Reef Star Region · Lion King System.
Though the Lion King System lay within the Reef Star Region, its standing was in truth that of a military special-zone within the Reef Star Region; to enter here required the highest grade of clearance.
And at this moment, across a stretch of star-sky within the Lion King System, one could see interstellar warships in sheet upon sheet, hanging suspended here.
The count was vast beyond measure!
By the naked eye alone, one might even say there was no end of them to be seen at a glance!
This was the Imperial Princess Interstellar Fleet-Group that Zhao Chen had forged for the little princess, Qin Xiaolei.
With the Princess Legion at its head, 40 legion-fleets in all — over 120,000 interstellar warships.
And among them there was even a T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser!
This was the Princess Legion-fleet's flagship, and a warship Zhao Chen had thrown in specially as a gift for the little princess.
Partly on account of the great order the little princess had placed, and partly to safeguard the lives of his own eldest sister and the little princess.
Qin Xiaolei sat in the captain's chair, dressed in a woman's-cut military uniform of white and platinum; at this moment she was very tense, her heart and mind unquiet.
In the span of these few short minutes, she had already glanced dozens of times at the electronic clock beside her.
"Your Highness the Princess, there are 10 minutes left until the hour. You needn't be tense; Zhao Chen has already arranged everything, and I've already deployed every part of the coming combat task. There won't be any problem at all." Zhao Ruyue laid a hand on Qin Xiaolei's shoulder in comfort.
Qin Xiaolei looked at Zhao Ruyue, the reliance in her eyes not hidden in the least.
She'd been on good terms with Zhao Ruyue before; and over this past year, because of Zhao Ruyue's ties to Zhao Chen, Qin Xiaolei's reliance on Zhao Ruyue had grown deeper still.
"Sister Yue, we… we can win, right…" Qin Xiaolei gripped Zhao Ruyue's hand tight.
Zhao Ruyue said, firm and unwavering: "We will surely win."
Qin Xiaolei nodded heavily.
She believed in Sister Yue, and she believed in that man too.
For so vast an interstellar fleet-group as this was one that man had forged for her — in the span of less than half a year.
Beside her, Zhao Ruyue looked at the display panels of the 40 legion-fleets, and her own heart was much stirred too.
A full 120,000 interstellar warships!
Though Qin Xiaolei was the supreme commander in name, the one who truly directed them now was she!
Had anyone told her, in the old days—
—that you, Zhao Ruyue, could command a fleet-group of 120,000 interstellar warships into battle.
She would surely never have believed it.
But now!
There stood 120,000 interstellar warships before her; at a single command from her, these 120,000 warships would turn into a steel torrent surging toward the enemy!
Though the great majority of these 120,000 warships were T2-grade—
—these were, one and all, Owl-Dragon-line T2 interstellar warships, and their combat capacity could well be imagined.
The more so as there were, among them, near 5,000 T3 Flame Dragon-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers!
That too was a force not to be slighted.
This set Zhao Ruyue thinking, despite herself, of that younger brother of hers.
The speed at which he'd grown had truly surpassed everyone's imagining.
She had heard how, not long ago, this younger brother of hers had led 3,000 interstellar warships of the Owl Dragon Legion in a Sacred-War Duel against the Holy Radiance Empire's Sacred Angel Legion.
And in the end had won at a single stroke!
Barring the foe beyond the nation's gate!
This battle, small in the reach of its stir, carried behind it an enormous influence.
It had made all three empires realize that the Owl Dragon Legion was an interstellar power not to be slighted!
Tick.
A very slight sound, yet one that drew Zhao Ruyue's mind back at once, rang out.
That time before her had three minutes left — and had turned, besides, to a most conspicuous red.
These three minutes, for the first time, made Zhao Ruyue feel time so very long.
But the three minutes came, at last.
"Commence the plan — all fleets, prepare to jump!" Zhao Ruyue handed down the command at the first moment.
The eight T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump-Ships, long since made ready, now began, amid a fleet-group vast as a boundless sea, to shine with a light like gemstones.
These eight T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump-Ships began, each bearing a legion-fleet, to jump toward the target star system!
Because the scale was simply so vast, the whole process lasted a good few minutes.
But the visual effect was striking indeed.
Sheet upon sheet of interstellar warships turned into streak after streak of "shooting stars," vanishing in a blink from this stretch of star-sky.
A few minutes later, the once-vast fleet-group had left only a scattered few auxiliary-type interstellar warships lingering forlornly in place.
Had one not seen it with one's own eyes, likely no one would believe it.
That here, just now, 120,000 interstellar warships had hung suspended!
And now, they were racing toward a distant battlefield!
——————
Chu-family legion · flagship.
Chu Changhe, his face grave, gazed at the interstellar holo-table before him; one could see that at this moment the Chu-family legion and the Border fleet-group were already ringed in the center by an enemy interstellar fleet many times their number.
The Royal fleet-group, the Princes' faction Combined fleet-group, the North-Expedition First Main-Fleet Group, the North-Expedition Second Main-Fleet Group.
Near 200,000 interstellar warships, encircling Chu Changhe's interstellar fleet-group — now down to fewer than 30,000!
Sixfold!
A full sixfold gap in fleet numbers.
And that was without yet reckoning the Prince Yan Interstellar Main-Fleet Group, still to reach its designated position; because Prince Yan had originally been the farthest off, Qin Ming had given him the most time.
Two days still remained to the final deadline.
Even so, these four fleet-groups alone were enough to wipe Chu Changhe out.
Chu Changhe at this moment was for all the world like a lamb roasting over a fire — his death drawing near.
"Grandfather, per your arrangement: all interstellar fleets, loose without, taut within. Ready to meet any combat situation at any moment!" a video window popped up — across it was Chu Xuan.
Chu Xuan was by now Chu Changhe's right and left arm; half of Chu Changhe's orders were relayed or carried out through Chu Xuan.
It counted, too, as Chu Changhe's own cultivating of this granddaughter.
"Xuan'er, is this betrothed of yours running late. It's already three minutes past the time we agreed on." Chu Changhe teased.
The corner of Chu Xuan's mouth twitched; she said, on purpose: "You're quite right — with so little sense of time, how could he ever step through our Chu family's door. This marriage — forget it, call it off; we'll break the engagement."
Hearing this, Chu Changhe started, and his tone turned on a coin: "This… this is serious, serious. It's only a few minutes, no great matter, no bearing on anything, none at all. Zhao Chen's a good boy; don't you go raising talk of breaking the engagement so lightly — it's ill-omened. Pah, pah, pah."
The corner of Chu Xuan's mouth curved up a little; she'd gradually gotten the measure of her grandfather's mind by now, and in the face of his teasing could often give back a jab or two.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Anomalous fluctuations detected in the surrounding space — attention!"
A warning voice rang out by Chu Changhe's ear.
Both Chu Changhe and Chu Xuan changed color.
And this warning, the Princes' faction's interstellar warships across the way had no doubt received it too.
For a disturbance so great as this spatial fluctuation, there was no way it could go undetected.
Then, after a flash of light, several thousand interstellar warships — like shooting stars streaking across the night sky — burst suddenly into being at the outer edge of this battlefield.
The distance was not so very near; ordinarily it would not have drawn notice so fast.
But there was nothing to be done — those were several thousand engine light-rings ablaze at once, a scene one could see from far, far off.
And with the images relayed back by the outer-edge interstellar scout-ships—
—the Owl Dragon crest appeared before the eyes of the Princes' faction and of Chu Changhe and the other high commanders.
Zhao Chen!
The Owl Dragon Legion!
Come to the kill!