"This Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought really is hard to deal with. I truly don't know how the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire developed an interstellar warship like this. And a mass-production model at that… Surely they don't already have far more than these five?" The Drought-Fiend Sovereign thought of something just then, and muttered it under his breath.
But very soon he put the thought out of his head.
For an interstellar warship this strong, already a mass-production model: that the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire could build five of them was astonishing enough already, and if it could have built more,
that would be more incredible still.
Surely the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire did not have industry enough for that.
With that thought, the Drought-Fiend Sovereign did not think any further down that road,
but went on studying the situation on the battlefield as it stood!
"The Owl Dragon legion fleets are attacking of their own accord from these six directions: one Emperor's Guard Fleet, and five more led by quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships. If I'm not wrong, the Owl Dragon's interstellar stealth bombers will be making another attack in these five directions next. That firepower is a bit of a nuisance, true." The Drought-Fiend Sovereign knit his brows slightly.
One question the Drought-Fiend Sovereign now had to weigh was how to fight the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite from here on.
To his mind, the Owl Dragon legion fleets had no chance of winning by fighting here in the first place.
Then all he needed to do now was tie down the Owl Dragon legion fleets before him, above all the Emperor's Guard Fleet and the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship,
and keep them from leaving easily, that was all.
As for anything else, it could wait until that fellow the Troll Monarch's legion fleet arrived in support.
Anyway, with two Sovereigns' legion fleets here, could they fail to hold down these Owl Dragon legion fleets?
And the other point was to protect his own safety.
For it could be seen that the combat aim of the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite was either to annihilate his Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet or to hunt him down here,
and so catch the king to catch the bandits.
So he had to see to his own safety as well.
Get these few things right, and that would do.
With all this thought through,
the Drought-Fiend Sovereign had a plan more or less in mind. He looked at his subordinates and said seriously, "Pass on my orders. Every legion fleet is to fight the enemy at low intensity for now, and tie the enemy down while making sure the enemy doesn't retreat. But at the same time, make sure we don't lose too many interstellar warships of our own. Above all, the interstellar warships around the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer are to start building a defensive formation, against a surprise attack by the enemy's quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships!"
The Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · the bridge
Zhao Chen folded his arms and watched the changes on the interstellar war holo-table.
He said mockingly, "Is this Drought-Fiend Sovereign losing his nerve already?"
Lilith, watching this beside him, said, "I expect this Drought-Fiend Sovereign has already started calling in reinforcements. The other two Sovereigns can't just stand by and watch us destroy one Sovereign's legion fleet. They have their quarrels with one another, but when it comes to the big questions of right and wrong they still know what has to be done; after all, if something really went wrong, they'd have a hard time answering to the ones behind them."
Zhao Chen naturally knew whom Lilith's words were hinting at as "the ones behind them".
"I don't care whether they have a hard time answering for it. Since we've moved against this Drought-Fiend Sovereign this time, we can't come all this way for nothing. I think that's how Charlotte sees it too. And Charlotte's appetite is far bigger than mine." Zhao Chen thought back to when he had been in touch with Charlotte just now, and to the real strategic aim of this operation that Charlotte had only then told him.
It must be said that she was as bold as ever.
Even he had not dared to think in that direction.
"It seems Charlotte has told you the real strategic aim this time." Lilith looked at Zhao Chen; seeing that Zhao Chen meant to speak, she raised a hand to stop him. "Since Charlotte hasn't made this public, and is keeping it from the senior commanders of our legion fleets too, she naturally has her reasons. You don't need to explain it to me. I only need to know what we should do."
Then Lilith changed the subject and said, "We've been fighting in this Devourer Civilization universe for nearly half a month now. An expeditionary war uses up far more resources than a defensive war in our home universe. A month is our limit. We have half a month left to reach our strategic aim. When that time comes, whatever happens, we have to pull out!"
Zhao Chen stared at the battlefield before him and said in a low voice, "Whatever happens in the half month after this, on this battlefield here at least, we have twenty hours at most. The Drought-Fiend Sovereign has already asked for support. In the next several hours, interstellar warships will keep coming in support without end. And because we've disrupted their star gate, no large legion fleets will appear for at least twenty hours. But we can't rule out the other side using space-jump devices to send legion fleets straight over. But one thing at least is certain: the longer this battle drags on, the worse it will be for us."
