Chapter 1039: Land of Buried Bones

Feng Qi Xing Alliance, Southern Theater Headquarters.

On the holographic star map, the signal representing the Ximao Star region is being covered by a patch of scarlet representing extreme danger; this is the signal General Gelan has been waiting for for a long time.

The Zerg swarm has already fully invaded and is locked in the most intense slaughter with the Xiuluo Saint garrison!

General Gelan stands before the star map, hands behind his back.

"General!"

Adjutant Leike walks over quickly and begins to report.

"All monitoring units confirmed! Ximao Star is suffering an attack from the Zerg main force, the orbit has been blockaded by an Insect Hive Mother Ship, surface communications are in extreme chaos, and energy signals indicate a high-intensity, global-scale conflict is erupting! The Xiuluo Saint main force, especially those damned Blood Angels, must be firmly dragged down there!"

"Very good!"

General Gelan slams a fist onto the command console and says excitedly.

"That bunch of brainless bugs is truly the best battering ram!"

General Gelan turns to face the officers and staff waiting in the Command Center.

"Everyone! The time has come! The Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance's Ximao Star in the Sixth Star Sector is being devoured by an Insect Hive Mother Ship! Their fleet is pinned down, their ground troops are mired in a bitter struggle, and their Super Soldiers are exhausted! This is the perfect opportunity for our Feng Qi Xing Alliance to recover our lost southern territories and wash away our shame!"

A suppressed cheer erupts within the Command Center.

Ever since the fall of the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Star Sectors, the Southern Theater has been under immense pressure and humiliation.

"I order! The 'Echo Raid' plan, phase two, to be initiated immediately!"

The holographic star map switches, focusing on the connecting hub between the Sixth Star Sector and the Seventh Star Sector.

The planet codenamed "Shishan" Star, as well as dozens of surrounding planets occupied by the Xiuluo Saint.

"All assembled fleets, according to the predetermined plan, divide into three prongs!"

"The first prong, the main attack cluster! Commanded by me personally, target Shishan Star! We will smash the Xiuluo Saint garrison there and cut off the connection between the Sixth and Seventh Star Sectors!"

"The second prong, the rapid assault cluster! Commanded by Admiral Jenkins, divided into thirty rapid assault fleets, targeting thirty major planetary strongholds on the periphery of the Sixth Star Sector! Your task is to harass, pin down, and create chaos so the Xiuluo Saint are unable to attend to both ends and cannot determine our main direction of attack!"

"The third prong, the strategic reserve! Commanded by Admiral Morris, ready at any time to reinforce the main attack direction or deal with potential enemy reinforcements!"

"General."

A staff officer in charge of intelligence steps forward and says with slight concern.

"According to our previous intelligence, the defense of Shishan Star is not weak; it is garrisoned by a unit of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance's Super Soldier Legion, as well as a considerable number of Legions. If we launch a frontal assault, I fear..."

"Fear what?"

General Gelan interrupts the intelligence officer.

"Before, we worried that a frontal assault would result in too many losses, and we also worried about the enemy in the Sixth Star Sector returning to reinforce. But now? Ximao Star is burning, and those guys in red armor can barely save themselves! The enemy in the Sixth Star Sector is likely anxious to save their home star right now, or busy dealing with the bugs falling from the sky! How much heart and manpower do they still have to manage 'Shishan'? If we don't attack now, when will we?!"

Gelan looks around at everyone.

"Remember! War is about seizing fleeting opportunities! We must not fail the expectations of the Committee, and we must not waste this... war opportunity!"

"All Fleet Commanders, return to your posts immediately! In one hour, strike on time according to the plan!"

"For the glory of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance!"

"To recover our lost territory!"

Inside the Command Center, all officers roar in unison.

"For the Feng Qi Xing Alliance!"

One hour later, Feng Qi Xing Alliance Southern Theater main fleet, assembly airspace.

In the void, the massive Fengqi Fleet has already completed its pre-battle assembly.

Dozens of Battleships and Cruisers are surrounded by hundreds of Destroyers and Frigates.

On the bridge of the flagship Battleship "Revenge", General Gelan stands at the massive observation window, his three eyes watching the soul-stirring torrent of Steel outside.

"All units, final status confirmation complete."

Adjutant Leike reports.

"Navigation coordinates injected, hyperspace engines preheated."

"Weapon systems all online, ship-borne shield energy at full capacity."

General Gelan connects to the fleet-wide broadcast; his voice reaches the ears of every ship and every soldier.

"Soldiers of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance! I am General Gelan!"

"Before us lies the territory forcibly occupied by the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance that originally belonged to us! There, our compatriots are struggling under the rule of the Heretic! The glory of the Star Alliance is being tarnished!"

"For a long time, we have endured, we have accumulated strength, we have waited! Now, the time has finally come!"

"The Xiuluo Saint are currently troubled by a disaster from the depths of the star sea; this is the opportunity fate has given us!"

"Today, we no longer wait! Today, we will use cannon fire and Steel to tell those invaders that the territory of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance will not be violated! The children of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance never yield!"

