Chapter 1863
Arrival at the Floating Continent!
Chapter 1863 Arrival at the Floating Continent! (3K)
In a strait in the western Pacific Ocean, a massive fleet consisting of hundreds of warships of various types, as well as three Garuda-class aircraft carriers, is gathering here, awaiting the moment when the passage to that floating continent will open.
"Colonel Ming. According to our observations, the passage to the floating continent will open in 15 hours. Please prepare!"
Military attaché Li Xingke stood on the bridge of the Garuda and spoke respectfully.
"Hmm. Military Attaché Li. There's nothing wrong with that. But don't you find it strange?"
He Ming tapped the handle slowly with his fingers, pondering.
"Our satellites can clearly monitor everything happening on the floating continent, yet our aircraft and warships cannot reach it through normal means. Commander Li, don't you think the floating continent is located in some kind of anomalous space, perhaps what could be called a spacetime rift?"
"Yes, yes, that's probably it. Colonel Ming. As expected of the commander of the Punishment Division, the youngest future general in the Earth Federation Forces."
Before Li Xingke could speak, Gao Hai, who had been sitting in the VIP section, quickly spoke up.
However, his high-pitched, raspy voice did cause a slight pause in the atmosphere on the bridge of the Garuda.
"Ahem. Eunuch Gao Hai, why don't you share your insights on the floating continent?"
He Ming glanced at Li Xingke, who bowed to him and then silently withdrew, handing the right to speak to Gao Hai, before asking Gao Hai a question.
"No, that's not an insight. It's just that those mediocre people with poor skills managed to come up with some conclusions after exhausting a lot of resources. It's nothing compared to Colonel Ming's similar, no, probably the only correct explanation after his observation."
Gao Hai's flattery made Kenes, who was sitting in the captain's seat in front, secretly rub his arms and repeatedly wink at He Ming.
Judging from his appearance, he was probably suffering greatly from the words of this eunuch Gao Hai.
"No. I don't have such keen eyesight. It's just based on some past experience. Eunuch Gao's praise is an overstatement."
He Ming nodded slightly, telling Kenes to calm down, and then stood up.
"Eunuch Gao, Military Officer Li, there are still 15 hours before the passage opens. During this time, you two can rest well. When the passage is about to open, please come to the bridge."
Upon hearing this, Gao Hai knew that He Ming was issuing an order to leave.
Although he was somewhat reluctant, he did as he was told.
During his few days aboard the Garuda, he witnessed firsthand what punishment truly meant, and he was truly an elite member of the Earth Federation Forces.
Those warships that came from all over the super-Earth
The mobile suits that came to rendezvous with the Garuda-class carriers, one after another, using their flight ramps.
All of this deeply shocked the eunuch, making him realize that he absolutely could not disobey Colonel Ming, who was in charge of punishment. In fact, after secretly deciding to return to the floating continent, he would use his connections to open doors of convenience for punishment as much as possible, so that punishment and the Earth Federation Army could eliminate those damned monsters as soon as possible.
of course.
In this process, it will not be a one-sided effort by Gao Hai.
He, the eunuch Gao Hai, who successfully brought back powerful reinforcements to the floating continent, will surely gain the emperor's favor, rise to prominence, wield more power, and become the... no... the Nine Thousand Years Old, second only to the emperor!
After watching Gao Hai and Li Xingke leave the bridge, Kenes and the other crew members all breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing their expressions as if they had been reborn from the ashes, He Ming couldn't help but laugh.
"Is it really that exaggerated? If a mere eunuch like Gao can instill such fear in you, then what will you do when you reach the Floating Continent? Won't you want to withdraw from this operation on the spot?"
"hiss···"
Kenes gasped, looking at He Ming in surprise.
"Colonel Ming, are you saying that Eunuch Gao wasn't an isolated case?"
"Yes, that's right. In that palace on the floating continent, there are at least tens of thousands of people like Eunuch Gao. Moreover, there are probably many more eunuchs in the major cities throughout the floating continent."
"They represent the emperor's authority, serve the emperor, and oversee the entire country for the emperor. It can be said that they are the emperor's household servants."
As He Ming said this, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
"Of course. If the master is inferior and the servant is powerful, these servants can actually control their master."
Upon hearing this, Kenneth immediately understood what was going on.
"It seems Colonel Ming doesn't like these eunuchs either!"
"They're alright. It's mainly their understanding of history that makes me not optimistic about them."
He Ming chuckled and turned his gaze to the floating continent in the sky, which was faintly visible among the clouds, yet allowed the sunlight of this world to penetrate through and bring glory to the Eurasian continent below.
"Regardless of what these eunuchs are thinking, we, the Punishers, will still head to the Floating Continent."
Fifteen hours passed quickly.
An hour before the countdown ended, various unusual phenomena appeared simultaneously in the sea and airspace in front of the fleet.
Or the light is distorted.
Or it may produce ripples that seem to disturb the surface of the water.
The moment these anomalies appeared, all Earth Federation military technical units equipped with special instruments immediately pointed their radar and other monitoring equipment at the phenomena ahead. "Colonel Ming, Captain Sleg, what lies ahead is the passage to the floating continent, and also the passage from the floating continent where we came here."
