The 60 T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Bombers' one out-of-nowhere round of attack, though it didn't slay the Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership—
—because the zone it struck was a wound that already existed on this Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership, it still dealt no small casualty.
The Hive Motherships and bug-swarm life around the Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership, finding their mothership under attack, at once came swarming toward those 60 T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Bombers.
"Withdraw! Pull back to the safe zone at full speed!" Zhao Wan'er, aboard her own flagship, looked at the colossus before her — terrified within, yet handing down the command calm and unflustered.
This was the psychological steadiness she'd cultivated from long service in the T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Bomber ship-type since joining the Owl Dragon Legion with her brother.
Even terrified within, she'd let nothing of it show on her face.
"Wan'er, you did very well. Leave the rest to us!" a video window opened — that was Owl Dragon Second Legion commander Chitong!
Then, as those 60 T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Bombers withdrew, the women crew on the bridge could see, outside, interstellar missile after interstellar missile crossing past them.
The feeling was for all the world like being amid a meteor-shower.
Zhao Wan'er knew this was one round of saturation interstellar-missile firepower bombardment by the 50 T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships the Owl Dragon Second Legion was fitted with.
Over 1 million interstellar missiles, striking toward the target behind them.
Without looking, Zhao Wan'er knew what drama was playing out behind her interstellar stealth-bombers.
Just then, a video window synced into the Owl Dragon Second Legion's command channel.
It was Zhao Chen.
"Commander-in-Chief."
"Brother… Commander-in-Chief!"
Chitong and Zhao Wan'er stood up straight and called out together.
"What's your Second Legion's situation now?" Zhao Chen asked, coming straight to the point.
Chitong explained the situation in a few words.
The Owl Dragon Second Legion's jump-coordinates had been rather far off, and, less lucky than Zhao Chen, all three of their echelons had met hive-race fleets, and met hive-race fleets on the way onward besides.
Though it caused the Owl Dragon Second Legion no great loss, it delayed them no small time; only shortly before had they reached the battlefield.
But Chitong hadn't lightly revealed the Second Legion's presence; instead she'd first put out T3 Silver-Rat-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Recon Ships to scout.
Near enough a step before that Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership appeared, Chitong had discovered its existence.
To stop that one shot had been an impossibility.
So Chitong could only go on hiding herself, and plan how to deal with this Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership.
In the end, Chitong drew up a combat plan.
Chiefly in three steps.
The first step was to have Zhao Wan'er lead 60 T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Bombers to steal up close and settle on the fittest zone to attack.
Because, considering the Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership was simply too huge, a saturation-style strike would find it very hard to do effective harm.
And soon, Zhao Wan'er settled on an attack zone.
That was a "broken-wall-and-ruin" spot on the Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership's left side, where the bio-armor was plainly weaker than elsewhere, with some traces of late repair besides.
So Zhao Wan'er struck first, widening this "wound-zone" at close range.
Then the second step was for the interstellar missile ships to deliver a saturation firepower strike, dealing further firepower to that "wound-zone."
Which was to say — the step now underway!
"Well done," Zhao Chen said when he'd heard it out, not sparing his praise.
At the same time he looked with satisfaction at Zhao Wan'er; this little sister of his had grown greatly in the Owl Dragon Legion; when he'd earlier arranged her as the Owl Dragon Second Legion's deputy commander, he'd been a touch worried whether she could bear it.
By the look of it now, he'd underestimated this little sister.
Feeling her brother's gaze, Zhao Wan'er raised her head and chest proudly.
Then something came to her, and she asked hurriedly: "How is eldest sister now?"
"Eldest sister is still in the Blue-Crystal Star-Port; our First Legion came in time and drew off the great majority of the hive-race fleet, so the pressure on her side isn't very great. But if this battle goes on grinding, that's less certain," Zhao Chen said in a low, heavy voice.
So saying, he looked at the Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership under continued attack in the image; the crux right now was this Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership.
The interstellar-missile attack lasted near five minutes — truly, the interstellar missiles were simply too many.
And this round of interstellar-missile bombardment had a fine effect too.
The Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership's huge body even lurched sideways.
Above all, that struck spot was blown open into a huge "crater," its area hundreds of times the original!
Like a whale that had had a huge chunk bitten off by some other behemoth — one could see the cross-section of the inner biological structure.
"Now! Fire!" Chitong clenched her fist and barked.
Chitong's flagship in the Owl Dragon Second Legion, unlike Zhao Chen's, was not a T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser, but a newly commissioned T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship!
Because Chitong's station differed from Zhao Chen's, it was no matter for her to charge and slay at the front in an interstellar battleship.
Were it Zhao Chen, there'd be no few voices against it, worried for Zhao Chen's safety.
This was also why, to this day, Zhao Chen's flagship was still a T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser — meeting any danger, it could bolt fast.
At this very moment, Chitong was handing down the command to her flagship, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon No.03.
The huge bow cannon of this T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship No.03, its silver-white beam-particles long since gathered full, now abruptly loosed.
A huge silver-white pillar of light pierced the dust the earlier interstellar-missile bombardment had thrown up, and struck the Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership's wound square on.
The vast might the impact produced.
Even Zhao Chen, far off, could see a blast-wave scatter the dust, forming a huge "doughnut."
Zhao Chen held his breath and stared at that silver-white pillar of light.
The outcome of this battle rode on this one chance.
Whether it could gravely wound or even slay this Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership — if not, then his Owl Dragon Legion would pay a wretched price in the fighting to come.
Zhao Chen was confident!
He believed firmly in his Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship!
For that across the way was no true T5 Hive Mothership — nothing but a manipulated corpse.