Hearing her deputy captain's point,
Huo Feifei's face was very troubled.
Fifteen minutes; it all came down to those fifteen minutes.
"Shall I… shall I contact Marshal Zhao Waner and ask her starships to win us more time?" the deputy captain asked.
But Huo Feifei stopped her.
Captain Huo Feifei said, "Marshal Zhao Waner's Shadow Hunter ace fleet group is made up of interstellar stealth bombers to begin with; they're not built for frontal fighting. Holding this lane open for us for fifteen minutes is already a heavy strain on them. Stretching that time would mean piling her starships into it. We can't do that."
"Then what do we do? We've finally broken the target starship's star shield. Are we just going to pull out like this?" the deputy captain said, unwilling to let it go.
Captain Huo Feifei understood how her deputy captain felt, naturally. They had fought hard to get this far, and the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer opposite was all but in their grasp.
To give it up now would be harder for them than being killed.
"Get me the captain of No. 5. I have something to say to her."
"Yes."
…………
The Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · the bridge
"This is the present state of battle for the two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts, No. 2 and No. 5. By our projections, only when the fifteen-minute withdrawal window given by Marshal Zhao Waner's Shadow Hunter ace fleet group runs out will they just manage to tear open the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer's star-shield defense," Lilith said, standing beside Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen rubbed his chin, looking over this battlefield report, then said, "In other words, these two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts can't possibly complete this combat task within fifteen minutes."
"Yes," Lilith answered flatly.
Zhao Chen thought a moment and said, "Before they carried out this task, I recall we gave the captains of these two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts the right to make their own battle arrangements."
"Yes," Lilith answered.
The corners of Zhao Chen's mouth turned up slightly. He brought up the files on the captains of these two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts.
After a glance, he looked at Lilith and asked, "Lilith, do you think they'll obediently pull back after fifteen minutes?"
Lilith was taken aback a moment, then answered, "They won't."
"Why not?" Zhao Chen asked with interest.
Lilith answered, "If these two were chosen to captain Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts, then they must be very good at commanding a starship in battle, and fine commanders as well. That being so, seeing the target starship lose its star shield and then choosing to pull back would certainly not be their first choice. I think they'll surely choose to keep fighting, try to destroy the target starship, and then find a way to get back safely."
"You think the same as me. These two major-general captains of ours will probably do just that. That's what we get for giving them the right to decide for themselves. Since we gave them that right, all we can do is stand behind them like honest folk." Zhao Chen waved his hand and said, "Send the order to the staff department: draw up several contingency plans for this scenario. Prepare for every possibility."
"Yes."
Lilith went at once to see to it.
Zhao Chen, for his part, looked at the two golden interstellar warships fighting far off in the midst of the enemy.
He murmured to himself, "By Charlotte's plan, it should be just about the crucial moment now. I wonder whether things are going smoothly on her side."
……
The Troll Monarch's domain star region
The Troll Monarch's legion fleet's forty thousand interstellar warships were slowly coming to a hover in one area, waiting for their next orders.
"Reporting to the Lord Sovereign: our legion fleet's forty thousand interstellar warships are ready for battle. They can set out at any time," a commander reported to the Troll Monarch.
The Troll Monarch looked them over and said with a faint smile, "No hurry. There are still ten-odd minutes left of the thirty minutes at most we agreed on."
"But… we're ready to set out now." The commander was taken aback.
But the Troll Monarch said with a little laugh, "We have to prepare thoroughly, and be punctual too. Within this half hour we won't arrive one minute late, but we won't arrive one minute early either. After all, the one we're going to support is our colleague and brother, the Drought-Fiend Sovereign."
Hearing the Troll Monarch's words, the commander understood at once, and said, "Understood. We guarantee we'll reach the target star-system battlefield on time."
The Troll Monarch gave a cold smile.
The three Sovereigns looked like one body, but in truth each had interests of his own.
Above all he and the Drought-Fiend Sovereign.
Among the three Sovereigns, the Black-God Sovereign held a place no one could shake,
so naturally no one dared touch the Black-God Sovereign's interests.
