Ou Zhanpeng’s angry questions echoed repeatedly in the spacious cabin, the sound waves lingering.
The Roll mech executed a swift turn, its forearm opening. Segmented blades unfolded and interlocked, transforming into a broadsword over a meter long.
Ou Zhanpeng’s eyes widened in astonishment. The more he looked at the blades, the more they resembled the armor worn by the Roll people. He had initially thought their armor was similar to powered suits, never imagining it served this purpose.
Without a word, Little Luo manipulated the mech and leaped up, lunging towards Ou Zhanpeng.
Since he had been discovered, what was there to say? It was time for a direct confrontation.
But the moment the Roll mech left the ground, Ou Zhanpeng deactivated the artificial gravity. The mech immediately lost control and slammed into the ceiling.
Little Luo’s reaction speed was astonishing. The mech flipped in mid-air, and two streams of azure flame suddenly erupted from its back, propelling it to accelerate towards Ou Zhanpeng.
Although his actions were exposed, Little Luo had long recognized Ou Zhanpeng’s importance. If he could capture this man, there was still a chance to gain control of Starship Base!
Facing the descending enemy, Ou Zhanpeng twisted his neck, his cervical vertebrae emitting crisp cracking sounds.
Simultaneously, he reactivated the artificial gravity, increasing its intensity to five times the normal level. The charging Roll mech instantly lost control, crashing onto the ground headfirst with a loud thud. Its broadsword scraped a trail of sparks along its mechanical legs.
However, the Roll people’s technology was not for show. Little Luo quickly manipulated the mech to stand up, seemingly unfazed by the gravitational change.
It was unclear who had just fallen headfirst.
Having been tricked by Ou Zhanpeng twice, Little Luo was furious. He raised his sword, pointing it at Captain Ou, “If you have the guts, let’s have a one-on-one fight!”
“A one-on-one fight?” Ou Zhanpeng laughed, looking at the opponent as if he were a champion of the intellectually challenged Olympics. “Are you still asleep? This is our territory, and I’m the captain of this ship. You expect me to have a one-on-one fight here? My brain isn’t faulty!”
As he spoke, a group of force field robots swarmed out from all directions, surrounding Little Luo’s mech.
Little Luo struggled desperately, his thrusters emitting a piercing roar.
However, with over a dozen robots releasing their force fields simultaneously, his mech was like an elephant stuck in quicksand, struggling more to sink deeper.
Ou Zhanpeng was genuinely surprised. With over a dozen layers of force fields suppressing it, this mech could still move?
Well, albeit slowly. In comparison, a standard human combat armor would be unable to move even a single finger at this point.
Ou Zhanpeng took two steps forward, stopping in front of the opponent. He lightly tapped the mech’s broadsword, producing a clear ping.
Furthermore, one of the robots suddenly unleashed a high-intensity electromagnetic pulse at the Roll mech. The mech sparked violently, completely losing power. The flames erupting from its back slowly subsided.
The Roll mech only had a pair of cold mechanical eyes, but Ou Zhanpeng seemed to see the furious flames of a volcanic eruption within those artificial lenses.
“Speak, what exactly do you want?”
The opponent remained motionless, silent.
Ou Zhanpeng sighed. Tough guys were too much of a hassle!
At this moment, others arrived in a hurry. As the cabin door opened, Ling Xiao impatiently rushed in, almost collapsing under the five-G gravity.
Fortunately, Ou Zhanpeng reacted quickly, returning the gravity to standard levels.
Ling Xiao stumbled but managed to regain his balance. He looked at Ou Zhanpeng and then at the Roll mech, his face filled with surprise, “It’s over so quickly?”
Ou Zhanpeng raised an eyebrow, feeling that Ling Xiao was being sarcastic. “Dealing with such a piece of junk, how long do you think it should take?”
Ling Xiao grinned, “A clash of titans, an all-out fight, it should take at least three to five minutes, right? I still wanted to witness the Roll people’s combat skills!”
“Combat skills my foot!” Ou Zhanpeng blurted out a curse. “What if the Roll person self-destructed?”
Ling Xiao hadn’t considered that possibility, but he refused to back down. “Weren’t they checked when they boarded the ship?”
“They were checked, but if the mech can be brought on board, why not bombs?” Ou Zhanpeng waved his hand like he was shooing away a dog. “Go, go, go, don’t get in the way!”
He called for several people, who completely immobilized the Roll mech’s limbs and torso to ensure it wouldn’t cause any trouble. Only then did they partially release the suppression on the opponent and allow the mech to move.
For safety, it wasn’t completely loosened.
