Chapter 655 The First Battle
The fleet of the Black Star Army was mixed within the combined armed forces, marching forward vigorously. From outside, one could only see the light streaks as a result of the hyperdrive jump, resembling a meteor shower.
“The frontal force is to attack and open up the defensive formations in outer s.p.a.ce. Attack the enemy base from s.p.a.ce, providing firepower to cover for the other formations. As for us, we will be responsible for flanking, restraining the enemy from their reinforcements.”
Within the c.o.c.kpit, Han Xiao was communicating to the other fleet commanders.
The command structure of the Black Star Army had already been fixed. Out of the three hundred battles.h.i.+ps they had, they were divided into multiple fleets, with an Officer in charge of each fleet. This would allow for more flexible tactical adjustments.
“Lagi, I’ll pa.s.s the mission of charging forward to you. In addition, we have several allies who are sending out Calamity Grade Supers alongside you. Your mission is to kill as many in the opposing fleet as possible. Of course, the priority is to first guarantee your safety.”
Han Xiao’s tone was stern. During an interstellar war, the Calamity Grades would mainly work to behead the commander of the opposing fleet, usually by a.s.sa.s.sination. However, they could also enter the main battlefield. Their strong individual fighting capability meant that there would be high flexibility. If there were no other Calamity Grades from the enemy side to restrict them, the Calamity Grade would be able to cause great damage to the fleet, even having the opportunity to influence the situation of a battlefield.
For example, Shana’s ability would be a great weapon in such interstellar conditions.
On an interstellar battlefield, Grade A Supers had always been the source of headaches for fleet commanders. This was because their uncertainty was too great, making them hard to handle. A Calamity Grade protected by their fleet was undoubtedly even more dangerous.
However, it was still a dangerous matter for a Calamity Grade to go head on against a fleet. If one was careless, they would be hit by tens of hundreds of wars.h.i.+p cannons, and their life would likely be forfeit. However, Han Xiao was rea.s.sured by Lagihe knew how to protect himself, so there should not be a problem.
“Sigh.” Lagi only sighed, not speaking out.
Dong dong!
The s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps trembled slightly and exited hyperdrive. Han Xiao’s brows furrowed, and he immediately activated the radar. A red area was marked out in front of them on the radar.
“We’re here. In front of us should be the stronghold for the vanguard force of Bloodshed Land.”
Han Xiao took a deep breath.
A period of two or three years had pa.s.sed, but they had still come to war with Bloodshed Land.
In the communication channel, many of the commanders practically held their breath at this sight.
It was not surprising that the members of Section Zero were nervous. The fame of people inevitably cast shadows, and Bloodshed Land had a large reputation, so no one dared look down on this tyrant.
Through the long-range vision, Han Xiao discovered that the Bloodshed Land’s fleets had a.s.sembled outside, grouping into several formations, each with a flags.h.i.+p as the core.
“Warning, warning, high-energy response detected. Please take precautions, hum!”
At this moment, Han Xiao received the warning from Phillip. Shouting to the others, his fleet dove to evade.
The next moment, Bloodshed Land’s fleet suddenly lit up with countless light spots. This was followed by countless beams of high energy particle cannons shooting toward the combined forces. They grazed the s.h.i.+elds of the various s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps before disappearing into the distance. A few of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps that did not have time to escape were hit, their s.h.i.+elds flickering intermittently.
“How decisive, firing the moment we meet.” Han Xiao’s eyes flashed.
Ding.
At this point, Phillip spoke up. “The tactical instructions have been accepted. Do you wish to execute it immediately?”
Within the virtual screen, the formations of both fleets had turned into 3D shapes. The situation was clear at a glance. The tactical movements of his own fleet were marked, with the division of labor clear. Within Han Xiao’s troops, each one also had their own tactical targets, and the enemy fleet to be contained had been marked in red. This was their mission. At the top left of his screen were various parameters as well as the timings to meet.
The rear commander would adjust the tactics and reissue new instructions any time according to how the situation developed. This method of command allowed each team to perform its duties without confusion.
Glancing at the tactical board, Han Xiao found it to be acceptable and nodded.
“Execute it immediately!”
The Black Star Army fleet followed the rest of the fleet to move with the troops. After circling once, they dove straight into the fray, heading toward their own targets.
At the same time, the entire Section Zero fleet also moved. They spread out and attacked the planetary stronghold in the battlefield from all directions.
Because the alliance fleet was originally in a state of disunity, in order to prevent any infighting, the commander had organized the alliance fleet into more than ten different squadrons. Han Xiao’s fleet belonged to Team Seven, whose main purpose was to restrain and restrict.
The flames of war broke out!
The combined forces of Section Zero approached the planet’s fortress from various routes, while the particle cannons of both sides opposed each other. The s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps navigated their way through the dense net of particle rays, and fireworks bombarded the area from time to time. As the combined forces attacked from multiple fronts, the formation of Bloodshed Land also changed to protect every position instead.
When both sides warred against each other, they opened fire at full blast. Team Seven charged bravely against the fire, and the pressure they faced increased sharply the closer they got.
