Chapter 316: Hunting Beneath the Clouds
The Cangyuan Fleet pressed on, diving hundreds of kilometers beneath the hydrogen gas clouds, as if entering a true brown deep sea.
The Taibai's hull vibrated violently, and the weather radar emitted frantic warnings.
At this time, the external gravity was 3.3 G, the air pressure was as high as 30 Earth standard atmospheres, and the wind speed exceeded 2500 kilometers per hour, accompanied by severe thunderstorms.
"I'm going to collapse!"
The helmsman gripped the joystick tightly, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
He was referring not only to his current mental state but also to the physical state of the warship.
The fleet could only move along the planet's relatively stable horizontal trade wind belt, striving to keep its speed consistent with the wind speed.
Only in this way could they find relative calm amidst the chaos.
Otherwise, if their course deviated even slightly and they were caught in one of those giant storm systems, whose diameters were often comparable to Earth's, it would be impossible for the ships to escape on their own with their current engine thrust.
They would only plummet tens of thousands of kilometers, plunging into an endless ocean of liquid metallic hydrogen.
Lu Yuan stared intently at the external weather parameters, finally able to confirm that even the Imperial Fleet, after diving to this depth, would struggle to quickly escape the Brown Dwarf's gravity trap.
"Good, that's enough. We'll ascend 15 kilometers first and wait for the Empire to catch up a bit."
"Understood!"
The Imperial Fleet pursued relentlessly from behind, constantly illuminating them with fire control radar.
However, the harsh weather conditions of the Brown Dwarf, and a magnetic field 40,000 times stronger than Earth's, severely limited the radar's performance.
Optical instruments had a visibility of no more than 20 kilometers.
The Oka could only endure the harsh weather while tracking the vortex wake left by the Cangyuan Fleet as it passed through the dense atmosphere.
During this time, the large cruiser fired its main cannons several more times, but they were off target, hitting nothing. It had no choice but to accelerate further, hoping to shorten the linear distance to its target.
"Launch missiles!"
Upon reaching the designated location, Cao Yuan gave the order, and the fleet, following Xian Yu's tactical script, launched 20 missiles upwards.
They struggled to break free from the planet's gravity, and the nuclear warheads detonated in the high-altitude ionosphere, releasing electromagnetic pulses carrying immense energy.
"Meow—"
Reid's slightly interfered communication came through.
"Cangyuan Expeditionary Fleet, you wouldn't think that a mere electromagnetic pulse could destroy the Empire's electronic systems, would you? You wouldn't think we don't even have defenses against such an attack, would you?"
Lu Yuan remained silent.
"Your struggles are futile. The missiles you just launched not only failed to have an effect but also completely exposed your position."
Lu Yuan continued to maintain his silence.
"Now, our fleet has completed its encirclement from multiple directions. Commander of Cangyuan, you have lost completely. The cat-and-mouse game ends here. Surrender!
"You have achieved battle results worthy of praise; you merely encountered an overwhelmingly powerful opponent with completely asymmetrical equipment! Both the Empire and the Star Alliance will remember your bravery today!"
It must be said that this kind of taunting, laced with a bit of praise, sounded even more grating to Lu Yuan than Galan's shouting.
At this moment, the Taibai's helmsman turned around.
"Boss, I've adjusted things pretty well. We can dive deep again!"
"Good, dive!"
Following Lu Yuan's order, the fleet once again plunged deeper into the clouds.
"Their depth has increased again!"
The Oka's Navigator shouted.
"They're completely insane!"
The captain gritted his teeth, thinking, 'Why can't you just make things simple?'
"This is a standard suicide. They'd rather be crushed by atmospheric pressure than surrender to us."
"Follow them!"
Rear Admiral Reid commanded loudly.
"Precisely why we must justly sink these scumbags before they crash! No one can escape the Empire's democratic sanctions!"
He had intended to torment Cangyuan, but things went awry; his own spirit was first tormented by Lu Yuan's "dog-walking" style, his patience almost exhausted, and his temper was unusually high.
Calm down! Reid, you must calm down!
Don't let up at the last moment; soon, everything will be over!
Wait.
After fully calming down, a thought entered Reid's mind.
This chain of disguises, deceptions, blocking operations, and concealed maneuvers—was it truly just a futile struggle born of despair?
Something didn't seem quite right...
From the outcome, it seemed... it was to lure us here?!
What was beneath the Brown Dwarf's thick hydrogen gas clouds?
Cangyuan's trump card for a comeback?
Reid suddenly wanted to directly question Cangyuan's commander.
And just then, as if seeing through his thoughts, Lu Yuan finally broke the silence and picked up the communicator.
"The nuclear bomb just now was just a signal."
"A signal?"
Reid's heart tightened.
"What signal?"
