vncnus Chapter 274 After the Great Battle
Chapter 274 After the Great Battle
Upon hearing this, Lorraine nodded, turned around, and prepared to leave the command room with Platinum.
Satellite signal detected, quantity: 1
[Satellite Type: Deep Space Observation Satellite.]
Data transmission detected; anti-interference encrypted link activated.
Data transmission complete; satellite offline.
Hearing a series of system announcements, the four people in the command room froze on the spot, then turned around and looked at the large screen in the middle of the command room.
The first thing that appeared on the screen was a black image with twinkling starlight and a blue trail, followed by a series of observation data.
Although Lorraine and the others didn't quite understand the significance of this observational data, they all clearly knew that big trouble was about to unfold.
"Knight Commander, I hope this data can be shared with our side for research."
"Yes, deputy."
"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander."
[Anti-interference encrypted link is enabled, terminal connection complete, data transmission begins.]
"Cleveland, a deep space observation data has been sent. Complete the analysis as soon as possible."
"receive."
Next, Cleveland abandoned direct contact with most combat units on site and devoted a large amount of computing power to analyzing this deep space observation data.
"Your Excellency Knight Commander, please rest. Our flagship will remain above Stonehenge for a period of time. Please contact us immediately if there are any issues."
After leaving the command center, Lorraine quickly boarded the armored off-road vehicle and, escorted by mechs, headed to the outer perimeter of the second line of defense, preparing to board a medium-sized transport plane parked there to return to the flagship.
When Lorraine returns to the flagship, Cleveland's analysis will be nearing completion, and the comparison phase will begin immediately.
During this brief respite, Lorraine activated the quantum communication system mounted on the flagship.
"Ouyang Nian, how's the situation on your end? When will that warship be ready for use?"
From Lorraine's tone, Ouyang Nian keenly sensed something unusual.
She looked down at the data panel in her hand and quickly informed Lorraine of the warship's specific details.
"The hull construction is proceeding normally, all components have been completed, and the overall assembly is expected to be completed within 72 hours."
"The power system has been fully completed, the new generation of large shipborne fusion reactor has been verified, and the supporting secondary magnetohydrodynamic generator and closed-loop magnetohydrodynamic generator have been produced."
"The high-thrust electric arc pulse jet engine has been completed and has passed reliability testing."
"The progress of weapon systems is uneven. The 2000mm universal missile launcher unit and the close-in weapon system have been adjusted and are ready for installation at any time."
"The production and development of the main gun system is slow. The existing nano-core has not been upgraded, and the production speed is lower than expected. It is estimated that it will take 20 days to complete the production of the four energy cannons."
When the defense system was mentioned, Ouyang Nian paused for a moment before speaking truthfully.
"Progress on the force field defense system has been the slowest, as the existing processing equipment cannot meet the precision required by the design drawings."
Lorraine nodded silently, then glanced at the intelligence system again.
【1.一艘硅基生物母舰将会降落在坐标：-6.096860，141.196289处，负责回收周边区域硅基生物採集的矿物。降临倒计时：22天58小时44分钟。】
[2. A ship belonging to a mining bug is approaching Earth and is expected to arrive in Earth's synchronous orbit in 58 days, 2 hours, and 57 minutes.]
[3. The base area of the orbital elevator has been discovered. Silicon-based organisms and mining worms are gathering their forces, preparing to launch a devastating attack. Countdown: 36 days, 21 hours, and 33 minutes.]
[4. Refresh countdown: 3 days, 23 hours, and 23 minutes.]
After confirming that there was nothing wrong, Lorraine calmed herself down and spoke slowly.
"Understood, thank you for your help."
"It's alright, you should get some rest, and so should Platinum."
"it is good."
Lorraine had just hung up the call when he looked up and saw Cleveland standing in front of him with a serious expression.
"Commander, something's not right. There's a problem with the spaceship we analyzed from deep space observation data."
"After comparing it with existing warship blueprints, the data on it does not match any warship by more than 35%, but it is not less than 20%."
"Um?"
