Chapter 126: Crises Everywhere and Hidden Pieces

Chapter 126: Crises Everywhere and Hidden Pieces

The Wasp Ship ascended once again, ready to head towards Freedom Town.

Inside the space station outside Earth’s orbit, a closed-door meeting was being held in the General Command Headquarters.

After a brief period of panic, these powerful leaders quickly regained their composure.

But with a total human population of ten billion, others did not have the same mental strength as these leaders.

Unrest was spreading across the globe, and everyone felt a vague sense of loss in their hearts.

Nothing had visibly changed, but there was a faint feeling of emptiness inside.

Subconsciously, they felt some of their beliefs were being shaken, some fundamental ideas at the core of their thinking were being overturned, but they couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed.

There was a hazy layer of panic in everyone’s heart. The feeling wasn’t strong, but it was objectively there.

Fortunately, the top leaders reacted quickly. One directive after another was issued from this closed-door meeting room.

In this era, information traveled extremely fast. Within just a few minutes, one major strategic policy after another was broken down into countless detailed small commands delivered to various sectors. These were further broken down into specific notifications that reached every individual’s ears.

In less than five minutes, this chaos affecting the entire globe and even all of humanity was quietly suppressed.

Having dealt with the global situation, the leadership’s focus turned back to the most pressing matter at hand.

It was Chen Feng’s betrayal.

The Military’s response was not slow either. They quickly adjusted themselves and maintained the previously established battle formation until new orders arrived.

The well-trained soldiers performed excellently, their will to follow orders remained firm.

But the result was regrettable. Chen Feng escaped.

Chen Feng’s personal strength repeatedly exceeded expectations.

No one had anticipated this, and even the Central AI had not simulated it.

“We should re-examine the proposal submitted by Tang Tianxin,” said one of the leaders, writing and drawing on the projected light screen of his Personal Smart Terminal. “According to my calculations, there is a 31.8% probability that the situation described in this proposal is true.”

This speaking leader had a technical background. Before joining the Executive Committee, he was the head of a humanities research department in the Zhuque Institute.

His words held significant reference value.

He never spoke without basis; his opinions were always founded on extensive data analysis and statistics.

In these few minutes, he had already collected considerable data through researchers at the Zhuque Institute and built a calculation model.

Although the time was too short, and the samples were neither rich nor deep enough to draw a definitive conclusion, it already indicated a slight shift in the mindset of humanity’s top leaders.

This shift was not an emotional judgment; it was still a rational conclusion based on facts and investigation.

“Hmm, there is some merit to that. But a probability of 31.8% is not sufficient as a basis for decision-making. Let’s put it to a vote,” said the rotating head of the Executive Committee.

Voting was humanity’s core top-level decision-making model since ancient times.

Even with technology as advanced as it was now, with Artificial Intelligence replacing over ninety percent of human mental labor, the most critical decisions still had to be made by humans.

The militarized polity was indeed a dictatorship.

But this dictatorship was not the narrow dictatorship of a single individual; it was the collective dictatorship formed by the Executive Committee group present here.

Thirty seconds later, the vote was completed.

Nine people supported Tang Tianxin, and eighteen opposed.

A support rate of 33.33%.

If there was another vote later, this data would change, possibly going lower or higher, but that would require time.

New orders were issued.

They were to try their best to capture the three alive, attempting to persuade them to surrender with amnesty and no punishment for past actions. However, if they still refused to surrender, they were to be decisively eliminated.

With war imminent, humanity did not need so many variables and dissidents.

They could re-examine Tang Tianxin’s proposal, but that did not mean tolerating Chen Feng and the others to continue causing greater chaos.

Not long after the Wasp Ship here left the Capital headquarters on Earth, it received a one-way communication request.

Ou Qinglan said, “They want to talk to us.”

Chen Feng pondered, “If we connect, will they take control of the Wasp Ship?”

“No. In offline mode, the Wasp Ship is manually controlled. They are contacting the emergency communication system, which is completely independent of the main system.”

Chen Feng nodded. “Alright, let’s talk then.”

During the communication, the Military offered many favorable terms.

They would not hold Chen Feng and Ou Qinglan accountable for their actions today. Tang Tianxin would be reinstated to her military position. That proposal would also be seriously considered and put to a public vote at the next general assembly. If it passed, it could be implemented.

But Chen Feng rejected their offer of amnesty and only told Ou Qinglan to cut the communication immediately.

Tang Tianxin asked, “Why did you refuse? I thought their conditions were very favorable.”

Chen Feng said, “It’s useless.”

“Are you worried it’s a trick?”

“No, I believe their sincerity now. But just as they said, our proposal will only be seriously considered. The final result will inevitably be futile. Alright, say no more. There’s a fleet ahead. Prepare for a forced breakthrough!”

Ou Qinglan first reactivated the Wasp Ship’s extreme performance mode. Then Chen Feng and Ou Qinglan switched positions, and he took over the controls.

As the saying goes, all things have a limit.

But Chen Feng had stumbled in the same pit several times already.

Every time he came here, it was the same old story, which annoyed him greatly.

Now, aside from Tang Tianxin and Ou Qinglan, he had little trust in anyone else.