Boom boom boom!
The vanguard troops of Bloodshed Land had transformed their fortress planet using the foundations of the Crimson Dynasty. The ground had a large base, and anti-aircraft guns fired physical missiles that could hit even s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps in outer s.p.a.ce. The firepower within them was fierce, and they almost hit Han Xiao’s fleet more than once.
“A large-scale battlefield is really dangerous.”
Han Xiao had long switched over to manual piloting, placing his full concentration on this matter. He performed thrilling aerial moves one after another to avoid any the tens of cannons fired toward them.
With such a large-scale battlefield, he did not dare act too casually. He followed the actions of the main troops, avoiding the various attacks by constantly fluttering up and down like a b.u.t.terfly.
Looking at the tactical screen, he found out that the a.s.sault troops had already begun to clash in close combat with those from Bloodshed Land. Looking out of the window, he saw that the entire outer s.p.a.ce area had turned into a fierce battlefield, with the inky black color of the universe as well as the edge of the fortress planet as a backdrop. Both sides were heavily engaged with each other, and all sorts of lights from the weapons dazzled one’s eyes.
The battlefield was too vast. Even casting one’s eyes out into the horizon would not allow them to see the entire situation. They could only understand the whole battle through the feedback from the tactical screen. At present, both sides had just confronted each other and were evenly matched.
The allied forces offensive had restrained the enemy’s firepower, indirectly helping Han Xiao’s Team Seven approach the enemy and find their restraining targets.
Han Xiao’s current position quickly turned into a small-scale battlefield.
The moment they fought, Han Xiao felt tremendous pressure.
This fleet, with an expedition-cla.s.s battles.h.i.+p as its core, seemed to be about to go support the frontal battlefield. Team Seven restrained and hara.s.sed them continuously and were immediately violently counterattacked.
Team Seven had about a thousand battles.h.i.+ps, of which three hundred were Han Xiao’s. The death toll was increasing rapidly.
“Not good!” Han Xiao gritted his teeth.
While the Purple Crystal Civilization had mentioned that there would be compensation, Han Xiao could not bear to see the battles.h.i.+ps exploding one after another. They were his a.s.sets that he had spent much time acc.u.mulating.
He activated the Virtual Intrusion skill but immediately encountered resistance. The fleet opposing them had also deployed Virtual Mechanics to protect their fleet. In addition, they also planned to invade the Alliance fleet’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps.
Left without a choice, Han Xiao could only tussle with the Virtual Mechanics from the enemy side, attacking and defending. Both sides started a tug-of-war.
At the same time, within the command room of the fortress planet, two Grade A Virtual Mechanics were intercepted by Han Xiao on the virtual level, and their looks changed.
“The enemy’s Virtual Mechanic has also appeared!”
“Sh*t, this guy’s Virtual Technology is really strong. The infiltration speed is too fast!”
“Luckily, we still can keep the internal firewall. Did you manage to trace the source?”
“Yeah, I’ve locked down on his position.”
“I see it, eh, turns out its Black Star. No wonder, he’s so strong!”
“Cooperate with me. Fight and seize his s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p!”
The cooperation of the two was tacit. They immediately locked onto Han Xiao, infiltrating his Blacklight Stealth.
Within the Virtual Plane, the torrent of data manipulated by the duo found the artificial intelligence core of the Blacklight Stealth. Just as they were about to launch an attack, a glowing figure materialized. It was Risda.
Looking at the two torrents of data surging toward him, Risda merely raised a hand, scattering the offensive of both men. The data torrents turned into tiny sparkles of light, becoming redundant pieces of data, and were quickly shattered.
The moment the duo saw this, their hearts chilled.
“This Artificial intelligence is too high level. There’s no way to break through it.”
“Dammit, now we can’t shake him off.”
Both sides had undergone a round of confrontation, with Han Xiao gaining a slight advantage. However, his expression remained grave.
He had long expected the Bloodshed Land to employ Virtual Mechanics, as there was no way they would leave out such an obvious shortcoming. However, the enemy had actually sent two Grade A Virtual Mechanics, which gave Han Xiao some pressure. If he was not present, the opponent would have been free to do whatever they wished.
At this point, both sides were restraining each other. Although he could not utilize Virtual Intrusion to hack into the other party, it was the same for them.
The two sides finally met each other in close combat, and a furious battle erupted. Team Seven and the enemy fleet both used their charge cabins, allowing their respective Supers to land on the enemy’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps.
Han Xiao pulled up a surveillance video. Any battles.h.i.+p on his side that got boarded would face a one-sided slaughter, as the elite Thousand Beast Soldier troops from the Bloodshed Land were extremely strong.
“My s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p has been boarded!”
At this point, the frantic voice of Herlous sounded from his communicator.
Han Xiao hurriedly switched screens, only to see three charge cabins firmly latching onto Herlous’ s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. Herlous brought out his troops and was currently engaging with the enemy Thousand Beast Soldiers.
Luckily, Lagi’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p pa.s.sed by at this juncture and provided a.s.sistance. They killed off the bunch of enemies with ease, resolving the danger in Herlous’ s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.
