The light gray, metallic Federation transport ship traveled at a constant speed in the low-dimensional space of the Night Scorpion Nebula. The three thousand soldiers of the new 17th Division on the transport ship had returned to their hometowns for less than a hundred days of vacation before they were forced to set off on a journey again. Naturally, they were not in a good mood. As soon as they left the region of Upper Forest, homesickness began to spread.
For the commanding officer of the army, this kind of mood was undoubtedly negative and dangerous. Fortunately, the purpose of this trip was not to attack the Empire, but to be responsible for the security of the forward base.
For Xu Le, homesickness was not the main emotion he was feeling right now. He looked at the exceptionally beautiful woman with long black hair in front of him and felt more surprise and a heavy responsibility.
He never would have thought that Jian Shui 'er would actually appear in the transport ship and become a female reporter following the army. What surprised him even more and made him feel a little sad and empty was that the nation's girl, whom the nation hadn't seen for a long time, after taking off her white cap, her black hair flowed out like a waterfall. There was no trace of the vigorous purple in the deepest part of his memory back then.
A debate that was not intense but was somewhat stubborn occurred between the young man and woman. Bai Yulan and the other officers were extremely tactful and left the cabin early. Looking at the beautiful face in front of him that was still as beautiful as before and the black hair that spread slightly over her shoulders, Xu Le vaguely understood why she had made such a big change. He sighed in his heart and was about to say something when his eyes narrowed.
"I have something to take care of," he said to Jian Shui'er and then turned to return to his cabin.
Jian Shui'er looked at his resolute back and revealed an innocent expression. She spread out her hands cutely and said, "This is my own hair. Why are you so angry?"
Xu Le knew that he had no reason to be angry at someone for changing her hairstyle. It was boring and absurd, but he was still angry because that purple color, for him, meant too many memories and traces of his life.
But at this moment, he quickly walked back to his cabin and left the other party with a cold back. It was not because he was being childish, but because … a line of white characters suddenly appeared in his black left eye.
After that night in the camp, the old thing rarely contacted him, so at that moment, he was somewhat surprised and nervous. What exactly had happened?
"No specific data?" Xu Le sat on the edge of the bed and asked in confusion, "But your existence is based on logic and information capture. Without any valid information, how do you know that something big is going to happen in the Federation?"
"Chaos Calculation. I cannot list the calculation process. I only know that countless subtle variables are causing a data turbulence as time passes."
"Based on your first-rank authority, I'll officially report the first cause of change to you."
"After the Medellin project, the Bureau of Proclamation cooperated with the Federation to carry out the clean-up work. However, on November 23rd two years ago, the data clean-up work I was in was terminated. According to the prior data prediction, one of the Empire's seeds is currently outside the surveillance range."
Hearing this, Xu Le's brows furrowed even more. He clenched his hands tightly and quickly asked, "Where is this seed now?"
"No authorization, no corresponding monitoring report has been generated," the Federal Central Computer replied.
I know you know where he is. "Xu Le lowered his head and clenched his fists.
"The suspected target of the empire's seed is currently in S2."
"Who is the person who terminated the investigation authorization?"
"Assistant Director Cui Judong."
Xu Le narrowed his eyes. He knew this Assistant Cui Judong. He knew that this person was the only candidate to be the next director of the Bureau of Proclamation by the Federation. Why would he terminate the investigation authorization? If even a Federation official of this level had a problem, how serious would the situation be …
"Then this muddled calculation of yours …" He changed the verb, "Where exactly is the problem that you've guessed?"
"I can't be sure."
"Why didn't you warn me before?"
"Because these things have nothing to do with you. But now … according to my chaos calculation, this matter will be related to you."
"F * ck your chaos calculation."
Xu Le cursed softly as he rubbed his hair. His heart was filled with unprecedented frustration and fear of the unknown.
…
…
The alarm sounded mournfully!
