Chapter 262: The Forerunners' Megastructure! The Ark! The Portal!
"Very good."
Li Ang nodded in approval before continuing, "Make preparations as quickly as possible. The lab and fleet here will soon be relocated. Don't leave behind any critical data or equipment."
Now that the situation surrounding the Shield World's celestial body had mostly been resolved, it was time for the key R&D personnel to return to the Myriad Realms Base Headquarters to continue their ongoing experiments.
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it, boss."
Following their responses, the two doctors led Li Ang to inspect the latest modifications to the second-generation Spartan soldiers.
To put it plainly, these Spartans—still in the testing phase—really did have the feel of "miniature Adeptus Astartes."
Their core traits could be summed up simply: Reinforced bodies that could take a beating, neural fiber optics for fast thinking, all-rounded competence in both brains and brawn, and a singular focus on getting the job done.
In short: loyal and highly capable.
After completing the inspection, Li Ang left the experimental center fully satisfied. His orders were quickly executed by various departments, and the redeployment of forces across regions was once again underway.
At this moment, on the Shield World's surface, more than a thousand warships, supply vessels, and six fully-automated Wanderer-class dreadnoughts stood ready for departure.
Soon after, the final transport convoy arrived and boarded the CSO-class supercarrier—the flagship of the Second Expeditionary Fleet.
The fleet then surged through a massive gate over a hundred kilometers in diameter, bursting out from the Shield World's core, through its atmosphere, and into low orbit.
Once all ships were in formation, the six Wanderer-class dreadnoughts projected radiant beams in deep space, opening up swirling slipspace portals.
With that, the entire expeditionary fleet plunged into the slipstream, heading straight for the region of space where the City of charityresided.
Thanks to the official-quality jump engines and technology of the Wanderer-class ships—unlike the reverse-engineered knockoffs used by the Covenant—the transition through slipspace was faster, smoother, and far more stable. They could travel nearly 3,000 light-years every 24 hours.
And keep in mind, these ships were merely the most basic vessels of Forerunner civilization. There were even more powerful constructs—like the Ark, a colossal megastructure capable of consuming entire planets and manufacturing Halo rings, even opening portals to deploy them across the galaxy.
The so-called "Ark" was a petal-shaped megastructure, with massive ecological zones on its surface capable of sustaining life, and durable enough to withstand the devastating neutrino pulse cannon of a Halo Array.
At its core, the Ark functioned as a Halo ring factory, capable of harvesting entire planets as raw material and deploying completed rings across the Milky Way.
A construct that combined production, transportation, and deployment all in one? That's just too damn convenient!
Even just considering its teleportation function, the Ark was no less impressive than a quantum slingshot. The Forerunners' mastery of spatial technology was truly unmatched.
Unfortunately, Li Ang couldn't obtain such a marvel right away.
That's because the Enthusiastic Witness AI did not have coordinates for the Ark in its memory. All Li Ang knew was that this megastructure—ten times the size of Earth—lay beyond the Milky Way galaxy.
With the current technological level of the Universal Megacorp, leading a fleet to explore beyond the galaxy in search of such a construct would be prohibitively expensive.
In fact, the cost of finding the Ark might rival the cost of building one from scratch.
Thus, there were only two feasible options: either head to Meridian and excavate a Forerunner relic known as the "Holy Lamp" to obtain a complete set of Forerunner structure coordinates—or go directly to Earth's East African region and locate the portal that connects to the Ark.
Clearly, launching a whole new excavation mission was less efficient than heading straight to Earth and seizing the portal.
After considering this, Li Ang decided to dispatch David to personally lead a team to Earth's East Africa region—within the Halo universe—to find the Ark's portal.
Disrupting the situation on Reach and infiltrating Earth to locate the portal was now the Megacorp's top strategic objective.
---
Three days later.
Near-Earth orbit of Planet Reach, directly above New Alexandria City, inside an orbital space station.
[Attention all passengers bound for the Neptune: Please proceed to Dock 7 immediately. The boarding gate will close in ten minutes, and departure will commence on schedule!]
[Repeat, all passengers…]
In the departure lounge, the announcement echoed repeatedly.
A squad of UNSC Marines—armed with assault rifles and equipped with exoskeletons—stood guard along access points and elevators, patrolling vigilantly.
Among the crowd, Rita, William Cage, and newly transferred Intelligence Agent Alex—all in civilian attire—were making their way to their destination.
