Chapter Eleven: The First Battle, Part Two

Chapter Eleven — The First Battle (1/3)

Once again, the densely packed Fengtower Swarm emerged. All those still reeling from the previous battle had no choice but to tense up their nerves that had barely relaxed. This time… it seemed even harder.

"All fleet units, report combat data! Change to defensive formation, activate shields, prepare to… engage the enemy!" Liu Shaoyu commanded, gazing at the scene before him.

At the sound of the battle order, the silent crew snapped back to their forbidden tasks, every station, every person tense with anxiety. Yet—military orders were absolute. Why not retreat? Why not flee? Perhaps such thoughts flashed through some minds, but no one voiced them, for in this fleet there was only one answer—Liu Shaoyu!

If anyone should be anxious, it would be Liu Shaoyu himself, who bore the lives of the entire fleet on his shoulders. But as their leader, his every word and action determined the fate of all. To show neither joy nor anger—this was the most basic requirement. The brutality of war had forced this mere eighteen-year-old youth to mature rapidly. War was merciless.

Yes, war was merciless.

The vast swarm armada drew steadily closer. Receiving information from the Stargate, the nearby broodmother was instantly enraged. "How dare someone act up at my very doorstep?" That was, more or less, the sentiment. The Swarm’s psychic communication was far more advanced than anything the human fleet possessed.

"Incoming communication request from an anomalous target," intoned the ship’s computer.

Liu Shaoyu could readily guess the source.

"Accept."

On the screen, strange waves of static flickered, then a hideous face appeared—the Fengtower Broodmother. This unique visage belonged only to a broodmother within the Fengtower Swarm, and to evolve the psychic ability to communicate with humans, a broodmother needed to reach level three.

"Humans, you..." The transmission abruptly ended.

The cold tone that came through the comm sent a chill through Liu Shaoyu, which flared into anger. Since when did the bugs master psychological warfare? That brief exchange ignited a blaze of fury in the twelve-person command team aboard the bridge.

Outrageous! Yes, this was your territory, but could you show some restraint? We just finished a battle and shattered your forces—shattered them! Couldn’t you see that? If only they truly could.

Yet, this provocation was not a calculated tactic—it was personal. This broodmother bore a grudge against Liu Shaoyu. Why?

Recall Liu Shaoyu’s very first mission—the broodmother he encountered then? At the time, she was searching the outer systems for metals crucial to evolution. After much hardship, she had finally found some, preparing to feed—only to be attacked!

A bitter, deep-seated hatred! She had scoured the galaxy but failed to gather enough for her evolution—why did pirates have to set up a storage depot in that very place? Why was the broodmother searching there?

That system was the very source of the metal sought by her species. When the broodmother finally returned, the scattered containers had been broken open by the harsh environment of space, their contents strewn across the void.

That… that was the metal she had sought so desperately. After such a long search, and with the loss of many drone soldiers, her mood was foul, the consequences grave.

But how could this broodmother track down Liu Shaoyu again?

A broodmother’s psychic abilities were formidable, intensifying as her own powers grew. A level two broodmother could already launch psychic attacks and was acutely sensitive to the unique flavor of human minds. Further evolution heightened this sensitivity, unlocking the ability of psychic lock-on.

Thus, in her mind, the space station and Liu Shaoyu were one and the same—he had not only disrupted her feeding, but stolen vast quantities of metal, so that when enemies met, hatred blazed even brighter.

(2/3)

Upon reaching level three, the broodmother’s intelligence, in addition to instinct, was enhanced to rival, if not surpass, that of humans. Consumed by rage, she could think of nothing but delivering Liu Shaoyu a crushing blow.

But her blunder only served to inflame the fury of the entire fleet.

The Fengtower Swarm’s starships, like the Swarm themselves, were blood-red; more accurately, they were not starships at all, but enormous bug forms shaped like starships. The Fengtower Swarm comprised three elements: the Swarm Queen, the broodmothers, and the drone soldiers. There was only one queen, but many broodmothers.

All were controlled psychically by the queen. Subordinates obeyed superiors absolutely—this was the Swarm’s way.

Not only were there ranks among broodmothers, but even the basic drone soldiers were graded. Higher ranks brought more formidable appearances and strength. These Swarm ‘starships’ evolved through relentless devouring. At level three, drone soldiers developed humanoid limbs and possessed attack abilities resembling human lasers. Moreover, as the broodmother’s level increased, so did the drone soldiers’ maximum level—meaning one level three broodmother could command up to level six drone soldiers.

