Chapter 315: "At the End of Their Rope"
The Imperial Fleet pursued its target, with nuclear bombs constantly clearing the way ahead. The light pressure generated by the explosions dispersed interstellar dust along the route, reducing the burden on kinetic shields and simultaneously increasing the accuracy of radar detection.
Due to the sufficiently thick frontal armor of the warships, they actually had a greater permissible maximum speed increment than fighter jets within the interstellar dust zone.
Not to mention the large cruiser Oka, which carried kinetic shields—pre-disaster artifacts precious to the Empire—making it essentially impervious to direct impacts from interstellar dust.
If Reid had dispatched his flagship earlier, the battle would have already ended.
But now, he had lost that opportunity forever.
"Within range! Target locked! Firing solutions loaded!"
The main fire control operator on Oka reported loudly, thinking that after this shot, he could finally go home.
"Have we established a connection with Silver Fox TV?"
Reid first confirmed with his Communications Officer.
"Yes, Major General! Quantum video signals are being transmitted, and Silver Fox TV's special program has begun broadcasting. Current viewership is 8.9%, with as many as 37% of viewers being conservatives who favor the Emperor."
"Hmm! That's a good starting number. This is a significant boost for our democratic cause."
Like all high-ranking Imperial generals, Reid was adept at media propaganda.
Domestically, whether supporters of "democratic" politics or personal admirers of the Emperor, they all loved exciting battles, gunfire, and explosions!
They would support whoever won.
This battle would not only solidify the precarious authority of the Congress but also surely win over the goodwill of those old conservatives.
"Then open fire. Remember to appropriately lower the output power a bit and slightly prolong the battle time. We need to entertain our domestic audience and let them watch to their heart's content; let's not end it too quickly."
"Understood, Major General!"
Oka opened fire.
Similar to Cangyuan at its current stage, the Imperial warships' main guns were also kinetic weapons.
Four large-caliber axial electromagnetic cannons fired a low-speed volley, launching a total of 16 terminally guided shells, each weighing 9 tons. These shells flew towards the Cangyuan Fleet at a speed of 50 kilometers per second, smashing through dense interstellar dust along the way, forming beautiful conical shockwaves.
Reid sat with his legs crossed, quite pleased with the visual effect.
"Fine-tune the angle of incidence at the terminal trajectory. I want to strip away their armor first, then slowly tear apart the warship structure. Remember, torment! Release the carrier-based aircraft. I want to capture footage of their crew being thrown into space. The public loves to see that."
"Yes!"
At his command, a large number of carrier-based aircraft departed the fleet's carriers.
The main gun shells flew for a full 15 minutes, covering a long distance of forty-five thousand kilometers, then activated their guidance systems and small rocket engines at the rear for terminal trajectory correction.
"Report! All our shelling missed!"
"What's going on?"
Reid's mouth twitched.
The enemy didn't maneuver to dodge, nor did they use laser interception. How could they have missed?
This is a live broadcast. If you mess this up, won't the citizens think we lack daily training and make me lose face?
"The shells passed through the Cangyuan Fleet, missing all targets. The guidance data in the last second seemed very strange; the target's electromagnetic and optical characteristics appeared distorted."
The gunner reported.
"What caused it? Were we subjected to electronic warfare interference earlier?"
"Possibly. But we can't be sure yet."
"Report! Cangyuan Fleet — signal lost!"
"What was the exact process?"
"It disappeared suddenly. We are currently investigating the cause and simultaneously initiating a new round of anti-stealth detection."
This time, the Empire's anti-stealth detection did not immediately yield results.
What they had detected earlier were only OTH band echo signals faked by the Cangyuan drone swarm.
The main guns had also targeted only radar and optical phantoms of the fleet and drone swarm.
The reason the shell guidance data in the last second seemed strange was also because the drone's disguise effect could no longer be perfectly maintained when the distance was less than 50 kilometers.
And when the drone swarm stopped faking targets and scattered, due to their small geometric size, the distance at which they were detected by OTH band radar was more than ten times that of warships and fighter jets.
It looked as if they had suddenly vanished from the anti-stealth radar screen.
"No."
Major General Reid waved his hand.
"Don't waste your efforts. We will continue to move in that direction, while increasing the output power of our VHF and L band radars."
For most drone targets with physical dimensions not exceeding 10 meters, these two bands are more effective in breaking stealth.
As a general with rich combat experience, Reid's capabilities were not comparable to those of captains like Galan and Apollo.
He rarely made technical errors and had already deduced what they had just encountered.
"That should have been a false target created by drones," the Major General murmured. "In recent years, those hateful democratic United Northern guys have also developed similar technology."
