Chapter 205: We Have Completed the Jump and Successfully Reached the Target Planet's Orbit

But even Ai Sa Ke, whose employee rank isn't low, cannot know the real reason UEG and UNSC were founded.

After all, Ai Sa Ke works in engineering, while his wife Ni Ke is in research, so they have no grasp of what other Umbrella departments handle.

The national governments and militaries that later became UEG and UNSC were long ago fully infiltrated by the Red and White Queens and the intelligence agencies.

In fact, the reason for their establishment was Umbrella's aim to mobilize all humanity more efficiently.

As for the three UNSC soldiers before Ai Sa Ke, they were once members of the United States National Guard.

The current UNSC has abolished the National Guard and similar formations of foreign armies, consolidating them under the army and then subdividing them in detail.

UNSC is broadly divided into navy, marines, army, air force, and special operations.

In a sense, UEG and UNSC are also Umbrella's "departments."

Yet these two "departments" sit at the very bottom of the company, having to submit formal contracts and orders to Umbrella to obtain corresponding cooperation and armaments.

Moreover, the weapons they receive are all products that Umbrella's armed division has completely phased out.

That's why, to Ai Sa Ke, the three UNSC soldiers look like the company's armed security from years ago.

Next.

Ai Sa Ke and the others walk through the lobby, heading straight to Umbrella's employee‑only counters 1 through 10 to handle boarding and cargo procedures.

Even with ten dedicated counters, Ai Sa Ke and his coworkers still have to queue, since a Precursors II-type can accommodate over three thousand people.

But the efficiency isn't slow.

Within minutes, it's Ai Sa Ke's turn at counter 7 to process his paperwork.

He first places his retractable‑handle suitcase on the conveyor, pulls out an employee badge about the size of a bank card, and hands it to the check‑in officer.

With the badge, the officer quickly completes all procedures and returns the badge to Ai Sa Ke, smiling:

"Mr. Clark, you've been assigned a seat in 3‑cabin, row 12F. Have a pleasant journey."

"Thank you." Ai Sa Ke, after retrieving his badge, returns a faint smile and then reunites with his waiting coworkers.

Unburdened by luggage, they leave the counter area, take an escalator down to the train platform beneath the lobby, and shortly after, a magnetic‑levitation rail train pulls into the platform.

Immediately, the train carries them out of Hall A, traverses the entire airport, and arrives beneath the terminal building on the north side of the airport.

After disembarking, they undergo a final security check before entering the terminal.

The personnel maintaining security are no longer UNSC soldiers, but armed guards equipped with fourth‑generation Mechanical exoskeletons and pulse weapons.

The terminal is no longer a public area; it's Umbrella's exclusive zone.

After the final security check, Ai Sa Ke and the others choose a less‑crowded boarding gate.

They cross the jet bridge, which has floor‑to‑ceiling windows on both sides, and board a transport pod whose interior is similar to a passenger aircraft, selecting an empty seat and waiting.

Soon, the scheduled transport pod seals its hatch, detaches from the jet bridge, lifts off, and follows a set course toward one of the Precursors II-type engineering ships.

…

Over three hours later, aboard the upper deck of a Precursors II-type, inside the rightmost 3‑cabin.

Each row here has six individual seats, and the spacing between rows and seats is ample, providing a comfortable space for the staff.

Employees seated at the far‑right F‑column can also look out through small portholes in the hull to see the outside scenery.

Ai Sa Ke's seat is F in the twelfth row.

Now, having just woken from a brief nap, he turns his head toward the window and still sees the forest north of the airport.

Seeing this, Ai Sa Ke can't help but frown.

"What's going on today?" the coworker beside him asks, puzzled. "The company never runs late, but today we're half an hour behind schedule."

"Indeed, could there be an anomaly?" the coworker who's planning to treat everyone to drinks nods. "Hey! Don't be a jinx!" another quickly warns.

Boom… Boom!

But as soon as the warning is spoken, the whole ship shudders violently, and the cabin lights flicker.

!!!

Feeling the commotion, everyone's heart rose to their throats.

After half a minute, the ship's shaking gradually subsides and the lights stop flickering.

"Everyone!"

At that moment, the flight attendant captain in charge of 3‑cabin immediately broadcasts to all staff inside:

"We have received notice from the bridge; the earlier tremor was a normal occurrence during the main engine's unstable start‑up. All hazards have now been cleared, so there's no need to worry.

Also, good news: the bridge assures that within at most two minutes we'll depart the airport!

Therefore, for everyone's safety, remain in your seats, fasten your seatbelts, and refrain from moving about. Thank you for your cooperation."

It gave me a fright; I actually thought it was my jinxed mouth that had summoned an abnormal phenomenon.

"Then you should say less too!"

"As compensation, you'll have to treat us tomorrow and the day after."

"No problem! Treating you is a piece of cake!"

Hearing the captain's words, everyone lets out a sigh of relief, and the cabin's atmosphere livens up again.

"Whew…" Even Ai Sa Ke exhales heavily, easing his tension.

Just as the bridge promised, within two minutes the view outside the porthole begins to change.

The Precursors II-type engineering ship they ride ascends faster than usual; soon, outside the window is the blackness of space and an indistinct view of Earth.

The flight attendants stop offering drinks and snacks, returning to their seats at the rear of the cabin to fasten their seatbelts.

Soon, the captain broadcasts: "Ten seconds until the jump, countdown…

Ten,

Nine,

…

2.

One!

Whoosh——! In an instant, everyone felt a distinct "push‑back sensation," and the universe and Earth scenery outside the porthole were "flattened," as if everything turned into horizontal lines emitting white light.

A few seconds after entering the fold‑jump state, the "push‑back sensation" dissipated rapidly.

But in less than half a minute, everyone felt a slight "jolt."

However, this unusual feeling lasted only a few seconds, and everything returned to normal.

It seems the fold‑jump travel has ended.

Immediately, Ai Sa Ke turned his head toward the porthole and saw that the things that had been "flattened" had all returned to normal.

The universe was still pitch‑black, but the planet was no longer the blue Earth; instead, its surface soil appeared reddish and its atmosphere was thin—a different planet.

"Colleagues," the chief flight officer's broadcast came, "We have completed the fold‑jump travel and successfully entered the near‑Earth orbit of our destination, Mars.

You may now unfasten your seatbelts and move about as appropriate; our cabin crew will continue to serve you, and we expect to arrive at the Ares Airport on Mars' surface in ten minutes."

(End of chapter)