Chapter 76: The Second Line of Defense

Words : 1602 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

After making enormous sacrifices, Xiao Yu managed to position his two City-Class ships within 100 kilometers of the enemy flagship. Without hesitation, Xiao Yu detonated both ships. A total of 20 billion tons of hydrogen bombs were unleashed. In the center of the explosion, an infinite burst of light and heat erupted, as though two miniature suns had suddenly appeared in space. The interiors of the two City-Class ships were instantly vaporized, while their outer armor was shredded into fragments. These fragments were propelled by the massive explosion to nearly half the speed of light. The fragments, along with the overwhelming light and heat, launched an indiscriminate assault on all nearby ships. Xiao Yu watched as the enemy flagship’s energy shield flickered briefly before being completely torn apart. The massive ship seemed to be devoured by an invisible maw, losing half its structure to the devastation, while the other half erupted into an explosive disintegration. Within a 200-kilometer radius of the explosion’s epicenter, not a single ship remained intact. Due to the dense clustering of ships in the area, the explosion destroyed nearly 3,000 of Xiao Yu’s own ships and over 400 enemy vessels. This was the destructive power of a massive ship’s self-destruction within a crowded battlefield. “At least the enemy flagship is finally gone, and they can no longer use that horrifying force field attack...” Xiao Yu exhaled in relief. At this point, the enemy fleet had approximately 4,000 remaining ships, including four City-Class ships. However, these ships lacked the terrifying force field capabilities of the destroyed flagship. Xiao Yu’s side had just over 9,000 ships left, outnumbering the enemy but with no City-Class ships remaining. Xiao Yu estimated that his 9,000 ships would be fortunate to eliminate even 1,000 enemy ships. The technological disparity was evident. If the battle had continued under the force field’s influence, Xiao Yu’s fleet might have only been able to destroy 500 enemy ships. However, Xiao Yu wasn’t afraid. Within the star system, he still commanded a reserve force of 80,000 ships, not to mention the armed satellites, solar sails, and various weapons scattered across the asteroid belt. This meant that even at a loss ratio of 20 ships for each enemy ship, Xiao Yu was certain of eventual victory. Confidence surged within Xiao Yu. “This battle is mine to win! Once I repel this wave of attacks, I’ll have enough time to regroup and retreat. If I can’t stay in Tianyuan IV, I’ll just relocate to another star system. I can still continue developing technology and strengthening myself!” Reinvigorated, Xiao Yu directed his remaining 9,000 ships into a fierce assault, aiming to inflict maximum damage on the enemy before his forces were depleted. With the loss of their flagship, the Luka Civilization fleet showed signs of disarray, and Xiao Yu felt a thrill of excitement. This was a common weakness of sentient lifeform civilization’s: their fleets required centralized command to perform at full capacity. Without this core command, a fleet’s combat effectiveness could drop by as much as 20%. This issue was prevalent even in human civilizations. In ancient warfare, the loss of a general was mitigated by the appointment of a deputy to maintain command. However, the overall strength of the army would still suffer a notable decline. For Xiao Yu, this was not a concern. His fleet operated under his direct control, eliminating issues of leadership or morale. This was one of the advantages of a mechanical civilization. Within 20 minutes of the flagship’s destruction, Xiao Yu had managed to eliminate over 300 enemy ships at the cost of 3,000 of his own. The loss ratio began to shift in Xiao Yu’s favor. Twenty minutes later, the loss ratio began to slow as the Luka Civilization established a new commanding officer. Energy projectiles continued to crisscross the battlefield, lighting it up with explosions and leaving a trail of wreckage. Xiao Yu pressed his attack relentlessly, trading 1,000 of his ships for every 100 enemy ships in a bid to maximize damage. Another hour passed. Xiao Yu’s fleet was steadily whittled down. In the end, only a single ship remained—a solitary County-Class vessel. At this moment, the remaining County-Class ship was riddled with damage. Its propulsion system’s efficiency had dropped by 80%, allowing it to move only at a sluggish 100 kilometers per second. Its armor was scarred and battered, and the nanorobots had been completely depleted, meaning it could no longer repair itself. The ship’s hydrogen bomb reserves were exhausted, and its fusion reactor’s energy levels had fallen by 90%, leaving it capable of firing only energy projectiles equivalent to those of a Village-Class ship. Even so, this battered County-Class ship