Han Xiao suddenly felt his emotions surge. Within the chaos, he had accidentally discovered a breakthrough point.
“Attention to all, cover the Calamity Grade a.s.sault team. Try and allow them to land on the enemy’s flags.h.i.+p!”
Within this small-scale battlefield, the core would be the flags.h.i.+p of both parties. Compared to the enemy, Team Seven had the advantage with their Calamity Grade Supers, so their commander beheading operation had a higher chance of success.
Although their tactical goal was to restrain this fleet, the main commander would only give the target, and the specific actions were adjusted according to circ.u.mstances. It would definitely be more useful to destroy the opponent’s flags.h.i.+p rather than simply restraining them.
If one could obtain stellar results, the reward would naturally be higher.
Team Seven’s Calamity Grade a.s.sault teams, including Lagi, consisted of four teams. Han Xiao was not included.
When the order was issued, Team Seven immediately changed positions and began to cover the Calamity Grade a.s.sault team. They shuttled through the artillery bombing, quickly approaching the enemy’s flags.h.i.+p.
The enemy naturally spotted the tactical objective of Han Xiao and worked on intercepting the teams as well as covering their flags.h.i.+p to allow it to retreat.
While the distance between both sides was shrinking, it was too slow. Instead, the battlefield was slowly moving toward the frontlines. G.o.d only knew when they would reach the enemy flags.h.i.+p if that continued. So, making up his mind, he issued a new order.
“All Calamity Grade teams, board my Giant Soldier. I’ll take you there!”
The next instant, Han Xiao popped out of his s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, summoning his destroyer and sitting within the c.o.c.kpit. Lagi and the others quickly got into the body of the Giant Soldier.
“Sit tight.”
Han Xiao operated the destroyer, pouring all its power into the thruster as it rushed toward the enemy’s flags.h.i.+p at a high speed.
The Giant Soldiers had more mobility and flexibility. Coupled with Han Xiao’s high operating level, he moved and penetrated deep into the enemy’s lines, attracting a lot of retaliatory fire. However, most of the attacks shot at him harmlessly, and some almost caused friendly fire.
Their distance was reduced at a speed visible to the naked eye!
It was a taboo in battle to operate independently, but Han Xiao was a Calamity Grade himself, and he was accompanied by four other Calamity Grade Supers. This turned them into a sharp sword with frightening power, causing the enemies to focus fire on them. Team Seven, which remained outside, immediately reacted, further restraining this fleet.
The destroyer finally arrived at the flags.h.i.+p and activated the s.h.i.+eld neutralizer. They opened the hatch, allowing the four teams to successfully infiltrate the flags.h.i.+p. With only a single Calamity Grade Super within, they were bound to die.
Han Xiao did not sit idle, instead controlling his Giant Soldier to slice up the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps around him into pieces.
It was not long before the flags.h.i.+p could not withstand the impact and exploded!
However, the four teams had already evacuated, boarding Han Xiao’s Giant Soldier once again, and they broke out of the enemy lines.
While Han Xiao had succeeded in destroying the flags.h.i.+p, the armor value of his destroyer had almost reached zero. If not for his team that remained outside hara.s.sing and restraining, he would probably have lost his destroyer to the sheer firepower.
However, this small setback had reversed the situation on this minor battlefield. Under the continuous attacks of the team, the enemy troops began to retreat.
Han Xiao was just about to give pursuit, but at this time, he suddenly received a new mission notification.
(Partial Campaign: Retreat]
Mission Requirements: Retreat immediately, and conserve as much of team as possible
“Why are we retreating now?”
Han Xiao jumped in shock, casting his eyes out on the tactical screen. His pupils shrank.
On all the minor battlefields, only his one had gained an advantage!
The situation on the frontal battlefield had deteriorated rapidly. The large force of Section Zero was penetrated by Bloodshed Land, and more than two thousand wars.h.i.+ps had been destroyed. The main force of fifteen Calamity Grade Supers had suffered eight deaths, with seven injured.
All eight Vanguard Officials of the Bloodshed Land had entered the fray!
“No wonder I didn’t even encounter any of them!”
Han Xiao’s heart sank.
With the main force being destroyed, even if he had an advantage on his side, it would not help.
Section Zero had battled Bloodshed Land for the first time and lost!
…
On the main battlefield, a burning arc flew through the flags.h.i.+p of the organization. There were corpses everywhere, and blood flowed like a river.
Puchi.
Hunting Blade pulled out his war blade, and Sevitt’s body fell heavily. There was a huge hole in his side, with his internal organs already gone, and his blood had almost dried out. He was deader than dead at this point.
“This should be the last one. Let’s go. The battles.h.i.+p is about to explode.”
Hunting Blade wiped his blade and spoke through the communicator at the side of his armor toward Fosters, who was near the hole at the hull of the s.h.i.+p.
Fosters was looking through a hole to the distant battlefields. The horrible vacuum suction did not affect his body one bit.
“Black Star is not on the frontal battlefield. He should count his blessings.”
Fosters’ eyes gleamed coldly.