Chapter 339: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (57)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 339: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (57)
As the meeting ended and people began to file out, Oh Hyun quietly followed Adele. After a moment's hesitation, he called out to her softly.
“Miss Adele.”
She stopped and turned her head.
“Yes? What is it?”
“Um… I wanted to talk to you about the unit.”
Adele blinked once, then nodded gently.
“Of course. I was just heading that way. Shall we walk together?”
“Yes.”
A brief silence fell between them before Oh Hyun spoke again, choosing his words carefully.
“About the… OS improvement plan you mentioned before. I took a crack at it based on your suggestions, and I was wondering… if you could take a look?”
“You modified it yourself?”
“Yes. I used the structural improvements you suggested as a reference and tried to adjust the sensor synchronization to be a bit more sensitive. It improved accuracy during high-speed evasions, but the recoil recovery has become a little unstable…”
“Hmm, sensor sensitivity and recoil stabilization are bound to conflict with each other. To satisfy both simultaneously, you’d have to split the computation processing into two layers.”
She naturally took out the terminal she was holding.
“Can I see the code now?”
“Ah, yes. Here it is.”
When Oh Hyun took out his own terminal and handed it to her, Adele focused on the screen.
“…You’ve structured this better than I expected. Did you scrap the existing core routine and write a new one from scratch?”
“Yes. The original is backed up, anyway… I tried to simplify it as much as possible for practical combat response.”
“That’s incredible. This is professional-level work.”
Oh Hyun scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
“Putting it like that… makes me feel a little shy.”
“However… I still see some areas that need correction.”
Adele pointed at the screen, her fingertip hovering just above it.
“This part here. You should apply output stabilization first, not sensitivity-priority computation.”
Oh Hyun nodded and leaned in closer.
“Wouldn't that cause a processing delay?”
“It would, but it’s only a 0.05-second difference. That 0.05 seconds determines whether the unit’s knee buckles or if it controls the recoil.”
As she spoke, Adele lightly swiped her finger across the terminal.
Oh Hyun quietly watched her profile. Her neat pink hair, the faint trace of fatigue around her eyes, and her warm voice.
When he first met her, he had thought she was just another person from the Earth Federation—cold, hypocritical, and selfish. But having spent time with her, he’d learned she wasn't that kind of person at all.
‘…She’s amazing.’
To set the world right, she had abandoned the top defense contractor in the world, voluntarily giving up the power and stability her family held.
Now, she was on the front lines, striving to save more lives than anyone else.
Calmer than anyone, and more resolute than anyone.
Oh Hyun looked at her again. Somehow, she seemed larger than life.
Just then, Adele turned her head.
“Mr. Oh Hyun?”
“…Yes?”
“There’s one more thing I need to show you. To apply this OS improvement for combat, we also need to change the simulation-based settings.”
She gave a short smile and gestured down the corridor.
“Shall we?”
Oh Hyun gave a small nod and followed her.
*
“Phew, I’m nervous.”
Inside his unit, Mason’s voice echoed through the communication channel.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you this nervous, Mason.”
As soon as Oh Hyun spoke, Mason’s laughter followed.
“That’s just me pretending to be cool. Deep down, I’m scared shitless every time we go into battle.”
Lisa immediately retorted to his lighthearted joke.
“This guy Mason has always been a huge coward. He even pissed his pants in a haunted house when we were kids.”
“Hey! Why would you bring that up?!”
“Well, it’s not like I’m lying, am I?”
Just then, Sheryl, who had been listening quietly, chimed in.
“It seems he’s more timid than he looks.”
“No! Why are you suddenly ganging up on me too? And what’s wrong with my looks? I think I’m pretty manly, don’t you?!”
Lisa shot back without missing a beat.
“What are you talking about, you gorilla-looking oaf.”
At Lisa’s blunt remark, Mason cried out in frustration.
“You guys are seriously too much! Hyun, what do you think? I look pretty manly, right?”
Oh Hyun chuckled.
“From my perspective… I’d say so. But I guess it’s different for women.”
“……Haaah. I guess I don’t have any allies here.”
Just as Mason let out a deep sigh, a new voice cut through the comms channel.
