Humanity is missing, luckily I have billions of clones.

Chapter 361 A desperate struggle for survival, nothing more.
Ten thousand ships!

The words of the Purple Moon leader shocked all the high-ranking officials of the civilization in the conference room.

Ten thousand warships may not seem like much, but given the massive industrial tasks ahead, how much time can ten thousand warships allow us to eliminate the Lantuk civilization sooner, and how much time can we buy for our future industrial missions?
After equipping all of our warships with gravity cannons and gaining a huge advantage over the enemy, why send 10,000 warships when 5,000 warships would have been enough to complete the mission?

Facing the puzzled looks of her colleagues, President Ziyue said in a deep voice, "Let's set aside for now what the enemy is trying to do. Just judging from the level of importance they attach to this, and their willingness to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of warships to ensure this fleet breaks through, their ambitions must be considerable."

We must be lenient with the enemy and treat them with caution. We must never underestimate the enemy.

Do not forget, the life and death of the Lord civilization, the entire galaxy, and the future of our Demon Eye race all rest on our shoulders now!

Faced with the leader's resounding words, all the high-ranking members of the civilization became solemn.

"Yes!"

"Not only should we send 10,000 warships, but I have also decided to select 4 million of the most elite soldiers and the best generals to pursue the enemy."

I order that preparations for the mission begin immediately, and the pursuit fleet depart no later than 24 hours later!

"Yes!"

In just one day, a fleet consisting of 10,000 large, medium and small warships, 10 space carriers, one residential spaceship, hundreds of auxiliary spaceships and corresponding unmanned combat forces left planet G76e and accelerated at full power to pursue the fleet that was gradually moving away.

Because of its relatively small fleet size and the small number of ships that need to be coordinated, this Purple Moon fleet also has a very high acceleration, reaching a full 16 meters per second squared.

If it weren't for the excessive gravity harming their own beings and the urgency of the situation preventing modifications to the spaceship's thrusters—which the Lantuk civilization's fleet had clearly modified—then the speed could have been even greater.

Based on this speed calculation, and taking into account possible acceleration and deceleration changes during the process, it is estimated that our fleet will be able to catch up with the enemy fleet in about a few months, at a distance of 3000 to 10000 trillion kilometers from planet G76e.

This distance is already close to our own long-range communication limit. But even if the battle becomes intense and we exceed it later, it won't matter.

Because their own pursuit fleet carries a large number of real soldiers, they can control the warships on-site without relying on support from the mainland.

Since that's the case... then let's go.

Whatever the enemy's intentions, whether they have a real plan or are simply trying to escape, stop them and eliminate them.

Having arranged this matter, the high-ranking officials of the Purple Moon Civilization once again turned their attention to the battlefield against the Bluetuk Civilization.

……

Upon realizing that the Purple Moon Civilization's pursuit fleet consisted of 10,000 manned warships, rather than the 5,000 he had originally thought, Li Qingsong's heart grew heavy once more.

Based on the current comparison of combat strength between the two sides, the Purple Moon Civilization could completely suppress its own mission fleet in terms of combat power by dispatching 5,000 warships.

Furthermore, the Purple Moon Civilization also needs to carry out missions, and its need to end the war as soon as possible is extremely urgent.

Under these circumstances, Li Qingsong believed that the Purple Moon Civilization would not possibly send more warships to pursue them.

He hadn't expected that the Purple Moon Civilization would ultimately dispatch ten thousand warships.

In that case, the mission fleet would be completely unable to fight back...

But now that they had made their move, it was impossible to change the number of their own warships. Furthermore, it was impossible to send another fleet to provide support.

Taking advantage of the fact that the long-distance communication was still working, Li Qingsong informed Haimeran of the news.

In the 3D projection, upon receiving this news, Haimerlan gave a slight wry smile.

"The situation is what it is and cannot be changed. All I can do is give it a try."

Give it a try, even if the hope is slim, you should still try.

"Okay, let's give it a try."

After disconnecting from Haimeran, Li Qingsong once again focused his attention on industrial construction, production, and the battlefield at this moment.

Regardless of whether Hemerblue succeeds or not, at least I must persevere. Otherwise, even if Hemerblue succeeds, it will be completely meaningless.

Time passed slowly. After a period of preparation, the mission fleet, under the command of Haimeran, increased its acceleration by another 6 meters, reaching 21 meters per second squared.

This acceleration has already exceeded the pursuit speed of the Purple Moon fleet. At this rate, the distance between our forces and the Purple Moon pursuit fleet will only increase.

