Wen Zhonghua led the fleet in a different direction and continued heading towards the Insect Zone. Wen Zhonghua did not pursue the fleeing Zerg swarm, as it was pointless. There were simply too many Zerg in the Insect Zone, and killing a few would have little effect on the overall Insect Zone. In fact, it would only backfire if it triggered a swarm attack.
Wen Zhonghua kept his consciousness-shaking weapon at maximum power, causing the insects along the way to avoid him. In addition, the fleet broadcasted messages all the way, claiming that their entry into the Insect Zone was not to fight the insects, but only to find Li Shun and settle the score. Wen Zhonghua knew that the truly high-level insects hidden in the Insect Zone would have their own judgment and might reduce some obstacles.
News of the Zerg swarm spread very quickly, and a considerable number of Zerg had already gathered along the fleet's route. However, not a single Zerg dared to charge forward and confront the fleet. The deeper the fleet ventured into the Insect Zone, the more Zerg gathered along the route. When the fleet had traveled more than 20,000 light-years, an anomaly finally appeared ahead. The dense swarm of Zerg had completely blocked the fleet's path, and Wen Zhonghua had no choice but to order the fleet to stop.
The swarm did not immediately attack the fleet, something the fleet had never encountered before. In the past, the civilized fleet and the swarms were like mortal enemies, always locked in fierce battles whenever they met. This time, the swarms remained quietly still, which surprised Wen Zhonghua. Since the swarms did not move, Wen Zhonghua did not launch an attack either.
The fleet's warp drives were angled from the start to maintain constant communication with the fourth dimension, and Dimensional Bomb were dropped into the surrounding space before the swarm could invade the fleet.
The two sides remained locked in a stalemate. The insects flew up and down, wriggling and crisscrossing in the airspace near the fleet, like a thousand demons descending upon the world, as if hell had been reopened. The phenomenon of higher-level insects preying on lower-level insects never stopped. Every moment, higher-level insects were tearing at lower-level insects, and the entire starry sky was filled with blood and slaughter.
Ten days later, a rocky planet slowly appeared in front of the fleet. At first glance, the rocky planet did not seem strange, but upon closer inspection, everyone discovered something unusual.
A thin worm had already circled the planet several times. This worm was only a few meters thick, but its length exceeded that of any worm known to humankind. Moreover, this worm was covered with densely packed legs from head to toe.
"Chief of the General Staff, if I were that long, my brain probably wouldn't catch up to what happened until my lower body was chopped off," Li Zhixiong remarked.
"Watch out, if you were that long, I'd definitely chop you up."
What do we do now?
"Let's see what this thing is trying to do."
"How about we try sending a message?"
"Okay, ask this ugly thing what it wants."
Li Zhixiong immediately took the instrument that Academician Xiao had given to Academician Zeng and the Insect Zone to simulate the insect Consciousness Field and started fiddling with it. Soon, a message spread.
" Insect King, we've already said our target isn't your Insect Race. Why are you blocking our way? Get out of our way immediately, or we'll annihilate you on the spot!"
This is not an exaggeration. The fleet now has the strength and confidence to do so. Of course, this statement is directed at the slender worm in front of us. If a battle were to actually break out, the fleet would be lucky to survive in the Insect Zone. This is the Insect Zone, after all, where high-level worms from the fourth dimension could descend at any time to attack the fleet.
"It's not that I want to stop you, it's that someone wants to stop you."
Who is it?
"The person you're looking for."
"Chief of the General Staff, it's that bastard Li Shun." Needless to say, the person humanity is looking for is none other than Li Shun. The Insect King must have heard the news through the broadcast, and Li Shun knew it too.
" Li Zhixiong, how come the insects obey Li Shun's orders?" Gao Jianchuan asked in confusion.
"Sigh, I don't know either. We were ambushed twice by the swarms of insects controlled by Li Shun in the Matter River. Luckily, we were fortunate, otherwise we wouldn't be here today."
" Li Shun colluding with the insect? That doesn't seem likely. Li Shun's strength is only second-rate. Why would the insect cooperate with him? How strange."
"Alright, stop speculating. Everything will be clear once we capture Li Shun. Now get ready. If we engage Li Shun's fleet in battle, ignore the bugs and chase after Li Shun's fleet. This time, we must cripple Li Shun completely."
Since the insects sent a message saying that Li Shun was coming, Li Shun's fleet must already be on its way. Judging from the size of the galaxy and Li Shun's speed, it would take Li Shun at most three or four years to reach this place. If Li Shun had been notified in advance, it might have taken even less time. The insects would not lie and had no reason to lie.
In order to completely cripple Li Shun, Gao Jianchuan, a top student in the fleet, came up with a plan: to make the ship's four-dimensional energy extraction system work at full capacity, and then let the energy flow out of the warship silently, increasing the energy density in the entire airspace. The increase in energy density means an increase in spatial density.
The increased spatial density will affect the curvature movement of Li Shun and the insects. According to the data analysis brought by Li Zhixiong from the Matter River, the mobility of Li Shun's fleet is worse than that of the previous Reaper. Now that the Reaper have been strengthened in all aspects, even if Li Shun has made progress, he should not be able to catch up with the Reaper.
While the insects are highly agile, they are far inferior to the Reaper in terms of conventional propulsion. The Reaper, with their superior maneuverability, can use their space cannons to more effectively strike Li Shun and the insect swarm. The short-term increase in energy density cannot completely block warp drive, but it can more effectively prevent Li Shun from escaping.
Since they were idle anyway, and the energy of the fourth dimension was inexhaustible, even the slightest benefit was worthwhile. They didn't care about Li Shun's fleet or the insect fleet in front of them. What Wen Zhonghua and everyone else were most worried about was that if war broke out, it would attract the insects from the fourth dimension. Those insects were not to be trifled with; they could even destroy the warships of the Great Star Region Civilization. The Reaper would be nothing more than a piece of cake under their sharp teeth and claws.
"I heard someone's trying to cause me trouble, is that true?"
The swarm of Zerg cleared a path ahead of the Reaper fleet, revealing a fleet of disc-shaped warships—it was undoubtedly Li Shun's fleet.
" Li Shun, you've aided and abetted evil, acting as an accomplice to tyranny! You've repeatedly attacked our fleet, and now you dare to come here on your own initiative? You're practically courting death!"
"Haha, who do we have here? It's the Chief of the General Staff! Where's General Hu Yu? Why isn't he here?"
"I'm more than capable of dealing with a scoundrel like you. Tell me, do you want to surrender or do you want us to beat you until you beg for mercy!"
"Such arrogance! However, I am very interested in your armor and attack methods. Leave these technologies behind, and I might consider letting you go."