Universe King

In 1969, the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon with three astronauts on board, ushering in the era of human spaceflight and the vigorous development of human space technology.

In 2046, humans landed on Mars and established the first settlement there, which lasted 49 days.

In 2158, the human population on Mars exceeded 1,000.

In 2290, the Mars Skylight Project was completed, marking the official maturity of humanity's ability to transform planets and the beginning of the era of interstellar migration.

In 2584, the first successful experiment to absorb zero-point energy in a quantum vacuum was conducted, which meant that humans could now absorb zero-point energy directly from the cosmic vacuum and thus possess the ability to travel across the universe.

In 2999, the miniaturisation of vacuum engines was completed.

In 3248, humanity developed a new type of super material, Barbera 1. The space industry, which had been expensive for over a thousand years, became popular with the general public, and colonisation of the stars began to flourish.

In 3459, the first space war broke out, and there was a technological explosion in the field of space warfare. Humanity began to unite and establish a federal government.

In 3856, the first artificial intelligence appeared.

In 4123, a robot rebellion broke out. After suppressing the rebellion, the federal government began to regulate artificial intelligence and no longer allowed the emergence of high-level artificial intelligence.

In 4257, mutants and clones broke out in a large-scale rebellion. This rebellion completely shattered humanity's dream of relying on substitutes to wage war, and war returned to the era of physical combat.

In 4288, the federal government, exhausted by successive civil wars, disintegrated, and humanity returned to the era of warring states.

In the same year, the Second Space War broke out. Space mecha made their debut, but ended in failure. They were called clumsy space toys, moving targets in space.

In 4574, the Third Space War broke out. By this time, space mecha had become the most dazzling favourite on the battlefield, replacing the status of fighter jets, and were called the butchers of space.

In 4638, the Third Space War ended, and the new federal government was established, as humanity once again moved towards unification.

In 4859, the first warp engine was completed, with the ability to make superluminal jumps, marking the beginning of intergalactic voyages for humanity.

In 4988, humans made first contact with an alien species when plankton was discovered on a planet.

In 6989, an exploration ship, the Condor, disappeared in the Messengers star cluster. The last words spoken by the crew before they disappeared were:

'My God, what is that?'

...

Now.

7255.

Boom!

In the dark space, a ripple of light waves spread out like water, and then a battered starship leapt out of the void, sending an invisible ripple a billion kilometres long through the vacuum. It looked like something that had just been salvaged from the junkyard, torn apart and then reassembled, with many parts missing. Almost every part of the ship's body was riddled with bullet holes, as dense as honeycombs.

However, it miraculously completed a superluminal journey. When the Starfleet computer, Lara, announced, 'Jump completed,' the command hall erupted.

'Hooray, it worked, we made it!'

'We're finally home!'

'We're alive and back,'

the control room operators shouted.

'Well done, boss!' one of the crew suddenly shouted.

Everyone then stopped and looked at the young officer sitting in the captain's chair.

He was not old, had thick blonde hair and a handsome, upright appearance.

But it was to such a young captain that everyone stood up at the same time and gave their most sincere and warm applause.

It was heartfelt gratitude and admiration for their commander, who had brought them back alive from that dangerous place.

'We're not there yet,' Jonny Reynolds said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

He was still not quite used to such scenes.

After completing the jump, the Aphrodite would need to fly at normal speed for three days before reaching its destination.

During those three days, all the crew members finally let out a sigh of relief, loosened the tight string in their hearts, and fell into a deep sleep.

They had not slept well for far too long, and some of them had fallen asleep and never woke up again.

After a good night's sleep, Jonny Reynolds got up.

He walked over to the porthole and looked at the blue ball of water that kept growing larger in his eyes, taking a long breath.

Finally, he was almost home. Only here could he say this to himself.

In front of others, he had to maintain the image of a commander who took every step cautiously and never spoke lightly of success or failure.

Is this the Earth, the star of human origin?

At this moment, Renault looked at this water globe with curiosity and admiration.

