274: Chapter 272 If you run, you eat one; if you don't run, you eat one; if you hide, you eat one; if you don't hide, you also...

"Report! The damage control department has basically completed emergency repairs on the Shield system. It can be activated now!"

"However, operational stability is not guaranteed, and it will cause irreversible damage to the Shield system!"

Three minutes later, Roy was staring intently at the tactical sand table on the command console when the voice of the Head of Damage Control suddenly rang in his ears.

It turns out that under immense pressure, human potential can explode infinitely.

Relying on a stack of operations like 'I reckon this'll work,' 'If I can't see it, it doesn't exist,' 'Robbing Peter to pay Paul,' and 'Trusting the Machine Spirit to move on its own,' combined with various shortcuts strictly forbidden in safety manuals,

A Shield system that might not have been fixed in three hours was actually restored to a usable state within minutes.

Of course, everything came with a price—the cost of such repairs was that this Relic Warship's Shield system was being completely trashed as a single-use device.

However, with his life under serious threat, Roy couldn't care less about that.

He looked at the Head of Damage Control and asked bluntly:

"How long can this repair sustain operation?"

The Head of Damage Control glanced at his screen, his confidence visibly deflating.

"Report... according to calculations, it can run at low power for at most 45 minutes. If it operates at high intensity, we can only guarantee it won't detonate within 15 minutes."

15 minutes...

Roy wasn't naive enough to think he could keep the Shield at 'low intensity' on the path to breaking through.

On the contrary, based on the current combat intensity, the attacks they would face during the breakout might be more than even a full-power Shield could withstand.

"What if we run it at overload?"

"Report, if we run it at overload..." The Head of Damage Control continued to look at the data, hesitating for a long while before answering in a low voice,

"Our damage control personnel installed dozens of suppressors specifically to protect the Shield system from an immediate detonation."

"If we force an overload, we'd need to remove all suppressors. Then, after at most thirty seconds, the Shield system would explode due to overheating."

"..."

Roy slapped his own forehead.

Thirty seconds? Are you kidding me? What's that enough for?

"You're telling me that even after turning the Shield system into a disposable one, it only lasts thirty seconds in the end?"

"What did you guys even fix? Huh?"

Looking at the silent Head of Damage Control, Roy let out a long sigh, his tone then becoming resolute:

"I don't care what method you use to solve it, the Shield must be able to run at overload for one minute!"

"Succeed and we live together; fail and we die together! It's that simple!"

"Yes, sir!"

Watching the Head of Damage Control run back, Roy shook his head. Just as he was about to ask the Chief of Staff how the breakout fleet's preparations were going, another thud came from beneath his feet.

"Boom!!!"

There we go, another hit.

However, at that moment, the Chief of Staff suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with despair meeting Roy's gaze.

He immediately snapped to attention and saluted without hesitation, then shouted loudly:

"Report! The fleet status summary is complete!"

"The Warships currently possessing combat capability and able to immediately form a formation with the Flagship..."

"Only three remain: the Battleships 'Indomitable', 'Hatred', and 'Myogi'."

"How many?"

"Report, three, sir!"

"WTF!" Roy snatched off his officer's cap and slammed it hard onto the ground.

"What about the hundreds of thousands of Warships? Hundreds of thousands! Only three are left?"

The Chief of Staff paused, looking into Roy's eyes as he continued,

"Perhaps some of the newly built Battleships and cruisers equipped with the Warp Engines arranged by the higher-ups have already escaped."

(Relic Battleships are treated as highly classified weapons and core fleet components; the Empire was not comfortable handing them over for modification, so they have no Warp Engines.)

"The other Warships are basically pinned down. They haven't fallen or been sunk yet, but they can't break away—at least not in the short term to join the Flagship's formation."

"It's just us left."

"Four ships..." Roy rubbed his face hard, then said in a low voice,

"Then four ships it is."

Saying this, he took two steps forward to the edge of the holographic star map on the command console and slammed his right hand down on the table.

"Send separate orders to those three Warships to close in on the Flagship and break out at full speed toward bearing 280°/67°!"

"As for the other Warships... broadcast an order on the public channel for each ship to organize their own resistance and seek opportunities to break out."

"As long as we charge out, everything will be fine..."

"Everyone! No matter what happens, hold your posts! We can make it out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a synchronized and loud response rang out through the Bridge:

"Yes, sir!"

Less than ten seconds after the order was sent, the fleet buried within the bugs reacted.

First, a group of cruisers and Battlecruisers that still had mobility directly broke away from the sailing formation that was already practically falling apart, accelerating in all directions like a Swarm of headless flies.

They had no direction and no target. Perhaps it was self-abandonment after knowing they were being left behind upon seeing the 'resist on your own' part of the order.

Or was it a final desperate gamble finally tacitly permitted by the order?

Regardless, these ships flying wildly did indeed draw a lot of fire.

Only then did the four massive Battleships begin to move.

While sailing, the large Warships were already not far apart, and combined with their massive size and powerful shipborne defense systems, the impact they felt while facing the Swarm's siege remained within a controllable range.

But they weren't having an easy time either—

The Myogi's port armor had three large holes melted through it, clearly exposing the core cylinder structure; the Indomitable's Bridge was dented, and its bow looked as if a piece had been shaved off by something.

"Ahead! Maximum firepower volley! Disperse those small bugs!"

"Don't wait for the Swarm's large units to get into position!"

On the Flagship's Bridge, Roy watched the rising speed, gripping the edge of the table in front of him so hard that the veins on his arms bulged.

Ahead was a wall composed of countless small bugs; it looked terrifying, but its actual blocking effect wasn't strong.

After several volleys, the bug tide was undeniably blasted open, but just when Roy thought they were safe, a loud bang came from beneath his feet again—

This time, it was one bang after another.

"Report! A large number of Shelling Bugs units detected on the left wing!"

"Dense barrage incoming!"

"The Myogi has suffered a sympathetic detonation!"

Amidst the series of noises, Roy's pupils rapidly constricted to pinpoints.

Subsequently, his rationality vanished completely, and the only thing his body could do, and the only thing it allowed him to do, was to scream at the front:

"ACCELERATE——!!!! BREAK OUT——!!!!"

Then, the steel hull plunged into the bug tide once more.

...

So, was the escape route Roy chose safe?

Sorry, it isn't anymore.

Within these few hours, the Guardian Angel Legion had already used the Empire fleet's last communication address to lock onto this star sector and had dispatched a large number of armed search teams.

Each search team's composition consisted of one 'Hive Guardian' heavy torpedo boat and one balanced anderson reconnaissance plane—

And at this moment, a certain search team seemed to have discovered something amiss:

"Calling No. 079, this is No. 080. We've detected a decrease in your speed. Do you require assistance?"

"Calling No. 080, this is No. 079. Our radar has scanned an abnormal signal at bearing 87°/77°. We are conducting a re-scan."

"Copy that. Do you require reconnaissance by fire?"

"Affirmative. Please fire four guided torpedoes at the target bearing."

The two Battleships that had just escaped from the Swarm: ...

Boys, can we still make it out alive?

...