"Tactical illusions."
Giotto's heart sank slightly.
Tactical illusions, also known as optical tactics, were widely used in interstellar warfare.
The fact that a tactic was so common proved its inherent value; every deployment provided feedback for refinement.
Tactics validated by extensive experience are notoriously difficult to counter.
Especially at this scale.
It's not much different from ground warfare: imagine a mountainside crawling with enemies, but only 1% are real. They all open fire on you. Every shot looks real, but only that 1% of the fire actually carries a payload.
How do you counter it?
Only by introducing an overwhelming force.
Like leveling the entire mountain.
Dudley paced like an ant on a hot pan, utterly lost.
"Only super-range weapons can end this cleanly!"
"But where are we going to find those?"
The Rusty Star Nation's long-range weaponry was notably weak.
If they fired, forget hitting the enemy, they'd be lucky not to hit themselves.
Without a counter-tactic, they'd be picked apart until not a single warship remained.
He looked at Giotto.
The previous maneuvers had shown him that Giotto had some capability.
At least a bit of tactical cleverness.
But seeing Giotto's expression just as grim as his own, Dudley became even more uncertain.
He gathered the massive influx of data and began a point-by-point analysis.
Experience had its perks; even in a panic, he didn't forget his duties. At a time like this, he had to keep processing data correctly and not become a bottleneck.
But what was the point of this analysis?
Even he didn't know.
Perhaps he was just praying it would be useful.
Commanding wasn't the job of an adjutant; an adjutant's role was to relay orders and gather intel.
If an adjutant could make the strategic calls, what was the point of having a Strategos?
"Are we really going to die here?"
"In our very first battle!"
"Was the CEO's decision a mistake?"
Dudley had earned Giotto's trust solely because of his obedience, not because of any personal ties or exceptional talent.
He held a low opinion of Giotto, yet when Giotto asked him to be his adjutant, he accepted, simply because Giotto had been appointed by Luna.
A legendary figure within the Supernova Technology Corporation.
Someone who could stand against Binom and emerge victorious.
The corporation was full of "disciples" like him who followed Luna.
Some had even joined the company specifically because of her.
But Luna was only human, wasn't she?
This was the seed of Dudley's doubt.
"It's not time to give up yet. We couldn't deal with the electron cloud before because it was positioned so far away."
"But now that it's closing in, we have a new opportunity."
The grim-faced Giotto turned toward the frantic Dudley, refocusing his attention.
Tactical illusions are indeed difficult to manage.
But because the tactic was so common, Luna had made sure to teach him how to counter it.
The advantage of tactical illusions is essentially the advantage of the electron cloud:
Distance!
That's why Giotto had felt so grim initially.
But now he realized the enemy had abandoned that advantage, closing the distance just so the electron cloud could provide a better simulation.
An electron cloud unit only has the ability to block and emit light, meaning it can't accurately simulate energy signatures; a central server wouldn't be fooled by that alone.
So the enemy was trying to optimize.
By bringing the cloud closer, they didn't have to project light into the fleet; they could use the cloud units to relay the light in a 1-2-3-4-5-6 sequence.
Because this light was emitted by the cloud units themselves, it was more concentrated and harder to detect as a fake.
Perhaps the enemy had other motives as well, like using the cloud's cover to close in for a real strike.
Regardless.
It was not a good move on their part.
Giotto's expression remained tense, but his outward demeanor didn't reflect his inner thoughts.
He wouldn't project a relaxed attitude now because the situation wasn't relaxed, and he couldn't afford to let the fleet lose its edge.
"Prepare to capture the electron cloud units."
"An electron cloud is a purely replicated product. This means that if we can compromise one unit, we can compromise them all."
"The enemy must have some confidence in this, otherwise they wouldn't be this brain-dead."
"But they've overlooked a critical point."
Giotto ordered Dudley to assemble the fleet's mechanics.
These mechanics weren't just skilled in machinery; they were experts in electronics as well.
The Mechanic is a professional-tier role.
A professional role is a technical position only one level below a Scholar.
On a warship, mechanics are required to hold professional certifications.
These certifications are arguably harder to obtain than a technical license during the Earth era; they're more akin to a medical license.
A hospital has many staff, but only licensed doctors can serve as attending physicians or associate chief physicians, at least, in most cases.
The Mechanic role is similar; it requires rigorous professional certification.
The licenses range from Level 1 to Level 5.
Each level is progressively harder to achieve than the last.
While the difficulty doesn't quite reach Scholar-tier, it's still immense, requiring at least a doctorate-level of specialized knowledge.
