Stars, Players and Immortals

Chapter 55: I, as the leader of the Skywards, hereby issue a report to all the people of Mars!

After Zhang Qiming, piloting the Sky Chaser I, eliminated four second-generation Star Rider-δ aircraft, the remaining ten first-generation modified orbital SA aircraft were also shot down by Zhang Nanhai's rapid interception squadron.

Twelve dark red sea-based SAs spread out in formation along the outer channel of the spaceport, their beam rifles firing in bursts, destroying the orbital SAs that tried to approach the heavy cruisers and destroyers one by one.

boom--

boom--

Fires erupted one after another outside the Propiea Rail Port, and the local defense forces that had attempted to rebuild their defenses were completely suppressed.

To avoid any further accidents, Zhang Qiming did not immediately return to the Jingwei.

The Skydrive Type I sped through the outer layer of the spaceport, severing the propulsion packs of several orbital SAs that were trying to force their way in, and then finishing them off with a shot that pierced through the chest cavity of the aircraft.

Zhang Qiming also conveniently disposed of the near-rail blockade artillery position.

Any turret that attempts to break free from Ares' control and switch to manual firing mode will be marked in red by Chiseiro.

Subsequently, the Skydrive Type I quickly approached and destroyed them directly with its beam rifle.

A few minutes later, the outer defense zone of the Propylene Orbital Port fell completely silent, with only the blockade array of patrol gunboats and the Corona Strike Sequence remaining operational.

Soon, a reply came from Hagia Sophia.

[Two Saint-class heavy cruisers: Communications rooms and engine rooms have been taken over; ordnance control nodes have been frozen.]

[Four Crossbow-class close-in defense destroyers: The bridge guard has been disarmed, and the fire control link has been switched to nuclear lockout mode.]

[Eight Watcher-class frigates: locked in their military dry dock berths and currently under wartime control by the Sky Destroyer and the Truth Investigation Committee.]

[The orbital naval force has been fully taken over!]

Standing in the forward control area of ​​the bridge of the "Crimson Crown," Zhang Nanhai watched as the white-gold markers on the near-orbit situation map gradually turned into the red of the Sky Destroyer, and finally sent a report to Zhang Qiming.

"Corona has completed flagship control."

"The military airspace of Propylene Railport has been placed under our blockade."

"The orbital ship force is currently under joint control by the Sky Destroyer and the Truth Investigation Committee."

Sitting in the cockpit of the Skydrive I, Zhang Qiming listened to these words and gently released his fingers from the control sphere.

The next moment, Gaia's prompt popped up in front of him.

[Current Situation]

[Mars Mechanical Age Phase 1 Progress: 90% → 95%]

[Current Situation: Mechanical Religion/Near-orbit Authority Changes Hands—The Skydrive and Truth Investigation Committee completes the first phase of takeover of the orbital ship force. The Holy Cardinals lose direct command of the Royal Navy. The Mars near-orbit, Propylene orbital port, and the homeland suppression chain enter a new phase of power transition.]

The old church still retains nominal rule, but its core military and political control has been forcibly broken.

[Branch Situation - Truth Investigation Committee: 100%]

[Branch situation complete!]

[You have gained 50000000 experience points!]

[You have received the following reward: 1 extra ability draw!]

[Note: The Truth Investigation Committee has completed its interim mission, and the Skyward Organization's influence over the Martian military and political system has significantly increased.]

Zhang Qiming looked at the new situation and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

This operation can be considered a complete success.

However, it is not time to stop and celebrate. Although the orbital ship force has been acquired and the Propylene orbital port has been blocked, this only gives the Skydrives temporary control over Mars' orbit and the ability to suppress important parts of the homeland.

The old guys from the College of Cardinals are still on Mars, with their Tribunal, the Office of Sacred Registrar, the ground military districts, and a whole military and political system that has been entrenched for many years.

The underground treasury of the Olympus Hub is still in operation, and there are still many armed nodes loyal to the Church in various places such as the Tharsis Plateau, Valles Marineris, and the polar ice cap.

Next, the SkyDrive must complete its ground-based propulsion.

Gaining control of the track is just the first step in overturning the table.

Next, they must eliminate the core resistance, purge the remaining armed forces of the Holy Cardinals in various blocks of Mars, and take over administrative, military, industrial, communication, and transportation nodes until the old regime is completely unable to fight back.

Zhang Qiming knew very well that the real Martian revolution had only just begun, and the subsequent ground advance would require the help of the Skyward Legion, also known as the Fourth Calamity.

He had the players infiltrate for so long just for this moment.

He quickly connected to the secret channel of the Hagia Sophia.

When the light screen lit up, Saint Sophia had already moved to the Sky Drive's secret base. She still had several life support tubes attached to her body, and her face was much paler than usual, but her eyes had regained their composure.

On the data wall behind her, the main nodes of the Mars Internet are turning red one by one.

Ares has taken full control of public communications, military and political broadcasts, orbital links, and emergency control channels. The College of Cardinals has also noticed something amiss, but by the time they react, the Propylene orbital port has already fallen.

