Another major battle had ended. The once-vibrant grassland was now nothing but scorched earth and plant ash.
The Plant People civilization had specialized biological sensors that detected the humans' movements from far away. After their vanguard was wiped out, the Plant People took the human invasion very seriously. Before long, Commander-in-Chief Ningdi Lingling received word that the Plant People army was massing in large numbers.
Based on the Hyacinth's survey years earlier and subsequent drone exploration, the imperial military could roughly establish that most of the Plant People civilization lived in the planet's low-latitude regions. Higher latitudes were unsuitable for the Plant People's survival.
The universe contained countless forms of life, each suited to a different environment, yet all could find a suitable habitat at some latitude on a Gaia Planet. This was one of the key reasons Gaia Planets were suitable for any life-form.
As it happened, a large Plant People city stood near the human landing site. A sizable Plant People army soon assembled there and launched an attack on the human outpost with their biological weapons.
Unlike last time, however, the Hyacinth's colonists had received substantial arms aid from the Interstellar Human Military Junta. They were well equipped, their morale was high, and they were eager to fight.
The legendary captain Zuo Bayang organized a Red Laser defensive line, attacking the Plant People with energy weapons whose technology far surpassed theirs.
After a comprehensive assessment of the battlefield, the soldiers formed two ranks stretching several kilometers, much like human musketeer formations three hundred years earlier.
Three hundred years later, this tactic proved surprisingly effective against aliens, too.
At Commander Zuo Bayang's order, the first rank fired a volley with their Red Lasers. Hundreds of dazzling beams shot out, instantly killing Plant People still several kilometers away.
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