[System Task Triggered: 'Rescue the Trapped Teachers and Students of North Star Starship Military Academy and Tianyao Noble Starship Military Academy']
[Task Content: Rescue the trapped students of North Star Starship Military Academy and Tianyao Noble Starship Military Academy
Task Difficulty: B-grade
Task Reward: 20 Task Points and 6000 points
Additional Task: Rescue at least one hundred teachers and students from both academies, including Zhao Wan'er, Su Lan, and Xue Xiaoxiao
Task Penalty: Deduct 6000 points
Time Limit: 100 hours]
The sudden system notification that appeared in Zhao Chen's mind at this moment made his heart tremble.
The system issuing a rescue task meant this was not a hopeless situation.
After all, the system would not assign a task that was fundamentally impossible to complete.
Moreover, this was the first time a system task had such a detailed time limit—100 hours.
Did this mean that within these 100 hours, Zhao Wan'er and the others would not be in mortal danger?
"No, we cannot give up!" Zhao Chen declared firmly. "Right now, for those trapped teachers and students, we are their only hope!
If even we abandon them, who else can they expect to save them?"
Hearing such impassioned words from this student, some of the professors and instructors present were moved, but their expressions remained helpless.
"Student, your sentiment is admirable. But reality is cruel, let me be frank!
Our Academy also dispatched a fleet to provide support, but look... just look! This is the latest information we have on the Water Lily Star System.
This entire area is swarming with Zergs!
And the last signal from our trapped students came from this location.
Unfortunately, it's right in the center of the area currently controlled by the Zerg!
Even if we were to send a large interstellar fleet to rescue them, what kind of price would we have to pay on such short notice?" one instructor stepped forward and stated gravely.
Dean Qin sighed deeply beside them, his aged body sinking into his chair, remaining silent for a long time.
For them, this was already a hopeless situation.
From a broader perspective, dispatching a fleet for support without sufficient interstellar forces would be nothing but a suicide mission!
They had already lost a group of outstanding students; was it not enough? Must they send more lambs to the slaughter?
No one dared to hastily issue such a rescue order.
"Zhao Chen... you need to calm down... perhaps... perhaps after the Imperial Fleet assembles and launches a cleanup operation against these Zerg... your sister and the others... might still survive." Chu Xuan tried to console him, but she didn't even believe her own words.
"It'll be too late! The combat capability of their fleet, even if they hide in a safe place, can only last for five days at most.
But waiting for the Imperial Fleet to fully assemble and launch a comprehensive attack would likely take over ten days.
By then... it'll be far too late!" Zhao Chen retorted.
"Why are you, this student, so stubborn! Are you satisfied with sending more people to their deaths just to save those who can no longer be saved?" another instructor angrily rebuked.
The surrounding professors and instructors shook their heads, filled with helplessness and sighs.
A tragic atmosphere spread throughout the entire office.
"Can we confirm this is the location of their last contact with us?" Zhao Chen pointed to a marked spot on the holographic star map.
Around that point were densely packed red dots, all representing intelligence on Interstellar Zergs detected from the still-unfallen regions of the Water Lily Star System.
"This was their last known position an hour ago. The intelligence we received indicated their fleet encountered Interstellar Zergs and suffered a severe attack, with over eighty percent of their starships destroyed in the battle. They requested our support.
After that, communications were cut off.
Interstellar Zergs possess a biological magnetic field. When their density reaches a certain threshold, it can block signals and even function as a 'Warp Interference Device.'
Based on the situation, if they are still alive, they should be somewhere in this vicinity.
If I were them, I would choose to land on a planet, use the remaining starship weapons resources to hold a defensive position there, and await reinforcements." Vice Dean Hong analyzed from the side.
Zhao Chen stared at the star map, standing there as still as a meditating monk.
"Alright, student. We understand how you feel. Leave this matter to the teachers. You should go out now." A mentor tried to comfort Zhao Chen.
"I have a plan!" Zhao Chen suddenly spoke up.
But the mentors and professors present dismissed it as the ramblings of a worried student.
"First, we dispatch the fastest starship to reach the nearest Stargate to the Water Lily Star System, then traverse the interstellar border space.
After that, we continue using the warp drive to get as close as possible to this location.
Due to the Interstellar Zergs, warp navigation cannot take us directly to the destination. So, we switch to ordinary engines to pass through these Zergs and reach the destination directly!
Find the stranded teachers and students, bring them all aboard the starship, and evacuate immediately!
Compared to mobilizing an entire fleet, a rescue operation involving just a few starships—or even a single one—would be the fastest and most efficient!" Zhao Chen laid out his idea, drawing a line on the star map.
The red line passed through the area with the fewest Interstellar Zergs according to the intelligence.
"Are you joking? A single starship passing through the Swarm! Even a T4 starship wouldn't have that kind of confidence, let alone the fact that most T4 starships are under the control of the Imperial Army. They wouldn't risk sending a T4 starship just to rescue these teachers and students!" a mentor retorted.
Every T4 starship is extremely important to the Empire. While the students of the two academies are the Empire's flowers, flowers can always be replanted, can't they?
"We don't need a T4 starship. Just a fast enough T3 starship will do!" Zhao Chen insisted firmly.
"It's too risky. I don't agree with this rescue method."
"It's too idealistic. The slightest misstep would be like a moth flying into the flames."
"A fast enough starship—a Stellar Cruiser? But how do we break through the Swarm? It's unrealistic."
Listening to these mentors and professors dismissing Zhao Chen's plan as naive and unfeasible based on their own intuition, Zhao Chen frowned. He glanced at everyone present, knowing he couldn't persuade them. He also knew his next actions would be risky, and the secrets he might reveal could plunge him into a dangerous whirlpool.
But there are some things he must do!
Zhao Chen said solemnly, "In the interstellar universe, what endeavor isn't a risk?
If we were unwilling to take risks and only did things that were safe and steady, our ancestors would never have left their planets to embark on interstellar voyages, would never have crossed star systems, and would never have opened the interstellar era!
If you won't go to rescue them, I'll go myself!"
After saying this, Zhao Chen turned around angrily and walked out of the office.
The moment he stepped out, he sent a message to Charlotte, who was far away at Azure Kite Base.
"Immediately bring the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser to the North Star Starship Military Academy Starport to pick me up!"