To become a Mechanic, for instance, one must hold doctorates in over a dozen fields, mechanical engineering, computer science, software engineering, electronics, communications, thermodynamics, mechanical physics, just to be eligible for the exam.
Currently, both in the Federation and across all star nations, the population is vast.
Consequently, the competition for professional roles is terrifying.
Out of 100 mechanics, only one will likely earn a license.
Out of 100 licensed mechanics, only one might reach Level 5.
And to become a mechanic in a star nation or Federation fleet requires further layers of selection, where the most exceptional individuals are chosen from among hundreds of Level 5 mechanics.
Mathematically, it takes roughly a million mechanics to produce one warship mechanic.
Within the entire Tier 2 fleet.
There were only a few dozen mechanics.
Giotto assembled these few dozen individuals.
"I need you to modify a unit identical to an electron cloud unit to serve as a master unit."
"Develop a comprehensive plan to counter the electron cloud. This star nation isn't feeding you for nothing."
A warship mechanic earns a monthly salary of 10,000 to 20,000 Energy Credits, while a chief mechanic can earn up to 50,000.
In contrast, a regular soldier earns only about 1,300 including stipends.
By the time the orders were issued, Dudley had already relayed the command to capture electron cloud units to the ships.
On the fleet's perimeter, several ships drifted slightly outward, making contact with the encroaching electron cloud and successfully gathering dozens of units.
Before even a few days had passed.
Tens of thousands of electron cloud units were delivered to the mechanics' research lab.
"Can you do it?"
Because the outcome of the war hung in the balance, Giotto felt compelled to oversee the work personally.
He had to question the mechanics directly to ensure they hadn't misinterpreted his intent.
"The technology behind these electron clouds is highly complex, at least two levels above our own nation's current tech."
"The underlying logic is slightly different as well; it's going to take some time."
After all, these were products of a high-tier star nation, which gave them a significant technological advantage over the Rusty Star Nation.
Giotto recalled a question he'd once asked Luna: What if the enemy's technology is superior to ours?
That had been in a different context.
Luna's answer had been simple: All technology evolves from simplicity to complexity. Once you understand the fundamental underlying logic, you can counter it. You don't need to crack it; you just need to mimic it. Tactical illusions work on machines as well.
The reason Giotto remembered this was that he had typed the keywords into his auxiliary brain to retrieve the lesson.
He said to the mechanics: "Don't try to hack the system or modify the software. Just analyze its transceiver frequencies. Try to mimic the frequency and the encryption key."
An encryption key is like a lock.
But locks have levels.
A standard padlock, a combination lock, an electronic lock, the difficulty varies significantly.
An electron cloud unit is a relatively simple device. Its security measures aren't designed to withstand long-term scrutiny.
Theoretically, if a device can resist being cracked for ten years, it has served its purpose. If it's cracked on day one of the eleventh year, it was still a successful product.
Developing these countermeasures costs money; one doesn't invest endlessly in them.
Hearing this, the group of mechanics collectively slapped their foreheads.
As professionals, they were embarrassed that they hadn't immediately considered such a straightforward solution.
"Not a problem. I just ran a check on the emitted signals. While they're heavily encrypted and can only be read by specific units, simply distorting those signals is a piece of cake."
Clearly, the designer of this electron cloud had anticipated various countermeasures.
But ultimately, limited by size and cost, it couldn't be perfect.
This was Giotto's opening.
As he finished his orders, an emergency alert from the central server flashed before him.
[ 3 ships destroyed. Stay alert for incoming enemy attacks. ]
A secondary log detailed the damage to the ships and the vector of the attack.
Giotto didn't bother opening it; the enemy wouldn't be in that position anymore.
He left the mechanics' lab and issued a general order.
"Full defensive measures. Deny the enemy any openings."
"Now that the enemy has ceased their stellar simulation, locate the nearest star system. We're heading there."
With a star system's resources, they could sustain themselves a bit more comfortably.
Currently, the enemy definitely had superior energy reserves; Giotto's fleet could only try to minimize their consumption.
...
The Ice Crystal Fleet.
Dumu received the battle report: three enemy ships destroyed.
A negligible number.
Far less than the damage the Tier 2 fleet had previously inflicted on them.
But this was only the beginning.
"Slow advances are satisfying, but delays breed uncertainty."
"The enemy has changed course again, heading for that star."
"Deploy fighters. Ambush them at close range. Use physical containment against their warships."
The Glolo star nation's fleet possessed methods far beyond simple laser fire.
Physical containment, also known as energy solidification.
The name was literal.
Energy would be released into a localized space, and after a short time, it would materialize into a solid form, rock, metal, or something else. Regardless, it became a dense, solid mass.
