The Yin-Yang Dual Flow surged outward!
Dozens of Yin-Yang streaks howled out from behind Guxing. In the blink of an eye, they broke the sound barrier and struck dozens of Alien Monsters!
The instant they hit, countless tiny Yin-Yang lights twisted like millstones, effortlessly crushing the monsters' hard carapaces.
Yin-Yang energy filled the passageway. Its rhythm seemed exceptionally gentle, yet the terrifying sounds of grinding rang out in rapid succession.
Guxing stood before the control room door, silently watching the passageway.
Rumble!
The warship suddenly shook violently, and Guxing immediately frowned.
The Firelight Rats' firepower seemed to have increased again. Had more rat swarms arrived?
Screech!
A silver curved blade suddenly tore through a large swath of Yin-Yang light and slashed straight at Guxing's neck.
The Yin-Yang particles around Guxing instantly condensed into a shield. The violent explosion even dispersed the Yin-Yang currents throughout the entire passageway!
"Peak Tier 4?!"
Guxing lowered his eyes slightly. A black-and-white spear immediately took shape, with countless solid streams of energy winding around its tip.
Looking at the black Alien Monster that appeared at the end of the passageway, Guxing shot forward. Dozens of black-and-white rays condensed around him and blasted toward it!
The battles aboard the other ships had likewise entered their most intense stage. Faced with large numbers of Alien Monsters, the Floating Cannons around the Shadow Edge Mech fired without pause, while its two ten-meter molecular cutting blades swung so fast they left afterimages!
Even black Alien Monsters should not have approached so easily.
The Shadow Edge Mechs and ability users dealt with the Tier 3 and Tier 4 monsters, while the remaining armored ground troops pursued the scattered ordinary monsters everywhere.
For a time, the sounds of gunfire and cannon fire rang out throughout one cruiser after another.
Taiyi, confirm that all internal battles are proceeding normally.
Qingyang shifted his gaze to the star map. Tens of thousands of red dots surrounded the fleet, including Tier 3 and Tier 4 Firelight Rat leaders.
There were also two Energy Sources more than twice as large!
The upper limit the Firelight Rats could reach: Tier 5 Firelight Rat Kings!
Two Firelight Rat Kings and thousands of Firelight Rats had been drawn to that T7 Fleet. Dense rays and energy attacks filled that battlefield.
From time to time, explosions far surpassing nuclear detonations could be seen spreading outward.
[Hull damaged, durability remaining: 97%]
Taiyi's basic intelligence reported.
Qingyang's expression darkened. Tier 2 and Tier 3 Firelight Rats were manageable, but Tier 4 Firelight Rats actually possessed penetrating attacks!
[Joint Shield: 71%]
Qingyang immediately said, "Ignore the rat swarm for now. Main guns and secondary guns, focus fire on the Tier 4 Firelight Rats!"
The shield's shared damage distribution was enough to withstand the rat swarm for a long time. With its shared recovery rate, it could hold out for three or four days without issue.
Those with penetrating attacks posed a greater threat!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
[Incoming communication]
"Commander, we've found out why the Firelight Rats attacked the Starport." A virtual screen unfolded, revealing Bellia's figure.
On the experimental table behind her lay a silver Alien Monster.
Bellia explained, "This monster is called a Sky Shuttle Bug. It is a special space-attributed star beast and a symbiotic parasite carried by the Sky Shuttle Rat!"
"At the same time, the Sky Shuttle Rat possesses one of the finest bloodlines among rat-type star beasts and can control most rat-type star beasts."
"Why is the Sky Shuttle Rat attacking the Starport—Taiyi, evade! Instantly fold forward a hundred li!"
A blinding flash swept past. An attack crossed tens of thousands of li in an instant, piercing through the location Taiyi had occupied moments earlier.
Qingyang stared at the screen, his gaze solemn.
A third Tier 5 Firelight Rat had appeared, and its target was Taiyi!
Tier 7 powerhouses were said to possess the strength to destroy continental plates. Now, it seemed that was clearly no exaggeration.
In some respects, Tier 5 star beasts were even more ferocious.
Of course, not because of that attack just now, but because of the Tier 5 Firelight Rat's own energy level.
"Taiyi, engage in Near-light Speed Travel and draw that Firelight Rat away!" Qingyang ordered.
As long as they put enough distance between them, the Starport's two Star Destroyer Cannons would be enough to kill that Firelight Rat.
