A planet, and the only one in this star system. Its significance went far beyond being just a logistical base. Without a doubt, on its surface existed countless control bases and computation centers, facilities that governed the entire star system’s defensive network.
As long as this planet was taken, the star system’s defensive systems would collapse. Without the support of the star system’s defenses, Xiao Yu’s fleet, greater in number, superior in performance, and even holding the advantage in command and control, would have no reason not to claim victory.
Thus, the most crucial point of this campaign lay in whether Xiao Yu could seize this planet. Up to this moment, Xiao Yu had already paid the price of four Nation-Class ships and over a hundred Province-Class ships to finally break through the Molian Civilization’s countless obstacles and reach the planet.
The foundation had been laid. What results could be achieved now depended on how Xiao Yu wielded it.
The planetary shield system had already been activated. A faint blue light curtain enveloped the entire planet. Various defensive weapons in geosynchronous orbit and the Molian warships pursuing from behind became the final barrier standing in Xiao Yu’s way.
“Come then. Success will surely be mine.” Xiao Yu thought quietly as he issued the order for a full assault.
The remaining 200,000-plus warships arrayed themselves into neat formations. While tangling with the star system’s defenses and the Molian fleet, they unleashed a fierce assault against the planet.
The Molian fleet truly fell into madness. The ownership of this planet would largely decide their civilization’s survival or destruction. The harsh reality forced them to fight with everything they had.
It was the most critical moment. In the star system’s outskirts, fleets still clashed. While the Molian fleet tried to pin down Xiao Yu’s ships, they also attempted to reinforce the planet’s defenders. Xiao Yu’s fleet was doing the same, trying to hold them while pouring more power toward the planetary assault. The result was that both sides became tied down here, unable to send large fleets to the planet’s immediate defense or offense.
In other words, Xiao Yu’s fate would be decided by the 200,000 warships at his disposal. The Molian Civilization’s fate would be decided by their planetary shield and defending fleet.“It’s time to use the spatial weapons.” Xiao Yu’s thoughts remained calm. After weighing the entire situation and fully analyzing it, he made this decision.
The China, the United States, and the Russia, three Nation-Class warships equipped with spatial weapons, moved to the front. Escort ships cleared the way, fending off interference, ensuring these three flagships could safely unleash their devastating armaments.
The frenzied attacks of the Molian fleet could not shake these three most advanced, most powerful Nation-Class ships. Calmly, Xiao Yu controlled the spatial weapons, completing a series of preparations.
The China struck first. A line, infinitesimally thin yet unfathomably deep, shot from its spatial weapon’s emitter. In the next instant, it reached the planetary shield.
Before even reaching it, the black line casually sliced through two Molian Town-Class warships, one County-Class warship, and three orbital ground-based cannons stationed in geosynchronous orbit.
It was as if an incomparably sharp paper-cutter had passed over a sheet of white paper. Everything it touched split cleanly in two, the edges of the cuts as smooth as a mirror.
When the black line reached the planetary shield, a dazzling flash erupted, as though a new sun had suddenly appeared. Xiao Yu knew this was the power of fractured space, the violent collapse caused when overwhelming spatial force suddenly encountered an extremely stable, energy-dense structure, its annihilation roaring out one final fury.
Ripples spread across the planetary shield like waves on a calm lake struck by a stone. At the same time, through optical detectors, Xiao Yu keenly observed faint flashes appearing on the planet’s surface.
It was clear that defensive bases on the surface, unable to withstand such violent energy, had been destroyed, exploding one after another.
Spatial weapons were just that powerful.
After the China completed its strike, it was the turn of the United States. The spatial weapon it fired once again caused the planetary shield to ripple, and once again flashes erupted from the planet’s surface. Following the United States came the Russia…
Each warship could use its spatial weapon three times. Three ships meant nine strikes. Now, all nine spatial weapon attacks had been unleashed upon the planetary shield system. The shield had not yet shattered, but its color had begun to dim. As if sensing the immense threat these three Nation-Class warships posed, the Molian warships abandoned other targets and hurled themselves with full force against them. The escort fleets surrounding the three ships immediately moved to intercept, temporarily ceasing their assault on the shield to ensure the Nation-Class vessels remained undisturbed.
The nine strikes were spent, and these three Nation-Class ships could not fire their spatial weapons again without resupply. Yet Xiao Yu was not worried in the least, he had long anticipated this and already prepared the solution.
It was simple. Though the planet was not yet under his control, Xiao Yu could still receive supplies. One could not forget, the supply ships that had come from the four occupied star systems had already joined his fleet, and they had followed the assault fleet closely ever since.
These ships carried abundant resources and now served as resupply. The three Nation-Class ships opened their docking bays, and one after another, the supply ships entered. Inside the Nation-Class ships were fully built internal docks where the supply ships settled. Swarms of robots, like ants, poured forth, rapidly unloading the supplies. These were then loaded onto internal transport craft, which carried them to engines, energy supply modules, and other systems across the ships…
The three Nation-Class vessels, whose energy reserves had fallen below critical, regained vitality through resupply. And so, a new wave of spatial weapon strikes began…
One… two… three… up to nine…
Still, the planetary shield did not break. But it did not matter, Xiao Yu had ample supplies. More supply ships streamed into the Nation-Class warships, offloading even greater amounts of resources…
Another strike, then another…
Relentless waves of spatial weapon attacks hammered the shield system. Xiao Yu could easily see that the shield’s glow was far dimmer than before. That meant it had been drained of vast amounts of energy. The bursts of fire and the plumes of thick smoke rising from the planet’s surface told the rest of the story.
Every energy base destroyed meant the remaining ones had to shoulder greater loads. The more they carried, the higher their risk of overload and destruction…
It was a vicious cycle. And in this cycle, energy bases began to fall faster and faster. Xiao Yu even saw with his own eyes an energy base sprawling over seven square kilometers suddenly erupt in flames, a towering blaze climbing thousands of meters into the air. The fire was so great it briefly affected the planet’s overall environment…
Thus, the planetary shield system moved slowly but inexorably toward its collapse. At last, Xiao Yu broke it. Hundreds of thousands of energy supply bases were destroyed, and the planetary shield vanished. The planet now lay defenseless before Xiao Yu.
The Molian warships still launched desperate attacks, but their efforts had become meaningless. A planet was such a vast target, anyone who wasn’t blind could hit it. How could they possibly cover it?
In truth, Xiao Yu did not use conventional weapons to strike the planet. Conventional firepower could not vent his fury. Supply ships continued to shuttle tirelessly, pouring fresh lifeblood into the three Nation-Class vessels. Sustained by this lifeblood, the three unleashed yet another wave of spatial weapon strikes…
A spatial rift tore through the planet’s atmosphere and struck the surface. Its immense energy encountered the planet’s extremely stable structure, and the rift dissipated in an instant. But before vanishing, it still wrought devastation.
A massive canyon, thousands of kilometers long and hundreds of meters deep, appeared out of nowhere, a scar across the planet’s surface. With it came violent earthquakes. The immense internal pressure forced molten rock to burst forth, crimson magma spewing through the rift into the sky…
That single spatial rift destroyed at least three nearby military bases or computation centers.
And that attack was only the prelude. Immediately came the next, and the one after that…
Unending spatial rift attacks struck again and again. In the current situation, the planet was like a solid stone sphere, and before it stood a peerless master wielding a razor-sharp blade, hacking away stroke after stroke. Each cut left a deep scar.
The stone sphere was soon covered in wounds.