The star system’s defense system operated based on highly automated programming. However, no matter how intelligent a system was, it could not match the intelligence of sentient beings, at least not at the technological level of a Level 5 Civilization. This meant that such defense systems required an operations base to guide their functions.
The base capable of operating a star system’s defense system undoubtedly had to be heavily protected. So, where in the entire star system would be the safest? Where would receive the strictest security? Naturally, such a location could only be on the capital planet itself.
A vast civilization with tens of thousands of years of heritage, ruling over a dozen star systems and hosting tens of billions of people, how secure would the defense of its capital star system be? It was almost unimaginable. And yet, the special operations soldiers had achieved what should have been impossible, they successfully infiltrated the capital planet. Not only that, they had temporarily disabled the space-based star system-class negative matter cannon, destroyed a planetary computational center, and caused localized failures in the star system defense network, all of which were nothing short of miraculous.
In the conference room, the atmosphere had grown somber. Xiao Yu received one piece of intelligence after another and relayed them in real time to the Military Committee.
All the news was good, the Molian Civilization had failed to repair the space-based negative matter cannon within a day, localized gaps had appeared in the capital star system’s defenses, and the overall situation was trending in Xiao Yu’s favor. If the current momentum held, capturing the capital star system before the Molian reinforcements arrived was no longer an impossibility.
Yet, despite the steady stream of good news, the room was filled with silence. The Military Committee members, Luka Two, and Xiao Yu himself were all weighed down by a different matter, something far heavier.
The losses among the special ops units were no longer something that could be described with the word ‘severe.’
Total annihilation. That’s right, every last one had died. Not a single one survived.
“We dispatched a total of 23,056 special ops soldiers for infiltration missions. As of now, they’re all dead. Every one of them. Not a single survivor.” Luka Two said bitterly.
“I don’t want to say empty words like ‘there’s always death in war.’ I only know one thing, they were all heroes.” Xiao Yu said solemnly. “When the war is over, I will grant them the highest honors. Their families and friends will receive the best possible material support. And I will make sure that every intelligent being under my command remembers their names for all time. The heroes have fallen, and their sacrifice has brought us a strategic advantage. What we must do now is not let their sacrifice be in vain. Push forward. Take the capital star system before the Molian reinforcements arrive.”“Please rest assured, Master! We guarantee to complete the mission!” The members of the Military Committee stood and pledged in unison.
The heavy sacrifice of the special ops soldiers had indeed delivered a massive battlefield advantage for Xiao Yu. At least three sectors of the star system’s defense weapons had been disabled. Through these openings, Xiao Yu’s fleet could now drive deep into enemy territory, with a chance to strike directly at the capital planet itself.
The star system-class negative matter cannon remained disabled, and now, it would never be repaired. The biological army had sent a Province-Class warship, leading 5,000 ships as an assault force, to completely destroy the cannon. The battle had entered its most intense phase. The deeds of the special ops soldiers had already spread throughout the biological army, driving every soldier into a frenzy of fervor.
“Follow in the heroes’ footsteps! Slaughter these cursed enemies! Take the system!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
“For our Divine Ark Civilization, nothing is too great to sacrifice! What does our own life matter?!”
That was the true mindset of these soldiers now. The name ‘Divine Ark Civilization’ was no longer just a symbol of Xiao Yu, it was the name of all his millions of warships, and the billions of intelligent beings who followed him.
Hundreds of thousands of ships, divided into three massive battle groups, surged through the breaches in the star system’s defense network, launching a desperate offensive. Without the support of the system’s defenses, the Molian ships stood no chance of withstanding the assault, especially given their far inferior numbers compared to the biological army.
Both sides had gone mad. But no matter the frenzy, the disparity in power would not change. The biological army was steadily advancing, drawing closer and closer to the central star.
Twenty billion kilometers. Fifteen billion kilometers. Ten billion kilometers…
They were now within the inner circle of the star system’s defense zone. Thanks to the efforts of Molian military technicians, parts of the defense network had come back online. But with the enemy already so deep inside, the defense system could no longer play a decisive role.
The soldiers of the biological army knew, as soon as they reached that slightly green-tinged planet up ahead, they would have secured victory. At this moment, victory was right in front of them.
“Kill! Kill!” the soldiers roared, piloting their warships forward, fighting with all their might.
A County-Class warship had already sustained severe damage. At this moment, thick plumes of smoke were billowing from its rear. It could no longer maintain a stable flight path and was instead drifting unsteadily through space.
In truth, the situation inside the ship was even more dire. The most basic life-support equipment had been destroyed. The precious air that allowed the soldiers to breathe was rapidly depleting, while various toxic and harmful gases rampaged unchecked. The soldiers had been forced to don their internal space suits just to continue fighting.
