Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1140
It was like tossing a stone from an altitude of hundreds of thousands meters. No matter how precisely one aimed, it would still be meaningless. Because of the disruption of the wind and storm in the four-dimensional space, the landing point of the 'stone' might be a thousand meters away from where it was aimed at.
Faced with an organized space fleet that had been unfolded into a battle formation, the starships that were strewn dozens of lightyears away from each other were only a tray of loose sand. They could only wait to be destroyed by the enemy one after another.
It would not be reinforcement; it would just be suicide.
Therefore, the space gates were the key to the outcome of the battle!
The vanguard of the Black Wind Fleet, which had just arrived at the Heaven's Origin Sector, and the Heaven's Origin Fleet, which had realized what was going on after the initial shock, both locked onto the No. 1 space gate, which was the largest in scale and had the highest navigation level. They were getting closer and closer to each other!
Black Swirl, the flagship of the Black Wind Fleet, was leading the charge at the forefront of the battle formation.
Behind the flagship, the thousand starships that were in a rectangular distribution changed their shape slowly into quadruple sphere attack units that were as classic as described in the textbooks.
Every hundred starships constituted an attack unit. The cruising carrier, which was the largest in size, was at the center. Every carrier was at least ten kilometers long. The spacious room inside the carrier was devised into the storage and maintenance cabins for the space shuttles, crystal suits, Colossi, and even other starships. In the meantime, they boasted a very enormous arsenal of crystals, and ammunition, allowing them to supply the other starships in the battle unit with sufficient ammunition and energy.
In short, the cruising carriers were independent battle bases in the fleet. Their combat ability might not be high by themselves, but they were always the start and the end of an attack.
Of course, the deep, profound internal space of some of the cruising carriers was filled up by enormous crystal cannons or cannons of mystic rays. For the warfare in space, to rip apart the distance of hundreds of thousands of kilometers and pierce through several of enemy's starships or even an entire war fortress, it would require gigantic weapons of unbelievable sizes.
Such giant cannons were like battering rams in ancient wars. Although it was inconvenient to move them and difficult to control them, and they could be easily destroyed, they would certainly become the enemy's greatest concern after they were moved to the city gate of the defender!
Outside of the cruising carriers were the main forces for the starship confrontation—the arsenal starships!
As their name suggested, they were all awe-inspiring iron hedgehogs. Dense barrels had been established all over their body. All the internal space had been filled up with crystals and ammunition. There was not even additional room for a crystal suit or a space shuttle.
They were like the sharpest blades. All they wanted to do was draw closer and closer to the enemy and then destroy all the stars in the universe with the roars of thousands of turrets!
"Attack is the best defense. Instead of wasting the materials and space to add a piece of plate on the outside, it is better to build another turret with those resources and install it!"
The captains and artillerists of all the arsenal starships held the same belief.
What made them so zealous and fearless, besides their faith in His Majesty and the Imperium of True Human Beings, was the third layer of the battle unit that loomed before them—the shield starships!
If the arsenal starships were the sharpest longswords of the Imperium, the shield starships would be the hardest armor. The war fog that covered the battle formation of the Black Wind Fleet was exactly their splendid performance.
What the shield starships counted on was not the thick and clumsy super alloy armor but the technology of spiritual and magnetic confrontation, force field disruption, and spiritual shield generation, through which they could construct a thick, dense interference belt that would render most of the energy and entity attacks from the enemy's side useless!
Outside of the shield starships, at the outermost part of the entire battle unit, which sometimes even protruded out of the war fog, were crystal suits and space shuttles that were as dense as bees.
Before the confrontation of cannons, the crystal suits and the space shuttles would be projected, in case the starships that accommodated them were instantly shot by the enemy's cannons, which would cause greater collateral damage if they were still on-board. It was common sense for space warfare.
Besides, the combat ability that many high-level experts in the Core Formation Stage or the Nascent Soul Stage could bring out was often as good as that of a starship!
The cruising carriers, arsenal starships, shield starships, and Exos constructed a perfect curve. Like almost thirty enormous meteoroids, they approached the No. 1 space gate solemnly, orderly, and unhurriedly, leaving colorful exhaust flames behind.
As for Black Swirl, a monstrosity dozens of kilometers long, which could only be produced after a hundred years of preparation even in the Imperium of True Human Beings, was the most dazzling star that stayed at the forefront alone, emanating the brilliance of destruction!
On the bridge of Black Swirl, Heiye Ming was like an iron statue, not moving at all. He simply allowed the cold light from the stars to sprinkle on his body.
But the passion in his eyes indicated his flourishing vigor and… appetite.
He almost could not wait to gobble up the stars.
On his opposite side, the Heaven's Origin Fleet was reshaped into an equally clear rectangular formation. The Exos, shield starships, and arsenal starships were deployed, too.
The only difference was that they did not require cruising carriers because they boasted sufficient logistical support from the home planet of the Heaven's Origin Sector. The roles of the cruising carriers were played by the nine asteroid fortresses, which served as solid bases.