"I order! All forces, attack!"

"Target: Shishan Star! For our home! For glory! Advance!"

"For our home! For glory!"

The next moment, the massive Fengqi Fleet begins to move slowly.

With the violent humming of hyperspace engines and the eerie light of space being torn apart, one ship after another jumps toward the predetermined battlefield coordinates.

Periphery of the Sixth Star Sector, orbit of the "Huojing-III" planet.

A Fengqi rapid assault fleet composed of three Light Cruisers and six Destroyers appears outside this mining-based planet.

"Detected two enemy Orbital Defense Platforms, one small space station, and several ground anti-aircraft positions."

"No traces of enemy Capital Ships discovered, only a few patrol boats."

The Fleet Commander's three eyes blink with satisfaction.

"Very good! Execute according to plan! All ships, concentrate fire, destroy the Orbital Defense Platforms and the space station! Afterward, carrier-based aircraft squadrons and Assault Pods, force a landing and occupy the main mining centers and control nodes! We will make this planet completely 'extinguished' on the Xiuluo Saint's strategic map!"

"Yes! Commander!"

At the same time, dozens of Fengqi carrier-based aircraft and Assault Pods fully loaded with elite paratroopers detached from the Mother Ship, broke through the planet's thin atmosphere, and launched a surprise attack toward the predetermined ground targets.

Similar scenes were playing out simultaneously on dozens of planets on the periphery of the Sixth Star Sector.

Outside Shishan Star.

The massive Fengqi Capital Ship fleet appeared in the outer orbit of Shishan Star.

General Gelan stood on the Bridge of the "Revenge," his three eyes fixed on the Shishan Star on the Holographic Star Map.

This place was once an important industrial node and transportation hub for the Feng Qi Xing Alliance in the Sixth Star Sector, but now it flew the loathsome double-eagle flag of the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance.

"Detected Shishan Star orbital defense network: four large defense platforms, several medium and small platforms, and ground anti-aircraft matrices covering the main industrial areas. Detected enemy garrison fleet signals... the scale is not large, about one Cruiser, three Light Cruisers, and more than ten Frigates, scattered in near-Earth orbit in a defensive formation."

The sensory organs quickly reported the initial scan results.

A cold smile curled the corners of General Gelan's mouth.

Just as he had expected, the crisis on Ximao Star had drawn away a large amount of the Xiuluo Saint's attention, and even for a key location like Shishan Star, the defensive forces had become so "thin."

"Order the vanguard Destroyer group to move forward and probe, clearing out those annoying 'eyes.' Main fleet, assume attack formation and advance steadily! We will pluck their outer defenses clean first!"

Several Fengqi Destroyer detachments charged toward the outer defense perimeter of Shishan Star.

Laser Cannon beams and Missiles began to interweave in the void, and the fire of explosions bloomed sporadically in the darkness.

Everything seemed to be proceeding according to General Gelan's script; although the Xiuluo Holy defensive firepower was tenacious, it was being gradually eroded in the face of the Fengqi fleet's absolute superiority in numbers.

However, just as the Fengqi Capital Ship fleet began to enter optimal range, the massive hulls adjusted their posture, and the main gun turrets slowly rotated, preparing for a devastating salvo against the Shishan Star's Orbital Defense Platforms and the garrison fleet.

A sudden change occurred!

First, a large number of warships jumped out from the back of the gray-brown planet of Shishan Star, as well as from the shadows of several large asteroids nearby!

It was three full Xiuluosheng Fleets!

The quantity was not at all inferior to the Fengqi main force brought by General Gelan!

These warships appeared on the flanks and rear of the Fengqi fleet!

"No... impossible!"

Adjutant Leike exclaimed in shock.

"They... where did they pop out from?! Our reconnaissance units didn't detect them at all!"

General Gelan's three eyes instantly widened, and he lunged toward the tactical table, looking at his own fleet icons that were almost surrounded by the red signals representing the enemy in an instant.

They had fallen for it! This was a meticulously designed trap!

"All units! Emergency turn! Reorganize formation! Prioritize dealing with the enemy on the flanks!"

General Gelan roared his orders.

The Fengqi fleet began to adjust direction in a panic, attempting to deal with this threat coming from all directions. But the initiative was lost, and the formation was in chaos.

Almost at the same time, in the center of the Xiuluosheng Fleet that had just completed its assembly, on the Bridge of the "Angel," a figure used powerful psychic amplification to transmit a voice full of majesty, spreading it across the entire battlefield and echoing in the ears of every Fengqi soldier.

"Invaders of Fengqi."

"I, Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels, hereby declare your end."

"You thought that by utilizing the disaster of the Alien, you could loot a burning house and desecrate the territory of the Star Alliance? Little did you know, your every step was within our calculations. From the moment Ximao Star lost contact, my brother Vulkan and I have been waiting here for a long time."

"This place, Shishan Star, is not the weak stronghold you imagined. This place shall be the burial ground for you Alien followers!"