Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 7 - 7 Who is Killing Our Loved Ones

Milan, driven to her limit, snapped! She grabbed a gun and shouted in fury, ”Fatty, are you trying to get yourself killed today?”

”Bang!”

A bullet hit the ground near Tian Xingjian’s foot.

Fatty was startled, quickly jumped up, shaking all over like a dog eagerly wagging its tail at its owner, immediately plastering a fawning smile on his chubby face, ”Just kidding, just kidding. This is undoubtedly the brilliant work of the beautiful and wise Miss Milan.”

Seeing that Milan seemed still furious and about to lash out again, Fatty, knowing that this seemingly calm woman was actually a powder keg, quickly changed the subject, ”What kind of metal is used in this Mecha?”

Milan’s anger seemed to diminish a bit when talking about her proud creation. She threw aside the gun and clapped her hands, ”Let me teach you something clever. This is a biological dual state metal invented by Professor Boswell and me, experimental code BM3633. It hasn’t officially been named yet.”

As she moved towards the large computer against the wall, Milan signaled for Fatty to follow, continuing, ”This metal has the advantages of liquid metal without its drawbacks. Of course, the price is just as high as liquid metal. In some aspects, it’s even rarer than liquid metal.”

She opened a file on the computer’s touch screen and pointed at a plant in the document, explaining to Fatty, ”This metal can only be derived from the raw materials produced by this Gold-devouring Grass. This plant is only found at the North Pole of Miloke Star. Its numbers are very scarce. Because the soil in the Arctic contains natural radioactive substances and ultra-heavy metal particles, practically no other life can survive there. This grass is the sole inhabitant, maintaining its own nutrient balance with a high metal ratio. The metals it cannot absorb are excreted, forming the raw biological dual state metal.”

”The properties of this metal were discovered by Professor Boswell.” Milan’s slender fingers twirled a pen back and forth quickly, her small nose wrinkling in pride as she said, ”I used the repulsion between Gold-devouring Grass and the raw materials to complete this alloy!!”

Fatty understood, ”So, the liquid metal state is caused by the biological cells of the Gold-devouring Grass making the metal liquid. When these biological cells are forcefully isolated or turned off, the metal, resembling a biological fluid, reverts to a solid state. Although the Gold-devouring Grass can alter the metal’s form, this metal is essentially its excretion and thus avoids the devouring effect caused by biological cells on metals. By mixing memory alloy to speed up this transformation process, this super alloy is produced. Is that right?”

”Correct.” A voice came from behind Fatty. He turned around to see Professor Boswell.

The old professor patted Fatty’s head with some delight, ”Your comprehension is quite good. To infer the experimental process just from Milan’s brief explanation. It seems you’re overqualified for merely being a mechanical repair soldier.”

The old professor turned to Milan and said, ”Show him the manufacturing theory and data of this Mecha.” Then he spoke to Fatty, ”Be sure to read the last sentence carefully. Milan will help answer any questions you have.”

Feeling both flattered and apprehensive, Fatty quickly read through the document. However, the last sentence left him trembling and at a loss:

This document records the various data, manufacturing theories, and experimental results of the Mecha, marked as a top-secret S-level document of the Leray Federation.

Seeing such an S-level top-secret document, the only outcome for a mechanical repair soldier who is struggling for a life sentence instead of a death sentence, Fatty dared not imagine.

”Two years!” A voice whispered in Fatty’s ear, sounding as demonic as the person setting him up. It was Boswell.

The old man coldly stated, ”You must work here for at least two years until this document is declassified or downgraded to B-level confidentiality. For these two years, stay here at ease.”

Fatty was a bit dazed, thinking, ”I’m sentenced to death, aren’t I? What does he mean by two years?”

*************

The brutal war continued.

The Gazalin Empire intensified its ground offensive against Miloke Star. With the air force of the Leray Federation almost completely destroyed, the main lines of communication between cities were severed by the Imperial Army, leaving each city’s defense forces isolated. Despite their desperate efforts, five cities inevitably fell into the hands of the invaders.

War is the continuation of politics, and politics ensures the development needs of its citizens. Although nuclear technology can easily destroy a planet thousands of years ago, under the constraints of the Interstellar War Treaty and for practical reasons, both sides refrain from using weapons that would bring unbearable repercussions on their own people.

This is why ground resistance on Miloke Planet can still continue.

But how long can this hopeless resistance last? The Federation soldiers were confused. If the Federation couldn’t gain air superiority, the ground forces would be obliterated one by one, and the bloodshed and sacrifices would result in nothing but pointless casualties.

The Federation radio persistently called for resistance, which never ceased. Of the five fallen cities, three became complete ruins, with millions of people perishing in the war fires. Even so, underground resistance organizations began to emerge in these cities. These groups, spontaneously formed by scattered Federation soldiers, quickly gathered together under the ”Behind Enemy Lines Soldier Code,” persistently harassing the enemy with almost ragtag weapons, stubborn and relentless.

