Chapter 687 - 668: Fear the Sky

Pentagon, Office Thirteen.

Colonel Anthony stood next to the whiteboard, clarifying his thoughts to the reconvened former NX17 tracking team.

"...According to the latest data we accessed from the database, there’s an over 80% chance that we can confirm NX17 is on a geosynchronous orbit. What does this tell us?

NX17 is powered. Assuming they haven’t resupplied NX17 with more fuel, it would have elevated its orbit using its own power, which indicates it has sufficient fuel, advanced technology, and a mysterious purpose.

So, what kind of device would need to change orbits, and for what purpose?"

Anthony’s gaze swept over the team members, who were mostly jotting down notes, many of them stroking their chins in thought, occasionally exchanging a few words with one another.

After a moment, someone spoke up:

"If it’s a secret and within Earth’s vicinity, it must be something designed to be used against Earth. My guess is it’s a weapon, some extremely dangerous weapon.

Maybe it’s a large armed satellite capable of launching kinetic weapons or nuclear bombs to precisely strike vital targets."

Anthony looked at an older Latino, who received Anthony’s cue, stood up, and continued to explain to his colleagues:

"Although we’ve long proven that kinetic weapons like the ’Rod of God’ are not cost-effective, they are not entirely useless.

Missiles launched from the ground are easily detected with their massive thermal radiation as conspicuous as the sun, but if released from space, conventional reconnaissance satellites simply cannot monitor them, resulting in defense being restricted to the terminal phase.

A hundred-kilogram kinetic rod is enough to kill everyone on the President’s Mansion Lawn, and the same goes for nuclear bombs."

Anthony nodded without comment and signaled him to sit down, before someone else stood up immediately:

"I disagree, such a weapon is pointless. Who would care about that slight element of stealth when it’s really time to use them?

If the purpose was as stated, then the target would be far too obvious!"

The second speaker gained most people’s agreement, evidently feeling that there had to be another purpose.

"Anybody else? Does anyone else have an idea?"

Continuing his search, Anthony saw a gaunt hand raised.

It belonged to a man who looked to be in his sixties, with the classic white Texan appearance. He was once robust in his younger days, his eyes still carrying a hint of pride.

His name was Ruhl, a veteran from the Air Force Intelligence Room, ready for retirement but called back because of the previous involvement in the NX17 investigation.

Ruhl stood up, scoffing at the confused members:

"You naïve kids, haven’t you thought outside the box?

Look at them, they’re learning from the Union. That NX17 isn’t some weapon of mass destruction; on the contrary, it’s an umbrella."

A light went on in Anthony’s mind, and he immediately became intrigued:

"What umbrella? Protecting from what?"

"An umbrella against missiles, to create an overwhelming advantage barrier in their nuclear deterrence. I would think some of you still remember ’Aurora’."

Most of the younger members were still pondering what "laser" meant, but a few people over forty suddenly got excited, exclaiming:

"Staike-DM, that’s it, it’s that one!"

"Damn, should’ve thought of that earlier, that’s the real threat!"

"They got their hands on the Union’s legacy; we should’ve known!"

"..."

The few informed members immediately animated the discussion; although young, Anthony had taken the time to thoroughly study the Union’s equipment history and finally remembered what "Aurora" was.

Before the New Yuan No. 3, the world’s number one launch vehicle "Energy Number" carried not only space shuttles but few knew it also carried the Staike-DM model test ship "Aurora" on its maiden flight.

The 105-ton laser satellite, the pinnacle of Union’s secret technology, was something even experienced equipment experts knew little about beyond its name.

Even after the Union’s disintegration into such chaos, "Aurora" remained a secret, locked away in some clandestine lab, waiting for the day Russia could reignite its research.

Indeed, only something like that would be worth such secrecy, meriting a powerful nuclear reactor.

Anthony was almost certain, but still he asked Ruhl:

"Why didn’t you mention this last year? Was it for lack of evidence?"

"At that time, I thought it was unlikely because it was too small, only weighing 20 tons; ’Aurora’ weighs 100 tons."

