Chapter 81: The Escape Faction and the Battle of the Trapped

Chapter 81: The Escape Faction and the Battle of the Trapped

“Of course, you don’t need to worry unnecessarily. As long as the safety is not disengaged, the safety coefficient of the high-explosive bomb is very high. Even if you break it with your hands, there won’t be the slightest problem.”

“Alright, I understand.”

“Next, I’m going to talk about the most important precautions for using the Azure Dragon Armor currently.”

Chen Feng nodded. “I’m all ears.”

“The energy of the Azure Dragon Armor comes from a small nuclear fission reactor under the chest plate. With our current technological conditions, in order to precisely control nuclear fission within this small box and prevent radiation and heat from leaking and harming the human body, we can only sacrifice the total power supply. Therefore, the power supply of this integrated reactor can only support an ordinary soldier for three hours of continuous high-intensity consumption. Once energy consumption exceeds the red line, the reactor will automatically cut off the power supply and enter a dormant state, relying only on high-energy batteries to maintain the minimum mobility energy consumption.”

Chen Feng thought for a moment. “The serum’s effect lasts three hours too. That timing is just right.”

“Exactly. Of course, even if the serum wears off and the operator loses consciousness, if the Azure Dragon Armor is still operational, the intelligent system will activate automatic cruise power, returning both the operator and the armor to the nearest base. So, regardless of how much time we have left on our serum, we should still replace the integrated reactor promptly. Every time we go on a mission, we usually carry a spare reactor with us, just in case. Got it?”

“Got it. Oh, by the way, there aren’t any enemies now, right? What mission are we on?”

“We’ll talk about the mission later. Good, we have two hours and forty minutes left. Now, change into the training-grade equipment.”

Ding Hu pointed to the things next to him. “In daily real-machine training, we don’t use standard equipment.”

“Understood. Afraid of accidentally cutting down our own people.”

“Yes. Once hit, even if you don’t die, you’ll lose a layer of skin. Even a slight scrape would result in very high repair costs. Including when we carry out missions inside Earth, we also use less powerful training-grade equipment. Alright, now start attaching the equipment to yourself. You have three minutes.”

Thirty seconds later, Chen Feng had loaded the training-grade Alloy Blade, Combat Shield, thermal magnetic gun, and conventional grenades into the reserved slots in the Azure Dragon Armor.

Over there, Ding Hu was only halfway done.

Brother Hu really didn’t feel like talking.

So what if you operate fast!

Being fast isn’t good for a man, what’s there to show off about!

At that moment, a siren sounded in both their ears.

Ding Hu was overjoyed. “Something good has come up!”

Chen Feng asked, “What do you mean?”

“A temporary mission! It’s been assigned to our Great Snow Mountain Base, and it just so happens we’re the only two doing real-machine training right now, and our remaining time is sufficient. Let’s go! I’ll take you to experience the taste of real combat.”

As the team leader, Ding Hu responded to the temporary order, summoned a spindle-shaped rapid shuttle transport, rose into the air, and landed inside.

Chen Feng followed, full of doubts.

He thought it was unreasonable.

The enemy hadn’t arrived yet, and the World Government was completely in charge now. Could soldiers really have missions?

A drill?

After flying out of the base, Chen Feng finally checked the information from the intelligence system.

The situation was different from what he had expected.

What he and Ding Hu were going to deal with was actually a small-scale protest.

The incident occurred in a settlement about thirteen hundred kilometers away from the Great Snow Mountain Base, with a scale roughly equivalent to a prefecture-level city in the past.

At that moment, a group of over five hundred people had gathered, sitting in silent protest at the entrance of a Research Institute in the very center of this settlement.

Chen Feng wondered, “Couldn’t something this minor be handled by conventional forces? Do we need to deploy the Azure Dragon Armor?”