Despite their own actions, the Purple Moon Fleet remained completely still and did not change its acceleration.

Clearly, they also knew that this situation could not continue.

Leaving aside whether intelligent life could sustain itself for an extended period under an environment with approximately 2.1 times the gravity of Earth, the hull structure of the space carrier alone would not be able to withstand it.

It's too big and too heavy.

The acceleration of 21 meters per second squared lasted for more than a day, pushing the mission fleet's speed to about 5000 kilometers per second before it had to stop and return to the previous speed of 15 meters per second squared.

The Purple Moon Fleet maintained its original acceleration, remaining unchanged.

Like a seasoned hunter, it remains unhurried no matter how fast its prey runs, or even when it is about to run out of its sight. It simply maintains its own speed and pursues the prey at a leisurely pace.

In the chase, in less than five months, the mission fleet had sailed more than one trillion kilometers, exceeding the limits of long-distance communication under Li Qingsong's current technology.

Li Qingsong and Haimolan have completely lost contact.

Looking out into the vast starry sky, the fleet of more than 10,000 spaceships could no longer be seen, not even their exhaust flames.

Unfortunately, while the mission fleet contains over ten thousand ships, most are small vessels like warships. Compared to the main fleet, which consists primarily of large ships such as space carriers, heavy transport ships, and large habitation ships, its size is simply too small.

"Haimerlan, good luck to you, and good luck to our human civilization and the Crimson Star Alliance."

……

Inside the Liaoyuan integrated spaceship, gazing at the bright red star deep in the starry sky, Haimeran's face was full of calm.

The starry sky was vast, and apart from countless stars, nothing else could be seen.

Because the exhaust plume was facing away from their own side, Haimeran couldn't even see the Purple Moon fleet that was relentlessly pursuing them.

But he knew that the fleet had not given up its pursuit.

And... they're almost there.

The escape of over a trillion kilometers failed to make the enemy give up. A battle with unequal strength was now unavoidable.

But Haimer Blue still wanted to struggle a bit more.

If you don't struggle, you'll lose even that last glimmer of hope.

"Command... rearguard mission, execute."

"Yes!"

A total of 100 million soldiers on the Liaoyuan integrated spacecraft and other spacecraft have all arrived and are sitting in their combat cockpits, connecting their minds with the automated combat system.

Of the total of only 10,000 combat ships, 3000 have been detached from the fleet, their engines shut down, and all electromagnetic radiation turned off, quietly disappearing into the vast and deep space.

They lay motionless, silently lurking like fierce beasts preparing to pounce on their prey.

Only when points of light appeared in the vast, deep starry sky, twinkling like dim stars, growing closer and brighter, did they finally make a move.

Controlled by elite warriors of various races billions of kilometers away, countless energy cannons suddenly activated across a distance of millions of kilometers.

A deluge of energy projectiles, carrying devastating power, hurtled towards the distant fleet. Beams of laser light, like sharp swords, charged relentlessly forward.

The interstellar missile trailed a long plume of flame, as unstoppable as a meteor falling to earth.

While launching their fiercest attack, these warships also performed their most powerful maneuvers, charging headlong towards the fleet with all their might.

At this moment, every commander and every soldier shared a single belief.

Stop this fleet!

If we can't stop them, then we'll prevent them from pursuing our fleet!
If even that can't be done, then slow them down, destroy their thrusters as much as possible, so that they can no longer accelerate at such a high speed!
No matter what, even if all of them are destroyed here, even if all 3000 warships are buried in the sea of ​​stars, we must complete this mission!

Through the spy satellites deployed here, Haimerlan clearly saw that after being suddenly attacked by their own side, the Purple Moon Fleet was caught off guard, and hundreds of warships equipped with gravity cannons were immediately destroyed.

Even at the core of the fleet, some non-combat ships were affected.

But this only lasted for a moment.

Seemingly prepared for the sneak attack, the Purple Moon Fleet reacted in the next moment.

Defensive operations commenced immediately. Gravity cannons, based on gravity technology, were once again fired at friendly warships.

In the vast depths of space, far removed from any macroscopic celestial bodies, another fierce interstellar battle unfolds.

The 3000 warships fought with reckless abandonment, completely abandoning the plan to annihilate the enemy's manpower and concentrating all their combat power on their propulsion systems.
Ten thousand Purple Moon warships formed a defensive line, protecting all non-combat ships while launching a fierce counterattack using gravity cannons and various nuclear-powered weapons.

Time passed quietly, and just a few days later, the battle ended.

