by <unknown>
Nagakin jumped in shock. “You’re not going to reinforce them‽”
“There’s no need, and time doesn’t allow us to do so. To turn back and reinforce now would be an act of futility. We would even allow the DarkStar command ship that we are pursuing to escape. The gains do not justify the losses. The division of the enemy is a good thing, as we can gather all our troops and completely destroy the DarkStar command ship! If we give them enough pressure, then the strike force will also have no choice but to forsake the mission and reinforce the command ship!”
Barette coldly snorted. If the target planet had been an important asset to Godora, he definitely would have abandoned it, choosing security over destroying them. However, this calamity planet, Planet Aquamarine, was insignificant to him and could be forsaken at any point.
Between protecting Planet Aquamarine or destroying the DarkStar fleet, he would unhesitatingly choose the latter!
During the first two attacks, the situation had also given Barette some suspicions. As such, he had decided to simply leave Planet Aquamarine unprotected under the salvo of gunfire from the strike team to see if DarkStar would really destroy the calamity planet. If they still did not wreck the planet in such circumstances, then at least it would reveal the intentions of the enemy.
Even if he guessed incorrectly, there would not be any problems. Losing one planet meant less pressure for the War Bureau.
Nagakin’s brows furrowed tightly. With matters as such, he had no control over Barette’s decision. He replied, “I’ll have to first inform Black Star.”
“No need, I heard it all.” From the communicator came Han Xiao’s voice. He did not say much, only calmly replying. “Leave the strike team to me.”
“You have to resist them.” Nagakin cupped his fists before turning off the communicator. Sighing loudly, he quickly went to the doorway.
At this time, the spaceship that he was in accelerated to catch up with the DarkStar command ship where Nakapu was located. Both spaceships collided into each other’s formations, and artillery fire blasted indiscriminately. Because the spaceship that he was in was the closest to the DarkStar fleet, his battle was the first to begin, leaving him no time to be concerned of the situation on Han Xiao’s side.
Chapter 539. Virtual Intrusion (1) |
Boom!
Nagakin’s spaceship collided with a hundred-meter-long DarkStar spaceship. Violent vibrations shook both ships, and the door in front of Nagakin was slammed open, exposing his entire person into the cosmic environment. The Godoran combat uniform immediately reacted, providing a suitable environment for survival.
Shortly after, a raging golden flame ignited around Nagakin’s body and blasted off behind him, acting as a propeller. Nagakin resembled a golden meteor as he viciously slammed into the outer shell of the DarkStar battleship.
When comparing the size of a hundred-meter-long battleship to a human, it looked like an ant going against an elephant.
However, the strength revealed by this one fist actually left a deep depression right in the tough outer armor of the DarkStar battleship!
A continuous barrage of punches rained down, the shadows of the punches blurring into one. The next second, Nagakin had forcibly created an opening in the DarkStar battleship. A large number of metal fragments burst out, and Nagakin strode into the ship, clad in a golden flame.
Boom!
The DarkStar ship began to continuously tremor as Nagakin ran rampant within, destroying the DarkStar battleship from the inside. None of the DarkStar warriors present were able to obstruct him, as though he was in an unmanned environment. All the equipment and devices were smashed into smithereens, and in a chain reaction, more and more parts were paralyzed.
Very quickly, Nagakin rushed out again, jumping into his spaceship to leave this battleship, seeking his next target.
Behind him, the battleship that was riddled with holes suddenly exploded, becoming a series of fireworks in the universe!
In such space warfare, the strongest Supers usually acted as the vanguard of their troops, initiating the battle through destroying the insides of the enemy’s battleships. Rarely did both sides collide head on with each other. After all, the danger of attempting to destroy each other’s battleships was too great, and the efficiency could not match that of destroying the battleships internally… Of course, the standard did not include those Beyond Grade A Supers.
…
The remaining Godoran troops responded to Barette’s commands to retreat and prepared to rejoin the main force. Nakapu was able to quickly perceive the general idea of Barette’s strategy and responded. He split up the strike force once again, with a large portion in pursuit of Barette’s retreating troops to prevent the incident of being pincered by the enemy.
Thus, there were only thirty assault ships left to attack Planet Aquamarine. While Black Star never made a move in the end, Nakapu still calculated his strength into the equation, leaving sufficient troops according to his judgement.
Without the protection of the Godoran fleet, Planet Aquamarine resembled a delicate and frail lady. The thirty DarkStar assault ships entered the atmosphere, spraying cannon fire toward the surface of the planet.
Boom!
Cluster after cluster of green colored ion cannon rays fell like lightning, constantly bombarding the surface.
Those assault ships did not just fire randomly but rather aimed in the direction of the Six Nations and the Sanctuaries. Their objective was to destroy these sites, spoiling the disaster relief efforts.
Han Xiao had earlier allowed dozens of mercenaries to utilize their spaceships to protect those places. At this time, they opened up their shields, blocking the descending ion cannon rays.
Boom!
