Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 247 The Golden Fleet, Advance Four (4k)

[Communication Started]
['Golden' Expeditionary Fleet → Vanguard Fleet]

[Time: Crisis Era 202.09.14.18:22]
Paradox Engine (Expedition Flagship): "Paradox Engine calling the advance fleet, repeat, Paradox Engine calling the advance fleet. Received, please report the current battle situation and status. Over."

[Communication delay: 32 hours]
[Pioneer Fleet → 'Golden' Expeditionary Fleet]
[Time: Crisis Era 202.09.16.10:22]
Natural Selection (vanguard flagship): "Expeditionary Fleet, Natural Selection received. This is Captain Dongfang Yanxu. There is a noticeable communication delay. I will be giving a briefing on the battle results on behalf of the entire vanguard fleet. Over."

Natural Selection (Eastern Legacy): "Briefing as follows: Seven hours prior to this message being edited, the advance fleet executed the tactic codenamed 'Great Ring Dive,' with all twelve Stellar-class warships of the fleet launching a high-speed bombardment attack on the target 'Swallowing Giant Ring' at a high speed of 0.13c. Each ship fully loaded and dropped 80 Stellar-type hydrogen bombs, totaling 960. Bombing results: According to real-time beacons and terminal observations from the missile terminals, 873 hydrogen bombs were confirmed to have effectively hit the target. Strike coverage: Giant Ring equator (Giant Ring engine), Giant Ring outer surface (industrial production area, shipyard construction platform), Ring flanks (gamma-ray laser interception array base), Ring inner surface (Swallowing city, ecological zone). Over."

Natural Selection (Eastern Legacy): "Confirmed targets destroyed include: approximately forty giant ring engines, approximately ten gamma laser ray defense platforms, and approximately twenty devouring cities. Based on comprehensive assessment, the Devouring Empire suffered severe damage to its production capacity, defense nodes, and densely populated areas. The exact scale of the losses awaits further reconnaissance. During the bombing, approximately 407 hydrogen bombs also entered the inner ring of space at high speed, accurately hitting the highly concentrated fleet assembly area. The destructive effect was extremely significant, and the operation was a resounding success. The fleet can clearly observe the devastating chain reaction of secondary explosions. Based on real-time optical and energy scanning, the 600,000-class Devouring warships assembled in this airspace suffered extensive damage. The number of Devouring warships completely rendered combat incapacitated by the stellar-level nuclear shockwave and the large-scale secondary explosions is no less than 300,000. This is an unprecedented victory. Over."

Natural Selection (Eastern Yanxu): "Regarding the target 'Shanqing': Based on the 'spiritual energy' fluctuation characteristics provided by Mr. Luo Qing, the advance fleet conducted high-precision scans throughout the tactical bombing and after the battle, but found no trace of its life signals or high-energy fusion (cultivation magic). Combined with the previously detected dense low-yield nuclear explosion fluctuations on the inner surface of the giant ring, I suspect that Mr. Shanqing was killed by a nuclear attack, and the macro-fusion characteristic signal has also disappeared completely. In addition, before the high-speed bombing operation, the fleet clearly observed obvious optical refraction traces in the outer space of the giant ring, like cosmic bubbles, but these traces had completely disappeared by the time the fleet arrived above the giant ring. No abnormalities were found. Over."

Natural Selection (Eastern Demise): "Advance Fleet Status Report: Due to the execution of the 'Anvil Dive' tactic, maintaining [Forward 4] maximum thrust throughout and performing four rounds of high-angle evasive maneuvers without experiencing an effective gliding phase, nuclear fusion fuel consumption has increased dramatically. The current average fuel reserve of the fleet has fallen below the 20% warning yellow line. Based on the assessment of fuel status and continued combat capability, the advance fleet is unable to participate in subsequent combat operations. The entire fleet has turned and is gliding at 0.15c towards Ganymede's Kunlun Port home port. It is expected to enter Pluto's orbit and begin deceleration in 10 days, and is expected to finally dock at Jupiter's orbital dock at cosmic velocity in 15 days. Over."

Natural Selection (Eastern Legacy): "Attention Expeditionary Fleet: Post-battle monitoring indicates that the Devouring Ring has once again entered full-power acceleration mode. This action will rapidly deplete the Devouring Ring's already limited remaining fuel reserves, demonstrating the Devouring Empire's unwavering desire to destroy human civilization. Over."