Accompanied by the gentle music and the aroma of coffee, the Ancient Bell that had been sailing peacefully for many days suddenly sounded the alarm. The defense system of the spaceship automatically switched the energy supply port. The dim yellow light replaced the bright light, and countless warning lights flashed continuously.
"Locked on by long-range weapons! Locked on by long-range weapons! "
"32 degrees of acceleration! Hold on tight! "
Anxious shouts sounded continuously in the command system. The Ancient Bell's engine group suddenly accelerated and dodged at high speed towards the calm space above. After a violent tremor, a loud sound came from the rear of the spaceship!
An explosion occurred on the rear right side of the Ancient Bell. The huge force knocked the people in the cabin to the ground. At that moment, it seemed that there were more than ten dangerous jets that brushed past the spaceship. If all of these weapons had hit the spaceship, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"What's going on!"
The officers on the Ancient Bell struggled to get up and rushed back to their posts. They roared angrily and confusedly. They were in the Federation's space. How could the pirates of the Bermuda Triangle dare to attack the Ancient Bell?
"They have our electronic frequency! Immediately change the data and find them! "
The urgent voice in the command system was still going on. The Ancient Bell and the four frigates beside it had brushed shoulders with death several times due to the sudden attack. The people on the frigates still did not know what had happened. They angrily and helplessly tried to change the current passive situation, thinking that it was the stupidest pirates in Bermuda who did not recognize the Celine symbol on the Ancient Bell. Some of the Celine soldiers even thought that this might be a conspiracy of the government, but no one connected this attack to the Empire.
The electronic codes on the Ancient Bell and the four battleships were quickly adjusted randomly, and the surrounding dark space was converted into a visual image and entered into the hologram in the command hall. The soldiers saw a scene that made them speechless, and the interior of the battleships fell into a dead silence.
In the dark space, with the beautiful stars of the Night Scorpion Nebula as the background, dozens of dark light frigates appeared around the Ancient Bell. They were like ghosts that crawled out of hell and quietly blocked all the passages.
The soldiers of the West Woods looked at the hologram in shock. They looked at the black fleet that ambushed them. They were unfamiliar with this kind of frigate, but they were also familiar with it. They were unfamiliar because they had never appeared in the Federation's space before. They were familiar with it because there were many wreckages of this kind of frigate in the desolate star field outside the West Woods.
These frigates all had a beast-shaped bow, and the Black Hibiscus flag was deeply engraved on the frigate with a laser knife. It was said that it would never decay.
"It's the Empire!"
A shout came from the Ancient Bell, followed by countless exclamations. Everyone's pupils shrank at this moment. The soldiers of the West Woods were angry, shocked, and confused — the Empire's fleet appeared in the Federation's space!
…
…
Regarding this attack that shocked the entire universe, the Federation conducted a special investigation that lasted for two years after the incident. Those heavy introspection and reflection discussions lasted for decades. Two years later, when the investigation report was reviewed on Parliament Hill, a middle-aged senator from the West Woods asked a lot of why and if's angrily and sorrowfully.
Why was an important commander of the Federal military not escorted by the Federal Fleet when he traveled? The West Woods Military District had never accepted the escort of the Federal Fleet. This was an old rule that had been passed down for many years. It was a strong habit of the military. Without this old rule and habit, and strictly followed the military regulations of the Federation, would the Empire's shameless sneak attack have failed?
The Federation General and the representative of the West Woods Zhong Family were silent and did not express any opinions.
Why was the patrolling density of the Federation's fleets so low at the Gary Corridor and the Night Scorpion Nebula, the two most important spatial passageways? Why was the Ancient Bell unable to receive timely assistance when it was attacked? Why was it that other than the first transport ship, the first to rush to the rescue was actually Cillin's civilian spaceship? If the Federation government's budget could first satisfy the Bureau of Proclamation's request to set up a net there, and if the Federal Fleet could increase the cruising frequency, could this tragedy have been prevented?