"What is this thing?"
Lorraine couldn't get much useful information from Cleveland's expression, so he called all the officers on the flagship over and had Cleveland project the analyzed images.
The crowd formed a circle around the holographic projection in the center of the cockpit, carefully observing the somewhat grotesque and blurry projection of the warship.
Ouyang Nian also made a personal appearance at the event later via holographic projection.
Looking at this long shuttle-shaped warship with a cross-section displaying various different shapes, Ouyang Nian was the first to notice the problem.
"Cleveland, separate all the protrusions on each section and compare them one by one with the battleship blueprints."
"Um?"
Prior to this, the crew on the warship had been directing operations for a long time, and their minds were inevitably a bit sluggish, so they didn't immediately grasp the implications.
Bai Jin was the first to react. Although he had exhausted a lot of his physical and mental energy, Ouyang Nian's words reminded him of a previous proposal for an assault ship.
"You mean, this warship might be composed of several smaller warships pieced together?"
"Yes, very likely."
While answering Bai Jin, Ouyang Nian had Cleveland bring out all the warships with a matching accuracy between 35% and 20%.
"The warship size calculated based on deep space observation data is seriously inconsistent with these warships, but by simply arranging and combining them in a certain way, the sum of the lengths of these small warships is almost the same as the overall length of this large warship."
"After all, if our civilization, which has just stepped into the starry sea, can come up with a solution, I don't believe that these 'old predecessors' couldn't think of one."
"The calculation results are in. The degree of agreement between the separated units and these small warships has increased to between 43.2% and 28.7%. This warship, which is about 800 meters long, is most likely composed of 13 small warships, each about 200 meters long, but the main structure is still unclear."
After listening, Liu Huajian and Zhou Wei exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and explained their views.
"Based on the information we currently have, a small warship of about 200 meters in length is roughly the same size as an active-duty frigate. Is such a cobbled-together warship truly a warship belonging to the deep space expeditionary force of an old interstellar civilization?"
"It's highly unlikely. Otherwise, they wouldn't retreat because of the loss of a warship that's about 500 meters long. After all, the current orbital defense system on Earth is not very comprehensive. Being able to destroy a small to medium-sized warship that's about 500 meters long is already the limit. There's no need to send ground troops to encircle and annihilate it."
"So, these people might be space pirates?"
An officer in the white uniform of the Great Yan Navy spoke up.
"After all, the pirates here usually drive dilapidated little boats."
Listening to everyone's analysis, Lorraine's somewhat sluggish brain, after being replenished with a large amount of sugar, began to work at high speed again, summarizing everyone's analysis and thinking about the current situation on Earth.
"If our guess is correct, the silicon-based life forms and mining worms on Earth now belong to a pirate fleet, and in a very bad situation at that. After all, it's quite convenient to drop large, explosive debris from space."
That makes sense.
Feeling the slightly more relaxed atmosphere, Lorraine had Cleveland send out the orbital combat data synchronized from the Stonehenge base so that the senior officers could study it first.
He and Cleveland walked aside to discuss their remaining supplies and the factory's production capacity.
"80 units are enough for the commander to build at least three flagship-sized warships."
"Moreover, the intensity of this operation is high enough that we should be able to obtain several physical selection packs of level 7 technology, which should greatly speed up the construction of that aerospace control ship."
"What is the factory's production capacity?"
"There are now 12 un-upgraded secondary nanocores and 6 brand-new Level 4 nanocores, bringing the total number of Level 2 nanocores to nearly 200."
"With sufficient supplies, the construction of three warships and the upgrade of the existing two frigates can be carried out simultaneously, and the construction time can be kept within 100 hours."
"What if we also consider upgrading to a flagship model?"
"Commander, this is not realistic. The existing computing power is not enough to perform so many high-precision tasks at the same time."
"Okay, I understand."
Then Lorraine turned her head and looked at Ouyang Nian's virtual projection.
"What's the situation with those ship designers? Are they capable of designing a qualified space warship?"
"There's no problem. Sister Shu has already injected them with the third-generation enhancement injection, and their current strength has passed the test."
