Chapter Summaries

The Duoqi convoy’s escape descended into chaos as Raiders attacked and trapped vehicles in the tunnel, while two gunboats escaped aboveground. The surviving vehicles raced toward the exit, but a Tunneling Worm broke through the tunnel wall and blocked their path.

• Duoqi drivers crashed together at the tunnel entrance as they fought to cut in line, leaving the convoy trapped while Raiders pursued them.
• Raiders attacked the gunboat crews, and corrosive fluid injured three Duoqi soldiers; the crew amputated one soldier’s arm before the gunboats retreated.
• The two gunboats emerged from the ventilation shaft into the morning sunlight and followed the planned route toward the main force.
• Raiders cleared the wrecked vehicles from the tunnel and continued chasing the escaping Duoqi.
• A captain ordered the convoy to accelerate as mysterious thuds shook the tunnel, and a Tunneling Worm burst through the wall and blocked the road.

The Tunneling Worm blocked the Duoqi convoy, and the crash destroyed Units Six and Seven while leaving many soldiers dead or gravely injured. The captains of Units Three and Eight found a narrow gap and began secretly moving through it with Unit Seven’s equipment, leaving the transport vehicles and troops behind.

• The sixth Assault Vehicle crashed into the Tunneling Worm, and the seventh vehicle collided with it moments later, killing its gunner and badly injuring its passengers.
• Duoqi Soldiers fired at the worm and prepared demolition bombs, but the worm ignored them and continued eating the tunnel wall.
• The troops on the other side of the worm returned and told Unit Eight’s captain to check on the survivors in Unit Seven.
• Unit Eight’s soldiers carried the injured out of the wreck, but more than a dozen were dead and the medic said the survivors were barely breathing.
• The captain of Unit Three showed Unit Eight’s captain a narrow gap and quietly ordered him to bring Unit Seven’s equipment through it.
• Unit Eight’s soldiers stripped Unit Seven’s vehicle of equipment and crawled through the gap one by one, leaving the transport convoy behind.

Captain Kuoben’s combat team tried to slip through a gap beneath the Tunneling Worm, leaving the transport convoy behind. The Worm attacked as the Duoqi rushed toward the opening, and the stranded survivors were left facing a furious creature.

• Captain Kuoben refused the Duoqi’s offer to help carry the wounded and ordered them to keep away from the combat team.
• A Duoqi repairman spotted soldiers crawling through a passage beneath the Tunneling Worm and revealed that Kuoben’s team was trying to escape.
• Kuoben ordered the Duoqi to come with him, then fled toward the passage when the convoy noticed the commotion.
• The Tunneling Worm lunged at the fleeing Duoqi, killing Kuoben and others as the combat team escaped in a vehicle on the far side.
• A Duoqi soldier fired a Heavy Machine Gun at the Worm, which charged and swallowed the vehicle along with a large piece of ground.

The Duoqi tried to escape the Zerg through a tunnel and across the planet’s surface, but they remained under relentless pursuit. Five vehicles reached the exit and signaled for help, yet fast-running beasts caught up with them as they searched for a way to escape.

• Several Duoqi sent an empty vehicle into the Tunneling Worm, then tried to race past it while it retracted, but the creature lunged again and destroyed their vehicle.
• The Raiders appeared in the tunnel as the remaining Duoqi watched the trapped group face the Tunneling Worm.
• Five Duoqi vehicles escaped the tunnel, fired a signal flare, and set off for the rendezvous point.
• A crewman spotted a pack of unfamiliar beasts chasing the vehicles, and the Captains ordered the drivers to speed up and cast land mines behind them.
• The vehicles reached top speed on the damaged roads, but the beasts kept gaining on them, leaving the Captains searching for another way to escape.

The Duoqi convoy escaped the pursuing Zerg beasts after the creatures exhausted themselves, but a colossal flying beast appeared above them. The chapter left the convoy facing a new attack from the sky.

• The Duoqi fired from their speeding vehicles and detonated Heavy Induction Mines, slowing the Zerg beasts but failing to thin their numbers.
• The Captain learned that the convoy’s signal remained jammed, while the soldiers speculated that the Zerg were testing experimental units.
• Rowan’s pursuing beasts slowed and stopped because their bodies could not sustain prolonged exertion, a flaw he had accepted to keep them cheap to produce.
• The convoy continued onward, and a Duoqi sentry spotted a huge shadow growing overhead.
• A Zerg flying beast with a wingspan of nearly sixty meters plunged toward the convoy as the Duoqi looked up in terror.