Is this the spark of a kindling fire or the last flicker of an extinguishing ember on the ashes...

All eyes were on the border between the Atlantis Star Domain and the Central Leray Star Domain... Breaking through here would bring the Newton Star System back into the Federation’s hands.

Wormholes are the only means for humans to conquer the universe across space and time distances. By utilizing the natural wormholes between star domains, humans created spatial jump channels, reducing light-year distances to nearly an instant. During space jumps, interstellar warships cannot deploy energy defense shields. Without energy defense shields, a warship could be entirely destroyed by a single salvo from the main cannons of three enemy warships.

The border between Atlantis and Leray is essentially a huge space region spanning tens of thousands of light-years apart. These two regions form the two entrances of the wormhole.

The Imperial Army now guards the entrance to the Atlantis Star Domain. Several fleets of the Gazalin Imperial Space Fleet are stationed here, each guarding a section of this vast space. They can detect any non-Imperial spacecraft appearing in this space promptly, cutting it off, surrounding, or destroying it.

The Federation’s advantage is that no one will know at what moment these avenging warships will suddenly appear in front of the Imperial Army. The main cannons of warships take two minutes to charge, and no one knows the exact position where Federation warships will emerge from the leap. After the leap ends, it takes only three minutes for the warship to activate its energy defense shield.

Even so, for the Leray Federation, this is still a battle that is destined to open with sacrifice.

So, who will go first?

To become the target of enemy attacks, to guard the exit of the channel with blood, and to bear the sacrifice for the fleet behind them.

This piercing question made the warriors of the Newton Star System’s local fleet sneer; they scoffed at the person who proposed this question.

This group of Leray people said, ”We’ll go! We will take back what we have lost!!!”

Their eyes turned red, and no one dared to compete with them.

Two months ago, after losing more than 50% of their warships, this local fleet, responsible for guarding the Newton Star System and almost entirely composed of soldiers from the Miloke Binary Stars, retreated humiliatingly to the Central Leray Star Domain.

They were in pain.

Their homeland and families were suffering from the war fire, and they were powerless.

Every day spent in the Central Leray Star Domain was torture and agony. The deep humiliation drove them mad. They trained incessantly, sleeping only three hours a day.

In fact, they didn’t even get three hours! They were constantly awakened by nightmares or woke up crying silently... unable to sleep again...

New Era March 2060

The Leray Federation assembled over half of the nation’s military fleet and began a strong attack on the Jump Point....

When the Newton Star System’s local fleet, replenished with soldiers and warships, vanished one after another into the twisted light and shadow.

Federation President Hamilton delivered the third national television address since the outbreak of the war.

He stood in front of the independence monument that symbolizes freedom and unity, with the television screen behind him broadcasting scenes filmed by journalists risking their lives during the fall of various planets. These scenes were sent back to the capital and edited into a special feature: ”Who’s Killing Our Loved Ones.”

The special feature was produced entirely in black-and-white, restoring only one color—the color of blood. In the entire feature, all the blood was in its original color, tragic and vivid.

Massive explosions erupted in the busiest areas of the city, amidst heart-wrenching cries. A father tightly held a dead little boy, burying his face in the boy’s forehead, kissing him repeatedly. Tears mixed with snot ran down the boy’s face.

More tragedies were happening, and the journalists left.

When the journalists passed by a few hours later, the father was still there, holding the child in the midst of a fleeing crowd, staring lifelessly at the camera. As the photographer moved, his gaze followed, as if the camera was guiding his vacant eyes. Finally, the photographer backed away step by step, the shot pulled further and further away, until the father became very small in the frame, but people could still see his despairingly hollow gaze fixed on the camera.

........

A bleeding soldier smiled at the photographer, saying, ”We aren’t afraid, we are resisting. If you can see... Mom, I love you.” Three minutes later, he died in uncontrollable pain.

........

”Son of a bitch! Come on.” A corporal roared as he fired, his squad repelling enemy attacks repeatedly. Behind him was the airport, enemy paratroopers had already approached, fighters were hastily transferring, they had to hold their ground with no place to retreat. The camera switched from this corporal to his comrades, and then back to him just as a bullet pierced his head, causing him to collapse heavily onto the ground, a spray of blood dyeing the entire lens red. A nearby soldier rushed up, futilely pressing his wound, crying out loudly, ”Help! Medic!”

........

There were many more scenes like this...

Everyone who watched this special feature cried. They will forever remember these images.

The President said, ”We must remember these scenes, and such scenes are still happening on Miloke Planet. We have no right to abandon them.”

The President concluded, ”Blood debt!... Blood repayment!”