Some minutes earlier.
T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship · bridge.
Because there was no way to know the time at which the enemy fleet would cross this stretch of region, the Owl Dragon Legion fleet had, over this stretch of time, to remain constantly in combat state, ready at any moment to launch an attack upon the enemy who appeared.
A trace of a sweat-bead had appeared on Lilith's brow; she'd been staring, all along, at the data panel before her — that was the data-system page of the T3 Ranger-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors. The moment an interstellar fleet in the midst of warp-navigation was detected, it would send out an alert signal, and at the same time conduct the interception. The whole process would be very fast; so as to hand down the order in time, Lilith had to ensure that she saw the latest news at the very first moment. She'd even already held this posture for several hours' time.
Chitong, at her side, watched Lilith's conduct with deep admiration within. At the outset, when she'd first fought shoulder to shoulder with these succubi, she wouldn't deny that there'd been some doubt in her heart — a thought that, perhaps, it was on account of the succubi's special racial ability that the Commander had arranged for them to become secretaries. But in the battles thereafter, Chitong put away this slighting of hers; every succubus secretary she'd seen was competent at her post, her ability beyond all question. This succubus Lilith before her above all — she wielded, by her single self, the whole Owl Dragon Legion's financial-and-logistics system, and assisted in the fleet command in time of war besides. This took a very strong ability! In terms of Lilith's importance to the Owl Dragon Legion, she ranked, at the least, in the top three!
Tick.
Chitong noticed that the frequency of Lilith's eyelid-flutter had changed; and thereupon Lilith abruptly lifted her head and looked toward Zhao Chen, sitting in the captain's chair. "It's appeared!"
Zhao Chen, at the very first moment, connected all the command-comm channels of the Owl Dragon Legion's subordinate fleets. Then he ordered, "The T3 Ranger-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors have detected an interstellar fleet about to enter this area. They're now conducting a warp interception upon these interstellar fleets. All combat squads, make ready for battle at once. The Third Fleet, prepare to conduct the first round of interstellar-missile-ship firepower bombardment; and mark this — launch the attack at the very first moment the enemy fleet appears; don't give the enemy too much reaction time!"
The Third Fleet commander, the wolf-girl Baixue, showed a trace of an excited smile, and licked at her somewhat parched lips, muttering, "At last they've come; the missiles in my gun-barrels can hardly hold down the fire any longer!"
Zhao Chen ordered, "The Second Fleet's T3 Phoenix and T2 Queen Bee are to at once launch all interstellar fighters and interstellar drones; at the same time, the T3 Triceratops and T2 Black Rhinos, make ready for battle!"
Chitong, positioned not far behind Lilith, at very nearly the first moment ordered all the interstellar fighters and interstellar drones aboard her own T3 Phoenix to be wholly deployed! Interstellar fighter after interstellar fighter, interstellar drone after interstellar drone, came swarming out of the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship for all the world like a heavenly maiden scattering her flowers.
Zhao Chen ordered, "The Fourth Fleet, be ready at any moment to carry out a decapitation operation against the enemy flagship and main interstellar warships!"
The Fourth Fleet flagship · T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber · bridge.
Captain Zhao Wan'er gave a snap of her fingers, and the five T3 Phantom Assassins under her command all entered stealth state. For all the world like hunters lying in wait within a dense forest, awaiting the moment of their sortie.
Zhao Chen ordered, "The First Fleet, after the Third Fleet's interstellar-missile attack is complete, is to seize the moment to interpenetrate and split the enemy fleet — without fail, before the enemy fleet has formed an effective defensive system, deal the enemy the greatest possible harm!"
The First Fleet commander, Charlotte, said silently, "Understood." In this instant, in the eyes of this white-tiger commander flickered the light of a hunter; under her command, the two T3 Imperial-class Heavy Interstellar Battleships and 30 T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers waited in full array.