"Hmm—" The Oka Captain next to him nodded slightly.
"It's said to have been bought from Paradise Island. That place—too many incredible things, too much hidden strength. No wonder the Emperor has always disagreed with a full-scale invasion of the Star Alliance. I just don't understand, how did Cangyuan get its hands on it?"
"Most likely from the same technology source—but that's not important!" Reid gritted his teeth in disgust. "These petty tricks won't change the disparity in strength. We press on!"
Indeed, a moment later, Oka made a discovery.
"Detecting small spacecraft! Over 700 in number!"
Carrier-based aircraft were immediately dispatched and quickly shot down these Cangyuan drones, which had extremely limited self-defense capabilities and were not very fast.
Hmm... His conjecture was confirmed, and the enemy's ploy was exposed. Reid let out a scoff of derision for the weak.
It seems this is your last struggle.
He picked up the communicator: "What we targeted just now was merely a phantom created by Cangyuan using a drone swarm, but they can only use this trick once.
"The enemy's purpose in doing this is to deceive us into changing our course, creating a window for their escape! But such a childish attempt will not succeed. All ships, heed my command! Change course and proceed at full speed towards the brown dwarf!"
Under the upward-angled camera of the embedded reporter, Reid's image as a general appeared exceptionally tall and wise.
"Our Major General Reid easily saw through Cangyuan's trick, taking no more than 1 minute! What an excellent Imperial military man!"
The Silver Fox TV host's voice was high-pitched.
"This is a victory for the democratic selection system, and even more so, a victory for our nation's military education system."
The program's viewership began to rise.
On Chenxi Star, the Imperial capital, citizens fortunate enough to live on this nearly "garden planet" watched the military operation with great interest through various devices.
Recent TV news had been all about the Congress's puppet scandal; now they finally had a change of pace!
In the palace, the Emperor himself was also one of the viewers.
He didn't care whether the fleet in the spotlight was more closely related to him or better friends with the Congress.
This expedition had three goals. The goal of creating a scandal for the Congress had already been achieved. As long as Cangyuan could be sunk here, the remaining most important matter would be secured.
"Executive Officer, the enemy has probably seen through our disguise."
On the Cangyuan flagship Taibai, Chang Kong said in a deep voice to Lu Yuan.
"I know. Continue."
Lu Yuan stood up and walked to the chart table.
Violent vibrations, along with the grating sound of the hull structure deforming under stress, came simultaneously.
At this moment, the five warships of the expeditionary force were pressing their hulls against the Infinite Deep Space station's exterior, pushing it to forcibly change orbit and hide behind the massive brown dwarf.
Otherwise, as soon as the Imperial Fleet entered range, there was a high probability it would be destroyed by immediate bombardment.
It had to be hidden first!
This was why Xian Yu set a bait, luring the Imperial Fleet to change course.
However, Major General Reid's reaction was indeed quick enough.
Given the observed acceleration performance of the enemy, they might not even have time to properly hide the space station before being forced into a hasty battle.
For any commander of normal intelligence, given the current battle situation, they would surely have to reluctantly abandon the relic-grade space station,
evacuate the personnel, prioritize preserving usable military forces, and prioritize arranging their formation.
After all, compared to the psionic communication equipment in the space station, both the cangyuan one at the Journey's End and their own lives were more important.
But Lu Yuan had an advantage; he had the capital to make a different choice.
While contemplating, Lu Yuan connected to the First Air Squadron, which was ready to sortie again.
"This is the Executive Officer. Soon, the Imperial Fleet will decelerate to normal combat speed near the brown dwarf. At that time, it will be the key to the success or failure of this campaign.
"Your mission is to delay the Imperial Fleet's advance as much as possible, to buy time for the space station's concealment.
"This mission must be completed at all costs!"
Here it comes!
Finally, he heard those words from the Executive Officer!
At all costs, to live by dying!
The elite pilots of the First Air Squadron were all brimming with morale and fighting spirit.
Come on, let's see who the real ace is.
In the hangar, Chang Kong swallowed his last bite of bread, then put on his helmet and leaped into the cockpit.
"Brothers, the entire expeditionary force is counting on us now. Be prepared to sacrifice, and fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!!"
31 fighter jets quickly formed a formation, their ion engines spewing long plumes of exhaust, like fleeting meteors.
In the bridge, Charlotte gazed at the 31 gradually receding "stars," quietly wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes.
Their fate was sealed.
The scales of war could never achieve absolute balance.
But this time, the disparity was too great.
"Enemy fighter swarm detected!"
36 minutes later, the radar operator on Oka turned his head to Reid, "This doesn't look like a decoy this time!"
