Age of Cosmic Exploration
chapter-250

Chapter 250: The Last Sacrifice

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

This heart of the space merchants’ mother ship based on size alone was already larger than the combined size of all of the polymerized reactors on the Hope. It could supply more than enough energy to support six Hopes. Of course, with such a large reactor amount, while the explosion it would create wouldn't necessarily melt the entirety of the mother ship, it would definitely melt one-third or even half of the ship, that much was certain.

In other words, everyone present would die in the explosion.

Of course, for members like Ebon and Liu Bai, dying for the sake of completing the mission was a point of honor, but if there was a possibility of survival while finishing the mission, that would be the best result.

Liu Bai looked at his atomic watch and said, "9 more minutes to the limit of our mission. So, what shall we do now? Neither one of us knows about the science behind this thing, so how do we create the largest explosion possible?"

Ebon aimed his Seiya Gun at the nearest reactor. "Why are you still hung up on that? It’s not easy to get here, so let’s start shooting. This baby still has one shot in it. Combined with your Gaussian rifles, I don’t believe we can’t create some fireworks!"

Ren Tao, who was standing beside him, sighed. "We can’t do that, because the reactors have an auto-protective system. Even our 3rd revolution reactors had them, so of course these more high-tech reactors do. If we follow your suggestion, the most it’ll do is to cause leakage of nuclear energy, which might cause a temporary light-outs, but nothing else. Of course, if you’re lucky, one of them might explode, but the explosion will be too small to actually cause harm to the mother ship."

Ebon felt pricked by Ren Tao’s inflammatory words. When he thought to move towards Ren Tao, he felt Ying’s hand on his shoulder. Then he heard Ying ask, "Ren Tao, you’re familiar with things like this? We Black Star Unit members haven’t received an energy room sabotage mission before, so if you have any information, tell us so that we can work on it together."

Ren Tao nodded before pointing at the large plasmatic bottle. "While I can’t be sure what is the actual purpose of this device, my guess is it is some sort of plasmatic generator. After all, the space merchants have access to a number of 5th revolution technologies. According to the theoretical basis of industrial revolutions…"

Ying cut him off, "Get to the point, we don’t have time for a lecture."

Ren Tao shrugged and continued, "Simply put, the higher the technological power, the great the energy it requires. A simple theory. Prehistoric man only needed fire to roast meat, but with the advancement in technology, the energy source from a bonfire was no longer enough, so he needed coal, oil, and a greater energy source. This is why the mother ship has such a large energy room."

Ying and others nodded to show that they understood. Ren Tao continued, "Therefore, our solution from the beginning was already conceptually wrong. First, there’s no reason for us to create a massive explosion using the reactors, since it’ll kill all of us. Furthermore, with just the few of us, it is impossible to convert all of the nuclear energy here into a nuclear bomb…"

Ebon sneered at him. "Stop distracting us with stories like this. I know full well what you’re thinking. You’re just a coward; you're afraid of death, aren’t you? When you realized that the Hope and your precious sister were safe, you didn’t want to die anymore, isn’t that right?"

Ren Tao replied immediately, "That’s right, I don’t want to die anymore. Don’t tell me that you all can’t wait to die. I’m just giving you guys an alternative that may not require all of us to die, and if you don’t like it, you can close your ears and shut your mouths!"

Ebon was instantly inflamed. He was ready to punch Ren Tao’s face in. But the moment he took his first step, he heard a gun behind cocked behind him. Then he heard Ying say, "Ebon, do you intend to harm your ally? Is it safe for me to assume you’re not under the aliens’ mind-break attack? If you take one more step forward, I’ll shoot you through the head, try me."

Ebon’s body went rigid and he ultimately didn’t take that first step. Instead, he turned around to look at Ying in the eyes and sighed. Right then, Liu Bai yelled, "We only have 8 minutes left, quick!"

Ying turned to Ren Tao. "Tell us your solution and its justification! You have 30 seconds!"

Ren Tao didn’t dare to dawdle. "It’s simple, there are plenty of plasma energy sources here. We can reroute the energy circuits to pool the plasmatic energy together. This will create a plasmatic explosion, which will then create a giant-scale plasmatic ocean. The energy imbalance will burn all the devices that use energy into a crisp or even melt them completely. Of course, the damage won’t be as large as a nuclear explosion, but its range will be large enough to affect the entire mother ship, causing a massive blackout because all the energy supporting this ship will be lost!"

