489: Chapter 489 One word: Awesome

"Attention all personnel!"

"Orders from Command!"

"For the orbital strike on satellite KY-221 and subsequent actions, there is no limit on ammunition. Fire at will! I repeat, no limit on ammunition. Fire at will!"

"All units, follow the issued operational plan and hit them hard!"

The moment the broadcast ended, the preparation bay fell into an eerie silence for a second.

Immediately after, an even louder clamor erupted, but its nature had completely changed.

The squad leaders, who had just been fighting tooth and nail over heavy armor, instantly tossed their helmets aside. Their eyes widened, and their voices shifted in pitch: "What?! No ammunition limit? Fire at will?!"

"No ammunition limit?! Doesn't that mean no weapon restrictions?"

"No weapon restrictions...?! Wait?"

A slightly older squad leader snapped his head around, looking at the synchronized feed on the bulkhead screen.

The screen showed the standby status of the ship's weapon Systems. On it, the authorization lights for light and medium Heaven-Based Orbital Cannons were turning from red to green.

"Who cares about armor anymore!" A squad leader kicked aside an equipment crate blocking his path and roared at the screen, "I want this! Squad One requests orbital cannon combat stations!"

"One shot from that thing can level half a mountaintop! Now that's what I call firepower!"

"Holy crap! Squad leader, watch out! Don't step on the rifle I just drew!"

"Get lost, kid! Who uses those at a time like this? Secondary battery! Does anyone have connections to get me transferred to a secondary battery?! I'll give you my entire entertainment quota for the year!"

"I'd rather operate the drone hives on the cruiser! The feeling of them self-destructing is pure bliss!"

The heavy support armor, which had been the prize moments ago, was instantly neglected in the corner. Soldiers swarmed the information terminals, frantically applying for temporary operation or observation slots for the ship's various heavy firepower stations, their faces lit with twisted, happy smiles.

For the Eastern Federation soldiers, who suffered from severe 'firepower deficiency phobia,' no words were more moving than 'unlimited ammunition, blast away.'

Caliber is justice; yield is truth!

In the past, they lacked the means and had to be stingy.

Later, they had the means but few opportunities.

Now that they finally had the chance to go all out, who would bother with infantry small arms?

For a time, the entire Dingyuan and the whole sub-fleet were filled with a festive, New Year-like atmosphere.

Commanders at all levels looked at their 'soldier-scoundrels' who had 'mutinied' in an instant to fight for a chance to operate larger-caliber weapons, feeling both annoyed and amused.

But more than that, it was a sense of relief and satisfaction after being suppressed for many years.

There was also a tiny bit of frustration.

Because they also wanted to press the fire buttons themselves... Once the Eastern Federation fleet entered maximum range, following the fleet Commander's order, all capital ships of the sub-fleet opened their broadside and bow weapon silos!

In the next second, firepower that was smaller in scale than the bombardment of planet GX-73-7 but no less dense or fierce slammed into that dusty planet like a violent storm!

Heavy anti-ship missiles, high-yield fusion warheads, plasma clusters... almost every high-power weapon in the Eastern Federation's arsenal capable of orbital bombardment was poured out as if it cost nothing.

The light of the explosions instantly swallowed more than half of the side of KY-221 facing the fleet. The violent blasts even caused slight tectonic tremors on the small planet.

The bombardment lasted for a full ten minutes with no sign of stopping. Ammunition of all kinds seemed infinite, literally washing the planet's surface over and over again with firepower.

In the Yaoqing Fleet command center, some soldiers couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"Tsk, tsk, this is getting a bit unfamiliar. This one wave probably used up as much as their entire quota for last year's exercises."

"The Eastern Federation... brought plenty of ammunition this time, didn't they?"

"More than plenty. It's excessive."

"And this tactic, hmm... why does it look familiar?"

"How could it not be? Isn't this exactly how we played yesterday?"

"Oh, right."

"It seems Lieutenant Colonel Ye Ming's report after he returned gave their generals quite a shock."

"Hey, they don't call them generals; they call them 'Commanders' or something like that."

General Feixiao crossed her arms, watching the continuous bursts of fire on the tactical screen. Her lips twitched slightly, as if she wanted to smile but held it back.

She glanced at General Jing Yuan beside her, who still wore that gentle smile.

General Jing Yuan looked over, saw General Feixiao's struggling expression, and shook his head slightly: "Try to understand. They've been holding it in for too long. When a chance finally comes, you have to let them vent."

"Besides, the results are quite good, aren't they?"

Indeed, the results were very good.

Under such unreasonable saturation fire, the pitiful Zerg creep and exposed hive entrances on the surface of KY-221 were almost instantly vaporized.

The violent explosions even sent some high-explosive bunker-busters deep underground, riddling the hidden hive structures with holes.

When the Eastern Federation fleet finally stopped firing, the small planet looked like it was turning into a honeycomb—albeit a heated version.

The surface was covered in massive craters and cracks, billowing thick smoke.

Follow-up scans confirmed that life readings on the surface and in the shallow underground had completely vanished.

"Surface threats cleared," the shipboard AI reported the result.

Over the comms channel came the Eastern Federation sub-fleet Commander's voice, a mix of excitement and financial pain: "Command, the objective is achieved. Requesting further instructions!"

Code Name's voice remained steady, but a careful listener could detect a hint of relief: "Received. Good work. Fleet, maintain alert and await further orders."

Ye Ming stood at the observation post, looking at the ravaged planet on the screen with mixed feelings.

On one hand, he felt a sense of satisfaction that his own fleet could unleash such magnificent firepower. On the other hand, as a mid-to-high-level officer who knew the treasury's depth, his mind was uncontrollably calculating how many budgets for new warships that volley had just deleted.

It's all money!

The Company, those filthy rich tycoons!

However, an order was an order. For an Eastern Federation military long plagued by firepower deficiency phobia, today's action was like a potent shot of adrenaline.

While there might be side effects—like the Logistics Minister's heart feeling uncomfortable for a few days—the results were immediate and undeniable.

Just then, General Jing Yuan's voice came through the joint channel: "Everyone, a splendid battle. Our purification team has begun the process as planned. Additionally, if needed, we can provide some ammunition support."

"Free of charge, of course."

The message reached the Eastern Federation fleet, causing a small stir and some low chuckles.

Even though it felt like being teased by the absurdly wealthy Company, the feeling of being recognized by a big shot still boosted the morale of the Eastern Federation officers and soldiers.

As the Yaoqing Fleet's purification vessels began their work, a pale gold energy field once again enveloped the broken planet.