Ding Hu shook his head. “This Research Institute belongs to the Azure Dragon Academy. Its main research focus is on warship propulsion systems. Recently, a prototype equipped with a new propulsion system was about to be launched. This is a major issue; we can’t be careless. To prevent the situation from worsening and to control the scene as quickly as possible, directly deploying the Azure Dragon Armor is the safest approach.”

Chen Feng nodded. “That makes sense. So, to what extent do we need to go?”

He didn’t really want to use deadly force.

Ding Hu saw his softness and said, “Don’t worry. Based on past experience, once the Azure Dragon Armor arrives, these people will definitely make a lot of noise and run faster than monkeys. We only need to scare them a bit. These Escape Faction types have always been cowards; they can’t stir up much trouble.”

“I see.” Chen Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Of course, we don’t blame them either. After all, they don’t know the real situation. It’s just an ideological conflict caused by information disparity. So, unless something major happens, we aren’t actually allowed to open fire. This is clearly stated in the military regulations.”

Chen Feng now fully understood.

Regarding the Escape Faction Ding Hu mentioned, he had also learned about it earlier while reviewing historical materials.

Strictly speaking, this group couldn’t be called the Escape Faction.

Their fundamental goal was not escape.

Because they simply didn’t know that Doomsday was approaching, so talking about escape was pointless.

Based on their own knowledge system and seeing that the World Government had already developed such a massive Spacecraft fleet, they firmly believed that humanity could leave the Solar System, venture into the vast Universe, and explore broader horizons.

They never called themselves the Escape Faction, only calling themselves Explorers. They believed that leaving the Solar System was the future humanity must face.

Now, human cryopreservation and Artificial Intelligence automatic cruise technology were mature, and energy technology had also long been broken through. All the prerequisites were in place. In theory, if a course was set, perhaps after a long sleep, they could successfully reach the next Star system.

Of course, they might also die from unknown dangers in the Universe.

But they weren’t afraid of death and were willing to sleep for a thousand years, both for themselves and to expand humanity’s territory.

They had great ambitions and lofty aspirations.

Therefore, they completely couldn’t understand why, with conditions so ripe, the World Government still wouldn’t take the lead in taking that step.

Among those holding this ideology, there were even descendants of former tycoons who were willing to pay out of their own pockets to build spaceships, just wanting to go out and see in their lifetime.

But the World Government immediately stopped this behavior, leaving them helpless.

The Escape Faction had its own scientific theories, so it had a mass base.

With support from some enterprises, open or covert, they had an economic base, so these people often caused minor, harmless disturbances from time to time.

“Um… Brother Hu, actually, I think if the Escape Faction wants to leave, just let them. It’s not a big deal. Everyone has the right to choose freely, right?”

Ding Hu’s expression suddenly became very grave. “No, they can’t leave.”

“Ah? Why?”

Chen Feng asked again.

Ding Hu thought for a moment. “Wait a bit. We still have seven minutes until we reach the destination. I need to file a report with the higher-ups. It’s also time for you to know some things.”

Chen Feng immediately perked up.

Although in the past he had already deduced many answers through his own reasoning and had heard the leader’s desperate declaration at the last moment, he had never received a comprehensive official explanation about this matter.

“Yeah, the higher-ups approved.”

“I’m listening.”

“Chen Feng, humanity has no future.”

Ding Hu’s voice suddenly sounded a bit choked up.

Chen Feng: “Yeah, I know.”

Ding Hu’s storytelling mood almost instantly collapsed.

Damn, why are you so calm! Looking like you knew all along, what the hell!

Forget it, this guy is probably just naturally thick-skinned like that.

“Five hundred years ago, do you know why countries around the world suddenly put aside their disputes and established the World Government?”

Chen Feng asked in return, “Was it because they already knew the enemy was coming?”

Ding Hu suddenly really didn’t feel like talking. Telling this guy a story gave no sense of achievement.

“Yes, and the day of annihilation was pinpointed to one year later.”

“Uh… Why so precise?”

“I am not authorized to know the specific reasons, but this matter is beyond doubt. Because the evidence is right there.”

