Having lost a Semi-Giant Bubble Bug, the Alien Insect Race's forces reacted faster than Andrew had anticipated. About an hour later, they reorganized, and one of the Giant Bubble Bugs released a large swarm of Space Wolves and Sky Spiders that swarmed towards the transport ships.
When entangled with these bugs, no warship could activate its warp engines. During the acceleration process, they were utterly defenseless, and any attack from the Insect Race could reduce an entire warship to dust.
Andrew sent someone to inquire, but Chen Gu, who had entered his room earlier, had still not responded.
Clenching his teeth, he said to his aide-de-camp, "From now on, we can only rely on ourselves."
Andrew also demonstrated the qualities of an excellent commander. He personally directed the turrets and Star Armors in a fighting retreat, managing to delay the enemy for more than an hour. Then he excitedly pumped his fist because six bright spots had appeared in the Star Sea—the support fleet from the six capital ships Bai Yunpeng had mentioned had finally arrived!
And so, a medium-scale Star Sea battle began.
This fleet was assembled when Chen Gu was promoted and sinful desires appeared. The Bureau of Mystic Security had it stationed outside Witch Star to guard against Chen Gu.
But now, they desperately rushed to Chen Gu's rescue!
The other Giant Bubble Bugs also opened their chambers, releasing ferocious and enormous insects one after another. They rampaged through the Star Sea and, with their overwhelming numbers and disregard for death, quickly overpowered the arriving support fleet.
The Alien Insect Race had always been stronger in numbers and combat power than human fleets. Their weakness lay in their command structure: the Empresses often remained behind the scenes and couldn't issue real-time commands on the battlefield.
Although ordinary members of the Insect Race were vicious and warlike, their intelligence was limited.
The six capital ships, like beehives, released a large number of space fighters and Star Armors. With agility and flexibility, they steadily whittled down the expeditionary force of the Insect Race. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveI[F]ire.net
Although the losses of fighters and Mecha were enormous, there was a key difference between capital ships and transport ships: capital ships possessed main guns!
But after just two strikes from the main guns, one of the Giant Bubble Bugs released more than thirty Void Tiger Insects in one burst!
These were powerful fighters developed by the Alien Insect Race to counter human capital ships.
Their "bioplasmic jet" organs were located in their mouths, so their acid cannons fired in a spitting spray.
The exchange of fire between the main guns and the giant acid cannons quickly put the numerically inferior human warships at a disadvantage. Bai Yunpeng knew this fleet was no match for the Insect Race. The fleet's crew knew it too, so they avoided direct engagement. Even though they were at a disadvantage, covering the retreat of the transport ships was still manageable.
They were well aware of their objective: hold out for thirteen hours until the main fleet arrived. At that point, they could annihilate this Alien Insect Race army.
In this process, sacrifices were inevitable, and they were prepared for this—it was, after all, war.
In space, explosions sparkled brilliantly time after time, looking beautiful from afar. Yet aboard the warships, commanders wore somber faces, as each spark meant the death of a human pilot.
With space fighters and Star Armors sustaining losses, the fleet quickly deployed its reserves.
"This can't go on!" shouted a combat staff officer on the flagship of the fleet. "Our reserves won't last much longer either. Once we run out of space fighters and Star Armors for cover, the capital ships will directly face the onslaught of the Sky Spiders and Space Wolves, with the added pressure of the Void Tiger Insects' giant acid cannons. We'll be completely wiped out!"
The command cabin fell silent. Though his words were unwelcome, everyone understood he spoke the truth.
Usually, a capital ship is accompanied by three to five auxiliary warships, which are deployed to deal with Space Wolves.
The opponents of the space fighters and Star Armor are merely the Sky Spiders.
However, this fleet had few auxiliary warships. It had been hastily assembled to deal with the potential contamination from the sinful desires, leaving no time to mobilize an adequate number.
Now, this had become the fleet's weak point, putting them in a highly disadvantageous position.
"Commander!" said the combat staff officer. "I have looked at the plan executed by a Star Armor pilot from the transport fleet earlier, and I think we can continue to use this tactic. We have enough Antimatter Bombs on our battleships!"
After all, this fleet was temporarily formed to deal with sinful desires, and there were plenty of powerful bombs available.
The fleet's commander was Lieutenant General Zhou Zhonglin. He had abundant combat experience, a steady approach, and was a general greatly trusted by the Military Department.
He stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before finally saying, "All right, this matter is yours to handle."
"Yes, sir!" the combat staff officer saluted and left.
Zhou Zhonglin then signaled another trusted staff officer to come over and instructed in a low voice, "Follow behind. Those Mecha pilots he chooses... they most likely won't be able to come back alive. Make sure the arrangements for their compensation are handled properly—all the honors and benefits they deserve must not be lacking in the slightest. Understand?"
Zhou Zhonglin had already studied Chen Gu's tactics en route; in fact, he needed no reminder from the combat staff officer. He was very clear that sending Star Armor or space fighters to find targets like Giant Bubble Bugs and throw bombs at them—at all costs—was currently the most "cost-effective" combat method. This could effectively serve as a deterrent, slowing down the pursuit of the Alien Insect Race.
Yes, these were "suicidal missions." The space fighters and Star Armor sent out with Antimatter Bombs would ultimately detonate them and perish with the enemy, whether they reached their designated targets or not.
This "cost-effectiveness" was utterly cruel, which is why Zhou Zhonglin found it hard to make this decision.
But since the staff officer had proposed the plan, Zhou Zhonglin understood that mercy does not make a soldier and could only approve it.
However, he wanted to ensure the aftermath was handled well, so the heroes could rest without any lingering concerns for their families.
Several dozen minutes later, the first antimatter "firework" exploded in the Star Sea. It was naturally far less powerful than the one Chen Gu had detonated earlier.
Moreover, this Star Armor pilot lacked Chen Gu's strength. After breaking through the defensive line of a group of Sky Spiders, he encountered a swarm of Space Wolves. Unable to break through, he detonated the bomb before dying, consequently killing only a few dozen Space Wolves.
But the subsequent series of explosions indeed greatly delayed the pursuit of the Alien Insect Race.
Although the situation had improved, old General Zhou Zhonglin stood before the flagship's porthole, hands clasped behind his back. He gazed into space, remaining silent for a long time.