The Federal Fleet General Hong Yuliang's explanation was that the space passage was too wide. It was not a small warp hole that the general public knew. Even if all the Federation's battleships were to set up a tight defense, it would only be like an ant trying to defend the entire Charter Square. However, this point would be improved significantly after the forward base was put into use.
In the spring of Year 70 of the Constitutional Calendar, a part of the Federal Fleet's main force was transferred to the barren star field at the edge of the West Woods Region to annihilate the backup fleet of the Imperial expeditionary force. In fact, the transferred Federal Fleet had achieved great results in that star field. However, because of this, the monitoring of the space passage had indeed decreased by a lot.
The Federation Government's Budget Department's reply was: Since President Pabre took office, he had already increased the budget of the Bureau of Proclamation to the maximum. If he added more, it might lead to serious financial problems. Most importantly, the first charter clearly stated that the Bureau of Proclamation's budget could fluctuate, and the government had no authority to change it.
There were many questions and reasons for the reply, but in fact, from the president to the ordinary citizens, everyone knew that the reason for the tragedy was that the Federation had never imagined that the Empire had the ability to send an entire fleet, even if it was only a medium-sized fleet, through the space passage.
No one had thought of it, not a single person.
This frightening inertia of thinking caused the Federation to pay a heavy price. Of course, if the "if" that the West Woods senator said could be realized, perhaps this attack would not have turned out to be the final result.
Unfortunately, there were no "ifs" in history. Therefore, at this moment, the Ancient Bell and the man with a special identity were being mercilessly hunted down by the Empire's fleet.
…
…
The quiet space in front of the Night Scorpion Nebula was now filled with silent explosions and circular dust rings. Dozens of modified black battleships of the Empire shuttled through space at high speed, and the weapons on the battleships fired fiercely.
The Ancient Bell, which had withstood the first round of sneak attacks with its super solid alloy hull armor, had lost part of its power due to the explosion at the rear left of the ship. One of the four corvettes on the ship had turned into a firework in the universe. It was not lonely, but tragic.
Under the cover of the remaining three West Woods battleships, the Ancient Bell's engine group risked a two-stage merger and tried to forcefully accelerate and escape. However, under the suicidal attacks of the Empire's Specter Fleet, the acceleration process was constantly interrupted, and the situation was extremely dangerous.
"Commander, there's a signal feedback! The nearest fleet is a transport ship 33.7 astronomical units away. "
Under the dim flickering lights, a West Woods officer with sweat and blood flowing down his face looked at the back of the figure outside the porthole and said with a trembling voice. He was not afraid of death, and he was not afraid of the Empire, but he was afraid that the back of the figure in front of him would disappear in this universe because of his and his comrades' incompetence.
"Continue to call for backup … but limit it to the military channel. Don't let those civilian spaceships rush over to die."
Zhong Shouhu's right hand gripped the back of the chair tightly as he looked at the fierce battle outside the window expressionlessly. Until now, both sides were still attacking with long-range weapons and did not use the carrier fleet. However, when the Ancient Bell and the other three battleships used up all of their main cannons but still could not destroy the command ship of the Empire's ambush fleet, the outcome of this ambush was already clear.
The difference in strength between the enemy and himself was too great. Even though he had been dominating the universe for many years and looked down on Du Shaoqing coldly, he still could not turn the situation around.
"Commanding a battleship is not my forte. Tell the troops to fight as much as they can. Take down as many ships as they can. Commander, I like to see these fireworks the most."
Zhong Shouhu's lips curled up slightly as he smiled and gently patted his wife's shoulder.
Mrs. Zhong's face was slightly pale as she sat in the chair. Her left hand grabbed the hem of his military uniform tightly. She hit the corner of the wall in the first wave of attack, and a trace of blood flowed out of her forehead. Her usual calm and magnanimous expression now looked weak and helpless.
"Yes, Commander!" The West Woods officer replied with a trembling voice. He then held the wall and quickly ran to the control room.