Sounds of explosion rang among the clouds, with the shields of the spaceships being besieged to the point where they could not differentiate night from day. The shields continuously grew weaker.
Many of the refugee players were unable to see the spaceships that were situated at a high altitude, but they were able to see the green ion cannon rays flying over their sanctuaries. The rays streamed down continuously, akin to a deluge of lightning, and the roar from the cannons painted a sign as though an apocalypse was imminent.
This scene gave many players a huge surprise, causing them to burst out in discussion.
“Is this a fleet that’s attacking us‽”
“F*ck, the progress bar of our mission is decreasing. Is it because we’re being attacked!”
“If not for all these spaceships shielding us, I think we would all be blasted to death!”
As for the actual refugees in the Six Nations and the Sanctuaries, they did not possess the natural assurance of safety like the players. Every explosion caused by the ion cannon rays seemed to strike straight into their hearts, scaring them witless. Their faces were white as paper, and they only thought of rushing to escape. The scene was a complete mess.
Han Xiao had already entered his BlackLight Stealth, and the Mercenary Group had also gathered on the battleship. Everyone wore a solemn expression. Now that the Godoran troops had gone in pursuit of the enemy, the remaining enemy battleships had to be dealt with by them.
Having long known that the Godorans were not reliable, Han Xiao had not held many expectations toward them. As such, he did not feel disappointed and only shook his head in response.
“It’s hard to rely on anyone in this day and age. You can only rely on your two hands!” Sylvia observed, speaking hurriedly. “There are thirty small DarkStar assault ships attacking. Based on the current firepower, our shields can still hold for a few minutes. We have to get rid of the enemies in this time, or else the Sanctuaries will suffer huge damage.”
Han Xiao nodded in response. Only his BlackLight Stealth could allow him to go against the enemies, so if he wished to end the battle quickly, he would need to enter their battleships, wreaking havoc from within. However, the firepower of the assault ships was fierce, and to get close, e
ven with his BlackLight Stealth, there was still a certain amount of danger.
Thankfully, I did the Class Advancement for the Virtual Technology route. If the hardware is insufficient, then I shall make it up through the software!
“Ginette, take control of the spaceship. Sylvia, assist as the deputy.”
In order to maintain the combat capability of the mercenaries, Han Xiao decided to let others control the spaceship.
Han Xiao turned and opened an operation panel next to him. A 3D virtual model was generated in front of his eyes, and his fingers danced as he quickly inputted a flood of data. The data flowed like a waterfall, invading the intelligence network of the enemy’s spacecraft through their virtual network. Because of his class [Virtual Mechanic], he was proficient in this aspect of technology since it gave him high skill bonuses.
All Virtual Mechanics possessed a data transmitter that did not require any hardware connections to be able to connect to the intelligence of a spaceship. They could be directly connected to any target system as long as they were within range of the transmitter.
As Han Xiao manipulated the data, he commanded, “Risda, help me crack the firewall!”
Although this should be Phillip’s task, Risda’s processing efficiency was higher than Phillip’s, and the help that he could offer would be greater.
As Han Xiao proceeded with the data invasion, the BlackLight Stealth launched. Due to its powerful engine, the spaceship quickly reached the sky, circling around the thirty DarkStar assault ships as it rained down gunfire.
Boom boom boom!
Numerous lasers hit the shields of the enemy ships but were unable to pierce through.
The assault ships also fired a few potshots in the direction of the BlackLight Stealth, but they were helpless against the high specs of the BlackLight Stealth. The commander saw that there was only one spaceship, and since it could not break through their shields, they allowed it to remain like a fly buzzing around their heads as they concentrated their fire on the ground below.
Through the satellites, the top brass of the Six Nations watched the battle unfold in the sky with bated breath.
Because Godora was not reliable, the last line of defense on Planet Aquamarine was Black Star. However, it looked like he was unable to stop the advance of the enemy. In the underground fortress where the top brass of the Six Nations hid, a sense of despair slowly suffused.
At this point, a shield on one of the assault ships suddenly flickered and vanished. The next moment, the laser of the BlackLight Stealth accurately hit the hull of the ship, piercing through the armor and causing it to explode.
Bang!
Flames roared toward the sky, and black smoke billowed as the assault ship suddenly lost control. Its tail swayed, ramming into its companion. The DarkStar members in both ships tumbled till they could not differentiate the ground from the sky.
“It hit!”
The top brass of the Six Nations suddenly felt their spirits being renewed!
On the BlackLight Stealth, the virtual interface in front of Han Xiao had changed to a projection of the DarkStar assault ship. This was the one that they had succeeded in destroying.
Han Xiao was controlling the projection, which would feed the response directly back to the assault ship’s main body. He was the one who had turned off the shield generator of the assault ship.
“Done!”
The corners of Han Xiao’s mouth curved up, and he took a look at the interface as messages flowed out repeatedly.
_____________
You have used [Virtual Intrusion] on number D065 of the DarkStar assault ship…
Beginning to crack the firewall (Level 3)…
Undergoing first level of authentication…
Authentication passed!
