109: Chapter 109: Practical Training Begins – Orbital Descent Operation

Trial Star Region, Planet G-77-3.

The entire star system was densely packed with warships.

The Holy Alliance warships were pure white, with pale golden energy patterns flowing across their hulls; the Olympia Empire's giant ships had rugged designs, with thunder reliefs covering their armor; the Blazing Dragon Federation's ships had sleek lines, like unsheathed swords.

And this was just the fleet of the three major human civilizations.

Further out, the Angel Race's 'Saint Wing' fleet deployed arrays of pure white light wings, the Demon Race's 'Shadow Moon' fleet flitted through the shadows like ghosts, and the Light Giant Race's 'Star Core Guard' fleet radiated light like stars... Millions of warships from over thirty races surrounded the trial star region, leaving no gaps.

'Goodness...' Chu Xinghe stood before the viewing window of the North Star Academy flagship 'deep space walker,' looking at the endless torrent of steel outside the porthole. 'With this kind of lineup, someone who didn't know better would think we were about to have a decisive battle against the Zerg.'

Luo Lan pushed up his glasses and analyzed calmly: 'According to the Great Prophecy Art of the Papal Hall, the scale of the Zerg attack won't be too large. But since hundreds of escort fleets have come, we might as well use them to hold the line. After all, the trial students are the 'sparks' of the future for each civilization; we can't afford to lose them.'

'In plain terms, it's a bunch of precious babies coming out to see the world, and we have to send millions of bodyguards to tag along,' Chu Xinghe summarized bluntly.

However, Li Yuan suddenly thought of a problem, and his brows furrowed: 'Although the Zerg's spearhead only reached Planet G-77-3, there are over 300 escort fleets and over 3 million warships here. Do you think the Great Prophecy Art took these 300-plus fleets into account?'

'Probably not,' Chu Xinghe felt a chill. 'If it could still advance while confronting these 3 million warships, then...'

At this moment, the bridge broadcast sounded: 'Attention all trial students, please proceed to Hangar 3-43 according to terminal instructions within ten minutes. The transport shuttles will take each academy's team to their designated defensive sectors on Planet G-77-3.'

Li Yuan, Laya, and Elia looked at each other, picked up their prepared equipment packs, and walked quickly toward the hangar.

The defensive map of Planet G-77-3 had already been transmitted to every student's terminal.

The surface of this gray-green planet was divided into hundreds of defensive sectors. Each sector was the responsibility of an academy team, with buffer zones left between sectors, allowing for mutual support.

'We are in the region at 32 degrees north latitude and 117 degrees east longitude,' Li Yuan said, looking at the map on his terminal. 'Heh, our neighbors are quite familiar.'

Their sector was located at the edge of a continuous mountain range, and the teams in charge of the three surrounding sectors were old acquaintances—Ling Xi's squad from the Angel Race, Ye Ge's squad from the Demon Race, and the Saelo squad from the Light Giant Race.

'Sister Ling Xi! Sister Ye Ge!' Laya's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the neighboring sector labels on her terminal. 'And Brother Saelo!'

Li Yuan thought of the Giants of Light student who was said to have once tried to absorb the Plasma Spark, and the corner of his mouth twitched: 'Saelo is probably still researching how to optimize the Emerium Slash...'

Ten minutes later, except for the underage research-type boy student from the Weapons Research Institute, 9 people including Chu Xinghe, Yimoku, Chen Yao, Aria, Li Yuan, Laya, Sai Wei, Chen Jingyi, and Luo Lan gathered in front of the landing capsule.

They then boarded the landing capsule, were ejected from the warship, and the transport shuttle passed through the atmosphere, starting to descend toward the designated coordinates. Through the porthole, one could see sparse green on the planet's surface below—those were traces of the Zerg creep.

'Planet G-77-3 is a planet with a relatively high frequency of engagement in the front-line buffer zone,' Chen Jingyi said softly while checking her terminal. 'After the allied forces repelled the Leviathan last time, they only destroyed the forward main nest and didn't have time to clear the remaining Zerg. So this trial... should encounter quite a few Zerg.'

Laya clenched her small fist: 'Just in time to save up energy for Sister Elia!'

Elia blushed slightly: 'In moderation is fine...'

'That won't do! If we're going to kill, let's kill to our heart's content!'

The transport shuttle began to decelerate. The broadcast sounded again: 'Attention students, entering the ionosphere. Please fasten your seatbelts, the next part of the journey will be a bit... bumpy.'

Before the words fell, the transport shuttle shook violently!

From orbit, Planet G-77-3 was currently experiencing a 'rain of steel.'

Tens of thousands of landing capsules detached from the warships orbiting the planet, turning into streams of light falling toward the ground. These landing capsules varied in size; some carried building materials, some carried heavy weapons, and others contained complete automated combat units.

And as they fell, sporadic flashes of counter-fire lit up on the planet's surface.

Those were the remaining Spore Crawlers—one of the few defensive units of the Zerg. These creatures, which looked like giant mushrooms, possessed massive biological plasma glands that could inject bio-energy into colloids to form high-temperature plasma shells, firing them into the sky at one percent of the speed of light.

'Whoosh—whoosh, whoosh—'

The scattered plasma shells streaked across the horizon, leaving scorching trails in the blue sky.

'Wow! Fireworks!' Laya pressed against the porthole, watching the outside excitedly.

Li Yuan watched the density of those shells, and the corner of his mouth twitched: 'These 'fireworks' are a bit sparse.'

Indeed, they were sparse. Spore Crawlers were the Zerg's anti-aircraft force, but the Zerg had always pursued an offensive strategy, and the incubation volume for such defensive units was not large. After losing the command of the Leviathan and the Brain Bug, these remaining Spore Crawlers couldn't organize an effective anti-aircraft network at all.

'Bang, bang, bang!'

The plasma shells hit the energy shields carried by the landing capsules, exploding into clusters of brilliant sparks, and then—that was it.

They couldn't even cause much of a ripple in the shields.

'Looks like the Zerg's anti-aircraft capabilities aren't great,' Sai Wei commented in the communication channel.

Soon the leading landing capsules were not far from the ground, and from the perspective of the landing capsules, the ground was already close at hand. If they didn't decelerate, they would crash.

However, there was no deceleration; these capsules exploded with a roar at an altitude of less than five hundred meters from the ground.

Then, the contents inside scattered toward the ground like falling flowers.

'That is...' Elia narrowed her eyes.

The next second, a deafening explosion came from below.

'Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!'

Cluster bombs. Thousands of cluster bombs carried out indiscriminate carpet bombing on an area of several dozen kilometers around the landing point. Flames, shockwaves, and shrapnel, like a wave of death, instantly engulfed the area.

Dust and smoke rose into the sky, forming small mushroom clouds.

'So, so violent...' Laya said softly.

'An old tradition of the Yanlong Alliance,' Chu Xinghe explained calmly. 'We bomb a round first whether it's needed or not. We call this 'late-stage symptoms of insufficient firepower phobia' back home.'