Although he had seen the appearance of the Earth countless times on the screen, when he actually saw it, Renault was still struck by its beauty.

And it was also the only place where he could see real grasslands, mountains, horses and white clouds, rather than the artificial creations that filled the Emigration Star.

Unfortunately, due to human development to the present day, the population had exceeded 50 billion, and the Earth had long been designated a special area that did not accept immigrants, only temporary residence for those who had made special contributions to the New Federal Government.

After completing this mission, I should be able to enjoy some time on Earth, Renault thought to himself.

Three days later, the Aphrodite flew into Earth orbit and docked at Space Port 12. Twenty-six giant mechanical arms extended like octopus tentacles and grabbed the ship's anchor chains, holding it firmly in place.

'Docking complete,' came Laura's voice again.

As usual, there was an applause in the command hall, but the excitement was significantly lower than when they had jumped out.

'A communication request has been sent from Earth,' said the communications officer Daniel Bred.

'Put it through,' answered Reno.

As the communication was connected, a three-dimensional image of a middle-aged military officer appeared in the hall.

His expression looked a little defiant, and as soon as he appeared, he said, 'Jerome, you must explain to me why you never answered my communication requests, and why the mission was completed...'

Then his tone suddenly changed, and he looked at Jonny Reynolds with incredulity and said, 'Who are you? Where is Jerome?'

Reynolds replied, 'Captain Jerome died in battle sixty Earth days ago, Colonel Crisp.'

Although Crisp didn't know him, he knew the colonel.

Colonel Sean Crisp, the executive officer of the Earth Fleet, was a proud and obnoxious guy.

He was the one who had issued the death warrant for the Abydos.

'And the first officer? Where are the other alternate commanders?'

'They have all died in battle.'

'And you? Who are you?'

'Lieutenant Jonny Reno, commander of the second Mecha Brigade, is the temporary captain of the Abydos.'

Colonel Crisp was stunned: 'You, a mecha pilot, are in command of a starship? That's crazy!'

'Actually, it's not,' Jonny Reynolds replied calmly. 'According to the Federation Star Defence Act, when all the commanding officers of a starship are killed in action, the officer with the highest rank at the time automatically becomes the temporary captain. In the past five hundred years of warfare, there have been 342 similar incidents, and nearly 40% of the temporary captains have successfully completed their missions.'

'But they definitely didn't return in a ship that had been shot to pieces!' Crisp shouted, and even without reading the damage report, he knew from just looking at the ship with his own eyes how bad it was.

Jonny Reynolds shrugged and didn't explain any further.

Yes, those people definitely didn't return in such a wreck.

The real damage to the Aphrodite was far greater than what could be seen on the surface. The ship had received more than 200 attacks in total, with 137 parts of the hull damaged, 16 of which were vital departments, and the energy shield of the hull remaining at 3.4%. The power room was severely damaged, and after completing the jump, six of the eight ion engines exploded, leaving a total of only two still spinning. The life support system was severely damaged, and the crew on board relied on the life support system of the mecha to survive. The energy system was damaged by 82%, and the energy supply was seriously insufficient... This was why Reno didn't respond to the communication. He had to use all the energy for flying.

To others, these might just be a bunch of cold numbers, but to the experienced general, when he saw these numbers, he would automatically transform them into the thrilling war in the starry sea, the rain of terror, and the desperate cries of the soldiers.

In that kind of desperate situation, even the best starship commander might not be able to bring the starship back.

But now, a mech pilot has actually done it.

This is sheer irony!

Jonny Reno didn't intend to explain anything.

He simply said, 'Colonel Krisspy, I know you are questioning my qualification to command the ship, but I don't think it matters whether I am capable of commanding the ship. What matters is that there are 3,182 injured people on this ship.'

'That many?' Colonel Crisp was clearly taken aback by the figure.

Although artificial intelligence had been restricted three thousand years earlier due to the robot rebellion, starships were still the most intelligent places. With the use of a large number of intelligent machines, a starship usually only had 800 to 1,000 crew members, of which more than two-thirds were mech pilots.