Ying nodded before asking, "What’s the justification? Why shouldn’t we just blow everything up with a nuclear explosion?"

"For profit!" Ren Tao replied, "The aim of a war is profit, and this time we’ve lost aplenty. Discounting the Hope, this unit alone has suffered the loss of more than ten Homo Evolutis. Who is going to be responsible for this loss? We can use a nuclear explosion to blow up the mother ship, but the war will be meaningless in the end. We won’t be getting the space information, 5th revolution technology, nothing! This will be a meaningless war, a war for the sake of one. How is that profitable? Our men die for no reason! Better if we leave the space merchants completely defenseless and squeeze them for all they’re worth! That is the best resolution to this war!"

When Ying heard all this, he finally nodded and said, "Then we shall follow your lead. Tell us what to do, and make it quick. If the preparations are not set up before the 5 minute countdown, we’ll be using Ebon’s solution and blow this place up!"

Ren Tao immediately turned to address the rest. "Then I need everyone’s help. What we need now is a large amount of energy circuits and conductors! Their sizes don't matter as long as they can conduct energy!"

Under Ren Tao’s commands, the unit started cutting down, moving, and sawing through the circuits in the energy room. When they were finished, the original circuits were a complete mess. However, this mission did highlight Ren Tao’s hidden capability. Even though he kept saying this was only a small project, the complexity of it befuddled many. If one didn’t have the required expertise, it was impossible to come up with a plan as intricate as this on the fly. God knows how much knowledge Ren Tao had hidden behind that vacant expression of his. One might never find out unless there were more than enough high-stake situations that forced him to show it.

When the thing was completely set up, they only had almost 5 minutes left. Ren Tao turned to Ying and said, "All done. Now we only need to break this main circuit and this area will be converted into a plasmatic ocean. Without the superconductor that we have access to, the implosion of energy will corrode all their energy-consuming devices."

Ebon asked, in a hurry, "Then what are we waiting for?"

Ying also turned to Ren Tao, waiting for his answer.

Ren Tao shrugged. "Currently, we’re at the energy pooling stage. The greater the energy pooled, the greater the damage it’ll cause later. Furthermore, if we just leave it alone, after 3 minutes, it’ll reach the threshold and explode on its own, so there’s need for us to worry. We can make use of these 3 minutes and get as far away as possible. Maybe we can make use of the motorcycle siege engines to increase the possibility of us getting out of here alive…"

Ebon gave him an ‘I thought so’ condescending look, but this time he didn’t say anything. He turned to look at Ying, and the last remaining Survivor in their team started to shake.

Even if they were leaving this place, someone had to stay behind to guard over it. In case the alien army returned, the one person could set off the energy explosion manually. Or else the space merchants might be able to stop the device.

The last Survivor knew that the person had to be him because he was, objectively speaking, worth the least. Plus, all the previously abandoned soldiers were Survivors, so this time… it would be his turn.

"I’ll stay."

Ying stood quietly, checking the bullets in his sniper rifle’s cache. Then he turned to everyone else and said calmly, "I can’t guarantee I will not set off the explosion before the designated 3 minutes, so if you want to have a chance at life, I suggest you leave now. I wish you all the best."

The unit was stunned. Under everyone’s startled gazes, Ying sat down on the floor and removed his space helmet. Then he pulled from within a necklace. It was a simple jade necklace hanging from a red thread. The jade was muddy, probably a cheap one from some random street stall. Ying looked at the jade in his palm and put it back into his space armor.

Liu Bai opened his mouth to say, "Ying, this…"

Ying looked right at them. "This is a mission! It is not my intention to abandon our previous teammates, it is for the sake of the mission, and this is the same. Ren Tao is right, humanity has lost too much to end up with another junkyard. I agree with his proposal, and now it is time for me to commit to this mission!

"I’m a sniper who can take down enemies from afar. My Seeker power allows me to sniff out enemy ambushes and set off the circuit whenever I feel the situation calls for it. I am the only one capable of holding off the enemies for 3 minutes in this team…

"Therefore, this time…

"It’s my turn to stay!"