What happens when a warship is suddenly encased in rock or metal?
It loses all operational capabilities.
Warships aren't equipped to clear massive boulders from their immediate vicinity; whether firing main or secondary batteries, the proximity of the impact would inevitably damage the ship itself.
Shortly thereafter.
The fighter squadrons launched.
Each fighter had a sleek, teardrop-shaped hull, similar to a dolphin but without fins or a tail, smooth and polished like a piece of jade.
In the vacuum of space, aesthetics don't impact speed; it's purely a matter of style.
However, as products of the Glolo star nation, these fighters accelerated instantly, reaching 210,000 km/s.
Speeds like this were once unthinkable even within the Federation.
Times change.
This level of propulsion technology had now been shared with the star nations.
At such high speeds, it took only hours for the fighters to close in on the Tier 2 fleet.
Initially, the fighters went undetected.
But they were forced to release a massive amount of energy.
On his flagship, Giotto received reports from the rear. The rear guard was calculating counter-strikes but didn't attempt to disperse the released energy.
After all, they were protected by their external energy shields.
The fighters were destroyed quickly, annihilated in an instant.
It seemed like a victory.
Dudley shook his head. "Do these guys have no other tricks? Sending a few scrap fighters to their deaths!"
Giotto didn't underestimate the enemy so easily.
He reviewed the reports a dozen times and was suddenly struck by a terrifying realization.
"That energy."
"It's solidifying!"
Rusty considered Glolo a major rival; they wouldn't have missed gathering intel on their capabilities.
Solidifying matter was one of the methods they had documented, though it wasn't a primary tactic. Giotto had seen it mentioned only briefly in reports, which was why he hadn't immediately recalled it.
"Order all warship units to disperse those energy clouds immediately."
"No, it's too late."
According to the intel, solidification typically takes about an hour.
By the time the report reached him, that hour had likely already passed.
Since they were in the same fleet, the rear warships hadn't used high-energy Tachyon transmissions, opting instead for standard light-based communication.
The flagship was located in the rear-middle of the fleet; by the time the signal arrived, the enemy had likely already achieved their goal.
Sure enough, a Tachyon transmission arrived shortly after.
Dudley was panicked.
"28 warships and 428 ships in the rear guard have been encased in asteroids!"
Because the energy was so tightly packed against the hulls, rescuing them would be incredibly time-consuming.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
The most critical issue was that the impact had generated a reactive force on the ships. Being trapped in rock meant they couldn't adjust their attitude or accelerate, which meant any rescue attempt would require the fleet to slow down.
That was impossible!
Giotto felt a wave of frustration, but he still issued the command.
"Abandon the encased warships and ships!"
A heavy decision.
Losing a few hundred ships was secondary, but those twenty-odd warships were a vital part of his strike force. Losing them like that was a massive blow to morale.
"Scramble fighters. Intercept the enemy squadrons."
It was the only order Giotto could give now.
They were on the defensive.
But would the Ice Crystal Fleet make it easy for Giotto to intercept them?
Their long-range batteries targeted those tiny fighter units.
Despite the distance, their accuracy was surprisingly high.
Firing at a dozens-of-meters-long fighter from over a hundred AU away wasn't like using a cannon to swat a mosquito; it was more like using a sniper rifle to hit a single cell from a million kilometers away.
Especially when that cell was moving at supersonic speeds.
But that was exactly what the central servers were capable of.
Within a month, 90% of the Tier 2 fleet's fighters had been destroyed, and the enemy repeated their solidification tactic.
Dispersing those energy clouds required even more energy; it wasn't a simple task. Those were artificial particles.
The entire fleet felt a growing sense of urgency.
Giotto visited the mechanics repeatedly to pressure them.
At this rate, his forces truly would be ground down to nothing.
As he left the mechanics' lab yet again, Dudley approached him.
"Strategos, should we move the flagship forward a bit? We're currently quite close to the rear."
He was afraid the flagship would be caught in the next solidification strike.
Giotto glared at him and issued a command.
"Adjust the warships. Move the flagship to the very rear of the formation."
The first part of the sentence made Dudley's face light up with joy, but the second part caused that smile to freeze instantly.
Dudley knew moving the flagship forward might impact the fleet's overall coordination, but he valued his own life above all else. He couldn't fathom why Giotto would do this.
Giotto walked away, thinking to himself.
Next time, I definitely need to choose an adjutant with more actual competence. Obedience and eloquence are one thing, but at a time like this, he's just a nuisance.
Moving the flagship to the rear would help stabilize morale, and it allowed him to detect changes in the enemy's offensive more quickly.
