The half-hour was soon up.
A portion of the Owl Dragon Legion's interstellar warships and a portion of Chu Changhe's had finished resting and refitting.
As for cleaning up the battlefield, that was far from done — after all, over 100,000 interstellar warships had just been destroyed here.
How could it possibly be cleaned up in so short a span.
And at Zhao Chen's request, Chu Changhe led 300 elite warships he'd mustered over, voyaging to the zone Zhao Chen designated.
"Now, lad, you can tell me at last — just what wicked little scheme have you got hidden away. I have 300 interstellar warships here, all of them Chu-family legion elites: 20 T4 Boreas-class Heavy Interstellar Battleships in high repair, the rest all T3-grade interstellar warships. Now, this old man and this batch of interstellar warships are all at the disposal of you, Lord Owl Dragon." Chu Changhe sat at his ease in the captain's chair; at this moment he'd not a shred of the bearing of one who, not long before, had directed a great army through 10 days of fierce battle.
For all the world like some ordinary rich old squire.
Chu Xuan, keeping up the video comm at the same time, cast over a curious look as well.
Once she knew of the compact between Zhao Chen and her own grandfather, she'd naturally demanded to take part too.
And Zhao Chen hadn't refused.
"The Princess Legion's 300 interstellar warships are ready; awaiting His Excellency Zhao Chen's instruction." Qin Xiaolei's video window appeared, with eldest sister Zhao Ruyue behind her.
"You stand by in place for now."
Having said it, Zhao Chen looked to Lilith beside him.
Lilith said: "The temporary task-force fleet is fully formed — the whole fleet, 1,000 interstellar warships, including 50 T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships. Ready to set out at any time; please hand down the command, my lord Commander-in-Chief!"
Zhao Chen slowly raised his head, his gaze like a hunter's tracking down its prey.
"Begin the jump."
As Zhao Chen's command came down, the two T4 interstellar jump-ships that had long been standing by activated.
With two streaks of flowing light flashing past, the 1,600-odd interstellar warships here vanished in an instant without a trace.
The Owl Dragon Legion fleet remaining behind watched their friendly ships vanish; long since used to such a scene, they went on with their own task of cleaning up the battlefield.
And the Imperial Princess Fleet-Group, which had experienced these things, was likewise relatively unstirred.
But the high officers of the Chu-family legion fleet, one and all, were dumbstruck.
During the earlier fighting, though they'd known the Owl Dragon Legion and the Imperial Princess Fleet-Group had come as reinforcements by way of these mysterious interstellar warships—
—the fighting had been at its height then, and no one had the leisure to mind such a thing.
And now, the fighting near enough over, only some small fry still stubbornly resisting.
Add to that their own marshal being about to go, and naturally no few had cast their attention over.
Witnessing with their own eyes those 1,600-odd interstellar warships vanish from this place, the captains and high officers of the Chu-family legion fleet could none of them hide the excitement in their eyes.
"This… this is too marvelous… up and away at a word, and the start-up seems to take only a few minutes!"
"This is a strategic doomsday-weapon, pure and simple! If only our Chu-family legion had this…"
"Hey, hey, think about it. Whose thing is this? It's Lord Owl Dragon's — and what is Lord Owl Dragon to us? He's our Chu family's dragon-riding son-in-law! Eldest miss Chu Xuan's husband-to-be. So isn't that as good as our Chu-family legion's? Maybe, down the road, Lord Owl Dragon will even fit us out with it too!"
……
After a brief flare of light.
Zhao Chen, carrying 1,600 interstellar warships, arrived in a stretch of pitch-black star-sky.
"Where is this?" Chu Changhe looked at the pitch-blackness all around; by the look of it they should still be in fringe-space between star systems.
"We're still in the interstellar fringe-space between the Starlight Central Star Region and the Chu River Star Region," Zhao Chen answered.
"Then what have we come here to do?" Princess Qin Xiaolei asked, puzzled.
"To see off our Prince Qin Ming, of course," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
Chu Changhe and the rest wore a look of puzzlement.
"Everyone, please keep voyaging along this route; the answer will soon be revealed." Zhao Chen sent a voyage-path to the two small fleets.
Both Chu Changhe and Qin Xiaolei arranged for their small fleets to voyage along this route.
After a few minutes' voyaging.
They saw, one after another, glowing "little stars."
"What are those? Isn't this fringe-space between star systems? How can there be glowing celestial bodies?" Qin Xiaolei said, puzzled.
Behind Qin Xiaolei, Zhao Ruyue said suddenly: "Those aren't celestial bodies — those are warp-interceptors!"
Warp-interceptors!
Hearing this term, everyone caught on all at once.
Chu Changhe swept his eyes across — he could see warp-interceptors spread over a great stretch, evenly disposed.
There were 1,000 of them at the very least.
Warp-interceptors in such numbers were no small outlay; a few billion star coins' expense at the least.
"Just so — these are warp-interceptors. They're the T3 Ranger-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors our Owl Dragon Legion developed; I've deployed 3,000 of them here in all." Zhao Chen let the secret out.
"3,000 warp-interceptors!" Chu Xuan was greatly startled.
Chu Changhe's eyes lit up, and he said at once: "If I've guessed rightly, this should be a zone lying between our clash-point and the White-Swan Star-Port of the Starlight Central Star Region. You mean to intercept Qin Ming's Princes'-faction fleet-group here!"
At Chu Changhe's words, everyone at once grasped Zhao Chen's intent.
Once Qin Ming's Princes'-faction fleet-group met defeat in battle, it would surely first pull back to its own home base to rest and refit.
And the nearest such base was naturally this White-Swan Star-Port of the Starlight Central Star Region.
The White-Swan Star-Port was one of the Starlight Empire's ten great star-ports, and, more than that, the northern gateway of the Starlight Central Star Region!
The likeliest thing was that Qin Ming would retreat toward here.
So Zhao Chen had deployed warp-interceptors here in advance, and there was a very great probability of intercepting the Princes'-faction fleet-group.
"But with just these 1,600 interstellar warships of ours, can we bring off the interception?" Chu Xuan was a touch worried.
After all, the Princes'-faction fleet-group that had fled the field earlier still had over 60,000 interstellar warships.
Defeated troops though they were, that combat power was not to be slighted.
"With just these 1,600, it would indeed be a bit of a gamble. But who said these were all I had." Zhao Chen sat in the captain's chair, one leg crossed over the other, the corner of his mouth curving up a little.
Just then, a legion-fleet that had lain hidden in the distance all along quietly appeared.
"Owl Dragon Third Legion commander Shen Bing, leading 2,000 interstellar warships under her command, at the Commander-in-Chief's disposal!" Shen Bing's video window popped up.
At this moment, Chu Changhe and the rest understood the game of chess Zhao Chen had laid out, and marveled at Zhao Chen's ability.
He had, of all things, foreseen this before the fighting ever began, and deployed an Owl Dragon legion here in advance.
With that, they need only sit and wait for Qin Ming to walk into the net!