NOVEL WEB Chapter 167: One Last Meal
Have you ever experienced lying down on the bed, closing your eyes, and falling asleep like a log? Well, just now, I did experience that.
As soon as I lay down on top of my bed, my senses cut off. Like, all z's in one second flat.
The next moment, I woke up to Eva's waking, realizing that it had been exactly 24 hours since I fell asleep.
"We've reached the standby location," Eva explained as I woke up. "We're now waiting for your orders. What should we do?"
"Uhh..."
Of course, I just woke up. It's not like my brain works perfectly right off the bat. I was thinking, and thinking, and thinking... but came out blank. I had no idea what to do.
"Maybe eat some breakfast first...?" I casually spouted, realizing my grumbling stomach.
"..."
Eva stared at me, before sighing. Shaking her head.
"Well, that works too," she said. "Then, I'll tell all troops to have their breakfast while they can. What about you?"
"I can go to the cafeteria section myself...! Nggggh!" I stretched both arms up in the air with a grunt.
Usually, while in space, we just drink nutrient packs whenever we get hungry. Thus, there's no real "mealtime" in the truest sense of the word. But still, each ship would come equipped with a cafeteria, one that can automatically create food out of packed cartridges of balanced nutrients—like a food printer, but much more advanced.
Of course, the first time I came here, I was hesitant to eat in the cafeteria, knowing where those "complete nutrient cartridges" come from... But while in space, just eating nutrition packs would get bland, no matter what.
So, in the end, I gathered my resolve and ate food made in the ship's cafeteria... And what could I say? It was delicious, way too fucking delicious that I somewhat lamented not trying it sooner.
Ignoring how the main "ingredient" looked like, it was just as good as what I ate in restaurants with three Michelin stars. Though unlike those, this wasn't too overpriced.
"Hmm... What to pick..."
Just as I stood before the large panel present in the cafeteria, I noticed that there were a few figures present already. Nyssra and her mother were there too, already eating what looked like a noodle soup each.
"I'll take the Extra-Spicy Meat Fried Rice." Eva, who came along with me, ordered first.
Just as she finished her order, the sound of machines working echoed from behind a veiled counter—before a food tray started streaming out toward the window, right where Eva was standing. The entire process didn't even take 10 seconds, much less a minute.
"This goes way faster than fast food..."
I couldn't help but grumble—but what could I say? It's the game's settings to get served this fast.
Food in the game actually gives the player various buffs, so everyone usually gathers all recipes for their cafeterias as much as possible.
Of course, I tried those already and, surprise! There's no buff at all.
Well, I do get it. Game vs. Reality thingy. Food with alcohol or caffeine might be able to give you a "boost," but effects the same level as back in the game? Increased attack speed? Decreased barrier saturation speed? None at all.
"I'll take..." I paused, seeing the list that was barely filled.
Unlike back in the Range Falcon, where the cafeteria already had every single recipe unlocked, this one was stuck on the basic preset. There were roughly twelve choices, not too much.
"Medium Rare Steak Set Meal." I muttered after a long deliberation.
It was a mixture of T-Bone-shaped meat, grilled to medium rare style (of course, simulated), mashed potatoes (lookalike), and a refreshing leafy salad side.
Just like with Eva's order, mine also came rolling out about ten seconds after I decided on it. It looked completely just like the one in the display, making me realize that this really wasn't "actual" steak, but a printed one.
"Over here, Eva, Arthur~!"
Just as I was wondering where to sit down, Nyssra called towards us, inviting us to their table. The cafeteria was basically empty other than a few ones around, so we did have a lot of choices for seats but... Well, it shouldn't be bad sticking with those we were familiar with.
With me at the lead, the two of us walked over, before placing our trays down.
"Just eating now?"
I asked, looking at their noodles—or rather, Ramen, judging from the menu name.
"Yes," Nyssra nodded. "Mother and I just woke up too. I guess the fatigue built up, causing us to sleep for over 20 hours..."
Seeing her embarrassed expression, I couldn't bring myself to tell her that... it must be the planet's gravity's fault.
Unlike sleeping in space, where you can't really "feel" the bed as it is, we're currently on a planet. The planet's gravity was affecting us, pulling our bodies deeper into our beds, allowing us to enjoy its facility to the fullest.
Comparably, it's like getting used to sleeping in a one-star hotel, but then suddenly getting to sleep in a five-star one. The gap was extremely wide—nearly impossible to close.
As for her mother, she might just be feeling relieved, getting out of prison after such a long time. That made all the fatigue she had built up over the years get released, making her sleep like a log.
My case was different. I was tired—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Literally tired enough to fall asleep the moment my head hit anything soft.
Sleeping 24 hours straight was a bit overdoing it, though. Probably also affected by gravity's bonus effect on comfort.
After that, for the next 30 minutes, we spent eating and chatting.
Though mostly it was me and Nyssra, Eva and Empress Kachia also chimed in from time to time. It was a peaceful time, one we enjoyed as much as we could... After all, the next thing we'd be doing after this wasn't anywhere near as peaceful.
With our meals over, and the after-meal break ending, we returned to our stations.
"What's everyone's status?" And without delay, I got back to work.
Eva quickly skimmed through all ships' databases, checking. "All damages suffered have been repaired. All ships are back to 100% health."
"And just to add," Nyssra voiced in from the side. "I just reinforced all the security systems on the fleet ships. With this, we shouldn't be getting hacked during the entire mission."
"Good."
With this, the only worry we have is the Primula itself.
"Based on the details you gave me..."
And combining it with my game knowledge—knowing how large the weapon was...
The Primula was gigantic.
While usual turrets reach as long as 10 meters each, at most, with a mass of 4 to 8 tons—or the ones with extendable barrels, like railguns, reaching as far as 100 meters and weighing 30 to 60 tons—but this behemoth of a weapon was over 500 meters long.
It weighs about 600,000 tons, including the base plate it was mounted on, anchoring it into the ground for stability.
But if we don't include the mount, the weight should drop to about 200,000 tons.
Still heavy, but not far from the Black Halberd's load limit.
Our main concern right now is the fleet outside the atmosphere of this planet, and those who chased us here and are still on the lookout for us.
Of course, not all of the enemy military fleet could barge in, given the limited space in the planet's atmosphere. But they could still send about ten times our number easily, creating a capturing net around the entire planet.
As soon as we pop out of the water, there's no way they wouldn't detect us. That would also signal the start of a fierce battle—where lives could be lost in a flash.
But well... of course, I do have a "plan" already set.
Our escape route was already secured, without doubt... The only trouble we have is how to retrieve the Primula itself.
"The surroundings of the Primula form a military encampment," Nyssra explained. "There are anti-ship ground-to-air missile launchers, so we can't just ignore them either..." she lamented.
As the princess of this planet, it must pain her that we have no choice but to take the lives of such brave soldiers. But now, we have no choice.
To succeed in robbing the Primula... To ensure the "greater good" for the empire itself... this must be done.
"Then... let's start, shall we?"
I grinned, pointing forward.
"All ships! Rev your thrusters! We'll be heading out in T-10 seconds!"
A countdown began, showing T-10, T-9, and so on, dropping one value after every second. The air tensed as thrusters roared. The heat signature and energy signature of our ships slowly rose.
Then, when we reached critical, standby levels, I raised my voice in command.
"Let's go, you bastards! Mow everything down to the ground, and grab me that big-ass weapon!"