The once-"easeful" atmosphere of the Starlight Empire was soon pierced by this out-of-nowhere burst of fighting.
No one had thought that in the Blue-Crystal star system of the Azure Star Region so fierce a campaign would suddenly break out.
Above all the "killing stroke" Qin Xiaotian brought out in this operation.
It set the whole Starlight Empire's upper-tier powers trembling.
And when the Blue-Crystal star system campaign ended, that mechanical-hive-race fleet did not hide its whereabouts, but voyaged openly through the zones of the Azure Star Region still under Qin Xiaotian's control.
Near 50,000 Hive Motherships, plus the attendant bug-swarm — a spectacular scene.
No few interstellar media — whether at someone's behest or on their own initiative — braved coming close to these hive-race fleets to capture footage, and soon these images spread through the Starlight Empire.
And in the end these hive-race fleets divided into several batches and moved into several strategic-key planets; the garrisons on these planets received orders to withdraw entirely, handing the places over to the hive-race fleets.
Through the whole process these hive-race fleets were obedient as Qin Xiaotian's own backyard pet dogs, not attacking a single planet or a passing interstellar warship.
Imperial Capital Star.
"By the look of it, our propaganda's had quite a fine effect." Qin Xiaotian looked at this matter being discussed on the interstellar net.
Near enough half the top-10 trending topics were related word about the hive-race fleet, and the rest was reportage on the Blue-Crystal star system campaign.
The reports on the Blue-Crystal star system campaign came, near enough, in two styles.
One leaned toward both sides fighting to a standstill with losses all round, the greatest loss of course being the Imperial Princess Fleet-Group's.
The other leaned toward Qin Xiaotian's hive-race fleet holding the advantage, wiping out a great mass of Owl Dragon Legion interstellar warships, and attacking the Owl Dragon System besides, dealing the Owl Dragon System enormous losses, and so on.
As for the matter of the Owl Dragon System, near enough all of it was the writers' own guesswork and conjecture — for the Owl Dragon System had been a mysterious existence these past few years; ordinarily there were some adventurers who tried to get inside, but most of them ended charged with illegal entry and the like, then arranged a several-year mining-planet "tempering package."
"Your Majesty, per your requirement, the propaganda about our hive-race fleet is now all positive; this way the populace can accept the hive-race fleet's existence. The effect so far is quite good," Marshal Qin Longcheng reported to Qin Xiaotian.
Qin Longcheng had once been the eyes and ears Qin Xiaotian planted at Qin Ming's side; now that task done, Qin Longcheng had naturally become Qin Xiaotian's right and left arm.
"Very good. In our campaigns across the four quarters to come, the hive-race fleet is a strength we cannot do without. I know there'll surely be no few who crop up to question the hive-race fleet, even to attack my keeping the hive-race penned. Longcheng, you should know what to do." Qin Xiaotian narrowed his eyes at Qin Longcheng.
Qin Longcheng nodded: "Your servant understands."
"All right, you may withdraw."
After Qin Longcheng left, a video window appeared before Qin Xiaotian.
"Doctor, how stands your side? Is our Hive-Emperor No.1 gravely damaged?" Qin Xiaotian asked with concern.
The Doctor's image appeared before him, his mechanical voice sounding once more: "There is a very large wound on Hive-Emperor No.1's body; because it is… a corpse, its original… self-repair ability is near enough lost, so it's very hard to have it repair… itself. Afterward I'll find… ways by other means to repair… these wounds, and restore Hive-Emperor No.1's combat power as best I can. Besides, the hive-race fleet needs… great quantities of battlefield resupply; the battlefield resupply you arranged on those garrison planets… is only enough to sustain the hive-race fleet… half a month."
Qin Xiaotian knit his brows slightly; the hive-race fleet was fine in every way, save that on the "battlefield resupply" front, it was a great problem.
"I understand; within a week I'll find a way to draw over more 'battlefield resupply.' But you must remember — this matter cannot be exposed, or the hive-race-fleet image I built with such effort will fall short at the last step."
"Set your mind at ease; around the planets… we garrison, I've arranged many… patrol Hive Motherships, to make sure no… one learns what happens here — after all, no… one is better at 'cleaning up' than the bugs; even after we leave, this place will… leave nothing behind." the Doctor pledged with iron assurance.
"I understand; let it be so for now. I have a great deal to handle on my end; I reckon Chu Changhe and Zhao Chen's side will surely make some move — you must be ready for battle at any moment. That sort of bug that can make wormholes — you must ready more of them; this strategic weapon is most important!" Qin Xiaotian charged him.
That this military operation could have its present effect owed in great part to this sort of bug; otherwise there'd have been no doing this surprise-strike on the Blue-Crystal star system and the Owl Dragon System at all.
Only, worse luck, this sort of bug was few in number, and each time it made a wormhole there was risk of death; even if it didn't die, it needed an interval of a month before it could make another wormhole.
And this wormhole could admit only hive-race units to pass; his own interstellar warships couldn't use it.
Otherwise, this military operation, with his few hundred thousand interstellar warships thrown in besides, might truly have pinned that fellow Zhao Chen down for good.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The comm ended.
The Doctor turned and looked at the planet behind him, remade in a few short days into one fit for the bug-swarm to live on.
Besides that, interstellar transport after interstellar transport, dragging old cargo-holds, kept descending to the planet.
And when those interstellar transports left, those old cargo-holds slowly opened — and the sight within would surely make any who saw it quake with terror.
They were cages, one after another, each piled with a great mass of corpses!
Beast corpses, and human corpses too.
Had one a sense of smell, one could likely catch a rank, rotten stench from far off.
But this smell, to the bug-swarm here, was simply a feast of fine delicacies.
This… was the "battlefield resupply" the Doctor had spoken of just now.
……
Owl Dragon System · upon a certain planet.
Zhao Chen, riding a shuttle-craft, hovered above a city, looking down at the war-ravaged city below; in no few of the city's zones were piled the corpses of the bug-swarm.
"My lord Lord, this is the most gravely damaged planet among those attacked in the Owl Dragon System this time. Over 700 combat personnel fallen, over 30,000 civilians fallen, 300 T2 Black Knights lost…" Acting Administrator Jiang Hong reported the losses of this defensive battle to Zhao Chen at his side.
"Counting the other planets, in this defensive battle we lost near 10,000 combat personnel in all, 1,500,000 civilians fallen, and 6,000 T2 Black Knights lost." Once she'd finished, Jiang Hong looked to Zhao Chen.
She found there was anger hidden in Zhao Chen's gaze, as though a Yama about to loose his wrath.
Jiang Hong said hurriedly: "Losses of this scale are already the merest trifle; after all, set against the Owl Dragon System's present population of over 2 billion, and the enemy being 30,000 Hive Motherships — though it was only the bug-swarm they dropped. The losses are already most favorable; the civilians who fell were, most of them, those who wouldn't heed the counsel and didn't withdraw into the shelters in time. Set it in another star system, and it would likely have become a living hell."
"I have no mind to blame you; you've done very well. In this defensive battle, the combat personnel who fell are all to be issued condolence-payments per the regulations, and those of outstanding performance are to be commended too. Those whose dwellings were damaged are to be arranged housing in good time, to ensure the basic needs of life." Zhao Chen said this.
Having said it, he said in a sharp voice: "One's own home attacked by others — even if only a few panes of glass are shattered, that too speaks to a want of strength on our part. A thing of this sort must never happen again. I will absolutely not allow anyone to run wild in our homeland. Qin Xiaotian — he will surely pay the price!"