fearlessly continued its assault. Xiao Yu piloted it close to a dimly shielded enemy Village-Class ship and detonated it in a final act of defiance. The explosion took out the enemy ship and the unknown number of Luka crew members inside, sending them all to oblivion. This self-destruction marked the complete collapse of Xiao Yu’s Tianyuan C defense line. With no ships remaining to defend, the loss of the armed satellites became only a matter of time. Xiao Yu summarized the battle’s outcome. In this titanic clash, he had lost six armed satellites and 20,000 ships, including two City-Class ships, in exchange for destroying over 2,500 enemy vessels, including the enemy flagship. Overall, Xiao Yu was reasonably satisfied with the results. The Luka Civilization’s fleet of 5,000 ships had been reduced by half, while Xiao Yu had only lost one-fifth of his forces. The scales of victory were tipping in his favor. After a brief respite and a resupply of energy at Tianyuan C, the remaining 2,500 Luka ships began advancing toward the Tianyuan B defense line. Their movements were bold, as if they were embarking on a one-way mission of no return. Xiao Yu watched their actions with growing suspicion. “Why?” he wondered. “They should know the strength of my fleet. I have 80,000 ships, countless bases, solar sails, and other defenses waiting for them. They’re no match for me. Why are they still advancing? What hidden card or ultimate weapon do they have?” An uneasy feeling began to grow in Xiao Yu’s mind. This behavior defied all logic. “A ruse of self-sacrifice? To use 2,500 mid- and small-sized ships, including a flagship, as bait? That cost is far too great... Yet the more they sacrifice, the greater their goal must be. No one would willingly make a losing trade.” Countless theories flashed through Xiao Yu’s mind in an instant. “To counter any unexpected move, I’ll strengthen the Tianyuan B defense line. Increase the fleet size there to 40,000 ships. With the addition of the asteroid belt’s resources, armed satellites, and solar sails, these 40,000 ships should be enough to completely destroy the Luka fleet’s current strength. Even if they reveal a trump card, I can afford to lose these 40,000 ships. My forces at Tianyuan A will remain intact.” With this strategy decided, Xiao Yu made his preparations. This approach, he believed, was foolproof. If the Luka Civilization had no trump card, their fleet would be annihilated. If they did reveal one, Xiao Yu would sacrifice the 40,000 ships but retain his overall strength. Having finalized the arrangements, Xiao Yu waited patiently at the Tianyuan B defense line for the Luka fleet’s arrival. In the vast silence of space, the 2,500 dimly glowing green ships of the Luka fleet moved steadily forward. Ahead of them lay Tianyuan IV, radiating immense light and heat. The fleet seemed like moths to a flame, advancing resolutely toward their destination. When they were 30 million kilometers from the Tianyuan B defense line and still outside the range of energy cannons and laser weapons, the Luka fleet encountered Xiao Yu’s first wave of attacks. These came from 130,000 massive solar sails orbiting Tianyuan IV. Unlike typical orbital arrangements, these solar sails revolved around the poles of the star system at a 90-degree angle to the orbital plane, ensuring they were never obscured by Tianyuan IV itself. As a result, the sails could launch continuous attacks on enemy targets regardless of their position. Powered by stellar energy, these solar sails operated without concern for energy consumption. When the Luka fleet was still 400 million kilometers away, the solar sails began their assault. Though their power was limited, their attacks were effectively free, making them a valuable asset. Tens of thousands of high-energy laser beams were unleashed, crossing the vast expanse of space and bombarding the dimly glowing green ships of the Luka fleet. These lasers continuously depleted the energy shields of the enemy ships, persisting until one side was completely annihilated. Like relentless mosquitoes, they were not particularly destructive but were incredibly annoying. The Luka fleet spent two days traversing the 300 million kilometers under this persistent harassment. At the end of their long journey, they faced Xiao Yu’s 40,000-ship fleet, which stood ready and waiting. With the force field advantage gone, Xiao Yu launched another bullet storm attack. This time, nearly 70 million miniature nuclear bombs were fired toward the Luka fleet. Xiao Yu hoped this barrage would destroy at least 500 enemy ships. As the miniature nuclear bombs surged forth, the laser weapons began their assault when the fleets were 10 million kilometers apart. At that exact moment, the bullet storm reached the Luka fleet. Another massive battle was about to erupt.

Chapter 76: The Second Line of Defense

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