Adams was deeply puzzled at this moment.
Just how much strength had humanity been hiding? Altogether, they had already deployed sixty thousand warships, hadn't they?
But this had to be humanity's last reserve. Otherwise, they wouldn't have stationed only five thousand warships here! If they had deployed ten or twenty thousand, they could definitely have wiped his fleet out completely.
With only five thousand, they could still break through. It would just mean even heavier casualties.
"Inform the fleet: the five thousand warships ahead are humanity's last reserve. Even if we have to ram our way through, we will break out!"
"Yes!"
Very soon, the foremost ranks of Adams's fleet charged into the formation of the five thousand warships ahead. Unexpectedly, there was no desperate final battle. Instead, they easily tore open a gap in the enemy formation and achieved a central breakthrough.
"Quick! We've broken through their formation. All fleets, follow immediately!"
Although Adams was somewhat suspicious, he could not understand how humanity's formation, even with only five thousand warships, had been torn apart so easily down the middle.
However, he had no time to dwell on it now. He immediately ordered the fleet to follow and charge straight through the opening.
At the same time, aboard the flagship of the 101st Task Force Fleet, the Uranus!
"Commander, that performance was incredibly convincing!"
"How could we fool Adams if it wasn't? He's no fool!"
In truth, Adams's fleet had not easily torn through Liang Xingchen's formation. Rather, Liang Xingchen had cooperated with Adams's breakthrough, gradually splitting his fleet into two groups to either side at the right moment. It created the appearance that they had been breached through the center and torn open.
Under normal circumstances, Adams might have noticed something. But at this moment, the entire Third Imperial Guard Legion was fleeing frantically. With his mind already in complete turmoil, Adams could no longer carefully observe every detail of the battlefield.
After Liang Xingchen's five thousand warships split to either side, they turned toward the Adams fleet continually passing through the center, forming a new crossfire.
Meanwhile, the more than four thousand warships each commanded by Lin Fan and Jiang Hai also began turning when the rear of Adams's fleet was about to pass between them. Finally, they merged and bit down from behind!
Why did Lin Fan and Jiang Hai each have only a little over four thousand warships instead of ten thousand? Obviously, the remaining ships had been disguised by mechs, just as in Lin Fan's first simulated battle with Liang Xingchen.
The initial three fleets, totaling thirty-five thousand warships, had likewise been mech disguises. The Federal Fleet's actual warships on the battlefield numbered only around fourteen thousand, commanded by Lin Fan, Jiang Hai, and Liang Xingchen.
Thus, the entire battlefield once again formed a three-sided pincer attack.
Half an hour later, the Third Imperial Guard Legion finally broke out of humanity's encirclement at full speed and widened the distance.
"Report immediately. How severe are our losses?"
"Commander Adams, our losses have currently exceeded forty thousand warships. Of the remaining forty thousand-plus warships, half are damaged!"
Listening to his subordinate's report, Adams felt terrible.
Nearly half the warships were simply gone. Even among those that remained, over twenty thousand had been damaged and could no longer unleash their full combat strength!
Looking at the tactical display again, humanity's sixty thousand warships had already joined together and were pursuing them from behind.
How were they supposed to fight this?
"Ha..."
This is fate. Liang Xingchen is simply my natural nemesis.
Adams sighed and could not help thinking so.
"Order the entire army to return to Jupiter Base!"
"Yes!"
After issuing the order, Adams slumped into his seat.
He had wanted to lead the Third Imperial Guard Legion and secure a path to survival for all its officers and soldiers, but it still hadn't worked.
So be it. Let me face Your Majesty's punishment together with all the officers and soldiers here!
The Fourth Fleet symbolically pursued them for a while before giving up.
Don't joke around. If they kept chasing, and Adams was driven into a corner, nearly fifty thousand warships might turn around and fight to the death. Then they would be the ones dying!
Putting on a show and forcing them back was enough. Besides, the results were already remarkable. They had lost fewer than a thousand warships themselves while destroying over forty thousand enemy vessels.
That casualty ratio had reached 1:40. During the First Battle of the Asteroid Belt, the casualty ratio had only been 1:10, and that had already earned Liang Xingchen the title of God of War!
After the fleet stopped its pursuit, it returned to the previous battlefield to conduct rescue operations, and they actually saved quite a few people.
After all, throughout the battle, Adams's fleet had been forced to retaliate with only secondary weapons and had been unable to use their main weapons. Their firepower was truly limited.
Therefore, most of the damaged warships had merely been crippled rather than directly sunk, so many people were still alive!
After clearing the battlefield, the entire Fourth Fleet began its journey back to Mars Base!
Earth, Federal Presidential Palace!
At this moment, Lin Zhen, Ed, and the other aides were anxiously waiting in the conference room.
"Still no report from the front? It's already been several days!"
Knock, knock... knock.
As soon as Ed finished speaking, someone knocked on the door!
"Come in!"
"Reporting! A battle report has arrived from the Fourth Fleet!"
"Read it, quickly!"
The moment Lin Zhen heard that it was a report from the Fourth Fleet, he immediately stood up and shouted. The other aides also stared tensely at the newcomer!
"On February 7, the main force of the Fourth Fleet encountered the vanguard fleet of the Oakes Empire in Asteroid Belt Area 016 and engaged in fierce combat! Following the tactics planned by Major General Lin Fan, we annihilated thirty thousand enemy warships at the cost of fewer than five thousand warships."
"On February 9, the Fourth Fleet penetrated deep into the Asteroid Belt and, following the tactics proposed by Major General Lin Fan, set multiple ambushes along the unavoidable route of Adams's fleet. In the end, at the cost of one thousand warships, we destroyed forty-three thousand enemy warships and forced the remainder of their fleet back to Jupiter!"
"The Fourth Fleet is currently returning to Mars Base."
For a moment, everyone in the conference room was dumbfounded! What happened to the desperate situation? What happened to fighting to the death until the very last man?
Why did this battle report sound so strange? Especially the part about going deep into the Asteroid Belt to ambush Adams's ninety thousand warships, with a 1:43 casualty ratio? How had such a divine battle been fought?
"Is there a detailed account of the battle?"
"Yes!"
The colonel who had delivered the report immediately inserted a storage card into the conference room's optical computer. The holographic projector instantly displayed its contents, including the entire course of the campaign and the tactical applications!
"Holy shit, what kind of monster is Major General Lin Fan? He used fourteen thousand warships disguised as sixty thousand to set multiple ambushes and scared Adams into fleeing all the way?"
One of the aides immediately roared. It was simply too outrageous.
It wasn't just that aide who was shocked. Even Lin Fan's old man, Lin Zhen, was stunned. The Federal Fleet's Commander and Vice Commander beside him were equally frozen.
If this wasn't a divine battle, then what was?
Just as everyone was still reeling in shock, Ed spoke from the side!
"I propose promoting Lin Fan to lieutenant general and appointing him to take command of the First Fleet, which we will soon reorganize!"
Before you continue