A brand new trail of wreckage appeared behind the Purple Moon Fleet. The Lantuk Fleet that had been engaged in battle with the Purple Moon Fleet had now vanished.

Inside the Liaoyuan integrated spaceship, looking at the huge interstellar map, Haimeran clenched her fists tightly.

Although he had long anticipated that the chances of this sneak attack succeeding were extremely low, he did not expect the outcome to be so tragic.

We did destroy some of the enemy's warships and the propulsion systems of some ships, but in total, it amounted to less than 1,500 warships.

The price they paid was... the complete annihilation of three thousand warships.

Even though it was a surprise attack, even though we caught the enemy off guard, even though we included the enemy's warships that were only heavily damaged but not destroyed in our count, the casualty ratio was still two to one! Two to one!

This is under the premise that all of our soldiers are battle-hardened veterans!
Haimerlan clearly saw that after the damaged ships were settled and a batch of tugboats were assigned to tow them and begin to slow down in preparation for returning to the star system, there were still as many as 8000 warships relentlessly pursuing them.

How to do?
Soldiers, engineers, workers, and commanders all looked at Haimer Blue.

"Let's carry out the second rearguard action."

He calmly gave the order, his face expressionless, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

This time, the remaining less than 7000 warships, along with all their associated unmanned combat forces and logistical support forces, were all separated from the main fleet.

Or, to put it another way, it was only 100 integrated spaceships and 3 space carriers, a total of 103 spaceships, that broke away from the main fleet.

The two sides separated. The 103 spaceships continued to accelerate towards their predetermined speed of 85% of the speed of light, and all combat forces were assembled, ceasing acceleration.

All of Haimerlan's combat forces were committed to this second interception mission. If these warships were to be damaged again, then... apart from the weapons on these non-combat ships, their side would have no other combat forces available.

At this moment, the speed of our fleet is nearing its maximum, almost reaching 85% of the speed of light.

Once they reach 85% of the speed of light, these 103 spaceships will cease full-power propulsion and enter inertial navigation mode.

The interception fleet was used to delay the Purple Moon Fleet's pursuit. At the same time, these 103 ships activated low-power random propulsion, which was their only hope of escaping the pursuit.

Across hundreds of billions of kilometers, carefully selected warriors of various races once again piloted their warships into battle.

This battle was much larger in scale and much more brutal than the last one.

One warship after another was destroyed, and the space was filled with chaos.

The outcome of the battle was as expected.

After several days, their own warships were once again completely destroyed, and all manned and unmanned combat forces perished in the sea of ​​space, forming another wreckage belt.

The loss of 7000 warships resulted in the destruction of approximately 2600 enemy warships. Including the previous rearguard mission, our side had a total of 10,000 warships, which annihilated about 4000 enemy warships.

Haimer's expression remained calm and composed, but a bitter smile played on his lips.

"As expected, just as predicted at the beginning of the journey, our 10,000 warships are roughly inferior in overall combat power to the Purple Moon Civilization's 5,000 warships."

If the Purple Moon Civilization deploys 5,000 warships, our side still has a chance of winning.

Who would have thought they would eventually deploy ten thousand ships...

Ten thousand warships—the difference in sheer strength is undeniable. No matter how I maneuver or scheme, it's all for naught…

Fortunately, fortunately, our speed has already accelerated to 85% of the speed of light during this time, and we have entered the random maneuvering phase. Fortunately, the Purple Moon Civilization does not know our destination and cannot confirm our overall course..."

Now, all of our chips have been handed over.

Our only hope lies in the fact that the trails of our fleet's exhaust during the random maneuver phase are subtle enough to evade the enemy's detection.

If they catch up again... then Haimeran will really have no way to deal with it.

What can we do now that we've lost even one warship?
I am just a human being, not a god.

Whatever you do, don't chase after them! Whatever you do, don't chase after them!

Celestial beings, spiritual light, Buddha, Taiyuan, the Taoist Ancestor, the Jade Emperor, the Primordial Beginning...

The names of gods from every race and every mythology kept surfacing in Haimeran's mind. He prayed desperately to every god he could, begging that the Purple Moon Civilization's fleet would never catch up.

During this period, every night, Haimeran tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Any slight movement outside the door would make him sit up instantly, his mind clearing up in a flash.

Haimer felt incredibly exhausted, both mentally and physically.

But as soon as she leaves the room, Haimeran's expression instantly returns to calm, and she walks with a steady gait, as if she has everything under control.

"The Purple Moon Fleet can't catch up, don't worry."