At present, unless the Eternal Fleet focused fire on it for two or three days, it would be impossible to take down this Tier 5 Firelight Rat.
"Received!"
That Tier 5 Firelight Rat had clearly locked onto Taiyi. Enormous energy enveloped its body as it pursued at near-light speed as well.
"It's fine. Continue."
Bellia came back to her senses and continued, "Sky Shuttle Rats are Tier 5 star beasts during adolescence, but their combat power is comparable to Tier 6. To advance to Tier 6 and become adults, they need to consume objects containing spatial energy.
"As far as I know, the Starport's group jump device core is an artificial Space Crystal. Its spatial energy is even purer than that of a natural one."
Qingyang fell into thought. A Sky Shuttle Rat? Where was that star beast now?
Suddenly, a shrill alarm rose, interrupting Qingyang's thoughts.
A spear of light capable of piercing through a planet grazed past Taiyi from a hundred li away. The Firelight Rat pursuing Taiyi instantly turned into particles and dispersed.
The Starport's deployed Star Destroyer Cannon!
Qingyang temporarily suppressed his doubts. "Return to the combat zone. Keep the number of Firelight Rats besieging the Starport below the limit as much as possible."
As long as the rat swarm did not increase by another twofold, the Starport shield could fully hold until the Alliance Army patrol fleet arrived.
The Sky Shuttle Rat's attention should all be on the Starport. As long as the shield remained intact, the Starport's Spatial Suppression Device was military-grade Alliance Army equipment and could completely prevent the Sky Shuttle Rat from jumping directly inside the Starport.
That thing could even isolate Dark Space. Unless it left the Starport, it would be useless even if the Dark Space engine established a connection with Dark Space.
When hundreds of Firelight Rats saw Taiyi return, they immediately roared. Dense rays struck the shield, sending ripples of energy bursting across it.
Taiyi's ship cannons never stopped firing, beams continuously blasting toward the surroundings.
The battle continued for nearly a day. Aside from the constantly appearing Firelight Rat swarms, no more Tier 5 Firelight Rat Kings appeared.
The other two were also forcibly focused down and killed by the T7 Fleet, at the cost of more than twenty space Assault Ships being destroyed.
Using Assault Ships as cannon fodder when necessary was standard practice. The crew members were all concentrated aboard the cruisers and battleships.
[Joint Shield: 34%] [Hull durability: 87%] [.]
Other than the Eternal Fleet, the remaining three T8 Fleets had already withdrawn beneath the Starport shield.
They took up positions as fixed gun emplacements and continued attacking the Firelight Rats, though this also caused the pressure on the Starport shield to surge sharply.
Guxing and the others had returned to Taiyi several hours earlier, bringing back the corpses of those Sky Shuttle Bugs as well.
Other than some losses among the combat machines and Dark Mantis Mechs, none of Guxing's team members had been lost.
After all, the Shadow Edge Mechs had held the line. These mechs possessed Tier 5 combat power, with defense, offense, speed, and firepower all reaching the upper Tier 5 level.
They killed the black Sky Shuttle Bugs even faster than Guxing did.
If Guxing had not come out this time for training, Qingyang would not have wanted to send them out at all. Ten Shadow Edge Mechs would have been enough to suppress every Sky Shuttle Bug.
What if an accident occurred and they lost future Tier 7 or Tier 8 helpers?
On the bridge, Qingyang watched Firelight Rats streak past the warship at high speed.
He had long grown accustomed to it. They were merely rats the size of the Eiffel Tower from his previous life.
He had killed far too many over the past few days.
"Has the total number of Firelight Rats gone down?"
Changxi immediately replied, "It's increased by 70%, most of them Tier 2 and Tier 3 Firelight Rats."
"..."
By this time, the patrol fleet should have arrived.
This was the most severe damage the Eternal Fleet had suffered since its establishment.
One Changqu Cruiser's durability had even dropped to just 18%. If not for the Eternal Protocol, an 82% repair level would have been worse than replacing it with a new ship.
Fortunately, this battle had not been a loss. Killing the Firelight Rats had earned them a full thirty thousand Star Points, while they had spent only 4k. A massive profit.
Assisting in the defense of the Starport should also earn them plenty of military merit.
[Beep beep beep—] [This is LY201 Base—033 Patrol Fleet. All space fleets, please return within the Starport shield.] [Gravity Contraction Field ready]
Before you continue