by <unknown>
The scale of the Imperium of True Human Beings and the intensity of the conflicts of interests were ten times greater than in the Star Glory Federation. It would be a miracle if the Immortal Cultivators who did everything for themselves could stop fighting and plotting against each other.
Li Yao's eyes flashed as he continued asking, "Since the coalition fleet of the four families has such deep contradictions, what are we going to do next?"
"In order to deal with the situation where all the branch fleets are disorganized and randomly distributed all over the area after a 'blind jump' to the Seven Seas Space Zone, the four families' coalition fleet has activated a state-of-the-art rapid response command chain system named 'Flying Lightning Command Chain'."
Boss Bai said, "The super command chain based on ultra-powerful Spiritual Nexus, signal enhancement, and brand-new algorithms is 30% more powerful than the old command chain system. It can help the lone starships reach out to their allies and flagship quickly. If the flagship is too far away to be contacted, it will automatically connect the starship to the command system of the highest level around. According to the best ratio of interferential warships, arsenal warships, shield warships, comprehensive supply warships, and other models, temporary battle units will be gathered and concentrated.
"Under my instruction, Li Wuji has been very close to Yun Xuefeng and even secretly pledged loyalty to him. For Yun Xuefeng at this moment, the allegiance of a marquess of the Li family is certainly a great help. Also, our 'National Protection Army' has distinguished performances recently and demonstrated enormous strength. Yun Xuefeng has to pay enough respect to us.
"Therefore, Yun Xuefeng trusts Li Wuji very much right now and has given Li Wuji, or our 'National Protection Army', a very high clearance in the 'Flying Lightning Command Chain' system.
"Specifically, it means that when the million starships of the four families' coalition fleet jump to the Seven Seas Space Zone at the same time, and all the branch fleets have to be regathered and regrouped, my flagship 'Alloy Virus' will be a temporary command center. All the starships within several million kilometers will receive my command temporarily.
"If you can control a space gate, our fleet will be able to jump over while staying organized to keep the highest combat ability. In such a way, the lone starships scattered in space will be subdued by us and forced to join our battle formation easily when they move close to us. Hehe, once those starships accept my leadership and open their mainframe crystal processors to us, it will be impossible for them to get away!
"Just like that, we will gather the lone starships and snowball all the way while we search for the four Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships that belong to Yun Xuefeng. Once we locate them, we will immediately send the coordinates to the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and let them attack Yun Xuefeng's fleet vehemently. Trust me, the commanders of the Song family, the Li family, and the Dongfang family will only burst into laughter when they hear that Yun Xuefeng is being attacked instead of reinforcing him immediately.
"If the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors is unable to take down the four incomplete Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships with all the forces it has, we can declare the battle lost and escape immediately, but as long as the four Adamantine warships are destroyed, the situation will be entirely different. Yun Xuefeng's flagship is one of the four Adamantine warships, and the mainframe crystal processors and the highest command system of 'Flying Lightning Command Chain' are deployed on it too. As long as the flagship is captured, giving Xiaoming, Wenwen, and the Fist King a chance to study them well, hehe, the results will certainly be marvelous!"
Chapter 2558: Ten Hours Until the Battle! |
Li Yao's eyes suddenly glittered. He couldn't help but smile, "So, it's the sixteen Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships that you're after. To be honest, I was very tempted when I heard them for the first time too. The super arsenal warships that are highly automatic and can even collect debris during the battle to create new spiritual puppets and drones are really the best carriers for Xiaoming, Wenwen, and the Fist King. If all the sixteen Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships belong to us, we will be invincible!"
"To be honest, I am not a fan of those big, stupid, expensive things that are also hard to maintain. The resources to build the sixteen Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships are enough to build a couple of strong rapid response fleets whose range of application and battle performance will be multiple times greater than the former!"
Boss Bai sniffed and remarked in disdain, "Getting to the bottom of it, the sixteen Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships are just a project that certain people in the four families proposed to trick funding, demonstrate their strength, and intimidate the ordinary people and the bottom-level Immortal Cultivators. They're more politically significant than they are militarily. With the development level of the crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus that the Imperium has today, it is not ready to embrace such automatic 'future warships'.
"However, you're right about one thing. Xiaoming, Wenwen, and the Fist King have computation logics that are entirely different from regular human beings, which allow them to exploit the potentials of the crystal processors and fully utilize the Spiritual Nexus. If they are the controllers of the sixteen Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships, they will be much more powerful than in the hands of the idiots of the four families!"
"Then—"
Holding back his excitement, Li Yao asked, "Is it possible for Xiaoming and Wenwen to hack the 'Flying Lightning Command Chain' and infiltrate the mainframe crystal processors of the sixteen warships to take them over?"
"We can't for now. It is too difficult, Dad!"