As for dying?
Giotto wasn't worried about that at all.
Or rather, much like Toma K, he harbored a hidden death wish deep within his heart.
He always prepared for the worst-case scenario. Dying was no big deal; after all, he'd already lived an incredibly eventful life.
Of course, the primary reason was that the higher civilization had modified him; he essentially couldn't die.
As for the lives of the others on the flagship, he didn't care.
The flagship retreated.
The advisors were all shocked.
They had participated in the previous war and witnessed the madness of the Divine, but even those Divine figures only took risks when victory was assured.
By moving to the rear, Giotto was placing himself directly in harm's way.
They thought he was a fool, yet they simultaneously found a newfound respect for him.
This was a true warrior!
This "useless" Supernova Technology Corporation director, the former king of the Rusty Star Nation, and now the Strategos of the Tier 2 fleet, had earned their respect.
Giotto didn't dwell on this.
As soon as he ordered the flagship to the rear, the next round of enemy attacks arrived.
Gravitational weapons.
Projectiles detonated within the fleet, creating gravitational ripples. Nearby ships and warships were instantly scattered, their energy shields shattered by the gravity waves.
The rear guard suffered another hundred ships lost, a devastating blow.
"We have no way to fight back."
"This is too much. Let's just turn around and take them head-on."
"We're trapped in this electron cloud. We can't even get close to the enemy; we're just being towed like a kite and slowly killed."
As he walked toward the command bridge, Giotto could hear the soldiers' fear.
Panic was spreading.
The number of soldiers in a star nation's fleet was relatively small compared to the Federation's. Luna's new protocols had further reduced the count, primarily because these soldiers lacked professionalism and the resolve to fight to the death.
When a fleet collapsed, they would look for any way to flee, even resorting to mutiny.
As seen in the previous war, central servers aren't impossible to override.
Fortunately, soldiers in modern warfare weren't just used for boarding actions.
In the command bridge, Giotto spoke to the officer in charge of internal security. "Get all soldiers into the simulation pods. Don't let them sit idle."
A simulation field creates an exact replica of the battlefield using real-time combat data, allowing the soldiers to experience it repeatedly and find ways to counter the threats.
The central server then recalculates based on their responses, which is much faster than direct processing alone.
It's essentially another way to harness the resource of human imagination.
...
Another two months passed.
The flagship reached the very rear of the fleet.
This was the ultimate death zone. Debris from destroyed ships and warships still drifted alongside the fleet.
Giotto looked back.
The view was still filled with countless enemy warships and ships.
He scanned them, unable to tell real from fake, and knowing he couldn't rely on his eyes alone.
"A gift can be given twice. With all this electron cloud interference, is it possible the enemy can't accurately assess the virus either?"
It was only after arriving at the rear and seeing the electron cloud for himself that Giotto had this thought.
An officer ran a simulation on the server.
"Success probability: over 70%!"
"Then let's try it."
"Don't hold back this time. Disperse every virus we have."
One or two times might work, but three is pushing it.
If this simple tactic worked twice, it was a major win.
It was Giotto's only means of counterattacking.
Withdrawing his gaze, he reviewed the fleet's final casualty count.
41 warships.
22,027 ships.
The losses were severe.
If they didn't find a solution soon, their best-case scenario would be a shameful retreat.
Thinking of this, Giotto couldn't sit still and was about to head to the mechanics' lab again.
But then, an officer shouted joyfully. "Strategos, news from the mechanics! It's done!"
Giotto's deeply troubled expression softened instantly. He hesitated for a moment, then decided against going to the lab in person and issued the command directly instead.
"Deploy it. Influence the electron cloud."
"We can use the interference to mask the virus dispersal as well."
"How much of an area can they influence? Can we give them a taste of their own medicine?"
He was full of anticipation.
It had only been a few months.
But those months had been pure agony.
If this continued for another two or three years, the entire fleet would likely collapse.
"Chief Mechanic Nunu is requesting a link, sir."
"Connect him!"
The mechanic's face appeared on the command bridge.
He had already prepared the answers to Giotto's previous questions. After all, this was exactly what Giotto had been demanding.
"I have not failed you."
"The electron cloud's security level was both higher and lower than we anticipated."
"Breaking through was difficult, but once successful, we found it has no secondary protection."
Secondary protection refers to measures like self-destruct sequences, system wipes, or backup encryption keys that activate if the primary system is compromised.
To find that the electron cloud lacked this was unexpected.
Even though the units were small, in an era where nanotechnology allowed for precision engineering, a one-centimeter cube could easily be packed with numerous functions.
