Chapter 1150: The Heavy Hammer, Falls

"General, we have a situation! Detecting an abnormal energy spike from the enemy flagship! It's... it's the main cannon charging! They are targeting us!"

On the holographic display, the energy readings of the "Dragon's Breath" were rising like crazy.

Vulkan's flagship was turning its cannons toward the direction of the Fengqi Fleet.

"Shields to full! Evasive maneuvers!"

Tuosile roared.

"All units, enter combat formation! They are about to make the first move!"

Alarms blared throughout the entire fleet.

The Fengqi warships began to maneuver, and the Shield Generators emitted a humming sound.

But strangely, the Star Alliance fleet did not open fire; only the "Dragon's Breath" was charging, while the other ships were still assembling.

The Deputy Commander analyzed.

"They are probing. Seeing how we will react."

Tuosile stared at that Cruiser.

Legends about this ship had already circulated within the Fengqi Navy: it had withstood the concentrated fire of twelve defense platforms during the orbital battle of "Cinder Prime."

"If we retreat, they will pursue."

Tuosile said in a low voice.

"If we don't move, they will complete their assembly and then attack. If we..."

Tuosile paused, his three eyes narrowing simultaneously.

"What if we attack now? While they haven't fully assembled and their formation is loose."

The Bridge fell into silence.

All the officers looked at their Commander.

"General, this is too risky."

The Deputy Commander tried to dissuade him.

"Our orders are 'act with caution'..."

Tuosile interrupted the Deputy Commander's dissuasion.

"Caution is useless now! Look at what they are doing! They occupied our planet, slaughtered our kin, and are now strutting about assembling their fleet right in front of us!

If we don't even dare to fight this, then what kind of soldiers are we?!"

Tuosile stood up, his voice echoing on the Bridge.

"Order all units: abandon the defensive formation and switch to an assault wedge. Target that flagship! Concentrate all firepower and take down the 'Dragon's Breath'! Once the Primarch's flagship falls, the rest will be headless flies!"

The order was transmitted across the entire fleet via encrypted channels.

The Fengqi warships began to turn, their engine nozzles spewing scorching ion streams.

120 warships lined up in a sharp wedge, stabbing straight at the heart of the Salamanders fleet.

"Detecting more energy readings! The ships around the enemy flagship are also starting to charge! They were prepared all along!"

Tuosile's heart sank.

A trap. This was a trap.

But the arrow had left the string; there was no turning back.

"Full speed ahead! Open fire!"

"Dragon's Breath" Bridge.

Vulkan stood on the command platform, his reddened eyes fixed on the tactical holographic table.

On the screen, the purple arrows representing the Fengqi Fleet were charging in.

"They chose courage."

First Company Company Commander Huokan stood at Vulkan's side.

"Foolish, but brave."

"Courage must be guided by wisdom, otherwise it is recklessness."

Vulkan said calmly.

"But at least they made a choice. That is better than hesitation."

Vulkan pulled up the fleet deployment map.

The Salamanders' ships appeared to be assembling chaotically, but in reality, every ship was at its designated position.

A loose, seemingly fragile spherical formation, with the "Dragon's Breath" at the center.

And on the periphery of this spherical formation, the ships of the Fifth Company and the Seventh Company were quietly flanking from two directions.

"Main cannon range will converge in three minutes and twelve seconds."

Vulkan nodded and gave the order.

"Order: all units maintain formation, 'Dragon's Breath' move forward to draw fire. Hammer Force accelerate the flanking maneuver but remain hidden, appearing only after the enemy is fully committed."

"Father, you are going to act as the bait yourself?"

Huokan said hurriedly.

"This is too dangerous. Although the 'Dragon's Breath' is sturdy, facing the concentrated fire of warships..."

"The 'Dragon's Breath' must be hard enough for the hammer to exert its power. Besides... they want to hit my flagship. Then I will give them that opportunity."

Under Vulkan's command, the "Dragon's Breath" began to move forward, breaking away from the center of the spherical formation.

Outside the portholes, the artillery fire of the Fengqi Fleet began to flicker.

The first volley crossed the void, and the Energy Beams sent ripples across the Void Shield of the "Dragon's Breath."

"Insignificant."

Vulkan evaluated.

"All ships, return fire. Aim for the three lead enemy ships and break their charge."

The main battery of the *Dragon's Breath* opened fire.

A Light Lance tore through the darkness, striking the tip of the Fengqi wedge formation.

The Void Shield of the first Fengqi Cruiser collapsed upon contact, its armor was melted through, and the hull snapped in two.

The second ship barely deflected a portion of the energy, but its entire port side was sheared off, and it began to spin Out of Control.

The third ship performed an emergency maneuver and was only grazed on the flank, but it still bore a deep molten scar.

Tuosile watched this scene from the *Firm Intent*, his Third Eye stinging violently.

This was the gap that brought despair.

"Don't stop! Keep charging! Focus all firepower on that flagship!"

Tuosile roared into the communication channel.

"As long as we take it down, we win!"

The Fengqi Fleet continued its charge.

The second volley, the third volley... the Void Shield of the *Dragon's Breath* still showed no signs of overloading.

Vulkan stared at the tactical map, calculating distance, angle, and time.

"Position of the Hammer Force?"

"Fifth Company has reached the designated position on the flank and entered the enemy fleet's left wing."

"Seventh Company has reached the right wing."

"Third Company and the remaining ships have completed the encirclement arc; the rear blockade is complete."

A perfect encirclement.

The Fengqi Fleet had already ventured deep into the trap, like fish rushing into a net.

"Now."

Vulkan gave the order.

"Hammer, fall."

Void battlefield.

When the twelve Destroyers of the Salamanders' Fifth Company emerged from the shadows on the left, Tuosile's first reaction was disbelief.

When the Seventh Company appeared on the right, Tuosile felt a wave of suffocation.

When more ships flanked from the rear, Tuosile knew.

It was over.

"We are surrounded! They have been building an encirclement the whole time!"

"Break out!"

Torres shrieked.

"Turn! Concentrate fire to open a gap! Any direction will do!"

But it was too late.

The Salamanders' fleet squeezed in from three directions simultaneously.

Light Lances and Torpedoes fired in unison... the void was stained with the colors of destruction.

A Fengqi Frigate attempted to break out from the left, only to be torn apart by the crossfire of the Fifth Company's three Destroyers.

Another Cruiser charged toward the rear, colliding with a Third Company Cruiser, and disintegrated like an egg hitting a stone.

The *Firm Intent* struggled in the chaos.

Tuosile ordered the ship to turn, attempting to break through the relatively weaker right wing, but the *Dragon's Breath* stood before them like an impassable mountain.

"General! Shields are about to collapse! Structural damage has reached 37%!"

The damage control officer reported.

Tuosile looked at the tactical map.

Of his 120 warships, only 80 remained in the fight, and all of them were damaged.

Enemy losses? Zero. At least, zero for now.

Despair drowned Tuosile.

This was not a battle; it was throwing themselves into a net.