197: phantom behemoth

"Boss, the data is out..."

In the Vast Sea Command Center, Su Li's voice sounded like it had been rubbed with sandpaper, dry and hoarse. She stared fixedly at the massive star map in front of her. On it, dozens of green light dots representing the Vast Sea Fleet were colliding head-on with an overwhelming red tide.

"Speak." Chen Feng's voice was calm; only the rapid tapping of his fingertips on the desk betrayed the true frequency of his inner state.

"Our total tonnage is one-seventh of the enemy's, our main cannon energy level is one-tenth of theirs, and our shield strength... is one-fifteenth of theirs." With every number Su Li spoke, her palms grew sweatier. "The result of any model simulation is the same... our win rate is infinitely close to zero."

"What is Reno doing? I ordered him to perform guerrilla harassment to stall for time!"

"He..." Su Li's words were completely drowned out by a violent roar from the communication channel.

"All units, charge—!" Reno's voice sounded as if it had exploded from a burning chest. "Crush them!!"

Su Li's face turned pale instantly: "He... he has already ordered an all-out charge!"

Deep space battlefield.

Xing Zhan's "Scavenger" main fleet was like a behemoth opening its bloody maw, with the flagship slaughterer's massive and hideous black hull serving as the beast's sharpest fangs.

Meanwhile, Reno's fleet, like a pack of reckless hyenas, dived headfirst into it.

"Enemy main cannon charging detected! It's a Heavy Particle Cannon!" Eve's sharp voice rang out in the command center.

On the screen, a destructive point of light lit up at the bow of the slaughterer, the glare so intense it even caused overexposed white spots on the monitors.

"It's over." Su Li closed her eyes.

However, the expected explosion did not occur.

A strange, ripple-like halo shimmered across the lead ships of the Vast Sea Fleet. The moment the destructive particle beam hit the halo, it underwent an incredible deflection. Most of the energy slid off into the dark void, with only a small portion splashing onto the hulls, kicking up a few inconsequential sparks.

"My god! It was blocked!"

"Miss Eve's [Phase Deflection Shield]! We blocked their main cannon!!"

After a brief dead silence, the Vast Sea Fleet's communication channel erupted into a hysterical, post-survival celebration.

"Now's the time!" On the bridge of the vengeance, Reno's single eye appeared terrifyingly bloodshot. "Seize this chance! That destroyer on the left wing! Blow it to pieces for me!"

"Fire! Fire!"

Dozens of lasers and shells of various colors focused fire in a disorganized yet incredibly frantic manner on that unfortunate destroyer.

The destroyer's shields flickered only a few times before the hull began to vibrate violently. A few seconds later, with a dull explosion, it snapped in two, the light of the secondary explosions illuminating the universe.

"Haha... Hahahaha!" Reno watched the firework display and let out a crazed laugh. "Did you see that?! This is the regular army! A pile of scrap metal!"

At the same moment, on the bridge of the slaughterer.

There was dead silence.

Xing Zhan looked expressionlessly at the "destroyed" destroyer on the screen, data streams flashing through his cold electronic eyes.

"Sir, 'Decoy One' has completed the external armor jettison and fuel tank detonation sequence as planned," a similarly cold voice reported. "The visual effect was perfect; the enemy has taken the bait completely."

A cruel arc curved at the corner of Xing Zhan's mouth.

"Very good." He spoke slowly, his voice devoid of any warmth. "Make the acting more realistic. All fleet units, scatter and retreat toward the Shattered Star Graveyard."

"Yes, sir."

In the eyes of everyone at the Vast Sea Command Center, the situation on the battlefield had undergone a dramatic reversal.

The Giant Star Mining regular army, which had been so overbearing just moments ago, suddenly became "flustered" and "clumsy" after losing a destroyer. They began to turn around, their formation scattering. In their "panicked" flight, they even abandoned a large number of logistics containers and several seemingly heavily damaged Guards.

"They're routed! Boss! They're running!" Reno's voice, distorted with excitement, exploded in Chen Feng's ear. "Chase! Full speed pursuit! Don't let that old dog Xing Zhan get away!"

Massive bursts of fire lit up one after another in the dark universe; it was the light of the "abandoned" ships self-destructing. Every firework was like a shot of adrenaline, injected fiercely into the veins of Reno and all the Vast Sea crew members.

Technical superiority had completely closed the gap in combat power—this fatal delusion became the truth in everyone's hearts at this moment.

"Reno! Wait!" Su Li grabbed the communicator, her intuition giving her a chill of unease. "Their heading... is the Shattered Star Graveyard in Sector B-7! That's a cosmic forbidden zone! It's a trap!"

"A trap?" Reno interrupted her with a wild laugh. "Manager Su, in the face of absolute speed and power, any trap is a joke! They're just going there to find their own graves!"

Chen Feng did not speak. He only watched the star map, where the green light dots representing Reno's fleet had completely disconnected from the rear supply fleet due to the frantic pursuit. Like a fired arrow that could not turn back, they charged straight into that dark region representing death and the unknown.