106: Chapter 106 Terrorist Attack? High-Altitude Laser Defense Network Teaches People a Lesson

"Alert! Alert! Thirty-seven high-speed flying objects detected two hundred kilometers above the Equatorial Base Station! Estimated arrival at the 'star bridge' cable coverage airspace in ninety seconds!"

Nuwa's voice tore through the only bit of peace left in the Equatorial Base Station's command tent at 3:42 AM.

Lin Yun sprang up from his cot.

His sleep time had been compressed to less than four hours a day over the past month, but the moment the alarm sounded, his brain felt as if it had been injected with adrenaline, and all drowsiness was swept away.

"What flying objects? Missiles?"

"Not conventional missiles." Nuwa's speaking speed was thirty percent faster than usual. "The objects are slender and conical, approximately two meters long, and they aren't carrying explosive warheads—they are kinetic armor-piercing rounds. Pure physical attacks."

"Their target is—"

"The 'star bridge' cable."

Lin Yun's blood pressure spiked instantly.

The 'star bridge' cable—the carbon nanotube cable that had become 'star bridge matter' after being infused with power by Tia—though its strength surpassed the limits of all known materials, it was only three meters in diameter. If thirty-seven high-speed kinetic warheads hit the same cross-section of the cable simultaneously, even if they couldn't break it, it would be enough to cause structural damage.

And for a thirty-seven-thousand-kilometer-long cable to suffer structural damage, the consequences were unthinkable.

"Locate the launch source!"

"Locked. The source is from a depth of three hundred meters below the surface of the Western Pacific—a stealth submarine. Submarine model identified as... a modified version of the retired 'Ohio' class strategic nuclear submarine of the Eagle Sauce."

Red Queen's voice cut in immediately after, as cold as liquid nitrogen.

"However, the submarine's signal signature does not match the Eagle Sauce Navy database. Its paint, sonar frequency, and communication encryption all point toward a non-state paramilitary organization."

"Preliminary assessment—remnants of the 'Old Order'."

Lin Yun narrowed his eyes.

The 'Old Order'—the financial oligarchs, military-industrial complexes, and extremists who had lost power and interests after the establishment of the Earth Civilization Community and refused to accept the new order. They had been marginalized in the wave of the new global landscape, but they had not been completely eradicated.

These people had been biding their time in the shadows.

But Lin Yun hadn't expected them to choose this moment to act.

"How many seconds left?"

"Fifty-seven seconds."

Lin Yun strode out of the tent. In the equatorial night sky, the 'star bridge' cable, emitting a faint orange glow, stood quietly between heaven and earth like a golden silk thread rising from the ground.

It was the only passage for human civilization to space.

It could not afford any mishaps.

"Red Queen, activate the 'Skynet' system!"

"Activated."

'Skynet'—full name 'Skynet Laser Defense Array'—was a defense system Lin Yun had planned since the beginning of the space elevator design.

One hundred and twenty-eight sets of high-energy laser emitters were installed at nodes every five hundred meters along the 'star bridge' cable, extending from the ground up to an altitude of ninety-seven kilometers. Each set of lasers was powered by an independent miniature nuclear fusion battery and could complete target locking and firing within 0.3 seconds.

Their existence was meant for this very moment.

"Skynet system online. Target locked."

Lin Yun looked up.

He could see nothing—those kinetic warheads were like invisible needle tips in the night sky, pouncing toward the 'star bridge' at speeds exceeding Mach 7.

But 'Skynet' could see them.

"Fire."

One hundred and twenty-eight thin, hair-like purple beams of light shot out simultaneously from different heights along the 'star bridge' cable, weaving a massive grid made of lasers in the night sky.

The thirty-seven kinetic warheads were accurately struck by Skynet's lasers before they could even get within five hundred meters of the cable.

The moment each warhead was hit, it was instantly heated to thousands of degrees by the high-energy lasers, turning into harmless clouds of metal vapor in the high altitude.

From the ground, it looked as if thirty-seven faint, fleeting sparks had blossomed around the 'star bridge'.

From detecting the targets to complete destruction, the elapsed time was 4.7 seconds.

Most of the tens of thousands of engineers and soldiers at the Equatorial Base Station hadn't even fully woken up from their sleep before the threat was eliminated.

"All targets destroyed. 'star bridge' cable intact. Zero damage."

Nuwa's report arrived.

Lin Yun's fists slowly unclenched.

But his expression did not relax in the slightest.

Eliminating thirty-seven warheads wasn't hard. What was hard was—how did these remnants of the 'Old Order' know the precise coordinates of the 'star bridge'?