"Perhaps it was a design choice for the sake of simplicity. Complexity makes large-scale replication and production impossible."
Giotto found this the most plausible explanation.
It wasn't that they couldn't make it more complex.
It was just a waste of time.
When manufacturing something on such a massive scale, wasting even a single second per unit in a single production step could add days or even months to the entire process.
Chief Mechanic Nunu nodded.
"I saw many empty slots on the mainboards. A fully featured electron cloud unit likely exists, but for mass production, they had to make cuts."
Giotto smiled.
They had fallen into their own trap.
"If it can be done, do it now."
He didn't need to know the technical details.
He didn't want to waste time; he just needed to know the capabilities.
"Yes, sir!"
...
The Ice Crystal Fleet.
Without the Tier 2 fleet noticing, the distance between them had closed to within 80 AU.
This was at Dumu's request.
Closer distance meant higher accuracy.
With the electron cloud aiding them, the closer they were, the greater their advantage.
"The enemy must be in absolute chaos by now."
Because they were constantly receiving positive feedback, the atmosphere inside the warships was far more relaxed than before. The officers chatted freely.
"We have so many electron cloud units. Their attacks are just a waste of time."
"The Strategos was truly far-sighted to prepare this well."
"They're still 4 light-years from that star system. Can they even hold out that long?"
"HAHAHA, it's just a final struggle. Soon, Rusty will fall to the Glolo star nation."
"I wonder if we can transfer over there once it's done. Large-scale development means large-scale opportunities."
Hearing the chatter, Dumu didn't intervene.
He was deeply focused on analyzing the battlefield.
Those who knew him well understood his personality. The greater his advantage, the calmer he became. It wasn't because he felt victory was assured, but because he became even more cautious.
This was his style.
The final stretch is always when people are most prone to relaxing. Dumu didn't have that weakness, which was why his win rate was far higher than the average Strategos.
Now, a piece of intel caught Dumu's attention.
The enemy flagship had moved to the very rear of their formation!
The moment he saw this, he spoke. "Everyone, stay sharp!"
His voice wasn't loud. Often, he spoke in a low murmur, but every word was crystal clear. Coupled with his natural authority, he was impossible to ignore.
Everyone in the command bridge stopped talking, staring intently at the data before them.
Soon, an officer noticed the enemy's maneuver as well.
"A fish struggles hardest just before it dies."
"If they see any hope, they'll surely make a desperate move now. Any later, and their own energy reserves will hit critical levels."
"Pivot the formation. Shift our course toward the enemy's 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock positions. Pull back to a distance of 85 AU."
"Before that, launch a preemptive strike to test them. Target their flagship with the main cannons!"
He had no reason to risk a direct clash.
The more desperate the enemy grew, the more patient he had to be.
Only when the fish was exhausted would it be time to reel in the line.
Dumu knew a thing or two about fishing.
He enjoyed it.
Many thought him impatient because of his volatile temper, but those close to him knew the truth: he was a man of immense patience.
The "fish" in the Star Sea fishing grounds were often scattered and highly intelligent. To catch even the weakest one required a long wait.
How long?
Days?
Months?
To catch his last fish, Dumu had waited for 73 years.
In the Glolo Star Sea fishing grounds, the "fish" weren't actual fish, but people!
A planet with a Type 0.6 civilization, inhabited by hundreds of millions of people. Those were the fish. The "hook" wasn't a piece of metal, but a series of complex plans.
Selecting a target and using others to influence that person into performing certain actions.
This was the modern-day "fishing."
It wasn't that the star nations were completely devoid of humanity or human rights. Those "people" weren't actual humans, nor were they clones. They were simulated entities.
This practice had originated in the Federation.
Federation fishing activities were even more massive, involving both real-world and virtual participants.
The "fish" would sign up voluntarily, have their memories suppressed, and be dropped into the "pond." Each "pond" held 100 million "fish" and 10,000 "anglers."
An angler would "catch" a fish and then move on to the next one. The one with the most catches won.
There were penalties for being caught, such as a reduction in credits. On the other hand, a "fish" who volunteered to have their memory wiped and enter the pond received 5,000 Energy Credits, roughly two years' salary for an average person. Since the activity only lasted a month, many flocked to participate.
If caught, the "fish" only received 4,000 credits. But if they managed to evade the hook, they could earn 10,000 credits each time.
With 10,000 anglers making an average of seven casts each, about 70,000 people became targets. The odds were high, and some were targeted repeatedly. If an angler became obsessed with a single "fish" and that "fish" repeatedly escaped, the rewards would accumulate.
The one who evaded the most "hooks" was crowned the King of Fish.
