The war broke out suddenly, yet it was also within everyone's expectations.
The moment King's cheap warships appeared in the scanner, the countdown to war had already begun.
However, there is still the layer of intelligence, which serves as the last line of defense.
Once King had figured out the direction Simon was hiding, war became inevitable.
The new round was sent to each player's mailbox as scheduled.
Benjamin looked at the alarm coming from the reconnaissance ship, took a deep breath, and simply threw away the Donut in his hand, focusing all his attention on the game.
Sorry, but the following part cannot be dealt with carelessly by him.
Up to this point, everything was still following Simon's script.
Benjamin surveyed the enemy fleet in the target area.
King was indeed tricked into launching an attack.
His next task was to follow the star map Simon had given him, flank and jump to King's base, and deliver a fatal blow.
However, he did not launch a full-scale attack directly. Instead, he cautiously dispatched several small fleets first.
He also had to make sure Simon wasn't secretly stabbing him.
Even though he had already given all the resources to himself.
Unfortunately, the flight path has been rather turbulent lately, and it seems that a damned SS race is lurking in the nearby star sector.
SS stands for Superstealth, the Super Stealth.
They are adept at using various stealth ships, allowing them to steal resources from others without anyone noticing, and also gain intelligence bonuses when scanning.
Having this damned thief hiding nearby is incredibly annoying, even if it doesn't cause serious injury.
It would be great if he could find a teammate in Package Physics (PP).
Transporting supplies using space catapults is much more flexible than this.
So much happened that night.
When the wave of the future Internet era swept the world, and when self-media began to become the mainstream choice for new media, those bloggers who were keen on digging up old games and telling the Legend history of Gamenova would certainly not miss this classic battle.
Whenever the topic of "that video game that sparked the email craze" comes up, this game is sure to be a popular topic of conversation.
Now, it's time to move the plan forward.
"Warning!"
"Unknown fleet approaches"
"Warning..."
Simon had barely received the new save file when he heard several alarms in a row.
A large number of warships have been assembled on their own border.
Although they were all low-quality, cheap warships, their sheer number was indeed overwhelming.
Fortunately, he wasn't really going to personally take action.
Appearing alongside the enemy was another group of "big brothers" who had already signed a non-aggression pact with him.
Due to the IS Inner Strength, his warships were extremely large and could not pass through the Stargate built by Simon. Fortunately, he received the news early and had already deployed his ships nearby several rounds in advance.
Although few in number, their superior armor meant that even if they couldn't completely repel King, they could slow his advance.
All of this depends on the strategic materials and resources that Simon gave him!
Having such a reliable teammate nearby is truly reassuring.
Meanwhile, inside an apartment in the Rust Belt.
King's expression wasn't very pleasant.
Their rear was attacked.
Someone using the Zerg swarm strategy is planning to ambush me.
Where did this damn guy get his information? Or was it just a coincidence?
The fleet's strength isn't particularly formidable, as the Zerg swarm relies heavily on its early-game activation.
The opponent hasn't completely snowballed yet, so it's not a situation that's entirely unmanageable.
The problem is... most of his fleet is now with Simon.
Thinking about returning to defense now? We'd be better off quickly devising a new fleet for emergency use.
"No! There are others!"
King quickly checked the condition of everything and suddenly discovered a fact that terrified her.
A thief was nearby, constantly sabotaging her logistics and stealing resources.
This is troublesome.
Her fleet was already largely complete, so there was no need to worry about this in the short term.
But now things have gone wrong.
The new fleet is failing to materialize, and the old fleet is bogged down in a war of attrition with the "Turtle" strategy.
dilemma.
A single-minded approach has become blocked at both ends.
If she really wanted to break away, she would have to find a way to sign a temporary agreement with this Simon. As long as she could ensure that Simon, the buffer between her and that Turtle Clan, remained intact, she could defend freely and even launch a counterattack to wipe out the attackers.
" Donut... it was you."
King gnawed on his fingernails, then simply opened his email and quickly drafted a few emails before sending them out.
The content is roughly as follows...
Sigh, is it possible to reconcile?
The result is obvious.
A quick attack and a quick defeat are two sides of the same coin.
They failed to gain the upper hand initially, and then their rear was attacked.
Even if King's operational strategy was sound and he commanded a massive fleet, he could only suffer a crushing defeat under the combined attack.
The war did not last long; King eventually could not withstand the onslaught and surrendered.
At the negotiating table, Simon followed the rules and did not take away the other party's territory, leaving the spoils distribution entirely to the two main forces, the Tortoise and the Locust.
This battle drastically altered the landscape of the universe. The previously fragmented factions were instantly consolidated into several massive forces.
One side is the locust flow controlled by Benjamin, also known as Mr. Donut.
With a large influx of resources, King quickly consolidated his territory.
Not to be outdone, the Tortoise IS, having already secured the other half, quickly deployed heavy naval forces along the border.
The tension between the two sides grew increasingly high.
Simon, on the other hand, was caught right in the middle, like a pitiful buffer zone.
[ Benjamin ]:
Hi Simon, are you free today?
