Chapter 110: Launch the Pod

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

Li Mo said, “The military has deployed quite a few Jaeger Industries technologies.”

Zhao Minghe caught the implication immediately and retorted, “All technology products purchased by the military must pass the Security Evaluation Committee. They couldn’t possibly sneak in monitoring systems.”

“No need to sneak in monitoring systems,” Li Mo replied. “Even the data and information used to track device performance can reveal a lot. Creisson didn’t know who the client behind the network was, but even a single star pirate could infer the identity using technical insight. And Jaeger Industries, specialists in technology, would have even more ability to deduce such things.”

In the age of interstellar travel, technology had evolved to an extremely complex stage, beyond ordinary human comprehension. Without expertise, no one could understand how these systems operated. And the designers of these technologies often left hidden backdoors for themselves. For humanity, no military starship was ever truly invincible.

Zhou Yunchen raised a hand, interrupting the debate. “Understood. I will report upwards and investigate downwards. Captain Li Mo, did you retain a recording of Creisson’s testimony?”

“I did, but his condition…”

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it properly before using it. This will be an important piece of evidence later.”

Li Mo nodded, meeting Zhou Yunchen’s icy, determined gaze.

“General,” Zhao Minghe said suddenly, “the people on the Hermes report the warp analysis results are in!”

“Lock down the message immediately!”

Lu Yao opened his eyes and saw the legs of the coffee table in the lounge and the soft light spilling from the ceiling above.

He remembered dozing off on the sofa with a book in his hands—but how had he rolled onto the floor while sleeping? A wave of dizziness struck him. Darkness filled his vision, and when he tilted his head, he saw the planets and gas clouds outside the floor-to-ceiling windows spinning as if the universe itself were turning. The white starlight reflected in front of him. Only stillness and loneliness remained.

“Meow!” Torque’s cry interrupted his drifting thoughts. Lu Yao felt soreness all over his body. Still lying on the floor, he glanced slightly to see the small white cat sliding across the lounge like a rolling snowball. Torque’s paws scrabbled at the carpet, trying to climb, but it kept slipping back.

“Meow!” Thud— Torque crashed into Lu Yao’s face, smearing fur across his mouth. Something was wrong. Lu Yao instantly realized that Torque hadn’t been playing—he’d slid down a slope. He yanked Torque close, sprang to his feet, but before he could stabilize, he fell onto the sofa behind him. The ship was tilting!

The lounge furniture was secured to the floor, so it didn’t move, but cups on the table weren’t so obedient. At almost the same moment Lu Yao fell, a half-full glass of milk toppled, shattering on the floor. Shards sparkled as they scattered.

Time seemed to slow, each fragment arcing in front of his eyes. The icy blackness of space reflected on the glass, magnifying and rushing toward the ship. Lu Yao’s pupils contracted. With his recently honed reflexes and physique, he scooped up Torque and dashed toward the corridor with record speed.

The rest of the ship might already have been under attack. The floor was nearly vertical as Lu Yao ran, dodging debris from space that slammed into the lounge. Flames erupted instantly, licking the air and consuming everything. A shockwave sent him crashing further down the corridor, smashing into walls that had become nearly horizontal. The ship spun violently; Lu Yao felt his ribs threatening to break as fire surged through the corridor, and air rushed out uncontrollably.

Red warning lights bathed the ship. A computerized voice blared, “Warning. All units, please be advised. Lounge under attack. Warning. Lounge losing power.”

Lu Yao clutched Torque tightly and shouted, “R68, close the corridor doors! Shut down artificial gravity!” Boom— The ship flipped again. Lu Yao’s forehead struck the metal wall, blood pouring immediately.

“Artificial gravity shutting down,” the ship confirmed. The corridor doors slid shut. Heat licked Lu Yao’s face. In the next instant, his legs lifted, and he floated above the floor. Zero gravity was awkward, but at least he wouldn’t be tossed around like a ragdoll.

Torque, never exposed to zero-G, flailed helplessly in midair, fur bristling like a porcupine. Lu Yao grabbed and tucked him into his collar, then hurtled toward the cockpit amid explosions and fire.

“R68, report ship status and damage.” Lu Yao strapped himself into the pilot seat. His hair floated in the opposite direction.

“Space debris impact: 18 points. Critical system failures: 8 points. Gas leaks and fires: 7 points. Force field integrity: 69%.”

Lu Yao’s face tightened. He scanned the real-time holographic displays. The cryo bay was intact. The supply warehouse was ablaze. A breach appeared on the medical bay exterior. Air was rapidly escaping. Explosions rattled the hull. Lu Yao felt the tremors through the floor. “Cause of attack?”

“A large, disintegrating metal object at twelve o’clock generated strong gravity, preventing R68 from maintaining stable flight. It rotated and expelled debris and dust. Avoiding the debris field was impossible. I calculated this as the best evasive route.”

