Reboot the Galaxy

Chapter 12 The First Interstellar Voyage

Di Yan shrank back slightly: "Are you sure you're not here to target me?"

He Xu laughed heartily: "If you put it that way, there is a bit to it. Do you remember when we first met, you were unwilling to reveal anything about yourself? Today, you should at least let me know a little bit, right?"

Di Yan held up his glass, examining the shimmering liquor inside, then looked up and said, "It's fine."

"Ha! Okay, then we'll start with you, then Yin, and so on." He Xu seemed to have Di Yan figured out; he was determined to make him spit something out today.

Di Yan smiled, thought for a moment, and said, "One of my wishes is to return to Earth."

"Go back? You don't like it here?" He Xu was a little surprised.

Di Yan shook his head. "It's not that I don't like it, but I have a very important friend on Earth. We've been living together for over two years, and my service in the Starship Force was completely unexpected."

He looked around at everyone. "I promised him I would go back, so I will."

He nodded, but seemed not very satisfied with the answer. However, he did not ask further questions and instead gestured for Ahn Jae-in to speak.

Ahn Jae-in maintained his smile: "My wish is similar to Di Yan's; I also want to return to Earth. My family is there; they are in the Korean Peninsula."

"But we found you on the battlefield in Iraq. You're a mercenary. Would you really risk that for your family?" Naohiko Tomura asked with concern.

"Yes, it's ridiculous, as a soldier, I really don't have any other skills to make money besides fighting."

Ahn Jae-in gave a wry smile. "I just want to take advantage of my current good condition, take a few more risks, make more money, save enough for my family's lifetime expenses, and maybe then I'll retire."

"It seems your corps has done a good job of keeping things secret; your family is safe now," commented a person from the Vietnamese region.

Ahn Jae-in nodded in agreement: "The corps I belong to is called the Tashkent Corps, which is active in Central Asia and the Middle East. Their secrecy is always top-notch."

"Oh! Tashkent, I know it." Naohiko Tomura tapped the glass table with his index finger. "We've worked with you before, you should remember the Turkmenistan attack a year ago."

"Are you the Forbidden Wings?" Ahn Jae-in recalled the war with ease.

Tomura Naohiko and he exchanged a knowing smile, and the two toasted each other across the distance. It was also rare for Isayama Wasabi to smile at anyone other than her husband.

"Ahem, it's my turn now."

He Xu began to prepare his speech, and after a moment of thought, he said, "As you know, I have always worked in security, whether in the Greater China region or in Myanmar. It is actually a very demanding job. You have to stay by your boss's side at all times and keep your emotions under control. Even if your boss makes some dangerous decisions, the bodyguards have no way to interfere."

Recalling his days as a bodyguard, He Xu's voice became somewhat muffled: "Towards the end, I actually started to hate this job and always wanted to quit, but the situation was complicated at the time, and I had no choice in the matter. If I had to say what my biggest wish was, it would be to catch the mastermind behind my departure from the Central Security Bureau. If they hadn't blown up the plane, I wouldn't have ended up like this."

He Xu became somewhat agitated. He downed a glass of wine in one gulp, and the usually friendly and easy-going He Xu had vanished without a trace.

Wasabi Isayama spoke softly, "I remember you said you were escorting seven scholars who were in charge of research similar to military-grade Xavier?"

He Xu looked up suddenly and immediately nodded in agreement: "Yes, I remember very clearly. My mission is to escort them onto the plane. Once they arrive at their destination, military vehicles will meet them."

He covered his face with his hands, saying with pain and self-blame, "I did everything perfectly until the last step... Where did I go wrong...?"

Wasabi Isayama rolled her bright, watery eyes and said gently, "Although I don't know much more than you, this matter is actually related to me as well."

He Xu suddenly lowered his hands and stared at Wasabi Isamu: "What do you know?"

Wasabi Isayama let out a soft sigh. "My father might be the one who sent those seven scholars away two years ago. But..."

Looking at He Xu, who seemed somewhat dazed, she said, "It was also two years ago that I lost contact with my father, and I haven't been able to reach him since."

"Where was your father before?" He Xu asked in a deep voice.

"He's in space, probably with the Viin Starfleet."

