Chapter Eighty-Eight: Virus

“What the hell, how did you die?”

Wang Ming asked as he stared at Wang Xiaofa, who had suddenly appeared in front of him, and at the same time he moved the respawn point that had previously been assigned to Wang Xiaofa onto Wang Lei.

But only a few seconds later, Wang Lei appeared beside Wang Ming as well, staring at him in a daze.

The other transmigrators also appeared around Wang Ming, packing the not-so-large office to the brim. Some of them respawned in the corridor outside, startling Jose, who was on guard there.

“It’s the ship’s internal defense system, along with an AI intrusion.”

Captain Jiang Tao’s holographic projection suddenly popped up. After receiving the transmigrators’ combat data and battle video records from the power armor terminals, he said, “It’s the ship’s internal defense system, along with an AI intrusion.”

“So what now? Do you have a way to deal with it?” Wang Ming asked after looking over the data report Jiang Tao had brought up.

“I can try electronic warfare with it, or attempt to load a virus into its system,” Jiang Tao replied, offering his methods.

“All right, but you can’t go in and make direct contact with that AI. We’ll use the virus, then.”

After thinking it over, Wang Ming gave the order. He then had Jiang Tao notify the programmer transmigrators who were maintaining the system in the AI core room aboard the Imperial Truth.

“Boss, you called for us?” Chen Wei asked, setting down the data slab in his hands as he looked at Wang Ming on the holographic screen.

Wang Ming explained to Chen Wei that the transmigrators on the Starry Sky had been wiped out by the AI, and he hoped Chen Wei could take the programmer transmigrators and write up some viruses.

Once they received Wang Ming’s order, the programmer transmigrators quickly got to work writing the virus programs, leaving Minerva, who had been maintaining the system, to the side.

Captain Jiang Tao already had the virus code in his database. Those viruses were originally meant for electronic warfare, so the programmer transmigrators only needed to modify them and add a few other “surprises.”

After two hours of editing the virus code, Chen Wei handed Wang Ming a chip packed with viruses and a whole lot of “surprises.”

“A one-terabyte chip, and you filled it to the brim?” Wang Ming said, holding the chip and staring in surprise at Chen Wei, after checking the storage capacity displayed on it.

“Besides the virus code, we also added some little surprises of our own. It should be enough to cripple its system,” Chen Wei said, yawning as he looked at the chip in Wang Ming’s hand.

“Good. This time, we’ll let your virus do the work.”

On the massive transport ship that had once ferried the mortal auxiliary troops, Wang Ming led the First Regiment’s transmigrators who had remained aboard the Imperial Truth, along with a thousand transmigrators from the Third Regiment, toward the Starry Sky.

This time Wang Ming was going to the Starry Sky himself. He refused to believe it: just an internal defense system controlled by an artificial intelligence, and it could wipe out two thousand Astartes?

“However you look at it, this is two thousand Astartes versus an AI on a cruiser. The advantage is clearly ours.”

Looking at the Starry Sky drawing closer and at the First Regiment’s strike cruiser, Wang Ming glanced at the transport ship packed to the rafters with transmigrators and thought to himself.

The transport ship slowly docked with the strike cruiser. The transmigrators moved from the transport ship into the strike cruiser, then used the strike cruiser as a stepping-stone to board the Starry Sky.

As for why the Starry Sky had not severed the docking connection, that was because some utterly shameless bastard from the Fourth Regiment, who had been accompanying the First Regiment on the mission, had simply welded the docking components shut with a welding torch.

At the time, he had figured that if Wang Xiaofa could not deal with every crew member in one go, then the Starry Sky would definitely cut the docking link and flee.

So that bastard had just welded the docking assembly in place. No one was going anywhere unless the Starry Sky was mad enough to floor it and push its speed up to sublight.

But if it really did try to reach sublight speed, then the hull around the docking port would probably be torn apart by the immense kinetic force.

“Intruders detected. Initiating defense systems. Hacking intruder armor systems and communication channels. Restarting armor power packs. Jamming communication channels.”

Inside the AI core room aboard the Starry Sky, the AI detected Wang Ming and the surging tide of transmigrators, and once again activated the internal defense system.

“The power packs in the power armor are starting up.”

A restart notice flashed across the tactical optics in the helmets of Wang Ming and the transmigrators.

After weighing the no-longer-powered power armor in his hand, Wang Ming grabbed his bolter with one hand and charged straight for the blast door. On the transport ship, he had already watched Wang Xiaofa’s combat footage, so of course he knew what this AI was trying to do.

Before the last remaining laser turret could even fully emerge, Wang Ming had already lined up his shot. With the reflexes of a primarch, he fired a bolt round the instant the turret’s head poked out.

The bolt’s adamantine-tipped warhead punched through the shell of the spherical laser turret and shredded the metal structure within, completely destroying it.

With the defenses around the blast door eliminated, the transmigrators could safely move up to the door and prepare to force their way in.

A melta bomb was slapped onto the blast door. The transmigrators stepped back, ready to blow it open.

The trigger was pressed, and the melta bomb detonated. After a flash of searing light and an oppressive wave of heat, the transmigrators looked toward the blast door.

Unexpectedly, the melta bomb had failed to blow the door apart. It had only melted a large chunk of metal from its surface.

“What the hell is this made of? Even the First Sapper Company’s melta can’t do the job?”

Looking at the gap the melta had carved into the blast door, Wang Ming thought to himself. Then he was ready to have the transmigrators plant another melta charge.

For a stubborn target like this, if one melta was not enough, then two. If two were still not enough, keep adding them until the door was blown open.

The second melta bomb was slapped into place and detonated under the transmigrators’ control. When the blast had died away, the transmigrators looked again at the blast door.

The second charge succeeded in blowing the blast door open, though the opening was not very large. Still, it was wide enough for Wang Ming to crouch and get through.

“Let me scout ahead first.”

It was one of the First Regiment’s transmigrators. Holding a massive boarding shield, he walked to the edge of the breach and moved inside, with several other transmigrators following close behind him.

The transmigrator holding the boarding shield entered the interior beyond the blast door. It was a vast corridor leading directly to the ship’s various critical facilities.