Inside the comprehensive ship, looking at the bright red star deep in the starry sky, Heirlan's face was calm.
The starry sky was vast; apart from one star after another, nothing else could be seen.
Because the tail flas were facing away from them, Heirlan couldn't even see the Purple Moon Fleet that was relentlessly pursuing them.
But he knew that the fleet had not given up on its pursuit.
And… they were about to catch up.
Over a trillion kiloters of escape had not made the other side give up. A battle with completely unequal combat power was now unavoidable.
But Heirlan still wanted to struggle.
Without struggling, even that last glimr of hope would be gone.
"Order… the rear guard mission, execute it."
"Yes!"
In the Liaoyuan comprehensive ship and so other ships, a total of 1 million soldiers were already in position, all seated in their combat cockpits, connecting their minds to the automatic combat systems.
Among the total of only ten thousand combat ships, 3,000 ships had already been detached from the fleet, and had shut down their engines and any external radiation of electromagnetic waves, quietly lurking in the vast, deep space.
They were like beasts preparing to hunt prey, lurking silently, motionless.
It wasn't until specks of light appeared in the distant, vast and deep starry sky, like dim stars constantly flickering, and growing closer and brighter, that they finally began to move.
Under the control of elite warriors from various races, thousands of billions of kiloters away, countless energy cannons suddenly fired, separated by millions of kiloters.
Overwhelming energy cannon shells, carrying destructive power, rushed towards the distant fleet. Beams of laser light, like sharp swords, advanced relentlessly.
Interstellar missiles, trailing long tail flas, were unstoppable like falling teors.
While launching the fiercest attacks, these warships also simultaneously executed the strongest maneuvers, charging towards that fleet recklessly.
At this mont, all commanders, all soldiers, had only one belief in their hearts.
Stop this fleet!
If they cannot stop them, then make them unable to pursue their fleet!
If even this cannot be done, then delay them, destroy their thrusters as much as possible, so they can no longer accelerate at such a high rate!
No matter what, even if they are all destroyed here, even if all 3,000 warships are buried in the star sea, this mission must be completed!
Through the spy satellites deployed there, Heirlan clearly saw that after being suddenly ambushed, the Purple Moon Fleet was caught off guard, and several hundred warships equipped with Gravity Cannons were imdiately destroyed.
Even the core of the fleet, so non-combat ships, were affected.
But this was only for an instant.
As if they had long prepared for an ambush, the next mont, the Purple Moon Fleet reacted.
Defensive operations imdiately began. Against their warships, the Gravity Cannon, based on gravity technology, was fired again.
In the depths of this vast starry sky, far from any macroscopic celestial bodies, another fierce interstellar battle unfolded.
The 3,000 warships fought with utter disregard for their lives, completely abandoning the idea of annihilating the enemy's living forces, concentrating all their combat power on the thrusters;
The ten thousand Purple Moon warships ford a defensive line, protecting all non-combat ships within, while launching fierce counterattacks with Gravity Cannons and various Strong Nuclear-stage combat weapons.
Ti quietly flowed, and after just a few days, the battle ended.
A new debris field appeared behind the Purple Moon Fleet. And the Bluetoth Fleet that had previously entangled with the Purple Moon Fleet had now disappeared.
In the Liaoyuan comprehensive ship, looking at the huge interstellar map, Heirlan tightly clenched his fists.
Although he had long anticipated that the success rate of this ambush would be extrely low, he had not expected the outco to be so tragic.
Our side did indeed destroy so of the enemy's warships and disabled the thrusters of so spaceships, but in total, it was still less than a re 1,500 warships.
The price we paid, however, was… the complete annihilation of 3,000 warships.
Even though we launched a sneak attack, caught the enemy off guard, and even included their warships that were only heavily damaged but not destroyed, the battle damage ratio was still two to one!
Two to one!
And this was under the premise that all our participating soldiers were battle-hardened elites!
