Super Mothership
To be honest, Nie Yun’s proposal was quite tempting.
If they agreed, Gemini would not only regain distribution rights to the Water of Life despite their defeat in battle, but also gain the chance to trade with a technologically powerful civilization—a value that was hard to even calculate.
However, in Isabel’s heart, she still leaned toward continuing the fight.
In her view, those benefits were far too unstable, built entirely on the assumption that the Unity of All Things would keep its promises. If the other side, just like this time, suddenly turned hostile on some random pretext, then all those so-called benefits would be nothing more than a pie drawn in the sky.
And besides, caught between two powerful civilizations, the wormhole in the Solar System suddenly became all the more critical. Like a fortified pass in ancient wars, whoever controlled that strategic chokepoint held the initiative.
Losing the Solar System wormhole, in Isabel’s eyes, was extremely dangerous.
But if they truly continued fighting…
Isabel glanced around the battlefield. The vanguard ahead had already collapsed into a rout; to the rear, the enemy’s mecha legions still waited like tigers eyeing their prey; and on the flanks… well, better not even mention those pig-headed allies!
“Sigh…” Isabel let out a quiet breath in her heart.
…
On the battlefield, the two sides warily disengaged and slowly withdrew from one another. The starry sky, clamorous for hours, now sank into silence. Only the countless mechanical wrecks and drifting space debris bore witness to the brutality of the battle just fought.
In some sense, the fight had already been decided. Neither side truly had the will to keep going.
Isabel could see clearly that the situation was unfavorable—they couldn’t win.
As for Nie Yun, while completely crushing the Gemini fleet before him wasn’t impossible, aside from the Mithril Fleet, hardly any other combat units would remain. Even an Immortal risked suffering serious injuries.
And if the Pioneer Corps of the neighboring system were annihilated, it would certainly enrage Gemini. Should they recklessly dispatch three to five more fleets on an expedition, Nie Yun would be forced to retreat back to the Solar System and lay low, gaining nothing and losing much.
For Nie Yun, whose power was still in a phase of rapid growth, now was by no means the best time for an all-out war.
“Huu~” Nie Yun let out a long breath, his face showing a trace of weariness.
Controlling such vast numbers of mechanical bugs in combat—especially unleashing the combined battleships’ “transformation ability”—had drained him of tremendous mental energy. This level of precise, large-scale control was almost his current limit.
Still, it was finally over.
Smiling faintly, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted into slumber…
Cleanup was left to Codename. On the battlefield, the remaining “Sword Immortal” mecha began forming scattered ranks to retreat. Before leaving, they diligently collected and hauled away huge amounts of mecha and warship wreckage, like a band of space scavengers with exceptionally strong environmental awareness.
These were valuable manufacturing materials. Some mecha weren’t even too badly damaged; once repaired by the mechanical bugs, they could be hopping back onto the battlefield in no time, greatly shortening production cycles.
While Codename was “cleaning up the battlefield,” Gemini likewise regrouped their forces and tallied their losses.
“What are our losses?” Isabel turned to her adjutant.
“Among just my Feather Clan forces, all unmanned drones are lost. Of the deployed mecha, only 176 remain, and we’ve lost seven warships…” the adjutant reported solemnly with lowered head.
That didn’t even include the Sea Clan’s losses. In this battle, the Gemini Pioneer Corps had practically lost another entire sub-fleet, and nearly all aerial combat units were wiped out!
“And the enemy?” Isabel frowned.
“According to our data analysis, the enemy lost about 1,900 mecha, with fewer than 800 remaining. As for warships… only the former Sea Clan flagship was destroyed!”
“Apologies, Commander, it was our poor performance in battle!” The adjutant’s face showed a trace of shame.
Given how the fight had ended, it could only be called a disastrous defeat.
“No need to blame yourself. The enemy was well-prepared, their weapons superior to ours, and their mecha could rival the elite units of the Central Legion. On top of that, our communications were completely suppressed. This defeat was not your fault.”
Victory and defeat are common to soldiers. Isabel, rather than venting her frustration, offered comfort to her adjutant.
Such was space warfare in the universe—a seemingly minor technological edge could lead to overwhelming dominance on the battlefield. The mechanical bugs held not just one such advantage, but several.
This time, in order to intimidate Gemini, Nie Yun had revealed several of his hidden trump cards, achieving an astonishing kill ratio. His goal was to project the image of an invincible “Ante Empire” before Gemini.
“Yes! But Commander, the Sea Clan is extremely displeased about us destroying their flagship. Many officers are saying we were responsible for Lord Gustav’s death. Do you think this could be another scheme of the enemy’s to sow discord? After all, the fall of that Sea Clan flagship seemed almost too deliberate…” The adjutant hesitated, but voiced his suspicion.
“Hmm. The enemy never intended to conceal their motives—this is an open stratagem. But beyond driving a wedge between our two clans, they had another, deeper reason… In fact, it was only after they offered truce terms that I realized it. One must admit, the enemy commander is meticulous—each step taken while already thinking three ahead.” Isabel’s eyes revealed unreserved admiration for her opponent.
“Ah? Then what was this deeper reason?” The adjutant was puzzled.
“Tell me, if Gustav had survived the battle, what would have happened?” Isabel asked calmly.
“Survived?” The adjutant blinked, then followed the thought…
If Gustav were still alive, naturally Gemini would never allow such a high-ranking traitor to walk free. He had not only caused massive losses for Gemini but also carried vast amounts of intelligence about the Pioneer Corps’ internal affairs.
More than that, his betrayal had caused extremely negative political repercussions. If he were not punished severely, where would the military’s authority stand? The Sea Clan, in particular, would lose all face!
By then, those eager to see Gustav dead would not only include the military factions tied to him, but the entirety of the Sea Clan.
And Sea Clan officers were never known for their patience. If the Sea Clan’s military factions erupted in fury, then the truce conditions would inevitably include one demand—“Gustav must die!”
But would the Unity of All Things really hand Gustav over?
He had already pledged allegiance, sworn loyalty to them. If they immediately tossed him aside to appease enemy anger, who else would ever dare join them in the future?
Was anyone eager to court death like that?
And if the Unity of All Things refused to hand over Gustav, then the negotiations would very likely collapse entirely—something the enemy clearly wanted to avoid.
“So that’s it! The enemy didn’t want Gustav to become an obstacle to peace talks, so they chose to discard him first!” The adjutant finally understood.
“Whether they truly abandoned him is not certain. Perhaps they only staged Gustav’s death by sinking that Sea Clan flagship. But with such groundwork laid, they now have every reason to sidestep this sensitive issue. One has to admit—it was brilliantly done!” Isabel praised without hesitation.
The enemy had given them a way out. The hidden message was clear: He’s already dead, not even ashes remain—what more could you possibly want?
“So we’re just going to let it go like this?” The adjutant asked, a little unwilling.
“That depends on how the lords of the United Council decide to see it…” Isabel’s gaze grew deep as she looked off into the distance.
…
Gemini, United Council.
Chairman Cruze looked down at the intelligence report just returned from the frontlines, his face unable to hide his shock.
“Unity of All Things… are they a mere trifling nuisance, or a mortal threat?”
TL Note- Strength?
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