Chapter 128: The Second Activation Plan

Chapter 128: The Second Activation Plan

The group stopped their argument and walked into the Medical Capsule.

In the center of the spacious, bright, and technologically advanced Medical Capsule stood a transparent box about one meter square.

The box was filled with pale yellow life-sustaining fluid. Dense clusters of tiny bubbles rose upwards from the bottom of the fluid.

Lin Bu had his eyes tightly closed, as if asleep.

The area below his neck had been perfectly connected by biological materials.

If one didn’t know this was a living person, they would probably mistake him for a specimen.

This sight caused everyone who entered to fall into a brief silence.

Even though people in this era had minimal emotional fluctuations and weren’t very skilled at sympathy, they still felt a pang in their hearts.

“I feel pretty good, actually. What are you all doing here?”

An electronic synthesized voice sounded from the speaker nearby. It was Lin Bu.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Chen Feng really wanted to give him a thumbs-up.

You’re just a head now, and you still feel ‘pretty good’?

Congratulations, you’ve just redefined the lowest standard of ‘good’.

“Forget it, don’t be like this. We’ll all be dead together soon anyway. There’s no need for sadness. Such emotions are meaningless,” said one of the Escape Faction leaders, hitting the nail on the head.

The atmosphere indeed quickly relaxed and eased.

Chen Feng decisively seized the opportunity to press on. “Right! See? You yourselves know charging at that Barrier is suicide! Just listen to me. What’s the big deal about dying a month later?”

“You’re talking nonsense! You think we just picked a random day to go and die? You don’t understand at all! You know nothing! Based on our calculations of the changes in cosmic background radiation, the intensity of that Barrier is affected by solar flare tides. Whenever there’s a solar flare eruption, the intensity of the cosmic background radiation fluctuates slightly. Next month, there will be a powerful flare eruption on the Sun’s surface. That’s the perfect time for us to charge through at maximum speed. We might have a chance to escape!”

Chen Feng spat scornfully. “Do you think I haven’t seen the data? Solar flares have an eleven-year cycle. The change forty-four years ago was the strongest in nearly a thousand years. That Spacecraft back then was still instantly broken down into elementary particles, wasn’t it? Can this flare eruption be stronger than the one forty-four years ago?”

“That Spacecraft back then wasn’t equipped with the new Force Field Shield! Our force field shield strength is twenty-two times that of that old ship! Our energy reserves are also twenty times theirs! How do you know it will definitely fail!?”

Great, the argument that had paused because of Lin Bu’s “awakening” erupted again.

“Everyone, please do me a favor and quiet down. I have something to say,” Lin Bu spoke again.

At first, nobody paid him any attention. Chen Feng and the Escape Faction members were still arguing their points.

“Stop arguing, all of you! I only have one face now. Won’t you please do me this favor?” Lin Bu was clearly furious.

He said it again, and even the normally emotionless electronic voice somehow carried a hint of anger.

This finally made everyone quiet down.

Lin Bu persuaded Chen Feng and the others to leave the Medical Capsule, keeping only a few Escape Faction leaders.

He said this: “Chen Feng, I absolutely believe in you. I will talk with everyone.”

Back in the Command Cabin, Chen Feng and the others didn’t have much time to rest.

The Spacecraft was about to exit the atmosphere.

On the outer edge of the atmosphere, several colossal objects could vaguely be seen gathering together in space.

These colossal objects were Motherships.

Around the Motherships, many medium and small Spacecrafts were assembled.

The Motherships were humanity’s main combat force.

“Report! The Military is requesting communication!” a communications officer announced loudly.

At this time, the Escape Faction leaders were still with Lin Bu. Chen Feng and Tang Tianxin decisively overstepped their authority. “Accept the call.”

The holographic screen at the front of the Command Cabin flickered, revealing the face of a middle-aged man.

“Chen Feng, hello. We need to talk.”

Chen Feng kept a straight face. “Make it short.”

“I believe you are also well aware that the actions of the Escape Faction have little chance of success and a low survival rate. We don’t care about their lives. But you, Tang Tianxin, and Ou Qinglan are important talents cultivated by the Military with massive resources. There may have been some misunderstandings before, but as long as our goals are aligned, misunderstandings can be cleared up.”

“We hope you will carefully consider returning to the Military. You are all highly skilled individuals. Each of you can play a role. We need you. Humanity also needs you.”

Chen Feng found this very ironic.

When these people decided to execute Tang Tianxin without good reason, didn’t they think humanity needed her?

But times were different now. There was no need for him to bring up these old clichés.

He simply and decisively refused. “And what if I don’t agree?”

“Then what exactly do you plan to do?”

Chen Feng answered, “I plan to head out of the Solar System with the Escape Faction. Just as you said, our chances of surviving aren’t great. So I pose no threat to you either. Why don’t we just part ways here and forget about each other?”

There was a brief ten-second silence on the other end.

“Fine. As long as you cease any further unreasonable actions, we will not interfere with you.”

With that, the other side ended the communication.

The fleet of Warships gathering outside the atmosphere immediately stopped and began to retreat and scatter, as if making way for the giant spacecraft.

