Chapter 92: The Invisible, Despicable Enemy

Chapter 92: The Invisible, Despicable Enemy

Tang Tianxin wore a serene smile as she gently touched her slightly lowered head to her abdomen.

Chen Feng thought for a long time before saying, “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Tang Tianxin softly patted the chessboard. “Now we don’t need that mating activity. Let’s just play a round of chess instead.”

Chen Feng sat down.

Midway through the game, the black pieces he played were completely defeated, with no hope of winning.

This scene had played out countless times over the past six months.

He lost every time. The process was always different, but the result never changed.

Before, Chen Feng found this kind of defeat boring and only endured it for the interesting pre-game activity.

But Tang Tianxin seemed to enjoy it endlessly, as if she could never get tired.

“I mean, winning against me like this all the time,” Chen Feng said, throwing his pieces onto the table and raising his hands in surrender, “why not play against the AI instead? That offers some challenge at least. Playing against a poor player like me, you probably feel no sense of involvement, right?”

Tang Tianxin smiled, pointing at the board. “Playing against the AI means always losing. Playing against you means always winning. Both always end the same way. So, of course, playing against you is more interesting.”

Chen Feng asked, “Interesting? You mean winning makes you happy?”

Tang Tianxin nodded. “Winning is naturally better than losing. Besides, playing against a person offers more variety than an AI. Even the most perfect Artificial Intelligence can’t perfectly simulate the unpredictability of human thought. Like that mistake you made with your fourth piece—an AI could never fake that.”

As her finger pointed, the replay appeared on the light screen behind her.

Chen Feng glanced up. “But even if an AI had made that move, you’d realize by the mid-game that it wasn’t a mistake. It was actually a trap?”

“Exactly.”

“So, I have a question,” Chen Feng leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying a hint of pressure. “Since you can feel the difference in emotions when you lose versus when you win, you must have feelings. Then, how do you see… what has happened between us these past six months?”

Tang Tianxin answered quickly. “The logic I’ve learned tells me when I should feel happy, which feelings are necessary, and which ones are less significant.”

Chen Feng nodded, satisfied with the answer he wanted, and stood to leave.

“Alright. I understand everything now.”

Including Tang Tianxin, Ou Qinglan, even everyone Chen Feng had met so far—they were all the same.

Each person picked an unchanging core for their heart, built their own logical framework upon it, and made that framework rule over their emotional instincts.

This was both a necessity demanded by the current crisis and the result of humanity’s choice in its own evolution.

Chen Feng returned to the readiness cabin where Azure Dragon Armor pilots gathered.

Pang De and numerous other team members stood in formation, waiting for him.

Regulations required him, a Captain level leader, to give a short pre-battle address.

This wasn’t Chen Feng’s strong suit. He only ever led by personal example; he didn’t give proper speeches.

Adding to that his personal pessimism, he also doubted his words could have any positive motivational effect.

He simply clasped his hands behind his back. He paced awkwardly and remained silent for a full ten minutes. Only when the atmosphere had become solemn enough did he speak.

“Everyone,” he began, “a long peacetime prepares us for war. We have consumed vast social resources. We’ve prepared countless plans for every kind of enemy that could appear. When the enemy arrives, our Central AI will select the optimal overall strategy within 0.1 seconds. Our fleet commanders will issue all orders and complete deployments within five seconds. And us, as Azure Dragon Armor warriors… our duty is to figure out, within one second, what role we must play in this war. Carry out our tasks without the slightest hesitation! That is all! At ease!”

After dismissing the formation, Chen Feng returned to his quarters.

The other Azure Dragon Armor pilots went their separate ways for final checks with their gear assistants, ensuring their equipment remained in perfect readiness.

Chen Feng’s gear was personally maintained by Ou Qinglan. After six months of working together, their cooperation had become seamless.

“Chen Feng, your gear is good to go. Ready when you are,” Ou Qinglan announced, knocking and entering his quarters.

Chen Feng nodded. “Thanks.”

Looking at her permanently silver-streaked hair and her round face with its hint of baby fat, he thought for a moment before asking, “Dr. Ou, I heard you study Anthropology in your spare time, right?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Do you believe the evolutionary direction modern humans have chosen aligns with expectations? Does actively stripping away the rich emotions that distinguish humans from animals… truly help us confront an unknown enemy?”

Ou Qinglan raised an eyebrow. “Are you troubled?”

“Of course.”