[I have transferred the data to all units. Everyone… you must return safely. All units, standby.]
It was Adele’s voice. The channel, which had been filled with laughter just moments before, fell silent at her words.
The warship’s hangar opened with a deafening roar. Metal armor plating split apart, revealing the vast expanse of space beyond the vacuum boundary.
—FWOOOOSH!!
In an instant, verniers ignited, and a pure white silhouette was the first to soar through the hangar opening.
Sheryl Mortimer’s Eclipse.
The pristine white unit calmly and composedly, yet faster than any other, drew an arc and took the lead.
Following right behind—
“Lowlight, launching.”
Lisa’s gray-armored unit shot out in a straight trajectory, an EMP smoke unit for defense attached to its side.
“Exile, launching.”
Oh Hyun’s unit launched slightly later, propelling forward steadily in a smooth, curved path.
“Cabalos, launching!”
Finally, Mason’s navy-blue unit shot out from the edge of the hangar.
Once they were all in orbit, the comms opened.
[We will now cut engines and approach. All units are to maintain maximum stealth. The objective is to infiltrate the enemy satellite base without being detected by its radar network and confirm the location of the ‘ZERO-LUX’ related structures within.]
Sheryl Mortimer issued her commands calmly.
[Eclipse will lead the approach. The rest of the units will maintain their designated orbital formation. We will reach the first scan zone in five minutes.]
With that, the comms went silent. The units’ engines shut down, and they glided through the zero-gravity void like unspoken words.
In the silence, Oh Hyun remained constantly aware of his surroundings.
He was prepared to react instantly to any unforeseen variables.
And in that moment, on the outskirts of the satellite base, beyond the shadow of the asteroid field, he saw a glint of light.
It wasn't the simple reflection of a rock. It meant that a smooth, metallic surface was moving somewhere out there.
Oh Hyun immediately opened a channel.
“Sheryl, three o’clock. I’ve detected a metallic reflection from the gap in the outer asteroid belt. High probability of something hiding there.”
[Acknowledged. Lowlight, move to the cover on the left. Exile, maintain your opposing orbit. Cabalos, guard the rear. Maintain stealth and suppress output until we are exposed. But if we are, engage immediately.]
While giving commands, Sheryl accelerated the Eclipse in silent mode. Without its boosters, the unit used only inertia to cut below the right altitude, slowly entering its approach trajectory.
Inside the cockpit, a warning light on the HUD flashed red.
—Beep-beep-beep!
[Multiple heat sources detected.]
At that moment, Oh Hyun’s shout rang through the comms.
“Sheryl! There’s something around us!”
Sheryl frowned, her eyes scanning rapidly. A cluster of heat sources was enveloping the satellite base in a ‘U-shaped encirclement.’
[…Tch. It’s a trap. All units, be advised! Multiple enemy units are approaching. Disengaging stealth. All units, disperse!]
The moment Sheryl gave the order, the Eclipse switched to an assault maneuver, piercing sharply through the zero-gravity space.
Sheryl immediately began firing long-range suppressive shots from outside the enemy’s effective range. Cold beams of light drew silent trails, breaking the formation of the approaching enemies.
Multiple units were closing in fast from a distance. The armor of the enemy units bore the insignia of the Earth Federation Army, and next to it was a familiar symbol—the Zeros Code emblem, a red line splitting into three branches.
“…Zeros Code?”
She took a short breath. Their appearance was distinctly different from the Zeros Code units she knew. But the emblem was unmistakably theirs.
Sheryl immediately opened a comms channel.
[Lady Adele, some of the enemy units belong to Zeros Code. This isn’t a simple ambush. You need to—]
—BOOOOOM!!
Before she could finish, a massive flash erupted from their rear. A wide-area plasma blast tore through the vacuum of space, momentarily bathing their entire rear flank in red.
The vibration was strong enough to shake the cockpit. A new, urgent voice came over the comms.
[This is the Astrea! A Federation warship has appeared behind us! A photon cannon scored a direct hit on an allied ship! We’ve lost their signal!]
Hina’s trembling voice echoed through the channel. On the bridge, frantic sirens and warning alarms blared in unison.
[Multiple heat sources detected from the rear! A large number of Federation units are approaching!]