'Including the personnel on the Red Rain, Autumn, Skybeetle and Magellan,' answered Ryo.

Colonel Crisp understood.

Of the five warships sent, only one had returned, and everyone else had remained forever in the depths of the alien world.

It was inconceivable that the Abydos had managed to rescue members of the other ships.

How had he done it?

The colonel noticed that when Renault spoke, none of the others on the ship interrupted, and they looked at Renault with admiration in their eyes, which meant that Renault had never rolled the dice to complete the journey.

But the colonel was more concerned about another matter, and he asked, 'How did the mission go?'

'The cargo has been brought back.'

'Excellent, I'll send someone to pick it up,' the colonel said, relieved.

'Colonel, I think you should send a medical team over first,' Renault said, unruffled. 'I remember telling you that there are now more than 3,000 wounded on board, including more than 800 seriously wounded. Every second you delay could result in a life being lost.'

'What did you say?' Colonel Crisp looked at Renault with obvious ill will.

Renault just quietly stared back at him.

After a moment, Colonel Crisp finally turned back and yelled, 'What are you still doing? Send the medical team and bring the things back to me!'

The military is very efficient.

It only took 15 minutes for the medical team to arrive.

The people on board were carried out of the Aphrodite and put into a special medical boat, which then drove away.

They would be sent to hospitals all over the place and receive the best treatment there.

After this was done, Renault's heart finally felt relieved. The burden that had been weighing on his mind for dozens of days and nights was finally lifted. In addition to the feeling of relief, there was suddenly a sense of loss in his heart for no reason.

Waving his hand, he forcibly dispelled the feeling of reluctance in his heart. Renault walked slowly on the bridge, watching the medical team at work.

He watched the medical staff take away the injured soldiers one by one. Each soldier said 'Thank you, sir' as they passed him, and Reno would return a standard Alliance military salute—placing the index and middle fingers of his left hand together next to his temple, then waving them out gently.

He watched them leave, his eyes full of reluctance.

Goodbye, guys, after this, I won't be your officer anymore,' Reno thought to himself.

The Federation government had strict, almost tedious requirements for every starship commander, and he was only a mech commander, not qualified to become a captain, so soon, he would be removed from the position of captain again.

It would be false to say that he had no regrets about this. Although Renown liked to pilot mechs and fight in space with passion, piloting a starship was also his childhood dream.

He was once incredibly close to this dream, but it was ruined by an accident...

A burly soldier was carried past Reno on a stretcher.

He was as strong as a bear, with bandages wrapped around his arm, but he spoke with a booming voice as if he had a strong constitution: 'Hey, boss, don't make me go to the hospital, I'm not that badly hurt.'

'Shut up, Tycos, your wound has become infected, if you don't get proper treatment you'll need to have it amputated!' A slender, heroic-looking female officer with aquamarine eyes and short blonde hair walked over and said.

Her name was Claire Jia, the chief medical officer on the starship, a girl who fascinated everyone. It was precisely because of her that many of the wounded on the starship were able to hold on until now.

In the eyes of the crew of the Aphrodite, she was like an angel.

Seeing that it was Claire who had come over, Tycos shut up.

If Tycos was a mountain, Claire was water, her beauty and gentleness could melt the hearts of all the strong men.

Reno laughed and said, 'Don't worry, mate, you won't need to stay in the hospital for long. The Aphrodite is going to be overhauled on Earth, and we won't be going anywhere until it's fixed. We can just take our time and explore the planet, and consider it a rare holiday. And in my experience, this holiday will last at least three Earth months.'

'Wow!' Tycoos whistled when he heard Renault's words. "I'm definitely going to find some girls on Earth.'

Renault replied, "Trust me, you won't be able to. Everyone here is either rich or important, and there are very few poor soldiers like us.'

'Maybe some princess will fancy my strong biceps,' Tycoos said, raising his arms and trying to flex his muscles.

Unfortunately, before he could continue his display, the medics roughly dragged him away.

