Mercy

Although Defek's words made a lot of sense, Wheeler still had a hunch that the Zerg would not give up the encirclement they had worked so hard to form so easily; they must have a bigger plan.

But what exactly was it? After hearing Defek's explanation, Wheeler also felt that what he had just heard was somewhat fantastical. How could the Zerg possibly make a response based on something that hadn't even been decided yet?

Moreover, these matters are certainly highly confidential. Even if a decision is made, the Zerg cannot obtain the information before the plan is fully implemented. This is because those who can know the information in advance are all high-ranking and powerful individuals, Zerg simply cannot offer them corresponding benefits to entice them to betray their race.

And even if the Zerg could offer tremendous benefits, so what? Didn't those high-ranking officials know the strength of those powerful civilizations? Didn't they know the strength of the Epoch Clan?

Even if you're showered with benefits, you still need to be alive to enjoy them. Therefore, under these circumstances, Wheeler didn't believe there would be any traitors within their ranks.

So, do the Zerg rely on scouting methods from other races?

Previous reports from the Epoch Clan mentioned that the Zerg would launch reconnaissance units disguised as meteorites. Therefore, when deploying defenses, the Coalition Army would adopt the principle of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free," destroying any suspicious meteorites.

It's highly likely that the Zerg have other reconnaissance methods. He's 99.99% certain that the Zerg discovered the Coalition Army when they first gathered here.

It's possible that the Zerg discovered the Coalition Army as soon as they set off from LKDW262, since large-scale troop deployments are difficult to conceal. But even counting from then, it hasn't been more than a year.

A year is simply not enough time for the Zerg to move their forces from LKDW265 and 267.

Was he really overthinking things? Wheeler shook his head.

Seeing Wheeler's expression, Defek offered a rare word of comfort, "Don't think about it, Wheeler! I understand how you feel. You've had a tough time these past few days. Now that you're at command post, don't go back. Get some rest here, and then evacuate with the main force later."

Wheeler brought only one flagship with him. While this warship is very strong in one-on-one combat, its role in a battlefield with hundreds of millions of ships is negligible. Moreover, its constant movement around will more or less affect the troop deployment. For example, it took him quite a bit of effort to leave the rear guard earlier.

The plan was clearly going to fail. Although Defek felt that his command was fine, the main problem was that the enemy was too strong and cunning, and his teammates were too incompetent. But someone would definitely have to take responsibility for the failure, and he, as the commander of the Coalition Army, was the best candidate.

However, as a member of the Telo Race, he wouldn't face imprisonment; at most, he'd be demoted or have his power reduced. The man before him, Wheeler, was, after all, a high-ranking Telo Race general. By sidelining him this time, he had inadvertently helped Wheeler, sparing him from punishment. After this incident, Wheeler might even surpass him in rank, so using some insignificant favors to establish goodwill beforehand was an excellent choice for him.

Wheeler nodded in acknowledgment of Defek's overtures. He did need a rest; he wanted to use this time to go back and review the Zerg data again.

The battle on the other side continued. After driving away the Coalition Army forces on both flanks, the Zerg forces stopped their pursuit and turned back towards the center.

Defek was unable to reorganize the scattered mutant forces in a short time, so he simply let them form independent armies by race and go to harass the Zerg, free to act as they pleased.

To create more trouble for the Zerg, he even blasted out the alien fleet that was resting near the command post.

And you know what? This method seemed to revitalize this mixed-race army, significantly improving their coordination and teamwork, and increasing their combat effectiveness by at least 20%.

Faced with the Coalition Army's counterattacks from both flanks, the Zerg reacted swiftly, with the troops that had charged towards the center turning back on the spot. However, the Coalition Army, now free to maneuver, became much more cunning, employing guerrilla tactics, fighting when they could and retreating when they couldn't, much to the Zerg's annoyance.

Fortunately, their overall skill level was somewhat lacking, so although they seemed to be making a lot of moves, maneuvering and weaving, they didn't actually gain much advantage.

On the central front, after arduous and tireless efforts, the front and rear armies of the two armies finally met. After a brief greeting to the front army, the rear army commander immediately refused the front army's request to enter the battle formation, citing the unsuitability of large-scale changes in formation. Instead, he ordered them to cover the rear of the rear army, and then the rear army collectively turned around and began to break out in the direction they had come from.

Because the flank forces had been previously routed, although they have now reorganized their counterattack, some Zerg units still managed to sneak up to the rear of the chaotic army and block the retreat route of the rear guard.

The commander of the vanguard was now gritting his teeth in anger. They had barely managed to break through the encirclement, but had suffered nearly 80% casualties. The remaining troops were mostly defeated and their fighting capacity was questionable.

But even under these circumstances, that bastard in the rear guard refused to let them enter the battlefield for rest and reorganization, and instead assigned them the task of covering the rear.

It's important to understand that during a retreat, the troops at the rear suffer the most intense attacks. His troops had been fighting continuously for over a month, and all their systems were severely worn and in dire need of maintenance and repair. Yet now they were to continue undergoing high-intensity combat missions. The commander of the vanguard felt a sense of dread; even if they managed to return, very few of his troops would be left.

But now he has no way to resist. Although the demands of the foreign races are excessively harsh, at least they are still on the same side and won't attack them. But the Zerg will show no mercy; it can only get worse.

Just as his grief and anger were growing, he suddenly noticed that the pursuing Zerg firepower had weakened considerably. He quickly checked the real-time data, and sure enough, the changes that could be perceived by the naked eye were reflected in the numerical values as quite significant.

Data shows that the Zerg firepower has decreased by 30% compared to before, and is still declining rapidly. The forward commander was somewhat puzzled; had the Zerg had a change of heart and were really going to show mercy?

Various radars and detection instruments were running at full power, collecting data in an attempt to find the reason for the Zerg's reduced firepower. However, due to interference from the magnetic storm and energy tides, the effect was minimal.

Conversely, Optical Observation, which requires little energy, detected crucial information. The void that had previously been blocked by densely packed Zerg units could now be seen through the gaps, revealing Starlight!

"The Zerg forces are thinning out? They've retreated? Are the Zerg really going to show mercy?" The forward commander was filled with questions. If the Zerg continued their pursuit, they would be guaranteed to gain an advantage. Giving up now—what else could it be but showing mercy?

Unfortunately, it wasn't that the Zerg showed mercy; rather, he was simply being presumptuous.