The Duoqi soldiers’ armored vehicles were destroyed by an Evil Eagle, while their fleeing commander’s ships came under attack from the Swarm’s new Wind Gods and Sky Strikers. The chapter ended as the Sky Strikers began pursuing the Duoqi aircraft.

• Evil Eagle seized a Duoqi armored vehicle and hurled it into another, destroying both and killing many soldiers.
• The third squad’s captain survived jumping from a speeding vehicle, realized the Zerg were testing units on the Duoqi, and died from his injuries.
• The Duoqi commander and other survivors fled aboard Gunboats and Transport Crafts, but their ships’ radar detected an aerial threat.
• Two Wind Gods concealed above the base launched Sky Strikers at the Duoqi ships.
• The chapter described how Rowan upgraded the Sky Strikers with radar targeting and a powerful Propulsion Module.

The Swarm tested its new aerial weapons against Duoqi forces, then spent years recovering and reinforcing its holdings as the Star Sea Alliance rebuilt its forces. With both sides preparing for another war, Alliance leaders debated whether to stand and fight or retreat again.

• The Sky Strikers destroyed seven of nine Duoqi airships, while two damaged gunboats climbed into higher airspace and were destroyed by Space Octopuses.
• The Swarm completed its combat test by destroying the base’s armored vehicles, and Rowan used the results to assess potential units.
• Years later, the Star Sea Alliance returned to Duoqi Planet, found it transformed into a purple-gray ocean, and lost every scout sent to investigate.
• The Swarm reinforced its territory while the Star Sea Alliance amassed warships, and tensions rose as both sides prepared for renewed conflict.
• Alliance leaders debated whether to fight the Swarm or retreat, then agreed to vote on their strategy.

The Locke Mutual Aid Society voted to defend the Zeran and Meto civilizations, but political maneuvering and internal delays weakened its preparations. In the twenty-eighth year of the New Era, the Swarm resumed its expansion on multiple fronts, advancing toward both the Koya Alliance and the Locke Mutual Aid Society.

• The Locke Mutual Aid Society voted to defend the Zeran and Meto borders, then mobilized troops, factories, and reinforcements for the front.
• Other alien races praised the Locke Alliance, but its members suspected the Koya Alliance had made them a target and called another vote on whether to retreat.
• The Locke Mutual Aid Society narrowly voted to stand firm, though deliberate delays and slowdowns began to undermine its plan.
• The Swarm stirred again in the twenty-sixth year of the New Era, and reports of its activity dominated the news.
• In the twenty-eighth year of the New Era, the Swarm sent nearly a billion troops along multiple fronts toward Koya Alliance territory and the Locke Mutual Aid Society.

The Koya Alliance abandoned five star systems to the Swarm, which halted to regroup after its supply lines became strained. The Locke Mutual Aid Society debated whether to withdraw or fight, then began planning a preemptive strike but remained unsure how to defend four fronts with its available forces.

• The Koya Alliance evacuated Qi-103 and nearby systems, allowing the Swarm to occupy Qi-103, LKDW281, LKDW277, LKDW279, and LKDW275.
• The Swarm paused to regroup after its supply lines struggled to support its forces across the five occupied systems.
• The Locke Mutual Aid Society argued over whether to resist the Swarm or follow the Koya Alliance's example and abandon territory.
• The pro-war faction silenced opponents of the war and led the meeting toward concrete military plans.
• The Locke Mutual Aid Society proposed finding and attacking the Swarm's assembly points, seeking intelligence from the Epoch Clan, and splitting its forces between two star systems.
• The members questioned how the Coalition Army could handle the two remaining star systems if it concentrated its forces in only two.

Sarah ordered the Zerg to move their assembly points closer to the LKDW262 and LKDW263 Star Systems, catching the Locke Mutual Aid Society off guard. As its commanders argued over how to respond, Musha called for proposals on whether to attack or defend.

• Terra reported that the Koya Alliance was evacuating and the Locke Mutual Aid Society was preparing to defend two systems while mining and harassing the other two.
• Sarah moved the Zerg assembly points for LKDW262 and LKDW263 back by one light-year to test whether the Locke forces would emerge.
• A Coalition Army radar detected Zerg warships assembling outside both systems earlier than expected, and its commander summoned the other commanders.
• The Locke Mutual Aid Society's commanders argued over retreating, protecting civilians, and whether they had followed the Koya Alliance's example.
• Musha quieted the dispute and asked the commanders how to respond, prompting one to ask whether they should attack or defend.