Reno and Claire looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Just then, there was some commotion in the other corner of the starship.

Soon, the commotion began to expand, spreading to the deck, and even stopping the entire transport of the wounded.

Reno had to walk over.

A soldier ran up to him and saluted, saying, 'There's been some trouble, sir.'

'I can see that. What's going on?'

Before the soldier could answer, a group of soldiers in black uniforms, with white gloves and red-and-black-tipped arms, the symbol of the military police, were walking towards Renault.

The officer at the head of the group was tall and thin, with an impressive hooked nose and a small moustache.

'Damn, it's Mathieu!' Claire嘉 exclaimed incredulously.

'It's always the same,' said Renaud, shaking his head.

The young officer, who was striding towards them, was also taken aback, and then flew into a rage: 'Renaud, you're here!'

He rushed over to grab Renaud by the collar, but several soldiers from the ship stopped him, and the gendarmes behind him restrained his urge.

'It's really hard to understand,' Claire Jia exclaimed. "You should have rushed up to teach him a lesson, so why did he get so agitated when he saw you?'

'Because he's afraid. It's like a jackal seeing a hunter, so he can only bellow to cover up his unease," Renaud said softly.

Mathieu's mood seemed to have calmed down.

He walked over and stood next to Renaud, looking at him with a vulture-like gaze.

After taking three long breaths, he said with a sarcastic tone:

'Look who's here? Isn't this the famous genius of the Al-Fayha Academy, Jonny Reynolds? The genius expelled from the academy, hahahaha!'

With his laughter, the soldiers behind him also laughed mockingly with their commander.

Although they did not know what kind of grudge Matthew had with Reynolds, it did not stop them from flattering their commander.

'Enough, Matthew!' Claire Jia said angrily, "Don't go too far!'

'Huh? Isn't this the famous Alpha Flower Claire Jia? I'm really sorry I didn't see you just now. Are you sisters still following this shameless guy Renault?" Matthew spread his hands exaggeratedly.

Claire Jia angrily said, 'Since you still remember my sister, you shouldn't forget her habits.'

Matthew's face suddenly changed.

His neck stiffened, and he lowered his head with difficulty, before noticing an inconspicuous red light spot on his chest that had appeared without warning.

It was right in the centre of his chest.

'N...ora!' Looking at the red light spot on his chest, Matthew's throat felt as if it had been blocked by a stone, and he said the name with difficulty.

He finally began to regret his provocation.

Nora Jia, Claire Jia's twin sister, was a killer who always hid in the shadows.

What was most terrifying about this crazy woman was not her deadly marksmanship, which could kill a mosquito from ten miles away, but her audacity and willingness to do anything. In the memories of Matthew, no, of all the students at the 856th Military Academy, there was nothing that Nora was not willing to do. She and her sister Claire were like the extremes of ice and fire. Claire was always gentle and considerate, like an angel, while Nora brought nothing but death.

In other words, when Nora aimed her gun at her own chest, she really dared to pull the trigger!

Luckily, Renault was aware of this as well.

He took a step forward and used his body to block the path of death leading to Mathieu's heart: 'Mathieu, I guess you didn't come on my ship just to taste what it's like to be targeted by a laser. Why don't we just get down to business?'

Matthew was relieved to see the white dot on his chest disappear.

He took off his white gloves and took a paper bag from the soldier next to him, saying, 'From now on, the custody of Target Zero will be taken over by the military police department, as evidenced by this document issued by the military police department.'

Target Zero was the mission of the Ablode's current voyage. It was for this that four starships and more than 2,000 soldiers had been left forever in the dark depths of space.

Reno took the document and read it carefully: 'It's real, you can take Target Zero.'

Matthew's trademark smile of victory appeared on his face again: 'In that case, please ask your soldiers to move aside from passage four, where my men will be passing.'

Reno finally understood the reason for the commotion: 'Corridor 4 is transporting wounded soldiers, so you cannot have it for now. Please ask your people to wait.'