Compared to the previous times he came here, this time there was the additional Sergey signal amplifier.

Perhaps Sergey’s original intention in designing and building this device was good. He almost grasped the crux of the problem and made a serious attempt.

But the result was tragic. This militarized polity was both malformed and more robust, with human thinking controlled even more extremely.

Chen Feng knew the reason.

Sergey mistakenly believed he was fully awake and had made many efforts, but it was likely he himself was the most deeply poisoned at some level.

Sergey thought the neutrino waves emitted by this antenna could help humans break their shackles. Perhaps he had even conducted rigorous calculations and proofs.

But in reality, he had fallen into a complete misunderstanding, utterly blinded by erroneous knowledge.

Just like how Newton once stood firmly in a misconception opposing Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and defeated Leibniz in his own era.

Newton was great, but not flawless in science. He also once played the role of false truth, becoming the archenemy of real truth.

In Newton’s era, his concept of absolute space and time was once the representative of truth, but ultimately lost utterly in the river of time.

Dr. Sergey was caught in a Newtonian dilemma. The specific frequency neutrino waves he calculated could not combat mental infiltration at all. Instead, they were a signal amplifier aiding the oppressor.

Perhaps Sergey’s calculations were wrong, or perhaps Sergey was completely deceived all along.

This time, Chen Feng did destroy the amplifier, causing the intensity of the mental infiltration to drop significantly.

But last time, and even the time before that, there was no such signal amplifier, and the situation was largely the same.

Solving the amplifier addressed the symptom, not the root cause.

Chen Feng clearly knew he had not solved the problem at its source. The leadership had not undergone a true qualitative change.

Their current wavering was merely an illusion formed by too drastic a change in ideology within a short time.

As time passed, being a group under special attention, they would still be locked back in their cage.

Even if they reviewed the proposal again, the final result would definitely still be rejection.

So, there was no need to accept the recruitment offer.

Ahead, the formation of ten medium and small combat ships was getting closer and closer.

Chen Feng concentrated fully, preparing for battle.

He already had a complete strategy in his mind.

After the firefight started, he would use the Wasp Ship’s extreme maneuverability to charge into the center of the warship group, and then fire at all ten combat ships at the same time.

Two of them, also Wasp-type combat ships, would have their shields pierced and lose power.

The remaining eight would be left for him to handle after he jumped out.

Relying on the excellent performance of the Azure Star, he could destroy the engine rooms of all remaining warships within forty seconds and trigger chain explosions.

But then a loud loudspeaker voice came from over there.

“General, Colonel Chen Feng, please surrender. We do not wish to open fire on you.”

Chen Feng’s heart suddenly tightened.

That was Ye Luming’s voice.

It was actually the pursuit force from Great Snow Mountain!

Immediately after, more voices sounded at the same time.

Lin Bu, Ding Hu, Pang De, Dr. Ouyang, Scott, and others…

Clearly, all these people were on the same medium combat ship.

They all hoped Chen Feng would lay down his weapons and have a proper talk.

Tang Tianxin said, “What do we do now? Will you hold back?”

Just as the general who devised this plan had hoped, Chen Feng was caught in a dilemma.

The enemy outnumbered them too greatly. If he showed mercy, their own Wasp Ship might be shot down.

But if he truly followed the original plan, these people he knew very well would surely suffer heavy casualties.

He killed strangers without a second thought, but he really couldn’t bring himself to do it to acquaintances.

Fortunately, however, he had another plan ready.

“Alright, I’ll talk with you.”

Chen Feng made a quick decision and ejected himself.

The enemy fleet did not land.

Chen Feng, clad in the Azure Star, drifted slowly forward and said loudly, “I can’t explain it to you. But I hope you step aside and don’t block my way.”

“Why are you doing this!” Ye Luming was utterly confused, “We said all is forgiven, what exactly are you after, Chen Feng? Shouldn’t humanity stand united at a time like this?”

Chen Feng shrugged, borrowing a phrase commonly used by the Escape Faction.

“Different paths do not make for good company.”

At that moment, the cannons on those ten warships suddenly lit up.

Shouts of alarm and anger from Lin Bu, Ding Hu, and others erupted.

“Ye Luming, what are you doing! Who ordered you to fire!”

Ye Luming loudly defended himself, “It wasn’t me! I’m not controlling the ship, we’re being controlled remotely!”

Fortunately, Chen Feng had never let his guard down and dodged in time.

The cannon fire intertwined at the spot where he had just been, creating a violent explosion.

Chen Feng raised his voice again, “Lin Bu! Brother Hu! Dr. Ouyang! I’m just asking you, do you trust me! If you trust me, then follow me!”

Ten seconds later.

Chaotic sounds erupted from the medium combat ship serving as the flagship.

There were exclamations from Ye Luming, and also a low grunt as Lin Bu made his move.

Chen Feng grinned widely.

Everything was going as he expected.

Lin Bu was the hidden chess piece he had prepared, almost by accident.

Lin Bu was originally from the Escape Faction, and Chen Feng had personally brought him into the military camp.

No matter what others thought, Lin Bu was actually the easiest for him to sway.