Seemingly realizing that He Ming and Kenneth didn't really want him to speak, Gao Hai tactfully handed the speaking opportunity to Li Xingke.
Li Xingke also cooperated very well in explaining things to everyone on the Garuda.
"In a few minutes, this passage will enter a stable period that will last for several days. During this time, large ships, warships, and this aircraft carrier will be able to enter the floating continent through this passage."
"If it weren't for the time interval, it would be quite convenient."
He Ming nodded slightly, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
Given the current situation, Punishment will likely encounter some problems when withdrawing from this floating continent after resolving the BETA's level 6 HIVE nest.
However, it's not a big problem.
The strange phenomena on the floating continent may be related to the BETA's level 6 HIVE nest.
Ultimately, whether in the original timeline or in this chaotic and ever-changing world, the existence of BETA can be considered as a disruptor of time and space.
To resolve the anomalies of the floating continent, the root cause may lie with these extradimensional miners.
Once the passage stabilized, three Garuda-class carriers, as the vanguard, entered the passage first, followed by various types of Earth Federation warships, and mobile suits that patrolled the area around the fleet using flight ramps.
For He Ming, the scene after entering the passage was not unusual.
The bizarre and fantastical scene, so similar to the spatial leap, did not arouse He Ming's interest.
But for others, especially the Earth Federation Forces who had never experienced a space jump before, it was a rather novel experience.
"Captain Slag, issue the order to have everyone on high alert, in case of any unusual activity at the passage exit."
He Ming waited a moment, then, feeling that the time was about right, issued the order for the entire fleet to be on alert.
"Yes, Colonel Ming."
At a command, all the warships that entered the passage entered a state of high alert. All the Federation soldiers, who were stunned by the bizarre and fantastical sights unique to the passage, quickly took their positions and adjusted the equipment and weapons under their charge to their best condition.
Despite the assurances from Gao Hai and Li Xingke, He Ming, who was well aware of the pressure brought by the terrifying scale of the BETA, which was as numerous as ants, would not let his guard down.
Moreover, the Garuda-class carriers, and later surface warships, also carried important personnel equipped with devices to assist in positioning and provide coordinates for space warships that were about to reach distant orbits and were ready to provide support.
Throughout the entire process, from arriving at the floating continent to safely landing and establishing a base, He Ming must not allow any incidents that cause damage to personnel or equipment.
Fortunately, just as the last glimmer of the bizarre and fantastical scene shattered and faded, the Earth Federation fleet, spearheaded by three Garuda-class carriers, successfully arrived at the coastal area of the floating continent.
Is there an ocean here too?
Kenneth straightened up and quickly gave the order.
"Notify all ships to immediately deploy reconnaissance units to investigate the surrounding area as quickly as possible and search the area for BETA! Reserves to prepare for reinforcement, and search and rescue forces to remain on standby and ready to launch rescue operations at any time!"
As Kenneth issued his orders, the Earth Federation fleet, which had not yet had time to marvel at the unfamiliar ocean, immediately spread out all its forces in all directions and sped away from the passageway to avoid colliding with the Federation warships that arrived later.
The aircraft, accelerating away from the fleet, spread out rapidly like birds, bringing the nearby airspace and sea under the control of the Earth Federation Forces.
At the same time, several reconnaissance teams flew towards the green ocean line that appeared at the end of the horizon.
"Report! Satellite signal confirmed! Our fleet has successfully established a signal connection with an intelligence satellite in low Earth orbit! We are currently comparing coordinates and surrounding terrain!"
He Ming was satisfied with CIC's swift response.
"Captain Slag, once you have located my fleet, have someone contact the local garrison or official agencies."
"Colonel Ming, let us handle this!"
No sooner had He Ming finished speaking than Gao Hai spoke again, taking the initiative to take on the task of making the contact.
"Very well! I'll leave the liaison work to you, Eunuch Gao. Our fleet will not use any of your country's military bases, but will instead find a suitable bay near the front lines, based on the actual situation. I hope you can understand!"
Upon hearing that He Ming had no intention of establishing a military base on the floating continent, Gao Hai's expression immediately changed.
He was fully prepared to use the power of the Federation army to secretly seize more power.
However, He Ming's arrangement made him feel desperate.
"Military attaché Li! We may need your assistance next. We hope to obtain intelligence support from the military attaché and provide us with the location of a suitable harbor for our fleet."
Li Xingke had no doubts and quickly agreed.
"Yes! We are willing to assist in the punishment! Colonel Ming."
With this whole setup, He Ming had made it clear that he had no intention of getting involved in the dirty dealings between those eunuchs, and that he only wanted to focus on eliminating BETA and resolving the anomalies on the floating continent as soon as possible.
If this eunuch Gao, or any of the other eunuchs, didn't keep their eyes open, He Ming wouldn't mind showing them what it meant to witness a scene of thunder descending from the sky, scorching the earth, and turning the land into a sea of glazed tiles!
I was held up by some things tonight. So I'll just combine the third watch into two, both six thousand words each!
(End of this chapter)