A dozen minutes later, in the operations command center.
Simon and other supreme commanders, along with commanders of various army groups, gathered to analyze the enemy situation. Many Beyond Grade A soldiers listened from the sidelines, while only Han Xiao, the joint advisor, participated in the discussion.
"The enemy's position has been exposed. They've established a temporary base in this distant area and dispatched multiple scout units to increase available teleportation coordinates and shorten their marching distance. It's anticipated that when they encounter intercepting forces, the main force will leap over..."
A tactical star map was displayed on the virtual screen, marking multiple coordinates. Simon zoomed in and out of the map from time to time to accompany his explanation, and everyone listened attentively.
The main force of the World Tree Civilization has assembled within its own territory, but instead of immediately deploying, it has sent scouts to establish temporary outposts and move closer to the interception zone to obtain closer coordinates as jump points, thus shortening the journey of conventional travel.
Once the main force arrives at the war zone, it is basically impossible to hide. It can only travel by conventional means and will most likely encounter beyond-visual-range fire and multiple harassments from the Three Universal Civilizations along the way. If the teleportation point is too far from the interception zone, the losses will increase. Therefore, it is necessary to shorten the journey as much as possible. Although the World Tree Civilization is not afraid of battle losses, it does not want to be bathed in gunfire.
Han Xiao obtained this information from the Child of Destiny and shared it with the Three Universal Civilizations, which led to this strategic meeting.
"The enemy's mobilization capability is astonishing; they arrived very quickly, leaving us little time to assemble. Although we have deployed more troops, our advantage is not significant. This battle will be difficult," another supreme commander said.
"Our biggest advantage right now lies in our home ground and strategic depth. We've already set up multiple traps, ambush zones, and beyond-visual-range strike zones. If the enemy's main force is bogged down in the area between the jump point and the interception zone for more than seven days, we expect to reduce their fleet by between two and seven billion men... However, this is on the premise that the stolen data is accurate enough, that their warship technology is on par with ours, and that they won't pull out some new black technology." The high-ranking officer in charge of coordinating the defense line construction pondered.
As they spoke, everyone turned to look at Han Xiao. Most of the information about the World Tree was provided by Han Xiao, and they could only rely on Han Xiao for intelligence. His contribution was many times greater than that of all of them combined.
"The intelligence is correct." Han Xiao nodded.
Although the World Tree Civilization is powerful and possesses a host of advanced technologies, its warship technology does not have much of an advantage. The technological content of its main warship models is similar to that of the Three Universal Civilizations, and there is no generational gap in performance. This was evident when they participated in the war in the previous life. Therefore, the Three Universal Civilizations did not collapse completely when they were suddenly attacked and withstood the pressure.
Simon clapped his hands. "The situation is clear now. Next, let's assign tasks to everyone..."
Following the agreed-upon plan, he quickly assigned tasks, and soon it was the turn of many Beyond Grade A.
Simon glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice:
"You don't need to participate in the initial firepower coverage and harassment. You will remain at base on standby, awaiting the main battle... Also, Mechanics, don't be idle; provide technical support at the virtual network level."
"Good."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
In a cosmic battle involving hundreds of billions of warships, their small force is like a drop in the ocean in terms of attrition against the enemy's massive forces. The risks of an individual fighting against a fleet far outweigh the rewards, and such missions do not require the participation of advanced combat forces.
The operational meeting was brief and concise, and a result was quickly reached. Not long after, an official report to the entire army was issued, and the war machine was quickly put into operation.
Numerous commanders received their orders and set off, fleet after fleet departing from the airport, transforming into streaks of light and disappearing into the universe.
Players waiting in their respective fleets simultaneously received several main storyline war missions they had been eagerly anticipating, sparking another wave of discussion on the forums.
Han Xiao also triggered these tasks. After carefully reviewing them, he found that they were roughly the same as the main tasks of the World Tree War in his previous life. They all involved killing enemies to earn merit points, and then exchanging merit points for rewards. However, there were subtle differences in the descriptions of the tasks.
