You were told to build a tractor, but you're building a rocket? Chapter 687 - 668: Fear the Sky

Pentagon, Office Thirteen.

Colonel Anthony stood next to the whiteboard, clarifying his thoughts to the reconvened forr 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 mbers, who were mostly jotting down notes, many of them stroking their chins in thought, occasionally exchanging a few words with one another.

After a mont, soone spoke up:

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

Maybe it’s a large ard 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 sa goes for nuclear bombs."

Anthony nodded without comnt and signaled him to sit down, before soone else stood up imdiately:

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

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

The second speaker gained most people’s agreent, 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 na was Ruhl, a veteran from the Air Force Intelligence Room, ready for retirent but called back because of the previous involvent in the NX17 investigation.

Ruhl stood up, scoffing at the confused mbers:

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

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

A light went on in Anthony’s mind, and he imdiately beca intrigued:

"What umbrella? Protecting from what?"

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

Most of the younger mbers were still pondering what "laser" ant, 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 inford mbers imdiately animated the discussion; although young, Anthony had taken the ti to thoroughly study the Union’s equipnt history and finally rembered 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 sothing even experienced equipnt experts knew little about beyond its na.

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

Indeed, only sothing like that would be worth such secrecy, riting a powerful nuclear reactor.

Anthony was almost certain, but still he asked Ruhl:

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

"At that ti, 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 kiloters – only lasers can maintain their power over that distance, so it must be sothing 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 an we are in great danger!"

Soone ca 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 improvent did they make? Are they developing sothing 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 beco 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 t 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 t 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 imdiately report it. He spent the entire night reviewing the related materials, especially several key monts related to NX17, and then he discovered an event that seed 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 ti, 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 seed like an ordinary aviation accident, but as Anthony, who could find suspicion in anything, read it over and over, a familiar feeling erged 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 experints again?

Anthony pondered for a long ti, 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 seed 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 so fingernails were left.

Imdiately, 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 ti before he fell asleep from exhaustion. When he woke up, the fear of the sky had finally dissipated sowhat, 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.