Chapter 376: Unt.i.tled
The Beast Spirit Codex’s sixth stage threshold was not easy to cross. Xia Fei kept forcibly using his mental energy to attempt a breakthrough, but it was to no avail.
The energy reserves he had gotten from the insectoid cerebrum was slowly being used up, and Xia Fei was also helpless about the wastage.
This was the time when Xia Fei’s obstinate side surfaced. He was not one to give up or get bogged down. Even when his body was telling him that he was at the limit, he would still not consciously give up. He was like an unyielding warrior, treating his body as a weapon as he kept ramming against that door which just would not open.
There were even times when Xia Fei had forgotten why he was trying to get through the door he was throwing himself so recklessly against. He was merely acting on his instinct, the only voice in his mind repeating: ‘Breakthrough. You must make a breakthrough…’
Phantom had been observing Xia Fei cultivating this entire time. He had no idea that Xia Fei had managed to advance to such a point, but he could tell from the sweat beading his face that he was having a very tough time.
As a high-level a.s.sa.s.sin, Phantom had of course also experienced what Xia Fei was going through right now and he was simply amazed by the persistence the latter had been demonstrating thus far. He had known Xia Fei for a long time, and this young man from Earth had, time and again, pleasantly given him surprises. Perhaps this was the rumored innate instinct that a natural warrior possessed, finding sources of energy inadvertently that the average human being would have trouble tapping into.
It was quite ironic; Xia Fei’s a.s.sault was getting weaker over time, and that threshold he had to get across was gradually faltering. It was a pity that Xia Fei was barely conscious, so he could not express the nervousness and excitement that came with standing right at the precipice of making a breakthrough.
He was numb, but he persevered. The relentless a.s.sault finally bore an unexpected result.
Beast Spirit Codex stage 6! He had finally broken through this exceptionally difficult threshold of the top-tier beast control technique.
It was akin to a sudden bask of sunlight after being trapped in pitch-black jail for so long. Xia Fei felt pleasure coursing through his body when this happened.
He collapsed on the ground, while Furball, having been hungry the entire time, hurried over to lick Xia Fei’s head with its warm tongue. Phantom was surprised, and he anxiously used his consciousness to circle Xia Fei’s mental domain, muttering to himself, ‘He’s actually fallen asleep? What the heck.’
…
Pan-human Alliance, the super capital s.h.i.+p Freedom, the highest command center of the military.
This Amarrian Aeon-cla.s.s supercarrier was positioned in the inky-dark starry s.p.a.ce. Due to its size, this supercarrier could not be berthed on any planet or military s.p.a.ce station. From the moment it was manufactured until the end of its life, this supercarrier could only stay floating out there in s.p.a.ce.
Behind it was countless Alliance wars.h.i.+ps. Over the course of more than twenty days, the south of the Alliance had gathered over four hundred fleets, including the only capital-s.h.i.+p-only fleet, Freedom Calvary. The supercarrier Freedom, which was this Freedom Calvary’s mission controller, was now serving as the command center of the entire military.
“We’re not in great shape right now. The insectoids had split the Alliance’s main force into two—one in the north and another in the south—unable to work in concert with each other. This is a very big disruption to our ability to mount an effective defense.” A command center’s blond staff officer was furrowing his brows when he said this. “I feel that, if the Alliance plans to attack the insectoids to force them back, we’ll have to find a way to get the forces in the north and south to rendezvous and fight the enemy in one decisive battle.”
He stood up and turned on the screen, pointing at the starmap as he continued speaking. “Though the insectoids have conquered the region forty warps awaz from the capital ring, there’s no need for the northern force to go through this place. It’s absolutely possible for them to advance in from the side, so when the two main fleets meet, we’ll have the strength of over a thousand fleets, and if we include the returning forces from the Death Tri-region, it’s completely possible for us to exterminate the six hundred or so insectoid fleets currently occupying the Venal Star Region.”
At this point, Williams spoke, unmoved. “We’re not the only ones who have been split up right now. The insectoids have also split into two big fleets, so this unfavorable condition is the same for both armies. The difference is that there’s an invisible wormhole leading from insectoid territory right into Tranquil Star Region, which is near Venal. According to the report from our reconnaissance squad, there’s still an even stronger reinforcement army on the other end of the invisible wormhole. The moment we engage in battle with the insectoids, this reinforcement will travel through the wormhole, en ma.s.ses, entering the Alliance territory.
“This plan you speak of, rendezvousing all our fleets and attempting a concerted counterattack with the northern forces, is impossible. The moment our northern army leaves, every territory south of Venal will be lost.”
“But we can leverage on our superior forces to take back the capital ring,” the blond staff officer argued, dissatisfied.
Williams chuckled. “Take back? I’m afraid that if we were to do that, not only would we lose a third of the Pan-human Alliance territory, we might not even be able to take back the capital ring. Besides, the Venal Galaxy has already been reduced to ashes, remember?”
The blond staff officer was livid. “Do you mean to tell me our one thousand fleets, as well as the Freedom Calvary, are unable to achieve victory against their six hundred fleets? I know that they will be receiving reinforcements from the wormhole, but General Williams, how many will there be? Could the insectoids still have another six-hundred-combined fleet?”