'This is exactly what I want to say, Reno. Your people have violated Chapter 6, Article 124 of the security regulations. When a battleship transports important national strategic materials, it must keep the materials under full containment. But look at what your people are doing now? They are crowding in the cargo hold with Target Zero!' Matthew yelled sternly.

Reynolds replied, 'That's because the living quarters of the Aphrodite were heavily damaged, and I had to transfer all the soldiers to the cargo hold, which was the only place I could. And there was plenty of space there, and it was the only place where we could concentrate on taking care of them... We didn't have many people left to take care of the wounded, and the battleship had been seriously damaged, so everyone was busy repairing the battleship to save it from imminent destruction.'

'I'm not interested in your incompetence or your attempts to pass the buck. I only know that you violated security regulations!' Matthew yelled in an ungentlemanly manner, 'I will report this to the higher-ups. As for now, immediately give up the passage!'

Reynolds sighed helplessly and leaned his body to the side a little.

He really gave up the passage, and the red dot on the laser scope of the MX748 from Nora reappeared on Matthew.

Matthew's face turned white.

He had once again forgotten about Nora.

At Nora's place, provoking Renault was second only to hurting her sister.

Looking at Matthew, Renault said, 'You can complain about me all you like, but for now, stand over there and be good before my men leave. Any questions?'

Matthew's face looked like a piece of boiled pig's liver.

He glared at Renault viciously: 'As you wish, I will wait here. But I must warn you, offending a military policeman is no good. I will keep an eye on you and find every mistake you make!'

'On the contrary, if I could, I wouldn't want to see you again for even a second,' replied Renault politely.

This made Mathieu furious.

He rolled his eyes, and suddenly thought of something, and laughed.

Then he shouted, 'I don't know how you became captain, Renault. But I bet they didn't know that their captain is actually a rapist!'

These words echoed across the bridge, and everyone's attention was focused on Renault at the same time.

...

An hour later, after the Aphrodite had completed the transfer of all personnel, Matthew was finally able to retrieve from the cargo hold the cargo he had been ordered to retrieve: Target Zero.

It was a huge metal box about three people tall, completely sealed, but despite this, it could be felt that there was something glowing inside. Because the metal box made of Burke 97 alloy showed a reddish spectral response, which meant that there should be some kind of strong light source inside.

Matthew was not interested in the goods he was about to take away. He was more concerned about Renault. He faced Renault arrogantly, as if he had just snatched a child's beloved toy, but what he saw was just an expressionless face of ice.

Even when Matthew accused Renault of being a rapist in front of everyone, Renault still had that expression, without making any defence. There was even a slight trace of sympathy in his eyes.

No violent outbursts, no exasperation, no angry accusations, and no fistfights.

It was as if all that had happened had nothing to do with him.

This made Matthew feel as if he had punched an empty air.

What disappointed him even more was the reaction of the people around him.

After a few seconds of surprise and shock, most people returned to normal and continued to do what they were supposed to do.

Life is precious, and it is not worth stopping for gossip.

Besides, everyone has intelligence. Stupid accusations only expose the sinister motives of those with ulterior motives.

So Matthew left the Aphrodite with his sense of frustration.

Before leaving, he glanced back and saw that Renault was briefing several crew members on the tasks ahead.

From beginning to end, he never looked at him again.

Matthew felt an anger at being ignored that consumed his chest like fire.

He said, 'We're not done, Renault!'

Before the hatred consumed his reason, the flying car left.

After Target Zero was carried out of the cabin, Reno knew that his mission was over.

From now on, he was no longer the captain, but the mech commander of the Second Brigade.

With some reluctance, he removed the eagle emblem from his chest, which symbolised his status as captain. He ran his fingers over the operating platform, which had been wiped clean and tidy, and finally gazed at it for a few seconds before turning away.

He walked out of the Ablode, entered the airport, and followed the long line of people all the way. Reno walked mechanically and numbly, like a living dead.

His heart had forever remained on the captain's chair.

His mind was in a daze, as if he had returned ten years ago, to that vibrant era...