"But after learning the latest information, I realized that, from low Earth orbit to geostationary orbit – a distance of more than 30,000 kilometers – only lasers can maintain their power over that distance, so it must be something similar to the ’Staike-DM’."

"Technological iterations are too fast, lasers are getting smaller, reactors are improving, and 20 tons isn’t impossible."

After Ruhl finished explaining, most people understood what "Aurora" was and tried to connect the two.

"Wait, doesn’t that mean we are in great danger!"

Someone came to this realization and said in a panic:

"NX17 was launched a year ago; they’ve already been testing for a whole year!

During this period, how many flaws did they find and how much improvement did they make? Are they developing something bigger and more powerful like ’Aurora’?!

And we are completely unprepared, lagging at least three, if not five, years behind!

If they launch enough laser satellites, all of the world’s nuclear bombs will become useless."

This conclusion was so shocking that everyone fell silent, afraid to speak.

"No... launching so many large satellites would be difficult..."

"Don’t forget XAP; they are fully capable of launching more than 10 laser satellites weighing 100 tons each per year. Launching rockets is as easy for them as drinking water."

Anthony’s eyes met with those of the others, his thoughts racing.

He had a feeling, perhaps the most unbelievable result was the truth.

...

"Colonel Anthony, can you stand by your words?"

A day later, David Usno met with Anthony, who had not slept all night and had bloodshot eyes.

"I’m certain, at least 95% sure."

"That high?"

David’s eyebrows furrowed deeply, a seasoned intelligence officer claiming 95% certainty was highly unusual.

"Yes, I can even say 100%, because I’ve found other corroborating information."

After reaching his conclusion, Anthony did not immediately report it. He spent the entire night reviewing the related materials, especially several key moments related to NX17, and then he discovered an event that seemed ordinary:

On March 2, 2017, less than a week after the launch of NX17, an unmanned high-speed jet trainer numbered "2231" crashed.

This was purely found by him through a web search, filtering the news within one month after the NX17 launch, according to the news at that time, the crash of "2231" was due to exceeding the maximum flight speed, causing local high temperatures and deformation of the skin, leading to uncontrolled disintegration.

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary aviation accident, but as Anthony, who could find suspicion in anything, read it over and over, a familiar feeling emerged and several questions arose:

Why would a jet trainer conduct high-speed tests?

Why would a jet trainer fly unmanned, simply due to "a new engine", taking such extraordinary precautions?

Why did it crash just a week after the launch of NX17 and why did XAP never conduct similar experiments again?

Anthony pondered for a long time, then as he stared at the photo of the wreckage on the news webpage, the image began to contort and shift, forming two words:

Target drones.

An operational manned aircraft being converted to unmanned – the Air Force only does this when they need real target drones, no wonder it felt so familiar.

If "2231" was a target drone, then what had shot down this drone?

Late at night, Anthony who was leaning over his desk by the window was suddenly cooled by the evening breeze and looked up at the quiet night sky.

He seemed to see a burst of intense green light in the dark sky, striking him precisely as he looked up. The fiery heat instantly ignited his clothes and hair, followed by the laser piercing through flesh and fat, which started to crackle and burn. His body, like being cremated, turned into a fierce blaze, shrinking into a ball amidst painful struggles until only a heap of charred, whitened bones and some fingernails were left.

Immediately, Anthony shut the window, grabbed the blanket from the sofa where he had napped that afternoon, and wrapped himself up tightly, avoiding the pallid moonlight that seeped through the window like a vampire, and dashed into the subterranean Office Thirteen. Only when surrounded by the cold concrete did he feel slightly better.

It was a long time before he fell asleep from exhaustion. When he woke up, the fear of the sky had finally dissipated somewhat, but still instinctively, he avoided it like the plague, only feeling safe in the shadows of the buildings.

He was relieved that David’s office was underground. If it were the office of the head of the Air Force Intelligence Room, covered in large floor-to-ceiling windows, Anthony doubted he could sit there.

After hearing the analysis of the "2231" incident, David Usno was speechless. He, too, couldn’t help but look up at the ceiling, as if seeing through the ground, past the splendid Pentagon, straight up to the geostationary orbit that could oversee the entire Earth.