With the fall of the only two T5 Blade-of-Terror-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers.
This breakout the Demon Race fleet had launched was very soon stopped up by the Owl Dragon First Legion as well, and nothing could be done about it.
"Commander, by the look of the field at present, it lies in the main under our control. To end this war is only a question of time." At the far end of the video window Charlotte reported levelly to Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded, and reminded her besides, "Do not be too hasty. Press them too hard and it may bring us more casualties than we need. Leave them a few gaps here and there that look like hope. Time does not matter; lessening our own losses is what matters most. Ah yes — those willing to surrender, we can accept as well; we can warrant their lives."
Though the Demon Race fleet's conduct had been savage and vicious, by Zhao Chen's understanding a great many of the Demon Race's interstellar soldiers were very fine labor — surpassing even the half-orc race.
Fine labor of this kind, hauled off to some ore-planet to dig ore, could not be more fitting.
After the Holy Radiance Empire and the Warhammer had one after another disgorged those star regions left vacant by the Machine Race's withdrawal that they had originally occupied, the map of star regions under Zhao Chen's direct control had come to match even the map-area of the three empires.
Which called for a great deal of manpower to open up.
"Understood." Charlotte nodded.
She understood very well what the Commander was thinking.
And she began to alter certain of her own dispositions.
Upon the several fields where the rings had stood, gaps appeared that seemed to have slipped out of control; and those Demon Race interstellar warships, trapped and despairing until now, were at this moment as though they saw a thread of dawn within the darkness.
And began to break out toward those gaps with every ounce of strength they had.
In the course of which they gave up attacking those Owl Dragon interstellar warships, and put every ounce of strength into the breakout.
And with certain Demon Race fleets having lost their senior command besides, they could establish no communication among themselves, and in the hour of peril every one thought only of saving his own life.
So that there were even cases of ships ramming one another, and firing upon one another.
Seeing this, Zhao Chen was well satisfied.
This was precisely the result he wanted.
Had he merely gone on hemming them in, then in their despair they might have conceived the notion of a fight to the death, which would have cost the Owl Dragon Legion losses it need not bear.
Whereas now, Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon fleets need only wear them away without cease.
As for whether any Demon Race interstellar warships would truly break out?
Of course some would.
But could these Demon Race interstellar warships that broke out truly flee from this place?
That answer was settled already.
The order Commander Zhao Chen had handed down at the very first was to annihilate these demon legion fleets entire, so their choices were surrender or destruction, and there was no third.
For which Charlotte had made two arrangements long since.
The first was those "assassins" roving the field before.
Zhao Wan'er's interstellar stealth-bomber special fleet; their task now was to lie outside the ring and hunt down, one by one, those Demon Race fleets that broke out.
Zhao Wan'er's interstellar stealth bombers were limited in number, and at times could not attend to everything — or the Demon Race interstellar warships breaking out were too many, and formed a small fleet of their own.
For that there was the second arrangement.
Charlotte had long since had every legion fleet form hunting squads.
Made up of interstellar battlecruisers and interstellar cruisers of every grade — and against those interstellar warships whose chief virtue is speed, who runs faster?
It was under Charlotte's arrangements, link upon link, that this war had already become a game in the palm of Zhao Chen's hand.
Time went by little by little, and the number of Demon Race interstellar warships grew fewer and fewer.
And among them, naturally, there was no want of Demon Race interstellar warships that chose to surrender; the demon soldiers aboard these interstellar warships would become fine laborers for Zhao Chen, and add brick and tile to Zhao Chen's undertaking.
Because of Zhao Chen's order, the several Owl Dragon legion fleets all slowed the pace of their attacks; so long as they made sure these enemies could not escape, letting them live a while longer was no matter.
20 hours.
30 hours.
40 hours.
50 hours.
By this point the campaign had become, by degrees, a training game — for the Owl Dragon Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Legions had only just been posted to service, and to increase their combat experience.
The other Owl Dragon legions played along, and let the remaining Demon Race interstellar warships become the objects of their practical training.
Ding.
While Zhao Chen was drowsing, he heard a very faint prompt-tone in his mind.
Had it been during the fierce fighting earlier, he might well have missed it.
As it happened, just now he had nothing to see to.
This prompt-tone should have to do with a System mission.
Zhao Chen leaned back upon the sofa with the look of one resting his eyes; in fact he had opened the System page.
Zhao Chen saw the notice of a mission long since completed.
T5 Mall Opening Mission (completion 100%)
Next, please make your selections by the mission prompts; once selection is complete you will receive the corresponding mission completion, and when mission completion reaches 100%, the T5 System Mall may be unlocked.
The rewards of the options below may be stacked. Time limit: three months.
Option one: destroy 3,000 demon interstellar warships — 5% completion. (completed)
Option two: destroy 30,000 demon interstellar warships — 10% completion. (completed)
Option three: destroy 300,000 demon interstellar warships — 20% completion. (completed)
Option four: destroy 300 T4-grade Demon Race interstellar warships — 5% completion. (completed)
Option five: destroy 3,000 T4-grade Demon Race interstellar warships — 10% completion. (completed)
Option six: destroy 30,000 T4-grade Demon Race interstellar warships — 15% completion. (completed)
An additional 35% mission completion achieved; an additional reward mission will be issued.
Congratulations — obtained one T5 Mall great gift-pack.
Zhao Chen's heart stirred. This mission for opening the T5 Mall — back in that first battle with the Demon Race, Zhao Chen had completed only the four rather easy options among them.
But because the completion had already reached 100% and the T5 Mall had opened, Zhao Chen's chief purpose was accomplished.
So Zhao Chen had paid no mind to the remaining options left uncompleted.
And at the time this mission list had not vanished either.
He never thought there should be a hidden reward besides.
This time the demon legion fleets might be counted to have sent him a present.
Zhao Chen opened this T5 Mall great gift-pack on the instant.
Opening the T5 Mall great gift-pack — congratulations, obtained one "T5 Super-Soldier Serum," the "T5 Dragon-Emperor-class Interstellar Command Ship," and the "Dragon-Emperor Core Matrix."