Natural Selection (Eastern Demise): "Based on current battlefield performance, the stellar hydrogen bomb remains the most effective weapon against the Giant Ring. Please note that the Giant Ring itself possesses extremely high structural strength, comparable to Earth, Venus, and Mars; the possibility of physically destroying its structure is extremely low. It is strongly recommended that the Solar System Fleet Headquarters and the Expeditionary Fleet set the core objective for subsequent operations as destroying the Giant Ring's engines. There are approximately 30000 Giant Ring engines in total. It is estimated that destroying more than 60% of them will paralyze the Giant Ring's mobility. After destroying the Giant Ring engines, use the stellar hydrogen bomb to conduct a 'comprehensive sweep' of the Giant Ring's surface, continuously striking its industrial, defensive, and survival zones, destroying its war potential, and turning the Giant Ring into a dead ring. If you want to paralyze the Giant Ring engines, you must accurately calculate its enormous inertial trajectory and ensure that its debris avoids Earth and all colonized planets. Once the Giant Ring enters an inertial drift state, it will be impossible to stop it in any way. Over."

Natural Selection (Eastern Descendants): "This briefing is based on the authority of the highest commander of the advance fleet, and is an emergency decision made according to the battlefield situation. In accordance with Article 3 of Chapter 7 of the Deep Space Operations Regulations, the principle of 'decision first, report later' is being implemented. Please inform the expeditionary fleet and consider subsequent operational plans. Natural Selection, briefing complete. Awaiting further instructions. End of communications."

[Communication ended]
...

As early as when he learned that the expeditionary fleet had entered the [Advance 4] state and was going to attack the giant ring first, the expeditionary fleet commander, Qian Mengjian, had already put all the star-class warships in the expeditionary fleet into the [Advance 4] preparatory deep-sea state.

Six hours after the advance fleet entered the [Advance 4] state, Qian Mengjian emerged from Luo Qing's meditation room, overruled objections, and ordered the entire fleet to immediately enter the [Advance 4] state.

Compared to Zhang Beihai, who had a clear objective and single-handedly persuaded the other eleven captains, Qian Mengjian, as the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary fleet, bore greater psychological pressure. His order to put the expeditionary fleet into forward readiness also subjected him to considerable criticism regarding military adventurism.

The expeditionary fleet's entry into the forward phase will inevitably cause the star-class warship group to separate from the planetary warship group, thus leading to the dispersion of the fleet's power.

Faced with the swallowing giant ring, most captains did not agree with the decision to disperse the fleet's strength.

But Qian Mengjian was, after all, the fleet's commander-in-chief, and his orders had to be obeyed.

"Golden" Expeditionary Fleet, advance four!
The 488 spheres of nuclear fusion light suddenly brightened in the universe, quickly leaving the 5000 planetary warships behind them.

Unlike the previous fleet's reckless acceleration, the expeditionary fleet used a stepped acceleration method instead of continuous acceleration. This caused the star-class warship group to flash regularly in space, like a group of fireflies.

Of course, step-by-step acceleration will consume a lot of nuclear fusion fuel. The truly economical way is to use low-power acceleration and increase the speed to above 0.1c over six months.

Always stay with me.

The fleet will take 15 days to accelerate to 10% of the speed of light, and then cruise at 10% of the speed of light for 20 days, thus reaching within 10 billion kilometers (about five astronomical units) of the swallowing giant ring and entering combat status.

Just as the expeditionary fleet accelerated to 6% of the speed of light, a response suddenly came from the expeditionary fleet's call to the advance fleet.

The expeditionary fleet then received the above information.

Victory reports spread like snowflakes to the rear. The victory reports from Dongfang Yanxu greatly shocked the expeditionary fleet and even the solar system fleet. After all, the vanguard fleet existed as a scout, and its early purpose was to prevent dinosaur ambushes. Essentially, it played the role of "opening up the field of vision" and "paving the way".

Now, twelve scouts, holding the military regulation of "decision first, report later" as their token, silently accelerated to 13% of the speed of light, not only damaging the giant ring but also annihilating a large number of enemy fleets.

They achieved an astonishing record of zero to hundreds of thousands.

Never before in human history has there been a battle with such a disparity in strength, where the enemy's manpower was annihilated at the cost of no casualties.

After the victory reports arrived, the star-class warships in the Solar System Fleet that hadn't been selected for the expeditionary fleet were filled with immense regret. And the star-class warships in the expeditionary fleet that hadn't been selected for the vanguard were now regretting it to the core.

The crew members of the star-class warships who weren't selected for the vanguard fleet were already cursing their captains to the heavens. At this moment, no captain of the expeditionary fleet questioned Commander Qian Mengjian's decision anymore; instead, they wished they could immediately enter overload acceleration mode and teleport to the vicinity of the giant ring to join the battle.

Everyone knows that these 12 starships, with their extraordinary achievements, will be greeted with massive rewards and heroic publicity upon their return to the Jupiter base. No space force soldier could remain unmoved. They will become an indelible super miracle in the history of human space warfare, and the names of the 36000 crew members on the 12 ships will be forever engraved on the glory monument of the Solar System Fleet.

The 12 captains who made this decision will undoubtedly receive immense rewards, and may even become important members of the Solar System Joint Conference.

This achievement will last forever, and this victory will never be forgotten.

The captains of the other star-class warships were practically green with envy.

Damn it, why wasn't it me!
Behind the flurry of victory reports, the morale of the expeditionary fleet soared to its peak.