Lu Yuan smiled and looked at Cao Yuan.
"Commander, would you be interested in explaining to our new friends?"
"Of course, glad to be of service!"
At least let you die clearly; this is also part of humanitarianism.
"Rear Admiral Reid, at the beginning of the battle, you generously introduced us to your fleet's configuration; so now, please allow me to introduce our forces."
The Oka's captain nervously gripped the handrail at the edge of the chart table, while Reid swallowed hard.
The other party's tone was too calm; was there really a trick?!
"First, four soon-to-be-retired Cangyuan first-generation frigates, and one modified Star Alliance frigate."
Cao Yuan's tone was steady, and there was no sound from the other side.
"In addition, there are seven capital ships from the golden age."
After a silence lasting more than ten seconds, mocking laughter, full of derision, came from the other end of the communicator.
Ha!
"Seven capital ships, and golden age capital ships at that? Where? I haven't found them. Are they in your imagination?"
Reid, the captain, and everyone else in the fleet completely relaxed because of this statement.
The previous tension vanished.
The opponent's true hand had been completely exposed!
"I think they're in his ass."
CAN
"Hahaha!!"
Even the usually stern Oka's captain let out a laugh, then shook his head repeatedly.
It was truly absurd.
After the apocalypse, the number of golden age warships successfully recovered and confirmed to have been found within Star Union Space was zero!
That was the ultimate fantasy of all major powers.
For adventurers, it was the ultimate treasure: obtaining just one would allow them to traverse the universe and become an overpowered space hero.
If those shadows previously photographed in this star system were intact golden age warships, then the survivors on them should still be alive.
Why would they be trapped here instead of fighting their way out and through the entire Star Alliance?
It simply made no sense!
Cangyuan, if only you had tried a little harder, I might have believed you.
"I'm thoroughly fed up with these clowns!"
Reid waved his hand in front of him in disgust, as if shooing away a swarm of buzzing flies.
"Accelerate and dive!"
"Rear Admiral Reid, my commander never said they were human warships."
Suddenly, Lu Yuan's softly spoken words made Reid tremble all over.
But the others were already immersed in the joy of complete victory, laughing heartily, and didn't hear him at all.
"...What did you say?"
"You heard what I said."
A few seconds later, the three radar observers also stopped laughing, their expressions frozen on their faces, just like their fleet's supreme commander. "Report, radar—abnormal echoes—"
"The density of the clouds is changing rapidly. The high-density zone is rising as a whole. The interface is 30 kilometers, 29 kilometers, 28 kilometers from us, and still rising rapidly!"
"No, that's not a high-density gas layer at all! There are giant unidentified objects in the clouds!!!"
"Everyone shut the hell up!!!"
Reid roared, and silence immediately fell.
What's going on?
So jumpy...
"Radar, what's going on?! Repeat what you just said!"
"The... the clouds—there are monsters!!!"
"What nonsense are you spouting! Notify the relief crew to replace him!"
The Oka's captain walked with heavy steps, angrily approaching the radar operator's station, with Reid close behind.
Then, both men's hairs stood on end.
On the radar imaging screen, seven huge, writhing, ascending shadows were displayed with incredible clarity.
Not human capital ships...
An indescribable, ineffable fear instantly swept through Reid's mind.
No—of course not! This is the 'Great Enemy's' fleet!
It's humanity's nightmare...
Why?
Why are they here? Why does Cangyuan know about this?!
Right, the signal... Was the nuclear explosion signal Cangyuan mentioned earlier sent to them? Are the two actually in a cooperative relationship?!
No, impossible. Absolutely impossible! Now is not the time to think about Cangyuan; their fleet must have already been destroyed by the approaching Great Enemy!
"Captain, each shadow ahead is over five kilometers long! We must maneuver immediately, or it will be too late! Captain!!!"
The usually taciturn captain was now dumbfounded, staring blankly at the main display screen directly in front of him.
"Oh God—"
Crack!!
Flashes of lightning from the thunderstorms in the Brown Dwarf's lower atmosphere projected dark silhouettes.
Now, radar was no longer needed.
Amidst the rumbling thunder, the true appearance of the Swarm Fleet was visible to the naked eye. Thick tentacles swayed in the hurricane, almost completely filling the field of vision.
All arrogant fantasies about "the Empire's strength being 80% of the golden age" vanished at this moment.
"+!!!"
The helmsman let out a frantic cry, and without Reid's permission, forcefully pulled the massive warship upwards.
The other warships, seeing this, quickly followed.
In a high-gravity environment, such high-overload maneuvering caused considerable "damage."
The sound of the hull deforming resounded continuously. Reid and the captain, due to their earlier complacency, had not been in their seats before the maneuver began. They immediately lost their balance and fell, sliding backward on the floor until they crashed heavily against the bridge wall.
