¡­


    The fires and flames were like the burning promise, bright and fiery¡­


    We are soldiers.

 Chapter 459: Ambushed

    Chapter 459: Ambushed


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "We''re 11 hours, 42 minutes, and 31 seconds away from reaching our destination coordinates¡­"


    Yao Yuan sat in the captain''s room with his bloodshot eyes looking at the electronic clock. He had been up for two days and two nights already. It was not that he didn''t want to sleep; in fact, he was already very tired, but the extreme nervousness made it impossible for him to even close his eyes for a second.


    "Chancellor, you have to sleep now!"


    Barbie stood behind Yao Yuan with tears in her eyes and a blush on her face like she had been crying, but she still carried herself professionally and seriously.


    When Yao Yuan laughed bitterly and wanted to retort, Barbie continued, "You''ll be joining the Black Star troopers in the war 11 hours and 42 minutes from now. To sleep or not is your personal freedom, and other people have no say to decide that for you, but please think about the soldiers who will place their lives and trust in you. As the main force of this ambush mission, if your condition is not at its top form, it might cost them their lives, so¡­"


    Yao Yuan was silent before nodding. "Then I''ll go lie down for a short 10 hours. Please wake me up in 10 hours¡­ and if there''s any emergency above C-grade, you have to wake me up as well. Good night."


    Barbie didn''t say anything but stood there quietly. Yao Yuan walked past her to head towards his own resting room. He was a qualified soldier and the best type of soldier. Resting during war was common practice, so no matter how anxious he was internally, he merely took 10 seconds after lying down to sleep.


    Yao Yuan in his sleeping state suddenly jumped up in alarm and saw Barbie and two other military officers walk into his room. The clock on the wall showed that he had been asleep only for two hours.


    "What happened?!"


    Yao Yuan slapped himself on his face and demanded forcefully. One of the officers saluted and answered, "Five minutes and 40 seconds ago, the enemy fleet was slowly catching up to the vanguard unit and they entered the prepared creator''s particle layer thunder void zone as planned. The damage the thunder void zone caused the enemy fleet was more than 5,000 spaceships, which was 80 percent less than expected¡­ However, the enemy fleet stopped moving and stayed inside the void zone. This was observable from the explosive sparks of the thunder zone and the range of the enemy''s creator''s particle coverage."


    Yao Yuan thought about it and asked, "It has been five minutes and 40 seconds since then? The enemy still hasn''t made any move? They didn''t chase after the vanguard unit?"


    The military officer nodded wordlessly.


    Yao Yuan paced in his room anxiously. After 10 seconds he said, "Come, let''s go to central command. This issue is crucial, we have to get to the bottom of this."


    The core of the ambush tactic was the fact that the enemy would continue giving chase after they had locked onto a target. Before this target was taken down, they would not care about the others. Under these circumstances, it was practically impossible for the people from the second defense line to reach the City of Light Moon, because the travelling speed between the two space civilizations was too different. The enemy fleet would definitely catch up to the group of guardian spaceships¡­


    However, it was also because of this that the ambush strategy was so important. If the plan failed, around 200,000 civilians and Defense Unit soldiers would be dead. They were using the enemy''s relentless pursuit to lure them into this zone of ambush. At this location, the 16 complete Black Star units and the remaining forces from the New Solar System first fleet would make a last stand against this unknown fleet¡­


    The ambush was set up using humanity''s final measure, the gravity cannon fleet¡­


    There were around 140 specially designed gravity spaceships. They were smaller than guardian spaceships and didn''t have any fighting equipment. All of their internal space had been switched out for energy systems, energy shield systems, and gravity cannon systems. In fact, these gravity spaceships were as slow as a normal spaceships the size of the Hope. They didn''t showcase the agility of small-sized spaceships. Their main purpose was as the name suggests, gravity cannon focus fire.


    In central command, a group of strategists were arguing. When Yao Yuan entered, they stopped arguing to salute the Chancellor.


    Yao Yuan saluted them in return and immediately asked, "Brief me on the different possibilities. The possibility of why they stopped, where they''re moving next, their possible destination, tell me everything."


    Ren Tao and Xiao Niao stood among the group of strategists, but the duo didn''t say a word, they merely had their brows furrowed looking at the 3D image in the room. One of the strategists began, "Chancellor, from our analysis, the biggest possibility is¡­ that the AI fleet has reached the critical loss point of its mission.


    "As we have predicted earlier, the fleet is in search of something, and before they find it, they will continue this strategy. They will not care about losses and will use the smallest attacks to preserve any buildings or fleets and will ignore all the other targets. However, that is until the fleet reaches its critical loss limit. In other words, when the AI feels threatened and believes their civilization might be destroyed, then the programming will change to self-preservation. The loss of these last few thousand spaceships might have caused the critical loss limit for this AI."


    Yao Yuan entered deep thought after listening to this analysis. In fact, this was the main conclusion the strategy group agreed upon, and he agreed with it. After all, a 1,800,000 spaceship fleet only had 1,000,000 spaceships left. The Energy Storm cannon at the second defense base was too powerful; it was practically a weapon from a peak level 3 space civilization. It caused the destruction of around 600,000 spaceships in one shot.


    For any fighting force, the loss of half would be a limit point because this meant that the possibility of being wiped out had become higher¡­


    Another strategist added, "There could be a different possibility, and that is because the fleet has reached critical tolerance. They decided to adopt a more conservative tactic when they discovered the zone of dark thunder. They might be waiting for the creator''s particle zone to disperse before continuing to chase after the vanguard unit. After all, their technological level is so much more advanced than ours, and they are at least four times faster than us, so they''ll definitely be able to catch up. Of course, there is also the possibility of a change of combat tactics¡­"


    Yao Yuan nodded before turning to Xiao Niao and Ren Tao. "What do you two think?"


    The two looked at each other and shook their heads. Xiao Niao furrowed his brow and said, "Currently, nothing yet. The two possibilities mentioned are quite plausible, but¡­ it''s curious, the leisurely manner of this fleet¡­ In fact, from the simulation, they should have caught up to the vanguard around 40 minutes ago, so how do we explain this 40 minutes difference? Even though we do not understand why, there has to be something else that we do not know¡­"


    Yao Yuan asked, "Is it possible that they''ve become cautious since they''re reaching their critical point?"


    Ren Tao laughed. "Do you think we''re dealing with lifeforms? No, these are AI, such thoughts are impossible. There is no such thing as a critical point. Even if there is, they will process it according to their program, but this situation¡­ is weirdly anxiety-inducing."


    Yao Yuan knew there would be no clearer answer even if he pressed. He could only suppress his consternation and say, "Continue the observation. The main fleet¡­ stay dormant. I''ll continue to rest, and for now, everything moves according to plan."


    Just like that, Yao Yuan lied down for another four hours. When he was woken up next, everyone''s faces were like they had seen a ghost. He knew instantly something had gone terribly wrong¡­ could it be that the vanguard unit had been caught?


    "No, the AI unit hasn''t caught up to the vanguard unit. In fact, the AI fleet has resumed heading towards the City of Light Moon, or in other words, heading towards the ambush line¡­" the report said.


    Yao Yuan noted some of the curious information and asked, "The AI fleet is heading our way¡­ what about the vanguard unit? What happened to them?"


    In central command, as Yao Yuan asked that question, a 3D image appeared in the room, showing the location of the vanguard unit. There was a series of explosions on screen, displaying the fights that were happening there.


    "Three minutes ago, the vanguard unit ran into an AI fleet around the size of 100,000 to 120,000 spaceships. They belong to the AI side unit. In other words, they were ambushed by the AI fleet¡­


    "At the same time, the main AI fleet has circled around the vanguard unit to head towards the City of Light Moon. According to the data analysis, they will reach the ambush circle in 1 hour and 17 minutes¡­"


    Yao Yuan, who understood everything at that moment, had his eyes turn red instantly¡­

 Chapter 460: Yes, this is the Final Battle

    Chapter 460: Yes, this is the Final Battle


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "Because space wars, or rather space wars involving level 2 space civilizations and above, have these few key points, and they are the combination of super long distance and close distance combat models. This means that super long distance attacks can only happen during the initial and end stages of the war. The rest of the time, the possibility of close distance combat is much higher than long distance or super long distance combat¡­


    "At the same time, we should have paid focus to the enemy forces'' movement as the creator''s particle covered the battlefield. During battle, it is very possible for ambushes to appear because the ECS system is something that both sides are unable to dissect, or rather, hiding inside the layer of creator''s particle is something we cannot crack. Be it ourselves or the enemies, waiting patiently inside the layer of creator''s particle during the middle stages of a war could very well lead to a surprise victory¡­"


    Humanity was a creature of war. The history of humanity is the history of war, or simply put, human history was written by war, be it on Old Earth or after humanity had entered space. The technological advancements in space always served the military and war before serving the people.


    Similarly, the research into war strategies of a level 2 space civilization had started at least two decades ago. In fact, there were many famous writings on this. For example, Guang Zhen''s "The effect of creator''s particle and ECS System on war" and "Ambush for level 2 space civilization and above" written by another strategist. These were main courses for soldiers who joined the Barracks.


    In central command, when everyone found out about the ambush, the first thing that crossed their minds was the ambush strategies mentioned in these writings. In fact, the reason they had decided to conduct an ambush there was because they were inspired by the strategies in those writings, but who would have known they would get ambushed by the enemy first?


    This AI fleet''s combat formula had always been straight-forward, which was to overwhelm via numbers and give relentless pursuit to the target closest to them. They didn''t show any signs of having a strategist mind. It was because of this that when humanity came up with their strategy, they used this data as reference. Even though someone had brought up the possibility of the AI being more sinister than they perceived, before the discussion could begin, the shot of Energy Storm near the second defense line had ended this conversation. Everyone believed fully that this AI fleet was one that only knew how to follow strict programming.


    Therefore, this ambush was like a lighting bolt in the middle of the day, stunning everyone into disbelief. So this AI also knew tactics like setting up an ambush. They¡­ were not dumb.


    "The real dumb ones are us humans! If we always use our previous experience to predict our enemy''s actions, we''ll never learn. Damn, this is all my fault!"


    Yao Yuan slammed his fist on the metallic table, and there were instantly bloody cuts on his fist. Barbie, who stood behind him, immediately screamed, "Get the medical unit over here¡­ Chancellor, calm down, we''re in a crucial time. If you lose your footing, it''s really over for us humans!"


    "But what about them?!" Yao Yuan growled angrily at Barbie. Several seconds later, he took a deep breath and apologized to her. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have vented at you¡­ but what about those people from the vanguard unit? It is because of my carelessness that they''re caught in this state. I believe the AI fleet sent out this ambush unit before they moved towards the the second defense line. After the fleet intercepts the vanguard unit, the main AI fleet will be able to head towards the City of Light Moon without resistance¡­"


    This time, Ren Tao, who had been silent, suddenly said, "But this is also an opportunity¡­"


    "Opportunity?" Yao Yuan roared with anger as he glared at Ren Tao. There was a deep, murderous intent in his eyes, and he said chillingly, "You said this is an opportunity? Do you know how many people are in the vanguard unit? There are 200,000 people, including the Defense Unit soldiers and civilians. There are also six full Black Star units and two great scientists. They''re now caught in a crisis, and you tell me this is an opportunity? Do you¡­ want to die?"


    Ren Tao scoffed with condescension. "You want to kill me? In what name? The singular voting power of the Chancellor? Or libel? If you want to kill me, then do it quick. If you won''t, then listen carefully¡­


    "We all understand the importance of the vanguard unit, you don''t have to repeat it so many times. I have to knock this into your head: the situation the vanguard unit is in now is not your fault, don''t be such a saint and take on all the responsibility. Sending out the vanguard unit and setting up this ambush circle was the decision of the entire strategy department. If there''s a party that''s wrong in this matter, it''ll be all of us and not only just yourself.


    "Humanity is a civilization, a race, not your personal f*cking toy, and this is not a war game in your head!"


    Yao Yuan stared at Ren Tao, who was as angry as a lion, with a stunned expression. This was the first time he had seen Ren Tao so angry. This man who had always been so quiet and kept to himself was so fearless at this moment. Other than fury, there was something else that Yao Yuan spotted in his eyes, something that wasn''t there before¡­ courage.


    Ren Tao took several deep breaths before continuing viciously, "Where have you lost your cool and calm head? Where happened to your courage that could sacrifice even yourself? Now¡­ after sacrificing them, we might save even more people and even the whole of humanity! So where the f*ck is your courage?! Do you remember this one sentence that you said? I''ve forgotten the exact words, but the meaning was, if necessary, you would sacrifice anyone to trade for the continuity of human civilization, and that anyone includes yourself. You''ve been following that philosophy. We all have eyes, we can see your sacrifice and selflessness, or do you think the role of the Chancellor just fell on your head? Do you really f*cking think we''re all slaves without brains? That we all like to put a god above our heads to pray towards it day in and day out?


    "It''s because of you! It''s because you''re Yao Yuan! It''s because of your bravery and sacrifice, your leadership and hard work, that humanity is still alive today! Now, you wish to give up just because you''ve suddenly found your morality or simply because you unwilling to let your soldier friends go? You''re going to give up on all of us just like that?!"


    Yao Yuan slowly recuperated from his daze. He stood up slowly and walked to stand before Ren Tao. Everyone was scared for the man''s life, but Yao Yuan merely patted Ren Tao lightly on his shoulders. "I understand, I see it now¡­ Yes, it is as you''ve said, things should be that way. Since I can be sacrificed¡­ then if necessary, they must be sacrificed as well, but you''ve forgotten one thing. This sacrifice cannot be undone¡­


    "I must use this AI fleet as an accompaniment to this sacrifice, no, that''s not enough¡­"


    Yao Yuan didn''t say the rest but promised it internally. "Ol'' Wong, Liu Bai, Ebon, everyone¡­ please wait for me. After everything here is over, I''ll be joining you in a bit."


    "Give out the order. No fleet is allowed to move, stay where they are. The ambush plan is going to continue as usual!


    "Stop anyone, any ship from leaving this ambush circle. Anyone who does will be executed as a human traitor¡­


    "Do not allow anyone to use any ships or devices to save or contact the vanguard unit, or they will be executed as a human traitor¡­"


    Yao Yuan continued to give several orders and then he told everyone present, "When we''re one hour from the fleet reaching the ambush circle, wake up all the sleeping workers and soldiers. Start the last maintenance of all the weapons and equipment. Get the 16 Black Star units to start preparing, aim the Gravity Cannons at the designated coordinates, have the AI conduct one last simulated war¡­


    "This is the final battle!"


    Following Yao Yuan''s orders, the ambush circle started to mobilize, be it the Defense Unit or the Black Star Troopers, they prepared for the war silently. In fact, almost everyone knew about the ambush threatening the vanguard unit, and they knew they would receive news of the fall of the vanguard unit soon¡­


    Everyone was silent, but the sadness and fury in their eyes were obvious. There had never been such a moment where there was merely fighting, combat, and death in these people''s minds. There was fire, the fire of revenge burning through everyone''s soul¡­


    This is our home! We''ve been chased out of our home twice already! We''ve been forced to run like cowards twice already! This time¡­ no matter what¡­


    During preparation, a technician soldier suddenly asked a Black Star Trooper, "Sir, I''m sorry, but this battle¡­ is the final battle already?"


    The trooper was stunned before replying with a smile, "This battle¡­


    "Yes, it''s the final battle!"

 Chapter 461: Whisperer!

    Chapter 461: Whisperer!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    140 plus specially-designed gravity cannon ships, other than plasma reactors and energy shield generators, they had practically no other devices on it. For example, weapons and residential amenities. In other words, the whole spaceship itself was designed to fit the gravity cannon.


    Each gravity cannon spaceship''s firing range was about 3,400 kilometers around itself. In other words, everything within these 3,400 kilometers will be affected by the tidal force. In fact, the actual range of the cannon was 60,000 kilometers, but the 3,400 kilometers was where the real power of the gravity cannons could be felt.


    The range of 140 gravity cannon spaceships could easily overlap the battleships, and each spaceship''s 3,400 kilometers range would be expanded greatly. If the 140 spaceships were completely spread out, the range could cover a giant sphere of 2,000,000 kilometers in diameter. This distance is about five times the distance between Old Earth and the Moon!


    However, this was just a theoretical number. It was impossible for each spaceship to align them so perfectly, especially during wartime. Therefore, the best practical range of these 140 spaceships was a sphere with a diameter of 400,000 kilometers, and this was already a very large space. If they could maintain this space long enough, demolishing the alien fleet was only a matter of time.


    This was the biggest deciding factor for Yao Yuan to come up with the ambush circle. However, gravity cannon, while being humanity''s sharpest spear, was not its strongest shield. This meant that they were incredibly fragile. If there was the slightest damage to any of its components, the cannon would be indisposed. The next issue was its amount of exhaustion. A gravity cannon required a large plasma reactor to supply it with energy. If the reactor was isolated and built on top of a small meteorite, the meteorite would collapse under pressure. Therefore, gravity cannons were an extremely fragile weapons with great limitations; they couldn''t be transported through long distance like other weapons.


    In other words, the other half of this ambush circle''s purpose was to hide and protect the fleet of gravity cannon spaceships¡­


    "Sixth groups of spaceships in position, the seventh, eighth, and ninth groups will reach their positions in five minutes. The final preparations for the ambush circle are complete."


    In a spaceship the size of the Hope, Barbie gave Yao Yuan the report on the current battlefield situation. Yao Yuan had put on his red space armor. He too was preparing for battle. From the calculated time, they only had seven minutes left before the real war began.


    Yao Yuan nodded and said, "I understand. Then this is the final battle¡­ You and all the non-combative units stay behind. At the same time, if it is discovered that¡­ the ambush circle has failed, instantly activate the creator''s particle and report the news back to the City of Light Moon and initiate the starlight plan."


    Barbie in her professional outfit nodded and said, "I understand¡­ Chancellor, no matter the result of war, I can only say¡­ you are our best leader, the savior of humanity, the hero of humanity. Even if the war fails, even if the number of deaths is high, this is not your fault, you''ve done everything you could¡­"


    Yao Yuan was silent for a while before laughing while ruffling Barbie''s hair. "Thank you, I appreciate it. You also better go prepare. There are space armors for non-combative units as well. This war has strayed from our initial expectations, and I also cannot predict what will happen¡­ Good luck." Then he walked towards his final destination.


    Barbie stood where she was with her head lowered and her hair ruffled. Tears like pearls fell down her face¡­


    Yao Yuan''s attention was completely focused on what he was facing¡­ Its height was about 18 meters and the sphere was completely covered in red paint. This was the final weapon created by Bo Li to face this war, the height of human weapon technology, the Steel Ball, the real Red Lightning.


