The Creators: From Night City

Page 519

The answer is undoubtedly energy, specifically ether.

So the question is, in this world, is there a perpetual motion machine that can provide an almost infinite source of energy in the form of ether?

The answer is equally obvious.

That is the subspace that humanity has always avoided.

Therefore, a new problem became clear to Emperor Jiang Bing.

How can we efficiently, safely, and continuously extract enough energy from subspace?

The answer to the question lies in Jiang Bing's insane plan with the emperor.

The answer to achieving the plan was kept strictly secret, known only to two people in the entire galaxy, and even Guilliman only knew the part he was supposed to know at the moment.

All of these actions, including the Emperor's self-immolation, the revival of Guilliman, the reform of the Imperial government system and the Mechanicus, the relentless militarism, and even the actions that gambled the fate of the human empire, were merely means to achieve this plan.

Chapter 1053 Starlight Project

In the vast starry sky, a giant door floats.

At the top of this 'Gate of God' filled with arrays of light spears, a complex mechanical structure is operating rapidly at the top of the star torch.

There were no unusual signs during this manifestation. As the giant Lumbord Lens device began to work, the starlight emanating from the Holy Terra was drawn here.

The star torch was lit.

Between the furnaces of life, a unique seed of genes is taking shape from nothingness.

Endless light flows continuously across the surface of the 'Furnace of Life,' providing it with a constant source of energy.

With this gene seed at its core, countless flesh, bones, blood vessels, and fascia were born from nothingness and began to attach and clump together.

Compared to the significant amount of time spent on preliminary preparations, the efficiency of the 'Life Furnace' is unbelievably fast.

In just a few breaths, a robust body that needs to be nurtured from childhood, with a surgical modification failure rate as high as 50%, slowly took shape.

The brand-new body is very tall and looks powerful. Its menacing black armor is covered with neural interfaces that control the Mark series power armor.

Amidst the fervent prayers of the motor enthusiasts, a bright light shone above the 'Forge of Life'.

A soul, enveloped in a drop of liquid gold, dripped from the top of the door and then merged into the body.

The light receded, the invisible buoyancy disappeared, and a naked, large man fell to the ground.

Fortunately, before he could fall to the ground, his two strong arms managed to brace himself against the smooth surface.

This Astartes, who sacrificed his life for his country, passed through the veil from the Warp and returned to the present world.

The waiting mechanical priest brought the blessed robe and immediately draped it over Astartes, the first person to try this new thing.

After all, Guilliman and Jiang Bing were standing right in front of him, so it would be inappropriate for him to act like a 'loaf around'.

The experiment was a great success. Even without further detailed physical examinations of the excited extreme warrior, the success of the experiment was inevitable.

Unlike Caul's fervent research desire, the Great Sage Flax immediately understood the violent impact such a situation would have on the existing ecosystem of the entire human empire.

He was incredibly grateful that he was on the side of the Son of Guilliman.

Guilliman understood this situation as well, even more thoroughly than the great sage Flax.

So he immediately began deploying troops on the spot.

"Great Sage" Guilliman awakens the Great Sage, who is engrossed in the sacred technology of Om Messiah, and makes no secret of his plans for the next course of action.

"If we were to 'reforge' all the first batch of 'Gray Shield' members, how long would it take?"

'Grey Shield' refers to the original Space Marines that the Great Sage Caul secretly modified over ten thousand years.

After their modification was completed, they were secretly placed in a static field by Caul and preserved inside the 'Starforger' Ark world and other secret forging worlds belonging to the Great Sage Caul, awaiting activation someday in the future.

Because these original Space Marines did not belong to a specific chapter, their armor was uniformly marked with gray shields, hence the name 'Gray Shield'.

To be honest, the first batch of reinforcements brought from the past to the Great Sage Kaul's Ark numbered as many as 20,000, but that was not all of Kaul's accumulated wealth over thousands of years.

He possesses the complete set of genetic seed template technology left by the Emperor, and he has also carried out slow but continuous cultivation, testing and production work for ten thousand years in the Ark world and his many secret forged worlds.

Even today, Kaul's disciples continue to manufacture Primitive Warriors, and when combined with the "strategic reserve forces" in his inventory that have not yet been awakened, their total number is probably astronomical.

Just as Kaul was about to begin calculating the required period, Jiang Bing answered the question for him.