Sparks flew everywhere. Smoke filled the air. In some sections, artificial gravity generators had failed, and miscellaneous debris and instruments were floating and flying chaotically throughout the ship…
This warship was already on the brink of destruction.
“Boys, it’s been an honor to fight alongside you. An honor to be your captain and lead you on this glorious journey.”
“Our ship is about to be destroyed. I think none of us are willing to die in vain, right? Now, we have a prime target right in front of us. If we can get close enough, the self-destruction of our ship will drag it into the abyss with us. I now ask everyone to remain at your posts and continue fighting until the final moment. Good. Here are the target coordinates…”
“For our Divine Ark Civilization! For our Divine Ark Civilization!”
A low chant echoed through the ship’s interior. None of the soldiers showed a hint of fear or hesitation. They piloted the crippled warship forward, staggering toward their target…
The County-Class warship exploded. They had succeeded. When the County-Class ship detonated, the target was also engulfed in a sea of flames, consumed together in destruction.
Scenes like this were occurring in many places at once. Xiao Yu stood solemnly in the command conference room. Only now did he truly witness the power of the biological army. It was a force that surpassed his imagination, far beyond anything he had anticipated.
Xiao Yu had to admit, even with his unparalleled computational power, he still could not predict everything. He was used to acting only after thorough planning. Hot-blooded, reckless assaults like those carried out by the biological army were something that rarely occurred under his command. In his war simulations, such frenzied and reckless charges would only result in unnecessary loss and greater damage. But the course of events had defied his expectations. The battle situation was actually moving steadily in a favorable direction.
Xiao Yu had to concede, he could not calculate the hearts of people. The biological army’s combat style was vastly different from his own. And in the current battlefield context, it seemed that their approach was more suitable, and more effective. Although… it was far more brutal.
“The outcome is already decided. The Molian Civilization’s capital star system is basically ours now.” Xiao Yu said. “If the Molian Civilization has any hidden trump cards left, we’ll know very soon.”
The capital planet of the Molian Civilization was far from peaceful. In the highest-level council chamber, the Supreme Leader smiled as he looked at the others and calmly uttered two words, “Farewell.”
The Supreme Leader’s image disappeared. The remaining ministers knew that they would never see him again. He had fulfilled his promise, in a situation where there was nothing more he could do, he chose to die, to die with his civilization.
The Supreme Leader had taken responsibility. His misjudgment had brought catastrophe upon the Molian Civilization. Back when the Minister of the Military Affairs requested to redeploy four hundred thousand warships to support the Star System Number Five, it was the Supreme Leader who had personally approved it. From that moment on, should anything go wrong, who would bear the blame had already been decided.
The Minister of Commerce spoke calmly, “The Supreme Leader is dead. For now, we few shall form a provisional council to lead the Molian Civilization. I propose that we immediately seek aid from the envoy of the Guardian Civilization. If we submit ourselves to the Guardian Alliance, at least we won’t face total annihilation.”
“I agree.”
“I agree.”
“I do not agree.” The sole voice of dissent came from the Military Minister. At this moment, a relaxed expression spread across his face. There was even a faint smile climbing his lips.
It was as if the weight in his heart had finally been lifted. At least for now, his back was no longer hunched.
“Minister of Military Affairs! Are you really going to lead our civilization into the abyss of extinction?!” the Minister of Civil Affairs shouted sternly.
“No. I just don’t want to see our civilization return to a state without will, without potential.” the Military Minister replied with a smile. “I don’t have the power to stop our civilization from falling into that state again. But I can choose not to witness it. So… farewell. Promise me, if you ever get the chance in the future, take our civilization and get out of it. You must walk out of it.”
The Military Minister spoke with a smile. A line of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth. He kept speaking, kept coughing. His voice began to break, but those three words were still clear.
“Get out! Get out!”
The Military Minister was dead.
“Only we remain.” the Minister of Civil Affairs said lightly. “They may die. We cannot. Our civilization must not perish like this. As long as we live, there is hope.”
“I have already sent a request for aid to the envoy of the Guardian Civilization. In exchange for our civilization’s submission under the Guardian Civilization’s rule, we will receive their help.”
“He is here.” the Minister of Civil Affairs added.
Just as his voice fell, a strange, cold tone echoed in the ministers’ ears.
“I’m glad you finally made the right choice. This cruel universe is no place for the weak. I accept your request for aid. I will help you repel these invaders. Our Guardian Civilization will protect you… for all eternity.”
As the voice slowly spoke, a warship had already departed from the massive space station and entered space.