Judging from the number, the Heaven's Origin Fleet was much greater than the vanguard of the Black Wind Fleet. The exhaust flames that were triggered due to the high-speed movement and the spiritual shield that had been expanded to the maximum interweaved with each other into a wall of light.
But the tonnage and the quality of the starships were a different case, which could clearly be seen from the slightly sparse formation and uncoordinated trajectories.
In the 22.47.77 area, from the coordinates that were approximately one hundred light seconds from the Black Wind Fleet, the Big Bai Fleet, the other Deep Sky Fleet of the federation whose stance was ambiguous, was rushing close as fast as possible.
"Worthless." Heiye Ming put on a cold smile. His eyes were so deep that he almost completely consumed the Heaven's Origin Fleet that was reflected in them. He casually ordered, "Move at full speed and crush the Heaven's Origin Fleet before the Big Bai Fleet arrives!"
…
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Ear-splitting alarms were ringing inside every starship in the Heaven's Origin Fleet. The flashing red lights added to the intense atmosphere in the cabin.
As a local defense fleet, none of the Heaven's Origin Fleet ever thought that they would face the legendary Black Wind Fleet alone.
"Hurry up. All Exos, put on your crystal suits and prepare to break away from the mothership. You are going to free fight!"
If the Black Wind Fleet was confident enough to keep half of the Exos in the cruising carrier as mobile forces, it would be the most idiotic action for the Heaven's Origin Fleet to keep even one Exo on-board. In the upcoming confrontation of cannons, the Heaven's Origin Fleet was destined to suffer heavy losses. The Exos that were kept on board would be of zero significance other than dying together with the starships!
"Attack! Attack! Attack!"
In the extremely depressing atmosphere, somebody was praying in silence, someone took out the photos of their family, and some were mumbling to themselves nervously.
In a corner of the cabin, a muscular man whose scars covered his original face, in the meantime, was unhurriedly examining his crystal suit and his saber that was almost three meters long.
While whistling a weird tune, he was uttering voices that nobody could tell were cries or laughter.
"Wretched heavens, we are going to fight again!" The muscular man bashed the last magical equipment unit into the crystal suit and spat a mouthful stinky saliva. "You failed to kill me for a hundred years. I'm only getting closer and closer to the target. Will I be killed this time? Haha. Hahahaha!"
Chapter 1765: Misfortune Bringer! |
The muscular man's angry, sarcastic laughter raised a lot of dissatisfaction.
The small assault warship that belonged to the third branch of the Heaven's Origin Fleet had begun its service recently. All the crew members were new. The Exos that were allotted to the warship were all enlisted from the local areas to deal with the imminent war threat of the Imperium. They were not familiar with each other yet. The ugly, scar-faced man was always by himself and acting mysteriously. Many people were unaware of his real identity.
"This guy…"
The dark gold Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars emblem on the chest of his crystal suit, which suggested that his rank was major, made other people lose the courage to criticize him. But it could not stop the soldiers from whispering to each other. "He is laughing at such a moment? Is he crazy?"
"Don't mess with him. He is indeed crazy." The seasoned soldiers who knew the inside information immediately stopped the rookies from continuing their discussion. "Don't you know? He is the 'Unkillable Rabid Dog'!"
The nickname immediately raised a round of gasps among the soldiers. "He—he is the Rabid Dog?"
The Unkillable Rabid Dog was a minor celebrity among the bottom-level troops of the federal army, but it was an infamous name that always triggered fear instead of admiration.
He was a person who had fun in danger and sought the thrill of death. In the peaceful years in the federation decades ago, he had already been active in life-and-death underground arenas, taking down countless opponents while adding ineffaceable scars to his own body.
Later, he decided that the underground arenas were not exciting enough. He roamed the desolate lands at the edge of the cosmos, searching for demon beasts and space pirates everywhere. Even hundreds of perilous adventures failed to kill him.
Soon, after the federation explored the four new Sectors, and especially after the outbreak of the Uranian Ring War, the Rabid Dog was like a fish in water.
He joined the federal army with his impressive fighting skills in a crystal suit and performed shockingly well during the Uranian Ring War. More than a thousand Exos from the Uranian Ring Sector were slain by him.
Logically, the name of such a fearless warrior should resound throughout the entire army as a 'hero'.
However, what covered the Rabid Dog, other than the valiance to chitchat with death, seemed to be an intense, unshakable curse.
In every battle, he would volunteer to carry out the most dangerous mission, and he would meet the worst situation every time. He had to go through endless trouble to accomplish his mission. In the end, not only was he covered in devastating wounds, the teammates who went to carry out the mission together with him were also often killed tragically.
He had completed almost a hundred missions, and it seemed to be the case every time. When a team or a squad was charging forward together, he was clearly leading the charge at the frontmost area, faced with the most furious fire and the sharpest blades, but the final result was that the team was entirely wiped out except for him. He was dragged back to the hospital, like a cluster of mud mixed with the remains of his crystal suit, and after sewing and stitching, he was back to life again miraculously!
