Age of Cosmic Exploration

Chapter 457: Red…

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: 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!"