Rising Again

There was really no way to consider the aftereffects; the casualty rate of the Sky Striker was far greater than that of the old version.

The old-style Kamikaze Bug were designed to fight flesh and blood, giving them a chance of survival after impact. But the Sky Striker face opponents made of steel, and each of their attacks is almost always a one-way trip.

To achieve a better impact effect, the original cuticle impact area was also covered with a layer of metallic material. By incorporating some technologies from the metallic crust of Bodi Planet, the Swarm has made considerable progress in materials science.

This layer of metal allows for better penetration of enemy armor, maximizing the power of the kinetic energy attack from the attacker.

The small radars on the several Duoqi ships were completely unable to detect the movements of the New Wind God until the rammed creature leaped off the New Wind God's back and left the shielding field, at which point their radars finally reacted.

But the impactor was too fast; it covered more than a thousand meters in the blink of an eye, giving Duoqi and the others no time to react.

Of the nine airships, seven were destroyed in mid-air. The massive kinetic energy impact shattered the airships into pieces, and the perpetrators demonstrated the destructive power of the ultimate blast to the world with their lives.

"Where did they come from!" The survivors were two Gunboat, which had better protection and maneuverability than the Transport Craft. The moment the radar detected the ram, the experienced commander ordered an evasive maneuver before even seeing what it was.

Once the rammer locks onto its target and accelerates to its maximum speed, it becomes very difficult to maneuver to change course. This allowed the two Gunboat to escape unscathed; the rammer only grazed them and did not destroy them on the spot.

Even though it was grazed, the Gunboat was severely damaged. Half of its Reactive Armor was torn off, exposing the cabin inside. A fierce, cold wind howled into the cabin, Duoqi had to rely on magnetic devices to hold themselves in place.

"Pull up!" The situation was extremely critical. Maintaining or decreasing altitude would only invite another wave of attacks. Landing on the ground, having lost their speed advantage, would also mean certain death.

The only solution now is to increase altitude. The ship's computer has calculated the direction from which the attack will come. As long as the altitude exceeds their range, continuous attacks can be avoided, and there is a chance of escape.

However, this is extremely dangerous. As the altitude increases and the temperature continues to drop, it poses a challenge not only to the soldiers themselves.

Furthermore, since the Gunboat's hull integrity has been compromised, there is a possibility of it disintegrating in mid-air. Continuing to fly would also pose a threat to the Gunboat.

But at this point, Commander Duoqi had no other options; this was the only choice with a chance of survival.

The Gunboat's performance was quite good. Although the hull shook violently as it rapidly climbed, there was no sign of it breaking apart. Soon, it gained altitude, passed the stealthy New Wind God, and flew towards higher airspace.

Since the Wind God did not ascend with the Gunboat, and the Rammer was an independent entity, there was no issue of attack intervals. As the Duoqi Gunboat ascended, the Rammer could still launch at least two more attacks.

However, they did not launch an attack. This was originally an experimental weapon test to develop a coordinated system. Therefore, they left the higher altitudes to other insects.

The higher airspace is the territory of the Swarm's main combat unit, the Space Octopus. Due to their body structure, the surface and low-altitude areas are as difficult for them to traverse as walls and swamps, so they have aerial platforms like the New Wind God to fill the gaps in low-altitude areas.

Now the Gunboat Duoqi walked right into the trap, proving the saying "Hell has no gates, you just barged in."

The close-combat capabilities of the Space Octopus have been proven in numerous wars. Fighter jets and warships that get close to them rarely fare well, let alone Gunboat, which are inferior in both protection and maneuverability.

Two sparks burst forth high in the sky, but unfortunately, the clouds obscured the view, making it impossible to see what was happening from the ground.

In this underground base of Duoqi, all aerial units were wiped out. Twenty minutes later, the tank force that rushed out of the base was also wiped out.

With this, the experimental operation at the base was completed.

Similar situations occurred at various bases on Duoqi Planet. The Swarm experimented with a large number of hypothetical units, thereby obtaining a wealth of data that allowed Rowan to identify which units had flaws, which units were worth further modification, and which units had no practical combat significance.

Years later, the space forces surrounding Duoqi Planet traveled to near-star orbit to replenish their energy, Duoqi Planet reappeared in the Star Sea Alliance's sights after many years.

However, this place has now turned into a purplish-gray ocean, and it is impossible to tell from space what happened here in the past few years. The Star Sea Alliance has also tried to send scouts to infiltrate Duoqi Planet to look for clues.

But these investigators disappeared without a trace, like meat buns thrown to a dog.

Gradually, the Star Sea Alliance also gave up the investigation, believing that the Zerg would not be able to cause any trouble in the next few years.

Both sides fell silent again. The Swarm entered a period of rest and recuperation, with a large number of troops continuously reinforcing the front lines from the rear star systems, consolidating the territory occupied by the Swarm.

Meanwhile, the Star Sea Alliance was also working around the clock to produce and mobilize troops.

As the number of troops on both sides increased, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

"The Zerg's forces in the newly occupied territories have reached a critical point. Based on their past behavior and patterns, war is about to begin again."

"So, what is our strategy this time? Is it the same as last time, or is it war?"

What do you mean?

"We have stockpiled nearly 100 million warships on the front lines. If the Swarm attacks again, we are already capable of saying no."

"The number of warships is still too small. I think it's best to play it safe."

"I agree with the comment above. If the Zerg were to launch attacks with a total force of one to two hundred million as usual, then we would indeed have the ability to refuse. But right now, our intelligence is too outdated. Nobody knows exactly how many Zerg forces are hidden in the star systems on the front lines. Once our warships are tied down, their reinforcements will be faster than ours. If these warships are destroyed, we will be even more passive."

"What are you afraid of? In a few years, the vanguard of the Mid-Ring Civilizations will arrive, and the outcome will be uncertain. If we keep retreating without any achievements, how will we seize any benefits in the future?"

"That makes sense. Besides, our situation is different from that of the Koya Alliance. They've already betrayed their allies' interests once, and they've already lost face. It doesn't matter if they keep backing down. But we're different. The territory we ceded last time could be considered disputed territory, but if we retreat again, we'll be ridiculed."

"Then, let's vote."