Two fleets, originating from prehistoric civilizations, faced each other across space. The human fleet, like an unwelcome guest, dared not advance, instead hugging the periphery.
The duck that had flown into their mouths suddenly took flight again. Old Mi's lungs nearly exploded with rage. His hoarse, earth-shattering roars almost brought down the Mi Palace: "What's going on, what exactly is going on—"
Old Mi was far from the only one on the verge of collapse. The leaders of the other allied nations were in no better state.
Ever since the appearance of the "broken ships," Earth had been in turmoil. But before, there were at most three or five. This time, however, they were faced with two major civilizations and over a hundred ships. No matter how fast humanity developed or how spirited their efforts, they couldn't possibly contend with such a powerful fleet.
Was this the day of humanity's demise?
Even the bravest warrior, facing an insurmountable enemy, could only sink into despair and sorrow.
While the other allies were merely enduring the situation passively, the situation in Yan.jing was one of extreme frenzy. Zhou Guangyi’s head was buzzing. He wished he could smash through to create a wormhole and physically appear before the Starship, to question Ou Zhanpeng about how long he intended to mess around. "If you don't return to Earth soon, I'll smash myself to death right in front of you!"
But, it was only a thought.
The three major powers gathered, repeatedly discussing the possibility of their side defeating the alien fleet. However, this was a moot point; there was absolutely no possibility.
While the human world was in a state of bewilderment and chaos, the two fleets in the sky were not faring any better.
Especially the Third Civilization.
They had received communications from Old Mi long ago and hadn't taken it seriously at first. It was only after more contact that they connected Old Mi and Earth.
The Third Civilization learned of Earth's various encounters from Old Mi, and this finally made them unable to sit still.
That was the Phantom Rainbow Nebula, a legendary super battleship. How could the Third Civilization not be moved?
After all, many had dismissed those ancient legends as mere stories, never imagining that one day, a story would become reality!
Thus, an entire squadron of flying saucers set off majestically, arriving at Earth before the First Civilization.
However, the First Civilization was not slow either, arriving only slightly later than the Third Civilization.
Now, with too many wolves and too little meat, the two fleets immediately began negotiations.
It must be said that their relationship was very delicate.
Although they came from two different powers, they were both civilizations that had originated from Earth and belonged to the Glorious Empire. They had constant friction in private, yet had to present a united front publicly.
Neither side wanted to have an internal conflict in front of humanity, so negotiation naturally became the only option.
Dividing the spoils equally was not a bad idea, and a tripartite balance was the most stable situation. Both sides were determined to bring the Second Civilization into the fold.
They paid no attention to humanity's thoughts.
A primitive civilization that had just left its planet; was it worth paying attention to?
Mi Sha was privy to the situation, but she was happy to see the Third Civilization suffer a great loss, so she kept quiet and profited, not mentioning the Starship at all.
Well, she assumed the Third Civilization had also heard the news of the Star Pirates' casual attacks on the Black Horn people, but they surely didn't know the true origin of the leading warship!
The two fleets quickly reached an agreement, uniting to jointly pressure humanity.
How to divide the Phantom Rainbow Nebula and distribute the gains could be discussed later. The key was to first control the ownership of the legendary warship.
Upon receiving the ultimatum from the two prehistoric civilizations, Zhou Guangyi felt all his strength drain away. He stared blankly at the screen, lost in thought.
The staff in the command center also wore expressions of utter misery, as if their entire families had perished.
"Reply," Zhou Guangyi said weakly, like a broken puppet. "Agree to all their demands..."
"Old Zhou..." Shan Qiuyu wanted to stop him, but the words caught in his throat and wouldn't come out.
No one wanted to hand over the Starship Base, but without handing over the base, humanity wouldn't survive this day. Surrendering it might buy them a sliver of breathing room.
"Reply," Zhou Guangyi waved his hand. "I will bear all the responsibility!"
"Old Zhou..."
"Let's leave it at that," Zhou Guangyi gave no one else a chance to speak.
Just as the communication officer was about to send the message, Gong Yiding's face suddenly appeared on the screen: "Everyone, please issue a statement immediately, saying that you have no relation to the Starship and no authority to decide its ownership."
The leaders exchanged glances. Shan Qiuyu gave a wry smile, "Will the aliens believe it? Old Mi is in cahoots with the aliens!"
"Whether they believe it is their business; just distance yourselves first," Gong Yiding said.
