I changed the world.

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This was Major General Deng Yue'an's first reaction. He quickly summoned the scientists on board to inquire, and then obtained a definite conclusion: the subspace and the real universe are two completely different worlds, and the storms in the subspace could not affect the normal universe.

Chapter 590 The Beacon Tower is Still Resisting

That means we've entered a dangerous area!

Before setting off, Major General Deng Yue'an had already received a special talk and learned a lot about the relevant aspects, knowing that what he was about to face might not be predictable by common sense.

His original plan was to conduct cautious reconnaissance and probe from a relatively safe distance before formulating a plan based on the actual situation. However, fate was unpredictable, and his fleet was sent recklessly into battle.

Although he felt helpless, Major General Deng Yue'an did not show any worry on the surface and began to issue a series of orders.

Immediately, all planned repairs ceased, and the ships adjusted to their combat formations and took up their positions.

At the same time, the probes were quickly released, and the entire fleet, like an octopus, began to spread its tentacles in all directions.

At the same time, under Deng Yue'an's orders, all crew members, including himself, who had been informed of the dangers of the operation beforehand, began to be injected with special drugs prepared for the operation.

In previous communications, Zhang Chengxi had already informed the domestic authorities that sedatives and intense pain could allow humans to see "reality." According to researchers' analysis, this situation is highly likely to stimulate the human mind, thereby potentially breaking through the hallucinations or control exerted on the human mind by that unknown entity.

Therefore, a batch of drugs with fewer side effects and greater stimulating effects than sedatives were urgently allocated domestically. Of course, sedatives were also prepared in case of emergency.

While administering the sedative, they began injecting a second dose of a drug, much smaller than the first, almost only a few micrograms. This dose, injected into the muscle with a special syringe, produced immense pain. Compared to other forms of pain that cause significant bodily trauma, this drug, supposedly extracted from insect venom, was painful but did not cause much physical damage. It was said to have previously been used by special departments for interrogation, and a batch was temporarily produced for this special mission.

A series of muffled groans and uncontrollable moans suddenly rang out from inside the control tower. Some female crew members even covered their mouths tightly, but could still faintly sob.

Obviously, even with prior mental preparation, the intense pain was still not pleasant.

No one complained. Whether it was groaning or sobbing, it stopped on its own within a very short time. At this moment, everyone began to experience the symptoms they had been told about. Their vision began to change drastically, and everything was shaking in fragmented ways.

This shaky and flickering vision is extremely uncomfortable and affects nerve balance to some extent, requiring a considerable amount of time to adapt.

Ordinary people might even vomit under such circumstances, but fortunately, the crew members have undergone rigorous space training and their coordination and nerve responses far exceed those of ordinary people. Although they feel uncomfortable, no one complains.

From this eerie perspective, the scenery outside the porthole appears even more "realistic"!

It has been discovered that in the airspace closer to the beacon tower, at the 3 o'clock position of the fleet, there is a large expanse of crisscrossing silk threads, irregularly spread out. At first glance, it looks like a spider web magnified countless times!

At the same time, a series of bad news came:

"Detector No. 1 has lost contact..."

"Detector No. 2 has lost contact..."

........................

"Detector No. 5 has lost contact..."

…………

"All detectors have lost contact..."

"Report: The fleet's communication with Earth has been lost and cannot be re-established."

"...Inter-fleet communications are unclear, suspected to be under strong interference..."

"Radar is being jammed..."

"...A severe magnetic field anomaly was detected; the specific situation is still under analysis..."

Deng Yuean rubbed his temples and then issued an order to activate light signals to ensure smooth communication of information across the fleet.

Light signals are a means of transmitting signals to friendly ships in the fleet through a special light matrix on the ship's hull, using different light groups. This method is not actually used much in the interstellar era, and is now used to deal with special situations.

Meanwhile, some pre-selected observers began to stand in groups in front of the portholes to make direct observations with the naked eye.

At the same time, the fleet's sailing speed gradually decreased and it was switched to semi-manual mode, with the weapon systems unlocked.

Some observers quickly noticed that in the distance, in the direction of the beacon tower shrouded by those silk threads, there seemed to be flickering light and shadow. At the same time, some detectors also detected stronger magnetic field fluctuations and energy reactions in that direction.

Deng Yuean judged that it was highly likely that fighting was still taking place there.

If that's the case, then the situation is obviously much better than they imagined! Deng Yue'an had several contingency plans for the garrison at Fengsui Fort, the most pessimistic of which was that when they arrived, the garrison would have been completely wiped out.

