Age of Cosmic Exploration

Chapter 171: A Shot of Hope

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: 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!