Once Lin Bu made a move, the others would have to make a choice within a short time.

As long as he didn’t give these people enough time for rational thought, forcing them to make an emotional judgment, he had a chance of winning!

He hoped more people would believe him.

He couldn’t do much more, he could only wait and see what happened.

Just as Chen Feng returned to his own Wasp Ship, the medium combat ship serving as the flagship opposite had already turned its guns, pointing at the other combat ships beside it.

Lin Bu, wearing the Starblade Armor, even jumped out and lunged towards a nearby warship.

He shouted, “Chen Feng, I’ll cover you, all of you go!”

Behind Lin Bu followed Ding Hu, Pang De, and many new soldier teammates.

They were all wearing Starblade Armor, launching a close-range assault on the previously unsuspecting combat ships.

For a moment, flames of war rose everywhere, and the scene became chaotic.

Ding Hu then said, “Chen Feng, you go. Ye Luming has been subdued, we’ve taken control of this ship, Professor Ouyang and Scott are operating it.”

Chen Feng nodded and instructed Ou Qinglan beside him, “Let’s go quickly!”

The moment of chaos passed, and the Wasp Ship and the medium combat ship took off, heading straight for Freedom Town.

Seeing that they had broken out of the encirclement, Chen Feng opened the emergency communication device and instructed the group covering the rear, “We are heading to Freedom Town. What’s your situation?”

Lin Bu replied, “A total of nine combat ships. We destroyed eight, seized one and switched it to offline mode. We’re catching up now!”

“Good!”

After saying this, Chen Feng hung up the communication and focused all his energy on traveling.

Ou Qinglan pulled up a map showing the global base troop distribution.

This map was transmitted by Dr. Ouyang on the combat ship following behind.

Ou Qinglan said, “Bad news. There’s a training base on the Hawaiian islands to our front left, with a level not lower than the Great Snow Mountain Base. Judging by the Military’s standard reaction speed, their warships have already launched and will intercept us here. Preliminary estimates suggest they can deploy at least two Cruisers and over fifty combat ships!”

Chen Feng’s heart skipped a beat.

This was a huge problem now.

No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t easily get everyone out unscathed under an interception of this scale.

Even if he could escape by relying on the Azure Star himself, the others were likely in grave danger.

“Can we change our route then?”

“No, this is already the optimal route. If we take a detour, even more forces will be able to intercept us.”

Chen Feng gritted his teeth, “So, we can only surrender?”

Tang Tianxin thought for a moment, “No. Since your Combat Armor has a stealth mode, you can jump into the sea and escape alone first. We will draw their attention.”

Chen Feng shook his head in refusal.

“No, what’s the use of me escaping alone? When the Invader comes, all the fleets will be blown up. Am I supposed to charge in wearing the Azure Star and face an entire alien race by myself?”

That scene involuntarily appeared in his mind again.

All human warships exploding simultaneously, fireworks filling the sky, magnificent and despairing.

The massive spherical craft hovering above Earth, emitting bizarre beams of light he couldn’t understand at all.

He knew very clearly that if he were truly the only one left, it wouldn’t be much different from dying in the past.

He still hadn’t managed to gather enough information on this trip.

The political entity that comes next time would inevitably still be like this, and Tang Tianxin would still like Go.

He had to keep more people!

Especially Tang Tianxin and Ou Qinglan, but also Scott and Dr. Ouyang on the other warship.

Only with both a sample for reference on escaping and sufficiently excellent scientific researchers would there be a chance during this crossing operation to find a method to break the psychological infiltration.

“My mind is made up. We either die together! Or we escape together! Otherwise, all my efforts this time are meaningless and futile! I have a lot I want to tell you. I know you won’t believe me, and I know you definitely won’t remember when I come next time. But you must believe me on one point. I, Chen Feng, will definitely lead humanity to the very end! I am more determined than anyone!”

As soon as Chen Feng finished speaking, another small warship sped past right beside the Wasp Ship.

Ou Qinglan was shocked, “Lin Bu, what are you doing? You increased the power output to three hundred percent! Your ship can hold for at most thirty more seconds before a massive explosion! Are you trying to commit suicide?”

Lin Bu’s proud laugh came through the communicator, “That’s right. We are going for a suicide charge. We’ll go blow ourselves up first. We’re sure to heavily damage the interception fleet ahead. The rest is up to you.”

Thirty seconds later, a tremendous explosion occurred ahead.

Blinding light blotted out the sky.

The shockwave from the explosion came with a whoom, almost tearing the sea surface apart.

The compact nuclear fusion engine powering the combat ship had blown up.

Its yield far exceeded the hydrogen bombs from a thousand years ago.

To prevent Earth’s environment from being destroyed, humanity had not caused such a violent explosion inside Earth for nearly eight hundred years.

No matter how fierce the fighting was before, neither Chen Feng nor the Military had destroyed the compact fusion engines on the combat ships.

Chen Feng and the others fell into silence.

No one expected Lin Bu to dare do this, to be this crazy and resolute.

He didn’t need a reason at all, and didn’t ask Chen Feng why he made such a decision.

Yet he went ahead and did it without any hesitation.