The Central Army

The Swarm didn't give the Coalition Army much time to react. Sensing the anomaly on the flank, the Blade, through special channels, had already learned some inside information. Knowing that the current situation was not a trap, they naturally launched a full-scale pursuit.

Without effective command, and with everyone fighting and retreating in hopes of having other groups push forward, the Coalition Army on both flanks retreated over a million kilometers, even to positions further back than the rear guard.

But don't forget, the central Coalition Army are still advancing bravely. This advance and retreat has isolated the entire central Coalition Army.

The Zerg forces, which were pursuing the Coalition Army on both flanks, suddenly turned their attention to the center, cutting off the central and rear armies and creating a situation where the Coalition Army in the center were surrounded.

"Push the troops forward, hold them off even if it means casualties! Don't let any reinforcements get through before we wipe out the middle lane!" Sarah commanded forcefully from the Swarm command center.

A battle involving tens of millions of units was a spectacle the Locke Mutual Aid Society had never witnessed before, but for Rowan, it was nothing. Back in the day, he had commanded battles involving billions of units, battles that solidified the Swarm's dominance on Origin Star...

Therefore, although Sarah, who had been guided by Rowan, was facing this situation for the first time, she was not too flustered. Moreover, the composition and pattern of the Swarm meant that there was no complicated post-war compensation work, which relieved Sarah of many worries.

The Coalition Army commanders and staff quickly discovered the Swarm's intentions. Although they reacted swiftly and took countermeasures, it was already too late.

An endless array of Space Octopus blocked their path, and the Ancient Class released all the Mature Form and Larval Form forms they carried, filling the entire void.

Because of the Space Octopus' formidable melee combat record, the Coalition Army dared not approach them until they were completely wiped out. Therefore, even though the Mature Form and Larval Form had almost no ranged attack capabilities, they still possessed a powerful deterrent effect.

However, the number of Space Octopus already exceeded that of the Coalition Army, and now with the release of Mature Form and Larval Form, the difference in numbers has increased by dozens of times. At this point, relying solely on ranged attacks, even if the Swarm forces do not retaliate, is not something they can break through in a short time.

Meanwhile, the allied Coalition Army in the central region, which were surrounded, had also received orders to retreat. Although the central commander initially did not understand why the Coalition Army commander-in-chief wanted him to abandon the current favorable situation due to limited visibility.

But he knew that the Coalition Army Commander-in-Chief wouldn't make a baseless accusation at a time like this. After repeatedly verifying the authenticity of the information, he issued the order to retreat.

But at this moment, they suddenly realized that the rear guard of the Coalition Army, which had been following behind, had been intercepted by the Zerg forces at some point. They also understood the reason for the retreat.

When the central force launches its attack, it faces the strongest pressure, with the entire force attacked from three sides by the Swarm. The rear of the central force is defended by the rear guard.

However, when the Zerg flanked the enemy and cut off the rear, it didn't attract the attention of the central army. Previously, there had been instances where the rear army hadn't kept up, allowing the Zerg forces to infiltrate. But those Zerg were quickly eliminated by the rear army. It's just that this time, the Zerg forces took a little longer to infiltrate.

Besides, they were so engrossed in the fight that they weren't paying attention to what was happening behind them.

On the battlefield, due to the indiscriminate attacks from both sides and various secondary explosions, the entire battlefield is now shrouded in a raging energy storm. Many sensitive detection and communication devices have become ineffective.

Moreover, the central and rear armies belong to two different management systems, which already created a gap between them. Now, with communication being intermittent, communication has become even more problematic.

All these factors combined have led to the current situation where the central army is surrounded by enemies and fighting alone.

However, there was no time to dwell on where the problem lay. The commander of the central army knew the situation was critical, and made a decisive move. The central army switched sides, and after repelling a wave of Zerg attacks, the entire force turned around to prepare for retreat.

However, during the few minutes it took for the warship to turn around, its firepower was significantly reduced due to the firing angle and the ship's turning. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Zerg forces that had just been driven back attacked again, inflicting considerable damage on the Coalition Army.

Brilliant red energy beams danced across the sky. The energy beams from both sides were similar in color, and when they clashed, it was impossible to tell where they came from or where they were going.

Coalition Army warships were frequently hit, their armor shattered, and their hulls damaged. Thick smoke billowed from the ship's cabins, filling a large area and making the scene appear even more chaotic.

Damaged warships, if lucky, have their energy and propulsion systems intact; only some less important compartments have been destroyed. They can use the cover of friendly forces to hide in the center of the battle formation, perform simple repairs, and simultaneously unleash their firepower under the cover of their teammates.

If the propulsion system is damaged, it's manageable during an attack, but if retreating, the reduced speed is tantamount to a slow death.

As the saying goes, when being chased by a wild beast, as long as you run faster than your companions, you have a chance to survive. The same principle applies here as well.

As warships with damaged engines fell behind, those that were lucky enough to be caught by nearby ships would launch grappling hooks, allowing several ships to hook onto one at the same time and then tow it away together.

Those with less luck will be overwhelmed by the swarming Swarm forces before they can even receive help from their companions.

The towed warships were not out of danger either. The N-towing-one pattern not only reduced the speed of multiple warships but also caused them to lose their maneuverability.

Unable to actively adjust their angle to deal with the Swarm's attacks, they are hit by more and more energy beams, and their Reactive Armor will soon be penetrated, leaving them in a precarious situation.

The most tragic scenario is when the armor is penetrated and the energy system is hit, these types of warships are basically beyond saving; they either explode on the spot or explode a short while later.

"Damn it, what are the other fronts doing? Why haven't they driven the Zerg back yet?!" The commander in the middle lane, watching the casualties rise sharply, felt his blood pressure soar.

It's not the god-like opponents I fear, it's the pig-like teammates. We were almost pushing into the high ground in the mid lane, but the opponents broke through both sides, and then my teammates used the river to block the mid lane. Where can I even begin to reason with that?

Even now, the mid-lane commander has never considered that his smooth sailing here, and his previous victories, might all be the result of the Swarm's deliberate manipulation.

As more and more warships were damaged, those with impaired engines began to be abandoned. Foreigners flew out in various small boats, darting around in the flames of war, hoping to board other large ships that were escaping.

This is an extremely dangerous act. These small boats, such as life pods and Transport Craft, are completely defenseless against the firepower of a warship's main guns.

It's basically a guaranteed death if it gets grazed, but at this point, there's no time to worry about that.