Chen Feng made a sweeping gesture towards space, intending to order the Spacecraft to accelerate at full speed and charge out.

“Wait!” Tang Tianxin suddenly reached out to stop him. Before Chen Feng could ask what was wrong, she gave the order first. “Immediately turn ninety degrees! Absolutely do not exit the atmosphere! Lower the flight altitude! Cruise within the stratosphere!”

The pilot didn’t react immediately and looked to Chen Feng for guidance.

Chen Feng didn’t hesitate. “Why are you looking at me? Listen to her!”

Several pilots quickly adjusted the parameters.

Nearly a hundred maneuvering thrusters on the side of the Spacecraft ignited rapidly, spewing particle flames.

The massive Spacecraft groaned and creaked, continuously tilting, changing from a vertical ascent to flying parallel to the ground.

Executing an emergency turn with such a huge Spacecraft was absolutely a major undertaking.

Moreover, they were still within Earth’s gravitational pull. The sudden turn caused chaos and pandemonium.

About a minute passed before everyone stabilized again.

Chen Feng then looked at Tang Tianxin with a questioning gaze.

He needed an explanation.

“Normally, the Executive Committee makes decisions very quickly. Just now, they waited a full ten seconds before saying they wouldn’t interfere with us. Also, those Warships didn’t turn around; they maintained their original orientation while performing a retreat maneuver. Therefore, I believe the Executive Committee and the Military are lying to us! Once we fly out of the atmosphere, they will not hesitate to destroy us!”

Chen Feng instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

He had almost been careless.

In this era, traditional morals didn’t apply.

It was only natural for the Military to lie.

“Maintain cruising status for now. Don’t give them an opening. I’ll go think of a way,” Chen Feng instructed.

The door to the Medical Capsule opened again, and the Escape Faction members filed out one by one.

They were fully aware of what had just happened outside.

Chen Feng thought they would blame him again, maybe even suggest kicking him and the others off the ship. Unexpectedly, they didn’t say much and were willing to cooperate with Chen Feng.

It seemed Lin Bu’s persuasion had worked, though it was unclear how.

Now, the situation had reached a deadlock.

Stay on Earth waiting for the two-month deadline?

Then all their efforts so far would be meaningless.

Charge out?

Chen Feng had no confidence whatsoever in the giant spacecraft breaking through the blockade of Motherships and space station-based cannons.

That left only negotiation.

But having just been deceived during negotiations, Chen Feng was unwilling to trust the Military no matter what came next.

“We must find a way to make them dare not fire upon us,” Chen Feng asked the Escape Faction members. “Do they have any weaknesses or secrets in your hands?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Chen Feng asked again, “Then should I attack the space station alone? Subdue them all?”

Ou Qinglan firmly rejected this. “The space station is not like the Earth’s Capital. The defensive strength is on a completely different level. You could never get close to the space station.”

“So there’s no way?” Chen Feng felt stumped.

Tang Tianxin suddenly turned her gaze to the Escape Faction leader and asked, “I heard that the principal who founded the Escape Faction back in the day had a top-secret diary written personally by Dr. Sergey. Is that true?”

The Escape Faction members nodded. “It’s true.”

“Where is the diary? Does it mention the Earth’s Core quark bomb?” Tang Tianxin pondered. “As we all know, Dr. Sergey set up a mechanism to activate the bomb to prevent his successors from blocking the upward mobility of the lower classes. We know this backdoor mechanism has been hidden in the underlying algorithms of the Central AI and activates when conditions are met. But I want to ask, besides this plan, is there a second activation plan?”

The Escape Faction members were silent for a long time.

Finally, one person admitted in a low voice, “Yes, there is.”

Tang Tianxin grinned. “Just as I thought! That’s Dr. Sergey’s style! He long ago believed humanity had almost no chance of winning, and he buried the bomb. He wouldn’t just use it to threaten Earthlings! He must have considered the scenario after defeat! If humanity’s hope is lost, and the Invaders leave no survivors, then we blow up our own planet! The Invaders want Earth, right? Then blow it up. Even if we can’t make their efforts come to nothing, we won’t let the Invaders have it their way.”

Chen Feng thought about it. “Your analysis makes some sense, but…”

Tang Tianxin shook her head vigorously. “No buts! I am definitely right! I’d bet that in the entire Military, I am the person who has delved deepest into Dr. Sergey’s research! Because he was the first person who originally had no interest in Go at all, but then inexplicably became fond of it!”

The Escape Faction leader nodded. “That is completely correct. The second activation plan was recorded in the diary. The diary is kept in that room, sealed in a security box. If the password is entered incorrectly, the box will instantly self-destruct. There is a miniature nuclear fusion bomb inside.”

Others had already gone to retrieve the security box. Chen Feng asked what the password was.

“Among us Explorers, every few decades, one person recognized as the most excellent and willpower strongest is selected to inherit the diary. The inheritor of this generation is Lin Bu.”

Chen Feng was speechless. “So, Lin Bu is actually your highest leader?”

“In a sense, yes.”