    It had three times the power output of the normal Red Lightning in terms of speed, energy, and weapon power. Its speed utilized the energy umbrella theory of a level 3 space civilization and was 6.4 times the speed of the Hope. This was a speed that was 2.2 times faster than AI main spaceship.


    The weapons were not much different from a normal Steel Ball. However, since Yao Yuan was an All-rounder, the compatibility meant that the weapon output was three times the amount of a normal Steel Ball.


    It also had three times the strength of normal energy shields. According to analysis, it was enough to shatter the AI fleet''s main spaceship''s energy shield. It also came equipped with a mini gravity cannon that could cause a tidal effect within a 604 kilometer radius. Bo Li also added a special feature to this Steel Ball that was absent in other Steel Balls, a warp drive engine that could support the Red Lightning in warp drive space for about two years¡­


    This was Yao Yuan''s ride for this war, Steel Ball, the real Red Lightning!


    After Yao Yuan got into the vehicle, it was shot out into space by the projectile device. Yao Yuan still hadn''t activated the Steel Ball. Even though the control systems had been improved several times over the past decade, the exhaustion was still huge. A normal Homo Evolutis could only pilot it for maximum one hour before falling asleep. Even for Yao Yuan, his maximum was only three hours before it would cause irreparable damage on his psyche.


    "Come¡­ you sh*ts, this is going to be your cemetery!"


    In the darkened control room, Yao Yuan''s eyes were burning with anger and fury¡­


    At the same time, back at the City of Light Moon, almost all the civilians were mobilizing. 11 spaceships the size of the Hope and the Hope itself were getting reused. All the civilians and important equipment, documents, and supplies were relocated onto these 12 spaceships. The spaceships themselves were physically attached to each other using metallic chains to ensure they would space warp to the same location.


    All the civilians were sad and in despair. In fact, many people had entered a state of no return. Some of them started to wail about the end of the world. Since there was no one left in the government to hold the fort, the human society was in chaos.


    Lee Cheng Wen was spacing out in his own office, watching the 3D image of the vanguard unit being ambushed. He sighed under his breath when a group of men walked into his room. The leading personnel was a middle-aged man. He began powerfully, "Minister Lee, are you going to sit there and watch the government submerge into chaos?"


    When Lee Cheng Wen saw it was Speaker Matt who spoke, he immediately stood up and said, "Mr. Speaker, is there anything I can help you with?"


    Matt didn''t tread on formalities. He pulled out a chair and sat down. "Minister, I''ve looked through the list of government officials who remained and you''re currently the highest ranking officer. The vanguard unit was ambushed, so this means that Vice-Chancellor Wong Guang Zhen is currently indisposed. And the Chancellor himself is involved in the next battle, so in other words, you''re responsible to overlook the government. Am I mistaken?"


    Lee Cheng Wen tensed instantly, but he didn''t show it on the surface. He merely smiled and replied, "Mr. Speaker, you''re indeed correct in your observation. If I may be frank, what is it that you wish for me to do at the moment?"


    Matt nodded and said, "I wish for Minister Lee to immediately give an order to stop the spreading of rumors. Yes, freedom of speech is important, but everything has its own time! The war is not over yet, we still have the Black Star troopers and the Chancellor! We still have the hope for victory! Spread the rumors that humanity has already failed will cause chaos, and according to the constitution, that is totally illegal and they can be arrested and charged! I will call for the gathering of the representatives to support this decision, but I wonder if Minister Lee is willing to spearhead this motion or not?"


    Lee Cheng Wen sighed internally and he was impressed by Speaker Matt. He said immediately, "Of course. After the House of Representatives has passed the motion, then I will start the action instantly."


    Speaker Matt stood up and said seriously, "Then¡­ let me see Minister Lee''s action and decision-making skill. Also¡­ stop looking at that video. I believe the Chancellor will return victorious. Ever since we left Earth, he has never let us down, and it will be no different this time!"


    At the same time, in a mini engineering lab, a girl cried non-stop watching the video. Her eyes were bloated from tears. This girl was Yue Xuan. When she found out that her boyfriend, Yun Si, was part of the six Black Star Troopers which made up the vanguard unit¡­


    "Yun Si¡­ Yun Si, don''t worry, I will definitely take revenge for you¡­ I will!"


    Yue Xuan rubbed her eyes and stood up. As she wept, she made a call. Sometime later, a voice said, "Hello, this is the police station, how can I help you?"


    Yue Xuan spoke through her tears. "Help me transfer this message to the human government highest official or the remaining Black Star Troopers or even Professor Bo Li¡­ I''m the hidden Whisperer, the Steel Ball''s control system¡­


    "Was created by my hands!"

 Chapter 462: Start of the Final War! (1)

    Chapter 462: Start of the Final War! (1)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Within the darkness of the Steel Ball, Yao Yuan closed his eyes to concentrate. A feeling deep within his soul started to overwhelm him. It had been decades since Yao Yuan became a Homo Evolutis. The HE Research Center was not the only one that had been trying to figure out the mystery of Homo Evolutis, Yao Yuan himself had been doing his personal research.


    First, he was an All-rounder or an Immortal. From both Blue 6 and the space merchants'' information, Immortals should have all the skills available to Homo Evolutis. However, in reality, he didn''t have access to the powers of the Whisperer, Anima, or Deceiver. In fact, these three types were the rarest Homo Evolutis.


    Since he didn''t have access to these three powers, he didn''t know how they worked. In the past few decades, he instead focused on understanding the machinations of the Perceptor, Seeker, Diviner, and Thinker. In comparison, his mastery of Diviner was the greatest. This was caused by the natural environment of the cosmos, which heightened the sense of danger within everyone.


    Diviners had the strongest sixth sense among all the Homo Evolutis. Their sensory attunement to danger was already beyond scientific explanation. For example, Zhang Heng''s power could even be used in gambles, and Eva''s Diviner power could look into the future.


    In the past few decades, Yao Yuan had found more ways to utilize the Diviner power. Of course, he wasn''t a real Diviner. He might have the power, but the strength of that power was not greater than Zhang Heng''s. Regardless, he still found out that his Diviner power was the strongest when his heart was quiet and collected. When he calmed down, he could feel a large space expanding around him with him as the center. Within the range of this space, his Diviner power had an increase in efficiency, and this was the greatest reward he had discovered after the decades of training.


    Yao Yuan was doing exactly this right now. Suddenly, he felt something, "something" had trespassed into his space. The next second, he peeled his eyes open, and the moment he did, the moment his consciousness returned, the control system of the Steel Ball, Red Lightning, was activated and his consciousness took over the whole vehicle.


    Then the Steel Ball, Red Lightning became a flash of red light surging through space. Its speed was unimaginable. It took less than a second for the machine to fly past all the Space Combat Jets and rush into the middle of the enemy ranks. Following the rain of sparks, some of the enemy spaceships started to phase out of their ECS systems. Then there was a series of explosions.


    At this point, all the battleships from far away started to focus fire. A large amount of energy beams swept the battlefield. Several ten thousand alien spaceships were shot down and a majority of them were exposed. The minute their energy shields were activated, their locations were exposed.


    Taking advantage of this situation was the Black Star Troopers. There were 16 fully attended units and 160 latest Space Combat Jets. They mobilized from their hiding places and moved towards the battlefield.


    The beginning of the final war began thusly. The whole fleet started to head towards their designated location according to the ambush plan.


    At this time, several rays of extremely bright, purple light came from the enemy fleet. The rays were thin, rather similar to the super long distance particular condensation beam used by the Steel Ball, but the brightness had reached a state where it couldn''t be viewed by the naked eye. In fact, it was close to the brightness of the Energy Storm. After the light ray was shown, in its arc was a ripple in space that was observable¡­ the collapse of space!


    After the shiny purple light, all the Homo Evolutis, ship captains and battlefield observers looked at the aftermath of this light ray with awe and shock. The space where the light had just arced through was¡­ empty! The space annihilation effect, this was the maximum effect when the space distortion technology was pushed to its limit mentioned by Professor Silewei. This was the strongest plasma weapon owned by a level 3 space civilization. Similar to how the Requiem cannon, the strongest weapon of a level 2 space civilization, could harm a level 3 space civilization, this weapon was strong enough to harm a level 4 space civilization.


    The AI fleet finally showed its claws. This was the peak of a level 3 space civilization, this was the stage humanity needed to spend at least another ten thousand years to arrive at, the dream of many level 2 space civilizations, the dream of being closest to becoming a level 4 space civilization!


    Yao Yuan''s heart flashed with despair. At that moment, his danger sense was at the highest it had ever been. If he delayed for another 0.1 second, he would become star dust. Even though he had survived the attack, the shot still took down at least one-fifth of humanity''s gravity cannon spaceships. The gravity cannon required at least three minutes to charge, more than enough time for the alien fleet to annihilate them.


    Yao Yuan''s both eyes were red. Now was the time to put his life on the line. He controlled the Steel Ball to approach three Space Combat Jets that were painted in dark purple. When he entered their creator''s particle range, he said in a hurry, "Xiao Niao, I need your unit to cover me as I get close to the enemy''s mothership. This has to be done." Then the Steel Ball disappeared with a blink.


    In the next ten seconds, Yao Yuan had liaised with at least 30 Space Combat Jets. With him as the center, the unit drove into the centre of the enemy fleet. Sparks and explosions happened along the way. In just several minutes, there were only 20 plus spaceships left in this group.


    Yao Yuan''s heart was bleeding internally. These were Black Star troopers whose lives were lost. The fact they were cosmic adapters aside, they were comrades from the same unit. After decades of training together, they were as close as brothers. They were family forged from a bond via blood. No one felt the pain of their deaths greater than Yao Yuan, but¡­ behind them was their home. If the sacrifice could be traded for peace, then¡­


    "Comrades, wait for me in the other life¡­ I''ll be coming soon."


    As he roared, the Steel Ball, Red Lightning rushed towards a mothership, shattering its energy shield following a shower of lightning and spark¡­

 Chapter 463: Start of the Final War! (2)

    Chapter 463: Start of the Final War! (2)


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Steel Ball, Red Lightning was three times the power of a normal Steel Ball and 72 times the power of normal Space Combat Jet; it was almost as powerful as a guardian spaceship. It was a scary thing having so much power within such a small body. This not only required the energy technology of a peak level 3 space civilization, but also the metallurgy of a peak level 3 space civilization. At least this was a technology currently unavailable to this AI civilization. Humanity was lucky enough to come across the alien plant, which produced such alloys, or else designing the Steel Ball would''ve been impossible.


    The moment Yao Yuan entered the energy shield of the enemy mothership, the surface of the Steel Ball was instantly covered with three times the amount of weapons a normal Steel Ball would have. In just the blink of an eye, the side of the mothership facing the Steel Ball was coated in fire. At the same time, a large light saber appeared around the Red Lightning as it rushed towards the mothership.


    When everyone saw the Red Lightning next, it was 20 seconds later, and the gigantic enemy mothership was starting to explode and collapse in sequence. This was the most powerful weapon available to man, a trump card alongside the Gravity Cannon¡­


    But¡­ there was only one Yao Yuan and only one Steel Ball, Red Lightning¡­


    As the group covered Yao Yuan on their way to the second mothership, several rays of purple light shot at New Solar System''s first fleet. After another space collapse, nothing remained¡­


    "F*ck, f*ck, f*ck¡­"


    In a main ship the size of the Hope, Barbie was shedding tears like her life depended on it. Her face was covered with snot and tears, completely unlike her usual collected, aloof, and professional image. At that moment, she was as helpless as a child, sitting with tears in her eyes while watching the 3D image of the war before her. The intensity of the war was much greater than she expected. The war epic movie produced by mankind was only 1/10000 percent its actual intensity. Lives were disappearing one after another before her eyes and despair was spreading, but she couldn''t do anything¡­


    "You have to win, Yao Yuan, you have to¡­ If there is a God, please hear my call, please let Yao Yuan win¡­"


    This prayer, or rather, cry of desperation, was spreading throughout the battlefield and even the City of Light Moon. In fact, even among the vanguard unit whose fate was an unknown, most people were feeling the touch of the same despair. Some were staunch believers of faith, some were atheists, some were strong, some were weak, some were cowardly, some were fearless, but everyone had the same thought on their mind¡­ Yao Yuan, you have to win.


    For some inexplicable reasons, perhaps it was illusion from exhaustion or really something did happen, Yao Yuan, who was piloting the Red Lightning, suddenly felt refreshed. Technically, the exhaustion from piloting the Red Lightning was much greater than piloting a normal Steel Ball. It should''ve been around now that he started to feel tired and light-headed, but in contrast, he felt energized¡­ perhaps this was just another illusion before fainting, Yao Yuan thought bitterly.


    "In any case, let me fight it out before I collapse!"


    At the same time, among the sea of spaceship debris, the vanguard unit was still struggling to stay alive. In fact, both Yao Yuan and the military at the City of Light Moon had guessed wrongly. The vanguard unit wasn''t ambushed, more accurately, this was a contact battle. The vanguard unit had stumbled across the enemy unit who was hiding. This enemy unit appeared more like they were waiting for deserters and not a whole main fleet.


    "What? They''re changing directions?" Guang Zhen asked in a roar.


    Before him, several observers answered darkly, "Yes, Commander, from the calculations provided on screen, the fleet''s trajectory has gone way beyond the ambush circle. Their target is¡­ the City of Light Moon!"


    Guang Zhen gritted his teeth angrily. He paced left and right before ordering, "Send out this order: have all the Black Star troopers return to the main ship immediately to conduct a final maintenance and energy recharge. Have them rest for 30 minutes. At the same time, order all the battleships and guardian spaceships to halt the movement of the enemy fleet. Get them to stop the enemy from heading towards the City of Light Moon, no matter what. Tussle with them for at least 40 minutes. This is the order from the highest commander. Then¡­ tell them to follow my ship!"


    Back in the City of Light Moon, Yue Xuan was taken by the military-use hovercraft towards the Hope under the protection of two Black Star troopers. In just several minutes, Yue Xuan found herself standing at the entrance to Bo Li''s lab. She got down from the craft and took a deep breath. She tapped herself on the face and told herself under her breath, "You can do it, remember, revenge!" Then she moved into the lab.


    Inside the lab, several hundred workers and engineers were busy recording and calculating stuff. In the middle of them, Bo Li was ordering an AI robot and a bunch of people around her to build something. When Yue Xuan got closer, Bo Li said directly, "You''re too late now, I don''t need your psychological control system anymore¡­ at least not until this war is over, you sinner of mankind¡­"


    Yue Xuan''s tears fell down immediately. She bit on her teeth until blood flowed out of the corner of her mouth. Several seconds later, she forced herself to say, "I know, I understand¡­ but it''s not too late. I have another weapon that we can design to add to the war¡­


    "I''ve already finished the design. I only need to perfect the design for the energy source and the ammunition, and those are your specialties. The name of the weapon is¡­


    "Psychokinetic floating cannon!"

 Chapter 464: Gravity Cannon… Gravity Cannon!

    Chapter 464: Gravity Cannon¡­ Gravity Cannon!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    On the battlefield, Yao Yuan didn''t know there was an enemy fleet heading towards the City of Light Moon, and the loss of the vanguard unit wasn''t as large as he expected. In fact, the vanguard unit had been fighting.


    The battle at the ambush circle was reaching its critical moment. In the Black Star Troopers'' death march led by Yao Yuan, even though there were only 100 plus of them, the amount of damage they could create was enormous. They were practically unstoppable as they overwhelmed and collapsed the enemy fleet.


    Space Combat Jets with explosive arrow bullets that could burrow through energy shield, especially when piloted by Homo Evolutis, were undefeatable by any spaceships from level 3 space civilizations. If not for the great difference in numbers between the two, even though these spaceships were from a peak level 3 space civilization, the group of Black Star troopers would be able to destroy them easily.


    It was due to the Black Star troopers'' superhuman combat capability and the cross-generation weapons designed by a Whisperer that the result of the battle could be so wonderful.


    However, the enemy wasn''t as weak as they hoped. After all, they were a giant spaceship fleet from a peak level 3 space civilization. Their number was about several ten thousand times the number of human spaceships. Since the battle started, in just several minutes, the Black Star troopers had lost more than 30 members, and as the battle continued, in the foreseeable future, the number of fatalities would only continue to increase!


    Similarly, the New Solar System first fleet, who were stationed far away, as well as the gravity cannon spaceships who had been hiding, also suffered great losses. If this was a conventional war, humanity was already on the losing side. If there was no trump card or tactical weapon, then the complete wipe-out of humanity was only a matter of time¡­ Even with Yao Yuan''s Steel Ball, Real Lighting or more than 100 Black Star troopers, the result wouldn''t change.


    Yao Yuan wasn''t dumb, he hadn''t lost his sense. The reason he opted for this ambush that was like using an egg to fight a rock was because of humanity''s biggest trump card¡­ a trump card that was able to change the direction of the battle in a moment, the gravity cannon!


    At that moment, all the gravity cannon spaceships were hiding in ECS systems. They didn''t attack the enemy. In fact, even after they were attacked, they didn''t move from their positions. They suffered their deaths patiently. The leaders who controlled these gravity cannon ships were beyond anxious. The fulcrum of the war was heavy on their shoulders. If they made a small mistake¡­ then the history of humanity would be over!


    Perhaps the citizens at the City of Light Moon could still warp away, but after losing 90 percent of the Black Star troopers, almost all the Defense Unit soldiers, the space combat jets, all the military experts, and humanity''s greatest leader and his successor, the fate of the survivors was dim. Whether they could survive in space after this was an unknown. At least¡­ the hope of becoming a middle-tier space civilization was impossible, and the renaissance of humanity¡­ would be hard to achieve!


    "Fast! Quicker!"


    Finally, after waiting for second minute, which felt like ages, the charging of the first gravity cannon was completed. After that followed the second ship, third ship¡­ in less than several seconds, all the remaining gravity cannon spaceships were fully charged. Then, following the decision that was made earlier, all the gravity cannon reexamined their target and then¡­


    All the cannons fired at the same time!


    The widest area of effect attack was unleashed! The overlapping of the effect zones caused heavy gravity tidal effects!


    When the gravity cannon was used, he whole battlefield was shaken by an unusual push and pull of gravitational forces. This was not something the creator''s particles could conceal. These curious points of gravity appeared at several hundred locations all over the battlefield. Each point of gravity was equal to the gravitational force of a small planet. This was made even scarier by the fact that there were hundreds of them active at the same time.