Xiaoming and Wenwen's voices came from outside of the main picture. Then, two minor light beams were opened up, displaying the cute faces of the two children. Xiaoming pouted his lips and said, "Although we are information lives and we can travel freely on the Spiritual Nexus, our interferences with the virtual world have limits too, and we have to abide by the law of balance and conservation of energy! Other than everything else, the mainframe crystal processors of the sixteen Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships are as big as skyscrapers. How can we expect to compete with them with our tiny heads?"
"That's right. Furthermore, the four families have deployed different safety measures for their Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships, which means that we have to conquer four different firewalls in order to control the sixteen warships. That's… That's really difficult!"
Wenwen also said, "It is probably as difficult as blowing up a planet in one punch for you, Dad. Dad is a material life, and planets are objects in the material world. However, without enough energy and ways to use it, it is still impossible for you to alter materials freely, right?"
Li Yao immediately understood it after hearing their explanation.
"Therefore, we need somebody else's help to create the best opportunity for us."
Xiaoming and Wenwen said at the same time, "For example, if Yun Xuefeng's flagship that has the highest command clearances is captured, we will be able to completely understand the ranks and the transmission of orders in the 'Flying Lightning Command Chain' system. Then, our computational ability can be enhanced through the mainframe crystal processors on Yun Xuefeng's flagship, allowing us to be connected to the mainframe crystal processors of even more starships on the battlefield. When the computational ability of enough mainframe crystal processors is combined, the odds of success will be much higher if we invade the other Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships with such an 'army'!"
"According to the morale and the internal conflicts in the four families' coalition army that I observed, as long as the four Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships controlled by Yun Xuefeng are blown up, or even if Yun Xuefeng is captured himself, the seemingly overwhelming and magnificent 'army of a million starships' will immediately collapse."
Boss Bai said, "Should we blow up or capture seven to eight Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships, both the troops of the warlords
and the underappreciated Immortal Cultivators within the four families will defect without any hesitation!
"I believe that the battlefield will definitely be extremely chaotic by then. All the starships will be running amok like headless flies. Whoever can keep organized and expand their command chain, including more and more starships into their command system, will be the greatest winner!"
Li Yao said with a smile, "It will certainly be us!"
"I hope so."
Boss Bai said, "Up until now, everything has been going on very smoothly. I don't see anything that may stop us."
Li Yao was slightly stunned by that. Tilting his head and thinking for a long time, he asked, "Have you received any updates about the capital from the four families? In the recent months, we've been active at the edge of the Imperium, but Blackstar the Great seems to be awfully quiet."
"Not exactly. Wuying Qi must be busy digesting the resources of the capital. It was the heart of the Imperium in the old days after all. The complicated forces and the astronomical resources can't be combined without a couple of months."
Boss Bai said, "Besides, even if Wuying Qi wants to do something, he lacks strength and space. The 'Eight Adamantines' are hardly the best fleets of the four families, but why have they been sent for the battle of Seven Seas? Because the best fleets are all watching the capital closely!
"However, the Astounding Thunder Fleet, the best troop on the reformists' side, has always been deeply pinned into the four families' heartland. The expedition army in the newly-recovered area also has an ambiguous attitude, even showing signs that they are inclined to Lei Chenghu. The recklessness of any party may lead to unpredictable, drastic changes. That's why the best fleets of the four families dare not move easily.
"All in all, Wuying Qi has been completely stalled. Besides, he needs the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors to win the battle of Seven Seas. So, even if he knows everything that's happening here, how is he going to interfere?"
"For some reason, I still feel disturbed."
Tapping his knee, Li Yao said thoughtfully, "All in all, Xiaoming and Wenwen should spare part of your computational ability and disguise the space gate that is about to be opened to you in the Seven Seas Space Zone. It will be best if you can pretend that you hack it remotely or even prevent anybody else from realizing that you are jumping over through the space gate!"
Boss Bai's eyes glittered. "Are you saying that you do not want to expose the relationship between us?"
"Exactly. After I confessed my identity as 'Black Wind King', many things about me are on the table. Blackstar the Great will learn them sooner or later."
Li Yao said, "You are my last trump cards. He can't know that the 'National Protection Army' is 'Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs' yet, or the relationship between the fleet and me.
"The later the cards are shown, the better. It will be perfect if the four families still think that you are the loyal 'National Protection Army' when the battle comes to the end."
"You are giving me a puzzle."
Boss Bai said, "However, it is very interesting and worth challenging!"
"Then, let's begin. I'll send the coordinates and navigation parameters of the space gate to your flagship later and turn off the defense system on the space gate's side so that Xiaoming and Wenwen can take over the space gate remotely in case Jin Yuyan's men play any trick."
Li Yao laughed too. "I can't wait to see your 'splendid performance' again, Boss Bai!"
The two of them ended the conversation in evil, creepy laughter.
Li Yao turned around, only to discover that Li Jialing was looking at him in confusion.
"Do the Cultivators all laugh so scarily and wickedly?"