Heirlan clearly saw that after settling the damaged spaceships and assigning a batch of tugboats to tow them as they began to decelerate, preparing to return to the solar system, there were still a full 8,000 warships relentlessly pursuing them.
What to do?
Soldiers, engineers, workers, and commanders all looked to Heirlan.
"Execute the second rearguard mission," he said calmly, his face placid, showing no emotion.
This ti, our remaining less than 7,000 warships, along with all their supporting unmanned combat forces and logistics support forces, all detached from the main fleet.
Or rather, conversely, only 100 comprehensive spaceships and 3 aerospace carriers, a total of 103 spaceships, detached from the main fleet.
The two sides separated. These 103 spaceships continued to accelerate towards their predetermined speed of 85% light speed, while all combat forces gathered and stopped accelerating.
All combat forces were committed by Heirlan to this second interception mission. If these warships were damaged again, then… aside from the limited weapons on these non-combat spaceships, our side would have no combat power left to deploy.
At this mont, our fleet's speed was already approaching its limit, almost reaching 85% light speed.
Upon reaching 85% light speed, these 103 spaceships would cease full-power propulsion and enter an inertial cruising state.
Delaying the Purple Moon Fleet's pursuit with the intercepting fleet, while these 103 spaceships activated low-power random propulsion, was our only hope of escape.
Separated by hundreds of billions of kiloters, the carefully selected warriors from various races once again maneuvered their warships into battle.
The scale of this battle was much larger and far more brutal than the last.
One warship after another was destroyed, and this area of space was filled with chaos.
The outco of the battle was no surprise.
After several days, our warships were once again completely annihilated, and all manned and unmanned combat forces were buried in the star sea, forming another debris field.
The loss of 7,000 warships resulted in the destruction of approximately 2,600 enemy warships. Including the previous rearguard mission, our side, with a total of 10,000 warships, annihilated about 4,000 of the enemy's warships.
Heirlan's expression was placid, but he smiled bitterly inwardly.
"Indeed, just as predicted when we first set out, our 10,000 warships have an overall combat strength slightly inferior to 5,000 Purple Moon Civilization warships.
If the Purple Moon Civilization had deployed 5,000 warships, we would still have had so chance of winning.
Who would have thought they would ultimately deploy 10,000…
With 10,000 warships, the hard power disparity is evident; no matter how I maneuver or how ticulously I plan, it's all useless…
Fortunately, fortunately, our speed has accelerated to 85% light speed during this ti, and we have entered the random maneuvering phase. Fortunately, the Purple Moon Civilization does not know our destination and cannot confirm our overall heading…"
Now, all our chips have been played.
Our only hope lies in the faintness of our fleet's tail flas during the random maneuvering phase, allowing us to evade the enemy's detection.
If we are caught again… then Heirlan truly has no other options.
We don't even have a single warship left; what else can we do? What more can be done?
I am only human, not a god.
Please don't catch up, please don't catch up.
The nas of deities from every race and every mythological legend continuously appeared in Heirlan's mind. He prayed desperately to every deity he could, begging that the Purple Moon Civilization's fleet would not catch up.
During this period, every night, Heirlan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Any rustle outside his door would make him spring up instantly like a coiled spring, his mind imdiately alert.
From his heart to his body, Heirlan felt an unparalleled exhaustion.
But as soon as he left the room, Heirlan's expression would instantly return to calm, and even his walk would be steady, as if everything was under control.
"The Purple Moon Fleet cannot catch up; rest assured."
"Our fleet's size is already so small, and the propulsion power for random maneuvering is so low, that the Purple Moon Fleet cannot distinguish our tail fla traces."
He told every anxious subordinate the sa thing. Seemingly influenced by Heirlan's composure and confidence, the subordinates gradually cald down and no longer lived in constant dread.
However, objective reality does not shift with human subjective will.
One day, a deep space detection docunt was placed before Heirlan, and seeing the secretary who delivered it pale and on the verge of collapsing, Heirlan's heart uncontrollably sank.
