Super Mothership
Fifteen minutes earlier.
In the wormhole zone of the Solar System, the 15 warships deployed by Gustav formed a semi-surrounding formation, placing the wormhole within firing range.
Unlike Nie Yun, who possessed an almost supernatural industrial manufacturing capability, the Twin Star system couldn’t build a defensive fortress like Earth’s without dispatching several industrial mother ships, employing a massive number of engineering robots, and consuming an enormous amount of resources.
The pioneer legion of the Proxima Star System was merely a second-tier fleet, with its main strategic goal being the occupation of the system and elimination of hostile forces within, not infrastructure development.
Although they had the ability to construct a temporary makeshift fortress, using such resources just for a few enemy ships in the Solar System would likely get their proposal instantly rejected by the military, possibly even raising doubts about the commander’s intelligence.
On the other hand, no one expected the enemies inside the Solar System to be so bold as to take the initiative to attack the Proxima System.
If such a scenario did happen, the tables would turn. The Twin Star system would gain a home-field advantage, and the “Unity of All Things” faction would need to deploy at least three times the defending force to have any chance of breaking through their defenses.
Given the current disparity in strength between the two sides, that would be no different from suicide.
In fact, even the 15 warships currently guarding the wormhole seemed like overkill to Gustav.
If it weren’t for the earlier “Second Wormhole War,” during which the Sea Clan fleet had been unexpectedly ambushed by a sword-immortal mecha and lost a small carrier, Gustav might have only deployed half as many ships.
That incident had served as a wake-up call to the Sea Clan fleet—while a large-scale assault was unlikely, the possibility of small-scale harassment still existed.
Thus, the formation of this defense fleet was by-the-book, not letting down their guard despite the enemy’s apparent weakness.
At this moment, inside the flagship’s command bridge, the fleet commander was looking at a classified order in confusion.
“Withdraw the defense line?”
It was a secret order personally issued by Gustav, instructing the fleet to retreat one million kilometers and redeploy the defensive line.
But their current line was already set at the farthest effective firing range—if they retreated a million kilometers, how could they still defend the wormhole?
“This order… feels strange,” the vice-commander said, equally puzzled. “Sir, did Lord Gustav mention any strategic reasoning behind this?”
The commander was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
In fact, the order did contain Gustav’s strategic intent, briefly stated as: “Lure the snake out of its hole.”
This brief explanation was enough for the experienced commander to understand that Gustav intended to bait the “Unity of All Things” faction into making the first move.
What puzzled him, however, was that the enemy weren’t fools. Given the overwhelming disparity in forces, they stood no chance even in a direct confrontation—why would they take the bait?
Still… perhaps Gustav had another card up his sleeve?
“Regardless, have the fleet fall back and wait for further instructions,” the commander finally ordered.
After a moment’s thought, he added, “Lord Gustav specifically instructed that this order remain confidential—only our main fleet is to be informed…”
The vice-commander immediately understood. This secret order, issued in Gustav’s personal name, likely implied the strategic intent was highly classified. Such caution suggested they were guarding against a mole within the fleet.
It seemed Gustav was preparing for something big…
“Yes, sir! Order the fleet to immediately retreat one million kilometers and redeploy the defense formation!” the vice-commander responded loudly.
As the command was given, the wormhole defense fleet began to slowly turn around and leave the wormhole.
However, just as the fleet finished turning and the wormhole slipped out of range—
Something changed.
Behind the retreating fleet, a familiar vortex suddenly appeared. A flash of silver emerged from the void—the sharp prow of a ship, like a sword piercing through space, stretched across light-years and stabbed directly into the Proxima System…
“Wormhole traversal detected! It’s… it’s an enemy ship!”
Inside the flagship, the radar operator stared at the glaring red alert and shouted in panic.
"What?! At this moment?!"
The commander shot up from his chair, a look of utter shock on his face.
How could this be such a coincidence?!
They had just given the order to retreat—yet the enemy launched a surprise attack immediately after? And the timing… was perfectly synchronized!
Their fleet was now facing away from the enemy, rendering most of their firepower useless—not to mention they were out of range.
But if they turned back to intercept, it would take at least five minutes to reposition!
Five minutes might not seem long, but it was more than enough time for several enemy warships to establish a foothold.
What chilled the commander’s heart the most was this: The enemy clearly knew they were going to retreat, lying in wait for this exact moment.
Was this yet another internal leak?
Or… was all of this part of Gustav’s grand plan to "lure the snake out of its hole"?
“Sir! What do we do now?” the vice-commander asked anxiously.
And anxious he should be—an entire enemy warship had almost fully emerged!