Each King of Fish received an additional bonus of 200,000 Energy Credits.
It was a popular pastime within the Federation.
Each competition garnered over 10 quintillion views, making it a true national sport.
The related gambling industry was also highly developed, with the highest jackpots exceeding 200 trillion in prize money, enough to make even the largest corporations salivate.
Dumu had once participated in the competition himself, ranking around 7,000th, which was an impressive feat.
The "fishing" competition required entering a qualification tournament, then a seeding round, and finally the grand finals.
With over 10 billion participants, ranking in the top 7,000 was a significant achievement.
The fleet began executing its orders.
Dumu regained his calm, waiting for the Tier 2 fleet to make its move. He needed to see their strategy before he could react.
He wanted to land this big "fish" to secure a spot in the Golden Fleet.
The Glolo star nation's fleets weren't actually named "Golden" or "Silver."
"Golden" and "Silver" were simply classifications, much like the Tier 1 and Tier 2 designations currently used by the Rusty Star Nation.
The Silver Fleet was the main combat fleet, while the Golden Fleet was essentially a guard fleet, which rarely participated in foreign wars.
However, the Golden Fleet was the core of the Glolo star nation. Every soldier was an elite, and the officers who managed those elites were true prodigies.
The fact that Dumu, despite his "Spear of Nation" title, hadn't yet been accepted spoke volumes about its prestige.
Becoming an officer in the Golden Fleet meant entering the core circles of the Glolo star nation; they were essentially nobility.
The benefits were immense beyond imagination.
Dumu knew some soldiers in the Golden Fleet who could easily drop 30 million Energy Credits to buy a home in Glolo's capital.
In contrast, as the Strategos of the Ice Crystal Fleet, his annual salary was around 300,000 credits, reaching 500,000 with other income.
By carefully managing his expenses, he could afford a home every 100 years, and he did own several dozen.
But he was a Strategos, commanding thousands of ships and hundreds of warships.
And those other people were just rank-and-file soldiers.
It was like being the chairman of a listed company and buying a luxury villa in the capital, only to find your neighbors are all junior employees from another company, not even management. The managers of that company wouldn't even deign to live in such a "modest" neighborhood.
Coming here was Dumu's own initiative.
He needed more military accolades on his record to gain entry into the Golden Fleet.
Thinking of this, Dumu grew even more focused.
Their maneuver wasn't even complete before the reports of the return fire arrived.
Direct hits, but they failed to shatter the enemy's energy shields.
Dumu wasn't surprised.
After all, it was a flagship.
A flagship's defensive shields aren't just generated by the ship itself.
Flagships are assigned secondary vessels, known as energy tenders, which carry additional power specifically to reinforce and protect the flagship.
Consequently, a flagship's energy reserves are typically 15 to 20 times that of a standard warship.
The Ice Crystal Fleet's main cannons couldn't shatter that shield.
It was merely an experimental strike.
Success would have been ideal, but even failure served to keep the enemy guessing.
After the attack, they fell silent, waiting to complete their relocation.
Everyone felt relaxed, expecting things to proceed as smoothly as before.
But then, the unexpected happened.
Communications were lost with several hundred ships; they drifted out of formation and vanished into the void.
"A counterattack, as expected."
"To have such an immediate effect, it must be a virus."
"They're using it a second time. They must be out of options."
Even if the enemy fleet possessed more powerful weapons, they couldn't penetrate the ocean-like density of the electron cloud.
Knowing the enemy had struck, Dumu immediately issued his response.
"Concentrate fire on the enemy's ship units, especially those in the vanguard."
"Let's sow chaos within their ranks."
Thinking that the enemy might now suspect their flagship had retreated to the rear specifically to avoid being targeted, causing internal dissent, Dumu smiled.
In times of extreme danger, an enemy's nerves are frayed, and they are easily triggered by small incidents.
Over 22 hours later, Dumu received the battle report.
The results were promising.
In this round of attacks, the enemy lost over 6,000 ships and 20 warships.
"A surprise strike."
"The vanguard surely didn't expect an attack from the flanks."
Previously, the attacks had come from between 5:30 and 6:30, hitting only the direct rear.
By shifting to the 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock positions, they now had a clear angle on the entire vanguard of the Tier 2 fleet.
But Dumu still wasn't satisfied.
"Maintain harassing fire."
"The enemy hasn't broken yet."
His orders were executed perfectly.
Every day, roughly a hundred enemy ships were picked off.
Gradually, the Tier 2 fleet's formation began to fray.
"Commander, the enemy is descending into chaos."
In the command bridge, someone cheered.