Li Jialing asked carefully.
"Forget it. It suddenly appears to me that although the Cultivators like Brother Yao laugh rather unpleasantly…"
Li Jialing smiled too. "… I still hope that there are as many people in the universe like you as possible!"
…
There were ten hours to go until the final battle.
The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had learned the accurate time of the battle through various sources, knowing that the Seven Seas Space Zone would turn into an ocean of destruction that was more scorching than magma half a day later.
However, it did not extinguish the fighting will of the soldiers and the reformists of the Business Alliance. Instead, their morale was higher than ever.
Billions of space torpedoes had been sprayed out overwhelmingly, filling every sailing route and even every inch of space in the Seven Seas Space Zone.
Those space torpedoes of the latest model boasted the features of searching for the enemy automatically and attaching themselves to the enemy. They had particularly sharp senses on space ripples.
It meant that when the million starships of the four families jumped out, they would likely be hit by countless space torpedoes while they were still in the twisted, four-dimensional state.
With any luck, dozens of relatively cheap space torpedoes would be enough to lay waste to the most expensive main-force warship and raise an overwhelming, destructive space tsunami that trapped all the starships nearby which had jumped over just now in the gap between the three-dimension and the four-dimension forever.
Besides the space torpedoes, the garrison fleets, the mercenary groups, and the fleets of the space pirates in the past were cruising at the edge of the Seven Seas Space Zone too. Their mission was to find the enemy's lone warships after the jump and destroy them while the enemy was still unsteady and hadn't regained effective command!
When the fleets from a hundred Sectors jumped at the same time, some were inevitably faster than the others, like the beach landing of an army of a million soldiers. The whole jump would probably take one to three days. In such a way, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors will have a chance to outnumber the enemy in specific regions and annihilate the enemy!
The mercenaries, space pirates, and assassins naturally did not have the slightest loyalty. However, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had generously offered countless free coins, bonds, and shares, building the loyalty out of nothing.
Compared to the empty promises of the four families, the free coin was much more credible. For the sake of money, everybody was willing to fight hard!
At the edge of the Seven Seas Space Zone, a sealed space gate that had been closed for a long time blossomed like a bud, sending complicated streams of information to somewhere far away in the distant space.
The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors was all set for the war!
Chapter 2559: Yun Xuefeng and Li Wuji |
Six hours before the battle, inside the "Purple Cloud Sector", one of the worlds closest to the edge of the Imperium that belonged to the Yun family…
During the past two months, more than ten main fleets of the Yun family and its vassal families had been gathered here to strengthen their armor and firepower, install the latest "Flying Lightning Command Chain" system, and practice the tactics required in the joint battle.
The "Solar Slingshots", made of special materials that could absorb the energy of stellar storms and transform it into the impetus for space jumps, were shipped to a Sector that boasted a gargantuan star.
The Solar Slingshots were hexagonal metal panels that were slightly arced. After all the hexagons were connected like beehives, they turned into a magnificent metal pot. The metal pot, which was in silver at the beginning, turned crimson and looked like blood after absorbing tremendous furious solar energy.
The Solar Slingshots had been stretched to the maximum. As long as they were released, they would unleash the magnificent force that was enough to rip the space.
The dozen main fleets were all prepared to go. Organized like silver chess pieces symmetrically, they were formed into delicate and glamorous cubes in the boundless space.
Despite the conflicts among the four Kurfürst families and the undercurrent
s of the peripheral warlords' troops, those main fleets of the Yun family were at least determined to win the battle and annihilate the "rebels" as soon as possible.
Their determination transmitted among the starships quickly in flashes and waves, adding thousands of colors to the silver cubes.
The four Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships, as centers of the mixed fleet, finally arrived at the jump point.
Whether or not the combat units inside had been unfortunately castrated due to the lack of funding, the four super warships truly deserved to be called "Adamantine" judging from their magnificent appearance. They were like four space fortresses that were moving slowly. The dense turrets, cannons, and launchers of drones and battle puppets on the surface made everybody feel dizzy when they looked. Their heartbeats were either accelerated to the fastest or reduced to none.
The four Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships were even more shocking than the flagships of the best fleets of the four families in terms of appearance. "Doom", "destruction", or "suffocation" were not enough to describe one-thousandth of their majesty and dominance.
To this moment, countless maintenance ships were still conducting the last strengthening and supplying around the four Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships, delivering all kinds of resources up above. Those warships were like black holes that had swallowed immeasurable ammunitions, fuel, battle puppets, and drones, but their stomachs were still not fed.
All the soldiers were deeply awed by the arrival of the Adamantine Super Arsenal Warships, particularly those from the vassal families as they had never seen such warships before.
At this moment, when they saw the four planets crushing at them overwhelmingly, they finally understood that "the largest super warships of the Imperium" was certainly not an exaggeration. The overwhelming oppression from them couldn't be found from any other starships.