The wording used in the previous life was mostly "resistance" and "obstruction," but the current task description is more positive, and the relevant tasks have been adjusted according to the butterfly effect it has caused.
For example, this interception battle, which did not exist in the previous life, formed a separate branch mission. If the strategic objective of blocking the enemy can be achieved, not only will a high reward be obtained, but it is also specially noted that it will have a positive impact on the overall battle situation. This is also a characteristic of the World Tree main storyline. Every local battle will form a branch mission, and the results will dynamically affect the overall strategy.
In the later versions of the game, players in the previous life possessed considerable combat power and could sometimes influence local battles. However, in battles of this scale, the outcome was not in their hands. They could only try their best to create breakthroughs and create opportunities for the main force. This was the role that players in the previous life often played in battles.
The rewards for these main quests are primarily experience points, which is a drop in the bucket for Han Xiao, but extremely generous for players. If they can obtain the victory rewards from the interception battle side quests, their average experience reserves can increase significantly.
As a terminal for reaping experience, the player base is like a reservoir for Han Xiao. Players create wealth (experience) by completing tasks and working, and then a portion of that wealth flows into his hands through consumption and other means, helping him develop. Without these "leeks" (players) generating wealth, how could he maintain his extraordinary growth rate in combat power over the years?
Therefore, Han Xiao has always favored large-scale collective missions. Whether for strategic considerations or for the goal of gaining experience, he wants to do his best to win this battle and accelerate the accumulation of experience.
Since Han Xiao and many other Beyond Grade A did not participate in the front-line harassment battles, they only watched the front-line battle reports and supervised the overall situation from the base every day.
The Three Universal Civilizations first cleared out and intercepted the scout forces. Not long after, the World Tree finally chose the nearest jump point, Expeditionary Army officially arrived, heading towards the interception zone. The main force endured beyond-visual-range fire during its journey, passing through trap zones and incurring some losses. However, even with the frequent harassment from the Three Universal Civilizations, the distance between the main force and the interception zone continued to shrink every day, getting closer and closer.
As events unfolded, the World Tree Expeditionary Army finally broke through the interception zone. The armies of the Three Universal Civilizations stood ready, and the two sides finally clashed head-on. Many Beyond Grade A warriors were conscripted.
The light from the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter filled their vision, and in the next instant, Han Xiao and many other Beyond Grade A soldiers had been teleported to the main command ship at the rear of the battlefield.
"You've finally arrived."
Simon nodded to the crowd.
"How is the situation now?"
As Han Xiao asked the question, he turned to look out the window, just like everyone else.
What comes into view is a vast and magnificent battlefield, where hundreds of billions of warships on both sides are engaged in a chaotic melee, their formations interlocking like serpentine teeth, as if an endless web of naval gunfire has been woven together. Unified command of such a large-scale battle is extremely difficult. Local command is mainly based on individual formations, divided into local war zones. Special technologies and Universal Treasure from both sides are deployed in turn, and all sorts of strange and bizarre phenomena occur in different areas. Every second, more than 100,000 warships are blown to bits.
Neither side would naturally deploy their forces before engaging in battle. The war began the moment the harassing forces fired the first shot. The World Tree Expeditionary Army and the Three Universal Civilizations fought fiercely all the way from the jump point to the interception zone, with virtually no pause in the fighting. Now, the conflict has escalated from a harassment war to a full-scale battle, and there is no opportunity to temporarily stop and give the other side a chance to regroup.
Witnessing this scene of a high-intensity, cosmic-level battle, many Beyond Grade A were secretly shocked, taking a deep breath, and the temperature in the room noticeably dropped several degrees.
Watching such a fierce battle, many Beyond Grade A couldn't help but feel a headache coming on, as if they didn't know where to start.
In a fleet battle of this intensity, even Beyond Grade A individual is but a drop in the ocean, constantly in danger of losing their life.
Only on the battlefield where two cosmic overlords clash head-on can one truly appreciate that past internal struggles and skirmishes were mostly minor skirmishes; this is the highest level of warfare.
