Age of Cosmic Exploration
chapter-247

Chapter 247: Time…Time!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

While Ying’s group started their mission, Yao Yuan was waiting anxiously for the supermagnetic orbit cannon around the Hope.

Currently, the Hope’s central mainframe was still under other people’s control, so the Prototype 003 Space Combat Jets didn’t dare to enter the creator’s particle zone lest the control of the jets was also taken away from the pilots. If that happened, they would need another blackout to escape the Hope’s control.

Under such circumstances, only Bo Li’s alien robot could carry something as heavy as the supermagnetic orbit cannon. Therefore, Yao Yuan specifically asked for Bo Li’s help in his orders.

In reality, the supermagnetic orbit cannon wasn’t huge in size. Including its base and the entire necessary accessories, it was only slightly bigger than a Prototype 003 Space Combat Jet, completely incomparable to cannons like the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon.

However, in terms of technological level, the supermagnetic orbit cannon utilized the best of the best of electromagnetic technology. In contrast to the Genesis, which involved plasmatic technology or 5th revolution technology, the supermagnetic orbit cannon was the best weapon from the 4th revolution.

In comparison, while the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon had greater damage and firing speed due to a specialized upgrade in ammunition technology, generally speaking, the supermagnetic orbit cannon was more high-tech than the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon.

The cannon still relied on pseudo-Gaussian technology which utilized high speeds to achieve increased penetration and thus damage. However, compared to weapons like Gaussian rifles, Gaussian cannons, and even the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon, the supermagnetic orbit cannon’s schema was completely different.

First and foremost, electromagnetism was no longer the pushing force. In the conceptual building of the supermagnetic orbit cannon, electromagnetic fields only acted as balance coefficients to situate the bullets during firing. The actual force that accelerated the bullet was particle force!

In a way, it was conceptually similar to the particle accelerator propulsion system. It kept a concentrated particle box behind the bullet that was stabilized by electromagnetic fields. Simply put, the constant collision between the concentration particles and the metallic ball that was the bullet would create explosive tension. After the tension achieved a force bigger than the electromagnetic force holding the bullet in place, the bullet would be shot out at an unimaginable speed…

A speed that was one-fifth of light speed!

Yes, one-fifth of light speed!

To sustain such high speed, the bullet itself must have low density, but at the same time, it had to be sturdy enough to withstand the constant particular collision.

Not even the junkyard civilization had found a material of this quality; therefore, they had only created main cannons similar to the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon, while the blueprint for weapons like this supermagnetic orbit cannon were kept in its system. According to educated guesses, even after entering the 5th revolution, the power of the supermagnetic orbit cannon would still be equal to or slightly better than singular plasmatic weapons. This was because plasmatic weapons would be limited by energy consumption. Therefore, there wouldn’t be a plasmatic weapon that would strong enough to ruin a planet with one shot, because the energy reservoir needed to accomplish that would be impossible.

Compared to the junkyard civilization, mankind was lucky because they had come across something as valuable as the alien plants. Of all the unique alloys created by the plant, there was one that was strong enough to be used as ammo for the supermagnetic orbit cannon. Thus, research for the cannon was made possible. Of course, due to technological limitations, the created supermagnetic orbit cannon was only a prototype, the firing speed was only one-tenth of light-speed, and the bullet was only the size of a human adult’s fingernail. Its damage was definitely lesser than a perfect supermagnetic orbit cannon.

However, its penetration power was equal to its perfect form. Rather than spread out the firing over the wide surface of the space merchant’s mother ship, it would make more sense to focus fire on one particular spot. This way they would be able to hit the energy circuit behind the electromagnetic shields, slowing down the charging speed of the Requiem. That was why Yao Yuan was hell-bent on using this weapon, because it was the only weapon mankind had that could harm the space merchants!

Suddenly, a silver-white mechanical marvel floated out from one of the Hope’s hangar doors. Yao Yuan was able to spot a robot pushing the machine from behind. Slowly, the machine went further and further away from the Hope. When it finally left the creator’s particle range, the Red Lightning quickly surged towards it.

The robot finally came to a halt and left the machine floating in space before turning back to the Hope. Yao Yuan’s mission wasn’t with the alien robot, so he didn’t care about it. He moved Red Lightning close to the machine and opened the Red Lightning from within. He was wearing a space armor, which was technically a spacesuit, so movement and survival in space was a non-issue. Yao Yuan slipped easily from Red Lightning into the machine’s seating base.

It was he who approved the research on the supermagnetic orbit cannon, so he was naturally familiar with this weapon. Of course, since he was not a scientist, he didn’t know much about its theoretical construction, but he knew there was such a weapon and how to use it.

On the other hand, the electromagnetic layers around the space merchants’ mother ship had coagulated to a certain degree. Based on previous experience, it would require another 2 minutes of charging before it could fire off another shot. Yao Yuan knew he had no time to dilly-dally, so he quickly familiarized himself with the control panel within the seating base. He expediently set up the long-distance lock-on system, initiated the energy charging, and the firing had entered count-down.

It was worth mentioning that the cannon didn’t come with the creator’s particle isolator. The only reason it could be used then was because the Red Lightning was beside it.

As the Requiem slowly materialized, Yao Yuan’s heart was at his throat. He was sweating bullets. Not only him, the Black Star Troopers around him felt the same way. This was the last chance they had, and if it failed, it meant extinction for humanity. Even if the Troopers managed to survive this onslaught, there was no way they could survive on their own in space. Furthermore, with only hundreds of them left, natural extinction was only a matter of time…

The fate of humanity fell fully on Yao Yuan’s shoulders and the supermagnetic orbit cannon… If they failed, it was over!

"Quick! Faster!"

Yao Yuan had finished preparing the targeting system. Other than the automated targeting system, he also used his Seeker power to imprint every single thing on the mother ship into his eyes. Even the smallest bump couldn’t escape his sight.

Yao Yuan was looking for possible energy coalescence points. After all, this weapon was very energy-consuming. The space merchants didn’t have access to super conductors, and even if they did, they still needed certain points for energy to coalesce to simplify energy distribution and transfer. Unless the space merchants were already in 6th revolution, which it didn’t look like they were, there had to be such weaknesses mankind could exploit!

Therefore, attacking the energy coalescence point could not only slow down the energy from charging, but if lucky, could cause an energy implosion. The threat facing the Hope would then be neutralized…

Yao Yuan was searching high and low for such a weak point. Time slowly passed and the Requiem was almost a solid state. The supermagnetic orbit cannon had also reached its final countdown. However, Yao Yuan still hadn’t found the weak point he needed. In the end, he had no choice but to switch his target onto an energy circuit, marking it within the crosshair.

"5, 4, 3…"

With the final countdown, additional particles dispersed out of the supermagnetic orbit cannon’s cylindrical and square cannon barrel. It looked like the cannon were gathering power. In the blink of an eye, a straight trajectory swept across the cosmos and an almost solid particle line appeared to connect the mother ship and the supermagnetic orbit cannon.

Yao Yuan's and the troopers' gazes followed the straight line to its very end, the spot that would decide how everything ended!

Initially, nothing happened. However, several seconds later, the electromagnetic shield appeared around the mother ship. Nevertheless, the shield that appeared was cracked. Explosions started happening on the mother ship's surface, and sparks and flames were bursting out everywhere. The damage even started to spread until it finally stopped 3 kilometers later.

Simultaneously, the electromagnetic layers in front of the mother ship started to weaken, and the energy was dispersing…

This was the power of the supermagnetic orbit cannon!

It had been 3 minutes since Ying’s group started searching for the main energy circuit…