The Sapphire System · Third Planet.
Just now the order of this planet had already fallen into an utter shambles. In the various cities there'd even appeared cases of rioting; the surface starports, which could berth T1 and T2 interstellar warships, had all the more been swarmed by crowds numbering in the trillions. As for the space elevators leading to the near-orbit starports, those were basically packed to bursting.
Within a certain estate, over 100 guards holding laser pistols were protecting this courtyard, keeping it from the destruction of those rioters outside.
"Father! Is this business of the hive-race invasion true? Then we have to hurry and evacuate!" Jiang Ziwen looked at his father, the Jiang family head, Jiang Xiong.
"Set your mind at ease. The planet's governing consul has promised me — he's arranged 300 places for us aboard an interstellar transport. It's only a pity, all these family assets of ours." Jiang Xiong, the family head, wore a haggard face. A year ago, their Jiang family had migrated from the Owl Dragon System to this Sapphire System, and relying on their web of connections, had built up this family enterprise here. Who could have thought that in a bare span of under a year, they'd meet with this business of a hive-race attack.
"By your instruction, family head, all is prepared. An armored convoy has been readied outside the courtyard, and will escort us to the surface starport where the interstellar transport is berthed!" A man got up like a household steward walked in and spoke.
Jiang Xiong, the family head, rose. "All right — let none of you think too much on it. So long as our Jiang family yet remains, then keep the green hills and never fear a want of firewood! Make ready to evacuate."
"Shasha, what are you standing there in a daze for? It's time to go." Jiang's mother urged Jiang Shasha on. Jiang Shasha reflexively nodded, then followed after the family's evacuation column, boarding an armored car together with her mother and younger brother.
Just now the roads were everywhere in every manner of chaos. Happily, their armored convoy could hover and fly at low altitude.
Jiang Shasha looked at this city she'd only just grown familiar with, which now was for all the world like a scene out of the eve of the end of the world. She looked again toward the sky.
At this point, she noticed small black dots appearing in the sky. The number of small black dots grew more and more. Those small black dots came diving down swiftly, like meteorites.
And it was just then that the various cities' defense systems activated. At the same time, warning cries rang out through the cities.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! An interstellar hive-race fleet is engaging our patrol fleet outside the planet, and a portion of the interstellar hive-race has broken through the line and is descending upon the planet. All personnel, please evacuate to the shelters! Repeat: all personnel, please evacuate to the shelters!"
At this, the already-chaotic city became, just now, more chaotic still. A sky full of bugs, under the assault of the defensive artillery, exploded one after another in the air and turned into fireballs.
"Those are bugs! Wasn't it said the nearest batch of bugs wouldn't reach us for another three days!" Jiang Ziwen wore a face full of terror. Jiang Shasha's mother, too, ashen-faced just now, held her daughter tight, her mouth seeming to murmur some prayer without cease.
"Hurry! Hurry! Get to the surface starport, quickly!" Jiang Xiong, the family head, had grown anxious now too.
And just as the Jiang family's convoy looked to be on the verge of reaching that surface starport, the starport's last interstellar transport, of all things, lifted off just then. They watched, with their own eyes, that interstellar transport that carried all the Jiang family's hopes lift off!
"Dad, is that the interstellar transport we're supposed to board? How is it it's taken off without waiting for us!" Jiang Ziwen said in terror. Jiang Xiong, too, wore a face full of question just now; he hurriedly tried to use the comm system to contact that great personage who'd earlier arranged the evacuation for him. But there was nothing to be done — several attempts to make contact all showed the other party could not be reached.
At this, the Jiang family could be said, at last, to understand thoroughly: they'd been abandoned!
"Family head… are we still to continue on to the starport?" the steward asked the family head.
Jiang Xiong, the family head, his face grim and sunken, said, "Find a way! Find any small interstellar ship whatsoever, or a shuttle!"
Though Jiang Xiong, the family head, said this with his mouth, everyone was, just now, perfectly clear in their hearts. In the present situation, never mind a small ship or a shuttle — any device or piece of equipment that could leave the planet was regarded as an existence akin to a treasure; how could there possibly be a spare left for them to find?
"It's over… it's over! We can't escape!" Jiang Ziwen huddled in a corner of the car, his face a picture of terror and panic.
Boom.