It seems that it's unlikely to have reached that point yet.

Soon, more good news arrived. They received a message from the beacon tower that the high-powered ground transmitter on the beacon tower was continuously sending signals outward. They intercepted a segment, and although two-way communication was not possible at the moment, they could at least confirm that there were still people alive on the beacon tower and that they were still resisting.

At the same time, they also received news that they were not the first to arrive with reinforcements; an immortal was currently stationed at the beacon tower.

Because the term "immortal" was so incongruous, the liaison officer was even somewhat unsure when reporting it.

Deng Yuean was not too surprised when he received the information. He had been told before he came that a master from the Xuanmen might take action.

Of course, as a pure soldier, especially Major General Deng Yue'an who has been stationed in outer space for a long time, he was unaware of some of the recent events that had occurred within the Empire.

Therefore, he was somewhat resistant when he first received this information, even thinking that the imperial high command was desperately seeking a cure. It wasn't until he reviewed a stack of "internal documents" that arrived with the instruction that his opinion changed. Especially this time, a group of elite personnel from the Fourth Division of the Special Affairs Bureau of the Imperial Ministry of Justice, including the division chief Li Weihan, also set sail with the fleet. Along the way, the secrets of the Xuanmen revealed by the division chief made Major General Deng Yue'an more curious and expectant about the so-called "Xuanmen masters."

It now appears that not only were they referred to as "masters," but the garrison at Fengsui Fortress were also called "immortals"...

Chapter 591 The Fleet in Action

Unfortunately, Director Li Weihan is not currently on the flagship, but on the landing ship "Jinghu" with his subordinates, and the current poor state of the communication system makes it unsuitable for detailed communication.

After a moment's thought, Deng Yuean decided to move closer and provide support with his camera.

As the fleet drew closer to the beacon tower, the crew members, including Deng Yue'an, gradually became able to see the strange threads that covered the entire airspace without the aid of optical instruments.

These astonishingly long threads, crisscrossing and intertwining, seem both illusory and real, creating an eerie effect. They easily evoke images of fishing nets slithering underwater and entangled among reefs, or spiderwebs woven among treetops in a jungle.

The chaotic surroundings made all the observers feel inexplicably heavy and depressed. They had no idea what might be hidden in this strange-looking airspace.

..............................

The landing ship "Jinghu" and another landing ship "Chaganhu" were together. Apart from a simple close-in weapon system, the two landing ships did not have much offensive capability. Therefore, when they were moving, they were close to the center of the fleet and were in a protected position.

At this moment, in the control tower of the "Jinghu", several people with solemn expressions were observing the outside scenery through the portholes and exchanging ideas.

"...Clearly, this unknown entity can move freely in the subspace and the normal universe, and possesses a powerful ability to distort the human mind. Through its unknown mechanisms of influence and erosion, it ultimately aims to manipulate and control individual humans. Due to limited information, we are still unable to understand its motivations and methods."

"Furthermore, it can be observed that the environment of the beacon tower and its surrounding area has undergone significant changes..."

Yan Jishen carefully considered his words, observing his surroundings while turning to speak with the middle-aged man beside him: "...In the cases I've personally handled in my department, some demons can indeed distort human perception of the environment and events to a certain extent, but this is generally limited to a small scope. Of course, we have encountered this ability to change a large area of ​​the environment before, such as the Zhongtai Amusement Park incident in the western suburbs of Wuzhong City. In the internally compiled analysis materials, that incident is still classified as 'particularly dangerous'."

"And then there's the Anneman resort incident on Sulu Island, and the recent incident in Grand St. Foss... Both of the latter are currently classified as 'extremely dangerous,' the highest level of danger..."

The danger levels that Yan Jishen refers to are a rating mechanism within the Fourth Division of the Special Crime Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice for past incidents that have been compiled so far. It is currently a relatively basic system, with four levels: extremely dangerous (Level I), particularly dangerous (Level II), dangerous (Level III), and ordinary (Level IV).

"Based on my personal experience, demons that can change the environment are not easy to deal with."

Beside him stood a thin, middle-aged man with his lips tightly pursed, looking thoughtful. This man was Li Weihan, the director of the Fourth Division of the Special Crime Investigation Bureau of the Imperial Ministry of Justice. He was said to be a confidant of Director Lei Zehai and had a very promising career.

This time, the Fourth Division of the Special Crime Investigation Bureau of the Imperial Ministry of Justice mobilized a large number of personnel for this mission, with more than two hundred elite personnel departing on the ship. They were informed that they would cooperate with the Marines to handle special incidents if necessary.