"Our fleet is already so small, and our propulsion power for random maneuvers is so low, that the Purple Moon Fleet could not possibly detect our exhaust trails."

He said this to every one of his anxious subordinates. Seemingly influenced by Heimerlan's composure and confidence, his subordinates gradually calmed down and stopped living in constant fear.

However, objective reality ultimately does not change according to human subjective will.

One day, a deep space exploration document was placed in front of Haimeran, and when he saw that the secretary who came to deliver the document was pale and swaying, Haimeran's heart sank.

The document clearly showed that a faint star had been detected approximately one hundred billion kilometers behind their fleet. Further analysis indicated that the light...

It is the light of an energy shield.

The combined light from numerous energy shields formed a star that could be detected by our side from a distance of over 100 billion kilometers.

Furthermore, this "star" is traveling at 90% of the speed of light, which means it is approaching our fleet by 1.5 kilometers per second.

At this rate, it would only take about three months for our fleet to enter the enemy's operational radius and face their attack.

At this very moment, the fleet that is approaching us at 90% of the speed of light, who else could it be but the Purple Moon Civilization fleet?
They eventually caught up with them.

That's true... With such close proximity and such "fresh" tail flames, even if the scale is small, how could our side possibly get rid of the Purple Moon Fleet, which is determined to win?

I was just blinded by wishful thinking before...

Now, they have no warships left.

The fish on the cutting board still had a layer of scales. But now, I didn't even have that layer of scales left.

Facing her secretary, who was teetering on the brink of collapse, Haimeran smiled again.

"Pass the word and call a company-wide meeting."

"……Yes."

A total of one million soldiers, engineers, and staff from various departments, all pale-faced and filled with fear, gathered in front of the big screen and saw the figure of Haimer Blue.

"...I have decided to destroy the three space carriers."

I know that the vast majority of our fleet's supplies are stored on the space carrier;

I know that once the space carrier is destroyed, even if we reach our destination, we will lose the ability to return.

I know that in this vast space where there are no supplies, those three space carriers are our lifeline.

I know it all.

But this is our only option. To seek survival from the brink of death, to put ourselves in a desperate situation and then live—that's all we can do.

My fellow countrymen, do not forget that our human civilization is still waiting for good news in the G76 Pegasus system. Our fellow countrymen are still waiting for our rescue in the galaxy. All of this, everything, rests on our shoulders.

We have no other choice.

The pale-faced, bewildered intelligent beings of various races gradually became more resolute.

Yes... if the Purple Moon Civilization catches up with us, we have no chance of survival. But now, by fighting for survival, we might actually have a glimmer of hope.

Since that's the case, then let's do it, let's do it...

With the assistance of the Primordial AI and the combined efforts of millions of intelligent beings, the most crucial small portion of supplies was transferred to this comprehensive spaceship, of which there are only 100.

After that, this already drastically reduced fleet split up again.

Three space carriers, each weighing 6 million tons, form one unit; 100 integrated spacecraft form another unit.

Thousands of high-yield hydrogen bombs were deployed on three space carriers.

The two fleets gradually moved away from each other. When the distance between them increased to about one million kilometers, and the Purple Moon Fleet pursued them to a distance of about 100 billion kilometers, the total of 1000 million intelligent beings had completed their grouping.

Each integrated spacecraft carries 10,000 people.

With a slight sigh, Haimeran's resolute and steady voice once again reached the ears of every intelligent being.

"From this moment on, every integrated spaceship and every 10,000 people will form a squad."

Each squad is an independent entity, and they must maintain absolute electromagnetic silence with each other.

Each team chooses a route and heads to its destination.

If we are caught up by the Purple Moon Fleet during this process, that's fate. To prevent the Purple Moon civilization from obtaining our intelligence, the Primordial AI will proactively self-destruct its spaceship after confirming that it cannot escape.

As long as one spaceship is not caught by the Purple Moon Fleet, and as long as one spaceship reaches its destination, our mission... will be considered complete.

Fellow countrymen, I wish us all good luck.

Countdown, three, two, one... Detonate! Take off!

Thousands of high-yield hydrogen bombs, pre-installed on the three space carriers, were detonated simultaneously.

The extremely high temperature and radiation instantly vaporized the total mass of approximately 18 billion tons, turning it into a cloud of interstellar dust with extremely high temperature and kinetic energy, which spread outwards in an almost unstoppable manner.

At the same time, the 100 integrated spacecraft simultaneously activated their maximum power propulsion, accelerating away in 100 different directions.

(End of this chapter)