"Do you think I'm blind?"
"Keep observing!"
Dumu didn't share their joy. He wanted to keep them in check. This was the time to be most vigilant, not to relax.
The atmosphere in the bridge immediately turned cold and awkward again.
Over 40 hours later.
They observed some ships turning back toward them.
"The enemy is pivoting. They're closing in. Prepare to intercept."
The Ice Crystal Fleet scrambled, but since there was no immediate pressure, they stabilized quickly. The enemy units were few, only a few dozen.
At this point, Dumu's satisfaction was at its peak.
This meant the enemy was truly in chaos.
A few dozen ships couldn't possibly pose a threat to his fleet of tens of thousands; they were destroyed quickly.
In the Rusty Star Nation's vanguard, more ships began to break formation and flee. They scattered, making them difficult to pursue.
But for Dumu, this meant half the victory was already his.
Now, he just needed to maintain the pursuit.
The war was tilting in his favor.
"No one can endure this kind of torment, not even professionally trained soldiers."
"Especially not in a star nation!"
Dumu wasn't surprised by the result.
As a citizen of a star nation, he knew what their soldiers were like.
They, too, enjoyed long lives, so they wouldn't throw their lives away in a single war. They weren't particularly loyal to any one power.
Unity was a major issue.
He had visited the Federation and seen their military.
They were on a completely different level.
Federation soldiers possessed an aura of fearless, iron-willed discipline just by standing there.
At the time, Dumu had been profoundly shaken.
He often fantasized that if he had such soldiers under his command, he could sweep across all the star nations.
However, Glolo had chosen to reduce the number of its personnel, and now that the Federation was slowly declining, it only further proved the superiority of the Glolo star nation's current system.
Too many people lead to chaos.
The Ice Crystal Fleet itself didn't have many personnel.
Each ship was manned by only a few dozen crew members, and even the largest warships had no more than a thousand.
This was the number the Glolo star nation had determined to be the most efficient for their needs.
The Federation's use of larger crews was based on their own specific requirements. Glolo had initially copied the Federation's military model, which had caused numerous issues early in their history.
The current system was the result of subsequent reforms.
The fact that Rusty still assigned large crews to their warships and ships was, in Dumu's eyes, a sign of being outdated.
"Once this is settled, the Rusty Star Nation will be forced into a defensive posture. We might even be able to push deep into Rusty territory; they won't be able to protect such a massive sector."
"That means even more military accolades."
Even Dumu, watching the shifting battlefield, couldn't help but think ahead.
This phase was nearing its end.
But Dumu continued to scrutinize everything.
"Is there anything I've missed?"
To guard against any future surprises, he aimed for absolute perfection.
"This operation has been very successful. However, in the future, I must avoid cooperating with idiots. They only cloud my judgment."
The only real drawback had been the client state fleets.
Had he not abandoned them and tried to coordinate with them instead, this victory wouldn't have been so effortless.
Initially, he had hoped to use them as a weapon, or at least a shield.
In the end, they were useless and had only served to lower the overall evaluation of his campaign.
He mused.
Suddenly, the warship shuddered.
His expression shifted instantly.
"What happened?"
The officers in the bridge scrambled to investigate, but they found no incoming data.
"Nothing? How is that possible?"
"Just a tremor?"
"Server!"
Dumu addressed the central server directly.
The server was most sensitive to this kind of data.
[ Hit by a single laser strike. Perfectly absorbed. Analysis: Enemy fire. ]
A laser strike. He looked at the data; the intensity wasn't very high.
It likely wasn't a targeted attack, but rather a stray shot.
After all this time, the enemy was bound to keep firing back.
He asked: "When was our last course change?"
None of the officers in the bridge spoke.
He knew then, they had grown overconfident and allowed the enemy to pin down their position.
His face turned cold.
"Allowing a mistake like this to happen... I think you all are tired of living."
Despite his chilling tone, he didn't kill anyone.
Because, in a way, this was good news.
The fact that the enemy was resorting to desperate laser fire meant they were consuming even more energy.
It was still just a final struggle.
It's just that this time, the fish's tail had splashed some water on the angler.
"Contact all warships and ships. Adjust positions immediately."
"I do not want to see a second warship hit. Not even a single ship. If it happens..."
His gaze swept over the room. He wouldn't mind killing more of them.
In his mind, anyone who made a mistake deserved to die.
However, his reputation was already poor enough, and this was going to be a victory, so he decided to exercise some restraint.
He was musing when the second tremor hit.
BOOM!
His fury erupted instantly. A flash of white light, and the person standing before him was killed in an instant.
"I said, no second time!"
