"What's that?" Over on Red Rose's side, she'd noticed a detail: within that interstellar fleet come from the Lion King System to lend aid, five interstellar warships of "bizarre outward form" had begun to make a move. They were interstellar warships whose height exceeded their length — for all the world like sword-and-shield-bearing warriors standing towering there. At this moment, the several surface-armor modules upon their hulls had all opened, exposing beneath them row upon row of interstellar missiles at the ready, whose densely teeming number was a sight to make one's heart quail with dread.
"That's an interstellar missile ship too! And a T3-grade interstellar missile ship, at that!" the snake-woman Qingman cried out in shock. Medusa, too, could not, at this point, hold herself back from rising to her feet, all her serpent-eyes fixed tight upon those five interstellar missile ships. Her breathing, by this time, had turned rapid.
T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship · No. 1 ship · bridge.
The wolf-girl Baixue's gaze bored, dead-fixed, upon those red circles drawn one after another upon the interstellar holo-table.
"Reporting — No. 1 ship's combat modules fully deployed!"
"Reporting — No. 2 ship's combat modules fully deployed."
"Reporting — No. 3 ship's every missile-launch apparatus is ready!"
"Reporting…"
"……"
The T3 Judicator differed from the T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship. The T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship employed all embedded, recessed missile-launch silos. The T3 Judicator, on the other hand, in accordance with the different models of interstellar missile, employed different launch methods. There were the missile-silo sort, and there were extending missile launchers, retractable missile launchers, and so on. All for the sake of optimizing the efficiency of the firepower strike! When there was need, it could, in the shortest span of time, launch out every last interstellar missile.
The wolf-girl Baixue let out a breath, and, having with no small effort quieted that somewhat over-excited mood of hers, said in earnest, "All T3 Judicators — in accordance with the preset targets, carry out the missile-launch mission!"
"Yes!"
The captains of the other four T3 Judicators responded in one voice at the same moment, and thereupon handed down the launch order!
Thereafter, the first round of interstellar missiles launched forth.
What sort of scene was the saturation-style launch of five T3 Judicators' interstellar missiles? Medusa and the rest had the great fortune to behold this scene with their own eyes; they watched as round upon round of interstellar missiles launched out. Big ones and small, thick ones and thin, fast ones and slow. But none of this hindered in the least the dreadful, awe-striking scene of their launching. It was for all the world like a very meteor shower, screaming away toward the enemy fleet!
"This… the number of them… this one round is, at the least, 3,000 rounds… just how many interstellar missiles are these T3 interstellar missile ships equipped with…" the snake-woman Qingman said in shock. Red Rose, over on the far side of the video window, had her two eyes gone stock-still and staring, muttering, "How much money must this have cost… that lord truly is a reckless, ruinous spendthrift…"
One T3 Judicator, fully loaded with interstellar missiles, carried a count of 15,000! Five of them was, then, a full 75,000! These 75,000 interstellar missiles of every model would, over the coming 10 minutes, all be launched out. The degree of denseness could well be imagined.
And at this moment, the joint fleet's side, too, had — very nearly within the few seconds after the first round of interstellar missiles launched — detected the incoming interstellar missiles. Young Master Sun's fleet above all: the alarm-tone rang out on very nearly every single interstellar warship.
"Warning! Warning! A great quantity of interstellar missiles in transit has been detected!"
Young Master Sun sprang up all at once, looking at those high-speed-moving red dots displayed upon the starship radar, his expression somewhat unable to believe it.
"This… this many interstellar missiles? How is this possible… wasn't that earlier round of interstellar missiles supposed to have already fired itself out!"
"Young Master Sun, these should be T3-grade interstellar missiles…" the deputy captain at his side quickly made them out.
"What! T3-grade interstellar missiles!" In an instant Young Master Sun was for all the world as though fallen into an ice-pit; there and then he handed down the order. "Retreat! Have our fleet retreat at full speed!" Bombarded by a round of interstellar missiles here, Young Master Sun needn't think to know what the consequence would be.
"Young Master Sun, the interstellar missiles' speed far, far exceeds the sailing speed of our interstellar warships. To retreat now simply won't be in time; the one method left is to have all our interstellar warships intercept as many of these interstellar missiles as they can!" the deputy captain reminded him. Though the deputy captain put forth this suggestion, he knew clearly in his heart: T3-grade interstellar missiles, and in such a number besides — to try to intercept them was easier said than done; and if the interception rate weren't high, then the remaining interstellar missiles would be quite enough to give them a hard time. Most crucial of all was that, among these interstellar missiles, there was a batch very plainly bearing down toward the position where they were!
Young Master Sun calmed himself down, and, gritting his teeth, roared out, "Convey my order — have our interstellar warships take up a defensive formation, and at the same time let the defensive-weapon firepower fire at full bore, and intercept as many of those interstellar missiles as they can. And — right — have the surrounding interstellar warships find a way to intercept them too, and at the same time shift the positions of their interstellar warships, using their interstellar warships to form a 'defensive line' around our fleet!"
The deputy captain heard that this was Young Master Sun wanting to use the other interstellar warships as flesh-and-blood targets — but this was the only method there was just now. Set against the other T1 interstellar warships, the value of this interstellar fleet of theirs was, of course, the more important; and he there and then went off to convey these orders.
Young Master Sun stared in anxiety at the starship radar; he watched those high-speed-moving red points of light wink out, one after another. That signified that they'd been intercepted. But along with it, these red dots drew nearer and nearer the position of their fleet. Young Master Sun felt as though a great boulder had been pressed down upon the pit of his chest, leaving him utterly unable to draw breath.
At last, these red dots overlapped with the position of this interstellar fleet of his, and, one by one, winked out…
"Reporting! T2 Beetle-class ship No. 322 — signal lost."
"Reporting! T2 Grey Shark-class ship No. 071 — signal lost."
"Reporting! T3 Nightwatch-class ship No. 011 — signal lost."
Young Master Sun looked in terror at the data panel before his eyes; upon it, the 300-ship elite fleet he himself personally led — interstellar warship after interstellar warship turned gray at an exceedingly swift speed. Indeed, even this starship's hull, the one he was aboard, began to sustain attack, and to shudder and rock violently. The star-shield's value began to drop without cease.
And at this moment, Medusa — watching this scene from afar — with excitement, dread, and astonishment carried in her eyes, looked at the swaths upon swaths of "seas of fire" appearing among the distant enemy fleet. These blazing flames of explosion were, in a frenzy, devouring the enemy's interstellar warships. Those interstellar missiles had, precisely upon the designated target areas, carried out a coverage-style firepower strike, and the areas struck had very nearly all sunk into a sea of fire.
"Reporting — the positions these interstellar missiles have struck are, one and all, the elite fleets of the enemy fleet! The chief strike-targets are mostly the T3 interstellar warships and T2 interstellar warships!" the snake-woman Qingman said in excitement from the side.
Medusa's stirred-up emotions simply could not settle down. Just what sort of person, after all, was she cooperating with? Were this scene to fall upon the head of her own interstellar fleet —
At this moment, this Queen, amid her excitement, felt, of all things, a trace of dread besides. A dread of that man's strength.