“There’s actually no answer to that question,” she replied. “Not from the Pangu Institute, which focuses on Biotechnology, or from the Phoenix Institute, which focuses on Socio-Cultural Technology. This question runs through all of human history, from ancient times to the present. Every war, every plague, every major societal upheaval… each has been part of the exploration.”

“We can’t know if we’re right or wrong until we see the result. We can only reason backward once we have the final answer. The good news is, Human Civilization still exists. That proves our path hasn’t been wrong so far.”

Chen Feng countered, “Or maybe it’s just that the crises we faced before weren’t severe enough?”

“Perhaps. The price for exploring this path is steep—too steep to bear. But we must bear it anyway.”

…

With an explosion of brilliant light, Chen Feng’s world plunged back into silence.

He floated peacefully in the dark void, waiting for his soul to settle, waiting for awakening to come again.

His thoughts froze on the image of Tang Tianxin, eyes wide with utter shock, staring at the piece in her hand.

Chen Feng had miscalculated. So had all human Commanders.

Following his pre-battle address, the entire space fleet and all ground forces entered the highest state of alert starting at 12:00 noon, October 26, 3020, ready for disaster to strike.

Chen Feng remained relaxed until 8:00 a.m. on October 27, 3020. Then, as commander of the Special Combat Team unit, he was dispatched. He led his team out of the mother ship and into space, deployed ten kilometers away.

They weren’t placed as disposable shields on the frontline periphery. Instead, they wove between the Warships of the entire left-wing fleet.

Azure Dragon Armor warriors weren’t suicidal. They deployed early solely because things could change too fast. They needed to be ready in case boarding battles started before anyone could even get suited up.

October 27, 3020 A.D., 9:43 a.m.

Chen Feng ordered the use of the Coagulation Serum. He was the last of all Special Combat Team captains to issue this command, but no one questioned his delay.

He felt more tense than anyone.

He had cranked his Detector instruments to maximum power. He had sharpened his personal mental state to its most alert.

He could swear, no matter how the enemy approached or from which direction, he would react instantly.

But the Universe remained eerily silent at that moment. Only the starlight shone bright.

“Vanguard Fleet reporting, no enemy contact detected!”

“Left-wing fleet…”

“Right-wing fleet…”

The report calls from the major fleets came over the Quantum Network transmission, echoing in his ears one after another at 9:45 a.m.

Chen Feng’s dark pupils kept staring into the starry abyss.

A flicker of hope stirred within him.

Had he successfully changed the future? Had the lurking enemy seen humanity’s technological progress and chosen retreat? Or to lie low?

Hmmmm…

The thought had barely surfaced when terrifying flashes erupted afar—right where the Vanguard Fleet formation was.

Brilliant flares erupted.

Still, no sound could be heard. Just one flare after another.

The big explosions ripped through space again, utterly without warning.

Compared to watching this unfold years ago on TV as a cash-strapped Subsistence Allowance Recipient, being out here in space… being part of it… hit a thousand times harder.

Chen Feng’s hair stood on end. Goosebumps rose across his skin.

It came.

But where was the enemy!

“Enemy attack…”

Finally, a clear scream reached his ears, but it abruptly cut off.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the lower right corner of his helmet. It showed the source of this signal: the Vanguard Fleet.

Immediately after, the Vanguard Fleet completely lost contact.

Countless warships, and even more Azure Dragon Armor warriors densely surrounding the warships, were unable to offer any resistance before being swallowed by the aftermath of the massive explosions.

Chen Feng’s mind went blank, leaving only endless confusion.

Where was the enemy!

Where exactly!

How were they all wiped out!

“Weiwei, open full-channel information access! Who can tell me, where did the explosions come from!”

“Captain, watch out! Sm…”

A pained cry sounded in his helmet. Chen Feng turned his head to look. Pang De, clad in Azure Dragon Armor, had been sliced into two sections by debris shooting out at a terrifying speed from a nearby exploding warship.

A casualty report was automatically and quickly generated, projected onto his helmet.

Just a moment ago, Pang De’s AI Brain had calculated within 0.01 seconds that this piece of debris, about to pass by his side, would hit Chen Feng.

He then took 0.1 seconds to make a decision, maxed his acceleration to 20G, executed a slight maneuver, blocked the fragment for Chen Feng, and deflected its course.

No time for grief. Gritting his teeth, Chen Feng shouted to the others, “Everyone, disperse and maneuver! Stay away from the warships! Focus on self-preservation!”

There was simply no extra time to think. Everyone scattered according to his command.

As for Chen Feng himself, he didn’t know where to escape.