Sheryl narrowed her eyes. The number of enemy units on her radar was steadily increasing. Some of them were clearly broadcasting Zeros Code signals.
‘…Was it a diversion?’
Zeros Code and regular army forces were in front, while a fleet and its units were behind, targeting the Astrea.
“If we’re not careful, this place will be our grave.”
Sheryl leaned back slightly in the cockpit seat and took a breath.
She immediately opened the comms channel.
“Oh Hyun, Lisa, Mason. All units, return to the rear and defend the Astrea.”
[Wait! Then what about you, Sheryl—]
Lisa’s voice cut in. Sheryl sounded as if she let out a short sigh.
“I will hold the enemy in front by myself. It’s meaningless for all of you to stay here now.”
[But—!]
“That’s an order.”
Sheryl’s voice was low and firm.
“I’ll hold them off for as long as I can, so make sure you escape with the Astrea. At the very least… you must protect Lady Adele.”
Just before the channel closed, Sheryl took a short breath and muttered to herself.
“I’m not afraid of dying. It’s the hesitation I’ve come to hate.”
At that moment, a communication on a different frequency patched into her private tactical channel.
[……Colonel, it’s been a while.]
A familiar male voice, laced with a sneer.
“…Is that you, Jack Spencer? Looks like your disciplinary action is over. And you… you’re a captain now?”
[Hehe, so it seems. It didn’t take as long as I thought.]
Sheryl silently adjusted her trajectory and stared ahead. The Eclipse’s optical sensors were tracking a single silhouette approaching in the distance.
[Still as cynical as ever. Though, I must say, that’s what I’ve always… liked about you.]
“…Then, for old times’ sake, why don’t you just back off?”
[Oh, I can’t do that. Do you have any idea how… betrayed I felt by you, Colonel? To think you’d not only discipline me for playing around with some brat, but then abandon us and betray the Federation.]
Sheryl silently cut the comms for a moment. Quietly, she placed her hands on the unit’s controls. The cold sensation of metal flowed through her fingertips.
“…So, you’re here to kill me?”
[Kill you? Why would I do something so wasteful? I’m going to play with you. Honestly, I’m curious. I want to see what kind of face you’ll make when that always-expressionless mask of yours finally shatters in despair.]
The corner of Sheryl’s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
“Hmph… Come to think of it, you always were quite interested in my body.”
As she spoke, she flipped a switch in the cockpit.
“But you see—”
The plasma cannons on the Eclipse’s back swiveled and deployed simultaneously. The heated coils began to glow with a red light.
Sheryl calmly lowered her gaze along the targeting line.
“……A rat-faced bastard like you isn’t my type, Jack.”
—BOOOOOM!!
Two plasma cannons fired almost at the same time. The intense heat warped space as the red trajectories rushed forward.
A direct hit. The shockwave enveloped the unit’s exterior.
However.
From within the debris, a violet silhouette shot out as if shedding its skin.
[Hehe… What do you think? This unit is the latest model.]
Jack’s voice flowed across the comms.
Even amidst the smoke, his unit maintained perfect posture, using its reverse thrusters to draw a curve and reposition itself.
[Same class as the Eclipse you’re piloting. No, from now on, this might just be the superior model.]
Sheryl’s gaze swept over the HUD. Multiple irregular heat patterns. He had deliberately baited the plasma shots to deploy a reflective shield. A perfect counter.
“…You’ve improved.”
Sheryl said, slowly raising her plasma blade. Jack’s unit, now reacquired on her sensors, was hovering diagonally above her, drawing an evasive arc.
[It’s all thanks to what you taught me, Colonel. Now, it’s our turn.]
On Sheryl’s sensor, multiple heat sources popped up on the radar at once.
“……!”
The Zeros Code units simultaneously formed an encirclement, closing in on the Eclipse from all sides.
“Alright. All of you—”
Sheryl crossed her swords and placed a hand on the Limiter Override switch in the cockpit.
“Let’s see… just how much you’ve improved.”
—Ting!
A warning tone sounded from the Eclipse’s control panel as a blue border lit up, and the plasma blade’s output surged to its maximum.
At the same time, she charged toward the enemy.