Zhang Qiming looked at her and asked directly:

"How's the situation on the mainland?"

What was the reaction of the College of Cardinals?

"And what are the current attitudes of the Covenant Navy's First through Fourth Fleets?"

Saint Sophia raised her hand to bring up the local situation map, and several key areas, including the Olympus Mons hub, the Mars main spaceport, Valles Marineris, the Tharsis Plateau, and the polar ice cap, lit up in turn.

"The College of Cardinals has entered a state of high alert."

"After confirming that the Royal Navy was out of control, they immediately issued a Level 1 war alert order for the Martian mainland. The ground military district, the court, and the Sacred Inquiry Office were all placed under war control, and the core members of the Olympus Hub were being transferred to the underground Sacred Vault for refuge."

She paused for a moment, then continued:

"They are also trying to regain control of the Mars communications system. The Office of Sacred Reconnaissance, the Mental Choir, and several old, closed networks have been activated simultaneously and are competing with Ares and Chiseiro for public channels, the military intranet, and the spaceport control chain."

"Currently, three regions have experienced network outages: the eastern section of Mariner Valley, the northern industrial ring of Tharsis, and the cargo network surrounding the main spaceport have all experienced temporary paralysis. Ares is able to maintain control of the overall situation, but they still have some old wetware relays and independent keys that will be difficult to completely clean up in a short period of time."

Zhang Qiming nodded.

This is normal. The Holy Cardinals have ruled Mars for so many years, they would never be completely paralyzed by a single ship-seizure operation.

The real problem is the navy.

Saint Sophia quickly switched to the fleet situation map.

"The First Fleet has issued an internal notice refusing to carry out the order from the Holy Cardinals to quell the rebellion against the Truth Investigation Committee and the Skydrive organization, and has announced its acceptance of the temporary military and political order on Mars, the accession of Ares and Chishiro, and acceptance of all military orders from the Skydrive and the Truth Committee."

"The Second Fleet has also stated that it will temporarily step away from the direct command of the College of Cardinals, and the fleet headquarters has already completed the handover with my people."

"The Third Fleet is maintaining a wait-and-see approach. They have refused the order from the Holy Cardinals to open fire immediately, nor have they recognized the legitimacy of our takeover. As things stand, as long as we do not provoke them, they will continue to wait for the situation to become clearer."

At this point, Saint Sophia's gaze fell on the last fleet.

"The Fourth Fleet reacted most strongly. They have publicly accused me and the Truth Investigation Committee of launching a military mutiny, accusing the Skydrive organization of hijacking the Guards Navy, attacking the Olympus Hub, and desecrating the Church's sacred authority. They also demanded that the First and Second Fleets immediately return to the unified command of the Covenant Navy."

She projected the Fourth Fleet's public announcement onto the screen.

[Fourth Fleet Command Statement: Saint Sophia Paleologina has deviated from the Church's mandate, and the Truth Investigation Committee has been corrupted by the Skydrive organization.]

[Any act of taking over a fleet, blockading a port, or hijacking Covenant warships in the name of the Truth Investigation Committee constitutes treason, treason, and betrayal of Mars.]

The Fourth Fleet will remain loyal to the College of Cardinals and reserves all rights to take military action against the mutinous ships.

Zhang Qiming's expression remained unchanged after reading the announcement; he had long anticipated that the Fourth Fleet would react this way.

"In other words, only the Fourth Fleet is prepared to counter the revolution."

Saint Sophia nodded and pulled up the near-orbit situation map of the four fleets.

"Yes, but the First and Second Fleets have already moved closer to near orbit, and the Fourth Fleet doesn't dare to confront them directly yet. All they can do now is make some tough statements, try to gain the support of the Third Fleet, and wait for the Cardinals' home nodes to create a window for a counterattack."

Looking at the situation map, Zhang Qiming replied:

"Now is the time when it is most likely to cause an accidental clash. The First and Second Fleets must be on tactical alert. If the Fourth Fleet dares to advance toward Propylene Orbital Harbor, we must immediately open fire to drive it away."

"At the same time, we will keep a dedicated line for the Third Fleet and tell them that we will not force them to express their views, but they should not take any unnecessary actions at critical moments."

Saint Sophia responded and casually transferred the order to Ares's military communication link.

[First Fleet: Outer-layer heading surveillance mission has been issued!]

[Second Fleet: Close-orbit flank defense mission has been issued!]

[Third Fleet: Neutral Observation Line Established!]

[Fourth Fleet: Course warning markers have been locked!]

Zhang Qiming watched as the four fleet markers on the light screen gradually stabilized before turning his gaze to the Martian mainland.

"What we need to do now is to inform all the Martian people of the situation and tell them—the Sky Drones have arrived."

Saint Sophia: "Ares and Chiseiro have already occupied most of the public terminals on Mars."

"Now, as soon as you start a speech, it can be simultaneously broadcast on public channels inside Mars, city radio, civilian communication screens, factory notice boards, and mine emergency channels."

Zhang Qiming nodded. Now it was time to publicly overturn the table.

"Let's begin then."

The next second, Ares and Chiseiro simultaneously took over the broadcast.