The Locke Mutual Aid Society debated whether to attack or defend against the Zerg, then sent its forces to disrupt the Swarm’s gathering point. General Wheeler’s Telo Race fleet arrived first and began deploying interference devices, leaving Wheeler uneasy about his dangerous assignment.

• The commanders argued that attacking risked arriving in separate waves, while defending would let the Zerg build up, and Babuta suggested they flee.
• The Zerg’s ruler learned that the Locke Mutual Aid Society had dispatched forces to attack its gathering point and called their plan foolish.
• At the end of the thirtieth year of the New Era, Telo Race warships emerged from warp 0.2 light-years from the Swarm and confirmed the Zerg had not moved.
• The first Telo Race ships deployed interference devices to conceal the area and prepare the approach for the main force.
• General Wheeler arrived aboard his disc-shaped flagship and ordered the other ships to clear the approach, while worrying that his fleet was exposed to danger.

Wheeler doubted the coalition’s confidence as nearly ten million warships assembled to attack the Zerg, while Sarah chose to let the fleet gather. By the time the coalition completed its preparations, Wheeler suspected the Zerg had noticed both assembly points and was hiding its intentions.

• Wheeler feared the dangers of fighting the Zerg and kept his unit ready to withdraw, then slept for more than twenty hours after exhausting himself.
• Nearly ten million warships from different races gathered, with about thirty million expected, though fewer than half could join the planned lightning strike because many lacked warp engines.
• Sarah learned that the Swarm had located the United Fleet’s assembly point but decided to wait and defend against the coalition’s attack.
• The coalition completed its assembly believing it had evaded Zerg surveillance, while Wheeler reviewed the Zerg’s record and questioned whether they had truly failed to notice.
• Wheeler noted that forces had assembled at a second battlefield in LKDW263 and suspected a conspiracy when the Zerg appeared unaware of both gatherings.

Wheeler warned the Coalition Army that the Swarm’s stillness was suspicious, but the commanders proceeded with their attack as the Swarm’s numbers grew. As the Coalition Army charged into battle, Sarah ordered the Swarm to fire its Electromagnetic Cannons.

• Wheeler reported that something was wrong, but the Coalition Army commanders continued with the operation rather than risk further damaging morale.
• Wheeler watched tens of millions of Coalition Army warships advance toward the Swarm’s position.
• The Coalition Army learned that the Swarm had turned to face them without launching any harassment attacks, and estimated that it had thirty to forty million Octopus Monsters.
• During the nearly half-year approach, the Swarm grew to nearly fifty million units while the Coalition Army gained only a little over five million reinforcements.
• The Coalition Army commanders ordered the vanguard to charge and the wings to follow, aiming to break apart the Swarm’s formation.
• Sarah ordered two volleys of Electromagnetic Cannons, and the Swarm opened fire on the charging Coalition Army.

The Coalition Army’s cramped, divided formation faltered when its Repulsion Fields disrupted the fleet, pushing the Sharp Blade Division too far ahead of the Zerg. After four exchanges of fire, the division suffered devastating losses, leaving its commander facing a broken vanguard and a weakened position within the Coalition.

• The Coalition warships activated linked Repulsion Fields to block the Swarm’s Electromagnetic Projectiles, slowing most of the fleet and causing collisions and disorder.
• The Telo warships surged ahead during the disruption, and Coalition commanders’ efforts to restrain them further damaged the formation.
• The Sharp Blade Division entered energy-weapon range and exchanged fire with the waiting Zerg, whose Space Octopuses maneuvered more easily than the Coalition’s rigid warships.
• The division endured four rounds of concentrated Zerg fire after coordination failures left it without support, and its casualty rate climbed above forty percent.
• The Coalition commander realized the damaged Sharp Blade Division could no longer carry out its mission, while its losses threatened to undermine his standing among the Telo Race and Coalition.

The Coalition Army struggled to recover after its center spearhead was shattered, while its commander pushed the flanks to advance and restore his authority. The center briefly opened a gap in the Swarm’s lines, but the multinational wings remained disorganized and were steadily driven back.

• The Coalition Army commander ordered the flank units forward and told the wings to accelerate after the Swarm stopped firing its Electromagnetic Cannons.
• The Coalition Army’s wings advanced as the Swarm moved to block them, spreading the fighting across a front more than ten million kilometers wide.
• With no new orders, the center’s follow-up units replaced the battered Sharp Blade Division, and elite ships pushed the nearby Zerg back.
• The vanguard commander mistook the local opening for a general retreat and ordered a full assault into the gap.
• The Meto commander struggled to keep his wing in place as the disciplined Swarm drove the mixed allied forces back and inflicted heavy losses.

