Lilith pointed again at the circles upon the interstellar holo-table, each of them crossed out.
"Within our first plan of attack, in this first week. We looked to take thirty-nine hub star gates, twelve military star ports, seventeen military planets, and three resource-production grounds besides, as our combat tasks. All of them completed within the time set. Up to now, our second-stage plan of attack is five parts in ten complete! Within this first week's attack, the Machine Race's interstellar warships lost one hundred thousand; the Angel Race's interstellar warships lost seventy thousand; we lost twenty thousand. Enemy destroyed, all told: eight hundred thousand Demon Race interstellar warships, and among them seven quasi-T6 Destroyer-class Heavy Interstellar Battleships!" Lilith set out the past week's operations point by point.
Zhao Chen fixed his eyes upon the holo-table: the range of territory the Demon Race held had plainly shrunk by a ring against what it was a week ago.
"Which is to say that the Demon Race has now two million seven hundred thousand interstellar warships left that can be used in the fighting," Zhao Chen asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes. It may be that, judging themselves no match for us upon the open field, after the first clash. A great number of Demon Race interstellar warships began to withdraw, and have all of them gone within the bounds of the Demon Castle star system. By the word our T5 Phantasm-class Light Interstellar Stealth Scouts send back. The Demon Race has built a great number of defensive works within the Demon Castle star system, and has made the whole system into a military fortress. They look to hold off our attack here," said Lilith.
"To stand fast in the Demon Castle star system, it is a wonder His Majesty the Demon King could think of it. Can it be that he still supposes he has a chance to turn the board?" Zhao Chen said with a light laugh.
The Dragon Emperor's artificial intelligence, the Little Dragon Girl, drifted to Zhao Chen's side. "By my reckoning, our chance of victory in this war at present is 93 percent. Two tactics may be used hereafter. One: to encircle and not attack. Surround the Demon Castle star system, then swallow up every Demon Race territory beyond it, and consume the stores heaped up within that system. By our reckoning, the stores laid up within the Demon Castle star system are enough at the most for three years' use. After three years they will face a want of supplies. And in those three years they have no industrial base that can produce interstellar warships, whereas we can produce interstellar warships upon the great scale, and widen the gap of strength between us. And when the Demon King's remnant have broken in spirit, we attack then, and may destroy that remnant at the least cost!"
"Three years?" Zhao Chen muttered, and shook his head. "Too long. I cannot wait so long."
The Little Dragon Girl went on, "Then there is nothing for it but the second way. To storm the Demon Castle star system outright. Upon the face of it we hold the advantage still. Only that within the whole course of the attack we may have to bear no small casualties. By my estimate, to storm the Demon Castle star system will cost seven hundred thousand interstellar warships at the least, and may even reach a million. If the enemy hold to a mind to die where they stand."
The loss of a million interstellar warships.
Zhao Chen drew his brows together a little. He knows that these casualties take in the Machine Race's interstellar warships and the Angel Race's as well.
Yet it is a vast loss for all that.
Had he not known of that business upon the Gate of Gaia's side, Zhao Chen might have cut them off outright, to end the trouble for good.
But taking thought for the hidden peril at the Gate of Gaia, Zhao Chen cannot let his own Owl Dragon Legion suffer too greatly.
He must answer every latent danger.
"The loss is too great. We can accept the price of five hundred thousand interstellar warships," Zhao Chen said gravely.
The Little Dragon Girl rubbed at her chin, and said, "If our own casualties are to be held down, then it may be that we can only slow the rate of our attack. But that will greatly increase what we consume upon the field. The tactic used is simple enough: to push straight through with the interstellar missile ship fleets, eating away bit by bit at the space the enemy holds, and destroying them all at the last. Yet if it be done so, the consumption of this war may pass 1,000 trillion star coins!"
The interstellar missile ship is the sharpest weapon for storming a strong place; but it means an astonishing consumption upon the field besides.
This truly left Zhao Chen at a stand.
"Do you talk it over further with Charlotte, and see whether there is any other workable plan. So far as may be, hold down our losses, and take the Demon Castle star system in the shortest time." Zhao Chen threw this difficult task to the Little Dragon Girl and Charlotte.
Professional business is best left to those whose profession it is.
Beep, beep, beep…
Just at this moment a notice came through upon the terminal Lilith held beside him.
She looked it over, and then looked at Zhao Chen. "Commander, A-Yun, the highest officer in charge of the Owl Dragon Star System's Reviver Program, has urgent business and would speak with you."
"The Reviver side?" Zhao Chen was somewhat surprised.
All this while the Reviver Program has gone very smoothly, and in the main has given Zhao Chen nothing to trouble over.
For this A-Yun to get in touch with him of her own motion now, there is assuredly some matter of weight.
"Put her through," said Zhao Chen.
Very soon a video window appeared before Zhao Chen's eyes.
Upon the other side was A-Yun, her face grave.
"Commander, our research room here has made certain findings that are not good. I hold it needful to report them to you," A-Yun said, composing her face.
"Say on," said Zhao Chen.
A-Yun then began to report to the Commander, point by point, what Elder Shen[1] had told her before, and the business of the life-energy signals vanishing away.
The faces of Zhao Chen, and of Lilith beside him, grew gradually graver.
Even Lilith, who understands little of this side of things, caught from these few words that something was amiss.
"You say that somebody, as we do, is making use of these life signals? And that it has been going on since very long ago?" Zhao Chen asked, drawing his brows together.
A-Yun nodded. "Yes. Only that before this the range of our observation was not so wide, and the case had not appeared so grave. And we ourselves have only begun this side of our research and observation these last three or four years. So Elder Shen said besides that this phenomenon may have existed a great deal longer. And that it is bound up, thread and thread, with every great interstellar war that has broken out within the universe!"
Hearing all this, Zhao Chen fell to thinking.
He could not help thinking of that enemy upon the Gate of Gaia's side, and of that existence, the Mechanical Divine Church.
He has a foreboding that behind this uncanny business there lies assuredly a connection with them, tangled thread upon thread.
But what the outcome of it may be, nobody knows.
"I know of this business now. Do you go on attending to it, and get in touch with me at once upon anything sudden!" said Zhao Chen.
"Yes!"
The video communication ended.
Lilith looked at Zhao Chen in her concern.
Zhao Chen raised a hand and said, "This business is not to be noised abroad for the present; I take charge of it myself. You and Charlotte and the rest must still set your weight upon the war with the Demon Race as it stands. End this war as soon as may be, and we shall have our hands free to answer a threat that may be there!"
"Yes!"
Zhao Chen's brows were heavy: he felt as though some great thing were happening within this universe!