As Ouyang Nian spoke, he manipulated the data panel and sent a design drawing of a frigate to Lorraine.
With time running out, Lorraine didn't do the analysis himself, but instead asked Cleveland to compare the frigate's parameters with those of similar warships in the warship atlas.
"Commander, the theoretical data meets the requirements, and some data even surpasses that of a considerable number of warships of the same class."
Lorraine and the others were speechless in the face of this situation.
"By the way, how are the pilots' rehabilitation progressing?"
"Very good. The body has recovered to its condition before entering the hibernation pod and is preparing to receive the fourth-generation injection for enhancement."
"Once their enhancements are complete, arrange for them to enter the simulator as soon as possible. The existing fighter flight data is still insufficient. If necessary, they can be allowed to directly pilot the fighter jets into the air."
"clear."
As time passed, the discussions inside the flagship grew quieter, and the officers' spirits waned. Just before everyone was about to collapse, Bai Zhi led several small cars into the driver's cab.
These carts are loaded with nutrient-rich energy pastes prepared by Lin Shu. These energy pastes have a refreshing taste and a smooth texture, making them easy to swallow. They are the perfect replenishment after a large amount of physical and mental exertion.
After receiving their rations, the officers ate energy paste as they marched toward the warehouse, led by robots.
Meanwhile, the warehouse was filled with several newly manufactured container houses. The space inside each container house was divided into capsule-shaped rooms, each containing only a comfortable massage bed and a robotic arm.
After the officers fell asleep during the gentle massage, a calming incense burner personally prepared by Lin Shu was lit. The faint fragrance lingered in the room, helping the officers to recover their energy as quickly as possible.
Equally exhausted, Lorraine returned to her cabin with Platinum's help.
Five hours later, with the help of many factors, Platinum was the first to wake up from her deep sleep. She left Lorraine's embrace, stood up, and walked towards the flagship's kitchen.
Another hour passed before Lorraine finally woke up from her deep sleep. Shaking her groggy head, Lorraine went into the cabin's bathroom and washed her face with cold water.
He then changed into the exact same clothes and, following Cleveland's directions, headed towards the restaurant.
"Commander, you woke up quite early."
Lorraine leaned lazily against the kitchen door frame, watching Platinum, dressed in a white bodysuit, busy in the kitchen.
"Do you need my help?"
After letting out a big yawn, Lorraine straightened up and went into the kitchen.
"Commander, please get me the shredded cheese from the refrigerator in the back. This braised beef will be ready soon."
Lorraine opened the refrigerator behind her and found a bag of shredded cheese labeled only with the production date on the bottom shelf.
"Did we produce this ourselves?"
"Yes, there has been a new breakthrough in food synthesis technology. Meat and dairy products will soon be widely available. These were personally placed on the flagship by Ms. Lin before departure."
"very nice."
Lorraine tapped the tactical terminal on his wrist a few times, and then several streams of gray-black nano-flows emerged from beneath the terminal, forming a pair of gray-black gloves with anti-slip texture.
"I'll take this stew out first; I'll come back for the rice later."
Lorraine used both hands to carry the large stew pot out and placed it on the heat-resistant mat on the dining table.
He then returned to the kitchen, poured all the rice from the large rice cooker into a small insulated container, covered it, and carried it back to the dining room, placing it on the table next to him.
When the last dish was served, all the officers who had come to provide support entered the restaurant one after another and sat around the large round table in the middle.
Finally, Lorraine and Platinum took their seats, raised their barley teas, and began to speak.
"While a partial victory is nothing to be proud of, it is certainly worth celebrating. Thank you all for your hard work. I'll drink this tea instead of wine as a sign of my respect."
Lorraine tilted his head back and downed the entire cup of barley tea in one go.
"Dinner's ready!"
Everyone stood up and reached for their favorite dishes with their chopsticks.
After a brief meal together, all the officers returned to their posts, while Lorraine and Platinum took a bowl of soup and returned to the ground in their mechs and airdrop pods.