The Xiluo Clan’s refusal to fight spread resentment among the allied fleets, weakening the Meto-led flank until the Meto commander collapsed and his forces began withdrawing. The coalition commander was left searching for someone willing to take over a dangerous command position.

• The Xiluo commander requested permission to withdraw, and the furious Meto commander told them to stay out of his way rather than punish them.
• Seeing the Xiluo Clan avoid the front line without consequences, other civilizations began requesting to withdraw, forcing the Meto commander to fill the gaps with his weaker fleets.
• The Zerg pushed back the wings as the allied center advanced, and the Meto commander spat blood and collapsed from rage and grief.
• The coalition commander realized the Meto had used the collapse to escape an awkward command position, but the Meto fleet soon withdrew and exposed the forces behind it.
• The coalition commander received complaints from the other races, but qualified candidates refused to take over the flank because the position had become a hot potato.

The Swarm isolated the Coalition Army’s central army and trapped it between Zerg forces and the blocked rear guard. As the central army tried to retreat, the Swarm inflicted mounting losses, leaving its commander furious at the other fronts.

• Sarah ordered the Swarm to stop reinforcements from reaching the central army while the Zerg forces surrounded it.
• The Coalition Army’s central commander received the retreat order and learned that Zerg forces had cut off the rear guard.
• The central army turned around to retreat, and the maneuver weakened its firepower as the Zerg attacked again.
• Damaged Coalition Army warships fell behind, and the Swarm destroyed many before they could escape or be towed to safety.
• The central commander blamed the other fronts as stranded crews fled in small craft through the crossfire.

The Coalition Army struggled to rescue its trapped central forces as the Swarm exploited the coalition’s divided command and routed its wings. After the rear army’s attack briefly threatened the Zerg line, the Swarm renewed its assault and cut the central and rear armies off from each other again, leaving the front army in despair.

• The Coalition Army commander ordered the rear army to rescue the trapped center, but the other civilizations’ fleets refused to risk their forces.
• The Telo Civilization and the two other strongest members of the Locke Mutual Aid Society pressured the rear fleets into halting their retreat and attacking the Zerg encirclement.
• The Zerg routed the Coalition Army’s wings, and several member fleets abandoned the battle and withdrew to their own territory.
• The Swarm regrouped and attacked the central army from the rear while reinforcements reached the Coalition Army’s rear and forced it to divide its firepower.
• The Zerg recovered and reinforced their line, blocking the central and rear armies from rejoining and filling the front army with despair.

The Coalition Army’s vanguard tried to break out of the Swarm’s encirclement, but its formation was squeezed tighter as the battle dragged on. The commander used strategic nuclear bombs to create a magnetic storm and force a passage, allowing the surviving ships to escape while nearly half the fleet was left behind.

• The vanguard commander ordered the fleet to abandon defenses on three sides and break through toward the rear, with the Telo Fleet taking the rearguard position.
• The Coalition Army used abandoned outer warships as barriers, but wreckage blocked its firing lines as the Swarm pressed closer and the breakout stalled.
• After nearly a month of fighting and with the Space Octopuses closing in, the Coalition Army commander ordered strategic nuclear bombs launched and detonated early.
• The nuclear explosions and magnetic storm temporarily halted the Zerg advance but disabled many Coalition warships.
• The Coalition Army abandoned damaged ships and rallied its remaining vessels to break through, leaving nearly half its forces and their crews behind.

The Coalition Army vanguard gambled on shutting down its systems and launching strategic Nuclear Bombs to break through the Zerg and reach the rear guard. After suffering heavy losses and surviving explosions that damaged its own fleet, the vanguard restored power and attacked the weakened Zerg caught between the two Coalition forces.

• The vanguard commander ordered the fleet to accelerate toward the Zerg positions despite warnings that it could become trapped, and most ships followed.
• As the Zerg caught up, the commander ordered strategic Nuclear Bombs launched ahead and the warships' electronic equipment shut down, leaving the fleet to rush forward on inertia.
• The Zerg intercepted many missiles, while EMP effects and damaged warheads caused misfires and nuclear explosions that destroyed or damaged Coalition ships.
• The surviving vanguard reached the battlefield where the rear guard was fighting, with fewer than thirty percent of its original forces remaining.
• The commander ordered the fleet to restore power and restart its engines, and the warships corrected course and fired on the Zerg weakened by the explosions.