The Gap

Unfortunately, it's too late to "escape" now; the encirclement is almost complete.

Because most of the energy was diverted to the engines, the already sparse artillery fire became even less threatening, and the First Fleet took the opportunity to break into firing range.

The gunners, who had been attacked for more than ten days without being able to fight back, were now at full rage, and beams of red energy rained down on the advance area of Ancient Class cluster.

The Riken Race's energy weapons had a much faster rate of fire than Electromagnetic Cannon, and under their full force, they unleashed a shower of light.

Even if the Ancient Class weapons have good resistance to energy weapons, they would still suffer heavy losses if they tried to charge into this level of overwhelming attack.

With a rain of light blocking their path in front and a minefield threatening their sides, the Swarm could only retreat to avoid the attack.

However, this rendered the original retreat plan futile.

Faced with the choice between being destroyed now and being destroyed later, the Swarm commander chose the latter.

The momentum of the Ancient Class fleet halted, then the entire fleet executed a tail-spin, wading through a short minefield before retreating.

Seeing this, Hamis clenched his fist tightly and swung it forcefully in the air. "Good!"

At that moment, the laughter of Third Fleet Commander Novaru rang out over the communications channel. "Haha, well done, Hamis! We'll be there soon!"

The Swarm was forced to turn back, a scene witnessed by the other two reinforcement fleets.

An hour may seem like a long time, but in space warfare, it's just the time it takes for a few rounds of bombardment, and it will pass quickly. Once the Swarm fleet turns back, adjusting its formation and breaking through the encirclement becomes extremely difficult; there simply isn't enough time.

This indicates that the first phase of the Riken Race's tactical plan has been achieved, which is why Novaru couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The Swarm forces clearly understood their predicament. Instead of continuing their assault on the minefield and barrage of fire, they increased their engine output and flew towards the interior of the Riken Star System.

"Watch out! They're desperate! Novaru, get to your position quickly, or you'll be in for a chat with Masai at the General Staff!"

"Damn it!" Novaru couldn't help but swear.

Because of the defeat, Masai was relieved of his military command and reassigned as a special staff officer at the General Staff Headquarters. The fact that someone was seen having tea with him at the General Staff Headquarters implies that he too had been stripped of his military command for making a mistake, right?

That damned Hamis! He looks like a good guy, but he's so vicious. I'll find a reason to fight him after the war.

Novaru was known for his volatile temper. Even though he held a high position, fighting was still a common occurrence for him. He had often fought with Masai before, so it was normal for him to have another opponent to fight with now.

However, despite this thought, Novaru is not lacking in military skills; otherwise, he would not have reached his current position.

The Third Legion's more than 780 warships were running at overload, and their speed immediately increased even more.

The situation isn't actually as urgent as it seems; the Swarm's reaction was already within the Riken Race's calculations. Therefore, this path is also riddled with minefields.

The area that Novaru needs to block is not large, and even without accelerating, the gap can be closed in time. However, there is a possibility that a small number of Ancient Class may break through successfully, although the probability is very small.

Therefore, he should hurry up. Although missing a few wouldn't be a big problem and wouldn't amount to stripping him of his military power, it would still be a flaw.

The Third Fleet, advancing at full speed, made no mistakes and successfully blocked the Swarm forces before they could break away. At the same time, the Second Fleet also arrived at its designated position, and the encirclement was completely complete!

"Drive them towards Laze Planet!" Hamis shouted into the communications channel.

"You don't need to tell me!" Novaru retorted, this guy was extremely vengeful.

Three fleets blocked three of the four directions, leaving only the area around Laze Planet unblocked, which was a passage deliberately left open.

--

"Haha, they left us a gap, very good, as they wished, full speed ahead!" With Sarah's order, the Ancient Class cluster changed direction and headed towards Laze Planet.

--

Seeing that the Swarm had discovered the "gap" in the encirclement and was advancing towards it cooperatively, the communication channels of the three fleets were filled with a festive atmosphere, as if the battle had already been won.

Indeed, the Swarm fleet, with its ammunition running out, was like lambs to the slaughter in their presence.

The Swarm and Laze Planet were advancing in opposite directions, so they would soon meet. But at this moment, the Riken Race forces on Laze Planet revealed their ferocious side.

The camouflage coverings were removed, revealing the man-made structures beneath: massive steel bases, thick cannon barrels, and a dense array of ground defenses covering the planet's surface.

Thousands of fusion reactors power these steel behemoths; the terrifying energy converges, and then red light bursts from the muzzles.

These land-based gun turrets were much cheaper to build than warships, so there were a lot of them. At this time, the number of gun turrets firing reached more than 30,000, which was several times more powerful than the firepower of the three major fleets.

This is the Riken Race's trump card, the source of their confidence in wiping out the Swarm's vanguard with minimal losses.

All those previous actions were to force the Swarm into this direction, bringing them into the effective firing range of the land-based turrets.

Although this method can only be used once due to the limitations imposed by Laze Planet, the Zerg, having been fooled once, will certainly be more cautious. But that doesn't matter; these powerful planetary defenses will make Laze Planet a fortress, firmly planted in the Swarm's path of advance.

Any Swarm army that passes by it must show respect for its powerful attack capabilities, and any military operation must take this thorn in its side into account, as it will greatly restrict the Swarm army's range of operations and energy.

Faced with the overwhelming energy beams, the Riken Race believed that the Swarm forces should prioritize avoiding such fierce firepower and then turn around to break through the defenses of the three fleets.

However, turning around and readjusting formations takes time. At this point, the three fleets can concentrate their firepower to intercept and disrupt the rhythm of the Swarm, thus tying them down for a period of time.

The force would soon be crushed under the combined attack of land-based artillery and naval fire.

Once the Swarm is broken up, they lose their ability to break through the encirclement and can only be slowly devoured.

Winning this battle would not only bring endless glory and honor, but would also erase the negative impact of Masai's previous crushing defeat, boost the morale of the race, dispel doubts from most people, and make subsequent military operations smoother.

However, this is merely wishful thinking on their part.