That left only the Drought-Fiend Sovereign and the Troll Monarch.
So in the past, these two Sovereigns had always been at each other's throats.
They would go so far as to draw swords and bend bows over control and ownership of a single star system's territory.
It usually took the Black-God Sovereign stepping in to calm them down.
And because the Troll Monarch had ended the first campaign against the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's universe in crushing defeat,
and at the Black-God Sovereign's demand had even paid a certain price for it,
the Drought-Fiend Sovereign had gained a good deal, and seized the chance to scoop up many advantages.
The Troll Monarch had said nothing, but he had naturally remembered every bit of this grudge.
So as for supporting the Drought-Fiend Sovereign, as one body of the three Sovereigns he naturally could not stand by and watch the Drought-Fiend Sovereign fall,
but he would make him bleed, at least, and lose some flesh.
Hadn't the fellow been sneering before at the fool he'd made of himself in the fighting against the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's universe, putting it down to his own command?
Now let the fellow get a good taste of how strong those Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships were.
He'd like to see how much ability the fellow had to come off any better against those Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships.
And what this Troll Monarch did not know was that in a small asteroid belt not far off, a few interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships belonging to a reconnaissance team of the Phantom Scout ace fleet group were hidden,
quietly watching everything that happened here,
including the movements of the Troll Monarch's legion fleet.
"Report: the Troll Monarch's legion fleet's forty thousand interstellar warships are ready and may set out at any time. And the Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship, which was refitting in drydock before, is leaving port as well," the deputy captain reported, holding down her excitement.
The captain looked over the information and said, quite calmly for her part, "Don't be hasty. Wait, wait for the final moment to come. Remember, on no account give our position away. Once we're exposed, we'll wreck our Empire's great plan this time."
"Understood. I've passed the word down already. Our interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships at every position are completely hidden; there's no chance of our positions being exposed," the deputy captain said with full assurance.
"Very good. And make ready to send the intelligence. The instant the enemy's forty thousand interstellar warships leave is the moment we move," the captain reminded her.
As she spoke, her eyes were fixed on the Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship and on this domain star system of the Troll Monarch's,
as if she were watching her prey.
Time passed bit by bit.
At last, the forty thousand interstellar warships, as if their time to set out had come, began starting up their space-transport devices to send these forty thousand interstellar warships to the target battlefield.
As she watched these forty thousand interstellar warships vanish group after group,
the captain clenched her fists; whenever their departure paused even a little, she felt her heart leap into her throat.
At last, all forty thousand interstellar warships were gone.
The captain ordered at once, "Now! Right now! Send the news from here back. Say: the rabbit has left the burrow; we can move!"
"Yes!"
This encrypted message very soon reached Grand Marshal Charlotte aboard the Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought, where she was commanding the fighting on the battlefield.
"Everything is ready at last." Grand Marshal Charlotte looked at this intelligence.
An excited look came over her face, and then she said, "Pass on my order: the legion fleets still fighting on Battlefields Eleven through Thirty are to be ready to break off from the fighting at any moment. Remember, wait for my order."
"Send my order to the decapitation teams: the rabbits have both left the burrow; they can move. Destroy the targets in the shortest possible time, without fail!" Grand Marshal Charlotte ordered.
"Yes!"
When Charlotte had given all her instructions, she looked at the interstellar war holo-table before her.
On it, two coordinate positions were clearly marked.
These two coordinate positions stood for the positions of the two flagships the Drought-Fiend Sovereign and the Troll Monarch were on.
In truth, from the very beginning, Charlotte's target had been not only the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer,
but also the Troll Monarch and his Troll Monarch Interstellar Fortress Ship!
These two Sovereigns and their quasi-T7-grade interstellar warships mattered no less to the Devourer Civilization than any strategic star system.
Before this, the three Sovereigns had all thought the Owl Dragon legion fleets' targets were these strategic star systems.
They had never imagined that the Owl Dragon legion fleets' real targets were themselves.
The military movements before this, and the attacks on these thirty star systems, had in truth all been feints!
All to draw away as many of the Devourer Civilization's interstellar legion fleets as possible, and use up more of the enemy's capacity to send legion fleets long distances.