And it was just then that, from the sky outside, came an enormous explosion; the sound-waves of the blast were as though they'd tear their very eardrums to shreds. Everyone looked toward the sky. It was that T2 interstellar transport that had lifted off a moment ago; its hull was now pierced with one great gaping hole, and it had exploded, its scattered parts returning to the ground like a meteor shower. And the chief culprit was the bio-plasma cannons of several T2 Hive Motherships! And along with the appearance of these T2 Hive Motherships, the wreckage of one interstellar warship after another plunged down from the high air; on the outer shells of this ship wreckage one could see dense, teeming bugs. These bugs, the moment they found a single breach, would swarm in through it — and one could well imagine what sort of end awaited the crew inside the ships! This scene meant that the planet's space defense line had fallen!
At this point, those defensive weapons of the city, too, began to find it hard to hold; a great mass of bugs landed upon the ground and began to launch attacks on every living thing they saw. Everywhere in the city one could hear wretched screams, cries shrill and piteous. The city, which had before been merely chaotic, was now, just now, dyed the red of blood.
A planet whose surface had been invaded by the interstellar hive-race — what sort of end would it come to? In the books Jiang Shasha had studied, there was already a detailed account. Slow, and it took a week or half a month; fast, and it needed only a few days' time. Over 99% of the whole planet's life would fall to become the bugs' food, and the whole planet would become a cultivation-vault of the interstellar hive-race, hatching out yet more interstellar hive-race to go on attacking other planets.
The Jiang family's convoy, too, had fallen into a panic just now; none of them knew what was to be done.
"Return to the estate at once! The estate still has some defensive weapons; for now, all we can do is use those defensive weapons to hold fast, and wait — perhaps reinforcements will hurry to our rescue!" Jiang Xiong, the family head, made his decision.
The Jiang family convoy thereupon began to make its way back by the road it had come. Along the way they saw all manner of dreadful scenes; the city they were in, too, had come under a large-scale hive-race attack. Happily, they were rather fortunate, and returned smoothly to the Jiang estate. But quite unlike the mood at their departure, just now no small number of the Jiang family had already begun to break down and weep aloud.
Jiang Xiong, the family head, then set about organizing the Jiang estate's defense; and Jiang Shasha, who'd done advancement study at the Northstar Academy, could do nothing but take up a laser pistol and stand at a combat post as well. This was the first time she'd faced the vicious, ferocious bugs; watching those bugs hurl themselves at her without cease, the scene genuinely left her heart quailing with dread. Her younger brother, more than that, was several times so frightened he fell to the ground, the gun dropping from his hand, weeping and begging to leave. It fell to Jiang Xiong, the family head — hating the iron for not becoming steel — to step up and land a few kicks, forcing him to hold the line.
Time passed, bit by bit. The whole city, indeed the whole planet, seemed as though it had become a fine and delicious morsel laid out before the hive-race. The Jiang estate's weapon-munitions, too, began to run critically low; after all, they were but a trade family, with little standing military weaponry to begin with. And all the more so since dealing with the bugs consumed ammunition at a terrifying rate.
Watching the estate on the verge of falling, all the Jiang family sank into despair. There were even some who'd broken down and chosen to take their own lives.
"So it's ended…" Jiang Shasha looked at the laser pistol in her hand, its energy already gone, the energy magazines on her body likewise spent. In despair she watched the bugs drawing nearer and nearer to the Jiang estate. She'd never thought her youth would come to a stop at this moment.
For reasons she couldn't say, she thought of that man. The man who'd once bent to her every wish and word. The man who, later, had become one she had to look up to. She thought of how, for his younger sister's safety, he had counted a thousand li no distance at all, and gone into a bug-swarm to bring her out. If… if she and he were still in that relationship — would he count no risk too great to come for her?
"Jiang Shasha, were you truly in the wrong?" Jiang Shasha closed her eyes.
And it was just then that, by her ear, there suddenly came the cry of a joyful shout.
"Look, quick! Interstellar warships!"
"It's reinforcements — it's reinforcements!"
Jiang Shasha's eyes flew open in astonishment, and, like the joyful crowd around her, she looked toward the sky. Several interstellar warships came charging into the atmosphere, appearing before the eyes of all, and those warships began to launch an attack on the interstellar hive-race all around. At the same time, one combat mecha after another was deployed down to the ground, and interstellar drones began to support the battlefield.
That was…
At the first glance, Jiang Shasha recognized this model of interstellar warship, and the emblem upon it!
The T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser!
The Owl Dragon emblem!
This was Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Fleet!