Age of Cosmic Exploration, 3

by Zhttty

  "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!"

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  Chapter125 Might of the Homo Evolutis!

  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 usu
al 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…)

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  Chapter126 Rescue Mission!

  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 to
o 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…"