And now nearly all of this had been done.
The Devourer Civilization still had fifteen million interstellar warships in hand, and the Black-God Sovereign's own legion fleet, that it could move.
But would the Black-God Sovereign dare to promise, dare to bet, that the Owl Dragon legion fleets' real target was not him?
So, as things stood,
it was in truth still Charlotte gambling high against the other side.
With only a short month to fight in, what Charlotte was after was the greatest possible gain.
And when Zhao Chen learned of Charlotte's whole chain of battle plans, even he could not help sighing at how truly greedy her plan was.
And behind this greed lay something Charlotte had to back it up:
the Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought!
At this very moment, in a certain star system, ten quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts had received Grand Marshal Charlotte's order.
All ten quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts were starting up; coordinates were being entered.
In truth, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire did not have only five Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts in service,
but fifteen!
These ten were the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's first building program of the year.
This was one of the things Charlotte had to back her up!
A dozen-odd minutes earlier
The battlefield of the Owl Dragon guard fleet and the Drought-Fiend Sovereign's legion fleet
"Report: our star-shield energy has only one last minute left. The enemy's two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts still show no sign of retreating," a subordinate reported nervously to the Drought-Fiend Sovereign.
The Drought-Fiend Sovereign's fists were already clenched; he had never in his life expected the two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts opposite to take such a beating.
"How much star-shield energy do these two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts have left, in the end? Who can tell me!" the Drought-Fiend Sovereign roared.
The head of a department in charge of monitoring raised his hand and said carefully, "From the star-shield strength we've observed on these two enemy Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts, it has kept weakening up to now. And by our observations, we judge the star shields of the enemy's two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts will last no more than two minutes."
The Drought-Fiend Sovereign stared at this department head and said in a low voice, "Two minutes. Can you guarantee that?"
The department head lowered his head and dared not speak; no one would dare call such a thing certain,
least of all before a Sovereign, and a Sovereign in a towering rage at that.
If the outcome were even a little off, it might cost them their heads.
Seeing that the other said nothing, the Drought-Fiend Sovereign naturally knew what he was afraid of.
He snorted coldly and said, "Two minutes, then. If after two minutes the star shields of those two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts opposite are still shining there, I'll have the heads of your whole department."
The department head shuddered; his legs went weak, and he very nearly dropped straight to the floor.
He swallowed; all he could do now was pray silently that the star-shield energy of the two quasi-T7 Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts opposite would give out within two minutes.
Otherwise their lives would be forfeit.
Time passed bit by bit.
They did not know how much star-shield energy the two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts opposite had left,
but they could see how much star-shield energy the Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer they were on had left.
They watched helplessly as the energy of that last star shield fell bit by bit,
until at last it began to sound the alarm.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Third star-shield layer at 3% energy, about to be exhausted."
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Third star-shield layer at 2% energy, about to be exhausted."
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Third star-shield layer at 1% energy, about to be exhausted!"
The Drought-Fiend Sovereign took a deep breath; he felt as if a great mountain were pressing down on his shoulders.
Just then, a cry of surprise rang out beside him from who knew whom.
"Look! Look! The star shields of those two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts are gone! The star shields are gone!"
Nearly everyone in every department on the bridge looked at the star shields of the two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts on the video screen.
Sure enough!
The star shields that had surrounded these two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts had vanished.
The hull armor of these two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts could be seen plainly and directly.
In that instant, hope came back into the heart of everyone on the bridge.
The department head in charge of monitoring sat down hard on the floor just then, gasping for breath.
One minute!
Only one minute!
Their own Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer's star shield had given out at almost the same moment.
Wonderful! Wonderful!
Their lives were saved.
"Very good! We've broken the enemy ships' star shields. Order the interstellar warships around us to attack the enemy ships at any cost!" the Drought-Fiend Sovereign all but screamed.
At last!
At last he could vent the pressure he had borne all this while,
and that rage.
Letting two interstellar warships opposite bully him in front of his own fleet's formation:
it had been nothing short of humiliation.