While the construction of the space elevator was public, the specific deployment parameters of the 'star bridge' cable, the configuration of the defense system, and the detailed layout of the Lotus Base Station's core area were all top secret.

"There's a mole," Lin Yun's voice was low and raspy like sandpaper.

"Screening is underway," Red Queen said. "Among the list of personnel previously allowed to 'participate in construction' from various signatory nations, seven highly suspicious individuals have been identified. Three of them come from one of those seventeen countries that claimed to 'participate' but actually infiltrated intelligence personnel."

"The other four... come from our own Engineering Corps."

Lin Yun's eyes suddenly turned cold.

There were moles among his own people as well.

"Take all seven into custody. Isolated interrogation. I want to know before dawn who is behind them, what their funding chain is, and if there are any subsequent action plans."

"Arrangements made."

Lin Yun returned to the command tent, and just as he sat down, Song Mingyue pushed the door open and rushed in.

She was wearing a crumpled nightgown—the first time in a month she hadn't been in cargo pants—and her hair was as messy as a bird's nest, but the light in her phoenix eyes was brighter than ever.

"Is the cable okay?"

That was the first sentence she asked upon entering.

Not "Are you okay?" Not "What happened?"

It was "Is the cable okay?"

Lin Yun almost laughed out of frustration.

"It's fine. The 'Skynet' system intercepted everything."

Song Mingyue let out a long breath and then plopped down onto a folding chair in the command tent, her legs too weak to stand.

"You scared me to death. When I heard the alarm, I thought..."

Song Mingyue's voice suddenly choked up.

She lowered her head, and Lin Yun saw her hands, clutching the hem of her nightgown, trembling slightly.

This woman, who would laugh even when being blown about by strong winds on the construction site, this "Goddess of Creation" who treated her hard hat as part of her body, was truly terrified the moment she learned the 'star bridge' might be under attack.

Not afraid of dying.

But afraid that the work she had poured all her heart and soul into would be destroyed in an instant.

"Engineer Song," Lin Yun walked over to her, crouched down, and spoke in a gentle tone he hadn't even realized he possessed.

"The cable is very safe. Ten thousand times safer than you imagine."

"Because it's not only protected by 'Skynet', but also covered by a hundred-kilometer-high laser defense grid. Anything that tries to touch it will be vaporized before getting within five hundred meters."

"And—"

Lin Yun hesitated for a moment but said it anyway.

"Its material is no longer ordinary carbon nanotubes. The strength of 'star bridge matter' can theoretically withstand a direct hit from a nuclear bomb. Even if all thirty-seven kinetic warheads had hit, they couldn't have caused any substantial damage."

"I ordered 'Skynet' to fire not because the cable couldn't take it. It's because—I absolutely will not allow anyone to get ideas about things I built."

Song Mingyue looked up, her reddened phoenix eyes meeting Lin Yun's gaze.

"You said... 'things I built'?"

"Yes. Things I built."

"This cable was designed by you."

"But the entire space elevator—from the mass production of carbon nanotubes to the Lotus Base Station to the 'Skynet' system—was driven by me personally."

"It is my work. And it is your work."

"Whoever dares to touch it will have to step over my dead body."

Song Mingyue looked at Lin Yun crouching before her, and a flush slowly spread across her dusty face—this time, it wasn't from the equatorial sun.

"You... you look very stupid crouching there and saying these things to me."

"I know."

"Then why are you still crouching?"

"Because you're sitting. If I stand while talking, you'd have to look up, and your neck would hurt."

Song Mingyue's lips twitched slightly.

Then she smiled.

A smile that came from deep within, carrying a hint of vulnerability and a hint of stubbornness.

"Fine." Song Mingyue stood up, half a head shorter than Lin Yun, but her presence was just as strong.

"Then let those bastards see what it means to—"

"Not even think about touching it."

She didn't say anything more sentimental. Because she was an engineer, and engineers let their work do the talking.

5:00 AM.

Red Queen's interrogation results were out.

Of the seven moles, three were low-level technicians coerced by the 'Old Order' using their families' safety as leverage. The other four were genuine mercenary spies; the one who had been undercover the longest had even infiltrated the Engineering Corps at the very start of the 'Hive' project.

The identity of the mastermind was also traced by Red Queen—a transnational underground organization codenamed 'Babel'.

"Babel."

The Tower of Babel.

Lin Yun sneered.

These people used 'Babel' to name their organization, and the implication couldn't be clearer—they believed humanity should not build a tower to the heavens and that Lin Yun's actions were an 'overstepping of God's authority'.