Ding Hu pointed at the sky.

Chen Feng turned his head and looked through the shuttle’s round window, gazing at the sky. “There’s nothing in the sky, just blue sky and white clouds.”

“No, farther than that.”

“Outer space?”

“Yes! Starting five hundred years ago, our entire Solar System was sealed off by an alien civilization using technology we cannot understand—maybe magic. Anyway, they constructed a barrier that locked us in.”

Chen Feng was truly shocked this time.

Calculating based on the Sun’s gravitational influence, the radius of the Solar System is two light-years.

This meant that unknown alien civilization had created a barrier with a radius of two light-years, completely sealing off the entire Solar System!

No wonder under the starry sky a thousand years later, most stars had a faint blue halo around their edges.

He initially thought it was because the air quality on Earth had improved after a thousand years, making the starry sky look slightly different from before.

Now he realized that the entire Solar System was enveloped!

The light from distant stars diffracted when passing through that barrier, creating that pale blue glow.

He suddenly felt despair.

A barrier with a radius of two light-years—damn it!

Did it have to be on such a grand scale?

What level of technology could achieve this?

What kind of enemy were humans facing?

Chen Feng’s own mindset collapsed.

Over the past five hundred years, under what kind of despair did those who knew the truth still refuse to give up and continue making such determined efforts?

Chen Feng took about three minutes to calm himself down and regain his ability to think. “The eight major planets and most main planets of the Solar System are on roughly the same plane. Is the barrier sealing us in shaped like a bowl?”

Ding Hu shook his head. “No, it’s a sphere—a perfect sphere. It’s rounder than anything humans have ever made, a true roundness even rounder than a drop of water floating in space.”

“That defies the principles of gravity.”

Ding Hu sighed deeply. “Yes, it completely contradicts the theoretical foundations we humans have mastered, violating the basics of our physics. That’s why our scientists have tried every way to disprove it themselves, but they still can’t do anything about this sphere. The Escape Faction thinks the World Government has done nothing, but they don’t know how many unmanned or manned spacecraft we’ve sent out over the past five hundred years, only to be disintegrated into nothingness the moment they tried to cross the barrier. If the Escape Faction tries to fly out on their own, they’ll just die for no reason, with no value at all.”

Chen Feng slumped into his chair, his expression blank.

“Kid, what’s wrong? Feeling defeated already?”

Ding Hu grinned.

“Yeah, there’s no hope in sight.”

Actually, Chen Feng knew more about the outcome.

Both the spherical barrier enveloping the Solar System and the chain of explosions that instantly wiped out the enormous fleet when Doomsday arrived were completely beyond the limits of his imagination.

So the situation he faced was truly one of utter darkness and despair.

Because he had already experienced the end of civilization three times, he felt more despair than anyone else.

“Yes, everyone who knows about this sees no hope. But even if we give up, it won’t change anything. They’ve given us a final judgment day, so there’s no possibility of praying for their mercy. So, since death is certain either way, why die kneeling in despair instead of standing up and fighting until the end?”

“The Universe will remember. The Universe will remember that humanity fought until the very last moment, never stopping our advance, even if that struggle was in vain!”

At this moment, Ding Hu finally said what he had most wanted to say to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng fell silent, thinking for a long time. “Brother Hu, you’re really eloquent.”

“Ahem, that’s not my original line.”

“Whose original line is it?”

“It’s from that composer Chen Feng who lived a thousand years ago, the one with the same name as you. Before he died, he still wanted to push himself to write a new song. Of course, he didn’t succeed. Others didn’t understand why he kept trying right until his death, so they asked him why he refused to give up. This was his answer. These were his last words.”

Chen Feng’s eyes widened.

He gave a bitter smile.

“Really? Then I’m truly impressive. I never thought of that myself.”

So, in this Timeline.

Even without the understanding I have now, based on the personality I formed back then, I still fought to the end as a composer?

Even when all I thought about was copying songs, when I was about to die, I was still so unwilling to give up?