These statistics were gleaned from years of warfare with the Fengtower Swarm. The ranking system was based on human standards, though the Swarm had their own, slightly different, terms.

Level six drone soldiers evolved into forms resembling starships. Unlike the vessels of other powers, these ‘starships’ boasted extreme maneuverability. Their ‘armor’ was actually the bug’s own carapace, transformed through evolution and consumption into an unmatched hardness. Swarm starships needed only a single layer, while others relied on shields, armor, and a third internal structure.

The entire Swarm starship was a single entity, its brain—the broodmother—ensconced within the level six drone’s body.

"Attack squadrons—recall the drones, lock on and launch a barrage with the long-range artillery!" At last, both sides entered engagement range. Against the Young Dragon Fleet’s long-range firepower, the Swarm could only endure passively. Even with starships, their advantage lay in close combat; only drone soldiers above level three possessed long-range capabilities—and those were limited in range. But should they close the distance…

"Anomalous energy detected—enemy strike will arrive in 15 seconds," announced the flagship’s computer.

In the distance, within the enemy ranks, a massive red beast reared up, a bulging turret-like structure on its back gathering green energy.

"Long-range artillery charged and ready," came the attack squadron’s report.

Sharing the enemy’s strike countdown on the command panel, Liu Shaoyu issued the order to fire.

Blue energy lasers sliced through the black starry void, drawing dazzling lines through space.

"Disperse combat formation, keep charging and firing the long-range guns. Shields—full power!" As Liu Shaoyu gave his orders, the green energy sphere atop the Swarm starship finally coalesced.

"Vrrrm!" A green beam shot out, screaming toward Liu Shaoyu’s flagship.

"Alter course! Keep firing while they’re cooling down—bring them down!"

The fleet had already shifted into a V-shaped formation, Liu Shaoyu’s command ship at its heart—the attack’s target.

A slight turn, and the green beam grazed the carrier’s shields. Blue energy rippled as the barrier absorbed the blast.

"Shield strength down five percent, repairing now," reported military officer Wang Yuyan.

"We’re in range!" came Executive Officer Xu Meng’s voice.

"Main batteries, charge and target the enemy starship."

(3/3)

Faced with the fleet’s fire, the broodmother’s formation had already scattered. Laser blasts fell upon empty space, while their own drone soldiers vanished in swathes—but these losses were negligible. As long as they could close the distance…

"All units, prepare for drone release!"

With Liu Shaoyu’s order, the weapons officers on each ship sprang into action, launching swarms of drones from storage bays.

At the same time, high-level drone soldiers from the Swarm’s side entered attack range, countless green points lighting up as they surged toward the advancing drones.

No orders were needed for units to disperse—the firepower of these drone soldiers was insufficient to breach shields. Only a dense web of fire could maximize their impact. For the ultimate goal was singular—the Swarm starship, the broodmother’s lair.

Yet, facing such highly maneuverable broodmothers, locking on became a daunting task. Calculating their range of movement was possible, but only a handful of guns could realistically score a hit among the countless possibilities. The massive energy capacitors required that any shot at the target starship must not miss.

"A little closer, just a little closer," Liu Shaoyu murmured.

But before closing in on the Swarm starship, all these lesser threats had to be eliminated!

The drones soon entered engagement range, but this time, the drone soldiers with long-range attacks shot them down one by one.

Each loss in a squadron made the weapons officer controlling them wince.

Ten drones formed a single drone unit, each with an autonomous combat module. Under the weapons officer’s command, the drones operated independently. As their name implied, drones needed no pilots, but tactics, flight paths, and fire rotation—all these required the weapons officer’s expertise.

Drones darted through the void, a web of blue and green fire interlacing against the starry backdrop.

"Drone losses are severe!" reported the logistics officer, Dead Set on Money.

Liu Shaoyu frowned slightly. He had kept a close eye on the battle, but such attrition was unavoidable. He could only pray—just a little closer… closer still…

Every second on the battlefield felt like an eternity.

Then—

"Drones, disperse! Flank them from both sides!" Liu Shaoyu swiftly traced two red arcs on the tactical display.

The arcs formed a circle, encircling the enemy formation.

From today, the second update will be at a fixed time—Monday to Friday, due to heavy coursework, there will be two updates daily, around 9:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m.

On weekends, there may be additional updates. The pace will accelerate towards the end of this book—no more filler, just the remaining plot to finish. Thank you all for your support.