Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 135: Superstorm

The Akko before our eyes seemed to have doubled in size, with a thick storm layer forming the bulk of the expansion. Six massive ships of unique designs were surrounding the planet from six different angles. Each ship was equipped with a massive hose that constantly released an unknown white substance onto the planet.

The substance rapidly fused with the storm around the planet. Even as we watched, the storm continued growing while terrifying lightning bolts flickered amid the thick white storm. A small number of fighter drones were constantly patrolling around the six ships.

"What is this? What is the emperor trying to do?" exclaimed Zhang Bao'er in shock.

"Domo, have you seen this weapon before?" I asked. Domo was the one with the highest level of understanding of the various imperial weapons here.

"I'm a lowly second lieutenant. What do I know?" said Domo grumpily.

"Domo, stop throwing a tantrum. This is important. Since you have joined the army, a certain level of discipline is expected," I said solemnly.

"This seems to be a storm generator. Lidu has always been lacking in water. I have seen them using these things to generate rain before. But generally, only one ship would be used, and it would be much smaller than these ships," said Domo.

"Storm generator. Can it be..." Zhang Bao'er muttered.

Old Du said, "There are a lot of underground bunkers in Akko. Most of the resistance is hidden in these bunkers, making it hard for the empire to suppress them. Looks like the empire plans to create a superstorm to flood everyone to death."

"It's clear the superstorm is already wreaking havoc on the planet. I believe this is why most of the Southstar Army had retreated. They have already achieved their strategic goal here," said Kelly.

"In other words, Zhang Xingxing and the others are in extreme danger? We need to attack the storm generators immediately," I said.

"Captain, we only have two ships. Although a majority of them have retreated, they still have at least 100 Milky Wayclass battleships," reminded Lin Feixue.

"I suggest we go through the perimeter undetected and ambush one of the generators first. The defenses around these generators are rather weak. We can try to sow chaos among them," said Old Du.

"I agree. Valuable materials are needed to make these storm generators. Each time one is used on Lidu, the empire will tax us harshly. If we can destroy even one generator, they might be forced to retreat. That way, the pressure on the planet will be reduced," said Domo.

"Feixue, have our probes returned?" I asked.

"Reporting to the captain, all probes have returned. A suitable route for infiltration has also been drawn," said Lin Feixue.

"Good. Have Dondon approach the perimeter with Fearless. Upon detection, focus on retreating. Keep them distracted while Spacetime sneaks in," I said.

"Roger," everyone replied.

Spacetime immediately moved along the infiltration route. As our enemies were already stretched thin, we were able to advance smoothly. When we were halfway through, I noticed that a group of fighter drones was rushing toward a position behind us.

"Dondon and the others have started as well. The enemies are distracted. Let's pick up the speed," I said.

With Fearless's cover, Spacetime accelerated through the perimeter and arrived before a storm generator.

The massive generator worked untiringly, constantly releasing the white substance to manufacture more storms.

"Canyue, this big guy probably has a powerful shield. I suggest we attack from below and aim for the hose," proposed Old Du.

I immediately adopted his idea and ordered to have Spacetime sneak below the generator while maintaining invisibility. The massive hose constantly poured out the white substance from its hose, and an ear-splitting rumbling constantly came from the generator. The hose looked more like an entrance to hell than a storm generator.

"Captain, the high-energy cluster missiles are ready. We can open fire at any time," reported Lin Feixue.

"Open fire and make preparations to enter the storm at a moment's notice," I ordered.

Two high-energy cluster missiles shot toward the hose before vanishing into the storm generator. Our judgment proved correct; the hose was not protected by a shield. Shortly after, a massive explosion erupted, followed by a series of additional explosions all over the gigantic generator. The numerous small explosions ultimately added up into a massive explosion that created a mushroom cloud in the air. The generator was reduced into a bunch of drifting debris.

"Success!" Zhang Bao'er cried out in excitement.

Our judgment proved correct yet again; after the first generator was destroyed, the other five generators hurriedly pulled their hoses back in preparation to retreat, seemingly afraid of further destruction.

"Looks like we have solved this threat, at least," said Zhang Bao'er.

"It's not that simple. These generators might have retreated, but the storm is still around. From how it looks, the storm can probably last a few more days. At that point, the entire planet will already be flooded," said Kelly.

Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded while the entirety of Spacetime shook.

"Captain, the imperial army has discovered us. They are attacking," reported Lin Feixue loudly.

I turned around and saw that three Milky Wayclass battleships were shooting at us from behind. At the same time, over a hundred fighter drones were flying toward us under the command of the battleships.

"Ready all our weapons. Do not allow the fighters to approach us," Lin Feixue barked out a series of orders calmly.

"Canyue, from how the battlefield looks, we're surrounded. There is no need to fight three battleships to the death. We should rush into the storm and commence our rescue mission," suggested Kelly.

Through the window, I saw that the fighter drones were nearing us. Countless red laser beams assaulted us while our cannons speedily struck down more than 10 fighters under Lin Feixue's command.

"Captain, the three battleships are firing neutron bombs at us. Our shield will only last for roughly 30 minutes," reported Lin Feixue calmly.

"Immediately dive down into the storm. Notify Fearless to withdraw and wait further away from the planet," I ordered quickly.

At my command, Spacetime accelerated and entered the artificial storm. The moment we entered, we moved farther away from the previous battleground. As for the imperial battleships, they didn't even bother giving chase after we entered the storm.

We entered a world of whistling wind, flashing lightning, and rumbling thunder. Although this was nowhere as powerful as the storm on Jupiter II, I was still assaulted by a massive visual shock because it was my first time witnessing something like this from the captain's seat.

After going through the thick storm layer, we arrived at a white world. A torrential rain covered the entire planet. The raindrops were so concentrated that my visibility had been shortened to a distance of 10 meters.

"Lin Feixue, activate the laser probe and scan the planet's surface," I ordered.

Soon, the scan results returned. According to the computer simulation, the entire planet had turned into a world of water. Apart from some high mountain peaks that still existed above water, the entire planet had transformed into an ocean.

"That Emperor Fille talks about justice all the time, but look at the amount of life lost here because of him," said Kelly furiously.

I was greatly distressed to see the sight before me. The underground bunkers were central to Akko's military strategy. However, the empire had utilized such a cruel method to deal with them. This was an action that should be condemned by everyone.

"Captain, the entire planet has been submerged in water. According to our scans, with the continuous rain, level-18 super typhoons might appear at any time. It is unlikely that much of the land-based life forms on this planet have survived," said Lin Feixue.

"I don't care how difficult it is. Send all our probes and activate our infrared scanner. Search for any survivor we can find," I ordered.

The order was carried out promptly. All the probes were deployed as we performed the search and rescue operation.

"Canyue, this is not your fault. It's the emperor who is too vicious for sinking so low," Old Du consoled me.

"This is war. The truth is always cruel. How many inhabitants can this little planet have? I reckon there are no more than 100 million. When the Gliesens invaded Blue, we lost two billion lives. Do not be sad. As long as there is conflict, there will be death," said Kelly.

I understood what she was saying, but the scene of Zhang Xingxing giving me her suit in the underground palace kept replaying in my mind. I could have offered to let her leave first. Alas, that one mistake had given me boundless regrets.

"I have a feeling that Zhang Xingxing won't die so easily. I believe she is still alive. Don't start weeping before the search is even over," said Zhang Bao'er furiously.

His scolding pulled me out of my sorrow. Yes, nothing was confirmed yet. How could I lose hope so easily? I nodded gratefully at Bao'er as I recovered my mental state.

"Captain, our infrared scanner has discovered signs of life," said Lin Feixue in excitement.