Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Coping with shifting events by sticking to a fundamental principle, Menger used the simplest battle tactic for dealing with complex situations—dragging the case into a strange stalemate. In the cloud-covered starry sky, the most potent technological weapon on Earth that was surrounded by strong winds was in a deadlock of no more than a few kilometers apart with the Atlantean fleet, allowing them time to pass.
In a blink of an eye, the crescent moon slowly set while the sun slowly rose.
On the commanding podium of the Mammoth, Zhang Lisheng looked at the walls and ceilings the shape of a hemisphere around him that had displayed the image of the external surrounding entirely and realized that a faint light had started to shine through the wavy sea of clouds. With his patience finally exhausted, he asked the general who was beside him, “General Menger, it has been several hours. Are we going to be in a stalemate like this with them if the aliens never leave?”
Menger had not rested for more than ten hours. In this state of high tension, despite having no trace of fatigue in his spirit, his eyes started to be bloodshot already. Calmly, he answered, “It’s going to be daylight soon, doctor. By the time both warships can be clearly seen by the naked eyes, this stalemate would naturally come to an end.”
“Oh, what a straightforward answer,” The young man was taken aback. Shrugging, he said in astonishment.
“It’s simple yet effective, many complex issues …” The federation general stared at the front and casually replied. However, he was interrupted by a large group of shining brilliance that suddenly lit up from afar.
At the same time, the adjutant’s hasty report resounded in his ears, “General, an Atlantean reinforcements fleet appeared at twelve o’clock direction. It’s preliminary estimated as B+ rank.
There are three main force battleships, two stellar-ranked patrol ships, and one corvette. The flagship is unable to be determined…”
The news of the alien fleet receiving a reinforcement caused the entire atmosphere of the mother ship’s command platform to suddenly become heavy, so heavy that the air no longer seemed to flow. Even Menger’s eyes abruptly narrowed.
Fortunately, when everyone was worried that the situation might develop into an uncontrollable direction, the sergeant in charge of the communication suddenly yelled, “General, Captain Alansol, Atlantis’ highest-ranked commander at the federal military base in New York requested to speak to you.”
“Looks like the trouble can be solved without waiting for dawn to arrive…” Menger’s grave expression eased as he muttered. then, he ordered, “Connect the line.”
“Yes, General!” After the communication sergeant answered solemnly, his projector image in line with the federal general’s sight began to flutter in a mess of lightwave, before turning into a full-body image of a red-haired Atlantean with refined and highly sculptural facial features, snow-white skin, and long limbs.
“Captain Alansol, you must be contacting me to request for the Mammoth to attack an enemy on both sides jointly, right?” Looking at the changing of the projected image, the federation general slyly beat him to it and said, “Are you going to launch the first attack, or shall we do that first?”
“General Menger, you’ve misunderstood,” Alansol was slightly stunned before answering in a blank expression. “The fleet in a stalemate with your Mammoth now belongs to Atlantis. Don’t tell me that you can’t even recognize the light warship now?”
“Our potential enemies are hidden in hundreds or thousands of different ‘worlds,’ so even the encrypted communications are unreliable, much less a judgment based on naked eyes through the monitor,” Menger argued flawlessly in a stiff manner. “Since it’s an Atlantean fleet, why didn’t it identify itself? Mammoth was threatened by an unidentified fleet on our exclusive territory on Earth, but it turned out that it’s an allied battleship. I need an explanation, Captain Alansol.”
“Oh, so you still remember that the Earth and Atlantis are still allies, General,” The alien captain replied coldly, “Then have you ever considered that the contact between the United States and World 40219 that is getting unusually close is severely damaging our covenant?”
“Captain Alansol, you should voice out this question to the White House and the Congress politicians,” The federation general smiled coldly. “I’m only a soldier, and my vocation is to obey orders and fight against everything that makes an enemy with the federation.”
“But General Menger, don’t you understand that there are some enemies that the United States cannot defeat?”
“Captain Alansol, do you know why I can command the federation’s most powerful warships despite my unremarkable qualifications?” Menger suddenly asked out of the blue when he heard this question that could be said as a blatant threat.
Alansol was taken aback and shook his head.
“That’s because I’ve shown in many wars I’ve commanded that there’s a crazy resolute determination of risking everything in a single venture hidden in my gene. Once it explodes, I’m not afraid of any of the terrible consequences that follow,” The federation general answered coldly.
Alansol fell into a moment of silence. His expression changed, and he began to say solemnly with less hostility, “Captain Menger, a lunatic is indeed horrifying, but this doesn’t mean he can be brazen. Don’t forget that if things really get out of hand, all of you Earthling soldiers will be the first to die. I hope you and the other United States soldiers can carefully consider your position, goodbye.”
Then, he proceeded to cut off the communication.
