Bewildered

Although Aier outwardly showed disdain for the Zerg formation, he secretly instructed his Adjutant to keep a close eye on the surroundings. The Zerg weren't fools; they couldn't possibly be unaware of this blatant act of sending troops. The fact that they did it anyway suggested there was something fishy going on.

Considering the Zerg's past performance, the most likely scenario is that they're using some kind of sneaky tactic again, after all, he was already familiar with the Zerg's reputation for cloaking technology.

However, based on information from themselves and several allies, everything around the fleet was normal, the Gravity Radar fluctuations were stable, and there was nothing hidden around, at least nothing large.

Still uneasy, Aier contacted the rear command center again, requesting intelligence support. The command center took his feedback very seriously and immediately retrieved and investigated information on all surveillance ships and equipment within a light-year radius of the fleet.

However, based on the data they reported, there was no damage to the ships or equipment, no malfunctions, and all information appeared normal; the Zerg were not hiding anything.

What seems perfectly normal is also extremely abnormal. Limited by intelligence, the Alliance racked their brains but couldn't figure out where the problem might lie.

However, even if they can't figure it out, they shouldn't hesitate to move forward. They can always find out what the Zerg's schemes are by trying them out.

The task of getting started was assigned to the Ketu Clan, who currently has the highest level of technology in the team. Not only should they be positioned slightly forward, but their main cannons also have a slightly longer range.

"Elder, move into firing range immediately."

"Very good, once 30% of the warships are within firing range, launch the first salvo!"

"Yes!"

According to the Zerg's previous combat parameters, the Ketu Clan would fire their first salvo when 30% of their warships were within range, then their second salvo when 70% were within range, and finally their third salvo when all their ships were within range. Only then would they enter the Zerg's main gun range, and this was under the condition that the Zerg forces were advancing simultaneously.

This is why Aier once thought he could kite the Dead Zerg with his own troops; they did indeed have a certain advantage in range. If the Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan hadn't been surrounded and hadn't had room to maneuver, they wouldn't have suffered such a miserable fate.

The vanguard has already entered firing range, but the Zerg remain inactive. If they don't press forward, the Ketu Clan could unleash at least two more salvos. Even more ruthless, they could abruptly stop their warships, potentially getting out of range and firing for free. However, restarting the engines would be delayed, negatively impacting maneuverability.

Was this the Zerg's objective? To trick them into shutting down their engines for a freebie? Maintaining a low speed is much easier for a fleet to keep its formation intact than moving from a standstill. In battles of this scale, a scattering of formations can easily lead to losses. Aier thought about it and decided to abandon the tempting idea of getting something for free.

"20%, main guns of the attacking warships fully charged, targets locked!" With the help of various instruments and supercomputers, hundreds of millions of warships were quickly assigned to various firing targets. The scientific distribution of firepower maximized the power of the salvo.

Just as the Ketu civilization's fantasy Zerg was being engulfed by artillery fire, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded!

"Energy level reaction discovered! Energy level reaction discovered!"

"They've opened fire!"

"Their range is too short; are they trying to swat mosquitoes?"

Although the alarm caused a brief commotion, it quickly subsided. The Ketu civilization, familiar with the various parameters of Zerg combat units, believed it was likely a warning shot from the Zerg.

But now that a massive army is pressing in, is it not a bit wishful thinking to expect to force back a coalition of 700 million Coalition Army with just warning shots?

However, just as some people were unconvinced, some were dismissive, and some were laughing out loud, a crew member looked at the instrument in front of him and suddenly his eyes widened in horror.

"No, the energy index doesn't match the previous parameters. This isn't an ordinary Energy Cannon; this is... this is Dark Energy Shell!"

"What! How is that possible?"

"Impossible!"

However, before they could continue questioning, the Energy Cannon had already traversed the distant void and accurately struck the Ketu Clan fleet. Due to their earlier underestimation, the Ketu Clan warships had not made any dodging maneuvers, resulting in heavy losses in this salvo from the Zerg.

"Fire!"

"Avoid!" Aier shouted the order, his eyes bloodshot, hoping to salvage the situation. He couldn't understand why the parameters about the Zerg in their database were the latest versions compiled from the battle five years ago.

The development of interstellar civilizations is not a game; every breakthrough is the culmination of the wisdom of countless people and the result of countless years of effort. The qualitative leap from Controlled Fusion to Dark Energy requires an immeasurable amount of time. If we add the research and matching of related systems, an average civilization might not achieve this even in 100,000 years.

But what about the Zerg? If the Zerg hadn't been hiding their true intentions, they accomplished all this in just five short years. And judging from the number of enemy units firing in unison, they even managed to completely re-equip their forces during that time...

How is that possible?

Aier didn't believe it, and neither did the other Outer-Ring Civilizations and Mid-Ring Civilizations who witnessed this scene, including the Alliance command center at the rear. This was definitely not something that could be accomplished in a short time. Even if the Zerg were a hundred times more bizarre, it was impossible. All races firmly believed this.

But if that's not the case, then it means the Zerg were hiding something beforehand. But what was their purpose in doing so? To use the energy and weapons of their Controlled Fusion system to fight against the Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan.

If they had switched to Dark Energy systems for their energy and weapons beforehand, they probably would have annihilated both races' forces long ago, and might even have gained more by taking advantage of the chaos in the warp drive.

But they didn't do that. Were they playing a trick on us? Their strength wasn't enough to crush the entire Star Sea Alliance, so what gave them the right to do that?

Was the Zerg playing the Zerg all along?

But what is their purpose in doing this? If they have been concealing their possession of Dark Energy technology in order to complete a grand plan, such as looking down on the Yuntu Clan and Sangqie Clan's armies of only a few hundred million, and wanting to trap more of the Alliance fleet.

So why reveal our hand so easily at this point?

Previous reconnaissance indicated that there were no ambushes around the entire Coalition Army fleet. Although the Ketu Clan suffered heavy losses from the Zerg's salvo, they only had a few hundred thousand warships in total.

The Zerg went through such a long and complicated process, concealing their technological advancements and relying on outdated forces to fight against a fleet of over 100 million ships, only to ultimately destroy a few hundred thousand warships?

The Zerg's baffling maneuvers have left all races in the Star Sea Alliance completely bewildered.