“After all, they already have over six hundred fleets garrisoned in the borders of the Wild Star Region, so including the six hundred right at the capital ring, that will come to a total of 1200 fleets. Even if they still have reserve fleets to tap into, I doubt that there will be too many.”
The generals present all nodded in agreement. Every Alliance soldier was filled with raging resentment when they talked about the fact that the insectoids had occupied their capital. All of them wished that they could just fight to the death with the enemies, not to mention these military leaders. This was why when the southern fleets first gathered together in scale, those in favor of going to battle began requesting their silver-haired general Tai to bring the fight to the enemies.
Williams was the calmest out of everyone. The chief of staff for the military required him to maintain an objective view of the battle situation at all times.
Shaking his head, Williams reb.u.t.ted, “Does none of you understand this? If I were the commander of the insectoid army, I would order my troops with their superior combat strength to push southward, capitalizing on the opportunity while the southern Alliance force has yet to get into position and completely decimate the northern force by sandwiching it in two p.r.o.ngs, so why haven’t they done that yet?”
These high-level military commanders each expressed their puzzlement. Everyone found what the insectoids were doing to be highly suspicious. The situation was clearly leaning in the favor of the bugs, yet they simply refused to engage in battle with the Alliance; none of them could make sense of this.
Tai coughed twice. “Why don’t you enlighten us with your a.n.a.lysis, Williams?”
Willians nodded. “Of course, Marshall.”
Due to the war, the Alliance had enacted a state of emergency, and the President had awarded Tai with the honor of becoming the grand marshall, in charge of the war effort.
The position of marshall did not exist during peacetime. It was only when the Pan-human Alliance faced large-scale war that the highest position on the battlefield would be a.s.signed. The last time the Alliance had a marshall was several thousand years ago, in the first war between the insectoids and humans.
Marshalls would not just be the highest commander of the military in times of war, they would also be the commander in chief of the entire human race, having the ultimate authority across the Pan-human Alliance. Even the President himself could not interfere with a marshall’s operations. This was because the entire Alliance had already plunged into a state of war; economics, politics, and everything else had to be set aside for the war efforts, all in favor of winning it.
The war machine, which had been silent for several thousand years, had already begun its rumbling start, and Tai was the operator of this machine.
Williams was quiet for some time, organizing the words that he wanted to say in his mind.
“According to my a.n.a.lysis, there can be three possibilities why the great insectoid army has yet to make their move: The first possibility is that the insectoids plan to lay waste completely on our forces right from the start, so they are intentionally not making their move, waiting for us to gather before taking us all down in one fell swoop. If that’s the case, it only means that the master of the Golden Tent is very confident in their army, believing that we won’t be up to par even if we manage to organize all of our combat forces for this, which is why they dare to do so.
“Of course, considering Uti’s personality, that’s quite unlikely.”
“The second possibility is that the army staying in their territory is just a bluff. They actually don’t have that much combat strength, which is why their fleets have yet to cross the borders and crush us. Their existence is just to restrict our northern force’s movement; the moment the northern force heads south, they’ll use our weakened defenses to take the northern star regions.
“Meanwhile, there’s nothing to worry about the fleet they have stationed in our capital ring, either. That’s because the invisible wormhole’s existence means they can send their reinforcements in at any time. Regardless if we choose to fight separate battles or surround the capital ring in concert, the insectoids won’t lose.
“The third possibility is that the insectoids are actually withholding some secret that they’ve yet to reveal to anyone, which is why their fleets need to remain in proximity to Venal Galaxy. My guess is that they are searching for something near the capital. According to our scouts’ report, the majority of the insectoids have gathered near the capital and not made any other moves, only symbolically sending small squads to patrol the surrounding area.”
The first two possibilities that Williams had postulated were still understandable to the other generals, but the third possibility he had suggested was simply too shocking a revelation.
Mobilizing over a thousand fleets as well as their powerful armada and going all out to start a war against the Pan-human Alliance of about equal strength with them were… all just for finding something? That was such an incredulous hypothesis that everyone found it hard to believe.
Tai frowned, his eyebrows knitted. “And what’s the basis for the third theory you’ve drawn?”
Williams answered, “The insectoids have conquered the capital ring, yet they haven’t continued to press their attack against us; isn’t that suspicious enough? No one will want to park themselves in the scorched land of Venal Galaxy for so long, unless they have some secret that they don’t wish to reveal to others, requiring them to stay there.”
Tai said, “The insectoids would indeed gain a significant advantage if they chose to press with their attacks then. With our southern fleets not yet done gathering, they were many times stronger than us. Meanwhile, the northern fleets were being suppressed by other insectoid fleets, making it difficult for them to send out troops to aid the south. If they made a move, it would be tantamount to us surrendering the north. However, this doesn’t mean that the true intention of the insectoids for starting this war is just to find something in the Venal Galaxy. If that’s the case, just what exactly can they be searching for?”
Williams replied, “Everyone knows that Venal Galaxy is humanity’s place of origin—the entire Alliance’s most ancient habitat. Perhaps there’s really something hidden there that we have no idea about. I’m just a staff officer. All I do is provide you with possibilities; you’re still the one who needs to make the necessary decisions.”
Tai could not help but feel uncertain. He knew just how intelligent Williams was, but for the insectoids to mobilize all their forces just to seek something in Venal Galaxy, was such a speculation not a bit too unrestrained?