    Middle to large spaceships definitely couldn''t get too close to too many small planets at the same time; this was a truth most low tier space civilizations understood. This was because no matter the shield, be it electromagnetic, energy, or even a middle-tier space civilization''s space distortion shield, they couldn''t withstand the most common force in space. It would be fine at a distance, but if they got too close, it would be a tragedy because the tidal effect caused by the ship being affected by the gravitational force at different point would deconstruct the ship immediately!


    This was common knowledge in space, just like how everyone back on Earth knew that a day consisted of 24 hours each day and 365 days a year. The enemy might''ve been an AI, but this didn''t mean that they don''t have such common knowledge. After the AI had taken over all the technology, knowledge, and information of its creator, how could it not know about the scary consequence of wandering too close to too many points of gravity?


    Almost the moment the fleet of gravity cannon ships used the gravity cannons, the mess of light rays covering the battlefield stopped completely. Other than the human fleet, who was still attacking. The several ten thousands AI fleet had completely stopping attacking. Then all the spaceships started to turn with the highest speed to head towards the edge of the battlefield, away from the zone of the gravity fields.


    Of course, that wouldn''t be so easy!


    They were in the middle of the ambush circle!


    For this battle, for this ambush circle, for this moment, humanity had given up so much; cosmic adapters, Defense Unit soldiers, vanguard unit and even several million civilians¡­ All these sacrifice was for this moment, wasn''t it?!


    When they were hiding in the ambush circle, the coordinates of the gravity cannon ships was already calculated. Each coordinate was recalculated and recalibrated again and again. To prevent the possibility of friendly fire, this had to be done. This was the most scientific way of conducting a war. The location of the gravity cannon ships had covered the whole battlefield in layers.


    Even though they had lost one-third of the ships, this didn''t create such a big weakness in the formation of the gravity fields. The AI fleet was already trapped within the ambush circle, so leaving such a large gravity field was not going to be easy, at least not something doable within seconds or minutes. In that stretch of time, the gravity cannons were enough to send them into hell, to return them to the state of star dust!


    As humanity expected, when the AI fleet started to escape, in just 20 seconds, the first spaceships to deconstruct were those enormous motherships. They were torn open by the tidal effect of gravity. Such a sturdy mothership, one that even Yao Yuan''s Red Lightning was unable to lay a scratch on, was torn open like paper before everyone''s eyes. Then their energy systems exploded in space.


    Several ten thousands alien spaceships of varying sizes were crumpled by an imaginary large hand. As they turned around, every second there was a new spaceship being torn open. This was not one point of gravity but more than a hundred points of gravity layering on top of each other. The loss of gravity cannon ships from the previous attack caused the gravity field to be uneven in gravity distribution, but this in turn had sped up the collapse of the alien fleet.


    After they managed to turn around, the amount of spaceships that had been deconstructed was more than ? of their total number. The remaining spaceships were mostly extremely small-size battleships or combat jets. Even they were affected by the gravity field. However, the biggest damage that came to them was from the explosion of the large spaceships. These small-size battleships had weak shields, so when they were caught in both the gravity field and the explosions of their bigger counterparts, they collapsed fairly easily¡­


    The whole AI fleet was over. The fleet that was large enough to steamroll humanity in just several minutes had been reduced to about 10 percent of its original size after the gravity cannons were fired. The gravity cannons took less than several minutes to bury these spaceships from a peak level 3 space civilization. The human beings who operated these gravity cannons were in shock. Many of them still hadn''t recovered from the sight they saw. It wasn''t until later that their shock was replaced by euphoric joy¡­


    Victory!


    Humanity had won!

 Chapter 465: Not Over Yet!

    Chapter 465: Not Over Yet!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "X136, Y762, Z7124 discovery of straggling enemies. Nearby Black Star Troopers, please take care of them¡­"


    It had been 20 plus minutes since the ambush circle had been set. Even though the war was considered over a few minutes after the gravity cannons were used, there were small amounts of battleships that continued to escape from the ruin of the AI fleet, and the cleaning up process had been going on until now.


    On the other hand, the coverage of the creator''s particle was huge. They would need more than 30 minutes to clear up the zone. In that period of time, the first fleet couldn''t do anything, so they occupied their time with cleaning up the enemy forces.


    Yao Yuan had returned to the ship. When he came down from Steel Ball, Red Lightning, his whole person was drained. His breath came fast and quick and his face was as white as a sheet of paper. However, that was all he suffered, which surprised everyone, even himself. He didn''t even need support as he descended the Red Lightning. This shocked the medical crew that was stationed outside the Steel Ball. After all, during the previous experiments, Yao Yuan had almost fainted when the door opened. How come he was still so energized this time? Could this be his last radiance like what happened to Jay and Eva?


    "What nonsense." Yao Yuan chewed on space food as he grumbled at the group of people around him. The mental exhaustion this time was much smaller than expected. However, for some reason, the physical exhaustion was more serious compared to before. It was as if the mental exhaustion had been swapped out for physical exhaustion. He did almost faint when he exited the Steel Ball, but it was from hunger, not mental exhaustion. He started eating the moment he exited the vehicle, but until now, the feeling of hunger still hadn''t dissipated.


    Barbie looked at the mountain of food before him with worry in her eyes before adding, "The statistics of the ambush circle are already out. So far, there have been almost 3,400 spaceships of varying sizes that have escaped the ruin. The largest among them was a guardian spaceship, the smallest was a scouting ship. Currently, we are unclear on how the AI is reacting. Some of the technicians predict that it is a mothernest-type AI. They hope the military can salvage the ruins for at least three complete CPU chips¡­"


    Yao Yuan ate his food and contemplated the result. Several seconds later, he shook his head. "Those are details for after the war, we don''t need to worry about them for now. After all, this is space; there will be no weathering and no one else is going to destroy them. Our current focus shouldn''t be salvaging but trying to establish contact with the City of Light Moon to stop them from space warping. Then we need to search for the AI fleet who ambushed the vanguard unit to stomp them out¡­ This AI ruin is our spoil of war after sacrificing so much. The information, technology, materials, and even part of the spaceships will be salvaged after this, there''s no need to rush."


    Barbie didn''t say anything in return but quietly recorded what Yao Yuan said. She finished her job as the secretary before watching Yao Yuan munch on his food. As she watched him, her tears suddenly started to fall, making Yao Yuan not know how to handle the situation.


    "Wonder, wonderful¡­" Barbie wiped away her tears with the back of her hand as she said, "This is wonderful, Chancellor, we''ve won¡­"


    Yao Yuan watched her cry with shock before he smiled. "Yes, we''ve won¡­ we humans have won¡­"


    No, that was untrue¡­


    Several minutes later, after the nearby creator''s particle had been cleared away, the New Solar System first fleet managed to make contact with the City of Light Moon, but this contact¡­ casted a sense of gloom over everyone.


    "The AI civilization''s first fleet is only three hours away from the City of Light Moon. Currently, the human vanguard unit is tussling with them, but¡­ the vanguard unit has suffered too many losses, and the shuttle with more than 50,000 civilians has been captured by the AI unit. Their fate is currently unknown¡­"


    Back in central command on the spaceship, all the captains of the first fleet were connected to the room virtually through 3D images. Almost all the surviving Black Star Troopers were also present in the room. They all looked quite tired, but they still stood in perfect attention.


    Yao Yuan looked at everyone and said, "That is the basic situation. The City of Light Moon is in a big crisis. Since almost all the units have left the city to engage the enemy, the place is practically undefended. The Black Star Troopers who remained at the city number less than 20 and the Defense Unit soldiers less than 600. Even though the city has many defensive measures and cannons, there are not enough people to man them¡­ so I don''t think they can hold this AI fleet for long!"


    Yao Yuan took a pause before continuing, "But luckily¡­ the vanguard unit is still fighting. Yes, they have suffered great losses, but they haven''t given up, they are still trying to hold the AI fleet. They''re waiting for rescue, waiting for the main force¡­ we''re that main force! We''re the trump card deciding the ultimate fate of this war!


    "When we''re discussing, I''ve already given the orders. Other than the four units¡­ which only have several members left, and several guardian spaceships who shall remain to aid in rescuing survivors and cleaning up the ruin, all the remaining units will head towards the City of Light Moon. I need everyone to start preparing for battle."


    The war meeting was short. After Yao Yuan gave the orders and explained the situation, everyone dispersed to carry out their responsibilities. Frustration and worry was written on everyone''s faces combined with the tiredness from the battle they had just concluded.


    After all, this concerned the City of Light Moon! Everyone''s families, friends, and even children were located there. It was humanity''s home and the place that truly belonged to humanity. If the place was to fall¡­ it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say half of the soldiers would commit suicide¡­ Yes, perhaps after losing Yao Yuan, perhaps after losing the battle, humanity would be caught in a quandary, but if they continued to proceed, to carry on step by step, they might one day return to glory. However, if the military lost the civilians situated in the City of Light Moon, what awaited humanity was extinction!


    The military fleet who was ecstatic from winning the war dampened greatly after learning of the situation with the City of Light Moon. They couldn''t wait to warp to the City of Light Moon, but realistically speaking, that was impossible. The cosmos was huge. Their distance from the City of Light Moon would take more than 18 hours of travelling, and this was travelling at maximum speed, an endeavour that could cause irreparable damage to the spaceships. In contrast, the enemy ships only needed three hours to reach the City of Light Moon, so the biggest issue was speed¡­


    "That''s not true, we don''t need to wait idly for 18 hours. We have a combat vehicle that can reach the City of Light Moon before the AI fleet¡­"


    Barbie followed behind Yao Yuan as he headed towards the hangar. This was what Yao Yuan said along the way.


    Barbie was shocked as she ran to catch up to Yao Yuan, "Huh? This is a new design by Professor Bo Li? How many soldiers it can carry at once?"


    "Just me alone¡­"


    Yao Yuan reached the hangar and pointed at the red Steel Ball sitting there. "I alone, with the aid of the Red Lightning, will be able to reach the City of Light Moon at the same time as the enemy fleet. This is the only way we can intercept the enemy fleet!"


    Barbie was startled before exclaiming with worry, "Chancellor, you cannot do this. Even if you arrive at the City of Light Moon, without the cover of the space combat jets, how are you going to face up against several ten thousand AI spaceships and motherships? This is¡­"


    "Crazy? Suicidal?" Yao Yuan chuckled as he walked towards the Steel Ball. Along the way, he said, "I''ve achieved the awareness from the moment I joined this war. In fact, all the soldiers¡­ the people who are here, which of them do not have this awareness? For the heroes who sacrificed themselves at the first and second defense lines, for the vanguard unit who is still fighting, for the 50,000 civilians who are captured¡­ I''m prepared to die for them!


    "That is our home! It is only fair for a man to die protecting his home. It is no reason to cry¡­


    "As long as the survivors cheer for their victory!"


    Several minutes later, a red flying vehicle left the spaceship, heading alone towards the City of Light Moon¡­


    Back on the City of Light Moon''s several motherships, everyone was concerned. Even though they had just received the victory news at the ambush circle, they were facing another crisis before their eyes. The AI''s first fleet was reaching the City of Light Moon soon. Even though it was not their initial number of several million spaceships, the number was still high, in the ten thousands. That was a number the City of Light Moon could not handle¡­


    In fact, there were already representatives who handed in emergency proposals to the committee to discuss the need of space warp¡­


    "No space warp! We''ve won the war, the remaining forces is something our normal military can wipe out. Do you really want to abandon the heroes who have fought bravely for our victory for the sake of your own safety? Open your eyes because these brave souls are watching and judging us!"


    This was the growl of an inflamed representative in the House of Representatives¡­


    On the other end of the city, in Bo Li''s lab, Bo Li and Yue Xuan were busy working on several large pipes. Both of them were covered with sweat, but their hands didn''t stop¡­


    Soon, soon, this weapon¡­ was a weapon powerful enough to make up the numbers difference between humanity and the enemy. After the weapon was completed, humanity wouldn''t be completely helpless when the enemy fleet arrived¡­


    Psychokinetic floating cannon prototype 1 was scheduled to be completed in three to four hours!

 Chapter 466: Final War!

    Chapter 466: Final War!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Creator''s particle¡­


    This is a type of subatomic particle that will be discovered by space civilizations when they become level 2. Although, in reality, some level 1 space civilizations had encountered this particle, and they referred to it as "God''s Particle" or something of that sort.


    In fact, the existence of the creator''s particle had created a new world in the sense that it had completely shifted how war was fought in space. There were no longer landslide victories between space civilizations from the same level. Specifically, during a war between a new level 2 space civilization and a peak level 2 space civilization, as long as the level of the warring parties was the same, then even the peak level 2 space civilization wouldn''t have a landslide victory.


    Results like the landslide victory the US had against Iraq back on Old Earth was no longer possible. The US'' technology was only at most a decade more advanced than Iraq''s. One decade was definitely not enough to cause a difference in level for space civilizations. Both parties should belong in the same level bracket.


    The element that caused this drastic change was the creator''s particle, a miraculous particle that could conceal all the electrical signals and communication signals of all low tier space civilizations. When the creator''s particle covered the whole battlefield, both parties were practically blind. Under such circumstances, no matter how powerful the long distance weapons were, they would be useless. The creator''s particle leveled the playing field unless it was a war between space civilizations of differing levels, such as the plasma weapons and shields of a level 3 space civilization and the electromagnetic weapons and shields of a level 2 space civilization. Such a difference couldn''t be bridged by the creator''s particle. Under other circumstances, it was merely a fight of numbers.


    In such wars, if a party had trump cards that were beyond the civilization''s level, like humanity''s gravity cannon, then the tide of the war could be turned in an instant. Regardless of the enemy''s numbers and strength, this was a cross-civilization killing machine. Furthermore, warfare didn''t need great advancements in technology. It was, at the end of the day, a contest of firepower. This was why Bo Li and Yue Xuan were so determined on creating the psychokinetic floating cannon. If the cannon was created, then it would solve the issue of lack of manpower in the City of Light Moon.


    In reality, other than these three war methods that ignored the creator''s particle (one, the difference in civilization level; two, the overbearing power of trump card weapon; three, the weapon firepower), there was one more war tactic that ignored the creator''s particle. In fact, this element turned the creator''s particle to good use, in the sense that it only affected the enemy but not allies!


    This tactic was the use of the Anima, one of the rarer type of Homo Evolutis. They could use a special kind of method to sense the presence of all lifeforms. This method was something science couldn''t explain yet. The lifeforms that they sensed would appear in their sensory organs in a different manner. Normal lifeforms would present themselves as small orbs of fire and Homo Evolutis would be fireballs, but the exception was Yao Yuan. He appeared as the sun for all the Anima. These representations were also something science couldn''t explain.


    When an Anima used their power, they would act as a super-radar that ignored the creator''s particle. So far, the limitation of the strongest Anima, Nian Xi Kong, still hadn''t been discovered. She could easily detect the presence of human beings at the edge of the New Solar System and maintain communication with them. This communication went beyond light speed. With a focus of her mind, the message could be sent across the distance, defying all types of limitations. It was a communication mechanism and surveillance mechanism that surpassed the creator''s particle!


    The research on how to employ the Anima''s power in war had started about 10 years ago. All the military personnel, even the newest cadets, knew that when a space civilization had the power to ignore creator''s particle, it would greatly benefit the civilization so much so that¡­ this troop could challenge an enemy from a higher space civilization level!


    However, there were plenty of limitations to this research. The most obvious one was the lack of Anima. Currently, there were only five human Animas, and among them, only Nian Kong and Zhang San had the ability to communicate through the soul web. The remaining three could only see the soul web fuzzily. The difference in personal talent greatly limited the militarization of the Anima.


    When Bo Li and Yue Xuan were working on the psychokinetic floating cannon, Xi Kong was escorted to the lab. Currently, the City of Light Moon''s political scene was maintained by three forces after Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen, the two main leaders, left. The three forces were the House of Representative, the government officials, and the military. The hidden leader for the military was actually Bo Li.


    "I''m sorry to have called for you at a time like this."


    When Xi Kong arrived, Bo Li didn''t even raise her head to acknowledge her. She focused on the circuit before her while she talked to Xi Kong with her back turned. "But we need you here¡­ I need you to use your power to check the location of the vanguard unit and the main fleet. Then achieve communication with them, best if you can find the strongest Black Star Trooper."


    Xi Kong nodded silently. In reality, she was slightly afraid of Bo Li. Perhaps it was because she had a crush on Yao Yuan, or perhaps this was simply her nature. She would feel diffident around Bo Li. Regardless, she followed her orders obediently and closed her eyes to enter the soul web.


    As Xi Kong entered soul web to look for the battle units, Bo Li and Yue Xuan had their backs turned to her. Both of them were busy with their heads lowered. In fact, if anyone had seen them at that moment, they would realize that their faces were incredibly white, their hands were shaking imperceptibly, and their faces were covered with cold sweat. It was obvious that they were reaching the limitation of their Homo Evolutis power and they were close to collapsing.


    In fact, when Yue Xuan said she had finished the design, she really meant the design part was done. She had only the design foundation and design model. The prototype, especially one that could be used on the battlefield, hadn''t been tested yet. One reason was because she lacked the speciality support from Bo Li''s expertise. Be it the energy systems, weapon systems, or material circulatory systems, they all hadn''t been created yet. Secondly, she didn''t have a high tech lab like Bo Li did. Both of these reasons greatly limited her Whisperer power. The fact that she needed to finish the psychokinetic floating cannon on such short notice was exhausting both Bo Li''s and her life!


    When Xi Kong found the Black Star Trooper nearest to the vanguard unit, she suddenly heard Bo Li''s voice say, "The design is all here. All the parts and materials needed are on it. Build it following the design closely, use the alien plant alloy¡­


    "Also, send both me and Yue Xuan to the hospital¡­ to the emergency rooms for overexertion of Homo Evolutis power¡­"


    After that, Xi Kong heard several crisp sounds like something heavy had fallen to the floor. She jumped with shock and left the soul web. She opened her eyes and saw Bo Li and Yue Xuan collapsed on the floor. The several workers in the lab immediately rushed forward. The situation was chaotic¡­


    Xi Kong stood there dumbly, she was stupefied. After some time, she remembered the orders Bo Li gave her. With a grit of her teeth, she returned to the soul web. However, she didn''t know what to say. She was too stunned to do anything.


    She was surrounded by an empty space, endless, filled with darkness and loneliness. In this darkness, there were orbs of fire everywhere. She was surrounded by them, and among them was a small number of fireballs. The fireballs were about several million times more intense than the orbs of fire. They were the normal people and Homo Evolutis in the City of Light Moon¡­


    With a turn of her gaze, she "looked" further. Several ten thousands orbs of fire were heading towards the City of Light Moon speedily. Occasionally, some orbs would blink out of existence. There, she saw more fireballs, and some shone so brilliantly.


