An hour of warp navigation.
And the eight Owl Dragon legion fleets reached a stretch of star-heaven black past all reckoning.
"Report. Every interstellar warship has reached its appointed position; the ambush may be set." Lilith looked toward Zhao Chen.
"Lose no time. Begin," said Zhao Chen.
The reason for leaving the Demon Race's bridgehead position, sailing an hour, and only then setting the ambush.
Was that Zhao Chen and the rest could not be certain where those 300,000 Demon Race interstellar warships would come out of warp navigation. Should the other party break warp at some position far off, would not the ambush of Zhao Chen and the rest come to nothing?
So it was best to choose a position further from that bridgehead position of the Demon Race's.
The original plan had been to set the ambush at a position three hours' sailing away at the least.
But now, the time having been compressed from 20 hours down to nine.
Zhao Chen and the rest could only take the next best thing.
They could but hope the Demon Race interstellar warships would not come out of warp-navigation mode too early.
Zhao Chen sat upon the sofa, watching the relayed picture of the ambush being set outside.
He could see the T3 Great White Whale-class Heavy Interstellar Transports and the T4 Giant Whale-class Heavy Interstellar Transports sailing toward one position after another; and upon reaching their positions, these interstellar transports opened their bay doors.
Whereupon shuttle after shuttle and small transport after small transport, each carrying a twelve-faced piece of apparatus, sped off in different directions.
Some of the positions were rather near, lying where the Owl Dragon legion fleets were at this hour stationed.
But more of them were very far off — so far that Zhao Chen's own eye could no longer see them.
For this time it was 300,000 Demon Race interstellar warships that were to be ambushed, which meant this ambush-pocket must be large enough to bury those 300,000 Demon Race interstellar warships within it.
Worth remarking was that the objects some of the small transports towed changed from the twelve-faced apparatus into square, four-cornered things of black crystalline material, for all the world like gravestones.
The former everyone knew: they were the T3 Ranger-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors.
A model of interstellar warp interceptor the Owl Dragon Legion had used all along, which had won the Owl Dragon Legion no little merit.
And the latter was a new technology Zhao Chen had brought out.
The T4 Gravestone-type Interstellar Warp Interceptor!
The T4 Gravestone-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors were not many in number — only a hundredth of the T3 Ranger-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors.
And their look was as their name was: simple, for all the world like so many gravestones.
And in the laying out of these warp interceptors, it could be seen that the T3 Rangers took the T4 Gravestones for their cores, forming matrix structures one after another.
Used so, the effect of these two models of interstellar warp interceptor could be brought to its greatest.
Zhao Chen watched this "net" being woven by degrees into shape.
Its breadth was such that even the starship radar of this T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought of his could not sweep the whole of it.
Which shows well enough how great this net of Zhao Chen's was.
For here, after all, was to be the graveyard that buried 300,000 interstellar warships.
The original plan had wanted five hours' time to lay out these ambush measures.
But under Lilith's careful arrangement, this time was pared down to three hours.
So that from the opening of the attack upon the Demon Race's bridgehead position, to their crossing the lane, to the warp run here, and now to the ambush's completion.
The time spent first and last came to under nine hours.
At which Zhao Chen's heart, which had hung suspended all along, could at last be set down.
"Report, Commander. All the T3 Ranger-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors and T4 Gravestone-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors have completed their startup, and will run for 50 hours' time. And every interstellar warship has entered the battle position we set for it," Charlotte reported.
"Then let us wait by the stump for the hare. Charlotte, the whole of the command hereafter is given over to you — this T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought included, and those few fellows besides; all of them answer to your command. I have only one requirement. The enemy's 300,000 interstellar warships — I want them to come and never go back!" Zhao Chen said it in a tone that brooked no question.
Charlotte drew herself up straight at the far end of the video window. "I warrant the task will be completed!"
The commanders of the several Owl Dragon legions all held their breath and gathered themselves at this time, and the gun-weapons of every interstellar warship entered standby at the highest grade.
They understood very well that this campaign was exceedingly important for the Owl Dragon Legion.
For this ambush, the Second Legion and the Fourth Legion had paid the grievous price of above half their number in dead and wounded!
And should they fail in this ambush to break and destroy the enemy to good effect, then in an even contest their Owl Dragon Legion must bear very great pressure.
And might have to pay a still greater cost upon the field.
This was the Owl Dragon Legion's one weakness at present.
The Owl Dragon interstellar missile-ship special fleet · flagship.
"Are all the interstellar missile launch installations in standby state!" The wolf-girl Baixue confirmed it once more with her subordinate, uneasy.
"Set your mind at rest, Commander. Aboard 300-odd interstellar missile ships, every interstellar missile launch installation is open. The moment the enemy appears, every interstellar missile ship can empty out all its interstellar missiles within 10 minutes!" her subordinate warranted, swearing to it.
The wolf-girl Baixue licked her red lips. "The rate of fire must be quick — but mark it, you must shoot true for me! Within 10 seconds of the enemy's appearing, have the strike assignments arranged for me! Quick! And true!"
"Yes!"
Owl Dragon Ninth Legion flagship · bridge.
The snake-woman Qingman, commander, flicked her tongue out somewhat nervously; for though she had combat experience enough, and had besides fought no few battles following the lady Medusa before joining the Owl Dragon Legion.
This battle before her was the one that had brought her the greatest pressure she had known.
Which had to do with her present post.
For her present post now stood, in theory, upon a level with the lady Medusa's.
Which left her very ill at ease within.
When she had learned that she was to be arranged into the post of legion commander, her first act was to decline it; she felt that by what virtue and what ability could she be, like the lady Medusa, qualified to command an Owl Dragon legion.
At the last, after Zhao Chen and Medusa had done their work upon her thinking.
She had agreed to take the post.
This was her first battle leading the Owl Dragon Ninth Legion; the enormous pressure she bore within may well be imagined.
And within the Sixth Squadron beneath her there was one whose feelings were likewise most complicated.
That was the Sixth Squadron's fleet leader, Zhao Ruyue.
She looked round at the Owl Dragon legions ranged about her, every one drawn up in strict array, and the feeling within her was wholly unlike what it had been serving in the Princess Royal Fleet before.
A feeling not to be put into words.
But looking at those Owl Dragon crests, she felt a pride that came from the bottom of her heart.
This was the legion fleet her own younger brother had built!
Time, in the eyes of them all, went by little by little.
Not one of them dared take the least thing lightly at this hour.
Above all those crew responsible for watching the interstellar warp interceptors — they kept their eyes upon the data panels before them, and even blinked the fewer for it.
Tick.
Of a sudden! A fluctuation appeared upon the data panels.
And thereafter these fluctuations began to grow strong.
"Report! Warp-navigation fluctuation detected — exceedingly strong!" a crewwoman cried aloud.
Charlotte handed down her order upon the instant. "Make ready to open fire!"
And at this time, Demon Race interstellar warship after interstellar warship, in warp-navigation state until now, of a sudden broke off warp navigation and came to a stop.
Stopping precisely within this district.
And very nearly in the same instant that those Demon Race interstellar warships appeared.
Before the captains of those Demon Race interstellar warships had made out what was happening, their sight was covered over by a dense mass of gunfire.