All three had undergone enhancements through the Spartan-II program, and their physical capabilities were now leagues beyond ordinary humans.
Their plan was to board the Neptune and head toward Earth, ten light-years away.
Meanwhile, David Martinez would lead a squad of Astartes warriors using covert smuggling routes to stealthily reach Earth. The plan was a two-pronged operation.
Given the massive size of Astartes warriors, it was practically impossible for them to board a standard UNSC civilian vessel.
Instead, they'd use a small Megacorp fleet equipped with hyperspace capabilities to slip into the solar system and infiltrate East Africa.
Before long, Rita and her group reached the dock. Using forged IDs and tickets, they passed the crew inspection and successfully boarded the ship.
Rita—always the cold, aloof type—didn't greet Cage or Alex. She silently chose a window seat, sat down, and turned to gaze at the dock outside.
Even though the cabin only had the three of them, there was no guarantee it wasn't bugged by the UNSC.
At this point in time, the UNSC had lost all patience for rebel forces. They were ready to drown every insurrectionist like a rat in a toilet bowl.
The rebels weren't any more civil either—resorting to human bombs and terrorist acts targeting high-end public venues.
Clearly, the human world in the Halo universe was already split by deep class divisions, giving rise to countless extreme incidents.
Thus, it was entirely plausible that UNSC or UEG had installed hidden surveillance equipment on cruise liners—especially one like the Neptune, which catered to elites and dignitaries.
Because of that, Rita and Alex refrained from talking, communicating only through glances while waiting quietly for the ship to depart.
Cage, ever the chatterbox, struck up a conversation with Alex, probing into her past relationship with Reed.
After all, gossip was a universal human instinct—especially within the ranks of Megacorp personnel.
Even Rita, who had her eyes closed, perked up upon hearing Cage's nosy question, listening closely for the answer.
There were indeed rumors that Reed and Alex weren't just comrades-in-arms, but also had romantic feelings for each other.
The official Megacorp website featured historical records of Li Ang and his top executives, and various history-bloggers had unearthed this sort of juicy detail.
Faced with Cage's brazen question, Alex merely smiled and shook her head. She had long since moved past that chapter of her life.
When it came to her former superior—and lover— Reed, she believed they still had time ahead. There was no need to let personal emotions interfere with professional progress.
Over the years, Alex had served as a senior operative in the Intelligence Division, handling top-secret assignments like surveillance and assassination.
This kind of dirty work required someone trustworthy, and Alex was the perfect candidate.
In a way, she was the Megacorp's version of an imperial secret enforcer.
But such work couldn't go on forever, which is why Li Ang decided to promote Alex and give her a chance to move up.
If she succeeded in this mission, Alex would ascend into the Intelligence Division's leadership, officially entering the Megacorp's executive ranks.
Given her rich field experience in espionage and infiltration, she was the ideal person to lead the operation to locate the Ark's portal.
With a seasoned expert like Alex in the lead, Rita and Cage would also stand a better chance of completing their objectives.
For Alex, this mission was the perfect opportunity for advancement.
Years ago, she had no such ambition—in fact, she had dreamed of quitting, retiring, and living out the rest of her life in peace.
That was mostly due to her former boss, President Miles, who treated his subordinates like disposable tools.
Grueling assignments, high casualty rates, abysmal benefits, and backstabbing superiors—anyone would've cracked under those conditions.
But after joining the Megacorp, under Li Ang's leadership, things were completely different.
All he had to do was uphold one principle—fairness—and Alex was instantly full of motivation.
As long as you were willing to risk it all, the company would reward you handsomely.
And now, the Megacorp was in a phase of rapid growth.
Everyone knows that riding the wave of a booming era is a rare chance—sometimes even a pig can take flight just by being nearby.
Megacorp was that wave.
If you worked for them, you weren't just a cog in the machine—you were helping to shape human civilization itself.
That meant more than any romance.
Love could wait. Opportunities to rise up in life were few and far between.
Progress—that was the choice of smart people.
Rita, who also had a powerful drive to succeed, silently approved of Alex's mindset.
No wonder the Megacorp's executives were all so decisive and efficient.
Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit—for the sake of progress.
Cage nodded repeatedly after hearing Alex's thoughts, full of admiration. This was exactly the kind of role model he aspired to follow.
For Megacorp. For humanity. Personal matters could wait.
