Charlotte's holographic image appeared before Zhao Chen.
Seeing that anxious look of Charlotte's, Zhao Chen in the main guessed at something.
He said, "Has something befallen the Machine Race?"
Charlotte raised a hand and opened first a star chart.
Zhao Chen looked at this star chart before him; it took in the Demon Race's territory and the Machine Race's dominions together.
Within the Machine Race's dominions, a star system pressed close against Demon Race territory showed yellow, and within that yellow district's star system there was the mark of a red star gate.
And between that red star gate and Demon Race territory ran a pale red dotted line, which is used to mark a fleet's line of march.
Standing for this: that the Demon Race is sending Demon Race warships here without cease.
And at the same time, about the core district of the Machine Race's dominions, there had appeared an abrupt red.
That likewise is a star gate.
"The Demon Race has opened attacks upon two star gates of the Machine Race's at once, and both of them great gates.
"The one gate presses close upon Demon Race territory; the other lies exceedingly near the Machine Race's core, the royal court.
"Sailing by warp, one may reach it in five hours!
"By the latest word that has come to us, within both these star gates there were Demon Race sleepers, who, as the Demon Race fleets attacked and the gate's highest officer would have destroyed the gate himself, seized the gate's governance outright.
"And now both these star gates have fallen into the Demon Race's hands.
"And the Demon Race is throwing demon legion fleets toward the Machine Race's core district without cease!
"By the word our interstellar stealth scouts have reported back, there are at present at least a million Demon Race warships found to be going by this road toward the Machine Race's royal court!" This word Charlotte reported set Zhao Chen's heart sinking.
By his own system mission Zhao Chen had judged that the Demon Race would open an attack upon the Machine Race.
But Zhao Chen had never thought that the Demon Race's attack should carry so strong a purpose and so fierce an aggression.
Or rather, that it should succeed so smoothly.
That it should be able to threaten the Machine Race's core district outright.
"Why should it go so smoothly?
"And where are the Machine Race legion fleets garrisoning these star-gate junctions?" Zhao Chen demanded with drawn brows.
Charlotte said, her face set, "We have got some intelligence of the field.
"By a first judgment, besides there being sleepers within the gates.
"One reason the Demon Race could take the gates so easily, and destroy the Machine Race legion fleets garrisoning them.
"Is that they used a great quantity of T5 Lurker-class Light Interstellar Warships." Charlotte read out a name somewhat unfamiliar.
"The Lurker?" Zhao Chen called it to mind. "Is that the class of demon T5 warship the Red Demon Legion used before, that can hide a whole fleet?"
When the Red Demon Legion went upon its expedition against Warhammer before, this class of warship had once been shown; and though it has no fighting capacity of its own, its hiding of a whole body is exceedingly startling.
Only that from that time forward the Owl Dragon Legion, in fighting the Demon Race's legion fleets, would deploy a great quantity of interstellar stealth scouts.
And the Owl Dragon Legion, being deeply versed in this way, of course knows how to check such a means.
So that from that time forward, upon the front-line fields between the Demon Race and the Owl Dragon, this class of warship has been seldom seen in use.
He had not thought to hear of it again, and in the fighting against the Machine Race legions of all places.
"Has the Machine Race no means of counter-stealth?
"To let those demon legion fleets lie hidden beneath their very eyelids so easily?
"And one of them even feeling its way to the star gate about their own royal court!" Zhao Chen was somewhat angry, for all the world as though he were rebuking a child of his own house that would not do well.
But Charlotte explained, "I reckon it is for the Mechanical Divine Church… those traitors within the gates were every one of them of the Mechanical Divine Church."
Zhao Chen was silent.
There is indeed a very great likelihood in that. The Mechanical Divine Church's believers are of themselves a part of the Machine Race; and though that star system of the Mechanical Divine Church's headquarters has now been destroyed by the Owl Dragon Legion.
Yet Zhao Chen has all along suspected that the Mechanical Divine Church in fact exists still.
And by the look of it now, this does indeed bear out what Zhao Chen said.
There are yet many believers of the Mechanical Divine Church lying hidden within the Machine Race.
And in this sudden assault of the Demon Race's upon the Machine Race, these hidden Mechanical Divine Church believers played a very great part.
"And then there is another reason: within the Demon Race's legion fleets there has appeared what seems to be an interstellar warship of quasi-T6 grade!" This word of Charlotte's startled Zhao Chen once more.
"Quasi-T6? Can it be made certain!" Zhao Chen inquired, his face set.
"We have intercepted several stretches of field data, and it may in the main be made certain.
"And we have come by the code-name by which the Demon Race calls it within.
"The Destroyer!
"She is a heavy interstellar battleship!
"Her main weapon module is very strong; a single shot of her bow cannon can destroy outright a Machine Race T5 Imperial-Steel-Fist-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship at full star-shield energy!
"Her one short plank is her defensive power and her speed of sailing.
"Which is perhaps why she is quasi-T6 and not a true T6," said Charlotte.
The quasi-T6 Destroyer-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
Zhao Chen muttered that name within himself.
Charlotte added another piece of news besides. "And we suspect this class of warship uses that kind of evil technology as well.
"For our inquiry has found that within the Demon Race this while there has been a great transport of population, and that several planets within the Demon Race's own territory have even been sealed off, the reason given outside being an ungovernable plague broken out within.
"But we conjecture… that the dwellers upon those planets have every one been carried away, to serve as starship fuel.
"And these planets are, without one exception, planets of those low-grade races whose presence within the Demon Race is of the slightest."
Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes and asked, "How many such starships has the Demon Race?"
"By the word that has come at present, two are known.
"They serve severally with the Black Angel Legion and the Wrath Legion.
"And these two picked demon legions are the ones carrying out the tasks of attacking these two star gates.
"By our reckoning, the Demon King's guard legion should have this class in service too.
"The whole number will not be under five!" Charlotte set out her analysis.
"Has the Machine Race made no move?" Zhao Chen looked at the star chart.
However confident those two mechanical beauties of the Machine Race may be, the fact now stands before them.
They are not fools, and will not go on unmoved.
"The Machine Race has moved a million Machine Race warships apiece, hastening severally to the places of these two star gates.
"And besides, three hundred thousand more Machine Race warships have been sent to the Machine Race's royal court.
"Hereafter the number of warships garrisoning the Machine Race's royal court will reach a million!"
How many warships the Machine Race holds in all has always been a riddle.
But at present they have moved three million warships outright.
One believes there should be no very great trouble.
"Watch the case of the fighting upon the Machine Race's side at every hour; and get me word to the Angel Race besides!" Though Zhao Chen cannot send legion fleets, there are yet some things he can do.