    But¡­ the light of these fireballs added together was no brighter than the burning sun that was shooting through space. The sun lit up almost half of the dark cosmos. It was so glorious, so bright. Its presence was like hope. The sum of all the human orbs of fire and the fireballs barely reached 1/10000 of its brightness. That was¡­ Yao Yuan!


    As Xi Kong focused on that sun. Suddenly, a female voice, no, two female voices appeared in her soul web.


    "Yun Si, you''re still alive? [Sob] you''re really still alive¡­"


    "Yao Yuan¡­ this is Bo Li."

 Chapter 467: Last Preparation and Song

    Chapter 467: Last Preparation and Song


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Xi Kong was shocked beyond belief. This was her soul web, so why would there suddenly be two other voices in it? From the sound of the voices, one belonged to Bo Li and the other Yue Xuan¡­


    At this time, Bo Li''s voice said, "Nian Xi Kong, both me and Xiu Yue Xuan are unconscious. We''ve entered your soul web, though I can''t explain how. Regardless, we don''t have time to waste. Help us gain contact with them. One is Yao Yuan, another one¡­ can be Yang Yun Si. Quick."


    Xi Kong didn''t dare to dawdle. She immediately sought out these two people. Of course, perhaps it was her heart talking, but the first person she found was Yao Yuan.


    Yao Yuan was resting his eyes in the Red Lightning. Even though his heart was anxious, like he yearned for the killing, his constitution still enabled him to close his eyes to rest. At least he appeared silent on the surface. He tried his best to preserve his energy as the Red Lightning shot through space.


    Suddenly, a voice appeared in his mind. This was the power of the Anima, he knew that much, but when he heard the voice, he was shocked.


    "Listen clearly, Yao Yuan. I''m currently communicating with you through Xi Kong''s soul web. My physical body has collapsed, so this conversation can''t persist for long¡­ This Red Lightning, I''ve updated it with a special control system, a system I call energy particle flux. The moment the system is activated, the exhaustion it has on your mind will increase by at least 100 times, so you have to think about this clearly, you only have one chance¡­"


    Yao Yuan was anxious, but he tried to calm himself down. After a deep breath, he said, "Definitely! Tell me how. Behind us¡­ is our home after all!"


    "Okay, the activation method is¡­"


    Several seconds later, Bo Li finished, but the soul web connection was still active. After one or two seconds of silence, Yao Yuan said, "End this communication, this is very heavy on the mind¡­ Also, we will win, I''ll bring home the victory, so please rest well. Your¡­ and everyone else''s hard work, I''ve felt it in my heart!"


    "¡­Okay, don''t die. I''ll wait for you¡­"


    After the communication ended, for some reason, Yao Yuan felt a wave of calm wash over him. He was startled for about 10 seconds before he laughed self-deprecatingly at his saccharine feeling¡­


    "Following this speed, actually, the Red Lightning will only catch up to the tail of the enemy fleet. Only three hours left? Hopefully, this energy particle flux is as amazing as you said it is!"


    Yao Yuan nudged his neck and mumbled to himself before chuckling. Then he yelled, "Activate special mode, password¡­ THE BEST!"


    Following that, the interior of the Steel Ball started to change. The most obvious was the light, changing from white to red. At the same time, a robotic voice said, "Password is a match, pilot is a match¡­ Do you really wish to enter Steel Ball''s energy particle flux mode? After entry, the limitation of the system is six hours. After six hours, the Steel Ball will self-destruct from overdrive. At the same time, the strain on the pilot''s mental pressure will increase by 14,700 percent."


    Yao Yuan took a deep breath and answered, "Enter energy particle flux mode!"


    The whole Steel Ball was then surrounded by a red energy flux that was visible to the naked eye. It was like the Steel Ball was wrapped in a layer of liquid. Instantly, the Steel Ball started to shine like a burning energy ball. Its already fast speed increased. Even though the degree of acceleration wasn''t obvious, the Steel Ball had surpassed six times the speed of motherships the size of the Hope, and the speed was still increasing¡­


    After Yao Yuan''s voice disappeared, Xi Kong immediately communicated with Yun Si. The moment the communication was established, Yue Xuan couldn''t wait to yell out, "Yang Yun Si, you''re still alive? You''re really still alive¡­"


    Yun Si was currently surrounded by a group of AI spaceships. The sudden voice in his head caused his attention to wander and he almost got hit by a bullet. He immediately swerved his Space Combat Jet around and roared, "F*ck, are you cursing me? Careful, I''ll punch you out!"


    "Yun Si, the prototype for the psychokinetic floating cannon is completed. I''m sorry, I had to reveal my identity to Xi Kong and the rest to get them to lend me their lab. Finally, the prototype is done, but since you won''t have time to rush back for us to attach it to your ship, thankfully, the Space Combat Jets come with their own external attachment system. Therefore, we will use signal carriers to send the parts to you. This is the only one psychokinetic floating cannon that is designed based around your Homo Evolutis skill. I''m sorry, there isn''t enough time to create more. Now, listen to me carefully, this is how you use it¡­"


    Even though Yue Xuan had many things she wanted to get off her throat, Bo Li had given her an example earlier. So she removed the emotions out of her voice and only explained the important stuff to Yun Si. The reason she insisted that Yun Si use this cannon and not the stronger Yao Yuan was because¡­ she and Yun Si had sinned, and this sin was not something that could be explained by reasons like fear, hesitation, and the sort. The conclusion was that they had sinned, and a big sin at that¡­ She hoped Yun Si would be able to achieve a great result with this cannon to balance out his sin. This was her selfish desire and her biggest insistence.


    Yun Si was startled. This conversation was too out of the blue for him. He knew about Anima, but he had no idea when Yue Xuan became an Anima, so he asked immediately, "What''s going on? Why can you suddenly talk in my head? Also, what is this psychokinetic floating cannon, how do I use it, how am I going to reach it¡­ Hey, explain it clearly!"


    However, the channel was already broken. No matter how hard he yelled, there was no reply. He gritted his teeth in anger. He swore that when he returned¡­ he would definitely spank that Yue Xuan''s butt and make her apologize to him!


    But¡­ psychokinetic floating cannon, the weapon modelled using two chopsticks. Was it really as powerful as she said? If that was true¡­ then it was truly a wonderful weapon!


    After the communication ended, Xi Kong sensed that the two female voices had left her soul web. She felt heavy in her heart, but it wasn''t serious. It was akin to the heaviness one would feel after hours reading a book; it was manageable¡­


    Then she also exited the soul web. Then she turned to inform the lab workers the instructions that she heard from Bo Li and Yue Xuan, to have them transport this thing after it was created¡­ How Yun Si was going to receive it, perhaps it had to do with some kind of high level technology Yue Xuan designed. She was clueless about that.


    When she explained everything, and as she walked to leave the lab, she suddenly noticed the expressions of these workers¡­ they showed anxiety, sadness, anger, and depression¡­


    (Perhaps I should do something?)


    Xi Kong didn''t know why this idea would come into her mind, but in that moment, she felt responsible, like this was her duty¡­


    Xi Kong returned to the soul web. She looked at the orbs of fire around her and the fireballs that blinked out in the cosmos as well as the sun that was rapidly approaching. Finally, she looked at her own fireball, and in that moment, started to sing¡­


    "That blue planet, in this dark space, it is the brilliant jewel in space¡­


    "That is our home, our family, that is Earth¡­


    "We''ve left our home, we''re forced to escape, and death, loneliness, darkness surrounded our future¡­


    "Warriors, and heroes, fearless on this path filled with brambles and sacrifice¡­


    "Because behind you is our new motherland, our home¡­"


    This was Xi Kong''s new song. It was a tune she released after humanity arrived at the New Solar System. It resonated greatly with the people and sat at the top of the charts for an impressive two years. When Xi Kong sang the song, it reached into everyone''s souls through the soul web. Instantly, everyone was silent. Even for those in combat, they listened to it while they fought. It didn''t take away from their focus; in fact, they felt comforted. The Homo Evolutis who were at the verge of collapse due to the strain they were under felt like a waterfall of cold water had just splashed over their soul. It took away their fatigue instantly, and this was not an illusion, they did feel refreshed in person!


    This was the song of the soul!


    The song travelled across the entire New Solar System. No matter where they were, everyone heard this song. For many, tears exited their eyes immediately. In the House of Representatives, the few representatives who proposed the space warp suddenly started to cry. They collapsed to the floor and started to wail like helpless babies¡­


    "¡­We''re brave, we''re hardworking, and we''re kind¡­


    "We''ll never stop, never give up for life¡­


    "For victory and for hope¡­


    "Will definitely be ours!"

 Chapter 468: Prior to the War… Intel

    Chapter 468: Prior to the War¡­ Intel


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Sitting in the captain''s chair, a tired-looking Guang Zhen commented, "So the Anima''s song has this effect as well."


    Ever since the war started, this was his third ship. Humanity had lost plenty in this war. Even though they managed to tangle with the AI fleet and successfully got onto the AI fleet''s energy umbrella pathway, they were still behind the enemy. Other than the Black Star Troopers who managed to get into the middle of the enemy fleet, the rest of them were left far behind, unable to take part in this final war.


    The biggest worry for Guang Zhen was the Black Star Troopers who had been battling for several ten hours already. Unlike normal human beings, when they used their Homo Evolutis power or focused fully in battle, fatigue would catch up to them easily. If their initial fighting score was 100, as time moved on, when they were fatigued, the score would lower to 50. Currently, human technology hadn''t figured out a way to remove this fatigue. Drugs could temporarily solve this problem, but due to the side effects, the usage was banned.


    Therefore, resolving Homo Evolutis'' fatigue problem had always been the human medical community''s biggest hurdle and issue. However, this problem was now handily resolved by a song. Furthermore, the song was not only effective to the Homo Evolutis but also all the human beings. This was truly an ultimate weapon for extended warfare!


    "Alas¡­ Xi Kong''s singing is also done through Homo Evolutis, so she too will feel tired. If she can continue singing, then this war¡­"


    Guang Zhen knew he was dreaming. He sighed, but before the thought settled in his mind, about 10 seconds after the song ended, another song began. The feeling the joy and relaxation that originated from the song was like a cold shower in the middle of a hot day washing over Guang Zhen. It made him feel completely refreshed. Xi Kong had started singing a second song.


    "Then again, she is also a child of man. This is a war that will decide the fate of humanity, so who wouldn''t give it their all? At most she''ll only be exhausted, but she understands her songs will change the tide of the battle¡­"


    Guang Zhen sat quietly for a few minutes, feeling his spirits slowly soaring. Instantly, he ordered, "Wake up the batch of Black Star Troopers who returned. Also¡­ get Xing Ling Amulo Rei into space as well. Tell him to join the battle with the Steel Ball. Have him move to the frontline with the highest speed. Tell him to aim for the high score and don''t hold back. Let''s get moving, people, this is the last battle¡­ After this battle, I''ll give everyone a three-month long holiday!"


    As the commander of the Defense Unit and the vice-captain of the Black Star Troopers, Guang Zhen''s promises definitely carried weight. Furthermore, he was a pure military person, so the daily training was horrendous. There weren''t many holidays in a year. Both the Defense Unit and the Black Star Troopers actually had some complaints, so this three month holiday was a pleasant surprise.


    Even though no one cared about holiday at that moment in time, when Guang Zhen said that, it was still welcomed with a glorious cheers¡­


    In one of the rooms, Amulo was chatting excitedly with Lee Xia Ya. Sitting beside them were both of their parents and Lee Sai Na, who was sitting in her mother''s embrace. Biting her finger, she glanced at the two boys as they talked about the effectiveness of long-range shooting compared to close-quarters combat. She couldn''t find a lull in their conversation to intervene, and the little girl was quite annoyed.


    At this time, a soldier suddenly knocked on the door to tell them Guang Zhen''s orders. The room turned silent instantly. Amulo''s mother rushed to hug her son immediately. Even though she didn''t say a word, the meaning of her action was obvious.


    Amulo, though, claimed excitedly, "Mom, it''s fine, the Steel Ball is safe. If I control it, I can clear the robot fleet in seconds. They won''t be able to even lay a finger on me. Don''t worry, I can do it!"


    The mother''s expression was a mix of pride and sadness. She slowly released her grasp on her son. She touched her son''s face and said, "Rei, you''ve grown up so soon¡­ you can make your own choice now. Your father has always wished for you to be a responsible young man, and you''ve done that¡­ Go ahead then, my son, make us proud¡­ go, but promise that you''ll return safely." Then the woman''s tears started to fall.


    Amulo was in a panic. He tried to wipe away his mother''s tears, but she was pulled up by Susan beside her. She took care of his mother and told him, "Go along, child, this is your destiny. Haven''t you always wanted to be a Black Star Trooper? Go ahead, fight¡­"


    Amulo nodded affirmatively before glancing at his own mother with worry in his eyes. When he realized his mother wasn''t going to stop him, he ran to the soldier and got onto the floating shuttle. As the shuttle drove away, he didn''t realize Xia Ya was glaring at him with envy¡­


    At the same time, on the other end of the ship, Zhang San sat quietly by his bed, listening to Xi Kong''s song. He appeared to be quite distressed. He didn''t know how to sing. In fact, even though he was also an Anima, the most he could do was create a "roar" in the soul web. However, that not only wouldn''t relax others, it would cause harm to people around him. Even though Anima were also Homo Evolutis, compared to Perceptors, Seekers, or even Diviners, he was horrible at combat. This made him feel completely useless, and that was not a good feeling to have.


    Furthermore, the final battle was happening soon. The City of Light, where his parents, friends, and lover resided, but what could he do? In order to protect him, his request to join the battle was rejected firmly by Guang Zhen¡­


    "Zhang San, is this enemy fleet controlled by an AI?" Intel suddenly asked.


    Intel had always stayed by Zhang San''s side. When Zhang San was depressed, Intel was continuously calculating and analyzing something.


    Zhang San was startled before nodding. "Yes, it''s an AI-controlled fleet, so no matter how many of them we''ve destroyed, they will not be fazed. They''re heading towards the City of Light Moon¡­ and we have destroy them before they reach it!"


    Intel''s eyes glowed slightly before asking, "Is this City of Light Moon very important to Zhang San?"


    Zhang San confirmed immediately, "Of course, that is my home. My parent and lover are all there. The City of Light Moon is more important than anything, even my life."


    Intel''s eyes continued to glow. "Zhang San, there are two possibilities from my analysis regarding the possibility of trading information with this AI fleet. One, this AI fleet has an internet connected AI computer. In other word, each chip is an individual AI. Even if we destroy all the motherships, the individual ships will continue to fight because that''s how they''re programmed¡­


    "Two, this AI fleet has a cloud server system similar to humanity''s mother AI. In other words, this is one or a few mother AIs, and they are responsible for controlling all the spaceships¡­


    "There are only these two possibilities. The first possibility is more possible because when the creator''s particle covers the battlefield, the cloud server system will lose its purpose and there wouldn''t be flexibility in the programming. In other words, this sub-fleet wouldn''t have been possible."


    Zhang San was shocked. He looked at Intel for a long time before asking in a hurry, "You thought of all of this yourself?"


    Intel''s eyes shone. "Calculating¡­ thinking, yes, I''ve thought of this myself¡­ I, myself, seem to be a mother AI as well."


    Zhang San had a hard time understanding him. He walked to face Intel and asked seriously, "Intel, tell me, why are you telling me all this? Tell me everything, okay?"


    Intel calculated for several seconds before continuing, "It appears like I can overwrite the program of non-mother AI chips. That is why I''ve been analyzing the information trading system of this fleet. If this fleet is the second possibility, then there is nothing I can do, but if it is the first possibility, and each machine has its own individual chip, then I can use a virus to hack and overwrite their program. With enough time and power, as long as this fleet belongs to the first possibility¡­


    "Then I can take control of this AI fleet."

 Chapter 469: Last Length!

    Chapter 469: Last Length!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The creator''s particle of the AI fleet had completely covered the City of Light Moon. This meant that the fleet would reach the city in less than 10 minutes and would attack it in less than five minutes. Under these circumstances, the City of Light Moon''s defense mechanism had already been activated. However, due to the lack of manpower, the defense mechanism was full of holes, and it couldn''t stop the AI fleet even if it tried. Therefore, the hope of this last war was squarely placed on the vanguard unit and Yao Yuan, who was rushing back.


    Xi Kong was still singing even though one could distinctively hear the tiredness in her voice. In fact, there were already medical crews standing around her in the lab. Everyone looked at her with nervousness and worry as they knew she couldn''t hold out for long.


    Even though her condition wasn''t perfect, her singing in the past few hours had helped immensely. The vanguard unit''s Black Star Troopers hadn''t returned to their main ship once for a recharge. They rushed deep into the ranks of the enemy team. This was the last leg, there was no possibility of turning back. The only way of turning back or resting was death.


    Xi Kong''s song was a great help to the troopers. Even though the war had dragged on for so long, they didn''t feel any exhaustion. Their spirits were surprisingly high as they tried their best to stop this AI fleet from reaching the City of Light Moon.


    Finally, after Xi Kong finished her latest song, there was silence for more than 10 seconds. The medical crew understood what had happened. Two nurses rushed forward to hold her and instantly, Xi Kong collapsed in their arms¡­ She fainted.


    At the same time, the lab workers had brought several three-meter-long metallic bars to the Hope''s weapon carrier center where the people there already stood waiting. When they arrived, the few metallic bars were soon launched out of the Hope and heading towards the battlefield. The speed wasn''t fast as the carrier was equipped with normal propellers, so it wouldn''t be taken as weapon.


    About two minutes later, the metallic bars were salvaged by a hidden spaceship. The spaceship didn''t stop and followed the greater unit to head towards the City of Light Moon.


    Finally, when the cannons at the City of Light Moon started to roar, the front of the AI fleet had reached the the City of Light Moon. However, weirdly enough, they didn''t attack the city. Actually, they suffered the defensive attacks from the city quietly as they started to land¡­ Were they trying to take over the city?


    The Black Star Troopers in the the City of Light Moon started to mobilize. They jumped into their Space Combat Jets to initiate a counter attack. Based on the advantage of Homo Evolutis and the Space Combat Jets, they managed to destroy half of the landing spaceships in mere minutes. However, the Black Star Troopers were soon distracted by the enemy battleships. Therefore¡­ the landing ships started to land on the City of Light Moon!


    When the vanguard unit''s Black Star Troopers arrived, this was the scene that they saw. Everyone was anxious until their eyes were red. They couldn''t wait to destroy all the landing ships in their sight. However, even now, the AI fleet still had a technological advantage over humanity. Furthermore, they also held an advantage in terms of numbers. There were several ten thousands battleships and more than a handful of motherships. In fact, the several ten thousands civilians were taken into one of the motherships, and none of the attacks from the Black Star Troopers could cause any harm to the motherships.