The longer they delayed, the stronger the enemy force they would face. A quick decision was critical.
The fleet commander understood this all too well. He was already weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
Right now, the defending fleet had two options:
First option: Continue retreating.
The enemy force from the “Unity of All Things” faction in the Solar System was limited. Even if they fully revealed themselves and engaged head-on, their own fleet still held a numerical advantage.
Not to mention, they had over a hundred warships in reserve further back—enough to completely crush the invading enemy.
This option was safe—a guaranteed position of strength and stability.
But the seasoned commander had a gut feeling things wouldn't go so smoothly.
Judging from past encounters, the “Unity of All Things” forces were far from foolish. Every move they made had kept the Twin Star fleet on the back foot, even suffering a few defeats.
Why would they suddenly make such a reckless blunder?
Were they really blind to the power imbalance in the Proxima system?
Frankly speaking, given such a huge disparity, no matter how many ships they sent, they'd be annihilated.
So why choose such a suicidal move?
Could there be another trap?
Could that strange secret order have also been orchestrated by the “Unity of All Things”?
If he chose this path, would he be walking right into their hands?
Second option: Immediately turn back and intercept the enemy!
At this point, regardless of the enemy’s intention, if they were trying to enter the Proxima system through the wormhole, stopping them was certainly the right move.
His mind raced. Then, gritting his teeth, the commander barked the order:
“All ships, turn around! Destroy the intruders!”
In the end, he chose the second path.
No matter what, probing the enemy’s intentions was better than doing nothing.
If the situation turned out poorly, they could still retreat later. At the very least, after engaging in battle, he’d have something to report to his superiors.
“Also, report the situation to Lord Gustav immediately. Request tactical guidance!” he added.
After all, only the one who tied the knot can untie it.
This whole mess began with Gustav’s secret order… so naturally, he’d better be the one to clean it up.
...
At the wormhole’s exit…
The first warship had now fully emerged from the wormhole, appearing within the Proxima system.
This warship was entirely silver-white, built entirely from mechanical insectoid materials. Roughly 600 meters long, it had a flattened triangular shape, with a sharply pointed bow, resembling a long sword that was narrow at the front and wider at the rear.
No external weapon systems were visible on the hull, but at the center of the ship’s body, there was a prominent vortex insignia.
The surface of the ship had clearly been treated with a mirror finish—it shimmered brilliantly, looking more like a work of art than a weapon of war.
This was the “Houyi-class” Assault Frigate, a vessel specially designed by Nie Yun for this operation.
Just by the name, it was clear this ship emphasized offensive power. It had only one type of weapon: a main cannon!
The moment the Houyi-class frigate exited the wormhole, its first move was not to activate a force-field shield or set up a defensive line—it immediately assumed attack posture!
"Wmmm!" A huge surge of energy gathered rapidly. At the front of the bow, a brilliant point of light suddenly appeared in the void.
"Zzzzt!" Almost the very next instant, a wave of invisible distortion blasted forward, violently warping the air as it shot out!
And at this moment, the opposing commander had just finished issuing his orders.
The Twin Star fleet had clearly not expected the enemy’s main cannon to charge so quickly, nor that its range would far exceed their own. Many of their ships were still mid-turn, and several had just begun activating their force-field shields.
"Boom!" The invisible blast struck with pinpoint accuracy at the rear side of a nearby escort ship next to the flagship.
That escort ship had obviously reacted too slowly—its shield was just beginning to power up. The timing of the attack was impeccable, hitting precisely as the ship was broadside, exposing its largest possible target area.
"BOOM!" A blinding explosion erupted beside the flagship, lighting up the entire bridge and washing out everyone’s faces in pale white.
“It’s... it’s a Gamma Ray Cannon!” someone shouted.
The flagship's sensors quickly analyzed the properties of the blast and identified the enemy's primary weapon.
The commander’s face twisted even further upon hearing this.
A Gamma Ray Cannon?!
That’s a heavy weapon normally only mounted on cruiser-class ships in the Twin Star navy.
How could this enemy vessel possibly be equipped with one?!
While the Twin Star fleet was still reeling from the shock of the long-range attack, the wormhole began flooding with mechas—waves of them pouring through nonstop!
Once on the other side, these mechas focused solely on offense, wasting no time—they instantly split into squads and charged straight at the Twin Star fleet with fierce momentum.
Their armor was painted blue, and each unit carried five longswords strapped to their backs—every single one of them was an elite “Sword Immortal” mecha.
For this battle, Nie Yun had committed his most elite forces!
TL Note- Mecha....
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