Chapter 264: Victorious Advance

Sky‑filling artillery fire.

Dense barrage continuously spews out from the fortress mixed among the asteroid belt.

If one only looks at these barrages and asteroids, their firepower can be called extravagant and eye‑catching.

But if one follows the barrage onward, before another slowly approaching colossus, this barrage appears especially tiny.

After all, when a gigantic celestial body that blocks the sky slowly squeezes through the sea of asteroids, the barrages spewing from the surrounding fortresses seem like Lilliputians shining flashlights at Longlin Star.

Faced with these flashlight beams, Longlin Star didn't even have the desire to counterattack; it simply, calmly, slowly, pressed on!

Click—

Longlin Star control room.

Feeling the slight tremor underfoot accompanied by the continual crisp clicks, Kiriman and Kanglade stared at the external display, already utterly silent.

They merely stood stiff in place, eyes wide, mouths agape, dumbly watching Longlin Star's advance.

Along the way, the asteroid fortresses set up by Fulikes, aside from emitting a few sparks after being crushed by Longlin Star, actually affecting Longlin Star's crew only amounted to this slight floor tremor and click.

Kanglade, who always plays sneaky, feels nothing.

But as Kiriman, who had a perfect childhood, he gazes at the scene before him and feels an inexplicable familiarity with this phenomenon.

This feeling is just like......

Just like when I was a kid with a car—no! It's like the feeling of a steamroller rolling over firecrackers.

Although Kiriman is familiar with this feeling, now looking at the asteroid fortresses outside and at the Iron Warriors' carefully prepared defenses, he wonders whether likening the fortress to firecrackers is really okay.

Even as Longlin Star takes the lead, nine battle moons follow behind.

In the control room's projection, Kiriman and Kanglade could clearly see that the entire asteroid belt had been brutally carved into ten passages.

A large number of junk ships and the Imperial Navy continued forward along the passages.

Leaving only the sides of the passages, they stared dumbfounded at the surviving Rebel Forces that had been run over directly from their own bodies.

From their perspective, this couldn't even be called a battle.

Because from start to finish, no matter how intense their firepower, the opposite side—those lunatics who treat satellites as warships—don't even bother to glance sideways; even seeing Longlin Star's advance speed, they feel the enemy not only didn't slow down, but actually gave it extra throttle!

As for slightly moving a gun barrel to give them a reaction to their firepower, that became a luxury.

Thus, when Longlin Star crushed through without slowing, the Rebel Forces garrisoned in the asteroid belt could only honestly report their situation to the rear.

So when the formerly overconfident Fulikes saw the incoming message, he truly couldn't fathom what madness his subordinates had gotten into, sending him such nonsensical intel.

"Crushed through?"

Fulikes was in the Dadian at this moment.

Below, several Iron Warriors company commanders, together with many traitorous Imperial officers, stared blankly at Fulikes.

Even because of this message's sudden reversal, their facial expressions still retained much of their earlier confidence and flattery.

Now they stood frozen, desperately pondering what Fulikes' words actually meant!

They of course know that 'crushed through' refers to an action.

But they don't understand whether this 'crushed through' means their own flesh being crushed, or the asteroid fortress they're in being crushed.

If the former, they could still console themselves.

But if the latter......

The Dadian fell silent; upon thinking of this, nobody dared continue, and in the silence came the synchronized sound of gulping.

Asteroid...... fortress...... been crushed?

What word would you use to describe it poorly, why must you use 'crush'?

They clearly recall that on that asteroid defense line, there were as many as a hundred fortresses.

Each one's volume could barely be counted as a floating city.

Now, hearing from the front line, there is something vastly larger than a floating city that crushed them to pieces?

Even if it's a crush rather than a blast, it means the enemy didn't even bother to pull the trigger, simply pressing straight through our firepower.

Even in this Imperial cesspool, even at 30K, being able to stand beside a war smith as part of the core command, nobody's a fool!

Basically, just thinking about the meaning behind this sentence, although they haven't seen the concrete scene, they can already fully imagine it in their minds!

Being able to do this shows that the enemy‑our strength gap has reached an inconceivable degree.

They can easily crush dozens of asteroid fortresses, and in one sweep send away their already‑scant fleet.

Even more directly, a single salvo of fire could turn the fortress planet beneath their feet into cosmic dust!

The atmosphere in the Dadian had frozen to an extreme; everyone, after grasping it, stiffly looked toward Fulikes.

One of the Iron Warriors company commanders, having held it in for a while, gritted his teeth and spoke:

"Sir, should we recall the military report just sent to the War General?"

When the company commander spoke, a crowd looked over—not because the commander at that moment still wanted to flatter.

Rather, not long ago Fulikes still faced an inquiry from Helusu and sent a guarantee.

Moreover, in that guarantee he boasted he could indefinitely detain this unfamiliar Imperial Army, and even said that if the timing were right, he would inflict heavy damage on this Imperial Army.

It can be said that confidence reached its peak!

But who would have thought that after he replied, the news he received would be that his very first line of defense, the enemy not even bothering to retaliate, simply crushed straight through?

Throughout the process, the enemy not only didn't slow down, but actually blasted the throttle to accelerate.

Under these circumstances, his earlier guarantee is no longer merely a matter of confidence.

That damn thing counts as false military intelligence!

Fulikes also reacted, his head lifting in surprise, instinctively wanting to nod, but after hesitating half a day he really couldn't make up his mind.

Changing his tune now would be tantamount to slapping his own face!

Helusu's Abadon beside him wanted to seize the opportunity to perform, and I, Fulikes, also want to!

This should have been my battle to make a name for myself; how could I just watch it turn into a joke?

Finally, after hesitating for a long time, Fulikes gritted his teeth and spoke:

"Issue an additional report, just say the lackeys are numerous, and our army bravely resisted."

Seeing Fulikes unwilling to yield, his subordinates also had nothing to say, and directly turned around to prepare to carry it out.

But before this news could even pass, another Servo Skull flew in, bringing Fulikes new information.

Fulikes stared, then directly waved his hand, letting the Servo Skull open a projection.

What then came into view were ten stellar vessels, directly ramming into his interception fleet.

At this point, it was less than two days' journey from his position!

Fulikes stared blankly at the projection, then suddenly stood up, looking toward the company commander who was preparing to issue the additional report, with a solemn expression:

"Just say the enemy forces are great, our army has annihilated a billion foes, and now, carrying the momentum of a great victory, we are shifting to the second defensive line!"