Without the Starship, he couldn't activate a wormhole. Otherwise, he would have long since left with the Starship and led the alien fleet away.
But now, all he could do was use this meaningless statement to try and trick the aliens.
What if the other party was just a bunch of simpletons?
Clearly, the aliens were not so easily fooled. After Yan.jing issued the statement according to Gong Yiding's wishes, the two fleets remained unmoved, continuing to pressure Earth and threatening to obliterate Earth's civilization if the Starship Base was not handed over.
With a last sliver of hope, Gong Yiding, representing Yan.jing, contacted Mi Sha, bringing up the alliance agreement between the two parties.
However, Mi Sha, a seasoned politician, while admitting that the alliance agreement did exist, repeatedly emphasized that the alliance had not been formally reached, and therefore, strictly speaking, the alliance was an intention, not a legal fact.
In short, the message was: Don't play games; the sooner you hand it over, the less you'll suffer.
They thought that by simply pressuring Earth, they would easily obtain the legendary warship, but they didn't expect Gong Yiding to make a bold move at this critical juncture. The Starship Base suddenly opened its main hatch, and a strangely shaped warship detached from the base, heading straight for the flying saucer fleet ahead.
This was the newly completed warship, the Nova, replacing the Star Raft!
The two fleets dismissed it as a standard human warship, thinking it was humanity's last desperate counterattack. A swarm of flying saucers immediately moved to intercept, intending to make an example of it.
But as the fleet stirred, the Starship Base fired first, piercing three flying saucers and damaging two others.
Everyone knew the Starship Base had super firepower, but firing five shots with one blast seemed a bit exaggerated.
For a moment, everyone, humans and aliens alike, was stunned by this single shot.
With only a few rounds of bombardment from the Starship Base, the Third Civilization's fleet of a few dozen flying saucers was annihilated.
Mi Sha suddenly felt a bit fortunate that this shot wasn't aimed at her own fleet.
However, this was just the beginning. Having lost so many flying saucers when they thought everything was in hand, the Third Civilization became enraged. Half of the flying saucers engaged the Starship, while the other half suddenly turned and flew directly towards Earth.
This time, the allies were completely flustered. Did the aliens also practice collective punishment?
Gong Yiding, remaining calm under pressure, issued several commands in succession. The Earth fleet, the Mars fleet, and the Jupiter fleet simultaneously moved to form a sparse defensive line in the direction of Earth.
It was flimsy, but they stood their ground resolutely.
Inspired by the three fleets, the remaining warships of the allied fleet also moved, joining the ranks to resist the invasion.
The planetary defense system activated in sync, suddenly launching an attack on the arrogant enemy ships.
In an instant, hundreds of beams of light and particle beams filled Earth's outer space. The unprepared flying saucer fleet instantly lost a quarter of its strength.
This result far exceeded the Third Civilization's expectations and also shocked Mi Sha and the First Civilization's fleet.
Mi Sha nearly went mad on the spot. Earth's defenses were this strong, but why had the humans been so vulnerable when the Black Horn people attacked?
Realizing the situation was deteriorating, the flying saucer fleet immediately requested reinforcements from the Shallow Cloud fleet.
Regarding the ownership of the Starship Base, before Mi Sha could make a decision, the fleet had already launched an attack, targeting the defensive nodes near Earth.
With just one volley, over forty defensive nodes were destroyed, and Earth's defensive system's firepower was instantly weakened by two tiers.
Another few volleys of this magnitude would cripple at least half of the defense system!
The situation humanity faced was already dire, and now it had become even more precarious.
Gong Yiding was forced to divert some firepower to deal with the Shallow Cloud fleet. For a time, there were scattered artillery fire everywhere, shattered warships everywhere. Within minutes of the engagement, more than half of the human warships had sunk.
If it weren't for the powerful support of the Starship Base, all human warships would have likely been destroyed in regret.
Gong Yiding had already entered his most advantageous combat mode, "Ruthless Mode." No matter what unexpected events occurred, they could not disrupt his judgment.
The other leaders, however, were not so composed. Facing the fierce confrontation, they were all anxious and worried.
If this continued, the human defense line could only hold out for a few more minutes. After that, the alien fleet's firepower would directly rain down on Earth!
Old Mi was filled with regret. He had originally planned to use the Third Civilization to gain a share of alien technology. Now, he hadn't even touched the porcelain, but instead, he had stirred up a hornet's nest.
