12: This seems a bit like I'm responsible for putting in the effort, and you're responsible for just staying alive?

(PS: The kinetic cannons in the setting can traverse cosmic battlefield-level distances instantly after leaving the barrel, clearly not simple gunpowder firing. In the post-setting era, such primitive firing methods are impossible.)

(But I haven't found any historical data fragments related to this, so I've set the propellant to be some kind of ultra-high calorific value, high-energy firing agent.)

"Enemy ships have locked onto our position."

"An easy battle."

The two unmanned FG300s had just finished warp travel when five unfamiliar warships closed in.

A cold AI voice echoed in the empty bridge, and then the warship's automatic counterattack program began to run.

Three turrets quickly turned to the enemy ship's position on the radar, their muzzles gently rising.

The propellant exploded in the gun barrel, and the projectile, under immense thrust, shot out of the muzzle at high speed, flying towards the enemy ships—

"Enemy shells incoming!"

"Evade quickly!"

The modified LY-10 closest to the unfamiliar destroyers was hit by a barrage of incoming shells before it could react, exploding into dazzling fireworks.

The moment the enemy ships appeared, Del immediately adjusted his state.

Though the sudden appearance of enemies was terrifying, losing composure on the front lines was even more so.

Seeing his Frigates destroyed right at the start of the engagement, his expression was extremely grim.

Regardless of how the two warships appeared, whether by ambush in the shadows or optical camouflage,

The most important thing now was to quickly get the remaining people out.

Two destroyers were no longer something their small, broken ships could contend with.

"All weapon systems target!"

"Unleash all firepower!"

"Suppress and alternate retreat!"

At this moment, the main cannons of the two FG300s finished cooling down and fired again.

—Their target was Del's flagship!

Fortunately, the emergency evasion system, which had been active, kicked in, and the 170-meter-long warship, propelled by its side maneuvering engines, deviated from its original trajectory a second before colliding with the shells.

One shell grazed the ship's belly and ricocheted off, leaving a distinct large dent.

Suddenly, everyone on board felt an extremely violent tremor.

"Bottom first cargo hold depressurized!"

"Airtight door closed!"

Del leaned on the warship's central console, the report from the control room ringing in his ears, his head buzzing.

He looked at the two giant ships opposite them, which remained unmoving under the full assault of his four ships.

They didn't even bother to maneuver!

What kind of monsters was he facing... How old were these antiques!

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. Del no longer cared about his image and shouted directly from the bridge:

"Run!!!!"

"At top speed!!!!"

"These are at least fourth era antiques!"

————

"The enemy has retreated."

Looking at the night lamp's battle report, Xi Hai was bewildered.

Two FG300s against five enemy ships, destroying two, and his own structural damage was only 37.

This meant the enemy couldn't even break through the wealthy's defenses?

Damn! What was he being so cautious about?

Who gave them the courage to attack his mining ship?

Looking at the marked routes sent by the two unmanned warships, night lamp had already locked onto the enemy's position.

He would directly wipe out their base!

He immediately overturned his previous conjectures and replaced the original plan with a more aggressive one.

So, Xi Hai, through night lamp, contacted the main fleet, which was still in a hidden state, and commanded:

"Prepare to proceed to the target location and hide!"

"After rendezvousing with the decoy fleet, immediately annihilate the hostile targets!"

"Yes."

A cold, clone-specific response came from the other side.

————

At Z25 Sentry Post, White Shark rubbed his temples, looking at the suddenly cut connection.

At this moment, he already had a bad premonition—

Del must have been suddenly attacked.

Twenty minutes had passed, but he was still in a communication-cut state.

With this momentum, could they have been completely wiped out in one encounter?

Damn it, he still underestimated the determination of those illegal experimenters to retrieve their experimental data.

Trouble... Just then, three small dots suddenly appeared on the radar screen, rapidly approaching the sentry post.

White Shark immediately pulled up the channel footage and, upon closer inspection,

It was Del and his crew!

A communication request sounded from the central console. As soon as White Shark connected, a terrified voice came through his headset:

"Return our deposited cargo,"

"We are terminating this employment!"

"The deposit can be..."

Before he could finish, only static remained in the microphone. White Shark looked up in confusion, faced with an incredibly shocking scene—

The three warships on the screen were slowly disintegrating, and further behind... a massive fleet gradually emerged.