Next, Gong Yiding took charge. He remotely controlled several robots, approaching the mech cautiously like defusing a bomb, and searched it from top to bottom. “No luck, can’t find the cockpit!”
Little Luo was still inside the mech. Until he was pulled out, this thing remained a potential threat.
“If you can’t find it, just dismantle it!” Ou Zhanpeng said.
He had originally hoped to obtain some intelligence from Little Luo, but he had now abandoned that idea.
Since that was the case, there was no need to be so cautious.
Ling Xiao offered a different opinion, “Could that Little Luo also be a robot?”
Ou Zhanpeng and Gong Yiding exchanged glances and said in unison, “Possibly!”
“Dismantle it,” Ou Zhanpeng stated.
“Dismantle it!” Gong Yiding agreed.
A moment later, several robots were brought over. Gong Yiding, multitasking, began to dismantle the Roll mech.
Although the mech had been destroyed by the electromagnetic pulse, its hardware was largely intact. Through careful research, it might be possible to reverse-engineer it and master some of the Roll people’s technology.
Even if reverse-engineering was impossible, studying it could reveal their technological level.
Not only the mech received special attention from Starship Base, but the lifeboat also didn’t escape scrutiny. It was also dismantled by robots controlled by Gong Yiding.
Initially, a group of people gathered to watch the spectacle, but after a while, everyone returned to their posts.
Ou Zhanpeng remained there, meticulously recalling all known situations—the Roll warship’s intrusion into the Cygnus X alarm, the Pig Nose warship destroying the forward base, and so on. He carefully analyzed every clue.
However, he was not adept at this task. After pondering for a long time, he gained no insight.
“What are you thinking about? So lost in thought?” Ling Xiao asked.
“Nothing,” Ou Zhanpeng shook his head. “I’m thinking, is the Pig Nose warship really a vessel from the three major civilizations? Could all of this be a ploy, a self-inflicted injury staged by the Roll people?”
Ling Xiao was stunned, “No way?”
“No, I think it’s highly probable,” Ou Zhanpeng frowned deeply. “As the saying goes, you don’t chase after a buyer. When we first rescued the Roll people, I didn’t think much of it, but now that I think about it, everything is too coincidental. Even that star system in the nebula was likely arranged by the Roll people in advance.”
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon Little Luo. “After all is said and done, the Roll people’s target is still the base. If we had stayed there as the Roll people intended, this thing wouldn’t have made any move; but since we suddenly left…”
“He probably thought we discovered something and, fearing his plan would be exposed, was forced to make a move to seize the base,” Gong Yiding stated, remaining motionless, like a puppet. “Using this mech and force to seize it was likely the Roll people’s last resort.”
Ling Xiao suddenly understood, “They sacrificed their warship and their base, the Roll people are truly willing to pay a heavy price!”
“The problem now is no longer what the Roll people want to do,” Ou Zhanpeng scratched his head in distress, his mind finally clearing. “I’d rather it be the three major civilizations targeting us than a conspiracy by the Roll people.”
Ling Xiao became even more confused, “What do you mean?”
Gong Yiding answered on Ou Zhanpeng’s behalf, “If our dismantling of the Roll people’s conspiracy angers them, what if they retaliate against Earth?”
Ling Xiao replied without hesitation, “What’s so difficult about that? We continue our strategic deterrence! We have to act before the Roll people deal with Earth, otherwise, it will be too late.”
Gong Yiding nodded in approval, “Kid, you’re finally using your brain for once.”
“Hey, that’s nothing. I know what to do using my heel!”
Ou Zhanpeng was not in the mood to expose his boasting. He said worriedly, “We only have one Earth, but the Roll people have many administrative planets. I’m afraid the Roll people won’t comply!”
Before Gong Yiding could speak, Ling Xiao preempted him, “You’re overthinking it. We are the ones who are backward. The barefoot are not afraid of the shod. How much is one of the Roll people’s planets worth? How much is Earth worth? If they want to exchange, let them exchange. Let’s see who can afford to lose!”
“Ling Xiao is right,” Gong Yiding said. “At this time, there is no need to hesitate, nor can we hesitate. We have been pushed to the edge of a cliff by the enemy, with no way back.”
Before he finished speaking, there was a slight click. The robots had successfully detached one of the Roll mech’s arms.
With the experience from the first time, the rest became easier. In a flash, both arms, both legs, and the head were removed.
Gong Yiding couldn’t help but praise, “Masterful work!”
The Roll mech’s connection method was not as complex as imagined. It was a simple structural linkage, somewhat resembling the mortise and tenon joints of ancient architecture.