"Yes!" Every department on the bridge knew this was a rare chance too.
If they could destroy this enemy Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought, it would beyond doubt be a great feat of arms, and wash away their earlier disgrace besides.
At the same time,
The Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought No. 2 · the bridge
Captain Huo Feifei had naturally seen her own starship's star shield give out too.
But there was no stray feeling at all on her face.
Just then a video window popped up beside her.
It was from Marshal Zhao Waner.
"Huo Feifei, Mu Baiqing. The fifteen-minute limit I agreed with you before is up. My fleets will be pulling back. Withdraw at once, or you'll be surrounded by enemy ships with no chance left to get out." Marshal Zhao Waner, somewhat anxious, was in touch with both major-general captains at once.
But Captain Huo Feifei and Captain Mu Baiqing did not wear the looks one might have expected.
Instead, Captain Huo Feifei looked calmly at Marshal Zhao Waner and said, "Marshal Zhao, we've put you to real trouble working with us on this operation. But right now, we've only just torn open the star shield of the enemy's flagship, that Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer, and only now do we have a chance to do real damage to the enemy ship's hull. If we choose to retreat now, all our fighting so far will have been for nothing. So will the sacrifices you and your fleets made to cover our way in. So Major General Mu Baiqing and I have talked it over. My No. 2 and Major General Mu Baiqing's No. 5 will stay and keep fighting."
Zhao Waner knit her brows slightly and opened her mouth to say something.
Huo Feifei cut her off: "Marshal Zhao, I know how things stand now. Your two fleets can hardly keep control of the retreat lanes any longer. So we don't ask you to keep holding these two lanes. Order your interstellar fleets out now. My No. 2 and Major General Mu Baiqing's No. 5 will keep fighting here, and we'll decide our own battle arrangements from here on. Before this operation, His Majesty the Emperor gave the two of us the right to make our own judgments in battle. So this is our decision now. Whatever comes of it, the two of us are willing to take full responsibility for what our decision brings."
Major General Mu Baiqing nodded and said seriously, "What Major General Huo Feifei says is what I mean too."
Marshal Zhao Waner looked at the two of them; as a commander herself, she naturally knew very well what the two were weighing.
The enemy's flagship, a quasi-T7-grade interstellar warship, its star shield finally torn open by their own hands; to give it up now
would mean everything spent before had gone for nothing.
No commander at all could accept such a thing.
Any of them would try every means to save it.
And now these two were willing to take any risk for just this!
"I understand. I respect your decision. My two interstellar stealth bomber fleets will withdraw now. I wish you every success." Marshal Zhao Waner gave the two of them a military salute, to show her respect for these two major-general captains.
Major General Huo Feifei and Major General Mu Baiqing saluted Marshal Zhao Waner in return, in thanks for her cooperation and help in the operation so far.
Without the help of Marshal Zhao Waner's Shadow Hunter ace fleet group at the start of the battle, their two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts could never have reached their present fighting position so smoothly,
able to meet the enemy's Drought-Fiend Ghost-King-class Heavy Strategic Interstellar Multirole Destroyer at their very best!
That was something they could not have done on their own.
With that, the call with Marshal Zhao Waner ended.
On the interstellar war holo-table, the "line" that had always been there behind their two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts could be seen beginning to fade away bit by bit.
It was the line of retreat the Shadow Hunter ace fleet group's interstellar warships had kept open for them.
Now their two Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnoughts were truly trapped in the enemy's midst, isolated and without help.
"Mu Baiqing. Do you regret it? Regret agreeing to this decision of mine?" Huo Feifei looked at Mu Baiqing across from her.
Mu Baiqing gave a little laugh. "Regret? The word 'regret' has no place in a commander's dictionary. Every decision we make, every order we give, we have no right to regret. That goes for me now, too. Since I've decided to go mad with you this once, I don't regret it. Anyway, with our black technology, we can still be revived."
Huo Feifei, hearing Mu Baiqing's words, shook her head with a little laugh.
The way Mu Baiqing put it, dying once seemed to be nothing much.
Perhaps it really was nothing much.
But a great deal more was bound up behind it.