Wasabi Isayama began to reveal, "Two years ago, we were still keeping in regular contact. One day he told me that they had sent a group of seven scholars to Earth, and he believed that these scholars were enough to make Earth a better place. I jokingly asked him if he needed me to escort him, and he said no, the authorities have the power to escort them."

"So, does the killing of those scholars mean that your father was in a hostile relationship with someone?" Ahn Jae-in inferred.

"Yes, that's what I believe, which is why I joined the Viyin Starship Force largely to find my father's whereabouts." Wasabi Isayama pursed her lips. "I haven't been able to contact him for two years..."

Naohiko Tomura embraced his wife, stroked her arms, and gently kissed her hair.

He was well aware of these things and had done his share of comforting him.

"Then let's look for it together."

He Xu's voice was fervent: "I believe the answer is right here. Once we find your father's whereabouts, many truths will come to light."

"But I'm afraid it won't be that easy. The Starfleet Army is too big. And all I know is that he's a colonel. There are over five million soldiers here, and countless colonels." Wasabi Isayama's voice lowered.

"It's okay, darling. We'll find him someday. Aren't we here now?" Naohiko Tomura said softly.

"Yes, one day..."

He Xu was pondering when he suddenly remembered something and nudged the man from the Tai District next to him, urging him to continue.

The Thai man, speaking broken English, said slowly, "My wish is to make money and enjoy life, it's that simple." He grinned and let the Vietnamese man next to him continue.

"I'm the same as him, the three of us are together."

The Vietnamese man took a sip of his drink, pointed at He Xu, and said, "You used to be a bodyguard for a major drug lord in Myanmar, right? You must have heard of us, the Kachin Independence Organization."

He Xu gasped and sat up straight, scrutinizing the Vietnamese people: "How could we not have heard of you? You are practically the only legal mercenary group in Southeast Asia, monopolizing the market in the entire region."

This wave of commercial praise was very effective with the Southeast Asian trio, and the three of them exchanged smiles.

The last one, also from the Vietnamese region, said: "My goal is to make money. As long as I can live well, I don't care where I work."

These three can be described as the purest mercenaries. They are driven by profit, have no ties, go wherever they want, and living a nomadic life is their daily routine.

Yoshihiko Enomura put down his wine glass, took his wife's hand, and said, "My wish now is the same as my wife's: to help her find her father and then spend the rest of my life with her."

"Heh, since you've enjoyed bloodshed in the first half of your lives, you're unlikely to have a happy one."

The Thai man leaned back, sinking into the sofa. "For the rest of your lives, you will have recurring nightmares and suffer. That's 'PTSD'."

Wasabi Isayama's expression suddenly turned cold, and her previous smile vanished without a trace.

"Don't say that. We, the Forbidden Wings, only do what is right. We don't take on just any business."

Naohiko Enmura embraced his wife, trying to calm her down after being upset by the people from Tai Ward. "We never feel guilty about our actions, and we don't kill unless absolutely necessary. There are many ways to achieve the same goal, so it's not about the level of bloodshed you're talking about."

The man from the Thai region shrugged, took a sip of his drink, and took it as a sign that he believed him.

The scene was somewhat awkward. Outside the booth, there was loud music, changing lights, and a surging crowd, but inside the booth, it was cold and silent.

He Xu was the first to break the silence, raising his glass and inviting everyone to take a sip together.

From then on, all training continued as usual, except that there would be regular rotations for mecha piloting training.

There were only two mechs available for everyone to train with, so Xue Jingyi extended the training time for each group to one hour, which meant that a round could be arranged about every three days.

Di Yan has two chances a week to pilot a small mech, and spends the rest of his time with his team in the training hall completing other projects as planned.

During this time, they not only learned how to pilot mechs, but also how to utilize this massive machine to unleash their full combat power.

The same mech, piloted by different team members, unleashed different styles of martial arts moves, exchanging blows and creating a dazzling display of skills, making for an extremely exciting scene.

Xue Jingyi hardly needed to provide any additional guidance, as she never worried about the abilities of these people themselves.

Their combat skills, melee combat skills, shooting skills, and tactical proficiency are already top-notch; Xue Jingyi only needs to assist them in familiarizing themselves with the operation of the mechs.

Li Guangyu would occasionally come to check on the training progress and would often exchange information with Xue Jingyi.

"They all performed very well and adapted quickly," Xue Jingyi said. "They are exactly the kind of soldiers we've been dreaming of. I think the higher-ups should recruit more talent from Earth."