Even if Earth was not destroyed by the aliens, Old Mi would face widespread condemnation from his global allies.
At this moment, the Mi Palace, acting recklessly, actually ordered a fight to the death, instructing the fleet to assist the alien fleet in breaking through the defenses.
The fleet that received the order nearly went mad. Was this truly a command from the Mi Palace? Hadn't the aliens hacked their own communication system?
Old Mi was not without his discerning individuals. At the critical moment, the fleet refused to execute the Mi Palace's erratic order, insisting on standing with humanity and sharing their fate.
The senior leadership of the US military realized the unreliability of certain individuals. They decisively ordered the troops guarding the Mi Palace to control the situation, apprehending those officials who were acting against common sense, thus averting further disaster and preventing even worse consequences.
When the news reached Yan.jing, the leaders broke out in a cold sweat. None of them had expected Old Mi to cause such a huge problem at this time, almost jeopardizing their precarious situation.
"Some things must be put on the agenda now," Zhou Guangyi said expressionlessly.
Shan Qiuyu could only manage a wry smile. At this point, the outcome was still uncertain, yet he was already planning for the future. Was he being too casual, or was his confidence simply too high?
In fact, Zhou Guangyi was not so heartless. Although it was still uncertain whether they could overcome this immediate challenge, as a leader, how could he lack revolutionary optimism?
But Zhou Guangyi's optimism was premature. As soon as he finished speaking, the alien fleet broke through the human defense line, with at least twenty flying saucers heading directly for Earth.
The near-Earth defense systems fired, but their beams were all deflected by the flying saucers' shields.
Zhou Guangyi's heart sank: It's over!
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, the Nova, which had been "fishing" at the edge of the battlefield, suddenly opened a wormhole and appeared directly in front of the enemy.
The twenty-odd flying saucers immediately opened fire on the Nova, with beams of light striking the Nova's shields.
The Nova released a large number of drone fighters, and several thick mechanical arms extended from the warship, holding various heavy ship-mounted cannons and firing continuously.
At first glance, it looked as if the Nova had suddenly grown seven or eight arms.
The enemy split some of their firepower to intercept the drones, with at least half of the drones being destroyed during their charge.
However, under the cover of the Nova, some drones managed to break through the blockade and successfully approach the enemy ships.
What followed was a barrage of intense bombing, with each drone charging fearlessly towards the enemy ships until it was destroyed or crashed into them.
Well, since they were all drone fighters, there was no need to feel sorry for their loss.
With this maneuver, the Nova, on its own, managed to hold off more than twenty flying saucers!
However, it would be a mistake to assume the Nova was an ordinary spacecraft. Because of the sinking of the Star Raft, Gong Yiding had nearly lost his life, which, even after he had become a robot, still infuriated him greatly.
For this reason, the first thing Director Gong did upon returning to the base was to assemble personnel and rebuild the Star Raft.
He not only used all the precognitive technology he had mastered but also installed a batch of spare parts belonging to the Starship onto the Nova, significantly improving the warship's overall combat capability.
If the Starship's overall combat capability was 10, then the Nova's would be at least 4, even touching the edge of 5.
In short, the Nova was absolutely the best among all human-made warships.
Unfortunately, the spare parts only included defensive equipment like shields, not weaponry, otherwise the Nova's combat capability would have soared several levels higher!
If the Nova had not been completed just in time, the Starship Base alone would not have been able to contend with the alien fleet.
The simplest point was that the Starship Base itself lacked mobility. If the alien fleet found the right position and kept Earth between themselves and the Starship Base, Gong Yiding would have been powerless.
Now, with the base and the warship working together, the entire battlefield was revitalized, gaining an advantage that was not ordinary.
Combined with the assistance of the other fleets, Gong Yiding dared not claim a great victory, but there was a glimmer of hope in thwarting the prehistoric civilizations' ambitions.
Just as both sides were heavily engaged in battle, a wormhole suddenly opened a few million kilometers from Earth. The Starship quietly passed through the wormhole and returned to Earth.
As soon as it emerged from the wormhole, the alarm in the control cabin deafened him. Seeing the large alien fleet hovering near Earth and the scattered remnants of his own fleet, Ou Zhanpeng's rationality was instantly engulfed by rage.
What had he been fighting so hard for outside? His home had been stolen!
Fortunately, he hadn't returned too late!
"Charge forward, leave none alive!" he commanded.