As Long as You're Happy
The Survivor were originally following behind [Kuangxuan Dabaji] felt the pain of the shared link and complained in confusion.
Despite his complaints, he didn't slow down.
Taking advantage of the precious gap in the Battleship's interior, shaken by the impact and in complete chaos, he moved like a ghost through the breach created by the [Kuangxuan Dabaji] ramming into the ship. His weapons flashed, and he began efficiently rewarding the crew with a chance to escape the torment of the world...
Similar scenes unfolded simultaneously across a battlefield spanning nearly a thousand kilometers, with Survivors like tigers among sheep, unleashing their individual strength and Superpower to the fullest extent.
The Yuncang Fleet, despite its Fine equipment and training, proved extremely ill-suited to this unconventional "Boarding Decapitation" tactic that disregarded many physical and tactical principles.
Their advantages lie in their systems, distance, and information; once these monsters get close, the ships' massive size and relative cumbersomeness become disadvantages.
The battle broke out suddenly and ended just as quickly.
Within minutes, the core combat force of the Yuncang Sub-fleet responsible for interception and search—a Deep Space Mothership, several Battleships, several Cruisers, Destroyers, and a large number of auxiliary ships and drones—was annihilated by the combined attack of the Survivors.
The Survivors didn't linger in combat, quickly disengaging and using various methods to re-enter stealth mode, disappearing once more into the deep space background, and swiftly returning to the camouflaged "cocoon" that was still traveling along its preset trajectory.
Upon her return, Su Luo immediately took control of the "Cocoon" and began complex calculations and maneuvers to drastically alter its trajectory.
The Yun Sha's rendezvous coordinates are at [the Wall of Infinity], but even without these coordinates, Su Luo would still choose to go there.
That is the Energy Heart and Ultimate Defense Line of the Yuncang Civilization, and the target with the highest strategic value.
"Everyone back to position immediately, prepare for Large-Angle Turn! Although we are returning from a considerable distance after fighting outside the 'cocoon,' the energy bursts and residual tracks from the battle are enough for the enemy to deduce our approximate area of activity and inertial direction. We must immediately deviate from our original route and take a detour."
However, when Su Luo had the energy to observe the situation inside the cabin, her lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
Many Survivors returned with loot in their hands. Some carried pillar-shaped jars, half a person's height, shimmering with energy; others dragged complex silver boxes with exposed tubing.
The most outrageous person actually dragged in a piece of equipment that was more than two people tall, with a low-temperature warning sign printed on its exterior, resembling a large freezer, making the space that was already mostly occupied by the Laboratory even more precarious.
What are you doing?
"These Warships all have Mana storage devices, and the compressed Mana inside is of quite good quality. We might as well take it! We're playing on away ground, so we need to conserve resources wherever possible!"
I didn't expect everyone to be so thrifty and frugal.
"Actually... the Mana stored in my Laboratory is more than enough, it's unnecessary."
Su Luo felt a little uncomfortable and lifted the Yuncang No. 29, which had almost returned to its original state, off her back, feeling that it was too crowded now.
Goushi, standing nearby, interjected with a serious expression. "Scholar, the most critical problem in this war is the scarcity of environmental Mana. We Mana Side and elemental-based beings are far more dependent on the environment than we imagine. Once our Mana reserves are depleted, our combat strength will be reduced by at least half, and many powerful skills and sustained combat capabilities will become meaningless."
He pointed to the eternal darkness outside. "Next, we'll not only have to expend Mana for high-speed maneuvers, changes of direction, and maintaining camouflage, but we might also be forced into skirmishes and breakouts, just like before. Not to mention, once we actually reach a core defensive zone like the [Wall of Infinity], the intensity of the battle will only be higher, and the consumption will be even greater."
Without a supply of Mana, they can only teleport back to [ Under the Under the Starry Sky] to replenish their Mana, or consume "Source" to directly teleport to the surrounding Mana. However, given the limited amount of "Source" and their Mana absorption speed, these methods can only be used a few times.
"I just checked your Laboratory, and it's already used up a quarter of its Mana. It definitely won't have enough left, and it doesn't have any other energy source to generate Mana, so it's best to conserve it."
Su Luo wasn't surprised that Goushi could tell the amount of Mana stored in the Laboratory, but she hesitated when she heard the last sentence.
"... Fine, whatever makes you happy."
Su Luo continued to change course.
With the Seventh Defense Zone's First Contact Battle concluded, in the distance, on the command ship shared by the three fleets...
An emergency post-war analysis meeting is underway, with attendees including senior fleet commanders, staff officers, technical advisors, and Yun Cangyuan, who serves as the Player Legion's liaison officer and "provider of frontline experience."
On the huge 3D image, the brief but brutal encounter that had just ended was being replayed in slow motion from multiple angles.
The Superpower, astonishing individual combat power, and precise countermeasures against fleet combat patterns displayed by the "intruders" in the footage caused every officer watching to frown.
"One of the Ninth Fleet's squadrons was destroyed. The enemy's stealth technology was also very strong, and they could even see through our stealth methods, so close-range combat wouldn't be very effective."
"Coverage is a huge problem, which severely affects the Lock-On efficiency of heavy Orbital Weapons. Just now, the 'Iron Curtain' network made three attempts to Lock-On onto and cover targets, all of which were forced to be canceled or were ineffective due to target loss or signal ambiguity."
"Our thinking is rigid. This is the first time the fleet has encountered such a powerful single entity; it's normal to make mistakes."
Some people tried to save face, while others remained silent and seemed unaccustomed to the situation.
It's like being on a high-speed chase, racing at Life and Death, when a whole bunch of people suddenly jump out of the car in front of you and blow your car to smithereens.
Beside him, Yun Cangyuan listened intently to the discussion among the people in front of him, silently learning.
"The enemy's capabilities are somewhat beyond expectations; they are quite strong in all aspects. Moreover, in the information they transmitted, we discovered traces of the 'Live and Die Together' synergy. It's certain that the three strategic cores left behind 'Under the Under the Starry Sky' have fallen into their hands... Directly annihilating them in deep space is a bit unlikely."
The commander-in-chief surveyed the room and began, "So, is everyone's opinion that in deep space, relying solely on fleet power to completely intercept or even annihilate this invading force would be extremely difficult?"
"Yes."
The commander-in-chief turned to look at Yun Cangyuan and gave a somewhat embarrassed smile.
I just showed off in front of someone, and now I'm being slapped in the face.