    Under these circumstances, the vanguard unit''s Black Star Trooper unit couldn''t assist the people at the City of Light Moon even though they desperately wanted to. They were stopped by the several ten thousands of the enemy spaceships. No matter how much they took down, there would be another spaceship to take their place.


    Yun Si was one of the Black Star Troopers assigned to the vanguard unit. He piloted his own Space Combat Jet and continued to fight the war with the assistance of two other troopers. However¡­ his heart started to breed despair. The numbers were simply too much. Could they really reach the City of Light Moon? Could they really destroy all the landing ships? Also, what about the people in the city¡­


    "Wait¡­ what is this?"


    Yun Si suddenly felt something. It was not danger or some vision into the future. He just felt attracted to something in front of him, something that was deeply connected to him. The feeling was one of familiarity, like he had sensed this thing a long time ago¡­


    "Yun Si, this is the field of my Whisperer power. The research regarding the mind and its psychology is more in-depth than Professor Bo Li''s, right?"


    "The mind is a special organ. The reason why the field is shrouded in mystery is because our science is still unable to explain it. With future advancements in science, when the day comes that we can analyze the mind fully, the power of the mind will be taken as part of the valid scientific focus¡­"


    "Think about it, did prehistoric man understand what electricity is? They would see it as some kind of god power, but fast forward to modern times, electricity has been fully researched. It is the same with magnetism, is it not? These energies that we cannot see or touch will eventually be analyzed as the science continues to grow. It will be the same with the mind¡­"


    "The power of the mind for each individual is different. Each human being, no, every lifeform has their own unique mind power, and this power is a constant written in their genes. There might be little variations, like when the person is mad or happy. However, the mind itself is a constant. I call this number the mind power quotient."


    "After we find out the mind power quotient of a lifeform, we''ll be able to confirm its origin despite the change in its form, genes, or other changes, like radiation¡­"


    (Yes, this is my mind power quotient. At the time, Yue Xuan had helped me analyze it; therefore, this thing must be¡­)


    After this thought settled in Yun Si''s mind, he retreated from the battlefield and closed his eyes to feel, to feel that connection. Thinking about the instructions given to him earlier by Yue Xuan, he started to "activate" his mind. He felt like there was something trying to escape.


    (It''s coming!!)


    At a distance quite far away, around a large battleship over the City of Light Moon, several hundred minuscule light orbs suddenly surrounded it. The orbs glowed brightly, and in just an instant, the large battleship exploded into pieces. Then the small orbs disappeared into the flames and fire with incredible speed. Then several metallic bars slowly exited the flames. They rushed through the energy shield easily. All the stuff that stood in their way, be it guardian ships, battleships, canonships, landing ships, they all exploded.


    (No, I can''t see the bigger picture. Plus, this is quite mentally demanding. I have to focus on more than 10 targets at the same time¡­ The number of targets can still increase because each light orb can take down one target, but I still can''t do that yet¡­ I should focus on 10 targets for now¡­)


    After shooting the psychokinetic floating cannon twice, Yun Si felt a sharp pain in his mind like someone had stuck a needle into his brain. His hands clamped over his head. With a bitter smile, when he used the cannon again, he chose to narrow down his range. However, even so, he still felt his spirit weakening. The exhaustion this cannon had on the mind was unbelievably huge.


    By then, some landing ships had reached the surface of the City of Light Moon. Even though the cannons and the tanks on the surface of the city had taken down about 90 percent during the landing process, the numbers of the enemy fleet were simply too high. Some managed to survive the onslaught. The moment they reached the surface, a great amount of AI robots was vomited onto the city, and they started to disperse¡­


    Despair, chaos, anxiety¡­


    The battlefield had reached its peak. The vanguard unit was like ants on a hot pot. Everyone rushed towards the City of Light Moon like they were on a death march. The fatality of the Black Star Troopers increased drastically. Yun Si was still trying to use the psychokinetic floating cannon, and the people on the surface of the City of Light Moon fired at the AI robots. This was the war that would decide the fate of a race. This was¡­ the final roar of humanity!


    At this time, a red ball of light was fast approaching. It got closer and closer to the city¡­


    Yao Yuan sat down in the seat. He took a deep breath and said, "Enter control mode. Password: Last Length!"

 Chapter 470: Failure!

    Chapter 470: Failure!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    The red ball dashed across the expanse of space with incredible speed. The AI fleet only managed to fire at it twice before the red ball entered the ranks of the AI fleet. The landing ships seemed to be made out of paper when faced with the red ball. There was no spaceship left after the red ball arched past the skies of the City of Light Moon.


    "It''s the Chancellor. The Chancellor has returned to fight alongside us!"


    Those who saw this red ball cheered and roared. Even though there was still fear and anxiety, they weren''t lost anymore. This war, be it victorious or failure, they would fight alongside Yao Yuan, so they weren''t lost anymore¡­


    One had to admit that the energy particle flux system was incredibly powerful. This was another variation to use the super-powered energy shield. This super-powered energy shield was stronger than normal energy shields and it used a different manipulation of the particles to create an energy neutralization effect to enable the super-powered energy shield to phase through normal energy shields. Of course, this required an exhaustion of a certain amount of energy.


    This super-powered energy shield was the peak of the usage of plasma shields. This was Bo Li''s pride. It''s technological advancement was on the same level as the psychological control system. However, when these two systems were used at the same time, the pressure on the pilot would be too high. Therefore, one shouldn''t use them in tandem unless the situation desperately called for it.


    Yao Yuan understood why the password was called "Last Length", it was the last length after all the other options ran out. When he entered this mode, it was as if he had entered an energy world. In his vision was a glowing energy flow, and the space around him was limitlessly zoomed in or zoomed out. Every single one of his senses were enhanced by several hundred or thousand times, whether it was pain, colors, noises, even the elevation. In that one second, he would have experienced the amount of sensory simulation that would be compiled over several days. It was something that was really hard to be described by words.


    But¡­


    Yao Yuan tried to ignore his head that was spinning and controlled the Red Lightning as it rushed towards the group of landing ships. If this was a real battle, the Red Lightning should have gone to "bully" those large motherships, but since this fleet wasn''t controlled by a sentient lifeform, they wouldn''t be cornered by Yao Yuan. They wouldn''t call back their ships simply because the motherships were under attack. Humanity had to take down all the landing ships; otherwise, once the City of Light Moon was taken over, even if humanity later destroyed all the spaceships, the fate of extinction would be inevitable.


    The war continued to rage on¡­


    Zhang San piloted a Space Combat Jet and followed behind the main fleet carefully. He was looking for an opening, an opening to go deep into the enemy fleet. He was looking for a ship. It couldn''t be perfectly preserved spaceship because the ship''s energy shield would stop him from getting too close, and it couldn''t be a broken spaceship either because that would defeat the purpose.


    In fact, Zhang San had actually snuck out. Since he was a Black Star Trooper, he was assigned a Space Combat Jet. The battlefield was covered with creator''s particles, so once he left the mothership, there was no way for Guang Zhen to call him back. The main issue now was how he was going to enter an AI spaceship. Pretend to be enslaved? But there was no telling whether the robots would capture him alive. After all, this was a battlefield¡­


    " What to do now, what to do now¡­"


    Zhang San was fretting as he piloted the Space Combat Jet. If his Anima power was as developed as Xi Kong''s, he would have contacted Yao Yuan to ask for his opinion. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Infiltrating the ranks of the enemy spaceships was harder than he predicted. However, he knew he couldn''t drag this on. Zhang San could see the battles that were happening above the City of Light Moon. There was a ray of red that was dashing across the place, creating plenty of explosions. This was Yao Yuan fighting the good fight. It looked impressive, but everyone knew that the stronger the Homo Evolutis weapon, the bigger the exhaustion it would have on the pilot. It was the same for the strongest Homo Evolutis, Yao Yuan.


    Zhang San had something akin to a blind faith in Yao Yuan. Even though Yao Yuan had openly banned personal idolization, since this faith had nothing to do with politics, it was practically a religion. He would sacrifice his own life to save Yao Yuan''s. Furthermore, the place those landing ships were going to land on was his home!


    Suddenly, a silver ball flashed before Zhang San. Then a guardian spaceship shattered into pieces. Seeing this, an idea appeared in Zhang San''s mind. He immediately turned to ask Intel beside him, "That''s¡­ a Steel Ball? Intel, can you contact that Steel Ball?"


    Intel naturally had caught a glimpse of that Steel Ball. He asked instantly, "I can, Zhang San¡­ you''re prepared to accept my suggestion?"


    "Yes, this is our only chance, right? Intel¡­"


    Zhang San smirked as he drove towards the Steel Ball. This ruined the formation of three jets per unit, but since Zhang San''s unit consisted of him alone, this wasn''t much of an issue. However, plenty of Black Star Troopers saw this, and they wondered why this Space Combat Jet was heading towards a Steel Ball.


    However, the Steel Ball''s speed and agility was not something the Space Combat Jet could rival. Therefore, in the next few minutes, the only thing Zhang San could do was trail behind the Steel Ball. He couldn''t get close enough to the range of the Steel Ball''s creator''s particle zone. This caused him to be flustered and tickled. Finally, he had to try to use his Anima power to gain contact with the Steel Ball pilot. Of course, he didn''t dare to roar or do any such thing in the soul web, he merely nudged the fireball represented by the Steel Ball. As he expected, after the Steel Ball took down several battleships, it started to approach him.


    Very soon, Zhang San entered the Steel Ball''s creator''s particle zone and Intel instantly established a channel of communication between them.


    "Dear Black Star Trooper, I am trooper Zhang San and I need your help. I¡­ I''ve received a secret mission to transport a computer virus into an undamaged enemy spaceship. However, that is impossible with my Space Combat Jet. I need you to help me lead the way. This is a secret mission and you have to accept it!" When Zhang San said these words, his face was so red. Thankfully, they couldn''t see each other, or the blatant lie would''ve been exposed.


    The pilot of the Steel Ball was Amulo. He was so excited he could scream when he heard this. Finally, there''s a mission! Of course, there wouldn''t be just mob-killing, there had to be a main quest. This was normal, this was how a real war should be (?) so he replied, "It''s an escort mission then? No, no, no, you need me to escort you onto an enemy main spaceship? Okay, I understand, leave it to me, hahaha¡­"


    It came as quite a surprise to Zhang San that the opposing Black Star Trooper had bought his lie so easily. Regardless, he didn''t have time to waste. He started to follow behind the Steel Ball that opened the way for him. All the spaceships, landing ships, and shuttles could barely survive for seconds facing the Steel Ball. The efficiency of the Steel Ball made Zhang San''s mouth fall open. Plus, the desire of the Steel Ball pilot was bigger than Zhang San''s. He planned to bring him onto an enemy mothership. However, since the mothership''s shield couldn''t be broken down, they had to give up. They then found a nearby main ship. The Steel Ball shattered the ship''s energy shield and Zhang San quickly rushed in. With the Steel Ball''s help, Zhang San drove the combat jet through a small opening on the main ship''s surface. After he got in, Amulo drove away on a high from completing the escort mission.


    Zhang San walked out from the Space Combat Jet in his space armor. To his pleasant surprise, there wasn''t an army of robots to greet him. It was as if this spaceship had no mechanized infantry. Regardless, he didn''t let his guard down. He walked on tip-toes as he led Intel deeper into the spaceship. Then he followed Intel''s directions to locate an electrical port. Intel then connected himself to the spaceship''s system.


    "¡­Data connecting, hacking, password cracked¡­ Decrypting data, entering program, editing program¡­"


    Just as Intel started working, Zhang San saw a group of robots with varying shapes rushing at them from down the corridor. There were about several thousand of them. He swallowed his saliva and pulled out his laser blade. However, suddenly, the eyes of these robots glowed twice before they stopped where they were like they had run out of battery.


    "Have you done it? Wonderful! Intel, control this spaceship!" Zhang San yelled excitedly.


    "Data decrypted¡­ Discovery of strong data flow! Calculation error! The AI fleet is using the second mode of AI existence. Data overflow, anti-hacking program activated, failed, shut down program initiating, failed, self-destruct program¡­"


    None of them discovered that¡­


    Between these spaceships, no matter how big or how small, every AI spaceship was connected with thin, nano-level metallic wire to the pyramid-shaped motherships¡­


    They were sharing information even within the creator''s particle range!

 Chapter 471: Ending?

    Chapter 471: Ending?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Despair clogged Yao Yuan''s heart. The number of enemy spaceships¡­ was simply too high!


    During the ambush circle, even though the New Solar System first fleet faced a larger enemy, humanity had the upper hand in that battle. From the location, Homo Evolutis, and most importantly, the weapon that changed the tide of the battle, humanity had the advantage, and that was crucial to humanity''s victory despite the enemy having more numbers.


    However, here, humanity was racing to catch up to the enemy who was heading towards the City of Light Moon. The battlefield was not humanity''s choice. There wasn''t much strategy to be said for this war as this was a war of numbers, and in terms of numbers, humanity was losing greatly¡­


    One human had to fight about one thousand enemy spaceships. The imbalance in terms of numbers was hugely disadvantageous for humanity!


    If this was allowed to continue, the fall of humanity was only a matter of time. Yao Yuan was a human being, and he too would get tired and exhausted. In fact, when this thought crossed his mind, he was already feeling so fatigued that he could fall asleep there and then, but he understood he couldn''t. He was the City of Light Moon''s biggest defender, and he had taken care of more than 90 percent of landing ships on his own. If he was indisposed¡­ he really didn''t dare to imagine the consequences¡­


    The enemy still has at least fifty to sixty thousand main spaceships left. Damn! This is an unwinnable war. If this drags on, we''ll only welcome extinction. So our only hope is¡­ space warp!


    This thought cropped up in Yao Yuan''s mind. This was the final, final resort, something that had to be done when there was no other option. After this space warp, humanity would lose this New Solar System and all the good things that had been built here. They would lose¡­ the Homo Evolutis, vanguard unit that sacrificed themselves here¡­.


    Just what kind of ending would this be? Humanity, a space civilization that was heading towards middle-tier, would drop to become a space civilization at the brink of extinction. The life of humanity in the future was unimaginably bad. Without resources, without weapons, without motivation, without a place call home, humanity might end up worse than those deteriorating level 2 space civilizations¡­


    But¡­ what choice did they have? It was either this or definite extinction¡­


    (Yes, Bo Li is already on the Hope. Same with the majority of the great scientists. There is also a handful of Black Star Troopers that didn''t join the war. It''s good enough¡­)


    Tears escaped Yao Yuan''s eyes and pain tore at his heart. This was a final goodbye. Even if these abandoned soldiers miraculously survived the war, the warped citizens would no longer return. Space is too wide for them to meet again. The families, lovers, and friends, they were not going to meet again¡­


    I shouldn''t be too emotional. At least we still have the chance to escape. While I can still fight, I should try to hold on to buy time more time to space warp. Yes, we shall try to provide this last opportunity to humanity. Humanity¡­ will continue to survive in space!


    Yao Yuan then shot down the batch of landing ships closest to him. As he turned to drive towards the creator''s particle zone of the city and order them to space warp, his vision cleared because the numerous landing ships started to disappear. Well, disappear was an exaggeration. The number was no longer that intensive, so the place was several hundred times less crowded than before. Only several hundred spaceships remained, and they didn''t head towards the City of Light Moon, they moved towards the spaceship fleet.


    F*ck! They''re no longer interested in taking the City of Light Moon? They want to destroy it? Using that purple light ray weapon?!


    Yao Yuan broke out in cold sweat. The damage of that purple light ray weapon was too powerful; it was powerful enough to harm a level 4 space civilization. Even though only a mothership could use it, the focus fire of several motherships was more than enough to ruin even the moon itself. This kind of weapon¡­ humanity wouldn''t even have the chance to defend itself. Extinction would come in the blink of an eye!


    Yao Yuan didn''t dare to stay put. He didn''t think there was even time for him to tell the City of Light Moon to space warp. In the Red Lightning, he rushed towards the enemy fleet, attempting to take down those motherships in the shortest amount of time. However, before he even got close, a purple ray suddenly brushed past the Red Lightning. When the ray passed him, Yao Yuan felt like his heart had stopped. Fear, terror, none of the adjectives were strong enough to describe his feeling. He didn''t even dare to turn to look. The people, families, Bo Li¡­


    Yao Yuan''s Red Lightning stopped right there in space. He didn''t move forward or backwards. He stayed there for at least four seconds before he "looked" back. There it was¡­ Light Moon and the City of Light Moon. The purple ray had brushed the moon before dispersing into space. Neither the moon nor the city was harmed.


    "They''re¡­ retreating?"


    Yao Yuan turned around to see the AI fleet starting to turn around just like how they did in the ambush circle. All the spaceships crowded around the pyramid-shaped motherships to protect them as they turned around. Some of the main ships remained immobile. Even though Yao Yuan didn''t know where the purple ray cannons were, he could tell they were aiming at the City of Light Moon¡­ Was that a warning shot?


    Not only had Yao Yuan come to this conclusion, almost everyone involved in the war could see it because the AI fleet was being quite obvious. They were leaving the City of Light Moon at an incredible speed. Other than the Black Star Troopers who were deep in their ranks, the humans and AI spaceships were clearly delineated on the battlefield. One was idling, the other was slowly moving away.


    About 10 minutes after the AI fleet started retreating, all the Black Star Troopers surrounded Yao Yuan. Yao Yuan was at his limit, but he forced his eyes open to look at the AI fleet. He had no idea what was happening. Why would they retreat when they had victory in their grasp? What was the reason? Weren''t they here for ZERO or Intel? Didn''t they want lifeforms?


    Many questions surrounded Yao Yuan''s mind. He had to get to the bottom of this; however, he didn''t dare to give chase to the AI fleet. None of them did. Even though the AI fleet still had 50,000 civilians whose fates were unknown, they didn''t dare to chase after the fleet. The power of the purple ray was too scary. Behind them was the the City of Light Moon, so no one dared to make this bet, including him!


    Everyone could only watch as this happened. At the most crucial of times, at the very last moment, at the point of despair, the enemy chose to retreat without much fanfare except a shot of the purple ray to warn humanity from pursuing them. The whole of the human forces watched as the enemy escaped¡­ none of them dared to test the AI fleet. What if they returned to land on the City of Light Moon?


