Zhao Ruyue watched with her own eyes as one interstellar missile struck an enemy ship not far off from their fleet, whereupon there occurred a terrifying explosion.
And thereafter, more interstellar missiles came assailing and exploding one after another.
And the Princess's royal fleet situated within it — though it seemed to be "covered over" by the explosions of the interstellar missiles, look closely and one would find that their interstellar warships were for all the world as though situated right at the edge of the explosions.
Even encircled by these explosions, no substantial harm whatsoever came to their interstellar warships.
The Princess's fleet's interstellar warships sailed according to the predetermined route; some ships' captains felt as though their very hearts were about to leap out of their chests.
For, after all, those interstellar missiles were truly too near them.
Some of the starship-wreckage the explosions produced even went splashing and flying onto the interstellar warships they were aboard.
The most severe case was that one could hear the sound of the hull's surface armor being struck by bits of starship wreckage — ping-ping, pang-pang, for all the world like rain-drops.
It left one's scalp prickling numb.
Zhao Ruyue stared at the starship radar, upon which were the recorded data of those interstellar missiles' points of impact.
She raised a hand and opened up the data-diagram that white-furred woman officer had sent her earlier, and discovered, to her astonishment, that up to now every one of the interstellar missiles had, near enough without a single exception, exploded precisely within the designated zones.
Without any deviation whatsoever!
And were one to look at the timing besides, one would find that even the times of the explosions differed, before and after, by not a few seconds.
Too inconceivable!
Just how precise a mastery of control did the commander directing these interstellar missile ships have — and, moreover, with what a terrifyingly advanced fire-control aiming system were those interstellar missile ships equipped?
Over on the other side, Qin Hu, too, had at the same time been given a fright by this scene.
The first spot where he'd noticed something amiss was that the Princess's fleet had begun a forceful breakout — and, moreover, one could plainly see that their interstellar warships were rapidly approaching that band of attackers' interstellar fleet.
It was plain to see: the two of them were rendezvousing!
"Intercept! Find me a way to intercept the Princess's fleet — don't let them advance any further!" Qin Hu roared out in rage.
The adjutant said helplessly at his side, "Our interstellar warships in this area are all bearing the enemy's interstellar-missile bombardment attack; they have simply no spare capacity to intercept the Princess's royal fleet. And strange to say — these interstellar missiles are each for all the world as though they've grown eyes; plainly they're all in the same area, and yet, without any deviation whatsoever, they've all struck our interstellar warships. While the Princess's fleet's interstellar warships interpenetrating in the midst of them were not the least bit affected. Bizarre — truly bizarre!"
Qin Hu clenched his fists, gritting his teeth.
"Whatever it takes, the Princess's fleet cannot be allowed to escape! Form the encirclement again! Mobilize the surrounding interstellar warships, and encircle them together with this wave of unknown attackers' interstellar fleet — whatever it takes, they cannot be given any chance to flee!" Were the little Princess Qin Xiaolei to escape, then his elder brother and his mother-empress would by no means lightly forgive him.
Though the great power of the Starlight Empire had now been seized into their Prince Faction's grasp by opportunity, if the little Princess Qin Xiaolei were still alive, one couldn't rule out the possibility of the former First-Prince faction's dead ashes reigniting into flame.
Every threat had to be strangled in the cradle.
But at this point, to try to form an encirclement once more?
That was easier said than done.
The unknown attackers' interstellar fleet lay barred across there for all the world like a wall of bronze and a rampart of iron; the interstellar warships that approached were simply no match for it.
Up to now, they'd merely destroyed two T3 interstellar frigates, and no more — and even the several gravely damaged T3 interstellar frigates had all, safe and sound, under the cover of friendly ships, withdrawn to a safe zone.
By contrast, the number of interstellar warships they themselves had had wiped out by this band of unknown attackers' interstellar fleet had, in so short a span of time, already reached close to 2,000!
And for one must know, these were by no means the cannon-fodder sort that were T1 interstellar warships; the lowest among them were T2-grade interstellar warships.
Reality was cruel; soon enough, Qin Hu watched, wide-eyed and helpless, as the Princess's fleet, under the cover of the interstellar-missile bombardment, successfully merged into the unknown attackers' interstellar fleet.
And, without so much as a backward glance, began to flee toward the direction from which the unknown attackers had come.
"Intercept! Intercept!" Qin Hu handed down the order to intercept without cease, mobilizing as many interstellar warships as he could to go intercept.
But the blocking of those enemy T3 interstellar frigates simply gave them no chance whatsoever.
Commander Charlotte, looking at the interstellar holo-table before her, handed down the final battle order.
"All interstellar warships apart from the T3 Triceratops, the T3 Blizzards, and the T3 Imperials, begin to retreat! 10 minutes from now, the two T3 Imperial-class Heavy Interstellar Battleships begin to retreat. 20 minutes from now, all the T3 Triceratops and T3 Blizzards begin to retreat!" A phased, staged retreat could ensure the safety of the Owl Dragon Legion fleet's withdrawal.
As for keeping the T3 Triceratops and the T3 Blizzards for last, that was, of course, an arrangement of Charlotte's.
The Princess's fleet · flagship bridge.
"Who'd have thought — we could, of all things, really withdraw smoothly." Qin Xiaolei clutched at her own bosom; she felt, at this moment, for all the world as though she were in a dream.
Not so long ago, she'd still held that her own death was beyond all doubt.
That marvelous interstellar fleet had suddenly appeared, and changed all of it.
"We're still not thoroughly safe now. Qin Hu won't let us off this easily. They'll pursue us doggedly, hard on our heels; and at the same time, they'll mobilize yet more imperial-army fleets to encircle and annihilate us. How to thoroughly escape — that is the true hard problem we have to face!" Zhao Ruyue's expression was grave; she knew clearly that the present situation merely signified that they could live a stretch of time longer.
Qin Xiaolei's expression was heavy.
The two women, at the same time, stared at the radar, at those Owl Dragon Legion interstellar warships covering their retreat.
At this point, a video window popped up, appearing before the two women.
"Greetings to you both. I am the chief secretary of this legion fleet. Next, please have all the interstellar warships of the Princess's fleet sail according to this route, and arrive at this coordinate-position," Lilith said with a smile.
Zhao Ruyue looked at the sailing map the other party had sent her; upon it was a single route, which, from their current position, needed roughly half an hour's time to sail.
"Why stop here?" Zhao Ruyue inquired.
Lilith said, "This point, eldest miss, you'll come to know in a moment. Right now… it isn't quite convenient for me to explain."
Zhao Ruyue asked no further.
At the same time, the Owl Dragon Legion interstellar warships covering the retreat, too, began to withdraw one after another.
The T3 Triceratops and the T3 Blizzards were the last to pull out from the battlefield; in an exceedingly short span of time, they quickened their own sailing speed.
"Chase! Bite onto them for me!" Qin Hu pointed at the fleeing enemy fleet.
"The distress command I sent out — there are already five imperial legions on the road, hastening to reinforce. So long as we tangle them up, they can just forget about escaping!"