Ignoring the thoughts of the others, Simon replied in a deep voice, "Currently, the two sides are evenly matched, and the future of the situation is still unclear. The enemy's high-level combatants have not yet made their move."
Han Xiao withdrew his gaze and pondered, "Are the World Tree experts still observing? Shouldn't we avoid participating in the main battle?"
"No need. Apart from the mechanics providing virtual technology support, the rest of you are only tasked with dealing with the World Tree's advanced combat forces. You don't need to worry about anything else for now," Simon shook his head.
Individual combatants rarely engage in direct combat in large-scale battles. They mostly employ tactics such as assaults, decapitation strikes, assaults, and escorting the main ship. Commanders generally do not allow high-level combatants to waste their energy on the front lines, since normal Beyond Grade A strength and stamina are limited.
Only mechanics who have mastered virtual technology can play a significant tactical role on large-scale interstellar battlefields, constantly infiltrating enemy networks to seize control of warships, making them far more effective than the other four types of superhumans.
"Okay." Han Xiao had no objection.
On this kind of battlefield, all you need to do is focus on your own duties. Managing the overall situation is the job of the commander, not for these Beyond Grade A) commanders.
Just then, the real-time battlefield star map changed, and hundreds of high-energy sources suddenly appeared in one of the war zones. The Three Universal Civilizations' fleets in that area suffered massive casualties instantly, and many warships were blown up in an instant, and the situation quickly turned one-sided.
"The World Tree has deployed high-level combat forces?" Simon's eyes narrowed, and he turned to pull up the surveillance footage. He saw a wave of World Tree powerhouses with different appearances charging in, their various abilities taking away fleets from the Three Universal Civilizations one after another, opening up the battlefield.
Han Xiao identified the enemies, his gaze settling on the Tranquil Tree King among them. He narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised.
He thought the Tree King wouldn't participate in this kind of battle, which was more like exchanging pieces, but unexpectedly, the Tranquil Tree King came.
However, considering that the other party is a martial artist who specializes in charging into battle, it seems reasonable for them to act as a suicide squad... After all, martial artists only have this one specialty.
At this moment, Simon withdrew his gaze, scanned everyone, and nodded emphatically.
"Everyone, it's up to you now."
As soon as the words were spoken, the three Beyond Grade A members of the Three Universal Civilizations turned and headed for the hatch without hesitation. The other Beyond Grade A members froze, said nothing, shook their heads, and followed.
Having chosen to come here, even if the battlefield is dangerous, there is no way I would desert my post.
Soon, one by one, the Beyond Grade A soldiers left the spaceship, flew at high speed across the battlefield, moved along their own formation, and quickly arrived at the scene of the incident.
Even from a great distance, the unique auras of their individual great power resonated with each other, locking onto one another and drawing them closer.
Han Xiao's gaze was fixed on the Tranquil Tree King, and the Tranquil Tree King was also aware of this, staring intently at Han Xiao, his martial aura rising continuously.
"Leave the Tree King to me, you guys handle the rest," Han Xiao said in the channel.
"Clear."
Many association members responded enthusiastically, while the elite Beyond Grade A members distanced themselves slightly, demonstrating their shared attitude through their actions.
The Arcane Church did not allow Urnos to participate in the war. Black Star is currently the strongest force among the Three Universal Civilizations' armies, facing off against the enemy's strongest. Naturally, no one had any objections.
As Han Xiao charged forward, he activated various skills, his gaze never leaving the Tranquil Tree King. Their eyes seemed to spark like metal clashing across a great distance.
"I can't touch you on your turf. I have teammates this time too. We can settle what we didn't finish last time!"
A cold glint flashed in Han Xiao's eyes. He suddenly unleashed arcs of Mechanical Force, releasing the mechanical warrior within his body. The warrior flew behind him, transforming and adhering to his body along the way. The sophisticated mechanical armor quickly concealed his murderous expression.
Amidst the boundless ocean of fleets and Tu Shu, two groups, trailing dazzling flames, rapidly approached each other. Then, the two streaks of light collided violently, and a chaotic battle erupted!