But Li Weihan squinted, gazing out the window, and slowly said, "You're right. In fact, whether it was the matter on Sulu Island or the recent one in St. Foss, the shadow of a Xuanmen master was behind the resolution of both incidents. Otherwise, it would never have been so easy to end them."

"Just as we suspected, there may indeed be some kind of force behind this world that we do not yet know about, controlling these kinds of events. If that is the case, then this time will probably be no exception."

“Captain Yan, you’re a veteran, so there are some things I don’t need to hide from you. Just before we set off, His Majesty sent envoys to Yunxiao Mountain and Danding Mountain. Both Master Li of Yunxiao Mountain and Master Zhang of Danding Mountain have given hints that the Xuanmen will take action this time.”

Yan Jishen was shocked upon hearing this. He had been transferred from the police system to the Fourth Division of the Special Crime Investigation Bureau of the Imperial Ministry of Justice. He was not of noble birth, so he had always been extremely cautious in his dealings with people. In addition, he had a rich experience in special operations, which made him quite popular with Li Weihan. Li Weihan thought he was mature and steady and a promising talent. Recently, there have been rumors in the department that after the department becomes independent, he is likely to be promoted again.

Therefore, both for his own sake and for the public good, he hoped that this operation would go smoothly. However, having participated in many important missions, he naturally understood that dealing with those powerful unknown beings was a risky business, especially since this was in space. To be honest, he had little confidence.

This is why his furrowed brows have never disappeared since he set off.

Only now did he understand why Director Li had risked his life to personally intervene this time. It seemed his own level was insufficient; he knew too little. The imperial high command had indeed concealed many things. No wonder the royal family had always revered the Xuanmen (Taoist sect); upon closer reflection, it was far more than just a simple religious belief…

Yan Jishen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to say something more, but suddenly a liaison officer came to Li Weihan's side and handed him a briefing of the latest information.

After quickly reading through the message, Li Weihan smiled at Yan Jishen beside him and said, "The fleet received a message from Fengsui Fortress that they are still putting up resistance. Also, there's good news: it's said that an immortal is currently stationed at Fengsui Fortress."

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“5、4、3、2、1……”

"put!"

Four Flamingo Type 2 heavy electromagnetic pulse torpedoes were launched. Deng Yue'an did not intend to send the fleet directly into the strange spider web-like area ahead, but instead chose to open fire directly to test the waters.

Without atmospheric drag, torpedoes, as the most commonly used vehicles in interstellar warfare, can complete long-distance tracking flights of thousands of kilometers with only a small amount of fuel. At the same time, their small size allows torpedoes to perform high-difficulty maneuvers of tens of Gs.

These space torpedoes, propelled by rocket engines, quickly reached extremely high speeds and flew towards their designated locations.

Dozens of seconds later, the first torpedo entered the spiderweb area and eventually exploded in a dense area of ​​threads, while the three around it also detonated one after another.

Chapter 592 The Advancing Fleet

Based on information previously transmitted from the beacon towers, the fleet made targeted adjustments to its weaponry. This powerful torpedo is in fact a small nuclear weapon. After exploding in space, due to the vacuum environment, there is no mushroom cloud or shock wave, and its power is far less than that in the atmosphere. However, it can still release high heat, powerful gamma rays, and high-frequency electromagnetic waves after the explosion. The high-charge, fast-moving electrons will generate an extremely powerful small magnetic field, forming a strong electromagnetic pulse.

A dazzling light flashed as the torpedo detonated, then dimmed. The surrounding chaotic environment acted as a thick barrier, constantly reducing the power of the explosion and electromagnetic waves.

Even so, the torpedo's power was still considerable under such a violent explosion. Large areas of the torpedo's webs were visibly damaged, as if a beetle had torn a prominent gash in a spiderweb, with numerous threads broken and damaged to the naked eye. The threads in the core area of ​​the explosion were completely annihilated.

Four torpedoes cleared a vast area free of wires.

The officers watching this scene from inside the warship's cabin all breathed a sigh of relief; it had worked!

As long as it works, that's fine; even if the effect is a little less than ideal, it doesn't matter.

However, their actions clearly attracted the attention of the unknown entity. Soon, the observers of the destroyers "Zhaozhong" and "Yutian" located on the outermost edge of the formation alerted the fleet. They had discovered an unidentified flying object rapidly approaching the fleet under the cover of the surrounding chaotic area.

The fleet began to quickly adjust its positions, spreading out in a defensive formation, with destroyer squadrons escorting the flagship and landing ships from the outside, facing the incoming target from the side.