The expeditionary fleet commander, Qian Mengjian, will also receive the reward for his precognitive command to enter the fourth state of advance.
—The opportunity to fight is fleeting. Although the expeditionary fleet did not seize the golden opportunity, Qian Mengjian caught the tail end of the opportunity.

Based on the current acceleration of the expeditionary fleet, it is expected to arrive at the designated operational area in about a month.

A month is clearly not enough time for the Devouring Ring and the Devouring Fleet to recover, especially the Devouring Fleet, which will inevitably be in a state of chaos. The expeditionary fleet will take this opportunity to launch an attack on the chaotic Devouring Fleet and attempt to halt the Devouring Ring's journey towards the solar system.

The expeditionary fleet should do its best to snipe and devour the giant ring and the devouring fleet.

However, Qian Mengjian knew in his heart that after leaving the ranks of 5000 planetary warships, the remaining 488 stellar warships, although a powerful force, were still too weak to face the Devouring Giant Ring.

If the advance fleet's attack is like a drop in the ocean, then the expeditionary fleet is like a cup of water.

According to the information relayed back by Dongfang Yanxu, the expeditionary fleet consisted of 488 star-class warships. Assuming that each warship stored an average of 80 star-type hydrogen bombs, the expeditionary fleet would only possess a total of close to 40000 star-class hydrogen bombs.

Forty thousand stellar-class hydrogen bombs would be enough to blast the moon into a state of lunar core fusion, leading to its destruction, but they still wouldn't be able to shake the foundation of the swallowing giant ring.

It is known that the advance fleet dropped nearly 1000 stellar hydrogen bombs, with no fewer than 500 of them directly impacting the giant ring. However, these 500 stellar hydrogen bombs caused almost no structural damage to the engulfing giant ring.

Taking the inner ring as an example, the ecological zone of soil and rock layer 10,000 meters deep on the surface of the inner ring is enough to withstand the explosion of a stellar hydrogen bomb, and the main metal structure of the inner ring is even deeper below the soil and rock layer.

In other words, the densely packed Devouring Fleet trapped in the ring suffered a devastating blow, but such a result cannot be replicated. The Devouring Fleet will definitely disperse its remaining forces around the giant ring, at which point the effectiveness of the stellar hydrogen bomb in the vacuum of space will be greatly reduced.

According to calculations by the shipborne quantum computer, if all 40000 star-shaped hydrogen bombs of the expeditionary fleet were unleashed on the surface of the Devouring Ring without missing a single one, it would indeed completely destroy the outer ring's industrial production capacity and space dock.

But this was still not enough to stop the giant ring from moving forward.

According to Dongfang Yanxu's intelligence, the giant ring alone comprises 30,000 ring thrusters. Based on existing video footage, the scale of these ring thrusters is no smaller than that of human planetary engines. Each ring thruster reaches a height of 12,000 meters, surpassing even planetary engines and exceeding the height of Mount Everest by 4,000 meters. Shaped like a single mountain peak, each ring engine would require at least one stellar-type hydrogen bomb to destroy.

The expeditionary fleet had a total of only 4 star-shaped hydrogen bombs.

Furthermore, the probability of these 4 stellar hydrogen bombs hitting the giant ring thruster is not high, as the giant ring thruster is facing away from the human fleet. Stellar hydrogen bombs have difficulty turning to hit the thruster. For example, in the dive bombing tactics previously used by the expeditionary fleet, stellar hydrogen bombs traveling at speeds exceeding 10% of light could almost only strike in a straight line.

It's too fast; it can't turn.

After learning the true speed of the human fleet, the Devouring Ring will surely optimize its defense system and adjust the interception density of gamma laser beams.

Qian Mengjian had made up his mind that if the expeditionary fleet's gamma laser beams, kinetic electromagnetic guns, high-energy particle beams and other weapons were ineffective, then he would have the fleet learn from the advance fleet's tactics and drop all 4 star-shaped hydrogen bombs, and then have the fleet return to port immediately.

In fact, the fleet of 5000 planetary warships behind them was equipped with about 30000 stellar hydrogen bombs. However, the maximum speed of the planetary warships entering [Advance 3] was only 1% of the speed of light, which could only provide a very limited initial velocity boost to the stellar hydrogen bombs. This speed was almost impossible to break through the giant ring's laser defense network, so it could only be reserved for the Devouring Fleet.

Following Qian Mengjian's orders, the 5000 planetary-level warships have formed a three-tiered, three-dimensional arc-shaped shield formation. If the star-class warship fleet encounters an accident, these planetary-level warships will become like foxholes, delaying the attack of the Devouring Fleet and even the Devouring Giant Ring, thus buying time for the main force of the Solar System Fleet to assemble.

War is unpredictable. Qian Mengjian was not blinded by the great victory of the vanguard fleet. He made triple preparations for victory, fierce battle, and defeat.

(End of this chapter)