"Want to sit at our usual spot? I'll buy you a drink."
[Oh, and by the way, we can also talk about dealing with Alice.]
[Didn't you say you didn't trust her? Now is the perfect opportunity.]
[get your free email at novamail] "Huh..."
At the office, Simon looked at the email and chuckled softly.
It seems Benjamin can't hold back any longer.
That's true. Due to their IS traits, the Turtle race isn't afraid of enduring long periods of time; in fact, the longer they endure, the greater their advantage becomes.
But Benjamin couldn't do that.
The biggest advantage of the HE burst strategy is its snowballing phase.
Now that the situation is gradually stabilizing, he is starting to lose his advantage.
If this continues, the initial advantage he gained by acquiring King will soon be completely lost.
After thinking for a moment, Simon opened his email and sent a reply to the other party indicating his agreement.
After doing all that, he opened Alice's email and drafted a new email.
[to alice]:
[ Donut are about to make their move. Get ready. Tonight, the three of us will take down that turtle company.] [Remember to set up surveillance. Donut ' situation is becoming increasingly unstable.]
[coordinate:...]
I will send you the star chart in two hours.
Stars! is truly an amazing game.
Simon thought to himself.
You only need to play for a maximum of half an hour each day; the rest of the time you don't even need to open the game.
but...
The actual time required to put into this is far beyond what one might imagine.
Sometimes Simon even needs to spend an entire day communicating with other people via email.
Whether it's exchanging intelligence or engaging in deception and treachery.
But I have to admit... Simon really enjoyed the process.
Go ahead and laugh at me.
Simon thought to himself.
As long as you're genuinely enjoying the game, that's enough.
Those who think this game is weird or nerdy won't understand its fun.
He watched the game screen and silently deployed his fleet.
"Gateway connection is normal. Start gate 3, target: gate 15."
[to alice]:
[ The Stargate has been activated; we are ready to move.]
The next day.
Benjamin, who had finally cornered the Tortoises after suffering heavy losses, was astonished to find that a dense, invisible fleet had appeared behind him without his knowledge.
Simon didn't move; he was certain of that. Simon weak fleet was currently working alongside him to deal with the turtle 'Alice'.
It's that damn third party who's been hiding in the shadows all along!
It's that SS Shenyin who's been constantly plundering resources everywhere!
"Damn it, how did they manage to surround so many fleets all at once!"
The other party seemed to appear out of nowhere.
The reconnaissance ships deployed along the defensive line did not send any warnings whatsoever.
To achieve this, one would either need to be an IT professional with Stargate for mobile deployment, or find a route that perfectly avoids one's own limitations.
While interstellar catapults can also launch missiles remotely, their carrying capacity is nowhere near that great.
The only two possible scenarios...
Benjamin's eyes widened for a moment, then he instantly understood everything.
" Simon!!!"
The hidden force lurking in the shadows is Simon's true "ally." Everyone else—whether it's himself, the Turtle, or King who was tricked to death—is a fake!
Benjamin suddenly remembered the missing batches of supplies.
Simon had promised to give him all those minerals.
How can those damn thieves be so accurate, always managing to catch their lone cargo ship?
When a fight breaks out, their theft becomes even more rampant and boundless, as if they want to empty out his entire rear area.
So that's how it is!
He provided the star map, he drew the route, and he instigated the war.
Next round.
Simon's small fleet, densely packed with ships, crossed the Stargate and gathered from an unknown location, completely surrounding Benjamin, who was severely weakened by the battle with the Turtles.
Inside the coffee shop.
Benjamin and Simon sat facing each other. "I really didn't expect this..."
Benjamin's tone was quite wistful.
He's been paying a lot of attention to other matches shared by others lately.
Most of the time, it's the war-mongers or the locusts who win.
Regardless, early battles are indeed a very mainstream playstyle.
However, Simon's actions truly opened his eyes.
The match ended with Simon and Alice facing off against each other.
Simon's Stargate are spread throughout the universe, allowing him to easily send warships anywhere in a single turn.
Alice's stealth fleet, like nuclear submarines in the ocean, is hidden everywhere, ready to destroy Simon's territory at any moment.
A delicate balance has been achieved between the two sides, and neither side is willing to take the initiative.
The situation stabilized, and it could only be considered a draw.
"So... the real Alice has always been the one hiding in the shadows, and the 'Alice' I thought of was actually someone else you were using?" "Heh heh, you know, I'm a customer service representative who handles email."
"That's interesting. Let's keep in touch. We can play some other strategy games together."
"Certainly."
The next day, Simon arrived at the company and noticed that several of his colleagues were looking at him strangely.
Some were sarcastic, while others carried a hint of teasing and joking.
Just as Simon was feeling confused, he noticed a package on his desk that was addressed to him.
The sender's name was filled in as both familiar and unfamiliar.
[alice]
[Mr. Simon, I apologize for contacting you without my permission.]
I originally intended to ask for your address via email, rather than finding your company this way.
[But please forgive me, I no longer have time to wait for a reply.] [Thank you for providing me with such a wonderful match.]
A floppy disk lay quietly inside the box.