Counterfeit Hero

In the blink of an eye, the white cursor shot past the final line, and suddenly, the entire screen twisted into a long passageway, like a winding serpent, opening its mouth to swallow the white cursor.

Boswell calmly said, "The original space jump point, the travel time of the spaceship from the Resk Star System to the Mining Star System is six minutes and fifty-eight seconds."

Fatty nodded, quietly waiting.

On the screen, the white cursor traversed the winding passageway, while the clock on one side changed its numbers second by second.

After six minutes and fifty-eight seconds, a rush of blood surged to Fatty’s head. The white cursor on the screen did not fly out of the jump passage but continued its journey within.

At fifteen minutes and six seconds, the winding passage finally transformed into countless points of light, disappearing from the screen.

The screen was pitch-black, with only a white cursor blinking incessantly.

Fatty, with trembling hands, lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. Boswell did not stop him; even though it was a no-smoking laboratory, he merely watched his disciple quietly.

In fact, on the day the jump model was successfully established, he was more excited than Fatty was now.

"Teacher," Fatty’s voice trembled slightly, "you’ve succeeded."

"Succeeded? Not yet..." Boswell looked up, gazing at the pitch-black virtual screen, "Twenty years ago, humanity should have traveled through this passage to seek a world that would bring more brightness to our civilization. But a spaceship accident caused this dream to only appear before us today as a model."

Boswell stood up, gently patting Fatty’s shoulder, "A model is ultimately just a model. What we can see here is merely a black screen. Only when our spaceship crosses this passage and sees the sights on the other side of the universe will we have truly succeeded."

"Because of the collaboration with Meteor Company, I’ve already gathered people from the bandit army’s logistics and research departments," Fatty looked into Boswell’s eyes with a slight smile, "Refitting an exploration spaceship won’t take long."

Boswell nodded, heading toward the door.

"Old man, do you say discovering new star systems at the Chuckna’s jump point counts for Chuckna or Leray... counts for Leray? You’re shameless. And the ones discovered at the Feiyang Republic jump point..."

"By the way, where is that little rascal Pipi?"

Amid Fatty’s incessant chatter, the room door gradually closed.

The narrow space reflected the eerie blue light from the central computer, shooting across the walls like fleeting meteors in the sky.

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Hanjing East Suburb Military Base, a bustling scene unfolded.

The Fei Alliance Joint Army’s preparations for the third troop increase for the Resk plan were nearing completion. The named units were ready, merely awaiting a command to gather and step onto the giant transport ship’s automatic escalator, proceeding to the Resk Star System under the cover of battlecruisers, heading into Sky-Filling Fire.

The war on the front lines was already in full swing. Everyone understood that this would be the decisive battle between the Fei Alliance and the Western Alliance in the Southeast Star Domain. Victory would force Suss and Jiepeng out of the war; defeat would have Chuckna obliterated by War Fire, turning the entire Southeast Star Domain into the Western Alliance’s forward base. At that point, the Feiyang Republic would be surrounded on all sides!

This battle stakes the fate of the strongest countries of both camps, and no one can afford to lose.

Deafening shouts, orders, and footsteps echoed in every training ground of the base.

In the mountain training ground, countless Mechas raced through the jungles. In the plains and desert training ground, armored groups formed triangular assault formations and circular defensive formations, maneuvering under command center’s orders.

In the off-road training ground, agile bodies ran and jumped through obstacles, while in the combat training ground, thousands of soldiers engaged in hand-to-hand combat, drenched in sweat.

Heavy trucks and Transport Mechas, loaded with weapons, ammunition, mechanical parts, and materials, formed long queues entering the base. Transport Mechas at the warehouse entrance moved back and forth without cease. Various supplies were already piling up like mountains.

In each military operations department building, officers wearing different uniforms came and went hurriedly. Staff gathered around the simulation table or stared nervously at SkyNet, picking up the phone only to have another ring urgently. Commands sent out on the screen were quickly followed by numerous new ones awaiting processing.

Deep concern marked every brow.

Modern warfare’s troop preparations are incredibly complex and complicated. Countless officers need assignments and training for collaboration, while logistics require a range of materials gathered from various locations. Add transportation supplies, fleet assembly and provisioning, weapon disbursement, soldier mobilization, planning of pre-war strategies, intelligence collection and analysis—it’s incredibly overwhelming.

The third troop increase for Resk still required at least another week. This was an optimistic estimate, achievable only by a country like Chuckna. It’s worth noting that each troop increase by Suss and Jiepeng took at least three to five months. Chuckna dedicated itself wholly to the Resk Battle after the great victory in the Northern Mountain Region of Canglang Star. From the decision to the third troop increase till now, it has only been twenty to thirty days.