_____________
Undergoing second level of authentication….
Authentication passed!
_____________
Undergoing third level of authentication….
Authentication passed!
_____________
Intrusion successful! You have succeeded in gaining control of the D065 DarkStar assault ship!
_____________
Privilege Level: Medium
Data has been sampled!
Backup generation complete!
The next time an intrusion is done to a similar smart machine: +10% Success Rate, +25% Speed.
Your authority has been blocked by the other party’s Virtual Intelligence. Undergoing authentication… Authentication successful!
You have successfully retained your privileges!
Time until next authentication: 16 seconds
Chapter 540. Virtual Intrusion (2) |
So long as the machine could be remotely controlled, the virtual intrusion skill could tamper with the data to gain operational authority, snatching command of the machinery. Spaceships were naturally included within the scope.
The difficulty of the intrusion would depend on the intelligence level of the target machinery. Furthermore, even if the invasion was successful, they would be constantly harassed by the opposing party’s artificial intelligence. One had to successfully break past the artificial intelligence before they could retain the command authority.
As for the operational authority, it could be understood as how many commands that would be unlocked by the user.
Once the first intrusion was successful and intelligence data from the target had been recorded, the subsequent intrusions would decrease in difficulty. As such, in galactic wars, Virtual Mechanics were to most hated class of all. Every mechanic that got attacked by such methods would feel as though their wives had been taken advantage of by another man, giving them the feel of a cuckold.
This ability of the Virtual Mechanic was very suitable for space warfare. In fact, among the five Superhuman classes, the Virtual Mechanic was the class with the highest efficiency.
The defense of the spaceship’s firewall was very strong. According to Han Xiao’s standard, his success rate was not high, but having an auxiliary intelligence on his side improved the success rate as well as intrusion speed. Risda was an AI lifeform, with a startling operation speed that could increase the chances of success by thirty to forty percent.
On the battlefield, Han Xiao took over an assault ship, first opening fire at it and crippling its systems, before manipulating it to crash toward its companions surrounding it and disrupting their formation.
The DarkStar strike force jumped in shock at the unexpected turn of events. They had originally thought that the BlackLight Stealth would be unable to break through their defenses, so they had paid them no attention. To think that they actually managed to crack their firewall and invade their assault ships! They could no longer ignore that potential deadly threat.
The strike force assigned ten spaceships to entangle with the BlackLight Stealth, and the remainder continued firing on the surface whilst stretching their formation.
The reaction of the enemy was within Han Xiao’s expectations. As long as he managed to divert some firepower away from the surface, more time could be won for them. The BlackLight Stealth possessed high capabilities, with speed as its biggest advantage. Ginette’s maneuvering skills were also excellent, allowing them to constantly avoid the crisscrossing green lights.
Boom!
In the sky, a sleek, black spaceship was weaving left and right amid the ten assault ships.
“The fastest way to get rid of these enemies is through boarding them! Other than those operating the ship, everyone is to occupy a hatch, ready to occupy the enemy’s ships!” Han Xiao commanded loudly as he activated his Void Dragon Mechanical Suit. He connected his mechanical suit to the BlackLight Stealth, and with a flash on his arm, a virtual intrusion interface appeared in the form of a projection above his arm. In this way, he eliminated the need to stay in the spaceship to operate the virtual intrusion, allowing him to move to the hatch like everyone else.
Since he was an essential part o
f their combat force, Han Xiao had to utilize himself in the battle.
“The enemy has thirty assault ships, and we cannot make it in time if we intrude them one by one. Thus, we can only use more destructive means.” A glint flashed through Han Xiao’s eyes, and the data inputted by him also changed.
There existed many forms of virtual technology intrusion. One was to forcefully rob control from the original owner, which was the most time consuming. Other than that, one could also use different means to tamper with the enemy’s data in order to conceal or confuse. This was usually used for single infiltrations. As for the most destructive form, it would be utilizing a virus or flooding the system with large amounts of redundant data to destroy the intelligence of the target AI, crippling most of its functions for a short amount of time. This method was the fastest, equivalent to sending a direct punch to the person.
However, the most direct method would be to simply allow one’s side to fight against the enemy’s AI. For someone at the level of Risda, the DarkStar assault ships were not even at the level of little toddlers when facing him. When facing such tool-type AIs that had not developed independent thought, he could just destroy them with a wave of his hand.
If one likened robbing control of an AI to stealing one’s wife, then destroying the intelligence was akin to breaking the other party’s wife!
On the data stream level, Risda resembled a Fixed Star, emitting countless heat and light rays. As for the firewall on the assault ships, they were akin to shields on the data stream level, constantly forming large holes due to being pierced and the intelligent structure inside being shot and riddled with holes.
The results of the battle in the data world were immediately reflected into the material world.
Ohm!
With a chain of loud noises as the only indication, the engines of four of the assault ships suddenly stalled. They quickly tumbled down, their shields flickering before vanishing completely.