Lilith nodded in agreement beside him.
They were of one mind on this.
Zhao Chen opened the channel to Xiong Xiangxiang and Zhao Waner again and said plainly, "According to the latest intelligence we've received, the enemy will be sending more reinforcements to the battlefield over the coming hours. We can't even rule out elite fleets coming. The longer this drags on, the worse it is for us. I only want to ask you one thing now: how long do you need to meet the minimum combat requirement of annihilating at least over 70% of the interstellar warships of the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet opposite?"
Annihilating seventy percent of the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet's interstellar warships was the minimum requirement.
Of course, if they could annihilate it entirely, and even destroy that quasi-T7 Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer, that would naturally be best of all.
Xiong Xiangxiang and Zhao Waner exchanged a look.
Xiong Xiangxiang said gravely, "Your Majesty, if we attack at any cost, we can meet this minimum task target in ten hours at most."
Zhao Waner added beside her, "Our Shadow Hunter ace fleet group can work with those five quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts to carry out a decapitation plan against the enemy's flagship."
Zhao Chen nodded and said, "How hard you push is up to you. You know my requirements very well. We can bear some losses, but I have to see a return for them. I can't stand to see our interstellar warships lost here for nothing. Understood?"
"Understood," Xiong Xiangxiang and Zhao Waner said together.
Then Xiong Xiangxiang and Zhao Waner both began laying out their new battle plans.
On Xiong Xiangxiang's side, she led the Emperor's Guard Fleet on in its frontal assault.
With the support of the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship feeding them star-shield energy from a distance without pause, the Emperor's Guard Fleet had only three thousand interstellar warships,
but each one of them was like a god come down to earth, astonishing in its fighting power.
Taking on ten to one was no problem at all.
On the other side, Zhao Waner began her new dispositions as well.
On her flagship,
she looked at her assembled subordinates. "His Majesty contacted me just now; we don't have much time left. On this battlefield we have to fight fast and finish fast. We have to destroy the enemy before us as quickly as we can. I told His Majesty just now, too, that I'm confident we can take the enemy's Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer within a certain time. And His Majesty has had the five quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts work with us without condition. I've given my word, and I don't want to see anything shameful happen. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Understood!"
Zhao Waner's eyes stayed fixed on the interstellar war holo-table before her, and she went on, "I was going to wait a little longer, for a better chance. But time waits for no one now. That being so, we move now. Let the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet opposite really feel the fighting power of our Shadow Hunter ace fleet group. Let them all see that our Shadow Hunter ace fleet group can do more than strike from behind; our fighting power on the frontal field is beyond compare too!"
"Yes!"
With Zhao Waner's command,
the hidden card the Shadow Hunter ace fleet group had kept in reserve now began to show itself.
The quasi-T7 Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer · the bridge
The Drought-Fiend Sovereign was still fairly calm at this point; after all, in less than half an hour, forty thousand interstellar warships would come to reinforce them.
By then, with the reinforcements, they could keep the Owl Dragon legion fleets opposite tied up for dozens of hours with no trouble at all.
He had no need at all to hurry; he need only wait quietly.
But the move on the Owl Dragon legion fleets' side shattered this pleasant illusion of his.
"Report: on two directions on our flanks, two forces of interstellar stealth bombers have suddenly appeared. They're making a surprise attack on our line; the attack is very fast, and our line was soon torn open. The enemy's interstellar fleets seem to be trying to break into our formation. They must be… they must be coming for us!" a subordinate reported in alarm.
"What? Two forces of interstellar stealth bombers? Weren't the interstellar stealth bombers from before all right under our noses? Where did these come from?" The Drought-Fiend Sovereign looked astonished.
When the fighting began, he had ordered every piece of anti-stealth equipment in the interstellar fleets switched on.
And at the time, the Shadow Hunter ace fleet group opposite had perhaps known that switching on starship stealth in a combat setting like this would be wasted effort, so from the start it had shown itself openly before them.
But now two more forces of interstellar stealth bombers had appeared, and this was the last thing the Drought-Fiend Sovereign had expected.