"Stupid," Lin Yun spat out two words.

"What about their funding sources?"

"Tracked. Primarily from three channels—the overseas black money accounts of the former Eagle Sauce military-industrial giant Locke, a secret foundation of a certain Middle Eastern oil family, and an anonymous trust registered in the Cayman Islands." Red Queen's tone was as cold as if she were reading an obituary.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"The total capital scale is about 12 billion old US dollars. Under the 'dragon coin' system, it has depreciated significantly, but it is still enough to maintain the operation of a small paramilitary force."

"Send the intelligence to Elder Chen. Let the intelligence department of the 'Civilization Guardian Army' clean it up." Lin Yun stood up, "Such clowns are not worth my personal attention."

"But—"

Lin Yun's tone suddenly changed.

"Although the interception performance of the 'Sky Screen' system was perfect, it exposed a problem."

"What problem?" Song Mingyue asked.

"The coverage of the 'Sky Screen' is only a 500-meter radius along the cable. If the next attack is a super long-range ballistic missile launched from a greater distance, or a kinetic weapon dropped from space orbit—the 'Sky Screen' won't be enough."

Lin Yun pulled up the holographic projection and drew a huge circle around the "star bridge" cable.

"I need a defense system with a coverage of at least 5,000 kilometers. Not just lasers—it must also include electromagnetic pulses, anti-missile interceptors, and orbital defense platforms deployed in space."

"A complete, multi-layered, from ground to space—defense network."

Song Mingyue frowned.

"5,000 kilometers? That covers almost the entire equatorial Pacific Ocean."

"Yes. The space elevator is not just an engineering project. It is the lifeline of human civilization. The defense system protecting it should also be global."

Lin Yun turned to the communicator.

"Elder Chen, you should already know about what just happened."

Elder Chen's holographic projection lit up in the corner of the tent, the old man's face livid.

"I know. It has already been deployed. That 'Babel' organization will be completely wiped out for you within twelve hours."

"Thanks. But I have another request."

"Speak."

"The defense of the space elevator cannot rely solely on the 'Sky Screen'. I need to establish a multi-layered defense system within 5,000 kilometers of the equator, consisting of the 'Luan Bird' fleet, surface patrol formations, underwater detection networks, and orbital defense satellites."

"The scale of this defense system is equivalent to the entire military force of a small country."

"I need the official authorization of the Joint Security Committee of the Earth Civilization Community."

Elder Chen was silent for a moment.

"Authorization approved. But there is one condition—the command of this defense system must be jointly held by the Joint Security Committee and you. It cannot be solely in your hands."

"No problem."

After the communication was cut off, Lin Yun returned to the command console in the center of the tent.

His gaze fell on the "star bridge" cable emitting a faint orange light on the holographic projection, a flash of coldness in his eyes.

Tonight's attack was a warning.

It was not a warning from "Babel" to him—but a warning from reality to him.

Once the space elevator is built, it will no longer be just an engineering marvel. It will become the core focus of global geopolitics—whoever controls the space elevator controls humanity's gateway to space.

For this gateway, some will stop at nothing to seize it.

And some will stop at nothing to destroy it.

"Starting today," Lin Yun said in a low voice, "the security level of the 'star bridge' is raised to the highest level."

"Any unauthorized aircraft, ship, or submarine that approaches within a 1,000-meter radius of the cable—"

"Sink it. No warning."

Xiao Zhang shrank his neck and quickly recorded the order.

"Brother Lin, there is one more thing."

"What?"

"From the Moon, General Li Yunlong sent a report. The construction progress of the 'Guanghan Palace' base is normal. But—"

Xiao Zhang's expression became subtle.

"After the fifth channel of the 'Moon Gate' lit up, it has been emitting a... very strange energy fluctuation."

"What kind?"

"General Li said that the fluctuation made everyone in the base... lighter."

"Lighter?"

"Yes. Everyone's body weight, under the influence of that fluctuation, has decreased by about 30 percent. The Moon's gravity is already only one-sixth of the Earth's, and to reduce it by another 30 percent..."

Xiao Zhang made a bitter face.

"General Li said he could jump 20 meters high with one leap and couldn't control it at all. During training yesterday, a super soldier stepped into empty space and was ejected directly to a height of 80 meters from the lunar surface. If he hadn't been wearing a space suit with thrusters, he would have almost flown out of the Moon's gravitational circle."

Lin Yun's brows knitted together.

The energy fluctuation of the fifth channel can affect gravity?