It was both simple and practical, and highly efficient.
Initially believing they had found a way to dismantle it, and expecting smooth sailing, they discovered during further disassembly that while some connecting structures could be detached, many places were simply stuck and could not be opened at all.
Gong Yiding did not hesitate. After carefully recording the relevant structures, he proceeded with brute-force disassembly.
This greatly increased the disassembly efficiency. In a short while, the once intact Roll mech was reduced to parts.
Gong Yiding couldn’t help but complain, “Ou Zhanpeng, you’re quite lucky, you know that? The Roll people brought very few parts. For such a large mech, it was only equipped with one broadsword. If it had other weapons, you might not have been able to catch him.”
Ou Zhanpeng had long passed his youthful impetuosity, but hearing these words, he still felt a sense of dissatisfaction.
It was just a mech. If they had fought head-on with full force, it was uncertain who would have emerged victorious!
However, he was wise enough to keep quiet and did not intend to argue.
Gong Yiding could access the entire base’s computing power at any time. Arguing logic and reason with him would be a disservice to himself. Let him say whatever he wanted.
“Elder Gong, there’s no time to lose. I think we should immediately return to Earth to bring back more nuclear bombs and deter the Roll people first before discussing anything else. What do you think?”
“You are the captain, you decide,” Gong Yiding remained motionless. “Leave the research to me.”
“Then it’s settled!” Ou Zhanpeng said.
A moment later, the base sounded the alarm for the imminent activation of a wormhole, reminding everyone to be cautious.
Then, Starship Base traversed the wormhole and appeared near Proxima Centauri.
After hiding the base, Starship detached itself and returned to Earth alone.
When Starship appeared near the Moon and saw the intact Earth, Ou Zhanpeng let out a long sigh of relief. His heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally settled.
“Calling Headquarters, calling Headquarters, this is Starship, please respond!”
The command center, having received the message, instantly erupted. Zhou Guangyi immediately responded, “Starship, why have you returned? Didn’t you say…”
“It’s a long story,” Ou Zhanpeng briefly explained the situation, emphasizing the suspicions about the Roll people, and finally stated the purpose of his return to Earth.
“I need mushroom bombs, as many as possible!”
“Understood, we’ll gather them immediately, at the fastest speed!” Zhou Guangyi said.
He immediately ordered the fleet to deliver all the mushroom bombs near the Moon at the fastest speed and hand them directly to Starship.
It was no exaggeration to say that humanity’s current stockpile of mushroom bombs was at an all-time high!
Before this, the maximum number of mushroom bombs had exceeded twenty thousand. However, with the end of the Cold War, allies had significantly reduced their mushroom bomb quantities until the appearance of aliens.
Realizing the threat of aliens, allies restarted production lines. Now, humanity’s total number of mushroom bombs far surpassed the previous peak.
Among them, the number of small-yield, high-power miniature mushroom bombs was the largest, generally with an output of just over a thousand tons.
Then there were the high-yield mushroom bombs exceeding ten million tons, and a considerable number with yields of fifty million tons or even higher.
However, there was a blank in the range between one thousand tons and ten million tons.
The reason was simple: small-yield miniature mushroom bombs were flexible in use, and ultra-high-yield heavy mushroom bombs provided strong deterrence. From both strategic and tactical perspectives, there was no need for intermediate yields.
Where there was no need, there was no manufacturing.
Thus, Starship received a large batch of miniature mushroom bombs, as well as a small number of heavy mushroom bombs. Even two mushroom bombs with a yield of one hundred million tons were received.
These were, by far, the mushroom bombs with the largest yields. Detonating just one on the surface of Earth could destroy nearly half a planet.
They were the most suitable for deterring the Roll people.
In just half a day, Starship replaced all its missiles with mushroom bombs. In addition, it received over two thousand miniature warheads and over a dozen ultra-high-yield warheads.
Zhou Guangyi, still worried, contacted Starship to inquire if the batch of mushroom bombs was sufficient.
Ou Zhanpeng’s face darkened, and he repeatedly replied that it was enough.
The current issue was not how many mushroom bombs they had, but how to deliver them to the Roll people’s star system to let them know that humanity was not to be trifled with!
With a mind full of worries, the loaded Starship left the solar system and rendezvoused with the base hidden near Proxima Centauri.
After discussing with Gong Yiding and others for a while, Ou Zhanpeng made a firm decision, piloting the Starship Base directly to the Roll 2 star system!
Since it was about deterrence, they had to give the Roll people a taste of their own medicine through the most direct means.