105: reconnaissance

Bonus chapter for the generous donation from Olga Chair Ka (1/1). Still owe 21 chapters.

Two hours later, in the joint fleet within the Void Channel.

In the eyes of Lieutenant General Gould, the greatest invention of humanity was the star marker.

The void bubbles emitted by a vast number of star markers connected into a line, securing the entire stable and safe channel, which was why he was able to stop his ships here now and begin issuing orders for the next step—

"All units, begin deploying reconnaissance 'drones' according to plan."

The 80 specialized reconnaissance ships in the front immediately began their operations—

In the dimly lit cabin, half-person-tall Hibernation Pods were taken out, and the awakening process was initiated.

Soon, the first Hibernation Pod opened, and immediately, sounds of breathing and wriggling emerged. An Amnesty Soldier wearing a white protective suit scooped a wriggling object out from inside—

It was a person, no, half a person.

"It" lacked all organs below the shoulders and pelvis. Apart from a skull-like head, only its clearly defined ribs remained. The deep-sea fluid from the Hibernation Pod covered its body, making it look terrifying and disgusting.

But its rotating eyeballs and constantly heaving chest proved that it was still a living creature.

These unfortunate fellows were "organic components for unmanned devices," a grade lower than Amnesty Soldiers. They were the alternative first conceived and promoted by the Claude Military-Political Consortium after the comprehensive ban on AI development.

After all, some small precision equipment left over from the pre-era urgently needed a control core after their AIs were removed.

Originally, they used children, but in actual use, the results were not ideal because children had low intelligence, so these organic components were replaced with these skin-and-bones half-people.

Their source was the first generation of debt slaves who had inexplicably incurred huge debts. The maintenance departments belonging to various fleets would often choose those who originally had happy families and strong emotional bonds.

As long as one person in a family was willing to become what they publicly advertised as a "lifelong mechanical and technical servant," these maintenance department people would immediately clear all debts for their whole family and leave behind a sum of credit points sufficient to guarantee long-term living.

Often, upon seeing the clause about clearing debts, those who were willing to give everything for their families would agree without hesitation and sign that contract full of traps.

As for where the debts came from? Shh—! Do not say things that are unfavorable to unity around the Marshal. After all, the secret inspectors catch more than just officials of The Consortium.

"Hey, hey, hey?" "Can you still talk?"

An Amnesty Soldier looked at the half-person first scooped out. He first reached out and waved his hand in front of its eyes. Seeing it only blink, he slapped it.

"Hah... hah hah..." Watching this dazed appearance, the Amnesty Soldier holding it almost lost his patience. He said directly:

"Number 9-98-075, lost value." "Service less than two years, reinstate its family's debts; the enlistment fee provided by The Consortium automatically converts into a loan, with interest calculated starting from the month of disbursement."

Then, he walked straight to a trash chute, preparing to throw it out.

"Ah! Ah! Sir! I... I am awake! I am awake!" "Please do not reinstate my debts! Leah cannot bear this! She is still a child!" "Ah! Sir! Sir!"

Just as the Amnesty Soldier was about to let go, the half-person seemed to wake from a dream, twisting its body frantically and screaming wildly. Its protruding large eyes looked at the white protective suit holding him with a pleading gaze.

The Amnesty Soldier holding him looked uncertainly at the formal navy soldier wearing an Exoskeleton behind him. The soldier just glanced at it and said, "Throw it," "I already finished reporting it."

Immediately, the Amnesty Soldier ignored the desperate wailing and simply let go, letting the wriggling fellow fall down, followed by a "squelch" sound. As for him, he walked toward the next canister.

Soon, more than a thousand slender reconnaissance drones finished assembling their parts and were launched directly by their motherships. Their mission was to head to the battlefield ahead of the fleet to scout the battlefield environment for the main fleet.

Soon, these fast-advancing small accessories streaked across a curtain of light, exiting the Void Channel from the Node Space Station entrance.

The spatial wave radars on them scanned continuously, while the organic components wearing brainwave capture helmets controlled the direction of the reconnaissance drones, reporting the reconnaissance results to the rear from time to time.

Radar maps and real-world images were synchronized to the command flagship, and Gould immediately summoned the staff officers to hold a meeting.

"There are no traces of any enemy ships in the currently scouted area," "but it can be seen on the hull of the Node Space Station that this place has suffered severe strikes." "The damaged locations are all at the launch points for heavy anti-ship torpedoes, proving that the enemy forces carried out precise fire suppression."

"Beep, beep!" At this moment, a new message came in. Those drones had conducted preliminary detection and could confirm that the area around the channel was clear.

Gould flipped through this message, smiled disdainfully, and said, "What is this opponent of ours doing?" "Isn't this obviously trying to ambush us?"

The several staff officers in attendance also agreed with this view, so— "Activate Plan B-3, exit the Void Channel directly midway." "By the way, remember to warn the Imperial side, suggesting they also leave the channel early to avoid an ambush."

After issuing the orders, Gould turned his attention back to the conference room. "Alright," "now let's discuss the enemy's strength!" "If anyone feels there are issues, bring them up first, along with your solutions!"

Instantly, the conference room became lively— "The opposition directly prepared an ambush for our arrival, implying they have some understanding of our situation! We might have a mole! Recommended countermeasure: increase the scrutiny intensity of Political Commissars at all levels."

"The opponent carried out surgically precise strikes on each torpedo launcher, suggesting their fire control and electronic control systems are formidable. They may possess strong electronic warfare capabilities and have invaded the digital control system to obtain the launcher locations. It is recommended to change the Warship operation mode to mechanical operation."

... ... At this moment, in several hidden hangars and Starports within the Space City, thousands of fighter jets were fully prepared, ready at any moment to deliver a head-on blow to the enemy. They just floated there quietly, waiting quietly— it all depended on who lost their patience first.