And the long stretch of time that followed was waiting.
Ahead of the Demon Race's bridgehead position, above 30,000 Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships lay hidden.
Though Demon Race interstellar warships would patrol from time to time.
The T4 Banshee-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Scout Ships lying hidden in this district could send back intelligence in good time, and let the Owl Dragon Legion evade the enemy's reconnaissance smoothly.
Which meant outright that the three demon commanders at the bridgehead position never discovered the danger lying hidden beneath their very eyelids.
Owl Dragon Second Legion · flagship bridge.
"Then when the time comes we go forward by this plan of action." Chitong looked at Su Lan's holographic image beside her.
Su Lan nodded. "Very well; let it be so."
With that, there was something odd in the way Su Lan looked at Chitong.
"What is it? Is there some problem?" Chitong looked toward Su Lan.
"That is… it may be unfitting of me to ask this now. But that you can face the Demon Race and still draw up so fine a plan of operations — do you… feel nothing within you at all…?" Su Lan asked with great care.
Chitong smiled slightly, and said levelly, "Perhaps in your eyes the Demon Race are my own kin. That is because you do not understand the Demon Race at all. Though I myself do not understand the Demon Race much either — I was very small, after all, when my people's forebears fled out of the Demon Race. But from the words of my elders and my parents, I came to understand this. The Demon Race may in fact be reckoned a kind of… alliance, somewhat like the Warhammer. The difference in appearance between one individual and another is enormous; you would hardly believe they were the same people. It is said that long ago, when the Demon Race did not yet exist, these were only tribes scattered one to a star system; and it was under the first Demon King's leading that all these tribes were brought together beneath his banner. And the Demon Race as it now is was founded. Thereafter came the wars abroad; and the weak had only two choices — join the Demon Race, or be destroyed. At the outset the Demon Race's expansion went smoothly enough, until they met the Angel Race. The Angel Race and the Demon Race seem born enemies; and once each had found the other, war upon war began — which is the thousand-year campaign we know of now. So as I see it, the Demon Race cannot be reckoned my kin at all. And my mother told me one saying besides, from my childhood up. Wherever can bring us peace, wherever can bring us equality, wherever can bring us plenty — that place is our home."
Chitong paused a moment, and said, "As I see it, the Owl Dragon is my home. And I have already come to terms with my lord Commander. Once the crises before us are lifted, he will send the T5 Creator to that barren star system where my family live, and carry out an ecological remaking of it. So that our people may have a better place to live; and star gates will even be built, and channels of exchange with the outside opened, and so forth. So…"
Chitong's eyes went cold. "As I see it, these Demon Race interstellar fleets are my enemies. They come to break my good life, and to destroy this homeland I came by so hardly. For which I am willing to pay everything, and fight to guard this place!"
Hearing Chitong's words, Su Lan felt a great deal, and admired Chitong the more.
And admired that man at the same time: that he could make one person after another take the Owl Dragon for their own home and be willing to fight for it, showed the force of his character well enough!
It had even left no few senior Owl Dragon officers fascinated by him.
Come to that, she would seem to be one of them herself.
"Forgive me — I spoke out of turn just now. Commander Chitong, let us fight to guard all that is ours!" Su Lan said with a smile.
Chitong and Su Lan exchanged a glance, and by that one glance the two of them might have been friends of many years.
And what came next was waiting.
Waiting for the word sent back by the T4 Banshee-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Scout Ship over in the Demon Race's territory.
The time of waiting is long.
At the last, it came.
The Commander's communication sounded at very nearly the same moment for them both.
A video window sprang up before Chitong and Su Lan at once.
"We have word: the Demon Race's main fleet has set out. The operational countdown begins now. 16 hours. 16 hours from now, without reporting, you may open your attack directly!" Zhao Chen said.
"Understood!"
At the instant Chitong and Su Lan answered, a countdown panel of 16 hours appeared before them.
And waiting again.
Chitong and Su Lan rested by turns.
There were 16 hours yet, after all, and they must make sure their own condition was at its best.
As for why they rested by turns, that was to guard against anything unlooked-for; though they rested in the captain's chair, so that an emergency response could be made at any moment.
——————
The Demon Race bridgehead position.
"Have you had the word? Our third batch, 300,000 interstellar warships, has set out!" one of the three demon commanders cried in excitement.
"Hahahaha, waited for at last. 300,000 interstellar warships, and the Red Demon Fourth Legion and the Red Demon Fifth Legion besides! This time we can have our revenge!"
"Just so — that cursed T5 interstellar warship, and those fellows called the Owl Dragon Legion, whatever they are. This time we shall wash away the former shame!"
"Mark it, all of you: whether we can redeem our guilt by merit rests upon how we show ourselves in what follows. I have some connection with the Red Demon Fifth Legion's commander; he tells me that once they arrive, some important tasks will be arranged for us. So long as we make an outstanding showing in the tasks to come. Then when we go back, merit will offset fault; and even should we not keep our present commanders' posts, our families and our people will at the least not suffer for it."
"And by that time! I mean to butcher the Warhammer, and wash our shame away in blood."
These three demon commanders were each of them wildly worked up, already shouting aloud how they would take revenge upon the Owl Dragon Legion and the Warhammer.
And would even turn every interstellar race in this stretch of the star-heavens into a slave-breeding ground of theirs, furnishing life-energy to their interstellar warships in an unbroken stream.
By that bearing of theirs, they truly could not wait to fight the Owl Dragon Legion a great battle this instant.
Perhaps their wish moved the gods.
For it was indeed made to come true.
And just at this time, they received word from the demon main fleet.
Its content was very simple: they were now setting out once more from the middle berthing point, and were projected to reach their position 10 hours from now.
Which heartened them the more.
Only that less than 10 minutes after receiving this word, another word came besides!
"Report — two Owl Dragon legions detected, 6,000 interstellar warships driving upon our position!" a crewman reported of a sudden.
Which startled the three demon commanders out of their exultation.
"What! The Owl Dragon Legion has come to kill us!"
"Curse it — why must they come at this hour of all hours."
"Do not panic, do not panic. The enemy has only 6,000 interstellar warships, and our main body will be here within 10 hours. Perhaps this is our very chance to earn merit!"
The three demon commanders grew calm, and set about ordering their defense.
But they never thought that those two Owl Dragon legions would be so mad as this, and open their charge with no regard to any cost whatever.
The force of that charge left even their war-loving demon generals gasping at the sight of it!