    Even as the AI fleet moved away, none of the humans dared to let their guards down until suddenly the space occupied by the AI fleet started to blur. It was as if a giant bubble had appeared in space, and the size was bigger than a planet. Before humanity realized what it was, the endless amount of AI ships disappeared. Yes, they disappeared along with the blur. After that, the blurry space started to sharpen until everything returned to normal. Everything felt like it was just an illusion.


    "No, it''s not an illusion! The signs of the war are still there, the broken bits of the spaceships, this is not an illusion¡­ Yes, the fleet has used warp drive. They sure are brave to use warp drive inside a solar system. Aren''t they afraid of losing their way? Then again, an AI fleet wouldn''t have to care about the issue of life. As long as they have enough energy, they wouldn''t mind getting lost. They could find a random solar system and a hundred thousand spaceships can be reproduced just like that¡­


    "But why would they retreat? What was their purpose? Was it not ZERO or Intel? The way they knew about ZERO or Intel aside, they wouldn''t have left before getting the two sentient intelligences¡­ No, wait! Intel! F*ck! Intel was part of the vanguard unit, and they had captured the shuttle with 50,000 civilians. Could Intel be on that shuttle as well¡­"


    Perhaps it was the last light before dawn, but as Yao Yuan watched the AI fleet disappear in a blur, he didn''t feel exhausted anymore. In fact, his brain started to work in overdrive. In just a second, he had come up with a conclusion, but before he could decide what to do with that conclusion, darkness fell¡­

 Chapter 472: Victory?

    Chapter 472: Victory?


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    When Yao Yuan woke up, the AI fleet had been gone for four days. In fact, with the condition Yao Yuan was in, it wouldn''t be out of place if he had gone into coma like Jay. He shouldn''t have woken up on the fourth day. This was too weird. However, Yao Yuan didn''t have the focus to deal with this, his attention was fully occupied by the aftermath of the war.


    When Yao Yuan exited the City of Light Moon''s hospital, he realized the civilians had all returned to the City of Light Moon. In the few days he was unconscious, with the help of both the Defense Unit and the Black Star Troopers, the AI robots remaining in the City of Light Moon had been cleared. In the end, the City of Light Moon wasn''t heavily destroyed. This was because the AI fleet didn''t use any large scale weaponry. The robots that landed on the City of Light Moon focused solely on capturing humans, so other than parts of certain buildings, most of the systems were perfectly preserved. This was why the civilians could move back to the City of Light Moon so soon.


    On the way from the hospital to the government building, what Yao Yuan saw was not a broken city but a broken civilization. This war had caused thousands injuries, deaths, and disappearances, including almost 100 Black Star Troopers, a great scientist, and several ten thousands newborns¡­


    This loss was something that couldn''t be described in words. This was a loss that couldn''t be regained that easily.


    This was what Yao Yuan saw. Even the patrolling Defense Unit soldiers had faces filled with confusion. The arrogance, excitement, and human spirit were shattered completely by this war. Now Yao Yuan felt like he was in the city of the walking dead. This was what Yao Yuan worried about the most. If the human spirit was lost, then the collapse of human civilization was inevitable¡­


    When Yao Yuan noticed this, he immediately told the worker who was piloting the hovercraft, "Tell the government PR department that I will conduct a speech in another hour."


    The PR department was highly efficient. Yao Yuan''s craft had just arrived at the government building when Barbie and some officials were already waiting at the entrance. Among them was Guang Zhen and crew. The vanguard unit was heavily damaged and they were recuperating on the City of Light Moon.


    Yao Yuan discussed government details with Barbie and the government officials for an hour before he chased everyone away. Only Guang Zhen remained, and they both walked towards the Chancellor''s room. There were no words after they sat down, the atmosphere was tense.


    "Ol'' Wong¡­ If this is the victory we get, then I''d rather we space warp at the onset, give up on this city, and restart at a new location," Yao Yuan said after he stood up and wandered to the window.


    Guang Zhen''s words were filled with bitterness as well. He shook his head and said, "This is not your fault, it is not anyone''s fault. We miscalculated the prowess of the AI fleet. When we discovered their real identity, it was already too late. This was not something either one of us could have predicted. If we really start with a space warp, we might end up with a greater loss than now¡­"


    Yao Yuan sat and pulled out a cigarette to light before saying, "I understand, but the hearts simply wouldn''t calm down. Plus, this war has caused us a grievous wound; it has even shattered the human spirit. This means that the possibility of renaissance in the future¡­ is greatly lowered, at least it is no longer possible in our generation. It might be possible for the next generation who has not experienced this war. After all, in the end¡­ we didn''t win this war with our own power, the enemy chose to retreat when they had victory in their grasp. This feeling¡­ we''re like a bug being spared because we aren''t worth the trouble!" Yao Yuan was raging when he said this, but there was nothing he could do but sit there and grip his hands tightly until the veins were popping.


    When Guang Zhen heard this, he suddenly added, "By the way, since you''ve just woken up, you haven''t been briefed on this yet. Nian Xi Kong woke up yesterday, and this morning, she told me something that you need to know¡­ The AI fleet has captured many of our people, right? They include one great scientist, 50,000 civilians, and about eight Black Star Troopers whose combat jets exploded. They are all still alive but are currently being held captive. The AI fleet even provided them with food and medical treatment."


    Yao Yuan was pleasantly surprised. He asked immediately, "How does she know about this? The AI fleet should be in the middle of warp drive, right? Even if we can detect them, we shouldn''t be unable to detect their interior."


    Guang Zhen answered, "It''s Zhang San. Alongside Intel, they are part of the captives. Zhang San used the soulweb to reach Xi Kong, and it was he who revealed this information to her. The great scientist is being kept in the same room with him, and they are still alive¡­"


    Yao Yuan stood up to pace the room, but he soon slumped back in his chair with despondency. "I can''t see a way¡­ The AI fleet''s warp drive speed is 10 times faster than ours, and even if we miraculously catch up to them, we don''t have any military prowess to take them down. Those captive humans, we have to¡­" Yao Yuan''s lips were filled with bitterness. He was humanity''s Chancellor. It was his responsibility to protect his citizens, but as the Chancellor, he had to make difficult decisions to preserve the longevity of the human race. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, and it was not a good feeling.


    "What if we have 100 more Steel Balls?" Guang Zhen suggested after some thought.


    Yao Yuan laughed humorlessly. "If we have at least 70, no, 50 more Steel Balls, and they are all piloted by Homo Evolutis like myself who can survive for more than three hours, then the AI fleet is a non-issue, but is that possible? All the other Homo Evolutis will collapse after they operate the Steel Balls, and it is a one-time exhaustion. Even if they survive, they''ll become vegetables. Who is going to be responsible for that, you or me?"


    Guang Zhen suddenly pointed at the document sitting on top of Yao Yuan''s table. Yao Yuan picked it up and started to read. It was then that Guang Zhen said, "I also found out about this three days ago. The report was done yesterday and you woke up today¡­ The hidden Whisperer who designed the control system has shown herself. Furthermore, she completed the design for a super-weapon called the psychokinetic floating cannon with Bo Li several days ago. She woke up almost as the same time as Xi Kong. I''ve asked her about the mental control system. She said that if she has Bo Li''s lab and equipment, cooperation from a large crew, and Bo Li''s help with some designs, then she is confident she can perfect the control system''s design in three months and lower the pressure to the level where even normal Homo Evolutis can use it without repercussions¡­"


    Yao Yuan looked at Guang Zhen seriously before returning to the report. After about 20 minutes, he asked Guang Zhen seriously, "You mean¡­ it''s time to use point space warp? It''s true that 10 years have passed and we can rely on the illusory space to pinpoint our space warp exit for once. With the help from Zhang San feeding us information, we can indeed surprise the AI fleet when they leave the warp drive space. Isn''t this the blazing trail project we set up earlier?"


    The blazing trail project was part of the new habitation white manifesto. It was a project that stated that when humanity was threatened by an alien civilization and had suffered great losses, humanity would use point space warp to warp to the civilization''s home planet or Shelter after humanity had confidence in winning. A devastating blow would be delivered and the human weapons would cause a sea of fire to swallow the whole enemy forces, thus the term "blazing trail project."


    The reason for this project was to prevent what worried Yao Yuan currently. This was because a civilization''s spirit was maintained in victories and collapsed in losses. There were no races that were more familiar with the consequence of a shaken spirit than humanity, because humanity was a civilization that had escaped from a life-preserving planet before it was a full-fledged level 2 space civilization. Humanity was privy to the effects of a high spirit and the negative effects a low spirit could bring. This was the purpose of the blazing trail project, it was a project based in revenge!


    Guang Zhen nodded but didn''t say anything because Yao Yuan was the human Chancellor. He respected and followed his orders.


    Yao Yuan picked up the report on the mental control system, and after some time, he asked Guang Zhen, "What about Bo Li? When will she wake up?"


    Guang Zhen answered, "In less than three days, that is confirmed by the stability of her brain graph."


    "More than 100 Steel Balls, and the psychokinetic floating cannon that can fire at multiple targets at the same time?" Yao Yuan stood up and started to pace.


    "Also 50,000 civilians, almost 10 Black Star Troopers, and a great scientist!" Guang Zhen added fuel to the fire and emphasized on the things on the line.


    "Let''s do it!" Yao Yuan hissed through gritted teeth with both his eyes blazing. "I''ll bring up this decision in the upcoming speech¡­


    "The blazing trail project!"

 Chapter 473: Blazing Trail!

    Chapter 473: Blazing Trail!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "This is Yao Yuan, we have won this war, but we''ve sacrificed so much¡­


    "We have lost so much, so much, friends, families, parents, children. If possible, none of us want to experience this. Peace¡­ such a wonderful term¡­


    "But! Peace is built on the deaths of heroes! Every single one of our homes has the blood of human heroes! Victory is ours, despite the harsh process and ending, victory is definitely ours. Because one, we didn''t flee, we didn''t flee like cowards and abandoned our home. Two, we have fought bravely for this land that we call home, and we have won! We have definitely won this local war!


    "Using the New Solar System first fleet, the Black Star Troopers, and the two Defense lines, we have managed to minimize an AI spaceship fleet with over 2,000,000 spaceships to only several ten thousand, and we made them turn on their tail and run! Therefore, we have definitely won this local war!


    "I believe everyone has heard that crucial term, local war¡­


    "¡­Yes, the local war is already over, but our friends who were taken captives, they''re still out there, so the bigger war is still not over yet!


    "We humans might still be weak, but we will never abandon our comrades and people! Ever since we left Earth, we have been on the lookout for each other, and this time, it will be the same! We will follow the human constitution and the contents of the white manifesto. I will use my power as the Chancellor to mobilize the military and continue this war¡­


    "I announce! The initiation of the blazing trail project! We will pursue the silver AI civilization until the end of the universe if need be!


    "We humans¡­ will continue fighting! For our home, our people, our survival, and our future!"


    It had been three months since Yao Yuan''s important speech. The speech came at an opportune time because it had changed the whole society''s outlook. Humans had indeed lost so much in this war, they had lost more than 100 Black Star Troopers, 1 great scientist, and about 100,000 civilians. Who could stomach these losses?


    This war had practically broken humanity''s spine. Everyone''s spirits were so crushed that it had practically eclipsed everyone mind''s that humanity had put up a wondrous fight. Yao Yuan''s speech stirred them back to that. Humanity did deserve a pat on the back for what they did during this war. Furthermore, Yao Yuan didn''t bring up the thing with Intel, so it was natural for the civilians to agree with Yao Yuan. They thought the AI fleet was forced to flee because they were pressured by the human forces, when in reality it was the other way round!


    This was a much-needed PR move. This meant that humanity was not seen as a bug that wasn''t worth stepping on, but humanity was strong enough to protect their home and themselves. They had achieved this victory with their own process, and the victory was snatched from one of the three great tragedies of the cosmos. According to Blue 6, even for a Shelter with more than 10 level 3 space civilizations, they would''ve still been wiped out when faced with such a large AI fleet. However, humanity had achieved victory, and this was incredibly meaningful. This showed that humanity was no longer a bug, they were strong enough to ensure their own safety already!


    This shift in thought reinstalled humanity with faith and confidence. Even though there was still sadness, even though one-fourth of the families on the City of Light Moon had suffered losses, the eulogies given at these funerals had a tectonic shift. If it was mostly about misery and sadness earlier, now they inspired glory and sacrifice, especially the families of the Defense Unit soldiers and Black Star Troopers. Most of them were veritable human heroes, and some of them could be memorialized forever in the Hall of Remembrance!


    The announcement for the initiation of the blazing trail project also lit up the City of Light Moon. Of course, there were parties who thought Yao Yuan was being too rash with the decision. Most of these people were from the elder generation, and they wished for stability, but the vast majority cheered for this decision. Why? Simple, because it was confirmed that the several ten thousand captives in the AI fleet were still alive and there were about 10 Black Star Troopers, 10! This meant that the percentage of fatalities for the Black Star Trooper would decrease from 1/7 to 1/8. This meant that some families of these Black Star Troopers would have their sons back. This gave them hope.


    The civilians aside, there was also an important great scientist. How many great scientists did humanity have? They were humanity''s biggest treasures. Losing one would greatly decrease the time humanity needed to become a level 3 space civilization. It was a loss that couldn''t be measured. Therefore, after this great scientist was confirmed to be alive, there was no way Yao Yuan couldn''t chase after the AI fleet.


    Before Yao Yuan woke up, Guang Zhen had decided to hold a national mourning ceremony. After Yao Yuan woke up, he also approved of the notion. Seven days were specially held off to hold this ceremony. The seven days were also recorded in human history, and the ritual would be repeated every year to remember the heroes who had sacrificed themselves in this war.


    After that, time flew. In just the blink of an eye, three months had passed. In these past three months, humanity had showcased incredible passion and mobility, one that hadn''t been seen pre-war. This had shocked Blue 6 so much that at one point, he suspected the people had been taken over by robots. Just how could a space civilization progress so fast?


    When these words were spread to the public, almost every human answered with pride. That is because we are not normal space civilization, we are humans!


    Yes, we are humans¡­


    The crazy advancement in the three months had proven the validity of that statement. In the three months, humanity had repaired and improved the gravity cannon ship fleet and the New Solar System first fleet.


    Of course, this was merely the tip of the iceberg. The expansion for the Defense Unit was approved and the age of consent had been lowered from 18 to 16. This was wonderful news for the Defense Unit, one that was supported by the new proposal from Speaker Matt, the mandatory enlistment. All adult males and females, as long as they were not part of the Academy, would have to serve in the Defense Unit for at least five years. The House of Representatives was working on including this proposal in the constitution. Speaker Matt was personally affected by this war and he too was trying his best to help Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen solve some issues.


    Then a new second defense line was reconstructed on the ruin of the original second defense line. This time, the budget could be said to be bottomless. Ignoring the smaller buildings, there were seven Energy Storm cannons. Of course, three months weren''t enough to complete the construction, they were expected to be built before the year ended. This way, the combat capability of the new second defense line was almost 4 times the capability of the old second defense line. The place was no longer just a defense line, it had become the second human colonized space entity.


    The Black Star Troopers and Defense Unit were responsible for salvaging the ruins of the war. The span of the battlefield was so large that according to statistics, the combined amount of salvageable resources, metals, and parts would be enough to support humanity for at least 100 years! In fact, the major ruins, like the ones created by the gravity cannons, provided more than enough materials to build Kun Lun. In fact, the amount was so great that it was enough to build three Kun Luns!


    The salvage was still going on. Since the AI fleet belonged to a peak level 3 space civilization, the information chips found in the ruins contained enough information to help humanity achieve a higher civilization level. They would greatly improve humanity''s knowledge. Of course, it was unrealistic to hope that this information could usher humanity towards the peak of level 3 space civilization instantly, but the Academy believed that after humanity mastered this information, humanity at least could reach the intermediate stage of level 3 space civilization. Among the salvaged information, the AI fleet''s propeller system and warp drive system were the most interesting. A task force made up from Bo Li and six other great scientists would dissect them and incorporate them into humanity''s energy umbrella propeller system. The newest maximum speed was 3.7 times the original speed, and this number was only going to increase. On the other hand, they could now achieve 240 times the previous warp drive speed. This was a scary concept, it was twice as fast as before!


    Then¡­ two months after Yao Yuan''s important speech, the first batch of mass-produced Steel Balls and the related psychological amplification devices were created. Other than that, there were also more psychokinetic floating cannons and related weaponry. Now, three months after the important speech, humanity had more than 300 Steel Balls and 300 attached psychokinetic floating cannons¡­


    The reason there was so many Steel Balls was because in these three months after the war, there were more than several hundred normal civilians who awakened into Homo Evolutis. The number of new Homo Evolutis was more than those who died in the war. Unfortunately, there were only a handful of S-grade Homo Evolutis, the rest were normal Homo Evolutis¡­


    Finally¡­


    Xi Kong was led to the Chancellor''s room under the protection of several patrolling soldiers. The moment she entered the room, she said, "Zhang San has contacted me. They have just left warp drive and returned to normal space¡­"


    Yao Yuan slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with vengeance.


    "Is that so? Then¡­ it''s time to initiate the blazing trail project!


    "Revenge will be ours!"

 Chapter 474: The Great Academy!

    Chapter 474: The Great Academy!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Of course, the blazing trail project couldn''t just be initiated with a single command. After all, this was a space journey that spanned more than several hundred light years. Even though the human government had been preparing for this journey over the past three months, when they wanted to really initiate the project, they realized that there were many things that needed to be done, be it politics or military.


    "According to the data and the star charts communicated by Zhang San, the AI fleet most possibly is at an empty space about 17 light years away from the New Solar System. It is close to three other solar systems, the closest one being less than five light years away. Therefore, it is predictable that the AI fleet will proceed to that solar system to recuperate¡­


    "Using the controlled space warp, not involving the possible delays, the blazing trail special forces will return to the City of Light Moon in about five months. These five months will be the city''s most fragile moments. Therefore, we have to ensure enough defensive power remains with the city."


    In the blazing trail war meeting, Yao Yuan addressed everyone present, "For this battle, I will lead 120 Black Star Troopers or 12 Black Star Units. To ensure a victory, these 12 units will be all comprised of experienced soldiers. Therefore, I need your help, Ol'' Wong. Gather all the newly awakened Homo Evolutis and have them complete their training as soon as possible, or else it''ll just be a waste of the equipment. They need the complete training to master the equipment. At the same time, I will leave you with 20 experienced Black Star Troopers. And they will form the foundation of the new Black Star Troopers. You should be familiar with the rest, so I won''t waste my time explaining.