The docunt clearly showed that approximately over a hundred billion kiloters behind our fleet, we had detected a dim star. Further analysis indicated that those lights…
Were the lights of energy shields.
The lights of nurous energy shields converged, forming a "star" that could be detected by our side from over a hundred billion kiloters away.
Furthermore, this "star" was advancing at a speed of 90% light speed, aning it was approaching our fleet by 15,000 kiloters per second.
At this rate, it would only take about three months for our fleet to enter the enemy's combat range and face their attack.
At this mont, the fleet approaching us at 90% light speed, who else could it be but the Purple Moon Civilization's fleet?
They had caught up after all.
Yes… with such close proximity and such "fresh" tail flas, no matter how small the scale, how could we truly escape the determined Purple Moon Fleet?
Before, I was just blinded by a stroke of luck…
Now, we don't have a single warship left.
Even a fish on a chopping board still has a layer of scales. At this mont, I don't even have that layer of scales.
Facing the trembling secretary before him, Heirlan smiled again.
"Notify everyone; let's hold a full eting."
"…Yes."
A total of one million soldiers, engineers, and staff from various departnts, all pale and anxious, gathered before the large screen and saw Heirlan's figure.
"…I have decided to destroy the three aerospace carriers.
I know that the vast majority of our fleet's supplies are stored on the aerospace carriers;
I know that once the aerospace carriers are destroyed, even if we reach our destination, we will lose the ability to return;
I know that in this vast space with no material replenishnt, those three aerospace carriers are our lifeline.
I know all of this.
But, this is our only way. To seek life in death, to be placed in a desperate situation and then find a way to survive, that is all.
My compatriots, do not forget, our Human Civilization is still waiting for our good news in the Pegasus G76 solar system, our compatriots are still waiting for our rescue in the solar system, all of this, everything, rests upon us.
We have no other choice."
The pale and anxious intelligent beings of various races gradually fird their resolve.
Yes… if the Purple Moon Civilization catches up, we will have no hope. Seeking life in death now, on the other hand, offers a glimr of hope.
If that's the case, then let's do it, let's do it…
With the assistance of Primal and the combined efforts of a million intelligent beings, the most crucial small portion of supplies was transferred to the re 100 comprehensive spaceships.
Afterward, this already greatly reduced fleet split again.
The three aerospace carriers, each weighing 600 million tons, ford one group, and the 100 comprehensive spaceships ford another.
Thousands of large-yield hydrogen bombs were placed on the three aerospace carriers.
The two fleets gradually moved apart. When the distance between them expanded to about one million kiloters, and the Purple Moon Fleet had pursued to about 100 billion kiloters away, the total of one million intelligent beings also completed their grouping.
Ten thousand people per comprehensive spaceship.
Sighing softly, Heirlan's firm and steady voice once again reached the ears of every intelligent being.
"From this mont on, each comprehensive spaceship, each group of ten thousand people, will be a small team.
Each small team is an independent entity and must maintain absolute electromagnetic silence among themselves.
Each small team will choose a route and proceed to its destination independently.
During this process, if caught by the Purple Moon Fleet, that is fate. To prevent the Purple Moon Civilization from obtaining our intelligence, Primal will, upon confirming an inability to escape, actively self-destruct the spaceship.
As long as one spaceship is not caught by the Purple Moon Fleet, as long as one spaceship can reach its destination, our mission… will be considered complete.
Compatriots, I wish all of us good luck.
Countdown, three, two, one… Detonate! Depart!"
Thousands of large-yield hydrogen bombs, pre-installed on the three aerospace carriers, detonated simultaneously.
The extrely high temperature and radiation instantly vaporized a total mass of approximately 1.8 billion tons, transforming it into a cloud of interstellar dust with extrely high temperature and kinetic energy, spreading outwards almost unstoppably.
At the sa ti, these 100 comprehensive spaceships simultaneously activated maximum power propulsion, accelerating and escaping in 100 different directions.
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