Li Guangyu nodded in agreement: "I think so too, but for some reason, we have very little contact with Earth. They have such a rich array of martial arts techniques, but we don't."

Watching the two mechs fiercely battling it out on the field, each move executed with perfect control, the two men were filled with envy.

"Earth...I really want to go see it."

Xue Jingyi looked at Li Guangyu's profile, his features sharp and angular, making him slightly masculine. "You've been there, but I haven't."

"Heh, that's not a good place."

Li Guangyu smiled bitterly, "During the two weeks I spent on Earth, all I saw was civil war, endless civil war, whether it was open or covert, it was happening everywhere."

"Really? What a pity," Xue Jingyi said softly, but she still harbored longing for Earth.

"There are only two weeks left in the training period, and we have to say goodbye." Li Guangyu's voice was filled with regret.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you."

Xue Jingyi smiled. During this time, she had met a strong-willed older sister.

Two weeks later, a dark gray platform stretched for dozens of meters, upon which the massive, rounded J-45 was parked. But in the face of the giant, deep well that shimmered with a blue haze, which served as a canopy, it was still as small as a snowflake.

Occasionally, starships of various sizes would rise up from below, moving too fast to be seen with the naked eye, only to come to a stop in an instant.

They come in all sorts of strange shapes, the largest of which is nearly a kilometer long. Their colors are not limited to white; there are also bright silver, gray-blue, beige, and even pure black ones.

Everyone lined up in front of the J-45, not much more orderly than when they first arrived two months ago, all thanks to Li Guangyu's "free-range policy".

Lieutenant Li Guangyu stood at the front, hands behind his back, and solemnly said, "We have completed all the training plans for today and are now leaving to prepare for our mission. Here are a few points I would like to clarify:"

First, our destination is a moon of Jupiter, where the climate is harsh, so we must be careful at all times.

Secondly, the mechs you piloted during training were older models, and you will need to undergo further learning and adaptation to the newer models once you arrive there.

Third, the mission may be very dangerous, but as long as you follow Xavier's instructions throughout, there will be no problem.

After giving their final instructions, everyone was pulled into the J-45 by gravity and returned to their respective dormitories.

"Jupiter's moons! Will we be able to see Jupiter now?!" Sure enough, He Xu was excited as soon as he got back to the dormitory.

"That's not necessarily true. If we're on the other side, we still won't be able to see anything," Di Yan said with a light laugh, throwing cold water on the idea.

"Impossible, it'll turn around eventually, there'll always be a chance, right?" He Xu still didn't believe it.

"No, Jupiter's four massive moons are tidally locked, so they always have only one side facing Jupiter. If they are on the other side, you will never be able to see them," Ahn Jae-in patiently explained to He Xu.

Mpuente sat on the bed gesturing: "I feel very lucky. People in my hometown are struggling to make ends meet, but we are about to go to another planet."

Mpuente has always been optimistic and has long since disregarded the government that abandoned them.

"This might not be a good thing," Di Yan said warily. "We have a mission, and Lieutenant Li said it could be dangerous."

"What are you afraid of? We have mechs."

He Xu crossed her legs on the bed. "Besides, didn't she say that following instructions is perfectly fine?"

Di Yan shrugged, did not refute, and instead picked up his tablet to read a book.

There are no extra functions on the eye mask; the only way to kill time is to rely on this bulky device in your hand.

This time, he specifically checked the time: 19:13. He wanted to see how long this interstellar journey would take.

Immersed in the world of books, the starship remained perfectly still, and he felt from beginning to end that this strange spaceship had never moved at all.

Through the headset, Xavier suddenly spoke: "We have arrived at Io, Jupiter's first Galilean moon. The ship is nearing the surface, and the internal time has been calibrated."

Di Yan checked the time before Xavier announced the calibration time, hurriedly snapping to the key numbers—

22: 40.

In just three and a half hours, this starship flew from the Lagrange point of the Jupiter-Solar system to Jupiter's moons. Just how fast is that?

Immediately after Xavier announced the calibration time, the time on the tablet changed to 22:45.

Di Yan knew that this was due to the relativistic time contraction effect caused by the starship's excessive speed, which caused the clocks on the ship to lag by about five minutes.

They have now indeed landed on the surface of Io, Jupiter's moon Io.