Age of Cosmic Exploration
chapter-473-30041322

Chapter 473: Blazing Trail!

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

"This is Yao Yuan, we have won this war, but we've sacrificed so much…

"We have lost so much, so much, friends, families, parents, children. If possible, none of us want to experience this. Peace… such a wonderful term…

"But! Peace is built on the deaths of heroes! Every single one of our homes has the blood of human heroes! Victory is ours, despite the harsh process and ending, victory is definitely ours. Because one, we didn't flee, we didn't flee like cowards and abandoned our home. Two, we have fought bravely for this land that we call home, and we have won! We have definitely won this local war!

"Using the New Solar System first fleet, the Black Star Troopers, and the two Defense lines, we have managed to minimize an AI spaceship fleet with over 2,000,000 spaceships to only several ten thousand, and we made them turn on their tail and run! Therefore, we have definitely won this local war!

"I believe everyone has heard that crucial term, local war…

"…Yes, the local war is already over, but our friends who were taken captives, they're still out there, so the bigger war is still not over yet!

"We humans might still be weak, but we will never abandon our comrades and people! Ever since we left Earth, we have been on the lookout for each other, and this time, it will be the same! We will follow the human constitution and the contents of the white manifesto. I will use my power as the Chancellor to mobilize the military and continue this war…

"I announce! The initiation of the blazing trail project! We will pursue the silver AI civilization until the end of the universe if need be!

"We humans… will continue fighting! For our home, our people, our survival, and our future!"

It had been three months since Yao Yuan's important speech. The speech came at an opportune time because it had changed the whole society's outlook. Humans had indeed lost so much in this war, they had lost more than 100 Black Star Troopers, 1 great scientist, and about 100,000 civilians. Who could stomach these losses?

This war had practically broken humanity's spine. Everyone's spirits were so crushed that it had practically eclipsed everyone mind's that humanity had put up a wondrous fight. Yao Yuan's speech stirred them back to that. Humanity did deserve a pat on the back for what they did during this war. Furthermore, Yao Yuan didn't bring up the thing with Intel, so it was natural for the civilians to agree with Yao Yuan. They thought the AI fleet was forced to flee because they were pressured by the human forces, when in reality it was the other way round!

This was a much-needed PR move. This meant that humanity was not seen as a bug that wasn't worth stepping on, but humanity was strong enough to protect their home and themselves. They had achieved this victory with their own process, and the victory was snatched from one of the three great tragedies of the cosmos. According to Blue 6, even for a Shelter with more than 10 level 3 space civilizations, they would've still been wiped out when faced with such a large AI fleet. However, humanity had achieved victory, and this was incredibly meaningful. This showed that humanity was no longer a bug, they were strong enough to ensure their own safety already!

This shift in thought reinstalled humanity with faith and confidence. Even though there was still sadness, even though one-fourth of the families on the City of Light Moon had suffered losses, the eulogies given at these funerals had a tectonic shift. If it was mostly about misery and sadness earlier, now they inspired glory and sacrifice, especially the families of the Defense Unit soldiers and Black Star Troopers. Most of them were veritable human heroes, and some of them could be memorialized forever in the Hall of Remembrance!

The announcement for the initiation of the blazing trail project also lit up the City of Light Moon. Of course, there were parties who thought Yao Yuan was being too rash with the decision. Most of these people were from the elder generation, and they wished for stability, but the vast majority cheered for this decision. Why? Simple, because it was confirmed that the several ten thousand captives in the AI fleet were still alive and there were about 10 Black Star Troopers, 10! This meant that the percentage of fatalities for the Black Star Trooper would decrease from 1/7 to 1/8. This meant that some families of these Black Star Troopers would have their sons back. This gave them hope.

The civilians aside, there was also an important great scientist. How many great scientists did humanity have? They were humanity's biggest treasures. Losing one would greatly decrease the time humanity needed to become a level 3 space civilization. It was a loss that couldn't be measured. Therefore, after this great scientist was confirmed to be alive, there was no way Yao Yuan couldn't chase after the AI fleet.

