Age of Cosmic Exploration

140 plus specially-designed gravity cannon ships, other than plasma reactors and energy shield generators, they had practically no other devices on it. For example, weapons and residential amenities. In other words, the whole spaceship itself was designed to fit the gravity cannon.

Each gravity cannon spaceship’s firing range was about 3,400 kilometers around itself. In other words, everything within these 3,400 kilometers will be affected by the tidal force. In fact, the actual range of the cannon was 60,000 kilometers, but the 3,400 kilometers was where the real power of the gravity cannons could be felt.

The range of 140 gravity cannon spaceships could easily overlap the battleships, and each spaceship’s 3,400 kilometers range would be expanded greatly. If the 140 spaceships were completely spread out, the range could cover a giant sphere of 2,000,000 kilometers in diameter. This distance is about five times the distance between Old Earth and the Moon!

However, this was just a theoretical number. It was impossible for each spaceship to align them so perfectly, especially during wartime. Therefore, the best practical range of these 140 spaceships was a sphere with a diameter of 400,000 kilometers, and this was already a very large space. If they could maintain this space long enough, demolishing the alien fleet was only a matter of time.

This was the biggest deciding factor for Yao Yuan to come up with the ambush circle. However, gravity cannon, while being humanity’s sharpest spear, was not its strongest shield. This meant that they were incredibly fragile. If there was the slightest damage to any of its components, the cannon would be indisposed. The next issue was its amount of exhaustion. A gravity cannon required a large plasma reactor to supply it with energy. If the reactor was isolated and built on top of a small meteorite, the meteorite would collapse under pressure. Therefore, gravity cannons were an extremely fragile weapons with great limitations; they couldn’t be transported through long distance like other weapons.

In other words, the other half of this ambush circle’s purpose was to hide and protect the fleet of gravity cannon spaceships...

"Sixth groups of spaceships in position, the seventh, eighth, and ninth groups will reach their positions in five minutes. The final preparations for the ambush circle are complete."

In a spaceship the size of the Hope, Barbie gave Yao Yuan the report on the current battlefield situation. Yao Yuan had put on his red space armor. He too was preparing for battle. From the calculated time, they only had seven minutes left before the real war began.

Yao Yuan nodded and said, "I understand. Then this is the final battle... You and all the non-combative units stay behind. At the same time, if it is discovered that... the ambush circle has failed, instantly activate the creator’s particle and report the news back to the City of Light Moon and initiate the starlight plan."

Barbie in her professional outfit nodded and said, "I understand... Chancellor, no matter the result of war, I can only say... you are our best leader, the savior of humanity, the hero of humanity. Even if the war fails, even if the number of deaths is high, this is not your fault, you’ve done everything you could..."

Yao Yuan was silent for a while before laughing while ruffling Barbie’s hair. "Thank you, I appreciate it. You also better go prepare. There are space armors for non-combative units as well. This war has strayed from our initial expectations, and I also cannot predict what will happen... Good luck." Then he walked towards his final destination.

Barbie stood where she was with her head lowered and her hair ruffled. Tears like pearls fell down her face...

Yao Yuan’s attention was completely focused on what he was facing... Its height was about 18 meters and the sphere was completely covered in red paint. This was the final weapon created by Bo Li to face this war, the height of human weapon technology, the Steel Ball, the real Red Lightning.

It had three times the power output of the normal Red Lightning in terms of speed, energy, and weapon power. Its speed utilized the energy umbrella theory of a level 3 space civilization and was 6.4 times the speed of the Hope. This was a speed that was 2.2 times faster than AI main spaceship.

The weapons were not much different from a normal Steel Ball. However, since Yao Yuan was an All-rounder, the compatibility meant that the weapon output was three times the amount of a normal Steel Ball.

It also had three times the strength of normal energy shields. According to analysis, it was enough to shatter the AI fleet’s main spaceship’s energy shield. It also came equipped with a mini gravity cannon that could cause a tidal effect within a 604 kilometer radius. Bo Li also added a special feature to this Steel Ball that was absent in other Steel Balls, a warp drive engine that could support the Red Lightning in warp drive space for about two years...

