Holding the Line

Communication between minds was fast. What would have taken a long time to say was exchanged in a very short time.

The Hive Mind's plan was highly feasible, and it was not complicated.

The plan had three parts. The first step was to hatch as many Zerg as possible to resist. During this stage, the Swarm's resistance had to be resolute and tenacious.

They had to give the Antill Empire the impression that the Swarm would rather be wiped out than fail to inflict heavy losses on the enemy.

The second step was to divide the Swarm into several groups and retreat in different directions after discovering that they could not defeat the Antill Empire's forces.

This behavior would be highly unusual, making the Antill Empire think there was something here that was extremely important to the Swarm. To keep important Swarm targets from escaping, the Antill Empire would definitely split its forces, committing a substantial number of ships to ensure successful interception.

Once they had lured the enemy into splitting its forces, they could launch the third step.

The Hive Swarm Consciousness would gather the entire Swarm for a counterattack, one that had to strike with thunderous force.

The Antill Empire's fleet would certainly realize that it had been tricked into dividing its forces, and its remaining troops would adopt a strategy of conservative defense and attrition.

Once the situation descended into complete chaos, a Swarm fleet carrying Zhang Han's consciousness would depart from the far side of the planet and break out toward the designated planet.

At that point, the Antill Empire's fleet would be on the defensive, no longer capable of intercepting it.

It was a perfect plan. To be honest, Zhang Han had always held a rather low opinion of the Hive Mind because its initial behavior had been too rigid.

Now Zhang Han realized that its rigidity might have been because he had not been using it correctly. How could something capable of commanding such a vast Swarm be rigid?

As long as he figured out how to use it, the Hive Mind would be a top-tier assistant.

"For the plan to succeed, I will also need your cooperation, Overmind," the Hive Mind said after finishing its explanation.

"Cooperation? Of course. Do you need me to command the Swarm to put on a convincing act and inflict as many casualties as possible?"

"No. It is because of the special nature of creations of the Shroud. To counter the Swarm, the Stellaris Council's large-scale fleets are all equipped with devices for detecting the Overmind's consciousness. If your consciousness is detected, it will certainly draw an even larger attack."

"So..." The Hive Mind paused in an almost human manner. "Please trust me, Overmind, and enter dormancy. I will command the entire operation, and I will make certain of your safety."

Ordinary people would generally hesitate when faced with handing their fate over to someone else. But the Hive Mind sounded so sincere that Zhang Han agreed after only a second of thought.

"Then, great Overmind, sweet dreams."

As soon as this message reached Zhang Han's mind, his consciousness fell silent as though he had gone to sleep.

Three hours passed in a flash. Four hundred alien warships emerged from hyperspace beyond the planet's gravity well, their predominant colors red and black.

The fleet's appearance exuded steely strength. Its lines were mostly straight, with virtually no curves, vastly different from the style of the Little Blue Men's fleet.

The ships' designs emphasized simplicity and practicality, with virtually no decorative features: heavy armor, menacing gun turrets, and surging power.

These warships were more like simple, heavy warhammers, without the slightest flourish, expressing their aesthetic of violence through strength alone.

At the heart of the fleet, its largest warship was surrounded by the others like a general under guard. Inside this obvious flagship, red and blue light flickered constantly across the displays on its dim bridge.

Every operator was fully armed, carrying out their work meticulously. At the highest, darkest point on the bridge stood a special chair.

The chair's materials and workmanship seemed utterly out of place aboard this high-tech warship. It appeared to have been forged from crude metal, with fragments of armor, remnants of broken swords, and Zerg carapaces upon it.

It looked more like an ornament than a comfortable chair.

Because of the lighting, only half of the person seated in the chair was visible, his face and expression obscured.

He swept a hand forward and said, "Launch the attack as soon as the fleet enters orbit. Don't leave a single bug alive. But remember to bring me back a special trophy. My throne needs more decorations."

Soon, the entire fleet launched its attack under the commander's orders, and the large Swarm fleet in orbit engaged them.

Although the Mutated Zerg Brood Lords' improved ammunition still proved highly effective, sinking many ships in the Antill Empire's fleet, this time the enemy had greater numbers, firepower, and armor, and fought more bravely.

Viewed from the planet's surface, the lasers, missiles, and shells fired by the Antill Empire's warships set the sky ablaze like divine punishment.

Some of the planet's native creatures were terrified by the sight. They hurried into caves or buried themselves in the soil. To them, the sky seemed about to collapse.

Under such an onslaught, no matter how the Mutalisks and Corruptors tried to shield the Mutated Zerg Brood Lords from attacks, they could not block all the firepower, which far exceeded a torrential downpour. The Mutated Zerg Brood Lords slowly began suffering casualties as well.

The Swarm's excellent medium-range aerial units, similar to cruisers.

After gaining the advantage in the orbital battle, some of the Antill Empire's bulky warships plunged into the atmosphere, a meteor-like rain of steel tearing through the air.

The Swarm's ground-based Spore Crawlers inflicted some losses on them, but still could not prevent their landing.

Large numbers of tanks, combat vehicles, tactical squads, and steel mechs assembled. Their mission was to establish secure ground bases and attack the Swarm's hatcheries, or provide guidance for strikes from beyond the atmosphere.

To prevent them from gaining a foothold, large numbers of the Swarm's ground troops emerged from tunnels and attacked them.

The Antill bases were sturdier than those of the Little Blue Men. Automated equipment allowed the bases to be built at tremendous speed, and strong energy shields protected them.

Although the Blood Mist Insects, which had been extraordinarily effective in the previous battle, could also corrode the shields, their effectiveness was greatly reduced. Without heavier weapons, the Swarm simply could not break through the shields in a short time.

To increase the pressure on the shield generators, the Swarm could only keep attacking. Meanwhile, the Antill troops inside the shields took the opportunity to slaughter the Swarm with powerful, concentrated fire.

To preserve the Swarm's numbers and sustain its attacks, the Hive Mind had no choice but to reduce the intensity of the assault, shifting from an all-out encirclement to concentrated attacks.

After an hour of fighting, aboard the Antill fleet's flagship once again.

The fleet commander seated on the throne carefully studied the battle and said, "The Swarm here is somewhat unusual. Its attacks and command are more methodical, rather than simply charging recklessly. There are new mutant Zerg, too."

Then he smiled faintly. "Interesting. Though our losses are greater than expected, victory still belongs to the Empire. These Zerg truly are a terrifying race. If they had a little more time, a few more mutant bugs, they would probably be the ones winning."

At that moment, several newly hatched Swarm fleets flew out of the atmosphere, but instead of joining the battle, they flew away from the gravity well.

They intended to jump into hyperspace once they left the planet's gravity well.