Thump!
The other crew members had no time to worry about the two of them; escaping was the most important thing now! Their bodies were also pressed tightly against their seatbacks, barely able to perform normal operations.
"Accelerate!!"
Reid paid no attention to the helmsman's recklessness; instead, he wanted to award him a one-ton medal.
"Accelerate at all costs! Launch all missiles backward! Don't worry about target lock, just fire them all out!!!"
The Imperial Fleet frantically unleashed firepower while accelerating upwards at full throttle.
Engine plumes tens of kilometers long ionized the Brown Dwarf's atmosphere, triggering even denser and more violent golden thunderstorms within the expanding nuclear blast waves.
"It's like the end of the world—"
The Taibai's Navigator sighed while plotting a new course.
The Cangyuan Fleet also turned sharply, following their temporary Insectoid allies, and began their upward pursuit.
The hunters became the hunted.
"We've broken out of the planetary cloud top! We've exceeded escape velocity!"
Soon, the dark universe appeared before the Oka's helmsman. At this moment, it looked so alluring, despite its usual unknown dangers. "Keep accelerating! Don't stop!!!"
Reid was pressed against the wall, ignoring the throbbing pain in his back and the back of his head, and continued to shout loudly, "The distance to the target—is increasing!" The radar operator was so happy he almost choked up, "Those monsters aren't moving fast enough; they couldn't keep up in time!"
"Oh yeah!!"
From the perspective of the Cangyuan Fleet, the Insectoid fleet was not moving slowly; it had completely stopped.
Six smaller biological warships began to orbit their leader in low orbit.
They continuously accelerated, and all seven biological warships emitted an eerie pale purple glow, like some kind of dance or mysterious ritual.
"They are—"
The players watched, mesmerized.
"I don't know either—"
"Hmm! Although I don't quite understand, it feels like they're about to unleash a big move!"
Suddenly, within the Imperial Fleet, tens of thousands of kilometers away, all the overload caused by acceleration vanished instantly, and the bridge returned to a state of complete weightlessness.
All crew members immediately felt a relief in their chests, as if a huge stone had been lifted, and they could finally breathe normally.
But no one rejoiced because of this.
"What's going on?"
Reid's face was filled with horror.
"Which idiot turned off the engines?! Who!!!"
No sooner had he spoken than the Oka began to accelerate in reverse.
"No—all our engines are firing at full throttle."
The helmsman turned around, his eyes unfocused, his face pale.
"This is a super strong gravity storm—I think, created by those monsters—"
"The extra gravity exerted by the gravitational source has exceeded the maximum output of our engines!"
The Navigator cried out, his fingers dancing rapidly across the holographic screen, performing futile operations, then buried his head in his hands and gave up.
"Warp travel is impossible right now! We can't escape!!!"
"Is that so..."
Reid suddenly felt an inexplicable calm.
At least now, knowing the outcome in advance, he was no longer afraid or panicked.
"Turn 180 degrees, face the enemy head-on."
To be fair, the quality of the Imperial Navy was still good; the entire fleet obeyed orders.
As the Oka was about to complete its turn, Reid saw "despair" personified.
All seven biological warships opened the giant eyes on their foreheads—their super-caliber biological laser cannons.
"They've opened fire!"
The Cangyuan Fleet, watching from the sidelines, saw the seven giant pupils simultaneously emit extremely thin, yet extremely bright, rose-red beams of light.
In Cangyuan's auxiliary combat system, this color represented extreme ultraviolet lasers, considered the most suitable laser frequency for cutting.
Thus, in a dazzling and magnificent light, the large cruiser Oka, 800 meters long, was sliced diagonally into two halves, like a giant block of tofu, by the laser beams from its forward port side to its aft starboard side, without any resistance.
The two parts of the hull, after being cut, completely lost power and were manipulated by the gravity field created by the Insectoid biological warships. They were separated, then rotated to another angle.
Then, another extreme ultraviolet laser beam, pulled back from the opposite direction, cut the unfortunate warship into four similarly sized pieces.
The players were surprised to find that the wreckage after being cut did not even experience overly violent explosions.
The incandescent cutting surfaces clearly showed the internal deck and bulkhead structures of the warship.
It was as if someone had brought a 3D modeling software's sectioning tool into reality, then enlarged it tens of thousands of times and used it on the Imperial warship, making it display an engineering blueprint from a specific angle.
It was filled with an extreme sense of unreality!
"When cutting, the Insectoids precisely avoided all explosive fuel tanks and reactors, and should also include the zero element storage compartments," Cao Yuan said to Lu Yuan in the Taibai's bridge.
"...This is simply toying with food. It's a good thing they're on our side!"
Lu Yuan nodded slightly.
"For now, on our side."