"When do we go in?" Xue Xiaoxiao blinked her great eyes and looked back at Zhao Chen, the very picture of one who could not wait.
Watching the other interstellar warships pouring out their fire so freely over there.
How should she not be impatient?
"No haste. The Hades's opponents are not these rotten fish and shrimp," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
"Report. By the scanning of several of our T4 Banshees, the enemy is found to have two T5-grade interstellar warships. They are the Demon Race's T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers," a subordinate reported.
Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.
Two great fellows indeed.
The T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser was intelligence brought back by the T4 Banshees sent earlier to probe the Demon Race's territory.
A model of T5 interstellar warship known to be in Demon Race service!
"Commander, are these two fellows our target!" At hearing this, the look in Xue Xiaoxiao's eyes was that of a lifelong bachelor who sees the village widow throwing him a wink — and there were two of them!
Zhao Chen smiled and said nothing.
Xue Xiaoxiao understood the Commander's intent, and began rubbing her fists and wiping her palms.
Just as the Commander had said: with these two great fish here, those little fish and shrimp were of no interest whatever.
But thereafter, for reasons none could tell, though these Demon Race interstellar warships did attempt a breakout several times, the force behind those attempts was plainly not great, and every one was checked by the Owl Dragon legions outside the ring.
And those two T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers took no part at all.
They did not so much as appear upon the frontal field, as though waiting for some chance.
Since they meant to wait, then let us wear it out with them.
And see which side could outlast the other.
It was for all the world as though both sides held a bomb, and the question was only who could hold on to the last.
At the last, it was the Demon Race fleet's side that first could hold no longer.
Because this crowded, passive fighting environment made their losses in interstellar warships exceedingly grave.
On the average, every minute saw at the least 300 Demon Race interstellar warships destroyed.
And bear in mind that the worst among them was a T3-grade interstellar warship!
"We can wait no longer! We break out now!" the Red Demon Fourth Legion commander roared, his fury rushing to his heart.
Watching those Demon Race interstellar warships lost, he felt his own heart bleeding.
Once he was back, it would be a wonder if the Marshal did not lay the blame on him!
The Red Demon Fifth Legion commander had meant to say wait a little longer.
But seeing that several demon commanders could wait no more, he knew that to go on this way might well cost them their morale.
And that the case would then be worse still.
"Very well. I have already drafted a breakout plan here. Once I hand down the order, these demon legions are to mount feint breakouts in these three directions! And besides, I require these interstellar warships among them. To begin at once to gather upon our two T5 Blade-of-Terror flagships, and thereafter to break out at once in the appointed direction!" The Red Demon Fifth Legion commander handed down the final breakout task.
The Fourth Legion commander ran his eye over the battle plan; the portion of interstellar warships called for were T4 interstellar warships, every one without exception.
He understood: this was to gather an elite fleet, working with the two T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers to make the breakout, by which the effect would be greatly increased!
And the number of T4 interstellar warships so gathered came to a full 5,000!
Bear in mind that they had brought only 30,000 T4 interstellar warships this time; to move a sixth of the T4 interstellar warships at a stroke, and pair them with two T5 interstellar warships — what a terrible force that would be!
And through this while they had observed their opponent as well.
The opponent, reckoned at the very fullest, had but one T5, and under 5,000 T4-grade interstellar warships.
The gulf between the two sides was enormous.
Were it not for the ground of the fighting, and for being caught wholly unprepared by the enemy, an enemy such as this could not possibly have held back their 300,000-strong interstellar fleet!
"Do it as you say! Once we have broken out and re-formed our array, we counterattack them!" The Red Demon Fourth Legion commander was thinking of revenge even at this hour.
Three hundred thousand interstellar warships ambushed by 30,000 — for them this was a shame beyond bearing.
At the last, the breakout plan went forward.
First, naturally, came the feint breakouts in three directions.
The Owl Dragon legion fleets responsible for those three directions bore the pressure; they could not possibly give these demon interstellar warships any chance.
Though inferior in numbers of interstellar warships, because the field's conditions favored them, the enemy fleet's advantage in numbers could not be brought to bear at all.
On the contrary, the Owl Dragon Legion, which sets store by the elite, found its advantage upon this field magnified without limit!
"Enemy fleet detected attempting a breakout! Led by the two T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers, 5,000 T4 interstellar warships have been gathered. And by the look of it, should they tear a gap open, the other demon interstellar warships will come pouring out through it!" Lilith reported gravely.
This case was exceedingly important.
Though the Owl Dragon Legion held the advantage as things stood, that was because they had struck first; and bear in mind that to this moment the Owl Dragon Legion's numbers of interstellar warships were still the inferior.
Once the enemy broke out and had more of the field to move in, they might even turn and throw a ring about the Owl Dragon in their turn.
And by that time the Owl Dragon Legion would be at the disadvantage.
"We may begin!" Zhao Chen said with a cold laugh.
And at this time Charlotte's order was handed down as well.
Xue Xiaoxiao, receiving the order, at once set to directing her T5 Hades to sail at full speed.
And the direction of that sailing was precisely the direction of the enemy fleet's true breakout.
Whether one should say the other side's commander had rather poor luck, who can tell.
For the direction they chose for the breakout was, of all things, the Owl Dragon First Legion.
Of the 10 Owl Dragon legions, the legion fleet of the greatest fighting power!
And facing the enemy's now fully gathered breakout fleet — two T5 interstellar warships at its head and 5,000 T4 interstellar warships behind.
The Owl Dragon First Legion did not block them directly at all, but chose instead to fall back!
Which left the enemy astonished for a moment.
But very soon they discovered a colossus appearing before them.
A bulk such that even their two T5 Blades of Terror added together were not so large as this interstellar warship of the other side's!
"Does the enemy mean to intercept us with a T5 interstellar warship?" the Red Demon Fourth Legion commander said in doubt.
"By the intelligence we have, this T5 interstellar warship of the enemy's possesses an electromagnetic-interference capacity over a certain range, but the reach of it is limited! Let our two T5 Blades of Terror separate somewhat, and keep a fairly large interval between them. In that case, even should it possess this capacity, it can attend to one head only. And by that time the other head can open its attack. One T5 Blade of Terror, working with several thousand T4 interstellar warships. Can assuredly bring down this T5 interstellar warship of the enemy's!" This Fifth Legion demon commander said it, swearing to it.
Upon this field, the positions of the three T5 interstellar warships were most delicate — forming, precisely, a triangle.
————
At the same time, in a stretch of pitch-black star-heaven somewhat further off, several interstellar warships hung motionless.
"Check once more whether the space here will bear a short-range spatial fold-jump. The space of this lane is exceedingly unstable; we must make certain it is safe!" the captain asked again.
"Report. Though by the present spatial fluctuations a long-range spatial fold-jump would be most unsafe. By estimate, the danger of carrying out the short-range spatial fold-jump we require is only 0.017%. There is no problem." Her subordinate warranted it over and over.
The several captains were all very tense at this time.
For this was this class of interstellar warship's first battle!
And their halting here was only to await one order.
Until, the next second, that order sprang up in a window before their eyes.
These several captains handed down their orders very nearly at once. "Input the coordinate position; make ready to carry out the spatial fold-jump!"