After a few seconds, the large and small light groups flickering in the screen image around the mothership’s command platform slowly withdrew and disappeared.
Looking at the empty white clouds around them, Zhang Lisheng shrugged and said without warning, “General, your ‘war lunatic’ tactic is impressive, and it looks like it has once again achieved another success. However, I’ve dealt with Captain Alansol a few times before, and he didn’t appear to be such a tough guy back then. His action today made me feel that the Atlanteans’ patience has seemingly reached a specific limit. The ‘nuclear threat’ cannot be effective forever. You should be careful in the future, and you should not play such a risky ‘game’ anymore.”
The young man’s words seemed to be filled with concern, but in fact, it was a test towards the determination of the federal War Hawk soldiers in fighting against the alien force. However, the answer he received was not very satisfactory. Menger merely smiled at him and said calmly, “Thank you, doctor.” before shifting his gaze away to give his order, “Attention everyone. Our destination is the Wizard Li Island in the Shrimp World No. 2. Advance at full speed!”
The instant the commander gave his order, the power of the Mammoth’s engine group increased from half start-up to full-load within four to five seconds. Numerous propellers slowly tilted and accelerated, pushing the Sky Fortress out of the clouds to fly swiftly against the rising sun towards the world’s gate towering in the sea on the outskirts of New York
With Zhang Lisheng’s simple military manufacturing knowledge, it was difficult for him to understand why the federal aircraft carrier mothership would choose a spiraling wind kinetic energy system instead of using theoretically more efficient modes of movement, such as jets and magnetic forces to operate.
However, this did not stop him from standing on Mammoth’s commanding platform, watching the broken clouds continuously being thrown behind him as they crossed the fence to enter the land shrouded by his belief.
The instant the world changed, the young man could clearly feel an unusual change deep in his soul. This change did not originate from the enhancement of his strength but an indescribable ‘acknowledgement’ of having an entire planet ‘yielding’ under his feet.
Clenching his fist with his head down to suppress his overwhelming emotions, Zhang Lisheng became silent for a long time. It was only until the mothership had crossed the long sea and most of the indigenous islands to land on a vast harbor that he finally raised his head in pretense and smile, “Oh I can’t believe that the Atlantean army guarding the light curtain of the Shrimp World No. 2 did not stop our battleship.”
“Doctor, since they’ve already made clear of their attitude through a provocation, it no longer makes any sense for them to stop us from crossing the world’s gate,” Menger looked at Zhang Lisheng and said. “You seem to be running in high adrenaline now. This is not a good sign for somebody who hasn’t had a sleep and whose mental state was in a nervous state the whole night.”
“It’s alright, general. Staying up late is a common thing for a scientist, especially a biologist who needs to observe animal activities for a long time. I’m already used to it,” The young man shook his head with a smile.
When the two were chatting, the battleship had slowly landed in the offshore area of the Wizard Li Island. After a slight jolt, the communication sergeant reported with a tone that was finally relaxed, “General, Mammoth has landed safely, and we’ve sent a signal to the Wizard Li tribe indicating that we’re entering the port.”
“Lieutenant Colonel, tell the Wizard Li tribe that their ‘pundit’ has come personally for the gold trade this time,” The federal general pondered for a while and ordered abruptly.
“Yes, general!” The communication sergeant sent a message according to the commander’s order, and very soon, the Wizard Li battleships and fishing boats outside the enormous Earth mothership that looked like rolling peas outside a blue ball cleared away at a faster speed.
“Looks like you have a really lofty place in the hearts of these foreign world’s dwarves, doctor…” Upon seeing this scene from the hemispherical screen around the command platform, the federation general suddenly commented softly.
As he was speaking, an elliptical ship with a size blotting out the sky, that had a leather-like outer shell gleaming in black luster while being covered entirely in ferocious mouthpieces and tentacles flew across the sky above Mammoth, in a seemingly slow but actually fast speed, bringing along a faintness that shrouded the entire mothership from Earth.
Surprised to find a shadow above the arched screen on top of his head, Menger froze for a while before raising his head and muttering in an admiring tone, “It’s the Wizard Li’s huge Skybeast. Doctor, even though nobody has personally witnessed the performance of this type of weapon that is called ‘the god’s creation’ on the battlefield before, just its nearly perfect model has made many federal weapons experts think that it should be one of the forms of expressions of the mythical civilization’s weapon terminal. If you can get a Skybeast from the Wizard Li, even the smallest one…”
“General Menger, do you think the senators in the federation can persuade the Congress and the President to export an aircraft carrier to the Wizard Li?” Zhang Lisheng chuckled and interrupted the federal general’s dreamlike words.
Menger fell into a moment of silence and shook his head with a regretful smile, “Of course it’s impossible. My thought was just too whimsical. I’m sorry, doctor.”