It appeared that some sort of strong, eccentric force was supporting him inside the body that was on the brink of collapse to keep on walking in the human world and dueling with death!
"The guy could never be killed however he asked to be!"
"But the brethren who fought together with them were all killed. He is an out-and-out misfortune bringer!"
"Not a misfortune bringer but a rabid dog, one that is determined to be killed but can never be!"
The name 'Rabid Dog' spread out at the bottom level of the federal army just like that.
If that was the case, with his military accomplishments that he had accumulated through his craziness, he should at least have been a colonel who had the power to command an entire legion.
But he turned out to be a man who chose whatever means possible to train himself. He purchased medicine that was clearly forbidden by the military and the government through underground channels many times. He even went to Fish Dragon City in the Dragon Snake Space Zone in secret during his sabbatical, violating the military regulations of the federal army, to perform illegal stimulation and strengthening on his body. Then, he got into conflict with local gangs. It was said that he killed hundreds of gangsters in a row on his own. As a result, everybody in the Dragon Snake Space Zone was shuddering in panic, under the impression that the federation was about to swallow the place.
However, those who were familiar with the Rabid Dog all knew that 'to perform illegal stimulation and strengthening' was just an excuse. The only reason he went to the Dragon Snake Space Zone was because he was too bored. He just wanted to kill someone or get killed!
Real Cultivators were all the firmest atheists. Naturally, his reputation as a 'misfortune bringer' was never recognized by the authorities, but the continuous infractions of the military law were enough to offset all the contributions he made through blood battles. After serving in the federal army for fifty years and advancing into the peak of the Core Formation Stage, he was still a minor major.
The Rabid Dog, on the other hand, could not have cared less about it. Neither the rank nor the commandership was what he pursued. All he wanted was to be sent to the most dangerous battlefield for the most dangerous missions on the most dangerous front!
"No wonder we have encountered the main force of the Black Wind Fleet. That's because he is here!"
"I'm told that he was 'that guy' a hundred years ago, wasn't he?"
"We're screwed this time. Ah. He—he is coming over!"
In their anxiety and panic, the soldiers did not intentionally lower their voice. Besides, even if they had, it would have been impossible for the Rabid Dog to miss what they were talking about.
Carrying the dragon-slaying saber that was more than three meters long, he walked to the front of the soldiers unhurriedly. A creepy smile popped up on his face that was full of scars and protruding muscles while he gazed at everyone.
The medical science in the federation was highly developed nowadays. Most scars and traces of wounds could be recovered, or at least partly made up through the plastic surgeries.
Some of the warriors who worshipped valor would keep one or two scars on their face or body intentionally with the excuse that 'scars are the badges of a real man' or as mementoes of a certain unforgettable battle. But still, those who did not perform any modification when their faces had been essentially destroyed, like the Rabid Dog, were still freaks among freaks.
Therefore, it was safe to say that the Rabid Dog was truly a man who deserved his name!
"I am a man who is teased by the heavens." The Rabid Dog grinned. His voice was so hoarse that his vocal cords might have been soaked in the boiling oil at the bottom level of hell. "The wretched heavens are unwilling to kill me. They want to play me slowly and torture me in one trial after another. I am not going to die so easily.
"However, you might not be as unfortunate, or fortunate, as I am. You will die, as quickly as possible.
"If you don't want to die, get as far away from me as possible once we're out. Don't stand in my way when I'm trying to die. Understood?"
All the soldiers were dumbfounded. Oppressed by the Rabid Dog's strong and insane aura, they were unable to say a single syllable.
The Rabid Dog widened his eyes and raised his voice. "Do you understand?"
Shuddering, the soldiers all hurried to nod.
The Rabid Dog smiled. He tapped his shoulder softly, and the foldable helmet immediately ascended from the gap between his shoulder and back, completely covering his hideous head.
According to the traditions of the federal army, the Exos were free to paint their crystal suits provided that the emblem and the troop logo were not covered. Many people would paint custom patterns on the helmets or the chests of their crystal suits, which was both a good psychological hint and could make the crystal suit more intimidating.
The helmet of the Rabid Dog had a pattern of a pale skull whose eye sockets were releasing infinite fury!
"Warriors of the federal army!" The roars of the fleet's commander were echoing around the discharge deck. "We are faced with the most brutal and terrifying army in the entire universe, but we are backed with our motherland, our home, and our families and compatriots who are waiting for our triumphant return! The universe may be vast, but there is nowhere we can retreat to right now! This is going to be the greatest battle in the history of the Star Glory Federation. Countless epics and poems will be sung about each and every one of us in the next thousand years! Attack! For the motherland! For the home! For the family!"
Including the Unkillable Rabid Dog, the Exos of the federation jumped into space. The sea of stars was no longer as cold and dark as it used to be but seething like magma after being boiled by the exhaust flames of thousands of power rune arrays.