Soon, Rita—pretending to sleep—noticed the scenery outside her sealed window slowly shift, indicating that the Neptune was beginning its departure from the dock.
In moments, the blackness of deep space and the aurora-covered surface of Reach filled her view.
Then came a swirl of bluish energy—the ship's engines tore open a slipspace corridor, and the Neptune entered the slipstream, bound for Earth, ten light-years away.
In the lounge and dining halls atop the vessel, the fantastical glow of slipspace bathed everything in twisted, radiant light. These beams poured in through panoramic windows.
Combined with lush plants, ambient lighting, and gentle music, the atmosphere put many passengers at ease.
Security personnel equipped with pneumatic rifles stood guard at all entrances and exits.
Of course, those were just the visible guards.
In reality, the Neptune also housed a squad of 50 fully armed UNSC Marines.
These troops were there to ensure the safety of its elite passengers—Earth's first-class citizens, wealthy colonists, and top-tier political figures.
Should anything happen aboard this vessel, the fallout for the UNSC and UEG would be immense.
Once these people fell into the hands of the rebels as hostages, the UNSC would be forced to send someone to negotiate. And at that point, the price they'd have to pay might be several battleships!
At the moment, Alex had already brought Rita and Cage into the dining hall, where, just like the other passengers, they were enjoying a relaxed meal—delicious pastries, cooked dishes, and fresh fruit.
Just then, both Rita and Alex noticed a commotion in the nearby lounge area: several security personnel were arguing with a few Marine soldiers.
Before Cage could even turn his head to look, the Marines suddenly raised their rifles and opened fire in a brutal, sweeping burst.
In an instant, the harsh rattling of gunfire filled the air. The security members were gunned down on the spot, and even a few innocent bystanders were caught in the hail of bullets and killed where they stood.
The sudden outbreak of violence triggered a wave of terrified screams from the passengers. Panic-stricken, they began to flee in all directions, desperate to escape.
But just as they were about to reach the safety corridor and evacuate the danger zone, they found the access gate had already been seized by other Marines.
Caught between a tiger in front and a wolf behind, there was nowhere to run!
At that moment, a man stepped onto a raised platform—a scar-faced thug with whites showing all around his irises, the kind of face that screamed "villain." Holding a rifle in his hands, he shouted loudly:
"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sullivan. Just a no-name, worthless punk. You don't know me, and that's fine—but I know every last one of you, the upper crust, the high and mighty."
"Listen up! I know how much your precious little lives are worth, so I've got no interest in hurting you. In fact, I need you alive—so I can trade your lives for some juicy benefits from those UNSC bastards. Got it?"
"As long as you don't cause trouble, I'll guarantee your safety. But that depends on whether you behave. Don't piss off a hot-tempered bastard like me, or else…"
Mid-sentence, Sullivan suddenly fired a shot into the crowd, randomly selecting a "lucky listener" and sending him straight to meet his maker.
As the victim's head exploded from the bullet, Sullivan let out a raspy, chilling laugh. "That's what happens when you don't listen. Understand now?!"
After Sullivan's ruthless display of "killing the chicken to scare the monkeys," the passengers were so terrified they didn't even dare to breathe too loudly, let alone make a sound.
No one wanted to risk provoking this deranged killer.
Under the Marines' threats, the crowd had no choice but to obediently squat on the floor like a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
Alex, Rita, and Cage followed suit, crouching down with the others and staying silent.
Until they figured out what was really going on, the smartest move was to lay low and watch.
After all, with their current combat skills, they could easily wipe out these low-level Marine soldiers in an instant.
'Why would UNSC Marines suddenly take the passengers hostage? Could the rebels have turned them?'
Alex silently speculated as she tried to make sense of the situation. She looked up at the panoramic skylight and saw that the dazzling light outside had already given way to the pitch-black void of deep space.
This meant that the Neptune had finished its slipspace jump—they were no longer in the warp layer, but had arrived in an unknown star system.
And most likely, that system was under rebel control!
To confirm her suspicion, Alex shifted backward a couple of steps.
She twisted around as much as she could and peered through a nearby porthole. Off to the side of the Neptune, a barren-looking planet loomed closer and closer.
It was obvious—this kind of overdeveloped, resource-depleted colony was exactly the kind of place rebels would operate out of. Just like street punks turning corporate junkyards into their hideouts.
Chances were high that these so-called "Marines" were actually rebel operatives—and everyone aboard this cruise ship had just been taken hostage!
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