Before Yao Yuan woke up, Guang Zhen had decided to hold a national mourning ceremony. After Yao Yuan woke up, he also approved of the notion. Seven days were specially held off to hold this ceremony. The seven days were also recorded in human history, and the ritual would be repeated every year to remember the heroes who had sacrificed themselves in this war.

After that, time flew. In just the blink of an eye, three months had passed. In these past three months, humanity had showcased incredible passion and mobility, one that hadn't been seen pre-war. This had shocked Blue 6 so much that at one point, he suspected the people had been taken over by robots. Just how could a space civilization progress so fast?

When these words were spread to the public, almost every human answered with pride. That is because we are not normal space civilization, we are humans!

Yes, we are humans…

The crazy advancement in the three months had proven the validity of that statement. In the three months, humanity had repaired and improved the gravity cannon ship fleet and the New Solar System first fleet.

Of course, this was merely the tip of the iceberg. The expansion for the Defense Unit was approved and the age of consent had been lowered from 18 to 16. This was wonderful news for the Defense Unit, one that was supported by the new proposal from Speaker Matt, the mandatory enlistment. All adult males and females, as long as they were not part of the Academy, would have to serve in the Defense Unit for at least five years. The House of Representatives was working on including this proposal in the constitution. Speaker Matt was personally affected by this war and he too was trying his best to help Yao Yuan and Guang Zhen solve some issues.

Then a new second defense line was reconstructed on the ruin of the original second defense line. This time, the budget could be said to be bottomless. Ignoring the smaller buildings, there were seven Energy Storm cannons. Of course, three months weren't enough to complete the construction, they were expected to be built before the year ended. This way, the combat capability of the new second defense line was almost 4 times the capability of the old second defense line. The place was no longer just a defense line, it had become the second human colonized space entity.

The Black Star Troopers and Defense Unit were responsible for salvaging the ruins of the war. The span of the battlefield was so large that according to statistics, the combined amount of salvageable resources, metals, and parts would be enough to support humanity for at least 100 years! In fact, the major ruins, like the ones created by the gravity cannons, provided more than enough materials to build Kun Lun. In fact, the amount was so great that it was enough to build three Kun Luns!

The salvage was still going on. Since the AI fleet belonged to a peak level 3 space civilization, the information chips found in the ruins contained enough information to help humanity achieve a higher civilization level. They would greatly improve humanity's knowledge. Of course, it was unrealistic to hope that this information could usher humanity towards the peak of level 3 space civilization instantly, but the Academy believed that after humanity mastered this information, humanity at least could reach the intermediate stage of level 3 space civilization. Among the salvaged information, the AI fleet's propeller system and warp drive system were the most interesting. A task force made up from Bo Li and six other great scientists would dissect them and incorporate them into humanity's energy umbrella propeller system. The newest maximum speed was 3.7 times the original speed, and this number was only going to increase. On the other hand, they could now achieve 240 times the previous warp drive speed. This was a scary concept, it was twice as fast as before!

Then… two months after Yao Yuan's important speech, the first batch of mass-produced Steel Balls and the related psychological amplification devices were created. Other than that, there were also more psychokinetic floating cannons and related weaponry. Now, three months after the important speech, humanity had more than 300 Steel Balls and 300 attached psychokinetic floating cannons…

The reason there was so many Steel Balls was because in these three months after the war, there were more than several hundred normal civilians who awakened into Homo Evolutis. The number of new Homo Evolutis was more than those who died in the war. Unfortunately, there were only a handful of S-grade Homo Evolutis, the rest were normal Homo Evolutis…

Finally…

Xi Kong was led to the Chancellor's room under the protection of several patrolling soldiers. The moment she entered the room, she said, "Zhang San has contacted me. They have just left warp drive and returned to normal space…"

Yao Yuan slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with vengeance.

"Is that so? Then… it's time to initiate the blazing trail project!

"Revenge will be ours!"