This is of a different nature than Tia's "star bridge" energy. What Tia injected through the fourth channel was material-enhancing energy, while what the fifth channel emits seems to be a—gravity regulation field.

"Tell Professor Fang to analyze the energy fluctuation spectrum of the fifth channel. At the same time—"

Lin Yun's gaze fell on the system panel.

Next to the avatar of Wu Bao Lin Xi, the icon representing the "Time Perception" talent was flickering at a slow but steady rhythm.

Just like a countdown timer.

"Does the fifth baby have any new movements recently?"

"Professor Fang said that the fifth baby has remained silent since saying that sentence. But his brainwave activity is continuously increasing—'Nuwa' estimates that his current information processing speed has already surpassed the first baby."

Lin Yun was silent.

His nine children were each growing at an unimaginable speed.

And the abnormal fluctuations of the fifth channel, the continuous evolution of the fifth baby, Tia's cry for help—all the clues were pointing in the same direction.

The secret of the "Moon Gate" was much deeper than they knew.

But right now, he must focus his attention on the "star bridge".

Because in two days—Song Mingyue is going to conduct the first manned test run of the space elevator.

That orange pillar of light leading from the Earth to the sky must be proven absolutely safe before that day.

"Red Queen, organize the complete data of tonight's attack into a report and send it to all signatory countries."

"Purpose?"

"To let them know that someone is trying to destroy the space elevator. And also to let them know—the fate of the attackers."

"At the same time—" Lin Yun's mouth curled into a cold arc.

"At the end of the report, attach a sentence—'The Earth Civilization Community reminds all member states: The space elevator is the common property of all mankind. Any act of aggression against the space elevator will be regarded as a declaration of war against all mankind.'"

"'And those who declare war on all mankind—do not need a trial.'"

After recording the order, Xiao Zhang was about to run out of the tent to execute it, but was called back by Lin Yun.

"Wait."

"Anything else?"

Lin Yun glanced at Song Mingyue, who was still wearing wrinkled pajamas in the corner of the tent.

Song Mingyue was squatting on the ground, using her portable calculator to verify something. Her lips were slightly moving, as if she were debating mechanics formulas with an invisible opponent.

"Arrange a dedicated security team for Engineer Song. Six people. Twenty-four-hour close protection."

Song Mingyue's fingers paused, and she didn't even look up.

"Not necessary. I'm not some important figure."

"You are the chief designer of the space elevator. You are more important than this cable."

Song Mingyue finally looked up, a flash of complex light in those phoenix eyes.

"Mr. Lin, you have a problem."

"What problem?"

"Every time you say something that makes people's heartbeats accelerate, your expression is more serious than in a meeting."

Lin Yun was stunned for a moment.

Song Mingyue lowered her head again and continued to calculate her formulas.

"As for the security team, just arrange it. But don't affect me going to the construction site."

"I won't."

Outside the tent, the equatorial dawn was slowly unfolding over the eastern sea. Golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating the "star bridge" that rose from the center of the Lotus Base Station.

In the morning light, the faint orange glow flowing on the surface of the cable blended with the golden sunlight, like a golden ribbon rising from the earth.

It was breathtakingly beautiful.

And heartbreakingly fragile.

Lin Yun knew that tonight's attack was just the beginning. As the space elevator gets closer to completion, there will only be more and more forces coveting it.

But it doesn't matter.

He built a "Sky Screen".

Whoever dares to reach out, gets their hand chopped off.

"Brother Lin." Xiao Zhang poked his head in from outside the tent.

"What is it now?"

"Engineer Song's assistant just told me something... said that Engineer Song hasn't been feeling well lately. She often feels nauseous."

Lin Yun's footsteps stopped abruptly.

He slowly turned his head to look at the woman squatting on the ground in the corner of the tent calculating formulas.

Song Mingyue seemed to sense something, looked up, and met Lin Yun's eyes full of complex emotions.

"What are you looking at?"

Lin Yun opened his mouth, then closed it.

On his system panel, a new prompt was slowly emerging—

[System detected potential partner target "Song Mingyue" inside...]

The prompt only displayed halfway before being covered by a more urgent message—

[Emergency! The energy fluctuation of the "Moon Gate" fifth channel is intensifying violently!]

[Detected that the energy characteristics of the fifth channel are related to "gravity"—]

[New technology reward about to unlock!]

[Unlock condition: Host's tenth offspring...]

Lin Yun stared at the flickering text, frozen in place.

The tenth offspring.

He turned his head sharply to look at Song Mingyue.

Song Mingyue was also looking at him.

Her hand, subconsciously, pressed against her lower abdomen.