The slaver starport command room.
"Report — the Second Fleet's flagship is suspected captured by an enemy warship; we've lost contact with Commander Skinny Monkey!"
"Report — the Third Fleet's flagship has been pincered by two enemy T3 warships, and comms are now lost."
The boss, the Big-Eye King, listened to these dreadful pieces of news, looking at the warship list before him with a third of it gone black. As of now, he'd lost over 1,000 warships, the vast bulk of them, moreover, T3 warships and T2 warships. These were all main-force warships!
And the state of enemy losses inflicted, by contrast? As of now, they'd merely crippled a single enemy T2 interstellar frigate — and that T2 frigate, under the escort of its friendlies, had already withdrawn to the vicinity of that T3 heavy carrier starship. Beyond that, all that remained was the paltry gain of destroying some enemy T3 fighters and T3 drones.
He pounded, rather like a madman, at the operating panel before him; his subordinates beside him watched with some fear, yet dared not offer any counsel.
"Who! Who! Just who the hell is this pack of fellows!" The boss, the Big-Eye King, roared in hysteria.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Multiple unknown units detected appearing around our starport!" Suddenly, the warning cry sounded just then. Set against a warship's radar, the starport's radar — though it too had no anti-stealth equipment — reacted more swiftly and nimbly. Thereupon, all the equipment and software within the whole command room began, one after another, to fall into malfunction.
"Warning! 10 enemy T3 interstellar battlecruisers have appeared on the starport's flank!"
10?
The boss, the Big-Eye King, wore a face full of shock — but he soon understood that all of this was the other side's scheme. First they'd used the interstellar fleet where the T3 heavy carrier starship lay to lure him into moving his fleets out to besiege it. In truth, the other side had, moreover, held 10 T3 interstellar battlecruisers in reserve, waiting out on the flank. And once everything was made ready, these T3 interstellar battlecruisers could come cutting out just at this moment.
T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser No.1 · bridge.
Captain Charlotte looked at a red marker-point marked out within the starport — that was the mission-target position the Commander had sent her. The task she was to carry out was to dispatch her mecha force to invade this place, and then to capture the target figure alive! And at the same time, to seize control of several zones within the starport where slaves were held, to make certain of these slaves' safety, and to await the withdrawal afterward.
"Report — our 10 T3 Blizzards have reached the designated position. Over on the T3 White Phoenix-class electronic-jamming interstellar drones' side, they've already subjected the starport to electronic jamming; over 80% of the electronic equipment is paralyzed. We have five minutes of action time!" a subordinate reported to Captain Charlotte.
Captain Charlotte at once gave the order. "First, use the bow cannons to blast open breaches at several positions of the starport, then dispatch the interstellar drones to work together with the Black Knight interstellar combat mecha in entering the starport. I want the whole starport brought under control in the shortest possible time!"
"Understood!"
The 10 T3 Blizzards began a bombardment against certain zones of the starport, and after the bombardment, the Blizzard-class interstellar drones were deployed down. Along with them, pair after pair of Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mecha boarded this starport. One could faintly make out the flames of explosions appearing without cease within the starport.
"Combat Zone One cleared!"
"Combat Zone Three cleared!"
"Sixth combat mecha squad has discovered a prison holding slaves — an estimated 3,000 slaves."
"Seventh combat mecha squad has discovered a slave concentration camp…"
One piece of news after another came feeding back, and was at the same time relayed to the rear, over on the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship's side.
Zhao Chen looked upon this interstellar war that had now gone on for over an hour.
"Commander, as of now the enemy's Fourth Fleet and Fifth Fleet have a loss rate exceeding 80%, and their flagships are destroyed. The Second Fleet's and Third Fleet's flagships are destroyed, their command systems briefly paralyzed, with a loss rate reaching 50%. The one fleet still possessing some intact combat power, the First Fleet, is still trying to break through our defensive line — and this First Fleet is also the fleet where the remaining three T3 warships lie," Lilith said from the side.
Chitong added by way of explanation, "As of now, we've annihilated 1,500 of the enemy's warships, with another close to 500 warships trapped within the starport besides. At present, of the enemy warships still possessing combat ability, there are fewer than 1,000 warships remaining. Of these, three T3 warships remain, only fewer than 200 T2 warships, and the rest are over 800 T1 warships. As for the state of our own fleet's losses: one T3 Blizzard, No.07, has had its shield energy drained, with a hull comprehensive strength of 70% remaining, and has been arranged to withdraw to the battlefield's second line. One T2 Black Rhino has been gravely crippled and pulled back; five T2 Black Rhinos have had their hull armor's comprehensive strength drop to 50%, and have been withdrawn to the second line. As for the T3 Phoenix's losses: five T3 Phoenix-class fighters lost, 17 severely damaged; one T3 Fire Phoenix bomber severely damaged, but returned safely. 103 T3 Black Phoenix drones lost, over 400 severely damaged. As of now, 79 wounded, and 232 with light injuries of varying degrees. But all have been taken in by the T3 Andromeda for treatment; for the moment there's no personnel-fatality data at all."
So beautiful a battle report as this.
Zhao Chen, watching, couldn't help but marvel in wonder. This was the terrifying combat power of an elite interstellar fleet; this was the battlefield dominance of a T3 heavy carrier starship, one of the main-force warships. And of course, no small share of the merit belonged as well to the twofold coordination of the T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bombers and the T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships.
At present, the Owl Dragon Fleet's way of fighting was: relying on the T3 Phantom Assassins and T2 Lion Kings for one round of decapitation and one round of fire-bombardment — two rounds of unanswerable first-strike — to destroy outright the enemy fleet's strongest warship strength and to sow chaos. And then to dispatch a great mass of fighters and drone swarms to deal the finishing cuts. After that came the conventional fleet's frontal combat: leaning on the terrifying combat power of the T3 Blizzards, T2 Snow Mastiffs, and T2 Black Rhinos on the frontal battlefield to carry the victory of this engagement. And, of course, there was among it all the eye-catching showing of the T3 White Phoenix-class electronic-jamming interstellar drones as well.
"Report — the target figure, Skinny Monkey, has been captured."
"Report — the target figure, Scarface, has been captured."
"Report — the target figure, the Big-Eye King, is now under our control; a third of the starport's zones are now under our control."
Hearing the reports of one good piece of news after another from below—
Zhao Chen looked to Chitong beside him, who could not hide the agitation of her own feelings, and said with a light smile, "It's time to bring this battle to an end."
Thereupon, Zhao Chen gave the order for a general assault to all the T3 Blizzards, T2 Snow Mastiffs, and T2 Black Rhinos on the frontal battlefield.
Each ship to fight for itself — annihilate the enemy fleet to the last!
"In a little while, I'll let you slay your enemies with your own hand." Zhao Chen looked at Chitong beside him with a smile.
Chitong's eyes had already grown wet; just now, she found herself a touch unable to master her own feelings. She raised a hand and slowly removed the mask from her face; the hand that held the mask she laid over her heart, and to Zhao Chen she gave a military salute.
"Commander — on behalf of the Bloody Mary Mercenary Company's departed companions… I thank you… truly… thank you so very much…"
And as she spoke, and spoke on—
from the rims of those crimson-pupiled eyes of Chitong's, a trace of blood-tears trickled down.
It was only at this moment that Zhao Chen could at last be said to have seen clearly the true face of this crew member before him. Upon her forehead, of all things, there was the stub of a small red horn…