"Very good, we engage!"
The Imperial Fleet, with its tail nozzles facing forward, finished decelerating and turned 180 degrees.
A total of 18 warships of various types, along with nearly 200 carrier-based aircraft released by these warships, had prepared to engage the 31 owls of the First Air Squadron.
Soon after, countless laser beams illuminated the edge of the brown dwarf's atmosphere.
What followed were the blue-white flashes of nuclear explosions and the pilots' final communications before their deaths.
"Watch out for laser anti-aircraft guns on the enemy ship's broadside! Observe the status of those turrets in advance. We definitely can't dodge lasers that have already been fired, but we can predict the firing direction!"
"Try to approach the enemy ship from the rear and below! That's where the anti-aircraft firepower is weakest. Remember to prioritize shooting down enemy carrier-based aircraft; their threat to the space station might be even greater than that of warships—"
"I'm fighting, I'm fighting! I've already shot down the third one! I—"
"Loulan! You—Imperial scum, come and get it!!"
"Don't get carried away! I have a good opening here, suitable for launching a wave of missiles. It will definitely cripple their power! I need two more wingmen for cover!"
"Received. Immediately!"
Silence filled the bridge.
At this moment, everyone, including the fleet commander and the aviation commanders on each ship, could no longer help.
The pilots could only rely on three things.
The fighter jets, which embodied the painstaking efforts of Scholars and Engineers, the sweat they put into their daily training, and their innate flying talent.
On the main screen of the bridge, the blocks displaying the pilots' physiological data dimmed one by one.
The last one lasted longer than his comrades. Charlotte clenched her fists, silently praying for him in her heart.
But with a very close-range nuclear explosion, this last lone hero also finally turned into light and heat in space.
The First Air Squadron was completely annihilated.
But they once again created a miracle, reducing three-quarters of the Imperial fighter jets and successfully crippling an Imperial heavy cruiser and a destroyer!
"Executive Officer! Oka is requesting a communication!"
The communications officer's voice contained immense anger.
"Connect."
Major General Reid reappeared on the screen.
Compared to before, his face had become much uglier.
"Cangyuan commander, your pilots fought bravely, but I don't understand, what was the point of all this!? Will it change the final outcome?"
"Yes."
Lu Yuan simply replied with a single word, then cut the communication.
"What is the space station's concealment level?"
Chang Kong: "114%! It has completely entered the back of the brown dwarf, and will continue to rise with inertial gliding. Laser power reaching it through the star's atmosphere will be reduced by over 99.999%, and physical shells and missiles will directly veer off course! Furthermore, radar and infrared detection methods will find it difficult to penetrate the brown dwarf to determine the space station's position."
Lu Yuan: "Good, that's enough. The operation enters its second phase."
The five warships stopped pushing the space station, turned 180 degrees, and headed straight back to the previous battlefield.
When the Cangyuan Fleet appeared in the Imperial Fleet's line of sight, its whereabouts were immediately exposed.
"Five unidentified warships detected in low orbit! It's Cangyuan!"
The radar operator on Oka could not hide his excitement.
"Ha! Their armor is damaged, and they've lost their radar stealth capability. I guarantee you, in the name of democracy, this time they absolutely won't escape!"
No sooner had he spoken than the Cangyuan Fleet suddenly changed course, descending at a sharp angle, continuing to lower its orbital altitude.
"Report! The enemy fleet is diving towards the brown dwarf's atmosphere! No—correction! They have already broken through the planet's upper cloud layer!
Visual contact lost, radar signals are also rapidly weakening! Should we follow?"
"What a bunch of madmen—at the end of their rope!"
The Oka Captain cursed in a low voice.
The atmosphere of a gas giant is an incredibly treacherous natural environment.
If possible, any navigator or adventurer would try to stay as far away from it as possible.
"The storms down there are over two thousand kilometers per hour. If they continue to dive, even if they aren't torn apart by atmospheric pressure and storms, they simply won't be able to withstand the brown dwarf's own gravity, radiation, and heat! In my opinion, we can wait here and watch them crash."
"We cannot underestimate the will and determination of these people," Reid said in a deep voice. "It's best not to underestimate their combat effectiveness and navigational capabilities either."
He smiled, a hint of gravity in his expression.
Now, this renowned Imperial general somewhat regretted his earlier decision for a live media broadcast.
"The enemy still might escape by using the atmosphere for concealment. Since we've come this far, we must personally witness the destruction of the Cangyuan Expeditionary Force!
"All ships, heed my command! Activate the severe planetary weather emergency protocol. We are about to dive into the brown dwarf's atmosphere!"