Otaku Translation: Carrying the Bases of Starcraft C130

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Chapter 130: A Difficult Predicament

Without asking why, and without a moment’s hesitation, the K-12 quad-barrel grenade launcher spat out four consecutive bursts of fire. Judicator grenades screamed through the air.

As before, four flashes of silver light heralded the creation of a powerful gravitational field that warped space-time around the "Heavy Armor Warrior." Every movement—shooting, reaction speed, turning—was dragged down to an excruciatingly sluggish pace.

That was when Tang Fang moved. He drew in a deep breath, raised his weapon, focused with pinpoint precision, and squeezed the trigger.

"Zzzt!" The metal dart streaked forward like lightning, slicing through the resistance of the air with a sharp whistle. It landed with a crisp "ting," burying itself perfectly into the barrel of the Heavy Armor Warrior's cannon.

"Boom... boom... boom..." A series of explosions erupted, each one sending up mushroom clouds that swelled like rapidly inflating soap bubbles. Steel fragments, concrete dust, and torrents of fast and slow neutrons sprayed outward in all directions.

The chain reaction caused neutron concentrations to spike several orders of magnitude higher than before. The nuclear material detectors in their powered armor blared warnings again. At Tang Fang and Housen's position, the neutron radiation dose per square meter approached 100 mSv.

Fortunately, the explosion had occurred at the center of the runway, hundreds of meters away from any buildings on either side. By the time the neutron flux reached those structures, it had thinned out significantly, posing little threat to human life.

Thanks to the triple-layered NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection provided by their suits, neither Tang Fang nor Housen faced immediate danger. On Tang Fang's signal, they stepped into the heart of the blast zone, where neutron levels far exceeded safety thresholds. They activated the decontamination function of their power armor, and nozzles on their chests sprayed a dilution solution onto the ground.

Most of the harmful neutrons were absorbed by the liquid, while the rest dissipated into the wind. Within just ten minutes, the hazard level at the scene dropped back to near-normal levels.

Unlike dirty bombs such as atomic or hydrogen weapons, humanity's discovery of Element Zero revolutionized the manufacturing process for neutron bombs. Before the advent of space exploration, neutron bombs consisted of four components: a plutonium core, a beryllium layer, a tritium storage unit, and polystyrene material. Upon detonation, high-explosive charges triggered fission in the plutonium core, releasing massive amounts of gamma and X-rays. These rays ionized the polystyrene into high-energy plasma, initiating fusion between tritium and deuterium, which released torrents of neutrons. The beryllium layer then amplified neutron production, further intensifying the bomb's effects.

Neutron bombs made using this older technology inevitably released some radioactive particles—gamma and X-ray emissions—that contributed to nuclear contamination.

But modern neutron bombs have evolved. The polystyrene has been removed, replaced by industrial slag rich in Element Zero mixed into the plutonium core. When explosives ignite fission in the core, the resulting gamma and X-rays are absorbed by microscopic particles of Zero Element, triggering intense energy release that kickstarts the fusion process in the tritium chamber.

The result? Almost zero radioactive pollution. Aside from the neutron storm, the only byproduct is a small amount of inert Zero Element, which can be recycled and used in armor plating for advanced vehicles and aircraft.

In short, after a brisk cleansing with diluted solution administered by Tang Fang and Housen—and aided by the plateau winds—the residual neutron count fell to safe levels within minutes.

Seeing the neutron concentration values drop on his UI interface, Tang Fang exhaled in relief. He relayed the destruction of the Heavy Armor Warrior to Arroz and Grant's squad, cautioning them to stay vigilant and avoid open areas to prevent ambushes.

Afterward, the two men conducted another sweep of the area. Whether due to fear after witnessing the Heavy Armor Warrior's demise or insufficient manpower preventing reinforcements from reaching them, there were no signs of additional enemies beyond distant gunfire and the occasional explosion of rockets hitting building walls.

When they entered the weather monitoring station through the front door, Xia Yuanhua and Pitman remained slumped against the concrete wall beneath the front window, unmoved since last seen. From the side, their multipurpose gas masks gave their faces the glossy sheen of freshly oiled pig heads.

"Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself—I’m Talosal, and this is Taloso. We received Colonel Montgomery’s request to investigate the communications blackout," Tang Fang said, lifting his helmet visor and taking a deep breath. His face broke into a reassuring smile.

"You… you…" Xia Yuanhua stammered through his mask, then yanked it off. His speech became clearer: "So, does that mean you’re reinforcements sent by Colonel Montgomery?"

"In a way, yes," Tang Fang nodded. "I need to know what happened here. Why did communications go down?"

Xia Yuanhua sighed. "It’s all because of that thing. Last night, we’d already taken control of 80% of the airbase. The government troops were holed up in the navigation tower behind the hangar across the way, barely holding on. But who could’ve guessed that in the middle of the night, those terrifying defense robots would appear on the battlefield and start attacking us?"

"The neutron bomb exploded, generating a massive electromagnetic pulse that crippled most of our electronics. The neutron radiation alone claimed hundreds of lives. Faced with this disaster, our commander led us in a fighting retreat. Using the thick concrete warehouses and narrow, winding residential corridors, we managed to evacuate the remaining personnel to various parts of the base."

"With the robots providing cover fire, the government forces launched a counterattack and seized several tall buildings in the south, establishing a suppressive firing network over the entire base."

"I see," Tang Fang murmured, understanding now why communications between the special ops team and the Alliance Command had been severed—it must have been overloaded by the high-energy pulse radiation from the neutron bomb.

"Why are only you two here? Where are the others?" he asked next.

"We’re here on a mission," Xia Yuanhua replied.

"A mission? What kind of mission?"

"Our commander believes these defense robots are remotely controlled. Considering how disabling their command center would be the simplest path to victory, he dispatched several two-man teams across the base to search for rooms that might house the operators controlling the robots."

"Ah, I understand," Tang Fang nodded thoughtfully. This commander of the special ops team seemed quite sharp-minded. Despite heavy casualties and losing contact with command, instead of recklessly engaging the enemy, he opted for a strategic retreat, dispersing his comrades to advantageous positions. Then, leveraging the characteristics of the Heavy Armor Warriors, he devised an appropriate combat plan. Clearly, the man Xia Yuanhua spoke of possessed genuine tactical acumen.

"And? Any results? Did you find the target location?"

Xia Yuanhua shook his head. "We’ve searched everywhere near the weather station. Nothing."

"What about the others? Have you heard anything from them?"

Pitman chuckled bitterly. "Probably the same situation as us. If anyone found the enemy’s control center, they should have fired red tracer rounds as a signal."

Tang Fang turned toward the window, gazing out over the sprawling base. His brow furrowed slightly. Helipads, evacuation routes, anti-air missile arrays, fuel depots, ammunition bunkers, defensive turrets, radar stations—all sorts of auxiliary facilities dotted the landscape within a four-kilometer radius.

Such a vast area… Who knew where the control hub for the Heavy Armor Warriors might be hidden? Perhaps they could launch a direct assault, relying on the overwhelming firepower of marauders and marines to sweep through the base and eliminate targets one by one. According to Grant, the government forces had deployed twenty Heavy Armor Warriors at once. After their previous encounter, what if the machines were lying low, waiting to ambush rebel forces? Given the size of the base and the limited number of units under his command, conducting a thorough sweep would take considerable time and effort.

What should he do?

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