Chapter 161: Deep Space Battle

All personnel involved in this operation learned from Du Lang that there are two plans to completely destroy a raider fleet.

The first is the simplest and also the most brutal method: using absolute firepower to instantly "vaporize" a mothership with a diameter over twelve kilometers.

It must be instantaneous.

According to Du Lang, each raider fleet's mothership contains a "brain beast" with independent thought.

The brain beast commands the entire fleet, from the mothership down to a single biological unit.

Moreover, an unknown communication method exists between brain beasts, constantly sharing information, which is why even after destroying a fleet, wave after wave of fleets keeps arriving.

Du Lang and the clan speculate that this communication method might be some form of telepathy.

Only by killing the brain beast can a raider fleet be rendered inoperable, no longer aiming to devour and assimilate planets, and unable to perform self-repair like just now.

Since the brain beast's position inside the mothership is not fixed, we must instantaneously and in one strike "vaporize" the entire mothership to achieve the goal of killing it.

However, as a mothership, it is not that easy to be instantaneously "vaporized".

Secondly is "boarding assault".

Sending elite forces to forcibly board the mothership, locate and precisely kill the brain beast—this is also the method used by the Iron Blood Clan.

At this moment, watching from afar.

All that can be seen is the two fleets rapidly approaching each other.

The Umbrella fleet on the "left side" then carried out another salvo of plasma cannons.

Boom—! Boom—!

Twenty-four meteor-shaped projectile volleys emitting green light burst from the barrels.

Synchronized with the salvo, the Azure Hawk-class also deployed its missile bays located on both sides of the hull.

As the distance between the two sides closes.

Swish! Swish!

One hundred fifty missiles carrying various warheads swiftly exit the bays, instantly adjusting their direction and spacing to fly on irregular trajectories toward the raider fleet.

Of the one hundred fifty, forty-eight warheads are plasma warheads, the rest are nuclear warheads of varying yields.

Forty-eight is Umbrella's entire current plasma warhead stockpile.

The remaining nuclear warheads serve to confuse and obscure, helping the plasma warheads hit their targets as much as possible.

Nuclear warheads, hydrogen bombs, and plasma warheads.

The bulk of these weapons' power comes from shockwaves, but in space there is no gas or dust to form a shockwave medium; only pure thermal energy and radiation can damage targets, so their power is greatly reduced.

Radiation has essentially no effect on raider organisms and warships that travel by flesh.

Immediately afterward, the plasma cannon salvo struck its targets first, green flames flashing on the outskirts of the raider fleet.

The destroyed biological warships, once the firelight faded, began an automatic repair process.

At that moment, the one hundred fifty missiles arrived in succession.

Those insect-like biological carrier craft, along with small biological warships, immediately launched suicidal interceptions against the missiles.

Boom——! Boom——!

In an instant, incandescent white and blazing blue "mini-suns" rose within the raider fleet.

It looks spectacular, but only low-value targets were eliminated.

Even so, many missiles still penetrated the raider fleet's outer and middle layers.

Finally, the remaining four plasma warheads successfully struck the front and left side of the mothership.

Boom——!

Four "suns" emitting searing blue light scorched the biological and metallic hulls with extreme heat.

After the blinding light faded.

The four plasma warheads created four unevenly sized massive breaches in the mothership's front and left side, exposing its internal structure and biological tissue.

However, this damage state lasted only a few seconds before biological warships acted as repair components, filling the massive breaches caused by the plasma warheads.

Seeing this.

Umbrella continued to increase speed, further shortening the distance between the two sides.

Shengjilesi's DivineBody was at the fleet's vanguard, with a squadron of Peregrine Falcons—nine aircraft per squadron—twelve squadrons in total, advancing together with three Azure Hawk-class vessels.

Preparing to pierce the raiders' defense line.

Distance shortening…

Shortening…

Finally, the Umbrella fleet entered the enemy's firing range!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Insect-like biological carrier craft fired a dense barrage of bone spurs at the Peregrine Falcons, DivineBody, and Azure Hawk-class, launching wave after wave of suicidal charges.

And those biological warships discharged volleys of unknown-attributeglowing with eerie green light.

Umbrella side showed no fear, like a spear piercing the enemy fleet, its momentum undiminished as it continued to rush toward the mothership in the central zone.

Ri~—tatatatat!

The rotary pulse close-in defense guns opened fire, mercilessly reaping those "large insects".

The Peregrine Falcons formed pairs and triples, engaging the "large insects" attempting to approach the fleet in space dogfights.

At the fleet's tip, Shengjilesi even used his brother's lent divine weapon to slash and pierce anything trying to block.

Even more astonishingly, the raiders' bone spurs and biological cannon volleys, when about to strike DivineBody, were intercepted by a "Light Wall" made of golden ◇ diamond-shaped blocks.

Like bone spurs and biological cannon volleys—pure physical attacks—could not effectively damage DivineBody.

The generation principle of this "Light Wall" seems fundamentally different from energy shield technology.

In fact, the shield technology mastered by Umbrella temporarily cannot generate enough coverage to encase DivineBody.

In other words, this "Light Wall" is a shield system unique to the DivineBody.

According to BoKen's explanation, after the DivineBody possesses an OriginalBody as a pilot, it is equivalent to having a "soul", and combined with Spiritual Energy produces a unique defensive stance.

With Shengjilesi clearing the way, the Umbrella fleet advanced like a bamboo splitter, steadily approaching that giant mother ship.

…

Inside the single-pilot cockpit of a Peregrine Falcon.

"Tap! Tap!"

The aircraft cannon mounted in the fuselage transmitted its firing noise through vibration to the cockpit.

A pilot wearing a special flight suit was piloting the Peregrine Falcon in pursuit of a fly-like biological enemy aircraft.

"Pfft—pfft!"

The 20mm caliber shell-less aircraft cannon round, upon entering the fly's body, detonated violently, scattering organs, blood, and tissue into space.

But not long after, the control panel display reminded the pilot that ammunition was exhausted.

Thus the pilot prepared to return, having ground crew replenish his ammunition.

"Beep! Beep!" Suddenly, an urgent alarm rang through the cockpit.

A larger biological enemy aircraft launched a suicidal ram from the Peregrine Falcon's front-left, ready to perish together with it.

However…

The pilot did not choose to evade, but instead controlled the Peregrine Falcon to retract its wings into a spindle shape and collide with that biological enemy aircraft.

"Screech—!"

That biological enemy aircraft not only failed to carry out its suicidal act, but was instead cut in two by the Peregrine Falcon.

The pilot controlled the Peregrine Falcon to spin, shaking off the entrails stuck to the window, and then saw the huge mother ship up close.

(End of Chapter)