This was Yao Yuan’s ride for this war, Steel Ball, the real Red Lightning!

After Yao Yuan got into the vehicle, it was shot out into space by the projectile device. Yao Yuan still hadn’t activated the Steel Ball. Even though the control systems had been improved several times over the past decade, the exhaustion was still huge. A normal Homo Evolutis could only pilot it for maximum one hour before falling asleep. Even for Yao Yuan, his maximum was only three hours before it would cause irreparable damage on his psyche.

"Come... you sh*ts, this is going to be your cemetery!"

In the darkened control room, Yao Yuan’s eyes were burning with anger and fury...

At the same time, back at the City of Light Moon, almost all the civilians were mobilizing. 11 spaceships the size of the Hope and the Hope itself were getting reused. All the civilians and important equipment, documents, and supplies were relocated onto these 12 spaceships. The spaceships themselves were physically attached to each other using metallic chains to ensure they would space warp to the same location.

All the civilians were sad and in despair. In fact, many people had entered a state of no return. Some of them started to wail about the end of the world. Since there was no one left in the government to hold the fort, the human society was in chaos.

Lee Cheng Wen was spacing out in his own office, watching the 3D image of the vanguard unit being ambushed. He sighed under his breath when a group of men walked into his room. The leading personnel was a middle-aged man. He began powerfully, "Minister Lee, are you going to sit there and watch the government submerge into chaos?"

When Lee Cheng Wen saw it was Speaker Matt who spoke, he immediately stood up and said, "Mr. Speaker, is there anything I can help you with?"

Matt didn’t tread on formalities. He pulled out a chair and sat down. "Minister, I’ve looked through the list of government officials who remained and you’re currently the highest ranking officer. The vanguard unit was ambushed, so this means that Vice-Chancellor Wong Guang Zhen is currently indisposed. And the Chancellor himself is involved in the next battle, so in other words, you’re responsible to overlook the government. Am I mistaken?"

Lee Cheng Wen tensed instantly, but he didn’t show it on the surface. He merely smiled and replied, "Mr. Speaker, you’re indeed correct in your observation. If I may be frank, what is it that you wish for me to do at the moment?"

Matt nodded and said, "I wish for Minister Lee to immediately give an order to stop the spreading of rumors. Yes, freedom of speech is important, but everything has its own time! The war is not over yet, we still have the Black Star troopers and the Chancellor! We still have the hope for victory! Spread the rumors that humanity has already failed will cause chaos, and according to the constitution, that is totally illegal and they can be arrested and charged! I will call for the gathering of the representatives to support this decision, but I wonder if Minister Lee is willing to spearhead this motion or not?"

Lee Cheng Wen sighed internally and he was impressed by Speaker Matt. He said immediately, "Of course. After the House of Representatives has passed the motion, then I will start the action instantly."

Speaker Matt stood up and said seriously, "Then... let me see Minister Lee’s action and decision-making skill. Also... stop looking at that video. I believe the Chancellor will return victorious. Ever since we left Earth, he has never let us down, and it will be no different this time!"

At the same time, in a mini engineering lab, a girl cried non-stop watching the video. Her eyes were bloated from tears. This girl was Yue Xuan. When she found out that her boyfriend, Yun Si, was part of the six Black Star Troopers which made up the vanguard unit...

"Yun Si... Yun Si, don’t worry, I will definitely take revenge for you... I will!"

Yue Xuan rubbed her eyes and stood up. As she wept, she made a call. Sometime later, a voice said, "Hello, this is the police station, how can I help you?"

Yue Xuan spoke through her tears. "Help me transfer this message to the human government highest official or the remaining Black Star Troopers or even Professor Bo Li... I’m the hidden Whisperer, the Steel Ball’s control system...

"Was created by my hands!"