"It won't be long."

Faced with Guilliman's astonished gaze, Jiang Bing slightly raised his hand, and the massive 'Gate of God' trembled slightly and began to rapidly deform.

In other spaces of the Gate of God, hundreds and thousands of enormous chambers, large enough to accommodate hundreds of people, were opened up, and smaller 'life furnaces' rose from the ground.

"The creation beneath your feet is essentially a giant 'furnace of life,' and the 'furnace' you just saw is merely one of its output ports. As long as there is sufficient energy, you can have as many ports working simultaneously as you wish."

"Excellent!" Guilliman chose to believe Ohm Messiah's guarantee without reservation.

"Great Sage Kaul, please initiate the reforging process immediately."

"Great Sage Flax, I need you to immediately transfer military equipment from the Forging World of Esperance to this place to assist the expeditionary fleet in its armament work."

"Military equipment needs to be focused on the biological and chemical aspects. I will send you the Plague Fleet's combat methods and related parameters. Please ask Grand Sage Flax to make the corresponding adjustments, prioritize the allocation of corresponding weapons, and adjust the production capacity of related production lines to prioritize the completion of this war against the Plague Fleet."

The two responded in unison and began their busy work.

Guilliman and Jiang Bingze left the 'Cream of Life' and began to talk in a secluded corridor.

"What exactly is the next part of the plan?" Guilliman frowned, looking at Macurag outside the observation deck.

“It’s not time yet,” Jiang Bing refused, and instead stated the advantages and disadvantages at hand. “This war against the plague is imminent. You need to win this war first. Before that, the Emperor and I will focus some of our energy on this to ensure the smooth implementation of the ‘Starry Sea Lighthouse’ project.”

“I understand,” Guilliman said with a somber expression, his mind racing.

“This test is very important,” Jiang Bing added.

"The Emperor can't help much. He can only guarantee that the highest level of Chaos can participate in this war is Mortarion, the Chaos Primarch."

"That's enough."

Guilliman turned his gaze to Jiang Bing, "And what about you? What support can you, the Om Messiah, offer?"

"That's not many either."

Facing Guilliman's gaze, Jiang Bing explained his recent situation.

"Star God"

As soon as Jiang Bing uttered a new term, Guilliman's vast database of information quickly began its search.

Star Gods are among the oldest, most powerful, and most mysterious beings known in the entire universe.

They are the embodiment of the fundamental forces and laws of the physical universe, the product of the natural laws of the universe becoming sentient, pure material deities, the absolute opposite of the evil gods of the subspace, and the enemies of the ancient saints.

"Those ancient beings, weren't they all defeated, shattered, imprisoned, and banished by the space necromancers?"

“That’s right,” Jiang Bing replied.

“But your dear old father secretly hid a fragment of a star god on Mars, and it was the largest fragment of one of the most powerful star gods—the ‘Void Dragon’.”

"And I am currently 'digesting' it."

Chapter 1054 Battlefield Situation

These words made Guilliman involuntarily hold his breath, and worry crept into the corners of his eyes.

He didn't know much about the Star Gods, but it was still quite astonishing.

These material deities, as embodiments of the rules of the physical universe, are masters at dismantling matter, distorting gravity, and reconstructing the rules of reality.

It feeds on stars; it can reshape planetary surfaces at will, alter gravitational constants, and create or eliminate matter; like harvesting wheat, it plunders souls across planets. Its life is immortal and cannot be killed, after all, it is itself a manifestation of rules.

Fighting them is essentially the same as confronting the physical universe head-on.

This is no easier than confronting a Chaos God head-on in the Warp, especially since Jiang Bing, the Om Messiah, used the word 'digest'.

"Don't worry, it's just a prisoner's fragment; it can't cause any trouble," Jiang Bing reassured him with a relaxed expression.

Speaking of which, as the 'forger,' he really is a 'natural enemy' of these rule-based beings.

The Star Gods were terrified of psionic energy and warp, which were considered idealistic rules. However, even at the height of his power, the Emperor was unable to destroy the Void Dragon fragment and had no choice but to seal it away.

Jiang Bing, however, was able to break down and digest these rules at the rule level, turning them into resources for growth.

These Star God fragments are invaluable experience packs for creators who are currently in the process of creating the world. Taking a bite not only replenishes mana (ether) but also increases experience (world rules).

