"They are coming at our main fleet!"
That demon commander who had seen through the Owl Dragon Legion's true purpose pointed at the interstellar battle table. "These 6,000 Owl Dragon interstellar warships are now tearing our position open and building a lane. Because we block the way here, their 30,000 interstellar warships cannot go round us and sail through smoothly and swiftly! So they mean to build this safe lane, and let those eight Owl Dragon legions behind them pass through smoothly, and ambush our 300,000 demon interstellar fleet!"
"An ambush? How should these 20,000-odd interstellar warships ambush 300,000 interstellar warships? What sort of joke is this!"
Facing his fellow's doubt, that demon commander said gravely, "With interstellar warp interceptors to work with them, and the Owl Dragon Legion's special fleet made up wholly of interstellar missile ships. And that mighty T5 interstellar warship besides. Even if they cannot bring off a perfect ambush. They will assuredly inflict grave losses upon our 300,000-strong demon fleet!"
"But… but is there truly so great a coincidence as this? How could they know that our 300,000-strong demon fleet is upon the road and coming!"
"There is no time now to get that question clear. Get in contact with the main fleet at once, and tell them of this emergency!"
"Have you forgotten? Our main fleet set out long ago and is under warp navigation now; we cannot reach them at all!"
At this the three demon commanders felt the terrible force of the Owl Dragon Legion's presence.
They felt as though a hunter had them in his eye, and that a gaze like a falcon's were measuring them up and down.
"Then what do we do now?" Two of the demon commanders looked toward that fellow of theirs who had seen through it all, and was plainly the cleverer.
That demon commander clenched his fist and said through his teeth, "We have no choice. Whatever the cost, the enemy's plan must be stopped from going forward. They must on no account be let smoothly through here. Pass the order down: every interstellar warship, at any cost whatever, is to storm this lane of the enemy's, and it must be destroyed!"
With the handing down of the three demon commanders' orders, the demon interstellar warships' attack grew fiercer still.
But the defensive positions cast up about that lane stood at this hour steady as bedrock; however those Demon Race interstellar warships came on, there was no shaking them!
Upon the charging fleet's side, the interstellar warships foremost in the charge were beyond question the most heavily spent.
Much of their expendable munitions was in the main emptied out already, and they could use only energy-type weapons, which need a rather long time to charge.
"Order the first echelon's interstellar warships to withdraw; distribute them among the several defensive positions to assist in the defense." Chitong handed down a fresh order at this time.
Since the "drill bit" had gone blunt, then put on a new one.
As for those interstellar warships taken off, they were spread among the defensive positions along the lane, where they served nicely to make up the want of firepower.
Once the second echelon's interstellar warships had taken over, the efficiency of the attack plainly rose a good deal.
One hour.
Chitong had pushed three tenths of the distance.
Two hours.
Chitong had pushed five tenths of the distance.
Three hours.
Chitong had pushed seven tenths of the distance.
At the last, at three hours and forty minutes from the opening of the attack, the charging fleet under Chitong opened the enemy's bridgehead position through.
For the first three hours it may be said that the further they went, the slower the attack and the greater the difficulty.
But in the last hour, because a great number of the enemy's logistics and auxiliary-type interstellar warships lay at the rear of the position, the difficulty of the attack over that stretch fell away sharply.
Which let Chitong complete this combat task smoothly.
At the same time, Commander Su Lan's side was holding the lane fast; however the enemy came on, this lane suffered nothing whatever, and remained throughout in their control.
Commander Su Lan had it all, for all the world, in the palm of her hand.
"Report, Commander. No few of our carrier starships' fighter pilots have already completed above 10 sorties, and their bodies are past their limit. Some of them, on getting down from the fighter, have collapsed on the spot," a subordinate reported to Commander Su Lan.
Commander Su Lan said, low and grave, "Those who have collapsed, to the medical bay at once. Those who can go on fighting, let them go on fighting. One hour! They need only hold one hour more! Tell them from me — say that I, Su Lan, ask it of them!"
"Understood." The subordinate went to convey Commander Su Lan's words.
At this time a video window appeared before Su Lan.
"By the look of it, the pressure on your side is no small thing." Chitong looked at Su Lan — her forehead all beads of sweat, her eyes threaded with red.
"Opened through?" Su Lan asked.
"Opened through." Chitong nodded, and then looked at Su Lan. "What comes next is given over to you."
Su Lan laughed. "I have held four hours; am I to fear this one?"
Thereafter Chitong sent word to Charlotte's side.
Charlotte, upon receiving word that passage was open, ordered at once that the eight Owl Dragon legion fleets pass through quickly, by the sailing plan already fixed!
The other Owl Dragon legions first; the Owl Dragon First Legion last.
——
The Owl Dragon Tenth Legion's fleet drove into the lane first.
"I say it again. Pass through the lane quickly; pay no mind to what happens about you; no starship whatever is to open fire. Whoever disobeys this order answers to military law!" The words of the Owl Dragon Tenth Legion's commander Pei Shengnan were conveyed down through the 10 squadrons below her.
Having said it, Pei Shengnan looked out beyond the port.
She saw the quiet lane, and she saw the disordered fires of war beyond it.
Those Owl Dragon interstellar warships were like so many guardian gods, guarding this lane.
If an interstellar warship was swallowed by the enemy's gunfire, then at once an interstellar warship nearby would come up and fill the gap.
And if no interstellar warship could reach it in time, then interstellar drone swarms and interstellar fighters in astonishing numbers would come swarming across.
Watching those tiny hulls of the interstellar fighters, which feared not the vast hulls of the enemy's T3 and even T4 interstellar warships, and stood in the way there all the same.
Pei Shengnan clenched her fist, and for a long while said nothing.
"Commander, I hear you came up as a fighter pilot?" A voice sounded at this time.
Pei Shengnan noticed a communication window beside her that had not been closed.
It was Midai'er, fleet leader of the Tenth Legion's Third Squadron.
She knew this person's identity too — Charlotte's younger sister.
Because the two of them looked so very much alike.
"Just so. In those days I was an interstellar fighter pilot. The T3 Phoenix-class interstellar fighters and the T3 Fire-Phoenix-class Heavy Interstellar Stealth Bombers off the T3 Phoenix-class carrier starships; the T4 Fallen-Angel S-I interstellar fighters and the T4 Fallen-Angel S-II Heavy Interstellar Stealth Bombers off the T4 Fallen-Angel-class Super-Heavy Carrier Starships — I have flown and fought in every one of them myself. Later, as the legion had need, I went to the academy to study fleet-command subjects; my marks were tolerable, and with my earlier showing in combat besides. I became a ship's captain, then a fleet leader, and now a legion commander. But to speak honestly, I prefer the feel of flying an interstellar fighter. So I can feel it in my own flesh as well — that enormous pressure those fighter pilots fighting upon the line are bearing at this moment. They are the finest soldiers of our Owl Dragon!" Pei Shengnan's deep gaze rested upon those interstellar fighters in the fighting.