His brutality was terrifying.
But the officers weren't paying attention to him or the corpse.
Dumu noticed something was wrong.
"What happened?"
One officer spoke tremulously: "No response. Over 90% of our outgoing communications have received no reply."
"Something isn't right!"
Dumu immediately pulled up the communication logs.
The nearest ship was clearly visible on his scanners, yet it failed to respond to any signal.
A sense of dread washed over him.
"Server, scan the gravity. Is that ship still there?"
The server responded quickly.
[ Gravity source detected. ]
Dumu breathed a sigh of relief.
Perhaps the enemy had used some method to block their communications.
True, they weren't catching some small fry; they were dealing with a massive fish.
Before he could fully calm down, the server spoke again.
[ Gravity source detected. ]
[ Gravity source detected. ]
[ Too many gravity sources. Gravitational movement vector is incorrect. Confirmed as enemy. Open fire immediately. ]
A screen appeared.
Every single gravitational point was marked.
The screen was densely packed; it was impossible to count them all at once.
"What is this..."
They weren't visible on the optical scanners...
"Could it be..."
Dumu realized his mistake instantly.
He had failed!
"The electron cloud was simplified. Damn it! How could I have overlooked that?"
"A simplified electron cloud can be compromised."
It was a tiny probability. Even simplified, the core components should have been there. A technological gap shouldn't be that easy to bridge.
Dumu had been confident.
But the current situation clearly showed the enemy had hacked the electron cloud.
Such a minor oversight, and the enemy had seized it.
Dumu was momentarily stunned, but he reacted quickly, barking orders.
"Server, reclaim control of the electron cloud."
The cloud shouldn't be that easy to seize permanently. The enemy only had warships, not a research lab; their number of Scholars had to be limited.
Dumu wanted to try.
[ Electron cloud connected. ]
[ Detected unknown incoming signals. Modifying unknown signals. ]
His guess was correct.
The moment they reclaimed the electron cloud.
The surrounding scene changed instantly.
Dumu saw a teardrop-shaped warship nearby, its main cannon charging up.
"Evasion!"
He roared.
His gaze swept the entire battlefield.
Countless friendly ships and warships had been destroyed.
It had happened silently.
The reason they had been trailing far behind the enemy was partly their own limited number of warships and the fact that their speeds were similar; they could only maintain a slow pursuit.
But it was a different story once the enemy had control of the electron cloud and turned back.
With overwhelming numbers and both sides accelerating toward each other, the gap had closed instantly.
The enemy's advantage was maximized.
In that short time, he saw that over 70% of his ships had been reduced to scrap.
The enemy warship's main cannon fired. At such close range, evasion was impossible. Fortunately, his warship's energy shields were active.
The entire vessel shuddered again.
This tremor was a wake-up call, leaving Dumu dazed.
On this battlefield, there was no longer any room for him to counterattack.
The tactic of the few defeating the many, the weak overcoming the strong. Once subverted, it leads to absolute annihilation by the superior force.
"It's over!"
The closest distance between the two sides was now within ten million kilometers. In space combat, this was practically point-blank.
Escape? How?
Unless their speed could reach near-light levels, the enemy's laser weapons would still hunt them down.
But was that even possible?
Their speed was only a few thousand kilometers per second faster than the enemy's.
The firing from that single warship ended, but more surrounding ships and warships were already locking their main batteries onto them.
Tier 2 fleet.
On the flagship, Giotto remained perfectly calm.
From the moment the electron cloud was seized, the outcome had been preordained.
"Fire!"
At his command, the main batteries unleashed a coordinated volley.
It struck the enemy flagship like a torrential rain.
The secondary ships surrounding the flagship began to falter. One escort vessel, unable to hold out, suddenly detonated, followed immediately by the total collapse of the flagship's energy shields.
More lasers riddled the hull.
High-energy, high-temperature beams punched thousands of holes through the vessel, rendering it unrecognizable.
The warship's own massive gravity and shear forces caused the damaged hull to deform, twisting the entire vessel like a mangled piece of dough. Figures clad in mecha fled in terror from the rupturing warship.
This was the first time Giotto had witnessed a destroyed warship from such a close distance.
He felt a sense of profound shock.
After all, this was a behemoth tens of thousands of meters long.
However, he quickly withdrew his gaze.
"We have lost a portion of our warships and ships. Try to take prisoners. There is no need for total destruction."
Now that 70% of the enemy's ships and warships were destroyed and the remainder were unable to resist, they could consider salvaging the warships at such close range.
This was Giotto's first major campaign victory.
Yet, he felt no joy.
This was only the first step!