His gut told him he should continue moving away from the Tianxin.

This best matched his original intent: to survive a few more seconds.

But his emotions told him that right now, he desperately wanted to return to the Tianxin.

The Vanguard Fleet had already completely exploded. The central or flank fleets would be next. No one would be spared.

Yet, in the end, he instantly maxed his propulsion to 50G and shot like a cannonball towards the Tianxin.

Halfway there, he finally received the intelligence his Artificial Intelligence assistant Weiwei had compiled.

“According to Dr. Ou Qinglan’s latest personal energy Detector, at the moment of all explosions, the energy release sources were inside the major Warships, some from command rooms, some from captains’ private quarters. This intel has been announced fleet-wide.”

Chen Feng still charged back with determination.

“Notification received from superior Captain Tang Tianxin: Captain Chen Feng is ordered to stay away from the Tianxin.”

The prompt sounded in his ears again.

Chen Feng ignored it and forced the Tianxin to open its cargo bay, threatening to crash into it otherwise.

Three seconds later, the Tianxin’s cargo bay opened, and Chen Feng rushed in.

He didn’t wait for the air to fill. With the aid of his Azure Dragon Armor – Modified, he used his Alloy Blade to cut through the Warship’s internal structure, charging straight for the command room.

Then, he saw the scene: Tang Tianxin stood motionless, holding a white chess piece in her hand.

Frenzied alarms rang in his ears.

“Warning! Intense energy fluctuations detected ahead!”

“Warning! Ahead…”

Inside his helmet, the glaring red light symbolizing extreme danger almost blinded him temporarily. The piercing alarm sound felt like it would rupture his eardrums.

The chess piece in Tang Tianxin’s hand looked ordinary, but the command room in Chen Feng’s vision appeared to have a vague, wavering blur, as if submerged in water.

This was an illusion caused by light diffraction, the result of a burst of energy so intense in a confined space that it altered the Speed of Light.

In the next instant, the chess piece exploded.

This time-travel journey spanning a thousand years ended once more in such a devastating manner.

Similarly, humanity was defeated again.

Humanity in the vast Universe was like a stumbling young wolf on the great plains. Perhaps one day it could become the wolf king, but unfortunately, it met a hungry cheetah while still young.

Humanity perished.

Once more.

Like a lost young wolf torn to pieces by a cheetah on the plains.

It seemed cruel, a sorrowful calamity for the entire race.

But this tragic process and the microbial life on the dead young wolf were essentially the same.

When the scale was enlarged, in the infinitely vast Universe, the death of an individual and the extinction of a group held no fundamental difference.

This was a law of nature, except the space had expanded from the plains to the Universe.

The nascent Human Civilization was, unfortunately, hunted.

In the boundless, vast Universe, it was insignificant, not even leaving behind a memorial tombstone.

Only Chen Feng would continue carrying these painful memories back to reality.

In the past, he had secretly gloated over gaining this “golden finger.” Now, he just wanted to cry out in anguish, why pick me?

Why didn’t the golden finger choose a more capable host to bear this responsibility?

I’d rather be an ordinary person. Even if poor, even if hard, even if lowly, just living a simple life, wasn’t that possible?

Chen Feng asked himself this question over and over. Then, more doubts surfaced again.

Chen Feng didn’t know if he was dreaming or if his soul was drifting through the river of time, seeking its home from a thousand years ago.

His thoughts were very clear, even perfectly remembering everything he saw before the explosion swallowed him.

He even remembered that tear in Tang Tianxin’s eye, representing regret and self-blame.

Chen Feng wondered, what exactly was Tang Tianxin regretting and blaming herself for? She didn’t do anything wrong.

Wasn’t she accustomed to placing logic above emotion? Then she should face failure more calmly.

Why cry?

If it were his past habit, when faced with a problem he couldn’t understand, he would decisively put it out of his mind.

But this time he couldn’t.

Partly due to obsession, partly because he discovered that even though his body was dead, the exciting effect of the injected Coagulation Serum, which enhanced logical thinking, seemed to linger within him.

A long time passed. Chen Feng jolted his eyes open and sat up straight again.

He looked at the time on his phone by the pillow.

Back again.

Some previously unclear thoughts also slowly tangled together in his mind, forming clearly outlined memories.

He figured out some things.

It was a massive conspiracy that made his skin crawl just thinking about it.

Humanity did not perish by its own hand.

The enemy still existed, only more insidious, more despicable than the straightforward, foolish aliens from countless sci-fi works he had seen before.