Best evasive route? The path that delayed destruction by space debris? For some reason, Lu Yao couldn’t help a bitter laugh. Even if he hadn’t been driven mad by solitude, even if he planned to live alone on this ship for a hundred years, the prerequisite was that the ship survived this terrifying cosmic environment.

He had hesitated about entering a hibernation pod. Now, it seemed, the universe had already made that choice for him. Boom—

Another violent impact slammed Lu Yao forward. The seatbelt dug into his ribs, making it hard to breathe, while shrill alarms suddenly screamed. The panoramic cockpit window shuddered as cracks spidered across the glass.

“Warning! Warning! Propulsion engines under attack! Propulsion engines at 0% integrity! Shutting down!”

Debris from the ship flew in all directions, and the flames erupted around R68, painting the surrounding void blood-red, like a hellish city of flowing lava.

“Warning! Warning! Secondary maneuvering engine under attack! Integrity 37%! Cannot perform navigation!”

The ship’s force field was breaking. More and more sections came under attack as alarms blared in rapid succession.

“Warning! Warning! Force field power failing! Unable to maintain shape!”

Damage had reached the power systems…

“Warning! Warning! Antigravity structure compromised! Ship entering disintegration sequence!”

Disintegration?!

“R68! Are the hibernation pods online?” Lu Yao shouted, his voice almost a roar. He could feel the air leaking from the cockpit, and his lungs were already burning.

“Hibernation pods online. Do you wish to awaken the crew members?”

Awaken them? Not a chance! A curse exploded in Lu Yao’s mind. His heart pounded like a wild stallion, and his thoughts teetered on the edge of chaos.

He glanced at the rear of the ship. Countless stones and dust still drifted through space.

“What about weapons?”

“The armory is offline. Remaining charged laser cannons are operational.”

“Charge them to the maximum! Fire on the rear! Clear a path!”

“Charging.”

“Activate hibernation ejection mode. Clear a safe path, then launch the pods!”

Hopefully, someone would rescue those two unlucky crew members. They shouldn’t have been caught in any of this.

“Report: all energy allocated. Laser cannon at 98% charge.”

Enough for only one shot? Amid the flashing red alarms, Lu Yao’s expression went blank for a moment. Shadows from the speeding debris danced over his face like drifting fish before colliding with the front window. Startled, he roared, “Calculate safe trajectory! Fire rear laser! Eject the hibernation pods!”

The ship’s mass was decreasing. The disintegration, accelerated by gravity, was quickening. He had to eject the pods before the link to the cockpit broke—otherwise, there would be no chance of survival.

“Calculation complete. Executing.”

The electronic voice echoed. A near-blinding white beam blasted from the laser cannon. High energy and heat instantly vaporized debris, while the shockwave cleared the path. In the dark expanse of space, nothing was visible beyond the dazzling light.

Three seconds later, the hibernation pods were successfully ejected. They slid along the cleared path, escaping the debris field.

The recoil pushed R68 forward. Massive stones barreled toward the cockpit as flames surged, sending waves of heat.

The debris approached the front cockpit window in an instant, close enough for Lu Yao to see the fine fractures on the stones. He roared, “Activate cockpit ejection pod!”

He didn’t know if he would be struck by debris the instant he ejected, but staying in the ship was certain death. He had no choice but to risk it.

“Ejection sequence initializing.”

The mechanical systems beneath the cockpit clicked into motion. The stones, over five meters in diameter, struck the panoramic window. Lu Yao, strapped into the seat, watched white cracks race outward from the impact points. Flames from superheated air ignited the glass and the control console.

As the fire surged, the cockpit began lowering. The egg-shaped escape pod closed around him, enclosing him in a cold shadow. A sedative injector pricked Lu Yao’s spine. His body shuddered as anesthesia was released.

Torque, too, was detected and injected. He tried to scream, but the gas brought him down immediately.

Flames roared, trying to squeeze into the closing pod, scorching Torque’s fur and Lu Yao’s hair tips. Just as the pod sealed and the anesthesia swallowed his consciousness, he glimpsed a hallucination.

A massive, sword-like starship cut through the fire and debris, charging toward him. Blue electromagnetic restraint beams unfurled, wrapping everything in their embrace. Lu Yao’s heart skipped a beat. Was this hallucination caused by an allergic reaction to the anesthetic?

Amid the all-consuming cosmic inferno, the Hermes revealed its majesty. A silver-white mecha sped down, lifting its cannon to obliterate all obstacles. Amid countless blinding explosions, it reached the ruins of R68, extending a hand to catch the tiny, solitary escape pod.

 

 

This Title is available for faster chapter releases through paid Patreon membership. Any proceeds go to keeping the website running. Check it out HERE.