Age of Cosmic Exploration - Chapter 171

Chapter 171
When 300 giant monsters appeared on the battlefield, everyone in the temporary base despaired .


These monsters were 150 meters tall, taller than the base itself . Their weight was noticeable from the tremors that shook the ground whenever they moved .
5 of them almost took the temporary base down, and now there were 300 of them!
Mankind’s Gaussian weapons were nullified by the monster’s powerful electromagnetic shields . They were so potent that strong artillery fire was needed to break through them, but…
Mankind’s defense unit only had 3,300 soldiers left . The number was simply not enough to stop the stampede of 300 giant monsters . To make things worse, the threat was not limited to the giant monsters, there were other monster types as well .
When everyone was suffocating in throes of despair, an explosion blew up not far away from the base, creating a wave of dirt and dust . The earth seemed to crack open in two, taking many by surprise .
The surprise quickly curtailed into high-spirited cheer . This meant that the defense unit had successfully completed their objective, which was to defend the base until the Hope lifted off .
Equipped with an ECS system, as long as the Hope didn’t get close to the field around the mother nest, it was practically invisible to the alien monsters . Scarred by how easily the Hope had been intruded by the junkyard AI, Yao Yuan and all the authority agreed that the Hope needed upgrades and modifications .
First was its defense . A giant reactor was specifically made to charge an electromagnetic shield around the Hope . Combined with the strategic placement of alien plant alloy, the Hope could withstand another spaceship’s continued fire for 5 minutes, and this included withstanding a shot from the enemy’s main cannon! This technology was as strong as the junkyard battleship’s .
Then was its firepower . Around 60 cannons were added to the ship’s roof, and an additional 180 cannons were added to its sides . Not to be forgotten was the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon . If back on Earth, one shot from this cannon could sink an island country .
Lastly was its mobility .
Sadly, mankind's 4th revolution technology was still unable to dissect the space warp technology . However, the Hope’s current particle flux engine was powerful enough to break the ozone layer without the use of anti-gravitational unit . Of course this was only a theoretical calculation put forth by the Academy . In reality, the Hope’s metallic structure might not be able to withstand the pressure, especially since the Hope had such a fragile design shape .
In fact, the giant propeller used in the final plan was initially built for the Hope as an emergency acceleration device .
More upgrades were still underway . The military wanted more weapons, the admins better defense, and the public enhanced mobility . Taking in everyone’s opinion, the Hope had become a high mobility, high damage, and high defense monstrosity .


The people on the temporary base cheered because this meant that they were safe… as long as they stayed out of the Hope’s artillery range .

The sound of combat pulled the defense unit back to the threat at hand . Most dropped their heavy artillery for lighter weapons, leaving the giant monsters for the Hope to handle . They clashed with the foot soldiers instead .
Then, 10 seconds later…
A spot in the sky started to twist upon itself like a mirage . An energy flux started to gather on the ground, creating a sand vortex about several hundred meters tall . This was the power of the Hope’s 600 cannons .
With the collective power from 600 cannons, the Academy predicted it could even blow up the moon!
Following an increased pressure in the air, the ground sunk to create a giant crater . It was as if the ground was hit by a big meteorite . The monsters caught in the fray, 300 giant ones included, were blasted into meat pies almost immediately . They were practically smothered into the floor!


Then it was time for the Giant Gaussian Electromagnetic Cannon to shine . They were essentially a simpler version of the Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon . All 18 of them aimed at a stop 40 kilometers away from the base, the spot where the alien monsters landed . Electrical ions suffused the air as the cannons charged .
This time the sand vortex was several thousand meters tall . The whole planet surface was literally covered by sand . The collective shot leveled an area that was several kilometers wide . If the previous shot was like a meteorite, this was a meteorite rain!
The defense unit on the ground stumbled and fell . Thankfully, the turrets only shook but didn’t crumble . However, multiple cracks started appearing in and around the base . The 2 shots from the Hope had devastated the land’s geological structure . Luckily, the Academy predicted as much during combat briefing and had calculated the angle and power of the 2 shots using the central mainframe . The 2 shots were precisely calculated to demolish the enemy but leave the base intact .
In less than a minute, the situation on the ground was overturned . The defense unit only needed to finish off a few stragglers . The Hope turned its attention to something else . The Supermagnetic Planet Annihilating Rail-Cannon was aimed upwards and not downwards . The planet probably couldn’t survive a shot from the cannon . It would not only destroy parts of the planet’s geological structure, it would create a catastrophe of an unimaginable scale . This was to be mankind’s future home planet, so they couldn’t harm it that way . The target of the cannon was the flying monsters and the transport-use meat blobs in the sky .
The shot from the cannon broke the sound barrier, creating a zephyr as it surged through the sky . It essentially moved the planet’s stratosphere as it tore the ranks of flying enemy monsters apart . The monsters within the ozone, even when they were not directly hit, were shredded by the great torrents of air . Those in space were luckier; only those directly hit perished . This meant there were still quite a number of monsters in space .
Bo Li oversaw the proceedings in central command . After some length she said, "The main cannon has been fired . If the Captain is still alive, he should be coming back soon . My order is to let the Hope lift up into space and set up a perimeter . Take down any monsters that appear in range . Initiate the final plan after a 30 second countdown…"
"Captain’s orders…"
The Hope floated gently into space following Bo Li’s order . The number advantage the alien had in space became a non-issue . They were all cannon fodder now .
In the meantime, the countdown continued into the single digits, 5, 4, 3…
Viewed from the Hope’s central command, a red lightning bolt was flashing through space, trailing sparks and explosions in its wake . The Hope’s defense cannon turned to aim at it when it flew towards the Hope . When it was within 10 kilometers of the Hope, the cannon turned elsewhere after recognizing the friendly signal that it gave off .
"Fire!"
With Bo Li’s command, a giant propeller shot out of the Hope . The red combat jet assumed command over it and the propeller took on a straight trajectory towards the mother nest!
The war against the mother nest was reaching its end!