    "At the same time, I will bring along 16 main spaceships and 77 guardian spaceships, but this time I won''t be taking any battleships. This is because battleships are more commonly used for landing battles. Even the transport shuttles are better than battleships in ferrying and keeping civilians safe. Of course, this is up for discussion, but for now, the battleships line-up of the fleet might be taken out¡­


    "Along the trip will be 6,000 senior Defense Unit soldiers. This will weaken the City of Light Moon, so Ol'' Wong, the expansion and training of the Defense Unit will be very important¡­"


    Guang Zhen sat in the chair and nodded. "I understand, but the blazing trail project is more important than that. If anything, I''ll be more worried if you don''t take the experienced soldiers with you. Don''t worry about the City of Light Moon. With another half a month of training, all the newly awakened Homo Evolutis will be able to pilot the Steel Balls. Then, they will be able to perform missions while piloting the Steel Balls. Honestly, after they finish this training, they might be even stronger than your blazing trail unit."


    Yao Yuan smiled but didn''t say anything. Even though there was a new wave of Homo Evolutis awakening, based on the statistics, there were only 130 plus Homo Evolutis in total, and more than 10 were children or females who selected the journey of motherhood. The rest was all enrolled in the Black Star Unit. If just based on quantity alone, this newly built group with 120 Homo Evolutis was indeed greater in number compared to the earlier Black Star Unit, but the quality was up for question. They would need at least half a year of training before they could reach the standard of an actual Black Star soldier.


    Yao Yuan even started to suspect his Immortal power. According to Blue 6, he would be able to recycle the soul of dead Homo Evolutis, but the situation was, there were more new Homo Evolutis than those who passed away. This had violated the law of soul conservation, and Yao Yuan could only believe that this was a side effect of his Immortal power¡­


    However, this was unable to be confirmed because human technology was still too backwards. Furthermore, the current focus was the blazing trail project. After forming the foundation of the blazing trail fleet, Yao Yuan started to manage those who remained.


    "First, Guang Zhen will take my place as the new Chancellor. Other than the ultimate voting rights, he will enjoy all the power accorded to the Chancellor. At the same time, I have decided to set up a new sect of power. Other than the government, House of Representatives, the courts, and the foreign affair committee, I have decided to construct the Great Academy. From now on, the Great Academy will have the right to hire and fire new students or staff. At the same time, to facilitate new weapon testing and confidential clauses, the Great Academy will be given its own defensive system. To put it simply, the Great Academy will have its own army. Of course, the power of its army will be limited. Basically, it has the same power structure as the foreign affair soldiers."


    When Yao Yuan announced this, the room was shocked. Even Guang Zhen was surprised. Obviously, this was a decision that was made without discussing with him first. However, when he thought about it, this decision didn''t come from nowhere. It was probably inspired by the incident involving Yang Yun Si and Xiu Yue Xuan¡­


    After the war, Yue Xuan''s identity was completely exposed. The mass production of the Steel Balls had tipped the public off to her identity. This caused a new wave of discussion among the public. If Yue Xuan hadn''t kept her identity hidden, humanity would have produced plenty of Steel Balls already. If this was peace time, then nothing would have happened, but they had just survived the most disastrous war in human history. Perhaps the number of fatalities couldn''t rival the number of deaths in, let''s say, World War I or I, but in terms of percentage, the death toll was spine-chilling. Furthermore, the scale of the war was something humanity had not seen before. This was humanity''s first actual space war!


    While it was true that the Steel Balls wouldn''t have existed without Yue Xuan, the losses suffered in this war had shattered the public''s sanity. Many people turned their anger and grief towards Yun Si and Yue Xue, and Yun Si bore the brunt of the hatred. Some of the people even suggested hanging him for being a human traitor, the biggest offense possible among the human race.


    The courts were an entity beyond the control of the House of Representatives and the government. Even though public opinion could sway the courts'' decision, generally speaking, it was its own isolated party. After discussion and evidence-collecting, the two were ruled to be innocent and released. This ruling had caused another wave of discussion among the public. According to the word of the law, these two were indeed innocent, but according to some parts of the public, they were definitely not innocent. Sin by omission was still a sin. They overruled Yun Si''s defense of self-preservation. According to these people, they were a collective, a space civilization, so there shouldn''t be a need for self-preservation.


    Another part of the public agreed with the courts. The war was too sudden, and they couldn''t blame the result on the two innocent individuals. Furthermore, they hadn''t actively harmed the civilization. If anything, Yun Si had fought greatly for humankind. Yue Xuan had contributed plenty after the war in the mass production of the Steel Ball, the mental power expansion device, and the psychokinetic floating cannons. They had done more than enough to make up for their mistake. They should be deemed innocent, at least according to the law.


    After the ruling was passed, both Yun Si and Yue Xuan reacted to the result differently. Yun Si handed in his resignation letter and spent his days moping around, while Yue Xuan shared her many equipment ideas, weapon designs, and scientific theories openly. Her insight into the power of the mind excited many scientists because it not only filled a great void within the sciences, it was enough to create a new branch, just like electricity and electromagnetism.


    As the public opinion against the pair turned to the worst, many great scientists stepped forward to show their support to Yue Xuan. This caused some of the public to turn against the Academy itself. They started to doubt the impartialness of the scientists and tried to undermine the validity of the sciences.


    This had been allowed to go on for one and a half months already, and it wasn''t slowing down. After all, the resentment from more than 100,000 deaths and disappearances couldn''t be placated so easily. Many people had lost their sanity over this. At this juncture, Yao Yuan came up with this Great Academy bill. He was making a statement, not indirectly but openly and directly. The institute of science could not be violated no matter what!


    No matter the era, science was the most important thing. Throughout human history, be it the prehistoric era, historic era, medieval, or modern, science had always been sacrificed for the sake of politics. Politics and religions had always made use of science as their tool, loved when beneficial, disposed of when they felt like it. This time, the people wanted to control science again because of human emotions? Understandable but unforgivable!


    Ever since humanity entered space, they had survived so many wars all thanks to the Academy. The only yardstick of a civilization''s power in space was not politics, economy, or culture, the key thing was science. Yao Yuan knew how instrumental science was to survival in space, or else Guang Zhen wouldn''t have purposely mentioned that one great scientist when he was trying to push for the blazing trail project.


    "From today onwards, the Great Academy bill will be in effect. This is the last bill I set before the blazing trail project, and if the House of Representatives refuses to pass it, then I will use my ultimate vote to pass it!


    "Science, only by scientific advancement we''ll be able to stand in space, and so the institute of science has to be off limits. If anyone dares to push their hands into the Great Academy, attempting to influence the progress of science or to use it for personal gain, no matter who that person is¡­


    "¡­I will chop their hands off! This is the last warning!"

 Chapter 475: Guest

    Chapter 475: Guest


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Yun Si sat in his apartment, his expression calm like he was not thinking of anything, or rather outsiders couldn''t tell what was on his mind.


    The three-month-long torment was finally over, and he was devastated. He planned to quit the Black Star Troopers, but he started to regret this after he handed in his letter of resignation. It was not because he missed the power. Yes, the Black Star Troopers carried plenty of influence, but he didn''t care about that. It was because resignation was an action of cowardice. After all, he had survived this silver war. He had seen so many comrades die beside him. He was not one without emotion, so how could he not get angry? How could he not want to take revenge for his fallen comrades?


    Concealing Yue Xuan''s identity was due to his fear and prejudices. Even though it was selfish, he was not acting in the vein of a human traitor like some of the people branded him to be. After all, the silver war came too suddenly, no one had expected it. It was unfair to blame him. His only mistake was doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. He wanted to make up for his mistake, he wanted to get his revenge for his fallen comrades¡­


    At that time, the bell of the apartment rang. Yun Si''s heart skipped a beat. The news he had been waiting for had finally arrived¡­


    "120 Black Star Troopers will depart immediately on the blazing trail. Following are the names of the 120 selected Black Star Troopers¡­"


    Currently, humanity had in total about 250 Black Star Troopers, and 130 of them were senior soldiers that survived the silver war. During the war, the Black Star Troopers suffered 82 deaths, about 1/3 its size. Technically, the Black Star Troopers had been changed. Several Black Star Units had to be changed completely. This was how devastating the war was.


    The blazing trail project had already been announced, and Yao Yuan would be personally leading it. At the same time, he would be leading 12 Black Star Units or 120 trained Black Star Troopers. Many people suspected most of the 120 Black Star Troopers would be made up of senior soldiers, but perhaps they might bring along a few hopeful new troopers to have them experience the war.


    However, Yun Si had a different idea. According to how he understood Yao Yuan, he would never bring along any new troopers. Yao Yuan was decisive and clever, but he was, at the end of the day, a big softie. This was observable from many of his big and small decisions. Therefore, Yao Yuan would never bring along those new troopers, at least not until they could fend for themselves in war.


    Therefore, all of the 120 Black Star Troopers had to be chosen from the senior soldiers. 120 chosen from 130 available soldiers. There should be a huge possibility that Yun Si would be chosen.


    However¡­ one month ago, when his issue had reached its peak, he had already handed in his resignation. Even though it was rejected several days later, it had left a sour taste in Yao Yuan''s mouth. Yao Yuan was not one to use politics to take revenge, so he would purposely enroll him into the blazing trail unit to shove him to his death. If anything, Yao Yuan might purposely leave him in the City of Light Moon to give him time to cool down.


    This was the thing Yun Si was most afraid of. He looked calm on the surface, but the moment he closed his eyes, all he could see were the faces of his comrades, the laughter they shared, the sweat during the long training, their verbal jabs. In fact, he was in greater pain than he let on. If only he hadn''t concealed Yue Xuan''s identity, if only¡­


    Therefore, his name had to be on the list. Please let me join the blazing trail project, let me redeem myself¡­ to avenge my friends!


    "¡­The third Black Star Unit leader, Ebon, vice leader¡­ Yang Yun Si, members¡­ please prepare yourself in the next three days and report to the third main ship on the fifth day¡­"


    "¡­The fourth Black Star Unit leader, Liu Bai¡­"


    The order was like a song from the heavens. Yun Si''s heart finally relaxed. He lowered his head and his eyes were prickling with tears. His knuckles were white and popping with veins. His comrades'' smiling faces seemed to appear before his eyes once more¡­


    (Brothers, wait and see, I will definitely avenge you!)


    "All of the weapons are ready. All the main spaceships and guardian spaceships have been checked thrice. 240 Steel balls are on board already. Each Black Star Troopers will have one main vehicle and a spare one. Other than that, the main spaceships have enough supplies to last the soldiers 100 years in space¡­"


    Guang Zhen accompanied Yao Yuan as they walked towards the City of Light Moon''s space port. Both were inspecting the war preparations. Originally, it would be Barbie who explained all of these things to Yao Yuan, but Guang Zhen had taken over the job.


    After finishing the report, Guang Zhen turned to Yao Yuan and said seriously, "Ol Yao¡­ Ol'' Captain, you already know what I''m going to say next, and I believe you understand that I''m representing many people when I say, why are you personally leading this blazing trail project? You should let me command it in your place. We cannot lose you here. The war has just ended, and many things need your overseeing eyes¡­"


    Yao Yuan shook his head and said, "This I understand. My presence can calm the people. Even though I don''t want to admit it, I have become something like a spiritual guide to humanity. When I''m around, the human civilization will be peaceful. There will not be internal strife, that much I''m confident. However, Ol'' Wong, have you considered this¡­ what if one day I''m gone?


    "In this silver war, I was confident that I was not going to survive it. I felt this deeply once during the ambush circle and again during the landing on the City of Light Moon. I was ready to die, but I was worried about what would happen to humanity after I did¡­ This world will not stop for anyone, but humanity has gotten used to my governance and has gotten used to me deciding crucial stuff using my authority. Even though there is a House of Representatives and a government, this doesn''t really translate to democracy. Too many cooks spoil the broth. Do you think the current humanity can survive an internal strife? We should be focused on trying to become a level 4 space civilization. Imagine the devastation if there is internal strife.


    "Therefore, this blazing trail project is an opportunity. You''re my natural successor. We have to let humanity get used to other political ideals other than mine. That way, even after I''m gone, humanity can continue to move forward. This is number one. Number two, the blazing trail project needs our most powerful forces, and that is undeniably my Red Lightning. I have to be there. The AI fleet still has about 100,000 spaceships, and a majority of them are main spaceships. Therefore, even with the many Steel Balls, the difficulty of this war is very high, so I have to be present."


    Yao Yuan turned back to look at Guang Zhen. He continued, "Humanity is humanity, I am me. This is my ideal and the reason why I have to lead the blazing trail project¡­"


    Guang Zhen sighed but didn''t say anything. He followed Yao Yuan as they walked further away.


    At the same time, in an isolated corner of the City of Light Moon, in an alley between two buildings, there was a sudden spark. Since the City of Light Moon started to simulate the day and night cycle, it was already late at night. There were few people on the streets. The spark was not bright; if anything, it was faded with a greenish purplish glow. It concentrated into a ball. The ball expanded but the glow weakened. This continued until the ball expanded to about two meters. The next second, a man appeared in the alley in a half-kneeling position. He maintained that posture for about eight seconds before he slowly straightened himself. His bones cracked and the man grimaced with pain. He stretched his limbs before turning to look around.


    "So this is the City of Light Moon? The first city built by the ancestors after they had just survived the silver war. They hadn''t even built Kun Lun yet. Unfortunately, those archeologists couldn''t come along, or else they would lose their minds over this discovery¡­"


    The man, when he was standing straight, was about 180 centimeters tall. He was covered in muscles and had zero hair. There was no hair on the top of his head, none on his brows either. In fact, since he was naked, there was no hair follicle observable on his body.


    The man took a deep breath and took a small step. However, the next second, he started to grimace again. This continued for at least half an hour in the alley before he reached the entrance. He looked around and mumbled to himself, "The eighth residential street, the teleportation device didn''t move too far away this time. Two more streets and I will reach the designated area where I can get some clothes, then¡­"


    The man stopped talking. He took several deep breaths before he rushed out of the alley. His speed was incredible. It was indescribable by words. His speed was so fast that it was unbelievable. He crossed 100 metres in less than two seconds. His figure seemed to have morphed into a shadow as he dashed through the streets. Furthermore, he seemed to be very familiar with the surveillance cameras in the City of Light Moon because he dashed past those cameras easily and no one had spotted him.


    It wasn''t until he reached the fourth residential street that he stopped with a frown. There was a surveillance area not far away from him, and he couldn''t get any closer. The fourth residential area housed some scientists. They might contain confidential information, so the security at this area was tighter compared to the rest. His destination was one of the buildings that had been abandoned for more than a month already.


    "Looks like I have to use the psychic power. Hopefully, everything goes well¡­"


    The man mumbled to himself before he opened his eyes wide. The next second, he walked out of his hiding place and dashed into the building with the cameras watching. However¡­ if one would check the video, the camera had caught nothing even though the man was walking under it!


    The man walked towards one of the rooms inside the building. He looked around and pressed something on the room''s electronic lock. He then leaned his eyes towards the identity scanner and for some reason, he was allowed entry. The corneal and fingerprint data were matches.


    "No, I have to be faster. The memory is coming loose. If I don''t hurry, all the memory will disappear¡­"


    The man was in extreme fatigue, but he gritted his teeth to rush towards the computer in the room. He pulled the internet cable loose and then opened the computer. He started to write in the computer in a hurry.


    "My name is Wang Shao Yun. I''m your great great great great great great great grandson. You might not believe me, but please don''t reveal my identity to anyone else other than the Chancellor. Now, please listen to me¡­


    "I was under the order of the Black Star coalition of the human nomadic civilization from the future to return to this point in time using the illusory space of the god tier space civilization. I came from the future to help humanity change its future¡­


    "Time will branch off into different scenarios at a particular frame in time, and we call this Time Node. None of the civilization beneath god tier space civilizations have the ability to return to the past. They might have the ability to see into the past, but they cannot change it. We humans have sacrificed a lot to get this opportunity from the god tier space civilization''s illusory space to return to the past one time. This sacrifice was our greatest leader, humanity''s only Immortal, Chancellor Yao Yuan''s soul. Even though he has passed on, his soul lives on, and when we become a god tier space civilization, we will be able to revive him. However, to gain this opportunity, we have sacrificed his soul, so please believe me when I say, this is the future of humanity¡­


    "After I wake up, I will have lost all the memories that don''t belong in this time line. Unless I reach another Time Node, I will not recover these memories. These have to be recorded before I fall asleep, so please listen carefully¡­


    "Stop the formation of the Great Academy, or at least stop them from building their own army!


    "The scientists have to be attached to politics or the human civilization itself. We cannot allow the scientists themselves to have individual power. They have the ability to search for knowledge and the ability to transform that knowledge into power. In the future, when humans become a high tier space civilization, this power will in turn collapse the civilization itself!


    "Think about it, what if Einstein didn''t hand atomic power over to the government after he discovered it? Imagine the devastation he could''ve produced. With a wave of his finger, a city would have disappeared. He was no longer a man, or at least he wouldn''t see himself as one. He was God¡­ a God above everything else!


    "The future that I came from is a manifestation of this future. In this Time Node, the Chancellor has formed the Great Academy for humanity''s future, and indeed, in the future, the Academy will contribute immensely to human progress. In fact, the contribution of the Great Academy cannot be understated for humanity to become a high tier space civilization¡­ but, after that, after the first batch of great scientists and their successors all perished away, the new batch of great scientists, since they had both knowledge and the uncontestable system to transform their knowledge into power, they started to look down on everyone else. They considered themselves the pure human beings. They continued to expand beyond the power of the normal human civilization. From what we have known, a few of the great scientists had advanced into level 9 space civilization, when the general civilization had just become a level 7 space civilization¡­


    "They started to degenerate. They started to treat other humans as their vassal or slaves. They became cruel, condescending, aloof and finally they betrayed¡­ The Chancellor lost his life because he was betrayed by the great scientists during a war with the Zerg race. The war was called the War of Science, and the great scientists appeared victorious. With that, they announced themselves as gods¡­


    "I''m the descendants of the survivors, which include my parents. We cannot stand the cruelty of the great scientists anymore, so we banded together as the human survivors and escaped. We served the soul brand of the Chancellor, hopeful that one day he might rise again to fight the scientists. However, it was too late as their power was too strong. They sought us out throughout the galaxy, trying to kill us to snatch the Chancellor''s soul brand away from us. We are unable to escape them anymore. Before I arrived, the illusory space we owned had accepted the Chancellor''s soul. It then bounced the rest of the survivors out of its protection. Therefore, when I accepted this mission to change the past, the rest of the survivors¡­


    "My ancestors, please believe everything that I have stated here. To prove the validity of my statement, I will provide a formula. This is a formula for a metal called psychic sensory metal. It can be created when humanity becomes a level 4 space civilization, and this is a technology from level 5 space civilization. The formula is¡­


    "Before you expose me or suspect me, please check the validity of this formula. In humanity''s most glorious era, we had four Whisperers, and the most powerful among them, ancestor Bo Li, will be able to check the truth of this formula¡­


    "Please do not leak my presence and the contents of this computer to anyone else, we can only believe the Chancellor¡­


    "After I faint and lose my memory, I will forget that I''m your descendent, my ancestor¡­


    "I can no longer return, return to my timeline, my home. As the last Homo Evolutis of the human survivors¡­ I already have no one else¡­


    "So please save us humans! Do not let the fourth tragedy appear in space, the tragedy known as knowledge civilization¡­"


    The man typed until this point and his face was white as paper. He smiled bitterly, and the next second, he fainted¡­

 Chapter 476: Miss

    Chapter 476: Miss


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "God tier space civilization, Mo''s illusory space, here we present the soul brand of our leader. According to calculations, the soul brand of an Immortal is more than enough to suppress a high level Demon¡­


    "Our race''s demand is¡­ to turn back time, to return to the Time Node that will change history. The candidate selected to prevent the formation of the Great Academy is him¡­


    "Wang Shao Yun!"