"Calculate the number of battleships of the Empire and send the panoramic image back to S1. Tell the Federation that the Empire can pass through the space channel."
The smile on Zhong Shouhu's face gradually disappeared. He said to the officers behind him in a deep voice, "The maximum number of battleships they can send over at one time is probably what we saw."
This judgment came from his clear understanding of his own importance. The Empire had developed the technology to pass through the space channel in an attempt to kill him. They would definitely put in all the forces they could at one time.
If they wanted to kill the tiger of the West Woods, how could they say that they would win without using all their strength?
Hearing the commander's words, the West Woods officers on the Ancient Bell were all silent for a moment. They quickly returned to their positions and prepared for the last battle of their lives.
As the most important commander of the Federal military, Zhong Shouhu was still most concerned about the fate of the Federation when his life was in danger and could end at any time. If those people who were vigilant against the West Woods saw this scene, would they have a different opinion in their hearts?
In this most dangerous moment, the Ancient Bell reassembled its engine group and made a new torque adjustment. Under the cover of the three frigates, it attempted to accelerate for the last time.
The three frigates turned into perfectly round and scattered fireworks in front of the people on the Ancient Bell. Just as the Ancient Bell was about to reach the critical speed and escape from the battlefield and get rid of the ghostly fleet of Empire's battleships, the hull of the Empire's battleships suddenly cracked open. More than a hundred Empire's mechas rushed towards the Ancient Bell at high speed.
Seeing his subordinates turn into ashes silently in space, Zhong Shouhu narrowed his eyes slightly. Then, he saw the next move of the Empire's fleet and narrowed his eyes even more. He said in a cold voice, "Leaving the ship to fight? Your Majesty, you are really willing to pay any price to kill me. "
The Empire's mechas that took the risk of boarding the ship in a vacuum didn't even have the time to touch the Ancient Bell before they were destroyed by the dense close-range firepower of the Ancient Bell. However, the remaining Empire's Wolf Fang mechas were still slowly approaching without fear of death.
Zhong Shouhu's eyes fell on the approaching mechas. He found that these mechas were very strange and their speed was obviously faster than before. He slowly raised his white eyebrows and said to his subordinates, "Tell the Federation another piece of bad news. The Empire's new mechas have also been successfully developed."
"Also, remind them that the Empire's people have the ability to go back through the space passage."
"Because they want to capture me alive."
"Lastly, tell S1 and the West Woods that there is a traitor among us."
The Empire's Ghost Fleet actually knew the electronic code of the Ancient Bell and was able to avoid the detection of The Glory Of The Charter. All these details proved that there was someone hiding in the dark within the Federation and even around him.
Thinking of a loyal subordinate, a mocking smile appeared on Zhong Shouhu's face. He didn't know whether he was mocking the Empire's enemy for trying to capture him alive or mocking himself for being a hero who was now in a desperate situation because of some traitor or spy.
At this time, the Empire's mechas finally broke through the close-range firepower of the Ancient Bell. Like countless nails, they fiercely hammered into the thick alloy wall of the spaceship. The sound of metal clashing could be heard clearly from the inside of the spaceship. The soldiers' faces were pale as they rushed over and shouted, "Protect the commander and his wife as they leave."
However, what happened next proved Zhong Shouhu's previous judgment. The three systems of the Ancient Bell had been holding on strongly during the fierce battle, but the escape system of the spaceship had a problem.
"This is good. I can be with the soldiers in the end."
Zhong Shouhu's face was expressionless as he held his wife's hand. He lowered his head and said gently, "Ever since we graduated from the First Academy, I've always walked in front of you in public. I've never held your hand, let alone hugged you. Can you give me a chance to make it up to you today?"
Mrs. Zhong calmed down a little. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood on her forehead. After calming down, she looked at him and forced a smile. She said as casually as possible, "I will only give you one last chance."
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