"To distort space and construct an absolutely stable human network engineering project, the network system left by the ancient sages alone is not enough. I need the knowledge of the Star God to perfect the plan for the material universe."

“During this period, I can’t offer you much military assistance, at most some material support.” Jiang Bing curled his index finger and thumb, making a gesture resembling a galaxy at his fingertips.

"So, whether or not this plague fleet can be severely damaged or even completely destroyed depends on Regent Guilliman's next strategic moves," Jiang Bing joked.

………………

Extreme Starfield, Fortress World Alarius.

The Ultramarines' warships were stationed near an asteroid belt close to Alarius, flanked by the natural barrier of the asteroid belt and separated by the planet Alarius, facing off against the massive Plague Fleet.

When it comes to group operations, large-scale space warfare and naval warfare actually have many things in common.

They are very similar in terms of firing range, mobility, formation, troop projection and logistics, and system-on-system combat.

Similarly, tactical games also involve extreme complexity and multilateralism.

The scenario of two opposing forces finding a spacious open space, displaying their forces and formations, unleashing their full firepower, and lining up to shoot each other only happens in third-rate literature and film.

The most realistic world situation is the comprehensive application of tactics such as beyond-visual-range, silent warfare, mobile warfare, close-quarters melee and dogfighting, electronic warfare, boarding and hijacking, and formation coordination.

At the same time, the three-dimensional battlefield allows the fleet to launch attacks from any angle, which also affects the fleet's firing range.

The arrangement of formations is also a science, with common spherical, chain-like, or cloud-like distributions each having their advantages and disadvantages.

A skilled commander can even use sophisticated formations to make the firing arcs of enemy ships interfere with each other, causing their firepower to disrupt each other.

External factors such as celestial gravity, planetary belts, and jump points can also affect fleet speed, thus influencing the outcome of battles.

Energy management, materials management, spatial scale, and the long duration of combat will also make the factors influencing the outcome of space naval battles extremely complex.

However, even with so many influencing factors, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two sides can still be clearly distinguished.

A massive plague fleet blotted out the sky, with its main force positioned in the orbit and vicinity of the planet Alarius, spreading countless tentacles in all directions to invade other worlds.

On the other hand, the Ultramarines' fleet is far inferior to the Plague Fleet in terms of total number, the level and number of major warships, and individual combat strength.

Therefore, Calgary, who has been stationed as the flagship and in control of the main fleet, has always adopted a battle strategy of holding back and observing from a distance.

In previous encounters, he also adhered to guerrilla harassment tactics of retreating when the enemy advances and advancing when the enemy retreats.

What he needs to do now, and can only do, is to ensure that the main force of the human fleet firmly holds the advantageous terrain, keeps a close eye on the main force of the plague fleet, and slows down the enemy's offensive as much as possible.

For Calga, holding them off is a victory in itself.

With the current fleet strength of the Human Empire, directly engaging in battle with the main force of the Plague Fleet would be tantamount to suicide.

Imperial reinforcements are converging on this place from all directions, and the power of the human empire is growing every moment.

The longer it drags on, the more advantageous it will be for the human empire.

But to be honest, the situation isn't going to drag on like this.

All the time gained was at the cost of the fortress world of Alarius.

Every day, Calgar receives glaringly red reports of casualties. The fortress world not far away is gradually falling into the hands of Chaos. Countless citizens of the Empire die every day from the plague and disease, and large swathes of territory fall and defenses are breached.

But he could only watch helplessly.

The most he could do was dispatch faster frigates and strike ships to patrol the battlefield and engage in dogfights with the sentry ships sent by the Plague Fleet.

Or it could be a side mission like sending elite forces to airdrop onto the surface to perform tasks such as sampling and deciphering the plague, or taking down enemy ground command nodes.

Even so, the speed at which his troops were being depleted was breathtaking.

Finally, on the 35th day after Alarius was besieged by the plague fleet, this one-sided standoff took a new turn.

The arrival of the 'Radiance of Macragge' greatly boosted the morale of the Imperial forces.

The awakening and presence of Primarch Guilliman on the battlefield directly altered the entire course of the war.

The unilateral harassment between the two sides eventually turned into a tense standoff.

Tactical command room of the 'Magnificent Macurag'.