Zhao Chen ordered, "The Fifth Fleet's interstellar supply ships and interstellar medical ships, be ready at any moment to carry out battlefield-auxiliary tasks. Ensure the interstellar warships get resupply support at the first moment, and that the wounded get rescue and medical treatment at the first moment."
The secretary Bessie and Chief Physician Yang Ni, in charge of the wartime logistics department, responded in one voice, "Yes!"
In this instant, the whole of the Owl Dragon Legion was for all the world like a sword drawn from its sheath, its radiance shooting forth in all directions.
A few breaths later, close to 10,000 Warhammer interstellar warships suddenly appeared within this stretch of star region — and, moreover, the degree of their clustering was quite high. And, what's more, they were precisely within the Owl Dragon Legion fleet's ring of encirclement, the margin of error near enough negligible. And most, most important of all, these Warhammer interstellar warships were wholly within the firepower range of all the interstellar missile ships of the wolf-girl Baixue's Third Fleet.
It was for all the world like a big goofy husky who wakes from a nap to suddenly find itself flung into a pack of poodles — such a "delightful surprise," and yet unable even to fight back…[1]
"Fire away for me!" The wolf-girl Baixue decisively handed down the order to open fire. Because the enemy fleet was in a stalled phase, there was, near enough, no difficulty in aiming whatsoever; one need only lock onto the enemy ships' positions, and one could launch the interstellar missiles. Under the assistance of the interstellar warships' systems, this could all be set up in under five seconds.
The T3 Judicators and the T2 Lion Kings, at the very first moment, sent every last one of the interstellar missiles carried aboard their ships — for all the world like a driving storm of wind and rain — down, one and all, upon the heads of the Warhammer interstellar warships opposite. For a moment, fireballs of explosion appeared without cease. That scene was gorgeous beyond all measure.
This explosion was still going on.
And on the Owl Dragon Legion fleet's side, the second step of action had already come. At very nearly the same moment. The First Fleet's two T3 Imperials and 30 T3 Blizzards divided into two attack-routes, and from the enemy fleet's two flanks made ready to unfold an interpenetrating assault — this was to split the enemy fleet into three! At the same time, the swarm of interstellar fighters and interstellar drones, too, pounced toward the enemy fleet.
Strike the foe while he's sick; take the foe's very life!
Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair, for all the world like a deity looking down upon the interstellar holo-table before him.
At the same time, Lilith reported up the latest intelligence on the enemy fleet.
The Black Wolf Tribe's Third Legion Fleet, the Mole Tribe's First Legion Fleet, and its Second Legion Fleet — this was the information on the enemy fleet that had fallen into their encirclement.
The division of the Warhammer regular army's strength was not so tight and rigorous as the Starlight Empire's, because they were of a commonwealth system — seemingly a single whole, but in fact merely the various tribes bound together, that was all. And the strength of the interstellar legions within the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth was, more often than not, divided into three levels. The first level was the main legion fleets of the twenty great tribes, few in number. The second level was the twenty great tribes' regular legion fleets, along with a portion of the small tribes' elite legion fleets. The third level was the remaining small tribes' legion fleets, along with some interstellar legion fleets scraped and cobbled together from east and west. Their strength was no match for the regular army, but was, then, stronger than those fish-fleets of the Reef Star Region.
The enemy fleet's interstellar warships came to 10,000 in all — of which 9,000 were combat-type interstellar warships and 1,000 were auxiliary-type interstellar warships. And among the combat-type interstellar warships, 320 were T3 interstellar warships; the rest were, one and all, T2 interstellar warships.
"No T4-grade interstellar warships. Sure enough, much as the intelligence had it — Warhammer surpasses the other two empires in the scale of its interstellar fleets, but in starship quality it's the weakest of the three empires."
Zhao Chen smiled faintly. "No T4-grade interstellar warships — then these 10,000 interstellar warships, I'll take down without any ceremony at all." He looked, in mockery, at the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth's interstellar warships "crammed" together in a single spot upon the interstellar holo-table.