    The man woke up from his dream, but he had forgotten everything about his dream, or rather a magical energy prevented him from remembering his dream. The feeling was curious. He had experienced it and he had the memory, but he couldn''t access them. The feeling was oppressive.


    The man''s brain was about to explode from trying to pinpoint his missing memory. An inexplicable reason made him stop and start to observe his surroundings. He seemed to be in a hospital room. The walls were all white and there were multiple devices in the room, but everything looked outdated¡­ Hmm? Outdated? Why would he feel everything was outdated?


    Suddenly, the man realized he was strapped to the bed. He was angered by this mistreatment, but on the surface, he was calm because he noticed there were at least 27 weapons hidden in the room, and eight of them could demolish his physical body in an instant. Two of them were so fast that he wouldn''t even have time to use his psychic power¡­ But wait, how did he know about the hidden weapons in the room? What was psychic power? The man returned to his contemplation.


    Several minutes later, his face suddenly changed and he glanced at the room''s entrance. The door opened on its own and in walked two Black Star Troopers wearing space armors. The man''s eyes widened even though he had no idea why he was being so excited. However, when he saw these two Black Star Troopers, a warm feeling surged through his heart and tears fell from the corners of his eyes even though he couldn''t tell for sure why he was crying¡­


    (Two Homo Evolutis, it''s really two Homo Evolutis, there''re two of them¡­ Hmm? But why am I so excited and happy? And what is a Homo Evolutis¡­ How do I know about them?)


    The man was filled with confusion. He must have lost his memory, and he discovered that he couldn''t even remember what his name was, nor what his identity was. If not for the fact that he could tell he was a man, he probably wouldn''t remember his gender either¡­ This was deep amnesia. Other than language skills and common knowledge, he really couldn''t remember anything else. This was sad.


    Thinking about this, the man stopped hesitating. He turned towards the two Homo Evolutis to ask, "Who am I? Why am I here? What is happening?"


    The two Black Star Troopers glanced at each other before one of them stepped forward to say, "Your name is Wang Shao Yun, can''t you remember that anymore?" The voice belonged to a woman.


    Shao Yun was shocked because he managed to remember his name instantly. Yes, his name was Wang Shao Yun¡­ but what about the rest? Why couldn''t he remember anything else?


    The female voice continued, "My name is Ming Ji Jie, do you know who I am?"


    Shao Yun was confused. When he heard the name "Ming Ji Jie," an indescribable terror overwhelmed him, and the phrase "the Fallen" cropped up in his mind¡­ but why? What did that mean, and why would he react so negatively to these words? The terror he felt from this name was greater than death, but he couldn''t tell why that was. The situation was too confusing.


    Ji Jie studied Shao Yun''s expression closely and she speculated, "You know me? Or do you remember me from your future?"


    Right then, the Black Star Trooper beside her immediately said, "Vice-captain, that is a confidential topic¡­"


    Ji Jie was silent for a moment before she smiled. "Of course, I''ve misspoken¡­ Wang Shao Yun, I will confirm three things with you now. One, you are indubitably a human being. Be it from the genetics or soul, you are a real human being. This was confirmed by our technology and the Animas. Since you are a human being, you don''t need to be guarded around us, because humans will never harm humans, so we will not harm you."


    Shao Yun sighed in relief when he heard this, but at the same time, he had a hard time believing the statement. Humans will never harm humans. However, again, he couldn''t tell where that feeling came from. Regardless, when the two visibly relaxed, he too put down his guard¡­


    "Two, Wang Shao Yun, we''ve put your name through all of our databases, but you do not exist in any single of them. You seem to have appeared from thin air. According to all the evidence, you definitely do not belong to this human civilization¡­


    "Three, the formula that you wrote before you fainted was far more technologically advanced than the metallurgy technology we currently have. It is something we humans cannot research or design at the moment. However, the formula does serve as a great inspiration, and it was thusly that its validity was verified¡­"


    When Ji Jie paused after reading all three points, the Black Star Trooper beside her added, "Therefore, we can confirm two things. One, you''re definitely a human being, and two, you''re not a human being from this human government. There are too many unknowns surrounding your origin, so now we would like to ask you, is there anything you wish to tell us?"


    Shao Yun was silent for a long time before asking, "I have no comment about everything you''ve just said, because I don''t understand any of them. I can''t remember what I''ve given you, but there is one thing I understand: you''re illegally holding me hostage. I demand to know what crime I have committed. If I remember clearly, the Human Creed states that all human beings that haven''t been confirmed to be chaos-corrupted have the right for freedom. What you''re doing is illegal!"


    The two troopers looked at each other. Shao Yun''s statement was loaded. The term "Human Creed" was interesting and what was this "chaos-corrupted?" They needed to find out more.


    Ji Jie answered, "This is a unique situation that we have to keep you here. However, we do not have any intention to harm you, or else we wouldn''t be here. If anything, we''re trying to heal you. You have injuries all over your body, and among the human society, only this place has the suitable medical devices to cure your injuries. Don''t you feel much better?"


    Shao Yun was confused because it seemed like Ji Jie wasn''t lying to him, but when he thought about it, he couldn''t tell when he got injured, why he got injured, and the extent of his injuries. In fact, he felt that all of this was unbelievable because as the last Black Star Trooper, his training was complete including¡­ including what? By the way, why would he think he was the last Black Star Trooper?


    Shao Yun felt increasing despair regarding his own situation, but the long training that had become part of his nature made him calm down. He felt his body and said, "There is nothing wrong with my physical body, but my mental power is still extremely weak. I cannot utilize any of the psychic defensive measures. I need a shot of ZH-317 to recover the mental power and a shot of TTTY-055 to stabilize the soul quotient. Please give me the injection immediately."


    The two Black Star Troopers looked at each other again. Honestly, the Wang Shao Yun had given them too many pleasant surprises, including these two medical shots that they hadn''t even heard of before. They could recover the mental power? And what was soul quotient? These were terms they hadn''t even heard of before¡­ Wait, there was something called soul? Humanity really had soul?


    Ji Jie thought about it and said, "I''m sorry, but I need you to focus. We are currently in Human Calendar year 31. What can you tell me about that?"


    Human Calendar year 31, humanity had just escaped the Song of Destruction, obtained the Mo''s Ruin, and arrived at this place called the Land of Eternal Shine. A place where humanity called home and a second home planet called Eden. Humanity started building the most glorious mothership in human history called Kun Lun¡­ but Kun Lun will fall due to the Fallen¡­ I can''t remember, but there was a silver war in the year 31, and the great leader formed the blazing trail, and that was when humanity first came across¡­ came across what?


    Shao Yun felt like his memory had shattered into pieces, but he still managed to latch onto the key points. "Chancellor, yes, I remember, our great leader, our most natural leader, Chancellor Yao Yuan, is still alive! Yes, he should have formed the blazing trail project around this time, and then¡­ I can''t remember, but I know that the medicine ZH series and TTTY series haven''t been made yet. Yes, I remember that now."


    Ji Jie''s eyes shimmered with disbelief. She suddenly leaned in to Shao Yun to ask, "I''m curious, what is that psychic power you mentioned earlier? Is it related to the psychokinetic cannon or something else?"


    Shao Yun answered unconsciously, "No, psychic power is the Black Star Troopers¡­ sorry, I can''t remember."


    Ji Jie smiled with satisfaction. "It''s okay, we have more than enough. Then, Comrade Wang Shao Yun, please rest well to recover the damage to your physical and mental health." Then she nodded at the other Black Star Trooper and they prepared to leave.


    Shao Yun nodded dumbly, but he suddenly yelled, "Wait, wait a minute, I have something important to see the Chancellor about¡­ even though I can''t remember what that was, I have to see him! Now!"


    Ji Jie turned to say, "The strangeness of your origin aside, we cannot let you meet the Chancellor because¡­


    "At 10 AM two days ago, the blazing trail unit warped away. You''ll have to wait until they return."

 Chapter 477: Blazing…Trail!

    Chapter 477: Blazing¡­Trail!


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    Time pushed back to two days ago¡­


    Yao Yuan was sitting in the flagship. This was the only flagship created during the three miraculous months after the war, so it naturally became the main flagship for the blazing trail project.


    It was worth mentioning that the silver war revealed many of humanity''s weaknesses. This was the first time humanity was involved in a large-scale war where the main fighting force was not completely dependent on the Black Star troopers. The final victory, or rather the ability to hold on until the AI robots'' retreat, was due mainly to the Defense Unit soldiers who sacrificed themselves.


    There were many problems that were revealed in this war, including the formation of the army, the number of soldiers, defense range, and weapons'' firepower, as well as problem relating to the spaceships. The first and foremost was the unreliability of the main spaceships the size of the Hope. In comparison, a larger number of smaller cannon spaceships of the same mass could do more damage than a single main spaceship. Therefore, after the silver war, the newly formed Great Academy evaluated this point greatly. After discussion with the government, they came up with three new designs.


    Canonship 031 was 20% the size of its predecessor. With the advancement in human technology, especially after gaining the information from the AI fleet, this new canonship had a greater energy storage and movement speed. It had a stronger energy weapon and might become the main fighting force in humanity''s fleet in the future.


    Destroyer 031 was twice as big as Canonship 031, and its size was between the earlier guardian spaceship and cannon spaceship. It had a mobility that was as good as the Canonship 031, greater firepower and longevity, and a more powerful energy shield. In the simulated war with the AI fleet, the Destroyer 031 had completely overwritten the need for the old guardian spaceships. In fact, they could rival the enemy main spaceships one on one. This was the perfect spaceship that Bo Li came up with.


    Finally, the most important new spaceship. It was personally designed by Bo Li and improved upon by Yue Xuan, the Main Spaceship 031. It had 1.6 times the mass and size of old main spaceships. Furthermore, it didn''t retain the old chopstick shape; it had a new bullet shape. It had four times the energy shield of old main spaceship, 7.4 times the energy storage, and a weapon platform that was 17 times more powerful than the old main spaceship!


    This was the design of a peak level 3 space civilization, and it was the perfect space battleship!


    Of course, to achieve such high level of functionality, it needed more than humanity''s current basic technology. To put it simply, the most simple alloy tensile strength was unachievable, much less the metallic components of other key locations. To complete these spaceships, they had to use the alloy created by the alien plant, and a large amount of it!


    Therefore, even a few months after the war, humanity had only created one Main Spaceship 031. After a hasty weapons and firepower experiment, it was quickly added to the blazing trail project to act as the project''s main flagship. As for the other Main Spaceship 031s¡­ those were merely dreams.


    Yao Yuan knew about the difficulty of building these ships. Regarding this spaceship that had the design ideals and power of a peak level 3 space civilization, he personally loved it. However, he also understood that humanity wouldn''t be able to create another Main Spaceship 031 for another four to five years. The alien plant''s alloy supply had been completely exhausted, and they would have to wait until after the blazing trail project was over before they could use the alien plant again. Therefore, before that, this Main Spaceship 031 was humanity''s strongest battleship.


    In reality, Yao Yuan wanted to leave this Main Spaceship 031 back at the City of Light Moon. After he brought most of the senior Black Star troopers away, the City of Light Moon would be in need of military power. This Main Spaceship 031 could replace that loss. However, be it Guang Zhen, Bo Li, or the House of Representatives and the human government, they all adamantly requested for this Main Spaceship 031 to join the blazing trail project. Yao Yuan found himself rejecting the passion of these people. The reasoning was actually really simple: the blazing trail unit had humanity''s most powerful soldiers and most advanced technology, it was humanity''s best of the best. If the blazing trail project failed¡­ then humanity should just space warp. They had no reason to fight a space civilization of a higher tier.


    This was humanity''s blazing trail unit, the strongest unit personally led by Yao Yuan. They had to take down the remaining AI fleet in one shot and end the war in the shortest time possible. This was the strongest human fleet¡­ and humanity''s last hope.


    "The illusory space''s data has been connected to the warp engine, but honey, the Mo civilization''s illusory space is weaker than I expected. It''s only ready after such a long period of calculation."


    A voice appeared in Yao Yuan''s ear. This was ZERO''s voice, it was the voice of a woman, not unlike her voice in the illusory space. At this time, ZERO had moved out of her own illusory space into the Mo civilization''s illusory space. In fact, the Mo civilization''s illusory space had been attached to the new flagship''s engine to act as a navigation system. The illusory space''s space warp function could be used to calculate the coordinates.


    Yao Yuan replied with a bit of headache, "Can you please find something else to do in your free time other than reading those old Earth''s romance webnovels? Those are merely kept as antiquated records, they are completely useless¡­"


    "I beg to differ. The creativity of a lifeform is endless. In fact, the data base of the illusory space I was in had several space civilization designs that were extremely rare and powerful. They were not unlike the cultivation system of these webnovels. By the way, after humanity becomes a level 4 space civilization, you will have to pick a specific development pathway," ZERO said with a laugh.


    When a space civilization reached level 4, they would have to evolve into their own unique development pathway. For example, the plant-based space civilization humanity stumbled across before they arrived at this solar system and the gear-based civilization of the Mo race. Of course, humanity could continue on its current path, the most common and what ZERO called the most popular, mechanical civilization. However, the path to break through to a god tier space civilization would be very difficult.


    Yao Yuan naturally had his own plans, but now was not the time to discuss that. He shook his head slightly before turning to address Xi Kong beside him. "Xi Kong, how is the communication with Zhang San coming along?"


    Xi Kong was also at the captain''s room. However, she was wearing a metallic helmet that was connected with multiple electrical lines, and the helmet had swallowed up her small head. When Yao Yuan asked the question, Xi Kong answered shyly, "The connection is not good. I suspect Zhang San might be sick and his physical body is fragile, or perhaps he is starving. In any case, it''s not looking good. Regardless, the connection is still there¡­ I''ve sent the coordinates through the mental power database circuit."


    "OK, Nian Nian. I''m calculating already, but this Mo race¡­ sure is something else," ZERO commented.


    Yao Yuan became silent after he heard the answer, but his brain was turning. In reality, he was mighty impressed by the main brain power-related creation humanity had received after Yue Xuan joined the Great Academy. A new door by the name of "psychic power" had been opened with her entry. A great number of designs and products kept on coming. They included more than Yue Xuan''s personal designs. There were also contributions from Bo Li and other scientists who came up with new technologies using the new breakthrough in mental power. One example was this mental power database circuit. It was a connection via brain power, and it could enter a human being''s thoughts into a computer in database form. The increase in speed by making typing obsolete alone was impressive. It had great potential.


    In fact, Yao Yuan''s thoughts about humanity''s future development were related to this, a mechanical-cum-mental civilization¡­


    Just as Yao Yuan wanted to think deeper, ZERO''s voice began again. "OK, the calculation of the coordinates is completed. The triangulation of the data and star chart is complete. We can warp any time now."


    Yao Yuan took a deep breath. He opened a voice button next to his seat and said, "This is Yao Yuan. Controllable space warp will occur in half an hour. I repeat, controllable space warp will occur in half an hour. Entering first level of war preparations. All Black Star troopers are required to enter their own fighting units. Every spaceship is to operate their energy shield and prepare their weapons. Checking energy levels one last time. I repeat, this is not a drill. The blazing trail project is initiating soon. All units have to enter final preparation¡­"


    After Yao Yuan said that, he stood up to leave the captain''s room. As he walked, he said, "ZERO, I leave the space warp to you. Xi Kong, you stay here. If there''s anything serious, contact me via the soul web¡­" He left the captain''s room to head towards the flagship''s bridge.


    Half an hour later, Yao Yuan in his red Space Armor entered his Real Red Lightning Steel Ball. Around him, several dozen Steel Balls were in ready mode. They could enter battle at any moment.


    Inside the Steel Ball, Yao Yuan announced after taking a deep breath, "I order: space warp, initiating now! Blazing trail project¡­ starts now!"


    "Captain''s order! Space warping now!"


    "Count down, 10, 9, 8¡­"


    "¡­2, 1!"


    In that instant, the blazing trail unit, which was at the City of Light Moon, disappeared to the other end of the universe. Back on the City of Light Moon, all the citizens prayed silently, and many of their eyes were wet with tears¡­

 Chapter 478: Last Chapter

    Chapter 478: Last Chapter


    Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation


    "¡­This here is humanity''s earlier history. After we were chased away from our original home planet, we were forced to find our way in the vast space. The cosmos was not the heaven we imagined, but a real hell. Every step, every improvement, was built upon blood and sacrifice. This was humanity''s¡­ age of cosmic exploration."


    A teen said with a smile. Gathered before him were several children with their eyes opened wide. The teen suddenly stopped like he was reminiscing about the past or thinking about something.


    "Grandpa¡­ Grandpa!"


    One of the girls got impatient and shook the teen''s leg. As she did so, she said, "Grandpa, you have to continue the story. Your stories are very nice, more interesting than the stuff we learn in class."


    The teen shook his head and said, "These are not stories¡­. Fine, maybe they rare stories that I''ve made up, so don''t go around repeating them, or I might be branded a traitor by slandering the King''s name¡­" The teen petered off to a series of boisterous laughs.


    One of the boys suddenly said, "Grandpa, then you have to continue the story. What happened after the King led the blazing trail away? Now that humanity had the City of Light Moon, what happened next? Did the AI fleet get wiped out by the King?"


    The teen shook his head again. He walked to the window, and from his vantage point, he could see the large building standing far away in the distance¡­ The altar, or the thing that sealed the King, Yao Yuan, the reason why he was there¡­


    "After the blazing trail? Well, that''s a story¡­


    "After the age of cosmic exploration."