Across Mars, countless screens flashed simultaneously, with the SkyDrive logo appearing on every single electronic screen.

Now, not only are the people on Mars stunned by this sudden situation, but the players on Mars are also completely bewildered.

One second they were doing their daily tasks, some were helping Skywards move weapons in Sailor Valley, some were grinding repair reputation in Tharsis Industrial Zone, and some had just come out of the cybernetic clinic, ready to go to the forum to brag about their new cybernetic suits.

The next second, the city lights switched to war red, short alarms blared from street loudspeakers, military drones began patrolling along the edge of the dome, and the same message popped up on everyone's personal terminals.

[Sky Drive Descends!]

……

……

In the third garrison area of ​​Sailor Valley, Bu Chi Niu and the others were squatting outside the supply depot, counting ammunition.

He had just stuffed a box of smart magazines into the rear of the vehicle when the huge public screen on the exterior wall of the building in the distance suddenly went black, followed by the Skydrive logo covering the entire wall.

Before the surrounding players could react, the street projection windows and the Covenant bulletin board all turned into the same screen.

"Holy crap, what's going on?"

He looked up, not eating beef, and the next second, he froze completely.

A face he knew all too well appeared on the screen.

This time, Zhang Qiming was not wearing a visa officer uniform, nor was he wearing that unicorn metal mask. His black Sky Drive uniform was buttoned up to below his Adam's apple, his shoulder line was straight, and his eyes looked past the camera as if he were looking directly at the entire Mars.

He stared wide-eyed at the man who didn't eat beef, nearly dropping the magazine in his hand.

"Wow... isn't that the visa officer?"

He abruptly turned to look at the British pound, then at the equally dumbfounded players around him, his voice trembling.

"Wait, this situation... can't be true..."

At the same time, countless people in the three major regions of Mars stopped what they were doing.

Beside the mine's elevator shaft, a worker wearing a breathing mask looked up; in front of the factory assembly line, a robotic arm hovered in mid-air; in the Covenant military camp, a young soldier held an unlocked rifle and looked at the public screen on the wall; outside the Olympus Hub, the Tribunal's military police, who were enforcing martial law, also saw that face that suddenly appeared.

Zhang Qiming spoke up.

His voice, broadcast through the main channel taken over by Ares and Chiseiro, drowned out all public broadcasts on Mars.

"Now, as the leader of the Skywards, I announce to all the people of Mars that, from this moment on, the old, dysfunctional system of governance on Mars has been terminated."

As soon as those few words were spoken, the entire street on Mars where the speech could be seen erupted in gasps of astonishment.

Zhang Qiming's voice continued to come through.

"Those high-ranking cardinals, those old regimes that dragged Mars into corruption, stagnation and dysfunction, have lost the right to continue ruling this planet."

"Mars will now be placed under special control."

"All orbital hubs, energy facilities, communication nodes, military industrial facilities, and strategic storage areas have been jointly taken over by the Skydrive Organization and the Truth Investigation Committee."

"The military, police, garrison troops, and security forces of the old regime shall immediately cease resistance, remain in place and await orders, transfer weapons control, and open up armories, communication nodes, and military archives."

"Those who still intend to uphold the Holy Cardinals will be utterly eradicated by us, along with the corrupt old order!!!"

In the video, Zhang Qiming slightly raised his eyes, his tone not raised, yet every word seemed to resonate throughout the Mars public channel.

"Remember, the Skywards have only one kind of enemy: the corrupt old order that is blocking change. In other words, the Skywards will overthrow the Holy Cardinals and establish a new order."

"From this day forward, Mars will be freed from the domination of the College of Cardinals—from the beginning, Mars has never belonged to those rotten maggots!"

"Mars belongs to those who are still working, those who are still fighting, those who are still building, and those who are willing to push the future towards the stars!!!"

On the streets of Sailor Valley, the man who doesn't eat beef stares blankly at the screen, the live stream chat messages already so numerous they're unreadable.

[Wait, isn't this the visa officer who let the ox in earlier...? He's the Skydrive leader, our boss???]

[Holy crap, so the boss has been with us all along!]

[Damn, could this be the legendary...coup?!]

[Wait, my mind's a bit foggy right now. Boss, you appeared so suddenly, and why did you just launch a coup?! If you launch a coup, then we're going to...]

[Boss, this isn't how you stage a coup! Who just jumps in and starts fighting? You should first issue a few errand quests to raise players' favorability with your faction, occasionally offer discounts on cybernetic implants, show us some hidden cutscenes in special events, and finally unlock the revolutionary route after we've maxed out our Skyward Expedition reputation!]

[I was still doing my daily routine, how did the boss suddenly reveal his true identity and start live streaming across Mars?]

[Holy crap, this is terrifying to think about. The fact that the boss dared to broadcast like this means he definitely has guns!]

Zhang Qiming's voice continued to echo across the entire Martian sky.

"People of Mars, please raise your heads, and allow me to announce something once again to the entire realm..."

He paused, and the Skyward emblem behind him slowly unfolded against a red background.

"—The Skywalkers have arrived, and we will transform Mars!!!"